Homilies of Father Paul Yi

Feb. 12, 2012: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

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There are people in this world who, because of their positive attitude, inviting temperament, and gregarious nature, draw our attention to them. We are attracted by their magnetism, just as moths are drawn to the light at night. We have a great desire to spend time with them and to be with them. Likewise, there are people who, because of their sarcastic attitude, gloomy temperament, and reserved nature, repel us. They seem to us, like a dark, musty room where we would not like to spend too much time. It is as if their light has been smothered by something dark. We all have met people like that, haven't we? Imagine then, a 17-year old young man in high school with long dark hair, black clothing, gloomy face and negative attitude, who despised religion. The people around him felt uncomfortable to be with him. Moreover, he was uncomfortable being with himself, because for him, it was like being in a dark, musty room.

The description of this young man is not too different from the man who approached Jesus in desperation. He had leprosy, was ostracized from his family and town, and he experienced loneliness amid pain of his disease. He was not supposed to approach anyone, and if anyone approached him, he was supposed to cry out, "I'm unclean! Avoid me!" Then I wonder what prompted him to be so bold to approach Jesus. He must have been starving for love. We can find men and women in his condition all around us even today. I am not speaking of persons with leprosy, but men and women who genuinely starve for love. Their past hurts, addictions, or hopelessness keep them from reaching out. The man with leprosy boldly approached Jesus, drawn by Jesus' magnetism. He was seeking physical healing, but there was also something deeper that he needed? Fr. Henri Nouwen described it best when he wrote: “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”

Jesus did not just heal the man of a skin condition: Jesus tenderly touched him and desired that the man reconnect with his family and community who could provide love. There were probably disciples of Jesus who cringed as Jesus reached over to touch that man's leprous skin. Yet, Jesus wanted to teach his disciples that when they reach out with love, it could bring a person out from their isolated, dark, musty room.

A while ago at a priest conference, a young religious sister named Sr. Catherine shared her stories of evangelization to young people on the beaches in France. She first asked us to imagine this scene:

It is 2AM in the morning, there is a nightclub blaring out techno music near the seashore, and sitting on the sandy shore are about a hundred or so young people. Some are drinking and their bottles are strewn here and there. Some are smoking. Some are buying and trying drugs like Ecstasy. Some are pairing off to go off to some private places. The scene she described was the first night Sr. Catherine was out doing evangelization. She was quite nervous and wondered what she should say to them? She thought that would not want to hear about God. She asked the other sister, “What should I do when I meet them?” The sister replied, “Love them. Listen to them. Be present to them. Listen to their questions and reflections. Listen for where their hurts are.” Sr. Catherine thought, ‘Honestly, walking over to a group of young people who were out for a good time and to talk to them about God was not something she had in mind, especially at 2 in the morning.’ Yet, St. Catherine was haunted by the call of God, “Whom should I send? Whom should I send to let these young people know about Me?” Sr. Catherine reluctantly said to God in silence, “Oh, okay. Send me.” As the sisters and the team approached the young people, a few of them turned around and with amusement said, “Hey look! Nuns.” Then, the dialogue began.

Sr. Catherine began to talk with a 22 yr. old young man named Steffen. He had plenty of piercings on his face. Steffen told the sister that he has been frequenting this nightclub area since the age of 16. He said one of only joys in his life is to go on Raves (large techno parties). Sr. Catherine began to tell him about her personal encounter with Jesus, where she experienced peace, joy, and love. Steffen asked, "Did you take something, Sister?" he meant did you take Ecstasy? No, she said. They talked a little bit. Without question, he accepted her request if she could pray together. And she asked him, what would you like to ask Jesus? "I want to be happy." So sitting there with Steffen, Sr. Catherine addressed herself to Jesus with very simple words. A very sweet peace immersed both of them. And he asked the sister, “What is this thing filling my heart? I have a feeling that it is going to explode. I even want to cry. But I never cry. Is this the love of God?” So she asked him smiling, "Did you take something?" "No." As they were finishing up the prayer, he ran up to the young priest and said, "Are you a priest, a real priest? Can you do that thing where we tell you the bad things that we've done and you forgive us?" He meant the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The last time he had gone was when he was a child. Right there on the sand, with the musical background of the techno just a few feet away, he received the forgiveness of God. Sr. Catherine said, “From that moment I said, ‘What a joy to be an instrument of God.’”

Our Lord asks each of us to be like Sr. Catherine, willing to reach out and touch a soul who are not so lovable at first sight. We may not be privileged to see the transformation right at that moment. We may be able to see fruit of our compassion only years later, just like that 17-year old high school kid who was transformed by love and now stands before you as a priest.

Feb. 11, 2012 Saturday: Our Lady of Lourdes

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(Grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, France)

Feb. 10, 2012 Friday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

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Jesus, gave a deep groan, and said to the man, "Ephphatha," which means, "Open up!" At once the man was able to hear and he began to talk without any trouble. Mark 7:34-35

Helen Keller was deaf, dumb, and blind. One day, Miss Fuller, a speech teacher, paved the way for Helen to talk. She put Helen's hand to her face to feel the positions of her tongue and lips when she spoke to Helen. Helen then tried to duplicate them. After long practice, she learned to talk. Her joy was
unbounded. She wrote later: "I used to repeat ecstatically, "I'm not dumb now." This is how the man in the Gospel must have felt when Jesus healed him.

How appreciative am my gifts of hearing, speech, and sight?

-Fr Mark Link SJ

Feb. 9, 2012 Thursday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

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The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and said to him,"Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children'sscraps." Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter." (Mark 7:24-30)

In this striking incident the Syrophoenician woman turns outto be a model of Christian faith. She is not the last person who has come toJesus with an urgent petition, only to encounter what seems to be a brick wall!But she is neither discouraged nor disheartened by the apparent setback. Shesimply perseveres in intrepid confidence. Somehow what she has heard aboutJesus has given her a profound intuition that he cannot be indifferent to herplea. So she refuses to take no for an answer—and her boldness is rewarded. Theclear lesson in this story is that the Lord does hear our prayers, and even hisapparent refusals are meant to awaken in us a yet deeper faith, which opens usto receive the gift that he has for us. Few sayings of Jesus are recorded moreoften than his reassurance that what we ask in prayer with faith we willreceive.

Healy, Mary. Gospel of Mark, The (Catholic Commentary on SacredScripture) (p. 145).

Feb. 8, 2012 Wednesday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

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Dressed in Gentleness

Once in a while we meet a gentle person. Gentleness is avirtue hard to find in a society that admires toughness and roughness. We areencouraged to get things done and to get them done fast, even when people gethurt in the process. Success, accomplishment, and productivity count. But thecost is high. There is no place for gentleness in such a milieu.

Gentle is the one who does "not break the crushed reed,or snuff the faltering wick" (Matthew 12:20). Gentle is the one who isattentive to the strengths and weaknesses of the other and enjoys beingtogether more than accomplishing something. A gentle person treads lightly,listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence. A gentle personknows that true growth requires nurture, not force. Let's dress ourselves withgentleness. In our tough and often unbending world our gentleness can be avivid reminder of the presence of God among us.

-Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 7, 2012 Tuesday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

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Singing and praying with our hearts open

Fr. Marcelo Rossi and parishioners (Brazil)

Noites Traiçoeiras

Deus está aqui neste momento.
Sua presença é real em meu viver.
Entregue sua vida e seus problemas.
Fale com Deus, Ele vai ajudar você.

Deus te trouxe aqui
Para aliviar o teu sofrimento.
É Ele o autor da Fé
Do princípio ao fim,
De todos os seus momentos.

(refrão)
E ainda se vier noites traiçoeiras,
Se a cruz pesada for, Cristo estará contigo.
O mundo pode até fazer você chorar,
Mas Deus te quer sorrindo. (bis)

Treacherous Nights
Written and Sung by Father Marcelo Rossi

God is here right now.
His presence is real in my life.
Surrender your life and its problems.
Talk to God, He will help you.

God brought you here
To ease your suffering.
He is the author of Faith
From beginning to end,
Of all his moments.

(chorus)
And if it comes treacherous nights,
If the cross is heavy, Christ will be with you.
The world can make you cry,
But God wants you smiling. (a)

Whatever your problem
Talk to God. It will help you.
After the pain comes joy,
For God is love and not let you suffer.

God brought you here
To alleviate their suffering.
He is the author of Faith
From beginning to end,
Of all his moments.

(chorus)
And if it comes treacherous nights,
If the cross is heavy, Christ will be with you.
The world can make you cry,
But God wants you smiling.

Feb. 6, 2012 Monday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

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Our Father, sung by Fr. Marcelo Rossi and his parishioners in Brazil

Returning to God's Ever-Present Love

We often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of every human behavior. God doesn't approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, suspicion, and all other expressions of evil, because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God's love. Evil does not belong to God.

God's unconditional love means that God continues to love us even when we say or think evil things. God continues to wait for us as a loving parent waits for the return of a lost child. It is important for us to hold on to the truth that God never gives up loving us even when God is saddened by what we do. That truth will help us to return to God's ever-present love.
-Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 5, 2012: 5th Sunday, Audio Homily

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https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=d4c969220a64276bbe04c60769ad179f82ab1bbee975d3f70

Feb. 5, 2012: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

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A few days ago, I visited a fourth grade religionclass to speak to the students about vocations and about being an altar serverfor the church. I asked the students to write a letter to Jesus about anyquestion they might have on their mind. Then a child asked, “Can I ask someoneother than Jesus in heaven?” “Sure,” I replied. I was impressed with what thechildren had to say with what they wrote in the letters. I think you will be too. Some students asked deep questions:“Pop, do you think it’s better to be in heaven or earth?” and “Jesus, how didyou feel when you died?” A few students wanted to see their deceased loved onesagain and wrote: “Jesus, tell my grandmother that I love her and I miss her”and “Jesus, can you help Mawmaw down from heaven to see me?” There were somevery interesting questions, too. “Maumau, do you see Doky the beagle?” Thenlastly, one student wrote to Pingo, a pet who is now in heaven, “Pingo, I amsorry that we let you get in the rat poison. I love you a lot. I am sorry.”

Many of the children were curious about why Ibecame a priest. One child asked me, “Did you hear God speak to you, that Hewanted you to become a priest?” To help them understand, I explained to themabout my pilgrimage to Medjugorje where Blessed Mother has been appearing andthat it was there that I heard God’s call to priesthood. Then a girl asked me,“That’s when Mary spoke to you?” I replied, “I didn’t hear her voice in my earsbut within my heart.” Based on previous experience with young children who hadencountered heavenly beings, I asked the students if they had ever met or spokenwith their Guardian Angel, Blessed Mother, or Jesus? As I had expected, most ofthe hands in the class went up. One girl said, “When I was five, I was in thecar when we were in an accident. I hit my head, and it hurt and I had to waitin the car until the emergency people arrived. Then I saw next to me, abeautiful Lady in bright white and She told me to me not be afraid becauseeverything would be okay.”

As I walked backed to the church, I wondered aboutwhat that little girl said about seeing Blessed Mother and hearing her gentleand reassuring voice. The littlegirl’s pain was not taken away, but her anxiety and fear was removed, as shewas reassured of a positive outcome. How true is this of all the challenges we face in our life? Sometimesour fear and anxiety are greater than the actual challenge we face. The fearstops us in our tracks and we sometimes make decisions that we later regret.What do you do when you are enveloped in fear and anxiety? From whom do youseek help and comfort?

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus went to talk tothe one person that he often went to see after a busy and overwhelming day. Intoday’s passage, it all began in the evening, when he should have been retiringto rest and sleep. The multitude came to see him, bringing with them thosepossessed by demons, those who were ill and sick. He probably only had a fewhours of sleep and he could have slept in, but instead, Jesus chose to riseearly in the morning to go to a deserted place where he prayed. As I prayedabout this passage, I asked the Lord, “Why did you go and pray when you were sotired?”

Jesus went to a deserted place to be with hisFather where he could be present to Him and strengthened by Him. He went to thedesert to show us that he needed the Father, that Our Lord was completelydependent on his Father. Are we dependent on our Heavenly Father? Do we go toHim like Our Lord when we are anxious, fearful, or weary? Do we realize that wewill receive strength of resolve, confidence, and hope when we spend time withthe Father? To be with the Father, means that we must withdraw from our busyworld. We have to turn off the TV, move away from the computer or get off ourphone. Our Lord teaches us that we need to enter into the presence of theFather to be recharged with His energy, so that we can then enter into thepresence of our family, friends and co-workers and meet the challenges of theday. Our Lord also teaches us that being with the Father is not always aboutasking for specific things. Our Lord enjoyed and reveled in his Father’spresence and took delight in all that the Father had given him. Likewise, OurLord asks all of us to go to the Father, just as he did, just to be quiet, tolove the One who created us.

Among the letters I received from the 4^th graders, I think thisone reflects what Jesus wants us to learn from today’s Gospel passage. The child wrote, “Jesus, can you workyour actions through me? I want to be as best as I can be. Jesus you are myrole model.” We need that same desire like that little child—the desire toimitate Our Lord. Do we have that desire to imitate Him? Ask for that desirefrom the Father. That desire will help us to withdraw from the busy world, tospend quiet time with the Father, and to delight in His Presence.

Feb. 4, 2012 Saturday: 4th Week in Ordinary (B)

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The Center of Our Life

Feb. 3, 2012 Friday: St. Blaise

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St. Blase

St. Blase lived in the fourth century. It is believed that he came from a rich family and received a Christian education. As a young man, Blase became a priest and then bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, which is now modern Turkey. With all his heart, Blase worked to make his people holy and happy. He prayed and preached. He tried to help everyone.
When the governor, Licinius, began persecuting the Christians, Blase went to live and pray and do penance by himself. He became a hermit. In his solitude, wild animals that were sick or hurt would come to him, and he would heal them. One day some hunters found Blase and brought him to the governor. Blase was sent to prison to be beheaded. On the way, people crowded the road to see their beloved bishop for the last time. He blessed them all, even the non-Christians.

Just then, a poor mother rushed up to him. She begged him to save her child who was choking to death on a fishbone. The saint whispered a prayer and blessed the child. He worked a miracle that saved the child’s life. That is why St. Blase is called upon by all who have throat diseases. On his feast day, we have our throats blessed at Mass. We ask St. Blase to protect us from all sicknesses of the throat.

While he was in prison, Bishop Blase brought many people to believe in Jesus. No torture could make him give up his faith in Jesus. He was beheaded in the year 316. Now St. Blase is with Jesus forever.

Even on his way to prison, St. Blase was ready to help others. He gave up his life because of his great love for Jesus. When we make little sacrifices such as doing things we don’t especially like, or giving up something that we do like, we can think of the happiness we will have in heaven, which will last forever.

-Daughters of St. Paul

Feb. 2, 2012 Thursday: Presentation of the Lord

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Presentation of the Lord

Forty days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph brought him to the great Temple in Jerusalem. There they presented Jesus to the Heavenly Father. That was the Jewish law. The Holy Family obeyed it with loving hearts.

While they were in the Temple, Mary also fulfilled another requirement of the law. After the birth of their children, all Jewish mothers were supposed to go to the Temple for the ceremony called the Purification. Mary did her duty cheerfully. She teaches us to be humble and obedient as she was.

A holy old man named Simeon was in the Temple. He had learned from God that the Infant Jesus was truly the Savior. With what joy he held Mary’s Son in his arms. “My own eyes are looking at my salvation!” he exclaimed. God let Simeon recognize Jesus as the Savior, and Simeon put his trust in Jesus. Imagine what Mary and Joseph were thinking. Then, inspired by God, Simeon told Mary that she would have to suffer very much. He was talking about the terrible pain our Blessed Mother would feel when Jesus died on the cross.

This feast of the Presentation reminds us that we belong to God first of all. Because he is our Father and Creator, we owe him our loving obedience.
- Daughters of St. Paul

Feb. 1, 2012 Wednesday: 4th Week in Ordinary (B)

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Why do I have to confess to a priest?

Fr. Robert Barron explains

Jan. 31, 2012 Tuesday: St. John Bosco

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St. John Bosco's dream when he was 9 years old

"When I was about nine years old, I had a dream that left a profound impression on me for the rest of my life. I dreamed that I was near my home, in a very large playing field where a crowd of children were having fun. Some were laughing, others were playing and not a few were cursing. I was so shocked at their language that I jumped into their midst, swinging wildly and shouting at them to stop. At that moment, a Man appeared, nobly attired, with a manly and imposing bearing. He was clad with a white flowing mantle, and his face radiated such light that I could not look directly at Him. He called me by name and told me to place myself as leader over those boys, adding the words,

'You will have to win these friends of yours not with blows, but with gentleness and kindness. So begin right now to show them that sin is ugly and virtue beautiful.'

"Confused and afraid, I replied that I was only a boy and unable to talk to these youngsters about religion. At that moment the fighting, shouting and cursing stopped and the crowd of boys gathered about the Man who was now talking. Almost unconsciously, I asked:

'But how can you order me to do something that looks so impossible?'

'What seems so impossible you must achieve by being obedient and by acquiring knowledge.'

'But where, how?'

'I will give you a Teacher, under whose guidance you will learn and without whose help all knowledge becomes foolishness.'

'But who are you?'

'I am the Son of Her whom your mother has taught you to greet three times a day.'

'My mother told me not to talk to people I don't know unless she gives me permission. So, please tell me your name.'

"At that moment I saw beside Him a Lady of majestic appearance, wearing a beautiful mantle glowing as if bedecked with stars. She saw my confusion mount; so she beckoned me to her. Taking my hand with great kindness, she said:

'Look!'

"I did so. All the children had vanished. In their place I saw many animals: goats, dogs, cats, bears and a variety of others.

...the wild animals had turned into lambs...
"`This is your field, this is where you must work.' the Lady told me. `Make yourself humble, steadfast, and strong. And what you will see happen to these animals you will have to do for my children.'

"I looked again; the wild animals had turned into as many lambs, gently gamboling lambs, bleating a welcome for that Man and Lady.

"At this point of my dream I started to cry and begged the Lady to explain what it all meant because I was so confused. She then placed her hand on my head and said:

'In due time everything will be clear to you.'

"After she had spoken these words, some noise awoke me; everything had vanished."

The next day, when he shared this dream with his family, everybody came up with a variety of interpretations of what the dream might have meant. However, his mother zeroed in on the message immediately. She said, "Who knows if some day he may not become a priest?"
-----------------------------
John Bosco was born on August 16, 1815, in Becchi, a small town near Turin, Italy. His parents were poor farmers. When John was only two years old, his father died. John’s mother struggled to keep the family together. As soon as he was old enough, John began working as hard as he could to help his mother.

As he grew up, John started to think about becoming a priest. But he didn’t say anything to his mother because he knew they couldn’t afford the seminary tuition. Besides, his mother needed help to run their farm. So John waited and prayed and hoped. Finally, a holy priest named Don Joseph Cafasso (“Don” is a special title of respect and honor which people in Italy use for priests) became aware of John’s desire. Don Cafasso helped him enter the seminary.

John had to work his way through school. He learned all kinds of trades. He was a carpenter, a shoemaker, a cook, a pastry maker and a farmer. He did many other jobs as well. He could never have guessed how much this practical experience would help others later on.

John became a priest in 1841. After his ordination, Don Bosco began working with Don Cafasso visiting the prisons in Turin. He was saddened to see how many boys were in the prisons, and how hopeless their futures were. Don Bosco decided to open a home for troubled boys.

Because of his kindness and caring, it was easy for him to attract youngsters. Don Bosco taught the boys different trades so that they could get good jobs and not be tempted to steal or get into trouble. He prayed with them, and took them on outings. He even organized a brass band! By 1850, there were 150 boys living at his home for boys. Don Bosco’s mother was the housekeeper.

At first, people didn’t understand what Don Bosco was trying to do. But soon everyone began to realize that he was carrying on a very important work. His boys were learning skills and receiving an education. They were becoming young men who would contribute to society instead of turning to lives of crime. Don Bosco even built a church for the boys. Daily Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation were the foundation of their whole education.

Don Bosco felt that his success with the boys was due to an attitude of love and respect rather than the use of harsh discipline. Religious instruction and prayer helped the boys want to lead good lives.

Don Bosco started his own religious order of priests and brothers too. They were called the Salesians, in honor of St. Francis de Sales. An order of Salesian sisters was started later, with the help of Mary Mazzarello (who also became a saint). When Don Bosco died in Turin on January 31, 1888, there were 250 Salesian houses around the world educating 130,000 children. By the same time, over 6,000 of his boys had chosen to become priests! One of them, Dominic Savio, who became one of Don Bosco’s students at the age of twelve, is now a saint too. A young parish priest who had once met Don Bosco later became Pope Pius XI. He had the joy of declaring Don Bosco a saint in 1934.

-Daughters of St. Paul

Jan. 30, 2012 Monday: 4th Week in Ordinary (B)

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"As he was getting into the boat, the man who had beenpossessed pleaded to remain with him. But he would not permit him."

The only true perfection is not that we should be leadingthis or that lifestyle but doing God's will; it is to lead the kind of lifethat God wants, where he wants, and to lead it as he would have done himself.When he leaves the choice to us then, yes, let us try to follow him as closelyas possible, step by step, to share in his life just as his apostles did bothduring his life and after his death. Love presses us on to such imitation. IfGod leaves this choice, this freedom to us then it is precisely because hewants us to trim our sails to the breeze of pure love so that, blown on by it,we might «run after him in the odour of his fragrance» (Sg 1,4 LXX) in perfectimitation as Saint Peter and Saint Paul did...

And if one day God wishes to take us out of this beautiful andperfect way, whether for a while or for always, let us not be troubled orsurprised. His designs are without fathoming. He can do for us, in the middleor at the end of the course, what he did for the Gerasene at the beginning. Letus obey him, let us do his will..., let us go wherever he wishes and lead thekind of life his will purposes for us. But let us everywhere draw close to himwith all our might and, in every state, in every condition, let us be as hewould have been and acted if his Father's will had placed him as it has placedus.

By Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916), hermit and missionary in the Sahara

Meditations on the Gospels, no.194

www.dailygospel.org

Jan. 29, 2012: Audio Homily, 4th Sunday Ordinary (B)

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https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=3fef1b8ded3e425c52d0ed0bce2f77b1ca40c6d0c526e84ee

Click above to hear audio homily

Jan. 29, 2012: 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

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Last week, I drove up to a small house in Baton Rouge where a mother was waiting for me outside. Inside the house was a young woman of 28 years who was losing her battle with a terminal cancer that had spread throughout her body. The mother thanked me for coming, and said, "Father, a couple of days ago over 300 people gathered at the church for a prayer service for her. It was so touching to see so many young people there. Many said to me at the prayer service how my daughter was an inspiration to them by exuding joy despite so much suffering."

What did that young woman see, in the midst of her great suffering that gave her such peace? This week, I tried to explain this to an elderly lady who was bed-ridden for over a year. In the midst of her pain and suffering, she was struggling with doubts and hopelessness. I told her of an experience I had with another lady who struggled with doubts and hopelessness while suffering from debilitating heart condition. That lady told me, "Father, I have been to heaven when I nearly died from my heart attack. I don't tell this to anyone because they may think I'm crazy. Father, I entered a beautiful place, and I saw Jesus. How can I explain to you how much Jesus loves me?" I sensed that it was that encounter with Jesus that gave this woman such peace. That love that she experienced from Jesus was so overwhelming that even back on earth where she continues to suffer from her debilitating heart condition, she has peace.

So what disrupts peace in our soul? I encounter many people who struggle with busyness and pursuits of the world, meanwhile trying to maintain a spiritual life. They know in their mind that they need more prayer time with Jesus, yet among the many priorities, it has taken a back seat. St. Paul points this out in our Second Reading, "Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided." St. Paul is speaking beyond the unmarried/married persons. Did you know that even an unmarried priest like me can be divided in his heart by anxieties, distracted by the world, and prayer life can take a back seat? Can you imagine then, what happens when you find out that you have a debilitating illness, separation in a relationship, or a great loss? It tears the soul from inside and divides. It's not unlike the experience of the man in today’s gospel who with an unclean spirit entered the synagogue. This young man experiences himself divided from inside--his own voice being overtaken by the voices of demon--and he is desperately seeking freedom and peace. There he encounters Jesus, who speaks with authority to cast out that which caused that man's heart to be divided. That's what Jesus does for us when we encounter Him; His love penetrates our divided heart, casts out our doubts and hopelessness, and gives us unshakable confidence that even in the midst of pain and suffering, His love endures forever.

