Jan 1, 2010: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

(Photo: A child from Bulgaria adopted by this loving mother)

As the Solemnity of Mary the Mother God approached, a question came up in my mind. What moves a mother to love her child? Looking back in my teenage years, I gave my mother plenty of grief. I went through a stage where I resented my mother 'mothering' me. I believed that I knew more than she did or my dad; simply put, I was way more cool than they were. Looking back, it's amazing how they put up with my arrogance and pride. An image that described me at that time was a porcupine with sharp needles which poked if you came too close to it. I did have a soft belly, and only my mother knew that. Despite my prickliness she saw through my pretensions and loved me, even if it caused her pain. That's the mystery of motherhood, isn't it? If we looked back all of us can recall the times when we hurt our own mother by our own porcupine needles.

The deeper mystery is, what moves a mother to love a child that is not her own flesh. From our perspective, this seems to be what Blessed Mother is doing for us; why does Blessed Mother loves us even when we are not from her own flesh? Or, are we? To understand this mystery, I asked a parishioner from my previous parish if I can share her story of her son. This story goes back to 2004 when the tragic tsunami in December 2004 tore through South East Asia. This tragedy caused not only loss of homes and lives, but loss of many mothers for many children. This parishioner had a profound desire to help, despite already having three children. She believed that in her heart and in the hearts of her family members there was still room at the inn for more love. Her husband, however, was against the idea. Yet, there would come a day when his heart would also change.

Her husband was working in Japan at that time. She signed him up to help out at a picnic for Japanese orphans. He had a wonderful time spraying kids with water and eating hot dogs. At the end of the day, it was time for everyone to leave, and he felt a knot tightening in his stomach. After a day of fun these kids weren't going back to their parents; they had to go back to their orphanage. That night, the faces of these children were ingrained in his mind. Next morning, he called up his wife if she was still considering adoption. Thus began a very long and difficult adoption process. The mother and father wanted to adopt a boy around five, but the Japanese government offered a newborn girl. The family was not prepared for such a young baby. Then the government offered them a one year old boy. The parents agreed to meet him.

The first day that mom and dad were to meet their new son, they were brimming with anticipation. But their new son was not so excited. He screamed and cried at the mere sight of them. He hid behind toys and clung to his caregiver. He had never seen Caucasians before. That day, the new parents felt dejected and discouraged. Gradually through more visits, their new son began to engage in play with them and to even love cuddling. Eventually, when it was time for his mother to leave, this son would cry out, "Mama!" and dissolve into sobs. And how amazing it was that this child was not taught to say "Mama." It was unbelievably painful to spend time with this child only to be forced to abandon him repeatedly for a period of time. In Japan, the child you are paired with does not come home with you directly. Instead, you must have repeated visits at the orphanage then gradual visits at your own home.

On Thanksgiving Day, this child spent the first day at their house. His father took him to his very first train ride. And he loved it. This special holiday marked the day when their new son bonded with the whole family and shared a joyous meal. Even after adoption, the whole family spent time volunteering at orphanage events. Two years later, his mother describes her relationship with her son: "He is very attached to me and I worry about his fear that I will abandon him. Sometimes just separating to go to the grocery store is difficult for him. I know our bond as mother and son is truly cemented, especially when he holds my face in his tiny hand and says 'I love you too much mommy.'"

What moves a mother to love a child who is not of her flesh? What moved Blessed Mother to love us children who is not of her own flesh? St. Paul's letter to the Galatians explains that through Jesus who was born of Blessed Mother, ransomed all of us so that we might be adopted as sons and daughters. And as a proof that we have become sons and daughters, God sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts, crying out "Abba, Father!" So we are no longer a slave but sons and daughters, and if children, then we are also heirs, through God. If the Church proclaims out loudly that today is the feast of the Blessed Mother as the Mother of God, then we who are adopted sons and daughters of God all have also been adopted by the Mother of God.

Hence St. Therese of Lisieux says about Blessed Mother:

The treasures of a mother belong to her child,
And I am your child, O my dearest Mother.
Aren’t your virtues and your love mine too ?
So when the white Host comes into my heart,
Jesus, your Sweet Lamb, thinks he is resting in you !…

So St. Therese continues...

