This episode features a homily from Father Jake Magnusson delivered at an appreciation mass, exploring the tension between prayer and action using the Gospel story of Martha and Mary.

The Gospel of Martha and Mary

Father Magnusson reflects on the story where Martha is burdened with service ("much serving") while Mary sits at the Lord's feet, listening to him speak. Martha asks Jesus to make Mary help her, but Jesus replies, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.".

The Better Part: Prayer and Work

Father Magnusson explains that the lesson from this passage is that Christians must do two things well: pray and work.

• The Image of Our Lady of Victory: This necessity is beautifully illustrated by the history of the feast day, Our Lady of Victory (1571), where the Christian army was "outmatched" by the Muslim Turks. The Pope asked everyone to pray the Rosary for victory, but the soldiers still had to go out and fight the battle.
• Ora et Labora: This reflects the monastic rule of the Benedictines ("Pray and work") who founded the school's institution.
• The Better Part is Prayer: Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the "better part", emphasizing that prayer is the most important thing. However, Jesus does not condemn Martha's service; rather, he reminds us that both prayer and work are necessary.

Living Righteously

Father Magnusson encourages listeners to find guidance in this balance:

• Pray and ask God to bestow graces that we don't deserve.
• Work and continue to "fight the battle for God, for goodness, for truth, for beauty".

The episode concludes with gratitude for the community's generosity and a final prayer for the congregation.

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.

This episode features a "Parent Rock" event at St. Mary's Central High School, where a panel including Father Jake Magnusson (Chaplain), Dr. James Link (University of Mary), and Mr. Brent Lysne (Dean of Students) answers submitted questions from parents on raising faithful children in the modern world.

The panel discusses practical advice, discipline strategies, and the impact of technology on young people.

Key Discussion Points & Advice:

• Emotional & Mental Self-Care in Young Children:
  • It's important to understand children's development and meet them at their level when addressing emotions.
  • Parents should create a non-judgmental space for children to express feelings and learn to regulate their emotions.
  • Encourage children to pray "freely" and express what they want to pray for (not just who), helping them articulate their interior life.
• The Cell Phone Ban:
  • The panel observed happier students and generally better communication since implementing the no-cell-phone rule.
  • Students now spend more time talking and visiting, especially in the mornings, rather than being engrossed in their phones.
  • Father Jake noted an increase in students seeking counsel and conversation, possibly because they have "nothing else to do".
  • Dr. Link emphasized that giving a child a phone early is rarely regretted; many parents wish they had waited. He also reminded parents that they don't need to be in constant contact with their children and that not having a phone will not mess up their mental health.
• Discipline and Consequences:
  • Taking away non-essential items like phones, TV, or cars can be effective disciplinary actions, provided the parent remains loving and consistent.
  • Consequences should never damage the relationship; parents must follow through consistently, even when they are tired.
  • The goal is to teach discipline is about doing things you don't feel like doing.
  • Using housework as a consequence is effective because it is adverse to kids, teaches them discipline and the value of work, and doesn't inherently hurt them.
• Coping Strategies for Teen Stress, Anxiety, and Depression:
  • Prioritize Sleep: Lack of sleep severely impacts mental health; 80% of teenagers are sleep-deprived.
  • Teach Deep Breathing: Good deep breathing (e.g., 4-7-8, Box, Cyclical) can be as effective as anti-anxiety medication and should be practiced.
  • Find Renewal: Help teens find activities that renew their spirit and recharge their "batteries" (mind, body, soul), moving beyond "doom-scrolling".
  • Mindset is Key: Encourage them to realize that they get to do certain things, rather than having to do them, and to act "as if" they want to do the work, which can eventually change their feelings.
• Spiritual Growth in Elementary Children:
  • Young children understand faith better than adults often realize, but need language to articulate it.
  • Adults should help by asking open-ended questions about their drawings or feelings, allowing the child to discover and speak freely with the Holy Spirit.
  • To combat scrupulosity (the need to "earn" God's love), saturate children with the understanding that God loves them unconditionally; lead with love, not just rules.
  • Granting patience is vital, as consistent attendance at church is meaningful even if they don't seem to be paying attention.
• Choosing a College/Career:
  • Visit the Campus: The perception of a school is often different from the reality; visiting is crucial.
  • Students often seek to escape their current life, but moving away won't solve problems. This inner "house" (the soul) will follow you everywhere.
  • The most important question is: "What does the Lord want?". If you follow God's will, even if it's difficult, you have a deeper certainty that he will be there to help you.
  • Support and affirmation are key; parents should offer their strong opinion once, but then trust and support their child's final decision.

