Pastor's Corner

Happy Birthday to you! Today we celebrate Pentecost – often referred to as the “Birthday of the Church.” The 50th day following the resurrection was marked by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church - empowering the Church to carry on the mission entrusted by the Lord Jesus; to proclaim the Gospel, to make disciples of all nations, to build the Kingdom of God, to be living signs of His saving power. Pentecost 2023 - and we realize and celebrate the promised Advocate, Helper and Constant Companion who has been with the Church from the beginning to this very day. Knowing and trusting that the Holy Spirit is alive, active, present, and always inviting us, today’s Feast reminds us of our continual need for renewal in the Spirit.  

In a homily for Pentecost, Pope Francis said: "Without the Spirit, Jesus remains a person from the past; with the Spirit, He is a person alive in our own time. Without the Spirit, Scripture is a dead letter; with the Spirit it is the word of life. A Christianity without the Spirit is joyless moralism; with the Spirit, it is life." The Holy Father’s reflection makes us say: Thank you, Holy Spirit, for helping us to know Jesus. Continue to remind us of all He taught us. Keep us growing in our love and friendship with Christ. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for helping us hear God’s voice in the Scripture. Continue to help us to discover the Word of God as “living and active”. Help us translate the Gospel into our lived experience. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for sealing our souls with the indelible mark of Christ at our baptism and initiating us into the Christian way of life. Strengthen us to make Jesus “the way, the truth, and the life” by which we live. Help us to live our Christian witness with joy, that we might draw others to Christ.

“Come Holy Spirit, Come. Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away; Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray. Come Holy Spirit, Come!” (From the Sequence for Pentecost)

This weekend the Holy Spirit came in a beautiful way through the laying on of hands upon Transitional Deacons; Colm Larkin, George Rhodes, and Timothy Skoch, as they were ordained priests for the archdiocese. Let’s pray for the Spirit’s gift to continue to enflame them with the heart of Jesus and help them to be Good Shepherds to the people and parishes they will serve.

Please mark your calendar for June 11th as we kick off the Eucharistic Revival at Nativity. After the 11am Mass, we will have a Corpus Christi Procession around the campus with the Blessed Sacrament followed by Benediction. We will then celebrate our dignity as members the Body of the Christ – the Church here at Nativity, with a BBQ lunch. Please come and celebrate!

Good to remember that the Holy Spirit comes at every Mass to change the simple gifts of bread and wine into very Body and Blood of Christ. The special part of the Mass when the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine and calls down the Holy Spirit is called the “epiclesis” – the epiclesis of consecration. There is also another epiclesis in the Eucharistic Prayer known as the “epiclesis of communion,” calling the Holy Spirit upon the community to unite us – that we be “gathered into one by the Holy Spirit” – that we “may become one body, on spirit in Christ.”

Enjoy the Memorial Holiday, which signals the beginning of summer! I hope you have the opportunity to grill out, or have a picnic, be with family, go to the lake, work out in the yard, or just rest, relax and enjoy the holiday! There will be one Mass for Memorial Day, celebrated at 9am.  Memorial Day began as a day to honor those who died in service to our country. Let’s not forget all those who have given their lives in the name of preserving our freedom. Remember all of your deceased loved-ones in prayer.

May the gifts and fruits of the Holy Sprit be yours in abundance!
Fr. Mike

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven! At the Ascension, Jesus commissioned the Church –“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Jesus parting words remind us that he has left the ministry of evangelization in the hands of His Church – yet He continued to work with them through the gift of his Spirit, fulfilling His promise to be with us always!  

Through the gift of our Baptism, the missionary and evangelization ministry of Christ has been entrusted to each of us… Bishops in their ministry of preserving the Gospel and authentically interpreting it in the name of Christ and his Church, priests and deacons in their preaching of the Gospel, parents teaching the faith and handing it on their children, catechists who teach the faith, missionaries who take the Good News of Christ to ears that have not heard it, men and women who make an application of the Gospel in their business practice and in the work place, etc. As the Gospel of Christ guides the way we live, the choices we make, the Christian witness we exemplify, each of us is an evangelist. We all have a part to play in bringing the Good News of Christ to a world in need. Let’s remember the vision for our parish – “Everything we do at Nativity is a touchpoint of evangelization!”

Today we welcome couples from throughout the Archdiocese who are celebrating their 50th anniversary. In this Golden Anniversary Mass, Archbishop Naumann honors and congratulates these couples for their witness in living the Sacrament of Marriage. It’s always a powerful moment at this Mass, when the Golden Anniversary Couples renew their vows to love each other in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. We look at these couples and are given a glimpse of God’s love… faithful, forgiving, you can count on it, no matter what circumstances life bring your way! We are happy to host this annual celebration at Nativity!

I had the opportunity to sing “School’s Out for Summer” to our kids. As the school year ends, we give praise and thanks to God for another year of personal, spiritual and academic growth that has taken place in our children. We pray for a safe and enjoyable summer for all our kids.

The end of school gives me cause to say again, I’m so proud of our Nativity school and our students. I’m proud of our parish and the beautiful mission of Catholic Education that continues to remain such a strong and vital part of our parish community! Thanks to Mr. Luke Jennison, our teachers, and staff for their dedicated ministry to our school. Thanks Nativity parishioners for your support which makes our school possible.

I wish to express my thanks to Suzy Meinzenbach and all the dedicated teachers in our School of Religion. Our parishioners who volunteer, giving so generously of their time and talent to serve as catechists for our children in Religious Education are a blessing!

Next Sunday is Pentecost. Wear Red. Pray “Come, Holy Spirit” often this week.

Love and Peace,
Fr. Mike