2nd Sunday Year A Confession

 

In the Gospel today, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world." John the Baptist was to prepare the people of his time for Jesus by encouraging them to repent and seek forgiveness for their sins.

When Jesus began His public ministry, He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel."

One who acknowledges their sins, repents and confesses them, is open to hearing what Jesus has to say and having a relationship with Him. If we are reconciled with God, we have union with Him.

Jesus Himself instituted the Sacrament of Confession. Our Lord told the apostles, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” Our Lord also said, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

From the beginning of Christianity, Christians repented by confessing their sins. St. Paul said, “We are ambassadors of Christ.” An ambassador is who is sent on behalf of another person. He said, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Confession, like all sacraments, is an encounter with Jesus. So when we confess our sins in confession, we are confessing them to Jesus. In our encounter with Jesus, He Himself absolves the sins. The priest says, “I absolve you from your sins.”, but the priest in his own name cannot absolve sins.

St. Basil the Great, in 374 AD, said early Christians confessed to the Apostles. He said, "It is necessary to confess our sins to those to whom the dispensation of God’s mysteries is entrusted. Those doing penance of old are found to have done it before the saints. It is written in the Gospel that they confessed their sins to John the Baptist [Matt. 3:6], but in Acts [19:18] they confessed to the apostles."

St. Cyprian of Carthage in 251 AD, (about 200 years after Jesus) said Christians confessed their sins to priests. He said, "Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who... confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience.... I beseech you, brethren, let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and remission made through the priests are still pleasing before the Lord."

The apostles, bishops and priests of the early Church, and up to today, heard confessions. For 1,500 years, all Catholics confessed their sins and no one questioned it, until the Protestant revolt with Martin Luther. To not confess sins to a priest is Protestant.

Mortal sin causes us to be separated from God and when we come to confession we are reconciled with God. If we commit a mortal sin, we are obligated to confess our sins in confession.

St. Paul said, “whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” To receive Holy Communion while in the state of mortal sin is an additional mortal called a sacrilegious communion which is a more grievous sin, because it is a direct offense against God.

If we have mortal sin on our soul and if we receive the Eucharist, without going to Confession, we receive absolutely no grace whatsoever from Holy Communion, but rather, deeply offend Our Lord and add many years of purgatory time for us or if we refuse to confess mortal sins, we could lose heaven and go to hell forever.

There are various reasons why some don't receive Holy Communion: For example someone may have accidentally ate something and broke the one hour fast before Communion, or someone may not be Catholic. Or a person may have an upset stomach and fear vomiting. Or if a person's soul is not in the state of grace (due to missing Mass on Sunday or some other serious sin) and needs to go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion. It takes humility to stay in the pew, when we shouldn't receive Holy Communion.

At every Mass, the Church reminds us we are unworthy to receive Holy Communion. The priest elevates the Host saying the words of John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." The people respond declaring their unworthiness, saying, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, by only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

Confession reconciles us back to God telling Him, “O God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you.” I want to come back to You and once again be one with You. And so when we go to Confession, we are reconciled with Him and He embraces us. When the prodigal son comes back home full of repentance, his father runs to embrace him. We restore our friendship lost due to our sins.

Confession washes away sins and prepares our heart for Jesus. Our soul is cleansed and made pure. Confession is the Sacrament of Mercy. God in His loving kindness, out the depths of His love, forgives us. Though we don’t deserve His mercy, it’s a total gift.

Confession is called the Sacrament of Conversion. It is a turning away from sin and turning toward God. We resolve to never commit the sin again and to “amend our life.” When we confess our sins to a priest, we receive advice on how to overcome our sins. We receive penance to make up for our sins. Just a reminder, we have Confession 30 minutes before every Mass.

My friends, every day we should examine our conscience so as to daily strive to improve our friendship and relationship with Jesus. May the Virgin Mary, refuge of sinners, help us to have a sacramental encounter with Jesus in Confession and receive His mercy frequently.

Baptism of the Lord - Consecration

 

Today is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Why did Jesus get baptized since He is God is sinless?

