Mary, the Holy Mother of God

This is a beautiful solemnity to celebrate as we conclude the Octave of Christmas and as we prepare to begin a New Year! One thing that you might notice differently in this title is the addition of the word, "Holy." For years, our church calendars read, "Mary, Mother of God." With the unveiling of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal at the beginning of Advent, different titles were once again given their proper usage. Thus, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. The word "Holy" is a beautiful reminder for all of us because we have a "Universal call to Holiness." We are all called to live faithful, prayerful, holy lives. We always look for examples of holiness and that is why the Church holds up the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the holy men and women who have gone before us. Our Blessed Mother is a beautiful example of holiness because God kept her for a very special mission, to bring forth His only begotten Son as Savior of the world. Mary trusted in the message of the angel and gave herself totally to the will of God. In our lives, we need to do the same. We need to be open to the will of God and always respond to that universal call to holiness. This Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, takes precedence over all the other celebrations going on, like New Year's. We are beginning a New Year, 2012, and it is a wonderful time for all of us to resolve to begin again in living holy and faithful lives. Let us ask our Blessed Mother Mary to intercede for us as we celebrate this beautiful solemnity and begin the new year. As we enter the New Year, may God richly bless you and your families for He truly knows what is best for all of us! Blessings to you this weekend and for the New Year!!!

Feast of the Holy Family

What a beautiful way to commemorate the 400th blog, Daily with Fr. David, by celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family. We belong to a particular immediate and extended family, but we are a big family in the one body of Christ. Families in general have been under attack in our society and this is one foundation, one house that needs to remain strong and vibrant. The family is a very important entity in our society and we need to protect and defend this great gift at all times. As our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI says, "The family is the privileged setting where every person learns to give and receive love... The family is an intermediate institution between individuals and society, and nothing can completely take its place... The family is a necessary good for peoples, an indispensable foundation for society and a great and lifelong treasure for couples. It is a unique good for children, who are meant to be the fruit of the love, of the total and generous self-giving of their parents... The family is also a school which enables mean and women to grow to the full measure of their humanity... 'O God, who in the Holy Family left us a perfect model of family life lived in faith and obedience to your will, help us to be examples of faith and love for your commandments'" (Magnificat, 437). We look to the Grotto of Bethlehem as a beautiful example where we can learn and live our faith to the fullest. May the Holy Family guide us by their prayers and intercession and help us all to truly live as the family of God. Thank you for reading these blogs and for commenting if they have a special meaning in your life. Have a Blessed Day!!!

Octave of Christmas

These are wonderful days following the beautiful Solemnity of Christmas. On December 26, the Church remembers Saint Stephen, the First Martyr. You might find it interesting that the Church celebrates the first martyr after Christmas, but one commentary says this, "Bethlehem is the prelude to Calvary. We may not merely stand adoring at the crib; we must also follow to the cross" (Magnificat, 390). That is why the Liturgical Year goes in cycles, because we celebrate these great events of our salvation. Saint John the Evangelist is remembered on December 27. "Saint John is the evangelist of the incarnation. He proclaims the glory of the Word coming forth from God to take on human flesh and dwell in our midst" (Magnificat, 399). On December 28, the Church remembers the Holy Innocents, all those infants that were killed because of Herod's fury to find the Christ-child. As this commentary states, "The peace of Bethlehem was shattered by the cries of the slaughtered children and the weeping of their mothers. The peace of the world was shattered by the single cry from the cross. Yet through that death and mourning, peace was reborn, indestructible now, in the resurrection of the slain Christ" (Magnificat, 417). Hope springs eternal because of God's great love for us, sending His only Son to be the Savior of the world. The Octave of Christmas continues until we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Since Christmas fell on Sunday this year, the Feast of the Holy Family will be celebrated on Friday, December 30. On a personal note, I will write my next blog for the Holy Family because that will be blog number 400, so what a great feast to write about and example to follow. Have a blessed Christmas week!!!

Christmas Blessings

I want to extend blessings to family, friends, and readers of my daily blog. Thank you for faithfulness, prayers, and support. This is truly a great and blessed solemnity that we are celebrating. God's great love for us is made manifest in the Mystery of the Incarnation. This blessed time is the most astounding event in history, God becoming man. Be sure and make it to church this weekend and know that the doors are always open for you. Let us sing with joy the hymn of the angels, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will..." The Incarnation is truly great news to share with others. May you have a blessed Solemnity as we celebrate the birth of Christ. God Bless You!!!

The Herald of Christmas

Our gospel on this day before Christmas Eve is about the birth of John the Baptist, Luke 1:57-66. When it came time to name the child the relatives and friends of Elizabeth and Zechariah were surprised when they said his name would be John. Of course, Zechariah had to write it down because he was not able to speak after doubting the message of the angel. All of those gathered were frightened when Zechariah was able to speak and he sang the praises of God. Those who heard about this said, "What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him." John the Baptist grew up to preach a message of repentance and prepare people for the coming Messiah. We know that John was the forerunner of the Messiah so we can say the he is the herald of Christmas. John prepared the people for the Lord's first coming and what we await is his second coming. That is what we are doing in our present day. We are preparing people to be ready, to stay on guard and be alert. As we approach the Solemnity of Christmas, let us be heralds of the Good News and proclaim with great joy the coming of the Lord. Have a blessed day!!!

Thanksgiving for Christmas

That might sound like an unusual title but Christmas is about thanksgiving. We are giving thanks to God for the best gift that we could receive. God loves the world so much that He sent His only Son to be its Savior. Even though the Mystery of the Incarnation took place many years ago, we still celebrate that event with great joy and anticipation. The joy comes from the love that God has for each of us. The anticipation comes with the reality that we are still waiting for the second coming of Christ. We also take our thankfulness from the Blessed Virgin Mary who sang the praises of God in her Magnificat, Luke 1:46-56. Our Blessed Mother offered these words after greeting her cousin Elizabeth. Mary praised God after Elizabeth said, "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." In her response, Mary said, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed; the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name." That is a thankful response that Mary offers and we need to be thankful as well. Mary's yes to the will of God in her life meant salvation for all of us. As we approach this Christmas Time, let us be thankful for the gifts that God gives to us in our life, but most importantly, let us be thankful for the gift of His Son, for Jesus is truly the "Reason for the Season!" Have a Blessed Day!!!

Make Haste to Christmas

We are making our way, in haste, to the Solemnity of Christmas. Each day brings us closer to this beautiful event. The thought for this title comes from the gospel for today, Luke 1:39-45. This gospel depicts the visitation of our Blessed Mother to her cousin Elizabeth. Luke writes, "Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah." This came shortly after the Annunciation when the angel Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth was six months pregnant. Mary knew that she had to be with her relative so she left without delay. When Mary arrived she greeted Elizabeth and we are told that the baby in her womb leaped for joy. Of course, Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, the herald of the Messiah. Even in the womb he knew that the Savior was coming. Elizabeth even knew that Mary would be the mother of God's only Son. Elizabeth says, "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" The Annunciation and Visitation are blessed events. Mary truly believed in the word that was spoken to her and said yes to the will of God. We are called to do the same in our own lives. God continues to call us to live faithful and holy lives each day. Let us renew our efforts to be faithful and holy as we make haste towards Christmas! Have a blessed day!!!

Drawing Towards Christmas

This Fourth Week of Advent has had some wonderful quotes for us to think about as we draw closer to Christmas Time. Today's quote comes from Blessed Columba Marmion, "Let us then draw near to the Child God with great faith... In the tabernacle as in the Crib, it is the same God full of power, the same Savior full of tender mercy" (Magnificat, 285). This quote also spotlights our faith. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God. That God became a man just like us in all things, but sin. We also believe in the Real Presence! In the tabernacles of our churches, Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. When we approach the manger scene and the crib, we come to adore God made man. When we approach the Tabernacle, we come to adore the Real Presence of Christ. As Scripture states, "God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to be our Savior..." (John 3:16). With the birth of the Savior we experience God's great love and mercy. This is what this Christmas Time is all about. We experience the full power of God, as well as His great mercy. Let us rejoice and be glad because the Mystery of the Incarnation is a gift to celebrate each day. May we be renewed in our lives and our faith as we approach the Crib this Christmas Time and each time we approach the Tabernacle because the Savior of the world is truly present! Have a blessed day!!!

Journey to Christmas

The Fourth Week of Advent is here and leading us to the great Solemnity of Christmas. There is a quote that I read over the weekend which puts this all into perspective. This quote comes from Blessed John XXIII, "Holy Christmas is approaching. Everything in the grotto of Bethlehem is a living lesson for all who wish to live by our faith, and be faithful to it." That is a beautiful image for all of us! In our churches and our homes, we will be putting our manger scenes up so we can see that lesson each day during Christmas Time. Let us not forget the image of the grotto of Bethlehem because we live with the joy of Christmas everyday of our lives. The Church Year goes in cycles and it is a continual reminder of God's great love for each of us. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to be our Savior. Jesus came to live among us, to preach and teach, to suffer and die, and ultimately rise from the dead. Through Jesus' death we have the forgiveness of our sins and through his resurrection the hope of eternal life. The Mystery of the Incarnation is the most astounding event in history. That is what we are preparing to celebrate this coming weekend, but the joy of Christmas is with us each day of our lives. We are thankful for the gift of faith and we are called to live it every day. May this Mystery of the Incarnation inspire us to live our faith to the fullest and the image of the grotto of Bethlehem be an example to us all! Have a blessed day!!!

