Friday, September 30, 2016

September 30 - St. Jerome

+ The gospel passage today, on this feast of St. Jerome, is an interesting one. Jesus tells us that saints and sinners will be found both in the world, and even in the Church, until the time of sorting at the end of the world. He is also telling us that it will be helpful for us if we could tell the difference between saints and sinners; and of course, we ought not be among the latter group (the sinners) if we can possibly avoid it. We have been given what we need to stay on a “straight and narrow path” and we must cling to him, we must cling to Jesus – first in our hearts, then by means of our actions.

St. Jerome was born about the year 342 in a small town near the head of the Adriatic Sea. His father, a Christian, took care that his son was well instructed at home, and then he sent him to Rome, where he received an excellent education, including Latin and Greek. He read the literatures of those languages with great pleasure. His aptitude for oratory was such that he may have considered law as a career. He acquired many worldly ideas, and lived out his pleasure-loving instincts, and lost much of the piety that had been instilled in him at home. Yet, he got in with a Christian crowd of friends and eventually ended up being baptized by Pope Liberius in 360. His intellectual curiosity led him to explore other parts of the world. While in Aquileia, he made friends among the monks of the monastery there. Then it was off to Treves, in Gaul, where he decided to renounce all secular pursuits to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to God. It is interesting how a vocation to one's life work comes about!

The rest as they say is history: Jerome spent a lot of time delving into the study of scripture, both in itself and its commentaries by other writers. Then he himself began to write about his findings. Later, it was found to be beneficial for Jerome to become a priest to serve the needs of the young church. He reluctantly submitted to ordination but wanted to remain a monk and a recluse, which is pretty much what happened. His great work was his translation of the Scriptures from Greek into Latin. But he also wrote endlessly defending the Word of God and for this is considered the greatest of all of the doctors and fathers of the Church. His most often used advices are these: that "ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ;" and that "it was of no use just to read about or study the Word of God (in scripture), one has to act on it!
In the first reading today St. Paul says the same thing to Timothy: all scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work!

May we become more familiar today with Christ and his word, (and not remain blissfully or purposefully ignorant on certain topics), and then may we act on that familiarity: and be doers of the word and not just hearers! The difference between the saint and the sinner is that the saint listens and tries to act…while the sinner doesn't even really hear at all, and therefore acts aimlessly!

This day, are you more a saint, or a sinner? this of course, is a trick question – we are all sinners – a saint is a person who knows and accepts that fact, who listens and tries his best to “con-vert” – “turn always to the Lord.”
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good – his love and his mercy are everlasting!


Thursday, September 29, 2016

September 29 - Sts. Michael Gabriel and Raphael

+ Today was originally known as the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel (or Michaelmas Day), it was only later in church history that the lesser known feasts of Sts. Gabriel and Raphael were added to the celebration. They were linked together to highlight the activity of a group of powerful spiritual beings, archangels, who directly intervened in the affairs of men – the chosen people of God.

Archangel Michael was the great defender of the people of Israel in the Old Testament, and is connected with the final battle that will take place at the end times: he will be defender and friend of all who tried their hardest to go the narrow way and live the life of Christ.

Archangel Gabriel was God’s messenger and announced the births both of John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah: he was therefore a key instrument in the history of salvation.

And Archangel Raphael brings messages and prayers from the people to God, especially prayers for healing – he was instrumental in both physical and spiritual healing in the life of Tobiah in the Book of Tobit.

We rejoice that we have as allies and friends those who are God’s special friends and agents. May we ask for defense against the insidious and cunning forces of evil from Michael, the announcement of good news and new life for us from Gabriel, and healing from physical and spiritual maladies from Raphael – as we make our way today to our heavenly homeland where we will live forever praising God and enjoying the company of all the angels and saints!

Bless the Lord, all you angels, you ministers, who do his will.


Wednesday, September 28, 2016

September 28 - St. Lawrence Ruiz

+ Fiilpino layman Lawrence Ruiz, and his fifteen companion martyrs, all members and associates of the Dominican Order, were slain in Japan between 1633 and 1637.

Persecutions stemmed from a 1603 edict by the Shogun, Takugawa Ieyasu banning Christianity.

From 1623, suspected Christians were forced to tread on images of Mary and Jesus.

Those who refused were executed.

May we have had the fortitude and courage and grace of God to do the same – o wait – we can do the same today when the world convinces us to trash the reality and help of our Blessed Mother Mary, and Jesus the Divine Savior of the World.

The tortures from this period were designed to force the victims to renounce their Faith.

Some Christians did apostasize.

The men and women honored today spent their last excruciating hours with their hearts raised in prayer and hymns of praise.

May we lift up our minds and hearts and hands in prayer and hymns of praise not only at this Mass – but in all of our acts of love to Christ’s Mystical Body and beyond that he will place in our very paths all day long!
May we consider all things so much rubbish, that we may gain Christ and be found in him.

Alleluia!



Tuesday, September 27, 2016

September 27 - St. Vincent DePaul

+ Vincent DePaul was born in 1581 in southwest France. A highly intelligent youth, he spent four years being educated by Franciscans in Acq, France. While there he was tutor to children of a gentleman in Acq. He began divinity studies in 1596 at the University of Toulouse and was ordained a priest at age 20.

