14th Wednesday - Duties of Bishops

  

In the Gospel today, Jesus summons His 12 apostles and gave them authority over unclean spirits and to cure every disease and illness. After He instructed them, and sent out the 12 to go after the lost sheep of Israel and to make the proclamation the kingdom of God is at hand.

The apostles were the first bishops. The bishops today are the successors of the apostles. Just as Jesus told the Apostles they had authority over unclean spirits, so today, every Bishop is an exorcist and had power and authority to deliver people from demons.

The first bishops, the apostles were weak men, but the Lord chose them to be shepherds. One bishop, Judas, betrayed Him and ended up committing suicide. All of them abandoned Jesus during His arrest in the garden, Peter denied Jesus three times and only one apostle faithfully stood at the foot of the Cross. But in the end, 10 would be martyred and one they attempted to kill, but would survive.

What are the duties of a bishop? St. Paul in his letter to 1 Timothy, Chapter 3, describes their duties. “Now a bishop must be above reproach, …..temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well,… He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.”

In Paul’s letter to Titus, he said, “For a bishop, as God’s servant, must be blameless, a lover of goodness, a master of himself, upright, holy and self-controlled.” “He must hold firm to the sure word, as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction, to sound doctrine and also confute those who contradict it.”

Therefore, he must be virtuous, responsible, highly respected, have self-control and stand firm in the truth.

St. Paul also said, "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully."

Bishop Carlson describes the duties of bishops. He said, “To the successors of the Apostles is entrusted the entire People of God: with the assistance of their priests, Bishops thus have the responsibility of preaching the Gospel, administering the sacraments, and guiding Christ’s flock. The Bishop is the principal teacher in the faith community. As such, he must be devoted to preaching the Gospel constantly. That preaching aims at illuminating to the faithful what they must believe and put into practice, while steering them away from every error that is life-threatening to the spirit. The Bishop’s teaching is called to embody a powerful proclamation of the reasons for hope. His responsibility must be taken up courageously, proclaiming Jesus Christ as the encompassing center of Christian life and of all history, expounding the moral life as the unique pathway responsive to the sublime vocation of those who believe in Christ. Preaching the message of salvation, the Bishop must make it his first concern to lead others to knowledge of the truth of salvation in Christ and to that "obedience of faith" which welcomes God’s saving Word and opens man to the transformation of grace. Indifferent to human popularity, the Bishop must boldly preach the Cross for the sake of the souls entrusted to him. The unity of truth and love can never be compromised under the pretext of retaining believers or of maintaining the harmony and good disposition of church-going members. In essence, the Bishop must be committed to freeing the faithful from every form of superficiality and to feeding his flock with the lasting substance of sound doctrine. Indeed, the aim of episcopal teaching is none other than the sanctification of souls. Specifically, the Bishop must seek to awaken Christian consciences and call every citizen to a responsible moral life and freedom in Jesus Christ.

The Bishop is the primary minister of the sacred liturgy and principal dispenser of all of the sacraments.

Here are some words by Pope Gregory the Great, in his document Pastoral Care, that describes how bishops are to act. He said, “Although those who have no knowledge of the powers of drugs shrink from giving themselves out as physicians of the flesh, people who are utterly ignorant of spiritual precepts are often not afraid of professing themselves to be physicians of the heart.” He says that since “the care of feeding is a testimony of love,” the one who fails to teach “the flock of God is convicted of having no love for the Supreme Shepherd”. “The ruler should be exemplary in his conduct, that by his manner of life he may show the way of life to his subjects, and that the flock, following the teaching and conduct of its shepherd, may proceed the better through example rather than words”. After all, “His voice penetrates the hearts of his hearers the more readily, if his way of life commends what he says.” He said, “A man is quite incapable of learning humility in a position of superiority, if he did not refrain from acting proudly when he was in a position of subjection” .Gregory writes, “For that man is an enemy to his Redeemer who on the strength of the good works he performs, desires to be loved by the Church, rather than by Him”. For this reason, Gregory urges boldness amidst humility. He warns that the desire for people’s approval causes us to “fear to speak freely of what is right” and thus fail to “exercise the zeal of shepherds caring for the flock”.

Today, let us pray for our bishops who have a daunting role in the Church, that they may be courageous defenders and proclaimers of the deposit of faith, and the Tradition of the Church, be teachers who enlighten the people of God about the truth of our faith and combat false teachings –all for the salvation of souls entrusted to them, as apostles. O Mary, Queen of the Apostles, pray for them, who have recourse to thee.

 

15th Sunday Year A - Sower & Seed

 

Today’s Gospel is the parable of the seeds and the soil. Jesus uses the parable to explain reasons why the Word of God sometimes does not bear fruit and sometimes bears great fruit.

Our Lord uses four examples to help us to know how the Word of God is affected by the manner in which it is received. The first type of person is this one: “The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.”

