Guest Post by Fr. Don Hying

It was last Easter when my wonderful friend, Fr. Don Hying, the Rector of St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee, agreed to let me post one of his reflections on this blog. I am so grateful that once again he has given me permission to post another of his reflections. He never fails to help me see scripture in a new and meaningful way and this reflection for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary time is no exception. I encourage you to enjoy his words and ponder his questions!

Back in 1993, I received a call out of the blue from Don Mueller who was in charge of the World Mission Office at the time, wondering if I would be open to serving in our sister parish in the Dominican Republic. I said I would consider it and he suggested I go down for a week to check it out before making a decision. My visit was very enlightening; I encountered wonderful people, saw the great work of Frs. Jim Schuerman and Kevin Murphy and experienced the Church in another culture in all its richness. But the thing that really scared me was my ignorance of Spanish. I felt I could deal with the poverty and the heat, but realized how difficult and crucial the learning of another language would be. And then other questions started rolling around inside my head. How would I deal with homesickness? Did I really want to leave my current assignment? Would the poverty of the people start to get to me? The implications of such a decision were beginning to sink in. I came home firmly determined to tell Don that I would not serve in La Sagrada Familia Parish. So, when he called me two days later to get my feedback, I shocked myself when I blurted out that I wanted to go to the Dominican Republic after all! Where did that response come from?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes the radical demand of renunciation to the crowds following him. No one can be a disciple who does not “hate” his family and his own life, who does not give up all his possessions. Clearly, Jesus is not telling us to hate anyone; he uses such strong language to emphatically make the point that those who choose to follow him must not let any human relationship, material thing, or self-preoccupation get in the way of a total, sacrificial response to Christ and his holy Gospel. In other words, Jesus calls us to step out in faith, to trust that his grace and love will be enough for us, to intentionally close all the other doors of opportunity and walk through the Door himself, as Jesus describes it in the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel.

What does this stepping out in faith look like? All the saints did it. Joseph takes Mary as his wife. John and James leave their nets, boats and father behind. Peter steps out of the boat into the stormy waves and battering wind. The martyrs refuse to worship the Roman emperor and know they will die for it. Thomas More refuses to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the church and knows he will die for it. Archbishop Romero denounces the El Salvadoran government for its oppression of the poor. Living only for Christ and his holy Gospel always costs something, and at times that “thing” may be our very life.

What does this stepping out in faith look like? We have all done it before. A young couple marries, pledging their radical fidelity for better and for worse. A man kneels down in a cathedral and gives his life to the priesthood of Jesus Christ forever. An archdiocese begins a capital campaign shortly before the economy falters and yet continues. An employee blows the whistle on corruption and loses her job because of it. A woman discovers her baby will be born with severe disabilities but carries the child to term and welcomes him with love. An heiress gives away her fortune to help those of Native and African descent. A father goes to work every day, despite great difficulties in the office.

Christianity often feels like a high-wire act. We must disencumber ourselves of excess weight and baggage or we will never make it across the tent. Imagine a performer walking the high-wire burdened with a heavy backpack. We must gently and flexibly bend in order to maintain a proper balance. We must keep our eyes fixed on Christ who beckons us to step out in faith and believe (we know not how) that he is simultaneously waiting for us at the end of the wire, walking with us as we traverse the terrifying distance and standing down below to catch us when we fall. One who renounces all for Christ loses nothing in the end, but rather, gains a kingdom and hundreds of fathers, mothers, children and friends besides. Step out in faith! God will not disappoint us. My surprising decision to serve in the Dominican Republic ended up being one of the best choices of my life.

1.What has your practice of the Catholic faith cost you?
2.God will use us for good as far and deep as we allow him to. How can you go farther and deeper in your surrender to Christ?

Inspiration from the Blogs

It seems to have been a while since I have linked to other blogs that have touched my heart and I'm sure I'm overdue. The following blogs are all relatively new to me, yet each of them have quickly become favorites of mine due to their posts that are true to the Church, poetically written and great sources of new information.