While on an ocean voyage, Vincent was taken captive by Turkish pirates, and sold into slavery in Tunis. He was freed in 1607 when he converted one of his owners to Christianity.

Returning to France, he served as a parish priest near Paris where he started organizations to help the poor and nurse the sick. He found jobs for the unemployed at the like. He met Christ where he was truly to be found: “in the streets!” He became chaplain at the court of Henry IV of France.

With St. Louise de Marillac, he founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, and he instituted the Congregation of Priests of the Mission (Vincentians). He worked always for the poor, the enslaved and the abandoned, the ignored: the pariahs of society!

Vincent DePaul died this date in 1660 at Paris, France of natural causes at about 80 years of age. His body was found incorrupt when exhumed in 1712. Finally, only his heart remaining incorrupt it is now displayed in a reliquary in a chapel of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity in Paris. He was canonized in 1737 by Pope Clement XII.

No doubt, Vincent DePaul would have been highly thought of and favored by our current Pope Francis who insists that we find Christ primarily not behind closed doors of chapels and monasteries, but in the streets, among the poor, the destitute, the sick, the lonely and the forgotten. His face gleams and shines brightly there, if only we believe it, and take the time to look and to help! May we do so this day, in imitation of St. Vincent DePaul, the Vincentian Fathers and the Daughters of Charity!

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep and mine know me.


Monday, September 26, 2016

Sep 26 - Homily for Today

+ Nothing is really known of the lives of Sts Cosmas and Damian, (who died around the year 303) except that they suffered martyrdom in Syria during the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian.

A church built on the site of their burial place was enlarged by the emperor Justinian. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. A famous basilica was built in their honor in Constantinople. Their names were placed in the canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer I), probably in the sixth century: this is place of honor given only to the most exemplary and noteworthy saints.

There is legend that says that they were twin brothers born in Arabia, who became skilled doctors. They were among those who are venerated in the East as the “moneyless ones” because they did not charge a fee for their services. Of course, it was impossible that such prominent persons would escape unnoticed in time of persecution: so they were arrested and beheaded.

Oh, and, nine centuries later, if we recall, Francis of Assisi rebuilt the dilapidated San Damiano (St. Damian) chapel outside Assisi.

The healing power that goes out from both apostles and physicians is proof positive of the breaking into history of the reign of God. May we open ourselves to this restorative power as God wishes to bestow it upon us.

It is evident from our readings today that God is very much present to those who are persecuted for his sake, and even the tortures of martyrdom are no match for the loving embrace of an almighty, loving and merciful God. We rejoice today to know that all of our tears of suffering and endurance, and those we encounter as we try to help others in Christ’s name, will be rewarded with a never failing crown of glory, and a choice spot in the heavenly kingdom!

Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing!


Saturday, September 24, 2016

Sep 24 - Homily Homily

+ In the gospel passage today Jesus warns, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” In effect, the Lord says, “Remember your Creator, your Lord, your loving Father before the evil days come, before the sun is darkened.”

How do we do this?

By following “the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes,” which lead to the cross of Jesus Christ, for which our heart was made.

Look up at the cross of Christ and see your Hope, look up at the cross of Christ, and see your salvation, look up at the cross of Christ and see JOY!

And then share it!


Friday, September 23, 2016

Sep 23 - Homily for Today

+ In the gospel passage today Jesus tells his disciples how he must endure many sufferings and be crucified; our saint for today, Padre Pio was the first priest to receive the stigmata of the Lord’s Passion: proof positive that Jesus did in fact undergo these things for us and for our salvation. Pio was born in 1887 in Pietrelcina, Benevento (Naples), Italy. As a boy he was a shepherd. At age 15 he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars in Morcone, Italy and joined the order at age 19. He suffered several health problems, and at one point his family thought he had tuberculosis. He was ordained at age 22 on August 10, 1910.

While praying before a cross, he received the stigmata on September 20, 1918, the first priest ever to be so blessed. He later became a point of pilgrimage for both the pious and the curious. He would hear confessions by the hour, reportedly able to read the consciences of those who held back. Reportedly he was able to bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. He founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital which serves 60,000 people a year. In the 1920’s he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide.

Padre Pio died on September 23, 1968, and was canonized in June 2002 by his own personal friend Pope John Paul II. His canonization miracle involved the cure of the 7 year old son of a doctor at the hospital he founded, who was admitted with fatal meningitis on June 20, 2000. The boy’s mother and some Capuchin friars from Padre Pio’s monastery prayed through the night. In the morning the boy’s condition improved suddenly. When the boy woke from a coma he said that he had seen an elderly man with a white beard and a long, brown habit, who said to him: “Don’t worry, you will soon be cured.” The miracle was approved by the Congregation and Pope John Paul II on December 20, 2001

Whether we bear the marks of Christ’s Passion, visibly or invisibly we are all called upon to bear them one way or another. It is only this way that we can truly understand what Jesus did for us, how much he loved us, and how much he wants us to love and get along with one another. We are God’s family. May we today act as such, as we honor one of our brothers who simply loved God back and tried to spread that love to as many as he could in a very special way.


St. Pio, pray for us!

