First Holy Martyrs!

As we come to this last day of the month of June the Church remembers the First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church. This memorial recalls the first persecution against the Church by the Emperor Nero after the burning of Rome in 64 AD. Many of the faithful were tortured and slain (Magnificat, 416). The entrance antiphon for today speaks well of this holy martyrs: "The saints are happy in heaven because they followed Christ. They rejoice with him for ever because they shed their blood for love of him." Even the opening prayer for Mass speaks of us finding strength from their courage. These holy martyrs lived the call of Christ to "Not be afraid." We pray that their courage, their strength will help us in our journey of life and faith, especially when trials and tribulations arrive. We need to be patient, have faith and trust as we continue our journey towards the kingdom.

Yesterday, I focused on the pallium and the new archbishops who received that from our Holy Father. It was also a special day in the life of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, because it was his 60th Anniversary of being ordained a priest. We congratulate our Holy Father and keep him in our prayers as he continues to lead and guide the Roman Catholic Church. Blessings to all!

Saints Peter & Paul

June 29 is the Feast day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It is a special day in Rome and at Vatican City. On this day new Archbishops who have been appointed throughout the world receive the "Pallium" which is the wool piece that goes around their neck when they wear their liturgical vestments. I bring this up because our former bishop in the Diocese of Salina, Paul S. Coakley, who became Archbishop of Oklahoma City in February will receive his pallium. The pallium also shows collegiality and unity between our Holy Father and the Bishops. A word of congratulations to Archbishop Coakley and all who recieve the pallium from our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. As we continue the mission of the Church, let us pray for the intercession of these two great saints, Peter and Paul.

On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and best wishes. I am starting to feel better and some of the concussion symptoms are slowly going away. It will take time and I appreciate your thoughtfulness and patience! God Bless You!!!

Renewed Effort!

The daily with Fr. David has not been very daily in recent days or at least a week. One of my favorite hobbies is bike riding. It is a good way to relieve some stress and get out and see the different sites. However a week ago Thursday, everything changed in a dramatic way. A few days before that, on my day off, I rode about 30 miles. Did some other activities on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Thursday evening was a different story. I may have made it 2 miles before a medical problem hit that caused me to lose consciousness and go down on the bike. I was out maybe 10 or 15 minutes at the most. I did come to, spent the night in our local hospital, and when it was discovered that I had a bleeder on the brain, in a common area for aneurysms, I was transferred to a hospital in Kansas City. I spent 5 days there going through neurological and cardiac tests. Everything came out clean and the cardiologists believe it may have been a blood pressure event. I have had high blood pressure since I was 15 and have been on medicine for years. I made it back home with a few scraps, a lot of bruises, post concussion syndrome, and a 30 day heart monitor. There is a message in all of this and I believe that God and I will know what it is. I had been praying for a renewed effort and I believe that is what I got, just not the way I expected, but prayers are never answered that way. I appreciate the care that I received from the doctors and nurses. I am truly blessed and appreciative of the prayers and best wishes I received from family, friends, and parishioners. This weekend is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ! Let us be renewed in our love for the Eucharist and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord with reverence and devotion. Thank you to my readers for your patience! Have a blessed weekend!!!

"Our Father"

Just by saying "Our Father" everyone can chime in because this is a prayer that almost everyone knows. Even when it comes up in the gospel, Matthew 6:7-15, like it did today, people will pray right along as I read it. This prayer is what Jesus taught us because he said we did not need to ramble on in our prayers. All we have to do is say this. As one person pointed out, there are 55-words in the Our Father and each word says it all. We call upon the name of God. We pray that His will is done. We ask for our daily bread. We pray for forgiveness and that we avoid all evil and temptation. Jesus also says, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." However, that does not get us off the hook when it comes to pray. Many people will say that though, "Why do I need to pray when God already knows what I am going to say?" Our Heavenly Father wants to hear it from us. He wants us to pray, to keep those communication lines open. We need pray and Jesus gave us a prayer that says it all, in the midst of the other prayers that we offer. Keep praying! It is a great gift from God and He does give us the grace and strength that we need. With God and prayer, all things are possible. Blessings to you!!!

A Generous Reminder

We are truly blessed by God's goodness and love. He gives us the grace and strength that we need to live our lives and our faith to the fullest. It doesn't hurt to be reminded of all that God does for us. Plus, it doesn't hurt to be reminded of what we need to do. This past Sunday, we concluded the Easter Season with the great feast of Pentecost. When you read the gospel for today, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18, you might get the impression that we are going backwards. This passage from Matthew is what we hear on Ash Wednesday as we begin our Lenten journey. We are to give alms, pray, and fast. These are gifts that are not confined just to the Lenten Season, but everyday of our lives. We are called to give alms, to share our resources with our brothers and sisters. Like the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians says, "God loves a cheerful giver" (9:6-11). When we give alms we are not to draw attention to ourselves and that is a great feeling when we can help someone and let it go unnoticed. We are called to pray daily. Keep those communication lines with God open at all times. We are called to fast and when we do so then we are open to what God has provided for us. Spend that quality time because God is very generous with us and ultimately we will give back to God what He has given to us. Let us be open to the gifts of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting and may those gifts be a tremendous resource to guide us in our spiritual lives. God Bless You!!!

