It's Not My Fault!

During this Lent & Easter Season I am reading daily meditations from Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, from a book called, "Lent and Easter, Wisdom from Fulton J. Sheen." It's published by Liguori. It's a book with short daily reflections for each day through Easter. This past week, for Day 2, the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, the quote from Fulton Sheen was:

"The worse sinners are nice people, who, by denying sin, make the cure of sin impossible. Sin is very serious, but it is more serious to deny sin. That is why those who very often deny sin become scandal mongers, tale bearers, and hypercritics, because they have to project their real guilt outside themselves to others. And this gives them, also, a great illusion of goodness. It will be found generally true that the increase of fault finding is in direct proportion to the denial of sin." (Fulton J. Sheen, audio tape, "Sin")

Archbishop Sheen brings out a valuable lesson here for all of us. We are all sinners and are called to daily examine our consciousnesses in order to find out how we are in relationship with God and with others. Do we give to God the love and respect that is due to him as our creator? Do we love others as he commands us, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39)

We are all sinful creatures, called daily to repent and realize that we are in need of God's forgiveness. We are called to love God and our neighbor.

One way to realize our need for God and to receive the forgiveness that God has to offer is by going regularly to the sacrament of confession. It is there that we will realize that God is the center of our lives and that we are called to love him and to love and be forgiving of all those God has put into our lives.

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Repent and believe in the Gospel

On Wednesday, February 18th the Church starts its 40 day journey towards Easter with Ash Wednesday. As you approach the priest or deacon for your ashes that day, you will hear either “Repent and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return.”

During these 40 days of Lent we are called by Our Lord Jesus Christ to deepen our relationship with God and with those around us. We are called to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and to remember that we are nothing without the God who made us. We are just dust, and to dust we shall return.

The Church offers us many ways to bring us closer to God and to our neighbor. We are called to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. We are encouraged to do our “Easter Duty” by going to confession sometime during Lent. We are to give alms to those around us that may not have as much as we may have. While doing these things, we are to repent of our sinful ways and to turn our lives over to Christ.

In the gospel assigned for Ash Wednesday, Our Lord gives us very clear advice as to how we are to do the things the church expects of us. It is the gospel Matthew, chapter 6. In it we are reminded by Jesus to, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds, in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 6:1). In other words, we are not to worry about what others think of what we are doing for the Lord. We are to serve the Lord in ways that are pleasing to Him without concern about what others say or think. The Lord goes on to tell us that we are to be generous with those around us, without bragging about it, “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Matthew 6:2)

Our Lord concludes with the advice to be to the point in prayer, “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words…” (Matthew 6:7). Be short and to the point in your prayer with God. A good way to pray is to take the scriptures assigned each day for Mass and sit and reflect on what the Lord is trying to teach you. Try to spend about 5 to 10 minutes every day reflecting on these scripture readings. They will bring you closer to the Lord, and you will find that peace that can only come from God.

Take this time during Lent to grow closer to the Lord and to others. Then you’ll have a truly joyful Easter!

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Be Made Clean

Reflections for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Scripture readings can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/021515.cfm

There was a photo of Pope Francis that went viral on the internet a little over a year ago. It was very moving. It showed him embracing and kissing a 52-year-old man who was afflicted with very disfiguring tumors all over his body, including his head. Compassion was evident in Pope Francis' face as he prayed over this man. One who was often shunned by society was embraced by Francis.

Let's go back 800 years ago to another Francis - St. Francis of Assisi, who encountered a leper on the road. St. Francis' compassion overcame his dread of leprosy and he kissed the man. Afterward, the man was gone. It was then that Francis realized that he had embraced Christ. Francis and his friars continued ministering to lepers in the colony a few miles from friary. Those whom society shunned, he embraced.

Today's Gospel brings us back another 12 centuries. The account says that Jesus was moved with pity when the leper approached him. Touching the man would make Jesus ritually unclean. However, with no thought to himself, Jesus touched the leper and healed him of his disease. Realizing the importance of the law, Jesus tells the man to go to the priest so he can be welcomed back into the synagogue and society - from isolation to community. Essentially, Jesus restored not only the man's health, but his life. A man whom society and the religious community shunned, Jesus embraced.

We don't have much of an opportunity to kiss lepers today. Modern medicine has all but eradicated the disease in the First World. However, we don't have to look far to see people who don't feel welcomed by society or the Church. You might have some in your own family, in your neighborhood. You may be one of them. Let's look at ways we can be a more welcoming person, a more welcoming community.

