Medjugorje 26th Thursday

The Virgin Mary was the first and greatest of all disciples. I can remember a few years ago reading that some mystic believed that Mary was able to pray before She was born because She had heightened use of Her faculties due to being free from original sin. While we don’t know if that is true or not, we do know unborn children can feel things, such as pain and their heart can even beat in a simultaneous fashion with their mothers as seen on sonograms. So they sense their mother’s joy and fears. We know for sure Mary presented Herself at the temple at the age of 3 desiring to do God’s will and making a vow of perpetual virginity.

Mary was the greatest and first disciple of Jesus because She always chose to do God’s will and never once sinned in Her life. Remember the woman who said to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb who bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” And Jesus responded, “No, rather, blessed who those who hear the word of God and keep it.” Mary heard the word of God and kept it because Her Son is the Eternal Word and spoke it and therefore Mary always kept the word of God by doing His will perfectly.

In the Gospel, Jesus sent out the 72 disciples to prepare His way. He said, “the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” He went on to tell His Apostles before His ascension to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So it is through baptism, we all became disciples of Jesus and we are all sent. Mary became a disciple of the Lord at the moment of Her Immaculate Conception, just as we became a disciple the moment we are baptized and original sin is washed away.

So what is it that makes a good disciple? We turn to Mary to know. As I said one who does God’s will in their life. It is also God’s will to avoid sin, which Mary did perfectly. It is God’s will for us to grow in holiness. Mary was the holiest creature God created. Sh was holier than all the angels and saints combined.

A disciple of Jesus first sits and listens and adores Our Lord the teacher. Mary adored Jesus in Her womb. Mary was the first to adore the face of Jesus when He was born. Mary was the first to pray to Jesus and listen to Jesus and meditate on His every action which She did every day for the first 30 years of His life because She lived with Him.

Mary knew Sacred Scripture and pondered it with Her Heart. She pondered every word and action of Jesus. So for one to be a disciple of Jesus one must sit at His feet in Eucharistic Adoration. To adore His face with eyes of faith in the Eucharist. To spend a regular hour in Eucharistic Adoration every week and as Bishop Fulton Sheen told priests and seminarians to daily make a Holy Hour with Jesus.

A good disciple of Jesus will ponder and meditate daily Sacred Scripture reading the bible every day. For one who is ignorant of Scripture is ignorant of Christ. A good disciple of Jesus will pray Hail Marys with the lips and meditate on the mysteries of the life of Jesus while praying the Rosary often and so think about Jesus and ponder Him with Mary’s eyes and Heart.

But we can’t be perfect like Mary. We all fall short. The saints give us hope because they were sinners and had faults. The apostles were jealous of each other and wanted to be better than the others. Peter denied Jesus three times. St. Jerome had angry outbursts all his life. But did lots of penance. St. Augustine caroused with women and even fathered a child out of wedlock. St. Francis of Assisi was given into revelry before his conversion. St. Monica had a problem with drinking when she was young. But all of them allowed their weaknesses to help them grow in holiness and humility. The disciple will take up his cross daily striving for virtue.

Many of you come here with trouble hearts seeking consolation and the help of our Mother. With the mandates, with fear of covid and fear of government tyranny, and problems in our Church, we come to our Mother as a child runs to his mother when scared.

And what does Mary do? She picks us up as She would a crying child and suddenly the fear vanishes, because we trust the Mother will take care of everything. Mary took care of all the needs of Jesus. She nursed Him. She changed His diapers. She washed His clothes, She fed Him. She cleaned His house and taught Him to read and write and Jewish customs.

She became the Mother of us all at the foot of the Cross when John took Her into his home and where She endured the pain and agony of watching Her Son die such a horrible death. Mary is therefore with us in our daily life in our ordinary things we do. And She is especially with us in our suffering and will be with us now and the hour of our death.

After Jesus died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, what is the tradition of the Church, but that the Apostles came to Mary often, to seek Her Motherly help. To feel tenderness in times of sorrow and distress. They came seeking Her advice and Her prayers and surely She helped form the early Church and encouraged them in the apostolic ministries.

What happened to the early disciples? Because they lived their life with Jesus and came to Mary, it prepared them for their own suffering, to bear witness to Him and His teachings. They knew that while they were going to die for love of Jesus and His Church the Mother would not abandon Her children. She would stand beneath their cross and would comfort them by Her presence. And then when it was time for them to enter enteral life, She would come---with Her Son, to take them to their judgment, and then to the place that has been prepared for them in the Father’s house.

Let us turn to our Mother seeking Her help. “O lovely lady, dressed in blue, teach me to pray, when I am distressed and sorrowful, hold me close to thy breast. Love me, kiss me, hold me tenderly. Pray for me, that I may stay close to Your Son in the Eucharist. O lovely lady, dressed in blue, teach me to be a disciple, to read about Him in Scripture, and ponder His life while praying Your Rosary, to confess our sins monthly. And O lovely lady, dressed in blue, keep me close to thy Most Pure Heart and when its time for my life to depart stand beneath my cross and through my eyes may be filled with tears, I will be consoled that you, O Lady will take me home to the place of my rest, with God the Father, Son and Spirit blessed, and this my lady is my fond request. Amen.”

26th Sunday- Jealousy & Envy

 What is the difference between envy and jealousy? Jealousy wants to guard what one possesses (or wants to possess) and to keep others from having it. This was the case in the first reading and also the Gospel.

Envy resents what the other person has and may even want to harm them because of it.

In the first reading, there was an outpouring of the spirit on the seventy elders who were with Moses. But there were some who were not present in the camp, yet the spirit came down upon them as well and they began prophesying. Eldad and Medad asked Moses to stop them. But Moses responded, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets.” They didn’t want others to have what they had.

Jealousy is also what the Apostles had in today’s Gospel. They tried to prevent someone from casting out demons because he was not of their company.

In both the first reading and also the Gospel, they wanted to guard what they possessed and keep others from having it.

