Requiescat in Pace

You may remember a couple months back my dad had a stroke (January 26).  Yesterday morning he passed over to eternal life, 2 days short of his 80th birthday.  Because of the corona virus pandemic situation we cannot have the funeral he deserves; but my mother and I will bury him on Thursday; my siblings being spread about the state and upper mid-west.  A memorial Mass will be celebrated once the pandemic subsides.  what follows is his obituary and a eulogy written by my sister, Elizabeth.  Thank-you for your many prayers.

Edward Emil Klos, age 79, passed away in the arms of his loving wife early Monday morning, April 6, 2020; two days short of his 80^th birthday.  Edward, the son of Emil and Anna (Rybarczyk) Klos, was raised in La Crosse, WI.  He attended St. Wenceslaus Catholic School, Central High School, and then La Crosse State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in education and later his Master’s.  More importantly this is where he met his wife of 57 years, Patricia (Downing) selling brooms for the Newman Club.  They were married on August 11, 1962 and settled in Westby where he taught Chemistry & Physics for 38 years and did carpentry work during the summer.  Ed retired in 2000 to full time carpentry and repair work which he had done since his teenage years.  He also loved relieving Pat of childcare responsibilities and taking the children for a wagon ride to the bakery for cookies.  Ed & Pat were members of the Annunciation of the B.V.M. Church in Viroqua which was the foundation of their love for each other, their family, and their commitment to their community.  Ed was very active in his church, the Westby Lions (55 years), the Bethel Buttik, the Westby Investors, Tuesday Night Come to Supper, and the many community projects that came out of those organizations.  When his sons were of age he served as both Cubmaster and then Scoutmaster.  He served on the church council and taught catechism for a number of years.  He and Pat chaired the Sacred Liturgy committee for several years.  He was a Eucharistic Minister and put his carpentry skills to work around the church.  He was always available to help and gave much of his time to others but cherished time with his family.  He went on several pilgrimages, and he and Pat enjoyed many trips and cruises with the Daines’.  He especially enjoyed trips arranged by and taken with Tim.  Ed is survived by his wife, Patricia; their children: Fr. Michael of Cashton-Norwalk, Timothy of Wauwatosa, Patrick (Patricia) of Terre Haute, IN, and Elizabeth of Oshkosh; as well as his grandson Nicholas.  Ed was preceded in death by his daughter Lori, his parents, his brothers: Gene and Russell, his in-laws: Carl & Margaret (Gasper) Downing, and brother-in-law Jerry Downing.  Ed leaves a legacy of love for family and community service especially to those in need.

Elizabeth's Eulogy:

Things my dad taught me:

1. Be kind. Always. No exceptions.
2. Buy whatever small children are buying(unless the child is one of yours; then you are out of luck).
3. Chocolate and a Coke make everything better.
4. Never be afraid to show love/affection.
5. Get involved with your community.
6. If you have the ability to help someone in need, help them without any thought of getting something back in return.
7. Work hard.
8. If you love doing something, even if you are horrible at it, keep doing it just for the joy it brings you.
9. Be playful and have fun. Find joy in the people and things going on around you.
10. If you want to have a realistic view of home improvement/carpentry never, ever, EVER watch HGTV.
11. Accept and love people for who they are. Right now. Even if they aren't particularly cuddlesome right now.
12. "Car Talk", "Dr. Zorba Paster" and "A Prairie Home Companion" (the original) can make the worst/most frustrating job bearable.
13. Dream.
14. Be proud of your accomplishments but not prideful.
15. Never apologize for being able to see what others can't.
16. Have Faith. 
17. The secret to a happy life? Naps.
    

The world has lost a truly great man today; a gentle soul with the largest of hearts.

Palm Sunday Homily

Well, our first “parking lot Mass” is done and in the book as a success.  I want to thank those whose imagination and energy made it possible: Franz Klein, Brian Brueggen and his boys: Phillip & Presley, Arnie Klinkner, Dennis Cummings, and Roger Cummings.  We had a full parking lot and into the village lot behind.  But fear not!  There is still the handicap lot next to the church so if you’d like to participate in the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday & Easter Sunday there is still room for you.  The homily for Palm Sunday follows:

Thusly we begin Holy Week.  A number of people have commented on how very “lenten” this Lent has been.  I’m glad to hear that God’s good providence, that is, His ability to bring good out of evil, has not been wasted on us.  But let us dive a little deeper into what the present crisis gives to us by way of opportunity to be more closely united with Christ.

