31st Sunday Medjugorje

 Today, I am going to speak on the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje. Recall the Vatican Commission voted 13 out of 14 in favor of the apparitions for the first week and while the rest of the apparitions up today the commission was evenly divided. In the past 40 years the Church has not condemned them. We are able to believe if we want. The pope will make a declaration on their authenticity. If the apparitions are approved by the Church, we would not be required to believe them because they are private revelation.

Today I will explain some of the first week apparitions and then give some of the messages. In the future, I hope to tell you about the 10 secrets and the permanent sign to be left on the hill of appartions.

On June 24, 1981, the feast of St. John the Baptist, six children (Ivan, Maria, Viscka, Mariana, Jakov, Ivanka) ages 10 yrs. to 19 yrs. were walking along the road and in the sky they see a figure of a beautiful and luminous young woman with a child in her arms. The apparition does not speak, but made a gesture to approach Her, but frightened, they run away.

The next day, June 25^th, Mary appeared on a cloud and without a child. The visionaries ran fast among rocks, brambles and weeds towards the top of the mountain. They did not even get a scratch and said they felt “transported” by a mysterious force. Our Lady appeared smiling, dressed in a shiny silver-gray dress with a white veil covering her black hair; She has loving blue eyes and is crowned by 12 stars. Our Lady says: “Praised be Jesus!” Ivanka’s mother had died several months before and she speaks: “Where is my mother? Mary replied: “She is happy. She is with me.” The visionaries ask: “Will you return tomorrow?” Mary nod’s her head. Mirjana interjects: “No one will believe us. They will say that we are crazy. Give us a sign!” The apparition responded only with a smile and departs.

On June 26, 1981, more than 3,000 people gathered, and all were attracted by a bright glow. At the request of her grandmother, Vicka sprinkled holy water on the apparition. Viscka said “If you are not of God leave, if you are of God stay.” Our Lady smiles. Ivanka then asked why Our Lady is here. Mary responded: "I have come because there are many true believers here. I wish to be with you to convert and to reconcile the whole world." Mirjana asked: "Who are you?" The lady said, "I am the Blessed Virgin Mary." Why are you appearing to us? We are no better than others.” "I do not necessarily choose the best." While Marija goes down the mountain, she sees the Virgin again. Our Lady is carrying a wooden cross crying. "Peace, Peace, Peace! Be reconciled! Only Peace. Make your peace with God among yourselves. For that, it is necessary to believe, to pray, to fast, and to go to confession."

On June 27^th the 6 visionaries are summoned to the police office and undergo interrogation including medical-psychiatric examinations, after which they are declared perfectly sane. They run to the hill not to miss the fourth Apparition. When Mary appears She says, “Praise be Jesus" The children said, "How must we pray?" "Continue to recite the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be seven times, but also add the Creed. Good-bye, my angels. Go in the peace of God."

On June 28, 1981 more than 15,000 people were waiting for the Apparition. The visionaries asked Mary what do you want of us? And Mary said, "That people believe and persevere in the faith."

On June 29^th the six young visionaries are picked up again by the police and taken to a psychiatric ward at the Mostar hospital. The doctor who leads the medical team, a Muslim, declares the kids are not crazy, but rather those who led them there. 10 yr. old Jacov, said he is willing to give his life rather than deny the apparitions.

The parents of a handicapped child Danielle Setka ask the visionaries to intercede on behalf of the child. They ask the Virgin to cure the child so people will believe them. "Have them believe strongly in his cure. Go in the peace of God." By the end of the summer the child can walk and talk. Since then there has been a long series of miraculous healings.

Between June 30, 1981 and December 31, 1981, the visionaries were being tracked by the police. They had to find discreet places for the apparitions. Here are some of the messages of Our Lady.

August 2, 1981 From Marija's room, Our Lady said, "A great struggle is about to unfold. A struggle between my Son and Satan. Human souls are at stake." "Everyone here may touch me." When Our Lady's dress became stained, Marinko invited all to go to confession.

August 8, 1981 "Do penance! Strengthen your faith through prayer and the sacraments."

November 16, 1981 "The devil is trying to conquer us. Do not permit him. Keep the faith, fast, and pray. I will be with you at every step."

July 21, 1982 "The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars, one can suspend the natural laws of nature. Works of charity cannot replace fasting... Everyone except the sick, has to fast."

July 24, 1982 "Whoever has done very much evil during his life can go straight to Heaven if he confesses, is sorry for what he has done, and receives Communion at the end of his life. August 6, 1982 "Monthly confession will be a remedy for the Church in the West."

Nov. 21^St 1985 “What I want from you is to show me your love by coming to Mass, and the Lord will reward you abundantly. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Oct. 8^Th, 1984 “Dear children, Let all the prayers you say in your homes in the evening be for the conversion of sinners because the world is in great sin. Every evening pray the rosary.”

