Sunday's Readings Help Us Get the Right Ideas about Our Lord and Suffering

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Jairus’ Daughter, Miracles and the Enlightenment

God hates death and destroys it every chance he gets

This Sunday's readings help us get the right ideas about Our Lord and suffering.

It’s easy to get the wrong idea about God and suffering. This Sunday, the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, serves to correct our mistaken impression.

We look at the command to “Take up your cross each day and follow me,” and we think God likes it when we suffer. We look at the crucifix and think that God embraced death in general, and not just his own.

He doesn’t and he didn’t.

Jesus showed the family of a dead little girl what he thought of suffering and death.

In Sunday’s Gospel, a synagogue official named Jairus falls at the feet of Jesus and begs for his dying daughter’s life.

Jesus could cure his daughter with a word, but instead he walks to his house, and the Gospel shares lots of details – a crowd presses on him, he comes to a house surrounded by scoffers, and he takes the girl’s parents and a select few inside.

“Talitha koum,” he says — “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” And the 12-year-old does exactly that.

The mother and father must have rejoiced — but not as much as God did.

Sunday’s first reading is a remarkable summing up of what God thinks of death.

“God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living,” the book of Wisdom says. “For God formed man to be imperishable; in the image of his own nature he made him.”

God rejoices in each of his children, the way any good parent does. We can’t help but love the children made in our image. God can’t help but love us, either. 

He made us all to live forever, and hates it when any of us dies.

Death is unwelcome on earth. God didn’t intend it.

Also like any good parent, God knows the importance of giving his children freedom — real love requires choice — but he is sad, like us, when his children choose to drift away from him.

It is through this freedom that “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.”

When Adam and Eve believed the devil’s lie and decided to follow his advice rather than God’s commandment, they became part of his company and conformed to his image instead of God’s. They chose the way of death — physical death and spiritual death.

You probably don’t think of the 10 Commandments like this! Check out the pope’s amazing insight

Jesus wept twice in the Gospels — once at the physical death of his friend Lazarus, and once at the spiritual death of Jerusalem, which had not recognized its savior.

When we sin we make the same choice as Adam and Eve, with the same consequence — and the same sadness on God’s part.

Jesus didn’t embrace suffering and death because he liked it. He embraced it because he loves us.

Which brings us back to the cross. Jesus came to die not because he wanted to, but because it was the only way to defeat death. Like a parent shielding a child in a burning house, he knew that the only way to protect us from death was to die in our place.

Parents do that in much less dramatic ways all the time, making sacrifices of all kinds for their children. So did God. Jesus, “though he was rich,” writes St. Paul in today’s second reading, “for your sake he became poor, so that by poverty you might become rich.”

We are all Jairus’s daughter — and we are all the woman with a hemorrhage.

So each of us is like Jairus’s daughter, waiting for life from its only source. Or perhaps we are like the woman he meets on the way to Jairus’ house.

Mark tells us that for 12 years she has “suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.”

This is each of us, suffering and seeking healing in all the wrong places, in the ideologies and pleasures and promises that the world makes.

Finally, like her, we reach out to Jesus, in desperation.

We each need to have that moment with Jesus, realizing at last that he did not make us to be wounded and hurting and desperate. He made us to live. And none of us — even the spiritually dead — are beyond his healing touch.

Deacon Tom's Homily for Thursday June 28th 2018

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By their fruits you will know them

While I was preparing for my homily today I came across a reflection that I found helpful to understand today’s readings. The reflection was by Blessed Columba Marmion, Abbot (1858-1923) He said that three spirits strive for mastery in every soul. There is the spirit of falsehood and blasphemy that, since the beginning, has always suggested the contrary to whatever God whispers in our ear. There is also the spirit of the world that inclines us to judge things according to our senses and lust of the flesh. But as St. Paul tells us, the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God[1].By their fruits you will know them

Then there is the Spirit of God that inspires us to lift our hearts above nature and to live by faith. This Spirit focuses us towards a loving faith and the abandonment of ourselves into the hands of God. It brings forth the fruits of which Saint Paul speaks: love, joy, peace, discipline, kindness, goodness and faithfulness, Our Lord spoke to us yesterday: “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?[2]” By your baptism and confirmation, the Holy Spirit is a living fountain in your soul. If you are faithful, the Holy Spirit will become your guide and will bear you along with him into the bosom of God.

Today’s passage from Second Kings is one key moment of the Babylonian captivity, portraying it as God’s punishment for the evil ways of Judah’s kings. A frequent figure of these ancient stories is a God who punishes through military defeat. But I don’t believe God punishes by violent enslavement to enemies. I believe God’s power saves and brings peace.

But we can be seized into captivity, however, as treasures of our spirits are looted. Something beautiful and valuable in us can be smashed, like Solomon’s golden vessels. We can be captive to resentments and addiction to self-righteousness.

Jesus' parables invite us to stake our lives on the coming of his kingdom or face the consequences of being unprepared when the day of testing and destruction will surely come. The significance of the parable for us is that we should examine ways to build our spiritual home on solid ground.

Doing the will of the Father means works of charity, of patience, of disinterested service. Real expressions of our faith demand that we give of ourselves. Real faith doesn't leave us feeling smug. Witnessing to our faith through our works is crucial. Faith in Christ means daily conversion, changing our lives in conformity to his will. Remember, Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven[3]".

Christ is the only rock that can save us. He can keep us from falsehood and spiritual disaster. A faith built only on feeling is weak and will soon collapse. But a faith fed with study, prayer and the sacraments and strengthened with obedience and good works will weather the storm. If we make the Lord Jesus and his word the rock and foundation of our lives, then nothing can shake us nor keep us from God's presence and protection.

Today and every day, make Jesus and his word the one sure foundation of your life.

[1] 1 Cor 3:19

[2] Matthew 7:16

[3] (Matthew 7:21)

Deacon Tom's Homily for Thursday, June 21st

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The Book of Sirach contains eulogies to some of Israel’s greatest heroes. Today the prophets Elijah and Elisha are praised for their passionate rhetoric and miraculous powers. Today might be a good day to ask ourselves who our heroes are.

Perhaps we greatly admire a parent, son, daughter, friend, co-worker or neighbor. Maybe it’s someone in the public arena: an athlete, entertainer, political leader, parishioner, historical figure or saint.

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Let’s consider today’s Saint, Aloysius Gonzaga. He was baptized in the womb, because his life was in danger, and he made a vow of chastity at the age of nine. When he was sixteen he joined the Society of Jesus and died at the age of twenty-three in 1591 because of his devoted nursing of the plague-stricken.

Why do we admire these individuals and what qualities do they possess that attract us? Is it merely fame, fortune or power, or is it something deeper like integrity, tenderness, courage or devotion to a worthy cause? Our heroes reflect who we are and the values we hold dear.

So, to what extent is Jesus our hero? Jesus was certainly no hero to the Pharisees. The religious leaders became intolerant of Jesus because of their prejudice. Jesus met this defiance with courage and determination to do his Father's will. He used the crisis to teach his disciples an important lesson for God's way to success and victory. The only way to glory in God's kingdom is through the cross of suffering and humiliation - which Jesus endured for our sake and for our salvation.

Jesus warns his disciples not to make prayer something mechanical and devoid of meaning. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray he gave them the disciple’s prayer, what we call The Lord’s Prayer. This prayer asks for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters. Prayer is in the relationship and not in the words. The Lord’s Prayer demands the boldness of faith each time it is prayed. Let’s meditate on the Our Father and see God’ truth, letting the teachings of St. Augustine help us find new life in a very familiar prayer.

“When we pray, hallowed be thy name, we are counseling ourselves to desire that his name, which is always holy, may be held holy among all people. That is, we are praying that his name not be treated with disdain or contempt.

“When we pray, thy kingdom come, which will certainly come whether we want it to or not, we can stir our desire for that kingdom. We can ask that it may come for us personally, and that when it comes we will be worthy to reign with God in his kingdom.