This seed unfortunately doesn’t even get a chance to sprout because it didn’t land on soil. There was a lack of understanding and the evil one stole away the word of God. For example: Do we reject part of the message of the Gospel because we do not understand it and so we erroneously support teachings contrary to our faith: artificial contraception, same-sex marriage, abortion, stem cell research, pre-marital relations or other issues where the Church’s teachings are not understood? Have we allowed our lack of understanding to prevent us from seeking to understand why the Church teaches what She teaches, and so we reject part of the Gospel? Whenever we reject part of the message of the Gospel, to use the words of Jesus today, the evil one has stolen the word from our heart.

The second point made by Jesus is this: “The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.”

This time the seed sprouts but when the cross comes – “tribulation or persecution” - we give up. Have we ever been moved in our heart by God through a good experience in Confession or being overwhelmed by grace at Mass or when we received Holy Communion or when we received a spiritual insight in prayer or someone who did some good deed for us and because of one of these circumstances, we resolved to become a better Christian-- a better follower of Jesus, but we quickly go back to our old way of life because we could not see beyond some temporary difficulty or disappointment, such as a sudden health problem, an unexpected death in the family, a misunderstanding with someone, a co-worker or family member who ridicules our Catholic faith, or out of laziness we go back to our old way of doing things and we forget the inspiration God gave us to walk with Him closer, to be a more faithful disciple and so we fall away from what we were inspired to do and do nothing to change our life, even though at first we had the inspiration.

The third type of person is this one: “The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.”

It is “worldly anxiety and lure of riches” that this time hinder our hearts from being receptive to Jesus. Are there times when we are too busy to pray and to read the Bible? Have we missed Mass because we were too busy or made up some other excuse? Because we are having financial problems or because we just want to live a better lifestyle, we go to a Casino, or play the lottery, rather than use our money to support the poor or the Church? We fail to give our anxieties and our financial problems or even our greed to God. We fail to trust God will take care of everything. We fail to come to Mass to receive the graces we need to help us to have the peace we are longing for. Whenever we put “worldly anxiety and lure of riches” before God, the Word dies in our heart.

With these first three reasons, we can see why the Word of God does not affect our hearts. As Jesus said, “Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes…”

However, the fourth type of person is this one: “…the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. When we come to a difficult teaching which we don’t understand, we strive to learn more about it. We talk to a priest and we turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church for help to overcome our doubts. In the midst of trials and tribulations we turn Jesus in prayer and we pray more. We are more faithful to our Mass attendance. We go to Confession more. When we are persecuted or despised or when people utter every kind of false things about us, we rejoice and give thanks and praise to God and ask Him for the graces to defend our faith and to defend our self and others. When it comes to money, we seek not to be rich, but only to have what we need, to take care of the needs of others, especially the poor. We live out our Stewardship Way of Life, giving our time, talent and treasure out of love of God and neighbor.

There is some of each of these four types of person in all of us. We could be all four of these persons at once, or predominantly one of these types of person for a certain time. Thanks be to God each of us in many different ways, do hear the word, understand it and we do bear fruit.

Let us open our heart, such that if there are misunderstandings or disappointments and the cross, or worldly anxiety and the lure of riches, we will not render our hearts as unfertile soil for the Word of God, so that we do not grieve Jesus by a “gross heart”. Rather, we will allow our heart to become a fertile soil for God’s Word.

If we have humility and sorrow for our sins, we can say the words of David in Psalm 51, “A humble and contrite heart O God, you will not spurn.” “A clean heart create for me O God and a steadfast spirit renew within me”.

May the Word of God grow and bear fruit in our hearts and yield a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. And may we imitate the Virgin Mary, the first and most perfect disciple of Jesus, who bore the fruit of Jesus in Her Womb, so He could die for us, that we may have life and have it abundantly with Him in heaven.

14th Sunday Year A - Humility

 

The first reading and the Gospel both speak of humility. The first reading prophesied a king who will come riding in humility on a donkey, not on a camel nor a horse used by the wealthy, but a donkey used by the poor. The prophet Zechariah speaks about the humility of a king, who has power and authority and yet rides on the humble animal of a donkey. Jesus fulfilled this prophesy when He rode a donkey into Jerusalem as the people laid palm branches before Him saying, “Blessed is the King, who comes in the name of the Lord.”

In the Gospel, Our Lord said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Jesus wants His disciples, including us-- to learn to have a meek and humble heart.

Humility is truth. But pride reveals the hidden desires of the heart that cause a distortion of that which is true about our self and others. It’s an exaggerated view of our self and our needs. The truth is Jesus is God and He humbled Himself by taking upon our human nature. He appeared only to be human, but His personhood was God.

St. Paul said to the Philippians, “Though Jesus was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

The Litany of Humility manifests the wrong ways of thinking that can lead to pride and by praying to be delivered of these ways, the Lord will give us the gift of that which is true—humility of heart.

And so let us pray for the gift of humility.

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

Your response is “Deliver me, Jesus”

From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...

From the desire of being extolled ...

From the desire of being honored ...

From the desire of being praised ...

From the desire of being preferred to others...

From the desire of being consulted ...

From the desire of being approved ...

From the fear of being humiliated ...

From the fear of being despised...

From the fear of suffering rebukes ...

From the fear of being calumniated ...

From the fear of being forgotten ...

From the fear of being ridiculed ...

From the fear of being wronged ...

