A Soul Seeking to be Known

Papal Intentions for February

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI asks us to join him in praying throughout February for:

GeneralIntention: That all peoples may have access to water and other resources needed for dailylife.

Missionary Intention: That the Lord may sustain the efforts of health workers assisting the sick andelderly in the world's poorest regions.

With Authority!

2012-01-30T11:33:00.001-06:00

Readings from Sunday, January 29:

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Mark 1:21-28

As part of the requirements of seminary formation, each ofus met with a spiritual director at least monthly to discuss vocationaldiscernment and other spiritual things that were taking place. It was helpful becauseoften the person had gone through similar things or at least knew better how torespond and could offer some helpful advice. One time I went for a session withmy director and at the end he said, “Brent, I have some homework for you to dofor next time. I want you to sit down at some point this coming week and readthe entire Gospel of Mark in one sitting.” I looked at him a bit confused. “Onesitting? We take a whole year in the liturgical cycle to read it.” But, asdirected, I went home and read Mark’s gospel in one sitting. Much to mysurprise, it only took me a couple of hours with the unexpectedly-short lengthof 25 pages.

One thing that I liked is that it read quickly. Believed by manyto be the written account of St. Peter’s own preaching, we can get a glimpseinto what it was to hear the gospel proclaimed in a genuine form. Rather thanlengthy discourses or parables, we hear more frequently the stories of healingsand exorcisms. These were all signs to convince people and to illustrate thereality that Jesus was truly the Son of God and the Savior anticipated for somany years. Behind all of these many powerful stories, though, we recognizethat it is the authority of Jesus Christ that is really the key. It is thatauthority, which we hear about today in the readings, which enables Him to doall of the things that we hear about, beginning with the cleansing of the manin the gospel we just read. It’s about authority.

When we look at the passage given to us this weekend, weimmediately find the Lord teaching in the synagogue, where the people areastonished at his teaching because He taught with authority, not as thescribes. You see, the scribes were the scholars of the Law and often spoke inreference to it in teaching. But rather than simply speak about it, theyconstantly reference Rabbi so-and-so who spoke about a particular point andquoted those who went before them, going all the way back to the Torah (Booksof Moses, first five books of the Old Testament). In stark contrast, Jesusdoesn’t come and reference this or that teacher who went before Him, but boldlycomes and speaks the truth from His own authority – authority meaning literally‘from one’s substance’ or ‘from one’s self’. Christ speaks from Himself and theauthority given to Him because He is in fact the prophet spoken of in ourreading from Deuteronomy. He is the prophet who will speak the words placed inHis mouth by the Father. He is the one who comes with the authority given bythe Father and with that authority speaks to humanity.

Because is the Son of God and the great prophet, He speaksauthoritatively and things happen. He commands demands to be quiet and theyare. He cast them out and they go. He speaks of healings and they occur. Hisauthority is true, and not just in Biblical times. It’s not as if the authorityof Christ ended with His Ascension 2000 years ago. Rather, it is still at workin His Church, in the liturgy, and in the Word of God. His authority stillspeaks today.

While in years past, and still sometimes today, the evilspirits would manifest themselves in very physical and violent ways, today weoften see evil lurking quietly, secretly moving hearts away from the Lord. Ithappens in addictions such as drug use, pornography, and lust for power or materialthings which lead us away from the Lord by sinning. It also happens inaddictions to technology and other things that lead us away from the Lord notby sin but by keeping us from the silence where the Lord is found. And so wegather tonight and bring those addictions to the Lord, all of those places ofdarkness where the Lord is not fully present in our hearts, and we lay them atthe foot of the altar and ask the Lord to speak with His authority once againand gain for us that freedom that brings peace. The freedom that permits us tobe free once again and to rejoice in the knowledge of God’s love and mercy. Maythe Lord grant us the graces.

Face-Melting Quote of the Day

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"I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God's Holy Will, not my own."

-St. Gabriel Possenti

Article on St. Philomena

2012-01-25T22:32:00.001-06:00

I recently came across this article about St. Philomena, the battle for purity among our youth, and Fr. Chad Partain of the Alexandria Diocese. Check it out HERE.

Behold, the Lamb of God!

2012-01-15T10:36:00.000-06:00

Readings for Sunday, January 15/ Second Sunday of Ordinary Time:
1 Samuel 3:3-10,19
Psalm 40:2, 4,7-10
1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20
John 1:35-42

I have often said that the beautyand depth of the scriptures are quite often found in the seeminglyinsignificant details, those little words or phrases that are so quickly passedby and yet are really the key to understanding the passage. I believe the samething is true of the liturgical celebration – and today we actually see anintersection of those two realities.

Let’s look again at the passagefrom St. John’s gospel. The scene opens with St. John the Baptist standingthere with two disciples – Andrew is named and the other is traditionally believedto be John the Evangelist. As the Lord passes by, those beautiful words arefound on the lips of the Baptist: Behold,the Lamb of God. That should sound familiar to us, especially since it isnow said at every Mass as the priest holds up the host before the distributionof Holy Communion. Behold, the Lamb ofGod. Such simplicity; only a few words. And yet those words compel thedisciples to follow, but apparently at a safe distance.

Then it happens – He turns towardthem, asking, “What are you looking for?” You can almost see the astonishedlooks on the disciples’ faces as this great man, whom they honor with the titleRabbi, speaks to them. Their hearts are revealed as they respond, “Where areyou staying?” They don’t want to just chat as they are walking, as if makingsuperficial small talk. They want to stay for a while; they want to spend timewith the Lord and get to know Him. Recognizing the desire of their hearts, theLord shows them where He is staying and Andrew goes to get Simon Peter to bringhim to meet the Lord. Here the passage ends, but the scriptures do not indicatethat the disciples ever leave the house of the Lord. Rather, they implyotherwise in that the next day more disciples are called and the third dayJesus shows up at the Wedding at Cana with disciples and family at His side.

Imagine what it would have beenlike! To be there with the Lord in the flesh as He began His ministry ofsalvation. To hear Him speak as no person had before. What was spoken in thesilence of that home as for one of the last times they are actually togetherwithout a crowd of people beating down the door? Surely it was enough to keepthem there and keep them seeking to go deeper, and yet also to go out and proclaimthe Good News to others as they had already begun to do.

But let’s go back to thebeginning – Behold, the Lamb of God. We hear these words spoken by the Baptistso many years ago echoed at each Mass that we attend. When we hear them, do werealize that it’s not a statement of fact, so much as an invitation that isextended to us? The reason that the scriptures are often tied into the text ofthe Mass is because the Mass seeks to use the background of the scriptures tocall to mind an entire story with just a few words. With these few words thepriest once again acts as the Baptist did years ago to speak to the gathereddisciples – all of us – and to point out the Lamb so that we too might allfollow as those first disciples did. Think about the unspoken dialogue thattakes place:

Behold, the Lamb of God! Wefollow and He turns to us and asks us as He asked Andrew and John – What areyou looking for? ‘Say the word and my soul shall be healed,' we cry out. And soit is done.


Fr. Markey of the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny

It’s not by coincidence that thecalling of the disciples in John’s gospel is followed immediately by the firstmiracle – changing water into wine at a wedding feast. And it is no coincidencethat 2000 years later we come each Sunday to behold the Lamb, follow after Himand come to know His power and love in the midst of this sacred banquet,looking forward to the Heavenly Wedding Banquet where with the Lamb, thedisciples, and all the angels and saints, we hope to hear the fullness of thoseblessed words: Come and see.

On 'Jesus > Religion'

2012-01-14T12:46:00.005-06:00

In the course of the past week, it seems that a viral video has come up that pits Jesus against Religion. You may have heard of it: 'Jesus > Religion'. Sadly, the guy is really talented and has some good points, but misses the mark for the most part. His emotionally charged blanket statements can easily lead us astray if we don't take the time to think about it. In the past few days, I've gotten a handful of emails from people with questions or concerns in response to it. To respond adequately would take a while, since his broad statements need some precise responses. Thus this post is meant to be a simple starting point if you're looking for a response to it. I posted below three videos. The first is the above-mentioned video. The latter two are responses from individuals that I thought were cleaver and well-done. Enjoy!

Untitled from John Hollowell on Vimeo.

Face-Melting Quote of the Day

2012-01-10T11:29:00.000-06:00

"Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity."

-St. Therese of Lisieux

Chanting!

2012-01-07T00:05:00.000-06:00

Wednesday through Friday of this week I had the privilege of going to Houston with three seminarian friends to the CMAA Winter Chant Intensive. For the better part of three days, we learned about and sang Gregorian Chant (hence the workshop's name). It was a wonderful time and culminated in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with us chanting the prayers of the Mass, which we had used as the means to learning during the course of the workshop. Below is a little clip of us practicing the Communion Chant. It was a beautiful time and a blessed opportunity to meet some incredibly talented people. Now to try to grow in my skill and understanding....

Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

2012-01-03T09:50:00.001-06:00

As we honor the Most Holy Name of Jesus today,

let us call upon Him for help

Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus

V. Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Christ, have mercy on us.
V. Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear us.
R. Jesus, graciously hear us.
V. God the Father of Heaven
R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Holy Spirit,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. Holy Trinity, one God,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. Jesus, Son of the living God,
R. Have mercy on us.
Jesus, splendor of the Father, [etc.]
Jesus, brightness of eternal light.
Jesus, King of glory.
Jesus, sun of justice.
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary.
Jesus, most amiable.
Jesus, most admirable.
Jesus, the mighty God.
Jesus, Father of the world to come.
Jesus, angel of great counsel.
Jesus, most powerful.
Jesus, most patient.
Jesus, most obedient.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
Jesus, lover of chastity.
Jesus, lover of us.
Jesus, God of peace.
Jesus, author of life.
Jesus, example of virtues.
Jesus, zealous lover of souls.
Jesus, our God.
Jesus, our refuge.
Jesus, father of the poor.
Jesus, treasure of the faithful.
Jesus, good Shepherd.
Jesus, true light.
Jesus, eternal wisdom.
Jesus, infinite goodness.
Jesus, our way and our life.
Jesus, joy of Angels.
Jesus, King of the Patriarchs.
Jesus, Master of the Apostles.
Jesus, teacher of the Evangelists.
Jesus, strength of Martyrs.
Jesus, light of Confessors.
Jesus, purity of Virgins.
Jesus, crown of Saints.

V. Be merciful, R. spare us, O Jesus.
V. Be merciful, R. graciously hear us, O Jesus.
V. From all evil, R. deliver us, O Jesus.

From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus.
From Your wrath, [etc.]
From the snares of the devil.
From the spirit of fornication.
From everlasting death.
From the neglect of Your inspirations.
By the mystery of Your holy Incarnation.
By Your Nativity.
By Your Infancy.
By Your most divine Life.
By Your labors.
By Your agony and passion.
By Your cross and dereliction.
By Your sufferings.
By Your death and burial.
By Your Resurrection.
By Your Ascension.
By Your institution of the most Holy Eucharist.
By Your joys.
By Your glory.

V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. spare us, O Jesus.
V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. graciously hear us, O Jesus.
V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. have mercy on us, O Jesus.
V. Jesus, hear us.
R. Jesus, graciously hear us.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, You have said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you." Grant, we beg of You, to us who ask it, the gift of Your most divine love, that we may ever love You with our whole heart, in word and deed, and never cease praising You. Give us, O Lord, as much a lasting fear as a lasting love of Your Holy Name, for You, who live and are King for ever and ever, never fail to govern those whom You have solidly established in Your love. Amen.

