Michael, Gabriel, Raphael Archangels Sept 29th

 

Today is the feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

The history of the former feast of the Apparition of St. Michael is very remarkable. In the year 404, a wealthy man had a large herd of cattle grazing on Monte Gargano in Italy, not far from the once famous city of Siponto. One day a steer went astray from the herd and did not return with the rest of the cattle at the usual time. The owner and his hired men went in search of the steer, and finally found him on the summit of the mountain, lying at the entrance of a cave. The animal refused to leave the spot. At length the owner, exasperated by its stubbornness, took up his bow and sent an arrow toward it. However, the arrow whirled about in the air, and, coming directly toward the archer, wounded him.

All were frightened at this strange incident, and no one ventured to approach the place. They went directly to the Bishop of Siponto and related the incident to him. The holy prelate, after serious reflection, decided that there must be some mystery connected with it. He therefore prayed fervently that God's holy will, might be revealed. Thereupon St. Michael appeared to him in great splendor and said: “I am Michael, the Archangel, whoever stand before the Lord. I am keeping this place under my special protection. By this strange occurrence, I wish to remind men to celebrate the Divine service in my honor and that of all the Angels."

After this revelation, the Bishop and all the inhabitants of the place went up the mountain in solemn procession, and prayed to the Lord through the intercession of St. Michael. When they arrived at the cave, they found an entrance which led down a stairway. No one, however, ventured to enter, and they performed their devotions at the opening. After that many pilgrimages came to this spot.

Meantime, the Neapolitans decided to make war upon the inhabitants of Siponto and Benevento. The latter, at the advice of their Bishop, kept a three days' fast and called upon the assistance of the holy Archangel. During the night preceding the attack, the Archangel again appeared to the Bishop and told him that God had listened to their petitions, that in the fourth hour of the day they should courageously meet the enemy, and they would gain the victory.

As soon as the attack began, all Monte Gargano was violently shaken. The entire summit was enveloped in dark clouds, from which flashes of lightning, like fiery arrows, flew toward the enemy, who, in consequence, took to flight. In joy and gratitude, and amid devout prayer, the conquerors entered the sacred spot. They found the cavern to be perfectly formed for a church, which could hold about five hundred persons.

This cave had evidently been a place of refuge in which the early Christians had secretly held their services during times of persecution.

From a crevice in the rock, which formed the ceiling of this sanctuary, water dripped down upon the rocks. This water was very refreshing and most pleasant to the taste, and possessed healing properties. Many sick persons were instantly cured after drinking this water; others found health through the intercession of St. Michael. Many other miracles proved this place to be under the special protection of Heaven. Besides this subterranean church the Bishop erected another, in which the services were conducted by Canons Regular. This church still exists.

Today, let us ask Our Lady Queen of the Angels, to send St. Michael frequently to throughout the day. May we trust in his protection and care, knowing he will help us, especially when we have concerns about evil spirits.

26th Sunday, Lazarus & Help the Poor

 

Today’s readings are about a failure to love and care for our neighbors, due to selfishness.

Failing to love and care for one’s neighbor results in condemnation as can be seen in the first reading from the prophet Amos-- to the leaders of the people of Israel. He said, “Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall!” Because their hearts were closed and ignored the needs of the poor, all the while living a sumptuous life, God would send the people Israel into exile as a punishment.

The Gospel has a similar message. The rich man lived a sumptuous life, all the while ignoring the needs of the poor man, Lazarus, because he was selfish and had an uncaring heart. When the poor man dies, he is taken to the bosom of Abraham, but when the rich man dies, he is taken to the netherworld for punishment, for his lack of love and concern for the poor man, Lazarus.

Pope John Paul II explains why the rich man was punished. In his homily at Yankee stadium in 1979, he said, “The rich man was condemned because he did not pay attention to the other man. Because he failed to take notice of Lazarus, the person who sat at his door and who longed to eat the scraps from his table. Nowhere does Christ condemn the mere possession of earthly goods as such. Instead, he pronounces very harsh words against those who use their possessions in a selfish way, without paying attention to the needs of others.”

Today’s readings are awake up call for us. Not out of fear of punishment, but to examine how we love our neighbor. We need to look into our heart, but also to look around us at the needs of others. Are we using the material goods that God has given us—to help others? Or are we selfish with our goods? Do pay attention only to our own desires and needs, while failing to pay attention to the needs of the poor?

