Easter Sunday - The Resurrection of Jesus

 

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Happy Easter! Jesus is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Today we celebrate the greatest event that ever occurred in the history of the world. By His own power, Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection gave Him a new body, but He still had the wounds of His crucifixion on it, on His hands feet and side. Our Lord predicted what would happen to Him. He said, “The Son of Man will be handed over and killed, but three days later, He will rise.” By His resurrection, Jesus gave us hope that He is with us today and we can be with Him in heaven.

In the Gospel today, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, only to discover its empty. She ran to tell the apostles and then Peter and John ran back to the tomb and discover its empty. But they noticed something strange. They saw the cloth that covered His head, not with the burial cloths, but rolled up in a separate place. When John went into the tomb, he saw and believed, yet he and Peter did not understand the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead.

What are the proofs of the resurrection of Jesus today? First, we have the empty tomb. But not just the empty tomb, the cloth that covered the face of Jesus was rolled up in a separate place by itself. How could that be? If someone stole the body, they would not have taken the time to roll up the cloth that covered His face. It was clear Jesus had done it Himself.

You probably heard of the Shroud of Turin, believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus. On the shroud is the image of a crucified man, showing the wounds on His hands, feet and side. It is very detailed. It shows His face, scourge marks and a head that had been crowned with thorns and where is blood had dripped down his face. The shroud is in a Catholic Church in Turin, Italy. It has been examined over the centuries many times by scientists. The shroud even has tiny plant pollen particles that come only from a specific region in Israel.

When the Divine Mercy image was created at the request of St. Faustina, she wanted the artist to create the image of Jesus she saw when He appeared to her in the 1920’s in Poland. But when the image was finished she was deeply disappointed. She said no one could paint an image as beautiful as what she saw. However, just a few years ago, the image of the shroud was transposed over the painting of the Divine Mercy image of Jesus and it is stunning. It was nearly exactly the same. So if we want to see an image of what Jesus looked like we look at that original Divine Mercy painting.

Today, as an Easter gift from myself all including every child will receive a Divine Mercy picture. Its not the exact image St. Faustina had the artist paint, but we receive the same graces any image created as the same representation.

So far we have had examples of proofs Jesus rose from the dead. The empty tomb, the cloth rolled up by itself, the shroud and the Divine Mercy image, an exact image of the shroud. But there are more examples Jesus is risen from the dead.

When we got the new processional cross, I noticed when the cross is placed in the stand, it creates a loud bomb. And so as I was looking at it I made a side comment prayer to Jesus. I said, “What can we do about that?” A few minutes later, I got the idea of getting an o-ring and placing it on the stand. I went to the hardware store and got one and it worked. When I left the church, outside in front of the statue of Jesus and the child Jesus on the ground was the exact size o-ring I had just put on the base of the processional cross. I believe Jesus wanted me to know it was His idea and not mine and that He cares about the smallest little prayers and needs we may have. It is proof that Jesus is risen and is with us.

As you know, I did hospital ministry for four years and one day, I went to non-Catholic patient’s room. The man’s infected foot had an open wound on the top. When I saw his foot, I immediately thought of the wounds on the feet of Jesus and told the man, he was experiencing some pain Jesus felt when He was on the cross. The man said, “Yes, I know, I have thought about that too”. He said, “I am in constant terrible pain, but I know Jesus is with me through it”. He said, “If it wasn’t for Jesus, I could not being going through this.” He said, “Despite everything, I have peace because Jesus is always with me.” The man endures his suffering because he believes Jesus is risen and is with Him. This man’s faith in the resurrected Jesus gave him hope, that no matter his suffering, Our Lord is with him.

Here is another proof Jesus is risen from the dead. My father, was a very good man and like all of us he had a weakness. He was an alcoholic. One day, he decided he wanted to stop drinking. He went to a treatment facility. I was not yet a priest and when he came out of treatment, he told me he had gone to confession. He began to go to AA meetings and discovered he needed God’s help to stay sober. So he turned his life over to God and was sober for many years. He was a changed man. Though he fell a few times, he would just get back up and keep trying. His new life was a witness to the power of the resurrection of Jesus that God dwells in us.

One day, Bishop Fulton Sheen came out of the cathedral and noticed a prostitute near the church doors. He stopped to talk to her and the firs thing she said was, “Don’t ask me to go to Confession, because I will not do that.” This helped the bishop to know she was Catholic. He asked if she could come back the next day and talk to her. She said, “Okay, but I will not go to confession.” He said, “I promise, I will not ask you to go to Confession.” So the next day, she came and as they were walking through the church, he opened the confessional door and gently pushed her inside and closed the door. She said, “You promised, you would not ask me to go to confession.” He said, “I didn’t.” After some talking she went to confession and two years later she joined a Carmelite order. She went from being a prostitute to a bride of Christ. That is proof of the resurrection of Jesus. Our Lord forgave her sins and she lived a new life with Christ.

Due to the fall of Adam and Eve, no one was able to go to heaven. That is, until Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead. By His death and resurrection, He opened the gates of heaven. And it is through baptism original sin and personal sins are washed away, and we share in God’s divine life.

Once I baptized a baby and after the baptism, the mother kissed the baby’s chest and she said, “I love you, God, I know you are in the heart of my baby.” What a beautiful witness to the resurrection of Jesus.

There is a movie and a book called “Heaven is for Real”. Its a true story about Colton Burpo who shared the story of how he left his body during an emergency surgery and went to heaven. Colton began describing events and people that seemed impossible for him to know about. Examples include knowledge of an unborn sister miscarried by his mother in 1998 and details of a great-grandfather who had died 30 years before Colton was born. Colton also explained how he met Jesus riding a rainbow-colored horse and sat in Jesus' lap while angels sang songs to him. He also saw the Virgin Mary kneeling before the throne of God and at other times standing beside Jesus. This 3 yr old boy gives testimony to the resurrection of Our Lord.

