CHURCH CHAT #6

 

"BIG" GIFTS CAN COME FROM "LITTLE" PEOPLE

 GIVEN AT THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR 11-1-24-2025

           

When Jesus looked up, he noticed a poor widow putting two small coins into the temple treasury. He said, "She, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."

Luke 21:1-4

The closest thing today to the Temple in Jerusalem of Jesus’ day - at least in my experience - is a downtown cathedral. Just as the Temple in Jerusalem attracted a host of characters at the time of Jesus, most downtown cathedrals today attract a cross-section of humanity: millionaires and street people, tourists and residents, the non-religious, the marginally religious and religious fanatics. Like bees to honey, an important religious landmark, be it the Temple or a Cathedral, attracts a human circus.

For 14 years, from 1983-1997, I had the privilege of being the pastor of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville. From confessions that would curl your hair, to mental cases that would work your nerves, it was, by far, the most interesting pastoral assignment I have ever had, bar none! On my first day, I had to deal with a homeless man who had the urge to take off all his clothes to scare old ladies. I had to pull a drunk out of the bishop’s throne. I had to wrestle a stalker to the floor who pulled a knife on me over a homily. I mistakenly called the cops on the archbishop. I have had a man drop dead during a wedding, babies pee on me during baptisms and altar servers vomit on me during Mass. I had to drag a screaming woman from the altar steps to the back door through a wide-eyed congregation, too frozen to move. I was panhandled and manhandled.

In my 14 years, I probably met at our Cathedral most of the types that Jesus met in the Jerusalem Temple, including the poor “widow woman” of today’s gospel. This woman taught me a very important lesson about priesthood.

I was running late for the noon mass. I was going to the back of the Cathedral for something when I was confronted by a “bag lady” coming at me, with both arms waving to get my attention. I was used to it, so used to it, that I thought I “had seen it all” when it came to “street people.” As soon as I spotted her, I just assumed that she wanted money. I had been down that road so many, many times. Before I could get my well-rehearsed “come back later” or “go see our social worker” speech out, she asked excitedly, “Father, where is the poor box? I want to make a donation!” At that she opened her dirty hand and there she clutched her gift of a few nickels and pennies for the “poor box.” I had stereotyped and judged her by her appearance. Her generous “widow’s mite” judged me!

This modern-day version of the “widow and her mite” taught this priest several lessons. (1) You never know what is going on inside the people, merely through external observation, so always “take off your shoes” and approach them as you would “holy ground.” There is nothing as dangerous as a judgmental, “know it all” priest, be he a young priest or an old priest. (2) As Jesus taught the Pharisees, some of the people may have the appearance of saints, but inside are like whitewashed tombs, while some of those who appear to you to be terrible sinners may just turn out to be living saints. “Do not judge, lest you be judged.” (3) Generosity has very little to do with the size of the gift. Many big givers give once in a while from their surplus, but the ones who really keep parishes going are the many consistent little gifts from people who have to sacrifice to give.

The woman today has an important lesson to teach us and that is: generosity is always rewarded, and often extravagantly! As Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl from Holland who was forced to live for two years in a secret attic by the Nazis, being caught and ending up dying in a prison camp, wrote during World War II, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” Generosity is what many women have taught me over my lifetime!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A REMINDER: LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THESE KIDS NEED A SCHOOL

IF YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP, LET'S DO THIS

IT'S GOOD TO DO, ON SO MANY LEVELS 

HELP BISHOP FILBERT MHASI FINISH HIS NEW SCHOOL

 A CREATIVE APPROACH ADDRESSING THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS

(1) - lowering ongoing generational poverty through education

(2) - reducing Moslem-Christian conflicts through shared early education experiences

(3) - helping immigrants stay home and thrive in their own country through education

Below are some beautiful Tanzanian children, with Bishop Mhasi, eagerly waiting for their new school to be built.

A New "Cardinal Polycarp Grade School" Was Started

It Is A Little Over Half-Finished - So Far, So Good!

