13th Sunday, God Before Family

 

Saint Inocencia

 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me.”  

Our Lord today, reminds us of the stark reality that sometimes, we may put into positions, we must choose Him, over our family.

Here are some common ways, we can be placed in a difficult circumstance of choosing Jesus over our family.

For example: A relative wants us to enter into a business agreement, which is dishonest. Will we do it or refuse?

Or a Catholic relative wants to get married outside of the Church in an invalid ceremony. Will we attend or stand up for our faith.

What if we are invited to dinner at the home of a non-practicing Catholic on a Friday during Lent, and they want to serve meat? Will we eat meat, knowing its a serious sin, so as to not offend family?

The saints give witness to placing God above our family.

St. Hermenegild is a martyr for the Eucharist. Catholics only recognize properly consecrated Hosts by a priest as the true Body and Blood of Christ. This means we can't receive communion in non-Catholic churches. Non-Catholics believe the Eucharist is only a symbol. However, we believe the Eucharist is truly Jesus. King Leovigild and is family were Arians, who didn’t believe Jesus is God. His son, Hermenegild married the Catholic daughter of the King of France. Her faith caused him to become Catholic. King Leovigild tried to convert his son back to Arianism. Eventually, the king captured his son, chained and locked him in a dungeon and tried to force him believe false teachings about Jesus.

Hermenegild relayed to his father, he would not sway from his faith. On Easter Eve, his father tried to seduce him to change his mind by sending him an Arian Bishop to give him communion. Hermenegild refused to receive communion from the hands of a heretical Bishop in what St. Gregory later called “Communion of a sacrilegious consecration.” His father sent soldiers to kill him. They went to the prison and found the saint calm and ready to die. They rushed at him, striking him with an ax over his head, killing him on April 13, 586.

St. Barbara's father did not believe in Jesus. He imprisoned his daughter in a tower. Because she secretly converted to Christianity, he turned her over to Roman authorities and beheaded her himself. As a result, he was instantly struck dead by lightning as divine punishment for killing his own daughter.

St. Innocencia loved to hear her Catholic friends talk about their First Communion and decided that she wanted to become Catholic so she could receive Holy Communion. When she returned home, she told her father, that she wanted to become Catholic. But her father became angry and told her to forget such foolishness.

One day, she was walking home and heard a nun teaching some girls in a home. She sat outside the window and listened to the lessons. Everyday, after school, she would sit outside the window and listen to the lessons. The nun eventually saw her outside and invited her to come inside the house for daily lessons on the Eucharist. Her father was unaware that she remained in class.

On the day of her first Communion, she wore a white dress loaned by the nun. With a communion candle in her hand, she received Holy Communion with the other children. On returning home to tell her father the good news he attacked her by stabbing her to death. The girl's body was later taken to the Cathedral in Guadalajara where it remained as a sign of her love for the Eucharist.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha's parents died from smallpox when she was young and her aunt and uncle took care of her after that tragedy. Because she became Catholic, her non-Catholic relatives persecuted her, but she remained firm in her faith. Members of the Mohawk tribe often chastised her, which she took as a testament to her faith. Because she was persecuted by her Native American relatives, including threats on her life, she fled to an established community of Native American Christians located near Quebec, where she lived a life dedicated to prayer, penance and caring for the sick and aged.

Recall the words of Jesus: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me.” He did not come to bring peace, but rather division. Here He is speaking of earthly peace—peace between family members. But peace in one’s heart and peace with God is more important than keeping peace in the family. Jesus said, “Whoever does not take up His cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.”

If we choose God over our family, we could be persecuted and division may occur. But, Jesus gave us these comforting words, “blessed are the persecuted the reign of God is theirs.” At times in our life we need to be a witness to our faith, a witness to the teachings of the Church, and therefore witness to our family. Our Lord said, “If you deny Me, you will deny the One whom sent me.” As St. Peter said, “It is better to choose God than man.” To be found not worthy of Jesus, would be terrifying at the moment of death because Jesus is our eternal judge.

Let us pray, O Jesus, help me never to deny you. Jesus, grant me the grace to be faithful to you. Jesus I place you above everything in my life, my family, my career, my job, my friends.

No matter the suffering and pain in this life, I want to persevere to the end, because only You can save me. O Lord by being faithful, I will be with you forever in heaven with your Mother and all the angels and saints, who gave up everything for You!

12th Sunday - Aliens & Demons

I guarantee the homily today, is going to be out of this world. 

In the Gospel, Jesus said, "Fear no one. Nothing will be concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops."

Today, I would like to disclose that which is dark and bring it into the light. Do you believe in aliens? There is a new movie out called "Disclosure Day" by Steven Spielberg, who wants people to believe there are aliens. Also, over the past few weeks, the US government has declassified UFO documents.

When I was about a freshman in high school, my parents came home one evening terrified. We had a pig farm near La Crosse, Kansas. We had a large metal barn and on its roof were three large exhaust ventilators. My parents were driving down the highway when the saw a large light hovering over the barn. It caused one of the exhaust fans to be torn off. They thought it was a UFO. A few days later, about a mile from the barn, the metal ventilator was found in a farmer's field. Nobody could understand how it was torn off.

Not much after this event, one night, while bed trying to sleep, I saw a brilliant light, light up our backyard. The light originated from above the trees. It wasn't a helicopter, because there was no noise, nor wind. I wondered if it was a UFO.
Were these UFOs? Do Aliens visit the earth? Are they more intelligent than us?

Many exorcists have said aliens are demons. An exorcist not only performs exorcisms on possessed people, but they also learn much about the tactics of the devil. Exorcists do deliverance ministry.

