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Heavenly Feasts — Funeral Homily for Angeline “Angie” Rihn, 98

July 1, 2025

By Fr. Victor Feltes

One theme in Angie’s earthly life, from the stories her family shares about her, is meals: the meals she prepared and the meals she shared. The meals on the farm with Herman and their children always began with a prayer, thanking the Lord and asking for his blessings. And her spouse would always praise her cooking with compliments, like calling it “A meal fit for a king!” On the farm, with the animals they raised and the produce they grew and often canned, there was never a need to buy any food. For holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, Angie would cook for days. Three rooms of their farmhouse a couple miles out of town would be filled with tables and chairs for guests. Angie would always have guests over for a meal. For example, her beloved grandkids could show up anytime to enjoy sharing a meal with her. As a leader in the parish Altar-Rosary Society, she headed the organizing of funeral luncheons. And with unfaltering faith, she never skipped our Lord’s feast of the Holy Mass.

Scripture often speaks of our God preparing feasts. The Prophet Isaiah foretells that the Lord God on his holy mountain will “provide a feast for all peoples of rich food and choice wines, of juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” King David pens the 23rd Psalm saying of the Lord, “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Jesus declares to his apostles, “I confer a Kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom….” And Jesus announces “many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of Heaven….” During the heavenly visions of the Book of Revelation, an angel tells St. John “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb,” adding, “These words are true; they come from God.”

Are these prophesies about eating and drinking in the Kingdom of Heaven literally true? Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,” but that is metaphorical language. And how could we eat foods or drink drinks after death separates our souls from our bodies? But we must remember that our well-founded Christian hope is not only for an eternal afterlife for our souls but also a physical resurrection of our bodies one day. Recall how St. Luke reports that the Resurrected Jesus in the Upper Room on Easter Sunday asked, “‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.” Why does Jesus eat with his resurrected body? It was not because of hunger, for his glorified body has no need of such nourishment. He ate as a demonstration for the apostles and us that he is not a ghost or mirage but truly risen again. But then why does Jesus eat again later, as recorded by St. John, when he had breakfast with seven disciples along the Sea of Galilee? Since the fact of his resurrection was already firmly established, it appears it simply pleased him to share a meal with them. So ‘feasting in God’s Kingdom’ appears to be more than merely a metaphor.

After the Resurrection of the dead, once our souls reunite with our bodies, many will come from east and west and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for the Lord’s promised feast. A supper not of necessity but of joy, with delights not merely from fine food and drink but from sharing the fond table fellowship of God and his friends. Angie’s delight in preparing meals reflected our Lord’s delight in preparing meals for us: at every Mass and in the world to come. Angie rejoiced to have family and friends flock to her feast like our Lord longs for us to join him for his feast, too. So pray for Angie’s soul, that she may be perfectly purified, and let us live our lives faithfully so as to be well-prepared to one day take our places at the banquet in the Kingdom of God.

Posted in Funeral Homilies, Heaven, Homily, Resurrection | Leave a Comment »

Feeding the Multitude

June 24, 2025

Solemnity of Corpus Christi
By Fr. Victor Feltes

All four Gospels recount the miracle of Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fishes. He receives five loaves and two fish and successfully feeds (in the words of St. Matthew) “about five thousand men, not counting women and children,” with twelve wicker baskets full of fragments leftover. Now this event cannot be reduced to a so-called “miracle of sharing.” That would be a deed less impressive than what Elijah the great miracle-working prophet did in 2nd Kings: feeding one hundred people with twenty barley loaves and having some leftover. Merely persuading people to share food for one meal would not cause a crowd to declare somebody “the prophet who is to come into the world” and make them want to carry him off to make him king, as St. John records. This miracle was a true miracle, and it foreshadows the Last Supper and the miracle of the Eucharist.

St. John mentions ‘the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.’ This Passover was at least one year before the Passover of Holy Week, yet John mentions it all the same. And then there is the way the Gospel writers describe what Jesus does with the food for the meal: “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing…, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.” These phrases should sound familiar. They closely resemble what Jesus does at the Last Supper and what his priests celebrate at every Holy Mass.

Without Jesus, the apostles felt powerless to provide for such a great number of people. But Jesus commanded his apostles to “have them sit down in groups of about fifty,” in more than one hundred clusters on the green grass. The flock obeys the apostles as they are obeying Christ, and Jesus proceeds to feed them all through his ministers. The miracle at every Mass is greater than the one Jesus performed with the loaves and fishes. There, he made the food he was offered far greater in quantity. Now, he transforms the food we give him into something far greater, not in number but kind.

At Mass, we are figuratively fed by the Inspired Word, by both the Old Testament and the New Testament, drawn like two fish from the stream of salvation history. And at Mass we behold the Incarnate Word, the Body and Blood of Christ, which suffered the five famous wounds of his Passion. But greatest of all, at Mass we can be invited to truly partake of the Eternal Word, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, receiving his living Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist. In the Gospel we heard “They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.” So rejoice in these holy gifts as your precious treasure. Tell others about them and invite them to join us here, for Jesus Christ desires this great feast to nourish everyone.

