March 30, 2009: Monday of 5th Wk. Lent (Deacon Roger Navarra)

By Deacon Roger Navarra

Who in here watches Law and Order on TV? Or maybe I should say Law and Orders, since there are several of them on now days. I really enjoy them. For those who don’t watch it, usually the first half of the show is spent with the police catching the bad guys, thus the Law part of the title. Then the second half is with the DA’s office prosecuting them, thus the Order part of the title. These shows can be interesting, in that sometimes at the beginning of the show you are certain who the bad guys are, but often times after ALL the facts are gathered someone who appears guilty is found to be innocent.

Well, this show is what I thought about when I read this reading from Daniel. We see Suzanna, a beautiful and godly woman, who is totally innocent, but these corrupt elders accuse her of adultery. And even her own servants, family, and friends didn’t believe her.
Only Daniel, with the grace of God, saw her virtue and worked to prove her accusers wrong. How affirming Daniel’s belief in her must have been! ---How good it must have felt to have someone believe in her!

So consider this: If Daniel was this passionate in his belief in Susanna’s character, how much more will Jesus stand with us when Satan, the “accuser of our brothers,” tries to wear us down. Jesus sees the good in us, not just the bad. He doesn’t fall for the malicious whispers of the devil. He can see though Satan because he already defeated him on the cross.
We all have days when it seems we are under attack, ether from outside or inside. Maybe something we said was misunderstood, causing people to question our motives. Maybe we made a big mistake and we can’t stop replaying it in our minds. Or maybe we are just feeling downcast and having trouble looking beyond our shortcomings. When you are down remember who you are---a child of God, who always looks at you with love, pride, and affirmation. He will always stand with you. He will always speak words of encouragement to you. He will always turn aside the accusations of the devil----always!

Remember 2 things from this reading, 1st we don’t want to falsely judge anyone. Judgment is the Lord’s, not ours. 2nd if we have been judged falsely, or even when we do sin, our Lord loves us unconditionally.

Remember that in Christ, we are free from all condemnation. Remember that we are the apple of our Father’s eye. With God’s word behind us and his presence within us, we can be completely assured that we are worth far more than what the devil or our circumstances may want us to believe!

March 29, 2009: 5th Sunday of Lent (B)

This week I was visiting a parishioner at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. To find out which room she was in, I stopped by the front counter and chatted with a receptionist. I saw from my right periphery a couple of smiling faces. I turned, and I saw a couple from my previous parish. The husband said his PET scan was clear, but the doctor ordered a lagniappe chemo. I asked how long this lagniappe therapy takes, and he said three in-patient days in the hospital. "Three days!" Yet, he beamed with a smile. There was hope written all over his face.

How many of you know someone or have been through cancer? The word itself feels like an emotional bomb, bringing with it shock, anger, fear, grief, guilt, and anxiety. Typical initial responses of those of us who find out that they have cancer are: "I feel so helpless, so powerless against the disease." "I'm afraid of how this will affect my children." "I grieve for what we've lost and what we're going to lose." "I'm furious at the cancer for entering our lives." "Why now? We just retired!" Then something worse happens. Our family and friends begin to shy away from us. A different kind of fear takes over those around us. "I'm afraid because I'm not ready to talk about cancer." "I'm afraid of saying the wrong things." "I'm afraid we won't have anything to say to each other. We've never talked about cancer before."

My own mother went through cancer, twice. Early in her marriage after having my sister, my mother had an ovarian cancer. After an ovary was removed, the doctor told her her chance of conceiving another child was very slim. Well, here I am, born of a very slim chance. When I was a teenager, she had thyroid cancer. A group of parishioners from Korean Catholic Church came over to our house for a prayer vigil. As they prayed, my mom began to weep and cried out, "I can't bear to leave my babies by themselves." I remember being numb for a while. I didn't know what to say to her. Our house was silent. No one talked. We were too afraid to talk about it. But, my mother was a fighter. She could not bear leaving her babies, so she fought. The surgery to remove her thyroid was successful. So now she's a survivor. This experience had a profound change on her. Her outlook and priorities changed drastically in her life. Everyday, she believed, was a gift from God. She grabbed her rosary and prayer book 5 O'clock every morning. She gave thanks to God for allowing her to live another day, to be with her babies.

