Sunday Homilies for Sunday Homily Seekers
Fr. Edmond Kline
Sunday Homilies for Sunday Homily Seekers
Fr. Edmond Kline Sunday Homilies
3600 E. Harry
Wichita, KS 67218
United States
Fr. Edmond Kline Homilies
Sunday Homilies for Sunday Homily Seekers
Fr. Edmond Kline Homilies
3600 E. Harry
Wichita, KS 67218
LATEST MESSAGES OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE IN MEDJUGORJE
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Jesus stood up and preached His first Homily on the Sabaath at Nazareth. He read from the prophet Isaiah and told those present the passage was fulfilled in their hearing. (Lk 4:14-30)
![[block][block][block][block][block][block][block][block]Fr. Edmond Kline](/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/Fr_Edmond_Kline.62144541_std.jpg)
Some priests are gifted in preaching from an outline or preaching without notes. Unfortunately, I'm not. So every homily I give must be read when proclaimed. I would suspect it's boring to watch a priest read a homily. However, Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict as well as some bishops read their homilies. People ask for copies of the homilies and I am happy to give them out if it will help them spiritually or to give to others whom they would think would benefit as well.
Fr. Edmond Kline
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In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches.” “Whomever remains in me and I him will bear much fruit.”
Today, we will look at the fruits of receiving Holy Communion by abiding in Jesus, then we will look at how if we do not abide in Jesus in the Eucharist, through mortal sin, we will not bear any fruit and finally, we will see how each particle of the Sacred Host should be treated with great love and respect to foster our abiding in Him.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1391 to 1400) speaks about the fruits of Holy Communion.
It states, the first and principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."
The second fruit of Communion is: What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh "given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit,"preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism.
The third fruit of Communion is: For the growth in Christian life, we need the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will be given to us as viaticum. The Eucharist therefore helps us to get to heaven as Jesus said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever”.
The fourth fruit of Communion is the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins. So when we receive Holy Communion our venial sins are forgiven, but not our mortal sins.
The fifth fruit of Holy Communion is just as bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity. By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him.
The sixth fruit of Holy Communion is by the same charity that it enkindles in us, the Eucharist preserves us from future mortal sins. The more we share the life of Christ and progress in his friendship, the more difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin.
The seventh fruit is that those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body - the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church.
The eighth fruit, the Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, because He who is poor comes to dwell in our heart.
The ninth fruit, before the greatness of this mystery St. Augustine exclaims, "O sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond of charity!" The more painful the experience of the divisions in the Church which break the common participation in the table of the Lord, the more urgent are our prayers to the Lord that the time of complete unity among all who believe in him may return. However, the Catechism says, ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church, "have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders." It is for this reason that, for the Catholic Church, Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible.
Sadly, Jesus also said, “those who do not abide in Him will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.” If we commit a mortal sin, Jesus does not abide in us nor will be with Him in heaven. Mortal sin causes the death of the soul, because it mortally wounds our soul. We are deprived of God’s graces and we lose all merit and cannot gain any merit by any deed, until we repent of the mortal sin. Mortal sin causes us to become like the withered branches ready to be thrown into the fire, because we purposely and willfully separate our self from Jesus.
St. Alphonus Ligouri said, “…when a Christian consents to mortal sin, he says to God: Depart from me; make room for the Devil, whom I wish to serve.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire.”
Pope St. John Paul said, the Church is the vine and we the people are the branches. Therefore we are to obey Church teachings. For example, the Church teaches, we are to go to confession if we commit a mortal sin before we receive Holy Communion, otherwise we commit a sacrilegious communion and commit an additional mortal sin.
To miss Mass on Sunday without a serious reason, or to purposely view pornography or commit adultery or have pre-marital relations, or if we purposely fail to tell the priest in confession, a mortal sin, such as using birth control, we are continuously making sacrilegious communions until that sin is finally confessed. Jesus does not abide in us, when we commit a mortal sin. We receive absolutely no graces when we receive Communion in the state of mortal sin and in fact grievously offend Jesus committing a sacrilegious communion. We force Him to leave our soul.
One day a wealthy woman wearing fine clothes came to see St. Catherine of Sienna and when she came into her presence, St. Catherine turned her back on her and spoke to her without facing her. When the woman left, someone asked her why she would not face her and she said, “I could not stand the puertrified smell of a soul in the state of mortal sin.” And yet when we receive Communion sacrilegiously we force Jesus into a soul with that filth.
We cannot bear any fruit whatsoever, when our soul is in the state of mortal sin. Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”, but only if we do so in the state of grace.
And so one can be like a withered branch separated from Jesus, the vine. But our soul can be restored to grace, by going to confession. In confession Jesus gives us His infinite mercy and opens our soul to become fruitful when we begin to receive Communion in the state of grace.
There is also another way we will bear little or no fruit from receiving Holy Communion. And that is if we were to ignore His presence after we receive Holy Communion. The almighty God, out of His infinite love and goodness comes to dwell in our heart in Holy Communion to give us special graces, and yet some people will walk out of church immediately after receiving Holy Communion and ignore His true presence. It’s like inviting someone to your house, letting them in and then the owner goes out the back door without paying any attention to who just came in their home. This hurts Jesus because He comes inside the heart in Holy Communion and He is ignored in the heart. How can we bear any fruit, if we are indifferent to Jesus abiding in us.
Another way, we can hurt Jesus in the Eucharist is how we receive Him in Holy Communion. You have probably not been told this before, yet what I am going to say is true. The ordinary way the Church intends for us to receive Holy Communion is on the tongue. I repeat, the ordinary way the Church intends for us to receive Holy Communion is on the tongue.
In 1969 Pope Paul VI gave an indult, which is a permission to receive Communion in the hand, due to an abuse in Holland and the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship gave warnings about receiving on the hand: it said, it could be an occasion of regarding the Eucharist as ordinary bread.. or treating it as though it was just another religious article. It warned about particles of the Eucharistic bread that can fall or be scattered. It warned about people receiving Communion with dirty hands. It warned there could be a lessening of faith in the Eucharistic presence. It warned there is a danger of profaning the Eucharist. It warned it could be a cause for some to be shocked at how others receive the Host. And it warned there is a danger of irreverence.
Some countries like Sri Lanka did not use the indult, and maintained the long held tradition of receiving only on the tongue. Dioceses around the world no longer permit Communion in the hand such as San Luis, Argentina; Lima, Peru, and Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina. The bishop of the diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, last year asked the people to receive on the tongue. This is an option fully supported by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. When Pope Benedict was pope, he had those who receive Communion from him to do it only kneeling and on the tongue.
I have seen many ways Jesus is hurt by the way people receive Communion. Some will take the Host and treat it as though it was a religious object by kissing it before receiving Communion. I have seen people receive Communion with dirty hands. I have seen some take the Host all the way back to their pew before they receive Communion. Some treat the Host as ordinary bread.
At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Wichita, we found over 20 Hosts in hymnals. One was found under a pew and another was found in the parking lot. At Blessed Sacrament in Wichita, people stole Hosts. At Sacred Heart in Halstead, Kansas, I saw a person step aside to put the Host in her mouth and when she did, I saw ¼ of the Host break off in her hand and fall to the ground and she then stepped on it.
Jesus said, “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks by Blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him on the last day.” Many patients here at St. Francis believe these words. Dying patients and very sick patients greatly desire to receive Holy Communion to help them in the midst of their great suffering. When a patient is dying or is no longer able to swallow food, as long as they are able to dissolve the tiny particle in their mouth, and when approved by the nurse, the priest can give the patient a very tiny particle of the Host. The Council of Trent states,”…Christ, whole and entire, is contained not only under either species (bread or wine), but also in each particle of either species.”
The Church teaches each particle, no matter how small is the whole and entire person of Jesus. When a person receives Communion in the hand, particles of the Sacred Host are often times on the person’s hand and they don’t know it. I will give you an example. If I were to put my hand in a plastic box of unconsecrated hosts and then wipe my hand on a black cloth and you would see white the particles on the cloth. Once consecrated, these particles can end up on your hands and then on the floor.
Suppose a mother with her infant returns home from shopping with her many plastic bags of groceries. She takes the baby out of the car seat and holds the baby in her right arm. In her left arm she grabs 4 bags of groceries and when she gets to the door of the house, she tries to take the key out of her purse and suddenly drops the baby. She takes the crying child to the emergency room to discover the child has a broken leg. Did she intend to hurt the baby? No. But she did-- because she was careless.
How many times have we dropped Jesus on the floor and did not know it? We can either receive on the hand or on the tongue.
What is the safest way to receive Jesus in Holy Communion on the tongue or in the hand? What best helps one’s Eucharistic faith? The little things we do because we love Jesus means a lot to Him.
Finally, recall the words of Jesus, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
My dear friends, if we truly love Jesus and want to abide in Him and He in you-- and bear fruit-- receive Our Lord in Holy Communion only while in the state of grace, receive Communion often and with the humility, love, respect and devotion the Virgin Mary received Jesus in Holy Communion.
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4th Sunday of Lent - Confession & St. Faustina
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4th Sunday, Confession and St. Faustina
In the Gospel today, the man born blind who is healed by Jesus reminds we when our sins are forgiven, we can see Jesus more clearly. The man born blind could not see Jesus, until Our Lord healed him. So it is, when our sins are forgiven we are able to clearly see Jesus. Our sins prevent us from seeing Jesus as well as we ought. In fact, when we sin, we turn away from the face of Jesus. As the man born blind came to Jesus to be healed and to be able to see, if we come to Jesus in the sacrament of mercy (confession), to be healed of our sins we will see and know Jesus more clearly.
I am firmly convinced that we have no idea of the enormous graces God gives us when we receive the sacrament. One way I like to think about it is that as we confess our sins the blood of Jesus flows over us from Calvary and cleanses us. In the sacrament we receive not only forgiveness, but strength for living the Christian life.
Jesus told St. Faustina, “There (in Confession) the greatest miracles take place and are incessantly repeated. It suffices to come with faith to the feet of my representative and to reveal to him one’s misery and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. When you go to confession, know this, I myself am waiting for you in the confessional; I am only hidden by the priest, but myself act in the soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of Mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great there is no limit to my generosity.” “I desire the confidence of my people. Let not even the weak and very sinful fear to approach me, even if their sins be as numerous as all the sand of the earth all will be forgiven in the fathomless pit of my mercy.”
