Dear OLP Family,

Since Labor Day first became a federal holiday in 1894, the first Monday of September has been set apart to celebrate and value in American society the role of our workers and their work by providing, ironically and fittingly, a day off to rest and enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. But It is also a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the deeper meaning of our work, which the language of faith provides.

Dear OLP Family,

Today’s Gospel has a very controversial question put to Jesus: “Will only a few be saved?” If this question is put to Jehovah’s Witnesses, they will quote the Book of Revelation 7:4 and answer that the saved will be exactly 144,000. But Scripture scholars point out that the same Book of Revelation 7:9 speaks about “a great multitude of those saved, whom no one can count.” Hence, we know that the number 144,000 is symbolic to indicate the great multitude who will be saved, not a limit to those who will be in heaven.

Dear OLP Family,

Last Sunday (August 10) was the feast of St. Lawrence who was a deacon and martyr of Rome. I thanked our Deacon John Raychel who has been serving our parish for the past 15 years. As we need more deacons to serve our parish, I encouraged the men of our parish to consider the vocation to diaconate and speak to our Deacon John. Later on some men asked me about deaconate and I thought of explaining it in this column for general information.

Dear Friends,

I am so very happy to begin my ministry here last weekend. It was an honor for me to preside at the 5PM, 8AM, and 10AM Masses and to concelebrate the 12PM Mass with Fr. Sebastian. Thank you for your warm welcome to this wonderful parish of Our Lady of Peace.

I bid you a fond farewell.

Let us continue to pray for one another, even as our paths diverge.

I pray that OLP will grow in faith, love, and service, guided by the Holy Spirit.

As I move forward, please know that you will remain in my prayers, and I humbly ask for your prayers as well.

Dear Friend,

Think how many temptations we might face in an ordinary day.

Growling at the breakfast table - the temptation to unkindness.

Arguing over who should change the baby this time - the temptation to selfishness.

Dear Friend,

How would you like to spend 2 years making phone calls to people who aren't home? Sound absurd? According to one-time management study, that's how much time the average person spends trying to return calls to people who never seem to be in. Not only that, we spend 6 months waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and another 8 months reading junk mail.

Dear Friend,

Here is a little simple meditation. It is about "Taters."

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don’t want to soil their own hands. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. They are called "Dick Taters" .

Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to watch while others do the work. They are called "Speck Taters".

Dear Friend,

In his book The Pressure’s Off, psychologist Larry Crabb tells this story from his childhood.

"One Saturday afternoon, I decided I was a big boy and could use the bathroom without anyone’s help. So I climbed the stairs, closed and locked the door behind me, and for the next few minutes felt very self-sufficient.

Dear Friend,

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.

Dear Friend,

A man named Peter inherited a huge land grant, but the will provided that he could choose land in either Chile or Brazil. He chose Brazil. Unhappily, if he had chosen Chile, he would have received his inheritance in land on which they had recently discovered uranium, gold, and silver. But he chose Brazil.

When he arrived in Brazil he had to choose between receiving his inheritance in a coffee plantation or land with Brazil nut trees.

Dear Friend,

There was once a man who was bitten by a dog, which was later discovered to be rabid. The man was rushed to the hospital where tests revealed that he had, in fact, contracted rabies. At the time, medical science had no cure for this disease and so his doctor faced the difficult task of informing him that his condition was incurable and terminal.

Dear Friend,

In the twentieth century Will Rogers was known for his laughter, but he also knew how to weep. One day he was entertaining at the Milton H. Berry Institute in Los Angeles, a hospital that specialized in rehabilitating polio victims and people with broken backs and other extreme physical handicaps. Of course, Rogers had everybody laughing, even patients in really bad condition; but then he suddenly left the platform and went to the rest room.