Prayers for Our Holy Father

At this time tomorrow, the Church will be in the "Interregnum" as we await the election of a new pope. Wednesday and Thursday brought some emotional gatherings as Pope Benedict XVI bade farewell to the world as he leaves the Chair of Peter. This is a historic time since a pope has not resigned since 1415. The last pope to freely offer his resignation, like Benedict XVI, was in 1294, so this is a new chapter for all of us! What we need to do as the body of Christ is pray for our Holy Father. Pray that God will grant him special graces and good health. Even though we will not see His Holiness Benedict XVI, the Pope Emeritus, he will still be with us in prayer. I saw a quote from our Holy Father's last General Audience and I think it is appropriate: "The bark of the Church is not mine, it is not ours, but it is his, and he will not let it sink." The Church still goes forth with her mission and we are blessed to do our part for a time and God will call others to come after us. I also saw a post that abbey and church bells are to ring on Thursday at 1:00 pm, which will be 8:00 pm in Rome, when the "Sede Vacante" or Vacant See begins. The bells ring in thanksgiving for our Holy Father, Benedict XVI, and for his tremendous service to the Church. God bless Benedict XVI!!!!! May God bless the Church in the days ahead!!!

Timing is Everything!

I have been told many times that God's timing is perfect. We can all agree with that because God knows what is best for all of us. This Second Sunday of Lent, let us focus on Saint Peter. On Friday, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. It is his confession of faith upon which the Church is built. In the gospel for this Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the Transfiguration. Jesus is transformed before Peter, James, and John. It is Peter who wants to stay in the moment and we are told he did not know what he was saying. Peter experienced many things during his life and ministry. He was weak but became strong. Peter was the first pope of the Catholic Church and there have been 265 since that time. Now, we are on the cusp of electing a new Supreme Pontiff after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. That resignation will take effect this coming Thursday, February 28! Again, let us pray for our Holy Father and the Cardinal-electors who will be entrusted with electing the new pope. Our Church has a tremendous history and we are following what our Lord has entrusted to us. May God bless the Catholic Church and the good works we have begun during this Lenten Time because everything goes according to His time!!!

Chair of Peter

On February 22, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. This feast calls to mind those who have followed Saint Peter, who was the first pope. We thank God for those men who have been called to fulfill this ministry in the Church and in the world. To be the Vicar of Christ, the Successor of Saint Peter is a tremendous calling and that is why the process to elect the pope is guided by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is always at work in the Church. As we celebrate this feast today, we cannot help but think about our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, who will retire in six days. This is something new for the Church since it has been 600 years since the last pope resigned. Most of the articles that I have read recently focus on Pope Benedict's humility. It is very humbling to say that I do not have the strength to continue in this ministry and I will leave the office on this particular date and at this particular time. Other commentators have focused on the fact that we receive these ministries for a time and a season. Whether we are here or not, the Spirit guides the Church and will raise up ministers to continue the work that has already begun. It is not about us, but what God is doing in the Church and in the lives of His people. We thank God for the blessing of Pope Benedict XVI and the eight years he served as the Bishop of Rome and our universal Pastor. May God bless him in his retirement. May God bless the College of Cardinals as they prepare to enter into Conclave and elect the next Supreme Pontiff who will be the Successor of Saint Peter! May God Bless Us!!!

The Same Message!

At Mass this morning I used a line that refers to the title of this post, "Times change, but the message stays the same." That message is the call to repentance. Of course, Jesus Christ is the main message. His life and his words speak volumes. Our Lord had a clear message, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." That message continues to reverberate to our present day and during this Lenten Time. Lent is our yearly reminder to turn away from sin and turn back to God. It is a message that we need to live everyday of our lives. Temptation, evil, and sin are everywhere and the devil is always trying to derail us in our relationship with God and one another. We need to remain firm in faith and not give in to what the devil is trying to do to us. People from the Old Testament heard the prophets, like Jonah, speak about repentance and that message has passed down to our very day. May we be bold, firm, and pastoral preachers as we proclaim the Good News. Jesus Christ is the same: yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus Christ has the words of eternal life. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. Yes, times to change, but the message is the same!!! God Bless You!!!

First Sunday of Lent

We have arrived at the beginning of our first full week of Lent. The gospel for this weekend gives us scriptural basis for the Season of Lent. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where he spent 40 days. We are on our 40 day journey through the desert. While Jesus was in the desert, he was tempted by the devil. I am sure the devil is trying to derail us in our Lenten journey, but like Jesus, we need the resolve to avoid all temptation and sin. We need to make the most of our Lenten Time and we pray that The Lord will give us the grace and strength that we need to do so. Let us move forward in firmness of faith and resolve so that we will be stronger individuals and better disciples! Have a blessed Lenten weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ash Wednesday

The Church has begun the holy season of Lent!!!! We know from the gospels that the qualities of Lent are Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. These are to be done in secret so that we receive recompense from our Heavenly Father. This is a great time for us to examine our lives and our consciences to see what we need to be forgiven of and how we can be better Catholics, Christians, and Disciples. My personal theme for this season is, "Let Go, Let God." I have always loved that phrase and I think it speaks of me very well. I tend to get in the way and not let God do His job. I always need that friendly reminder that when I get in the way, I need to move over and let God work. My hope and prayer is that by doing this, I can make this a meaningful Lent but it will give me reinforcement as we move from the Lenten Season. The fruit that we bear during this season does not end when Lent is over, but it must continue to grow to the fullest. May God bless you and our journey during this wonderful Lenten Time!!!!!