“When we pray, give us this day our daily bread, we mean this present moment. Bread can signify whatever will be sufficient for us to live today, but it can also refer to the sacrament of the Eucharist, which is our spiritual food here and now.

“When we pray, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, we are advising ourselves both as to what we should ask for, and what we should do to be worthy to receive it.

“When we pray, lead us not into temptation, we are encouraging ourselves to look to God for his help so that we don’t find ourselves left to our own inadequate defenses. How easy it is to give in to temptation through self-deception or self-pity!

“Finally, when we pray, deliver us from evil, we can bring ourselves to reflect on the fact that we are not yet in that blessed condition where we will be free of all evil.

Today, pray the Lord’s Prayer, and use it to examine your life and your actions. Ask the Lord to free your heart of any anger, resentment, selfishness or coldness towards others. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with the fire of his burning love and compassion and with the river of his overflowing mercy and kindness.

This truth can change the way we regard and treat one another.

Lift Your Voices for Justice; Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

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For Sunday, June 24, 2018

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80

Although they are few in number, there are a handful of select feasts that may be celebrated on the Sundays of Ordinary Time. Among these is this Sunday’s celebration of the birth of St. John the Baptist. One of only three birthdays celebrated during the course of the Church Year (the other two being the birth of Jesus on December 25 and the birth of Mary on September 8), this particular celebration dates back to the 4th century. The feast date of June 24 is based on Luke 1:36, which places the birth of St. John six months before the birth of Jesus.

In time, as devotion to John the Baptist spread and he became more popular, this feast came to be considered one of the most important liturgical celebrations of the year. In fact, it was so highly regarded, that the day before the feast was considered a day of fasting. In some countries, especially in Spain and Latin America, it is kept as a holy day of obligation. In the most recent reforms of the Roman Missal, a special Vigil Mass for the feast was reintroduced and should be celebrated on the evening of June 23.

As someone who loves the history of the Church’s liturgy, I find the stories of how feast days and seasons evolved to be an important part of the story of how our faith has grown through the centuries. But there is more to this feast than just a history lesson. The importance of this celebration lies in the figure of John the Baptist himself and in his role as a prophet, bridging the promises of the Old Testament with the fulfillment of those promises in Jesus.

This idea of fulfillment pervades the readings and prayers for this celebration. Reflecting on this theme, Henri Nouwen wrote:

“It is this full time about which Scripture speaks. All the great events of the Gospels occur in the fullness of time. A literal translation from the Greek shows this clearly: When the time for Elizabeth had become full she bore her son John (Luke 1:57).” (from “Eternal Seasons”)

The life and message of John the Baptist remind us that God keeps his promises. In his own life, John proclaimed the One promised by God — the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29) — reminding the people that what had been promised to their ancestors was fulfilled in God’s own good time. And this invites us to reflect on the ways that we take God’s promises to heart in our time. As liturgical scholar Enzo Lodi has observed:

“From all those born of women, God chose John to prepare the way of the Lord. He was indeed more than a prophet because he not only preached repentance and conversion, but he actually pointed to Christ present in the midst of mankind.” (from “Saints of the Roman Calendar”)

As we confront the realities of suffering, injustice, exploitation, marginalization, and disintegration that fill our news broadcasts and social media feeds, the message of John the Baptist reminds us that God is at work, even now, bringing the promises of the Beatitudes to fulfillment in our time. What Jesus promised to those who are meek, to those who mourn, to those who suffer for the sake of righteousness, and so on are not promises for some far-away heaven. They are the blessings of the reign of God which is present, here and now (cf. Luke 17:21).

John also reminds each of us that we are called to be prophets, pointing out the presence of the Holy One in our own communities, parishes, and families. His clarion call broke through the noise, political unrest, and violence that typified life under Roman rule in 1st century Palestine, helping people recognize the presence of Emmanuel, “God with us.” The invitation for us is to lift our voices, to join in the prophets’ calls for justice and peace, and to help a war-weary world recognize the presence and promise of the Prince of Peace.

St. John the Baptist, pray for the prophets among us and help us to proclaim the Good News of God’s promises in every aspect of our lives.

Br. Silas Henderson, S.D.S.

Deacon Tom's Homily for Sunday, June 17th 2018

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Have you ever felt small or felt your ideas and actions really did not amount to anything? I know I have. One of the beautiful things about the kingdom of God is that God can work with the smallest of things to build them into the biggest.

We can see that today beginning with our reading in Ezekiel. Here God is working with something very small that is going to grow into something very big. God says: “I will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar tree and plant it on the mountain heights of Israel. There it will bring forth branches, bear fruit and become a noble cedar. And under this cedar will dwell all kinds of birds (meaning people) in its shade”. Who could have predicted that tiny sprig would grow into the tree on the hill of Calvary, and that the fruit would be salvation?

So, the Church combined that text with Mark’s Gospel where Jesus talks about how the Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all seeds. Yet when it’s sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches so that all the birds of the air (again people) can fine shade.

Both scripture passages are wonderful texts to meditate on, particularly if you have a family. If you have children in school have you ever wondered how they are going to turn out? Are they going to grow up and really serve the Lord? I believe we sometimes fail to see that the Lord can do something so magnificent with even the smallest of seeds.

Consider the first three hundred years after Christ. As far as the world was concerned, Jesus and his first followers were looked down upon, even by the people of Jerusalem, not to mention their Roman overlords. And the number of actual disciples was insignificant. While large crowds were attracted by the cures and free loaves of Jesus’ public ministry, there were only 120 gathered in the upper room on Pentecost morning. So, what explains the growth?

There were many factors but one of them illustrates the parable of the mustard seed. The local Christian communities were families of an extraordinary kind. In a society where women were disrespected, women were honored and protected. In a society where unwanted infants were often abandoned, the Christian community celebrated children. In ancient cities where most occupants were uprooted from their families and communities, the Christian community welcomed strangers.

When Julian, one of Constantine’s relatives, became emperor, he promptly renounced Christianity and tried to bring back old-time pagan religion. But he realized that the empty rituals of ancient paganism rang hollow in the face of Christian compassion, and so urged his pagan priests to try to imitate it. “These Galileans,” he complained, “are not only taking care of their own poor but are taking care of ours!”

Christians were not simply supplying handouts – they were opening their lives, their hearts and their homes. They had formed a new family where everyone together said, “Our Father.” Everyone was forgiven and forgiving, and all were loved. Those who found shelter often accepted Jesus as Lord and became part of this family that offered shelter to others.

Each of us knows that the foundation of our faith is charity. We will never be truly Catholic unless we conform our lives to the two commandments that are the essence of our Catholic faith: to love the Lord, our God, with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves."

So, have you been watching the World Cup? Bishop Jacques Blaquart, who heads the ancient Diocese of Orléans, which lies 70 miles southwest of Paris, had this to say: “Parallels can be drawn between being a Bishop and a player; the team spirit, the gift of self. What I learned from football serves me today. Everyone must give his best for the good of the group. You have to ‘give it your all,’ as they say. You succeed only if you are in communion with one another. If everyone on a team is individualistic, that doesn’t work”.

So, if our parish and our families are seeing more slip away than are being drawn, we need to ask whether we radiate the unity, forgiveness, peace and joy that are hallmarks of the Kingdom . When people walk into our parish, do they feel welcome? Does our parish appear to outsiders as loving families where members know and care about one another?

The good news is that the Holy Spirit is ever ready to make the Kingdom of God break out anew, if we are ready to give it our all to Christ and say with conviction “thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done!” Look at the fruit that has come out of our youth and adults who have gone on mission trips to Mexico and Belize, Lifeteen retreats, and ACTS retreats. We are all called to participate in the great mission of his Church. Do we realize and relish how great it is to be a Catholic, how much good the Church does and how we are called to be a link that will bring others to experience the same goodness we have experienced?

