The Holy Family

Today is the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, The Holy Family of Nazareth.

Five days ago we celebrated the feast of the Nativity, the birth of a baby boy to his mother Mary who had conceived  Him nine months earlier through the power of the Holy Spirit which took place when this young girl at the invitation of the angel at the Annunciation had said, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word.”

Christmas Day

The Lord Jesus is come. Today is His birthday. A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations and adore the Lord. For today a great light has come upon the earth.

This is the day the Old Testament prophets spoke of, Isaiah said “The virgin shall be with child and she shall bear a son and shall call him Emmanuel. That is God is with us.”

Jesus is the Difference

Today is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. We celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ, day after tomorrow. Christians salute others with the words “Merry Christmas!”

But those who are indifferent or who live in the spirit of the world often say “Happy Holidays!” Over the years in the Western world which thru the centuries grew up Christian, the later greeting has gained ascendency over the former. Is there a difference and if so what is it?

The Immaculate Conception

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as proclaimed a dogma of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Many was, by the grace of God, conceived in her mother’s womb without, or absent, the stain of the original sin of Adam and Eve. In the eyes of God, she was perfect in holiness, made perfect for a reason, that when the time came she would be ready, through her own free will, to accede to the invitation of God as announced by the message of an angel to become the Mother of God, to give God’s son a human nature.

Christ is the One, There is no other ; Vatican II—the Spirit

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year of the Church, the beginning of our preparation for welcoming the birth of Christ at Christmas, the coming of the Lord to His people to set them free; free from error and from sin.

The theme of Advent is not only the coming of the Lord into the world at Christmas, the nativity, but the two comings-the second for which the first took place.

First Sunday of Advent

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the three week period that prepares us for the Solemnity of the Nativity, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is also a penitential time in which we examine ourselves in readiness to receive and welcome such a great gift from God.

In the preface of the Mass we look toward the two comings of Christ. The First which we will celebrate as having already taken place and the second which we anticipate at the judgment.

Incarnation, Resurrection and Holy Trinity Secular Culture / Maccabees

Today is the thirty second Sunday in ordinary time. We are two weeks away from the solemnity of Christ the King and three weeks from the start of Advent on December 2nd. Advent like Lent is a penitential season. Lent prepares us to enter fully into the suffering and death of Christ and His Joyful resurrection on Easter Sunday. Advent prepares us for Jesus birth at Bethlehem through Mary, His Virgin Mother. The resurrection and the incarnation and nativity of the Son of God are the great mysteries of our holy religion. The Holy Trinity being a third. God sent His Son to become one of us and so to rescue us who had been lost; rescued by one like ourselves. To be lost is a frightful realization. Often we don’t know we are lost even through the feeling of abandonment is in us.

The Tax Collector, the Pharisee “O God, Be Merciful to Me, a Sinner”

“O God, Be Merciful to Me, A sinner” Which of the two people in today’s Gospel do we relate to more readily? the Pharisee or the tax collector?

In Jesus time the Pharisees represented the intellectual sector of the people. They were contentious students of Jewish religious law. They were self righteous as can be seen by the statement. “I thank you that I am not like the rest of uhumanity.”

Faith

Faith is the substance of things not seen but hoped for. The first theological virtue is a pure gift to each of us who have it and to others. We must not take it for granted but pray that it be increased in us and obtained by those who have it not or who reject it.

This is the essence of the Gospel message of Jesus to us today. Pray always and do not become weary. Even so Jesus Himself questions whether When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?

Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

We have before us on this Sabbath morning the recounting of the creation of man; male and female He created them. The establishment of the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage, the sacredness of children and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Defense of the family - Part five. The Theology of the body & Humanae Vitae

Pope John Paul II began to teach on The theology of the body at his general audiences which were held each Wednesday at St. Peters. They were held each Wednesday from 1979 to 1984. The Holy Father began with the second creation story in Genesis. "God created man from the dust of the ground.. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life and he became a living being" Man, however was alone. God said "It is not good for the man to be alone". When the animals were created God brought them to the man and he named them but none were suitable for the man. This period is called the solitude of man. God put the first man whom he had named Adam into a sleep and took from his side a rib which became a woman.. This account is theological in nature and is not political or feminist. It is that woman was made for man and man was made complete by woman. The woman was named Eve. Scripture refers to them as husband and wife. God who created them for each other commanded them to "go forth and multiply and fill the earth" This relationship is nuptial. Marriage is their vocation. At this point we will skip foreward to Jesus crucifixion on the cross, Scripture says that the centurian opened Jesus side with a lance after he died, ( when He was in the sleep of death ). The wound in Jesus side produced blood and water. The water symbolizing Baptism  and  The  blood the Holy Eucharist, both meaning life. Christ is the bridegroom and the Church which is born from His side is the bride. Christ and his Church is nuptial from which the Sacrament of Matrimony comes.  "For this reason a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife". Adam said on seeing Eve,"this is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone". "what God has joined let no man put asunder" "The two shall become one flesh"  The secular humanist, rationalistic mindset of human beings has fractured the original plan of God. It is the Cross of Christ that has restored the possibility of our recovering our original wholeness. We are enjoined to follow Christ and to observe the teachings of His Church to recover holiness.

