Divine Mercy Sunday

Today is the second Sunday of Easter. The Holy Father at the command of our Lord has also designated this day as Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the world. Jesus appeared to Saint Faustina as the Divine Mercy. We have all seen the portrait of Christ with His right hand raised in blessing and His left hand on His heart from which point two rays, one white and one red, spread forth. The white meaning the life that comes through the waters of baptism and the red representing the blood of the cross and the Eucharist, across the bottom of the picture are the words, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

Epiphany, Baptism, Cana, Transfiguration

The Solemnity of the Epiphany, a word which means manifestation, the manifestation of Christ’s divinity to the Gentiles. It is by way of the Magi, the three kings who travelled to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, drawn by light of the star. They came from the East. They said: “We saw His star and its rising.” Also the divinity of Christ will be manifested at the start of his public ministry, at his baptism which we celebrate on Monday, at his first miracle at the wedding Feast of Cana in the changing of water into wine and toward the end on the Mount of the Transfiguration with the disciples Peter, James and John where the voice from the cloud was heard to say, as was heard also at Jesus’ baptism, “Thou art my Beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.” “Listen to him.”

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.

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.’”

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.

Corpus Christi, Melchizedek

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi.

The first reading from Genesis and the 110th Psalm refer us to the King of Salem, Melchizedek. The second reading from 1COR and the Gospel from Luke speak of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. For our own benefit we should read St. Paul’s references to the King of Salem, Melchizedek and to Christ the high priest in Hebrews Chapters 5, 6, 7.

The Holy Trinity

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, three persons in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This mystery of religion is revealed to man by God Himself in the Holy Scriptures, in His Word.

Pentecost and the Holy Spirit

Today the church celebrates the solemnity of Pentecost. Fifty days after Easter. In the Jewish calendar it was known as the feast of weeks. Fifty days after Passover. The Passover was the seminal event in the story of salvation history when the Jewish people were led out of four hundred years of slavery under Egyptian rule by Moses under the direction of Yahweh, God.

Ascension, Jesus is the Kingdom

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven. The first reading is from the very beginning of the Acts of the Apostles which was written by St. Luke and the Gospel is from the very end of the 3rd Testament written also by St. Luke, the last words of the 24th Chapter.

3rd, 5th, 6th Commandments

This is the vigil mass for the fifth Sunday of Easter and it is also the world day of prayer for vocation.
This past week in 2007 saw the church in Dallas welcome and install her seventh bishop, the most Reverend Kevin Joseph Farrell. He was most recently an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. In his homily at the mass in the cathedral on Tuesday he welcomed everyone and thanked all those who had planned and taken part in the ceremony. He said that many had asked him what plans and new programs did he have in mind. His answer was none. His only plan was the mandate given by Christ to his apostles to preach the Gospel to love God and our neighbor and to know the will of God which is our sanctification and our salvation if we will abide in it.

Indifferentism

We are living in an age of indifferentism, in an era of cynicism toward God and religion.

In the book of Revelation or the Apocalypse, the author, St. John the Evangelist is commanded by God to write letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor. To the church in Laodicea he says: “I know thy works. Thou art neither cold nor hot. I would that thou were cold or hot, but because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of my mouth.”

Third Sunday of Easter

Today is the third Sunday of Easter. The Lord is risen and the scriptures speak of the work to be done and that work is evangelization. The bringing of the Word of truth, which is Christ, to mankind, the apostles the first evangelists were fishermen. When Jesus first saw Peter and his brother Andrew as well as the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, they were fishing and the Lord said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The Gospel says, “ they left everything and followed Him.”

Faith, Love and Christ the Anointed

Today is the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The beginning of the penitential season of Lent, Ash Wednesday is three and a half weeks away.

Easter Sunday 2010

     Today is the solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord, "He is risen he is not here', said the figure in white to Mary Magdalene as she entered the empty tomb." In the first reading from the acts of the Apostles it is Peter who gives us an account of the things that preceeded this day. In the second reading it is St. Paul who speaks to us. "Brothers and sisters, if then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth, for you have died , and your life is hidden with Christ, in God, when Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory".