Thanksgiving Day

 

Thanksgiving Day helps Americans discover the importance of thanking God for every gift and see His hands in providentially taking care of them.

This national holiday of giving Thanks to God for all His gifts and benefits is important for our American culture. While many are discovering the beauty of thanksgiving, others fail to remember God and continue to attribute their own successes and material achievements to themselves.

Thanksgiving Day is a reminder for all Americans that God in His providence-- takes care of all our needs. It is also a reminder that we is not self-sufficient, but rather depend totally upon God our creator and that we is the steward of God’s gifts.

Many pastors attempt to help people understand the meaning of thanksgiving and that all they have is a gift from God and that they are merely the stewards of these gifts.

We know from Sacred Scripture Jesus, as our model, constantly gave thanks to God. Before raising Lazarus from the dead, He said, “Father I give you thanks that you have heard me.” When He multiplied the loaves, He took the loaves, and after giving thanks, distributed them and the fishes to those who were reclining. At the institution of the Eucharist, Our Lord gave thanks before blessing the bread and wine which truly became His body and blood at the Last Supper.

The letters of St. Paul often begin and end with thanksgiving. St. Paul also urged the Church in his letter to the Thessalonians, “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ, Jesus.”

The Gospel of the ten lepers helps us to understand the importance of being thankful, but is also reveals our failure to thank God for His gifts and blessings. After the lepers had departed because Jesus had told them to show themselves to the priests, they realized Our Lord healed them. However, only one returned to thank Our Divine Savior. In a loud voice, he fell on his face at the feet of Jesus, glorifying God. He thanked Our Lord for healing Him, while the others continued on their way to the priests. And so, that is why Our Blessed Lord said, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Have not but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God.”

Perhaps, most know that our first president, George Washington established Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Many of us were taught in school-- the history of Thanksgiving. We were told Puritan pilgrims, from Britain came over on the ship, the Mayflower, and that they gathered with the American Indians at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, in the fall of 1621. We were told these pilgrims and Indians gave thanks to God for surviving the hard winter, and for the many blessings-- God had bestowed upon them. We are told that they ate wild turkey and deer meat.

Although this event actually happened, perhaps most are unaware-- the very first Thanksgiving occurred 56 years earlier in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida. The first settlers were not British Puritans, but rather, Spanish settlers, many of whom were Catholic.

It was on Sept. 8^th, 1565 a Catholic priest by the name of Fr. Francisco Lopez Grjalas, offered a Mass of Thanksgiving and invited all 800 European settlers and the native Indians, for a communal meal, which consisted of wild turkey, deer meat, pork stew, and vegetables.

Today, on Thanksgiving many families pray their prayer before meal-- each family member will go around the table and name at least one thing they are thankful. Naturally, many will thank God for their family, their job, their food, their home, and their health. Some thank God for their talents and for the gift of their life. Others may thank God for His creation, such as the stars, the moon, the sun, the trees, snow and the animals. Those of us who live here can thank God for our wonderful little community. And we are thankful for living sort of out in the country where there is wild life, deer, turkeys, foxes, coyotes and owls.

God loves us and desires that we love our self, love our neighbor and show our love for Him, by using the gifts He has given us in the proper way.

Perhaps with the following words we can thank Our Lord: Thank you Jesus, for your suffering and death on the Cross, by which you came to save us and by which you opened the gates of paradise, so that we may be forever with you in heaven. Thank you Jesus for all the sacraments, most especially yourself in the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Mass and Holy Communion. Thank you Jesus for my baptism, in which You washed away original sin, and the Trinity came to dwell within me. Thank you Jesus for Confession where you forgive our personal sins. Thank you Jesus for the Last Rites whereby you forgive our sins, give us grace to perservere through suffering and You prepare us for eternal life in heaven.

Thank you Jesus for the Church, you established and promised that the gates of hell will not prevail. Thank you Jesus for the deposit of faith. Thank you Jesus for the pope, cardinals, bishops and priests You give to us as shepherds.

Thank you Jesus for all the martyrs and saints, who give us an example of how to grow in holiness and virtue. Thank you Jesus for humbling yourself to come down from heaven into the Immaculate womb of the Virgin Mary, in which you took upon our human nature, so beneath Your dignity. Thank you Jesus for being born in a cold stable-- with no lay place to lay Your head, but upon the straw- in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem.

Thank you Jesus for Your life, your miracles, your teachings, and for revealing the Blessed Trinity to us The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God! Thank you Jesus for Your agony in the Garden, Your scourging, Your crowning with thorns, Your carrying of the Cross, and for shedding Your blood-- during Your three hours of agony on the Cross. Thank you Jesus for showing us the value of suffering. Thank you Jesus for making suffering redemptive. Thank you for every suffering I have ever endured in my life, because by suffering I am like you, who suffered so much for me. And thank you Jesus for rising from the dead, conquering sin and death and opening the gates of paradise.