And we should not get anxious when we do not progress in the spiritual life as fast as we would like. We cannot be worried about the size of our effort if we but make that effort. He wants to involve us, through freedom, intelligence, and creativity, in what he is doing. And so, he plants seeds, and he wants us to cultivate them. The life of our relationship with Christ does not depend solely on us, but on him. We are like good farmers who make sure the conditions are good for the seed to grow, but it is our God who makes the growth happen. Often, we do not perceive the work of God in our souls until much time has passed. However, he is constantly there, pulling out our weeds one at a time, and pushing our virtues to the surface.

 I want to encourage you this week whether it’s your own children, your family, your marriage, your work or whether it’s a ministry within our Parish that you desire to start or to be a part of, don’t be afraid of small beginnings. Our God takes those small beginnings and if you participate with him, it can grow into something wonderful. Let God use the gifts that he has given each one of us and do something amazing with it.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the Fathers on Father’s Day. Dads, stick by your children’s side, teach them, guide them and love them. Have the grace to be close to your wife and your children, and let them grow in wisdom, age and grace. Read the Bible with them and believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach. Let’s pray that Catholic dads live their faith boldly and share that faith by means of a strong, heart-to-heart connection with their wife and children.

What is the difference between Elijah and Elisha?

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These Old Testament prophets are frequently confused with each other.

There are many names of important figures in the Old Testament, and often they can be confusing. For example, in the Book of Kings there are two prophets who have a very similar name.

In most modern English translations they are called Elijah and Elisha, while older translations may refer to them as Elias and Eliseus. Either way, sometimes it can be hard to know who they are and what separates them from each other.

Here is a very brief rundown of who they were and specific stories that help put them into context.

Elijah

The prophet Elijah is first found in 1 Kings 17 and was God’s messenger to the kings of Israel, specifically, Ahab, Ahaziah and Joram. He is well known for reviving a widow’s son who had died (1 Kings 17:17-24), and for challenging the priests of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:20-40).

He was a man devoted to prayer and heard the voice of God on Mount Horeb in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:9-14). When the time of his life ended on earth, he was seen taken up to Heaven “in a whirlwind” and passed on his ministry to Elisha (2 Kings 2:1).

Elisha

The successor to Elijah, the prophet Elisha is first mentioned in 1 Kings 19:16. He becomes a disciple of Elijah after he is seen plowing and Elijah places his mantle on him (1 Kings 19:19). Elisha leaves everything to follow Elijah and learn how to be like him. Elisha was the messenger of God during the reigns of Jehu, Jehoahaz and Jehoash in Israel.

After Elijah was taken up to Heaven, Elisha received a “double portion” of his spirit (2 Kings 2:9). This led to Elisha performing twice as many miracles as Elijah. One of his first miracles was taking the mantle of Elijah and striking the water, making it part in two (2 Kings 2:14). Many of his miracles were similar to what Elijah performed, including the miraculous multiplication of a widow’s jar of oil (2 Kings 4:1-7). When he died, a man was cast into his grave and was miraculously revived after touching the bones of Elisha (2 Kings 13:21).

US Bishops oppose immigration policy changes

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During the current spring meeting of the Catholics Bishops of the United States in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Bishops spoke strongly against the current separation of children from their parents at the border, as well as the absolute denial of people seeking asylum under certain categories (such as victims of domestic violence).

Cardinal DiNardo, President of the Bishop’s Conference, issued the statement below after addressing his fellow bishops.  A report I read stated that the Bishops expressed their support with a thunderous applause.

What is currently happening at the border with the denial of asylum and separation of children is an issue of human rights.  The fact that someone crosses a border without authorization does not strip away their humanity.  People cannot hide behind statements such as “they broke the law.”  Even those who break the law are human beings and must be treated accordingly.

Here Cardinal DiNardo’s statement:

“At its core, asylum is an instrument to preserve the right to life. The Attorney General’s recent decision elicits deep concern because it potentially strips asylum from many women who lack adequate protection. These vulnerable women will now face return to the extreme dangers of domestic violence in their home country. This decision negates decades of precedents that have provided protection to women fleeing domestic violence. Unless overturned, the decision will erode the capacity of asylum to save lives, particularly in cases that involve asylum seekers who are persecuted by private actors. We urge courts and policy makers to respect and enhance, not erode, the potential of our asylum system to preserve and protect the right to life.

Additionally, I join Bishop Joe Vásquez, Chairman of USCCB’s Committee on Migration, in condemning the continued use of family separation at the U.S./Mexico border as an implementation of the Administration’s zero tolerance policy. Our government has the discretion in our laws to ensure that young children are not separated from their parents and exposed to irreparable harm and trauma. Families are the foundational element of our society and they must be able to stay together. While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety. Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral.”

 

Deacon Tom's Homily for Thursday June 14th

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Our Gospel for today is taken from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus lays out the vision of the Kingdom and invites us to accept it and live it. He tells us that we cannot be satisfied with surface behavior that follows the forms but leaves out the substance of love. In short, our interior motives are as important as our exterior actions. The scribes and Pharisees were concerned about the physical observance of Mosaic Law. Jesus challenges us to go deeper than what the law requires on the outside and purify our motives for our actions. The most important motive is the love of God and neighbor.

This challenge means that love of God and neighbor are more important than worship observance. Worship is not downgraded here but it means that we should come to worship with clean hands and a clean heart. Isaiah and the other great prophets continually criticized people who made great offerings and oppressed the poor, the orphans and the widows, as if God could be bought off and pleased while the poor neighbor would be robbed and persecuted. If we approve of or are aware of public policy, even if we are not personally engaged, that hurts those whom Jesus holds out to us[1], we are interiorly creating something against our brothers and sisters. Jesus told his disciples in the twenty fifth chapter of Matthew, “…as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me”.

As a current example, our United States Council of Catholic Bishops has expressed grave concern about our immigration “zero tolerance” practice to separate children from parents seeking asylum at the border with Mexico. We, and the Bishops, know that developing an impartial immigration policy presents many challenges for any country. Any policy always involves reconciling domestic priorities and global demands. But, at its core, immigration policy is about people, young and old, alone or in families, often fearful and abandoned. Immigration policy is a moral question that cannot be separated from decisions of what it is right and wrong, of justice and injustice. It is about respecting and reverencing the dignity of the human person.

Jesus is a demanding teacher. Christianity is a demanding faith. We will continually fall short, but what Jesus is asking is not impossible, just demanding. God’s very essence is a unity of love – three persons, one nature. We are made in God’s image, and we are made to live forever in union with God. But so too are our brothers and sisters, everywhere. If we have done anything to wound the union of love with those around us, then we must repair the breach. In fact, it is so important to God, and so important for us, that God will not accept our “offering” if we have consciously wounded the unity with those around us. Bring those particularly difficult relationships to prayer and draw the strength from God to love as we should. He will not ask for some virtue and then refuse his grace.

I end today with a beautiful prayer from Eusebius, a Third century Roman citizen and a convert to Christianity who became bishop of Caesarea: "May I be no man's enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest me: and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly. May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good. May I wish for all men's happiness and envy none. May I never rejoice in the ill-fortune of one who has wronged me. When I have done or said what is wrong, may I never wait for the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself until I make amends. May I win no victory that harms either me or my opponent. May I reconcile friends who are angry with one another. May I never fail a friend who is in danger. When visiting those in grief may I be able by gentle and healing words to soften their pain. May I respect myself. May I always keep tame that which rages within me. May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never be angry with people because of circumstances. May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done but know good men and follow in their footsteps."

A beautiful prayer we could all take to heart.

[1] Matthew 25:31-45

Bring Your Own Sacrifice to Mass

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JUNE 12, 2018 BY K. ALBERT LITTLE

  One of the most beautiful things about being Catholic is that no matter how long one is Catholic there is always more to learn about the faith. There are always deeper depths to plumb.

One of these depths that I’ve recently found myself exploring is the Church’s Liturgy. The rite and ritual. The how and the why we do things a certain way.  And, while I’ve always known that the Church’s ancient traditions run deep, I’ve been absolutely awestruck at just how deep and how much meaning is infused in the reasons why we worship the way that we do.

Take, for example, the Orate fratres. This is priest’s exhortation,

“Pray, my brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.”