Do Not Be Anxious-a blog that brings a little bit of much needed peace to this often frazzled woman, great reflections and powerful testimony

Autumn's Leaves-Autumn describes it best: "The occasional ruminations of a Catholic Wife, Mother, Grandmother & Counsellor approaching the mellow Autumn of her life. Despite life’s ups and downs, I am always aware of God’s canopy of love over me, rain or shine. You are most welcome to share my *bench* "

Family at the Foot of the Cross-here's a homeschooling mom who finds creative ways to incorporate the Feast of the Day or the Saint of the Day into her curriculum-great ideas!

Credo Catholic-written by a Catholic wife and mother who is studying for a degree in Theology, her posts always point to God's presence in her life

Finally, I just have to share a link to a lovely Christian blog. Sarah Mae simply and eloquently expresses a solution to my recent disquiet about divisions in the church with her post "When Convictions Collide" at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee.

Please visit and enjoy!

Length of Days

"Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding." Job 12:12














While grocery shopping with my children recently, I was greeted by an elderly friend from daily Mass. After I stopped to converse with him a bit about the never-ending growth of my children and the frequency of my grocery store visits, we parted ways and my family and I continued with our errand.

As we gathered up the groceries, my fourteen-year-old son told me that he felt sorry for me because all of my friends are elderly. I agreed with him that it seems to be true that most of my friends and acquaintances are of an older generation, we laughed about it a bit and continued on with our chore. But upon further reflection, I focused on the fact that my son was taking pity on me for something of which I am actually quite grateful.

Many years ago, before Paul and I were married, I worked as a nursing home food service director. At that time and in that place, my opinion of the elderly was something along the lines of that held by my son. The residents for whom I worked were usually quite cross, always complaining about the food and my staff and challenging me beyond what my capabilities were at that time in my life. I was fearful of those who could no longer comprehend the realities of life, and saddened by those who could no longer perform the functions of daily living such as feeding and dressing themselves. I viewed old age as a fearful and miserable time.

But as I age, and with the passing of my own parents, I often feel like an orphan in need of the guidance that only an older and wiser generation can provide to me. Because my work and my family life keep me surrounded by babies and youth, it is actually quite refreshing to spend some time in the company of those whose demands on me are quite simple-usually a few kind words and a smile are all they need to bring a little sunshine to their day, and that is something that I can easily accomodate. My elderly friends who attend daily Mass have become a type of surrogate parents to me and I am very grateful for their presence in my life.

I have met so many wonderful elderly people who attend daily Mass with me and I am moved by the constancy of their faith and uplifted by the fact that whatever stage of life I am currently in, they have been there before me and have survived it, no matter how difficult it might have been, and they continue to smile and pray and love, and so I know that I too, will survive any difficulties that beset me and I will continue to be able to smile and pray and love.

Recently, one of my elderly friends shared a most interesting story with me. I had never met his wife as he always attends daily Mass alone, so I was surprised when he told me that he and his wife attend a bible study at her church. I boldly asked him what church his wife attended. He answered that she was Presbyterian and that this month they would be celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary. "Wow," I thought, "forty-five years together, each maintaining a separate religion and continuing to remain faithful to their views is an outstanding accomplishment!" Then
he shared something even more astonishing with me. He said that two of his sons are Presbyterian pastors and he is as proud of them as any father could be. "When we get together, we have some very interesting conversations," he said. "And after a couple of bottles of wine, the conversations become even more interesting!" By sharing this story with me including the obvious joy and pride that he felt, he witnessed to the faithfulness required in the vocation of marriage, and I am blessed to carry his story in my heart.

I pray that as the shadow from my own length of days grows, I too, will bring an essence of joy and pride to a younger generation, encouraging them by my example of a life lived well and a faith lived deeply.

