Easter Vigil - Pope St. John Paul II

 

"You have a guard of soldiers; go and secure the tomb as best as you can".

The tomb of Jesus had been closed and sealed. At the request of the Chief Priests and the Pharisees, soldiers were placed on guard, lest anyone steal the body. This is the event from which the liturgy of the Easter Vigil begins.

Those who had sought the death of Christ, those who considered Him an "imposter", were keeping watch beside the tomb. They wanted Him and His message to be buried for ever.

Not far away, Mary Magdalene was keeping watch, and with her the Apostles and a few women. In their hearts they pondered the distressing events which had just taken place.

The Church keeps watch this night, in every corner of the world, and she re-lives the principal stages of salvation history. The solemn liturgy which we are celebrating is the expression of this "keeping watch" which, in a way, evokes the watch kept by God himself. The Book of Exodus tells us: "It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. This night is a night of watching kept to the Lord in every generation".

In his provident and faithful love, which transcends time and space, God keeps watch over the world. As the Psalmist sings: "He sleeps not nor slumbers, Israel’s guard.... The Lord is your guard.... The Lord will guard you ... both now and for ever".

God the Father "is working still" for the salvation of the world, and through his Incarnate Son he leads his people from slavery to freedom, from death to life.

Bethlehem and Calvary evoke the same mystery of the love of God, who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life".

As she keeps watch on this Holy Night, the Church closely scrutinizes the texts of Sacred Scripture. They portray God’s plan from Genesis to the Gospel and, together with the liturgical rites of fire and water, give this remarkable celebration a cosmic dimension. The whole created universe is summoned to keep watch this night at the tomb of Christ. The history of salvation passes before our eyes, from Creation to the Redemption, from the Exodus to the Covenant on Mount Sinai, from the Old to the New and Eternal Covenant. On this Holy Night, God’s eternal plan reaches fulfillment, the plan which embraces the history of humanity and of the universe.

At the Easter Vigil, "the mother of all vigils", everyone can likewise acknowledge their own personal history of salvation, which has its basic moment in our rebirth in Christ through Baptism. 

In a very special way, this the experience too for new Catholics all over the world (China, Japan, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Peru, the United States, etc…) who tonight are receiving the Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. 

The variety of countries points to the universality of the salvation brought by Christ. Those who are entering in the Church, like us, become intimate sharers in the mystery of the love of God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. We pray that their lives become a song of praise to the Most Holy Trinity and a witness of love which knows no limits.

"Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world: come, let us worship!". Yesterday the Church chanted these words, lifting up the wood of the Cross, "on which hung Christ, the Savior of the world". "He was crucified, died and was buried", as we say in the Creed.

The tomb! Behold the place where they buried him. There the community of the Church throughout the world is spiritually present. We too are there with the three women going to the tomb before dawn to anoint the lifeless body of Jesus. Their loving concern is our concern too. With them we discover that the large tombstone has been rolled away and that the body is no longer there. "He is not here", the angel proclaims, pointing to the empty tomb and the winding cloth on the ground. Death no longer has power over him.

Christ is risen! So the Church proclaims, at the end of this Easter night, even as yesterday she proclaimed Christ’s death on the Cross. It is a proclamation of truth and life. 

"Christ is risen from the tomb, who for our sakes hung upon the Cross. Alleluia!". The Lord, who for us was nailed to the Cross, is risen from the tomb!

Yes, Christ is truly risen and we are witnesses of this. 

We proclaim this witness to the world, so that the joy which is ours will reach countless other hearts, kindling in them the light of the hope which does not disappoint. Christ is risen, alleluia!

Mostly Taken from a homily of Pope St. John Paul II

Good Friday - 7 Last Words

  

 In 2007, I was able to be the chaplain of a pilgrimage group to the Holy Land. As a chaplain, it was free for me. One of the most touching and emotional places I went was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which contains Calvary, the place where Jesus was crucified, and also the tomb of Jesus, where He actually rose from the dead. 

At Calvary, underneath an altar is a hole in the ground believed to be the actual place the Cross was implanted. When I placed my hand in the hole, I was overwhelmed with sorrow for my sins as it occurred to me, and began to weep, because it was there Our Savior died for me. Then about 20 feet away, I offered a Mass on a different altar. During that Mass, I preached on the 7 Last words of Jesus.

    On Good Friday, there is no Mass offered anywhere in the world, to remind us that if it was not for Jesus suffering and death on the Cross, we would not have the Mass. In fact, the Mass is the re-presentation of Calvary. Not representation.

Here on the altar we receive the same graces as the people who were actually present at the Crucifixion of Jesus.

    At the Church of the Holy Sepulcher I placed my hand in the hole where Jesus was crucified and then in my hands, I held the Body and Blood of Jesus and by the power of the sacred priesthood, and through the words of consecration, Calvary became present on the altar in the same place where Jesus died for all of us.

By God’s grace and power, and through the Holy Priesthood, Calvary becomes present on every altar of the world during Holy Mass. So, if you ever wanted to be at Calvary, know you are at Calvary at every Mass.

As we commemorate the Passion of Jesus, let us focus on Our Lord’s Last Seven words.