We celebrated that young woman's funeral earlier this week in a packed church. After the funeral, the young woman's husband shook my hand and thanked me for coming to anoint her. He said, "Father, after you left, she was in a great pain, so we began to pray the Rosary. At the Third Decade, all of a sudden, she had a great big smile, and she looked so peaceful." She died early in morning the next day. What brings peace back in our soul? It's that intimate encounter with Jesus that brings wholeness into our lives even in the midst of busyness or suffering. What can we do to dispose ourselves each day to meet Jesus and experience His love for us?

Jan. 27, 2012 Friday: St. Angela Merici

2012-01-27T05:52:00.001-06:00

St. Angela Merici

Angela Merici was born on March 21, 1470, at Desenzano, Lombardy, in Northern Italy. She was orphaned at age ten, and she and her sister went to live with their uncle at Salo, a nearby town.

When she was thirteen years old, Angela joined the Secular Franciscan Order (also called the Third Order), and began to live a life of prayer and self-discipline.

In 1495 her uncle died, and Angela moved back to Desenzano. Here she had a vision. She saw herself teaching a group of young girls. Angela invited some of her Third Order friends to help her teach girls from poor families, and she opened a school in her home. In 1516, she was asked to come to Brescia to start another school just like it.

Angela made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During the trip, she lost her sight, but miraculously received it back. In 1525 Angela went to Rome for the Holy Year. While she was there, Pope Clement VII asked her if she would like to be the superior of a community of nursing sisters. But she explained that God wanted her to devote herself to teaching the poor, and she went back to Brescia.

In 1533 Angela started training a group of women to be teachers. By November 25, 1535, there were twenty-eight women in the group. Together with Angela they wanted to dedicate their lives to God and to teaching young girls, especially the poor. They chose St. Ursula, the patroness of medieval universities, as their patron saint. The women remained in their own homes at first. Because of many difficulties, it was a long time before they could live together in a convent. But little by little this community of young women started by St. Angela developed into the Ursuline Sisters, the first congregation of teaching sisters in the Church.

Angela died on January 27, 1540, when her congregation was still in its beginning stages. Her trust in God had gotten her through many hard tests in her lifetime. There was no doubt in her mind that the Lord would take care of the mission she had begun. And so he did.

Today the Ursuline Sisters have spread to many countries. Angela’s sisters continue to work for Jesus and his Church, especially in the education of children and young adults. Angela was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius VI in 1807.

- Daughters of St. Paul

Ursuline Sisters in New Orleans and Our Lady of Prompt Succor

Mother St. Michel and several other French Sisters answered a call for assistance from the New Orleans Ursuline Sisters in 1785. There was, however, much political and religious unrest in Europe at that time which made it necessary for the Sisters to obtain a special permission from Pope Pius VII to come to the New World (that might take years of waiting). Mother St. Michel found a tiny statue of Our Lady in the convent attic and prayed, “My good Mother, if you will promptly remove these obstacles, I shall carry this image of you to New Orleans where I promise to do all in my power to have you honored.”

Very soon after, Sister St. Michel was on a ship on her way to New Orleans. At that time, Mother St. Michel commissioned a statue to be carved in France. (Thus, the name “Our Lady of Prompt Succor”…“quick help.”) That beautiful, large, gold statue resides in the Shrine on State Street, but arrived at the Old Ursuline Convent on Chartres Street in the French Quarter on December 10, 1810.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the Patroness of Louisiana and enjoys a reputation of performing miraculous life saving intercessions for the residents of New Orleans…quick help to overcome losses from great fires, floods, disease and wars. For example, throughout the night of January 7–8, 1815, the residents of New Orleans and the Ursuline Sisters prayed that they would be spared loss of life in the Battle of New Orleans led by General Andrew Jackson against the formidable British Army. In spite of overwhelming odds including huge numbers of highly trained British soldiers, the Battle was won. General Jackson, publicly, and in a letter to the Sisters, acknowledged “heavenly intercession” in that victory. The Sisters welcomed the many injured British soldiers and nursed them back to health. (Jackson’s letter resides in the Ursuline Museum on State Street.

In years after the Battle, President Jackson’s trips to New Orleans always included visits to the Ursuline Convent.) Every year, since 1815, a solemn promise has been kept to honor Our Lady in a Mass of Thanksgiving on January 8 celebrated by the Archbishop of New Orleans in the National Shrine. This promise has been kept, without fail, for that many years, and is attended by many devotees from across the Nation.

Sweetheart Statue

My good Mother, if you will take away promptly the obstacles that stand in the way of our departure, I will carry you to New Orleans, and I promise to have you honored there by every means in my power.
— SISTER FELICITE

A smaller statue of the Blessed Mother, fondly called “Sweetheart,” was brought to New Orleans by one of the Sisters from the monastery of Pont S. Esprit in France. In celebration of 275 years of the Ursulines in New Orleans, the statue has been cleaned and moved from the Ursuline Academy museum to a special place in the Shrine. Scarcely twelve inches high, the little plastered statue was destined for disposal when Sister Felicite found it in her convent attic in France in 1785. Pained to see this image of Our Lady so carelessly cast aside, Sr. Felicite fell to her knees and prayed. “My good Mother, if you will take away promptly the obstacles that stand in the way of our departure, I will carry you to New Orleans, and I promise to have you honored there by every means in my power.” Within a month her petition was granted and “Sweetheart” accompanied Sr. Felicite to the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans.

Though diminuitive in size, “Sweetheart” has been credited with many spectacular miracles. It was through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor that the city of New Orleans was spared when a devastating fire threatened the French Quarter and the Ursuline Convent.

Sister Eugenia O’Laughlin’s account of the devastating fire illustrates the rapid response of Our Lady. “Hastily the Superior, Reverend Mother St. Michel, commanded the nuns and school children to leave the building. As she herself turned to go, she was horrified to see Sister St. Anthony, one of the old nuns, climbing the stairs. Following her, Rev. Mother discovered she was carrying the small statue of Our Lady. As the Superior watched, Sr. St. Anthony hurried to the window on the second floor. She set the statue on the sill facing the fire, then knelt and prayed with great confidence: Oh Lady of Prompt Succor, save us or we are lost. At that very instant the wind veered and the flames were blown back over their path of destruction and soon died out.”

Since then, this small statue has had a place of honor in the Ursuline convents in New Orleans. It now stands in a small prayer room in the Shrine.

During both World War I and World War II, soldiers who were husbands, fathers, brothers and sons of Ursuline alumnae brought their ribbons and medals to “Sweetheart” in thanks for their safe return. This early image of Our Lady of Prompt Succor is a vital part of the rich tradition of the Patroness of our city and our state.

Jan. 26, 2012 Thursday: St. Timothy and St. Titus

2012-01-26T05:04:00.001-06:00

St. Timothy and St. Titus

Besides having been bishops in the early Church, Timothy and Titus have something else in common. Both men received the gift of faith through the preaching of St. Paul.
Timothy was born at Lystra, in Asia Minor. His father was Greek and his mother was Jewish. When Paul came to preach in Lystra, Timothy, his mother and his grandmother all became Christians. Several years later, Paul went back to Lystra. Timothy was grown up now, and Paul felt that God was calling him to be a missionary. Paul invited Timothy to join him in preaching the Gospel. And so Timothy left his home and parents to follow Paul. Paul and Timothy shared both the joys and sufferings of bringing the Word of God to many, many people. Timothy was like a son to Paul. He went everywhere with him until he became bishop of Ephesus. Then Timothy stayed at Ephesus to shepherd his people. St. Timothy died a martyr, just as St. Paul had.

Titus was a Gentile (a non-Jewish person) converted by St. Paul. He became Paul’s secretary and was with him at the Council of Jerusalem. Titus was generous and hardworking. He joyfully preached the Good News with Paul on their missionary travels. Because Titus was so trustworthy, Paul freely sent him on many “missions” to the Christian communities. Titus helped people strengthen their faith in Jesus. He had a special gift for being a peacemaker and was able to bring Christians together again after there had been arguments among them. Paul appreciated this gift in Titus and recognized it as the Holy Spirit’s work.

While preaching in Crete, Paul was called away to other churches that needed him. Not wanting to leave the Christians at Crete without a shepherd, he ordained Titus bishop and left him there to continue his work. Titus remained at Crete for the rest of his life. Paul wrote a letter to him from Macedonia in the year 65.

-Daughters of St Paul

Jan. 25, 2012 Wednesday: Conversion of St. Paul

2012-01-25T04:37:00.001-06:00

By Pope Benedict XVI

The same Lord, who called Saul on the road to Damascus, addresses himself to the members of the Church -- which is one and holy -- and calling each by name asks: Why have you divided me? Why have you wounded the unity of my body?
Conversion implies two dimensions. In the first step we recognize our faults in the light of Christ, and this recognition becomes sorrow and repentance, desire for a new beginning. In the second step we recognize that this new road cannot come from us. It consists in letting ourselves be conquered by Christ. As St. Paul says: "I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been conquered by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12).
Conversion demands our yes, my "pursuit"; it is not ultimately my activity, but a gift, a letting ourselves be formed by Christ; it is death and resurrection. This is why St. Paul does not say: "I converted" but rather "I died" (Galatians 2:19), I am a new creature. In reality, St. Paul's conversion was not a passage from immorality to morality, from a mistaken faith to a right faith, but it was a being conquered by Christ: the renunciation of his own perfection; it was the humility of one who puts himself without reserve in the service of Christ for the brethren. And only in this renunciation of ourselves, in this conforming to Christ are we also united among ourselves; we become "one" in Christ. It is communion with the risen Christ that gives us unity.

Jan 24, 2012 Tuesday: 3rd Wk Ordinary B

2012-01-24T07:42:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=7e2b8e6a11983e8faa04d86bfa323da44dc3c01f2402673c9

Click above to hear audio homily

Jan. 24, 2011 Tuesday: St. Francis de Sales

2012-01-24T04:53:00.001-06:00

St. Francis de Sales

Francis de Sales was born in his family’s castle at Savoy, France, on August 21, 1567. Because he was born two months early, he was very weak as a baby. But he grew strong and healthy and was a very obedient and kind little boy.

Francis’s mother taught him to pray. She read the lives of the saints to him, and took him with her whenever she went out to visit the poor. He re-ceived a very good education. He studied at Annecy, and then went to Paris to attend the Jesuit College of Clermont. After this he went on to study law and theology at the University of Padua. By the age of twenty-four, Francis had already earned a doctorate in law.

Francis’s world was opening up to him with many promises of a successful career. But he felt called to the priesthood. It was hard to persuade his disappointed father, but Francis followed God’s call and became a priest on December 18, 1593.

He volunteered to go to Chablais to work as a missionary among many people who had left the Church and were very unfriendly toward priests. Even though some of these people tried to kill him, Father Francis continued working among them. His patience and kindness brought many back to the Church.

In 1602, Francis was made bishop of Geneva, Switzerland. He worked very hard to bring unity back to the Church at a time when there were many problems. He opened schools, taught and preached.

In 1604, Francis met a holy woman named Jane Frances de Chantal. (Jane later became a saint too.) He became her spiritual director, and in 1610 he helped her found the Order of the Visitation, a new order of sisters.

Francis de Sales wrote many wonderful books about God and the way to become closer to him. In these books Francis taught that holiness is possible in everyday life, and that God calls us all to become saints. Some of Francis’s books, like Introduction to the Devout Life, written in 1609, and Treatise on the Love of God, written in 1616, are still in print today.

Bishop Francis de Sales died in Lyons, France, on December 28, 1622. He was fifty-six years old. Pope Innocent X declared Francis a saint in 1665. Because of his heroic dedication to the Church, he was given the special title “Doctor of the Church.” He is also the patron saint of journalists.

- Daughters of St. Paul

Jan. 23, 2012 Monday: Respect for Life

2012-01-23T09:55:00.001-06:00

“The child is the beauty of God present in the world – that greatest gift to a family.”
(Blessed Teresa of Calcutta)

John Isaac

I have a story to share about my intercession to Mother Teresa. In June of 2007 we discovered at my 20 week ultrasound that our baby had a heart condition called Hypo-Plastic Left Heart Syndrome. It is a serious heart condition that requires three surgeries, the first shortly after birth. This was devastating news to say the least. We were offered abortion and quickly said that was NOT an option! On the ride home, I kept thinking of who to intercede to. Mother Teresa came to my mind right away. So throughout the pregnancy we prayed for a healing. I must add, that we also interceded to Padre Pio. John Isaac was born and he was not healed, so we were prepared for him to have the first surgery. John Isaac contracted an infection in his stomach cavity before the surgery and we thought he would surely die. But we continued our prayers of intercession. He pulled through the infection and had the first surgery. He recovered very well until he developed another infection in his incision site. This time it was MERCA staph. This type of infection has killed even healthy children. We firmly believe it was the power of prayer that stopped the infection from reaching his frail, little heart! We firmly believe that Mother Teresa and Padre Pio's intercession saved his life. When we got discouraged, we randomly saw pictures and statues of them together. I even found a magnet of Mother Teresa in the parking lot of the grocery store! It was as if she was telling me to have faith! John Isaac has had two of his surgeries and is now doing remarkably well. To look at him one would never know he has a heart condition much less had a staph infection that should have killed him! This past month I have seen two babies die after the first surgery! It has been placed on my heart to contact you to tell our story.

Judy
http://www.motherteresa.org/ann/BeaB.html

Jan. 22, 2012: 3rd Sunday Ordinary (B), Audio Homily

2012-01-22T08:18:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=6e94ec56b67ff7d16084e16461e7bcf2f79711e6fc8f56f35

Click above link to hear audio homily

Jan. 22, 2012: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

We have all heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover," which means that you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something, by its outward appearance alone. Our Lord has been teaching that lesson to me each time he sends me out to meet someone, but I have been a slow learner. One day I received a phone call from a lady who wanted me to visit her twin brother who was in a hospice dying from cancer. When I arrived at the hospice, the staff warned me, "Father, we want to caution you. That man is angry and he has been cursing us and urinating his room in protest. We have to use a diaper and catheter for him." I thought to myself, 'Lord, couldn't you send someone else for this man?'

I went to the room and saw a grown man in his early 60's in a diaper. His hair was long and disheveled, his face was gaunt, and he was missing many teeth. The staff told me that he had addiction issues as well. This man fit the stereotype of 'homeless' perfectly. Yet something on the windowsill was telling me that my perception was not right. It was an old black and white photo of two children--a boy and a girl. That photo was a picture of his twin sister and him. I began to listen to his story, and it was not a story of a man who was brought up in poverty or in a broken family. On the contrary, he was raised in a good Catholic family, received a Catholic education, earned both Masters and PhD degrees, and had taught as a professor at a college. He said that he was married with three grown children, but that he was estranged from all of them. He knew that he had made some serious mistakes in his life where he put his career and other pursuits ahead of his family and God. I heard his sincere and heartfelt Confession and gave him the Anointing of the Sick. Not long after my visit, his three daughters went to see him, and he was able to see photos of his grandchildren that he had not met. He died in peace two weeks later.

I learned a great lesson from that visit of how quickly I judged him based on his appearance and from what he did to the staff. What if I dismissed him from the beginning and had not listened with the ear of understanding? I don't think that man would have had a chance to tell his story and to tell Our Lord that he was truly sorry for turning away from Him and for not taking responsibility to be a good father and a good husband. Does that happen to us too? Do we quickly judge our neighbor, or do we look to Our Heavenly Father for help to be compassionate and to forgive our neighbor?

In our Gospel, Our Lord asked the soon-to-be disciples, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. Like Jonah in our First Reading, we all have been called by Our Lord to follow Him. He calls us to be His love in a world that wants to turn from Him, in a world that wants to turn from the Heavenly Father. In order to answer the call to follow Our Lord, we must be free of attachments. What keeps us from a life centered on Our Lord's life? What are the nets that we hold onto, that we think fulfill us, which we believe provide us security? Just as the disciples abandoned their nets, we must be able to let go of the attachments that prevent us from following Our Lord, from being Our Lord’s loving presence to hurting family members, broken neighbors and poverty-stricken communities.

Another time, I was called to visit a man who was dying at home. I was greeted by his wife and led to the room where her husband was in bed, his entire body was gaunt, and he could not speak well. She pulled me outside the room and began to tell me that he was actually her ex-husband. He had not been faithful to their marriage from the beginning, and she suffered many years of heartache. He asked for a divorce and she reluctantly agreed. She eventually remarried, and she lost track of her ex-husband who lived a life away from God, much like that man I mentioned in the beginning. Her ex-husband had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was dying in a nursing home alone until she asked her current husband for permission to bring her ex-husband to their home to die. After I listened to her story, I went back to the room to hear his confession and to give him the Last Rites. He was truly sorry for all the ways that he hurt his ex-wife and his children and to Our Lord for not putting Him in the center of his life. What brought about this total transformation of heart in this man? It was the forgiving love of his ex-wife who could have easily left him at the nursing home, but she heard the call from Our Lord to be His love and compassion in this world. Our Lord had asked her to see her ex-husband from His perspective, as a beloved child who had strayed away. She answered His call and she let go of her memories of hurts and followed Our Lord. Just like that wife, Our Lord will lead us, if we allow Him, to a life immersed in love, and then we too will act with mercy each day. We will see in the face of each person we encounter Our Lord’s face and treat each person with the love and tenderness he deserves.

Jan. 20, 2012 Friday: St. Fabian and St. Sebastian

2012-01-20T04:09:00.001-06:00

St. Fabian and St. Sebastian

Fabian, who lived in Rome, was the first man who was not a priest to be elected pope. He was elected pope in the year 236. We know very little about this saint. It is said that he was chosen to be pope because a dove rested on his head during the election. We do know that Fabian spoke out against Bishop Privatus who was spreading false teachings in Africa. Pope Fabian was also responsible for having the catacombs (underground Roman cemeteries where many of the early Christians were buried) repaired and restored. In the year 250, he died a martyr’s death during Emperor Decius’ persecution. St. Fabian is buried in the Basilica of St. Sebastian. The two martyrs share the same feast day.

Sebastian was a soldier in the Roman army from 283 to 288. According to legend, he gave encouragement to the Christians who were condemned to death for their faith. He also convinced many pagans to embrace Christianity. Emperor Diocletian didn’t know that Sebastian was a Christian, and he made him captain of the praetorian guards (men who guarded a Roman commander or emperor). When Maximian became emperor, he discovered that Sebastian was a Christian and ordered him to be put to death. Sebastian was shot with arrows. When the Christians came to bury him, they realized he was still alive! They cared for him until he got well again. Soon after this, Sebastian confronted the emperor and spoke out against his cruel treatment of the Christians. The emperor, shocked to see him alive, ordered that Sebastian be beaten to death. St. Sebastian is the patron saint of archers, athletes, and soldiers.
- Daughters of St. Paul

Yearning for Perfect Love

When we act out of loneliness our actions easily become violent. The tragedy is that much violence comes from a demand for love. When loneliness drives our search for love, kissing easily leads to biting, caressing to hitting, looking tenderly to looking suspiciously, listening to overhearing, and surrender to rape. The human heart yearns for love: love without conditions, limitations, or restrictions. But no human being is capable of offering such love, and each time we demand it we set ourselves on the road to violence.

How then can we live nonviolent lives? We must start by realizing that our restless hearts, yearning for perfect love, can only find that love through communion with the One who created them.
- Henri Nouwen

Jan. 19, 2012 Thursday: 2nd Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-19T14:18:00.002-06:00

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. (Mk 3:7-12)

Fr. Rafaeli Mallena, 70 yrs old Catholic chaplain aboard the sinking Costa Concordia rushed to consume the Eucharist in an attempt to protect it as the cruise liner began to sink on Friday night.

He said as he realized the ship was in serious peril he had two things at the forefront of his mind: protecting the valuables, which the staff had entrusted to him, and protecting the Blessed Sacrament.

When the first explosion was heard during dinner, Fr Rafaeli said, “he felt immediately that something was very, very wrong”, according to Fr Giacomo. He immediately went to the chapel to pray and 40 minutes later, when he realized the “abandon ship” alarm was sounding, he consumed the Eucharist and locked the staff’s valuables, including jewellery and money, in a safe.

As chaos ensued among the 4,200 passengers aboard, the priest tried to stay aboard in an effort to help but he was persuaded by crew members that it would be better if he boarded a lifeboat and left the sinking ship.

Fr Rafaeli was, “very upset because as the first interviews came out, everyone was saying that the crew was not taking care of passengers and so on. But I am a personal witness of people leaving their families and children and I saw personal sacrifice. There was a staff captain, for example, who saved three or four people who could not swim.”

Fr. Rafaeli heard from survivors about a hotel director who remained bravely until the very end. He was going to take the very last lifeboat when he fell down the stairs and broke his leg. He remained inside the ship floating in cold water for 36 hours before he was discovered. Most people were totally dedicated to saving others.

Just as Jesus had a great heart to heal, cure, and help others, he desires that we have that same heart as his, just as those brave men and women tried to save the lives on the cruise ship. -Fr. Paul

From:
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/01/16/chaplain-helps-survivors-of-cruise-ship-disaster/

Jan. 18, 2012 Wednesday: 2nd Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-18T05:49:00.001-06:00

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched him closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. (Mark 3:1-6)

The Voice of Love

Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen.

That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."

- Henry Nouwen

Jan. 17, 2012 Tuesday: 2nd Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-17T05:00:00.001-06:00

Father Rwagema would wait for the assembled to settle down, and when he felt that the crowd had reached a satisfactory level of reverent silence, he would begin the proceedings. He’d start by hoisting a large wooden cross above his head, and then, in a booming voice, he’d recite one of the many messages Segatashya had delivered from Jesus, messages Father Rwagema had committed to memory. For example:

“God will never deny you mercy if you have a true conversion in your heart. Jesus is telling me to tell you that life on Earth lasts only a moment; but life in heaven is eternal. So you must pray. Remember that those who pay lip service to God and cry out, ‘Oh, Father, bless me!’ without meaning it from their heart, or repenting for their wrongdoing, will not go to heaven. It is those who truly love God and also do His will by performing loving deeds who will be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven—not the pretenders and hypocrites. Remember to pray with sincerity … the only way into heaven is through prayers that come from the heart.”

And then with a long, confident stride, Father Rwagema would set out toward the end of the village and beyond, the cross he gripped in his hands held high, his lips constantly moving as he intoned Segatashya’s messages mile after mile: “Christ’s love for his children is great. God doesn’t abandon any of His children. He is always waiting for you to say yes to Him and let Him into your hearts. On Judgment Day, the Lord will show everyone their entire lives, and people will know that they are the authors of their own fate. God will show them their lifetime of deeds, and then that person will go where they deserve to go. Do not think God does not see your sins; the Lord sees every action and knows every thought. Repent; there is not much time left. If you need help to open your heart to Jesus, pray to his mother to come to your aid. Jesus wants you to love and respect his mother as you would your own. She prays for all her children and will bestow upon you many graces and gifts of the spirit,” Father Rwagema would say, reiterating the latest message Segatashya had revealed from the visionary podium in Kibeho.

Ilibagiza, Immaculee (2011-11-28). The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho (pp. 34-35). Hay House.

Jan. 16, 2012 Monday: 2nd Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Father Rwagema’s one-room chapel were as mesmerized as I was by what we heard coming from the tape machine. First we heard the chanting of the large crowd—thousands of pleading voices—that had gathered in Kibeho to hear the visionaries communicate with heaven. The crowd cried out to Segatashya, addressing him by name and calling for him to summon a miracle … a miracle to give them faith in what they were witnessing and to help them truly believe in the apparitions. I didn’t know it at the time, but what I was hearing was the only apparition in which Jesus allowed the boy to both see and interact with the people who had come to see him. During every other vision, Segatashya was aware only of being in the Lord’s presence.