Posted in Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Mass, Real Presence, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Love & Eight — The Jacob Pake & Kayla Bowen Wedding

June 22, 2025

By Fr. Victor Feltes

We read in the Genesis Creation account that it was not good for mankind to live in solitude, so God made a suitable partner for the man. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two become one body, one flesh.” Man and woman were made for each other. Psalm 128 notes how marriage, that first blessing from the original Garden, remains visible in the world even after the Fall: “Your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive around your table.” However, after the Fall, we are wounded by sin and drawn by temptation. Humanity commonly does not do as we should.

That is why St. Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians reminds their divided and squabbling community what love is and what it is not. He lists eight things that love “is” or does alongside eight things love “is not.” Love is not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, not rude, not self-seeking, not quick-tempered, not brooding over injury, not rejoicing over wrongdoing. But love is patient, love is kind, it rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and love never fails. These groupings of eight are interesting because Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount lists eight beatitudes. (Some may count nine beatitudes, but the Greek indicates that the final “blessed” is an expansion on the eighth one.) These beatitudes describe Christian saints, but first and foremost they describe Christ himself.

So eight, eight, and eight — What does this have to do with how we are to love today? In Genesis, God begins creating on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. He works six days and then rests on the seventh day. That is why the Jewish Sabbath, their holy day of rest, was Saturday. Jesus Christ, who on Good Friday worked his perfect Sacrifice, whose lifeless body on Holy Saturday kept a day of perfect rest, rose again on Easter Sunday. Christians beginning in the 1st or 2nd century called that Sunday “the eighth day,” the eighth day of Creation on which Jesus Christ transforms humanity and our lives in this world. Now we have hope beyond this life, hope for blessed endless life with God. And the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus have opened access to grace, the help of God, enabling us to live and love like him.

How can we achieve and preserve true unity and harmony among us in our homes and community? This is not possible merely on our own. We must let God give us his grace which allows us to live and love like him. This is why daily prayer, weekly worship, and consistent devotion to the Lord must be top priorities for any Christian. Jacob and Kayla, draw near to him and remain with him, so that you both may live and love like him and be blessed together. Like the psalmist said, ‘Blessed are all who fear, who reverence, the Lord and walk in his ways. You will be blessed and prosper. May you see your children’s children. May the Lord bless you all the days of your life.’

Posted in Creation, Homily, Love, Marriage and Family, Sermon on the Mount, Wedding Homilies | 1 Comment »

A City on a Mountain — The Garrett Mikula & Annabelle Wittrock Wedding

June 7, 2025

By Fr. Victor Feltes

“You are the salt of the earth…
  You are the light of the world.
  A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.”

This is a classic Gospel reading. It encourages all Christians to be salt on this earth and light in this world in ways which cannot go entirely unnoticed. Yet in all my years, despite this reading being a valid option for weddings, I cannot recall it ever being selected. This got my mind wondering: “How is Christian marriage like a city set on a mountain?” How does Sacred Scripture connect mountains, cities, and marriage? Let’s look at three episodes.

In the 6th century B.C., the Prophet Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s secret dream which featured a huge statue representing ancient empires. A stone hewn from a mountain by God struck the statue, shattering it to pieces. Daniel foretells that the stone which struck the statue would become a great mountain, fill the whole earth, and stand forever.

Earlier, in the 8th century B.C., the Lord had declared through the Prophet Isaiah that he was “creating new heavens and a new earth.” “Indeed, I am creating Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. … None shall harm or destroy on all my holy mountain….”

Finally, in the Book of Revelation, St. John describes his vision: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth… I also saw the holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” John hears a loud voice from God’s throne say, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God.” Then John hears an angel say: “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Then the angel takes him in spirit to a great, high mountain and shows him the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

So we see Sacred Scripture associating and connecting a holy mountain, a holy city (Jerusalem), and holy marriage. Now the Bible repeatedly calls God a Rock (“my Rock,” “our Rock,” an “eternal Rock”) and the city is identified as the Bride. God’s holy city appears to marry the earth upon the holy mountain.

In Ephesians 5, St. Paul gives instructions for husbands and wives: ‘Wives, follow your husbands. Husbands, sacrificially love your wives. The two shall become one flesh.’ And then St. Paul concludes, “This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.” Bringing all of this together, I would suggest that the mountain and the city, Christ and the Church, you Garrett and Annabelle, are all (soon to be) joined in the same mystery. She, the city, relies on the mountain’s firm foundation, immovable core, quiet strength, loyal defense, strong support, provident resources, and enduring presence. And he, the mountain, delights in the city’s closeness, beauty, community, festivity, fruitfulness, joy, and laughter.

Garrett and Annabelle, your marriage is meant to share in this mystery. Behold, God’s dwelling is meant to be with the human race. So you must always allow Jesus Christ to be your Rock, the living Lord of your dwellings and daily lives. Only then will your marriage be salt for this earth and light to this world, a city set on a mountain which cannot be hidden.