Envy, on the other hand resents another person’s good fortune and may even end up harming another person due to it. By the envy of the devil, death entered into the world. Because God accepted the sacrifice of Abel, rather than his brother Cain, Cain killed his brother out of envy. Saul was envious of David’s success in killing many more Philistines than Saul and so sold Saul wanted to kill him. Jacob’s sons envied their brother Joseph because he was his father’s favorite and so him into slavery. Herod was envious of the Child Jesus, who was the king of the Jews, and so Herod wanted to kill Him to prevent Jesus taking away his earthly kingdom, though Our Lord had no intention of doing so. Since Jesus healed many and even raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees seeing that the “whole world has gone after Him.” were envious of Our Lord and wanted Him put to death. Pilate handed Jesus over to be put to death, due to envy of the chief priests because the people were no longer listening to them anymore.

Christ died at the hands of envious men that He might deliver men from the same envy that nailed Him to the cross.

Can you think of examples of envy in your life. At school one can envy the popular kid, so you try to make others not like him by saying lies about him. Or if a co-worker get promoted so try to get the boss to see all their faults.

As Christians we should practice the opposite virtue from the sin we struggle with. So what are the opposite virtues of envy and jealousy?
The opposite of envy is kindness. So rather than being resentful we wish the best for the other person. Our love for someone should be without bias or spite. God blesses each of us in different ways. Look upon your life the ways God has blessed you, rather than counting the ways God “hasn’t” blessed you.

With regard to jealousy the opposite is generosity. We should be glad and rejoice that others have the same or greater gifts than we do and we should thank God for His generosity towards them. We should allow others to do what we are doing and help others to learn the things we have learned to help them in such a way that they would even do better than us, and we would rejoice in their success.

There is never a good reason to be envious, because one is always sad at the outcome of others and may even want harm to come upon them.

Saint Anselm of Canterbury teaches that our ultimate joy in heaven will be increased by the absence of envy: He said, “If anyone else whom you love as much as yourself possessed the same blessedness, your joy would be doubled because you would rejoice as much for him as for yourself.”

Today, let us pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and ask Her to help us to be kind and generous towards everyone, to wish what is best for them and thank God for the gifts He has given them and given us and so avoid the sins of envy and jealousy, so we will rejoice in the blessedness of the saints in heaven, who will rejoice in blessedness of everyone.

25th Friday - Solitude

 In the very first sentence of today’s Gospel it says that Jesus was praying in solitude. We can examine this one sentence to see the importance of what Jesus did. When we pray, there can be many distractions around us, including family, television or radio or even pets. That’s why is best for us if we go to pray in solitude. Eucharistic Adoration is the place where many of us find that solitude, so that we are alone with God. Solitude helps us to focus more easily on the Lord and His promptings of the Holy Spirit. We can listen better to God’s silent voice within our heart, when we are alone with Him. The Church is also a very silent place to pray and if we are unable to come to church, we can go to our room, close the door and kneel down by our bed. Other places of solitude include a lake or a fishing pond or somewhere out in the country. Today, let us resolve to go to regularly to a quite, out of the way place to be with God in solitude and may we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and ask Her to help us to listen to the voice of God, when we are alone with Him.

Sept. 23rd - St. Padre Pio

Today is the feast of St. Padre Pio, who was born May 25^th of 1887 in Italy and given the name Francisco.  A very devout young boy at the age 5, he told his parents he wanted to be consecrated to God.  As a young boy he tended sheep with his peasant parents.  His family daily attended Mass and he served as an altar boy of his local parish.  As a young child he was known for taking on penances and his mother scolded him for sleeping on a stone floor.  He was able to see guardian angels, spoke with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. He was sickly as a child. At the age of 15, he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars at Morcone. He took the name of "Pio" in honor of Pope Pius I. On September 20, Padre Pio was hearing confessions when he felt pain in his hands and feet. He noticed the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, appearing on his hands and feet. The wounds smelled of roses. He was seen levitating in the air, and was capable of performing miracles. He bilocated (physically in more than one place at time).  He was falsely accused and forbidden from offering public Masses and hearing confessions, but he never complained. Three years later, he was exonerated by the pope.  He had the ability to read souls (to know the sins of people). His Masses would last often times hours at a time. When offering the Mass it was though he suffered the Passion of Jesus. He built a hospital for the sick in San Giovani Rotundo.  He died Sept. 23^rd of 1968 and was canonized in 2000.  Padre Pio, pray for us!

 

Wed. 25th Week- Trust in God's Providence

I’m sure most of you have gone on vacations to different places. While we are on vacation, we are on a journey. Some of you may have went to Kansas City to World’s of Fun, or to watch the Kansas City Royals or Kansas City Chiefs, others may have went to the Ozarks in Branson Missouri, still others may have went out to the lake to go camping. In order for us to go to these places, we need to travel, usually by car, and maybe by airplane. When we travel, we need to take things with us, like food, clothes and money in order to stay in a motel, or we may bring with us a tent, with a lantern and pillow if we sleep outside in a tent. Children who go to school carry a backpack in order to help take our books or perhaps their lunch.

Jesus told his disciples something that was rather surprising, He said, “Take nothing on your journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money.” Back then, they didn’t have cars or airplanes, and most people didn’t even have a horse to ride. Most people walked from place to place. It would take days to walk from city to city and the journey was not easy. The reason why Jesus told His disciples to take nothing on their journey was because He wanted them to trust God would provide everything they needed. Jesus is NOT telling us to NOT carry backpacks. He telling us to NOT take food or money, when we go on a journey. Jesus is trying to tell us to trust Him and He will take care of all our needs. He provides our food, clothing, home, and everything we need. If we need anything, we should pray to Jesus, trusting He will provide all we need. The Mother of Jesus always trusted God would provide all that She needed as She cared for the baby Jesus. May we ask Mary to help us to trust in God’ providence and pray to God for everything we need.

