St. Pope John Paul II - Oct. 22nd

 

Today is the feast of Saint Pope John Paul II the anniversary of his election of pope on Oct. 22^nd.

Karoly Wojtyla’s mother Emilia had a difficult pregnancy and her doctor tried to convince her to have an abortion, but she chose to keep her baby, who would someday be the future John Paul II. When he was born, they were singing the Litany of Loretto.

He had a brother by the name of Edmund. His mother died when he was a child and his father died when Carol was a young man. He must have felt alone in the world as a young man.

Who could forget the day, he was chosen as the successor of Peter, as he spoke to the crowd and said, “Do not be afraid!” He confronted, exposed and opposed the "culture of death", wherein the human person is treated as an instrument to be used rather than an unrepeatable gift to be received. He proposed a different way, a new "culture of life" where every human person, at every age and stage, is recognized as having an inviolable dignity and right to life, freedom and love.

He charted a path to authentic peace by proclaiming to the nations that we are all our brothers' keeper and owe an obligation in solidarity to one another and, most especially, to the poor in all of their manifestations. Most likely due to the death of his mother at a young age, his life long love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, revealed itself in his pontificate with his motto, “totus tuus, totally yours.” His beautiful relationship with Mary was revealed on May 13^th, 1981, when the Blessed Virgin Mary, guided the bullet and protected him. In 1984, in union with all the bishops of the world, he consecrated the world the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which resulted in the sudden fall of communism. He so loved Our Lady, that he revealed the secrets of Fatima and beatified Jacinto and Francisco.

Entrusted for twenty six years with the Chair of Peter, Pope John Paul II was a prophetic Pope. In his encyclical "Church of the Eucharist”, he highlighted the glory of the Eucharist, Holy Communion and Adoration.

He canonized more saints and declared more beatified and traveled to more countries proclaiming the Gospel, than any other pope in the history of the Church.

Establishing World Youth Day, he had a keen awareness of the importance of the youth of today and their future role as leaders of the Church.

Suffering from Parkison’s disease, he received his last Holy Communion on the vigil of Divine Mercy, the feast he established revealing the unfathomable mercy of God.

The postulator for his cause was asked this question: "Can you tell us in what countries these miracles happened?" Monsignor Oder replied "They were verified in France, in the United States, in Germany and in Italy."

We give thanks to God for the life and legacy of Pope John Paul II, who impacted the world and the Church by his life of virtue as the vicar of Christ and chief shepherd and let us ask for his intercession for the needs of the Church and imitate his love and devotion to Mary and Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Pope John Paul II confronted heresies of his day and this is what we need to do too.

Here are some examples of heresies today:

1. Divorced and remarried persons can receive Holy Communion

2. The diversity of religions are willed by God.

3. To say that co-habitations are real marriage, when there is actually no marriage at all

4. To say that to proselytize is a grave sin, when in fact, we are called to try to bring non-Catholics into full communion with the Catholic Church

5. To say that during the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, was no miracle at all, but was a time everyone shared their food.

6. To say that people are annihilated, rather than go to hell is false teaching

7. The use of contraceptives by clerics, is not in accord with Catholic teaching

8. The acceptance of the actions of homosexuality and the living out as LGBTQ as though they were not sinful.

9. To say that pro-abortion politicians, who publicly and obstinately refuse to recant their position can receive Holy Communion is contrary to Canon Law 915.

Today, let us ask Pope St. John Paul II to pray for us, that we may defend the faith and live out our faith, as good Catholics.

St. Paul of the Cross - Oct. 20th

  

 Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Paul of the Cross, who was born in 1694 in the republic of Genoa. His infancy and youth were spent in great innocence and piety.

In an ecstasy, He was inspired by God to found a congregation dedicated to the Passion of Christ called the Passionists. During the ecstasy he had a vision of the habit, which the Passionists wear today. He was a missionary for 50 years in Italy. He believed he was a great sinner, and so treated himself with great rigor. He died a saintly death at the age of 81.

In the office of readings today, he exhorts all to practice every virtue and especially to imitate the patience of Christ, for he says, “this is the summit of pure love”.

He said, we should live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ Crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy.

St. Paul of the Cross said, “For if man is united inwardly with the Son of the living God, he also bears his likeness outwardly by his continual practice of heroic goodness, and especially through patience reinforced by courage, which does not complain either secretly or in public. Conceal yourselves in Jesus Crucified, and hope for nothing except that all men be thoroughly converted to His will.”

He said, “When you become true lovers of the Crucified, you will celebrate the feast of the Cross in the inner temple of the soul, bearing all in silence, and not relying on any creature. Since festivals ought to be celebrated joyfully, those who love the Crucified should honor the feast of the Cross by enduring silence with a serene and joyful countenance, so that their suffering remains hidden from men and is observed by God alone. For in this feast there is always a solemn banquet, and the food presented is the will of God, exemplified by the love of our Crucified Christ.”

Today, let us heed the words of St. Paul of the Cross, and therefore become one with our beloved Crucified Savior and so celebrate the feast of our Crucified Savior within the temple of our heart-- in patience, in silence, and with joy for Him, who died for love of us.

29th Sunday - Rosary

   

Today’s readings cause us to reflect upon persistent prayer. The story from the book of Exodus, when understood as being symbolic of prayer, shows us that if we keep praying and do not give up, our prayers will be answered. The Israelites battled against the Amalek, who waged war against them. During the battle, when Moses raised his hands, God’s strength and power would be given to the Israelites. But when Moses lowered his hands, the enemy would begin to win. When we raise our hands in prayer, God’s blessings and graces are with us. But when we lower our hands in prayer, because we give up—we lose God’s graces.