$102,000.00     

Has Already Been Raised By Bishop Mhasi

Four classrooms, the administration block, clearing the property and a kitchen have been funded. 

WORK HAS STOPPED BECAUSE THE MONEY HAS RUN OUT

$82,000.00 

Is Required To Re-Start And Finish This Very-Much-Needed New School

Three classrooms, toilets, water tank, septic system and burning chamber still need funding.

This Christmas, Help Us Close That Gap!

 

You have the option of naming your gift in honor of one child, a group of children, a favorite teacher or any special person. You can share this story and the pictures on this blog post by printing it off and telling them what you are doing in their honor. For children, this can be a teaching opportunity. If you like what you see, you can recommend this project to others by forwarding this blog post to anyone who might be interested in adding it to their gift list.    

 

As A Christmas Present, Father Knott Will Call Bishop Mhasi On Christmas Day To Tell Him How Close We Came To Our Goal Of Helping Him Re-Start and Finish the Construction of His New School. 

Soon Afterwards, Father Knott Will Report That Total To The Readers Of This Blog. 

The Kids Are Eager To Get Started!

"I believe deeply in this project! I am certainly planning to do my part!"

Father Knott

The Catholic DIOCESE OF TUNDURU-MASASI, in a majority Muslim area of Tanzania, faces a critical shortage of accessible and quality education facilities. Many children of school-going age travel long distances to attend government schools leading to high absenteeism and dropout rates. Existing schools are overcrowded, with limited classrooms, inadequate teaching resources, and strained teacher-to-pupil ratios. As a result, children are deprived of a strong educational foundation and formation, which negatively affects literacy and numeracy. 

Establishing a Catholic school in Tunduru is therefore essential to provide equitable access to education, reduce dropouts, foster long-term social and economic growth, and build a strong bond between Christians and Muslims from a very early age. Moreover, access to primary education is a foundational human right and critical for long-term community development. Tunduru's largely rural, low income, population is disproportionately affected by educational gaps and perpetuating cycles of poverty.  Establishing a new primary school would help promote equitable access, improve learning conditions, and support onward transitions to secondary education. 

Bishop Filbert Mhasi has a lot on his plate. He has 22 parishes and 140 outstations (mission churches) and lots of distance between each one. I remember clearly how much energy, focus and fund-raising it took for me as a young priest assigned to just 2 mission churches down along the Tennessee border as a young priest.  Since I have "been there and done that" on a much smaller scale, I am honored to help him in whatever way I can!

 

Father Ronald Knott and Bishop Filbert Mhasi

on a visit to Louisville last summer

"We both believe in miracles!"

FOR AN OFFICIAL TAX-DEDUCTION "THANK YOU" LETTER, MAKE YOUR  CHECK OUT TO:

Father John Judie Ministries, Inc

Mention "School Project in Tanzania" in memo line. 

THEN SEND YOUR CHECK TO ME FOR DEPOSIT INTO HIS ACCOUNT

If it is more helpful for your tax purposes, you can date your check January 1, 2026 and we will hold it for deposit until then. 

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens Court

#106

Louisville, KY 40217

 

"PROPHETS" ARE PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS RUB OUR NOSES IN TRUTH

 

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert. John was clothed in camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.

Matthew 3:1-12

 

For me, John the Baptist has to be one of the hardest persons in the whole Bible to warm up to! To be honest with you, I’ve never really liked him! In fact, during this warm and fuzzy Christmas season, he can be a real thorn in the side or a pain in the rear end! He was a true “wild man,” the kind of man you would grab the kids and pull them close if you ran into him on the streets. The smell of him alone would probably gag a horse!  His home was a cave in the wilderness where very few people would want to go there, much less live there! For clothes, he wore a disgusting old camel hide and for food he ate the locusts he found flying around and the wild honey that he discovered hidden in the cracks of rocks or in the hollows of scrub brush.  Men who wear fur, eat bugs and scream a lot get on my nerves pretty quickly! On second thought, he had a beard so I guess he was not all that bad! Afterall, I had a beard most of my adult life! 

