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Monday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4:30pm

http://www.maryundoerofknots.org/

Mary Undoer of Knots Parish, 4646 N. Austin Avenue, Chicago, IL (2026)

06/14/2026

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 9:36 – 10:8
Answering the Call
Basilica of the Annunciation

If you’re like me, your cellphone is permanently attached at the hip and you never go anywhere without it. It’s our calendar, our camera, our documents and apps; it’s our email lifeline to the world. But in all its complexity, it is still plain and simple - a phone. And every day it presents us with choices/decisions –do we recognize the number, do we answer the phone!

It’s a process we are all familiar with. The phone rings; is the number familiar? If it isn’t, I regularly ignore and decline the call. If I recognize the number, then it’s more complicated. I can choose to answer it or I can deliberately decide I don’t want to talk to this person. A simple call but so many options!
Aah, it was so much simpler decades ago. All we had was a landline, a home phone – no cells, no caller ID! If the phone rang, we answered it. Simple as that! But nowadays, we have a decision to make – accept or not! Answer or not!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives His 12 disciples instructions! He calls them to go off two by two to spread the Word, to teach the message! To heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and drive out demons! To proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! In fact, His call/His instructions go on for another entire chapter! He calls each of them by name! He sends them on a mission to preach, to teach, to heal! And their response? They went and spread the Word! They answered the call!

What about us? Are we spreading the Word? Are we sharing the Gospel message of love and compassion? Are we acting on our Faith? Are we answering the Call?

So that is my question today. Your phone is ringing; God is calling! Would you answer the phone? Would you ignore it? Or would you doubt who was calling? What would you do? I’m busy! Maybe later! Granted, God finds plenty of ways every day to call out to us. But the question is still the same – would you answer the call or decline it? Would you be too busy with life or too fearful of the possibilities or demands of the call? That call may be a friend needing some advice, or the parish asking for volunteers or maybe it’s a family who find themselves suddenly homeless. Maybe it’s your own family asking for help with a medical crisis.

Today and every day, God is calling! How do you respond??

06/10/2026

Wednesday – 10th Week of Ordinary Time
Reading – 1Kings 18:20-39
A Sense of Humor
Statue of Elijah, Mt. Carmel

I admit it! My sense of humor is not for everyone. It can be biting, sarcastic, incredibly corny and full of puns, and, in the words of many of my friends, “I don’t get it”. No matter what, given all that the world is going through right now with war, violence on innocent children, and outright bigotry and hatred, we all could use something to make us smile.

And I think God delivers exactly that in today’s first reading. It is a contest between Elijah and 450 prophets for the false god Baal, a battle to determine which god is the true one! Baal’s prophets erect an altar and do everything, including cutting themselves, in an effort to call down their god to send down fire to consume their sacrifice, all to no avail. And then Elijah taunts them mercilessly! Call out louder; maybe your god is asleep! Maybe he is busy meditating or ‘out of the office.’ Maybe he has retired from the job! Maybe He’s on vacation!

Imagine that! In the middle of blood and anger and a fierce fight between 2 warring religions, there is a bit of comic relief. It makes me wonder whether we ever give God credit for having a sense of humor. Sure, we envision God as a stern judge, a disciplinarian, a loving father and forgiving parent. But what about a God of laughter? A Father who smiles along with us when we hear one of those ‘dad’ jokes! A God of good humor, who laughs along with us as we share the antics of our little toddler trying to talk or walk! A God who shares our moments of joy and mirth, who finds humor even in the midst of sorrow and pain!

06/07/2026

Sunday – Feast of Corpus Christi
Gospel – John 6:51-58
The Joy of the Eucharist
Server Training

For over 15 years, I have been blessed and energized by my ministry to our altar servers at SRB – training them, mentoring and encouraging them. Throughout these 15 years, I would visit the 4th graders and invite them to become servers. But this past year was different! This time I decided to include the 3rd graders in my ‘server appeal’. When I opened the church doors after school for training, imagine my shock when I saw the crowd (and I do mean crowd) coming in the doors. I thought, for sure, maybe there was a children’s choir practice. But NO! They were all there for server training! Over half the 3rd grade class were trained that day. WOW!

They were so excited, so energized and so attentive, the most attentive group of ‘newbies’ I have ever seen. The reason seemed obvious. They were still basking in the glow and the grace of their First Communion which was just a few months earlier. And they wanted so much to get closer to God, closer to the Eucharist by serving at the altar.

We celebrate today the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ! The Eucharist, the gift of real spiritual food that feeds our souls! All our readings today speak of God’s gift to His people – the gift of manna in the desert to Moses and the Hebrews. Jesus proclaiming Himself the Living Bread that has come down from heaven; all who eat of it will live forever. The cup of blessing and the bread we break!

