Our model in this life

 

I would like to talk today about someone I believe we are all attached to in one way or another and that is our Blessed Mother.

 We are living when technology is far beyond what we could ever imagine and it is developing more rapidly than many of us can keep up with.

 And we are also living in a time when so many of our liberties are in jeopardy, especially our religious freedoms. In a time when religious beliefs and foundations are being destroyed and even preached lacking clarity. Living in a world of division and hate.

 So, I talk to you today about our Blessed Mother. She is our hope in this rapidly changing and deteriorating world.

 She is the one who has the God given power to unite us, to bring us closer to her Son. To bring back that inner peace that can maintain clarity, guidance and direction. To bring God back into our hearts and lives

 Her faith is the pillar of strength that when we imitate her, becomes our strength as well. And that strength provides the stepping stones to receive all the other virtues of our Blessed Mother, that model of perfection.

 Mary remains and forever will remain our Mother, and like a wonderful mother she listens to our pleas and brings them and us to Jesus in our prayers.

 One is so at ease when near one’s mother.  With her everything becomes easier; the weary, the discouraged heart, those disturbed by storms in life find new hope and strength and continue on with this life with new wisdom and courage.

 Mary is our model, Mary is our guide, she is our support. And she comes to us when we call. She is love and our protection against the temptations and cruelties of this world.

 St. Bernard tells us, “if the winds of temptation arise, if you run into the reefs of trials, look to the star, call upon Mary.  In danger, sorrow, or perplexity, think of Mary, call upon Mary”.

 She has provided us with a very powerful tool, a weapon against the devil and the Satans of this world;  the rosary.

 We have a lot going on in the Church, in our country, and in the world. And for many, there are many challenges going on in our own families; division in the world, division in our families.

 It’s on October 7^th that we actually celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, but everyday is a day to say the rosary.

 There is the legend that Mary appeared to St. Dominic in a vision and with love instructed him to “preach the Rosary among the people as a cure to heresy and sin.

Preach and live the rosary mysteries every day, with our Lady by your side

When we meditate on the mysteries of the rosary, be part of the story. We can see a frightful virgin being asked by an angel to be the mother of Creation, in the form of a new born baby.

 We can imagine sitting and praying in the Upper Room where Jesus had gathered with his disciples on the eve before his death, where he blessed ordinary bread in wine and changed it into himself.

We can be in the story of this now grown man, being handed His heavy Cross, the beatings His body absorbed for us.

Or placing ourselves in the garden where the risen Lord had made himself known to Mary Magdalen and his apostles after his resurrection.

We can even reflect on the many conversations the apostles had with Mary after his ascension to heaven. And how they changed with tongues of fire, the tongues of courage.

Yes, today, we need to relive those moments because they hold the hope of the future which the devil wants us to avoid. We must rely on God’s plan, not the plan of the world.

So, let us go to the Upper room frequently to pray in the company of Mary and the disciples. Experience the power in the rosary, the weapon of choice.

Pray to Mary, ask her to be by your side, and fill you with all of the joyous and glorious hope that’s coming in God’s new world.

I'm giving up liver for lent

 

Well, it has arrived! Although, some may still have outside Christmas decorations up around the house, Lent has arrived.

For the next forty days we find ourselves doing whatever we can to bring us to the Cross on Good Friday.

 And we call it our Lenten Journey, our journey with Jesus to Calvary.

 Every person’s journey is different, but yet, every person’s journey is weighed by Jesus. He knows the weight of our offerings in relation to what He did for you and for me.

 And yet no one can come close to that love and appreciation of laying down one’s life for one’s friends.

 So, the Church offers us some means to reciprocate, by fasting, abstaining from meats, praying, adoration and even suggests other forms of sacrifice. And, of course, some things we are obligated to do, while others, we are encouraged to do.

 In the true sense, fasting means abstaining from all food and all drink, but in reality, by the Church’s definition, fasting means going on a disciplined diet.

