Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Dec 29 - 5th Day within the Octave of Christmas

+ Today we have one of the most captivating and charming scenes in all of Holy Scripture, the presentation of Jesus in the Temple by his parents, Mary and Joseph, to the righteous and devout man of God who awaited with ardent longing for the consolation of Israel, the coming of the Lord and Messiah to free the people from darkness and sin: and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

 

Simeon was promised by God that he would not see death until he had seen Christ the Lord. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Lord, NOW you can let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: “MY OWN EYES HAVE SEEN THE SALVATION WHICH YOU PREPARED IN THE SIGHT OF EVERY PEOPLE, a LIGHT to reveal you to the nations and the GLORY of your own people Israel.” It was one of the most touching scenes imaginable.

 

A simple, humble man of God – who liked very much to go to temple every day was the one chosen to receive on behalf of all mankind Jesus as the light of the world and the glory of the Father! It was Simeon’s FAITH and hope that allowed him to accomplish this wonderful task; we are assigned the task of bringing “Christ the Light of the World and Glory of the Father” to all those we meet every day: we can do this better and better the more we pray each day for an increase of FAITH and HOPE and LOVE!

 

May we walk in the light today because our eyes of faith are more opened right now by a simple act of belief that God fulfills all his promises!

 

  

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Dec 27 - The Holy Family - Jesus, Mary, Joseph

+ On this Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I should like to focus on the person of St. Joseph. Two days ago we celebrated the feast of the Child Jesus, next Friday we will celebrate the feast of Mary, the Mother of Jesus and so today it is fitting and proper to speak for a few moments on holy, just, good and faith-filled Joseph who was chosen by God to be the husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus the Lord. And we do so for an added reason this year – as 2021 (beginning on December 8th) has been designated as “The Year of St. Joseph” – commemorating the 150th anniversary of him being named Patron Saint of the Universal Church by Pope Piux IX.

Joseph possessed all of the virtues of a true holy man of the faith of Abraham and the house of David. And his most outstanding virtue, along with faith, would have to be TRUST! Joseph trusted God absolutely, implicitly, unquestioningly and immediately! In the gospel passage we hear that Joseph received news from an angel in a dream to take the child and his mother and flee into Egypt for the safety of the life of the child. Joseph did not have to question the angel at all; he awoke and did what the angel told him!

Then later, when it was safe, the prophecy : out of Egypt I called my son was fulfilled, when the angel again appeared to Joseph and told him to take his family and return to Nazareth in Galilee – to fulfill yet another  prophecy: he shall be called a Nazorean.

It was then that Joseph became the strong earthly father figure for Jesus in his formative years in the home of Nazareth. He taught him his own carpentry trade. He with Mary taught Jesus to pray and to observe all of the dictates of the Jewish religion of which they were a part. His loving example of husband and foster-father is a great role model for all men who marry and have children. And the respect and submission that Mary and Jesus had to Joseph’s God-inspired leadership in their family was equally noteworthy. Mary was the ideal mother and wife – who trusted God that all would work out well for her family! It would not be easy later on – but with the support of Joseph for a while, and the community of disciples of Jesus after that, she would have what she needed for the remainder of her earthly life. And it is to be noted that Jesus, as a child obeyed Joseph without question or argument!

May our family lives resemble the Holy Family Life – with parents and children respecting and loving and anticipating one another in deeds of kindness and helpfulness. And may the dynamic of the marriage of Mary and Joseph, be the model for all Christian marriages – which were sanctified and sacramentalized by their own Son Jesus – where the husband cherishes and cares totally for the wife and children more easily, the more they each in turn trust in and submit to his prayer inspired, Spirit aided decisions for their welfare.

Let the peace of Christ control our hearts, all of us; let the word of Christ dwell in us richly through FAITH and the TRUST that St. Joseph inspires!

 

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Dec 26 - St Stephen the Martyr

+ Today in the shadow of the pinnacle of the Christmas celebration we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, the first to give his life for the truths proclaimed by the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ the Lord (as a composite whole), the first member of the Church to give his life for its founder.

