About three months from now we will be making reference to Santa Claus in town, and hopefully we are more excited about celebrating Jesus’ presence in town as we celebrate Christmas 2015. For now, we are excited about the visit of Pope Francis to our town, or at least to our nation. And we ought to be really excited by the fact that millions will gather to see him, and millions more will tune in to read or hear his message to citizens of our country and people around the world. I hope that we have taken the opportunity to listen to his messages and realize they are consistent with the Gospel that has been part of our Catholic ethos for centuries.

Secular media, earlier in the week, referred to “the faithful” gathering to hear Pope Francis’ message. That reference to the faithful is an important one. Breaking that word apart, we end up with faith and full. I believe that there is an element of faith in everyone; Pope Francis helps reignite it. I also believe that we are full of faith, we just need to use our faith to its maximum potential. Consequently, when we tune in to the foundation of Pope Francis’ messages, we really draw the conclusion that he encourages BELIEF.

Another way to make the point is to contrast Pope Francis’ style with popes of recent memory. Pope Francis really encourages us to believe in order to understand the teachings. I’ve mentioned this point before as a chicken and egg process. Are we to understand the teachings so that we believe more deeply? Or, are we to believe more deeply and be lead to a deeper understanding of the teachings? Either way, we get to the same concept, or rather the same person. Through our belief and through our understanding we deepen our relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis’ witness aids our memory which reignites our faith in the person of Jesus.

Taking another angle, leadership in the organizational Church reignites leadership in the domestic church. Some weeks ago I made Mass attendees aware of the Catholic Men’s Conference scheduled for next month. You will see a discount for early registration. We all know that faithful Catholic men lead to faithful Catholic families which lead to a greater sense of virtue in our culture. Again, I encourage you men, and encourage the women to encourage the men, to consider attending the Catholic Men’s Conference next month. The Conference has its own website, video link, and Facebook page which outlines more information. Please, take advantage of this opportunity for the good of the souls who we impact through our witness to the person of Jesus Christ.

~Fr. Brian Jazdzewski

Men of the Cross Catholic Men's Conference

Conference will be held on Sat, Oct 24, at Viterbo University Fine Arts Center, in La Crosse, WI, from 8:50am-3:50pm.
The cost: Adults - $35.00/person ($40.00 after Oct 3)
Students - $22.00
Seminarians and Religious are FREE.
Lunch is included with registration.
For more information: www.menofthecross.org.
There will be dynamic speakers, food and fellowship, confession, and Mass with Bishop Callahan.

~Inspiring you to live out your Baptismal call by igniting and intensifying your love for Jesus Christ and His Church.

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