My friends, let us give thanks to Jesus for all He done for us and give thanks to God for your every gift and use your gifts for the glory and honor of God and for the good of your neighbor, by doing so, you will be true disciples of Jesus and when that day in the future comes, when you will be called to that eternal home, when you arrive with a grateful heart you will cry out, Thank Jesus, my God, for the greatest gift of all—the gift of heaven—the gift of being with you forever!

33rd Sunday - Stewardship - A Way of Life

 

The Gospel today speaks about the parable of the master, who trusts three stewards, with his money and possessions, as he plans to go on a journey. When returning from his journey, the master discovers, two of the three stewards were wise, and so increased his wealth. He told them, “Well done, my good and faithful servant(s). Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come share your master’s joy!”

However, one steward did nothing with the one talent he received, and so the master told the unfaithful steward, “You wicked lazy servant! Throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

This parable, reminds us of stewardship. God entrusts each and everyone one of with time, talent, and treasure in order to glorify Him, and His kingdom. Some receive greater and some lesser talents than others, yet all are called to use their gifts for God and neighbor.

Msgr. McGread, who founded Stewardship at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Wichita, and throughout the diocese of Wichita said, “Stewardship is about giving back to God the first and best we have in thanksgiving for all He’s given us.” He said, “The biggest mistake people make is that they think stewardship is a finance program. It’s not. It’s a spirituality program.” It’s not about asking for money. It’s about getting people to come to church, to practice their faith, and to be disciples of Christ.

The diocese of Wichita is known nationally for its practice of stewardship and many other dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Chicago, have asked us to help them with stewardship. Bishop Robert Morneau, the bishop of the diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, said, “The core of stewardship is gratitude, a gratitude that overflows into giving as a way of thankfulness for all that God has given us.”

A parishioner from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Wichita said, “When you realize that everything you have and everything you do is from God, then you have a completely different reason for giving—your giving back to God in thanksgiving.”

If we examine all that we have, we can see everything that we have, comes from God. God gave us a job in order to provide an income for our family. God has given us the gift of an education, which some societies do not have as an opportunity. God has given us freedom to live our faith. He has given us our Catholic faith, our family and our heritage. God has given us talents to hold down a job, so that we use money to buy clothes, food, and a home. He has given us transportation to travel by way cars, boats, trains and airplanes, to see His wonderful creation including the flint hills, and also the mountains of Colorado, the seas, rivers, animals, plants, and the sky, stars and the moon—all to remind us of our creator and are gifts from Him to us.

He has given us technology for healthcare, televisions, computers, gas and electricity to help us live securely and in comfort. He has also given us gifts to play sports and activities. He given us taking care of livestock and 4-H which demonstrates our care for them. There are singers, musicians, artists, nurses, woodworkers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, and about any kind of field you can imagine, God has given so many people with such a wide variety of gifts and talents.

Some might say I don’t have any of these gifts, but they fail to understand that prayer, suffering, and sacrifices are gifts as well. Spiritually God has given us the wonderful 7 sacraments, especially Himself in the Eucharist.

It doesn’t matter how many or how great our gifts are, what matters is that we attempt to discover what they are and give them back to God by way of our time, talent, and treasure.

At some parishes nurses give blood pressure checks after Mass and visit the home bound. I know of doctors, who freely see poor patients, even though they know they will never be paid. I know of a married couple, who was about to lose their home. They had no money for a lawyer, but a Catholic lawyer volunteered to give them free advice, which helped them save their home. I spoke to the lawyer and said I would help pay for the advice given to the couple, and he looked at me with a smile and said, “Oh no father, I do it all the time, it’s my stewardship. I give back to God what He has given to me.”

In one parish, I was humbled by a man who called and said he wanted to give me something. When he came, he had black bag in his hand and said, “This is for you”. I said, “What is it?” He said it’s a computer. I was overjoyed because back then I needed one. He had recently bought himself a new computer and wanted to give his old computer away.

Back when our parish hall was built many of you gave your time and talent to build it.

Today, we have parishioners are sacristans, lectors, altar servers, organists and choir, youth leaders, ushers, greeters, the Altar Society, those who help with Totus Tuus every year. Some decorate the church. We had parishioners make a Corpus Christi canopy and an altar cloth. One parishioner made the wooden lecturn for Mass. Someone takes care of Mass stipends and does the weekly schedule for the bulletin. We have the Knights of Columbus, PSR teachers and a Religious education director- all of whom give their time and talent for people and children of the parish. Some mow the churchyard, do snow removal and others who take care of the flower bed. We have parishioners who volunteer to clean the basement of the church once a week. Some bring me meals and other foods, such as peaches.

In addition these things, many parishioners do not charge the church labor, such as maintenance, when they do work for the church and some have saved the church thousands of dollars by donating their time and talent. There are many goodhearted people here in our parish.

Isn’t there something about doing things for the church, which makes us feel good? When we volunteer our time and talent especially for the church-- it causes unity among parishioners, and gives us a sense of healthy pride in our parish. First and foremost, we are doing it for God, in thanksgiving for what He has given us, but we also do it because we love and care for our neighbor.

