One of the most important aspects of the Catholic faith that drew me to the Church was the doctrinal truth that Christ is fully present, body, blood, soul and divinity in the bread and wine once consecrated at Mass. Once I realized this truth it created a soul-searching dilemma for me. I wanted it. I believed it was God’s will that I embrace this truth and live in it. But to do this I had to become Catholic. There was no alternative. For me to become Catholic meant giving up what I had spent years training to be, an ordained minister in the Protestant church. So, when I finally became Catholic, it came to me as a very disappointing shock to discover that, according to surveys of Mass attending Catholics, a large majority do not believe that Jesus is truly and fully present in the Blessed Sacrament but that it is merely a symbol of His presence. At that time, over 25 years ago, I wondered why they remained Catholic. I think of a comment made by the 20th century Catholic author, Flannery O’Conner, when an acquaintance at a dinner party mused that the Sacrament was merely a symbol. To which O’Conner countered, “If that’s the case, the hell with it.” (Forgive the language, but the theological truth is that disbelief in the real presence is from hell.) Today we see that exodus from the Church happening. According to surveys, 1-3 percent of self- identifying Catholics per years are disconnecting and no longer identify as being Catholic. The disbelief of the Real Presence of Christ that became prominent a few decades ago has caught up with us. Our Catholic belief in Christ’s real presence is not optional. To cease to believe in the Real Presence is to cease to be Catholic in reality if not in name. If you are struggling with your faith life, I challenge you to prayerfully contemplate the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. This truth is at the very center and core of our faith. All other spiritual necessities blossom forth from this living truth! Why do we believe such a bold and challenging doctrine? Because He, (Jesus), said so! Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid

This Sunday we celebrated the Holy Trinity. This is a most important doctrine of our faith, and it demonstrates something fundamental about the nature of our doctrine. What we believe is what has been revealed to us via Christ through the Apostles, other words, divine revelation. Our doctrine is not something that some human person or persons put together and composed out of what they “think” is true about God. I know this sounds trivial, but it is very important because if what we hold to be true has not been revealed by God then there is no reason to not hold it and all our doctrine suspect. As far as the Trinity, this is a prime example of a doctrine that no one would make up. It’s just too hard to comprehend. One God, three person and perfect unity. No one is going to try to sell this as a theological belief unless it is the real deal, revealed by God. Human ideas are always bound to the earth and based on appeal. God’s truths are always visible but beyond complete human comprehension. Here is an example. We live in Nebraska where you can readily do this. On a clear, moonless night go outside and look up at the Milky Way. You are looking at millions and millions of stars. Can we see them? Yes. Can we comprehend them all? No. Some of the light from those stars left their source before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Light travels a 186,000 miles per second or 671 million miles per hour. You are seeing the light, but can we comprehend the distance it has traveled? No. We accept the math, but our mind cannot imagine or picture the distance. My point is, we only propose that which seems humanly plausible. But whether it is plausible or not is not as important as whether it is true. You see it is truth that helps us, brings us good, frees us and brings us close to God because our God is Truth and all that is true and good flows from God. We do not need to comprehend the Trinity, but we must believe, or we will suffer the consequences of living by a lie. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid

This is Pentecost Sunday, the coming of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus to his disciples. The reality of the Holy Spirit is something we overlook, take for granted, do not take seriously or simply ignore. But the Person of the Holy Spirit is the active agent of our faith in the world and in our personal soul. Every once in a while, I get asked why the Church no longer uses the term Holy Ghost? The use of Spirit was an attempt to move away from the scary, negative connotations surrounding the word “ghost.” The word ghost used to simply mean a spirit being. Only in recent history had it come to mean, almost exclusively, the spirit of a deceased human. So Holy Ghost was thought to be confusing. However, many of the well-intended changes made by the Church 60 years ago haven’t played out well in their actual results. (I could list many.) The downside of using the term Spirit, is that folks tend to think of Him as a strange power like electricity or radiation, not a person, but a fluid power of some mysterious force. Attempts by the Church to define the Spirit as the love between the Father and the Son lend to this misconception. The Holy Spirit is a person like the Father and the Son. According to Church teaching, the Father is your creator, the Son is your redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is your sanctifier. This means that He is “setting you apart” as the child of God the Father in the image of God the Son. Through your baptism and confirmation, the Holy Spirit is in you and with you always. Pentecost reminds us, that like the original disciples, we need to be intentional and prayerful if we are to fully cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s companionship and work. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid

