Praised be Jesus Christ! Did you happen to watch this year’s Super Bowl? I saw the first half and listened to the second half on the radio on the way to my annual retreat. It was an incredibly entertaining game, one that literally came down to the last play. Now before I sing his praises, I will give full disclosure and admit that I have never been a big Nick Foles fan (the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles). The guy played a heck of a game and genuinely deserved the MVP award that he won. However, what has been even more impressive was the humility and wisdom Foles displayed in his words during the postgame interviews. Maybe you’ve seen the following quote, as it has rightly been splashed all over social media: "I think the big thing is don't be afraid to fail. In our society today, Instagram, Twitter, it's a highlight reel. It's all the good things. When you look at it, you think, like, wow, when you have a rough day, your life's not as good as that, [you think] you're failing," Foles said. "Failure is a part of life. That's a part of building character and growing. Without failure, who would you be? I wouldn't be up here if I hadn't fallen thousands of times, made mistakes. We all are human, we all have weaknesses... and I might have just won the Super Bowl. But we still have daily struggles. I still have daily struggles. That's where my faith comes in, that's where my family comes in. I think when you look at a struggle in your life, that's just an opportunity to grow. That's really just been the message: simple. If something's going on in your life and you're struggling, embrace it, because you're growing." Good advice for all of us and a healthy reminder that athletes are just as human as any other group of people. Now the spiritual nugget in what Foles said is the reality of learning to accept suffering in our lives – and this is a challenge for all of us. So many times we’re tempted to approach suffering as an unmitigated evil that must be avoided at all costs. As Foles rightly pointed out, without suffering (in the form of failure in his case), we cannot grow and become a better person. It is not that we want to suffer, but nor are we afraid to if God permits it. We should always seek healing, but with the understanding that we may be carrying a cross that God permits so that our suffering will change us in beautiful ways. Flannery O’Connor was a remarkable Catholic author who got sick with lupus at the age of 25. Her Dad died of the same disease and so she knew from the outset what she was in for; because of her deep faith in Jesus, O’Connor accepted her suffering without fanfare or complaint. Do you struggle with suffering? Or maybe it’s not the suffering but the nagging sense that God is asking too much of you and others unfairly have it much easier. Next Friday, March 2nd Our Lady of Peace will again be hosting a Healing Mass and you’re invited to attend. Confessions begin at 4:00 p.m. (we’ll have at least three priests), and the Mass is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Father Bob Thorn from Wausau will be leading us, as he has beautiful gifts of healing and compassion. The healing prayers begin after Mass and you’ll be impressed with how frequently they admonish the devil and call on God’s protection from evil. Finally, you will have the chance to be prayed over by priests with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament guiding the whole enterprise. True healing takes place at these Masses, though it’s not always apparent because it’s not always physical. Some of the deepest healing happens in our hearts and souls, where there may be fear, resentment, unforgiveness, or despair. If you’ve never attended a healing Mass, here is your chance. As Nick Foles admitted after the Super Bowl, it was his faith in God that got him through the failures of life. Faith grows when we trust in the Lord – attend the Healing Mass and you’ll see.
May our hearts be open to the healing touch of Jesus in the Eucharist and in Confession!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin 

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Movie of the Month: The last featured movie of the season will be shown on March 11th . Les Miserables - this enthralling story is a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit and an unforgettable experience. We will watch this on the big screen in the Columbia room at 1:00pm. Feel free to bring snacks! 

​​St. John’s Parish Family has the opportunity to aid the less fortunate in our area by serving a fellowship meal in the Gathering Room of St. Vincent de Paul Center. We meet on February 28th at 3pm to set up, serve the meal at 5pm and finish with clean-up by 6:30pm. To volunteer, call Richard  

It is not too late to purchase your copy of the Diocesan Sesquicentennial Book: To commemorate the 150th anniversary of our Diocese a full color 400 plus page hardcover book depicting all the parishes in our diocese is available for $33.00. This book is everything it promised to be. To get your copy come to the parish office between 9:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday. All checks should be written out to St. John’s. Cash is also accepted. Please, if possible, bring the exact cost of the book. 

​​For more Parish News, check out our bulletin.

