4th Sunday of Lent, Man Born Blind

 

Today is Lataere Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent! Holy Mother Church pauses from Her Lenten sorrow for the sins of men and the sufferings of Christ, to give way to a foretaste of Easter Joy!

Many Catholic Churches once again return flowers around the altar, and the priest wears glorious rose-colored vestments as a sign of joy.

We should rejoice because Christ, our light has come among us. At Christmas, the dawn of the new light comes upon the earth, born in Bethlehem. And soon the Easter joy will ring out, “Christ our Light, has risen, from the darkness of the tomb!”

The healing of the man born blind is seen by the Fathers and doctors of the Church as a miracle symbolizing the sacrament of baptism in which, the Holy Spirit, through water is used to cleanse the soul and receives the light of faith: “(Jesus) sent the man to the pool called Siloam, to be cleansed and be enlightened, that is, baptized and receive in baptism full enlightenment.”.

Today, Lily will be baptized today. Her soul will be cleansed from original sin and the darkness of all her personal sins will be washed away in the ocean of God's infinite and unfathomable mercy. Not only her sins will be washed away, but also the punishment due to all her sins will be gone.

Her heart will become a temple of the Holy Spirit. God will come to dwell within her heart. She will enter into God's divine life. She will become a member of God's family, a member of our parish family, a member of the Catholic Church. She will receive the gifts of faith, hope and charity. Lily will become a child of God.

The blind man is a straightforward person and believes Jesus is a prophet, and as the Son of God. Whereas the Pharisees persist in not wanting to see or believe, despite clear evidence before them. In this miracle Jesus reveals Himself as the Light of the world. He is the true light that enlightens every man, who came into the world. Not only did He give light to the eyes of the blind man; He enlightens his soul, leading him to make an act of faith in his divinity. Our Blessed Lord questioned the blind man, and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” and he responds by stating, “I do believe Lord” and he worshiped Him.

Russ has come to believe everything the Catholic Church holds to be revealed by God and true. His profession of faith is the result of the eyes of his heart being opened to the fullness of truth found only in the Catholic Church.

Russ and Lily will also be Confirmed and make their First Holy Communion. Through Confirmation, they will receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them in their faith. The will become witnesses for Christ, even to the point of suffering persecution for being a Christian. They also will receive the name of saint, that they have carefully chosen and will seek that saint's prayers. Lily chose St. Michael, the archangel, who defends us against the enemy and Russ chose St. Columbanus, who was an Irish monk and because of his extensive travels in Europe, he is the patron of bikers.

Jesus said, "take no part in the fruitless works of darkness." All of us are sinners and all of us chose to do bad things because we are human and suffer from concupiscence, which is a tendency to sin due to original sin.

On the day the Lord Jesus appeared to His Apostles when He rose from the dead, He told them, "Whose sins, you forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you retain are retained." Jesus gave them the apostles, and the bishops and priests as their successors, the ministry of reconciliation. And from the beginning of the Church, all the way up to today, Catholic Christians have always confessed their sins to a priest.

Jesus gave us the sacrament of Confession, so after we are baptized, we can be reconciled with God when we sin. Sin darkens our soul, but the blood of Jesus causes the light of Christ, to shine on our soul when we confess our sins and the darkness is washed away. Our soul becomes a light for the world.

When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, His light produces fruit of every goodness and righteousness and truth, within our own soul, and the souls of all within the mystical body of Christ.

If we live in the light, we will follow the Shepherd, who leads us to restful waters, which is His true presence in the Eucharist. For He gives us life-giving water, and refreshes us as we come to worship before the Lord our maker. As we come to Him, even though we walk in the dark valley of this world, we fear no evil, because we follow Our Blessed Lord, the Good Shepherd and Light of the world in the Eucharist. Even if we stumble and fall, by our sins, Jesus the Light, will raise us up and help us to continue as one of His faithful followers.

Russ and Lily, from this day forward receive Jesus in the Eucharist as often as possible. Come to Jesus, the Good Shepherd in Confession monthly or more often if you like!

When you confess your sins, Jesus will joyfully place you on His shoulders. Then He calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

Today, let us rejoice and be glad on this Lataere Sunday, for two new Catholics, who have joined the Church.

My friends, may all of us do as St. Paul told the Ephesians, “Live as children of the light, for light produces every goodness and righteousness and truth.”

