If Not for Mary

Sin in Perspective

2012-01-20T10:18:00.020-06:00

Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea! David's question to Saul really puts sin in perspective. Remember that Saul is filled with anger, resentment and jealousy because the people, especially the woman, are acclaiming David as a hero. In the first reading today, Saul's sinful thoughts and feelings have fermented in the misery of his self-centeredness long enough that he is now actively pursuing David seeking to kill him. David's question to Saul puts Saul's motives into perspective. What is the point Saul? A dead dog is worthless as is a single flea. This question brings clarity. It demonstrates the futility of Saul's blood lust. The ridiculousness of Saul's anger, jealousy, and resentment. The source of this vicious quest, is laid bear as Saul is presented with the absurdity of David's question. The sinful motives are absurd as is the sin of Saul. We are no different. Saul has felt and thought he was justified in his anger, jealousy, and resentment. Thus he cultivated them and harbored them and nurtured them and finally has acted upon them for a sustained amount of time, the length of a military campaign. All this time and energy wasted. For What? A dead dog or a single flea! The futility and absurdity of Saul's sinful passion is certainly evident to us as we listen to the first reading. What about our own? How much time do we waste cultivating, harboring, and nurturing our own sinful thoughts and desires? What tortured reasoning goes into the justification of such feelings and thoughts, as well as desires?How committed are we to acting upon that which we have falsely justified? Often our whole life revolves around a few well cultivated sins. How long have we sustained our commitment to a particular sin whether it be in Thought, Word, or Deed? All this time and energy wasted. For What? A dead dog or a single flea! Yet we follow Saul. We follow his lead. Sin gains us nothing. It is a waste and it wastes us. If we can admit the absurdity of our reasoning then perhaps we can begin to turn from the vicious cycle of sin. If we can admit the futility of our quest for satisfaction in a sinful thought, word or action perhaps then we can begin to cooperate with the sanctifying grace offered to us in the Sacramental Life. If we can humbly admit we are not justified in these sinful attitudes and pursuits then perhaps we can begin to heal. The choice is ours to make this day, Virtue, Grace, and Healing on the one hand opening us up to Everlasting Life, or a flea and a dead dog on the other. These are symbols of misery, futility, slavery and death. David poses the question to Saul, but each of us better answer.

The Illusion of Thoughts and Feelings

2012-01-19T06:01:00.023-06:00

Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
"They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship."
And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David.

Saul discussed his intention of killing David
with his son Jonathan and with all his servants

The jealousy of Saul in the first reading is understandable. After all David in a rather short time has become a young charismatic hero. Saul is certainly blessed, he is anointed by the Most High as king, but in the face of such great accolades that women in every city give David, it is understandable that he would feel jealous, resentful and angry. The commission of a sin very often hinges on what we do with our feelings or thoughts. So often people are compelled to certain acts based upon their feelings. We are not our feelings. We are not our thoughts. Yet so many people degrade themselves based upon the false notion or more clearly the lie that says we are our thoughts or our feelings. Many believe the lie that says since we have certain feelings or thoughts we must act upon them. The frequency of a certain thought or feeling is often the only consideration when deciding to act upon that feeling or thought. Reducing ourselves to our thoughts and feelings in this way has disastrous effects. Vice and addictions abound among those who live according to this lie. Slavery is the end result. Slavery that is often vigorously defended by those enslaved simply by repeating the same lie they have embraced.
A simple definition of prayer is lifting of ones heart and mind to God. Enslaved in the belief that we are our thoughts and feelings and thus compelled to act upon them, our souls do not reach out to the Living God, they collapse in upon themselves. Pride and Vanity are what drove Saul even to seeking approval from his son Jonathan and all his servants. Approval of his murderous thoughts and desires. He did not lift his heart or mind to the Living God. He sought the approval of men. Spending time in Adoration helps us lift our hearts and minds to God. In humble Adoration before our Lord our pride and vanity are tempered by Grace. We are not our thoughts. We are not our feelings. We are beloved sons and daughters of God. We are called to live accordingly.

And What Have You Been Doing?

2012-01-16T14:07:00.004-06:00

People came to Jesus and objected,
"Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?".

The people in the Gospel today unfortunately mirror the spiritual life of many in the modern world. They object to the practices of the disciples of Jesus, but they are not disciples of John the Baptist nor of the Pharisees. What have they been doing? It is easy to object to some spiritual practices and even easier to ignore the promptings to perform some others. In the end what are we left with but strong opinions and our own ruminations usually leading us down the road of self righteousness. In this self centered state of mind and of being they do not see clearly the Bridegroom in their midst. We too fall victim to the same blindness when we refuse to have some spiritual discipline in our lives. When we reject the fervor and piety of some while refusing to practise that of another, we become spiritually blind and self centered. The truth is that the Lord is in our midst. He reveals Himself to these judgmental people today as a way of calling them out of themselves to rejoice with Him in the gift of Life that He gives each one. Thus the challenge for each of us is to entertain and practise some spiritual discipline each day. The Rosary is often a starting point but for many a beginner it is too hard or perhaps perceived as being too long. For others who struggle with it each day and have let it go, it can be hard to pick back up. I recommend to both groups the praying of the Angelus. It is a short yet powerful prayer and meditation on the Paschal Mystery with devotion to Mary the Mother of the Church who can guide us in the deepening of our faith. It also can be prayed three times a day, morning, noon, and evening. It is a great way to jump start your devotional life so you do not have to stand dumbstruck when asked, "What Have You Been Doing?"

The Holy Name of Jesus

2012-01-13T08:59:00.007-06:00

At your name they rejoice all the day this line is taken from Psalm 89 in the liturgy today and is worthy of our reflection. The Psalm says that they rejoice all the day at the name of the Lord. It does not mention whether they are having a good day or a bad day, a hard day or an easy day, a stressful day or a relaxing day. At Jesus name they rejoice all day. In some way this is the key to holiness and happiness. This is the key to living a peaceful life. Rejoicing in Jesus name in our hearts and minds and even on our lips all day every day brings us true peace because Jesus then is present to us. He is not a thought or feeling nor an idle word. He is our Lord and He is with us, present to whatever the day is bringing us. Unlike the crowds in the Gospel today we do not have to push to see Him. We do not have to break open the roof to belowered down as the paralytic man was in order to be healed. We can simply rejoice in His Name Jesus each day in our minds and in our hearts and He is present. Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus, God Saves. Rejoice in His Holy Name. The scribes in the Gospel were hurling accusations at Him in their minds and their hearts were turning away from Him until He spoke directly to them demonstrating in this healing that He was Lord and Savior. So He knows our hearts and He knows our minds. He, Jesus, longs to be united with us both in our heart and mind. By rejoicing in His Name each day all day we open ourselves up to living in that Communion.

Everyone Is Looking For Jesus

2012-01-11T09:19:00.010-06:00

Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."

How profound are the words that Simon speaks in the Gospel today. In truth they reflect what is in fact the longing of every human person. That being the longing for God, but more importantly and this is reflected in the Gospel, a longing for Jesus. Every heart, every soul, every person who has ever lived longs to know Jesus. "Everyone is looking for you." This is the TRUTH. The truth of this longing really is at the heart of our human experience and existence but for so so many it is overlooked, or ignored or tragically misunderstood. Thus in not acknowledging the longing for Jesus our lives are consumed with emptiness. For most modern men and women if they are asked what are they looking for in life, Jesus would not be their response. Like St. Augustine they look for satisfaction in created things but ignore, overlook, and tragically misunderstand that they Really are looking for the Creator, for God, and most clearly for Jesus. Jesus. The Word made Flesh. God Incarnate. Son of God and Son of Mary. Saviour of all mankind. Many say this is presumptuous of the Church to believe this and even if we believe it we should never come out and speak it. The TRUTH is that when Simon speaks in the Gospel today, he is not only refering to the people in that town, but all humanity."Everyone is looking for you."
In not recognizing this, or in not admitting this many are left wondering what life is all about or why they can never be at peace, or how to simply be each day. In the western world life becomes about the pursuit of goals, every moment is about fufilling responsabilities in order to get things done, that we may be a good: mom, dad, father, mother, daughter, son, student, boss, worker of whatever kind. The goals, responsabilities, and roles constantly change. Nothing in that sort of life remains the same. Their is always something new to try, or to do, or to learn that will tell you what life is all about, to bring you peace,that you can finally be comfortable with yourself. "Everyone is looking for you."
Jesus is the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever!What then is the remedy to the miserable condition so many experience each day? First is to admit the TRUTH that we are looking for Jesus. He is the answer to the longing we feel deep inside. The second is also found in the Gospel. Simon and those who were with him pursued him. They PURSUED JESUS! They FOUND HIM! They were WITH HIM! Jesus IS our LIFE and our HOPE. In LOVE Jesus teaches us what life is all about. In LOVE Jesus fills us with His PEACE each day as we go about our duties. In LOVE Jesus reveals to each one who we are as beloved sons and daughters of God. Thus we come to understand how to Be Loved.
Today Simon's words express the deepest truth of the human condition, and his example shows us what needs to be done in response. Today we can imitate Simon by simply going to Mass or Adoration to be with Jesus.

Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T11:30:00.004-05:00

Lk 19:28-40
Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany
at the place called the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples.
He said, “Go into the village opposite you,
and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
And if anyone should ask you,
‘Why are you untying it?’
you will answer,
‘The Master has need of it.’”
So those who had been sent went off
and found everything just as he had told them.
And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,
“Why are you untying this colt?”
They answered,
“The Master has need of it.”
So they brought it to Jesus,
threw their cloaks over the colt,
and helped Jesus to mount.
As he rode along,
the people were spreading their cloaks on the road;
and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of his disciples
began to praise God aloud with joy
for all the mighty deeds they had seen.
They proclaimed:
“Blessed is the king who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest.”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
He said in reply,
“I tell you, if they keep silent,
the stones will cry out!”

Sin is Senseless

2010-03-26T11:03:00.003-05:00

Jn 10:31-42
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, "You are gods"‘?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.

He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.

The Annunciation

2010-03-25T16:40:00.002-05:00

A Challenge

2009-05-20T12:03:00.011-05:00

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.(Jn16:12-15) When we pray we should keep these words in mind. The Holy Spirit will guide us to all truth, and there are times when we will have to wait for an answer because we cannot bear it at the time. In order to find peace even in the midst of our struggle we must place all our trust and confidence in the Loving Mercy of our Father and of our Savior Jesus. That Loving Mercy is the Holy Spirit our Advocate and Guide. He is our Comfort in this vale of tears. By trusting in Him we are allowing ourselves to be guided in the truth and led to the Truth of our lives found in Jesus. Our constant desire to know things or to know the ending or to get over some thing or other is a hindrance to growth in our spiritual life. We do not need all the answers and there are some that we cannot bear. We should stop acting as if we are alone on this journey. We have an Advocate and Guide. The third Person of the Most Holy Trinity has been given to us; He is with us; He Loves us. As we prepare for the celebration of Pentecost in would be good to enter deeply into this mystery of the Loving Mercy of God who is our constant companion on this journey. To open our hearts to the Comforter, the Holy Spirit that He may truly guide us on our way. All too often we follow our own inner promptings and then convince ourselves that the Holy Spirit is in fact leading us. How our lives would change if we could be obedient to the True promptings of our Advocate and Guide. What great fruits we would see. What great peace we would have in our souls. But we would pay a great price. We would have to die to ourselves and submit ourselves to His Holy Will which is Love and Mercy Itself. Perhaps come this Pentecost we will be up for THE CHALLENGE. Perhaps during this month of Mary we could beg our Mother to intercede for us and prepare us to receive her Divine Spouse that we may be obedient to Him and follow Him with undivided hearts.

The Lord's Delight

2009-05-18T11:33:00.006-05:00

The Lord takes delight in his people.(Ps149) Often we give more credit to people than we do to God. It is easy to recognize how parents and grandparents delight in their children. But we cannot recognize the God delights in us. It is a strange thing really. We can accept the fact that parents delight in their children, that we delight in our children, but our God cannot or does not delight in us. Often we defend this foolish belief by claiming that God will be our Judge therefore He is constantly judging all that we do. We turn away from God claiming that we will never measure up so it is better to live according to our own rules. This is a poor excuse and a weak argument but many live by it, and many turn to it in times of trial. The Lord takes delight in his people.(Ps149) This is in fact the Truth of our life and the Truth of who God is as our Father. Our Father delights in us. Our Father delights in His children won to Him by the Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of His only Son, Jesus our Lord. Our Father delights in blessing us with His many gifts. The greatest of being the Holy Spirit our Advocate and Guide. With so many blessings, with such an outpouring of Love how can we still see our Father as judge and executioner. The Lord takes delight in his people.(Ps149) Our Father's Mercy triumphs over Judgment. He has made His Judgment it is For Mercy and Love. The Father's Glory is revealed in the expression of His Merciful Love. That Glory is Jesus our Savior exalted on the Cross and Raised from the dead that His Mercy may endure forever. As this Easter season draws rapidly to a close; as we prepare to receive the Holy Spirit it would be good to ask for a greater understanding of our Father in Heaven and the delight He takes in us each day.

Slaves or Friends

2009-05-15T10:46:00.007-05:00

"I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing."(Jn15:12-17) If we would pay attention to these words there would be a lot more peace in our daily lives. Often our daily struggles blind us to the Grace of God. Often our daily struggles overshadow the Truth of what God is doing in our lives. Often our daily struggles leave us wondering what God wants from us, or what is He asking of us. More often than not in our own self centered way we wonder what we should do or could do in order to better understand what God is doing in our life. This scripture passage today reveals that in times of struggle it is not about the DOING but it is about BEING. Jesus reveals our identity to us. We are His friends, and as His friends we should know what He is doing in our lives. His Will is Love and Mercy itself even in our struggles, even in our sufferings, even in our temptations, even in our sins. He desires Mercy. Too often we act as if we were slaves not knowing what He is about. What is needed is Trust in His Loving Mercy. In order to do this we must recognize and embrace our true identity as friends of Christ the Bridegroom and rejoice in His presence. He is with us in our daily trials. He is about our salvation. He will not fail. Trust in Him and throw off the doubts, fears, and self pity that are the chains of slavery. Believe in His Merciful Love and live in the freedom enjoyed by the beloved friends of Jesus.

Living in Truth

2009-05-14T09:46:00.014-05:00

"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete."(Jn15:9-17) TheWill of our Father in Heaven is that we be filled with joy. Jesus reveals to us today that He wants to make up for what is lacking in our lives. Our joy is incomplete. There are too many things that weigh us down. Distractions, worries, anxieties, fears, wounds, temptations, addictions, sins, all these rob us of experiencing the joy of life. In a certain sense they keep us from seeing the truth of our life. But as Jesus prays today that we remain in Him and in His Love, He reveals to us that in doing so He will fill us with His own Joy and our joy will be complete. In His Love Jesus makes up for what is lacking in us. He completes us because He Loves us. This is not only true with the joy of life but in all things. Jesus makes up for what is lacking in our faith, in our ability to love, in our hope, in all things. We are not alone and we do not have to do things alone, on our own ability, by our own willing it. Jesus is with us. While we remain in Him we are filled to capacity and overflowing with all the gifts of Life and of Love that He gives to us. This is the Will of our Father in Heaven. Thus we are called to submit ourselves to His Holy Will which is Love and Mercy itself. Love and Mercy is what He longs to fill us with. This is so important for the spiritual life because discouragement or lack of discernment often blind us to the truth. Often people have an inflated opinion of themselves as if they are all right, in essence ignoring what God is doing for them or asking of them because they are content at the time with what they are doing or how life is going. The opposite to this is that they feel worthless as if God would not want anything to do with them. They are alone in their misery and think they are not worthy of God's Blessings or that they will never overcome their struggles thus they will never be pleasing to God. Both of these tendencies isolate us because they both ignore the Truth of our Father's Love and place the love of self at the center of our ones life. We must remain in Jesus for as our love is co-mingled with His Love we learn to truly love: as our joy is mixed with His Joy we can truly be joyful; as our hope is is co-mingled with His Hope we experience true Hope. In truth when we remain in Jesus we remain in Love, Joy, and Hope Itself for our Savior is the beginning and the end of all these. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega not only of the Universe but of our very lives. In humility we are called to recognize this today and humbly begin to truly live through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. In doing so we will be fulfilled and know the fullness of life in our Father's Loving Mercy.

Without Me You Can Do Nothing

2009-05-13T12:30:00.010-05:00

"Without me you can do nothing."(Jn15:1-8) Often these words are ignored by the faithful. We have the I can do it mentality even in our spiritual lives. This is why we are often preoccupied not only with our successes but also with our failings. We believe that we should be able to succeed simply by willing it. We believe that we should succeed because after all we know better. We believe that we should be able to overcome our past or our present struggles. We believe that in doing so we can then we can present ourselves to God and be pleasing to Him. These are all lies, and a perversion of our faith as Catholics. "Without me you can do nothing." Jesus tells us today that we are to remain in Him. IN HIM! Thus we will be able to ask the Father anything and the Father will be glorified in pouring out His Mercy and Love upon us. It is not about our succeeding in making ourselves pleasing to God. It is about the Father's Love that makes us pleasing to Him. It is about our identity as sons and daughters. Only by remaining in the Son, through whom we have been adopted, can we live according to our Father's plan and thus give Him glory. And what is the Father's plan? That we know Him and His Love for us; that we love Him as He first Loved us; that we freely serve Him as His beloved children, bearing fruit and drawing others to the Truth of His Love. Thus we remain in the Son as He teaches us the way to the Father. Thus we open our Hearts to the Holy Spirit to be reminded of our identity and the truth of our life. This is the very foundation of all that we do. It is the foundation of our lives. It is the cause of our joy even in the midst of hardship and pain. As Catholics this is the witness we give to the World. We are called to bring Hope to a world darkened by sin and fear. We do so in Christ that we may bear much fruit. Not the fruit we long to produce but the fruit that the Father produces in us when we turn to Him and pray that His Will be done. It is easy to take the self help approach to spirituality but it is a false path that leads to emptiness and pain. It is a lonely path where we never feel good enough. Jesus never tells us we are good enough, He only tells us we are good. How then can we be sure that we are on the right path? Living a Sacramental Life is the first and most important criteria. It is expressly in the Sacraments that we remain in Jesus. Going to Mass as often as possible and never missing on Sunday except for serious illness or advanced age, as well as frequent Confession are a good first step in order to remain in Jesus. Praying the Angelus in the morning and at midday and in the evening to remind us of who we are is also a powerful way to begin on the path. If during midday or evening you make an examination of conscience so much the better. Pray your Rosary. Blessed Mother will guide you if you place all your trust in her. Also in praying the Rosary Mary will teach you how the Mysteries of her Son's Life, Death, and Resurrection apply to you and in fact were done for you specifically. Finally before you can even begin, pray to the Holy Spirit. Invite the Lover of your soul to draw you lovingly to Christ, and give you the strength to remain in Him. This in essence is an imitation of our Blessed Mother who was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and was united to Jesus as His Mother according to the Will of the Father. We can imitate our Mother and the Holy Spirit will overshadow us as well. In His love we will be united to Jesus as brothers and sisters according to the Will of God the Father. Then He will do great things in us, we will bear much fruit and the Father will be Glorified. Leave your self help spirituality behind trust in the Lord for He has spoken: "Without me you can do nothing."