While waiting for Heaven, O my dear Mother,
I want to live with you, to follow you each day.
Mother, contemplating you, I joyfully immerse myself,
Discovering in your heart abysses of love.
Your motherly gaze banishes all my fears.
It teaches me to cry, it teaches me to rejoice.
Instead of scorning pure and simple joys,
You want to share in them, you deign to bless them.

The great desire for us on the part of Blessed Mother is that like that small Japanese boy, we too would place our tiny hands on the cheeks of of Blessed Mother and cry out, "I love you too much, Mommy!" That's not too much to ask when knowing that this Mother of ours truly loved us despite all the obstacles we lay before her--thinking that she's not real, thinking that she is irrelevant, thinking that she distracts us from Jesus. But if we truly want to know how much she loves us, here is a poem for all of us adopted children of Blessed Mother:

Not flesh of my flesh,
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart - but in it.
(Poem by Fleur Conkling Heyliger)

Dec. 25, 2009: Christmas - Nativity of the Lord

Here is an interesting question that popped in my mind the other day: "How many trips does Santa have to make to the post office in order to pick up all the letters addressed to him with, Dear Santa"? A lot! The post office in the city of North Pole, Alaska reports that estimated half a million mails addressed to 'Santa in North Pole' arrive there. I estimate that to be around 31,250 lbs or 15 tons. Those reindeers have much work to pull all those mail back to Santa's home. St. Nicholas, aka Santa, then has to forward all those letters to Jesus. Lately St. Nicholas wanted to put the power of Internet to work, so he has been giving out his email address, www.emailsanta.com. (In fact, I wrote him and got a reply back, which I posted) And St. Nicholas has been reporting over half a million emails to him this year. An 8 year old named Nichole from Tucson, Arizona has this to say about the new  way to contact Santa via Internet. "I was at the mall today and I was waiting forever in line to tell you what I want for Christmas. So I really like that I can e-mail you right away without lining up."

At the heart of the Christmas is the arrival of baby Jesus to two proud parents, Joseph and Mary. And for this Christmas, I wondered what it was like for St. Joseph to wait and finally see his baby son. Many of the dads here in the church know what it was like to wait for their first-born, but I don’t. So when I came across the story of Eliot and his dad, Matt Mooney, I was fascinated because their story reflects the mystery of Christmas. Thankfully Eliot's dad kept a daily blog on the internet to record his thoughts and experiences with his son. The first blog entry says, "We are excited to have our first baby! We could not express how important it is for you to understand that we are not in despair. Rather, we are excited to have this baby at this time. This is our first child, and we cannot wait. Of course, we would do anything in order for this baby to be healthy, and we have cried enough to last a while; but we feel the Lord is sovereign and, therefore, this is the baby for us. And we anxiously await our gift."

We know that the circumstance surrounding how Jesus was conceived was not at all positive from St. Joseph's point of view. Here was a woman he was about to marry, yet she was already pregnant! Could he trust her story? Could he trust what the dream told him? In the dream an angel told Joseph, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." In the case of Matt Mooney and his wife Ginny, the doctors told them that their child had Edwards Syndrome or Trisomy 18 which is an anomaly in the chromosome 18 which affects how every cells develop. They were told that it's fatal--most babies die before birth or live only few days after birth. And so in the blog, Matt wrote, "We're praying for a miracle. We are praying for healing and life for this baby. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our God is able to heal our child. And, in the same breath, we know that He is worthy no matter the outcome. Please pray that God would equip us for the days ahead & give us the strength to say, 'not our will, but your will be done.'"

The next entry was a joyful one. "Eliot Hartman Mooney, born July 20th, 2006 4:59pm,
6lb 18 ½ inches. God has answered our (and your) prayers. Eliot is a 4 day old miracle thanks to all our friends and family for their help and support!" Each day, Eliot's parents decided to have a birthday party for him at 4:59PM, the time he was born. They believed that each day, Eliot's life was a gift, a miracle from God, and it needed to be celebrated. But that miraculous gift was a delicate one that needed much care. Every 3 hours, Eliot's parents took turns feeding Eliot through feeding tubes, a task which took an hour and a half. His dad took the night shift, feeding Eliot from 11PM until 4:45AM. Yet Eliot's dad commented, "11PM is when my best part of the day begins."