One day, after I visited some Catholics in a nursing home, I had the opportunity of baptizing 90 year old non-Catholic lady. She was unconscious and dying. Her daughter said she has never been baptized but had always wanted it. When she was baptized not only were her sins forgiven, but the punishment due to her sins forgiven. She got a straight shot to heaven. By an inspiration, the risen Jesus directed me to her room and through my hands and with Holy Water, Jesus baptized her to prepare her for heaven and when she arrived she saw the face of Jesus for the first time. Oh the infinite mercy of God.

Bernard Nathanson was a Jewish abortionist, who became Catholic. He was responsible for killing 75,000 babies, but God in His infinite mercy, washed away all of his sins and the punishment due to his sins, when he was baptized. If he would have died immediately after his baptism, he would have went straight to heaven. Here a Jewish man came to believe Jesus died and rose from the dead and was baptized because of it.

I have heard thousands of confessions over the years. Once I heard the confession of a woman, who had not been to confession in 80 yrs. She also received Anointing of the Sick and the Apostolic Pardon because she was very ill in the hospital. All of her sins and the punishment due to her sins were washed away in the ocean of God’s mercy. She believed Jesus rose from the dead and forgave her sins and prepared her for heaven.

You may remember Fr. Colin Boor. Years ago, he did ministry here at Holy Trinity. He is noted for many stories, especially this one.

One day, he went to visit a man in the hospital, and asked if he could anoint him, hear his confession and give him Holy Communion. The man had been a non-practicing Catholic for many years. But, he refused. Because the man was going to die, Fr. Boor came back to his room everyday but the man kept refusing and even told him, “Get out of my room. I don’t want no priest here.” The last time Fr. Boor visited him, the man said, “I don’t want confession. I don’t want you in my room. Get out!” Fr. Boor grabbed a chair and sat down. The man said, “What are you doing?” And Fr. Boor said, “I want to see a man go to hell, I never saw one do that before”. The man’s heart was moved and he went to confession, was anointed, received Holy Communion and the Apostolic Pardon before he died.

Every time we come to Mass, we are witnesses to the resurrection. Our faith is proof Jesus rose from the dead. If we did not believe in the resurrection, we would not be here. We are told and it is true, the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus. But the Eucharist is not just the body and blood of Jesus, its the risen and resurrected Lord. Jesus risen from the dead-- in all His glory-- comes down upon the altar and then comes inside of us in Holy Communion. We have a personal and intimate union with Jesus that saints say lasts at least 10 to 15 minutes. What joy it is to receive the living beating Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist and to have His Heart united to our heart. What joy it is to adore Him and speak to Him one on one during our Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hour. For truly, He is there.

If we look for proof Jesus rose from the dead, we have no greater proof, than the Eucharist.

Today, let us look forward to our time with Jesus in Holy Communion, our time with Him in Adoration, our time with Him in our personal prayer knowing He is inside us through baptism. And let us look forward to the day when we too will receive a new resurrected body at the end of the world. As Our Lord said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, lives in me and I in him, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

My friends, next Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. On that day the flood gates of God’s mercy are open. If we have gone to Confession and receive Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday, not only are all our sins forgiven, but the punishment due to our sins forgiven as well. Our soul becomes like it was at baptism. All is washed away in the ocean of God’s mercy. Its only once a year. If you haven’t gone to Confession during Lent, do it before Mass next Sunday and when you receive Holy Communion you will be thrilled and your heart will leap with joy and you will exclaim “Jesus is Risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!”

Good Friday

 

On this Good Friday, I thought I would speak about the two robbers who were crucified next to Jesus.

One thief mocks Jesus saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the good thief rebuked him saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And indeed we justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”

What wonderful graces of conversion knocked at the hearts of both thieves, desiring admission. One of them listens and goes from his cross to Paradise. The other one remains obdurate and refused to accept the graces offered to Him and goes to hell. What a terrible thought—to be damned—at the side of the dying Savior and His Blessed Mother! How awful the consequences of infidelity to grace, or neglect of opportunities of strengthening the our will in good. This wretched man can hear the sighs of Jesus pleading with His Father. He sees the Precious Blood poured out around His Cross as though it would besiege the heart of the sinner, and ward off Christ’s justice from its victim, and yet the miserable sinner remains unmoved in his wickedness. The awful power of free will on it depends eternal happiness or enteral misery.

The Good thief, however, had probably never heard a word from the lips of Jesus until they breathed the Divine prayer for His murderers, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He knew nothing of our Savior’s doctrines, or miracles, yet he made a public declaration of his faith from his cross, next the cross of Jesus and under circumstances that would shake a dying person to his core. How clearly this proves the weakest man is strong with grace and the strongest weak without it and grace comes through prayer. And what was His prayer, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He sees the thorn-crowned head that lay drooping on Jesus’ chest lifted up. It turns to the repentant thief. The eyes dulling in the midst of death painfully raise themselves to his. He opens His dry lips open and words come out slow: “Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with me in paradise.” The answer was the pardon for the sins of a life, final perseverance, canonization while living, the promise of heaven, and happiest of all—reunion with His Master before the sun had set. The pardon granted reveals the loving mercy of the Sacred Heart.

Can we trust in Our Lord’s mercy to be tender and generous with us when we return to Him? O love of the Sacred Heart! “Lord, remember me!” The good thief had but a short time for prayer. Life will be soon be over, the little space wherein I am to obtain from God all that I want for my eternal happiness, and I as the good thief, may be content with the cry that includes every petition, “Lord, remember me!” Jesus I trust in your unfathomable mercy.