The event concluded with an invitation to Adoration and Confessions in the Chapel.

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.

This episode features a lively homily given by Father Stephen Vetter, the Diocesan Vocation Director, who speaks to the young people about the three steps to a vocation, relating it to the concept of seeking holiness and self-discovery.

Father Vetter opens by emphasizing that the young people have been "given a lot" and that he comes to them with a demand: to find their vocation.

Vocations and "Ghost in the Graveyard"

Father Vetter likens finding a vocation to the game "Ghost in the Graveyard," where the goal is to find the "ghost" (or Jesus).

He outlines three key steps:

1. Find Jesus: The first step to any vocation is finding Jesus, who is not hard to find. Father Vetter assures the listeners that if Jesus were playing "Ghost in the Graveyard," He'd be wearing a full suit of strobe lights—He's super easy to find and appears in broad daylight, especially at Mass and in their parishes. In fact, Jesus finds you, so you don't even have to look that hard.
2. Find Yourself: The second step is to find yourself. Father Vetter acknowledges that self-discovery is not easy, especially when dealing with internal struggles, anger, or making bad decisions. He stresses that we are mysteries to ourselves. He encourages the students not to be afraid of what's inside, referencing Saint John Paul II's most famous line: "Be not afraid.". If you find Jesus first, He will be there with you to help you discover yourself.
3. Pray for Others: The third, and really good, place to start—especially if you haven't found Jesus or yourself yet—is to pray for others to find Jesus and find themselves.

A Gift and a Demand

Father Vetter concludes by giving the students a gift: a prayer card featuring photos of the current seminarians (including eight new ones this year, many of whom sat in the same seats as the students).

• He encourages the students to pick one seminarian.
• He asks them to flip the card over and pray the Vocation Prayer on the back for that young man.
• He states that these men are examples that Jesus can be found and are trying to figure out what God wants for their lives.
• The students are reminded that someday, some of these seminarians may be the priests who are helping them find Jesus and find themselves.

The episode closes with Father Vetter leading the young people in reciting the Vocation Prayer together.

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.

This episode features a special homily delivered by Father Paul, welcoming grandparents to the school, particularly those visiting the sixth graders, and reflecting on the unique spiritual lessons they teach about the virtue of charity.

Father Paul focuses on three ways grandparents embody this virtue:

1. They Never Brood Over Injury (Kindness in Suffering)
   • Young people sometimes react to others' suffering with laughter because they haven't yet realized they will also suffer.
   • Grandparents, however, have experienced their own suffering and possess the wisdom and kindness to see when others are hurting and to care for them beautifully.
   • He shares a powerful example of grandparents donating a large part of their life savings to help their grandkids buy a bigger house, showcasing an immense amount of love and sacrifice.
2. They Help Even When Nobody Notices
   • Grandparents often provide assistance and support without seeking recognition.
   • Father Paul reveals a personal story that his grandparents, who had 45 grandchildren, prayed a decade of the Rosary for each of them every single day, often to the point of wearing holes in their knees. He believes their prayers were instrumental in his becoming a priest, even though he never thanked them while they were alive.
   • He encourages the young people to learn to notice and thank their grandparents for the many things they do that go unseen.
3. They Teach Us Something About God
   • Grandparents teach us something unique about God by simply delighting in their grandchildren.
   • Grandchildren enjoy being seen by their grandparents, and the grandparents enjoy seeing them.
   • Father Paul explains that this mutual delight is a powerful image of what God is like—He just loves being near us and seeing us, granting us His presence day and night without ceasing.