 

All we know of Stephen is related in the Acts of the Apostles. He was one of the first deacons, and a preacher; and while preaching the Gospel in the streets, angry Jews who were angry at him for berating them, and believing his theological message to be blasphemy, dragged him outside the city, and stoned him to death. In the crowd, to the sight of the mob, who did nothing to stop the killing was a man who would later be known as St. Paul the Apostle. Before he died, Stephen asked God to forgive his attackers. This happened around the year 33.

 

And so, the veracity of the religion was shifted into a higher gear; and a tremendous example of martyrdom included one of Jesus’ most difficult sayings: pray for your persecutors, and even to expect to be put to death on account of his Name!

 

Stephen’s own wordsLord Jesus, receive my spirit, (echoing Christ’s own words on the Cross: into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit) – ought to be ours at all times – so that we live and die as members of Christ, joyfully, and as instruments of peace in his hands.

 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord:

 the Lord is God and has given us light.

 

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Dec 24 - December 24

+ We are now on the brink of the Christmas celebration and there is no more fitting final word of preparation than the now finally audible words of the father of the herald of Christ (John the Baptist) who is priest of the temple, Zechariah. Next to Mary’s Canticle of Praise to God (the Magnificat) today’s Gospel turned Canticle (The Benedictus) is second in honor in the Church’s prayer catalog of canticles. It is the Canticle recited daily for Morning Prayer of the Divine Office. It is a canticle of blessing for the fulfillment of the promise of God to send a Savior, so that God’s people could be free from the hands of their enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of their life. It is a canticle prophesying the mission of his own son, John, in being the one to clear the way before the actual appearance of the Messiah – so that forgiveness of sins could be accomplished.

 

The Verse before the gospel, the final O Antiphon summarizes all of this final week’s preparation by proclaiming: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death!

 

Come O Radiant Dawn and find us watching in wonder and awe for the events of your Nativity, again, this year!

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Dec 22 - December 22

+ We are so very close to Christmas now, and the sense of joyful expectation is found in Mary’s proclamation of the Gospel canticle: Magnificat anima mea Domino! My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!

 

For he who is so awesome and mighty has found favor with me, and through me will fulfill the promises he made to all previous generations, and even those yet to come:  you shall be free from sin, you shall flee from death, and you shall live forever in a kingdom prepared for you!

 

You will be able to live life daily now with a deep sense of hope, purpose and willingness to go outside of yourself for the good of others.

 

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save the ones you formed from the dust. You save us, and you exalt us to the skies – so long as we keep our priorities and perceptions in check, and place you above all things! May we do so lovingly and happily today!

 

And we shall not be disappointed!

 

My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

 

  

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Dec 19 - December 19

+ Today we recall once again the importance of John the Baptist in the immediate preparations for the coming birthday celebration of the Lord. The gospel gives us accounting of John’s conception, just as the first reading gives an accounting of the conception of Samson (which really pointed to John) – each were extraordinary, due to the advanced years of the mothers involved – and each took an act of great faith for the fathers involved. For it was easier for Manoah to believe what would happen to his wife, than for priest of the temple, Zechariah to understand what would happen to his. Nothing is impossible with God, and the greatness of the Lord’s herald ought to be something special and out of the ordinary!

 

Today we also continue with the “O Antiphon” Series in the “Alleluia Verse” before the gospel: (O RADIX JESSE) O ROOT of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s favor for all his people: come to save us without delay.

 

The Root of Jesse’s Stem, is the Holy One who would come to establish a true and lasting spiritual kingdom, a people who would be God’s specially favored, worthy of being saved from destruction and sin. 

 

May we believe with all our hearts that God can do anything he chooses for us and that the Messiah he sent from Jesse’s stock, the flower of all of Israel, can decorate our own souls and preserve them for eternal life!

 

My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!

