"To live is Christ!" (Phil. 1:21)

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

2007-12-27T09:18:00.000-08:00

Psalm 63: 1-2
O God, you are my God, for you I long
For you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
Like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

This is from Morning Prayer today, and must say that it sums up how I feel at Mass this week. I cannot help but gaze upon the Christ-child in the Nativity set with amazement. God truly is with us. He is the living God!

But this goes daily, all year, with the Eucharist. I cannot help but be amazed at the love of God—a love so great that it cannot be expressed by human words. And that great love is crammed into something so simple yet extravagant as the Eucharist!

I leave on New Year’s Eve for a two week mission trip in Nicaragua with the seminary. Please pray for us all. Then I will spend a week on retreat, followed by three days in Washington, DC for the March for Life. Classes begin January 22. Please keep us all in your prayers.

Merry Christmas (because Christmas only began on December 25)!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2007-12-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

Recently at Louisianna State University, a spokeswoman for a university department referred to the campus Christmas tree as a “Holiday Tree”. Needless to say this did not fly with many people, so the name isn’t sticking. However, it is a great example of just how much Christ is being removed from this season, so much so that Christians are becoming unable to publicly recognize the season which is meant to give them so much joy and hope.

In moving from saying “Merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays”, you are doing a number of things. First, you are removing God from the season that He created! And in removing God from the season you remove Christ. And in removing Christ, you remove all public witness to, and may I be so bold as to say all hope for, salvation.

Second, in saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, you make other holidays as important as Christmas, the holy day when God was born of a virgin. You are saying that anyone’s “holiday” that they may make up is just as important as the birth of the world’s Savior! How can such a thing be said and believed!?

In removing “Merry Christmas”, we make it easier for us Christians, and the rest of the world, to forget the reason for the season. We make it easier to forget why we exchange presents and come together as a family over a meal on December 25 of all days. Worst of all, we forget one of the most beautiful sights eyes have ever seen—the Incarnation silently born in a manger, lovingly being gazed upon by his family and visitors.

Recently Pope Benedict said that Christmas without Christ is meaningless. I concur!

The whole world awaits Mary's reply

2007-12-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

From A sermon of St Bernard

You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us. The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life. Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it, David begs it. All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race. Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word. Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.

**Taken from the Office of Readings, Dec. 20

Christmas Carols

2007-12-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever stopped to look at what you are singing when you sing a Christmas Carol? It wasn’t until now that I truly stopped to dwell on the words of them. I am not talking about those that are about Santa Clause, shopping, or fireside marshmallows. Rather, I am speaking of those that speak of Christ.

Silent Night, O Holy Night, Away in a Manger, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and so on. These give us a picture of that blessed night, expounding upon that of scripture so much. No, these are not to be a substitute for God’s Word. Rather, they are meant to be an aid to it.

Perhaps some time could be taken this year to meditate on the images provoked by some of these songs depicting the scene at the manger. But do not stop there. Ask yourself how you could witness to it, bringing it to life for all those you encounter day by day. The more we live out the true meaning of Christmas—the Incarnation of Christ—the more Christmas will come to find its true meaning again, and we will no long be saying, “Happy Holidays” or moving to name a Christmas tree a “Holiday Tree”.

Beauty only wets the appetite

2007-12-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

I heard spoken a philosophical thought which I believe comes from one of the early Church Fathers—Beauty is not meant to be an end in itself; it is only meant to wet the appetite.

After hearing a wonderful song or seeing an exquisite painting, have you ever thought, “Wow! Now that was beautiful!” and then stood speechless? Do you then simply stop there or do you instead dwell upon it in order to find out just what it was that made you experience such a feeling?

During Advent and Christmas, we are presented with something very beautiful. In fact, it is one of the most beautiful sights ever recorded—the Incarnation. And these two seasons, especially Advent—the period of waiting—present for us an opportunity to stay speechless. This is the perfect time to gaze inwardly upon ourselves to find Christ in all his beauty. Now what words can one use justifiably to describe Beauty itself?

Looking beyond the beauty of the manger scene, you may find that “Christmas is Love itself born in silence in the comfort of a manger.” How can you bring this to life this liturgical year?

The Peacefulness of the Christ Child

2007-12-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

What is it that makes Christmas appeal to us so much? For me it has to be the idea of the Christ-child sleeping in the manger ever so peacefully. In doing so, God has let down his guard on so many levels, making himself completely vulnerable, just like any newborn child. He has come to place his trust in us in a new way.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, /The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. /The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, /The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, /But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. /I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, /And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

In so many hymns and carols, especially “Away in a Manger”, whose first two verses are listed above, we find depictions of a quiet child asleep as two loving parents look on and animals warm the surroundings. Is this what makes Christmas appeal to us so much? Is it because it appeals to our most peaceful, innocent side—that of a child?

The Advent and Christmas seasons remind us of the importance of the peaceful witness of the love of God, who so loved us to give us his only Son (John 3:16). And if these seasons are to be experienced for what they are meant to be and not what our culture is turning them to—times of shopping, money-making, movies, and food—then we must become much louder witnesses. We must become the witness that Christ is the example of in his own Nativity—the peaceful child sleeping in the simplest of places, not even raising a fuss. Only then will the world experience the joy that we feel when gazing upon the Christ-child.

Find Christ through his Church

2007-12-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” (John 14:8-9).

We ask so often to see the Father, yet forget that he is right in front of us the whole time. Jesus Christ came and made manifest the Father. He who knows Christ knows the Father.

In a similar way, he who knows us Christians should know Jesus Christ. We must always strive to become Christ in all that we do so that the world may come to know Christ through the proper context—the Church. “And how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).

If we do not witness to Christ as much as possible, the world will never know him nor understand the Church he established. Otherwise, they will just see a group of hypocrites gathered to try and make themselves feel better. Who should ever want to be a part of such a group? I have been given this description of the Church before as an excuse to not attend Mass. But someone saying this should never be shunned. Rather, they should be witnessed to in word and deed. If we witness through even our simplest of actions, then such an explanation of the Church will cease to exist!

God made his Word flesh to show us how to live...

2007-12-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…” (John 1:14).

In the beginning God’s Word was given to humanity so that he may live a life pleasing to God. But man did not always follow the teachings and commandments he received. Thus, God saw fit that he would make His Word become flesh. And in doing so he came down to us in the form of Jesus Christ, who was both fully human and fully divine.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself and taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philipians 2:5-7). God the Son emptied himself to become flesh for our sake, so that we may see and experience what it truly means to live as a human being.

God made his Word flesh, and so we must do the same. We are to put our faith in Christ into action, as we are made to live out good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Get behind me Christ?

2007-12-07T12:01:00.001-08:00

“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me…’” (Mt 16:21-23)

Have you ever turned Christ’s response around to where you are the one who says it to him? “Get behind me Christ! You are a hindrance to me and my enjoying life!” It seems like this is what our culture is saying. And it is so easy to say that ourselves. I know I have done it before.

For so many people, it seems as if God and religion in general have become taboo in almost ever facet of life. Bring up Christ in certain situations and see how a person may react. “Dude, why did you bring him up? Now I feel guilty!”

So many people say that ignorance is bliss. But then they turn around and want to know the meaning to life. How can you come to the meaning to life through an ignorance of your Creator and his wishes? He is the One who made you. Should he not know best what you are here for? So then how can we ever tell Him to get behind us?

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION: December 8, Immaculate Conception

2007-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

This Saturday (December 8) is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and is a Holy Day of Obligation. It is this day that we celebrate what Pope Pius IX defined infallibly (this is dogma and cannot change): “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception… in view of the merits of Jesus Christ… was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” Remember that Christ was around for creation, and even played a part in it as the second Person of the Trinity—God the Son. So his merits and power certainly were capable of redeeming Mary even before the Paschal event.

In Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses Mary as “full of grace” (or “highly favored”). In that context this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task ahead. However, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Church, especially non-theologians, to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or rather, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. (…) Moreover, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood, the incomparable holiness of Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God.

The greatest way of celebrating such a wonderful act of God, and such a holy person to have lived with us on earth, is to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Thus, we are obligated as Christians, with this being such a noble and necessary truth to believe, to attend Mass on Saturday as if it were a Sunday. Remember, going to Mass Saturday night will only count as the Sunday Vigil, and will not fulfill your obligation for December 8. Going to Mass twice in a day, or twice in two days only means more graces for you! How could you resist such a gift?

**Remember, if you deliberately do not make a Mass for December 8 and another Mass for Sunday December 9, you put your soul in grave risk of mortal sin.

**Portion in italics is from http://americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1223

Welcome to Advent!!!

2007-12-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

We have now begun a new liturgical season and a new Church year. The season of Advent is one calling us to presence—both in awareness and participation.

We are called to become aware of the coming presence of our Lord as he takes on human flesh. Just over 8 months ago, on March 25, we celebrated the Annunciation—the conception of the Son of God in the womb of Mary. And now as we draw closer to Christmas Day, we stop to meditate upon his presence in our lives.

In the same way, we are called to make ourselves become actively present. We are called to be present to Christ by presenting ourselves in prayer, both communally and personally. We are called to enliven our participation in Mass and also enhance our offering of self in prayer. As in any relationship, if we are to come closer to God, we must turn to him in conversation, both verbally (speaking ourselves) and silently (listening to the words he speaks to us).

We are also called to make Christ present to everyone we encounter day by day since Christ has come not only to dwell with us, but also in us (hence, the Eucharist). Thus, we are called this season to dwell more intensely on the words of Saint Paul: “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Peter's denial, our denial

2007-11-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

In Matthew 26:69-75 we find the story where after Jesus has been arrested and put on trial Peter denies having ties to him. Then the cock crows just as Jesus had said would happen, reminding Peter that he was told he would deny Christ.

One of Saint Ignatius’ practices in prayer was to put himself into a scripture passage as if he were one of the characters. Have you ever put yourself in Peter shoes? Do you think that you ever deny Christ? Perhaps, for the sake of meditation and self-examination, we could change those who question Peter to Christ himself. Then, applying this to our own lives, we must ask in what situations this has or usually does happen. Are there any times where you purposefully try not to think of Christ so as to not “ruin the fun”?

I used to try and not think of Jesus at certain times or in certain places so as to not feel guilty. It was as if that guilt was a bad thing. But now it seems as if the guilt is a good thing because it makes me want to come closer to Christ and come to know myself better. Now I purposefully try to think of Christ in those times so that I may come to find him more often. And in finding him more often, it seems that I come to know him better. And in knowing Christ better, I know myself better.

O salutaris hostia

2007-11-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

Our Church is full of so many beautiful Eucharistic hymns that I am just now discovering! Maybe it is that we are so used to seeing them or hearing them in Latin that we don’t pay much attention to the English version. But when the English is read, though it may not have the complete message, it is still full of so much to be reflected on. Last night during Adoration and Benediction, we sang O salutaris hostia, which is actually the last two verses of Verbum Supernum (The Word of God), written by St Thomas Aquinas. The hymn we sang is below with the English translation below it. Pray and meditate on it.

O salutaris hostia,
quae caeli pandis ostium,
bella premunt hostilia;
da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino
sit sempiterna gloria:
qui vitam sine termino
nobis donet in patria. Amen.

O saving Victim, opening wide
the gate of heaven to all below:
our foes press on from every side;
Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.

To Thy great Name be endless praise,
immortal Godhead, One in Three!
O grant us endless length of days
in our true native land with Thee. Amen.

*Verbum Supernum can be found in its entirety at http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Hymni/VerbumSup.html

Fools for Christ!!

2007-11-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

I found this on the website for the national shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos (Seelos.org), which is here in New Orleans.

"This life is full of obstacles, difficulties for one whose purpose is the close following of Christ. O how few start on this road of the following of Christ! And for this reason it may sometimes appear that the true Christian life is something excessive. Our poor human nature may even call it at times a stupidity to despise a pleasure for God. It is as if somebody said to us: ‘How stupid you are to deny yourselves all innocent pleasures which others enjoy without scruple of conscience. Do you only want to go to Heaven? O what a dry, uninteresting form of existence!’ To such whisperings of the devil, you must never pay attention." --Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

Monsignor Michael Glynn

2007-11-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

Msgr. Michael Joseph Glynn went to his eternal reward on November 12, 2007. He was born on December 3, 1918 in Knockbrack, Athenry, Co. Galway, Ireland. He was ordained on June 9, 1946 in Moyne Park, Tuam, Co. Galway, Ireland, for the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson. He was elevated to the title of Honorary Prelate (Monsignor) on December 4, 1976.

As a priest, he served the following assignments—
March 26, 1947 – Assistant, St. Paul , Vicksburg ;
October 6, 1954 – Assistant, Sacred Heart, Hattiesburg ;
June 1, 1955 – Pastor, All Saints, Belzoni;
September 26, 1957 – First Pastor of Holy Family, Jackson;
May 12, 1967 – Pastor, Sacred Heart, Pascagoula ;
July 15, 1970 - Pastor, St. Paul, Vicksburg;
August 16, 1977 – Pastor, St. Francis, Brookhaven;
September 15, 1981 – Associate Pastor, St. Richard, Jackson ;
April 12, 1982 – Ordinary Confessor to the Carmelite Nuns, Jackson;
February 22, 1993 – Intermittent Catholic Chaplain, V.A. Hospital , Jackson ;
December 1, 1993; – Senior priest at St. Richard; 2001 – Retired.

He also served on numerous boards in the diocese. He will always be remembered for his dedication to his parish and to the kids at Saint Richard Elementary School. He always had a smile on his face and plenty of prayer cards to give out. He truly was a remarkable man to have known for literally my whole life. He was present at every major event in my life that I can remember.

