Trinity Sunday - Disciple of Jesus, Harrison Butker

 

This weekend is special for us, since it’s Holy Trinity Sunday, our parish feast day.

Before the fall, Adam and Eve had original justice. They had perfect control of their memory, will and intellect. They had perfect union with God. It was the possession of sanctifying grace with a right to enter heaven and they had preternatural gifts.

But due to original sin, by eating the forbidden fruit, they seriously broke their relationship with God.

Before Jesus came into the world, God had not yet revealed Himself as three persons. No one knew there is and has always been God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

    But, at the annunciation, when the angel appeared to the Virgin Mary, God revealed Himself as a Trinity of persons. The Virgin Mary was the first person to come to know God is three persons.

Revelation of the Trinity also happened at the Baptism of Jesus and at His Transfiguration. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He commanded His apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism washes away original sin and all personal sin. Through baptism, we become a child of God, a member of God’s family, the divine life of God is restored and the Blessed Trinity comes to dwell within our heart.

All are baptized as a disciple of Jesus, but do we follow Him as well as we ought? Do we witness to others as one of His disciples?

Harrison Butker, the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, helped his team win two super bowls, wasn’t afraid to declare to others that he is a disciple of Jesus during his commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchinson, a few weeks ago. The college, founded by Benedictine Sisters, was formerly, not so Catholic. The sisters who used to run the school over the years, like so many other religious orders, became very liberal and discontinued wearing their habit and consequently, no longer have any vocations. They are one of few Catholic groups who criticized Harrison Butker for his speech.

However, over the past 20 years, the college has grown immensely building dorms and halls for their classes due to many young traditional Catholics who attend it.

Harrison was baptized Catholic, but discontinued practicing his faith and later in his life, once he returned, he took to heart, his role, as a disciple of Christ.

I believe it’s important for you to hear much of his speech, so that you become aware of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Over 200,000 signed a petition wanting him to be fired. There is serious conflict between the Church and the world. But, what was so controversial about the speech?

In my opinion, his graduation speech was an exhortation to bishops, priests, and to the graduate women and men of the college to live out their vocations. He’s only 28 yrs. old, has no degree in Theology, but has a personal relationship with the Blessed Trinity through prayer and the sacraments. What I will do is quote much from his speech and then periodically give my commentary about each topic.

He began speaking about COVID, moral issues, and spoke about President of the US. He said, “While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique. Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder. Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice. He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common. They are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone- doesn’t cut it.”

Now my commentary: Most people expect a priest to speak about moral issues in life, but they seldom do. So when a football player mentions these at a commencement speech, people pay attention.

He pointed out, how prominent Catholics failed to be a witness to their faith. But instead, scandalize others by their words and actions. How can a Catholic in good conscience, make the sign of the cross, when promoting abortion. By doing so, it makes the Catholic faith a mockery. It is a travesty Catholics, by name only, are scandalizing the world, rather then evangelizing, as a true disciple of Jesus ought. He makes very good points, that most bishops fail to do.

Harrison spoke of the failure of being a disciple of Christ, when he said, “But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the 'church of nice' is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.” “As members of the church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don’t be mistaken, even within the Church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent.”

My commentary: “Church of nice” means to never say anything that would offend anyone. Never to make waves. Always to keep peace, at all cost, even if it means to fail to speak the truth or defend it. But is really false mercy because to be truly merciful is to tell the truth to help others obtain heaven, even, if at first, one may not want to hear what is said.

He said, “Our Catholic faith has always been counter-cultural. Our Lord, along with countless followers, were all put to death for their adherence to her teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.”

My Commentary: By these words he is describing what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus and to be persecuted and perhaps die for the Church’s teachings.

Harrison goes on to describe some problems with priests. He said, “The bishops and priests appointed by God as our spiritual fathers must be rightly ordered. There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks, but none of us can blame ignorance anymore and just blindly proclaim that, 'That’s what Father said.' Because sadly, many priests we are looking to-- for leadership are the same ones who prioritize their hobbies or even photos with their dogs and matching outfits for the parish directory. It’s easy for us laymen and women to think that in order for us to be holy, that we must be active in our parish and try to fix it. Yes, we absolutely should be involved in supporting our parishes, but we cannot be the source for our parish priests to lean on to help with their problems. Just as we look at the relationship between a father and his son, so too should we look at the relationship between a priest and his people. It would not be appropriate for me to always be looking to my son for help when it is my job as his father to lead him. St. Josemaría Escrivá states that priests are ordained to serve, and should not yield to temptation to imitate laypeople, but to be priests through and through. Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners, and in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time, because as my teammate’s girlfriend says, 'Familiarity breeds contempt.' Saint Josemaría continues that some want to see the priest as just another man. That is not so. They want to find in the priest those virtues proper to every Christian, and indeed every honorable man: understanding, justice, a life of work — priestly work, in this instance — and good manners.” “Plus, there are still many good and holy priests, and it’s up to us to seek them out.”

My commentary: Here Harrison highlights how some priests are not leading their flock. But rather, lay people are attempting to do it because the priests aren’t leading as they should, but this is problematic. Over the years, I have seen a trend of many priests acquiring pets, especially dogs. 20 years ago, when I was ordained, there was only 1 priest, who I knew had a dog, but now, many do. There is nothing objectively wrong with having a pet, but a priest shouldn’t turn to a pet to give him happiness and consolation and using an animal to satisfy a passing happiness, instead of turning to Jesus. There is a temptation for priests to avoid making waves, out of fear of not being liked and, therefore, refrains from speaking the fullness of truth.

Suppose a man has been a priest for 40 years and built a magnificent church. But, he admitted to never mentioning contraception or abortion in a homily in 40 yrs. He believed if he mentioned these topics people wouldn’t donate to the church. And so, the beautiful church, in the end, was built on souls who may never go to heaven and built on babies who died because the truth was never proclaimed. This is reality today.

