30th Sunday "Love God and Neighbor by Words & Actions"

 

When I was young, I was not a good Catholic, I didn’t go to confession for many years and rarely attended Sunday Mass. After high school, I gave bad example by words and example. I developed the bad habit of cussing and went to college drinking parties. I didn’t attempt to love God with all my heart and love my neighbor as myself. I lived a very selfish life, without thinking about how my behavior affects others, or myself, or how it affected God.

In college, one day, I went over to a couple’s house, who had several children. We were friends for years. But, in front of their children, out of my mouth came a very foul word. The mother of the children said, “That’s it, get out of my house. You will not say dirty words like that in front of my children.” I apologized and said, “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.” She said, “I said, you are leaving my house now!” Embarrassed because of my behavior, I felt bad and left. About a month later, I asked if I could come to their house, like I had many times before. She replied, “Yes, but if you say one dirty word, out you go.” I said, “I will not.” It was at that moment, I realized how my words hurt others and gave bad example for children.

Since that day, I put a rubber band around my wrist and whenever I accidentally cussed, I snapped the rubber band. After several weeks, my wrist became sore, but I eventually stopped cussing all together and I never cuss now.

In 1990, I heard about the Virgin Mary’s messages in Medjugorje. And began to daily pray the Rosary, to confess monthly, read the bible daily, fast on Wed and Fridays, and attend Mass regularly. When I started to daily pray the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, I saw in my own mind, how my sins hurt Jesus. They caused Jesus to be scourged, crowned with thorns, carry His Cross and be crucified. By meditating on the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, I also came to understand how much Jesus loved me. Out His love and mercy, Jesus reached down from heaven and helped me to be a better person.

In the Gospel today, a scribe came to Jesus, asking, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Our Blessed Lord replied, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And the second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

To love God with all our heart, all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength is to put God first in everything. St Charles de Foucauld said, “If we love GOD with all our heart, we want only His good, only His will, toward the good, every moment of our lives. All our thoughts must be for Him, for His sake, all words must be uttered for His sake; and all our actions must be performed for His sake. At every moment of our lives we must aim at only one thing, we must seek one goal, to think, to say, and to do what pleases our beloved Lord.”

The first reading from Exodus gives a glimpse into loving one’s neighbor. They were to not harm the weak but rather help them. They were to not oppress the foreigner, nor do no wrong to the widow or an orphan.

The question today is this. Are our actions and our words helping or hurting others? Do our actions and words build others up or tear others down. Do our actions and words point others to heaven or point them away from heaven? In a nutshell are we helping others to get to heaven or leading others to hell?

If we love God with all our our heart, our soul, our mind and all our strength, all our thoughts, words and actions are directed to please God. To do His will. To show God, we love Him, by not hurting Him by our sins.

Our sins first and foremost hurt God, second our sins hurt our own soul, and third, at times our sins hurt others.

Are your words and actions pleasing to God? Are you seeking to do what God wants? Or are you allowing your words and actions to be an obstacle for others.

Over the past year, I have spoken with a number of non-Catholics inviting them to become Catholic. Most are willing to hear what I say, but several non-Catholics told me there are young Catholics and adult Catholics who say and do offensive things in public, and said they are hypocrites. They did not give me any names.

I responded saying, “We are all sinners. We all make mistakes and that God especially loves sinners.” I said, “In every denomination there are people who don’t always live as good Christians”. Jesus said, “I did not come for the righteous, I came for sinners.”

Then I got to thinking, “How do we live our lives as Catholics?” To say everyone is a sinner, was a cheap way to respond to their comments. Being a sinner, because everyone else is a sinner, doesn’t give us the right to say and do whatever we want, because our words and actions either help others or hurt others. Our behaviors can be scandalous, preventing others from joining our church or they can be virtuous and inspire others to join our church.

Local people told me there are Catholic high school youth from our parish who are bullies, they make fun other kids, they use their phones to harass other children. The person told me, they take graphic images of students and send them out humiliating the person whose picture they took. This is seriously sinful. And could be a mortal sin requiring confession, before one receives Holy Communion.

Non-Catholics told me adults from our parish use foul language in front of their children and they don’t like it. I was told Catholics at PJ’s openly cuss, say negative things about others and tell dirty jokes.

The Lord God said, “You shall not wrong any widow of orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.” God is not only speaking of orphans and widows, He is speaking of every neighbor, every person. Jesus said, “What you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do unto me.”