I’d wondered, now and again, what my sacrifice at the Mass could possibly be and, I admit, I didn’t always understand. But a deeper exploration of the Liturgy, in particular the Orate fratres, rewards us with some pretty substantial riches—and, at least for me, a more rich experience of the Mass.

This particular exhortation has its origins in Scripture and the Early Church. In the ancient Christian Church when the celebration of the Eucharist took place gifts were brought alongside of the bread and wine. These gifts were representative of the talents, abilities, and material things that these early Christians had to offer up to God. They were brought, substantially, so that they could be used by God, through Christ, for the Church.

It’s a beautiful picture.

Imagine a community of Christians gathered around the Lord’s Table each bringing their own tangible offering alongside of the bread and wine. These things weren’t there to overshadow the true purpose of the Lord’s Supper or to somehow shore up the sacrifice of the Mass but to allow each of the Christians present to participate in a meaningful way. In other words, all Christians have something to give to God and these things, in the Early Church, were brought before Him in a very tangible way.

So, what does the Orate fratres invite us to do when we celebrate Mass today?

Well, for one thing, it invites us to bring something.

And this is an important reminder.

In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the priest is re-presenting the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the Cross back to God the Father. This is a picture of what we know is taking place, right now, in Heaven, and the Mass makes it visible. It’s deeply theological, but it’s a breathtakingly beautiful, too. The priest, acting in the image of Christ, is saying, “God, remember your people. Remember your sacrifice. Cleave us to you.”

The Orate fratres reminds us that even though we are not the priest, we are not acting as Christ, we have a part in God’s sacrifice too—as baptized members of the Body of Christ. We have a role to play.

Today, in lieu of bringing my donkey to donate to the church we often give a tithe or an offering during this very same part of the Mass—it’s called the offertory for a reason—but money is only a very small part of what our “sacrifice” ought to be.

St. Paul, in Romans 12:1, offers us a hint of what the fullness of this sacrifice at Mass should be,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Our worship, our sacrifice at Mass, should be the whole of ourselves.

Our joys, our sorrows, our victories, and our defeats. Given up to Christ for His glory and for His help. An acknowledgement that nothing good can come to us apart from Him and that we can do nothing good on our own. We need Christ, so to speak.

The Orate fratres exhorts us to bring our own sacrifice to the Mass.

Not that we need to outdo what Christ did on the cross, this is the wrong kind of thinking. Likewise, by bringing our own sacrifice we don’t seek to somehow justify our own sin. Instead, to participate fully in the Mass, as we should, the Orate fratres invites us to think about how we can more fully give ourselves up to Christ, how we can more fully be like Him, be joined to Him, in His mystical body.

By bringing our own sacrifice we bring our hurts, hangups, and whatever we’re holding on to and leave it all at the foot of the cross. Like the Early Church we, too, bring something with us to the Lord’s Table every time we come.

So, next time you hear the priest pray, “my sacrifice and yours” think about what you can sacrifice to be more like Christ. To join your spirit to the Body of Christ. To bring to God, for His glory. And offer that up to God.

Pope: ‘God’s love has no need for words but for concrete gestures'

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Pope Francis on Friday reflected on how God’s love has no limits. Speaking during the homily at morning Mass, he said His greatness is manifested in small things and tenderness.

By Linda Bordoni

Marking the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis remarked on how it could be said that the festivity celebrates God's love.

God is the first to love

“It is not us who first loved God,” it's the other way around: “it is He who loved us first” he said.

The Pope said the prophets used the symbol of the almond blossom to explain this reality highlighting the fact that the almond blossom is the first to bloom in spring.

“God is like that: he is always first. He's the first to wait for us, the first to love us, the first to help us” he said.

God's love is limitless

However, Francis continued, it is not easy to understand God's love as is narrated in the passage from today liturgical reading in which the Apostle Paul speaks  of“ preaching to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ.”

It is a love that cannot be understood. A love that surpasses all knowledge. It surpasses everything. The love of God is so great; a poet described it as a “bottomless sea without shores…” This is the love that we must try to understand, the love that we receive” he said.

God is a great teacher

The Pope said that throughout the history of salvation the Lord has revealed his love to us: “He has been a great teacher.”

Recalling the words of the prophet Hosea, he explained that God did not reveal his love through power but “by loving His people, teaching them to walk, taking them in His arms, caring for them”.

How does God manifest his love? With great works? No: He makes himself smaller and smaller with gestures of tenderness and goodness. He approaches His children and with his closeness He makes us understand the greatness of love” he said.

Greatness expressed in littleness

Finally, Pope Francis said, God sent us His Son. “He sent Him in the flesh” and the Son “humbled himself until death”.

This, he said, is the mystery of God's love: the greatest greatness expressed in the smallest smallness. This, he said, allows us to understand Christianity.

Reflecting on what Jesus teaches us about what kind of attitude a Christian should have, he said it is all about “carrying on God’s own work in your own small way”:  that is feeding the hungry, quenching the thirsty, visiting the sick and the prisoner.

Works of mercy, he said, pave the path of love that Jesus teaches us in continuity with God’s great love for us!

Not words about love, but concrete gestures

Pope Francis concluded saying we do not need great discourse on love, but men and women “who know how to do these little things for Jesus, for the Father.”

“Our works of mercy, he said, are the continuity of this love.”

To Hide or to Share our Souls: What to do When Fragility Challenges Us

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“The dilemma of fragility: to hide or to bear your soul.”

Meditation for the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time, June 10th, 2018

“If God has created all things, where does evil come from?”

– Saint Augustine

When we feel inadequate, fragile or guilty, we immediately look for something to hide behind. We are ashamed of our nudity. We don’t want to be seen. It’s a recurring sensation throughout our lives, one that we must all face up to. 

We are all like the man who hides behind an apple in the famous painting by Magritte called “The Son of Man” (1964). Magritte’s intention was to paint a self-portrait but it could not be finished due to a guilty conscience, as he himself would explain.

Magritte can’t see himself. He is unable to stand face to face with his own image. A deep sensation of inadequacy absorbs us from time to time. Perhaps it’s no accident that Magritte paints himself in very formal clothing, with a hat and tie, while standing in front of the ocean. This outfit doesn’t belong there and reminds us of a sensation we often experience, that of feeling out of place.

This anonymous man also shows signs of imperfection: one of the buttons of his jacket is undone and his left elbow doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the figure. His face, which reveals the identity of every man, is covered by an apple. It brings to mind the image of the modern man who buries his face in a screen in a desperate attempt to hide himself and his own inadequacy. When we don’t know how to be alone with ourselves, we hide behind of our cellphones, as if it were an excuse.

This son of man, with his face hidden behind an apple, draws us back to the beginning of the book of Genesis. There we also find a man who hid himself out of shame: Adam, who hid because he was ashamed of his nakedness. We feel naked when we feel we have lost our dignity. When we are naked, we feel defenseless. Our clothing is a kind of defense, a kind of armor. We can never free ourselves from our limitation and our weakness but we continue to put on masks and play roles that give us the sensation of being able to hide our fragility, even for a little while.

But when we discover our weakness, like Adam, we close ourselves up, breaking off our relations, isolating ourselves and lamenting our misfortune. Adam is man who is folded in on himself, incapable of fulfilling his responsibilities. He blames others instead of himself: he accuses the woman but he is really blaming God because it was God who put her by his side. We are always looking for a scapegoat, for someone to take the blame for our own fragility.

If man could keep his eyes on God, if he could continue to contemplate the gift he has received, if he could remember that he did not create himself but that he is a creature who is loved, then the awareness of his fragility would not have plunged him into the depths like a stone.

Adam hides himself away and weeps over his shame, yet God in not indifferent. God goes out of Himself to look for him. This is the first sign of God’s tenderness: His heart is moved. God makes clothes for Adam and Eve out of skins and these are the clothes that give them back their dignity despite their sin and that will protect them along the strenuous journey of human life.

