St. Catherine Laboure - Miraculous Medal (Nov 27th - 28th)

Today, Nov 27th we celebrate the feast of the Miraculous Medal and tomorrow we celebrate the memorial of St. Catherine Laboure. Born in 1806, Catherine’s birth name was Zoe Laboure.

She was the 9^th child of eleven and was the only child in her family to not go to school and she didn’t learn to read and write. Her mother died when Zoé was 8, and when her elder sister, Louisa, left home to become a Sister of Charity, the duties of housekeeper and helper to her father fell upon her. From the time of her first Communion at Saint Remy, Catherine became a mystic. From the age of 14 or so, she heard the call to the religious life.

At age 18 Catherine had her first mystical experience. It was in the form of a dream of an old priest (who was a stranger to her,) that she assisted during a Mass in the dream. Four years later Catherine asked her father for permission to enter religious life. Her father flatly refused. A year later while in a visiting parlor of the Hospital de Saint-Sauveur in Chatillon, Catherine recognized the old priest from her dreams in a portrait of St. Vincent de Paul and knew God meant her to be a Sister of Charity. Her father finally allowed her to join the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1830.

She took the name Catherine, and after her postulancy was sent to the convent in the Rue du Bac at Paris, where she arrived four days before the translation of the relics of St. Vincent from Notre-Dame to the Lazarist church.

On the eve of the Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, July 19, the Superior spoke to the novices about the virtues of their Holy Founder and gave each of them a piece of cloth from his surplice. Catherine earnestly prayed to Saint Vincent that she might with her own eyes see the Mother of God.

She was convinced that she would see the Blessed Virgin Mary that very night; and in her conviction, Catherine fell asleep. Before long, she was awakened by a brilliant light and the voice of a child. "Sister Laboure, come to the Chapel; the Blessed Virgin awaits you." Catherine replied: "We shall be discovered."

The little child smiled, "Do not be uneasy; it is half past eleven, everyone is sleeping... come, I am waiting for you." She rose quickly and dressed. The hall lights were burning. The locked chapel door swung open at the angel's touch. Amazed, Catherine found the Chapel ablaze with lights as if prepared for midnight Mass. Quickly she knelt at the communion rail, and suddenly, she heard the rustle of a silk dress... the Blessed Virgin, in a blaze of glory, sat in the director's chair. The angel whispered: "The Blessed Mother wishes to speak with you."

Catherine rose, knelt beside the Blessed Mother and rested her hands in the Virgin's lap.

Our Lady told Catherine she would have to undertake a difficult task and also, it is said, spoke of the future and the violent death of an archbishop of Paris forty years later.

On November 27, Our Lady again appeared to Sister Catherine in the same chapel, in the form of a picture and as it were standing on a globe with shafts of light streaming from her hands towards it, surrounded by the words: "O Mary, conceived free from sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!" Then the picture turned about, and sister Catherine saw on the reverse side a capital M, with a cross above it and two hearts, one crowned with thorns and the other pierced with a sword, below. And she seemed to herself to hear a voice telling her to have a medal struck representing these things, and promising that all who wore it with devotion should receive great graces by the intercession of the Mother of God. This or a similar vision was repeated in the following month and on several other occasions up to September 1831.

Sister Catherine confided in her confessor, and he, after making very careful investigations, was given permission by the archbishop of Paris, to have the medal struck. In June 1832 the first 1500 were issued. Originally called the “Medal of the Immaculate Conception”, it later became known to Catholics throughout the world as "miraculous".

The archbishop of Paris instituted a canonical inquiry into the alleged visions in 1836. The precautions she had taken to keep herself unknown, the promise she had wrung from her confessor not to tell anybody who she was, the secrecy she had kept towards everyone except her confessor, her constant unwillingness to appear before an ecclesiastical authority, account for this inquiry not being extended to the young sister herself. The tribunal decided in favor of the authenticity of the visions, taking into consideration the circumstances, the character of the sister concerned, and the prudent and level-headedness of her confessor.

The popularity of the medal increased daily, especially after the conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne in 1842. He was a Jew who, having reluctantly agreed to wear the medal, and then consequently received a vision of our Lady in the church of Sant' Andrea delle Frate at Rome, whereupon he became a Christian and was later ordained a priest and became founder of a religious congregation, the Fathers and Sisters of Zion.

I met Zachary King in Wichita. He was a Baptist man who became a satanic high priest and through the miraculous medal. As a satanic high priest he assisted with and did abortions. However, one day someone gave him a miraculous medal and the moment he took it, he immediately had a vision of the Virgin Mary. At that moment, he gave up being a satanic follower and also knew he had to become Catholic. He became Catholic and since goes around giving talks throughout the United States warning people about the danger of the occult and satanism and also speaks about the power of the miraculous medal.

When I went on vacation to South Dakota a few years ago, as I was walking out of my motel room, a man was painting the exterior of the building. He walked up to me and said, “I used to be Catholic. After some discussion, I invited him to return to the Church and go to confession.” He said, “I will never go to confession. I don’t believe in it.” I handed him a miraculous medal and told him I would pray for him. He put it around his neck. The next day, when I returned to my motel, he walked up to me and said he wanted to return to Mass and said he wanted to go to confession.