October 18, 1984 "Dear children, today I call you to read the Bible everyday in your homes and let it be in a visible place so as always to encourage you to read it and pray." (February 14, 1985) "Every family must pray family prayers and read the Bible."

(April 25^th, 1987) "Today also I am calling you to prayer. You know, dear children, that God grants special graces in prayer... I call you, dear children, to prayer with the heart."

To love the Lord your God with all your heart, you will put Him first in your life, making Sunday Mass the most important thing we do and come to daily Mass when we are able. If we love Him with all our soul, we will watch over and protect our soul by avoiding sin and going to Confession monthly. If we love God will all our mind, we will pray read about God in the bible daily, and meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary daily praying the Rosary. If we love God will our strength, we will fast on Wed. and Friday to strengthen us and protect us.

Today, let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for us that we may love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, as She did throughout Her life, that we may enjoy heaven at the end of our life.

Oct. 28th - Sts. Simon & Jude

 

Today is the feast of the apostles St. Simon and St. Jude.

St. Simon from Cana, was a Zealot party member, which is why he is called Simon the Zealot. Zealots sought to overthrow Rome by force and violence if necessary. Obviously, after he met Jesus, he abandoned such ideas and rather became zealous in serving the Lord. Other than that he was a zealot, we know almost nothing of his life.

St. Jude, also called St. Thaddeus, was the brother of St. James, the less. The brothers were sons of Cleophas and Mary. Their mother, Mary, may have been the cousin of the Blessed Virgin. There is a tradition that Jude preached in Judea, Samaria, and Mesopotamia.

St. Paulinus states that St. Jude planted the faith as far way as modern day Libya. What we do know for certain is that he is the author of the epistle St. Jude, which was probably written before the fall of Jerusalem between 62 and 65AD. In his epistle, it indicates that heresies had already arisen and Jude denounces the evil life of heretics and warns of the judgment to come. He condemns the impious, the lustful, and those who “cultivate people for the sake of gain”. He charges Christians to “build up yourself upon the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the law of God, looking for mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto life everlasting.”

St. Jude is called the patron of the impossible, those in despair and hopeless cases, perhaps because he had the same name as Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus and despaired.

One tradition states that he was in Beirut and another tradition states that he and Simon were martyred at Suanis, a city of Persian, where they had gone as missionaries.

The two apostles were first hand friends of Jesus. They would have absorbed every miracle, and pondered all He that He said. They would have asked Him questions knowing He had the answer to everything. Both saints had the good fortune to learn from the lips of the Master, the doctrine, they would later teach. The Lord taught them about the mysteries of the kingdom. They walked with Him, talked with Him, and ate with Him. They shared their joys and sorrows with Him. Present at the Last Supper, they participated in the glorious sacraments of the Eucharist and the priesthood for the first time. At the last supper St. Jude even asked the Lord, “why He had manifested Himself only to His Disciples and not to the whole world.” (John 14:22)

However, after the Last Supper, they fled when He was arrested in the garden. Our Lord’s trial before the Sanhedrin, His carrying of the Cross, and His Crucifixion on Calvary would have caused them deep anguish. They were in the Upper Room when He appeared to all of the apostles after the Resurrection. They ate with Him, as He sat before them in His glorified body and beheld the wounds in His hands, feet and side. They gazed into the sky, as He ascended, on cloud into heaven.

They were also friends of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and most likely ate some of Her meals. They were with Our Lady on Pentecost and saw flames of fire appear before their heads. They would have baptized, offered the Mass on the Lord’s Day and traveled by foot to preach in many distant lands.

And as apostles and martyrs, they laid the solid foundation of the Church, built upon Jesus Christ, their capstone. Now let us ask the Holy Apostles Simon and Jude to help us know and love the Master more each day, and to follow Him, all the days of our life.

30th Wed. Narrow Path - Few Will Be Saved

 Today many believe everyone goes to heaven. But that contradicts the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel. In fact, we have very sobering words from Our Savior.

Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets. Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.”

What are these people doing wrong if they ate and drank with Him and listened to Him teaching in their streets? Why would they be cast out?

There are two kinds of people that Jesus could be talking about. The first group liked to listen to Jesus and enjoyed being with Him, but they refused to do anything He said. The other group are those who do what Jesus asks, but in their heart they have unrepentant serious sin. So their works mean nothing.

What Jesus is speaking about today is the virtue of religion. The virtue of religion means the person is not only going through the motions and doing exterior “good things”, but more importantly their heart and mind are united to their actions. 

So the narrow way is not only actions, but the state of the soul in our heart. 

We need to have the proper motives and to do what we do out love and not to be noticed or praised. Some perform good works to be seen or to receive praise, rather than having the proper motive of doing it out of love of God and neighbor.

Here are some quotes from some saints about the narrow gate that are astonishing. St. Francis Xavier said, 'Ah, how many souls lose Heaven and are cast into Hell!'