Msgr. McGread said, everything comes from prayer and the success of stewardship in our diocese is due to Eucharistic Adoration. He said, “By giving an effective amount of time to God—time at home in prayer, time with their families in prayer—people get closer to God. They come to understand their individual obligation to God, and they come to church because that is where they experience Christ in the Eucharist”.

If we heed the words of Msgr. McGread, we can see how important Eucharistic Adoration is and how it causes a blossoming of stewardship.

To spend an hour with Jesus every week in Eucharistic Adoration is the stewardship of prayer, which is the backbone of every form of stewardship. Before Mass on Sunday, Saturday morning and on Wednesday and after Mass on other days, there are people who lead the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Stewardship is not about asking for money. Rather, it involves a way of life. It’s living the Gospel, as witness by word and deed. We give back to God, by way of our time, talent and treasure.

To those who would like to give their treasure by tithing, Msgr. McGread used to say that it is better to tithe smaller at first, such as 3% or 4%. The more we trust, many will enjoy giving 10%. He also said it’s important to tithe regularly even if it’s a small amount.

Due to the generous tithing of the people in many parishes, and the diocese, Catholic schools in our diocese are tuition-free, but they are expected to use their time and talents for God and neighbor.

Our gifts and talents are not to buried, or kept for our self, but rather, to be given away to glorify God, by increasing the wealth of His kingdom, on earth, and in heaven. When we use wisely, that which belongs to God, which we are entrusted, as His stewards, we earn for our selves, the sharing our Master’s joy, and His glory in heaven.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, help us to live the stewardship way of life, by giving our time, talent, treasure, and our very self, to the service of Christ and His Church, as a true witness in word and deed to help bring about His kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.

32nd Sunday - Near Death Experiences

  

Doesn’t it make you wonder what is going on with the ten virgins (the bridesmaids) and why did they have lamps?

In Jewish tradition, when the groom went to the bride’s house to pick her up for the wedding, he would negotiate with her relatives the gifts he would give to her parents for the privilege of being able to marry her. The negotiating went on so long, that the bridesmaids back at the groom’s house, grew so tired of waiting that they fell asleep. When the bride and groom arrived in the groom’s house the parents pronounced a blessing over the happy couple and the singing and dancing lasted for a week.

The bridesmaids in the parable were given an opportunity to be ready for the wedding in the groom’s house later that evening. But five of them did not bring enough oil. They had an opportunity during the day to get a supply of it, but they didn’t bother. Then when the couple arrived for the wedding it was too late, and those who had oil had only enough for themselves and were unable to share it.

This parable reminds us that we make choices as we go through life, and afterwards we live with the consequences of those choices. Some of the bridesmaids in the parable squandered the opportunity during the day to get oil. Like them, we have choices and decisions. We want to choose well because we pass this way only once.

When Jesus calls us from this life whenever that will be, we will face consequences of all our decisions. “So stay awake because you do not know either the day or the hour.”

The book The Imitation of Christ, says, “Every action of yours, every thought, should be those of one who expects to die before the day is out. Death would have no great terrors for you if you had a quiet conscience.. Then why not keep clear of sin instead of running away from death? If you aren’t fit to face death today, it’s very unlikely you will be tomorrow.”

The Church encourages us to prepare for the hour of our death. In the Litany of the Saints, we pray: “From a sudden and foreseen death, deliver us, O Lord.”

When we pray the Hail Mary, we ask the Mother of God to intercede for us now and at the hour of our death.

Two of my sisters and I present when my father died. I told my sisters, “Let’s pray three Hail Marys.” When we finished the last Hail Mary, just as we prayed, “Now and at the hour of our death”, my father opened his eyes, looked at my sister, then closed his eyes and died. Although it was difficult to go through, we knew the Virgin Mary was praying for Dad at the moment of his death.

We also entrust ourselves and our death to St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death. It is believed Jesus and Mary were at his bedside when he died. You can’t get a happier death than that!

When St. Francis of Assisi knew his death was approaching he said, “Praise are you, Lord, for our sister bodily Death, from whom no living man can escape. Woe to those who will die in mortal sin! Blessed are they who will be found in Your most holy will, for the second death will not harm them.”

Over the years and especially while doing hospital ministry, I prayed and spoke with people before they died.

Unbeknownst to each other, people have described similar experiences. For example, some said they left their body and began to walk into a tunnel toward a brilliant warm and peaceful light. But, then they when they got a glimpse of heaven, they had to return to earth.

The most common experience people told me is that they are visited by deceased relatives. I don’t know how many people have described this, but a good number of them did. Even when their health didn’t seem to be in danger, if they were visited by relatives who have died, almost always they would die soon, even when it seemed like they weren’t going to die.

An elderly woman once told me her deceased husband would come to her at night and put his arm around her. But, she didn’t like him doing that. She said it scared her. I suggested we offer three Masses for her deceased husband. Three weeks later, on the day, that we offered the last Mass for her husband, within an hour after that Mass was offered, she died suddenly of a heart attack. I told her family I thought the three Masses helped her husband get out of purgatory, so that when his wife would die, they could be together in heaven.

There’s a documentary playing in theaters now called “After Death”. It explains experiences people have had when they were clinically dead, but then later brought back to life.

