Easter 2007

Easter Sunday
April 8, 2007
Peter addressed the people in these words: “I take it you know what has been reported all over Judea about Jesus of Nazareth.”
Acts 10:34

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Pray to see! Jesus is risen from the dead and we want to see him. Death no longer has hold of us; Jesus does. Forgiveness and eternal life resounds through all the earth. In our joyful shout of triumph, we declare with St. Augustine, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.” Alleluia means “Praise the Lord” and so we praise the Lord all the way to the praise of heaven. And we know that there is only one way to spell, have, see and know JOY. Our JOY as an Easter people is Jesus Over You. Jesus rules over our sin and death and it is in making him our Lord, Master, Savior, Ruler, King Redeemer, our Everything, etc. that we can see, have and know his risen and everlasting life. As we dedicate our lives to JOY, that is Jesus Over You, we look to see him bring in the joy of his risen life into all we think, say and do. We put Jesus first over ourselves and all things and he brings us the JOY of everlasting.

Pray to see! We want to see the risen Jesus and he wants to be seen. I love the words from one of my favorite songs, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see you.” Yes, through faith we want to see the Risen Jesus offering the JOY of salvation to all the world, all the time. But we have got to pray to see. The praying unlocks the seeing. The praying opens the eyes of our hearts so that we can see Jesus by faith everywhere we go. Some words from another favorite song of mine are, “Everywhere I go I see you.” What would it be like if our goal was to see Jesus with every look?

Pray to see! If you truly find Jesus and come to know his love, you want more and more and more. The world, your own flesh and the devil will try to stifle and extinguish that desire for more of Jesus but you can have more and more if you decide for it. That is the point where I was at as a collegian. I had come to know his awesome and life-changing love and I wanted more. I was in the Word each day, going to mass and living for him. I went to a weekly prayer meeting where we were seeking more. One night the leader of the prayer group challenged us to pray with people as they presented needs to us. He said we would get ample opportunities to pray with people in just one week and that we could come back to the prayer meeting the next week with our stories. Is it good enough to say “I am sorry” when someone shares a need with us? Is it good enough to say “Keep warm and well fed” when someone needs clothing, food or anything else? Are we fully responding to God’s call when someone shares some problem/suffering with us and we say, “I will pray for you”? What about acting like God is all powerful and ever-present and asking the person who presents you with a need to pray on the spot? What if we prayed with people on the spot and treated Jesus as a first resort instead of a last resort? JOY would fill and flood our broken and desperate world.
So, I semi-took the prayer group leader’s challenge to heart. I was sure there were going to be opportunities to pray with others but I just wanted to see how it was all going to play out. It was summer and I was doing what I did for about a decade of summers as I worked my way through high school, college and graduate schools. I had a house painting company and I was working a job alone on the day following the prayer meeting. My customers (the house owners) were going to be gone so I was wondering how I would get an opportunity to pray with others. Well, all I have to say is that God provides!

As I was spraying some trim with my airless sprayer and using a shield, an elderly man pulled his car up to the house. He got out of his car and began to talk to me as I was up about fifteen feet on my ladder. He asked me what I was doing and I told him about spraying the trim using my shield. But, from the get-go, the Holy Spirit was telling me to climb on down the ladder and talk to this man. And I kept saying to the Holy Spirit, “No, no, no.” Finally, after a few minutes, I surrendered to the Holy Spirit. And oh how much joy and life and love you get when you surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leading. You know what I am talking about! I came down off the ladder and began to have a face to face and eye to eye conversation with this man. He shared with me how his wife had Alzheimer’s and that she was living in the nursing home next door. It was really tough on him. She did not know his name any longer and the bills of keeping her there were more than he could pay. As he shared his suffering with me, the Holy Spirit kept saying, “Here is your opportunity. Pray with him. Ask him if you can.” And I, who sometimes chooses to be surrendered and sometimes chooses not to surrender, said, “No, no, no.” But finally I surrendered. I said to this man, “You know, I believe that God cares for you and your wife so dearly. And God wants us to turn to him in prayer. Knowing that God cares for us so much, may I just say a prayer with you right now?” He said, “Yes.” So, I said a prayer with him for him and his wife. And Jesus showed up. Yes, Jesus showed up and he brought the whole Kingdom of God with him. Talk about everlasting, almighty and eve-present power! The man’s eyes moistened in the presence of the power we had called upon. When I finished the prayer, he said to me, “Thank you for praying. Son, with that attitude, you will go a long way in life.” He turned and walked away never to be seen by me again in this life.