Fourth Sunday of Advent

We have arrived at the Fourth Sunday of Advent and thankfully we get to enjoy the full week since Christmas is next Sunday. As I was talking to my spiritual director about my Advent thus far and what I would still like to do, he said very simply, "You still have next week." Yes, we have one more week to go, but always remember, our time of preparation does not end when Advent does. We are still preparing ourselves for the second coming of Christ. The gospel for this weekend, Luke 1:26-38, prepares us for the first coming of Christ which we will celebrate next Sunday. The gospel is the Annunciation and the great news that Mary has found favor with God and she is to be the mother of God's only Son. There are several moments in this gospel that are important for our journey now. One moment is the initial greeting of the angel Gabriel and Mary was troubled by his words but he says, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." Our Lord will use that phrase as well, "Do not be afraid." In our present day, Blessed John Paul II proclaimed that message to the world, "Do not be afraid." Those words need to calm our worries and our fears. God is always with us so why be afraid? Another moment is that after the message of how the child will be conceived, Gabriel tells Mary that her kinswoman Elizabeth is also expecting. How can this all be? As Gabriel says, "For nothing will be impossible for God." We know that, with God all things are possible, He is in control. The final moment is Mary's response, her "YES" to following the will of God in her life. She did question but in the end her total faith and trust in God allowed her positive response. That is an example for all of us! We need to have a firm faith and trust in God. That faith and trust will help us to not be afraid, to know that all things are possible with God, and to live His will each day of our lives. A beautiful reminder for all of us as our journey to the kingdom continues! Have a blessed weekend!!!

John the Baptist

The example of John the Baptist abounds for all of us. This week we have heard about John in the gospels. Luke 7:18b-23 talks about John sending two of his disciples to ask the Lord, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus' response to those disciples was to tell John what you have seen: "The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them." John knew that Jesus is the Messiah but there is always that side of us that wants to make sure and he got his answer. Luke 7:24-30 continues with Jesus talking about John and why people went out to see him. Our Lord confirmed that John is the one that scripture speaks about in writing, "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way before you." John 5:33-36 shows that John the Baptist is "a burning and shining lamp!" He came to testify to the truth and prepare the way for the Truth. We see John the Baptist preparing the people of his day for the coming of the Messiah, the first time. Now, in our present day, we follow the example of John the Baptist in preparing the people for the second coming of Christ. Like Advent reminds us, we need to be ready and prepared, so do not miss the opportunities that are given to us. Let us follow the example of John the Baptist, announcing the coming of the Lord and making straight the highway for him! Bless You!!!

Saint John of the Cross

The Church remembers another Advent saint who lived and shared the light of Christ. We remember Saint Lucy from December 13 whose name means "Light." Saint John of the Cross, a doctor of the Church, was put in prison for trying to reform his religious order. In the midst of opposition and suffering, Saint John lived his faith and the light of Christ to the fullest. He is an example for us during this Advent Season. In our own lives, when we experience opposition, persecution, suffering, we are not to lose hope or despair, but we let our faith come through loud and clear. Of course, we know that our faith is meant to be lived at all times, not during the bad times, but in our good times. We live our faith all the time. As a priest, I have witnessed peoples faith in action. It is beautiful to listen to people as they talk about their faith and how they would not know what to do if it was not for their faith. Truly an inspiration to me as I strive to live my faith. Yes, the Church holds up for us these holy women and men, like Saint John of the Cross, to follow their example and seek their intercession. We know in our present day that we have people who are examples to us and we are examples to them. We are all on this journey of life and faith together. We help each other out by living our life of faith. Do not be afraid to live your faith! It is truly a great gift that God has given to us! Saint John of the Cross, pray for us!!!

Saint Lucy

The Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Lucy! She was a virgin and martyr who remained strong in her faith. In Latin, Lucy's name would be translated as "Light!" Her example truly made the light of Christ shine in the midst of darkness. During the Advent Season, the candles on the wreath dispel the darkness. We know that Jesus is forever the light of the world. At baptism, our parents and godparents were entrusted with the light of Christ. They were told to keep that light burning brightly. As adults, we are entrusted with the same call. We need to keep the flame of faith burning brightly in our lives. We can do our part through prayer, the sacraments, scripture and spiritual reading. God gives us the gifts, graces, and tools that we need. Our challenge is to use those gifts and use them to the fullest. The Church also holds up these holy men and women that we can look to and ask their intercession as we journey through life and faith. Saint Lucy is truly an Advent saint. She kept the light of Christ burning in her life and in a world that was living in darkness. Times have changed but the world is still in darkness and it needs that light more than ever. May we do our part to keep the light of Christ burning brightly and may our example help others in their journey of life and faith! Saint Lucy, pray for us!!!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

A blessed feast day to everyone as we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas. As it reads in the Book of Revelation, "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child" (12:1-2). The corresponding commentary goes along with that passage. "In Tepeyac, the Mother of God, ark of the new covenant who is Christ, reveals the beauty of the redeeming Christ in the beauty of humanity at its lowliest. Appearing to an Aztec as a pregnant Aztec maiden rather than one of the conquering Spaniards, she echoed the message of the incarnation: Christ took on our lowly mortal flesh to transform us according to God's mercy" (Magnificat, 169). We know that God loves the world so much that He sent His only Son to be our Savior. We have been redeemed by the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. This is a time for us to rejoice and be glad and keep that momentum with us at all times. We ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for us, help us to always be aware of God's love for us, and share that joy and goodness with others. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!!!

Third Sunday of Advent

"Gaudete Sunday!" Rejoice in the Lord always!!! That is our call on this Third Sunday of Advent as we have come to our half way point in this Advent Time. With Christmas being on a Sunday this year, we can say that we have completed two weeks in Advent and have two weeks to go. So, how is your Advent going? This is a good time to re-evaluate what we have or have not done in our journey through Advent. As I said two weeks ago, what Christmas gift do you want to give yourself when Advent concludes? Of course, this gift has nothing to do with material items, but it is personal and spiritual. This gift has to be something that we need in our lives and our faith. I know I still need to be working on that gift for myself and that is what I come up with as I evaluate my Advent Time thus far. Perhaps I need to take the words of Saint Paul this weekend to heart, "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thes. 5:16-24). Yes, rejoice in the Lord at all times and pray without ceasing. Prayer is the gift that will help us wrap up the gift that we need for our Christmas celebration. We need to use the gift of prayer at all times and do not be afraid to ask, to seek, and to knock. The Lord is always there to answer our prayer and in doing so we need to rejoice and be thankful. Let us rejoice and be glad on this Third Sunday of Advent and let us continue the work that needs to be done in our lives and in living our faith! Have a blessed and joy-filled weekend!!!

Saint Juan Diego

It was on this day in 1531 that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico. She wished that a church be built on this site and a sign would be provided so the bishop would give his blessing. Juan Diego gathered roses in his tilma or cloak and went to the bishop. When the tilma was unfolded the image of Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe was imprinted on it. What a beautiful miracle and the church now sits on that location, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Even though Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12, we can begin our celebrations now as we remember Saint Juan Diego. As we celebrate this memorial, I think back with fondness to the last Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention that I attended as the State Chaplain of Kansas. The Supreme Convention was held in Phoenix, Arizona. Following the convention a Guadalupe Festival was held and the focus was on Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe. At the closing prayer service, a relic of Saint Juan Diego was brought in and placed around the statue of Our Lady. Those bishops and priests who were present for the Guadalupe Festival received a beautiful chausible with Our Lady of Guadalupe printed on the front and the Knights of Columbus logo on the back. It was a beautiful gift and I wore it for Mass this morning. Once again, we thank God for the gift of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her title, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pray that Saint Juan Diego will intercede for us that our faith and trust will be strong because those are gifts that he lived in his own life. Saint Juan Diego, pray for us!!!

Immaculate Conception!!!

A Blessed and Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception to everyone. This is truly a beautiful and holy day. I even learned something today as I was making communion rounds. The Church knows how to use numbers when it comes to feast days and they always make sense. For example, the Annunciation, which we hear in the gospel today, Luke 1:26-38, is celebrated on March 25. That means, nine months later we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord. However, there is an example that is right underneath my nose and I did not even think about it. The solemnity today celebrates Mary being immaculately conceived in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, which means Mary would be born nine months later and she is on September 8, the day the Church celebrates the birth of Mary. I should have known that but guess it never registered until today. We are always learning about our faith and it does not matter how young or old we happen to be. What we learn on this solemnity is how to follow the will of God in our lives and to place our complete faith and trust in Him. Mary did that by responding to the angel's message with a resounding "YES." We need that same reaction as we live God's will in our own lives and faith. Mary, as the Immaculate Conception, is the patroness of the United States. Pray that our Blessed Mother will intercede for us and help us to alway have that same unwavering faith and trust that she models for us so well! Have a blessed day!!!