He is survived by his sister, Norah Glynn (a religious sister) of Dublin, Ireland; sister-in-law, Joan Woods of Waltham, MA and several nieces and nephews.

There will be a Prayer Vigil at St. Richard, Jackson, on Friday, November 16 at 6:00 p.m. A Memorial Mass will take place on Saturday, November 17, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Richard Church. (No burial will take place as he has given his body to science.)

Following from a distance

2007-11-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

In Matthew 26, we see where Christ is arrested and led off to be tried. When he is being led off, Peter does not follow closely like the close friend he claimed to be. Instead, “Peter followed him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside, he sat with the guards to see the end.”

Has there ever been a time where you have felt as if a friend had deserted you in a time of need? Have you ever done that to a friend? Peter, after having told Christ he would go no one else, only followed Christ from a distance, perhaps so that he would not be recognized as a friend of Christ. But wouldn’t a true friend want to be there front and center the whole time and not just in the back to see the end?

I am not questioning whether or not Peter was a true friend of Christ. We know that he truly was a friend. He just buckled under the pressure of an event that he probably never thought would happen. But when it was over he sought forgiveness.

“Cafeteria Christians” are those who only follow what makes them feel most comfortable and what they personally approve of, disregarding the rest of the teachings of Christ and his Church. Are these true friends? Are you one of these?

Do you ever follow Christ from a distance?

The Book of Sirach on sin

2007-11-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

I found this in John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, in his audience of September 10, 1980. (The link to the full audience in English can be found below)

“The soul heated like a burning fire / will not be quenched until it is consumed; / a man who commits fornication / will never cease until the fire burns him up; / to a fornicator all bread tastes sweet; / he will never cease until he dies. / A man who breaks his marriage vows / says to himself: 'Who sees me? / Darkness surrounds me, and the walls hide me; / no one sees me. Why should I fear? / The Most High will not take notice of my sins.' / His fear is confined to the eyes of men; / he does not realize that the eyes of the Lord / are ten thousand times brighter than the sun; / they look upon all the ways of men, / and perceive even the hidden places. / So it is with a woman who leaves her husband, / and provides an heir by a stranger” (Sir 23:17-22).

But fornication is not the only sin that can be applied to this Scripture quote. Rather, any sin can be applied here. And that sin will only continue to burn you up because no sin can ever find fulfillment. It only keeps growing and growing until it is recognized and pushed it out. The only way to extinguish the fire is repentance and confession.

http://www.theologicalclowning.org/039.html

Today's Mass found in 1st Century

2007-11-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Back over the summer, Bishop Thomas Rodi of the Diocese of Biloxi published an article showing the origins of the normal form of the Sacred Mass of the Roman Catholic Church found in today’s Missal. Specifically, Bishop Rodi uses the liturgy described by St Justin Martyr in his First Apology (155 A.D.) to show the parallels between today’s Mass and that of the second century. Below is the portion of Bishop Rodi’s article where Justin’s words are in bold and parallels are made parenthetically by Bishop Rodi.

On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place. (We call this day Sunday.)
The memoirs of the apostles and writing of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. (Justin refers to the “memoirs” of the apostles and “writings” of the prophets. The word “bible” would not be used for another 300 years until the Catholic Church collected all these writings into one book.)
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things. (We call this the sermon or homily.)
Then all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves … and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments so as to obtain eternal salvation. (We call this the General Intercessions or Prayers of the Faithful)
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss of peace. (We call this the sign of peace. It has been moved in the modern Mass to just before sharing Communion.)
Then someone brings the bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren. (We call this the presentation of the gifts or the offertory procession.)
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistan) that we have been judged worthy of these gifts. (We call this the Eucharistic Prayer, the core of which is the words of consecration.)
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: “Amen.” (We call this the Great Amen which is at the end of each Eucharistic Prayer.)
When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those who are called deacons give to those present the “eucharisted” bread, wine and water and taken them to those who are absent. (We call this Communion. After Communion the consecrated or “eucharisted” bread is reserved in the tabernacle so it may be brought during the week to those too sick to come to Mass.)

Bishop Rodi then points out how today’s Mass is shown in documents as old as this, but ultimate dates back to the Last Supper, which was the first Mass. Every Mass ever celebrated since the Last Supper has been living out the charge of Christ to “do this in memory of me”, reliving the Last Supper.

The Name of Jesus

2007-11-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

JESUS!

This is the holiest name of all! This is the name the drives out demons and cures illness. This is the name of the one who bought our redemption and a chance at salvation, all at the cost of his own life. But this life was not ended. Instead he defeated death and resurrected, making manifest what is to become of our own bodies and just how sacred they are!

But I sit and wonder how people are able to use such a name as an expletive. And I am baffled all the more at how one can even type it as such! Each time I read an email, blog, etc., where the person says, out of disgust, “Jesus Christ!” I sit baffled and saddened, as if the person is taking the name of our Savior, the second Person of the Trinity, and rubbing dirt all over it. Aren’t expletives meant to be dirty words used to express disgust or anger, or even to reference to “dirty” aspects of life? If this is so, how can we lower the name of our Savior, the Word made flesh, so much? Would that not be a contradiction to the Second Commandment?

I may be preaching to the choir here. Nonetheless, we have an obligation to evangelize and stand up for the name of Christ, our model. We all bear his name in calling ourselves Christian. How would you like your own personal name lowered to dirt?

Blessed be the name of Jesus!

Britney Spears mocks the Sacrament of Reconciliation

2007-10-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

Above is a picture published on MTV.com taken from the album insert for Britney Spears’ new album Blackout. She is pictured in a confessional supposedly confessing her sins to a priest.

Thanks to Britney Spears and those who were behind the creation and publication of these images, our society has stooped to even lower. What has happened to showing reverence for the Sacred? Confession is a Sacrament in the Catholic Church and should be respected by all peoples. I would never condone any sacrilege in any other religion’s sanctuary, temple, etc.

The confessional is more than a room or space. It is a sacred place where the repentant Christian meets Christ himself to confess his/her sins. For the sake of those involved, I hope this is not an actual confessional shown in these photos. And I pray for the man who posed as the priest in these pictures.

Any action such as this is an insult to our Creator and the gifts he has given us!

I strongly urge anyone contemplating buying this album to rethink their purchase! It seems that supporting this album would be supporting everything in it, including the mockery of a Sacrament.

USA Today article

2007-10-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

The USA Today published an article today by Henry G. Brinton, a Presbyterian pastor, on how the growth of non-denominational churches is breaking Christianity, and as a result our society, apart. Below are two quotes from the article, which can be found in its entirety at the following link: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/10/do-it-yourself-.html#more.

“I'm convinced that the Christian faith is becoming more like Wikipedia and less like Encyclopedia Britannica. Instead of time-tested religious insights, people are accepting ‘what others are saying.’”

“These independent (non-denominational) congregations are the bloggers of the Christian faith, speaking the truth as they see it. They have every right to do so, based on our nation's commitment to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. But given the fact that faith has long had a ‘binding’ effect on society (in fact, the word religion has the root meaning ‘to tie fast’), I worry that loss of trust in denominations is causing society to become ever more fractured. If we completely lose faith in institutions — denominations, newspapers, banks, companies, political parties — there will be very little to tie us together as a nation.”

Despite his ignorance of Catholicism in his article, Rev. Brinton makes a great point. We are forming our own churches and forms of worship to suit our own spirituality because we want to meet ourselves where we are instead of us meeting God where He is.

I am not saying that Protestant denominations cannot lead to salvation. Rather, I am saying that what is being embraced today is a relativistic Christianity, which will lead no where new or better. The fact of the matter is that all denominations have come from someone not being happy with his/her current church and trying to set it right by starting their own new church. But in the end, only one denomination traces all the way back to the Apostles—the universal Catholic Church. All other denominations stem from her.

If you don’t like the idea of denominations, why start a “non-denominational”. That today is a denomination in itself. Rather, why not join the one Church that is truly universal? And why not work to bring others into that Church?

N.B. I never claim to have the final word. I only pass on what I read or hear through the grace of the Holy Spirit. I post these as a catalyst to lead you to where the authority lies—Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium (Catechism of the Catholic Church, etc.)

Itte missa est!

2007-10-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

“The Mass has ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord”. “Thanks be to God.”

At the end of each Mass, the above is said between the Priests and the congregation. Some may think we are thankful that the Mass is over and we can leave. But rather it is thankfulness for graces that have been received and the charge that has been given.

While at Mass, we receive grace from God in an amount that can be found no where else on earth. The Mass is the highest prayer we have. And in it we receive Christ who is actually present in the Eucharist. We become, all the more, tabernacles—houses—of Christ. We become a means for others to experience Christ’s love in action. So we are charged at the end of Mass to go forth in the service of our Lord. What a charge to receive!

We truly should be thankful for this charge! Of course it is not an easy charge to receive and naturally we might try to shy away from it out of humility. But what other charge could we want? This is a charge that gives meaning to our life on earth and hope for the end of our life here when we die. Hence, we should exclaim, “Thanks be to God!”

If we wish to live eternally, to have something more after we die here on earth, should we not strive to live out this charge and only this charge?

Vote none of the above!

2007-10-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

"May God have mercy on your soul and grant you forgiveness and the gift of eternal life in His presence and in that of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." –Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour in his letter to Earl Wesley Berry, a MS death row inmate.

How can Gov. Barbour write these words to Mr. Berry after denying his appeal? In the same letter that Gov. Barbour refuses to save the life of a man, he wishes mercy on the soul of that same man. Does this not seem like a contradiction?

As Christians we are all called to become like Christ. Christ is our model. His glory, the glory of God, is to be the object of all of our actions!

Who is Gov. Barbour to condemn a fellow human being to death? Who am I to condemn a fellow human being to death? Who is anyone to condemn a fellow human being to death?

Are we not told by scripture to judge no one? Judge the actions, yes. But the person, no. And if the action is wrong, kill it. But do not kill the person so that they may repent!

All across the nation, there are doctors sucking babies out of the womb with no concern for the woman herself. But are we calling for the deaths of these murderous and careless doctors?

Who are we to condemn a grown man or woman for killing a few when doctors are killing hundreds!?

I am sure that Gov. Barbour had good intentions. But his actions were less than Christian.

New Cardinals

2007-10-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Pope Names 23 New Cardinals

2 U.S. Prelates Among Those Named

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 17, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI announced the names of 23 new cardinals for the Church, including a historic move to bestow the first red hat to the head of a Texas archdiocese.

The consistory, the second of the Pope's pontificate, will be held Nov. 24, the eve of the solemnity of Christ the King, the Vatican press office said today.

"The new cardinals," the Pope said at the end of today's general audience, "come from various parts of the world. And the universality of the Church, with the multiplicity of her ministries, is clearly reflected in them.

"Alongside deserving prelates who work for the Holy See are pastors who dedicate their energies to direct contact with the faithful."

Two of the new cardinals are U.S. prelates: Archbishop John Patrick Foley, pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem and Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas.

Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Ireland, was also named among the new cardinals. This marks the first time all-Ireland has had three cardinals at one time.

There are 6 new cardinals from Italy, 3 from Spain and 2 from Argentina. The rest come from Mexico, Iraq, Germany, Poland, France, Senegal, India, Brazil and Kenya.

Eighteen of the 23 cardinals are under 80, and thus eligible to vote in a conclave. After the Nov. 24 consistory, the College of Cardinals will have 202 members, of whom 121 will be electors.

The new cardinal electors will be:

-- Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

-- Archbishop John P. Foley, pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

-- Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

-- Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

-- Archbishop Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican, vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City and president of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the office of the Vatican's chief engineer.

-- Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

-- Archbishop Raffaele Farina, Salesian, archivist and librarian of Holy Roman Church.

-- Archbishop Agustín García-Gasco Vicente of Valencia, Spain.

-- Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Ireland.

-- Archbishop Lluís Martínez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain.

-- Archbishop André Vingt-Trois of Paris.

-- Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, Italy.

-- Archbishop Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal.

-- Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Bombay, India.

-- Archbishop Francisco Robles Ortega of Monterrey, Mexico.

-- Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas.

-- Archbishop Odilio Pedro Scherer of São Paulo, Brazil.

-- Archbishop John Njue of Nairobi, Kenya.

Having pronounced the names of the new cardinal electors, Benedict XVI then indicated that he had also decided to elevate to the dignity of cardinal "three venerable prelates and two worthy priests," all over the age of 80 and hence non-electors, for their "commitment and service to the Church." Their names are:

The names of those selected, all over 80 and hence non-electors, are:

-- Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq.

-- Archbishop Giovanni Coppa, apostolic nuncio.

-- Archbishop Estanislao Esteban Karlic, emeritus of Parana, Argentina.

-- Father Urbano Navarrete, Jesuit, former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University.

-- Father Umberto Betti, Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscan), former rector of the Pontifical Lateran University.

The Holy Father added: "Among these, I had also intended to confer the dignity of cardinal upon the elderly Bishop Ignacy Jez of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg, Poland, a worthy prelate who died suddenly yesterday. We offer a prayer for the repose of his soul."

After pronouncing the names of the new cardinal electors, the Pope continued: "There are other persons, very dear to me who, for their dedication to the service of the Church, well deserve promotion to the dignity of cardinal. In the future I hope to have the opportunity to express, also in this way, my esteem and affection to them and to their countries of origin."

Benedict entrusted the future cardinals "to the protection of Mary Most Holy asking her to help each of them in their new tasks, that they may know how to bear courageous witness in all circumstances to their love for Christ and for the Church."

The Father is always there for us

2007-10-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

“Our Father!” We proclaim this every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer. We make this petition each time we go to Mass and many times when we pray together. This is how Christ told us to begin our prayer. And just by praying these two simple words, we can come to learn so much about God’s love for us!