Command to Love!

The gospel acclamation for today is clear and to the point, "I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you." The call to love is a great gift and our Lord wants us to live it each and everyday. So much so, that he gave us a challenge in the gospel for today as well. In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." That is definitely a challenge because sad to say we do have enemies and people that do not like us. If we cannot change their mind and heart, then God can and we need to let Him do His work. That is why we need to pray for those people. Each day we can pray for the gift of love. We know how much God loves us because He sent His only Son to be our Savior. As Jesus concludes in Matthew's Gospel, "Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." We strive for perfection, faithfulness, and holiness. These are wonderful gifts and we pray that God will grant us the grace and strength that we need to live that perfection and always be a people of love. God Bless You!!!

Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony is a dynamic saint because he is able to help people find lost items, but he is known for a lot more than that. Here is what one commentary says, "Although associated in devotional prayer with the finding of lost objects, Saint Anthony was in fact an extremely gifted preacher and teacher of God's word. He did seek out those lost in unbelief and denial and brought them back to the fold of faith by the power of the word he preached" (Magnificat, 178). Saint Anthony truly helps with finding the lost, not just items, but people. His example can be linked with that of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep and goes in search of the one. It is a beautiful image and we are called to reach out to our brothers and sisters and bring them back into the fold. In light of that, I will share later the homily that I gave for Pentecost Sunday because it talked about finding those who are not in the pews. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, we pray that we will renew our efforts to evangelize and bring the Good News to our brothers and sisters. Today and everyday, we can look to Saint Anthony for his intercession because his example is one for us to follow. God Bless You!!!

Pentecost Weekend!

The fifty days of Easter are about to conclude with the Solemnity of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. I pray that this has been a blessed time for all of you. Remember, even though the Easter Season is concluding, we live with the glory of the Resurrection each day. We also live with the gifts of the Holy Spirit everyday. Jesus' promise to send the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit has been fulfilled. It is the Holy Spirit that continues to guide the Church each day. The Holy Spirit helps us in our mission to live our faith and proclaim the Good News. As the psalmist says, "Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth" (Ps. 104). The commentator also says, "At the conclusion of the Easter season, let us unite in a great chorus of praise in the Spirit who is the life-breath of the whole world made new in the death and resurrection of Christ" (Magnificat, 164). Let us be renewed as disciples of Jesus and evangelizers of the Good News. May the Holy Spirit always renew and guide our efforts as we continue to build the Kingdom of God in our midst. Have a blessed and spirit-filled weekend!

Example of Love & Forgiveness

The last few days we have been focused on Jesus' prayer for his disciples and for us, the present day followers. As I emphasized, Jesus' prayer is an example for all of us, to take the time each day and pray. Now, we have another beautiful example from John's Gospel. The particular passage is John 21:15-19. This passage shows our Lord reaffirming the faith and confidence of the apostle Peter. We know that prior to his passion, Peter had told Jesus that he would remain with him no matter what. Jesus foretells that Peter will not stand by him and in fact, deny that he knows him three times. That came to pass and we know that after Peter realized what he had done he went and wept bitterly. To show his love and forgiveness Jesus says to Peter, three times, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Each time Peter responds that he does and Jesus tells him that he needs to feed his lambs or tend the sheep. Three is a perfect number and that is used very well here. Peter denies Jesus three times and Jesus renews Peter's faith three times. The commentator puts it very well, "Jesus' love for Peter transforms Peter's betrayal into a love that knows no bounds. His guilt forgiven, Peter becomes truly the rock of faith on which the Church is built. The Spirit washes away the guilt; the Spirit animates the love and faithfulness of the apostle and of the Church" (Magnificat, 138). This is truly a message of hope! Let us be mindful of God's great love and forgiveness and may we bring that Good News to others. Blessings to you!!!

Main Theme: Prayer

We continue with the prayer of Jesus in John's Gospel, 17:20-26. There is one truth that we can take from these last three days, Jesus is praying for us. He is praying for his disciples that their resolve will remain strong and that prayer is spoken to us as well. Jesus prays today, "I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in my through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me." Our Lord is praying that we will believe in him and that we may all be one. That prayer for unity continues in our present day. We pray that we may all be one flock, under one shepherd. Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and he wants us to have faith, believe, and follow him. Let us make Jesus' prayer our own as we continue to grow in faith and live the mission entrusted to us. Peace to you!!!

Prayer Continues!

The prayer of Jesus continues in John's Gospel for today, 17:11b-19. A reminder for us to continue our daily prayers. Always keep the communication line with God open. Here is a beautiful image to think about as we enter our time of prayer: "When God sees us coming to him in prayer, he leans his Heart down very low to his little creature, like a father who bends down to listen to his child." This quote is from Saint John Mary Vianney, the patron saint for all the priests of the world. We know that God hears and answers our prayers. Now we have a beautiful image to think about each time we pray, God bending His heart down to listen to his children, to listen to us. Again, let us take Jesus' prayer to heart because he is praying for his disciples then and now. Praying that we will not lose heart, but that our faith and hope will be strong as we continue the mission entrusted to us. May we follow the Lord's example and take the time each day to pray! God Bless You!!!

