A Walk Through the Mass - The Richness and the Changes

Step 2 - The last two days I provided a backdrop for many reasons why we NEED to go to church on Sundays and that the church is a house of prayer and that it is God's HOUSE, that is, where Jesus remains in the Eucharist reserved in the Tabernacle in the sanctuary. 

Let us proceed to what we do at each Mass.  After blessing ourselves with Holy Water, we normally look for space to sit in a pew.  As we find a place that is comfortable to us for prayer, we normally approach the pew and then what?  Ahhh, yes, we genuflect before our Lord Jesus Christ who is present in the sanctuary, or in some exceptional cases where Jesus is reserved in a side chapel or other area, we turn in that direction and genuflect, dropping our right knee until it hits the floor to show honor and due respect to the Master of the Universe and Savior of the World; either that or a profound bow as we would before a king, but since Jesus is truly the one and only King, we want to honor Him most properly. (If we set up a video in church and later watched everyone as they came into church, we would see how sloppy and irreverent most people are....maybe a pastor should do this once to make his point clear)  Inside the church is not the time or place to chat.  A quick, quiet whisper is okay, but let’s not forget that reverence and awe should be filling our minds.  Once we get in our pew, it’s time to pray in silence for a few minutes before Mass begins, bringing before the Lord a contrite and open heart to His Will for us, our thanksgivings for the week, and requests for help to overcome vices, sin, and temptation in our life. 

Mass then begins, typically, with a hymn, a hymn that matches closely to the reading for the day.  We don't sing "Jesus has risen today" during Advent, Christmas or Lent, for example.  Yes, some designated liturgist or musical director has carefully chosen and prepared the music for Sunday's Mass, and if you are blessed with a choir, then the entire choir has been practicing on the hymns of the day to elevate the mind and soul to a more perfect union with God during Mass for everyone.  As the processional hymn is complete, the presiding priest takes his place at his presiding chair in the sanctuary and officially begins the Mass, with the sign of the cross saying "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit".  On occasion you may hear the priest say something like, "Let us begin our celebration by the sign of our Salvation: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", as everyone signs themselves with the sign of the cross over their body.  Quickly, in this regard, the theologian Tertullian (c A.D. 160-225) described the common practice of believers who marked themselves with the sign of the cross throughout the day: "In all travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting the candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross". (Tertullian, De Corona, no. 30).  St. John Chrysostom (A.D. 347-407) exhorted God's people to turn constantly to the power of Christ found in the sign of the cross: "Never leave your house without making the sign of the cross.  It will be to you a staff, a weapon, an impregnable fortress.  Neither man nor demon will dare attack you, seeing you with such powerful armor.  Let this sign teach you that you are a soldier, ready to combat against the demons, and ready to fight for the crown of justice.  Are you ignorant of what the cross has done?  It has vanquished Satan, and destroyed sin, emptied hell, dethroned Satan, and restored the universe.  Would you then doubt its power?" (See Edward Sri, A biblical walk through the Mass, p 18).  The cross, that is, Jesus who died on the cross, is the sign of our salvation, he alone has power over sin, Satan, and death.  The sign of the cross lets everybody know that everything we will do in the next hour will be in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Where else do we have such a powerful sign?  When else do we come together as a sign of our oneness to praise God and to offer Him our life?  Actively participating at Mass gives us our human and Christian identity and dignity.  Mass also sets the standard for everything else that we will do in the week ahead, so that all that we do, we do in His name; it gives us direction and purpose, we are inspired by the Holy Spirit, we walk with Jesus, who we entrust our lives, because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we are obliged to go out and spread the Good News of Jesus to all we meet even as we are learning more each day about our Lord.

See, Mass is truly inspiring, and we are just getting started.  Next time we will look into the official greeting at Mass.

Fr. Kyle

A Walk Through the Mass - The Richness and the Changes

Step 1 - Step Into Church - Going to church or even thinking about going to church should make our hearts jump for joy.  Why?  Why you ask?  "I don't even like going to church."  That is the attitude of some....and believe me it’s all ATTITUDE, not much others can do about that until that person falls deep enough in sin and away from God that they realize they can't live without Him...like the prodigal son in Luke 15.  But I digress. 