For the Care and Support of your Immortal Souls

A big H/T and thank you to Badger Catholic for posting the entire Mass of Installation for Bishop William Callahan as Bishop of La Crosse, WI. Bishop Callahan was a huge blessing to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as our auxilliary Bishop and he will be greatly missed. The following quote from his installation homily is a fine example of the great devotion of this very holy man.

"As your Bishop, I accept not simply the care of properties, balancing ledgers and the upkeep of temporal services. As your Bishop, I accept something much more significant-the call of Jesus Christ for the care and support of your immortal souls."

For more quotes from his outstanding homily, visit Credo Catholic.

Five Favorite Devotions

I have been noticing with great interest a wonderful devotional MEME that has been making the blogosphere rounds. Recently, I was tagged by NC Sue at In Him We Live and Move and Have our Being and so I will eagerly play along.

1. Starting at the very beginning of my list is the devotion I always pray at the beginning of my day: The Morning Offering. How simply wonderful it is to promise God every moment of my day to use as He sees fit. All that I am and all that I have is a blessed gift from Him and so I give it all back to Him with joy in my heart. I ask that He use the thoughts and events of my day for the intentions of the Pope, for priests and vocations and for the spirituality of my family. "I belong completely to You, O God, take me, all of me, and use me for Your benefit. Amen."


2. I often attend Eucharistic Holy Hours as my way of offering adoration to the Lord and uniting my intentions with those of the others gathered at the Holy Hours. I enjoy these hours of adoration as a silent group with occasional vocal prayers and lots of incense more than adoration on my own. Maybe it's because I grew up with lots of siblings and I now have lots of children that I enjoy having a crowd around me when I pray, I'm not sure, but you say Holy Hour and I'm there! I could add that the same theory applies to the rosary...I prefer to pray it with fellow parishioners before daily Mass and with my sisters and nieces at our once-a-month rosary gatherings than to pray it by myself.


3. Now the Stations of the Cross is just the opposite. This devotion is one that I like to pray when I am alone, and the version by St. Alphonsus Liguori is my all-time favorite. Whenever I get a chance, I like to pray this version at an outdoor stations where it almost feels as if I am actually walking the way with the Lord.

"My Lord, Jesus Christ, You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love; and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You. But now I love You with all my heart; and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me; I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will love and die always united to You."

4. Is it considered a devotion to light candles? If so, count me in! That flickering light on the blessed candle that continues my prayer long after I have left the church until it burns out with a whiff of sweet scented wax brings me so much comfort and peace.

5. Consecrations are another devotion with the lingering effects that carry me in prayer for much longer than the actual moment of Consecration. Last fall I had the honor of Consecrating myself to Jesus through Mary via St. Louis de Montfort. The prayer from the Crown of Mary continues to resound in my heart as I prepare to receive the Lord in Holy Communion each day..."Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, rejoice a thousand times!" It's almost time for me to begin my preparation to reconsecrate myself this year and I am greatly looking forward to it.

My family and I recently consecrated ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well, in a very informal way, but I can never look at the picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that hangs on my living room wall in the same way, for now, my heart explodes with love and gratitude at the sight of that divine image.

I will pass this MEME on to the following bloggers:

Jeff at Secret Harbor
Linda at Don't Poke the Baby
Autumn at Autumn's Leaves
Tiffany at Family at the Foot of the Cross
Elizabeth at 100th Lamb

Monthly Prayer Request for Priests

For the past year, my heart has been longing to do something special for the priests in my Archdiocese, to let them know that they are loved and needed, but most of all, to lift them up in prayer so that they will be under the protection of our heavenly Father in a very special way, especially those priests for whom very few people pray and those who may be struggling in their vocation, but also to strengthen and support those priests who are strong, healthy and holy, so that they may continue on the path to which the Lord has called them with vigor and deep love for all.

