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Prepare For His Feast

October 11, 2026

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus in Sunday’s Gospel likens the Kingdom of God to a king throwing a wedding feast for his son. Servants are sent out twice to call the initial invited guests but they ungratefully refuse to come. They ignore the summons; one goes to his farm, another to his business, while others mistreat and kill the king’s messengers. So the king has those murderers slain and then sends out servants anew to invite to the wedding feast whomever they can find. In this way, the king’s hall is filled with guests, both the good and the bad alike. When the king comes in to meet his guests he sees a man not dressed in a wedding garment. The king asks him, “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?” But the man has no answer. He has no excuse. He is reduced to silence. So the king has his attendants bind that man’s hands and feet and toss him into the darkness outside “where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” This parable of Jesus is about Christ’s Church and the judgment of souls that awaits us.

The king in this parable is God the Father. He has prepared a wedding feast for his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus repeatedly refers to himself in the Gospels as “the Bridegroom” and New Testament Scripture calls the Church his Bride. Everyone is invited to this wedding feast both the Jews and Gentiles, both the lofty and lowly, both the bad and the better. All are invited, but not all respond. Many people ignore the royal summons. A farmer might be driven off by his many anxieties. A business owner might be distracted by his greed for wealth. Disordered desires and fears can keep us from responding to God. Some people in the world even hate Christians, sometimes going so far as to murder Christ’s servant-messengers. All are invited, but we must respond.

None of us deserves this invitation. The king says of those invited in the first group that “were not worthy to come.” And the people in the second group were simply whoever could be found. None of us has earned this invite. It is offered to us as a gracious gift. But we must respond to our King with trusting faith. Many people enter the royal hall. God’s Church gathers both the good and bad alike. But when we stand before the King of Kings it is important that we be dressed for the occasion.

The Book of Revelation describes the Holy Church gathered before God. Its author, St. John, hears a multitude say: “‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give [God] glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment.’ The linen represents the righteous deeds of the holy ones. Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And [the angel] said to me, “These words are true; they come from God.” A man whom the King sees before him not dressed in righteous deeds will be asked “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?” That man, if he has no good excuse, will be reduced to silence and cast out forever.

Our forgiveness and salvation through Christ are not earned, but we can choose to spurn them to our loss. Jesus expects us to repent of our sins and produce good fruits in him. When did you last go to Christ in Confession? What are you doing for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom? As St. Paul told the Galatians, ‘Only faith working through love counts for anything.’ Jesus’ reminds us in his parable today that “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” So do not disqualify yourself, but joyfully prepare for his feast.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Last Judgment, Last Things, Salvation, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Could Disaster Befall Us?

October 4, 2026

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

In this Sunday’s first reading, the Prophet Isaiah sings a song about his friend’s vineyard. That vineyard owner does everything he can for it to yield fruit, but the vines refuse to produce a crop of good grapes, producing “wild grapes” instead. “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done,” he asks. “I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: [I will] take away its hedge… break through its wall… it shall not be pruned or hoed… I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it.” Now notice this detail: the vineyard owner does not directly attack these vines; he takes away the protection and provision he provided them and their ruin results naturally. Isaiah then explains the song and the true reason for his friend’s anger: “The vineyard of the Lord…is the house of Israel…. [The Lord] looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed; for justice, but hark, the outcry!” And the lifetime of Isaiah the Prophet was a tumultuous time for the land of Israel and its people.

On October 9th, 1859, Servant of God Adele Brise, a 28-year-old Belgian immigrant to Door County, Wisconsin, was walking several miles home from Mass, as she did every Sunday. Along the way at a certain spot between a maple tree and a hemlock tree, she saw a “beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long, golden, wavy hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Such a heavenly light shone around her that Adele could hardly look back at her sweet face.” Adele’s companions could not see the woman, but Adele had seen this silent visitor at this same location twice before. Having discussed those previous sightings with her parents and her priest, this time, from her knees, she asked the question the priest had directed her to ask: “In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?”

The Virgin Mary replied, “I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them.” Mary asked, “What are you doing here in idleness… while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?” “What more can I do, dear Lady?” asked Adele, weeping. “Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation.” Adele replied, “But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?” Mary answered, “Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.” Our Lady then lifted her hands, as though asking for a blessing for those at her feet, and slowly vanished, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrate on the ground. Adele went on to catechize the children of the area, walking from homestead to homestead, until she founded a boarding school and a religious community next to the chapel built at the site of the apparition.

Fast forward to the fall of 1871. Northeastern Wisconsin’s Great Peshtigo Fire was the most devastating fire in U.S. history. Several factors had set the stage for it. There had been a long summer drought, heavy logging had left behind piles of pine timbers and brush across the region, farmers were using slash-and-burn methods to clear land for new fields, and two October weather systems converged to produce low humidity and high winds. Once sparked, the resulting firestorm killed between twelve hundred and twenty-four hundred people and burned over 1.2 million acres. People from the surrounding countryside fled to the shrine, where they joined Adele, the sisters, and the children in praying for deliverance. Lifting a statue of Mary, they processed around the sanctuary, turning away from choking smoke, praying the rosary and singing hymns to Jesus and Mary.

Fr. Peter Pernin, who wrote about surviving the fire on the other side of the bay in Peshtigo by standing five and a half hours in a river, later traveled to the shrine, met with Adele, and recorded what happened there that night at the shrine: “After hours of horror and suspense, the heavens sent relief in the form of a downpour. The fervent prayers to the Mother of God were heard. The fire was extinguished, but dawn revealed the ravages wrought by the conflagration. Everything about them was destroyed; miles of desolation everywhere. But the convent, school, and chapel on the holy land consecrated to the Virgin Mary shone like an emerald isle in a sea of ashes. The raging fire licked the outside fencing and left charred scars as mementos. Tongues of fire had reached the chapel fence, and threatened destruction to all within its confines; the fire had not entered the chapel grounds.” The date of their deliverance was October 9th, 1871 — twelve years to the day after Mary spoke to Adele. That apparition of Our Lady at Champion, Wisconsin is the only Church-approved Marian apparition to-date in the United States.

