Visitation of the Virgin Mary - May 31st

 

Today, we celebrate together the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which commemorates the moment when Mary, the mother of Jesus visited her cousin Elizabeth in the mountainous regions of Judea, after traveling a five day journey to see how her cousin Elizabeth.

Elizabeth in her old age was then pregnant with St. John the Baptist, the herald of the Messiah, who was miraculously conceived after many years of unsuccessful marriage without any children between Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah.

At the same time, Mary was carrying within Her, Jesus Christ, our savior. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Our Lord came down from heaven and took up the flesh of man in Mary’s womb.

Shortly after the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation, Our Lady went to visit Her cousin Elizabeth. Mary arose and went in haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah called Ain Karim. Once the Blessed Virgin learned from the angel that Her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant, She was moved by charity and hurried to lend a hand to help Elizabeth who was advanced in years. Nobody asked Mary to go. God could have asked Mary to go and visit Her cousin, but He didn’t. Mary could have remained at home to prepare for the arrival of Her Divine Son, the Messiah, but She joyfully sets out on the journey “with haste” and goes to offer Elizabeth Her humble assistance.

When Mary arrived, Elizabeth heard Her greeting and was filled with the Holy Spirit. And at that moment, the unborn John the Baptist leapt for joy within her womb. The action of the unborn children, bear witness to dignity of all unborn children.

Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit, by divine knowledge comes to know that she is in the presence of the Lord in Mary’s womb. She even comes to know Mary’s pregnancy was miraculous.

While in the womb of His Mother Mary, Our Divine Lord blessed the unborn John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. The Church teaches, at that moment, St. John was sanctified, meaning his original sin was washed away.

The action of these two unborn children remind us of the sanctity of life. It’s a reminder that life begins at conception. At the time of the Visitation, John had been conceived for 6 months and Jesus’ conception was no longer that 5 days. Yet, these two unborn children teach us a lesson.

They teach us that life no matter how small is precious and beautiful and that God wants us to love and respect unborn children. Today, let us resolve to recite Mary’s magnificat in thanksgiving for all the good things, God has done for us in sending His Son as an unborn child destined to die on the Cross and rise from the dead, to save us.

And let us remember that just as Mary’s body became a temple of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Most High and the Ark of the Covenant, because She carried Jesus in Her womb to the hill country, grant that we should recall we too become a temple, an ark and a sanctuary for Jesus, when we receive His body in Holy Communion, let us carry Him to others as we help them in their needs.

St. Joan of Arc - May 30th

 

Today is the memorial of St. Joan of Arc. Born of a fairly well-to-do peasant couple in Domremy-Greux southeast of Paris, Joan was only 12 when she experienced a vision and heard voices that she later identified as Saints Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel, St. Catherine of Alexandria, and St Margaret of Antioch.

“Joan of Arc did not know how to read or write, but the depths of her soul can be known thanks to two sources of exceptional historical value: the two Trials that concern her.”, Pope Benedict XVI said.

When it became known she believed God wanted her to lead the military to victories against the English, many suspected she was the maiden from Loraine prophesied that would deliver France from tyranny.

During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and Troyes. This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris supported Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort of Winchester, England, participated in the questioning of Joan in prison.

In the end, she was condemned for wearing men’s clothes. The English resented France’s military success–to which Joan contributed. During the trial, asked whether she knew she was in God’s grace, the saint answered: “If I am not, may God place me there; if I am, may God so keep me. I should be the saddest in all the world if I knew that I were not in the grace of God." She also said, “Take care what you are doing; for in truth I am sent by God.” and she said, “All I have done is by Our Lord’s command…I have done nothing in the world but by the order of God.”

On this day in 1431, Joan was burned at the stake in Rouen, and her ashes were scattered in the Seine River. A second Church trial 25 years later nullified the earlier verdict, which was reached under political pressure.

Remembered by most people for her military exploits, Joan had a great love for the sacraments, which strengthened her compassion toward the poor. Popular devotion to her increased greatly in 19th-century France and later among French soldiers during World War I. Theologian George Tavard writes that her life “offers a perfect example of the conjunction of contemplation and action” because her spiritual insight is that there should be a “unity of heaven and earth.”

Joan of Arc has been the subject of many books, plays, operas and movies. St. Therese of Lisieux played the part of St. Joan of Arc in a play at her convent.

Today, let us ask St. Joan of Arc to intercede for us and help us to be a good witness to our faith.

Memoral Day - Cemetery Talk - Fr. Emil Kapaun

 

I would first like to thank those who are here and who currently serve in the armed forces and all our veterans. Thank you for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for our country. And we ask God to bless you for that.

My nephew, Army Staff Sargent Christopher Woods, received the purple medal as a result of being wounded in Afghanistan. He is currently stationed at Fort Riley.