Exorcists who have made a statement all agree what appears to be aliens or UFOs are really demons.

Msgr. Rosetti, who was the exorcist for the Washington, DC diocese made a controversial statement. Despite his statement, his home diocesan bishop of Syracuse, New York said he is priest in good standing. What did he say, that was so controversial?

He said, "Demons like to hide. They don't want us to know what they are doing, because they are more effective, when we don't realize it. They influence us to do evil. "Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities, powers, and rulers of this present darkness with evil spirits. So put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day." He said, "Our spiritual battle is with demons. Demons can break into the world and be seen. Some see globes of light, dark shadows, shadow men, evil hands, and images of beast like creatures. At times, demons manifest in this world." He said, "There is question in my mind. This is my personal opinion, many if not most of the UFO sightings are demons." "They can do things we can't, such as speed. The reason why this is important is because they will try to manipulate us behind the scenes."

Exorcist Fr. Jim Blount said, "Many people have seen what they say are aliens. These people are not lying. Some strange things have happened. Over years of research, it has been discovered, that if a so-called alien comes to your house, say, "In the name of Jesus Christ leave!" They get frightened and immediately leave. Every single time, a so-called alien encounter has occurred, when the person sites Sacred Scripture or the name of Jesus, the aliens leave immediately." He said, "This is interesting, what do you think aliens really are? Let me tell you they are demons."

Fr. Dan Reehill, an exorcist from the diocese of Nashville, said, "If there is an alien on another planet and if he would be rational to have built a spaceship, he has to have reason and will. That would be an impossibility, because the Church teaches we are the only material beings, who can know and love God. The demons can impersonate. They can look like aliens."

Fr. Carlos Martins an exorcist is a Canadian priest from the religious order Companions of the Cross said, "It might be the preferred manner for the devil to denote an alien... The devil packages himself in the culture and age of the people. He wants to be recognized as something. He wants to provoke a certain understanding. Why would he want to come as an alien? The devil wants to cast a doubt on (God's) revelation. To show that Scripture and Sacred Tradition do not accurately represent the cosmology. He doesn’t want the accurate description of existent things. By doing this, the devil casts a doubt on Jesus Christ and everything Jesus Christ did."

In other words, demons want us to abandon Christianity and follow a false religion.

Exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger said, "There are times during a session for the exorcism of the possessed, demons will manifest, these are demons who portray themselves and literally morph, looking like an alien. They claim they are not angels nor human and they are neither good nor bad. The report of so many of purported abductions will hyper-focus or giving us new knowledge. That they are communicating new knowledge to us. What this basically is, is people experiencing the diabolical in nature. Literally, demons are involved in it. When any person professes their faith in Jesus Christ, they disappear. One person described himself as suddenly seeing his room open up and seeing a spaceship with a great light. In desperation, he cried out, "Jesus help me!" And the entire space scene, light and all immediately disappeared instantly."

Fr. Stefano Gobbi, who is not an exorcist, but is a Servant of God, on March 25, 1979, said, "In these times of purification, many are led astray by other words. In fact, my Adversary succeeds in seducing even the good by false manifestations of the preternatural in order to bring about deception and confusion on all sides. He will succeed in working many prodigies which will beguile the minds of even the good."

Fr. Gabriel Urgebadze an Orthodox priest died in 1995. He said, "During the Antichrist times, the strongest temptation will be anticipation of salvation from the cosmos, from humanoids, extraterrestrials that are actually the demons. One should rarely look up at the sky, as the signs might be deceptive and thus one may be ruined."

Back to my original experience, where I saw a great light, light up the backyard of our house and when my parents saw a UFO hover over the barn and the remove the large exhaust ventilator on the top of the barn, these were not aliens. I believe they were demons.

Interestingly, about this time our family acquired a Ouija board and were playing it. Back then, we had no idea that to play it was seriously sinful and could unleash demons.

Demons want us to believe in the Steven Spielberg’s movie, Disclosure Day. Demons want us to believe all the files being released are aliens, because they want us to doubt Jesus. They want us to deny Jesus and replace Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition with the false idea that what Jesus said is not true.

But, Christians believe and will always believe, there is only one Savior Jesus Christ. There is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. Only Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Jesus.

And with the power and authority of Jesus, we can make the demons leave, by invoking His holy name.

My friends, if you happen to see a bright light in your backyard or if think you see an alien or a spaceship, immediately say, "In the name of Jesus Christ, leave!" And it will depart, because it wasn't an alien, but rather demon.

When I began the homily, did I not tell you this homily would be out of this world? Demons come from out of this world. They come from depths of hell.

 May Mary, the Queen of Angels and the Mother of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, help us to recognize false lights and enter into the Light of Christ, who will protect and save us.

11th Sunday, Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

In the Gospel today, St. Matthew said, "At the sight of the crowds, Jesus' heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd."

Due to our country's 250th anniversary of its founding in 1776, last Thursday evening, the Vigil of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the US Bishops gathered for their summer meetings in Washington DC and together they consecrated the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. By this consecration, we ask our nation to be under God and that our country will glorify God. Bishop Kemme asked all parishes to pray the consecration Friday, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, which we did at the 7am Mass.