I had been so inspired by dear Easter and sweet Esther in Hawaii and the Spiritual Motherhood Apostolate which they began in their diocese that I began to work to build a Spiritual Motherhood Apostolate here in my own Archdiocese. Despite having lots of support from friends, family and several priests, I ended up hitting a brick wall last January and the entire plan was dropped. I decided that it was not God's will that I do this, and with deep sadness in my heart, I dropped the entire idea. I knew that I would continue to pray for priests on my own as I had always done before, in a particular way for those priests who were very special in my life and in a general way for all priests.

Now, for some reason, God has placed this issue back on my heart. I realize that a Spiritual Motherhood Apostolate is far too much work for me to even consider anymore, but I have found something so simple that anyone can participate in, not just women, and I have begun to become quite excited about the whole prospect of prayer for priests once again.

The Monthly Prayer Request for Priests (now in my sidebar), has been in existence for the past twenty years. It is currently operating in over 70 dioceses worldwide. It is simply a calendar format listing a priest's name each day for which those who are interested in praying for priests may offer prayers. In this way, each priest in the diocese is held in prayer by many people on one day of the calendar cycle for the diocese. The possibilities for prayer are myriad. Daily Masses could be offered, fasting, penance, daily offerings of joys and sorrows, rosaries or divine mercy chaplets could be prayed, or just a simple Lord's Prayer could be humbly prayed by a family for the priest of the day. The calendar can be printed in parish bulletins, posted in adoration chapels, distributed at nursing homes, convents and seminaries, or entire parishes could list the priest's name in their Mass prayer intentions.

I encourage you to visit the site to learn more about The Monthly Prayer Request for Priests and find out if your diocese participates. If not, maybe you would consider beginning one for the priests in your diocese. I would also ask that you hold me and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in prayer as I try to establish this Prayer Apostolate here.

God's Microscope

My family and I took a weekend vacation to a nearby campground on the shores of Lake Michigan with some of my nieces and nephews and their children. After putting up with an entire Friday night and Saturday morning of rain, the clouds cleared and we began making more memories than simply those of huddling together under a tarp while waiting for better weather. Now that we are home, unpacked and cleaned up, I reflect upon the wonders of nature and the joys of family time together that highlighted our time away.

I thank God for...

Queen Anne's Lace and Black-eyed Susan's that grow wildly and profusely along the roadways of the campground,

toads that hop across the road in the dark night and aren't even aware that they have been named "Fruit Punch" by my daughter,

sunny afternoons spent frolicking at the beach and for the fact that Lake Michigan was warm enough to swim in,

sighting the Big Dipper, making s'mores and pudgy-pies and the sight of sticky faced children reveling in late night treats,

breathing fresh and fragrant air and tent-sleeping on an air mattress instead of the rocky ground,

waking up in a dome tent without the cover, but only a screen between me and the outdoors and enjoying the sight of trees and blue sky above me while the sound of birds punctuates the silence with their early morning prayer,

visiting a quaint country church for Sunday Mass and realizing that there is no place as wonderful as your own home parish,

and most of all, for my wonderful children who bring joy to their little cousins who look up to their older relatives.

Here's a little reflection I wrote about a camping trip we took last summer...

God's Microscope

Sitting around the campfire, watching the bright orange embers give way to blue, green, yellow and red flames can hypnotize me. The warmth that the fire produces draws me into a trance. Listening to the quiet voices around me share scary campfire stories brings me gratitude for my family members who have the gift of storytelling. The wide-eyed children huddle in closer to the fire in an effort to allay their fears.

As I hold my overtired and fearful daughter, Mary, on my lap, I lean back in my chair and look to the sky. What I see there is even more beautiful than the hypnotic fire.

The trees surrounding our campsite create a circle silhouette in the dark night sky. In the middle of the circle of tree branches, the dark sky glimmers with millions of stars shining so brightly that it is almost heartbreaking. I feel as if I am sitting under a microscope and God is peering down from the sky, through the trees, to watch my family. The stars are the specks of pride in his eyes for all of his creation with whom he is so madly in love. God is so generous to share these natural gifts with his lowly, human creatures. How blessed we are to receive his gifts, and how happy he is to see our gratitude.