4th Friday of Lent (Wisdom Forsees Passion of Jesus)

 

 In the Gospel today, we can clearly see there is a plot to kill Jesus. Our Lord did not want to travel through Judah because He knew the Jews were trying to kill Him. When Jesus went to the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, He went in secret.

It must have been wide spread that people wanted to kill Jesus because when Jewish people of Jerusalem saw Him, they said, “Is He not the one they are trying to kill?” Jesus said openly, “You know me and know where I am from. Yet I did not come to my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent me.” By these words Jesus wanted them to know He was with the Father, knows the Father and was sent by the Father, and therefore He is declaring Himself to be God. This caused the Jews to try to arrest Him, but because it was not yet His time to go through His Passion (the hour had not come), they were unable to lay their hands upon Him.

The first reading today from the book of Wisdom refers to prophecies about the upcoming passion and death of Jesus.

The book of Wisdom states, “Let us beset the just one”- Jesus is the just one, the innocent one, whom they attempt to kill.

The book of Wisdom predicts what will happen to Jesus. It states: He “reproaches us for our transgressions of the law.” Jesus reproaches them by His silent merciful love to sinners and healing on the Sabbath.

The book of Wisdom says: “He professes to have knowledge of God.” Jesus in the Gospel of John said, “I know the Father and the Father knows me.”

It states, “To us, He is the censure of our thoughts.” Often times, the gospels relate that Jesus knew their thoughts and what they were thinking.

The book of Wisdom also says: “He boasts that God is His Father”. Jesus declared Himself, the Son of the Father.

It says: “If the just one will be the Son of God, He will defend Him.” These words would be uttered at the foot of the Cross, by those who hated Jesus. They said, “He relied on God; let God rescue Him now, if He wants to. After all, He claimed, “I am the God’s Son.”

The book of Wisdom says: “With revilement and torture, let us put Him to the test.” Did not the soldiers and chief priests revile Jesus and torture Him by having Pilate judge Him, have Him scourged, mocked, crowned with thorns, carry a cross, and be crucified?

It also said: “Let us condemn Him to a shameful death.”- Is not being stripped of your clothes and hung on a Cross, as a criminal, a shameful death?

Today’ psalm also speaks of Our Lord’s Passion: “He watches over all of His bones; not one of them shall be broken.” Those who were crucified often had their bones broken, so they would die quicker, but the bones of Jesus were not broken, because He died quickly from all His intense torture.

Today, as we reflect upon the prophesies of Jesus from the book of the Wisdom, let us pray the Eucharist, we are about to receive, will give us the grace to pass from death to life, keep us from our old and sinful ways, and help us to be ready for the life to come in the heavenly kingdom with Mary our Mother, and all the angels and saints.

4th Thursday of Lent - Golden Calf

 

 In the Book of Exodus, the people made a calf out of gold, 

worshiped and sacrificed to it.

 The Lord threatens to punish them. But through the intercession of

 Moses, God relented.

Today, what is our molten image, which we worship in the place of God? Do we elevate sports above God, such that games and tournaments take priority over Sunday Mass or the religious education of our children?

Is money, elevated above God- whereby luxury and material objects—are desired more out of prestige than necessity? Our does our work take precedent over God?

Perhaps, some worship the image of power, used to control others, forgetting a leader is a servant- in imitation of Jesus, who came to serve, rather than be served.

Do not the golden images of power, money, and prestige all have in common the desire for glory, which is why the Jews rejected Jesus in the Gospel? They wanted a glorious Messiah, rather than a poor suffering servant, who carried a rugged old cross, and gave His life for the ransom of many. They wanted a king to rule, rather than a servant.

Religious life, whereby one takes vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience is in stark contrast to society, which encourages desire for power, money, and prestige. In religious life, one seeks a hidden life—consecrated to God, rather than worldly glamour. In religious life, human praise is seen as a temptation to pride, as one would prefer to be rejected, and despised. In religious life, power is found in service, by doing God’s will, laying down one’s life, for Jesus, and for His people. Therefore, religious life contradicts a society--- imbued with the idols of power, money, and human praise. It bears witness to everyone’s call to radically follow Jesus and worship Him.

May Mary, our Mother, obtain for us a heart of charity, a life of service, and humility, so as to worship Her Son, as the one true God in Spirit and in Truth!

4th Wednesday of Lent "Mother Forget Her Child?"

 

The reading from the prophet Isaiah today, sheds light on God’s love for each individual person, and he speaks of how God never forgets the covenant He made with His people.

The people of God suffer from their own sins and sins of others, but God is with them through it all. But it was through Our Lord’s suffering, death and resurrection, that He established a new and everlasting covenant. Because of His new covenant, He forgives sins, and says to the prisoners held bound by the bondage of sin, “Come out!” To those in the darkness of evil, “Show yourselves”.

Because God is with us in the person of Jesus, He states, no longer shall the people neither hunger and thirst, nor shall the scorching wind strike them---due to their sins. “For the Lord comforts His people and shows mercy to His afflicted.” by forgiving them.

The depths in which God loves and cares for each individual person, is also revealed by the prophet Isaiah’s words, “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.”

With these words, Our Lord is comparing His infinite love for an individual person, to the natural love of a mother toward her unborn child. A mother’s love is so tender and so intense that is would seem inconceivable, she would forget her very own child within her womb. But God says that even if it were possible, that a mother could forget her unborn child, He would not forget, because He loves each person infinitely, no matter how small.

And if it were possible, that no one in the whole world, would remember or love the unborn child, not even the child’s mother--- God in His compassion, and love would not forget the child created in His own image and likeness.

Today, we can’t help, but think, about the millions of mothers, who have forgotten to love their unborn child. But God does not forget, God cannot not forget, God will not forget, because He infinitely loves each child and holds it-- in the palm of His hand.