The Heart of Jesus began to beat when it was formed in Mary's womb. His Heart was moved with pity for the crowds on several occasions, once when He said the crowds were like sheep without a shepherd. And also, when the crowd hadn't eaten for days, His Heart was moved and so, Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. Jesus said, "My Heart is meek and humble". St. John, the apostle, rested his head against the Heart of Jesus at the Last Supper and John stood at the foot of the Cross seeing His Heart pierced with a lance.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had a vision of the Lord on June 16th, 1675. The Heart of Jesus surrounded by flames of love, crowned with thorns and pierced with an open wound in which blood flowed and inside which appeared a cross. Jesus said, “Behold this Heart which has so loved men, that It has spared nothing even to exhausting and consuming itself in order to testify to its love. In return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude by their irreverence and sacrileges by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this Sacrament of Love. What is most painful to Me, is that they are hearts consecrated to Me".

In other words, Jesus especially wanted reparation for priests and religious who treat Him terribly in the Holy Eucharist. He said, "It is for this reason I ask thee that the first Friday after the octave of the Blessed Sacrament be appropriated to a special feast, to honor My Heart by (receiving Communion) on that day, and making reparation for the indignity that it has received. And I promise that My Heart shall dilate to pour out abundantly the influences of its love on all that will render it this honor or procure its being rendered".

Our Lord asked for reparation on the first 9 Fridays, by receiving Him in Holy Communion. Jesus gave 12 promises. 1. I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life. 2. I will establish peace in their homes. 3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions. 4. I will be their strength during life and above all during death. 5. I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings. 6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy. 7. Tepid souls shall grow fervent. 8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. 9. I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored. 10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts. 11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out. The 12th promise is the greatest. Jesus said, "I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus consists in loving Jesus, in return--- for His great love for us. Second, reparation for the many offenses committed against Him, especially in the Eucharist.

We come to know the incredible love Jesus has for us in the Eucharist, at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where He gives Himself to us in Holy Communion and there is a real and profound union of hearts and an exchange of love. Mother Teresa said, "When we see a crucifix, we see how much Jesus loved us back then, but when we look at the Eucharist, we see how much Jesus loves us now."

Jesus remains with us in the Tabernacle. When we look at a Tabernacle or when we we gaze upon the Eucharist, in our mind's eye, we see His Eucharistic Heart beating for us. We heed Our Lord’s words, “Come to me, all you who are burdened and I will give you rest” because in adoration we rest near His Sacred Heart and give Him our burdens. In the Eucharist, the Heart of Jesus is constantly beating, throbbing and pulsating for love of us. Jesus is madly in love with us. Eucharistic miracles, that turned to flesh, were scientifically tested which is living Heart tissue. By these miracles, Jesus wants us to know that the Eucharist is truly His beating Heart and beating out of love for us.

We show Jesus we love Him by struggling against sin, embracing suffering, striving for virtue, and doing our daily duties to the best of our ability. Our love for Jesus is reflected in our love of neighbor and help them in all their needs.

Jesus wants images of His Sacred Heart be honored. He promised St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, “I will bless the home in which the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.”

After Mass, every family and every individual can take a picture of the Heart of Jesus and display it in your home. Through a formal ceremony, a priest or the head of the household can enthrone the Heart of Jesus in your home. It takes about 15 minutes. There is a 3 day or 9 day preparation of prayers that can be said before the enthronement, which can be found on-line. When we enthrone (display) the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a prominent place and signify Jesus is the center and source of love for all. By the Enthronement, we link the Tabernacle of our parish to our home, inviting Our Lord to be our constant and most intimate Companion and reminds us that Jesus is among us and with us. It expresses Christ’s Kingship over our family by making reparation for sins and striving to serve God and neighbor more lovingly.

Today, we declare Jesus Christ is King and Lord of our life and our families. We place Jesus above everything such as sports, work, family.

Our high school girls attended Mass before the state basketball championship and they asked Jesus to bless their game when they asked a priest to bless them before the game starts. By doing these things, we turn to Jesus asking that He be glorified and His will be done in our life.

Apart from Jesus, we make our self independent of God. But, Jesus wants us to rely on Him. No matter the concern, if someone is sick, or the fallen away from the church, financial hardship, difficulty forgiving someone, or problems at work, entrust all to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and He will reign over and rule over it.

Praise God for the many parishioners and young people who are faithful to Sunday Mass attendance, faithful to Confession, to praying the Rosary, to Adoration, by doing so, the Heart of Jesus rules over our life.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, we trust in you! Sacred Heart of Jesus, we love you. Sacred Heart of Jesus be our salvation!

O Immaculate Heart of Mary, we honor you and ask you to be our Mother and keep us close to the Heart of Your Son. O St. Joseph, whose fatherly heart protects us, give us the graces we need to make our family, a holy family. Amen.

Corpus Christi 2026

 

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi came about due to a Eucharistic miracle. A German priest, Peter of Prague was on a pilgrimage traveling to Rome. He was a good and faithful priest, attending to his duties, but like the priest at Lanciano, he struggled with his belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Stopping at Bolsena, Italy, to rest, he celebrated Holy Mass at the tomb of St. Christina. As the priest spoke the words of consecration, the Host began to bleed onto his hands, and then onto the corporal, a linen cloth on the altar.

The priest was so dumbfounded that he immediately suspended the Mass, and left for Orvieto, a city about eleven miles away, where Pope Urban IV happened to be staying. After listening to the priest’s incredible story, the pope commissioned an investigation of the corporal and the miracle reported by the priest. After receiving the reports of the study, the pope declared that there was no natural cause for what had taken place. The Host and corporal were enshrined in the Cathedral of Orvieto, where they can be seen today.

Pope Urban was already familiar with a Eucharistic miracle. Years earlier, Blessed Juliana of Cornillon, in Belgium, had a vision in which she saw a full moon that was darkened in one spot. A heavenly voice told her that the moon represented the Church at that time, and the dark spot showed that a great feast in honor of Corpus Christi was missing from the liturgical calendar. She reported this vision to a local Church official, the archdeacon of Liège, who later became Pope Urban IV.

