Feb. 26, 2012: Audio Homily, 1st Sunday of Lent

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=81680ba9973c20be60bcb5a985aa1056265f637fd6b1fea50

Feb. 29, 2012 Wednesday: 1st Week of Lent

Being Free to Love



Jesus came to us to help us overcome our fear of God. As long as we are afraid of God, we cannot love God. Love means intimacy, closeness, mutual vulnerability, and a deep sense of safety. But all of those are impossible as long as there is fear. Fear creates suspicion, distance, defensiveness, and insecurity.

The greatest block in the spiritual life is fear. Prayer, meditation, and education cannot come forth out of fear. God is perfect love, and as John the Evangelist writes, "Perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). Jesus' central message is that God loves us with an unconditional love and desires our love, free from all fear, in return.
- Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 28, 2012 Tuesday: Divine Mercy Mass

On Sunday, I was at a parish helping to hear confessions for their
high school religion classes. I entered one of the classes to explain
about reconciliation and you would have thought that I was looking at
a road full of deer caught in the headlights. The students protested,
“I haven’t been to confession since I was a kid…I don’t know what to
say.” One young lady said, “My heart is pounding because I’m nervous.”
I guess for some of us, going to confession is like going to a
dentist.

When does Jesus get a chance to tell each of us that we are so
precious to Him? When does He get a chance to tell us that He does
care when we get hurt by others or when we hurt others? It’s in the
Confessional, one on one—Jesus and you. Jesus already knows that we
often turn to the Father in prayer, sees that we face sinful
situations each day, and knows that we acknowledge that we are
sinners. But what do we lack?

If I asked everyone here, “Do you know within the depths of your heart
Heavenly Father’s love, mercy, and forgiveness,” I don’t know how many
of us would respond ‘yes’ with strong conviction. It’s been my
experience that most of us profess the Father’s great love for us, but
that we lack the conviction that the Father truly forgives us for our
faults. We somehow feel unworthy of His forgiveness, most likely
because we cannot forgive someone when we have been harmed.

The Father knows that it is difficult for us to forgive when we (or
someone we love) experience the pain from infidelity, abuse, or
emotional or physical harm. Yet, even when the pain is great, we are
called to forgive.  In time, we will learn to forgive if we turn to
Jesus and His Father in prayer and ask to know the Father’s love and
mercy. We must ask for Jesus to enter our hearts to heal our pains so
that we will be able to forgive.

Feb. 27, 2012 Monday: 1st Week of Lent

Vicka on Lent (One of the Visionaries of Medjugorje)

"Many times we see Lent as a time when we make sacrifices and practice self-denial by giving up coffee, alcohol, chocolate, cigarettes, TV, or whatever we are overly attached to. But we must renounce those things out of love for Jesus and Mary, and be careful not to do it for our own glory. Often we wait for the end of the forty days, only to drink again, to watch TV again, etc. This is not the right way to live Lent!

"Yes indeed, Our Lady asks us for sacrifices, but she does so all the time, not just during Lent. During Lent, we must offer to God all our desires, our crosses, our sickness and suffering, so that we may walk with Jesus, walk with Him toward Calvary. We should take to heart to help Him carry His Cross because He carries His cross for all of us, asking Him, 'Lord, how can I help you? What can I offer you?' I don't mean that He cannot carry His Cross but when we join with Him from the heart, then it becomes a very beautiful thing. I don't refer to Him when I need Him only, but I walk with Him when He most needs me, during His suffering for us.

"Many times, when we have a cross we could offer Him, we instead pray this way:'Lord, please remove that cross from my shoulders, it's heavy, I can't take it. Why is this cross given to me and not to someone else?' No! This is not the right way to pray! Our Lady says we should rather tell Him: 'Lord, I thank you for this cross, I thank you for this great gift You are giving me!'

 "Very few are the people who understand the great value of the cross and the great value of the gift of our crosses when they are offered to Jesus. We can learn so much through this gift of a cross! In this time of Lent, we must understand from the heart how much Jesus loves us all and we should walk by His side with great love. We should try to be united with Him in His passion. This is the sacrifice that is expected from us. Let's walk this way, and then when the day of Easter comes with the Resurrection, we won't look at the Resurrection from outside but we will also be resurrected with Jesus, because we will have become free inside of us, free from ourselves and all our attachments. Isn't this a beautiful thing? We will be able to live His love and His Resurrection inside of us!

"Every single cross has a reason. God never sends any cross without a motive, a meaning, and He knows when He will remove that cross from us. At times of suffering, let's thank Jesus for this gift and also tell Him, 'If you have another gift for me, I am ready. But right now I am begging for Your strength, in order to have the courage to carry my cross and go forward with you, Lord!'

"I remember how the Gospa spoke to me about suffering when she said: 'If you knew the great value of suffering!' This is really a very great thing! And then it all depends on us, afterwards, to be ready for this or not. It all depends on our Yes to Jesus. It takes our whole life to learn this and go forward. Each morning, when we wake up, we can start our day with God. Our Lady does not ask us to pray the whole day long but to put prayer at the first place, to put God at the first place and then perform our works and go ahead in all the aspects of our life, visiting sick people, etc.