I would suspect most people have not thought about confession in the way Jesus spoke to St. Faustina.
During this season of Lent may I suggest we go to the Pool of Siloam (the confessional) to wash our spiritual eyes so we can see Jesus clearly. Most every parish continues to offer confession even when there is currently no public Masses.
I would like to close with the words from St. Paul, “Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Live as children of the light, for light produces every goodness and righteousness and truth.” When we go to Confession we will see the light, we will see Jesus who is light.
3rd Sunday of Lent - The Samaritan Woman
In the Gospel today Jesus has a personal conversation with the Samaritan woman. It was unusual for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan woman, especially a woman who was a stranger. She was considered to be a great sinner because she had five husbands.
But the woman's faith and love was destined to grow: Jesus spoke of a "living water" able to quench thirst completely and become "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" in her; furthermore, He showed her He knew about her personal life; He revealed that the hour had come to worship the one true God in spirit and in truth; and in the end He confided to her -- something incredibly rare -- He is the Messiah. In all of these ways Jesus quenches her thirst for knowledge, her thirst for faith and ultimately her thirst for Jesus. And yet Jesus was thirsting for her faith in Him and thirsting to be loved with a pure love based upon respect, reverence and adoration.
In this subtle conversation, He helps her to understand that her thirst for love, was in all the wrong places and His personal encounter with her helps her to discover a love she had never known before.
Through His divine knowledge, Jesus reveals He knew the woman had been married 5 times and was now with her 6th man. But Our Lord helps her find a love not based upon physical intimacy but unconditional love, (divine intimacy) only Jesus, as God, can give. She had been thirsting for true love, but didn’t know where or how to find it, but Jesus reveals it to her. Jesus Himself will quench her thirst. And by her willingness to love Jesus in return, she quenches the thirst of Jesus.
Years ago, when I was an associate priest in a parish, I met a non-baptized woman, who had been married 5 times and who was now with her sixth man, similar to the woman at the well in today’s Gospel. The sixth man was different than her past husbands. He was Catholic, who was married once before and had custody of his children. It took a toll on this woman who had 5 previous husbands. She suffered greatly from the stress and pain of all those broken relationships. She was fearful of marrying again, but was thirsting to be loved in a way she had never known. She told me, she finally found the man, who loved her in a way she wanted to be loved. What set him apart from the other men, was he was Catholic who lived by his faith. He had told her he didn’t want to have sexual relations with her until they would first get married in the Catholic Church. She was inspired by his faith, a faith, she had never known. He was a man who worshipped God in spirit and in truth.
She realized she was not only thirsting to be loved and respected by a man, she was thirsting for something even greater than a man could give. She was thirsting for God. She was thirsting for faith. Her parents never took her to church and she didn’t know much about God. She was so inspired by his desire to live out his faith, she wanted to become Catholic. She wanted to receive the gift of the waters of baptism, so her sins would be washed away and the Blessed Trinity could dwell within her. When she attended Mass with Him, she began to hunger for Jesus in Holy Communion. She went through RCIA and was able to get all 5 annulments. At the Easter Vigil she was baptized receiving the life giving water, which made her a child of God. She made her first Holy Communion and was Confirmed. Later that summer, they were married in the Catholic Church.
She received all she wanted and even more. Her thirst was quenched by Jesus, through the life giving grace of the sacraments. She came to understand the true meaning of love. And Jesus’ thirst for union with her, was quenched when she was baptized and began to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion. The two lonely hearts found each other and quenched each other’s thirst.
Some search from bar to bar for someone who will truly love them, but as the country song goes, “I was searching for love in all the wrong places. Searching for love in too many faces. Hoping to find a friend and a lover. God will bless the day I discover another heart, looking for love.”
Just as wayward hearts are searching to be loved, so there is a divine Heart beating and searching for love. This divine Heart of Jesus beating in the Eucharist is searching for lovers to be united to His Heart in Holy Communion.
Today, let us pray for wayward hearts, searching for love in the desert of this world. May they discover the deepest longing of their hearts, Jesus, as their friend and lover, so that God will bless the day they discover a Divine Heart searching for love.
2nd Sunday of Lent - Year A- Transfiguration
In today’s Gospel, Jesus took Peter, James and John up a very high mountain and it was there He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and His clothes became dazzling white.
The extra ordinary incredible event would be something the three apostles would never forget. But, why would Jesus reveal the magnificence of His glory to them? He told them they were not to tell anyone until after He had been raised from the dead. These words of Our Lord indicate He will die, but that He would be raised from the dead. By seeing the glory of His transfiguration before His death, it would help them to endure the upcoming tragedy of the Cross, because they would look forward to Him being raised from the dead and they would behold His glorified body.
Perhaps God is calling us to contemplate the transfiguration-- and the glory and joy of heaven, because of the great suffering every one of us will experience in the future, ---our own suffering and death. Yet no one knows the day nor the hour when it will come. Intuitively, all of us will have heartaches in the future. Most likely one of our loved ones will die, (whether it’s a parent, brother or sister, or even a child) and we will have to go through that time of trial and suffering. And at those times, we need to remember the glories of the past and glories to come.
With what’s going on the world, its possible greater suffering than we are experiencing can come in the future. A future Christian persecution is truly imminent. The abortion issue in the US could end up causing violence against the pro-life movement and especially Catholics, who are the leaders of the pro-life movement--- because the pro-death movement is losing. The coronavirus and other diseases can cause panic and deaths.
There is chaos in the Catholic Church due to confusion caused by a lack of clarity from the papacy, as well as bishops and priests who should be proclaiming the truth but afraid to do so.
Today, there is so much suffering, so much fear and anxiety because of the events of the world. Yet, the transfiguration of Jesus gives us courage in the midst of suffering and tragedy. Jesus shows us that if we contemplate the glory of heaven now, when trials and tribulations come, we will have peace. We will trust. We will have hope. No matter what goes on around us, if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and fixed on heaven, we will not be afraid and we will not lose our peace.
Recall the words of St. Paul with regard to heaven, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man those things that God has prepared for those who love Him.” Imagine what heaven will be like. No more fears, no suffering, no pain, no temptations, no sin. Think of the love that awaits you. Think of the calm, the peace, the joy, the splendor and the light. In heaven there is no night, no heat, no cold, no sickness. There is neither death nor no old age. Above all think about the everlasting presence of God and possessing Christ Himself.
Think about being with and talking with those who have gone before us. Think of the angels and the saints. And will see the most glorious things and learn about the most wonderful things. We will experience eternal happiness and rest because we will have kept our eyes on Jesus, and our heart fixed on the glory that is to come. Such that no matter what suffering comes our way, we will hope, we will trust, and we will have peace.
Praying the Rosary, while meditating on the Mysteries of Light (the luminous mysteries), we will contemplate the fourth mystery- the Transfiguration. When we pray the Rosary, our Blessed Mother gives us peace. When we contemplate the mysteries of the Rosary, Mary helps us to keep our eyes on Her Son, so that we gaze upon the glory of His face when pondering His life, death and resurrection. And it will prepare us for the glory of heaven, where we will see Him as He is-- in all His beauty—in all His glory and in all His majesty.
1st Sunday of Lent Year A "The Great American Temptation to Greed"
In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes out into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days and there he is tempted by the devil. The first reading from Genesis and also the Gospel reveal Adam and Jesus were tempted in the three same ways. First--Adam was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree. Second--He was tempted to vain glory “your eyes will be opened”. His third temptation was to the height of pride “you will be like gods”.
Jesus was tempted with food—to change a rock into bread to satisfy is hunger from fasting. He was to tempted to vain glory ---to show off His power—by jumping off a cliff. His third temptation was the desire worldly riches and fame to have all the kingdoms of the world, so as to hold God in contempt.
What I would like to do is focus on the third temptation. For Adam it was the desire to be like gods and for Jesus it was the temptation for worldly riches and honor by holding God in contempt.
The great American temptation is greed. It has been with our country since the beginning. Why did the many pioneers go west? They were told there was rivers of gold. That was the great American gold rush. Most were sadly disappointed and ended up living a life of poverty off the great frontier with harsh winters and blistering summers.
Then came Hollywood with all the glamor. Americans began to desire the wealth of the rich and famous. The movies with luxurious homes and the rich made millions of Americans envious. Commercials highlighting fancy cars and vacation spots made it seem like being wealthy was so fun.
The oil rush became popular especially when oil barons began to drill wells due to the need for gasoline for cars. Poor men, who invested in oil wells were suddenly rich. Do you remember the sitcom called the Beverly Hill Billie’s with Jed, Jethro, Grannie and Ellie Mae? They showed us how they cared less for the luxury of things despite their wealth obtained by striking it rich with oil. One day Jed was shooting at some food and out from the ground came buffalo crude, oil that is, Texas tea. They loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly Hills. And continued to live their poor life in the midst of wealth.
In the US, first came casinos in Nevada and then later casinos on Indian reservations and now in they’re in many states. Millions buy lottery tickets every day with the hope of striking it rich. They think money will solve life’s problems, but the truth is actually opposite. It actually causes more problems more stresses and ruined marriages. Most who won the lottery regret ever winning it. In 2004, Sharon Tirabassi, a single mother who had been on welfare, cashed a check from the Lottery and Gaming Corp. for more than $10 million dollars. She spent her winnings on a "big house, fancy cars, designer clothes, lavish parties, exotic trips, handouts to family, loans to friends," and in less than a decade she was back "riding the bus, working part-time, and living in a rented house."
The average American is sunk deep in debt, so deep, they can’t get out of it. Why is that the case? For the most part, it’s because people have given into the temptation to greed and live beyond their means. They take out loans for expensive new cars, charge their credit cards to the max and pay outrageous interest rates. They purchase large homes with high monthly payments and at the end of the day can hardly pay for food on their table. And it’s all because of some false notion of wanting to live a luxurious life—a temptation from the devil.
By contrast, my grandmother was so poor, she raised her family of 5 children in a two bedroom house and after her husband died and her children moved out, she closed off door ways of the living room and a bedroom with blankets to prevent a loss of heat in the winter and to keep the other rooms cool in summer to save money on her gas and electric bill.
My father lived the same way. He never owned a new car. He always said it was a waste of money. When a new car is purchased, the following year, you can lose $2000 due to depreciation alone. The following years it can lose a $1000 a year. So in the first 5 years, you can literally throw away $6000 due to depreciation. A different way of purchasing a car is to take a used car to a mechanic and have him look it over and you can end up saving thousands of dollars and pay much less on car insurance.
