October 7 2024 READ THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

 Folks, this is a significant and disturbing thing that I say to you today. We are surely and verifiably in "the end of the end times!!" but I do not say this to you to give you no hope, but actually the exact opposite: for those who are baptized, confirmed, eucharized in the Catholic Church - and you frequent both the Mass and the Sacrament of Confession, and Pray the Rosary and wear and have devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT - 

for all the rest -

friends you HAVE A LOT TO WORRY ABOUT! 

the prophecies of the end times will be fulfilled 

have you tuned in to anything at all going on outside your windom

they are being fulfilled daily left and right

hurricaineS, floods, death, government failure 

economic collapse

and the infestation of demons that are not even trying to disguise themselves there is even word that the Anti-Christ prophesied from 5000 years ago - will appear at the Synod in Rome that is being held right now

the temperature of a possible world war is beyond boiling now - it has already started my friends

BUT don't be afraid 

there is a very real way to lessen the intensity of the Great Chastisement that is on the way from a Loving Father God who must severely discipline some of his children - before its too late 

WE ARE THERE FOLKS and i am so grateful that my generation get to help slam the door that we opened with the sexual and drug revolution that we unleashed in the mid 1960s. Through simple honest and heaftfelt "Hail Mary..... etc" we can encourage all to slam that door shut tight! 

Am I exaggerating: absolutely not - I am nnt even getting started: but stay tuned and I will fill you in more - as the Spirit of God inspires me to do so! 

God Bless

Fr. Bill

Oct 6 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – OCTOBER 6, 2012

 

I –The two of them become one flesh.

R –May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

II – He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.

A – If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.

G –What God has joined together, let no human being separate.

                          

+ It is clear from our readings today that the male and the female of the human species have an essential and correlative relationship with one another that cannot be denied. [And here at the outset in 2024, there is an ideology that says this is not so – God really got it wrong.] But this is getting ahead of ourselves in the story at hand. God, if we noticed in the account from Genesis today, had originally intended to create just “man” – just Adam. This was his original intent. Why? Because he as a Personal, Trinitarian God thought it sufficient to show his love to just one expression of human personhood, one Man, one enormously graced Friend of God!

 

But this Adam looked around and saw other creatures with companions, helpmates and co-creators of new life (babies), and so he asked God for a suitable partner for himself: “the Man.” The suitable partner for the man became the wo-man: one like him, taken from him! God then told them that they belong together and the two of them would best image this creation of “marriage” by uniting themselves in the complementary way in which they were made – to form one flesh – which would in essence image the One Man that he originally envisioned.

 

And so, the “marital unification, embrace” of male and female instantly became the standard, the visible manifestation and the pattern for eons to come of the mind of God regarding the happiness of mankind and the means by which it would preserve the species.

 

It is absolutely consistent to say that the Creation of Man; and the Institution of Marriage between a man and a woman happened at the same time. Both are entirely dependent on the Divine Law which begot them, and both are forever tied to the supernatural, natural, moral and ethical laws that derive from it. This only makes sense. In our day and age – in our American society with its penchant for seeking what is just and fair, come what may – a very fine line must not be crossed when dealing with God on his own terms. For in the end, it does not matter how we have rationalized anything at all; what will prevail is what God told us all along about certain topics and how we respond to his clear message!

 

Therefore, marriage and family life are to be highly regarded as gifts of God, not personal rights, and that to consider altering not only their definitions, but also their inherent structures by any rational, civilized society of any era at all – is not only presumptuous, but also highly offensive to God the giver of all Good Gifts!

 

Our responsorial psalm today calls blessed and happy those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! It would not be untrue to say that the converse is also true: those who do not fear the Lord – those who think they know better than him – and walk in their own ways – will be called unblessed and unhappy – most likely in this life and most assuredly in the next!

 

Jesus came to us to remind us of all the good things that are available for those who love God and walk according to his immutable but very loving and wise ways – and even when we sin and think that we know better than either himself or his Father – he is always ready to take us back into the fold when we realize our mistake and ask forgiveness.

 

Finally, this is a time for seeking forgiveness in our sorely and dangerously confused American society – before it is too late, and make no mistake the clock is ticking, and it is ticking down more rapidly every day! There is an expiration date on the “human experiment” – the wisdom of giving these highest forms of creation “free will!” To help achieve a “happy ending” – God sent his Son to take on our human veil, our human flesh, our human life – to model how it can actually be done. And not only that he also provided a way to be empowered from the inside to live on the outside, the value, norms, and objective of God himself – so that we end up where we want to be when the new era is signaled to begin. He did this by insisting that we not only be near him, but that we can actually eat and drink him, so he can be inside of us, to fulfill in a very dramatic way his promise “to be with us until the end of the age” – the end of the age is NOW, it is HERE, and at this Mass Jesus is with us in a most dramatic way! How fortunate and blessed we are and how empowered we are to actually draw all things to him, so that he can one day soon hand us all over to God his Father and ours, so the final act in human history can begin!

 

If we love one another, from the heart, truly as brothers and sisters, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us and through us countless hundreds and thousands as our Light and Life ripple forward and out, and up and to the Kingdom.