"When we do a charitable work without prayer, it's not valuable. The same way, when we pray and do not act in a charitable way, it is not valuable either. Those two things, prayer and charity, work always together. And then, step by step, we go forward." (End of Vicka's words.)

Knowing how much Vicka has suffered, and how beautifully she ministers to the pilgrims who visit her in Medjugorje, her words take on special meaning. Vicka lives the way of the cross with Jesus, daily. And she knows the joy it brings. What good advice she has given us for this Lent! Her words reflect St. Faustina's: "Oh, if only the suffering soul knew how much God loves it, it would die of joy and excess of happiness! Some day we will know the value of suffering, but then we will no longer be able to suffer. The present moment is ours!" (963)

Dear Mother, we want to move forward this Lent, help us say Yes to Jesus with love!

http://www.medjugorje.ws/en/articles/vicka-lent/

Feb. 26, 2012: 1st Sunday of Lent

Click to hear audio homily
A couple of weeks ago while helping with private reconciliations at Baton Rouge area catholic high schools, one young lady told me, “Father, I must be getting too old.My brother is annoying me! I need patience!” I concurred with her when she told

me that her brother is 10 years old, because I remember when I was 10-years old

and frequently tested my older sister’s patience. We all need patience whether we

are a 16-year old or an 80-year old. What is patience? It is the capacity to accept

or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. Patience is

really about self-control. It is the ability to keep control over the impulse that rises

suddenly when something disagreeable happens. We were taught when we were

little, “Count to ten before you speak when you feel angry; count to one hundred

when you feel very angry.” It takes a lot of self-control to keep our inner volcano

from erupting.

Today’s scripture presents us two persons who demonstrated great patience and
trust. The first person, Noah, survived 40 days and nights on the ark with his family
and animals, waiting patiently for the rain to stop and the ground to dry. This
was a man who had to endure a lot of difficulties. Those of you who watched the
movie “Evan Almighty” may remember how much taunting Evan received from his
friends and neighbors while building the ark. More importantly, Noah had to trust
that God was trying to save his family. Can you imagine the inner struggle for Noah?
However, it was through these inner struggles that Noah learned to trust and rely
on God the Father. We don’t exercise patience and trust in a vacuum. Rather, it is in
the midst of the storms and struggles that we face that we must ask God for patience
and the grace to trust Him. The rainbow that we see in the sky is a visible sign of
God’s covenant with us, reminding us that He is always merciful and that He is at our
side.

Noah’s trust in the Father is a powerful example to us, but God the Father gave us an
even more compelling sign of His covenant —His Son Jesus. It is in Jesus that we see
a greater demonstration of patience and trust. He was led into the desert by the Holy
Spirit to face a deluge of temptations on our behalf. He was tempted by pleasure,
possessions and pride and he over came these temptations by totally trusting in His
Father.

There were articles in the newspapers about what people were giving up for
Lent—coffee, pizza, beer, and chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t read where anyone
was giving up on pride, anger, lust, gluttony, jealousy, greed, and laziness. These
are much more difficult temptations to overcome than our attachment to favorite
snacks. Yet, how can we overcome such difficult temptations on our own? God
knows how weak we are, and we must remember that He loves us as we are. In
His mercy, God the Father sends His own Son to face these temptations for us. We
entered into Jesus’ life through baptism, therefore, we must ask for His own patience
and trust to help us through the struggles.

Right now our community needs Jesus’ patience and trust more than ever. It is
God’s providence that we are praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every week, and
thus are bathed in God’s forgiveness and mercy. A few days ago I was at a hospital
in Baton Rouge to anoint a parishioner who had been in a tragic car accident.
She is in critical condition, and our entire community is praying for her survival.
Unfortunately, those who caused this accident also belong to our community. This
is a very sad time for our community and now, more than ever, we must know that
our Heavenly Father loves each of us as we are. We must also love and show mercy
as the Father has shown mercy to us. It is a time for us to look within and change
those thoughts and actions that keep us from being our Lord’s love in this world.
This change will not come about without conflicts and struggles but we must know
that through our struggles, we will learn to trust and rely on our Heavenly Father. I
would like for all of us to sing a verse of “Be Not Afraid” to remind us that our Father
is always with us.

“Be Not Afraid”

If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames, you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell and death is at your side, know that
I am with you through it all.

Refrain
Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come follow me, and
I will give you rest.

Feb. 24, 2012: Friday after Ash Wednesday

Bringing Our Secrets into the Light

We all have our secrets: thoughts, memories, feelings that we keep to ourselves. Often we think, "If people knew what I feel or think, they would not love me." These carefully kept secrets can do us much harm. They can make us feel guilty or ashamed and may lead us to self-rejection, depression, and even suicidal thoughts and actions.

One of the most important things we can do with our secrets is to share them in a safe place, with people we trust. When we have a good way to bring our secrets into the light and can look at them with others, we will quickly discover that we are not alone with our secrets and that our trusting friends will love us more deeply and more intimately than before. Bringing our secrets into the light creates community and inner healing. As a result of sharing secrets, not only will others love us better but we will love ourselves more fully.

- Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 22, 2012 Wednesday: Ash Wednesday

Recently I was conversing with a young woman across a table in a small room. At 21 years of age, she has creative talents and was looking forward to getting a good job. She said she is Catholic but does not believe in organized religion. She didn’t make the sign of the cross when I began a short prayer. It seems that Faith is no longer part of her life, as it does not give her any tangible benefits. Jesus, for her, is a character in a book.
Some of us may share some of her sentiment. We believe that we are spiritual persons, but we would rather dispense with spiritual disciplines of going to church, praying regularly, giving up bad habits, and doing good deeds for others. We may have lost how to savor being with Jesus, and for that we need interior change.

May I suggest the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary as the framework for interior change during Lent? Many of us pray the Rosary, but do you focus on the fruits of each Joyful Mystery? The fruit of the First Joyful Mystery is humility—humbly acknowledging our littleness, yet saying ‘Yes’ to God’s request for us to be available for Him. The fruit of the Second Joyful Mystery is love of neighbor—that our humble
‘Yes’ means bringing joy to others by serving them. The fruit of the Third Joyful Mystery is poverty—for we lost the sense of joy and freedom from being detached from multitude of desires to possess something. The fruit of the Fourth Joyful Mystery is obedience—for without obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we might make decisions that are selfish and not our Heavenly Father’s will for us. Finally, the fruit of the Fifth Joyful Mystery is joy in finding Jesus. Lent is not about external giving up of things, but the change of our hearts to grow deeper in our love for Jesus.

The 21-year old woman whom I mentioned at the beginning of the homily is in jail. I told her that Jesus personally sent me to tell her that He knows she is unhappy without Jesus in her life, and that He wants her heart changed during this Lent. Jesus personally invites each of
us, during this Lent, to do the same. As you are marked with your ashes, listen to the words that are recited, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel” and let this be the beginning of our season of change.

Feb. 21, 2012 Tuesday: Divine Mercy Mass

Several years ago, a group of seminarians including myself, were on a 5-week Spanish Immersion experience at a Mexican university along with more than a hundred students from various American universities. We seminarians were housed on the same floor, and we prayed together and went to mass together. Meanwhile, students from other universities were enjoying freedom from their parents; I said to my roommate, “They checked their morality at the airport.” One of the seminarians shared a dream he had that night. In his dream, he saw Blessed Mother crying. He asked, “Why are you crying, Mama?” She replied, “My children are hurting themselves and they do not know it.”

Have you ever imagined that our sins could make our heavenly Mother cry? Last Tuesday, I mentioned in the homily how precious we are to Heavenly Father because each of us is one of a kind and irreplaceable. Jesus told St. Faustina how He sees each of us. He said, “How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart (Diary #1485).” Despite Jesus’ attempts at getting closer to us, what do we do? We run away. Our weakness and sinfulness scare us, or worse, we go on hurting ourselves thinking we are beyond help. Yet Jesus does not give up on us. He told St. Faustina, “Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to Me. Child, be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speaks words of pardon and lavish His graces on you.” (Diary #1485)

Jesus tells us that His love is greater than our failings, our mistakes, and our sins. He asks us to not trust in ourselves, but to trust Him to bring peace to our troubled souls.

Feb. 20, 2012 Monday: 7th Week in Ordinary (B)

The Nonpossessive Life
To be able to enjoy fully the many good things the world has to offer, we must be detached from them. To be detached does not mean to be indifferent or uninterested. It means to be nonpossessive. Life is a gift to be grateful for and not a property to cling to.

A nonpossessive life is a free life. But such freedom is only possible when we have a deep sense of belonging. To whom then do we belong? We belong to God, and the God to whom we belong has sent us into the world to proclaim in his Name that all of creation is created in and by love and calls us to gratitude and joy. That is what the "detached" life is all about. It is a life in which we are free to offer praise and thanksgiving.
-Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 19, 2012: 7th Sunday Ordinary, Audio Homily

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=042556cdb9d6ffd1a8e647284d2cdd11c0541b3a70132027b

Feb. 19, 2012: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

What do you think are the qualities of a good friend? Some may think that a good friend is loyal, supportive, attentive, open and honest. Do you have a friend like that right now? There is a beautiful quote on friendship in the Book of Sirach, "A faithful friend is a strong support; whoever finds one has found a treasure" (Sirach 6:14ff.) We all know that a friend can have a positive influence on us, but he could also influence us negatively. You have heard the saying, “The company you keep will determine the trouble you meet.”

Have you had friends who led you down the wrong path?  During my high school days, I hung around with students who were considered outcasts. They had eccentric hair, clothes, and opinions, and they were into strange New Age beliefs. Although I spent only a year hanging around with them, during that time, I lost all traces of my Christian faith.  Once I lost faith in God, everything in my life became much more difficult. I no longer believed that Jesus was always with me, but rather, I believed that I was my own ‘god’ who could make up the rules for my life as well as determine what was truly good and bad for me. I had lost my moral compass, and without that, I did things that hurt me spiritually and emotionally, without realizing that I was being harmed.  I tried to live independently from God, but without him, I suffered through periods of depression and lived through some dark times in my life.

