Charlotesville

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

-Martin Luther King Jr.

 

The violence that has recently occurred in Charlottesville is most disturbing, and we as Christians must speak out against such violence and hatred that has been exhibited by those doing them. "White nationalist" and "white supremacist" are evil and have no place in our society. Those who believe and accept as fact that one race is superior over another are blind fools who have no place in our society.

These people claim to be Christian, but in all they do, show actions contrary to that of the values taught by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches us, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

 

As a Catholic Deacon, I condemn these acts of violence against innocent people. I condemn any and all acts of hatred and racism. I call upon all other people of conscience to condemn these acts of violence and hatred. Let us pay head to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who said,  "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Lord, Save Me

The scripture readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081317.cfm

In today's readings we have two of my favorite readings from scripture, that of Elijah hearing the voice of God in "a tiny whispering sound" (1 Kings 19:12) and Peter reaching out to Jesus from the water after saying, "Lord, save me." (Matthew 14:30).

By this point in 1 Kings, the prophet Elijah is convinced that there is nothing more he can do for the Lord. He was even praying to God to take his life. But God had other plans for him and gave him strength to make a 40 day journey to Horeb, the name for Mount Sinai preferred by the book of Deuteronomy. After the storm and earthquakes Elijah hears the voice of God in the tiny whispering sound of the wind and feels Gods presence and comfort with him

In our Gospel, we see our Lord go off to the mountain to pray and to be in union with the Father. As the Gospel goes on, we see Jesus manifesting His divine identity by walking on the sea and saving Peter from the turbulent waters.

Both stories from today's readings shows us that when we are feeling frustrated or abandoned by God, in whatever storms we may be facing in our lives, God is always there for us, either in the quiet and solitude of prayer, or in the storm that we may be facing. God is reaching out to us.

Jesus is asking us to be strong in faith and to not doubt that He is present in all our situations in our lives, no matter what the problem is that we may be encountering. We may feel frustrated like Elijah or Peter, thinking that God is not there! But like Elijah, we have to be open to His voice by quieting our minds and being open to God's voice. We have remove all the clutter of the storms in our minds and attempt to listen to God's voice calling out to us. Then, like Peter, we can reach out to Jesus, and have Jesus restore our faith that He is present to us in all our troubles and situations in life.

The Rosary

I grew up in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx. My childhood parish was Our Lady of Refuge on East 196 Street & Briggs Avenue. I was baptized there, made my first communion and confirmed there. And graduated from their school in 1970.

Growing up in the Bronx when I did was a great experience. A lot of fond memories of family and friends. This was before computers & smart phones. Your friends were real friends, not ones you meet on the computer through Facebook. Central to all these memories were the times at Our Lady of Refuge.

I vaguely remember the former pastor Msgr. Valentine Snyder. A good strong priest with a strong faith in Jesus Christ. He served Jesus Christ by teaching love and respect to the children entrusted to his care at the school. He was known to have a curfew for the kids that went to Our Lady of Refuge. If you were caught outside after 9 p.m., you were quickly sent home. Guaranteed the next day you were called to the principles office.

The pastor I remember most growing up was Msgr. Jeremiah Nemecek. I recall one Saturday morning around 1968 wanting to get out of the house and walking to Our Lady of Refuge to pay a visit (this was a time when churches were always opened). Msgr. Nemecek was out front on the corner of 196 Street & Briggs Avenue, praying his rosary. Near him was his pet dog (I forgot the breed or kind of dog, but do remember the dog being a loving affectionate animal). He recognized me as one from the school. I told him I was going to pay a visit to the church. He was apparently pleased at this and gave me the rosary he was praying on. I remember that day like it was yesterday. And I still have this rosary!!

Over the years I had stashed this rosary among the many other things that I collected over the years. It was only recently that I started using it to pray my daily rosary. I remember and pray for the repose of the soul of Msgr. Nemecek.


Another person that helped me develop a love for the rosary and for Our Lady was my sixth grade teacher, Sister Dominica. She was tough and fierce, but because of her being so tough, we learned what we needed to learn. I remember one day in class during a quiet time when everyone was reading and catching up on their work, she took hold of her habit rosary and started praying. This tough and strong woman took on the look of someone who obviously loved Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I'll never know this, but I now imagine that she was praying for us, her students.

I pray daily for those priests and nuns that served at Our Lady of Refuge. In particular I pray for Msgr. Snyder, Msgr. Nemecek, and Sr.Dominica. If you want to find out more about OLR, go to their website. Our Lady of Refuge is still an active parish in a poor neighborhood. Your donations would be well spent at OLR.

Long live Our Lady of Refuge!