He Is Risen

2009-04-12T11:14:00.010-05:00

Queen of Heaven, Rejoice, Alleluia.
The Son whom you merited to bear, Alleluia,
Has Risen as He said, Alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
For the Lord has truly Risen, Alleluia.

I love the phrase from the Regina Caeli, that He has Risen as He said. Jesus has done what He said He was going to do. The Father has done what Jesus said He was going to do; He is Risen from the Dead. Death no longer has power over Him. He has destroyed death itself by offering himself up to death. He has won the victory. Even as death sought His destruction, in Love He brought forth Life and gave the gift of Life to the Church born from His side, the Water and the Blood. Jesus has done what He said. He has been raised from the dead by the Power of the Holy Spirit and the Love of God the Father. The Trinitarian Love of God has been revealed and we have been invited to enter in. On this Easter Morn we enter into Love and Mercy itself. Death has been destroyed and Life has been given. Death no longer has any power over us. We have been ransomed. The price has been paid. We are free now to live as the beloved sons and daughters of God. Jesus has Risen as He said. There are no wounds that cannot be healed. Jesus is Risen as He said. There are no sins that cannot be forgiven. Jesus has Risen as He said. There is no suffering that cannot be overcome. Jesus has Risen as He said. He has given us new Life in Him who conquered death. The glory of this morn resounds throughout the ages. The glory of this morn rings out throughout the year, Sunday after Sunday we rejoice and are glad for He is truly Risen. Today we celebrate the very heart and foundation of our Faith. Jesus is Risen. Alleluia! Alleluia! Now we can have life and have it to the full. Now His Joy can be in us, and in the Joy of our Risen Lord our Joy is complete. He is truly risen. May our Blessed Mother, the Mother of the Crucified and Risen One teach us to Rejoice with her in the Truth of our life and our faith.

Holy Triduum

2009-04-09T11:30:00.004-05:00

I will post a reflection on Easter Sunday. These are the holiest days of the year I pray that we spend them reflecting on our Lord Jesus and the Merciful Love of our Father that He revealed in His Life, Death, and Resurrection. May the Holy Spirit guide you these days in a profound reflection on our Christ's Passion and a joyful encounter with our Risen Lord this Sunday.

Love/Mercy/Abandonment

2009-04-08T10:27:00.006-05:00

"He is near who upholds my right;"(Is 50:4-9)

"I looked for sympathy, but there was none; for consolers, not one could I find."(Ps 69)

This is the contrast that will so bitterly be on display as we approach the Sacred Triduum. Our Heavenly Father is near to the Suffering Servant, even while we abandon the Lord. In the Father's great Love, Jesus completes the work of our Redemption. We abandon Him. In the Father's Love, Jesus does the Father's Will. We abandon Him. In the Father's Love Jesus offers himself as a Sacrifice for our sins. We abandon Him. I could go on and on but the point is quite clear. This stark contrast is not meant to weigh us down with guilt or shame. The Truth that we are called to reflect upon today in these two brief passages is this: Our Father is near to us, He will uphold us in all our trials as we seek to do His Will, and secondly that even as we abandon Him He still Loves us until the end. His Love is gratuitous; we gave Him nothing, no sympathy, no consolation, yet He gives us life, even life eternal. Such is His great Love. This is the Will of our Father. The bitterness of our Lord's Passion reminds us of His great Love. Even as the weight of our shame and guilt bears down upon us, our hearts must be lifted up in joy and gratitude to the Father who did not spare His only Son. As Jesus is lifted up on the Cross this Sacred Triduum let us not abandon Him but instead draw near to Love and Mercy itself.

Chrism Mass

2009-04-07T10:15:00.002-05:00

Although this Mass is properly celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday many Diocese transfer the celebration to today so that as many priests as possible can attend. If you can you should go to this Mass. That is to say if you live near the Cathedral of your Diocese, go! It is a beautiful celebration. Laredo Diocese is celebrating The Chrism Mass today. Before it the priests will have a spiritual conference then dinner together with the Bishop. Unexpectedly I was asked to give the conference to the English speaking priests. Pray for me. I will return to Holy week reflections on Wednesday.

Waiting

2009-04-06T10:18:00.009-05:00

"Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD."(Psalm 27) This is the last line of the Psalm Response today. It has particular importance for us today as we begin Holy Week for it challenges us to imitate Jesus who in the midst of the sufferings He bore lived in the knowledge of these words. Waiting is not something that any of us enjoy no matter how patient we may or may not be. But we are told twice today to wait for the Lord and to be courageous and stouthearted while doing so. In undergoing His Sorrowful Passion Jesus waited for the Lord, and while He was waiting He underwent the most brutal and vicious suffering. The words of the psalmist rang true, "When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh..."(Ps27) even so Jesus waited upon the Lord. In knowing that Judas would betray Him, Jesus waited. In knowing that His beloved Apostles would abandon Him, Jesus waited. In knowing that Peter would deny Him, Jesus waited. In fear and trembling in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus waited. Captured and abused by His own people, Jesus waited. While liars denounced Him, Jesus waited. Spit upon and slapped by fools and sinners, Jesus waited. Thrown in the dark cistern, alone, Jesus waited. Dragged up the steps of the Praetorium to stand before Pilate, Jesus waited. Keeping silent and not defending Himself, Jesus waited. As every blow from the whip violently tore at His flesh, Jesus waited. As the thorns were buried deeper and deeper into His Head, Jesus waited. As the Romans cracked Him with the reed and mocked Him, Jesus waited. As Pilate condemned Him at His own peoples demand, Jesus waited. As the Cross was placed upon His shoulders, Jesus waited. As He stumbled through the streets, Jesus waited. As He encounters His Sorrowful Mother, Jesus waited. With each step towards Golgotha, Jesus waited. Stripped of His clothes for all to see, Jesus waited. Wickedly stretched out on the cross, He waited. As the nails were touched to His aching flesh, He waited. As each blow of the hammer came down, Jesus waited. As He was lifted up Crucified, Jesus waited. As He Thirst hanging between Heaven and Earth, Jesus waited. As He gave up His Spirit into the hands of His Father, Jesus waited. Laid in the Tomb, Jesus waited, He was courageous throughout His ordeal. He remained stouthearted in waiting for the Lord. On the Third Day His waiting was over, His Father raised Him from the Dead by the Power of the Holy Spirit. His waiting won Him the Victory. He is the Lord, and He is our life's refuge. "The LORD is my life's refuge;of whom should I be afraid?"(Ps27) In our own suffering and in our own struggles we must take refuge in Him, and our hope will be fulfilled, for Jesus Waited for the Lord. Now He is our Victor King, we do not have to be afraid any longer, for He comes to us in Mercy and Love that will endure forever.

Fear No More

2009-04-04T15:38:00.011-05:00

"Fear no more, O daughter Zion; see, your king comes, seated upon an ass's colt."(Jn12:12-16)
The prophecy that we hear proclaimed in the Gospel today was given to the people of Israel over 500 years before the birth of Jesus. The people of Jerusalem welcome Jesus, rejoicing in the fulfilment of the prophecy. What should be clear to us today 2000 years later is that the prophecy is still valid and Jesus Christ remains the fulfilment. We do not have to be afraid. Our King comes to us. There are many things in the world that can harm us, and in fact seek to harm us or dominate us. Fear no more! There are many times in our life when we feel isolated and alone. You are not, Your King comes to you. Isolation, loneliness, and fear have been the scourge of the human person from the very foundation of the world. Today however we rejoice in the remedy to such a scourge. Jesus is the remedy. Jesus is the King. Jesus comes to us with great power and strength which to our amazement are shown in His Humility and His Mercy. Riding humbly into the great kings city upon an ass's colt, Jesus is our King we do not have to be afraid anymore. But as we begin Holy Week we must not simply recall the events of 2000 years ago as mere history. We must recognize that Jesus remains the fulfilment of the prophecy and He remains relevant today in our daily life. He continues to come to us with great power and strength. We do not have to be afraid. His power continues to be shown to us in His Humility and His Mercy. We still are amazed and struggle to believe but the prophecy is true as is it's fulfilment who is Truth itself, our King Jesus. How is this so? In the Eucharist that we celebrate each day. There is no wound, there is no sin, there is no struggle that we need fear, our King is with us. He reigns from His throne on the Altar and He manifests His power by His Mercy. Mercy that was poured out in His Sorrowful Passion. Mercy that still flows from the Humble Sacrifice of the Mass. We should rejoice for His Mercy endures forever. By His wounds we are healed. We do not have to be afraid. Heap upon the King all your fear, all your misery, all your shame, all your guilt, all your sins do not be afraid for He comes to you. He goes to Calvary for you. He Loves you. The isolation and fear that has ruled your life can no longer stand in the presence of the King. The shame and the guilt can no longer cling to you who have been washed in the King's Blood. Your sins He bore. They are gone, wiped out. Such is the King's Mercy, such is His Love. Humbly enter in to the Mystery of our Faith these days so that in a weeks time you will know true joy and true peace.

Performing No Sign

2009-04-03T10:34:00.004-05:00

"John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true." (Jn10:31-42)
I propose that we pray to become more like St. John the Baptist. Jesus tells us that John the Baptist is the greatest man ever born of a woman. Yet John performed no sign. What he did do was point to Christ Jesus. What he did do was speak about Christ Jesus. What he did do was go about his daily duties in a manner that was fitting to the calling God gave to him. He performed no sign for he himself was the sign as the grace of God permeated his life and oozed out of him to the delight and fear of others. We too are called by God to a special vocation, and in performing our daily duties while faithfully cooperating with the grace God gives to us we can draw people to Jesus. By embracing the truth of our lives in Christ in an ordinary everyday manner, we will find that others will want what we have. Some will accept what we tell them about Jesus, others will reject the message. Our part is to tell the truth about Jesus and about our life in Him. We do not have to perform signs or work wonders for in living our Sacramental life we are the sign. Our lives point to Christ, and we speak of Him, and we live in Him. This is the best possible life that anyone could lead. There is no better life. Living and practising our Catholic faith, nourished by the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession, is the best life that anyone could lead, and it is for everyone. Rich and poor, saint and sinner, no one is excluded from the invitation. So many refuse the invitation. So many look for happiness elsewhere. So many are looking for signs and wonders. So many are ignorant to what they have in Jesus, in the Church, in Blessed Mother, and in the Sacraments, but we do not have to be. St. John the Baptist wanted to decrease that Jesus may increase. May we be so humble so as to let others know the joy and the hope in which we live. May they come to know Jesus and that all we say about Him is true, that His Mercy endures forever.

The Father's Glory

2009-04-02T09:26:00.006-05:00

"If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me,"(Jn 8:51-59) If we are adopted sons and daughters of God, then our Father will glorify us as He Glorified His Son Jesus our Savior. How simple the spiritual life can become if we live in this confidence, and accept this truth of our life. All too often we are busy glorifying ourselves, seeking the glory of others, or lamenting that God is not doing anything for us. A worthless pursuit as Jesus points out in the Gospel today. It is our Father who glorifies us and sanctifies us with the gift of His Holy Spirit just as He redeems us in the gift of His only Son Jesus our Lord. Our lives are truly in His hands. Pray that as you approach Holy Week, you can imitate Christ Jesus and pray "Into your hands Father I commend my spirit."

Submit Yourself to His Holy Will

2009-04-01T10:35:00.009-05:00

"If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up." (Dan3:14-20)
We are called as followers of Christ to submit ourselves to the Will of our Heavenly Father. In this we imitate Jesus the only Son of the Father. In submitting ourselves to the Father's Will we acknowledge that we truly are His sons and daughters by adoption. An adoption that was won for us at the cost of Christ's Precious Blood. In the story of Hannaniah, Azariah, Mishael we see that these three young men submit themselves to God's Holy Will. They recognize that their God is God alone and that they can trust in Him even when bad, wicked, and evil things happen. They remain strong in their faith. They trust in God completely. They know that His Love endures forever regardless of what happens to them. See that God saves them. See that He did not save Jesus from the Cross. Saving the boys from the furnace was a great act of love on the part of our Fathers in Heaven. Not sparing His only Son from His Passion and Death was the Greatest Act of Love Ever. It is the cause of all our joy. It is the very foundation of our faith. It is the love in which we live. It is the fulfillment of all our hope. It is the gift of our Father. In imitating the boys in the first reading today and submitting ourselves to God's Holy Will our faith, hope and love will be deepened this Lent. We too can live in the knowledge that our Father's Love endures forever and that His Holy Will is Love and Mercy itself.

Let it Be Done Unto Me According to Your Word

2009-03-31T09:37:00.009-05:00

"But with their patience worn out by the journey,the people complained against God and Moses,"

"Then the people came to Moses and said,"We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you." (Nm 21:4-9)

The people sinned in complaining against God and Moses. This is a shock to our modern ears, so much so that we often ignore it. It is a sin to complain against God's Will. Yes it is! As modern men and women we constantly complain to God . Our patience is worn out. We also do the opposite of complaining, we pretend as if we do not care and say "God will work it out". Both are sinful. Both are born of selfishness. Both lead to further misery and resentment against God and neighbor, especially against God's servants like Moses, but in our modern world the Pope, the Bishop, or the local Priest will do. What is the underling problem with the sin of complaining or feigned indifference? We do not seek God's Will. In the midst of our suffering and pain, when our patience is running out, when the problem has lasted too long and shows no sign of ending we complain, complain, complain, and then often feign indifference in the end. Instead we could pray and ask God, "What is your will in my present suffering?" We could even ask, "Do you see my suffering? How can I go on?" Why do we complain then? Because we do not want to hear God's response. Because we do not want to have to make hard decisions. Because we do not want to have to change. Because we feel justified in our behavior. Because we are right. Because we do not deserve what has happened. The list is endless but the fruits of each are the same. SIN IN COMPLAINING AGAINST GOD. Instead let us follow the example of our Blessed Mother and in the midst of the struggles of life say to the Lord "Let it Be Done Unto Me According to Your Word" the Grace we will receive will sustain us in the most difficult of circumstances and we will no longer have to feign indifference for our Blessed Mother will teach us how to submit ourselves to the Father's Holy Will which is Love and Mercy itself.

Hope in God Alone (Jer 17:5-10)

2009-03-12T11:04:00.004-05:00

Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD. Most people would not consider themselves to be in this cursed category. But the truth is that many struggle each day with this very issue. We trust in ourselves and our own strength. We can handle it. In doing so our hearts turn slowly away from the Lord. Even in our Lenten practices we discipline ourselves so seriously that we often leave no space for the Lord. We keep our promises by the force of our own will and not by the Grace that comes from God alone. Turning away slowly from the source of life itself desperately trying to convince ourselves that we are okay. Keep your Lenten disciplines but understand that we depend on God. He is the source of our strength. He is the cause of all our joy. He sustains us in His Mercy and Love. Look to our Crucified Savior and believe in His Love for you. Adore Him because by His Holy Cross He has saved you. Turn to Him now, rely upon Him today and stop acting as if your okay and can handle everything. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. Let this be the truth of your life and live accordingly. Hope in God and praise Him your Savior and your God.

Mocked and Scourged and Crucified (Mt 20:17-28)

2009-03-11T09:42:00.008-05:00

Mocked and Scourged and Crucified. This is why Jesus goes to Jerusalem. Jesus goes to be mocked, to be made fun of as if He were a fool and not the Beloved Son of the Father. Jesus goes to be scourged, the Word made Flesh the Splendor of our Heavenly Father is to be torn and ripped in hatred and violence in the Holy City. Jesus goes to be crucified, nailed to the Cross there is no escape, there is no solace, only ridicule and abandonment, all to do the Will of the Father. This is why Jesus goes to Jerusalem. Mocked in the city that is made Holy by His presence. Scourged by the hands of those whose wounds He came to heal. Crucified by the violent in their hate, the Author of Life allows Himself to be put to death. Jesus Mocked, Jesus Scourged, Jesus Crucified, Divine Mercy Revealed. Jesus goes to Jerusalem to reveal Mercy to the merciless. Ridicule is silenced in Mercy. Hatred and violence are quenched in Mercy. Isolation, loneliness, and abandonment are covered over in Mercy. In the Holy City, in the Holy City our Savior went to suffer and die that we may enter in to Mercy Itself. Do you see Love revealed? Turn away from sin and believe in the Good News this Lent!

The Choice is Yours (Is 1:10,16-20)

2009-03-10T09:33:00.007-05:00

"Cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land;" There is much to meditate upon in the first reading today. What strikes me though is the fact that the choice is always ours. The Lord lays out before us the truth and the invitation to live in the truth, but the choice is always ours. Do we want to cease from doing evil? Do we want to learn to do good? Is justice our aim? That is to say is doing what is right( justice) our aim or is selfishness? Notice how the Lord says If you are willing, the choice is ours. Many people say that it is too hard to change. Many say they cannot get over things that happened to them or things that they did. Many say that God is okay with their selfishness as if they actually prayed and had a relationship with Him. Many say that they believe but but in truth only obey their own authority. Lies all lies! God reveals the Truth to us today. We can change our ways, but we must be obedient. We must be willing and obey. This is the first step in learning to do good. Justice must be our aim. Our goal must be to do what is right. Then in His Mercy God will bless us. We will have the good things in life and we will be able to enjoy them. "Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool." This is the call to conversion of Lent. The choice is yours!

If You, O Lord, Mark Iniquities, Who Can Stand?

2009-03-06T10:46:00.008-06:00

Psalm 130 today makes things clear. You cannot argue with the Truth. When you stand before the Truth your friends will not be with you. When you stand before the Truth you will have nothing to hide behind. Your wealth, your popularity, your intelligence, your beauty, your anger, your strength, your self confidence and self arrogance, your self deception and your sins none will be your shield. The opinions that you have held in order to justify your behavior and your life style will be seen for what they really are, folly. Protests and excuses will fail. You will be resigned to your fate in your shame and your guilt. You will not be standing. The trembling that the Truth will induce will cause your knees to buckle. You will remain on your knees, head down, for no one can stand before the Truth.

BUT WITH YOU IS FORGIVENESS! Thanks be to God that this is the next line in the Psalm. Thanks be to God that He is Merciful, that He loves us.