All along, it was my decision to turn from the Heavenly Father, it was my decision to continue down a path that made me spiritually weak, and it was my decision to participate in activities that were sinful.  No matter the sin we commit, it is our decision to commit it. The further we move away from the Father, the further we move down the path of sinfulness, the weaker we become. Sometime, we become so weak that we cannot return to the Father on our own.

How important it is to have faith-filled friends around us! We are much stronger when we surround ourselves with faith-filled friends. Such friends can save us when we ourselves cannot help ourselves. We see a great example of that in today’s gospel. A man who was paralyzed and could not walk had friends who cared about him and wanted him healed. Perhaps the man himself was skeptical, but his friends were faith-filled and believed that Jesus could heal him. Jesus saw the faith and charity of his friends and was moved with compassion. The first thing Jesus said to the paralytic man was, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Perhaps this was not what the paralytic or his friends expected to hear. But Jesus saw the deeper paralysis that came with sin. Isn’t that what we see in some of our friends, too? It isn’t that they are physically ill, but they are ill in their soul. They have made decision by their sins to turn from the Lord, and their souls have become weak to the point that they are paralyzed. The Lord is no longer on their mind and heart, and they feel lost.

In the book titled “Imitation of Christ,” Thomas a Kempis writes, “When Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent, all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation.” If one of us is that faith-filled friend to a person who seems lost, then we will believe that our friend needs Jesus to speak to his heart and to hear that Jesus forgives him.

When I was in Medjugorje several years ago, I visited a community for recovering young men and women addicts called Cenacolo. During a meeting there, a young man gave his testimony about his addiction. He said that he was brought up in a good Catholic home in Italy and lived a comfortable life where his parents provided whatever he wanted. He became involved with the ‘wrong’ crowd and began to abuse drugs. The drugs then led him led him to stealing and then to jail. Subsequently, after living homeless and hitting rock bottom, his parents brought him to the Cenacolo Community. He said, the physical withdrawal from the drug took only 4 days; however, his spiritual healing required more than 3 years. He said that the most difficult part of his healing process was facing himself—his sins that caused the rift and hurts in his family, sins that turned him away from the Heavenly Father. He said that what strengthened him were his new friends inside the Community.  They were faith-filled friends who prayed with him and kept him accountable for decisions he made.  That young man realized that of all the things he needed in his life, he needed Jesus the most.  He sought Jesus’ divine mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and mass. 

Thomas a Kempis writes, “You must bring to God a clean and open heart if you wish to attend and see how sweet the Lord is. Truly you will never attain this happiness unless His grace prepares you and draws you on so that you may forsake all things to be united with Him alone.” We are all called to help one another in our faith journeys. Our acts of faith and charity may be what will bring our struggling friends to Jesus. Then Our Lord, through His merciful love and forgiveness, will bring healing and restoration to all.

Feb. 17, 2012 Friday: Founders of Servite Order

Seven Founders of the Order of Servites



In the thirteenth century in the city of Florence, Italy, seven young men formed a group called the Praisers of Mary. They met in order to pray, and they were especially devoted to Mary.

The way they came to be founders of the Servite Order is remarkable. On the feast of the Assumption, while the seven friends were deep in prayer, the Blessed Mother appeared to them. She inspired them to leave everything behind and to live alone with God. After several years of living as hermits, they went to their bishop. They asked him for a rule of life to follow. The bishop encouraged them to pray and to ask for guidance from Mary. Mary again appeared to the men. This time she was carrying a black habit (a kind of robe). At her side was an angel holding a scroll with the words “Servants of Mary” written on it. In this vision, the Blessed Mother said that she had chosen them to be her servants. She asked them to wear a black habit. This was the habit they started to wear in 1240. They also began to live their religious life according to the rule of St. Augustine.

The seven founders’ names are Bonfilius, Bonajuncta, Amideus, Hugh, Manettus, Sostenes, and Alexius. All of them except Alexius became priests. Alexius felt himself unworthy to be ordained.

Others joined the group and the Servite Order grew. The purpose of the members was to become more and more like Jesus, to preach the Gospel, and to spread devotion to Mary, especially as Our Lady of Sorrows. The Servite Order was approved by the Vatican in 1259. The seven holy founders were declared saints by Pope Leo XIII in 1888.