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Sep 22 - Homily for Today

+ It is interesting to note that it was specific to the time at which it was written that the writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes says “vanity of vanities, all things are vanity…there is nothing new under the sun.” We must remember that these sayings reflect the general mood of the Old Testament time that was waiting and longing for the coming of the Messiah and Lord. Everything was not only boring for them, it was also wrapped in darkness, and shrouded in overwhelming mystery.

Certain lights came forth during that time – like King David, and others – to keep the wandering people on the right path. The prophets too had the job of shining a light in the darkness of ignorance and error.

In every age, the Lord is our refuge, no less today.

But today, with the coming of the Lord, vanity has vanished, and everything is new every day. “The Spirit blows where it wills” and who knows what great things it will do in the lives of the saints each day.

So long as we stay plugged into the sources of the Spirt-flow – the grace coming from the Church of Christ – then we will have the light of life, and our days will be filled with variety, substance and joy!


Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, Lord, what we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Sep 21 - Homily for Today

+ St. Matthew, the Apostle and Evangelist was the son of Alphaeus (and most likely brother of James the Less)He lived at Capernaum on Lake Genesareth. He was a Roman tax collector by trade, a position equated with “collaboration with the enemy” by those from whom he collected taxes. Tax collectors were also known to keep some of the “take” for themselves, another reason for them being despised by the Jews.

Jesus’ contemporaries were surprised then to see the Christ with a traitor, but Jesus explained that he had come not to call the righteous but sinners. Matthew was also a gospel writer and his gospel is given “pride of place” in the canon of the New Testament, for it was written to convince Jewish readers that their anticipated Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. He preached among the Jews for 15 years; his audiences may have included the Jewish enclave in Ethiopia, and places in the East. Some accounts see him travelling as far away as Ireland to bring the gospel to the heathens. There is question as to his actual martyrdom, but he is given the benefit of the doubt.

Matthew is then an example of one like us, a sinner, called by God to greatness; and he responded generously and lovingly: he left his traitorous job and followed Jesus unreservedly. We can turn from sin and do the same, renewing our resolve each and every day. Jesus doesn’t mind associating with us – who are not perfect by any means; may we never mind associating with him who is the source of our conversion, our holiness and our choice of the correct path to take that will lead to life in his Reign, his Kingdom forever.
We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you.


Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Sep 20 - Homily for Today

+ We celebrate today the feast of two major Korean saints and 103 of their companions who were put to death in the persecutions against the faith in Korea in the 19th century.

Andrew Kim was born of Korean nobility, his parents were converts and his father himself a martyr. Andrew was baptized at age 15, and then travelled 1300 miles to the nearest seminary in Macao, China. He became the first native-born Korean priest, and the first priest to die for the faith in Korea. He was the leader of the “Martyrs of Korea,” 103 of his fellow countrymen who embraced the fullness of the faith even to the point of martyrdom.

Paul Hasang was the son also of a martyr in the attack that killed all the
clergy in the country. Though a layman he reunited the scattered Christians, and encouraged them to keep and live their faith. He wrote to the Korean government explaining why the Church was no threat to them. He crossed into China nine times, working as a servant to the Korean diplomatic corps. There he worked to get the bishop of Beijing to send more priests to Korea. He pleaded directly to Rome for help, and on 9 September 1831, Pope Gregory X proclaimed the validity of the Korean Catholic diocese. When the clergy began to return, Paul entered the seminary, however he died in the persecution of 1839 before he could be ordained. Paul Hasang is truly one of the great founders of the Catholic Church in Korea. Both he and Andrew Kim were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1984.

In today’s first reading we read what might have kept these fine Korean martyrs true to the faith: St. Paul tells the Romans – and all believers – if God is for us, who can be against us? In all things (because he is truly with us) we conquer overwhelminglybecause nothing at all – not even temptation, persecution and death – can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are always safe there, we are always protected there, we are always strengthened there (inside the Love and Heart of God!)

And the gospel passage, once again tells us that losing life – especially in martyrdom – is the sure way to find it forever. Spending our lives for others – even at the cost of our own physical existence – will help to ensure not only our own eternal survival, but the eternal survival and joy of the ones we help to get there with us by our sacrifices.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of
God rests upon you


Monday, September 19, 2016

Sep 19 - Homily for Today

+ Today we celebrate a popular 4th century bishop and martyr.  Januarius was bishop of Benevento (or Naples), Italy during the persecution of Diocletian. He was arrested while visiting imprisoned deacons, and then martyred with them. It is said that he was fed to the lions, but when they would not touch him he was beheaded, this, in 304. His blood was preserved and dried. And since at least 1389, on his feast day, in Naples, and on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, the blood liquefies. Many miracles are attributed to veneration of this wondrous spectacle.

The readings for today fit the feast well: the first reading from the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that the persecution that follows enlightenment is only normal: a great contest of suffering always follows true enlightenment of faith. But we are not to throw away our confidence [lose hope], but we need to endure, do the will of God and receive the eternal life of joy that he has promised.

In the gospel passage Jesus gives those beautiful words of encouragement: unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat: it must fall, it must die, it must begin then to live the fullness of the life it was meant to live: it is on the day of our baptisms that the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies for us, and we are enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit [today, in fact, is my anniversary of baptism 68 years ago]; from then on we can give glory to the Father by doing his will perfectly and completely, and he will honor us and reward us with everlasting life! As St. Januarius lived a full and authentic Christian life, so can we this day!


Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Sep 18 - Homily for Today

+ The point of our readings today, it seems, is that at the end nothing matters more than our eternal salvation, and we need to focus all our efforts on being found “in the company of those who dwell in the light,” rather than in any other company. This does not mean that we neglect earthly duty. But any earthly duty must be filtered through a primary focal reference point of God’s everlasting Kingdom and our place in it! We need, as Jesus admonishes in the gospel passage, to be “prudent,” winning friends who will welcome us into “eternal dwellings” rather than simply earthly ones – which was the point of the parable: these friends being the saints both in heaven and right here on earth – holy people that we run across every day – and there are a lot of them. Now some may be clever enough to cover losses on the earthly plane – but only the saintly company can help us not only cover but remove losses forever so that we can live with God in his house as he desires us to!

What really upsets God is the way the “haves” (especially those who are supposedly “religious”) take advantage of and gouge the “have-nots” – the needy and the poor. In the first reading he notes how the religious tradesmen fix their scales for cheating, and inflate prices for no good reason. This can also be a modern day problem. Those with authority in financial matters need to be very prudent and careful in dealing with everyone, but especially the poor and the needy. This applies to all levels of service and assistance, and includes all organizations from small business to church and to government run agencies. As the first reading concludes: The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done! This is bad news for the gougers, but really good news to the poor and needy who have been mistreated – no one gets away with anything in the end – on that Last Day!

If we are all found trustworthy in small matters of taking care of our own (mastering ourselves) – then one-day God will reward us with everlasting life for all the good we did for others by our compassion, our generosity and our love. But none of this can happen unless and until we each ourselves, privately and individually decide who it is we want to serve with all our hearts: God or Greed – this is spelled out emphatically in the gospel passage today, and is one of the most basic and fundamental questions we will ever have to answer! The choice is ours – may we choose well!

Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich!


Saturday, September 17, 2016

Sep 17 - Homily for Today

+ Born at Montepulciano, Italy, on October 4, 1542, St. Robert Bellarmine was the third of ten children. His mother, a niece of Pope Marcellus II was dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting, and mortification.

Robert entered the newly formed Society of Jesus in 1560 and after his ordination went on to teach at Louvain, where he became famous for his Latin sermons.

In 1576, the Saint was appointed to the chair of Controversial Theology at the Roman College, becoming rector in 1592; he went on to become Provincial of Naples in 1594, and Cardinal in 1598.

He defended the Apostolic See against the anti-clericals in Venice and against the political tenets of James I of England. He composed an exhaustive apologetic work against the prevailing heresies of his day. In the field of Church-State relations, he took a position based on principles now regarded as fundamentally democratic – authority originates with God, but is vested in people, who entrust it to fit rulers.

This Saint was the spiritual father of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, helped St. Francis de Sales obtain formal approval of the Visitation Order, and in his prudence opposed severe action in the case of Galileo. He has left many important writings, including works of devotion and instruction, as well as controversy. He died in 1621, was canonized in 1930 by Pope Pius XI and name a Doctor in 1931 by the same pontiff.

The gospel passage today fits the feast: St. Robert was a prime example of one who took in the Word of God and his words – guarded, protected, and celebrated them, pondered on them and devised ways for himself and others to put them into practice. He bore fruit – from his labors – a hundred-fold.

And that fruit – the genius of his rhetoric and persuasive preaching was a dominating force in the Catholic Counter-Reformation that was in full play at the time.

He believed, as we are invited to, that knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom, can be granted to those who seek it, ask for it – and open the doors of their hearts to let it in.

May we hear the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance!



Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Sep 14 - Homily for Today

+ The origin of today’s feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross comes from the 4th century when St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition has it was built over the Savior’s tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman. Immediately the cross became an object of veneration. And this date, the date of the dedication of the Basilica, was designated as its feast day.

Scripturally, using the readings of the feast, we celebrate “the feast of snakes and salvation.” The story from the Book of Numbers today tells us of the cure for being bitten by God’s wrath – seraph snakes: Moses was to make a bronze seraph and mount it on a pole – and then when any of the people who were bitten looked up at the snake on the pole they would live: they would be healed.

This is an obvious reference to the cross of Christ: the one who came down from heaven to save us and give us eternal life would himself be mounted on a cross of wood: and it is true: whenever anyone LOOKS UP AT HIM THERE AND BELIEVES that “this is the Son of God come to save us” – then he will be healed of all his spiritual maladies, and will have eternal life!

The Cross trumps everything! Jesus lived in the shadow of that cross his whole life long: he accepted and embraced it always, and he looked forward eagerly to accomplishing our salvation on it; we too can live in its shadow and have a blanket of protection cast upon our lives and an eternal reward promised at its end. And when we look up and see Jesus – our hearts will be soothed and our bodies energized to live a holy life.

One other thing that this seraph snake image reminds me of is this: because of the Cross of Christ and its subsequent victory, whenever we look up and face the things that we hate, that we are afraid of, that are really destroying our lives whether we are aware of it or not – the victory can be our as well: our hatred can turn to love, our fear to bravery, and self-destruction can dissolve into self-respect and healthy self-improvement.