Praying for Us!

In the gospel for today, John 17:1-11a, we have a very familiar passage. It is Jesus prayer for his disciples and ultimately for us. Jesus knew what was going to happen to him and he was praying that his close disciples would not lose heart, that their faith and hope would remain strong. The disciples did not know what the future held for them but they had a mission to undertake. The same is true for us in our present day. We do not know what the future holds for us and we do live in uncertain times, but one thing is certain, our Lord prayed for us and his Ascension promise is still intact, I will be with you always until the end of the age. Jesus reminds us time and time again, Do not be afraid. As one source stated, the entire 17th chapter of John's Gospel is Jesus prayer for his disciples and us. Perhaps it might be good to pick up this chapter and read it for our prayer time. Jesus is a great example to all of us on the necessity of praying. Hopefully we can follow his example and not give up in our own time as we continue the mission entrusted to us! God Bless You!!!

Ascension Opportunities

As we begin this week between the Ascension and Pentecost, it is good to remind ourselves of the opportunities that exist to bring the Good News to our brothers and sisters. Jesus has entrusted his disciples with a wonderful mission. Once he ascended to the Father he promised that the Holy Spirit would come and guide us in all we do. That promise was kept! The Holy Spirit guides us in fulfilling the mission of our Lord. We also know that our Lord's promise to be with us until the end of the age is also kept. Last week, a commentary was written that caught my attention and it was very appropriate for the Feast of the Ascension and beyond. The premise of the commentary is to "testify" to Jesus and there are two points worth keeping. The first is that bringing Christ to others is a mission for all peoples, not just a chosen few like priests and religious, but everyone. Christ belongs to the whole world, He belongs to all people and we need to do our part to bring Him and His message to everyone we meet. The second point is that opportunities to do this will arise everyday. The commentator puts it like this, "Every day there will be occasions when some word, some gesture, some deed will satisfy the need of the moment for someone, perhaps even ourselves. Almost certainly this opportunity will arise, not in church, but at home, at school, on the streets, in a supermarket, in the office-places where Jesus' love will not be found if it is not put there by us" (Loose-Leaf Lectionay (LLL) for Mass, Liturgical Press, 846). The writer even adds a beautiful prayer by the Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman and it really says it all. "God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission-I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond between persons" (LLL, 846). Let us make this prayer our own and get to the mission at hand. Have a blessed day!!!

Ascension Sunday!

It might not have the same ring as "Ascension Thursday," but if you live in a province where this holy day was transferred from Thursday to Sunday, then it is what it is. This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord. Jesus had been telling his disciples that he would go away and prepare a place for them and for us. That time has come with this great feast. However, it is not a time to mourn the departure of our Lord. He promised to be with us until the end of time. Instead, we have work to do. We have been entrusted with a great mission and we need to continue that as we await the full reality of God's kingdom. Like the angels told the disciples in the Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." In other words, you have work to do. Jesus entrusted you with his work, to begin the early church, and you need to get back to it. Don't stand there looking up because Jesus is with you and will be with all of us until the end of time. He is giving us the grace and strength that we need to fulfill his mission. The Lord has ascended into heaven and he looks to us, his disciples, to spread the Good News. May this holy day renew us in our efforts to build up the Kingdom of God in our midst. Have a blessed weekend!!!

Words of Wisdom!

During our priest retreat, we had the opportunity to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was a wonderful time to be mindful of our sinfulness and the need that we have of God's love, mercy, and forgiveness. In his homily, the retreat master talked about the sins of omission. Those like: neglecting our time of prayer or neglecting different aspects of our ministry. Then he talked about the times when we feel negative, whether it be thoughts or attitudes. The retreat master told me specifically and this is the words of wisdom, "Be encouraged, not discouraged." He also said to rise above those thoughts and feelings. That is what we need to do in our lives when we feel those negative tendencies. Allow God to touch your lives in a special way. May He help you to rise above what is going on in your lives and grant you patience and peace. The retreat masters words I leave with you, "Be encouraged, not discouraged!" God Bless You!!!

Retreat Day 1

Today is the first full day of retreat for the priests of the Salina, Kansas Diocese. Fr. Martin Pable, OFM Cap is the retreat master. He has done a very good job thus far. The conference this morning was about our relationship with God. As the question asked, "Do you know God?" How do we know God? Just like any relationship, be it a husband/wife, friend, etc. We know them by spending time with them and conversing with them about our lives, our hopes and dreams, our fears, and so on. The same is true with God. We know God by spending time with Him prayer and conversing with Him. As we speak to God, we need to allow God the time to speak to us. Listen to the voice of God in the depths of your heart and soul. Stay connected to God through prayer each and every day. It was a good message for me to hear because sometimes our prayer can become dry, but do not give up or lose hope. Like the presenter said, when we pray we will get more work done, it will be good for our patience, and it will help us to bear much fruit. Let me ask you, "Do you know God?" Take the time to know Him and it will truly do wonders for your life and faith. Keep us in prayer during this time and know that you are in my prayers! God Bless You!!!