St. Frances of Rome - March 9th

Today, we commemorate St. Frances of Rome, who was born in Rome in 1384 to a wealthy, noble family. From her mother she inherited a quiet manner and a pious devotion to God. From her father, however, she inherited a strong will. She decided at eleven that she knew what God wanted for her -- she was going to be a nun.

And that's where her will ran right up against her father's. He had already promised her in marriage to the son of another wealthy family. In Rome at that time a father's word was law; a father could even sell his children into slavery or order them killed.

She stubbornly prayed to God to prevent the marriage until her Confessor pointed out, "Are you crying because you want to do God's will or because you want God to do your will?"

She gave in to the marriage -- reluctantly.

Then her nightmare began. This quiet, shy thirteen year old was thrust into the whirl of parties and banquets that accompanied a wedding. Fasting and scourging were far easier than this torture God now asked her to face.

Frances collapsed from the strain. For months she lay close to death, unable to eat or move or speak. At her worst, she had a vision of St. Alexis. The son of a noble family, Alexis had run away to beg rather than marry. St. Alexis told her God was giving her an important choice: Did she want to recover or not?

It's hard for us to understand why a thirteen-year-old would want to die but Frances was miserable. Finally, she whispered, "God's will is mine." St. Alexis replied, "Then you will live to glorify His Name." Her recovery was immediate and complete.

But her problems did not disappear. Her mother-in-law still expected her to entertain and go on visits with her.

In a house where she lived with her husband, his parents, his brother and his brother's family, she felt all alone. Vannozza, her sister-in-law found her crying bitterly in the garden one day. When Frances poured out her heart to Vannozza and it turned out that she had wanted to live a life devoted to the Lord too. They became close friends and worked out a program of devout practices and services to work together.

They decided their obligations to their family came first. For Frances that meant dressing up to her rank, making visits and receiving visits -- and most importantly doing it gladly. But the two spiritual friends went to Mass together, visited prisons, served in hospitals and set up a secret chapel in an abandoned tower of their palace where they prayed together.

But it wasn't fashionable for noblewomen to help the poor and people gossiped about two girls out alone on the streets.

The beginning of the fifteenth century brought the birth of her first son, Battista, after John the Baptist.

After two more children were born to her -- a boy, Giovanni, and a girl, Agnes -- a flood brought disease and famine to Rome. Frances gave orders that no one asking for alms would be turned away and she and Vannozza went out to the poor with corn, wine, oil and clothing. Her father-in-law, furious that she was giving away their supplies during a famine, took the keys of the granary and wine cellar away from her.

Finally Frances was so desperate for food to give to the poor she went to the now empty corn loft and sifted through the straw searching for a few leftover kernels of corn. After she left Lorenzo came in and was stunned to find the previously empty granary filled with yellow corn. Frances drew wine out until one day her father in law went down and found it empty. Everyone screamed at Frances. After saying a prayer, she led them to cellar, turned the spigot on the empty cask, and out flowed the most wonderful wine. These incidents completely converted Lorenzo and her father-in-law.

Having her husband and father-in-law completely on her side meant she could do what she always wanted. She immediately sold her jewels and clothes and distributed money to needy. She started wearing a dress of coarse green cloth.

The family flourished under Frances’ care, but within a few years a great plague began to sweep across Italy. It struck Rome with devastating cruelty and Frances’ second son died. In an effort to help alleviate some of the suffering, Frances used all her money and sold her possessions to buy whatever the sick might possibly need. When all the resources had been exhausted, Frances and Vannozza went door to door begging. Later, Frances’ daughter died, and the saint opened a section of her house as a hospital. Not much later, her last child would also succumb to the plague.

Saint Frances of Rome became more and more convinced that this way of life was so necessary for the world, and it was not long before she requested and was given permission to found a society of women bound by no vows. They simply offered themselves to God and to the service of the poor. With her husband's support, Frances started a lay order of women attached to the Benedictines called the Oblates of Mary. The women lived in the world but pledged to offer themselves to God and serve the poor. Eventually they bought a house where the widowed members could live in community.

Once the society was established, Frances chose not to live at the community residence, but rather at home with her husband. She did this for seven years, until her husband passed away, and then came to live the remainder of her life with the society—serving the poorest of the poor.