Think about this for a minute with regard to wasting money. Suppose someone drinks pop or beer every day and you smoke one pack of cigarettes a day. It could cost you $10 a day and if you gave up cigarettes and pop or beer-- you would save $3650 a year. I know some very poor people who could use that money to pay their gas and electric bills.
Today, let us examine the hidden sin we ignore (greed) and how the devil tempts us to riches and fame just as he tempted Adam and Jesus. Let us not forget every good thing we have comes from God and may we be thankful to Him for all we have. And may turn to Jesus to help us to overcome this temptation, by humbly accepting the limitations of our life trusting the Lord will take care of all our needs, just as the Holy Family, who lived a life of poverty and yet were blessed with peace and happiness.
Ash Wednesday 2020
At the beginning of Lent, on Ash Wednesday, ashes are blessed during Mass, after the homily. The blessed ashes are then "imposed" on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality. We remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return.
The 40 days of Lent commemorates the 40 days of Jesus in the desert, when He battled against the devil and fasted without eating or drinking anything. In honor of our Lord’s fasting, the Church wants us to Fast, Pray and give Alms.
Many people will ask, “What are giving up for Lent?” Yet, Jesus tells us to keep our fasting, almsgiving and prayer secret. Many will fast from pop, candy, chocolate and desert or maybe they won’t snack between meals. Some may be even more courageous and give up watching television. Some may fast from excessive use of smart phones, not allowing them to control one’s life. One of the most pleasing things we can do for God is to be faithful to our daily duties. Or if we work, we can do the best we can at our jobs, to be joyful and to bring a smile to the work place.
On Fridays of Lent, and on Ash Wednesday, we don’t eat meat. Today and Good Friday, we are to Fast--eating only one meal and two small meals that don’t equal one meal. Fasting purifies our body and our soul and is a powerful way to overcome temptations by the devil.
Fasting from sin, and going to confession often during Lent, we will turn away from sin, and have a conversion of heart. I encourage you to work on one particular sin during Lent and try to conquer it.
In addition to fasting, the Church calls us to pray more. Anyone can stop by a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel and spend time with Jesus in prayer. If you bring your family to the adoration chapel once a week for 30 minutes and pray the rosary together as a family at home.
We are to give alms, which means to give money to the poor,-- or to the needy or-- to the church. By helping the poor, we are helping Jesus, who said, “When I was hungry, you gave me food. When naked you clothed me.”
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, help you and inspire you to make this Lent a sacrificial time, of penance and self-denial and may the ashes you receive, remind you that one day, your life will end--- and your body will turn to dust, and when you go to your judgment, you will be able to look back at your life and rejoice-- because you revealed your love for God and neighbor during the Lent we are now entering.
7th Sun. OrdinaryTime Our Body is a Temple of the Lord
St. Paul said, “Do you not know you are temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are is holy.”
Through baptism original sin is washed away and we become temple of the Lord. God dwells in us through baptism. That is why our body is holy—God makes it holy because He dwells within us. When we pray, have can close your eyes and imagined what is true, God is within our heart.
Every Catholic Church has God dwelling in the tabernacle. There is a difference between God dwelling in our heart through baptism and God dwelling in the Eucharist. The difference is the Eucharist is the physical presence of Jesus. The Eucharist is the resurrected body of Jesus. Whereas God dwelling in our heart through baptism is only spiritual. And God can and will depart our body when we commit a mortal sin. God does not dwell in the heart of a person, who commits mortal sin. We force Him to leave. So it is very important to keep the temple of our body in the state of grace, so God can continue to dwell in us and act through us and give us His love and consolation. When we receive Communion, the Lord’s physical body comes to dwell within us until it is assimilated into our body.
We can harm the temple of our body. Here are just a few of the many ways we can harm out body: taking a pen or pencil and writing on the palm of our hand and treating our hand as though it was paper. Our hand is not paper, it’s a living thing, created by God; over eating food can cause diabetes and high blood pressure; by smoking we can get COPD, emphysema & heart problems; we live a shorter life and can get cancer (my father, my uncle and a brother in law all died from lung cancer due to smoking; excessive alcohol can diminish the ability to reason. To purposely get intoxicated is a mortal sin. Getting drunk can cause severe liver damage. Tattoos inject ink into our bodies, excessive piercing of ears, piercing of the tongue and nose can cause infections; vasectomies or tubal ligations mutilate the body and tell God no-- to children.
Birth control pills increase risk of breast cancer by over 40% if it is taken before a woman delivers her first baby. The risk increases by 70% if the Pill is used 4 or more years before the first child is born. Other side effects include high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, heart attack, depression, weight gain. It’s also mortally sinful.
Marijuana is becoming legal but it is sinful because it causes poor judgements. Cocaine and meth and other drugs can cause addiction, brain damage and mental problems.
Murder, abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research destroys life. Even pornography and lustful thoughts is an abuse against the body, because it views the body as an object of pleasure, rather than having reverence and respect for the body. Steroids used for body building and excessive exercise can harm the body.
The worst we can do to our body is suicide by killing our self. Due to mental illness or addiction culpability can be diminished. So, we should not judge people who committed suicide. Judgement belongs to God alone.
Yet, the best way to use our body is to use it self-lessly. To lay down our life for another person. Husbands and wives make the total gift of their body to their spouse. It is a mutual total self-gift that gives life and by God’s power they participate in creating life, rather than destroying it. Soldiers who died or were wounded for the sake of their country, and martyrs who died for Jesus and for their faith, reveal the depths of love, which is an imitation of the love of Jesus on the Cross. Our Lord gave His life, that we may have life and have it abundantly with Him in heaven.
Sins can hurt our body even if it’s not a physical assault on the body. Here is an example. I know a marriage counselor and his wife who had serious marital problems, but by turning to the Lord for help, their marriage became strong and were able to help couples with difficult marriages. He said one day a woman came to him and said, “I need a pill to help me with my anxiety and depression. I can’t sleep at night.” He said, “How do you and your husband get a long?” She said, “We fight all the time and he is thinking of divorcing me. I am having an affair with another man.” He said, “Lady, stop committing adultery, go to confession and then come back in a month.” She came back a month later and said, “I am no longer depressed. I no longer have anxiety. I sleep good. I went to confession and my husband and I are talking again.” This true story reveal sin cause us mental and physical difficulties.
The Lord waits in confession to heal our brokenness and our sins. There is no such thing as a lost cause. Anyone can receive God’s infinite mercy and start anew. We entrust those who have made wrong decisions to the mercy of God. We pray for them and we love them despite their human condition. If we live a good moral life, and treat our body as a temple of the Lord, we will live a longer and happier life. Our body does not belong to us, it belongs to God because God created it. We are stewards of our bodies.
Jesus used His body as an instrument of salvation for us. His body on the Cross and His body in the Eucharist saves us. By His suffering and death on the Cross, we are set free from sin and the gates of heaven are opened. The pain we suffer in our body can be a source of grace for us and for others, if we unite our suffering to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross. Our Lord promises those who eat His Body and drink His Blood will live forever. If we give reverence, honor and worship to the Lord’s resurrected body in the Eucharist, how blessed we will be to receive His body into our hearts, that He may give us His infinite love and prepare us for our the heavenly temple, where God dwells and the angels and saints bow down and worship the Most Holy Trinity. On the last day, the day of the Resurrection, all those in heaven and on earth will receive new resurrected immortal bodies. And those who are in hell, they too will receive a resurrected body, but their bodies will be tortured for all eternity. Let us respect our body and see it as God’s temple, that we may use our body to do good deeds, to self-lessly give our self away.
6th Sunday Ordinary TIme "You are Mine"
There is a battle going on in the lives of each of us. A battle between good and evil. At the end of that battle in the next life we will Jesus say, “You are mine” or will Satan say, “You are mine.” There are temptations of evil all around us, but we can take the side of Jesus in the battle for our lives.
In the Gospel today, Jesus warns us to have nothing to do with evil. He said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better to for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members, than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.”
Obviously, Our Lord did not want us to literally tear out our eye or to cut off our hand. Jesus was using a hyperbole, which is a way to exaggerate something in order to make a strong point. In another words, Jesus wants us to do everything possible—to avoid the occasion of sin, so as not to be eternally separated from His everlasting love.
Today, there are many ways which our eyes and hands, can come in contact with occasions of sin, such as the television, the Internet, and movies. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said this-- about the television, she said, “we have a tabernacle to Jesus in the Church and we have a tabernacle to Satan in the home.”
It’ so easy to just sit down, turn on the television, take the remote control and there we stare and gaze at whatever comes out of that box. And the same is true with the Internet. We sit down, turn on the computer and as we surf the internet, we can never expect what we will happen to see. Isn’t it the same with movies? With a rented video or at a movie theater, we know not what we are going to hear and to see.
From the TV, the Internet, movies, the devil wants us to hear people taking the Lord’s name in vain, to see immodest and sexual images, murders and violence and all sorts of things that the devil wants us to use to tempt us.
Some today, watch soap operas, but what are they really watching. They see men and women having affairs, tantalizing images to seduce the mind. Young men and women, who have relations before marriage.
Does God want us to see these things? Jesus said, “It is better to tear out your eye, and cut off your hand, than to be thrown into Gehenna”. My dear people, Gehenna is hell.
Jesus wants us to be faithful to Him! To love Him! To turn away from sin, to avoid the occasions of sin, by taking drastic measures.
If we cannot discipline our self to avoid all television shows, which offend God, and which can separate us from His love, then we need to tear out the cable. If we cannot discipline our self to get a filter for our computer, which will block out all sinful images, then we need to cut off what we see-- by disconnecting the Internet.
At the end of our life, who will say to us, “Be Mine”, Jesus, or Satan?
This is a good question to ponder Valentine’s Day, which was this past Friday. Who will we give our love, to Satan, or to Jesus? Who will we give our heart, to Satan or to Jesus?
Deep within the human heart people want to be loved and to give love. Unfortunately, some turn to false love and false pleasures, by what Mother Teresa calls, Satan’s tabernacle (TV and the Internet). We can’t give our love to a glass screen and a box with wires! We can’t receive love from a movie, or a television program, or an image. We receive love from people, we give our love to people, especially to the person of Jesus.