Have you ever got tired of praying because it seemed like it did no good? In somewhat of a different way, we can also ask the same question for husbands and wives. Have you ever got tired of telling your spouse, “I love you”? Of course not. No one would ever stop telling your spouse, “I love you”. When we come home from work, we don’t walk into the house without first kissing our spouse, saying, “I love you.” The wife would never tell her husband, “O honey, you don’t need to tell me you love me again, after all, you told me you loved me this morning.” We never get tired of hearing the words, “I love you”, nor do we tire of saying, “I love you”. So it is with prayer. God never tires of hearing our prayers and we should never tire of praying-- because we love Him, even if we don’t get what we want, when we want it.

St. Paul states to “pray without ceasing”. The widow in today’s Gospel never ceased asking for what she wanted. She never gave up. She persevered. How much more does God look with favor on us, when we pray to Him, as He looks at our heart’s desires?

Some of you might recall the plight of the 33 Chilean miners who in 2010 spent more than two months trapped almost a half mile below the ground. But the story behind their rescue is not well known, especially that the man who spearheaded it, a Catholic deacon from Texas, says the only explanation for the rescue was a miracle. And we can now say today it was because of the persevering prayer of the Holy Rosary.

The disaster was caused when a rock 550 feet tall and twice the weight of the Empire State Building shifted, causing a chain reaction that blocked all passages of escape. Rescuers began to drill round the clock. But they never to drill so deep before. They knew they wouldn’t be able to drill that deep, but they decided to try it anyway.

Near the end of the drilling, only 100 feet away from the miners, everything stopped. The drill would not go any further, it was stuck. The deacon said, “That is when the miracle happened.  The drill moved again all by itself. Meter after meter, it kept moving until it reached the miners. “God drilled the hole. We just had a good seat.” Years later the drilling company tried to repeat the depth of drilling, but it never could. It happened only one time due to the miracle of the Rosary.

As you probably know, the country of Chile is predominately Catholic. When the mine accident happened, the people of Chile placed a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary near the mine, seeking Her motherly intercession. The trapped miners prayed the Rosary everyday together until they were rescued. They persevered and did not give up. Mary did not let them down. She continued to intercede for them. It is no coincidence they were rescued on the anniversary of the last apparition of Fatima, Oct. 13^th, 1917, when Mary told the children, “I am the Lady of the Rosary”. Our Lady asked the world to pray the Rosary every day. The miners prayed the Rosary everyday and were rescued by God, through Mary’s intercession.

Pope John Paul II in his encyclical “Rosary of the Virgin Mary”, said, “The rosary is nothing more than to contemplate with Mary, the face of Christ.” When we pray the Rosary we pray it in two ways. First, we pray with vocal prayers, as we recite the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys. But second, as we pray the vocal prayers, we also meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary in the mysteries we contemplate. For example, if we meditate on the Birth of Jesus praying the Our Father and 10 Hail Marys, we think about His birth in Bethlehem. In our heart--- we see the face of the Infant Jesus, as Mary holds Him in Her arms and lays Him in a manger.

When we pray the Rosary, we should pray it with love and attention and not fast. Years before I became a priest, I went to Mass at church in western Kansas. When Mass was over, a well intentioned lady began to pray the Rosary. The people prayed so fast, I couldn’t keep up with them. They sounded like they were auctioneers. It’s difficult to see how they could be praying the Rosary reverently, with love, and attention, rather than praying the rosary to hurry up and get it done. When we pray the Rosary, we should pray it slowly and with meaning. We should ask Mary to intercede for our particular intentions, which we mention before we begin.

As we look at the world, our country, and our families, we see the problems of abortion, murders, terrorism, gangs, violence, drugs, premarital relations, society’s immorality--- now more than ever--- we need to keep praying--- without losing hope. We need to be like the miners of Chile, and pray the Rosary every day, trusting God hears and will answer our prayers.

Pope Pius XI said, “If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors."

My friends, pray the Rosary. Pray it every day, especially at home with your family. St. Louis De Montfort said that when we pray the Rosary, we crown Mary with a spiritual crown of roses in heaven. Surely, when we enter eternal life, Our Lord and His Mother will show us the many blessings and graces we received for ourselves, our family and the world, when we prayed the Rosary, -----especially the grace of gaining heaven.

Oct 13th - Our Lady of Fatima

 

 On Oct. 13^th, 1917 a great miracle occurred in the little town of Fatima, Portugal. The miracle was witnessed by thousands of people, who came to the site in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was appearing to the three little children.

A few says before the apparitions, Portuguese peasant families slung their wicker baskets and jugs over their shoulders and headed towards Fatima. Fathers and mothers carried the sick and lame children in their arms for great distances. Farmhands left the farms. Fishermen left their nets. Sailors left their ships. Factory workers left their jobs. Rich, poor and all sorts of people made their journey to Fatima. Most of them humble and barefoot-- plodded through the heavy mud--- under the heavy rain that night--- in preparation for the expected miracle. Some hoping for to be healed, others wanted conversion, some forgiveness of their sins, others consolation in their sorrows, and still others to receive a blessing from the Mother of God. But all believed, and hoped. When people would see the three children on the way to Cova, they would drop to their knees in the mud imploring their prayers and hoping to touch the “little saints.”