The love that a true father has for his child is boundless. That child is a part of him and nothing would pain him more than to lose his relationship with his son or daughter. They say that a parent is not meant to outlive a child. Probably the most emotional funeral you can ever attend is one where a parent is burying a child, no matter what the ages are.

The same goes for our heavenly Father. Nothing pains Him more than to lose one of his children (us). If an earthly father has to watch his son or daughter suffer, it is safe to say that if he truly loves his child he will be by his/her side constantly, both physically and spiritually. The same can be said about our heavenly Father—you can be assured that He is there by your side each time you suffer. After all, God is Love. And what is Love if it is not present even in our toughest of times?

Whales and human life

2007-10-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Sunday) was “Respect Life Sunday”. In the homily here at the seminary, an interesting point was brought up. Over the summer there were two whales that ventured into the San Francisco Bay and then 90 miles inland to the Port of Sacramento. As news got out, many people began to cry for the lives of the whales that were apparently lost and out of their normal environment. So a massive rescue attempt was formed to help the whales find their way back into the ocean. But apparently they found their way back one night while we were all asleep.

A question to ponder (in more general terms)—those who were crying for the lives of the whales, do they ever cry out for the lives of human beings being killed immorally?

Is there a massive rescue attempt being made to save the lives of those being aborted, euthanized, or exterminated (whether it be through ethnic cleansing or capital punishment)?

To be Christian is to be Pro-Life. And to be Pro-Life is to offer mercy for all human beings, whether inside or outside of the womb. Remember, both Moses and St. Paul committed murder in their younger days. But look at the great leaders they became after they were shown mercy. Jesus said, love you enemies and pray for your persecutors.

Did you know—a baby forming in the womb has a heartbeat at 21 days (3 weeks) after conception. Thus, it is a living being dependent upon us. So it is not just tissue that is being aborted, but instead a living human being with a beating heart.

What if John Paul II’s parents had aborted him?
What if Mother Teresa’s parents had aborted her?
What if your parents had chosen to abort you?

I must decrease so that he may increase

2007-10-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

In an episode of The Wonder Years (I believe Season 2), Kevin starts 8th grade and finds out the new Math teacher means business. Kevin gets D’s on quizzes for the first time, but is too prideful to seek help. But when he fails the first big test, he admits that he is completely lost. Then the teacher says, “Good. Now you are ready to start.”

Too often we think we are experts in so many things. But it is not until we accept we know nothing that we can actually come to know something. How can you learn if you already think you know it?

The more I have learned, the more I have found there is that I do not know. There is so much out there to learn and I know that on my own power I will never know enough to save my life. So I know there is a need for medical doctors, teachers, plumbers, car mechanics, and so on. But there is also a need, if not a greater one, for spiritual doctors and theologians.

If a glass is half-full with oil, how can you put water in it and expect to drink that water and obtain what your body needs without becoming sick? First, the oil must be washed out so that greater amounts of purer water can be placed in the glass and your body can be nourished. In the same way, how can Christ fill you and nourish you if you keep filling yourself with that which is contrary to him? If I am full of self-pride or any of the other vices, how can I find room for the virtues of Christ? As John the Baptist said, “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).

Why not me?

2007-10-03T12:49:00.001-07:00

Do you ever catch yourself praying that you can be spared of a certain peril or suffering? When you do this, do you think of the other people it could effect and who else could instead receive that peril or suffering? “Please don’t let that happen to me, Lord.”

Last year in a class, my professor, a priest, offered: A woman once observed that when someone is about to die they always cry “Why me? Why me?” She thought, “Why not me? I am no better than everybody else.”

I truly admire my friend Carrie for the suffering she is enduring now. Her faith has not appeared to waiver at all. I am not saying she hasn’t questioned. Mother Theresa and even Christ did that. But she knows that what she is enduring will make her stronger and allow for her to be a role model for others. And I am already noticing her become that role model.

Christ willingly accepted suffering for our sake, even though he first asked God to let the cup pass. But he knew that it had to be done so he went along with it. Yet so often we want to avoid as much suffering as possible. After all, that is what our culture tells us to do. “If Jesus is so great and loves us so much, then shouldn’t he make our life easier?”

To that I ask: “If Christ is so great, why are you not eager to join him in everlasting life?” Remember, like Christ, you must first die to this world so that you may have life in the next!

St Therese of the Child Jesus

2007-10-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." These are the words of Theresa of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun called the "Little Flower," who lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. [In French-speaking areas, she is known as Thérèse of Lisieux.] And her preference for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than this young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24.

Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Thérèse possessed that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering redemptive suffering, suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Thérèse said she came to the Carmel convent "to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly before she died, she wrote: "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth."

[On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.]

Comment:

Thérèse has much to teach our age of the image, the appearance, the "sell." We have become a dangerously self-conscious people, painfully aware of the need to be fulfilled, yet knowing we are not. Thérèse, like so many saints, sought to serve others, to do something outside herself, to forget herself in quiet acts of love. She is one of the great examples of the gospel paradox that we gain our life by losing it, and that the seed that falls to the ground must die in order to live (see John 12).

Preoccupation with self separates modern men and women from God, from their fellow human beings and ultimately from themselves. We must relearn to forget ourselves, to contemplate a God who draws us out of ourselves and to serve others as the ultimate expression of selfhood. These are the insights of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and they are more valid today than ever.

Quote:

All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less."

Truly she was a valiant woman who did not whimper about her illnesses and anxieties. Here was a person who saw the power of love, that divine alchemy which can change everything, including weakness and illness, into service and redemptive power for others. Is it any wonder that she is patroness of the missions? Who else but those who embrace suffering with their love really convert the world?
(This entry appears in the print edition of Saint of the Day.)

Manna was replaced with the Eucharist

2007-09-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

“Lo! over ancient forms departing / Newer rites of grace prevail” (Tantum Ergo)

In the book of Exodus, we find the story of Moses leading God’s people out of the hands of the Egyptians and towards the Promised Land. Along the way we find them stuck in the desert, wandering without food. But God takes care of this, giving them manna, bread from heaven. But this was only for their physical nourishment.

Today we find ourselves in a similar situation, traveling through this desert we call life on earth in search for Christ and eternal life. And we need food if we are to survive. So through the Paschal Mystery, Christ turned bread into himself for us to feast on and find nourishment. But this nourishment is not just for our physical body but also for our soul! We are offered this Bread from Heaven every day. Who could refuse it? Who could ever refuse the invitation to actually stand in the true presence of Christ and receive him physically into our bodies becoming him to others? Who could ever refuse the invitation to pray in his presence at Mass or in Adoration? I can’t seem to take my eyes off of him. And further, all I can think about is sharing him with others!

The rites of the Old Testament were never abolished. They have been fulfilled in the eternal action of one person—Jesus Christ.

Christ, the eternal sacrifice

2007-09-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

“Lo! over ancient forms departing / Newer rites of grace prevail” (Tantum Ergo)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes Vatican II, who said: “…every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of his Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy (effectiveness) by the same title and to the same degree” (CCC 1070). Further on, the Catechism says:

His Paschal mystery is a real event that occurred in our history, but it is unique: all other historical events happen once, and then they pass away, swallowed up in the past. The Paschal mystery of Christ, by contrast, cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he destroyed death, and all that Christ is—all that he did and suffered for all men—participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times while being made present in them all. The event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and draws everything toward life. (CCC 1085)

First, there were animal sacrifices—a lamb every Passover. But God found it fitting to assume our nature and offer himself as the eternal Lamb. And he did so in an act that would last for all time, outside of the confines of history, so that people of all ages would be able to participate in it, journeying towards eternal life! HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!

We can do all we want to praise God and thank him for our life. We can worship God in our own ways all day. But all of that can only go so far if it is not connected to a participation in the one eternal event—the Paschal Mystery, made truly present for us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist—every Sunday (at the absolute least!).

Tantum Ergo

2007-09-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

We Catholics believe in the true, complete presence of Christ in the Eucharist. So at adoration we don’t worship a piece of bread. Instead we pray in the physical presence of Christ. The below prayer (in it’s English translation) is sung at times during communal adoration. But it is not a piece of bread, or cookie, that we are adoring. Rather, it is Christ himself, our Lord and Savior, present in the Eucharist, celebrated at the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Mass, left for us through Christ’s own actions and his word (Sacred Scripture). Adoration is merely and extension of that Sacrament. So in praying the following prayer, we are worshiping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail,
Lo! over ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son Who reigns on high
With the Holy Spirit proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honor blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Amen.

For a more literal translation, thanks to wikipedia:

Let us, with heads bowed
Venerate so great a Sacrament,
And let the old practice yield
To the new rite;
Let faith, that which may fill the gap stand forward, to
Supply the defect of the senses.

To the Begetter and the Begotten,
Be praise and jubilation,
Salutation, honor, and moral excellence,
And blessing too,
And let equal praise be to Him,
Who proceeds from Both.
Amen.

St Paul rejoiced in jail...

2007-09-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

“REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: REJOICE! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7).

The above words were written by Saint Paul while he was in jail, where one would encounter much hatred, whipping, and starvation. I don’t think there is much more to say…

I don't have to imagine heaven, I can experience it everyday!

2007-09-19T13:04:00.001-07:00

I remember when I first heard the song “I Can Only Imagine.” I fell in love with it. It was sung during a “praise and worship” session at a mission camp. But recently, when it popped into my head randomly, I realized that I don’t really have to just imagine what heaven will be like (which is the basis of the song). As a Catholic, I have the opportunity to receive a true taste of heaven everyday.

The Holy Mass is truly a taste of heaven—this I have said many times. If you look through the Book of Revelation, you will find this. But even looking at this song (which is posted below) you can find this to be true. “I can only imagine / When that day comes / And I find myself / Standing in the Son / I can only imagine / When all I will do / Is forever / Forever worship You / I can only imagine.” At Mass, we “stand in the Son”, worshiping in the true presence of Christ. How? The Eucharist. And the same goes for adoration.

“Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel / Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still / Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall / Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all.” At the Mass, out of reverence for the Word and Eucharist, we do all of those things. We stand. We kneel. And I don’t know about you, but I feel like dancing when Christ’s Body and Blood is elevated and then placed in my hands for me to receive, washing away my sins and transforming me into my Lord so that I may go in peace to preach and live out the Good News of Christ!

What a privilege we have been given in the Holy Mass. But even more so, what a privilege we have been given in the other six Sacraments. For example, at the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I feel as if I am in a different world because I am sitting in the presence of Christ (the Priest) confessing my sins to receive God’s sanctifying grace!

As a Catholic, I don’t have to imagine what heaven will be like. I CAN LIVE IT EVERY TIME I RECEIVE ONE OF THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS!!

I Can Only Imagine

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

[Chorus]

I can only imagine [x2]

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you

US Bishops on Human Trafficking

2007-09-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

ZE07091405 - 2007-09-14
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20503?l=english

U.S. Bishops Call for End to Human Trafficking
Urge Congress to Reauthorize Victims Protection Act

WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The U.S. bishops urged congress to reauthorize legislation to combat human trafficking.

In a statement released Wednesday, Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino, California, chairman of the episcopal Committee on Migration, asked that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), set to expire in October, be reauthorized.

"This legislation should be reauthorized, adequately funded, and aggressively implemented," said Bishop Barnes, while noting that "as many as 700,000 persons are trafficked globally each year, men, women, and children."

Human trafficking, the bishop added, is a "horrific crime against the basic human dignity and rights of the human person."

Bishop Barnes included in his statement a request for the federal government to place emphasis on the recovery and care of victims, particularly "child trafficking victims, who are most susceptible to the long-term horrors of this crime."

In his statement the 62-year-old prelate also asked that the general public, and Catholics specifically, work together to end human trafficking.

Bishop Barnes wrote: "We call attention to this tragic reality to raise awareness among Catholics and others of good will about its devastating impact on vulnerable persons.

"We urge Catholics to work together to identify survivors of human trafficking and to help rescue them from their bondage."

"In the end," the bishop stated, "we must work together -- church, state and community -- to eliminate the root causes and markets that permit traffickers to flourish; to make whole the survivors of this crime; and to ensure that one day soon trafficking in human persons vanishes from the face of the earth."

© Innovative Media, Inc.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

2007-09-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Early in the fourth century St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ's life. She razed the Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior's tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman.

The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus' head: Then "all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on."

To this day the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica's dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.

Quote:
"How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life" (Theodore of Studios).

Taken from americancatholic.org

Memorial of the Holy Name of Mary

2007-09-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

How beautiful it is that we honor our Blessed Mother’s holy name today! Who could ask for a more perfect model of perseverance and love for our Lord? Who could ask for a more perfect example of self-emptying for the good of humankind? True, all of those qualities and more were embodied by our Savior, but he was divine as well as human. Mary, the greatest of all the Saints, was merely human and nothing more, tempted just like the rest of us. But she said, “Yes”, to the greatest call of all time. She emptied herself completely, accepting the call to carry the Son of God, our Savior, in her own womb, allowing for the redemption of humankind. Through this “Yes”, Mary passed up the opportunity to ever experience the physical act of love and have multiple children. One may think this to be a tough decision, but in actuality, what more could one really want? What could be better than to give birth to the Son of God?

But what amazes me even more about this woman is that she responds in such a self-emptying manner. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Lk 1:46-49). In these words to her sister Elizabeth, Mary glorifies the Lord and thanks him for his blessing upon her as she expresses her unworthiness for the call she has received; a call that she would stay true to through many joys as well as pains and anguishes.

We truly do have a perfect model of how to live life in our Blessed Mother, Mary. This tree which bore the fruit of Christ truly is one worth honoring every single day.