Memorial Day was established on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the death of the soldiers who perished in the American Civil War. Soon it grew into the recognition of all subsequent wars. It differs from Veteran’s Day in that it specifically recognizes all American military personnel who died as a result of service to our nation. It has been my privilege to serve our veterans as a chaplain in the VA medical system. I have heard their stories. All combat veterans have heavy hearts. Their sadness come from differing places and sometimes multiple events. Some lost close comrades, some lost innocents, some are haunted by the taking of human life, some such as Vietnam veterans, were shamed and humiliated on their return home. This might also be aggravated by a life altering physical wound. When Afghanistan was turned over to the Taliban, I sat with a veteran watching it on TV. He was a Vietnam veteran. Tears streamed down his face as he watched something very much like the fall of Saigon. He said to me, “When we lost in Vietnam, I thought at least we learned a lesson. I guess we didn’t.” This is an example of the “heaviness.” It is why our Veterans are so very passionate about our nation and its welfare. They know and have experienced the cost firsthand! There is a growing voice in our nation condemning it as evil, racist and bigoted from its founding up to today, a terrible place that oppresses the poor and disadvantaged. And yet, thousands and thousands of people from all over the world are rushing across our southern border. Why? Why come to someplace worse than where they left. I do not approve of the way this is taking place. The rule of law is essential for the stability and prosperity of any nation. But for those coming in illegally, it is a dream coming true, the American dream they have only heard about or watched in movies from a far. They want what we have and take for granted. This “dream” is what our service men and women have sacrificed their lives for. Let us be grateful, let us remember them and pray for them and their families. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Schools are out and the summer season is now in place. This season is not a good time for Catholic faith. It is kind of a pattern that many take the season off or dramatically decrease the practice of the Faith, particularly Mass attendance. I recently had a conversation with someone who insisted they can feel just as close, if not closer to God by being out of doors rather than at church. I have heard this statement many times throughout my life. I don’t argue with them. It’s probably true if the operative consideration is “feelings.” I too have that close feeling to God provided by His creation. It’s supposed to do that. The creation reflects the Creator, and it is truly beautiful and breath taking. But…that’s not what the first commandment instructs us to do. We are called together to worship God, our Creator. Worship is not about our feelings. (Yes, we may have inspirational feelings and hopefully we do. And, we may have bad feeling caused by something or someone present at worship.) Worship is giving our God what is due. The glory of the creation we all enjoy is the creations worship of the creator. Our worship is to praise and thank Him. Within that worship we are built up emotionally and spiritually into the fulness of who we are created to be. We also have the obligation to share in the experience with our fellow Christians. The is an obligation of our faith. So, when you are tempted to forgo Mass for summer fun, “Just this once.” Don’t do it. I promise you, go to Mass and the fun will be more fun! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

This Sunday is the Day of Families. It follows on the heels of Mother’s Day in recognition of a mother’s nurturing of the family! It’s frequently observed that the family in America is in serious trouble. The last 60 years have seen the breakup of half of all marriages. That number still holds but does not reflect the breakup of non-marriage relationships with children which basically goes unmeasured. We also see the distressing conditions of our inner cities. Occasionally some brave soul will point out the condition of families in these communities, of which the common factor is the absence of fathers in the home, which results in young boys growing up without good male role models. But this is not the only absence. Our busy, activity bloated family lives have also resulted in family members not being “present.” Yes, maybe physically but absence in emotional, spiritual, and common-sense communication between parents and children. But there is hope. It’s strange how something as difficult as the pandemic can also bring with it some positives. The confinement resulted in a lot of one-on-one time in households. It also resulted in parents observing and being involved with the school education via the internet. I think it’s accurate to say parents are more engaged in being parents. This has also spilled over into the spiritual faith lives of our families. At St. Libory’s there is definitely an upturn in children attending. It’s downright noisy during Mass. (I love it!) Parents I applaud you! Keep up the good example. You will reap great blessing as a result! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