At noon, Our Lady was to appear. Minutes passed and She had not arrived. The crowd became impatient, when suddenly Our Lady appeared to the children. Lucia asked, "What do you want of me?" And Mary said, “I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.” Lucia said, "Yes. Yes." "Will you tell me your name?" The Virgin Mary replied, “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Lucia said, "I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them?" Mary said, “Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!” Lucia replied, "And is that all you have to ask?" Our Lady said, “There is nothing more.”

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft spinning disk of silver. Lucia cried out, "Look at the sun!"

From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs. She said, ‘After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia saw Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which some believe prophesied her entrance into Carmel some years later.]

Those who witnessed the event said the sun gradually grew pale and appeared as a silver disc, at which all could gaze directly at, without harm to their eyes. All present saw rays of multicolored light shoot in every direction. The sun began to spin madly on its axis like a gigantic wheel of fire. While the crowd fell to its knees in terror, it suddenly seemed to come down closer and closer to earth, as it zigzagged through the skies. People began to scream in horror, “It’s the end of the world.” Others said, “Please God don’t let me die in my sins.”

Suddenly it returned to its normal place, and once again no one was able to look at it. The ground and the people were suddenly dry as though it had never rained.

The incredible miracle of the sun was witnessed by tens of thousands of people and reported in newspapers throughout Europe.

Recall that one of the reasons for Our Lady’s apparitions was to establish world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. Little Jacinta, after seeing the Immaculate Heart of Mary became intensely devoted to it. She would often say, “Sweet Heart of Mary be my salvation! And added, “I so love the Immaculate Heart of Mary! It is the Heart of our dear Mother in heaven. Sweet Heart of Mary, convert sinners, save souls from hell…If only I could put into the hearts all the fire that is burning within my own heart, and that makes me love the Hearts of Jesus and Mary so very much!”

The people of Fatima trampled through the mud expecting a miracle, and were not let down. They came to Our Lady seeking consolation in their sorrow, hope in their misery, peace in their hearts. And they found it—not in the miracle of the sun, or in the fields and valleys of Fatima, but in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, their refuge.

Today, as a good Mother, She will always keep you within Her Heart, take you under Her care, and watch over you! And as you trod through the mud of suffering, anxiety, and fears, know that you will always be within Her Immaculate Heart!

27th Sunday - Mary Model of Faith

 

The readings this weekend are about faith and the Blessed Virgin Mary is one who we can turn to, as a model of faith.

Sometimes our cross or various difficulties make us question and wonder about our faith in God. There are times when we all doubt. When something goes wrong we may, in a moment of foolishness, say “God doesn’t care.”, or ask “Does God exist?”

In the first reading today the prophet Habakkuk cried out to God, “How long, Lord, am I to cry for help while you will not listen?” And In the Gospel the apostles asked Jesus, “Increase our faith.” What answer did they both receive? God said to Habakkuk at the end of our first reading, “...the upright man will live by his faithfulness.” In the Gospel, Jesus said, “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you.” We already have all the faith and we can always grow in our faith too. Faith is needed to help us overcome life’s problems.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us faith is “the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us” (CCC 1814). To better understand what this means in practice, we can look at the life of Mary, whose acceptance of God’s invitation to be the mother of His Son is a great witness for us.

The Virgin Mary’s faith was greater than any human person. She made promise to God to be a virgin and never have children, which means She would never have any relations with a man. And yet, an angel appeared to Her and said She would become a pregnant and would be the Mother of the Most High. Remaining firm in Her commitment to be a virgin, She responded in faith saying, “Be it done unto me, according your word.” Who would believe that one could become pregnant, and yet never have relations. And not pregnant with anyone, but He who is the Son of the most high.

In faith, She traveled to visit Her cousin Elizabeth believing the words of the angel, that despite her cousin’s old age, who was pregnant and needed help.

In faith, Mary believed Her soul magnified the Lord and that every generation would call Her blessed, because He who is mighty had done great things for Her.

And look at the faith She had when Joseph found out She was with Child and wanted to quietly divorce Her. Because of Her faith, She believed God would help Joseph to believe and God did, by sending an angel to Joseph in a dream, telling Him that She had conceived by the Holy Spirit and He was to name the Child, Jesus.

In faith, Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, realizing they may not have an ordinary place to have the Child, if it would be His time be born. If faith, they believed God would take care of their needs away from home.

In faith, despite an elderly priest saying Her Heart would be pierced at the presentation of Jesus in the temple, She believed God would help Her endure Her future suffering, so the thoughts of many may be revealed.

In faith, Mary believed Joseph, when he told Her, an angel appeared to him in a dream, and that God wanted them to immediately leave and go to Egypt. In faith, She believed Joseph would need to find a job in a country, they didn’t know their language, but God would provide.

Again in faith, they believed the angel to return to their home country telling them that Herod was dead.

In faith, when Jesus remained in the temple at the age of 12, Mary believed She would find Her Son, though She searched for Him sorrowing for three days.

In faith, though Jesus did not work any known miracles for 30 years, during the time She lived with Him, yet, She believed would then work miracles during His public ministry.

By faith, Mary knew, Jesus can and would change water into wine to help the young couple at their marriage feast, during their first crisis of their marriage, when they ran out of wine.

In faith, She was not upset or disheartened when He was informed of Her presence outside a home and pointed to the crowd saying, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father, is my brother, sister and mother.” Out of humility, She knew Jesus was subtly pointing to Her as an example of always doing the will of His Father.

