Hope of Repentance

Listen to this beautiful message: "God's mercy is greater than our sin or our desire for forgiveness. Even the animals of Nineveh were spared when the people repented" (Magnificat, 395). There are two important parts to that statement. The first is that God's mercy is greater than our sin or the desire for forgiveness. How many times have you heard people say that their sin is too great for God to forgive? That is not true because God's love, mercy, forgiveness is greater than any sin that we have committed. However, we have to do our part and that is where the second part of that message comes in. If we are to experience God's love, mercy, forgiveness in our lives than we need to repent, turn away from sin and turn back to God. As I told those gathered for Mass, "Repentance is not confined just to the Season of Lent, it is for every day of our lives." It has already been established that conversion is a life-long process. We are always growing and learning in the ways of faith, holiness, and prayer. Repentance is also life-long because we are sinners in needs of God's mercy and forgiveness. Let us find hope in that call to repent and allow our loving and merciful God to work in our lives in a special way! God Bless You!!!

The Beauty of Prayer

"Recieving God's word with a willing heart and returning it to him in prayer and praise is a work of Lenten transformation" (Magnificat, 384). Prayer is one of the pillars of Lent, along with fasting and almsgiving. Many of the faithful work to increase their prayer life during this holy season and hopefully it carries them beyond. In the gospel for today, Matthew 6:7-15, Jesus tells his disciples and us, this is how you are to pray. With that statement, Jesus gives us the Our Father. The Third Edition, Roman Missal picks up on that in the introduction to the Lord's Prayer: "At the Savior's command and formed by diving teaching, we dare to say..." The Lord's Prayer is a beautiful prayer that Jesus gave to us because it says it all. We acknowledge our Father who is in heaven and whose name is hallowed. We pray that the kingdom will come. That we will do God's will on earth as it is done in heaven. We ask for our daily bread. We pray that we may be forgiven so that we in turn can forgive others. The prayer concludes that the Father will keep us free from all evil and temptation. The gospel passage concludes with Jesus focusing on forgiveness, "If you forgive men their trangressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." As I mentioned, what more can we say because the Lord's prayer says it all. Let us pray this prayer reverently and take to heart each word for the beauty of this prayer can help us in our daily transformation! God Bless You!!!

Call To Continuing Conversion

This past Sunday, the Diocese of Salina celebrated the first of two Rite of Elections for the Catchumens and Candidates in the RCIA process. I had four individuals go from our parish communities and they were truly impressed by the ceremony. Even the guests who were there expressed that the ceremony was very beautiful. If you ever have a chance to attend the Rite of Election please do so. The ceremony is very impressive and it is a great way to show our prayerful support to those who are joining the Church at Easter Time. The cover of the program that was distributed for the Rite of Election read, "Rite of Election of Catechumens...Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates." Even though the individuals going through the RCIA process have special rites, we can also share in that call to continous conversion because we are on the journey of life and faith together. As I learned a long time ago, "Conversion is a life-long process." We are always growing in life and in faith. That is why I always encourage the Catholic faithful to attend a session because there is so much one can learn. I always find that with each class I learn a lot as well because the people are coming from different backgrounds and religious experiences. The RCIA is a great tool and I enjoy teaching the sessions and watching the people grow in the Catholic faith. Let us do what we can when the opportunities arise to grow in faith, holiness, and prayer because the call to continuing conversion is always there. God Bless You!!!

We Want You Back

"At a music festival, a 15-year-old became separated from his family. The family went to the police on duty to report their teenager missing. The officer assured them that they would do their best to find him. Then he asked for a description. Their nine-year-old son quickly spoke up, 'He's tall, really good at sports, takes me to see movies, lets me borrow all his toys and stuff, and likes to buy me ice cream.' Perplexed, his father interrupted, 'But, son, that doesn't sound like your brother at all.' The nine-year-old smile mischievously and replied, "I know, but who wants him back?'" (Connections, First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 26, 2012). When I read that story I knew I would use it for homily material. It is an appropriate story for the beginning of Lent because God's wants us to come back to Him. God, like the prodigal son's father, always wants us back because His love, mercy, and forgiveness is unconditional. For us as Catholics, we have the beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation, and that is our way to be reconciled with God and with one another. Also, in terms of the New Evangelizaton, we want our inactive brothers and sisters to come back to the Church. This is a wonderful time to seek that healing and reconciliation. We have all been hurt but we cannot let that keep us away from the Church, the Sacraments, and our very relationship with Christ himself. God and the Church want YOU back this Lent and beyond. Like that famous church sign reads, "What is missing... CH CH?" "UR!" Have a blessed weekend!!!