The power of miraculous medal is amazing. I have also seen how Our Lady uses the medal in parishes to bring back fallen away Catholics. So, if you know of anyone who is fallen away or who is not living a good lifestyle. Give them a miraculous medal and ask them to wear it. Its an innocent little medal, but Our Lady uses it in a powerful way.

This vision of Ratisbonne was also subject of a canonical inquiry and the reports of this were extensively used in the process of beatification of Catherine Labouré, of whose personal life very little is recorded. Her Superiors spoke of her as "rather insignificant", "matter-of-fact and unexcitable", "cold, almost apathetic".

From 1831 until her death on December 31, 1876, she lived unobtrusively among the community as portress, in charge of the poultry, and looking after the aged. Not until eight months before her death, did she speak to anyone except her confessor of the extraordinary graces she had received, and then she revealed them only to her superior. Her funeral was the occasion of an outburst of popular veneration, and a child of twelve, crippled from birth was instantaneously cured at her grave. St. Catherine Labouré was canonized in 1947, and Nov. 28^th was appointed as her feast day. Today, her body is incorrupt is encased in glass.

When we think of the saints, we often forget that they were ordinary people, who lived extra ordinary lives, often times in a hidden way. Their lives were simple, yet profound.

I would like to close with a quote from St. Catherine on the subject of prayer. St. Catherine once said, "Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to him, Lord I am here. Tell me what you would have me to do. If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell him about my pains and joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply. "

Today may we strive to do as St. Catherine Laboure in prayer, to approach God plainly and simply, knowing if we speak to Him and if we listen, He will speak to us.

Christ the King, Year B

This weekend is the Solemnity of Christ the King. Next Sunday begins Advent in preparation for Christmas. Today, first, we will see Our Lord’s kingship in scripture. Then we will see how Jesus, our Eucharistic King, deserves respect and reverence and how we are to defend His kingdom and help bring about His kingdom.

In the first reading the prophet Daniel, who lived 500 years before Jesus’ birth, spoke about the future kingship of Jesus, especially with regard to Our Lord’s Second Coming. He said, “I saw one like the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, that shall not be taken away and His kingship shall not be destroyed.”

The responsorial psalm, written by King David, who lived about 1000 years before Jesus was born describes the Kingship of Jesus. It states, “The Lord is king, He is robed in majesty.”

The second reading likewise speaks about the kingship of Jesus. It states “…Jesus is the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.”

Even before the birth of Jesus, the angel Gabriel announced Jesus would be a king. The angel said to Mary, “He will be given the throne of David” and “His kingdom will not end”. The Jews expected the Messiah to be a king, who would rule over the house of David forever and it was fulfilled in Jesus.

After Jesus was born, the wise men following the star, ended up before King Herod wondering, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” And they even prostrated themselves in adoration as they gave the infant Jesus gifts for a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Later when Jesus began His public ministry, He taught His followers to pray the Our Father, so His kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. At another time He said, “…the Kingdom of God is among you” and “the kingdom of God is within you.”

And there were times Our Lord gave parables to explain the kingdom, such as a mustard seed to explain the growth of His kingdom on earth. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey, the people laid palm branches on the ground which was customary when a king entered Jerusalem.

When our Divine Savior was arrested and brought before Pilate they told Pilate, “We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ a king.” Pilate questioned Jesus about His Kingship. Pilate said, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” Then Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

When Pilate had Jesus scourged, the soldiers mocked Him as a king. They put a crown of thorns on Him in imitation of a king’s golden crown. They placed on Him a royal cloak and gave Him a scepter, which kings would use and they ridiculed His Kingship, saying “Hail King of the Jews.” And when Jesus was crucified, the sign above His head read, “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews”. The good thief professed Our Lord’s kingship, when He said, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of Father on His glorious throne. Today on earth, the kingdom of God is seen most clearly here in the Church. Every church is a temple of the Lord. The word “basilica” means kingdom. The King of Kings is in the temple, the basilica, the church in every tabernacle. When we come to church and leave church, we genuflect to the King in the Eucharist. During Mass we kneel and we do this because our faith tells us we are in the presence of the King of heaven and earth. We keel during the consecration because the King of Heaven and earth comes upon the altar. Before we receive Holy Communion, the Church requires everyone to show a sign of reverence, such as a bow of the head, the sign of the Cross or a genuflection and in some cases people receive Jesus in the Eucharist kneeling at altar rails.

Some receive Communion on the tongue and others on the hand. It is most reverent to receive the Eucharist on the tongue as an act of humility.

We should come often to the King at Mass to implore gifts from Him, for our loved ones who are ill and gifts for ourselves to help us endure the crosses of life. In response, Jesus, the King bestows them with generosity and love to all who come to His throne.