In faith, Mary would meet Jesus on the way of the Cross and then stand with Him as He endured His three hours of agony. Despite His death, She believed it was God’s will to allow it to happen and believed She would see Him again.

As She held Her dead Son in Her arms and helped place Him in the tomb, in faith, Mary believed Jesus would rise from the dead. And then was rewarded when Our Lord appeared to Her, first.

In faith, She understood She would be the Mother of us all, when John would take Her into His home and provide Holy Communion (the body of Christ, Her Son), for Her from the Holy Masses of John’s She attended. By faith, She believed by the power of the Holy Spirit, She would give Jesus, His body and blood, and by faith She believed Her Son would give Her, His body and blood in Communion at Mass through John, the priest.

In faith, with the Apostles, Mary saw Her Son, ascend into heaven and believed what He said, that He would return again on a cloud, the same way He went to heaven.

In faith, Mary waited and prayed for 9 days, in the upper room for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.

In faith, She prayed for, encouraged, and gave advice to the Apostles and the early Church.

In faith, She went to Ephesus with John and lived with him there.

In faith, She returned to Jerusalem and believed Her Son would come to take Her to heaven, body and soul, as She said farewell to the Apostles before She fell asleep in the Lord.

And when She arrived in heaven, She did not need faith any longer, because it was through Her faith and Her hope, She passed from this life to the next. And now Her eternal and immeasurable love, shines for all in heaven and on earth, is a sign of hope for us, that some day we too, if we keep the faith, we will be with Her in glory.

Even though at times, if it seems God does not listen, or that God does not care, or that God does not answer our prayers, if we look at Mary, by faith, we believe God exists, God listens and God cares.

Like the prophet Habakkuk, we believe every upright person lives by their faithfulness. We believe, that as Jesus said, even if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, God will do marvelous things for us and through us.

By faith, we turn to Mary and ask Her for Her motherly intercession, because we believe Jesus cannot help but answer the prayers of His Mother, on our behalf.

So my friends, let us turn to Mary, as a model of faith, believe and trust, that as She who endured many dark and seemingly impossible situations, will help us and teach us, that God is with us, and will bring us to the joys of heaven. Amen.

St. Therese Oct. 1st

 

 Today we celebrate the glorious feast of St. Therese of Lissiex, who was born in Alençon, Normandy in France, on Jan 2nd 1873.

There were nine children in the family but four died young and the surviving five were all daughters and very close to each other. I think we could say Thérèse was almost a pampered little girl. Her father used to call her his Queen!

Tragedy struck the family when Thérèse was only four and a half years old. Her mother died of breast cancer on August 28^th, 1877. Little Thérèse was devastated. On the day of her mother’s burial Thérèse took her elder sister Pauline as a new mother. On October 2^nd, 1882 Pauline entered the Carmelite Convent at Lisieux. It was like losing her mother for a second time. Not long afterwards Thérèse became sick.. A miracle was necessary to cure her and it occurred on Pentecost Sunday, May 13th, the following year, 1883. The statue of Our Lady in her bedroom smiled to her, and she describes what happened, “All of a sudden the Blessed Virgin appeared beautiful to me, so beautiful that never had I seen anything so attractive; her face was suffused with an ineffable benevolence and tenderness, but what penetrated to the very depths of my soul was the ravishing smile of the Blessed Virgin. At that instant, all my pain disappeared…”

Thérèse writes beautifully of receiving her First Holy Communion on May 8^th, 1884, “Ah! How sweet was that first kiss of Jesus! It was a kiss of love; I felt that I was loved, and I said: “I love You, and I give myself to You forever!”

We could describe Thérèse as a cry-baby. The least criticism would make her cry and then she would cry because she had cried. Christmas 1885 was a turning point in Thérèse’s life. After Midnight Mass her father who was tired remarked that it was the last year she would be getting Christmas presents. She wrote, “Jesus desired to show me that I was to give up the defects of my childhood and so He withdrew its innocent pleasures. He permitted Papa, tired out after Midnight Mass, to experience annoyance when seeing my shoes at the fireplace, and that he speak those words which pierced my heart: “Well, fortunately, this will be the last year!”….

But Thérèse was no longer the same; Jesus had changed her heart! St. Therese said, “Forcing back my tears, I descended the stairs rapidly…I withdrew my slippers and placed them in front of Papa, and withdrew all the objects joyfully…. Thérèse had discovered once again the strength of soul…”

On the pilgrimage to Rome she understood that her vocation would be to pray for priests. “I understood my vocation in Italy and that’s not going too far in search of such useful knowledge. I lived in the company of many saintly priests for a month and I learned that, though their dignity raises them above the angels, they are nevertheless weak and fragile men. This is Carmel’s vocation since the sole purpose of our prayers and sacrifices is to be the apostle of the apostles. We are to pray for them while they are preaching to souls through their words and especially their example.”

Although Thérèse frequently calls herself a ‘little flower’ in Story of a Soul she had a strong personality. In 1887 when she was fourteen she asked permission to enter Carmel when she would be fifteen! Her father granted permission.