St. Leonard of Port Maurice said, 'Our chronicles relate an even more dreadful happening. One of our brothers, well-known for his doctrine and holiness, was preaching in Germany. He represented the ugliness of the sin of impurity-- so forceful that a woman fell dead of sorrow in front of everyone. Then, coming back to life, the woman said, "When I was presented before the Tribunal of God, sixty thousand people arrived at the same time from all parts of the world; out of that number, three were saved by going to Purgatory, and all the rest were damned.'

Pope Saint Gregory the Great said, 'There are many who arrive at the faith, but few that are led into the heavenly kingdom.'

Saint Jacinta Marto of Fatima said, 'So many people are going to die, and almost all of them are going to Hell! So many people falling into hell!'

St. Augustine said, 'It is certain that few are saved.'

St. Justin the martyr said, 'The majority of men shall not see God, excepting those who live justly, purified by righteousness and by every other virtue.'

Sister Lucia of Fatima said, 'Taking into account the behavior of mankind, only a small part of the human race will be saved”.

St. Benedict Labore said, 'Yes, indeed, many will be damned; few will be saved.'

St. Anthony Mary Claret said, 'A multitude of souls fall into the depths of Hell, and it is of the faith that all who die in mortal sin are condemned for ever and ever. According to statistics, approximately 80,000 persons die every day. How many of these will die in mortal sin, and how many will be condemned! For, as their lives have been, so also will be their end.'

St. Regimius of Rheims said, “With the exception of those who die in childhood, most men will be damned.

St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Philip Neri, St. John of the Cross, St. John Vianney, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, St. Louis Marie de Montfort, Ven. Mary Agreda, and many others say the majority go to hell and few are saved.

With these sobering words from the saints, let us strive to unite our heart to our actions to practice the virtue of religion to follow that the narrow path to have a repentant heart filled with grace and love.

We cannot judge the other heart of another person, but we can see by their actions, we need to pray for them.

May these words cause us to pray for the conversion of sinners, offer sacrifices for them, and for us frequent the sacraments of confession and Holy Communion, in this way we will choose the narrow road trusting if we persevere to the end, we will be counted with the few and not the many who will be lost.  All of us are human, we are all sinners, but we trust in God's mercy as the psalm for today said, "My hope O Lord, is in your mercy." 

O Jesus, our savior, we can do nothing good without your help and grace. Help us to always be faithful to you in our words, our actions and in our heart and we entrust our self to the Virgin Mary, as St. Anslem said, 'It is impossible to be saved if we turn away from thee, O Mary.'

30th Sunday Year B - "Abortion & Blindness"

The bishop has asked priests to preach this weekend of our diocesan respect life efforts and so next week I will preach on the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in Medjugorje.

The Gospel for today’s Sunday Mass tells the story of Jesus curing the blind beggar called Bartimaeus. This poor man lived in complete darkness and had a tremendous desire to be cured. He wanted to see light, and see the beauty of God’s creation, especially other people. Jesus looked at Bartimaeus saying “What do you want me to do for you?” He already knew what the man wanted, but He wanted to illicit his faith. The blind man cried out, “Lord, that I may see.” Jesus then said, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him along the way.

Have you ever had a moment when you realized you were not seeing things as clearly as you thought? There is a particular blindness that grips many in the world today, to the dignity of the human person, especially in the early stages of the unborn.

When I was 19 yrs. old, I had that blindness. I thought, “I don’t believe in abortion, but people have the right to do what they want.” That was really a wrong way of thinking-- because nobody has the right to harm an innocent person. A few years later my eyes were opened. While working in the surgical sterilization department in a hospital in Hays, after a surgery, a nurse brought some instruments for me to clean and sterilize. As I was cleaning a curette I saw something that shocked me. There appeared to be a tiny little foot. (not mentioned at the Mass with children.) Surely, I was mistaken. But later the nurse returned and said the instruments I cleaned were from a miscarriage. For adults, if you want to know what I saw I can tell you privately, as children shouldn’t hear what it was. It was then I could clearly see --a person is a person--no matter how small.

I felt bad for the mother and the father as well as the doctor and nurses. How difficult it must have been for the parents to lose their child before birth. Their hopes and dreams for the child to be a part of the family were shattered by some unknown reason nobody could understand. Since that day, I have been strongly pro-life. I was blind, but then I could see the truth, each unborn child is a person.

In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the Kansas constitution contains an unlimited right to abortion and when that happened all Kansas pro-life laws enacted in the last 25 years were all done away with. It eliminated a ban on taxpayer funded abortion, limits on partial birth or late term abortions, parental consent requirement for minors.

However, in August of next year, the people of Kansas will be able to vote on a “Value Them Both” amendment to the Kansas constitution, which returns some limits on abortion. It is imperative for Kansans to vote yes in favor of the amendment and to get as many as possible to do the same. Bishop Kemme sent a letter to all Catholics asking for a one time financial gift to help to help in this effort.