I also have two other nephews who served in the military, a grandfather, several uncles and cousins, who also served in the military.

Today, we honor the brave women and men who proudly wore the uniform of our armed forces and made the ultimate sacrifices that have become the lifeblood of our republic. We should keep in mind not only the sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives in service to the country, but also Christ’s sacrifice, which is at the heart of the faith of Christians. Our Lord said, “There is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

The Cross of Jesus points to sacrificial love because on the Cross, He laid down His life to free us from sin. The sacrifices made by our countrymen and women throughout American history are a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice. Memorial Day can help inspire us to the greatest thing of which we are capable, by God’s grace: sacrificial love. Love that sacrifices for the beloved is divine and the only true love. The cost of freedom has been blood. The blood of Jesus shed for the freedom of sins. The blood of soldiers shed that we may live in freedom in our nation.

Did you know there are 28 Kansans who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor? Today, I would like to speak about the last Kansan, who was awarded the medal.

In 2013, 10 yrs ago, a fellow Kansan was awarded the highest military honor called the Congressional Medal of Honor. The following is from the US Department of Defense website. The website states: On April 11, 2013, after 60 years of ceaseless advocating by his fellow soldiers and prisoners of war, Chaplain Emil Kapaun was awarded our nation’s highest award for valor for his actions at the Battle of Unsan, North Korea, Nov 1-2, 1950. Chaplain Kapaun is one of 5 chaplains, in the entire US, since the Civil War- to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Medal is very rare, with less than 0.01% of combat troops receiving the award. It is awarded only for the most courageous and often sacrificial acts while engaged in battle. More than just a recognition of a moment in time, the Medal represents core values that make its bearers and our nation unique: courage, sacrifice, patriotism, and more. By law, only U.S. service members who distinguish themselves “through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty” can receive the medal.

Army Chaplain Emil Kapaun inspired his men during the Korean War with calm, courageous leadership, instilling in his fellow prisoners of war a desire to stay strong — even after he no longer could. His actions eventually earned him the nation's highest military honor, as well as a potential path to sainthood.

Kapaun was born April 20, 1916, in rural Pilsen, Kansas. After being ordained a priest, Kapaun was serving as an auxiliary chaplain at Herington Air Base, in 1944 when he noticed the need for faith-based leaders in the military. He felt compelled to join, so, on July 12, 1944, he became an Army chaplain, serving for the rest of World War II in the China-Burma-India theater. When the war in Korea broke out, he was deployed in July 1950 with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. 

By the fall of 1950, Kapaun's battalion had pushed depleted North Korean soldiers back to Unsan. It was assumed the war would soon be over since things were looking good for the U.S. and its South Korean allies. But on Nov. 1, 1950, the tide turned when Chinese Communists joined North Korean forces and launched a vicious attack. 

During the fight, Kapaun calmly walked through the battle zone, offering comfort and medical aid to the injured and helping to pull men out of an area. The Americans were able to repel the assault initially, but by nighttime, they were surrounded and forced to find safety in foxholes and behind bunkers. By midnight, the battalion was ordered to evacuate before the Chinese blocked all escape routes. 

The following day, the US forces were overwhelmed by enemy Chinese Communist troops. During the retreat, Fr. Kapaun continually ran back directly into enemy fire, to drag wounded soldiers to safety. In the midst of the heavy hand-to-hand combat, he assembled 30 wounded soldiers in a dugout. In the midst of flying bullets, his corncob pipe was shot by enemy gunfire.

By the end of the day, he saved 15 men. He and another soldier also retrieved the dead bodies of more than 100 soldiers. After the Chinese rushed the American line six times, the US soldiers ran out of ammunition, and resorted to throwing rocks at the enemy. The soldiers yelled at Fr. Kapaun, telling him to run, but he refused. When the Chinese entered the dugout, they found Fr. Kapaun administering the last rites to a dying soldier.

As Kapaun was led away, he saw a Chinese soldier preparing to shoot a wounded American soldier, Sgt. 1st Class Herbert A. Miller. Without concern for himself, Kapaun pushed that enemy soldier aside, picked up Miller and started to carry him away. Stunned, the enemy soldier allowed it. Kapaun ended up carrying Miller for miles as they incessantly marched toward the unknown. The chaplain helped others who struggled, begging them to not give up so they wouldn't be shot. 

After being marched from village to village with little food or water, Kapaun and his men ended up at a POW camp in Pyoktong on the bank of the Yalu River.

While in captivity, Kapaun remained a trusted leader. His courage inspired prisoners of all faiths to survive the camp’s hellish conditions and the frigid temperatures, resist enemy indoctrination, and keep hope alive. He helped the wounded and often sneaked out at night to steal food for the prisoners. 