Sept. 21st - St. Matthew, Martyred When Offering Mass

Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, who followed Jesus. Born in Capernaum, he was the son of Alpheus. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, he is called “Levi”. He is the author of the Gospel of Matthew, which was originally written in Aramaic and then translated into Greek. Raised was raise as a Jew.

Before Our Divine Lord would call him to follow Him, he worked as a tax collector. Tax collectors were despised by many of the Jews, because they often cheated the people out of their money and because they worked for King Herod. Matthew most likely was very wealthy because he probably cheated many people out of money.

One day, while Matthew was working at the customs post, most likely at a booth for collecting taxes on interregional trade, Jesus came up to him, and said, “Follow me”.

Matthew was so excited, because Jesus asked him to follow him, that he invited Our Lord to eat supper at his house, and to meet his friends, who were tax collectors and sinners. Matthew must have been overjoyed, because He discovered that Our Lord believed in him.

Can you imagine all the great sinners that would have been at the feast? Most likely Matthew would have introduced Jesus to everyone and announced that He was going to change His life and give up cheating other people. And those who were the great sinners would have felt welcomed because Jesus did not disdain them, but rather came among them, to be with them. How many at the feast would later become baptized Christians because Jesus stooped down to their level to be with them, despite their sinfulness.

After Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, Saint Matthew is said to have preached the Gospel to the Jews for as many as 15 years, though it is uncertain where he preached. Some believe that it was in Persia or Ethiopia.

There is a tradition, that one of Matthew’s greatest miracles was to bring back to life the king's daughter. And because of this miracle, he converted the king and his wife together with the whole country to the faith of Christ. When the king died, his successor Hirtacus wished to marry the daughter of the former king; but she had made a vow of virginity. Since the vow had been taken through Matthew's influence, Hirtacus had Matthew killed while celebrating Mass. It was on the 21st of September Matthew's apostolic work was crowned with the glory of martyrdom.

Matthew is the patron of Accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, customs officers, money managers, stock brokers, and tax collectors. Today, may we turn to St. Matthew and ask him to help us to to follow Jesus. May his example of prompt and complete obedience inspire us to care not what others think, but do what we believe the Lord desires of us.

 

Sept. 20th - Sts Andrew Kim & Paul Hasang & Companions

 Today is the memorial of St. Andrew Kim and St Paul Hasang and companions, who were Korean martyrs. During persecutions from 1839 through 1867 one hundred and three Christians gave their lives as martyrs. Among the martyrs were a priest, Father Andrew Kim, and a layman by the name of Paul Hasang. Also martyred were bishops and priests, but most martyred were laymen and women, married and unmarried, men, women, young people, children and the elderly. All of them suffered greatly for the faith. By their blood they consecrated the rich beginnings of the Church in Korea.

Before his death, Fr. Andrew Kim gave an exhortation to the faithful. He said, “Dearest brothers and sisters: when He was in the world, the Lord Jesus bore countless sorrows and by His own passion and death founded the Church; now He gives it increase through the sufferings of His faithful. No matter how fiercely the powers of this world oppress and oppose the Church, they will never bring it down. Ever since His ascension and from the time of the apostles to the present, the Lord Jesus has made His Church grow even in the midst of tribulation.

For the last fifty or sixty years, ever since the coming of the Church in Korea, the faithful have suffered persecution over and over again. Persecution still rages and as a result many who are friends in the household of faith, myself among them, have been thrown into prison and like you are experiencing severe distress.

Hold fast, then, to the will of God and with all your heart fight the good fight under the leadership of Jesus; conquer again the diabolical power of this world that Christ has already vanquished. I beg you not to fail to love one another, but to support one another and to stand fast until the Lord mercifully delivers us from the trials.

As we are all near the final ordeal, I urge you to remain steadfast in faith, so that at last we will all reach heaven and there rejoice together. I embrace you all in love.”

Today, through the intercession of Our Lady Queen of Peace, let us pray for the Church in Korea, that it may prosper and grow to bring about a true and lasting peace in the hearts of the Korean people, and may we come to understand and imitate the love of Christ, which the Korean martyrs, so eloquently bear witness by the shedding of their blood.

25th Sunday "Servants of All Including Children"

In the Gospel, Jesus told His apostles, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill Him, and three days after His death the Son of Man will rise.” Shockingly, Our Lord just told them He was going to suffer and die and now they are discussing among themselves who was the greatest? Goodness, they certainly didn’t understand what He meant. In order to help them understand, Jesus told them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” But then it seems like Jesus changes the subject. But He really didn’t. The Gospel said, “Then taking a child and placing it in their midst, and putting His arms around it, He said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

First Jesus tells His apostles, they are to be the last of all and servant of all and now He tells them to receive children, but why?

When Our Lord told them, He was going to suffer and die and then rise three days later, He was telling them HOW to be the servant of all and the last of all. By Jesus’ suffering and death and being treated as the least and by His willingness to suffer and die for all of us, He serves all. Jesus is the servant of us all. He said, “...the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) And this is how the apostles and us are expected to be servants.

Jesus used the example of spending time with children, as way He wanted them and us to be a servant. In the time of Jesus, children were considered a nuisance, who were the least. To take time to just be with children, to listen to them, to play with them, to teach them to work, to teach them virtue, and how to pray is being a servant to them. There is the sacrifice of time. How sad when a child wants to talk to the parent and is told, “Leave me alone, I’m busy”.

Jesus wants you to be a servant to your children. School teachers and PSR teachers are very good servants of children. But most importantly, parents are the best servants of children. To be a servant of all, includes everyone, to visit the elderly, to take of the poor, to pray for all those in need, to take time to be with children is being a servant.

And when we come to adore, Jesus, we become a servant of Him, who wants our love, our time, our sacrifice of being with Him. Jesus wants us to bring our children to be with Him, and this is being a servant to children and Jesus. It doesn’t matter if little children squirm and fuss and cry during adoration. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.”