Sadly, last year, during the covid outbreak there was a dramatic increase in abortions in Kansas because they were banned in Oklahoma and Texas. But not Kansas and therefore many girls came to Kansas for an abortion.

We need to place our selves in the shoes of those who had an abortion. Most likely they were blind to the reality of what they are doing. They were confused. They were told its not a baby, but just a blob of tissue. Some girls were pressured by parents, or by their boy friend or feared not being able to go to college.

Jesus told St. Faustina, “Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of Mercy.”

An example of God’s mercy is Abbey Johnson, who was the director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Texas. She had two abortions. One day, a doctor asked her to hold the ultra sound device as he did the abortion. She saw the baby moving about until the doctor performed the abortion. She immediately quit and not much later decided to become Catholic. The following year, she became Catholic at the Easter Vigil. When Abbey was a young girl she was a baptized Christian. Since she was baptized when she became Catholic she didn’t need baptism. So she would have went to confession, before Mass and then at Mass she received Confirmation and made her first Holy Communion. The following Sunday after Easter-- (Divine Mercy Sunday) when she received Holy Communion, all the punishment due to her sins was washed away in the ocean of God’s mercy. Jesus promised that on the Feast of Mercy, “whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment”. So God not only forgave her, but washed away all her purgatory time, such that if she would have died after receiving Communion, she could have went straight to heaven.

While in seminary, I met Dr. Bernard Nathonson, a Jewish abortionist, who became Catholic. He admitted to having performed 60,000 abortions. But one day, he saw an unborn baby silently scream on an ultra sound and immediately gave up abortions. He attended RCIA classes, was baptized and made his first Communion at the Easter Vigil at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. When baptized, not only were his sins forgiven but the punishment due to his sins forgiven, such that if he would have died after his baptism, he would have went straight to heaven.

Jesus wants to give peace to troubled hearts and wash away all sins and immerse them in His unfathomable mercy. At times, all of us do not see how our blindness can cause bad views or wrong actions. He understands when we are confused and hurting. And at times we can be ignorant.

But we need to be like Bartimeaus and ask Jesus to heal our blind heart, “Jesus have pity on me. Lord that I may see. Jesus I trust in your mercy.” Jesus loves and knows each every person from the moment of conception. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”

And Jesus loves each and every sinner. He loves us so much He died on the Cross so our sins could be forgiven. Our Lord is rich in mercy. Though our sins may be like scarlet, they will all be washed away in the ocean of God’s unfathomable mercy.

Today, let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for all those who do not clearly see each unborn child is a person created in God’s image and likeness and that God has a plan for every person He creates.

And let us ask Mary to pray for those who have had an abortion, may they discover God’s mercy and receive His loving and tender compassion and forgiveness.

Oct. 18th - St. Luke

Today is the feast of St. Luke, who was an apostle, although he was not one of the twelve apostles. He wrote several inspired books of the bible. He wrote the Gospel of St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He also traveled with St. Paul, and was able to write a lot about St. Paul, and the early Church, including Pentecost, the spreading of the Gospel, and the founding of local churches.

In his gospel, St. Luke wrote about the divine mercy of Jesus. For example, he stressed Christ’s love for sinners. How tender is Our Lord’s mercy, as He seeks out the lost sheep, forgives the woman caught in adultery, or promises the repentant thief, eternal life.

He wrote about women in society at the time, such as the widow of Naim, the woman who bathed the feet of Jesus with her tears, the woman whose back was bent, and the weeping women of Jerusalem.

He also wrote much about Our Lord’s love for the poor.

And St. Luke wrote more about the Blessed Virgin and the infant Jesus more then the other Gospel writers. He is the only writer to give us the birth of John the Baptist, the annunciation of the angel to the Virgin Mary, the visitation to Her cousin Elizabeth and the detailed description of the Birth of Jesus as well as the loss of Jesus for three days and the finding of Jesus in the temple. It is almost certain that he would have learned about these events from the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. As She would have given him the detailed descriptions.

Only in the Gospel of St. Luke we hear, Mary’s beautiful Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord, My Spirit Rejoices in God my Savior”. Only in his Gospel do we hear, “Hail full of Grace, the Lord is with thee, Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”. Only in his gospel do we hear twice, “Mary pondered all these things in Her Heart”.

St. Luke must have deeply loved Mary. It is believed he painted many paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary, some of which are believed to be still in existence today. Besides being an artist, and a writer, he was also a traveler of St. Paul, and a physician.

The modern Greeks tell us he was crucified on an olive tree. Other say he was beheaded after his hands had been cut off for writing His Gospel. He is the patron of physicians and artists.

May St. Luke intercede for us to help us meditate on his Gospel, and so, come to a deeper love and devotion to the Child Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. And may he help doctors help patients.