Can we imagine how worried was St. Joseph being caught in Bethelehem, a town unfamiliar to him, without lodging and a secure place for his wife and his unborn baby? What husband and father would not be worried and disappointed when he could not provide for his expecting wife a decent place to rest other than a place where animals are kept. I think much of that inner drama of St. Joseph is hidden from us in the gospel. Just looking at what Eliot's daddy went through, we can guess what it was like for St. Joseph at the birth of his son. I'm certain that the birth of Jesus taught St. Joseph many important lessons about life and faith, just as Eliot did for his dad. At Eliot's funeral, his mom and dad and friends released 99 balloons--one balloon for each birthday Eliot celebrated. On 99th day of life on earth, Eliot went to the arms of Heavenly Father. Eliot's dad reflected about lessons he learned:
 
"Eliot's life is always teaching. Ever instructing. Gently nudging observers to truth.
Our world is one in which we all strive for control. Everyone possesses a plan. Sure, some hang on more tightly than others, but, to some extent, we all desire to influence our circumstances. Early on, one learns that his actions can determine the outcome.
   [Yet] Everyone is afraid to admit that they do not have a plan. I love asking college freshman what their plans are. They've got it all mapped out. We crave control; and at the least we desire the appearance of being in control.
   Eliot has managed to shatter our illusion of control. We can do nothing. Our utter dependence on the Lord is glaring. He's sick...so we take him to the doctor. They can do nothing. It's a helpless, powerless place that we are in. But, truth be known, this reality is where we have always dwelled. Eliot just helped us realize.
   I am thankful that we know the one that controls. This is not always comforting. For His ways are not my ways, and I want my way. All I can do is trust Him. And with Eliot I've begun to see that His ways are better and He is worthy of trust."

A letter from Santa in North Pole for Fr. Paul Yi

Recently I wrote to St. Nicholas (aka Santa) about what I wanted for Christmas. Thanks to the speed of Internet, I got a reply back from him the same day (www.emailsanta.com). This is what I wrote to him:

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Paul. I am a boy and I am already 36 years old!! I live in the great city of Baton Rouge. Of course, that's in Louisiana, United States, but I'll bet you knew that!! This year I've been so good that my halo is just a teensy weensy bit crooked! Santa Claus, some things I might like for Christmas this year are:

- better prayer discipline;
- more charitable heart; and,
- deeper love for Jesus.

Santa Claus, I almost forgot to say... Please tell Baby Jesus to pray for all my family, friends, and those that I'm praying for.

Love, Paul

The following is Santa's reply to my email.

#1, Rudolph Way North Pole, Canada HO HO HO

Merrrryyyy Christmas Paul!!
Thank you for sending me your email all the way from Baton Rouge! The Net sure is wonderful because now I can get emails from Baton Rouge and around the world in the blink of an eye. Even Rudolph gets emails... from pets! Why, here's Rudolph right now! HO!! Ho!! ho!! He just asked me to say 'Hi!' to you!

Jumping Jingle Bells, Paul! Are you fibbing to ol' Santa Claus?!? You can't possibly be 36 years old already! Why it seems like only yesterday that I was leaving presents for a certain little boy and here you are now, practically one of Santa's elves! (*grin*)

Sorry the presents the last little while probably haven't been quite as exciting as they were when you were a little boy but, well, you know how these things go (*wink*). Anyway, Santa's glad to see some of the 'older kids' (not to mention anyone in particular!) still take the time to write. I also hear you've been a really good boy. (Of course, you won't mind if I do a little checking, will you? HO!! Ho!! ho!!).

Paul, I'm also very glad that you mentioned Jesus in your letter to me. After all, Jesus' birthday is a time for us all to be thankful that he was the best Christmas gift of all!
Let's see what you put in your letter for Christmas wishes:
1. better prayer discipline; 2. more charitable heart and; 3. deeper love for jesus.
Those are such WONDERFUL presents that Rudolph's nose started glowing when he saw what you asked for! Of course, the reindeer can pull my sleigh with only so many presents so I hope you'll forgive me if I can't fit all the presents in.