Father Paul concludes by suggesting that for students whose grandparents cannot be present, they should offer prayers for them and remember that they can look to Joachim and Anne (Jesus's grandparents) as their own, since Jesus is generous enough to share them. The homily closes with a prayer that the grandparents' presence reminds the students of God's beautiful, loving presence.

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.

This episode features a homily delivered by Father Paul, who discusses the challenge of controlling God and offers a transformative prayer of surrender based on a passage from the Gospel.

The Problem of Control

Father Paul introduces the Gospel passage where Jesus tells the crowds, "You guys are like children who sit in the marketplace... We sang a dirge for you but you did not weep, and we sang a song for you and you did not dance".

He explains that Jesus is highlighting the human tendency to control and demand a specific reaction, or in prayer, to demand that God do what we want.

• Demanding Prayer: Father Paul shares that people (including his younger self) often pray by demanding things—like money, or winning a game—as proof of God's reality or love.
• The Problem: When these demands are not met (e.g., losing the bet), it leads to the belief that God doesn't love us or that we haven't been "good enough".
• The Promise: Father Paul reassures the listeners that every prayer offered to God will be answered.

The Attitude of Surrender

Father Paul contrasts demanding prayer with a more powerful approach that allows God's will to work:

• Shift in Focus: Instead of demanding, we should ask, "God, what's your will? What do you want?".
• God's Heart: God never wants to make your life harder; He only allows suffering because he gives you all the grace you need to overcome it.
• The Unfailing Prayer: Father Paul shares a personal prayer that he has found to be "super powerful" and "never fails":

"Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything."He gives an immediate, real-life example of this prayer working just ten minutes before the homily when an issue arose with the piano for Mass, and the problem was quickly solved after this prayer.

Conclusion

Father Paul concludes by urging the listeners to adopt this attitude of surrender and trust, knowing that God is constantly bending over backward to take care of them and knows what is good for them better than they do.

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.

This episode features a homily delivered by Father Paul at St. Mary Academy, where he explores the Gospel parable of the vineyard workers to challenge the common feeling that life, particularly the Christian life, can feel "unfair".

The Parable of the Vineyard

Father Paul recounts the Gospel story where a landowner hires workers at various times throughout the day, including some hired with only one hour left. When it's time to be paid, the landowner pays the last workers hired a full day's wage (a fair wage, perhaps $100), and then pays all the other workers the exact same amount, including those who worked all day.

The expected reaction from the full-day workers is, "That's not fair!".

A Lesson in Generosity

Father Paul shares a personal story about his first job in high school, where an elderly couple hired him to trim trees on their farm. When asked what he should be paid, he boldly suggested double the minimum wage, or $14 an hour. The couple's surprising reply was, "Oh, we think we should pay you $20," and they even ended up paying him $22 an hour, gave him lunch, and let him set his own hours.

He reflects on the fact that he realized years later the couple likely did not need his help as much as they simply wanted to spend time with him and teach someone how to be generous.

The Christian Life is Unfair (to Your Advantage)

Father Paul applies this lesson to the students' lives:

• Students may sometimes feel that the Christian life is hard or unfair, citing the demands of church, studying, and high expectations.
• He tells the students: "Guess what, it is unfair!".
• However, he emphasizes that the unfairness is to the students' advantage, as they are receiving more than they deserve, not less.
• No one earned the opportunity for an education or the ultimate gift of Jesus dying on the cross. We deserve eternal punishment, but God offers forgiveness and a chance to live the Christian life.

Christ, the Reason for the School

Father Paul directs the students to find a sign in the school that says: "Be it known to all who enter here, that Christ is the reason for this school. He is the unseen but ever-present teacher.". The ultimate reason for their education is not wealth or success, but Jesus Christ, who simply wants to be with them and love them in a way they don't deserve.

