Reflecting!!!!

This past week, I had the opportunity to make a return visit to Saint Meinrad, Indiana and spend time at the seminary where I graduated from, twice.  I am a 1993 graduate of the college seminary, so this is my 20th anniversary.  I graduated from the School of Theology in 1997 and ordained the same year. I have always enjoyed Saint Meinrad and being able to visit is very rewarding.  I had the chance to pray with the monastic community during morning office and at Mass.  A lot of work has been done on the campus and to the buildings so it was nice to see how things have changed.  After the stay at Saint Meinrad, the next stop was to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois.  It is also a peaceful and prayerful place to stay.  With the busyness of our lives, we need to take time for God and hopefully quite a few times during the day.  With God, we live, move, and have our being.  Let us make the most of the time God has given to us and always be thankful for the many blessings and gifts in our lives!!!!

Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A week ago the Church celebrated the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary!!! Today, our rejoicing continues as Mary is crowned queen of heaven and earth. As the psalmist writes, "At your right stands the queen in robes of gold, finely arrayed" (Ps 45:10). Even this beautiful commentary reminds us what this memorial is all about. "Today's feast reminds us that holiness means depending on God. The Queenship of Mary invites us to exercise our obedience to God in a way that results in, not submission, but likeness" (Magnificat, 307). The gospel that was proclaimed at Mass was that of the Annunciation! Mary was troubled by the angel's message and wondered how all of this could be. The Angel of the Lord assured Mary that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her and thus the holy offspring would be conceived. Once she had that assurance she totally gave herself to the will of God. A beautiful example for us. Like the quote said, it is not submission, but likeness. To imitate the life of our Blessed Mother and know that God is always with us and that His grace is always enough. From her place in heaven, Mary continues to pray and intercede for us. Let us take comfort in her intercession and know that she is always guiding us with a loving, caring maternal hand! Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and earth, pray for us!!!

School Year Theme!

Today was the opening Mass for St. John the Baptist School in Hanover. What a great memorial to celebrate, that of Saint Pius the Tenth. Saint Pius was elected pope in 1903 and he died on August 20, 1914. As I told the students and adults present, God willing, later this year, we will witness the canonization of two popes, Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II. These popes made an impact in the church and in the world during their time as the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Following Mass, I went to the school building and blessed the students, teachers, and the classrooms. I gave a little lesson about Saint Pius the Tenth and then reminded the students of his motto as pope, "To Renew All Things in Christ!" I told them that is a wonderful theme for our school year because we are called to renew all things in Christ, especially our lives and our faith. We need to do what this commentator writes, "Saint Pius X worked tirelessly to build God's house, the Church, into a community of true faith and reverent worship in Jesus Christ. His motto was 'to make all things new in Christ'" (Magnificat, 302). Let us follow the example of Saint Pius the Tenth and may we be assured of his prayers and intercession for us so that we can live our faith to the fullest and truly renew all things in Christ.

Our Blessed Lady!!!

As Mary says in the Magnificat, her prayer of thanksgiving: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed..." Yes, we call Our Lady "Blessed" because of the great things that God has done for her. God called her to be the mother of His only Son and through her "Yes" we have the forgiveness of our sins through our Lord's death on the cross and the promise of eternal life through his resurrection. Of course, on the 15th, we celebrated the beautiful Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As Saint Modestus of Jerusalem says, "She who is higher than cherubim and seraphim, being truly designated Mother of their Lord, has now come to live in the Kingdom of Heaven. When she had completed her life's voyage happily, that spiritual vessel of God dropped anchor in her new, safe harbor, near to the Helmsman of the world" (Magnificat, 183). There is some beautiful imagery in that quote because now Our Lady is next to her Son, the Savior, the Helmsman of the world. We rejoice in the gift of Our Blessed Lady and we pray that her intercessions will be with us as we continue our journey of life and faith. "Pray for us O Holy Mother of God," "That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ."

Point to Remember, Part II

Several years ago, I presided at a funeral for a man who passed away unexpectedly. With the sudden nature of everything, the family was visibly upset but they had a wonderful support network. While I was standing in the cemetery with the other funeral home people, the secretary told me a story that I have not forgotten. She said that one of the former morticians was leaving for vacation. He came into her office and asked if anyone was pending. Her response was, "Aren't we all!" She said the mortician really did not know what to say, but there is definitely truth in those words. Just like the story that I used this past weekend, a man found an article that said that the average life span for people is 75 years of age. He was already 55. When he totaled up the 52 weeks of the year, he found that he had 3,900 Saturdays left. He went to several toy stores, bought marbles and put them in a jar. Then every Saturday he would take a marble out until one Saturday, 20 years later, he had one marble left. Instead of being sad, he was grateful for the extra Saturdays would be gifts from God. The bottom line is, we are given a number of marbles in our lifetime and when those marbles are used up then life as we know it here ends. Only God knows the day and the hour! That is why being prepared is so important. Hopefully those passages about preparation are not heard just when we come to church, but that we keep them in mind everyday because it is a reality and we are pending! God Bless our journey!!