The Pope on Sundays

2007-09-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

Below is an article from Zenit.org that I thought was worth sharing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday Mass Is a Necessity, Says Pontiff

Adds That It's Not Just a Rule

VIENNA, Austria, SEPT. 9, 2007, (Zenit.org).- Going to Sunday Mass is not just a rule to follow, but rather an "inner necessity," says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today during the Mass he celebrated at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, on the last day of his three-day apostolic trip to Austria.

About 40,000 people followed the Mass on large screens placed in St. Stephen's Square, since not all of the participants were able to be accommodated inside.

Rain in the morning prompted organizers to distribute plastic raincoats to the faithful.

The Holy Father's homily centered on the mantra of the early Christian martyrs of Abitene: "Without Sunday we cannot live."

The Pontiff said: "Sunday has been transformed in our Western societies into the weekend, into leisure time.

"Leisure time is certainly something good and necessary, especially amid the mad rush of the modern world. Yet if leisure time lacks an inner focus, an overall sense of direction, then ultimately it becomes wasted time that neither strengthens nor builds us up.

"Free time requires a focus -- the encounter with him who is our origin and goal."

Meaning

In the opening greeting, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, explained that there had been a movement in Austria to defend "Sunday from tendencies to empty this day of its meaning."

Recalling the example of the early Christians, Benedict XVI explained that for them Sunday Mass was not a "precept," but rather "an inner necessity."

"Does this attitude of the Christians of that time apply also to us who are Christians today?" the Pope asked.

The Holy Father answered: "Yes, it does, we too need a relationship that sustains us, that gives direction and content to our lives.

"We too need access to the Risen One, who sustains us through and beyond death. We need this encounter which brings us together, which gives us space for freedom, which lets us see beyond the bustle of everyday life to God's creative love, from which we come and toward which we are traveling."

But Sunday, said the Pontiff, also calls to mind the "the day of the dawning of creation."

He said: "Therefore Sunday is also the Church's weekly feast of creation -- the feast of thanksgiving and joy over God's creation.

"At a time when creation seems to be endangered in so many ways through human activity, we should consciously advert to this dimension of Sunday too."

After the Mass, the Pope recited the Angelus in St. Stephen's Square.

As he was leaving, the pilgrims waved yellow handkerchiefs and banners from countries such as Germany, Israel, Austria and even Iran, chanting the Pope's name in Italian, "Be-ne-de-tto! Be-ne-de-tto!"

Christ is there to bail us out

2007-09-05T07:23:00.001-07:00

In the 24th chapter of Luke, we find the disciples distressed because it is the third day since Christ’s death and his body has disappeared from the tomb. They do not know where he has gone or what they shall do. Two men decide to leave Jerusalem, taking the road to Emmaus. Little did they know that Jesus would encounter them along the way.

How often do we try to “leave Jerusalem” when things get tough or discouraging? Should we not always trust in this story, keeping in mind that no matter what road we choose, Christ is always there to encounter us?

It was in a time like this that the disciples locked themselves inside, afraid to go out. But this did not keep Christ from breaking through and meeting them! Christ wants to break into us and bail us out of whatever situation we may find ourselves in. But how much quicker could he do that if we were to leave the door unlocked, or even opened, for him? We must always remember to leave the door open for Christ in all circumstances through prayer, worship, and community, no matter how distressing the situation may seem!

When we become the robber on the road...

2007-09-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

One of the priests here at the seminary put a good spin on the story of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10).

How often do we allow anger to sway us and make us to act in a negative way when in fact love is needed all the more? How often do we become the robber on the road?

He told a story about a young girl, about 12 years old, who was a fabulous swimmer. During a race she was crushing the competition. But when it came to the last lap and a half, she suddenly stopped. Her goggles had popped off and she frantically tried to find them. By the time she found her goggles and put them back on, the girl in second place had caught her. The end of the race had the two girls neck and neck but the other girl touched the wall first. The poor little girl that had lost her goggles got out of the water sad and in need of love and comfort. But instead her father runs over to let her know how disgusted he was with her loss. He began to yell and shake his finger at her because she had failed to win the race.

In this story we find the father become the robber on the road, robbing the girl of the love that she needed to pick her spirits back up.

I still catch myself from time to time having preconceived notions about people and not letting them act otherwise. In doing this I rob them of the opportunity to experience God’s love and also live out God’s love as fully as possible. I, too, become the robber in these situations.

How do you become the robber in different situations?

Storytime...

2007-08-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

A guy rides the bus into the French Quarter and finds a beggar as soon as he gets there. He walks up to the beggar and tells him, “Look. I have $168 in my wallet. I will give you $167 and keep $1 for myself so that I can get back on the bus and go home.” He gives the beggar the money and walks off with $1 in his wallet. But the beggar gets up, chases the guy down, knocks the guy out, takes the $1 out of his wallet, and runs off. How would you judge this beggar? He was given $167, but fought for $1 more.

There are 168 hours in a week. God has given us 167 hours for ourselves, keeping only 1 hour for himself—our Sunday obligation. But how often do we want get that last hour back from God, leaving Him with nothing?

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

2007-08-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

This is a great song that I think is great to sit and meditate with...

LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENCE

“Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Saint Monica

2007-08-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

From AmericanCatholic.org's Saint of the Day

The circumstances of St. Monica’s life could have made her a nagging wife, a bitter daughter-in-law and a despairing parent, yet she did not give way to any of these temptations. Although she was a Christian, her parents gave her in marriage to a pagan, Patricius, who lived in her hometown of Tagaste in North Africa. Patricius had some redeeming features, but he had a violent temper and was licentious. Monica also had to bear with a cantankerous mother-in-law who lived in her home. Patricius criticized his wife because of her charity and piety, but always respected her. Monica’s prayers and example finally won her husband and mother-in-law to Christianity. Her husband died in 371, one year after his Baptism.
Monica had at least three children who survived infancy. The oldest, Augustine, is the most famous. At the time of his father’s death, Augustine was 17 and a rhetoric student in Carthage. Monica was distressed to learn that her son had accepted the Manichean heresy and was living an immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she had a vision that assured her Augustine would return to the faith. From that time on she stayed close to her son, praying and fasting for him. In fact, she often stayed much closer than Augustine wanted.

When he was 29, Augustine decided to go to Rome to teach rhetoric. Monica was determined to go along. One night he told his mother that he was going to the dock to say goodbye to a friend. Instead, he set sail for Rome. Monica was heartbroken when she learned of Augustine’s trick, but she still followed him. She arrived in Rome only to find that he had left for Milan. Although travel was difficult, Monica pursued him to Milan.

In Milan Augustine came under the influence of the bishop, St. Ambrose, who also became Monica’s spiritual director. She accepted his advice in everything and had the humility to give up some practices that had become second nature to her (see Quote, below). Monica became a leader of the devout women in Milan as she had been in Tagaste.

She continued her prayers for Augustine during his years of instruction. At Easter, 387, St. Ambrose baptized Augustine and several of his friends. Soon after, his party left for Africa. Although no one else was aware of it, Monica knew her life was near the end. She told Augustine, “Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled.” She became ill shortly after and suffered severely for nine days before her death.

Almost all we know about St. Monica is in the writings of St. Augustine, especially his Confessions.

Comment:

Today, with Internet searches, e-mail shopping and instant credit, we have little patience for things that take time. Likewise, we want instant answers to our prayers. Monica is a model of patience. Her long years of prayer, coupled with a strong, well-disciplined character, finally led to the conversion of her hot-tempered husband, her cantankerous mother-in-law and her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2007-08-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops, theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church.
We find homilies on the Assumption going back to the sixth century. In following centuries the Eastern Churches held steadily to the doctrine, but some authors in the West were hesitant. However, by the thirteenth century there was universal agreement. The feast was celebrated under various names (Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption) from at least the fifth or sixth century.

Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s Assumption into heaven. Nevertheless, Revelation 12 speaks of a woman who is caught up in the battle between good and evil. Many see this woman as God’s people. Since Mary best embodies the people of both Old and New Testament, her Assumption can be seen as an exemplification of the woman’s victory.

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to belief in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.

Comment:

In the light of the Assumption of Mary, it is easy to pray her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55) with new meaning. In her glory she proclaims the greatness of the Lord and finds joy in God her savior. God has done marvels to her and she leads others to recognize God’s holiness. She is the lowly handmaid who deeply reverenced her God and has been raised to the heights. From her position of strength she will help the lowly and the poor find justice on earth and she will challenge the rich and powerful to distrust wealth and power as a source of happiness.

Quote:
“In the bodily and spiritual glory which she possesses in heaven, the Mother of Jesus continues in this present world as the image and first flowering of the Church as she is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, Mary shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Peter 3:10), as a sign of certain hope and comfort for the pilgrim People of God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 68).

(This entry appears in the print edition of Saint of the Day.)

from: http://americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay/default.asp

Mass during the week??

2007-08-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

As Catholics, we hold the Communion of Saints to be in high esteem. They are in heaven praying for us now. And the greatest we have to offer them here on earth is the Holy Mass. The Mass is given to us by God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. How can anyone justifiably say, “I worship God in my own ways,” and fulfill all obligations as a human being, a child of God?

Every Sunday we relive the Resurrection of Christ. We relive the Last Supper, the Institution of the Eucharist, and become united with the Saints in the glory of Heaven! We are obligated to do this every Sunday out of thanks for all that we have. But if that is not enough, we also have the opportunity to do this every day at daily Mass. But sometimes we are obligated to go even during the week. For example, this Wednesday, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This event, which we hold as a dogma (a truth that is unchangeable, no matter how hard it may be to understand) reminds us that the resurrection of the body is not limited to just Christ. It reminds us that our bodies are special to God and should be treated as such. Our bodies are so special that he took the body of the holiest woman to ever live, Mary, mother of Jesus, up to heaven. What a glorious event is was, as it reminds us of our place in heaven with Christ our Savior! Therefore, we are all obligated to celebrate the Mass that day.

Thus, we should want to celebrate the Mass and relive the event that made it all possible—the Easter event!! Should we choose not to, we tell God that his gift of salvation to us doesn’t mean all that it should. And if that is the case, then why should he share it with us?

Holy Days of Obligation in the USA:
1. Jan. 1—Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God**
2. Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter—Solemnity of the Ascension*
3. Aug 15—Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary**
4. Nov 1—All Saints**
5. Dec 8—Immaculate Conception
6. Dec 25—Christmas

*Often moved to following Sunday
**If these fall on a Saturday or Monday, there is no obligation (only in the United States)

Sunday Obligation

2007-08-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

“You shall have no other gods before me. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
(Exodus 20:3,8)

In today’s individualistic and materialistic world, if we do not have something concrete, it seems, that draws us to doing something required, we won’t do it. If we don’t receive a written grade, money, or some other concrete end, then we don’t see the point in performing a required task. Unfortunately, so many of us just don’t understand the idea of doing something for the sake of a more transcendental, invisible end. I am talking about the Sunday Obligation and its importance. Why do people skip Mass, or only go when they are “at home” with mom and dad?

Essentially, the Mass is the greatest gift that we have. It is a taste of heaven (literally). It is a prayer that has been prayed in communities for 2000 years! And yes we have the documents to prove it!! I find it to be terribly unfortunate that too many people do not know this. If people only went to Mass, participated, and learned why we do what we do, then so many more people would love going to Mass, no matter how slow or long the music and homily may be!

What I also find unfortunate is how those who follow the Sunday Obligation can sit back and watch their closest friends ignore it. I’m sorry, but if you truly care about someone, you will literally drag them to Mass. You will also help them to understand more of what is going on at Mass, even if that means more work on your part.

This isn’t just a simple necessity we are talking about here. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SALVATION OF SOULS! Anytime someone deliberately skips Mass to take a nap or out of laziness, or even because they don’t like someone who sits next to them, they put their soul at risk! It is a mortal sin to skip Mass deliberately and knowingly.

Christ prayed and broke bread regularly with his disciples after he resurrected from the dead. And after he did that, those disciples immediately ran and told the others. He wants to do the same with us. All we have to do is show up for one hour each Sunday and bring a friend. If you truly care for your friends and the eternal destination of their souls, then you will take them to Mass not just this Sunday, but EVERY SUNDAY!

La Comida Mexicana

2007-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

So following in the line of one of my favorite Priests, I thought I would devote a post to the wonderful food of Mexico that I ate. No, this wasn't at a four-star restaurant. But it was still good!!

Above you find a dish that I had at a family's home after Mass. There was some beef and a wonerful sauce, chicken in a green sauce, and plenty of rice. Oh yes, and don't forget the tortillas that were homemade and a lot thicker than they are here! To drink was an apple-flavored soda. Think Orange Soda, but instead of orange it was apple. Imagine that!!

...while we feasted on this, the rest of the group was back at the Church, in the sun, eating PB&J's! No pity for them...

Above we see a picture of your's truly enjoying his food!!

In Mexico, we do not want to drink the water. If you do, I hear it is not pretty. So when we were passing through downtown Jackson, I exclaimed, "LOOK! It's drinkable water!!!"

Me? Ispiring?

2007-07-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

You never know who you have in your midst or what they have accomplished and what they can teach you. Today I attended the funeral of a friend of ours, Harold Ratchford. My dad and I met Hal about a year ago at the Mississippi Braves baseball games. He had a seat next to us and as we got to talking found out that we attend the same church. I never knew much about him or what he does until now however. It ends up that, as my mom said, he was a “hero in our midst”. And we didn’t even know it.

Hal was a veteran of World War II. After that, he entered the FBI and was eventually sent down to Mississippi in the 60’s. I can only imagine the cases he looked into and the work he had. But as soon as he moved down here, he introduced himself to the priest of St Richard Parish, Monsignor Chatham. After he retired from the FBI, he began to work for the Mississippi Attorney General, even to this day. I wish I had known all of this because I would have loved to have talked to him about it.