Each church is very special and that doesn't matter if it’s a small rural church or a large mega-sized church, each is unique with many powerful symbols.  Each church took a whole community of people laboring together, disputes were resolved and agreements were achieved, as to exactly how the church should look like, which is never a small accomplishment.  Certain things are required in all Catholic churches; a steeple and cross on top, a vestibule or gathering space, the nave of the church were the congregation will worship, a center aisle for all the processions to the sanctuary were the Word of God is proclaimed at an Ambo and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated at the altar, a large crucifix is always placed in the sanctuary to remind us of the price Jesus paid for our sins.  Beyond these necessary parts of the church, each church will have its own unique inspirations (stained glass windows, stations of the cross, statues of saints who never abandoned their faith, mmm ahhh mmmm, confessional area for the Sacrament of Reconciliation) that is meant to further help us realize that we are on Holy Ground, that we are in a Holy Place dedicated to God and where Jesus is present night and day and so illuminate within us a desire to worship.  Remember that the disciples recalled in John 2:17 after Jesus had thrown out all the money changers and those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves saying "Take these out of here and stop making my Father's house a marketplace," they recalled a Hebrew passage about Jesus in the Temple, "Zeal for my house shall consume you." (Psalm 69:9 and John 2:17)  This is why I originally said that thinking about going to church should make us want to leap for joy!   The Catholic Church is extremely important...it’s literally God's House!  What?  Come on, father, it’s just another building, but one in which we happen to worship together.   Not exactly, actually not even close!  In each Catholic Church resides the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus is in the HOUSE!  Jesus is present, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the tabernacle reserved for Him alone.  Literally, the church is God's house and how well we should take care of His House before we think about our own.  How we care for or neglect our local church says a lot about how much we care for or neglect God. 

So, now, as we step into church, I hope we all have a greater understanding and sense of awe.  Holy Water is provided at each entrance of the church to help us be mind filled of this.  As we enter the church, we tap our fingers into the Holy Water and make the sign of the cross over our bodies…head, abdomen, left shoulder, right shoulder....reminding each of us of our salvation in Jesus Christ through baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

See, again I feel better.  Next time we shall talk more about the sign of the cross, where it came from and why we, as Catholics, make the sign of the cross so often.

In Christ Jesus,

Fr. Kyle

A Walk Through the Mass - The Richness and the Changes

Before Step 1 - I hope to give a daily explanation of parts of the Mass in the following weeks which I hope will bring about a review for all, as well as a better understanding to the changes in words at Mass (All the actions are the same, just changes in wording have taken place for more precision).

The Eucharist at Mass is the "Source and Summit" of Christian life (Catechism of Catholic Church #1325).  Our unity is best observed and strengthened when we are united in prayer.  Mass is even more than this!  To attend Mass is:  to observe the commandment, "Keep Holy the Sabbath", to enter into communion with Christ and neighbor, to be humbled before God, to enter into the sacrifice of Christ, to bless and be blessed by God, to listen to the Word of God, to be challenged for the week ahead by the ordained minister of God in his homily, who has given his life over to Christ in a visible sacrificial way in order to serve others as Christ has served him, to pray for all the needs of the community and of the universal church, to be reinforced and strengthened in our faith, to look upon and be a part of the greatest of miracles in our life as the bread and wine is truly changed into the body and blood of Christ, to receive Jesus in the Eucharist if we are in full communion of the Church, or to receive Jesus in a true spiritual form in our hearts if we cannot receive communion, to be united in one mind and heart as did occur for the early disciples in ACTS 2:4, "And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them". WOW!!!  We live in a world today where husbands and wives are seldom of one heart and one mind and yet this is what occurred with the early disciples of Christ and continues today at Mass, for where Christ is, man cannot be divided because there is no division in Christ for we are many parts but all one body. Think about that, yes I know we have differences of opinions, but when we follow our call to holiness and humility, then our opinions give way to what is truly important, loving God and loving our neighbor as ourself. Thus, this is precisely why husbands and wives NEED to go to church, bring their children and join together as one local parish family who joins the whole world of Catholics and other Christians. So, think again about there being no division in Christ, think about the human body for a moment.  If our body was divided against itself, even in the smallest of ways and even for a short time, we would find ourself racked with pain and suffering beyond belief and we would have no relief.  If, as St. Paul writes, in 12:21 "the eye can't say to the hand, 'I don't need you'", then we can't either if we want a true body of Christ on either that is functional, alive, vibrant, healthy, growing and not mangled or suffocating because of division. Yet, this where we seem to be today half the time, racked with unnecessary pain and suffering due to pride and arrogance and then even deeper internal suffering of the soul due to our insidious welcome mat to sin of every sort under the sun. Yes, knowing that we are all sinners, we need a weekly cleansing from our sins, a shower in Christ's blood, shed on the cross and made present in the Eucharist to wash us clean of the smaller venial sins and an occasional super soaker of a shower in the confessional under the Sacrament of Reconciliation to welcome, in humility, a cleansing from those graver, more serious and even mortal sins we have committed against God.  In my opinion, having seen firsthand the destructive powers of sin (and Satan) which has destroyed the lives of so many individuals, it seems to me that there is indisputable evidence that attending Mass every Sunday is an undeniably necessity to be able to:  grow in the image and likeness of God, break from the powers of sin and Satan, grow in faith, hope and love, grow in humility, grow in relationship with Christ and His bride, the Church, grow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit; in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord, grow in the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity.