She solicited Bishop Hugonin for permission but he said he would give her an answer during their diocesan pilgrimage to Rome. As part of the pilgrimage they had the privilege of a Papal Audience on November 20th. They were warned not to speak during the audience. She wrote in her autobiography, “A moment later I was at the Holy Father’s feet. I kissed his slipper and he presented his hand, but instead of kissing it I joined my own and lifting tear-filled eyes to his face, I cried out: “Most Holy Father, I have a great favor to ask you…Holy Father, in honor of your Jubilee, permit me to enter Carmel at the age of fifteen!” --- “Well, my child,” the Holy Father replied, looking at me kindly, “do what the Superiors tell you!” Resting my hands on his knees, I made a final effort, saying in a suppliant voice: “Oh! Holy Father, if you say yes, everybody will agree!” He gazed at me steadily, speaking these words and stressing each syllable: “Go…go…You will enter if God wills it!” God did will it because on December 28th Bishop Hugonin gave her permission.

Having the vocation of a Carmelite, she felt she had other vocations within her also. Then she read 1 Cor 12-13 that all cannot be apostles, prophets etc. In 1 Cor 12:31 Paul wrote, “Set your minds on the higher gifts. And now I am going to put before you the best way of all.” Then in following chapter he explained how the most perfect gifts are nothing without love. Thérèse wrote “Charity is the most excellent way that leads to God. I finally had rest…I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understood that love comprised all vocations, that love was everything, that it embraced all times and places, in a word, that it was eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my love, my vocation, at last I have found it, my vocation is love!”

Thérèse reminds us we can all aspire to sainthood by doing the ordinary things extraordinarily well, e.g. by picking a pin up from the floor with love.

How did St. Thérèse live this little way? St. Therese describes it: “There is in Community a Sister who has the faculty of displeasing me in everything, in her ways, her words, her character, everything seems very disagreeable to me. Each time I met her I prayed to God for her, offering Him all her virtues and merits…I wasn’t content simply with praying very much for this Sister who gave me so many struggles, but I took care to render her all the services possible, and when I was tempted to answer her back in a disagreeable manner, I was content with giving her my most friendly smile. Ah! What attracted me was Jesus hidden in the depths of her soul.”

On Holy Thursday night 1896, Thérèse coughed up blood. It was the first summons to die. The following year she would die from TB. During her illness Thérèse underwent a great trial of faith. In her last months before her death in 1897, she felt that her work after her death would extend far beyond the publication of her journal. On July 17th she made her famous prediction, she said, “I feel that my mission is about to begin, my mission of making others love God as I love Him, my mission of teaching my little way to souls. If God answers my request, my heaven will be spent on earth up until the end of the world. Yes, I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.” Between August 22nd-27th her sufferings reached their peak and it was only around this time that her illness was diagnosed as tuberculosis. She suffered violently with every breath she took and felt like she was being stretched on spikes. The Little Flower died at the age of 24, on Thursday, September 30th. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.

St. Jerome - Sept. 30th

 

 Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Jerome. He was born around the year 340 and died in 420. He was a priest and monk, who was a secretary to Pope Damasus. Towards the end of his life, he lived in a cave, next to where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. In the cave he translated the bible into Latin at the request of the Pope. He said, ignorance of scripture, is ignorance of Christ. In another words, if we don’t know scripture, then we won’t know Jesus.

We should all want to come to know Jesus, about His life, about how much He loves us and all the wonderful things, He has done for us. Every day, we should open the bible and read from the bible, especially about the life of Jesus. We don’t have to read much, just a short paragraph. And then think about the paragraph and think about Jesus, about His life, His miracles, His words, and His actions. We will be surprised at how much it helps us in our daily life. How much happier and more peaceful we will become. We may get ideas, perhaps to do good for others, to avoid sin, to grow in holiness. But most importantly, we learn more and more about Jesus, and to come to know that He loves us and is always with us.

Once I went to a classroom of first graders, and I asked them, “Did an angel ever appear to St. Joseph”. And a little boy said, “yes three times.” He then told me the three stories, about how an angel appeared to Joseph. How the angel told him to take Mary as His wife, the second, was to take the child into Egypt, so that Jesus wouldn’t be killed, and the third was to bring Mary and the baby Jesus back from Egypt to Israel. I said, “How do you knew these three stories, you’re only in first grade. He said, “I read the bible.”

If a first grader can read the bible, and remember the true stories about the life of Jesus, perhaps this little boy is teaching us a lesson.

Today, let us place an opened bible near our bed to remind us to read just a short paragraph each night. And let us remember that St. Jerome said, if we don’t know the sacred scriptures, we don’t know Jesus.

As Our Lady knew Jesus, who pondered His words within Her Heart, may we too think about the Word of God, so that we can come to know Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael - Sept. 29th

 

 Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels. The bible helps us to know that there are seven archangels, but the bible only gives us the name of three, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

St. Michael, whose name means, “Who is like God”, is the angel, who led the good angels in heaven in a battle against Satan and the angels, which disobeyed God. During the battle in heaven, St. Michael, and the good angels, kicked Satan and the bad angels out of heaven. Praying to St. Michael is very effective when we are tempted by evil spirits. In some parishes, we pray the St. Michael prayer at the end of Mass, so that he will protect us and we ask him to especially intercede for us. St. Michael is the patron of police officers and soldiers, because soldiers and police protect people.

St. Gabriel, the archangel’s name means, “the power of God”. He appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. Gabriel also appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary and asked Her if She would become the Mother of Jesus. Every time we pray the Hail Mary, we are praying the words of the archangel Gabriel, who said, “Hail full of Grace! The Lord is with you!” St. Gabriel also most likely appeared to St. Joseph warning him to flee with Mary, and the baby Jesus into the desert because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Gabriel is often prayed to help us to communicate with others and is the patron of communications.

