Epiphany

The Epiphany of the Lord

“They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the housethey saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselvesand did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered himgifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10-11

This may be surprising to a lot of people, but the Church is still celebrating Christmas! The Christmas season extends beyond December 25^th. The Christmas season concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, this year celebrated on the Church Calendar on Monday, January 8^th. This is all part of what many consider the three manifestations of Jesus to the world.

The first was on Christmas Day. He was made known to those around him. Once born the Shepherds heard of the birth of Jesus from the choirs of Angels announcing the good news of His birth. They came and did him homage.

The second manifestation occurs on the Feast of the Epiphany, this year celebrated on Sunday, January 7^th, 2018. The three wise men traveled a great distance, following the star as they went in search of this great event: the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. After consulting with King Herod, they found the Christ Child. This was the second manifestation: these three foreigners came at a great distance and discovered God’s presence in the form of Jesus Christ. They did him homage, giving Jesus their treasures. How often do we come into Christ’s presence at mass and give Him the attention that He deserves? The Three Wise men realized the special gift that was in front of them. When we’re at mass, we need to realize the gift that’s in front of us and give Christ our complete attention and love. The treasure that Jesus is searching for is our whole being, dedicated to loving Him and serving Him in how we live our lives.

The final manifestation is on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, when, while being baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and God the Father says, “You aremy beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11). Here God manifests Himself and shows that God is a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As we conclude this Christmas season, with the three ways God manifested Himself to us in history, let us continue to develop that relationship with Him by making Him the center of all who we are. We are to be focused on Him at Mass and worship Him as the three Kings did, and then we are to leave Church, with Christ in our hearts, to remind the world that Christ is in our midst.

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever, Deacon Tom Tortorella

Thanksgiving

For the scripture readings for today's reflection, go to: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112317-thanksgiving.cfm

What is thanksgiving? I think we often look at thanksgiving backwards. We think of thanksgiving as thanking God for something that has happened to us already. I believe the real purpose of giving thanks, though, is opening the door to even greater blessing. Thanksgiving becomes a window through which God's love shines.

Looking at the 10 lepers we have in today's gospel, what do we have? We have 10 men with a disease that has caused them to be outcasts in society. Because of their disease they weren’t allowed to be part of society. They were rejected and looked down upon. Leprosy was a disease for which there was no cure. In fact, leprosy was a death sentence carried out a little bit at a time—an arm now, a leg or ear later. Because the disease was thought to be highly contagious, lepers were driven out of town where they couldn't associate with anybody. These men were hopeless and helpless and alone, but they formed a fellowship among themselves. People feared catching the disease they carried. It is because of their disease that they stood at a distance from Jesus to speak with him.

Then they start hearing stories of this Jesus and all the miraculous healings he has been doing. They start hoping that they too will be healed by this Jesus of Nazareth. Their hopes began to rise. They reached the point of believing, so they began to dream. In spite of a hopeless disease, they began to feel there was a chance to live. Through fellowship, these ten lepers had the courage to keep going. Then they met Jesus and said to him, "Master, have mercy upon us." Everybody would have told them they were going to die, that it was useless to ask for help. If they had believed that, they would have died. But they came to our Lord, taking Jesus at his word that "All things are possible to him who believes."

Jesus saw a way to test their faith. He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They could have looked at each other and said, "Well, nothing's happened to us. We're just the same as we were." Instead, they did what he said; they obeyed him. As they went, the blessing came—they were cleansed. What a tremendous experience!

The one that returned praising God shows what true gratitude and thanksgiving is all about. The other nine never returned to Jesus to thank him. They may have very well went on to the priests as Jesus requested to show that they were healed. But they were quick to forget the one who was responsible for their healing.

The one that returned was able to enter into a faith in Jesus as God. He was able to show that gratitude and thanksgiving to Jesus for the good that had happened to him. He was able to see the love of God in the healing that Jesus provided him.

We are called, like the Leper that was healed, to turn to Jesus in gratitude, trust and faith, not only in the good things we may have already received from the Hand of God, but we are to turn to Jesus in gratitude and faith for the good things that will happen to us. Faith is central in our relationship with Jesus. We are to trust that he is present in all our situations. We are to be truly grateful to him in all he does for us.