No matter their religion, even atheists, experience the same near-death experiences. Many see their soul leave their body and having a heightened awareness of their surroundings.

For example, a 5 yr. old girl, blind from birth, drowned and was declared clinically dead. After being resuscitated, the girl explained in detail her surroundings including light poles, birds and what other people were doing when her soul left her body, yet she was completely blind.

Other people who died on the operating room table described in detail what was happening when they died. They were looking down and could see their body and everyone in the room. They explained how the doctor told a nurse to grab the defibrillator and how many times the machine was used.

Others, who had near-death experiences, could hear conversations people were having in the waiting room and see them and what they were doing.

Some describe walking into a brilliant light and then seeing Jesus. Then their whole life in detail is played before them like a movie. (most likely this is their judgment). They experience a peace and joy they never had before. None ever want to return to earth, because all of them would rather be in heaven. But Jesus always told them, he has something more for them to do. Then they suddenly return to their body when the doctors revive them.

A few years ago, my cousin’s husband was in the hospital and having severe abdominal pain. He said while he was alone in his room, suddenly he saw beautiful colors of light that filled his room. Little did he know, his daughter who lives in Manhattan, Kansas, at that exact moment, lit a candle for her dad, and she said she saw brilliant colors come from the candle.

When my aunt, Vernita, was dying, she exclaimed, “Mom” and told her daughter that her mother and some of her sisters were in the room. She died shortly after that.

Recently, a woman was upset that her cousin was dying, and when she lit a candle at the church, she told Jesus, “Lord please at least let me know, she is seeing angels.” She then went to see her at the hospital, and when she came in the room, the dying made the sign of the cross with her eyes closed. She said she was seeing angels and the angels were talking to her. She said the angels were very beautiful. She said one angel told her that it would happen when everyone would step out of the room, and it would be three days before it would happen.

As Catholics, we believe when we die, our soul leaves our body, and then our soul goes to its judgment. Our judgment is permanent. If we die with a mortal sin, we choose to go to hell to suffer eternal punishment forever. Jesus does not send us there. Rather, we choose to depart from Him and go there because we realize we do not belong in heaven or purgatory.

If our soul is in the state of grace, but not fully purified of its faults, or haven’t made up for its sins, we go to purgatory, where our soul is cleansed, until its fully pure, and then we enter heaven.

It often times happens that when we are dying, the devil makes one last attempt to get us commit a mortal sin. When St. Martin of Tours was dying, he saw the devil standing near. He said, “Why do you stand there, you bloodthirsty brute? Murderer, you will not have me for your prey. Abraham is welcoming me into his embrace.” With these words, he gave up his spirit to heaven.

We believe prayers, Masses, good deeds, indulgences, and our sacrifices can help poor souls to get out purgatory quicker so they can go to heaven.

If our soul was purified in this life by suffering and accepting all the crosses God sent us, and if we lived a virtuous life, and if we made up for all our sins, those holy souls will go straight to heaven.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity helps us to understand that every moment of our life should be done out of love for God and neighbor.

She said, “In light of eternity, the soul sees things as they really are. Oh how empty is all that has not been done for God and with God. I beg you, mark everything with the seal of love. It alone endures. How serious life is. Each moment is given us in order to root us deeper in God.”

Are you ready for death? Let us ask the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, to help us choose to live every day, as though it was our last, so that we are ready for Jesus, the bridegroom, who will take our soul to its judgment, and this way, we will be prepared for the wedding feast of heaven. May our lamps be always ready for His coming!

31st Sunday Year A Priesthood

  

The readings today are about what religious leaders should Not be like.

The first reading from the prophet Malachi, condemns religious leaders, who do not give glory to God. He said, they have turned aside from their way, and have caused many to falter by their instruction. They show partiality in their decisions. They have broken the faith and violated the covenant.

The Gospel continues with this same condemnation of religious leaders who do not do, what the Lord desires. Jesus said, they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they won’t lift a finger to move them. They widen their phylacteries, and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor in the synagogues, which were places of worship. And all of these performed, to be seen, by others.

Cardinals, bishops and Priests are human, but they are held to a high standard because they represent Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Recently it's been notable how some of them have caused confusion among the lay faithful about their attempt to change Church teachings and others have lived lives of hypocrisy and scandal.

When I was a child our family very rarely went out to eat at a restaurant because we were poor, and if we would go to eat, my parents ordered the same food for each of their 8 children, a hamburger, fries and a coke. We were elated to go to a restaurant.

One time, I can remember seeing a priest eating in a restaurant and thinking, he must be rich to be able to go out to eat. While that obviously wasn’t true, as I later became a priest, I understand there are people who can’t afford to eat out at a restaurant, and so shouldn’t a priest live the same poverty which the poor live?

People are exceptionally kind to priests. I’m not a very good cook, so I am always very happy to receive a meal or a dessert from a parishioner. Or leftovers from funerals.

Despite the weaknesses of priests, God has called and chosen them to act in union with His Son Jesus Christ. Priests are called to be holy, to be faithful, to do penance, to fast, to sacrifice themselves, to become a real and true victim, for God’s people.