In humility Jesus was baptized to identify with us. He did it as an example for us. His baptism revealed the Blessed Trinity. The Father spoke revealing Jesus is His Son, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." The Holy Spirit appeared in the form a dove.

The baptism administered by John was a sign of repentance from sin, a sign of turning away from sin. Because of original sin and personal sin, we all need baptism to begin our life with God.

In a conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus explained our need for baptism. “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above. . . Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.

Through Baptism, we belong to God and become a child of God. Original sin, personal sin and punishment due to sin are washed away. Our heart becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. God comes to dwell within us, we receive gifts and enter into God's divine life.

Baptism is a consecration, which means a person or thing is handed over to God and belongs to God. Our church is consecrated to God and chalices. When a priest is ordained, he is consecrated to God. Religious sisters and brothers are consecrated to God. When anyone is baptized, they belong to God. They are consecrated to Him.

We renew our baptismal promises every year at Easter. When priest asks the questions to renew baptism, the people respond saying, "I do." Let us renew our baptismal promises now.

Do you renounce Satan? I do.
And all his works? I do.
And all his empty show? I do.
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? I do.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father? I do.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? I do.

The first three questions in our baptismal promises concern turning away from evil. The other questions, we profess our faith as a disciple of Jesus. Because we all have a tendency to turn away from God, every year, we renew our baptismal promises and need to confess regularly which helps us be docile to God, to surrender to God, to allow Him to have dominion over us, to live our baptismal promises as disciples of Jesus.

There are consecration prayers in the pews to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Joseph. We use them for our self, family, our parish, and we can consecrate a particular concern or intention as well.

St. Louis de Montfort developed a 33 day method of consecration, whereby one can consecrate themselves to Jesus through Mary.

Consecrations are really rededicating ourselves to our original consecration to God at baptism because whatever we give to Our Lady She gives to God. So, when we consecrate ourselves to Mary, we are really consecrating and rededicating ourselves to God with Her help and at the same time renew our original consecration to God at our baptism.

Just as we need a father and mother for our life to begin, for the life of God in us-- we need God and Our Lady. As our spiritual mother, Our Lady is with us from the moment of our baptism because that is the moment when the life of God first enters our souls.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort said, "Mary, the beloved Mother of chosen souls, shelters them under Her protecting wings as a hen does her chicks. She speaks to them, coming down to their level and accommodating Herself to all their weaknesses. To ensure their safety from the hawk and vulture, She becomes their escort, surrounding them as an army in battle array."

Those who consecrate themselves to God with the help of Our Lady, receive more protection and care for their spiritual well-being, to live out their baptismal promises.

The closer we are to Our Lady, the closer we will be to God and the more like Our Lady we will surrender to God and the better we will live our baptismal promises as one of His disciples.

In 1991, I was working at Hadley Regional Medical Center in Hays as a Supply and Sterilization manger. Some friends encouraged me to do the St. Louis de Montfort Consecration to Jesus, through Mary which I did on Dec 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. At that time, I felt that God wanted me to become a priest. But, because I owed $6,900 in college loans, it would take years to pay them off.

Several weeks after the consecration, while living in Ellis, Kansas, one night I went into the darkened church of St. Marys. Lit candles guided me to a statue of Mary. I knelt down and prayed, "O Blessed Mother, a few weeks ago, I consecrated myself to you. I gave my self to you, my body, my life, my soul, and all that I am. I feel God is calling me to be a priest, but I owe $6,900. There is one thing I did not give you, my bills. As of now, you owe $6,900. You take care of it!" I got up and walked out of the church.

Two weeks later, the two hospitals in Hays merged and they told us, that if we quit we would receive our pension. I was surprised to learn I had $10,000, which paid off my loans. There is no doubt in my mind, when I did the Consecration, Our Lady took care of my bills, so I could become a priest.

I have a few Consecration books by St. Louis de Montfort. If anyone wants to do the consecration, take one.

We should treat our baptism day as a feast day and celebrate it, like our birthday, with cake and ice-cream. You can celebrate your natural birth day and your supernatural birthday into the life of God through baptism. Look at your baptism certificate and find out your date to celebrate.

