Videos talking about the Wisdom of Bishop Sheen

If we use our lives for other purposes than those given by God, not only do we miss happiness, but we actually hurt ourselves and beget in us queer little “kinks.”

“Love of God thus becomes the dominant passion of life; like every other worth-wile love, it demands and inspires sacrifice. But love of God and man, as an ideal has lately been replaced by the new ideal of tolerance which inspires no sacrifice. Why should any human being in the world be merely tolerated?”

The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen: Conversion…will revive shepherds who shepherd rather than administrate, reverse the proportion of saints and scholars in favor of saints, create more reapers for the harvest, more pillars of fire for the lukewarm…

The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen: “Love of self without love of God is selfishness; love of neighbor without love of God embraces only those who are pleasing to us, not those who are hateful.”

And as religion fades so will freedom, for only where the spirit of God is, is there liberty.

The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen: “In moments when fever, agony, and pain make it hard to pray, the suggestion of prayer that comes from merely holding the rosary–or better still, from caressing the Crucifix at the end of it–is tremendous!”

The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen: “Your soul has a cdrtain infinity about it, because it is spiritual. But you body, like the world around you, is material, limited, “cabined, cribbed, confined.” 4 September 2022

Where in the world is West Bend Iowa and why would anyone visit it? Who is Fr. Paul Dobberstein and why is anyone interested in a priest who died the 1954?

These are two questions I would have asked several months ago. Here are my answers now. In West Bend Iowa at the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul is one of the most amazing grottos I have ever seen that was dreamed of and constructed by Fr. Paul Dobberstein. I will certainly attach some photos I took while visiting The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption as it is known.

I wrote a little last week about my trip across the United States to South Bend Indiana and Notre Dame University and on my way home I stopped at some interesting places but this one was unscheduled. When I planned by daily drive I would look through nearby towns that I would pass by to see if they have any interesting things to see. When I look around for something interesting near the wolds largest gnome in Ames Iowa and then to my next stop which was “The Worlds Largest Ball of Twine” in Cawker City Kansas the only thing popping up which I thought would be interesting was this grotto.
At first I balked at going to West Bend Iowa because it was not exactly on “the way” but needed to have a big detour to get there. Even the morning of my visit, as I was thinking about the extra miles and time it would take to get to this little out of the way town I almost decided to do something else but, thanks be to God, I didn’t make that terrible decision.
What I found was amazing, filled my heart with joy and, believe me, was so beautiful the pictures I attach do not do this grotto justice.
You can check out the link I will post below to read more about the story.
I only relate this story as a way we can understand the spiritual journey, “the way” to follow Jesus. In my spiritual journey I cannot count the number of detours that have produced great fruit. How many side stops became touchstones of grace and blessing. And most notable the various out of “the way” stops that I tried to avoid that have deepened and enriched my life of faith.

Sometimes we can become so laser focused on an objective, we loose sight of the journey between the beginning and the end. We want to find the most efficient and least complicated pathway without realizing the richness of the roadside diner as compared to a fast-food restaurant.

Seventeen years later I cannot imagine how my priesthood would be different if I did not accept the invitation to celebrate Mass with a group of sisters (Eucharistic Missionaries of the Most Holy Trinity MESST) that have now become friends, spiritual companions and who I am honored to serve as chaplain.
Or how in my first year at St. Catherine of Alexandria parish serving with a priest from Ghana Africa, (Fr. Paul Mensah), would have enriched my priesthood with a journey to his home and the eye opening experience of the joy of the Church and the great need for education to the poor of the out of the way places in our world.
Lastly, how a group of parishioners at St. Lucy introduced me to a team from the St. John Paul II Healing Center. How I thought I could just let them do their presentation and I would be “just” a gracious host. But in prayer and with the Holy Spirit, “the way” with and to Jesus Christ became much clearer through this experience.