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

Fly High — Funeral Homily for Elle Jo Kramschuster, 24

June 5, 2025

By Fr. Victor Feltes

Elle’s loved ones will remember many beautiful things about her. In her, seemingly contradictory personality traits are joined. Young but old-souled. A center of attention not looking for attention. Initially the quietest person in a room but who, once comfortable, becomes its biggest presence. Never an early-riser, except to see the sunrise. A world-traveler who loves being back home with family and friends the most. Elle took some twenty-two jet flights, mostly in the last five years, to places like Colorado, Texas, Dubai, or Sri Lanka. She would say, “Happiness is a flight away.” But her favorite thing was being home, having everyone together. For instance, at the annual family rendezvous in Hayward her favorite thing was waking up and everyone being there. Today, we are all gathered here to mourn Elle’s passing and pray for her soul.

Last week, Christ’s Church around the world celebrated the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Many places marked this event last Thursday, while others transferred the celebration to Sunday. It is a bittersweet feast day. After spending forty days with Jesus after his Easter Resurrection, his disciples watch him fly into the sky until a cloud takes him from their sight, symbolizing his entry into Heaven. Jesus tells his disciples it is better that he goes. They are given assurances that he will visibly return again someday. And Jesus promises them, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Yet this time of visible separation is still a sad thing.

Jesus understands this. He knows our human loves, joys, and sorrows, for he is not only truly God but truly man. As Pope Francis wrote, “The eternal Son of God, in his utter transcendence, chose to love each of us with a human heart.” Jesus possesses “genuine human emotions and feelings like ourselves, albeit fully transformed by his divine love. … Entering into the heart of Christ, we feel loved by a human heart filled with affections and emotions like our own.” As much as you love Elle, realize that our Good Lord Jesus Christ loves her even more.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he says. ‘Have faith in God; have faith in me.’ Christ is our Good Shepherd. Sweet Elle’s passing from this world is not the end of her story, any more than Jesus’ bodily Ascension was the end of his. Though she has a beautiful soul, earnestly pray for Elle, that the Lord may purify whatever remains imperfect in her so that she may ascend to glory, too. One day, the friends of God will awaken to a new and endless day, rising again in joy at having all of us together. Elle, you are loved, both on earth and in Heaven, where God’s family gathers. Happiness is a flight away. Fly high, Elle.

Posted in Ascension, Funeral Homilies, Homily | Leave a Comment »

A Christian Philosopher–Engineer — Funeral Homily for William “Bill” Hable, 87

June 5, 2025

By Fr. Aro (Arockiaraj Paristham)

“There is a time for everything. A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.” This is the time to celebrate the death of our beloved William, who is known as Bill. A man who lived a full life, pleasing God and people.

Dear brothers and sisters, we have gathered together today to say goodbye to our brother Bill, whose life has touched us all in profound ways. It is said that he was an engineer who rooted in science but he saw himself as a philosopher first. If you asked him what the time is, he would tell you how a clock worked. As we reflect on his journey, it is comforting to turn to the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, particularly the Beatitudes in the gospel. These words offer hope in times of sorrow, pointing us toward the deep truths of God’s love and the promise of eternal life. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) In this moment of loss, we are mourning the passing of Bill, someone who meant so much to all of us especially the family members. Bill cherished spending time with his loved ones and instilled a strong sense of self-reliance in his family. Mourning is a natural response to love, when we lose someone dear, we feel the deep void their absence creates. But Jesus promises us comfort. He assures us that in our grief, God is close to us, offering His presence, His peace, and His comfort. As we mourn, we can hold on to the promise that God sees our tears and walks with us in our sorrow.

Jesus also says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) This verse reminds us that humility and dependence on God bring us closer to His Kingdom. Bill in his lifetime was simple and humble person. He always admitted his mistakes. One of his favorite quotes was “show me a person who has not made a mistake and I’ll show you a person who has not done much.” Bill may have shown us what it means to be poor in spirit, whether through acts of kindness, quiet strength, or a deep faith in God. When we are humble, we recognize our need for God, and He promises to meet us with His grace. Today, we remember that Bill now rests in the presence of God, in the Kingdom of heaven, where there is no more pain or suffering.

Jesus also says, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’ (Matthew 5:8) Purity of heart is a quality of those who seek God with sincerity, love others selflessly, and live with integrity. As we reflect on Bill’s life, we may see the ways in which he lived with a pure heart, perhaps through his love for family. Bill was known for his quiet sensitivity and steadfast loyalty, always offering support to those around him. He was a loving husband to his wife, Judy, for many joyful years. Because of his pure heart and compassion for others, and unwavering faith, now, Bill has seen God face-to-face, and he dwells in the fullness of God’s glory.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) Peacemaking is more than the absence of conflict; it is the active pursuit of reconciliation, love, and unity. Bill was a problem solver and he wanted his children to be problem solvers like himself. If Bill was someone who brought people together, mended relationships, or simply offered a calming presence in times of difficulty, we honor that legacy today. In the Kingdom of God, they are now embraced as a beloved child of God, resting in perfect peace. Bill will be remembered for his unwavering love and dedication to family and friends.