While Magritte painted a son of man that covers himself out of shame, Batoni paints, in his famous Sacred Heartthe Son of Man that is completely exposed to the viewer, to the point of giving over His very heart. Jesus is the opposite of Adam because He exposes himself completely, without protecting Himself or holding anything back. Perhaps no we can understand this verse from the Gospel: “they said, ‘He is out of his mind’” (Mk 3:21). Yes, Jesus is completely outside of Himself, fully given to those who stand before Him and He asks them for just a little love.

And this is how Jesus teaches us to love: He diverts our gaze which, far to often, we have fixed on our own fragility. Let us allow Him to gaze at us in our weakness rather than gazing at it ourselves! To love is to surrender without giving too much importance to our own wounds.

Whoever sits himself before the painting of the Sacred Heart by Batoni will eventually ask himself: “But who’s heart is that in Jesus’ hands? Is it Jesus’?” And of course it is, but perhaps there’s a path we can take so that, by the end, the heart in Jesus’ hand becomes our own, given over to Him completely. It is a path this spreads out before us because to love is to be out of one’s self, to have given one’s heart completely.

Jesus’ words in this Gospel help us to see the sign, par excellence, of love in the beginning of Genesis. When Adam worries only about himself, relationships are broken. When the Enemy works in our life, Jesus explains, divisions appear. Love creates communion; evil creates separation. When we realize that the path we are on is the path of conflict, of accusation, of contrast, that should be a sign to us that we are far from love. Division is the sign of a heart closed in on itself.

If you have covered your face out of shame or closed your heart out of spite, let yourself be clothed in the tenderness that God has prepared for you. Let yourself be moved by the heart of Christ, torn from His chest and placed in your own.

Questions for personal reflection:

  • Do you seeks things to hide behind?
  • Do you feel as though you are folded over yourself or more focused on those around you?

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark (3:20-35) 

Jesus came home with his disciples. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder the house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be
forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

 

Pope Francis: Jesus Stands Up to Misunderstandings

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Pope Francis: Jesus Stands Up to Misunderstandings

‘To bad-mouth others, to destroy the reputation of others makes us the devil’s family.’

JUNE 10, 2018 

Pope Francis spoke June 10, 2018, of the strength and clarity Jesus used in standing up to two types of misunderstanding, which sprung from the scribes and the Savior’s own family members.

The Holy Father’s comments came before praying the noonday Angelus with an estimated crowd of 20,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.

“To bad-mouth others, to destroy the reputation of others, makes us the devil’s family,” proclaimed the Pope.” But Jesus faced much bad-mouthing.

“The first misunderstanding: the scribes were men instructed in the Holy Scriptures and in charge of explaining it to the people,” the Pope said. “Some of them were sent from Jerusalem to Galilee, where Jesus’ fame was beginning to spread, to discredit Him in the eyes of the people, to engage in the office of gossipers, discredit the other, take away His authority — such an awful thing.”

The Holy Father explained that they tried to discredit Jesus by claiming his ability was from the Beelzebul – that he was possessed and that was why he could cast out demons. They didn’t want the people to believe that Jesus could heal the sick, so they claimed it was demonic power at work.

“Jesus reacts with strong and clear words; He doesn’t tolerate this, because those scribes, perhaps without realizing it, were falling into the gravest sin: to deny and blaspheme the Love of God, which is present and works in Jesus,” the Pope said. “And blasphemy, the sin against the Holy Spirit, is the only unforgivable sin — so says Jesus –, because it stems from the closure of the heart to God’s mercy, which acts in Jesus.”

But which the scribes misunderstanding may have revealed their envy, Jesus faced another misunderstanding from his family members. They feared he suffered from madness.

“Today’s Gospel speaks to us also of another misunderstanding, very different, in Jesus’ relations: that of His relatives,” Francis explained. “They were concerned because His new itinerant life seemed madness to them (Cf. v. 21).

“In fact, He showed Himself so available to people, especially the sick and sinners, to the point of not even having time to eat. Jesus was like that: first, the people, serve the people, help the people, teach the people and cure the people.”

The Pope recalled how Jesus, in the Gospel, told the people that everyone who follows God’s will is his brothers and sisters. The Holy Father concludes by reminding those listening that this doesn’t diminish Christ’s earthly family, but allows all who accept his word to become part of the family.

This Sunday’s Gospel (Cf. Mark 3:20-35) shows us two sorts of misunderstandings that Jesus had to address: that of the scribes and that of His own relatives. The first misunderstanding: the scribes were men instructed in the Holy Scriptures and in charge of explaining it to the people. Some of them were sent from Jerusalem to Galilee, where Jesus’ fame was beginning to spread, to discredit Him in the eyes of the people, to engage in the office of gossipers, discredit the other, take away His authority — such an awful thing. And they were sent to do this. And these scribes arrived with a specific and terrible accusation – they spare no means, go to the center and say thus: “He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons He casts out the demons” (v. 22). That is, the head of the demons is the one that drives Him, which is as though saying, more or less, “He is possessed.” In fact, Jesus was healing many sick people, and the scribes wanted to make them believe that He did so, not with the Spirit of God — as Jesus did –,  but with that of the Evil One, with the strength of the devil.

Jesus reacts with strong and clear words; He doesn’t tolerate this, because those scribes, perhaps without realizing it, were falling into the gravest sin: to deny and blaspheme the Love of God, which is present and works in Jesus. And blasphemy, the sin against the Holy Spirit, is the only unforgivable sin — so says Jesus –, because it stems from the closure of the heart to God’s mercy, which acts in Jesus.

However, this episode contains an admonition that is useful for all of us. In fact, it can happen that intense envy of the goodness and good works of a person can push one to accuse them falsely. There is a mortal poison here: the malice with which, in a premeditated way, one wishes to destroy another’s good reputation. May God free us from this terrible temptation! And if on examining our conscience, we realize that this evil weed is germinating within us, we must go immediately to confess it in the Sacrament of Penance, before it develops and produces its evil effects, which are incurable. Pay attention, because this attitude destroys families, friendships, communities and even society.

Today’s Gospel speaks to us also of another misunderstanding, very different, in Jesus’ relations: that of His relatives. They were concerned because His new itinerant life seemed madness to them (Cf. v. 21). In fact, He showed Himself so available to people, especially the sick and sinners, to the point of not even having time to eat. Jesus was like that: first the people, serve the people, help the people, teach the people and cure the people. He was for the people; He didn’t even have time to eat. Therefore, His relatives decide to take Him back home to Nazareth. They arrive in the place where Jesus is preaching and they sent to Him and called Him. They say to Him: “Behold, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you” (v. 32). He replies: “Who are my mother and my brethren?” And looking around the persons who sat about Him to listen to Him, He adds: “Here are my mother and my brethren! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister and mother” (vv. 33-34). Jesus has formed a new family, no longer based on natural ties but on faith in Him, on His love that receives us and unites us in the Holy Spirit. All those that receive the word of Jesus are children of God and brothers among themselves. To receive the word of Jesus makes us brothers among ourselves and renders us Jesus’ family.

To bad-mouth others, to destroy the reputation of others, makes us the devil’s family. That answer of Jesus isn’t a lack of respect for his mother and relatives. Rather, for Mary, it’s the greatest recognition because she is, in fact, the perfect disciple who obeyed God’s will in everything. May the Virgin Mary help us to live always in communion with Jesus, recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit, who acts in Him and in the Church, regenerating the world to a new life.

Your parents are not your parents

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Gospel reflection for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gabriel Ringlet June 9, 2018

The following verse could well be one of the most surprising from the Gospel of Mark: “When his family heard, they came to take charge of him.” But who exactly are they?

Some translations refer to “his relatives” or “his friends,” while others say “his people.” Whatever the case, they are certainly people closely associated with him.

We learn, a few verses further, that “his mother and his brothers” are looking for him. They take the long journey from Nazareth to Capernaum to try to persuade him to come home.

Have we really grasped the scale of the situation? For Jesus, it things seem to be going well. The crowd that gathers around him is so great and so animated that he and his disciples aren’t able to take a single mouthful of their meal.

