The Eternal High Priest

One of the suggested Masses for today is the Votive Mass, Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest. I took up the suggestion from the Ordo and say the prayers were very beautiful and spoke well of Jesus Christ being our Eternal High Priest. The Preface for the Mass was the one from the Holy Eucharist that speaks also of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. This Votive Mass went well with the first reading and Psalm for today. The letter to the Hebrews opens with, "Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool" (Hebrews 10: 11-18). The psalmist writes, "You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:1, 2, 3, 4). Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, won for us our salvation by his death on the cross and we have the hope of eternal life by his resurrection. He left us his Body and Blood as the memorial that we celebrate each time we gather at Mass. As priests, we follow in the footsteps of our Lord and bring his Body and Blood to the body of Christ who also have a share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. As the gospel acclamation says, "The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever." Let us take the words of our Lord to heart and rejoice in the gift of the priesthood because we have a tremendous example in Jesus Christ who is the Eternal High Priest! Blessings to you!!!

The Will of God

That is the theme for our readings and psalm today, "the will of God." The caption from Hebrews 10: 1-10 says very simply, "Behold, I come to do your will, O God." The psalmist in Psalm 40 states, "Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will." In the gospel, Mark 3: 31-35, Jesus declares, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." Our ultimate examples of following the will of God are Mary and Jesus. At the Annunciation Mary says to the angel, "Behold, I am the handmaid of The Lord, may it be done to me according to your word." Yes, I will follow the will of God and become the mother of the Savior. In the garden, Jesus says, "Not my will be done, but Yours." Yes, to follow the will of God in our lives. It is a challenge, but we are assured of the grace to help us say yes, to follow His will, and to be accepting of it! This requires us to have complete faith and trust in God. Let us take these words of Scripture to heart as we live them each day and follow the will that God has for us! May God Bless Our Journey!!!

Preach Always

My favorite line that I use quite a bit is the one from Saint Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary"! I believe that defines our role as disciples. We are to proclaim the Good News at all times and we don't need to use words. Our actions speak for themselves. It comes with our baptismal call. As baptized Catholics and Christians, we are called to continue the mission of the Church and it is a huge mission. Part of that mission is proclaiming the Good News. Bringing the presence of Christ to our brothers and sisters. Preaching always takes preparation and we can always use the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide our minds and our hearts. Jesus says in the gospel that the Spirit of The Lord is upon him. He came to proclaim the Good News that sets captives free. His message is one of hope, faith, love, trust, security, peace. We find comfort in our Lord's words and that is the same message that we proclaim every day of our lives. Yes, Jesus used words, but he also backed them up with action. Let us not be afraid to do the same as we preach the Good News always!!!!! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Life-Long Conversion!!!

Conversion is a life-long process!!! That is a statement I remember from my foundational theology course in the seminary. Of course, it is more than a statement, it is a way of life. We are always learning and growing in the ways of faith, holiness, and prayer. The Conversion of Saint Paul is a great feast to highlight conversion and the role it has in our daily lives. For myself, I have had two conversion stories, one in the seminary and one as a priest. I know in each situation that God had a message for me. It is a message that continues to unfold, but the main purpose is that, God had to give me a tap or a shove to show how much He loves me. Saint Paul had that experience on the road to Damascus as Saul of Tarsus. He was on his way to continue to persecution of Christians but the risen Lord had another plan. Jesus intervened and Saul, who became Paul, is one of the great evangelizers in Church history. Our Lord has a way of proving his point and getting the people to continue the mission of the Church and proclaim the Good News. Many people can talk about how God has worked in their lives in a special way, maybe through a conversion. It shows that God is always at work and if we allow Him, He can work in our lives in a special way. Saint Paul, Pray for Us!!!!

Examples of Service

The opening collect for today's memorial, Saint Francis de Sales, spoke about him being an example. Saint Francis de Sales was a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He touched many lives by his writings. However, I would also say that he touched people's lives by his example and that is more than words. His life, his ministry is an example and that is why the Church holds him up as a model for the faithful. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be examples, not just with words but with our lives as well. May Saint Francis de Sales intercede for us as we follow his example so that we can be examples of service to others. God Bless You!!!!!