Today, here in this church there is a lonely heart, seeking your love. Today, here in this church, is a lonely heart longing for you to come to be with Him. Today, here in this church and in every Catholic Church in the world, there is a Heart, crying out, “I thirst for your love”.
Where can your heart meet, the Heart of the one, who loves you? In the Eucharist, there love is waiting and longing to come into your heart. There in the Holy Communion, the two hearts will become one, each beating wildly out of love for the other. Your heart one with the Heart of Jesus, in the Sacrament of Love.
And when you are lonely, and long to be loved, come here to the church, come to Jesus in our Adoration Chapel. When you come to be with Jesus, your lonely heart will be united to His lonely Heart and just perhaps, from the silence of your heart, you will hear His voice whisper, “I love you with an everlasting love, I love you, because you are mine!”
Homily partially taken from Msgr. Joe Pelligrino
5th Sunday Salt & Light
In the Gospel today, Jesus said “You are the salt of the earth, But if salt goes flat it is good for nothing…” Our Lord also said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Jesus uses metaphors of light and salt to explain the importance of living our life as a Christian. Salt seasons (adds flavor), it preserves, it heals, and it burns. Lights reveals good works.
Salt Seasons – Christians are called to add spice to life, to bring beauty, joy and hope to the world. Joy is the surest sign of a Christian. Even our keeping of the Commandments is a source of joy as we experience God’s power to put sin to death in us and bring forth order, self-discipline and holiness. Hope too ought to distinguish us from a world that is often cynical and wallows in sin. To this world, we are not only to declare that the Commandments are possible to live and bring joy, but to demonstrate it in our very lives. We are to be zesty, passionate, alive and free from sin in Christ. Yet sadly, too many Christians are not spicy, do not really add flavor, but are more like bored believers, depressed disciples, or fearful faithful.
Look at what spicy things our Catholic faith has contributed in the world: Art, music, churches, hospitals, universities, the scholastic and scientific methods. Note how our tradition and Scriptural teaching of justice mercy, love, and the dignity of the human person has blessed the world.
Salt Preserves – Before refrigeration, people often used salt to cure or persevere meat. The salt killed the bacteria and other microorganisms that caused rot and decay. We as Christians are called to prevent further decay in this sinful world. The truth we proclaim is meant to preserve people from the decay of sin. Chastity, justice, generosity, the proclamation of the truth, and so forth, are like a salt that preserves this world from decay. As Christians we proclaim the dignity of life from the moment of conception until natural death. In a world immersed in promiscuity, we proclaim, purity, chastity and abstinence. In a world which thinks life is worth as to how much a person is useful, as Catholics we believe life is worthy living for the handicapped, elderly, unborn and poor. As the world promotes homosexuality, Catholics proclaim the beauty of marriage is only between a man and woman. The world promotes infidelity, but we proclaim the indissolubility of marriage. The world thinks the government is the source of stability, but we proclaim the family is the center and foundation of society. The world disregards conscience and religious beliefs, but we proclaim religious freedom is a gift from God, not from man. In a world life is not protected, we proclaim abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research are serious offenses against God and that every life is sacred. We proclaim God’s mercy is for every sinner. By proclaiming what we believe, we reveal God’s compassion for the weakest and most vulnerable. His love of the poor, the elderly and marginalized. In short our Catholic faith preserves all that is good, all that is beautiful and all that is holy.
Salt Heals – In the ancient world salt was used on wounds. It helped stop bleeding, it killed bacteria and prevented further infection. So too the Christian faith. Through our doctrinal and moral teaching, and our living of it, we are called to bring healing to this world wounded by sin, strife, war, jealousy, anger, bitterness, retribution, promiscuity, unfaithfulness, greed, and countless errors. The Word of God and His plan is a healing medicine for what ails this world. We proclaim God’s infinite mercy which heals the soul through forgiveness.
Salt Burns – Yes, salt stings when applied to wounds. We Christians aren’t just sugar and spice and everything nice. When salt is applied to wounds it burns and often causes pain. The truth stings, and the truth of the Gospel can be irritating to a world that is wounded by sin. But, despite the protests of our world, the sting is a healing sting. It is driving out the bacteria and disease of the world and preventing further infection. Just because people protest the Church and howl in complaint at the truth of the Gospel, does not mean we have done anything wrong. The protests often mean we are doing exactly what we must.
For salt to be effective, we have to get out of the shaker! Too many Christians are bold in the pew, but cowards in the world. They will speak of the faith in the security of the Church and among certain friends. But don’t ask them to proclaim what we believe to their spouse, co-worker, or children or to speak freely about our faith at the local shopping center or stand in front of an abortion clinic.
But salt in the shaker is useless. It has to come out of the shaker to make any difference. We have to shake the salt shaker. Witnessing to fellow Christians may have a limited benefit, but it is not really the true destination of salt. The salt has to go forth and scatter it everywhere. We are to bring Jesus to others and help others to know and love Jesus.
Christians are called to transform the world bringing the light of Christ to the world by their witness and proclamation of the Gospel. And those who are homebound and suffering in the hospital are beacons of light. They witness to the beauty of suffering. That pain is powerful when united to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross. Their gift to the world is to reveal the suffering Jesus to others and that suffering is redemptive. Suffering purifies their soul and can be offered to Jesus for the conversion of souls. Many walls of St. Francis are painted white which reflect the light in the halls and rooms. But how much brighter are the souls of those who suffer with Jesus and transform the world by their willingness to embrace their cross. And those who care for the patients are witnessing to the love of God the Father and so from the hospital is a spiritual light emanating as a beacon in a world of darkness.
When the priest says “the Mass is ended go in peace”, he might as well be holding up a salt shaker and shaking it. What the priest is really saying is “Please pass the salt” “And spread it all over the place”. Add flavor to the world in which you live. If each of us shook the salt shaker and began to spread the salt of the Gospel, how beautiful it would be in the places we live, work and in our homes and in our family.
Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
By being salt and light, what all of us are doing is revealing the love and compassion of the Father and this is how we give glory to Him.
Today, let us choose to be good Christians, by “turning on the light” and “passing the salt”. Because if we don’t, we will be good for nothing and stumble in the dark, when we could be adding spice to the lives of others, and shining the light to heaven, helping all to come to know and love Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, so as to help them obtain eternal life.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, give us the grace to be faithful Christians by “passing the salt” and “turning on the light”, so as to give glory to God the Father.
Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Mosaic Law prescribed 40 days after the birth of their first-born child-- parents should go to the Temple of Jerusalem to offer the infant to the Lord and for the ritual purification of the mother.
After giving birth, women were considered impure and in need of purification, as though it was sinful to give birth. They were to make a sin offering, such as two turtle doves to atone for the impurity and restore women to purity.
No way would the Blessed Virgin Mary need purification because She because She was conceived without sin and because She never once sinned in Her life--- and because the manner in which She gave birth was miraculous, not the ordinary way. Yet, out of obedience to the law, Mary did what was prescribed by the law. She humbly submitted to the Law out of obedience. Mary and Joseph also fulfilled this rite, offering to comply with the law a couple of turtle doves or pigeons.
In the temple, Simeon offers the Child to God, as a sacrifice. It is the first born son, which means the Child is dedicated to the service of the Lord. The Child is being offered by the priest to God the Father.
This is symbolic because Jesus the High Priest, will offer Himself to the Father on the Cross for our salvation. Simeon, in fact, proclaimed Jesus as the "salvation" of humanity, a "light" for all the nations.
Simeon and Anna met Jesus in the Temple and recognized Him as the long awaited Messiah, which represents humanity that encounters its Lord in the Church.
Today’s feast is a symbol of light and the procession with candles which gave rise to the term "Candlemas" developed. This visible sign is intended to mean that the Church encounters in faith the One who is "the light of men" and in order to bring this "light" into the world.
With His glorious entry into the Temple, the sword of sorrow predicted for Mary announces Christ’s perfect oblation on the Cross, which will impart the salvation God has “prepared in the presence of all peoples”. And so, as the Light came in the world, and departed the world, the tears of His Mother fell upon the ground in sorrow.
If we recall, that in the Temple was the Holy of Holies and within the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant. Only the High priest on special occasions, could enter the Holy of Holies. Near the Holy of Holies was the cloud of glory, which guided the people of Israel to the Promised Land. However, God was unhappy with the Jewish people and so had taken away the cloud of glory and so at the time of Jesus, there was no cloud of glory in the temple.
When the Infant Jesus is presented in the temple, something greater than the Ark of Covenant is now in the temple. Something greater than the cloud is now in the temple, it is physical presence of God Himself. God has come to His temple in form of a baby. God has revealed Himself as a little Child, to be worshipped, adored and loved.
Who could be afraid of a child? The people feared entering the presence of God, especially because the cloud revealed the glory of God. But now, God can be held in the arms of man. The cloud is now the flesh of child. The flesh of a baby, hides the glory of God, so that man would no longer be afraid to come to God. Now everyone could see God in the face of Jesus.
Yet, later when the Child is an adult, He will declare His own body the temple. And in three days, after it is destroyed on the Cross, He will rebuild it, at His Resurrection.
The new temple is therefore the body of Christ, the Church. From the Church, Jesus the Light of all the nations, saves humanity, through the sacraments. Through baptism, the darkness of sin is washed away. Through confession, the light of Christ conquers personal sin. Through Holy Communion, Jesus comes into the temple of our hearts and then we become the light to the nations. Our good deeds, our holy life, our love for God and neighbor shines through us.
The presentation of Jesus in the temple is a reminder, He who we receive in Holy Communion, is the light, reveals Himself to the nations and glory of the people of Israel through us. May His light shine in the temple of our hearts and so reveal Himself to the world through us.
Today, the cloud of glory is the Eucharist. Through faith, we see the face of Jesus in the Eucharist. We need not be afraid to offer ourselves to the Father at Mass in union with the sacrifice of Jesus on the altar. We need not be afraid to come Jesus in the adoration chapel, and behold the glory of God hidden in the Eucharist. May the Virgin Mary help us to receive Her Son worthily in Holy Communion, Adore Him in Adoration and allow His light to shine through us into a world of darkness.
4th Sunday Beatitudes
This weekend, the Gospel is the Sermon on the Mount. A large crowd of people gathered on the top of mountain to hear Jesus speak in a way they had never heard before. Our Lord preached the Eight Beatitudes. In this sermon He taught something new in the world. Where people had always striven for riches, honors, and pleasures, Christ praised the poor, the humble, the suffering.