How could it be that the people from home are not proud of him? What was being said in Nazareth to make his friends and family so worried? Did they believe the scribes’ declarations that he was “possessed by Beelzebub?” It seems that the rumor that Jesus “was out of his mind” had taken hold in the village.

Worried by the circulating stories, and perhaps concerned that his success was provoking leaders of the official religion and winning them enemies, “his family” hurried to Capernaum in the hope of calming the drama.

It is quite astonishing to think that both his family and the authorities were fighting the same battle!

It is not hard to find Jesus since there is a large crowd of people sitting around him in the house of Simon, where he often went. He is in the middle of speaking in parables to the crowd when his mother and brothers arrive.

From the first centuries of our era, there have been three principal interpretations of the “brothers and sisters of Jesus.”

For some, Jesus was the eldest of a large family, for others, he had half-sisters and brothers from Joseph’s earlier marriage, while a third interpretation, like that of Saint Jerome, says we should take “brothers” to mean first cousins.

However, this is not the main issue. In the scene we have before us, we read that “standing outside, they sent someone in to call him” (Mk 3:31).

Was Mary the first to start worrying? Does she too believe he has gone mad? Does she already have an inkling that something bad is bound to happen? Was it to avoid confrontation that she went to Capernaum to take him home and hide him?

On a human level, what follows is excruciating. Jesus renounces his mother to those who tell him that his mother is there: “Who is my mother?” reminding us of the sword of which Simeon speaks at the presentation in the temple: “A sword will pierce your own soul too” (Lk 2: 35).

Mary is addressed bluntly, as she was at Cana when Jesus said: “Woman, what does this have to do with me?” (Jn 2:4). But there, she still supports him: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Here, she says nothing. Even worse, Jesus doesn’t recognize her: “Who is my mother?”

Of course, the Gospel opens a way of going beyond the level of the clan and beyond blood relations. Our family ties should not keep us from broader fraternal bonds.

Indeed, your parents are not your parents! And yet, I have cause for concern. So many sectarian movements have demanded that these links be severed only to take firmer hold.

Who is my mother? Who is this mother beyond the mother? This plural mother? This universal mother?

A kind of mother-brother, a mother-sister? Perhaps in distancing Mary, Jesus is drawing her near by making an example of her, for who, if not Mary, could be said to have carried out “God’s will?”

Deacon Tom's Thursday Homily for June 7th 2018

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Simply love as he loves!

As we listen to St. Paul encourage Timothy today, we hear him tell Timothy to “impart the word of truth without deviation.” This can often be a daunting task, can’t it? We think that we can form it, shape it and spin it until it becomes just what we want it to be. How St. Paul would cringe at this! Like Timothy, it is incumbent upon us to know what the word of truth is and give it to others straight up.

And to fully understand the Gospel reading today, we need to understand the society that Jesus lived in. The society of Judaism was governed by laws that were a matter of religious faith, and that obedience to the laws was considered obedience to God. Since the law was composed of 613 "precepts" or "commandments," debates arose over which one was more important.  Furthermore, there were people who made it their business to know the law thoroughly and could be relied upon to give a sound interpretation. The people who schooled in the law were the scribes.

The scribes and the Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements. They made it a life-time practice to study the precepts of the Old Testament. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose.

For once a scribe does not come with a question to "test" Jesus. Perhaps he had his suspicions about Jesus and so he came to find out for himself if Jesus was the Messiah. Most of the scribes were just trying to discredit Jesus by testing him. But this scribe seems to be seeking reassurance about his own thinking, which gives precedence to the value of love as a motivating force for all the rest of the commandments. The scribe agrees. Loving God and neighbor are more important than even temple sacrifices.

This stands in contrast to many of his fellow scribes and the Pharisees who placed great emphasis on external observance but is very much in line with Jesus' own preaching. Thus, this scribe is very fortunate to hear from Jesus: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." Now, the scribe only needs to believe that Jesus is Messiah and Lord. This is something we all want to hear. If so we should look at today's dialogue between Jesus and the scribe and ask how we fit in it.

What does God require of us? Simply that we love as he loves! God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The more we know of God's love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will. For Jesus, whoever loves his neighbor over everything else is not far from God.

I’m reminded of “The Little Way,” doing many small things with great love, taught to us by Saint Therese along with the teachings of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who also emphasized showing love in small acts. She taught, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, and kindness in your smile.”

So, repeat the great commandments to yourself during the day. Make it a point to do one extra loving thing each day and see how people respond. And most importantly take time in prayer to come to the Lord with a sincere, open heart, to open yourself up to the Lord who is love itself. Remember, it’s Jesus who calls you to love. And he never asks you to do something without promising to help you every step of the way.

After all that is why he became incarnate—to give seeking hearts an everlasting home. Let us know the love that conquers all.

Feast of the Sacred Heart: Pray to the Heart of Jesus During June

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Pope Francis invites to pray to the Heart of Jesus during the month of June, in the wake of the feast of the Sacred Heart, this Friday, June 8, 2018, World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, instituted by John Paul II.

On the occasion of this Wednesday’s General Audience, June 6, 2018, in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father reminded of the feast of the Heart of Jesus, saying in Italian: “Friday will be the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I invite you to pray to the Heart of Jesus during the month of June and to support your priests with closeness and affection, so that they are the image of this Heart full of merciful love.

And, addressing young people, the sick, the elderly and newlyweds, the Pope added: “Draw from the Heart of Jesus the spiritual food and drink for your life so that, nourished by Christ, you are new persons, transformed in depth by this divine love.”

The two most known invocations of the Heart of Jesus are: “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine,” and “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.”

Devotion to the Heart of Christ was born and developed in the Church well before the foundation of the Society of Jesus in the 16th Century and also before the revelations to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th Century.

However, it’s at Paray-le-Monial that the Society of Jesus, in the person of Saint Claude de La Colombiere, SJ, Spiritual Father of Saint Margaret Mary, as well as of her Congregation, the Visitation, received from Christ the mission to spread this devotion.

Popes John Paul II in 1986 and Benedict XVI in 2006, — on the occasion of the 50thanniversary of Pius XII’s encyclical “Haurietis Aquas” on the Heart of Christ – -, recalled this mission of the Jesuits.

“The gaze towards the “side pierced by the lance,” in which the unlimited will of salvation on the part of God shines, cannot, therefore, be considered a passing form of worship or devotion: adoration of the love of God, which found its historical and liturgical expression in the symbol of the “pierced heart,” remains an adoration that is absolutely to be taken into account for a living relationship with God (Cf. Encyclical Haurietis Aquas, 62),” wrote Pope Benedict XVI.

And for Pope Francis, Jesuit Pontiff, “the Heart of Christ is the center of mercy”: he reminded priests of this on the occasion of their Jubilee of Mercy, June 2, 2016, at Saint Mary Major. He recommended that they read Pius XII’s encyclical “Haurietis Aquas” on the Heart of Christ, and stressed that “mercy is a question of freedom,” of heart to heart.

Moreover, on July 9, 2015, during his trip to Ecuador, Pope Francis stressed the fruit of Consecration to the Heart of Christ, which is a renewal of the grace of Baptism, saying: “That was going around in my head and I prayed. I asked God several times in prayer: What do these people have that is different?” And this morning, while praying, this was impressed on me: consecration to the Sacred Heart. I think that I must tell you this as a message of Jesus. All that richness that you have, the spiritual richness of piety, of profundity, which comes from having had the courage, despite very difficult moments, to consecrate the nation to the Heart of Christ, the divine and human Heart that loves us so much. And I observed a bit that – divine and human – certain that you are sinners, as I am, but the Lord forgives everything. And guard that. And then, a few years later, the consecration to the Heart of Mary; don’t forget that this consecration, that this grace that you have, this piety, this thing that makes you different, I feel comes to you from that consecration.”

They Are Keeping Children In Cages

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I’ve been meaning to write about the immigrant children, but I don’t know what to say.

I don’t know anything unique I can add to this conversation. But I can’t just say nothing, not when children are being tortured.