Remembering Juliana’s vision as he verified the bloody miracle reported by Peter of Prague, Urban commissioned instituted the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. He asked St. Thomas Aquinas to compose prayers and a Mass for the occasion, which resulted in the great Eucharistic hymns Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris and The Liturgy of the Hours for a new feast dedicated to devotion of the Eucharist.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi for the universal Church is celebrated on the Thursday (in honor of the Last Supper and institution of the Holy Eucharist), after Trinity Sunday. However, in many countries, including the USA, its celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday.

Many churches hold a Eucharistic Procession every year on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and process using a canopy, while a priest or deacon carried a monstrance containing Jesus in the Sacred Host.

Pope Benedict XVI, said, “…from this intimacy, which is an extremely personal gift from the Lord, the force of the sacrament of the Eucharist goes beyond the walls of our churches. In this sacrament, the Lord is always coming to the world. This universal aspect of the Eucharistic presence is shown in the procession of our feast. We take Christ, present in the figure of bread, through the streets of our city. We entrust these streets, these homes, our daily life, to His goodness. May our streets be Jesus' streets! May our homes be homes for Him and with Him! May his presence penetrate our everyday life. With this gesture, we place before His eyes the sufferings of the sick, the loneliness of youth and the elderly, temptations, fears, our whole life. The procession is intended to be a great and public blessing for our city: Christ is, in person, the divine blessing for the world. May the ray of his blessing extend over all of us!” (Pope Benedict XVI, Corpus Christi Homily, 2005)

Interestingly, every Eucharistic miracle ever tested by scientists all have the same blood type (AB) and all are living cardiac tissue from a Heart.

On Sept 19th, 2021, we began continuous Eucharistic Adoration from Sunday, 9am through Tuesday 7am, except during Mass on Mondays. We have had continuous adoration for 5 years. Thank you Jesus! I want to thank all those who have faithfully kept your Holy Hour every week and the many substitutes. Sometimes people move or change jobs, and we need replacements, but the Lord always calls someone to fill the Holy Hour that opens up. Jesus Himself keeps it going by inspiring parishioners to spend an hour with Him every week in the Most Holy Eucharist.

In our own parish, we may have been a miracle associated with Eucharistic Adoration. Kevin Cole, who is the stepfather of Joe Cordell and grandfather of Ire, came to Ire's baptism, First Communion and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil this year. For 9 years Kevin had a diseased liver. When he came I thanked him for making his heroic trip from St. Louis to attend his granddaughter's entrance into the Catholic Church. I could tell he was in much pain and was very tired, he was at the end of his rope and most likely didn't have much longer to live.

However, on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday after Ire became Catholic, I wrote Kevin's name in the Adoration Petition book. Three days later, after the last adorer on Tuesday of that week came to do their Holy Hour, he received a call, that he had been waiting. He needed to immediately go to the hospital to receive a liver transplant.

As of today, he is doing very well. Though he waited 9 years for a new liver, the prayer was answered 3 days after the intention was written in the Adoration Petition book.

Some may say it was coincidence. But, frankly I don't believe in coincidences, I believe in "God instances" also known as "God's providence". God inspired Kevin to come here to be present for Ire when she became Catholic. God inspired me to write Kevin's name in the book, and God inspired parishioners to pray he would receive a new liver and he received one.

We should all thank the Eucharistic Jesus for this marvelous gift and allowing us to participate in it.

My friends, Jesus is truly here in the Sacred Host. Many times, we come to pray and we don't feel anything. We can't physically see Jesus, but we believe. We are tired and we feel like our prayers are so little, but God makes up for our weaknesses. He sees the love in our heart. He cares about our every need and He wants to be part of all that we do. Thank you Jesus for Eucharistic Adoration in our parish. Thank you Jesus for answering our prayers. Thank you Jesus for the person who donated his or her organs. We should pray for his or her soul, that God will reward them for their act of love.

I do need to share with you, what I have seen with organ donation. Sometimes, organs are removed in an unethical manner, while the person is not clinically dead. This is becoming more and more common in many hospitals. However, the Church teaches only after a person has died, may their organs be removed. Some doctors say brain death is the same as death, but new research shows brain death is not fully death. On April 11, 2024, the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) issued a landmark position statement, acknowledging that at least half of patients diagnosed as “brain dead” still have partial brain function.” The person can still breathe, their heart can still beat. How can their brain be dead, if their organs continue to function on their own.

About 15 years ago, I anointed a woman who the doctor said was brain dead. Due to her wayward life, her family had nothing to do with her. The doctor told her boyfriend, that she was brain dead, and suggested he give permission to turn off the machines because there was no hope she would live. The boyfriend asked me what to do.

I said, "Give God a chance. Pray for a miracle and wait one day before you decide what to do." I anointed her and gave her the Apostolic Pardon. The next day, they turned off the machines and she kept breathing on her own. The day after she was taken off machines, she woke up, I heard her confession and gave her Holy Communion. Three days later, she walked out of the hospital and went home. Was it a miracle, or was it a misdiagnosis?

She was so happy to have been able to go to Confession and receive Holy Communion. Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament had been longing to forgive her sins and be one with her in Holy Communion.

While I believe organ donation is very charitable, it must be in accord with Church teaching along with ethical scientific and medical principles.

Tomorrow, (Sunday), after Mass, we will have a Eucharistic Procession because we want to take our Eucharistic Jesus through the streets of Little River and ask Him to bless our city and our community with His presence.