 I say disciplined because we find out who is in control, you or the aroma of our favorite foods permeating the room at the wrong time.

 Disciplined because to show we are in control we suppress the urge to eat with prayer. Fasting, in the right sense, should bring us much closer to God.

“When you fast”, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew, “do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.

I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”.

 So, why do we even have a Lent? Why do we need forty days to do some form of repentance?  Because we owe it to God. It is a renewal, a reminder of what Jesus did for us and a short period of time to go beyond our means of saying thank you. And it is truly a way of saying, I am sorry.

 He has given us so much, including our life.  So Lent is a time and a means to offer an acceptable sacrifice on our part to prove our love for Him.  

 Hanging and dying on that Cross of shame, we could once again be united with Him.

 Jesus told us to look like we were not fasting, not to show our hunger pain. We must tell ourselves for the next forty days, that “Lent is not about me but Lent is always about Jesus and his sacrificial love for me alone.

 Yes, we have sinned, but we cannot focus so much on our past sins that it brings us fear of rejection.

 We must approach these forty days with sorrow but at the same time with a sincere desire to develop a truly intimate relationship with Jesus.  Jesus calls us “friends”, not enemies.

 The deeper the relationship with Jesus, the less prone we will be to hurt that friendship. Sin pulls us away from the one who will save us.

 It isn’t the meat or the candy or the desserts that we give up for lent that matters; it’s the human heart.  By the way, the number one item given up every lent is chocolate.

 We can give up all these things, but know why you are putting yourself through these disciplines. Don’t do it strictly out of the obligation but as an opportunity to appreciate more intensely what Christ has done for us.

 When you feel that hunger pain, twenty minutes or three hours after you ate, remember the Cross. When you desire to sit down and look at TV, remember the nails penetrating the flesh. In all these things, remember God loves you! 

 That’s why it is important to offer a sacrifice that hurts, or one that we really miss, or strengthening a weakness, otherwise it will have no impact on the alternative, which is prayer for the love of Jesus.

 For some of us it could be worse. Just think if the Church obligated us to replace our usual daily consumption of regular meat with liver, and our vegetables with beets or lima beans. And every breakfast must be three slices of scrapple.

 For some that could be a sacrifice of a lifetime. For others, that could be a treat. But I don’t believe that will ever happen.

 St. Paul tells us “Whatever you do, whatever you eat or drink do for the glory of God” And to that we can add, whatever you sacrifice, sacrifice for the glory of God, who loves you.

How to fill your heart with joy

 

Over the years I have been involved in many ministries that have been spiritually rewarding for me. Two, in particular are ministering to the elderly in nursing homes and ministering to those in prison.

I’d like to share a beautiful story about the blessings I received from visiting those in prison.

 My first experience inside a prison frightened me to death. And it continued to so even for quite some time. As soon as I heard, and felt those huge iron doors slam close behind me, I was intimidated. But I never let it known.

 But as I look back, there were so many wonderful heartfelt stories that made every visit for me a gift from God, as I knew God was there among us, and in the heart of each prisoner in that room. Those I ministered to wanted God desperately.

I remember George, a prisoner, who for eight months sat in the back of the room when I conducted a Communion Service at that prison. Always with his head down, staring at the floor.

 When it was time to receive the Blessed Sacrament, he would remain in his seat with his chin on his chest, shaking his head from side to side reflecting on where he went wrong.

The other inmates in that room were compassionate and told me they knew George was hurting deep inside.

One Wednesday, a priest came to hear confessions prior to the Communion Service and George hurried in first.  A transformation was evident for immediately after his confession George sat in the front row, not in his customary back seat in the room.

Yes, there was a change in George, a beautiful change. When it came time to receive the Blessed Sacrament, George came up first and there were tears in his eyes as he received our Lord for the first time in eight months.

But he walked to his regular seat in the back and, like a child knowing he is loved by the Father, allowed the tears to flow. “Jesus”, he said, “stay with me”. The other inmates bowed their heads and were filling up as well.