Even today, those 3rd graders are so motivated, so strengthened at the prospect of serving at Mass. If only we could all keep that feeling alive every time we approach the altar to receive the gift of the Eucharist.

One simple thought today! Do we still have that childlike wonder and joy we felt at our First Communion? When we approach the altar at Communion time, do we believe firmly and completely that we are receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus?

06/03/2026

Wednesday – 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Mark 12:18-27
1 Bride for 7 Brothers?
Wedding Chapel, Cana

Hypocrisy – Round 2! Today it’s the Sadducees turn to try and get under Jesus’ skin by asking a ridiculous question about heaven. What if a woman ended up marrying 7 men (brothers)? Then to whom is she married when she gets to heaven? It reminds me of grade school religion class when we would play ‘stump the teacher’! If God is all-powerful, can He make so big and heavy that He can’t lift it????

Let’s be clear; the Sadducees don’t even want an answer from Jesus; they just want to make Him look foolish. They don’t even believe in a resurrection. And that, I think, is the point. Their only focus is on this life. They believe there is nothing after death. They believe that any reward or punishment happens to us in this life, not the next. So they can only conceive of heaven in human terms, in terms of marriage and human love.

Jesus sets them in their place. He simply says there is no marriage or getting married in heaven. What He means is that heaven is so completely beyond this human existence, so completely beyond anything we can imagine. It is living so totally in the presence of God that simple human desires are trivial. We think we know what love is; Jesus says wait until you get to heaven. Then you will know real love. We think we know what happiness is; just wait!

So if the fears and anxiety of these past few months are getting to you, to us all, and there seems to be no end of bad news and hypocrisy and outright bigotry and selfishness, just wait! Remember – Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

05/31/2026

Sunday – Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
Gospel – John 3:16-18
God Above, Beside, Within Us
Tennessee Sunrise!

So let me tell you a story!

There were once six blind men who stood by the roadside every day and begged from the people who passed. They had often heard of elephants, but they had never seen one; for, being blind, how could they?

It so happened one morning that an elephant was driven down the road where they stood. When they were told that the great beast was before them, they asked the driver to let him stop so that they might touch him.

The first one happened to put his hand on the elephant's side. "Well, well!" he said, "now I know all about this beast. He is exactly like a wall."

The second felt only of the elephant's tusk. "My brother," he said, "you are mistaken. He is not at all like a wall. He is round and smooth and sharp. He is more like a spear than anything else."

The third happened to take hold of the elephant's trunk. "Both of you are wrong," he said. "Anybody who knows anything can see that this elephant is like a snake."

The fourth reached out his arms and grasped one of the elephant's legs. "Oh, how blind you are!" he said. "It is very plain to me that he is round and tall like a tree."

The fifth was a very tall man, and he chanced to take hold of the elephant's ear. "The blindest man ought to know that this beast is not like any of the things that you name," he said. "He is exactly like a huge fan."

The sixth seized the animal's tail. "O foolish fellows!" he cried. "You surely have lost your senses. This elephant is not like a wall, or a spear, or a snake, or a tree; neither is he like a fan. But any man with a par-ti-cle of sense can see that he is exactly like a rope."

Each of the blind men touched a different part of the elephant and believed that he knew just how the animal looked. They were all right, but in a very limited way. They didn’t get the complete picture; they didn’t/couldn’t grasp the totality of what an elephant is!

In a sense we are all in the same boat! Throughout our lives, we encounter the Divine! But we are only human; we will never fully understand and KNOW God. It’s a mystery! But throughout our lives we do, like the blind men, touch Him and conversely God touches us. We experience His presence and His love in countless and varied ways.

As we grow and mature, our relationship with God, hopefully, also grows and blossoms.

As a child, we see God as a Father, looking out for us, guarding us from danger, helping us to grow close to Him. Creating us, guiding us and teaching us right and wrong, reminding us of when we falter, the just judge, loving us even when we mess up.

God the Son – beside us, among us – Jesus who shared in this earthly life, who walked and sat together with his disciples and shared a meal.

God the Holy Spirit – within us – coming upon the disciples at Pentecost, filling them with love, wisdom and good counsel and the fire to spread the faith.

We see it not only in our individual lives but throughout human history. In the Old Testament, God the Father, Creator of the Universe, giving the Israelites the Ten Commandments (guides for living a faithful life) and leading them out of slavery into the Promised Land.

In the New Testament, God the Son, Jesus, taking on human form, walking beside us as our brother and savior, giving us the law of love.

And God the Holy Spirit, on the Feast of Pentecost, filling the disciples and us with wisdom and fire to share the Word and the Gospel message.