When St. Faustina was near death, she had a conversation with Jesus. Our Lord told her, “As you were united to Me in life, you will be united to Me at the moment of death.” And she replied, “After these words, such great trust in God's great mercy was awakened in my soul that, even if I had had the sins of the whole world, as well as the sins of all the condemned souls weighing on my conscience, I would not have doubted God's goodness but, without hesitation, would have thrown myself into the abyss of the divine mercy, which is always open to us…”

My friends, every day and at all times, trust in in God’s infinite mercy because do not know the day and our of our death. And every night before you go to bed pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be asking the Lord for the grace of a happy death and finish by saying, “Jesus I trust in you. Remember me!"

(Note: excerpts from Meditation on the Passion by Rev. Reginald Walsh, OP)

Holy Thursday

 

Today we celebrate Holy Thursday, the day Jesus instituted the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the priesthood during the Last Supper.

As we begin our journey with Jesus from death to life, our first reading reminds us of the Hebrews’s passage from slavery to freedom. Their journey, like ours, begins with a meal. So let’s look at the Hebrew Passover to see if we can come to understand more deeply the new Passover of Jesus, our Messiah.

Both for the Hebrews and for us, it all starts with a lamb. At the first Passover, God told each Jewish family to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and share its roasted meat at their meal. On the Cross, God provided a lamb for us—Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins so we could receive His flesh and blood at Holy Mass, the re-enactment of the Last Supper.

The Jewish Passover wasn’t just any sacrifice. It had the power to save the people from death. The blood of the lamb, which each family placed on their doorposts, protected them from angel of death. So the blood of Jesus the Lamb of God, was splashed on the wooden posts of the Cross to save us from eternal death.

The Jewish Passover sacrifice wasn’t completed by the death of the lamb but rather by the eating of its flesh. So too, Jesus told His disciples, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” His sacrificial death offered on the altar to the Father, becomes our own salvation as we eat His Body and drink His Blood in faith. The apostles were commanded to do it in remembrance of Him. Jesus gave them the authority to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and transform bread and wine into His Body and Blood to be eaten during Holy Communion. By the laying on of hands bishops ordain priests in every generation, so that Jesus may give us His Body and Blood in Holy Communion to Catholics.

Over the centuries people have made big sacrifices to protect priests during times when they were endangered by anti-Catholic laws, so they could attend Mass and receive Holy Communion. One such person who paid with her life for protecting priests is St. Margaret of York. Margaret Middleton was born in York, England, around 1556. Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558. The vast majority of the English people were Catholic and wished to remain Catholic. When the new queen threatened to destroy the Catholic Church, they eventually realized they would suffer for it.

Soon a law clearly stated the Mass was outlawed and the whole population was ordered to attend the new Protestant services. The Middleton family accepted the new religion and the Queen as the head of the church. At the age of 18, Margaret married a Protestant, John Clitherow, who was 21 years old at the time.

However, when Margaret was married she returned to her Catholic faith and allegiance to the Pope. Throughout their marriage John paid her fines for not attending Protestant church services and allowed Margaret to raise the children Catholic. Although their house became a place where the forbidden Catholic Mass was celebrated, he personally didn’t want to know it was happening.

John made things as easy as he could for his wife. He was careful to ignore that Father Mush was a frequent visitor and obviously celebrating Mass for Margaret and her friends.

Margaret was a loving wife and mother. However, she was disturbed by her husband’s loyalty to the Queen’s religion, but loved him dearly. John said his wife had only two faults, “she fasted too much and would not go to his non-Catholic church with him.” Her home became one of the most important hiding places for Catholic priests in all of England. The house had a secret cupboard where the vestments, wine and the altar breads were kept. It also had a “priest’s hole” where priests could be hidden.

However, on March 10, 1586 the Clitherow’s home was raided. The searchers found everything, where the Mass was celebrated, the vestments, and the altar breads. They carried off the incriminating evidence. By now the Clitherows had three children, the oldest was studying in France to be a priest, and when Margaret was taken away from her home and thrown into prison her two younger children never saw her again. The boy went on to become a priest and one of her daughter’s became a religious Sister.

On March 14^th, Margaret was brought before the judge in Common Hall. Her indictment was read and she was asked how she pleaded. In answer she said, “I know of no offense whereof I should confess myself guilty. Having made no offense, I need no trial.” The next morning she was taken back to Common Hall. The judge sentenced her to be crushed to death for having “harbored and maintained Jesuits and seminary priests, traitors to the Queen’s majesty and her laws.” Under the law of Queen Elizabeth, the accused would lay on the stone floor of an underground cell with a door laid over them and heavy stones piled on the door. Further weights were piled on the door until the person was crushed to death.

Ten days later, on March 25^th, 1586 she was executed by crushing. Before her execution she prayed for the Queen and especially that she would become Catholic! The executioners placed the board upon her and the huge stones on top. Within 15 minutes she was dead. It was Good Friday. She was left from 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon under the door and her body was buried in waste ground hoping it wouldn’t be found again. How similar to the death of Jesus. His Passion began at 9am and ended at 3pm. Calvary was a garbage dump. And His body was placed in a grave near the dumpsite.

Pope Paul VI canonized Margaret Clitherow in 1970 and gave her the title “Pearl of York.” Her home has since become a place of pilgrimage visited by thousands each year. She is called a martyr of the Eucharist because she was executed for protecting priests and making it possible for them to celebrate Mass. It is through the faith and courage of people like Margaret we are able to celebrate the Eucharist here today.

After Mass we will have the incensation of the Hosts on the altar and then proceed to take them to a tabernacle at the Parish Hall. You are invited to come and spend an hour with Jesus, because it was on this night-- Jesus asked His disciples to spend an hour with Him as He endured His agony in the garden. He told Peter, “Will you not watch an hour with me?”

You are invited to console the Heart of Jesus by being there with Him and to adore, thank, and praise Him for the gift of the Holy Mass, of being able to receive Him in Holy Communion, and for the gift of the sacred priesthood.