The reason why priests don’t speak the fullness of truth is because if they do, those who disagree with the Catholic faith, will complain to their bishop, and, the bishop, rather than standing up for the teachings of the Church and defending the priest, will cower to complaining parishioners. Some bishops tell priests to stop preaching about topics that make waves. But, by doing so, they don’t seem to care for the salvation of parishioners and they desire a false peace.

I know a priest who preached on contraception and abortion only four out of 156 Sunday homilies. And the bishop told the priest to stop preaching on these subjects.

Some priests are canceled by their bishop, and not given an assignment, because the bishop doesn’t want priests to preach the fullness of truth, for fear of upsetting the pro-abortion, pro-contraceptors, who tithe. Priests are afraid to speak the truth, out of fear of getting canceled.

I watched a video with Fr. Don Calloway, a priest of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, on Eucharistic Revival. He admitted to being afraid to preach on the Eucharist for fear of being canceled. He said if he gets canceled, he will just go back to the beech.

Harrison Butker spoke about bishops. He said, “The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals too. As we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all. They were motivated by fear, fear of being sued, fear of being removed, fear of being disliked. They showed by their actions, intentional or unintentional, that the sacraments don’t actually matter. Because of this, countless people died alone, without access to the sacraments, and it’s a tragedy we must never forget. As Catholics, we can look to so many examples of heroic shepherds who gave their lives for their people, and ultimately, the Church.” “But in each of those examples, Church leaders leaned into their vocations and ensured that their people received the sacraments. Great saints like St. Damien of Molokai, who knew the dangers of his ministry, stayed for 11 years as a spiritual leader to the leper colonies of Hawaii. His heroism is looked at today as something set apart and unique, when ideally it should not be unique at all. For as a father loves his child, so a shepherd should love his spiritual children, too. That goes even more so for our bishops, these men who are present-day apostles. Our bishops once had adoring crowds of people kissing their rings and taking in their every word, but now relegate themselves to a position of inconsequential existence. Now, when a bishop of a diocese or the bishop’s conference as a whole puts out an important document on this matter or that, nobody even takes a moment to read it, let alone follow it. No. Today, our shepherds are far more concerned with keeping the doors open to the chancery than they are with saying the difficult stuff out loud. It seems that the only time you hear from your bishops is when it’s time for the annual appeal, whereas we need our bishops to be vocal about the teachings of the Church, setting aside their own personal comfort and embracing their cross. Our bishops are not politicians but shepherds, so instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.”

My commentary: I don’t believe Harrison was condemning all bishops, but was trying to give voice to the faithful, who were hurt by bishops failing to stand up for the truth and failing to be concerned about the salvation of souls, especially during COVID.

If we place our selves in the shoes of the bishops during COVID, they had no idea what it was about, and relied on “medical experts” to guide them in their decisions. Yet, they abandoned the faithful when they needed the sacraments and pastoral care the most.

Harrison’s bishop, Bishop James Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, defended him, saying, “Harrison Butker’s passion for his Catholic faith and his family are beautiful and well known. And like most people, he also has strong opinions on where we are as a Church and as a nation.” “The Catholic Church believes that God calls everyone to pursue holiness no matter what path they take. As St. Paul notes, that diversity of callings and vocations is essential to the life and mission of the Church. I support Mr. Butker’s right to share his faith and express his opinions — including those that are critical of bishops”.

The greatest outcry by those who disagreed with Butker occurred when he addressed women. He said, “For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker. She's the primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core, and it is through our marriage that, Lord willing, we will both attain salvation. I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God’s will in their life. Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, 'Heck, no.'

My Commentary: He’s not a professional speaker and it seems to me, people attempted to read into something he didn’t say or mean. He never said women shouldn’t work. He merely praised stay at home mothers. One reporter accused him of putting down women, but the KC Chief’s coach replied, “No, he didn’t.”

Harrison spoke about fathers who should be leaders at home. But, I will talk more about in another homily.

My dear people of Holy Trinity, Harrison Butker’s speech is a reminder, that at the moment of our baptism, we became a disciple of Jesus and have an obligation to live out our discipleship, by our word and actions. Like Harrison, we should not cower to fear, or be bullied by the woke crowd, or spineless Catholics, but rather proclaim the truth.

As a priest, his speech gave me courage to proclaim the truth of our faith, without fear, and trusting, that no matter what happens, as a disciple of Jesus, we need to be willing do lay down their life for Our Lord, and His Church’s teachings, so we may have life with the Blessed Trinity in heaven. May, the Virgin Mary, the first and greatest disciple, help us to live out our vocation with the help and grace of the Most Holy Trinity.

Mary, Mother of the Church

 

Today, the Church celebrates, the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church.

As a child, Florence felt her mother’s absence keenly. Her mom wasn’t physically absent, but she was emotionally unavailable. In fact, she often relied on Florence to help her with the household chore, to care for the younger children, and even provide a shoulder to lean on when she felt overwhelmed. Florence learned to silence her own needs in favor of her mother’s.

As an adult, Florence came to terms with this unhealthy pattern, and she was able to forgive her mom. Then, a few years later, she was able to make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. There, she joined thousands of pilgrims in the evening procession. As they all sang, “Ave Maria”, she was overwhelmed by Mary’s maternal care for her. She wept as a flood of pure love washed over her.

Mary has a tender love for each of us. She is the Mother of tenderness, who is always near. On today’s feast when we honor Mary as Mother of the Church, we can point to tenderness as a hallmark of her motherhood—the kind of tenderness that Florence had been deprived of as a child. Mary’s love, given to us by her son at the foot of the cross, can be a source of comfort and peace for us.

So look to Mary to be near you in every moment of your life. She who said yes to God’s will at the Annunciation will stand beside you as you open your heart to God’s will for your life. She who experienced tremendous sorrow while watching Her Son suffer understands your pain when your own suffering comes. And She who stayed with the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, humbly awaiting the gift of the Holy Spirit, will pray for you to receive more of God’s love and gifts.