St. Raphael is the archangel, who appeared to Tobias in the Old Testament. Raphael helped Tobias as he traveled, and he healed his father’s blind eyes so that he could see again. His name means, “the medicine of God”. He is the patron of travelers and will protect us as we travel. People ask St. Raphael to be healed and people will pray to St. Raphael for safety when they travel in cars and planes.

Today, if you are being tempted to do something sinful, pray to St. Michael. We can pray to St. Raphael to intercede for those in the hospital, and we can ask St. Raphael to pray for safety for all those who travel. If you want to grow closer to Mary or if you need help in communicating better ask St. Gabriel, and he will help you.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of the Angels, send these holy angels to be with us-- and watch over us-- as we journey to our home in heaven, where we will see billions and billions of angels adoring and praising God for all eternity.

St. Wencelaus - Sept. 28th

 

 Today is the feast of St. Wenceslaus. Born near Prague, he was the son of Duke Wratislaw. His grandmother, also a saint, St. Ludmilla taught him Christianity and once he learned Christianity, he always kept his eyes on heaven, never looking back. An anti-Christian faction murdered the Duke, his father, which resulted in his grandmother taking over the government.

In 922, Wenceslaus was declared as the new ruler due to a coup. As the new ruler, he encouraged Christianity. By the grace of God he was a man of utmost faith. He was charitable to the poor, by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and giving hospitality to travelers. He wouldn’t allow widows to be treated unjustly and he loved all people, rich and poor alike.

Wenceslaus’ brother, Boleslaus, lost his heir to the throne, when Wenceslaus’ son was born. This caused Boleslaus to join a group of Czech dissenters. The dissenters lied to Boleslaus stating that his brother, Wenceslaus was conspiring to kill him.

On Sunday, on the feast of the dedication of churches, after attending Mass, he had planned to return to Prague. But his brother detained him. The next morning, when the church bells rang for Morning Prayer Wenceslaus said, “Praise to you, Lord; you have allowed me to live to this morning.” And so he rose and went to prayer. His brother followed him to the church door and said, “You were a good subject to me yesterday.” Boleslaus struck his brother’s head with his sword. Wenceslaus said to his brother, “What are you trying to do?” Wenceslaus seized his brother and threw him to the ground. One of the dissenters ran up and stabbed Wenceslaus in the hand. With his hand wounded, he let go of his brother and took refuge in the church. But two evil men struck him down at the church door and then another man rushed upon him and killed him with a sword. Wenceslaus saying the same words of Jesus on the Cross died saying, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”

Today, let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for all Christians who suffer from the sake of Jesus, especially those who suffer from the hands of their own relatives.

St. Lawrence Ruiz - Sept. 28th

 

Today is the memorial of Lawrence Ruiz and companions. He was from the Philippines, which is an island country in the ocean. Lawrence was married and had children. One day, he was accused of killing a man, but didn’t do it. Lawrence escaped by hiding in a boat with priests, who were going to Japan.

When he arrived and his travelers were arrested by people who hated Christians. Lawrence, the priests, and the other people who were with them, were told that if they would say they weren’t Christian, they would live. But Lawrence was not afraid to let others know He was Catholic, even though He knew would be tortured and killed.

This is what Lawrence told those who captured him. He said, “Had I a thousand lives, I would offer all them for (Jesus). Never shall I deny my faith. You may kill me, if that is what you want. To die for God, such is my will.”

Lawrence Ruiz was thankful that Jesus laid down His life in Jerusalem for him. He loved Jesus because Jesus suffered so much for Him and died for him. And because of His love for Jesus, He was willing to die for Our Lord. The greatest gift God has given us is that He laid down His life for us on the Cross, showing us how much He loves us. Today, may we be like Lawrence Ruiz and be thankful for our Holy Catholic faith and may we never deny that we are Christians, because we love Jesus, especially because Jesus went to Jerusalem to die for us.

St. Vincent de Paul

 

 Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Vincent de Paul.

He was born of poor parents in France in 1580. As a child, he was taught by Franciscans. After four years of education, he was chosen by a lawyer to tutor the lawyer’s children. At the age of 19, he went to a university for theological studies and was ordained a priest four years later at the age of 23.

Five years later, on sea voyage, he fell into the hands of African pirates and was taken as a slave to Tunis, where he was purchased by an elderly Muslim. The slaver owner liked Vincent and attempted to convert him to Islam by having him listen to long lectures. He promised that if the young priest, would embrace the Islamic religion, he would receive his inheritance. Vincent was terrified that his faith might be corrupted in this alien environment, so he prayed for Divine protection, especially seeking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was held captive for about 2 yrs, until he escaped by Divine Providence.

He then went to Rome, where he entered the order of the Brothers of St. John of God, which is a religious order, who served in hospitals.

Once when he was sent to hear a confession of a peasant, who lay dangerously ill, due to Father Vincent’s questions, the peasant realized he had been making sacrilegious confessions for many years. Upon his recovery, he openly declared if it weren’t for Fr. Vincent, he would be eternally lost.

In 1617, Vincent began to preach missions. And 8 years later, he laid the foundations of the Congregation of the Mission, the “Lazarites”. They were originally called Lazarites, because they began to occupy a priory named after St. Lazarus in 1633. Later, they would become known as the Vincentians, after St. Vincent. They would seek out to care for the sick in every parish.