Our Lord tells us in our Gospel today, "...unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me."

Could something as terrible as cancer ever be a blessing from God? It was for my mother. She worked hard all her life, working to provide for her babies, my sister and I. She worked hard so that we'll maintain certain life style. The cancer was a reminder for my mom, everything that was provided for the family, even our lives, came from God. This was an attitude shift for my mom. The cancer brought death to her own priorities and her wants. After cancer, she realized that her life was not her own. It belonged to the Lord. To this day ever since I entered the seminary, my mom prays daily that Lord would give her son a gift of preaching. So I can't boast of any of my preaching as my own. It was a gift from the Lord through my mom's intercession.

In our Second Reading St Paul says, "In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."Have we realized what is possible when we decide to "die to ourselves"? Have we realized that when we put aside our ambitions for life, our pressing needs, and instead offer prayers and supplications on behalf of someone else, God gives something we never expected? "A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me...Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me."


Do you remember the man I mentioned at the beginning of this homily, the man who had to go through three days of lagniappe chemo at Our Lady of the Lake? He has received a great gift from God through his cancer and it was written all over his face—a clean heart, steadfast spirit, and the joy of knowing that everything was a gift from God.

March 25, 2009: Solemnity of Annunciation of Our Lord

If Archangel Gabriel was to appear to Mary in our own day, what would they look like? I found this interesting painting (left) on the internet. It shows Gabriel appearing to a suburban teenage girl. She's wearing a sky-blue dress, reading a book. A lily in front of her represents her purity and virginity. We are used to more vivid and other-worldly images of the Annunciation.
But what did it really look like way back when?

Two months ago, I got to visit Nazareth, Israel and say mass at a basilica built on top of the original childhood home of Blessed Virgin Mary. This basilica was built on top of the ruins of Byzantine and Crusader era churches. The present basilica was finished in 1969. It has an upper level and a lower level. Upper level is where they televise the Christmas Midnight mass every year. The dome of the upper church is designed to appear as an upside-down lilly--a traditional symbol of purity and virginity. The lower level tried to preserve the remains of Byzantine and Crusader churches as well as the Holy Grotto marking the childhood home of Blessed Virgin Mary.

As I celebrated mass near the Grotto, I was brought back to the day of my priestly ordination, the day when I said, 'Yes' to God. I placed my folded hands into the Bishop's hands and vowed obedience, celibacy, and promised to live a simple life.

Bishop: "Are you resolved to consecrate your life to God for the salvation of his people, and to unite yourself more closely to every day to Christ the High Priest, who offered himself for us to the Father as a perfect sacrifice?"

Priesthood Candidate: "I am, with the help of God."

This promise bears similarity to the words that Bishop speaks to confirmation candidates. In the homily, the Bishop says something similar to the following:

"You have already been baptized into Christ and now you will receive the power of His Spirit and the sign of the cross on your forehead. You must be witnesses before all the world to His suffering, death, and resurrection; your way of life should at all times reflect the goodness of Christ. Christ gives varied gifts to His Church, and the Spirit he distributes them among the member of Christ’s body to build up the holy people of God in unity and love. Be active members of the Church, alive in Jesus Christ. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit give your lives completely in the service of all, as did Christ, who came not to be served but to serve."

With our 'Yes,' the Holy Spirit does something new through us. For priests, our hands become instrument of God's forgiveness and to make truly present Jesus through Eucharist. For all of us, our 'Yes,' make present the gifts of the Holy Spirit through our words and actions.