Gifts and Graces

2012-01-01T10:33:00.000-06:00

Icon of the Mother of God Hodigitria

Readings for Sunday, January 1/ Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God:
Numbers 6:22-27
Psalm 67:2,3,5,6,8
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21

As the Christian faith began tospread throughout the nations in the first centuries after the Death,Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord, many questions began to arise. Thingsthat most of us take for granted or might not think to ask were brought up: Isthe Holy Spirit God? Is Jesus God? Is He also a man? How does that work? Arethe Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father all the same or are they different? Howcan we have one God and yet say these three are God? These are just the highpoints of thousands of questions that began to be asked as the Church began togrow in understanding of the Scriptures and the God of the Universe.

Of course, as these questions arose,they had to be dealt with. As we gather here today to celebrate this SolemnFeast of Mary under the title of Holy Mother of God, we are really celebratinga belief of the Church that was clarified 1600 years ago at an Ecumenical Councilin Ephesus, in current-day Turkey. There the Church pronounced that since JesusChrist is the Word of God and Word made flesh, it is right to say that He isfully God and thus that it is proper to say that Mary is the Holy Mother of God,or more true to the Greek theotokos –the God-bearer.

With this definition of Mary asMother of God, Mother Church showed that in knowing about the Lord Jesus wecould also come to know about Mary. This colors the other teachings about Marythat were believed since the earliest of times and which were clarifiedthroughout the centuries: Mary’s perpetual virginity, that she never sinned,that she was immaculately conceived in her mother’s womb and assumed intoHeaven at the end of her life, that all grace passes through the hands of Mary,and that she is the Mother and Queen of us all. While such descriptions ortitles can often seem a bit far-fetched or overly-pious, the fact that she hadthe specific blessing of bearing God Himself in her own womb makes these othertitles understandable and almost a given. But beyond all of these titles andtheological terms, there is something for us here today to really pause andreflect upon.

Let us look for a moment at thelife of Mary. She was blessed with these special gifts and graces not justbecause God the Father wanted to do so. She was blessed with these giftsbecause the Lord had a plan for her, He had created her and guided herthroughout her life so that when the time came, she would be able to say yes tothe angel Gabriel and ultimately gain for us the gift of salvation.

As we come here today tocelebrate this Solemn Feast and begin the New Year, it seems to me that ratherthan, or in addition to, making a resolution for ourselves, why not spend sometime in prayer and ask the Lord what He wants of us? All of us have gifts, andeven weaknesses, that the Lord desires to work through to continue to spreadthe Good News of Jesus Christ and the gift of Salvation. The challenge is tofind those gifts, to say yes to the Lord’s desires, and to pray for the courageto put them into action. May God grant us all of these graces.

Papal Intentions for January

2011-12-31T11:45:00.002-06:00

Here are the intentions that our Holy Father asks us to join him in praying for during January:

General Intention: Victims of Natural Disasters.
That the victims of natural disasters may receive the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives.

Missionary Intention: Dedication to Peace.
That the dedication of Christians to peace may bear witness to the name of Christ before all men and women of good will.

The Child

2011-12-25T13:44:00.000-06:00

A child at the parish brought Baby Jesus a Birthday Card

A simple, tender child. A great mystery.

The beginning of the Book of Genesis looks forward Him. The prophets foretold Him. John theBaptist heralded His coming. The angels appeared to speak of His mission. Maryand Joseph said yes to Him. And yet at the coming of God in the form of alittle child, we must stand in awe, shocked by what has taken place.

The Word through Whom all things were created, the Image ofGod the Father, the One by Whom we who are deserving of condemnation are ableto gain redemption and salvation, comes to us as a child. An infant; helplessand pure.

He comes not in great kingly glory, though He deserves it.He comes not with great pomp and circumstance, though it is truly His right. Hecomes humbly, as so often God does in our lives. This is a great mystery to us;it seems almost absurd if we pause to think about it. The Holiest of holiescomes as a baby. The King of kings sleeps in a manger, where animals feed. A Father that permitsHis Only Begotten Son to endure persecution from His time in the womb until Hisdeath on a Cross. And yet He comes.

So great is the love of God for us that the Son of theFather stripped Himself of glory and power to come among us as a helpless childthat must rely upon us to care for Him, protect Him and love Him. He does thisnot because He needs us, whom He created, but because we need Him. And so Hegives us the greatest of gifts: Himself. He comes to us today not in a land faraway. Not thousands of miles from here or in a time long past, but right herein this very moment. In this humble building, the God of all creation comes tous and gives Himself to us. He does this because he knows that by placingHimself in our arms, we are more inclined to place ourselves in His. Bytrusting in us, He allows us to entrust everything to Him. And so He comes to us today – to eachof us personally – to ask one simple question: Do you trust me enough to giveme your heart?

He gives Himself up completely to us, a helpless childtotally reliant upon our care. He does not need us to love Him, but He doesdesire it because doing so will bring us fulfillment and joy. O, Mystery ofmysteries! God has come among us. He is here, the God who loves us so much. Heis here. Come, let us bow down in worship. Come, let us adore Him.

O Emmanuel

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

Latin: O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

English: O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

Reflection: Isaiah had prophesied, “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” (7:14). Remember “Emmanuel” means “God is with us.”

Reflection taken from Fr. William Saunders' post HERE.

Winning the Culture War

2011-12-22T09:41:00.001-06:00

"For we are not contending against flesh and blood,
but against the principalities, against the powers,

against the world rulers of this present darkness,

against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Ephesians 6:12

Please watch this - it's worth every second.

O Rex Gentium

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

Latin: O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

English: O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

Reflection: Isaiah had prophesied, “For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” (9:5), and “He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” (2:4).

Reflection taken from Fr. William Saunders' post HERE.

O Oriens

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

Latin: O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

English: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”

Reflection: Isaiah had prophesied, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” (9:1).

Reflection taken from Fr. William Saunders' post HERE.

O Clavis David

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

Latin: O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israël, qui aperis, et nemo claudit, claudis, et nemo aperuit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

English: O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.

Reflection: Isaiah had prophesied, AI will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open.” (22:22), and “His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever.” (9:6).

Reflection taken from Fr. William Saunders' post HERE.

O Radix Jesse

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Latin: O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

English: O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

Reflection: Isaiah had prophesied, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” (11:1), and A On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.” (11:10). Remember also that Jesse was the father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).

Reflection taken from Fr. William Saunders' post HERE.

Have Faith

2011-12-18T09:58:00.002-06:00

Readings for Sunday, December 18/ Fourth Sunday of Advent:

2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12, 14, 16

Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29

Romans 16:25-27

Luke 1:26-38

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “Faith isthe theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he hassaid and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because heis truth itself.” (1814).

King David in Prayer by Pieter de Grebber

It can be very hard to have faith sometimes. I wasreflecting the other day on the reality that while much of the world around usis full of Christmas cheer, there are some in our own communities and familieswho are not. Some have lost a spouse, child or parent and go without theirpresence for the first time this Christmas. Some have endured great trials ortragedies in their lives. In these and many other situations all of us findourselves in at some point in our life, we are challenged to have faith in OurLord and His promises to us. The scriptures this weekend help us to do so.

In the Second Book of Samuel, we hear about that familiarfigure King David. Having finally found rest from his enemies, he resolved tobuild a house for the Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling place of the Lord. TheLord then reminds him “It was I who tookyou from the pasture…I have been with you…I have destroyed all your enemies beforeyou….” Reminding David of these things done in the past, the Lord thenspeaks of what He will do in the future, saying, “I will raise up your heir after you… I will be a father to him, and heshall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever beforeme; your throne shall stand firm forever.”

A Son of David ruled on the throne as king for the next fourhundred years until the Babylonian Exile in 597 B.C., when the Israelitespeople were scattered among the nations and their kingdom fallen. When thishappened, you can imagine the people’s thoughts. ‘The Lord said the DavidicKing would rule forever. Has the Lord forgotten His promise? Has He gone backon His word? Has He abandoned us?’ It would seem that all was lost, that therewas no reason to hope. And yet there were some who still believed that the Lordwould keep His word and restore the Kingdom of David. They had faith.

For over six hundred years, they longed for that king untilthe day they heard the message that Gabriel spoke to Mary: “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name himJesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the LordGod will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over thehouse of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

A Son of David shall be king again! And furthermore, thisking fulfills the prophecy perfectly – the child is no mere child but rather istruly the Son of God the Father and will indeed reign forever before Him inHeaven. How blessed indeed were those who kept faith and had eyes to see thisgreat prophecy fulfilled.


The Infant of Prague

Truly, the Lord is faithful to us and keeps all of Hispromises. How blessed will we be too, if we place our trust in Him and simply have faith.

Come, O King of All the Nations.

Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

O Adonai

2011-12-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Latin: O Adonai, et dux domus Israël, qui Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

English: O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

Reflection: Isaiah had prophesied, “But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” (11:4-5); and “Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us.” (33:22).

Reflection taken from Fr. William Saunders' post HERE.

O Antiphons/ O Sapientia

2011-12-17T12:17:00.002-06:00

Today we begin the 'O Antiphons'! These antiphons are prayed immediately before the Magnificat during Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours from December 17-23, marking the octave of celebration leading up to the joyous nativity of the Lord. Each antiphon points toward a different title of the Messiah, prophecies spoken by Isaiah, and the nearness of Christmas. Also, as noted by Professor Robert Greenberg, these antiphons seem to have been arranged with a purpose in mind: if you take the first letter of each Latin title in order of their closeness to Christmas, you find the phrase 'ero cras,' which in Latin means "I will come tomorrow." Pretty neat! For more info, check out Fr. William Saunders' post HERE.

Beginning with this post, I will be posting each of the antiphons and maybe an accompanying musical setting for reflection as we close in on these final days of Advent.

O Antiphon for December 17:

Latin: OSapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finemfortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

English: O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

Reflection: Isaiah had prophesied, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (11:2-3), and “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.” (28:29).

Sodom and Gomorrah!

2011-12-16T15:02:00.000-06:00

I've been on a little mini-vacation this week, so postings have been non-existent. To supplement, here is an interesting post from Dr. John Bergsma over at The Sacred Page blog:

By far the most interesting session at the recent Society of Biblical Literature Congress in San Francisco was one I wandered into by chance. I am always curious about what is going on in biblical archeology, so one afternoon I decided to skip the dozen or so sessions dedicated to Bakhtinian Decontextualization of Identity Construction in Persian Yehud (I had to tear myself away) and go hear about the excavations at a certain site called "Tall-el-Hammam." I had no idea what I was in for. After about five minutes into the session, I realized that the archeological team assigned to this dig was convinced that they had found the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. After another half-hour, it seemed they had most of the participants convinced as well. The sites fit the geographical and temporal context into which Sodom and Gomorrah are placed in the biblical texts. The cities at the site were suddenly and completely wiped out in the Late Bronze Age, which makes a reasonably good fit with the biblical accounts of Abraham and Lot. The entire presentation was very convincing, but never once did they deal with the "elephant in the room": what caused the sites to be suddenly abandoned? As soon as the session was over, I was the first to raise my hand. "Did you find any arrow heads? Signs of invasion? What happened to them?" The lead archeologist paused for a moment. "I didn't want to go there," he said. Another pause. "I'm preparing material for publication." Pause. "All I want to say 'on camera' is, they appear to have been wiped out in a 'heat event'."