Let us be grateful to God for him in our lives as family or relative or a friend. Let us try to follow one of the good values that we learned from our beloved Bill which touched our lives and carry it over. Let us continue our prayer for his soul rest in peace and for the family to have comfort and hope and faith.

Posted in Funeral Homilies, Homily, Sermon on the Mount | Leave a Comment »

A Leader Like Us

May 31, 2025

Solemnity of the Ascension
By Fr. Victor Feltes

As a child in CCD class, I remember being told that a pope from the United States would never happen in our lifetimes. The common view was that having the earthly leader of the Catholic Church come from the world’s strongest superpower was something most cardinals would want to avoid. So it was quite surprising when the 69-year-old, Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was introduced to the world as Pope Leo XIV. But that concern about coming off as “America’s Pope” is probably why he only spoke Italian, Spanish, and Latin during his first public appearance.

If you’re like me, it’s surreal having so much in common with the pope. Like all of us here, he’s a Midwesterner. He speaks English without a foreign accent. He has consumed our movies, TV shows, and music and been active on social media. He has enjoyed American sports, like when he attended a White Sox World Series game. He has voted in our U.S. elections and attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C. He ministered in Peru for many years but we have something in common there too. Our diocese has supported Servant of God Fr. Joe Walijewski’s Casa Hogar orphanage in Lima for several decades. Like me, the new pope has a mathematics degree. My parents and relatives come from the Chicagoland area too. And we both picked the name “Leo XIV” — this new pope was literally named after my 12-year-old cat. He has a friendly smile and a sense of humor, he’s easygoing but takes Catholic teaching and worship seriously, he sings well, and writes out homilies to help him preach clearly. You probably have personal connections to our new pope yourself, like belonging to the same American Baby Boom generation.

Of course, the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV is still very young and its substantial fruits have yet to unfold. In the first week following his election, a reporter shook Pope Leo’s hand as he passed by and asked, “Holy Father… any message for the United States?” The pope smiled, lifted his hands, and replied, “Many! May God bless you all!” It’s exciting to have a pope who probably understands us, our country and our culture, both the good and the bad, better than any pope before him. So what does any of this have to do with the Solemnity of the Ascension we celebrate today? Much! And it relates to our June celebration of the Sacred Heart as well.

The Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus Christ’s human nature into heaven. His humanity enters everlasting divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and sky. And from heaven, seated at God’s right hand, he constantly intercedes for us before the Father. Jesus Christ, being true God and true man, has a human intellect and will perfectly attuned to his divine intellect and will, knowing us and loving us all with a human heart. As Pope Francis wrote about the Sacred Heart last year, “The eternal Son of God, in his utter transcendence, chose to love each of us with a human heart.” Jesus possesses “genuine human emotions and feelings like ourselves, albeit fully transformed by his divine love. … Entering into the heart of Christ, we feel loved by a human heart filled with affections and emotions like our own.” Divine knowledge and love are eternal and we have had popes before. But the Ascension and Sacred Heart of Jesus are significant. Like a pope who intimately understands us, because he is one of us, we can rejoice that we now have a Lord in heaven, Jesus Christ, who knows us and loves us with a human heart like ours.

Posted in Ascension, Catholic Church, Culture, Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Jesus Christ, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

How Is Christ’s Peace Different Than The World’s?

May 24, 2025

6th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” If through his Gospel Jesus is speaking these words not only to his apostles but to us today, then we can conclude several things: Jesus would give us his peace. This gift of peace is different from how the world offers “peace.” And it should grant us calm consolation and courage. So how is peace from Jesus different from this world’s peace? How have previous popes and great saints answered this question?

Three years ago, Pope Francis said one difference is in the manner which Christ brings about his peace: “This is how Christ brings peace into the world: through meekness and mildness, symbolized by that tethered colt, on which no-one had ever sat. No-one, because God’s way of doing things is different to that of the world. … The peace Jesus gives to us at Easter is not the peace that follows the strategies of the world, which believes it can obtain it through force, by conquest and with various forms of imposition. That peace, in reality, is only an interval between wars…. The peace of the Lord follows the way of meekness and mildness: it is taking responsibility for others. Indeed, Christ took on himself our evil, sin and our death. He took all of this upon himself. In this way he freed us. He paid for us. His peace is not the fruit of some compromise, but rather is born of self-giving.”

St. Pope John Paul the Great shared similar reflections in 2004: “The world is longing for peace and needs peace, today as in the past, but often seeks it by inappropriate means, sometimes even with recourse to force or by balancing opposing powers. In these situations, people live with the distress of fear and uncertainty in their hearts. Christ’s peace, instead, reconciles souls, purifies hearts, and converts minds.”

St. Thomas Aquinas highlighted this internal/external distinction about peace in the 13th century, saying “the peace of the world is a pretended peace since it is only on the outside: ‘The wicked… speak of peace with their neighbors while malice is in their hearts.’ But the peace of Christ is true, because it is both on the outside and inside. …The peace of Christ brings tranquility both within and without.”

