April 29, 1992 - Los Angeles Riots - 25th anniversary -

      My family moved to Southern California from Chicago in 1974 when I was 12 years old.  After going off to college, the only other time I lived in Southern California was for a year, from 1991 to 1992, right after my mom passed away, when I lived with my dad before he moved into a nursing home.  I worked for a CPA firm that year.  I was in downtown LA on the morning of April 29, 1992 having the final meeting with an audit client.  When I was leaving downtown Los Angeles, the Rodney king beating trial verdicts were announced - not guilty.  By the time I had crossed into Orange County that afternoon on my drive home, I was listening to the radio as there were numerous reports of violence across Southern California.  My sister Heather and I were glued to the TV that evening as we saw what was happening in our little corner of the world.  When so many people feel like their voices have been taken away and that they don't even matter any more, the result is the Los Angeles riots.  It does not seem like it was 25 years ago.  I also remember when Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, with violence erupting all over Chicago.  Unfortunately, as a society, I don't think we have learned very much from those events.

Stations of the Cross - Jesus is crucified on the cross - St James Catholic Church - Tupelo Mississippi

We had a really amazing live tations of the cross this year on Good Friday.  This year we pray the Immigrant stations of the cross bilingually, alternating between English and Spanish.  A big "thank you" to all who participated this year.  

4/29/2017 - Homilía de la Misa de la Primera Comunión para los alumnos de 2º grado - 3º Domingo de Pascua - El Camino de Emaús - Lucas 24: 13-35

      Me encanta mi vida como sacerdote.  Uno de los momentos más felices de mi sacerdocio es cuando doy a alguien la primera comunión.  En la Misa de la Vigilia de Pascua, 8 adultos y 6 niños recibieron la primera comunión.  Hoy, dos semanas después de celebrar el Domingo de Pascua, tenemos 49 niños recibiendo la primera comunión.  Es un día de gran alegría, ¿no?  Todos ustedes, niños, recibirán a Jesús en sus vidas hoy de una manera muy especial a través de la Eucaristía por primera vez. Su ropa es especial hoy y nuestra misa es especial también -  son signos que es un día especial para todos ustedes, para su familia y para nuestra parroquia.  No puedo explicar en palabras la felicidad que tengo en mi corazón hoy por todos ustedes. Yo sé que tus padres y tus hermanos y los miembros de sus familias se sienten el mismo sentido de gozo y alegría hoy.  Oímos este maravilloso Evangelio hoy de dos discípulos de Cristo en el camino a Emaús.  Los discípulos están muy tristes. Su líder y su amigo - Jesucristo - murió en la cruz. Los discípulos estaban tristes y confundidos. No sabían qué pasaría después. Así que huyeron de la ciudad de Jerusalén.  Sin embargo, se encuentran con este desconocido en el camino. No saben quién es. Empiezan a contarle su historia. Los escucha. El desconocido les explica las Escrituras. Pero todavía no saben quién es él.  Los dos discípulos comparten la cena con él.  Él toma el pan, reza antes de comer, rompe el pan, y luego se lo da. Se dan cuenta - ¿no es esto lo que hizo Jesús cuando tuvimos la última cena con nosotros? Se dan cuenta - esto es Jesús.

        Estos dos discípulos reciben un mensaje de alegría pascual de Jesús en su encuentro con él.  Recibimos ese mensaje hoy también, así como celebramos a Jesús resucitado durante esta temporada de Pascua.  Mientras celebramos a Jesús resucitado hoy, es maravilloso que celebramos la Primera Comunión con ustedes.  Los discípulos se separaron de su pasado a través de su encuentro con Cristo.  Esta es una experiencia nueva - su primera comunión -  maravillosa para todos ustedes también.  Pero esta experiencia no debe terminar hoy. Será una nueva parte de su camino. Tienen la llamada de recibir a Cristo en la Eucaristía todos los domingos cuando vienen a la Misa con su familia. Esa es una parte importante de nuestro camino de fe como discípulos de Cristo.

      Cuando esos dos discípulos hablaban juntos durante su viaje, antes de reconocer quién era Jesús, estaban tratando de entender lo que pasaba en sus vidas. Trataban de entender quién era Jesús.  Y eso es lo que estamos llamados a hacer en nuestro camino de fe: aprender constantemente y crecer y preguntar.  Todos ustedes tuvieron la suerte de contar con maestras tan maravillosas este año: la Sra. Sandra Almanza y la Sra. Nora Fierro.  Sus maestras tienen tanto amor por todos ustedes y ambos disfrutaron de enseñarles acerca de Dios y acerca de Jesús durante su preparación para la Primera Comunión este año. Ustedes continuarán a aprender y crecer aquí en nuestra parroquia de St James.  Así que, disfruten hoy, niños. Disfruten de esta ocasión especial en sus vidas. Celebramos con ustedes en este día tan especial. Celebramos con nuestro Señor Jesucristo, nuestro amigo resucitado.  Muchas gracias, niños. 