Priests are called to lay down their lives for Our Lord’s Sheep, and His Church. Priests are called to intercede for God’s people, and so act as a mediator between God and His people. He does this through prayer, and in offering sacrifices—especially his own sacrifices with the sacrifices of the people, in union with the one sacrifice of Jesus, to the Father, here on the altar.

Pope John Paul II used to encourage priests to make a daily Holy Hour with Jesus in the Eucharist, which is what I have done every day for the last 19 years as a priest.

Priests act in “persona Christi” which means they act in the “person of Christ”. In other words, Jesus acts through the priest. It is Jesus, who baptizes through the priest. In confession, Our Lord sits behind the confessional screen, listening to our sins, giving us advice, and a penance, and then absolves our sins. Who can forgive mortal sins, but Jesus, in the priest?

Our Lord, uses the lips of the priest, to utter His words, at the Last Supper, which make His body and blood present upon the altar, and gives us Holy Communion, through the hands of the priest. Every time I say the words, “This is my body to be given up for you.”, it is very humbling to know Jesus is acting through me to work the greatest miracle of changing bread into His body.

When we hear the words of the Gospel, proclaimed by the priest, do we hear the voice of Jesus speak to us? When the homily is given, do we hear Jesus speak the truth and the doctrines of the Church, as proclaimed and explained by the priest?

In some parishes, priests are ridiculed behind closed doors, because they preach the truth. Today, there are what’s called “canceled priests”, who preached the truth of the Gospel, but due to the complaints of those who disagree with Church teaching, their bishop doesn’t support the priest, but rather cancels him, meaning he is no longer assigned to any parish. Some bishops tell priests to not preach on abortion, or contraception, homosexual marriage, or to avoid hot topics for fear offending people, who would then discontinue giving money in the collection.

Yet, the priest is supposed proclaim the truth, in season and out of season, out of love, for the people, so as to guide them toward heaven, no matter the consequences.

Yes, the priest is human. Yes, the priest makes mistakes. Yes, the priest is a sinner. But clothed beneath his sinful human flesh, is the sacred character of ordination. And it is through the Sacrament of Holy Orders; Christ is present in the world. St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, made this statement about the priesthood, “The priest continues the work of redemption on earth…If we really understood the priest on earth, we would die not of fright but of love…. The Priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.”

Pope John Paul II called the priesthood, Gift and Mystery. He said the priest is a steward of the mysteries of God. And said, we can’t have the Eucharist, without the priesthood. Pope Benedict XVI said, we can’t live without the Eucharist. Therefore, we cannot live without the priesthood, because it is the priesthood, which gives us the Eucharist.

The priest is not a staff member of the church. The priest is not an employee of the church. The priesthood is not a job. The priesthood is a way of life, and a way of love. The priest is Christ sacramentally present within a man.

Yet, there are some, who frustrate the ministry of Christ by fail to reverence the priest, as their spiritual father. They ignore the priest’s suggestions, encouraging them to live a deeper Christian life. In the end, each person is responsible for their own judgment and whether or not they heeded the priest’s words to help them to grow in holiness.

So many think, priests just offer Mass, and hear confessions, and go play golf. I know of one pastor, who gets up at 4 or 5 am, and works non-stop everyday until 11 or 12 at night. How many lay people do this? Do lay people work from 5am until 11pm --6 days a week?

St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians speaks about his ministry, which was a ministry of priesthood. He said, ““With such affection for you, we are determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well.” You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day, in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed the Gospel to you.”

Here at Holy Trinity the word of God is truly at work in you, who believe. What reverence and faith do you receive Our Lord in Holy Communion! How many of you come night and day to make your Holy Hour with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration? How many show so much warmth and friendship to the priests, welcoming priests and new pastors, who come to give themselves to you? How many have given encouraging words, and have forgiven the mistakes of the priests, so readily.

This past year, I had 5 surgeries and 9 procedures and was overwhelmed by so many how came to my aid. I appreciate those who made meals, who checked on me and especially am very grateful for all your prayers.

Thank you for opening your heart to me, inviting me into your homes, overlooking my weaknesses, forgiving my failings, and allowing me to be a spiritual father to you.

I am sure there are young men, who God is calling to be a priest. Its a most glorious life, but also a life of sacrifice and love.

Let us now offer this prayer for priests:

O Jesus, I pray for your faithful priests and fervent priests;

For Your unfaithful and tepid priests;

For Your priests laboring at home, or abroad in distant mission fields;

For Your tempted priests;

For Your lonely and desolate priests;

For Your young priests;

For Your dying priests;

For the souls of Your priests in purgatory.

But above all I recommend to You the priests dearest to me;

The priest who baptized me;

The priest who absolved me from my sins;

The priests at whose Masses I participated, and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;

The priests who taught and instructed me;

All the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way;

O Jesus, keep them all close to Your Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.

And may Mary, Your Mother, the Mother of Priests, keep them safe under Her mantel and within Her Immaculate Heart. Amen.