4th Sun. of Lent "Laetare Sunday" Prodigal Son "

 

 Today’s Gospel of the Prodigal Son helps us to take a peek into God’s infinite mercy. As Catholics, how do we receive the Father’s mercy and come to know the Fathers tender compassion?

In the parable, what did the son do that needed forgiveness? He took half of the family’s inheritance and spent it all on himself. He used the money for prostitutes. He did not care about his family, and wasn’t involved in their life, until he realized he lost everything. He was unconcerned about his family and how they might be worried about him.

Just think about it for a minute. What would most fathers do if their son left home and wasted half of the family’s inheritance and lived a life of debauchery and was with prostitutes? And after spending all the money would come home seeking a job at the family farm? I would think most fathers would tell their son, “Too bad, find a job somewhere else. You made your bed, sleep in it!” or maybe he would tell his son, he would hire him, but that he would have to pay pack the family inheritance. Wouldn’t most parents punish their children for doing something which so grievously offended their family?

Yet, in the parable, the father was extravagant in his mercy. So much so, the older son couldn’t believe the father would just forget everything and even celebrate with a feast. The older son, must have thought that his brother should be punished and make up for what he did.

The truth is, we should be punished for our sins, but there are ways in which we can be freed of the debt of our punishment, including indulgences, penance, acts of love and charity in this life or in the life to come in purgatory. All of which is tapping into the Father’s mercy.

Divine Mercy Sunday is the day of extravagant mercy in which all punishment due to sin is washed away in the ocean of God’s mercy. The Sunday after Easter, if we have gone to confession in Lent and receive Holy Communion in the state of grace, all punishment due to our sins are forgiven in the infinite ocean of God’s mercy and all purgatory time is gone. All sin and especially mortal sin when forgiven by God the Father, highlights the extravagant mercy of the Father.

Why is the Father so extravagant in His mercy? Because He gave everything He had, so that we could receive it. That everything was His Son, whom He sent into the world, to be scourged at the pillar, crowned with thorns, spat upon, slapped, carry a cross, stripped of his clothes, His hands and feet nailed to the Cross and then He died and if that wasn’t enough, after He was dead, His Heart with pierced with a lance.

God in is infinite mercy desires we come to confession to have our sins forgiven. He just wants us to tell Him, we are sorry and try to avoid sin again in the future. How can one reject God’s mercy, when He gave us everything, His only begotten Son?

The Father’s mercy is made most clear in the forgiveness of grievous sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Confession to a priest is an essential part of the Sacrament of Penance. All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination of conscious must be recounted by them in confession." Confession of mortal sins are required, so we can receive His abundant mercy from the Father. We do this because Jesus Himself, who revealed the Father’s love, mandated all Christians to confess their sins to a priest. He told His apostles, “Whose sins you forgive, are forgiven, whose sins you retain are retained.” St. James said, “Confess your sins to one another.” Historically, there has been confession from the beginning of Christianity. Only in the 1500’s due to the Protestant Rebellion, people began to avoid confession.

When we go to confession to a priest, we are asking forgiveness from God’s ambassador. In confession, when we hear the words, “I absolve you from your sins” and know for certain our sins are forgiven. We receive advice from the priest to help us with our sins. We receive extra graces to overcome our sins, so the more we go to confession, the easier it is to avoid sin. We amend our life and try to henceforth become a better follower of Jesus. Our conscience becomes better formed and we are able to see more clearly between right and wrong. Our relationship with God and neighbor is restored and the wounds of sin to the mystical body of Christ and wounds to our own soul are healed. Frequent confession helps us to forgive others more easily. We learn humility when we confess to another person. Frequent confession prevents us from falling into mortal sin. We walk in the confessional with a burden of sin, but the burden is taken away and we have peace in our heart. With our sins, our guilt is washed away.

If we commit a mortal sin, since we have confessions before every Mass and since people who come to Mass, then we must go to confession before we receive Holy Communion. Suppose we arrive late and are unable to go to confession, then we should remain in the pew. Some stay in the pews and don’t receive Communion for other reasons. For example, some non-Catholics attend Mass every weekend, some people may have accidentally ate something and have broken the one hour fast required before receiving Communion. Others may have an upset stomach and fear vomiting the Host. If we remain in the pew, we make a Spiritual Communion, which is on the back of the missalette.

If we commit a mortal sin and if we fail to go to confession, before receiving Holy Communion, we commit an additional mortal sin, called a sacrilegious Communion. St. Paul said, “A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

Something else to think about, is that some who commit a mortal sin, delay going to confession. And maybe only go to confession once or twice a year. How would you feel if someone greatly offended you, but the person waited months or even a year before they told you they were sorry? How does God feel if we fail to come to Him in confession and delay coming? God wants us to come to Him in confession right away. If we commit a serious sin, we should immediately come to God the Father in the Sacrament of Mercy and tell Him, we are sorry.

The Catechism states what happens if we die in the state of mortal sin. It states: “Mortal sin… causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back.” (1861) So, why take the risk?

Confession forgives the eternal punishment due to sin. Regular confession is the way to indulge in God’s mercy. The more often we come to confession to receive mercy, the easier it is to give mercy to others. Monthly confession is recommended, but if we commit a mortal sin, we should come as soon as possible. We should run to the arms of our Father. The Father is waiting for us to come home in the confessional. He longs to give us His embrace. There in the confessional, we kneel at the foot of the Cross and are washed clean by the blood of Jesus. God loves us and just wants us to come to Him and tell Him, “Father, I am sorry for having sinned against heaven, against you.”

