Blessed News!

We arose this morning to the joyful news that Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII will be canonized as saints on April 27, 2014!  Pope Francis made the announcement this morning in Rome.  We rejoice that two popes from the last century will be raised to the altars of sainthood.  April 27 is also a special day in the life of the Catholic Church because it will be Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday following Easter Sunday!!!  Blessed John XXIII was pope from 1958-1963!  He is the pope who inaugurated the Second Vatican Council and we are marking the 50th anniversary of the Council during this Year of Faith.  Blessed John Paul II was pope from 1978-2005 and many accomplishments were made during his pontificate.  We thank God for these two popes and their lives of service to the Church.  Now we look forward with great joy to their canonization in 2014!

The Call to Prayer!!!

As I write this blog, the bells of St. John the Baptist are ringing noon, followed by the Angelus.  Ever since my days in the seminary at St. Meinrad, I have loved bells.  I learned while I was at St. Meinrad that bells are the voice of God calling people to prayer!!!!  Churches throughout the world with bells will let them ring out to announce services, but think of it in this light, the bells are God's voice calling us to pray.  On Wednesday evening, I had the chance to visit some of the religious education classes at St. Augustine.  I took along a statue of one of my favorite saints, St. Padre Pio.  Of course, we celebrated St. Padre Pio's feast day this past Monday!  Two of his quotes that I hold dear are: "Pray, hope and don't worry" and "Prayer is oxygen for the soul!"  We need to pray every day of our lives and hopefully many times a day, not just a meals or bedtime, but all the time.  God wants to hear from us and prayer takes a lot of work.  Hopefully you have good models of prayer, but know that prayer is up to you to do.  Whether the bells are ringing or not, prayer is definitely a necessity.  Let us answer the call of God in our lives and please, answer the call to prayer!!!!

Saint Padre Pio

As we begin this new week, we begin with the memorial of one of my favorite saints, Pius of Pietrelcina, or as he is commonly known as, Padre Pio.  I don't know when my devotion for Padre Pio started, but what stood out was that he was a saint in our own time.  He was born in 1887 and died in 1968.  What also got my attention was that for fifty years, he bore the Stigmata, or the wounds of Christ.  He was also sought after for spiritual direction, confession, and even the Masses he celebrated, which would last for several hours.  Throughout his life, many miracles were attributed to his intercession and he was known to bi-locate, or be seen in one place, when he was known to be in another.  Definitely a holy and saintly man and priest for our time.  I have talked about and preached on Padre Pio many times.  I even use the quote that I have anywhere I can put it.  Padre Pio says, "Pray, hope and don't worry."  There is more to the quote but that is the main theme and it is a way of life that we need to accept.  We thank God for the gift of Saint Padre Pio and for his example of faith, holiness, and prayer.  May Padre Pio intercede for us as we continue our journey of life and faith.  Help us Padre Pio not to worry, but to always be a people of prayer and hope.  Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Pray for Us!!!

Come Holy Spirit!!!

On Wednesday evening, I celebrated Mass for the beginning of the Religious Education program at St. Augustine in Washington, KS.  Since there was no particular feast for today, I took the prayers for the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit.  We can always use the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we pray that our faith will be ignited by the Holy Spirit.  We are in a tough battle with our society and there are so many voices calling out to us, but only one voice is loud and clear and that is the voice of God.  We really need to work with and guide our young people for they are the future of the Church, but they are also the Church of today!  In all that we do, may the Holy Spirit guide us and help us as we continue to build the kingdom of God in our midst!  

Pray for Peace!!!!

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, is calling for a day of prayer on this September 7!  We need prayer everyday!!!! There are many things that we need to bring before our Lord.  In doing that, we also need to listen.  Just think of the song: "The Prayer of St. Francis"!!!  It says, "Make a me a channel of your peace...."  Also, "Let this be the moment now, let is begin with me..."  What is that song saying to us?  For peace to exist, it needs to begin with me.  We need to know the peace of Christ in our own lives and then we can share it with others.  Think of the Gospel for this weekend, Luke 14:25-33!  Jesus calls us to be his disciples.  What does that mean for us!  We need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus!!!!  The voice of God is always speaking to us.  The question is, How well are we listening?  Our times are critical, just like other time periods, just that times and situations change.  These times, like others call us to stand up and be faithful, dedicated, committed disciples and bring the love of God and peace of Christ to all whom we meet.  It is a challenge, but with God and our unwavering faith and trust in Him, all things are possible!!!!

A Blessed Labor Day!

This is the last official holiday of the summer.  On Labor Day we thank all workers for their service.  We pray for those who are seeking employment.  May God bless us all and bless our work that we continue to do.  It has been announced that Pope Francis will lead a global day of prayer for peace on September 7!  There is so much that we need to pray for as this day and this week dawns.  A post that I recently read said that we need to make our communication with God a top priority on a daily basis.  Last week's visit to Saint Meinrad renewed in me that call to prayer.  Watching the monks as they pray several times a day again made me realize how important prayer is.  I am proud to be a Benedictine Oblate so I need to renew my prayer life.  Prayer also takes work, so let us make the most of this beautiful gift that God has given to us!  Thank God for this day and may we be blessed as we continue to do our part to build up the kingdom of God in our midst!!!