Blessed Mother did not foresee what her 'Yes' entailed. Before answering Gabriel did she foresee how much both joy and suffering she would experience through raising her child? No. Did I foresee what kind of blessings and challenges I would experience through priesthood down the road? No. Likewise, we don't pick and choose things we want from God. We let God decide what He desires for us to experience--both joys and sufferings. In its essence, our 'Yes,' to God is simple in words as Blessed Mother's response, "May it be done to me according to your word." What this simple phrase requires, however, is a radical gift--a total gift of self to God.

"Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender itall to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more." (St. Ignatius of Loyola)

March 22, 2009: 4th Sunday of Lent (B)

Do you have a place in your house where you have placed an image or a statue of Our Lady? What does she look like? I have three different kinds. One is that of Immaculate Heart of Mary. She has neutral face expression, neither sad nor smiling. Another is that of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Again her expression is soft but neither sad nor smiling. I prefer the neutral expression because sometimes when I look at her and say, "How am I doing, Mother," I want her to say through her expression, "Not bad." On February 10th, in the morning of the departure from Jerusalem, I rushed to the Church of Holy Sepulchre 4:45 in the morning in order to celebrate a private mass. I asked the Franciscan priest in charge for a place to celebrate, and he said, "Oh, I guess you can celebrate mass at the Chapel of Calvary, if only you say a quick mass." On Calvary! How awesome is that!

In this chapel behind the altar, there is a mosaic of Our Lady standing as her Son is nailed on the cross. Our Lady is dressed in black with sorrowful expression. And left of this altar is a small shrine to Stabat Mater. It is a statue of a sorrowful, if not crying statue of Our Lady with a large sword piercing her heart. After I returned to Baton Rouge, I got the news that I was going to be assigned rather quickly to another parish. When I heard the name of the parish I was going to, I was immediately taken back to Jerusalem in the early morning when I celebrated my last mass on Calvary. In that Calvary chapel, I was with images of Sorrowful Mother or Mater Dolorosa. I was asking Our Lady, "Why are you sorrowful, Mother? Why are you crying?" How many of you mothers here have sorrows, because of what's happening to your children, your spouse, your health, and your friends? Can you identify with Mater Dolorosa, the Mother of Sorrows?

Our First Reading says, "In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD's temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem." The phrase, "In those days," can easily be referring to today. Here is something for us to reflect on during this Lent. No matter how many times we said to ourselves, 'I haven't done anything serious,' or 'What I'm doing does not affect others,' we are only deluding ourselves like the princes, priests, and people of Judah. The First Reading continues, "Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets..." And how many times like the people of Judah, have we and even us priests, have ignored God speaking through our conscience and through others. This is why Our Mother is crying and is sorrowful. She knows that our sins involve relationships. Sin radically severs relationships. The fruits of our sins are disappointment, anger, separation, guilt, shame, and death of relationships. How is a mother to see this happening to her children and not moved to do something?

In 1994 something horrible did happen to her children in a remote country called Rwanda, a country which is compose of an ethnic majority and an ethnic minority. Through years of harboring distrust and hatred in their hearts, the ethnic majority decided it was time to "get rid of the cockcroaches" [i.e. the ethnic minority]. Through a well organized militia, in 100 days, over 800,000 people of ethnic minority were brutally murdered. Can Heavenly Mother stand and watch her children doing this to each other?

No. So 13 years earlier in 1981, Blessed Mother began to appear to young teenagers in a remote village called Kibeho. Through these teenagers, Blessed Mother began to exhort all her children of Rwanda. On August 15, 1982, with the crowd of 200,000 people dancing and singing in festive welcome, Blessed Mother appeared to the teenagers. But she said, "I am too sad to hear my children sing." Then she requested the teenager to sing the following song, "Peope are not grateful, They don't love me, I came from heaven for nothing, I left all the good things there for nothing...I opened the door, and you refused to come in... / My heart is full of sadness, My child, show me the love, You love me, Come closer to my heart." Then she showed the teenager a gastly vision of what was to happen in the country, as exactly as it would happen 13 years later in Rwanda. Our Lady said, "Do not forget that God is more powerful than all the evil in the world...the world is on the edge of catastrophe. Cleanse your hearts through prayer. The only way is God..." Blessed Mother urged the people of Rwanda from 1981 to 1989 to turn to her Son, to repent of their sins, to do penance, and to fast. For 8 years, Our Lady of Sorrows reminded the people of Rwanda to cleanse their heart. Why then did Rwandan Genocide still happen?

