2020 archive of From the Pastor
Amazing Parish!
Posted by Barb Weaver on 8/07/20
Dear Friends,
Last month, my bulletin column discussed our parishes beginning to engage the Amazing Parish movement. As I believe I mentioned last month, Amazing Parish strives to empower pastors to be better leaders and shepherds of parishes through the creation of a Parish Leadership Team (PLT, for ... Read More »
GUIDELINES for returning to Mass
Posted by Barb Weaver on 5/13/20
Dear Friends,
Our bishop, Bishop Daniel Thomas, recently published guidelines about returning to Mass. As of right now, the plan is to return Sunday Masses on the weekend of May 30-31, as we celebrate the great and tremendous Solemnity of Pentecost. We will actually have a soft opening ... Read More »
Peace Through Suffering
Posted by Barb Weaver on 5/12/20
“Suffering has to come because if you look at the cross, He [Jesus] has his head bending down: He wants to kiss you, and He has both hands open wide: He wants to embrace you. He has His heart opened wide to receive you. Then when you feel ... Read More »
God wants to dwell in us!
Posted by Barb Weaver on 5/11/20
When hosting guests in our homes, we usually work to ensure a hospitable, gracious, and comfortable stay. Jesus says in today's gospel reading from St. John's Gospel (14:21-26), “We [the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” God wants to ... Read More »
THE only way
Posted by Barb Weaver on 5/08/20
Some professional athletes and other graduates of Ohio State like to emphasize they went to THE Ohio State University—and detractors like ridiculing the emphasis on THE. Definite articles such as “the” make a big difference.
“Ego sum via, veritas, et vita.” These are words found in the ... Read More »
Bread of Life
Posted by Barb Weaver on 4/29/20
Anyone who has grown up in a large family with a tight budget knows of the importance finding ways to make food go a long way. Sometimes one has to get creative doing that, but what is perhaps a common way to make food go a long way? ... Read More »
The Power of Forgiveness
Posted by Barb Weaver on 4/28/20
I mentioned yesterday that St. Stephen was the first martyr. Martyr comes from the Greek, meaning “witness.” The typical sense of this word refers to those put to death because of their faith and adherence to Jesus Christ, and we see this on display in today's first reading ... Read More »
Time to Reorder Priorities?
Posted by Barb Weaver on 4/27/20
Today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (6:8-15) features St. Stephen, and we're told at the end of the reading that “All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him [Stephen] and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” I ... Read More »
Fighting Words
Posted by Barb Weaver on 4/25/20
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mark. St. Mark is one of the four evangelists, writing one of the four gospels. Mark probably worked with St. Peter, and so his gospel is probably filled with Peter's account of Jesus' life. Mark also wrote the shortest of the ... Read More »