"He was the best food thief we had," said Army Capt. Joseph O'Connor, a fellow POW. Once, he came back with a sack of potatoes. How he got it I'll never know — it must have weighed 100 pounds."

Fr. Kapaun prayed with people of all faith and daily read bible passages to them. He encouraged them telling them to not give up, but that they would eventually go home. He became a witness for Christ.

When the Communists attempted to indoctrinate the American Soldiers with false ideas, Chaplain Kapaun, counteracted their ideas in such a way, which humiliated and infuriated them, so much so, they hated him.

By spring, however, the camp's squalid conditions and inhumane punishments had taken their toll. Kapaun grew seriously ill and malnourished, but he managed to hold one last Easter Mass for the prisoners in late March. Shortly after that, he was transferred to an old pagoda that the Chinese called a hospital. It was unheated and filthy, and it was reported that its prisoners weren’t given food or medical attention. Kapaun died there on May 23, 1951. He was 35 yrs. old. 

At the end of his life, when the Chinese cut off all medical care, and deprived him of all food, he was heard whispering the Gospel passage, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”

In August 1951, Kapaun was honored with the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest medal for valor, while he was still listed as missing in action. Officials learned of his death when his fellow POWs were released after the armistice was signed in 1953. 

For decades, Kapaun's comrades lobbied Congress to get his Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On April 11, 2013, that request was granted. President Barack Obama lauded the chaplain's service during a While House ceremony. "[Kapaun was] an American soldier who didn't fire a gun but who wielded the mightiest weapon of all — the love for his brothers — so pure that he was willing to die so they might live..”

"After 70 years, Chaplain (Capt.) Kapaun has been accounted for," acting Army Secretary John E. Whitley said in March, 2021 in a news release. He had previously been buried with a group of 866 other “unknowns” at the National Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu due to an armistice agreement whereby the remains of the soldiers could be returned to the US. Officials told Ray Kapaun that his uncle's remains, along with those of several other soldiers, were returned to the U.S. shortly after the end of the war and buried at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. They were only recently identified using dental records and DNA. He has since been buried in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita and people can come to honor his remains in his tomb. There are still more than 7,500 unaccounted-for Korean War service members.

In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Kapaun a servant of God — the first step toward sainthood.

Today, let us remember all those who have ever served in our military, especially those from our own families and town of Little River. As their faces are seen in the banners lining main street, let us raise our hearts and prayers and salute them, thanking God for their willingness to defend our freedom and even die for it. And let us remember and pray for military personnel, who suffer from the effects of war, including PTSD, the loss of limbs, and the inability to live life as before. May we pray for them and support for their bravery and love of their fellow countrymen.

And we pray for the souls of all our veterans that all may enjoy life in heaven with the Most Blessed Trinity and all the angels and saints. Amen.

 

Pentecost - Where is the Holy Spirit in the Bible?

  

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. A few years ago, someone asked me where is the Holy Spirit in the bible? I got to thinking after we had that discussion, many people don’t know where the Holy Spirit is found in scripture. The truth is the whole bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We believe God is the author of Sacred Scripture and he used men to write books in the bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, such that they never wrote more or less than what God wanted them to write.

First lets’ look at a few examples in the Old Testament and then we will focus mainly on the New Testament to see specific references to the Holy Spirit.

In the first chapter of Genesis it states: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the waters.” (Gen. 1:2) At the very beginning when God created the world, the Holy Spirit was there and played a role in creating the world.

When the prophet Ezekiel was prophesying over dead bones he said, “See, I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the Lord.” This foreshadows the General Resurrection, when the Holy Spirit will give new bodies, to the living and the dead.

Ezekiel also said, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” (Ez. 36:26), which refers to baptism. In Psalm 104 David states, “When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit is active in the New Testament, in the following examples. At the annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, He said, “Holy Spirit will come upon you”. (Lk. 1:35) And when Mary consented and said, “Let it be done unto me according to thy word”, (Lk. 1:38) the Holy Spirit immediately helped to bring about the incarnation, when Jesus took His flesh from the womb of Mary and became man.

During Mary’s Visitation to Her cousin Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit was active as Jesus, the unborn infant, sanctified John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. When she heard Mary’s greeting, the babe leaped in her womb and filled with the Holy Spirit Elizabeth cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Lk. 1:41-42)

At Jesus’ baptism, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit when “the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove.” (Mk. 1-9-11) Jesus was then led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. (Matt. 4:1)

When returning from the desert, the power of the Spirit caused Him to begin to teach in synagogues. (Lk 4:14) When He went to a synagogue at His hometown of Nazareth, He stood up and read from the prophet Isaiah. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” (Lk. 4:18) And when He sat down, Jesus said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk. 4:21), which meant, He is the Messiah.