Recall again what Mary said to Adele: “I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more.” Mary tells Adele to “Make a general confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners.” So she wishes for Adele’s deeper conversion and encourages her to ask God to use her participation in the Holy Eucharist to help convert sinners. Then Mary warns, “If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them.” Another Church-approved Marian apparition occurred in Kibeho, Rwanda from 1981 to 1989 at a Catholic girls’ boarding school. In those visions, Mary also emphasized the great need for conversion and encouraged prayer for sinners’ conversions. At Kibeho on the 1982 feast day of Our Lady’s Assumption, ten to twenty thousand people gathered anticipating a joyful message. But the three visionaries described Mary as weeping or angry and they experienced a long, traumatic vision: a river of blood, people killing one another, severed heads, corpses left unburied, and other disturbing images. In April of 1994, this vision was realized in the Rwandan genocide. As at Champion, God had sent Mary to give twelve years warning of what could come.

I do not share these true past events to make you anxious. Worry is worthless. St. Paul teaches in today’s second reading: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Even if great disaster comes, we need not lose our peace in Christ. But would God allow great disaster to visit us? On one hand, there is much Christian good in our country. On the other hand, we can also plainly see very grave evils. If America suffers another civil or global war, if a cyberattack or solar storm collapses our technology, or if some new plague worse than COVID befalls us, would we have cause to be shocked that God had withdrawn his protecting hand from us? If it is God’s will for us to innocently suffer with and for the wicked like Jesus did for us, then that is for our greater Christian glory.

But as today’s parable and Mary’s apparition messages reflect, God prefers that men would be converted rather than punished. The landowner in Jesus’ parable today who leases out his vineyard manifests extraordinary patience, sending at least seven servants and his son, asking, hoping, that these wicked tenants would do what’s right. Only after many crimes will the vineyard owner (who once again, represents God) “put those wretched men to a wretched death.” What shall we do so that disaster may be avoided? Recall again Mary’s mission for Adele: She wanted her to grow in holiness, to pray and offer her Mass participation for sinners, and to teach the Catholic Faith to the children in this wild country. Do you go to Confession regularly to keep your soul unclogged and turned away from sin? Do you intentionally offer your participation at Mass, asking God to grant graces to others and yourself? Do you help pass on our Faith to the young who will otherwise be lost in this wild country? I believe Heaven would be greatly pleased if you began to do so and you may accomplish far more good than you know.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Confession, Homily, Parables, Redemptive Suffering, Repentance, Sunday Homilies, Supernatural Phenomena | Leave a Comment »

Being Faithful Sons

September 27, 2026

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Today Jesus tells us a parable about a father and two sons. The father comes to each one and says, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.” One son says “Yes, sir,” but does not go. The other son initially refuses, saying “I will not [go].” But then afterwards he changes his mind and goes. So what is this parable about?

In its original context, Jesus is contrasting the Jewish leaders who had rejected St. John the Baptist with the tax collectors and prostitutes who had accepted him. The Jewish leaders, while speaking faithful words, failed to respond to God’s word through John. Meanwhile, sinners who had been disobedient before began to act rightly in response to God’s word. Jesus criticized the chief priests and elders for their stubborn disbelief despite seeing those good fruits. Since we have seen Christ’s good fruits in others, Jesus expects us to faithfully respond to him too.

Another fulfillment of this parable is seen between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jewish people had followed God in the past, but many balked at accepting Jesus. The non-Jewish Gentiles had not followed the true God in the past, but many went on to become Christians. A third interpretation of this parable applies to us today: God is our Father and we are his sons. Like the Lord says in our first reading through the Prophet Ezekiel, it is important for us who profess faith in God to follow through in action. For “when someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.” However, if we have done wickedness and sincerely repent, turning to do what is right and just, permitting Christ to save our souls, then we shall surely live.

We are called to go and serve our Heavenly Father. If we have refused him in the past, then we should change our minds and begin doing his will. The tax collectors and prostitutes turned away from their greed and lust. Why did those sinners change? Why would we? One might ask why that one son changed his mind and went to work in his father’s vineyard? I can think of three possible motivations: first, the fear of punishment and desire for reward; second, the force of conscience to do what is right; and third, for love of the father.

The first motive avoids punishments and seeks rewards. St. Thomas Aquinas notes that even under the New Covenant “the fear of punishment and certain temporal promises have been necessary… to incite [some] to virtuous works.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph #1964) Christian hope confidently looks forward to divine blessings and the beatific vision of God while piously fearing to offend God’s love and incur just punishments. (CCC #2090) Such punishments in this life or the next are not “vengeance inflicted by God from without,” but consequences which flow from the nature of sin itself. (CCC #1472).

A second motive for conversion is the influence of moral conscience. As the Second Vatican Council taught, “Deep within his conscience, man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart…. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.” (CCC #1776) Our consciences, which command us to serve Truth and Goodness, also insist that we form our consciences and enlighten our moral judgements using reliable teachers and sources. So while teachings of Christ’s Church on private conscience are important, we must also heed what she teaches about what is right and wrong.