Receive Mary’s tenderness afresh today. Allow Her love to wash over you, filling any hurts or wounds you may still carry. Behold, your Mother!

Taken from Word Among Us

Pentecost - Sanctification, Reparation, Salvation, Transformation thru Adoration

 

Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the upper room.

Pentecost was one of the three great Jewish Feasts for which many Israelites went on pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem to worship God in the temple. It originated as a harvest thanksgiving, with an offering of first fruits. Before Jesus came, the Jewish Pentecost celebration was held 50 days after Passover, when they slaughtered the lambs as sacrifice and ate the Passover meal.

When the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles, it gave new spiritual meaning to the Jewish Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus.

Our Lord ascended into heaven 40 days after His resurrection, which the Church now calls Ascension Thursday. After Jesus ascended into heaven the apostles and the Virgin Mary prayed for 9 days 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, in the form of tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit, which came down, and rested upon the Apostles, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and filled them 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. And from this day forward, they would become great witnesses of the Gospel, even to the shedding of their blood as martyrs.

On the day of Pentecost, after Peter stood up and gave his address to all who had gathered around them, some three thousand were baptized that day. The apostles then boldly went out to the ends of the earth to make disciples of all nations. All of this was by way of the action of the Holy Spirit. I would like to focus on four actions of the Holy Spirit, that occurs every day since the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

From the beginning of the Church on Pentecost-- unto day, the Holy Spirit’s action of sanctification, reparation, salvation, and transformation, can be seen in Eucharistic adoration.

When we make a Holy Hour, the Holy Spirit will bring about our sanctification by helping us to grow in virtue and holiness. Pope Paul VI said, "How great is the value of conversation with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, for there is nothing more consoling on earth, nothing more efficacious for advancing along the road of holiness!"

When we make a Holy Hour, the Holy Spirit will help us to make reparation for our sins and the sins of others. Pope Saint John Paul II said, "Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Jesus and ready to make reparation for the great evils of the world. Let your adoration never cease."

When we make a Holy Hour, the Holy Spirit will use us to bring about our salvation and the salvation of others. In Eucharistic Adoration, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in saving souls. 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!”

When we make a Holy Hour before Jesus in the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit can use our meager prayers to transform the world. 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!”

Eucharistic Adoration is for everyone, not just for those who signed up. Anyone may come to adore Jesus whenever they please. In Eucharistic Adoration, the Holy Spirit’s silent action is changing hearts and families, not only of those who come to adore Jesus, but to many souls throughout the world.

How many of you have told me that you greatly enjoy your time before Jesus. Everyone leaves adoration with peace and greater courage to confront life’s difficulties.

In Eucharistic Adoration, we begin to love God more and love our neighbor more. If you have not yet come to adoration, you’re missing something very special---not only for yourself but for others.

May the Holy Spirit come down upon our parish and the whole world, that we may be instruments of sanctification, reparation, salvation and transformation by coming to adore Jesus, who waits for us in Eucharistic Adoration.

May the Virgin Mary draw us to close to Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and help us to become an image of Jesus, Her Son, through the spending of our time gazing upon the face of Jesus, who the angels and saints adore in heaven.

As Pope Benedict said, “God is waiting for us in Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Let us not keep Him waiting in vain!”

Ascension - Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary

 

Today is the Solemnity of Ascension of Jesus into heaven. This weekend is also Mother’s Day. Today is a good day to preach about the glorious mysteries of the Rosary since the 2^nd mystery is the Ascension of Jesus into heaven.

During the month of May, statues of Virgin Mary are crowned with a wreath of flowers, some parishes will pray an outdoor “Living Rosary”.

Several weeks ago, I gave a talk about the Rosary at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita. I spoke about the power and benefits of the Holy Rosary and the importance of meditating on its mysteries.

In 1208, St. Dominic tried to convert Albigensian heretics, but was very unsuccessful. They believed the body and all physical things were bad, but only spiritual things and the soul was good.

In the year, 1214 Dominic was in anguish and went alone into the forest. He wept and prayed continuously for three days asking God to help him convert the heretics. He flogged his body and scourged his flesh. While in the woods, Dominic and an apparition of the Virgin Mary, who gave him the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the Rosary and asked him to preach it.

Shortly after this apparition, St. Dominic preached the Holy Rosary to the unconverted Albigensian heretics and thousands were converted.

Today, when we pray the Rosary, we should think about the mystery of each decade as we pray the Our Father and Hail Marys. Its a double prayer. We pray the Hail Marys and Our Fathers with our lips and pray in our mind meditating on each mystery as we think about it.

When we pray the Rosary, we spiritually crown Mary with a wreath of roses in heaven. Did you ever wonder why the Rosary is called Rosary? It’s called Rosary because the people call it a “Crown of Roses.”

In 1475, a young Franciscan friar had the habit of saying the Rosary every day before dinner. One day, he did not manage to say it. The bell rang calling the friars to eat. He asked the Superior to allow him to pray the Rosary before eating with the others, and having obtained permission he went to his cell (bedroom) to pray.
After a long time the Superior sent a Friar to fetch him, and he found him in his room bathed in a heavenly light facing Our Lady, who had two Angels with her. Beautiful roses kept coming from his mouth at each Hail Mary; the Angels took roses one by one, placing them on Our Lady's head, and She smilingly accepted them.

When he didn’t return, two other friars were sent to find out what happened, and they also saw Our Lady and the two angels who stayed who didn’t disappear until the whole Rosary was prayed.
The complete Rosary is a large crown of roses and the Rosary of five decades is a little wreath of flowers or a small crown of heavenly roses which we place on the heads of Jesus and Mary.

When we pray the Glorious mysteries of the Rosary, in our mind, we see Jesus come out of the tomb and appear to the Apostles. Thomas, who doubted, touched the wounds of Jesus, saying, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and again on the shore of the lake when they were fishing.