During his life, the Jansenist heresy became very widespread, and even afflicted his own religious order. He therefore, ordered that all priests who holds the heresy, should leave the order.

St. Vincent’s predominant virtue was charity. His charity extended to all classes of persons, from forsaken children to the elderly. The Sisters of Charity also owe their foundation of their congregation to St. Vincent de Paul.

In the midst of the most distracting occupations his soul was always intimately united with God. Though honored by the great peope of the world, he remained deeply rooted in humility.

St. Vincent, the apostle of charity breathed his last in Paris at the age of 85, on Sept. 27^th, 1660. After his canonization, he was proclaimed the patron of all charitable societies.

Today, let us strive to imitate this holy saint, by attempting to always be intimately untied to God no matter what we do, and let us pray that Our Lady will watch over the Vincentians, that they may be faithful to the charism of their founder.

Saints Cosmas & Damien - Sept. 26th

 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints!

Today we celebrate the martyrs St. Cosmas and Damian, who lived about the year 300AD. Their names are in the Roman Canon of the Mass, in Eucharistic Prayer I. They were called “the money less ones” because they practiced medicine without charging fees. They were twin brothers, born in Arabia. A persecution began and they were eventually captured and beheaded. One legend has it that they defied death by water, fire, and crucifixion. While they were hanging on the crosses, a mob stoned them, but the rocks re-coiled and landed on the heads of those who tossed the stones. It is believed three of their brothers were martyred with them. After their death, miraculous healings were attributed to their intercession. They sometimes appeared to the sick while asleep, and would prescribe for them, or would cure their illness. The emperor Justinian I, attributed a recovery from a serious illness to the relics of Cosmas and Damian. They are patrons of surgeons, physicians and druggists.

With regards to martyrs in general, St. Augustine said, “In the glorious deeds of the holy martyrs, who everyone adorns the Church, we verify the truth, of what we have been singing, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints! They are precious in our sight, and in the sight of him, in whose name it was done. The price paid for these deaths was the death of one man. How many deaths indeed this one man, bought by dying. When the soldier’s lance cut its way into His side, the price paid for the whole world flowed forth. The martyrs and all the faithful were bought with it, but the faith of the martyrs was also tested: their blood bore witness to their faith.” As we prepare to receive the Eucharist, let us offer our self to Him, on the paten, knowing the sacrifice of our self, will be precious in the sight of the Lord.

26th Sunday - Rich Man & Lazarus

 

In the Gospel today, we have the parable of the rich man and Lazarus the poor man. St. Augustine in a sermon speaks about this parable, he said, “...in the Gospel it said: “Father Abraham, send Lazarus, let him dip his finger in water and drip it on my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!” How afraid we felt of something of the same sort happening to us after this life, and our pleading in vain for relief! There is no room, you see, for putting things right when this life is over. When an athlete’s beaten in the stadium, can he hope to compete outside the stadium in order to try again for the prize he has lost?

So what then? If we were afraid, if we were shocked and shaken to the core, let us change our ways while there is yet time, that is a fruitful fear. We beat our (chests) when our consciences prick us with our consciousness of sin. What we are beating is something inside—some bad, evil intention or desire; let it only burst out in confession, and there will perhaps be nothing left to prick our consciences. Let all our sins burst out in confession. So let none of us, brothers and sisters, be ashamed of confessing sins; to lie down signifies humility. Notice how they change places. When the painful difficulty of confessing has passed, there comes the rewarding refreshment of merits; the angels will come and carry up this sore-ridden man and lay him in Abraham’s bosom, that is to say in eternal rest.”

St. Augustine helps us to see this event in the context of Confession, by saying we should confess our failure to help the poor.

Jesus gave the apostles and their successors, the authority to forgive sins. When He appeared to them after He rose from the dead Our Lord said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23) By these words, Jesus gave them and the bishops and priests after them, the power and authority to forgive sins. From the beginning of Christianity unto today, Christians have always confessed their sins to a priest. It was not until the Protestant rebellion in the 1500’s some Christians, who left the Catholic Church, stopped confessing to a priest. Imagine that, for the first 1,500 years of Christianity, all Christians confessed their sins to priests.

The early Church fathers mention confessing sins to a priest. For example, in the year 248 AD, Origen said, "[A final method of forgiveness], albeit hard and laborious [is] the remission of sins through penance, when the sinner...does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the Lord." St. Cyprian of Carthage in 251 AD, which is 1,750 years ago, said, "Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who...confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience...” St. Augustine, whose sermon I just read, was born in 354 and died in 430, spoke about Confession. We can see Christians from the beginning up to today, have gone to confession to priests.

Here are some reasons why we should confess our sins to a priest. Most importantly, it is what Jesus commanded of the early Christians.  By hearing the priest say the words of absolution, we have certainty our sins are forgiven because the priest says so. Some say, they want to confess their sins to God alone. It is true, we should tell our sins to God everyday, and especially right after we have committed them. But, do we know God has forgiven us? Jesus wants us to confess our sins to God—through the priest. Jesus, in the priest, forgives our mortal and venial sins. The Church states we must confess our mortal sins to a priest. Since “God is everywhere”, He is also therefore especially in the priest, through sacrament of Holy Orders.

Only in Confession do we receive sacramental grace and there is a real washing away of sin. Through the sacraments, we come in contact with Jesus.

Something you may be unaware is that sacramental grace in Confession gives us extra graces to overcome sin. So the more often we go to confession, the easier it is to avoid sin.

