St. Clement Keeping the Faith

  On this Feast of St. Francis, the great peacemaker, I want to share with a good conversation I had with a parishioner after Mass last Sunday.   She asked, “Why was the book White Fragility chosen?”   She was concerned because it seemed so angry and seeking revenge.   Here is what I shared.   The book was chosen because a group of parishioners heard about the book and were curious, me included.   We decided we would meet regularly and invite others to join.   The book is challenging to read.   It uses difficult and uncomfortable language.   It uses a language that does not easily invite others to share in the conversation and is uncomfortable.   This is what I learned.   We all have a bias.   Our bias is based upon our experience:   our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who formed us, where we lived, went to school, our healthcare and even our grocery stores.   We cannot change our experience.   It does i...

  September 13, 2020 Sunday Scriptures Forgiveness Has Power The Psalm is Sunday tells us, “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in  compassion.”   Jesus, in the Gospel tells Peter that he must forgive his brother not 7 but 77 times. There is certainly a message to forgive and forgive often if you want to behave as God behaves. There is power in forgiveness.   Have you ever held on to a hurt for years? I have. When I finally went to that person, I was the one who apologized for not being forthcoming and robbing us of several years of friendship. I gained forgiveness in return. I gained a supportive and loving friend. I was embarrassed to admit that I held on to my hurt so long, but by embracing humility I experienced joy.   There is a great need for humility and forgiveness today. There is so much that divides us...race, sex, politics, religion, how we deal with COVID and more. Let us embrace the power of kindness, mercy, and compassi...

  Live the Gospel of Generosity Sunday Readings September 20, 2020 The Gospel is full of generosity. Today’s parable about the owner of the vineyard paying all workers the daily wage, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and many more.   Something consistent about generosity is that it is “other” oriented.   In today’s Gospel, for the workers to appreciate God’s generosity, they have to look at how he has met the needs of the workers, especially those who started late in the day.   God gave to them what they needed.   His care was not based on the work they put in, but on their willingness to work.   This is gospel generosity.   This is gospel justice.   My challenge as a human being to be “other centered” rather than “me centered”.   I have to go beyond my natural instincts to do what I see as fair.   Parents do this with their kids.   Some kids need more structure and care t...

  Jesus is with Us Confrontation is challenging.   I do not enjoy confronting another person.   This especially true if I do not trust their support and care for me.   Yet, my experience tells me that confrontation done with love and concern and building relationships is in fact good.   I pray that through Jesus in my heart and the wisdom of the scriptures I may take up the challenge to engage in necessary confrontation to build up needed relationships in my faith community as well as my family.   Please pray for me and I will pray for you.   Jesús está con nosotros La confrontación es un reto.   No disfruto confrontar a otra persona.   Esto es especialmente cierto si no confío en su apoyo y cuidado por mí.   Sin embargo, mi experiencia me dice que la confrontación hecha con amor y preocupación y la construcción de relaciones es de hecho buena.   Ruego que por medio de Jesús en mi corazón y la sabiduría de las Escrituras aso...

  Mourning and Celebrating Life This past week Deacon John and I celebrated the death and life of Hugo Jhovanny Ahumada.   He was born with a rare blood disorder and died at age 16. I can only imagine the pain of loosing your child.   Children are supposed to outlive their parents.   We are filled with hopes and dreams for our children.   I wanted to share with you the beautiful traditions for mourning and celebrating life that I witnessed.             At the funeral home the night before celebrating the funeral Mass, family were gathered all dressed in black.   They were all seated.   All was very still and there was a deep silence.   Hugo Jhovanny was dressed in the clothing of his favorite saint.   He wore a white satin like garment trimmed in gold with a large crucifix on his chest. Everyone is still as the words of prayer for a funeral were prayed.     ...

  Jesus is Fulfilled in Relationship (Matthew 16:13-20), Why is the question posed to the disciples, But who do you say that I am, so important?   To know Jesus is to be in relationship with Jesus.   In last week’s Gospel, the Canaanite Woman’s daughter was healed due to the mother’s faith.   It was her relationship with Jesus, new yet strong that made the difference.   It is our relationship with Jesus that will make the difference in our lives.   Who is Jesus?   Do you have hope in his ability to save?   Heal?   Renew?   How often do you talk with him?   Do you do all the talking (praying)?   Do you take time to listen?   Does your relationship with Jesus make all the difference in your daily life?   We need our relationship with Jesus to be strong right now if the midst of COVID, civil unrest, unemployment or under employment, death, and to have hope as the media tries to inspire fear.   Jesús se cumple ...

Belonging Th is Sunday’s reading is challenging (Mt. 15:21-28).  We might wonder why Jesus departed from his usual ready welcome and acceptance.  Maybe he was checking to see if Canaanite woman was serious.  But she did use some key phrases indicating she had experienced some level of conversion in believin g in Jesus.  She called him “Lord, Son of David .”  As a Canaanite woman, she would have not known him as the “Son of  David”.   As an unbeliever, she would not have called him “Lord.”  Maybe Jesus was testing her level of believe.  I imagine that Jesus must have given a hearty laugh to her quick  wit when she rep lied, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”   He rewarded her tenacity by quickly healing her daughter.   Who do I welcome?   Who do I truly listen to?   How do I respond to the hunger for welcome, belonging, and curiosities about faith when...