Yes, the Cross of Christ trumps everything! Look at it! Embrace it! Touch it! Love it! Venerate it! It is our Salvation!


We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross, you have redeemed the world.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Sep 13 - Homily for Today

+ St John Chrysostom was born in 347 in Antioch, Asia Minor. His father died when he was young and he was raised by a very pious mother. Being well educated, John studied rhetoric under Libanius, one of the most famous orators of his day. He became a monk and then later a priest noted for his preaching for a dozen years in Syria. While there he developed a stomach ailment that troubled him the rest of his life.

It was for his sermons that John earned the title “chrysostom: golden” mouthed. They were always on point, and explained the Scriptures with clarity and they sometimes went on for hours. Reluctantly he was made bishop (and patriarch) of Constantinople in 398, a move that involved him in imperial politics. He criticized the rich for not sharing their wealth, fought to reform the clergy, prevented the sale of ecclesiastical offices, called for fidelity in marriage, and encouraged practices of justice and charity.

He also revised the Greek Liturgy. Because John’s sermons advocated a change in their lives, some nobles and bishops worked to remove him from his diocese and he was twice exiled. He was finally banished to Pyhthius where he died. He is a Greek Father of the Church and considered one of the Three Holy Hierarchs along with Basil the Great and Gregory Nanzianzen. His commentaries on the Bible and his treatise on the priesthood are among his most enduring writings. He died in 407 of natural causes and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1568.

Our first reading today gives us a glimpse into the mind of St. John Chrysostom and his motivation: with St. Paul, John simply did the particular job that he was given to do to build up the Body of Christ (the Church) to full stature. And with the grace of the Holy Spirit he did it well!
And, of course, in the gospel passage, with the parable of the sower and the seed, we see what happened when John sowed the seed of truth and justice and God’s will and God’s ways: it fell on all kinds of ground, and had all kinds of receptions, and brought forth all kinds of reactions and actions: some were against him directly and personally; but John Chrysostom did not cease proclaiming this powerful word and he bore the brunt of self-sacrifice that comes with being configured to Christ the Preacher, Teacher and Victim.

St. John Chrysostom, pray for us today, that we may be unafraid to minister always as you did!


Monday, September 12, 2016

Sep 12 - Homily for Today

+ “Our salvation begins when an archangel speaks the name of Mary.   To be Christian is to carry on that Annunciation unceasingly.

St. Louis de Montfort wrote that “the salvation of each individual is bound up with the Hail Mary.”

This prayer that names the holy name of the Mother of God “brought to a dry and barren world the Fruit of Life.

It will cause the Word of God to take root in the soul and bring forth Jesus.”

The holy name of Mary bears such power because of the unique bond between Mother and Son.

“When God sent his Son born of a woman, he instituted a once and for all order of salvation in which the union of Mother and Child stands at the center”.

To accept the divine privilege of speaking the name of Mary is to participate in that saving union.

“Hail, Mary! Full of Grace – the Lord is with you! Pray for us now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.


Sunday, September 11, 2016

Sep 11 - Homily for Today

+ The theme of our celebration today is the extravagant mercy of God as is manifest in the astounding story of the Prodigal Father and his son! The one thing that God likes to do most is to show us a father’s love and shower us with mercy – a lot of times even before we ask for it. We can count on the fact that he understands us completely – inside and out – with our true weaknesses, limitations, and sinfulness – and that all he requires for the unleashing of oceans of mercy upon us –is a sign of willingness to admit that we are in need of it. Sometimes it is necessary for us to spout out our deeply regretted offenses and sins – as in the Sacrament of Confession. Sometimes just cry out for mercy and forgiveness from the depths of our souls is enough by itself. In either case, God will not force anything upon us – not love, nor mercy, nor forgiveness. But if we want it – if our wills are moved to conversion – then he is right there with it in super extravagance and abundance!

The people of the first reading – God’s own people of the Old Testament times – were so absorbed in themselves that a lot of them probably did not even know that they were sinners; others maybe knew, but at that point didn’t care; others would be obstinate to the very end. Moses had his hands full just holding back the hand of God’s justifiable wrath – reminding him that he is a God of mercy – and that the distribution of mercy is what he did best.

What was it that made God so angry with them as to consider even withholding mercy? The only answer I can come up with is that it was a double sin against faith and charity – as these two always go together. Those whose faith is very weak also have a great deal of difficulty “getting out of their own way.”  They need to hang onto something, so they hang on to their own selves and their own egos. The one motivating good in their lives is themselves. This goes against the first commandment, and is also a sin against faith; making themselves a god, they displace the real God and have faith in no one but themselves; thereby they also, steal charity – goodness and good works that others are entitled to - because they want to satisfy themselves. This sounds a great deal like the people Moses was dealing with. But even this people could erase all of that selfishness by sincerely asking God to have mercy on them and to forgive them.

St. Paul in the second reading tells us that he was a very great sinner. He was persecuting the church and trying to stamp it out at its origins. But the grace and mercy and forgiveness of Christ came upon him in a powerful way – like a great flash of light – and Paul was never the same. His life turned from one of self-service and righteousness – to one of amazing surrender to God’s will and grace so that charity could prevail – the charity that is life in Christ – life in the Church.