This Sunday we observe Mother’s Day. Indeed, mothers are very special. Here’s a fun fact. Did you know that a mother retains some of the DNA of every child she conceives? Half of your DNA comes from your biological father and half from your mother, but the mother retains a very small amount of her child’s new DNA. There is an amazing bond between mother and child. It’s life long and forever. I recently had a conversation with a veteran in the hospital. He is far from home. His 80-year-old mother sent him a daily devotional. He said, “She is right. I need to be doing that.” Mothers are uniquely persuasive. This maternal bond and care are reflected in the unique role that Mother Mary has in our salvation. She is not our savior, but her son is. She was given all disciples by Jesus as he hung upon the cross. She uniquely looks after them with a mother’s care. And like a mother she intercedes for them. It must be clearly understood, Blessed Mary is not divine, and we do not worship her. But we do honor her as the mother of our Savior, Jesus, and as our spiritual mother by baptismal adoption. Our prayers directed to her are not acts of worship but pleas for help, intercession with our Lord and God for His merciful help. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Although it is not our Gospel reading this week, I have always been fascinated with the encounter the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus gave instruction to them as to how the Scriptures applied to the revelation of Him as the Christ. Many years ago, when I was Protestant, I remember a preacher lamenting that we did not have what he said to them. At the time, I thought, how tragic that was because of how important that would be to understanding the Christ and His mission. But when I became Catholic, it was pointed out to me, that no, it was not lost. It was too important. The Apostles would never let such an important teaching directly from Jesus to be lost. It was immediately passed on to the Church in the teaching. The framework of the Mass is revealed in the Emmaus encounter. The two disciples went immediately to the Apostles with what the risen Jesus had said and done. Jesus encounters them. They share the Scriptures. Jesus explains them. They want Jesus to stay with them. He consecrates the bread and disappears. He is now with them and with us via every Mass throughout the world. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the consecration of Russia to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In addition, the Blessed Mother requested that Mass be offered on the first Saturday of each month in reparation for the sins of humanity against the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Lord willing, we will continue to offer a first Saturday morning Mass here at St. Libory’s. Blessed Mary also requested that individuals pray a Rosary daily for this same purpose. This request was made in 1917. She warned that if this was left unheeded the “errors of Russia” would spread around the world. In the last century we have witnessed this tragic realization. As was predicted by Mary to the children of Fatima, a worst war followed WWII. Communism spread from Russia to Eastern Europe, China, Central America, Cuba and beyond. The Marxist ideas of Communism spread throughout Western Europe, Canada, and the United States and beyond. Nearly all the “crazy” social ideas we see circulating in our politics today, trace strait to God hating, family destroying, Marxism. So, what does this have to do with Divine Mercy Sunday? In 1930s Poland, a poorly educated nun by the name of Sr. Faustina, received revelations about the amazing Mercy of God. She was given a devotion called the Capulet of Divine Mercy. It is very simple and strait forward. It uses the Rosary to pray for God’s Mercy, primarily by repeating, “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Every decade of the Rosary ends with, “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.” There are some additional prayers, but you get the gist of it, a prayer for God’s Mercy! I want to earnestly encourage you to learn and pray this Capulet. It’s about as easy of devotion there is to be learned. You can pray it anytime, anyplace. Our world desperately needs it, we need it, you need it, God’s Mercy! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Alleluia, He is risen! This is the triumphant proclamation of Easter. I think it is difficult for us to imagine the astonishment of Jesus’ disciples. They witnessed his brutal death. Now He is alive, not just alive but restored in body except for the nail holes and the wound in His side. They would now see Him in various places in the coming days. But his appearance was mysteriously camouflaged. They knew it was Him when they encountered Him but never initially. There is a lesson in that for us. Jesus comes to us hidden in the appearance of others. St. Martin of Tours was a close friend of our parish patron, St. Liborius. When he was a young calvary officer in the Roman army, he encountered a poor, scantly clothed man, shivering in the winter cold. He cut his military cloak in two and gave it to the man to warm himself. That night he had a dream. Jesus spoke to the angels saying, “See this man, I was cold, and he gave me his cloak.” St. Martin left the military and became a priest, eventually the bishop in the diocese next to St. Liborius. Through the ages there have been many such encounters by the saints. You very may have had one yourself without knowing it. So, continue to be kind to strangers in need. Who knows, it might be Jesus Himself. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Last week I talked about the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary completed by Pope Francis along with the bishops of the world. This received a lot of publicity in Catholic News due to the events in Ukraine. But there is another part to Mary’s request to the children of Fatima that hasn’t been mentioned much. She also requested in addition that individuals participate in her intercession by attending first Saturdays of the month Masses for 5 months in a row, praying for the conversion of Russia and making reparations for the sins of humanity. It is my intention to begin implementing first Saturday of the month Masses, 9 am at St Libory’s. The next opportunity to attend will be May 7th. Please understand that this is a Saturday morning Mass and does not take the place of our Sunday obligation. The Sunday Mass of obligation cannot begin any earlier than 4 pm on Saturdays. On the individual level, Blessed Mary has asked us to pray the Rosary daily. If this is new to you there is available on the My Parish app a guide to praying the Rosary as well as many other Catholic prayers. Once again, I want to encourage the usage of this app if you have a smart phone. First Saturdays and the Rosary are a way to personally participate in the Blessed Mother’s intercession to her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for our world in a very connected way with the rest of the Church. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