If we practice faithfully the doctrine of the eight beatitudes, we shall find the true path of perfection and be happy on earth. The Beatitudes contain in substance the law of God and all evangelical perfection.
“Blessed are the poor in Spirit”— To be poor in spirit means that we come to understand and accept-- we truly own nothing because all we have is a gift from God. This beatitude reminds us to follow the stewardship way of life. As a steward of God’s gifts, we should use our time, talent and treasure as God desires. Am I giving my time, talent and treasure as well as I ought to help others who could benefit from the gifts God has given me? When I become aware of my intelligence, wealth, success, gifts and talents-- do I give God the credit. If I have a financial hardship do I trust God to take care of all my needs and abandon myself to His care?
“Blessed are those who mourn”— As Christians we are to comfort those who suffer, especially the loss of a loved one. We should attend funerals and comfort those who mourn. We should pray for those who have died and offer Masses for the repose of their soul. We should also comfort those who go through difficult situations, such as illness, tragedies, divorce or family hardship. We should listen to teens and support them during their difficult time as they mature into adulthood.
“Blessed are the meek”--- If we have a problem with anger or impatience, we should work on the virtue of meekness. To be meek means we control our anger and impatience. Most of the time, we become angry or impatient because we do not want to accept suffering associated with the anger or impatience. To be meek one needs to be willing to embrace one’s cross and to be willing to suffer with love.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” ---How many of us wake up in the morning and pray to Jesus, “I want to become a saint!” “I desire to be holy and virtuous!” We can grow in holiness by coming to daily Mass, going to confession weekly or monthly, praying the Rosary everyday, daily reading a paragraph from one of the Gospels and meditating on the life of Jesus and spending an hour with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. If you want to hunger and thirst for righteousness, wake up every morning and pray, “Jesus, help me to become a saint!”
“Blessed are the merciful”— First, we should show mercy toward others, especially our own family and friends, who may have hurt us. It’s not easy to forgive someone who has deeply hurt us, especially spouses and ex-spouses. We are to forgive those who trespass against us. In addition to showing mercy by forgiving, we can practice the 7 corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, cloth the naked, visit the sick, visit prisoners, shelter the homeless and bury the dead. Or the 7 spiritual works of mercy: pray for the living and the dead, counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowing, convert sinners, instruct the ignorant, patiently bear adversity, and forgive others. You can choose to become an Apostle of Mercy, not only praying for mercy when you pray the Chaplet of Mercy, but also by giving mercy to others.
“Blessed are the clean of heart”—This beatitude calls us to have a pure heart, by looking at others as persons. This beatitude will us attempt to overlook the faults of others and see Jesus in everyone. We will attempt to be pure in mind and body, avoiding all persons, places and things that can cause us to have impure thoughts and actions-- such as television, movies and inappropriate websites. We give up watching television, install an Internet Filter, and to go to confession frequently, especially if one suffers from frequent impure temptations.
“Blessed are the peacemakers”---This beatitude can help us work on family divisions and divisions in the work place, so that unity will prevail. Misunderstandings or disagreements may have caused strained relationships with family, friends and co-workers. To set down and calmly work things out—would not be easy, but if we ask God to help us become a peacemaker, He will help us.
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness” Catholics suffer persecution when we stand up for our faith. We can defend our faith among family members and co-workers, and talk about topics such as abortion, contraception, the Blessed Virgin Mary or the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
If we have a plan of life, based upon the Beatitudes, we can have a true conversion of heart, by turning away from sin, turning toward God and opening our heart to our neighbor.
And don’t forget to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to help. She is a good mother and will always watch over us and help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, who will help us to live the beatitudes, so that at the end of our life, we will enjoy the beatific vision of gazing upon God and living with God forever in heaven.
3rd Sunday- Abortion March for Life President Trump 2020
This past Friday was the March for Life. The Diocese of Wichita was very well represented with 14 bus loads mostly teens. President Trump was the first American president to attend the March for Life. Here are selected portions of his speech: “We are here for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential. For 47 years, Americans of all backgrounds have traveled from across the country to stand for life. Young people are the heart of the March for Life. And it’s your generation that is making America the pro-family, pro-life nation. All of us here understand an eternal truth: Every child is a precious and sacred gift from God. Together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life. When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation. When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world…. As the Bible tells us, each person is wonderfully made. Sadly, the far left is working to erase our God-given rights, shut down faith-based charities, ban religious leaders from the public square, and silence Americans who believe in the sanctity of life. Together, we are the voice for the voiceless. When it comes to abortion – and you know this, you’ve seen what’s happened – Democrats have embraced the most radical and extreme positions taken and seen in this country for years and decades, and you can even say, for centuries. Nearly every top Democrat in congress now supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up until the moment of birth. Last year, lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb right up until delivery. Then, we had the case of the Democrat governor in the state of Virginia, the commonwealth of Virginia. The governor stated that he would execute a baby after birth. You remember that. Senate Democrats even blocked legislation that would give medical care to babies who survive attempted abortions. To all the women here today, your devotion and your leadership uplifts our entire nation and we thank you for that. The tens of thousands of Americans gathered today not only stand for life – it’s really here that they stand for it so proudly together. And I want to thank everybody for that. You stand for life each and every day. You provide housing, education, jobs, and medical care to the women that you serve. You find loving families for children in need of a forever home. You host baby showers for expecting moms. You make – you just make it your life's mission to help spread God's grace. And to all the moms here today, we celebrate you and we declare that mothers are heroes. Your strength, devotion, and drive is what powers our nation. Because of you, our country has been blessed with amazing souls who have changed the course of human history. We cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. The dreams they will imagine. The masterpieces they will create. The discoveries they will make. But we know this: every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting. And above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God.”
The president said more about the defense of the unborn, than some bishops and priests in their homilies. The upcoming election is probably the most important election in our life. The election may determine the fate of Roe vs Wade. Sadly the Democratic party has embraced a pro-abortion agenda and the Republicans respect for the unborn.
How similar, when the Democratic Party in the past embraced slavery, while the Republican Party embraced human rights for blacks. On March 6, 1857, the Supreme ruled 7 to 2 in the Dred Scott case, that African Americans living in the United States — slaves as well as free persons — could never become citizens. The Democratic party and the Supreme Court believed blacks were sub-human and therefore had no rights.
The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become states and the result was the death of 620,000 Americans.
While there has not been a visible war in the past 47 years, there has been a war in womb, with the destruction of millions of children. Parents have hired people to kill their unborn children. Over 56 million children have died in the war in the womb, we need to stand up for them by praying, by fasting, by making our voices heard in our homes, offices, workplaces and in the voting booth bearing witness to everyone the beauty of life.
The Lord is infinitely merciful and understands the circumstances in our life, when we make terribly wrong decisions. God forgives and wants to heal the wounds caused by abortion. His love is everlasting. And He desires to give us His peace.
May the Virgin Mary, who carried the Son of God in Her womb for 9 months, gave birth to Him, held Him in Her arms and lived with Him for 30 years, help us to be a witness for life.
3rd Sunday - Abortion 2019
In the first reading, we hear Isaiah’s prophecy that the “people who walked in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown”.
Immediately after St. Matthew speaks about our Lord being the light in these regions of darkness and death, the next sentence Jesus is calls the people to “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Earth is covered with the darkness of sin and death due to the choice of many people; yet Heaven is about life, truth and love. And repentance clears away the darkness of sin, so that light of love can shine.
In our country we are in the midst of a war between the armies of good and evil, of light and darkness. We had the Civil War, then the battle to end slavery, battle for civil rights, the battle for freedom to vote, the battle for women’s rights, the battle for religious freedom and the battle for the respect for human dignity, especially the elderly and right to life for the unborn. In the battle for the unborn over 56 million children have died. Bishop Kemme said abortion is the greatest evil of our time and so it is the greatest cause for death and gloom.
Our hearts go out to the mothers and fathers who have been hurt by their tragic choices. Often times, they find themselves in a difficult situation in which there seems no way out. But there is hope and healing found in Jesus and His Church. There are many people who are willing to help girls who find themselves in a difficult situation. By helping young pregnant mothers, they are allowing the light of Jesus to shine through them. God is infinitely merciful and full of compassion and He uses people to reveal His mercy and compassion.
When some doctors discover an unborn child has Down syndrome or if the child has some sort of birth defect, they will encourage mothers to have an abortion. However, I am happy to say here at St. Joseph, we value the dignity of human life. Some children are born early or with medical problems and so cling to life by machines, medicine and especially by the love, care and prayers of the hospital workers.
Once I saw a Down Syndrome child walking with his grandfather. The child had the biggest smile, a smile of love. Many Down syndrome children know only love. When they smile, they light up the room. Each child is a light to the world. Every life comes from God and so God loves each person infinitely. God is the giver of life and only He has the right to take a life.
This election year, is probably one of the most important ones in our life time. The Democrats, as a party, have taken abortion as one of their platform issues. Republicans have taken the platform of pro-life. And since abortion is the pre-eminent issue, as Catholics we have a duty to vote for candidates who are pro-life. There is no more important issue than the right to life. We need to vote for life to save the lives millions unborn Americans.
To vote for a pro-abortion candidate, while the other candidate is pro-life is a serious sin requiring confession. Failing to help innocent children, when we are able, is a serious failure to love.
Jesus is the light of the world. He is light of the nations. In Him our future is bright. Jesus gave His life, to show His way of love. Our Lord told His disciples, “You are the light of the world”. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to help make disciples to spread the light of Christ. Jesus calls His disciples, to come to Him, who is the light and then to be a carrier of light. A carrier of His love. All Christians are sons and daughter of light. We are children of the light. Together with Jesus we are called to spread light in this world of darkness. As Christians we are called to share God’s love for every single person, to share God’s love for the elderly, the sick, the weakest and most vulnerable, especially children, and most especially unborn children.
Someday abortion in our country and in the world will end. Someday the dignity of every person from the unborn to the elderly will be respected. And when it does we will be able to repeat the words of Isiah and St. Matthew saying the “people who walked in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.”
2nd Sunday Ordinary Time (Lamb of God)
In the Gospel today, when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”
What does John the Baptist mean by Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world?