Our Gospel reminds us of our condition. "...the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light,because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed." What is this light of the world? Our Gospel states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." Our Lady is not asking other people's heart to turn to Jesus. She is asking my heart, our heart to turn to Jesus.

[To learn more about this Vatican approved Marian apparition of Our Lady of Kibeho, read Immaculee Ilibagiza's "Our Lady of Kibeho"--click the photo]

March 19, 2009: Feast of St. Joseph

Deacon Roger who took a trip to Sicily last year noticed that the people of Sicily looked remarkably similar to the people of Independence, Louisiana. In this small town of almost 1,800 people with 4 stop lights, we can say that most of the folks come from Sicilian heritage. This fits very well with the Sicilian Heritage Festival we had the previous weekend. Last Sunday in our old church which is now converted into a town museum, we had a St. Joseph Altar set up, and some of you took some Italian cookies home last Sunday. And on that Sunday afternoon, I rode nicely air conditioned police car around the neighborhood while six men carried heavy St. Joseph statue along several blocks followed by 50-60 parishioners praying the rosary.

So what's the connection between the people of Sicily and St. Joseph? In Sicily where St. Joseph is regarded by many as their Patron Saint, thanks are given to St. Joseph for preventing a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages. According to tradition, there was a severe drought at the time, and the people prayed for their patron saint to bring them rain. They promised that if he answered their prayers, they would prepare a large feast to honor him. The rain did come, and the people of Sicily prepared a large banquet for their patron saint. (What did we have this past weekend? RAIN!!! How appropriate that rain came as we celebrated the true Sicilian heritage--St. Joseph's intercession for people of Sicily.) The fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation, and is a traditional part of St. Joseph's Day altars. Also giving food to the needy is a St. Joseph Day custom.

We know that because St. Joseph's feast day occurs during Lent, what we place on the St. Joseph Altar need to reflect that--that is, it should be meatless. Traditionally, there are three tiers to the altar, which represents the Trinity. And foods are served containing bread crumbs to represent saw dust since St. Joseph was a carpenter. (Click here for virtual St. Joseph Altar) The Altar is a means to petition and thanksgiving. Petitions of the faithful are written on pieces of paper and placed in baskets on the Altar. Photos of deceased relatives & friends may decorate the Altar as well.

In the Fall of 2005, after Hurricane Katrina flooded and damaged Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, the seminarians decided to dedicate the academic year to St. Joseph. We felt that St. Joseph will help build our beloved seminary in New Orleans. In fact, we were temporarily housed in the Benedictine abbey of St. Joseph in Covington, Louisiana. We knew that St. Joseph was going to help us rebuild our home and make it even better. And certainly that happened. In thanksgiving, we built a St. Joseph Altar for his feast day on March 19th. In our hearts we knew that St. Joseph was not just a character from a story in the bible. He was alive and present with us, interceding for all of us as Foster Father of Our Lord and Husband of Our Lady. St. Joseph is the true reason why we celebrate the Sicilian heritage.

On Confession - by Deacon Roger Navarra (Mater Dolorosa/St. Dominic)

(Note from Fr. Paul Yi: The following is a homily given by Deacon Roger Navarra on the 3rd Sunday of Lent at Mater Dolorosa/St. Dominic. He preached eloquently about a need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation)

