The Holy Martyrs

Today is the Memorial of the First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church. "In the first persecution against the Church, begun by the Emperor Nero after the burning of Rome in 64, many of the faithful were tortured and slain. The pagan writer Tacitus testifies to these events in his Annales (15,44), as does Clement, bishop of Rome, in his letter to the Corinthians (chapter 5-6)" (Magnificat, 410). These early men and women of the church show us an example as they made the ultimate sacrifice for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel. They firmly believed in Christ, they were strong defenders of the faith, and they were not afraid to give their lives for the cause. As the Entrance Antiphon for this day says, "The saints are happy in heaven because they followed Christ. They rejoice with him for ever because they shed their blood for love of him." May the holy martyrs intercede for us as we continue our journey of faith and building up the Kingdom of God in our midst.

The Chief Apostles

I had the opportunity to travel to Rome 15 years ago. One of the things that I noticed is how important the apostles, Peter and Paul are to the eternal city. In fact, Sts. Peter and Paul are the patrons of Rome. Two of the four major basilicas in Rome are named after these chief apostles, St. Peter's Basilica and St. Paul's Outside the Walls. Even if you looked at the different churches in the city you will see the statues of Sts. Peter and Paul close to each other. I bring this up because today is the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. The Venerable Pope John Paul II said this of these two great saints: "In their apostolic mission, Saints Peter and Paul were obliged to face difficulties of every kind. But, far from deterring their missionary activity, these difficulties reinforced their zeal for the Church's welfare and for the salvation of mankind. They were able to overcome every trial because their trust was not based on human resources but on the grace of the Lord, who delivers his friends from every evil and saves them for his kingdom. May our holy patrons, Peter and Paul, sustain us and obtain for us that missionary zeal which made them witnesses of Christ to the ends of the then-known world." What a great prayer to conclude with as we pray that we may have the grace and strength to continue the mission of the church that has been entrusted to us in our present day. Sts Peter and Paul, pray for us!!!

For the Glory of God

We celebrate the Memorial of St. Irenaeus today. One of the commentaries tells us, "Saint Irenaeus was a disciple of St. Polycarp, who was in turn a disciple of St. John, the Evangelist. St. Irenaeus defended vigorously the reality of Christ's incarnation so eloquently proclaimed by John. In old age, he gave his life rather than relinquish his Lord" (Magnificat, 382). The Church continually holds up men and women outstanding in holiness. They were not afraid to defend the faith and were not afraid to give up their lives for the sake of Christ and the gospel. Jesus tells us in the gospels, "Do not be afraid." Even in our own day, that same message was conveyed by our beloved Holy Father, the Venerable Pope John Paul II, who told us "Do not be afraid, Open wide the doors to Christ." We are living in critical times but our call is still, "Do not be afraid." Do not be afraid to live your faith, to defend it vigorously, and to do all we can for the glory of God. St. Irenaeus, pray for us as we follow the example you set before us!

The Complete Vitamin

The readings for Mass this weekend offered me the chance to use the following thought: What is the best vitamin for a Catholic and a Christian? B1 (Be One). When it comes to being a disciple, a follower, or a member of our respective denomination, we should not be one in name only, but we need to put our faith into practice. As one of the commentators for this weekend wrote, we are "to take seriously the call of Jesus to be a follower, a disciple, now and forever." Like Elisha in the first book of Kings and the disciples Jesus encountered on the road, we are to be committed in our response. Jesus calls us to follow him, not to make excuses. It is also written, "Jesus the Teacher will reject those who hesitate. Jesus can only use those disciples who put their hand to God's plow and don't look back, those who move forward without regret." Do not be afraid to live your faith in the world and in your very community. As Jesus calls us to be his disciples and followers, all we need to do is Be One (B1).

A Good Cause

This morning I had the opportunity to offer the closing prayer at the Washington County, Kansas Relay for Life. The Relay for Life started Friday evening at 7:00 with the Opening Ceremony and then quite a few people stayed during the night to walk around the track. The Closing Ceremony started shortly after 6:00 this morning. The prayer that I offered was from the heart. It thanked God for bringing the participants safely through the night to the blessing of this new day. I asked God to be with those who are fighting cancer and those who care for them. I prayed that God would guide researchers to find a cure for all forms of cancer. The conclusion was that we would all be mindful of God's many blessings in our lives. Following the closing ceremony I helped with the clean up of the grounds. Even though it was a short time with those involved, it was a good cause. Have a blessed day!

Bike Ride Reversal

On Monday, Fr. Tom and I took an 18 mile bike ride around the rolling hills of Kansas. Today I took the same route, but in reverse. What a great way to finish out the week of having Fr. Tom in town and then to continue training for the big bike ride later this summer. This will be a busy weekend in Hanover, Kansas. The big fireworks display is always the week before the 4th of July. That will occur on Saturday night. The display is put on by PFB Pyros, a local family in town. My task is to pray that the weather holds up because the display will be dramatic. I am asking those who read the blog to also offer a prayer for good weather and above all for safety for those involved and those who will be attending. Have a great and blessed day!

St. John the Baptist

The parish where I reside is under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. There is a beautiful statue of St. John baptizing Jesus above the high altar. Today, this June 24, happens to be the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. The Church does not celebrate that many birthdays. The main birthday, of course, is the birth of Jesus on December 25. Then there is the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8. The final birthday is what we celebrate today, St. John the Baptist. The reason these birthdays are celebrated is that each person had a specific role in salvation history. St. John the Baptist is the forerunner or the herald of the Messiah. Scripture tells us that John was out in the desert preaching a message of repentance and baptizing. In the midst of his preaching he told the people that one was coming that was more powerful than he. John said he was not fit to unfasten the sandals of his feet. Like John, we are called to be the heralds of our Lord. We need to preach the Good News, not just with words, but with our very lives. May we have the courage to do so. St. John the Baptist, pray for us!!!

Wednesday

This morning, Fr. Tom Elliott, who is visiting from Ft. Smith, Arkansas concelebrated and preached at the morning Mass. The focus of the homily was doing God's will and that what we are doing in our lives is bearing much fruit. It was good to have another voice speak to the people since they listen to my homilies all the time. We had another great day as Fr. Tom's short vacation comes to a close. We went to Beatrice, Nebraska for some bike riding and disc golf. One of the toughest things for a church is to have no phones. The severe weather that moved through Sunday evening knocked the phone lines out at the rectory and it was going to be Thursday before anyone could come but thankfully this afternoon AT&T showed up and the church is up and running. Hope you are all having a great day!!!

Test Blog

I'm trying to get my blog integrated with my facebook pages. So this is just a "test" blog.

A Brand New Blog!

Welcome to the brand new blog of Fr. David!!! If you are looking for faith-filled, spiritual growth, along with some fun, this is the blog to be!