Saint Ambrose

The prayers for the Roman Missal, Third Edition are definitive and beautiful. I like how the Collect for Saint Ambrose is written, "O God, who made the Bishop Saint Ambrose a teacher of the Catholic faith and a model of apostolic courage..." That explains what we need to be doing in our lives. As I told our Catholic School students, one day you will be in our roles- as priest, teacher, administrator- passing on the Catholic faith to the next generation so we, who are in those roles now, need to be doing our part. Like one commentary says, "Saint Ambrose proclaimed the coming of Christ, the long-awaited Savior, in troubled times not so different from our own" (Magnificat, 99). When we look around we see how troubled our times are and how worse they might become. That is why we need to bring a message of faith, hope, comfort, and peace to our brothers and sisters. Saint Ambrose did that for the people of his time, we need to do this for our own time, and we need to instill that message in our young people so that when they get to our ages, they will be doing the same for those who will come after them. Always remember the words of our Lord, "Do not be afraid." Let us not be afraid to share our faith and live the Good News because these times need to hear it. Pray that Saint Ambrose will intercede for us in this time and in the generations to come! Bless You!!!

Saint Nicholas

Happy Feast day of Saint Nicholas. I always remember from the seminary that on the night before December 6 we would put a shoe outside the door and when we awoke the next morning fruit and candy would have been placed in it. A sign of the generosity of Saint Nicholas who was very giving of his time, talent and treasure. This is a beautiful example for all of us to follow. The gospel for today, Matthew 18:12-14 is a wonderful example of what it means to be a shepherd. The shepherd will leave the ninety nine sheep and go in search of the stray. We can imagine that Saint Nicholas would do the same thing. Just like the entrance antiphon states, "I will look after my sheep, says the Lord, and I will appoint a shepherd to pasture them, and I, the Lord, will be their God" (Ez 34:11, 23-24). Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he calls shepherds to pasture the sheep and look after them. We thank God for the blessing of Saint Nicholas and for the example that he provided. We pray that during this time we can pattern our lives after Saint Nicholas so we can be loving and generous disciples and stewards of the Lord. Saint Nicholas, pray for us!!!

Don't Get Tied Down...

For the homily that I gave this past weekend, I came out with a microphone cord as a prop. Whenever props are used, people wonder how this is going to fit into the readings that we just listened to. I told the story of a priest who was preaching a fine homily one Sunday morning and he was really into it. The Holy Spirit was truly at work but what the priest did not realize is that each time he moved around he was getting tangled in the microphone cord. Eventually he realized that he was tied down and started to kick and throw his arms about so he could get free. During the outburst, a little girl in the front pew said to her mother, "Mommy, if he gets loose we are all in trouble." The priest made it out, no one got hurt, and the homily went on. I think about that preaching story as John the Baptist appeared in the desert on the Second Sunday of Advent. An early evangelizer, John the Baptist was preparing the people of his day for the coming of the Messiah. He came preaching a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Even though times have changed, the message is still the same as we await the second coming of our Lord. We need to prepare ourselves for his coming! We need to repent of our sinfulness and turn back to God and receive His forgiveness. There is always that sense of urgency because we do not know the day nor the hour so we need to be ready, now!!! Advent is a wonderful time for us to renew our lives and our faith. Don't get tied down with the voices of the world because there is one voice that is loud and clear, the voice of our Lord. Listen to the words of Jesus Christ in the gospels! Listen to those who preach the Good News! These are the words that will lead to eternal life. Let us continue to make the most of this Advent Time as we continue our preparation for the Lord's coming, not just at Christmas, but in glory! God Bless You!!!

Second Sunday of Advent

This is the weekend where we meet John the Baptist- the herald, the forerunner of the Messiah. In fact the first reading, Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11 and the gospel, Mark 1:1-8 go hand in hand. Mark even writes the passage from Isaiah to reinforce the role of John the Baptist. The prophet Isaiah writes, "A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" Here is Mark's version, "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." There is a little more added on to Mark's version but it says the same thing. John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. His message was also one of repentance and being forgiven of our sins. That is a wonderful call for us during this Advent Time. We need to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord, at the end of time, and receive the forgiveness of our sins that comes from God. John the Baptist is a tremendous example of the new evangelization. He came to prepare the highway for the Messiah, the first coming, and it is our task to help our brothers and sisters prepare for the second coming. As we heard our Lord say, "Only the Father knows the day and the hour." As we gather around the table of God's Word and Eucharist this weekend, let us heed the call to prepare and evangelize because in our present day we are still making straight a highway for the Lord. Have a blessed weekend!!!

Advent Sight!

In Matthew 9:27-31, Jesus heals two blind men. When the mean approached Jesus, he asked them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to him. Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." Their eyes were opened and they were able to see. Of course, Jesus tells the men at the conclusion of the gospel not to tell anyone about what happened and what did they do? They went and spread the word about him. An early form of evangelization, which we are all called to do. We need to proclaim the Good News about Jesus and help others, as we prepare ourselves, for his second coming in glory. We can also think about the miracle that occured in the gospel. We know there is physical blindness but there is also spiritual blindness. The eyes of faith go dim or they lose sight altogether. This is a beautiful time for us to regain our sight when it comes to the eyes of faith. During Advent, we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ and we do so with the gifts that we recently heard about from Blessed John Paul II, "Vigilance, Prayer and Conversion." God gives us the grace that we need to live our lives and our faith. What do you want Jesus to do for you? Do we have the faith to be accepting of the gifts that we receive? Allow the Lord to touch our minds, hearts, and eyes so that we can be open to the gift of Advent sight! Blessings to you!!!

Advent Time

This is a beautiful time of the year, especially as we are preparing ourselves to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord. We know that our Lord has come once and we look for him to come again. What makes Advent a special time? I think this quote from Blessed John Paul II, "Advent is a time of vigilance, prayer and conversion." That truly says it all because that is what we are to be doing during this holy time. However, our time of vigilance, prayer and conversion is not confined to Advent but needs to be every day of our lives. Conversion, as I learned in my Foundational Theology course in the seminary, is a life-long process. It can be said that vigilance and prayer is the same. God gives us each day to live our lives and our faith. Many times we take those gifts for granted. We have the hope each day that we will rise from sleep, but we don't know, so we are thankful each time that we can wake up. We are thankful that God has given us another day to live the gift of faith and to share His love with one another. Don't think that I don't have to do this because someone else will. No, we are responsible for our lives and our faith and we need to do what we can to grow in both. We don't know how long our life-long process will be, but we do know this, today is the day to make all things new and right because we don't know what tomorrow will bring. Thank God for the time that we have been given, especially Advent, and do your part to make vigilance, prayer and conversion an important part of your daily life and spirituality! God Bless You!!!

Saint Andrew

We pause in our days of Advent to celebrate the Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle. To begin, Andrew was an apostle of John the Baptist before he became a follower of Christ. He also brought his brother, Simon Peter, to be a follower (Magnificat, 431). We listen to their story in the gospel, Matthew 4:18-22. Simon Peter and Andrew were fisherman and they were at their trade when the Lord called them to be fishers of men. They left everything and followed Jesus. The same happened to James and John as they were fishing with their father, Zebedee. Jesus called them and they to left everything to follow the Lord. When these early apostles were called there seemed to be no hesitation at all. In fact, when Jesus called James and John the passage reads, "He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him." If they had no prior knowledge of Jesus and this man walks up to them and says "Come, follow me," that takes great faith and trust. I will get back to those two gifts in a moment, but Andrew went on to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and he was put to death by crucifixion. Like his brother, Peter, Andrew probably felt that unworthiness to be crucified like our Lord, so he was crucified on a cross in the shape of an "X." Saint Andrew is an Advent saint. During these days of Advent, we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ, not just at Christmas, but ultimately at the end of time. We are working to strengthen the gifts of faith and trust that have been given to us. Let us ask Saint Andrew to intercede for us as we continue our journey of Advent and be renewed in the gifts of faith and trust that God has given to us! Have a blessed day!!!

Vision of Peace!

The reading from the prophet Isaiah, 11:1-10, gives us a vision of peace. At the beginning, the prophet talks about the One that will come and how the Spirit of the Lord will come upon him. Then the prophet speaks about the animals who will become peaceful: the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid, the calf and young lion, the cow and the bear, the lion and ox, and the child will play by the cobra's den and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. As he writes, "There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain." There will be peace with the coming of the kingdom. Just as the psalmist writes, "Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever." Jesus says that the world will not know the peace that he gives. If we truly know God, then we will truly know peace. However, it has to begin with us. We need to create that spirit of peace and live it each day. As I tell people, we may not get out on an international or national level, but right in our very communities we can live the peace of Christ with our brothers and sisters. During Advent, we are preparing for the coming of the Prince of Peace, not just at Christmas, but in glory. May the Prince of Peace fill our minds and hearts with peace and let us share that beautiful gift with one another! God Bless You!!!

What Advent is...?