Frances nursed Lorenzo until he died. His last words to her were, "I feel as if my whole life has been one beautiful dream of purest happiness. God has given me so much in your love."

Frances died four years later. Her last words were "The angel has finished his task -- he beckons me to follow him."

3rd Sunday Lent - Woman at the Well

"The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth, we will have a foretaste of heaven." St. Carlo Acutis

When you go to the Holy Land, the Gospel becomes alive because one visits the actual places Jesus walked, talked, worked miracles, suffered, died, rose from the dead etc...

Today's Gospel is about the Samaritan woman, who went to get water from Jacob's well and there encountered Jesus, who changes her life. It's believed her name was St. Photina. One day, like many others, she went to draw water from the well, and found Jesus there, seated by it, "tired from the trip," in the noonday heat. "Give me something to drink," He said to her, surprising her: It was, in fact, unusual for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan woman, especially a woman who was a stranger. And this woman would be considered a great sinner, after all, she had five husbands.

But the woman's faith and love was destined to grow: Jesus spoke of a "living water" able to quench thirst completely and become "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" in her. He showed her He knew about her personal life; He revealed that the hour had come to worship the one true God in spirit and in truth; and confided to her--He is the Messiah.

All of this happened, beginning from the real and sensible experience of thirst. The thirst of Jesus is an entrance way into the mystery of God, who made himself thirsty to refresh us, as he made himself poor to enrich us. But Jesus had thirst for the woman's faith, and faith of all of us. God the Father sent His Son Jesus, to quench our thirst for eternal life, giving us His love, but asks our faith for bestowing this gift. Yes, God thirsts for our faith and our love. Like a good and merciful father He desires for us every good and this good is God himself.

For her part, the Samaritan woman represents the unhappiness of those who have not found what they are looking for: She had "five husbands" and is now living with a man. Deep in her heart was a thirst to do things right, to follow the good path of happiness and peace, to live a life of hope and joy. Everything changes for her that day, on account of her conversation with the Lord Jesus, who shakes her up so much, she leaves the water jar and runs to tell the people of the village: "Come and see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ”?

This personal encounter with Jesus changes her life and brings to fruition her deepest longings. Only Jesus can quench her thirst for a life of love, happiness and peace. And yet, Jesus also was thirsting for her love, her faith and her one on one personal relationship with Him. From the Cross, Jesus even sighs from the depths of His Heart, “I thirst.” He was thirsting for souls, thirsting to be loved, thirsting for faith, thirsting for a personal friendship with Him.

Through baptism, we encounter the living water, which washes away our sins and makes us a temple of the Holy Spirit and we begin to share that divine life of God and become one with God inside us.

St. Photina, the Samaritan woman at the well, became an early Christian evangelizer. She converted the emperor Nero's daughter and a hundred of her servants. While in prison she also converted many. She was tortured and put to death. A relic of the skull of Photina resides in the Church of Jacob’s well in Nablus in the Holy Land.

The prophet Ezekiel sees a vision of water flowing from under the temple's threshold, specifically passing the south side of the altar, flowing eastward toward the Dead Sea. This stream, originating from the temple (God's presence), grows into a deep river that heals the Dead Sea, bringing life and abundant vegetation to the desert. 

Today, we can say the temple is every Catholic church and is symbolic of the Eucharist and altar at Holy Mass. The Eucharist is Jesus Himself and we encounter Him every time we come to Mass and receive Him in Holy Communion.

The Holy Mass is the most powerful action on earth. It is the most important and most glorious event that happens every day in every Catholic Church.

Young people get up at 5am to go the gym to work out throughout the week. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for a sport. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself, getting up early to attend Holy Mass? It's a terrific way to grow spiritually closer to Jesus by receiving Him often in Holy Communion, listening to readings and homily. The more often we are in the presence of the Holy Sacrifice, the more often we receive Holy Communion, the quicker we grow in holiness and virtue and the greater will our glory be in heaven. The Holy Mass helps to prevent us from sin and temptations. Our soul is united the Jesus and the whole world receives grace upon grace, which is living water that gives drink to the thirsty soul. Every soul thirsts for Jesus and the graces that flow from His Heart at Holy Mass and Holy Communion.