In short, Jesus never said we are our own boss or that we can do as we please, rather he pointed us to himself, he pointed us to the Last Supper and said "Do this in memory of me", he pointed us to his suffering, death and resurrection, he pointed us to his Bride, the Church and he put Peter and his successors in charge of it saying that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it", and through the guidance of his Catholic Church, Jesus points us to the way of holiness and eternal salvation. Knowing all this, I truly don't want to miss Mass, EVER!  I want to be one with Jesus and that summit of life that happens at Mass, with his people, in His Word, through the priest that presides the Mass, and in the Eucharist!

Okay, I already feel better!  Let's start talking about the various parts of the Mass tomorrow.

In Christ,
Fr. Kyle

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FOUR STEPS TO CHRISTIAN MATURITY AND FREEDOM

 
Four Steps to Christian Maturity
 
Have you ever wondered why those who have just joined the Catholic Church are excited about their faith, are filled with the Spirit, and ready to spread the Word of God?  Sometimes we may say to ourselves, “Wow, I wish I had that kind of zeal!”, yet on other occasions we may say under our breath, “Whatever.  In a few months I hope it wears out.”  I hope we lean toward a desire for the good of another and not toward jealousy or envy because someone has been powerfully blessed.
​I propose to you that there are four clear steps needed for any Christian, male or female, to grow in maturity of their faith and reliance on God. From all that I have read on the live of the saints they have all gone through these four steps that I will outline.  Furthermore, it would be most advantageous for teenagers and the college aged to know that these steps are a prerequisite for a lifetime of spiritual growth in order to make good adult decisions.  These four steps, which are progressively more difficult, will also prepare young people as they consider their career, or court the idea of marriage or the religious life.  Let’s see these four steps and challenges that Jesus presents to Peter in Luke 5:1-11.
​The first step to Christian maturity is to recognize that God is with us at all times, that Jesus has chosen to step into the boat that is our life.  We see that Jesus was already preaching to the crowds when he chose to get into the boat that belonged to Simon Peter who was minding his own business.  This may remind us of the passage from John 15:16, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.”  So, when did Jesus decide to step into your life?  When you were baptized! That’s the day that Jesus most assuredly came into your life, cleansed you from your sins, and opened up the channel to life in the Holy Spirit by a new birth to live a holy life, gave you a mission in life that is irrevocable, incorporated you into the Christian community of faith centered on Christ in the Eucharist, raised you in dignity through his grace, and welcomed you to a place of honor where you shall never be shamed but always treasured.  The first sign of Christian maturity is to “put on Christ”, to embrace Christ, and to be grateful each day that Jesus is in our boat to help us along each day.  Therefore, acknowledge Christ as your Lord and Savior and embrace the gift of your baptism!  If our sons and daughters are not doing this then their confusion and sins will continue to grow exponentially.
The second step of Christian maturity is to listen to the Word of God which parallels Jesus’ request to Peter as “he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.”  Jesus calls Peter to be attentive and to listen to the Word of God as he preached to the multitude.  Jesus was as gentle with Peter at this step as he is with us.  He did not ask too much from Peter, simply to row a short distance from the shore, something ordinary yet will forever change his life.  The Church throughout the centuries has been depicted in art as a boat of salvation.  Jesus calls us to come to step into our local church (boat) on Sunday, a rather simple task, where the Word of God is proclaimed and preached.  We are called to listen to the Word of God, to embrace the Word of God, to have a deeper prayer life and trust in the Lord, to delve into the teaching of Christ as expounded by the Church, and to reflect upon the preaching and the true events that take place at Mass and in the parish.  When we awaken to the true message of Jesus it is liken to the transfiguration when Peter says to Jesus, “It is good that we are here!”  When we look forward to attending and participating in Mass and the parish we are reaching the second level of Christian maturity.