How did the weekend Masses go for you as the Roman Missal, Third Edition was unveiled? I can truthfully say that I was very nervous as Mass time drew near on Saturday evening. With three parishes I was able to calm my nerves by the last Mass on Sunday morning, but starting out, my stomach felt like it was in knots. Like I told the people, it will take patience and compassion on our part as we begin this journey with the Roman Missal. The first time I said, "The Lord be with you," there were a few, "And also with you," and all I could do was smile. That seemed to be the cue because when I smiled there were a few "Oh's" from the congregation, so they knew. As I mentioned, it will take time so let us be patient with ourselves and compassionate towards one another. This is a beautiful time of the year as we begin Advent and our preparation for the coming of the Lord at Christmas. Ultimately, we are preparing for the coming of the Lord at that day and hour when we least expect. The key word from our readings on the First Sunday of Advent is, "Watch." Be watchful that the day of the Lord will not catch you off guard. So, what is Advent? The answer comes from a handout in our diocesan bulletin. "Advent- Is a time of waiting, Is a time of trust, Is a time of prayer, Is a time of Joy, Is a time of Expectation, Is a time of Hope. Dare to proclaim: the MESSIAH is coming." This is what Advent is all about. It is a time for us to prepare, to grow, and not be afraid to proclaim the coming of the Lord. May our lives and our faith be strengthened and renewed during this holy time. God Bless You!!!

First Sunday of Advent

The Church has arrived at the beginning of our new liturgical year. Of course, this new year begins in a big way with the unveiling of the Roman Missal, Third Edition. We have spent several months preparing for this time and now it is finally here. As I mentioned to my parishioners last weekend, there are two words that I want everyone to keep in mind, "Compassion and Patience." We need to be patient with ourselves because we have been using the same prayers and responses for over 40 years and now we are being asked to learn a new, but old translation. It is going to take time for both the people and the priests as this process moves forward. Eventually we will get our prayers and responses down but until then, we need to be patient. Also, we need compassion for one another because there will be some who keep going back to the old responses or not doing things as they were taught. Even people will need compassion for their priests because the Roman Missal is all new wording, along with new gestures, so it will take time for them to get all of this down as well. This is a learning process for all of us and we will make it through, especially with the gifts of patience and compassion. It is appropriate that we are beginning these changes on the first weekend of Advent because this is a time of preparation and growth. What would you like to accomplish in your personal lives and spirituality during this holy time? Perhaps your answer can be a Christmas gift to yourself. Let us make the most of this time that God has given to us and may this Advent be a meaningful one for all of us! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Stay Focused!

Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving day! Of course, each day is thanksgiving day because we need to be grateful and thankful for all of the blessings that God gives to us! In that regard, we need to stay focused. Never lose sight of being thankful because being thankful is also a gift from God. As I mentioned, we need to create that "Attitude of Gratitude" because that will help us to keep the focus of being thankful. Now, for today and the days ahead. Many people are out shopping and getting the best deals for Christmas. For many, the focus is now on Christmas, but do not forget that Advent starts this weekend. We need to focus on our time of preparation and waiting for the coming of the Lord, not just at Christmas, but ultimately at the end of time. There are two popular slogans, "Keep Christ in Christmas" and "Jesus is the reason for the season." Both are true, but with all the voices calling out to us to do this or do that, we tend to lose our focus of why these times are important. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to be our Savior and we need to keep that focus at all times. We are entering the beautiful time of the Church year, Advent, followed by Christmas. Do not let Advent slip you by because this is a great time that God gives to us to prepare our lives and hearts for what is truly important. We will hear the call this weekend to keep watch but today the invitation is to "Stay Focused!" God Bless You!!!

Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!! This is truly a beautiful day to give thanks and praise to God for the gifts and blessings that He has bestowed upon us. Of course, that spirit of thanksgiving is one that we need to live everyday. The fourteenth-century German Dominican mystic Meister Eckhart offers this advice for Thanksgiving Day: "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was 'Thank you,' that would be sufficient" (Loose-Leaf Lectionary, 1553). A number of years ago I remember someone saying, "When someone offers you a compliment, instead of saying thank you, say Thank God." We do not do everything on our own. We always need to trust in and rely on God's presence because we have all been created in God's image and likeness. At times I have gotten in the habit of saying to someone after a compliment, Thank you, but then when I turn away I say Thank God because I know I do not do what I do alone. God is always there! This day is a perfect time to strengthen our "Attitude of Gratitude." We always need to be thankful for the gifts and blessings that we have in life. This day reminds us what we should be doing everyday. Let us pray for the grace to be thankful and if there is one prayer that we need to say, let is be "Thank You!" Have a blessed holiday!!!

Thankful Spirit

Here we are, the eve of Thanksgiving! Many people will be traveling for the holiday so we pray that all travelers will be safe. Family and Friends will be gathering around the table to share their Thanksgiving meal. May I add, before you gather around the table at your homes, take the time to gather around the table of the Lord at Mass. The Eucharist is, "the source and summit of our faith," and it also means, "Thanksgiving." When we gather at Mass we gather to give thanks to the Lord for His many gifts and blessings in our lives. As the psalmist for this Wednesday writes, "Give glory and eternal praise to him." That is our call as a people of God, to give Him glory and praise and to be thankful for what God has done in our lives. Yes, Thanksgiving is a holiday that we celebrate every year, but being thankful is what we are called to do every day. We offer a prayer of thanksgiving every day because by God's grace: we live, move, and have our being. Every thing we have in life is a gift from God! We are called to use our gifts, talents, and resources for the glory of God and the good of our brothers and sisters. We are getting into the Thanksgiving mood, but a thankful spirit is one that we are to have everyday of our lives. Pray that God will give us the grace to always be a thankful people because by being thankful we show our glory and eternal praise to Him. Blessings to You!!!

Presentation of Mary

As we begin this week, leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, we celebrate a beautiful feast, The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We are familiar with the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple because we reflect on that event each time we pray the fourth joyful mystery of the Rosary. Now, we reflect on the Presentation of our Blessed Mother. One commentary puts this memorial into perspective, "The story of the presentation of Mary in the temple as a child captures the essential Gospel portrait of Mary as a woman entirely dedicated not merely to doing but to living the will of God. Her own willing obedience, unhesitatingly given and never revoked, lies at the heart of her life of self-sacrifice offered in love" (Magnificat, 294). This commentary follows the brief passage where our Lord says, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me"(Jn 4:34). Our Lord came to do the will of his Father in heaven. Mary gave herself totally to the will of God when she said "Yes" to being the mother of God's only Son. We are called, brothers and sisters, to follow the will of God in our own lives. It is a total surrender, putting our complete faith and trust in God. We have nothing to fear because God will lead us in the right direction and give us the grace that we need to accomplish His will in our lives here on earth. Our Blessed Mother is a tremendous example for us and she guides us with her maternal hand and prayers of intercession. As Mary was presented in the temple, may she help us to get to heaven where she will present us to her divine Son. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!!!

Solemnity of Christ the King

The Church has arrived at the final week of the Liturgical Year. Next weekend, we begin the Church's new year with the First Sunday of Advent. A statement that comes to mind this weekend is, "As one door closes, another opens." Of course, this Solemnity of Christ the King will close more than just one door. Not only are we closing the door on the Liturgical Year, but we are also closing the door on the use of the Sacramentary. For over 40 years, we have been using a translation that came out of the Second Vatican Council. These translations were not closely linked with the original Latin language of the Church. Blessed John Paul II initiated the revision of the Third Roman Missal, which would bring all translations back to the Latin language. Many years of work has gone into making this possible and now we are ready to unveil the Roman Missal next weekend. It will be a major change for all of us, priests and people. All of the prayers have been translated so that means we priests will have to keep a close eye on the missal until we get the wording straight in our heads. The responses of the people have changed so they will have to keep a close eye on their pew cards or the revised missalettes. This is an exciting and challenging time for the church. As I have said before, hopefully this time will allow us to grow again in our love for the Mass and the Eucharist. We are truly a blessed and redeemed people. We have to do our part to build up the Kingdom of God in our midst as we prepare for the full reality of that kingdom to be revealed. Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe. Let us praise and adore him on this feast and in the days ahead as we prepare for this time of renewal in the church. Have a blessed weekend!!!

Foundation of Faith

Our faith is a great gift from God! We thank God for the gift of faith and for those in our families and those entrusted with our formation who have instilled the gift of faith in us. A foundation has been laid for us and with God's grace it is up to us to build that structure that sustains us throughout our journey of life. In terms of a larger picture, we can go back to Peter's confession when he told Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus responded, "You are Peter, meaning rock, and upon this rock I will build my church." That is the foundation that was poured for those early apostles and they did their part to build upon it and we continue to do the same in our present day. Today, the Church celebrates the dedication of the two basilicas, St. Peter's and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. These early apostles paved the way for those who would come after. Peter with his confession of faith, receiving the keys to the kingdom and Paul with his conversion to the faith and becoming one of the great evangelizers. What Peter and Paul did, we are called to do as well. We are called to live our faith, to be faithful examples to one another, and to share our faith through evangelization. Next year, the Church will begin the "Year of Faith," with a focus on the New Evangelization. This is a wonderful time for us to rededicate our faith and recommit ourselves to being those evangelizers in our present day. Even though a great structure has been built over the centuries, we continue to lay the foundation for those who will come after so they can write their chapter of faithful living. May Saints Peter and Paul intercede for us and may we follow their example of building up our faith and proclaiming the Good News to all peoples. Have a blessed day!!!