You do not have to wait until you die and stand before the judgment seat in order to repent. This holy season of Lent calls us to repentance now, today. We are called to repent and believe in our Father's Mercy and Love. We are called to repent and believe in the invitation of our Divine Savior placing all our trust in His Divine Mercy, and seeking to do the Father's Will. We are called to repent and believe in what the Lover of our souls speaks to us; that under the Holy Spirits promptings we may find strength to overcome our temptations and humbly submit ourselves to the Holy Will of our Father which is Love and Mercy itself. You cannot stand before the Truth. Humble yourself now and have confidence in the Merciful Love of our Father. Then as you are bent in guilt and shame you will look up to see Mercy, to see Love, and you will be raised up in Joy, overcome with Joy for you will see what Christ Jesus' Victory on the Cross has won for you, ADOPTION, REDEMPTION and ETERNAL LIFE.

Pleasing to God (Esther C:12,14-16)

2009-03-05T10:28:00.008-06:00

"As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you. Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O LORD, my God." How is Esther pleasing to God? She does not begin to list her virtues, nor her holy practices. Esther does not extol herself in any way. She is pleasing to God because she is alone and in her loneliness she calls upon Him. The product of sin is alienation. Sin isolates the human person. We feel alienated from God. We think that God is angry with us. Often this is because we are angry with ourselves. In sin we do not feel like ourselves, and we do not act like ourselves, rather we allow our sins to dictate how we act. This is isolating. Sin alienates us from our fellow man. Sin is self serving thus we use or ignore others. Sinning against others destroys that natural bond we have as a human family. Finally, sin alienates us from the world around us. Life gets very narrow when struggling with sin and guilt. In the end we are alone in our sin. Although Esther was alone for other reasons, alone she was, and in her loneliness she cried out to God. In this Esther was pleasing to God. We can imitate her this Lent in our desire to turn from sin and believe the Good News. Our sins isolate us, but we can cry out to God in our isolation and loneliness and He will respond to us. He will free us from our temptations and our sins. He is not angry with us for we are pleasing to Him. We are His children. Crying out to Him even in our sins, we will no longer be alienated, we will be healed. By His wounds in fact we are healed. Cry out to Him. You are not alone. Our Father loves you. Come back to Him.

Repentence

2009-03-04T14:18:00.010-06:00

In the first reading today Jonah is obedient to God's word. Hearing Jonah's message the people of Nineveh repent. Their repentance moves God to repent of the punishment He threatened to do to them.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Set out for the great city of Nineveh,and announce to it the message that I will tell you. "So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord's bidding.

"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way.and from the violence he has in hand.

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;he did not carry it out.

Are you obedient like Jonah? Do you do what you know God is asking of you? Are you like the people of Nineveh, do you repent when you know you are wrong? Do you believe that God actually cares about you? Do you believe that He cares about how you live your life? Will you repent or are you like the people in the Gospel today who want everything on their own terms? Jesus says today that those who want everything on their own terms will be condemned. This is rather harsh, but look at His reason for saying so; they do not recognize Love and Mercy itself standing in their midst. All they know is their selfishness, and their selfishness will be their destruction. Repent and forgive and God will repent of your just punishment and forgive you. His Mercy endures forever.

Thy Will Be Done

2009-03-03T11:17:00.012-06:00

Look at the contrast in the readings today. "So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it." (Is 55:10-11) The power of God's Word makes fertile and bears fruit.

"In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words." (Mt 6:7-15) Our words have such little affect.

Jesus teaches us how to pray. He gives us the words we are to pray, the Our Father. These words are given to us from God the Father. This is how He wants us to pray to Him. These words are His words thus they make our lives fertile and we begin to bear fruit. Fruit produced by doing the Father's Will. Fertility cultivated by the Holy Spirit. Our hearts tended by Christ Jesus, our Merciful Savior.

We can babble and babble seeking our own will, expressing our own understanding, and living according to our selfish desires, but our hearts and our lives will be barren. Eventually we will cease to tend them and instead seek only to quench them. In seeking to quench our barren souls, all manner of sin and distraction will be presented to us until we find one to our liking. Once found we will cling to it as if it were our very life. But it is not, it is a lie. In living according to our own will, we live a lie. In the desert while the plants seem to be dead the roots are still lush and green. A drop of water and the plants spring to life. If we do not seek to do the Father's Will, we have no roots. The drop of water is easily wasted. Our thirst will never be satisfied. We often blame God saying that He does not answer our prayers. The truth is much harsher. We do not want to do His Will. His response is unimportant if it is not in line with our desire, our want, or our will. Lent is a time to repent, to turn away from our selfishness, and believe in the Good News. Seriously taking time to pray and Meditate on the Our Father is a good place to start. In doing so we can put down roots. Rooted in doing the Father's Will, in imitation of Christ, we can follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit into the desert. There we will find strength to overcome our temptations, and comfort in the Loving Mercy of the Most Holy Trinity.

Holiness and Generosity (Lv19:1-2 +Mt25:31-46)

2009-03-02T09:49:00.021-06:00

"Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am Holy." One of the great deceptions of the Devil today is convincing good men and women that what they will really be judged for is how well they took care of their own. This generation of parents today are indeed obsessed with being parents. Their children rule their lives. Moms role their eyes at me exhausted from running around with the kids all day or all week as they set off yet again to some meeting or practice. Dads have their kids in a diversity of programs from sports to music to educational programs exposing them to many things and thus letting him believe he is a good dad. This is all about taking care of your own. Not at all mentioned in the Gospel today. Yes, you must take care of your family! Yes, in doing so you can and will grow in holiness! But families today are exclusionary. That is to say that men and women today feel as if they are trying to be good parents, and thus believe that that is their sole mission in life. This is simply a lie. It destroys marriages, leads to depression and leaves children malformed and deformed. God is God! Your children or grandchildren cannot be your God! Parenting cannot be your religion! Running from practice to practice cannot be your sacrifice! The Gospel today is clear in its Revelation. We will be judged by how generous we were with those who were not our own, and many will be surprised at how wanting they are. Thus we are called to conversion this Lent. Generosity is the key. First and foremost we are called to be generous with God. We must put God first in our lives, saying our prayers and practicing our faith. Second we are called to be generous with our spouse regardless of patterns we have fallen into or if we have been married a long time. If you work on these two things you will be generous to you children while not making them your God. This is the proper order of of love in the family. Love God. Love each other. Love your children. This allows us then to be generous with others. When we are properly ordered ourselves then we can recognize the needs of others. But not only that, we can also recognize that it is our responsibility to aid others in their need. This is how we grow in holiness. This is how we become generous with those who are not our own. Disorder leads to selfishness, and sin but also to hurt and resentment. God must come first in our lives. That is to say God must come first in our lives based on His terms not our own. During Lent we say repent and believe in the Good News that has been revealed in Christ Jesus! We do not say take it easy your okay with God, your a good guy. Lent calls us to conversion, to recognize how we have kept our own council and taken care of our own, ignoring God and others. The Scriptures tell us today that now is the time to turn away from such folly and allow God to bring order once again to our lives, our marriages, and our families. In following Him then we will be leaven in our society as we generously take care of those in need.

Driven By the Spirit (Mk1:12-15)

2009-02-28T15:09:00.010-06:00

"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert" This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. How much better our lives would be; how much more at peace we would be if only we could imitate Christ Jesus in the Gospel today and allow the Holy Spirit to drive us where He willed. If we would only let the Holy Spirit guide us in doing the Father's Will. But our wounds keep us from being driven. Our fears keep us from being driven. Our selfish wants and desires keep us from being driven. Our sins keep us from being driven. There is life in the desert. There is consolation in the desert. There strength is to be found and wisdom to overcome our temptations in the desert. But we will not be driven. We want life on our own terms. We want growth on our own terms. We want holiness on our own terms. We will not be driven! If only we would imitate Christ. Perhaps if we seriously fasted even just one day this Lent, we could be driven. Perhaps if we gave just one hour of serious prayer this Lent, we could be driven. Perhaps if we gave just one dollar more than we are comfortable with to charity this Lent, we could be driven. Only in imitating our Lord will we find peace, and strength to overcome our temptations. Driven by the Holy Spirit our lives will be sanctified and be holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy. The choice is ours. Will we let selfishness and fear dictate what we do, or will we let the Holy Spirit?

Love and Responsibility (Is 58:1-9)

2009-02-27T10:52:00.004-06:00

"They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, Like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the law of their God;" If you abandon God's Law. If you do what is unjust. You will have a hard time finding God in your life. If you do find Him you will have a hard time listening to Him or even hearing Him. If you can in fact hear Him and are listening you will have a hard time doing what He asks of you. Why? Because you love yourself more than you love Him. You are selfish and self righteous. You think you know better than God and His Bride the Church. You believe that your judgments are sound and right so you ignore the deeper truths that the Holy Spirit has revealed to the Church. You are unjust and yet so blind that you believe you are acting justly. All under the guise that says "I am a good person. I love God." This is the way of the fool, and many are following it; just like the people of Israel to whom Isaiah was sent. Jesus never said in the Gospel Be Good, instead he said Be Holy as your Father in Heaven is Holy. Holiness requires Obedience just as Love requires Responsibility. We cannot abandon the teaching of the Church and feel justified. We cannot live according to our own morality and spirituality and pretend we are just, that we are doing what is right. In other words acting as if God approves of all that we do. During Lent we must have the courage to be humble and turn away from selfishness and self righteousness and come before the Lord seeking to do His will not our own. We are called to acknowledge His Love in giving us His Beloved Son to be our Savior; our responsibility is to be obedient, to turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. Then we can be holy for we have accepted that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. Acceptance of this humble truth then will allow the Father to raise us up as He raised His Son Jesus our Savior on the Third Day.

Choose Life and Hold Fast to God (Dt30:15-20)

2009-02-26T09:20:00.008-06:00

"I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him." Loving, heeding, and holding are the components that allow us to recognize the blessings of Almighty God in our life. Clearly Moses tells the people of Israel this truth in the first reading today. The disciplines of Lent (prayer, fasting, alms giving) aid us during this holy time to do these three things: love the Lord, heed His voice, and hold fast to Him. Many who struggle in their spiritual life only rely upon the first point. They love God and do not understand why they struggle even as they ignore the next two points. Some in their spiritual lives do actually heed God's voice. They love God and heed His voice still they struggle and wonder why. Only in following all that Moses says can we find peace even in the midst of our struggles, our sins, our sufferings, and temptations. We must hold fast to the Lord. This is in reality the most important point in Moses' instruction for it is the point at which our decision for life or death must be made. When we are desperate, confused, hurt, and floundering is when we must hold fast to our Lord even if we do not feel His Presence. We cling to Him in Truth not in emotion. He Loves us and thus we love Him. This is the Truth of our life. In Loving us our Lord does not abandon us, and He speaks to us even when He is silent. This is the Truth of our relationship with Him. Therefore we cling to Him; we hold fast. In doing so we find peace even as we struggle in our spiritual lives. The disciplines of Lent are meant to strengthen our grip. In essence they bring comfort to us and to our struggle to turn away from sin and believe in the Good News.

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-25T14:47:00.005-06:00

Today God our Father brings us to the beginning of Lent. We pray that in this time of salvation He will fill us with the Holy Spirit, purify our hearts, and strengthen us in love. This prayer comes from the introduction to the intercessions at Morning Prayer in the Divine Office for today, Ash Wednesday. I invite anyone who reads this blog to place this prayer before you as you enter Lent. God the Father brings us this holy season so that we may enter deeply into the Mystery of His Merciful Love, by meditating upon the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus the Christ. Now is a time of salvation, not punishment. Our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and alms giving are not punishment. They are practices that open our hearts and our eyes to our Father's Loving Mercy, and the gift of His Son. Filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit we will be reminded of all that Jesus taught us. The disciplines and meditations of Lent will strengthen us in our Father's Love and our hearts will be purified. While Lent is a serious season that calls for our own examination of conscience while we meditate on our Lord's Passion, let us not forget it is the Loving Mercy of our Father that brings us here, and in that we can find comfort and consolation.

Reason for lack in blogging

2009-02-24T13:51:00.002-06:00

I have been alone in the parish these last two weeks and have another to go. Lent will be busy but I will make time for meditations.

Our Father Love's Us

2009-02-17T09:37:00.005-06:00

"His heart was grieved." Does this not say it all. Our Father Love Us. He is grieved by our sins. He is moved by our sins. While we hear of the destruction caused by the flood, do not forget that in the fullness of time our Father sends to us, the remedy for our sins. He gives us His only Son to be our Savior. Because He Loves us. In meditating on our Lord's Passion this Lent, do not forget the grief of our Father nor His Merciful Love.

Mastering Sin (Gen 4:1-15,25)

2009-02-16T09:10:00.006-06:00

So the LORD said to Cain:"Why are you so resentful and crestfallen. If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." These words which God speaks to Cain are so profound. Sin is very near to each of us, it is lurking at the door. Sin is drawn to us. Sin wants to dominate us. Yet we can master sin. Often times we actually believe the exact opposite and or live as if the exact opposite were true. That is that sin has great power over us and we cannot help ourselves. Often we claim that our sinful tendencies are simply human nature. This lie is destroyed in the light of the first reading today. God tells Cain that we have within ourselves the ability to Master sin. This then is a challenge to each and every one of us today. You can master your sinfulness. Yes you need God's Grace but you are capable of turning from your sins, and embracing the life that God wants to give you. Of course the Sacraments are the great means by which our Lord aids us in our struggle to master sin. However as we approach the beginning of Lent, it is good to once again turn to prayer, fasting, and alms giving. Frequent attendance at Mass and regular Confession grant us the grace to implement these Lenten practices in our lives. All prayer flows from the Eucharist, therefore we should take time this Lent to prepare for Mass, especially by reading Sacred Scripture. That is we could read the daily readings before Mass, or if we cannot attend Mass at least remain in union with the Church by praying with the same readings. We could also pray the Rosary more often and allow our Blessed Mother to teach us about the life of her Son, and Salvation History. We can also fast from things that we particularly enjoy one or more days a week, or fast from food at one meal time or for one whole day. Finally we could give time to serving the poor, or make a monetary donation to the Church or to a good organization that helps the poor. All these practices in truth are things that we should be doing all year long and we should only emphasize them during Lent. In reality many struggle throughout the year to do any of them consistently or at all. Perhaps meditating upon the words God speaks to Cain will help us to recognize that in fact we do these things not only as an offering to God but also in order to Master the sin in our life that is constantly with us, lurking at our door seeking to dominate us.

Courage

2009-02-15T07:49:00.013-06:00

In ten days the Church will once again celebrate Ash Wednesday and then enter into the Holy season of Lent. We commit ourselves to pray, fast and give alms during Lent. The penitential character of the season is in preparation for our encounter with the Risen Lord. This of course is after we have entered into deep reflection upon His Sorrowful Passion. The readings today can help us in our preparations for Lent. The Leper in the Gospel can be a particular challenge to us today. I would dare to say that none of us have the Courage of this man. In the first reading today we hear the Law of Moses with regard to those with leprosy. They are to call out to people "Unclean, Unclean!" as they traveled. In other words they are forbidden by the Law to come into contact with others, or even draw near to them. Yet in the Gospel we see that this man had the Courage to draw near to Jesus and ask Him if He wanted to heal him. He was expressly forbidden to do this by the Law of His religion. Yet He drew near to Jesus. His misery drove him to Jesus' feet. There is no law that prevents us from drawing near to Jesus. No one is telling us that we have to stay away from the Lord. It is just the opposite in fact; we are constantly being invited to draw near to Jesus, and to trust in His Divine Mercy. Still we have no Courage. The leper was told to stay away yet he drew near; we are told draw near and instead we stay away. There can only be two reasons for our cowardly and selfish behavior. The first is suffering and the second is sin. Both cause our souls to be isolated and alienated. Both cause us to feel far from God. We do not have leprosy but we certainly feel unclean, damaged, and ugly. How could the Lord possibly want us to draw near? Courage! Both also cause a distortion in the way we see ourselves; we express a much to inflated opinion of ourselves in order to hide the deeper truth that we often think very little of ourselves. Our surety masks our insecurity, and our actions betray the longing of our hearts. Courage! Come to the feet of Jesus in your misery. Be like the leper this Lent. Start today, do not be afraid. Stop listening to your wounds, whether self inflicted or suffered from another. Stop listening to you sins, whether you enjoy them or not. Follow the miserable leper's example today and come to the Lord. Courage! Ask Jesus if He wants to heal you. Do not be afraid. Draw near to the Foot of the Cross you will find that you are loved. You will recognise that our Lord's Love is Merciful, and you will come to see yourself for who you are, as beloved son or daughter of God.

The Sacramental Life (Mk 7: 14-23)

2009-02-11T12:47:00.009-06:00

"But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile." Thus we see the importance of living a Sacramental life. These evils are still present in the heart of each person. Yet the grace that comes from the Sacraments can tame these evils and bring peace to our wearied souls. The graces that flow from the Sacraments allow us to enter into an intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus. In this intimacy we come to know who we are and can begin to act accordingly. That is we begin to act according to our dignity as the beloved sons and daughters of God. All prayer flows from the Sacraments. Our Rosary, the reading of Sacred Scripture, meditation and contemplation as well as all our private devotions flow from the Source of our life, that is the Eucharist. If you are struggling in your prayer life or your spiritual life, do not look for new techniques or greater discipline. Instead discipline your self in making use of the Sacraments. Attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass more often, that is go to Mass more than one day a week, not many times in one day. Go to Confession with greater frequency. Go to Exposition and Adoration. In doing so you will find peace in the midst of your trials and you will grow in wisdom and grace before God and men even if you yourself cannot perceive it.

Scurried About Evangelizing (Mk6:53-56)

2009-02-09T11:41:00.010-06:00

"They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was." The people in the Gospel today are Evangelizing the countryside. They are sharing the Good News. They are telling people about Jesus and they are bringing people to Him. This could be a direct challenge to you and me if we let it. But rather than challenge you by asking you how well you are Evangelizing, sharing the Good News, telling people about our Lord Jesus the Christ, the Savior, I want to encourage you to meditate about something else. How deep must the faith of these people have been? They had not witnessed the Resurrection yet, still they chase after Jesus and bring others along as well. They had not received the Holy Spirit as of yet, still "they scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was." We have received the Holy Spirit, and we know and believe in the Resurrection of Jesus; how deep is our faith? In the first reading God says "Let there be Light" , well we have received the Light of Christ, how do we live in this light? Do we place all our hopes in Him? Do we show that we are children of the light by the way we live, or how we entertain ourselves, or how we work? How deep is our faith? We know about Jesus, but do we believe in Him? The people in the Gospel believed in Him so much that they constantly sought Him out, and brought many people to Him. They placed all their hope in Him, and taught others to do so as well. Perhaps today they can teach us to do the same.