May our faith and our charity increase this day because we consciously seek God’s mercy, love and forgiveness – he is so very willing to accept our sorrow and contrition and help us transform them into a life of living for and loving others alone. We have the wherewithal – the graces, the love and even the material resources to share - so that others who are in need – no matter where they are in our lives, or in the world – will have what God wants them to have – using us and our outstanding generosity!


Give thanks to the Lord for He is good – his love and mercy are everlasting and available always! 

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Sep 10 - Homily for Today

+ “Every tree is known by its own fruit.  A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good.”

How does that goodness come to be stored in a believer’s heart?

Through “the cup of blessing” that is “a participation in the Blood of Christ” and “the bread that we break” which is “a participation in the Body of Christ.

There are two motives for doing good works: self-glorification that would come from stooping down to help someone who was thrown down in front of us by the circumstances of life, in many ways pleading for help, pleading for something you alone could truly give them.

The other motive is: self-sacrifice – that comes not from stooping but by reaching out – on the same level that poor and needy people are at – celebrating the fact that we are exactly like “the rest of men” – and that self-denial can open us up to be a viable instrument of grace, peace, healing, blessing and reconciliation in the hand of Christ the Redeemer, Healer, Reconciler of potential Friend of people everywhere.

Good fruit in this case flows from the second motivation: and it truly comes from the heart – a heart that dwells in the very heart of God and has an infinite supply of blessings to share!

To refill the resources of our hearts, we come to mass daily – we take up the cup of blessing, and the bread of life and so participate in God’s own Redemptive life! This is the Joy of the Mass and it is the joy we have to share.  


Friday, September 9, 2016

Sep 9 - Homily for Today

+ St Peter Claver was born in 1581 at Verdu in Catalonia, Spain. He was a farmer’s son, but later studied at the University of Barcelona. He was attracted to the Jesuit Order and joined them at the age of 20. He became a priest, and influenced by fellow Jesuit St Alphonsus Rodrigues he wanted to become a missionary in America. In the meanwhile, he ministered physically and spiritually to slaves when they arrived in Cartegena, converting a reported 300,000 and working for humane treatment on the plantations for 40 years. He organized charitable societies among the Spanish in American similar to those organized in Europe by St. Vincent de Paul.

Peter’s apostolate extended beyond his care for slaves. He became a moral force, indeed, the apostle of Cartagena. He preached in the city square, gave missions to sailors and traders, as well as to parishes in the countryside. After four years of sickness which forced the saint to remain inactive and largely neglected, he died on September 8, 1654. The city magistrates, who had previously frowned at his solicitude for the black outcasts, ordered that he should be buried at public expense and with great pomp. He was canonized in 1888, and Pope Leo XIII declared him the worldwide patron of missionary work among black slaves.

In the gospel passage today we see Jesus doing good deeds for the poor, the sick and the needy when and where it needed to be done, on any day of the week – this is very much a Jesuit philosophy – and St. Peter Claver practiced it daily. Let us follow this philosophy and this theological principle of life: the more we give to others, the fuller our lives will be and we will both share in the joys of the Lord forever!

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.


Thursday, September 8, 2016

Sep 8 - Homily for Today

+ Today we celebrate the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast originating somewhere between the fourth and the seventh centuries. We know next to nothing about the events surrounding this noteworthy event. It is only through the apocryphal Gospel of James that we know something about Sts. Joachim and Anne, her parents and about the fact that they had a girl-child whom they named Mary, whom they presented to the Lord in the Temple, thus dedicating her to God for life. And so even though the details are sketchy, this only adds to the mystique that we have about Mary as a pure, humble, out-of-the-limelight maiden of Nazareth. She is not the key figure in all of human history: her future son would be that: Jesus Christ, who would be Son of God and Son of Man through her own humanity.

The first reading today talks of those who are predestined to experience the fullness of God’s grace: Mary certainly was that, from the first moment of her existence she was full of grace: the grace that was to be reestablished by Christ her son; and so Mary, then, was the first to “resemble Jesus her son” to the point that God delighted in her as a true daughter, in Christ.

We rejoice with Mary on her birthday today and ask her to pray for us constantly so that we may resemble not only Jesus her son (to the delight of God the Father) in his gentle, patient, compassionate nature; but also her, in her humility, poverty and obedience.

Mary, you are the Dawn, and Christ your Son is the Perfect Day!


Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Sep 7 - Homily for Today

+ The gospel passage today from St. Luke shows how Jesus, after a night in prayer calls his disciples to himself and from a larger crowd of them, chooses 12, whom he also named Apostles. These Twelve would be the ones that he would specially train to know who he truly was, and to carry on his mission when he would be removed from their midst. They would come to know him as Son of God, the great healer and reconciler of all of mankind with God.

What is amazing is that Jesus’ own life and healing and reconciling power – by his own plan – would be available to all who seek it – by means of connecting with his Mystical Body the Church that he would establish before he went to heaven. And it is on a day like this one, when we remember the events of September 11, 2001, that we might have a key to understand the way to deal with the entire tragic situation.

All of us, successors of the apostles, priests, and lay people alike are invited to take to heart the first reading today: which exhorts us not to let judgment on our brothers (even regarding those who commit the most heinous of crimes) to be blown out of proportion, but having been washed clean ourselves and sanctified, we let God be the final judge, the Spirit of our God; and then, the hard part, we are invited to become healers and reconcilers in the whole matter: which may even cause us to go contrary to our natural inclinations for retaliation and revenge.

