Queen of Angels Catholic Parish Chicago

Happy Easter! ¡Feliz Pascua!

May the Blessings of Easter be Yours!
Dear Parishioners,

As we celebrate Easter, we know deep in our hearts that the road to resurrection and New Life may be the one we least expect.

In his book Show Me the Way, Henri Nouwen describes our Lord’s life as one of “hiddenness.” In other words, Christ’s journey towards Resurrection and New Life was paradoxically one of downward mobility, a life where power, popularity and ambition had no value.  

As the light of Christ (the Easter Candle) shines in our church during this Easter Season, let us say “Thanks be to God!” for all our parishioners and family members who serve and love God’s people in “hiddenness”— people who neither seek nor desire power, popularity and upward mobility. Their only concern is that the hearts of their brothers and sisters will be set on fire by the Light of Christ.

On behalf of our parish staff, I wish you and your loved ones a Blessed and Joyful Easter. May Christ our Light continue to break through the darkness of our lives and the lives of the people we love.

-- Monsignor James T. Kaczorowski, Pastor

“Cambia tu Vida”

“Turn Life Around”
BUILDING ON 100 YEARS OF CARING AND SHARING
Today we hear a powerful story of God’s intense love for us in the person of the father of the prodigal sons. I say “sons” because the younger of the two wanted his inheritance early in life so he could get away, see the world and live it up. The older son was of a different ilk and harbored grudges, was envious of his brother and allowed greed and jealousy to eat away at his spirit.

In reading the story, we notice that the emphasis is placed on the younger son. He squandered all he received as an inheritance and found himself in a worse state than any of the servants who worked for his father. The son saw no other recourse than to return to his father for help when he could not survive. The son’s return was not based on renewed love but rather on survival for fear of losing his life.

"Listen to His Voice"

“Escuchen su Voz”
CONSTRUYENDO EN 100 AÑOS DE COMPARTIR Y CUIDAR
En el Evangelio de hoy Jesús lleva a Pedro, Juan y Santiago a la montaña a orar. Al terminar su experiencia en Monte Tabor los tres apóstoles escuchan una voz desde una nube decir, “Este es mi hijo, el elegido; escúchenlo.” Estas palabras son, sin duda alguna, el mensaje clave de Dios a los tres discípulos y a todos y cada uno de nosotros. Ser un discípulo de Jesús es adoptar una posición de escuchar en la vida, de estar sin “textos” o “cubiertas” que nos protejan de los altibajos ocurriendo en los caminos de la vida.

“Ahora es el Tiempo”

“Now is the Time”
BUILDING ON 100 YEARS OF SHARING AND CARING
No matter how many times we’ve read the story of the wedding feast at Cana, there are always new insights or surprises that strike us. In reading this gospel story again, it struck me in a new way that both Jesus and Mary were invited to the wedding celebration. We find out that Mary plays a very significant role at the marriage feast, even though she appears to be somewhat in the background. Perhaps it was God’s way of showing us how God’s love and compassion have no limits and, that often times, Mary has a part in God’s work happening in people’s lives.

"What / Whom Do You Seek?"

"¿A Qué / Quién Buscan?"
CONSTRUYENDO EN 100 AÑOS DE COMPARTIR Y CUIDAR
Acabamos de celebrar la maravillosa fiesta de Navidad conmemorando el nacimiento de Jesús, quién decidió convertirse en humano para que algún día todos podamos reunirnos con él para siempre en la vida eterna. Hoy, en la fiesta de la Epifanía, damos otro vistazo al maravilloso evento del nacimiento de Jesús, moviendo nuestra concentración más allá de Jesús como infante.

San Mateo detalladamente nos cuenta la historia de un grupo de exploradores, quienes no son de pueblo vecinos de Palestina, pero quienes vinieron a Belén de tierras lejanas. Al mirar este relato cuidadosamente, dos puntos me impactaron.

“Abunden en Amor”

“Abound in Love”
BUILDING ON 100 YEARS OF CARING AND SHARING
Reading Luke’s gospel today may stir up some feelings of anxiety and fear, for we do not know when the end of time will come. When we reach this time of year, we become aware of different kinds of endings whether it is seasonal, moving from warmth to cold, the holiday time or reminders of the final time in the ways we experience life now. Because of the unknown, we may experience some uneasiness. The messages we pick up in today’s readings ought to cause us to rethink how we live life and how we respond to situations that enter our daily run-of-the-mill activities.

"Relaciones"

“Relationships”
BUILDING ON 100 YEARS OF SHARING AND CARING
Today’s scripture readings address rather clearly how life plays itself out at times. Taking a look at the reading from the book of Genesis, we come face to face with the beginnings of relationships. God created man and in the process formed woman who became integral to the partnership that developed. They were of the same bone and flesh, and consequently, were equal as human beings.

A bond existed between them and, if we extend that, we see that it is exemplified in the union that occurs between husband and wife in marriage and ultimately, in the family unit that results from this union. Key to this coming together in the lives of all human beings is relationship, togetherness and care for others.

“Fe de Pascua – Gozo de Pascua”

“Easter Faith – Easter Joy”
BUILDING ON 100 YEARS OF CARING AND SHARING
Easter Blessings to each of you, parishioners and friends of Queen of Angels! It is my prayer and hope that this greatest of feasts in the Church Year will not only fill you with the happiness of this day but also strengthen your belief and trust in our Lord Jesus. The feast of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead is truly the cornerstone of what we believe as baptized Christians. It is the reason for our saying, “I do believe” when we renew our baptismal vows during the Easter Liturgy.

What happened during the early morning hours of that first Easter was the fulfillment of many of Jesus’ words to us heard during the days of Lent. And this great event, this mystery of our faith, happens again and again in our daily lives.

“Dying Leads to Life”

“La Muerte Lleva a la Vida”
CONSTRUYENDO EN 100 AÑOS DE COMPARTIR Y CUIDAR
Nos estamos acercando al final de la temporada de cuaresma de este año y quizás necesitamos evaluar cómo ha sido este tiempo para nosotros. Las palabras de Jesús en el Evangelio de hoy, “La hora ha llegado,” pone esta realidad justo enfrente de nuestras mentes. Jesús implica que su muerte está a la mano. San Juan está diciendo claramente que esta es realmente la hora en la cual Jesús será glorificado.

Escuchamos esta paradoja con frecuencia y me pregunto si entendemos la profundidad de lo que Juan esta diciendo. Dicho simplemente, el escritor implica que la muerte lleva a vida nueva, a la gloria. La cuaresma nos ayuda con este proceso vital. La vida llegará a un final pero como cristianos creyentes sabemos que hay vida después de la muerte.

“Cambio Significa Limpieza”

“Change Means Cleaning Up”
BUILDING ON 100 YEARS OF CARING AND SHARING
Doesn’t today’s gospel remind you somewhat of giving your home a good cleaning? In former days the coming of spring meant just that: cleaning inside and out. We are very close to the spring season and we might be thinking of freshening things up in our houses as well as cleaning up the yard, trimming bushes and maybe even doing some planting.

In a way, Lent offers such opportunities with regard to the way we live. We have a chance to examine what life has been like and come to grips with some changes that might be needed between ourselves and God. Just as debris has accumulated in our yards and gardens, so we may have some undesirable habits and behaviors that stand between ourselves, God and our neighbor. Self-centeredness, rash judgments, laziness, unexpected outbursts of anger, or greed may have taken root in our lives.