Most everyone knows by now, that migrants at the southern border of the United States are having their children seized from them and kept in separate facilities– not only illegal migrants, but also asylum-seekers. We were all assured they’d be well taken care of, but I don’t think anyone believed it.

Today, Senator Jeff Merkley was able to see one of those facilities where the children are being “taken care of.” He tried to go to another, but they wouldn’t even let him in the door– the children are being held in secret for some reason. In the one he saw, the children were in cages– metal cages with nets across the top, lying on concrete floors with no mattresses or beds, only foil blankets.

I don’t know how to say that this is wrong.

I don’t know how to say that it’s wrong to tear children away from their parents and hold them in secret where even our lawmakers don’t get to see what’s happening.

I don’t know how to tell you if you don’t already know, that it’s wrong to lock little children in cages and force them to sleep on concrete floors.

I speak to an audience of all faiths, predominantly Christians, from all different backgrounds and political bents here. We can differ on all kinds of things. I don’t believe that everyone who disagrees with me is an evil person with bad motives; far from it. But I don’t see how a person of good will could disagree on this.

When it becomes necessary to imprison someone for public safety, we always have a responsibility to treat that prisoner humanely.  I can’t think of a circumstance where it’s necessary to imprison little children– infants, toddlers and elementary school-aged children– for public safety. They ought to be with their parents, as had been the practice before. The safety of American citizens is in no way improved by taking children away from their parents and keeping them in a separate facility. If, for some reason, it becomes necessary to take children from their parents and keep them in a separate facility, that facility should not be a prison– let alone a draconian prison like this, with cages and no beds.

We can argue about what kind of punishment for criminals is cruel and unusual. There is room for disagreement in that discussion. I don’t think there is any rational argument that little children should ever be tortured to punish someone else– or even worse, as a “deterrent” for anyone thinking of breaking the law who hasn’t yet.

And this is not even delving into the issue that not all of those children broke the law, nor did their parents break the law. Many of them are the children of asylum-seekers who came to the border and turned themselves in to Border Patrol– this is legal. Their parents were doing what they should have done, according to our laws.

Ask yourself: what if you were an unfortunate person of limited means, who obeyed the law– and because you did so, your child was taken from you and put in a cage, to deter others from doing what you did?

Ask yourself, for that matter: what if you were so desperate for help you broke the law, and someone took your innocent child from you and locked her in a cage?

Ask yourself– even if you were the most terrible criminal with a heart full of pure malice, would that make it ethical if someone abused your child?

The caging of children away from their mothers and fathers is not humane. It is not necessary. It is the opposite of pro-family and pro-life. It has nothing to do with law and order. There is no benefit in it for American citizens. It in no way makes us more safe– and even if it did, I believe that any ethical person should consider it the most shameful cowardice to torture children for personal safety. Far better danger than safety bought at that price. It is a thousand times better to die than to make little children suffer. This is nothing but an act of cruelty the president and his cronies are committing in order to make America look strong, and it’s not even working.

If we abuse children, we are not strong. We are cowards. And the whole world knows it.

This abuse must stop. And everyone must join together in crying out against it until it stops.

You can write a letter to your congressional representative through the USCCB’s resource USCCB's Justice for Immigrants  

I also ask you to generously support  Kids in Need of Defense which provides legal representation to migrant children like the ones being held in cages right now.

Whatever you do, don’t do nothing.

So why should I care about that?

by Larry P. Johnson

I am pretty happy the way things are going. The economy is strong. I have a nice house, three TVs, plenty of food in the pantry. The grandkids are doing well in school. There have been no school shootings where they go. My Social Security and Medicare are secure (I think). I voted in the recent primary without any interference, as far as I could tell, from the Russians.

The local police keep crime pretty much under control, away from me. Yes, life is good. The fact that 43 million of my countrymen live at or below the poverty level, more than half a million are homeless and 6 million can’t find jobs doesn’t really affect me personally. So should I care? Unless suddenly, at 84 ,my Social Security or Medicare are severely cut, I am faced with $100,000 in medical bills or a mortgage foreclosure on my house, or one of my grandchildren is killed or wounded in a school shooting.

Unless it happens to me or to a member of my family, it really doesn’t matter. Right? I’m not worried about the Russians or the Chinese or even the Iranians, for that matter. I don’t know any Chinese or Russians, and the only Iranian I know owns a dry-cleaners where I take my suits. So many of us Americans live in a bubble, insulated from the hardships and realities faced by our neighbors. We don’t want to know about their pain or their problems. It’s a whole lot more comfortable to live like an ostrich, with our heads in the sand.

And yet the reality is that in this wealthiest of all nations too many Americans go to bed at night — if they even have a bed to go to — hungry, 10 million of them children. The reality is that sharply rising prescription drug costs are driving people into bankruptcy and they are losing their homes. And the reality is that the Russians did, in fact, interfere with our national elections and will certainly try to do it again.

I should care about you, and you should care about me. Because our lives are intertwined and life’s circumstances are very precarious, and what happens to the neighbor down the street today could very easily happen to you or me tomorrow. So if we don’t care about our neighbors, why should we expect them to care about us?

We also need to be aware of and care about the policies and programs being decided by our elected officials at the local, state and national levels. They definitely do affect us. As we move toward this year’s midterm elections, we need to pay very close attention to what each political candidate is saying, which issues he or she stands for and which ones he or she stands in opposition to. Who are the special interests groups supporting their candidacy and why? Are these candidates really aware of and interested in us?

If we don’t care about what kind of leaders we have, then we will most assuredly have the kind of leaders who don’t care about us. Apathy and indifference not only erode our democracy but our human compassion as a society.

And that’s how I see it.

The Life and Glories of St. Joseph

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I read a story of a priest who encouraged a group of men with the words, “If you ever feel inadequate as a father, just think of Saint Joseph. He was tasked with leading the Holy Family, but he was the only sinner out of all of them.”

In the drama of the incarnation, Jesus is, of course, the star. That’s the way it is at every birth. All eyes are on the child. The co-star though, is Mom. Without her love and labor, the event could not have happened. In this case, without Mom’s faith it could not have happened either. According to Luke’s Gospel, an angel brought her stunning news. She believed the unbelievable and said, “let it be”.

But there is a best supporting actor in this drama as well. True, Joseph was not the biological father. But the messiah had to be of David’s royal line. In ancient Israel, a child’s clan was determined by that of his father. So, it was Joseph who legally bound Jesus to the house of David. It was because of Joseph that the family had to go to Bethlehem for the census, that the prophecy would be fulfilled.

During my discernment for a confirmation name, I contemplated how difficult things were for Mary, but really considered the almost impossible task given to Saint Joseph. He was meant to protect the Mother of God, and then raise the Son of God. Yet Mary was conceived without sin and Jesus was fully divine. They were born equipped for a life of holiness. Joseph, on the other hand, was born with original sin like us. He lived most of his life as a regular craftsman. What could possibly qualify him for this new, challenging vocation?

Yes, we know very little of Joseph from Scripture. We know he was a just and kind man. And we know he was from Bethlehem but lived in Nazareth when he became betrothed to Mary. Tradition holds that he was already advanced in age when Jesus was born but this isn’t certain from the Gospel accounts. Tradition also says that Joseph was a carpenter, a wood worker. But the Greek word for his occupation means simply a craftsman who worked with wood, stone, or metal. However, very early Fathers of the Church such as Justin Martyr say Joseph was not only a carpenter but specifically a maker of wooden yokes and ploughs, a fitting occupation for the foster father of the man who would become the Lord of the harvest and would call men to his light yoke.

However appropriate the symbolism of Joseph’s career, I doubt this was much comfort when the angel announced God’s plan to him. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins[1].” I know Saint Joseph was a much holier man than I am. Still, I can’t imagine not laughing at the command to not be afraid when it’s followed by an announcement that my wife-to-be is pregnant with the Son of God and Messiah. Few things would fill me with more fear. “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”

If Joseph was afraid, he clearly overcame that fear, taking on the task of father to the most important child in human history. Scripture doesn’t give us a list of St. Joseph’s fatherly qualities, but we can glimpse these in places. We know that Joseph was willing to sacrifice much for his family. His first act upon hearing the news of the Incarnation was to put aside his good name and reputation. He knew that his virtue and judgment would be questioned when others found out about Mary’s pregnancy, but he seems to have ignored that for the sake of the child. Later, Joseph put himself last again when, for the sake of his stepson, he left his business and whisked away his family to safety in Egypt.