Hal died of a sudden heart attack at home. I still don’t think that it has set in that I will never see him again at the games. He always was very talkative and supportive of me and always had a smile on your face. AG Jim Hood said, “He would have arrested you with a smile on your face.”

When I introduced myself to his family, they were all so appreciative of my presence. Apparently Hal had told them all about me and how much he enjoyed seeing me (and my father, of course) at the baseball games. I didn’t think that much of going to the funeral today until they all showed their deep appreciation.

My point—no matter how little you do, you can still have a huge impression on a person and/or their family. We all impress and inspire each other in our daily actions, whether we know it or not. Now imagine how much more inspiring the world would be if we all acted according to that idea? There would be many many more Hal Ratchfords!

Is a youthful Priesthood or convent really possible?

2007-07-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

Talking to Fr Tom one night, and then noticing a group of Sisters of Mercy in Mass the next morning, I couldn’t help but wonder how awesome it must have been back when they all took their first promises/vows and began working as Priests and Nuns. Here in our diocese, we have a group of Irish Priests who are all around the same age and were ordained around the same time. They were a group of young priests in their 20s and 30s who were (so I understand) well loved and admired by the youth of the diocese. In fact, there were t-shirts circulating with Fr Cosgrove’s picture on them!

But today it is quite the contrary. A lot of what you see is older priests in their late 50s and older. We have a few priests in their 40s, even fewer in their 30s, and maybe two in their late 20s. When I am ordained, I will be the only priest in his 20s for at least a year. The median age of the priesthood is now somewhere in the 40s. And the same goes for nuns. We have very few nuns, it seems, who are under 50 years old.

But it does not have to be this way! This is something that can be changed! And it is something that should be changed. All it will take is a bolder attitude from a lot of people. Why should we have to be hesitant or cautious about promoting the religious life? Why should we worry about offending someone or being told no? We should never be afraid to plant a seed. After all, that is why I am here. A specific priest was bold enough to tell me time and time again that I would make a magnificent priest. Change is possible and goals are reachable. All it takes a little boldness. Just look at Christ—he was bold enough to be hung on a cross!

Return from Saltillo

2007-07-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

The mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion. As the second millennium after Christ's coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service. It is the Spirit who impels us to proclaim the great works of God: "For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Cor 9: 16)

Reflecting on the above words of Pope John Paul II and his quoting of Saint Paul, I can’t help but think of those famous words attributed to Saint Francis—“Preach the Gospels at all times, and if necessary use words.” As Christians, we are called to always witness to Jesus Christ and the love that he shared with us through the Cross. And that is exactly what John Paul II speaks of in his letter Redemptoris Missio.

“Faith is strengthened when it is given to others!” he says (¶2). If we keep our faith bottled up inside of us and don’t share it, how can it ever grow? How can it grow inside of us and how can we contribute to its growth in others? Did the Apostles stay behind closed doors until they died? NO! As soon as they received the Spirit, they went out and proclaimed the Word, baptizing thousands at a time! And today, as the successors of those disciples, we are called to do the same! We are called to go out to all the ends of the earth, living and proclaiming the love God made manifest for us through Jesus Christ. This should be our “hunger and thirst” (¶40)!

After the recent trip to Saltillo, Mexico, I can only hope and pray that those teenagers who participated have come to be aware of this. I hope and pray that they have come to be aware of just how missionary work is “the greatest and holiest duty of the Church” (¶63)!

Mexico Bound!!!

2007-07-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for Saltillo, Mexico, this evening. This is a diocesan youth trip to our mission in Saltillo. While I am there, I will be able to be with the poor and pray before the burial site of Father Patrick Quinn, the man who started the mission and was given a saint's burial when he died. Please pray for our group that the Spirit may move us all, that we may not be the helpers but instead be the ones helped!

I will return July 21. If I have the oppurtunity, I will post updates and reflections.

"We do not preach the violence of hatred or the violence of the sword, but the violence of love and brotherhood." --Archbishop Oscar Romero

In defense of Pope Benedict

2007-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

A document that was produced by the Vatican on June 29 was finally released. It offers answers to five questions pertaining to the place of the Catholic Church compared to other Christian Churches. The article I read made it sound like the Pope said all non-Catholic Christians are going to hell as they are not true Churches. But if you read the document itself and use proper rationality, you will see that this is an exaggeration.

There is but one Truth—Jesus Christ (“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”). But how can there be more than one true, complete Church of Christ? There simply can’t. Christ established one Church with the Apostles as its pillars. After Pentecost, they went out to spread the gospel and establish local churches by leaving leaders through the laying on of hands (this is all over the Acts of the Apostles.) Essentially, the Apostles stayed in certain areas overseeing certain local churches, becoming the first bishops. Peter, for example, ended up in Rome becoming the first Bishop of Rome. And when he seat was finally recognized as the primary seat, the Bishop or Rome became the Pope.

It wasn’t until years later after all of the above had taken place that the first schism occured—that between the Eastern Churches and the Western Churches. Due to disagreements on who should lead in the place of Peter, the two sides split, making the Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Churches. Then came the Reformation some years later, where the ancestors of today’s Protestants left the Catholic Church, beginning the relativistic plethora of churches we have today in the United States. None of these Churches has a Priesthood of Christ through the laying on of hands, nor can they claim a true Apostolic succession.

But don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that all non-Catholic Christians are going to hell. Quite the contrary. Only God knows that in the end. What the Church is saying in all of this is that non-Catholic Christian churches are not “Churches” in the strictest since because they have no universality to them like the Catholic and Orthodox Churches do. On top of that, the non-Catholic Christian Churches are not teaching the fullness of the Truth, as they do not have things such as the Eucharist, the Priesthood of Christ, etc.

According to Vatican II: "It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church”. The media has strategically left this quote out in order to keep their controvery…

Thus, the Catholic Church is not the only way to salvation, but rather the only sure and complete way.

Burying a 3-day old child...

2007-07-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today I witnessed one of the most powerful events in my life. Fr Tom and I went to Indianola for a Hispanic funeral where a family had to bury a 3-day old child. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for this. And what made it so powerful was the point at which the father, uncle, and grandfather of the child all shoveled the dirt into the grave. That’s right—they all literally buried the poor child in his small white casket. And as they did this, I could not help but be overcome with grief for the child’s father whose tears filled the grave with the dirt, and for the mother who clung to a family member the entire time. Seeing the husband and wife holding each other tightly through the whole ceremony with their faces covered in tears, I saw just how much parents truly love their kids, even if they do not have a chance to watch one of them grow. Having a child is supposed to be a joyous occasion. But we often forget just how frail life can be.

On another note, I begin to prepare myself for a trip to Saltillo, Mexico. Our diocese has a mission there and a group of high school students is going to work down there for a week. Please pray for us as we prepare. Please also keep the family I met today in your prayers as they grieve the loss of their child.

Vacation Bible School

2007-06-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

This week I am working Vacation Bible School. And since I am helping out with the P.E. section, I get to interact with all of the ages. I never thought I would be able to do anything successful with kids this young, especially the 4 and 5 year-olds. But the Holy Spirit has definitely been at work in me, giving me the patience and energy needed to survive!

Of course, the kids are wild and loud. The younger they get, the harder it becomes to keep their attention. Nonetheless, I love every single one of them. Sure, I think it would be awesome to have a son or daughter. It would be awesome to take part in the creation of life and watch that life grow physically, intellectually, and spiritually. The first words, the first prayers, and the first love. Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation. The first day of school and the last! What a blessing it must be to be a parent!

But when I stop to reflect on it all, I realize just what an awesome place the Parish Priest plays in all of these occasions in the life of a person! The Priest is the one who administers the Sacraments and tends to the spiritual well being of all of his flock. He is there for the tears of both sorrow and joy. But he isn’t just there for one person, one child. Rather, he is there for so many. I won’t merely be at the confirmations, marriages, and funerals of just one of these kids. I might actually get to oversee them for almost all of these kids! What a blessing that would be!!

The priest, nun, and religious brother don’t just have one, two, or six kids. They have thousands! Pope John Paul II used to say he was responsible for every soul in the world. And each one of those souls was his own child. How beautiful a love is that?

Multi-site Churches?

2007-06-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

In today’s edition of the Clarion-Ledger (Jackson’s newspaper) there was an article about “multi-site churches”, based principally around the growing New Jerusalem Church in Jackson. New Jerusalem Church is in the process of buying a piece of property to expand to three congregations, all of which will be administered and preached to by the same man. According to the article: “Called multi-site churches, the franchise congregations enable churches to grow exponentially, without worrying about how many people can fit into one sanctuary.” You know, the universal Catholic Church has been doing this since St Peter and the Apostles. Only, St Peter didn’t try to preach to each congregation himself.

The article goes on further to point out some other “non-denominational” churches that are opening “satellites.” This just furthers the idea that “non-denominational” is indeed becoming its own denomination. Only, it is a denomination without any structure. I would like to further that claim (if I may be so bold) by saying it is actually fueling a large enemy of proper Christian morality—Relativism.

Why do we need to start new churches when we can’t even get the ones that already exist to agree and unify? If we really want Christian unity, then should we not take what we already have and work with that, as opposed to saturating the problem all the more? I understand that there are people out there who despise the concept of denomination. I agree. I, too, want a unified Church. But why are there denominations in the first place? Basically—someone thought he/she knew more than a group of extremely learned people and so decided to leave an age-old, Apostolic Church and begin his/her own. Case-in-point—Kind Henry VIII.

Too Casual...

2007-06-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday night I had the privilege of going to Tunica, MS, to see Steve Azar perform. Steve is a country music star from Greenville, MS, and is a Lebanese Catholic. But during his performance, I noticed something. On stage, only one person was wearing a collared shirt—the drummer. Everyone else, including Steve, was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Those of us who were observing were dressed better than the group performing. But if you look back at pictures of Elvis Pressley, Buddy Holly, or the Beatles, they all dressed nicely to perform.

I then recalled other areas where this is now true. I grew up a huge World Wrestling Federation fan. Whenever a wrestler (especially a champion) was on a TV show as a guest, he almost always wore a collared shirt. But today, they show up wearing a t-shirt, jeans shorts, and a baseball cap.

We live in a much more casual world today. It is so casual that people will show up for Sunday Mass wearing a loose t-shirt, soccer shorts, and flip flops. Whatever happened to dressing up and looking your best for a special occasion? We dress better to go clubbing than we do for Mass. We dress better for ourselves than we do for God, our Creator and Redeemer!

But this isn’t all of it. How easily does this move into our morality! Believe it or not, it’s all connected. The sloppier we dress for Mass, the less it means to our daily schedule. And the more casual we dress in more situations, the more casual we treat morality. And the more relaxed we become with morality, the more relativism is allowed to grow. It’s not supposed to be about what I feel like doing, but instead about what I ought to do. In the same way, it should not be about what I feel like wearing, but instead about what I ought to wear.

Jesus on the go!!!

2007-06-18T15:37:00.001-07:00

Today I had the privilege of going out with a wonderful group of ladies taking communion to parishioners all over town who cannot make it to daily Mass for various reasons. Most of the people we visited live in a nursing home or assisted-living facility. Only one couple was at home. But as we went around today, and Jesus rode in his little case in someone’s purse, I couldn’t help but realize just what we were doing and how privileged we were to be doing it! We were literally carrying Jesus around with us, taking him to people who could not go to him on their own means! We truly were being missionaries. This is exactly what we are called to do as Christians. And as Catholics, we recognize the gift that makes this literally and physically possible—The Eucharist. When Christ left this earth in his glorified body, he stayed with us in the Eucharist—bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ.

But at the same time, I was saddened through this whole experience. The hardest, saddest part was the separation of the Body of Christ that I was experiencing. We were taking Jesus around to others, but could not give him to everyone we encountered. I truly did experience how fractioned the Body of Christ is today. And it is sad that we cannot all agree and believe the same thing. I truly hope, pray, and wait for the day when ALL people in the world truly accept and believe the AWESOME gift of the Eucharist—our God literally on the tips of our fingers and tongues!!

The fall of the southern gentleman and belle

2007-06-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, I noticed something about our southern society. We are known for having “southern gentlemen” and “southern belles.” To me, the southern gentleman is the one who always lets the lady go first. He opens the door for her, always says “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am”, and treats her for who she is—a person. He doesn’t offer to get the door or her luggage because he believes her to be incapable, but instead out of respect and devotion to Jesus Christ. That’s right, there may not be many Catholics down here, but there are a ton of Christians in general. And the same goes for the southern belle. She treats the man with respect and always finds herself in Church on Sunday. She is also a modest dresser. Although she may be a bit flirtatious, she is always living a chaste life.

But what I noticed 2 weeks ago is that these two stereotypes are going by the wayside. I am noticing the fall of the southern gentleman and southern belle. Instead of the old focus on God, country, and community, we now seem to see a society focusing on self, pleasure, and the current moment. We seem to live in a self-centered society that has come from (and continued) the sexual revolution. So many men no longer treat the lady for who she is, but what she can be for him. But of course it doesn’t help when the girl shows more skin than the amount of cloth she has on her body. So the same also goes for some women, who also fight to do things for themselves. But don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that. It’s just that, in the end, there is nothing to prove. Women are capable of doing anything a guy can—this has been shown.

My fear—this is seeping through into all parts of society. This self-centered pursuit of success and pleasure at the cost of others has led our nation and world into so many conflicts. All we care about is what we are about. Thus, crime is on the rise in many cities, and wars are going on all over the world. But what about the other person? Why do we have to force another country into our way of life? Instead, why don’t we peacefully open the door for them to walk through as they know to? In the same way, why does a guy have to see a woman for what she can give him, as opposed to who she is?

Update #2

2007-06-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

Alrghty... so it is really getting harder and harder to get a good internet connection at night around here... but anyway, here we go.