After He had been stripped of His garments, and nailed to the wood of the Cross, Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!” Can you imagine looking down from the Cross from which you are dying and seeing those who are mocking you? They cried out, “If you are the Son of God, get yourself down from there.” Yet, with great love Jesus forgave them, and forgave us, who nailed Him to the tree by our sins. Not only did He forgive our sins, but He also made an excuse. He said, “for they know not what they do.”

One of the thieves crucified next to Jesus said, “If you are the Son of God, save your self and us.” But the good thief said, “Lord remember me, when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus responded, “Today, you will be with me in paradise” Today, we pray that when we sin, we too will admit our guilt like the good thief, and with trust ask Jesus if we may enter His kingdom.

Jesus then said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” These words came from the depth of Our Lord’s heart. Our Lord said these words for three reasons. The first reason-- was to reveal the mystery of His humanity, which felt abandoned by His Father. Yet, He trusted. He knew His Father was with Him. The second reason was to give us courage, when we too feel abandoned by God. But, it is only a feeling and not what is true. God is always with us. He will never leave us alone. The third reason, why Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”, caused the Jews to be struck with terror. The Jews prayed the psalms everyday. They knew He was quoting the first words from Psalm 22, which refers to suffering Messiah. They knew the rest of the psalm, which said, “I am a worm, not a man, the scorn of men, despised by the people. All who scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: “He relied on the Lord; let Him deliver Him, let Him rescue Him, if he Loves them.” “My throat is dried up like baked clay, my tongue clings to my mouth. Indeed many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in upon me; they have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. They gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.”

Can you imagine, being a Jew and knowing this psalm, and gazing upon Jesus, who is fulfilling it. They would have said to themselves, “We are looking at Him, whose hands and feet are pierced. Did we not wag our heads, scoff at Him, and mock Him? Did we not witness the soldiers cast lots for His clothes. O God, creator the universe, what have we done, are we killing your Son, He who is the Messiah?

From the Cross, Jesus cried out, “I thirst”. Yes, He thirsted, because His mouth was parched, for loss of blood. His body was burning from the heat. But, He had a deeper spiritual reason, to say, “I thirst.” He thirsts for our love. He thirsts for our souls, that we may come to Him in this life, and be with Him forever in paradise.

How difficult it must have been for Our Lord to look down from the Cross and see the tear filled eyes of His Mother, and see John, the beloved, holding Her close to Him. Both were weeping. And if you were His Mother, can you imagine gazing upon your Son, as He hung from the tree. The same hands and feet the mother kissed-- when He was an infant are nailed and bleeding. The same face She kissed every night before going to bed, is dripping blood from the crown of thorns.

When the mother looked at the son, and the son looked at the mother, Jesus said, “Woman, behold thy son.” And to John, “Son, behold thy mother.” He knew He was about to take His last breath, and after He giving us His very body and blood on the Cross, He had one more gift, the gift of His Mother. When John took Mary into His home, we received our spiritual mother, who would pray for us, and look after us, to lead us to Her Son.

Then Jesus then cried out, “Father, into Your hands, I commend My spirit.” Moments before His death, He entrusted Himself and His spirit to the Father because He wanted to give us an example of trusting the Father in our of agony despite our intense suffering.

And when Jesus said, “It is finished.”, He bowed his head and died. With these words, Our Lord accomplished the task He came upon earth. The primary reason, why He came down from heaven in the womb of Mary, to take upon human nature, had arrived. His crucifixion, would conquer, sin, death, and the devil. By His death on the Cross, He would open for us the gates of paradise, while at the same time reveal God’s infinite love for us.

Tonight, when we come forward to venerate the Cross, may we remember Our Lord’s last words, and gently and humbly kiss the wood of the Cross, from which hung the Savior of the world.

Holy Thursday - Eucharist & Priesthood

Today we thank Jesus for giving us the Eucharist and the priesthood. Saint Pope John Paul II said in one his Holy Thursday Letters to priest, “There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.”

You see priests involved in many different activities. No matter what type of good work a priest does the high point of the priest’s ministry is celebrating the Eucharist. It is the most important moment of the day for the priest. And so the Pope writes, “The ordained ministry…enables the priest to act in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) and culminates in the moment when he consecrates the bread and wine, repeating the actions and words of Jesus during the Last Supper.”

Before this extraordinary reality we find ourselves amazed and overwhelmed, so deep is the humility by which God “stoops” in order to unite himself with man! If we feel moved before the Christmas crib, when we contemplate the birth of God, what must we feel before the altar where, by the poor hands of the priest, Jesus makes his Sacrifice present in time? We can only fall to our knees and silently adore this supreme mystery of faith.

To come to Mass is a privilege. To receive the Eucharist is a privilege. To come to adore Jesus in our Eucharistic Adoration is a privilege. These are privileges because the Eucharist is the greatest gift God gives us on earth, because the Eucharist is the gift of God Himself.

The price of the Eucharist was very costly. Every time Mass is offered we hear how much it cost Jesus to give Himself-- to us-- in the Eucharist. Jesus said, “This is my body, which will be given up for you.” And when He had taken the cup, He said, “This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, to be shed for you, so that sins may be forgiven.” Our Lord gave His body and blood on the Cross, so that He could give us His body and blood in the Eucharist.