When referring to the many different workings of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “The wind blows where it will.” (Jn. 3:8) During His bread of life discourse Jesus said, “the Spirit gives life.” (Jn. 6:63). When Jesus said, “Out of his (one’s) heart shall flow rivers of living water”, He was referring to the Holy Spirit.

At the Last Supper, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help the apostles. He said, “I will send Him to you.” (Jn. 16:7), whom Our Lord called the “Advocate” (Jn. 16:7). He told His apostles, the Holy Spirit will “convince the world of sin and righteousness and of judgment.”

He convinces the world of sin, by helping us to know our sins and to be sorry for our sins. He helps us in the way of righteousness by sanctifying us and making us holy. In judgment, the Holy Spirit helps us in our decision making, to choose good rather thane evil.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth” (Jn. 14:17), who will “guide you (His disciples) to all truth.” (Jn. 16:13). Our Lord told the apostles, “The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and remind you of all that I said.” (Jn. 14:26). He said when the apostles would be persecuted, they were not to worry about what they would say because, “…for it is not you, who will speak, but the Holy Spirit.” (Jn. 13:11).

After His Resurrection, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Confession when He breathed on His apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…” (Jn. 20:22-23) Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His apostles, “…you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” And He told them, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Jesus told His Disciples, “Go therefore make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19) By these words, we clearly see the Holy Spirit is God, equal to the Father and the Son.

The Acts of the Apostles, written by St. Luke mentions the Holy Spirit’s activity in the early Church so often, the book is often called the “the book of the Holy Spirit”. The most significant event in the Acts of the Apostles was Pentecost.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles and the Virgin Mary prayed for nine days, (Acts. 1:14) 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, tongues in the form of fire. The Holy Spirit came down, and rested upon the Apostles, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all were filled 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.

After the Holy Spirit descended, Peter stood up and gave his address to all gathered around them, which resulted in three thousand who were baptized that day, which was a result of the Holy Spirit. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles boldly went out to the ends of the earth to make disciples of all nations. The Spirit began to work through the apostles, by their preaching, teaching and healing of the sick. And from the day of Pentecost, they would become great witnesses of the Gospel, even to the shedding of their blood as martyrs.

After St. Paul became a follower of Jesus, He helped the early Christians grow in their understanding of the Holy Spirit. He told the Corinthians, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corin. 6:19) Paul also said, “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 5:5) St. Paul told the Romans,“The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought.”

Today, and every day, may we turn to the Holy Spirit. For He is God. The Holy Spirit is love. He is life, truth, our advocate, teacher, and guide. He is the sanctifier and therefore makes us holy. He enlightens us to help us know our sins and guides us when making decisions. He helps us remember, speaks through us- to others and He convinces the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and helps us to pray.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us, that we will be like the apostles, (instruments of the Holy Spirit) to assist Him in renewing the face of the earth.

 

Pentecost- Inspirations of the Holy Spirit

 

Today, we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Out of fear of being persecuted, the apostles had all gathered in the Upper Room and prayed for 9 days for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly there was a strong gust of wind and flames of fire appeared above their heads and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the gift of courage to bear witness to Jesus throughout the world now they would be even willing to lay down their life for Him, whom they loved above all things.

The Holy Spirit has many titles, such as the Advocate, the consoler, giver of life, enlightener, Spirit of truth, sanctifier, purifier, revealer, uniter, reconciler, spirit of adoption, Spirit of Christ, second person of the Trinity, Spirit of God, Spirit of promise, Spirit of glory. He is pictured as a fire, a cloud, the finger of God, the wind, a dove, the hand of God, and anointing.

The Holy Spirit is known for seven-fold gifts: wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage, counsel, fear of the Lord, and piety.

There are also fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.

The Holy Spirit acts in the sacraments, especially Confirmation. The very first sacrament of Confirmation was on the day of Pentecost, when the Apostles and the Virgin Mary were filled with the Holy Spirit and when tongues of fire resulted in them becoming courageous, where as before, they were hiding out of fear. Confirmation makes firm baptismal graces, so that we may be a witness for Christ, a soldier for Christ, and fearless in proclaiming the truth.

What I would like to do is give you some examples of how the Holy Spirit works. One day, when I was an associate pastor at St. Francis parish in Wichita, I went to visit a Catholic patient at a rehab center. When I was at the parish and before I went to the rehab center, I said a prayer. I said, “Lord, I haven’t heard any big confessions for while, I would sure like to hear some.”

When I arrived, I went to the Catholic’s room and heard her confession, and, as I was leaving, a nurse grabbed me, and said, “We have a Catholic in this room too, and she would like to see a priest.” I visited the patient, who said, “Father, I haven’t been to confession for a long time, will you hear my confession?” It had been 25 years since the person went to confession. Then as I was leaving, a woman was hollering at me from another room I was passing by. When I went to see what she wanted, she said, “Father, I would like to go to Confession.” It had been over 40 years since she went to Confession. When combining all three confessions, in a period of 15 minutes, the Lord washed away a combination of over 75 years of sins. How wonderful the Holy Spirit inspired me to pray that prayer and how wonderful the Holy Spirit inspired them to want to go to Confession.