Works of Faith

Saint Paul writes, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Eph. 2:8-10). The commentary also goes on to say, "We are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved not by doing good works but in order to do good works. Our salvation is God's gift to us; how we live is our gift to God" (Catholic Youth Bible, 1389). Paul also talks about our faith and works because both go hand-in-hand. Without faith our works are dead so we do need both. As we have been establishing, it takes work to make our faith grow and each one of us needs to do our part. Our faith is a gift from God. We have been saved by Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection and these gifts are given to us to be lived and shared. I always go back to the Benedictine motto, "Ora et Labora," "Prayer and Work." You cannot separate the two, we need one with the other. To be effective in our work we need to pray. The same is true with the works of faith. To be effective in our faith we need to do the work. Like we just read, we are not saved by our good works, but we are saved to do good works. Again, this is our responsibility! God gives us the grace and tools that we need, it is up to us to put them into practice. Let us continue to pray for a renewed faith, but pray that we may have the grace to undertake the work that needs to be done so that we can live our faith to the fullest. God Bless You!!!

Responsibility of Faith

This is a title that came to me after I wrote the blog for November 15 on faith. When you hear people say that they wished their faith was strong or they wished their faith was like so and so's, you can say, "It can be." There is a responsibility that goes into living our faith. Our faith is a gift from God and we need to live it each day and to the fullest. We know that there are those who are lapse in their faith and those are the ones that we need to reach. However, we cannot forget ourselves because we need to do what we can to keep our faith strong and lively. The Sacraments of the Church are a beautiful encounter with Christ, they provide grace. If we want to receive the sacraments we need to know why and what those sacraments entail. For example, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We approach the sacrament to be forgiven of our sins, to receive the pastoral advice of the priest, to receive a penance, and listen to the prayer of absolution. We are there to be forgiven and hopefully we can begin to do better. We know that prayer, scripture, spiritual reading, and spiritual direction can help us in our journey of faith. If we are going to pass on the faith to our young people, especially grandparents and parents, they need to be examples of how to live their faith and make that a priority. Many times we run into people who are Catholic in name only and they need to be practicing Catholics. Sometimes our young people need to be examples to the adults on the importance of Mass, the sacraments, prayer, etc. We were entrusted by virtue of our baptism to live the faith and pass it on. Let us pray for God's grace and use the responsibility given to us to live our faith to the fullest. Have a blessed day!!!

Living My Faith!

Faith is a beautiful gift from God. Our faith nourishes and sustains us, in both the good and bad times. Each of us needs to do our part to keep our faith alive and fresh. It interests me to listen to peoples comments about living the faith. Some will say, "I wish my faith was as strong as this person's or that person's." Well, it can be, all you have to do is live the faith that God gave you and that was instilled in you and do what you need to do to make your faith grow. People talk about what they see in others and wish they had it. I believe they do and they can. We need to take advantage of the opportunities that are placed before us. One of the comments I hear on occasion is about adult or faith formation. "I wish my parish had something that will help me live my faith and give my faith new life." So I keep a mental picture of the person that said that and when the formation session is scheduled and held, they usually are not there. It's like I said in a recent homily, "God gives us the grace, the tools, and the resources to live our lives, our faith here on earth, and we need to use them." Living our faith takes work. We need to approach the sacraments when they are administered because that is a very special encounter with Christ. We need to pray each day and probably several times a day. Keep those communication lines with God open at all times. Take the time for reading the Sacred Scriptures and spiritual reading. Even spiritual direction is a wonderful avenue for people. God gives us what we need, we just need to use them and use them wisely. The faith you live, that I live is a gift and we need to accept that gift at all times. It is our responsibility to live our faith at all times and to take advantage of those opportunities that God and the Church gives to us. As we profess our faith each week, may we have the courage to live it and be an example to others. Have a blessed day!!!

Profession of Faith

In less than two weeks, the new Roman Missal will be unveiled, on the First Sunday of Advent. The people will notice the changes when it comes to responses and the priests will notice considerable changes when it comes to all the contents in the Roman Missal. Everything has been translated to the authentic latin language. As we know, Latin is still the official language of the Roman Catholic Church. One change that we will notice is with the Nicene Creed that we profess each week. For years that profession of faith has begun with, "We believe." Now, all the we's will become "I." The latin version of the Nicene Creed begins with the word, "Credo," which translated is, "I believe." In going back to "I," the creed puts the profession of faith back in our court. Instead of saying "we" in a general sense, we are saying that, "I" believe. This is our personal confession of faith and it is a gift that has been given to us by God. My personal faith is a gift to be professed and lived to the fullest. One commentary responded this way after listening to the gospel that we had for this past weekend, Matthew 25:14-30. "God has entrusted us with generous gifts that are no less valuable than that which the rich man entrusted to his servants, and like the rich man, what God expects is not an ordinary return. We have been given a gift called faith, and faith must be invested" (The Priest, October 2011, 28). When we live our faith, we invest it but we also take risks. We should not be afraid to live our faith in the world and in our respective communities. Each Sunday, we profess our faith in the peace and security of the church building, but the challenge is to live our faith outside the church doors. Our new, but old, profession of faith will make our confession of faith personal. As we recite this beautiful prayer, let us pray for the grace and courage to live our faith and share this beautiful gift with others! God Bless You!!!

Gifts and Talents

Our readings for this weekend ask us to live a stewardship way of life. More times than none when you talk about stewardship the thought of money always comes up. The gospel for this 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time has Jesus offering a parable about talents or money (Matt. 25:14-30). However, we have to think in larger terms because it is more than just money and possessions, it is about our faith and the generosity of God. We thank God for the material resources that we have because they are truly gifts from Him, but we know that we came into the world with nothing and we will leave the world with nothing. All the money and posssessions that we have are just material items. What lasts is the faith that we live and how we share our gifts and talents with others. We need to do this in the time that we have been given. Saint Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians (5:1-6) says that we are children of the light and we need to always be sober and alert. Again, it is preparing us for the day and hour that we know not. Only God knows the day and hour of His Son's return or the hour of our death. We need to do what we can to live our lives and our faith to the fullest. God is very generous with us! His love is unconditional and these are gifts that we need to live each day. We thank God for the gifts and talents that we have received and now we have to live them, instead of burying them. We need to give back to God what He has given to us! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Saint Martin of Tours

An appropriate memorial to celebrate on this Veterans Day. I want to thank all of our veterans for their service to our country! In a special way we remember those veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice. We keep them in our prayers, as well as those who continue to answer the call and serve in the military today. Saint Martin of Tours was a military person! He gave up the military life and was baptized. Afterwards, he founded a monastery where he lived the monastic life. Saint Martin was ordained a priest and chosen bishop of Tours. He provided an example of the ideal good pastor, founding othe monasteries, educating the clergy, and preaching the Gospel to the poor (Magnificat, 147-48). Saint Martin is a tremendous example for all of us, but here is the story that really stands out. "Saint Martin is perhaps best remembered for tearing his warm cloak in half and sharing it with a shivering beggar, only to discover later in a dream that the beggar was Christ. He never lost his love for the poor or for a life of personal poverty in service to the Gospel" (152). We encounter our Lord in many different ways and this story of Saint Martin is a powerful one because we are to see the face of Christ in our brothers and sisters. On this day of remembrance and thanks, we ask Saint Martin to intercede for us, help us to proclaim the Good News, and to see Christ in the faces of others! Have a blessed day!!!

Saint Leo the Great

From his biography, "Saint Leo was probably born in Rome and was raised to the see of Peter in 440. He was a true pastor and father of souls. He labored strenuously to safeguard the integrity of the faith and vigorously defended the unity of the Church. He pushed back or at least softened the onrush of the barbarians. He has deservedly won the title 'the Great.' He died in 461" (Magnificat, 136). Saint Leo is a tremendous example for all of us. He safeguarded the dignity of the faith and defended the unity of the Church in his time and we are called to do the same in our own time. We look to the what the holy men and women did for the Church during the time they lived and they were laying the foundation for us to build upon. Of course, the foundation had already been laid with Peter's of confession of Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the living God, so we continue to build upon the structure that has prevailed for centuries. Times change, but the mission is still the same, proclaim the Good News and keep building up the Kingdom of God in our midst. We have saints, like Leo the Great, to help us by their prayers and example. May we do our part to defend the faith and unite all of our brothers and sisters into the one body of Christ. Saint Leo the Great, pray for us!!!

Re-Dedicating the Dedicated!

Today is a beautiful feast in the Universal Church, the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. This basilica is the "Mother Church" of Christendom and the Cathedral of the Pope. I really liked what the Magnificat magazine had as the "Meditation of the Day," a piece written by Fr. Pius Parsch. Here is just a part of that: "The parish church is the visible symbol of God's kingdom upon earth. Here Mother Church holds her official services; here her heart beats fastest for her Bridegroom Christ, as also for her children." Then, "The parish church is for us the gate of heaven, a foretaste of heaven, a preview of our heavenly home... The parish church symbolizes the individual Christian" (129). Those are great images as we think about our parish churches because they are the place to be when it comes to worship. We need to be there and we need to encourage our brothers and sisters who have been away from church for awhile to come back. The church is God's House, a house of prayer. The church is where we go to be fed and nourished and we take the church with us when we leave because the people are the "Living Stones." This is a wonderful time for all of God's people to re-dedicate ourselves to living our faith, being strong Catholics and disciples, and being active church members and goers. As this passage says, "Like living stones let yourselves be built on Christ as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood" (I Peter 2:5). May God bless us and help us in our re-dedication! Have a blessed day!!!