So I went to Shaw, MS, to serve a funeral that Fr Tom was preaching at. Shaw is a dying town with a small Catholic parish. Fr Don Deriveaux is the Sacramental Minister for it, but he does not live there. Fr Tom is the only priest in the county. But as I was sitting with the two priests (who are 66 and 79 yrs. old), I realized something. Here I am, looking up to these two hard working, holy priests. They are the old, wise priests of my time. But when they were in my shoes (Fr Tom was 26 when he was ordained), there was another group of old, wise priests that they looked up to and learned from. So in a sense, I am learning from the priests of our diocese who have already left this life. Only, I am learning from them, indirectly, through Fr Tom, Fr Don, Msgr Glenn, etc. And at the same time, all of these priests are above in heaven, still exercising their priesthood, the Priesthood of Christ, by praying for me and the other seminarians. On top of this, they are up there waiting for Msgr Glenn, Fr Don, and the rest to come an join them in their new work! And, God willing, in 3 years, I will share that common bond with them when I am ordained to the Presbyterate Order (to distinguish this Priesthood from the Common Priesthood). How awesome is that?

It seems that the bulk of my time here is built around the Eucharist. I recognize this at school since we celebrate Mass daily at 11:45. But here it is at a different time everyday. And some days, I celebrate it up to three times. Today I did it twice (daily Mass at 7am, and the funeral Mass at 2pm). Who am I to have such an oppurtunity? But it is not just about doing it because it has to be done. Rather, it is about the joy of praying the Heavenly Feast with your community, the parish. Not everyone will be able to make it at the exact same time. So the other Masses are needed. But what a privelage it truly is to be able to celebrate the Supper of the Lamb with so many wonderful people! It's the closest thing we have to heaven. And as a Priest in Mississippi, you get to experience it so much! What more could you ask for??

Welcome to the homeland of the Blues!!!

2007-06-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

So here I am in Cleveland, MS, sitting in the student union of Delta State University. I have finished my second day (first full day) at Our Lady of Victories Parish, and I still don't know exactly what I will be doing. But, I do know that I will be here learning a lot about being a parish priest, especially in the setting of "small-town Mississippi." So far, I have been absolutely amazed at the dedication and hardwork of Fr Tom Lalor, my mentor and the Pastor of OLV. He is also the only priest in Bolivar County!

As of yet, two people have died suddenly. One was a brother Knight of Columbus in Starkville, but grew up here and will be buried here on Saturday. The other was a Hurricane Katrina migrant who has suddenly left her ederly mother behind. Both funerals will be small, and will be attended by many Protestants. Nonetheless, we will have a Mass for each one of them, as that is the best we have to offer!

I don't know how often I will be able to update this with reflections, but I hope to be able to atleast once or twice a week. The problem--dialup internet service at the Parish which is slow slow slow... So I plan to periodically come over to DSU to use their free wireless, as long as my schedule permits.

God bless, and thanks for the prayers! I need them!!

Scott

...

2007-05-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Exams are in full swing, and I leave Friday for a week-long venture through southern California visiting old mission Churches. I'll be back on the 19th. THen I am moving to Cleveland, MS, for the summer to begin some parish work from June 4-August 3. This will be my first time in a parish-- pray for me?

Ecumenism should be out of love

2007-05-07T08:45:00.001-07:00

God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1Jn 4:16)

Ecumenism is a hot debate, especially in the post-Vatican II world that has been produced. But what is the right way of taking this on? We all want a unified Church, this is true. But how can we ever go about achieving this goal?

First of all, I do not feel educated enough to embark on a debate about which denomination is more right. That is for the scholars. Rather, all I wish is to promote the love of God through my own personal beliefs, guided by the Catholic Church. And hopefully through this others will come to experience the great love that I have and am experiencing every day.

One way of not going about obtaining a unified Church is by slandering another denomination or religion. This semester, on two occasions, I have had people try and beat down Catholicism and my beliefs because they felt they had found the fullness of Truth. But all I felt was serious negativity and near hatred from them. Is this God’s love?

I think Pope John Paul II chose a beautiful way to end his letter on commitment to ecumenism, Ut unum sint. If allowed, I would like to take those words on as my own. He quotes St Paul: "Mend your ways, encourage one another, live in harmony, and the God of love and peace will be with you ... The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Cor 13:11,13).

God draws us up to Him

2007-05-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

“I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” (Jn 12:32)

In the beginning of his book The Spirit of the Liturgy, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) speaks of how worship is not meant to bring God down to our level, but to instead raise us up to God. God has already come down to us. He did this in the Person of the Son, incarnated in the flesh as Jesus Christ.

God saw our suffering and tribulations. So he came down to us, made our sufferings his own through the cross, defeated death, and made eternal life available to us. He has responded to our pains, anguishes, and laments. He has answered the pleas and lamentations of the Psalms. So now it is our turn to respond to God. He is offering eternal life to us—a life so splendorous that this life is nothing in comparison. What shall our response be? The Liturgy—instituted by Christ and spread by the Apostles. Yes, how we worship is how we respond to God.

But worship is not just a few moments in the day. Rather, it is a life. It appeals to every instance of our day. No matter what we are doing, we can find an answer for it in the Liturgy, whether it be through the Word or the Eucharist. Life is a prayer to God—it is a response to his love. And the highest form of prayer that we have in the Church is the Holy Mass, offered to us and for us daily, calling us up to heaven in everything we do!

Heaven at our fingertips!

2007-05-02T08:34:00.001-07:00

So I said that personal prayer is a taste of heaven. This is so true. But this is more fully realized in the Mass, when we kneel at the foot of the cross as Christ gives himself through the Eucharist—blessed by God, broken by man and shared with his disciples. The Paschal Mystery was not a single event, but one that transcends time and is still occurring for all of us as we celebrate. So we truly can say that when we are at Mass, we are at the foot of the cross with Mary and the beloved disciple (Jn 19:25). When we are at Mass, we relive the death and resurrection of Christ. And when we get to heaven, God willing, we will be at the foot of his throne, praising and glorifying his name, just as the Scriptures tell us!

O, what a beautiful gift we have been given through the Mass!! And what makes it even better is that it is offered to us every day!!

All Prayer is a taste of heaven

2007-04-30T10:58:00.001-07:00

I have said before that I believe Mass to be a taste of heaven. But this goes for any time of prayer. When we get together, we find Christ in our midst, since he said, “For where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst.” And since heaven is in the presence of God, all communal prayer is a taste of heaven.

But can’t the same be said about personal prayer? I especially feel this when I am in a chapel or church praying. I am there in the physical presence of Christ (thanks to presence of the Blessed Sacrament). Also, through prayer, my soul becomes united with God, as we are in conversation with each other through the Holy Spirit.

So every time we pray, alone or with others, we are getting a taste of heaven, the life to come. Who would ever want to pass that up??

We recieve Holy Communion to become what it is

2007-04-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

“For the effect of our sharing in the body and blood of Christ is to change us into what we receive. As we have died with him, and have been buried and raised to life with him, so we bear him within us, both in body and in spirit, in everything we do.” --From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope

We find this to be especially true whenever we receive Holy Communion. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we physically take him inside of ourselves, saying that we do want to be conformed to Christ! What a statement!

When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we should strive to become Christ in what we do. Our bodies become true tabernacles of Christ. Who are we to be called to that? Are we really worth such a calling? Is my body pure enough for such a calling?

And when your body becomes a tabernacle, so do you as a person. After all, your body is an intrinsic part of who you are! There is no Scott Thomas without my body. My body and soul are one unified substance. So I must then ask, who am I as a person to be worthy of such a calling?

Traditions Rock!

2007-04-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just before Christ ascended to heaven, he left the Apostles in charge, telling them to go out to all the nations and spread the Good News (Mt 28:16-20). Of course, we find at the end of John’s Gospel that he told Peter (specifically), “Feed my sheep” (21:15-17). This is to mean that Peter was in charge, as he is the rock on which Christ built his Church. Today, we have the Pope as Peter’s successor. And just as Peter was told “Feed my sheep”, so too is each Pope told (CCC 937).

But the Pope is not the only one. We also have all of the Bishops and Priests. We have Bishops of the world as the successors of the Apostles, leading our Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And in the individual parishes, we have Priests representing and acting in the name of their respective Bishop. We are rich in traditions ordained by Christ himself. And this is only one of the most apparent ones.

For example, after Pentecost, the Apostles went out and spread the Word of God. And they laid hands upon others (Acts 13:3), leaving them in charge of local parishes. Today, this practice is continued in Priestly ordinations!

CCC 1369, 882, 893

The Pope, successor of Peter, Vicar of Christ, and our homeboy!!

2007-04-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

“In Christ Abraham’s posterity is blessed, because in him the whole world receives the adoption of sons, and in him the patriarch becomes the father of all nations through the birth, not from human stock but by faith, of the descendants that were promised to him. From every nation on earth, without exception, Christ forms a single flock of those he has sanctified, daily fulfilling the promise he once made: I have other sheep, not of this fold, whom it is also ordained that I shall lead; and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” --From a sermon by Pope Leo the Great

Pope Leo goes on to quote how Christ told Peter, “Feed my sheep” (Jn 21:15-17). He said this to Peter and no one else. He gave Peter charge just before he left earth and ascended to Heaven. And today we find Peter’s successor in our midst, in the person of Pope Benedict XVI.

But Pope Benedict is not meant to distract us from Christ. No, he is not a mediator between God the Father and mankind. Rather, he is a mediator between Christ and mankind, just as Christ made Peter. Pope Benedict is our rock, our present-day spiritual guide, leading us to Christ, through his example and the examples of the many saints that have preceded us.

CCC 834, 882, 1369

In defense of the Communion of Saints...

2007-04-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

In speaking of the Communion of Saints, I wish to address a question that I have received on a few occasions recently. Some people seem to think that Catholics worship the Saints in heaven, including Mary, our Mother. Some also seem to think that we have many mediators other than Christ. They think that we do not hold Christ as the one true mediator between God and man.

For the record, the Church stands by 1Timothy 2:5, which says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (RSV). NEVER has the Church gone against this. She has always been careful to point this out when speaking of the Saints and especially Mary.

What 1Tim does not rule out is a subordinate mediation. That is, St Paul never denied a mediation between Jesus Christ and humanity. “When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ […] His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” (Jn 3,5 RSV). Here we find a mediation just like that made by Mary, Our Lady. She first pleads to Christ on behalf of humanity, then pleads to humanity on behalf of Christ.

The same idea can be used for any person who is in heaven, whoever it may be.

So in no way is it worship. It is honor and gratitude. We learn from the example of the Saints just as we learn from our parents. But it is Christ who we ultimately imitate and conform ourselves to. After all, it is through the Son that we may reach the Father. But what better way could there be to get to the Son than through his mother?

Below are but a few resources to browse for more info:
CCC 956, 957
Lumen Gentium 60
Marialis Cultus 6, 32
The First Council of Constantinople (produced Nicene Creed)
The General Council of Florence

40 days of glory!

2007-04-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

“Do no weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.” --St Dominic, dying, to his brothers (CCC 956)

Is someone worthless to us when they die? Are we worthless to them when they die? These two questions came to mind during class one day. And they are two questions that I wish many people would ask themselves and seriously think about them. Because then maybe they will understand the Communion of Saints and intercessory prayer.

The answer to these questions is simply NO! How do we know this? We are celebrating the answer right now during these 40 days! When Christ rose from the dead, walked with us for 40 days, then ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to us on the 10th day, Christ gave us the answer to the two questions above.

When Christ died, he died for us—we shared in his death. When he rose from the dead as the firstborn, he did it for us—we share in his life. We did that at our baptism—sinking down into the darkness of the water and rising out to hold the light of Christ on our baptismal candle.

This is the mystery we have been celebrating and still are. This is too great a mystery to limit to one, two, or three days. We have to do it for 50 days!! WHAT A FEAST!!

the Paschal Mystery and our Baptism

2007-04-16T09:16:00.001-07:00

From the book On the Holy Spirit by Saint Basil, bishop

To attain holiness, then, we must not only pattern our lives on Christ’s by being gentle, humble and patient, we must also imitate him in his death. Taking Christ for his model, Paul said that he wanted to become like him in his death in the hope that he too would be raised from death to life.

We imitate Christ’s death by being buried with him in baptism. If we ask what this kind of burial means and what benefit we may hope to derive from it, it means first of all making a complete break with our former way of life, and our Lord himself said that this cannot be done unless a man is born again. In other words, we have to begin a new life, and we cannot do so until our previous life has been brought to an end. When runners reach the turning point on a racecourse, they have to pause briefly before they can go back in the opposite direction. So also when we wish to reverse the direction of our lives there must be a pause, or a death, to mark the end of one life and the beginning of another.

Two key prayers for life...

2007-04-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Fr José pointed out to us the two main prayers that we have to make in life—“thank you” and “help me”. And both of these can be found in the Lord’s Prayer (no surprise).

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We should constantly thank the Lord for the awesome gift of creation. We should always thank God for the gift of life. We should always thank God for the gift of the Cross and the gift of the Resurrection. What are you most thankful for?

Also, we should always ask God to help us. “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us or our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We cannot make it through this life without God. We cannot become holy without God. We cannot fully understand what it means to be human without God. What do you need the most help with today?

It's Easter!!!

2007-04-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

So it is officially Easter Season! We are celebrating the Easter Octave—eight days of Easter Sunday. Each day this week is Easter Sunday and we celebrate one of each of the 8 Resurrection appearances Christ made. Then we get about another 32 days of the season before the Ascension, followed by another 10 days or so until Pentecost. This is a great season we are in and we should take part in it as much as possible!