 

All Saints Day, Nov 1st

 

Who are your heroes? Who are the people who inspire you, and who you want to be like? Young people often times put up posters of their heroes. Many of them are athletes such as football or basket ball stars. Yet, there can be no better hero, than the saints. To have the pictures of the saints on our walls reminds us of those who lived out the beatitudes and made it to heaven. They ran the race and received the crown of glory when they entered heaven. They remind us of what’s most important in life and that we too can become heroes.

This why the Church gives us a feast to honor all saints, known and unknown. Perhaps you have known ordinary people, who did the best they could to get to heaven. Someone who never complained when they were sick; Or a person who lived a life of charity and thought nothing of themselves.: Or someone who never said an unkind word about anyone. It’s easy in the all busyness and cares of life to forget about them and so, one day a year, we pause to remember all those holy people. Without them, the faith would not have been kept alive for us. “We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” They physically parted from us, but are spiritually near to us, praying for us and encouraging us by their example.

We are all called to be saints. The Beatitudes give us the pattern of Christian way of life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices.  It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else.  It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love" (CCC # 1723).

The Beatitudes turn worldly values upside down. The world pursues happiness in wealth, power and fame, but the Gospel demands of us values that are essentially different. Do you want to give in to the demands of a worldly way of life, or have you decided to live true and authentic Christianity? The choice to live the Gospel changes our entire life, tells us how to act, how we are to dress, how we are to speak and how we are to interact with others. 

On this Solemnity of All Saints, may once again pray to the saints and look to their example, in helping us to strive to be saints, that one day, we too will join the whole company of heaven. And we pray to Mary, the Queen of All Saints, may She obtain for us the grace to live the life of a saint, in imitation of Her, the greatest of All Saints.

30th Sunday - Love God with All Our Heart, Love Neighbor as Our Self (Peace)

  

In the Gospel today, the Pharisees were happy to hear that Jesus had just silenced the Sadducees, because the Pharisees and Saduccees did not see eye to eye on many things, and even had different theologies. The Saduccees didn’t believe in angels and also didn’t believe in the resurrection, but the Pharisees did.

One the scholars of the law, a Pharisee, tried to test Jesus, asking Him, “Which commandment of the law is the greatest?” Jesus responded, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

I am so excited to get back from Medjugorje and to tell you about my trip. Over the next few weeks, I hope to give you some gems that came from Medjugorje. Whenever I mention Medjugorje in a homily, I always need to preface it with the Church’s teaching on the alleged apparitions. The Church has investigated it with a commission. The commission found the first week of the apparitions were worthy of belief, as all voted but 1 in favor of it. The commission was evenly divided on whether the apparitions after the first week were authentic. But, the pope has the final say on the commissions results and as of today, he hasn’t made a declaration. Therefore, we may continue to believe, if we so choose. It’s private revelation, so no one has to believe it, even if it were given positive affirmation.

Pilgrims who went on the trip, paid about $2500. But, I only paid $250, to be the chaplain of the group.

In the Gospel today, Jesus said, we are to love our neighbor as our self. So to put in a little different way, we can ask, do we really love our self as we ought? If we fail to love our self, then we will not love our neighbor as we ought either.

Some pamper themselves, while others fail to take care of themselves. I had six sisters and with my mother, there were 7 women in the house with three of us men, my brother, my father, and I. In the morning the girls put on their makeup that included eye shadow, mascara, rouge, eyeliner, lipstick, finger nail polish, ear rings, necklaces, they used blow dryers and curling irons. Today some girls also use false eyelashes. Us men, we had cologne, under arm deodorant, we shaved and combed our hair, which all took less than 5 min. The girls took about an hour to get ready for school.

By taking care of our appearance, it shows we love ourself. But if we go overboard with our appearance, maybe we don’t have peace with our self and love our self as well as what we think we do.

Inside we are wanting others to love us, and pay attention to us. And some feel like they need to draw attention to one self. But the love we are seeking isn’t found in others being attracted to our appearance. The beauty of the soul is found in the personality of the person, their virtues, their way of loving.

The alleged apparitions of Our Lady Queen of Peace have a constant message of calling the world to peace and conversion. Peace in our hearts, in our homes and in our families.

Some today treat their appearance as though they want to look like someone their not. Others treat their body like it's not worth much. Some write on their hands when they have no paper. Some don’t take showers like they should. Others eat too much. Some diet too much. Some get drunk. Others smoke or chew tobacco. My father, my uncle, and a brother-in-law all died from lung cancer due to cigarette smoke. Some men make their body out to be their god, by spending 2 or 3 hours a day in the gym, and they are proud of their physic and try to show it off. Others don’t take care of their body and eat and drink foods that harm it.

God wants us to love our self, to take care of our self, to not harm our bodies. After all St. Paul said, “...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price? So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 16:19-20)

All that time in the gym or all that time in the restroom trying to make oneself more beautiful, could be time spent in prayer to God and to pray for others and in doing good things for others. There must be a way we can take care of our self and yet not go too far one way or the other.