Holy Wednesday

 

 Today is “Spy Wednesday”. It is the day Judas, the apostle, sells Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. We seldom have the opportunity to hear a homily written by saint. The following is a homily written by St. Anthony of Padua concerning the betrayal of Judas. He begins by quoting Judas. He says:

What will you give me, to betray him? [Mt 26.15]

“The shame of it! To set a price on that which is beyond price! Alas! As the verse says, "He is shown forth; God is sold for a worthless coin." O Judas, will you sell God, the Son of God, as if He were a lowly slave, or a dead dog? And will you not even set the price yourself, but leave it to your customers? What will you give me? What can they give you? If they gave you Jerusalem, Galilee and Samaria, could they buy Jesus? If they gave you the heavens and all the angels in them, earth and all mankind, the sea and all that is in it: could they pay a price worth the Son of God, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge lie hid? [Col 2.3] No! Never!

Can the Creator be bought or sold by a creature? And yet you say, “What will you give me, to betray him to you?” Tell me: how has He injured you, what harm has He done you, for you to say, I will betray him to you? What of the humility and voluntary poverty of the incomparable Son of God? What of his kindness and affection? What of his sweet preaching and working of miracles? His tears, so loving, shed over Jerusalem and for the death of Lazarus? What of the privilege that he chose you as an Apostle and familiar friend? Let the remembrance of these things, and others like them, soften your heart and inspire you to mercy, so that you do not say, I will betray him to you. Yet how many Judas Iscariots there are today, ‘hirelings’ according to the meaning of his name, who sell the Truth for the reward of some small temporal advantage, who sell their neighbor with the kiss of flattery, and in the end hang themselves in the pit of eternal damnation.”

St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us, that we may be faithful to Jesus. When we make our final journey, may be made worthy of eternal life with Mary, and all the angels and saints in heaven, to adore Our Blessed Lord in His Kingdom!

Holy Tuesday

 

 Judas’ Betrayal Announced; Peter’s Denial Predicted

Today’s gospel passage presents to us two kinds of betrayals: Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial. But what is the difference between the two betrayals? Judas’ betrayal was deliberate, cold and calculated. His is seen as the worst one. It is because when Jesus makes His appeal by showing special affection to him at the Last Supper through a gesture of offering him a morsel of food, very sadly, Judas rejects this act of our Lord’s reaching to him in love and compassion. In the Jewish society, a gesture of offering a morsel of food is an act done by one who considers the other person a genuine and intimate friend.

While Peter, in a moment of weakness, denies Him with an oath and a curse. He never meant to do what he did. Jesus knows both the strength of Peter’s loyalty and the weakness of his resolution. He has a habit of speaking with his heart without thinking through the implications of what he was saying. He acts impulsively out of weakness and cowardice.

All of us have weaknesses. But God loves to use weak people. In fact, we have a bundle of imperfections be it: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. But what is more important is what we do with regards to these. Sad to say, many times we deny our weaknesses, defend them, excuse them, justify them, hide them, resent them and this prevents God from using these weaknesses the way He desires.

God has a different outlook when it comes to our weaknesses. He says: “My ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts,” (Is. 55:9). Through these words, we can say that He often acts in ways that are the exact opposite of what we expect. The Bible gives us so many examples by which God loves to use imperfect, ordinary people to do extraordinary things in spite of their weaknesses and one of them is St. Paul, who use to proclaim his weaknesses and glory in them. He said, “I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

We need to admit our weaknesses. Let us own our imperfections, stop pretending that we have it all together and be honest with ourselves. Instead of living in denial or making excuses, let us take the time to identify our personal weaknesses. We might make a list of them.

Do I limit God’s power in my life by trying to hide my weaknesses?

Let us always remember that God works best when we admit our weaknesses and allow Him to use our weaknesses for His glory and honor.

Holy Monday

 

 Side Altar in the Church of Ars 

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus says: “You always have the poor with you but you do not always have me.” He said this to Judas Iscariot because Judas gets angry at the sight of Mary pouring a jar of expensive ointment over His feet and dried them with her hair to show her passionate love for Jesus. And it was also her gratitude for God’s mercy in raising Lazarus back to life again. We admire this expression of Mary’s love, because it is so generous and humbling. Jesus appreciates this. He even adds that the whole world will always remember what she has done for Him. But Judas is “scandalized.” For him, this is a terrible waste! The money spends for the perfumed oil can be used for the poor. But in reality Judas was a thief, selfish and greedy. He is the treasurer of the group but he used to steal the contributions.

What does Jesus mean with these words, ‘You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me’? Yes it is a fact that there are always poor around us. But Jesus wants to tell His disciples and us-- that Christianity is not exclusively only for the poor people and needy. Rather, “it is also a personal love exclusively to Jesus, a love that justifies many sacrifices.”

Actually, there is no conflict between concern for the poor and generosity in worship.  Many saints including St. John Vianney, said that the physical conditions of the church and of the materials used for worship, especially those which come in contact with the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, must be elegant and noble. They should be dignified.  St. John Vianney lived a very poor life. His clothes were tattered and he scarcely ate much food yet he purchased beautiful statues for the church and very nice vestments—because it was for the Lord. St. Francis of Assisi, who lived a deep life of poverty and loved the poor, always wanted the best for the church. Both of these saints understood, Our Lord’s comments, “You always have the poor with you but you do not always have me.”

But the problem with many of us is that we give so much importance to the one, like our concern for the poor but in the process we neglect something more important which is our personal prayer and meditation of our God. We should not deny or alienate us from our need to have a personal intimacy with Jesus.” which is most important.
During the remainder of this Lent, as we go through Holy Week, let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us to have that personal intimate relationship with Jesus, so we will be generous with our time with Him and be ready to make any sacrifice, He may ask of us.