Pray to see Jesus. Treat Jesus as a first resort and not a last resort and pray to see him. Have that attitude in life and just see how far you will go. I prayed with that man and I saw Jesus. Pray by yourself and pray with others to see Jesus.
Do you want to see the Risen Jesus? Do you want the JOY of the everlasting? Make Jesus your first resort and pray for it. We want to see the Risen Jesus offering the JOY of salvation to all the world, all the time. But we have got to pray to see. The praying unlocks the seeing. The praying opens the eyes of our hearts so that we can see Jesus by faith everywhere we go.

It has been about twenty years since I prayed with that man whose wife was living in the nursing home with Alzheimer’s. Today, my dad lives with mom in that same nursing home and he has Alzheimer’s. I visit my mom and dad and we laugh, share, eat and pray. And as we pray together I see Jesus bringing the JOY of the everlasting to my dad and mom. Jesus becomes more and more visible as we pray and through the praying we come into the seeing. As we see him more clearly, we are raised up into his Risenness. We know the JOY of the everlasting all the way to the JOY of the everlasting.
Live the confronted life!
+Fr. John

Holy Saturday April 7, 2007

Holy Saturday

April 7, 2007



“The women found the stone rolled back from the tomb; but when the entered the tomb, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”

Luke 24:2

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Exciting News!!! Fr. John Amsberry's book is finished! Check out a little taste of it following todays message.


We all want to know what is on the other side. What will it all be like for us, say, one hundred years from now? How much different will it be? Will it be better? Sometimes, and I think wrongly, we compartmentalize and say the other side is for the other side and this side is for this side. But, the other side has come to this side to pour out the other side with this side. Jesus has come to share the mercy, life and love of heaven (the other side) with us as we journey on this side (earth to heaven). So, we believe that the heaven is with us, all the way to heaven. Yes, the women come to the tomb to find the body of the Lord Jesus not there. Our faith holds that Jesus has been raised from the dead to the other side. But in his rising, instead of being further separated, the two sides are eternally brought together in the deepest unity possible which is what we call God. Often I think we think that the other side is for the other side and we have to wait till we get to the other side to experience it when Christ wants us to know it now. Of course, as always, each step of the way we can choose to join this perfectly loving union or reject it.



In the early practice of the mass, as the bread and wine were being prepared to be changed in to the body and blood of Jesus through the consecration, the priest would pour some wine into the water. There was a very practical reason for doing this. The wine was thick and the water was poured in to loosen it up. Since then, a spiritual significance has been added to that practical practice. Now, when I (and every other priest) pour a little water into the wine at each mass in preparation for the consecration, I pray the words, “Through this mingling of the water and wine may we come to share the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” Talk about the other side coming to this side! Talk about Jesus inviting us to share in the eternal loving union of Father, Son and Holy Spirit right now and all the way to heaven! We are the little bit of water that is poured into the wine that will become the blood of Jesus. Humanity is poured into the blood of Jesus and Jesus devours our sins as we share in the eternal love exchange of the Trinity!



When will we let ourselves be devoured by divinity?



True story. As I made my way through airport security, there was a guard standing on the other side of the metal detector. As I cleared the metal detector, the guard looked at me kind of sternly and started to talk. I thought, “Oh no! Am I in trouble? Are they going to stop and search me?” I did not want to stop as I had a plane to catch. His words were this, “It is 3:08 and you are loved!” Yes, I believe. I responded to him, “And you are loved, too! Who are you?” It turned out to be a parishioner from my first parish that I served. How cool is that? So, I have been pondering this exchange. What waits for us on the other side?