"Let Go, Let God"

This is a beautiful phrase and I try to keep it in my mind and heart at all times. I first came in contact with the phrase, "Let Go, Let God," in the book, "Gift of Peace," written by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin of Chicago. He talked about how he had to let go of things that was going on his life and ministry and let God do the work. For many that is difficult. We need God in our lives at all time, not just when its convenient or we need something for ourselves! God is always there, always faithful, all the time! There is a quote that I found yesterday that made me think of this phrase. The quote says, "Every morning we arise afresh in Christ our light. Ancient Christian writers warn against 'morning demons': yesterday's worries and grievances returning to poison the new day" (Magnificat, 100). Things that happened in the past will do that as well. They keep returning and there is nothing that we can do about the past, it is over. Instead, we have to work on the present and learn for the future. Let go of those things that try to take over our mind and heart and focus on the beautiful things that God gives to us each day. God is in control of our lives. We need to surrender to Him and His will and allow Him to work in our lives, minds, and hearts in a special way! Pray God that we may have the grace and strength to let go of what keeps coming back in our minds and hearts and allow You to do the work that needs to be done! Amen.

The Strength of Faith

Last evening, I concluded the tour of the Roman Missal that I was doing for the three parishes that I serve. These sessions allowed us to take a deeper look into the Roman Missal that will begin on the First Sunday of Advent. My hope and prayer is that people will fall in love again with the Mass and their devotion to the Holy Eucharist. This is an exciting time for us as church as we begin praying the prayers that are closely linked with the latin language. It will take time to get the responses down and learn the musical settings but this is truly an effort that includes all the people of God. At those sessions, one of the questions that I asked was, "On a scale of 1-10, where would you rate your faith?" I ask my readers here that same question! Our faith is a gift from God and we are called to live our faith each day. The gospel for today, Luke 17:1-6, is a wonderful passage for us as we talk about faith. The Apostles said to our Lord, "Increase our faith." In reply, Jesus said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." We know that the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds but fully grown it is the largest of all bushes. It can be said that great things do come in small packages. Just think how strong our faith is when it comes to looking at the mustard seed. To keep our faith strong we need to do our part. Some of what we can do is pray each day, scripture and spiritual reading, Mass and the Sacraments, and putting our faith into action by the service that we do. If we find that our faith may be falling behind we can make that simple request of the Apostles, "Increase our faith." That grace and renewal to strengthen our faith is always there for the asking. We have received a great gift from God, let us live it to the fullest! God Bless You!!!

Time to Remember

The month of November is known as the "Month of All Souls." We marked the commemoration of All Souls this past November 2, but we have an entire month to remember the faithful departed and to offer our prayers for them. This time is also a reminder for ourselves who are living because we know how quickly time passes by and that means our lives as well. On a personal note, I know how that feels because this past June I had gone out for a short bike ride and ended up blacking out just two miles into the ride. There was no pain, no warning, it just hit all at once. I had all the medical tests run on me that they could and everything came back normal. To me, I know it was a God-event. God had a message for me and I received it in a big way. As one article pointed out recently, sometimes God gives us a tap or a shove to show how much He loves us. I can honestly say that I got the shove and God's point is well taken. This incident does show how quickly our lives can end and the main question to ask ourselves is, Are we ready? That is the point of our readings for this first weekend in November. Saint Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, 4:13-18, says that we need to have hope. Even though we may grieve for a loved one who has passed on, we live in hope because we know death is not the end, but the beginning. Paul encourages us, "Therefore, console one another with these words." The words of faith and hope will sustain us. In Matthew's Gospel, 25:1-13, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins- 5 were wise and 5 were foolish. When the bridegroom came, the foolish ones were not ready, while the wise were ready and went into the feast. That is the message for us: live in faith and hope and always be ready because Jesus says, "Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour." May this time of remembrance be beneficial for us because the time to be ready is now! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Saint Charles Borromeo

The Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo. His biography states, "As a true pastor of his flock, he tirelessly promoted Christian life by the reform of his diocese, the convocation of synods, and the promulgations of regulations intended to foster the Church's mission" (Magnificat, 69). In the homily this morning, I told the students and people gathered that Saint Charles is a saint for all of us: priests/religious, teachers/catechists, all the people of God. We look at what Saint Charles did for the Church and how he strived to strengthen the faith and formation of all the faithful. As one commentary stated, "This patron of catechists was deeply devoted to Christian formation for all people in the Church. In addition to his contributions to the education of the laity, he laid the groundwork for the seminary system of priestly formation. He left a legacy of great spiritual wealth to the whole Church" (Magnificat, 74). We thank God for the gifts that Saint Charles has left to the Church. We are thankful for the example that Saint Charles gave and the opening prayer for Mass expresses our hope, "Let your Church be continually renewed and show the image of Christ to the world by being conformed to his likeness (69). We need to show the image of Christ to our brothers and sisters and share the love of God with them. We pray that Saint Charles Borromeo will intercede for us and help us live our faith and the mission of the Church to the fullest. Blessings to You!!!

Saint Martin de Porres

Before the day ends, I want to write a message about the saint for today, Saint Martin de Porres. I had a good day at spiritual direction, so that is why it has taken me this long to write. Saint Martin was born in Lima, Peru. He was a member of the Dominican Order and had a great care and concern for the poor. Saint Martin also lived a humble and disciplined life and was devoted to the Holy Eucharist (Magnificat, 58). What a beautiful example for us and that is why the Church holds up these holy men and women as a model. They were ordinary people who strived to live their lives, their faith to the fullest. Maybe they did not know that the Church would canonize them saints, but she did. Now we are able to benefit from their life and example. We are called to be saints and to live our faith to the fullest. Like the saints, we have the Eucharist to sustain and nourish us and we need to have a strong love, reverence, and devotion to the Holy Eucharist. We can also live a humble, disciplined life like Saint Martin. The ways in which these saints lived can be ours, all we need to do is live it. Saint Martin de Porres, pray for us!!!

Commemoration of All Souls

Today we remember all the faithful departed and the new life that they have in Christ. Theirs is a life that we all look forward to and we have that promise of eternal life because of Jesus' death and resurrection. This became an important day for me when I was in the seminary. The Benedictine monks at Saint Meinrad helped me to think about those who have gone before and how we are to prepare for our own death. Saint Benedict tells his monks, "Keep death before you daily." I have tried to do that because we never know the day nor the hour. At the seminary I remember on this day that the monks would process to the monastic cemetery with their hoods up, candles lit, and the death bell tolling in the distance. It was an experience that I will never forget. I strive to bring those details into my priesthood and help the people of God as we journey through life and faith together. We have a duty to pray for those who have gone before us. We do that by celebrating feasts like today, visiting a cemetery, or scheduling a Mass for a loved one. We always remember our loved ones because they have a special place in our lives and our hearts. This day reminds us of those we have lost and we do feel sorrow and grief, but we also have hope because death is not the end but the beginning. May our faith and hope be strong as we pray for our beloved dead and as we prepare ourselves for the journey ahead that will hopefully lead us to God's eternal kingdom. God Bless You!!!

Solemnity of All Saints

A Happy and Blessed All Saints Day to my blog readers! It is a beautiful day to remember all the holy men and women who have gone before us. The communion of saints who guide us and intercede for us. We look forward to that day, God willing, when we will be united with the saints in the Heavenly Kingdom. A good question for us to think about today is, "How does one become a saint and what is God's role in it?" The answer is to the point, "We need not accomplish great things to become saints. What is required is the grace of God" (St. Anthony Messenger Press, Nov. 1). That is true, God gives us the grace that we need to live holy, faithful, prayerful, dedicated lives. God gives us the tools, but we are the ones that need to live them. We have to do our part to be saints and we have those opportunities everyday. When we think of the saints, we think of those that the church has canonized over the centuries. I am sure they had no idea when they were walking the earth that they would be canonized. They were living their lives, being an example to others, and trying to live the will of God in their lives. The Church canonizes them to hold them up as models and examples for us. We may not get to that level, but we are able to do what they did by living our lives and faith to the fullest. We pray that the communion of saints will pray for us as we continue our journey to the kingdom! Have a blessed day!!!

Gift of Mercy

The entrance antiphon to begin our day states, "Do not abandon me, Lord. My God, do not go away from me! Hurry to help me, Lord, my Savior" (Ps. 37:22-23). Our God is there to help us with His great love and mercy. We have that assurance as we listen to Saint Paul's letter to the Romans. This is what Paul writes at the very beginning, "Brothers and sisters: the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you one disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all." We are truly a blessed and redeemed people. God has shown and continues to show us His unconditional love and mercy. Those are beautiful gifts that we are called to share with others. Pray that the gift of mercy and love will be ours and that we may live those gifts each day. God Bless You!!! A reminder that November 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation! Please be sure and get to church, either for the vigil Mass or the Mass of the day!