The joy of God’s mercy is truly the joy of knowing God’s love for us. On this Laetare Sunday, let us ask the Virgin Mary to give us the joy and peace in our heart that can only come from the Heart of a Father, who is loving, tender & compassionate to all His sons and daughters. Our Lord said the angels in heaven rejoice over one repentant sinner. If you want to throw a feast in heaven, come to confession!

Solemnity of the Annunciation - March 25th

Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce the remarkable gift of God to the world, Jesus would become Her Son, the son of a Virgin. He would be a king, who would rule over the house of Jacob forever.

The angel waited for Mary’s answer until She uttered the words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it done unto me, according to thy word.” And at that moment, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus descended from heaven and took on our human nature by becoming man. He came down from heaven to save us, by His life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.

The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth was built over the site of what is believed to be the home of Virgin Mary. In the church is an altar with the Latin inscription “Verbum caro hic factum est: Here the Word became flesh.” The incarnation happened, here, in a small town in Galilee. The inscription tells us God became man at a specific time and place.

The place where Jesus became man was in the House of Mary in Nazareth, but the house itself was eventually transported miraculously by angels to Loreto, Italy to protect it from a Muslim invasion. Scientists discovered the stones made from the house in Italy are from the stones from the foundation of where the house was originally located. In fact the house of Mary in Loreto stands miraculously in its current position and is the exact size of the house that was originally in Nazareth.

Jesus entered into the history of the human race, and His birth, death, and resurrection changed the course of history forever. The moment Mary said Her fiat, “Be it done unto me”, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Her, and Our Lord came down from heaven began growing in Her womb as a tiny person. Just as we adore the sacred Hosts (the flesh and blood of Jesus in the tabernacle), so Mary and Joseph were the first adorers of the body and blood of Jesus in Mary’s womb.

Today, Pope Francis in union with all the bishops of the world, as well as priests and all Catholics are gathering to consecrate Russia and the Ukraine, as well as all humanity and the Church to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady of Fatima in 1917 asked that Russia be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart by the pope in union with all the bishops in order to prevent Russia from spreading errors and annihilating countries.

In 1984, on March 25th, Pope St. John Paul II in union with all the bishops of the world consecrated the world to the Immaculate of Mary resulting in the of Communism and the dissolution of the Soviet union which happened peacefully in 1991. But he failed to specifically mention Russia.

Today, Communism is once again spreading throughout the world and as can be clearly seen Russia is annihilating Ukraine. We ask Mary’s intercession to protect Her spiritual children from Satan who is attacking not only the country of Ukraine, but the Church and the people of the world. After more than 100 yrs., Russia will be specifically named in the consecration, which we believe will bring about the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

All of us, every day, should beseech the Immaculate Heart of Mary for all our needs trusting Mary’s loving Heart, which joyfully accepted the angel’s request and caused Jesus to become flesh and dwell among us. May Jesus come again now to save us from the evil that is afflicting the world. Oh how we need the Savior to save us from all this evil and He will do it, through the intercession of His Mother, just as it was through Her, the world rejoiced as His becoming man. We pray in a special way, the unborn baby Jesus will bring about an end to abortion, so all may respect life from the moment of conception until natural death.

Act of Consecration by Pope Francis, Bishops, Priests, Religious and All Faithful 12:30pm (CST) or 6:30pm (Rome Time)

 

ACT OF CONSECRATION OF RUSSIA, UKRAINE, THE WORLD & THE CHURCH

MARCH 25th in UNION with POPE FRANCIS

Letter from Pope Francis to the Bishops on March 22nd indicating 6:30pm Rome Time (12:30pm CST) Act of Consecration

 Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Page 1

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Page 2

One World Government Movie Clip 40 yrs Ago- Accurate Today?

 

Watch Clip from Movie that was made 40 years ago.  How frightening!

Click: One World Government Clip

St. Charles of Sezze "Immodesty"

The Danger of Immodesty

Page, 274-275 of the autobiography of St. Charles of Sezze. “One woman who had been educated in a convent was given to this vanity, and, besides dressing immodestly, bathed everyday in perfumed water. God punished her for this and for the bad example she was giving, by taking her husband away in death and sending on her a horrible sickness that covered with suppurating sores those members of her body through which she had been immodest. This even disfigured one of her eyes. Whereas she had formerly dressed vainly and immodesty, she now had to clothe herself fully out of necessity.

The other case of a woman whom I corrected charitably, asking her to dress properly, pointing out by some examples how much this displeased God, as well as that she was giving scandal. I promised I would pray for her if she did this. Seeing how obstinate her blindness made her I said with a particular feeling that came from our Lord: “The time will come when you will have to dress properly!” Because of a lawsuit not long after that, she lost all she possessed and became terribly sick. Since the courts had taken everything, even mattresses and clothing, she was reduced to using an abandoned straw bed, and for clothes she had to do with some dirty rags that had once been a sheet. When finally she sent for me I found her in the greatest misery. She was sorry for her sins and begged God to pardon her. Then she asked me out of charity to find her a blouse and a clean sheet, for the following day she was to receive Holy Communion. I asked my companion what he thought about this. Because it was getting late and we were on the slope of Monte Cavallo, a great distance from our monastery of Monte Cavallo, a great distance from our monastery of St. Peter in Montorio, he judged it would be better to go back home and not give the Superior reason to punish us for returning at night. I told him to have no fears about that. Every time we are ready to show charity our Lord will even permit the sun to stand still and not advance. O how wonderful is God! How much charity pleases Him! We went to find a blouse, brought it to the woman and then returned to the monastery, and our Lord caused it to happen that we saw the sun in the very same position it had been when we left the sick person the first time. The next day I found sheets for her and another blouse, a modest one, with some other alms. This is how God corrects and punishes sins of vanity in this life. It makes us think, too, of the next!”