At the Last Supper the apostles were ordained priests so that Our Lord could give Himself. At the Last Supper, the apostles made their first Holy Communion. Yet one of them would betray Jesus. Even though Judas was ordained a priest by Jesus and even though Judas made his first Holy Communion at the Last Supper. Scripture tells us that Satan entered his heart and then he took the morsel, which was the Eucharist. Judas received the Eucharist in the state of mortal sin, and what did he do, but left the Last Supper early before it was over.

The eleven apostles would ordain other men as bishops, priests and deacons. These eleven men would offer Mass, hear confessions, and preach the Gospel wherever they went.

All of them, but John would be martyred. John would take care of the Blessed Virgin Mary and watch over Her until She was assumed into heaven.

The succession of priesthood is past down to us today through the sacrament of Holy Orders. That’s why today, bishops are considered apostles and priests and deacons are ordained by the bishops. One of the primary purposes of the priesthood is to make available to the people the priceless gift of the Eucharist in every time and place until Jesus comes again.

At the Last Supper, Jesus took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist… So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

Deacon Keith Founier said, “This God, before whom all the Nations will one day bend the knee, bends His human knee and washes feet.” He said, “How extraordinary! The God who fashioned the entire universe, who dwells in inaccessible light, is now present as a Man among men; serving the very humanity that had been created through Him. This God, before whom all the Nations will one day bend the knee, bends His human knee before the ones He had chosen to carry His redemptive mission forward until He returns in glory.”

Jesus washed the feet of the apostles to remind them that as priests, they were to carry on the redemptive work of Jesus by serving the people, especially by offering the Mass.

Lay people cannot offer the Mass, but lay men, women and children are also called to serve their neighbor. That’s what the stewardship way of life is all about. It is about serving God and serving our neighbor, which finds its source and its strength from the Eucharist. That’s why Eucharistic Adoration in our parish is so incredibly powerful, because the more we come to adore Jesus, the more we want to serve others, and serve God by our time and talent.

On this Holy Thursday, let us praise God for the wonderful gifts of the priesthood and the Eucharist. May we thank Jesus every day for the precious gift of Himself, the Eucharist, given to us at the Mass, which comes to us through the hands of the priest. Because without the priesthood, there can be no Eucharist and without the Eucharist there can be no priesthood.

Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday)

 

On this Holy Wednesday, today is called “Spy Wednesday” because Judas, one of the twelve apostles, secretly went to the chief priests in order to turn Jesus over--- for the selfish desire of money.

He said, “What will you give me, if I hand his over to you?” Because the chief priests wanted to arrest Jesus in order to kill him, they paid Judas 30 pieces of silver. Since that moment, Judas was looking for an opportunity to hand him over.

Jesus and His apostles had just eaten the Passover meal and after Our Lord instituted the first Mass, at His Last Supper, He reclined at the table with His twelve apostles and said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will be betray me.” Jesus knew the future and knew the heart of Judas, his betrayer.

All of the apostles became deeply distressed. They must have looked at each other wandering-- who it might be, but then became fearful that Jesus might be speaking about them, and so each apostle said, “Surely it is not I, Lord?”

Peter, the head of the apostles, motioned to John, who was leaning near the chest of Jesus. Peter wanted John to ask Jesus, who was going to betray Him. Judas, in order to hide his wicked intentions likewise said, “Surely, it is not I, Rabbi.”

Our divine Lord then said, “Whoever dips his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me.” Did you know the action of giving a morsel to Judas was Jewish tradition as a sign of special love and tenderness? But Judas maintained his callousness and hardness of heart. And it was at this moment Judas dipped his hand in the dish, the same time Jesus did. Another Gospel states that after “Judas had taken the morsel Satan entered him.” Satan long ago found entrance into the heart of Judas; but now, as the tempter persuaded him to reject every effort of the Divine Master to win him back, each resistance to grace produced an increase of hardness, blindness, and malice. The father of lies was now his undisputed master.

We now know how the sad ending would occur. Judas lead the soldiers and the Jews to Jesus to have Him arrested in the garden and would even kiss him, in what should be a sign of greeting and affection would instead be a sign of betrayal.

Later, Judas would regret handing Jesus over and would return the 30 pieces of silver and throw them in the temple at the chief priests.

But because he did not trust in Our Lord’s mercy, he never asked Jesus for forgiveness. He fell into despair and committed suicide, by hanging himself, and the action would even cause his bowels to be opened. Apparently, after his death, his corpse fell from the tree, and when it landed on the ground his stomach burst open.

Imagine if Judas, would have repented and came to Jesus telling Our Lord that he was sorry, how that would have greatly delighted to Heart of Jesus to have forgiven the man who betrayed him. But how could Jesus forgive Judas, if Judas would never ask to be forgiven?

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? Many of us know what it is like for a friend to betray us. And perhaps we too betrayed a friend. It hurts when someone we trust hands us over, or perhaps tells on us. Perhaps, we may tell a friend or family member not to tell anyone, and we ask them to not tell anyone. But later, we find out they told someone anyway, and we are embarrassed because now others know our secret. Perhaps the reason why they broke the secret was for their own selfish reason, to make themselves look better. Remember, Judas betrayed Jesus for selfish reasons.