The ultimate and final motive is love. St. Basil writes that “if we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages… we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands… we are in the position of children.” (CCC #1828) “The New [Covenant] Law is called a law of love because it makes us act out of the love infused by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear; a law of grace… a law of freedom… [that] lets us pass from the condition of a servant… to that of a friend of Christ… even to the status of son and heir.” (CCC #1972)

How can we develop a greater love for God? One way is to consider what Christ did for you. For “though he was in the form of God… he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness… he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Our Savior did what was right, for love of God and love of us, enduring great suffering to receive supreme rewards. Now his name is above every name. Jesus Christ is Lord. Contemplate Jesus Christ on the Cross for you and ask him to deepen your love for God.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Parables, Repentance, Sunday Homilies, Two Sons | Leave a Comment »

Things Jesus Didn’t Say

September 6, 2026

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

There’s an amusing meme or running joke online quoting the many “Things Jesus Never Said.” These quips can be snarky and insightful. For instance, Jesus didn’t say at the Last Supper, “This is sorta like my body.” Jesus never said to the crowds, “Don’t follow me until you’re perfect.” Jesus didn’t say, “I only care about people who look like me.” Jesus didn’t say, “You can tell whom I love most by who has the most money.” Jesus didn’t say, “No one comes to the Father except through me but others’ opinions about this are all equally valid.” Jesus didn’t say, “Live your truth and do whatever makes you happy.” Jesus didn’t say, “Serving me will always make you popular.” In the style of this meme, let’s retranslate today’s Gospel into things Jesus never said:

“If someone sins against you, go ahead and tell anyone and everyone about that fault, except for that one person alone. (The offending person might not listen to you and giving them the silent treatment guarantees this.) Instead of talking to that person, connect with one or two others (over coffee, on the phone, on social media, or during a work break) to testify to your personal grievance. If your allies listen to you, your gossip may spread throughout your whole community. And that person who offended you—who is surely and always 100% in the wrong—will be treated like a tax collector or a telemarketer.”

All of that, of course, is not what Jesus said. Jesus tells his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.” Approaching someone privately avoids public embarrassment so the other person is more likely to hear you, and approaching someone directly allows them to explain themselves. Maybe you will come to understand each other better and the issue will be resolved. And that’s a win!

“But,” Jesus says, “if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you…” Having another person or two with you for this next conversation may help to mediate a solution to the matter or help you and your offender see the issue more objectively. Interpersonal conflicts are often not entirely one person’s fault, and even if one person is more at fault, recognizing one’s own role in the conflict can result in more peaceful resolutions.

After that, Jesus says, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.” Rather than taking ordinary conflicts immediately to the highest level, see if an issue can be resolved at a lower level between you. This approach will result in less resentment and more community harmony, and where true peace is possible, that is Christ’s will for us. But sometimes an offender’s obstinacy makes that peace impossible, so corrective consequences or punishments should follow. Like a father disciplining his children for their own good, correcting others can be an obligatory act of love.

Another thing Jesus did not say is: “Tolerate one another as I have tolerated you.” Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Loving people and just tolerating their behaviors are different things. If a thirsty person is about to drink a cup of poison, what should we do? Remain silent and detached, or rather say, “Stop, please! That will kill you. Please let me help you, here’s water instead. I care about you”? We are called to love people enough to call and help them toward conversion and fullness of life.

In today’s first reading, God tasks the Prophet Ezekiel to be a watchman for Israel. Whenever the Lord commands Ezekiel to warn his wayward neighbors, if Ezekiel refuses to speak, Ezekiel is told he will be held responsible for the sinner’s death. Now it does not appear that the Lord was expecting Ezekiel to personally, individually correct every sinner in Israel, and it would be unrealistic to expect you or me to fraternally correct every sinner in America today. However, if there’s a case where we suspect our intervention could greatly bless someone or save their soul, how can we be silent? If a poison is poison, we ought to say so. If we refuse to intervene when we could have helped, we may be judged someday for that dereliction of duty. And consider how wonderful it will be to be the catalyst for others’ conversions and salvation.

In addition to what Jesus taught in today’s Gospel, here are three tips for fraternal correction: First, share the truth with love. Hitting people on the head with your “truth bat” makes it harder for them to hear you. People often only care what you believe if they believe that you care about them. So share the truth with love.

The second tip is the importance of giving personal witness. Pope St. Paul VI wrote that “modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” If you want to be heard, do not just talk the talk but also walk the walk.

And a third and final tip for fraternally correcting others is to pray. Pray for courage and wisdom and opportunities to help others this way. God wills us to be his ambassadors and instruments of mercy, love, and reconciliation. So pray for God’s grace to be effective in fraternal correction.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Culture, Homily, Internet, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Remaining in Prayer — The Jake Borofka & Lauren Anderson Wedding

September 5, 2026

By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus tells us to remain in his love. He says, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love…” Jake and Lauren, my impression has been that most of what the preacher preaches at a wedding is quickly forgotten. So today I wish to share with you and all the couples here one important key to remaining in Christ’s love and in your love for one another. That valuable key is… praying together.

We see this in our first reading from the Book of Tobit. On their wedding night, Tobiah and Sarah pray beside their bed for God’s blessings upon their marriage. And “they said together, ‘Amen, Amen.’” There are married couples who have shared a bed for many years who have not shared their personal prayers like this. Perhaps they pray together at Mass and that is good, even essential, for Jesus says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” Perhaps they pray together before meals, giving thanks to God and asking his blessing on their food. (Hopefully, they pray at restaurants too, willing to acknowledge Christ before others.) But couples who pray together, praying for each other, sharing the prayer intentions of their heart, are sharing their hearts with each other and the Lord.

We hear St. Paul tell the Corinthians that “love is patient, love is kind.” He reminds them that ‘love is not jealous, not pompous, not rude, not self-seeking, not quick-tempered, nor bitter,’ because the Christians of Corinth, Greece were having trouble living together in love. Jake and Lauren, sharing your intimate prayer requests will help bond you together in love. When times of friction come and it’s harder to like each other, if you pray together you will know that you remain allies who are daily willing each other’s good. As the Book of Ecclesiastes says, “Where one alone may be overcome, two together can resist. A three-ply cord is not easily broken.” And down the road dedicate time to pray daily with your children. Not just here at church or before meals, but at bedtime and other occasions in the day. This will help bond and bless your family for generations. For as the psalmist says today, “The mercy of the Lord is everlasting upon those who [reverently fear him], upon children’s children is his righteousness, for those who keep his covenant.”

Jake and Lauren and all you couples here, for the rest of your lives together: please remember to pray together, so that you may remain together in Christ’s love.

