Imago Trinitatis

St. Rose of Lima, from catholicsaints.info Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082519.cfm   Discipline – that magical and fearful word.   What comes to mind when you first hear that word?   Chances are it’s something a bit harsh, whether you’re the one giving or receiving it.   Maybe there’s memories you have from childhood of particular ways of discipline that your parents would give you when you did something wrong.   Maybe you think of things from school or your workplace – what happens when you either do something intentionally or even just make a mistake.   Or maybe we think of grunt-work, that we need to put in a lot of effort to grow.   At school this week, I heard a boy telling his angry dad, “I didn’t know there was another side to the homework!”   Sometimes it’s those simple mistakes that still require some sort of discipline, to help us be more careful. If these are our memories of “discipline,” why is it tha...

"As a mother comforts her child" - by Il Sassoferrato, fineartamerica.com Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/070719.cfm What do I take comfort in?   Comfort is an important theme in our first reading from Isaiah, which prompts us to reflect: where do we find our comfort?   Here are some things I take comfort in: I find comfort in spending time with friends and families, especially when there’s good food involved.   I’m consoled by music, whether it’s listening to it or playing guitar and drums.   I enjoy playing strategic board games; whether I win or lose, it’s a fun way to focus and go on cool adventures.   I take comfort in enjoying the outdoors, especially while playing golf or disc golf.   All of these things are really good and comfortable things, and I’m glad to enjoy them. However, I also recognize areas in my life where maybe I take too much comfort.   I know that I’m often distracted by these things I mentioned and ...

Priests and Seminarians gathered for my First Mass at St. Anthony's Church (Audio at the end of this post) Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/060219-7thday.cfm  A couple of months ago, I was talking with my parents over the phone, and my mom suddenly became very excited.   The new missalettes had just come out in Church, and she happened to wonder, “What will the readings be for my son’s first Mass?”   When she saw, she was astounded: the Gospel passage for this weekend is the exact same one that my parents chose for their wedding.   Astounding indeed, to see the timing of God, especially since we’re one of the few dioceses in the United States that celebrate the Ascension on the Thursday before instead of on Sunday.    So for those of you traveling from other dioceses, we can assure you, “Yes, Jesus did ascend into heaven!” It was June 13, 1992, when my parents came to this very church to be married.   So this past week, I wa...

St. Anthony in Columbus, NE, with its mural of the Ascension Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/053019-ascension.cfm I remember during the summer before I went into third grade, how this wall went from being a plain peach color to the beautiful mural that we have now.   The church had just been renovated the previous year, and the parish was anticipating with great excitement its final art pieces in the murals of the saints around the church and the mural of the Ascension, all painted by Ardith Starostka.   I as a third grader was really excited: what will this painting look like?   And indeed, how fortunate we are to have this mural right at the center of our church, reminding us of the fact that Jesus has ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father!   But I also sense that for myself, it’s easy for that excitement and anticipation to fade, especially as we take this mystery of the Ascension for granted.    ...

The Church of All Nations, Garden of Gethsemane Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/041419.cfm When we remain with Jesus, he sustains us.   Today, we fully enter into Holy Week, this time specifically set apart to pray over Jesus’ Passion, death, and resurrection.   It’s really easy for us to just glance at the cross every once in a while, not really considering its importance.   But this week puts the cross front and center, urging us to behold it, both its glory and its gruesomeness.   So here’s the question: how do we enter into this week to receive its blessings and graces anew? I had a powerful opportunity a few months ago to go to the place where all of this happened: Jerusalem.   There were many memorable moments, but one of the most memorable moments for me took place somewhere I wasn’t expecting and for reasons I definitely wasn’t expecting.   We spent one morning upon the Mount of Olives, which is where Jesus goes before ...

Image from Crisis Magazine Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/040719-yearc.cfm Audio at bottom of the post. Yesterday, along with many other parishioners, I saw the movie Unplanned .   As Father Joe has said, this is a very powerful movie.   I believe it makes a powerful case for why we are pro-life and shows the deception that organizations like Planned Parenthood fall into.   In this homily, however, I’d like to take a step back from just abortion and reflect on how this movie shows us the cycle of sin and redemption, which we experience in our lives in many ways.   I’ll then connect this with our Gospel for today, which speaks powerfully of this reality.   The movie depicts the life of Abby Johnson, who is a real person and now a powerful pro-life activist.   Listen for the common thread within these three scenes: when she went to college, she went from, in her own words, being a “high achiever” to a “party girl,” and eventually ...

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt Readings:   http://usccb.org/bible/readings/033119-yearc.cfm   Audio at bottom of post. Have you ever had a time in your life when you wanted to run away from home?   It’s interesting how so many kids have these sorts of thoughts – they see the privileges that other kids seem to have, they’re told no by their parents, and then they imagine that life must be better elsewhere.   It doesn’t help that there’s so many movies or cartoons that seem to glorify independence as a child, which makes many children think that they can do the same.   I know I had those thoughts occasionally as a child.   Of course, those thoughts are completely irrational, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to do it! But what happens when that continues into older age?   This is the question that Jesus proposes for us in our Gospel, this well-known story of the Prodigal Son.   The younger son has had enough of life wo...

Moses and the Burning Bush , Arnold Friberg Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/032419-yearc.cfm Audio for homily at bottom of post What would it be like to not exist?   How did we even begin existing on this earth?   You could have probably called me a strange child, because even when I was in grade school, I would sometimes find myself sitting in my room playing with Legos, and this question coming to mind – how am I existing right now?   How is it that I, somehow called by the name Billy Cremers (as I went by until 6 th grade – don’t call me that now!), am experiencing this, going from place to place, even going to sleep and waking up as the same person with the same memories?   I didn’t decide to be here; I didn’t choose to exist – I simply am – and it almost feels like I’m on a roller coaster that I can’t get off!   Probably most of you didn’t wonder about this question in grade school, but I think we all come to moments when some...

From the Archdiocese of Cardiff, rcadc.org Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031019.cfm In the midst of this shifting weather, while it may not always feel like spring yet, we’ve entered into what we can call the “springtime” of the Church.   With Ash Wednesday this past week, we’ve entered into Lent, which comes from a middle-English word meaning “spring.”   This is our time to be refreshed in our faith as we prepare for Easter, a time of grace that we can truly enter into.   In last week’s bulletin, Fr. Joe proposed that we see this time of Lent as a “road to Reconciliation,” a journey to uncover and identify areas within ourselves and our relationships that may be hindering us from living a life of joy and having a sense of purpose, an effort to detox our relationship and lives.   In this wonderful alliteration, where we see Fr. Joe’s poetic genius, we can recognize the grime, the grit, and the grace in our lives, seeing how the Lord desi...

St. Francis preaching to the Sultan Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021719.cfm (Audio at the bottom of this post) “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain.”   If you think about it, St. Paul is saying something very true here in the second reading.   As Catholics, we don’t simply believe that Jesus was a great moral teacher or good man to follow, but we’re saying that He is the Son of God who has resurrected from the dead.   If it turns out that Jesus really didn’t rise from the dead, then what are we doing here?   Why would we live in this way that’s so counter-cultural to what our world says is important?   Even though it’s not Easter yet, I believe it’s important for us to often be reminded of this central truth of Christianity, that because Jesus rose from the dead, we will all rise from the dead in him through our faith.   And yet I know that sometimes it’s hard to believe: we all need to be reminded at times of t...