The Gift of Fasting

At the school Mass I asked our students what days during Lent do we observe fasting and abstinence both. The correct answer is Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. During the Fridays of Lent, we observe abstinence of all meat. My point to them and the adults gathered is that we can observce fasting and abstinence at other times during the year, not just Lenten Time. For myself, I try to abstain from meat on the Fridays during the year. Sometimes that is difficult but then I find another day to carry out that observance. Fasting can also be done at any time because it is a way to grow in penance and prayer. I believe the commentator for today writes it best, "Fasting is a form of self-deprivation that deepens our appreciation of and longing for the food we really need. Christ's disciples do not fast because they have given themselves over to Jesus who is their Food. We fast in order to seek him day after day and to desire more to know his ways. We fast so that this Lent Christ will become our All" (Magnificat, 340). We fast so that we can deny ourselves of that bodily nourishment but enhance our need for Christ in our lives because he is the bread of life and he has the words of eternal life. Fasting is a good of Lent so let us observe this gift with joy and allow the presence of Christ to come into our lives in a special way!!! God Bless You!!!

Get A Life!!!

I remember someone saying one time, "Get a life... in Christ!" You would have thought that person would have just said "Get a life" if you were complaining, but it was totally different. There is a lot of truth in that statement, we need to get a life in Christ because he is our rock, our foundation, our cornerstone. We gain a lot in life and faith by building ourselves on Christ. The topic of life comes up in our readings for this day after Ash Wednesday. Moses says in Deuteronomy, 30:15-20, "Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him." In the gospel, Luke 9:22-25, Jesus gives us the ultimate call of disicpleship, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Going with that line about losing our life for the sake of Christ, one commentator writes, "This is sacrifice: handing our imperfect self over to the One who responds by handing us back our true self through his gift of self on the cross. The Lord sets before us life and death, and asks us to 'choose life' by obediently taking up Christ's cross of death" (Magnificat, 328). We thank God for the gift of life and for redeeming us through the gift of His beloved Son. As we carry our crosses, let us choose life, because the words and promise of Christ is eternal! God Bless You!!!

Ash Wednesday

Lent has begun!!! We begin our 40 day journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the key qualities of Lent that we hear in our gospel for today, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18.
As I was preparing for Mass, I came across an interesting piece, written by Fr. James M. Sullivan, O.P. in Magnificat. The meditation was titled, "One Feast Day Lost, One Feast Day Found." It was not until I read it that I remembered that if today was not Ash Wednesday, it would be the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter "recalls not only the relic of that chair, but more importantly we celebrate the 'Holy Spirit-giving' authority which makes that chair unlike any other" (Magnificat, 309). The authority comes from Christ himself and as Father Sullivan goes on to say, "It is this authority alone that can call us to be freed from our sins, to imagine that this Lent can be different. It is this authority of Christ that gives us hope to live a new life in him, to fine for the first time perhaps our place in this world. It is this authority of Christ to take up a difficult penance knowing that we don't have the strength to do it all ourselves. It is this authority of Christ that calls us beyond ourselves and in truth calls us into himself" (309). We know that Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem the world of its sins. We have new life because of our Lord's death on the cross and his resurrection that comes at the end of this Lenten Time. Let us make the most of this Lent because Christ calls us to be renewed and to experience his life and love in a special way! Blessings on our journey!!!

Preparing Ourselves!

My prayer is that we have begun our preparation to enter Lent with an open mind and heart and allow the Lord to work in our lives in a special way. As I told the parishioners over the weekend, we need to think and pray about what we want to do this Lent, not so much what to give up, but what we can take on. Our goal is to become better persons, Catholics, and disciples. I always remind people that what we work on during Lent should not end when the season does. In fact, we need to continue that goodness at all times. Conversion is a life-long process. We are always growing in faith, holiness, prayer. I know there are some things that I need to work on in my own journey of faith. That means whether we are priests, religious, lay faithful, we are all on this journey of life, faith, and Lent together. Here is a statement to back up my opening line about entering Lent with an open mind and heart: "There were times during Jesus' ministry on earth that people flocked to be in his presence. They came to see him work signs and wonders, to experience healing and to hear his teachings. Our experience as members of the Christian community can be the same if we are willing to open ourselves to Christ's presence in our midst" (Franciscan Media, Sunday Homily Helps, Feb. 19, 2012). Let us take this time, leading up to Ash Wednesday, to prepare that we will be ready to experience God's love and the presence of the risen Christ in a special way! God Bless Our Journey!!!