 

 

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Dec 15 - 3rd Week in Advent - Tuesday

+ We are reminded in our readings today that the poor, the despised, the sinners have a truer grasp of who Jesus is than those who have no need of him because of their seeming righteousness: the chief priests and elders of the people. It is these poor who went out both to see John, and then Jesus later when he told them to go. The professional religious leaders did not believe in John and therefore they could not be redirected to Jesus.

 

In the first reading from the Prophet Zephaniah, we see that the remnant of the house of Israel would be the small number who hung on to belief in a messiah who would redeem the people. Though highly unlikely, these people would “save the day” – and be a true link from the sinful “primitives” and the purified “futures”!

 

May we celebrate today our membership in the “remnant of the Lord” - in this day and age, when so many seem to be “experts in religious matters” but have “missed the boat entirely” in their fantasizing about a “plastic Jesus” who gets brought out once a year at Christmas, but at other times of the year – is packed neatly away in the closet!

 

Come, O Lord, do not delay; forgive the sins of your people. 

Friday, December 11, 2020

Dec 11 - 2nd Week of Advent - Friday

+ Jesus was perhaps the first to use the familiar phrase “The proof is in the pudding” although he put it in other terms: But wisdom is vindicated by her works. There can be crafty and well-intentioned arguments on both sides of any issue, but the proof is in the reality behind the arguing, the crafting, even the conniving and conspiring – the proof is in the degree of resemblance any situation or person has to the love which is God.

 

In the first reading today from the Prophet Isaiah, God tells his people to resemble his love, act and speak out of true love for one another, so that prosperity could abound for them – for this is God’s command – not a harsh or unreasonable command, but one emanating from his love and his peace which he wants everyone to experience!

 

But the people over and over again, down to our own day, first agree, but then disagree and disobey with this commandment (this request of love); and God was forced to use his last resort card: his only Son, Jesus, sent to enflesh and demonstrate this attitude, this commandment, this love in person. And the Word became flesh and was born on Christmas Day.

 

May we reflect in our lives today the fact that we need not be obsessively demanding people – arguing incessantly over the theology and philosophy of religion (or anything else) – but may we simply enjoy our status as God’s loved, favored, chosen sons and daughters who belong to an incredible worldwide and heavenly family of grace and peace!

 

The Lord (our Brother) will come; let us go out to meet him! He is the prince of peace.


Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Dec 8 - Immaculate Conception of the BVM

+ Today we celebrate the fact that from the first moment of her existence in the womb of her mother, Ann, the Blessed Mother of God was preserved from the effects of original sin by means of a singular privilege and grace from God, granted in view of the merits of Jesus Christ her own future-coming Son. From the first moment of its existence, Mary’s soul was filled with sanctifying grace. She had at least the graces of the first Eve before the Fall and more. This privilege was befitting the one who was to be the mother of the Redeemer.

 

This doctrine was held in differing degrees by both East and West from the ninth century. The feast was originally known as the Conception of Ann, and celebrated on December 9, but finally the doctrine was defined formally and assigned a permanent feast day by Blessed Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1854, in accordance with the texts of Scripture: “I will put enmities between you (the serpent) and the woman, and your seed and her seed”; and “Hail, full of grace.”

 

 What is more, this doctrine is established by living tradition, by the writings of the Fathers, by feasts observed in honor of this prerogative, and by the general belief of the faithful. The apparition of Mary to Catherine Laboure in Paris in 1830 and to Bernadette Soubrious in 1834 prompted devotion to Mary as the Immaculate Conception. And at the First Council of Baltimore, held in 1846, the U.S. Catholic bishops chose Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception as the patron saint of their (our) country.

 

It is Mary’s complete openness to God’s love, God’s gifts, and God’s graces that we celebrate today, as well as her sublime status as “woman of absolute faith”; when we utilize fully what the Church has given us by means of life in the Body of her Son – cooperating in faith with graces freely given us - we experience with her the sublime confidence, joy and peace that she always had.