Longing for Shade (Job7:1-4)

2009-02-07T10:54:00.009-06:00

"Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? He is a slave who longs for the shade..." Certainly Job would not express these words if they were not true, if they were not in some way part of the universal human experience. Yet there is cause for hope. Our longings have been heard by our Father in Heaven. We have been given shade in the Shadow of the Tree of Life. Not only that but we have been given a companion to accompany us as we take time to rest in this shade from the drudgery of life. That is we have been given the Blessed Virgin Mary who stands at the foot of the Cross. Blessed Mother stands in the shadow of death, but the Cross has been revealed as the Tree of Life, and thus our Mother stands in its shade and invites us to join her in our misery. In order to embrace the life that our Lord calls us to live, we must be prepared to return often with Blessed Mother to the Shade of the Tree of Life. The reason for this is at the foot of the Cross is where we come to know our true identity. In gazing upon Christ Crucified we can come to know our dignity, our goodness, our privilege because we come to know the Love of the Most Holy Trinity. Blessed Mother is there with us to teach us about the Love of God. Our Mother also helps us to understand the dignity that we have as children of the Most High God. Mary is the teacher extraordinaire because what flows from the foot of the Cross is Humility and she who is full of Grace is equally full of Humility. Humility is the first lesson that Blessed Mother wants to teach us, and it is found in simplicity. How then in a very concrete way do we begin to enjoy the Shade of the Tree of Life and our Mother's instruction? Pray the Rosary. Even better pray the Rosary simply before the Blessed Sacrament. Our lives certainly do seem a drudgery at times and we are filled with misery, but the Shade is always available. The Rosary is not a duty that we must pray. Instead it is a rest from our daily labors when our Mother holds our hand and tells us not to worry. When our Mother comforts us and refreshes us with firmer faith and greater hope in the Mercy of her Son Jesus. Mary teaches us to accept the Love that our Father has for us, and to open our hearts to her Spouse the Holy Spirit. Blessed Mother teaches us to Trust in our Merciful Triune God whose Love for us is revealed in the Cross. Mary teaches us the joy that comes from humble acceptance of God's Love. In praying the Rosary with Blessed Mother we find rest for our weary souls and strength to continue the journey. Often times people worry about how to say the Rosary and if they are saying it correctly or not. Do not worry. The Rosary has been given to us as a comfort not a task. Why would you be anxious if you are holding the Blessed Mother's hand. Don't Be! She will teach you how to pray, and some day you will learn the traditional way the Church prays the Rosary. But most importantly know that when you pray the Rosary, even if you are in great turmoil and suffering, Mary our Mother is with you to comfort you. Trust in her love and motherly protection. Come into the Shade and stand with your Blessed Mother and learn from her about the great Love God has for you. Blessed Mother will show you how your longings can be and in fact are satisfied in the Blood and Water (the Sacramental Life) that flowed from the pierced side of Jesus her Son our Savior. Blessed Mother will show you what great Joy our Father in Heaven takes in calling you His son or daughter. Blessed Mother will show you how to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit her Divine Spouse. Simply come into the Shade. Pick up your Rosary and pray. In doing so you will be amazed at how loved you truly are as you enter into a deep and profound intimacy with the Most Holy Trinity; there you will find rest.

Fear and Faith (Heb13:1-8)

2009-02-06T15:14:00.012-06:00

"The Lord is my helper,and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" How many of us would like to be able to pray this prayer with greater faith. However we are all very aware of what some can do to us. We have suffered in our lives. We have been hurt. Some have been abused, some neglected, some ignored. All bear their wounds, some well and others poorly, some hidden and some fully displayed for all to see. Many live in fear because of their wounds. Many do not trust anyone because of them. Yet today we are confronted with this prayer from Sacred Scripture. "The Lord is my helper,and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" Is it a false prayer when we continue to be hurt and continue to suffer? Is it false because people continue to harm us? Is it false because those who continue to harm us are those who should love us the most? The trouble we have with this prayer is that we often read it backwards. That is to say we begin at the end, many have harmed us. Then we work backwards to the middle and say we have a right to be afraid. Finally we get to the beginning and doubt or disbelieve the Truth that the Lord is our helper. Instead we ought to begin at the beginning, The Lord is my helper. Grounded in this truth we can live our lives free from all fears. What can anyone do to me? Our response is that regardless of what happens in our lives including the sufferings we experience, the Lord is with us; He is our help even in our suffering. Therefore we do not have to be afraid. His Presence calms all our fears. His help allows us to persevere even in difficult circumstances. If we are to grow in our spiritual lives we must be grounded in the Truth of this prayer today and stop looking for ways to dispute it.

Nothing for the Journey (Mk6:7-13)

2009-02-05T10:36:00.010-06:00

"He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts." The Apostles in the Gospel today are required to depend upon God' Providence as they strive to be obedient to His Will. All too often we depend upon ourselves. We count the cost of doing God's Will rather than the benefits. We shy away from His Love in order to comfort ourselves with our own selfish self love. Often this selfish love is caught up with our many possessions and or our entertainment. The Apostles left with nothing but a stick and the cloak on their backs. They trusted in Jesus who sent them on their journey, and they trusted God the Father whom Jesus had revealed. It was with this faith that they went out to bring healing to the people. The authority to cast out demons was given them by Jesus, but they also converted the people by the example of the way they lived . We would do well to be reminded of their example of trusting in Jesus and in our Father to provide for all that we need: spiritually, emotionally, psychologically physically, and materially. Certainly we are called to use our talents to work for the benefit of ourselves and our families, and we have science and medicine to aid in our health care. This is all well and good. The Apostles poverty should remind us that the source of all that is good is our Heavenly Father. It should remind us that as we travel on this journey that Jesus has invited us to begin, we ought not become preoccupied with our possessions and entertainments but instead be living examples to the world of the Loving Providence of our Father. We trust in Him. He takes care of His Children. The more we live in this truth of our faith, the more at peace we will be, and we will see great things happen in our lives.

Trials (Hebrews12:4-7)

2009-02-04T13:46:00.010-06:00

"Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as his sons." So often people complain about the struggles they have in their spiritual lives. Usually they believe that if they were just more disciplined or had greater faith, if they tried harder things would be better, or they would be holier. Never have I heard them say: " I am struggling because God the Father is treating me like a beloved child." Indeed all to often we fall in with the accuser of our brothers. We believe the lies and judgments that the deceiver sows. We ignore the Truth of our lives; that we are beloved sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Instead we act as if we should be able to will ourselves out of every struggle and weakness. That since we know better we should never fall into temptation and sin. That we can discipline our way out of any trial. In essence we want to make ourselves pleasing to ourselves; then and only then do we consider ourselves pleasing to God. In other words we forget about God our Father and His Revelation to us in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord and Savior, and instead act as if the spiritual life boils down to a how to feel good about yourself self help best seller. In this we are not acting upon the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the Lover of our souls. In fact we are embracing the opposite, that is the snare of the evil one, who always tries to get us to place ourselves and our feelings at the center of the Universe. The truth is that the spiritual life is a struggle. The truth is that our Father in Heaven wills it to be so because in our struggles He disciplines us. He disciplines us because He loves us as His beloved children. Enduring the trials of our life we can only be nourished by our Father's Merciful Love that is His Son Jesus. Think here of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. In enduring the trials of the spiritual life we must constantly be sustained by our Father's Loving Mercy that is the Holy Spirit, the Lover of our souls. We would do well to humbly accept and endure the trials of our spiritual life because in them our Father in Heaven draws us into communion with Him as His beloved children. In communion with Him we will be perfected, we will be made holy by His Loving Discipline. In our trials we can choose to live in the truth of this intimate relationship of Mercy with our Father, or we can embrace the self help best seller and remain in our misery as we try and fail to will ourselves to be better or happy for we will certainly not be holy.

"Do Not Be Afraid,Just Have Faith" (Mk5:21-43)

2009-02-03T10:44:00.012-06:00

The suffering of the synagogue official Jairus, and the woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years did not keep them from acting according to their faith. Jairus acted publicly while the woman acted in secret. Regardless, their faith moved them to action. It moved them to trust in the Lord Jesus. How often we wait for the Lord to explicitly act first according to our desire. In doing so we remain miserable, isolated, and subject to the perversions of the evil one. In other words we remain in fear. Both the woman and Jairus recognized the Truth of their life in Christ Jesus, in His Words and in His Actions, and thus they placed all their hope in Him. Their hope was fulfilled. They found peace. With so many worries and anxieties in our daily life, how often do we find true peace? At the frantic pace at which our daily life runs, when do we find time to come to Jesus in public or in secret in order to lay our suffering before Him? When or where do we encounter the Truth of our life? We must learn to allow our faith to move us to action. In other words we must allow our faith to move us to prayer and the Sacraments. In these we come before Jesus with the burdens of our sins, our fears, and our anxieties. It is in prayer and the Sacramental life that we will find true peace and the Truth of our lives. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation. In that feast we are reminded once again the Christ Jesus is the Light of the World. It is time for us to let our Merciful Savior to be the Light of our lives as well; to let our faith in Him move us to action. In doing so we will not be afraid of the world in which we live, but instead will find true peace knowing in His tender Mercy He will always care for us in all our afflictions.

Authority in Ordinary Time (Mk1:21-28)

2009-01-31T21:39:00.016-06:00

The people in the Gospel today marveled at the authority with which Jesus spoke. The Unclean Spirits recognized Jesus and obeyed His Authority. They had no choice. He cast them out. Out they went. Interestingly enough, those who heard Jesus in the Synagogue did not have to recognize His Authority, nor obey Him. Neither do we. We are free to accept or reject the Son of God, Jesus, the Christ, the Savior of the World, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. We can simply ignore Him who is our Life. And we often do. Why? Because we like to live according to our own authority. Our authority, not founded upon the firm foundation that is the Loving Mercy of the Most Holy Trinity, but instead upon how we feel about a particular situation or issue. Our feelings trump the Authority of Christ Jesus. When this is pointed out, what is our response? Usually we get angry that the way we feel is not being respected. The Responsorial Psalm response was If today you here His voice, harden not your heart We often allow our hearts to harden because we refuse to recognize and obey Jesus' Authority in our daily lives. The invitation is clear this Sunday. We are invited once again to abandon our self to the Lord, and to live according to His Will. In other words to submit ourselves to His Authority; to live according to the Law of Christ and His Church. Couples pledge to teach their children this when they celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and at the Baptism of each child. It is time that this becomes more than lip service. This however is not only a challenge to parents, but to all of us this Sunday. Will we open our hearts to the voice of the Lord? Will we imitate Jesus and be obedient to the Will of God the Father? Will we recognize the Authority that Jesus has in our life and follow Him on a daily basis? Or will we continue to be swayed by our feelings and live by their authority? Will we harden our hearts because God is not telling us what we want to hear? Will we marvel at Jesus' Authority and then not obey Him? Will we reject the Obedience Discipleship demands? Unlike the unclean spirits who already chose against God and thus had to obey the Authority of Jesus in the Gospel today, we are free to choose. Listen for His voice! Harden not your heart!

Back To Blogging

2009-01-31T21:32:00.003-06:00

Perhaps the few of you who read my blog have been wondering where I have been. I last posted from Guatemala. I was there to Baptize my beautiful niece Annabelle Eileen. Upon my return I had some work in the Parish to attend to, and also received some visitors these last few days. I also celebrated my birthday this month and basically gave myself a little time off. I will attempt now as February begins to post my reflections once again.

Behold the Lamb of God

2009-01-03T12:11:00.007-06:00

In order for John the Baptist to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God, he had to be living according to the Spirit. That is the Holy Spirit guided him in his daily life. He is not out searching for the Lamb, however living in the Spirit allows him to embrace Jesus when Jesus enters his daily life. All too often we either chase around looking for Christ Jesus or we live according to the spirit of the world and ignore Jesus. Neither of these ways prepare us to actually meet the Lamb of God when He enters our daily life. This Christmas season requires humility in order to see and embrace the Lamb of God. Jesus was not who John the Baptist expected, but He fulfilled all of John's expectations. The Magi had no idea what to expect but were humble enough to be guided to the Christ Child not in Herod's Palace but in a Manger in a stable in Bethlehem. So too, you and I are required to be humble. To not chase after Christ or ignore Him, but instead to be prepared to meet Him, and to encounter Him in our daily lives. In order to do this we must live according to the Holy Spirit. How do we do this? Humbly going about our daily duties knowing that the Light of the Christ Child has illumined our lives. Knowing that the Lamb of God has brought Salvation to the World, and has given us the Holy Spirit as the first gift to those who believe in Him; that His work of Mercy may be completed in us, In Our Daily Life! He speaks to our hearts, but we must be humble and listen. This Christmas we must ask for His Peace so that we can behold The Lamb of God when He comes to meet us, to bring Healing and Mercy to our wounded souls.

Listening in Her Heart

2009-01-01T13:16:00.002-06:00

Mary pondered all that happened to her in her heart. She did so because that is where the Lord speaks to us. We have many distractions and preoccupations on our minds. This is a daily and often important occurrence; it is how we live and get along in life. However this year we ought to enter the School of Mary, and begin listening to what Our Father speaks to our hearts. His Word became flesh. His Love became flesh. His Mercy became flesh. You will not be disappointed by what you hear. Follow the Mother of God's example. Trust in the Lord and let your soul proclaim the greatness of His Love this Christmas day and throughout this new year.

Truth and Life

2008-12-31T11:39:00.009-06:00

"I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth."(1 John 2:18-21) In the birth of the Christ Child Truth has entered the World. In a certain sense one could say that in Christ Jesus, Truth has become flesh. Thus how can we say that we do not know the Truth? If we can come to adore the Baby Jesus away in a manger. If we recognize Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Mary, our Savior. How can we say that we do not know the Truth? In becoming man, Truth has not only entered the world, but in becoming flesh has opened for us the very possibility of coming to know and live in the Truth. We cannot deny Jesus or His Merciful Love for He is the foundation of our lives. We have been called out of the darkness. In the birth of Jesus the Light has entered the world. That is to say that the Light of the Truth has penetrated the darkness of sin and death so that we no longer have to be bound to the lies that have enslaved us. All sin, all degradation, all abuse, all temptations, all addictions begin and end in a lie. The suffering caused in the aftermath of such violence is perpetuated by judgments based upon lies. Thus we are trapped in our lies and often left in darkness. The Baby Jesus born this day in Bethlehem pierces the darkness because He is the Truth, He is our Life. Just like the Shepherds and the Magi we are drawn to Him. The simple and the wise, the young and the old, we are drawn to the Truth and the Light that radiates from the manger and illumines the whole world. And more than the world, the Light and Truth of the Christ Child illumines our hearts, each and every on of them. Therefore we cannot deny that we know the Truth of our lives because our hearts have been illumined with the Light of Truth. We do know the Truth and we are called to live in Him this Christmas Day. We may struggle with the darkness in our live, but that is no reason to deny the Truth, and He who is our Life. The Lies that tempt us, the lies that we have lived, the lies that embarrass and shame us, the lies that remind us of our wounds, or our failings, or our sins, all these are now foreign and alien to us. In the Birth of Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Mary, we are free, we can find Peace. We are children of the Light. We are called to live in the Truth of our Father's Loving Mercy, in the Truth of Jesus' Victory over sin and death begun this Glorious Night, the Night of our dear Savior's Birth.

Anna the Prophetess

2008-12-30T03:20:00.013-06:00

"She never left the temple,but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. "(Lk 2:36-40) In order to be a prophetess, Anna had to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That is she was filled with the same Holy Spirit that we have been given in our Baptism. On this Christmas Day it would be good if we could take some time to reflect on the example of this holy woman. After all we share the same Spirit. Although Anna lived 2000 years ago, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity and is Eternal. Thus it is that the same Spirit that draws us to reflect upon the holy woman Anna. Anna was drawn to the Temple of the Lord in the midst of her suffering. She was a young women, married only seven years when she became a widow. Drawn to the Temple, to the presence of the Lord of Hosts, she found consolation, and purpose to her life. We are called to do the same, especially in our suffering. In particular when our lives are not turning out as we thought they would, or because we wish things were different. We can enter into the Eucharistic Presence of our Lord to find consolation and purpose. Like Anna we can dedicate our lives to the Lord, and rely upon Him for everything; taking comfort in the fact that the the Comforter Himself draws us continually into the Eucharistic Presence of our Savior. Then, as happened to Anna, we can enter deeper into our life of prayer, because we will follow the promptings of the Comforter, and not our own wants and desires. Thus we will be able to sacrifice and fast. Thus we will be able to grow in Faith, Hope, and Love, while embracing the Lord Jesus, even as we are being embraced by the Comforter. We will believe that our Redemption is at hand, and we will no longer live in fear. Like Anna we will give thanks to God and speak to people about Jesus who is the cause of all our Joy.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-29T14:04:00.004-06:00

Our internet service has been down and I had company in town; that along with normal parish duties have kept me from blogging. I promise to begin my reflections again Tuesday. Peace and Joy to you this Christmas Day.

O Emmanuel

2008-12-23T22:37:00.001-06:00

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

O Rex Gentium

2008-12-22T17:09:00.005-06:00

O King of the Gentiles, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature fashioned from the dust.

Isaiah 9:7 His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 2:4And he shall judge the Gentiles, and rebuke many people: and they shall turn their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into sickles: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they be exercised any more to war.

O Oriens

2008-12-21T14:08:00.016-06:00

O Radiant Dawn, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!
Sin and selfishness have led to the destruction of so many lives. Sins committed against us often paralyze us. Sins that we commit often enslave us. We are powerless before the violence that has been committed against our dignity as human persons; whether that violence is done against us or is suffered at our own hands. Although we survive the onslaught to our person, we never seem to be able to live in freedom again. Even as we turn away from our sins, even as we outwardly heal from our wounds and get on with our lives; the judgement against us stands as a constant reminder of our true misery. We feel worthless. We feel dirty. We feel guilty. We continually feel ashamed. We feel ugly. We feel as if we are unworthy of anything at all. Thus even in the midst of our daily lives, with friends, family, and work, we are alone in our misery, never sharing, never opening up, even in our most intimate relationships. Deep down we sit and wallow alone in darkness and in the shadow of death. Alone that is until the Radiant Dawn of the Christ Child shines upon us. He brings us healing, He brings us peace. The everlasting light is eternal and so cannot be denied. The Father's Love in the gift of His Son, the babe Jesus, cannot be denied. Light has come into the world. Mercy has been planted and taken root in the Incarnate Word. We no longer rely upon the Sun, for the Son of Justice is born to us in the little town of Bethlehem. But in our misery we fight this wonderful Truth. We claim that their is no excuse for us; we claim to be at fault. We are ugly. We are worthless, undeserving of such Joy or Peace. But the Son of Justice will not be denied. He has been born unto us; He is the light of the world. He scatters the darkness; He obliterates the shadow of death, because He is Humble, because He is Obedient even unto death, death on a Cross. He does not deal in excuses, nor does He allow the lies that have paralyzed us to stand before Him. Even as a babe away in a manger the Light of His Loving Mercy penetrates the very being of the world and every heart in it. He comes as a child to restore our dignity, to heal our wounds, and to strengthen us in holiness and in love. There is only one Truth, the Christ Child brings Mercy and Love. Light itself is Mercy and Love. This is the Father's judgment; He has decided that each of us is worthy of His Love and Mercy. The Son has confirmed the Father's decision for He has been made flesh and dwelt among us. The promptings of the Spirit guides the Church now as we prepare to celebrate that great day when Mercy was born to the Virgin Mary, and Light entered the World. God is Good! His Mercy Endures Forever!

