Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,
Blessed Lent! Part of the blessing of this season is to realize that we will fall and God will help us get back up. Typically, that will happen once or twice this Lent. If it has already happened, get back up with the Lord’s grace!
We will have Theology on Tap at the end of February, on Friday the 28th at the Hunt Club in Hillsdale, MI. There will be food available with the opportunity to buy your own drinks. In our parish grouping (St. Anthony, St Mary on the Lake, and Sacred Heart) we plan on having Theology on Tap on a quarterly basis alternating between Hudson/Manitou Beach and Hillsdale. Each night will have a basic topic that we will talk about first (typically topics that people have a lot of questions about) to get the conversation and questions started. As always, any question will be fine.
The opening topic for the upcoming Theology on Tap will be the four last things: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. This topic taps into the deepest of questions: What am I made for? Is there anything after this life? What is my role in it? What is God’s role? The way we understand and answer those questions will determine much in our lives. Why are we so interested and why is it so important? Well, if we don’t know the goal, it is hard for us to run well the race in front of us.
One of my favorite quotes on the topic comes from C.S. Lewis in his book “The Great Divorce.” The book itself is an allegory imagining life after death and these four realities. He goes on to say this: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.”
That question—my will or God’s will—is the one we face every day of our lives. I have always enjoyed these events—please come and join us!
A bit further out:
The Diocese of Lansing’s Accept the Challenge Catholic Men's Conference will take place on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Eastern Michigan University's Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. We've lined up incredible, nationally renowned speakers:
* Justin Fatica, founder and Executive Director of Hard as Nails Ministries;
* Doug Barry, founder and President of RADIX Battle Ready ministry and the host of EWTN's "Battle Ready;"
* Father Joe Krupp, former comedy writer turned priest of the Diocese of Lansing. Founder of Joe in Black Ministries.
The wit and wisdom of each will ignite your spirit and help you deepen your faith this Lent.
There will also be Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, ample opportunities for Confessions and a wide variety of Catholic ministries to help you grow as a man of God.
Just go to this link listed below to register: https://www.acceptthechallenge.org/
(James and I will both be there that day. Brothers, it would be good to see you there!)
God Bless,