Yes, we remember today as the day eleven years ago that nearly 3000 people lost their lives in three different locations in our country, as a part of a sinister plot, having even to do with faulty religious values – and while it is important to do all we can do prevent such things from happening again: the best way to bring closure and healing to survivors and to our nation as a whole is to allow the supernatural element of our Christian faith to aid us in forgiving the offense, forgiving the ignorance that was in play, forgiving the misuse of intelligence and technical know-how. This is not to forget, but it is to forgive: and this divine gesture and act of the will (empowered by grace and Christ himself) will go far in creating a true environment of peace and happiness and true brotherhood. For when the reaction to injury is a handshake of peace, it throws the aggressive party off; those who are for fighting are disarmed by those who raise their hands in gestures of peace!

May we bear fruit doing things God’s way, rather than our own, remembering that more violence is never the remedy for violence already done.


Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Sep 6 - Homily for Today

This homily was originally given on an anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

+ The gospel passage today from St. Luke shows how Jesus, after a night in prayer calls his disciples to himself and from a larger crowd of them, chooses 12, whom he also named Apostles. These Twelve would be the ones that he would specially train to know who he truly was, and to carry on his mission when he would be removed from their midst. They would come to know him as Son of God, the great healer and reconciler of all of mankind with God.

What is amazing is that Jesus’ own life and healing and reconciling power – by his own plan – would be available to all who seek it – by means of connecting with his Mystical Body the Church that he would establish before he went to heaven. And it is on a day like this one, when we remember the events of September 11, 2001, that we might have a key to understand the way to deal with the entire tragic situation.

All of us, successors of the apostles, priests, and lay people alike are invited to take to heart the first reading today: which exhorts us not to let judgment on our brothers (even regarding those who commit the most heinous of crimes) to be blown out of proportion, but having been washed clean ourselves and sanctified, we let God be the final judge, the Spirit of our God; and then, the hard part, we are invited to become healers and reconcilers in the whole matter: which may even cause us to go contrary to our natural inclinations for retaliation and revenge.

Yes, we remember today as the day eleven years ago that nearly 3000 people lost their lives in three different locations in our country, as a part of a sinister plot, having even to do with faulty religious values – and while it is important to do all we can do prevent such things from happening again: the best way to bring closure and healing to survivors and to our nation as a whole is to allow the supernatural element of our Christian faith to aid us in forgiving the offense, forgiving the ignorance that was in play, forgiving the misuse of intelligence and technical know-how. This is not to forget, but it is to forgive: and this divine gesture and act of the will (empowered by grace and Christ himself) will go far in creating a true environment of peace and happiness and true brotherhood. For when the reaction to injury is a handshake of peace, it throws the aggressive party off; those who are for fighting are disarmed by those who raise their hands in gestures of peace!

May we bear fruit doing things God’s way, rather than our own, remembering that more violence is never the remedy for violence already done.


Monday, September 5, 2016

Sep 5 - Homily for Today

+ Jesus came to make things right: to make things right morally, and to make them right in other ways too. Since he was truly Lord God of Creation, he had power over nature and could restore what had become less than functional, for any reason. And so, as he did many times, in front of the scribes and Pharisees he makes two points at once today: his mastery over the physical world, and the spiritual: by curing the man with a withered hand, in the synagogue, on a Sabbath! The statement Jesus made beforehand makes clear his summation of the lesson he wanted to teach: the Sabbath is not less important for the doing of good, saving life, than would occur on any other day of the week! We must not postpone a good deed because of a ritualistic law?

Jesus then does his deed of miraculous healing and the Pharisees are enraged and resume their plotting against him for being a rabble-rouser, some kind of a magician, and blasphemer – doing things in the name of God that are only reserved for God himself – and breaking ritual law while he’s doing them.

When faced with the compassionate, simple, kind, authoritative healing power of Jesus, many feel threatened, because it seems too simple, too kind and too out of touch with the way life really is: harsh, unforgiving, demanding.

Jesus, you are our gentle and loving shepherd, with all kinds of miraculous powers available to provide comfort and health to any who ask for it! May we hear your voice this day, and follow you wherever you go, and rely on you to lead us always in right paths!

Lead me in your justice, Lord.


Sunday, September 4, 2016

Sep 4 - Homily for Today

+ Among the things that we need to pray for daily is spiritual (or divine) wisdom! It is a gift of the Holy Spirit – especially intensified at our Confirmations – but it needs to be “stirred into flame again,” not only at every Mass we attend, but also every day in prayer. “To see things and understand them the way God does” – holy wisdom – is indeed a very important and useful gift. (And those who do not have or use the gift properly can end up with a distorted view of everything – for example, scientists who promulgate theories of the origins of the universe devoid of the presence and activity of God).

But as in any other gift God gives us – this one too is not for our own private use or fame or glory – but is rather for the good of others – those he has placed in community life with us, in the Church to which we belong. Therefore, to pray daily for an increase and rekindling of wisdom can only be a good thing so as to give us an insightful edge into the nature of things and how to get along with one another more compassionately, lovingly and self-sacrificially.