A "heat event"!? What?!

"If you want to know more, I'll talk after the session off the record."

I wish I could divulge what he said to a small group of us clustered around the podium after the session was over, but it would break confidence. We'll have to wait for the official peer-reviewed publications.

I love it when scholars find out that things in the Bible might actually be *GASP* real! I look forward to hearing about the findings of the dig. More can be found at the their official site HERE.

Rejoice Always

2011-12-11T19:24:00.001-06:00

Readings for Sunday, December 11/ Gaudete Sunday:
Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11
Luke 1:46-50, 53-54
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28

What does it mean to rejoice?

It seems like a simple question,but as we come to this Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, orRejoicing Sunday, and hear these readings about rejoicing, it’s just been inthe back of my mind - what does it mean to rejoice?

As I thought about it, I knewthat rejoicing isn’t being happy. I knew it’s not feeling good about somethingor being upbeat. It’s not an emotion or feeling at all. In fact, the more Ithought about rejoicing, the more I began to wonder if it’s even something thatwe can control.

As I continued to think aboutthis question in hopes of find a homily somewhere in it, I continued with theother things that needed to be prepared for this weekend. I began to look atthe books and liturgy outlines and then the other night I went to the rectoryto get my rose colored vestments from my closet. It was in getting thesevestments that something strange happened. As I slid the hanging clothes asideto reveal these rose vestments, my heart was filled with joy and a smile cameto my face as I quietly gazed upon these simply pieces of cloth. In thatmoment, I could not help but rejoice in the silence of my heart because I knewthat this color meant that Advent is nearing its end, marking the nearness ofthe Lord. The Christ child is almost come; the Savior in our midst!

In light of this experience Ilooked at the scriptures for today and other passages that spoke of rejoicing, andnoticed a pattern. Almost every time the word ‘rejoice’ is used, it is used todescribe people’s response to the presence and action of God in their lives. Itis something that arises from deep within the soul; a spontaneous response toGod that is so powerful that the words that we use to describe it often seem tobe shadows in comparison with what is taking place.

The rejoicing of Isaiah’s soulcannot be contained in a few words, but rather comes out in a beautiful, poeticverse: “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for hehas clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with herjewels.”

In the responsory, we hear Mary too rejoices in the greatness of the Lord,recounting the many ways that He has blessed her and the world, in much thesame way as Isaiah.

Preaching of John the Baptist by Domenico Ghirlandaio

Lastly, we see the true cause ofour souls rejoicing in the Lord in the words of St. John the Baptist. “Ibaptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, theone who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” Inhis humility, he realizes that he is not worthy even to do the lowliest oftasks for the One coming after him and yet Christ does come in the midst of Him,and more than untie His sandals, John is asked to baptize the Lord.

Like John, when the Lord comes tous, when He makes Himself known and reveals to us His great love, we too arehumbled and our souls rejoice at the greatness of a God who comes into themidst of ones who are undeserving of so great a gift. As we grow in awarenessof the closeness of God to each of us at every moment of our lives, then wewill truly fulfill the exhortation of St. Paul: “Rejoice always.”

Untying the Knots

2011-12-08T09:27:00.001-06:00


Our Lady of Lourdes - "I am the Immaculate Conception"

Readings for Thursday, December 8/ Immaculate Conception:
Genesis 3:9-15, 20
Psalm 98:1-4
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
Luke 1:26-38

“I will put enmity between youand the woman, between your offspring and hers.”

These words found in the thirdchapter are often referred to as the ‘protoevangelium’ or ‘first gospel’because they tell us the good news that humanity is not subject to theconsequences of that first sin forever, but that there will come a savior – theoffspring of the woman who is at enmity with the evil one. This anticipation ofa savior colors the whole Old Testament and finds its fulfillment in the comingof Christ Jesus in His Incarnation at the Annunciation. Throughout that wholestory, though, we can see that God often works in similar ways, using a patternover and over. This use of patterns by God is not because He is uncreative, butrather because the patterns permit us all to look at events and recognize itssignificance because of its likeness to a previous event. We can see the handof God at work now because the signs were the same in the past. We see one ofthose clear patterns in the story of Eve and Mary.

Eve was created by God and wasentirely free from sin, entirely immaculate, and is presented with an option:follow the Lord or seek after her own desires. Manifesting her pride, she disobeyedthe will of God and ate of the forbidden fruit. In this, she brings sin uponher, then upon Adam, and ultimately the two of them bring condemnation to thewhole human race. In this action, Saint Irenaeus, a great defender of the faithin the early Church, says that Eve took the purity of humanity and, with Adam,tied it into a great knot.

As we noted, God often works inpatterns, and we all know that the only way to untie a knot is to go back andundo it in the same way it was formed. And so we must begin again with a womanentirely clean from all sin. The Immaculate Conception of Mary in the womb ofSaint Anne, which we celebrate today, gives us that woman. Rather than beingcleansed from sin as all of us are, Mary was kept free from all sin from thefirst moment of her conception by a special grace of God. She is indeed a blessedMother. In our gospel we hear the choice put to her as well: follow the will ofGod and bear the Son of God or to turn toward herself. Mary manifests herhumility, submits herself to the gracious will of God and, by bearing theChrist, helps to bring all of humanity not condemnation but redemption andsalvation. In this she unties that knot made by the first ‘mother of all theliving’ and helps to restore humanity to its purity.

While she has untied the knot ofsin for all humanity, it does not mean that we are now perfect. On thecontrary, quite often in our lives we model ourselves after Eve and reach outfor those forbidden fruits in our midst and tie knots ourselves, for which we latersuffer. On this feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, let us ask ourBlessed Mother to be conceived in our own hearts that she might also work in usto untie the knots we have made there. She has much experience in this greatwork, so let us place our hearts, souls, and lives in her loving hands,confident that she will accomplish this in us so we might merit that great giftof salvation.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

What to get your priest for Christmas...

2011-12-07T13:41:00.001-06:00

Found this excellent little article from Fr. William Byrne over at the My Catholic Standard website:

Two ingredients that have become central to the celebration of Jesus' birth are fat and sugar. I bemoan this not because I do not like fat and sugar, but because I really like foods that have lots of fat and sugar. Celebrating a feast historically included such things because the feast had been preceded by a period of fasting. However, Christmas now is preceded by Thanksgiving and a bunch of Christmas parties.

With a priest shortage, I would like to recommend some things to get for your priest that do not involve sugar or fat. (These words were difficult to write, but I managed through the grace of the Holy Spirit!)

1. Your Neighbor - Bring your neighbor to Mass and introduce him/her to the priest. Growing numbers and a new soul tops even a cream pie.

2. Spiritual Bouquet - A note with a promise to say some prayers for your priests is a wonderful Christmas gift. Quite frankly, looking at our world, it is clear that some serious spiritual battles are going on. Your prayers are the invisible powerhouse that allows the priest to face the most difficult situations with joy. If your pastor is a bit grumpy, maybe it is because you don't pray for him enough.

3. Live Your Baptism - I pray each day for my parish not only that they will come to Mass and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but also that they will bring him to the world. As Jesus is the Great High Priest, this gift is probably more for him than just for your local pastor. Being a great mom/dad/son/daughter/friend/employee/ boss and being truly a person a faith is a challenge. But heroes and saints are people who face challenges. So stand up and tell the world that you're proud to be a follower of Jesus. Let people see how you love his Church. Say grace before meals, go to Mass on vacation. Take your kids to Confession. Defend the faith.

4. Encouraging and Praying for Vocations - We just opened Blessed John Paul II Seminary in the Archdiocese of Washington because we have good numbers of men following the Lord to discern a call to the priesthood. The movement of the Holy Spirit is clear, but we need to pray that young men will be preserved from things that block them from hearing Christ's call. This is where you come in. Encouragement of a young man and prayers for those already in the seminary MUST be part of your daily regimen. This is a great gift not only to the seminarians but to the whole archdiocese.

5. Food for the Poor - Write a note to the priest, "I gave your cookies to the hungry." Once his blood pressure lowers, which it probably needs to anyway, he will be very grateful. We need your generosity more then we need your chocolate chips. (Once again the Holy Spirit helped me pen that sentence.)

Amen, Father. These gifts would certainly warm the heart of any priest.

Slapping Heretics and Blessing Children

2011-12-06T08:22:00.001-06:00

Readings for Tuesday, December 6/ St. Nicholas:
Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13
Matthew 18:12-14

On this feast of St. Nicholas, many of us conjure up images in our head of a jolly round fellow with rosy cheeks and a joyous laugh that makes his belly jiggle like a bowl full of jello. Good ole Saint Nick! Most of us don't know about the more serious side of good ole Saint Nick though. While St. Nicholas is certainly remembered as the good saint who blessed children with gifts and whose memory still lives on today, he was also a great defender of the faith in the early ages of the Church.

At the Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325, there was addressed a heresy called Arianism, after its promoter, Arius. Arius denied the fullness of divinity in Christ and this error was spreading wildly throughout the Church. Saint Nicholas, a great bishop and defender of the divinity of Christ went to the Council and in front of the community, slapped Arius across the face for his heretical teaching. This literal attack against heresy (and a heretic!) was meant to be a stark way of showing those in erroneous belief that they were wrong, had strayed from the fold, and needed to come back to the truth. This echoes the desires of Christ, who speaks today in the gospel about the need to leave the ninety-nine in search of the one lost sheep. How great is the rejoicing of one who returns to the fold.

While today we usually don't go around slapping people who are contradicting the True Faith (which would consume much of our day, honestly), we are called to pray for these souls and to encourage them and sometimes challenge them. Who in our own lives has strayed from the flock? Let us lift up that person(s) to the Lord today in prayer through the intercession of St. Nicholas.

Social Justice Right in Your Hands!

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

What does the Church say about Social Justice issues? A LOT! One of the best texts that includes references and quotes galor from Vatican II, John Paul II and other more recent documents, is the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. It was required reading for both of my social justice classes at the seminary and ought to be required for all Catholics period. To help with that endeavor, The Curt Jester has kindly made it available for free in e-reader format (iPad/Nook/Kindle/etc.) HERE. Check it out!

Preparation = Reconciliation

2011-12-04T13:27:00.001-06:00

St. John the Baptist preaching repentance

Readings for Sunday, December 4/ Second Sunday of Advent:

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Psalm 85:9-14

2 Peter 3:8-14

Mark 1:1-8

As we read the opening verses of the Gospel of Mark today, we immediatelyhear not about the Lord but about John the Baptist, who prepared the way forthe Lord’s coming. In moving from the prophecy of Isaiah to the introduction ofJohn as appearing in the desert proclaiming a message of repentance, St. Markshows us that John is not just a lead-in to the story but is really a keyfigure. Moreover, by establishing repentance as the proper mode of preparationfor the Lord’s coming, he also reveals to us how we are to spend this time of preparationin Advent.

As we listen to the scriptures, we hear about this reality ofrepentance being the proper means of preparation in the Second Letter of St.Peter also. The Lord’s delay in coming, he points out, is not some accidentalthing or something the Lord is doing for His own good, but rather He delays Hiscoming to enable us to have time to repent and thus be truly prepared for theday that the Lord truly does come. We are then challenged by the first Popehimself to conduct ourselves in holiness and to strive to be found without spot or blemish. We are called not simply to begood or sufficient, but perfect and spotless. This is not something that we cando, however. Rather, we must repent of our sinfulness and the Lord willsanctify us Himself. He will make us perfect.

