Church Directors's Report
Church Director  Report  February 2012

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The Church’s Humanity

The Book of Revelation reveals to us that the Catholic Church is in fact the Bride of the Lamb, “clothed with fine linen, bright and pure” (Rev 19:8). And yet to be blunt, why is it that in our day-to-day experience, the perfect Bride of Christ so often looks like she needs a facelift?

Christ respects our human nature by giving us a Church that is both spiritual and quite corporal, as we are. If Christ would humble himself to take on a human nature, we should not be surprised that He wills His Church to also operate through our humanity and not just His Divinity. Insofar as Christ himself teaches us with His Word, feeds us with His Body, and pours out grace in all the sacraments, the Church is perfect. But in the human instruments that Christ uses in His Church, every kind of sin (alongside every kind of virtue) is to be found.

The Church is a true human society. Men and women do not have to be saints to enter it; in fact most of us are born into it, and to enter later people do not have to pass a test of virtue. In the Church, Christ freely showers his gifts of grace on us, but does not force us to accept any of them. He simply guarantees that His Bride will faithfully endure to the end of time, not that members will automatically be sanctified.

Frank Sheed writes “Every sin that is found outside the Church will be found inside; but the proportion of virtue to sin…would, I think, be found to be very different. All that stream of truth and grace…does not go for nothing. But if we want…some notion of the richness of the stream, we must look not at Catholics who make no use of it…but at the saints. If you want to know how wet the rain is, do not judge by someone who went out into it with an umbrella. Most of us are like that in relation to the shower of truth and life. We do not give ourselves to it wholly but set up all sorts of pathetic protections against the terrifying downrush of it. But the saints have gone out into it stripped.”

And that brings us full circle, because the full verse in Rev 19 that we began with says the Bride is “clothed with fine linen, bright and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” The virtue of the saints formed in our Holy Church far outweighs all of the evil that has ever been done by its members. St. Augustine says “Let us love our Lord God, let us love His Church; Him as a Father, her as a Mother; Him as a Master, her as His Handmaid; for we are the children of the Handmaid herself.” So when the headlines trumpet abortion-promoting Catholic politicians, priests teaching heresy, Bishops covering up bad behavior, or someone stealing from a local parish (pick your scandal), by all means get mad. These people have publicly hurt your Mother, the Handmaid of God, and there is such a thing as righteous anger. But St. Augustine also reminds us that “Holy Mother Church is not rendered powerless by any sin.” So above all pray for those who cause the Church pain, that they may strip themselves to accept the terrifying downrush of truth and life.

Council Director's Report
Council Director  Report  February 2012

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The October Membership Blitz at St. Michael yielded 18 men who expressed interested in joining the KCs and gave us their contact information. We are currently following up with them in hopes that all 18 join the council at our First Degree on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.

Please join us at St. Albert’s Parish Center and welcome our new members—and thank you to all who helped with the blitz.

Family Director's Report
Family Director  Report  February 2012

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Our schedule of family events is set for the 2011-12 fraternal year. Make sure to save these dates on your calendar and to bring your family:

• Saint Nicholas Party – Saturday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m.
• Father Daughter Dance – Friday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.
• Father Son Fun Day – Sunday, Feb. 26

We also have four Marriage Speaker Series events this year:

• Mike and Sheila Robeck — Nov. 12, 6:45 p.m.
• Cana Dinner with Jennifer Silvera Lindemer — Feb. 11, 6 p.m.
• Eucharistic Marriage Workshop with Jim and Maureen Otremba — March 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Speaker to be determined — April 21, 6:45 p.m.

We could use some Knight’s and their wives to help with put on the family events this year. If you and your wife would like to help, please contact me at 763-458-1942 or rohr_jeremy@yahoo.com.

Pro-Life Director's Report
Pro-Life Director  Report  February 2012

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This month I asked the wife of one of our Brother Knights if she would write about Sacrificial Suffering. The following is her story.

On Wednesday, Dec.15, 2004, at 9:15 a.m., the phone rang with the anticipated call I was waiting for.
“Hello?”
“Cindy? It’s Dr. Johnson.”
“Hi, how are you?”
“I’m good. Cindy, the test came back positive. It’s breast cancer. Stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer...”

I was 36 years old that morning, with two children, ages two and three, and I had cancer—the rarest form of breast cancer. In the coming days I came to learn that statistically, I had a 30 percent chance of still being alive after five years. I was facing four months of chemo therapy, a double mastectomy and six weeks of radiation.

In the weeks and months that followed, I learned that God had a plan. It wasn’t easy; suffering was required, but His blessings were bountiful and more than I could have imagined. Despite the suffering, I experienced God’s love in so many ways through the actions of others.

I learned that in this life, suffering is required. The key is for us to unite our suffering with Christ, whose ultimate suffering allows us to find strength and comfort in knowing we’re not alone in our struggles.

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