 

Amen.

 

Sep 15 - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time / Our Lady of Sorrows

 + Our readings today that have to do with the suffering and Passion of Christ, come this year one day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, yesterday, and if this was not Sunday the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, today: there is a certain sense of exigency in the air: something really important is being talked about here.

And what could be more important than the price of our salvation, and how it affected the lives of others who were there at the time.

In the gospel passage, Jesus first elicits from St. Peter a declaration that he is in fact the Christ of God: the anointed one, sent to bring the history of Israel to a major turning point! But then, after Jesus tells them all what he has to do as the Christ, to bring about the salvation of all mankind: “be rejected, and killed are rise after three days,” Peter rebukes Jesus and tells him to reconsider this  “unthinkable prospect,” – unthinkable, because he is thinking only in human terms of what will happen: Jesus then adds fuel to the fire of incredulity when he says that not only he must take up a cross and suffer and die, but everyone who wants to be a true and authentic disciple of his must do the same – if they want to share in the third part of Jesus’ original declaration “rise again after three days,”  the disciple will die with Jesus, yes, but as Jesus himself here promises, he will also rise with him!

And so the choice is ours, it is always ours: are we willing to believe that the Cross of Jesus merited newness of life for himself; and that imitation of him will yield the same results for us?

The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah relates the spirit in which Jesus embraced the shame of his Passion: no, it would not be easy at all to “go through with it” – but God would be his help, and he would get through it, and the spiritual lives of a great many would be salvaged.

For us, then, today, while the cause of our salvation rests solely on our belief that Jesus is the Christ – the Divine Son of God – and that he did in fact suffer and die and rose – for the forgiveness of our sins and so that the gates of heaven could be opened for us – let us also remember that this belief must be accompanied by cooperative acts of loving service to others motivated by love of God: for as Saint James tells us in his ever classic way: faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead – and it will not be able to qualify us then for participation in the supernatural life of God!

To bring our Blessed Mother Mary into this scenario: she was with Jesus in mind and heart throughout all the events of Holy Week culminating in to brutal murder of her Son, her Beloved, her Child; and yet, she demonstrates how she listened to the whole narrative that Jesus related, and she kept in mind, in the front, and not the back therefore, that there would be a “third day of rejoicing” and triumph and JOY!! and so because she held the entire picture in her mind, she can also help us do the same when we face challenging, yes even impossible situations and circumstances in our lives. And so this sub-feast day today, by circumstances, we can look to her and pray to her as “Mother of Sorrows/Mother of Joy!” both irrevocably joined together. As the Red Cross of Suffering, always now leads to the Gold Cross of Victory, so to, the Mother of Sorrows is always and forever also, MOTHER OF JOY! she is our Mother of Hope and Mercy and Mother of our JOY!

I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living!

 

 

Aug 29 - The Passion of St. John the Baptist

 + St. John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus Christ, son of Zachary, a priest of the order of Abiah, whose job in the temple was to burn incense; and of Elizabeth, a descendent of Aaron. John was a Prophet – the last of the great prophets of the Old Testament, for he literally pointed to Christ on the banks of the Jordan and said: Behold, the Lamb of God, it is he who takes away the sins of the world: follow him!

 

Before this time, John converted many to a way that would propel them towards Christ when he did in fact arrive and he baptized men and women for the forgiveness of their sins (which would be fully effected by Christ’s death and resurrection). And, of course, he baptized Jesus himself, not that he had any sins, but as a sign that baptism would be required of all future members of his church, and as a way to inaugurate his own public ministry among the people of Israel.

 

Now that Jesus ministry had begun, John’s job was pretty much finished except for his greatest act of faith and love for his cousin that he could make: his martyrdom. He was imprisoned because he had condemned King Herod Antipas for his marriage to Herodias, which was both adulterous and incestuous. She was not only his niece, but also the wife of his brother, who was still alive. At Herodias’s insistence, Herod imprisoned John. Later, during a banquet the king made a public promise that he could not retract: telling Heordias’s daughter, who danced provocatively in front of him, that he would give her anything she wanted. Herodias told her daughter to ask for the beheading of John in prison. And so, John the Baptizer “lost his head” to “save the king’s face” in front of his guests.

 

This feast is celebrated by both the Eastern and Western Churches – in which John has always been held in very high esteem.

 

The first reading makes a seeming contrary prophecy: they will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. Did John the Baptist, therefore, win or lose in his confrontation with King Herod? He won, of course: even though one loses his physical life for the sake of the Kingdom, God delivers the soul intact and joyful to him as a specially granted reward. To give one’s life for Christ and his Kingdom is the greatest of all gifts one can give to God, and he accepts it as such and rewards the giver with a crown of glory! In effect, St. John the Baptist became the patron saint of marriage, and speaking truth to power with today’s feast – may we imitate and follow St. John the Baptist all the way into the kingdom because we too defend marriage as God gives it, and speaking truth to power even if it “cancels” us in the estimation of the world: our crown, our glory will be great in the Kingdom prepared for us.

 

 

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

 

 

Aug 25 - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – AUGUST 25, 2024

 

I –We will serve the Lord, for his is our God.