During Eucharistic Adoration, all of us should be servants of unborn children, to pray for their protection, pray for their mothers and fathers, who can be tempted to have an abortion. And pray for healing for those who made the terrible mistake. Jesus is rich in mercy. He loves each and everyone of us, most especially children. May our adoration never cease and may the Virgin Mary, keep us close to Her Eucharistic Son to teach us to be last of all and servants of all.

24th Week Friday "Joanna"

 We don’t know much about Joanna, but we can glean a few things from this brief mention of her in today’s Gospel. It’s likely that she was well-off. Her husband, Chuza, was Herod’s steward, which means he managed all of Herod’s assets and property—a well-paying, important job to be sure. Joanna seemed to be a rather enterprising, independent woman herself. At least she was independent woman herself. At least she was independent enough to feel free to spend her money on supporting Jesus in His ministry. So imagine this wealthy, self-sufficient woman making the transition from a comfortable home to a life on the road. Imagine her giving up her own servants and instead devoting herself to serving Jesus. Imagine too the risk she was taking. Remember, it was Herod, her husband’s employer, who had arrested Jesus’ kinsman John and had him beheaded. It was Herod who was fascinated by Jesus and who ultimately would hand Him over to Pilate. How would Jesus’ other disciples react to her joining their ranks? But Joanna was so moved by Jesus that she willingly embraced a difficult and dangerous life in order to follow Jesus. He had already experienced His healing touch, but it wasn’t enough just to be restored and set free. She wanted to learn from Him. She wanted to know God the way He did. She probably had many opportunities to go back and resume her old life, but remained steadfast. Even when the disciples deserted Jesus in Gethsemane, Joanna stayed; she was one of a very small number of disciples who followed Him all the way to Calvary, which St. Luke speaks about at Our Lord’s burial.

In a way, we are all like Joanna. We may not want to give up our comfort in order to pray or to the people around us. We may feel ill-equipped to be a true disciple. We may feel as if we don’t fit in. But as Jesus welcomed Joanna and made a place for her, He will do the same for you. You might tell Him, “It’s hard to follow You.”, but He responds, “I know; let me help you.” You might say, “I don’t belong.”, but He answers, “You are always welcome in my house.” Don’t ever disqualify yourself! You can make a difference. ‘Lord Jesus, make me your disciple.”

Sept. 16th - Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian

 Today we celebrate the martyrs St. Cornelius, Pope and St. Cyprian, bishop, both of whom are honored in the Roman Canon. In the third century, there was controversy over the sacrament of confession. The Novatian heretics absolutely denied forgiveness to apostate Christians. Cornelius and Cyprian took the middle ground and insisted apostates could obtain forgiveness, but had to do rigorous penance. Pope Cornelius was forced into exile and died of harsh treatment in the year 253.

Here is the account of the martyrdom of St. Cyprian:

“On the morning of the 14th of September, a great crowd gathered at the Villa Sexti, in accordance with the order of the governor Galerius Maximus. That same day the governor commanded Bishop Cyprian to be brought before him for trial. After Cyprian was brought in, the governor asked him, "Are you Thascius Cyprian?" The bishop replied, "Yes, I am." The governor Galerius Maximus said, "You have set yourself up as an enemy of the gods of Rome and our religious practices. You have been discovered as the author and leader of these heinous crimes, and will consequently be held forth as an example for all those who have followed you in your crime. By your blood the law shall be confirmed." Next he read the sentence from a tablet. "It is decided that Cyprian should die by the sword." Cyprian responded, "Thanks be to God!" After the sentence was passed, a crowd of his fellow Christians said, "We should also be killed with him!" There arose an uproar among the Christians, and a great mob followed after him. Cyrprian was then brought out to the grounds of the Villa Sexti, where, taking off his outer cloak and kneeling on the ground, he fell before the Lord in prayer. He removed his dalmatic and gave it to the deacons, and then stood erect while waiting for the executioner. When the executioner arrived, Cyprian told his friends to give the man 25 gold pieces. The most blessed martyr Cyprian suffered on the 14th of September under the emperors Valerian and Gallienus, in the reign of our true Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong honor and glory forever. Amen.”

St. Cyprian was the first African bishop to be martyred, he was beheaded in 258.

Both Cornelius and Cyprian are inspiring examples of dedication to the pastoral ministry, and a constant witness to Christ in their suffering. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, Our Lady of Unity, we ask for the “courage to work for the unity of the Church and to embrace all of the teachings of our Holy Mother the Church.”

Sept. 15th - Our Lady of Sorrows

 Today is the memorial of the Our Lady of Sorrows. Each of Her seven sorrows was a moment She cried, because She loved Her Son Jesus with a motherly Heart.

Mary’s first sorrow. When the Child Jesus was presented in the temple, how great was the shock to Mary's Heart at hearing the sorrowful words, from holy Simeon, who said, “And a sword shall pierce your heart.”

The second sorrow of Mary. The flight into Egypt. Consider the sharp sorrow which Mary felt when, St. Joseph being warned by an angel, they had to flee by night in order to preserve her beloved Child from the slaughter decreed by Herod.

The third sorrow of Mary. Joseph and Mary’s loss of Jesus in the temple. For three days they searched for Him not knowing if He was dead or alive or captured by marauders. How dread was the grief of Mary, when She saw She had lost her beloved Son! And as if to increase Her sorrow, when She sought Him diligently among Her kinsfolk and acquaintances, She could not find Him.

The fourth sorrow of Mary. Mary meets Her beloved Son as He carried His Cross. Bearing His Cross, wounded, torn by stripes, crowned with thorns, streaming with blood. Consider the grief of the blessed Virgin thus beholding her Son! Who would not weep at seeing this Mother's grief?

The fifth sorrow of Mary. See the sacrifice of the body of Jesus hanging from the Cross with His Mother standing beneath Him. As She stood at the foot of the cross, pierced by the sword of sorrow, She turned Her eyes on Him, until She knew He lived no longer and had resigned His spirit to His Eternal Father. And to hear the words of Jesus, “Woman, behold thy son.”, would have struck Her Heart knowing John would replace Her beloved son.

