Well, we are in the season of Lent again!  And for some reason, every year the sacrifices seem to get harder, not easier. The thought might come across our minds: “do I have to sacrifice anything this year?”  It sometimes seems that we find ourselves going in circles. As we see in our yearly liturgical calendar, the weeks flow from Advent to Christmas into Ordinary Time, and from there they flow into Lent, Easter, and finally back to Ordinary Time again. We continue to see this cycle repeat each subsequent year.    

This repetitive pattern might look like we are going in circles, but what if there is something else going on. What if the Lord is using this pattern to help us enter more deeply into our relationship with Him?  One image that was given to me over 20 years ago has helped me tremendously in moving away from only going in circles. Instead, it helped me see the growth and depth that the repetition of the liturgical calendar has in our spiritual lives.  All you need to do is go to your nearby garage or wood shop; grab a wooden board, a screwdriver and screw.  When you start putting the screw into the board, it seems to simply go in circles if you looked at it solely from the top. You only need to look at it from the side to realize that the screw is not just stationary, but it is going deeper into the board!   

People may not like repetition, but it is in the repetition, the going in circles, that we can actually enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of God: his Passion, death, and Resurrection. It’s the constant sacrifices that allow us to enter into the greater joy of Christ’s Resurrection! So, if you are frustrated that it is the Lenten season again, I encourage you to look at the ways the Lord is trying to grow deeper in relationship with you. Then, I guarantee that the sacrifices won’t be so difficult!

“Brethren, Lent is already galloping past and the soul rejoices at the imminence of Easter, because by it, it finds rest and is relieved of many toils.”- St. Theodore the Studite  

Father Michael

As a kid, I loved to watch the Tobey Maguire Spiderman with my dad and my brother. Because of this, I was dismayed when they decided to reboot the series with a new actor, Andrew Garfield, and I refused to watch it. After this, it was rebooted once again with another actor, Tom Holland. I thought, “If I didn’t watch the Andrew Garfield reboot, I’m definitely not going to watch this one.” But in the most recent Spiderman movie, No Way Home, something surprising happened. (This movie came out in 2021, so I don’t feel guilty about giving spoilers). The filmmakers decided to bring back the two other Spiderman actors, and make them part of the story, as Spidermen from different universes. As a result, their stories continued and were even able to find satisfying conclusions.

At first glance, it seems like God is trying to reboot humanity in the Great Flood, having Noah replacing Adam in the starring role of the father of humanity. And if this were the case, it would seem to be a mistake. Noah ultimately has his own fall like Adam, and evil still persists in the heart of man. But God is not really trying to reboot humanity. If anything, He is showing us that this is impossible. In the First Reading, God renews the covenant with creation that He had created with Adam and promises never to allow a Great Flood to destroy humanity in the future. He invites Noah to remember Adam, giving him an opportunity to return to Adam’s goodness while also having a chance to move beyond his mistakes.

Throughout salvation history, we see many more figures arise like Noah, receiving a chance to enter into relationship with God, but to greater or lesser degrees falling short. Finally, in the Gospel, we come to Jesus, and perhaps once again, it seems like a reboot. Like Adam, Jesus is tempted by Satan, and like Adam, Jesus lives in harmony with angels and wild beasts. But unlike Adam, Jesus conquers Satan, and as He does this, He is not trying to erase the memory of Adam. Instead, He is beginning a new chapter in the story, in fact the culmination of the story. Jesus takes up everything that has come before Him, but rather than erasing it or repeating it, He fulfills it.

As we begin Lent, it might seem like it’s time for a reboot, to give up what we’ve done in the past and start again. As tempting as it might be, we shouldn’t try to start with a blank slate. Instead, we should see it as a new chapter in our story, a chapter where we begin again, while also keeping in mind all that has gone before us to help us to avoid similar sins in the future. This Lent is the latest part of our story, and with God’s help, we don’t have to reboot it, but instead write the most interesting chapter so far.

Father Frank

This weekend, we continue reflecting on the Gospel according to Mark. We reflect upon Jesus miraculously healing a leper and then instructing him to tell only the priests. The leper, in turn, disobeys Jesus and publicizes his healing to the crowds.

