[Father Skloo - zah - check]

I'm sure most of us remember five years ago tomorrow, September 11, 2001, when the horrific events of that day changed our world dramatically. Even though terrorism and violence had been around for a long time, they had little impact on our day-to-day lives. For many of us living in the United States, terrorist events were things that happened far away, and didn't much change the way we lived. But September 11^th changed all that.  Now it was brought home. Many of us knew people who were killed that day, or we were in some way connected to them. 
Since September 11^th, much has changed in the way we live. It's not only flying on a plane, but where we travel, how we assemble in large groups of people, our economy, and much else that has changed.   
Even though the events of that day were brought on by the tremendous force of evil, we saw as well the tremendous power of good. We remember how our country came together in solidarity, united in the mission to help those who were victims of the violence, and to bring to justice those who did the violence.  I remember vividly how so many people turned to God at a time when they had no answers, and could find no relief or support anywhere else. 

Our churches were filled, at least for a few weeks after

ward. Many Catholics
returned to the sacraments, perhaps seeing in these events a wake-up call to "be prepared." Sometimes, it takes a tragedy to wake us up to the reality of eternal truths. 

Like the deaf man in today's Gospel, we can go about our

business without hearing those truths. Or, even though we hear them, they don't have any impact on how we live our lives. When Jesus said "Ephphatha!" -  that is, "Be opened!" -  to the deaf man, his ears were opened and his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. That is what needs to happen to each of us.
We need to be open to the Gospel message, and courageously speak that message to others. Even though we are very well aware of the evil present in our world, we know that the power of God's grace has conquered that evil. Jesus Christ, by the blood of His cross, has conquered sin and death forever. When we claim the power of Jesus by faithfully and regularly celebrating his life-giving sacraments, evil has no hold on us. 
As we observe this sober anniversary of September 11, 2001, let us take the opportunity to re-commit ourselves to be forces of good in our world. By faithfully following the Lord Jesus, opening ourselves to His teaching and boldly proclaiming it to others, we can do our part to make our world a better place. 
This past Saturday (September 9) was the "Blue Mass" at the Cathedral of St. Paul, commemorating the fifth anniversary of 9/11/01, and honoring police officers, firefighters, and other emergency personnel. Archbishop Flynn expressed his gratitude for all those who serve us so tirelessly in the work they do to keep our communities safe. I know that all parishioners of St. John's will join me in thanking those in our parish who work in law enforcement, fire, and emergency services. May God bless you for the work you do.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our Fallfest next weekend. Come and bring the whole family, and invite your neighbors and friends!

RECTORY HOUSEKEEPER & COOK WANTED

Father Skluzáček and Father Magnuson have moved into the Rectory and are looking for a housekeeper and cook. This part time position includes cleaning, laundry, preparing some meals, and grocery shopping. Flexible hours. If you are interested, please see the parish web site for a complete job description, and stop by the Parish Office to fill out an application. Thank you.