When I [Deacon Roger Navarra] was a youngster, believe it or not, I was very shy and bashful. I remember hiding under the bed when company who I didn’t know came over. I think part of the reason for this was that I had a minor speech impediment. I had trouble saying my “S’s and L’s”. I went though a couple of years of speech therapy, and since that time I haven’t shut up and I haven’t met a stranger.---So I don’t really know if the therapy was a success or not!!! It’s not that unusual for someone, especially a child to have trouble saying a particular letter, or sound, but with therapy and practice this can usually be overcome. However; there is one phrase that most of us have trouble with, adults as well as children. That phrase is: “bless me father, because I have sinned…” This is, of course, how we begin the sacrament of confession or reconciliation. It seems like many of US Catholics have a problem admitting sins…..We want to be forgiven, but lack the courage to ask for it. Why is this? It seems like we almost make an effort to avoid this sacrament of forgiveness. I ran across an article this week with ten common excuses for avoiding confession----along with a response to each.

1. I have nothing to confess. It’s very easy for us to believe---contrary to reality (and to the opinions of those who know us best!)---that we’re innocent and have “nothing to confess.” However, except for Jesus and His Mother Mary, no one-—not even the saints can truly make this claim. Surely all of us have something to confess: irritability, anger, a lack of charity, distractions while praying, and complacency regarding our religion, duties, and the list can go on. Make a sincere and honest examination of conscience and I promise you will find something to confess.

2. My sins aren’t that big or important. I doubt any of us in here are going to rob a bank or kill anyone, but we all sin. It is even a sin to have a “lukewarm” faith. We must never let our faith falter, because if we do we will see our love of God diminish and this can lead to an eventual loss of faith. ----It is so easy to convince ourselves that our little sins don’t really matter. If we’re to reach heaven God expects us to make an honest effort to continue growing in His grace, and the sacrament of confession is an important step in that direction.

3. I’m too uncomfortable or ashamed. Whether you’re embarrassed because it’s been so long since your last confession or because of the particular sins you have to confess, you can be sure Father has heard it all before----he won’t be shocked or scandalized by anything you tell him.

4. I’ve forgotten the procedures and prayers. When it comes to confession, getting the procedure and prayers right isn’t all that important. God doesn’t look at the precision of our words, but at the sincerity of our hearts. Instead of worrying about words, ask for the Holy Spirit’s help and enter the confessional in a spirit of humble trust.

5. I’d just be confessing the same sins over and over again. Our souls, just like our bodies, need regular cleansing and care. Sin can be addictive, but with God’s help, we can and will eventually overcome our faults. The sacraments, especially confession and the Eucharist, give us the grace to continue fighting our faults---and none of us are so strong that we don’t need this divine assistance.

6. I’m afraid Father will recognize my voice. We must never let our spiritual welfare be held hostage by other people’s opinion. Even if a priest does recognize your voice, he’s bound by the seal of confession never to reveal what he’s heard. And guess what, right now Father Paul doesn’t recognize ANYONE’S voice, so come on down and line up!!!

7. I once had a bad experience in the confessional, and I don’t want it repeated. This unfortunately can happen, it shouldn’t, but it can. Even if you caught a priest on a “bad day” or one with a gruff personality, don’t let that keep you from this sacrament. Jesus was always kind and merciful toward repentant sinners, and He expects His priests to follow this example.

8. I dislike standing in long lines. If only this was a problem! Unlike waiting at most doctors’ offices, waiting a long time for our time in the confessional will rarely be a problem. Remember none of us can claim to be free of all sin, and each of us needs God’s mercy. If we had the chance to spend a few minutes with a miracle-worker who’d heal us of all of our physical problems we’d jump at the chance---no matter how long the wait in line.

9. The times scheduled for confession are inconvenient. If the scheduled confession times are impossible for you to make call the office and arrange a different time, or take advantage of all of the Penance services that are available at the area churches.

10. My life is difficult right now, so this isn’t a good time. One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to make us fearful or uncomfortable about the very thing we need most to be at spiritual peace. If our lives aren’t on track, it could very well be that our sinfulness is alienating us from God, from other people, and even from ourselves. If so, this is precisely the RIGHT time to admit and confess our sins, allowing us to receive Gods mercy and peace.