The third level to Christian maturity is much more difficult. It involves personal risk and courage and all too few Catholics are willing to make this level but maybe it’s time to get there. The Gospel continues: “After he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing.”  To help others through small gestures of kindness does not take much risk, but to be willing to say that you are Catholic or Christian in public or to take a stand on a moral issue is to take a huge risk.  You can imagine how James and John probably sat on the shore and laughed at Peter as they watched him cast his nets with Jesus.  But then again, James and John hadn’t caught a thing all night either!  All too often we are embarrassed to share our faith, to respond to the call of Christ to do a particular task, or to take a Christian stand on a particular injustice or against a particular sin in our society.  Peter made the leap of faith, Jesus blessed him with so many gifts that he called over his friends, James and John, and they too began to believe that Jesus is the Christ.  Yes, this type of faith is contagious in all the right ways.  A community of faith like this would light the world on fire!  And this is exactly the faith of the early Church had and it is the same faith Jesus calls us to today, to be a light to the world.  As we reach this level of spiritual maturity we are willing, for example, to also straighten out our life by seeking counseling from an addiction or a troubled past, get our marriage right with the Church, teach our faith to others at work or in the classroom.  For young adults this might mean spending a year in programs like NET, the National Evangelization Team, or attend the diocese’s vocational awareness programs to learn more about their own mission in life to evangelize, teach, serve, and care for others.  Young women at this point may consider the possibility of being called to be a sister or a consecrated lay woman.  Young men may consider a calling from God to be a brother or priest.
The fourth and last step to spiritual maturity is to give our whole life over to Christ who perpetually loves us despite our fallen nature.  “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” … Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.”  St. Paul says it best in 2 Cor. 5:14 “the love of Christ compels us …So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away.”  When we are convinced that Jesus is the only way for our life and we become convicted in our faith, then we, like Peter and the apostles, have reached spiritual maturity while embracing the will of God for our life even though we will still struggle internally to be reformed and conformed in Christ, and even though externally we will be harshly treated and mocked at. Let us not forget all the saints who urge us on the path of Christ which they themselves also chose.
In summary these four steps to spiritual maturity are: Recognize Christ!  Listen to Christ! Proclaim Christ! Give your life to Christ! Then and only then can you reach your full potential as a Christian adult as Christ intends.  Most converts have gone through all four of these stages and hence their joy and excitement of being Catholic can seem over the top, as it should be for all of us.  Where do you see yourself? Let’s all strive to reach that next step as the love of Christ compels us!
 


 

Italian mystic who predicted fall of Mussolini beatified :: EWTN News

Italian mystic who predicted fall of Mussolini beatified :: EWTN News

LEARN WHAT"S WRONG WITH READING HOROSCOPES !!! FROM FR. KYLE :-)

Sept 07, 2011

Colosians 2:6 "As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ." - We need to seek to live by God's design, God's plan and not the plan of worldly people, or by superstitions, or be the blind following the blind. I often see people posting a daily horoscope. While this may seem innocent enough, the truth is that whosoever follows these horoscopes allow this be their guiding lamp, their god if you will, which is not God whatsoever but rather a false god that is blind to the truth, led by false prophets with personal financial gain in mind. Yes, those who get hooked on reading horoscopes are then more likely to drop by a palm reader or be open to tarot card readers which is black magic, an arm of Satan to draw us away from Christ and deeper into darkness with the belief that certain people have power to predict our future, guide us in decision making, and help us in financial gain. The religious sisters, brothers and priest of the Catholic Church pray a pray each Tuesday night that comes from 1 Peter 5:8 "Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him solid in your faith." Instead of trusting in a horoscope or some other advice for the day, open up the WORD, Sacred Scripture every day and read a passage out of the Bible, especially the New Testament about our salvation in Jesus Christ who redeems the baptized through his blood on the cross, his death, and his resurrection. A chapter a day keeps the devil away. Be on the winning side of life, life in Christ, because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. If we draw ourself to anything else, or anybody else, or even trust only ourself, then we are seriously misled and are prey to the devil's many traps of sin, confusion, unnecessary suffering, abuse, hopelessness, and the list goes on. Walk with Jesus and grow in the strength of God!