Medjugorje Talk

Medjugorje is nestled in a valley in the country called Bosnia Herzegovina, which was part of former Yugoslavia. The largest mountain near Medjugorje there is a large stone cross constructed in 1933 in honor of 1900 years after the death of Jesus. Back then, the local people carried the water and cement up the rocky mountain to create the large cross that overlooks the valley. Every year near the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross Sept. 14th, the entire village climbs the mountain to have Mass on an altar next to the Cross. Most people, young and old will journey up the rocky mountain barefoot for penance. Its impressive to see so many people doing penance for their sins and the sins of others.

Below the mountain in the valley is St. James Church. The people in the area are very faithful Catholics and most all attend daily Mass. Because there are thousands of pilgrims who come to Mass, the Mass is celebrated outdoors under a large canopy over the altar. There are various Masses through the day for the various different countries in their language and these Masses are in the JP II center.

The international Mass at St. James starts at 6pm. The Mass is prayed in the local language of the people. The prayers of the Mass are prayed in Latin so all the priests can concelebrate. To prepare for Mass confessions begin at 5pm. There are priests from all over the world who hear confessions in their native language. Polish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, English are just a few. The priest will place a sign with the language he is able to hear confessions. The confessionals on each side of the church and priests also hear confessions on benches and using chairs. At 5:40pm, everyone stops praying the Rosary and the church bells are rung when the Virgin Mary is appearing to some of the visionaries usually in their homes. After about 5 min. the people continue to pray the rosary. After Mass they pray 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Marys and 7 Glory be’s for peace-- then another Rosary followed by the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To the east of the church is the hill of apparitions where the Virgin Mary began to appear to 6 children in June of 1981. The Virgin Mary’s messages were peace, reconciliation with God and neighbor. To Pray from the heart, to attend daily Mass, to Fast on Wed. and Friday, to read the bible, daily pray three mysteries of the Rosary and to have Eucharistic Adoration. The children who are now adults, have been examined and tested during many apparitions. Every test has always concluded they are seeing something. Every 2^nd of the month, the Virgin Mary gives a message for the world. There are 10 secrets which will all be eventually revealed before Mirjana before she dies. One of secrets Mary promises to leave a permanent sign on the location of the first apparition. Some secrets will encourage the people in their faith while other secrets are punishments by God for the sins of the world. The Virgin has said to not wait to convert before the secrets are revealed because by then-- for many-- it will be too late.

The parish has (veneration) of the cross every Friday. People gaze and pray before the cross for an hour as hymns are sung and a priest will give a meditation on the cross.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays the parish has a Eucharistic Holy Hour at night at 7pm after Mass. Anywhere between 2,000 to 10,000 people will come to adore Jesus in adoration.

If I could describe Medjugorje with one word, I would say “Peace”. It could be felt wherever I went. I felt at home there. While I was there I was able to let all difficulties and problems go trusting Mary would take care of them. I went to confession several times in Medjugorje. One of the things that touched me the most was I felt like Mary loved me personally. All of us think about God loving us, but we don’t really think about our spiritual Mother loving us and this was my experience. I felt this was my personal message, that Mary truly loved me and She loves You!

Some highlights of the trip include being the main celebrant of the English speaking 10am Mass and I gave the homily. There were about 800 people in attendance. Mostly from Ireland, Great Britain and the US. Another highlight was hearing confessions. I heard confessions 3 evenings from 3 to 5 hours each night. They were the most beautiful confessions. Its wonderful to hear confessions of people from all over the world. There is a grace given to those who go there to open their hearts and confess sins they failed to confess from the past.

As a group we went up apparition hill and prayed the Rosary at each mystery on the way up. I also went up apparition hill several times by myself to pray including one time at night. The people keep respectful silence near the apparition site. During the night when I came by myself, I was surprised to see many couples (husbands and wives and or boyfriend and girl friends). I think they saw it romantic to be there at night in the presence of the Virgin Mary. Her statue was lit up by lights at night.

On another day, we went up Cross mountain and I lead the Stations of the Cross as we climbed the mountain. The mountain is very steep and rocky. Some from our group trekked up the mountain barefoot. Just before the last station a very popular priest, Fr. Slavko instrumental in helping the parish during the beginnings of the apparitions died on the mountain there about 10 years ago. The Cenaculo group of young men have a treatment house in Medjugorje. They are men are suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. They carried a 2 ton rock from the bottom of the hill to the place where he died as a memorial to him. Many people believe someday Fr. Slavko become a saint and we went to the cemetery and prayed at his tomb.

On Sept. 30th about 10 priests, myself and about 20 lay people were present during an apparition of Ivan at his personal chapel. As the apparition started, I immediately felt as though a burden was taken off my shoulders. During the apparition I prayed for all of you and especially for the intentions of those who asked me to pray give them to Our Lady. As the apparition continued, I slowly had a greater peace. It was a beautiful experience. I felt so honored to be in what I believe was the presence of Our Lady.

My group went to Jakov’s talk, but I didn’t go because I would not have been able to make my daily Holy Hour and so during the talk I prayed in the adoration chapel. I have his talk on a CD.