 

John preached a fire and brimstone message of repentance in preparation for someone he calls “mightier than I.”  Like all charismatic preachers with a fresh message, people went out in droves to check him out and some to receive his baptism. They craved the fresh start and new life that he talked about.  

 

When the religious establishment folks went out to investigate, in their minds, this “nutcase” who was drawing people away from them, they found a hairy, bellowing preacher who did not mince words. He tore into them and called them “a nest of poisonous snakes,” warning them not to even try to hide behind their religious malpractice. In his way, he told them to “put up or shut up.” He challenged them to quit talking a good line and to deliver on their claims, because a powerful “someone” would be coming who would separate the “wheat” from the “chaff.” The “wheat” would be gathered into God’s barn and the “chaff” would be burned in an unquenchable fire.  

 

As you can imagine, these words certainly did not endear him to the religious establishment, but he did not stop there. He took on the political establishment as well. He got in King Herod’s face and told him that he was committing incest and that marrying his brother’s wife was not right. That kind of confrontation was tantamount to smacking a lion across the face. Embarrassed in front of his guests, Herod had John’s head cut off and served up on a platter for speaking so bluntly!  

 

John was a “prophet” and this is what “prophets” do. Prophets are not so much people who predict the future as people who get up in your face and make you look at present truths you are trying not to see.  Today, we would call them “whistle blowers,” people who drag the truth out into the light of day whether it is convenient or not! Like prophets of old, whistle blowers are often considered “nut cases” at first. Like prophets of old, whistle blowers often get themselves killed, either actually or figuratively, because most establishments do not like to have their boats rocked or their embarrassing truths to come out into the open. Instead of heeding the truth, people usually turn on the truth-teller. If you have ever been involved in such an action, you know just how dangerous telling the truth can be. If you were not physically hurt, you may have been labeled or blackballed for years and maybe even for life.  

 

We still kill prophets in a host of creative ways. We shun friends who will not go along with us when we invite them to agree with us when do wrong.  We rage against "wokeness" when what it exposes is too painful to admit. We ridicule the teaching of the Church, and those who teach what the Church teaches, when they won’t bless the wrongs we want to do. We call evil good and good evil so that we can live with inconvenient truths, even when we know in our guts that what we are doing is wrong.     

 

All of us have a built-in “prophet” as well. That built-in “prophet” is called our “conscience.” Our conscience is constantly confronting us with truths that we would just as soon not look at. When our consciences keep accusing us of violating our principles, we have ways of “silencing” them temporarily or even “killing” them for good. We regularly silence our consciences with alcohol and drugs, so that we can do what we know is wrong.  If we do it regularly and consistently over the long haul, we can even kill our consciences, until one day we are capable of doing or believing horrendous things that no longer even shock us!  As someone said, “When there is no faith, there is no conscience. When there is no conscience, there is no morality. When there is no morality, there is no humanity.”

 

When we stop listening to our prophets, inside and out, we sooner or later end up in a dark place with no escape.  On the other hand, Jesus said this: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!” (John 8:31-32) External prophets and our internal consciences shake us awake and make us face the truth because “people who tell us what we want to hear are not necessarily our friends and people who tell us what we don’t want to hear are not necessarily our enemies.”  Yes, the truth will set us free, but as President James A. Garfield said, “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” The truth of the matter is this.  To relieve our misery when are faced with unpleasant and unwanted truths, we tend to kill our prophets and numb our consciences!

 

These days, when truth is at stake, we desperately need communal prophets and personal consciences to rub our noses in the truth no matter how painful it is to look at! Today, we have way too many people willing to tell us what we want to hear, rather than what we need to hear!  Truth still matters!  

 

 

 

CHURCH CHAT #5

 

"THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE"

 GIVEN AT THE LITTLE SISTERS F THE POOR 11-17-202

The people walking in front rebuked the blind man, telling him to be quiet, but he kept calling out all the more.