Palm Sunday - Passion of Jesus & Forgivness

 

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By listening to the sufferings and death of Jesus, it reminds us of His deep and unimaginable love for us, so that our sins could be forgiven and to teach us to love and forgive one another.

At the Oscars Will Smith became angry at Chris Rock, who made a joke about his wife. In return, he walked up to him and slapped him in the face. It was a hard lesson for both of them. Chris learned any joke that puts down someone is always a bad joke. Will Smith learned it would have been better if he would have calmly asked him to apologize to his wife, rather than allow his emotions to control his behavior or they could have just walked out. The question is, after this happened, did each apologize to each other and forgive one another? Did either of them ask the Lord to forgive them? Later Will Smith wept over his behavior. He certainly regretted it.

The misery of a man who tells bad jokes that hurts others and the misery of one who loses his temper, shows how human we all are. But God meets us in our misery, and is ready to bestow His mercy. He is infinitely merciful. Its an act of mercy to alleviate the misery of a sinner, by forgiving those who hurt God.

Jesus wants us to come to Him to have our sins forgiven and we do that especially in Confession. Sometimes its difficult for us to forgive someone who deeply hurt us. Forgiveness does not mean the bad action was okay. It does not mean we should have warm feelings about the person who hurt us. Rather, forgiveness it is an act of the will-- it a choice to let go of the hurt and to will the good of the other. Demons feed off of unforgiveness and unforgiveness blocks graces God wants to give us. If we don’t forgive the person who hurt us, we allow the other person to control us. Rather, by forgiveness, we let the person go who harmed us by giving them to God, and it opens our heart for God’s healing and we are set free.

Sometimes we can make the act of the will and choose to forgive someone, but then later when we recall the event that hurt us, we have bad thoughts and feelings. And we may wrongly think, we haven’t forgiven. But, we shouldn’t go by our feelings and emotions. Before the fall, Adam and Eve controlled their emotions perfectly. But after the fall, they couldn't, nor can we. We can’t allow our emotions to control us, rather we go by our choice to forgive and once we make the act of forgiveness, we have forgiven. But it takes time for our emotions to be healed and catch up with our choice to forgive. Once we make the choice to forgive, we need to avoid thinking of the event that caused us harm. And if an angry thought comes later, we ignore it, because we have forgiven. We have to remind ourselves, “I have forgiven”.

On the Cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He made an excuse for us, who hurt Him by our sins. And this is what we need to do. To make an excuse for others. We don’t excuse the wrong behavior that harmed us. Rather we excuse why the person did the wrong act.

For example, Chris Rock could say this about Will Smith, “Lord forgive him, for he didn’t mean what he did. Perhaps, he was sick or had a headache or maybe he had too much to drink, or may be his home life-- as a child--- caused him to easily lose his temper.”

St. Francis Paola, said this about forgiveness and the Passion of Jesus. “Fix your minds, then, on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Inflamed with love for us, He came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake He endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He Himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity. Put aside your hatred and animosity. Pardon one another so that later on you will not remember the injury. The recollection of an injury is itself wrong. It adds to our anger, nurtures our sin and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul. Be peace-loving. Peace is a precious treasure to be sought with great zeal. You must change your life, therefore, so that God in His mercy will pardon you. Be converted, then, with a sincere heart. Live your life that you may receive the blessing of the Lord. Then the peace of God our Father will be with you always.”

In conclusion, I would like to do something a bit unusual. What I ask you to do is recall all those who have hurt you and who you need to forgive. Think of their names. Then we will make an act of forgiveness by repeating the words I give you. So now think for a few minutes about those who have hurt you. Now repeat after me:

In the name of Jesus Christ, I willingly forgive anyone who has hurt or harmed me (including N. N. N). (I forgive them from the bottom of my heart and ask God to bless them.) (3 Times)

PRIEST:

I witness your forgiveness. I ask God to heal any unforgiveness and any inner wounds and trauma. May God heal you and all those who hurt you. May you be released from any dysfunctional attachments, be healed in your heart, and set free in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus may you be healed. In the name of Jesus, be at peace. Thank you Jesus for your suffering and death and for helping us to forgive. Please Lord forgive my unforgiveness. O Mary, Our Mother, who forgave us at the foot of the Cross of your Son, pray for us. Amen.

5th Friday of Lent

 

Our first reading today tells us about Jeremiah who suffers persecution from other people even from his own friends. And for this reason he prays to God. He knows too that God will answer his cry to Him. He expects that God will take revenge against this wicked people.

In a similar manner, Jesus in today’s gospel, faces the same situation. In our first reading, Jeremiah expects God might take revenge against the wicked people. Jesus, on the other hand, prays not for revenge, but He brings redemption and salvation to those who persecute Him. He does good to His people. He humbles Himself even more by telling them even if they don’t believe in Him to at least believe in His works. He asks them to realize the love His Father has for them. But what is their response? In response to what Jesus said to them, they do not listen to Him, and even try to arrest Him in order to kill Him because He makes Himself to be God. This is blasphemy. And blasphemy is one of the three sins or crimes punishable by death. They get angry with Him due to His statements of His intimate association with God. Actually, everything that Jesus is stems from the Father.

Jesus experiences what Jeremiah has experienced, the same rejection, betrayal and persecution. But His response to all these is to press on to His crucifixion, death and finally, His resurrection.

In our modern society, Jesus is still rejected and even persecuted.

When it comes to Jesus Christ, C.S. Lewis said, there is only one, out of four choices, we can choose. We choose to believe--either Jesus is a fool who should be pitied by us---, or a madman who should be shunned by us--, or the devil who should be stoned and denied by us, ---or the Lord who should be adored and worshiped by us.

For us we believe Jesus is Lord of all and our God. Let us always remember that if we see Jesus, we see God; if we listen to Jesus we listen to God; if we love Jesus we love God.