Posted in Homily, Marriage and Family, Prayer, Wedding Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Sent Into The Wind

August 8, 2026

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

“After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.” Jesus “made” the apostles get into the boat and depart. In the Greek, Jesus “made them / compelled them / constrained them” to go. Why were they so reluctant to leave? It could simply be that they did not want to be apart from Jesus, but there may be another reason for their hesitation.

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were experienced fishermen who had worked many nights on those Sea of Galilee waters. Jesus was asking them to sail a few miles west across the sea toward Capernaum. When they felt the evening air and looked at the western sky, perhaps they foresaw that the wind and the waves could be strong that night. Besides leaving Jesus behind, the apostles might have been reluctant to be out on the water. Nevertheless, he commanded and they went.

“After doing so, [Jesus] went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a considerable distance offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.”

When I visited Israel ten years ago this fall, it was great to gain a truer sense of sites I had read about in Scripture, like the compactness of the Old City of Jerusalem or the relative smallness of the Sea of Galilee. When you envision “the Sea of Galilee,” perhaps you imagine the view across an ocean or one of our Great Lakes where the opposite shores are out of sight beyond the horizon. But in comparison to them, the Sea of Galilee is tiny. Even Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago is 30 miles in length while the Sea of Galilee, north to south, is just 13 miles. When you stand on its rocky shores you can see the various low mountains surrounding it. Sitting on one of those hillsides a person could watch a boat as it sailed across the sea to the opposite shore.

Jesus was praying alone on a mountainside. The apostles did not see Jesus with them but he was watching them and prayed for them as they were tossed about by waves and sailed against the wind. Likewise, even when we are struggling in the dark, Jesus sees us and intercedes for us.

“During the fourth watch of the night, [between 3 and 6 AM,] Jesus came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’”

In the Gospels, Jesus arguably says variations of “Fear not / Be not afraid” more frequently than he says anything else. And notice how that is not merely his suggestion; it’s a command. Jesus does not want fears preventing us from having peace and doing his will. Peter acted boldly, at least at first. He asked and was invited to walk with Jesus on the water. “But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ After [Peter and Jesus] got into the boat, the wind died down.”

Now here is what struck me most when I read this story this time around. Jesus did not have to send his disciples out across that chaotic sea; he chose to. And as he watched them struggle against the wind and waves, Jesus could have commanded the forces of nature to be still as he did on another occasion with the sea; but this time he chose not to. Jesus is able to walk on water and he welcomes Peter to join him, giving his disciple an opportunity to exercise his trust and virtues. When Peter falters, Jesus pulls him up, and once they reboard the boat together, the wind dies down; for it had served its providential purpose.

Jesus Christ’s will for us in this life is not endless ease. Rather, he desires our greatness. For that purpose, he sends us and calls us to places we might not wish to go; permitting challenges for our greater good and glory. Truly, as his disciples said, Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He sees us, he’s almighty, and he loves us. So why ever be afraid?

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Jesus Christ, St. Peter, Sunday Homilies, Trust, Walking on Water | Leave a Comment »

Mourning With Jesus

August 1, 2026

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

He was persecuted for preaching the truth. Though he had done nothing wrong, he was hated. They arrested and imprisoned this righteous and holy man, and when questioned, his answers would confound the questioner. The secular ruler was reluctant to put this man to death, but in the end, bowing to social pressure, he ordered his unjust execution. After his death, his disciples took their teacher’s body, laid it in a tomb, and mourned him. This death, this murder, this martyrdom of St. John the Baptist was mourned by Jesus too.

Recall that John the Baptist was Jesus’ relative and friend. In John’s Passion and death, Jesus could see a foreshadowing of his own. Jesus weeps at the tomb of Lazarus, but Lazarus died from a natural illness and was resurrected soon after. John the Baptist’s death was caused by the wicked, the direct result of chosen sins. And Jesus mourned him realizing he would never see John again in this life.

“When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.” When Jesus arrived, “disembarked, and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” Then Jesus fed them all using five loaves of bread and two fish; the only miracle (besides his Resurrection) which is recorded by all four Gospels. Then Jesus “made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. Then [Jesus] went up on the mountain by himself to pray, [and] when it was evening, he was there by himself.”

Jesus and his disciples experienced times of mourning. We and our loved ones will experience times of mourning, too. In today’s Gospel, Jesus Christ, our model for our Christian life, provides us lessons for such seasons.

First, Jesus took time to mourn and it was not selfish for him to do so. He withdrew to mourn and spend time alone, but in that solitude he prayed. Many psalms and Old Testament scenes have God’s faithful voicing their painful laments to God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even though he was divine, prayed to God as man. He did this for personal consolation and that others would be helped. Remember to pray for the souls of the departed and feel free to speak to them, for I am convinced that not even death can entirely separate those who are in Christ.

When Jesus arrived at that desolate place and found the large crowd, his heart was moved with pity. Without suggesting any fault in Jesus, sometimes our sufferings can make us more sensitive to the sufferings of others. Jesus does not close in on himself. He goes outside himself to serve others. How do you think it felt for Jesus to help so many (perhaps while experiencing feelings of such powerlessness)? It was a consolation to him. Going out beyond ourselves can help in healing a mournful heart.

Sometimes when we know someone is mourning, we give them so much respectful space they end up being treated like lepers. The crowds (whether conscious of Jesus’ burdens or not) approached him like before and those encounters blessed them both. So do not be afraid to ask them a favor, offer an invite, or give them a gift; since we see such things can help them. And if they decline, don’t take it personally. Jesus’ friends brought him a meal of five loaves and two fish, and doing that did a world of good.