In the Old Testament, there was a time when priests would lay hands on a lamb or a goat in order to transfer the sins of the people to the lamb. Lambs were also offered as a sacrifice in order to atone for sins. Before the Hebrew people were freed from the slavery of the Egyptians, they were to kill a first born unblemished lamb and put its blood on the door posts. That night they were to eat the lamb and the angel of death would pass over the houses with the blood on the door posts, while the Egyptian first born sons and animals would die. This allowed the Hebrews to go to the Promised Land. Later, after the temple was built, the priests offered the sacrifice of the lambs to God on the altar. In the temple was the Holy of Holies containing the Ark of the Covenant containing the 10 Commandments, the rod of Aaron and manna from the desert.
Jesus is the sacrificial lamb, who takes away the sins of the world. The sins of all people in every generation are placed upon Jesus, the lamb, as He carries the Cross to Calvary. Rather, than blood on doorposts, Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, offers His blood on the wood posts of the Cross. He is the firstborn, unblemished lamb (who never sinned), who passes over from death to life, that all may pass from death to life in heaven.
The Holy Mass is the fulfillment of these prefigurements. Every Catholic Church is a temple, has an altar and the Holy of Holies, which is the tabernacle. In every Catholic Church we are in the presence of the new and everlasting covenant, the Eucharist. Jesus in the Eucharist is not manna, but the true bread from heaven. He is the shepherd who leads His flock with a rod to feed His flock. He brings about the new law and helps us to keep the 10 Commandments.
In every Catholic Church, at Mass, the priest offers the Sacrifice of Jesus, the sacrificial lamb-- to the Father-- in atonement for our sins. At Mass, we don’t eat the roasted flesh of a lamb. Rather, we eat the flesh of Jesus, the Lamb of God. The Holy Mass is the Passover meal, as we recall the words of Jesus who said, “If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will live forever.” If we eat the Eucharist, we will pass over death and life forever in the promised land of heaven.
This is why at Mass, we repeat the words of John the Baptist, three times, “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” This is why the priest elevates the Sacred Host saying, “Behold the Lamb of God, Behold Him, who takes away the sins of the world.” And then adding, “Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb”.
Every Catholic is offer their pain, their suffering, their works, their daily duties and their life on the altar. When we give our self as a sacrifice and all our pain and suffering on the altar with the bread and wine, Jesus accepts these gifts and offers them with His sacrifice and the gift of Himself to God the Father in atonement for our sins.
Today for those who are at Mass, give yourself to God with the bread and wine. Give yourself to Jesus for a particular intention, for someone whom you know needs special graces and gifts. You will become a fountain of grace for someone who needs Jesus in their life. How powerful and precious is your pain and suffering!
And so we pray: O Blessed Virgin, you who offered everything to your Son at the foot of the Cross, help us O Mother to give and to love. Help us to point to Jesus in the Eucharist, like John the Baptist pointed to Him and cry out, “Behold the Lamb of God, Behold Him, who takes away the sins of the world.”
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Year A, 2020
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Since Jesus is God and never had original sin, nor did He ever sin, why did He want John to baptize Him?
He wanted to give approval of John’s baptism. He did it as an example for us so that we would be baptized. He wanted to reveal the Blessed Trinity: the Father spoke about His beloved Son and the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove. When He was baptized, He made holy all water due to His sacred body being immersed. He did it as an example of humility for us and to show us, He was like us in all things, but sin.
Due to original sin, Adam and Eve, our first parents were driven out of paradise. They lost sanctifying grace, heaven was closed and they would suffer and sickness and death would enter into the world. But God promised a redeemer, who would crush the head of Satan restore mankind’s relationship. Thanks to Our Lord’s suffering, death and resurrection, when one is baptized, original sin and personal sin is washed away, our relationship with God is restored and we enter into the divine life of the Blessed Trinity. We become a child of God and member of the Church. God comes to dwell within our heart. We receive sanctifying grace.
Through baptism, we become a disciple of Jesus. He mandated the disciples baptize, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Today, some Catholics have fallen into the Protestant notion, a child should make up his or her own mind about baptism. However, because we want what’s best for our child’s soul and the best way to obtain salvation, we want to raise our child Catholic and be sure the child is baptized soon after baptism. Jesus gave His Church all that is necessary for salvation. So those who are members of the Church find it easier to obtain heaven.
The Church in the Catechism encourages parents to baptize infants: “All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of Holy Baptism.” The Catechism also tells us baptism of infants is an immemorial tradition, and there is explicit testimony from the 2nd century. St. Augustine about the year 400 indicates infant baptism came from the apostles. He said, "The custom of Mother Church in baptizing infants is certainly not to be scorned . . . nor is it to be believed that its tradition is anything except apostolic.”
What if someone says, “It’s up to my child whether or not to be baptized? He can make up his own mind”? Suppose 8 year old Johnny fell off his bike and broke his arm. Would we say to him, “You can decide for yourself if you want to go to the emergency room.” Or would we say to 15 year old Susie, “You can decide for yourself if you want to stay out all night with your boyfriend.” Would we tell our child, “You can decide for yourself if you want to be Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Catholic any other religion”? A child does not have the intellectual capacity to make these kinds of choices. If we make medical and moral decisions for children, shouldn’t we make the decision for them to be Christian, to come to know and believe in Jesus? We should want to share the beauty of our faith because we want what’s best for the child’s soul. We believe not all religions are the same and believe Jesus is the only Lord and Savior and not Buddha or Muhammad.
In an emergency situation when a priest or chaplain is not available, anyone (as long as they have the intention of doing what the Church desires) can baptize by pouring water three times on the head and using the words of Jesus. Say the name of the baby and “I baptize you, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Do not hinder them.” Matthew 19:14. St. Peter said: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to Him" (Acts 2:38-39). A document called The Apostolic Tradition written about the year 215AD states, “Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them."
Today, if a child is in danger of death, we should explain to the parents the beauty baptism: God will come to dwell within the heart of the baby, original sin will be washed away, the child will become a child of God, etc…
God the Father wants to say every person, no matter how small: “This is my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Let us ask the Virgin Mary, to help us to live out our promises of baptism and make disciples of all nations.
And since baptism is the door to the other sacraments and the gateway to heaven, we should not be afraid to help others to receive it, so that they too can have a deep and personal relationship with Jesus, who longs to dwell within their heart and help them to go to heaven.
EPIPHANY- Worship and Adore Each Particle of the Sacred Host
Today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The three wise men, Melchior, Balthazar and Gasper come from pagan countries following the star that leads them to the newborn King of the Jews. The Gospel states, “They prostrated themselves and did Him homage.” To prostrate means they laid flat on the ground in adoration, worship and reverence. They were Gentiles, yet God inspired them to worship the newborn king in adoration.
If Jesus would stand before us right now in front of the altar, in all His glory, we would most likely be compelled to show our deepest respect and we may even prostrate ourselves face down in adoration on the ground.
Today, the real physical Jesus, who walked the earth, who rose from the dead will come to us. First, He will come down upon the altar when the bread and wine are changed into His body and blood, then through the hands of the priest, we are able to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.
When we come into the church or leave the church, we are to show reverence to Jesus by genuflecting or bowing if we are unable to genuflect toward His true presence in the tabernacle. We kneel in adoration during the Consecration and when the Host is elevated above the altar. To genuflect or to kneel is a sign of adoration, which gives homage due to Jesus, who is God and King.
The Church requires we make a sign of reverence before receiving Holy Communion. Most bow, but we can genuflect if we want and some kneel before receiving Holy Communion. Churches used to have altar rails and people would kneel and then receive Communion on the tongue.
For many centuries Communion was never permitted on the hand. And even today, the ordinary way the Church intends for us to receive Communion is on the tongue. Each bishop can decide if permission is granted on the hand. In our diocese, we have the permission. But some diocese in the world do not allow it on the hand.
More and more churches are re-installing altar rails and more and more dioceses no longer give the permission. This is because when the Eucharist, is treated like ordinary food, by receiving on the hand, it negatively affects the faith of the people. Today, there is a severe lack of faith in the Eucharist. Many people no longer believe in the true presence.
Some think we are required to receive Communion on the hand, but this is false. The opposite is true, we are asked by the Church to receive on the tongue, but we have permission to receive on the hand. And if we receive on the hand, we should look for particles and consume them.
I strongly suggest you receive Jesus on the tongue. Because when Hosts are distributed at Mass, there are tiny particles that fall to the ground. This bag contains unconsecrated hosts, but when I put my hand in it, there are like particles, that remain on the hand. The Council of Trent taught each particle, no matter how small is the whole and entire person of Jesus. We are to give full adoration, worship, respect and homage to every particle, as God, no matter how small.
After the priest is finished distributing Communion, he pours water on his fingers over the chalice to remove particles. After an extra ordinary minister of Holy Communion gives out Communion, they wash the particles off their fingers in the little bowl called an ablution bowl. Do you wash the particles off of your fingers when you receive on the hand and touch the Host with your fingers? Why not?
When our judgement comes, the Lord will show each of us how many times we dropped Him on the ground because we received Communion in the hand. On this special day the three wise men prostrated themselves in adoration before the Divine Infant, ask your guardian angel, how to receive Holy Communion. Maybe your guardian angel will inspire you to love and worship every particle no matter how small, for truly each particle is our Savior, who is Christ the Lord. O Come Let us Adore Him. O Come Let us Adore Him- in the Sacred Host.
SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY-
The journey the wise men made to Bethlehem was not the only journey they made. They also made a journey from paganism to worshipping the Savior. Even after their death, their bodies made a journey to a new place. And today, our journey is from within our heart to allow our Savior and God to rule our lives as king and we worship Him in the Eucharist at every Holy Mass.
Although Matthew does not tell us the names of the wise men, in the West they have traditionally been given the names Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar.
Balthasar was from Ethiopia in Africa. He brought myrrh. A bitter perfume used in burial practices of Jews. It symbolizes the death of Jesus, and His body being anointed with myrrh for burial. Melchior, was from Persia, which is modern day, Iran. He brought Frankincense, which comes from aromatic oil, used by Jews to offer sacrifice. It is a symbol of prayer and sacrifice. Casper was from Tarsus. He was European, whose gift was gold. Gold is for a king, and symbolizes the Divinity of the Child Jesus, the newborn King. It is believed all three, although from different countries, providentially met on their journey to Bethlehem.