-Daughters of St. Paul

Feb. 16, 2012 Thursday: 6th Week in Ordinary (B)

Confession in a Coma

By Sister Emmanuel

    

Here is one of many incredible stories that Fr. Tim Deeter shared with me from when he was in the States:
   "Every day I would go and visit the Catholic patients in the hospital behind my parish, and there was one woman who was always on the list, because she was in a coma. Well, one day I had this huge list of patients, and I looked at it and I said, 'Oh, I've got to cut a couple of these people out. Maybe the woman in the coma, she doesn't need to see me. She can't talk to me anyhow, and so I'll just cut her off the list.' But as I went around and visited everybody I felt guilty, and
thought I'd better go and see her. So I went and sat by her bed and went through the whole routine, 'It's Fr. Tim. It's Tuesday.' And at the end I sat there and I said to myself, 'This is really stupid. She can't respond to me, I'm wasting my time. I'm not going to come anymore. I'm going to cross her off my list.'
   "And all of a sudden a thought came to me which was not my own: 'This woman needs absolution from her sins.' And I thought to myself, 'You're right. This woman hasn't been able to go to Confession; she's in a coma.' And so I leaned forward again, and I said to her, 'Any sin that you've committed, that you've not had forgiven, present it now to the
Lord in your mind. Give your sins to the Lord, and then I'll say an Act of Contrition with you.' And so I waited, then I said the Act of Contrition, then I gave her absolution. I sat back in my chair, and the woman sat up immediately from her bed. She didn't look at me, she looked right past me at the Cross that was on the wall. She held out her arms wide, and with a beautiful smile on her face she said, 'Jesus!' and fell back and died. I whipped around to see if Jesus was there, and He was, but not for me to see. He had come for her, at my command, through the sacrament of Penance, and the woman went with Him in great joy!
   "So these sacraments are important things. If God is calling you to the sacraments, don't put them off for other things, because you might not be alive the next day!"

- Children of Medjugorje, www.childrenofmedjugorje.com,  April 15, 2000 report

http://www.spiritofmedjugorje.org/june2010.htm

Feb. 15, 2012 Wednesday: 6th Week Ordinary (B)

The Meal That Makes Us Family and Friends



We all need to eat and drink to stay alive. But having a meal is more than eating and drinking. It is celebrating the gifts of life we share. A meal together is one of the most intimate and sacred human events. Around the table we become vulnerable, filling one another's plates and cups and encouraging one another to eat and drink. Much more happens at a meal than satisfying hunger and quenching thirst. Around the table we become family, friends, community, yes, a body.

That is why it is so important to "set" the table. Flowers, candles, colorful napkins all help us to say to one another, "This is a very special time for us, let's enjoy it!"
-Fr. Henri Nowen

Feb. 14, 2012 Tuesday: Divine Mercy mass

Have you noticed that businesses are advertising that they are buying gold? I checked today, and gold is selling for $1700 an ounce. When there is a limited quantity and so many dollars chasing after it, the price skyrockets. That's why we call gold, a precious metal.
Therefore, when there is only one of a kind in this world, then
logically, it would be very expensive and quite precious.

Have you ever given a thought on how Jesus looks at you? In a positive way or a negative way?
I would like you to consider this: How many of ‘you’ are out there in the world? Only one, isn't there? You can't be duplicated or compared, because you are one of a kind. Would you then consider yourself, valuable to someone, important to someone, or even precious to someone?

By design, you are precious because Our Lord created you to be one of a kind, irreplaceable. In our world, we place expensive alarm systems and safes in our homes or businesses to protect what is valuable. This
is the reason Our Lord assigns guardian angels and saints to protect his precious sons and daughters. When considering how precious you are to Jesus, do you think He cares whether you get hurt physically,
emotionally, or spiritually? (You betcha)

This is the central message of Divine Mercy as Jesus revealed to St. Faustina. Why would Heavenly Father allow His only Son to offer himself as a sacrifice for us? He did so because we are precious to Him, and He would pay a very high price for each one of us.

Feb. 13, 2012 Monday: 6th Week Ordinary B

Celebrating Being Alive


Birthdays are so important. On our birthdays we celebrate being alive. On our birthdays people can say to us, "Thank you for being!" Birthday presents are signs of our families' and friends' joy that we are part of their lives. Little children often look forward to their birthdays for months. Their birthdays are their big days, when they are the center of attention and all their friends come to celebrate.

We should never forget our birthdays or the birthdays of those who are close to us. Birthdays keep us childlike. They remind us that what is important is not what we do or accomplish, not what we have or who we know, but that we are, here and now. On birthdays let us be grateful for the gift of life.
- Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 12, 2012: 6th Sunday Ordinary (B) Audio Homily

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=2d3ad0578898407310535cfad8e281fb1a350fc636e19556a

Feb. 12, 2012: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

There are people in this world who, because of their positive attitude, inviting temperament, and gregarious nature, draw our attention to them. We are attracted by their magnetism, just as moths are drawn to the light at night. We have a great desire to spend time with them and to be with them. Likewise, there are people who, because of their sarcastic attitude, gloomy temperament, and reserved nature, repel us. They seem to us, like a dark, musty room where we would not like to spend too much time. It is as if their light has been smothered by something dark. We all have met people like that, haven't we? Imagine then, a 17-year old young man in high school with long dark hair, black clothing, gloomy face and negative attitude, who despised religion. The people around him felt uncomfortable to be with him. Moreover, he was uncomfortable being with himself, because for him, it was like being in a dark, musty room.