In the Old Testament, the king’s mother was the queen. That’s why the mother of Jesus is considered a queen. Some approach the queen for a favor because they are afraid to directly ask the king who may deny their request and they know the king is more apt to answer the queen’s prayers. And She will do it with tenderness, love, eloquence, and the persistence of a mother.

That is what we should do too. Come to the queen of heaven and earth, and She will ask the King for whatever we need.

Our sins cause the King of Heaven to be crucified, to endure His Passion. But we have the opportunity of treating the King of Heaven and Earth with love, respect and reverence, by the way we treat others, the way we treat our self and the way we treat Jesus in the Eucharist.

We deeply offend and hurt the King when we commit mortal sin. But Jesus is the King of Mercy and desires we come to the throne of His mercy in Confession. If we wonder why our prayers aren’t answered, it may be because we are in the state of mortal sin and Jesus won’t answer our prayers, until we are first reconciled with Him by asking for Him to pardon us. We can block graces that Jesus wants to give us, if have a grudge and fail to forgive someone. But, once we forgive and go to Confession, allowing Jesus the King of mercy to forgive us, the graces flow from the Heart of the King into our measly heart.

We should prepare to receive Jesus in Communion by going to confession monthly, seeking His clemency and His mercy. This way, when he comes into the temple of our heart, He will have a worthy throne to rest.

We can also make our home fit for a king, by allowing Jesus to be the Lord of our life, our family and our job and not be afraid to be a soldier in the king’s army. We are to defend the King and His kingdom.

Blessed Miguel Pro, whose feast day is Nov. 23^rd, was a priest, He served underground Catholics in a time of persecution in Mexico by secretly hearing confessions, offering Mass and driving his bicycle all over Mexico City to give out Communion because the Mass and the sacraments were forbidden. By giving out the sacraments, Fr. Miguel helped bring about God’s kingdom in the hearts of those who went to Confession and received Holy Communion. He was eventually captured and just before the firing squad shot him, with outstretched arms, he shouted, “Vivi Christo Rey.” “Long live Christ the King.”

About a month ago, during a political rally, Luke Polaske and Grant Beth, two students at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse, yelled, “Christ is King” and “Jesus is Lord” to a politician who was promoting abortion. The two were then pushed, shoved and cursed. As they were being escorted out of the rally, the politician waved at them and said, “You guys are at the wrong rally.” These young men were not afraid of defending Jesus, the King and they were willing to suffer as Jesus suffered. It also revealed the disdain that some politicians have for Christianity.

We are called to worship, honor and adore to Jesus in the Eucharist-- as the King of heaven and earth and we are called to help bring about God’s kingdom, by defending the King and His kingdom and helping it to grow by making more disciples and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel.

May the Virgin Mary, the mother of the King, the Queen of heaven and earth give us a true love and reverence for the King, and may His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

St. Cecilia, November 22nd

 

Today, is the feast of St. Cecilia. In the evening of her wedding-day, with the music of the marriage-hymn ringing in her ears, Cecilia, a rich, beautiful, and noble Roman maiden, renewed the vow by which she had consecrated her virginity to God. She exclaimed, "Pure be my heart and undefiled my flesh; for I have a spouse you know not of—an angel of my Lord." The heart of her young husband Valerian was moved by her words; and so he received Baptism, and within a few days he and his brother Tiburtius, who had been brought by him to a knowledge of the Faith, sealed their profession of faith with their blood and died as martyrs.

Cecilia only remained. "Do you not know," was her answer to the threats of the prefect, "that I am the bride of my Lord Jesus Christ?" The death appointed for her was suffocation, and she remained a day and a night in a hot-air bath, heated seven times more than normal. But "the flames had no power over her body, neither was a hair of her head singed." The soldier sent to cut off her head, struck her head with trembling hand the three blows which the law allowed, but left her still alive.

For two days and nights Cecilia lay with her head, half severed on the pavement of her bath, fully sensible, and joyfully awaiting her crown; on the third day, the agony was over, and in 177 the virgin Saint gave back her pure spirit to Christ. St. Cecilia’s is believed to be the first incorrupt saint and her body is still incorrupt and located in the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere Rome.

Today—St. Cecilia teaches us to rejoice in every sacrifice as a pledge of our love of Christ, and to welcome sufferings and death as hastening our union with Him. (from Lives of the Saints)

Presentation of Mary in the Temple, November 21st

 

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple. Even though Sacred Scripture doesn’t say anything about Mary’s Presentation in the Temple, the belief is based upon by a very ancient tradition of the Catholic Church. And the Church has given it, official recognition by making it a special Marian Feast.

It’s believed that when St. Anne was childless, she and her spouse St. Joachim, made a promise to God, that if they would conceive a child, the child would dedicated to God. Once the child was born, the sacrifice would be a great one, but their love was entirely pure and holy, as they preferred God’s glory and pleasure. And so, when Mary was three years old, they took Her to the temple to be consecrated to God.

On Mary’s part, She totally gave Herself to God, consecrating Herself to Him, and vowed Her Perpetual Virginity. She left Her home, Her family, and aging parents behind, to consecrate Herself solely to Her Divine Master.