Don’t most of us desire things merely because we want them, rather than because we need them? Couldn’t all of us do a better job at opening the door of our heart to Lazarus? If the door of heart is open and we pay attention-- we will see Lazarus everywhere.

Lazarus is in our poor relative, who lost his job and can’t afford to pay his gas and electric bills. He is in the young woman at the Crisis Pregnancy center. He is the single working mother with children. He is in the divorced who suffer from loneliness and poverty. Lazarus is the poor soul in purgatory, who no one prays. Lazarus is the sick who carries a heavy cross. Lazarus is in those mourning the loss of a loved one.

The Catholic Church has a teaching called the principle of subsidiarity, which states that matters should be handled at the lowest level first. For example, when we help others, we are obligated to first take care of our own family members, then those from our parish, then those in our local community, and those in our country and finally those in foreign countries.

Do we financially support our relatives, those in the parish and, those in our local community.

But, what if we have little money to help others, how can we help Lazarus at our door? We can volunteer at crisis pregnancy centers or volunteer to help other charitable organizations. One of the best things, we can do to help the poor, is to pray for them, and pray that God will inspire those that can help them, to open their hearts.

Who actually is Lazarus? Obviously, Lazarus is every poor person. But whom does Lazarus represent? Matthew Chap. 25 explains who the person is--- in the context of the obligation of helping the poor in the light of the final judgment. Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him... He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me….., for what you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me. Then He will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.”

We see in this scripture, “Jesus is disguised in the poor”. Today, may we open our hearts to serve Jesus in the poor, by paying attention to the needs of others and helping them. And, when our earthly life will have ended, we will be carried by angels to rest in the bosom of God our Father in heaven, who will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”, you paid attention to the needs of others, you have opened your heart and so have loved much, come and enjoy the banquet prepared for you by my Father.

24th Friday Eucharist - Medjugorje

 

What is the role of Our Lady? Always Her primary role is the bring Her spiritual children to Her Son Jesus.

After the Rosary on Apparition Hill yesterday, as I was climbing down the pathway from the top, Ivan came by and I said his name, “Ivan!” He stopped and I said, “May I give you a blessing?” He smiled and nodded his head. I gave him a priestly blessing and he said, “Come tonight to my house!” I said, “What time?” He said, “4:45pm”. I said, “Okay, I’ll see you there.” He smiled and went down the hill in the most rapid manner like a goat.

When I arrived later at 4:45pm, the chapel at Ivan’s house, was filled with priests and there were about 7 religious sisters and brothers. We prayed the Rosary then he had an apparition that lasted about 5 minutes. During the apparition, I prayed for all of you, for the people of my parish, my family and godchildren, for Ivanna and her family.

After the Virgin Mary, Our Lady Queen of Peace departed, he explained what our Lady said, he said she prayed over the priests and prayed over our parishes and for each diocese from where the priest is from. She then said to the priests, “Open your parishes to perpetual adoration and they will be renewed.” Ivan said when She spoke about priests and religious, she always said, “My dear children, by beloved.”

In the US, there are many perpetual adoration chapels. My diocese of Wichita most every parish has either perpetual adoration or extended adoration. Some parishes are too small to have perpetual. When I was assigned to my parish of Holy Trinity, a very small parish with 60 families, I preached on Eucharistic Adoration on Sundays and then we started adoration. In fact, today is the 5^th anniversary of Sept 19^th of starting continuous adoration. We have adoration from Sunday after the 8am Mass until Tuesday morning at 7am. The people signed up for 42 continuous hours of adoration. Over 70% of all families signed up for a Holy Hour.

In the Gospel today, the apostles and other women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna followed Jesus wherever He went. He preached the kingdom of God and proclaimed the Good News. Just as they wanted to be with Jesus, we too can be in His physical presence.

In the Eucharist is truly Jesus in His resurrected body. Do you spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist? Do you go to your church on a regular basis to be with Jesus? Find a parish near you that has perpetual adoration. Look to see if they have an opening that you can sign up to make a Holy Hour with Jesus every week. Jesus told Peter, James and John during His agony in the garden, “Will you not spend one hour with me?”

During adoration Jesus touches our soul and heals our wounds (spiritual, emotional, and physical). Untold graces are poured out upon us when we are sitting before Jesus in adoration.

The word adoration means “to gaze upon someone with love.” One day, St. John Vianney saw a man sitting in his church. He noticed the man sitting there every day for hours. He walked up to the man and said, “What are you saying to Jesus as you sit here all day?” The man said, “Nothing, I just look at Him and He looks at me!”