The Church invites us to reflect on this Gospel passage in light of the first and second readings. The first reading gives us context for understanding leprosy. Isolating those with leprosy was good for the public health of the community, but in the time of Jesus being afflicted with leprosy was also a spiritual matter. If you were afflicted with leprosy, you could not go to worship. Thus, being afflicted with leprosy meant a disruption in your relationship with God. Leprosy then, is a powerful image of sin. It gradually takes hold of a person, and even those around them become affected after prolonged exposure.

The second reading continues with the idea that our actions have outward effects. It is important to not only consider the good our actions do for us, but also how they can impact others. Effectively, this means there are certain actions we should avoid doing, not because they are bad, but because they may be a source of scandal for others growing in their faith. For example, living a life of extreme luxury without any sense of simplicity or solidarity with the poor can lead to scandal. Others may have a misunderstanding of virtue or be confused on how to live as a Catholic.

It can become easy to feel distant from the sufferings of the poor. That distance can be so great that we fail to recognize that the poor can sometimes be us! The poor can have Christ in their hearts and authentically live from that place of deep freedom, while we can live in a disposition of scarcity despite being blessed abundantly by the Lord. Mother Teresa acknowledged this by saying “The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

This weekend is also significant because Bishop Hicks is coming to dedicate our new Adoration Chapel. My invitation is for us to recognize that perhaps we don’t have leprosy in the physical sense. However, in the spiritual sense, we need his healing touch. Christ in the Eucharist is going to be in our Adoration Chapel. If you desire him and go to pour out your heart, Christ can heal and change you- even in one weekend! Christ is willing to meet us in our poverty, and he has been waiting for us our entire lives. This applies to those who rarely frequent adoration, as well as those like myself who go every day. I will leave you to reflect on this theme in general: Have you have been living from a place of scarcity with the Lord? And if so, what is he inviting you to do about it?

Jonathan Hernandez

I’m pretty good at throwing parties, in particular, pity parties.  When I was 25 years old, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  As I look back, I know that the Lord uses all things for His glory because my diagnosis led to my priestly discernment.  But, for selfish reasons, it added to my pity party; I was now a proud owner of “the cancer card”! I remember one time when my sister and I were discussing with my mom where we should all go to dinner.  My sister and I had different ideas of which restaurant to go to, but ultimately, I won in the end. Why? Because I had cancer! 

I bring this up because in our first reading, Job is throwing his own pity party.  “Job spoke, saying: ‘Is not man’s life on earth is a drudgery?’” (Job 7:1) Now, I don’t think it’s just Job or myself that tend to feel this way sometimes. Why? Well, when we are going through our crosses and trials, or when we are hurting, we typically feel isolated and alone. We may feel like no one can grasp or comprehend what we are actually going through. 

However, what our faith makes clear is that we are never alone, and the Lord knows exactly what we are going through.  In our Gospel reading today, the Lord seeks out Peter’s Mother-in-Law who is sick.  Not only does the Lord seek us out, but we are also able to approach him and call out in our need.  Later in Job’s story, he will cry out to the Lord and the Lord will hear his cry. In the Gospel, many people come to Lord seeking healing as the sun sets. 

May I invite us, especially with the crosses we bear, to seek out the Lord in prayer instead of throwing a pity party and feeling isolated.  Next Sunday, February 11^th, after the Noon Mass Bishop Ronald Hicks will dedicate our new Adoration Chapel.  My hope is that this sacred space may become a place where many can come and bring their crosses before the Lord, knowing that they are never alone, and that the Lord is with them!

Father Michael

Hi! For those who have not had the chance to meet me yet, my name is Jonathan. I am a seminarian who has been serving the parish on the weekends while also commuting an hour to Mundelein Seminary on weekdays for my studies. I am thankful to get the opportunity to write this week’s bulletin. Furthermore, I am very happy to announce that my full time internship at the parish begins today! I look forward to serving the parish to a fuller extent. Feel free to approach me and invite me to help you in your parish ministry!

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark describes Jesus entering the local synagogue and preaching with authority. The response of the people was that of astonishment because this man did not speak as the scribes. He did not support his words by referencing those before him, but spoke with the same authority as the prophets! To emphasize the authority that he possessed, Jesus drives out an unclean spirit from a man.