During lunch, at the hotel, one of the elderly ladies asked me a question. She said, “Is it true, it's a sin to get a tattoo?” I said, “Yes, it's in the book of Leviticus.” It states, “Do not... put on tattoos or marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” She said, “I just tattooed my makeup.” I said, “What! What do you mean you tattooed your makeup.” She said, “Its permanent. We can tattoo eyebrows, eyeliner, mascara, rouge, etc..” I said, “I don’t think the Blessed Virgin Mary wore make up.” She said, “But don’t you think we women should look pretty?” I was going to say, “But you look pretty without it.” But chose to not say anything.

An amazing event happened the same day with regard to beauty. Later, all of us were present for an alleged apparition that Maria had with the Virgin Mary. During the apparition, I prayed for all of you and for many other intentions. After the apparition, Maria gave us a talk about living a life of peace. Maria had no idea we had that conversation about what was said earlier in the day at the table. But after the apparition, she said, “As you can tell, I don’t wear makeup because makeup is a worldly thing”. She then said, “Someone once asked the Virgin Mary, why She is so beautiful, and the Virgin Mary replied, “I am beautiful because I love.”

The Virgin Mary loved God with all Her Heart, mind, and soul, and She loved Her neighbor as her self. We can turn to Our Lady and ask Her to help us to love our self, to love our neighbor and to love God. Obviously, the Virgin Mary didn’t wear makeup, but that which makes her beautiful is Her love.

Pilgrims who come to Medjugorje to try to find the most beautiful statues, which they think resemble the Virgin Mary. The visionaries have said that there is no statue or painting that adequately looks anything near to the Virgin Mary. The visionaries describe Mary as having black hair, blue eyes. She wears a white veil and a grayish blue dress.

But, Mary’s love for God and love for neighbor is what makes Her so beautiful. The visionary Maria had no idea the women in our group and I had just been talking about make up and tattooing. It seemed to me like the Lord was using Maria to help the women to understand, that they don’t need to wear make up to be beautiful. Their beauty comes from love that flows from their hearts.

Today’s Gospel is the recipe for peace. To love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as our self. The apparitions of Mary in Medjugorje are about peace. Peace in our heart, our family, and the world.

We need to not just take care of our self physically, we also need to take care of our self spiritually, through daily prayer, Confession, Rosary, the Holy Mass, reading the Bible and by doing good deeds and practicing virtue.

The Lord wants all of us to love, and by loving, we are beautiful. Everyone knows Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s face had many wrinkles. But the smile on her face revealed the love within her heart, and that is what made her beautiful. She was beautiful because she loved God with all her heart and loved the poorest of the poor, loving her neighbor as her self, by taking care of them. She treated others as she would have wanted others to treat her.

Today, let us resolve to take care of our self, to love our self, in such a way, that we will the see beauty of loving others and loving our self, and especially loving God with all our heart. Let’s try to not be someone we are not, and to accept the appearance God gave us.

As 1 Samuel 16:7 states, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

If we want to have peace, let us look no further than to have peace with our self, and to treat our self as God would want us, so that we will treat others with that same love.

27th Sunday The Power & Beauty of the Rosary

 

In the second reading today, St. Paul said, "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, making your requests known to God.”

The Rosary is a very efficacious way that we can make our petitions known to God, through Mary.

The month of October is dedicated the Holy Rosary and Oct. 7^th is the feast of the Holy Rosary. What I would like to do today is give you a better awareness of the power of beauty of the Rosary.

In the year 1170, Dominic Guzman was born who later founded the Order of Preachers, called the Dominicans.

During his time, there was a heresy called the Albigensian heresy, which falsely believed the body was bad and human beings were spirits trapped in physical bodies. They also saw the material world as evil and believed husbands and wives should not have marital relations. Women were placed in the dominant position. Sort of like feminists today. They were permitted to touch a man, but a man was not permitted to touch a woman. The Albigensian women despised pregnancy.

Due to the Albigensian heresy, which spread across Europe, Dominic and his friars fearlessly preached against the heresy, but didn’t convert any heretics.

Not knowing what to do, he prayed to the Virgin Mary asking Her how to overcome the heresy. And it was then Our Lady appeared to St. Dominic and gave him the mysteries of the Rosary and told him to preach the Rosary and its mysteries which she gave them.

The Rosary had existed for centuries before Mary appeared to St. Dominc, but now for the first time, Our Lady gave Dominic and the world meditations to pray with the Hail Marys. She gave him the joyful, sorrowful and glories events in the life of Jesus. Pope John Paul eventually gave us the luminous mysteries.

When the Dominic preached the mysteries of the Rosary, it revealed the goodness of Our Lord’s body as seen through the mysteries of His life, His birth, His sufferings, and His resurrection. It helped all who mediated on the mysteries of His life to know the body is good, and therefore the Rosary and the preaching of St. Dominic on the Rosary, the people turned away from the false views of the Albigensian heresy and ended it.

When we pray the Rosary, we are to meditate upon the specific event in the life of Jesus from the Gospel, while at the same time pray Our Fathers and Hail Marys. It’s a double prayer. We pray audibly with words and also meditate in our mind on the mysteries in the life of Jesus.