Luke 18:35

Today, we have one of my very favorite stories in all of Scripture. Both Mark and Luke tell this story about the healing of a blind beggar outside Jerico. Mark gives him a name - Bartimeus! He is a man who knows what he wants and is willing to jump any hurdles in his way to get at it! No wimpish sitting back wishing, waiting and whining for what he needs, he is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he needs! No hoping to be noticed! He makes sure he is noticed! Nobody’s “sit down and shut up” is going to stop him! For him it’s “jump up, shout and be sure you’re heard.” He is tired of being blind. He desperately wants to see! He has a burning faith in Jesus and he will not be held back either by his own reluctance or the obstacles others throw in front of him!

It is important to notice the words of Jesus here! These same words are often used in the miracle stories of the gospels. Jesus does not say, “Go I have healed you!” Rather he says to Bartimeus, “Go your faith has saved you!” In fact, there are failed healing stories in the gospel where Jesus could not work any miracles because of a person’s lack of faith.  It takes two for a miracle healing – the power of God and the faith of the one who asks for healing.

The one necessary ingredient, then, in all healing miracles is the strong belief that healing is possible. This strong faith triggers an abnormal acceleration of natural healing processes. This is true of all the healing shrines in all religions – it is the firm faith of the believer that unleashes God’s healing power.

Bartimeus can teach us something. Psalm 119 says, “God hates half-heartedness!” Very often we are ambivalent about what we say we want. Often, we hang onto our infirmities and losses because they give us convenient excuses for not getting on in life and doing the hard things involved in making it work. We say we want things to be different, but in reality, we are not so sure! Often, we actually do not want things to change all that much.

I am sure Bartimeus thought twice about whether he really wanted to see because he knew that when he was able to see he had to quit feeling sorry for himself, he had to give up depending on alms as a beggar and had to get a job for the first time in his life!

Miracles are possible in our lives, but miracles are different from magic! Magic is about sitting around wishing somebody else would make things happen to make us all better. Magic is waiting for a fairy godmother to come and wave her magic wand over us so we don’t have to do anything. For a miracle to happen, like Bartimeus, we have to get up, throw away the security blankets that we have wrapped ourselves in and be clear about what we want and be willing to go get it! We have to override the naysayer in our own heads and the naysayers who line to roads of our life. Wishing and magic waits for others to fix us. Really wanting something make us take action. God is willing to help those who are willing to help themselves.  Yes, we need to help the helpless, but we also need to encourage those who can help themselves to help themselves!

Friends! We can begin to work miracles in own lives by really wanting something different and really believing that what we want is possible, like Bartimeus. As Dale Carnegie once wrote, “Believe that you will succeed…believe it firmly and you will do what is necessary to bring it to success.” Jesus put it this way to Bartimeus, “Your faith has saved you!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADVICE ON HOW TO KEEP FROM AGING - COLLECTED WISDOM

EIGHT BITS OF WISDOM AND A SUMMARY 

 

1. “Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.”

Theodore Roosevelt

I believe in this so much that I actually taught a class to future priests about saving for retirement with their first check. I even gave them a $100.00 each to open an IRA, an Individual Retirement Account.  

2. “One day you will look back and see that all along you were blooming.” 

                                                                                       Morgan Harper Nichols

Back when I was working on my end-of-life plans and designing my tombstone, I took a lot of time to reflect on my life. When I was finished reflecting back, I decided on four simple words "simply amazed  - forever grateful." "Amazed" and "grateful" - that pretty much sums it up and, besides, it looks pretty good on a tombstone! 

3. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest.” 

                                                                   John Glenn

I think I was born for service. My first inkling of maybe becoming a priest was when I was six years old. I publicly announced it at seven years old. I entered seminary at age fourteen, was ordained at twenty-six and have served in ministry for fifty-five years so far. Even in retirement, I cannot stop serving. In my mid-seventies, I made twelve mission trips to the Caribbean. At eighty-one, I have helped build a church in Kenya and a house in Tanzania. At eighty-two, I plan to help a Tanzanian Bishop finish building a new grade school in 2026. I have already started working on it! 