Who are the people that may feel unwelcome in our Church? If they walked into the door of the church this minute, would they feel welcomed? Or would they feel uneasy by those already there. Here's a partial list and ask where would you shut the door:
-the unkempt homeless who may smell bad,
-the homosexual,
-the divorced and remarried,
-the illegal immigrant,
-the alcoholic or drug addict,
-the mentally ill, who may be disruptive,
-the woman who has had an abortion, or
-the former convict?

These are people that Jesus came to save and heal as much as he came to heal you and me.

The very Jesus we approach at Holy Communion knew what it was like to be rejected, unwelcomed, and persecuted for his way of life and convictions. Let us be as open and welcoming to those that may not be the most approachable as we are to Jesus who came to save us all.

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Prayer & Service

Today's reflections are for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The scripture readings can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020815.cfm

Contemporary culture forces us to be busy. The more urbanized, the more you are likely to be busy. We keep inventing machines to save time, and yet we keep complaining that there is no time! Whether our time is spent productively or not, we are simply busy. We are busy checking emails. We are busy talking on the phone. We are busy twittering. When we are not busy, we are busy planning NOT to be busy. Are you a busy person? How do you feel about your busy-ness? Do you feel restless? Or, do you feel engaged?

Today's Gospel describes the busy schedule of Jesus as his public ministry gathers momentum. The story picks up from where we left him in the Gospel text of last Sunday - it was a sabbath and Jesus was in a synagogue where "he taught them as one having authority" and cured a man possessed by an unclean spirit. (Mark 1:25)

Today's gospel takes up where Jesus enters Simon Peter's house and cures his mother-in-law (Mark 1:31) (Yes, Peter, our first pope, was married!). After healing her, she serves Jesus and the others. Then Jesus continues to be busy curing the sick and driving out demons, and the whole town came to him.

Based on what we see in scripture, Jesus was just as busy as we are in this day and age, even without a computer, i-phone, emails, etc. He was busy doing what God the Father expected Him to do to bring the Love of God into the world. But Jesus knew that he also needed time to be alone with God. Scripture tells us that Jesus, "Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35)

In the busy life of Jesus, he got up in the morning, long before dawn, and left the house to a lonely place and prayed there. Jesus spends time with God the father. He relives his Abba-experience.

We, too, need time alone with God, to re-charge our batteries. This time of prayer and silence is also a good time to appreciate and enjoy the fruits of our work. It's a time to go over our intentions, to purify these intentions. We need this time alone with God to remind ourselves why we do the things we do. Yes, we do things for family, for friends and those around us. But it is so much more than that.

In our second reading St. Paul tells us, "If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me." (1 Corinthians 9:16) Paul preaches for the benefit of others. He also hopes to share in the blessings of the gospel.

In all we do, whether at work or for family and friends, we should be doing it for the Glory of God. We need to allow the glory of God to flow in us! This is how we preach the gospel to others: by being a visible example of God presence in the world.

In today's gospel we see how Jesus served the heavenly Father in answering his divine commission to announce that the kingdom of God on earth was coming. Jesus performed many miracle. Once he cured Peter's mother-in-law, she got up and served Jesus and those who were present.

Once we encounter the love of God in our lives, we, too, like Peter's mother-in-law, are called to serve those people God has put in our lives. Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord!

Trust in the Lord

Reflections for February 1st, 2015, the 4th Sunday in Ordinary time. Scripture readings can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020115.cfm.

Anxiety is one of the most common uncomfortable experiences we have to deal with. It is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil that drains our energy, makes us irritable, puts us on edge, disrupts sleep, and negatively affects our mood. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older suffer from anxiety disorders. That's 18% of the U.S. population who cope with feelings of nervousness, worry, unease of stress - usually about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Often, anxiety disorders are accompanied by depression and regular doses of Xanax, Valium, or Prozac.

Thomas Merton said, "Anxiety is the mark of spiritual insecurity." Because today's second reading begins with the words "I want you to be free from anxieties," (1 Corinthians 7:32), it behooves us to sit up and pay attention.

Paul tells us that the cause of stress and anxiety is division within ourselves. Stress means that we are at odds with ourselves regarding a major or minor life issue. We should not live by double standards. We should never compromise our principles. These things tear us apart and cause anxiety.

Paul is encouraging us to put the Lord in the center of all we do. We are to trust in the Lord in all that happens in our lives. In all that occurs to us in life (whether married or single) we are to consider how Jesus would handle a person, a problem, condition, or project you might face in everyday life. We make our decisions based how we think Jesus would respond. You may recall the phrase a few years back, "WWJD", "What would Jesus do?" We should respond by how we think Jesus would respond.