Priesthood Sunday

A blessed Priesthood Sunday to all the priests as they live their faith and service to God's people to the fullest! Of course, I include myself in this greeting as I strive each day to live this beautiful faith and vocation that God has called me to. As we mark this observance, there is a story that comes to mind. People will ask me is there anything that I can do for you Father? I can probably come up with several answers as I look over the daily duties and commitments, but there is one gift that really stands out and that is where this story comes from. When I was an associate pastor, I had the privilege to serve with two other priests, one active and one retired. The retired priest would help us out on the weekend and he loved hearing confessions. Two priests would be hearing confessions at the same time. Whenever I was in the confessional I would hear my share of confessions and then the line would stop. I would look out the door and the retired priest would still have a line and I thought, what is he doing that I am not? One Saturday afternoon, I needed to attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation so I went to this priest. He listened to me, gave me some encouraging words, and then he gave me my penance which was simply, "Pray for me!" That was it, there were no long prayers to say or do something for my neighbor, because I should already be doing that, but just that simple invitation to pray for that priest. Since then, I have given that penance to people whom I have come to know well and they say, "Are you serious?" Yes, I am serious, Pray for me!!! That is the gift that we can give to our priests, not just on Priesthood Sunday, but everyday! I am grateful for the people of God who pray for me and support me in all I do. In a special way this weekend, thank your priest for their service to the priesthood of Jesus Christ and for following God's call in their life. We are here to serve God and His people and what helps us along the way is your prayers!!! Thank You! Blessings to you all!!!

Saints Simon & Jude

The biography for our two saints today is short and to the point. "The name of Saint Simon usually appears eleventh in the list of the apostles. Nothing is known of him except that he was born in Cana and is surnamed 'the Zealot.' Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus, was the apostle who asked the Lord at the Last Supper why he was going to manifest himself only to his disciples and not to the whole world (Jn 14:22)" (Magnificat, 373-74). We hear the account of Jesus calling his disciples together, after spending the night in prayer, and calling 12 of them whom he also called Apostles, Luke 6:12-16. As I said at our daily Mass, we may not know too much about them, but we know that they were called by our Lord and were given the mission to proclaim the Good News. That is our call as well as we live in this present day. The Lord calls us to be his disciples and in doing so, we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow him. Those early disciples and Apostles did that and we need to do the same. Let us follow the example of Saints Simon & Jude and may they intercede for us as we continue to the mission of the church that has been entrusted to us! God Bless You!!!

Staying Connected

As I write this blog, I think about the scripture passage where our Lord says that he is the vine and we are the branches. We need to stay connected to our Lord because he is the source of all life. Grace and strength comes from our connection to the vine. In his letter to the Romans, 8:31b-39, Saint Paul asks the question, "What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?" To conclude his letter he writes his answer, "I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Is that our belief as well? If we were asked that question about what can separate us from the love of Christ, would we be able to say, like Saint Paul, "I am convinced..." We need to be firm in our confession of faith and what we believe. We might be the ones who separate ourselves from the love of Christ because of our sins, but we have the opportunity to repent, seek forgiveness, and turn back to God. Ultimately, God loves us unconditionally! He sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. We live in the love of God everyday and we truly know that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ because it is always there! Bless You!!!

Celebration of Diaconate!

Today is a very special day for me! It was on this day, October 26, 15 years ago that I was ordained a deacon in the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception Church in Ferdinand, Indiana. At that time, the Archabbey Church at Saint Meinrad was undergoing extensive renovations so we needed a place to be ordained and the Benedictine Sisters were gracious in hosting us. There were seven of us ordained on that day, so Happy Anniversary to my classmates and to all of those in my class who were ordained deacons in 1996. This timeframe begins the journey towards celebrating our 15th Anniversary as priests in 2012. There are three levels in the ordained life: Bishop, Priest, Deacon. It was as a deacon that we made our commitment to celibacy and our promise of obedience. The Ordination to the Diaconate began a new page in our lives and that continues now as priests. There are many memories that I remember from that day but it is these words that have stuck with me. In fact, I printed these words and had them hanging in my room. These words come from the Presentation of the Book of the Gospels during the ordination rite: "Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach" (Catholic Rites Today, 464). Those were great words then and they still apply to my life today. I thank God for the gift of ordained life. May we always pray for one another and the commitments that God calls us to live! Have a blessed day!!!

Power of Endurance!

Sometimes I refer to myself as an "endurance biker!" That is the pedal version of biking. Endurance refers to the number of miles ridden, the elements ridden in, some of the places I have been that test your stamina: mountain biking, long distance trails, etc. In terms of Saint Paul's letter to the Romans, 8:18-25, endurance is a gift. Saint Paul is telling the Romans and us that we live in hope. "For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance." We are waiting for the coming of the kingdom of God! We wait in joyful hope and endurance for the full reality of the kingdom. Of course, we are called to build up the kingdom of God in our midst while we wait for the full kingdom to be revealed. The gifts that help us prepare for the coming of the kingdom are: faith, hope, love, endurance, and the list can go on. In the gospel, Luke 13:18-21, Jesus talks about the mustard seed and leaven as an example of the kingdom. They start out small but eventually grow and our faith and hope does the same. As the commentator states, "If we hope, like the man who confidently plants a mustard seed in the garden, then we are willing to wait with endurance" (Magnificat, 340). Let us pray for the grace to endure because all things are in God's hands and they will be revealed in His time! Blessings to you!!!

Saint Anthony Claret

We celebrate the memorial of Saint Anthony Mary Claret. Saint Anthony was born in Spain in 1807. After being ordained a priest he traveled many years through Catalonia preaching to the people. He founded a society of missionaries and, after being named a bishop in Cuba, he won renown for his pastoral zeal. He died in 1870 (Magnificat, 329). The prayer at Mass says this about Saint Anthony, "Father, you endowed Anthony Claret with the strength of love and patience to preach the Gospel to many nations" (330). Here we have the example of an evangelizing saint. Saint Anthony, as we heard, traveled many years preaching the gospel. Even in scripture, Jesus says the same thing, that he came to preach the Good News and that Good News is that the Kingdom of God is at hand. The mission is still the same in our present day. Each one of us is called to be evangelizers, to proclaim the Good News, not just with words, but by our very example. People do watch to see how we live our lives, how we live our faith and we need to be a model. May the prayer that is used for Saint Anthony Claret be ours as well. Pray that God gives us the grace, strength, love, and patience that we need to preach the gospel to our brothers and sisters! God Bless You!!!

Commandments of Love

I have a beautiful chalice cover that my mother made for me which reads very simply, "God is Love." Each time I prepare the chalice for Mass I read those beautiful words and how true they are. Each of us has been created out of love because God is love and He is the author, the Creator of all human life. Since we have been created out of love, God bids us to share His love with our brothers and sisters. That is the beauty of our gospel for this 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, Matthew 22-34-40. A scholar of the law asked Jesus this question, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." As I have told people, when we live these two commandments of love, we are living the 10 Commandments. The first three commandments focus on love of God and the final seven focus on love of neighbor. The commandments are what they are. They are not suggestions or recommendations, they are commandments. Love is a beautiful gift and we are called to live it daily. If we find that our love has grown cold, we need to bring that to God in prayer and ask Him to renew and strengthen the love that He has given to us and help us share that love with others. We are truly blessed and we thank God for the gift of His great love! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Roman Missal

On Thursday, the priests of the Diocese of Salina gathered for our workshop on the revisions to the Mass translations. These revisions will take effect on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. The Church has been waiting for some time on these revisions to the Mass language. I remember hearing about the possibility of a new Sacramentary when I was in the seminary and I have been away for almost 15 years. During our workshop, the priests received the new Sacramentary for use in our parishes. In that is one of the changes that we will notice. The book is no longer known as the Sacramentary but "Roman Missal." It is a thick book because of all the additions and the revised translations. I will be going through those changes in my parishes starting this weekend. This is a great time for the Church and hopefully it will bring a renewed effort to living our Catholic Faith. My hope also is that all the faithful will fall in love again with the Mass and grow in their reverence and devotion for the Holy Eucharist. If you would like to look at a good resource on the "Roman Missal," I would invite you to look at the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org/romanmissal. I have printed out the bulletin inserts and they are very informative. Take the time offer these next few weeks to look at the Roman Missal and see the transformation that will take place in our parishes beginning in Advent. All of the aspects of the Mass will be the same but what is changing is the language. The translations take the english language back to the authentic latin language, which is still the official language of the church. Let us be open to the presence of God in our lives and the gifts that He gives to us as we live our lives, our faith to the fullest. Blessings to you!!!

Saints Isaac Jogues, John De Brebeuf, and Companions

Today we remember the North American martyrs, those eight members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) who were killed in North America between the years 1642 and 1649. They were tortured by members of the Huron and Iroquois tribes and they had worked hard to bring the true faith to the natives in that region (Magnificat, 273). These are the words that caught my attention as I thought about the memorial we celebrate this day, "For the North American martyrs whom we honor today, the pain of exile, torture, and even death was transformed into joy by their love for Christ and for the peoples to whom they were sent to proclaim his good news" (271). We concluded our parish mission last night and that was the premise of Fr. Jim Sichko's talk, we need to be positive, we need to have an "attitude of gratitude," we carry our crosses at all times, and in the midst of everything that happens in our lives, God is always present. The North American martyrs experienced that joy and sorrow, happiness and pain, and they did all things for the glory of God. They gave up everything for the sake of Christ and the Church. They worked hard to evangelize, to preach the Good News, and to bring the true faith to those they served. Those martyrs did not give up and they were able to rejoice because they knew their reward is in heaven. That is the joy that carries us as we live our lives and our faith. Yes, we all have a share in the cross, we will experience all ranges of emotions, but do not be afraid because the promise of Jesus Christ is eternal! Blessings to you!!!