The wise men were not Jews, they were Gentiles, just as we are Gentiles. It is interesting God revealed the birth of the “newborn king of the Jews” to men who were not Jews. We might have expected God to reveal the birth of Jesus to his own Jewish people, but no, it was to people of a different religion and race God revealed the birth of Jesus. As our opening prayer today states, “Father, you revealed your Son to the nations by the guidance of a star.” Because Jesus came to save the whole world and not just his own Jewish Chosen People, God in his mercy chose to reveal the birth of Jesus “to the nations.”
The journey the wise made to Bethlehem was not the only journey they made. They also made a journey in their hearts from paganism to worshipping Jesus. They were not Jews; scholars tell us they were priests of an Eastern religion who consulted the stars (Zoroastrian priests).
Therefore we could say they were followers of some kind of pagan religion. Before they set out on their journey to Bethlehem to worship Jesus they were star-readers but they went on an interior journey from reading stars to worshipping Jesus as Savior. Their old way of life as astrologers when they consulted the stars before they came to belief in Jesus reminds us of those who look to horoscopes for guidance.
Horoscope readers need to ask themselves who is in charge of their life, the stars OR God? Believing the stars control our lives contradicts believing God is in charge of our lives. Remember the first commandment asks us not to have any strange gods. The fact God sometimes revealed the future to prophets or saints (Catechism of the Catholic Church §2115) shows that it is God and not the stars that control our destiny.
It is sinful to believe the stars control our destiny. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate power. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.” (§2116)
The wise men journeyed from that kind of life to worshiping Jesus as the Savior. The wise men’s journey of a thousand miles or more could have taken three months is really a symbol of the inward journey they made in their hearts, a journey from paganism to belief in Jesus as the Savior of the world. Not just the wise men but all of us are on a journey to get closer to Jesus our Savior. Our journey may not be from reading stars and consulting horoscopes but we each are called to allow Jesus be Lord of each part of our lives, not just when it suits us. We each have a journey to make to Jesus because none of us is yet fully converted and each of us has corners in our hearts and lives in need of Jesus’ healing and redemption. Like the wise men we too are relying on the grace of God to lead us to the light of Jesus our Savior.
If you ever visit Cologne Cathedral in Germany you can walk around the sanctuary and behind the main altar there is a large reliquary said to contain the bones or at least the skulls of the three wise men. “How did they get to Cologne?” The wise men’s bones are said to have been located in Persia and then brought to Constantinople by St. Helena. St. Helena was the mother of the emperor Constantine who was the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. The bones were transferred from Constantinople to Milan in the fifth century and to Cologne in 1163. So not only did the wise men journey during the lives but even after deaths their relics went on a journey.
Jesus came to save all people, Gentiles as well as the Jews. We pray all nations may come to know Jesus is the one Savior, that all nations may fall prostrate before Jesus.
Our Psalm today, which we may see as a prophecy of Jesus, describes the whole world adoring God, “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” It refers to kings all over the world offering gifts and the Lord’s kingdom stretching from sea to sea, covering the whole world.
Today people of every nation on earth have the opportunity of adoring Jesus during the Holy Mass. When the gifts of bread and wine are brought up in procession during the offertory, we have something more precious than gold, frankincense and myrrh to offer as gifts to the Lord. We can give our prayers, our sacrifices and the total gift of our self at Mass.
Something to consider is that the Magi and also the shepherds prostrated themselves before the Divine Infant. The Child Jesus, would have looked like any other child, but the shepherds came to know through the angels, Jesus is the Messiah and Savior. Likewise, the magi also came to know Jesus is King and is God, which is why they bowed down and worshipped Him.
At every Mass we bow down and worship God. It would have taken faith on the part of the shepherds and the magi, to give homage to Jesus, the newborn King. And it takes faith to believe Jesus, who is God, is really and truly present in the Eucharist. Though He appears to be bread, we believe the Sacred Host is really Jesus. That is why we adore the Eucharist. At Mass we kneel before the altar because we believe God Himself becomes present on the altar. When the Host is elevated above the altar, we gaze in adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is also why we genuflect when we come inside the church and when we leave church, because almighty God is truly present in the tabernacle. This is also why we bow our heads or make the sign of the Cross before we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. This why incense is sometimes used at Mass to remind us we are worshipping God. These are external signs of adoration and worship of God that comes from within our heart.
Today, let us give our gifts to the Lord on the altar and bow down and worship Him in the Eucharist and may we ask Our Heavenly Mother to help us on our journey to the greatest and most beautiful star, the star of our heavenly homeland.
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY 2019
Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. When I was an associate pastor at St. Francis of Assisi parish, there was a cute family with 5 children ages 5 to 13. The family was very involved in the parish. The children, who were old enough, were altar servers. The brothers and sisters always seemed to get along. They were respectful to their parents and obeyed whatever they said. The spouses always deferred to other out love and there was no observable selfishness. The children were always happy and courteous towards others. They attended Catholic school and received good grades. They were involved in sports and school activities. The altar servers enjoyed helping the priests. The family regularly prayed the Rosary together, at meals together, seldom watched television and enjoyed playing games together. Even the smallest child paid attention at Mass. In my opinion they were a holy family.
Now 13 years later, just a few weeks ago, when I visited babies in NICU, I recognized the father of one the babies, as one of the altar servers. He was now married and he and his wife had their first baby. Their child was in NICU because the baby would occasionally stop breathing. The young man and his wife, were now in their 30’s. The couple was glad to see me and to get reacquainted after 13 years. They both expressed a desire to receive Holy Communion, because they could not attend Mass while their baby was in ICU.
During this same time, while visiting patients at St. Teresa’s hospital, I met the young man’s mother, who told me her dad was in ICU and not doing well. I went to his room and anointed him. She said her father was most likely not going to live much longer. She also said her brother was on hospice at his home. And so, the mother of the family had a grandchild in ICU, her father was about to die and her brother was in the dying process all at the same time. She shared with me the anxiety and fears she was facing. Yet, she said she trusted God was in control.
In the midst of all of this suffering the family was holding steady as a rock. They were still the holy family I knew 13 years ago. They trusted Jesus was in their midst and helping them in their trials. They believed Our Lord was preparing the grandfather and her brother for eternity and helping the Infant to get better. The family was held together by their Catholic faith. The young couple believed Jesus was in their midst.
The grandmother of the infant, said she still attended daily Mass and daily prayed the Rosary, which she said was her strength. When the young parents found out the child stopped breathing due to seizures, they said they trusted all would be fine, because his younger brother 13 years ago also had seizures. It was what helped the family to grow closer together.
What made this family so likeable and so loveable was they shared everything together: suffering, prayer, faith and love. They were a true image of the Holy Family.
The Holy Family suffered greatly. Recall when Mary conceived Jesus, Joseph thought about divorcing Her quietly. They had no place to stay in Bethlehem and endured poverty and cold when Jesus was born in a cave. They had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod, who wanted to kill the Infant, and slaughter children in Bethlehem. When the Child Jesus was 12 years old, He stayed in the Jerusalem causing Mary and Joseph anxiety not knowing where Jesus was, because to them, He was lost. The Holy Family suffered the death of St. Joseph. Mary heard people reject Jesus-- accusing Him of being the devil and out of His mind. She met Her Son while He carried His Cross and for three hours stood with Him until He died.
Every family has troubles, but if they live out their Catholic faith, and look to the example of the Holy Family, then their suffering, sacrifice, prayer, faith and love, will help give them to have peace in the midst of their trials. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, help every family to be a holy family.
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, JAN 1ST, 2019
Mary, Mother of God, Did You Know? Not Born a Saint to become a Saint, but Concieved a Saint and grew as the Greatest of All Saints!
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. There is a popular Protestant Christmas Song called “Mary Did You Know?” It has a beautiful rhythm and words to the song. It ponders if Mary knew what Jesus would later do. It is written by Mark Lowry and the music is by Buddy Greene. Here are the lyrics:
Mary did you know that your baby boy will someday walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when your kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
Oh Mary did you know
The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.
This popular song, calls into question whether or not Mary knew She was the Mother of God, the Mother of the Messiah, the Mother of our Savior, the Mother of all creation. How much did Mary really know?
Because Mary was Immaculately Conceived (at the first moment of Her Conception, preserved from original sin). And never once sinned Her entire life, She was far superior in intelligence and obtained knowledge in a manner greater than any human being. As a good Jewish woman, She knew Sacred Scripture and because Her intellect was untainted by sin, She could comprehend mysteries in a way no other human could. Her intimate relationship with the Blessed Trinity would have caused Her to penetrate the deep mysteries of God. She is the daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel for today’s Mass speaks about how Mary kept the things of Jesus’ life reflecting on them in Her Heart. So what could have Mary known?
Mary was the first to come to know there is a Blessed Trinity, (three persons in one God) because the angel Gabriel revealed it to Her. Saying, Jesus was “the Son of God, the Holy Spirit would come upon Her and the power of the Most High would overshadow Her”. (Lk 1:35) She knew Jesus was the Savior. The angel said, He was to have the “name Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins”, (Lk 1:31) and Mary knew Jesus, Her Son, would save Her from sinning as well.
Mary knew Her baby boy was the Lord of all creation and would someday rule the nations, as the angel told Mary, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Lk 1:32)
Did Mary know Jesus would work miracles? She certainly knew God worked miracles in the Old Testament, the miracles in Egypt, the manna in the desert and how God divided the Red Sea. The Jewish people of Jesus’ day looked forward to the coming of the kingdom of God, when all would be set right. The oppressed would be liberated, the blind would see, (Isaiah 35:5) the dead would live again, and the Lord would rule over all the nations (Ezekiel 37:24), which would turn from their idols to serve the God of Israel (Isaiah 2:18). Since She knew Jesus was God and She was His Mother, She believed Jesus could work miracles and so She asked Her Son to work His first miracle changing water into wine at Cana (John 2).
Did She know what kind of death, Jesus would die? Mary heard the prophecy of Simeon that Her Heart would be pierced (Lk 2:35) and so She undoubtedly pondered the words of Isaiah, “He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Like a lamb led to the slaughter.” (Isaiah 53:3-5) And Psalm 22, “They have pierced my hands and feet and I can count all of my bones”. She would have known Ezekiel, the prophet, predicted the resurrection of the dead (Ezekiel 37:10) and would have been familiar with Elisha, who raised a dead child to life (2 Kings 4:32-37). If Elisha by God’s grace could raise the dead, She knew Her Son, who is God could do the same. She was the first to come to know and believe Jesus would rise from the dead and as tradition tells us, Jesus appeared to Her first, when He rose from the dead.