St. Madeleine Sophie Barat defined Holy Communion as "Paradise on earth." Pope Paul VI said "The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!" St. Gertrude the Great, "For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us at death." St. Padre Pio "Every holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know. It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the holy Sacrifice of the Mass." St. John Vianney said that if we knew the value of the Mass, we would die of joy. Our prayers are the strongest at the Consecration in Holy Mass" (raising of Host and Chalice). Pope Benedict XV "The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death." The Blessed Virgin Mary once told Blessed Alan de la Roche, "My Son so loves those who assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that, if it were necessary, He would die for them as many times as they've heard Masses."

During Lent we enter in the desert with Jesus, where He fasted never eating or drinking anything for 40 days.

When we observe our Lenten practices, we hunger and thirst for food and the things we give up, but this hunger can be converted into a hunger for Jesus, a thirst for Jesus, who hungers and thirsts for us.

Our sanctification with this hunger and thirst climaxes in the Holy Mass, during our encounter with Jesus in Holy Communion. The Holy Mass is infinity greater and much more important than Eucharistic Adoration. If we have a choice of going to Adoration or going to Mass, we should go to Mass. That's why we don't have Adoration during Mass.

We receive infinite and untold graces at every Mass because at Mass Calvary is re-presented on the altar. At Mass, we give our self, our sacrifices and our works to God with the bread and wine and in return God gives Himself to us in Holy Communion.

There is no greater encounter we can have on earth, than Jesus in Holy Communion. We become one with Him and He becomes one with us. He quenches our thirst and we quench His thirst for us. For the Mass life giving water flows from the altar, into the Host to us within our heart during Communion.

At seven years old Saint Carlo Acutis received his First Communion and told his parents that he wanted to attend daily Mass. “Holy Mass, Holy Me” Carlo would say, treasuring Mass and his relationship with Jesus in a truly amazing way. On one occasion, his father invited Carlo on a business trip to Israel. Instead of jumping at the chance to travel to the Holy Land, Carlo wanted to give the money to the poor, telling his father that Israel is present at the altar of every Mass that he attends. He said, "If Jesus stays with us wherever there is a consecrated Host, what need is there to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to visit places he lived two thousand years ago?"

The 17-year-old high school student said, "The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth, we will have a foretaste of heaven."

Ash Wednesday - Deny Pleasures, Self-love

 

Are we living for eternity or living for the world? Are we detached from the things of the world, rather than to attached to God alone. One of the most common temptations we have is the temptation for self-love, by satisfying our own personal desires because we love our self, more than we love God and neighbor.

That is why Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. The minimum, when fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards. All Fridays of Lent are days of Penance and Sacrifice.

During Lent and especially on Fridays of Lent, we are to deny our self-non-sinful pleasures of the body: food, drink, temperature control, delicious meals, favorite foods, comfort, taste, meat, etc... And pleasures of the eye: TV, Internet, Social Media. And especially deny our self-sinful pleasures: Lying, Laziness, Envy, Gossiping, Excessive Food or Drink, Lust, Anger, pornography, impurity, cussing, etc...

By dying to our self and our pleasures, we live for God and live for heaven and don't allow worldly things to control us. Rather we control them and master them, so as to practice virtue. We need to be detached from the things of the world, so we can be attached to God alone.

The following items are considered non-necessary or even luxury items, especially in poor countries: Candy, dessert, pop, alcohol, cigarettes, power drinks, meat, chewing tobacco, etc...

Alcohol is viewed by most in four ways: as a social drink or partying drink or luxury drink, or for celebrations.

It also lends to immoderate drinking and drunkenness and is an occasion of sin for some who may have it as an addiction.

This is why during Lent; we deny our self-non-sinful pleasures and sinful pleasures. We make these sacrifices, so that we can detached from the things of the world and be attached to God alone, because in the end, if we give up all our worldly and sinful pleasures, we will look forward to heaven as our goal, we all our pleasures will be satisfied in God alone.

Rather than living for our self, and our pleasures, let's live for God & neighbor. May the Virgin Mary, help us to enter into Lent with a spirit of penance and sacrifice, as we look forward to celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter.

As Aristotle said, "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self."

6th Sunday - Heaven, Hell, Purgatory

 

Today's readings speak about heaven, hell, and purgatory. The book of Sirach said, “If you keep the commandments, they will save you.” What do the commandments save us from? Hell. “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.” Life refers to eternal life, which is heaven.

