A Ministry to Remember!!!!

The Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Martha on this July 29!  We know Martha as the one who was preoccupied with all the serving while her sister Mary sat at the feet of our Lord.  Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the better part.  However, prayer and service go hand in hand.  In order to do our service, we need to pray!  Today, I want to reflect on a life of service and ministry.  On Sunday, the Diocese of Salina received the sad news that Bishop Emeritus George Fitzsimons had passed away.  As Bishop Edward Weisenburger wrote in his note to us, it is with sadness, but Resurrection joy....  That is the key to our faith, yes we are sad, but we live in faith and hope of the Resurrection.  Bishop Fitzsimons had been a priest for 52 years, a bishop for almost 40 years, and the bishop of Salina for 20 years before his retirement in 2004!  He chose to stay in the diocese after his retirement and help out wherever he could.  It will soon be a year ago that he helped me out in a caring way.  He came to Washington, Kansas and had the weekend Mass there after my dad passed away.  Then he came back and con celebrated his funeral.  I think back to 1991 when I was a junior in the college seminary at Saint Meinrad when I met Bishop Fitzsimons for the first time.  I was applying to the diocese for acceptance and I met with him when he visited the seminarians from Salina that were there.  The following summer, I was accepted by the diocese and the rest we say is history.  Bishop Fitzsimons ordained me on May 31, 1997 and in his homily he talked about service and specifically said to me, "Do not be afraid to wash windows!"  Meaning I have the priestly responsibilities, but don't forget the other tasks that happen in life.  All of us who knew Bishop Fitzsimons are grateful for his life and ministry.  May God welcome him into his eternal Kingdom.  Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord.  May perpetual light shine upon him.  May he rest in peace.  Amen.

Saints Joachim & Ann

Today we celebrate the memorial of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus, Saint Joachim and Saint Ann!!!!  It is a beautiful feast to call the family to mind.  We know that family life, marriage, and human life is under attack.  We need to do our part to protect and defend these precious gifts!!!!  These gifts from God deserve our dignity and respect.  These are critical times in which we live and the Church holds up these holy men and women as an example so that we can live holy, faithful, and prayerful lives!!!!  May Saint Joachim and Saint Ann intercede for us so that we will remain firm in the faith and do all we can for the glory of God!!!!!

Saint James

The Church celebrates the Feast of Saint James the Apostle!  He is the first of the Apostles to drink from the chalice that The Lord mentioned in the gospel!  He planted the word of God as he proclaimed the Good News and that word was nourished by his blood!  James was not afraid to give up everything for Christ!  In fact, when Jesus called James and his brother John they gave up everything, leaving behind their father and their fishing trade and followed  Jesus!  We pray that Saint James will intercede for us that we may have the grace to deny ourselves, pick up the cross, and follow The Lord!!!  Saint James, pray for us!!!!

World Youth Day!!!

World Youth Day 2013 has arrived in Rio de Janiero, Brazil!!!  Pope Francis is making his way for the gathering and we pray for his travels and safety during his first international trip!  I just saw a post on Facebook showing Pope Francis walking up the staircase to the plane entrance and he was carrying his own bag.  The person posting the picture even made note of that.  Pope Francis is a pope of the people and he continues to give us an example of how we need to live our lives and our faith.  His presence at World Youth Day will inspire all those gathered, especially the young people because they are the Church of today, as well as tomorrow!!!  We prayed over the weekend that young Christians will become missionaries and heralds of the Gospel as they go forth from this World Youth Day!!!  Let us keep in prayer our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and all the young people and adults attending this World Youth Day!!!!  May God inspire us all to be missionaries and heralds of the Gospel, not just with words, but with our lives!!!!

Jesus' Invitation

Another beautiful Gospel passage that I enjoy was proclaimed at Mass today, Matthew 11:28-30. I call this passage, "Jesus' Invitation!" Our Lord says very powerfully, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." I use this passage whenever I administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. It is a reminder for all of us, whether we are well, sick, suffering, or dying that our Lord is always present. It is a beautiful invitation to come to Jesus with faith and in prayer. This passage is also appropriate for today because it is the memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis. After his conversion, he devoted himself to caring for the sick. Once he was ordained to the priesthood, he found a society that established hospitals and cared for the sick. Matthew 11:28-30 is a passage that we can share with all peoples. Come to Jesus if you are feeling labored, burdened, worried, stressed, or whatever the case may be, because he will refresh us and give us rest. Saint Camillus de Lellis, Pray for Us!!!

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Do you wear a brown scapular? I wear my scapular on a regular basis and it is encouraged by our Blessed Mother. This memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel "commemorates the anniversary of the day in 1251 when the Blessed Mother gave the brown scapular to Saint Simon Stock. 'The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer'" (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy 205) (Magnificat, 235-36). We also remember in a special way the Order of Carmelites, who number about 1,930 religious, as they live the example of Our Lady! May the Blessed Mother intercede for us and may she guide us always with her maternal and protecting love. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for Us!!!

Who is my neighbor?