A few years ago I was in confession with a priest while on retreat. This priest had earlier spoken to our group and talked about how the Eucharist forgives sins. He, of course, was correct that the Eucharist does forgive sins. We talked further about personally asking God for forgiveness and how loving and forgiving Our Father is.---Then this priest said something, which to me, just made a light bulb light up in my feeble mind. He said that God wants to forgive our sins, and does forgive them, ---But to receive the full graces from God, we need to confess our sins to a priest. We need to remember Our Lord’s love for us. We need to remember that God loves us so much that He sacrificed His flesh and blood for us---And yes, we need ALL the graces from God that we can get, and to receive them we need to remember that the priest is representing God---We need to remember that God wants us to talk to Him, through the priest. So please make note of the upcoming Penance services and include the wonderful sacrament of confession in your Lenten plans.

Just like I needed the speech therapy when I was younger, we all need the sacrament of reconciliation as we are all troubled and sick with sin. The practice of making a good confession relieves the bondage which sin can have on us. The bondage that prevents us from living the life of freedom the Lord calls us to.

I’m going to close with a quote from a Bishop, who was speaking to a group of Seminarians who he was about to hear confessions from. The Bishop said: “When you enter the confessional, it’s just two sinners, sitting around, talking about what God has already forgiven!” God Bless!!!

March 15,2009: 3rd Sunday of Lent (B)

Clutter. It's not something we like to see in our living room or in our garage. Of course, the more things we have, more likely we'll have clutter. When I went to a friend's house, I saw an amusing book on the coffee table. The title was, "Lose 200 LBs. This Weekend: It's Time to Declutter Your Life!" On the first few pages, the author listed signs of a person who loves clutter. One read, "My grandmother saved all the foam meat trays." A newly wed couple commented, "We are just married and recently we moved 6,000 pounds of stuff to our new home, and we have no furniture yet. It was 3 times what the mover had estimated."

The author of the book asked a banker at a dinner party, "What's wrong with our economy?" He replied, "It's because we have everything!" The banker then asked those listening on to the conversation the following: "How many of you have a TV, microwave, radios, pairs of shoes, recliners, watches..." He went down a litany of things that we could possibly own, and everyone had not only one but several of each. You would think that the more things that we own that give us comfort should raise our personal satisfaction and happiness. But the author points out that it's the opposite. There are three different areas where we struggle. First, there is clutter around us. It's caused by all the things we own. Second, there is clutter on us. We eat more than what's necessary and so it's stored on our midrif. Third, there is clutter in us. We have so much mental and emotional concerns and worries. The author's point was that we had too much on our minds, on our waist, too much in our garages, basements, drawers, closets, and storage spaces.

So how does this connect with our gospel this week? We know that St. Paul tells us, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own..." (1 Corinthian 6:19-20) So what happens when this temple of the Holy Spirit becomes cluttered with things around us, on us, and in us? It's due for a house cleaning. In our gospel, Jesus enters the temple and finds all sort of clutter--those selling animals for sacrifice, money changers, and all sorts of merchants. With a whip, Jesus drives them all out saying, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace." Holy Spirit often gives us inspiration time and time again to declutter our inside and outside, to let things go and to sweep them in order. And how difficult it is to let things go!

Three weeks ago, I had to pack my stuff to move from St. Aloysius to Mater Dolorosa. I counted--16 plastic tubs of stuff, pictures, and clothes. It took three cars to move. The easy part was transporting it. The hard part was deciding which one to keep and which one to give away as I packed. Many of you probably had this experience. It was 16 plastic tubs too many! And like most of us, I have multiple number of same things--2 laptops, 2 printers, 2 iPods, 2 radios, and on and on... I also gained about 10 lbs. after ordination. This past week I was reading a memoir by a priest named Fr. Jean Bernard, and reading this really stung my conscience regarding all the stuff I own and the clutter I have inside and outside.