Oops! I guess I shouldn't have had that last cookie because a button just popped right off my suit. I better go see if Mrs. Claus has any thread left! ho!! Ho!! HO!! Take care Paul and don't forget to come back and visit me here at EmailSanta.com on Christmas Eve!! And remember... only 4 more sleeps until Christmas!!
BFF (Best Friends Forever :),

Dec. 20, 2009: 4th Sunday of Advent (C)

I got a call from my sister few weeks ago with a peculiar question: "Is it okay to use a last name as the first name for a baby?" My sister was due with a new baby boy in January, and she was going back and forth with several choices of names for her new baby. She said, "Is it okay if we call him, Seelos?" I replied, "Sure." Last year when she came down to Baton Rouge for my ordination, she had a chance to go down to New Orleans to the Irish Channel area and visit the Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos with her then 2 yr. old and 4 yr. old. children. The children saw the beautiful German statues and stain glasses of saints in the St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church where Fr. Seelos served as the pastor in 1867. It's also where he died with Yellow Fever, while ministering to his parishioners who caught Yellow Fever.

Fr. Seelos was born in a small town of Fussen in Bavaria, Germany in the year 1811. He was given a saint's name when he was baptized--St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary priest to India, Japan, and China. Like the saint for whom he was named after, Fr. Seelos desired to be a missionary priest. Fr. Seelos joined the Congregation of the Redemptorists in Germany at the age of 23 and sailed to New York City to help minister to German speaking immigrants to United States. He was ordained as priest few years later in Baltimore, Maryland, not too far from where my sister, brother-in-law, and their two kids live. He would be stationed in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and New Orleans especially at the height of its Yellow Fever outbreak.

It goes to show that the names we are given by our parents are not by accident; in a great mystery, the names we are given whether at baptism or the names we choose at our confirmation bear our mission for life. Although all of us began as helpless and barely visible embryos within our mothers' wombs, our destiny for greatness was already pre-announced by our name. We see that in the gospel with John the Baptist and Jesus. In today's gospel, we see a meeting between two unborn babies whose names were already announced by the Archangel Gabriel. The parents of these babies were not to name them, for God has already chosen names for them. You know, this is what happened to all of us; God has already chosen names for us. How? Where as our mom and dad each gave us 23 chromosomes to form our bodies, God himself created--out of nothing--a unique soul that has not existed in the universe before. And God destined this unique soul and body for greatness, to be like St. John the Baptist. Archangel Gabriel described to John's mother Elizabeth what John will be like: " he will be great in the sight of (the) Lord...He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord."

Few days ago, I called a priest friend of mine who is now the pastor at St. Francisville to ask him what he was going to preach on this week. He said he was going to talk about his experience as a medical student at University of Texas Southwestern. Fr. Cary was a medical doctor for 10 years before being ordained to the priesthood for our diocese two years ago. On his third year at UT Southwestern, he was placed in OB-GYN rotation at the Parkland Hospital. There he often had to show eager parents and not-so-eager parents the heartbeat of a 7 week-old baby on ultrasound scan. Although the baby was only the size of a raspberry by that time, the parents who were eager for the child couldn't wait for the day when they can hold their baby in their arms, send them to school, and see the day when they have their first grand child. That ultrasound showed that the greatness was not measured by size but by the destiny God Himself has placed in the child.

On the day that John the Baptist was born, his father Zechariah cried out, "And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins."

Fr. Cary never imagined himself that he was destined to be like Fr. Seelos or like John the Baptist. But that is who he is now, by giving people knowledge of salvation by becoming a doctor of souls. Likewise, my sister and brother-in-law in someway wanted their unborn son to reflect that greatness by naming him after a saintly priest who was renowned for his kindness, cheerfulness, and generous desire to help those in need. For that same reason they named their first child Therese, after St. Therese of Lisieux and named their second child Pio, after Padre Pio. Yet, regardless of whether or not we are named after a saint, the truth is that all of us, who began as a humble embryo in our mama's womb, were given great destiny by Heavenly Father to become like His Son and to be with Him eternally.

