St. Wenceslaus Church – Scappoose, OR: Homilies

"Don't let circumstances determine how you see God. Instead, let God determine how you see your circumstances." Look into this insightful principle with Fr. Chuck. Plus, boost your understanding and lift your spirits with these helps which Fr. Chuck mentions:

• Carina Alanson's blog post "7 Things To Do When It Seems Like Your Circumstances Will Never Change"
• Fr. George Montague's book Holy Spirit Make Your Home in Me
• Hezekiah Walker's worship song, "Every Praise"

30th Sun. in Ordinary Time, Oct. 24, 2021; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Jer 31:7-9; Ps 126:1-6; Heb 5:1-6; Mk 10:46-52

Plug in to the power of prayer that's bold yet humble. Let us confidently approach the throne of grace, bold as love and filled with a million dreams keeping us awake with "good insomnia" fueled by a vision of what God has in store for us! #WenceslausWednesday

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct. 17, 2021; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Is 53:10-11; Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22; Heb 4:14-16;
Mk 10:35-45

Ask yourself, "Do I have a Bible in my home? Do I have a Bible on my  phone?" Don't miss out on God's powerful word. It's "living and effective" (Heb 4:12; 2nd Reading) and smack dab in front of you! So sing this to yourself: "If I don't read, my soul be lost; nobody's fault but mine."

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Vigil Mass, Oct. 9, 2021; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Wisdom 7:7-11; Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Heb 4:12-13; Mk 10: 17-30

Jesus—who said, "Let the children come to me" (Mark 10:14)— continues his ministry to children and teens today through catechists. We reflect on that ministry of teaching the faith as we begin our new cycle of Faith Formation and Religious Education and once again commission our catechists and staff, those who "are being consecrated" (Heb 2:11) in their roles of teaching our children well.

27th Sun. in Ordinary Time, Oct. 3, 2021—Parish observation of Catechetical Sunday; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Gen 2: 18-24; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6; Heb 2:9-11; Mk 10:2-16

"Greater will be the future glory of this house than the former" (Haggai 2:9). Could this Old Testament prophecy be a "now word" for St. Wenceslaus Church as we look back on 110 years in anticipation of what God has ready for our future? Listen now to hear how this question relates to the readings for this Sunday's Mass and to the safety instructions we hear at the start of every airplane flight!

26th Sun. in Ordinary Time, Sept. 26, 2021—Special 110th Anniversary Mass for St. Wenceslaus Church; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Num 11:25-29; Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14; Jas 5: 1-6; Mk 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48

Hear an example of harmless "worldly wisdom" (that is, the social media "God's watching the apples" video), as well as more harmful and hurtful examples that we should shun. Act on Fr. Chuck's invitation to ask God for a dose of "wisdom from above."

25th Sun., in Ordinary Time; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Wis 2: 12, 17-20; Ps 54: 3-4, 5, 6, 8; Jas 3: 16 – 4: 3; Mk 9: 30-37

Rise to the demands of following our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And share his joy in lovingly obeying God the Father through self-sacrificial love for others and through speaking the truths of our faith—with love and respect—even when culturally unpopular.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sun. Sept. 12, 2021; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; Is 50: 5-9a; Ps 116: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; James 2: 14-18; Mk 8: 27-35

Hear about asking Jesus to give you a double healing. In today's Gospel, Mk 7:31-37, Jesus gave a double physical healing to the deaf man with a speech impediment. Let Jesus give you a double spiritual healing, freeing you to better hear God speak to you and to grow in courage and ability to speak to others about your faith.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sun. Sept., 5, 2021; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; Is 35:4-7a; Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10; James 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37

Get your "homework/soulwork" for this week: Ask Jesus to help you "hear now and understand" (see Mk 7:14) two crucial truths: What delights him about you and how he loves and cherishes the person you most want to avoid. Fr. Chuck leaves us in suspense about the punchline of the Sunday comic he mentions. To read it, click here: St. W. 8/29/21 bulletin and see page 3 of the bulletin.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sun., Aug., 29, 2021; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5; James 1:17-18, 21B-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Reflect on your call to engage in relationships with the self-giving, self-sacrificial love with which Christ loved us while here on earth . . . and still loves and cherishes us. Plus, hear about feeling safe on a plane because "Spiderman" was on the flight!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sun., Aug., 22. 2021; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23; Eph 5:2a, 25-32; Jn 6:60-69