As we hear today the story of John’s calling people to repentancebefore the Lord’s coming so many years ago, we recognize that he is alsocalling us to repentance today. But unlike in John’s day, when washing withwater left people still in their sins, we are called this Advent season torepent and turn to Jesus Christ in the person of the priest in the Sacrament ofReconciliation, where we are washed clean by the Blood of Christ and our sinstruly forgiven.

Open for Business!

Mother Church tells us that we must go at least once every year tothe Sacrament of Reconciliation as a way of ensuring that we are taking propercare of our souls. If you haven’t been to confession in the past year, pleasego. And I’ll take it a step further and say that if you haven’t been toconfession in the past month, you should go also. Pope John Paul II and many saintsof the Church went weekly, if not more often. Could we not benefit from suchfrequent help from the graces of the sacrament too?

As I encourage you to go to confession so frequently or at all,some of you may already be finding reasons or excuses of why you shouldn’t.

I don’t doanything that bad, so I don’t really need to go.

Or theopposite: I’ve done something so bad that Jesus surely won’t forgive me.

I can’t tellFather these things and then face him later.

I can’t findthe time to get to the sacrament.

I just saythat same things over and over.

I don’treally see the need to go since I can ask Jesus for forgiveness myself.

To these and any other fear or excuse, I simply say that God’smercy is beyond measure. Christ’s own blood was poured out for forgiveness ofour sins, as the consecration of the wine reminds us. To be afraid or not inneed of coming to that great source of love and mercy in confession is what thedevil desires of us. He wants us not to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming,but rather simply to be content with how things are or to be held back withfear from how things could be. As we continue to await the Lord’s coming and wehear that call of the Baptist to repentance, I say to you what Our Lord said toHis disciples so many times: Be not afraid. Prepare the way of the Lord.

Catholic and Gay

2011-12-03T11:32:00.001-06:00

As 'Gay Marriage' is spoken about more and more frequently these days in the secular media, the Church's teachings on homosexuality often come under attack and she (and we the members) are often made out to be hateful, discriminatory and self-righteous. With that in mind, I came across this beautiful blog post written on the topic from the point of view of a man who is Catholic and gay:

[H/T to Young and Catholic blog HERE, who picked up the post originally at Little Catholic Bubble blog HERE.]

When Leila asked me to write about gay marriage, the first thing I found out was how little I know about it. If I wanted to say anything coherent, I'd have to have definite beliefs about some deeper, thornier subjects first: the relationship between civil and moral law, just for starters. Even if I were sure enough of myself to talk about those things, I doubt I could do it in a blog-sized article.

So I'll have to do it in a more personal way. That might be better anyhow.I have heard a lot about how mean the Church is, and how bigoted, because she opposes gay marriage. How badly she misunderstands gay people, and how hostile she is towards us. My gut reaction to such things is: Are you freaking kidding me? Are we even talking about the same church?

When I go to Confession, I sometimes mention the fact that I'm gay, to give the priest some context. (And to spare him some confusion: Did you say 'locker room'? What were you doing in the women's...oh.) I've always gotten one of two responses: either compassion, encouragement, and admiration, because the celibate life is difficult and profoundly counter-cultural; or nothing at all, not even a ripple, as if I had confessed eating too much on Thanksgiving.

Of the two responses, my ego prefers the first -- who doesn't like thinking of themselves as some kind of hero? -- but the second might make more sense. Being gay doesn't mean I'm special or extraordinary. It just means that my life is not always easy. (Surprise!) And as my friend J. said when I told him recently about my homosexuality, "I guess if it wasn't that, it would have been something else." Meaning that nobody lives without a burden of one kind or another. As Rabbi Abraham Heschel said: "The man who has not suffered, what can he possibly know, anyway?"

Where are all these bigoted Catholics I keep hearing about? When I told my family a year ago, not one of them responded with anything but love and understanding. Nobody acted like I had a disease. Nobody started treating me differently or looking at me funny. The same is true of every one of the Catholic friends that I've told. They love me for who I am.

Actually, the only time I get shock or disgust or disbelief, the only time I've noticed people treating me differently after I tell them, is when I tell someone who supports the gay lifestyle. Celibacy?? You must be some kind of freak.

Hooray for tolerance of different viewpoints. I'm grateful to gay activists for some things -- making people people more aware of the prevalence of homosexuality, making homophobia less socially acceptable -- but they also make it more difficult for me to be understood, to be accepted for who I am and what I believe. If I want open-mindedness, acceptance, and understanding, I look to Catholics.

Is it hard to be gay and Catholic? Yes, because like everybody, I sometimes want things that are not good for me. The Church doesn't let me have those things, not because she's mean, but because she's a good mother. If my son or daughter wanted to eat sand I'd tell them: that's not what eating is for; it won't nourish you; it will hurt you. Maybe my daughter has some kind of condition that makes her like sand better than food, but I still wouldn't let her eat it. Actually, if she was young or stubborn enough, I might not be able to reason with her -- I might just have to make a rule against eating sand. Even if she thought I was mean.

So the Church doesn't oppose gay marriage because it's wrong; she opposes it because it's impossible, just as impossible as living on sand. The Church believes, and I believe, in a universe that means something, and in a God who made the universe -- made men and women, designed sex and marriage from the ground up. In that universe, gay marriage doesn't make sense. It doesn't fit with the rest of the picture, and we're not about to throw out the rest of the picture.

If you don't believe in these things, if you believe that men and women and sex and marriage are pretty much whatever we say they are, then okay: we don't have much left to talk about. That's not the world I live in.

So, yes, it's hard to be gay and Catholic -- it's hard to be anythingand Catholic -- because I don't always get to do what I want. Show me a religion where you always get to do what you want and I'll show you a pretty shabby, lazy religion. Something not worth living or dying for, or even getting up in the morning for. That might be the kind of world John Lennon wanted, but John Lennon was kind of an idiot.

Would I trade in my Catholicism for a worldview where I get to marry a man? Would I trade in the Eucharist and the Mass and the rest of it? Being a Catholic means believing in a God who literally waits in the chapel for me, hoping I'll stop by just for ten minutes so he can pour out love and healing on my heart. Which is worth more -- all this, or getting to have sex with who I want? I wish everybody, straight or gay, had as beautiful a life as I have.

I know this isn't a satisfactory answer. I don't think any words could be. I try to make my life a satisfactory answer, to this question and to others: What are people for? What is love, and what does it look like? How do we get past our own selfishness so we can love God and our neighbors and ourselves? It's a work in progress.

Beautiful.

Papal Intentions for December

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

It's that time again - here are the Holy Father's intentions for the month of December!

GeneralIntention:That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding andrespect.

Missionary Intention: That childrenand young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respectedand preserved from all violence and exploitation.

Restful Sundays

2011-11-28T15:15:00.001-06:00

Updated: article link now works!

Keep holy the Sabbath.

While we tend to think about taking the Lord's name in vain, coveting goods and the other Ten Commandments, it seems that keeping the Sabbath holy is likely the one most commonly broken when we're honest with ourselves. At the seminary I often saw Sundays as the day when I could crank out a whole paper or do some serious reading for class. Then I was lamenting to my spiritual director one day the fact that I never had time to rest and he asked about really keeping Sunday holy and resting with the Lord. I realized just how much I had been doing the opposite and he challenged me to try it out. Much fruit has been born from that challenge. I can't say I don't give into the urges to work on Sundays anymore, but I'm quite sure that I'll never be free of that inclination. As we enter into this Advent season and spend these 4 weeks quietly awaiting the Lord's coming at Christmas, learning to keep the Sabbath (Sunday) as a day of rest may be something to consider looking at. There is a wonderful little article about one woman's experience and struggle with doing so found HERE that is well worth 5 minutes to read. Gave me pause to re-evaluate how I've been doing lately as well... Have a blessed Advent!

Rend the Heavens!

2011-11-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Readings for Sunday, November 27/ First Sunday of Advent:

Isaiah 63:16,17,19; 64:2-7

Psalm 80:2-3,15-16, 18-19

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Mark 13:33-37

Be watchful! Be alert! Watch, therefore! Watch!

As we listen to the words of thegospel today, even someone who isn’t Catholic and doesn’t know about Adventcould probably give a good guess at the purpose of this Advent season, giventhat Our Lord tells us to ‘watch’ three times within a minute.

While each of us ought to be constantlywatching for Our Lord’s coming into the world around us, Mother Church setsaside this special season each year to help us look more deeply and to watchmore keenly for the entry of Christ into the human scene. While this seasontends to find us focusing on the coming of Christ as a child born of theBlessed Mother, we are reminded that this is a way to remind us of the needalways to be watchful also of the Second Coming of the Lord, as well as Hiscoming in other ways – in the Eucharist, in the Sacred Scriptures, and in thosearound us.

Reflecting on these various waysin which Our Lord comes to us in the midst of our lives, we realize that nomatter how He comes, whether as an infant, triumphant King, or neighbor in need,in the appearance of simple bread and wine or in sacred words written millenniaago, the Lord ultimately comes to be with us; but not in any superficial way ofsimply being around us or knowing about us. He comes with a heart that longs tobe in an intimate relationship with each of us; He opens Himself that we mightbe part of His life and desires that He be all of ours. It is for this unionthat we are called to prepare ourselves and to keep watch.

I don’t know about you, but whenI come to pray before the Lord in silence, He often brings up things in myheart where I have failed to live the life I’ve been called and consecrated tolive. Times where I’ve been lazy or short-tempered or any number of thingswhere I haven’t fully imaged Christ. And for most of my life, I spent my timein prayer and outside of prayer working on those things myself, thinking that Icould make myself better and make myself more virtuous. But the reality is thatI couldn’t - and still can’t - do anything myself; it is God Who does things inme. And the things that He revealed in my prayer were not things that He wantedme to fix but, rather, were things He wanted to fix in me, but needed mypermission to come in and do so.

As we keep watch for the Lord’scoming during these next four weeks of Advent and listen for His voice in ourprayer, may He bring to light those places where He desires to work in ourhearts. And seeing those places, let us make our voices one with Isaiah incrying out for the Lord to rend the Heavens and come down to us, that He mightcontinue to mold each of us into the son or daughter He desires us to be. As webegin that journey, we pray that simple prayer of Joseph Cardinal Mercier,known as the Secret of Sanctity:

Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You.

Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me.

Tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders.

I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me

And accept all that You do permit to happen to me.

Let me only know Your will.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Come, O Come, Immanuel.

Face-Melting Quote of the Day

2011-11-25T15:33:00.001-06:00

From a sermon on man's mortality by Saint Cyprian (from the Office of Readings today):

"The world hates Christians, so why give your love to it instead of following Christ, who loves you and has redeemed you? ... Our part, my dear brothers, is to be single-minded, firm in faith, and steadfast in courage, ready for God's will, whatever it may be. Banish the fear of death and think of the eternal life that follow. That will show people that we really live our faith."

Written? Kitten!