We attended the outdoor Holy Hour. Every day I either prayed at the outdoor Holy Hour, or the Adoration Chapel or in the church of St. James or the chapel of the two Hearts at the hotel.

On the feast of St. Faustina, on Oct. 5th, our group went to the Divine Mercy chapel, which is about 15 minutes from Medjugorje and we were chosen to have Mass at the 3 o'clock hour and just before Mass we prayed the chaplet of Divine Mercy. I offered the Mass and gave the homily. After Mass we venerated a relic of St. Faustina and also Pope St. John Paul II. The custodian of the divine mercy chapel gave a talk explaining the history of the miraculous icon associated with the healing of a Ugo Festa from Italy. He had multiple sclerosis. When praying before the image, he saw Jesus stretch out his arms and stood before him. Ugo was immediately miraculously healed.

Miranja’s house is sort of like a hotel and she waits on tables for the people come to stay at her house. Our group leader brought us to her house and we shook hands with her.

I was able to offer Mass and be the main celebrant at Sirki Briege, the Franciscan monastery the place where 20 Franciscans were martyred. We went to the underground cave where they died. The Communists asked the Franciscans to spit at the crucifix and remove their habits and if they did they would live. But all refused. They were shot, but some didn’t die immediately. The Franciscans were set afire and some were burned alive.

The food at the hotel was homemade and very delicious. They had homemade wine from grapes from their fields near Medjugorje. The wine had an alcohol content of 12%. I never tasted it since I don’t like alcohol.

There was a group from Canadians who were native Indians from Canada. Despite their age, I was impressed at their ability to climb apparition hill and also Cross Mountain. There was a couple from Texas, one from California and one from Russia. There was 19 of us in our group.

My trip was paid for by benefactors. I have a rosary and a picture of Mary with the messages on the back for each of you. The children should have all received a rosary at PSR last week. If they were not in attendance, the PSR teacher has the Rosary for them. The rosaries were blessed by myself. They were placed near the apparition and Ivan said Mary blessed them. At 2pm on Sunday, I will give a presentation on Medjugorje which includes photos I took.

We need to remember the apparitions are alleged at this point and not approved by the Church. But most likely they will be, especially since they have been occurring for 40 years and have never been condemned.

The Church permits us to follow the messages at this time and has declared Medjugorje is a Marian shrine. Today, let us pray each of us will grow in our faith, will become better Catholics and grow in our love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who loves you!

We should pray to Her asking for Her motherly intercession in all our needs.

29th Sunday Drink Chalice & Baptism

 The cross is the central theme of today’s readings. The prophet Isaiah from the first reading prophesies about the sufferings of the Jesus, the messiah. The reading said, “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.. ...through his suffering, my servant shall justify many and their guilt he shall bear.” And the Gospel subtly speaks about the passion and death of Jesus as well as the future sufferings of James and John.

Just before James and John asked Jesus if each could sit at the side of Jesus in heaven, Our Lord had told the apostles, “Behold, we are going to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribe and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles, and they will mock Him, and spit upon Him and scourge Him, and kill Him; after three days He will rise.” Jesus just told His disciples about His upcoming passion and death, and now James and John wanted to get ahead of the other apostles and each sit one on the right and the other on the left of Jesus in heaven, which caused the other apostles to become indignant. They must not understood what Jesus was trying to tell them. Then Our Lord then once again alludes to His upcoming passion and death saying, “Can you drink the cup the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They respond, “We can.” And Jesus then said, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and the baptism with which you are baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

What is Jesus referring to when he is speaking of drinking the “chalice He will drink” and the “baptism He will receive”? In the Old Testament, to drink from the chalice meant to drink of the sufferings. To drink it to the dregs meant to consume all of the cup of suffering out of love for a cause or a person. Jesus reveals His cup of suffering during His agony in the garden. He said to His Father, “Let this chalice pass from me, but not my will, thy will be done.” Our Lord was willing to suffer for His Father and “give His life as a ransom for many”. Jesus was willing to suffer and die for us. He warned the apostles those who want to be first must be the slave of all. Recall St. Paul’s words to the Philippians, “Though He was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God, something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men, and found in human state, humbled Himself and became obedient, even to death on a cross.”

When we hear the word “baptism”, we immediately think of waters flowing over the head of child or an adult which makes them a disciple of Christ. Jesus was not referring to the physical flowing of water over someone. Rather, He was referring to immersion into suffering and the dying to oneself for the sake of others and being immersed in one’s own suffering and blood. His baptism was His immersion into His bloody passion and death. So when James and John said responded saying, “Can you drink the cup that I drink and the be baptized in the baptism, I am to be baptized?” they didn’t understand what He was asking, but out of love for Him wanted to do what ever He asked even to giving up their life and dying for Jesus.

Historically we know James returned to Palestine in 44 AD and drank that chalice with the Lord, in full. He was the first Apostle to be martyred by order of Herod Agrippa. The word martyr means witness. In both his life and his death, James was such a witness.