The second mystery, is the Ascension of Jesus. In this mystery, we see the Apostles and the Virgin on top of a mountain and instructing them to make disciples of all nations. He gives His blessing, and suddenly a cloud appears at His feet and He slowly ascend into heaven. The Virgin Mary and the Apostles look on as Jesus is lifted above the earth. After Jesus could no longer be seen, suddenly an angel appears to them saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The third glorious mystery is the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. As we pray the Hail Marys, we are now in the upper room and see the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles. They hear and see the strong driving wind, and tongues of fire appear before their head. They are no longer frightened. With fearless courage, Peter goes outside and gives a sermon so powerful that thousands are converted and baptized.

For the 4th mystery, we are at the tomb of the Virgin Mary. After She said Her good byes to the apostles and promised to pray for them from heaven, She died. And after placed Her in a tomb, suddenly Jesus comes down from heaven and brings Her with Him-- body and soul into paradise.

At the last glorious mystery, we are in heaven. We see a multitude of angels and saints gazing upon the Blessed Trinity-- as the Virgin Mary, is crowned queen of heaven and earth. Her Son takes His Mother by the hand and leads Her to a large throne. She is given a scepter, and given authority to answer prayers interceding to Her Son, Jesus.

My friends, by meditating on the life and Jesus and Mary, we come in contact with the mysteries of our faith. We grow spiritually in faith, hope and love. The Rosary is powerful in gaining access to God and uniting us to God through Mary.

When we pray the Rosary, with our imagination, and by God’s grace, we can make the events of the Rosary come alive and participate in them in our mind as well. When praying the Rosary, our soul is flooded with grace, our heart is filled with love of God and neighbor, and we obtain peace in our heart.

St. Louis de Montfort said that when we pray the Rosary in a group, graces are multiplied. When I gave a talk at the Spiritual Life Center, I asked the group, “Is it possible to pray 50 rosaries in 20 min?” They all looked at me with shock. But then I told them how it can be done.

St. Louis de Montfort said, when we pray the Rosary in a group, its the same as though we pray the number of rosaries of all those who are praying it. For example, if a group of 5 people pray the Rosary, then each person receives the same grace as though he prayed 5 rosaries. So when the group prayed together, we prayed nearly 50 rosaries in 20 min, because there were 50 people praying it. Imagine the power of praying the Rosary at Marian sites like Lourdes, Fatima or Medjugorje, when thousands of people pray the Rosary together before Mass.

Many parishes pray the Rosary before Mass. It is powerful to pray the Rosary every night together as a family. The family is drawn closer to God through the Rosary and closer to each other. We receive graces to endure the difficulties of our life and our family.

If you have cares or concerns and desire your petitions to be heard, pray the Rosary with others, especially your family or at church.

We can experience the love of Jesus when we pray the Rosary. Pray it as family every day. Maybe start out with a decade each night before you go to bed. Then slowly work up to 2 decades, then the whole Rosary.

On this Mother’s Day weekend, let us turn to Mary, our spiritual Mother, trusting that She will multiply the graces we need, when we pray Her Rosary and crown Her with spiritual roses in heaven.

6th Sunday, Crowning of Mary & Rosary

 

As we begin the month of May, we crowned the Virgin Mary before Mass, and after Mass, we will gather to pray the Living Rosary by the statue of Mary, outside the Parish Hall.

When I was attending Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the year before I was ordained a deacon, we crowned a statue of Mary. It was the first year, we had a may crowning at the seminary.

Tuesday of this past week, I gave a 10 to 2 talk about the Rosary at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita. I spoke about the power of the Rosary and the importance of meditating on its mysteries.

In 1208, St. Dominic tried to convert Albigensian heretics, but was very unsuccessful. They believed the body and all physical things were bad, but only spiritual things and the soul was good.

In the year, 1214 Dominic was in anguish and went alone into the forest. He wept and prayed continuously for three days to ask God to help him convert the heretics. He flogged his body and scourged his flesh.

While in the woods, Dominic had an apparition of the Virgin Mary, who gave him the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the Rosary and asked him to preach it.

Shortly after this apparition, St. Dominic preached the Holy Rosary to the unconverted Albigensian heretics. This helped the Albigensian heretics to better understand and to imitate the virtuous life of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary and thousands were converted.

Today, when we pray the Rosary, we should think about the mystery of each decade. Its a double prayer. We pray the Hail Marys and Our Fathers with our lips and pray in our mind when we think about each mystery. When we pray the Rosary, we spiritually crown Mary with a wreathe or roses in heaven. Did you ever wonder why the Rosary is called Rosary? Its named after the rose.

There was an apparition of a Franciscan who was praying the Rosary, who another Franciscan witnessed. During the apparition, every time a Hail Mary was prayed by one of the Friars, a white rose came out of his mouth and ever time he prayed the Lord’s Prayer, a red rose would come out of his mouth. An angel would take the rose and place it in a wreathe on Our Lady’s head.

For example, with regard to the joyful mysteries. Picture the scene of the Virgin Mary praying, when suddenly an angel appears before her saying, “Hail Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!” Mary was troubled because She did not know what the angel meant. But he told Her--She would become the Mother of Jesus and His kingdom would be without end. Mary gave Her Yes and then suddenly the Holy Spirit came down upon Her. Jesus descended from heaven into Her womb as a tiny unborn baby. Mary’s Heart was filled with joy and She immediately began to thank the Lord for the wonderful gift of being the Mother of God.

Mary then traveled for 5 days to the town of her cousin Elizabeth. She was elderly and pregnant with John the Baptist. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the unborn John the Baptist leapt with joy and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, saying, “How is it the Mother of my Lord should come to me, for at the moment of your greeting, the child leapt for joy.” Jesus was just 5 days from conception and had no hands, no eyes, nor no beating heart, yet He blessed John the John the Baptist through the wombs of the mothers.