Being of Service

With the readings and memorial today, we can highlight the call to service. In the first reading and responsorial psalm we hear, "You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek." That is a motto for all priests to live by and hold dear, for upon our ordination, we are truly a priest forever. The memorial that we celebrate today is that of Saint Vincent, Deacon and Martyr. When we hear about deacons we think of the call to service. However, all the tiers of Holy Orders: Deacon, Priest, Bishop are examples of service. We are called to serve in how we live our lives and our respective vocations. For all of us, we are called to the vocation of discipleship which truly brings forth that call to service and no one is excluded. No matter how young or old we are, we are called to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can look to our bishops, priests, and deacons and see how they live their lives, their faith, and hopefully theirs is an example that can touch our lives and hearts and help us to live that call to service as well. One thing is certain, we have divine assistance and today we ask the deacon, Saint Vincent to intercede for us and guide us as we serve God and one another! Have a blessed day!!!

Gift of Life

God, the Almighty Father, is the author of all life! We have all been created in the image and likeness of God! With that in mind, all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. When we talk of human life, we are talking all stages, from conception to natural death. That means all stages of life deserve dignity and respect. Many people across the country are making their voices heard participating in the March for Life or Rallies for Life in their respective states. We do not have to say anything, our presence speaks volumes. We pray for those who are traveling and participating. We all need to join in prayer as we pray for gift of human life. We live in a culture of death but we can do our part to turn this society into a culture of life. Many hearts need to be changed and that is what we pray for. If our hearts need to be changed, let it begin with us, so that our example can move the hearts of others! Thank God for the gift of life! May our thankfulness lead to action, not just with words, but with our very lives!!! BLESS YOU!!!!

Gospel Image

The gospel for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, is from John and it presents Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana. The Spiritual Life Center in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas where we recently had our Clergy Days has a wonderful image of this gospel at the entrance. Right outside the main entrance of the center, there are life size statues depicting this gospel scene. It really makes you think as you walk to the door of what our Lord did and how he touched peoples lives at that moment. The Lord can truly work miracles in our life and he will fill up and give in abundance what we need to live our lives and our faith to the fullest. These images tell a story and they really make you think because The Lord is present with us and he is still working in our lives each and every day! God Bless You!!!

Clergy Days Completed

The priests of the Salina Diocese had good clergy days this past week. As I mentioned in the earlier post, the first part of our conferences was on Pope Benedict XVI and Sacred Scripture. It was a look at how the study of Sacred Scripture has developed and it has been in recent years. The first focus on scripture was in 1893 and we continue to this present day. The later conference was on sexual addictions and how as priests we help people in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Unfortunately, I missed the last conference because I came down with the flu. It has been going around and it got to me. Still feeling weak, so keep me and all those who are sick in your prayers! God Bless!!!!

Clergy Days

The priests of the Diocese of Salina are on their annual Clergy Renewal Days!!! Right now we are focusing on Pope Benedict XVI and Sacred Scripture! Our next presentation will be on the Sacrament of Reconciliation!!! Please keep us in your prayers and know that my prayers are with you!!! God Bless You

Visible Signs of God's Love

In our recent RCIA session, I started focusing on the Sacraments. These are visible signs of God's love and they bestow grace which is invisible. As one source states, "Through the sacraments, there are visible signs of the Lord's presence in the Church and in our lives. Each sacrament we receive not only increases the Lord's presence but also increases our own awareness of that presence. We don't walk our journey of faith alone. Jesus walks with us every step of the way" (Liguori, Journey of Faith- Leader's Guide, 29). One of the passages that I used to show the visible expression of God's love came from the gospel for today, Luke 5:12-16. Jesus did something that was counter-cultural and not allowed, he touched a leper to heal him. That expresssion of love was felt and the healing that came from it. We experience the love of God everyday of our lives. The visible signs are always there and we need to be open to them and the assurance they provide. God loves us unconditionally and that love is made manifest in the birth of Jesus Christ. We also see it in the sacraments that we receive and the grace that flows from it. Let us be open to the presence of God in our lives and share in His great love for us by sharing it with others because those are truly visible signs. Have a blessed day!!!

God's Love!!!