If we oppress others by speaking negatively of them, if we oppress others by our dirty words, if we oppress others by bulling them, if we oppress others by making fun of or humiliating them, God hears the cries of the oppressed.

My dear friends, we are all human and we all make mistakes. We are all sinners. But we must realize our words and our actions can either please God or offend Him. Our words and actions can either hurt others or help others. Our words and actions can lead others closer to Jesus or lead others away from Jesus. Are we an encourager or a discourager? Do will build up others or tear them down? Do we prevent others from being Catholic or help them become Catholic?

When we go to your judgment God will show us how our actions and words affected the lives of others.

By confessing only once or twice a year, one can develop a clouded conscience, where he or she wrongly believes one doesn’t sin. By failing to acknowledge and confess our sins, we become blind to our sins, blind to how we hurt others and blind to how we hurt Jesus.

Every day we have the opportunity to change our life, to be a better person, to truly love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as our self. Jesus patiently waits for us to come to Him to confess our sins, give us peace and help us overcome them. Let us all strive to be holy and give a good example, by our words and actions.

29th Sunday Vote for Life, Family, Morality & Religious Freedom

 

Should religion be involved in politics or do we disassociate our faith from politics and government especially when going to the voting box?

In today’s Gospel the Pharisees plot how to trap Jesus in His speech. They present a dilemma to Him that can't be solved with a yes or no.

If Jesus says it is lawful to pay the census tax, then He will appear to be a Roman sympathizer and will discredit Himself in the eyes of the Jews who saw the Roman rule of Judea as an intolerable burden. If Jesus says it is not lawful to pay the tax, then the Herodians will report Him to the Roman authorities for instigating a tax revolt.

Jesus knew they were testing Him and asked them to show Him a coin for the census tax. By producing the coin used for taxes, the Pharisees are publicly exposed as hypocrites. They oppose Roman taxation in principle, but apparently pay it just like every Jew.

On one side of the coin, had the words "Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus". On the other side, it declares Tiberius to be "High Priest". Obviously he was not divine nor a High Priest. It is ironic the coin, with these two inscriptions, is being shown to the One who is truly the Son of God and the Eternal High Priest.

Jesus is able to avoid the trap of the Pharisees by making a distinction between political obligations and religious obligations. Paying taxes does not compromise of one's duties toward God, nor does serving God exempt one from supporting the civil government. Jesus implicitly subordinates the claims of Caesar to the claims of God. If the Roman coin bears Caesar's image, then it belongs to him and should be given back to him.

Does faith play a role in politics and in government? Or are we to disassociate our faith from politics and government?

We are Christian at all times. Jesus said, “Whoever denies me, denies the one who sent me.” And the decisions at ballot box affects not only us, but all are affected by the political leader for whom we vote.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2240, Catholics have a moral obligation to promote the common good through the exercise of their voting privileges.

God has given us the freedom to choose between right and wrong. The freedom to choose to love Him and serve Him or the freedom to reject Him. We have the freedom to choose candidates which will use their authority in a good moral way or choose candidates who will abuse their authority, wreaking havoc on the common good.

The Holy See said, “Democracy must be based on the true and solid foundation of non-negotiable ethical principles, which are the underpinning of life in society.” By these words it is clear ethics are the foundation of the life of the society. So without moral principles guiding democracy, society can have grave problems and even lose touch with the common good.

The Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics, states, “The choice of voting for particular candidates often times involves issues of morality. On most issues that come before voters or legislators, the task is selecting the most effective policy to implement or apply good moral principal.”

Catholics have an obligation to vote with a formed conscience, know the moral issues of the day and how candidates will vote on the issues. Some issues are such that one may never vote for because they are intrinsically evil. If we permit the evil to grow by not voting according to our conscience, it can do serious harm to society and innocent people.

Sometimes, we need to vote for a candidate who will do a lesser evil to avoid a worse candidate who will promote a greater evil.

2000 years ago, crucifixion was a common way of executing criminals. Suppose 2000 years ago, people could choose legislators. And suppose legislators could determine whether or not Christians who refused to worship the emperor would be crucified. And suppose one legislator supported crucifixion, while another legislator was against crucifixion. Which legislator do you think the Christians would vote for?

Do you think they would vote according to their family tradition, in accord which party they belonged? Or do think they would vote to eliminate crucifixion for Christians who refused to worship the emperor?

The Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics identifies five issues involving non-negotiable moral values in current politics. They are abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and homosexual marriage.

By following these moral values, it helps narrow the list of acceptable candidates, whether they are running for a national, state or local office.

The days are gone, where we could vote only according to our political party or our family’s voting tradition. Years ago, we could do this, but today there are moral issues which are very serious and non-negotiable.

At times political leaders overstep their God given authority. Some have attacked human dignity, violating natural law which demands innocent human life and liberty be protected. The times we live in, Christians have a duty to boldly insist while Caesar is owed his due, we won’t stand by and silently watch politicians make laws which harm society and offend God.

We should take seriously the obligation to vote and the obligation to vote for candidates who will help bring about a Culture of Life and Love.

If you pull a coin from your pocket, what does it say on it, “In God we trust.” On July 30, 1956, congress passed a joint resolution declaring "In God We Trust" to be the official national motto of the United States.

Let us stand up for God and for our faith. In a certain way God trusts us and wants us to vote in accord with our Catholic faith.

There are some things more important than money and the economy, for example: Life and moral values. I pray you will vote in accord with your Catholic faith, by way of a formed conscience. Vote for Family. Vote for morality. Vote for Life. Vote against Immorality, Communism, Socialism and Marxism.

May we render to God what belongs to God, including our right to vote in way in God want us to vote to help all Americans. And may we turn to the Virgin Mary and ask Her to pray for the upcoming election that our nation will be truly one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

28th Sunday, Wedding Feast & Garment (Stewardship)

 

The parable of the invitation of the King to come to the banquet was an exhortation of Jesus to the Jews to join His new Church and symbolic of being invited to the eternal banquet of Heaven.

Jesus issued the invitation as a parable-- to the chief priests and Jewish elders. The king represents God the Father, who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. The Son refers to Jesus. The wedding refers to Our Lord and His relationship to the Church. St. Paul tells us the Church is the bride of Christ. The Jewish elders and the chief priests are therefore invited to become members of the Church, and have a spousal relationship with the Church.

The king sent his servants to invite people to the wedding, but they wouldn’t come. This refers to the Father, who sent His servants, the prophets-- to His Chosen People because His people were not living faithfully according to the Covenant and refused to join the Church.

Although God sent prophets and later the apostles, the Jewish leaders would not listen to them, mistreated and killed them. As a result, the king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. This may be a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 AD.

Then the king said, “The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” This was an invitation to the Gentiles to join the early Church, due to many of the Jews who refused. Over time, the early Church became less and less Jewish and more and more Gentile. Many of the Jews rejected the invitation from Jesus. But huge numbers of non-Jews (Gentiles) flocked into the Church. As Jesus said in the parable, all those found on the streets and byways were invited.

The acceptance of the wedding invitation is a call to faith, while the proper wedding garment is the sign of one’s good works. Both are necessary to partake in the feast; but many are called, few are chosen.

The book of James helps us to understand that both faith and works are necessary for salvation. St. James said, “what does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)

How can we say have faith and at the same time we say we love others, and refuse to help others in need? By failing to help others using our time, talent and treasure, it is really a failure to love.

Stewardship, the giving of our time, talent and treasure out of love for God and neighbor is one of the best ways to live out our call to faith and good works. We need both faith and works to show that we truly love others.

The definition of stewardship is “the grateful response of a Christian disciple, who recognizes and receives God’s gifts, and shares them in love of God and neighbor.”

Are we aware of our gifts and do we recognize everything we have is truly a gift from God and do we share these gifts? We are to help others when God asks it of us.

Examples of stewardship include the yearly baby bottle drive. This drive is used for unwed pregnant mothers at crisis pregnancy centers. The Knights of Columbus has many charitable activities to help the people in the local community, including repairing roofs, and helping families in need. Altar servers, organists, cantors, the children’s choir, lectors, sacristans, collection counters, PSR teachers, PSR coordinator, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd teachers, the liturgical ministry schedule, those who care for Mary’s garden, Rosary leaders, pastoral council members, mowers of the church yard and snow removers, use their time and talent for God’s house and His people. Weekly Eucharistic Holy Hours is stewardship of prayer, which is a tremendous support for the parish, the community and the world. The altar society periodically cleans the hall and church, and provides funeral dinners and also coffee and donuts for breakfast etc..