Pastor's Message

I write a weekly message for the bulletin that comprises the Catholic Community of Washington County. This is the message that I have written for this coming weekend and I thought it would be appropriate to share here. Let us keep our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in our thoughts and prayers as he steps down as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Let us keep in our prayers the College of Cardinals as they prepare to enter into Conclave and elect a new pope in the coming weeks. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide the Church and her leaders. In the last few messages, I have been focusing on praying for the sick and the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11. However, I have changed the message to focus on what has taken place this past week. I am writing this message on the evening of February 11 and I am still in shock with the announcement of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that he would be resigning at the end of the month. It has been 600 years since the last pope resigned his office, so this is something that is definitely new for us in the Church. As I listened to the coverage of this announcement, many of the commentators spoke about how humbling this is, to say that I cannot continue in my present ministry, and it is time to step down and let someone younger and stronger lead the Church. I am sure it took our Holy Father much prayer to make this decision. Now the decision is made to step down on February 28 at 8:00 Rome time. That means the Holy See will go vacant until the new pope is elected. That is my message to the parishioners and it is one for all of us as we move forward in the days and weeks ahead. Again, let us pray for our Holy Father and all the leaders of the Church. God Bless You!!!

Repentance

In a recent gospel passage, Mark 6:7-13, we heard this line, "So they went off and preached repentance..." The context of this gospel is that Jesus sent the Twelve out, two by two, and this was part of their mission. They were to proclaim a message of repentance and they healed many who were sick. That call to repentance reminds us that we need to repent of our sins everyday and turn back to God who provides grace, healing, and strength. This call to repentance also reminds us that Lent is right around the corner. February 13 is Ash Wednesday, so we need to be ready to enter into this season fully and allow the Lord to touch our lives in a special way. We are made a new creation through repentance, reconciliation, and the forgiveness of our sins. Let us not miss the opportunities that God and the Church gives to us. This call to repentance is for all of us!!! May God bless us in our journey as we prepare for Lent and for the goodness that this holy season will bring to our lives and our faith!!!

Praying for the Sick

Next week, the Church will celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, as well as observe the World Day for the Sick. This has been a rough winter for many people, young and old. The flu has been a tough illness to shake and some people even had pneumonia. I had the stomach flu a couple of weeks ago and now I have all the cold symptoms. It has been a continuous cycle for many people and it does take time to get over. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is sick or suffering. In the Prayers of the Faithful at Mass, we are asked to include a prayer for those who are sick. We also pray for the health care providers who are a tremendous blessing as they care for those who are sick and suffering. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, writes this about the Church's fundamental role: "Lovingly and generously accepting every human being, especially those who are weak and sick." We can dedicate the month of February to praying for the sick because of this important feast of Our Lady, but we know that praying for the sick is not confined to a particular time, it is a necessity for us everyday. Let us hold in prayer all who are sick that they may experience and know the loving and healing presence of God. Mary, Health of the Sick, Pray for Us!!!

Presentation of Our Lord!!!

These past few years, even though the Manger scene is down, I still leave the crib with the baby Jesus up until this beautiful feast. It is a great reminder that Christmas is not confined to one day but we can celebrate this great feast everyday. Today we celebrate Jesus being presented in the temple by Mary and Joseph. We also encounter Simeon who made his proclamation about the newborn King and the sword that would pierce Mary's heart. We also see Anna who has been in the temple waiting for this day. Both Simeon and Anna had hopes of seeing the promised Messiah and they did. We all look forward to that day when we can be welcomed into God's eternal Kingdom. May we be presented before God and may He receive us with a loving and merciful embrace. May this feast also remind us that Jesus Christ is forever the light of the world, which is symbolized in the candles that are blessed on this day! May the light of Christ guide us as we live our faith and continue our journey to the kingdom!!! Have a blessed feast!!!

A Great Mission!

Another suggested Votive Mass for today is "For the Church." The opening Collect spoke about the mission that has been entrusted to the Church, the body of Christ, and how we can transform the human family and human society. We go back to Jesus Christ and those early apostles entrusted with the mission of the early Church. Then the men and women who have come before us to build up the Church that we see and love today. With us, we will hopefully build upon the foundation that has been laid and pass on this great mission to those who will come after us. This week, we have been observing Catholic Schools Week. We thank God for our students, parents, teachers, catechists, priests, religious, laity and benefactors who make a Catholic education possible. The Catholic School is a tremendous ministry of the Catholic Church because we are forming the Church of today to be the faithful leaders tomorrow. This is a mission that we all have a role in. My hope is that what our young people receive in the Catholic School is being reinforced at home because parents are the primary educators of their children. They are the first teachers in the ways of faith as it is stated in the Rite of Baptism. Many times that reinforcement is not there and we need to touch minds and hearts so that parents will realize their responsibility to teach their child and be an example to them. It is also a good time for the schools re-evaluate our religion program, to make sure that we are giving our young people the tools that they need to live their faith to the fullest. As we pray for the Church today and everyday, we also pray for the various ministries that the Church is engaged in because we are here to make a difference in the world and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. We ask God to bless our endeavors as we continue the great mission entrusted to us!!!