On our part, we must be like Jesus and forgive, those who betray us, and pray for them, that God in His mercy, will help them to seek forgiveness and if we have betrayed someone, we should ask the person whom we betrayed to forgive us and ask Jesus in Confession for His mercy.

As we prepare to receive Jesus in Holy Communion, may we resolve to keep true secrets, to not betray a friend for selfish reasons.

Holy Monday

 

How would you feel if someone wanted to kill your friend? How would you feel if you knew people wanted to kill you? And how would you feel if you knew one of your friends was going to betray you? You would feel much anguish and sadness, wouldn’t you?

Would you pour perfume, that costs 10 months worth of wages on the feet of Jesus? That’s what Mary Magdalene did, which was 300 days wages. Was she rich to be able to afford that or was she exceedingly generous giving only the best for Jesus, who she came to believe was God and who was so thankful that He forgave her many sins?

How beautiful was her faith and her love for Our Lord especially when healing with men who wanted to kill Lazaraus, who Jesus raised from the dead. If they were to kill Lazarus, surely Jesus could raise him from the dead again a second time. But they thought about killing Jesus too. Not in their wildest imagination would they think if they killed Jesus, He would raise Himself from the dead. It must have pained the Heart of Jesus to know the wickedness of these men. Likewise, it would have pained the heart of Jesus to know Judas was not interested in helping the poor as he said he was. But, rather interested in the money bag used for contributions given to the Apostles to help the poor and take care of their needs.

Today, let us try to imitate the faith and love of Mary Magdalene and therefore console the Heart of Jesus, so afflicted by the wickedness of the world today.

Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday)

  

How can we not hear the account of Jesus’ Passion and not be moved by it? Someone asked a young person, “What would you think of someone who didn’t cry while watching the movie: The Passion of the Christ?” The young person responded, “He would be evil.” That young person was so moved by watching the movie he could not understand why anybody could not be moved by watching the film. The Passion of Jesus moves us. It moves us because Jesus suffered. In the first reading today, we heard what we could describe as a prophecy of Jesus’ passion, that He would give His back to those who beat Him, His cheeks to those who plucked His beard, His face He did not shield from buffets and spitting.

The Passion of Jesus moves us because it is we, who have inflicted this suffering on Jesus. It was not just the Jewish leaders and the cruel Roman soldiers who brought this suffering on Jesus; it was our sins, that inflicted this suffering on Jesus. There is no past, present or future for Jesus; He is outside of time. The account of the Passion of Jesus moves us to flee from sin, to leave sin behind. That is why everyone goes to Confession before Easter. The Passion of Jesus shows us for what we are, sinners who have crucified Jesus, and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation we turn to Jesus again and ask for his mercy. And through the Passion of Jesus, we receive forgiveness, “through his wounds we are healed.”

The Crucifixion of Jesus was and will always be the greatest act of God’s mercy. God the Father could have destroyed the human race for killing His only Son, but He didn’t. Rather, His Son’s suffering and death and resurrection is what opened the gates of heaven. St. Faustina’s life and writings about God’s mercy is meant to stir our hearts to receive His mercy and to give His mercy. Our Lord said, the world will not have peace, until it turns with confidence to my mercy. After hearing all that Jesus went through, who could not appreciate the pain and suffering He went through, so that He could save us from our sins? Several years ago, very few people were able to receive the graces from Divine Mercy Sunday due to the lock-down. Perhaps, the world was not appreciating the Eucharist, the Mass and Confession as we ought, so God permitted that to happen.

To not go to confession, when understanding the depth of love revealed on the Cross, shows a lack of gratitude and appreciation for all Jesus went through. If we go to confession during Lent and receive Holy Communion, while in the state of grace, on the feast of Divine Mercy, the Sunday after Easter, all our sins and the punishment due to our sins will all be washed away in the ocean of God’s mercy. This once a year event is contingent us asking for His mercy in Confession, receiving absolution through a priest, and then receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. How simple is that for us? If we refuse His mercy, not knowing the day nor hour of our death, and if we die without receiving that gift freely offered, and if we are in the state of mortal sin, our judgment will not go well and we could very well burn in the fires of hell for all eternity.

Only Jesus can save us from sin, from hell and the punishment due to sin, and make it possible to be with Him forever. He wants us to be with all the angels and saints in heaven and forever experience peace, love and joy. Jesus, our only Savior wants to wash our soul clean and make it white as snow through the sacraments.

O Mother of Mercy, draw each one of us to the fonts of mercy, and obtain for us, a soul washed clean, and purified, as it was at the moment of baptism, and help us to be grateful for God’s infinite and unfathomable mercy, that flows from the Cross of Jesus on Calvary. Amen.

5th Sunday of Lent - Raise the Dead

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. He had been dead four days and was warned that if the tomb would be opened, there would be a stench due to his decaying body. But, Our Lord, prayed to His Father and then said with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” He rose from the dead and came out, still tied hand and foot with burial bands and face wrapped in a cloth.