2011-11-22T10:09:00.001-06:00

This just in from the 'totally random' department of my brain:

As a college student and grad student for a total of eight years, I had many papers to write and often found myself less than excited about having to write them. I was forwarded a website from a good friend that aims at helping with this problem. It's called Written? Kitten! and it's a website that is based off of this premise: cats are cute. It starts out with a blank screen and a text box, but as soon as you type 100 words - a cat picture! And for every 100 words after that - another cat picture! If you've got a monster paper, you can up the count to 200, 500 or 1000 words for the picture change. It certainly helps to write a paper if the more progress we make the more cute cat pictures we see, right? After all, seeing this cute kitten picture makes me want to write a paper...and I don't even have to...

Why all the changes?!

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

Below is an article I wrote for our semi-annual publication The Oaks.

As we all continue to transitionto the new wording in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, thereare lots of questions that can be asked: How were the choices of new prayersmade? What do the new words mean? What was wrong with the other prayers? Whydoes it matter what words we use to pray? These and the many other questionsthat could be asked ultimately lead us to one central question: Why are wechanging?

We could answer this with asimple analysis of recent events – the release of a document on the proper wayto translate liturgical texts in 2001, the promulgation of a new edition of theMissale Romanum (the Latin text ofthe Mass) in 2002, and the subsequent process of translating that Latin textinto the English we will soon be employing in our celebrations. In my opinion,however, that does not really answer the question. Rather the answer is simplythis: the Holy Spirit.

All throughout his pontificate,Blessed John Paul II spoke of a New Springtime in the Church and His Holiness,Pope Benedict XVI has continued this prophetic proclamation. This ‘NewSpringtime,’ as they call it, is a time when the dew of the Spirit brings newlife to the Church and a flowering of the faith is made visible to the worldaround us - a flowering that changes our culture and our world. If we only takea quick glance at the Church today it would be easy to get frustrated ordiscouraged, but if we look deeply we see great things happening on agrassroots level throughout our entire Church. It is clear that the Holy Spiritis moving in our midst.

It is with this in mind that Isay the Holy Spirit is the real answer to why we are changing and updating theprayers of the Mass. But just because God is doing things doesn’t mean that wenecessarily enjoy it. After all, change can be a difficult thing. Most of usare creatures of habit and once we find a way of doing something that iscomfortable to us, we don’t like it when changes are introduced. But thereality is that when change does happen, there is an invitation for us to growin the midst of our frustration. I think it is that change and growth which theHoly Spirit desires of us as a nation and as a world in bringing forth this newtranslation of the Mass at this point in time. Why do I think that? Because thefruits are already showing themselves.

The fact is that for the firsttime in many years the whole English-speaking segment of the Church isencountering extensive, deep catechesis on the prayers and celebration of theMass. The availability of materials and regular discussion of this most-centralaspect of our faith is already permitting and encouraging people to enter intothe celebration of the Mass in a way that they might not have until now. TheVatican II document on the Church, LumenGentium, tells us that “taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, thesource and summit of the Christian life, [the faithful] offer the divine victimto God and themselves along with it.” Calling the celebration of Mass thesource and summit of our lives drives home the point that we are essentially aEucharist-centered people and that our participation in the celebration of theMass has a profound impact on the entirety of our lives; every grace comes fromthe Mass and every action points toward it. As we continue to talk about andlearn more about this great mystery of faith, will not out our lives and worldalso be changed and powerfully transformed in the process?

All of this is simply summed upin that great axiom Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi, which simply meansthat the way we pray determines the way we believe, which determines the way welive. And if we live the prayers of the Mass then the world has no chance ofremaining unchanged. How so?

If we look at the style ofprayer, we see that the new translation uses notedly loftier wording. Ratherthan simple sentences and more commonplace words it uses complex sentences andwords that will make us realize that this is not just an ordinary celebrationat which we gather. It is a celebration in which we come into contact with theGod of all creation and humbly seek his grace.

Our current translation turns toGod saying ‘make us’, ‘renew us’, ‘give us’, and other such prayers that seemto simply tell Him what we want. The new translation will feel different as wenow emphasize the fact that we must implore God’s help rather than tell Him ourdesires; thus we will see more of ‘be pleased’ and ‘we pray’ throughout thecelebration.

Also, in our current translationwe often do not hear the extra adjectives that are part of the original Latinedition. We will hear of ‘Blessed Joseph’ and the ‘Blessed Apostles Peter andPaul’ rather than simply ‘Joseph’ or ‘the Apostles Peter and Paul’ as well asthe ‘glorious ever-Virgin Mary’ and ‘most beloved Son’ rather than ‘Mary, theever-Virgin mother’ and ‘Jesus Christ, your only Son.’ Too, we will hear aboutbreak being taken into the ‘holy and venerable hands’ of Our Lord and thereception of the ‘precious chalice’ during the consecratory prayers over thebread and wine.

These and so many other littlechanges here and there throughout the Mass will help us to realize that God andthe heavenly realities are something entirely different than normal life. Theyare far beyond simple mundane things and we are blessed to be able to enterinto them. And as we come to integrate this realization into our beliefsystems, our lives will be visibly transformed. Such a great mystery!

As we sit here on the thresholdof this New Springtime in the Church and the world, I cannot help but rejoiceat the blessing the Lord has given all of us at being here to witness themovement the Holy Spirit so powerfully in our midst. A true blessing indeed!Come, Holy Spirit!

Face-Melting Quote of the Day

2011-11-21T14:28:00.001-06:00

"Dear young people, Jesus loves you. Ask your parents to pray with you! Sometimes you may even have to push them a little. But do not hesitate to do so. God is that important!"

- Pope Benedict XVI in his recent trip to Benin

Who is Jesus?

2011-11-21T11:43:00.001-06:00

Readings for Sunday, November 20/ Solemnity of Christ the King:

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

Psalm 23:1-3, 5-6

1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

Matthew 25:31-46

Below is a rough draft of my homily for the weekend, which turned out different but with the same essential points.

Who is Jesus to me?

At different points in our lifeof faith, we see Our Lord in a different way. At one time He may be a shepherd,rescuer, or healer as we heard in the prophet Ezekiel. At another time He maybe viewed as judge and mighty king, as in the gospel. At another time He may befriend, brother, lover, or intercessor. All of these are good and healthyrelationships to Our Lord, but as we gather here today we honor Himspecifically under the title of King.

In our intimate personal prayerand devotion, we can come before the Lord and speak informally, as with onewe’ve known our whole lives. It is fitting because that intimacy with Christ isnecessary for a vibrant faith, and so we can draw near and simply rest our headon the chest of our Savior as St. John at the Last Supper and speak simply toour friend, brother, shepherd, and Lord. But as we celebrate this great feastof Jesus Christ the King, we recognize that this simple intimate speak also islimited to a time and place, and that there is also a time where a moreformalized dialogue is called for.

In the gospel reading, Christ isthe King and we hear from Him a formalized, kingly language. Rather than simplysaying “You blessed ones, come get the inheritance that’s been waiting for you”,Our Lord says rather poetically, “Come, you who are blessed by my father.Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” There’sa loftiness of speech that is noted, it’s understandable and yet not justcommon speech.

As we come together as a community,rather than use the simple speech of two intimate friends we come into thehouse of our God and Christ our King and are called to worship not as we desireindividually but as the Lord deserves from us collectively. Rather thansimplicity and flexibility, we come with rituals, routine gestures, and richlanguage. By this we are reminded that the celebration of the liturgy is notone of many things we do, but rather is unique and deserving of its own rituallanguage.

When the Second Vatican Councilpermitted the Mass to be celebrated in the language of the people some fiftyyears ago, there was a great rush to make the Mass in English availablequickly. The translation we received and have celebrated for the last fortyyears is good, but is quite simplified. The theological depth and rich poeticnature of the Latin original was often lost in the translation. With thisrevised translation of the Latin text, we now can reclaim some of that beauty,richness, and theological depth of our Catholic faith and liturgicalcelebration. Let us look, for instance at the prayers we’ll be praying nextweek.

Last year on the First Sunday ofAdvent we prayed this after Communion:

Father, may our communion teach us to loveheaven.

May its promise and hope guide our way onearth.

Next weekend, with the newtranslation of the same prayer in Latin, we will hear this:

May these mysteries, O Lord, in which wehave participated,

profit us, we pray, for even now, as we walkamid passing things,

you teach us by them to love the things ofheaven

and hold fast to what endures.

The current translation is rathersimple with bluntness and little embellishment. The new translation expressesthe same idea in a much more poetic form that is more humble and theological inwording - a form truly worthy of Our King. So as we draw closer to Our Lord, we realize that while He is certainly to us a brother, friend, lover, savior and much more, above all He is our King.

Africae Munus!

2011-11-20T14:51:00.001-06:00

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his recent visit to Africa, signed the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae Munus. While it is written to citizens of that continent and about things important there, it is also useful for us to read as well. As Catholics we realize we are a universal body of believers and so it is beneficial for us to read what our brothers and sisters in Africa are experiencing and also to hear the Catholic faith applied concretely to their situation, which often is similar to ours. You can find it on the Vatican website HERE or ePub & Kindle formats over at The Curt Jester blog HERE. Do enjoy and please keep our Holy Father in your prayers.

The Joys of Heaven

2011-11-19T19:29:00.001-06:00

In the Office of Readings for the Breviary this morning, there was a beautiful reflection by St. Thomas Aquinas on the joys of Heaven that really made me pause and think for a bit. So often my concept of Heaven, though it is necessarily communal, is rather personalistic in reference to simply beholding God's face. As most children tend to think of Heaven as a place characterized by their favorite things - perpetual games, cotton candy and other such things. The thing that really struck me was St. Thomas' words about our relationship to others there and how our joy perpetually increases. Rather than try to summarize it and fail to show the beauty of it, I'll simply quote it:

"Again, eternal life consists of the joyous community of all the blessed, a community of supreme delight, since everyone will share all that is good with all the blessed. Everyone will love everyone else as himself, and therefore will rejoice in another's good as in his own. So it follows that the happiness and joy of each grows in proportion to the joy of all."

Sustain Me

2011-11-15T09:35:00.001-06:00

Readings for Tuesday, November 14/ St. Albert the Great:
2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Psalm 3:2-7
Luke 19:1-10

"When I lie down in sleep, I awake again, for the Lord sustains me."

As we come here to this Mass today we hear these encouraging words from the psalmist, speaking to us of the love that Our Lord has for us and the fact that He is constantly thinking of us and holding us in existence. The closeness of God at every moment is something incredible to contemplate.

The account from Second Maccabees of the elder Eleazer is so beautiful in itself that we could spend hours contemplating it. Before Christian martyrs witnessed to us, we have this witness of the faith of Eleazar, who offered his life to God rather than even appear to defile himself before others. As he went to his death, he did so not only with great suffering but also great joy in his soul. Certainly the Lord was with him, sustaining him in the midst of those trials.

Most of us, though, are not so boldly called to rely upon the sustenance of the Lord. More often than not, in my own life and experience, it comes in simply relying upon Him in the midst of the hectic lives that we lead. Turning to Him in the course of the day and reminding ourselves that it is only by His grace that we are able to accomplish the things that we do. We can be mindful of this by the example of St. Albert the Great, whose feast we celebrate today. In the twelfth century, St. Albert was revered as a "teacher of everything there is to know" - one who was well-versed and even a leader in chemistry, natural sciences, philosophy, theology, architecture, and general daily wisdom. He shaped the mind of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose theology stands as the norm for teaching 800 years later. He was consulted by business men, builders, religious seekers, and the pope on all various accounts. And yet in the midst of all of those various ventures he still found himself able to effectively minister as a bishop and leader of the Dominican community. Those who look at his life cannot but be shocked at the amount of work he accomplished in his life and often at the same time and truly this is all attributed to the work of God, who continually sustained St. Albert all throughout those works and made them bear the fruit they did because he truly dwelled in the Lord.