Many young virgins attempted to enter into the service of the Lord at the temple, but not all were permitted. They had to undergo questioning and approval by the priests. The young Virgin Mary, must have dazzled the priests by Her perfect answers, and so, would have been easily admitted, due to Her abundance of grace. While in the temple, Mary remained with other young virgins to be educated and trained to serve the sanctuary and sacred priests, by making vestments, and ornaments, and assisting at services, and contributing to the worship of God, in whatever manner was possible, for a young girl of the time.

How sorrowful for Sts. Joachim and Anne to leave their only daughter at the Temple, after just three years, from which She was born.

The Gospel for the feast calls our attention to the total dedication of Mary to God’s service, and Her obedience to God’s plans, because She always did the will of the Father, from Her tender years as a child, to the day of Her Assumption into heaven.

Let us rejoice in this special day and ask the Virgin Mary to intercede for us and help us to be faithful to Jesus.

33rd Sunday, Year B- End of World & Second Coming of Jesus

 

Is the Second Coming of Jesus near? Are we in the End Times? Cardinal Burke, thinks we are in the End Times. He said, “In the present moment there is confusion and error about the most fundamental teachings of the Church, for example with regard to marriage and the family. For instance, the idea that people who are living in an irregular union could receive the sacraments is a violation of the truth with regard both to the indissolubility of marriage and to the sanctity of the Eucharist. So there is a feeling that in today’s world that is based on secularism with a completely anthropocentric (Man centered) approach, by which we think we can create our own meaning of life and meaning of the family and so on, the Church itself seems to be confused. In that sense one may have the feeling that the Church gives the appearance of being unwilling to obey the mandates of Our Lord. Then perhaps we have arrived at the End Times.”

Today’s Gospel speaks of extraordinary Perturbations of Nature – Nature is perturbed. “And the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven there will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and waves.” (Luke 21)

Fr. P. Huchede, who wrote the book Anti-Christ explains the symbolism of what these mean. He said, “The earth represents the kingdom of Satan. The sun represents the Catholic Church the vehicle of God’s supernatural light. The moon symbolizes lawful civil government, which has as its light a reflection of the sun (the Church). Stars represent bishops of the Church. The fallen stars represent the apostasy of bishops. A diminution of the sun and moon would mean the Church would lose Her influence over the mankind. The government would become agents of the Antichrist and therefore not reflect the truth. pg. 39 Antichrist, Fr. P. Huchede

St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the 1200’s spoke about what the end times would be like, he said, “The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God. Those who preserve in their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics. Choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ Will Send Them Not A True Pastor, But A Destroyer."

According to the prophet Daniel from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament describes how the Holy Mass will be abolished in the future by the Antichrist due to his new religion. He said, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. " (Daniel 12:11)

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich who lived from 1174 to 1824. Notice how she describes two popes living at the same time. She said: "I saw the relationship between the two Popes. I saw how baleful would be the consequences of this false church. I saw it increase in size; heretics of every kind came into the city (of Rome). The local clergy grew lukewarm, and I saw a great darkness. Then, the vision seemed to extend on every side. Whole Catholic communities were being oppressed, harassed, confined, and deprived of their freedom. I saw many churches close down, great miseries everywhere, wars and bloodshed. A wild and ignorant mob took to violent action. But it did not last long." "Once more I saw the Church of Peter was undermined by a plan evolved by the secret sect, while storms were damaging it. But I saw also that help was coming when distress had reached its peak. I saw again the Blessed Virgin ascend on the Church and spread Her mantle [over it]. I saw a Pope who was at once gentle, and very firm… I saw a great renewal, and the Church rose high in the sky." “I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant Church. Everyone was to be admitted in it in order to be united and have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics sects of every description. Such was to be the new Church…But God had other designs…” “I see that when the Second Coming of Christ approaches, a bad priest will do much harm to the Church. When the time of the reign of Antichrist is near, a false religion will appear which will be opposed to the unity of God and His Church. This will cause the greatest schism the world has ever known. The nearer the time of the end, the more the darkness of Satan will spread on earth, the greater will be the number of the children of corruption, and the number of the just will correspondingly diminish…”  “They built a large, singular, extravagant church which was to embrace all creeds with equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, and all denominations, a true communion of the unholy with one shepherd and one flock. There was to be a Pope, a salaried Pope, without possessions. All was made ready, many things finished; but, in place of an altar, were only abomination and desolation.”

Bishop Fulton Sheen in the 1948 in his book Communism and the Conscience of the West spoke about the false church the anti-Christ will set up. “Because his religion will be brotherhood of Man without the fatherhood of God, he will deceive even the elect. He will set up a counter church which will be the ape of the Church, because he, the Devil, is the ape of God. It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content. It will be a mystical body of the Antichrist that will in all externals resemble the mystical body of Christ…”

Some believe this is a description of how Freemasonry will be used to attack the Catholic Church before the 2^nd Coming of Christ.