A saint said, “When you make a Holy Hour many souls go to heaven, who otherwise would have gone to hell.” St Carlo Acutis said, “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.” He also said, “When we stand under the sun, we get sun tanned. If we spend time with Jesus before the Blessed Sacrament, we become holy.”

In the Eucharist Jesus longs for you to be with Him. When you go before Him, give Him your fears, worries and your heartaches. When are with Jesus ask Him for advice. Ask Him to touch the hearts of your family members, your friends and your enemies. And be sure to sit and listen to Jesus.

Pope Paul VI said, “When you make a Holy Hour, graces are poured out, not only on you, but your family, your parish and the entire world.”

When Our Lady comes as Queen of Peace, She wants to bring every person to Her Son, the King of Peace. Our Lady told priests when they start perpetual adoration their parishes will be renewed.

My friends, if you want peace in your heart, in your families and in the world, come and bow down in humble reverence before the King of Peace and allow yourself to be an instrument of peace. When you gaze upon the Eucharist you will gaze upon the humility of Christ. Jesus humbles Himself to take on the appearance of bread, but it's not bread at all. It is truly Jesus. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Let the world shake, let all mankind tremble, when the Son of God, God Himself becomes present in the hands of the priest. Look brothers at the humility of God! Humble yourself as Jesus humbled Himself. O sublime dignity. O humble sublimity.”

Finally, I would like to encourage you to give reverence to Jesus before Holy Communion by bowing your head, or genuflect or kneel. And pray about receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. Your tongue becomes a throne for the King and prevents Sacred Particles from falling to the ground when received on the hand. The Council of Trent taught that every particle of the Sacred Host is the true presence of Jesus.

Surely, the Virgin Mary received Jesus on the tongue from John the Apostle when She attended his Masses. After all, he took her into his home and as an apostle he offered Mass.

When we enter a Catholic Church, before going inside the pew, we are required to genuflect, not to the altar, but to Jesus in the tabernacle, because He as King of Heaven and Earth is truly present. We go down on our right knee, which by the way is reserved to God alone. When a man proposes to a girl to be his wife, he is to genuflect on his left knee, which is for human beings, but the right knee is reserved to God alone. Early Christians were killed for refusing to genuflect on their right knee to idols and/or images of the emperor, who claimed to be a god.

May Our Lady, help you to grow in love with Her Son in the Eucharist and spend time with Him in adoration and try to be with Him often as the apostles and the holy women in today’s Gospel.

Our Lady Queen of Peace, bring us to Jesus, You Son, the King of Peace, so as to receive Him daily at Mass and adore Him in Eucharistic Adoration. We have a tabernacle in the small chapel of Magnificat. There is Adoration next door at Oasis of Peace and there is a perpetual adoration chapel near St James Church, which has adoration from 2 to 4:30pm. How moving to see over 5000 pilgrims adore Jesus at night.

Let us give thanks to God for sending the Blessed Mother, the Queen of Peace, to us, here on earth, so as to draw all of us to Jesus, Her Son in the Eucharist, the King of Peace.

Triumph of the Cross (Sunday)

Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The public veneration of the Cross of Christ originated in the fourth century, beginning with the miraculous discovery of the cross on September 14, 326, by Saint Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine. Out of an aversion to Christianity, heathens had done all in their power to conceal the place where it lay, and where Jesus was buried. They heaped upon His sepulcher a great quantity of stones and rubbish, besides building a temple to Venus. They also erected a statue to Jupiter in the place where Jesus rose from the dead.

Helena ordered the profane building to be pulled down, the statues to be broken in pieces, and the rubbish to be removed; and upon digging to a great depth, they discovered the Holy Sepulcher, and near it three crosses; also the nails which had pierced our Savior’s body, and the title which had been affixed to his cross. By this discovery they understood that one of the three crosses was that of Jesus and that the other two belonged to the two who were crucified with Jesus. The title was found separate from the cross.

The three crosses were carried in procession to the bed of a woman, who was at the point of death. The touch of the first two had no effect, but when the woman was touched, with the last Cross, the woman suddenly got better. St. Helena wanted to check for herself if this was the True Cross, so she asked that a man, who was already dead and buried, be taken to the Cross. And when he came in contact with the Cross, he became alive.