4. “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” 

                                                                  Sophia Loren

As I asked the people of the Cathedral when I arrived there to lead its parish revitalization and restoration, "Who says you only get one "golden age?" I am here to lead you to a second "golden age!" When I left there, I asked myself the same question. As a result, I have had a few more "golden ages" since then, even in retirement, because I believed in their possibility and did the work to help create them. 

5. “Old age is an excellent time for outrage. My goal is to say or do at least one outrageous thing every week.” 

                                                                                          Maggie Kuhn

One of the best things about old age is that you can say or write about anything and get away with it! I wrote a column every week for fifteen years in the local archdiocesan weekly, The Record. After that I started this blog, especially in retirement, I feel much freer to say what I feel than used to! What can they do to me now, fire me?

6. “If I had known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”                                                                                  Anonymous

Actually, I have discovered in my old age that you can turn your weight and health around if you don't wait too long. My "New Year's Resolution" when I turned 80 was to get back to my ideal weight again through the daily use of my treadmill and watching what I ate. This time I summoned the discipline. At 81, I have reached my ideal weight and now I can fit well into a favorite jacket that I bought in Amsterdam when I was twenty seven years old and backpacking through Europe! This year, I lost over thirty pounds, six inches in my waist and I am holding!  

7. “The wiser mind mourns less for what age takes away than what it leaves behind.”                                                                         William Wordsworth

I am not one who yearns for the days of my youth. I don't want to go back. That was much too hard! I am more centered and peace-filled now than at any other time of my life. I only wish I had the body of youth and the mind of an experienced old man. If I had to choose, I would certainly choose the mind of an experienced old man. 

8. “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.”                                                                             Anonymous

One of the things about old age, for me at least, is how fast time flies by in such a short time. It seems to me that every other day is a Thursday - time to get the weekend homily polished and ready to post on my blog. Even when someone mentions something from the recent past, I imagine it happened two, maybe three, years ago only to find out it was ten years ago! This odd awareness started back when I was a staff member at Saint Meinrad Seminary before my "retirement." I would ask them about something that happened "a few years ago" and they would respond, "Father, we don't know! We weren't even born yet!" 

SUMMARY 

How can you develop a positive mindset about aging?

First, you can start by shifting your focus from what you’re losing to what you’re gaining—wisdom, experience, and confidence. Second, you can surround yourself with inspiring people, keep learning new things, and embracing the opportunities that come with each stage of life.

Oprah Winfrey wisely said this, "We live in a youth-obsessed culture that is constantly trying to tell us that if we are not young, and we’re not glowing, and we’re not hot, that we don’t matter. I refuse to let a system or a culture or a distorted view of reality tell me that I don’t matter. I know that only by owning who and what you are can you start to step into the fullness of life. Every year should be teaching us all something valuable. Whether you get the lesson is really up to you.”

Maybe this is why some people have called me "an old lady magnet" - their sense of adventure! Maybe not all of them, but certainly the ones I enjoy the most!  

 

 

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE!

 

You do not know on which day your Lord will come. Stay awake! You must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

Matthew 24:37-44

Today, we have two two-word phrases about how to live! "Stay awake!" and “Be prepared!” I am very aware that I am bombarded every day with messages about how I ought to live, how I ought to think, what I ought to buy and what I ought to do. I try my best not to listen to most of those messages. So that I can freely and deliberately "take the road less traveled," I collect insightful quotations, wise sayings and other tidbits of wisdom and paste them everywhere in my house to remind myself that I am in charge of my own thinking, that I need not be a victim of what “everybody else is doing" or "what everybody else is thinking." I want to consciously control my own thinking and make my own decisions so that I do not end up unconsciously being a gullible "copycat" of what other people are doing and thinking. 