That is the Trinity we celebrate today – God who guides us every step of this human journey, God the Son who walks with us in good times and bad, and God the Spirit who inspire us to live a life or faith and love.

05/29/2026

Friday – 8th Week of Ordinary Time

Gospel – Mark 11:11-26

I Don’t Give a Fig

A Bountiful Harvest

Jaime and Josh have been very busy the last couple of weeks putting in their garden for the season – all sorts of veggies and herbs. That also means zucchini! Woo Hoo! Last year didn’t work so well but I have high hopes for a good crop of zucchini. And then, comes August and September and maybe I can harvest a couple zucchini and do a bit of baking. But there is a lot to do in-between now and then. You can’t just plant the seeds one day, wait 3 months, and voila there it is! It takes work, weeding and watering, time and a bit of faith. But in the end, it is worth it to go out into the raised beds and gather the crop.

That is not what happens in today’s Gospel. Jesus is looking for something to eat. He goes to a fig tree but there was nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs. The same holds true for any garden we plant; every vegetable and fruit has its season. We can’t rush it; we can’t make it grow any faster. It takes time and patience.

But there is also a lesson here about faith as well! So let this be our thought for the day. Zucchini has a season; tomatoes have a season. Even green grass and flowers have a season. But not faith! Faith is always in season! Faith is not about convenience, but commitment. It is about persistence and growth and patience! And the reward is a bountiful harvest!

05/27/2026

Wednesday – 8th Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Mark 10:32-45
Sacrifice – Part 2
Sitting in the Pew

Heading back to Chicago tomorrow for 8th grade graduation at St. Robert’s! I’ve known many of these kids since they were in kindergarten; many of them I trained as altar servers way back in 4th grade. So very proud of all their accomplishments, so full of hope for their future! It brings back so many fond memories – all the prep work for those server trainings, all the practice sessions, the nervousness during their first Masses, all those service projects, ice cream handouts, pizza parties, celebrating Christmas by decorating the church for the holidays. So much time and effort! So many hours of planning and prep work! All that sacrifice!

And I’m not talking about me!! I’m talking about Ginger! All her sacrifice! All the times she sat in the pew alone! All those evenings when I was away at church for meetings or practice or whatever. All the weeks we planned out my schedule, searching for some time together! All of her “yeses’ to my diaconal ministry! All the times she shared me with the parish! That’s what I call faith! That’s what I call sacrifice! Thank you!!!!!! And thank you to all the deacon wives!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus has just revealed to His disciples that they are going up to Jerusalem where He will be arrested, condemned, mocked, tortured and crucified! No flowery language, no story, just simple blunt words! Jesus is going to make the ultimate sacrifice.

You would think they would all be horrified, terrified. And yet James and John jump in and ask for a favor. Can we have places of honor in Your kingdom, one on the right and one on the left? No signs of sadness at Jesus’ words! No attempt to talk Him out of going to Jerusalem! Apparently blinded by ambition or power, they are in complete denial about the meaning of Jesus’ words. You have to wonder about Jesus’ reaction. Were you even listening? Did you hear what I said? And the other disciples? They aren’t too pleased either. They became indignant!

It is up to Jesus to remind the disciples that His mission has nothing to do with power or thrones. It is a mission to others! It is dedication to a life of service and sacrifice for the love of our neighbor! He reminds them that love involves sacrifice, that we are called to serve, not to be served!

So let’s remember today not merely those times when we are called to sacrifice but also those people in our lives who willingly and faithfully sacrifice themselves out of love for us!

Great Spirit, help me today to serve others in the spirit of love and sacrifice and to be grateful for those who give up so much for us!

05/24/2026

Sunday – Feast of Pentecost
Acts of Apostles 2:1-11
Gospel – John 20:19-23
Energized For Peace and Faith
Church of Dormition, Jerusalem

So just a little background! In today’s first reading, the Jews from all over the world are gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. We are celebrating today the Feast of Pentecost. But they are not the same! For the Jews, there are 3 feasts know as pilgrimage feasts, days when they travel to the Temple in Jerusalem. One is Sukkoth, a fall harvest festival also known as Feast of Booths/Tents, remembering when the Israelites traveled in the desert. Another is the Feast of Passover, celebrating leaving their lives as slaves in Egypt. And then 50 days after Passover, Pentecost! Also known as Shavuoth, it is a spring harvest festival celebrating God giving the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

So the Jewish Feast of Pentecost 50 days after Passover. And the Christian Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the coming down of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, 50 days after Easter!
So now let me tell you a little story!