Dec. 13, 2009: 3rd Sunday Advent (C)

Early this week, I spent an hour during lunch sandwiched between three 3 yr. old children. As most of you parents know, 3 yr. olds can be demanding. The boy on my right was ready to rip anything on the table. So to show him how we can be civil, I took the paper away from him and began to fold it into an airplane. His twin sister on my left then chimed in. "Make me two of those!" Meanwhile their aunt put in two small plates some fries, but only one catchup bowl. The boy on my right was dipping his fries into the catchup when his sister on my left was crying out, "I need catchup!" I became the catchup waiter to both 3 yr. olds, taking the bowl between the two as each cried out, "I need catchup!" Their uncle after seeing this spectacle said, "Father, welcome to our world!"

Now why was I there in the first place? We were in the cafeteria of the Women's Hospital after seeing their new brother. They had quite a good time seeing their new brother. When I got to their room it was only 30 minutes after the birth, so the nurses were cleaning him up. The 3 yr. olds were in their grand parents' arms trying to see what they were doing. One of them cried out, "Eewwwwwww!" Her new brother pooped for the first time outside of his mom's womb. There was joy in that room, the joy of welcoming a new child into their lives. A photographer was present to capture this joy, taking photos of the new baby being cleaned up and the new baby being held in the arms of family members.

Let's shift gears and talk about Advent. The season of Advent originated as a fast of 40 days in preparation for the birth of Christ, just as the season of Lent is a fast of 40 days in preparation for the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. When we say days of fasting, it sounds like days of gloom, that there should not be trace of joy during these 40 days. But the Third Sunday of Advent reminds us that these 40 days of penitential preparation is really joyful. What is to be joyful about fasting? We recall that we are fasting from one thing so that we can feast on another thing. We fast from the worldly temptations so that we can feast on the True Joy, the arrival of the long-awaited Jesus Christ. Hence the Church traditionally calls the Third Sunday of Advent, "Gaudete Sunday"; the word 'gaudete' means in Latin, 'rejoice.' For this Sunday we wear the rose-colored vestment which represents 'joy' instead of purple vestment which represents 'penance.'

In our Second Reading, St. Paul tells us, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!" Why does he say rejoice? What is there to rejoice about? He says because, "The Lord is near." Why should the nearness of the Lord make us rejoice? Prophet Zephaniah says in our First Reading, "The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you." Our faith teaches us that our ultimate happiness is to behold our living God who created us and loved us from the very beginning. Yet isn't it our life experience that we know in our head that God is with us, but the felt, reality seems to suggest that God is not with us. If He is with us, why are we sad? Why do we suffer? This is why we have the season of Advent and Lent, to give us a time of fasting and prayer to clear our fogged up glasses to recognize that, 'Wow, God was with me today! I should rejoice!'

Let me go back to my experience with the 3 yr. olds and their new baby brother. I mentioned that in the hospital room was a photographer. He was with a non-profit photographers' organization called, "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep." This organization dispatches a volunteer photographer to capture photos of a new-born baby and his family. This organization focuses on families whose babies are about to die or are still-born. As the families try to overcome the sadness, sorrow, fear, and uncertainty of losing their baby, photos taken by this organization help families honor and cherish their babies and help in their healing process.

So why was this photographer there in the room? The parents of this baby learned early in pregnancy that their new baby had what's called Trisomy 18, an abnormality in the Chromosome 18. They were told that most babies with this abnormality die before or shortly after death. Doctors recommended abortion. They argued that child was not viable and it would cause deeper pain and suffering than necessary. The parents chose to carry the child to term. In the room that day when I entered there was a mix of joy and sadness. They were overjoyed to be able to hold a child who was still breathing, a baby who mesmerized his 3 yr. old brother and two sisters. The sadness that hung in the air in that room was the uncertainty of how many more seconds or minutes this child was going to be with them. The parents were so grateful to God for allowing them to see the child and to say good bye. As I left that room to go down to the cafeteria to be sandwiched between three 3 yr. olds, I saw the photographer taking a photo of the entire family, smiling, with their new child in the arms of his mom. Why were they smiling? Because they have seen God and His gift to the family, and they rejoiced in the midst of sadness. Do you find yourself unable to smile, unable to rejoice because you cannot see God in your cloud of sadness and uncertain future? Take St. Paul's advice:

Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Dec. 8, 2009: Immaculate Conception