For example, in the joyful mysteries we think about the annunciation when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and Jesus was conceived in Her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we meditate, we picture this event happening before our eyes.

The second mystery during the visitation when Mary traveled to visit Her cousin Elizabeth by way of donkey and when She arrived She greeted Her cousin Elizabeth and the unborn John the Baptist leapt for joy.

The third mystery is the birth of Jesus. We watch the miraculous birth of Jesus and Mary wrapping the Divine Child in swaddling clothes and placing Him in the manger while Joseph looks on.

The fourth mystery is the presentation of Jesus in the temple when the elderly Simon, takes the Child Jesus into his arms and blesses Him. The 80-year-old woman, Anna, who fasted and prayed for the coming of the Child is overjoyed to finally gaze upon the baby Jesus.

In the 5^th mystery Joseph and Mary search with tears for the 12-year-old Jesus for 3 days because they lost Him. But now, see the joy in their faces when they finally find Him in the temple speaking the doctors and scribes.

When we meditate on these mysteries we receive graces because every event in the life of Jesus, can help bring us to salvation.

When you pray the Rosary, allow the event to come alive in your mind. Even though we were not there when Jesus lived and walked the face of the earth, through these meditations, we can be there spiritually and these events touch our hearts and our minds to a greater love of Him and knowledge of His love for us.

The rosary is not only a powerful means to crush heresy, but also to crush the enemies of the Christianity. Not long after St. Dominic and his friars preached the rosary, the rosary was attributed to the winning the battle of Muret in the 1200’s. Likewise, Pope St. Pius V beseeched all Catholics to pray the Rosary, to win the battle of Lepanto, in which Muslims were attempting to invade Europe in the 1500’s. Because Christians won the battle, the pope established the feast of the Holy Rosary on Oct. 7^th, the day the battle was won.

Besides defeating heresies and winning battles, the rosary increases virtue in the interior life of the soul. Our Lady told St. Bridget, “Whenever I mediated on the beauty, modesty, and wisdom of my Son, my heart was filled with joy. Whenever I thought of His hands and feet which would be pierced with cruel nails, I wept bitterly, and my heart was rent with sorrow and pain.”

Pope St. John Paul II, in his encyclical Virginum Rosarium, said that when we pray the Rosary, we contemplate the face of Christ. We come in contact with Christ through the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, which is the Gospel in miniature, he said.

St. Louis de Montfort said, through the rosary, hardened sinners are converted, great battles have been won, pestilences have ended, people find courage to flee temptations, vocations have been wrought, and faith has been re-enkindled. And through the Rosary we grow in holiness and virtue by leaps and bounds.

Our Lady told Blessed Alan de la Roche, “When you say the Rosary angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly imagine”. Our Lady said, “After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary.”

Sister Lucia said, “The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary.”

Do you know why the rosary is called a rosary? St. Louis De Montfort, said that the word “rosary” means “crown of roses”. If we pray the entire rosary: the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, with attention and love, we would place a crown of 203 white roses, and 21 red roses on the head of Mary in heaven. The white rose represents “Hail Marys”, the red Rose represents “Our Fathers”. Every time we pray a Hail Mary, we are giving a beautiful rose to the Mother of Jesus. The rose is the queen of all flowers. A complete rosary makes up an entire crown of roses.

St. Louis De Montfort also tells us a story about another holy man, who was a follower of St. Francis of Assisi. One day, when the bell rang for him to eat dinner, he didn’t show up. So one of the brothers went to see what had happened to him. He was found in his room. The room was bathed in a heavenly light. He was facing the Blessed Virgin Mary, who had two angels with Her. When he would say the Hail Mary, beautiful roses kept coming out of his mouth. The angels took each rose, one by one, placing them on Our Lady’s head, and She smilingly accepted them. Since no one had returned, two more went to find out what happened. These two Franciscan brothers found them with Our Lady, who still had not left, and she remained until the whole rosary was completed. All of these Franciscans brothers were witnesses to this miraculous appearance of Mary.

From now on, whenever we pray the Rosary, let us recall that we can end wars, convert hardened sinners, eliminate heresies, solve any problem either temporal or spiritual and that we spiritually place a heavenly crown of roses on the heads of Jesus and Mary.

Today, let us begin to offer Jesus and Mary a crown of roses, by praying the rosary. Not only will we please Our Lord and His Mother Mary greatly, but we will help many to go to heaven, and we will grow in great holiness too.

It is of great importance with regard to what is going on in the Church and the world, to turn to Mary as our refuge and sure support. Don’t just pray one Rosary a day, pray as many Rosaries as you are able every day.

O Lady, most beautiful queen,

I offer you a rose, not to be seen.

I pray an angel from heaven may place it,

above your head for all to see.

As I pray, the rosary to you,

I offer a spiritual rose that is new.

May I crown your head,

before I go to bed,

sweetly praying your rosary,

O Lady, most beautiful queen.

I love you. Amen.

Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us, who have recourse to thee.