 

Hail, Mary, full of grace! Pray for us now and at the hour of our death

…and pray for our nation, dear Mary, please pray for our nation, which is dedicated to your patronage under this very title of Immaculate Conception, and which is in perilous danger now, as it faces fallout from a failed presidency, a cunning pandemic, a wounded economy and so many unnecessary and disgraceful prejudices and broods of hatred and violences.

 

Amen!

 

  

Monday, December 7, 2020

Dec 7 - St Ambrose of Milan

+ Today we celebrate the feast of a remarkable man and servant of God. Ambrose of Milan was born of Roman nobility in Trier in 397, (two of his brothers were also saints: Marcellina and Satyrus). He was educated in the classics at Rome. He was a poet and a noted orator, a convert to Christianity and governor of Milan, Italy.

 

When the bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose intervened to calm both sides and impressed everyone involved so much that though he was still an unbaptized catechumen, he was chosen as the new bishop. His resistance, causing more violence, led to his assent, and on December 7, 374 he was baptized, ordained as a priest and consecrated as bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church and the poor, both for the good it did, and as an example to his flock.

 

Ambrose became a noted preacher and teacher, a Scripture scholar of renown, and a writer of liturgical hymns. He stood firm against paganism and Arianism. His preaching helped convert St. Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose’s preaching brought Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins. He was proclaimed a great Doctor of the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298.

The title Honey Tongued Doctor was initially bestowed on Ambrose because of his speaking and preaching ability; this led to the use of a beehive and bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom. He died on Holy Saturday, April 4, 397 at Milan, Italy, of natural causes.

 

In the gospel passage today, Jesus is portrayed as the Good Shepherd, who would live and die for the welfare of the sheep of his flock; this very much characterized the life and ministry of one of the greatest bishops of the Church, Ambrose of Milan.

 

He did everything he did for them and for their salvation; as did Jesus. St. Paul in the first reading reminds us how important it is for any and all of us to be open to the grace of God as it tries to communicate to us and through us the very reality and power of God in our lives, giving us boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him to the very mysteries of God. We are so very blessed; may we live like we deeply appreciate these blessings this day!

 

Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

  

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Dec 3 - St Francis Xavier

+ Francis Xavier – (1506-52) - was one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church and is the patron saint of the foreign missions. He is known as the “apostle to the Indies and Japan.” He was born to the nobility of the Basque region of Spain and studied and taught philosophy at the University of Paris, and planned a career as a professor. But a friend, Ignatius of Loyola, convinced him to use his talents to spread the Gospel. He became one of the founding Jesuits, and the first Jesuit missionary. In Goa, India, while waiting to take ship, he preached in the street (often setting religious verse to popular tunes), worked with the sick, and taught children their catechism; he would walk through the streets ringing a bell to call the children to their studies. He is said to have converted the entire city.

 

Francis scolded his patron, King John of Portugal, over the slave trade: “You have no right to spread the Catholic faith while you take away all the country’s riches. It upsets me to know that at the hour of your death you may be ordered out of paradise.”

 

Becoming all things to all men – as encouraged by St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians - St. Francis Xavier became a tremendously successful missionary for ten years in India, the East Indies, and Japan, baptizing more than 40,000 converts. His epic finds him dining with headhunters, washing the sores of lepers in Venice, baptizing 10,000 in a single month. He tolerated the most appalling conditions on long sea voyages, enduring extremes of heat and cold.

 

Wherever he went he would seek out and help the poor and forgotten. He traveled thousands of miles, most on his bare feet and saw a greater part of the Far East. He had the gift of tongues, was a miracle worker, he raised people from the dead, calmed storms, was a prophet and a healer. He died on December 2, 1552 in China of a fever contracted on a missionary journey.

 

St. Ignatius was right in redirecting St. Francis Xavier’s vocation – focusing it more intently on what the Lord told all whom he called to do: go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. The Lord was with Francis and he will be with us as we do our part this day in spreading that same gospel to the people he puts in our path!

 

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

 

 

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Nov 29 - First Sunday of Advent 2021

+ We begin again! This is actually “New Year’s Day” in the Church: the beginning of a brand new liturgical year of grace with twelve months ahead of us to once again behold the great mystery of our faith: the coming as Savior of the very Son of God himself – who became for us Jesus, Christ, the Lord.