Jesus experienced times of mourning and we will too. Take time to mourn in solitude but keep close company with God in prayer and pray for the departed. Do not simply close in on yourself but go beyond yourself for others. And approach those who are mourning to offer healthy encounters and opportunities. It pained Jesus to be so tragically separated from his dear one, John, but Christ promises God’s people who mourn will be comforted. And these trials make us more like Jesus Christ, who consoles others. As St. Paul told the Corinthians: “[God] comforts us in all of our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” Jesus mourned like us. Let us mourn like him.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Jesus Christ, Last Things, St. John the Baptist, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Carrots Need Time to Grow

July 20, 2026

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Deacon Dick Kostner

One of my best education days as I was “growing up” was when Fr. Frank explained to his Pastoral Study Students the significance of Jesus always teaching through parables. When Fr. Victor asked when I would like to preach to you folks again and I reviewed the upcoming Gospels for this month and I saw this weeks story about God’s Kingdom and Jesus telling the Parable of Seeds I thought this would be the time to share with you what I learned in class about Jesus and parables.

Jesus, while spending time with his brothers and sisters wished them to understand how the Kingdom of God differs from world thoughts and practices. During this period of time most people were agricultural people and had no formal educational skills to help them mature in thought and deed. So Jesus used parable stories to help them develop into God thinking children of God. Parables tell us a story about activities we are comfortable with understanding. But parables come to us with a twist that takes our mindset on a topic and turns it upside down from what we had learned and sends our mind out into a new direction from world thoughts and sends them upward to help us to understand how God’s Kingdom differs from our Earthly thoughts and practices.

As many of you know, I love to spend time with my garden and watch new life transform into mature good eating things. What I don’t love is doing battle with weeds that wish to choke off my vegetable babies. So, I go into the battle mode with a vengeance. This year we were having trouble getting our carrots to spout. After waiting and waiting I told Barb that we might not be getting any carrots this year. She finally agreed and replanted the 20 feet we had prepared for them. The new plantings started to sprout but soon thereafter so did the seeds we had planted earlier. This required us to remove some of the seedlings in order to have any hopes of getting carrots.

In today’s Gospel, the parable story told by Jesus tells us that we must have patience. Deacon Dick is a slow learner on this common sense lesson taught to us by Jesus so I get a “D-”. After sprouting it was only a couple of days and my watering that my weed enemies invaded my carrots. I told Barb we needed to weed in order to save the carrots. Her response was we need to wait until the carrots grow enough or we will tear out the carrot seedlings. The Farmer Jesus gives Dick an “F” but gives Barb an “A-”. for being a good farmer by earthly standards but she fails to get a an “A” in Gods Kingdom because in God’s kingdom patience is needed allowing the evil persons to repent for having sowed the weed seeds before being condemned and punished for evil acts in trying to destroy Gods plants of Love he calls his children.

In my true story we see that parable not only teaches and reinforces activities we are accustomed to for it takes us to a new road to travel. A road that will lead us to a higher level of love patience leading us to God’s Kingdom. In God’s kingdom the seeds planted by God (us children) are given time to develop and mature through mistakes made by allowing evil (weeds) to move us further away from God and His Kingdom instead of moving us closer to sainthood and a life of love in the Kingdom of God. In God’s Kingdom Forgiveness ,unlike the Earthly Kingdom, always trumps justice where there exists in his children a contrite heart. This time conversion can happen anytime during our life experience.

Jesus gives us the tools to ignore and be patient with the weeds that attempt to keep us from sharing eternal life with him in heaven after our earthly life. The tools are his commandments to love as he has loved us. He also allows us and the sinful, to make mistakes and repent before the final harvest when the weeds of evil will be separated from the wheat and burned, while the wheat , the fruit of love and patience ,is gathered and stored and shared in God’s Kingdom. Wishing all of you a blessed and fruitful harvest, and keep your eyes open to see for yourselves a new road to follow when Jesus shares with us his parable stories.

Post-Script: On First Friday’s I attend Exposition at St. John’s. I close out my hour by asking if God wishes that I do anything for him. Usually he says nothing but the last time I attended on July 3, I received this request: “I ask that you tell my Church that I gave Barb an ‘A’ not an ‘A-.’ She knew it was not evil that put weeds in her garden it was horses who donated fertilizer this year for her garden.” Thanks, God.

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Four Soils, One Calling

July 11, 2026

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus explains the meaning of his own Parable of the Sower. The seed sown on the hardened path is the sort of person who hears about the Kingdom of God without understanding. And what was sown within that person’s heart is quickly taken away by the evil one.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the sort of person who hears and receives the word with joy, but this person is shallow and the seed takes no root. When tribulation or persecution come because of the word that person quickly falls away.

The seed sown among thorns is the sort of person who hears the word, receives it, and begins to grow. But then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and that person produces no fruit.

But the seed sown on rich soil is the sort of person who hears the word, receives and understands it. That person grows and—to a good, or great, or greatest degree—bears abundant fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Some people dismiss Christianity out of hand. Others abandon Christianity when faithfulness begins to burden them. Other Christians are ruled by fears and desires which prevent them from being fruitful. But Jesus wants us to faithfully endure and do many good and holy things for God and our neighbor, in the Church and in the world. So which kind of soil are you?

If you are here today as hardened path soil, or if that describes someone you know, I encourage a deeper search for truth. I believe our only credible philosophical options in life are Catholicism or nihilistic nothingness. Now this fact doesn’t automatically make Catholicism true—it’s true for other reasons—but this justifies a further investigation, since there is no other hope. A person who seeks for truth can find more than just their own excuses. Jesus says that the one who seeks, finds. And to anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

If you are here as shallow rocky soil, appreciate that Christianity does not exempt us from experiencing tribulation or persecution. As St. Peter, the first pope, wrote in a New Testament letter: “Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.” So forewarned, I hope you will be forearmed, prepared and resolved to remain faithful to Christ.

If you are here as thorny soil, dominated by worldly anxiety and the lure of riches, Jesus reminds you to “be not afraid,” and notes that “no one can serve two masters.” Trust Jesus enough not to worry, choose love of God over love of money, and you will begin to bear better fruits.