May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, inspire many to come to daily Mass to receive Her Son in Holy Communion and help us to adore Her Son in Adoration.

Trinity Sunday - Fatima

 

This weekend is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It's the feast day for our parish.

In the Old Testament, there is no mention of the Blessed Trinity. The Hebrew people did not know there was three divine persons in one God.

But through Divine Revelation, the first person to come to know of the Trinity was the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the annunciation when the angel appeared to Mary, he said the power of the most high would overshadow her (Father), the spirit would come down upon Her and She would give birth to Jesus, the Son of God.

The Trinity was also revealed at the Baptism of Jesus when the Father spoke and said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. The Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove.

Jesus speaks about the Trinity when He told His disciples to go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Did you know some of the apparitions of Fatima had to do with the Mass, the Eucharist and the Blessed Trinity?

In 1916, a year before Mary appeared, an angel appeared to three children holding a Chalice in his hands. A Host was suspended over the Chalice, and drops of blood fell from the Host into the Chalice. While the Chalice and Host were suspended in the air, he prostrated on the ground and repeated three times: "Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly, and I offer the Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the offenses, sacrileges, and indifferences by which He is so offended. And by the infinite merits of your Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners."

Then the angel, took the Host, gave it to Lucia, and the contents of the Chalice to Jacinta and Francisco, saying: "Eat the Body and drink the Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly offended by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God."
Years later, Sister Lucia had a vision in the convent chapel at Tuy, Spain. She had a vision of the Blessed Trinity and she saw the Virgin Mary holding a Rosary, pointing to Her Heart surrounded with thorns, as She stood next to the Blessed Trinity, who was above the altar.

She saw God the Father looking down upon Jesus hanging on the Cross and the Holy Spirit between the Father and the Son. From the crown of Jesus and His wounded Heart dripped blood onto a suspended Host, which then dripped into a chalice.

This vision of the Trinity above the altar with Mary standing near by is a reminder the Mass is a sacrifice. The Mass is like a time machine, where the event of the Crucifixion that took place over 2000 years ago becomes present at every Mass. And since Mary stood at the foot of the Cross, She stands at the altar of every Mass.

The apparitions of the angel and the Tuy vision showed us truths about the Mass. That Mass is a Holy Sacrifice. It’s the re-presentation of Calvary on the altar. The Holy Mass is the worship of the Blessed Trinity. The bread and wine are totally changed into the body and blood of Christ at Mass. The vision of Sister Lucia where she saw Jesus hanging from the Cross and drops of Blood falling from His head unto the Host and from the Host dripping into the Chalice, is a reminder, that the Eucharist is the true Body of Jesus and the wine is changed into the true Blood of Jesus, shed for us on the Cross.

What are the sacrileges, offenses and indifference today with regard to the Eucharist? The most common sacrilege is receiving the Holy Eucharist in the state of mortal sin.

We are obligated to confess all mortal sins before we receive Holy Communion, such as missing Mass on Sunday, impure actions, pornography, adultery, using birth control etc... Otherwise, we commit an additional mortal sin called a sacrilegious communion. When we do such a thing, we receive absolutely no graces from Communion and in fact, we deeply offend Jesus.

St Paul said that when we receive the Eucharist unworthily we will bring condemnation to our self. He said, “For he who eats this bread and drinks the chalice of the Lord unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)

Blessed Dina Belanger said, “No punishment on earth can suffice for receiving Communion in the state of mortal sin.” St. Cyril said, "They who make a sacrilegious Communion receive Satan and Jesus Christ into their hearts--Satan, that they may let him rule, and Jesus Christ, that they may offer Him in sacrifice as a Victim to Satan."

During the time of the apparitions, only a priest could touch a Host. That’s why the Fatima children received Communion on the tongue.

One of the offenses committed against the Holy Eucharist in our time is small Particles of the Sacred Host are dropped on the floor by those who receive Communion in the hand. If we receive Communion in the hand, we should look at our hand to see if there are any Sacred Particles, and if there are, we should place them in our mouth and consume them. Most people may no attention to their hand after they receive Communion.

The Holy Eucharist is not only Jesus. Every Host contains the Blessed Trinity. We can't separate the three persons of the Trinity, they are always united as one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are equal, undivided and one.

Blessed Dina Belanger speaks about the Blessed Trinity in each Host and how Jesus is present in each fragment. She said, "The veil of mystery has been torn asunder. He is there, my God, infinite Unity, adorable Trinity, under the appearance of a small piece of bread. Jesus is there, in His sacred Humanity, His Heart, His precious Blood, His Soul, His eternal Divinity; He is there, whole and entire, in each Host consecrated throughout the world and in each fragment of consecrated Host."

Prayerfully consider asking Jesus how He would like you to receive Communion. If you receive in the hand, pray about receiving on the tongue.

The angel of Fatima also told the children that God is offended by ungrateful men. The angel said, "Eat the Body and drink the Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly offended by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God." Every time we receive Holy Communion thank the Lord for the gift of receiving Jesus.

If we are not in the state of grace, as an act of humility, we should not come forward to receive Holy Communion. People also don't receive Communion because they accidentally ate food less than an hour before Communion, or perhaps they have an upset stomach and don't want to receive Communion for fear of vomiting.

Today, at Mass, let us offer our self, our sacrifices, our works in union with the bread and wine as they are offered on the altar through the hands of the priest as a total gift of self. We offer our self through Him, with Him and in Him as the priest says, "Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever."

 May our Holy Communion today, make reparation for the offenses, sacrilegious and indifferences by which Jesus is offended in the Holy Eucharist and so give honor, glory and respect to the Most Holy Trinity.