3rd Sunday of Lent - "Take off your Shoes" Eucharist

 

In today’s first reading from the book of Exodus, Moses came in contact with God through a burning bush. The bush was burning, yet was unharmed by the fire. As Moses approached the bush to look at the remarkable sight, God spoke to Him calling him by name, “Moses! Moses!" and he answered, “Here I am!” God said,“Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God.  

Removing one’s shoes and covering one’s face are signs of reverence in the presence of God. It was Jewish belief that a person would die, if he or she were to look upon the face of God.

When the fullness of time had come, God willed mankind to be able to truly see the face of God in the person of Jesus. When Jesus came down from heaven in the womb of Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He took on our human nature. And as He walked the earth those whom He met, most likely first thought Jesus was an ordinary man, but He wasn’t ordinary. He is God with both a human and divine nature.

Recall when Jesus gave His Eucharistic discourse He said, “I am the Bread of Life, come down from heaven”. And they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” So He appeared to be an ordinary man, but by His words, His teachings, His miracles and especially by His death and resurrection, many would come to believe Jesus is truly God and truly man.

All who lived during the time of Jesus were blessed to see the face of God and live. But that same face would be slapped, spat upon and from the crown of thorns, blood would drip down His face. The apostles in the upper room, Mary Magdalene, Peter, James and many disciples all saw the glorious face of Jesus after He rose from the dead. This is Divine Revelation and found in Sacred Scripture, we are bound to believe.  There is also a tradition Jesus appeared to His Blessed Mother first before He appeared to the apostles, which Pope St. John spoke about in one of his encyclicals.

We are so fortunate to have this new Divine Mercy image of Jesus, as He appeared to St. Faustina. Our Lord’s appearance to St. Faustina and other saints, as well as ordinary people-- after the Apostles had died--- is called private revelation, which we may choose to believe or not.

All of us believe the Eucharist is really and truly Jesus in all His glory. We are so blessed to be able to receive Him in Holy Communion and come and adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament. St. Faustina saw the face of Jesus in the Eucharist. In her diary she said, “In place of the monstrance, I saw the glorious face of the Lord, and He said to me, “What you see in reality, those souls (others in the chapel) see through faith. Oh, how pleasing to Me-- is their great faith! ….for Me to be able to act upon a soul, the soul must have faith. O how pleasing to Me is living faith!” #1420

You may be interested to know, a boy about the age 12, from Sacred Heart in Halstead told me Jesus appeared to him during Eucharistic Adoration in their adoration chapel. The boy, his grandmother, and his two sisters went through RCIA. His grandmother and the grandchildren became Catholic at the Easter Vigil that year. They signed up for a Holy Hour and were faithful to it. Just a few months after they became Catholic, as they were doing their Holy Hour, the boy said, “As I was looking at the Host, Jesus suddenly came out of the Host and stood before the altar. He was wearing a long white garment, with a gold sash and had a golden crown on His head. He had a scepter in His hand. Jesus spoke and said, “Take off your shoes. And ask the others to do the same. You are on holy ground.” The grandmother and sister saw him take off his shoes while looking at the Host and they suspected He was seeing something. He told those with him, “Take off your shoes.” And they did. Jesus then told the boy, “Tell the priest to ask the people to remove their shoes before entering the chapel. It is up to them if they want to remove them or not.” Jesus then told the boy, “I desire you to be a witness and to bring others to me.” The boy said Jesus then went back into the Host.

After their Holy Hour, they immediately came to my office and told me what happened. I was astonished and asked the boy,“Are you aware what God told Moses when he saw the burning bush?” The boy had no idea. He didn’t know God told Moses to remove his sandals because he was on holy ground. Since the boy just became Catholic, he had no idea it was a common practice in the Philippines to remove their shoes before entering an Adoration Chapel. All of this seemed to give credence the boy really did see Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration.

Getting back to St. Faustina. Remember the main reason why Jesus appeared to her so often was to reveal His divine mercy. Jesus asked that the feast of Divine Mercy be established on the Sunday after Easter. To prepare for the feast, Catholics are to go to Confession, do works of mercy and to pray for mercy, especially the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at the 3 o’clock hour. Jesus asked an image of Him be painted with the words, “Jesus I Trust in You” signed on the bottom. Our Lord said those who go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of Divine Mercy, will not only have their sins forgiven, but the punishment due to their sins washed away. All would be washed away in the ocean of God’s mercy. He said, “Though their sins be as scarlet, their soul would become white as snow”. He said the greater the sinner, the greater right one has to His mercy.

My friends, to have all your sins washed away and all the punishment due to your sins washed away, only happens once a year. I strongly encourage you to go to Confession during Lent and prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday after Easter by doing works of mercy and praying for mercy. O how badly, does the world need God’s infinite and unfathomable mercy. St. Augustine said “The pains of purgatory are worse than any pains we can suffer in this life”, so who wants to go to purgatory? Why not get your soul cleaned up for Easter and allow Jesus to also wash away the punishment due to your sins, when receive Holy Communion the Sunday after Easter.

May the Virgin Mary, who gazed upon the face of God when He was born, kissed His face when She lived with Him, looked upon His bloody face as She stood beneath the Cross and covered His face before He was placed in the tomb, give us the grace to believe and to see with our spiritual eyes the face of Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass when the Host is elevated above the altar and during Eucharistic Adoration, when we come to adore His face as we kneel in humble adoration of our Savior.

For truly because the risen Jesus in the Eucharist is present in every Catholic Church, we are standing on holy ground. We don’t need to remove our shoes when we come to adore Jesus, unless we want to. But we do need to remove our sins in Confession, so they won’t be an obstacle for us in receiving His mercy and graces when we come before Him at Mass and in adoration. Make a good and thorough Confession. Do it soon!