Blessing of Faith and Forgiveness

The gospel reading for this weekend, Mark 2:1-12, is a wonderful entry for us as we prepare for Lent. Ash Wednesday is this coming week, February 22. Hopefully we have been praying and thinking about what we would like to do to enrich our personal and spiritual lives. Many people talk about giving something up but what about taking something on. What do we need to do in our lives to grow personally in faith, hope, love, holiness, and prayer. As we live our lives, we are called to share the love and goodness of God with one another. What is presented in our gospel for this weekend is a beautiful example of faith and forgiveness. Jesus acknowledges the faith of the paralytic's friends because they did not give up in their mission to get their friend healed. When the crowd was so great around the door the friends did the next best thing, they went through the roof. Can you imagine the look on peoples faces as they watched that mat being lowered from the roof and placed in front of our Lord? We are told when Jesus saw the faith of the man's friends he said to the man, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Of course, that did not set well with the scribes because only God alone can forgive sins. Jesus said to them, "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk?'" Jesus used the second statement, but he did that to show that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins. We have a lot to look forward to as we begin Lent. The blessing of faith and forgiveness are there for the asking. Hopefully, we do not miss the opportunity! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Servite Order

The Church celebrates the Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. These seven men began their journey as hermits who had a particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Later on, they preached throughout Tuscany and founded the Order of Servites of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Holy See approved the Order in 1304. This date is chosen for their memorial because it is the death date of one of the founders, Saint Alexis Falconieri (Magnificat, 254). The readings for Mass are appropriate for this memorial. In the letter of James, 2:14-24, 26, we listen that faith and works go hand-in-hand. As one passage states, "You have faith and I have works. Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works." In conclusion we hear, "For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." That is what we have been listening to these past several days, we need to live our faith to the fullest and one aspect of that is putting our faith into action. Back up your faith! Don't say that you are going to do one thing and then turn around and do another. We can live our faith with words but action is also required. Like the gospel, Mark 8:34-9:1, faith allows us to follow the will of God in our lives. As Jesus says, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Do not be afraid to answer the call of discipleship. Pick up your cross and follow the Lord. That is what the founders of the Servite Order did and we are called to do the same. May those founders intercede for us as we live our faith and carry our cross each day! Blessings to You!!!

Rich in Faith!

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

Action Required!!!

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

Holy Men!

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

Seek the Face of Christ

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

People of Faith

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

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

Power of Prayer

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

Healing Ministry

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

Presentation of the Lord

We celebrate a beautiful feast as we journey with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to the temple so that our Lord can be presented in the temple to God. As the announcement for this day states, "Dear brethren, forty days have passed since we celebrated the joyful feast of the Nativity of the Lord. Today is the blessed day when Jesus was presented in the Temple by Mary and Joseph. Outwardly he was fulfilling the Law, but in reality he was coming to meet his believing people. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Simeon and Anna came to the Temple. Enlightened by the same Spirit, they recognized the Lord and confessed him with exultation. So let us also, gathered together by the Holy Spirit, proceed to the house of God to encounter Christ. There we shall find him and recognize him in the breaking of the bread, until he comes again, revealed in glory" (Third Edition, Roman Missal, 816). We give thanks and praise to God for the gift of His only Son. Jesus has come into the world to be its light, to be its Savior. As Simeon and Anna recognized the Messiah, so we pray that we will recognize him when he returns in glory. Let us always prepare ourselves for the return of our Lord and let us make the Collect our own: "Almighty ever-living God, we humbly implore your majesty that, just as your Only Begotten Son was presented on this day in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so, by your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure" (Roman Missal, 819). We respond with a resounding "Amen," for we believe this is true! Have a blessed day!!!

Back It Up!!!

I was encouraged to write a blog with this title. Over the weekend, I preached about the teaching authority of Jesus and how we are called to be teachers, especially in the ways of faith. One of the statements that I made was, "Jesus not only taught with words but he backed it up with action." We know the old phrase, "Actions speak louder than words." If we are going to teach and preach we do so with words but always remember to use actions as well. People, especially our young people, are looking for examples and role models. The number one example for us to follow is Jesus Christ. His life is spoken of very well in the gospels. Seeing a physical example is always good! People do look to see how we live our lives and our faith. We want both to be seen in a good light. Speaking words is one thing, but if you have the actions to back up those words, then that truly speaks louder to anything that we can say. Jesus is our ultimate teacher and example. We pray that our Lord will give us the grace that we need to be teachers and examples to others and grant us the actions to back it up! God Bless!!!