Rich in Faith!

This is the Apostle James hope for all of us, that we be rich in faith. In his letter, James 2:1-9, it is written, "Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that he promised to those who love him?" Remember from the last passage of James, we were told not to be just hearers of the word, but doers. We need to listen to God's word and put that word into practice. One way is by what James tells us in the passage we are focusing on today, "However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well." When we show the love of God to our neighbor by our actions, we are putting our faith into practice. The title of this blog also reminds me of the commentator at Blessed John Paul II's funeral Mass back in 2005. The commentator, in talking about our Holy Father's life said, "In the eyes of the world, Pope John Paul II died a poor man, but today he is rich." That statement brought tears to my eyes and it still does when I think about it because that is so true. By having our faith in Jesus Christ and believing in the eternal life to come, we are truly rich. The word tells us today to be rich in faith and to love our neighbor as ourself. Once again we are invited to not just listen to the word and take it to heart, but be doers and put that word into action! God Bless You!!!

Action Required!!!

The opening song for our Catholic School Mass was "Take the Word of God with you..." I have enjoyed that song because it tells us what we should be doing as Catholics, Christians, and Disciples. The song also coincided with the first reading from Mass, James 1:19-27. The caption reads very simply, but powerfully, "Be doers of the word and not hearers only." As the commentator states, "The letter of James, from which the first reading is taken, is a no-nonsense, practical approach to religious living. James has very little tolerance for flowery, pious words that evaporate almost as soon as they are spoken. James emphasizes the need to be 'doers of the word'" (Loose Leaf Lectionary, 1885). That is where our action comes in and it is required. We need to listen to God's word but we also need to put that word into practice. Like the old saying goes, "Practice what you preach." We are called to be an example to our brothers and sisters in how we live our lives and our faith. Do as I say and not as I do is not acceptable. Our words and actions go hand-in-hand. As we heard recently, we need to see the face of Christ in our brothers and sisters and we need to treat them accordingly. Pray that God will open our physical ears and our ears of faith to listen to His words and put them into practice. If we are going to take the word of God with us, action is required. Blessings to You!!!

Holy Men!

The Church celebrates the Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius. As the entrance antiphon states: "These are holy men who became friends of God, glorious heralds of divine truth." The Slavic peoples were strengthened by the faithfulness and tireless work of Cyril and Methodius. One commentary tells us, "Saints Cyril and Methodius labored tirelessly to bring the word of God to life among the Slavic people through their preaching, teaching, translating, and liturgical work. Through their creative and courageous ministry, God filled that part of the earth with his love" (Magnificat, 184). These holy men are a tremendous example for us as we strive to proclaim the Good News. We know that we are to preach the Good News at all times, not just with our words, but with our lives. As the saints are examples to us, so we need to be examples to others. Pray that Saints Cyril and Methodius will intercede for us, so that we may grow in the Universal Call to Holiness and be heralds of the Good News at all times! God Bless You!!!

Seek the Face of Christ

Over the weekend, the Church celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which also happened to be the World Day of the Sick. According to the Ordo, it has been 20 years since this day was initiated. In instituting the World Day of the Sick, Blessed John Paul II wrote this, "A special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one's suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding us to see in our sick brother and sister the face of Christ who, by suffering, dying, and rising, achieved the salvation of humankind" (Letter Instituting the World Day of the Sick, 13 May 1992, 3). This is a call for all of us to see the face of Christ in one another. Saint Benedict also gives his monks this charge when it comes to hospitality, seek the face of Christ in all people. From the weekend, Saint Paul reminds us that we are to be imitators of Christ, I Cor 10:31-11:1. We see that in Mark's Gospel, 1:40-45, when Jesus heals the leper. Our Lord was not afraid to touch people who had serious illnesses or diseases. He showed them great love, mercy, and compassion. That is a beautiful example for all of us! Pray that we may see the face of Christ in our brothers and sisters and share the love of God with them at all times! Have a blessed day!!!

People of Faith

How many people have you encountered that told you about a difficult time they went through and what sustained them during that time was their faith? I have witnessed a number of people that I have met as a priest who have told me about their experience of faith and those stories can be an inspiration. As I tell people, "Others are watching to see how we live our lives and our faith." The Church holds up holy men and women who have gone before us as an example, but those examples also exist in our midst. Over the weekend, I found a quote that the spiritual writer, Thomas Merton wrote, "Faith means doubt. Faith is not the suppression of doubt. It is the overcoming of doubt, and you overcome doubt by going through it (Sunday Homily Helps, Franciscan Media, Feb. 5, 2012). Yes, we may have doubts, we may have questions of why things happen in life, but what is important that we do not lose our faith. It is easy to give up or lose hope, but we can't because our faith needs to sustain us. We have the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit to guide us in all that we do. We believe, we have faith! We are a people of faith! Let our faith continue to sustain us and may we always be examples of faith to one another! God Bless You!!!

On a personal note: I will be at a meeting and attending the funeral of a brother priest, Fr. Galen Long, so please keep the repose of his soul and his family in your prayers. The blog will return over the weekend!

Power of Prayer

Prayer is a great gift and it needs to be used on a daily basis. Of course, many times during the day would be beneficial. Priests, Religious, and even Lay People have the opportunity to join in the official prayers of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours. The times that we gather for prayer are: Morning, Daytime, Evening, and Night. The Mass is also a beautiful prayer and hopefully you have the opportunity to make it to daily Mass if you can. You see, the opportunities for prayer abound and we need to make the most of it. I think of this after reading and listening to the words from the first Book of Kings, 8:22-23, 27-30. The caption reads, "You have said: My name shall be there, to hear the prayers of your people Israel." We know that God listens to our prayers and that He does answer them. Maybe you have heard people say, "Why do I need to pray because God already knows what I am going to ask for?" My answer would be that yes, God knows what we need, but He wants to hear the prayer from us. We know that God knows what is best for us so the answer to our prayer may not be what we want, but it is what God wants. We have faith and trust when it comes to prayer and it is very powerful. Do not be afraid! God is always there. Let us pray daily and keep those communication lines open at all times! Bless You!!!

Healing Ministry

The Church has many ways to reach out to people and bring them the Good News of God's love. One special way is her healing ministry. We reach out to our brothers and sisters who are sick, who are suffering. This weekend, following our Masses, people will have the opportunity to have their throats blessed, since the memorial of Saint Blaise was celebrated on February 3. We pray that through Saint Blaise's intercession, God will heal people from diseases of the throat and other illnesses. Next Saturday is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and we also remember the World Day of Prayer for the Sick. At any moment, the Church brings to her people the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. We are following the healing ministry that Our Lord established because he was always present for the sick. In the gospel for this weekend, Mark 1:29-39, Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law who was sick with the fever. Then, people were brought to Jesus who were ill and possessed by demons. He cured many people. We never know what the healing ministry of the Church will bring. God is always working in our lives and He brings us the grace, strength, and healing that we need. As the psalmist says, "Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted" (Ps. 147). As God works miracles in our lives, may we bring His goodness and love to all people through our ministry of healing and presence! Have a blessed weekend!!!