Above the din of the crowd, arose the soft tenor voice of the young visionary as he reverently addressed Jesus: “Yes, Lord, I have told them many times,” the voice said. “No, Lord, they don’t listen … they always tell me they want a miracle. They won’t believe that you’re talking to me, Jesus—not without seeing a miracle or a sign.” I remember how my heart swelled when listening to Segatashya speak that day and how touched I was by the sincerity and kindness that reverberated in his whisper-like voice as he patiently addressed the raucous crowd.

Suddenly a peal of thunder blasted through the tape recorder’s speakers, and the kids in the room jumped up in unison. We could hear frightened screams ripple through the hubbub of the surprised crowd. Then there were some cheers for the miracle that had just happened, followed by the calming voice of Segatashya as he urged everyone in the crowd not to worry about the thunder that had struck from out of the blue.

“Jesus says you shouldn’t be afraid; he would never do anything to harm his children,” the boy insisted. “No one here has been injured, pregnant women need not worry about their babies, and those with weak hearts will be well … yes, Lord, I’ll tell them as you say … Jesus is saying that he gave you thunder so you would listen to his messages and not ask for miracles that have no meaning … because your lives are miracles. A true miracle is a child in the womb; a mother’s love is a miracle; a forgiving heart is a miracle. Your lives are filled with miracles, but you are too distracted by material things to see them. “Jesus tells you to open your ears to hear his messages, and open your hearts to receive his love. Too many people have lost their way and walk the easy road that leads away from God. Jesus says to pray to his Mother, and the Blessed Virgin Mary will lead you to the God Almighty. The Lord has come to you with messages of love and the promise of eternal happiness, and yet … you ask for miracles instead. Stop looking to the sky for miracles. Open your heart to God; true miracles occur in the heart.” That was the first divine message I heard Segatashya deliver and, as I said, it changed my life. That message opened my heart to the essence of all the messages that would be delivered in Kibeho. The simple honesty in this boy’s voice instantly made him my favorite among all the visionaries.

Ilibagiza, Immaculee (2011-11-28). The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho (pp. 31-32). Hay House.

Jan. 15, 2012: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

Doubt. It is a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction. It involves uncertainty or distrust of an alleged fact or motive. Doubt brings into question a perceived "reality", and may involve delaying or rejecting relevant action out of concerns. Many people tell me, whether in conversations or in confessions, persistent doubt they have about God.

    Many of us will remember a show called “Little House on the Prairie.”’ In one episode, Mr. Edwards arrives in the town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota. He meets a beautiful lady named Gracie Snider and falls in love with her. At dinner one night, Mr. Edwards asks her if she would like to go fishing on Sunday. She said she would after church. She learned then that Mr. Edwards does not go to church or believe in God. And he was not about to change for her. Later in the evening, he decides to leave Walnut Grove. Caroline Ingalls asks him why, and Mr. Edwards replies, “Mam, God doesn’t care about me, and I don’t care about him...Can you tell me why God let my wife and daughter die?” (His wife and daughter died of Smallpox.) Mrs. Ingalls replied, “Do you know what you are doing? You are punishing God. And if you go on punishing Him for what happened in the past, you aren’t going to have any room for the future...I’d be so sorry if you did that.” The next scene shows the town folks singing a hymn in the church and Mr. Edwards hanging his hat and sitting next to Gracie Snider.
   Many people, up until the birth of Jesus, I (and even now) had one way or the other to explain away suffering and tragedies. Cruel fate and bad luck were blamed. Even the Israelites believed that misfortunes were due to their own sins.

   I used to be the one who believed in fates and bad lucks. Like Mr. Edwards, I believed that since God didn’t care about me, he must not exist. Plenty people tried to make me read the Bible and prove God’s existence. I remember the first time I really tried to read the Bible. I couldn’t make any sense of it—Old or New Testament. And I said to myself, “Why go to church, when I can have more peaceful time walking on the lakeside jogging trail here in Austin?” Doubt was the central belief I held on to. What made God concrete for me were the people who cared about me who did not know me. The kindness, gentleness, compassion, and patience of the Christians who reached out to this near-Atheist (me) was the reason why I was able to begin to ask, ‘If these Christians are so kind and patient with a stranger like me, I wonder how kind and patient is the God they believe in...I wonder if these Christians know something about this Jesus who said love one another as I have loved you.”
   In the Gospel today, disciples of John the Baptist were curious about the man John pointed and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” His disciples then approached Jesus and asked where he was staying. Jesus replied, “Come and you will see.” They followed him and saw how he loved—how he was kind, compassionate, and gentle with multitude who gathered around him.
   I was touched and converted by Jesus, the Word made flesh; I was touched and converted by Jesus’ love made into flesh by the love that Christians showed me. That’s the call for all of us, to make flesh Jesus’ love for others through our kindness, gentleness, and patience.

Jan. 13, 2012 Friday: 1st Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

One of the pilgrims asked Dr. Bonaventure what physical changes the visionaries underwent when they were talking to Jesus or Mary. “All of the visionaries went into a comatose-like state during their apparitions, and their brains simply did not receive any information from the physical world,” he answered. “And yet they were as alert as me and you. Each of them experienced a complete disconnection from reality as we perceive it … and I think that perceptual disconnection was most pronounced with Segatashya.

“I performed every test I could possibly think of to rouse him from his ecstatic state once he’d enter a visionary trance. I tested his cranial nerves by shining a flashlight directly into his eyes—no response. I examined his sensory function by tapping all his reflex points with a rubber hammer—again, no response. I pinched the skin all over his body, twisted his fingers nearly out of their sockets, stuck needles in his arms and pushed them right through his flesh until they came out the other side … every test had the same result—no response. Finally, I taped electrodes all over his body, hooked the wires up to a large portable battery, and zapped him with electricity —even that didn’t faze him, no physical reaction whatsoever! “It may sound like I acted cruelly, but I had to be sure he was not faking!” the doctor explained. “If he wasn’t faking, then nothing I did would have affected him negatively; on the other hand, if he had been faking, any one of those tests would have sent him running from the podium screaming in pain. That never happened; no matter what I did to him, he never even flinched.

“I must admit that there were times when I may have gotten a bit carried away. On one occasion I pushed the poor little fellow over on to his back and then sat on top of him with all of my weight. Then I put my hands around his throat to momentarily pinch off the oxygen flow to his brain in order to induce unconsciousness … you see, he couldn’t fake indifference to that. If he thought he was being choked to death, his sympathetic nervous system would have triggered his ‘fight or flight’ response, and he’d have tried to fight me off. But he just lay there on the podium floor, smiling and chatting with Jesus through the entire ordeal. Finally, one of the priests on the podium lunged across the stage and tackled me to the ground. ‘Have you gone insane, Bonaventure!’ he hollered. ‘What are you trying to do, kill the boy?’

“After that I was completely convinced that Segatashya was a true visionary and was having authentic apparitions. I still continued studying him objectively as a medical doctor and psychiatrist, but my note keeping took on an additional role: I wanted to preserve a historical record of what was happening in Kibeho.”

Ilibagiza, Immaculee (2011-11-28). The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho (pp. 121-122). Hay House.

Jan. 12, 2012 Thurs.: 1st Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

Segatashya Interview, July 20, 1982.

Question: Did you ask Jesus why he chose you, a pagan boy—a boy who has never been to church, read the Bible, said a prayer, and who is not even baptized—to be his messenger?
Segatashya: I did ask him that, sir. He said that he chose me as a sign to show people who don’t believe in him—like pagans and any other nonbelievers —that he is not forgetting them. He sees them, he cares about them, he loves them, and he hopes that they invite him into their hearts. By choosing a pagan boy as his messenger, he let the world know that his love and salvation are available for everyone. And I know that grown-up Rwandans don’t always respect what children have to say, but Jesus told me that he says in the Bible: Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise…. Jesus has sent me on a mission to tell us all to love him and to praise him, and to make our hearts as pure as new-born children so we may enter the Kingdom of God.

“That was just the first ten minutes of the Commission’s first interview with Segatashya,” Dr. Bonaventure said. Then, nodding to some family photographs of his wife and children, he added, “I spent countless hours talking to the young man; indeed, he became like family to me, like another son.”

Ilibagiza, Immaculee (2011-11-28). The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho (pp. 120-121). Hay House.

Jan. 11, 2012 Wed.: 1st Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

Segatashya Interview, July 20, 1982.

Question: Segatashya, the apparitions the Kibeho schoolgirls are having of the Virgin Mary is a new phenomenon. But now it has been reported to us that you are having apparitions as well … is this true?
Segatashya: Yes, it is true that I am having apparitions, but I’m not having apparitions of the Virgin Mary. I am having apparitions of Jesus Christ, and my visions of Jesus began on July 2, about two weeks ago.

Question: Segatashya, you are just a little boy who has never been to school or even gone to church. Why do you say you’ve seen and talked to Jesus? Isn’t it more likely you heard stories about the visionaries in Kibeho seeing the Virgin Mary, and then you just imagined you saw Jesus?
Segatashya: No, sir, I did not imagine seeing Jesus. I saw him and he spoke to me. I see him as I see you right now; it would be hard to tell anybody that I haven’t seen you. Although, the very first time I met him, I just heard him. I was sitting under a shade tree and I heard his voice. I didn’t know where the voice was coming from at first, but I realized it had to be coming from above, from the sky—from the place called heaven. He asked me if I would deliver a message for him, and my heart answered for me—my heart said yes! And so, that is what happened. I asked him who he was, and he told me that he was Jesus. He said to me, If you tell them you come in the name of Jesus, they will not believe you. But I could feel how powerful he was, and I knew all that he said was the truth. So I told him, “If you are truly Jesus Christ, they will believe what I say … as long as you give me strength to say your words and you give them the grace and the faith to hear the truth.” I know that you have spoken to Mr. Hubert, whom Jesus sent me to, so I know you have heard the message I delivered … the message for us all to purify our hearts to prepare for the Lord’s return to Earth.

Ilibagiza, Immaculee (2011-11-28). The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho (pp. 119-120). Hay House.

Jan. 10, 2012 Tuesday: 1st Week in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-10T05:00:00.001-06:00

(In the next posts for the coming week, I would like to introduce you to Emanuel Segatashya, one of the visionaries from the the apparition of Our Lady of Kibeho (1981-1989). Unlike the rest of the visionaries from Kibeho where the primary apparition was that of Blessed Mother, Segatshya's apparition was that of Jesus. Recently, Immaculee Ilibagiza published a book called, "The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho," about him and his apparition. -Fr. Paul)

His name was Segatashya. He was a shepherd born into a penniless and illiterate pagan family in the most remote region of Rwanda. He never attended school, never saw a bible, and never set foot in a church. Then one summer day in 1982 while the 15-year-old was resting beneath a shade tree, Jesus Christ paid him a visit. Jesus asked the startled young man if he’d be willing to go on a mission to remind mankind how to live a life that leads to heaven.
Segatashya accepted the assignment on one condition: that Jesus answer all his questions—and all the questions of those he met on his travels—about faith, religion, the purpose of life, and the nature of heaven and hell. Jesus agreed to the boy’s terms, and Segatashya set off on what would become one of the most miraculous journeys in modern history.
Although he was often accused of being a charlatan and beaten as a result, Segatashya’s innocent heart and powerful spiritual wisdom quickly won over even the most cynical of critics. Soon, this teenage boy who had never learned to read or write was discussing theology with leading biblical scholars and advising pastors and priests of all denominations. He became so famous in Rwanda that the Catholic Church investigated his story. The doctors and psychiatrists who examined Segatashya all agreed that they were witnessing a miracle. His words and simple truths converted thousands of hearts and souls wherever he went.
Before his death during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Segatashya continued his travels and conversations with Jesus for eight years, asking Him what we all want to know: Why were we created? Why must we suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people? When will the world end? Is there life after death? How do we get to Heaven?
The answers to these and many other momentous, life-changing questions are revealed in the book, "The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho," which is the first full account of Segatashya’s remarkable life story, written by Immaculée Ilibagiza, Segatashya’s close friend and a survivor of the Rwandan holocaust herself.

Jan. 9, 2012 Monday: Baptism of Our Lord

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

The mystery of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan by St John, the Precursor, proposes the contemplation of an already adult Jesus. This mystery is infinitely linked to the Solemnities of the Lord’s birth and the Epiphany that we have just celebrated, as in some ways it takes up and represents their significance to us.

At Christmas we have contemplated the human birth of the Word incarnate by the Virgin Mary. In the 4th century, the Fathers of the Church deepened the understanding of the faith with regard to the Christmas mystery in the light of Jesus’ Humanity. They spoke of the Incarnation of the Word already working like the ‘Christification’ of that humanity that he had assumed from His mother. Or put in simpler terms: Jesus is the Christ from the first instant of conception in Mary’s spotless womb because He Himself, with His Divine Power, consecrated, anointed and ‘Christified’ that human nature with which He became incarnate.

In the mystery of the Epiphany, we then meditated on Christ’s manifestation to all nations that was represented by the Magi, the wise men from the East, who came to adore the Child.

Now, in the mystery of Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan River, we again encounter and represent the truth of the Lord’s incarnation and His manifestation as the Christ. Jesus’ Baptism is in fact His definitive manifestation as the Messiah or Christ to Israel, and as the Son of the Father to the entire world. Here we find the dimension of the Epiphany which was His manifestation to all nations. The Father’s voice from heaven shows that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Son and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove shows the Trinitarian nature of the Christian God. The true and unique God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shows Himself in Christ, through Him, with Him and in Him.

The Baptism in the Jordan returns to the great Christmas theme of ‘Christification’, Jesus of Nazareth’s spiritual anointing, His presentation as the Anointed One per excellence, the Messiah or the One sent by the Father for the salvation of mankind. The Spirit that descended on Jesus shows and seals in an incontrovertible way the ‘Christification’ of Jesus’ humanity that the Word had already fulfilled from the first moment of His miraculous conception by Mary. Jesus, from the very beginning, was always the Lord’s Christ, He was always God. Yet, His one, true humanity, that which is perfect in every way, as the Gospel records, constantly grew in natural and supernatural perfection. ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with men’ (Lk2:52). In Israel at 30 years of age, one reached full maturity and therefore could become a master. Jesus came of age and the Spirit, descending and remaining on Him, definitively consecrated His whole being as the Christ.

The same Spirit, that descended on the water of the River Jordan wafted over the waters during the first creation. (Gen 1:2) Therefore, the Baptism in the Jordan presents yet another truth: that Jesus has started a new creation. He is the second man (1 Cor 15:47) or the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that comes to repair the first Adam’s guilt. He does this as the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. ‘Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners.’ (J Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Bloomsbury 2007, p18)

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2007-01-08
From the Congregation for the Clergy

Jan. 8, 2012: Epiphany, Audio Homily

2012-01-08T12:19:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=3e0c444f9be861bd8b3120ca680731dd16a9e7c427f26a51d

Click above to hear audio homily

Jan. 8, 2012: Epiphany of Our Lord

2012-01-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

At the school mass this week, I asked the children what gifts they had received for Christmas and all the hands went up because the children were eager to tell me about the gifts. I asked the children what Jesus gave us during Christmas and some First graders answered peace, joy, and love. When I asked them what they had given Jesus this Christmas, I don't think I saw any hands go up. What do you think is an appropriate gift for Jesus on Christmas? A second grader said that she got an iPod Touch for Christmas, but I don't think Jesus can use it because back then he did not have an electric outlet to recharge it. The difficult question is what can you possibly give God as a gift?

I think the answer lies in the message of one of our familiar Christmas songs, "O Holy Night." Most of us know the first verse that begins with, 'O holy night, the stars are brightly shining; It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!' The verse continues:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

When was the last time you paid close attention to the words to this song? We are less familiar with the verses 2 and 3. The second verse is:
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

The Three Wise Men from the East were led by their faith to travel a far distance, hoping that they would catch a glimpse of the newborn King. They longed to know him, to seek him, and to behold him, the Christ Child. Do we have that same desire to know him, to seek him, and to bend our knees to behold Our Lord who came so humbly to us? No one forced the Three Wise Men to go to Him. Likewise, no one forces us to go to Our Lord. Their faith was kindled by the silence of the night--free from the distractions of the world--in order for them to find Jesus. How many of us are absorbed by the things of the world to the point where we cannot see or hear Our Lord?

During Thanksgiving week in 2001, I boarded an airplane in New Orleans that was headed to New Jersey to begin a few days of vacation from my engineering work. I was led to this trip by a strange desire to see something, but I didn't quite know what it was that I was seeking. I had been working at the company for 3 years, dating seriously, and pondering deeply about marriage. From New Jersey, I boarded a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and from there I boarded a plane to Split, Croatia. The journey continued as I boarded a bus and travelled for 3 hours to a small town named Medjugorje. The total travel time from New Orleans was 20 hours. As the bus made its way through the town, I could see that there was really not much to this small town of 3,000 families--no natural beauty, no amazing attractions. Yet, millions have traveled to this town since 1981. When we arrived at our destination, I was given a small room with no TV or radio, and my cell phone did not work.

Our daily routine was to go to mass and then afterward to listen to the stories of some visionaries to whom Blessed Mother has appeared regularly. Each night, I went with most of the town folk to attend the 6PM rosary, followed by mass in Croatian and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. One night in the pitch darkness as I was walking back after adoration to my lodging through a large field of grapes, I began to notice something that I had not noticed in a very long time--the stars in the sky. I was reminded of how the Three Wise Men were led in the darkness to a small-unknown town to see the birth of Our Lord. I felt as though Blessed Mother had led me on this long journey so that I could find what I needed to find --Our Lord and His plan for me. For many years I had been absorbed with my own plans and matters of the world, yet in that small town, away from distractions, I truly saw with the eyes of my soul the Christ Child. It was on that trip that I told everyone in the group, "I'm here in Medjugorje to discern whether I have a vocation in marriage or a vocation to priesthood." During that trip, I realized that until then I had been living only for myself, and that now the Christ Child was asking me to make Him known to others and to bring Him to the hearts of others.

Isn't that what Jesus is asking of us today? Will we pry ourselves from the distractions of the world to seek and find Jesus? Will we bend our knees in humility to behold Jesus and praise Him? Will we approach Him in faith, as did the Magis, with all that we are and all that we have and be changed by this encounter and turn and go a different way?

Jan. 6, 2012 Friday: St. André Bessette

2012-01-06T06:24:00.001-06:00

St. André Bessette

(1845-1937)
Brother André expressed a saint's faith by a lifelong devotion to St. Joseph.

Sickness and weakness dogged André from birth. He was the eighth of 12 children born to a French Canadian couple near Montreal. Adopted at 12, when both parents had died, he became a farmhand. Various trades followed: shoemaker, baker, blacksmith—all failures. He was a factory worker in the United States during the boom times of the Civil War.

At 25, he applied for entrance into the Congregation of the Holy Cross. After a year's novitiate, he was not admitted because of his weak health. But with an extension and the urging of Bishop Bourget (see Marie-Rose Durocher, October 6), he was finally received. He was given the humble job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger. "When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained 40 years," he said.

In his little room near the door, he spent much of the night on his knees. On his windowsill, facing Mount Royal, was a small statue of St. Joseph, to whom he had been devoted since childhood. When asked about it he said, "Some day, St. Joseph is going to be honored in a very special way on Mount Royal!"

When he heard someone was ill, he visited to bring cheer and to pray with the sick person. He would rub the sick person lightly with oil taken from a lamp burning in the college chapel. Word of healing powers began to spread.

When an epidemic broke out at a nearby college, André volunteered to nurse. Not one person died. The trickle of sick people to his door became a flood. His superiors were uneasy; diocesan authorities were suspicious; doctors called him a quack. "I do not cure," he said again and again. "St. Joseph cures." In the end he needed four secretaries to handle the 80,000 letters he received each year.

For many years the Holy Cross authorities had tried to buy land on Mount Royal. Brother André and others climbed the steep hill and planted medals of St. Joseph. Suddenly, the owners yielded. André collected 200 dollars to build a small chapel and began receiving visitors there—smiling through long hours of listening, applying St. Joseph's oil. Some were cured, some not. The pile of crutches, canes and braces grew.

The chapel also grew. By 1931 there were gleaming walls, but money ran out. "Put a statue of St. Joseph in the middle. If he wants a roof over his head, he'll get it." The magnificent Oratory on Mount Royal took 50 years to build. The sickly boy who could not hold a job died at 92.

He is buried at the Oratory. He was beatified in 1982 and canonized in 2010. At his canonization in October 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said that St. Andre "lived the beatitude of the pure of heart."

- www.americancatholic.org

Jan. 5, 2012 Thursday: St. John Neumann

2012-01-05T06:23:00.001-06:00

St. John Neumann

John Nepomucene Neumann was born on March 28, 1811, in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. His parents were Philip and Agnes Neumann. John had four sisters and a brother. After finishing college, he entered the seminary. John was very intelligent and did really well in his studies. He learned to speak eight modern languages fluently, besides Latin, Greek, and Hebrew!

But when it came time for ordination, there was a problem. John could not be ordained because Bohemia had more than enough priests just then! Since he had been reading about missionary activities in the United States, John decided to go to America to be ordained. He walked most of the way to France and then boarded the ship Europa.

John arrived in Manhattan on June 9, 1836. Bishop John Dubois was very happy to see him. There were only thirty-six priests to serve the 200,000 Catholics living in the state of New York and part of New Jersey. Just sixteen days after his arrival, John was ordained a priest and sent to Buffalo, New York. There he would help Father Pax care for his parish, which was 900 square miles in size. “Father John, would you like to work in the city or in a country area?” Father Pax asked him. Now John’s heroic character began to show. “I’d like to work in the country,” John responded. He knew that this was the more difficult area. Father John decided to stay in a little town with an unfinished church. Once it was completed, he moved to another town that had a log-church. There he built himself a small log cabin. The farms in his area were far apart. John had to walk long distances to reach his people. They were German, French, Irish and Scotch. In addition to the languages he already spoke, John now learned English and Gaelic. Before he died, he knew and spoke twelve different languages!

Father John joined the Redemptorist Order and continued his missionary work. He became bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. Bishop John Neumann built fifty churches and began building a cathedral. He opened almost one hundred schools. During the time he was bishop, the number of parochial school students grew from 500 to 9,000. Bishop John made sure to visit all his parishes on a regular basis. Once, he even walked twenty-five miles both ways to administer the sacrament of Confirmation to a boy.

Bishop John died suddenly on January 5, 1860. He was walking home from an appointment when he suffered a stroke and fell to the ground. He was carried into the nearest house and died there at 3:00 P.M. Bishop John Neumann would have been forty-nine that March. He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Paul VI on June 19, 1977.

St. John put his whole self into the work God gave him to do. Instead of looking for an easier life, he chose to do as much as he could and as cheerfully as possible. The little everyday things we must do are the work God gives us. Like St. John Neumann, let’s do them with all our hearts.

- Daughters of St. Paul

Jan. 4, 2012 Wednesday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

2012-01-04T06:20:00.001-06:00

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

“Mother Seton” was the name everyone knew Elizabeth by when she died on January 4, 1821, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. A life full of surprises had led to that name.

Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City on August 28, 1774. Her father, Richard Bayley, was a well-known doctor. Her mother, Catherine, died when Elizabeth was just three years old.

In 1794, Elizabeth married William Seton. He was a rich merchant who owned a fleet of ships. Elizabeth, William, and their five children had a happy life together. Elizabeth devoted her time to her family, to helping others, and to prayer. The Seton family belonged to Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City.

But soon, Elizabeth’s happy life would change. First her father, whom she loved very much, died. Then her father-in-law also died, and the Seton fortune quickly dwindled. Next Elizabeth’s husband Will became sick.

In October, 1803, Elizabeth brought Will to Italy, hoping the climate there might help him get better. With their oldest daughter, Anna, they journeyed by ship. But Will died shortly after their arrival. In her grief, Elizabeth prayed, “My God, I am alone in the world with you and my little ones. But you are my Father and doubly theirs.”