The sixth sorrow of Mary. Consider the most bitter sorrow which rent the soul of Mary, when She saw the dead body of Her dear Jesus on laying on Her knees, covered with blood, all torn with deep wounds.

The seventh sorrow of Mary. Consider the sighs which burst from Mary's sad heart when She saw Her beloved Jesus laid within the tomb. She gazed a last time on the lifeless body of her Son, and when the great stone was rolled to the door of the sepulcher, oh, then indeed Her heart seemed torn from her body!

Have you ever wondered what Mary was thinking when She stood at the foot of the Cross. St. Bernard gives us an insight into Mary’s Heart. He said, “Perhaps someone will say: “Had she not known before that he would not die?” Undoubtedly. “Did she not expect him to rise again at once?” Surely. “And still she grieved over her crucified Son?” Intensely. Who are you and what is the source of your wisdom that you are more surprised at the compassion of Mary than at the passion of Mary’s Son? For if He could die in body, could She not die with him in spirit? He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since His.

My friends, all seven sorrows of Mary were moments, which She would have cried because of how much Her only Son, Jesus, suffered. Today, let us resolve to comfort the Sorrowful Heart of Mary by meditating on Her Seven Sorrows and entering into Her great love for Jesus.

Sept. 14th - Exaltation of the Cross

 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.

The pious empress 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. Andrew Crete said, “The cross is something wonderfully great and honorable. It is great because through the cross the many noble acts of Christ found their consummation– very many indeed, for both his miracles and his sufferings were fully rewarded with victory. The cross is honorable because it is both the sign of God’s suffering and the trophy of his victory. It stands for his suffering because on it He freely suffered unto death. But it is also his trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered; the barred gates of hell were smashed, and the cross became the one common salvation of the whole world. The cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as His triumph.”

And 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.

24th Sunday "Faith & Works" Sign-up Day for Adoration

Today is the long awaited Sign-up day for Eucharistic Adoration. And after the homily, you will have the opportunity to sign up and spend an hour with Jesus every week. I am certain Jesus Himself has been waiting for this day.

In the second reading from the book of James, it said, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” Can faith save him?”

All of us are here at Mass because we have faith. We have faith that by coming to Mass, we are worshiping God, by giving our self totally to God and He gives Himself totally to us. We have faith that Jesus through the priest will change bread and wine into His body and blood. Our visible senses of seeing and tasting and feeling cause us to think its only bread, but our faith tells us the Eucharist it the real resurrected person of Jesus. And during Eucharistic Adoration, we believe we are truly gazing upon Jesus and He is gazing upon us. Jesus is alive. Jesus is risen. Jesus is here in the Eucharist. This is our faith.

But we do not live by faith alone. We are also to do actions (works). The reading today said, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” Can faith save him?” James also said, “Faith without works is dead.” Therefore, faith and works are necessary for salvation. If we have faith, we need to put into action. What are the works we are to do? There are the 7 corporal and 7 spiritual works of mercy? The seven corporal works of mercy are: Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Clothe the naked. Shelter the homeless. Visit the sick. Visit the imprisoned. Bury the dead. The seven spiritual works of mercy are: To instruct the ignorant. To counsel the doubtful. To admonish the sinner. To bear wrongs patiently. To forgive offenses willingly. To comfort the afflicted. To pray for the living and the dead.

Have you ever wondered which type of mercy is a greater, the corporal or the spiritual? I believe Jesus gives us the answer when He went to the house of His friends, Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Remember Martha was busy preparing a meal for Jesus, who was hungry and thirsty. But He corrected her when she wanted Our Lord to ask her sister Mary to help her. Mary stayed sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to Him. Our Lord told Martha, “Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Jesus wanted Martha and us to know that to listen, to pray and to talk to Our Lord, is a greater work of mercy. Not that the others aren’t important, they certainly are important and they are very much needed. But for Mary to sit at the feet of Jesus adoring Him, was a greater act of love because she was being merciful to Jesus Himself, by just being with Him.

When we make our Holy Hour we are sitting at the feet of Jesus. Its a better work to come and be with Him than to do other things. For Martha she was doing a necessary work to prepare a meal for Jesus. But its better to just be with Him, to listen to Him and adore Him. This is what Eucharistic adoration is all about—to just be with Jesus and to love Him and allow Him to love us in return.

It is more efficacious to do something directly for Jesus than to do something for our neighbor. For example. If a soldier dies to save the life of another soldier in battle, he laid down his life for a friend. But if someone dies for the sake of protecting Jesus in the Eucharist, the person will be considered a martyr and can become a saint because he laid down his life for Jesus. One such person is St. Tarscius who was a 12 yr. old boy who was attacked and killed by non-Catholic boys. He was an altar boy carrying Hosts to prisoners and he refused to give the Hosts to his attackers. They beat him to death as he died clutching the Hosts and they were not able to take the pyx with Hosts from him. They could not even remove the pyx from his hands even after he died. The point is we can and should do all sorts of works for others, but the greatest work we can do is for something directly for Jesus. And to be with Him in adoration, it is more pleasing to be Him than if we were to do all sorts of other good works.

There are 168 hours in a week and Our Lord is asking every one of us to spend one hour a week with Him. During His agony in the garden, Jesus told Peter, “Could you not even watch one hour with me?” Our Lord is saying to each of us today, “Come by yourself to an out way place and rest awhile.” If Jesus often went to a quiet place to pray, shouldn’t we? And there is no better place than to be with Him in His real true presence in Eucharistic adoration. Everyone who makes a Holy Hour will always leave their hour with a greater peace than when they came.

In just a few minutes is the sign up. You can sign up your family and your family can come together to be with Jesus. You can also sign up individually. Jesus is not only wanting adults to be with Him, He also wants children. Remember when the Apostles were trying to keep the children from Him, He said, “Let the little children come to me.” If you sign up your family for a Holy Hour, you can also sign up for a personal Holy Hour, so you can be with Jesus all to yourself. If you choose to do this, please use two separate forms. One for you and one for your family.