The miracle of Jesus Raising Lazarus from the dead reminds us Jesus is the Resurrection and the life. Jesus, is both human and divine, and as God He has power over all things including death. The raising of Lazarus from the dead is foreshadowing of Our Lord’s resurrection on Easter and the General resurrection of the dead at the end of the world mentioned by Martha. At the end of the world, all the dead will come forth from the tombs and immediately receive a resurrected body, like the body of Jesus when He rose from the dead. Lazarus, however, though he was brought back to life, would die again because he was not resurrected.

Did you know Jesus raised two others from the dead, there are others in scripture who raised people from the dead and saints raised many from the dead?

Elijah the prophet of the Old Testament, by God’s power, raised a child from the dead. (1 Kings 17:17-24)

Jesus raised the son of a widow, who was being carried away in a funeral procession. (Luke 7:11-15)

Our Lord took the hand of the daughter of Jarius, who had died, and said, “Talitha cumi”, which means “Little girl, get up.” (Mark 5:21-43). And she came back to life.

In Matthew’s Gospel, at the death of Jesus, some were raised from the dead. “At that moment (of His death) the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.” (Matthew 27:51-53)

When Our Lord sent out His apostles, he commanded them:“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8).

And this is exactly what happened, we know that Peter and Paul raised the dead. In the Acts of the Apostles, a Christian woman named Tabitha died in the city of Joppa. “Peter... knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, rise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.” (Acts 9:36-42)

In the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that Paul raised a man from the dead, “Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and died. Paul went down, bent over him, and embracing him, said, “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”...The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.” (Acts 20:7-12)

According to St. Irenaeus in the early 2nd century, “Some persons that were dead have been raised again and have continued among us many years.”

Did you know there are over 400 true stories of saints raising people from the dead? There is a book called Raised from the Dead written by Fr. Albert Hebert. Here is a list of some saints that raised people from the dead: St. Francis of Paola, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. John Capistrano, St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Dominic, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Philip Neri, St. Paul of the Cross, St. John Bosco, St. Rose of Lima, St. Martin de Porres, St. Francis Solanus, Marianne de Jesus of Quito, St. Stanislaus, St. Peregrine, St. Gerard Majella, St. Charbel, St. Padre Pio, St. Margaret of Cortona, St. Felix of Cantalice, St. Rose of Viterbo, St. Francis Xavier, St. John Francis Regis, etc..

St. Marcarius, a holy monk living in the deserts of Egypt, encountered a man who didn’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus. In order to convince him, the saint invoked God’s power over a dead man and he was raised back to life. This miracle was spread throughout the Egyptian desert.

In the 300’s, during an excavation, St. Helena found the true Cross and two other crosses belonging to the two men who were crucified with Jesus. Not knowing which was the true Cross, she brought a sick man to the crosses and after touching the first two crosses, nothing happened. But when he sick man was touched by the 3^rd cross, he was healed. In order to be absolutely certain it was the true Cross, they dug up a dead man, who was just buried, and brought him before the 3 crosses, and after touching the first 2 crosses, nothing happened. Only when the dead man was touched by the 3^rd Cross was the dead man raised from the dead and became alive.

One of greatest miracle workers in the history of the Catholic church was the Dominican priest St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419). He converted 25,000 Jews and 8,000 Muslims; his total number of conversions was around 200,000 souls- among them Muslims, Jews, heretics, and apostate Catholics. St. Antoninus said that St. Vincent had raised 28 persons from the dead.

Here is one example: There was a rich Jew named Abraham, who began to leave a church in anger while Vincent was preaching. The instant the man left, part of the porch structure fell on him and crushed him to death. Then the saint rose from his chair and went to the body. He knelt there in prayer. Abraham came to life, and his first words were: "The religion of the Jews is not the true faith. The True Faith is that of the Christians."

When invoking the name of the Holy Trinity, St. Patrick is said to have raised 33 people from the dead.

Among the many miracles worked by St Philip Neri in his lifetime was the raising to life of Paolo Massimo, the 14-year old son of his friend Prince Fabrizio Massimo, on March 16, 1583. St Philip had tended the boy spiritually during his long illness, and was sent when it became clear that he was about to die. He was then living fairly close by at the church of San Giorolamo della Carità, but he was celebrating Mass when the messenger arrived, and the boy died before he could finish and be informed. Coming to the Palazzo Massimo, he prayed at the boy’s bedside, sprinkled holy water on his face, and, like the Prophet Elijah, breathed upon his face. He then called his name loudly twice, and Paolo Massimo returned to life. On seeing his spiritual father at his bedside, the boy asked to confess a sin that he had forgotten; St Philip heard his confession and absolved him of his sins.

Bishop Fulton Sheen is noted for raising a child from the dead. “Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen,” prayed Bonnie Engstrom. She had just given birth, and her baby boy was dead, his umbilical cord tied tightly around his neck. He did not breathe; his heart did not beat. Sixty-one minutes after delivery, his heart still did not beat, and the monitor showed nothing but “pulseless electric activity.” He could not be revived, and the ER doctors turned away to call the time of death. Still his parents prayed to Fulton Sheen. Then the baby’s heart began to beat. His mother and father believe it was the intercession of Fulton Sheen that brought him back to life – not only back to life, but back to health. James was stillborn and without a heartbeat for 61 minutes. He is now a healthy young boy! The Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved this miracle on July 6, 2019. The child, James Fulton Engstrom, shows no physical or mental defects from the hour he spent among the dead nine years ago.