And if you are here as rich soil: well done, good and faithful servant! Jesus says of every branch in him God the Father prunes so that it bears more fruit. So see if your thirtyfold yield can increase to sixty or a hundredfold.

Inside my kitchen, sitting by the window, are two potted plants that came along with the rectory. From time to time I turn their pots, so I can see the leaves better and so the plants’ other sides can get more sunlight. But as weeks go by, the plants’ leaves and branches gradually turn back toward the window and the sun. It’s their source of life and essential for their growth. Likewise, whatever kind of person or sort of soil you are, you are called to live and grow by turning toward Jesus Christ.

Perhaps this means pursuing him through study, learning more about him. Perhaps this means turning away from sin and encountering him in Confession. Perhaps this means dedicating more consistent time to daily prayer, to better conform your heart and desires to his. Or perhaps he desires you to simply turn more to him throughout your day. St. Therese of Lisieux wrote, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” So wherever you are, turn to him, to live and grow and bear more fruit.

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Reflecting Our Father — Funeral Homily for Ronald Bischel, 91

July 6, 2026

By Fr. Victor Feltes

In a way, our parents are our first representations of God. For instance, our earthly fathers—for better or worse—serve as icons of God the Father. None of our birth parents were perfect, so our spirituality can be wounded by their sins and shortcomings. But the goodness found in our parents—their virtues and their love—can help reflect who God the Father is. Ron, the father of eight children, was seen loving his farm, his family, and his Faith.

A hardworking dairy farmer, his farm has passed down to his sons. The farm transitioned to exclusively growing crops several years ago and there was sadness at seeing his cowherd go. God the Father, the creator of this earth, treasures his herd, too. David wrote centuries ago, “The Lord is my shepherd.” We are his herd. As another Psalm adds, “We are his people, the sheep of his flock.” Fear not, we are more precious than many cows.

Ron tended to be calmly present, very quiet, and listen, yet he ironically became the family’s so-called “informant.” When his children visited, one by one or in small groups, they told him all the latest about their lives and his twenty grandchildren. Then he in turn, though not in a gossipy way, would update his guests on the family news, keeping them connected to one another through him. “Beloved,” St. John writes, “we are God’s children now.” In Christ, God the Father adopts us as his own. He listens, cares about our lives, and connects us to each other. This relationship makes us brothers and sisters to each other here and now and makes us siblings with a multitude of the living and the dead, most of whom we have never met. But we can look forward to a family reunion of countless millions on the mountain of the Lord that the Prophet Isaiah describes: “On that day it will be said, ‘Behold our God, let us rejoice and be glad he has saved us!’”

Ron was interested in all sorts of subjects; well-read through not just news, farming, or financial publications but also many books. This universe is so endlessly detailed and interesting because heaven and earth are full of God’s glory. With Ron’s strong memory, he could remember details months after reading them. But no matter how sharp, worldly-wise, and learned a person may be, Ron considered these ultimately futile if one did not know God. As a St. Paul’s School alumnus, he sent all of his children to that school as well. He faithfully attended Sunday Mass, and when he could no longer attend he would watch TV Mass and have our Eucharistic Lord brought to him. God the Father is thoroughly interested in us all, and desires closer communion with each of us through his Son and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus praised God our Father, noting that although the wise and learned sometimes fail to perceive spiritual truths, our Father has “revealed these things to the childlike.” Jesus says, “Come to me [and] learn from me. … Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” And St. Paul adds, “Be imitators of me as I imitate Christ.” Let us pray for Ronald’s soul, for the cleansing of any imperfection which might still distance him from God. And moved by the Holy Spirit, let us look at Christ to behold the best reflection of our heavenly Father. For he “is the image of the invisible God.” And then in him we can be transformed into saints whom others may encounter and see—like they saw in Ronald—an earthly likeness of God.

 

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Loving Jesus Is Rewarded

June 27, 2026

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

An Army private gets called in by his commanding officer for reportedly sleeping while on duty at his guard post:
“But sir, I wasn’t sleeping, honest—I was just keeping my eyes closed!”
“Private, it’s your solemn duty not to let anyone to get past you!”
“Yes sir, I keep my eyes closed so that nobody can bribe me!”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents two lessons back-to-back; lest, understanding only half of his message, we would reach a dangerous conclusion like that Army private. First, Jesus insists that we must keep him as our top priority. We must be even more devoted to Jesus Christ than to our parents, or to our children, or to our own personal comfort.

Jesus tells his apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” In fact, it is only by first and foremost loving our Lord that we can have the wisdom and grace to love our family, our friends, and ourselves as each deserves. Whoever seeks goals apart from the Lord will lose them along with this life, but whoever seeks the Lord’s goals will gain from them along with eternal life. As Jesus says, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This passage marks Jesus’ transition to his second major lesson in this Gospel: that deeds done in his service will be richly rewarded.

Jesus says, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” The things we do for Jesus, especially for him veiled within our neighbor, will surely be rewarded.

So Jesus presents to us with two important lessons, side-by-side. If we only heard that Jesus expects be our top priority, we might despair, thinking he is practically impossible to please. And if we only heard that Jesus rewards good deeds, we might become presumptuous, thinking God can be bribed or bought off by occasional gestures without true devotion. Rather, we should hold Jesus as our dear Lord while remembering that he will richly reward even the smallest things we do for him.

The young St. Therese of Lisieux, “The Little Flower,” dedicated herself to doing even little things for Jesus with great love. She called this her “Little Way” to holiness. In her highly-recommended autobiography “Story of a Soul” she writes: “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” “You know well enough that our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” “Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.” “To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.” So we should not close our eyes to our solemn duty to Jesus, for if we love and serve him even in small ways we shall see his great rewards.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Jesus Christ, St. Therese of Lisieux, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

Fear Not

June 21, 2026

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

A string walks into a bar and the bartender says to the string, “Hey buddy, look at the sign!” The sign says: “NO STRINGS.” So the string steps outside, loops itself around, tightens itself up, messes up its hair, and goes back inside the bar. The bartender says, “Hey, aren’t you that string?” It replies, “No, I’m a frayed knot.” That was a joke referencing persecution, hair, and fearing not. My philosophy on homily jokes is that they should always tie in.

