St. Pius Catholic Church

    Congratulations to the Altar and Rosary Society and to all those who helped with the Flea Market a week ago.  Financially it was a success and it was also a great example of community effort for a great cause.
    Happy Father’s Day!  However, before I speak of Father’s Day, let me first reflect on the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer, June 21st.  As our Catholic Liturgical Year developed down through the ages with all its seasons, commemorations and feasts, quite often there was a coincidence with the seasons of nature.  For instance, the birthday of Jesus, Christmas, was placed near the time of the Winter Solstice, just as each day progressively begins to have more daylight.  Near the Summer Solstice, on June 24th to be exact, the Church placed the feast of the Birth of John the Baptist, just as each day begins progressively to have less daylight.  These two feasts, and their relationship to the year of nature, were seen as a fulfillment of the words of John the Baptist when he spoke about Jesus in the Gospel of John 3:30.  John the Baptist said, “He (Jesus) must increase, while I must decrease.”  So it’s fitting that we celebrate John’s birthday this week just as light is beginning to decrease in nature.  On December 25th, of course, we celebrate the birth of Christ, the Light of the World, just as daylight is beginning to increase more and more each day.  John had to decrease, while Christ increased.
    And that leads me to Father’s Day.  The role of the father in relationship to wife and family is analogous to the role of John the Baptist in relationship to Jesus.  The father must decrease so that others may increase.  A perfect example of this is the father of the bride at a wedding.  Most of the time I see him lurking in the shadows while everyone else is in the forefront.  His one moment of glory is to walk his daughter down the aisle.  And even at that time, while he dutifully performs his assigned task, absolutely nobody pays any attention to him because all eyes are on the bride.  And that is exactly the way it should be as far as he is concerned.
    Christian fathers decrease in many ways.  Over the years they decrease financially compared to what they could possibly have been worth.  They decrease by putting the needs of their children ahead of their own.  They decrease by letting the schedules of other family members take priority over their own.  Over the years you can see even a decrease of the hair on their heads.  And all this decrease is done out of love.  That’s why they are truly like John the Baptist.  John decreased out of love for Christ.  Fathers decrease out of their Christian love for their spouse and their children.
    Here’s one last thought about a Father.  This past week the parish received some religious articles from the estate of Fr. Tom Widdel who was originally from this parish.  The items were donated by the family of Dan Widdel who died this past March.  Dan was Fr. Tom’s brother.   Some things will go into our archives or be used at Jordan Catholic School, but one item will be placed in our sacristy to be used at Mass.  We’re honored to have Fr. Tom’s chalice and paten and to celebrate Mass with it.  Fr. Widdel was ordained in 1948 and spent 27 year of his ordained life serving as an active duty army chaplain.  Lt. Col. Thomas Widdel died in 1991 and was buried from St. Pius X church.  Each time we use his chalice at Mass we’ll remember Fr. Tom, his family and all the men and women he served in the Army over the years.  Fr. Tom decreased, so that Christ might increase.  Happy Father’s Day!
                            Mike Schaab, Pastor