What is the key to wisdom, fulfillment, and happiness?

debbie linbrunner • August 25, 2021

From pastor’s desk on the 22 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time , year B

 

What is the key to wisdom, fulfillment, and happiness? Certainly, the world will provide all sorts of answers: education, the place you live in, money, power, popularity, good and meaningful relationships, etc.. Unfortunately, as we know from experience and observe the world, it does not work that way. For even if someone has all these things, he still can be miserable. How many famous and rich people are depressed and cannot find fulfillment in their lives?! If the human heart is empty, that is, devoid of God’s grace, nothing can satisfy it. On the contrary, the more goods one try to acquire, the more he or she will be irritated by those things, including by “good” relationships. Only in God the human heart must find solace and fulfillment.

 

The first reading of this Sunday provides a guideline to happiness and prosperity. However, it is different from what usually people seek in this world. God spoke through Moses to the Chosen People:

 

Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. (Deuteronomy 4:1)

 

One may say, “we are not Jews,” so these words are not addressed to us. Although those words indeed originally were addressed to the Israelites, St. Paul, a converted Jew, immediately interpreted them while saying that the Church of Christ is the New Israel. Thus, all who belong to Jesus Christ now become a new chosen nation. In light of this interpretation, that same Scripture passage still speaks to us, for we too are “ a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own ” in Jesus Christ ( cf. 1 Peter:2:9).

 

Regarding God’s promise of the land, we are not looking anymore for a specific geographic location like the Jews did. We do not search for another Promised Land , for we believe that the promised land is the life in God through Jesus. It is our faith that will lead us to that inner spiritual realm, in which we will experience blessedness, that is, true fulfillment and happiness. The road to that “land” begins with the careful observance of the Commandments, which encapsulate the love of God and the love of our neighbor. There is no way around God’s Commandments. This truth is many expressed times in the Sacred Scripture and emphasized by the teaching of the Church. Also many historical events can confirm its validity – only if it had opened our eyes to see it.

 

For that reason, God spoke first through Moses, and then through our Lord Jesus—the New Moses—the message of salvation. To understand it better let us read two fragments of the Sacred Scripture together. One from Deuteronomy (this Sunday’s first reading), another from the Gospel of John:

 

Observe them [the Commandments] carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’ (Deuteronomy 4:6).

 

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

(John 10:9)

 

Our Blessed Lord leads us to the fulfillment of the commandments; He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” He shows us the way to careful observance of God’s precepts, which, in turn, leads to wisdom, happiness, and even prosperity. What we see in today’s world is the opposite of what God instructs us to do. The world’s state of affairs reflects poor human condition. By and large, people have turned away from God and consequently they disregard the Commandments. As a result of this, there is an escalation of immorality, violence, wars, disdain for human dignity, and widespread stupidity or folly , to use Jesus’s words from this Sunday’s gospel.

 

I pray that all of us be truly faithful to what God reveals to us through the Holy Scriptures, including the Commandments and the precepts of the Church. Please teach the Commandments your children and grandchildren that they too may achieve authentic wisdom, blessedness, and prosperity.

 

Have a blessed week. Fr. Janusz Mocarski, Pastor

 

 

 

Mensaje del pastor para la celebración de la Pascua 2025

By Anthony Aruanna • April 14, 2025
Queridos hermanos y hermanas,

Pastor’s message on Easter 2025

By Anthony Aruanna • April 14, 2025
Dear brothers and sisters,

From Pastor’s Desk on the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C

By Anthony Aruanna • March 2, 2025
“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” — Our Lord Jesus addresses this question to His disciples trying to tell them that they need to be healed of their spiritual blindness first. In this context blindness is not to believe in Christ and healing means to have faith in Jesus who is the Light of the world. In other words, when we gain our spiritual sight through faith, then we will be able to help others on the way to salvation. Without faith in Jesus we just remain living in the darkness of sin. Without Jesus we are all like blind men bouncing against the walls of reality and against each other. However, when we embrace faith in God in the person of Jesus and let our hearts be set on Christ, then He—the Son of God and Our Lord—becomes our guide. Because of that our every step will be illumined with the light of faith. While putting our faith into action in our daily life we also start bearing good fruits of an authentic and happy life.

Del Escritorio del Párroco en el Octavo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año C

By Anthony Aruanna • March 2, 2025
“ ¿Puede un ciego guiar a otro ciego? ¿No caerán ambos en un pozo? ” - Nuestro Señor Jesús dirige esta pregunta a sus discípulos tratando de decirles que primero necesitan ser curados de su ceguera espiritual. En este contexto, ceguera significa no creer en Cristo y curación significa tener fe en Jesús, que es la Luz del mundo. En otras palabras, cuando ganemos nuestra vista espiritual a través de la fe, entonces seremos capaces de ayudar a otros en el camino de la salvación. Sin fe en Jesús solo permanecemos viviendo en la oscuridad del pecado. Sin Jesús todos somos como ciegos que rebotan contra las paredes de la realidad y contra los demás. Sin embargo, cuando abrazamos la fe en Dios en la persona de Jesús y dejamos que nuestro corazón se fije en Cristo, entonces Él -el Hijo de Dios y Nuestro Señor- se convierte en nuestro guía. Por eso, cada uno de nuestros pasos estará iluminado por la luz de la fe. Al poner nuestra fe en acción en nuestra vida diaria, también empezamos a dar buenos frutos de una vida auténtica y feliz.