From the fear of being suspected ...

Now your response is, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...

That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease..
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Today, let us choose to pray every day for the gift of humility and trust God will give us a heart meek and humble, in imitation of the Heart of Jesus, so we may echo the words of Mary, who said, “He will cast down the mighty and lift up the lowly.” And recognize all good things come from God, and not attribute them to our self, as Mary said, “He who is mighty has done great things for me.”

9th Saturday - St. Raphael

 

Today’s first reading in about St. Raphael. St. Raphael is one of the seven Archangels who stand before the throne of the Lord, and one of the only three mentioned by name in the Bible. He appears, by name, only in the Book of Tobit. Raphael's name means "God heals." This identity came about because of the biblical story that claims he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch. Disguised as a human in the Book of Tobit, Raphael refers to himself as "Azarias the son of the great Ananias" and travels alongside Tobit's son, Tobiah. Once Raphael returns from his journey with Tobiah, he declares to Tobit that he was sent by the Lord to heal his blindness and deliver Sarah, Tobiah's future wife, from the demon Asmodeus. It is then that his true healing powers are revealed and he makes himself known as "the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" Tobit 12:15.

The demon Asmodeus killed every man Sarah married on the night of the wedding, before the marriage could be consummated. Raphael guided Tobiah and taught him how to safely enter the marriage with Sarah. Raphael is credited with driving the evil spirit from Sarah and restoring Tobit's vision, allowing him to see the light of Heaven and for receiving all good things through his intercession.

Although only the archangels Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name in the New Testament, the Gospel of John speaks of the pool at Bethesda, where many ill people rested, awaiting the moving of the water. "An angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under" John 5:1-4.

Because of the healing powers often linked to Raphael, the angel spoken of is generally associated with St. Raphael, the Archangel. St. Raphael is the patron saint of travelers, the blind, bodily ills, happy meetings, nurses, physicians and medical workers. He is often pictured holding a staff and either holding or standing on a fish. His feast day is celebrated on September 29, along with St. Michael and St. Gabriel. St. Raphael, pray for those who are sick, that God may grant healing through your angelic intercession.

Corpus Christi Year A

  

Today is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Eucharist we believe it is truly the Son of God, though we cannot see Him.

When we receive Holy Communion, while in the state of grace, we become one with the Heart of Jesus. In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in Me and I in him.” And Our Lord promises that if we eat His flesh and drink His blood we will live forever and that we will rise from the dead. He said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”

And because we believe Jesus is really and truly present in the Eucharist many parishioners spend time with Our Lord in adoration every week here in our parish. Our parish is so blessed to have Eucharistic adoration. Jesus is silently touching hearts and lives of all who come to be with Him.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi was brought about due to a Eucharistic miracle. In 1263, a priest from Prague was in route to Rome making a pilgrimage asking God for help to strengthen him in his faith, because he doubted his vocation. He stopped in a village called Bolsena, 70 miles north of Rome. While celebrating Mass there, as he raised the Host during the consecration, the bread turned into visible flesh and began to bleed. The drops of blood fell onto the small white cloth, called a corporal. That blood stained cloth can still be seen in the Basilica of Orvieto north of Rome. The following year in 1264 Pope Urban IV instituted the feast of the body and blood of Jesus, today’s solemnity of Corpus Christi. Since then, on the feast of Corpus Christi, many churches will have a Eucharistic procession, in which the people will follow Jesus in the Eucharist down the streets, on sidewalks and through the city.

On Sunday, Fr. Aaron will have Mass and lead us in a Eucharistic procession, as he processes Jesus in the monstrance through the streets of Little River.

The miracle of the Eucharist, which brought about the Feast of Corpus Christi strengthened the faith of a doubting priest. The drops of blood that fell on white cloth pointed to the fact, that Jesus is really and truly present in the Eucharist.

The same Jesus who came down from heaven in the womb of Mary, walked the face of the earth, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, died, was buried, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, is the same Jesus in the Eucharist today, but resurrected.
The miracle of the host turning to flesh and bleeding--- pointed to the fact that in the Eucharist is a real and entire person. The Eucharist is not just a hunk of flesh or just some blood. The Eucharist is a person! The Eucharist is the whole Jesus! We can’t have a relationship with a hunk of flesh, but we can have a relationship with a person, who will listen to us, and whom we can listen, as He speaks in the silence of our heart.

On Holy Thursday, when the apostles fell asleep during Our Lord’s agony in the Garden, remember the words of Jesus to Peter, James and John, “Could you not watch one hour with me!” Stay awake, so that you may not undergo temptation.”

In one of Pope Benedict’s homilies, he said, “The praying Church feels the intense desire to watch with Jesus; not to leave him alone in the night of the world, in the night of betrayal, in the night of the indifference of many”.

Today throughout the world there is so many churches in which Jesus in the tabernacle is abandoned. He is left all alone in the night of the world. And there are so many today, who are indifferent to Him, who fail to come and spend time with Him in the Eucharist. He has no one to come and visit Him, but He longs for men, women and children to come to Him, so that He may give them special gifts and graces to live out their lives. He wants to heal the broken hearted, give comfort to the sick, be a friend to the lonely, give strength to help us carry our cross, and give joy and hope to those who long to be loved.