It is the Holy Spirit, who inspires people to be sorry for their sins. The Holy Spirit inspires people to want to go to Confession. The Holy Spirit helps each person to know their sins. And its the Holy Spirit who gives advice through the priest and then its the Holy Spirit who washes their sins away through the absolution of the priest.

Once, when I was doing hospital ministry at St. Francis Xavier Hospital in Tulsa, I was walking down a hallway, and was in a hurry to see another patient. There was no reason to be in a hurry, but I was.

I happened to notice an elderly woman, who appeared to be lost. But, being in a hurry, I zoomed past her and kept going. Then I felt guilty for not helping her, and went back to see if I could help her.

When I came up to the woman, I said, “Are you lost? Do you need help?” She said, “I can’t find my way out of here.” I gave her directions, and then said, “Are you visiting someone?” She said, “Yes, my husband. He’s dying.” I said, “I’m sorry to hear that, would you like me to visit him?” She said, “Oh, yes, but he doesn’t know Jesus.” I said, “Do you want to come with me?” She said, “No, I need to go home to take care of the mule and the chickens.” I said, “Oh, so you live out in the country?” She said, “No, we live in Tulsa.” I chuckled to myself. She gave me his room number and when I arrived at his room, I explained how I met his wife in the hall and how she thought it would be good for me to visit him. He said, “I’m dying.” I said, “I’m sorry to hear that. Would you like me to pray with you?” He said, “Sure.” I said, “What religion are you?” He said, “I don’t have a religion, but I know Jesus and I love Him.” I thought, “Your wife doesn’t know you love Jesus.” I said, “Are you baptized?” He said, “No. But I have always wanted it.” I said, “Would you like me to baptize you?” He said, “Oh, yes, please, I would love that.” I said, “Do you want me to call your wife, so she can be here?” He said, “No, I want to do it, as a surprise for her.” I asked a Catholic nurse to be his godparent and baptized him. He died a few days later. All of his sins and the punishment due to his sins were washed away and it was all due to the inspiration the Holy Spirit, to cause me to want to help the woman who was lost. Had I not went back to help the woman, he may never have received the sacrament.

Also in Tulsa, I accidentally went to a wrong room to visit a Catholic patient. I had misread the room number. When I entered the room, I said, “Are you, Sally?” The patient said, “No, but I’m Catholic.” I looked at the paper and realized I was in the wrong room. The woman wasn’t listed as Catholic, and so I said, “Oh, you're not listed as Catholic.” She said, “Yes, but I am.” She said, “Can I go to Confession?” I heard her confession, anointed her, and gave her Holy Communion. She had surgery, but didn’t do well and died shortly afterwards. Had I not gone to the wrong room, she may have never received the sacraments before she died. It was the Holy Spirit, who led me to her room, so she could be reconciled with God and receive Jesus in Holy Communion before she died.

In Mulvane, Kansas there was a Catholic boy about the age of 10, who invited his non-Catholic friend to attend Mass with him on Sunday. The non-Catholic boy said his family were not attending their protestant church. The non-Catholic boy kept attending Mass with the Catholic boy and then one day, he told his friend, “I want to be Catholic”. Soon the non-Catholic boy’s family started to attend Mass too and within a few months, the parents decided they wanted their entire family of five children and the parents to become Catholic. They went through RCIA and became Catholic, simply because the Catholic boy invited his friend to attend Mass with him.

It was the Holy Spirit who inspired the Catholic boy to invite his non-Catholic friend to church and it was the Holy Spirit who inspired the family to want to also attend church and then become Catholic.

The point is, the Holy Spirit works through simple, yet small inspirations, that can have a tremendous impact in our lives.

I will tell you one more story and you can determine if you think this was the Holy Spirit or not.

One day, before I became a priest, I was working in the purchasing department of a hospital in Hays, when a ward sectary from a nursing unit called and was frantic.

When I answered the phone she said, “Come to the third floor medical unit, right away. The card machine is smoking and is on fire.” I said, “You need to call maintenance.” She said, “I tried, but they won’t come. Please come here right away.” I dutifully and quickly took the stairs, as your not supposed to take the elevator in a fire. When I arrived, I saw the unit had become filled with smoke. I said, “Turn off the machine.” She said, “It doesn’t have a switch and I can’t unplug it because the cord is in the corner of the counter top.” She was right there was not on/off switch. So in order to shut if off, I had to remove the bottom drawer from the console desk and crawl inside to pull the plug. Since I couldn’t fit inside, I tried to reach for the cord, but couldn’t. Finally, after some twisting and turning, I was able to get the top part of my torso in the hole and pull the plug.