The Virgin Mary in Akita, Japan said, "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day, recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres. The Church and altars will be vandalized. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”

One of the seers of Garbandal, where Mary is allegedly to have appeared said, “Before the Illumination of Conscience Communism will dominate the world. Communists will take over the world. It will be in every place. Churches will be closed because they will not allow the people to go to the priests or the people to go to Mass. It will be hard for the priests to say Mass. If they find out they are priests they will be persecuted.”

St. Edmond Campion (1540–1581) priest and martyr states: "I pronounce a great day, not where, in any temporal potentate should minister, but where in, the Terrible Judge, should reveal all men's consciences and try every man of each kind of religion. This is the day of change."

Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (1769–1837): "A great purification will come upon the world, preceded by an "Illumination of conscience" in which everyone will see themselves as God sees them." She also said, “Whole nations will join the Church shortly before the reign of the Antichrist. These conversions will be amazing. Those who survive shall have to conduct themselves well. There shall be innumerable conversions of heretics, who will return to the bosom of the Church; all will note the edifying conduct of their lives, as well as that of other Catholics. Russia, England and China will come into the Church…”

My friends, these prophecies are scary because they reveal a lost of faith and the turmoil that the Church will go through.

However, we should not be afraid, if we have Jesus and if we practice our Catholic faith. Jesus is our hope.

Then it matters not if we go through a persecution or turmoil, and even if the there will be terrible tragedies in the world, because if we have Jesus and if we were to die, what does it matter, because our end goal is heaven and being with Jesus forever.

Everyday, we should practice our faith to be best of our ability and be not afraid. The greatest tragedy that a human being could have, is the loss of heaven and to go to hell forever.

But, we if trust Jesus and trust that all that He has given to us will help us to arrive in heaven safely.

Let us turn to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Hope and Queen of Peace knowing She will keep us close to Her Son, especially if we practice our faith, wear Her scapular, miraculous medal and daily pray Her Rosary.

St. John Lateran, Nov 9th

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, which is the cathedral of Rome. There is an inscription on the outside of the church, which states, “The holy church of the Lateran, mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world.”

After the church was constructed by the emperor Constantine and given to pope Sylvester I, it was consecrated in 324. The pope lived at the Lateran palace for about 1000 yrs, before moving to St. Peter’s Basilica. The church also possesses the relics of the heads of Peter and Paul and the holy table our Lord used at the Last Supper.

Many think St. Peter’s Basilica is the Cathedral of Rome, but its not. It’s St. John Lateran and the church has the bishop of Rome’s chair called the cathedra.

We celebrate the dedication of the physical structure of the Lateran Basilica, not so much because it is old, or that it was the resident of the pope for centuries, but most importantly, because of who is in the Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist now resides in the Lateran Basilica and every Catholic church in the world.

In the second reading today, St. Paul said, “Do you not know you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.”

Today’s feast is a reminder that our body, like that of a church, is a temple, which belongs to God. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and because of that we should treat our body with respect. It does not belong to us, it belongs to the Lord. So when we purposely harm our body, we really harming something that belongs to God.

Even more important than the physical care of the body, is the care of the soul. Whereby we avoid sin, especially mortal sin. We do this especially by going to confession regularly to spiritually wash our soul and to receive Holy Communion often, which strengthens our soul, when its united to Jesus.

We become living tabernacles, when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. And we need to be conscience of the indwelling of God in our soul, for by doing this, we will treat our body and our soul with respect.

Today, let us therefore honor and praise St. John Lateran Church, the mother church of all Christians, let us with zeal strive to make our soul immaculate in imitation of Mary, the image and model of the Church and in this way, Our Lord will find within us a miniature palace, a little tabernacle and a home He can dwell.

32nd Sunday, Widow's Donation, Stewardship

What a contrast! The scribes in today’s Gospel were conscious of how they appeared to others. Their long robes matched up nicely with their long prayers, and who wouldn’t agree that time spent in the synagogues was time well spent? Compared to these men, the widow seemed insignificant. Anyone looking at her could probably tell that she was poor. Her clothes were probably torn, and her shoes were thin. It could be easy to see her two small coins as a reflection of her own limited value.

But looks can be deceiving. The Lord looks into the heart and this widow’s heart was given over to the Lord. By being willing to give “all she had, her whole livelihood”, she was also offering the Lord her energy, her time and her prayers. The scribes should have been willing to do the same. But Jesus knew that their hearts were full of themselves. They clung too tightly to their pride and their position as scholars of the Law and expected everyone to treat them with great honor and respect.

Let’s use this Gospel passage today to examine our own hearts. Are we willing to offer all we have to the Lord? Or do we hold onto some things-- or some people—too tightly? Maybe we cling to our status and the respect that comes with it. Maybe we are holding on to our status and the respect that comes with it. Maybe we are holding onto our money too tightly instead of giving generously to those in need. Maybe we have too tight a grasp on our free time instead of being willing to serve someone. We might even struggle with letting go of someone close to us, like our adult children.

If you detect that you are holding onto something or someone too tightly, don’t despair! Imagine the Lord smiling as He receives whatever gift you offer Him. Then hear Him say, “Don’t worry. I can give you all that you need!” “Jesus, I want to offer everything I have to you. Help me do it!”