The description of this young man is not too different from the man who approached Jesus in desperation. He had leprosy, was ostracized from his family and town, and he experienced loneliness amid pain of his disease. He was not supposed to approach anyone, and if anyone approached him, he was supposed to cry out, "I'm unclean! Avoid me!" Then I wonder what prompted him to be so bold to approach Jesus. He must have been starving for love. We can find men and women in his condition all around us even today. I am not speaking of persons with leprosy, but men and women who genuinely starve for love. Their past hurts, addictions, or hopelessness keep them from reaching out. The man with leprosy boldly approached Jesus, drawn by Jesus' magnetism. He was seeking physical healing, but there was also something deeper that he needed? Fr. Henri Nouwen described it best when he wrote: “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”

Jesus did not just heal the man of a skin condition: Jesus tenderly touched him and desired that the man reconnect with his family and community who could provide love. There were probably disciples of Jesus who cringed as Jesus reached over to touch that man's leprous skin. Yet, Jesus wanted to teach his disciples that when they reach out with love, it could bring a person out from their isolated, dark, musty room.

A while ago at a priest conference, a young religious sister named Sr. Catherine shared her stories of evangelization to young people on the beaches in France. She first asked us to imagine this scene:

It is 2AM in the morning, there is a nightclub blaring out techno music near the seashore, and sitting on the sandy shore are about a hundred or so young people. Some are drinking and their bottles are strewn here and there. Some are smoking. Some are buying and trying drugs like Ecstasy. Some are pairing off to go off to some private places. The scene she described was the first night Sr. Catherine was out doing evangelization. She was quite nervous and wondered what she should say to them? She thought that would not want to hear about God. She asked the other sister, “What should I do when I meet them?” The sister replied, “Love them. Listen to them. Be present to them. Listen to their questions and reflections. Listen for where their hurts are.” Sr. Catherine thought, ‘Honestly, walking over to a group of young people who were out for a good time and to talk to them about God was not something she had in mind, especially at 2 in the morning.’ Yet, St. Catherine was haunted by the call of God, “Whom should I send? Whom should I send to let these young people know about Me?” Sr. Catherine reluctantly said to God in silence, “Oh, okay. Send me.” As the sisters and the team approached the young people, a few of them turned around and with amusement said, “Hey look! Nuns.” Then, the dialogue began.

Sr. Catherine began to talk with a 22 yr. old young man named Steffen. He had plenty of piercings on his face. Steffen told the sister that he has been frequenting this nightclub area since the age of 16. He said one of only joys in his life is to go on Raves (large techno parties). Sr. Catherine began to tell him about her personal encounter with Jesus, where she experienced peace, joy, and love. Steffen asked, "Did you take something, Sister?" he meant did you take Ecstasy? No, she said. They talked a little bit. Without question, he accepted her request if she could pray together. And she asked him, what would you like to ask Jesus? "I want to be happy." So sitting there with Steffen, Sr. Catherine addressed herself to Jesus with very simple words. A very sweet peace immersed both of them. And he asked the sister, “What is this thing filling my heart? I have a feeling that it is going to explode. I even want to cry. But I never cry. Is this the love of God?” So she asked him smiling, "Did you take something?" "No." As they were finishing up the prayer, he ran up to the young priest and said, "Are you a priest, a real priest? Can you do that thing where we tell you the bad things that we've done and you forgive us?" He meant the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The last time he had gone was when he was a child. Right there on the sand, with the musical background of the techno just a few feet away, he received the forgiveness of God. Sr. Catherine said, “From that moment I said, ‘What a joy to be an instrument of God.’”

Our Lord asks each of us to be like Sr. Catherine, willing to reach out and touch a soul who are not so lovable at first sight. We may not be privileged to see the transformation right at that moment. We may be able to see fruit of our compassion only years later, just like that 17-year old high school kid who was transformed by love and now stands before you as a priest.

Feb. 11, 2012 Saturday: Our Lady of Lourdes

(Grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, France)

Feb. 10, 2012 Friday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

Jesus, gave a deep groan, and said to the man, "Ephphatha," which means, "Open up!" At once the man was able to hear and he began to talk without any trouble. Mark 7:34-35

Helen Keller was deaf, dumb, and blind. One day, Miss Fuller, a speech teacher, paved the way for Helen to talk. She put Helen's hand to her face to feel the positions of her tongue and lips when she spoke to Helen. Helen then tried to duplicate them. After long practice, she learned to talk. Her joy was
unbounded. She wrote later: "I used to repeat ecstatically, "I'm not dumb now." This is how the man in the Gospel must have felt when Jesus healed him.

How appreciative am my gifts of hearing, speech, and sight?

-Fr Mark Link SJ

Feb. 9, 2012 Thursday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and said to him,"Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps." Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter." (Mark 7:24-30)

 In this striking incident the Syrophoenician woman turns out to be a model of Christian faith. She is not the last person who has come to Jesus with an urgent petition, only to encounter what seems to be a brick wall! But she is neither discouraged nor disheartened by the apparent setback. She simply perseveres in intrepid confidence. Somehow what she has heard about Jesus has given her a profound intuition that he cannot be indifferent to her plea. So she refuses to take no for an answer—and her boldness is rewarded. The clear lesson in this story is that the Lord does hear our prayers, and even his apparent refusals are meant to awaken in us a yet deeper faith, which opens us to receive the gift that he has for us. Few sayings of Jesus are recorded more often than his reassurance that what we ask in prayer with faith we will receive.