That is a wonderful question to ask ourselves, to pray and think about!  This question is our challenge as we live the call to discipleship.  It was also the question the scholar posed to Jesus in our gospel from this past Sunday.  The scholar knew what the law said, to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbor as ourself.  We can always use that positive reinforcement, but he wanted to justify himself and so he said to Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"  Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  As one commentator mentioned, the parable of the Good Samaritan is the "epitome of Gospel charity."  Our world, our communities need Good Samaritans.  People who are not afraid to live the call of discipleship and are not afraid to live the virtue of charity.  Just think what life would be like if every living human being did this.  The Kingdom of God is where we will experience this, but until the full reality of the kingdom comes, we need to do our part in building the Kingdom of God in our midst.  Let us pray for the grace to be Good Samaritans and let us not be afraid to answer the question, "Who is my neighbor" by our lives of service and charity.  God Bless You!!!

Saint Benedict

One of my favorite saints is celebrated on July 11, Saint Benedict! My thoughts and prayers are with those men and women who live the Benedictine Rule and way of life in the world. I am blessed and thankful to have been trained by the Benedictine Monks in the seminary. I have strived to live the Benedictine spirituality and I am an oblate, associated with Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana! The Entrance Antiphon for Mass puts this memorial into perspective: "There was a man of venerable life, Benedict, blessed by grace and by name, who, leaving home and patrimony and desiring to please God alone, sought out the habit of holy living." Our journey of life and faith is to please God and Him alone. That is why I always go back to the image of the gate at the Trappist Monastery in Kentucky where the words, "God Alone" are etched in stone. As we grow in our relationship with God, we need to grow in holiness. Each one of us has a universal call to holiness. We pray that Saint Benedict will intercede for us! May we always please God alone and live a holy way of life!!! Saint Benedict, Pray for Us!!!

The Holy Apostles

An option for today's celebration of the Mass was the Votive Mass for the Holy Apostles. The reason being, I am sure, is that the gospel of the day, Matthew 10:1-7, listed the Twelve disciples. Just like the 72 disciples over the weekend, Jesus sends out the Twelve to proclaim the Good News. To tell the people that the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Church is built upon those Apostolic foundations and we continue the mission in our present day! However, we are in a tough battle right now with secularism. Maybe it has always been an issue, but with everything growing by leaps and bounds, I am afraid the next generation may have a challenge if they don't get it now. That is why we are praying for the intercession of the Apostles. As they lived their faith and trusted in the continuing presence of the Lord, we need to do the same and pass it on to our young people. These are critical times in which we live and the word of God needs to be preached, by word and example. May the example and witness of the Apostles touch our lives in a special way and may we continue to build the church on those strong foundations, for we are the living stones! May the Holy Apostles pray for us!!!

Sending Forth!!!

One of my favorite endings from the Mass in the Roman Missal is: "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life." That truly says what our call to discipleship is all about. What we receive at Mass each week needs to be lived every day of our lives. Discipleship is a way of life and we live it 24/7, 365 days. There is no break or vacation in being a disciple of Jesus. For two weeks, Jesus told us, "If you wish to be my disciple, you must deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me." Then he said very simply, but challenging, "Follow me!" If Jesus was standing before us and said, "Follow me," how many of us would be able to do it? Being a disciple takes total focus, commitment, and dedication. Jesus is counting on us to continue his mission on earth. A wonderful example for us in this present day has been the life and ministry of Pope Francis. He is truly the pope of the people and has reached out to all peoples. He invites us to have the best interest of our brothers and sisters in mind. Here is a quote from our Holy Father that I shared this past weekend in my homily: "God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. ... Today..., amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope" (Pope Francis, Homily at Installation Mass, The Priest, 26)! We are sent forth to be a beacon of hope to a troubled world. Being a messenger of hope is the primary work of the church. Let us do our part as we are sent forth, so that we can be faithful disciples and messengers of hope! God Bless our journey!!!

Blessed News!!!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July!!!!  It is a time to be thankful for the gifts and blessings that we have received from Almighty God.  I had a wedding rehearsal last evening and at the dinner that followed I offered the grace before meals and thanked God for the blessing of freedom that we live and share on this Independence Day!  Right now, there are a lot of attacks on our freedoms, religious liberty and the sanctity of marriage.  We cannot give up on the battle.  We need to proclaim the Good News, not just with words but with our very lives.  That leads to the blessed news of today which is being reported.  Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has signed off on the canonization decree for Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII.  A second miracle has been attributed to Blessed John Paul and the Holy Father waived the second miracle for John XXIII so both popes can be canonized at the same time.  We are thankful for the gifts of these two popes in recent church history and we look forward to them being raised to the altars of sainthood.  Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII, pray for us!!!

St. Thomas the Apostle

When my dad was growing up in the Armourdale area of Kansas City, Kansas, the parish his family attended was St. Thomas the Apostle.  Saint Thomas is the feast that the Church celebrates on July 3 and he is also one of my favorite saints.  We are all familiar with what happened after our Lord's resurrection when Thomas was gone and the risen Jesus appeared.  The disciples kept telling him they had seen The Lord but he would not believe.  Thomas said that he needed to put his finger in the nail marks and his hand in the Lord's side.  When Jesus appeared again, he called Thomas forward and told him not to persist in his unbelief, but believe.  That is our call as well, "Blessed are those who have not seen but have believed."  When we have doubts, questions about our faith, we can go to Saint Thomas and seek his intercession.  May the renewed faith of Thomas be ours as we live our lives and our faith to the fullest!  Saint Thomas the Apostle, Pray for Us!!!!