Jesus waits for us on the other side. Jesus, whether we are walking through metal detectors at airports or walking down the isle for our wedding or walking through the suffering or death of a loved one or anytime as we walk through our days on earth, is waiting for us. And as we walk through our days, let us remember to walk to him just on the other side. Jesus, right on the other side of the metal detector in the airport, as in all other places on this side and in the now, says, “It is 3:08(or whatever time it is) and you are loved. You are loved by me and I am the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You are loved by me, your Savior and Friend. You are loved by me, your Hope and Life. You are loved by me, the Healer of your soul. And I am on your side, right now and always. I am leading you to the other side. You are so often devoured by your emptiness, sin and unhappiness. Will you let me devour you in my divinity?”



Brothers and sisters, how about praying this mantra over and over again all the way to the other side? How about praying and being and doing and living this pray as Jesus is with us on this side to take us to the other side? Here it is, “Confession and Eucharist- all the way to heaven.”



Be devoured by divinity.



Confession and Eucharist- all the way to heaven.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John

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Reaching Out to Joy!

Exciting News!!! Fr. John Amsberry's book is finished! Check out a little taste of it below and if you would like to order one or 1,000 just follow the ordering instructions below. If you are in Portland, Oregon, we will have a book release/signing the first weekend of June, 2007 at St. Joseph the Worker so you can get a copy then. They will also be available through the parish office after the first weekend in June. For my friends in Flagstaff, Arizona, who have already signed up for my book, we will be sending books to St. Francis De Asis Church and they will also be available at your book store next door to Nativity Church. The books should be there by Mid-May. For my loved ones in San Diego, I will have them available for you at the end of July when I come down for Steubenville, San Diego. Otherwise, you can order though the mail. Thanks for all your help, love and prayers with this project! Loved, Blessed and 4given are we!


Time out! Why are you running around so crazy here on earth? Slow down. Stop. Be still and know that God is God. Reach out to God. You are forever blessed, loved, and forgiven! Do you know this in your heart? Heaven is with you- all the way to heaven. Reach out to Jesus! Put Jesus over you and you will have JOY! My prayer is that this book will help you to jump into the JOY that is everlasting.



You are familiar St. Paul’s writings, correct? Sometimes one line can become very long and convoluted and even turn almost a whole chapter of a book. He would not get an “A” for grammar. But, in some ways I say, “So what? Big deal. He does not have to be perfect.” Some say he wrote in the imperfect manner that he did because he was so full of grace that it was uncontainable and spilling out all over the place. Welling up with grace and words and light and life, St. Paul just filled the page as God rushed forth! And that is the way I would like you to look at this book. It is not perfect but neither am I. This book is about a perfectly loving God coming to save a sinner like me and you. It is about God rushing in with his grace and words and light and life to create this book, however imperfect it might be. So, I pray that God will be uncontainable in you and you will not worry so much about having perfect presentation and grammar in your life. You do not have to have your house in order for God to come in. Rather, invite God into your messy house and he will put it into order. Just, without ever stopping, keep letting God in and out. Let God and his JOY write straight with crooked lines. When people see you, may they see JOY!



If you wish to purchase Reaching Out to Joy, Jesus Over You please fill out the order form below and send to the address listed along with you payment.


Name: _______________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________

City:__________________________________

State: _______Zip:________________





Please send me _________ Books @ $20.00 each _______________

Shipping $ 4.00 for first book _______________

For each additional book add $1.00 _______________

Total _______________





Please mail order with payment to: Reaching Out to Joy
6012 SE Parkview Terr
Milwaukie, OR 97222

Make checks payable to: Fr. John Amsberry

Good Friday April 6, 2007

Good Friday

April 6, 2007



“He was a man of suffering”

Isaiah 53:3

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Jesus’ vocation was to die. He came to give his body and blood to us that we might live. He humbled himself by leaving the uninterrupted glory of heaven to make himself venerable to us and we crucified him. But love for his own life did not deter him from death. Jesus vocation was to die for you and I and he fulfilled his vocation. That is why, paradoxically, we call this Friday “Good”, because of the gift of eternal life Jesus gives in his vocation of dying for us.