Each time we are at Mass, as we approach Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we are invited to say, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Then, as we leave church, we can rest assured that Jesus is saying to us, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

All Souls Day

All Souls’ Day

November is the month of the Holy Souls, and on November 2^nd, we commemorate All Souls’ Day. In the website http://www.catholic.org/saints/allsouls/ we read, “All Souls Day is a holy day set aside for honoring the dead. The day is primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church, but it is also celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and a few other denominations of Christianity. The Anglican church is the largest protestant church to celebrate the holy day. Most protestant denominations do not recognize the holiday and disagree with the theology behind it.

According to Catholic belief, the soul of a person who dies can go to one of three places. The first is heaven, where a person who dies in a state of perfect grace and communion with God goes. The second is hell, where those who die in a state of mortal sin are naturally condemned by their choice. The intermediate option is purgatory, which is thought to be where most people, free of mortal sin, but still in a state of lesser (venial) sin, must go.”

So, during the month of November, and in particular on November 2^nd, we pray for those in our family that are in purgatory waiting to finally see the full glory of God in heaven. This website goes on to tell us: “Purgatory is necessary so that souls can be cleansed and perfected before they enter into heaven. There is scriptural basis for this belief. The primary reference is in 2 Maccabees, 12:26 and 12:32. ‘Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out... Thus made atonement for the dead that they might be free from sin.’”

One of the greatest ways to pray for our beloved dead relatives is by having masses said for them at our parishes. In years past I would go with my list of family members that have gone before me and have masses said for them. The mass is the highest form of Catholic worship, and can do the most good for the souls in purgatory. Further, when praying your rosary, pray for those in your family that have since passed on to their rest. I like to include those people (in addition to my parents and grandparents) that I haven’t thought of in years. They may very well still be in purgatory and are in need of that extra “push”, that extra prayer, to get them into heaven.

So pray for your dead, have masses said for them, say rosaries for them. Then when they make it to heaven, they will be praying for you.

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever,
Deacon Tom Tortorella

Blessed Francis Palau Y Quer

Today, November 7th, on the Carmelite calendar is the feast of Blessed Francis Paulau y Quer. Born in Ayona, Lerida, on December 29th, 1811, Blessed Francis Palau y Quer entered the Carmelite Order in 1832 and was ordained priest in 1836. Civil turmoil forced him to live in exile and outside his community. On his return to Spain in 1851, he founded his "School of Virtue" - which was a model of catechetical teaching - at Barcelona. The school was suppressed and he was unjustly exiled to Ibiza (1854-1860) where he lived at El Vedra in solitude and experienced mystically the vicissitudes of the Church. While in the Balearic Islands he founded the Congregations of Carmelite Brothers and Carmelite Sisters (1860-1861). He preached popular missions and spread love of Our Lady wherever he went. He died at Tarragona on March 20th, 1872, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24th, 1980.

Central in Bl. Francis Palau y Quer's teachings is that prayer is to be the center of all we do. He writes, "God in His providence has ordained not to cure our ills or grant us grace without the intervention of prayer." In our service to one another we are to first turn to God in prayer. He goes on to say, "He (God) wishes us to help in saving each other by means of our prayer." We may have friends or family that are in need of our help or are struggling with issues or problems. One way to start helping them is praying for their intentions. God will respond according to His Holy Will.

Blessed Francis pointed out the importance of prayer in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "...it was God's good pleasure that his coming  should be preceded by the prayers of the singular Virgin who by the beauty of her virtues drew into her womb the uncreated Word of God. The Redeemer came, and by constant prayer he reconciled the world to the Father." So prayer is central in our salvation.

In speaking on the Apostles being sent to preach to all nations, Blessed Francis says, "... the result of their preaching came from prayer more than from their words." Blessed Francis hconcludes by saying, "Since God does not distribute graces to men except through prayer, because he wishes us to recognize him as the source from which all good flow; in like manner, he does not wish to save us from danger, or cure our wounds, or console us in affliction, except by means of this same exercise of prayer."

So let us follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the apostles and Bl. Francis by praying for those in our families that are in most need of our prayers.

For the Victims of Las Vegas

Following is a letter sent out by the Mother Stacy of St. Luke in the Fields Church in New York City that I wanted to share. Let's pray for all the victims of the massacre in Las Vegas.


Dear People of God,

In the wake of the deadliest shooting incident yet on U.S. soil, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those murdered, and with all those still recovering from injuries. We also pray with deep gratitude for all first responders who put their lives at risk to save others, running into chaos, terror and death to rescue and tend the helpless.