Mary knew She kissed the face of God, because She knew Jesus was God and came from God, where the angels tread especially since the angel Gabriel was sent from God to tell Her, “Child to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Lk 1:35) And because He is God, He is the great “I AM”. As the Mother of God, Mary is greater than all the angels and saints combined in holiness, in knowledge of God and especially in Her love of God, Her Son. She knew She was our spiritual Mother because Jesus gave Her to us at the foot of the Cross, when He said, “Behold thy Mother.”
It’s a doctrinal error to say, “Mary was not born a saint and had to become one, like everyone else”. This is an error because Mary was conceived a saint, as She was full of grace (Lk 1:26) and never lost any grace, but only increased in grace-- Her entire life because She never sinned and like Jesus “grew in wisdom and grace with God and men.”. (Lk 2:52) She was human just like us, but She was a saint the moment She was conceived and continued to become a greater and greater saint until She would be assumed into heaven. She grew in virtue and holiness every moment of Her life, because She always perfectly did the will of God. Saints are sinners, who have offended God, but overcame their sins by turning to God for forgiveness and mercy. But Mary was not a sinner. She was free of original sin and never sinned and so never needed to ask for forgiveness. She was therefore the greatest of all saints because She always chose to not offend God when tempted to sin. Mary was a sinless saint from the moment of Her conception until assumed into heaven. Because She was sinless and because She knew She was without sin, Her sinlessness was a source of Her unfathomable humility. She did not become proud because of it, because She knew God had done great things for Her.
There is nothing wrong with asking rhetorical questions which persuade the listener to ponder what the answer to the questions would be. But to not give the answer to these questions about what Mary knew casts doubt on the beauty of who Mary really is and what She really knew. If we want to make the popular song something truly worthy of pondering, we would answer the questions with truth. And we would say this:
O Mary you knew your baby boy would someday work miracles like walking on water and calming the storm. Mary you knew your baby boy will save our sons and daughters. Mary you knew your baby boy would come to make all things new. The child you've delivered, will deliver you.
You knew, Your baby boy, who came down from heaven in your womb had trod with the angels who worshipped Him night and day before His throne. Mary you knew when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God, Oh Mary you knew, the blind would see, the deaf would hear, the dead would live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb. Mary you knew that your baby boy is Lord of all creation. You knew your baby boy would one day rule the nations, you’re your baby is the perfect Lamb, and that this sleeping child you're holding is the great I am. Mary, you knew, because You are the Mother of God, and our Mother. O Mary, pray for us and help us to turn to you in all our needs, protect us from sin, so someday we too will kiss the face of God, where angels tread and we will worship with them, the great I AM.
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY HOMILY
Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. “And when they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The Child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him.”
When Jesus came into the world as our Savior, He wanted to start His redemptive task in an ordinary simple family. The first thing Jesus sanctified by His presence was the family. Nothing extra ordinary happened from His Childhood until He was 30 years old. He lived a silent life, unknown to the world, in the midst of a family. Yet, His active ministry was for only 3 years. What does that tell us, that God spent 90% of His life on earth in a family?
Joseph was the head of the family according to the law and he provided for the needs of the family by his carpentry work. Jesus too learned how to do carpentry from Joseph. Joseph, as head of the family was the protector & guardian of the family. The angel appeared to him to tell him to take his family to Egypt and later to return to Nazareth.
Mary taught Jesus to walk, to put on His clothes, to read and write and to pray. She spent every day of Her life, like millions of other women who look after their families, sewing, cleaning and cooking. Some wrongly think ordinary tasks of the home are unimportant and insignificant. Yet, when ordinary simple life is done out of love for God, it sanctifies the family.
The Holy Family prayed together, went to synagogue together and to the temple feasts together. They followed the Jewish rituals and customs and were obedient to all the laws.
Between Jesus, Mary and Joseph there existed a holy affection, a spirit of service, and a mutual desire for the happiness of each other forgetting about their own needs. The Holy Family is a model for families, in virtues and in doing God’s will.
Every Christian family is to imitate the house of Nazareth, a place where God is first, so that God can be at the center of love that members of the family have for each other. God must be first in every family, by making attending Sunday Mass the most important family event of the week. God must also be first at home, especially by praying together every night. Parents can decide the kind of prayer and manner of prayer. For example, each person can mention something they are thankful and pray one petition, followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be or pray the Rosary together. Or read a short passage from one of the Gospels. The father of the family as the spiritual leader of the family should lead his family at night in prayer and prayer before meals and bring the children to confession monthly. Remember, “The family that prays together stays together.” Children should be encouraged to practice virtue and sacrificial love in the family.
Today, school activities and sports are being placed above God. Some games and tournaments are on Sunday, and children are not able to attend church or church activities. Once a little boy came up to me and apologized. He said, “Father I wanted to come to the Christmas play practice, but I couldn’t, I had basketball practice. I would rather have been at Christmas play practice”. On a different occasion, a boy told me he went to watch a K-state football game. I told him, how wonderful, that he was able to go, but with a sad look on his face, he said, “I was scheduled to be an altar server, and I would rather have been here serving at Mass.” His response certainly surprised me, and also his parents who overheard our conversation. I had no idea he was scheduled that weekend to serve.
Sometimes, children have different desires then their parents. And the parents’ motivation as to why they do what they do, may be even unknown to themselves and how it effects their children.
Have you ever wondered why so many parents place a great emphasis on sports and school activities? I would suspect they want to be proud of their children and to watch them succeed. Some will use it as an opportunity, to brag about their children. When a child is successful, he or she begins to think their life is important and he or she has value & dignity. School activities can teach children self-discipline, team work and respect.
However, public schools, can’t mention Jesus. Children can’t pray together. Schools are unable to openly bring Jesus into the life of the youth. As a result, the true reason for their dignity is either lost or not discovered. Our dignity comes from the fact, that we are children of God and created in His image and likeness. Our dignity is independent of our accomplishments. And so children can think their dignity is the result of usefulness. A down syndrome child or child with a disability has equal dignity before God as other children. Their value is not measured in what they can or cannot do.
There is another kind of success that is most important, which is to succeed in virtue. The success of becoming a saint.
I know of several high school graduates who turned down scholarships. One had a baseball scholarship and the other had a football scholarship. I asked each of them if they are going to play their particular sport in college and both told me the same thing. Independent of each other they said, “There is more to life than sports.” Each one wanted to attend a school in their own particular field they wanted to enter.
Something I admire about Catholic schools, is that children are taught not only to excel in academics, sports and the arts, they are taught to excel in virtue. They are taught to be disciples of Jesus. They learn what it takes to become a saint. The mission statement for Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School is "to educate and form the total person in the image of Jesus Christ.” The mission statement for Bishop Carroll High School is: “To assist parents in forming disciples of Christ who enrich the culture as stewards of God's gifts.” In Catholic schools, they can openly pray together. They can do Christian activities and wear Christian symbols. They learn at a very young age the importance of discovering their talents and using their time talent as stewardship. In fact families who attend Catholic schools are required to practice stewardship in their parish.
When I was an associate at St. Francis of Assisi in Wichita, a young boy came up to me and told me that Wilbur elementary would not let him bring his skate board to school because on the bottom of the skateboard he had inscribed a cross. In many public schools children are no longer able to sing Christmas Carols. They can’t sing Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, or even sing I wish you a Merry Christmas.
Catholic school children are able to attend weekday Masses, but the frequency varies. They have daily religion classes and learn about the history of the church, morality, the sacraments, scripture, vocations, etc…
Catholic schools are not exempt from problems and difficulties, because every school is like a person, each has its weaknesses. Yet there is a tremendous difference in sending a child to Catholic school verses public school, especially because a child who attends Catholic school is more apt to practice their faith better, to come to the sacraments more often, and to incorporate their faith into everything they do, because they are taught that a disciple of Jesus is most important, allowing one to greatly impact society.
I myself never attended Catholic school. I didn’t have the opportunity because the Catholic school I would have attended closed. For some families it’s practically not possible to send their children to Catholic school, perhaps due to work schedules or travel requirements. Sacrifices are magnified for families who send their children to Catholic schools, because we don’t have our own parish school, perhaps someday we will.
Some families are opting to homeschool their children. Homeschooling allows parents to follow a particular approved home-school curriculum and they can personally teach their children about the faith. They create their own schedule. Parents are able to teach their children behavior and morals, not leaving it to teachers who may have different morals & values. They are able to attend daily Mass with their children, so the children receive the most precious gift of Jesus in Holy Communion often. Jesus was home-schooled. During His life, there wasn’t public schools or private schools.
I would like to encourage parents to pray about sending your children to Catholic school. There is no tuition. Families who practice stewardship are able to send their children to Catholic school.
No matter if children attend public school or Catholic school or are homeschooled, the words of Pope John Paul II call parents to take their parenting role most seriously. JPII said, "Parents are the first and the most important educators of their own children…“By virtue of their ministry of educating, parents are through the witness of their lives the first heralds of the Gospel for their children. Furthermore, by praying with their children, by reading the word of God with them and “introducing them to the Eucharistic life of the church” --they become fully parents, in that they are begetters not only of bodily life but also of the life that through the Spirit's renewal flows from the cross and resurrection of Christ.”
Today, let us pray all families will become counter cultural, and return to the basics by imitating the Holy Family, in simplicity, in love, in prayer, and in service.
O Holy Family of Nazareth, pray for us, that our families may be like your family!
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING HOMILIES
Dec. 20th of Advent, Annunciation, Contraception Should be Illegal
Contraception & Natural Family Planning -15th Sunday Year A
Contraception Dancing with the Devil -18th Sunday Year C
Pill, IUD, Norplant Cause Death of Baby - Palm Sunday*
Natural Family Planning - Sheep & Shepherds -16th Sunday Year B
Natural Family Planning - Pearl of Great Price - 17th Sunday Year A
Contraception - 27th Sunday Year B*
Natural Family Planning Week- 17th Sunday Year C
*Confession was offered after Masses with homilies with an *. There was an overwhelming large number of confessions.
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Helpful Homily Websites
Association of Catholic Priests - Sunday Homily Resources
Scott Hahn - Sunday Bible Reflections
Pope Saint John Paul II Homilies
General Intercessions - Priests for Life
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