And may the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God pray for us that we listen to and love Jesus with all our heart.

5th Thursday - “Whoever keeps my words will never see death."

 

 There was a man who stepped onto the platform at an American Legion Convention. As he looked over the large crowd, he asked: “Can anybody tell me who I am?” He had lost his memory, with no record of his past or his identity. His desperate appeal was: “Does anybody know who I am?”

Jesus’ identity is one of the themes today’s gospel reading talks about. It is because in this chapter eighth alone of St. John’s gospel, Jesus claims four major things about Himself. First, He claims to be the light of the world. Second, He claims that those who accept His teaching are set free. Third, He promises that anyone who keeps His word will never die. Fourth, He takes on the divine name I AM and states that He is older than Abraham. In this last claim He says: “Before Abraham came to be, I Am.” By saying ‘I Am,’ Jesus refers to the proper name of God as “Yahweh” which in Hebrew it means the same, “I Am who Am” and a pious Jew in His life would not mention this name.  This is the name God identifies Himself to Moses at the burning bush. Jesus is applying the name ‘Yahweh’ to Himself and this shows He clearly saying that He is God. Of course this claim is the supreme and highest claim for by this claim Jesus says that He is of divine origin and that He is equal with God. His listeners understand what He tries to say perfectly well but they do not accept this claim because to them, it is a blasphemy. Its penalty is death by stoning.

But for us it is true that Jesus is God and therefore He has the right to promise to us that whoever keeps His word will never see death. Only God can make such a bold promise and then fulfill it. And so I invite you to reflect on this promise of Jesus and apply this into our lives:

First, He says: “Whoever keeps my words will never see death.”  This is a paradoxical statement but ‘never seeing death’ seems to be very attractive to us because we are doing so much: exercise, eating right, annual checkups and all that is good in order to avoid hastening our physical death. But the Lord is referring death in the spiritual realm. And St. Paul gives a good explanation of what this statement meant to be. St. Paul says that we are ‘always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body…. Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Lastly, let us keep the words of Jesus and be faithful to Him because Jesus is a God and He cannot tell a lie. Some do not accept that Jesus is God and is the Son of God but consider Him only as a great man or the greatest man who ever lived. If they say such things, we say He is Lord and God because He cannot tell a lie of what He claims. That is why, with all due respect for their opinion, the Muslims as well as Mormons who say Jesus was only a very special man, ----cannot be considered, ‘Christians.’

Every step along the path of spiritual growth is a step towards preserving and enriching the divine life He has given us. Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us to grow in our faith, so that may help others to come to know who Jesus really is.

5th Wed of Lent - "The Truth Will Set You Free"

 

 Jesus said in today’s gospel: “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  The truth is-- that all of us know we are created in the image and likeness of God; that we are children of God and can be forever united to Him; that we are capable of knowing the truth and freely ordering our lives towards the good; that we are connected with one another through the mystery of the Body of Christ and this can inspire us to loving service for our neighbor.

“And the truth will set you free,” Jesus said. Many people associate freedom with the mere absence of external constraints. Yes, this can be one of the conditions for freedom, but the core of freedom does not lie in an absence of external constraints.  Freedom gives us the ability to make choices, to decide and to determine ourselves. Pope Saint John Paul II had greatly emphasized that: “Although each individual has a right to be respected in his own journey in search of the truth, there exists a prior moral obligation, and a grave one at that, to seek the truth and to adhere to it once it is known,” (The Splendor of Truth, n. 34).

You know what, there are many manifestations or signs that will appear in our body to show we are telling lies and not telling the truth.

There is the cartoon Pinocchio, which illustrates every time Pinocchio lies, his nose grows longer and longer and so it’s obvious he is lying. Jiminy Cricket becomes Pinocchio’s conscience and so he is eventually able to convince him to stop lying.

According to an unknown author here are some of the signs of not telling the truth: the color of the skin on our face may become pale; our eyes may show rapid movement or become watery from the fear of being discovered; we will try to avoid eye contact; the pattern of speech changes; our voice will tremble while our jaw tenses. Under stress, we may have shallow breath; we may try to avoid and change the topic or we may even sing because we are nervous; our comments can be contradictory; we may play with our hair or bite our nails; our hands may begin to move about. We perspire for no obvious reason; we may feel weak in the knees; at night we may not sleep in peace for our morals will bother us. Though we may think our secret is safe, the signs our body can give us away.

There is the story of four high school boys who couldn’t resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each got a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, “Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper.” Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions. Then she said: “First question, which tire was flat?” They began to perspire and each had different answers to the question. The wise teacher easily discovered the truth.

God knows all our secrets. Let us ask Him to forgive us and to give us strength. He will lift our burdens of guilt and return our inner peace so the truth can be known. And may we always embrace Jesus Himself who is the Truth that sets us free.

April 5th - St. Vincent Ferrer

 

Vincent Ferrer was the fourth child in his family. His father is reported to have had a dream in which he was told that Vincent would be a world famous Dominican friar. But his father was opposed to his vocation. The boy joined the Dominicans in 1367 and received his doctorate of theology and was ordained a priest. He became a missionary and taught theology. He was an adviser to the King of Aragon. During a severe fever in 1538, Vincent had a vision of Jesus, Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi. It was a life changing experience – Vincent received supernatural gifts and believed that he was a messenger of penance, an “angel of the apocalypse” sent to prepare mankind for the Judgment of Christ.

As a great preacher, he converted thousands in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands England, Scotland and Ireland.

He was a counselor to Pope Benedict XIII, who at that time was an anti-pope, but Vincent didn’t know it. The Western schism divided Christianity first between two, then three, popes. Clement VII lived at Avignon in France, Urban VI lived in Rome. Vincent was convinced the election of Urban was invalid, though Catherine of Sienna thought Urban was the true pope.