All those who were raised from the dead, would later die again. But the raising of the dead, shows us how much God loves each and every person and how He desires us to live in this life.

In a few weeks, we will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. By His own power, after He had been dead for three days, He rose with a new resurrected body.

At the end of the world, everyone will receive a new resurrected body. The dead will come forth from their graves and those who are still alive will also receive a new resurrected body.

St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians 3:20-21 said, “But our common wealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body...” And Jesus Himself said, “..for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29).

In this life, we are to respect our bodies and after we die, we give them a proper burial to be prepared for that day when our body will be reunited with our soul after the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” When He said, this He meant it in two ways. One way is that those who believe in Him, will not suffer eternal death and those who do believe in Him will live with Him forever in heaven. But, He also meant that He has power over physical death and at the end of the world, our bodies will be resurrected from the dead.

As we approach Easter in several weeks, let us prepare our souls by making a good confession, and receive Jesus in the Eucharist as often as possible, because as Jesus said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, will live forever and I will raise Him on the last day.”

Solemnity of the Annuciation - March 25th

 

“Here I am Lord, I come to do Your Will” “Be it done unto me according to thy word”

The angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and said, “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you”. The greeting, however, troubled Mary. The angel told Mary, She would conceive in Her womb, and bear a son, and call Him, Jesus. The angel said, He would be the Son of the Most High, be given the throne of David, rule over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom would have no end. But Mary could not understand how this could be, because She had made a vow of virginity. The angel told Her the Holy Spirit would come upon Her.

And so, the angel waited for an answer from Mary. God desired Mary respond with a Yes. She could choose either, a Yes or a No. And so, the angel waited, all mankind waited, and God waited, for Mary’s yes. Listen to the beautiful words of St. Bernard in a homily, called “In the Praise of Mary”:

St. Bernard said, “You have heard O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a Son; you have heard that it will not be, by a man, but the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits your answer; it is time to return to God, whom sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; The price of our salvation is offered you. Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it. David begs it. All the other patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. …. For your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race. Answer quickly, O Virgin! Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel, to the Lord. Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. Open your heart to faith, O Blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desire of all the nations, is at your door, knocking to enter. Arise in faith, hasten to devotion, open to praise and thanksgiving.”

And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.” At that moment, when Mary gave Her “Yes”, Jesus descended from heaven in Her womb, and the world, would be changed forever, because of Mary’s “Yes”. When Mary gave Her Yes, She joyfully responded to Her vocation call to be the Mother of God. When Mary said, “Be it done unto me according to thy word”, it was as though She responded to God’s call, with the words of the responsorial psalm: “Her I am Lord, I come to do your will.”

Many years after the angel’s visit, Mary must have pondered often Her vocation call to become the Mother of Jesus and how God was so good to Her. She probably would have thought, “Who am I, God would send an angel to greet me?” Yet, She understood the importance of the role of Mother of God and totally embraced it Her whole life.

St. John, the Apostle, tells us what happened at the Incarnation. He said, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” And so, the incredible and unfathomable mystery, of God becoming man, takes place in the womb of Mary. Blessed Pope John Paul II said, “Remembering that the Word became Flesh, that is that the Son of God became man, we must become conscious of how great each man has become through this mystery, through the Incarnation of the Son of God! Christ, in fact, was conceived in the womb of Mary and became man to reveal the eternal love of the Creator and Father and to make known the dignity of each one of us.”

The Incarnation was the beginning of something new and incredible for mankind. God had come to save man and He chose to do so, by taking upon human nature.

The divine person of Jesus took upon our human nature to reveal God to us. God wanted us to be able to see Him, touch Him, talk to Him, to get to know Him, and restore our friendship with Him by becoming one of us. He became man, that we may become one with Him. Through the Incarnation, God reached out to us, to embrace us.

Our Blessed Lord became man, that He may accept death, death on a Cross, that we may have eternal life with Him, that He may dwell with us, and in us, especially through baptism, and through the reception of His flesh and blood in Holy Communion.

Today, on this most Holy Solemnity of the Annunciation, let us praise Mary’s Yes, and for Our Lord’s gift of becoming man, that we may have eternal life with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

St. Joseph Spouse of Mary - March 19th (the Lily)

 

Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary. Have you ever wondered why Joseph is often pictured with a lily? The lily is associated with St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, through an ancient legend that he was chosen from among other men by the blossoming of his staff like a lily. It’s believed, the high priest had asked the men interested in taking Mary as their wife to come before the priest and as the men were standing before the priest, a lily suddenly blossomed from Joseph’s staff. And so, the biblical passage, "The just man shall blossom like the lily" is applied to St. Joseph in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church for his feast day.

It was a most difficult marriage preparation for Joseph. At that time, Jews were betrothed one year before they were married. When a couple was betrothed to each other one year before marriage-- they were legally united, but did not live together. A year later, the wedding ceremony took place and then the couple came to live together. During the year before marriage after they had been betrothed, Joseph learned Mary was pregnant. He would have been shocked and dumbfounded. He didn’t believe Mary could have sinned, yet he knew he wasn’t the father of the child. What a terrible dilemma. In order to prevent Mary from being stoned to death (which was the punishment at that time for women, who committed such sin.) he decided to divorce her quietly.