Then we consider, the birth of Jesus. While taking refuge in a cave with animals, on a cold winter night, Mary miraculously gave birth to Jesus, not in the ordinary way. It's believed Joseph most likely didn’t witness the event, perhaps either sleeping or fetching water. When Jesus was born, He was suddenly before Mary, who picked Him up and held Him in Her arms. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and kissed His chubby little face. In the meditation, you see the Virgin Mary giving you the Child Jesus to hold in your arms. Tears fall from your face as you gaze upon the smiling face of Jesus.

Then out of obedience to the law, Joseph and Mary take the Child Jesus to the temple. Simeon, an elderly priest’s heart is filled with joy because he waited his whole life for the moment he would present the Savior of the World to God the Father, as a tiny infant. Anna, an elderly woman looks on. She had been fasting and praying in the temple for years, hoping someday to see the Messiah. And now He is here. What unutterable sweetness for her to see the Divine Child.

The last joyful mystery, Joseph and Mary are unable to find the 12-year-old Jesus. They had walked for several days in the caravan without noticing His absence. Now they are searching for Him in tears, wondering what happened to Him. Did bandits come and take Him. Was He hurt? Did He have food and water to drink? Where is He, they wondered. Then finally, they discover Jesus in the temple speaking to the doctors of the law and answering their questions. They could not understand how a 12 your old boy, could have such deep knowledge of scripture and spiritual things. Mary and Joseph quickly come to Him and embrace Him out of love. Mary asked, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been seeking you in sorrow.” Jesus responded, “Did you not know, I must be in my Father’s house?”

When we pray the Rosary, with our imagination, with God’s grace, we can make the events of the Rosary come alive and participate in them in our mind as well. When we pray the Rosary, our soul is flooded with grace, our heart is filled with love of God and neighbor, and it gives us peace.

St. Louis de Montfort said that when we pray the Rosary in a group, graces are multiplied. For example, if a group of 5 people pray the Rosary, then each person receives the same grace as though he prayed 5 rosaries. Therefore, if you have cares or concerns and desire your petitions to be heard, pray the Rosary with others, especially your family or at church. During weekdays, we pray the Rosary after all Masses, and we pray the Rosary before Sunday Mass. It is powerful to pray the Rosary every night together as a family. The family is drawn closer to God through the Rosary and closer to each other. We receive graces to endure the difficulties of family life and everything else that involves our life.

In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “As the Father loves me, so I love you.” We can experience the love of Jesus when we pray the Rosary. Pray it as family every day. Maybe start out with a decade each night before you go to bed. Then slowly work up to 2 decades, then the whole Rosary.

My aunt Bertha and uncle Frank prayed the Rosary every day for nearly 68 years of their married life.

Today, crowned the Virgin Mary before Mass, as our mother, and after Mass, we will pray the Living Rosary by the statue near the parish hall.

Let us make the commitment to pray the Rosary every day and to pray it daily as a family, knowing by Mary’s intercession, She will present our petitions to God and by Her motherly assistance, they will be granted, if it's His holy will.

5th Sunday of Easter- Vine & Branches

 

 In Gospel today Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches.”

On the day we were baptized, we became attached to the vine and began to dwell within Jesus, who began to dwell within the temple of our heart. As baptized Christians, we remain in Jesus and Jesus remains in us by the things we do in life. Yet, we can also separate our self from Jesus, the vine in this life.

It’s not just a question of making our home in Jesus because it feels good. A branch which is connected to the vine bears fruit. He said “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in Him, He it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing.”

How is it we remain in Jesus? We draw grace (sap) from Jesus who give us grace to live Christian lives. We draw this sap from Jesus when we pray everyday, when come to Mass, when we adore Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration, and especially when we receive Holy Communion where (Jesus truly abides in us and we abide in Him). Also we draw sap from Jesus, the Vine, when we read the Bible and pray the Rosary.

When we pray the Rosary, we are coming in contact with the mysteries about the life of Jesus. For example, if we pray the Glorious mysteries of the Rosary, we see Jesus come out of the tomb and appear to the Apostles, we see Jesus ascend into heaven on a cloud, we are there in the upper room when the Holy Spirit comes down upon Mary and the Apostles in the form of wind and fire. We are at the tomb of the Virgin Mary, when Jesus comes down from heaven and brings Her with Him body and soul into heaven. Then we are in heaven, and become aware of the multitude of angels and saints gazing upon the Virgin Mary, as She is crowned queen of heaven and earth.

By meditating on the life and Jesus and Mary, we come in contact with the mysteries of our faith. We grow spiritually in faith, hope and love. The Rosary is a powerful way to gain access to God and be united to God through Mary.

Jesus is asking us to make our home in Him. And if we make our home with Him, we will live a holy and a virtuous life, we will do good deeds (which will be the fruit of our abiding life with Jesus). We can’t help but do good things, if we abide with Goodness itself. The branch bears fruit because of the goodness of the vine.

People who see how we live our life as Christians, by the good things we say and do, inspire others to want to be one of us.

In this life, we have to be careful so that we don’t cut our self off from the vine, by not abiding in Jesus. With all the seductions of this life, all the worldly things, and all the distractions, these things can cause us to be separated from Jesus, the Vine.

Jesus gave an explanation of what can happen if we separate our self from Him. He said, “If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.” He speaks of a fire, where a branch is thrown to be burned and when He speaks of this fire, Our Lord is speaking of hell, where the person is eternally separated from Him, because the person refused to abide in Him and not stay attached to Him, the Vine, in this life.

As branches, we are disciples of Christ, who cling to Jesus. We love Jesus. We abide with Jesus and Jesus then produces fruit by being attached to Him. A good way to renew our attachment to Jesus is to regularly give our self and our life to Jesus.

When we receive Holy Communion, we become one with Jesus. He abides in us and we abide in Him.