He concludes by offering the graduates a choice: to be like the workers who received their fair wage but complained, or to be like the ones who received the generous gift and thankfully accepted it.

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.

This episode captures the moving commencement speech delivered by Emelia Koch to the graduating class of St. Mary's Central High School (SMCHS), reflecting on their journey and the guiding principles they learned.

Emelia reminisces about watching the older graduates walk the halls as a child, marking the significance of this final walk as their chapter closes after up to 14 years within the Light of Christ Catholic Schools system.

She expresses deep gratitude to the Light of Christ Board of Directors, Bishop Kagen, the teachers, staff, and faculty for providing a Catholic education that helped students encounter Christ and for being role models of service. She also thanks the family members for their sacrifices.

The core of her speech focuses on the attributes represented by the word SAINT, a theme often featured on posters within the SMCHS classrooms:

• S - Support One Another
  • This value was evident in moments of high celebration (like winning State Know Your Faith) and deep sadness (praying for families in need).
  • The unexpected can throw us off course, and supporting one another, guided by faith, is essential.
• A - Act with Virtue
  • From a young age, students were taught that how they act matters, whether it was walking the wall during recess or having silent lunches.
  • Experiences in teams, clubs, and projects taught them to act with virtue, even if it meant admitting one's own opinion wasn't the best.
• I - Integrity at All Times
  • Integrity means staying true to oneself, including standing up for what you believe in—from faith and morals to opinions on Taylor Swift.
  • The school taught them to remember their own dignity and the dignity of others, even when debating.
• N - Never Give Up
  • This was seen in competitive events like the Homecoming Buff 'n' Scuff games and Catholic Schools Week bowling.
  • Most importantly, events like the Rock and Assistant Chaplain's Retreat taught the importance of perseverance and never giving up on faith to fulfill their vocations.
• T - Treat with Respect
  • The golden rule, "Treat others the way you want to be treated," was a repeated lesson.
  • SMCHS taught them to love others in a respectful way, following the example of Jesus.

Emelia concludes with confidence that these attributes, rooted in faith, have formed the graduates into adults who are ready and able to change the world. She leaves them with the final instruction: "Make it a great life or not, the choice is yours.".

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.

This episode features the heartfelt and motivational commencement address delivered by Connor Schatz to his fellow graduates at St. Mary's Central High School (SMCHS).

Connor begins by expressing deep gratitude to the parents, teachers, staff, Bishop Kagen, and the Light of Christ Board of Directors for their unwavering support and dedication to the students' success.

The core of the speech is focused on "Five Rules for Life After Graduating at St. Mary's," which Connor adapted from an Arnold Schwarzenegger speech. While not official rules, they offer guidance for a meaningful and joyful future:

• Rule 1: Trust in God
  • Always trust in the Lord and His plan, even when the future is uncertain.
  • God's plans are greater than anything we can imagine, as quoted from Jeremiah 29:11.
• Rule 2: Ask for Help
  • Asking for help is a sign of wisdom, not weakness, as it acknowledges that no one can do everything alone.
  • If you don't need help, be the person who helps others.
• Rule 3: Serve Others
  • Serving others should be an emphasized part of life moving forward.
  • Inspired by a homily, Connor urges graduates to "get over yourself" and start helping others now, as today is the only right time to make a difference.
• Rule 4: Be Joyful
  • Choose joy by focusing on positive aspects and facing hardships with hope and trust in God.
  • He shares the advice of Coach Brent De Cook: "Let the light in you shine brighter than the light on you".
• Rule 5: Success Does Not Define You
  • Our worth is not measured by earthly achievements, titles, or money, but by how we love God and serve others.
  • God's love is given, not earned.

Connor concludes by encouraging his classmates to carry these truths forward and leaves them with a final inspirational quote from Colossians 3:23-24: "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ".

Being a SAINT Changes Lives, and when you give a gift to support our SAINTS, it changes your life too.

Choose YOUR impact at lightofchristfoundation.org.