Elizabeth and Anna remained in Italy as guests of the Filicchi family. The Filicchis were very kind. They tried to ease Elizabeth and Anna’s sorrow by sharing with them their own deep love for the Catholic faith. Elizabeth returned home to New York convinced that she would become a Catholic. Her family and friends didn’t understand and were upset with her decision. But Elizabeth went ahead with courage. She joined the Catholic Church on March14, 1805.

A few years later, Elizabeth was asked to come and open a girls’ school in Baltimore. It was there that Elizabeth decided to live as a religious sister. Many women came to join her, including her sister and sister-in-law. Her own daughters, Anna and Catherine, also joined the group. They became the Sisters of Charity, and Elizabeth was given the title “Mother Seton.” The sisters’ first house was small, with no run-ning water. In the winter, they would wake up in the morning covered with a dusting of snow that had fallen through the roof! They had to walk several miles every Sunday to attend Mass in town.

More young women came to join Mother Seton, and the community grew. The sisters moved into a larger house, and Elizabeth’s good works continued to spread. Besides founding many Catholic schools, she also opened orphanages. She even made plans for a hospital, which was begun after her death. Elizabeth loved to write. She also translated some textbooks from French to English. But she was best known for the way she visited the poor and the sick.

Elizabeth was canonized a saint by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975. She is the first U.S.-born citizen to be declared a saint.

Whenever we have a problem we can talk to God about it. He will always help us to know what to do. When we trust God as St. Elizabeth Seton did, he will bring good out of even difficult situations.

- Daughters of St. Pau

Jan. 2, 2012 Monday: St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen

2012-01-02T06:19:00.001-06:00

St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen

Basil and Gregory were born around the year 329 in Asia Minor. Today we call this area Turkey. Basil’s grandmother, father, mother, two brothers and a sister are all saints. Gregory’s parents are St. Nonna and St. Gregory the Elder. Basil and Gregory met and became great friends at school in Athens, Greece.

Basil became a well-known teacher. But he wasn’t satisfied. He felt that God was calling him to live as a monk. Basil visited monasteries in Syria, Egypt and Palestine, then moved to the wilderness and started his first monastery. The rule he gave his monks was very wise. Monasteries in the East have followed it down to our own times.

Both Basil and Gregory became priests and then bishops. They often preached about the Holy Trinity, because the errors of Arianism were confusing many people. Arianism was a teaching that denied that Jesus is God.

While he was bishop of Constantinople, Gregory converted many people with his wonderful preaching. But it nearly cost him his life! Once, a young man planned to murder him. He repented at the last moment and begged Gregory’s forgiveness. Gregory did forgive him and won him over with his gentle goodness.

Forty-four of Gregory’s speeches, 243 letters and many poems were published. His writings are still important today. Many people have based their writings on his.

Gregory’s good friend Basil had a very kind and generous heart. He always found time to help the poor. He even invited poor people to help those who were worse off. “Give your last loaf of bread to the beggar at your door,” he urged, “and trust in God’s goodness.” Gregory sold his inheritance to help the poor. He also built a hospital where he visited the sick.

Basil died in 379 at the age of fifty. Gregory died in 389 at the age of sixty. He is buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Our education, time and talents are all gifts that God has given us. If we want to be like Saints Basil and Gregory, we can use these gifts to help the people around us become closer to God.

- Daughters of St. Pau

Jan. 1, 2012: Audio Homily, Mary, Mother of God

2012-01-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=161b6f308e62c5b7a7aced876c10f0d7b00728738b58fc5bd

Click above link to hear audio homily

Jan. 1, 2012: Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

2011-12-31T12:00:00.000-06:00

How many moms have asked her children to either run errands for her or accompany her on errands? Children end up doing lots of errands for their moms. Some errands are simple and some are not. In Korea when I was in first grade, my mom dragged me out of bed at 4AM to accompany her to the fish market where we purchased several buckets of fish. After we returned home, around 6:30AM, mom asked me to take a bag of fresh fish to my first grade teacher who lived within walking distance from us. When I gave the bag of fish to my teacher, she stroked my head and thanked mom and me. I'm pretty sure I got extra points on conduct section of my report card for that kindness. Most of the time, children do whatever their mom asks them to do, trusting in her judgment and without questioning her. When I was in fifth grade and living in the Dallas area, I told my mom that the lady who drove our school bus would be celebrating her birthday that week. Mom wrapped a gift for me to take to her, and I presented it to her the next day as I got on the school bus. I stood there as she unwrapped the gift, and there they were--ladies underwear. My face got red from embarrassment.

One day this week, someone at morning mass told me that a parishioner was in the hospital in Gonzales. I had several things on my to-do list that day and I did not know whether I had time to make a hospital visit. I quickly prayed and asked Blessed Mother whether she would like for me to go to the hospital immediately, and she said 'yes.' When I arrived at the hospital, I was told that the parishioner was no longer there. I wondered to myself, 'Why did Blessed Mother want me to come here when the parishioner isn't even here?' As I walked through the hospital hallway and turned a corner, there was a lady in the hallway, crying so I stopped and asked her what was the matter. She replied, "My mom and I just found out from the doctor that she cannot go back home. The doctor said that she needed to be in a nursing home where she can receive medical attention, but I don't want her to go to a nursing home. I've been taking care of her for the past 20 years." I asked, "How is your mom taking this news?" The daughter replied, "Much better than I am. She's okay with it, but I'm not." I went into the room and after chatting with the mom for awhile, she said, "Father, I told Jesus a number of times, 'my life is in the palm of your hands, Jesus. Do with me what you will.'" This elderly mother had complete trust in the Heavenly Father and in His will for her. She was sad that she could no longer be in her own home, but she did not feel as though this was the end of the world. The daughter told me that for more than 15 years, her mother had been going to that nursing home to help organize the rosary and mass for the residents. For many years, she was Jesus' presence to the residents and now she has the opportunity to be that presence even more so. I told the daughter and her mother the whole story about how I ended up at the hospital. Then I told them, "By sending me here to you, Blessed Mother wants you to know that she watches and cares about everything that's happening in your life and that she'll guide you and that you need not be afraid." As I left the hospital room, I reminded myself that this was one of those moments when I had to trust Heavenly Mother completely and promptly do what she asked me to do without questioning her.

Just like this mother and daughter, all of us have faced moments that have left us sad and confused. We feel at that moment that we are not capable of overcoming the challenge before us. This is the kind of challenge that Mary and her husband Joseph had to face that night in Bethlehem with a child about to arrive amid most difficult of circumstances. The mystery for us is that Heavenly Father chose a weak human to bring His divine Son into this world. If He is the Almighty God wanting to accomplish His will through weak human beings why did He not provide a more comfortable and safe place for Mary and Joseph to give birth to His Divine Son?

On this Feast Day of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, Heavenly Father is telling us that He did provide the ideal place--the womb of a young woman who had complete trust in the Father. He gave Mary every grace necessary to fulfill Her role as Mother of God. For each of us, it's not the external things, such as monetary resources, circumstances, or timing, that determine whether we are capable of what God is asking us to do. Rather, it is our complete trust in the Father that allows us to do what He asks of us. But how do we know His will for us? It is through prayer that we know and understand the Father's will--that's how Blessed Mother knew the truth and trusted. We see in the Gospel that Blessed Mother always prayed, for she " kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." Father has given us every gift we need and continues to give the necessary grace to do His will. We allow the distractions of our world to keep us from our true calling--to be His Son's presence in the world. His mother and many angels and saints are ready to assist us, but we have to call upon them and trust.

Dec. 30, 2011 Friday: Holy Family

2011-12-30T06:30:00.001-06:00

Pope Paul VI
"They returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth"

The home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus - the school of the Gospel. The first lesson we learn here is to look, to listen, to meditate and penetrate the meaning - at once so deep and so mysterious - of this very simple, very humble and very beautiful manifestation of the Son of God. Perhaps we learn, even imperceptibly, the lesson of imitation... How gladly would I become a child again, and go to school once more in this humble and sublime school of Nazareth: close to Mary, I wish I could make a fresh start at learning the true science of life and the higher wisdom of divine truths... First, then, a lesson of silence. May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us, besieged as we are by so many uplifted voices, the general noise and uproar, in our seething and oversensitized modern life. May the silence of Nazareth teach us recollection, inwardness, the disposition to listen to good inspirations and the teachings of true masters. May it teach us the need for and the value of preparation, of study, of meditation, of personal inner life, of the prayer which God alone sees in secret (Mt 6,6). Next, there is a lesson on family life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character. Let us learn from Nazareth that the formation received at home is gentle and irreplaceable. Let us learn me prime importance of the role of the family in the social order. Finally, there is a lesson of work. Nazareth, home of the 'Carpenter's Son' (Mt 13,55), in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and redeeming law of human work; here I would restore the awareness of the nobility of work, and reaffirm that work cannot be an end in itself, but that its freedom and its excellence derive, over and above its economic worth, from the value of those for whose sake it is undertaken. And here at Nazareth I want to greet all the workers of the world, holding up to them their great pattern, their brother who is God. He is the prophet of all their just causes, Christ our Lord.

Homily by Pope Paul VI at Nazareth on 05/01/64 (breviary for the Holy Family)

Dec. 29, 2011 Thursday: St. Thomas Becket

2011-12-28T22:47:00.001-06:00

St. Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket was born in 1118, in London, England. After his parents died, he accepted a position in the household of the archbishop of Canterbury. He began studying for the priesthood. He soon became a great favorite of King Henry II himself. People said that the king and Thomas had only one heart and one mind—they were such close friends.

When Thomas was thirty-six, King Henry made him his chancellor. As chancellor of England, Thomas had a large household and lived in splendor. When the archbishop of Canterbury died, Henry wanted the pope to give Thomas this position. It would require that Thomas be ordained a priest. But Thomas told him plainly that he did not want to be the archbishop of Canterbury. He realized that being in that position would put him in direct conflict with Henry II. Thomas knew that he would have to defend the Church against Henry, and that would mean trouble. “Your affection for me would turn into hatred,” he warned Henry. The king paid no attention and Thomas was made a priest and a bishop in 1162.

He immediately began to change his life. He lived more austerely and devoted much more time to prayer. At first, things went along as well as ever. All too soon, however, the king began to demand money, which Thomas felt he could not rightly take from the Church. The king grew more and more angry with his former friend. Finally, he began to treat Thomas harshly. For a while, Thomas was tempted to give in a bit. Then he began to realize just how much Henry hoped to control the Church. Thomas was very sorry that he had even thought of giving in to the king. He did penance for his weakness and ever after held firm.

One day, the king was very angry. “Will no one rid me of this archbishop?” Some of his knights took him seriously. They went off to murder the archbishop. They attacked him in his own cathedral. He died, saying, “For the name of Jesus and in defense of the Church, I am willing to die.” It was December 29, 1170. The entire Christian world was horrified at such a crime. Pope Alexander III held the king personally responsible for the murder. A year later, Henry II performed public penance. Miracles began to happen at Thomas’ tomb. He was proclaimed a saint by the same pope in 1173.

St. Thomas Becket teaches us that we must put our faith and loyalty to Christ ahead of our personal friendships. If a friend expects us to do something we know is displeasing to God, we must choose what we know to be the right thing. Hopefully, our courage and good example will help our friends grow closer to God as well.

Dec. 28, 2011 Wednesday: Feast of Holy Innocents

2011-12-28T06:09:00.001-06:00

« On this day, Lord, the Holy Innocents gave witness to your glory, not by speaking but by dying» (Collect)

By St. Peter Chrysologus

Where does this jealousy lead?... The crime committed today shows us. Fear of a rival to his earthly kingdom fills Herod with anxiety; he plots to suppress «the newborn King» (Mt 2,2), the eternal King; he fights against his Creator and puts innocent children to death... As for those children, what fault had they committed? Their tongues were dumb, their eyes had seen nothing, their ears heard nothing, their hands done nothing. They accepted death who had not known life... Christ reads the future and knows the secrets of the heart; he weighs our thoughts and probes our intentions (cf. Ps 139[138]): why did he forsake them?... Why did the newborn heavenly King abandon these companions in innocence, forget the sentinels watching around his crib to such an extent that the foe who wanted to get at the King ravaged his whole army? My brethren Christ did not forsake his soldiers but covered them with honor by granting them to conquer before they had lived and to carry away the prize without a fight... He wanted them to possess heaven rather than earth... He sent them before him as his heralds. He did not abandon them but saved those who went on ahead. He did not forget them... Blessed are they who have exchanged their travail for repose, their pains for ease, their suffering for joy. They are alive! Yes, they are alive; they live indeed who have undergone death for Christ's sake... Happy the tears their mothers shed for these infants: they have won them the grace of baptism... May he who deigned to rest in our stable be pleased to lead us also to the heavenly pastures.

Sermon 152 ; PL 52, 604

Dec. 27, 2011 Tuesday: St. John, Apostle

2011-12-27T06:09:00.001-06:00

St. John the Apostle

St. John was a fisherman in Galilee. He was called to be an apostle with his brother, St. James. Jesus gave these sons of Zebedee the nickname “sons of thunder.” St. John was the youngest apostle and is believed to be the one called “the beloved disciple.”

At the Last Supper, it was John who was permitted to lean his head on the chest of Jesus. He was also the only apostle who stood at the foot of the cross. The dying Jesus gave the care of his Blessed Mother Mary to this beloved apostle. Looking at Mary, he said, “Behold your mother.”

On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and the other women went with spices to Jesus’ tomb to anoint his body. They came running back to the apostles with disturbing news. The body of Jesus was gone from the tomb. Peter and John set out to investigate. John arrived first but waited for Peter to go in ahead of him. Then he went in and saw the neatly folded linen cloths, and he understood that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Later, that same week, the disciples were fishing on Lake Tiberias without success. A man standing on the beach suggested they let down their nets on the other side of the boat. When they pulled it up again it was full of large fish. Now John, who recognized this man, called to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

With the descent of the Holy Spirit the apostles were filled with new courage. After the ascension of Jesus, Peter, and John cured a crippled man by calling on the name of Jesus.

It is believed that John lived nearly a century and was the only apostle not to suffer martyrdom. He preached the Gospel and may have become bishop of Ephesus. It is said that in the last years of his life, when he could no longer preach, his disciples would carry him to the crowds of Christians. His simple message was, “My dear children, love one another.” St. John died in Ephesus around the year 100.

Dec. 26, 2011 Monday: St. Stephen

2011-12-26T08:58:00.001-06:00

from
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/12/miraculous-story-of-claude-newman-his.html

The remarkable true story of the miraculous intercession of the Virgin Mary in 1944 to prisoner Claude Newman of Mississippi

The Virgin Mary appears in a series of visions through the intercession of the Miraculous Medal and converts two men on death row.

By: Glenn Dallaire

Claude Newman was an African American man who was born on December 1, 1923 to Willie and Floretta (Young) Newman in Stuttgart, Arkansas. In 1928, Claude’s father Willie takes Claude and his older brother away from their mother for unknown reasons, and they are brought to their grandmother, Ellen Newman, of Bovina, Warren County, Mississippi.

In 1939, Claude's beloved grandmother, Ellen Newman, marries a man named Sid Cook. Soon Sid becomes sexually abusive toward Ellen, which deeply angers Claude. In 1940, Claude works as a farmhand on Ceres Plantation in Bovina, Mississippi. The plantation is owned by a wealthy landowner named U.G. Flowers, and Sid Cook was born and raised on this plantation. One biographer also has Claude getting married also in 1940 at age 17 to a young woman of the same age.

On Dec.19, 1942, Claude is apparently still very angered by Sid's abusive treatment towards his grandmother Ellen, and egged on by dominant friend named Elbert Harris, Claude lies in waiting at Sid Cook’s house (Sid Cook and Ellen Newman have since seperated). Claude shoots Sid as he enters, killing him, and takes his money, then flees to his mothers house in Little Rock, AR., arriving on Dec 20th.

Claude is arrested and sent to prison on death row
In January 1943, Claude is apprehended in Arizona and is returned to Vicksburg, Mississippi and makes a coerced confession on Jan. 13. Despite protests of Claude’s lawyer Harry K. Murray, his confession is admitted as evidence, and he is found guilty by jury, and is initially sentenced to die in the electric chair on May 14, 1943. Later an appeal to retry the case is rejected by State Attorney General and he is rescheduled to be executed on January 20, 1944.

Claude receives the Miraculous Medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary
While he was in jail awaiting execution, he shared a cell-block with four other prisoners. One night, the five men were sitting around talking and eventually the conversation ran out. During this time, Claude noticed a medal on a string around one of the other prisoner's neck. Curious, he asked the other prisoner what the medal was. The young prisoner was a Catholic, but he apparently did not know (or did not want to talk) about the medal, and seemingly embarrassed, he appeared angry and suddenly took the medal off from around his own neck and threw it on the floor at Claude's feet with a curse and a cuss, telling him to "take the thing". Claude picked up the medal, and after looking it over, he placed it around his own neck, although he had no idea who's image it was on the medal; to him it was simply a trinket, but for some reason he felt attracted to it, and wanted to wear it.

The Blessed Virgin Mary appears to Claude in a vision
(The Icon is of “Mary the Teacher” © Copyright 2004 by Brother Claude Lane, OSB, Mount Angel Abbey. This beautiful icon is a representation of the amazing facts below.

During the night while sleeping on top of his cot, he was awakened with a touch upon his wrist. Awakening with a start, there stood, as Claude told Father O’Leary afterwards, ‘the most beautiful Woman that God ever Created’.

At first he was quite frightened, not knowing what to make of this extraordinary beautiful glowing Woman. The Lady soon calmed Claude down, and then said to
him, "If you would like Me to be your Mother, and you would like to be My child, send for a priest of the Catholic Church."
And after saying these words She suddenly disappeared.

Excited, Claude immediately started to yell "a ghost, a ghost", and started screaming that he wanted a Catholic priest.

Father Robert O'Leary SVD (1911-1984), the priest who tells the story, was called first thing the next morning. Upon arrival he went to see Claude who told him of what had happened the night before. Deeply impressed by the events, Claude, along with the other four men in his cell-block, asked for religious instruction in the Catholic faith.

Claude and some of the other prisoners receive instruction in the Catholic faith
Father O'Leary returned to the prison the next day to begin instruction for the prisoners. It was then that the priest learned that Claude Newman could neither read nor write at all. The only way he could tell if a book was right-side-up was if the book contained a picture. Claude told him that he had never been to school, and Father O’Leary soon discovered that his ignorance of religion was even more profound. He knew practically nothing about religion or the Christian faith. He knew that there was a God, but he did not know that Jesus was God. And so Claude began receiving instructions, and the other prisoners helped him with his studies.

After a few days, two of the religious Sisters from Father O'Leary's parish-school obtained permission from the warden to come to the prison. They wanted to meet Claude and hear his remarkable story, and they also wanted to visit the women in the prison. Soon, on another floor of the prison, the Sisters began to teach some of the women-prisoners the catechism as well.

A heavenly lesson about Confession
Several weeks passed, and it came time when Father O'Leary was going to give instructions about the Sacrament of Confession. The Sisters too sat in on the class. The priest said to the prisoners, "Ok boys, today I'm going to teach you about the Sacrament of Confession."
Claude said, "Oh, I know about that! The Lady told me that when we go to confession we are kneeling down not before a priest, but we're kneeling down by the Cross of Her Son. And that when we are truly sorry for our sins, and we confess our sins, the Blood He shed flows down over us and washes us free from all sins."

Hearing Claude say this, Father O'Leary and the Sisters sat stunned with their mouths wide open. Claude thought they were angry and said, "Oh don't be angry, don't be angry, I didn't mean to blurt it out."
The priest said, "We're not angry Claude. We are just surprised. You have seen Her again?"

Claude replied, "Come around the cell-block away from the others."

Proof that the Blessed Virgin Mary was appearing to Claude
When they were alone, Claude said to the priest, "She told me that if you doubted me or
showed hesitancy, I was to remind you that lying in a ditch in Holland in 1940, you made a vow to Her which She's still waiting for you to keep."
And, Father O'Leary recalls, "Claude then told me precisely what the vow was."

Claude's revelation absolutely convinced Father O'Leary that Claude was telling the truth about his visions of Our Lady. The promise Fr. O’Leary made to Our Lady in 1940 from a ditch in Holland (the proof Claude gave the priest that Our Lady really was appearing to him) was this: that when he could, he would build a church in honor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception. He did just that in 1947. He had been transferred to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1945 when a group African American Catholic laymen asked to have a church built there. The Bishop of Natchez, Mississippi had been sent $5000 by Archbishop Cushing of Boston for the “Negro missions.” The Bishop and Father O’Leary commissioned the church of the Immaculate Conception to be built, and it is still there today (photo left)

Father O’Leary and Clark then returned to the catechism class on Confession. And Claude kept telling the other prisoners, "You should not be afraid to go to confession. You're really telling God your sins, not the priest”
Then Claude said,
"You know, the Lady said that Confession is something like a telephone. We talk through the priest to God, and God talks back to us through the priest."

A heavenly lesson about Holy Communion
About a week later, Father O'Leary was preparing to teach the class about the Blessed
Sacrament. The Sisters were again present for this lesson too. Claude indicated that the Lady had also taught him about the Eucharist, and he asked if he could tell the priest what She said.

Fr. O’Leary agreed immediately. Claude related, "The Lady told me that in Communion, I will only see what looks like a piece of bread. But She told me that It is really and truly Her Son, and that He will be with me just as He was with Her before He was born in Bethlehem. She told me that I should spend my time like She did during Her lifetime with Him-- in loving Him, adoring Him, thanking Him, praising Him and asking Him for blessings. I shouldn't be distracted or bothered by anybody else or anything else, but I should spend those few minutes in my thoughts alone with Him."

Claude is received into the Catholic church and scheduled to be executed
As the weeks progressed, eventually they finished the catechism instructions and Claude and the other prisoners were received into the Catholic Church. Soon afterwards the time came for Claude to be executed. He was to be executed at five minutes after twelve, midnight, on January 20, 1944.

The sheriff, named Williamson, asked him, "Claude, you have the privilege of a last request. What do you want?"
"Well," said Claude, "all of my friends are all shook up. The jailer is all shook up. But you don't
understand. I'm not going to die; only this body. I'm going to be with Her. So, then I would like to have a party"

"What do you mean?” asked the sheriff.

"A party!" said Claude. "Will you give Father O’Leary permission to bring in some cakes and ice cream and will you allow the prisoners on the second floor to be freed in the main room so that we can all be together and have a party?"

"Somebody might attack Father," cautioned the warden.
Claude turned to the men who were standing by and said, "Oh no they won't, right fellas?"
The warden consented and posted additional guards for the party. So, Father O’Leary visited a wealthy patron of the parish, and she generously supplied the ice cream and cake, and everyone enjoyed the party.

Afterwards, because Claude had requested it, they made a Holy Hour, praying especially for Claude and for all of their souls. Fr. O’Leary brought prayer books from the Church, and they all said together the Stations of the Cross, and made a Holy Hour, without the Blessed Sacrament.

As the time neared for Claude’s execution, the men were put back in their cells. The priest then went to the chapel to get the Blessed Sacrament so that he could give Claude Holy Communion in the moment before his execution.
Father O'Leary returned to Claude's cell. Claude knelt on one side of the bars, the priest
knelt on the other, and they prayed together as the clock ticked toward Claude's execution.

A two week stay of execution is granted
Fifteen minutes before the execution, sheriff Williamson came running up the stairs shouting,
"Reprieve, Reprieve, the Governor has given a two-week reprieve!"
Claude had not been aware that the sheriff and the District Attorney were trying to get a stay of execution for Claude to save his life. But when Claude found out, he started to cry.

The priest and the sheriff assumed Claude’s reaction was that of joy because he was not going to be executed. However Claude said, "But you don't understand! If you ever saw Her face, and looked into Her eyes, you wouldn't want to live another day!"