However, Joseph received a visit from the angel Gabriel asked him to agree to God’s plan for Mary and reassured him it was by the Holy Spirit, Mary had conceived. The Gospel states, “When Joseph woke up he did what he angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.”

Marriage and virginity are two signs of the love of God for us-- and we see both of these united in the first couple of the New Testament, Mary and Joseph. Joseph is a model of chastity. And we know Mary chose to dedicate herself exclusively to God in virginity.

Although Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, he was as a true father to Jesus. Children, who were adopted by Jews had all the rights of a child naturally born of a father. Joseph was of the royal line of David. Because Jesus was the child of the Virgin Mary and foster child of Joseph, He would have the legal title son of David, which would fulfill prophecies.

When Jesus was found in the temple, Mary said to Jesus, “Your father and I have been looking for you.”. We can imagine the love and affection between Joseph and Jesus, and between Joseph and Mary. We can imagine Joseph’s pain at the poor circumstances of Jesus’ birth. We can imagine the pain he must have suffered when Simeon told Mary Jesus would be a sign that would be opposed and a sword would pierce Mary’s soul. We can imagine the pain Joseph suffered when he had to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt for safety to preserve their lives.

Joseph’s life of prayer gave him the strength to be obedient to God’s call to him. He was a just man, a man of honor as our Gospel today tells us. He had to have been a man of deep faith to fulfill his high calling.

It is believed, he died before Jesus died and that Jesus and Mary were present with him, as he died. That is the way all people of faith would like to die, in the company of Jesus and Mary. And this is why St. Joseph is the patron of a happy death.

And so we pray, “O Joseph, foster father of the Child Jesus, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, man of faith, watch over and protect us, keep us close to Jesus and intercede for us. Grant us perfect chastity, and especially the grace of a happy death. And when we draw our dying breath, may our last words be: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony and take me to paradise.”

4th Sunday, Lataere Sunday, Blind Man

 

“O Lord, open the eyes of my heart, that I may see you.”  

Today is Lataere Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent! The priest wears glorious rose-colored vestments as a sign of joy. This weekend, Holy Mother Church pauses from Her Lenten sorrow for the sins of men, and the sufferings of Christ, to give way to a foretaste of Easter Joy! Soon the Easter joy will ring out, “Christ our Light, has risen, from the darkness of the tomb!”

Try to imagine what it would be like to be born blind. The man in the Gospel would never have seen his father or mother or siblings. He had never seen a sunrise or a sunset, the blue sky, nor clouds or lightning, or the moon or the stars. He had never even seen the food he was eating. His whole world was nothing but darkness.

In the Gospel, the man born blind is healed by Jesus, who is “the light of the world”. What do you think was the first thing he saw? Probably, the water when he washed the mud Jesus placed on his eyes. Then after giving witness to the Pharisees, Jesus found Him and it was then, He saw the face of Christ.

The healing of the man born blind is seen by the Fathers of the Church as a miracle symbolizing the sacrament of baptism in which, the Holy Spirit, through water, is used to cleanse the soul and receives the light of faith: “(Jesus) sent the man to the pool called Siloam, to be cleansed and be enlightened, that is, baptized and receive in baptism full enlightenment.”

Since all of us were born with blindness of original sin, we can identify with the challenges this man faced. Just as the blind man’s physical blindness made it difficult for him to live in freedom and independence, so our spiritual blindness causes us to struggle to find our way to God, to see God in others. Just as Jesus healed this man of his blindness, he has washed you-- clean of sin and healed your spiritual blindness in the waters of baptism. Although our original sin is washed away through baptism, the inclination to sin remains, and we still find it difficult to see things the way God sees them. We lack the light to walk in love and holiness, and God can seem distant.

The blind man is a straightforward person, and believes Jesus is a prophet, and the Son of God. Whereas the Pharisees persist in not wanting to see or believe, despite clear evidence before them.

In this miracle, Jesus reveals Himself as the true light that enlightens every man, who came into the world. Not only did He give sight to the eyes of the blind man; He enlightens his soul, leading him to make an act of faith in His divinity.

Our Blessed Lord questioned the blind man, and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” and he responds by stating, “I do believe Lord” and he worshiped Him. The healing of his eyes became an occasion for the man to be enlightened as to who Jesus is and to believe in Him.

The Pharisees however persisted in their unbelief, which is why Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” The Pharisees knew He was talking about them, and so, they said, “Surely, we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, “We see”, your sin remains.”

Our Lord was referring to their spiritual blindness. They could not accept His good deed of healing a blind man, as something coming from God because they presumed Jesus was a sinner, but He was not.

If one was a blind during the time of Jesus, he could not work and so was dependent upon others to help him. Just like the man in the Gospel who had to beg for food and money just to survive. For someone to go blind today, they would immediately become dependent upon others.

There is at least one blind person, who I know, that lives in Little River. She is a wonderful person, who never shows dissatisfaction or unhappiness, but rather accepts her condition. Her joyful attitude bears witness to Christ, whose light she shines into the world through her.