Stewardship is not limited to the church. Every time we donate our time, talent and treasure for anyone, a neighbor, any person, is an act of stewardship, such as students helping students with their homework, or helping a friend to learn a game, or if you are good at shooting baskets, you help someone who wants to do better. A farmer helping their neighbor during harvest.

Mowing your neighbor’s yard without payment, removing snow from an elderly person’s sidewalk, or raking their leaves, volunteering for a food drive, helping with the fall festival and school activities, cooking food for a struggling family, giving meals to the shut-ins or visit those in the nursing home, or hospital. We have many young and adult artists in the parish, who use their talents for the community.

The recent purchase of the priest’s house is the result of many who donated your time, talent and treasure to the church. By donating to the church, you help pay for electricity, gas and insurance on the buildings. Your treasure pays for my salary and my health insurance and PSR books.

We use the principle of subsidiarity to guide us in knowing who we are obligated to help first. We first take care of our immediate family, then extended family, then our parish, then our community, then our state and country, and finally, we can help the world community. It always first begins with those in need closest to us.

Do you recognize your gifts and share your gifts with others for love of God and neighbor? Are you following the stewardship way of life as a Christian disciple? Are you willing to return love for love?

Faith in Jesus and doing works of charity for God and neighbor symbolically create a wedding garment, as long as our soul is in the state of grace, it will allow us to enter the eternal banquet of heaven, where all are invited, but not everyone chooses.

Father Bob said we need more collection counters. He said one person may never count the collection alone. Rather, two non-related counters are required. He said when filling out the stewardship form, please consider using your time and talent to count the collection.

Today, may you choose to recognize the gifts and talents God has given you, and as a Christian disciple, use them-- out of love of God and neighbor.

The Virgin Mary is the first and greatest disciple of Jesus. She gave all She had for love of God and neighbor, let us imitate Her.

27th Sunday, Saint Francis of Assisi - Jubilee Year 800 Years

 

The Catholic Church is celebrating a special Jubilee Year of Saint Francis which runs from January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi on Oct 4^th, 1226.

Is St. Francis of Assisi is the patron of nature because he preached the Word of God to birds, who listened to him. St. Francis literally took the words of Jesus to heart, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. (Mark 15:9) The birds, which landed on his shoulder would leave only after he made the sign of the Cross. God wants us to respect creation, and show us the power of God’s Word over creation.

There was a large wolf that killed livestock and villagers in a town called Gubbio, Italy. St. Francis confronted the wolf and made a pact with it, telling it, that if it stopped harming people and animals they would provide regular food for it and it miraculously obeyed St. Francis. The people fed the wolf everyday for years and the wolf stopped harming livestock and the people.

Can the Church say there is or isn’t climate change? The short answer is, the Church has no authority to determine matters relating to science. The Church has authority over faith and morals. Some Globalists believe climate change is caused by an excessive number of people on earth, and to prevent it, they believe the world’s population must be reduced. Some have hijacked St. Francis Assisi’s love of nature, to make him the patron of the global movement, climate change and protecting “mother earth”, but this is really sacrilegious. An article in the National Catholic Register said, “The Earth is, as St. Francis of Assisi explained, our Sister, not our Mother. That is, the earth is yet another part of God’s creation with no authority over us. It’s we who reign over the earth.”

St. Francis of Assisi was known at “the little beggar”. Born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy he received the baptismal name John, but due to his father’s love for France, he was called Francesco. The son of a wealthy merchant, Francis had time and money to host lavish banquets for young nobles. Parties and selling cloth left Francis little time for God. A charming and educated young man, he spent his early life leading young nobles to parties. He dreamed of knighthood and longed for the adventurous life of chivalry. In pursuit of that dream, he joined in the war between Assisi and Perugia at the age of 20. He was wounded and taken prisoner.

During his day, there was widespread confusion, scandals among the clergy and a decline in attendance at Mass. The Church seemed to be falling into ruin.

One day, he walked inside San Damiano church falling down from old age. He knelt to pray, before a Crucifix, now known as the San Damiano Crucifix, and asked God, what he wanted him to do, with his life. Jesus spoke to St. Francis from the cross, and said, “Build my Church, as you can see it is falling into ruin.” Francis thought the Lord wanted him to build the church that was falling down, and so, he began to collect stones to repair it. About this time, the pope had a vision of St. Francis holding up St. Mary Mary Major, which later caused the Pope to approve the Franciscan order.