Pentecost & Virgin Mary

 

Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the upper room. We will first look at the history of Pentecost and then see how Mary helps us to live out the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that all can see the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit in our life.

Pentecost was one of the three great Jewish Feasts many Jews went on pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem to worship God in the temple. It was a feast of thanksgiving to God for the deliverance of the Hebrew people and for God giving the Law on Mount Sinai. In thanksgiving to God they offered the first fruits from their harvest. It was called Pentecost because it was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. Passover is when they slaughtered the lambs as sacrifice and ate the Passover meal. It is believed the day Jesus was crucified was the feast of the Passover. When the Holy Spirit would come down upon the apostles, it gave new spiritual meaning to the Jewish Pentecost, which occurred fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles and the Virgin Mary prayed for nine days in the upper room, waiting for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. When the day of Pentecost arrived, suddenly, a sound came from heaven, like a rush of mighty wind, and it filled the house they were sitting. And there appeared to them, in the form of tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit, which came down, and rested upon the Apostles, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and filled them with the Holy Spirit. They spoke in tongues such that each person heard the apostles speak in their own language. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were no longer afraid. From this day forward, they would become witnesses of the Gospel, even to the shedding of their blood as martyrs. The descent of the Holy Spirit is the birth of the Church as it begins its mission to gather all people of all nations together by the proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit is the advocate who leads all people to the truth.

The Virgin Mary, the most perfect of all humans, was present in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended upon Her and the apostles. Because She was perfect, She received the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in a super imminent way. She is the greatest of all saints, completely free from original sin and never once sinned in Her life. If we want to grow in the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we can ask Mary to help us. The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, & fear of the Lord.

Mary is called the Seat of Wisdom, because She always sought God as Her highest good enabling Her to know the purpose and plan of Her life. She relished the things of God and directed Her whole life and actions to His glory and honor. Turning to Mary for Wisdom, we put God first in our life and see more clearly God’s will and plan for us.

The gift of Understanding caused Mary to understand Catholic teaching in a way far superior to us. If we are confused about a particular doctrine of the Church, or we want to come to have a better understanding of a particular Church teaching, or the grace to discern true and false doctrines, let us ask Our heavenly Mother for the gift of understanding.

Mary’s gift of Counsel caused Her to have the supernatural gift of prudence. The gift of counsel can help us to judge promptly and rightly what must be done in difficult circumstances. Sometimes we need help in making prudent decisions and we want to better know what is wrong and what is right, so we can ask Our Lady of Good Counsel to help us in our decisions.

Because of the gift of Fortitude Mary had the courage to endure Her seven sorrows. She had the strength to stand at the Foot of the Cross. And after He was placed in the tomb, She believed He would rise. When we are faced with difficult situations, we should turn to Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, to seek the gift of Fortitude.

The gift of knowledge “enables us to see God reflected in all creatures and to praise Him in them, but yet to see the nothingness of creatures in themselves so that we desire God alone.” The gift caused Mary to see created things as instruments for God’s service. We can appeal to Mary for help to know and love Jesus more and also come to understand the true purpose of created things are to lead us to God.

Mary’s gift of Piety caused Her to love God as Her Father, who overshadowed Her. She always sought the Father’s will in all things. She loved God first and foremost because God deserved to be loved. Perhaps we love God for the purpose of getting something from Him, not for His own sake. Mary can assist us to love God first, because He deserves to be loved as our loving and compassionate Father.

The Gift of Fear of the Lord, did not cause Mary to be afraid of God. Rather, She feared to offend Him. That is why Mary never chose to sin. When we find ourselves complacent with our sins, not striving to overcome them as we ought, we should pray to Mary, asking Her for the gift of Fear of the Lord, so we will strive to turn away from sin, so as not to offend God our loving Father.

Today, let us turn to the Virgin Mary as our model asking Her to obtain for us the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit so that all who see us will see the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit in all that we say and do as Christians. May everyday-- be a day--- we pray to the Holy Spirit and in this way, all will see His working in our life.

Ascension of Jesus

 

The readings for the feast of Ascension challenge us to look in three directions at the same time: upwards, inwards, and outwards. 

When 'looking up', we see the disciples of Jesus on the top of the Mount of Olives, our eyes are firmly fixed on the heavens where Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. His ascension gives the finishing touch to His resurrection. It is ‘mission accomplished’ for Jesus.

The mission had begun when he embraced our human condition in the womb of Mary by becoming one of us, then walking in our footsteps, traveling our roads, experiencing our pains, feeling our fears, taking on our weaknesses, embracing our limitations even to the point of coming face-to-face with death itself. His mission was to reveal the Blessed Trinity, establish His Church, work miracles, expel demons, forgive sins, preach and proclaim the Gospel. He wanted as many as possible to come to know and love Him and be one of His disciples to obtain heaven.

And just when death seemed to get the last word, and when His lifeless body was in the tomb three days. He burst forth from the tomb radiant with new life. 

Forty days later, He returned to his Father where he intercedes for all of us. Ascension is about looking up, then: looking up to heaven where Christ is gloriously triumphant, our hope and our joy.

But looking up to heaven is not enough. There is work to be done on earth. We can’t afford to be heavenly minded without an earthly good! And that’s where looking inward and looking outward come in.

St. Augustine, helps us to look inward. In a homily for the feast of the Ascension, he said, 'Christ ascended before the apostles’ eyes, and they turned back grieving, only to find Him in their hearts.' St. Paul, in today’s reading from Ephesians, speaks of looking with 'the eyes of our hearts' – coming to see the Christ who dwells within us by faith, awakening to the ways God’s grace is working within us right now, coming to know the hope that is ours, the 'surpassing greatness of God’s power for us who believe'. The eyes of the heart are able, in times of pain and darkness and grief, to see, however dimly, the hand of a mysterious but loving God at work. Only the eyes of the heart can make sense out of life’s most perplexing mysteries. That’s why we look inward to see God in the midst of what we cannot understand.