March 25th - Consecraton of Russia & Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (All the Bishops of the World!)

 

 Catholic Leaders and Theologians Laud Pope’s Upcoming Consecration of Russia and Ukraine

Click Here: National Catholic Register Story 

Bishop Kemme to do Consecration at the Cathedral at Noon. Bishop's Message- "Fast and/or Abstain from Meat on March 25th for Russia & Ukraine, Daily Pray the Rosary"

Priests Can Join and Pray the Consecration

March 19th - St. Joseph Spouse of Mary (Solemnity)

 

 Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary, and patron of the Universal Church. As the spouse of Mary, St. Joseph was righteous, a man of humility, trusted in God’s providence, was obedient, and model of prayer.

St. Matthew said Joseph was “a righteous man”. To be righteous means to be holy, faithful and virtuous. St. Joseph was holy because He lived with Mary, who never sinned and because He was the foster father of the Son of God. All his life, he was faithful to his vocation as husband and a father. He excelled in virtue learning from the master Himself how to be virtuous.

Joseph had great humility. What a joy it must have been to have the perfect wife, and the perfect Child, neither of whom suffered from original sin, unlike himself. He must have been humbled to live in a home he was the only person, who was a sinner, yet he was the second greatest saint after the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was because of his humility, he feared to take Mary as his wife. Knowing the Child was not of him, and feeling unworthy, he had decided to quietly divorce Mary, until the angel appeared to him. St. Joseph obediently gave his yes, when he learned that the Child to be born was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph grew in humility because of his great sufferings. And it was through his sufferings, he learned to trust in God’s providence. He suffered great sorrow, because he was unable to provide a worthy place for the Child to be born. He keenly understood his responsibility in protecting the Child, as an angel once again appeared to him in a dream, and warned him, that Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus. He had to take the family in the middle of the night, to a foreign land, in which he had to provide food and shelter in while in Egypt. Yet he trusted.

When Jesus remained in the temple for three days, Joseph suffered from not knowing where Jesus was or what had happened to Him. And so, he must have feared that he failed in his responsibilities to protect the Divine Child.

As a man of prayer, Joseph held in his arms and lived with the Son of God. Day after day, Joseph adored Jesus in an exemplary manner. He was one who constantly adored the Son of God, which he did every day after the Child was born, until his time came for him to go to his home in heaven. As a man of prayer and adoration, we can allow Joseph, to teach us to adore Jesus in the Eucharist and ask him to help us to pray.

So, if want to be holy and righteous, pray to Joseph. If struggle with obedience, pray to Joseph. If we desire to grow in trust of God, and abandon our self to God, pray to Joseph. If we need help to endure sufferings, pray to Joseph. If we desire to grow in humility, pray to Joseph. And if we desire to adore Jesus in the Eucharist, with a heart full of faith and love, pray to Joseph, for he will help us to love his foster-son tenderly.

St. Joseph, husband of Mary, pray for us, who have recourse to thee!

2nd Friday of Lent - Meditation "Agony in the Garden"

 

I thought I would preach about Jesus’ agony in the garden. There is a book called “Meditation on the Passion” by Fr. Reginald Wald, I will mostly use his words.

One of the sorrows of His agony in the garden is the knowledge of ignominies and tortures of His Passion as they approach. His whole Passion is vividly before Him. He sees and knows all that will happen: the traitor’s kiss, the blow on the cheek, the unjust sentence, the kicks, the vile spittle, scourging, crowning with thorns, the mocking with the robe, insults, blasphemies, shouts of the people, “Away with Him, crucify Him! Crucify Him! The painful laborious goings and comings from one tribunal to another, Pilate’s unjust condemnation, the way of the Cross, His Mother’s anguish at Calvary, the terrible crucifixion. He felt the pain, heard the shouts, saw the hideous faces beneath the Cross. He saw the souls of Peter and Judas. He saw all this and cried out in anguish, “O Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as though wilt.” Over and over He says these words again. Nearly an hour went by. Then He rises and goes to the three Apostles. Still and unconscious they lie upon the ground, their garments drawn tightly around them due to the chill of the night. They left Him alone in His agony. He wakes them and said, “Simon, could you not watch one hour with Me?” Peter looks to His sorrowful face, and has nothing to answer. He rouses the other two and says, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” They see His pale face, His limbs trembling, His breathing short.

Our Lord returns to pray away from the apostles and says again, “My Father, if this chalice may not pass from me, but I must drink it, thy will be done.” Jesus had offered Himself to take away the sins of the world, and now all the sins came distinctly before Him, every sin and every sinner. The sins of the whole human race is now upon Him. He feels their number, their shamefulness, their malice—and He is to be punished as if He had done all the wicked things—they are all His now. All the penalty of sin, He must bear, all the shame, all the horror. Oh, if we only knew what sin is to God, but we cannot. Our Lord saw all those who would reject His love, refuse to ask forgiveness. He sees the lack of gratitude, the many who would not stand up for Him over the centuries. Oh the pain of it all. Jesus writhed and trembled and shook at the magnitude of atoning by suffering that Divine Justice required of Him for each soul. The repugnance, the disgust, the aversion. His anguish was increased and red drops of blood stood upon His forehead and trickled down the ground. His garments were wet with His blood and the roots of the olive trees were sprinkled with it.

An angel, probably St. Gabriel, comes to console the Lord, by placing thoughts to His mind about the many who would be make it to heaven, the many who would die as martyrs for Him, the conversion of the greatest and small sinners, the humble people who love God and neighbor. He sees all who will console Him by spending time with Him in Adoration, come to worship Him at Mass and receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion, the billions who will baptized.

But it was time for His Passion to begin. He sees the army of soldiers coming with lighted torches and is aware how all the Apostles will flee and abandon Him.