 

The Advent season is the time to look back into our Jewish history and see the great preparation that God himself made before the actual birth of the Messiah on what we refer to as Christmas Day. This history tells of a people, formed by God to be his family, who found themselves in situations more and more intense and even dangerous – mostly by their constant disobedience to him. God had to rescue this people over and over again; but at the same time they were always longing and yearning for a true and lasting liberator, Messiah, who would free them from all their slaveries and be their leader triumphant against all their enemies.

 

God had this same desire for them, but with a twist; this Messiah and King would not be of a political bent, as they thought he might be, he would instead inaugurate a spiritual kingdom that would last forever; and the slavery that he would free them from was the most deadly of all: sin – which, unless he had come to forgive it, would have kept them, and everyone else, out of that kingdom forever!

 

And so, when the time was right – and the hopelessness of this people was immense and their longing was at the bursting point – “this fullness of time” produced the familiar story that we will hear about in the coming weeks: the arrival of the magnificent Lord of the universe, in the tiny body of a little baby boy! Our God is so powerful that he could do this: out of love for us!

 

Our readings today are magnificent: this yearning, groveling people know that they are but “bits of clay, and that God is the potter;” and as works of his hands they ask for freedom, mercy and love! And he gives it! The gospel passage encourages us to be watchful and waiting both for the second coming of Jesus, but also in a new way this new year: the first. Let our hearts burst with yearning and hoping and crying out to God for his peace and his love: and he will give them – just as though we were there at the stable in Bethlehem. There is reason to have hope – regardless of what is happening in our families, our countries, our world - God is faithful to his promises – he is devoted to those who are searching for his face: he will show it to them!

 

Dear Lord, show us your love; and grant us your salvation!

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Nov 26 - Thanksgiving Day 2020

+ Our responsorial refrain cries out today: Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. On this Thanksgiving Day, 2020, we are called to reflect on the life of blessing that is available to us all, and that we do enjoy – being the recipient of God’s manifold gifts and graces.

Absolutely everything we are and have come from Him, are sustained by Him, and are directed to Him, for His glory, and the best good for everyone and everything!

This is the priority that we must keep in our minds and in our hearts: we are all called to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the new heaven, and the new earth, that is surely coming down the pike. Everything we think, say and do each day, must someway, somehow be directed to that end.

Our forefathers were grounded in faith, and it was the steering factor, the great anchor for all they accomplished and planned for themselves and for future generations. Without God, without the aid of his Blessed Mother Mary, who is the Patroness of these United States – we are doomed to failure and devastation; but with them we set a course for true prosperity and greatness: here and hereafter.

We are challenged more this Thanksgiving Day probably than any other in the history of our memories: COVID has claimed the lives of more than a quarter of a million of our dearest and most precious loved ones: all of whom were doubly victimized because they had to die alone, and without the comfort and assistance of loved ones at their bedside! There is the last end vestiges as well of a cataclysmic presidency with one who clearly belongs in a mental institution and not the People’s House in Washington, DC. There is an economic crisis that will take decades to repair. There remains racial injustice and police brutality as much today as when the horrific scenes played out on our TV screens this past summer and in our city streets! There will be no return to the normal that we once knew: but again with the advent of a new and stable presidency come Jan 20, perhaps there is cause for a springtime of new hope, new empathy, new compassion, new ideas, new actions, and new LOVE that will begin to transform the country, and indeed the world into something better than we even can imagine now.

In any and every event we must not forget the GOD OF PROMISES: who promises peace, and prosperity and abundance and security, and health and wholeness for all of us! Truly!

And so, we are most grateful today for our FAITH, for the HOPE engendered by it, and by selfless acts of human helpfulness that we can do, especially by staying socially distanced, masked and at home, and LOVE – especially to the most wayward and forgotten, poor, the sick and lonely – which demonstrate it.