In the morning of Saturday, December 8, 2001, I made my way near to the altar of St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge. No one was in the church. I went over to the statue of Blessed Mother and knelt by the kneeler. I pulled out a piece of paper in which I hand wrote a long prayer. This was only two weeks after I have returned from pilgrimage to Medjugorje. On that trip, I have heard from my heart a desire for priesthood, yet I was in doubt. I had worked so hard to get an engineering degree, and the company I was working for was poised to give me an overseas assignment. In Medjugorje, I made a decision to tell my boss at work sometime soon that I was going to leave the company in 6 months. Yet now only two weeks later it seemed to me that I was throwing away a career that I worked so hard to build up. As I was kneeling there, I was asking, "Blessed Mother, are you sure that God is calling me to priesthood?"

For the past 33 days prior to December 8, I had prayed every morning a little book called, "Preparation for Total Consecration according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort." All of us were consecrated--made holy and set apart for God--at our baptism. Yet how many of us can confidently say that we have faithfully kept our baptismal promises? That's why at Easter, we renew our baptismal vows along with those who are being baptised. A saint by the name of St. Louis Marie de Montfort of France taught that there is another sure, secure, and easy way to renew our baptismal vows. According to St. Louis de Montfort, the most effective and excellent way of consecrating ourselves to Jesus is by consecrating ourselves and our families to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He said, "Whoever then wishes to advance along the road to holiness, and be sure of encountering the true Christ, should take up this devotion to Mary." This devotion consists in giving oneself entirely to Mary in order to belong entirely to Jesus through her.This consecration to Jesus through Mary had been the guiding spirituality of Pope John Paul II, as indicated in his personal motto, "TotusTuus," which means “Totally yours, Mary.”

But why keep saying "Mary, Mary" when we should be really saying "Jesus, Jesus"? There is a great mystery hidden in God's wisdom choosing Blessed Mother to make His Son incarnate through her. God did not need Blessed Mother to accomplish His Will, for He is All Powerful, but in His infinite wisdom He chose to prepare a humble girl beginning with her Immaculate Conception, withholding the Original Sin that plagued all of the descendants of Eve. It is as if all of humanity born on this earth is through the womb of Eve, sharing her Fall from the Garden of Eden, who will be shut out of the Paradise when they die. Yet it is in God's infinite wisdom that He planned a new womb from which new creation will be born, who will enjoy again His company in the Paradise. St. Augustine said, "All the predestinate are in this world hidden in the womb of the Virgin Mary, where they are guarded, nourished, brought up and made to grow by the good mother until she has brought them to glory after death.”

On the morning of December 8, 2001, I unfolded my handwritten prayer and read out loud to Jesus. "I, Jason Yi, an unfaithful sinner, renew and ratify today through you my baptismal promises I renounce forever Satan, his empty promises and his evil designs, and I give myself completely to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after him for the rest of my life, and to be more faithful to him than I have been until now. This day, with the whole court of heaven as witness I choose you, Mary, as my Mother and Queen. I surrender and consecrate myself to you, body and soul, with all that I possess, both spiritual and material, and even including the spiritual value of all my actions, past, present and to come. I give you the full right to dispose of me and all that belongs to me, without any reservations; in whatever way you please, for the greater glory of God in time and throughout eternity."

Since arriving in the United States from Korea and until entering the seminary, I used the name "Jason" which I chose for myself back in 5th grade in Texas. But the Total Consecration was the turning point in my life. My life is no longer mine. I surrendered it to Jesus, body and soul. It belonged completely to Jesus through the hands of Mary. I took up again the name that God had given me when I was baptized at 6 years old in Korea--"Paul." Just as name 'Saul' was changed by God to 'Paul,' all of us who are baptized are now set apart as new creation. And as new creation from the womb of Immaculate Conception, isn't it our duty to know and to love the mother who gave us new birth in baptism?

Dec. 6, 2009: 2nd Sunday Advent (C)

The other day I noticed how my car was dusty. The hood had enough dirt on it to write, 'Wash me!' So I took my car to Benny's Carwash on Perkins near St. Aloysius. For those of you who have taken your car to that carwash, you first drive toward the entrance, and there is an attendant who holds up a small sign, 'Slow,' and instructs you if your wheel is aligned with the track or not. And when it is, he flips the sign over which reads, 'Stop,' and instructs you to put your car on neutral so that the track will drag the car into the carwash automatically. Sitting there in my car as the machines cleaned my car, I said to myself, "This is a cool technology."