 

In my house, where I can see it often, is this George Bernard Shaw quote. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” This might not mean much to some of you, but for me it symbolizes the greatest breakthrough in thinking that I have ever had in my life. Until I was a junior in college, I used to believe that “life was something that happens to you and all you can do is make the most of it.” As a result, I ended up always being a “victim” - being what the same George Bernard Shaw called, “a selfish, feverish little clod of grievances and ailment complaining that the world would not get together to make me happy.” One day, in a flash of grace, it occurred to me quite clearly that "there was no rescue party out looking for me!" That day I made a clear, conscious decision to quit whining from the back seat of my own life and to get behind the wheel! I have told my story hundreds of times, but I also know that that every time I tell it, it always inspires someone to make a similar shift in their thinking. I am hoping that it will help someone here today who needs to make a shift in his or her thinking away from victimhood toward self-empowerment - to get a grip on themselves and quite waiting for a rescue party to come and magically “save” them!  

 

My fellow Catholics! The readings today are about the importance of building your life on a solid foundation, but before you can even consider what foundation you want to build on, you must understand and accept the fact that you are the builder of your own life! You are responsible for how your life turns out! If you build your life on the rock-solid foundation of sound thinking that leads to good choices, if you “get it” that life is about you creating yourself, you will most probably thrive! If, however, you build your life on the sand of weak thinking and lazy choices, you will surely doom yourself to the “swamps of regret” and the world of “might have beens!” 

 

Most of you are familiar with the monk, Thomas Merton. We have his library at Bellarmine University where I use to work as its longest serving campus minister. People come from far and wide to use that library and absorb his wisdom. Many of you may not be as familiar with the founder of his religious community, the Cistercians. Locally we call them “Trappists.” Their founder was a Benedictine monk named Bernard of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was a great reformer in the Church of the 12^th century. He might have died over 860 years ago, but his wisdom lives on and it is valuable even today – even for those of us in here today! He offers us four foundation pillars on which to build a good life based on the words of Jesus who said, “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit." If your life is to produce good fruit, St. Bernard says you must (a) consider yourself (b) consider those below you (c) consider those around you and (d) consider Him who are above you.  

 

(a) In considering yourself, St Bernard said, “Behold what you are! It is a monstrous thing to see such dignity trivialized and squandered!”  The first foundation stone on which to build a successful life is a passionate commitment to your own personal excellence – becoming the best version of yourself that you can become! I learned a little maxim in Latin many years ago which I have found to be so true.  “Nemo dat quad non habet” “One cannot give what one does not have.” Jesus said, “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” St. Francis de Sales said, “Be who you are and be that well!” In practical terms, if you are going to marry, be good at it, be a fabulous partner or don’t get married! If you are going to have kids, be good at it, be an effective parent or don’t have them! If you are going to go into public service, be good at it, be transparent, be honest and be self-giving or don’t get into it at all! If you are going to a priest, get serious about it or don’t get ordained! Be who you say you are! Be a person of integrity. Do the right thing even when no one is looking!  

 

(b) In considering those below you, you must never forget that the gifts you have been given have been given to you, not just for your own good and personal benefit, but for the good of the community! The second foundation stone on which to build a successful life is a passionate commitment to vocational excellence, to be the very best you can be at what you do!  This means a lifelong commitment to honing your skills, to deepening your respect and reverence for those under your charge and to always trying to lift the vision of others to higher sights, their performance to a higher standard and their personalities beyond their normal limitations.   Yes, become an example of who people want to follow! 

 

(c) In considering those around you, take stock of those with whom you surround yourself! The third foundation stone on which to build a successful life is to choose your friends and associates wisely. Many people do not realize the impact the type of people they surround themselves with has on their well-being. Our friends in AA know that part of becoming sober is not hanging out with drunks at bars! The people you surround yourself with will either lift you up or bring you down, support you or criticize you, motivate you or drain you. By developing relationships with those committed to constant improvement and the pursuit of the best that life has to offer, you will have plenty of company on your path to the top of whatever mountain you seek to climb. Remember, people who tell you what you want to hear are not necessarily your friends, just as those who tell you what you don’t want to hear are not necessarily your enemies. Surround yourself with people of integrity and quality. Do not hang out with lazy thinkers and undisciplined people! Instead of building you up, they will bring you down!    

