Saint Aidan Catholic Church - Livonia, MI
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  • Discover
    • About >
      • About Us
      • Our Patron Saint
      • Church Tour
    • Schedule
    • Contact
    • Register
    • Livestream Masses
    • Follow Us on Social Media
    • Groups >
      • Women of St. Aidan
      • Men's Club
      • Men's Prayer Group
      • Christian Services
    • Links
  • Grow
    • Become Catholic
    • Children's Liturgy of the Word
    • Families
    • Sacrament Prep >
      • Baptism
      • Reconciliation & Holy Communion
      • Confirmation
    • Staff Articles
  • Service
    • Pray
    • Assistance
    • Christian Services
    • Volunteer
  • Give
    • Electronic Donations
    • CSA
    • Endowment
    • RMD QCD IRA Contributors
    • Annual Report

Nothing Worth Having Ever Comes Easy

8/26/2024

 
When I was a child, I remember my parents saying to me that nothing worth having ever comes easy. To acquire something of great value one must work hard, sacrifice, and (usually) surrender something else of value. I think of the years of my musical preparation: it was a financial cost to the family, I spent hours at the keyboard rather than playing with friends, and I didn’t have time to do other things I might have liked to do because of musical obligations. What did I gain by this commitment?

​I used to think my life would be shaped by music and its business. But I find that music is only the vehicle in which I may serve God; His gifts given to me, and my hard work developing and employing them for His Kingdom. Hopefully, I am earning my place at the table—not because of the music—but because my spiritual and Communal life are truly shaped by the Gospels. I find this harder sometimes than practicing music for several hours a day. I know that I am a practicing Christian, a practicing Catholic. Again: nothing worth having ever comes easy…

Today in the Gospel (for this Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time), we come to the end of the “Bread of Life Discourse.” Many of Jesus’ disciples were deciding that what Jesus had told them is just too difficult to accept, and “as a result of this, many disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Jesus.” How disappointing to hear this typical human story of turning away, of giving up because it is difficult—if it were easy, though, everyone would do it…and all may have remained. (Something I tell my piano students to encourage them to continue practicing is that if it were easy to play, everyone would be a pianist.)

Today Jesus reminds us that His words are spirit and life. We know that He is the key to salvation: He is the bread of life. He requires peace, justice, and forgiveness in all our relationships. Not easy to do and to fulfill, but He is wisdom incarnate! May we all respond as Peter responds to Jesus: “You have the words of eternal life...you are the Holy One of God.”

It seems to me that having this faith is worth all the hard work, the practice, the sacrifice, and the surrender—but remember we will not do this all alone—we have the Holy Spirit within us, we have the Word to guide us, and we have the Eucharist to strengthen us. When things become difficult because our faith challenges us to do the right thing—the hard thing rather than take the easy way—just remember: Nothing worth having ever comes easy.

Keep singing!

​Elizabeth Dyc

You Are What You Eat

8/19/2024

 
St. Thomas Aquinas—like Wisdom in today’s Old Testament Reading—invites us to the table to eat. St. Thomas gives us four good reasons to eat the bread of life: (spiritual) nourishment, growth, healing and joy. We hear Jesus in today’s Gospel give us another and best reason: the promise that “whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood remains in me and I in him.” You are what you eat!

​Working on losing weight, I know how true this is with regular food. Our choices define our health. Choosing fast food over the true abundance and blessing of real food is one example—as a friend of mine (a massage therapist) says: “When food is highly processed (fake) your body doesn’t know what to do with it.” Real food gives us nourishment and growth, healing and joy.

As human beings, everything we know comes to us through our bodily senses. Without the Body of Christ, we might be tempted to reduce Jesus to an abstract, intellectual or impersonal concept or idea. But our bodies are our “gateway” to knowledge. In the Eucharist we know the divine person of Jesus. We eat and drink and we are saved because when we truly carry Jesus within us, we will be in this world as living tabernacles.

As human beings we rely on the physical presence of loved ones to save us from loneliness and isolation—we know that solitary confinement is one of the worst possible punishments! (Remember that no man is an island…) The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Body and Blood overcomes the “real absences” that besiege us. “…the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” He is the nourishment that satisfies our hunger and thirst for holiness and righteousness. Consuming the Eucharist reminds us that we are never alone—Jesus is always with us.

The Bread of Heaven imparts to us “eternal life.” When we partake of this bread, we have God within us and we begin to live forever.  All who believe this are welcome; all present are fed, all are nourished and sustained. This is a miracle and a mystery; this is our grace and redemption. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord! Remember: You are what you eat!

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

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    Authors

    ​Elizabeth Dyc. Our Director of Music Ministry.

    Paul Pyrkosz. Our Youth Minister & Bookkeeper.

    ​

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St. Aidan Catholic Church
17500 Farmington Rd. 
Livonia, MI 48152
Phone: 734-425-5950
[email protected]

Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM
Sunday: 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 AM

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