2nd Thursday of Lent - Rich Man & Lazarus

 

Whenever today’s Gospel is proclaimed at Mass it reminds me when I was in seminary during a homiletic class, the teacher surprised our class and told us to give a homily a spontaneous homily without any preparation during class. After this Gospel was read, when it was my turn to give the homily, I said, “Jesus sets before us a poor man who longed to eat food, while the rich man sumptuously eats his meal who ignored the poor man’s need and a dog licks his sores. The poor man dies and goes to heaven and the rich man dies and goes to hell. So the moral of the parable is, if you don’t help the poor, you will go to hell!” The seminary professor obviously didn’t like what I said. It taught me to be more pastoral when speaking.

In today’s parable Jesus depicts a poor man who is kind, gentle, peace with himself and peace with his suffering and lived in harmony even with a wild guard dog.

Our Lord also depicts a rich man who is selfish, lacks compassion for his fellow man, enjoys displaying his wealth and has no peace with himself.

Did the poor man sense that the dogs, like himself, were unjustly despised and ill-treated? The reader is not told. In the 11^th century a monk who was a biblical scholar said, “I understand the licking of Lazarus’ sores gave him relief and eased his pain. This reminds us that the silent, unspeaking animals felt compassion for him and they helped him and cared for him more than humans…”

While what the monk says is true that it seems as though the dog shows more concern than the rich man, I think it is understood animals really don’t have emotions, but they do instinctively sense the emotions of people and respond in a way, they think would be helpful.

I can remember when I was a kid and had sores from abrasions perhaps of falling of my bicycle or scraping my knees doing boys’ things, that our pet dog, would lick my sores of my scabs. Of course, my mother was horrified I let the dog do that, but it actually felt good when the dog did it.

Lazarus was not angry nor wish to retaliate out of vengeance, rather he endured his suffering with resignation. Lazarus is a model of mercy, while the rich man shows no mercy.

While Lazarus was not healed, nor did he end up well fed, he was in anguish primarily because he was ignored by a fellow human being who should have shown compassion. The source of his greatest pain was the hurt he received from the rich man.

After both die, the poor man is now comforted, while the rich man is being tortured for his lack of compassion and selfishness.

Today, let us open our eyes to see the needs of those around us and may we show compassion to those who are longing for it and may the Virgin Mary, our Lady of Consolation, be a consolation to those who feel abandoned by mankind.

2nd Wednesday of Lent "Accept Chalice of Suffering"

 

 Today Jesus reminds us of the chalice and not be envious of others. The mother of James and John wanted Jesus to grant that her sons be able to sit on the right and the left beside Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. The two brothers most likely prompted their mother to ask Jesus the question. The result of the question was that other disciples became upset because the two brothers wanted to be closest to Jesus in heaven. They became envious of the “sons of thunder”.

Our Lord had just told them about His upcoming Passion, by telling them He was going to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn them him to death, mocked, scourged and crucified and raised on the third day. Now they are seeking places of honor in heaven. They certainly must not have understood what Jesus meant.

When Jesus told asked them if they were willing “to drink the chalice I am going to drink”, they did not understand He was referring to His passion He just mentioned. The chalice is the chalice of suffering. In another words, He was telling them they too would be rejected and going through the terrible suffering of martyrdom, except John, but they would attempt to kill him by boiling him in oil. However, he would miraculously survive.

Jesus accepted the chalice of suffering during His agony in the Garden, but with great difficulty due to His human nature, He cried out, “Father if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me.” But He went on to accept it and even would take a drink from the cup while on the Cross.

Almost all of us will sometime or another-- have become envious of someone else. Maybe we are envious of someone who has better health or who lives in a nicer home, or envious of someone who is especially talented, but we aren’t.

If become envious of others, we can even become angry at them, even though they did nothing to us. Jesus wants us to be happy with the gifts we have and happy with the gifts of others and we can especially by thanking and praising Him for our gifts and theirs.

He wants us to understand that to suffer and even die for others is the greatest gift and is the deepest meaning of His Passion and death. Its a gift of love, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends and even one’s enemies. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians said, “But faith, hope and love abide, these three, the greatest of these is love.”

So to overcome envy and every other sin, one needs to have sacrificial love and to accept the chalice of suffering for love of God and others. So if we remember the greatest gift is love, it puts everything else in perspective. And we will strive to outdo others in sacrificial love.

May the Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, give us the grace to accept sufferings as they come and offer them to Her Son as a gift for the salvation of souls.

2nd Tuesday of Lent - Call No Man "Father"

 

Jesus’ remarks to the scribes and Pharisees relate to the legalistic approach to the Law to the detriment of humility. He used the word “hypocrites” to describe those who were caught up in the external fulfillment of the Law without seeing the deeper, more important spirit of it.

When Jesus speaks of Moses’s seat, He is referring to the authority of the scribes and Pharisees.

The phylacteries they wore were the small boxes containing Scripture written on scrolls that are worn on the forehead and left arm during prayer to remind them God was to be always on their mind and all their actions for God's glory and honor.

The Jews were to have tassels on the corner of their garments. They were used to make the Commandments ever present among the Jewish people.

When Jesus said, “Call no man father” Our Lord was telling His disciples not to seek titles of honor, nor put other human authorities above God the Father. Terms like “Rabbi” or “father” were often given to esteemed teachers as signs of respect. God is the perfect Father and the all knowing teacher to whom none others bears comparison. The verse does not forbid addressing natural or foster fathers, or for the matter of the ordained priests, by the title “Father”. In fact, the Apostles, referred to themselves and Christians in the communities they founded as their children.

St. Paul refers to himself as “father” in Corinthians 4:14-15, he said, “I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” And St. Paul in Romans 4:16 said, “Abraham is our father.”