 

(d) Last of all, in considering Him who is above you, never forget where you came from and where you are going. You have not always been here and you will not always be here! In the whole scheme of things, your lifespan is relatively short. The fourth and final foundation stone on which to build a successful life, therefore, is to develop an interior spiritual life to match your external material life, so that you can walk on two legs, not one! Statistically, marriages with God in them, for example, last longer and are happier. The same can probably be said of other vocations and professions. Awareness of God reminds us every day that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that an amazing amount of invisible support is just a prayer away and that our lives have a point and a purpose beyond financial success! Don’t let organized religion’s many failures cause you to miss out on religion’s many positive contributions! Stay connected to your religion and be serious about that connection!   

 

My fellow Catholics! These four foundation stones, if built upon with care, focus and determination, make up the cornerstones of a good life, in whatever direction you go! Those who came before you have given you an excellent foundation on which to build! Now heed the words of Saint Paul, “Each one of you must be careful how he builds!” Remember the words of George Bernard Shaw, “Life is about creating yourself!” Regardless of your age, you still have the freedom and tools to make something of yourself! Rise to the challenge! What you do with the freedom and tools given to you is up to you! I pray that each of you will develop a passionate commitment both to “who you are” and “what you do!” I pray that you will seek to be good and good at it! For God's sake, decide today not to be guided by "what everyone else is doing and what everyone else is thinking!" Be better, reach higher, control yourself and remember these words from today’s gospel, “Stay awake! Be prepared! For at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come!" 

 HAPPY 53rd BIRTHDAY, MISSION-FRIEND!

Bishop Filbert Mhasi

Bishop of Tunduru-Masasi, Tanzania

We are in contact at least once a week, especially lately. He keeps praying and fasting that we will find at least some of the final $82,000 needed for his "just a little over half-finished Catholic grade school." I told him that I would let him know on Christmas Day where my fund-raising effort for this project stands. We both believe in miracles, but regardless, I will personally give as much as I can because I am fully convinced of how important this school is going to be to these kids' future lives! As I have learned, "I can't help everybody, but I can help somebody!"

                                                                            

 

 

 

 

       

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHURCH CHAT #4

 

 

A THANKSGIVING REFLECTION

MAKE EVERY DAY A DAY OF THANKSGIVING

All powerful and ever-living God, we do well always

and everywhere to give you thanks.

Mass Preface

If I am not mistaken, Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday has gained in popularity since I was a child. It is now a "big deal" with many more families, these days!  That, I believe, in the words of Martha Stewart, is a "good thing!" Sadly, though, Catholics have celebrated a "day of thanksgiving" every Sunday over that same period of time,  but it on the other hand is losing in popularity.  We call our weekly "day of thanksgiving" by its Greek name Eucharist, meaning thanksgiving. Just as our national holiday "brings our blood family together" in gratitude, our Eucharist brings our faith family together in gratitude.

Whether it is once a year or once a week, I don't believe that either is enough. I believe that our lives could be enriched deeply if gratitude would be practiced as a spiritual discipline every hour of every day. - "always and everywhere" as the prefaces at Mass put it.

Henry Ward Beecher, an old favorite, put it this way. "Let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds iron, so it will find in every hour, some heavenly blessings." This is the idea behind this whole reflection - running my spiritual metal detector over the world in front of me every day in search of someone to encourage and something for which to be thankful!

This idea of going through the day "panning for blessings" pays off. Ezra Taft Benson said it this way. "The more we express our gratitude to God for our blessings, the more he will bring to our minds other blessings. The more we are aware of to be grateful for, the happier we become. "

Not only do we become more happy when we cultivate gratitude within our own hearts, it also make us holy. William Law made this point. "Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world: it is not he who prays most or fasts most. It is not he who gives the most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God's goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it."

The ability to be grateful and express thanks is something that must be taught to us, and practiced, as children. When it isn't, we run the possibility of growing up believing that we are entitled to all that we have and more.  Sir John Templeton captured this insight better than I can when he wrote: "How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens doors. It changes a child's personality. A child is either resentful and negative or thankful. Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people."       