The prison ministry, like any other ministry, has its own rewards, and I have come to realize that through our hands, our words, our shoulder, we are placing Jesus right there in the middle. “Where two or three gather in my name I am with you”.

 There is without a doubt, that inner peace in the joy of serving God through others. I’m sure anyone who does so, can relate and hold deep in their hearts some cherished memories.

 Yes, I was frightened to death on my first visit to the prison and not everyone would be comfortable in that environment. But, there are many other ways we can still help those in prison, or feel like they are in a prison.

 I like to think that every visit I make, whether it be to a nursing home, a prison, a hospital or to a home bound person, there is another George to be found, who will fill my heart with joy.

What is a devout Catholic

 

“Those who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel” (1Cor 9:14). And who is it that preaches the Gospel. There are those who preach by word, and must live by those words, while others preach from their heart, by their actions and how they live their lives.

 A devout Christian, a devout Catholic believes in every word, on every page in every Book of the bible and is not ashamed of those words. Those words become a person’s character, their principles and values and they let no one tell them differently.

 They truly know Jesus and defend Him wherever they may be, keeping deep in their heart every commandment written in Scripture. It is this very devout person who speaks up for their beliefs, for they believe in every word Jesus has spoken.

 And Jesus said life is so precious, “I have come so you may have life and have it more abundantly”. It is the devout Christian, the devout Catholic who defends that very life, because it is a commandment from God Himself.

 What happens when a person, calling themselves devout, promotes, sponsors, prioritizes, or even approves in the murder of unborn Children, breaking the very commandment of “Thou shall not kill”?

 John in 1jn 2:4 has a word for them. “If anyone says, I know Him, but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him”.

 We pray, dear Lord that you change the minds of the stubborn, the weak of faith, the callous, the liars and save our children from murder. Amen

 

Love and forgiveness

 

Two words that are stressed in almost every Book of the bible, that if followed, can lead us to eternal happiness, are difficult to put into play. Two words that are powerful, words that when become a part of our lives can be world changers.

 Yes, it takes courage, persistence and and the help of Almighty God to live out these two words. Love and Forgiveness!

 There is a beautiful Gospel reading about how many times we must forgive, regardless of the hurt.  As a matter of fact, it is so powerful for us to be able to forgive that Jesus tells us in the prayer that he taught us, the Our Father. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. If we don’t forgive, we are not forgiven, and to find our place in heaven we must be forgiven.

 Love is the glue that binds forgiveness. Or is it forgiveness that stirs up God’s love in our soul and radiates that love to our neighbor. Today we celebrate the feast of St. Theresa, the Little Flower, a saint, a Doctor of the Church, who was both love and forgiveness personified.

 Her words are so beautiful, so heartwarming, so full of truth and wisdom. “Love” she says, “I will be love and thus I will be love to all things”.

 

Love and Forgiveness! Two words that could change the world. Maybe not in our time, but if we were to set our minds on practicing these two beautiful words, then maybe we truly could say, someday the world will be a better place. With love and forgiveness the world could be heaven on earth

 

 

The story of Tinsel

 

Most of us at sometime or another have decorated a green pine tree for Christmas, with lights, a star at the top and hanging ornaments on the branches. And some still put tinsel which look so much like icicles

There is a story about the origin of tinsel.

This tradition is about the tale of the Christmas spider, which led to the reason for tinsel at Christmas.

The story is that a woman immaculately cleaned her house for Christmas. All the house spiders were swept to the corners of the house with nowhere to go. And the woman put up her bare tree with on decorations

The spiders learned there was a beautiful Christmas tree in the room and wanted to take a closer look. The spiders saw it, loved it so much, and danced all over it. All the spiders left their webs behind, covering the whole tree.

Then the Baby Jesus saw the beautiful webs and miraculously transformed them into silver and gold tinsel so the woman who worked so hard to clean her house would be filled with joy

In honor of that story or tale, people hang tinsel of silver and gold on their Christmas trees. Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but we do know that every decoration we hang, every Christmas carol we sing, every candy cane we give away, should lead us to that stable where we find the our new born Savior.