Today’s homily was from Word Among Us. I encourage to take it home and read the readings and meditations daily.

Today’s Gospel is a reminder that no matter how many gifts we may have, whether that be a few or many, we have the joy of using them for God and for love of neighbor.

When you think about any act of charity you do, you are really practicing stewardship. The definition of stewardship is a grateful response of a Christian Disciple who recognizes and receives God's gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor.

Are there some gifts that you are keeping to yourself and not using them for God and for others?

First, pray. And ask the Lord to help you recognize your gifts He has given to you. Then respond gratefully by using them for love of God and neighbor.

Soon, we will make available stewardship forms for you to fill out for Holy Trinity. But, stewardship is not limited to the church, stewardship is about using our time, talent and treasure for love of God, and for neighbor wherever we may be. Its about being a disciple of Jesus every day, wherever we maybe or wherever God may take us.

May Our Blessed Mother, help us to love Jesus and to serve Him with all our heart, as She did Her entire life.

Tuesday Election Day in the USA, Nov 5th

Today is election day for our country. Many will go to the polls to vote for candidates that can shape our country. Our nation needs repentance and conversion and we have a duty to first do that ourselves, to turn away from sins and be sorry for them.

May this day be a day of penance, fasting, sacrifice and prayer. Rather than watching television programs, may we pray additional Rosaries. Rather than eating our favorite meal, may we fast. Rather than doing things for our self, may we sacrifice our time for others. May we come to the church to adore Jesus in the tabernacle and offer our Holy Hour for our country. And may every American citizen vote for candidates who will defend life, the most important issue in any election.

May Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of our country intercede for us.

31st Sunday, Love Your Neighbor (the unborn), as Yourself

 

A scribe came to Jesus, and asked Him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Our Blessed Lord replied, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And the second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

To love God with all our heart, all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength is to put God first in everything. We must place God above our job, our family, our home, our health, and our very own lives. The early Christians lost their jobs, their family, their home, they suffered physically, and gave up their lives to follow Christ.

Those of us, who live the stewardship way of life have discovered, that when we put God first, He will take care of all our needs. A life of stewardship is a life lived trusting God and being a steward to our neighbor.

To live the stewardship way of life-- is a call to discipleship, to truly love God with all our heart, all our mind and all our strength-- and to love our neighbor as our self.

I would like to tell you of some specific neighbors, who need our help. These neighbors have no home, no job, no healthcare, no family, and their lives are in immediate danger. Who are these people desperately need our help? The unborn.

Since Roe vs Wade was overturned and since the loss of the Value Them Both Amendment, abortions increased in Kansas by 154%, due to majority coming from out of state. In 2022, there were 12,318 abortions in Kansas, but most are from out of state.

In August, a new abortion clinic opened in Pittsburgh, Kansas. They have sidewalk counselors who stand outside and they take down the car tags to find out where the people come from. Over the past few months, only two were from Kansas, all others were from out of state.

Those who go to abortion clinics are often times confused, pressured and hurting. They need our prayers and support. God is infinitely merciful and will always forgive those who ask Him. God’s mercy is for everyone. Sometimes, we can make choices and not fully understand what we are doing or the consequences to our choices. But, God can work through our mistakes and He can overcome our sins. He loves us even when we sin. But, He hates sin because sin hurts Him and hurts us and hurts others.

All of us have a right to work, a right to our family, a right to healthcare, a right to education, and right to live a peaceful and long life. Except of course, our unborn neighbors.

Pope John Paul II, said, “The common outcry, which is just made on behalf of human rights—for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.”

Today, many are more concerned about the environment and the economy. But what good is a home, a job, a family, healthcare, the environment and the economy, if millions are never be able to enjoy these basic goods of life, because they will never even be able to live, due to abortion?

Some may say, “The Church has no right to push her views in social and political matters”. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Church intervenes by making moral judgment about economic and social matters when the fundamental rights of the person, the common good, or the salvation of souls requires it.”

Some also argue--politicians have no right to persuade others with regard to morality. However, people we put into office, vote for abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, cloning, transgender policies, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, religious freedom, which are all moral choices.

Our country desperately needs political leaders who will defend life and outlaw abortion. Politicians should defend the Constitution and help fellow Americans to live by the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;

In the Declaration of Independence it states, “All men are created equal.” Where are we created equal? We are all created equal in our mother’s womb.

And it states we have and inalienable right to life from God, our creator.

Catholics have an obligation to vote in order to improve society and prevent it from harming innocent people. Catholics are disciples of Christ, called to evangelize the world. We have a duty to defend the weak, the poor, the elderly—and the unborn.

Since abortion became legal, we can no longer vote straight across the board for our own political party. To vote, without paying attention to the issue of life, is to put one’s party over one’s faith. It places our allegiance to our political party, over our love for God, and our love of neighbor. Can we say, we really love God--- if we fail to love and protect our neighbor-- unborn children?