Jesus tells us three times in today’s Gospel to not be afraid. He says, “Fear no one. … Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. … Do not be afraid.” Jesus insists we need not fear because God knows and loves and cares about us. Jesus notes: “Even all the hairs of your head are counted.” Why does he cite hair as an example? Perhaps it is because your hairs are the most numerous, the most replaceable, and the most painlessly disposable parts of you. Yet God keeps tabs even on that about you. Nothing about you is being overlooked.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus also notes God’s attentive care for birds. Earlier Jesus had said: “Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?” As the inspired 84th Psalm observes: “The sparrow herself finds a home and the swallow a nest for her brood; she lays her young by your (temple) altars, Lord of hosts, my king and my God. They are happy who dwell in your house, forever singing your praise.” So God feeds and shelters the birds and offered them the opportunity to live in his presence and praise him. He offers the same to us.

Jesus asks, “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” What is this about sparrows “falling” to the ground? By “fall” Jesus may be referring in the Greek to birds simply “landing” or “descending,” but I have also seen dead birds fallen on the ground. Last week for the first time, on the shoulder of the highway, I saw a black crow standing beside a dead crow on the ground, presumably where it had fallen after being hit by a passing vehicle. About the sparrows Jesus says, “Not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” But how can I be consoled by this when I see dead birds on the ground?

Yes, like Jesus and Job, Christians may suffer through no fault of their own. Like Jesus with his kinsman St. John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary with her Son, Christians may experience the tragic loss of a dear one. Like Jesus and his Apostles, we may suffer and be put to death for our faithfulness to God. But Jesus repeatedly urges us to not be afraid since our deliverance and glory shall be like his. “So do not be afraid,” Jesus encourages us, “you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Jesus also wants us to be open and bold about our Catholic Faith: “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…” In America today, you and I are not even facing deadly persecution, so what is our excuse for timidity? Like I said last Sunday, be an unashamed and faithful Catholic in everyday life. Answer people’s questions and invite them to explore our Faith. Be bold, for their souls may depend upon it.

Instead of fearing the judgment of peers, Jesus wants our concern to be what God thinks of us. “Be afraid, rather, of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna,” that is, our Divine Judge. Jesus assures us, “Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” So if we have been cowardly Christians in the past, repent and resolve like St. Peter to bear better witness to your relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior in the future.

St. Paul teaches, “Have no anxiety at all.” Worry is worthless, concern is enough. If I were not concerned about this homily, I would have had nothing prepared. If I were not concerned about this Mass, I would not have shown up to celebrate it. But feeding worries about these things would have been for me a waste of time and energy. As St. Padre Pio often said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry!” It comes down to this: will you trust Jesus Christ? Remember his words and his rewards and fear not.

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Christ Connectors

June 13, 2026

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

In a room of 23 randomly-selected people, what are the odds of any two of them sharing a birthday? In other words, what are the odds of at least two of those 23 people not necessarily being the same age but having their birthday on the same day of the calendar? Amazingly, the odds of this happening are a little more than 50-50. This is known as “The Birthday Paradox.” It only takes 23 random people to have 50-50 odds at least two folks match a birthday. And in a room of 75 random people there’s a 99.9% chance of at least two people matching. In America’s 250-year history, 45 different men have been U.S. President and 22 of them (48%) share first names with another U.S President. I mention these surprising stats because of the names of Jesus’ chosen apostles in today’s Gospel.

“The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon [whom Jesus renamed Peter] and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus [also known as Judas or Jude]; Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.”

So among these twelve men we find two Simons, two Jameses, and two Judases. But from what I said before, we should not be too surprised something like this would happen. Look at how many women in the Gospels are named Mary: there’s Mary the mother of Jesus, there’s Mary Magdalene from the town of Magdala, there’s Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus from Bethany, and there’s Mary the wife of Clopas, the mother of James the Less and Joses. The name “Mary” was actually the most common name among the region’s Jewish females at that time, belonging to about 1-in-4 women. Now imagine if you were going to lie and simply invent the story of a fictional guy and his closest followers. Would you give them duplicate names or call about half of all the female-named characters Mary? No — Jesus’ disciples have these names because these were their names. These were the historical people closely-involved in Jesus’ public ministry.

In today’s Gospel, we see imagery drawn from the agriculture of that rural historical setting. Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they are “like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus tells his disciples: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” And when Jesus chooses the Twelve and sends them on mission, he says: “Go… to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In his preaching and parables, Jesus commonly mentions plants and fields, sheep and shepherds. Earlier, when Jesus was recruiting fishermen to be his disciples, he told them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (I suspect if Jesus’ public ministry had happened in Wisconsin, he would have made references to dairy cows and snow.) Jesus used examples close at hand to connect with the rest of humanity. Jesus uses the people he finds close at hand to connect him with others, too.

The harvest is still abundant and the laborers are still too few. Many people are away from Christ’s Church and few work to bring them back. So pray, asking the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest, and consider how he is calling you to help. Our Church and world needs priestly vocations and religious vocations. And if that is your calling, then that is the best thing you can do in your life. But realize you do not need to be ordained or take religious vows to help bring people to Jesus Christ and his Church. Intercede for the conversion of souls in daily prayer. Be unashamed and faithfully Catholic in everyday life. Answer peoples’ questions. Invite them to explore our Faith. Be bold — their souls may depend upon it. Jesus called the Simons, Jameses, Judases, and Marys of his day to play important parts in his salvific plan. Jesus would do the same with us today. Like we see in the “Birthday Paradox,” more new connections are possible for the Kingdom than you might at first imagine, both through Divine Providence and by simply showing up for Jesus.