Today, let us give thanks to God for our baptism and let us for pray others to receive that beautiful gift. And may you consecrate yourself to Jesus and Mary, often. Partially Taken from Fr. Tommy Lane

Epiphany - Star & Adoration

 

Today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany. We know from Sacred Scripture three wise men followed the star to find Jesus, the newborn King to adore Him and offer Him gifts.

When they arrived in Jerusalem and after visiting with Herod, the star preceded them. "And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the Child was." "They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the Child with Mary His Mother."

It states the star stopped over a house, therefore, the Holy Family moved out of the cave and into a house.

Tradition is that the magi didn't arrive the same night Jesus was born, but arrived on January 6th, 12 to 13 days after Jesus was born. Because they arrived on Jan 6th, the universal Church celebrates the Epiphany on that day, while the USA and a few other countries celebrate the Epiphany the 2nd Sunday after Christmas.

Do you recall on Dec. 21^st of 2020, a great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter appeared in the sky that looked like a star? Of course, two planets don't make a star, but when in conjunction, it looked like a star. The last time this occurred was nearly 800 years ago in 1226. Some suspected this was the star of Bethlehem.

However, St. Ignatius of Antioch, who died about 60 years after the death of Jesus, wrote, “A star appeared in the heavens which eclipsed all other stars; its light was indescribable, and its novelty caused astonishment.” Some who try to explain the Christmas star as a union of planets are ruling out the miraculous nature of the star’s appearance. But, if God sent angels to shepherds to announce the birth of the Savior and sing “Glory to God in the Highest”, He certainly could have made a miraculous star guide the wise men.

The conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter as the Christmas star, conflicts with scripture, that tells us while the Magi were in Jerusalem, the star disappeared. But as they set out for Bethlehem, it appeared again. Then it went forward and halted over the house where the Divine Child was with Mary and Joseph. And when the magi entered the house, they adored the Child and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense & myrrh.

The star guided the three kings to find the Christ Child, but God illuminated the hearts of the three pagans to understand, the Child was Messiah, God, Savior and King. Inspired by divine grace they fell to their knees in worship of the Infant God. St Augustine said, “Would they have done this, if they had not recognized Him as the Eternal King?”

Balthasar was from Ethiopia in Africa. He brought myrrh. Myrrh was placed on dead bodies of Jews to prevent decomposing. By offering myrrh they desired to testify to the human nature of Jesus, destined for future suffering, death and burial.

Melchior, was from Persia, which is modern day, Iran. He brought Frankincense, which comes from aromatic oil, used by Jews to offer sacrifice. It was Jewish custom to offer incense to God alone and could be burnt only before God. Any human king to whom incense was offered was an abomination. Caesar declared himself a god and wanted all to burn incense before his images. But Christians refused and suffered martyrdom. So when incense was offered to the Child Jesus, the Magi wished to express their worship of God hidden under the lowly form of a child. 

Caspar was from Tarsus. He was European, whose gift was gold. By offering gold, they acknowledged Him as king. Gold is for a king, and symbolizes the Divinity of the Child Jesus, the newborn King. It is believed all three, although from different countries, providentially met on their journey to Bethlehem.

When the Magi and the shepherds found the Baby Jesus, they prostrated themselves before the Divine Infant. It would have taken faith on the part of the shepherds and the magi, to give homage to Jesus, the newborn King. And it takes faith to believe Jesus in the Eucharist is the same Son of God the wise men worshiped as a Child. We believe the Sacred Host is really Jesus. We adore and worship the Eucharist. At Mass, we kneel because we believe God Himself becomes present on the altar in the Host. When the Host is elevated above the altar, we gaze in adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist. As Catholics, we adore and can even prostrate our self before Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration or before a tabernacle.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph, the first to adore the infant Son of God, help us adore Jesus in the Eucharist by giving Him not gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but the gifts of love from our hearts, good works from our sacrifices, and we offer our prayers which rise like incense before His throne in heaven.