Young people can also have their own Holy Hour. A high school boy, Neal Adams, at St. Rose in Council Grove signed up. Every week, we rode his bicycle to the church to do his Holy Hour and then would go to school right after his hour was complete. He also enjoyed substituting for others. There was also a 10 yr. old boy at St Patrick in Wichita who on his own, without the encouragement of his parents, decided to make a Holy Hour every week. Because he lived a few blocks from the church, he would walk to church to do his Holy Hour. He never missed his Holy Hour until he was 30 years old, when he died unexpectedly. Neither parents believed their child would keep the commitment, but both boys proved their parents wrong. Parents, give your child a chance, if he or she wants to sign up.

There are four sections of the day you can sign up. 6am to noon, noon to 6pm, 6pm to midnight and midnight to 6am. Please mark you first choice and then your second choice. I believe from midnight to 6am is the best and to those who sign up, they are Our Lord’s “specials”, because He will give special graces for your special act of love. Men I encourage you take a night hour. Women are sometimes fearful to come at night. How can anyone be afraid in our quiet town of Little River. I knew an older lady at St. Francis parish in Wichita who did two Holy Hours 2am and 3am every week. She did this for over 20 years. She wasn’t afraid to come at night.

We will call you today starting at 11am to assign you an hour. Though it will be your Holy Hour, adoration is for everyone. And anyone can come day or night whenever they want to be with Jesus. So we should welcome anyone who wants to come and pray during our hour.

Next Sunday we will start adoration. Immediately after Mass, we will have a Eucharistic procession and so PSR will be delayed until the procession is complete. Everyone should come for the procession including the children. After the procession we will begin Adoration.

I have personally seen the lives of many change and not just those who come to adoration, but also their families. Relationships will be healed. People will come back to church. Non-Catholics will become Catholic. This will be the 5th parish, I have been involved in getting adoration started and honestly, it is Jesus who makes these things happen and its Jesus who continues adoration.

Don’t worry, if something comes up, if you are unable to make your Holy Hour, you will be able to find someone to take your hour. You will see, people will be willing to take your hour. You can ask family and friends to take it. All who sign up will have a list of adorers, whom they can contact.

Some of you may be thinking, “What will I do for a whole hour?” You can pray the Rosary, read the bible, pray prayers from a prayer book and most importantly talk to Him about your life, your family, your job, and just gaze upon Him with eyes of faith and then listen to Him. And then before long the hour is over and you wondered where time went.

There are a lot of things to pray for. With the terrible crisis in the world from covid, from the government over reaching, from abortion, violence, war, persecutions, drugs, not to mention the crisis in our own Catholic Church with a bishop saying one thing and another bishop saying the total opposite. The world is in a sad state.

But when we come to Jesus, He will help us to have peace in the midst of everything. He will help us to endure life’s difficulties. He will strengthen us to be witnesses and most especially, He will prepare us-- for our home in heaven. Every hour we spend with Him, Mother Teresa said it is recorded in heaven and will have a great glory.

Catherine Murphy, the coordinator of St. Anthony in Strong City typed a letter for you that was in the bulletin a few weeks ago. She said, “During adoration this week, I asked the Lord what I should say to the people of Little River about adoration. In the stillness of my heart I heard, “Tell them I love them, and tell them I want them to come to me. I want them to tell me all of their joys, their sorrows, their disappointments, who and what they are worried about. I already know all of these things, but I want them to talk to me as a friend. I am The Best Friend who will never betray them or abandon them. I love My Precious Children.”

My dear parishioners, Jesus is here in the Eucharist and He loves you so much! By our faith, and by just being with Him, we reveal our love for Him and for others. Don’t be afraid. Sign-up. And trust Jesus. May, Mary our Mother, give us Her sweet nudge to sign up and adore Her Son every week in Eucharistic adoration.

23rd Friday "Remove the Splinter"

 In the Gospel today, Jesus told His disciples they were not to look for splinters in eyes of their neighbor, because all the while they have a wooden beam in their own.

I would suspect that most all of you have never gotten a splinter in your eye. But I bet some of you have gotten a splinter in our finger or on our hand. When we were a child if we were to get a splinter in our finger or hand, it hurts and then Mom comes along and kisses it and then she gently pulls the splinter out with tweezers and suddenly it hardly hurts at all. But that’s what Mom’s are supposed to do. They're supposed to get the splinters out of our finger.
In the Gospel today, when Jesus was referring to splinters, he was referring to faults and sins of people. He wants His disciples to not look for the faults in others, rather they were to pay attention to their own sins and faults and try to correct them.

So if we want to remove sins and faults, we can turn to our heavenly Mother, who will kiss us and gently, by her motherly intercession, help us to remove them from our life. Today, let us try to do what Jesus wants us to do –to overlook the sins and faults of others and concentrate on our own asking the Virgin Mary to help us overcome them.

Sept. 9th - St. Peter Claver

 Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Peter Claver, a Spanish Jesuit, who followed his call to the missions. He was born in 1580 and was ordained a priest in 1616 in Columbia, which was the center of the slave trade in South America. He worked among the African slaves brought there, which was as many as 10,000 a year. St. Peter devoted his life to relieving their misery, with medicine and food, and was zealously concerned for their spiritual welfare. He offered them an authentic Christian witness, teaching them religious and moral truths. It is said that over a period of 40 years, he instructed and baptized over 30,000 slaves. He was sick and exhausted during the last four years of his life.

From one of his letters, he wrote the following. “Yesterday, May 30, 1627, on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, numerous blacks, brought from the rivers of Africa, disembarked from a large ship. We had to force our way through the crowd until we reached the sick. Large numbers of the sick were lying on the wet ground, or rather in puddles of mud. To prevent excessive dampness, someone had thought of building up a mound with a mixture of tiles and broken pieces of bricks. This, then was their couch, a very uncomfortable one, not only for that reason, but especially because they were naked, without any clothing to protect them. The joy in their eyes as they looked at us was something to see. After this, we began an elementary instruction about baptism, that is, the wonderful effects of the sacrament on body and soul. When by their answers to our questions, they showed they had sufficiently understood this, we went on to a more extensive instruction, namely about one God… Finally, when they appeared sufficiently prepared, we declared the mysteries of the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Passion. Showing them Christ fastened to the Cross, as He is depicted on the baptismal font.. we led them in reciting an act of contrition in their own language.”