Fr. Jean Bernard was a priest of the country Luxembourg. During Nazi oppcupation, like many of the Catholic priests and protestant clergy who denounced Nazis, he was sent off to German concentration camp Dachau. There he was placed in "Priest Block," a barracks that housed more than 3,000 clergymen mostly Catholic priests. By a sheer miracle, he was released in 1942, nearly dying from starvation and cruelty he received. On release, this tall man weighed at merely 100 lbs. He recalled in the memoir the following experience from Dachau: a German priest from a different barrack secretly sent a half-inch long consecrated host from a mass. This Eucharist was divided among several priests. It was kept by each priest, knowing that in a short while they'll be sent off to gas chambers. Fr. Bernard recalled, "How much consolation that brought to the hearts of the tormented priests, how much courage and readiness to sacrifice, cannot be expressed in words."

When we are stripped of all our clutter, of everything we own, even our human dignity, there is one thing we are still to keep: "I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.You shall not have other gods besides me.You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them." We are approaching the half-way mark of Lent. How are we doing in decluttering our lives to give Heavenly Father a place to sit and reign in our heart?

Beth Boudreaux-Funeral: March 9, 2009

A child enters this world with much love. As we know from the scriptures, a child is conceived in the heart of God before even she is knit together in her mother's womb. She comes as a gift to her parents, to her brothers, to her cousins, to her aunts and uncles, and to her friends. She adds a dash of innocence, purity, and joy to the family and friends. Remembering her ways bring smile to our face, even when there is so much hurt and suffering.

In the early morning of March 7th friends and family were gathered at Gilbert and Lisa's house. There was much deafening silence occasionally broken by sobbs. No words could describe this loss. Even short prayers of an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be could not console the tragedy which had no adequate answer to the question: why? Why did it have to happen to her? Why do the parents have to bury their own child? Why did God take away our beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend? Why did God stand by on the sidewalk and let this tragedy just happen. No one in the room was able to answer these questions, therefore there was only silence.

Then a glimmer of light came in to the room, a little girl by the name of Maia. She was Beth's niece and Lisa and Gilber's granddaugther. First, Maia's granddad walked toward her with a box of Kix cereal. The silence was broken by laughs and wonder at the beauty of the child. Then someone asked Maia if she wanted to watch TV. Then granddad grabbed the TV remote and turned it on, just for her. Everyone's eyes were fixed upon Maia; they wondered if she was having fun. Maia glanced back at everyone, probably puzzled at why there were sad faces on everyone. She turned her attention back to the television to watch a kid program. This was as if it was a gift from Beth, letting us know that there is joy and blessedness where she is. Momentarily, the sadness and suffering lifted from our midst.

Could there be joy and blessedness in Heaven while at the same time sorrow, confusion, and even anger here on earth? Jesus mentions the blessedness or happiness of those who experience the Kingdom of God. "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." The family and friends mentioned how Beth had radiated purity and innocense. Could it be possible that Beth is experiencing the greatest joy of her life--seeing God face to face? For those of us here who are mourning for the loss of Beth, could we experience that same blessedness that she experiences? Yes, Our Lord said, "Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted." If Jesus told those of us here mourning that we are blessed and comforted, why does it still hurt so much? Could there be joy in this hurt? As someone said, Christians rejoice even while we truly sorrow...because our rejoicing is in the hope of heaven...while joy overcomes sorrow, it does not put an end to it.

We turn to Our Lord and Our Savior Jesus who is both the Lord of the dead and the living. We ask him to comfort us in knowing that whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

And we turn to the Mother of Jesus who lost her only Son through a tragedy. We turn to her because she understands what it is like to experience a profound loss here on earth. We turn to her because even though such tragedy should have made her bitter, angry, and sad, she believed in the promise of her son. So we turn to her in our prayer of Salve Regina, "O Mother of Mercy, our Life , our Sweetness and our Hope. To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning, weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then most gracious Advocate. Thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after our exile show us the Blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ."