A Topic to Remember

"One thing is certain, that is death.  What is uncertain is its hour!"  That is a quote from Saint Anselm, a Doctor of the Church.  It is also a quote that is a way of life.  Death is a reality that we have all faced because we have lost people who have been close to us and whether we want to hear it or not, we will all die.  There is no escaping this reality and fact of life.  As it says elsewhere in the Scriptures, "The wages of sin is death."  In the Gospel from this past weekend, Jesus told his disciples and us, that we need to be prepared because the Son of Man will come on a day and an hour that we least expect.  The same can be said of the hour of our death.  We do not know and I believe there is a reason for that.  God wants us to live in His love and share that love with others so we can live out that mission however long we have on this earth.  God is the only one that knows how everything will transpire and there is no need to worry because everything is in His hands.  I preached about death over the weekend and one of the parishioners told me what he observed sitting in church.  People were focusing on what I was saying, but they weren't.  Others on the hand were looking down.  Why?  This is a topic we all know about, but no one wants to hear about it or talk about it.  My recommendation is that we need to talk about because death will come when we least expect.  Hopefully we will be ready, but that is why these reminders from Scripture and our Lord need to be talked about at all times.  The topic of death is one that we need to remember at all times.  Like Saint Benedict told his monks, "Keep death before you daily!"  God Bless You!!!!

Called to Preach!!!

August 8 is the memorial of Saint Dominic.  He is the founder of the Order of Preachers (O.P.)!  This order is traditionally known as, the Dominicans.  The religious men and women who follow the charism of Saint Dominic do as he did, they preach.  Of course, they preach not only with words, but with their lives and example.  The same is true for us disciples of The Lord.  We are called to preach the Good News and like Saint Francis said so well, "Use words if necessary!"  Do not be afraid to live your faith and proclaim the Good News!!!  Our world needs many positive examples and it can begin with us!  Let us heed the call to preach and let us do so at all times!!!  Saint Dominic, Pray for Us!!!

Transfiguration of the Lord

In the Preface for the Transfiguration we hear, "For he revealed his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses and filled with the greatest splendor that bodily from which he shares with all humanity, that the scandal of the Cross might be removed from the hearts of his disciples and that he might show how in the Body of the whole Church is to be fulfilled what so wonderfully shone forth first in its Head" (Magnificat, 87). The Transfiguration is a glimpse of glory and for the disciples, it would give them hope after they witnessed the death of our Lord on the cross. It is amazing to know from the Ordo, "August 6 occurs forty days before the feast of the Triumph of the Cross on September 14" (171). We can see that 40 is a perfect number because it is in Sacred Scripture and it is in the traditions of the church. We know that to get to the resurrection, we have to go through the cross. That is why Jesus tells us as his disciples, "You must deny your very self, take up your cross, and follow me." The cross is the tree of life and the resurrection is key to our faith because Jesus Christ has broken the bonds of sin and death by his own passion, death, and resurrection. The transfiguration of Jesus gives us hope for the glory that is come. May this feast fill us with hope because the crosses will come, but we know that they will not have the final say. Eternal life in God's Kingdom will be victorious.

Peace and Quiet

This post happens to be my 700th! I know I need to get back to the daily routine but maybe there is a reason why today was chosen for this 700th post. Today is the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. This basilica is one of the four main basilicas in the world. The other three are: St. Peter's, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. I had the joy of seeing the Basilica of St. Mary Major when I was in Rome in January of 1996. The confessio, below the main altar, has a glass coffin containing pieces of wood which are believed to be from the manger of our Lord. Truly an awesome sight to see. This feast day is also synonymous with a title of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Snows. Our Lady showed where she wanted this basilica to be built with the miracle of snow on a warm, August day. All things are possible with God. Why I titled this blog, "Peace and Quiet," I am always reminded of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois. The shrine is across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. To get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and find some rest, peace, and quiet at this beautiful shrine. The shrine has always been a favorite vacation spot of mine and it is true, once you get on the grounds, there is a peaceful, quiet feeling. If you are ever looking for a beautiful shrine to stay and visit, the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows is just such a place. We thank God and our Blessed Mother for this beautiful gift and miracle! Our Lady of the Snows, Pray for us!!!

Pillar of Fire!

The pillar of fire is the image that we see in the Book of Exodus.  As Moses was leading the Israelites through the desert, God went ahead of them as a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night!  Light is very important because it allows us to see and it guides our path.  Thinking of light always reminds me that Jesus Christ is forever the light of the world.  I am also reminded of the baptismal candle we receive at the Sacrament of Baptism.  The priest or deacon says to the parents and godparents, "Receive the light of Christ..."  He goes on to say, "This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly..."  We need to do our part through prayer and the sacraments to keep the light of Christ burning brightly!  The pillar of fire is a great image and now the light, Jesus Christ, has come into the world to dispel all darkness.  Let us do our part to radiate the light of Christ to all we meet!