The second reading said, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” This refers to heaven. St. Paul is speaking about a place where we cannot comprehend. There is nothing on earth we can see or hear, compared to the place for those who love Him will go, which is heaven. In heaven there is no tears, no pain, but only love, joy, and peace. It's a place where all our desires on earth are fulfilled and not just fulfilled, but even beyond our wildest dreams. We will be rewarded for our merits. We will see and talk to saints, angels, the Virgin Mary and our family and friends and most importantly God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel today, Jesus mentions purgatory. He said, “Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you paid the last penny.” To settle with one’s opponent, refers to making amends with those whom we have hurt, by apologizing, and by making restitution to the harm done to them. Jesus makes it clear the offender must pay for his sins. He is referring to a temporary prison (purgatory). The court refers to the person’s judgment at the moment of death. The judge refers to Jesus, who judge's us when we die. If all our sins are not made up in this life, we will be punished in the next life, through the fires of purgatory, because only that which is clean may enter heaven. Those in purgatory have the assurance of eventually going to heaven. Their greatest pain is have to wait to be with God. St. Augustine said, “The pains of purgatory are greater than any kind of suffering we can endure in this life.”

Today's Gospel mentions hell three times. “Whoever says, ‘You fool’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” The following verse is repeated twice, “It is better if you lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.” Jesus often speaks of “Gehenna” of “the unquenchable fire” reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. He said, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!" The punishment of hell is forever, which is horrifying.

The Virgin Mary, showed three children, ages 10, 8, and 7 what hell looked like. Sr. Lucia spoke about the vision. She said, "(Mary) opened Her hands once more, as She had done the two previous months. The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned]. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals...."

Our Lady also told the children, "Each time you say the Rosary, My children, say after each decade, 'O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy."

Thanks to the Virgin Mary, every time we pray the Rosary, we pray 5 times that Jesus will save us from the fires of hell. The vision of hell didn't cause the children to be afraid of God. But rather it caused their hearts to expand with great love for sinners. This is why the children offered their sacrifices and did penance for the conversion of sinners. They never had a vision of heaven, but wanted souls to go there because of love.

Lucia asked the Virgin Mary, "Do you come from heaven...and will I go to heaven?" “Yes, you'll go". "And Jacinta?" "As well" “and Francisco?" "Him too, but he will have to say many rosaries". Our Lady told the children: "Do you wish to offer yourselves to God, to endure all the suffering that He may please to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and to ask for the conversion of sinners?" "Yes, we do." said the children. "You will have to suffer a lot, but the grace of God will be your comfort.”

One day in St. John Vianney little church, a man possessed by a demon approached him, and the demon said: "I hate you, I hate you because you stole from my hand eighty-five thousand souls." He suffered much and did great penances to save souls from the fires of hell.

Today many think God is too merciful to send anyone to hell. Some cease to fear hell and do not try to avoid it. Others believe everyone goes straight to heaven, as though no one goes to purgatory or to hell. Some wrongly believe at the end of time, God will release all the souls and demons from hell. But the Church teaches hell is everlasting. God is not only infinitely merciful, He is also infinitely just.

May we seek the kingdom of heaven and do everything we can to keep it. May we come to Jesus, the merciful shepherd in confession often, especially if we committed a mortal sin, to come quickly to Him to receive His infinite mercy. As soon as we commit any sin, may we immediately ask the Lord to forgive us. There is nothing more important than keeping our soul in the state of grace. And if you find our self in mortal sin, do everything you can to get out of it. Because if we die in the state of mortal sin, we go to hell forever. We don't avoid mortal sin out of fear of hell, but especially out fear of offending and hurting the good God, whom we love because He loves us so much He died for us, that we may be with Him forever in heaven.

Let us do as Our Lady of Fatima asked, to do penance, offer up sufferings, make sacrifices and pray the rosary daily for the conversion of sinners, so that we help many souls go to heaven. By the grace of God, we will save our own soul and go to our eternal home where there is no pain, no suffering and no tears, where there is nothing but love, peace and joy in heaven forever and ever and ever.

O Jesus, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.

Our Lady of Lourdes - Feb 11th - 72 Miracle

 

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. On Feb. 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous at a grotto in the small French town of Lourdes. Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette 18 times between February and July of that year.