Holy Name of Jesus - January 3rd

 

Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus. The name of Jesus reminds us of so many wonderful things about Our Lord and His goodness toward us.

For example, at the annunciation the Holy Name will forever refer Our Lord’s incarnation, Mary’s Motherhood, and that Jesus would save us from our sins.

The first mention of the name of Jesus, was at the annunciation, when the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “You shall conceive and bear a Son and give Him the name Jesus”.(Luke 1:31)

At the incarnation, Jesus became man in the womb of Mary. It was then He took upon our human nature, so that His body would be an instrument of our salvation.

At the annunciation, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us-- in Mary, She became the Mother of Jesus, and so, became the Mother of God. The Holy Name of Jesus therefore reminds us that Mary is the Mother of God.

When the angel Gabriel appeared to St. Joseph in a dream, we come to know that the name “Jesus” means “Savior” as the angel said, “Thou shall name Him Jesus, because He shall save His people from their sins”. Later, throughout the life of Jesus, He would often forgive sinners to save them from their sins.

At 8 days old, when Our Lord formally received the name “Jesus”, it was then He first shed His blood for us. As scripture states, “When the eighth day arrived for His circumcision, the name Jesus was given to the Child.” (Luke 2:21)

When Jesus would suffer and die on the Cross, during the great act of Redemption, above His head would be nailed His name: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”.

Jesus, the Redeemer of mankind, would give us His body and blood for us on the Cross to free us from our sins and open the gates of paradise. Our Lord cannot help but be moved when we ask Him to forgive our sins. After all, that is why He died on the Cross. Recall the words of the good thief, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Therefore, whenever we sin, we should immediately remember to call upon the name of Jesus, asking Him to forgive our sins, and then go to confession to be washed in His merciful blood.

The name of Jesus is also associated with the healing of sickness and disease. For example, at Pentecost, the name of Jesus was used by St. Peter to heal a cripple. He said, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, walk!”

St. Peter also gave witness to Our Lord’s name being used to save people from hell. He told the rulers, “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which, we must be saved”. (Acts 4:12). As the one mediator between God and man, Jesus is the only way to heaven. St. Paul told the Philippians, “God has exalted Him, and bestowed upon the name that is above every other name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bend on earth and under the earth.” (Pil. 2:9)

"Above the earth and under the earth" refers to every creature paying homage to Jesus the King. Because Our Lord sits on His royal throne, every principality and power, including 9 choirs of angels, and the devil and his fallen angels bend their knees at the Holy Name of Jesus. The Name of Jesus is the terror of demons, and so when we are tempted, we should call upon the name of Jesus to protect us.

Our Lord also told us that whatever we ask in His name, it will be given to us. We should therefore not be afraid to call upon the name of Jesus in all our needs, whether they be spiritual, emotional, or material needs.

The Blessed Virgin Mary in Her Magnificat, reminds us, God’s name is holy. She said, “Holy is His name”. The 10 commandments, tell us to not to take the Lord’s name in vain. God’s name is so holy, that is seriously sinful to say the name of Jesus in an irreverent manner. If we hear someone take the Lord’s name in vain, we can make reparation for this blasphemy by reverently saying the Holy Name of Jesus aloud.

One of the greatest promoters of the Holy Name of Jesus was a Franciscan saint by the name of St. Bernadine of Siena. Because of his preaching, the name of Jesus was added to the Hail Mary, as we pray, “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” He also promoted the Holy name of Jesus by the monogram IHS.

The first letter of each word-- refer to the phrase, “Jesus, Savior of Humanity”. I is for Jesus, H for humanity and the S for Savior. The IHS letters can also be seen on the back of the vestment I am wearing.

Finally, let us not forget the Holy Name of Jesus refers to a person. Although He can heal us, forgive us, save us and give us whatever we ask, let us remember He loves us, cares for us, walks with us, and is truly a friend who will never abandon us.

As we prepare to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist, may we resolve to keep the name of Jesus on our lips, within our thoughts, and in our heart, and remember to also utter the Holy Name of Mary, for without Her, fiat, we never could have known the Holy Name of Jesus.