Claude then continued, "What have I done wrong these past weeks that God would refuse me
my going home?"
Father O’Leary then testified that Claude sobbed as one who was completely brokenhearted.

Bewildered, the sheriff then left the room. The priest remained and Claude eventually quieted down, then Father O’Leary gave Claude Holy Communion. Afterwards Claude said,
"Why Father? Why must I still remain here for two weeks?"

Claude generously sacrifices himself in an offering for a fellow prisoner
Father O’Leary then had a sudden inspiration. He reminded Claude about James Hughs, a white prisoner in the same jail who hated Claude intensely. This prisoner had led a horribly immoral life, and like Claude he too was sentenced to be executed for murder. James was raised a Catholic, but now he was a reprobate, and rejected God and all things Christian.

Father O’Leary then said "Maybe Our Blessed Mother wants you to offer this denial of being with Her for his conversion." And the priest continued, "Why don't you offer to God every
moment that you are separated from your heavenly Mother for this prisoner, so that he will not be separated from God for all eternity."

Claude thought for a moment, then agreed, and he asked Father O’Leary to teach him the words to make the offering. Father O’Leary complied, and he later testified that from that moment on the only two people on earth who knew about this personal offering were Claude and himself, because it was a private matter between God, the Blessed Mother, Claude and himself.

A few hours later (still on the morning after his reprieve of execution) Fr. O’Leary came once again to visit Claude, and Claude said to the priest, "James hated me before, but oh Father, how he hates me now!" (This was because James had heard about Claude’s reprieve and was jealous) To encourage him the good priest said, "Well, perhaps that's a good sign."

Claude’s execution
During his two weeks reprieve, Claude generously offered his sacrifice and prayers for his fellow prisoner, the reprobate James Hughs . Two weeks later, Claude was finally put to death by the electric chair on Feb.4, 1944.

Concerning Claude’s holy death Father O'Leary testified: "I've never seen anyone go to his death as joyfully and happily. Even the official witnesses and the newspaper reporters were amazed. They said they couldn't understand how anyone could go and sit in the electric chair while at the same time actually beaming with happiness."

His last words to Father O'Leary were, "Father, I will remember you. And whenever you
have a request, ask me, and I will ask Her."

The miraculous conversion & execution of prisoner James Hughs
Three months later, on May 19, 1944, the white man named James Hughs--the who Claude had offered his sacrifice for, was to be executed. Father O'Leary said, "This man was the filthiest, most immoral person I had ever come across. His hatred for God and for everything spiritual defied description."

He would not allow a priest or any clergyman in his cell. Just before his execution, the county doctor pleaded with him to at least kneel down and say the "Our Father" before the sheriff would come for him. The prisoner spat in the doctor's face.

When he was strapped into the electric chair, the sheriff said to him, "If you have something to say, say it now."
The condemned man started to blaspheme.

All of a sudden he stopped speaking, and his eyes became fixed on the corner of
the room, and his face turned to one of absolute horror. Suddenly he screamed in terror--a horrible scream that shocked everyone present.

Turning to the sheriff, he then said, "Sheriff, get me a priest!"

Now, Father O'Leary had been in the room because Mississippi law at that time required a clergyman to be present at executions. The priest, however, had hidden himself behind some reporters because the condemned man had threatened to curse God if he saw a clergyman.

Upon calling for a priest, Father O'Leary immediately went to the condemned man. The room was cleared of everyone else, and the priest heard the man's confession. The man said he had been a Catholic, but turned away from his religion when he was 18 because of his immoral life. He confessed all of his sins with deep repentance and intense fervor.

While everyone was returning to the room, the sheriff asked the priest, "Father, what made him change his mind?"
"I don't know " said Father O'Leary, "I didn't ask him."
The sheriff said, "Well, I will never sleep tonight if I don't ask him."

The Sheriff went to the condemned man and asked, "Son, what changed your mind?"
The prisoner responded, "Remember that black man Claude – the one whom I hated so much? Well he's standing there [and he pointed], over in that corner. And behind him with one hand on each shoulder is the Blessed Virgin Mary. And Claude said to me, 'I offered my death in union with Christ on the Cross for your salvation. She has obtained for you this gift of seeing your place in Hell if you do not repent.'
I have been shown my place in Hell, and that's why I screamed."

James Hughs was executed as scheduled, but the heavenly appearence of our Blessed Mother with Claude Newman and the subsequent vision of hell had instantly converted his soul in the last moments of his life. With the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Father O'Leary had taught Claude to unite himself with the suffering of Jesus by offering his own sufferings to Him, just as we all can do for others, and Claude's suffering helped to pay the price for James' remarkable last minute conversion and repentance. Therefore we must never under-estimate the the value of our suffering joined with that of Jesus Christ’s, and also the power and loving intercession of Our Blessed Mother in heaven.

O’ Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!
____________________________________________________________
I am very grateful to Brother Claude Lane OSB, of the Mount Angel Abbey, in St. Benedict, Oregon for the following information and chronology of the life of Claude Newman (Note: Br. Claude is the artist who created the beautiful icon of the Virgin Mary and Claude Newman in this article. Click here for more information about Brother Claude's iconography.)

Chronology of the Life of Claude Newman

1923- Dec.1, Claude Newman is born to Willie and Floretta Young Newman in Stuttgart, Arkansas.

1928- Claude and his older brother are removed from their mother by Willie, who takes them to be raised by their grandmother, Ellen Newman, in Bovina, Mississippi, east of Vicksburg.

1930- Six year old Claude appears in the Federal census, living with his Grandmother in Warren County. They reside on the Ike Henry place.

Late 1930s- Claude spends time in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp)

c.1939- Claude's grandmother, Ellen Newman, marries Sid Cook. Soon he becomes sexually abusive toward Ellen, which angers Claude.

c.1940-41- Claude works on Ceres Plantation in Bovina, owned by U. G. Flowers. Sid Cook was born and raised on this place. If Claude Newman has married, it was not registered in Warren Co. Perhaps he was married in another county, or parish of Louisiana. In any case, he is no longer with her by Dec. 19, 1942.

1942- Dec.19, Egged on by dominant friend Elbert Harris, Claude lies in waiting in Sid Cook’s house (Cook and Ellen Newman have since seperated). Claude shoots Sid as he enters, and takes his money, then flees to his mothers house in Little Rock, AR., arriving on the 20th. First time she has seen him since he was five. She is now re-married to a man named Rogers, who finds Claude a job. Claude now goes by the name ‘Ralph’.

Jan 1943- Claude is apprehended in Arizona and is returned to Vicksburg, Mississippi and makes a coerced confession on Jan. 13. Despite protests of Claude’s lawyer Harry K. Murray, confession is admitted as evidence. He is found guilty by an all white jury. He is sentenced to die in the electric chair on May 14, 1943. Appeal to re-try the case is rejected by State Attorney General. Sid Cook’s patron, U. G. Flowers, has too much influence.

Jan.20, 1944 is given as new date for execution.

1943-44 Sometime late in 1943, Claude puts on a miraculous medal, begins having visions of the Virgin Mary. She encourages him to find a priest and become a Catholic. Fr. Robert O’Leary, SVD of St. Mary’s for Colored, and Catholic County Doctor Augustine Podesta, minister to him.

1944- Jan.16, Fr. O’Leary baptizes Claude in jail with the name ‘Claude Jude’, with Sr. Benna Henken, SSpS standing as his sponsor. Just before Claude is to be executed on Jan. 20, a stay of execution of two weeks arrives. He is finally put to death on Feb.4, 1944. Claude has his favorite dessert, coconut pie, on the night before he dies. His body is buried in the historic African American “Beulah cemetary” in Vicksburg, MS.

A few months later on May 19, 1944, Claude appears in a vision along with the Blessed Mother, to his fellow inmate James Hughs – a white man who he had prayed and sacrificed for in the two weeks prior to his death, and who on this day is himself seated on the electric chair. Seeing the vision, the James immediately repents of his sins and is saved from eternal damnation, just moments before his execution.

1947- Fulfilling his previous promise to the Virgin Mary made in a ditch in Holland, Fr, O’Leary founds Immaculate Conception Parish (for African Americans) in Clarksville, Mississippi.

1960’s- Fr. O’Leary records a testimony of Claude Newman’s Story for a radio broadcast.

1984 –Death of Fr. Robert O’Leary, SVD (1911-1984)

2001- The March 2001 issue of The Catholic Family News publishes “The True Account of Prisoner Claude Newman (1944)” by John Vennari. This article is taken from the 1960’s radio broadcast testimony by Father Robert O’Leary.

2002- While looking for information on Cardinal Newman, Br. Claude Lane of Mount Angel Abbey, happens on the miraculous story of Claude Newman.

2003- In the early summer, Br. Claude is inspired to write the icon “Mary, the Teacher” and he begins the task of researching Claude Newman’s life with initial help from Catholic Family News, along with the research of John Sharpe Sr. of Phoenix, Arizona.

12/22/2011 -Additionally Brother Claude adds: “A historian by the name of Ralph Frasca has been working on a biography for Claude Newman. He did find the identity of the white reprobate for whom Claude offered his life. His name was James Hughs, and he was electrocuted in Vicksburg on May 19, 1944. That can be added to the chronology. Interestingly, a black woman was also executed (for murder) in Vicksburg on that same day, named Mildred Johnson. She, too, had become a Catholic through the ministrations of the nuns from the African American parish of St. Mary's. These last two findings were the work of Mr. Frasca, and can, as I said, be added to the chronology." –Brother Claude Lane, OSB

O’ Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee

Dec. 25, 2011: Audio Homily, Nativity of Our Lord

2011-12-25T08:12:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=47eb946fcfda4bce16f20a4e830545c3ac1040dae59516cf8

Click above link to hear Audio Homily

Dec. 25, 2011: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

2011-12-24T12:00:00.000-06:00

These days, Santa has to keep upwith the changing tastes of our children. Many children clamor for somethingthat runs on batteries and something with a nice color screen. A vivid memory Ihave from when I arrived in United States back in 1984 is of a TV news reportthat showed people making a mad dash in Toys R Us stores for the Cabbage PatchKids. (Do you remember?) When I was a kid, I preferred He-Man and Gi-Joe actionfigures. They didn't speak or runon batteries and so I had to use my own imagination to make my own voice-oversand special sound effects. I remember one Christmas when we were still inKorea, anxiously watching my sister open the gifts that Santa had presented herat the kindergarten she attended. Most of the gifts didn't interest me such assome clothes and a jacket, but one present caught my attention--a bunch ofbananas. Don't laugh. We Americans take for granted how cheap bananas are, butback then in Korea, they were really expensive!

Like those ordinary bananas, somegifts are overlooked and taken for granted because they are too ordinary forus. Take for example, our mothers. Moms are truly a gift from our Heavenly Father;yet sometimes overlook them because we always expect them to be there for us.It's when we are deprived of their love, that we feel a great loss.

Last week, I had the privilege tojoin with a couple of other priests to hear the confessions of about forty inmatesat the local jail. Each time after an inmate finishedlisting his sins, I would ask him, "Have you considered how you areimportant to your mother, how she always worries about you and how she praysfor you?" Without fail, the inmate would tear up because he missed hismom's cooking, her fussing over him, and her love. One thing missing in thejail cells is genuine and unconditional love, and the inmates feel the thirstand hunger for that love. I would then ask the inmate, "Have youconsidered how you are important to your Heavenly Mother, the Blessed Mother?Do you know that she always worries about you, prays for you, and stays soclose to you because you are so dear to her?" Each one replied, "No,I never considered that." I then added, "Then have you considered howher Son, Jesus, worries about you, intercedes for you, because you are so dearto Him?" And some replied, "Oh yes. I tell myself that I shouldn't bealive because of what I got myself into so many times. Yet I knew God wasprotecting me, saving me from myself."

Why did Heavenly Father send HisSon as a tiny, helpless baby to a young married couple who were unable to finda suitable place to give birth? In many ways, what Blessed Mother and St.Joseph went through that night in Bethlehem is what we sometimes go through inlife. Circumstances and events in our life are sometimes like that cold nightin the unfamiliar Bethlehem town, where we find no one welcoming and things notgoing the way we expect. Yet the angel announces to us like he did to theshepherds, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good newsof great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the cityof David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. Andthis will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddlingclothes and lying in a manger."

How many of us have had the fear ofthe unknown grip us like the darkness shrouding the Magis and the shepherds?Prophet Isaiah announces to us in the First Reading, "The people whowalked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt inthe land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundantjoy and great rejoicing." This Christ Child in the manger invites uswith a disarming smile of an infant child. Are we the ones who have not been tochurch much, who do not pray much, or rely on God much? The Christ Child saysto us that he cares about us, that he loves us, and that he hopes that weinvite him into our hearts. This little child says to us that his love andsalvation are available for everyone. This little child calls us to praise himand to make our heart as pure as that of a newborn child so that we may enterthe Kingdom of God.

On this seemingly ordinary day,when we can so easily overlook and take for granted the hidden gift fromHeavenly Father, the little Christ Child reminds us through St. Paul:

"Beloved: The grace ofGod has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways andworldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in thisage, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of ourgreat God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliverus from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as hisown, eager to do what is good."

We are not afraid of the infant child in themanger whose open arms invite us to pick him up and to love him. Let us not beafraid then, of our dear Jesus who opens His arms on the Cross, asking us toinvite him into our hearts and to love Him.

Dec. 23, 2011 Friday: 4th Week in Advent (B)

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Breath of Heaven

Dec. 22, 2011 Thursday: 4th Week in Advent (B)

2011-12-21T21:20:00.001-06:00

Mary Did You Know?

Dec. 21, 2011 Wednesday: Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation, Part 3

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Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation , Part 3

"Padre Pio da Pietrelcina: Epistolario IV," Edizioni Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo, 2002, pages 1007-1009.

This celestial child, all meekness and sweetness, wishes to impress in our hearts by his example these sublime virtues, so that from a world that is torn and devastated an era of peace and love may spring forth. Even from the moment of his birth he reveals to us our mission, which is to scorn that which the world loves and seeks.

Oh let us prostrate ourselves before the manger, and along with the great St. Jerome, who was enflamed with the love of the infant Jesus, let us offer him all our hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity.

Dec. 20, 2011 Tuesday: Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation, Part 2

2011-12-20T04:41:00.000-06:00

Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation , Part 2

"Padre Pio da Pietrelcina: Epistolario IV," Edizioni Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo, 2002, pages 1007-1009.

Glittering were the palaces of the proud Hebrews. Yet, the light of the world did not appear in one of them. Ostentatious with worldly grandeur, swimming in gold and in delights, were the great ones of the Hebrew nation; filled with vain knowledge and pride were the priests of the sanctuary. In opposition to the true meaning of Divine revelation, they awaited an officious savoir, who would come into the world with human renown and power.

But God, always ready to confound the wisdom of the world, shatters their plans. Contrary to the expectations of those lacking in Divine wisdom, he appears among us in the greatest abjection, renouncing even birth in St. Joseph’s humble home, denying himself a modest abode among relatives and friends in a city of Palestine. Refused lodging among men, he seeks refuge and comfort among mere animals, choosing their habitation as the place of his birth, allowing their breath to give warmth to his tender body. He permits simple and rustic shepherds to be the first to pay their respects to him, after he himself informed them, by means of his angels, of the wonderful mystery.

Oh wisdom and power of God, we are constrained to exclaim – enraptured along with your Apostle – how incomprehensible are your judgments and unsearchable your ways! Poverty, humility, abjection, contempt, all surround the Word made flesh. But we, out of the darkness that envelops the incarnate Word, understand one thing, hear one voice, perceive one sublime truth: you have done everything out of love, you invite us to nothing else but love, speak of nothing except love, give us naught except proofs of love.

The heavenly babe suffers and cries in the crib so that for us suffering would be sweet, meritorious and accepted. He deprives himself of everything, in order that we may learn from him the renunciation of worldly goods and comforts. He is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world.

Dec. 19, 2011 Monday: Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation -Part 1

2011-12-19T07:33:00.001-06:00

Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation , Part 1

"Padre Pio da Pietrelcina: Epistolario IV," Edizioni Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo, 2002, pages 1007-1009.

Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time. There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and an ass lending their warmth to the newborn infant; with a humble woman, and a poor and tired man, in adoration beside him.

Nothing can be heard except the sobs and whimpers of the infant God. And by means of his crying and weeping he offers to the Divine justice the first ransom for our redemption.
He had been expected for forty centuries; with longing sighs the ancient Fathers had implored his arrival. The sacred scriptures clearly prophesy the time and the place of his birth, and yet the world is silent and no one seems aware of the great event. Only some shepherds, who had been busy watching over their sheep in the meadows, come to visit him. Heavenly visitors had alerted them to the wondrous event, inviting them to approach his cave.

So plentiful, O Christians, are the lessons that shine forth from the grotto of Bethlehem! Oh how our hearts should be on fire with love for the one who with such tenderness was made flesh for our sakes! Oh how we should burn with desire to lead the whole world to this lowly cave, refuge of the King of kings, greater than any worldly palace, because it is the throne and dwelling place of God! Let us ask this Divine child to clothe us with humility, because only by means of this virtue can we taste the fullness of this mystery of Divine tenderness.

Dec. 18, 2011: 4th Sunday of Advent (B)

2011-12-18T08:01:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=57499a1116fcc96af167ea7f17be9a2189205d6ef04886daf

Click above link to hear audio homily

Dec. 18, 2011: 4th Sunday of Advent (B)

2011-12-17T10:37:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday, children from our two parishes gathered at St. Francis Church to put on the annual Live Nativity. The little ones dressed up as angels and shepherds and gathered on the side of the manger to sing Christmas carols. One of the littlest angels (aged 2 or 3) wandered away in the sanctuary from her Choir of Angels and approached the infant Jesus in the manger. One of the more mature angels then flew down to swoop up the little one back to the Choir. After the program, we went to the parish hall for a visit from a surprise guest, a portly fellow with a white beard, red suit and a heavy red velvet bag. The children lined up and told him all that they wanted for Christmas. He later told me, "Father, do you know what one child asked for? A new golf cart. I told her, 'Honey, look at my bag. It can't fit in there.'"

Many children are asked around this time of the year, "Have you been good or bad this year?" On the Santa's official website, I downloaded a questionnaire which helps determine whether we are on the "Good List" or the "Bad List." Being on the "Good List" comes with perks--gifts at Christmas! Some of the questions are:
Do you play nicely with others?
Do you keep your room clean?
Do you tell the truth, even if someone asks if you did something bad?
Do you obey your parents?
Do you pray?

This list sounds much like the Examination of Conscience for going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We teach our children about what it takes to be on Santa's "Good List" or "Bad List" by being kind to and patient with others, by putting another's needs before our own needs. By doing so, the children receive the gifts for which they have so yearned. There is a connection between forgetting self and receiving gifts. We have all heard the term "being full of yourself." We use this term when we think that someone is self-absorbed and believes that he is better than others. On the other hand, we have also heard the of term "emptying yourself"--emptying yourself of pride, anger, lust, gluttony, envy, jealousy, laziness, and greed. Somehow, the more we empty us of ourself, there is more capacity to be filled. Mother Teresa put it succinctly, "God cannot fill what is already full, He can fill onlyemptiness... We haveto be completely empty to let God do what He wills, so that we can receive Himfully in our life and let Him live His life in us."

We read in our Gospel today that God found a young woman who was so empty of herself that she was capable of carrying Great Almighty God in her. How expansive and infinite God was, yet this teenager named Mary had a heart large and empty enough to contain God Himself. What a greater mystery then, that we are given this capacity to carry Jesus in us, like Blessed Mother. I know Santa's bag can't possibly fit a huge electric golf cart. But if that bag was large enough, it just might. Isn't it marvelous that just as Blessed Mother carried Jesus, we carry Jesus in us. And just as Blessed Mother gave birth to Jesus on Christmas, we give birth to Jesus by what we say and do. Again, Mother Teresa puts it beautifully and succinctly, "It is Christmas every time you let God love others throughyou...yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer himyour hand."

Dec. 16, 2011 Friday: St. Adelaide

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

St. Adelaide

St. Adelaide was born in 931. At the age of sixteen, this Burgundian princess was married to King Lothair. Three years later, her husband died. The ruler who is believed to have poisoned him tried to get Adelaide to marry his son. She absolutely refused. In anger, he treated her with great cruelty. He even locked her up in a castle on a lake.
Adelaide was freed when King Otto the Great of Germany conquered this ruler. Although she was twenty years younger than he, Otto married the lovely Adelaide on Christmas Day. When he took his new queen back home, the German people loved her at once. She was as gentle and gracious as she was pretty. God sent five children to the royal couple. They lived happily for twenty-two years. When Otto died, Adelaide’s oldest son became the ruler. This son, Otto II, was good, but too quick to act without thinking. He allowed his wife to turn him against his own mother, and Adelaide was forced to leave the palace. But she had not been gone long when Otto realized how much he had relied on her valuable advice. The abbot of Cluny, St. Majolus, helped the mother and son to reconcile. Adelaide met her son in Italy and the king begged her forgiveness. She in turn prayed for her son, sending offerings to the great shrine of St. Martin of Tours.

In her old age, St. Adelaide was called on to rule the country while her grandson was still a child. She started many monasteries and convents and was an example of Christian faith for the Slavic people. All her life, this saintly woman had followed the advice of holy people. She had always been willing to forgive those who had hurt her. St. Addle of Cluny called her a “marvel of beauty and grace.” She died on December 16, 999, and was proclaimed a saint by Pope Urban II in 1097.

St. Adelaide was beautiful not just because of her physical features. She was a beautiful person because she was deeply Christian and a woman who lived her Catholic values. We can strive to be Christians true to our values, just as she was.

Dec. 15, 2011 Thursday: St. Mary di Rosa

2011-12-15T05:33:00.001-06:00

St. Mary di Rosa

This saint was born Paula di Rosa in 1813. She was from a large family in Brescia, Italy. Her father was the successful owner of a textile mill. Her mother died while she was still young, and she received her education from nearby sisters.

When she was seventeen, Paula left school to help her father at home. Her father thought she should get married, but Paula wanted to devote her life to helping others instead. She began by organizing a group of women who worked in her father’s mill. They prayed together and did charitable works. During a cholera epidemic, Paula took care of the sick in the hospital. When a shelter was opened up for poor and homeless girls, Paula was asked to operate it. She also provided work opportunities for the young women and started a school for the hearing-impaired.

But all these activities were leading up to her life’s work. When she was twenty-seven, Paula started a community of sisters called the Handmaids of Charity. Her sisters were dedicated to the bodily and spiritual care of the poor and sick. In wartime, Paula and her sisters took care of the wounded in military hospitals and on the battlefield.

The Handmaids of Charity received final approval in 1850. This was when Paula took the name Sister Mary of the Crucified. She died in 1855, worn out from her service to the sick. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1954.

St. Mary di Rosa can be a model of compassion for us. She can show us how to look at those around us with the eyes of Jesus, seeing those who are hurt or lonely and reaching out to them in friendship.

- Daughters of St Paul

Dec. 14, 2011 Wednesday: St John of the Cross

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St. John of the Cross

John was born in Spain in 1542. He was the son of a weaver, who died when John was still a baby. He went to a school for poor children and became a servant to the director of a hospital. At the same time, he attended the Jesuit college. Even as a youth, he understood the value of offering up sufferings for the love of Jesus.

When he was twenty-one, his love of God prompted him to enter the Carmelite Order. With St. Teresa of Avila, St. John was chosen by God to bring a new spirit of fervor among religious. But his life was full of trials. Although he succeeded in opening new monasteries where his holy way of life was practiced, he himself was criticized. He was even thrown into prison and made to suffer terribly. It seemed that God had left him alone, and he suffered greatly. Yet when these storms of trouble passed, the Lord rewarded his faithful servant. He gave him deep peace and joy of heart. John was very close to God. After nine months, he managed to escape from his imprisonment.

St. John had a marvelous way with sinners. Once a beautiful but sinful woman tried to tempt him. He was able to bring her to a true sorrow for her sins and a complete change of life. Another lady, instead, had such a temper that she was nicknamed “the terrible.” Yet St. John knew how to calm her down by his kind manners.

