1) The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: As we celebrate this awesome Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, I couldn't help but recall the short film Spirit Juice Studios created in cooperation with the Veil Removed Project. The short film shows the world what they would see during every Mass if the "veil was removed." "The film reveals the coming together of heaven and earth at Mass, as witnessed by saints and mystics in visions, and revealed by scripture and in the catechism of the Catholic Church. Visual effects played a huge role in this piece, making it the biggest production to date for Spirit Juice, totaling over 50 crew members and 50 cast members. The film has impacted thousands and has been screened all over the world (https://www.spiritjuicestudios.com/portfolio/the-veil-removed/)."

You may have already received a mailing from the Archdiocese of Detroit. If you did so, please make a contribution to the CSA as indicated in that mailing. You can also easily give by visiting: csa.stjoan.church or by clicking on the button below.

Taxpayer dollars should NOT pay for abortion. 

8) Giving to SJA: I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA during this pandemic. Your support means so much. The increase in electronic giving has been tremendous. Giving electronically, whether on a one-time or recurring basis is pretty simple. For more information on online giving, please click on the following button.

Complicating a Simple Project: I’m such a novice Do It Yourself-er (DIYer)! As I type this, I couldn’t help but think that it would be quite a documentary if I had videos of all of my failed projects!

CSA 2021: FUEL the MISSION: This weekend marks the beginning of the annual Catholic Services Appeal for our parish. This year’s CSA theme is FUEL THE MISSION. Your contribution to the annual CSA helps “Fuel the Mission” of the Archdiocese of Detroit as it responds to the needs of our six counties in southeast Michigan.

I hope you take the time to consider prayerfully what you can give to this year’s CSA. While one-time gifts are rather popular, I encourage you to consider a ten-month pledge to the CSA. Speaking from my own experience, I can give a much larger gift to the CSA by pledging over ten months. Our goal this year is $217,002. As of today, we have raised $41,175 from 196 donors.

To make a gift to the CSA, please complete the form found at the bottom of your CSA letter and return it along with your initial pledge payment (made out to the Archdiocese of Detroit - CSA) to the Parish Center or mail it as noted in your CSA letter. You can also give your gift online by going to http://sja.aodcsa.org/.

Finding direction: I don’t know if I consider this progress or not, but I was on my way back from Clinton Twp. on Friday last week. It was that day that was raining most of the day, the day Michigan reminded us that it was still May and we returned from the 90 degrees of the start of the week to 46 by Friday. I was headed back to the parish on I-94 and my Jeep GPS started telling me to take the exit onto 10 Mile Rd. “Well, that’s silly!” I thought. “I don’t live on 10 Mile.” Now, I’m very used to Bobbi Jo Jr. (all my vehicles have names) sending me by different routes for no apparent reason. I’ve never been to Resurrection Cemetery by the same route as I’ve returned. They say all roads lead to Rome. I’m not sure all roads lead to Resurrection Cemetery, but most seem to. Anyway, that’s a tangent, I wasn’t on my way back to the Cemetery, but still, I was not surprised that my GPS was throwing me a curveball. I decided to ignore the suggestion. But then there were brake-lights ahead and the traffic began to slow…. Then crawl. Then I realized as far ahead as I could see were brake-lights. It was 2:15pm and I didn’t really intend to spend the next hour sitting on the freeway. So, okay, I’ll move over one lane and see what happens. Then another lane, as the exit approached. But traffic was all backed-up to the exit. I hadn't decided to take the exit yet but I was trying to keep all options open. Bobbi-Jo didn’t know this. She always assumes I’m listening to her advice, until it becomes obvious that I have stubbornly disregarded her ideas. That wasn't obvious yet, so she was still suggesting the 10 Mile exit, and I moved over one more lane. I was beginning to think maybe she’d seen this whole traffic jam ahead of time and was actually trying to help me for once instead of her normal attempts to trick me for her own amusement.

On one occasion I asked Bobbi-Jo to stop navigating, since I knew my way. Her response was, “We don’t appear to be navigating anywhere. If you’d like directions to ‘Anywhere,’ say, “Give me directions to ‘Anywhere.’” This was nonsensical, but I thought I’d play along with her game and see what would happen. So I said, “Siri, give me directions to ‘Anywhere.’” I think I called her bluff on that one and she got confused. So did I, so I gave up on that project. Anyway, I digress into another tangent.

I’ve told the story of my conversion in this article previously, but it was the Eucharist that was the biggest stumbling block for me. How could what looked like bread and wine be Jesus’ Body and Blood? How could it be? Because I had no answer, I assumed the question was a moot point. Why try to understand something that I believed I already understood… and that I understood differently to the Church. Ultimately, despite learning over time what the Church taught, the “how it’s possible” part was always missing, but that was still the part I thought I needed to have before I could assent to believing it. I was wrong - on two counts. First, I was wrong about the Eucharist. It is the actual Body and Blood of Jesus, sacramentally present under the form, under the “accidents,” the appearance of ordinary man-made bread and wine. But secondly, I didn’t need to understand how that happens. And not understanding, but still believing is not blind faith. My moment of conversion, before the Eucharist, at Mass one day, spoke deeply to me on the level of the heart. It was a voice telling me that there was much more there than I realized and that although I needed to go and learn more, the power and mercy present in the Eucharist was already tangible and something I could sense, even without the answers to my questions.

It comes down to some very human traits. I can be stubborn. I can be prideful. I can be rational-minded. But what is irrational is to think that a stubborn and prideful human being could have all the ways of God worked-out. What is truly rational is to place your faith in the God who gives us all He has and will never stop using His people to reach those who do not believe. As the letter to the Hebrews says, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”

That moment of genuflecting behind the altar at the consecration at mass is such a powerful moment for me. It’s a moment of professing to God that I know that I didn’t do what has just happened on that altar. That consecration of the gifts of bread and wine in to the Eucharistic Body and Blood of Jesus was the work of God. I recognize in that moment that I didn’t get there by following my own directions. It was only by listening to the directions of God that I found my way home. May we never receive the Eucharist casually, without pondering the precious gift we have among and within us.

adawson@sjascs.org 

 © 2021, Words on the Word 

12:00 PM - Funeral for Stanley Wegrzynowicz (Read Obituary HERE)

10:00 AM - Memorial Mass for Stella Milewski (Read Obituary HERE)

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