Finally, Jesus exhorts all to humble oneself when He said, “...the greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Today, let us strive to not have a legalistic approach to the laws of the Church. Rather let us do all the Church asks of us out of love for Jesus and His Church and for the glory and honor of God, this way if we keep our heart on the Lord, and do things out of love for Him and our neighbor, we will realize we are only God’s servants. But if we fulfill them just to fulfill them, we can end up becoming prideful and judge those who do not do them as well as we think they ought and become a modern day Pharisee.

And let us pray for our Protestant friends, that they may come to understand scripture in the manner God intended and see priests as spiritual fathers to their spiritual children in imitation of St. Paul and the other apostles and early Church priests and bishops.

We turn to the Virgin Mary, who in Her humility said “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” because “God has cast down the mighty and lifted up the lowly”. For truly She was lifted up far above every creature due the lowliness of His handmaid, His servant.

2nd Monday of Lent "Don't Judge"

 In the Gospel Jesus gives an exhortation with regard to sins. He tries to help His disciples to not judge or condemn others. He said, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

Sometimes, we don’t know what it really means to judge others. Often times we see someone do something, which appears to be sinful, and we make a judgment in our mind about the action. We may say to our self, “that’s wrong” with regard to the action and then we feel guilty because we think we have judged them. However, if we merely judge an action, we really are not judging the intention of the person. Therefore, it is not sinful to judge the action itself.

However, we are not permitted to judge whether or not the person has committed a sin, nor do we presume what is in their heart or the state of their soul. We are not to judge the state of another person’s soul and say to our self, they committed a mortal sin, or they are going to hell. We really should never say someone has sinned, because we don’t know their intention. Perhaps they acted out of fear or emotion and weren’t thinking before they acted.

Rather, we should assume innocence, and be merciful as Jesus is merciful, to forgive as Jesus forgives, to not condemn, but rather give the other person the benefit of doubt.

When we realize we have sinned by judging others, let us be like the prophet Daniel, and admit our sin to the Lord, cry out, “O Lord, I have sinned, been wicked and done evil; I have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.” And we would also pray to the Lord, “I’m sorry Lord, from now on, I will do my best to not judge or condemn others. For I love you and never desire to offend you.”

2nd Sunday of Lent - Transfiguration

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus took Peter, James and John up a very high mountain and it was there He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and His clothes became dazzling white. The extra ordinary event would be something the three apostles would never forget. But, why would Jesus reveal the magnificence of His glory to them?

Just before the transfiguration occurred, Our Lord gathered His apostles around Him, and said something to them which caused all of them great fear and grief. He told His apostles “I’m going to Jerusalem to suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and the chief priests and scribes, to be put to death-- and I will be raised up on the third day.”

When speaking to Moses and Elijah He spoke about His “exodus that He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem”. What He meant by exodus is that He would be leaving this world and going to the next due to His suffering, death and resurrection.

The apostles knew that if Jesus was going to suffer and die, they too would go through a great suffering, because they could not bear to see their Master suffer and die.

Jesus wanted to give them a glimpse of the glory that is to come. He wanted them to persevere through the great trial and suffering that was imminently approaching. Our Divine Lord would go to Jerusalem to be arrested, placed in prison, scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked, forced to carry a Cross, stripped of His clothes, nailed to the Cross and then suffer for three hours until He would breathe His last.

The revelation of His glory on Mount Tabor would give the apostles hope, in the midst of the terrible tragedy of His death. The last part of what He said would also come true, He would be raised on the third day. It would give them hope of the life to come, that they would live forever with Jesus in heaven, but that they too would suffer much, be rejected and die.

When the body of Jesus was laid in the tomb, Peter, James and John wept many tears and their hearts were broken, because of the loss of their Savior. However, during their difficult time, they could have reflected of the glory of the Transfiguration. Maybe they would have said to one another, “Remember when His face shone like the sun and His clothes became dazzling white?” Remember what He said, that He would go to Jerusalem to suffer and die at the hands of the Chief Priests and elders, but what did He say after that, but, “He will be raised on the third day.”

Because of the Transfiguration, Jesus allowed Peter, James and John to enjoy for a very short time the contemplation of the happiness that lasts forever, so as to enable them to bear great suffering that was to come and give them greater courage and faith to endure it.

Perhaps this is what God is calling us today to do. To contemplate the transfiguration-- and the glory and joy of heaven, because of the great suffering that every one of us will experience in the future.

We all knows its’ coming---our own suffering and death. Yet no one knows the day nor the hour when it will come. Many of us likewise know that in the future, one of our loved ones will die, (whether it’s a parent, a spouse or a brother or sister) and we will have to go through that time of trial and suffering.

With what’s going on the world, its possible greater suffering than we are experiencing now will come in the future. We pray for all those from the Ukraine and Russia losing loved ones and those being displaced.

Today, there is so much suffering, so much fear and anxiety because of the events of the world. Yet, the transfiguration of Jesus gives us courage in the midst of suffering and tragedy. Our Lord shows us that if we contemplate the glory of heaven now, when trials and tribulations come, we will have peace. We will trust. We will have hope.

Imagine just for a moment what heaven will be like. Recall the words of St. Paul with regard to heaven, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man those things that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

No more fears, no suffering, no pain, no temptations, no sin. Think of the love that awaits you. Think of the calm, the peace, the joy, the splendor and the light. In heaven there is no night, no heat, no cold, no sickness. There is neither death nor no old age. Above all think about the everlasting presence of God and possessing Christ Himself. Think about being with and talking with those who have gone before us. Think of the angels and the saints. And will see the most glorious things and learn about the most wonderful things. We will experience eternal happiness and rest because we will have kept our eyes on Jesus, and our heart fixed on the glory that is to come. Such that no matter what suffering comes our way, we will hope, we will trust, and we will have peace.