As we prepare to receive the Eucharist, we pray through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary: “God of mercy and love, you offer all peoples the dignity of sharing in your life. By the example and prayers of Saint Peter Claver, strengthen us to overcome all racial hatreds, and to love each other as brothers and sisters.”

Sept. 8th - Birth of Mary "Happy Birthday Mary!"

 Today, there are parents in heaven who are celebrating the Birth of their daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary were righteous. Her father was from the royal house of David, her mother, St. Anne came from the priestly class of Aaron. However, the holy couple’s one great sorrow was that they had no children.

Blessed Virgin Mary Herself was foretold by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and He shall be called Emmanuel, meaning God with us.” And also by the prophet Micah, who states, “Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when She who is to give birth has borne.”

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.

Its 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 be 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.

St. Anthony of Padua in one of his sermons speaks eloquently of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He said, “There is a legend that a certain holy man, while devoutly praying, heard the angels in heaven singing a sweet melody. When a year had passed, he heard the angels [once again], on the same day. He asked the Lord to show him the meaning of this; and received the reply, that on that day, blessed Mary was born, and for Her Nativity the angels in heaven gave praise to God. That is why the birthday of the glorious Virgin is celebrated on this day. The purity of her birth is expressed by ‘the glory of the stars’.

Liturgically Mary’s birth is celebrated 9 months after we celebrate Her Immaculate Conception.

Today, let us celebrate the feast of birthday of Mary. May we sing and rejoice with the angels and be glad because God, who is almighty, has done great things for Her and through Her-- for us!

23rd Tuesday - "Call of the Apostles"

 In the Gospel, Jesus summons His twelve apostles. Who are these twelve men? Two were tax collectors Matthew and James the Less (IRS workers). Seven were fisherman (Peter, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James the greater). The occupation of Simon the Zealot is unknown. He was a political liberator. Little is know about Thaddeus, often called Jude-, the patron of the impossible. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. He held the common purse. Perhaps he worked with money, prior to his call.

Why did the Lord choose men of such little standing in society and of no importance in the eyes of the world? None were princes, leaders of the synagogue or Roman officials. They were simple, plain, uneducated men apparently weak, and at times jealous of each other. One betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide. All fled during the arrest of Jesus in the garden.

Despite Peter’s weaknesses, Jesus chose him as leader. Recall Peter tempted Jesus to avoid His crucifixion. He denied Our Lord, three times. Yet, Peter became the bishop of Rome, the first Pope. Thousands were converted, because of St. Peter’s speech at Pentecost. Some were healed by his shadow. He even raised someone back to life. He died being crucified upside down.

All traveled long distances and became leaders of various cities and regions. They were our first bishops. They expelled demons, healed the sick and preached the Kingdom of Heaven. Ten were martyred.

St. John, the only one at the foot of the Cross, wouldn’t be martyred. But they tried to kill him, by boiling him in oil, but it had no affect on him. He took the Mother of Jesus into his home and lived to be nearly 100 years old.

These simple uneducated men carried on the work of the Redemption delivering truth and grace to mankind. Our Lord chose them Himself, kept them constantly with Him, prayed for them and made them His chief care fit for their great office. Jesus chose weak men to show the world, the spread of the Gospel, was not due to human learning, but solely God’s grace.

Today, with Mary, the Queen of Apostles, let us praise and thank God, for the Holy Apostles, whom Jesus chose to become the very foundation of the Catholic Church!

Monday - Labor Day

 Today is Labor Day, a civil holiday, which honors human labor.

In the beginning, man’s work was not to be toilsome nor was it a burden. The work of Adam and Eve before the fall would not have caused sweat or pain. It would have been a joy to work. It would have been easy and simple. And God would provide for their every need.

But when Adam and Eve fell, and committed original sin, the Lord God said to Adam, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, “you shall not eat of it”, cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Because of original sin, the ground is cursed, and in toil and labor Adam and Eve shall eat of it. To provide for their necessities will take sweat and toil and be a burden to them.

Man was not the only one who worked. God Himself worked, as He created the earth and the heavens in six days, but on the seventh day He rested.

Most people, if they had the choice and did not have to work-- wouldn’t work. They would choose to the freedom and luxury of resting, relaxing as long as all their needs would be provided.

In the beginning, God told man to subdue the earth and to have dominion over the fish, the animals and all living things on the earth. The earth, its creatures, and resources were to be used for man’s needs. The primary purpose of these things was for man. Man’s dominion over all these things, would come about by work.

Jesus Himself worked. He was a carpenter. His manual labor elevated labor and gave it a greater meaning. If Jesus had to work, so can we. Despite Our Lord’s work, labor would continue to be a burden and toilsome. However, on the Cross, Our Lord would give the greatest meaning and dignity to work, by His greatest work--- our Redemption.

His work of salvation was immeasurably greater than His work of creating the entire universe. It was a greater work for God to open the gates of heaven, and to save souls, than to create the entire universe. Due to the mystery of Our Lord’s suffering and death, the meaning and effect of work would cause labor to have great dignity.

The sacrifice of work, the toil and burden of it all, would take on a whole new meaning. It would become the cause for our sanctification. Now when we work and unite the toil and sufferings of work-- with the sufferings of Christ on the Cross, we become holy. When we accept the work we have to do, for the glory and honor of God, we enter into the mystery of God’s kingdom, the mystery of His will, and in fact, participate in helping to bring about His kingdom on earth, all the while, becoming sanctified by the toil and burden of work.

Today, let us give thanks to God for the blessing of human labor. May we accept the burden and toil of it, whether its cleaning the house, mowing the yard, or working for our employer, and unite it to the work of Christ-- on the Cross, that it may be the cause of our sanctification, and the bring about of God’s kingdom, on earth, as it is in heaven.