Twenty Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This is the twenty fourth Sunday in ordinary time. The Lord in the Scriptures speaks to us about mercy and reconciliation. But we must recognize and acknowledge that we, like St. Paul, are sinners, in need of mercy and forgiveness. He says in his letter to Timothy today, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of these I am the foremost.” If St. Paul says this, so must I say it.

We are inclined to delude ourselves about this. In Mt. 9:13 Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but they who are sick. But go and learn what this means. I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I have come to call sinners, not the just.” Again in Mk 10:17 in the parable of the rich young man we read, “A certain man running up fell upon his knees before Him and asked Him, ‘Good Master, what shall I do to gain eternal life?’ But Jesus said to him ‘why do you call me good, no one is good but God alone.’”

In defense of the family part four - Homosexual unions

We quote from a proclamation from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on, "Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons". This document was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect with the approval of Pope John Paul II. It is dated June 3rd 2003.

                                                         INTRODUCTION

1." In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with  some frequency by Pope John Paul II and by relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See. (1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant - legal recognition to homosexual unions, which may include the possibility of adopting children. The present Considerations do not contain new doctrinal elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element. The present considerations are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicating the approaches to proposed legislation in this area which would be consistent with Christian conscience. (2) Since this question relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society".

In Defense of the Family Part Three - Marriage preparation and annulments

MARRIAGE PREPARATION:

Many will say that in this day of social revolution that it is not being realistic to point to the pre-marital preparation class with a priest to be that important. But it is probably the most important thing a couple can go through to prepare themselves to enter into a lifelong commitment with each other. It does not just involve them but the children that will come into the world as a result of their union. There is one thing that is more important and that is the quality of the union of their parents and the stability of the home in which they were raised. These two elements together; the family and the home they each come from and the preparation for marriage given them by the Catholic Church.

ANNULMENTS:

In defense of life - Part one -A- Abortion - Contraception and Contraceptive Sterilization

 What follows is a dictionary definition of "abortion" and "contraception". The dictionary, The Modern Catholic Dictionary authored by Rev. John A. Hardon, S.J. Among his collaborators were seven priests and three nuns. It carries the Imprimi Potest, Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. Father Hardon has among other degrees a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He was a professor in the Institute for Advanced Studies in Catholic Doctrine at St. John's University, New York.

Defense of the family - Part two

We said in part one that the six points would be reverted to later. They are listed below.


The first paragraph dealt with the Holy Father and the Bishops that were in union with him who form the Magisterium of the Church. However Paragraph twenty five of Lumen Gentium states clearly and emphatically that when the Holy Father proclaims on faith and morals he is teaching infallibly.

In defense of the family-Part one

The Catholic faith has been, and is being redefined. We are witness to a breakdown in authority and obedience. "Whoever hears my words, says the Lord, and believes in him who sent me, has eternal life". Jn 5:24. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is the person of Christ. Those baptized into Him by means of water and the Holy Spirit are members of His mystical body of which He is the head. The Kingdom of Heaven, the beatific vision, eternal life are names for that supernatural condition that the immortal soul of man will partake of as a reward for his cooperation with divine grace in this life on earth. He is body and soul. At the last judgment our body will be reunited with our soul forever either in heaven or in hell. Prov.24:12, Mt. 25:12,41. St. Paul says, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard nor has it entered the mind of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Cor 2:9

Come follow me!

This is the thirteenth Sunday of ordinary time. The theme of the scriptures today is a question for each of us to answer. What is my response to the command of the Lord to, “Follow me.”? We note that it is not an invitation but a command.

Memorial of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More

     Today I celebrated the morning Mass in memory of these two great Martyrs of the Church. In my homily I pointed out that they were victims of the heretical upheaval that started in Germany with Martin Luther. He was an Augustinian priest who led a revolt against the Pope in the early part of the sixteenth century. Our two Saints were Englishmen who lived under the reign of King Henry VIII. John Fisher was the Bishop of Rochester and Thomas More was the Kings Chancellor. Henry wanted to divorce his wife so he could marry Anne Boleyn. His petition to Rome was denied. Henry decided to revolt like Martin Luther. He took over the Church in England and made himself its head and thereby broke from the Holy See in Rome and from the Pope. He told the Bishops that they would now be taking orders from him. They all fell into line except for Bishop John Fisher who refused to renounce his loyalty to Christ and to the Holy Catholic Church. He was arrested and exiled to the Tower of London.

Father’s Day – Marriage

This is the twelfth Sunday of ordinary time in the church calendar and also Father’s day.

In the Scriptures the reference is made to God the Father, to our father in faith Abraham and to King David, ruler, shepherd and warrior.