Friday Update Archive

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Friday Update for November 8, 2024

by | Nov 8, 2024

Friday Update for November 1, 2024

by | Nov 1, 2024

Friday Update for October 25, 2024

by | Oct 25, 2024

Friday Update for October 18, 2024

by | Oct 18, 2024

 

Jesus Experienced It All

In our first reading, Isaiah prophesies about what will happen to Jesus. Isaiah is introducing the concept of redemptive suffering here, which will bear fruit later with Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection. “through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.” And in the second reading, Paul is telling the Hebrews he is writing to that Jesus understands them (the readers) more than than they think, through Christ’s experience as a man. He understands what we go through, so we can with confidence reach to God through our prayers.

 

I’m the Greatest!

There was a zeal and enthusiasm in James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. In Mark 3:17, Jesus called them the “Sons of Thunder” because of their tempers and quickness to anger. In this reading from Mark chapter 10, we see them vying for a high place, to the left and right of Jesus. He replies with an answer in Mark 10:38. “Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?'” We could paraphrase it as “be careful what you wish for.” Being “great” in the eyes of God is much different than being “great” in the eyes of mankind. Jesus explains that they will have to follow Him in ways they may not have intended. Then, he goes on to explain that greatness is measured by God in service and not power, and at times this service may include sacrifice and/or suffering. Even in today’s society, we are often ridiculed for holding true to the Gospel and not modern thought. God is already all-powerful. Earthly power means nothing to Him. To be great in Heaven is to serve the Lord.

 

The Sons of Zebedee

There are pieces of the story of the Sons of Zebedee peppered throughout all the Gospels. Through their association with Jesus, and over time, both brothers grew in wisdom and faith. James and John, with Peter, witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus. John became known as John the Evangelist, also known in John’s Gospel as the disciple Jesus loved. John is traditionally considered the author also of three New Testament letters and the Book of Revelation. Tradition also describes John as the author of the Gospel of John (although some Bible scholars dispute this). John survived being tortured in a vat of boiling oil. James traveled to Spain to spread the Gospel there. We know for sure that James was killed by the sword by Herod Agrippa after Jesus’s ascension to heaven, according to Acts 12:1-2.

 

Look Here for More

For more reading, check out this article here.

Friday Update for October 13, 2024

by | Oct 13, 2024

Friday Update for October 4, 2024

by | Oct 4, 2024

Friday Update for September 27, 2024

by | Sep 27, 2024

In Jesus’s Name

This Sunday, we read more from Mark chapter 9.  The over-reaching theme of Sunday’s readings is personal responsibility.  We are responsible for our selves and how we react in situations.
To read this week’s readings, click here.
 

Mark 9 39 (Instagram Post)

 

More Wisdom from James

How much are we comparing each other on social media? How much are we looking at our neighbors and wishing that we had what they had? James says, “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.” It’s a powerful message. He tells us not only what’s wrong, but how to right it. This message is as meaningful today as when it was written. God brings us all the things we need. We need not be jealous.

The Greatest

One of the things that has never changed in the centuries is our need to be great. We measure our success and failures in every way. How do we measure our success? Money? Job promotions? How do we measure our Church? Attendance? How much is in our collection? All of these things come into focus when reading this section in the Gospel. The disciples came from their very real world, where their success was measured by their work and their net worth. They, as we often also do, try to use the same measurement with our spirituality. Jesus is telling them (and us) that this doesn’t work. Mark 9:39 states, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” This is the secret sauce. To be great in the church is to serve. Serving others, using Gospel principles, becomes as rewarding to the giver as the receiver.

Let the Children Come to Me

Mark Chapter 9:37 states, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” In the context of today, this passage in Mark is very enduring and affirming to us. Modern society prioritizes children and rightly so. This was not true in Jesus’ time. Children were considered a burden until they could prove their worth. If they could not, well, they could labor, and if they couldn’t do even that, they were often neglected or cast out. It is important to note that Mark does not say the gender of the child. A person reading this in Mark’s time would want to know that, because boys were more “valuable.” To Jesus, however, this is not important.

Ministry Minute – Christian Women

The MPH Christian Women Organization meets in the Notre Dame Room at the East Site on the second Tuesday of each month between September and May. The objective of the Christian Women Organization is to unite the women of the parish in religious, educational, and social activities. The organization participates in both spiritual undertakings (such as leading the parish vigil at funerals for members of the organization) and in educational opportunities (such as having speakers at the monthly meeting). Additionally, the organization is responsible for crafts, Christmas cookies, and ham and rolls sales at the parish sites. All women of the parish are invited to join the organization by attending any of the monthly meetings, all of which are announced in advance in the parish bulletin. Contact Debbie Peterson through the contact form on mphwa.org (our parish website) to join the Christian Women.

Christian Women at a funeral 1

Christian Women at a Funeral

Friday Update for September 20, 2024

by | Sep 21, 2024

The Servant of All

This Sunday, we read more from Mark chapter 9. To read this week’s Sunday readings, click here.

Mark 935 (Instagram Post)

More Wisdom from James

How much are we comparing each other on social media? How much are we looking at our neighbors and wishing that we had what they had? James says, “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.” It’s a powerful message. He tells us not only what’s wrong, but how to right it. This message is as meaningful today as when it was written. God brings us all the things we need. We need not be jealous.

The Greatest

One of the things that has never changed in the centuries is our need to be great. We measure our success and failures in every way. How do we measure our success? Money? Job promotions? How do we measure our Church? Attendance? How much is in our collection? All of these things come into focus when reading this section in the Gospel. The disciples came from their very real world, where their success was measured by their work and their net worth. They, as we often also do, try to use the same measurement with our spirituality. Jesus is telling them (and us) that this doesn’t work. Mark 9:39 states, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” This is the secret sauce. To be great in the church is to serve. Serving others, using Gospel principles, becomes as rewarding to the giver as the receiver.

Let the Children Come to Me

Mark Chapter 9:37 states, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” In the context of today, this passage in Mark is very enduring and affirming to us. Modern society prioritizes children and rightly so. This was not true in Jesus’ time. Children were considered a burden until they could prove their worth. If they could not, well, they could labor, and if they couldn’t do even that, they were often neglected or cast out. It is important to note that Mark does not say the gender of the child. A person reading this in Mark’s time would want to know that, because boys were more “valuable.” To Jesus, however, this is not important.

Ministry Minute – Christian Women

The MPH Christian Women Organization meets in the Notre Dame Room at the East Site on the second Tuesday of each month between September and May. The objective of the Christian Women Organization is to unite the women of the parish in religious, educational, and social activities. The organization participates in both spiritual undertakings (such as leading the parish vigil at funerals for members of the organization) and in educational opportunities (such as having speakers at the monthly meeting). Additionally, the organization is responsible for crafts, Christmas cookies, and ham and rolls sales at the parish sites. All women of the parish are invited
to join the organization by attending any of the monthly meetings, all of which are announced in advance in the parish bulletin. Contact Debbie Peterson throught the contact form on mphwa.org (our parish website) to join the Christian Women.

Christian Women at a funeral 1

Christian Women at a Funeral

Friday Update for September 13, 2024

by | Sep 17, 2024

Who is Jesus?

This Sunday, we read more from Mark chapter 8.  To read this week’s Sunday readings, click here. 
 

Who Do You (Instagram Post)

 

Faith Without Works is Dead

This week’s second reading is from James, and it has been controversial among Christians for centuries.  James is correcting a problem with understanding faith.  He is showing that faith is alive, and the works we do show our faith and help build it up.  In Jas 2:15-17, James says: “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?  So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Faith is never alone; the love God gives us compels us to do His work.  The Council of Trent describes this as our human cooperation with grace.

The dispute over Justification between Catholics and Protestants started with Martin Luther and was mostly put to rest on October 31, 1999 with a document called Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.  Over time, more Christian organizations have signed the agreement.  It is now a five-way agreement between the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, the Anglican Communion, and the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The declaration agrees with both Paul and James;  Yes, we are justified through faith, but we grow in grace and reveal our faith through works.

 

Who Do You Say I Am?

