Saint Aidan Catholic Church - Livonia, MI
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  • Discover
    • Schedule
    • Livestream Masses
    • Contact
    • Register
    • About >
      • Our Patron Saint
      • Church Tour
      • PRES Plan
    • Groups >
      • Women of St. Aidan
      • Men's Club
      • Men's Prayer Group
      • Young(ish) Adults
    • Links
  • Grow
    • January Enrichment
    • Screwtape Letters
    • Lent '23
    • Families
    • Blog
    • Bible Studies >
      • Exodus
    • Sacrament Prep >
      • Reconciliation & Holy Communion
      • Confirmation
    • Young(ish) Adults
    • Youth Ministry
    • Ongoing Enrichment >
      • Online Studies
      • Sacraments
      • Faith Basics
      • Library Database
    • Children's Liturgy of the Word
    • Become Catholic
    • VBS
  • Service
    • Assistance
    • Pray
    • Vocations
    • Volunteer
  • Give
    • Electronic Donations
    • CSA
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Strangers & Hospitality

7/24/2019

 
The First Reading and the Gospel today (the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time) speaks of hospitality: Mary and Martha’s hospitality to their beloved friend, Jesus; and Abram’s welcome to three strangers (a visitation by God). The custom in more “simple” societies was one of exaggerated care for any visitor—those known and those not known. This may be so because we all have been strangers in a strange land, and we know how difficult it is to be “new” somewhere; or maybe because of the ancient belief that the visitor may be God or Jesus in the form of other persons.

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The idea of a visitation by God or His messengers is the archetypal basis of many old stories (remember “Beauty and the Beast?) and even in many of our own contemporary “urban legends.” The point is: we have been told that on Judgment Day we will be asked if we fed Jesus, clothed him, and visited him when he was sick or imprisoned. We know all should welcome and receive the living God⎯God Himself, or the God in all of us.

The ideal of hospitality is a great part of our St. Aidan Parish—people talk about how welcoming our parish is for visitors—many times they say so to Fr. Kevin while exiting the church. Fr. Rick Hartmann (a retired priest who assists at the 5:00pm mass once a month) always says at the final blessing and dismissal: “There are no strangers in the house of God.” Every week we gather together to share our stories, to share a meal, and when we are sent we are reminded of this by the Scripture readings today.

In the Gospel Jesus tells us that the better part of hospitality is more than the service we are to give to the body of a person, it is about paying attention to that person him/herself. Yes, one feeds the body, but then one is most hospitable by listening. This is an acknowledgment of the divine within all of us. At mass, even before we eat (receiving Jesus in us), we listen to God’s Word, inviting God into our hearts and minds.

Taking this idea of God’s presence in us a step farther would mean we must extend that acknowledgement—to respect, accept and understand that God’s presence is in all things. Hospitality and service give way to stewardship and care, guardianship and responsibility. We must remember that in all persons God is present; and we may be judged on how we respond. We may not always recognize God in the “every day” of our lives; and that is our challenge as Disciples: to be hospitable to all that God puts in our path. We are called to respond in hospitality⎯with attention and respect, with love and mercy⎯to the presence of God in everyone and in all things. All Are Welcome! 
Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Just a Note: We celebrated the life of Charles “Chuck” Mulka in a funeral mass here in our parish last Monday. You would remember Chuck: he was the guitarist who subbed for me when I was on vacation—and he was also very generous in sharing his gifts and talents with St. Aidan: accompanying the Adult Choir,  and singing and playing as a member of our Contemporary Group. It was a sudden and unexpected death (he was only 65); and this has broken the hearts of all of us in the St. Aidan Music Ministry.

I think of the reading from the Book of Wisdom (4:7-15) sometimes used at funeral liturgies: “The just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years. Rather, understanding is the honorable crown for men, and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age. He who pleased God was loved; he who lived among sinners was transported—snatched away… Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fulness of a long career; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord; therefore He sped him out of the midst of wickedness. But the people saw and did not understand, nor did they take this into account. Because grace and mercy are with His holy ones, and His care is with His elect.”

Chuck went too soon from us in our eyes. We will miss his humor, his generous spirit, his love for all things musical for the glory and praise of God. We will feel the loss of his playing, his musical insight and instinct, his Cat Stevens voice, his guitar quoting of Beatle Songs—and his spontaneous joy in just making music. As Fr. Kevin said last Monday: “We don’t know why you were taken from us—but we know why you were given.” Grace and mercy are with you, Chuck, you are in God’s care—just keep singing and playing.