O Clavis David

2008-12-20T10:00:00.005-06:00

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.
On the Holy Night of our dear Savior's birth, a blow to the power of sin and death was struck by the Sceptre of the King of Kings, and the Key to to life was undeniably inserted into human history. The Word made flesh was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the little town of Bethlehem. The power of sin and death would fight hard but the Child born to us has freed us from our sins and conquered death. We adore the Christ Child in the manger of Bethlehem. We adore you oh Christ and we bless you because by your Holy Cross you have Redeemed the world! Jesus has opened for us the way to eternal life. No man, no suffering, no abuse, no wound, no sin, no power, no fear, no worry, no anxiety, no lie can ever take us away from His Love and Mercy. We are free now to live and to love. We no longer sit in darkness and the shadow of death, for the Light has come into the world. Jesus meek and mild will now guide our feet in the way of Peace. We are no longer slaves or prisoners to all that has bound us in the past. A new day has dawned, the Key of David has opened our way and released us from our sin our guilt and our shame. The sceptre has struck it's blow! We are free! Come let us adore the babe of Bethlehem, Jesus whom we looked to save us. God is Good! His Mercy Endures Forever!

O Radix Jesse

2008-12-19T12:36:00.013-06:00

O Root of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
Jesus is a descendant of King David. Jesse was Kind David's father. Jesus is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. He fulfills the promise made to David that his descendant would reign forever upon his throne. The Son of God fulfills that promise of mercy to David; in His great mercy He goes beyond His promise ruling the whole world with His strong right arm. All people look to the Christ Child for mercy, for peace. He is the fount of mercy and peace. Many do not understand and many do not know, but Jesus is for whom they look. He is the Root that has sprang up from Jesse's stem to bring mercy and peace to the world. He is the vine, we are the branches; how blessed we are in our dear Savior's birth, that in His love He chose to share our lowly nature. How can we not fall silent before so great a gift. No matter our station in life, no matter our condition, the Christ Child is placed before us as a babe in order to plead for sinners in His lowly manger in Bethlehem. How could such an outpouring of mercy elicit anything but adoration and worship? How can we stand before Mercy Incarnate and refuse to embrace Him? How could we refuse His aid? He comes as a babe that we may not be afraid to embrace Him and cherish Him. The whole world cries out for Him. Our Father has heard the cry of the poor. He has given to us His Only Begotten Son; to reconcile us to Himself and to fulfill the promise He made to David. A promise of Mercy that endures forever! God is Good!

O Adonai

2008-12-18T11:57:00.010-06:00

O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!
Jesus is Lord. Even as the Christ Child in Mary's arms He indeed is the Lord and Ruler of Israel and of all creation. In a humble stable the wise men, the 3 kings will come to pay Him homage. We will give Him homage as well when we celebrate the Holy Night of our dear Savior's birth. The throne of our Adonai was a Manger. The Manger prefigured the throne of the Holy Cross by which He redeemed the world. Our prayer, O Adonai, speaks of our desire that Jesus come and make His throne upon our lowly and wounded hearts. Jesus, the Son of God chose Moses. His choice of Moses transformed Moses life. His interaction with Moses illuminated Moses life so much so that he even glowed. How our hearts desperately hope for this same experience when we pray O Adonai. Our hope will be fulfilled. Our hearts will burn as brightly as the Bush that Moses saw. The Fire of the Christ Child's Love and Peace will burn in our hearts and as in the Burning Bush it will not consume us but will transform us and illumine our lives. Thus illumined like Moses we will follow the Law. In His tiny outstretched arm is our Redemption. As we prepare for Christmas we reach out to Him and call Him Adonai that He may take His rightful place in our hearts; that he may redeem us and teach us to live by the Law of Love, safe and secure in His Loving Mercy. God is Good! His Mercy Endures Forever!

O Sapientia

2008-12-17T11:51:00.011-06:00

O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence!

Today we begin our immediate preparation for Christmas. In the final 7 days leading up to the Solemnity of Christmas, the Church honors Jesus with the O Antiphons during our evening prayer. O Sapientia/O Wisdom is the first antiphon tonight. Each antiphon recognizes Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise God made to our fathers to Abraham and his children forever. Jesus is the Word made Flesh. Jesus is the Word that comes forth from the mouth of God our Father; who so loved the world that He gave us His only Son to be our Savior. In His Mercy Our Father gives to us the Christ Child. Jesus is the Mercy of God. Jesus born of the Virgin Mary brings us Mercy and Peace. We ourselves, indeed no one is beyond His Mercy and Peace. For He is the gift of Our Father. The Mercy and Peace of Jesus brings order to our lives. Even as a babe in Blessed Mother's arm He is mighty. The sweetness of the Christ Child transforms the bitterness of the world. This is our God to whom we looked to save us. This is Wisdom from on high that guides our feet in the way of Peace. Rejoice and be glad for He is near. God is Good! His Mercy Endures Forever!

Fear Not, I Will Help You (Is 41:13-20)

2008-12-11T08:42:00.008-06:00

Our Lord speaks these words through the prophet Isaiah to the needy and afflicted. "Fear not, I will help you." Many times in our spiritual lives we are caught up in our own ways of thinking. We are constantly reflecting about ourselves and our lives, our worries and anxieties. I say reflecting because so many claim that they are actually praying when they act this way. In prayer we certainly do bring all our troubles to the Lord. However we are also called to listen to Him. Often we do not hear the words that our Lord speaks. "Fear not, I will help you." We rarely hear these words. More often than not we are upset with God because we want to know what we are supposed to do. But we do not listen. We want to act. We want to fix. We want to resolve. But we do not want to wait. We do not want to wait for the Lord to act, or to fix, or to finally resolve all our problems. Waiting is too uncomfortable for us. Waiting requires trust, and we have learned to only trust ourselves and how we see things. Waiting means that we have to acknowledge our helplessness. Waiting means that we have to acknowledge our need. Waiting means we have to endure our affliction. We do not want to wait. We do not want to listen to the Lord who desires to comfort us in all our affliction and provide for all our needs. Advent is a time of waiting. Advent is a time in which we acknowledge our need. Advent is a time in which we endure our afflictions with the sure and certain Hope that we do not need to fear for the Lord will come to help us. Advent is a time in which we acknowledge in faith that our Savior is not far off. We acknowledge that He indeed is very near; He hears our prayers and will come to save us. During Advent we take our eyes off our self centered reflection and look for the coming of our Lord who promises to save us. We are called to quiet that voice inside us that constantly wants action and resolution in order to listen to the Lord who speaks. "Fear not, I will help you."

Take My Yoke (Mt11:28-30)

2008-12-10T12:04:00.006-06:00

Jesus invites us to learn from Him. In the first reading He reveals that no one is equal to Him. He also reveals that He is mighty and powerful and that he knows each person by name. He knows what we need and He knows what we struggle with in our daily lives. He reveals that He never grows weary and that even though we often question Him about the things that are happening in our life, His knowledge is inscrutable. He tells us that He gives strength to the weak and to the strong He constantly renews their strength. He tells us in the first reading (Is 40:25-31)that those who hope in Him achieve great things and have no fear for He is with them. The invitation is given to us in this context. Jesus does not lay a heavy burden upon us. Instead He asks us if we want to share His. In sharing His burden we will learn from Him. What will we learn? Mercy and Love. Faith and Hope. We will learn to live Through Him, In Him, and With Him for we will share His yoke. Too often we act and live as if Jesus wants to lay a heavy burden upon us when we think we should be doing more or doing better. This is a lie. At those time when we are struggling we forget that we share Jesus' burden. That is the invitation. Our Lord reveals to us today that He will help us in all things, and at all times. He reveals that we are never alone. He reveals His Mercy and Love. During this season of Advent He wants to strengthen our faith and our hope. But all too often we listen to the lie that says He asks too much. The invitation is extended today. Will you take His yoke and learn from Him? Will you acknowledge that He is Gentle and Humble of Heart? Will you ask Him to make your heart like His?

Sing to the Lord a New Song, for He has Done Marvelous Deeds(Ps98)

2008-12-08T11:06:00.006-06:00

"Sing to the Lord a new Song, for He has Done Marvelous Deeds." The Marvelous Deed that the Church sings of today is the Immaculate Conception! The Virgin Mary is the Song. The joy of this day in especially enhanced in the Truth that the Virgin Mary has taught her children to sing. The song we sing is forever new for it comes from the Immaculate Heart of our Mother in praise of the Most Holy Trinity.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of His servant Israel for he has remembered His promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.

PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST AND MARY IMMACULATE!

2nd Sunday of Advent

2008-12-06T10:39:00.003-06:00

Consolation and comfort is what God our Father wants for each of us today. It is clear that in the first reading that while God allows us to suffer the punishment we deserve, it serves a very clear purpose. That is that it brings us back to him that He may embrace us and protect us. This is so that we can live without fear, safe and secure in our Father’s arms.
St. Peter tells us in the second reading that our Father in Heaven is patient with us. He tells us that this is so even when we think that He is acting too slowly. St. Peter reminds us that while we await the Lord Jesus to come in Glory, we are to live holy and saintly lives.
This Sunday the Great Saint John the Baptist is presented to us for our reflection. He tells us to prepare a way for the Lord. As we enter deeper into the Season of Advent we need to take John the Baptist’s message and example seriously. John the Baptist called people to recognize the truth of their life. He reminded them that they had been living apart from God and that they needed to return to Him. They needed to prepare themselves to receive and live according to the grace that God gives them. Thus there is a need for conversion. As in the first reading, God is ready to console and comfort us but we must recognize our need first. Punishment is a consequence of sin but it is not the end of the story. There is always more with God. That more is God’s Loving Mercy which brings Comfort and Consolation. That is to say the Holy Spirit. You and I are called to open our hearts to this message of John the Baptist. To acknowledge our need for forgiveness by admitting that we have lived our lives apart from God. This is not done in fear of punishment but in the truth of God’s love. We need to live holy and saintly lives like St. Peter tells us. In this we must be patient and recognize that God is in charge. We are not called to be selfish in our lives building our own kingdoms because God acts too slowly. Instead we are called to place all our trust in the Lord. In this we must follow St. John the Baptists example. That is we must be humble. He is a great saint yet he tells the people that Jesus is greater. He knows who he is in God’s eyes and he acts accordingly. You and I are called to do the same. We are called to humbly acknowledge our need for the Lord, for His Mercy and Forgiveness. Then we are called to humbly acknowledge our need for the Lord to help us live holy lives. St. John the Baptist tells us that Jesus will give us the Holy Spirit. Therefore with the Holy Spirit who is our Advocate and Comforter let us follow St. John the Baptists message and example this Advent. Prepare the way of the Lord in humility. Acknowledge your need for forgiveness. Live holy Sacramental lives. Pray your Rosary and your other prayers. Come to Mass often and go to Confession. Let the Holy Spirit Console you and Comfort you and know that you are loved by Him.

Trust in the Lord Forever (Is 26:1-6)

2008-12-04T09:16:00.003-06:00

Forever! Always! At all times! TRUST IN THE LORD! Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. Trust in Him Do Not Be Afraid. Isaiah lived in 722 B.C. That is 2722 years ago. Thus for nearly 3 thousand years God has been asking us to TRUST IN HIM! For all your life this is what God is asking of you. That is it. No more and no less. You cannot long for our Lord to come during this Holy Season of Advent, if you are worried, afraid, anxious or scared of what the future will bring. The future brings our Lord. He is the Mercy of God. He is True Peace. Forget your foolish worries and fears. Wait for the Lord with Joyful Hope. TRUST IN THE LORD FOREVER!

God Provides (Is 25: 6-10 + Mt 15: 29 37)

2008-12-03T10:34:00.010-06:00

In the readings today God provides. In the first reading He provides a banquet for His chosen people. In the Gospel Jesus feeds the hungry crowd, His followers. In both readings God chooses to act based upon His Love. In His Love God provides for all people. This is clearly seen in the first reading. In the Gospel it is clearly seen that Jesus calls all people to himself and then provides for them. First their spiritual needs and then their physical needs are met by our Loving Savior. The same is true for us today. We have many needs, and during this Holy Season of Advent we recognize our deepest need that is our longing for God. Often during this hectic time of the year we get things turned around. That is to say that we become distracted by our physical needs and wants. The people in the Gospel were concerned with one thing only. That is they were focused on listening to the words that Jesus spoke. They did so because His Words are Spirit and Life. Then He provided everything else. We are called now to imitate them. To focus on the words that Jesus wants to speak to us today. We are called to admit that longing that is in our heart. To know that Jesus provides first for our spiritual needs and then will take care of all the rest. We must trust this truth especially during Advent; for to trust in this truth we must have great Hope. Advent is the season of hoping and longing for the fulfillment of God's promise. Like our Mother Mary we will be blessed if we believe that the promise given to us in Jesus will be fulfilled. Not only in a generic way but during Advent in a profound and personal way; then we can rejoice in the celebration of our Hopes fulfilment and rest in the fullness of Christ's Peace.

Jesus Rejoiced (Lk 10:21-24)

2008-12-02T12:20:00.010-06:00

In the Holy Spirit giving glory to God the Father, Jesus rejoiced. Jesus reveals His Love, the Love of the Father and of the Holy Spirit to the childlike. This is His cause for Joy. The Most Holy Trinity Loves us. Jesus rejoices in revealing this Love. Jesus rejoices when He reveals this Love to a soul that is childlike. This is because the simple childlike soul is that which can receive and accept the Love of God. The childlike are not afraid to be loved. The childlike acknowledge that deep desire of their hearts, that is to know that they are loved. The desire to know that they are OK, and that they are in Truth lovable. The childlike filled then with love, love. One aspect of this Holy season of Advent is preparing to celebrate the Birth of the Christ Child. In preparing for this it is important to remember that even in His Infancy we are called to Imitate Christ. To be childlike. To admit our total dependence upon God. To admit this need to be loved. To accept the Love with which we are loved, and to love. Love changes everything. The childlike rejoice in Love. We would do well to be mindful of this as we prepare the way of the Lord. Return again to a childlike dependence upon God. Do not be afraid of your need. Then you will be filled with the Merciful Love of the Most Holy Trinity, and find Peace in God's Loving Mercy.

Just Give the Word (Mt 8:5-11)

2008-12-01T09:57:00.009-06:00

The Centurion in the Gospel today does not really know what he is asking. When he tells Jesus to "just give the word and my servant will be cured " he is unaware that he is speaking to the Word made Flesh, the Son of God. Yet he believes in Jesus. This is why Jesus is astonished. The people of Israel awaited a Messiah, yet they did not put their trust in Jesus when He came. Unlike the Centurion who simply believed in Jesus even though he did not know the whole story. We have begun the Holy Season of Advent. This is our time of waiting. We wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. We prepare for His second coming, and we celebrate His first coming. As we live in this time in between; as we live in the already and the not yet, we fall victim to the same spirit that had infected the people of Israel. In waiting so long for our heart's desire to be fulfilled, we often refuse to recognize Jesus who has come and remains in our midst. Our present struggles, desires, and doubts complicate our lives and thus complicate our faith. We do not have the simple faith of the Centurion. In fact we believe that such simple faith is foolish. We want to be secure in our faith, strong in our faith, rich in our faith, but not SIMPLE. Just give the Word a chance this Advent. Trust in His Merciful Love. You do not really need all the answers. Jesus has them. Be simple and let go of all your distractions. Be simple and wait in Joyful Hope knowing that the promise that Jesus has given you will be fulfilled. You will be healed of all your wounds and you will know His Love and His Peace.

A New Year of Grace 1st Sunday of Advent

2008-11-29T14:30:00.001-06:00

“God is faithful, He will keep you firm to the end, in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, you are not lacking in any spiritual gift.” Today we begin a new year. This is the first day of the New Year. It is the first Sunday of Advent. As we begin a new year of grace it is good to meditate on these words that St. Paul writes to the Church. God is faithful. That is to say he remains faithful. In the first reading this is clear. The people of Israel have been selfish.They forgot about God. They were busy living their sinful lives. Pleasure and distraction was the law they lived by in their pursuit of happiness. They rejected God and his law. God does not reject them. Even though he allows them to suffer the consequences of their actions, he does not reject them. The same is true today for you and me. No matter how far we stray from God, rejecting his law, living according to our own pleasures and desires, He remains faithful. Advent is a time of longing for God. Today we should admit our desire for God to be part of our life. The knowledge that St Paul gives today should serve as an encouragement. God is faithful. He is here for us. He will keep you firm to the end. God knows how hard it is for us to remain faithful; therefore He promises to keep us firm. In other words He is our strength. He strengthens us by the Sacraments. In living Sacramental lives we are strengthened. In Confession and Eucharist He is our strength. In these Sacraments the Grace, Mercy, and Love that is given to each one of us is what sustains us in our life, and in our struggles. Gods Loving Mercy will keep us to the end. In him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and knowledge, you are not lacking in any spiritual gift.. He is all we need. Often times when we stray from God we are looking for something that will make us feel whole. St. Paul tells us that what we are really looking for is Jesus, and we already possess Him if we have the courage to turn to Him and to accept His Mercy and His Love. As this new year of Grace opens before us we must keep the words of St. Paul in our hearts and minds. We must admit our faults and our sins. We must admit that we often stray from God, and that we long for Him who will fulfill our hearts desire in mercy and in love. This is how we prepare. This is how we wait in joyful hope; knowing that God himself will sustain us. We can no longer pretend that we are fine living without God. We must admit that we need His gifts. First the gift that comes to us in this new year of Grace. The second is the greatest gift that has been given; He gave us His only Son to be our Savior. The third is the Sacraments especially the Eucharist and Confession. Finally we await the fulfillment of His Promise to return in Glory. Many people have chosen to live their life without God. Even those who come to Mass every Sunday often live according to the ways of the world. God is faithful. He is near. You and I must pray that at the beginning and throughout this year of Grace we may have the courage to call upon Him form the depths of our hearts that our Hope will be fulfilled.

