Growing Grass

06-25-2017Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

Over the years I've been more motivated to grow things from the earth, like Cain in the Old Testament, and more disinterested from nurturing animals, like Abel in the Old Testament. And, in my decades of experimenting with various types of both indoor and outdoor plants, I'm settling on growing grass (the turf type). Nurturing turf also affords me to operate power equipment including a string trimmer, lawn mower and leaf blower; I do enjoy the hum of a fine-tuned engine! I also made a conscious decision over the winter to focus my energy on turf simply because, in some small and dramatic ways, I'm trying to reduce the busy distractions in my life. I really want to focus on fewer things and focus on them more clearly. Included in those things I'm more focused on is my own spiritual life, my priesthood and how I' m called to me a little more effective in serving the people of God.

An agrarian background has roots (pun intended) in many of our lives. Even in the past week or so, conversations about the recent extreme weather, including crop damage, has been part of local conversations. Most of us are not sure what these weather events mean, yet we typically come to a conclusion which may include comments like, "all things are cyclical," or, "we hope for better days to come for the balance of summer." Some have even commented that the weather damage inspires some to put more faith and confidence in God's plan.

That confidence in God's plan has been part of generations of anybody who meddles with growing anything; we need God to create the best conditions since we cannot force growth. Within generational farming, there are many old wisdom sayings which people lived by. One of those sayings included planting certain things according to moon phases. Well, with this week hosting the most daylight hours of 2017, I did a quick peek on the internet regarding planting by the moon phase. Turns out some science supports what former generations lived by. Science supports more moisture in the ground during the new moon and full moon phases which supports plantings seeds at those times, for obvious reasons.

Somewhere along the way, we have allowed our digital world and scientific engineering of life to reduce our reliance upon God's good graces. We have chosen to live in this man-made world and wonder why we often find ourselves unhappy with our man-made results. Now that we have officially entered into the season of summer, each of us ought to take some time while enjoying a beautiful sunrise/sunset and contemplate where we have allowed our life to go. Within that contemplation, we might have the courage to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten inspirations we might have for making some changes in our lives. Then, we might ask God the Father to help us respond to His promptings with generous hearts, so that, like Jesus, we will be more open to responding to God with love.

Our Diocese of La Crosse rejoices with the ordination of 3 new priests on 24 June 2017: Congratulations to Father Aaron Becker, Father Juan Pedro Roblez Baltazar and Father Peter Kieffer! We also celebrate the Ordination Anniversary of our Pastor which is 26 June 1999. United in the spirit of many during these days when we reflect upon priesthood, perhaps you will consider using the following prayer, maybe even just once, to support the priesthood of our Catholic church:

O Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the Face of Christ, and for love of Him Who is the eternal High-priest, have pity on priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop's hands. Keep them close to you, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.

O Jesus, I pray for faithful and fervent priests; for unfaithful and tepid priests; for priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for tempted priests; for lonely and desolate priests; for young priests; for aged priests; for sick priests; for dying priests; for the souls of priests in Purgatory.

But above all I commend to You the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed or helped me and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly (your priest's name here). O Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen. Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many and holy priests. Amen.

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