St. John the Evangelist
Today is the Patronal Feast Day of this Blog, Word to the Father, and also the Patronal Feast Day of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. St. John the Evangelist, the soaring eagle, the sole apostle to remain with Our Lord at the cross, the Disciple whom Jesus loved, is the inspiration behind the words you find on this website. May John the Evangelist pray for all of us and may we find the courage to proclaim Christ in our everyday lives!
After Mass today, parishioner Mary Ann Adams told me about the famous Decorah Eagles who have become an internet sensation with a 24/7 live video feed capturing all their activity. Since Word to the Father is dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, who is represented by the image of an eagle in art, I thought it would be neat to have a link to the Decorah Eagles for your viewing pleasure. If you have time to waste, then this is might be the perfect way!
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
My ordination class from 2009 is very close to our new bishop-designate for Milwaukee. Here is a photo of us with Bishop-Designate Hying from our ordination at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
Bishop-Designate Donald Hying and the Ordination Class of 2009
I think every priest has a list of saints that he can easily rattle off when thinking of the great heroes of the Church. Men and women throughout the past 2,000+ years who have given their entire lives to serve the Gospel; not caring what people might think or say about their devotion. The week immediately after Christmas gives the Church some shining examples of these wonderful figures.
Dec. 26 – St. Stephen: The first martyr of the Christian community. The stoning of Stephen can be read in the Acts of the Apostles chapters 6 and 7.
St. Stephen
Dec. 27 – St. John the Evangelist: Principal Patron of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Apostle of our Lord, Jesus Christ and writer of the 4th Gospel, the three Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. The only apostle not to suffer martyrdom. Patron of this Blog!!
John the Evangelist
Dec. 28 – Holy Innocents: In the Gospel of Matthew, Herod the Great orders the destruction of all the male children in the village of Bethlehem to protect his throne. These children become the first martyrs for the newborn Christ.
The Holy Innocents
Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket
Dec. 29 – St. Thomas Becket: Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. Assassinated by followers of King Henry II in the Canterbury Cathedral after many conflicts with the king over the rights and privileges of the Church.
I guess it’s not that surprising to have so many extraordinary saints celebrated the week after Christmas. It allows us to remember that the incarnation, God coming in the flesh, was a life changing moment for the world. The world’s response? Ordinary people enlivened by Christ, willing to give everything until it hurts.
Would it come as a shock to anyone with even a small background in the tradition of the Catholic Church to imagine the Beloved Disciple pounding away at the keyboard entering his thoughts on the blogosphere? You will notice that the images and title of this blog , a distinctive attachment to St. John the Evangelist, fisherman, disciple of the Lord, and fixture at the crucifixion. However, John’s work began after the resurrection when he began to put down in words the gospel of our Lord. It has been stated, that the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John goes above and beyond the levels of understanding ever dreamed about concerning the nature and person of Jesus Christ. As the eagle soars above the mountains beyond the heights of creation, John the Evangelist elevates the person of Jesus Christ to a realm outside the capacity of human comprehension. And yet, we see in John’s fourteenth verse of scripture that the Divine was just as near to humanity: “and the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). It is with this spirit of the Beloved Disciple that I begin this blog. Will I navigate the heights of creation as the eagle or attempt to explain the utter colossality of the Incarnation? Most likely no, however I will give people a glimpse into the life of a newly ordained priest serving a suburban parish community. With St. John as my inspiration, I anticipate remarking on relevant topics in the Church, discussing life here at St. Dominic Parish in Brookfield, WI, and journeying towards a greater understanding of priestly ministry in our 21st century world.
Don’t be surprised to encounter opinions on everything from the sports world to entomology to cuisine. I guess anything will be game depending on what’s on my mind. Please join me in this yet uncharted area of my priesthood!
