Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time | March 3, 2019 S. MJ-G7Y CGYJ- C__`J1 40501 Hayes Road · Sterling Heights, Michigan 48313 MISSION STATEMENT: St. Michael Catholic Community is a welcoming parish where people come together to worship, learn, and grow in faith. Through our actions we demonstrate our beliefs in fellowship, service and generous tithing of time, talent, and treasure. We care for one another and receive comfort and support in our own times of need. All are encouraged to participate in the journey to live by Christ's example and build the Kingdom of God. From Fr. Mike... Does everyone remember The Andy Griffith Show? Andy Taylor was the sheriff of Mayberry, assisted by his dutiful sidekick deputy, Barney Fife. Andy had a cute little son, Opie, and he and Opie lived in Mayberry with Aunt Bee. Aunt Bee was played by Frances Bavier. Bavier was cast as a loving, doting, never-get-angry matron who always prepared wonderful home-cooked meals and fresh pie for dessert. She was like everyone’s grandmother…in her screen life. In her real life, it was different. Her biographers characterized her as mean- spirited, cantankerous, and someone with a short fuse. How’s that for a kick in the pants? Aunt Bee was a witch. It is akin to being flipped off by Mother Teresa. I can’t get that through my head. It’s that hard to believe. Recall the couple that played opposite Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy”? Fred and Ethel Mertz were the typical, long-married, loving, honest, not-easily-offended-by-each-other’s-foibles couple. In real life, Vivian Vance, who played Ethel, hated her counterpart William Frawley. She was offended by the (Connued on page 2) Last Sunday at 9:45am Mass we celebrated the Scouting movement, recognizing Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, Cub Scouts, and Heritage Girls. Great groups for our young people to be involved in. There was a special blessing by Fr. Tim and we had a commemorative patch for all the scouts present, supplied by David Pranger, one of the Scout leaders. looks of him. He was too old for her. Yet, on stage they were a hit; in real life, they were sworn enemies. It was reported that Vivian was at a restaurant when the news reports came on that Frawley died (Frawley left Desilu studios to play Uncle Bub on My 3 Sons with Fred MacMurray). She jumped up with her glass in hand and shouted: “Champagne is on me.” Robert Young was a wise and caring Dad in Fr. Mike Continued from Page 1 Father Knows Best and later he was cast as a compassionate and wise physician in Marcus Welby, MD. What most people didn’t know is that Young struggled with the disease of alcoholism and a debilitating depression throughout most of his life. The problem we have in the Church is that we sometimes feel like we have a role to play, that we need to put on a persona in order to do the Lord’s work. We think we cannot ever get angry. We can never be tempted by greed or lust. We can never be lazy or do anything crazy if we are going to be among the Lord’s disciples. We must become like Aunt Bee in our lovingness, compassionate as Marcus Welby, and as forgiving and easy-going as the Mertz’. The reality doesn’t match up to us like it didn’t to them. We simply cannot live up to the standards we set for ourselves. We got to stop that. Jesus didn’t call people because they were saints. He called people because they were sinners and needed conversion. There are plenty of biblical examples of the disciple’s unworthiness. They were petty, ambitious, argumentative, competitive, and resentful of one another. Jesus, however, saw their potential and called them. Looking at the disciples before and after the Pentecost Event, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the forming of the community of the Church, there was a huge difference. But I wonder if that difference was an immediate change or a slow one? Did they all of a sudden morph into superhero disciples and evangelizers or did that transformation occur slowly like it did in St. Paul’s own life. With Paul there was a definite experience of God when he was knocked off that horse on his way to Damascus, but that led to a period of blindness and months of reflection before he went out on his first missionary venture (some scholars suggest as much as a dozen years). Reading his letters, Paul seems to change and grow through the work he did among God’s people. He became mature in his spirituality and his pastoral approach to people. I suspect the other disciples did the same. And I suspect the same thing happens to us as well. We all have our issues. Some of those habits are deeply ingrained in us. If we are fortunate enough to hear the first call of the Lord to share our faith with others, there may be a temptation on my part to think, me? With this mouth? With my background? I suspect those same thoughts went through the head of Matthew the tax collector or Paul the persecutor of Christians or maybe the man we think of as the doubter, Thomas. And they didn’t stand on pretenses. They didn’t play any roles. They seemed to let it all hang out at times, deserting Jesus when he needed them, denying they knew him, or even betraying him. I suspect what happens from the time of our first call to being knee deep in the work of the Lord, there is a change that continues to happen in us all. It’s an on-going conversion. We are all doing it. Now. I guess I am trying to say that we cannot play a role around God. God knows us too well. But God also sees our potential, what we’re capable of, before we see it in ourselves. And God calls out to us: follow me. And we follow. And the Pentecost Event begins. Fr. Mike 2 March 2019 Please contact Claudia with any quesons at 586.566.4492 or [email protected]. March 4, 11, 18, 25 Mondays 6:30pm-8:30pm at St. Michael Easter Chocolate preparation. Students in grades 8-12 are welcome to join us as we prepare all the chocolate we will sell for the Easter Season! April 13 & 14, Palm Sunday Weekend Easter Candy Sale following all Liturgies Email [email protected] to sign up to help! April 18, Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:00pm at St. Michael Join us at 6:15 to have pizza before we go to liturgy as a group! April 19, Friday Good Friday Liturgy 12:00 noon at St. Michael Join us as we reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus. 3 Well, here we are the last Sunday in meaningful and interesting, one that is Ordinary Time before Lent which starts designed to bring you to a closer this Wednesday. So, have you given relationship with your inner-self and Christ. much thought to Lent? Any ideas of what Please consider attending. to do, if anything? Or maybe the bigger I can’t wait for spring….motorcycle time. question is do you want to do anything? With my stay in the hospital and surgery The 40 days of Lent are built on three last year, I missed out on a lot of riding pillars: fasting, almsgiving, and penance/ time so I am chomping at the bit (so to prayer. Growing up, the big thing was speak) to get on that motorcycle and ride. what to give up for Lent. For me it was The first ride I have planned is to always something like chocolate or TV, Washington D.C. No, I don’t have a but is that the right thing? When you think meeting with President Trump or Speaker of it, what does giving something up Pelosi (although I’d like to get them both in accomplish, especially when the day after one room and talk to them – I’m sure you Easter you go back to whatever you were would too!). It’s the annual Rolling doing before Lent? I really think it’s pretty Thunder Rally, honoring those that have hollow when you look at it in that respect given their lives in service to our country, and what does it really do for you in the but focusing on our brave and in many big picture? I want to challenge you all, cases underappreciated Vietnam the people of St. Michael Catholic Veterans. The ride starts on Sunday Community, to get the heck out of your morning, May 26th in the Pentagon parking comfort zone and do something more, lot. They stage the motorcycles there, do something that is meaningful and probably about 200,000 or so. At noon the ride starts, and it takes fully 3 to 4 hours to get all those motorcycles out of the parking lot. You parade through Washington, DC past many of the government buildings, the Capitol Building and many others, ending up at the will stay with you, not just for the 40 Vietnam Memorial. This will be the last days of Lent, but for the year round. year for the rally. I’ve attended four times We are hosting a special Bible Study on and I’m not going to miss the last one.