St. John Chrysostom describes the incredible triumph of the Cross. He said, “You have observed His outstanding triumph, the splendid achievement of the cross. Now let me tell you something even more remarkable, the manner in which He gained His victory, and you will marvel all the more! Christ conquered the devil using the same means and the same weapons that the devil used to win. Let me tell you how this occurred.

The symbols of our fall were a virgin, a tree and death. The virgin was Eve (for she had not yet known man); then there was the tree; and death was Adam’s penalty. And again these three tokens of our destruction, the virgin, the tree and death, became the tokens of our victory. Instead of Eve there was Mary; instead of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the wood of the cross; instead of Adam’s death, the death of Christ.

Do you see then that the devil was defeated by the very means he used to conquer? By a tree the devil laid Adam low, and by a tree Christ defeated him... The first death condemned those who were born afterward, but the second death raised up even those who were born before… Do you now understand the victory and the way it was won?

Learn now how this victory was achieved without any labor or effort of our own. We bloodied no weapons, nor stood on the battle line, nor bore any wounds, nor saw any fighting, and yet we won the victory. It was the Lord’s combat, but ours was the crown. And since it is our victory, let us be like soldiers and raise joyous voices in song in praise of our achievement. Praising the Lord let us say: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’"

All this was the glorious result of the cross. The cross is our trophy raised against the demons, our sword against sin, and the sword Christ used to pierce the serpent. The cross is the Father’s will, the glory of the only-begotten, the joy of the Spirit, the pride of the angels, the guarantee of the Church, Paul’s boast, the bulwark of the saints, and the light of the entire world.”

Let us not forget, that His Mother Mary stood beneath Her Son’s Cross. May we contemplate in our heart what She endured gazing upon Her crucified Son.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Sept 8th

 

Today, September 8th, we are celebrating the Feast of the Birth of Mary. The Church celebrates three birthdays liturgically. The Birth of Jesus on Christmas. The Birth of John the Baptist on June 24th and the Birth of Mary, on Sept. 8th.

The Church celebrates Mary’s birthday liturgically, 9 months after Her Immaculate Conception is celebrated on Dec. 8th.

Today’s Feast provides us with an occasion for praise and thanksgiving in honor of the personal sanctity and vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of the Lord Jesus.
One may wonder, where was the Virgin Mary born? Since the Holy Bible does not provide us with the answer to that question, we have to turn to the early Church traditions to determine what the Christians believed in those days.
On tradition goes back to a writing around A.D. 580, that indicates the Blessed Virgin Mary was born in Bethlehem. The belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, educated and greeted by the angel in the Holy House of Loreto has been supported popes over the centuries. (Paul II, 1471; Julius II, 1507; Leo X, 1519; Paul III, 1535; Pius IV, 1565; Sixtus V, 1586; and Innocent XII, 1698.)

The prophecy that is found in the Old Testament Book of Micah is seen as being fulfilled in the Gospel of Matthew. "But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old." [Mic. 5:2; Mt. 2:6]
Also, the prophecy that is found in the Book of Isaiah is seen as being fulfilled in Matthew 1:23. "'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel' which means, 'God is with us.'" [Is. 7:14; Mt. 1:23]
Matthew 1:25 tells us that Mary brought forth a Son, and He was named Jesus, the name given by the angel who appeared to Joseph. [Mt. 1:21]

The source of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal gospel written about A.D. 150. According to this account, Anne and Joachim are infertile but prayed for a child. The tradition is that the couple was childless until an angel appeared to Anne and told her that she would conceive. They receive the promise of a child that will advance God's plan of salvation for the world.

It’s also believed an angel appeared to Joachim. The angel may have said, “Joachim, rejoice! God has heard your prayer and your wife Anne, shall conceive and give birth to a daughter, whose nativity will become joy for the entire world.”

When the Jews were not able to have a child, it was considered a sign of God’s rejection; a public disgrace. However, in the Old Testament there are many cases God intervened to show His favor. Isaac was born from the childless Sarah. Samuel from the childless Hannah. John the Baptist from the barren Elizabeth. And so God, blessed Joachim and Anne in their old age with a providential daughter destined to become the Mother of God. Only in the womb of St. Anne, did God create a human being without original sin.

Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawn of our salvation, and asks for an increase of peace.

We can see every human birth as a call for new hope in the world. The love of two human beings has joined with God in his creative work. The loving parents have shown hope in a world filled with travail. The new child has the potential to be a channel of God’s love and peace to the world.