The cross is the central symbol of our faith. It keeps bringing us back to Jesus’ vocation of dying for us. We must remember to remember the cross as much as we can in our lives. It is the “Good” of Good Friday that we need to conquer all the evil in our lives and the world. The cross is forgiveness, salvation and life and we go and go and go to the cross. We know the cross is the truth of our lives. It defines us. We meditate on it and it explains our life. It is in denying our selfish way of living and living for God alone, and in going through the suffering and dying in the way that we are all called to in following Christ, that we come to eternal life. Our vocation is him and that means the cross.



How can we remember the cross daily? A custom born in the church assigns 3 pm as the time of the Lord’s death on Good Friday. So, we can remember the Lord’s death every day at 3 pm and especially on Friday’s (the day and time assigned to Jesus’ death) at 3 pm by making the sign of the cross. And, every Friday can be a special day of devotion to the cross as we remember Jesus’ vocation. Perhaps we fast on Fridays and hold a cross in our hands with that free time to go deeper into the mystery of who Jesus is for us. There is no doubt a lot of telephone poles you go by each day. Near the top of a lot of those poles you can see a cross made out of the wood. Let the telephone poles you see each day bring you to the cross and all the “Good”, which, by the way is all the “Good”, pouring out through the cross of Jesus Christ. When you drive by the church or graveyard or you hear the ambulance or police siren, make the sign of the cross. When you go into the church or when you pray your personal prayers or grace before meals, you make the sign of the cross. Make the sign of the cross for every need and praise and, in doing so; come back to Jesus who tells us what everything is all about.



If Jesus’ vocation on earth was to die and we call ourselves followers of Jesus, the prospect of following him does not sound fun at all. If we are truly going to follow him then that means we have to die? That sounds great, Fr. John! I am with you! Let us follow Jesus and die! You are kidding? You can’t be serious? I am. Jesus says to us, “Come follow me and die.” We have to die to our own ways and live for him. We have to prefer eternal life with him to our own physical life if that is what Jesus is calling us to. This, my friends, is the suffering and death we take on when we take on our vocation of following Jesus in his vocation.



Like with gold, we are tested in the crucible of suffering and humiliation. The gold smith burns any impurities away in the ravaging fire. And how does he know when he has pure gold? When he can see his reflection in it. God, Our Refiner’s Fire, burns away the impurity of anything that is not his in us so that we might become holy. Our Refiner knows his job is complete when he sees and loves in us what he sees and loves in Christ. When he sees his reflection in us after taking us through all our suffering and death, his vocation for us is fulfilled.



They say the greatest form of compliment is imitation. Jesus says, “Come die to your ways that you might fully live for me. That is your vocation. Fulfill your vocation. Imitate me. Let me see me when I see you.”



Each year it is the same on the calendar. Good Friday always comes before Easter Sunday. Suffering and death before eternal life. Let us give Jesus the greatest compliment with our lives by imitating him with all that we are.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John

Holy Week Thursday April 5, 2007

Thursday of Holy Week

April 5, 2007



“Jesus rose from the meal and took off his cloak. He picked up a towel and tied it around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel he had around him.”

John 13:3-5

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What place in line are you? Jesus took the last place. The Lord and Master of all, whom all creation should worship, became smaller than us all and took the very last place in line. He traded all the glory of heaven for all the sin of earth so that we could walk on him to get to heaven. We read in John 15:12-15 how there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Look how the one, who is Lord and Master of everything, becomes smaller than us all and takes the last place in the line of all humanity that was and will ever be. And in this pinnacle of humility, this smallest one, who is the Savior of all, calls us friend. On the evening of His Last Supper for you and me and all human beings that will ever be, he rises from the table, takes off his cloak, ties a towel around himself and washes and dries the disciples feet with the towel. The King and Lord and Master of all takes the form of a slave, becomes the smallest, and takes the last place in the line of all humanity in order to serve us all.