Aquinas also noted that worldly peace “is directed to the quiet and calm enjoyment of passing things, with the result that it sometimes helps a person to sin: ‘They live in strife due to ignorance and they call such great evils peace.’ But the peace of the saints is directed to eternal goods. … The world gives peace so that external goods can be possessed undisturbed; but [Christ gives] peace so that you can obtain eternal things.”

St. Augustine of Hippo said likewise in the 5th century: “For [the worldly,] their aim in giving themselves peace is so that, exempt from the annoyance of lawsuits and wars, they may find enjoyment—not in God, but in the friendship of the world. And although they sometimes give the righteous peace in ceasing to persecute them, there can be no true peace where there is no real harmony because their hearts are at variance.”

It is the alignment of our hearts with Jesus Christ’s heart which gives us harmony and true unity with one another and the Lord. As Jesus says, “Come to me … and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. … My peace I give to you. … Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Go to Jesus and learn from him. Align your heart with his and rest.

As St. Augustine once concluded, “Let us, therefore, beloved, with whom Christ leaves peace and to whom he gives his own peace, not after the world’s way but in a way worthy of Him by whom the world was made, that we should be of one heart with himself, having our hearts run as one, that this one heart set on that which is above may escape the corruption of the earth.”

Posted in Homily, Peace, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

8th Grade Graduation Homily

May 23, 2025

By Fr. Victor Feltes

Each year, our La Crosse Diocese surveys all its Catholic school eighth graders about their religious views and attitudes. In order to encourage sincere responses these surveys are anonymous, but schools do receive a report indicating what percentage of its students affirmed various statements. Following this year’s assessment, we received word that our eighth graders had some of the most faithful answers in the entire diocese. For instance, 100% of you ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ with these statements (among others):

• I believe that God knows and loves me personally.
• Sin offends God and harms me.
• There is a heaven and hell.
• It is important for me to be with God in heaven.
• Living a faithful life is the path to becoming happy and fulfilled.
• I am proud to be a Catholic.
• Belonging to the Catholic Church is an important part of my relationship with Jesus.
• I believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.
• I am willing to speak up to defend my faith.
• I have a duty as a Christian to help those in need.
• I believe that God has a calling or vocation for every person.

Jesus told his students, his disciples, “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” St. Paul’s School exists so that the joy of Christ and his Church might be in you and your joy may be complete. Your teachers and I—all of whom could probably be making much more money doing something else somewhere else—are at this school to help gift to you the great treasures of Christianity, so your responses give us joy. Your answers also reflect something of the good influence and priorities of your parents, for they have made sacrifices to send you to this school and 100% of you agree that you ‘enjoy spending time with your family.’ I wished to begin my words to you young people tonight with this praise, but now I must also share a word of warning, challenge, and calling.

Jesus gave his disciples this important message: “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, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” Graduating from our school and entering another leaves behind the close, sheltering Christian community of this school. Even if you go on to enroll in a Catholic school, your faith will be challenged. Remember that Jesus loves you and that you must remain close to him.

You will remain in his love if you keep his commandments. He commands us to pray daily, to worship at the Eucharist on Sunday, to approach him in the Sacrament of Confession as needed, to always be striving to grow in faithful friendship with him. If you are doing this, keep it up. If you neglect this, pick it up. Simon Peter was very fond of Jesus but his triple failure during the Passion of Christ caught him by surprise. Realize that you are called to be faithful friends of Christ even in a hostile world. Give us joy and make us proud. Jesus loves you. Remain in his love. If you strive to love him and keep his commandments, you will remain and live in his love.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Weekday Homilies | 1 Comment »

Love Like Christ

May 19, 2025

5th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Victor Feltes

“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.” In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways through prophets (like in the previous psalm) validating his words with saving miracles. But at the beginning of this present age he spoke to us through his Son, through whom he has worked the greatest miracles of salvation.

We bow before the wonder of the Incarnation, that the Divine Person through whom all things were made would become man in the womb of the Virgin Mary and be born among his creatures. We are blessed that Jesus has revealed to us his way of Christian living, not only through the wisdom he preached but through his lived example. And greatest of all, we have access to peace, hope, and joy because of his willingness to suffer, die, and rise for us. Pause to consider where you would be if not for Christ’s love for you.

Now, Jesus gives us a new commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Now this love we are called to is not mere emotion. Oftentimes love is a warm, fuzzy, pleasure, but love will not always feel good. And this love we are called to is more than intellectual. The demons know that Jesus is Lord, but that does not save them, because they do not love him. We are called to love as Jesus has loved us.

This means we are called to love everyone like he does, the good and the wicked, our friends and foes. What this looks like will vary in life’s various circumstances, but we must will the good for everyone. And willing the good for others must lead to action. We are finite beings and cannot do everything for everyone all the time, but as St. James taught in his New Testament letter: “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” And these loving works we are called to will not always feel good, but as Saints Paul and Barnabas preached: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus entered his Kingdom’s glory through painful trials, and so must we.

