Fr. Jerry Schik, o.s.c.

Since this is the Labor Day weekend I will talk about job descriptions beginning with Ezekiel, the author of today’s First Reading. The Bible says that Ezekiel was a prophet and a prophet is a person who speaks for God. He said, “I am like a sentinel for the People of God. You know how the sentinel sits in the watchtower and tells the public the latest news on the hour, every hour. Well I’m like a spiritual sentinel. My job is to report to the people what God is doing these days.” ...

My topic today will be the Seeds of Faith. In 1857 Wendelin and Julianna Grimm and their three children moved from Germany to a farm near Chaska, Minnesota. Wendelin carried with him a sack of alfalfa seeds….about 20 pounds of seed. He knew from his farming background that the alfalfa plant could not survive the long, cold winters of Germany and Minnesota. That basic fact of farming is called winterkill. In those days you had to harvest the alfalfa seeds each fall and store them in a warm...

My topic today will be our true identity. What is your true self if you say that you are a follower of Christ? Our Bible readings today will help us to answer that question. Our first reading came from the prophet Isaiah and his key concept is the tent peg. A good tent peg is solid and it holds the tent firmly in its place. Isaiah said to his audience, “Shebna is the chief steward in the palace and he is in charge of managing the property and the staff of King Hezekiah. But...