My friends, there is absolutely no other issue-- as important in any election than the issue of life. To consciously vote for a pro-abortion candidate, who is running against a pro-life candidate is a serious sin requiring confession.

If both are in favor of abortion, then we should vote for the one who will cause less abortions.

To not pay any attention, as to how the candidate would vote on the issue of life, is irresponsible. It’s not putting God first. It’s not loving God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind, and all one’s soul, and it is not loving one’s neighbor as one’s self.

Who will be a steward to their neighbor? Who will come forward to vote for life--to stop the tragedy of abortion? Now is the time to put God first-- and love Him with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, and to love your neighbor, who are helpless children.

If Jesus would speak to us, what do you think He would say? Perhaps, He would say, “Hear O America! The Lord our God-- is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And the second is this: You shall love your neighbor (who are my unborn children) as yourself. I came that all may have life and have it abundantly. Please Vote—the life of your neighbor-- depends upon it!

All Souls Day, Nov 2nd

 

The Church teaches us that the souls of the just who have left this world soiled with the stain of venial sin remain for a time in a place of expiation, where they suffer such punishment as may be due to their offenses. It is a matter of faith that these suffering souls are relieved by the intercession of the Saints in heaven and by the prayers of the faithful upon earth. To pray for the dead is, then, both an act of charity and of piety. We read in Holy Scripture: "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."

And when Our Lord inspired St. Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, towards the close of the tenth century, to establish in his Order a general commemoration of all the faithful departed, it was soon adopted by the whole Western Church, and has been continued unceasingly to our day, as the Feast of All Souls Day.

There is the story about St. Malachy, whose sister who laughed at him when he was burying the dead. Later, when she died, he said many Masses for her. After some time, in a vision, he saw her, dressed in mourning, standing in a churchyard, and saying that she had not tasted food for thirty days. Remembering that it was just thirty days since he last offered the Adorable Sacrifice for her, he began again to do so, and was rewarded by other visions, in the last of which he saw her within the church, clothed in white, near the altar, and surrounded by bright spirits.

Let us, then, ever bear in mind the dead and offer up our prayers for them. By showing this mercy to the suffering souls in purgatory, we shall be particularly entitled to be treated with mercy at our departure from this world, and to share more abundantly in the general suffrages of the Church, continually offered for all who have slept in Christ.

All Saints Day, Nov 1st

 

“The glorious saints surround the Throne of the Lamb in Heaven!” Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. The Church celebrates all the known and unknown saints in heaven. There is a “great multitude, which no one can count, from every nation, race, people and tongue.” This multitude consists of the noble fellowship of prophets, ancient patriarchs, the glorious company of apostles, the white robed army of martyrs, the noble company of confessors, the choir of virgins, and the many saints, who lived ordinary yet, supernatural lives of holiness and virtue. Besides canonized saints, there are countless hidden saints, who are carpenters, housewives, plumbers, bankers, airplane workers, bricklayers, intellectuals, secretaries, computer workers, manual workers, priests, and religious.

The saints, struggled with temptations, sufferings of every kind, misunderstandings, trials of all sorts, yet by the grace of God, they persevered in their struggle by following the Lamb, who sits on the throne. All the saints in heaven acknowledge their Salvation came from God, who is seated on the throne and the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed on the altar of the Cross.

All of us are called to be saints. We are all called to holiness and to follow the beatitudes. We should strive to follow the multitude of saints, who have gone before us. By way of their powerful intercession, they will help us imitate their virtues. The saints were just like us. They struggled with the same kinds of sins we do.

Most of you have probably heard of Carlo Acutis, a fifteen year old boy from Italy who died from leukemia, which cancer that affects bone marrow and blood.

He is known for his International Miracles of the Eucharist display, that he created using his ingenuity on the computer. He was a computer expert at very young age.

When I had surgery last year at the Tulsa hospital, the computer in my patient room wouldn’t start-up. The nurse kept trying to turn it on, but to no avail.

After she left, I prayed to Carlo Acutis and asked him to start the computer. About 10 minutes later the nurse came back in my room and the computer started up on its own. She asked me if I did anything to start it, and I said, “Well, yes, I asked Carlo Acutis, a 15 year old boy, who died and is now in heaven, to start up the computer and he did.” The nurse wasn’t Catholic, but God used that event to show a non-Catholic, the power of praying to a future saint.

Carlo Acutis is expected to be canonized next year. Today, let us ask all canonized and unknown saints to pray for us, and help us to be virtuous and holy like them, so that we too will become saints, but we need to turn away from sin, stay close to Jesus in prayer. Attend Mass and receive Jesus in Communion as often as we can and to confess our sins regularly, so that at the end of our life we can join all the saints in heaven.

30th Sunday, Spiritually Blind & Abortion

 

The message for today is that spiritual blindness can be overcome, if we come to the Lord seeking to be healed.

A little background as to what happened in the first reading. Originally, the people of Israel rejected Jeremiah’s plea to follow the ways of the Lord, resulting in being taken captive into Babylon for 70 years.