R –Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

II – This is a great mystery, regarding Christ and the Church.

A – Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.

G –To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

                       

+ We reach the grand conclusion of the great Discourse on the Most Holy Eucharist today, as it is related to us in the Gospel of St. John. This doctrine and reality are central and essential to Jesus whole mission. He came into the world to redeem it and to give it the “key to life.” The Eucharistic presence of his own real Body and Blood in transubstantiated elements of bread and wine is that key! It is not a secret key, nor an invisible key, but it does take something very special in order to see it, use it and operate it: it takes faith, simple faith! Faith being the gift of God and our cooperation with it, which gives the ability to see all things as God sees them, as they really are; and to use them the way he intends for them to be used.

 

It is quite apparent that many of Jesus’ disciples did not accept the gift of faith, and so they could not use it; and therefore their only course of action was to murmur about his insistence that they eat his real flesh and drink his real blood, and so they walk away confused and probably a bit annoyed that following Jesus around for so long a time ended with this impasse. Jesus then makes reference to how things are seen with the eyes of faith, rather than the human eyes: all things, but especially religious things must have something to do with “Spirit and life” – these things are “super-natural” – these things are the fruit of the activation of a simple and real faith! 

 

And so, Jesus says to those who wander away, then “go, go, but remember I told you that no one can come to me and remain unless it is granted him by my Father,” apparently, for the time being, it has not been granted to you – but maybe, in time; I will pray for you for a time in the future when you will be more pliant to the action of the Spirit in your life.

 

And you, he then turns to the Apostles and says, do you want to go too? After I have very carefully given you the benefit of countless hours of “private lessons” and practical experience even on difficult matters to understand – do you want to leave me too? But then Peter, speaking for the rest, as he always did said to him: Lord, to whom shall we go (quo vadis?), you have the words of eternal life; we have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God. How relieved Jesus must have been, we can see him smiling at Peter now, and the others, and saying to them: thank you, for your sakes, thank you, and you shall see and hear even greater things in the very near future!

 

The first reading today, in a sense gives us another decision made for God, rather than against him, a walking away: Joshua, addressing the elders of the tribes of Israel said: decide who you will serve from now on (which way are you going to go?); but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Any other kind of life, such as the kind the other tribes were involved in, just did not seem right to Joshua – and so he made his choice and God was very pleased. And, because of Joshua’s example, the rest of the tribes chose the Lord too.

 

Sometimes, it takes a simple straightforward statement in favor of God and his ways for others to activate faith, to “get onboard” – like Joshua, like Peter, like all the Apostles and their successors – and billions of disciples of Christ throughout the ages – we too can influence others to set their sights on heavenly goals, and to modify their earthly sojourn in order for it to end up in the right place at the right time!

 

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord, and then tell everyone you can about it, and let them know that it is for them too!

Jun 30 - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – JUNE 30, 2024

 

I –By the envy of the devil, death entered the world.

R –I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

II – Your abundance should supply the needs of the poor.

A – Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.

G –Little girl, I say to you arise.

                        

+ Our readings today are about the matter of life and death!  The first reading tells us how death entered into the world of life that God had made. He made in this world, man, to be imperishable (unable to die): the image of his very own nature. But by the envy of the devil (an angelic spiritual creation who had already failed a test given by God) – by his jealousy of God – death entered the world as the fitting punishment for those who wantonly disobey God (as he himself, the devil had done).

 

The object of this story then is to stay on the side of God’s good graces, on the side of right living, on the side of opposing temptation when it comes at us, and it will come at us! We do this by freely entering into a community of life – among all of our brothers and sisters who are now a part of his family – and even with those who are not yet members – to whom we constantly demonstrate our faith by actions of love (so to make membership attractive and desirable): we demonstrate our wiliness to help, by helping (not making ourselves poor II) but by giving from a true abundance that we might have, so that the idea of “more and less” is foreign to us as Christians; the idea of having what we need, and helping others who have need currently is what life in communion / the Church is all about! There are a thousand ways in which we can help beginning with prayer for others, but then our prayer must always be followed by some kind of tangible activity.

 

Jesus in the gospel passage went to help Jarius’ daughter because he had something that he could do for her – and he did it: Jesus had/has power over life and death, and so by simply calling her name and telling the little girl to get up: she did! And she began to walk around. When we help others because Christ Jesus has mandated us to do it, and out of love for him, some pretty amazing things can happen too. For in a sense we too have power (Jesus’ power in us) to encourage people to live healthier and happier lives, spiritual lives); we too have power (Jesus’ power in us) to heal those who have been wounded by the unkind mentally and spiritually and even physically aggressive blows, remarks and experiences that this cruel world can dole out – by simply listening, and encouraging them to believe that the Power of the Cross is also the Power of the Resurrection: and that it is for them, and that things can truly get better – with a little work, and a lot of being willing to have stronger faith in God!

Let us not fail in our Christian duty to be heralds of life, not death; and shiners of the light of Christ into all the dark corners of the world – so that the truth can be known everywhere, which can even draw true and old-time persecution to ourselves, and the freedom of the children of God can become a reality for all!

 

We will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued us!