But, I was stuck. No matter how I turned my shoulders and my arms, I couldn’t get out. I began to panic, and said, “Call maintenance, I’m stuck.” She said, “I ain’t calling them. Do you think they will come up here to get you out, when they wouldn’t come up here if we have a fire.” I kept trying every which way to back out and my chest and arms were getting bruised.

She said, “I have an idea.” She grabbed my two legs and put her foot on the top of the counter and began yanking. It was painful as she tried to pull me out. I became angry, and said, “Mary Ann, don’t do that!” Finally, after a few minutes of turning this way and that way, I was able to finally back out.

Now do you think it was the Holy Spirit, who inspired her to call the purchasing department to turn off the machine? Do you think it was the Holy Spirit who inspired me to crawl in the hole and pull the plug? Do you think it was the Holy Spirit who caused her to pick up my legs and yank? It certainly wasn’t the Holy Spirit, who inspired me to say something out of anger.

The point is, everything we do is not the Holy Spirit inspiring us to do something, but if we are inspired to do something charitable for others, most likely it was the Holy Spirit.

Today, let us pray to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to guide and enlighten us in our daily life and let us ask the Virgin Mary to be open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

Ascension of Jesus

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the ascension of Jesus into heaven. In most of the world, the ascension was celebrated on Thursday because Jesus in fact ascended into heaven 40 days after He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. But in many dioceses in the United States and some other countries, the Ascension of the Lord is transferred to Sunday.

During the forty days between His resurrection and ascension into heaven He appeared to His apostles many times instructing them and teaching them. He trained His apostles for their high calling. Comforted them because they had been scandalized by His death on the Cross. He taught them about the kingdom of God which they were to establish on earth. He inflamed their hearts for a longing for His heavenly kingdom and excited them to love God ever more fervently. Perhaps He instructed them on the sacraments and how to pasture the people. Maybe He told them to ask for the advice and prayers of His Mother, while She is on earth and later pray to Her after She would go to heaven. She would help them, console them and guide them to form the early Church.

The apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary gathered on top of the Mount of Olives. It was at the base of the mountain where Jesus had His agony in the garden. Now, from the top of the mountain Our Divine Lord appeared to them. Curiously, though they gazed upon Him, they doubted out of human weakness. Some still mistakenly wondered when He was going to restore the kingdom of Israel thinking he was going to somehow conquer the enemies of Israel by force.

To receive the Advocate, He told them to stay in Jerusalem so they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses unto the ends of the earth. They were to be a witness by proclaiming all that He taught them, and most importantly they would witness by their life, as martyrs, except John, whose enemies attempted to kill by boiling him in oil, though he miraculously survived. In Jerusalem, the Apostles with the Virgin Mary would pray for 9 days for the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room (the same place Jesus ordained them as priests, the same place they made their first Holy Communion and attended the first Mass at the Last Supper, and the same place Jesus appeared to them, breathing on them giving them power to forgive sins).

St. Luke tells us Jesus gave the apostles His blessing before ascending into heaven. We can picture the loving reverence in which they received His blessing by kneeling, thanking and praying before Him as they gave Him homage.

Their hearts must have been filled with joy when suddenly a cloud appeared at His feet and He was lifted up into the sky towards heaven. By His own almighty power, He rises up to heaven and disappears. In the Old Testament, God was accustomed to appear and speak to His people from a cloud. The cloud which received the Savior at His ascension is the final testimony to His divinity. Catholic tradition is that Jesus miraculously left His footprints on the stone in which He was standing. The footprint on the stone can be seen in the chapel of the Ascension located on the exact place it’s believed Jesus ascended into heaven on the Mount of Olives.

His ascension into heaven completes His earthly work. What a heartbreaking farewell, though at the same time accompanied by a great joy to see their Master glorified. How deep must have been their sorrow at parting from Him, how keen their longing to follow Him. Who can enter into the Heart of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who having once lost Her divine Son at the foot of the Cross and then find Him at His glorious Resurrection when He appeared to Her and now She had to suffer once again to be taken from Her once more!

Though His earthly life was completed by His ascension, the life of His mystical body, the Church would begin.

Let us picture to ourselves as well as we can, what took place in heaven when our Savior entered it. Let us try to obtain a glimpse of this glorious scene. Thousands of blessed souls were in His train, but thousands upon thousands of angels, yes all the Hosts of the heavenly choirs came out to meet Him, the Savior of the world, the conqueror of evil, the King of Heaven, singing with one voice, “Lift up your gates and the King of Glory shall enter in. Who is this? The King of Glory. The Lord of Hosts, the King of Glory” And Jesus, mounting higher and higher, above all the principalities, powers, virtues and dominions, take His place beside the Heavenly Father: He sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. He sits at the right hand making all His enemies His footstool. The whole court of heaven gives forth that glorious song of praise in the book of Revelation, “The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing forever and ever.”