“When the days of tribulation arrive and the signs begin to happen – let us stand erect with joyful, grateful hearts, raise our eyes to the Cross of Christ manifest in the skies and welcome the New Day which is full of promise, peace and prosperity beyond our wildest imaginings.”

Our redemption is close at hand, and we are glad!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Nov 15 - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ As we are coming down to the last two Sundays of the Church year, we focus this week on a primary Christian concept: what exactly do I do with what I have been given? A truly Christian person knows that everything comes from God – including their very selves, their very lives, their very ability or talent to do anything. This means at the same time, that we of ourselves are nothing, nothing at all. One of Jesus’ chief reasons for coming to live among us was to make that fact very clear in our minds and to encourage us always to “celebrate our nothingness so that God’s abundance could come to us,” so that he could live and move and have his being in us, so that he could make and fashion for himself a people, a family, a kingdom as it would best be formed.

The gospel passage parable today then tells the story of the man who had been given five talents (a certain sum of money) who when his master returns later returns to him the five with five more gained by intelligent investment. The master is very pleased and rewards the industrious servant with a higher rank in his organization. We each have been given personal gifts and talents and abilities to use for the service of others first (for ourselves always last) – and when we use them thusly, we, in a sense can see the good works multiplied before our eyes – it is as though our gift and its effect grows and grows with use – this confirms the lesson of the parable!

The first reading today gives concrete example of one who uses her many gifts not for herself but for the service of her family and even strangers: a worthy wife whose value is far beyond pearls; who embracing her nothingness in imitation of the Blessed Mother Mary, gains the praise of all at the city gates.

When each of us simply does his duty – both as male and female – in the societal plan of mutual help and support, then all is well – but more especially if we do these things, as they only really can be done: empowered by the Holy Spirit of God who makes all things work together for those who love God.

The second reading today reminds us that Jesus’ return could be at any time. It encourages us to be ready in two ways: by prayer (by being vigilant and sober), and by doing ever more works of charity and human helpfulness out of love for God: this makes these acts fruitful and effortless and perfect; and stores up for us treasure in heaven.

Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord.

Whoever remains in me bears much fruit!

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Oct 15 - St Teresa of Avila

+ Teresa of Avila was born in March of 1515, daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Dona Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the saints and playing a “hermit” in the garden. Crippled by disease in her youth, which led to her being well educated at home, Teresa was cured after prayer to St. Joseph. Her mother died when she was 12, and she prayed to Our Lady to be her replacement. Her father opposed her entry to religious life, so she left home without telling anyone, and entered a Carmelite house at 17, taking the name Teresa of Jesus. Seeing her conviction to her call, her father and family finally consented. Soon after taking her vows, Teresa became gravely ill, and her condition was aggravated by the inadequate medical help she received; she never fully recovered her health.

 

At this time Teresa began receiving visions, and was examined by Dominicans and Jesuits, including St. Francis Borgia, who pronounced her visions to be holy and true. She considered her original house too lax in its rule, and so she founded a reformed convent (discalced: shoeless) of St. John of Avila. Teresa founded several houses, often against fierce opposition from local authorities. She was a mystical writer writing The Way of Perfection and Meditations on the Song of Songs. She met and became friends with St. John of the Cross; they encouraged each other along the way of spiritual perfection.

 

Teresa died October 4, 1582, of natural causes, in the arms of her secretary and close friend Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew. Her body is incorrupt, and her relics preserved at Alba. Her heart shows signs of Transverberation (piercing) and is displayed too. She was canonized in 1622 along with St. Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Philip Neri, and was one of the first women to be named Doctor of the Church, by Pope Paul VI in 1970. She is patron of the sick, and those who are ridiculed for their piety.

 

Teresa knew intensely the reality of how the spiritual life of the individual is directly and irrevocably intertwined with that of Jesus as the branches of the vine are vitally related to the root! For Teresa of Avila life was Christ, and, for love of him, a life of aiding others in their spiritual growth and journeys was her true vocation; and this she did in spite of physical conditions that plagued her with illness. It was the hope of glory, illumined by the flame of faith, planted in her heart at her own baptism, and then renewed at her religious profession, that encouraged Teresa along the way, and she counted on the prayers to God that only the Holy Spirit himself could emit as groans in the heart of the Father to make her efforts successful.