In the service of Cardinal de Luna, Vincent worked to persuade Spaniards to follow Clement. When Clement died, Cardinal de Luna was elected at Avignon, France and became Benedict XIII, who would not be a validly elected pope, but Vincent didn’t know it until later. Vincent worked for him as apostolic penitentiary and Master of the Sacred Palace. All the candidates of the new conclave swore to resign, but Benedict XIII refused. Because he finally concluded that Benedict was not the true pope, Vincent tried unsuccessfully, in 1408 and 1415, to persuade his former friend to resign.

Though very ill, he mounted the pulpit before an assembly over which Benedict himself was presiding, and thundered his denunciation of the man who had ordained him a priest. Benedict fled for his life, abandoned by those who had formerly supported him.

Vincent, traveled through various countries working to end the Western schism. Strangely, Vincent had no part in the Council of Constance, which ended the schism. He lived to behold the end of the great schism and the election of Pope Martin V.

He slept on the floor, had the gift of tongues (he spoke only Spanish, but all listeners understood him)., He fasted continuously, celebrated Mass daily, and known as a miracle worker. He was reported to have brought a murdered man back to life to prove the power of Christianity to the onlookers, and he would heal people in the hospital just by praying in front of it. He worked so hard to build up the Church that he became the patron of people in building trades.

In 1455 when he was canonized, 800 stories of his validated miracles were read out loud; there were more, but the celebrants decided to move on with the recognition.

Today, let us pray to St. Vincent, that he will help us in our time of confusion in the Church and in the papacy.

5th Monday of Lent - Susanna & Blessed Alexandrina

 

 In the first reading today, two men, whose hearts were filled with lust, were so evil, they were willing to have Susanna killed unless they had their way with her. But, due to her loyalty to God and wanting to keep her purity unstained, she would not have relations with them and would not tell a lie, which could have saved her life.

Daniel came to her rescue and revealed the evil plot of the two dirty old men. They ended up being killed because of their lies and intention to have an innocent woman killed, for the sake of their lust.

A young girl from Portugal, by the name of Alexandrina da Costa, was attacked by a young man, who likewise wanted to have his way with her. On Holy Saturday, in 1918, instead of allowing him to harm her, she jumped out of a second story window, resulting in her being paralyzed the rest of her life. Over 20 years later, on Good Friday, 1942, Alexandrina- was no longer able to eat any food except the Holy Eucharist. This miracle continued for 13 years and seven months until her death. Concerning her living on the Eucharist alone, Jesus told her in an ecstasy: “You will not take food again on earth. Your food will be My Flesh ; your blood will be My Divine Blood, your life will be My Life. You receive it from me when I unite My Heart to your heart. Do not fear, my daughter….”

Today, let us resolve to do everything possible to not sin, trusting in the Lord, that no matter how hard the circumstances of life, we will value our soul, more than our body by being faithful to Jesus.

Miraculous Staircase of St. Joseph

 

The true story of an unknown man, believed to be St. Joseph, created a spiral wooden staircase for the Sisters of Loretto and can still be used today in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (No commercials!)

5th Sunday of Lent - Adulterous Woman- Meaning of Mercy

On this 5th Sunday of Lent, the Gospel gives a glimpse into the mercy of the Heart of Christ. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of everyone and asked Jesus if she should be stoned to death.

They wanted to test Jesus, to see if He would break the Law of Moses, and therefore accuse Him of breaking the law, which would cause the people to turn against Him. The Law of Moses condemning woman to death for adultery can be found in Deuteronomy 22:24. It states about women who commits adultery, “You shall bring them both out to the gate of the city and there stone them to death.”

Our Lord’s responded by bending down and then began to write on the ground. At first it may seem odd, but this was His way of not answering their question. He said nothing. But they kept asking Him--- wanting to know the answer to their question, should she be stoned or not. The law prescribed that whoever witnessed the adulterous act, would be the first to cast a stone, followed by everyone else who had gathered about the one who had committed adultery. This is why Jesus said, “Let the one among you, who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

He once again began to write in the ground, and one by one-- they walked away starting with the elders- because in their hearts, they knew they were sinners. In fact, some may have committed adultery as well. The very act of Our Lord writing on the ground was an act of mercy toward the accusers because it gave them the opportunity to walk away, rather than to be confronted with their own question, used to test Jesus. Our Lord saw the misery of their hearts and helped them to see their own sinfulness giving them an opportunity to change their lives.

After everyone had left, there in the midst of what was a large crowd were two people, Jesus and the adulterous woman. Here mercy meets the sinner. Jesus straightened up, looked at her and said, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” The woman replied, “No one sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on-- do not sin any more.” By these words, Our Lord mercifully inspires her with true sorrow for her sin, and pardons her guilt, without passing any sentence on her and prevents her from getting stoned to death.

We heard today about the mercy of Jesus toward the woman who committed adultery and His mercy towards the scribes and Pharisees. But what is mercy?

Mercy comes from the Latin word, “misercordia”. The word can be broken into two words --"miser" (misery) and "cordia" (heart), like "cardiac". Mercy comes from the opening of one’s heart to relieve a misery. Jesus opened His Heart on the Cross to alleviate the misery of mankind.

The word “misery” is used in a way to describe a bad state or one who lacks or needs mercy. For example, we heard the phrase “misery loves company”. A miserable person attracts or purposely incites more misery to himself. Or when we think of someone who is a “miser”, it is someone who selfishly clings to every cent. At the Garden of Eden grocery store, Dave has a little bowl of change on the counter and often times, the clerk will take change from it to help the patron with his bill. A miser never adds to the bowl of change, as opposed to a merciful person who puts change in the bowl to help someone else who will come after him.