On the feast of St. Matthias, in 1209, he was revealed the way of life he was to follow. The Gospel of the Mass was Matthew 10: And going, preach, saying The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.... Freely have you received, freely give. Take neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses . . . nor two coats nor shoes nor a staff.... Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.... These words suddenly became Christ's command to him. His doubts over, he cast off shoes, staff, and leather girdle, but kept his rough woolen coat, which he tied about him with a rope. Francis begged for food, wore old clothes, and preached peace. He began to speak to the people he met on the shortness of life, the need of repentance, and the love of God. His salutation to those he passed on the road was, "Our Lord give you peace." He came to discover God wanted him to start a religious order of men to spiritually build and repair Holy Mother Church.

He began to attract followers, and in 1209 with the papal blessing he founded the Friars Minor (Franciscans). Then in 1212 with St. Clare of Assisi he founded the foundation of the cloistered nuns called the “Poor Ladies," now known as the "Poor Clares." He also founded the "Third Order of Penance" (the Third Order) which included lay people. Thousands of people throughout the world began to follow his way of life, which renewed the Church.

St. Francis and his followers would take care of the poor, especially lepers and would often kiss their contagious wounds.

St. Francis had a tremendous devotion to the Passion of Christ. One day, while praying, and after fasting for 40 days, on or about the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, he asked Jesus to allow himself to experience in a small way, what Our Lord experienced on the Cross.

He then had a vision of a winged seraph, nailed to a cross, flying towards him; he also felt keen stabs of pain in hands, feet, and sides. When the vision vanished, he discovered on his body the stigmata of the crucified Christ. In 1224, he became known as the first person to receive the stigmata (the five wounds of Christ). He believed his wounds were a sign of God’s love for him. The wounds given by God to St. Francis were an outward indication that St. Francis embraced his life of pain and suffering which he united to the Cross of Jesus for the salvation of souls.

One Christmas night, Francis created the first live Nativity scene, with an altar in which had real animals, a manger, and people dressed up like St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary. However, they didn’t have a child to play the baby Jesus. During the outdoor Mass, after the consecration, when the bread changed into the body of Christ, and when the priest raised the Eucharist, all present witnessed, the baby Jesus suddenly appear in the arms of St. Francis. Since then, nativity sets began to be created and placed in churches and homes.

Followers of St. Francis are also responsible for putting Stations of the Cross in churches. If it wasn’t for St. Francis, most likely churches wouldn’t have them today on their walls, nor have nativity sets at churches and in homes.

St. Francis and his followers lived a very poor life, not owning anything. He felt if he had any material objects, they would take his heart and mind away from Jesus. He had a nickname for poverty, he called it, Lady Poverty because he respected poverty as though it were a lady, who deserved respect. St. Francis saw his new way of life as rejecting riches, worldliness, and pride by living a life of poverty, penance and humility, preaching peace, conversion and repentance.

He had a great devotion to Mary and the Holy Eucharist. St. Francis wanted churches to be clean, in good repair, and beautiful to honor Jesus. He spent much of his time in prayer in the Church of San Damiano, and one of his early works of charity was to repair churches. Although he greatly valued poverty and did not spend money on himself, he wanted the best, most beautiful sacred vessels to be used in churches. He wrote, “Above everything else, I want this most Holy Sacrament to be honored and venerated and reserved in places which are richly ornamented.”

Highlighting his respect for priests, the Mass, and the Eucharist, he said, “Let the whole of mankind tremble, the whole world shake, and the heavens exalt, when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar, in the hands of the priest. O admirable heights, and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!”

St. Francis is known for a prophecy. He said, “The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate (as pope), who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. The sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true pastor, but a destroyer."

Francis died at the age of 44 on October 3rd, 1226 at Assisi in church of Our Lady of the Angels called the Portiuncula. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX less than two years later.

Today, let us grow in our devotion and love of St. Francis of Assisi. Don’t think of him as merely a nature lover, but think of him as one who repaired the Church, by living and preaching the Gospel, accepting suffering, meditating on the Passion of Christ, his devotion Mary and Jesus in the Eucharist and his life of penance, humility, conversion and peace, rejecting the world with its riches and pride.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us, and please help us repair the Church today, who as you can see is falling into ruin today.

I have a relic of St. Francis, with me today. If you are interested in venerating it, you can do so after the final hymn. Remember to pray for a specific intention when touching the relic.