When we go home after Mass and when we live our life throughout the week, will we bear fruit for the kingdom of God? We have to remember “our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active; only by this can we be certain that we are the children of the truth…” Everyone around us should see Jesus abiding in us. They should see we are attached to the Vine and that the Vine is bearing fruit in our life.

If we go to PJ’s and are eating with friends who Catholic and non-Catholic, are the words that we speak edifying? Do they build up others or tear them down? Do we use dirty words in our expressions and make remarks that are not Christian?

In the second reading today from the First Letter of St. John. St John said, “Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments. And His commandment is this: we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as He commanded us. Those who keep His commandments remain in Him, and He in them, and this way we know that He remains in us-- is from the Spirit He gave us.”

By John’s words, we understand that if we keep His commandments we remain in Jesus and Jesus remains in us.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus Himself said, “This is my commandment love one another.” He also said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” As Christians, we are to constantly live our life in union with Jesus. If we sin, by not keeping His commandments, we separate our self from Him. If we give bad example, by our words, our actions or our deeds, we separating our self from the vine.

But, if we give good example, speak words of truth, and help others in need, it shows we are attached to Jesus.

We always have the opportunity of returning to the Lord by the sacrament of mercy in confession. When one has separated themselves from the Lord through serious sin, the person no longer abides in Jesus. They caused themselves to be cut off.

However, the beauty of the Resurrection of Jesus is that even if a branch should die and be cut off from the vine, it can be given life, and be grafted back on to the Vine and become a very fruitful branch.

Today, we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and ask Her to help us to remain in Jesus, Her Son, so that if we remain in Him in this life, we will abide with Him forever in the glory of heaven.

Homily partially taken from Fr. Tommy Lane

3rd Sunday of Easter - New Catholics

This is an exciting day for those who by their profession of faith, will be entering into full communion the Catholic Church. It is also exciting for our parish of Holy Trinity. You have been on a journey of faith. Growing in your knowledge and love of the truth revealed by God. Most importantly, you have discovered more about who Jesus really is and what He did for us, and is doing for us today through the sacraments.

You participated in over 30 sessions to learn about what we believe. For someone to become Catholic, they need to know about our faith, and not just know about it, but to believe it. St. Justin, the martyr, in the 200’s, wrote to the emperor, about how no one may become one of us, and cannot receive the Eucharist, unless they first believe all that what we believe and live as we live as Christians. He also said that they must be baptized. All of you who are entering into the Catholic Church, were baptized Christians, and today, after you profess your faith, you will receive a new saint name and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit when you are Confirmed. By your Confirmation, you will become a solider for Christ, a witness for Christ. You are becoming a member of the Church founded by Jesus Christ Himself, that has been in existence from the beginning.

You will receive for the first time in your life, the real and true presence of Jesus in Holy Communion. As Catholics, we have the same faith in the Eucharist as the Apostles and the early Christians. We believe we are receiving the real bodily resurrected Jesus in Holy Communion, who will come inside your heart. Even before time began, when God conceived the idea of creating you, He immediately was looking forward to this day, when you will make your First Holy Communion. Because the priest has apostolic succession, the laying on of the hands, all the way back to the Apostles, the priest has the authority and power to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Other religions, do not believe the Eucharist is the real body of Jesus, but only a symbol. They don’t have apostolic succession.

For us Catholics, the Eucharist is not a symbol, but really and truly Jesus, who will come inside your heart and who will remain the tabernacle. Many of the disciples no longer followed Jesus after He told them, they were to eat His flesh and drink His blood. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This is my body, to be given up for you.” He did not say, this is a symbol of my body. He meant it literally and this what Christians have believed from the beginning up to today.

We believe at Mass, the event of Jesus Crucifixion becomes re-presented. It is made present on the altar. Jesus is not re-crucified, but rather, the one event becomes present on the altar, that’s why its called the Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is like a mystical time machine.

Some don’t understand what we believe. For example, some say, we worship statues, but we don’t. No body worship’s Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC. Statues are merely a reminder of important people, who lived among us. And saints in heaven. Some say, we worship saints, but we don’t. We ask them to pray for us like we ask each other to pray for us here on earth.

Catholics are counter-cultural. We have always and will always defend life from the moment of conception until natural death, because we believe every person is created in the image and likeness of God.

We also love and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Jesus gave Mary to John, when He said, “Woman, behold your son” and to John, “Behold your Mother”. The 10 commandments tell us to honor our father and mother. We honor Mary, because Mary is our spiritual mother. She knew Jesus better than anyone else, because She lived with Him for 30 years. We pray Her Rosary knowing She intercedes for us, as She interceded for the wedding couple at Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine.

In the Gospel today, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and said “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought, it was a ghost, after all, Jesus was buried in a tomb. But, Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts. Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” He then showed them His hands and feet. He then wanted to remove all doubt and ate baked fish in front of them.

Don’t you wish you could see Jesus, just like the Apostles when He appeared to them? Every sacrament, especially the Eucharist is an occasion where we come in contact with Jesus. St. Francis of Assisi said, "And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so now He has us see Him in the Sacred Bread. Looking at Him with the eyes of their flesh, they saw only His Flesh, but regarding Him with the eyes of the spirit, they believed that He was God. In like manner, as we see bread and wine with our bodily eyes, let us see and believe firmly that it is His Most Holy Body and Blood, True and Living. For in this way our Lord is ever present among those who believe in him.”

Through Confession, Jesus is there to forgive us. When you made your First Confession, Jesus forgave all the sins of your life. And He did it in the most loving and tender way. Come to Jesus often to receive His loving and tender mercy.

All of the Apostles, the bishops and priests as their successors, forgave sins because Jesus told them, “As the Father sent me, so I send you. And He breathed on them saying, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive sins, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” There are documents in the early Church that support the fact, that people confessed their sins to priests.

Through Holy Communion, Jesus is one with us, as He said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in Him.” St. John Chrysostom said, “How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment."