When Life's Got You Down, Whatcha Gonna Do?

First, let us set our eyes on Christ. God sends us hope in Psalm 27 "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living ... and The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear."  When you are down then it's time to recommit yourself to Christ Jesus who has the power to help us overcome even Satan, the power of darkness...listen to today's passage from Luke 4:34 -  "I know who you are"the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed ..." Let yourself be amazed by trusting in the power of Christ our Savior!

Second then, is to pray, pray as if it's the only good that you can do, pray for relief, pray for answers, pray for direction, pray for barriers to be knocked down, pray for grace, pray for forgiveness, pray for renewed strength to endure, pray that you may be renewed in your mind to conform to Christ and not fall into the seductions and temptations, sins and lies of this world, pray for others needs, pray that you may listen and follow the ways of the Lord and thus respect and defend the dignity of every person from the moment of conception to natural death, pray, pray, pray an hour a day.  Prayer is simply talking with God. Sometimes we talk and God listens, but since he is our Father then all the more we need to stop talking, mediate on God and listen to know what is on his mind, what is good, what is pleasing and what is perfect for us. Remember Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." AND "Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me." John 15:5-4 Now there is the heart of your problem!  Reading a Chapter a day in the Bible, reading slowly, reflecting and meditating on the mean of the words or putting yourself in the position of the various people in each scene is a great way to pray, as well as medidating on the mysteries of Christ's life through the Roasay or Divine Mercy Chaplet. Make prayer a habit, not a happenstance or just when you are in need.

Jesus is here to lift us up time and again.  Yet, if I remain in Him then I won't be down so much to begin with!  Do I need to remain in Him? Am I faithful to Christ? Has he not been faithful to me? What problem do I have that Christ can not handle?  One step at a time and God will deliver us from our torment. And when he does deliver us are we going to be thankful? How so? Gratitude is demonstrated with our atitude and actions. No, we are usually quickly forget His Help and soon enough we fall into another pit. No, the real pit and pity is that we lack appreciation of God who is all good, all powerful, all charitable, and thus we return to the pit he just pulled us out of. Your cries then, will not be heard because you have chosen to separate yourself from the Vine, which leaves you dying helplessly and hopelessly. Return to the Lord this time, then, and learn from Him how to handle life's difficulties with Him as your strength, the Church as your visible guide, your pastor and parish leaders as your support group.  Then your yoke will be easy and your burden light.  Now that's what I call a great plan !!! Get to it!  Fr. Kyle

Who Inspires Us? In Who's Tracks Do We Follow?

Ruth 1:16 - But Ruth said (to Naomi), "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God."

Ruth was a Moabite who had married one of the son's of Naomi, a faithful Jew unto God. Yes, how wonderful it is that good people can inspire others to change their ways and to follow a better path. In Today's world, however, we have millions of people inspired by people who themselves are not inspired by God, which leave the last condition of a society in worse condition than before. Its amazing to see how easily millions of people are fooled into believing this or that person from Hollywood, a sports icon, or a music celebrity has it all together, or how quickly people are to buy into this or that persons views about life which are far from godliness, fidelity, generosity, modesty, self-control, hope and charity. Soon enough people have no one that they can trust, they can be so hurt that the only way of self preservation seems to close out everyone which cause even more pain as God had created us to be in communion with others and himself. A few questions to ponder:

(1) Can you name some people in your life who have lived such godly lives that they truly are inspirational?

(2) Have you spoken with them and asked them why they have chosen to live an exceptional life in God?

(3) Which teachers were inspiring for you and why?

(4) Which sisters, brothers, or priests have inspired you and why?

(5) What do I need to change in my life to be more truly inspiring, that is, to be truly following the Lord of Divine Inspiration, Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

(6) Am I willing to encourage others (teens and young adults) to consider living inspirational lives in Christ by being a brother, sister, or priest, or for those marriage to live holier lives, or those single to follow Christ (the Way, the Truth, and the Life) and not the newest fade or celebrity?