After the first three apparitions, Our Lady asked St. Bernadette, “Would you have the goodness to come here for 15 days?” Despite resistance from her mother, Bernadette continued to visit the grotto and pray her rosary, which gained the attention of many villagers.

During the final few apparitions, close to 10,000 people came to Lourdes to see St. Bernadette and the apparition. Our Lady’s messages to Bernadette were always about repentance and praying for the conversion of sinners. Our Lady of Lourdes said to St. Bernadette, "You will pray to God for sinners” and "Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners! Kiss the ground as an act of penance for sinners!"

Our Lady of Lourdes did not reveal herself until the 16th apparition on March 25, after St. Bernadette asked her who she was for a fourth consecutive time that day. Our Lady replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

One reason millions of people visit the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes every year is due to the reported medical miracles from the grotto’s spring water. The Lourdes Medical Bureau was established in 1883 at the request of St. Pius X. Out of 7,500 cases, 72 were reported as scientifically inexplicable. It is for this reason Our Lady of Lourdes is the patroness of the sick.

Antonia Raco, a 67-year-old Italian woman long affected by an incurable neurodegenerative illness, was officially introduced to the press on July 25, 2025 in Lourdes, where her healing was recognized as the 72nd miracle attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary since the apparitions of 1858. When the miracle was announced Dr. Alessandro de Franciscis, the permanent doctor at the Lourdes Sanctuary, reminded the audience that the Church considers a healing miraculous only if it is sudden, complete, lasting, medically inexplicable, and not attributable to treatment or gradual recovery.

Diagnosed in 2006 with ALS — a progressive and fatal condition — Raco experienced a recovery that defied medical explanation. The recognition by the Shrine in Lourdes marked the culmination of 16 years of medical, canonical, and pastoral inquiry. Raco, a mother and active parishioner from Basilicata in southern Italy, had been living with the disease for several years when she traveled to Lourdes with her husband Antonio in 2009. Raco said, “I had wanted to go to Lourdes since I was a child."

On the second day, sanctuary volunteers brought her to the baths. “We prayed together. That’s when I heard a beautiful young female voice say three times: ‘Don’t be afraid!’”

Raco wore the white veil and uniform of the Hospitallers of Lourdes — the volunteer caregivers she now joins each year, assisting the sick with the same compassion once shown to her. During the immersion in the bath, she described a sudden, sharp pain in her legs as though “they were taken away from me.” She did not disclose what had happened to anyone during her stay and returned home in a wheelchair.

In her living room with her husband, she heard the same voice urging her, “Tell him! Call him!” Obeying the voice, she called out to her husband, who had just stepped into the kitchen. “Something has happened,” she told him. In that moment, she stood unaided for the first time in years. Overcome with emotion, the couple embraced, crying together as they realized she was cured.

Although miraculous physical healings are astounding, what is more astounding is when a soul is healed from sin. Spiritual healing is infinitely more important than a physical healing.

One of the primary messages from Our Lady was for us to do penance and to pray for sinners. Today, let us resolve to don penance and pray for the conversion of sinners. We can do this most especially, like Bernadette daily praying the Rosary and calling upon Mary saying, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us, who have recourse to thee."

5th Sunday, Salty Pie

 

Last Saturday, Fr. Ken Schuckman offered the 6:30pm Mass. I went to the Confirmation of Sydney and Kassie Sauer at St. Joseph in McPherson. Last year, they were unable to get confirmed with our group. When you see them be sure to congratulate them.

When I was a seminarian, I was serving at Church of the Resurrection, the parish of Fr. Ken Schuckman. One day, an old lady stopped by the priest house and dropped off homemade cherry pie, she made for us. She did a charitable deed for us.

Later that day, after we finished our evening meal, Fr. Schuckman cut the pie and we began to it. But, suddenly, we realized something was wrong with the pie. On top of the crust, bakers sprinkle sugar and sugar is used as an ingredient in the pie. But, not this one.

After swallowing a bit my mouth immediately puckered and I had to spit it out. It was extremely salty. I said, "The pie has a huge amount of salt in it." Fr. Schuckman was slowly chewing it, but he swallowed it. He said, "There is one thing, you must learn, people have good intentions. She must have accidentally used salt instead of sugar when she made it." He said, "Come on, you can eat it. She spent her time and money making this pie. It ain't gonna hurt you." He said, "You should be thankful for what anyone gives." I took another bite of the pie, chewed it, swallowed, but had to spit it out. I said, "I'm sorry, I can't finish it. It upsets my stomach." Fr. Schuckman finished eating his piece with a grimace on his face. He put the rest in the refrigerator and throughout the week, he finished off the pie. His humility shined like a light.