Scripture also tells us that Jesus’ parents were faithful to their religious obligations. They took Jesus to the temple for his dedication. And they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for important festivals. We also know Jesus was extremely well versed in Scripture. He must have grown up in an environment of love for God’s word and dedication to Torah. From this background, the Gospel of Luke tells us, Jesus grew up “in wisdom and in stature[2]”.  The “wisdom” Luke refers to is obvious in Jesus’ adult ministry. But what of the “stature”? Luke may simply mean here that Jesus, like all other children, grew taller and developed physically. But I like to imagine the child Jesus helping his father in his workshop, learning to saw and carve, developing an eye for this craft while also gaining strong arms and calloused hands. We do see a hint of this later when an unbelieving crowd ask, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son[3]?” Apparently, Jesus’ upbringing was so normal that his ministry is quite shocking to those who knew him. Perhaps the crowds might have been less incredulous if Jesus had spent his entire adolescence in the Temple. But, it would seem he instead spent much of his time learning his earthly father’s trade.

From these glimpses in Scripture, we can see that Joseph was a loving and selfless father who was dedicated to his faith, worked hard at his craft, and taught his son these same virtues. No wonder, then, that Saint Joseph is the patron saint of fathers. Of course, there is an irony here in that Joseph was not actually the biological father of Jesus. Yet even that is a lesson this great saint can teach us. Because, even for us with biological offspring, our children are not really ours. They are children of God entrusted to our care. Therefore, we aren’t meant to merely teach our children to mimic us. We are meant to teach them to pursue their Father in Heaven. This still seems like an impossible task. Yet we can follow the example of St. Joseph. And we can ask his intercession. If Joseph could lead the Holy Family, then surely, he can help us lead our own families into holiness.

How Old was Saint Joseph when Jesus was Born?

The simple answer is that we do not have any record of St. Joseph’s age when he was betrothed to our Blessed Mother Mary and when Christ was born. Indeed, the portrayal of St. Joseph also is conflicting. For example, Guido Reni’s “St. Joseph and the Child” depicts a gray-haired elderly man holding baby Jesus, whereas Jose de Ribera’s “St. Joseph and the Boy Jesus” and Bartolome Murillo’s “The Holy Family” depict a young man with the child Jesus.

The depiction of St. Joseph as an elderly man arises from a “speculation” in the Eastern churches that he was an elderly widower who had other children before he married Mary. This speculation sought to solve two issues:

First, Mary is the ever-virgin mother of our Savior, and therefore, she and St. Joseph did not have other children. Unlike a virile young man, an old man past his prime would not be tempted to have conjugal relations with a much younger woman. Surely his libido would have quelled long ago. In this sense, an old St. Joseph is “a safe St. Joseph.”

Second, the elderly widower St. Joseph who had other children would explain the Gospel references to “the brothers and sisters of the Lord.” These brothers and sisters would then be Jesus’ half-brothers and half-sisters, but only by law, not by blood since Joseph was not the natural father of Our Lord. For example, in the Gospel of St. Mark, we read, “Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, a brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters our neighbors here[4]?”.

The “elderly widower” argument is not needed if one understands the meaning of brother. In the original text of the Gospel, the Greek word “adelphos”, meaning “brother,” is used. However, adelphos does not just mean a blood brother born of the same parents but also a half-brother, a step-brother or even another male relationship, like a cousin or a nephew. Note also that in Hebrew and Aramaic, no special word existed for cousin, nephew, half-brother or step-brother; so, they used the word “brother” or a roundaboutness, such as in the case of a cousin, “the son of the brother of my father.”

The same understanding is true for the word sister. For example, in the Gospel, Mary of Clopas is called “the sister” of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Obviously, St. Ann and St. Joachim would not have named two daughters “Mary”; instead, the “sister” used here denotes a cousin relationship.

In sum, there is no need to think that St. Joseph had to be an elderly widower to resolve the supposed brother/sister relationship question.

Also, I personally cannot imagine elderly St. Joseph walking 100 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census or walking from Bethlehem to Egypt to flee the wrath of King Herod. I also happily imagine St. Joseph as the young man who could provide for his family and as the good masculine example and image of human fatherhood for Jesus. Archbishop Fulton Sheen, in his book The World’s First Love, speculated: “Joseph was probably a young man, strong, virile, athletic, handsome, chaste, and disciplined, the kind of man one sees … working at a carpenter’s bench. Instead of being a man incapable of loving, he must have been on fire with love. … Young girls in those days, like Mary, took vows to love God uniquely, and so did young men, of whom Joseph was one so preeminent as to be called the ‘just.’ Instead then of being dried fruit to be served on the table of the King, he was rather a blossom filled with promise and power. He was not in the evening of life, but in its morning, bubbling over with energy, strength, and controlled passion[5]”.

Granted, while no record exists of St. Joseph’s actual age, the image of a young virile St. Joseph best captures the words of the litany in his honor: “St. Joseph – chaste guardian of the Virgin, foster father of the Son of God, diligent protector of Christ, head of the Holy Family, most just, most chaste, most prudent, most strong, most obedient, most faithful. …” In an age where fatherhood has been marginalized, masculinity undermined, and chastity scorned, may each of us honor and cherish the example of St. Joseph, trusting in his prayers to help us on the path of salvation.

It is the common opinion of the Doctors of the church that, when the Blessed Trinity gave Joseph as spouse to Mary, no other man could have been found so like to her. St. Bernardine of Siena said that there were never two spouses so like to each other as were Mary and Joseph. But that does not mean that equality existed between them. Inferior to Mary, he had none like him among men. Mary and Joseph were more like partners. Consider the discovery of Jesus in the temple: “"Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I have been anxiously looking for you[6]." Joseph was so like her that there was no one else who could enter into comparison with him.

[1] (Matthew 1:20-21)

[2] (Luke 2:52)

[3]

[4] (Mk 6:3)

[5] (pp. 77-78)

[6] Luke 2: 48

How to place yourself in the presence of God

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Before you sit down to pray, St. Francis de Sales suggests doing this.

St. Francis de Sales was a masterful spiritual writer during the 17th century and wrote a very practical book on the spiritual life, called Introduction to the Devout LifeInstead of writing it for monks and nuns, de Sales wrote it for ordinary lay people and sought to help them in their everyday spirituality. Countless souls have found this book helpful and return to it for guidance during times of difficulty.

Here are several useful quotes from this inspiring book, in which de Sales details how to place yourself in the presence of God.

And in order to place yourself in the Presence of God, I will suggest four chief considerations which you can use at first.

First, a lively earnest realization that His Presence is universal; that is to say, that He is everywhere, and in all, and that there is no place, nothing in the world, devoid of His Most Holy Presence, so that, even as birds on the wing meet the air continually, we, let us go where we will, meet with that Presence always and everywhere.

The second way of placing yourself in this Sacred Presence is to call to mind that God is not only present in the place where you are, but that He is very specially present in your heart and mind, which He kindles and inspires with His Holy Presence, abiding there as Heart of your heart, Spirit of your spirit.

The third way is to dwell upon the thought of our Lord, Who in His Ascended Humanity looks down upon all men, but most particularly on all Christians, because they are His children; above all, on those who pray, over whose doings He keeps watch. Nor is this any mere imagination, it is very truth, and although we see Him not, He is looking down upon us.

The fourth way is simply to exercise your ordinary imagination, picturing the Savior to yourself in His Sacred Humanity as if He were beside you just as we are wont to think of our friends, and fancy that we see or hear them at our side.

Make use of one or other of these methods for placing yourself in the Presence of God before you begin to pray;—do not try to use them all at once, but take one at a time, and that briefly and simply.