When He enters heaven with His resurrected body, He elevates the dignity of our human nature. His ascension foreshadows that someday our body and soul, separated at death, will be re-united and we too will have a resurrected body at the end of the world. The two angels who appeared after Jesus ascended into heaven reminded them that just as they saw Jesus taken up to heaven on a cloud, so He will return in the same way on a cloud. This gave them hope that someday, He will return in all His glory to judge the living and the dead.

He ascended into heaven to be our mediator with His Father. It is the great and eternal God, Jesus our Savior, who stands close to God, He who is God, but also man and now intercedes for all time and pleads our cause, pointing to His wounds which He received as a result of our sins, and yet willingly suffered and died for us that we may be reconciled with His Father. He forever atones for us our sins, that we may have life and have it abundantly with Him in heaven.

Before He ascended into heaven, He had told His apostles, “I go to prepare a place for you.” “That where I go, you also may be.” He promised us heaven and then He went to prepare it for us. How our thoughts should be for our future home. The desires and hopes of our hearts should tend ever upward to our heavenly home. St. Paul said, “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God; mind the things that are above, not the things of earth.” The things of earth will have little value for us, if we really have a full of desire and longing for the eternal life to come where our Savior awaits us.

Poverty or riches, sickness or health, sorrow of happiness, what does it matter? All that matters is to possess you O God and be with you in heaven. As you told us, “Eye has not seen or ear heard, nor has it entered the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him.”

O Lord, our God, and Savior, you who are now glorious in heaven, yet lived a life of poverty, pain, rejection and suffering on earth, we beg you by thy wonderful ascension to fill our hearts with the hope of heaven that we may be consoled in our sufferings, encouraged in good works, and comforted at the hour of death. Amen.

Ascension Year A - Pass Life's Tests

 

Today is the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Did you know the public ministry of Jesus lasted for 3 years. Jesus began His public ministry at the age of 30 years old and He completed His public ministry, 3 years later at the age of 33.

The apostles had first hand experience with Jesus for those three years. During that time, they listened to His sermons, watched Him heal the sick, perform miracles of walking on the water, multiplying the loaves, expelling demons and raising people from the dead. They witnessed how He forgave sinners and was tender and compassionate towards them.

Then for forty days, between His resurrection and ascension into heaven Jesus appeared to His apostles many times instructing them and teaching them. He trained His apostles for their high calling. He comforted them because they had been scandalized by His death on the Cross. He taught them about the kingdom of God which they were to establish on earth. He inflamed their hearts for a longing for His heavenly kingdom and excited them to love God ever more fervently. Perhaps He instructed them on the sacraments and how to pasture the people. Maybe He told them to ask for the advice and prayers of His Mother, while She is on earth and later pray to Her after She would go to heaven. She would help them, console them and guide them to form the early Church.

In a certain sense, the apostles “graduated”, from their personal one on one time with Jesus during His public ministry.

Now, 40 days after giving the apostles instructions, they and the Blessed Virgin Mary gathered on top of the Mount of Olives. It was at the base of the mountain where Jesus had His agony in the garden. From the top of the mountain Our Divine Lord appeared to them. Curiously, though they gazed upon Him, they doubted out of human weakness. Some still mistakenly wondered when He was going to restore the kingdom of Israel thinking he was going to somehow conquer the enemies of Israel by force.

St. Luke tells us, Jesus gave the apostles His blessing before ascending into heaven. We can picture the loving reverence in which they received His blessing by kneeling, thanking and praying before Him as they gave Him homage. Then He would ascend into heaven on a cloud.

After they completed or so to speak “graduated” from their personal one on one experience with Jesus, now they were going to wait to receive a new mission in life. They were disciples, who were followers of Jesus, now, as apostles, the would make more disciples, by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded them. But they had not yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

To receive the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, He told them to stay in Jerusalem, so they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses unto the ends of the earth.

In Jerusalem, the Apostles with the Virgin Mary would pray for 9 days for the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room (the same place Jesus ordained them as priests, the same place they made their first Holy Communion and attended the first Mass at the Last Supper, and the same place Jesus appeared to them, breathing on them giving them power to forgive sins).

Today, we have 8^th grade and high school graduates here at Mass. We are proud of your accomplishment. You are graduating from a public school and some of you are graduating with honors.

With regard to the faith, I mentioned earlier that the apostles “graduated”, so to speak, from their personal one on one time and experience with Jesus. They flunked some spiritual tests. For example, they were jealous of each other, wanting to sit on the right hand of Jesus in heaven. James and John flunked the test of patience, when they wanted to call down fire on the people who rejected Jesus. All of them flunked the test of loyalty when Jesus was arrested, as all of them abandoned Jesus. Peter flunked the test of faithfulness, when He denied knowing Jesus, three times.