My attention was drawn to the action of Jesus driving out an unclean spirit, especially in the context of a synagogue. Often, when I teach children or teens preparing to receive the sacraments about the inside of a church, I speak about the sacredness of the space. Christ is truly present in a different way than if you were simply praying in your home. One way we remind ourselves of this reality is through the actions we do with our bodies in that space. We genuflect, make the sign of the cross, and try to respect the sacredness of the space by keeping silent. Thus, the action of Jesus driving out an unclean spirit in what is a sacred space can evoke astonishment!

I would be surprised to hear if many people have had personal experiences of unclean spirits being cast out in church. It is simply not something often experienced, heard about, or reflected upon. However, as today’s Gospel brings up, there is the reality that evil can still enter sacred spaces such as our church. What I invite you to consider is that this evil often enters through us. As humans, we aren’t perfect, we sin, and this sin over time makes us blind to our own wrongdoings. We may even become inflexible when our faults are pointed out by others. I bring this up not because I desire to see more scrupulosity. No, instead, I desire to see more people set free in the sacrament of confession. You might not have an unclean spirit, but we all are carrying some weight of sin in our hearts. I think today’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus desires to cast out all those things that keep us away from him.

 With that desire to grow closer to the Lord, I then remind you as well that Ash Wednesday is in a little more than two weeks. I invite you during this time to prepare yourself, and ask in prayer how the Lord is inviting you to grow in your relationship with him. Don’t seek to simply mortify the body because you want a physical result. Instead, seek to turn away from sin, and grow in your relationship with God.

Jonathan Hernandez

For our comprehensive exam in seminary, we were given a pastoral scenario, and we were asked to write a homily responding to it. After we had submitted the homilies, we decided to see what the artificial intelligence bot, ChatGPT, would come up with. The homily it generated started pretty well: “In this reading, Jesus calls us to love God and to love our neighbor.” But things went downhill pretty quickly. “And you, as sinners, are in direct violation of the Church’s teachings.” The AI-generated homily might have been correct in essentials, but it lacked any sense of hope in God’s mercy.

In the First Reading, we hear about Jonah’s preaching mission to the people of Nineveh. After he runs from God’s command to preach repentance, is swallowed, and spit up by a great fish, he preaches a hopeless sermon: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” But astonishingly, this pagan city repents before Jonah can even finish preaching, and God shows them mercy.

In the Gospel, Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be fishers of men. Biblical scholar John Bergsma says that this is a fulfillment of a prophecy of Jeremiah: “I will send many fishermen to catch them. After that, I will send many hunters to hunt them out from every mountain and hill and rocky crevice” (Jer 16:16). The context of the original prophecy is judgment on Israel’s idolatry. But in Jesus’ fulfillment, something surprising happens. Rather than condemning sinners, the fishermen are sent to preach repentance.

So what changes an oracle of judgment into an oracle of mercy? It is our response. We don’t change God, but He sends His messengers to preach repentance in order to change us. In both readings, we see people responding to the calls to repentance almost instantly. What moves them to respond in this way?

It is the virtue of hope. Hope looks to the future good of our eternal happiness and believes it is possible. This hope is what leads the Ninevites and the apostles to believe that God wants to show them mercy and wants a relationship with them. But how can we live the same hope in our lives?

We often think of hope as wishful thinking. But Pope Benedict XVI tells us that hope comes from the objective fact that God has come into our lives, making that future hope take root in our present. We have probably already accepted God into our lives. But this can always grow deeper so that we can truly believe that if we also turn to God in repentance of our sins, He will change us.

Unlike the AI-generated homily of my classmates, today’s readings call us to new hope in God’s mercy, not only that God wants to forgive us, but that He is longing to forgive us when we repent of our sins. It might seem impossible, but if we open our hearts to God in repentance, then He will help us the rest of the way.

Father Frank

When I was in college, I remember going to a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) conference with over 400 college students. I was then introduced to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which was ongoing throughout the conference. The room was silent, and people were kneeling and praying with Jesus. I went in, sat there for 5 minutes, but then I had to leave. It was mainly because I was drawn to all the interactions happening outside of the quiet room, and I was completely unaware of the invitation from the Lord to remain with him. Little did I know that even though I couldn’t spend more than 5 minutes that day in silence, the Lord would continue to draw me to him in silent Adoration throughout my own life.     