When we come to adore Jesus in adoration, not only do we receive many graces to help us on our journey toward heaven, but graces for others as well. Pope Paul VI said, “Perpetual Adoration extends its influence far beyond the individual adorers, touching their homes and families and reaching out to the parish community and beyond!” And St. Faustina said, “A Holy Hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament, so pleases the Heart of Jesus, that every man, woman and child on earth receives a new effect of God’s graces!”

Our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration is so powerful that it helps many souls to go to heaven. Jesus told Dina Belanger, “A Holy Hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is so important that a multitude of souls go to Heaven who otherwise would have gone to hell!”

Many people, in the wee hours of the night, watch with Jesus in adoration. Through Eucharistic adoration, adorers come in the middle of the night to spend time with their best friend. They come to open their heart to a God, who loves them, cares for them, comforts them, and gives them peace. They come to pray in reparation for those who do not watch with Jesus and they come to console the hidden Jesus.

St. Peter Julian Eymard said the heart of Jesus is beating and pulsating in the Eucharist. When there is a Eucharistic miracle often times, a Host will bleed. And whenever the miracle is approved by the Church, and then scientifically tested, the substance has always been found to be that of heart tissue. And the blood type is always the same --AB. It is also the same blood type that is on the shroud of Turin.

There are at least 152 Vatican approved Eucharistic miracles. One was approved in 2001 in India and 2006 in Mexico. 2008 in Poland.

One of the latest miracles to be approved happened on October 12, 2008, in Solkolka, Poland, a consecrated Host fell out of the hands of a priest while he was distributing Holy Communion. He picked it up and placed it in a vessel filled with water, in the tabernacle. After Mass, the vessel containing the host was placed in a safe --present in the sacristy. On October 19, 2008, after opening the safe one could clearly see a red stain on the Host that had fallen, which with the naked eye immediately gave the impression of being a bloodstain.

On January 7, 2009, a sample of the Host was taken and examined independently by two professionals in histopathology at the University of Medicine of Białystok. They issued a common declaration which states: ‘The sample sent for evaluation looks like myocardial tissue. In our opinion, of all the tissues of living organisms this is the one that resembles it the most.’

It sounds to me like what they are saying is the flesh taken from the Host, that they were examining, continues to appear to be live. Amazing!

My friends, the Heart of Jesus is beating for love of you in the Eucharist. Come and receive His love in Adoration.

All who come to adoration know, it is quite and peaceful. Just you and Jesus. Just Jesus and you. It is your hour with God, and His hour with you! A heart to heart exchange of love! What a beautiful way to keep watch with Jesus. Are you looking for that one hour of time alone—but only with you and Jesus?

Today, Jesus is speaking to you and He is telling you--- what He told Peter, James and John, “Will you not watch one hour with me?” Jesus does not want to be left alone in the night of the world, filled with indifference.

Today, on this Corpus Christi Solemnity, may Our Lady, Mother of the Eucharist, gently encourage Her children to spend time with Her Son.

You will be blessed not only in this life, but in the life to come, because your place in heaven will be raised in glory for every hour you spent with Jesus on earth.

Holy Trinity - Year A

 

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity, to whom we love, pray to and we desire to be in union. Today’s Solemnity is the feast day for our parish, because our parish is named after the Blessed Trinity.

When Adam and Eve lost their friendship with God due to original sin, heaven was closed and no one could enter-- and the divine friendship which they possessed was lost and broken. When it came time to restore that friendship, God chose to also reveal Himself as Trinity (three divine persons in one God). Before Jesus came to reveal the Trinity and to restore man’s friendship with God, the Jews could never have known there is one God in three persons.

And so, at the fullness of time, when mankind would be able to accept this most awesome mystery, God the Father sent His only Son into the world, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the womb of the Virgin Mary, in order for Jesus to die on the Cross and redeem us, so that whoever believes in Him, might not perish, but might have eternal life.

The paschal mystery of Our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension is the source in which we can now come in contact with God--- and have union with the Blessed Trinity, especially through the sacraments.

In particular, the sacrament of Baptism, not only washes away original sin, but also prepares our heart for the indwelling of the Blessed Trinity, which allows us to enter into an intimate union and friendship with God. We are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, which results in original sin being washed away, our soul flooded with grace, and our heart becomes a temple for the Trinity to dwell.

The Blessed Trinity dwells in the Christian soul as in a temple. Saint Paul explains that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” And there in the inner recesses of the soul, we learn to converse intimately with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Saint Catherine of Sienna said, “You O eternal Trinity are a deep ocean, into which the more I penetrate, the more I discover, and the more I discover, the more I seek you.” How wonderful it is therefore to seek the Blessed Trinity, who came within our soul at the moment of baptism!

During the Mass, the Father sends His Son. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, Our Lord, becomes present on the altar. It is here on the altar, we come in contact with the Trinity.