Just this past Saturday night we welcomed in numerous new members to our Church, to Christ’s Church. We should welcome them with open arms and hearts, and pray for them constantly! At the Easter Vigil Mass last Saturday, the Exultet was sung, announcing the rise of our Lord from the dead. Below is the text and I highly recommend reading it throughout this week and praying with it. It gives so much context and explanation to salvation history and the penance we endured over Lent. But all that penance is gone as the choirs of angels sing in unison with us! Christ has risen from the dead and given us life! Rejoice! Rejoice!
------------------
Exultet
Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

My dearest friends,
standing with me in this holy light,
join me in asking God for mercy,
that he may give his unworthy minister
grace to sing his Easter praises.

Deacon: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Deacon: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Deacon: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is truly right
that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night
when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night
when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin!

This is night
when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night
when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault,
O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights,
chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!
Of this night scripture says:
"The night will be as clear as day:
it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night dispels all evil,
washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,
brings mourners joy;
it casts out hatred, brings us peace,
and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth
and man is reconciled with God!
Therefore, heavenly Father,
in the joy of this night,
receive our evening sacrifice of praise,
your Church's solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle,
a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.
Let it mingle with the lights of heaven
and continue bravely burning
to dispel the darkness of this night!

May the Morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,
your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

Thoughts on the Triduum

2007-04-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Nothing comes before the work of God. –St Benedict

This coming weekend we will not merely remember a few events that simply took place at a certain point in history. Rather, we will enter into and take part in events that are still taking place today. After all, God is outside of time. True, not all of these events are obligatory. The Easter Mass is the only thing that is obligatory. But we should still strive to take part in them because of how old the practices are that we do (1700-2000 years, documented), as well as due to their centrality to our faith. Without the institution of the Eucharist, or the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, there would have been no Easter.

Through the Passion of Christ, we see the most perfect act of love. This is God’s eternal act of love for us—the total gift of self. As Jesus said, what better love is there than to give one’s life? The amount we suffer for someone shows the depth of our love for them.

God loves the world so much that he gave his only Son, who, though he was the form of God, he did not deem equality with God. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being obedient even to the point of death. (see John 3:16 and Phil 2:6-11).

Through the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, we find that it is only through “a death freely accepted” that we can obtain eternal life.

By participating in the Triduum Masses/Service, we stand at the foot of the cross with Mary and the beloved disciple, while the rest run away and hide with the Apostles and other disciples. Peter tried to deny Christ but was still recognized all three times. The same will happen to us if we try to hide who we are this weekend—CHRISTIANS.

what is human?

2007-04-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

“He was born in a new condition, for, invisible in his own nature, he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Lord of the universe, he hid his infinite glory and took the nature of a servant. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death.”
--From a letter by Saint Leo the Great, pope

Our omnipotent God, who does not need us, became one of us so that we may be renewed for our faults. What more can you say? THAT IS LOVE!! Just look at a Crucifix—that is the best expression of love that we have. For, “no greater love does one have than to give his life for a brother.”

Through the Passion and Resurrection, we find what it means to truly become human. If you wish to become human, you must first empty yourself, for it is then that you can truly love. And the love you will feel is not an ordinary love, it’s not the love you will see the world give. Rather, it is a love (eros) centered on God, so that it may be united with his love (agape). And what greater love can one experience than the love of the omnipotent God?

nakedness and nakedness, what's the difference

2007-03-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return…” (Job 1:21)

In his book The Holy Longing, Fr Ron Rolheiser points out this verse in relation to the idea of a person finding his/her rightful place in society. But, as he points out, this is something that cannot be done without a sense of humility. Pointing to this verse, he points out how Job gives us two ideas of nakedness. I would like to elaborate on that point a bit if I may.
The first idea is “Naked I came from my mother’s womb”. This is a physical nakedness and a designation of the shame that is brought forth from the fall of mankind through Adam and Eve. Pope John Paul II speaks of this thoroughly in his audiences that comprise Theology of the Body. As soon as they eat the apple, they are filled with wisdom and shame of their naked presentation. So they immediately hide parts of their bodies from the other person. Then they attempt to hide from God when he comes down to the garden to check on them. This shame, then, is the shame of original sin.
The second idea of nakedness (“and naked shall I return”) deals more with where we need to get too. In dealing with that shame of Adam and Eve which was consequently passed down to us, John Paul II speaks of our need to overcome it in building the kingdom of heaven on earth. The goal of humanity, as Christ showed us, is to be able to empty oneself so much that he/she may be able to die naked upon a cross, enduring a truly humiliating act in the name for someone else. We are to lose ourselves if we choose to gain life. We are to present ourselves “naked” before the Father and humanity as a servant, just as Christ did.
And so, even though we come into the world physically naked and full of shame, we are to return to God spiritually naked and full of hope. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Hallways of fun!!

2007-03-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

It is so easy to look at the Church and see all of its faults. It’s easy to do that with any organization. But because of what the Church stands for—God—it is easy to have higher expectations for it. Yet, it seems as if it keeps failing for so many people. But why is that?

In his book, The Holy Longing, Fr. Ron Rolheiser gives his take on this. And I must say, I agree.

I was told once by a priest that the things we criticize of others are usually problems we ourselves have. I think that this is what Fr. Rolheiser is trying to get across. He says, “What is too painful to deal with is not the Church’s imperfection but my own fantasies about my own goodness.” We focus on the negative aspects of others so often that we forget about the negative aspects of ourselves.

This is something I have struggled with because I know I am not perfect. But is that supposed to make me stand by and watch another sin?

At any rate, what matters is we pay more attention to the good aspects of ourselves and the bad aspects of others. I do this, too. The struggle is to focus also on the bad aspects of ourselves and the good aspects of others. And from that comes a sense of humility and need of a community. And it is then that we find we need the Church the most.

Solemnity of the Annunciation!!

2007-03-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
(Luke 1:38)

These words of Mary’s, her fiat, are what we recall today. These are the words that she gave in response to the angel Gabriel’s message, God’s message, to her that she would be the mother of the Christ. In her “Yes” to God, she agreed to take an ever active, yet at the same time subordinate, role in our salvation.

Her role is ever active because through her “Yes”, she agreed to become Theotókos (Mother of God). She became the new Eve, ushering in the redemption of the fall brought forth by the first woman. She became the mother of the New Adam, Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father, renewing the act of disobedience of the original man who acted out of disobedience. And, as the mother to the First Born of many, she would become the mother of us all, as we are that “many”. Mary is our spiritual Mother. Mary is the model of all mothers as she said “yes” to a sudden, unexpected child who she knew would change her life forever.

Her role is also subordinate to Christ, her son. Although she works along side him as co-redemptrix and mediatrix, she is nonetheless under the sole Mediator, Christ. But as our mediatrix and co-redemptrix, she deserves our honor. She is in heaven, purest of all, crowned Queen of Heaven, interceding for us to the Son, just as she did at the wedding in Cana. But Cana was not her first time to intercede for us. Rather, she was already interceding for us when Gabriel came to her and she said “Be it done” for all of humanity.

So today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annuciation, let us recall, honor, and meditate on Mary’s ever active role in the Incarnation and our salvation.

To become holy is human

2007-03-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

‘Today the expression “that is human” excuses everything. People get divorced: that is human. People drink: that is human. They cheat in an examination or in a competition: that is human. There is not a vice which has not been excused with the aid of this formula. So the term “human” is used to describe the most infirm and inferior aspect of man. […] [But] the human is the very thing that distinguishes us from the animal. “Human” means intelligence, heart, will, conscience, holiness. That is human.’ --J.G. Cardinal Saliège

“Too err is human”. We often take this old saying and put it to use every chance we get. But in reality, we are abusing it.

To be human is to be something great—a creature that is loved so much by its Creator that it was given the capacity to choose. But we were not given this capacity so that we could choose anything. We were given it to choose love, Love itself. “God is love, and he who abides in it abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

Our Creator loves us so much that he gave us the capacity to think for ourselves—rationality. This is a capacity that lacks in all other creatures, as we have the ability through our rationality to find God. God has revealed himself to us, and in doing so he has revealed the fullness of our own being. And the fullness of that being is Jesus Christ.

Through our Baptism, we are given the capacity to become sanctified. During our Baptism, we are consecrated with holy oils for the use of God. We are set apart to become Christ to the world. Through our Baptism, as the Second Vatican Council told us, we are all called to become holy as Christ was holy.

**quote from Jesus the Christ by Walter Cardinal Kasper, pg 202-3

Not to be taken lightly...

2007-03-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Christ has no body now but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ's compassion must look out on the world.
You are the feet with which
He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which
He is to bless us now.

--a prayer attributed to Teresa of Avila

Somlemnity of Saint Joseph!

2007-03-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

From a sermon by Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest

The faithful foster-father and guardian

There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favour chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfil the task at hand.

This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: “Good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord”.

What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honourably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph.

In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of patriarchs and prophets to its promised fulfilment. What the divine goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms.

Obviously, Christ does not now deny to Joseph that intimacy, reverence and very high honour which he gave him on earth, as a son to his father. Rather we must say that in heaven Christ completes and perfects all that he gave at Nazareth.

Now we can see how the last summoning words of the Lord appropriately apply to Saint Joseph: “Enter into the joy of your Lord”. In fact, although the joy of eternal happiness enters into the soul of a man, the Lord preferred to say to Joseph: “Enter into joy”. His intention was that the words should have a hidden spiritual meaning for us. They convey not only that this holy man possesses an inward joy, but also that it surrounds him and engulfs him like an infinite abyss.

Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.

(Taken from today’s Office of Readings)

Prayer, fasting, mercy

2007-03-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

From a sermon by Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop (taken from yesterday's Office of Readings)

Prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives

There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other.

Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God’s ear to yourself.

When you fast, see the fasting of others. If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery. Let this be the pattern for all men when they practice mercy: show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the same promptness, as you want others to show mercy to you.

Therefore, let prayer, mercy and fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defense, a threefold united prayer in our favor. Let us use fasting to make up for what we have lost by despising others. Let us offer our souls in sacrifice by means of fasting. There is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in prophecy: A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart.

Offer your soul to God, make him an oblation of your fasting, so that your soul may be a pure offering, a holy sacrifice, a living victim, remaining your own and at the same time made over to God. Whoever fails to give this to God will not be excused, for if you are to give him yourself you are never without the means of giving.

To make these acceptable, mercy must be added. Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is to earth. However much you may cultivate your heart, clear the soil of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues, if you do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit.

When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving, but gather in by scattering. Give to the poor, and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.

Who's that?

2007-03-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

“it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20)

Ultimately, this is all I want in life. I don’t care what people think of my looks. All I care is that they see Christ in my actions. Our culture puts so much emphasis on looks and appearance these days. And thanks to that, we are too distracted to find Christ in the stranger on the streets. Who cares how ugly I am. If I do the work of Christ, if I live the Way, I am happy enough. Because there is nothing else that can fill me to the extent that the Way, the Truth, and the Life can. After all, Christ is the perfect way to live as a human.

And isn’t this the point to Lent? Shouldn’t we work to purge from our life whatever keeps us from finding a closer union with God?

Identify with Christ and Mary

2007-03-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

“He ‘consecrates himself for us’ in that he lays down and sacrifices his life for us: that is his great prayer of intercession for us.” –Christoph Cardinal Schonborn

I feel that I can identify with two principle figures in our Sacred Scriptures and, of course, the history of the world. First, Mary, our Mother, interceded for all of mankind when she said “Yes” to God. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). This was not a simple “Yes” to save her own soul. Rather, it was a “Yes” to save all of mankind.

Then there is Christ, her son, the Son. He gave his life for us on the cross that we may all be saved from our sins. That, as Cardinal Schonborn says, is “his great prayer of intercession for us.” He did it not because he had to, but because he wanted to. He did it because he loves us and wants us to experience eternal life. He gave his life that we may have life.

When Christ washed the feet of his disciples, he showed that he wanted into even our lowest, dirtiest, most embarrassing moments in life. He said he wants to be a part of it all.

And so I offer my own life through my ministry as an intercession for every person that I have ever met and will meet in the future. My joy is so full that it cannot be contained. It must be shared. Please pray that I may become who God wants me to be, in order to share that joy in the most effective way possible.

My way of saying thank you

2007-03-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.” Luke 1:46-7

It is with these words that our Blessed Mother responds to her cousin Elizabeth, who calls Mary “the Mother of my Lord”. And it is this way that I choose to respond to the many blessings of God in my life. I have been blessed with a wonderful family, a house to live in, wonderful education, amazing friends, and much more. And I choose to thank God for all of these things not by boasting, but rather by giving him my entirety for his use, just like Mary did. Each time the Eucharist is elevated during Mass I am on my knees praying: “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament Divine. All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!” O dear Christ, may all that I do be for the glory of your name!

The principle way I do this is through my celibacy. I am making myself available for anyone who needs me, whenever they need me. I am also striving to bring to life what the afterlife is like. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Mt 22:30). In heaven, we will be eternally praising God and praying for those who have not yet made it, whether they are in Purgatory or still on earth. And it is those two things I wish to do with my life. Praise God through my active ministry and offer my life as an intercession for everyone on earth and in Purgatory.

All I wish is to help others come to know God as I know him. All I wish is to share the experiences I have been given so that others may come as close to God as I am, if not closer than I may ever become.

Christ is your BFF

2007-03-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

“I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because, I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.” (Jn 15:15)

We truly are God’s friends and no long his slaves. Moses, Joshua, and David all were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh.” Yet we have become friends. Christ revealed all that he knew to us. Only, our minds are so imperfect and clouded by original sin that we are unable to comprehend it all, especially if we try to on our own.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete” (v.11). When someone has the time of their life, they want immediately to share it with someone close by. In the same way, Jesus loved life and the Father so much, that he wanted to share it with us. He was full of so much joy that he wanted to share it with all people, so that his joy could be experienced by others, becoming their own joy. And today, Christ continues to share that joy through others.