“For the sake of the joy that lay before him, [Jesus] endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.” Supreme happiness also awaits Christ’s faithful followers as well. In his Revelation, St. John sees a New Heaven and a New Earth and a New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God. “Behold,” John writes, “God will dwell with the human race… and will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”

Jesus Christ loves us. He offers us his peace and joy and has placed his hope before us. And Christ calls us to love like him by loving him and remaining close to him, for apart from him we can do nothing. Our Christian life begins with Baptism, but must continue with daily prayer, Sunday Mass, regular Confession, a life of true discipleship. You must remain close to—or return to—his grace to enter the Kingdom of God. Remember Christ’s love for you, hold onto his hope, peace, and joy, and love everyone as he has loved you.

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The Church Reveals His Beauty

May 11, 2025

4th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Churches should be marked by great beauty. Beauty attracts and delights. God, among his other perfections, is capital “B” Beauty, so a beautiful church glorifies God among us and helps draw people to him. One of the most famous and beautiful churches in the world is St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. St. Peter’s Basilica is actually a shrine for the burial site of St. Peter the Apostle. He was crucified upside-down on Vatican Hill by the Romans and buried in a nearby cemetery. And in the early 1940s, archeological excavations below the main altar discovered what are most likely his bones. Jesus gave Peter his name, which means “Rock,” and said, “Upon this Rock, I will build my Church.” And today we see the largest and most renowned Christian Church in the world is built above that Rock.

It is wonderful for churches to be beautiful, but it is also important for our church architecture and decorations and to be meaningful—reflecting truths of our faith. For instance, St. Peter’s Basilica is capped by a dome designed by Michelangelo which is the world’s tallest. And two colonnades designed by Bernini, extend out in front of the basilica on both sides around St. Peter’s Square. The effect of this dome and these colonnades together present an image of God the Father. As one approaches St. Peter’s Square, the dome is like his head, the church is like his chest, and the colonnades are like his arms. God the Father is reaching out to beckon, welcome, receive, and embrace all people of the world. When St. Peter’s Square is filled with pilgrims as we saw last week it is like St. John’s vision in today’s second reading, “a great multitude… from every nation, race, people, and tongue,” joyfully standing before God the Father and the Lamb of God. The Kingdom of Heaven begins for us now in his Church on earth.

Once you enter inside St. Peter’s Basilica the architecture there also conveys spiritual truth. The dimensions are huge. The distance from the floor to ceiling—not under dome but in the nave of the basilica—is 152 feet. That’s about twelve stories high; and yet because of architectural tricks of perspective you do not feel tiny. For instance, there are two tiers of statues in alcoves along the sides—lower and higher—but the statues on the higher level are actually bigger than the lower statues so that when you look up at those saints they do not seem so distant. The scale of the arches, doors, and windows make you feel like you are inside of, not a hollow skyscraper, but a great, beautiful mansion. It is an image of the Father’s house, where there is room enough for a countless multitude but where no one is made to feel small or unimportant. In heaven, everyone is valued and has a place with God.

Last Thursday, from the exterior balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica called the Loggia of the Blessings, Pope Leo XIV was introduced to the world. It was quite a surprise and a moment we will remember the rest of our lives. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus says his sheep have been given into his hand by the Father. Our Lord has now entrusted us into Pope Leo’s hands as well. I did not know much about him before the conclave, but I am excited by what I have seen and heard since.

Some people have predicted and hoped for a quiet papacy where very little will happen. But I do not want a quiet pope when so many people need Jesus, his Gospel, and his Church. Pope Leo has spoken insightfully—both years before and following his election—about evangelization in our time, and I look forward to him being a “Lion” for the Gospel. I do not expect our American pope to show the United States special favoritism, nor should he, but I believe this pope will be a great blessing for the Church in our country. When you freeze or boil water, nothing happens before the temperature reaches a threshold. But with the addition or subtraction of just a few more degrees the liquid transforms into a solid or gas. I believe this new American pope will trigger many fruitful responses in those whom God is already calling. There is a new openness and hunger in our culture and I believe great things will happen.

Yet do not just sit back and wait for the pope and priests to draw people closer to Christ. By your sacrificial love, by your Christian joy, by your growing devotion, by your deepening holiness, by your Catholic witness, by your unashamed invitations, the Lord wants you to help bring others—people you know—to a fuller relationship with him and his Church. The papal motto of Pope Leo XIV is the same as he chose when he became a bishop. It comes from a homily of St. Augustine: “In the One, we are one.” (That is, “In Christ, we are one.”) In Christ we are called to all be truly one, and each of us in these years of Pope Leo ahead have important parts to play.

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Upon This Rock Christ Built His Church

May 4, 2025

3rd Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus changed Simon the Apostle’s name to Peter or “Rock” and said, “Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Jesus told him, “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven,” and declared “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This promise assures us that Peter would not bind the Church to error, for binding the Church on earth to lies would bind heaven to the same. What is the purpose of this awesome authority to teach and lead? Jesus tells him and us in today’s Gospel: it is to ‘Feed his lambs, tend his sheep, and feed his sheep.’