In the Gospel today, Jesus used metaphors of light and salt to explain the importance of living our life as a Christian. Salt seasons (adds flavor), it preserves, it heals, but it can also burn.

Salt Seasons – Christians are called to add spice to life, to bring beauty, joy and hope to the world. Keeping the Commandments is a source of joy as we experience God’s power to put sin to death in us and bring forth order, self-discipline and holiness. We are to be zesty, passionate, alive and free from sin in Christ. Look at what spicy things our Catholic faith has contributed in the world: Art, music, churches, hospitals, universities, the scholastic and scientific methods.

Salt Preserves – Before refrigeration was invented, salt was used to cure or persevere meat. It killed bacteria and other microorganisms that caused rot and decay. As Christians we are to prevent further decay in this sinful world. The truth we proclaim is meant to preserve people from the decay of sin. Chastity, justice, generosity, the proclamation of the truth, and so forth, are like salt that preserves the world from decay. As Christians we proclaim the dignity of life from the moment of conception until natural death. In a world immersed in promiscuity, we proclaim, purity, chastity and abstinence. In a world which thinks life is worth as to how much a person is useful, as Catholics we believe life is worthy living for the handicapped, elderly, unborn and the poor. As the world promotes homosexuality, Catholics proclaim the beauty of marriage is only between a man and woman. The world promotes infidelity, but we proclaim the indissolubility of marriage. The world disregards conscience and religious beliefs, but we proclaim religious freedom is a gift from God, not from man. In a world life is not protected, we proclaim abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research are grave offenses against God. We proclaim every life is sacred. Our Catholic faith preserves all that is good.

Salt Heals – In the ancient world salt was used on wounds. It helped stop bleeding, it killed bacteria and prevented further infection. So too the Christian faith. Through our doctrinal and moral teaching, and living our faith, we bring healing a world wounded by sin, strife, war, jealousy, anger, bitterness, retribution, promiscuity, unfaithfulness, greed, and countless errors. The Word of God and His plan is a healing medicine for an ailing world.

Salt Burns –When salt is applied to wounds it burns and causes pain. The truth stings, and the truth of the Gospel can be irritating to a world wounded by sin. But, despite the protests of our world, the sting can heal. It is driving out the bacteria and disease of the world and preventing further infection by proclaiming the healing balm of truth. The truth is-- the pie the lady made was extremely salty and was hard to swallow. But to those who can stomach it, its a source of virtue.

Salt in a saltshaker needs to be sprinkled about. It has to go forth and be scattered. We are to bring Jesus to others, and to help them to know and love Him. But if salt goes flat or is used for the wrong purpose, it's hard to swallow.

Christians are called to transform the world bringing the light of Christ to the world by their good deeds, like he lady who made a pie for Fr. Schuckman and I. Our good deeds are a way of proclaiming the Gospel. And those who are homebound and suffering in the hospital are beacons of light. They witness to the beauty of suffering. Pain is powerful when united to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross. Their gift to the world is to reveal the suffering Jesus to others and that suffering is redemptive. Suffering purifies the soul and can be offered to Jesus for the conversion of souls. How beautiful are the souls of those who suffer with Jesus and transform the world by their willingness to embrace their cross. They are hidden sources of light that radiate a spiritual light emanating as a beacon in a world of darkness.

The lady who gave Fr. Schuckman and I the cherry pie, was a light of God's love. Too much salt when doing a good deed can sour the stomach, but the loving action is beautiful in the eyes of God.

Today, add flavor to your life, by doing good deeds of love. Scatter salt and allow the light of Christ to shine through you. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, give us the grace to be faithful Christians by “passing the salt” and to “turning on the light”, so as to give glory to God.

By the way, you will never eat a salty pie made by the Wrights at the Little River Cookie House.

4th Sunday, Confound Strong (David, St. Agnes, Virgin Mary)

 

In the second reading today, St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians saying, "Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something..."