Praised be Jesus Christ! What are you giving up for Lent this year? That question was posed a while back by the newspaper and people were invited to write in and share their sacrifices. Sometimes people say it’s better to do something positive than to give up some bad habit. Without becoming polemical (i.e. argumentative – do you notice how from time to time big words are used in this column... the goal is to improve your chances on Wheel of Fortune and cross word puzzles, not to mention impressing people with your expansive vocabulary! Sorry for the verbose (i.e. wordy) aside.) why not do both this Lent? First, determine something you can live without, the sacrifice of which would be a daily reminder that it’s Lent. Giving up sweets is an easy choice for me, because like Father Stoetzel, I have a sweet tooth. Giving up Facebook or going out to eat or watching TV are also robust choices. Lent is a long season and we need something to help us remember that penance is good for us because it strengthens our will and bends it toward God’s will. Doing something positive is also a great way to sanctify these holy days and now is the time to determine our plan of action. And planning these things is essential to making spiritual progress; Benjamin Franklin once sagely pointed out, “Those who fail to plan can plan to fail.” My parents made it a point of visiting the sick and shut-ins before Christmas and Easter. Maybe we volunteer at Saint Vincent’s or other community events (e.g. every spring Marshfield hosts “Empty Bowls” and “Feed My Starving Children). Now it should go without saying that the goal of Lent is to deepen our friendship with Jesus. That means it’s important to take a good look at our spiritual life. A classmate of mine, Father Roger Landry, just wrote a book titled Plan of Life: Habits to Help You Grow Closer to God. I read it while deer hunting in Alabama and it is really excellent; at 120 pages, it’s short and very helpful in showing us how to take tangible steps to living our faith more generously. For example, there’s a chapter on how to start the day by getting up at a set time and saying our Morning Offering immediately. If you’re anything like me, it’s a struggle to be consistent, largely because it takes a lot of discipline to go to bed on time. Father Landry even provides a version of the Morning Offering that he prays and I share it with you here: “Thank you, Lord, for the gift of another day. Please help me to live it well. If it proves to be my last day on earth, help me to live it in total union with you so that it will be my first day in eternity. Grant me the graces I need to overcome all the temptations you know I’ll face today. Awaken me to receive everyone the way I would receive you, and help me to be for them a reminder of you and your holy priesthood. Help me to make this day a liturgy of the hours, my heart an altar, and my work a commentary on the words of consecration. Into your hands, I commend this day, begging the intercession of my guardian angel and all the saints.” Lent is a great opportunity to work on these practices, which over the course of our lifetime help us to become more grateful, humble, and generous. Another practice that is especially important for Lent is praying the Stations of the Cross. You can pray these at any time, but Fridays during Lent are the best time because we more naturally enter into Our Lord’s Passion and death as we meditate on the 14 stations. Blessed Alvaro del Portillo once wrote, “The Way of the Cross is not a sad devotion... Christian joy has its roots in the shape of a cross. If the Passion of Christ is a way of pain, it is also a path of hope leading to victory.” So, what are you giving up for Lent and what spiritual progress are you planning to make? “Those who fail to plan can plan to fail.”
May these forty days of Lent bring us closer to Jesus and closer to each other!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin 

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From the USCCB:

U.S. Bishops Conference Offers Audio Recordings of Scripture, Daily Reflections, Downloadable Calendar to Help Catholics Observe Lent 

WASHINGTON—A variety of resources to help Catholics observe Lent, which this year begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, are being provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

With the theme "Raise Up, Sacrifice, Offer," resources include a new set of daily suggestions for reading, reflection, prayer and action, in addition to the traditional downloadable reflection calendar available in years past. The downloadable Lent calendar with quotes from Pope Francis, Scripture, and Church fathers, is available in both English and Spanish. The daily suggestions and downloadable calendar offer teachings and suggestions for taking an active approach to the three traditional pillars of Lenten observance: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

The website www.usccb.org/lent, also includes facts about saints whose feast days or memorials fall within Lent, a reflection on fasting, information on rediscovering the Sacrament of Penance, and a section on Holy Week observances. The USCCB has also created an accompanying video reflecting on Lent for sharing on social media. 

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Contact Sister M. Consolata at 608-788-4530 or register: at www.materredemptoris.org for the following:
You are invited! Come spend a weekend with the Sisters! Who: Girls who are still in high school and are interested in learning more about prayer and religious life. When: February 16th-18th, from 4:00pm Friday - 11:00am Sunday. Where: Mater Redemptoris House of Formation; 3730 East Avenue South; La Crosse, WI 54601
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Arise! A Come and See Day with the Sisters! Who?: Girls ages 9 - 13, who are interested spending some time with the Sisters and others who enjoy spiritual things, while finding out more about religious life. When?: Saturday, March 17th, from 9:00am - 3:00pm. Where?: Mater Redemptoris House of Formation; 3730 East Avenue South; La Crosse, WI 54601. Cost: Donations accepted. 

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