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!!!