It should surprise no one that within our parish there are a variety of opinions on a number of topics. Some are happy with the color of the new carpet, while others are disappointed that we didn't replace the red carpet with red carpet. Some like the fact that we change the time of the Saturday evening Mass to 4:00 p.m. during the winter months while some would like us to keep the Mass at the same time all year long. Some have expressed the opinion that the sanctuary area of our adoration chapel is "too cluttered" while others feel that the sacramentals that are on the wall and on the floor are a blessing and a complement to the main focus in the sanctuary which of course is Jesus Christ, body and blood, soul and divinity in the monstrance.

Recently I received feedback from a number of people who share that last opinion and describe the blessings that come to them during their prayer and reflection time in the chapel. One person (Al) said the images (of Mary, Joseph) are a reminder of all that we can aspire to be as human beings as we adore and pray to Jesus. The image of St. Joseph reminds him of what he needs to be as a husband and father. Another person (Gerald) said the statues remind him of the nearness the saints are to Jesus. I would add that the saints (especially Mary & Joseph), call us through their example to strive to be near Jesus in our daily lives. A third person (Rick), who chooses to sit toward the back of the chapel, said looking up there at Mary and Joseph behind and above Jesus speaks to him of the Holy Family and the days and years in which Mary and Joseph watched over Jesus and cared for him as loving parents are called to do for their children. Some expressed disappointment when going into more "modern" Catholic Churches and either not seeing images or statues of Mary and Joseph at all or seeing them in remote areas of the church. I am happy to receive such thoughtful reflections and agree that such images which adorned those walls long before many of us moved into this parish need to stay where they are. The Church does tell us, however, that we should not have duplicate sacramentals in the same holy space, even the crucifix itself. That is the reason the altar servers place the processional crucifix off to the side (outside of the sanctuary) during Mass, I have therefore decided to remove the statue of Our Lady of Fatima from the sanctuary area of our chapel and replace it with the small statue we have (which was donated by the family of deceased parishioner JoAnn DeJanovich) of St. Michael the Archangel and hope those who spend time in the chapel will take time to ask for his intercession against the "the wickedness and snares of the devil" which are many and which lead us away from the Lord and His love and peace.

I didn't realize after announcing that my pastor's column this week would be on the interview of Pope Francis by Norah O'Donnell of CBS News both on "Sixty Minutes" and an hour-long program a week ago, how challenging it would be to do it. There's much that could be said about various aspects of the interview in addition to what was asked, and how the pope responded. I'm just guessing that the pope and/or his aides had little if any input as to what subjects would be brought up and perhaps not a "heads-up" on the questions themselves. It was the agenda of the executives of CBS that might have dictated the topics and questions as it seemed to me to be slanted in a certain way. I'm thinking particularly about the topics of migration and climate control. I thought the pope's responses were not specific about a certain country, and brought out the right of people to migrate, especially in situations of violence and poverty and the call of the Gospel to welcome migrants in a Christ-like way. Of course, there are the rights of countries for a variety of reasons to have conditions and even limits on immigration which have been acknowledged by our American bishops, which the pope either didn't comment on OR the CBS executives did not include it for the viewers to see. This, again, can make any interview slanted and potentially biased when not sharing everything that was said by the one being interviewed. On climate control, the pope admitted that we are past the point of no return as far as man-made actions that have affected and are affecting such things as the warming of the planet's temperatures. The pope did not hold back in saying that it is foolish to not acknowledge the reality of the situation and its negative and long-term bad effects on our planet. To say it is the highly industrialized countries that are practically doing the most damage to the atmosphere and climate is speaking a truth that many (especially some who live in such countries) do not want to acknowledge or even hear. I applaud the pope's responses to some of the questions he was asked as he used the platform to speak on something much broader than was asked, including the issue of the abuse of children. While reiterating the Church's no-tolerance approach to credible instances of clergy abuse (including the full force of the law and Church law which leads to a priest being defrocked as a priest), he also spoke of the terrible scourge in our society in general where abuse is happening within families and by other people in positions of authority and trust like teachers and coaches who are harming our children. Pope Francis holding the first International Day of Children at the Vatican brought out the importance of children in our society which means not only protecting them from harm, but also respecting what they (and the elderly) have to offer to us! More on the Pope's interview in next week's column.

Last weekend, when the Church celebrated Pentecost, I said how challenging I found it in my preparations to preach, since we had a total of 10 scripture passages to choose from for proclamation at Mass (including 8 for the Vigil Mass)! It reminded me how much the bible shares about the Holy Spirit explicitly and implicitly for our reflection which, among other things, can lead us to a deeper union with God through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. There was also the "Pentecost Sequence" that was sung by the congregation at the Masses of Pentecost which tells us even more about the Holy Spirit, including the fact that the Holy Spirit wants to be our friend, our guide, our helper and our comfort whenever we need comfort. The Holy Spirit is God's light that brightens our day whether we are praying, working, playing or resting. The Holy Spirit heals sins wounds (especially in and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation) and gives us the grace that enables us to do good in the name of Jesus Christ. We need the Holy Spirit's presence and power (especially in our times when there is so much division in society AND in the Church) to unite minds and hearts in ways that are good, holy and helpful to as many as possible. The gifts of the Spirit, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord lead us to incorporate God's Way and Will in our lives and blesses us and others whenever we use these gifts. Those who consciously ask for and call on the Holy Spirit will, according to St. Paul (Gal 5:16-25), experience in the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Whenever people tell me they struggle to be patient in more situations than not, my first response will hopefully always be to encourage them to ask for more of the graces that flow from the Holy Spirit including humility and compassion that will make every encounter better than it would otherwise be.

I wonder how many people would answer yes if I asked them if they pray daily to the Holy Spirit for themselves and others. I hope, after reading some or all I have said in this pastor's column (and pondering it), you will be inclined to pray daily the "O Breathe On Me, Oh Breath Of God" that was in last week's bulletin and/or memorize and pray the entire prayer to the Holy Spirit or at least the first part which says "Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love"!