You call yourself Christian? You want to be just like Jesus? Take the last place in line. Be small. Lay down your life as a slave in service to all.



Ponder what the scriptures are really all about. “Though Jesus was in the form of God he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men.” Phil. 2:6-7 “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” “Defer to one another out of respect for Christ.” See how Christ defers to us all by becoming smallest, taking the last place in line and serving us as a slave so that we could walk over him to get to heaven. As we defer to each other out of respect for Christ, we become small and take last place. We humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and how we do that is to humble ourselves before one another. “Let all parties think humbly of others as superior to themselves.” Phil. 2:3 The scriptures are about being small and taking the last place in line in serving all.



Practice forgetfulness unto self and remembrance of Christ. The world is always reminding us that it is about being first in line, being big, being served or serving oneself. Our self wants self, self, self. Jesus wants others. In the epic battle of our carnal nature seeking self and Jesus’ nature seeking others, we need to remember and be transformed. We need to remember to forget seeking ourselves, live for Jesus and ask for the Holy Spirit to give us the power to do so! Yes, through the power of the Holy Spirit we can move from living for self to being small by taking the last place in line in service to all.



At each mass, beginning with the Lord’s Last Supper which we celebrate this night, we remember and ask for the Holy Spirit’s transforming power. We remember how Jesus taught us forgetfulness unto self and remembrance of God. Jesus became small, took the last place in line, and forgot about his own life as he became a slave to die for us all. And we see how God’s transforming power raised Jesus from death to life. Like Jesus did, we remember to forget living for ourselves and live like Jesus. And in this remembering, we ask the Holy Spirit for the power to live small, take the last place in line and serve all.



Remember to forget yourself and remember Christ. Be small. Take the last place in line of all humanity. Serve all. Beg the Holy Spirit to make it happen.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John

Holy Week Wednesday April 4, 2007

Wednesday of Holy Week

April 4, 2007



In the course of the meal Jesus said, “I give you my word, one of you is about to betray me.”

Mt. 26:21
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We were set to have our Parish Spaghetti Dinner the next day from 11:30 am to 6:00 pm. The night before a parishioner came up to me and warned, “You better make the 10:30 mass short because of the dinner tomorrow.” That was the wrong thing to say to Fr. John! When someone tells me something like that I usually respond, “It just got longer.” The last thing in the world I will do is make the mass shorter. We need all of the mass we can get. We cannot get enough of his word and sacrament. We want to go deeper and deeper into knowing his truth so that we can live his truth. We need to make the mass longer. One hour a week together surrendering to him and being transformed together by Christ is not near enough for all the hours of the rest of the week. I mean, what is more important, spaghetti or Jesus? If all we do is eat spaghetti and ignore Jesus, we carbo load and die. On the other hand, if all we do is consume Jesus and forget about eating we get skinny and live. We truncate Jesus. We turn on him and turn from him and turn to our spaghetti, whatever that “spaghetti” is. We betray him and, in betraying him, deny all the ways he wants to transform this world with and in and through us.



Ultimately, it all has to do with our priorities. We all have our busyness, schedules, meetings, obligations, sports, work and the list goes on. And it is right that we are involved with the world. But how are we to be involved? Who is determining what we are doing with our limited time here on earth? Are you run by society or by Jesus? Who cares what society says? Do you want to be run by something that says that it is good to kill the unborn, adultery and fornication are the norm, and let us take God and Jesus and prayer out of everything? We betray Jesus, our Life, by turning from him and we die. It is time to make knowing Jesus in the mass, prayer, and scriptures longer. Time to stop turning on him and from him and turn to him. Now is the time confront ourselves and ask, “What is my spaghetti?” In other words, what do I consider more important than Jesus Christ and his way of life? There is only one source of forgiveness and hope and life and we care about what society says? Care about what Jesus says! And then live it.



How are you to be involved in this world? How are you to spend your time on planet earth? Jesus must answer that question for you! If we are not going to Jesus and we are going to society or whatever our “spaghetti” is, then how are we not betraying Jesus? If we deny him full access to command our lives, then surely we are serving another master. And this other master will never be able to give life.