What can we say about the love of God? The best answer is that God's love is unconditional. During this Christmas Time, we know how much God loves us because He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. This week our first reading has been from the first letter of St. John, chapter 4, and it speaks about God's love for us. In the passage for today, 4:19-5:4, St. John takes God's love a step further when he says that we need to love our brother. Of course, that means that we need to love our brothers and sisters with the love of God. As John writes, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments." When we look at the Ten Commandments, the first three commandments focus on Love of God and the final seven focus on Love of Neighbor. This of course is our Lord's commandment on love. God's love is infinite and unconditional and nothing can take love from us. Let us be open to the love of God in our lives and in turn, share that love with others!!! Have a blessed day!!!

Calming the Storm!!!

In my personal chapel, I have a statue that was given to me from a parishioner depicting Jesus calming the winds and the sea from the boat. It is a beautiful image and a great reminder of what our Lord can do in our lives. Mark 6:45-52 presents Jesus walking on the sea and calming the fears of his disciples. Our Lord's words speak volumes, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" As we read this passage or look at the statue, we know that there are storms, trials, struggles in our own lives, but we have the constant assurance that Jesus is always present. This is the beauty of our Christmas Time and everyday of our lives, God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to be our Savior. In our joys and sorrows, good times and bad, the Lord is always there. Let us not be afraid, but have courage, for the Lord is always there to calm the storms that arise in our daily life!!! Have a blessed day!!!

Always Enough!

"These days between Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord foreshadow the marvels we can expect to encounter in Jesus Christ once he begins his earthly ministry. He is the One whose 'heart is moved with pity' when he recognizes our bottomless need. Out of our nothingness he will make a miracle of untellable abundance so that we might have life through the Son of God sent into the world" (Magnificat, 109). The miracle being referred to is the gospel reading from Saint Mark, 6:34-44, where Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes. When he saw the crowd Jesus was moved with pity "for they were like sheep without a shepherd." He fed their bodily nourishment, as well as their spiritual nourishment. As we heard in the first Letter of Saint John, 4:7-10, God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to be our Savior. This is the joy that we celebrate during this Christmas Time, but more than that, every day of our lives. The love of God and what He has done in our lives is always enough. May we be thankful for what God has shown and what He continues to show us with His great love. Let us take the love of God and share it with our brothers and sisters. Have a blessed day!!!

Epiphany

A blessed Solemnity of the Epiphany to everyone!!!! This is a second Christmas if you will. The Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 in other parts of the world, but in the United States, it celebrated on Sunday! Thankfully, today happens to be the 6th, so it is appropriate that we celebrate this feast now. The Epiphany calls to mind the magi making their way to the newborn King and Jesus being made manifest. God truly became one of us by taking on human flesh. The magi were transformed by their encounter. The Lord can do great things for us if we allow it. May the light of Christ shine brightly in our lives and hearts so that we can share God's great love with others!!! Have a blessed feast day!!!!

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

The Church in the United States celebrates the memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton! Truly she is a saint for our time, having been canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975. She is known for establishing the first Catholic School in Baltimore. Being the pastor with a Catholic School, I look to Saint Elizabeth as an example and intercessor. We are called: priests, religious, teachers, catechists, and parents to pass on the faith to our young people! We all have a responsibility and we pray for the grace to live out this ministry to the fullest! Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Pray for Us!!!

The Power of Jesus' Name!!!

"At the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:10-11). Every time I genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament, this scripture passage comes to mind. The prayer postures of genuflecting or kneeling remind us that we are to go down in homage to the newborn King that we celebrate during this Christmas Time. The name of Jesus is very powerful. As it says also in scripture, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do" (Jn 14:13). Today we celebrate the memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Here is a good thought by Richard Rolle, "If you think the name 'Jesus' continually, it purges your sin and kindles your heart; it clarifies your soul, it removes anger and does away with slowness. It wounds in love and fulfills charity. It chases the devil and puts out dread. It opens heaven, and makes you a contemplative. It puts all vices and phantoms out from the lover" (Magnificat, 50). We thank God for the gift of His only begotten Son and for the name of Jesus, because it is truly a powerful name and it makes every knee bend!!! Blessings on your day!!!