Stress and anxiety occurs when we leave Jesus out of our lives and all we do. The single-hearted devotion to our Lord, Jesus Christ, recommended by St. Paul, can help end the confusion, provide a focus for us, and help us to know the mind and heart of Christ.

In one of my favorite quotes from St. Theresa of Avila, we hear, "Let nothing trouble you. Let nothing frighten you. Everything passes. God never changes. Patience obtains all. Whoever has God wants nothing. God alone is enough."

Put Jesus in the center of your life and in the center of all you do, and you will be free from anxiety, and have that peace that can only come from God.

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever.

St. John Bosco

Today is the feast of St. John Bosco. The assigned reading in today's Office of Readings is beautiful and I wanted to share it with you. Feel free to add your comments and reflections on it as well.

From a letter by Saint John Bosco, priest
(Epistolario, Torino, 1959, 4, 201-203)

I have always labored out of love

First of all, if we wish to appear concerned about the true happiness of our foster children and if we would move them to fulfill their duties, you must never forget that you are taking the place of the parents of these beloved young people. I have always labored lovingly for them, and carried out my priestly duties with zeal. And the whole Salesian society has done this with me.

My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them.

I give you as a model the charity of Paul which he showed to his new converts. They often reduced him to tears and entreaties when he found them lacking docility and even opposing his loving efforts.

See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or wilfulness. It is difficult to keep calm when administering punishment, but this must be done if we are to keep ourselves from showing off our authority or spilling out our anger.

Let us regard those boys over whom we have some authority as our own sons. Let us place ourselves in their service. Let us be ashamed to assume an attitude of superiority. Let us not rule over them except for the purpose of serving them better.

This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized, and still others to hope for God’s mercy. And so he bade us to be gentle and humble of heart.

They are our sons, and so in correcting their mistakes we must lay aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is extinguished entirely.

There must be no hostility in our minds, no contempt in our eyes, no insult on our lips. We must use mercy for the present and have hope for the future, as is fitting for true fathers who are eager for real correction and improvement.

In serious matters it is better to beg God humbly than to send forth a flood of words that will only offend the listeners and have no effect on those who are guilty.

Saint Angela Merici, Virgin

Today is the feast of Saint Angela Merici, virgin. She was born in 1470 in Desenzano in the territory of Lombardy. She was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She instructed young girls in the works of charity. Then in 1535, under the patronage of Saint Ursula, she founded a congregation of women who instructed poor girls in the Christian life. Saint Angela died in 1540.

Following is the reading assigned for the Office of Readings that I wanted to share with you. Feel free to add your comments in reaction to her writings.

From the Spiritual Testament by Saint Angela Merici, virgin

He has disposed all things pleasantly

Mothers and sisters most dear to me in Christ: in the first place strive with all your power and zeal to be open. With the help of God, try to receive such good counsel that, led solely by the love of God and an eagerness to save souls, you may fulfil your charge.

Only if the responsibilities committed to you are rooted firmly in this twofold charity will they bear beneficial and saving fruit. As our Saviour says: A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit.

He says: A good tree, that is, a good heart as well as a soul inflamed with charity, can do nothing but good and holy works. For this reason Saint Augustine said: Love, and do what you will, namely, possess love and charity and then do what you will. It is as if he had said: Charity is not able to sin.

I also beg you to be concerned about every one of your daughters. Bear them, so to speak, engraved upon your heart – not merely their names, but their conditions and states, whatever they may be. This will not be difficult for you if you embrace them with a living love.

Mothers of children, even if they have a thousand, carry each and every one fixed in their hearts, and because of the strength of their love they do not forget any of them. In fact, it seems that the more children they have the more their love and care for each one is increased. Surely those who are mothers in spirit can and must act all the more in the same way, because spiritual love is more powerful than the love that comes from a blood relationship.

Therefore, mothers most dear to me, if you love these your daughters with a living and unaffected charity, it will be impossible for you not to have each and every one of them engraved upon your memory and in your mind.

I beg you again, strive to draw them by love, modesty, charity, and not by pride and harshness. Be sincerely kind to every one according to the words of our Lord: Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart. Thus you are imitating God, of whom it is said: He has disposed all things pleasantly. And again Jesus said: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

You also ought to exercise pleasantness toward all, taking great care especially that what you have commanded may never be done by reason of force. For God has given free will to everyone, and therefore he forces no one but only indicates, calls, persuades. Sometimes, however, something will have to be done with a stronger command, yet in a suitable manner and according to the state and necessities of individuals; but then also we should be impelled only by charity and zeal for souls.