It is good for us psychologically- (mentally healthy) to confess our sins to another person. When confessing our sins to a priest, it avoids the hiding of sins from our self. In confession, one confronts their own sins and is not so apt to hide them from one self. When we confess our sins out in the open, the sin, and the devil, loses its hold, and we gain power over the sin.

Confessing our sins to a priest helps us to grow in humility, by admitting what we have done. We avoid pride, the root of many sins.

By confessing, we become more sorry- It’s easy to say we are sorry when we are not in the presence of the person, whom we are apologizing, but it touches our heart even more, when we tell the person, who is (God) that we are sorry, when tell Him who we directly offended.

In Confession, we receive advice from the priest on how to overcome our sins. We can’t give our own advice when confessing our sins at home.

In Confession, we receive a penance. The priest gives us a penance to make up to a certain degree for our sins. Have you ever given yourself a penance, after you told God, you were sorry for sinning? Yet, penance makes up for our sins.

If we can’t do other sacraments our self- why do we think we can confess our sins and receive forgiveness by our self? Each of us can’t offer our own Mass, we can’t baptize our self, nor anoint our selves, nor preside at our own wedding. We can’t confirm our self. We receive sacramental grace, through the help of a priest.

Through Confession, we have greater peace. And it makes us feel good when we have done so. Many people say they feel a burden lifted after Confession. They feel free and happy.

I found a confession story on the Internet. It’s from an anonymous woman in Rochester, Minnesota. She said, “It had been 30 years since my last Confession.  I knew I needed to return to Confession, but I was afraid.  Where would I start?  It had been so long. But because I was also attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist I knew I needed to make a decision soon.  I knew it was wrong to continue to receive the Eucharist after being away from Confession for so long.  I was searching for the right opportunity, but my fear of going back to the sacrament was very strong.

  I knew this was the time God had chosen for me. I chose not to do a face to face Confession.  The priest was kind and helpful.  The burden of carrying my sins that I was ashamed to confess for so many years had been lifted.  It was a time of great thankfulness to God for providing the right opportunity for me.  God knows us so well.  Since that return to the Sacrament of Confession about 10 years ago, she said, I have been faithful in going to Confession on a regular basis.  I usually make my Confession every month or six weeks.  It has been a source of great healing for me from past sins.  It has lessened temptations and brought me closer to Jesus and my Catholic faith.  It has inspired me to reach out now to others to share my experience so others need not be afraid.  It is such a blessing to receive this sacrament each and every time.  We are so fortunate as Catholic Christians to have this great gift available to us.  The Lord is truly kind and merciful!”  From Anonymous, Rochester, MN.

My friends, if its been a long time since you have been to confession, don’t worry, the priest can help you. He can help you examine your conscience by going through the 10 commandments and asking yes or no questions, then if he misses something, you should tell him. Its a simple and easy way to go to confession and removes the fear that goes with it. Or you can make a list of sins, and bring it with you to confession, this way you don’t to try to remember everything.

Dear parish family, come to the sacrament of mercy. Once you regularly walk through the door of mercy every month, you will see how it will change your attitude and your way of life. You will become a happier person; a more kind and loving person, because you will have recognized, the poor man at your door step, was yourself all along, whose wounds to your soul needed to be healed by God’s mercy. Once, you confess your sins, your eyes will be open to see the needs of the poor and others around you.

And all you had to do, all along was allow Jesus to give your soul, His mercy through the priest, in Confession, and in return, at the end of your life, you will avoid the agony of the flames. Rather, your soul will be refreshed in the living water in the bosom of the Father’s house (heaven). Ask the Virgin Mary, the refuge of sinners to give you the grace to come to Jesus often to experience His loving and tender mercy.

St. Padre Pio - Sept. 23rd

 

Today is the feast of St. Padre Pio, who was born May 25^th of 1887 in Italy and given the name Francisco.  A very devout young boy at the age 5, he told his parents he wanted to be consecrated to God.  As a young boy he tended sheep with his peasant parents.  His family daily attended Mass and he served as an altar boy of his local parish.  As a young child he was known for taking on penances and his mother scolded him for sleeping on a stone floor.  He was able to see guardian angels, and he spoke with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. He was sickly as a child. At the age of 15, he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars at Morcone. He took the name of "Pio" in honor of Pope Pius I. On September 20, Padre Pio was hearing confessions when he felt pain in his hands and feet. He noticed the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, appearing on his hands and feet. The wounds smelled of roses. He was seen levitating in the air, and was capable of performing miracles.

One man who was born with one leg shorter than the other came to Padre Pio in Confession. When the Confession was over, Padre Pio took his fist and hit him on the top of his head. The man said, “Padre Pio, why did you hit me on the top of my head?” Padre Pio didn’t say anything and as the man walked away, he realized both legs were now the same length.

He bilocated (physically in more than one place at time).  He was falsely accused and forbidden from offering public Masses and hearing confessions, but he never complained. Three years later, he was exonerated by the pope.  Greater than the miracles and mystical event during his life was his greatest virtue, his silent obedience to the his superiors and Church representatives. He had the ability to read souls (to know the sins of people). His Masses would last often times hours at a time. When offering the Mass it was though he suffered the Passion of Jesus. He built a hospital for the sick in San Giovanni Rotondo.  He died Sept. 23^rd of 1968 and was canonized in 2000.  After his death his wounds disappeared and today he remains incorrupt. Padre Pio, pray for us!