Because the Trinity dwells here in our church, in the tabernacle, and becomes present here on the altar, there is no greater place in the world. Our church is grander, and more glorious, than the highest skyscrapers, the largest coliseum, or gymnasium because our church and every Catholic Church contains almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Mass is beautiful and glorious, because heaven is opened, and we participate in the heavenly liturgy with the angels and saints, worshiping the Trinity, as we sing, Holy Holy Holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The Mass is God’s grandeur in the feeble eyes of man. The Mass is the action of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Father sends the Son, to come in contact with us, and the mysteries of salvation. The mystery of Calvary will become present on the altar, and the mystery of the resurrection, as we receive the resurrected Jesus in Holy Communion.

We worship the Blessed Trinity, and kneel, in adoration at the Sacred Host, as it is elevated. The Sacred Host is God, and within the Host is the Blessed Trinity. The angel at Fatima, and the 3 children prostrated themselves, before the Sacred Host saying, “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore thee profoundly.” And the children also said, “Most Holy Trinity, I adore thee, my God, my God, I love thee in the most Blessed Sacrament.”

Now, as we prepare to receive Holy Communion, let us ask Mary, the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, to help us to understand that we truly come in contact, with the adorable Trinity in the Eucharist, especially Her Son in Holy Communion.

And at the moment of consecration, gaze upon the presence of God, with faith, and cry out, “Most Holy Trinity, I adore thee, my God, my God, I love thee in the most Blessed Sacrament.”

On special feast days and solemnities I like to quote from the saints, who so beautifully shed light on the mystery of the particular feast.

There are not too many saints, who can help us to love, pray to and desire union with the beauty of the Blessed Trinity-- as well as the Carmelite, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. The following is a prayer written by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity which reveals her love and desire to be in union with the Trinity. St. Elizabeth wrote: “My God, Blessed Trinity! Draw from my poor being what most contributes to your glory, and do with me what you wish-- both now and in eternity. May I no longer place between us any voluntary hindrance to your transforming action…Second by second, with a forever ‘actual’ intention, I desire to offer you all that I am and all that I have. Make my poor life, in intimate union with the Word Incarnate, an unceasing sacrifice of glory to the Blessed Trinity…

My God, how I wish to glorify you! O, if only in the exchange for my complete immolation, or for any other condition, it were in my power to enkindle the hearts of all your creatures and the whole of creation in the flames of your love, how I would desire to do so! May at least my poor heart belong to you completely, may I keep nothing for myself nor for creatures, not even a single heartbeat. May I have a burning love for all mankind, but only with you, through you and for you…. I desire above all to love you with the heart of St. Joseph, with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and with the adorable Heart of Jesus; and, finally, to submerge myself in that infinite ocean, that abyss of fire that consumes the Father and the Son in unity of the Holy Spirit, and love you with your own infinite love…

O eternal Father, beginning and end of all things! Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you Jesus, your Word Incarnate, and through Him, with Him and in Him, I want to repeat unceasingly this cry that rises from the bottom of my soul; Father, glorify continually your Son, that your Son may glorify you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. O Jesus, who said, No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied!”

And you Spirit of Love! ‘Teach us all things’ and from Jesus with Mary in us until we become perfectly one in the bosom of the Father. Amen”.

Elizabeth’s beautiful prayer to the Trinity is a model for us to pray, to love and to desire---God-- the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May it be so!

Visitation of the Virgin Mary - May 31st

 

Today, we celebrate together the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which commemorates the moment when Mary, the mother of Jesus visited her cousin Elizabeth in the mountainous regions of Judea, after traveling a five day journey to see how her cousin Elizabeth.

Elizabeth in her old age was then pregnant with St. John the Baptist, the herald of the Messiah, who was miraculously conceived after many years of unsuccessful marriage without any children between Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah.

At the same time, Mary was carrying within Her, Jesus Christ, our savior. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Our Lord came down from heaven and took up the flesh of man in Mary’s womb.

Shortly after the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation, Our Lady went to visit Her cousin Elizabeth. Mary arose and went in haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah called Ain Karim. Once the Blessed Virgin learned from the angel that Her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant, She was moved by charity and hurried to lend a hand to help Elizabeth who was advanced in years. Nobody asked Mary to go. God could have asked Mary to go and visit Her cousin, but He didn’t. Mary could have remained at home to prepare for the arrival of Her Divine Son, the Messiah, but She joyfully sets out on the journey “with haste” and goes to offer Elizabeth Her humble assistance.

When Mary arrived, Elizabeth heard Her greeting and was filled with the Holy Spirit. And at that moment, the unborn John the Baptist leapt for joy within her womb. The action of the unborn children, bear witness to dignity of all unborn children.

Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit, by divine knowledge comes to know that she is in the presence of the Lord in Mary’s womb. She even comes to know Mary’s pregnancy was miraculous.

While in the womb of His Mother Mary, Our Divine Lord blessed the unborn John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. The Church teaches, at that moment, St. John was sanctified, meaning his original sin was washed away.

The action of these two unborn children remind us of the sanctity of life. It’s a reminder that life begins at conception. At the time of the Visitation, John had been conceived for 6 months and Jesus’ conception was no longer that 5 days. Yet, these two unborn children teach us a lesson.