A friendship is built on love and self-sacrifice for the other. When a friend is sad, both are sad. When a friend is happy, both are happy. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (v.13). He did this for us. What now will we do for him in return?

Christ, the Word of God.
Christ, the Good Shepherd.
Christ, the Bestest Buddy in the world.

Search!

2007-03-02T08:09:00.001-08:00

"What is more personal than prayer, 'conversation with God'? ...we pray as members of a great community--and it is larger than we suspect--and we do not struggle alone to pray. Many invisible helpers--in heaven and here on earth--are with us and assit us." -Christoph Cardinal Schonborn

"All [the Apostles] with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." Act 1:14

This weekend is the Search retreat for the Jackson Diocese. Please pray for all of us staffing, that our hearts may be open and that we may be vessels of Christ. But most importantly, pray for the new Searchers, that their hearts and minds my be open to the workings of the Spirit! Your prayers definately help!!!

Not your normal everyday..... table

2007-02-28T06:55:00.000-08:00

I once heard it said that you should venerate the Altar as you would venerate Christ. The Altar in the church is a very special place. It normally is on the second highest, if not the highest, elevated part of the floor in the church. And this is rightfully so since it is where we recall the sacrifice made by Christ. This is the final and eternal sacrifice that is recalled, when Christ offered himself up, becoming the eternal Passover Lamb. Today, this sacrifice is manifested for us in the Eucharist, which takes place on that Altar in our Church.

The Altar, then, truly is a symbol of Christ which deserves to be venerated. I am not talking about a full genuflection or kneeling, but maybe just a keen awareness of its presence and a simple but honorable bow whenever it is being passed or crossed. This is not just a table but a place for the Eucharist to rest during the Mass and Adoration. And keep in mind that the Eucharist truly is the physical presence of Christ, not just a symbolic one. And there are very few places where we set the Eucharist down.

I heard from the same Priest that on Good Friday, when we strip the Altar bare, it is actually Christ that we are stripping as he prepares to be hung on the cross. It is this humiliation of his that he endured willfully for our sake. Why? Because he saw us as his best friends. And that is what friends do for each other—endure humiliation, even until death. And we thank him and honor him for this by venerating those things that remind us of him.

Where is the love?

2007-02-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

“Peter, do you love me more than these?” (Jn 21:15)

This was the first of three “do you love me” questions from Christ directed at St Peter. And this one is the one that set the tone for the rest. When reading a short story, it is the first line that draws us in. The author of a short story knows that if he/she does not catch the reader after the first sentence then the reader probably won’t finish the story. So Christ, knowing he needed Peter’s attention, began with a full blast—“do you love me more than these”. Essentially, am I #1 in your life?

Personally, I do not think this is directed to only Peter. True, he was the one to inherent the keys to heaven. However, if we all wish to love Christ, no matter what vocation in life we choose, Christ must be our number one. He is the fulfillment of our joy and the key to eternal happiness. Simply put—HE IS GOD. He was there when the world was created and he will be there when the world ends. He is the Alpha and the Omega. So he should be our number one and number last.

So what for me would be the “these” that I have to love Christ more than? What is it that keeps me from loving Christ the most? What makes God take a backseat in my life?

It's Ash Wednesday!!!

2007-02-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

For us, Lent is a time to step aside in hopes of coming closer to God. This is our chance to slow down and look at our life, grieving our faults and growing in our hopes. This is our opportunity to make our life a little more organized and level.

"As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.' The Lord said to her in reply, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.'" (Luke 10:38-42)

Which one are you—Martha or Mary? What is keeping you too busy in your life to stop and listen to God? What is keeping you from being like Mary, focusing on that one thing—God? It is so easy to overextend ourselves and become so distracted that we cannot hear God calling us to a deeper union with him. But during Lent, we have the chance that we need to focus on our life and cut out whatever it is that prevents us from deepening our relationship with God.

So what needs to be done to become more like Mary?

tornados? psshhhh

2007-02-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that Sacred Scripture would have so much to say to us? True, I have heard it said before that the great thing about Scripture is that the same passage can give you so many different meanings. But now that I am actually seeing this. I can’t seem to quit! Before my silent retreat retreat, I would occasionally pray with Scripture, but not often enough. Now, I find myself getting excited over it! I mean, you should have seen the excitement on my face when my retreat director said he was going to give me more scripture to pray with. You would have thought I was a 5 year old getting a new toy!

But how do you do it? Do you just read it? Suggestions:

1. Set an alarm for however long you want to pray with the passage. Don’t pray any longer. If something else is to come about, it will later on.
2. Read the passage two and three times over. Get to know it.
3. If a phrase sticks out, work with it right away. Repeat it a few times.
4. Put yourself in the passage. How would you react as a bystander?
5. Put yourself in each character’s shoes. What would you do?

I highly recommend praying with Scripture. After all, it is the word of God. Just remember, it’s not always completely literal. God’s not really going to slay sinners with a sword. At least, he hasn’t yet. Get a commentary to go along with you, such as the New Jerome Biblical Commentary. But the highest recommendation is to take the scripture on its own.

So what are you waiting for! Get that Bible out from balancing your desk, dust it off, and open it up!

2007-02-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

“And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; …their nets were breaking…” (Luke 5:4, 6)

“Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Cast off into the deep, he said to Peter so that he would catch a load of fish so big that both of the boats there could not carry it all. But what is Jesus trying to tell us in this passage? Remembering the second one listed, the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, maybe he is trying to tell us not to put too much stock into the things of this world. As a diocesan priest, one of the promises I will make (God willing I get to that point) is simplicity of life. The idea is to not be attached to any material possessions so that I can go where I am needed when I am needed. If we put too much stock in something of this world, eventually we will begin to protect it at any cost. It will become a part of who we are. And are we children of this world? NO! As Saint Paul tells us, we are children of the light, of God. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, as he came for all of us.

What God has to offer us is so great that it will become “a spring of water welling up” inside of us. But to get this spring of water, we have to “put out into the deep”. The shallow things of this world will only get us so far. But the deep and immense love of God will get us as far as we can imagine, and more!

I'm sorry, did you say something?

2007-02-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

In the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), we find a short tax collector who wanted to see this Jesus guy coming into his area. But since Zacchaeus was so short, he had to jump into a tree in order to see over the crowds. Now that right there is making an effort to see someone. And, coincidentally, it was a good enough effort to get Jesus to surprisingly dine with Zacchaeus that night.

Earlier in Scripture, in Genesis 18:1-15, we find God visiting Abraham. As soon as Abraham sees the three men coming, he jumps up and offers them hospitality. But when he brings the “hospitality”, he brings more than he had originally offered. In return, Abraham hears that he and his wife (both old of age) are to have a child.

Both men (whether knowing it or not) jumped at an occasion to be with God. And in return they were blessed greatly. How often are you offered a chance to be with God? Do you often take it or turn it down? After reading these two passages and praying on them, I couldn’t help but ask myself those questions. So many times to I hear the call to prayer and ignore it to do something else. Unfortunately, I have no clue as to what I am missing out on when I do not heed that random call to prayer. For all I know, God could be planning something completely magnificent! But how will I ever know for sure if I do not heed that call to prayer?

God! God! He's our man! If He can't do it, no one can!!

2007-02-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

“Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

This is what is asked Abraham and Sarah after they are told that Sarah is to have a baby at an older age. In response, Sarah laughs. But is anything too wonderful, too hard for the Lord?

Many times I see or hear people who think that they are so messed up not even God can help them. They have driven themselves so deep into an addiction or into a sin that not even God can get them out of. They don’t have the strength or the will to come out. But is this really an impossible task for God?

Do you ever look at the Saints or even just scripture and ask this? Nothing is impossible for God. Hackneyed? Sure. But is it true? Of course it is. If you don’t believe me, just read the Bible or look at the Saints. Before they were saints, Paul was a killer, Augustine got around, and Francis was a party animal. O yeah, and who was Jesus’ biological father? HE DIDN’T HAVE ONE… Now tell me that someone’s life of sin cannot be fixed.

What? Where?

2007-02-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

Just recently I gave a little talk on discernment and prayer. At the time, I saw it as us simply finding our way through life, looking for the reason that we are here. Simply, what is my calling in life? What job am I called to do? We are all called to something, whether it is being a priest or religious, doctor, nurse, teacher, police officer, politician, or something else. And it is through prayer and a close relationship with God that we are able to stay ordered towards what is good and make the right decisions.

Oh, but it is so much more than that. As Psalm 139 shows, God knows me more than I know myself. He created me and knew me even before he formed me in my mother’s womb. He knows all my thoughts and feelings. He knows what I am going to say before I even say it. He is in my innermost core as my existence is dependent upon him. Nothing can ever separate me from him completely. In fact, my soul, my complete self, can only be totally consumed by God and nothing else.

Discernment is not simply staying ordered towards God so that I make the right decision. Rather, it is coming to find God’s thoughts which show me the way to take. God knows where I am to go. He just wants to show me the way. But how can he show me the way if I do not open the door and let him in? “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God” (Ps 139:17). God is constantly thinking of me and where I should go. So why should his thoughts not be precious to me? Why should they not be more precious to me than anything in the world?

But this isn’t just for me; it is for everyone. What is the most precious thing to you?

RIGHT HERE!! RIGHT HERE!!

2007-02-02T08:45:00.001-08:00

“Be still and know that I am God.”

All God asks of us is simply to be still. So often we are trying to fill our lives with activities to keep us entertained. Then we wonder why we keep falling into sin. Possibly we are falling into the wrong things, or even the wrong crowd. Maybe when we sin we are pursuing the wrong ends. Simply put, God is the highest end, an end in itself. Why not pursue Him in all that we do.

But how can we know God? Do just as he says: “Be still.” At times I find myself pursuing an end that is not as productive as God. So then I begin to look for ways to find and pursue God while interacting with others. I also look for ways to become God myself. But in all of this, it is so easy for me to forget the ones right in front of me. That’s right; I get so busy looking for God that I miss him right in front of my face. Why do I need to look for tasks to find God in, when he is only a phone call away? All I have to do is get out my cell phone, choose a name, and hit send.

“Be still,” he says, “for I am right in front of your face!”

coffee, chairs, and long hair

2007-01-31T13:06:00.001-08:00

There are many things that are needed for good reflective prayer with the scriptures. Unfortunately, I found out one of them the hard way. A good environment is definitely needed. For some this may mean silence. For me, a little noise in the background, such as a TV on the other side of a wall, is fine. A bad place for me to pray, however, is a room filled with artwork and books that are not religious. One night on my silent retreat, I made the mistake of going into a parlor room filled with sculptures, pottery, paintings, books, you name it. It was a newly remodeled room, and a nice one at that. But there was a book sitting in front of me calling my name the whole time. Of course, if I had not looked at the book before praying, my mind may have been set at ease. But instead, my mind was amazed at all of the ante-bellum buildings in the area that I had not seen yet. Instead of focusing on the eighteenth chapter of Genesis, I was instead thinking of the best way to get over to Sacred Heart Academy, which was built in the 1830s!

My point—when going to pray, a suitable environment must be picked out. It must be one that you know you will be able to concentrate in for a given period of time. If you cannot concentrate well, then you won’t get much out of your prayer. Maybe for a rule of thumb, you could ask if you could do your calculus homework in there. No, praying isn’t like pulling teeth or rocket science. It just needs good concentration and as little distraction as possible. After all, isn’t that what prayer is—leaving behind the distractions of the world to find God?

Consumation? (that's my big word for the day...)

2007-01-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

“When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Fear not, for I am with you…” (Isaiah 43: 2, 5a)

What have we to fear if God is with us at all times? If God is on our side, who can be against us? It is so easy to become preoccupied with so many different things that “endanger” us. And it is so easy to forget that in reality, nothing can ever fully separate us from God, our Creator. God created the fire and the rivers. Why would he ever allow them to consume us? It may seem as if we are consumed by them, but in reality our soul is completely free from their strength. Our soul is forever linked to God. It exists and we exist inasmuch as God allows. What can ever harm us completely? If we die in God’s name, we go to heaven. Would you be leaving family and friends behind? Pray them to heaven to come to be with you when their time comes.
Why the preoccupation with death? Why not instead be preoccupied with life? And why not eternal life?

Time doesn't exist...

2007-01-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

It seems like we are always trying to fill up time. We are always looking for something to do to keep our minds at ease. And if the clock seems to slow down or not move at all, we start to go crazy. In fact, many times we seem to wish time to pass quickly so that we can get to a certain event in the near future. “I just can’t wait!”

On the other hand, we complain about life being short and not being able to see and do everything that we want to do. Scientifically, it is rather short. Comparing the billions of years of existence in history to the decades we have lived so far, our life is but a speck of dust in the story of time. (Or, if you are a creationist, your few decades are still rather meager compared to the thousands of years that creation has existed.)

Why don’t we ever just slow down to savor each minute of the day? Why do we have to move so quickly from place to place? Sure, there are only 24 hours in the day, but there is another 24 hours after that one, and so on.

God is outside of time and we are all called to join him in being outside of time through prayer, both personal and communal. The highest form of prayer we have is the Mass, which I have said before is a taste of heaven. Then, all other prayer we take part in throughout the day and week is simply a continuation of that prayer made at the Mass. God is inviting us to step out of time for a bit and join him. After all, what is time other than a mental construct?

What do I want?

2007-01-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

Lord Jesus Christ, pierce my heart just as you pierced the heart of your Mother and the Saints. Take me for what I am, take me for all that I am. May all I have in life become yours once more. All I wish in life, out of total surety, is to give myself totally to you--heart, mind, body, and soul--witholding nothing at all. Consume me, O Lord. Consume my soul.