In the Passion, which has been proclaimed from the Gospel According to St. Matthew this year, we see our Lord’s Agony in the Garden, His Passion, and Death.  I dare say during these past few weeks of corona virus induced isolation each of us has experienced our own agony, passion, and possibly even death, and in these we have been given a choice: will my suffering and death be without meaning, simply the way things are now; or, will I unite my suffering, challenges, isolation, my passion to the suffering of Christ?

I know from talking to a number of you and from social media that your own feelings run a pretty wide gamut: from too busy to really worry about the virus all the way to seriously depressed by the sense of helplessness or by the isolation this crisis has brought into our lives.  I had an experience of this this past week as my seminary class decided to get together online since they couldn’t get together as they do each month south-east Michigan.  This wasn’t an entirely bad thing as it allowed us who don’t live in Michigan to join them.  Some of us are keeping busy and have been impacted by the virus in the sense that our busy-ness has taken a new form.  Others are bordering on depressed because of the isolation this has necessarily brought into lives.  Yet again, some are even fearful for the toll this virus may bring to us and our communities.

Our Lord understands our anxiety and our pain.  He underwent anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane.  But His trust in the Father allowed Him to move forward and bring about our salvation through His suffering, passion, and death.  Some years later, the Apostle Paul would reflect on the thorn that was a constant presence in His life, a rod of Satan which continually battered him.  Like our Lord, he asked God three times to remove it.  Our Lord’s answer: “My grace is enough for you.”  Many others of the saints have had the same experience.

In our Christian way of looking at things, God’s way of looking at things, we recognize that this time of trial is also a time of grace.  As you continue now through this Holy Week of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, embrace the cross that has been given you and unite it to our Lord’s.  Re-read the passion account we heard today from the Gospel of St. Matthew – from the Last Supper through to our Lord’s burial.  Reflect on His passion and recognize in your passion, first of all, the invitation that has been extended to you to unite your passion with His; second of all, begin to reflect on how His passion and yours have meaning because of His resurrection; and then finally, embrace the share of His passion that has been offered to you in this time of crises.

Let us remember in prayer our Holy Father and our bishop as they lead and guide us through this time.  If you missed the Holy Father’s “Urbi et Orbi” message it is readily available online – read it.  Let us also pray for our civil official, that they may be focused on the common good and not on their own personal or party agendas.  Let us pray for the healthcare workers who have risked and sacrificed so much to care for those who are sick.  And let us pray for all of those who have been affected physically, psychologically, spiritually, and economically by this crisis.

God bless you all!  Make the choice!  Embrace this time as a time of grace.  If you are isolated embrace your isolation as an opportunity to delve more deeply into the mystery of our Lord’s Paschal Mystery, His passion, death, and resurrection.  Pray the Rosary daily, reflect on the Stations of the Cross, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and if possible: stop in at church.  We have been offered a gift in the midst of crisis; let us receive it with joy.

A Matter of Priorities: Body & Soul

     About a week ago someone on social media made the point that we should be caring about the body right now, not the soul.  The comment was made in the context of those dealing with the disappointment of churches being closed and supermarkets, hardware stores, certain businesses of a white collar nature, and abortion facilities staying open because they were deemed to be "essential".

     Now, be assured, I don't want to downplay the necessity of prudence when it comes to taking care of our bodily health.  God has given us bodies through which we experience the created world, and through it, come to know Him Who has created us for Himself.  Thus, good nutrition, appropriate exercise, shelter, and clothing are all important - along, now, with social distancing (which, by the way, is contrary to our human nature).

     However, we must be mindful of the proper end for our body: as defined above, "God has given us bodies through which we experience the created world, and through it, come to know Him Who has created us for Himself".  God has created us for Himself not as an owner to a pet or possession, but as a lover to a beloved; and He has created us for eternal communion with Him: thus, He didn't just create for us a body, which is not eternal, but also a soul, which IS!  (We can discuss another time "the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting" which we profess our belief in every Sunday.)