Jesus is on Mount Tabor, so to speak, on the altar at every Mass. He comes in the Sacred Host in His glorified and risen body. During Eucharistic Adoration He is exposed in all His glory. Though we cannot see His risen glorified body, it is there before us in Eucharistic adoration. When we gaze upon the Eucharist, our soul is transfigured and becomes bright. We become a hidden channel of grace as Pope Paul VI said, "Being such a powerhouse of grace, Perpetual Adoration extends its influence far beyond the individual adorers, touching their homes and families and reaching out to the parish community and beyond."

So when we are praying before Jesus in the Eucharist, we make an influence on world. Our prayers in adoration will help end the war sooner and will help those who are suffering and bring about peace. Jesus needs us right now to come to Him, so that the graces we receive will flow out upon the world and help those especially in need. Not only will we help save lives, especially we will help save souls and convert hearts.

I would like to especially compliment all those who have been very faithful to your Holy Hour. You are an inspiration. In fact, by far our parish has had the least difficulties, in all 4 parishes where I helped start adoration. In our parish there is a special unity with each other. This unity of persons is a reflection of the Blessed Trinity united in love. You do very well in asking each other when you need someone to take your hour. I was speaking with a few substitutes and all three of us agree we are hardly ever called. So if you are unable to find a family member to cover your hour, we are very happy to substitute. We love to be with Jesus.

Each person who comes to adore Jesus in adoration receives immeasurable gifts from the Lord when we spend time with Him and when we pray and contemplate the mysteries of the Holy Rosary in His presence.

I once met Zachary King, who was a former Satanic high priest. Due to the miraculous medal, he had a conversion, went to Confession and became a popular speaker. Do you know what he said Satan fears the most? He said Satan fears the most-- prayers from the pure hearts of children. I would like to suggest you bring your children with you to adoration. Their hearts are pure and mostly innocent and their prayers will make a huge difference in the world.

Praying the Rosary, while meditating on the Mysteries of Light, we contemplate the fourth mystery- the Transfiguration. The Rosary is one of the best ways to meditate on the mysteries of our faith.

And when we pray the Rosary, we turn with great confidence to Mary, and ask Her to give us the courage to persevere through suffering by contemplating the glory of Her Son’s transfiguration and to keep our heart and mind on the life of the glory of the world to come (Heaven).

Stations of the Cross

 

 Since we just finished the Way of the Cross, I will give a brief history for the Stations of the Cross. Lent is a penitential season of preparation for Easter, the Stations of the Cross, which follow the path of Christ from Pontius Pilate's praetorium to Christ's tomb have been a popular devotion in parishes. In the 16th century, this pathway was officially entitled the "Via Dolorosa" (Sorrowful Way) or simply Way of the Cross or Stations of the Cross.

This devotion has evolved over time. Tradition holds that our Blessed Mother visited daily the scenes of our Lord's passion. After Constantine legalized Christianity in the year 312, this pathway was marked with its important stations. St. Jerome (342-420), living in Bethlehem during the later part of his life, attested to the crowds of pilgrims from various countries who visited those holy places and followed the Way of the Cross.

In the fifth century, an interest developed in the Church to "reproduce" the holy places in other areas so pilgrims who could not actually travel to the Holy Land could do so in a devotional, spiritual way in their hearts. For instance, St. Petronius, Bishop of Bologna, constructed a group of chapels at the monastery of San Stefano, which depicted the more important shrines of the Holy Land, including several of the stations.

In 1342, the Franciscans were appointed as guardians of the shrines of the Holy Land. The faithful received indulgences for praying at the following stations: At Pilate's house, where Christ met His mother, where He spoke to the women, where He met Simon of Cyrene, where the soldiers stripped Him of His garments, where He was nailed to the cross, and at His tomb.

When the Moslem Turks blocked the access to the Holy Land, reproductions of the stations were erected at popular spiritual centers, including the Dominican Friary at Cordova and Poor Clare Convent of Messina (early 1400s); By 1587, Zuallardo reported that the Moslems forbade anyone "to make any halt, nor to pay veneration to [the stations] with uncovered head, nor to make any other demonstration," basically suppressing this devotion in the Holy Land. Nevertheless, the devotion continued to grow in popularity in Europe.

In the 1400s, the Stations of the Cross became extremely popular in Europe; however, they were usually a series of outdoor shrines. In 1686, Pope Innocent XI granted to the Franciscans the right to erect Stations of the Cross within their churches because he realized that few people could travel to the Holy Land due to the Moslem oppression.

It was only as late as 1862 that the right erect the Stations of the Cross without a Franciscan was extended to bishops throughout the Catholic Church. Today, the faithful receive a plenary indulgence (with the usual conditions) for making the Stations of the Cross.

We make the Way of the Cross out of love for all Jesus suffered for us. In a certain sense, we are there with Him as He carries His Cross to Calvary. We want to comfort Him as the Blessed Virgin comforted Her Son, or as the weeping women were there to show their love. We want to give Him consolation with Veronica who wiped the face of Jesus with her veil. And some of us are like Simon the Cyrene, who at first didn’t want to help Jesus carry His Cross, but eventually chose to help Him and had pity on Our Lord for the sufferings He was enduring.

Each of us will have our own way of the cross in our life. Each of us has our own cross to carry. And each of will end up at our own Calvary.

Every day we need a reminder that its only through the cross, by embracing it and carrying it, we will get to heaven. So I encourage you to regularly gaze upon the crucifix you have in your home or here at church to remind you how much Jesus loves you and He will give you the strength to carry your cross and know the Virgin Mary will greet you along the way and console you and will stand at the foot of your cross when you make your final sacrifice.