When you read this, it will be old news. On Friday March 25, Pope Francis consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In her apparitions at Fatima in 1917 she requested that this be done. In the late 1980s Pope John-Paul did this but not publicly and he did not request that the bishops join him. This was also part of Mary’s request. Pope Francis has done this publicly and has requested that all bishops join him. The Blessed Virgin said back in 1917, said that if this wasn’t done the “errors of Russia would spread all around the world. Well, the consecration did not happen, and the errors did spread. It is very present right here in our own nation. A world view of life without God has slowly crept into every aspect of our culture, primarily in education, media, entertainment and yes, the Church. The movement to neutralize gender and erase male and female distinctions comes right out of socialism/communism. Although it’s a hundred years late, it has now been done. Let us continue to offer up our prayers. The movements of God are always slow, but they are never late. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

This, the fourth Sunday of Lent, is Laetare Sunday. The liturgical color for the day is Rose. The only other time this color is used is the third Sunday of Advent. Laetare Sunday sets within the Lenten season as a point where we begin to anticipate the joy of our salvation brought to us by the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus which we celebrate on Easter Sunday. The regular color for Lent is violet. It symbolizes the suffering of Christ and the sorrow for our sin that we express during the penitential season. I have heard the Catholic faith referred to as a “guilt trip”, mainly in reference to the necessity of Confession and our regular confession of sin at the beginning of Mass. I can only conclude that folks who feel this way are not willing to seek God’s forgiveness. Perhaps they have never really “heard” the Gospel with their heart. Some folks still live with the illusion that our good works just need to outweigh our bad and we will be okay. Not true. The sin that damns us is unrepented sin. Our good works and/or intentions cannot undo the damnation of our sin. But God can and does by the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. We tend to push back against the idea that we cannot save ourselves. That is our evil pride at work. Pride is the root of all sin because it prevents us from recognizing our personal fault and hinders us from repentance. Healthy guilt is good. It means that our properly formed conscience is working. The purpose is not to make us feel bad, (guilty feelings) but to bring us to the remedy, forgiveness by God through Christ Jesus. It’s just like when you feel bad with a fever or headache. Your body is telling you something is wrong and needs a remedy. Our properly formed conscience does the same thing. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

Many Christians wrestle with making good, faithful choices when deciding important issues. The difficult decisions usually do not deal with morally right or wrong but with best and better in terms of following the will of God. Here is a simple technique. The first is obvious, pray. Pray and request the help of the Holy Spirit and your guardian angel. Find a quiet time to ponder your decision. Decern your rational thoughts and decern what is emotional feelings. (Feelings can be very fickle, fear or emotional enthusiasm can blind rational reasoning.) Second, make a list of pros and cons. Putting thoughts on paper can be very helpful in separating ideas and it gives the opportunity to use other parts of your brain. Seeing with your eyes helps to visualize your ideas. Third, talk to someone wise. Preferably someone who knows you fairly well and shares your faith in the Lord. But it could also be someone who is familiar with the subject matter you are concerned with. Go over the list with them. They will probably be able to add to it. Ask for their honest thoughts, not what they might think you want to hear. If you are comfortable with it, ask them to pray with you. Fourth, “know yourself.” How have your decisions turned out in the past? Have you let fear hold you back? Have you made impulsive decisions that did not turn out well? Have you disregarded helpful advice in the past? Or have you allowed others to make decisions for you that you really did not want to follow? Fifth, pray again and trust the Lord. If you sincerely seek to follow the Lord’s will, you ultimately cannot go wrong. He will get you where you need to be, even sending an angel to correct and inform you if necessary. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

I hope your Lenten journey is off to a good start. If you haven’t started, it’s not too late. Start today to remove something from your life, a pleasant activity, food, or drink. This is called a “fast”. If you have never done this before you will discover that you will be frequently reminded by the absence of the pleasure. But this absence will also remind you of why you are fasting in the first place, to draw your life closer to the Lord. This reminder is intended to cause us to do something for the Lord, an act of kindness for someone, read a devotion, pray, or meditate of spiritual subjects. All of this strengthens us, enabling us to draw closer to the Lord and to sharpen our spiritual awareness of evil. If we follow through, we will discover a deeper appreciation of Easter, the great mystery of our salvation. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