23rd Sunday "Jesus is the Messiah"

The point of today’s readings and Gospel is this: Jesus is the Messiah, because He fulfilled all Old Testament prophecies.

In the first reading, Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Messiah: “The eyes of the blind be opened, the ear of the deaf be unstopped; then will the lame will leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing.”

In the Gospel today, some people brought a man to Jesus, who had a speech impediment, and begged Him to lay hands on the man. Jesus touched the man’s ears and then placed saliva on the man’s tongue and suddenly the man is healed to the astonishment of the people.

Most Jews believed when the messiah would come, he would open the eyes of the blind; cause the paralyzed to walk; the deaf would be able to hear; and those who could not speak, would talk. After the fall of Adam and Eve, the Messiah prophesied would restore mankind back to God. The Jews believed the Messiah would be a king anointed from the house David and his kingdom is without end. However, they erroneously thought the Messiah would conquer the enemies of Israel such as the Romans.

When Jesus began His public ministry, in the synagogue at Nazareth, He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,…” Then He sat down and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” The Jews knew this scripture referred to the Messiah and so when Jesus proclaimed Himself the Messiah, they wanted to kill Him.

Bishop Fulton Sheen said there are 3 ways we can know Jesus is the Messiah. The first way is what we see in the today’s Gospel. The Messiah will be able to work miracles of physical healing (healing the blind, cleansing lepers, the deaf to hear).

The second way we know Jesus is the Messiah, is that the morality Jesus declares does not contradict human reason. In another words the Messiah would never say abortion or contraception is acceptable under certain circumstances. It contradicts human reason to kill an innocent baby.

The third way we know Jesus is the Messiah is He fulfills all the prophecies of the Old Testament. During the time of Jesus, there were 456 prophecies the Messiah was expected to fulfill. For example: It was predicted by the prophet Micah the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.”

Another example, Psalm 22 prophesies Our Lord’s crucifixion, “they have pierced my hands and feet and numbered all my bones.” and its states, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” So when Jesus was crucified, He was quoting Psalm 22 that would help the Jews to know He was fulfilling the prophecy as He was being crucified.

Jesus predicted He would die in Jerusalem, be crucified and rise from the dead. As Matthew 16:21 states, “From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Fulton Sheen said, “What is the probability of anyone fulfilling all 456 prophecies of the Old Testament that refer to the Messiah? To fulfill 4 of the 456 prophecies is 1 in 100,000. However, Jesus fulfills all 456 prophecies. Bishop Fulton Sheen said, the chance of fulfilling all 456 prophecies 1 with 184 zeros.” There are 12 zeros in a trillion, but Bishop Sheen it would be 184 zeros which is incalculable.

Nobody, except God, can predict the place of His birth, the manner of His death and predict He would rise from the dead. Did Muhammed or Buddha or Confucius predict in advance where they would be born or how they would die? No. Only Jesus, who is the true Messiah predicted all these things in Sacred Scripture. Only Jesus invited everyone to have an intimate and personal relationship with Him. He said, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” No one, but Jesus has ever asked that we eat His flesh and drink His blood. No one has ever revealed the depths of His love by dying for us on the Cross.

Some saints say, the antichrist (the false messiah) will someday appear to work miracles, but they will not be true miracles. He will claim to raise the dead, but the dead will not actually be dead. The antichrist will claim to be the Messiah, but he will not be able to predict the city he is to be born or the city he will die. Or the manner in which he will die nor fulfill all the prophecies of the Old Testament because only Jesus, the real Messiah, who is God can fulfill all of them.

Some believe a false prophet will prepare the way for the antichrist by helping set up a false counter Church to the Catholic Church, with doctrines that conflict with Christianity and many of the elect will be fooled.

Fulton Sheen says this about the antichrist (the false messiah). He said, “the antichrist will not be called the antichrist or no one would follow him. He will be disguised as a humanitarian (to help the poor), one who will talk peace, prosperity, and plenty, not as means to lead us to God, but as ends in themselves. He will write books on the new idea of God to suit the way people live. He will identify tolerance with indifference to right and wrong. He will even speak of Christ and say that he was the greatest man who ever lived, (but not speak of Him as God). He will explain guilt away psychologically. He will foster more divorces under the disguise that another partner is “vital.”

The Catechism tells us, “Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when She will follow Her Lord in His death and resurrection. The kingdom will be fulfilled, not by a historic triumph of the Church…but by only God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil.” The Catechism is saying we should not expect a historic triumph of the Church.

Is it possible the Church is going through her passion in the time in which we are living? And if so, will we be like John and stand at the foot of Cross with Mary and watch and pray as the mystical body of Christ is crucified or will we abandon our Lord and our Church like the other apostles. Only 1 in 12 endured the crisis in which the Church was born.

Unless we are deeply rooted in our faith, go to confession frequently, attend Mass regularly, have a deep prayer life with Jesus, stay close to Our Lord in the Eucharist, the true and only Messiah, we may be led astray.

Like the early Christians we are to undergo suffering and persecution, with our eyes and heart on heaven as our home. So no matter what happens around us, we are prepared for heaven because we have Jesus. When Our Lord comes on the clouds of heaven, only He will bring about a lasting peace, when the world will be transformed and made new, sin and evil will be destroyed and all will receive a resurrected body.

Until that day, we keep our eyes on Jesus, we come to Him asking Him to heal the blindness of our hearts, to open our ears that we may hear His word and touch our lips so we may proclaim Him to the world. No matter our sufferings, no matter our persecutions, no matter the trials or crisis, we know the Good Shepherd is at our side. He walks with us through dark valleys and we fear no evil. Only Jesus, the true Messiah, will guide us to the restful waters of heaven.

Let us pray, O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Messiah, pray for us, help us to have a personal and intimate relationship with your Son, who loved us so much, He laid down His life for us, that we may have life with Him in heaven.