And I could give examples for days but these three, connect with the journey to see a giant gnome and a large ball of twine..but what was between became the greatest grace of all.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

http://www.westbendgrotto.com

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

I was talking with someone earlier this week and the topic of our summer vacations came up. I explained my vacation and studies trip this summer and he was surprised that I chose to drive from California, to Idaho, to Indiana and then back to Santa Clara. My response was that there was so much to see, the beauty of the earth and the joy, the profoundness and the silliness of our human endeavors too.
Sitting in a car and driving down interstate highways as well as smaller state roads gives you appreciation of both God’s work and the creative genius of the human spirit. I have begun to appreciate more and more the travel and process of getting to a place rather than my youthful…put the car in drive and don’t stop until you get where you are going. Of course this takes time…which we can often lack in our busy schedules…but it is something to be taken seriously in using our time wisely to enjoy and give honor to the beauty surrounding us.

I have found that even in the place I grew up, central Idaho, I missed a lot in my youth. My brother took me on a small ride to a place where he is working on building a house. It was a beautiful journey and one that I had never been on and roads I had not traveled even though it was less than an hour from where I grew up. Seeing things with new eyes and taking time to rest in the beauty is important for each of us and human beings made in the image and likeness of God.
Because the spiritual life can be very similar to these journeys that we take and seeing new things in familiar places. I was reminded of this in visiting and driving through some of the small midwestern towns with their beautiful churches and at times bumping into a parishioner who, in kindness and hospitality, would often show off “their parish” with pride to a strange Californian priest wandering through.

This stop was a reminder of how in the our prayer life something will pop up into our minds or a prayer will come into our hearts and if we rush by thinking. “Oh that is a pretty prayer” without stopping, getting off our routine treadmill and seeking to enter into a conversation with God we miss a beauty that is irreplaceable and will swiftly fall into the jumble of life and be forgotten.
It is also a reminder of taking time to laugh and smile with God and discover the deeper joys of prayer in service of his people. Like the world’s largest Garden Gnome in Ames Iowa.

Stopping to see this wonder of the world only to discover an artist creating sculptures of scrap metal. Searching out and spending time in joyous blessings leads to greater and more profound discoveries of God’s presence, beauty and wonder in our lives and in the world.
Last but not least is giving thanks…each morning, each night and in each encounter to give thanks to God for the the gift of life. Once more, this moment of thanks stops you in your tracks…it pauses your mind to take notice and give glory to God…this is the wonder of life.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

YouTube posts.

Sometimes it is just really hard to begin once you have stopped. It has been months since my last posting of thoughts and reflections and each time I sit down in front of the computer screen to write about something…excuses begin to enter into my mind and distractions begin be discovered and another day will pass.
I shared this part of my spiritual journey a couple of weeks ago during a homily. How, the soccer (football) season in England, begins on television at 4:30 a.m. and the choices this invites me to make. The first choice is to get out our bed. I am usually awake at this time so this is not to hard. The second choice is at 5:00 a.m. I normally go over to the church and spend my Holy Hour in front of the tabernacle in prayer. The decision to step away from the television and the ease of watching the game rather than walking over to the church to pray is a temptation that can be hard to resist…especially when I am texting my older brother in conversation about the game being played. I know that the right choice is and most of the time I choose to spend the best part of my day with God and trust in the games that are being played later in the day.

I write this little story because, If I don’t go over at 5:00 a.m. then all my “plans” of doing it later in the day fall to dust as I get busy and find other distractions to hold me away from this vital and important moment of prayer.
This same thing happens when I write…in making the transition from St. Lucy Parish to St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish almost a year ago I lost the tempo, space and “normal time” to write. The routine disappeared and I discovered distractions are much easier to follow than the work of writing.
It is not that I didn’t have good intentions. I have a small note book full of ideas to write about. I have several dozen “beginnings” saved on the computer where I didn’t complete what I had begun.
Therefore on this day of 16 August 2022 I am making a new commitment to put forward weekly posts for two very small reasons.
It makes me think about where God is in my life at this moment. It is not that this isn’t on my mind often, rather it is the intentionality of forming my thoughts and prayers around a singular idea about the presence of God in a focused way. In a way it is reminding me to be renewed each day and moment and be unafraid to share these thought and prayers with others.
It organizes my life. Routine in prayer and service is so very important. I talk about how I need to schedule my prayer…to schedule celebrations of Mass…and to take time in personal and emotional growth in a structured manner. Writing is one of the ways I do this and my growth in all these senses has been lessened over the past six months of not taking the time to write these posts.
So there it is…I will have a post ready for this Friday August 19 and with God’s grace and a little perseverance on my part I will succeed.

God Bless
Fr. Mark