Lastly, the Ascension causes us to look outward. The Ascension is not only about meeting Jesus who dwells within, it is also about taking that Jesus out into the world where we live. Jesus told his disciples, 'Go, make disciples of all nations,'. He says the same to us. We don’t just stand still gazing at the heavens anymore than the disciples on top of the Mount of Olives did. There is work to be done, a world to be transformed, a Gospel to be preached, and we instruments of God in the world to help others get to heaven.

The Ascension reminds us, that we who follow Jesus are called to look outwards, to leave our comfort zone and plant the seeds of the Gospel in the very dirty soil of this world:  soil that is often hostile to the Gospel, or at least painfully indifferent to it. 

We are called to go some places we are not welcome, to proclaim good news to those who don't want to hear it – certainly not to a culture that has eyes only for the here and now, that often confuses freedom with license, views suffering as meaningless, and values life only when it brings pleasure. Like Jesus, we are to be a sign of contradiction in the world, for by doing so, we help others to look heavenward.

My friends, make no mistake: the Ascension is about keeping our eyes upward toward heaven and it's about inward and outward directions. It is about internalizing the Gospel to take root in us and transforms us. And it is also about taking that Gospel to the streets: preaching it by the love we give, the stands we take, the poor we serve, the justice we promote.

Dear friends, this Feast of the Ascension, we are at the same time to live on a heavenly plane and to carry our cross on an earthly plane. That’s the life of a follower of Christ, a life that’s not easy and never dull. But if we take it seriously, we’ll make our mark.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary, who was with the Apostles on the Mount of Olives and with them watched Her Son go to heaven on a cloud, we trust that someday, we too will be all those who gone before us in our heavenly home. Mostly taken from Msgr. Jameson

Our Lady of Fatima

 

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. The year before Mary began to appear to the children, an angel of peace appeared to them. The angel said to the children, "Fear not, I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.” Kneeling on the ground, he bowed low and cited this prayer three times, with the children repeating it after him: "O my God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You." The angel showed us the importance of believing in God, adoring God to have hope in God and to love God.

The angel of peace also explained it was necessary to pray in order to have peace. The angel said, "Pray! Pray a great deal. The hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs concerning you. Offer prayers and sacrifices continually to the Most High. Make everything you do a sacrifice, and offer it as an act of reparation for the sins by which God is offended, and as a petition for the conversion of sinners. Bring peace to our country in this way...I am the Guardian Angel of Portugal. Accept and bear with submission all the sufferings the Lord will send you."

The angel as a messenger of God reveals that in order to have peace we need to make reparation for sins which have offended God and we are to love others by being concerned for their salvation. We show our love for others by making sacrifices for them and praying for their conversion.

The angel also said something very important about how to obtain peace. The angel said, “Accept and bear with submission all the sufferings the Lord will send you."

The angel offered the children Holy Communion. Lucia received the Host, and Jacinta and Francisco drank the Precious Blood from the chalice.

When Our Lady began to appear to the children in 1917. She told them that from Russia would come a threat, which could cause the annihilation of the nations. To prevent this, she asked that Russia be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and asked for world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart.

She came to ask for reparation for sins against Her Immaculate Heart, by doing the first 5 Saturdays.

During every apparition, She asked the children to pray the Rosary. She gave the children 3 secrets. She showed the children a vision of hell.

There is controversy over the 3 secret. The children saw a man dressed in white walking over the bodies of dead people killed by soldiers. An angel appeared saying, "Penance, Penance, Penance". Some believe the Vatican didn't reveal the full secret and some contend that the secret involved apostasy in the church.

Mary said that the consecration would come, but that it would be late and she said it would cause the Triumph of Her Immaculate Heart.

Mary appeared on the 13th of each month. However, one month, the couldn't come to the apparition site because the children were arrested by the communist government and placed in jail. The authorities threatened to boil them in oil if they didn't renounce

At Her last apparition of the children, She identified Herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. Lucia also saw St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus, who was blessing the world and she saw Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It had rained for days and so on Oct 13th, the ground was muddy and soaked.

But suddenly the crowd saw the sun grow larger as it swirled out of control and appeared as though it was going crash into the ground.

Thousands of people witnessed the phenomena. After the sun returned to the sky in its normal position, the people were shocked that their clothes and the ground were completely dry.

Jacinta and Francisco would do great penances. Francisco would spend hours before Jesus in the tabernacle consoling the hidden Jesus. Jacinta became known as a mystic and predicted such things as immodest clothing, that would greatly offend Our Lord. The two children would die shortly after from the flu. Jacinta would later be found incorrupt.

Lucia would become a religious sister. First she entered the Dorothean convent and then later became a Carmelite sister. While at the Dorothean convent, she had visions of the Child Jesus and Mary, asking her to promote the first five Saturdays and in one vision she saw the Blessed Trinity above the altar, with blood dripping down from the wounds of Jesus onto a Host, which then dripped into a chalice. She saw what appeared to be water coming down from the wounds of Jesus, with the words "graces and mercy".

She lived to be 97 years old. However, some have analyzed photos of Sister Lucia, and believe the woman, who lived in the Carmelite monastery, was actually a woman who impersonated her. They claim to have scientific evidence that its not the real Sr. Lucia, which they say disappeared in the 1960s.