As I became a FOCUS missionary and served 6 years on 3 different campuses, I learned how to, and was encouraged to pray in silent Adoration. Each missionary was required to pray a Holy Hour every day, and was also encouraged to recite a daily rosary, read and study the Bible (as you would lead Scripture Studies), seek out spiritual direction, and frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Perhaps you can see why I stress those things now as a priest, because they changed my life!  

Our first reading today is beautiful and almost dumbfounding at the same time when you consider Samuel’s story. Samuel’s mother, Hannah was barren. She prayed profusely to have a child. The Lord heard her prayer, and Eli the priest revealed to Hannah that she would have a child despite her circumstances. Samuel was born, and when the child was old enough, Hannah gave her son back to the Lord by leaving Samuel under the guidance of Eli at the Temple. 

Samuel is being trained in the temple to be a priest like Eli. One night while sleeping, he hears a voice, and mistakes it as Eli’s. Yet, the voice was the Lord’s. Why is this dumbfounding? If anyone in the world would be able to distinguish the Lord’s voice, you would hope it would be the one in the Temple training to be a priest?! And yet, perhaps Samuel himself needed more time in silence to know and hear the Lord better.  

As I reflect on my time as a FOCUS missionary, I am grateful for the gift I received through their amazing missionary program. It was through this mission that I learned to pray and hear the voice of the Lord.  This allowed me to ultimately respond to the Lord’s calling to become a priest, and I owe my vocation to FOCUS.     

If I can encourage two things it would be to first, please support this missionary program either nationally, or by supporting our own FOCUS missionary from the parish – Lucero Manzanares at https://focus.org/missionaries/lucero-manzanares/ Secondly, like myself, I had to learn how to hear the word of the Lord through silent Adoration and prayer. May I encourage you to consider signing up for an Adoration hour once a week in our new chapel starting Feb 11^th? You can sign up for an hour with a friend or family, so that you can either alternate or pray together:  https://bit.ly/adoreJesusatOLM

Father Michael  

My name is Christopher Otieno, my friends call me ‘Topher’, and so you can call me Topher too. I was born in Busia County, Western part of Kenya. I am the third-born in family of four. Our parents, Rasmos and Lilian, brought us up in a God-fearing way in the Catholic faith. My hobbies include: playing soccer, traveling, listening to music, movie watching, reading, gardening, taking nature walks, running, bicycling, eating out (I like beef), volunteer work and socializing.

I completed my elementary school in 2005 and joined St. Peter’s Minor Seminary for my High School education, where I graduated in 2009. While in Elementary School I felt the urge to become a priest. I became a Mass Server in our parish, Mary Immaculate, Kisoko in the Diocese of Bungoma, Kenya. Getting a chance to study in the minor seminary under the tutelage of priests, the urge to become a priest grew even stronger. I joined the Consolata Missionaries in 2011 since I felt the call to serve God as a Missionary Priest. I did my B.A in Philosophy at Consolata Institute of Philosophy, Nairobi – Kenya, and graduated with a Summa Cum Laude (First Class Honours) in 2015. Thereafter, I joined Tangaza University in Nairobi, Kenya, where I studied B.A in Theology and graduated in 2020 with a Magna Cum Laude – Second Class Upper-Division Honours.

In July 2020, I discerned out of formation with Consolata Missionaries but continued with my vocational discernment. Providentially, I met Fr. Clive, a Kenyan Priest working in the Diocese of Joliet, who introduced me to the Director of Vocations, Fr. Steven Borello. I have been in touch with Fr. Steven since February 2021.

While I was discerning to join the Diocese of Joliet, I took up two jobs. I worked as a Debt Collection Agent between January 2021 and October 2022 for Prestopap Technologies Company Limited. Then between October 2022 and December 2023 I worked for Call Center International (CCI) – Kenya, which is a company that offers outsourcing Customer Service, I was privileged to work as a Customer Service Representative for Shutterfly, Inc. I had a chance to offer service to a number of American customers.