I told you the story before of a man, who used to be a satanic high-priest, but was converted through the miraculous medal. His name is Zachary King. He lives in Wichita and is a motivational speaker. Zachary told me, he is blind because he never took care of his diabetes. One day, because he didn’t take care of his health, he woke up, and was blind. Yet, despite his blindness, he sees what is true and that Jesus is Lord and Savior. Through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, he was enlightened to see the evil he was doing, to repent of it, and now he brings the light of Christ to all who hear his talks.

There is a documentary called “Purgatory”, that explains experiences of the afterlife. One experience in the movie, is about a little girl who drowned, and after she had died, they were able to revive her. The girl was blind from birth, and yet, she could describe in detail the pond, the birds, and telephone poles where she had drowned. Even though she has never been able to see, God showed her what it was like to see.

When I was an associate pastor at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, an elderly woman in her 90’s was going blind. She prayed to Jesus, “Please grant me the grace to not go blind”. She decided to do a novena to St. Lucy, and it so happened, by God’s divine providence, on the last and 9^th day of the novena, she had an appointment with her eye doctor. She was given an eye drop medicine with the name Luceria. Not only did it prevent her from losing her eyesight, she actually began to see better. St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind, because its believed her eyes were plucked out, but God miraculously restored her eyesight. The elderly woman’s faith in God caused her to be healed of her blindness through the intercession of a saint and her faith brought the light of Christ to all who knew her.

Have you heard of Christopher Duffley? He was born 3 months premature, and as a newborn baby, he was addicted to cocaine because his mother took cocaine and Oxycontin while pregnant. His aunt and uncle adopted him. He was born blind and autistic. When he was 4 years old, he began to sing with perfect pitch and sang the song, “Open the eyes of my heart” The song goes like this, “Open the eyes of my heart Lord, Open the eyes of my heart, I want to see you. To see you high and lifted up. Shining in the light of your glory. Pour out your power and love, as we sing, holy, holy, holy. “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see you. I want to see you.” As a blind autistic boy, Jesus uses him to break forth His light through his voice. He sings the song, not to be physically healed, but to see Jesus, with the eyes of his heart.

Most, with disabilities, prayed at one time, the Lord would heal them. How much they desire to have the Lord, touch, and heal their broken bodies, and be restored to the fullness of health.

Many have ventured to Lourdes, France to obtain a healing through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, and some have been healed there. But the most common form of healing is the healing of the soul, where people have not gone to confession for a long time, will go and then are able to accept their physical condition and have peace in their heart by embracing it as a cross.

The Pharisees were blind to their sins and remained in their blindness. But the man born blind, was healed physically and came to know and believe Jesus is the Son of man, as he told Our Lord, “I do believe” and worshiped Him because He believed He is God.

In what ways can we be spiritually blind? If we knew our neighbor was blind, would we volunteer to help the person in their needs? If we know of someone, who lost a relative, do we show our love and support by prayers, visiting them, sending them a caring note? These are not just one time efforts to help others, but rather, we need to be a caring people to show our love and support in the long term. What’s it like to lose a spouse through death or divorce and then the single parent takes care for the children alone? My grandfather died at a young age and my grandmother had to take care of 5 children on her own. Was there anyone there to help her? Did the Christian community rally to support her in a long term manner? Flowers are nice, cards are nice, but sometimes they someone to talk to, they need money to help pay their bills.

When I was in high school, my grandmother’s waterline kept freezing in her home. Do you know why it was freezing? Because she didn’t have enough money to keep the temperature in her house warm enough and also was afraid to let the water drip too fast, because she didn’t have enough money to pay her water bill. She kept a pan underneath the faucet to catch the drops of water and she used that water to boil eggs. She slept on a cot in the only room that had a gas furnace, and closed all the doors to the rest of the house, because she didn’t have enough money to heat the entire house. Can you imagine living like that? After graduating in High School, I had a good job, and when I found out, that was the case, I put her gas bill in my name and they sent me her gas bill every month. How did God open my heart to see, I don’t know. I give Him all the credit.

Our hearts need to be open to see Jesus in the disguise of the poor, the down trodden. Our Lord said, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me.” God calls everyone of us to open the eyes of our heart, that we can see Jesus those suffering from any difficulty.

Do you know what the definition of mercy is? It comes from the Latin word, misericordia. “miseri” is misery and “cordia” is heart. The word means to open the heart-- to see the misery of others and relieve that misery, which is mercy.

We are all called to be lights in the world of darkness by our words, our good deeds, our acceptance of our crosses and using our gifts to help others. If we ignore someone in need, we are blind to their needs, while at the same time, the blind see-- because of their faith.

In the second reading, in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he said, “Brothers and sisters: You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”

Today on this Lataere Sunday, this rejoice Sunday, may we rejoice in the faith of the physically blind, who out of love of Jesus accept their condition and therefore shine forth the light of Christ to us, in this world of darkness. And may we bring the light of Christ to those who are in need of love. O Mary, Mother of the Light, by your intercession, may our heart be open to see the miseries of others and to relieve their suffering by our acts of mercy.