Can you think of anyone in the bible who was weak, but confounded the strong? David was a lowly shepherd. He was short in stature, yet he took 5 stones placing them in a bag as he carried his sling shot. David goes into battle against warrior Goliath, the giant Philistine, who had a large sword.

Archaeological evidence leads to the conclusion that Goliath was between 6 feet 9 inches and 7 feet 8 inches tall. David was probably about 5 foot tall, the average height for Hebrew men during his time.

David prayed to God and then he took one stone, placed it in his sling, and hurled it at Goliath. The stone struck Goliath in his head instantly killing him. David then cut off his head. He used a single stone to kill a giant who came at him with a sword.

How could this be? Truly, the hand of God was upon him. God wanted to show everyone, that the Lord can use weak humble instruments to confound the strong and prideful.

A saint whose weakness confounded the strong was St. Agnes, who was about 12 or 13 years old when she was martyred.

Because she was Christian, and because the emperor hated Christians, a judge sentenced Agnes to live in house of harlots.

Agnes was a very pure young lady. A young man attempted to have his way with her, but she told him she belonged to Jesus alone. After she said this, the young man became suddenly blind.

Because she knew Jesus awaited her arrival in heaven, Agnes was then taken away, to be put to death, but was not afraid to die.

When the executioner attempted to fasten a chain around her neck and hands, she willingly did it herself. What hostile threats came from the executioner to frighten her; what promises made to win her over; what influential people desired her in marriage!

But to all that, she answered: “To hope that any other will please me-- does wrong to (Jesus) my Spouse. I will be His who first chose me for Himself. Executioner, why do you delay? If eyes that I do not want can desire this body, then let it perish.” She stood still, she prayed, and then offered her neck. Then she told the executioner, “Executioner, why do you delay?”

He was shocked at her willingness to die for Our Blessed Lord. Fear could be seen in the eyes of the executioner, as if he were the one condemned; his right hand trembled, his face grew pale as he saw the girl’s peril, while she had no fear for herself. One victim, but a twin martyrdom of modesty and religion; Agnes preserved her virginity, and gained a martyr’s crown.

St. Agnes was a weak young humble girl, but put to shame the emperor, who had tremendous power in the empire. She put to shame the young man, who became blind for looking disgracefully at her. And she put to shame the executioner, the strong man, who was shocked because of her courage to die for Jesus. The young girl was weak, but confounded the strong. Her humility humbled the proud, as she had no fear of death.

The Virgin Mary is the supreme example of humility. She was a weak humble virgin. But by Her immense humility, She confounded the strong.

She is the woman in Genesis who will crush the head of the proud serpent. That is why whenever we have any temptation, we can be like David who hurled the stone to kill a the giant Goliath. Instead of 5 stones, we have 5 mysteries of the Rosary. By praying Hail Marys we hurl stones at the devil.

St. John Bosco had a dream on the eve of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the dream he saw a stranger come to him and asked him to look at something on the ground:

St John Bosco said, "He took me to a meadow alongside the playground and pointed to a huge, ugly snake, over twenty feet long, coiled in the grass. Frightened, I wanted to run off, but the stranger held me back. "Get closer and take a good look," he said."What?" I gasped. "Don't you realize that monster could spring on me and gobble me up in no time?" "Don't be afraid! Nothing of the sort will happen. Just come with me."

The stranger went to get a rope and asked St. John Bosco to slap the snake with it: They snapped the rope on the snake's back. The monster immediately sprang up and struck at the rope, but, as it did, it ensnared itself as in a noose. The snake began to struggle and quickly died. Then the stranger picked up the rope and put it in a box. What happened next was astonishing.

The stranger explained the spiritual symbolism behind what happened: He opened the box. We looked in and were astounded to see the rope shaped into the words Ave Maria. "How did that happen?" I asked. The man said, "The snake is a symbol of the devil, whereas the rope stands for Ave Maria or, rather, the Rosary, a succession of Hail Marys with which we can strike, conquer, and destroy all of hell's demons." St. John Bosco took the lesson to heart and wrote to his students, "Let us devoutly say a Hail Mary whenever we are tempted, and we'll be sure to win."

Today, take into your hands the Holy Rosary, praying it daily. By these humble prayers, She will confound the devil and crush the head of the serpent. She will shame the strong and reduce to nothing those who think they are something.