They teach us that life no matter how small is precious and beautiful and that God wants us to love and respect unborn children. Today, let us resolve to recite Mary’s magnificat in thanksgiving for all the good things, God has done for us in sending His Son as an unborn child destined to die on the Cross and rise from the dead, to save us.

And let us remember that just as Mary’s body became a temple of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Most High and the Ark of the Covenant, because She carried Jesus in Her womb to the hill country, grant that we should recall we too become a temple, an ark and a sanctuary for Jesus, when we receive His body in Holy Communion, let us carry Him to others as we help them in their needs.

St. Joan of Arc - May 30th

 

Today is the memorial of St. Joan of Arc. Born of a fairly well-to-do peasant couple in Domremy-Greux southeast of Paris, Joan was only 12 when she experienced a vision and heard voices that she later identified as Saints Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel, St. Catherine of Alexandria, and St Margaret of Antioch.

“Joan of Arc did not know how to read or write, but the depths of her soul can be known thanks to two sources of exceptional historical value: the two Trials that concern her.”, Pope Benedict XVI said.

When it became known she believed God wanted her to lead the military to victories against the English, many suspected she was the maiden from Loraine prophesied that would deliver France from tyranny.

During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and Troyes. This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris supported Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort of Winchester, England, participated in the questioning of Joan in prison.

In the end, she was condemned for wearing men’s clothes. The English resented France’s military success–to which Joan contributed. During the trial, asked whether she knew she was in God’s grace, the saint answered: “If I am not, may God place me there; if I am, may God so keep me. I should be the saddest in all the world if I knew that I were not in the grace of God." She also said, “Take care what you are doing; for in truth I am sent by God.” and she said, “All I have done is by Our Lord’s command…I have done nothing in the world but by the order of God.”

On this day in 1431, Joan was burned at the stake in Rouen, and her ashes were scattered in the Seine River. A second Church trial 25 years later nullified the earlier verdict, which was reached under political pressure.

Remembered by most people for her military exploits, Joan had a great love for the sacraments, which strengthened her compassion toward the poor. Popular devotion to her increased greatly in 19th-century France and later among French soldiers during World War I. Theologian George Tavard writes that her life “offers a perfect example of the conjunction of contemplation and action” because her spiritual insight is that there should be a “unity of heaven and earth.”

Joan of Arc has been the subject of many books, plays, operas and movies. St. Therese of Lisieux played the part of St. Joan of Arc in a play at her convent.

Today, let us ask St. Joan of Arc to intercede for us and help us to be a good witness to our faith.

Memoral Day - Cemetery Talk - Fr. Emil Kapaun

 

I would first like to thank those who are here and who currently serve in the armed forces and all our veterans. Thank you for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for our country. And we ask God to bless you for that.

My nephew, Army Staff Sargent Christopher Woods, received the purple medal as a result of being wounded in Afghanistan. He is currently stationed at Fort Riley.

I also have two other nephews who served in the military, a grandfather, several uncles and cousins, who also served in the military.

Today, we honor the brave women and men who proudly wore the uniform of our armed forces and made the ultimate sacrifices that have become the lifeblood of our republic. We should keep in mind not only the sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives in service to the country, but also Christ’s sacrifice, which is at the heart of the faith of Christians. Our Lord said, “There is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

The Cross of Jesus points to sacrificial love because on the Cross, He laid down His life to free us from sin. The sacrifices made by our countrymen and women throughout American history are a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice. Memorial Day can help inspire us to the greatest thing of which we are capable, by God’s grace: sacrificial love. Love that sacrifices for the beloved is divine and the only true love. The cost of freedom has been blood. The blood of Jesus shed for the freedom of sins. The blood of soldiers shed that we may live in freedom in our nation.

Did you know there are 28 Kansans who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor? Today, I would like to speak about the last Kansan, who was awarded the medal.

In 2013, 10 yrs ago, a fellow Kansan was awarded the highest military honor called the Congressional Medal of Honor. The following is from the US Department of Defense website. The website states: On April 11, 2013, after 60 years of ceaseless advocating by his fellow soldiers and prisoners of war, Chaplain Emil Kapaun was awarded our nation’s highest award for valor for his actions at the Battle of Unsan, North Korea, Nov 1-2, 1950. Chaplain Kapaun is one of 5 chaplains, in the entire US, since the Civil War- to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Medal is very rare, with less than 0.01% of combat troops receiving the award. It is awarded only for the most courageous and often sacrificial acts while engaged in battle. More than just a recognition of a moment in time, the Medal represents core values that make its bearers and our nation unique: courage, sacrifice, patriotism, and more. By law, only U.S. service members who distinguish themselves “through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty” can receive the medal.

Army Chaplain Emil Kapaun inspired his men during the Korean War with calm, courageous leadership, instilling in his fellow prisoners of war a desire to stay strong — even after he no longer could. His actions eventually earned him the nation's highest military honor, as well as a potential path to sainthood.