St. Teresa of Avila encouraged others to pray deeply to Jesus in Holy Communion. She said, “Let us entertain ourselves lovingly with Jesus and not waste the hour that follows Communion. It is an excellent time to deal with God and put before Him the matters that concern our soul… As we know that the good Jesus remains within us until our natural warmth has dissolved the bread-like qualities, we should take great care not to lose so beautiful an opportunity to treat with Him and lay our needs before Him.' "

St. Therese of Lissieux spoke about receiving Holy Communion often. She said, "Receive Communion often, very often...there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing..." "The guest of our soul knows our misery.”

My friends, we celebrate with great joy, your entry into the Church and especially your new and more profound relationship with Jesus in the sacraments. He is always there, because He loves us so much.

Seek to get to know Jesus even more, by reading about Him in the Bible. Read about the lives of the saints, and you will discover a treasure of spiritual richness and the many ways Our Lord Jesus Christ, shows you how much He loves you and is with you in every situation of life.

And you have here in our church, new friends, who will help you on your way to heaven, as you help us on our way to heaven to be with Jesus forever.

3rd Sunday Easter - In Traumatic Events - Jesus is There, Vigil Mass

 

Have you ever witnessed or heard about a traumatic event? Have you ever seen a ghost? When I was in high school, a 17 yr old boy died in a car accident. His car ran into the back of a parked semi. The accident was so bad, he was decapitated. How horrible for his family and friends.

While I was in seminary, four people were murdered in Wichita. I knew two of them. They were stripped of their clothing, and then they were shot in the back of the head in a field.

Later, when I became a priest, there was a plane accident that killed a father and son. There were two other boys who survived the accident, but it was traumatic for them to witness to death of two of their friends. I was there when I took his wife and the mother of her son, to see both of their bodies at the mortuary.

My nephew was in Afghanistan and his armored vehicle hit a landmine. He survived, but he has suffered much from the mental anguish of the war.

Once on a trip, I stayed in a particular place, in Atchinson, Kansas, and as I just turned off the lights to go to sleep, I saw a black figure in my room. At first, I thought it was a ghost, but later came to understand it was an evil spirit.

All of these traumatic events remind us how frail life really is. When we suffer from a traumatic event, it can cause us to be upset for a long time and some people develop what’s called PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, which can cause depression, fears, flashbacks and nightmares. This is true for first responders such are police, firemen, ambulance crews and soldiers.

For the Apostles, it was very traumatic three days. They were with Jesus during the Last Supper, His agony in the garden, His betrayal by Judas, Our Lord’s arrest, Peter denying Jesus. Later that night, after going before the Sanhedrin, Jesus was placed in a dungeon. The apostles then heard about Judas, one of the twelve, whom they were together with for 3 years, committing suicide. In the morning Jesus was taken before Pilate, then taken to Herod and then back to Pilate. Jesus was then scourged, crowned with thorns, and condemned to death by the people yelling, “Crucify Him”. Pilate gave in to their request and Jesus carried His Cross to the top of the mountain, falling three times along the way. Then at 12 noon, He was stripped of His clothes, and His hands and feet were nailed to a Cross for everyone to see. He hung there for 3 hours of agony before His death. Once He was dead, a soldier pierced His side with a lance and blood and water flowed from it.

Can you imagine what it was like for the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus to witness Her Son being treated so terribly. John, the apostle, and the other two women also watched as He was nailed to the Cross. They felt helpless, not being able to help Jesus, their friend. They stood there for 3 hours, as He slowly became weaker and weaker losing blood. His lungs filled with fluid and blood and then He died. How traumatic these events must have been for the Apostles, who were friends of Jesus, and who had been with Him every day for three years. They had witnessed His miracles and now He died.

But, what happened next would help the Apostles and us to know-- that no matter what kind of terrible experience we have in our life, Jesus is with us. While they were gathered together in the upper room, and when they were discussing about all that happened to Jesus, suddenly, He stood in their midst, and said, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought, it was a ghost, after all, Jesus was buried in a tomb. But, Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts. Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” He then showed them His hands and feet. He then wanted to remove all doubt and ate baked fish in front of them.

Jesus appearance to them is a reminder for us, that at the end of the world, we too will get a resurrected body, a real physical body, and we will be able to eat like He did. Even though we will have a physical resurrected body, we will be able to walk through walls like Jesus.

When He appeared to His Apostles, He spoke to them about the scriptures in the bible, that referred to Him and how they predicted these terrible events over the past three days.

If you had a past traumatic event that haunts you, whatever your situation, Jesus longs to do for you what He did for His disciples. He longs to give peace to your heart and mind. He wants to heal those emotional wounds caused by seeing, hearing or witnessing terrible events that should have never happened. Jesus is here today, looking into your eyes, saying, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid. It is I.”

For Catholics, we believe the bread on the altar is changed into the true resurrected body of Jesus. And when we gaze upon the Eucharist, we are gazing upon Jesus, who is gazing upon us. Jesus comes in to the wall of our hearts and we are united with Him in Holy Communion.

During Eucharistic Adoration, Our Lord is standing before us as we adore Him with love.

Many may not have not had traumatic events, like what I spoke about. But you may have had bad events that bothered you. For example, divorce, or a child being separated from a parent, or the loss of a parent or grandparent. Being bullied by someone. A relative or friend who deeply hurt you, by their words or actions.

Today, Jesus is here and wants to help you. What is most helpful--- is to pray, and in prayer talk to Jesus about the event or circumstance that causes you anguish.

He already knows all about it, but He wants you to speak to Him about it in prayer. Jesus is God and knows everything. What you probably never thought about, Jesus is always present at every event in our life, whether past or future.

Jesus feels what we feel. He feels our fears. He knows why-- and when we are angry. He cares about our every circumstance of life. He wants to encourage you, to console you, to help you in your decisions. He wants to calm your fears.