Saint Luke

The Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Luke. Saint Luke was born of a pagan family. Converted to the faith, he became a fellow-worker of Saint Paul. From the preaching of Saint Paul he compiled the gospel that bears his name. He is also attributed with the Acts of the Apostles which details the beginning of the Church. As we pray in the opening prayer: "Father, you chose Luke the evangelist to reveal by preaching and writing the mystery of your love for the poor" (Magnificat, 264). Saint Luke is also known as the "beloved physician" (Col 4:14). Luke "preserves some of Jesus' best-known stories of God's merciful and healing love for all peoples, whether respected or despised. Among the parables are the Good Samaritan and Prodigal Son" (268-69). As Saint Luke points out the love, mercy, compassion of Christ, we know that we are called to follow that same example. We are to put on the mind and heart of Christ. These are qualities that we need to live everyday. In our time of Mission, Fr. Jim has been asking us, "Do you give off signs and signals that would let people know that you profess and live the Catholic faith?" Here is a good example right here, sharing the love, mercy, and compassion of Christ. Of course, there are many other wonderful qualities of Christ that we can live but like the song says, "They will know we are Christians by our Love." Pray that is true for all of us. May God bless you all! Saint Luke, pray for us!!!

Renewed Mission

Beginning last night, continuing tonight, and concluding tomorrow night, the Catholic Community of Washington County, Kansas is experiencing a Mission led by Fr. Jim Sichko, a priest from the Lexington, Kentucky Diocese. He is a very dynamic and engaging speaker. He preached the weekend Masses, putting in a plug for the mission and it helped because we had a wonderful turnout on Sunday evening. Hopefully those folks and more will attend tonight and tomorrow night. Those in the local area who read my blogs, please take the time to join us because this a great time of prayer, fellowship, and renewal. Everyone needs a tune-up, recharge our batteries, and renew our lives of faith, holiness, and prayer. The key word last night from Fr. Jim was, "TRUST." He broke those words down by saying, "T- is for time, R- is for relationship, U- is for understanding, S- is for surrender, T- is for trying." Each of these letters and meanings apply to our relationship with God. We need to do our part everyday to give God the time, grow in our relationship with Him, understand God and His will for us, surrender to the will of God, and keep trying in all aspects of life. The premise for the talk last night is what we find in our entrance antiphon for the Mass today, "With Christ I am nailed to the cross. I live now not with my own life, but Christ lives within me. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and sacrificed himself for me" (Gal 2:19-20). The two words from this blog today, "Trust and Faith" are a way of life. We live them each day, but sometimes we get off the path and need some guidance to get back on it. This mission is helping us do just that and I hope many people will take the opportunity to be a part of it so their lives and faith will be renewed! Have a blessed day!!!

The Love of God!

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to cover our religion classes in the Catholic School. After my talk I decided to play a game by asking questions from a stack of cards about our faith. One of the questions was a fill-in-the-blank. The question went as follows: "We are the made in the image and _________ of God." It was a simple question but I was surprised how many did not know the answer. Of course, the answer is, "Likeness." Yes, we have all been created in the image and likeness of God. We have been created out of love, by God, to share His love with others. I bring this up because our gospel for this weekend, Matthew 22:15-21, talks about this image, but in a rather unique way. The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus by asking him who is to pay their taxes. Jesus asks for a coin and so he asks them whose image this is. The image on the coin was Caesar and that leads Jesus to say, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." Everything belongs to God, even our very lives because we have been created in His image and likeness. Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, a doctor of the church, wrote this in the 17th century: "We are made in the image and likeness of God. So you, O Christian, because you are a human being, are God's tribute money - a little coin bearing the image and likeness of the divine emperor. Therefore, with Christ I ask, Whose likeness and inscription is this? Your answer is, God's, to which I reply, Then why not give God what belongs to him? We bear the imprint of your glorious face, O Lord" (St. Anthony Messenger Press, Oct. 16). That is a beautiful quote from Saint Lawrence of Brindisi and we live that goodness each day because of God's great love for us! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Saint Callistus I

We celebrate the memorial of a pope and martyr of the Church, Callistus I. It is said that Callistus was a slave. Once he obtained his liberty, he was ordained a deacon by Pope Zephyrinus and succeeded him in the Chair of Saint Peter. He fought against the Adoption and Modalist heretics. He was crowned with martyrdom in 222 and was buried on the Aurelian Way (Magnificat, 189). The entrance antiphon for Mass speaks well of this holy man and all those who have given of their life for the sake of Christ and the Church, "This holy man fought to the death for the law of his God, never cowed by the threats of the wicked; his house was built on solid rock." Even the gospel for today, Luke 12:1-7, tells us to not be afraid. Jesus is telling his disciples that they need to fear the devil because he can kill both body and soul but, do not be afraid. The conclusion of the gospel shows that we are worth everything to God, even the hairs on our head have been counted. God does not abandon us, He does not leave us orphan, He is with us at all times. No matter what trials, tribulations, struggles that we will face in life, we are not alone. God is always present and that is the faith that needs to be built on solid rock. Saint Callistus, pray for us!

The Way, the Truth, the Life

The gospel acclamation uses these words from our Lord, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." It is the Lord in whom we place our faith and our trust. He will lead us to our eternal home. Here is another thought that we can consider, "Like the Israelites in Babylon, we live in exile from our true and lasting home, the heavenly Jerusalem. However tempting the oases in which we rest along the way, we are called always to journey toward the goal for which we hope in faith, encouraging one another along the way in preparation for the life of the city to come" (Magnificat, 183). Like the question I asked recently at church, "How many of you want to get to heaven?" Quite a few hands popped up but not all, so I presumed that everyone wanted to get to heaven and told them that we need to do our part. God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. Through his death and resurrection, we have the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of eternal life. Of course, we have to do our part and that is where are faith comes in. We need to have faith and believe in God who loves us unconditionally. We also need faith in Jesus because the way to the Father is through him. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and this is great news to live each day! God Bless You!!!

Faith and Works!

"Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works" (Ps.62). That phrase from our psalmist sums up the readings for today. As the caption from Saint Paul's letter to the Romans (2:1-11) states, "God will repay each according to his works, Jew first and then Greek." From another letter, Saint Paul will say, "Faith without works is dead." Both faith and works go hand-in-hand. Just like the Benedictine motto, "Ora et Labora," "Pray and Work." You need one with the other. To make sure our work is efficient we need to pray and we need to have faith. Jesus chides the Pharisees in the gospel, Luke 11:42-46, because they lord their authority over the people. They will tell the people what to do but do not lift a finger to help them or do their part. We cannot do that either because we are all on this journey of life and faith together. If we are going to tell someone what to do, we have to be willing to do the work as well. We are to rejoice because our reward will be great in heaven, but we have to get there and we need to do our part by living holy, faithful, prayerful, dedicated lives. We put our faith into action by the works that we do and the service we offer our brothers and sisters. Do not be afraid to live your faith. When we live our faith, we are doing the works that God will repay to each of us. Blessings to you!!!

The Interior Life!

In our gospel, Luke 11:37-41, Jesus invites the Pharisees to take a look on the inside. Our Lord says, "Oh, you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil." He emphasizes that the Creator who created the exterior also created the interior. If what is on the outside is clean, so should the inside be clean. Our minds and hearts need to be holy and pure. One of the ways that we can go about working on the interior life is to make an examination of conscience. When we do that we are truly taking a deep look into our lives, to see how we are living, and to see how the interior is being expressed through the exterior. What comes from within is to be expressed in healthy, holy ways on the outside. Spending time in prayer is a wonderful way to work on the interior life as well. During our prayer we can make an examination of conscience, seeking forgiveness of our sins, and if need be, make frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. All of these tools that God gives to us will help us as we work on our interior and exterior lives, because both go hand in hand. Let us work to live happy, healthy, holy lives so that all may know the love of God because it truly comes from the inside! God Bless You!!!

A Blessed Weekend!

As we mark this Columbus Day, I cannot help but think about the weekend that has just concluded. This past weekend, our parishes had the blessing and honor of hosting and praying with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is part of the Marian Prayer Program that has been established by the Knights of Columbus. This beautifully framed image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has many blessings connected to it. The image was touched to the tilma of Saint Juan Diego, the humble servant whom our Blessed Mother appeared to in 1531. This image was blessed by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The frame itself is sealed with soil from Tepeyac Hill, where Juan Diego encountered our Blessed Mother. The image is very beautiful and stunning. It truly shows how much God loves us and how Mary guides us with her maternal and loving hand. I had the privilege of taking the image to the three parishes I serve for our weekend Masses. In the context of the homily, I spoke about the image, how blessed it is, and then we concluded by reciting the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. This is an appropriate time of the year for the image to be traveling as we remember the Holy Rosary and Respect Life during this month of October. If your Knights of Columbus district has the opportunity to host the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, please take the time to go see the image and seek the prayers and intercession of our Blessed Mother. We are truly blessed and this is a great way to evangelize and share our faith with others. God Bless You!!!