June 25, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

I went through a phase in high school where I loved watching westerns: John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and so forth. The music theme from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and particularly that scene at the end when the three are about to draw (which lasts an unnecessarily long amount of time), is often in my mind when I pray. Not that me and God are eyeing each other. Rather, me and the devil are eyeing each other. My guardian angel helps me and I’m able to pop the devil off with a quick draw.

You see, what the devil wants me to do, among other things, is not talk freely to God. He doesn’t want me to share everything that’s going on in my heart. He wants me to keep it simple and superficial. He lies to me and says God isn’t interested in my issues, it’s unholy to pray about myself when I should be praying for others, that my sins are not appropriate for God. This is all a lie. Jesus says clearly to not be afraid (twice in our Gospel) and to speak to him. He won’t judge or condemn us.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in his Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, makes this observation:

“Likewise, the enemy conducts himself as a false lover in wishing to remain secret and not be revealed… when the enemy of human nature brings his wiles and persuasions to the just soul, he wishes and desires that they be received and kept in secret.”

Being able to open my heart to God in prayer has brought me great comfort in my life. It has helped me grow and become a better person too. God has helped me see more my heart and how I “tick,” and, ultimately (I think) he’s made me holier. He’s healed me and given me wisdom. And so praying transparently has been one of the great delights of my life. The devil knows this, which why he wants me, and all of us, to shy away from God.

I’m sure many of you could say the same. If you have a serious spiritual life, you love praying… and you’re a far better person now than you were before. What has led to this is you being able to be honest with God; to talk to him about how you’re feeling.

Jesus is adamant about speaking out: “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.”

If we speak out, we are exhibiting a trust in God. We believe that he will not condemn us. We believe what we read in the sacred text: “The Lord is my champion” (Jeremiah 20:11).

So notice the subtle deceptions of the enemy in your life. Then roll The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly song, squint your eyes, blast away the enemy, and pray joyfully to God.

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A reminder our Teen Mass is this Sunday, June 25th at 5pm in the Holy Family Chapel. All rising freshmen in high school through rising freshmen in college are welcome. We’ll serve pizza from Holt’s afterwards. Parents, please forward the information to your teenager!

All are invited to the Scripture Seminar this Wednesday, June 28th at 9am in the Holy Family Chapel. We’ll have coffee, donuts, and an in-depth dive into the sacred text. Feel free to stay as long as you can, and it’s okay if you’ve missed previous weeks (or will miss future weeks). The sessions are not dependent on each other.

We’ve been blessed to have newly ordained Father Kevin Gregus with us since his ordination last month. And unfortunately it is time to say goodbye. This is Father Kevin’s last week at the parish, as he will begin his assignment on July 1^st as associate pastor at Two Holy Martyrs Parish in Chicago (near Midway Airport). This is personally bittersweet for me, as Father Kevin was with me these five years as a seminarian. I am sad to see him go, but happy to see him off in the mission. Father Kevin, thank you for your time here at Saint Paul of the Cross. We will be praying for you and hope to see you around in the future.

I hope you all are enjoying these summer days!

Yours in Christ,