We need to stop cutting Jesus out of our lives. We need to let him cut into our lives, our minds, our thoughts, our plans, our joys, our sufferings, or days, our minutes, our seconds, our schedules, our TV’s/computers, our work, our play, our studies, our families, our relationships, our everything. We cut him out and turn on him and from him and deny his life for us because we think something else is more important. We run to our “spaghetti”, whatever we deem more important than Christ, and die. Study the generations since Jesus and know that the only “spaghetti” that works is Jesus. Now is the time to cut Jesus in and make him the Master and Lord and Ruler of you.



Remember, Judas left the Last Supper early. He cut out on Jesus at the first mass. Think of his end. Now is the time to make mass and Jesus and prayer and scripture longer.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John

Tuesday of Holy Week April 3, 2007

Tuesday of Holy Week

April 3, 2007



“I will make you a light to the nations.”

Isaiah 49:6

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Exciting News!!! Fr. John Amsberry's book is finished! Check out a little taste of it below and if you would like to order one or 1,000 just follow the ordering instructions below.
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I am the youngest of eight boys. Chuck, Steve, Joe, Tom, Dan, Jim, Mike and John. That’s right- they save the best for the last! I often brag to my family and friends about the magnanimous humility God has given me (smiles). God bless mom and dad for raising us!



All of us boys would start licking our chops when we knew mom and dad were going to be gone from the house. It was the whole, “When the cat’s away the mice will play” thing. It was a time to have some reckless fun and destroy the house. Ok, maybe not destroy the house but it was time to cut loose as the rulers of the house were away.



One of the things we liked to do was have sock fights. Of course there were a ton of white, athletic socks for the eight of us. We would ball them up, each get our store of ammunition and commence the war. The deal was to hit each other as hard and fast as we could. To add to all the excitement, we would turn off all the lights in the house and have our battles in total darkness. How fun was that?!? I am sure you can guess some of the inherent problems with this situation. It was hard to see in the dark. There are many objects that are solid, large, sharp, and dangerous to run in. They are stationary and they would stay stationary as we would run into them. I would be lying if I told you there was no scrapes, bruises, and bleeding. I do not know if one of us ever broke any bones but it was dangerous business running and throwing and flinging socks in the dark.



It is dangerous business running in the dark. You can avoid a lot of unnecessary injury if you turn on the light. It helps you to see things as they are and maneuver through life. The light is ever available but you and I have to turn the light switch on. I know it takes some time sometimes to find the light switch but there it is on the wall somewhere. Remember, our lives are incomprehensible without Christ. The light of Christ helps us to see true reality and maneuver through a life that can be so filled with darkness. We have to keep seeking the light switch and turn it on.



When is light needed the most? In the greatest darkness. And the greatest darkness that ever was Jesus on the cross. Jesus, the hope of every human heart, dying on the cross. Jesus dead. The greatest darkness this world has ever known and will ever know. But we see what God does in it. Resurrection and light explode eternally. The light switch made eternally available to you and me. And, if God can bring his horizenless light into the greatest darkness ever, he can bring his horizenless light into yours!



The light switch is there for you.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John

______________________________________________________________

If you are in Portland, Oregon, we will have a book release/signing the first weekend of June, 2007 at St. Joseph the Worker so you can get a copy then. For my friends in Flagstaff, Arizona, who have already signed up for my book, we will be sending book directly to you and you should get them by Mid-May. For my loved ones in San Diego, I will have them available for youth end of July when I come down for Steubenville, San Diego. Otherwise, you can order though the mail.



Thanks for all your help, love and prayers with this project! Loved, Blessed and 4given are we!

Reaching Out to Joy








Time out! Why are you running around so crazy here on earth? Slow down. Stop. Be still and know that God is God. Reach out to God. You are forever blessed, loved, and forgiven! Do you know this in your heart? Heaven is with you- all the way to heaven. Reach out to Jesus! Put Jesus over you and you will have JOY! My prayer is that this book will help you to jump into the JOY that is everlasting.