Pope John Paul II was shot on May 13th, the anniversary of the apparitions of Fatima and then several years in 1983, later consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which resulted in the fall of communism in the world. He however did not specifically consecrate Russia.

Due to the Russia and Ukraine war, Pope Francis consecrated Russia but also the Ukraine, which some believe still did not fully do was Our Lady asked, which is the consecration of Russia in union with all the bishops of the world.

There is definitely a re-surge of Communism in the world today. Many are praying and hoping for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Let us do as Our Lady requested, daily pray the Rosary, do penance, make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and may we continue to do the First Five Saturdays and promote devotion to Her Immaculate Heart.

6th Sunday, If You Love Me Keep My Commandments (Graduation Mass)

Do you love Jesus? How do we know if we truly love Him? We can say to Jesus, "I love you." Which is good. But, words can be cheap. If we love someone, we show the person we love, by doing loving actions for them.

In the Gospel today, Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." We can tell Jesus, we love Him, but if we don't keep His commandments, do we really love Jesus as we ought.

We should not have strange gods before Jesus. We should not place anything above our faith, such as as money, fame or sports, our job, our even our family. God must always be first.

We should not take God's name in vain, by cussing or saying, God's name as an expression.

We should keep the Sabbath holy, by attending Mass, and not working on Sunday un-necessarily.

We should honor our mother and father, not talking back nor disobeying them.

We should not kill, which includes physically or verbally harming others, losing our temper. We should not overeat, or drink alcohol excessively or take drugs, or harm our own body. We should always forgive those who hurt us.

We should not commit adultery and be faithful to our spouse. If not married, we should not have relations outside of marriage or do anything impure or watch pornography. We should not use contraception, especially because the pill, IUD, patch or the injection, can cause the death of an unborn baby.

We should not steal. We should do an honest day's work. We should not cheat in games or at school.

We should not bare false witness, by lying or gossiping.

We should not envy or be jealous of others or their spouses.

If we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments. But, we are all human. We all make mistakes. We are all sinners. And Jesus understands that. What Jesus desires is that we try to keep His commandments. That we do our best to be a good disciple. To be holy and live a life of virtue. That's why Jesus gave us the sacraments, so we can be forgiven in Confession, and receive spiritual strength when united to Jesus in Holy Communion. Our Lord understands us, better than we understand our selves, and is always ready to give His love and mercy.

God desires that we not only keep His Commandments, but we also do loving acts of mercy for our neighbor too.

So, let's back track a bit. Do you love Jesus? How do we show Jesus we love Him. Telling Him, "Jesus, I love you." But, also to keep His commandments and not just keep His commandments, but to love others. Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Matthew 22:39)

In the first Letter of John (4:20-21) it states, "If anyone says, I love God, and hates a brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: that he who loves God should love his brother also."

When students graduate from high school, they have their whole life to look forward to. But, there is a great responsibility to keep God's commandments and to love others. We need to do these to get to heaven.

As a child, our mother and father taught us to love God, to keep the commandments, and love our neighbor.

Often times, mothers shoulder the responsibility of forming us to help you become stewards of your own soul. Mothers taught us right from wrong. They taught us to share, to tell the truth, to not say dirty words, to forgive, to pray. They taught us the importance of attending Mass on weekends and going to Confession regularly. Mothers and fathers give us the skills we need to practice our faith on our own, and therefore, play a key role in helping us obtain heaven.

I was at the post office a few days ago. I saw a family from our parish there. The smallest child about 1 year old was sucking on a lollipop given to him by the postmaster. When he saw me, he took the lollipop out of his mouth and raised his hand holding it up for me to suck too. Of course, I politely refused to take it. But, the little boy's act of kindness, his little act of love, to share with others, was taught by his parents.

Now, as you gradate, you are responsible for your own soul. You are responsible for living out your faith. You are responsible for sharing what you have with others. You are responsible for going to Mass on your own. Going to Confession on your own. You are responsible for praying every day and praying the Rosary regularly and reading the bible. You are responsible for how you treat others. Will you live a life of selfishness or a life of self-giving. Will look out for the needs of others and help them when you can? Will you cause grief to others by bad behaviors or make the world a better place?

God has plan for every one of us. The prophet Jeremiah says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Today, think about doing something you will do for your natural mother and also the Virgin Mary, your spiritual mother. I'm sure your mother would enjoy it, if regularly told her, that you love her, if you kiss her, visit or call her. Take her out to eat or cook a meal for her. Or do a favor she asks of you. You can give her flowers or a gift on occasion.

If your mother died, have a Mass offered for her, pray a Rosary for her and daily pray for her soul.

The Blessed Mother is our spiritual mother. You will make the Virgin Mary happy if you daily pray Her Rosary, wear Her scapular, daily kneel before an image of Her and ask for Her intercession. And on occasion, set flowers before Her.

She would especially love if you made the First Five Saturdays in reparation for sins committed against Her Immaculate Heart, which includes: confessing your sins, attending Mass, offering your Holy Communion in reparation, praying Her Rosary and meditating on the three mysteries of the Rosary, Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries in reparation. By making the First Five Saturdays, you console Mother's Immaculate Heart so wounded by the sins of mankind.

There are five reasons why God is asking us to make reparation for sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

1. Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception 2. Blasphemies against her virginity 3. Blasphemies against her divine maternity, at the same time the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all men. 4. Instilling indifference, scorn and even hatred towards this Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children. 5. Direct insults against Her sacred images.

Let us thank God for our natural mother and our Blessed Mother, and may we keep God's commandments, for by doing, so we will show our love for Jesus, who said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."