Jesus had specifically told Simon at the Last Supper, “Behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” In the Gospels, Simon Peter’s name is always first among his fellow apostles in any listing where he appears, while Judas Iscariot’s name is always placed last. All of this reflects the God-given preeminence of St. Peter as the servant-leader of Christ’s Church on earth. Jesus remains the invisible Head of his One, Holy, Catholic Church, but he knew that without providing clear and visible apostolic shepherds to give us clarity and unity his flock would surely scatter.

This was true in the 1st century with St. Peter as 1st bishop of Rome, and Peter’s office has continued in his successors, the popes, as recognized by Christians throughout the first millennium. Jesus had told the apostles “whoever hears you hears me” and promised the Holy Spirit would guide them “into all the truth.” The New Testament also proclaims the Church to be “the pillar and foundation of truth.” Was only the first century to be graced with such divine gifts and assurances? No. Jesus is the wise man who built his house on Rock so that even when the rains fell, the floods came, and winds blew and buffeted his Church it would not collapse into heresy.

Indeed, when a pope (or a Church council together with him) definitively defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, the Holy Spirit protects their teaching from error. This is called infallibility. Through divine inspiration, the Holy Spirit previously utilized imperfect men to pen precisely what he wished to be written as Holy Scripture; so simply protecting Holy Church from officially teaching errors is an important but lesser miracle. Though popes can teach infallibly and possess full authority as chief shepherds, they are not flawless people. Simon Peter, even after denying, repenting, and returning to Christ, sometimes still slipped up.

Through St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians we learn that St. Peter was accustomed to eating with Gentile Christians who did not keep the Old Covenant’s rules about ritually clean and unclean foods, as Christ’s New Covenant allowed. That was all well and good, but once when some Jewish Christians arrived in town who cared about keeping all those dietary laws, Peter began to withdraw from his previous table companions. Peter probably wished to avoid causing offense and division, but this action caused confusing scandal by implying that keeping all the Old Laws of Moses was necessary for salvation.

St. Paul writes, “I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.” Paul corrected Peter in front everyone, saying, “If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” St. Peter had not denied the Gospel but his personal example in this case caused harm and he received a fraternal correction from St. Paul. In the Church’s two-millennium-long history there have been some very bad and scandalous popes, but by God’s grace none of them bound the Church to heresy, and that’s a priceless blessing.

Having mourned and prayed for Pope Francis, the cardinals will gather this Wednesday inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican for the important task of electing a new pope. Some 133 cardinals, appointed by previous popes from places around the world, will sequester themselves away until they elect a Holy Father. After any failed rounds of voting, they will burn the ballots to make black smoke. But once a pope has been elected by a two-thirds of the vote they will burn the ballots to make white smoke accompanied by the ringing of St. Peter’s Basilica’s bells. Then our new pope will be introduced to the world and impart his papal blessing. All the conclaves in recent decades have been short, concluding within three days, but do not be alarmed even if this conclave takes more than a week. We will have a pope again soon.

People sometimes wonder, “Does the Holy Spirit choose who will be the pope?” Before he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was asked about this in a 1997 interview. He replied, “I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope…. [“There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!”] I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance He offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined….”

When I was younger, I would have imagined there was just one cardinal in any conclave who could be the right pope; but now I suspect the Holy Spirit perhaps beholds dozens of cardinals with whom he could accomplish comparable good fruits. God works with what we give him. So pray that the cardinals will be receptive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, but do not be anxious or afraid. Whatever happens, we already know that Christ and his Church will endure and triumph in the end, for “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Pray this week that the Church of Christ on earth may soon be led by another great pope who will feed his lambs, tend his sheep, and feed his sheep.

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A Brave Soul — Funeral Homily for Ellen Zwiefelhofer, 102

April 29, 2025

By Fr. Aro (Arockiaraj Paristham)

On behalf of the two parishes of St. Paul’s and St. John’s, I would like to extend our sincere sympathy to the family members and the friends of Ellen. It is true that it is always difficult to lose someone that we dearly love. She will be remembered in our thoughts, prayers, and Masses. Whenever we gather together as a community of faith to celebrate the Eucharist, we always remember our faithfully departed.

Believing in Jesus’ resurrection is the core of Christian belief. It is the basis of our Christian faith. There would not be Gospels without the resurrection. There would be no Christianity, Church, priesthood, or sacraments without the resurrection. There would be no hope without the resurrection.

We would not have the resurrection without the death of Jesus Christ. We do not have flowers, fruits, or trees unless the seed is sown. The seed has to die in order to start a new plant. Therefore, St. Paul preached not only the resurrection but also the crucifixion of Christ.

St. Paul reminds us that death is not the end; it is only the beginning. Life is not over; it is only changed. In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus told us that He is preparing a place for us in heaven. Death is a doorway to a new life with God. Jesus accepted death and has given us the rewards of eternal life.