Take Care Not To Be Deceived (Lk 21:5-11)

2008-11-25T09:08:00.009-06:00

When speaking about the end of time, Jesus admonishes us not to be deceived by those who claim to be Him and go about using His name gathering people to themselves. In every age the Church has believed that it was living in the end times. Even St. Paul thought that Jesus would return soon. Nearly two thousand years later modern Catholics live with that same belief. Certainly here in the United States we have cause to believe this as the Culture of Death grows in power and influence. Jesus also tells us today not to be frightened when we here of wars and revolutions. What then are we to do? Listen to the Church! By that I mean follow the Holy Father and the Magisterium. We as Catholics living in the midst of the Culture of Death must simply remain faithful. In remaining faithful to the Church and the Holy Father as we go about our daily duties, Jesus will call us to act in Truth and Love in order to promote the Culture of Life. That is why we do not run around chasing those who claim that they speak in His name. That is why even as our hearts are filled with sorrow at the violence of the Culture of Death we are not terrified. We have the Church. We have the Sacraments. We have our Blessed Mother and the Rosary. We have Our Holy Father. Thus we are free. Free to be Obedient to our daily labors, and free to do what Jesus asks of us without fear or worry or anxiety. We do not have to chase after visionaries or prophets. We have the Church. We have Christ Jesus' Vicar on earth in our Holy Father Benedict XVI. The Culture of Death will not overcome the Church founded by Jesus on the Rock of St. Peter. We are Christ's Bride and while we may suffer terrible persecutions He will never abandon us. We are to remain faithful for as our Holy Father constantly reminds us God is Love. We do not have to be afraid for as Benedict has reminded us Hope is our Salvation. The Sacraments, the Rosary, and the teaching of the Church is all we need in order to remain faithful and obedient. If we go about our daily labors without fear and without anxiety we will draw others into the light and peace of Christ. Others will begin to wonder why we live in and with such Hope. In obedience we will Evangelize the Culture of Death. In God's Infinite Mercy we can do so simply living our daily life ready to act in Truth and Love when our Merciful Savior calls.

Lord, This is the people that longs to see your Face

2008-11-24T11:27:00.006-06:00

Psalm 24, Basically sums up the whole Christian life. In his letter to the whole Church on the dawn of the Third Millenium Pope John Paul wrote that as Catholics we are called to be holy. He said that this call to holiness was a Universal call to each member of the Church. It was not a call only for a few so called saints who lived 100 or 1000 years ago. In that letter JPII called upon each member of the Church to seek the Face of Christ in their lives. He said that this was the project that the Church should be about for the next 100 years. At times we seek the Suffering Face of Christ and at others the Glorified face of Christ. What ever our situation; whatever we are going through we must allow that longing in our hearts to impact our lives. Deep down all of us long for Christ Jesus, because deep down all of us long for peace. Jesus is True Peace. Acknowledging our longing will set us on the right path. The path that leads us to prayer; especially praying the Rosary in which our Blessed Mother teaches us how to recognize her Son's presence in our daily lives. Acknowledging this longing draws us into the King's presence to make brief or long visits to the Blessed Sacrament, as we sit before the Tabernacle or in Adoration. Acknowledging this longing leads us to a fuller participation in our Sacramental Life. It draws us to Confession and to the Eucharist more often. It opens our hearts to recieve the Grace Jesus desires to give us. It opens our minds to the Peace Jesus desires to give us. It opens our souls to the Healing Jesus longs to give us. If you and I can honestly pray Psalm 24 today, not out of self centered wants but simply desiring to see the face of our Lord Jesus, then we will be open to receive all the gifts he wants to shower down upon us. If we can set ourselves to seeking His Face as JPII calls us to; then we can be holy as he calls us to be. Then we can be Saints.

The Feast of Christ The King

2008-11-22T10:11:00.000-06:00

Today is the Feast of Christ the King. In our opening prayer we prayed: “Almighty and Merciful God you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ the King of the Universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.” If we believe this prayer to be true then we are being called today not only to honor Christ the King but also to conversion. If we do not open our hearts today to conversion our prayer is useless. In Christ the King the power of evil is broken. In Christ the King all things are made new. Through praising Jesus Christ our Sovereign King we acclaim and glorify our Father in Heaven. However this cannot happen if our own hearts are not open to conversion. Today each one of us is being called to conversion. Today Jesus Christ the King will break the power that evil has in your life. Maybe it is a sin, or a habit, or an addiction. Maybe it is a wound or a memory that keeps you from being free. Maybe it was something you suffered that you are still hurt by. Maybe you have been abused and do not know how much God loves you. Maybe you have a secret that no one knows about but you and it keeps you in fear. Jesus Christ our King will break the power that it has over you today. Our Almighty and Merciful Father wills it. The power of evil will be broken today. Open your hearts and ask the King for mercy. Do not be afraid of this call to conversion. In His Mercy Jesus Christ the King makes all things new. He will renew your life. He will heal you. He will forgive you. He will comfort you. He will give you the gift of Peace. It is not enough to simply honor Christ the King. This is not what He wants today. Today he wants to break the power that evil has in your life. Today he wants to renew your life in His Mercy and Love. That in knowing His Merciful Love we will never cease to praise Him and thus bring others to Him. Our Almighty and Merciful Father, Jesus Christ our King and the Holy Spirit do not want you to pray this prayer today; the Most Holy Trinity wants you to experience and live this prayer.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2008-11-21T10:58:00.007-06:00

"Mary heard God's Word and kept it, and so she is blessed." So says St. Augustine. This is the mark of discipleship. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the true model of discipleship. In celebrating the Presentation of Mary we are celebrating the Word speaking to her from the very beginning of her life. Indeed she is the Immaculate Conception; thus the Word of God has spoken clearly to Mary's Immaculate Heart from the very beginning. From her conception she heard God's Word and kept it and so she is blessed. We do not celebrate today that she is the Mother of God; rather that she is a Daughter of God the Father, and a Disciple of God the Son. In this we are called to imitate her. First by acknowledging who we are as sons and daughters of God the Father. Then living accordingly as disciples of Jesus the Son. This feast then is very simple. We celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary who heard God's Word and kept it, and so she was blessed. We commit ourselves to imitating her in living as disciples of her Son in whom we have truly become adopted sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, Mighty God (Rev 4:1-11)

2008-11-19T12:05:00.002-06:00

In the first reading today the angels who sit before the throne of God sing God’s Praises without ceasing. The 24 Elders who stand before the Throne then give homage to God by saying these words: “You are our Lord and God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists.” When you stand before the Throne of God the Truth is evident and clear. The response to the Truth is Awe and Wonder followed by Humble Acceptance and Service. In our spiritual lives there is a great need in the human heart to express our prayers. That is we tell God of our problems, our worries and our sorrows. This is right and good to do; God wants us to speak to Him in this way. But there is more to a life of prayer than just our petitions. There is standing in Awe and Wonder before the Truth and giving glory to God; then Humbly accepting the Truth and Serving The One seated upon the Throne. We do not have to wait until Heaven in order to imitate the elders and the angels who sit before the Throne. The One seated on the Throne resides in each of our Churches and Chapels in the Tabernacle. Our Eucharistic Lord Jesus is The One seated on the Throne in Heaven. He is The One who Reigns in silence from the Tabernacle and speaks only to our hearts; inspiring Awe and Wonder, requiring Humble Acceptance and Service. Perhaps imitating the angels and elders in Heaven is too much to ask. Rather let us imitate our Mother Mary here on earth when we pray. Our Blessed Mother prayed “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!” in her Canticle of praise. Mary also responded to the Lord’s invitation through the angel Gabriel by saying “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to your word.” When we come before our Lord in adoration it is good from time to time to leave all our worries and petitions behind and instead enter into the Truth of The One seated upon the Throne, and imitate our Mother and all the angels and saints in heaven and say; “You are our Lord and God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists.” May it be done unto me according to your Word.

Revelations Says It All Today! Ch 3

2008-11-18T18:07:00.001-06:00

I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’and yet do not realize that you are wretched,pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,and white garments to put onso that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.Be earnest, therefore, and repent.“‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,then I will enter his house and dine with him,and he with me.I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne,as I myself first won the victoryand sit with my Father on his throne.“‘Whoever has ears ought to hearwhat the Spirit says to the churches.’”

What Do You Want Me To Do For You?(Lk 18: 35-43)

2008-11-17T12:19:00.011-06:00

This question is one that all of us long to hear. However it is also one that we have a hard time answering. The blind man in the Gospel responds "Lord, please let me see." But the story is not a story of physical healing. It is a story of discipleship. The man wants to see with the eyes of faith that which he knows to be true in his heart. This is why he cries out for mercy. He wants to follow Christ Jesus. Thus Jesus asks the profound question that so many long to hear, but so few can answer clearly. Often we are so shallow in the way we think about our spiritual lives that we ask only for our immediate wants or desires. Unlike the blind man; we struggle to pray, or better yet to respond to Jesus from the very depths of our hearts. The people in the Gospel tried to tell the blind man to shut up. They did not want Jesus to be bothered. We often imitate these folks. The blind man refuses. He knows that Jesus will have pity upon him and satisfy the deepest desire of his heart. Thus he cries outall the more. Often we think that Jesus does not want to be bothered with us. We do not trust that He will satisfy our deepest desires. As proof we pray shallow self centered prayers and when they are not answered to our satisfaction we claim abandonment. The lesson that the blind man gives to us today is one that all can benefit from. Pray from the very depths of your heart that Jesus' Mercy be poured out upon you this day. Then trust that Jesus has heard you and will satisfy your longing. Then your hope will be fulfilled. Then your prayers will be answered when Jesus asks "what is it you want me to do for you?"

Our Generous and Joyful Father (Mt25:14-30) 33rd Sunday

2008-11-14T23:56:00.002-06:00

Jesus reveals to us in the Gospel today that our Father in Heaven is both Generous and Joyful. Is that the image of God the Father that you have? We see our Father’s generosity when He gives each of His servants a number of talents based upon their ability. He does not have to give them anything. Notice how not only is He generous but also loving in that He knows His servants well enough that He gives each one what they can handle according to their ability. Our Father shares everything with us His servants, and He gives each one of us exactly what we need and exactly what we can handle. We see the Father’s joy when the servants have done well. He is proud of them, and He invites them to share in His joy. Our Father is proud of us when we do well, and He is eager to share His joy with us. Is this how you see Our Father? Jesus reveals all this and more because in Jesus we know God Is Love. In Jesus we see the great Love the Father has for each one of us in that He sent His only Son to be our Savior. Thus the Father has literally given all things to us in the gift of His Son. Through Jesus and the Salvation He won for us the Father invites us to share His Joy; that their Joy may be in us and our joy may be complete. Do you understand this? Is this the image of God the Father that you have? Do you see the Father’s Love? Do you understand that Jesus has brought us the fullness of Mercy and Salvation? He is not waiting to condemn you. He knows you so well that you do not have to be afraid. He will not let anything overcome you. Perhaps you are paying too much attention to the third servant and how the master treated him. The third servant was ruled by fear. All his decisions and actions were based on lies; lies that kept him afraid. Many of us live the same way. This servant did not see that the Master in love knew him so well that he only gave him what he could handle. In other words the Master in truth thought much more of the servant than he thought of himself. The servant only saw his fear and worry and low self esteem and believed the lies. The third servant could not see that he was loved, and so he rejected the Master’s gift. He gave it back. His fear does two things to him. It makes him wicked and lazy. This is what the Master calls him. When we believe the lies and live in fear we too become lazy and wicked. Our becoming wicked because we embrace any number of sins that comfort us and make us feel safe. We become lazy because the weight of our guilt and shame can never be lifted because we only believe the lies and are afraid of the Truth. We are afraid of God the Father. We are afraid of Jesus. We are afraid of their Love, the Holy Spirit. We reject their generous gift of life and of freedom. We are incapable of joy, and so we are thrown out into the darkness where there is weeping and grinding of teeth. Pay close attention though. This is not God’s desire. The Most Holy Trinity invites us to share their Joy. Today we can decide to live in the truth of God’s Love, or we can live in fear.

It's Among You (17:20-25)

2008-11-13T09:12:00.010-06:00

"You Must Know, The Kingdom of God is Among You." Jesus could not speak any clearer than He does today. So many people claim to be spiritual but not religious, and so many who claim to be religious run around searching for something that will satisfy their inner longing for God. Both categories of people live an unending search for that Something that will satisfy their inner longing. Yet He is among us. We do not have to search for Him. You see Jesus is the Kingdom. He is among us. Most importantly in His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. We do not have to go far to find Him. We do not have to go far in order to find Peace. We do not have to go far to find Comfort. We do not have to go far to find Healing. For Peace, Comfort, and Healing as well as all the other desires of our hearts are found in Him, in Jesus our Lord. We can find Jesus right here among us in the Blessed Sacrament. There is no problem, worry, fear, or temptation that can not be overcome or solved through spending time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. If we humbly come before Him, He will take care of all our needs. We will know what we must do. We will be given the strength to do it. In the Blessed Sacrament Christ Jesus is among us. Spending time with Him enlightens our hearts and minds with the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. In the Grace that pours forth into our souls in Adoration our lives are renewed in the values and the virtues of the Kingdom. In other words our Lord Jesus transforms our lives that we begin to live as He lived. We begin to live our lives with confidence. Think about how children perform when their parents are watching. It is not only out of a desire to please them. Parents actually give their children confidence to do their best because of their very presence with them. The same is true of Our Lord's Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. In dwelling among us our Lord gives us the confidence we need to live our lives in imitation of Him. He strengthens us in His Loving Presence. We do not have to chase after or search for that Something that will satisfy for in Christ Jesus we have everything; we have the Kingdom right here among us. Stop in and make a visit to the Most Blessed Sacrament and be satisfied.

Ten Lepers Came to Meet Him (Lk 17:11-19

2008-11-12T08:38:00.003-06:00

The story in the Gospel today is very familiar to all of us. Ten lepers come to Jesus and ask that he heal them. He sends them off to the priests, and on their way they realize they have been healed. One man a Samaritan turned back and praising God threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. Ten were healed but only one returned to thank God. So very often when we hear this Gospel we are reminded to be thankful for all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. However there is more to the Gospel than just the Samaritan returning to thank our Lord. In fact the beginning of the story is as important as the end for us today. Ten lepers came to meet Jesus. In their misery they sought Jesus out. Is that what you do in your misery? Or do you isolate yourself and shut yourself off from others including our Lord? Even though they stood away off they cried out to Jesus. Is that what you do? Do you cry out to Him? When you feel far away from Him do you cry out to Him. When your caught up in sin and feel alone and abandoned, do you cry out to Him? When you are ashamed of yourself and feel like a failure, do you cry out to Him? They call Him by name and they recognize who he is, "Jesus Master!" Do you do this? Do you know your Lord's Name? Do you realize who he is? Finally they ask that He have pity upon them. Do you seek His Mercy in your life? Or are you afraid of all this. You see it is easy to think "Oh I should be more thankful." but the lesson does not begin there. It begins when in our misery and sinfulness we seek Jesus out. We must cry out to Him by name. We have to call upon Jesus name in our misery. We have to recognize who He is; that He is our Merciful Lord and Savior. We have to ask for His Mercy to be poured out upon us. This is what the ten lepers did despite their misery, despite their fears. In doing so the Mercy of God was showered down upon them. Their prayers were answered. Then one had the faith to be thankful to God and returned humbly to thank Jesus. But first he had to humbly seek out Jesus, cry out to him by name, and recognizing who He is and ask for mercy. You and I are called to do the same and be equally thankful for the Loving Mercy of Jesus our Lord and Savior.

Doing What Your Obliged To Do (Lk 17:7-10)

2008-11-11T09:10:00.012-06:00

Jesus makes it very clear today in the Gospel that we are obliged to serve Him. This Truth upsets many people. In fact the culture we live in as a whole has rejected this truth. We have decided to serve ourselves. In serving ourselves we have perverted society and degraded the human person. Serving ourselves has produced a culture of death for us and our children. A culture in which how we feel is the absolute measure of truth, and the sole motivation for action. This self centered feeling base culture constantly wounds those who embrace it and produces massive devastation in the hearts and souls of so many. Yet even the wounds themselves give people the opportunity or the excuse to be even more self centered. Thus they are carried away deeper and deeper into misery because they only live according to their feelings. Their feelings that say "Take care of Yourself." So many people come to Confession and list a litany of sins. When asked "Why do you commit them?", they simply reply "Pride". As if to say "you see we all have pride so it is okay, it is just you know." No it is not okay, and no it is not just anything! It is in fact you deciding to serve yourself rather then God. It is in fact hurting yourself and others because you believe that what you think and how you feel is more important than the truth of your life. What is the Truth of your life? CHRIST JESUS! But perverted self centered sinners would never admit this to be true. These people place two things at the center of their lives; one is their their feelings and the other is their wounds. The rotten fruit of the self centered life is misery, sin, and death. Life does not have to be lived this way. When we embrace the Truth of our life in Christ, our self centered world is shattered. Shattered in His Love and Mercy. In His Merciful Love we see who we really are. In His Loving Mercy we are free to live according to our obligations. That is, we are free to serve Him. In being loved we are free to do all things. Even our weaknesses and our sufferings become a delight because from the fount of Life and Love (that is Our Lord's Sacred Heart) there flows a river of Mercy. In humbly coming to Him who is our Life, and agreeing to serve Him we are set free. You see as servants we are obliged to serve Him. But as the Master he is responsible for everything else. In other words the Master provides the servants everything they need in order to complete their tasks. And what is it that we need? To be Loved. In this Christ Jesus has in fact given us all that we need for He has given and continues to give to us His Very Self. Day to day then as we struggle to live our lives, what we must do is to choose to act upon the truth of our life; that we are loved by Christ Jesus. It is then that we can live according to our obligations in love, and reject the self centered life based upon our feelings and our wounds. The former leads to an abundant life; the latter to a miserable slow death.

Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran (Jn2:13-22)

2008-11-08T16:32:00.003-06:00

Today we hear in the scriptures that we are Temples of the Holy Spirit. We have heard this phrase many times in our lives. We have heard many homilies about being Temples of the Holy Spirit. Some of us have even prayed about being Temples of the Holy Spirit. I could speak to you today about the truth of this teaching. I could speak to you today about the many sins that we commit in our thoughts, words, and actions, that are abuses of our bodies and the bodies of others; that are Temples of the Holy Spirit. These sins try to destroy who we are as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. However you have heard all these words before. You have either rejected them or forgot them. It is our problem of forgetting that is our great sin. We forget many things that are good because we forget that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We forget that we are His Temples. Jesus tells us in St. John’s Gospel that he will give to us His Holy Spirit to remind us of all that He taught us. In the Gospel today we hear that the disciples remembered what Jesus had said (about the Temple being destroyed and raised in three days) after His Resurrection. That is after they had received the Holy Spirit. We focus on the Temple that is our body but ignore the very Person that makes it Holy. That is even in striving for holiness we forget the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who reminds us of all that Jesus has taught. We forget because we are self centered. We forget because we do not want to be inconvenienced. We forget because we are lonely or afraid. We forget because we are hurt or are suffering. We forget because to know and to believe is too hard. We forget because our hearts and our minds are distracted by other things. Even when those distractions are meaningless, we use them to ignore the truth of our life. That is that we are loved by God. The Holy Spirit IS the Love of God. Love demands a Response. With our Response comes Responsibility. We must listen to the Holy Spirit when He reminds us of what Jesus has revealed. We must acknowledge God’s Love and live accordingly. We are not empty shells in which the Spirit decides to take residence. We are human persons and the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Therefore to be a Temple of the Holy Spirit is in truth to be a living communion of persons. A communion that is Unforgettable! Our communion with the Holy Spirit draws us into further communion. It is He who draws us to Holy Communion, and finally into communion with our Father in Heaven. This communion in which we become Temples of the Holy Spirit is certainly something worth remembering. In this you are never alone. In this you do not have to be afraid. In this you do not have to distract yourself. In this you will find peace for you will know that you are loved.