This coming Wednesday, March 9th beginning at 6:45 P.M. will be our Lenten penance service. Counting myself, there will be 5 different priest available to hear your confession. As in the past you may leave when you have completed your confession. Children and youth who are with the parents or grandparents my also leave with them. If you cannot arrive by 6:45 please come anyway. Priest will be available until all confessions are complete. We benefit most from this sacrament if we invest some time in preparation before. If you have downloaded My Parish App, you will find an excellent guide with examination of conscience. Please feel free to bring any material or device (phone or tablet) with you to use during your confession. You might also consider making a note, listing everything you wish to address. Bring it with you to your confession. Most important, pray before attending and ask the Holy Spirit to help and guide you to make a good confession. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

This week will bring Ash Wednesday. It is the next most popular Mass to be attended after Easter and Christmas. It speaks well of God’s people in that it is one time when we seem to universally acknowledge that we are sinners and need the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness and we do it with an outward sign and demonstration by receiving the black ashes on our foreheads. Next Wednesday will bring our parish penance service for Lent in preparation for Easter. I want to encourage you to put this on your schedule and participate. Please keep in mind that in Confession we receive more than just the forgiveness of sin. We are given grace. This grace is like a spiritual filter that cleanses our mind and soul enabling us to better understand spiritual truth. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

We are now in the midst of the season of Ordinary Time. In a few days, the season of Lent will be here, (March 2), as we prepare for the Holiest of days, Easter. But for now, we will continue to focus on the season at hand. As I have said before, Ordinary time is the time to be about the “ordinary” business of being a disciple of Christ Jesus, particularly the outward mission of our personal life. This is not as big as it sounds. It’s ordinary. Our Lord intends our life to be lived in perpetual missionary outreach to others. How does that happen? First of all, in the manner in which we live our lives. When Christ is present and first in our lives, we think differently, talk differently, and live differently than those without Christ. We live in a world that shows the signs of growing Christ-lessness. People are frightened, lonely, angry, violent, flooded with a growing sense of hopelessness. Jesus is the answer to all of this. Unfortunately, many have been soured on Christianity by stories of evil in the Church, some true, some false. They very much want what Christ gives but believe it must be somewhere else. People want to believe the Gospel is true. It’s our vocation, every one of us, to show them by living the Gospel. Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

I would like to make some comments here regarding the letter you received recently from Bishop Hanefeldt. I am sure some of you were alarmed by it and wondered how this would reflect upon our parish. First, I feel pretty secure in saying that I will not be moved from the parish. I am too close to retirement. That said, let me also say I have no immediate plans for retirement. However, I will soon be 70 and at this age the prospects of my health decline with each passing year. Bishop Hanefeldt mentioned possible new alinements of priest and parishes. I do not anticipate I will be asked to serve another parish, but I suppose it is not impossible. Second, I have been prayerfully pondering this topic, (actually for a long time). What are we to do? We focus on being the Church! Our business is the salvation of souls by the message of the Gospel. We, (the entire Church), have very subtly been taken over by the false belief that ultimately everyone makes it to heaven. So, all we really need is do our best to make this world we now live in as good as possible, be kind, help the unfortunate and take care of the creation. This belief that everyone goes to heaven has a name, Universalism. It’s also false and contrary to the clear statements made by Jesus concerning eternal damnation of the devil, his angels and any human that willfully rejects God through Christ. So, we need to all be about the business Jesus has assigned us, the proclamation of the Gospel, by word of mouth and by how we live. If we do this. God will take care of the rest, including the future of the St. Libory’s parish. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.

This coming Thursday, February 10, 6:30 pm, we will be hosting our parish Synod meeting. Pope Francis has requested that all Catholic parishes throughout the world participate. We have been provided with questions to discuss and to give feedback on. This is an opportunity for the local Church to speak to the leadership about their ideas, thoughts, feelings, the good and the bad. We will begin the evening with a potluck (at 6:00 pm) and then proceed to small group discussions at the table. These will be led by designated individuals. The questions are not a test of your knowledge. They sincerely seek your opinions and ideas regarding your experience of Church and your hopes for its future. It will conclude with a gathering of the entire group. Cathy Wieck who is our parish Director of Parish Life will lead the meeting. I will be present. I want to earnestly encourage you to attend. The more input we have the better will be the reflection of our parish. Your ideas are important, and they matter. Please come! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.