Kapaun was born April 20, 1916, in rural Pilsen, Kansas. After being ordained a priest, Kapaun was serving as an auxiliary chaplain at Herington Air Base, in 1944 when he noticed the need for faith-based leaders in the military. He felt compelled to join, so, on July 12, 1944, he became an Army chaplain, serving for the rest of World War II in the China-Burma-India theater. When the war in Korea broke out, he was deployed in July 1950 with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. 

By the fall of 1950, Kapaun's battalion had pushed depleted North Korean soldiers back to Unsan. It was assumed the war would soon be over since things were looking good for the U.S. and its South Korean allies. But on Nov. 1, 1950, the tide turned when Chinese Communists joined North Korean forces and launched a vicious attack. 

During the fight, Kapaun calmly walked through the battle zone, offering comfort and medical aid to the injured and helping to pull men out of an area. The Americans were able to repel the assault initially, but by nighttime, they were surrounded and forced to find safety in foxholes and behind bunkers. By midnight, the battalion was ordered to evacuate before the Chinese blocked all escape routes. 

The following day, the US forces were overwhelmed by enemy Chinese Communist troops. During the retreat, Fr. Kapaun continually ran back directly into enemy fire, to drag wounded soldiers to safety. In the midst of the heavy hand-to-hand combat, he assembled 30 wounded soldiers in a dugout. In the midst of flying bullets, his corncob pipe was shot by enemy gunfire.

By the end of the day, he saved 15 men. He and another soldier also retrieved the dead bodies of more than 100 soldiers. After the Chinese rushed the American line six times, the US soldiers ran out of ammunition, and resorted to throwing rocks at the enemy. The soldiers yelled at Fr. Kapaun, telling him to run, but he refused. When the Chinese entered the dugout, they found Fr. Kapaun administering the last rites to a dying soldier.

As Kapaun was led away, he saw a Chinese soldier preparing to shoot a wounded American soldier, Sgt. 1st Class Herbert A. Miller. Without concern for himself, Kapaun pushed that enemy soldier aside, picked up Miller and started to carry him away. Stunned, the enemy soldier allowed it. Kapaun ended up carrying Miller for miles as they incessantly marched toward the unknown. The chaplain helped others who struggled, begging them to not give up so they wouldn't be shot. 

After being marched from village to village with little food or water, Kapaun and his men ended up at a POW camp in Pyoktong on the bank of the Yalu River.

While in captivity, Kapaun remained a trusted leader. His courage inspired prisoners of all faiths to survive the camp’s hellish conditions and the frigid temperatures, resist enemy indoctrination, and keep hope alive. He helped the wounded and often sneaked out at night to steal food for the prisoners. 

"He was the best food thief we had," said Army Capt. Joseph O'Connor, a fellow POW. Once, he came back with a sack of potatoes. How he got it I'll never know — it must have weighed 100 pounds."

Fr. Kapaun prayed with people of all faith and daily read bible passages to them. He encouraged them telling them to not give up, but that they would eventually go home. He became a witness for Christ.

When the Communists attempted to indoctrinate the American Soldiers with false ideas, Chaplain Kapaun, counteracted their ideas in such a way, which humiliated and infuriated them, so much so, they hated him.

By spring, however, the camp's squalid conditions and inhumane punishments had taken their toll. Kapaun grew seriously ill and malnourished, but he managed to hold one last Easter Mass for the prisoners in late March. Shortly after that, he was transferred to an old pagoda that the Chinese called a hospital. It was unheated and filthy, and it was reported that its prisoners weren’t given food or medical attention. Kapaun died there on May 23, 1951. He was 35 yrs. old. 

At the end of his life, when the Chinese cut off all medical care, and deprived him of all food, he was heard whispering the Gospel passage, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”

In August 1951, Kapaun was honored with the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest medal for valor, while he was still listed as missing in action. Officials learned of his death when his fellow POWs were released after the armistice was signed in 1953. 

For decades, Kapaun's comrades lobbied Congress to get his Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On April 11, 2013, that request was granted. President Barack Obama lauded the chaplain's service during a While House ceremony. "[Kapaun was] an American soldier who didn't fire a gun but who wielded the mightiest weapon of all — the love for his brothers — so pure that he was willing to die so they might live..”

"After 70 years, Chaplain (Capt.) Kapaun has been accounted for," acting Army Secretary John E. Whitley said in March, 2021 in a news release. He had previously been buried with a group of 866 other “unknowns” at the National Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu due to an armistice agreement whereby the remains of the soldiers could be returned to the US. Officials told Ray Kapaun that his uncle's remains, along with those of several other soldiers, were returned to the U.S. shortly after the end of the war and buried at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. They were only recently identified using dental records and DNA. He has since been buried in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita and people can come to honor his remains in his tomb. There are still more than 7,500 unaccounted-for Korean War service members.

In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Kapaun a servant of God — the first step toward sainthood.

Today, let us remember all those who have ever served in our military, especially those from our own families and town of Little River. As their faces are seen in the banners lining main street, let us raise our hearts and prayers and salute them, thanking God for their willingness to defend our freedom and even die for it. And let us remember and pray for military personnel, who suffer from the effects of war, including PTSD, the loss of limbs, and the inability to live life as before. May we pray for them and support for their bravery and love of their fellow countrymen.

