Blessings of Easter

A Happy and Blessed Easter to everyone!!!! We had two wonderful themes during Lent and Holy Week, "Let Go, Let God," and "Jesus loves you, and there is NOTHING you can do about it"!!!!! Now we gather at the empty tomb for The Lord has truly risen!!!! God is still working in our lives and hopefully we can feel His presence at all times. Of course, His love is unconditional, so let us be open to what God has in store for us as we continue our journey of life and faith!!! Christ is Risen, Amen, Alleluia!!!!!!!

Holy Week Theme

On Saturday, as I was making my last preparation for Palm Sunday, I received a message that made me think and it is a great theme for us, not just this week, but every day of our lives. The person that sent the message heard it in a Catholic radio station where they live. The message is this, "Jesus loves you and there is NOTHING you can do about it"!!! That is how I began my homily for Palm Sunday. I went on to say that Jesus invites us and he wants us to come along on this journey with him! Do not be afraid because to get to the resurrection we need to go through the cross. No matter the crosses we carry in our lives, Jesus is always there. May God bless us in our journey through Holy Week!!!!

Chrism Mass 2013

Yesterday, with our bishop, the priests and faithful of the Diocese of Salina gathered at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina to celebrate the Chrism Mass. The Mass is a beautiful one and I always look forward to it. One, we get to witness the bishop blessing the holy oils that will be used in our parishes over the next year- Oil of Catechumen, Oil of the Sick, and Sacred Chrism. Secondly, the priests of the diocese renew their promises of priestly service. As I type this blog today, there is the feeling of joy and of being renewed in the priesthood that God has called me to live. We are also grateful for the jubilarians who offer an example to all of us. One priest is celebrating 50 years, two priests are celebrating 40 years, and one priest is celebrating 25 years. This year of 2013 marks my 16th year as a priest. As our bishop talked about in his homily, the senior priests have much to offer to our junior priests, while the junior priests have much to offer to our senior priests! We can learn from each other as we live this priestly fraternity together. If you ever get the chance to attend the Chrism Mass, I would encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful time to thank God for the gifts that He has given to the Church and to thank Him for the call to the priesthood! The Chrism Mass prepares us to enter fully into Holy Week next week. May God richly bless our journey!!!

Psalm 51

Last week, the Sacrament of Reconciliation was offered to the students at the Catholic School where I am pastor. I put together a prayer service to set the tone and give them an opportunity to listen to God and allow Him to work in their lives in a special way. The service that I had for them began with Psalm 51. I used the shorter version that was in the missalette, but for the penance services that I have had for the parishes, we have recited the entire psalm. I fell in love with this penitential psalm when I was in the seminary. It is the first psalm that is used for morning prayer every Friday in the Liturgy of the Hours. The psalm calls to mind our sinfulness, but it also reminds us of the great love and mercy that God has for us. I would encourage you to take the time and pray Psalm 51. Hopefully it will touch your heart like it has touched mine. God Bless You on your journey!!!

Saint Joseph

Today is the beautiful Solemnity of Saint Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary!!! This also happens to be my patronal feast day since Saint Joseph is not only my patron saint, but it is also my middle name!! I am blessed to have a wonderful patron like Joseph because of his example and how he lived as the husband of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus. We know that Joseph was an upright man and he was going to divorce Mary quietly because she was with child. However the angel of The Lord appeared to him and told him to not be afraid and take Mary as his wife. Joseph followed the dream and accepted the will of God in his life. The call to not be afraid is a beautiful one. The angel told Mary and Joseph to not be afraid, Jesus told his listeners to not be afraid, and in our own time, Blessed John Paul II said do not be afraid. May we follow the example of Saint Joseph, to not be afraid, and allow God to work in our lives in a special way! Saint Joseph, Pray for Us!!!!

Ministry of Reconciliation!

Since Lent began, I have been encouraging the faithful to experience the love, mercy, forgiveness of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is a ministry that has been entrusted to us. It is a very beautiful and moving ministry because many times you will encounter someone who has been away from the sacrament for a long period of time. The feelings they have and the emotions they share is a gift because God is truly working in their life in a special way! If you have been away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation for a long time, please consider making going this Lent. We are a week away from Holy Week and the celebration of the Paschal Festivities. What a great way to enter into the Easter Time with mind and heart renewed! Let us make time for God because He always has time for us! God needs to be number one in our lives because with God all things are possible. Let us make the move to get our relationship with God on track because when we get our spiritual lives in order, than everything else should fall into place. May the ministry of reconciliation be a blessing to you and your journey of faith!!!

Pope Francis

Today, the Church truly rejoices in the election of Pope Francis as the 266th Successor of St. Peter! What a joy to mention the Holy Father's name in the Eucharistic Prayer! I pray that God will bless Pope Francis and bless his ministry as he begins his Pontificate!!!