John was not martyred but they tried to kill him by boiling him in oil, but he was miraculously unharmed. His life was a witness to his discipleship with Jesus as well as his writings of the Gospel of John, the letters of St. John and the Book of Revelation. The Virgin Mary lived with him until She was assumed into heaven.

Today’s readings therefore remind us of the love Jesus has for us and through His suffering and death on the Cross, He would justify many and take upon our guilt. He also wanted His apostles to imitate His humility, His service and His self emptying and even be prepared to die because of it.

Christians—are therefore called to be a witness as a disciple, to drink the cup of suffering and be prepared to even suffer persecution and death for our faith as a witness.

May we not seek to be first or greater than others, but rather seek to serve and not be served, so as to be the slave of all. May the Virgin Mary, pray for us so we will embrace our crosses and stand fast at the foot of the Cross, even unto death, by our immersion into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, it will bring us to the joys of heaven, and though we may not sit at His right or His left in heaven, at least we will be there with Him forever.

Oct. 15th - St. Teresa of Avila

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, who was born in 1515 in Spain. She comes from a family of twelve children. Teresa’s mother died when she was only fourteen years old. Teresa wrote, “As soon as I began to understand how great a loss, I had sustained by losing her, I was very much afflicted; and so I went before an image of Our Blessed Lady, and besought her with many tears that she would vouchsafe to be my mother.”

Teresa ran away from home to secretly join a Carmelite monastery. After a serious illness, she began to read a spiritual book, which helped her to develop mental prayer, and at times attained, “the prayer of union”. She began to have mystical experiences, and even levitated into the air above the ground. On one occasion, she became mystically married to Christ. When this happened, she had a vision of angel, who appeared to her holding a golden dart; at the end of the point was fire. She felt the angel thrust the dart into her heart, several times, and when the angel withdrew the dart, it left her on fire with a great love of God.

In 1560, the idea first emerged of a new Carmel, where the Rule could be followed more closely, and this was realized two years later when the monastery of St. Joseph was founded without any endowments and "following the Primitive Rule. And so, for 15 years she engaged in founding new monasteries of the Carmelite Order. She also aided St. John of the Cross in reforming the men’s order. Her sisters lived a very poor life, in silence, and were discalced (they didn’t wear shoes).

She wrote her own autobiography, a book called the Way of Perfection and another book called the Interior Castle. In her autobiography she mentions the importance of meditating on the humanity of Jesus. She said, “Going into the oratory one day, I saw an image, some workers had brought in, to put into storage. It depicted the wounded Christ and was so true a rendering of the unspeakable horror, of what took place for our sake, that it moved me to visualize Him that way from that moment on. I felt so ungrateful for those wounds that my heart seemed to split in half within me. I threw myself down near Him weeping bitter tears, and begged Him to strengthen me once and for all so that I might not offend Him again.”

Her books brought about great insight into the mystery of prayer, and eventually helped her to be proclaimed a doctor of the Church.

Throughout her life, she suffered from ailments that baffled doctors. Despite her ill health, she founded seventeen monasteries. Most journeys to build the convents were done by traveling in a cart by mule over extremely poor roads. On one occasion, it is believed she fell from the cart and remarked, “If you treat your spouse this way, it’s no wonder you have so few friends.”

Her health deteriorated rapidly on one of her journeys. She told one of the sisters, “Alas, my daughter, I have reached the house of death.” She was given the sacrament of anointing of the sick. She sat up to receive her last Holy Communion, exclaiming, “O my Lord, now is the time that we shall see each other!” and she died in the arms Anne, her companion on the journey. She died on Oct. 4^th, but her feast day is celebrated on Oct. 15^th. She is often pictured with a heart, an arrow and a book.

St. Teresa of Avila, help us to pray, that we may be drawn ever nearer to Jesus, your spouse!

28th Sunday, Medjugorje (Rich Young Man)

Some of you are interested in hearing about my trip to Medjugorje. I decided to hold off on explaining that until next week. Rather, this week I will give a brief history of the alleged apparitions and explain how Medjugorje played an important role in me becoming a priest.

The alleged apparations have not been officially approved by the Church. In June of 1981, Mary began to appear to 6 children with messages for the world. She identified Herself as the Queen of Peace. Her messages were to pray for peace in the heart, in the family and in the world. She said prayer and fasting can avert war and suspend the laws of nature. She asked people to return to God. She said to confess monthly, attend Sunday Mass and daily Mass regularly; Pray all three mysteries of the Rosary daily; Read the bible everyday; Pray with the Heart and Fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.

10 years later to the exact day when the apparitions started, the Balkan war broke out and many people died. The result of the war ended Yugoslavia as a country as many of the nations declared their independence. Communism fell and people were once again able to practice their faith.