 

May we revel in our intimate relationship with God today, count on the Spirit’s prayer on our behalf, and then, nourishing the gift of faith already bestowed on us, by the Eucharistic meal, prove our love for God by the way we deal with others as he would!

 

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Oct 13 - 28th Week in OT - Tuesday

+ St. Paul’s great discourse on faith continues today in our first reading from his letter to the Galatians. He tells them that it does not matter if they are circumcised or not – Jews or Greeks – what matters most is that their works of love spring from faith in Jesus. Not that the works in themselves save, but works as the expression of belief that Jesus is the Divine Son of God, are what count, for he as Son of God and Son of Man has brought about our redemption by death on a cross!

 

In the gospel passage, Jesus tells the Pharisees that sterile observance of the law will not get them anywhere, without accompanying good works done for others – the giving of alms – he says that when you give alms from a desire of the heart to do a loving thing, everything will be clean for you!

 

May we today offer our actions to God, accompanied by an act of faith in his divinity, and so make them efficacious for bringing about great good not only for those who will benefit from them, but also for ourselves who make them with humble, loving hearts!

 

The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

Friday, October 9, 2020

Oct 9 - 27th Week in OT - Friday

+ In the gospel passage today, Jesus, in a sense, addresses a lot of issues and arguments that his revolutionary way of seeing and doing things brings up. His “revolutionary way” is not really so revolutionary as it is free and clear of any prejudices and misgivings. He simply tells things like they are, in his proclamation of God as a loving God, who wants everyone to be a part of his family, free from any contrary spirits that might have affected them previously, healthy, whole and joyful!

The naysayers of course have their own theories about his words and deeds, but Jesus reminds them over and over again – “if what I say and do is from God, you may as well go along with it, because if it is not, then you will be destroyed anyway”

The first reading today tells us about the day of the Lord that will be doom and darkness for those who want it that way, for those who refuse to turn to the Lord and ask for help and protection – he is only so willing to give it, if we but humbly reorient ourselves to him and ask for it!

Today, may we welcome Jesus’ “revolutionary way” of transforming all of creation and humanity into something grand and glorious – let us stay on the right side of a healthy perspective – and live our day proclaiming the kingdom of which we are all called to belong!

The prince of this world will now be cast out; and when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all to myself, says the Lord.

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Oct 4 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ The readings for the day establish two points: God first acts to plant a vineyard; and he employs workers to take care and tend his investment.  For us this means that it is not we ourselves who have planted anything at all: all comes from God the Father, Creator and Great Architect of the Universe. He has planted everything and everyone where he wants them / us; and he is telling us by means of the parable in the gospel today that the dramatic story of family-formation, salvation and redemption depends upon our cooperation with the process.

 

It is not up to us to pick and choose the parts we will agree with, and not agree with in the process. When God had to show himself to be the one in charge in the history of this family-making project by force, the participants were thrown into a tither –and they cried out to him over and over: OK OK; Your way! Your way! Yah-weh!

 

But then over and over again: they took it back and set themselves up as lords of their own lives, once again. Even when the Father sent his own Son – this temperamental and rebellious people did not accept him – and being the great Light of Truth that he was, showing them exactly who they were, and what was in their hearts – they killed him! They just did not listen to his invitation to “turn away from their iniquity, their sin, their short-sightedness” and be free, happy and redeemed!

 

Our readings today invite us to do two things: to acknowledge the ever active and present Father-God who wants nothing but our happiness; and to cooperate with him to bring about our own salvation and that of as many others as we can: encouraging them to be good and faithful workers in the vineyard of the Lord, with us: doing each day what is good, right and pleasing to God, and encouraging others to do the same! 

 

May the God of peace (especially as we pray on this St Francis of Assisi Feast Day) remain with us always, because we humbly and affectionately ask him to!