Make this Christmas a truly "Merry Christmas, but most importantly a Blessed Christmas" by giving Jesus, a heart that gives and prays for all those who don’t have what you have.

And to all a Merry Christmas

 

The Invitation

 

Three words that, for me, can sum up the season of advent. Invite, prepare and celebrate. Most of us are very familiar with the preparation aspect of Advent.

 Preparing for what is to come. Preparing for His arrival, or His birthday party, or His second coming, or maybe most importantly, preparing for our own personal meeting with our Lord.

 But there is also an invitation sent by God to all us. We are like those shepherds in the fields on Christmas morning, and the angel appears and announces to us the good news.

 The Messiah, our Lord and Savior has been born, then inviting them to go and welcome the one lying in a manger.

 And the shepherds, in all their excitement, responded and said yes to the glorious invitation, and found the new born Infant with Mary and Joseph. They celebrated in amazement and told all the world.

 It all begins with the invitation.  And Jesus with all his love for us gives us so many invitations throughout Scripture. “Come to me and rest awhile, those who labor.

 “Follow me”, he tells his us and “take up your cross”. It is those who follow him he rewards with the gift of eternal life. He has invited us all to His banquet table, and to those who are prepared, to a feast fit for a king. And to a meal especially prepared by himself.  

 We are all familiar with invitations in everyday life. They may be in the form of requests, appeals, or even demands. But what we may not be aware of are the many invitations from God himself, whispering to us, wanting to be with us, and inviting us to be with him.  

 To Zacchaeus, high up in a sycamore tree, Jesus, said, “Zacchaeus, come down, I want to dine with you”, if you will have me as your guest.

 Most invitations usually require some type of a response, an RSVP.  We either go or we don’t go, we’ll do it or we won’t do it. Yes or no.

 We have all heard the story of Peter, walking on water. Peter, who is not simply the leader of the apostles, but one who best represents every man and woman who ever lived. He is us

 As the story goes, on that day in the boat, the wind is tremendous, and the sudden and violent storm had the disciples struggling to stay afloat.  They were scared for their life.  

 And things get worse. They could see a figure approaching them, walking on the water.  People don’t walk on water, if not a person, then it must be a ghost and they cried out in absolute fear. And in this outburst, they hear a voice coming from the figure approaching them, “Do not be afraid, it is I. 

 As in life, Jesus does not leave us in hopeless terror, but speaks encouraging words in a recognizable voice, if only we would listen to his invitation. “It is I, do not be afraid”, “I am with you”.

 Peter with courage and trusts responds and says, “If it is you Lord, command me to come”.  The RSVP

 Yes, he walked on water. But, even when his faith faltered and he began to sink, it was still to Jesus that he cried out for help, “Lord save me”.

The wonderful thing about Peter is that every time he fell, he rose again; and that even his failures brought him closer and closer to Jesus. 

 Every time we call on Jesus, he is already coming toward us. Every time we invite Jesus to our crisis, we are actually RSVPing to his prior invitation

 Day after day we are confronted with situations that put our faith in Jesus to the test. The current circumstances in the world and in the Church may cause us to be depressed, or at least bewildered.

 At times like these our faith may falter; we can doubt that God cares for us. We may even shout, “Where are you God, have you forgotten me”. 

Yet, it is these very moments, these very situations that our faith can be strengthened by calling out to Jesus.

 Jesus is our strength. Even though we may not recognize Him, he is there in the midst of our chaos; there when we need him most – in the storms of our lives.

 Jesus has sent you an invitation, every morning you wake up is an invitation to prepare a place in your heart for him.  This very day he whispers to you these beautiful words, “It is I, do not be afraid”.

 In your very hands is His invitation, it says “come and follow me”. Take a moment today and RSVP Jesus in a prayer.  Let Him know you’re coming. Let Him know you want to join him in his celebration.