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.

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!

The Kingdom of Heaven

The Scripture readings for today can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/073017.cfm
If Jesus was telling the parable today, He may compare the Kingdom of Heaven to winning the lottery. I've seen many people spend large sums of money in order to hit the lottery. To them winning that big lottery jackpot is all they want out of life. To them, it would be like "heaven" hitting that big one and not worrying about anything for the rest of their lives. They would be on "easy street". What they fail to realize is that happiness is more than just having all this money. We have heard of lottery winners that, after a few years, are back to having nothing again, misusing the money they won. Or we know people that go to the lottery agent with their LONG list of lottery numbers, only to not win anything. They walk away frustrated and feel empty at not winning that jackpot.

What Jesus is talking about in today's gospel is true wealth. True wealth is relationship with God, and knowing that God will bring us that happiness and contentment. King Solomon in the first reading from the first book of Kings knew what true happiness is.  He "hit it big" when he assumed the throne of King David, his father. But he knew that he needed help from God in order to rule fairly and responsibly. He asked God for an understanding heart to judge people, and to distinguish right from wrong. (1 King 3:9)

St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, is talking about the same thing. He tells us, "that all things work for good for those who love God." (Romans 8:28)

We are all called, like Solomon, to turn to God and ask for an understanding heart, to love others as God loves them, and to live a life trusting that God  the one who will bring us true wealth and happiness: the kind that will last for all eternity. We are to love God and love our neighbor.