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A Mentor of Love — Funeral Homily for Donald Nielsen, 93

June 1, 2026

By Deacon Dick Kostner

This afternoon, we celebrate the life of a true mentor of the power of love. Our Gospel tells all of the disciples of Jesus that there are rooms that have been reserved for those who have lived out their lives obeying the 11th Commandment that Jesus gave us before he returned to heaven, and that is to love God and our neighbor as Jesus has loved and instructed us. If done, he promises to return to those who have obeyed and take us to our reserved room at the Father’s house.

At one of the TMIY (“That Man Is You”) classes I attended this last year, one of the speakers quoted a homily that Pope John Paul gave to us Christians and within that homily the pope stated that there is only one key that will allow us entry into heaven and that is the key of love. Only those who love God and neighbor will gain entry. During my seventy-plus years on earth, I have been blessed with a list of mentors that have displayed to me the power and happiness that becomes those who have loved as Jesus has loved us. My mom and dad, my wife and son, my priest friends and instructors, and the people of this city and faith community called “The Body of Christ.” Two of them who were instrumental in gifting our community with a hospital we could be proud of and whom I served with as a member of the Board of Directors for some twenty-three years. Those individuals were John Eberle, and the person we honor today, Don Nielsen.

I first came onboard on the hospital board a couple of years after I got out of law school. These two mentors helped me to mature in my youth to recognize the importance of sharing our gift of time to help bring about and keep available for our people a facility that really cared about healing and providing a comfort zone for those of us that needed repair services for our sick and sometimes broken bodies. Don was always one of the first to offer his advice and wisdom to keep our hospital available to our friends and families. There were some tough times we had to make difficult decisions in order to have a medical team supplied to our hospital when the demand for them exceeded the supply. It was out of love that we needed to team up with Luther Hospital and thereafter with Mayo in order to have doctors for our hospital. One of Don’s favorite sayings was that “When life serves us a lemon, we need to use it to make lemonade.” It was through these disciples of love that we still have our hospital. Don’s love for people did not stop with the local hospital but was present when dealing with his car dealership and support for the Bloomer Chamber events and sharing his knowledge and active involvement with financial support for the community business activities and church faith activities.

About a year ago, Don cornered me and said he was concerned that Mayo was helping other hospitals stay up to date but that Bloomer was being forgotten. He questioned our local doctors for their help. It was just last week that I was told that there are plans being made by Mayo to renovate our Hospital and even build some more beds to accommodate more people at our hospital. The demand is great for our hospital to grow and provide more beds and services for neighbors, friends, and families. Before I heard this news Barb and I stopped to visit Don and Phyllis asked Don if he had any words of wisdom to share with us. His response was “Don’t put off until tomorrow what needs to be done now in our life because you never know when you won’t be able to help or enjoy life anymore.” Don died before I could share with him the good news about our hospital, but I bet he and Doctor Eberle are having a cold one together now with Jesus with grins on their face for having loved as Jesus has loved and served us.

Thanks guys for your love, help, and community service. Hope to see you soon! Signed: The Community of Bloomer.

Posted in Funeral Homilies, Homily, Love, Service | Leave a Comment »

I Will See You Again — Funeral Homily for Stanley Lang, 19

May 28, 2026

By Fr. Victor Feltes

The evening before Jesus died, John’s Gospel recounts him saying at the Last Supper: “I am going to the one who sent me… But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.” Jesus’ disciples, his loved ones, his friends, were understandably concerned and sad to hear of his departure. But Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” Jesus tells them again, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ … And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

The next day, they were traumatized by his Passion and death. Luke’s Gospel records that “all [of Jesus’] acquaintances stood at a distance… and saw these events.” And they were witnesses to his burial. Perhaps at first, on Good Friday evening, Jesus’ dear ones were too stunned to feel anything but numb. But then, on Holy Saturday, the reality of what had happened probably settled in. They mourned losing him and were left to ask “Why? How could God let an innocent young man die like this? How is that not a senseless and pointless death?” That might be how we feel today on this day of Stanley’s funeral.

Stanley’s parents tell me he valued the Holy Scriptures, attending a Bible study in high school. He probed the things of God, asking his folks tough religious questions — not looking for excuses but to better understand our Faith. Devoted to worshiping God, he expressed disappointment rather than delight on those rare occasions when circumstances kept his family from attending Sunday Mass. And he desired fellowship with God’s saints, departing from us wearing a St. Francis of Assisi medal around his neck. Why would God allow his beloved friend to die so young?

Reflecting upon Jesus’ Passion and death, we wonder at the mystery of how an innocent 33-year-old being whipped, crucified, and murdered achieves the forgiveness of our sins. Yet it is revealed to us that through patiently endured trials — trials a person would prefer to avoid like a cup of soured wine — God’s holy ones are exalted and our world is saved.

Consider the patron saint of this parish, St. Paul. St. Paul the Apostle is not our Savior and Lord, yet Jesus Christ involves him in his saving work. Because Paul was willing to preach, new peoples were reached. Because Paul bore great sufferings, Christ’s salvation came to others. As Paul wrote to the Colossians: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church…” By faithfully enduring and dying how and when he did, he entered into heaven’s greater glory.

In the words of the Book of Wisdom: “If before men, indeed [God’s own seem] punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. [And] they shall shine…” Our faithful sufferings, our prayers and penances, our labors, losses and dyings, when mystically united to Christ’s, transform us and help save others. This is called redemptive suffering, and while not yet answering every “why,” it changes how Christians see our pains and tragedies in life.

Jesus Christ came to the aid of humanity with his divinity, fashioning for us a remedy out of mortality itself, that the cause of our downfall might become the means of our salvation. As he told his disciples the night before he died, “So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” Though Jesus’ disciples mourned and questioned on Holy Saturday, a brief time later, with Easter’s resurrection, they joyfully saw their beloved one again. This is our Christian faith and our consoling hope and Jesus Christ’s promise regarding Stanley too.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Funeral Homilies, Homily, Jesus Christ, Redemptive Suffering | Leave a Comment »

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