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Sep 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.

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?

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Sep 24 - 25th Week in OT - Thursday

+ 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, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Sep 23 - St Padre Pio

+ 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 crucifix, 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!

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Sep 20 - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ Our readings today tell us that “it is advisable to consider the things of God on his own level, with his own logic” – to the extent that we are able – “rather than on our own.” The very ability to do this requires God’s action first, by his giving the gift of faith; then it requires our use of the gift, its application in particular instances, and then thanks rendered after successful utilization of the economy of God.  

In our gospel passage today, for example, Jesus is teaching a very wonderful lesson about the generosity of God, in his willingness to offer salvation to everyone – no matter how lately any may come to faith, come to belief in Jesus, come to the church: right up to the very last person born on earth, it will never be too late to say: I believe – and to lead to life based on the belief. And, if Jesus wants these “latecomers” to be the first into the kingdom on Judgment Day – then so be it: this ought not cause the rest any consternation at all. It is not up to us to say: “This is not fair!”

The reason for this, as St. Paul tells the Philippians, is that when for us “life is Christ” – then it does not matter what stage of that life we, or others, might be in; in fact, it does not matter whether we are alive or dead; because if Christ is our life, we have it all – and we just don’t concern ourselves with how full or empty other people are, or when they got to be that way.

Our task today is to continue, as our second reading tells us, to seek God while he may be found, call him while he is near, forsaking our foolish ways and useless thoughts, turning to God for mercy: to our God, who is generous in forgiving: remembering that his thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are his ways ours: they are infinitely different:

after all he is God, and we are not: and it’s all going to end up better than we can possibly imagine – if we keep him squarely in our sights!

The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Sep 17 - 24th Week in OT - Thursday

+ The first reading yesterday of St. Paul to the Corinthians about the supreme and extreme importance of love (charitable self-sacrificial actions towards others) is demonstrated today by the sinful woman who came to Jesus when he reclined to dine at the home of a Pharisee. The Pharisee himself did not offer Jesus the usual ablutions that one would offer a guest: foot-washing and the like.

 

The loving woman did offer Jesus these things, using her tears for the water, and her hair for the towel.

 

While the Pharisee could not get past the fact that this was a social outcast who was doing these things to Jesus, Jesus, on the other hand saw through to her heart and knew her to be an ordinary human being looking for real love in mostly the wrong places, and he loved her in her soul, and she responded by promising him that things would be different for her from now on.

 

It was easy for Jesus to forgive her sins, it is easy for him to forgive ours: if we come to him with faith, with humility, and with love.

 

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Sep 15 - Our Lady of Sorrows

+ Today we celebrate the “white martyrdom” – the spiritual martyrdom of the Blessed Virgin Mary. By the fourteenth century her “Sorrows” were fixed at seven:

  • The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus (Luke 2:34)
  • The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family (Matthew 2:13)
  • The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days (Luke 2:43)
  • The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross (Luke 23:26)
  • The Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross (John 19:25)
  • The Descent from the Cross, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms (Matthew 27:57)
  • The Burial of Jesus (John 19:40)

Just as we said yesterday that Jesus looked forward to and embraced the Cross of our salvation; so too, Mary must have looked forward in a sense to hers. It was her lot to have God do unto her always as he would – she trusted Him and all his ways: she also knew the entire history of her people, and she knew that associating with God always involved risk and self-sacrifice – and so being part of this great drama in the redemption of the world – she knew that as the Mother of the Savior, she would have to suffer greatly too: but she did it willingly and lovingly, like only the Mother of God could. And she always felt the comfort of the Holy Spirit in her trials! Mary is not only our intercessor when we must suffer, but she is also our model!

 

May the revealed thoughts of our hearts find us willing to embrace and endure what we must in order to ensure our salvation and our place in heaven with you, dear holy Mother and Blessed Virgin Mary!

 

Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary; without dying you won the martyr’s crown beneath the Cross of the Lord.

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...