Del Escritorio del Párroco en el 5º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año C

By Anthony Aruanna • February 6, 2025
A menudo la gente nos pregunta a nosotros, los sacerdotes, qué hacer para profundizar en su vida espiritual. A todos se nos ocurren respuestas diferentes y, ciertamente, hay muchos caminos para una mayor vida espiritual. Hay, sin embargo, un método más probado que ha ayudado a muchos cristianos católicos a estar en la vía rápida de la santidad y a comprender mejor la vida espiritual. Es la consagración total al Corazón Inmaculado de María, o como propuso originalmente San Luis Grignon de Montfort allá por el siglo XVII, la Consagración Total a Jesús por María. Después de San Luis hubo muchos otros que siguieron sus pasos. Entre algunos de los santos más conocidos se encuentran el Papa Pío X, San Maximiliano Kolbe y San Juan Pablo II. Estos santos reconocieron que María desempeñó un papel vital en la vida de la Iglesia primitiva y que la Santísima Madre sigue desempeñando un papel importante en la Iglesia de nuestros tiempos.

From Pastor’s Desk on the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C

By Anthony Aruanna • February 6, 2025
Often people ask us, priests, what to do in order to deepen their spiritual life. We all can come up with different answers and there are certainly many ways to greater spiritual life. There is, however, a more proven method that has helped many Christian Catholics to be on the fast track to holiness and to better understanding of spiritual life. It is the total consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or as originally proposed by Saint Luis Grignon de Montfort back in the XVII century, the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. After St. Luis there were many others that followed in his footsteps. Among some of the most known saints were Pope Pius X, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. John Paul II. These saints recognized that Mary played a vital role in the life of the early Church and that the Blessed Mother still plays an important role in the Church of our times.

Del Escritorio del Párroco en el 2º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año C

By Anthony Aruanna • January 26, 2025
Estoy seguro de que todos estamos atónitos y horrorizados por los incendios forestales del sur de California que afectan ya a cientos de miles de sus habitantes. La velocidad y la ferocidad del fuego sólo demuestran lo frágiles que somos como seres humanos individuales y como humanidad en general. Muchos californianos pueden estar dudando de su fe en estos momentos; muchos se plantearán preguntas: ¿Dónde está Dios? ¿Por qué permite Dios catástrofes tan terribles? Ciertamente, muchos de nosotros nos haríamos las mismas preguntas. Si Dios está detrás o no, no lo sabemos. Sin embargo, sí sabemos que vivimos en un mundo creado que tiene su propio ritmo y ciclos que se dan en la naturaleza. Las cosas suceden con y sin interrupción humana. Algunas cosas las podemos controlar (muy poco, de hecho), y muchas otras no. Lo que sí podemos reconocer es que las catástrofes naturales son una forma de llamada a la conversión y a una mayor confianza en Dios. También es una llamada a la acción para hacer la tierra más acogedora, de modo que las personas puedan prosperar en ella.

From pastor’s desk on the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, year C

By Anthony Aruanna • January 26, 2025
I am sure that all of us are stunned and horrified by the wildfires in Southern California impacting now hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants. The speed and ferocity of fire only proves how fragile we are as individual human beings and as humanity by and large. Many Californians may be doubting his or her faith at this moment; many will pose questions: Where is God? Why does God permit such terrible disasters? Certainly, many of us would ask the same questions. Whether God is behind it or not, we do not know. However, we do know that we live in a created world that has its own rhythm and cycles that occur in nature. Things happen with and without human interruption. Some things we can control (very little, in fact), and many things we can’t. What we can recognize is that natural disasters are a form of a call to conversion and to greater trust in God. It is also a call to action to make the earth more hospitable so that people can prosper in it.

From pastor’s desk on 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year, B

By Anthony Aruanna • October 19, 2024
Last July over 50 thousand Catholics gathered in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. Obviously, the central theme of the gathering was the Eucharist. One of the key speakers at the Eucharistic Congress, Monsignor James Shea, said:

Del Escritorio del Párroco el 29 Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

By Anthony Aruanna • October 19, 2024
El pasado mes de julio, más de 50.000 católicos se reunieron en Indianápolis con ocasión del 10º Congreso Eucarístico Nacional. Obviamente, el tema central del encuentro fue la Eucaristía. Uno de los principales oradores del Congreso Eucarístico, Monseñor James Shea, dijo: