Praised be Jesus Christ! Saint Teresa of Avila compared the drudgery of life to “a bad night at a bad inn.” The good news is that Heaven promises eternal rest – that’s what we’re working towards and it ought to inspire us to spend each day preparing to meet God face to face. While you’re reading this I’ll be either in Avila, Spain or on my way there – 50 of us are on pilgrimage and have already experienced the usual reminders that we’re not in Heaven yet (e.g. there was a train strike in France on April 18th, meaning we had to take a bus from Paris to Lourdes – not a horrible thing, but we were looking forward to riding the amazing TGV train). I was in Avila in 2004 and experienced some remarkable graces that day. Even though I had not been able to sleep all week due to jet lag I was able to celebrate Mass in the convent where Saint Teresa of Avila once lived. After that I remember being so exhausted that I laid down on a park bench and just collapsed. It was probably quite the sight, me in my Roman collar sawing logs... “a bad night at a bad inn!” Life has its share of suffering and Jesus came to teach us how to bear it with hope in our heart. Some of you have had a real rough patch in your lives and are wondering when you’ll ever feel some degree of happiness and joy again. The Church is a mother and so she prays especially for her grieving children; she reminds us that Jesus came to bring comfort to the sorrowful (and conversely, sorrow to the comfortable). For those of you who were able to participate in our Lenten parish mission, you might remember some of the spiritual insights offered by Father John Paul. The 3rd night of the mission allowed people to come forward and touch the humeral veil Father was wearing as he carried Jesus in the monstrance. For many this was a powerful experience similar to the story of the woman who had suffered with a hemorrhage for 18 years and rightfully thought that if she could just touch the tassel on Jesus’ cloak she would be healed. Jesus is a Divine Physician and He wants to help us with our hurts; but so many times we run from Him and not to Him. This was evident to anyone who came to Father John Paul’s presentation on same-sex attraction the night before the mission began (and all of the talks are on Saint John’s parish website – stjohnsmarshfield.org). This is one of the most difficult topics and Father handled it beautifully: he reminded us that the Christian understanding of human nature is that every person is created in God’s image and likeness and is loved unconditionally by God. He then showed a powerful film titled “The Third Way” that included amazing testimony from people with same-sex attraction who found peace and hope in God. One of the best scenes for me was the man who said he had never been able to tell anyone, but that in the confessional he met a priest who was a true father to him. Many carry their wounds in deep secrecy because being vulnerable to God or others is frightening, and in many cases dangerous. Year after year I taught my students about the struggles of the human heart – when it came to same-sex attraction I always felt inadequate to the task. Father John Paul’s presentation was remarkable in that he captured the mercy and compassion of God, Who truly understands our hurts and how they can move us away from Him and the truth of who we are in His image. God established marriage as a covenant between Him, a man and a woman – no authority on earth can undo what God has created. Just the same, the underlying desire for love is one that all human beings share – our faith teaches us that God alone can heal our desires so that we can experience true love. For all of us, life is sometimes “a bad night at a bad inn.” But the good news is our life in this world is only for a little while – what comes next is eternal!
May God help us find the truth that will set us free, thus helping others find some joy in this world!
Your friend in Christ,
Father Martin 

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Ladies mark your calendars: Annual Mother / Daughter Breakfast will be hosted by the Holy Name Society on Sunday, May 20th, 2018 after the 8 a.m. mass. Grandmothers, mothers, daughters, godmothers, and ladies who have given guidance to our families are extended an invitation to come to the dining hall of church and enjoy a good meal, on this special day! Men, teenage boys,and boys of the parish: your help is needed to set-up, prepare, serve, clean/up, etc. for this event. Please contact Todd Rueth @ 715-659-5213 to offer your time and talent to make this a memorable time for the ladies. Thank you 

​Parishioners of Christ the King * there is an “URGENT” need for your assistance in the “Ministry of Music” and to be part of your parish choir or choir leader as cantors at all the weekend masses. All questions and interest can be addressed to the choir members or organist at the mass you attend. We welcome you to participate! 

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Youth Rummage Sale May 17 & 18 the youth will be holding a rummage sale at St. John’s in the Columbia Rm. You are invited to donate your gently used items by bringing them during office hours to St. John’s rel. ed. Office on Wed afternoon, May 16 from 3-6pm or Thur., May 17 from noon - 3pm. You are also invited to come purchase items from this sale to support our youth. Sale times are Thurs., May 17, 3-6pm and Fri., May 18, 8am-5pm St. John's school Columbia Room 307 N. Wal- nut Ave. For more info. please contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber. 

Praised be Jesus Christ! During my parish mission in Amherst and Fancher a month ago a man passed out at the 8:30 a.m. Mass. For the record, it did not happen during my homily. The people helped the man and eventually gave me an indication that he was okay and that we could proceed with the Mass. While a Mass certainly can be interrupted, it should always be finished if at all possible. What a priest wants to know is if the person who has collapsed is in danger of death and should be anointed. Most priests have their holy oils with them and would be happy to stop the Mass and offer the Sacrament of the sick to a person in a real medical emergency. Keep in mind that most people who pass out have merely fainted because of sickness or because they forgot to take their medicine or did not eat a proper breakfast. Father Burish claims he nearly passed out at the altar a number of times because of the ex- treme cold in the rectory and the always-empty refrigerator. It doesn’t help my reputation that Father Sedlacek is telling peo- ple that he’s lost 10 pounds in the last year – my theory on that is the rancid beer he’s been brewing. Anyway, back to medical emergencies at Mass: we’re almost always surrounded by out- standing medical personnel and they’ll be happy to assess the situation and call for help if needed. The goal is to determine how best to help the person, and then continue offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Think of all the prayers a person gets if they fall ill during Mass – not that I’m encouraging you to get sick during a weekend Mass! Now on to a more serious matter: protecting ourselves from a potential shooter. We’ve been advised by our insurance company to do all we can to assure that our parishes move from being a soft target to a more difficult one for a shooter. Both Christ the King and Saint John’s basically require that one enter from the back of church (the outside door to the sacristy at Saint John’s is now locked at all times). That gives our ushers and others a chance to see if someone is acting suspiciously and to alert others to it. On a spiritual note, we can now publicly ask the prayers of Bishop Oscar Romero, who will be canonized later this year. Bishop Romero was gunned down while celebrating Mass in Guatemala on March 24th, 1980 and now becomes an official intercessor. My prayer is always that any danger in church be directed to me. A priest has no wife or children and many times is the most obvious target for a deranged person. Please God, noth- ing like this will ever happen. But I cannot think of a holier death than to be in church with Jesus and His people, offering His sacrifice for the salvation of all people. One last topic has to do with our upcoming pilgrimage. We’ll be leaving at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 16th and will not return until around mid- night on Friday, April 27th. We take the bus to O’Hare and fly first to Paris. One day in Paris and then we travel by train to Lourdes. After two days in Lourdes we travel by bus across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain and then meander westward until arriving in Fatima, Portugal. I’ll share our experience in writing upon our return. Father Sedlacek will be in charge while I am away. Please keep an eye on our “Bearded Brewster” so that he doesn’t get overwhelmed by the work and stress. Of all the dangers I’ve shared in this column, the greatest might be leaving Father Sedlacek in charge! Please pray for us, that our pilgrimage will help us grow closer to God and to each other. And be assured of our prayers, especially at the tombs of the saints and the apparition sites of our Blessed Mother.

May God protect us and give us a profound trust in His Providence!

Your friend in Christ, Father Martin 

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