Our Catholic Church is completely dependent on people giving their life to Christ. When we complain that our church does have much to offer, then I must beg the question; What are you doing to improve the church? St. Francis was 25 when he decided to re-inspire the church, but it was not him that was the inspiration but God himself who said to him, "Francis, rebuild my church which you see falling into ruin." And respire the church he did!!! All good things are possible in Christ who shall inspire mankind until the end of times.

God Is Calling Me! What Is My Mission?

Psalm 40 is rich with insight into our purpose in Life: "Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will." and "In the written scroll it is prescribed for me. To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!"

My mission and my delight, then, is to do the will of God. Well, Padre, how do I know the will of God? Or how can I trust that God has a will for me? First, we can be assured that God has a will for each of us. In the Old Testament we see that God not only wills Moses to be the person that He has chosen to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, God also had a will for each of the enslaved people in Egypt...TO BE FREE from enslavement...even more so, God wills that we BE FREE FROM ENSLAVEMENT TO SIN. In the Bible there are 1000's of examples of God's will for individuals and as a whole nation, and yet we should be able to cite 1000's of examples of God's will in our lives if we come together and share the Good News of God in our daily lives. Secondly, the will of God is not altogether unknown nor is it something only a few can reach while everyone else is left out. No, as this Psalm says..."your law is within my heart", that is, we can know the will of God by examining the good God has place in our heart, the knowledge of the Divine Law that He has placed in each heart that can not change, that always reveals the Truth about God, about Christ as the Son, about creation, about humanity, about sin, about grace, about love and the Holy Spirit. Yes, everyone has the equal opportunity to know the will of God, but few choose or even want to know the will of God because they are afraid of what God may ask of them, or they are afraid that God made them inferior to others and are afraid that it would shame them, and so many other reasons, but all such nonsense leaves us sitting in the dark while we strain to figure out the meaning of life on our own, without God's help. Ok, listen, God has the only flashlight, in fact its a Perpetual Beaming Light that yearns to Light up the world to bring us happiness and holiness, and bring all of humanity into One Body in Christ. Only God Himself and people who are striving to know God, those who have received free flashlights who's batteries are prayer and surrender unto God are servants of God who can help us in following the will of God. As they say, let go and let God! Be yourself, be the person God has created you to be. Yearn to do things God's way rather than your own way which leaves you crawling out of another pit in life. The will of God for your life certainly involves daily prayer and meditation, reading a chapter a day in the bible, spending time each day to speak with Jesus and to ask for his help and guidance, going to Church on Sunday and being an active member of the faith community to help others and to do things together to share in the ministry of Jesus Christ, and, I firmly believe, that we are all called to journey back home to our Mother Church, the one and only Church Jesus Christ founded, the Catholic Church (the Orthodox Church partially shares in this Apostolic faith though they have chosen to separate themselves (1056? AD) from being completely One, Holy, and Catholic.

How Can I Grow In My Faith?

"...great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." Matthew 15:21-28 - These are the words from Jesus to the Canaanite woman who's faith may very well have been greater than any of the apostles gathered around him. Jesus gives us a real insight into the blessings that are received for those who have faith and to those who's faith is great...a faith that is great enough for God to heal this woman's daughter from demonic possession. How strong is your faith? Does it waiver...is it good sometimes but often lacking trust, communion, and openness to the will of God? If God spoke to you at this very moment could he honestly say that your faith is GREAT? Me neither. I have great moments...even days and maybe a full week that my faith is strong, but then I struggle, the pressures of life seem too great and I begin to hesitate to do God's will, the burdens seem too great and I either begin to do things without consideration of God's will or I become lazy and excuses set in. Then the power of God I had experienced the previous week is gone...ughhh! I wonder why we are thrilled when we experience God's blessings in our lives (when we have great faith), but why we don't keep up our faith and communion with Christ in prayer to keep us joyful, holy, at peace, and following His will?