Jesus is not in some far away place from us. Rather, He is risen. He is alive. He is with us and most especially in the Eucharist. While we may not see His physical body like the Apostles witnessed on the day Jesus rose from the dead, our faith tells us, He is really there in the Sacred Host and wants to help us and loves us more than we can possibly imagine.

Divine Mercy Sunday - Year B - How Merciful is God?

 

How merciful is God? If we look at Sacred Scripture, we see how God was merciful to Mary Magdalene, a prostitute, who converted. She later stood at the foot of the Cross and when Jesus rose from the dead, He chose to appear to her first, before the Apostles.

St. Paul, who persecuted Christians and was responsible for the stoning of St. Stephen, but converted after having a vision of Jesus and then became an apostle founding many churches and wrote letters that now make up the New Testament.

Or Peter, who denied Jesus three times, but became the first Pope of the Catholic Church. Remember what Jesus asked Peter after the resurrection? He asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” in order to make up for the three times Peter denied Him.

Remember the adulterous woman, who was going to be stoned to death and all Jesus told her, was “Go and sin no more.”

Outside of scripture, Blessed Barto Longo, a satanic high priest, converted due to the Holy Rosary and became a Dominican brother.

Or Fr. Don Calloway, who was a drug mule delivering drugs from one dealer to another. He lived very promiscuous life with many young women, and was addicted to drugs, but had a conversion and was then called to be a priest and is now a Marian of the Immaculate Conception.

Or Bernard Nathanson, who was an abortionist, who admitted to killing over 7,000 unborn children, but converted, was baptized as Catholic and then became a pro-life leader.

Bishop Fulton Sheen tells the story of a prostitute, who went to Confession and then later became a cloistered nun. Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

All of these people were touched by their personal contact with Jesus. All of these and many more came to know the love and mercy of God. If God was merciful to all these people, He certainly will be merciful to each of us, whose sins are so much less than these notorious sinners.

In the year 2000, Pope John Paul instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy, which is celebrated today, the Second Sunday of Easter. The feast arises out of a series of apparitions, from a Polish nun, by the name of Sr. Faustina. She was born in Poland in 1905. When she was twenty years old, she entered the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy-- where she lived for the next thirteen years until her death on October 5th, 1938. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993, and canonized in 2000.

In February of 1931, Sr. Faustina saw Jesus dressed in a white garment. He held one hand raised-- in blessing and the other hand touching his garment at his chest. From the point on his garment two rays of light emanated (one red and the other white). Jesus said, “Paint a picture according to the vision you see and with the signature, ‘Jesus I trust in You!’ I desire that this picture be venerated first in your chapel and then throughout the whole world.” Later Jesus explained, “The rays represent the Blood and Water which gushed forth from the depths of my Mercy when My agonizing heart was pierced on the cross. The pale rays symbolize the water which cleanses and purifies the soul: the red rays represent the blood, which gives new life to the soul.”

In the Gospel today, the disciples were gathered in the Upper Room and were afraid. But Jesus came to them with his message of peace. He said, “Peace be with you!” They were no longer afraid. It is like that for us too. We will not find peace until we find it in Jesus. Jesus’ message for each of us today is to find our peace in Him. In the Gospel, He also breathed on them, and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'.

Jesus entrusted to them, and to all the bishops and priests unto today through apostolic succession, the gift of "forgiving sins,", the way of giving peace to mankind. Forgiving sins is a gift that flows from the wounds in His hands, His feet, and especially from His pierced side. From there a wave of mercy is poured out over all humanity. The rays of Divine Mercy restore hope, in a special way, to those-who feel overwhelmed by the burden of sin.

Jesus asked Sr. Faustina that the Sunday after Easter be celebrated as a Feast of Mercy and be preceded by a novena beginning on Good Friday. Jesus promised those who go to confession and receive Holy Communion would obtain a complete remission of all sin and all punishment due to sin.

The cardinal of Poland- at the center of the devotion said, the Lenten confession is sufficient for the requirement of the devotion, as long as one is not currently in mortal sin.

A different priest from Poland, Canon Ignacy Rozycki, came to the conclusion that the extraordinary grace promised by Jesus on the Feast of Mercy is a gift of grace equaled only by the grace of Baptism. Therefore, today, if we have the intention of having all our sins forgiven and all the punishment due to our sins washed away, our soul will become like it had been at baptism. And, if we were to immediately die after receiving Holy Communion, we would go straight to heaven. There would be no purgatory time at all. All sins and punishment due to our sins will be completely washed into Our Lord’s infinite ocean of mercy.

Jesus said, “Let no soul fear to come to me, even if its sins be as scarlet. This feast emerged from the bosom of my mercy and is founded in the depths of my mercies.”

Sr. Faustina saw an angel about to execute God’s punishment on a city. She prayed for mercy but her prayers were without effect. Then suddenly she heard this prayer, “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.” which caused the angel to lose its power to punish the city.

With this prayer, as well as the prayer, “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world”, it’s called the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Jesus said, “Say unceasingly this chaplet. Anyone who says it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as a last hope. If the most hardened sinner recites this chaplet even once, they will receive grace from my infinite mercy. I want the whole world to know my infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in my mercy.” Jesus also said, “I desire the confidence of my people. Let not even the weak and very sinful fear to approach me, even if their sins be as numerous as all the sand of the earth all will be forgiven in the fathomless pit of my mercy.”

Today, we will celebrate Divine Mercy Devotions, with a Eucharistic Holy Hour at 3pm. Please come and pray for God’s mercy for the Church, our country and our families.

After we receive Holy Communion, with a heart full of thanksgiving like the Virgin Mary’s Heart, which was always completely free from sin, and the punishment due to sin, may we return to our pews, kneel down, close our eyes-- and from the depths of our heart---- cry out, “Thank you Lord, for forgiving all of my sins and the punishment due to my sins. For you-- O my Jesus--- are infinitely merciful. And I am an unworthy sinner—but I trust in your unfathomable mercy.”