From his example we can find our own encouragement, that in the midst of our busy days caught up in so many things - though not so glorious as his - we can still find Our Lord and remind ourselves that it is He who sustains us.

Mother Church

2011-11-13T14:20:00.001-06:00

Readings for Sunday, November 13:
Proverbs 31:10:13, 19-20, 30-31

Psalm 128:1-5

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Matthew 25:14-30

Very often in the selection of thetexts for a Sunday Mass, the readings clearly tie together. We can see at leastsome surface-level connections without too much digging. When I read thereadings for this Sunday however I have to admit it gave me pause to think. Theletter from St. Paul and the gospel both speak about the coming of the Lord,the need for attentiveness, and the final judgment of each soul. In starkcontrast to that we find these beautiful, poetic pieces from the Book ofProverbs and the Psalms about the value of finding a worthy wife who isfruitful like a vine. It seems almost as if it were accidental; that someonecut and pasted the wrong scriptures to the weekend’s readings list. And yet, ifwe look closely and dig a bit, we find that there is a key that unlocks for us theconnection between these seemingly unconnected passages: Mother Church.

In the scriptures, the Church is oftendescribed as a bride and the spouse of the Bridegroom. As spouse of theBridegroom, she also conceives children and leads them on the path ofsalvation. Thus we can see that as wife of the Bridegroom, she is also a mother– our mother.

In our current religious culture,we don’t often hear the Church referred to as Mother Church. So often we areencouraged to ourselves as the Church, rightly so in a sense. But as we beginto think of ourselves as ‘Church,’ it is easy to forget that ‘The Church’ – theCatholic Church - is something much larger and more glorious. The Catechism ofthe Catholic Church tells us that “Salvation comes from God alone; but becausewe receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother…. Becauseshe is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.” (CCC 169) So strongwas the realization of this relationship to the Church as Mother in thecenturies past that St. Cyprian once said, “No one can have God as Father whodoes not have the Church as Mother.” Quite a statement, and yet we realize theabsolute truth in it because it is only by way of Mother Church’s teaching andguidance that we are even able to know and call upon Christ as Savior and Godas Father.

As a mother educates her children about the world aroundthem, teaching them words, concepts, truths and values, so too does our Mother,the Church, educate us in the things of God, teaching us the faith, encouragingus along the path of Truth toward holiness and salvation. (CCC 171) Scriptureelsewhere tells us that the Church is the pillar and defender of Truth; if thisis so, then it means that she herself must know such Truth in order to defend it.And if she knows the Truth, then we ought to listen to her and follow the wayshe sets before us. To do so is to find ourselves always prepared. Our lives,when given over to her, will bear much fruit and will be a rich harvest for theLord. We will be those servants who were given five talents, and raised fivemore; or the ones given two talents, who raised two more. Not holding anythingback, as the last servant, we are able to come before the Lord and joyfullypresent to Him on the day of our judgment the fruits of our labor in Hisservice.

Let us turn to our Mother, that worthy wife of the HeavenlyBridegroom, and entrust ourselves to her maternal care and find in her theassurance of our salvation.

Classic

2011-11-09T09:37:00.002-06:00

I always enjoy a some good clean humor. Have a blessed feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica! More on that HERE and HERE.

Oil for Our Lamps

2011-11-06T22:08:00.002-06:00

Readings for Sunday, November 6:

Wisdom 6:12-16

Psalm 63:2-8

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Matthew 25:1-13

After the Death, Resurrection and Ascensionof Our Lord, there were many who believed that they would see His Second Comingduring their own lifetime. As the Lord said, they would not know the day or thehour. Yet many disciples of the Lord, including some of the Apostles, seemed,at least at first, to believe that Christ would not be long in returning tobring about the fulfillment of all creation. For this reason, they were zealousin carrying out the Lord’s commands. They underwent great trials and madeincredible ground in a short period of time. And yet the Lord did not make Hisreturn in their lifetime, nor did He come in their century or even their millennium.As you well know, we are here nearly 2000 years later, still awaiting thatSecond Coming of Christ that many in the first days of the Church thought wouldhappen within a matter of years or even months.

We all know that old joke that says, “Jesusis coming, everyone look busy!” But I think that in joking about it we caneasily forget the reality that it actually may happen at any moment. Being sofar removed from the time of Christ’s earthly life puts us at a certaindisadvantage because it’s easier now to be confident that we’ve got a long lifeahead of us and we’ve got time to do what we want and get right with God later.Even as I was preparing this homily I was thinking of what to preach in thecoming weeks in light of this weekend’s readings – we all assume that we havetons of time, which we may well have. But the thing is that when we get comfortable, we can begin toslack up on our efforts to grow in faith and holiness. That’s what we seein our Gospel passage today. Let’s look again.

We start with the ten virgins with lampswaiting for the bridegroom. The Early Church Father tell us that the lamp hereis used as a symbol of faith, marking one who has been enlightened through theSacrament of Baptism and now walks with faith in Our Lord. The virgins withlamps, then, are symbolic of the Christian community. The Letter of St. Jamesin the scriptures tells us that faith without works is dead, and so we see thatthe oil that keeps the lamps burning – that keeps faith alive in the soul andmerits salvation – is symbolic of works of charity.

The wise virgins entered the banquet becausethey had extra oil that lasted until the coming of the bridegroom. They werenot content with a minimal amount, but sought out extra oil beforehand and wereprepared for the long wait. These are the souls of men and women who do notcontent themselves with the minimal requirements of salvation, but ratherstrive for holiness by doing much more than what is required in the way ofcharity and self-sacrifice. Not presuming upon their time here on Earth, theystrive to work out their salvation zealously each day.

In contrast we have the foolish virgins whoare not able to enter the banquet because the amount of oil they thought wassufficient was in fact not enough, and so they are left rushing at the lastminute searching for some, only to find it was too late. These are the souls ofmen and women who are comfortable with things as they are and contentthemselves with doing only what they deem necessary, thinking it will be enoughto, as one of my seminary professors so eloquently put it, barely flop over theline into purgatory and eventually get into Heaven. These are the ones whopresume upon their salvation and are turned away because their presumption keepsthem from being charitable, which is the basic requirement for the attainmentof salvation.

As we draw closer to the end of thisliturgical year and we hear more about the Four Last Things – Death, Judgment,Heaven and Hell – the challenge is for us to look at ourselves and see how wemeasure up. Surely we have our lamps of faith. The question is, do we have our oil?

Were Not Our Hearts Burning...

2011-11-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

The Emmaus story, when the Resurrected Christ walks with two disciples and then breaks open the scriptures to them, is a beautiful one on which to reflect. That touching line "were not our hearts burning..." is one that often comes to mind as I hear or read a particularly profound concept in the scriptures or theology of the Church. And as I have that experience, it drives me to seek to know more and more.

When I first had a scripture class with Dr. Brant Pitre at Notre Dame Seminary, I walked away thinking that exact line from the above account. He had a way of bringing the scriptures to an understandable level that was engaging and enjoyable, yet at the same time challenging and thought-provoking. Every class was a joy and every talk I've heard from his was enlightening in some fashion. Why am I saying all of this? Because Dr. Pitre is coming to Baton Rouge next week and you can be there.

St. Thomas More Catholic Church is having it's Parish Mission on November 7-8, Monday and Tuesday night, starting at 7pm. The subject is 'The Biblical Roots of the Mass: A Scriptural Explanation of the New Roman Missal'. It should be absolutely wonderful and I highly encourage as many as can go to do so.

More info on the event can be found on the flyer HERE.
More info on Dr. Pitre can be found on his website HERE.

Listen To Your Heart!

2011-11-04T09:35:00.001-05:00

Savage Chickens: always a good way to start the day...

Masses!

2011-11-01T17:26:00.001-05:00

For those interested:

Each year on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day, November 2), each priest is permitted to celebrate three Masses rather than the norm of one per day. In light of this allowance, I will be celebrating three Masses consecutively tomorrow (Wednesday, November 2) here at St. George. The first will be the normal parish Mass at 8:30. The second will follow shortly after it, around 9:00. The third will follow that one at 9:30 and will be in Latin (using the current Missal, not the 1962). I will have booklets for the latter so that any desiring to do so may follow along.

And don't forget about the plenary indulgences that can be gained from November 1-8 and especially on All Souls' Day! The souls in purgatory would greatly appreciate your kindness toward them.

Papal Intentions for November

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Below are Pope Benedict XVI's intentions for the month of November:

General Intention: That the Eastern CatholicChurches and their venerable traditions may be known and esteemed as aspiritual treasure for the whole Church.

Missionary Intention: Justice and Reconciliation in Africa.
That the African continent may find strength in Christ to pursue justice andreconciliation as set forth by the second Synod of African Bishops.

Remember the Holy Souls!

2011-10-31T18:00:00.000-05:00

Remember the indulgences that can be gained for the souls in Purgatory on All Souls' Day (Wednesday), as well as each day from November 1 through 8. More info on that HERE.

Check out my Phylacteries

2011-10-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

Readings for Sunday, October 30:
Malachi 1:14-2:2, 8-10
Psalm 131:1-3
1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13
Matthew 23:1-12

People often ask me why I wear acassock rather than ‘normal clothes’. My short answer is always that it remindsme of who I am and it lets other people know that I’m not a normal person – I’ma Catholic priest. That doesn’t mean I’m better, but does mean I am different.And that visible, external marker helps people to identify that invisible,internal reality.

The idea of using external signsto mark internal realities is not uncommon. In fact it’s abundantly common.Sports players wear a specific jersey to mark themselves as part of a team. Wewear clothing that marks us as being fans of a certain team. We put stickers onour cars to indicate what school we support or political views. That and manyother things mark us off as belonging to a specific group. And the same is trueof religion.

Each religion is often marked bysome external sign that sets them apart as belonging to a certain group –either by language, style of dress, specific times for prayer in the day andthroughout the year, rituals, and other such things mark a person as belongingto a certain system of religious belief.

We hear about one of those marksin our gospel today as the Lord points out the phylacteries of the Pharisees. I’ma big visual learner, so I went online and googled ‘phylacteries’ and thepictures were rather interesting. To be short, Orthodox Jews follow the mandateof the Lord to bind the ‘Shema’ (Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lordis one) on their heads and wrists, and they do so with little boxes and longstraps which wrap around their forehead and spiral down their arms; it was avery visible thing. It showed those around them that they were in prayer. By widening their phylacteries, the Pharisees they wereshowing off and implying that they were better and their prayers held moreweight because of their rank. Our Lord points out that their beliefs did notmatch with their external actions. It was taken too far.