As has been said often, better gun control and more attention to mental health needs are a significant part of the solution. However, the other part of the solution is harder to quantify and solve by legislative means. It is the calling and responsibility of each of us to rebuild the fabric of our nation's civic and public life. It is the restoration of neighborly concern, mature human civility, respectful speech and thoughtful action, without which no country can ever be truly secure or at peace.

The calling of people of all faiths and none in America today is to participate in rebuilding communities of care, concern and justice in every street and city. Let us persevere in doing what we can in every way that we can to do this.

Faithfully,

The Rev. Caroline Stacey

The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields | 487 Hudson Street | N.Y, NY 10014
https://stlukeinthefields.org/

Forgivness

The scripture readings for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/091717.cfm 

 We're living in a wonderful world full of technology and great advancements. Through technology we can speak instantly to those clear on the other side of the world. We can travel faster then ever in the history of the world. With modern technology, the world, indeed, is a smaller place.

Yet, how much have we advanced in the love and forgiveness of those around us? The scripture readings for today show us that things haven't really changed all that much since agent times. In our first reading from Sirach, we read that "War and anger are hateful things, yet the sinners hugs them tight." (Sirach 27:30) It seams that in our day and age, whether here in the United States or around the world, we see acts of war and anger. People hugging tight to anger and hatred. Sirach goes on to tell us, "Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor..." (Sirach 28:7) With all the strife we see in recent times, we need to be reminded to "hate not your neighbor."

In the gospel for today, our Lord gives Peter and us a great challenge. Peter asks how often must I forgive my brothers sins against me? Seven times? Jesus' response is clear, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." (Matthew 18:22) Then Jesus tells of the servant receiving forgiveness of his debts from his master, yet is unwilling to show the same mercy to a fellow servant who owes him a great deal less.

We all turn to God to seek forgiveness for all our sins and wrongdoings. We also hope and pray that those we have hurt are willing to forgive us as God is willing to forgive us. Sometimes these hurts can go back a long way with our family or with friends. There may be people we haven't spoken to in years because of a long ago hurt. We need to move beyond the hurt and reach out to forgive and to ask for forgiveness.

Jesus is calling us to forgive our brothers and sisters from the heart. When we are truly reconciled and forgiving to each other, then we can find that peace that can only come from God.

Moving!!

"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." Philippians 4:6-7

Over the last two weeks my family and I have moved from an apartment that we lived in for 17 years to a new and beautiful apartment in Co-Op City in the Bronx, New York.

I'm sure you have experienced the stress and anxiety of packing & moving. First the packing was difficult since a lot can accumulate over 17 years. What do we keep? What do we throw away? Even though I wasn't perfect at it (much to my wife's dismay), I found "LESS IS MORE!"

We finally lined up a mover and it took two days to do the move!! The movers were good and professional and we finally made it!!

Part of the move also is the leaving behind the memories one accumulates at an old home. My son was six when we moved there (now 23) and our daughter was 10 (now 27). A lot of memories of the school years, church activities, easy times, difficult times. It's hard to leave that behind!

Then I realized that I'm not leaving them behind. They come with me and my family wherever we may be, while making new memories.

At my new apartment (much bigger than the one we left behind) is a short walk from St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church where I hope to serve as a deacon. St. Michael was always part of the process of waiting for this apartment. After we applied for an apartment at Co-Op City, I paid a visit to St. Michael's Church and asked him to intercede for us to get an apartment here. My kitchen window overlooks St. Michael's!!

So, I am grateful to St. Micheal for getting us here.

I am also grateful to God for the times, good and bad, at the old place, and look forward to making new memories at the new apartment.

I was thinking of all this as I was just recently watching a classic movie with Gregory Peck called, "The Keys of the Kingdom", a movie made in 1944 (I highly recommend it). One of the superiors of the Gregory Peck character, by this time a Catholic Priest, was advising Fr. Chisholm about making a difficult decision. The Bishop, played by Edmund Gwenn, says, "Why don't we just allow God to do with us what he Wills", implying that if we trust in God in all that occurs in our life, we will find peace and contentment.

So, at my new apartment, I plan on allowing God to do with me what he Wills in order to find happiness n my new home, and in my service as a deacon in His Church.