One of the insights, however, that wisdom gives is that, even though we live in the community of the world, and of our families, and of our Church – we are responsible first of all for our own salvation: “we can save the whole world,” Jesus tells us in another place, “and lose our souls.” The gospel passage today relates what Jesus thinks about the whole thing: UNLESS YOU RENOUNCE ABSOLUTELY ALL POSSESSIONS (including the material, the psychological, the emotional, the intellectual, the familial – relationships with people: including your own family) YOU CANNOT BE MY TRUE DISCIPLE AND YOU WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM prepared for you!

This is very clear, and seems very cold; but actually it is far from it. It is when one really and truly jumps entirely into the pool of Christian discipleship that everything is immediately given back – only they now seem entirely different; there are no more “claw marks” of grappling on them, there is no more excessive compulsion and need to control and manipulate, there is no more selfishness and self-centeredness. The true nature of things becomes very clear! And so, what is left is the ability to enjoy not only relationships with people, including family and parish, but also the beauty and verity of all of God’s creation and everything in it, and Christian service that is made now so much easier. And here, the playing field is also leveled – we look at everyone, of every socio-economic class as our true brother and sister – as St. Paul urged Philemon to do with the slave Onesimus in the second reading today. EVERYTHING IS BRAND NEW ONCE WE SURRENDER OURSELVES COMPLETELY INTO THE HEART OF GOD!

He will accept your love and then ask you to prove it by loving the brothers and sisters that he has placed with you in this world. But that will be easy – because you will truly believe at that point that they really are indeed your brothers and sisters!


Yes, pray daily for the gift of Divine Wisdom – for it is the grace of God shining on you so that you can see everything and everyone clearly – even the laws of physics, even the law of human helpfulness!     God bless you!

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Sep 3 - Homily for Today

+ Gregory the Great born in 540 was son of Gordianus, a Roman officer, and was related to three saints and a Pope who was also a saint. He was educated by the finest teachers in Rome, and then became prefect of Rome for a year, but then he sold his possessions, turned his home into a Benedictine monastery and used his money to build six monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome. He himself became a Benedictine monk. Upon seeing English children being sold in the Roman Forum, he became a missionary to England. On this date, September 3, 590, he became the first monk to be chosen Pope. This was done by unanimous acclamation.

He then sent a monk named Augustine and others to evangelize England; he also sent other missionaries to France, Spain and Africa. He had a love of sacred music and collected the melodies and plain chant so associated with him that they are now known as Gregorian chants. He did extensive writing on the Mass and the Divine Office; he wrote especially about the role of the bishop as a servant; he is the first to use the term for the pope being called “the servant of the servants of God.” He died March 12, 604 at Rome of natural causes. He is one of the four original Doctors of the Latin Church, and the first Pope to be named “Great.”

If you asked Gregory his motivation for all his works he would tell you that it was love of God and of his people; he would tell you that any success he had as preacher, teacher, writer was the work of God and not his own; he would tell you that he was but an “instrument of light,” the light of Christ shining on the world so desperately in need of it. And of course, he would tell you that, just as Jesus came to serve, to be a slave of all for their salvation – so should be our role with one another, but especially those who seek roles of greatness as leaders in the Christian community: success here means, self-abnegating, self-sacrificial service for the sake of God and his kingdom. It is not what the world would consider fashionable; but it is what God would consider praiseworthy – and that which really counts?

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.


Friday, September 2, 2016

Sep 2 - Homily for Today

+ The readings today have to do with judging others from external actions. The disciples of Jesus eat and drink because he, their Lord and teacher, is still with them; (there will come a time when he is not with them and then they will fast, they will mourn and they will weep). It is at a time even later than that, our first reading tells us, that the Day of Judgment will come – and he who has the right to judge all actions both external and internal will be present– and the true thoughts and motives of all hearts will be manifested – and all will receive his due from God: praise or condemnation!


May our task each day be to have hearts as purified as they might be; as a preparation for the great day when motives are revealed, and reward is distributed!  May we turn from evil and do good, that we may abide forever in the heart of God!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Sep 1 - Homily for Today

+ The underlying message of our readings today is that the plan is for us to belong not to ourselves, but rather to Christ, so that he can hand us, once made safe, secure and sanctified over to his Father for a life of unending beatitude and richness!  Those who are wise in worldly ways (seeking to possess themselves) actually have less than nothing; and they have a great obstacle to overcome if they are to find themselves included in the Lord’s plan. Only those who are wise in the ways of the Spirit are truly wise and have qualification to be counted as a part of Christ.

It was one of the great tasks of Jesus to qualify people, as many as possible, for life in the Kingdom of his Father – and to help him he made the logical choice of obtaining the help of fishermen, who would actually be transformed into fishers-of-men: a task for which they would be eminently qualified! The gentle and patient technique of catching fish would be quite useful in attracting people to the great bark of the Church!

Today it would be in our best interest, first of all, to be caught by the apostolic church, and then to volunteer our services in helping out in the men-fishing-task! There are so many in the oceans of the world who are swimming around aimlessly and in the dark; our presence to them could make all the difference in their lives, both here and hereafter. Let us be their hope!

Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men.


Happy New Year 202

  A Happy New Year to you all! I hope and pray I am able to keep this blog up to date now that we are entering into the New Year! I would li...