As Catholics we also have anumber of markers that we can point to – most vividly the ashes we receive onAsh Wednesday - but there used to be many more. Our 55 and up crowd mayremember others such as meatless Fridays, the wearing of scapulars, bowing one’shead at the name of Jesus, Ember and Rogation days, 40 Hours devotion, lightingcandles, novenas, making the sign of the Cross as you pass a Catholic Church andmany other pious practices that were common in the pre-Vatican II age. Thesewere all external marks of internal realities. You don’t make the sign of theCross as you pass a Catholic Church unless you believe in Real Presence ofChrist in the Blessed Sacrament, you don’t fast or abstain from meat unless yourealize the need for penance and its value for sanctification, and you don’tlight a candle in front of a statue unless you know the power of the saints’ inour lives. There are all things that clearly marked us as Catholic. And whilethey’re not entirely gone, they have largely disappeared from our Catholicculture. I dare say that most of my generation has never even heard of an EmberDay, much less know what it is (it’s a seasonal day of penance). Sometimesthese pious actions went a bit too far though. I have heard stories of people thatpress themselves against walls in a stairwell, almost to the point of fallingdown, so as not to be in the way of a priest because they were always taught “Don’ttouch Father!” because it was a sign of respect. Pious practices such as thatexaggerated sign of respect certainly needed to be looked at with a closer eyeand some education clearly needed to take place on what is realistic and whatis overdone. But the problem is that often we threw out the baby with thebathwater. Rather than try to educate on a proper expression of piety, we gotrid of the signs entirely.

Coming back around, I noted atthe beginning that often our exterior marks what we really believe. If we ridourselves of the external signs and rituals of our faith, what then holds ustogether as a Catholic community? As that familiar hymn says, “They’ll know weare Christians by our love”. But how do they know we are CATHOLIC Christians?

Consecration Time!

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

During my first year of seminary, in the fall of 2004, I was asked by one of my best friends if I would like to join in 'the consecration'. I said sure and was given a booklet to follow along - 'Preparation for Total Consecration according to Saint Louis Marie de Montfort'. St. Louis' method is mainly to consecrate oneself to Our Lord through the hands of Our Lady; one can read his book True Devotion to understand more deeply this theology. The consecration booklet was comprised of 33 lessons leading up to the day of consecration. After making my way through the preparation period, I decided to continue with the consecration and have renewed that consecration each year (excepting one) on that same date - December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Each year as November comes into view, so too does my 'Total Consecration' book, now held together by duct tape with the pages discolored from regular use. As I begin this year's round of 33 days of preparation prior to the consecration, I want to invite you to join with me. The booklet can be found HERE and a website that contains an older version of the lessons and prayers is available HERE. To conclude on December 8, one must begin on November 5. The consecration can be done any day, but it is nice to have such a solemn feast on which to celebrate one's consecration. If you do join in the preparation and consecration, maybe we could have a special gathering on December 8 to do the consecration as a group? Might be cool :)

Prayers and Purgatory!

2011-10-27T12:04:00.000-05:00

As All Souls' Day draws nearer, it is good to think about the many graces that are available for those who have gone before us and are enduring spiritual purification in purgatory. They can be our loved ones, members of our community, and souls we don't know from all places of the world and history. To pray for them is to help them in their journey to Heaven. And the cool thing is that once they get there - they'll be praying for us before the Throne of God! It's good to have friends in high places, so let's gain these many graces for our beloved departed.

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful who fulfill the following conditions:

Visit a Church on November 2, All Souls' Day
Offer an Our Father and Hail Mary for the Pope's Intentions
Offer an Our Father and the Creed for the Faithful Departed
Make a good confession and be free from all attachment to sin
Receive Holy Communion that day (or ASAP following if unable that day)

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is also granted to the faithful who fulfill the following conditions:

on any and each day from November 1 to 8, devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the departed (the 'Eternal rest grant unto them...' suffices)
Offer an Our Father and Hail Mary for the Pope's Intentions
Make a good confession within a week of All Souls' Day (before or after)
Be free from all attachment to sin
Receive Holy Communion that day (or ASAP following if unable that day)

Facing East

2011-10-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

The topic of the orientation of the priest in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is one that we will surely hear more about in coming years as more and more priests realize the beauty and (I personally think) necessity of this style of prayer. Enjoy this wonderful homily from Bishop Alexander Sample from the Diocese of Marquette on the topic.

Repay to God what is God's

2011-10-16T13:35:00.000-05:00

Readings for Sunday, October 16:

Isaiah 45:1, 4-6

Psalm 96:1, 3-5, 7-10

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

Matthew 22:15-21

Not to praise the Pharisees, butI am almost impressed by their perseverance in the face of constantly beinghumiliated by Our Lord. Onetime after another, they keep asking questions orresponding to parables and wind up falling into the traps they had set for OurLord. This gospel passage even gives us a little hint about just how angry theywere at Christ. The Pharisees were religious leaders and were against the Romanoccupation and control over the land of Israel. They hated the Roman leadersand would often fight back against them. And yet they join together with theHerodians, the Jewish group who worked for the Romans and whom they viewed asthe most despised of Jews. They were consumed by hatred of Our Lord. And inresponse to this the Lord keeps pointing them in the way of Truth, as eachparable or question gives us another little piece of the puzzle.

As the Lord hears their question,which comes off as a very flowery but insincere word of praise, he sees theintention of their hearts and asks for the Roman coin. Oddly enough, the verymen who rebel against the taxes and the Caesar pull out the coin; they havealready begun to condemn themselves just by this action. And then the Lord asksa question to allow them to continue to dig the hole a little deeper. Byreplying that the image and inscription on the coin were that of Caesar, theLord has them right in place because to have your inscription on somethingmeant that it technically belonged to that person. In this case, the coin wasrightfully Caesar’s and ought then to be given. Simply leaving his response as“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” would have been sufficient, butbecause the Pharisees were gathered who would have rioted over this answer, theLord continues, saying “and to God what belongs to God.”

To add this latter statement wasto take the Pharisees question even farther and, really, to make it anon-issue. Jesus’ response ultimately leaves one having to ask the nextquestion: What belongs to God? What bears His image? It’s simple – everything. The Jewish people lived out this ‘repayingGod’ by offering the first fruits of their produce and livestock. They offeredtithes from their money. And they offered grain or animal sacrifices for gracesreceived or in atonement for their sins. They had a very clear way of repaying to God what was God’s. But thenthe question comes to us – how do we repay to God what is His?

Certainly we still tithe out ofthe riches the Lord gives us. More than sacrificing animals for the remissionof our sins, we offer the Father the Christ’s own sacrifice of Himself in theEucharist. But beyond that, the Book of Genesis speaks of how man and womanwere created in the image of God, so what we are called to give God is actuallyour entire self. All things come from God and are given to us freely, but theymust eventually be repaid. It’s interesting that the Lord uses “repay” ratherthan “give” in His response. To give means it’s optional, something done fromthe kindness of one’s heart. To repay means it is a duty, something that mustbe done because the other person deserves it. Thus, we must repay to God whatis God’s and lead lives of praise, giving over our will, desires, and controlin our lives because it is truly He Who is deserving of it.

St.Ignatius of Loyola summarized this well in his 'suscipe' prayer, which we now pray:

Take, Lord, and receive all myliberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will. All I have and call myown, You have given to me; to you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; dowith it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enoughfor me.

Retreats and Things

2011-10-13T13:24:00.000-05:00

As noted on the previous blog post I was on retreat with my brother priests from our diocese for the past few days. On a funny note, I left the parish and didn't post anything to the blog and my hit count on the blog went up - go figure! On a deeper note, thank you for all the prayers for us as we were on retreat. It was a truly blessed opportunity to take a few days out for some special quiet time with the Lord and with my brother priests. The retreat master, Fr. William Parker C.Ss.R. was a joy to hear and certainly gave us some good food for thought as we return home and into the parish setting once more. It was also a joy to be able to spend time with the men alongside whom I will serve for the rest of my life. Seeing the witness of so many of these men faithfully following the Lord and joyfully living their vocation for 30, 40, or 50+ years and being able to hear some of their stories was a great blessing. I return refreshed and renewed after being immersed in the Lord's grace, but I also return strengthened in the bond of unity that hold our presbyterate and diocese together. As the Psalmist says: How pleasant it is when brothers live in unity!

Prayers Please

2011-10-10T00:03:00.000-05:00

This week I will be on retreat from Monday to Thursday with my brother priests here in Baton Rouge. Please pray that the retreat master be lead by the Spirit in giving his reflections, that we may be open to the graces the Lord desires for each of us and that it be a time of fraternity and renewal in our vocation. Thanks so much and know that I will be praying for you as well especially during that time.

Banquets and Clothes

2011-10-08T20:36:00.001-05:00

Readings for Sunday, October 9:
Isaiah 25:6-10
Psalm 23:1-6
Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
Matthew 22:1-14

Last weekend we heard the Lordspeaking with the chief priests and elders in the form of a parable abouttenants killing the servants and son of a vineyard owner and then themselvesbeing put to death and the vineyard given to others. It was a harsh parablethat Jesus spoke to show them that the vineyard of Israel would be given to anew people if they rejected Him. Immediately following that, we have theparable we hear this week – a story that ultimately is an analogy to respondingto the gospel message and attaining salvation.

The king having a banquet for hisson is symbolic of God the Father celebrating the redemption of man by ChristJesus’ victory over death, wherein all men are able to attain salvation and be‘wedded’ in a sense to God in Heaven. Entering the banquet is equated withentering the Church; to remain is to gain eternal life. The servants sent outto the invited guests and met with unconcern or violence are the prophets whoproclaim the truth to the people of Israel and are met with derision andviolence. When the wedding feast is ready and all is prepared, we are tounderstand that redemption is at hand and it need only be responded to; oneneed simply say yes. As Jesus tells this to the chief priests and elders, thosewho rejected Him and the prophets before Him, he is essentially letting themknow that they are rejecting the invitation to redemption; they are refusing toenter the fold and attain salvation. In choosing their earthly concerns, theyhave chosen their eternal reward.

With the rejection of the firstgroup, the invitation is opened to all who are available to come; this is themission to the gentile nations, those not of Hebrew blood, which includes mostof us. The invitation is extended to all who are around, not just a specifiedgroup. Surely some of those who were invited then failed to accept theinvitation as well, but many did come and entered the banquet. This is whathappens with the gospel message as well. Once it was opened to all nations,there were still some who rejected it and many who accepted and entered theChurch.

And then we come to the entranceof the King, who approaches the man without the wedding garment. This is a signof the final judgment because it is not some servant who comes to judge but theking himself who asks about the garment. And the man is left silent because heknows that he had every chance to prepare. Many were gathered and yet he cameunprepared. Rather than go, clean up, and dress in the appropriate attire, hesimply went and thought it would be fine. He didn’t think that the attire wasreally that important. We’ve all heard that ‘God meets us where we are’. But wecan’t just stay there, we have to be met where we are and then brought to wherewe need to be. It’s about conversion and this is where the man failed. He wasnot willing to change himself and be dressed in righteousness. In a way, it’slike every kind word, helpful action and prayer offered are threads that cometogether to build up a garment of holiness in our lives. The challenge is toput forth the effort to be dressed appropriately.

Ultimately, it comes down tothis: when the Lord looks upon us, both at the final judgment and today, we haveto wonder what does He see – a beautiful garment of righteousness or a soul whois content being Catholic and nothing more?

A New Battle

2011-10-07T06:07:00.002-05:00

Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a feast dedicated to Mary under this title after the miraculous victory over the Ottoman Turks in a naval battle (more HERE) through her powerful intercession in answer to a rosary crusade. Because of the prayers of so many, the battle was won and Catholicism preserved.