AN AWESOME IDEA FOR YOUR THANKSGIVING/CHRISTMAS GIFT LIST

IF YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP, LET'S DO THIS

IT'S SO GOOD TO DO ON SO MANY LEVELS

This Christmas, instead of giving multiple gifts to people who already have too much, here is an invitation to share some of those gifts by helping give a life-changing education to some deserving kids who have much too little. 

You have the option of naming your gift in honor of one child, a group of children, a favorite teacher or any special person. You can share this story and the pictures on this blog post by printing it off and telling them what you are doing in their honor. For children, it can be a teaching opportunity! If you like what you see, you can recommend this project to others by forwarding this blog post to anyone who might be interested in adding it to their gift list.    

HELP BISHOP FILBERT MHASI FINISH HIS NEW SCHOOL

Why help people on the other side of the world? 

We help them, not just because some of them are Catholic, but because we are Catholic! 

 A CREATIVE APPROACH ADDRESSING THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS

(1) - lowering ongoing generational poverty through education

(2) - reducing Moslem-Christian conflicts through shared early education experiences

(3) - helping immigrants stay home and thrive in their own country through education

Below are some beautiful Tanzanian children, with Bishop Mhasi, eagerly waiting for a new school to be built.

Below is a recent Confirmation Class eagerly awaiting the opening of the new school.

A New "Cardinal Polycarp Grade School" Begins

It Is Over Half-Way Done - So Far, So Good!

$102,000.00     

Has Already Been Raised

Four classrooms, the administration block, clearing the property and a kitchen have been funded. 

WORK HAS STOPPED BECAUSE THE MONEY HAS RUN OUT

$82,000.00 

Is Still Needed To Finish 

Three classrooms, toilets, water tank, septic system and burning chamber still need funding.

This Christmas, You Are Invited To Help Close That Gap! 

Let's Finish This School As Soon As Possible! 

The Kids Are Eager To Get Started!

"I believe deeply in this project! I am certainly planning to do my part!"

Father Knott

The Catholic DIOCESE OF TUNDURU-MASASI, in a majority Muslim area of Tanzania, faces a critical shortage of accessible and quality education facilities. Many children of school-going age travel long distances to attend government schools leading to high absenteeism and dropout rates. Existing schools are overcrowded, with limited classrooms, inadequate teaching resources, and strained teacher-to-pupil ratios. As a result, children are deprived of a strong educational foundation and formation, which negatively affects literacy and numeracy. 

Establishing a Catholic school in Tunduru is therefore essential to provide equitable access to education, reduce dropouts, foster long-term social and economic growth, and build a strong bond between Christians and Muslims from a very early age. Moreover, access to primary education is a foundational human right and critical for long-term community development. Tunduru's largely rural, low income, population is disproportionately affected by educational gaps and perpetuating cycles of poverty.  Establishing a new primary school would help promote equitable access, improve learning conditions, and support onward transitions to secondary education. 

Bishop Filbert Mhasi has a lot on his plate. He has 22 parishes and 140 outstations (mission churches) and lots of distance between each one. I remember clearly how much energy, focus and fund-raising it took for me as a young priest assigned to just 2 mission churches down along the Tennessee border as a young priest.  Since I have "been there and done that" on a much smaller scale, I am honored to help him in whatever way I can!

 

Father Ronald Knott and Bishop Filbert Mhasi

on a visit to Louisville last summer

"We both believe in miracles!"

FOR AN OFFICIAL TAX-DEDUCTION "THANK YOU" LETTER, MAKE YOUR  CHECK OUT TO:

Father John Judie Ministries, Inc

Mention "School Project in Tanzania" in memo line. 

THEN SEND YOUR CHECK TO ME FOR DEPOSIT INTO HIS ACCOUNT

If it is more helpful for your tax purposes, you can date your check January 1, 2026 and we will hold it for deposit until then. 

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens Court

#106

Louisville, KY 40217