March 8, 2009: Second Sunday of Lent (B)

On how many occasions do you say, "Oh, I was suppose to tell you something...but, now I forgot what I was suppose to tell you." This is the perfect occasion to use the word, 'senior moment.' Although we don't have to be a senior to have memory lapse, when we are put on a spot to remember something, our brain refuses to cooperate. So I'm going to create a senior moment for all of us here. How many of you remember what the priest said to you on Ash Wednesday as he put on ashes on your forehead? .......... (senior moment in progress)

After Ash Wednesday school mass, a 4 year-old Mater Dolorosa Pre-K student went home to her grand parents. Her paw-paw asked her, "So what's that on your forehead?" She replied, "It's Ash Wednesday, and it's ashes." Her paw-paw then asked, "What did the priest say as he gave you the ashes?" She replied, "God bless America!"

What really did the priest say? "Turn away from sin, and believe in the Gospel."

Somethings we cherish and will remain always in the back of our minds. We keep photos, letters, and things that remind us of that. At the beginning of my seminary, one of the religious sisters told us, "Make sure you remember the time when God powerfully entered into your life. When you face challenge or even doubts about what you believe, these memories of God's intervention will help you go through it." It was a very good advice. It's not easy going through 6 years of seminary. In my case, I kept a special rosary as a reminder. It was a rosary that I took to Medjugorje 7 years ago. While I was there, I was inspired by Blessed Mother to give up my work as an engineer and give seminary a try. On my way back from Medjugorje, I noticed that my rosary chains which were silver in color has changed to goldish color. I kept that rosary to remind me that Blessed Mother and Her Son were supporting my priesthood. It's only been 9 months since my ordination. But their constant presence is comforting. I'm sure you have an experience like that a long time ago or even recently. Have you made an effort to remember that moment, to help you through the tough times?

In today's Gospel, Peter, James, and John received such a memorable experience. For the first time, they saw Jesus in his glory--his clothes became dazzling white, he was surrounded by Elijah and Moses, and the Voice spoke from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." What a moment to remember! How we would love to have an experience like that! But this was not for a show but for a specific purpose. Jesus tells them not to tell anyone of what they saw until he has risen from the dead. And they wondered to themselves what rising from the dead meant. They did not know what was coming to them. In a short while, they would face threat of death and enough fear that they would abandon their beloved master and let him be crucified all alone. In their hiding place where they probably grieved the loss of their master, have they remembered the glory of Jesus' Transfiguration? Have they forgotten so quickly?

There are experiences in our life that overshadow even the most memorable and glorious events. These memories we'd rather not remember and would rather forget. I'm sure for the diciples, the humiliating crucifixion of their beloved master was one of them. How about us? All of us have a place in our heart where we stuff all our bad memories, all of the evil done to us, and evil done by us. It's an ugly, dark place hidden so deeply within us that it seems beyond God's healing reach. A good metaphor for this place is a shack. Right now there is a book by William Young called, "The Shack" that many of us may have read. I want to tell you ahead of time that you're not going to read this book for the correctness of Catholic theology. It's not written by a Catholic, and it's not the Catechism. However, it is a fictional attempt to respond to some of the most perplexing questions that we face as people who believe in Jesus. One of the quotes says, "Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets." How true that is! This secret, whatever it is, makes us believe that no one can understand us and no one can help us--even God.

At this lonely, dilapidated shack we cry aloud. "If you were All-Good, All-Powerful, and All-Loving God why did you let me suffer! Why did you let this awful experience happen to me? Why did you take my loved one? Why did you just stand in the sideline and watch as if you didn't even care? Why! Why! Why!" With such perplexing questions in our heart and with God so mute and deaf to our cry, we sometimes drift into isolation. We leave the Church, or we grow apart from our family. In this shack, we become forgetful and experience a serious senior moment. We forget all the moments that God broke powerfully into our life to remind us that He was there. He never left us. He was present all along. "Where," we ask. If you are here at this mass, Jesus has one very powerful reminder for you. "Take this all of you and eat it. This is My Body, which will be given up for YOU."