St. John of the Cross asked God to accept his daily sufferings for love of Jesus. This saint is famous for his spiritual books, which show us how to grow close to God. He died on December 14, 1591. John of the Cross was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926.

St. John of the Cross was able to overcome life’s obstacles and sufferings by remaining closely united to God. We can ask him to help us improve our life of prayer, our relationship with the Lord.
- Daughters of St. Paul

Where there is no love, pour love in and you will draw love out.
Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing. -St John of the Cross

From a spiritual Canticle by Saint John of the Cross, priest
'The knowledge of the mystery hidden in Jesus Christ'

Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders, and devout souls have understood them in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part still remains to be unfolded by them, and even to be understood by them.

We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides.

For this reason the apostle Paul said of Christ: In him are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. The soul cannot enter into these treasures, nor attain them, unless it first crosses into and enters the thicket of suffering, enduring interior and exterior labors, and unless it first receives from God very many blessings in the intellect and in the senses, and has undergone long spiritual training.

All these are lesser things, disposing the soul for the lofty sanctuary of the knowledge of the mysteries of Christ: this is the highest wisdom attainable in this life.

Would that men might come at last to see that it is quite impossible to reach the thicket of the riches and wisdom of God except by first entering the thicket of much suffering, in such a way that the soul finds there its consolation and desire. The soul that longs for divine wisdom chooses first, and in truth, to enter the thicket of the cross.

Saint Paul therefore urges the Ephesians not to grow weary in the midst of tribulations, but to be rooted and grounded in love, so that they may know with all the saints the breadth, the length, the height and the depth—to know what is beyond knowledge, the love of Christ, so as to be filled with all the fullness of God. The gate that gives entry into these riches of his wisdom is the cross; because it is a narrow gate, while many seek the joys that can be gained through it, it is given to few to desire to pass through it.

Dec. 13, 2011 Tuesday: St. Lucy

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St. Lucy

It is believed that this beloved saint lived in Syracuse, Sicily. She was born toward the end of the third century, the daughter of noble and rich parents. Her father died when she was still young.

Lucy was a lovely girl, and more than one young noble sought her hand. Her mother arranged for her to marry one whom she thought would make a good husband for Lucy. But the girl would not consent. Lucy had secretly promised Jesus that instead of getting married, she would belong to him alone. She thought of a way to explain her wishes to her mother. She knew her mother was suffering from hemorrhages, which are bouts of bleeding. She convinced her to go with her to the shrine of St. Agatha and pray for her recovery. When God heard their prayers and cured her mother, Lucy told her of her vow to be a bride of Christ. Her mother was convinced and, out of gratitude for her cure let Lucy follow her vocation.

But the young pagan to whom she had promised Lucy was furious. In his bitter anger, he accused Lucy of being a Christian. He threatened her with the frightening torture of being blinded. But Lucy was even willing to lose both her eyes rather than belong to anyone but Jesus. St. Lucy is often shown holding her lovely eyes in the palm of her hand. Jesus rewarded her for her heroic love. He worked a miracle and restored her eyes, more beautiful than ever.

A pagan judge tried to send the saint to a house of sinful women. He hoped that Lucy might be tempted to give up her faith in Christ. But when her enemies tried to carry her away, God made her body so heavy that they could not budge her. In the end, she was stabbed to death, becoming a martyr for Jesus in the year 304.

St. Lucy’s beautiful eyes remind us of the wonderful faith that lit her soul. We can ask St. Lucy to help us grow in the kind of faith she had.

-Daughters of St Paul

Dec. 12, 2011 Monday: Our Lady of Guadalupe

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Fr. Robert Baron at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, Dec. 9, 1541

Dec. 11, 2011: Audio Homily, 3rd Sunday Advent -B

2011-12-11T14:54:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=44f8b3a52731a880699bb64de196cd4131d60418861739c51

Click above to hear audio homily

Dec. 11, 2011: 3rd Sunday of Advent

2011-12-10T12:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I wear regular clothes when I’m travelling through airports, and that's when I have interesting experiences. On one occasion, I was sitting next to a man on an airplane who started small talk with me. He asked me, "Where are you from?" He could see that I am an Asian, yet I have a southern accent. Believe me, sometimes I feel like a Texan trapped in a Korean body. I replied, "From Dallas, Texas." He continued, "Where are you really from?" I replied, "Originally from South Korea, but I have been in the States for 27 years." Noticing the ring on my ring finger, he then asked, "How many children do you have?" As we continued chatting, he shared about his life and family and eventually he said, "You are a good listener. What do you do for a living?" I had to blow my cover when I responded, "I'm a Catholic priest." "I knew it," he said. "Something is different about you." He told me that he was a Catholic, and I ended up hearing his confession.

We have all been asked at various points in our lives, "Who are you?" We respond to this question in variety of ways by answering with where we live, what we do for a living, or how many children we have. However, I like what Mother Teresa had to say about this question in a Time Magazine interview in December1989.

Time Magazine: [Mother Teresa], it must be an extraordinary thing to be a vehicle of God's grace in the world.

Mother Teresa: But it is His work. I think God wants to show His greatness by using nothingness.

Time Magazine: You are nothingness?

Mother Teresa: I'm very sure of that.

Time Magazine: You feel you have no special qualities?

Mother Teresa: I don't think so. I don't claim anything of the work. It's His work. I'm like a little pencil in His hand. That's all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do it. The pencil only has to allow to be used. In human terms, the success of our work should not have happened, no? That is a sign that it's His work, and that He is using others as instruments - all our Sisters. None of us could produce this. Yet see what He has done.

How true this is! When John the Baptist was asked who he was, he said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'make straight the way of the Lord.'" He said he was merely God’s instrument, an instrument to point the way to Christ. Each of us, like Mother Teresa and John the Baptist, are a pencil in God's hand. What God desires to write through each of us is His compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience. As we continue to prepare ourselves during this Advent season, we need to look within ourselves to see if we are allowing God's hand to reveal His Son to the world through us.

Dec. 9, 2011 Friday: St. Juan Diego

2011-12-08T22:28:00.001-06:00

(Article from http://www.followthissite.com/guadalupe.php)

Only 39 years after Columbus discovered the Americas, and 10 years after Hernán Cortés defeated Montezuma and the Aztec Empire for Spain, the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Indian, in 1531.

Most of the interest in Mexico was gold, but since Spain was a Catholic country, there was also strong interest in converting the native population to the Catholic faith, but in 1531, few Indians had been converted to Catholicism. Even though the Aztec Nation was decimated, many Aztec indians were considering a general insurrection against the Spaniards. Many still practiced human sacrifice and polygamy behind the backs of the Friars [Catholic Missionaries].

Bishop-elect Fray Juan de Zumarraga prayed for peace, reconciliation, conversions, and for an end to human sacrifice and polygamy, and his prayers were answered by the Blessed Mother. The Bishop's special prayer to Mary was that she would grace him with Castilian Roses from his homeland in Spain, since he missed them dearly, and they didn't grow in Mexico.

One of the early converts was Juan Diego, and on one of his long 10 mile walks to church through the Tepayac hill country in central Mexico, he encountered a miracle. On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8th, 1531, Juan was attracted to a hill-top by the sound of singing birds. Our Lady called out:

"Juanito, Juanito".

There he encountered a beautiful woman surrounded by a ball of light as bright as the sun, at a spot known as Tepayac Hill. Juan Diego thought he was in Heaven. The rocks appeared as emeralds, in the transfigured environment. The beautiful Lady spoke in his native language, and identified Herself:

"My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother's Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Bishop all that you have seen and heard."

Juan Diego, age 57, and who had never been to Tenochtitlan, nonetheless immediately responded to Mary's request. He went to the palace of the Bishop-elect Fray Juan de Zumarraga and requested to meet immediately with the bishop. The bishop's servants, who were suspicious of the rural peasant, kept him waiting for hours.

The bishop-elect told Juan that he would consider the request of the Lady and told him he could visit him again if he so desired. Juan was disappointed by the bishop's response and felt himself unworthy to persuade someone as important as a bishop.

He returned to the hill where he had first met Mary and found Her there waiting for him. Imploring Her to send someone else, She responded:

"My little son, there are many I could send. But you are the one I have chosen."

She then told him to return the next day to the bishop and repeat the request. On Sunday, after again waiting for hours, Juan Diego met with the bishop who, on re-hearing his story, told him to ask the Lady to provide a sign as a proof of who She was. Juan dutifully returned to the hill and told Mary, who was again waiting for him there, of the bishop's request. Mary responded:

"My little son, am I not your Mother? Do not fear. The Bishop shall have his sign. Come back to this place tomorrow. Only peace, my little son."

Unfortunately, Juan Diego was not able to return to the hill the next day. His uncle had become mortally ill and Juan stayed with him to care for him. After two days, with his uncle near death, Juan left his side to find a priest. Juan had to pass Tepayac Hill to get to the priest. As he was passing, he found Mary waiting for him again. She spoke:

"Do not be distressed, my littlest son. Am I not here with you who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Your uncle will not die at this time. There is no reason for you to engage a priest, for his health is restored at this moment. He is quite well. Go to the top of the hill and cut the flowers that are growing there. Bring them then, to me."

While it was freezing on the hillside, and no roses should be blooming in the freezing weather, out of season, Juan obeyed Mary's instructions and went to the top of the hill where he found a full bloom of Castilian roses. Removing his tilma, a poncho-like cape made of cactus fiber, he cut the roses and carried them back to Mary. Our Lady was not satisfied with the haphazard arrangement so She rearranged the cut Castilian roses into a nice bouquet and told him:

"My little son, this is the sign I am sending to the Bishop. Tell him that with this sign I request his greatest efforts to complete the church I desire in this place. Show these flowers to no one else but the Bishop. You are my trusted ambassador. This time the Bishop will believe all you tell him."

At the Bishop's palace, Juan Diego once again came before the bishop and several of his advisors. He told the bishop his story and opened the tilma letting the flowers fall out. The Bishop recognized the flowers as the Castilian Roses sign that he had prayed for, but it wasn't the beautiful roses that caused the bishop and his advisors to fall to their knees; for there, on the tilma, was a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary precisely as Juan had described her. The image developed before the eyes of the Bishop and an assembled court of approximately 13 people, as if it was an old-fashion Polaroid print! The Bishop was certain that the Image was not a painting or some trick by Juan Diego, because it was impossibly developing before his very eyes!

The next day, after showing the Tilma at the Cathedral, Juan Diego took the bishop to the spot where he first met Mary. He then returned to his village where he met his uncle who was completely cured. His uncle told him he had met a young woman, surrounded by a soft light, who told him that she had just sent his nephew to Tenochtitlan with a picture of herself. She told his uncle:

"Call me and call my image Santa Maria de Guadalupe".

It's believed that the word 'Guadalupe' was actually a Spanish mis-translation of the local Aztec dialect. The word that Mary probably used was 'Coatlallope' which means "one who treads on snakes", perhaps referring to her hatred of Satan, in

Genesis 3:14-15:

"And the Lord God said unto the serpent, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman".

Bible scholars agree that the Blessed Mother is the 'woman' referred to in Genesis 3. 'Enmity' is a determined, enduring, and extreme hostility between enemies. Also, Our Lady of Guadalupe appears eerily similar to the description of Her when She is battling Satan, in Revelation 12:1:

"A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon at her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

Within two weeks, the Bishop had a Church built on the miracle spot. The indians came together with the Spanish because the indians recognized Our Lady as one of them because of the design details of the Image. Now it wasn't just the white man's European religion, but the Indian’s own.

In their celebration, they shot arrows into the air, and one came down and pierced an indian through the neck, killing him on the spot. Someone in the crowd was inspired to bring the tilma to him, so they did, and they prayed for him. He got up from the ground, and the arrow was pulled from his neck, that left two marks but no blood, and the dead indian was fine! This first miracle is depicted in a large mural at the museum in Mexico City.

There were so many miracles after this first, that they stopped counting, and the Aztec Indians were overwhelmingly convinced of the authenticity of Our Lady's message. Within nine years of this apparition, nine million Aztecs had converted to Catholicism. This is the largest mass conversion in the history of the world, overwhelming the 3,000 in one day, in the Pentecost conversions in the Book of Acts. Nine Million in Nine Years is an average of over 2,700 per day, for nine years!

Aztec Indians would come out of the wilderness and ask for the Waters of Baptism, in sign language, because Our Lady had said that She was 'your fountain of life'.

Dec. 8, 2011 Thursday: Immaculate Conception

2011-12-08T06:35:00.001-06:00

From Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady by Fr. Joseph Langford MC (pp. 82-86)

It is Mary's role and her dignity to bring together the yearning of God and man, as she did first of all in her womb, as she did for John on Calvary, as she did for the disciples at Pentecost, as she did for Mother Teresa and Juan Diego, and as she will for each of us. She is the wedding place of God and man, the biblical "enclosed garden" (Song 4:12), the new Eden to welcome and shelter our meeting with God.

Mother Teresa would extend, two thousand years later, Our Lady's mission in the time and space. She would constantly beg of Our Lady, in her own name and in the name of her Sisters and co-workers, "Lend us your heart." What might this mean? Whether Mother Teresa realized it or not, this request has biblical roots going back to the prophet Elijah. Our Lady's heart is still hers, but in God's plan it is also to be ours. The prayer, "Lend us your heart," is not unlike Elisha's prayer as he begs the departing Elijah to lend him a "double portion" of his spirit, of her interior grace, her "heart," as she begins her new mission, carrying on the sacred task begun by Mary at the foot of the Cross. Mother Teresa's mission made Our Lady's presence and role visible before our eyes.

How is it possible for Our Lady to "lend us her heart"? The answer lies in Mary's privileged relationship to the Holy Spirit, in her Immaculate Conception. This mystery with its many benefits, was intended for all of God's children, as sung by the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries:

Today humanity, in all the radiance of [Our Lady's] immaculate nobility, receives its ancient beauty. The shame of sin had darkened the splendor and attraction of human nature; but when the Mother of the Fair One...is born, this nature regains in her person its ancient privileges and is fashioned according to a perfect model truly worthy of God...The reform of our nature begins today, and the aged world, subjected to a wholly divine transformation, receives the first fruits of the second creation.

The Church tells us that Our Lady's Immaculate Conception was in view of her becoming the mother of the Son of God, the God-bearer, gilded with the Holy Spirit, as the ancient Ark of the Covenant was gilded with precious gold...As Ark of the New Covenant, Our Lady not only has given us the One she carried in her womb; her presence remains forever a graced place of encounter between us and her Son. In the Old Testament, the Ark provided a sacred space where men could draw close to God, where grace flowed most freely, and where human foibles seemed somehow supplied for. It was a meeting place where man could contemplate the glory of God, where the cloud of glory bent down to touch the earth. Our Lady brings with her a sacred atmosphere filled with God's presence, offering a refuge that purifies and prepares us for the encounter with God. this was why Mother Teresa constantly asked Our Lady to keep her in her heart, to keep her within that sacred space, still pregnant with divinity.

I have twice had the privilege of entering the small room where the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is kept. One side of the room is made of glass, through which the image is exposed for viewing. Once a month, at night, in order to clean the protective bullet-proof crystal, the image of Our Lady is swung on its hinges away from the glass. Certain people (such as writers, scholars, and scientists from NASA) have been given permission to examine the sacred image up close at such times, without the filter of thick leaded glass.

On that particular night, we were each given three minutes. As soon as I entered, I felt the overwhelming presence of Our Lady, a presence I can only name by what the Israelites called kabod, the weight of God's glory. My head dropped to the ground. After absorbing this living sense of God's glory that Our Lady was conveying through her invisible presence there, I told myself: "You only have three minutes; you had better look at her." I understood for the first time the connection between God's glory and the temple, his dwelling place. I understood also that Our Lady is the meeting tent. She is the true temple.

For this reason, according to tradition, Our Lady as a child entered the temple, in order to be formed by the temple to become the temple, to resume in herself the mystery of God's presence in the history of his people, Israel, his chosen dwelling place among the nations. As the Fathers of the Church have affirmed, Mary is the mystery of the Church. In her, the Church is prefigured, contained, and brought to fulfillment. She is God's true Israel. All that God wanted to accomplish is realized, fulfilled, and perfected in Our Lady.

Dec. 6, 2011 Tuesday: St. Nicholas

2011-12-06T06:20:00.001-06:00

St. Nicholas

Nicholas is the great patron of children and of Christmas giving. He lived in the fourth century. Santa Claus is a Dutch form of the name St. Nicholas. This famous saint was born in Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. After his parents died, he gave all his money to charity.

Once, a certain poor man was about to abandon his daughters to a life of sin because they did not have the money needed to get married. Nicholas heard about his problem. He went to the man’s house at night and tossed a little pouch of gold through a window. This was for the oldest daughter. He did the same thing for the second daughter. The grateful father kept watch to find out who was being so good to them. When St. Nicholas came a third time, the man recognized him. He thanked Nicholas over and over again.

Later St. Nicholas became bishop. He loved justice. It is said that once he saved three innocent men who had been falsely condemned to death. He then turned to their accuser. He made the man admit that he had been offered money to get rid of the three men.

St. Nicholas died in Myra, and a great basilica was built over his tomb. Many churches were dedicated in his name. When his relics were brought to Bari, Italy, this city became a famous shrine for pilgrims from all over Europe. Nicholas is the patron of sailors and prisoners, as well as children. With St. Andrew, he is the patron of Russia.

We can learn from St. Nicholas how to have generous, loving hearts. He went out of his way to do good for people. He’ll teach us how to be the same kind of person if we ask him.

-Daughters of St Paul

Dec. 5, 2011 Monday: St. Sabas

2011-12-05T07:54:00.001-06:00

St. Sabas

Sabas, born in 439, is one of the most famous monks of Palestine. His father was an officer in the army. When the officer had to go to Alexandria, Egypt, he left his young son with his brother-in-law. Since his aunt treated him badly, young Sabas ran away to another uncle. When an argument over his property arose between the two uncles, Sabas felt terrible. He liked to see people at peace. So he ran away to live in a monastery. His two uncles felt ashamed of themselves. They told Sabas to return home and they would give him all his property. But by this time, Sabas was too happy in the monastery. He did not want to leave.

When he was eighteen, Sabas went to Jerusalem. He wanted to learn to live alone with God. He was advised to live in another monastery for a while because he was still young. He obeyed and joyfully did all the hard work. He chopped wood for fires and carried heavy jugs of water. One day, St. Sabas was sent to Alexandria, Egypt, as the traveling companion of another monk. There he saw his father and mother! They tried their best to make him come home with them. They wanted him to enjoy the same honors his father had won. But Sabas was only interested in the honor that comes from doing the will of God. He did not even want to take the money they tried to give him. Finally he accepted three gold pieces. Then, when he got back to the monastery, he gave them to the abbot.

At last, he was able to spend four years completely alone, as he desired. But so many disciples came to him to learn to live the life of a monk that he had to start a new monastery for them. Before long, he was put in charge of all the monks in Palestine.

Sometimes Sabas was sent to the emperor on important Church affairs. Even then, he wore his poor cloth habit and kept to his hours of prayer. St. Sabas died in 532.

St. Sabas was a very prayerful person. He went out of his way to keep in touch with God. If we feel the noise of distractedness and anxiousness inside, we can say a prayer to St. Sabas. He’ll help us be peaceful and calm so that we can hear God’s voice.
- Daughters of St Paul

Dec. 4, 2011: Audio Homily, 2nd Sunday Advent (B)

2011-12-04T08:10:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=9899dfbd32494e636f12cc5fa303a352135ffc888088afb59

Click above link to hear audio homily

Dec. 4, 2011: 2nd Sunday of Advent (B)

2011-12-03T09:53:00.000-06:00

The other day, I was on the computer and all of a sudden, a screen popped up with the message, “A call from Fr. Juan…to accept click ‘Ok’” I clicked, and a slightly grainy live image of Fr. Juan came on the screen, and then I was video chatting with him. Fr. Juan is a Discalced Carmelite friar who graduated with me from the seminary. He is working on his advanced degree at a university in Spain. On weekends, Fr. Juan travels to historical places connected with the Carmelite religious order such as the convent that St. Teresa of Avila founded. He periodically sends me photos of his travels and so I vicariously visit these places as well. After we finished the video chat, I marveled to myself about how far apart Fr. Juan and I are, yet how close we are, thanks to technology.

Do you ever wonder how we survived without cell phones, email, texting, and video chatting? Right in the palm of our hands, someone who is far away can write us, talk to us, and even video chat with us. All it takes is a click of a button, and thousands of miles of distance are shrunk to inches via the phone or the computer. As impressive as that is, we know that technology cannot shrink the distance we create in our hearts. We may have hundreds of people’s phone numbers on our cell phone, but it still takes our desire to initiate a call for us to connect. We may have a thousand friends on our Facebook, but until we decide to post a message, they remain just a list of contacts. Technology can remove physical obstacles like mountains and valleys that separate two persons, but sometimes we put emotional mountains and valleys between us and another person and technology cannot help us. How many of us have hurts, grudges, and resentments that keep us from dialing a friend's number? One day in the future we may have Star-Trek technology that will beam a person from Donaldsonville, Louisiana to New York City in less than a few seconds to be with family, but until we have the desire to be with that person such technology will be of no use.

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths," John the Baptist cried out in the desert and the prophet Isaiah cried out, “Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low…” Does our own path to Jesus have some crooked roads, deep valleys, and tall mountains? I wondered about that the other morning when I was in the adoration chapel. There in the monstrance only 5 feet away was Jesus, His body, soul, and divinity. Yet, I was distracted and my mind was too busy to be with Him. Mother Teresa told her sisters, “I worry some of you still have not really met Jesus – one to one – you and Jesus alone. We may spend time in chapel – but have you seen with the eyes of your soul how He looks at you with love? Do you really know the living Jesus – not from books but from being with Him in your heart? Have you heard the loving words He speaks to you? Ask for the grace, He is longing to give it.”

The other day, I went to the hospital to visit an elderly woman who was near death. The woman was unconscious and breathing laboriously and her children looked on with sadness. She was so close to them, yet she seemed so distant. Her health declined so rapidly, and it caught the family by surprise. They could touch her hands, stroke her face, yet there seemed to be no response other than labored breathing. One daughter mentioned that she and family members were praying the rosary near their mother just a few nights before, and all of a sudden she smelled something sweet like roses. She wondered, ‘could it be? Could it be Blessed Mother standing next to mom?’

We often think of Heaven as a far away place. We also think that Heavenly Father is far, far away, but is He? Jesus reminded us, “The Kingdom of God is within you…I will be with you always until the age.” Our Heavenly Father longs for us to grow closer to Him. He is comfort and consolation to all. The Father is not the one putting obstacles between Him and us; we may be the ones creating valleys and mountains keeping us from getting closer to Him. We must long for the Father and direct our hearts to Him. We believe there is time to make straight our paths to Him, but we must know that the time is now. Our Lord Jesus suffered for our salvation and we must reflect His love now, not later. What a great gift to know that we have been joined to the Heavenly Father through our baptism. We must live as Our Lord has shown us. There is no obstacle between Our Lord and us other than our own lack of desire. Advent is a great time to ask for the grace to desire to be closer to the Father.

Dec. 2, 2011 Friday: St. Bibiana

2011-12-02T06:08:00.001-06:00

St. Bibiana

Bibiana’s father, Flavian, had been prefect of the city of Rome in early Christian times. He and his wife were known as fervent Christians. When Emperor Julian renounced the faith, he began persecuting Christians. That is when Flavian was arrested. He was branded on the face with a hot iron and then exiled.

After he died, his wife, Dafrosa, who led a good Christian life, was made a prisoner in her own house. Then she, too, was put to death. Left alone with her sister, Demetria, Bibiana tried with all her heart to trust in God and pray. Everything they had was being taken from them. Then the two young women were brought to court. Poor Demetria was so frightened that she dropped dead at the judge’s feet. Bibiana was handed over to a sinful woman, who was supposed to make the girl as evil as she was. This woman tried by sweet words and many clever tricks to make Bibiana commit sins of impurity. However, the saint could not be moved. She was brought back to court and beaten. Yet she held to her faith and chastity as strongly as ever.