     So, what we need to recognize is that our life on earth is about preparing for eternal life in heaven.  While that generally means taking care of the bodies which God has given us, it is even more about taking care of the souls which are the imago Dei, or image of God within us.  Think of the Christian Martyrs who in recognizing and assenting, LIVING this truth were ready to give up their lives in this world in order to gain the eternal life of glory that has been promised for those who know, love, and serve God (as opposed to mamon) in this life.

     We must always remember what scripture tells us about the tragedy of gaining the whole world and losing one's soul. (cf. Matthew 16:24-28).  We don't all get to "heaven" simply by being born, or even by being "nice" people.  Heaven is about a relationship with God which is the life of intentional discipleship.  While heaven may be a "place", it is God's place, and we have to want to be with Him in order to be "there".

     So, while not underrating the need for prudence and the duty to care not only for our own body but for that of our neighbor, it is quite evident to me that when the present crisis is over there needs to be a real conversation, both within the Church and within our civil order, about the "necessity" of supporting the spiritual lives of our citizens and the public practice of our faith.  After all, faith is born, nurtured, and lived in community.  Our civil order needs to do better than give lip-service to the importance of religion, and we as a community of faith need to better understand what we are about and how that is lived.

Why is it so important to be there?

     As the "safer at home" orders were being issued and our bishops were cancelling public Masses across the nation there were not a few (including me) who growled about the faithful being kept away from Mass.  Not a few responses on social media shot back with, among other things, "you can worship at home and keep everyone safe", or, "you can pray just as well at home", and other riffs on this same tune.  As we have come to see how very virulent this virus is, the wisdom of our bishops acts of prudence are made evident.  However, as Christians we still need to understand why we can't worship at home, and praying at home is not the same as being there.  Television Masses are all well and good for those who are forced by age or infirmity to stay home, it's the best they can do; but it is no replacement for our presence at Holy Mass; which is why missing Mass due to our own fault is generally a mortal sin.  

     So, why go to Mass when I can watch it on television?  This becomes an especially relevant question when most Catholics think the only difference between watching Mass on tv and actually going to church is the issue of receiving Communion.

     Providentially, I have had some very practical experience with this of late.  With my dad in the nursing home and the nursing home locked down because of the virus, my mom and I have been unable to go to his room and be with him.  So, what to do?  Mom and I have both spent time just standing outside his window.  I can tell you this is not the same as being in his room with him, but it is far better than not seeing him at all, or rather, not being with him at all; for there is most assuredly a difference between "seeing" and "being present".  Some might consider standing outside someone's window an odd thing to do, but that is what love does.  And thus, we come to the two essential issues involved in being present, if even imperfectly, versus seeing something on screen: presence and love.

     When one recognizes that the Eucharistic is the real and sacramentally present Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ; and that the Mass is a veiled presence of the eternal liturgy in heaven, (cf. Revelation 4-5) one comes to see that there IS a very real difference in the various modes by which we are ourselves present to Him and He to us.  While being present to Him through a car window and tens of yards away is not perfect it is substantially different than seeing Him on a tv screen.  If you doubt this, I will happily take your Rose Bowl tickets the next time the Badgers make it and you can watch from home on your television.  😊

     Finally, it is a matter of love.  As I observed above, love does what can be done.  It doesn’t always make sense to those on the outside looking in, but it most certainly makes a difference in the hearts of the lover and of the beloved.  Again, if you doubt this then ask one of our veterans and his/her spouse about their time away from each other, even in this day and age where those "in country" or afloat were able to video chat with their loved ones from time to time.

     Brothers and sisters, if we are honest we will admit that being there with our Eucharistic Lord is not the same as seeing Him on tv: Even if we are shielded from Him and from everybody else's germs, it beats watching it on television.  And that is why I am offering Mass in our Sacred Heart Parish parking lot.  Be it ever so humble, "Come, let us adore Him!"

Challenge:  Until you are able to receive our Lord again in Holy Communion, follow the example of so many saints who have gone before us, even those who celebrated Mass every day, and make an Act of Spiritual Communion  each day as a part of your prayer: morning, mid-day, evening, your choice – or all three!  There are many versions, but here is a particularly good example:

My Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament.  I love You above all things, and I long for You in my soul.  Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.  As though You have already come, I embrace You and unite myself entirely to You; never permit me to be separated from You.  Amen.