This is all true in a magnificent way in Mary. If Jesus is the perfect expression of God’s love, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus has brought the fullness of salvation, Mary is its dawning.

Birthday celebrations bring happiness to the celebrant as well as to family and friends. Next to the birth of Jesus, Mary’s birth offers the greatest possible happiness to the world. Each time we celebrate her birth, we can confidently hope for an increase of peace in our hearts and in the world at large.

Today, let us celebrate the birth of Blessed Virgin Mary, by praying an extra Rosary for Her intention.

23rd Sunday - Place Jesus Above Everything

 

“What does God want me to do with my life?” is a question young people have before they go to college. Later in life, when we are at crossroad we can also ask the same question. The main answer to the question is actually simple. The Baltimore Catechism states, “We are to know God, to love God, and to serve Him in this world, and to be

happy with Him forever in heaven.”

We know we are to serve God by serving our family, helping those in the community, working at a specific kind of job we believe God wants us to do. If we are young it means what sports or activities does God want me to do? We should ask the Lord and then trust He will give an answer. To do God’s will also means to avoid sin and to live a life of virtue. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

But, how else can we know what God wants me to do?

“Who can know God’s counsel or who can conceive what the Lord intends?” asks the first reading from Wisdom. The reading concludes that God sent wisdom and “thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.” That wisdom sent by God is Jesus. Jesus is the Wisdom of God, the Revelation of God. So now when we want to know God’s counsel or conceive what the Lord intends is to listen to the words of Jesus. God has not left us in the dark. When we have to discern, we have the Wisdom of God in Jesus to guide us.

We see that Wisdom of God as Jesus gives three pieces of advice in the Gospel on what it means to be his disciple. The first advice for a would-be disciple of Jesus is to place Jesus first always, above everything, even family. Jesus uses the strong Jewish language that one cannot be his disciple without “hating” family members. Of course, Jesus does not literally mean to hate others. After all, he said we are to love our enemies and God wants us to honor our father and mother. What Jesus is asking is that we love Him more than our family.

Jesus wants us to have an undivided heart and purity of intention so as to give ourselves to Him. A spirit of detachment from everything gives us the freedom to commit ourselves to Jesus and to do whatever He desires of us.

The second piece of advice is that whoever does not carry his cross cannot be Jesus’ disciple. Everyone who heard Jesus knew what carrying a cross meant since crucifixion was the capital punishment used by the Roman.

We need to deny our self and deny our desires if we wish to follow Jesus. It is another way of repeating the first advice, to be detached from everything to be able to give ourselves to Christ. Whatever the particular cross is for each of us, notice that Jesus says to carry it after him. We are not alone, we are following Jesus with His cross.

The third piece of advice is to renounce all our possessions to follow Jesus. This is especially lived by those who enter religious life as nuns, sisters and religious brothers, who literally detach themselves from everything so that their only possession is Jesus.

For the rest of us, it means living the spirit of detachment remembering we cannot serve both God and mammon (wealth and riches).

So really all three pieces of advice Jesus is asking: to be free from everything so that we can give ourselves fully to Him. Jesus says his advice about detachment is for those who are thinking about on becoming His disciple, for those who are asking “What does God want me to do with my life?” Jesus said they must consider carefully before embarking on the life of a disciple if we are capable of making these sacrifices just like someone who builds a tower needs to work out if he can finish the tower and someone going to war needs to work out if it is worth it.

For those discerning a vocation to the priesthood, these words of Jesus challenge to be diligent in discerning properly like those in the parables today who had to discern building a tower or going to battle. While the Gospel today focuses on what we give up for Jesus, it is good to remember that what we gain is far more than what we give up.

Prayer is the food to give us strength to follow Jesus in the detached way he asks. Prayer is that daily companionship with Jesus when we actively put Jesus first, but not only then, it also strengthens us to put Jesus first for the rest of the day. Coming to daily Mass to receive Holy Communion, spending time in Eucharistic Adoration, confessing sins regularly, all play an important role in being a faithful disciple of Jesus and coming to know what God desires in my life.

Ask Mary to help you place Jesus above everything: school, sports, job, family and material things.

Take up your cross, renounce the things of the world and seek to be a faithful disciple. And if you want to know what specific thing God is asking of you, pray a Rosary Novena and the Virgin Mary will intercede and give you the grace to respond whole hardheartedly to know God, to love God, to serve God, so that you can be with Him forever in heaven.

Mostly taken from Fr. Tommy Lane's Homily