I was accepted as a seminarian of the Diocese of Joliet in June 2023 and here we are! I thank God for this blessed opportunity and I believe it is His Providence that we are going to meet. I look forward to having a great experience with the parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Aurora, IL, USA.

AMDG (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam – For the greater glory of God)

Chris Otieno

Because my dad’s name is Joseph and my mom’s name is Maria, they would always joke that we were the “holy family.” This joke developed over time. Because Jesus is God and Mary is without sin, if there were any problems, she would joke that it was St. Joseph’s fault. In the same way, since my dad is a permanent deacon and I am a priest, if there were any problems, it was her fault. Of course, she was joking, but as we see in the Gospel, the suffering that affects the Holy Family is not all caused by St. Joseph.

Very often, we are tempted to see the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as distant from us. If they are so holy, how can they possibly relate to the problems that take place in our family? But this attitude is the exact opposite of the purpose of the Holy Family.

The Word became flesh and dwelt in a human family, not in order to distance Himself, but to draw closer to us. During the thirty years of His hidden life, Jesus chose to live as part of a family in order to show us how important the family is, and in order to make it holy.

But the fact that the life of this family was holy doesn’t mean that they got a free pass from everyday human life or even from suffering. At what should have been a joyful celebration of the birth of her son, Mary hears these words that no mother wants to hear, first, that her son will be a sign of contradiction, and second, that a sword will pierce her soul.

So why does the Holy Family still experience suffering? They do it for us. In all our sufferings, we can turn to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, knowing that they know what it’s like. They are the Holy Family not in spite of their family life, but because of it.

At this time of year, we often experience both the joys and the sufferings of family life. And maybe we feel that because our families aren’t perfect, because there are family members who have strayed from the faith, family members who like to fight, family members who won’t speak to us, that this disqualifies us from being a holy family. But far from being obstacles to this, they can be opportunities for us to become holy families.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph experienced the sufferings of family life, so we can turn to them for help and companionship. They did this for the sanctification of the family and the world, so when we unite our sufferings to Christ’s, it can make us—and the world—holy. We shouldn’t worry about being the “St. Joseph” of the family, but should instead strive to be like him in always being attentive to God’s plan for his family even though he isn’t perfect.

Father Frank

Every year, my family tries to guess when the local radio station would begin playing Christmas music. This music forms the background of our festive activities from decorating the Christmas tree to baking cookies. For the last couple years, the song “Last Christmas” by Wham! has been particularly popular, being covered by so many different singers that it feels like every other song is some iteration of “Last Christmas.” Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a catchy song, but to hear it that often tends to wear out its novelty.

The Psalm for Christmas Day proclaims, “Sing to the LORD a new song!” We are called to sing a new song because God is doing something completely new in history in the Christmas story.

For many of us, the story of Christmas is nothing new. We have our traditions such as our favorite Mass time to attend and our usual family gathering. And so when we hear the Christmas Gospel, it feels as old and comfortable as Linus proclaiming this same Gospel in the Peanuts Christmas special. But as we settle into what is old and comfortable and familiar about Christmas, we run the risk of missing what is new and unsettling and strange about Christmas.

Perhaps what is most strange about this Gospel is what is most familiar to us today: “You will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” God has become a baby in order to save the world, and He is currently lying in a feeding trough. When we think about the literal meaning of those words, they become almost ridiculous. But this strangeness isn’t just strangeness for its own sake. It points to the newness of what God is doing, perhaps the only truly new thing in history: God has become man in Jesus Christ in order to save us from our sins.

We cannot afford to let Christmas become something familiar and boring. Otherwise, it will have no effect on our lives. We instead need to receive this news like the shepherds, who are first “struck with great fear,” but after they go to see the baby in the manger, they return “glorifying and praising God.”

We are also called to encounter the baby Jesus this Christmas, and to allow His newness to make us new, so that we don’t go back to our old way of life. This new way of life might seem as strange and unsettling as the Christmas story, but as the shepherds and the saints throughout the ages show us, it is also a way of life filled with joy. When we have allowed this joy to fill our hearts, then we will want to sing a new song with the angels at the birth of Christ, even if the song we choose to sing is “Last Christmas.”

On behalf of Fr. Michael and all the staff at Our Lady of Mercy, we would like to wish you a blessed Christmas season!

Father Frank