Our first reading today talks about the souls of the virtuous. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…, let them find rest from their labors.” This reading calms any fears about death for those who trust in God. What better place could we go after death than into the hands of God? What a beautiful way to describe God’s care for us. Do you remember when we were little, our parents held us in their arms? When we die, God will take us in His arms. We believe that God has taken Ellen into His arms. In today’s Gospel, Jesus comforts Ellen by telling her, “Come to me, you who are labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” We believe that Ellen is taking an eternal rest in the Lord.

Ellen’s family will remember her as a prayerful, quiet, and gentle woman. She was faithful and a regular to the Mass. Ellen was strong in her faith, a devoted Catholic, a very generous person, happy to give and help people who were in need. It is highly appreciated because, as St Paul says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” And “God loves the cheerful giver.”

I admired hearing about her ability and hard work which she put into running her ceramics shop for about 25 years. She was fiercely independent, full of love, and would defend her loved ones. She was a lover of nature and always be found in the garden whenever she was free. She always engaged herself in reading thousands of books over the years. She loved to spend time with her family and her house was always alive with laughter and visits. We must be thankful to her, for her service to this country, as a brave veteran in World War II, a special Truck Driver Light 345 from July 10, 1944 until November 18, 1945. Our nation is proud of her selfless military service.

We thank God for Ellen. We are grateful that she was Catholic. Let us place her in the hands of our Blessed Mother. She understands our pain and suffering. May our God grant Ellen eternal rest in His heavenly kingdom. May her soul rest in peace. Amen.

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Jesus’ Love Succeeds

April 18, 2025

Good Friday
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The story of Christ’s Passion is a chronicle of human failures. Simon Peter, chief of his disciples, denies being his friend three times. Caiaphas and Annas, the highest Jewish leaders, reject, condemn, and hand over their Messiah. Pilate and Herod, representing the world’s political powers, tolerate injustice, persecute, and execute the Innocent One. The mob of humanity chooses the violent rebel, Barabbas (whose name means “Son of the Father”) instead of God’s Son, the peaceful Savior.

It is poignant and fitting how our liturgy has us speak the mob’s words, “Crucify him! Crucify him! …Take him away! Crucify him!” since it was our sins too which sent Jesus to the Cross. And yet, even as we are humbled and convicted at Jesus being crucified because of us, remember that Jesus accepted humiliation, pain, and death because of his love of us.

Though we may fail, Jesus’ love succeeds. He said, “When I am lifted up from the earth I will draw everyone to myself.” He stretches out his arms between heaven and earth as the everlasting sign of his New Covenant to invite and embrace us. And from the Cross, he says, “I thirst,” because his love thirsts for you and me.

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Half-Measures Or Full Devotion?

April 18, 2025

Easter Sunday
By Fr. Victor Feltes

St. Peter the Apostle proclaimed: “We are witnesses of all that [Jesus] did… They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible…to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” Jesus went to his Passion and Cross after the Last Supper, and from death and his tomb to the Resurrection. His apostles witnessed these events and were willing to die to testify to them, and nobody ever dies for what he knows to be a lie. The first Christians had full devotion because Christ did not go halfway in his saving mission.

But what if our Lord, instead of enduring pain and death, had chosen to spare and save himself? Jesus had told the apostles he “must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” He said he had come “to give his life as a ransom for many,” shedding his blood “for the forgiveness of sins.” How could we ever find forgiveness of our sins in Christian faith and the sacraments, like Baptism and Confession, if Jesus never suffered and died?

Or imagine if Jesus had just gone halfway with the Last Supper, which was the first Holy Mass. What if he had taken the bread and given it to his disciples saying, “This is like my Body. Do this with a thought of me”? Jesus said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. … Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” What would become of us if we could not receive Jesus in the Eucharist?

Or what if instead of Easter, Jesus Christ had merely suffered and died and never rose again? St. Paul’s answer is emphatic: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,” Paul says “we are the most pitiable people of all!” Therefore, if Jesus had stopped at half-measures in his mission, we would not be saved!

At the beginning of Easter Sunday Mass we sang “Jesus Christ is risen today!” We celebrate him risen not like some celebrate the Easter Bunny hiding eggs or Santa Claus bringing gifts for Christmas. A savior of merely “once upon a time” cannot save us. We celebrate Jesus Christ who was truly risen on Easter morning in 33 AD, but who is also risen, living and active, in our world today. And in the face of sin of death, he is our only hope.

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad!” Embrace today’s good news, the joy of the Gospel, firmly resolved to go forward in such a way that you may be saved. Realize that you cannot safely clear a six-foot chasm by only taking three-foot hops. Half-measures are not enough.

In his suffering, in his sacraments, in his dying and his rising, Jesus shows us how far he goes in love to reach and save us. So in your daily prayers and weekly worship, in virtue and noble service, in Christian faith and fellowship, by your gratitude and love, walk with our Lord Jesus Christ with your full measure of devotion.

Posted in Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Love, Resurrection, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

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