Certainly, many struggles we experience is for our benefit (read up on the trials and persecutions of Peter and Paul or the lives of the saints, now they had huge trails), they help us to persevere under trial of faith in Jesus and they help us to grow in faith, but I suspect the majority of most peoples struggles are due to lack of faith in God, a lack of allowing God to guide their life, a lack of trust in the Lord who created us from nothingness to be his good stewards in this world and to be a light to the world for nonbelievers and those indifferent to God. Let us listen to Jesus' words again and let us more completely comprehend God's love for us. Jesus said to the woman, "..great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." WOW! When we have GREAT faith, a faith that draws us closer to Christ as trials and tests plague us, this type of unwaivering faith God will find sweet, pleasing, and acceptable so that what we ask for shall be "done for you as you wish". Notice, though, that which she desired to be done was not for herself but for her daughter, for another person. Her unwaivering love for God and for the good of her daughter (may have been many years of trials) opened the way for the love that God has for this mother to be transmitted and received to loving and healing her daughter without the daughter ever having loved God back. This is the Good News of Jesus Christ. God's love is unconditional in the sense that he loves us, cares about us to death, even if we have never even considered loving him, even if we hate God. Remember what Jesus said from the cross as he was being crucified and underwent the most agonizing pain he still thought of others out of love for them...."Father forgive them for they do not know what they do."

Therefore, let us be more faithful to God. Pray daily to God that you may have greater faith, a greater will to follow Him come what may. Certainly, we will experience God's power and blessings in our lives like never before. If what you have been doing with a lack of faith is not working then maybe a sure commitment or even a stronger commitment to follow Christ is the path that will lead you to the life you desire and the life God had planned from the beginning. May you strive in prayer to trust in God that your faith may be great and your life a blessings for your own sake and for the sake of others!

HOW DID JESUS FEED 5000 PLUS?

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Mt 14:17 - Yes, Jesus first challenged his disciples to feed the 5000 themselves, but they could not, they only brought supplies for themselves. Jesus is the Son of God made man, he came down from heaven for this very purpose, to feed 5000, even 5 billion, he came to feed the world his Divine Word, the Word that will quench the thirst of all who are in spiritual anguish, the Word that alone will satisfy the spiritual hunger of man. Several early saints point out that the 5 loaves and 2 fish (an amount so little, but like the mustard seed placed in the right hands, planted and cultivated, will bear more food, protection, and comfort than imaginable) represent the five first books of the old testament, the only books considered Sacred Scripture at the time of Jesus, and the two fish represent the first and last of the prophets, those men who were found faithful to God in the most trying of times and who gave their life in order to feed the people the Word of God for those who would listen. Jesus had spent the whole day teaching and sharing the Divine Life with the multitude and none of them wanted to leave...imagine us going to Mass and being so inspired by the Word of God, the presence of God, that we don't want to leave. (that is one reason I became a priest!) So, as Jesus performs the miracle of feeding 5000 men plus women and children he has already nourished their souls with his Word throughout the day opening up sacred scripture to them, and now he will provide for the nourishment of their bodies as well in the miracle of multiplying the loaves and the fish. The disciples will gather 12 wicker baskets of leftovers as if Jesus is saying to the 12 apostles, "See I give each of you and your successors, enough food to feed the world to the end of times in the Eucharistic Feast at Mass which is my Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." My friend, come and spend time with Jesus each day, open up His Divine Word which is Divine milk and the New Testament which is the honey that nourishes the mind, soothes the soul, and brings sight to the blind. Come to Mass on Sundays not out of obligation, but out of an overwhelming response of love for God who first loved us and calls us to share in the Divine life of his Son in the Holy Eucharist as a community that is seeking everlasting life.

Fear not! Stand your ground!

Exodus 14: But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground,
and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today." - We too can be like the Israelites: We may have struggled for years, we may feel that we have been enslaved to a situation of the past, maybe our past actions have caught up to us and now we are paying the price. But God wills to intervene. We make a step or two with Him, but then we quickly begin to see the difficulties of walking with God and we look back and think, "Hey, our past wasn't so bad. I don't want to change!". Ahhh, yes, this is the moment that Moses spoke up. "Fear not! Stand your ground! Remember, you were in misery, you cried to the Lord, so now, your Lord is with you, Christ is here! Stand your ground! Your Victory is nearer than you think! Do not look back at your misery and think it your glory, this is a deception from Satan to keep you enslaved. Come, walk with me a bit further, the glory of God is closer than when we first began. True freedom is freedom from sin, freedom from a troubling past, freedom from Satan, freedom from attachments to the new craze that is here today and gone tomorrow. In Jesus is our Life, our Way, and the only truth that brings lasting peace and justice to us, our community, our nation and our world." FEAR NOT, I AM WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES - JESUS

Does Anything Good Come From Celibacy?

Vocation Awareness

          Other Christian denominations can’t understand it, Catholics are often bewildered by it, and yet celibacy remains as the norm for the priesthood and religious life.  In this article I hope to give you some positive benefits to the church for such a practice.      