Because the apparitions continued and due to the controversy of the bishop and their local Franciscans, a Vatican commission was sent to Medjugorje to investigate. The commission voted 15 out of 17 in favor of the first seven apparitions as authentic. The remaining apparitions they were evenly split and the pope will eventually declare the apparitions authentic or not.

I would like to briefly explain how the alleged apparitions have affected me years ago. Back in 1990, my grandmother suffered a heart condition and needed a pacemaker. I went to visit her in the hospital in Great Bend and by God’s providence, her children (my father, aunts, uncle) and some cousins were there. Little did any of us know, it was time for her to depart from this life. As she was lying in the hospital bed, I told her I would pray a rosary for her, but I didn’t know how to pray it. I had learned as a child, but later forgot. About an hour later she suddenly took a turn for the worse and ended up dying before all of us.

Later that year, I heard about the alleged apparitions of Mary and the messages: 1. confess monthly. 2. Attend Sunday Mass and daily Mass regularly 3. Pray all three mysteries of the Rosary daily, 4. Read the bible daily 5. Pray with the Heart. 6. Fast on Wednesday and Friday. At this time in my life, when I was in my 20’s, I was not attending Mass nor had I been to confession for years. At the beginning of the year, I made my confession and then began to live the messages of Our Lady: attending Mass regularly including weekday Masses, reading the bible, fasting on Wed. and Friday and I learned how to pray the Rosary and prayed the first one for my grandmother.

The following year, in 1991, I went to Medjugorje. While in Medjugorje, a priest in confession suggested I pray and ask God if He was calling me to become a priest. Unfortunately, I wasn’t interested at all. I wanted to be married and have a large family. I wanted to finish my degree at Fort Hays State and I wanted to be wealthy. I had plans to be the owner of a grocery store chain. I wanted a new car because I was tired of my old cars breaking down all the time and I wanted the prestige of it too. But God had other plans. While in Medjugorje, I prayed and asked Our Lady and St. Francis of Assisi for help in coming to know if I was called to be a priest. And they answered my prayers. It was in Medjugorje, for the first time, I thought I was called to be priest, but I would need to give up the idea of worldly riches. St. Francis of Assisi gave the example I needed of being willing to give up everything and to be willing to live a life not attached to worldly things, so that I could become a disciple of Jesus. St. Francis was a rich young man, whose father was a wealthy merchant, but Francis gave up everything to follow Jesus.

In today’s Gospel, the rich young man’s heart is stirred by an interior grace to know what is needed to gain eternal life. He said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Our Lord reminded him it is necessary to gain eternal life by keeping the commandments. The man responds saying he kept all the commandments from his childhood. He was enlightened by grace to come to know there is more to gaining heaven then keeping the commandments. The man was a good man because lived a moral life since his youth. Jesus desiring to call the young man to something greater and giving him the opportunity to respond with generosity, looked at him with love. Can you imagine Jesus looking at you with love? Who could resist the loving face of Jesus asking you to do something?

Then Jesus asked the young man to become one of His disciples. He told him, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow Me.” But the man’s face fell and he went away sad because he had many possessions and did not want to part with them. Because his heart is tied to his possessions, even the prospect of gaining eternal life fails to conquer his affections for them. He did not obey the grace welling up within him. Had the young man gave up his wealth and followed Jesus, he would now be a saint in heaven. If he gave up his possessions, he would have been assured of gazing on the face of Jesus forever in heaven.

Listen to the words of St. Paul to Timothy with regard to riches. He said, “We brought nothing into this world, nor have we the power to take anything out. If we have food and clothing we have all that we need. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and a trap. They are letting themselves be captured by foolish and harmful desires which drag men down to ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evil. Some men in their passion for it have strayed from the faith, and have come to grief amid great pain.”

The man in today’s Gospel, walked away sad because he valued his possessions greater than helping the poor, rather than having treasure in heaven.

Is there a lack of vocations to the priesthood due to the love of money and possessions? The young man refused to become a disciple of Jesus because he refused to give up his possessions. Certainly there is a natural desire to have a family too, which is good. But Our Lord calls His disciples to make that sacrifice as well.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord we have given up everything.” He had given up his wife, his family and his fishing business. Peter was wealthy owner of a fishing business and so he had to give up his riches to become an apostle.

And Jesus responded saying, ““Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and eternal life in the age to come.”

It is not easy to give up a wife, children and a family as well as a comfortable life, but our treasure is in heaven. This world is passing away and all that is within it, will turn to nothing. Instead we will have the joy of having eternal life with many mothers, sisters, and children and lands in paradise. Over the next few weeks, I will explain about my current trip. At the end of Mass, I will hand out pictures of Mary with the messages on the back and ask that you pray about responding to the messages in your daily life.

Let us pray to Our Lady:

O Mary, Queen of Peace, grant that we may all be good disciples of Jesus living our life in harmony with they way God desires of us and help us to be detached from the things of this world and to be attached to God alone. Help us to know we have a Mother in heaven who loves us and intercedes for us, as Your children. Amen.