Healy, Mary. Gospel of Mark, The (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) (p. 145).

Feb. 8, 2012 Wednesday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

Dressed in Gentleness

Once in a while we meet a gentle person. Gentleness is a virtue hard to find in a society that admires toughness and roughness. We are encouraged to get things done and to get them done fast, even when people get hurt in the process. Success, accomplishment, and productivity count. But the cost is high. There is no place for gentleness in such a milieu.

Gentle is the one who does "not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick" (Matthew 12:20). Gentle is the one who is attentive to the strengths and weaknesses of the other and enjoys being together more than accomplishing something. A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence. A gentle person knows that true growth requires nurture, not force. Let's dress ourselves with gentleness. In our tough and often unbending world our gentleness can be a vivid reminder of the presence of God among us.

-Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 7, 2012 Tuesday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

Singing and praying with our hearts open

 Fr. Marcelo Rossi and parishioners (Brazil)

Noites Traiçoeiras

Deus está aqui neste momento.
Sua presença é real em meu viver.
Entregue sua vida e seus problemas.
Fale com Deus, Ele vai ajudar você.

Deus te trouxe aqui
Para aliviar o teu sofrimento.
É Ele o autor da Fé
Do princípio ao fim,
De todos os seus momentos.

(refrão)
E ainda se vier noites traiçoeiras,
Se a cruz pesada for, Cristo estará contigo.
O mundo pode até fazer você chorar,
Mas Deus te quer sorrindo. (bis)

Treacherous Nights
Written and Sung by Father Marcelo Rossi

God is here right now.
His presence is real in my life.
Surrender your life and its problems.
Talk to God, He will help you.

God brought you here
To ease your suffering.
He is the author of Faith
From beginning to end,
Of all his moments.

(chorus)
And if it comes treacherous nights,
If the cross is heavy, Christ will be with you.
The world can make you cry,
But God wants you smiling. (a)

Whatever your problem
Talk to God. It will help you.
After the pain comes joy,
For God is love and not let you suffer.

God brought you here
To alleviate their suffering.
He is the author of Faith
From beginning to end,
Of all his moments.

(chorus)
And if it comes treacherous nights,
If the cross is heavy, Christ will be with you.
The world can make you cry,
But God wants you smiling.

Feb. 6, 2012 Monday: 5th Week in Ordinary (B)

Our Father, sung by Fr. Marcelo Rossi and his parishioners in Brazil

Returning to God's Ever-Present Love

We often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of every human behavior. God doesn't approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, suspicion, and all other expressions of evil, because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God's love. Evil does not belong to God.

God's unconditional love means that God continues to love us even when we say or think evil things. God continues to wait for us as a loving parent waits for the return of a lost child. It is important for us to hold on to the truth that God never gives up loving us even when God is saddened by what we do. That truth will help us to return to God's ever-present love.  
-Fr. Henri Nouwen

Feb. 5, 2012: 5th Sunday, Audio Homily

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=d4c969220a64276bbe04c60769ad179f82ab1bbee975d3f70

Feb. 5, 2012: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

A few days ago, I visited a fourth grade religion class to speak to the students about vocations and about being an altar server for the church. I asked the students to write a letter to Jesus about any question they might have on their mind. Then a child asked, “Can I ask someone other than Jesus in heaven?” “Sure,” I replied. I was impressed with what the children had to say with what they wrote in the letters.  I think you will be too.  Some students asked deep questions: “Pop, do you think it’s better to be in heaven or earth?” and “Jesus, how did you feel when you died?” A few students wanted to see their deceased loved ones again and wrote: “Jesus, tell my grandmother that I love her and I miss her” and “Jesus, can you help Mawmaw down from heaven to see me?” There were some very interesting questions, too. “Maumau, do you see Doky the beagle?” Then lastly, one student wrote to Pingo, a pet who is now in heaven, “Pingo, I am sorry that we let you get in the rat poison. I love you a lot. I am sorry.”

Many of the children were curious about why I became a priest. One child asked me, “Did you hear God speak to you, that He wanted you to become a priest?” To help them understand, I explained to them about my pilgrimage to Medjugorje where Blessed Mother has been appearing and that it was there that I heard God’s call to priesthood. Then a girl asked me, “That’s when Mary spoke to you?” I replied, “I didn’t hear her voice in my ears but within my heart.” Based on previous experience with young children who had encountered heavenly beings, I asked the students if they had ever met or spoken with their Guardian Angel, Blessed Mother, or Jesus? As I had expected, most of the hands in the class went up. One girl said, “When I was five, I was in the car when we were in an accident. I hit my head, and it hurt and I had to wait in the car until the emergency people arrived. Then I saw next to me, a beautiful Lady in bright white and She told me to me not be afraid because everything would be okay.”