One Sinner Who Repents (Lk15:1-10)

2008-11-06T09:36:00.025-06:00

I wonder how many times Jesus has to say the same thing over and over again before we begin to believe Him. Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents. Every time a sinner repents. In other words it pleases God the Father when we repent. It pleases Jesus when we repent. It pleases the Holy Spirit when we repent. It also pleases all the Angels and Saints when we repent. All those in Heaven rejoice when we repent. Those on earth rejoice as well. Priests rejoice when sinners are forgiven in the confessional. The faithful rejoice when those in need go to confession. Despite all this rejoicing. Despite all the healing and peace that come from repentance and forgiveness. We won't forgive, and are afraid to repent. We refuse to forgive because we have been hurt, and we do not want to be hurt again. We are afraid to repent because we believe God will throw us out like the garbage we falsely believe ourselves to be, ugly, hypocritical, perverted, disgraceful failures. Therefore our unforgiveness ferments in anger and anger ferments into bitterness until finally the fermentation is complete in bitterness turning to hatred. Hatred which is the opposite of Love. All this because we have been hurt. Our Lord does not want to see our wounds foul and festering as they decay into hatred. He desires to wash clean our wounds and to bind them up that we may be healed as He comforts us. He rejoices with all the Heavenly Hosts if only we come to Him trusting in His Merciful Love. In refusing to come to Him we allow our false judgments to be compounded by sin. The only thing that can ease the pain of believing you are a hypocrite is to give in and sin. The only comfort in believing you are ugly or perverted or a disgrace is to sin. We seek to distract ourselves from the misery of our interior lives. So our sins that distract us continue to confirm and reinforce our belief that we really are a worthless failures before God and men. So sin builds upon sin reinforcing our false judgments that keep us from knowing who we truly are in the eyes of God. Yet Jesus who is the Truth tells us that all Heaven will rejoice if we trust in His Merciful Love and repent. He also reveals why Heaven rejoices; because we are the Father' beloved sons and daughters. When we repent we are returning to the safety of Our Fathers House through the gift of our Saviors Sorrowful Passion, and in the Loving Mercy of the Holy Spirit. There we will heal from the many wounds that are our sins. We will find healing for all the sins that have been committed against us that we did not deserve. We will find healing for the many wounds we have inflicted upon others. Finally we will find healing for the deepest and most grievous of our wounds; those that are self inflicted; the sins that cause us the deepest embarrassment because we believe we should have known better. If only we repent. The truth is that we do not have to be afraid of being hurt again because we are Loved by the Lover of our souls, Jesus. The truth is we do not have to fear being judged for our Crucified Savior reveals to us our Fathers Love. Our Crucified Savior reveals the Our Father's Mercy triumphs over Judgement. In truth we are God's children now. In truth we belong to Him. In truth Our Father rejoices as does all those in Heaven when we return to Him and repent. They rejoice that in repenting we have been set free from our guilt and shame; free to know that we can live as His beloved sons and daughters.

Two Hands Children

2008-11-05T13:30:00.000-06:00

“Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life…” These are the words of St. Paul to the Philippians, but they are timely for us today. We too live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. We truly are living in the midst of a culture of death where the human person is constantly degraded. A culture that teaches that the greatest virtue one can practice is that of tolerance to the many forms of degradation that people subject themselves to. The greater the degradation the greater is the tolerance required. The culture of death rejoices in the slavery that so many have chosen; to live in denial of God, to confuse license with freedom, to abandon the love of neighbor for self love and the reduction of others to that of objects for pleasure or ridicule. In such a dismal culture St. Paul calls us to shine like lights by holding onto the Word of life. Jesus is the Word of Life. We must hold on to Him with both hands. In such darkness even a little light has great affect. Each one of us then is called to be light in the world. But we do not give off our own light. Because we hold onto the Word, because we hold onto Jesus, we shine with the light of His Grace. That Grace that He poured into our hearts, which is His Love and Mercy. People will not turn away from their crooked and perverse ways unless they see something better. We cannot simply tell them what they should or should not do. We must show them. Many good Catholics cannot because they are not holding onto the Word of Life. Instead they are clinging to their possessions, and their distractions, and their comfortable way of life that includes toying with and engaging in many of the pleasures offered by the culture of death. To hold onto the Word of Life is a radical abandonment to the Loving Mercy of Jesus. To allow Jesus to be the beginning, the middle, and the end of all that we do. If not, those caught up in the tolerant culture of death, will simply tolerate another way of living but will never recognize the Catholic way as the Way of Life. The greatest way to live without blemish is to live a Sacramental life. By going to Confession regularly and frequently attending the Mass, we are holding on to Jesus with both hands. He gives us His Life and Light to shine in us which draws those who are sick of the emptiness that tolerance and license feeds. It is difficult to hold onto the Word of Life, to make Jesus the center of all that we are. But we are not alone; this has been the Catholic Way since the very beginning of the Church. St. Paul is writing to encourage the Philippians nearly 2000 years ago. Like the Philippians we have been given the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate and Blessed Mother to be our example. In praying the Rosary, Mary teaches us how to listen to the Holy Spirit and respond to the Loving Mercy of Jesus. It will become easier to live the Way of Life even in the midst of the culture of death for we will not only know but we will believe God our Father loves us. We will come to believe that we are His beloved children.

All Souls

2008-11-01T23:28:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrate all souls day. In the readings we hear a message that is full of hope. This hope is based upon the love of God. Because of Jesus we have faith in Gods mercy. In Jesus we hear that we belong to God. This is a great comfort. However with love comes responsibility. They always go together, love and responsibility. Today many people, even Catholics say that God is love. They trust in his love, but they do not take the responsibility that comes with being loved by God. In other words they do not listen to or live by the teaching of the Church. They make excuses for their situations and claim; God loves me he would not be upset with what I am doing. Christ instituted the Church. He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide the Church and he gave the Church the authority to preach and teach the truth of the Gospel. We hear today from the book of Wisdom “Grace and Mercy are with his holy ones and his care is with his elect.” If we are his elect then we have a responsibility to live holy lives. How many of you are living holy lives? If we are his elect then we have the responsibility of living lives of grace and mercy. How often do you pray? How often do you go to Confession? How often do you fast? How often do you pray the Rosary? How often do you give a substantial amount of money in the collection? You know you should give more every week than it takes to bring your whole family to McDonalds. How well are you living up to your responsibilities? These are not rules made up by the Church. Fasting, Prayer, and Alms Giving are the traditional ways of growing in holiness from the time of Christ. If you believe God loves you then you have a responsibility to live lives of grace and mercy. You cannot ignore his love and think everything is okay between you and God. When Paul writes to the Romans, “we have now received reconciliation,” he is urging the Roman Christians to live according to the truth of their life in Christ. In the Gospel Jesus says that everyone who sees and believes in him will have eternal life. This is true, but we have to live as if we are believers. We cannot just say we believe and then live according to the ways of the world. You cannot say you are a Cowboys fan and then walk around wearing a Giants jersey. You cannot say you love the Cowboys but not even care if they win or lose. But many think that with God and the Church these things are possible. I live my life as I want and the priest and God better give me what I want when I want. I say I am a Catholic and that is enough, I do not have to act like one. I love God, he knows what is in my heart I can skip Mass whenever I want, I do not have to go to Confession, and I do not have to support the Church. In this we are not living according to the responsibility of love. Today we pray for the dead because they need it. All of us are going to be judged someday when we die. We pray for the dead. It is our responsibility. We pray that God have mercy upon them and forgive them, and that he allow them to enter Heaven. We too will come face to face with God and will need the prayers of the Church. But today we can begin to live according to the responsibility we have because God loves us. We believe in him and are promised mercy when we die, but we cannot trust in this promise when we die if we do not live according to this promise in our daily life today.

Jesus Does Not Answer Our Questions Directly (Lk 13:22-30)

2008-10-29T08:55:00.010-05:00

In the Gospel today a person asks Jesus "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" The response that Jesus gives can teach us a lot about our spiritual lives. "Strive to enter through the narrow gate..." Jesus goes on to describe how it will be at the end times for those who do not take to heart what he is saying. This first phrase though is Jesus' basic response. "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" "Strive to enter through the narrow gate...!" The response given by Jesus is to call the person to holiness. That is the answer to the question. Be holy! Do not trouble yourself with numbers. You be holy! So often we ask our Lord questions that really have no bearing on our daily life or our salvation. We think they are so important. We think that if we knew the response then we could do so much, or be so much, or at least be at peace. Like the person in the Gospel today; what does the number of people who will be saved have to do with him or her? Nothing! He or she is called to be holy. Yes, in seeing the good that we do we hope others will give glory to God, but fundamentally we are called to live holy lives in response to God's Loving Mercy. For example many parents worry and worry about their children's and grand children's faith or lack there of. With all the time they spend worrying they in effect are ignoring their own spiritual lives. They ignore their own call to grow in holiness because they want the Lord to answer their good and pious desire that their children practise the faith. Trust that the Lord hears and responds to your prayers and "strive to enter through the narrow gate." Your children and grand children will see you entering and eventually will want to follow. Our Lord has taken good care of you. Why is it that you think he will abandon those that you love? This is just one of many examples. The response that Jesus gives to the person in the Gospel today is really the solution to many of the struggles in our spiritual lives. You yourself be holy. Strive for holiness in your daily life. Be obedient and faithful to Jesus' call and trust in his Loving Mercy. This is the way of a true disciple. Why? Because it is Blessed Mothers way, and we as good children should follow her beautiful example. Blessed Mother did not have all the answers. She pondered things in her Immaculate Heart and trusted in the Loving Mercy of her Son. Mary was obedient and faithful to the call of God the Father and to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Why not imitate Our Mother who is full of grace? For all our questions, all our anxieties Jesus has one response. Trust in me. Do not be afraid. Be Holy. "Strive to enter the narrow gate.." Follow my Mother whom I have given to you, she will show you the way.

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude

2008-10-28T08:31:00.008-05:00

At the Last Supper St. Jude asked Jesus if he were going to reveal the Father only to the Apostles and not the whole world.(Jn 14:22-23) Jesus responds "Anyone who loves me will be true to my word, and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our dwelling place with him." This is a great gift. Our Lord in responding to Jude reveals not only the Father's Love, which is what Jude asked about, but also reveals the deeper truth. The truth that the Father and Jesus in loving us begin to dwell in us. They take up residence in our hearts. This is a profound truth. God's dwelling is in the hearts of men who love Him and strive to follow His Word. If you look at the image of St. Jude he is always depicted with the face of Christ on his chest in either a scapular or a medal. This image reveals the truth of the Gospel. The Father and Christ Jesus in Love take possession of Jude's heart. The image of Christ's face upon Jude's chest reveal to whom Jude belongs. It reveals his identity as God's own son by adoption. St. Jude is the patron of the hopeless precisely for this reason. His life reveals that no one is beyond hope. He asked a very innocent question during the Last Supper and received a response that brings Hope to all humanity. If we love the Lord and try to keep His commandments, the Father and He will come into our hearts and begin to dwell in us. St. Jude calls us today to not only know the truth of our lives but to have the courage to begin to live in the truth. He calls us to allow the Lord to place His seal upon our hearts. He challenges us to invite the Father and our Lord to take possession of our hearts and dwell within them. St. Jude teaches us to not be afraid of God but instead to be secure in the knowledge that we are loved. Secure in this knowledge we can live our lives and our faith filled with Hope.

Yielding Fruit In Due Season (Psalm 1)

2008-10-27T14:26:00.006-05:00

The psalm response today is "Behave like God as his very dear children." In other words we are encouraged to always be mindful of our identity. We are God's very dear children. This is such a magnificent truth. In many ways the truth of being a child of God can simply blow your mind if you but meditate upon it, and allow the Lord to speak to your heart. More often than not though we listen to other voices. Voices that tell us we should be worried about things we cannot control. Voices that tell us we should take care of ourselves. Voices that encourage us to sin. Voices that tell us we do not deserve whats happening in our life. Voices that tell us to seize control of our life and intimidate others. Voices that degrade us and make us feel unworthy of love. Voices of selfishness, and voices of deceit that try to destroy in us the knowledge of our true identity. In our weakness and sinfulness we all too often listen to these voices. Thus today's Psalm and Response are so important because they clearly call us to listen and act upon the truth. To act according to our true identity and to allow God's Grace to work in us according to our state in life. We do not have to take control or be in charge. Our Father will take good care of us. We are called to trust in Him once again. To live as a beloved child and not as a slave to our passions or our fears. Trusting in God the fruit of our fidelity to the truth will blossom and ripen bringing joy to our life and to our families. It seems so simple and it is. You are God's very dear child. Your are loved. Trust in this your true identity and be free. You are not your sins. You are not your past. You are not your wounds. You are not your fears. You are the very dear child of God Our Father. You are Loved. Now let that Love yield it's fruit: forgiveness, healing, comfort, mercy, and peace. Nothing can separate you from the Father's Loving Mercy. You are his beloved child do not be afraid to live as such.

The Impossibility of Love (Mt 22:34-40)

2008-10-25T16:22:00.006-05:00

Today Jesus reveals to us the greatest commandment. "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Jesus also reveals the second greatest commandment. "You must love your neighbor as yourself." Everyone knows this. This commandment to love is the very foundation of our faith. But it is too much. It is nearly impossible to love in this way. If not, then why is it that we so often fall short? Or if we succeed in loving God we hate our neighbor. Sometimes the opposite is true; we ignore God and have a good time with our neighbor, claiming to love them. I find that I cannot keep this commandment to love and I do not think that many of you do either. Why? Because I only have so much love to give and then I run out. I run out of patience. I run out of energy. I run out of time. I run out of resources, and then I need to take care of myself and I forget about God, he does not seem to be helping me anyway. I also begin to ignore others because they are a distraction to me. I only have so much love. Jesus must have been mistaken when he told us these were the greatest commandments. Why would he require us to do something that we are seemingly incapable of doing? The answer is because he loves us. He knows that we are incapable of loving as he asks, and so he loves us. Remember his love is merciful, and so in his mercy he loves us. He makes up for our lack of love by loving us. Thus we can begin to love with his love. It is so difficult to love; in fact it is nearly impossible to love if you do not know that you are loved. Thus in his mercy Jesus loves us. Think of your own life, how hard you have tried to love one another but hurts and pain and fears keep us apart. This happens even within marriages. We become afraid to love. We are so hurt that we choose not to love rather than risking getting hurt yet again. In his mercy Jesus loves us and in his love we can take the risk to love. The same is true in our relationship with God. We are so ready for God to condemn us that we act as if he already has. But this is a lie. God loves us, and when we know we are loved by him we can begin to love him. Why? Because in knowing he loves us we will no longer be afraid of him. The greatest way in which we can experience this love is in the Sacraments, specifically in the Eucharist and Confession. In Confession his love is so clear. No matter what we have done Jesus' response is "I love you and I forgive you." There is not a single sin that any of you have committed, or will commit, or could commit that could keep Jesus from loving you, and forgiving you. In knowing we are loved through the sacrament of Confession we can begin to love and thus turn away from our sins. In the Eucharist we are strengthened in love every Sunday and every time we receive the Body of Christ. Strengthened in being loved by God in the gift us his Body and Blood. Strengthened by the Eucharist we can love God and even our neighbors because it is His love that sustains us. It his love that makes up for our lack of love. How can this commandment to love God and our neighbor be fulfilled? Knowing we are loved by God. How do we receive this love most clearly? By living a sacramental life, in confessing our sins, and faithfully attending the mass and receiving Holy Communion

The Utter Fullness Of God (Eph 3:14-21)

2008-10-23T10:14:00.006-05:00

St. Paul prays that the Ephesians come to know the Love of Christ and "are filled with the utter fullness of God." In a certain sense St. Paul is praying that the Ephesians and the whole Church become like their Mother who is Full of Grace. If we are to come to know the Love of Christ then we must turn to Mary. Our Blessed Mother speaks to our little hearts about the love of her Son especially when we pray the Rosary. Mary explains to us that each event of salvation history that we meditate upon is an expression of her Son's Love for us. This is not a general grace given indiscriminately. In praying the Rosary Mary speaks to the heart of each of her children. Mary knows the utter fullness of God. From our Mother's hand the grace that filled her flows to her children, that we might know the Love of Christ. Jesus speaks today of a fire that He wishes to see set ablaze on earth.(LK 12:49-53) The Rosary is the kindling. The Rosary makes our hearts and our lives flammable. Our lives begin to burn with the love of God and our hearts begin to yearn for more. Our Mother teaches us that the Love of her Son will not destroy us, but instead it will consume us. We are set ablaze and the fire does not lose its intensity. The Rosary constantly adds fuels to the fire burning in our hearts. In good times and bad, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow our Mother's love stirs our hearts with love for her Son. She teaches us to trust in His Merciful Love, and to not be afraid. In praying the Rosary Mary reveals that Jesus her Son desires this consummation, that is our soul being filled with the utter fullness of His Love. Mary in her person is the living icon of this consummation of Love. This consummation is communion. The Rosary draws us deeply into this communion whose power working in us St Paul says will do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

Being Served By The Master (LK6:12-18)

2008-10-21T13:29:00.006-05:00

In the Gospel Jesus tells us that when we are prepared to receive Him or to greet Him it is then that He comes and serves us. Therefore we are called to live in humble anticipation of His entering into our lives. In other words we should expect that He will enter our lives. What is required of us is that we be ready to simply open the door. Often this is the hardest thing to do. Behind the door it is a mess. Behind the door is where all our fears reside. Behind the door is where our shame and guilt still remain over all we have done and all that has been done to us. Behind the door we find our shattered dreams and expectations. Behind the door is kept all the judgments that keep us from knowing God's Love. Because if someone, or anyone saw all that is kept behind the door of our heart there is no way they could love us. They would see what a disgrace we really are. What a hypocrite we are. How little we really are and they would be right in rejecting us and in ridiculing us. So, it is better to keep the door to our heart closed. But this is not what Jesus asks of us today. In fact He wants the exact opposite. He tells us that if we are ready to open the door of our hearts He will come and enter. Upon entering Jesus tells us that He will then begin to serve us. How will He do this? By bringing healing to all our hidden wounds. By bringing comfort to our memories and our minds. By taking away our guilt and shame in His Loving Mercy. By forgiving us. By telling us who we really are in His sight. By telling us that we are indeed loved. By revealing our true identity as His beloved. He tells us that He may come in the second or third watch. In other words it may take awhile but He will come. We should not lose hope. He will come at the perfect time, and bring healing to our souls. He loves us and desires to serve us in this way. Finally Jesus tells us the result of all this is that we will be happy. We will be happy with a happiness that is beyond compare because we will truly know that we are loved. But first we must be prepared to open the door of our hearts to Him who loves us. In the we have recourse to our Mother Mary. In praying the Rosary and listening to Mary speak to us of Her Son's Merciful Love we will be unafraid to let Jesus in when He comes knocking at door of our wounded heart.