St. Bibiana was beaten to death with leaden scourges. A priest buried her at night beside her mother and sister.

Sometimes we can’t understand why good people are allowed to suffer. It may also seem that people who do evil get away with it. When we feel confused or resentful about this, we can ask St. Bibiana for help. From heaven, where she enjoys the reward of her fidelity, she’ll help us see that fair judgment doesn’t always come in this world, but in the next.

-Daughters of St Paul

Dec. 1, 2011 Thursday: St. Edmund Campion

2011-12-01T06:18:00.001-06:00

St. Edmund Campion

Edmund was born on January 25, 1540, in London. Originally raised a Catholic, he received a scholarship to St. John’s College in Oxford. He was a very popular and brilliant young student. In fact, Edmund was chosen to deliver a welcoming speech to Queen Elizabeth when she visited the college. A group of his fellow students were attracted by his happy nature and his many talents. They made him their leader. Even the queen and her chief ministers admired this attractive young man. Edmund became an Anglican deacon in 1564.

But Edmund began to have doubts about Protestantism. He went to Ireland to study. Becoming convinced of the authenticity of the Catholic Church, he considered returning to the Catholic religion. At the time, there was a persecution of Catholics in England. Edmund knew that he would lose the queen’s favor and all his chances for a great career if he chose to become a Catholic. The young man prayed and reached his decision. He would become a Catholic anyway.

After he had escaped from England, Edmund studied to become a priest. He entered the Society of Jesus. When the Holy Father decided to send some Jesuits to England, Father Campion was one of the first to go. The night before he left, one of his fellow priests wrote over his doorway: “Father Edmund Campion, martyr.” Although he knew what danger faced him, the holy priest set out cheerfully. In fact, he had many a laugh because of his disguise as a jewel merchant.

In England he preached with great success to Catholics who had to meet with him in secret. Spies of the queen’s men were everywhere trying to catch him. He wrote: “I won’t escape their hands much longer. Sometimes I read letters that say, ‘Campion has been caught!’” It was a traitor who finally brought about the Jesuit’s capture. Edmund was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was visited by the government officials who had been so fond of him. It seems that even Queen Elizabeth came. But none of their threats or promises could make him give up the Catholic faith. Nor could tortures break him. In spite of all his sufferings, he still defended himself and his fellow priests in such a marvelous manner that no one could answer him.

Yet the enemies of the Church condemned him anyway. Before he was put to death, St. Edmund forgave the man who had betrayed him. He even helped save the man’s life. St. Edmund Campion died at Tyburn gallows on December 1, 1581. He was about forty-one years old. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

St. Edmund Campion studied his faith, was deeply convinced of its truth, and was heroic in witnessing to it. Like him, we can try to understand our faith always better. Let’s ask him for the grace to be true to our convictions and values.

- Daughters of St Paul

Nov. 30, 2011 Wednesday: St. Andrew, Apostle

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St. Andrew

Andrew, like his brother, Simon Peter, was a fisherman. Hebecame a disciple of St. John the Baptist. However, when John pointed to Jesusand said, “There is the Lamb of God,” Andrew left John at once to follow theDivine Master. Jesus knew that Andrew was walking behind him. Turning back, heasked, “What are you looking for?” Andrew answered that he would like to knowwhere Jesus stayed. Our Lord replied, “Come and see.” Andrew had been withJesus only a little while when he realized that this was truly the Messiah.From then on, he decided to follow Jesus. He became the first disciple ofChrist.

Next Andrew brought his brother Simon (St. Peter) to Jesus. TheLord received him, too, as his disciple. At first the two brothers continued tocarry on their fishing trade and family affairs. Later, the Lord called them toleave their way of life behind and be his full-time followers. He promised tomake them fishers of men, and this time they left their nets for good. It isbelieved that after our Lord ascended into heaven, St. Andrew preached theGospel in Greece. He is said to have been put to death on an X-shaped cross, towhich he was tied not nailed. He lived two days in that state of suffering.Andrew still found enough strength to preach to the people who gathered aroundtheir beloved apostle.
Two countries have chosen St. Andrew as their patron—Russiaand Scotland.

When St. Andrew saw the cross on which he was to die, heexclaimed: “Welcome, O good cross, made beautiful by Christ’s body!” We can askSt. Andrew to help us recognize our particular cross. He’ll strengthen us toaccept that cross generously.

Nov. 29, 2011 Tuesday: Blessed Francis Anthony of Lucera

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

Blessed Francis Anthony of Lucera

This saint, born in 1681, was nicknamed Johnny as a child.He was the son of an Italian farmer. His father died before he was ten. Hismother’s second husband was good to him. He sent the boy to be educated by theFranciscans.
When he was fifteen, Johnny asked to be admitted to the Order. Hebecame Brother Francis Anthony. He did very well in all his studies and becamea priest. Father Francis Anthony became famous as a preacher and teacher. Healso was elected superior. He tried his best to be of loving service to all thefriars.
Father Francis Anthony had a special interest in helpingprisoners. The prisons of his day were terrible places. He did his best to helpthe poor prisoners in every way. His love went out to everyone in need. It washe who began the custom of collecting gifts at Christmas time for poorfamilies. In Lucera, the city in which he spent his life, it was said: “If youwant to see St. Francis of Assisi, just look at Father Francis Anthony!”
Blessed Francis Anthony had a great devotion to Mary. He loved topay special honor to her Immaculate Conception. It was at the beginning of thesolemn novena for this feast that he died. Some time before, when he was ingood health, he had said he would die soon. He had even suggested to apriest-friend that he come along. This good priest replied a bit excitedly,“Listen, Father, if you want to die, that is your affair, but I’m in no hurry!”To this the saint replied, “We must both make this journey, I first and youafterward.” And that is just what happened. The other priest lived only twomonths after Blessed Francis Anthony passed to his eternal reward. FatherFrancis Anthony died in 1742 and was proclaimed blessed by Pope Pius XII in1951.

The saints were not afraid to die because they had a lively faithin heaven. Heaven is a real place where we’ll be happy forever with God. We canask Blessed Francis Anthony to show us how to make each day a preparation forheaven.

-Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 28, 2011 Monday: St. Catherine Laboure

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

St. Catherine Labouré

Zoe Labouré, born in 1806, was the daughter of a Frenchfarmer. Her mother died while she was still very young. Zoe had to run thehouse when her older sister became a nun. Because of this, she was the only oneof her large family who did not go to school. She could not read or write.
Zoe, too, would have liked to enter the convent when she was inher early teens. However, because she was needed at home, she waited until shewas twenty-four. Zoe became a Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, takingthe name Catherine.
Shortly after she finished her training as a postulant, SisterCatherine received a special privilege. One night, she was awakened from sleep.A “shining child” led her to the chapel. There, our Lady came to talk to her.The Blessed Mother, in another vision, showed herself standing on a globe withstreams of light coming from her hands. Underneath were the words: “O Mary,conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to you.” Mary told Sister Catherinethat a medal was to be made of this picture. She was also told that all whowore it would receive many graces from Jesus through his Mother’s prayers.
Sister Catherine told her confessor and he later told the bishop.So it was that the medal, that we call the Miraculous Medal, was made. Soonmany, many people all over the world were wearing it. Yet no one in the conventknew that humble Sister Catherine was the one to whom our Lady had appeared.She spent the remaining forty-five years of her life doing ordinary convent tasks.She answered the door. She looked after the hens that provided the nuns witheggs. She also took care of elderly and sick people. She was happy to keep herspecial privilege hidden, and she was only interested in serving God as bestshe could. Catherine died in 1876. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XIIin 1947.

We can wear the Miraculous Medal and often repeat the prayer: “OMary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to you with trust.”

-Daughters of St. Paul

Nov 27, 2011: Audio Homily, 1st Sunday of Advent (B)

2011-11-27T22:00:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=730494269f58a1bea38bff8cdfc68c21b0a5d1263981a39ec

Click above to hear audio homily

Nov. 27, 2011: 1st Sunday of Advent (B)

2011-11-26T12:00:00.000-06:00

Some memories from childhood, even after decades,are as fresh and vivid in our minds today as are the events that occurred just yesterday.One such memory for me is from when I was 4 years old when mom took my sisterand me on a bus ride so that she could register my sister for kindergarten. Whenwe got off the bus, my sister held my mom’s hand and I trailed behind them aswe walked down the sidewalk toward the school. To this then-4 year-old boy,everything in the sidewalk shops was fascinating and so I stopped periodicallyto get a glimpse of the toys in the shop. Mom would pause and holler at me tofollow, but I continued to stop again and again to gaze at other fascinatingthings. After we had walked a while, I looked around and saw that my mom and mysister were gone. Instead of beingalarmed by that, I wandered around the neighborhood exploring all the littlestreets. For a while, exploring was fun, but then I began to worry and whimper. As tears fell down my face, Icried, “Um-ma” (Korean for mama). Somehow, I got back to the sidewalk shopwhere I had separated from them, and in the distance I saw them. Mom saw me andthen she began to walk fast toward me. When she got closer to me, she grabbed abroomstick that one of shops was selling and she gave me a few good licks withthat broom. I guess you could say that she was quite angry with me at thatpoint, but I was so glad that she had come back for me. I must say that I learneda good lesson in life—don’t get lost or I’ll get more broomstick whacks.

As children, probably many of us were lost orseparated from our families or groups. We cried hoping that our mom or dadwould come back to find us, and so we learned early on that we belong tosomeone and that someone searches for us. Just because we grow older does notmean that there are not times when we feel as though we are lost and yearn tobe found and brought back home to safety. Some adults experience what's calleda Midlife Crisis, a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some in themiddle age of life as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth andthe imminence of old age. The crisis can bring about a feeling of being lost,to the point that a person wants to make a significant change in his career,life, and even relationships. Do you feel that right now? Do you feel thedesire to be found and be brought back home?

Advent is a perfect time to regain bearing anddirection in our lives. We know that Advent is a time of expectant waiting andpreparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. Apowerful image of Advent is three kings or Magis riding their camels in the darkof the night guided only by a bright star. Like Magis, we need to ask ourselvesduring Advent, why did Jesus come in to this world? And, more importantly, whydid Jesus come into this world for me?We must come to know that Jesus came to bring us back to right-relationshipwith the Heavenly Father. Jesus, who is always faithful to the Father, longsfor us to be forever with Him and the Father. Listen to what prophet Isaiahsays in our First Reading: "You, LORD, are our father, ourredeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O LORD, fromyour ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return forthe sake of your servants..." As we grapple with feelings of being lost,this cry of Isaiah echoes from the depths of our hearts, but do we listen to ourdeepest desires? Do we take time to discern these feelings and desires?

Many of us on this Black Friday (including thispriest) were out in the pitch-dark of the morning, waiting for the lights toshine. Of course, I'm talking about the lights to Target, Walmart, Best Buy,and the Mall. Many of us know how to make strategies and practice patience toget the best deal. Likewise, using that same ardent desire, we need to prepareand be ready for Jesus to come again. Jesus, who is and will forever be the lightof this world, desires that we look for His light in each other. Jesus remindsus in the Gospel, "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know whenthe time will come." Many of us who stayed home rather than fight thecrowds at the stores this past Friday, watched on the TV News how this worlddraws us away from Jesus. Rather than being awe-struck by the reports of theunruly crowds, volume of sales or the hottest selling item, we should hope thatour hearts are changed so as to reject all that does not give life. I’m notsaying that we cannot own electronics or gadgets, but we cannot let thesesitems own us.

If you are feeling that sense of being lost, usethese four weeks of Advent to deepen your prayer life by spending time withJesus. He desires to find you and bring you back home to the Father.

Nov. 25, 2011 Friday: Audio Homily, St Catherine of Alexandria

2011-11-25T13:25:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=461a1fc77dfbba797f58a07c4cf246486ba30304af973ff12

Click above to hear audio homily

Nov. 25, 2011 Friday: St Catherine of Alexandria

2011-11-25T04:57:00.001-06:00

St. Catherine of Alexandria

Catherine lived in early Christian times. She was the daughter of a wealthy pagan couple of Alexandria, Egypt. She was a very beautiful girl whose great interest was in learning. Catherine loved to study deep questions of philosophy and religion. One day she began to read about Christianity. Soon she became a Christian.
St. Catherine was only eighteen when Emperor Maxentius began persecuting the Christians. Fearlessly, the lovely, young Christian woman went to tell him what she thought of his cruelty. When he spoke of the pagan gods, she very plainly showed him that they were false. Maxentius could not answer her arguments. Therefore, he sent for fifty of his best pagan philosophers. Once again, it was Catherine who proved the truth of her religion. All fifty philosophers were convinced that she was right. In a great fury, Maxentius had every one of them killed. Next, he tried to win her by offering her a queen’s crown. When Catherine absolutely refused it, he had her beaten and thrown into prison.

While Maxentius was away at camp, his wife and an officer were very curious to hear this amazing Christian girl speak. They went to her cell. The result was that they and 200 soldiers of the guard were converted. For this, they were all put to death. Catherine herself was placed on a wheel full of spikes to be tortured to death. When the wheel began to spin, it mysteriously snapped in two and fell apart. Finally, St. Catherine was beheaded. She is honored as the patroness of Christian philosophers.

St. Catherine of Alexandria appreciated the beauty of her Christian beliefs. That’s why she could so effectively convince others. We can ask St. Catherine to help us grow in love for the truths of our faith as she did.

-Daughters of St Paul

Nov. 24, 2011 Thursday: Audio Homily, Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T13:25:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=ea9c12d3a2c5ad1bd3806638b494840b29e88f416bfbd842e

Click to hear audio homily

Nov. 22, 2011 Tuesday: St. Cecilia

2011-11-22T06:09:00.001-06:00

St. Cecilia

This patroness of music lived in early times. What we know about her goes back to the fourth century. Cecilia was a Roman noblewoman who had given her heart to Christ. She wanted to be his bride, but Cecilia’s father gave her in marriage to a young pagan nobleman. It is said that during the wedding celebration, the lovely bride sat apart. She was singing to God in her heart and praying for his help. When she and Valerian, her husband, were alone, she gathered up her courage and said to him: “I have a secret to tell you. You must know that I have an angel of God watching over me. If you let me keep my promise to be Christ’s bride only, my angel will love you as he loves me.”
Valerian was convinced by Cecilia to honor her vow of virginity and to become a Christian. His brother, Tiburtius, also learned of the Christian faith from Cecilia. She spoke so beautifully of Jesus that before long he, too, was baptized. Together the two brothers performed many works of charity. When they were arrested for being Christians, they went bravely to death rather than give up their new faith in Jesus. St. Cecilia lovingly buried their bodies before she, too, was arrested. She converted the very officers who tried to make her sacrifice to false gods. When she was put into a fire, it did not harm her. At last, a man was sent to behead her. He struck her neck three times, but Cecilia did not die right away. She lay on the floor of her own home unable to move. Yet, by holding out three fingers of one hand and one of the other, she still professed her belief in the Blessed Trinity: that there is one God in three divine Persons.

St. Cecilia’s faith was strong enough to convince others to believe in Jesus. Her love was strong enough to make her remain faithful to Christ even in the face of danger. We can pray to St. Cecilia for the same faith and love that made her a saint.

- Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 21, 2011 Monday: Why I Love You Mary - St Therese of Lisieux

2011-11-21T05:50:00.001-06:00

Why I Love You, Mary
By St. Therese of Lisieux

Oh ! I would like to sing, Mary, why I love you,
Why your sweet name thrills my heart,
And why the thought of your supreme greatness
Could not bring fear to my soul.
If I gazed on you in your sublime glory,
Surpassing the splendor of all the blessed,
I could not believe that I am your child.
O Mary, before you I would lower my eyes !…

If a child is to cherish his mother,
She has to cry with him and share his sorrows.
O my dearest Mother, on this foreign shore
How many tears you shed to draw me to you !…
In pondering your life in the holy Gospels,
I dare look at you and come near you.
It’s not difficult for me to believe I’m your child,
For I see you human and suffering like me…

When an angel from Heaven bids you be the Mother
O the God who is to reign for all eternity,
I see you prefer, O Mary, what a mystery !
The ineffable treasure of virginity.
O Immaculate Virgin, I understand how your soul
Is dearer to the Lord than his heavenly dwelling.
I understand how your soul, Humble and Sweet Valley,
Can contain Jesus, the Ocean of Love !…

Oh ! I love you, Mary, saying you are the servant
Of the God whom you charm by your humility.
This hidden virtue makes you all-powerful.
It attracts the Holy Trinity into your heart.
Then the Spirit of Love covering you with his shadow,
The Son equal to the Father became incarnate in you,
There will be a great many of his sinner brothers,
Since he will be called : Jesus, your first-born !…

O beloved Mother, despite my littleness,
Like you I possess The All-Powerful within me.
But I don’t tremble in seeing my weakness ;
The treasures of a mother belong to her child,
And I am your child, O my dearest Mother.
Aren’t your virtues and your love mine too ?
So when the white Host comes into my heart,
Jesus, your Sweet Lamb, thinks he is resting in you !…

You make me feel that it’s not impossible
To follow in your footsteps, O Queen of the elect.
You made visible the narrow road to Heaven
While always practicing the humblest virtues.
Near you, Mary, I like to stay little.
I see the vanity of greatness here below.
At the home of Saint Elizabeth, receiving your visit,
I learn how to practice ardent charity.

There, Sweet Queen of angels, I listen, delighted,
To the sacred canticle springing forth from your heart.
You teach me to sing divine praises,
To glory in Jesus my Savior.
Your words of love are mystical roses
Destined to perfume the centuries to come.
In you the Almighty has done great things.
I want to ponder them to bless him for them.

When good Saint Joseph did not know of the miracle
That you wanted to hide in your humility,
You let him cry close by the Tabernacle
Veiling the Savior’s divine beauty !…
Oh Mary ! how I love your eloquent silence !
For me it is a sweet, melodious concert
That speaks to me of the greatness and power
Of a soul which looks only to Heaven for help…

Later in Bethlehem, O Joseph and Mary !
I see you rejected by all the villagers.
No one wants to take in poor foreigners.
There’s room for the great ones…
There’s room for the great ones, and it’s in a stable
That the Queen of Heaven must give birth to a God.
O my dearest Mother, how lovable I find you,
How great I find you in such a poor place !…

When I see the Eternal God wrapped in swaddling clothes,
When I hear the poor cry of the Divine Word,
O my dearest Mother, I no longer envy the angels,
For their Powerful Lord is my dearest Brother !…
How I love you, Mary, you who made
This Divine Flower blossom on our shores !…
How I love you listening to the shepherds and wisemen
And keeping it all in your heart with care !…

I love you mingling with the other women
Walking toward the holy temple.
I love you presenting the Savior of our souls
To the blessed Old Man who pressed Him to his heart.
At first I smile as I listen to his canticle,
But soon his tone makes me shed tears.
Plunging a prophetic glance into the future,
Simeon presents you with a sword of sorrows.

O Queen of martyrs, till the evening of your life
That sorrowful sword will pierce your heart.
Already you must leave your native land
To flee a king’s jealous fury.
Jesus sleeps in peace under the folds of your veil.
Joseph comes begging you to leave at once,
And at once your obedience is revealed.
You leave without delay or reasoning.

O Mary, it seems to me that in the land of Egypt
Your heart remains joyful in poverty,
For is not Jesus the fairest Homeland,
What does exile matter to you ? You hold Heaven…
But in Jerusalem a bitter sadness
Comes to flood your heart like a vast ocean.
For three days, Jesus hides from your tenderness.
That is indeed exile in all its harshness !…

At last you find him and you are overcome with joy,
You say to the fair Child captivating the doctors :
"O my Son, why have you done this ?
Your father and I have been searching for you in tears."
And the Child God replies (O what a deep mystery !)
To his dearest Mother holding out her arms to him :
"Why were you searching for me ?
I must be about My Father’s business. Didn’t you know ?"

The Gospel tells me that, growing in wisdom,
Jesus remains subject to Joseph and Mary,
And my heart reveals to me with what tenderness
He always obeys his dear parents.
Now I understand the mystery of the temple,
The hidden words of my Lovable King.
Mother, your sweet Child wants you to be the example
Of the soul searching for Him in the night of faith.

Since the King of Heaven wanted his Mother
To be plunged into the night, in anguish of heart,
Mary, is it thus a blessing to suffer on earth ?
Yes, to suffer while loving is the purest happiness !…
All that He has given me, Jesus can take back.
Tell him not to bother with me…
He can indeed hide from me, I’m willing to wait for him
Till the day without sunset when my faith will fade away…

Mother full of grace, I know that in Nazareth
You live in poverty, wanting nothing more.
No rapture, miracle, or ecstasy
Embellish your life, O Queen of the Elect !…
The number of little ones on earth is truly great.
They can raise their eyes to you without trembling.
It’s by the ordinary way, incomparable Mother,
That you like to walk to guide them to Heaven.

While waiting for Heaven, O my dear Mother,
I want to live with you, to follow you each day.
Mother, contemplating you, I joyfully immerse myself,
Discovering in your heart abysses of love.
Your motherly gaze banishes all my fears.
It teaches me to cry, it teaches me to rejoice.
Instead of scorning pure and simple joys,
You want to share in them, you deign to bless them.

At Cana, seeing the married couple’s anxiety
Which they cannot hide, for they have run out of wine,
In your concern you tell the Savior,
Hoping for the help of his divine power.
Jesus seems at first to reject your prayer :
« Woman, what does this matter, » he answers, « to you and to me ? »
But in the depths of his heart, He calls you his Mother,
And he works his first miracle for you…

One day when sinners are listening to the doctrine
Of Him who would like to welcome them in Heaven,
Mary, I find you with them on the hill.
Someone says to Jesus that you wish to see him.
Then, before the whole multitude, your Divine Son
Shows us the immensity of his love for us.
He says : "Who is my brother and my sister and my Mother,
If not the one who does my will ?"

O Immaculate Virgin, most tender of Mothers,
In listening to Jesus, you are not saddened.
But you rejoice that He makes us understand
How our souls become his family here below.
Yes, you rejoice that He gives us his life,
The infinite treasures of his divinity !…
How can we not love you, O my dear Mother,
On seeing so much love and so much humility ?

You love us, Mary, as Jesus loves us,
And for us you accept being separated from Him.
To love is to give everything. It’s to give oneself.
You wanted to prove this by remaining our support.
The Savior knew your immense tenderness.
He knew the secrets of your maternal heart.
Refuge of sinners, He leaves us to you
When He leaves the Cross to wait for us in Heaven.

Mary, at the top of Calvary standing beside the Cross
To me you seem like a priest at the altar,
Offering your beloved Jesus, the sweet Emmanuel,
To appease the Father’s justice…
A prophet said, O afflicted Mother,
"There is no sorrow like your sorrow !
" O Queen of Martyrs, while remaining in exile
You lavish on us all the blood of your heart !

Saint John’s home becomes your only refuge.
Zebedee’s son is to replace Jesus…
That is the last detail the Gospel gives.
It tells me nothing more of the Queen of Heaven.
But, O my dear Mother, doesn’t its profound silence
Reveal that The Eternal Word Himself
Wants to sing the secrets of your life
To charm your children, all the Elect of Heaven ?

Soon I’ll hear that sweet harmony.
Soon I’ll go to beautiful Heaven to see you.
You who came to smile at me in the morning of my life,
Come smile at me again … Mother… It’s evening now !…
I no longer fear the splendor of your supreme glory.
With you I’ve suffered and now I want
To sing on your lap, Mary, why I love you,
And to go on saying that I am your child !…

Nov. 21, 2011 Monday: Presentation of Mary

2011-11-21T05:02:00.001-06:00

Presentation of Mary

The Bible does not tell us anything about the childhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But tradition tells us that she was the daughter of St. Joachim and St. Anne. (We celebrate their feast day on July 26.) While still a young child, Mary was brought by her parents to the Temple in Jerusalem and presented her to the Lord. Mary’s whole life was to belong to God. He had chosen her to be the Mother of his Son, Jesus. The Blessed Virgin was happy to begin serving God in the Temple. And St. Joachim and St. Anne were pleased to offer their saintly little girl to God. They knew that God had sent her to them.