When the time of their punishment concluded and when the people had finally repented, the Lord told the people, “Shout for joy for Jacob, exalt at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The Lord has delivered His people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and lame in their midst. They departed with tears, but I will lead them to the brooks of water.”

They were spiritually blind, but after their punishment and exile, they finally were able to see the error of their ways and the Lord welcomes them back and allows them to return to the land of Israel.

The Gospel tells the story of Jesus curing the blind beggar. Bartimaeus was cured because of his faith and his willingness to come to Jesus. However, the question is, “who in the Gospel was spiritually blind?” Weren’t those who rebuked the blind man, actually blind?

Physical blindness is terrible, but spiritual blindness is worse! In the Gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem where he will be rejected by those who are spiritually blind. He will die because of them. The last stop before Jerusalem was Jericho, where He encounters the blind beggar and cures him. Jesus could cure physical blindness, but He cannot cure spiritual blindness unless a person wants to be cured! 

A few weeks ago, a candidate running for office sent out a mailer, characterizing Christians as being mean and judgmental towards those in favor of abortion. The mailer said, “You are not being asked to change your beliefs. You religion is not under attack. You are simply being asked to let people make their own decisions about their body, their religion, their love and so on. It doesn’t affect you. If you truly believe it is wrong then let God judge them and worry about your own sins instead. The good Lord didn’t send His Son into this world to condemn it. I certainly doubt He sent you to do it.”

On the mailer, there were two caricatures one with Jesus standing with a family with the words, Peace, Love, Tolerance. Another caricature showed an angry man holding a bible that said, “Believe like I do, or burn in hell!”

In response to the mailer, a non-Catholic pastor in Little River wrote an open letter in the Monitor Journal saying, “You write, “It doesn’t affect you.” That’s simply not true. You are advocating for public policies and public policies affects us all. Abortion denigrates our humanity. Marriage re-defined destroys the family. LGBTQ books in public and school libraries affect us all. Males pretending to be females playing women sports cheats ladies out of athletic opportunities. These kinds of leftist policies affect us all.”

The pastor made many other good points and then invited the candidate to visit with him and attend his church to get to know what Christians believe.

I would like to point out additional problems with what the candidate said. She said, “You are simply being asked to let people make their own decisions about their body, their religion, their love and so on.” But, by these words, she is not taking into consideration, the life and choices of the unborn child, with regard to his or her own body, his or her future, his or her religion and his or her love.

Another problem is that candidate doesn’t understand we may judge the words and actions of another, but we cannot judge their hearts. Christians aren’t judging the hearts of others by calling out actions or words not in accord with the common good of our human family and with God’s laws, such as “Thou shall not kill”. Everyone knows it’s wrong to kill an innocent person (unborn baby). We all know homosexual actions are unnatural and are not God’s will. The rejection of homosexual behavior is found in the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah due to the sin of homosexual actions. (Genesis 19:13)

In the New Testament, St. Paul said, “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. . . .” (Rom. 1:26–28, 32).

A Christian wants to help everyone to come to know and love Jesus and help them to avoid sin, because we desire everyone to go to heaven.

When Americans vote for a candidate, we should vote for the one who will do the least harm to our human family, our nation, and our community. We should vote for only those who by their words and actions will love, care for, and defend us and especially the most vulnerable. One who desires to kill a baby or who will promote sin, certainly isn’t encouraging love of neighbor and love of God. Abortion is the greatest issue in an election, because it is the greatest evil and harms our human family the most. Life is the foundation of all gifts given to us by God.

The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

Right there in the Declaration of Independence it states, “All men are created equal.” Where are created equal?

We are all created equal in our mother’s womb.

It also states we can alter or abolish laws that effect our safety and happiness with regard to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is destructive to kill innocent children and support sins against true marriage (between a man and woman). Abortion is not safe for the unborn. Every woman who has had an abortion and every man who has helped participate in it, are not happy because it deeply harms them spiritually and emotionally.

But, God is infinitely merciful and will always forgive those who ask Him. God’s mercy is for everyone. Sometimes, we can make choices and not fully understand what we are doing or the consequences to our choices. But, God can work through our mistakes and He can overcome our sins. He loves us even when we sin. But, He hates sin because sin hurts Him and hurts us

The idea of rightly judging the behavior of others can be found throughout the New Testament. Jesus told the Jews, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24).

To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way. So, when faced with the immoral behavior of others, how can we be sure to rightly judge behavior? In Jesus’ own words, we must start by taking the logs out of our own eyes—by making sure we are doing the best we can to live lives of good example. We must also strive to form our consciences correctly, so we know sin when we see it. Finally, we must not jump to conclusions about another person’s culpability in sin. Doing all this will help to ensure that our admonitions are seen as the loving actions we intend them to be—meant to help others live their lives in ways that are pleasing to God.

Those who advocate for sin, which harms the community, our nation, and the world, are spiritually blind. However, once they realize they are being held captive by sin, they will seek a Savior to free them.

Bartimaeus said, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you.” The man replied, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus said, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” Let us pray God will open eyes and hearts to help us see our sins and discover what is true, beautiful, and good, most especially life.