Back on October 26 of last year, a group of 19 Buddhist monks began a 2300-mile journey from their temple in Fort Worth, Texas to Washington DC. Traveling across the Southeast through 9 different states, they walked for 108 days – a symbolic number for Buddhists signifying all the earthly desires and temptations that a person must overcome in order to reach enlightenment. All for the sake of PEACE! Through cold and rain, snow and physical hardships! All for PEACE!

Walking on the roadside of highways did present an extra bit of peril, however. At one point, there was a collision between a truck and the monks’ es**rt vehicle. 2 monks were injured; one of them suffered such severe injuries that his leg had to be amputated. Despite the hospital stay and long recovery, he was able to rejoin the group in Washington at the end of the peace walk.

And that leads us to the Apostles in the first reading! They are all gathered together in one place. Think about that! They are still in hiding! 50 days after Easter and they are still huddled together in one room! The doors are locked out of their fear of being arrested and put to death. Even though Jesus has appeared to them a number of times, they are still living in fear, afraid to go out into the world.

And then all that changes! A great wind! Tongues of fire! The pouring down of the Holy Spirit! And they leave the safety of that room, go out into the world and begin to spread the Word! They begin the Mission! Like the monks, they look past their own shortcomings, their own limitations and human frailties! By the power of the Holy Spirit, they become energized! Filled with the Spirit, they speak in tongues.

The question for us today is – what energizes us! Is it our family? Our job or career? The birth of our first child or grandchild? Our favorite hobby or sport? What is it that enlivens us and gives us that ‘energizer bunny’ burst of enthusiasm?

What about our faith? By our own Baptism and confirmation, we have all been filled with the Holy Spirit! That same Spirit that energized the disciples on this Feast of Pentecost! Are we still huddled together in that little room, fearful of the world, afraid and lacking in hope and faith?

Or does your faith energize you? Does it fill you with courage and hope to go out into the world and share the message of the Gospel? Does it fill you with the peace Jesus shares with the disciples in today’s Gospel? How far would you walk for peace? For compassion? For loving-kindness? How far would you walk for your faith?

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

05/20/2026

Wednesday – 7th Week of Easter
Gospel – John 17:11-19
The Big Picture!
Heiskell Hills

Springtime here in the Smoky Mountains is absolutely amazing – a riot of color and life; the trees just burst forth with foliage. It reminds me of Sound of Music – the hills are alive,,,,

And it’s such a contrast with autumn and winter when the leaves fall and the trees are starkly bare. But even then, something magical happens. All of a sudden, we see all these homes and buildings across the hills, all of them hidden from view in the spring. They were there all the time; you just couldn’t see them for the trees!

You can’t see the forest for the trees! You’re missing the BIG picture! We have all heard it before, probably from our parents! Sometimes we get so caught up in the minutiae and the details that we miss the overall point! Don’t get me wrong; the details are important! But we also need to reach some understanding with a wider view.

Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel are directed toward truth, joy, our role in the world and the reality that the disciples will face rejection from the world. But there is a bigger picture here!

Jesus is praying to His Father for His disciples! Let me repeat that. Jesus is praying to His Father on behalf of His disciples! He knows they are going to feel abandoned and lost, alone and fearful. And He prays for them! To His Father! Does that sink in?

Haven’t we all felt lost or at sea? Haven’t we all felt crushed and terrified? Haven’t we all felt alone? Don’t you think He sees that? Don’t you think Jesus prays to the Father on our behalf as well?

And isn’t that the real BIG picture? Jesus loves us, cares for us and protects us! Yes, even when we feel completely alone, He even prays to His Father FOR us!

05/19/2026

Tuesday 7th Week of Easter
John 17:1-11
The Hour Has Come
UT Graduation 2026

This past Sunday our grandson Tyler graduated from University of Tennessee, Magna cm Laude!! After 4 years of study, exams, projects and internships, the ‘hour’ had finally come! A chance to celebrate his accomplishments! An opportunity to celebrate as a family and look forward to a bright future! YUP! I am one happy PaPa!! We are all one proud family!! And what an ‘hour’ it was!!!!

“The hour is coming”! It’s a phrase Jesus uses quite a number of times throughout the Gospels. Even at the Feast at Cana when Mary wants Him to do something about the wine shortage, He tells her that His hour has not yet come. Today things change! Today He prays to His Father “the hour has come!” In a matter of hours, He will be arrested, tortured and put to death. Jesus’ hour has come, the time to glorify God His Father, to accomplish the work He was given, to give eternal life to all who believe.

So what about us? What about today? What will we do to glorify God today? What can we do to show our Christian faith today? Not tomorrow or the day after? Today! And if not today, then when? What are we waiting for? Time is Up! The time is Now! Rise and shine! Give God your glory! And bear witness to the Gospel!

Mary Undoer of Knots Parish

06/14/2026

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