One apostle, Judas, flunked the test of trusting in God’s mercy, despaired, and killed himself.

Only one apostle passed the test of courage. It was St. John the Apostle, who stood with Mary at the foot of the Cross and was rewarded by taking Mary into his home.

The other 10 apostles, passed their final test and were martyred for Jesus and His teachings. They were true witnesses.

Some have said Confirmation is a passage way to adulthood. I can remember when I was Confirmed in 8^th grade, I was told, you are now an adult. That was far from true. When young people are Confirmed, they are fully initiated in the Catholic Church, but fully initiated doesn’t mean fully mature.

When someone is Confirmed, they are to be witnesses to the faith. They are soldiers for Christ. Even though they are not physically mature, inside they have power from the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel and are willing to suffer for it.

Our seniors, who graduated, will have many future tests. Some tests will be in college, other tests will be in life, and there will be some tests of faith.

Will they pass the test of being faithful to their Sunday Mass attendance, to going to Confession regularly, to reading and meditating a short paragraph from the bible, praying the Rosary everyday? Will they past the test of being a Christian witness by their good behavior, by their faithfulness to their jobs, and/or classes if they go to college?

When I was in college, there were three Catholic men who joined a fraternity. One went to Mass every Sunday, to Confession regularly and he even went to Mass during the week at times, his name was Brian. Brian was the encourager and regularly complimented others.

He always had a smile on his face, was willing to help anyone at anytime. He attended the frat parties, but was never seen intoxicated. Brian would regularly ask other Catholics to go to Mass with him on Sunday, because he wanted to help them to stay close to Jesus.

Another young man, was Paul. Paul went to Mass every Sunday and prayed the Rosary at times. But, he got drunk on occasion. One time, he was so drunk, he walked into the home of a stranger and fell asleep on their couch, only to waking up in the morning with two people who asked him to leave their home. Paul likewise, was a happy person, but at times, he got drunk.

Paul used to tell the fraternity members about his father, who he said would get up in the middle of the night, and go to the church to pray. He said many thought his dad was odd for doing such a thing. We later discovered, his father was praying his weekly Holy Hour in the middle of the night at Blessed Sacrament in Wichita.

Paul eventually graduated from college got married and raised his family in the Catholic faith. He stopped his excessive drinking and became a good husband and good father to his children. Perhaps, his change of life was due the prayers of his father in the middle of the night adoring Jesus in the Eucharist, that helped Paul to give up his sinful behavior and most likely the Virgin Mary helped him too, because he regularly prayed her Rosary.

Then there was Dennis. Dennis only went to Mass on Christmas and Easter. He didn’t know how to pray the Rosary. He hadn’t been to Confession since he was in 3^rd grade. He got drunk at frat parties and cheated on a term paper by asking a fellow frat member to do the paper for him, because he said he had no skill in writing papers and was too busy partying. The teacher knew he cheated and told him he had two choices.

One choice was to re-write the paper, which she said must have a beginning, middle and end to it, and, if he would re-write the paper, the highest grade he would receive on it, would be a B.

Or he had the choice of not re-writing the paper and the teacher would go to the Dean’s office and inform him of the cheating, and if so, he would be expelled from the college, and it would be noted on his transcript, the reason for the expulsion would be for cheating and then, almost no other college would take the student. She said she believed in him and that if he applied himself, he would do well.

Dennis decided to re-write the paper and he made sure it had a beginning, middle and an end. He received a B. He was happy the teacher believed in him because no one else believed in him before.

Dennis eventually dropped out of college and began to work full time. A few years later, he went to Confession, stopped partying, began to pray the Rosary, read the bible, and go to Mass on Sundays. He began to practice his faith, but not before he hurt many people by his sinful behavior especially himself.

Years later, when Dennis was more mature, he returned to college and ended up getting a bachelor's and a master’s degree.

One day, at the age of 22, Brian went home for Thanksgiving to be with his family. On his way home, he hit a patch of ice, rolled his car and died. Everyone understood Brian was the best witness, because he always lived out his faith by going to Mass and Confession regularly, and helped others to grow in their faith. He encouraged others and always had a smile on his face. When Brian died, he passed all his life tests and received a crown of glory. While Brian wasn’t martyred for Jesus, his life bore witness to his love of God and neighbor.

Who do you want to be like when you go to college or when you begin your new job? Brian, Paul or Dennis? And when we graduate from this life, how many life tests will we have flunked and how many tests will we have passed? No matter, what you do, or how many life tests you flunk, Jesus will always be there for you, to erase our mistakes, and help us to begin anew to be a Christian witness.