And we pray for the souls of all our veterans that all may enjoy life in heaven with the Most Blessed Trinity and all the angels and saints. Amen.

 

Pentecost - Where is the Holy Spirit in the Bible?

  

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. A few years ago, someone asked me where is the Holy Spirit in the bible? I got to thinking after we had that discussion, many people don’t know where the Holy Spirit is found in scripture. The truth is the whole bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We believe God is the author of Sacred Scripture and he used men to write books in the bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, such that they never wrote more or less than what God wanted them to write.

First lets’ look at a few examples in the Old Testament and then we will focus mainly on the New Testament to see specific references to the Holy Spirit.

In the first chapter of Genesis it states: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the waters.” (Gen. 1:2) At the very beginning when God created the world, the Holy Spirit was there and played a role in creating the world.

When the prophet Ezekiel was prophesying over dead bones he said, “See, I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the Lord.” This foreshadows the General Resurrection, when the Holy Spirit will give new bodies, to the living and the dead.

Ezekiel also said, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” (Ez. 36:26), which refers to baptism. In Psalm 104 David states, “When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit is active in the New Testament, in the following examples. At the annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, He said, “Holy Spirit will come upon you”. (Lk. 1:35) And when Mary consented and said, “Let it be done unto me according to thy word”, (Lk. 1:38) the Holy Spirit immediately helped to bring about the incarnation, when Jesus took His flesh from the womb of Mary and became man.

During Mary’s Visitation to Her cousin Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit was active as Jesus, the unborn infant, sanctified John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. When she heard Mary’s greeting, the babe leaped in her womb and filled with the Holy Spirit Elizabeth cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Lk. 1:41-42)

At Jesus’ baptism, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit when “the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove.” (Mk. 1-9-11) Jesus was then led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. (Matt. 4:1)

When returning from the desert, the power of the Spirit caused Him to begin to teach in synagogues. (Lk 4:14) When He went to a synagogue at His hometown of Nazareth, He stood up and read from the prophet Isaiah. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” (Lk. 4:18) And when He sat down, Jesus said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk. 4:21), which meant, He is the Messiah.

When referring to the many different workings of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “The wind blows where it will.” (Jn. 3:8) During His bread of life discourse Jesus said, “the Spirit gives life.” (Jn. 6:63). When Jesus said, “Out of his (one’s) heart shall flow rivers of living water”, He was referring to the Holy Spirit.

At the Last Supper, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help the apostles. He said, “I will send Him to you.” (Jn. 16:7), whom Our Lord called the “Advocate” (Jn. 16:7). He told His apostles, the Holy Spirit will “convince the world of sin and righteousness and of judgment.”

He convinces the world of sin, by helping us to know our sins and to be sorry for our sins. He helps us in the way of righteousness by sanctifying us and making us holy. In judgment, the Holy Spirit helps us in our decision making, to choose good rather thane evil.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth” (Jn. 14:17), who will “guide you (His disciples) to all truth.” (Jn. 16:13). Our Lord told the apostles, “The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and remind you of all that I said.” (Jn. 14:26). He said when the apostles would be persecuted, they were not to worry about what they would say because, “…for it is not you, who will speak, but the Holy Spirit.” (Jn. 13:11).

After His Resurrection, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Confession when He breathed on His apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…” (Jn. 20:22-23) Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His apostles, “…you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” And He told them, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Jesus told His Disciples, “Go therefore make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19) By these words, we clearly see the Holy Spirit is God, equal to the Father and the Son.

The Acts of the Apostles, written by St. Luke mentions the Holy Spirit’s activity in the early Church so often, the book is often called the “the book of the Holy Spirit”. The most significant event in the Acts of the Apostles was Pentecost.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles and the Virgin Mary prayed for nine days, (Acts. 1:14) in the upper room, waiting for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. When the day of Pentecost arrived, suddenly, a sound came from heaven, like a rush of mighty wind, and it filled the house they were sitting. And there appeared to them, tongues in the form of fire. The Holy Spirit came down, and rested upon the Apostles, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke in tongues such that each person heard the apostles speak in their own language. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were no longer afraid.

After the Holy Spirit descended, Peter stood up and gave his address to all gathered around them, which resulted in three thousand who were baptized that day, which was a result of the Holy Spirit. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles boldly went out to the ends of the earth to make disciples of all nations. The Spirit began to work through the apostles, by their preaching, teaching and healing of the sick. And from the day of Pentecost, they would become great witnesses of the Gospel, even to the shedding of their blood as martyrs.

After St. Paul became a follower of Jesus, He helped the early Christians grow in their understanding of the Holy Spirit. He told the Corinthians, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corin. 6:19) Paul also said, “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 5:5) St. Paul told the Romans,“The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought.”

Today, and every day, may we turn to the Holy Spirit. For He is God. The Holy Spirit is love. He is life, truth, our advocate, teacher, and guide. He is the sanctifier and therefore makes us holy. He enlightens us to help us know our sins and guides us when making decisions. He helps us remember, speaks through us- to others and He convinces the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and helps us to pray.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us, that we will be like the apostles, (instruments of the Holy Spirit) to assist Him in renewing the face of the earth.