Today there is a new battle, and fittingly on this great feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Today the Body of Christ, the Church, is wounded by division and the culture seeks to perpetuate that. Pope Benedict XVI has been striving to preserve Christian unity and draw other back into the fold who have left - specifically Anglican and Orthodox Churches. He has also sought to bring back groups such as the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist group that has not been in full communion with the Church for some 20+ years now. Today that group is meeting to consider a proposal by the Holy See on the issue of being re-unified and brought back into the fold of the Church. They have asked their parishioners and Church members to pray for the Spirit's guidance in this effort and the Church has asked the same. So today, for the good of Christian unity and the mending of wounds, why not offer a prayer for these efforts and the Spirit's hand to be in the midst. A decade or set of mysteries from the rosary would be rather appropriate on this feast of Our Lady of the Rosary - please join in the prayer for healing from division.

Francis, Martha and Mary

2011-10-04T09:32:00.001-05:00

Readings for Tuesday, October 4/ St. Francis of Assisi:
Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8
Luke 10:38-42

Today we have that familiar story of Martha and Mary, Mary sitting at the feet of the Lord and Martha busy at work. As much as we may like to identify with one character or the other in the story, it seems that the reality is that we are called to be Martha or Mary at different times. The challenge is to be Mary before being Martha, since our action ought to be compelled by love that is poured into us in the presence of our God. Immersing ourselves in prayer, we are called to action. We see this also in the person of St. Francis of Assisi, who heard the called to rebuild the church while in the quiet of prayer. Grant, Lord, that we might always have the grace to be people of prayer led to action, and not simply people of action who sometimes pray.

Face-Melting Quote of the Day

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

"It is essential to develop your interior life above all else. The busier you are, the more you need the interior life. And therefore, the more you ought to desire it, and the more you ought to take steps to prevent this desire from becoming one of those futile longings which the devil so often uses to drug souls and hold them fast in their illusions."

Jean-Baptiste Chautard, OCSO in The Soul of the Apostolate

Interview of Vatican Secretary

2011-10-03T15:32:00.002-05:00

This is absolutely worth the 13 minutes the video is, particularly the latter half, when the good Msgr. talks about the state of the liturgy today. Enjoy!

Life and Persecution

2011-10-02T11:02:00.000-05:00

Readings for Sunday, October 2:

Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalm 80:9, 12-16, 19-20

Philippians 4:6-9

Matthew 21:33-43

“Whatever is true, whatever ishonorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever isgracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise,think about these things.”

As we hear these words, theculture that surrounds us would certainly agree – we Christians ought to think about these things. But if do these things, if we do what is true,do what is honorable, do what is just or pure, we will not be supported. Wewill be persecuted.

As we celebrate Respect LifeSunday today, we of course draw attention to the need to pray and work for agreater respect for human life in our city, state, country, and world. We needto pray for an end to abortion, euthanasia, contraceptive use, and the deathpenalty. But we also need to pray for greater respect for life in general – forthe poor, the sick, immigrants and those suffering from discrimination,prejudice, abuse or neglect. And the organization that is doing the most tohelp all of those people is the Catholic Church.

Worldwide we run:

5,400 hospitals

16,000 homes for disabled orchronically ill

22,000 orphanages and child carecenters

65,000 Counseling andRehabilitation centers

200,000 Schools caring for over55 million children

All of that in addition to the over9 million AIDS patients and hundreds of millions of homeless, starving, sick,and suffering persons that are cared for in various other outreach ministriesthroughout the world.

It’s incredible to think of thepositive impact the Church has on the world today. And yet, she is persecutedby our culture and media, and in some places her people even suffering physicalviolence. And yet this is part of our calling as Christians, as Catholics.Jesus Christ, Truth, Justice and Purity itself, came among us and was nailed ona cross. How are we, servants of the King, to expect better treatment that theKing of kings Himself?

This chasuble that I wear today stands as a reminder of that reality that as Catholics we will be persecuted. On the front we see two lines, not for design sake but to form a pillar in the center - a reminder of the pillar on which Our Blessed Lord was scourged. And on the back, a cross to remind us that each of us is called to shoulder our crosses, especially those forced on us by the world around us.

Reality is that our culture isfighting against the Church because some in our society want the freedom to dowhatever they want, to make their own rules, and the Church is standing intheir way reminding them that such freedom leads to perdition. True freedom isfollowing in the way of the God who created us and sustains us. And so theypersecute us. Right now in our country, efforts are being made by somegovernment leaders to force Catholic Hospitals, School and other Institutionsto pay for abortions, contraceptives, sterilizations, and a whole host of itemswhich the Church has perpetually understood as moral evils. To give in is toabandon truth. To stand our ground is to risk being shut down entirely.

I don’t mean to be political. Imean to be realistic. And reality is that the world around us is fighting tohave us stay quiet or close up shop. But as St. Paul reminded the Philippians,he so reminds us today - God is with us. He is with us throughout this struggle and, especially throughout this ‘RespectLife Month,’ we are called to pray and trust in His ways. We pray for an end to the taking ofinnocent life through abortion, euthanasia, and other acts of violence. We prayfor a greater respect for all human life and the dignity of every person. Wepray for the conversion of those who fight against the Church and those whostand for truth and justice. And finally, we pray for ourselves, that we mighthave the grace to see in each person we encounter not someone different than usbut a fellow brother or sister in the Lord.

Missions and Exiles

2011-10-01T10:51:00.002-05:00

Readings for Saturday, October 1/ Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux:
Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29
Psalm 69:33-37
Luke 10:17-24

As we celebrate the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux today, I find it interesting that the first reading is about the Israelites being exiled. "You were sold to the nations not for your destruction....he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy." What beautiful words spoken to our ancient ancestors in the faith. In their exile they felt abandoned by God and yet in the midst of that feeling of abandonment and sorrow, they are assured that the Lord is at work with something much greater. Through their exile, the people of Israel were sent out to be enlivened in their faith, renewed in their commitment to the Lord of Lords and to shine like the sun before the pagan nations. Their suffering brought them back enduring joy, with others having known the Lord more deeply because of their trials.

St. Therese, though a cloistered nun, is actually patroness of missionaries because she spent her life praying for others, especially those seeking to bring the gospel to lost souls. And yet in the connection with the reading from Baruch, it seems that she too endured great trials that ultimately led her to her eternal home, where she is enduring great joy herself with the angels and saint, beholding God for eternity. And yet in the midst of her trials, she too, like the Israelites, shined like the sun with the peace and love of Christ. Dear Little Flower, shower us with your prayers this day and continue to reflect the light of Christ toward our souls.

Papal Intentions for October

2011-09-30T16:11:00.001-05:00

Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for October is: “That the terminally ill may be supported by their faith in God and the love of their brothers and sisters”.

His mission intention is: “That the celebration of World Mission Day may foster in the People of God a passion for evangelization with the willingness to support the missions with prayer and economic aid for the poorest Churches”.

Novena Time!

2011-09-30T08:12:00.003-05:00

For those interested, today begins a nine-week novena for a 'fuller participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist' as suggested by the US Bishops. This would simply be said each Friday, beginning today, for 9 weeks. I would certainly encourage this as we prepare for the new translation of the Mass coming in just 9 weeks. If you miss this today (Friday), you can certainly begin when you find out - I'm sure the Lord will understand. :)

The Novena Prayers are found HERE.

Face-Melting Quote of the Day

2011-09-29T22:32:00.001-05:00

From The Priest Is Not His Own by Abp. Fulton Sheen, discussing the 'Bread of the Presence' in the Sanctuary of the Temple:

"The bread of the Old Testament was thus the presence of the people before the Lord, but the Bread of the New Testament is the Presence of the Lord before the people."

I love typology about the Eucharist!

The Place of Humility

2011-09-24T11:23:00.001-05:00

Genuine Humility at it's finest!

Readings for Sunday, September 25:

Ezekiel 18:25-28

Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14

Philippians 2:1-11

Matthew 21:28-32

“If he turns from the wickednesshe has committed, he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life…he shall surely live, he shall not die.”

SIN isn’t a very popular wordtoday. In fact, much of our world tends to think it doesn’t even exist and evensome Christians refuse to speak about the reality of sin. To admit that sin isreal brings up a number of realities for us that we as a country and a worldstruggle with. To say that sin is real mean that there are such things as rightand wrong, not just different opinions. To say that sin is real means that wehave obligations to do good rather than express our so-called freedom and dowhat we want. To say that sin is real means that something, or rather someone,is greater than us in the big picture. Ultimately, to admit that sin is real issimply to say that God is God, I am not, and I have to submit my freedom to HisWill. This is hard, especially in our culture today, which often encourages adisordered view of rights, freedom, and individualism. But the reality is thatwe need to talk about sin, and more importantly, we need to admit that weourselves are sinners. St. John tells us that if we say we have no sins, wedeceive ourselves and make God a liar, but if we confess our sins He will forgiveus (1 John 1:8,10).

It’s about humility. When Adamand Eve fell from grace by committing that first sin of disobedience, the Lordcame and asked what happened. Adam blamed Eve and ultimately God for making herwho tempted him. Eve blamed the serpent for tempting her. It is part of ourfallen state to point the finger and to deny our share of sin. But grace isstronger than sin; life has conquered death. To humbly admit our sins is toallow grace to come into our lives and begin that process of gaining eternallife. This is what we find all throughout our readings today – humility leadsto confession of sins and repentance, and repentance leads to eternal life.

Humility, then, is the key tothis whole process, for without it we stay hardened in our sinfulness. But whatis humility? Some think it to be a sort of self degradation where one downplaysor even rejects their gifts and graces. But that is not humility; that isrejection of truth. Genuine humility is accepting truth. And what is the truthabout us – all of us – that we are at once nothing and everything in the eyesof God. On the one hand, horrible sinners and on the other beloved sons anddaughters of God who are so highly treasured that the Father sent the Son todie and ransom us for eternal life. That is the humility we are called to have.And this is the ‘same attitude that is in Christ Jesus’ that Saint Paulencourages us to adopt today. When we are humble, as the responsorial Psalmtells us, we are guided in and taught the way of God Who is Truth.

To say all of this does not meanthat I think everyone here is a great and prideful sinner. Hardly! You wouldn’tbe here if that were the case. But each of us does sin daily, even if only insmall ways, and the call of the Lord is always to repent of those sins and tosee the truth about ourselves – that we are beloved children of Our BlessedLord and that we are called to humbly confess our sins in the sacrament ofreconciliation and know thus gain the Lord’s grace and the gift of eternallife.

See the necessity of humility in our lives, I will now pray with you “The Litany of Humility”. Let us pray.

O Jesus meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me Jesus.

From the desire of being loved, deliver me Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, deliver me Jesus.

From the desire of being honored, deliver me Jesus.

From the desire of being praised, deliver me Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred, deliver me Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted, deliver me Jesus.

From the desire of being approved, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of being despised, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged, deliver me Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected, deliver me Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more that I,

Jesus, grant me the grace todesire it.

That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and Imay decrease,

Jesus, grant me the grace todesire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside,

Jesus, grant me the grace todesire it.

That others may be praised and I unnoticed,

Jesus, grant me the grace todesire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything,

Jesus, grant me the grace todesire it.

That others may become holier that I, provided that I maybecome as holy as I should,

Jesus, grant me the grace todesire it.

By Rafael Cardinal Merry de Val (1865-1930)