Jesus asks his disciples who people think he is. The responses they give — John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets — reflect various opinions circulating among the people at the time about Jesus’ identity and his role. These are significant figures in Jewish tradition, indicating that people viewed Jesus in the context of past prophetic figures. When Jesus asks the disciples directly who they believe he is, Peter responds with a profound declaration: “You are the Christ.” The term “Christ” means “Anointed One” and is equivalent to “Messiah” in Hebrew. It signifies that Peter recognizes Jesus as the long-awaited Savior and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah.
 

Foot in Mouth, Peter

Just after Peter recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the poor guy puts his foot in his mouth.  In Mark 8:32, Mark reports, “Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke Him.” In Matthew 16:22, we get more detail of what he said: “Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, ‘God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.'”  
 
It is super easy to have empathy with Peter in this moment.  We have all had those times in our life, where someone hands us some really troubling news, and we try to deny it as a means of comfort.  We want to say: “That won’t really happen; it will be okay.”  It’s natural to do.  
 
Jesus reply of “Get behind me, Satan, You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do,” in Mark 8:33, was probably quite the shock to poor Peter.  Jesus is buttressing his human self, and he has to, from being tempted to not do His Father’s will.  Peter meant well, but Jesus knew what He had to do, and Peter needed to know it had to be done.  In our lives, we can see how we can prepare for difficult moments, not by denying them, but by facing them.  
 

Look Here for More

For more reading, check out the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification here:
 

Ministry Minute:  Prayer Shawl and Loomer’s Ministry

We are a group of women who either knit, crochet, or use a loom to create either shawls, hats or scarves.  Shawls are given to anyone in need of prayers for surgery, illness or comfort.  The Shawls are prayed over as we begin them, continue as we create, and then receive a final blessing.  Each month, when we gather, we start the meeting in prayer, blessing the finished shawls and praying for the recipients of the shawls.
 
Our Loomers create hats and scarves.  Once a year, near December, they are given to various groups.  These groups include:  New Berlin Lionesses Club, Hope House, and meal programs in the Milwaukee area. We also have members who make items in their homes for the ministry.
 
The Prayer Shawl Ministry started in 2008, and the Loomers started in 2011.  The ministries merged in 2022.
 
For more information, either to volunteer or to receive a prayer shawl, Select Prayer Shawl and Loomer’s Ministry in the contact form at mphwa.org. 
 

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Sitting on the couch, left to right are Jeanne Erceg, Karen Fuchs, Mary Thysell, standing Nancy Dloughy, Ethel Stueck and Kathy Moscicki and sitting wearing a shawl is Dolores Iannantouoni.

 

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Prayer warriors at the looms! On the couch is Sharon Evenson, on the chair is Linda Dulka and in the mirror is Anne Gaska (prayer shawl).

Friday Update for September 6, 2024

by | Sep 6, 2024

Miracles and Signs

This Sunday, we read more from Mark chapter 7.  To read this week’s Sunday readings, click here.
 

 

Mark 7 34

 

The Gospel of Miracles

The Gospel of Mark is also called the Gospel of Miracles.  His purpose in writing it was to document everything Peter told him.  In this week’s readings, the thread throughout is miracles.  In the first reading, Isaiah is telling the people of God that Miracles will be a sign of God’s presence. in Chapter 35 verse 4 he says, “Say to the fearful of heart: Be strong, do not fear!”  and he goes on to describe, seven hundred years before it happens, the very things Jesus is doing in Mark’s Gospel.
 

Signs by God

It is important to notice not just what Jesus did, but also how Jesus performed the miracle on the deaf man.  In Mark 7:33-34, we read:  “He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, ‘Be Opened!’)”  The physical touching of the hands is the extension of the hand of God through Jesus. The old Baltimore Catechism defines a sacrament as an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace. in this Gospel reading, Jesus is showing the early Christians how this is done.  He is demonstrating not just miracles, but how to show through a sign that Jesus is God.
 

Look Here for More

For more reading on the Gospel of Mark check this out: The Gospel of Mark
For more information on Traditions, Look here.