In the Temple, the high priest received the child Mary. She was placed among the girls who were dedicated to prayer and Temple service. While Mary received an education at the Temple, she also must have been a wonderful example to her companions of goodness and joy.

St. Joachim and St. Anne went back home. They praised and thanked God for their blessed daughter. And Mary remained in the Temple, where she grew in holiness. She spent her days reading the Bible, praying, and serving the Temple priests. She made beautiful linens and splendid vestments. Mary tried to do each of her duties well to please God. She grew in grace and gave great glory to the Lord.

Mary lived her whole life to please God. She was always aware of his divine presence. We can ask our heavenly Mother Mary to teach us how to stay close to Jesus every day.

-Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 20, 2011: Audio Homily, Christ the King

2011-11-20T13:22:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=63a6eaaea487e6296721d7c7cb097a66b0b11e36c437988ce

Click above to hear audio homily

Nov. 20, 2011: Our Lord Jesus, Christ the King

2011-11-19T12:00:00.000-06:00

Early this year, eye-catching billboards in major U. S. cities drew attention from drivers as they passed the billboards. The signs read, “Save the Date: May 21, 2011.” Weeks before May 21, people were out in the streets with smaller signs with the same message, drawing much attention from passer-bys. May 21 passed, and then the billboard signs were changed slightly. The date, “May 21” was spray-painted over with “Oct. 21.” Again people were out in the streets weeks before the new date carrying signs, drawing much attention. Then, October 21 passed. Many people were disappointed and disillusioned. The pastor who set those two dates, May 21 and then October 21, made an on-air apology. Millions of dollars were spent on the signs, “Save the Date: May 21, 2011. The Return of Christ. The Judgment Day” and the event did not come to fruition. There are plenty of folks buzzing about with a new date in 2012 for when the world, as we know it, will end. Undoubtedly new signs will go up, and the businesses that specialize on judgment-day supplies will profit much. Specialty real estate brokers who sell abandoned US Military missile silos say that the market for converting such cement fortress into a judgment day home is booming. One broker was asked on TV whether he would buy one himself and he replied, "I would never buy one. But don't tell my customers." Yet, today’s scripture tells us that this is not how Jesus wanted us to prepare for his Second Coming.

When we think of the Judgment Day, we conjure up imagery of a courthouse, where the judge strikes his gavel to give the defendants the judgment of 'guilty' or 'not guilty.' In that courthouse, there is nothing that defendant can do other than to shudder in fear. I remember going to a parish courthouse for a hearing on a speeding ticket. I went there wearing my clerical collar secretly hoping that the ticket would be dismissed because of my status. Yet as I stood before the judge who asked me, "Do you plead guilty or not guilty for speeding 50 mph in 35 mph zone?", I had a flash of the final judgment day and I realized that not only was my title useless in traffic court but it would also not get me a free pass into heaven. I responded, "Guilty, your honor." He replied, "That will be $300 for speeding, plus the court fees."

Jesus shows us a very different scene of Judgment Day in the Gospel. The imagery is that of a King who asks whether we were compassionate and caring to him. "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." We ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?" The King simply replies, "... whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'' St. John of the Cross succinctly summarizes this passage into two simple sentences: "Love is repaid by love alone", and "In the evening of our lives, we will be judged by love alone."

Jesus tells us that somehow what we do for others is intimately connected with what we do for him. A parishioner told me that in the 'old days' when nuns were still teaching at the schools, a nun always said to the children, "There is Jesus walking by," pointing to some random person. It's a great mystery how the kindness, gentleness, compassion, and patience we show a person, is in fact showing our love for God himself. Yet how difficult it is, sometimes, to be kind, gentle, and patient with another person! Our capacity to love falls pitifully short of the love that Jesus showers upon us every day.

We get a glimpse of the love Our Lord showers upon us each day in today's First Reading. Our Lord said, "I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock...I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I myself will give them rest. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal..." How great was Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary for all of us that we may live forever with Him and with the Father! We must look to Our Lord and see how he endured much pain and anguish out of love for the Father and for us. Our Lord was obedient to the Father, and he asks us to be obedient to the Father as well by living and loving as Jesus showed us. All of us struggle with accepting Our Father's will for us because we struggle with our own desires and worldly ways.

The folks who are preoccupied with the Judgment Day say that the next date will be 12/12/12. Undoubtedly there will be people who will spend this coming year stockpiling food, provisions, and even weapons to give them a sense of security that they have prepared for the Judgment Day. Yet Our Lord remind us, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25) Our Lord shows us how to truly prepare: will you accept the Father's will for you? Will you be obedient to the Father's will by serving and loving those around you?

Nov. 18, 2011 Friday: St. Rose Duchesne

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St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

This saint labored for Jesus in the United States. She was born into a wealthy French family on August 29, 1769. As a youngster, there was nothing especially holy about Rose. In fact, she often did her best to get her own way. She ordered everyone else to do what she wanted. In school, her favorite subject was history. She later became very interested in stories about Native Americans. At the age of seventeen, Rose entered the convent. She was not allowed to take her vows when the time came because of the French Revolution. All the professed sisters were forced by the revolutionaries to leave the country, and Rose had to return to her family. Still, she did not give up her desire to belong to Jesus. Several years later she joined the newly formed Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne’s great desire was to be a missionary. However, she was fifty before she was sent to the United States. It was still a mission land at this time. In Mississippi, she and a small group of sisters started a free school for the children of poor families. The work was hard because of the different languages and ways of the people. Despite the many difficulties, Mother Duchesne never lost her youthful enthusiasm. As she grew older, she became less commanding and more gentle.

Mother Duchesne was a real heroine. She nearly died from yellow fever. She overcame all kinds of obstacles to open convents in the New World. Then, when she was seventy-one, she resigned her position as superior. She went to Kansas to open a school among her beloved Native Americans. She died at St. Charles, Missouri, on October 18, 1852, at the age of eighty-three. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

Sometimes we can have a way of postponing hard duties. We can ask Mother Duchesne to inspire us to put energy and love of God into what we do.

The Church also celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome on this date.

- Daughters of St Paul

Nov. 17, 2011 Thursday: St. Elizabeth of Hungary

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St. Elizabeth of Hungary

This daughter of the king of Hungary was born in 1207. She married Louis, the ruler of Thuringia, while she was very young. Elizabeth was a beautiful bride who dearly loved her handsome husband. Louis re-turned her affection with all his heart. God sent them three children and they were very happy for six years.

Then Elizabeth’s sorrows began. Louis died of the plague. She was so heartbroken that she cried, “The world is dead to me, and all that is joyous in the world!” Louis’ relatives had never liked Elizabeth because she had given so much food to the poor. While Louis was alive, they had not been able to do anything to her. Now, however, they could, and they did. Within a short time, this beautiful, gentle princess and her three children were sent away from the castle. They suffered hunger and cold. Yet Elizabeth did not complain about her terrible sufferings. Instead she blessed God and prayed with great fervor. She accepted the sorrows just as she had accepted the joys.

Elizabeth’s relatives came to her rescue. She and her children had a home once more. Her uncle wanted her to marry again, for she was still very young and attractive, but the saint had determined to give herself to God. She wanted to imitate the poverty of St. Francis of Assisi as a member of the Franciscan Third Order. She went to live in a poor cottage and spent the last few years of her life serving the sick and the poor. She even went fishing to try to earn more money for her beloved poor. St. Elizabeth was only twenty-four when she died. On her deathbed, she was heard to sing softly. She had great confidence that Jesus would take her to himself. Elizabeth passed away in 1231. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. She is the patroness of the Franciscan Third Order.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary is a model of family love. Husbands, wives, parents, and children can learn from her that by loving God above all things, we’ll have a marvelous store of love and affection for the members of our family. It was this love that Elizabeth had for her husband and children that kept her going in spite of difficulties and loss.

-Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 16, 2011 Wednesday: St. Margaret of Scotland

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St. Margaret of Scotland

Margaret was an English princess born in 1045. She and her mother sailed to Scotland to escape the king who had conquered their land. King Malcolm of Scotland welcomed them. He fell in love with the beautiful princess. Margaret and Malcolm were married before long.

As queen, Margaret changed her husband and the country for the better. Malcolm was good, but he and his court were very rough. When he saw how wise his wife was, he willingly listened to her good advice. Margaret helped him control his temper and practice the Christian virtues. She made the court beautiful and civilized. The king and queen were wonderful examples because of the way they prayed together and treated each other. They fed crowds of poor people. They tried very hard to imitate Jesus in their own lives.

Margaret was a blessing for all the people of Scotland. Before she came, there was great ignorance. Many people had bad habits that kept them from growing closer to God. Margaret worked hard to obtain good teachers and she encouraged education. She and Malcolm had new churches built. She loved to make the churches beautiful to honor God. In fact, Queen Margaret embroidered some of the priests’ vestments herself.

Margaret and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters. They loved all their children very much. The youngest boy became St. David. But Margaret had sorrows, too. In her last illness, she learned that both her husband and her son, Edward, had been killed in battle. She died four days later, on November 16, 1093. Margaret was proclaimed a saint by Pope Innocent IV in 1250.

St. Margaret shows us the importance of doing the right things for the right reasons. Her good example was a genuine reflection of her faith in Jesus. Her good deeds weren’t done to win praise. She did what was right in order to please Jesus. We can ask her to help us do the same.

- Daughters of St Paul

Nov. 15, 2011 Tuesday: St. Albert the Great

2011-11-15T05:31:00.001-06:00

St. Albert the Great

This saint was born in 1206 in southwest Germany. Albert went to the University of Padua in Italy. There he decided to become a Dominican. His uncle tried to persuade him not to follow his religious vocation. Albert did anyway. He felt that this was what God wanted. His father, the count of Bollstädt, was very angry. The Dominicans thought that he might make Albert come back home. They transferred the novice to a location farther away, but his father did not come after him.

St. Albert loved to study. The natural sciences, especially physics, astronomy, geography, and biology also interested him. He wrote a great number of books on these subjects. In one of his works, he proved that the earth was round. He also wrote on philosophy, mathematics, the Bible, and theology. He was a popular teacher in different schools.

One of St. Albert’s pupils was the great St. Thomas Aquinas. These two saints became lifelong friends. St. Albert had guided St. Thomas in beginning his great works in philosophy and theology. He also defended his teachings after Thomas died.

As St. Albert grew older, he became more holy. Before, he had expressed his deep thoughts in his writings. Now he expressed them in his whole way of living for God.

Two years before his death, St. Albert’s memory failed him. His end came very peacefully, as he sat in his chair talking with his fellow Dominicans. He is the patron saint of students and of the natural sciences. He was declared a saint in 1931 by Pope Pius XI.

We can learn from St. Albert to appreciate and use our minds. Let’s pray to St. Albert, asking him to help us acquire a healthy curiosity about the world around us, and especially about God, who created all things and set the laws that govern nature.

- Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 14, 2011 Monday: St. Lawrence O'Toole

2011-11-14T06:09:00.001-06:00

St. Lawrence O’Toole

Lawrence was born in Ireland in 1128. He was the son of a chief. When he was only ten years old, a neighboring king made a raid on his father’s territory and carried him away. The boy suffered for two years. Then his father forced the king to give him up to the care of a bishop. When he did, Lawrence’s father hurried to see his son. He gratefully brought him home.
The chief wanted one of his sons to enter the service of the Church. While he was wondering which one it might be, Lawrence told him with a laugh that he need not wonder anymore. “It is my desire,” said Lawrence, “to have for my inheritance the service of God in the Church.” So his father took him by the hand and gave him into the care of the bishop.

Lawrence became a priest and the abbot of a great monastery. When food became very scarce in the whole neighborhood of the monastery, the good abbot gave great quantities away to keep the people from starving. He had many problems to handle as head of the monastery, too. Some of the monks criticized him for being too strict. But Lawrence kept right on guiding the community in the way of self-sacrifice, despite the criticism. Then there was the problem of the robbers and outlaws who lived in the nearby hills. Yet nothing discouraged the fearless Lawrence O’Toole.

He became so famous that before long he was chosen to be archbishop of Dublin. In this new position, he lived as holy a life as ever. Every day, he invited many poor people to be his guests. He helped many others besides. Lawrence dearly loved his people and Ireland, his country, and he did all he could to keep it at peace. Once, an enemy attacked him as he was going up to the altar to say Mass. He was knocked to the floor unconscious, but he came to his senses right away. He had the wound washed at once, and then continued with the Mass.

After years of labor for the Church, St. Lawrence O’Toole became very ill. When he was asked if he wanted to make a will, the holy archbishop smiled. He answered, “God knows that I don’t have a penny in the world.” He had long ago given everything he had to others, just as he had given himself completely to God. St. Lawrence O’Toole died on November 14, 1180. He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Honorius III in 1225.

By the way he lived his life, St. Lawrence O’Toole reminds us that our main concern in all we do should be to please God. We can ask St. Lawrence to help us to do what’s right even if we’re criticized for it.

- Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 13, 2011: Audio Homily, 33rd Sunday

2011-11-13T19:18:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=0f5396c4392abf6e1c98b20342a9e79b5d69824b12f87b21c

Click above to hear audio homily

Nov. 13, 2011: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary (A)

2011-11-12T12:00:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week, I visited a priest friend in Breaux Bridge who graduated from the seminary with me. He spends his off-days with his parents who are retired. They have a very simple life and routine. We each sit in our own Lazyboy chair near a TV and talk about what has been going on as we watch Price Is Right, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Talk. When Dr. Phil comes on, I say goodbye and drive back to town. On this occasion, my friend’s dad invited me out to his yard to give me Satsumas that were hanging on the trees. He has about nine Satsuma trees, each with branches hanging heavy with fruit. He said to me, “The other day a man drove up and said, ‘I see that you have Satsumas.’ I was going to give him some, and then he asked, ‘Are they sweet?’ I thought to myself, ‘Boy you are a particular fellow,’ so I answered him, ‘No, they’re not sweet.’ Then, he didn’t want any.” My friend’s dad continued to nip the fruits from the trees and place them in my Walmart bag. He went on to say, “I don’t keep these satsumas for me. I give most of them away. I visit my hunting buddy in the nursing home regularly, and I try to bring him something small, like satsumas, each time I go. That’s how our life should be, giving small things to someone each day. Now, Paul, you come back when it’s colder. Satsumas are sweeter when it’s colder.”

As I drove back to Donaldsonville, I thought about what this kind man had told me regarding the fellow who wanted only sweet satsumas. As the saying goes, ‘Beggars can’t be choosers.’ Meaning, if someone gives you something you asked for, you should not complain about what you get. We all have learned through life that not everything that comes our way as “gift” is sweet and pleasant. At times, the ‘gift’ is more bitter than sweet. Even the body that God has given us, the children that God has given us to raise, or the job that God has entrusted to us can give us bitter experiences. I imagine, though, that all of us have experienced what my friend’s dad wisely said, “Satsumas are sweeter when it’s colder.” Yes, even harsh, difficult struggles can create something good in our life. We may not know it while we are in the middle of the difficult time, but we often realize the benefit or blessing much later.

In today’s Gospel parable, Our Lord shows us a man who entrusts his possessions to his three servants, each according to what he thought they could manage. Unlike the two servants who used their gifts to multiply the talents, the third servant, out of fear, buried the talent given to him. The servant assumed that his master was a demanding and harsh person so he did not want to lose his master’s money. His master scolds the third servant for that attitude. Was the master truly a demanding and harsh person? He must not have been, otherwise the other two servants would have had the same attitude. The third servant did not know or love his master, for the love would have cast out his fears.

We may have a similar reaction in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. If we do not know how generous, merciful, and compassionate Heavenly Father is, then we become like that third servant, unable or fearful to be faithful in even the small things entrusted to us. When we love the Father, we trust that what He asks us to do today will reap sweet fruits. The fruit may not ripen as quickly as we want, so we have to call upon the virtue of patience while the fruit progresses. The fruit may be bitter at the beginning, but if we wait patiently through the cold weather, we will taste the sweetness that Our Father has promised us.

Nov. 11, 2011 Friday: St. Martin of Tours

2011-11-11T05:51:00.001-06:00

St. Martin of Tours

This soldier saint lived in the fourth century. He joined the Roman army in Italy when he was only fifteen. Although his parents were pagans, he began to study the Christian religion. Those who study the Christian religion are called catechumens until they are baptized.

One very cold winter day, Martin and his companions came upon a beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. The man’s only clothes were rags, and he was shaking with cold. The other soldiers passed by him, but Martin felt that it was up to him to help the beggar. Having nothing with him, he drew his sword and cut his long cloak in half. Some laughed at his funny appearance as he gave one half to the beggar. Others felt ashamed of their own selfishness. That night, Jesus appeared to Martin. He was wearing the half of the cloak that Martin had given away.

“Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with this garment,” Jesus said. Right after this wonderful event, St. Martin went to be baptized. Soon after, he left the army.

He became a disciple of St. Hilary, the bishop of Poitiers, France. Because of his strong opposition to the false Arian teaching in various cities, Martin had to go into exile. But he was happy to live in the wilderness with other monks. When the people of Tours asked for him as their bishop, he refused. The people would not give up, however. They got him to come to the city to visit a sick person. Once he was there, they took him to the church. He was named bishop of Tours in 371. As bishop, St. Martin did all he could to rid France of paganism. He prayed, worked, and preached everywhere.

Our Lord let Martin know when his death was near. As soon as his followers heard of it, they began to weep. They begged him not to leave them. So the saint prayed: “Lord, if your people need me yet, I will not refuse the work. Your will be done.” He was still laboring for the Divine Master in a far-off part of his diocese when death finally came on November 8, 397. St. Martin’s tomb became one of the most famous shrines in all of Europe.

It’s so easy to be concerned only about our own interests. But, like St. Martin, we want to be aware of the needs of others, too. We can ask St. Martin to help us notice when the people around us need our help and to do what we can to help them.
- Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 10, 2011 Thursday: Pope Leo the Great

2011-11-10T07:52:00.001-06:00

St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church, memorial

What is a saint other than a soul conformed to Christ? Indeed, all Christians are called to this sanctity.

Leo bore the burden of the papacy at a trying time for the Church, threatened by numerous heresies and struggling amidst uncertain times for Roman civilization.
The book of Wisdom calls to mind that Wisdom is "firm, secure, tranquil." It is these traits that seem to be at stake in the Gospel reading, where Christ warns his disciples that, overwhelmed by desire for the Kingdom of God, many will lose patience and seek after what is more certain and more at hand: "There will be those who will say to you, 'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.'" To live a life based on faith is trying. It is easier to settle down upon what is closer at hand and what is more comfortable. Yet it is by faith alone that we are saved and elevated up beyond our fallen nature. We must have patience. We must be "firm, secure, tranquil" as we wait for the Lord.

Fr. Timothy Kieras, SJ

Nov. 10, 2011 Thursday: Our Lady's Message

2011-11-09T21:07:00.000-06:00

“Dear children, the Father has not left you to yourselves. Immeasurable is His love, the love that is bringing me to you, to help you to come to know Him, so that, through my Son, all of you can call Him ‘Father’ with the fullness of heart; that you can be one people in God’s family. However, my children, do not forget that you are not in this world only for yourselves, and that I am not calling you here only for your sake. Those who follow my Son think of the brother in Christ as of their very selves and they do not know selfishness. That is why I desire that you be the light of my Son. That to all those who have not come to know the Father – to all those who wander in the darkness of sin, despair, pain and loneliness – you may illuminate the way and that, with your life, you may show them the love of God. I am with you. If you open your hearts, I will lead you. Again I am calling you: pray for your shepherds. Thank you. ” - Nov. 2, 2011 Our Lady of Medjugorje (to Mirjana)

Nov. 9, 2011 Wednesday: Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica

2011-11-09T06:10:00.001-06:00

Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran

The Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome is the pope’s own church. It is considered the head and mother of all the churches in the world. It is enriched with relics of Christ’s suffering and death and of many martyrs.

Originally, this basilica was the palace of a rich Roman senator named Plautius Lateranus. When he died, the emperor Constantine inherited the house. Constantine built a chapel in its walls, which he had dedicated to St. John the Baptist. There was a second altar dedicated to St. John the Evangelist.

The popes lived at the Lateran Basilica until the time of Pope Gregory XI. When this pope returned from Avignon, he took up residence in St. Peter’s Basilica, or the Vatican, and the popes have resided there ever since.

Today’s feast day reminds us to value the church buildings dedicated to the service and worship of God.

When we see a beautiful church, it should remind us of all the people called together to worship God. We, the People of God, are the living stones of Christ’s Church. It is our lives of holiness and service that make the Church most beautiful.

- Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 8, 2011 Tuesday: 32nd Week in Ordinary Time (A)

2011-11-08T10:05:00.000-06:00

When St. Ignatius wrote his directions on how to pray the "colloquy" -- a sort of back and forth conversational period of prayer at the end of a block of meditation time -- he advises that sometimes we speak to the Lord as we speak to a friend, and other times, as a servant speaks to his master. Experience with master-servant relations is significantly rarer for the average middle-class person in the western world today, so it can be difficult to relate to Ignatius' advice. Yet we shouldn't dismiss it. It is, after all, an integral part of how Jesus interacted with the Apostles. His parable today hits home: the master is not grateful to the servant for simply doing what he is told.

That's the servant's job. The servant, on the other hand, shouldn't expect the master to be brimming over with gratitude. Then Jesus tells us "When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do."

This is not the only way we have to relate to God, and friendship with God through Christ is a marvelous way to picture the spiritual life. Nevertheless, we should be able to consider ourselves to be servants, and so perform with grace those things we have been commanded to do by the master.

-Mr. Timothy Kieras, SJ

Nov. 7, 2011 Monday: Blessed Giuseppe Antonio Tovini

2011-11-07T05:58:00.001-06:00

Blessed Giuseppe Antonio Tovini

Giuseppe was born on March 14, 1841, in Italy. His parents were loving and devout Catholics, who made sure their children received a good education and Christian upbringing. Giuseppe’s father died when he was eighteen, so he helped his mother financially in raising his younger brothers and sisters. In the meantime, he continued his education. He received a law degree at about the same time that his mother died.

Soon after he began practicing law, he took a position as assistant principal and teacher in a technical school. He was well known for bringing out the best in each of his students and in helping them realize and use their own special talents.

In 1867, he met a young woman named Emilia Corbolani. They soon fell in love and after a while they got married. In the meantime, Giuseppe had become the mayor of his hometown, devoting his political career to helping improve the living conditions of the people he was sworn to serve. As a Third Order Franciscan, he especially felt the need to give his attention to helping the poor and needy. He constructed railroads to link rural areas with the city, and improved people’s financial lives by founding banks and credit unions, which focused on people instead of money. He opened schools and supported the publication of several newspapers.

Giuseppe and Emilia started a family, which in time grew to include ten children. They were good parents and set an example of faith and mutual love and respect. Three of their children devoted themselves to the religious life when they grew up.

Giuseppe was unstoppable in his activities for social justice and service to the needy. But he received the strength for this demanding activity in prayer. He read the Bible every day, and drew inspiration for his life from the Word of God. He attended Mass each day and received Holy Communion with reverence and love. He was very devoted to the Eucharist and started the practice of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the parish church where he was later to be buried.

On January 16, 1897, worn out from his unceasing activity, Giuseppe Tovini died at the age of fifty-six. He was beatified on September 20, 1998, by Pope John Paul II.

Blessed Giuseppe Antonio Tovini had a talent for seeing the needs of others around him and thinking up practical solutions to help. Let’s pray to him and ask him to show us one small thing we can do today to make someone’s life a little better.
-Daughters of St. Paul

Nov. 6, 2011: Audio Homily- 32nd Sunday (A)

2011-11-06T08:09:00.001-06:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=538d1663768d3025dc3b44c0c3b4bf7bf348268dc1f3419a9

Click above link to hear audio homily