Love is a Relationship History

7/18/2019

 
Love demands relationship. You can memorize a stack of facts and know a whole lot about someone; you could even develop a fairly accurate profile describing and explaining their personality and predict their future behavior—and yet still not develop a real and loving relationship with that person. Making the choice to love someone forces you to see beyond your private world, beyond your words, beyond yourself altogether. Love feeds on a shared history of affection, secrets, surprises, mysteries, generosity, moments and spontaneity. In a manner of speaking, you make history together.

​
Today in the Gospel we hear Jesus tell us the Luke version of the “Love Law”: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Have you thought about your own love affair with God, your own love history with Him?

Love is longing for the presence of your loved one—you think about that person throughout the day. Much more than words, this relationship is a new way to live life. Jesus' disciples learned it through experience. Toward the end of his life, St. John wrote this: “...let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”

Loving God means we feel His presence, we respond to His nudging, we see Him in others, we hear Him when He speaks, and we tell of His mighty wonders when He is silent. All the while He never leaves us, He understands us when we don't have the words to explain, He listens to us when no one else will, and He is constantly searching for ways to bring out the best in us. Sound familiar? Our human relationships should be all of this—and this should be the model for our relationship with God. God loves us. How do you know if you love him?

​There is a song from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof” that has a message about loving in truth and action, with or without the actual words of love. The song is a conversation between Tevye (the long-suffering father) and Golde (the Mom). The two discuss the love of their daughter for a man, and in the midst of that discussion Tevye asks her if she loves him. Golde reminds him that for twenty-five years she has washed his clothes, cooked his meals, cleaned his house, given him children, and milked the cow. For twenty-five years she has lived with him, fought with him, starved with him, slept with him. In other words: love is action.

So, we can imagine God asking, “do you love me?” Maybe you answer: “Yes, God, remember when we...? Yes, God, we have shared history. Yes, I do love you!” Maybe prayer for this week could be to reflect on, and then to tell at least one story of God's relationship with you in your life. Maybe contemplate how your love for God may translate into loving actions for those around you. Reflect on your love, tell about your love, then act on that love.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

A Life of Mission

7/8/2019

 
Christ relies on the witness of His disciples in the world—that’s us! We are called to carry on the sacred tradition of all the old prophets in preparing people for the next coming of Christ. By our baptism we have been commissioned like the Seventy-two in today’s Gospel who were sent out by Jesus. We are sent to manifest the presence of Christ by our mercy and love in all things, and we are transformed by this work and mission: changed because we do not live for ourselves now, but for God, who writes our name in heaven—this is mission! So… Have you filled out your yellow volunteer cards and turned them in? Have you joined any Ministry?

St. Paul reminds us today that we must be a new creation, “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule…” Jesus in the Gospel gives us instruction for our mission and work in the kingdom: we are told what we are sent to do, how we are going to do it, and what we need to keep in mind in order to deal with what we will meet. But if you don’t believe you have a mission, then these instructions are academic—moot—and don’t relate to what is real and present and active in our lives right now.

You are “sent” to all the people you meet in the various places of your life: home, work, school, at play. You are sent to prepare others to receive His inspiration, comfort, mercy and love through you and your actions—and you are warned how difficult this can be—that sometimes you are sent like “a lamb among wolves.” You are not (never) to force anything; but to make peace, to respect what the other person is and has, to take them where you find them,  to seek common ground as fellow beings, and to gratefully share the light and love of Christ—by being your authentic, Christian self.

Do you have a sense of God’s mission in your life? It’s not about accomplishing a head count, but about being glad you know Jesus and being glad if you can help someone else know Him a little too by witnessing the power of grace, love, peace and mercy. The Psalm for today is: “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.” If your life and choices show those around you that this is what you believe—that you indeed live in God’s joy and live for why you were sent—then you will live the mission with which you have been entrusted.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

    Authors

    David J. Conrad, M.A. Theology. Our Director of Faith Formation.

    Paul Pyrkosz. Our Youth Minister & Bookkeeper.

    ​Elizabeth Dyc. Our Director of Music Ministry.

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St. Aidan Catholic Church
17500 Farmington Rd. 
Livonia, MI 48152
Phone: 734-425-5950
office@saintaidanlivonia.org

Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 a.m.

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