Generosity and Selfishness (LK12:13-21)

2008-10-20T10:11:00.008-05:00

"I will say to my soul: my soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time." Many would look at the Gospel today and think that this man was selfish in that he did not think to share with the poor the abundant riches he had from his harvest. This is not true. When we look at the Gospel from that perspective, we often excuse ourselves and our own selfish behavior. We give money to the Church. We give money to charities. We give money to the poor. We donate our old clothes and our old furnishings. We are not like the man in the Gospel at all. The selfishness of the man in the Gospel is not that he did not give to the poor. His selfishness is in the fact that he takes counsel from himself and only himself and those who would agree with his selfish plans. For example the contractors who are building the new barn. "I will say to my soul: my soul," this selfishness is much harder to excuse ourselves from. All of us like to take counsel from ourselves and those who would agree with us. We forget that we belong to God. "The Lord made us we belong to Him"this is the responsorial psalm today. This simple phrase should ever be on our lips and on our hearts. In love God made us and it is for love that God made us, therefore in all things we should turn to Him who loves us. The generosity that our Lord seeks from us is that we be generous in turning to Him in all things. This is so that he may shower down upon us His many Blessings, His Mercy, and His Love. If we generously give our souls to Him we will have no need to fear anything in this life. We can rest secure in true peace and enjoy the abundant blessings of Our Father's Loving Mercy. Trusting in Him we will become rich in His sight building up treasure in Heaven and leaving selfishness and worry behind.

29th Sunday Mt 22:15-21

2008-10-18T13:11:00.002-05:00

In the Gospel today Jesus tells us to give to God what belongs to God. You belong to God. In Baptism we become children of God. We belong to him. Often in life we forget this fact. Often we are lonely and distract ourselves with our thoughts and actions. Most often our distractions become our sins. It is easy to sin when you think that you do not matter to anyone. It is easy to sin when you have low self esteem. It is easy to sin when you think that no one really cares about you or loves you. It is easy to forget that we belong to God and that he really does love us. He does love you. What often happens after we distract ourselves with our sins is that we feel so guilty and ashamed that we think God could not possibly love us after what we did. But God does love you. Gods love is merciful. You belong to him and he will never abandon you. This is the great gift of our faith, that the Father loved us so much that he gave us his only Son that we may be healed and forgiven. You do matter. You are loved. You belong to him. Give him your life today and trust in his loving mercy.

There Is No Need To Be Afraid (LK12:1-7)

2008-10-17T10:01:00.006-05:00

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was the third Bishop of Antioch, the city in which followers of Jesus were first called Christians. He lived in the first century and under the Roman Emperor Trajen and was condemned to death. He was brought to Rome and in the amphitheater he was fed to two lions. On his journey to Rome he wrote 6 letters to various local churches and one to St. Polycarp. In his letter to he begged the Church to not try and get his death sentence pardoned but to let him die a martyrs death for Christ. He knew he was going to be fed to the lions yet he was unafraid. This could be for us today a nice and even heroic story from our history. It is a beautiful example of the strong faith of the early Church but has no bearing on our lives today. In thinking this we are wrong. No we are not being dragged to Rome to be eaten by lions, but we can look more closely at St. Ignatius to understand how he could be so heroic and strong in his faith. He wrote these words in one of his letters, "I hunger for the bread of God, the flesh of Jesus Christ, born of David's seed; I long to drink of his blood, the gift of his unending love." It is in the Eucharist that he found his strength to live his life as a Christian and to die a martyrs death. A death that was ferocious in its violence and vulgar in its aftermath. He was not only killed by lions but then eaten by them. Yet he was unafraid for he knew the unending love of Jesus in the Eucharist. This then is how his martyrdom can impact our lives today. It should draw us closer to the Eucharist that we too may enter into and know the Unending Love of Our Lord Jesus. That we too may be strengthened and sustained in our lives as Christians. That we too can know deep in our hearts There Is No Need To Be Afraid.

Paying Attention To The Love Of God

2008-10-15T06:12:00.007-05:00

In the Gospel today Jesus reprimands the Pharisees and tells them that they pay no attention to the love of God. The Pharisees say they love God, but then they proceed to pay no attention to this love. The are caught up in their own selfish love and claim they are doing God's will. Jesus points out today how self deceived they are. Others are shocked at this. The scholar of the law has the courage to tell Jesus that he is lumping them all together and Jesus says "that's right". Then he proceeds to show how self deceived the scholars are with themselves. Why? Because while both groups claim to love God they pay no attention to this love. In speaking to the Galatians today St Paul is addressing the same issue. He tells them to live in the Spirit and follow the Spirit. In other words pay attention to Love. Do not just say "oh I know God loves me". That is not enough for the pharisees and the scholars claimed to know God. They just refused to pay attention to him. They did not follow the Spirit. We often do the same. We are often self deceived claiming to know God and then paying attention only to ourselves and our selfish desires. Mind you the scholars and pharisees ignored God's love while doing good. They studied and lived the law of God to what they considered perfection. But they ignored the love of God. Paying attention to the love of God and following the Spirit requires us to take off the blinders of self deception. Paying attention and following the Spirit requires us to abandon ourselves to the Loving Mercy of God and Trust in Him and not ourselves. We should not be surprised that God demands our attention. HE LOVES US ! Who doesn't want this love or its fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Do Not Submit Again To The Yoke Of Slavery

2008-10-13T09:28:00.007-05:00

Christ freed you and he meant you to remain free. Free from the yoke of fear. Free from the yoke of anxiety. Free from the yoke of worry. Free to live your life as his son or daughter. These yokes are from the evil one, the slave master who wants you to live in bondage with no hope of escape or resolution. Fear, anxiety and worry all have to deal with the unknown, and with what we do not have power over. In turning to them we are willingly placing the yoke of slavery upon ourselves and upon those we love. What is most disgraceful about this is that we feel justified in doing so. We claim that worrying is our right as a parent. We claim that we would be negligent if we did not fear what was out there in the world. We see anxiety as a good thing that can keep us safe from all harm. All these justifications and the ones you tell yourself are lies. Christ freed you and he meant you to remain free. The evil generation in the Gospel today was demanding a sign. Do you want to be like them? Then take a moment to gaze upon the Crucifix in your home. This is the only sign at which you should look. You should look upon it frequently. It is a sign of the great love that Jesus has for you. It is the sign that tells you that in His Love you are free. It is the sign that says He is Merciful. It is the sign that everything will be alright because He Loves you. The yokes of the evil one bring no peace. In fact they lead to a number of other sins. No one keeps their fear or worries to themselves. Gossip and idle talk compound the sin and spread it to others. These lead to a loss of faith, and even a loss of hope. What do you suppose is the result of all this fear? It is a loss of love. Why? Because if you are ruled by fear, anxiety, and worry, you better take care of yourself. You can trust nobody. Something bad may happen. Pervasive selfishness takes root in our live and just as the evil one desires we become isolated. How very different from the invitation of our Lord in which we are called into communion where we find true peace and true freedom. As his sons and daughters we are required to bring anything that disturbs us to Him, to Jesus. Notice I say required, not invited, not requested, not asked, but REQUIRED. Trusting His Loving Mercy we are required to bring everything to to Jesus. In giving it to Him we are free. This is so difficult for us but it is a necessity. Even the most embarrassing sins and weaknesses are to be brought to Him. He has already judged you worthy of His Mercy. Just look at the Cross and believe He Loves you. Submit to His Loving Mercy and Be Free. Come into Communion with Him and leave your isolation and loneliness behind. Throw off the evil ones yoke and live as a son or daughter of God. Christ freed you and he meant you to remain free.

Sunday 28th week

2008-10-11T09:42:00.009-05:00

"There is nothing that I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength" During this year of St. Paul we would do well to listen to these words. Jesus gives us strength. It is in knowing His love that Paul finds strength. Where do you find your strength? Often times we look to ourselves and our own abilities. We think that we should know better. We think that we should be able to handle things. We think that we should be able to get over things. Paul's example shows us that those thoughts could not be further from the truth. Paul relies upon the love of Jesus. Paul is sustained by the love of Jesus. He does not and he cannot rely only upon himself. These days all of us are infected with a terrible illness of the modern world. We are so self centered. We want to heal ourselves. We want to better ourselves. We want to fix ourselves and those we love. We want to understand ourselves. We want to glorify ourselves. We want to pleasure ourselves. In pursuing this self-centered lifestyle we find only isolation and misery. We are so isolated and alone that instead of loving others and living in community, we use others and destroy community. This leads to death. If you do not believe me look at our society. Pornography, Casual Sex, Abortion, Contraception, Divorce and Suicide are now all common place. They all take place in our homes and in our families. This infection is tearing at our very souls. We are not like the people in the first reading today who say "See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation, the Lord is the one in whom we hoped." We do not look to God for help or hope. We look to ourselves. In doing so we are like the people in the Gospel. We refuse the Lord's invitation. But our Lord does not give up hope. Our Lord does not abandon us. The invitation is again offered. Trust in me. Let me be your strength. Imitate Paul and let me sustain you. How do we do this? The readings today speak about a banquet. This clearly refers to the Eucharist but also to all the Sacraments. This is where we can find true strength. In preparing for the Sacraments we must have a prayer life. This includes reading the Bible and praying the Rosary. We must begin the practice of going to Confession regularly. All in preparation to receive Jesus our strength each week in the Eucharist. These practices are simple and each one of you has the ability to do them. In prayer and the Sacramental life the sickness of isolation will be destroyed. This is because you will begin to live in communion with your Lord, and not just go to communion on Sundays. However this is not enough. For we are not called to simply do this on our own. Husbands should pray with their wives and wives with their husbands. Fathers and mothers should pray with their children. Families should come not only to Church together but also to confession together. Children can pray with their friends. Boyfriend and girlfriends as well. In all things, like the people in the first reading we should look to the Lord. We need to begin living like St. Paul and constantly look to our Lord for strength. In doing so we will no longer be isolated, but not only that, in trusting in the love of Jesus we will be comforted and strengthened in all our struggles. We will not have to be afraid of the future for we will live in our Lord's Loving Mercy each day of our life.

Pilgrimage and Retreat

2008-09-24T15:42:00.002-05:00

I will not return to blogging until I return to Eagle Pass. I am departing in only a few moments to begin a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. I will not be blogging on this journey as it would defeat the purpose. Expect new reflections on or around the 12th of October. Please pray for me. Praised be Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate!

Flowing Water

2008-09-23T08:41:00.007-05:00

"Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord, who turns it where he pleases."(Proverbs 21) How can a heart that is flesh, that is solid, be like water that is liquid? Recall the story from St. Johns Gospel of the women at the well. Jesus told her that he would give her living water that welled up to eternal life. The king's heart can be said to be like flowing water because it is filled with the living water that Jesus speaks about in the Gospel. In other words it is filled with grace. The king mentioned in the first reading is not refering to Jesus or David or any other king in the bible. It is refering to you and to me. Recall that at our baptisms we were anointed with Sacred Chrism as priest, prophet, and king just like Jesus, and we were to live as such until we shared eternal life with Him. He then is the Lord in the first reading and we are the kings. So our hearts then are in the hands of our Lord. In His hands our hearts are like flowing water for he pours His living water, His grace into our hearts. This of course is especially through the Sacraments, and in particular through the Eucharist and Confession. Confession in particular. Remember the woman at the well (Jn 4:1-42) her experience was basically one of having her sins forgiven. In other words she acknowledged her sins as Jesus revealed to her how she had been living. Then the living water welled up in her and she brought others to Him who had healed her. Now this living water is alive in our hearts, and our hearts are in the hands of the Lord. Often we do not acknowledge this or fail to recognize this truth of our life. He turns our hearts where ever He pleases. In other words He directs our hearts by His Grace. He pours out His Grace as he pleases. If we can let our lives be set thus on this firm foundation we have no need to fear, or be stressed out, or anxious about anything. What better foundation could we ask for than the hands of our Lord. What greater comfort could desire than the living water of grace that saturates our hearts. In living in this truth then we can imitate the woman at the well and draw others to the Lord, that they may be healed and have their stoney hearts filled with flowing water.

The Little Flower

2008-09-22T12:25:00.004-05:00

Incredibly although I have only been in Eagle Pass a little over a month, I have been invited to preach the opening night of the novena to Santa Teresita del Nino Jesus at the Carmel in Morelos, Coahuila, Mexico about an hour and a half away. Here is my reflection.
I want to thank Mother for inviting me to preach on this opening night of the Novena to St. Theresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. I am new to the area, and as you can tell my Spanish is not so good. However I believe that it is by God’s Providence that I am here and so I will share what I can. You are here by God’s Providence as well. Yes you chose to come tonight, but only after the Holy Spirit invited you. The Holy Spirit called you by name to be here. There is a grace that he has prepared for you and will give to you through little Theresa. As he has said in the Gospel, “to the one who has more will be given.” So you have received the grace to be here tonight and now you should expect that our Lord has even more graces to give to you. Therefore do not be afraid to bring your requests to Him through St. Theresa in this novena. There are many things that one could say about the Little Flower. She is a Doctor of the Church. She has written the famous outline of her spirituality in her autobiography The Story of a Soul. We have many of her letters that we could reflect upon. We even have the beautiful story of her vocation. However I will leave those serious topics for the other priests to address this week. Instead I simply want to talk to you tonight about her image or more accurately her statue which we have all seen so often. When we first look at her statue it seems very simple. Theresa is in her Carmelite Habit with a tiny smile on her face, and in her arms are roses and a crucifix. We have seen her standing in our churches a thousand times. But I invite you to look closer. She has told us she would shower down roses from heaven, but look in her arms. In her arms the statue in Eagle Pass, she holds seven roses. Seven. Why? Because before she showers down roses from heaven she wants each of us to recognize the roses that we already possess. The roses she possessed while here on earth. These roses are the Sacraments. The sacraments strengthened, and nourished St. Theresa while on earth. She was especially strengthened by the Eucharist and Confession. In her arms are the roses that she invites you to embrace. It is no good to simply come to the novena to ask for favors if you do not accept in your hearts what has already been given. You are called as a Catholic to live a sacramental life. This is the life that St. Theresa lived. This is the life that Mother and the sisters here live. And it is the life you are called to live. Come receive the Eucharist each night, but be prepared. Confess your sins during the novena. By participating in the Sacraments you will be drawn into the Loving Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is why St. Theresa holds the crucifix as well. From our saviors wounded side flowed love and mercy. From his side the Sacraments flow out and it is through the Sacraments we find shelter in His wounded side, and in his Sacred Heart. It is in the Sacraments that we are strengthened to live as Theresa did. How did she live? She lived as the beloved daughter of God. She had confidence in the Merciful Love of God the Father at all times. If she failed or if she succeeded her experience never changed who she was as the Father’s beloved daughter. This truth is what caused the Church to proclaim her a Doctor of the faith. However this revelation given to her by God our Father was built upon a firm foundation. In her statue we see the foundation clearly and we can imitate her. The first foundation was the Sacraments. Our statue in Eagle Pass demonstrates this clearly. Seven roses in Theresa’s arms represent the Sacraments. Three roses are red and four are yellow. The red are baptism by which she became a daughter of God. Eucharist by which she was strengthened to live her life as his daughter, and confession by which she was healed when she sinned thus in his mercy she was reconciled with her Father. She holds the crucifix from which all graces flow. And she wears the habit of the Carmelites the vocation given to her by God the Father. The vocation that made her happy. The vocation that made her holy. The vocation that brought her peace. To those who have more will be given. The statue of the Little Flower tells you and me what we have been given. This is the foundation from which we begin our Novena to Little Theresa. Like her we have been given the Sacraments. Like her we come to Christ Crucified from whom all graces flow. And like her each of us has been given a vocation by God the Father that will bring us happiness, holiness, and peace. Before we begin asking for favors in this novena we would be wise to follow St. Theresa’s example and acknowledge what we already have been given. In doing this we will then be prepared to receive the more that our Lord Jesus promises in the Gospel, and that Little Theresa promises from Heaven.

3 Sentences

2008-09-20T14:28:00.004-05:00

Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while he is still near. Turn to Him for mercy. These three simple sentences could easily be overlooked in the first reading today, but in fact they are so profound that we could base our whole lives upon them. Seek the Lord while He may be found. In other words we have the ability to find our Lord anytime we seek Him. There are no preconditions. We do not have to be perfect or without any weakness or failings. We do not have to be sinless. In fact Isaiah is speaking to sinners, and those who are struggling not only in their faith but in life as well. We will find the Lord when we seek Him. This is a promise that God give to us. In your suffering seek Him. In your addictions seek Him. In your worries seek Him. In your fears seek Him. Do not be afraid. Seek Him. You will find Him. The second sentence confirms the first. Call upon Him while He is still near. The name Emmanuel means God is with us. Jesus is Emmanuel. So Jesus is near to you. In other words Jesus lives with us. He is part of our family. He is with us in our homes. He is part of our marriages. Call upon Him. He is among us at all times. Even when our lives are in turmoil Jesus is near. Even when we are constantly fighting Jesus is near. Even when we suffer terrible things Jesus is near. Nothing can separate us from His Love. He will never abandon us. Seek Him and call upon Him and you will find that he is with you in all your struggles and sufferings. He is with us now in the Sacraments to strengthen us and he is at home with you. He is at school with you. He is at work with you. If you turn to Him you will find Mercy. This is the third promise that God gives in the first reading. Jesus is the Mercy of God. The name Jesus means God saves. Our God is a God of Mercy. Today you can experience this Mercy if you turn to Him. Seek Him. Call upon Him. Do not be afraid. I am speaking to you sinners. I am speaking to you who have addictions and bad habits. I am speaking to you who are ashamed of you sins. I am speaking to you who feel worth less. I am speaking to you who have suffered abuse. I am speaking to you who have been used and told lies. I am speaking to every single person here. God loves you. He wants you to come now in your heart to Him. He wants to pour out His Mercy upon you and heal you. Do not be afraid. Seek Him now. Call upon Him now. Turn to Him now, and be free of all that binds you. No sin, no addiction, no abuse, no suffering is greater than His Mercy. Today he promises you this. This is how he sees you. You are His children. He wants to comfort and heal you. Come to Him Be not afraid.