One aspect of Advent is about getting ourselves clean. An important guest is coming, and we need to throw away some junky old news papers on the table, wipe off the pizza stain from the couch, and spray some Lysol to freshen up the stale funk that lingers in the living room. That means turning off the TV, shutting down the Internet, and getting out of the couch to get into action. Now many things can be done online these days: you can click a button on the computer and order Sham-Wow shammies or bottles of Windex and have it delivered to your door, but still you have to get out of the couch to clean.

If you look at our bulletin this week, you'll see a list of Advent penance services held around the city of Baton Rouge. Our Lady of Mercy will have one on Wednesday, December 9th at 7PM. Many people tell me that it's difficult for them to come to Reconciliation. Confession is challenging and difficult because in it we lay bare our inmost thoughts, our deepest motives, our weaknesses and sins that shame us. It is easy to say to ourselves, 'Why go to see a priest when it's so embarrassing?' But we have to realize that priests are only the carwash attendant holding up the sign, 'Slow' and 'Stop' to guide our wheels onto the automatic track. The 'signs' that priests hold for us are, 'Are you sorry for your sins?' and 'Are you resolved again to love Jesus with all your heart?' Once we align ourselves to these two questions, Holy Spirit is the one who will lead us into the 'carwash' and cleanse us of the dirt, which are shame and guilt. While in the carwash, after all the dirt has been washed away Holy Spirit applies all that fancy chemical rust protection, polish, wax, and tire shine. In other words, Holy Spirit gives us freedom, forgiveness, peace, healing and strength from this sacrament. If it has been a while for us since our last visit to the carwash, why wait? Even St. John the Baptist encourages us today, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

It's often said that children copy what we do and not what we say. We model for them by our action what they should do. If we truly want to teach our children about telling the truth, being kind, and and being generous, we should practice what we preach to them. And what about the time when we fall, when they see us telling lies, being arrogant, and hateful? They should see us going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Few days ago, near the end of a penance service at another parish, a child of 10 or 11 years old came and plopped himself on a chair in front of me. "So what would you like to tell Jesus that you are sorry for," I asked. He replied, "I just want to talk. I already talked with four other priests here." 'Uh oh, this child is going to ask me a difficult question,' I thought to myself. Then he said, "My dad is in New Mexico. I was told that he was sick but I found out that he was in jail. He stole and lied." I sat there dumb-founded. What do I say to this child? How can I console him? Then Holy Spirit broke thru. I said to him, "Sounds like you are disappointed in your dad for what he did wrong. You know God made you and I and your dad in His image and likeness, to be holy. But sometimes we fall. Have you ever been put in a 'timeout corner?'" He nodded. "Just as you and I can fall and make mistakes, your dad can fall and make mistakes. Right now he is in a 'timeout corner' for a while. Will you go to Blessed Mother's statue over there, hold her hand, and ask her to look after your daddy?" He got up, went over to her statue, and prayed just like I asked him. I thought that was the end. But he came back and sat down. I asked, "What else do you want to talk about?" He said, "My mom is dead." I thought, "..............." Then Holy Spirit broke thru. "I know your mom does not want you to be without a mom. And did you know that Blessed Mother is also your mom's mom? So I want you to walk over to the Blessed Mother's statue, hold her hand, and ask her, 'Will you be my mom from now on?'" He got up, walked over to her, held her hand, and prayed for few seconds.

Like this little innocent child, I would like for all of us to be led by Blessed Mother as well during Advent to prepare for her Son's arrival. Blessed Mother told this message to one of the visionaries of Medjugorje this past Wednesday, Dec. 2nd. "Dear Children, at this time of preparation and joyful expectation, I, as a mother, desire to point you to what is the most important, to your soul. Can my Son be born in it? Is it cleansed by love from lies, arrogance, hatred and malice? Above all else, does your soul love God as a Father and does it love your fellow brother in Christ? I am pointing you to the way which will raise your soul to a complete union with my Son. I desire for my Son to be born in you. What a joy that would be for me as Mother. Thank you." (Dec. 2, 2009 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje to Mirjana Soldo)