Prayers for Vocations!!!

One of the suggested formularies for Mass this morning came from the "Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions." The prayers are titled, "For Vocations to Holy Orders." I even used the second Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs. The Third Edition of the Roman Missal has a treasure of prayers and they are very beautiful. They truly express the needs that we bring before God. One of those needs is vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Praying for vocations is nothing new. In fact, we hear Jesus today tell his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send our laborers for his harvest" (Matthew 9:38). This call for prayer continues in our present day. We thank God for those who have answered the call: those serving in various ministries in the Church and those in formation for ministry. Our prayers are that more men and women will listen to the voice of God in their lives and answer that call. We know that God answers our prayers and that His timing is perfect. Let us heed the voice of our Lord and keep asking the Master to send laborers into the harvest. PRAY FOR VOCATIONS!!!

Who Is Jesus?

That is a question that we all need to answer as we spend time in reflection and prayer. This question comes from two sources. The first is the gospel that we listened to this weekend, Mark 6:1-6. Jesus has gone back to his hometown and he was not well received. In fact, the people kept asking questions as they listened to Jesus speak. How did he get all of this? Is he not the carpenter's son? Aren't his brothers and sisters known to us? Yes, many questions, but no answers. At the conclusion of the gospel, Jesus was not able to perform too many miracles there and he was amazed at their lack of faith. The second source was the commentary from the Priest Magazine. The question from that source simply asked, "For us, Who is Jesus"? That is a question that we need to ask ourselves as we journey through life and faith. Along that same line, the only ones who can answer that question is, us! May God Bless our journey and Bless the relationship that we have with His Son, Jesus Christ!!!

Model for the Young

The Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Maria Goretti, a Virgin and Martyr. As I was preparing for Mass this morning, I happened to look at the Ordo, the book that guides the liturgical year of the Church, and saw that Saint Maria was martyred in 1902, 110 years ago. Saint Maria was born into a poor and had a hard childhood. It is said that she was a pious girl and devoted to prayer. Rather than yielding to an aggressor, she defended her chastity and was stabbed to death. We know that chastity is a virture and a gift from God. We talk about chastity to our young people, letting them know that relations are meant for the marriage bond. Being chaste allows a husband and wife to truly give themselves to each other. All of us are called to live holy and chaste lives. These are gifts from God and He gives us the grace that we need to live them each day. By being people of prayer, we can learn to keep those communication lines with God open each day. We can grow in our conversation with God so when times of temptation arise, He can help us overcome what is going on at that time and avoid falling into sin. The pious and prayerful nature of Saint Maria Goretti is an example for all of us. We pray for our young people that they may be open to God's will in their lives. May we all listen to the voice of God, following His will, and following where He will lead us. Saint Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!!!

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

The Dioceses of the United States have the opportunity of celebrating the memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal today. Before, the feast day of Saint Elizabeth fell on July 4, which of course is Independence Day. "Elizabeth was born of the royal family of Aragon in 1271. As a girl she was given in marriage to the king of Portugal and bore him two children. She overcame trials and tribulations through prayer and charitable work. After her husband's death she distributed her goods to the poor and took the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis. She died in 1336 while trying to make peace between her son and son-in-law" (Loose-Leaf Lectionary, 2473). As I told the people at Mass this morning at St. Augustine in Washington, Saint Elizabeth would be a good example of Prayer and Action, since our communities just hosted this wonderful ministry of the Youth Office of the Diocese of Salina. Like her biography stated, she overcame her trials and tribulations through prayer and charitable works. Prayer is a very beautiful gift that we need to use each day and probably many times a day. Our prayer leads us into action, to do charitable works, and to live the corporal works of mercy. Prayer and Works go hand-in-hand and we can learn a lot from the model that we have today. Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, pray for us!!!

Independence Day 2012

A Happy and Blessed Independence Day to everyone. I pray that it will be a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July for you as you spend this day with family and friends. As we celebrate this Independence Day we realize that there is a lot of work that needs to be done in our country. Like I mentioned before, I had the opportunity to attend the Rally for Religious Freedom at the State Capitol in Topeka last Friday. It was a great event and a sign that our voices need to be heard as our Religious Liberty is under attack. What we celebrate today and everyday are gifts from God and those cannot be taken away from us. As one commentary states: "According to the Gospel, freedom is not achievement but gift. Freedom is not license but radical obedience to God's liberating law of love. Let us give thanks for the gifts of freedom we have received and, trusting in God as did our nation's founders, let us seek to share them as gifts with all who are still enslaved by political oppression, social or economic injustice, or personal sin" (Magnificat, 70). Thank God for the gifts that we have received and let us do our part to stand up in defense of those gifts because they cannot be taken away. May God Bless our work!!! Have a blessed day!!!

Proclaiming the Faith

The Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle. Not much is known about his life but what we do know centers around faith. Thomas is known as the "Doubter." We hear that in the Gospel for the day, John 20:24-29. After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples but Thomas was not with them. When Thomas did return the Apostles told him about their encounter with the risen Lord, but he would not believe it. As Thomas said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Of course, when Jesus appeared the second time, he called Thomas forward. Upon putting his finger into the nailmarks and his hand into the Lord's side Thomas said, "My Lord and my God." A beautiful confession of faith and there is a meaning for all of us as Jesus says, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Even in our own lives, we have questions and doubts, but we have that divine assistance to help us at all times. Let us not persist in our doubts or our unbelieving because the Lord is truly risen and his presence is with us at all times. Saint Thomas the Apostle, Pray for Us!!!

Standing Up!!!

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to travel to Topeka for the Rally for Religious Freedom. The Rally was initiated by the four Catholic Bishops in the State of Kansas! A big thank you to the bishops and the Kansas Catholic Conference for standing up for Religious Freedom. There was a wonderful crowd. Several people even commented that it was the largest rally they have ever seen at the State Capitol. The Rally was even televised live by EWTN. Hopefully people had the opportunity to see how important Religious Freedom is in the State of Kansas and in the United States in general. We have begun the week of our nations independence on July 4. The Fortnight of Freedom will conclude on that day but for us it is the beginning of continuing to get the message out. We cannot give up or lose hope. As Jesus told the synagogue official in the gospel from Sunday, "Do not be afraid, just have faith". That is our call as well as we stand up for our Religious Freedom because it is a gift from God and cannot be taken away from us. Let us keep the prayers for Religious Freedom going and let our voices be heard for we will continue to stand up and rally for the gifts that God has given to us. God Bless You!!!