You are familiar St. Paul’s writings, correct? Sometimes one line can become very long and convoluted and even turn almost a whole chapter of a book. He would not get an “A” for grammar. But, in some ways I say, “So what? Big deal. He does not have to be perfect.” Some say he wrote in the imperfect manner that he did because he was so full of grace that it was uncontainable and spilling out all over the place. Welling up with grace and words and light and life, St. Paul just filled the page as God rushed forth! And that is the way I would like you to look at this book. It is not perfect but neither am I. This book is about a perfectly loving God coming to save a sinner like me and you. It is about God rushing in with his grace and words and light and life to create this book, however imperfect it might be. So, I pray that God will be uncontainable in you and you will not worry so much about having perfect presentation and grammar in your life. You do not have to have your house in order for God to come in. Rather, invite God into your messy house and he will put it into order. Just, without ever stopping, keep letting God in and out. Let God and his JOY write straight with crooked lines. When people see you, may they see JOY!



If you wish to purchase Reaching Out to Joy, Jesus Over You please fill out the order form below and send to the address listed along with you payment.


Name: _______________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________

City:__________________________________

State: _______Zip:________________



Please send me _________ Books @ $20.00 each _______________

Shipping $ 4.00 for first book _______________

For each additional book add $1.00 _______________

Total _______________





Please mail order with payment to: Reaching Out to Joy
6012 SE Parkview Terr
Milwaukie, OR 97222

Make checks payable to: Fr. John Amsberry


Books will be mailed out by June 2007

Monday April 2, 2007 Holy Week

Monday of Holy Week

April 2, 2007



“A bruised reed he shall not break.”

Isaiah 42:3

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More info on Fr. John's Book, Reaching Out to Joy. We anticipate having a book signing/selling time in Portland at St. Joseph the Worker the first weekend in June. After that, the book will be available at the church office. The book will be available in San Diego at the end of July, 2007. More details to follow. If you want to order via mail, please refer to Palm Sunday and make the checks payable to Fr. John Amsberry. Thank you!


I think this would be a good visual to show how we are a bruised people. What if one day in church I asked all the people gathered to admit how they have been broken and bruised and how they suffer from it? I would just start naming things that may have bruised us like divorce, depression, addictions, pride, lust, greed, sloth, selfishness, sin, unforgiveness, harmful decisions to our bodies and dignity, not praying or practicing our faith, worshipping false Gods, materialism, neglect of our family, the poor and elderly, alcoholism and drinking/drugs, etc. As I named a persons bruise, they would come up to get a tourniquet bruise and tie it (loosely) around their arm. This would symbolize that they are bruised and bleeding and they want it to stop. I bet you we would all have a tourniquet on our arms by the time we were done.



From bartenders to beauticians to teachers to parents to doctors/nurses to counselors to priests/ministers, we all know we are bruised. Now, take this reality of how bruised we are and put it smack dab in the middle of the world we live in. You are at a traffic light and you do not start to move within two seconds of it turning green and the horns behind you start honking. Or, maybe you are the one doing the honking. And this is just the beginning of road rage which has led, in some instances, to killing. Think about this one I just saw on the computer. A college guy was breaking up with his girlfriend right in the middle of campus. He chose to have it videotaped and there were hundred’s of onlookers in this ruthless bruising. The two degraded each other, called each other filthy names, and all human dignity and respect was thrown out the window. And now this ruthless and horrible bruising is on the Internet for the whole world to see. This, my friends, is often the world we bruised people find ourselves in.



Where is the gentleness? Where will we bruised people not get ripped apart more? Where is the hope, help and healing for us in our dog eat dog world?



We do not get through unscathed. Admit you are bruised. Come in front of the church, pick up your tourniquet and tie it around your arm. Admit it to Jesus and admit him into your bruised life. Find him coming to you in gentleness. He says, “Come to me all you who find life burdensome. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am meek and humble of heart. You souls will find rest.”



We need his gentleness in our bruised world. Until we know his gentleness we will keep on bruising and breaking and crushing each other. Bring his gentleness to this world which is so bruised and in dire need of healing.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John