          First, however, you need to know that celibacy has played a large role in the history of many of the great religions.  For other religions celibacy is most closely connected with asceticism which is a practice of self restraint from worldly desires to live a more peaceful, holy, and simple life.  Although celibacy has never been a norm for our older Jewish brothers, at the time of Christ, the Essene sect was a monastic community of Jewish men that practiced celibacy and ritual baptisms in order to remain in a purified state of holiness with God.  Today, both Jews and Christians alike are blessed with the scribes of Essene community who have left us with the oldest known Hebrew Scripture text as well as other writings such as their prayers, practices, rituals and culture.  Hinduism has always looked favorably upon celibacy because it helps bring a detachment from this world and is considered a means to bliss or enlightenment.  Mahatma Ghandi, who helped lead India to Independence in 1947 after a lifetime of peaceful demonstrations, was a Hindu who accepted the vow of celibacy in 1906 at the age of 37 even though he was married and had children.  Most recently in the headline news has been the scene of thousands of celibate Buddhist monks in Burma who have been leading the protest in the streets for better living conditions and freedoms toward democracy.  So if other cultures and religions can see the good of celibacy then why is our own culture so baffled by it?

          While I think that Americans can see the good of living an ascetic, simple life, the choice of a lifetime vow of celibacy just seems to go too far.  They would be right if there was no meaning to celibacy, but celibacy has been full of meaning throughout the Church’s history.  In speaking in the terms of celibacy Jesus said that some “have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of God” (Mt 19:12).  St. Paul, in reference to his own celibate state in life writes “Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am” (1 Cor. 7:7) and later he speaks in a rather humorous tone about the those who choose to marry, saying, “If you marry, however, you do not sin…but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life and I would like to spare you that.” (1 Cor. 7:28) Okay married people, admit it, marriage has its moments too!  Jesus chose a celibate life to be able to give himself over completely to the Father as a holy sacrifice and to devote himself completely to the salvation of mankind through his ministry.  So, celibacy, in our Christian tradition, really gains its value in Christ himself.  Meanwhile, many Church opponents want to see celibacy washed away with the next ocean tide.  But they are stuck in the narrow view that celibacy for the priesthood was mandated in the middle ages to protect the Church’s property and heritage, and that celibacy is therefore no longer needed.  This is very misleading because celibacy was embraced by Christ himself and was clearly a part of the Christian leadership since the beginning with leaders like St. Paul (the Council at Carthage in 390, for example, states that continence (no sexual activity) was embraced by the apostles and should therefore be the norm for all church leaders).  Should we not be elated that our Church has decided that its leadership, imitating Christ, must embrace vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience as the normal way to better assure a holy governance?  Many protestant pastors have told me that there is a lot to be valued by the Catholic Church’s position on this matter.

          As a priest I enjoy living in the Church’s requirement of celibacy for the priesthood and religious life.  It was a choice in life that I made.  I felt God calling me to the priesthood and I knew that our Lord always graces us with every blessing that we need in order to accomplish whatever he asks us to do.  The choice of celibacy has brought me great stability, freedom from the destructive forces of a hyper sexed culture, and a happiness of giving myself fully to Christ in service to his people.  People usually don’t know why they are attracted to their local priest, brother or sister, but somehow, by God’s grace, our free choice of celibacy helps us to connect on a deep spiritual life with people in their everyday struggles.  I view the celibate religious life as a great complement to the entire Christian community.  Since our natural state in life as we enter adulthood is the single life, parents should be supportive and even overjoyed when their son or daughter speaks about considering the religious life, remaining as they are, in order to imitate and more visible proclaim the salvation of Christ to the world.

Pray for Rain!

Pray for favorable weather, please! Plead to the Lord of heaven and earth to provide our land with much need rain. I've heard that in the past six months many areas of Texas that would normally have had 12 to 15 inches of rain have had less than 2. This is devasting to our farmers and ranchers, our families and communities. Mt 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you besides". Dare we compare our times to today's reading on Sodom and Gomorrah. Our society has locked God out of it's heart as it has no room or love for it's Creator, or for its Reedemer who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I wonder what is left when a society choses to remove its Creator from their mind or refuse to acknowledge Him...I think we are seeing the fruits of our wickedness. Pray too, we return wholeheartedly back to fidelity in Christ our Savior.