As I walked backed to the church, I wondered about what that little girl said about seeing Blessed Mother and hearing her gentle and reassuring voice.  The little girl’s pain was not taken away, but her anxiety and fear was removed, as she was reassured of a positive outcome.  How true is this of all the challenges we face in our life? Sometimes our fear and anxiety are greater than the actual challenge we face. The fear stops us in our tracks and we sometimes make decisions that we later regret. What do you do when you are enveloped in fear and anxiety? From whom do you seek help and comfort?

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus went to talk to the one person that he often went to see after a busy and overwhelming day. In today’s passage, it all began in the evening, when he should have been retiring to rest and sleep. The multitude came to see him, bringing with them those possessed by demons, those who were ill and sick. He probably only had a few hours of sleep and he could have slept in, but instead, Jesus chose to rise early in the morning to go to a deserted place where he prayed. As I prayed about this passage, I asked the Lord, “Why did you go and pray when you were so tired?”

Jesus went to a deserted place to be with his Father where he could be present to Him and strengthened by Him. He went to the desert to show us that he needed the Father, that Our Lord was completely dependent on his Father. Are we dependent on our Heavenly Father? Do we go to Him like Our Lord when we are anxious, fearful, or weary? Do we realize that we will receive strength of resolve, confidence, and hope when we spend time with the Father? To be with the Father, means that we must withdraw from our busy world. We have to turn off the TV, move away from the computer or get off our phone. Our Lord teaches us that we need to enter into the presence of the Father to be recharged with His energy, so that we can then enter into the presence of our family, friends and co-workers and meet the challenges of the day. Our Lord also teaches us that being with the Father is not always about asking for specific things. Our Lord enjoyed and reveled in his Father’s presence and took delight in all that the Father had given him. Likewise, Our Lord asks all of us to go to the Father, just as he did, just to be quiet, to love the One who created us. 

Among the letters I received from the 4^th graders, I think this one reflects what Jesus wants us to learn from today’s Gospel passage.  The child wrote, “Jesus, can you work your actions through me? I want to be as best as I can be. Jesus you are my role model.” We need that same desire like that little child—the desire to imitate Our Lord. Do we have that desire to imitate Him? Ask for that desire from the Father. That desire will help us to withdraw from the busy world, to spend quiet time with the Father, and to delight in His Presence.

Feb. 4, 2012 Saturday: 4th Week in Ordinary (B)

The Center of Our Life

Feb. 3, 2012 Friday: St. Blaise

St. Blase


St. Blase lived in the fourth century. It is believed that he came from a rich family and received a Christian education. As a young man, Blase became a priest and then bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, which is now modern Turkey. With all his heart, Blase worked to make his people holy and happy. He prayed and preached. He tried to help everyone.
When the governor, Licinius, began persecuting the Christians, Blase went to live and pray and do penance by himself. He became a hermit. In his solitude, wild animals that were sick or hurt would come to him, and he would heal them. One day some hunters found Blase and brought him to the governor. Blase was sent to prison to be beheaded. On the way, people crowded the road to see their beloved bishop for the last time. He blessed them all, even the non-Christians.

Just then, a poor mother rushed up to him. She begged him to save her child who was choking to death on a fishbone. The saint whispered a prayer and blessed the child. He worked a miracle that saved the child’s life. That is why St. Blase is called upon by all who have throat diseases. On his feast day, we have our throats blessed at Mass. We ask St. Blase to protect us from all sicknesses of the throat.

While he was in prison, Bishop Blase brought many people to believe in Jesus. No torture could make him give up his faith in Jesus. He was beheaded in the year 316. Now St. Blase is with Jesus forever.

Even on his way to prison, St. Blase was ready to help others. He gave up his life because of his great love for Jesus. When we make little sacrifices such as doing things we don’t especially like, or giving up something that we do like, we can think of the happiness we will have in heaven, which will last forever.

-Daughters of St. Paul

Feb. 2, 2012 Thursday: Presentation of the Lord

Presentation of the Lord



Forty days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph brought him to the great Temple in Jerusalem. There they presented Jesus to the Heavenly Father. That was the Jewish law. The Holy Family obeyed it with loving hearts.

While they were in the Temple, Mary also fulfilled another requirement of the law. After the birth of their children, all Jewish mothers were supposed to go to the Temple for the ceremony called the Purification. Mary did her duty cheerfully. She teaches us to be humble and obedient as she was.

A holy old man named Simeon was in the Temple. He had learned from God that the Infant Jesus was truly the Savior. With what joy he held Mary’s Son in his arms. “My own eyes are looking at my salvation!” he exclaimed. God let Simeon recognize Jesus as the Savior, and Simeon put his trust in Jesus. Imagine what Mary and Joseph were thinking. Then, inspired by God, Simeon told Mary that she would have to suffer very much. He was talking about the terrible pain our Blessed Mother would feel when Jesus died on the cross.

This feast of the Presentation reminds us that we belong to God first of all. Because he is our Father and Creator, we owe him our loving obedience.
- Daughters of St. Paul