So one who is merciful has an open heart to alleviate the misery of another person. Jesus opened His Heart to alleviate the misery of the adulterous woman by mercifully forgiving her sins and restoring her to the community.

Whereas a miser or a miserable person’s heart is in need of receiving receiving mercy, before he can give mercy.

It is the nature of God’s mercy that His heart extends into our misery and redeems it. This is the answer to the mystery of human suffering as it relates to redemption. Mercy signifies that God draws our misery into His own infinitely loving heart.

At Mass, we pray “Lord have mercy, Christ, have mercy. Lord have mercy. After the Consecration, we pray three times, “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us”. By praying for mercy, we are asking God, to open His Heart to see our misery and to alleviate it, by pardoning our sins, as we come before His divine majesty at Mass.

God wants us to help alleviate the misery of others, by being merciful to them. There are 7 spiritual and 7 corporal works of mercy which are ways we can alleviate the misery of others.

In Matthew Ch. 25, Jesus gives us most of the corporal works of mercy, which we will be judged. He said, “..when I was hungry, you gave me food, thirsty, you gave me drink, in prison and sick, you visited me. When naked you clothed me.” The book of Tobit gives us “to bury the dead”.

The 7 spiritual works of mercy are: to instruct the ignorant (ignorant doesn’t mean stupid, it means one who needs to learn something), to counsel the doubtful, to pray for the living and the dead, to admonish the sinner, to comfort the sorrowful, to forgive the sinner, to bear wrongs patiently.

We have the best PSR teachers. I am so proud of them. They are fantastic. They are special. They are patient, kind and loving toward our children. They teach the children about God and the Church and what we believe. They are doing the spiritual works of mercy of instructing our children in the faith and helping them to overcome doubts about the faith. The teachers’ hearts are open to help the children obtain eternal salvation. They help the children to make good moral choices, to live a life of virtue, to practice their faith through the sacraments. To help them grow in their faith and their knowledge and love of Jesus has eternal consequences. The children in PSR learn to know and love Jesus, which is more important than learning to read and write or learn an occupation. St. Bernadette Soubiroux, St. Catherine of Sienna and St. Faustina as adults for years didn’t know how to read or write. But they learned about God and the Church by watching their parents practice their faith, by their Catechism classes, through homilies at Mass and through their personal prayer.

In every work of mercy there is a misery, no matter how small the mercy, a misery is alleviated by the love that comes deep within the heart, and so we give mercy. God wants us to practice mercy. He wants us to open our hearts to the misery of others.

Here are some examples of mercy. Parents feed the hungry, clothe the naked, provide a home and give drink to the thirsty to their children. So just by being a parent they are doing works of mercy.

Its a work of mercy to cook, to clean the house, to help children to learn to pray and to teach them right and wrong to be sure they attend PSR classes.

But there are many things that seem to be insignificant works of mercy that present themselves to us everyday, but any work of mercy is not insignificant. If a child sees the misery of their brother or sister struggling with their homework and then helps them with their homework, this is an act of mercy. If during a sporting event, a fellow team member or a player from another team is accidentally knocked down, to go and help them get up is an act of mercy. We see their misery and alleviate it.

Or to pray for the sick or to pray for a person who is a fallen away Catholic, this is seeing the misery of another person (who needs God) and by our prayers we can help alleviate their misery so they can return to God.

As we come closer to divine Mercy Sunday, try to open your eyes and heart to the misery of others and to alleviate their misery by your act of mercy. Whether its giving a few coins at the grocery store to help someone else or taking care of your children, its alleviating a need.

And prepare for Easter, by going to Confession to allow God to redeem the misery in your heart caused by sin, and trust in His infinite mercy. That no matter how great the sin, God will always forgive. And may the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Mercy, help us to become fonts of mercy. Amen.

4th Saturday of Lent - The Eternal Judge

  

 In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah speaks of those, who plot against one, who is trusting like a lamb led to the slaughter. These words vividly recall Jesus, the Lamb of God, who many plotted against in order to kill Him. Our Lord was like an innocent lamb, led to the slaughter of the Cross.

However, the responsorial psalm states, “O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge, save me from all my pursuers and rescue me.” Jesus was not rescued from His pursuers, who plotted against Him. Rather, He was nailed to the wood of the tree. He was rescued after death, when He rose from the dead, on the day of His resurrection that first Easter morning.

We see in the Gospel, the time of Jesus for His passion comes closer and closer. The chief priests and the Pharisees had sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus and some even in the crowd wanted to arrest Our Lord, but no one laid hands on Him.

The guards could not bring themselves to arrest Jesus because they were enamored by His words. His words touched their hearts. The guards told the chief priests and Pharisees, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” The Pharisees in their blind rage and viciousness accused the guards of being deceived. However, one of the Pharisees, who was a secret disciple and would come to Jesus only by night, would say, “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?”

At this point, we can see the spiritual battle unfolding. Those whose hearts were touched by the words of Jesus see the intention to arrest Him is wrong. While those who are intent on their desire to kill Him and do away with Him, their hearts are hardened to His message of love.

Jesus is like an innocent and trusting lamb being led to the slaughter. There are those who are hatching plots to slaughter the Lamb of God and want to destroy Him. And there are those whose hearts are moved by grace by His words and His actions.

Today, the battle continues. All the more urgent is it for us to pray for people of our time whose hearts are closed to God’s grace. That they may see the love and compassion of Jesus and will embrace and love Him, rather than turn away from Him.

Always in the end, the good are rewarded in heaven and the wicked will perish unto eternal fire. In the end--- those who are judging Jesus, are judging the eternal judge, who they will judge them at the moment their soul departs their body.

May we turn to Mary, the Queen of All Hearts and ask Her to touch hardened hearts and make their hearts like unto the Heart of Jesus. For truly Her Immaculate Heart intercedes and makes new the hearts of all Her children.