4/29/2017 - Homily for First Communion Mass for 2nd graders - 3rd Sunday of Easter - The Road to Emmaus - Luke 24:13-35

      There are many things I love about being a priest, but one of the happiest moments of my priesthood come when I give someone first communion for the very first time. On Easter Vigil Mass, we had 8 adults and 6 children receive first communion.  Today, two weekends after celebrating Easter Sunday, we have 49 children receiving first communion.  It is a day of great joy, isn’t it?  All of you children will be receiving Jesus into your lives in a very special way through the Eucharist for the very first time. Wearing special clothing and celebrating a special Mass are signs of what a special day this is for all of you and your families and your parish. I cannot explain in words how happy I am for all of you today, how much joy it brings to my heart.  And I know your parents and brothers and sisters and family members feel the same sense of joy.  We hear this wonderful Gospel story today of two of Jesus’ disciples on the road leading to the village called Emmaus. The disciples are very sad. Their leader and their friend Jesus had been put to death.  The disciples were sad, afraid, and confused.  They did not know what would happen next.  So they ran away. Yet, they meet this stranger on the road.  They don’t know who he is.  They start telling him their story.  He listens to them. He explains the Scriptures to them.  But they still do not know who this stranger is. It is not until he stays with them at the village that they share a meal with him.  He takes the bread, he prays before they eat, he breaks the bread, and then gives it to them.  They realize - isn’t this what Jesus did when we had the last supper with us?  They realize - this is Jesus.  

       These two disciples receive a message of Easter joy from Jesus in their encounter with him. We receive that message today as well as we celebrate the resurrected Jesus during this joyful Easter season.  As we celebrate the risen Jesus today, how wonderful it is to celebrate First Holy Communion. The disciples broke away from their past and all that was holding them back through their encounter.  This is a new, wonderful experience for all of you as well. But this experience is not to end today.  It be a new part of your journey.  You are to receive Christ in the Eucharist every Sunday when you come to Mass with your family.  That is an important part of our journey of faith.  

      When those two disciples were talking together on their journey, before they recognized who Jesus was, they were trying to understand what was going on in their lives.  They were trying to understand who Jesus was.  And that is what we are called to do on our journey of faith as well: to constantly learn and grow and ask questions. You all were so lucky to have such wonderful teachers this year: Mrs. Julie Arriola and Mrs. Anita Gusmus. They both have so much love for all of you and both enjoyed teaching you about God and about Jesus as you prepared for First Holy Communion this year.  You will continue to learn and grow here at St James.  So, enjoy today, boys and girls.  Enjoy this special occasion in your lives.  We celebrate with you on this special day.  We celebrate with our risen Lord and friend, Jesus Christ.   

Mass introductions - Third Sunday of Easter - 4/30/207

Introduction to the penitential rite: 

We continue our celebration of Easter today by hearing stories from the Early Church. We who have completed our Lenten journey of renewal, as well as those of us who have newly entered the Church, can together hear these stories and use them to deepen our faith. As we celebrate mass together today, let us resolve to take the Good News of Easter that we share with each other and spread it at home, at work, and in the world around us. As we begin our Mass today, we call to mind our sins: 

Penitential Rite - Option C

Lord Jesus, you are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world: Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are the living word of God: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you are the source of everlasting life: Lord, have mercy.

Introduction to the Nicene Creed: 
As we continue our journey of faith like the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, let us profess our faith: 

4/29/2017 - Prayer for Crowning of Mary

Heavenly Father: As we prepare to enter the month of May, we crown Mary today to honor her as the Mother of your son, Queen of Heaven and Earth, and Mother of your Church.  We pray that we follow Mary’s example of faithful discipleship and attentiveness to God’s Holy Word.  As we honor Mary today with humble and grateful hearts, we pray that through her intercessions, we may achieve holiness of life and a deepened faith.  Mary, we pray, that you help us deepen our faith, hope, and love, as we seek to do the will of God in all things.  AMEN. 

5/1/2017 – Reflections on St Joseph the Worker – Monday of the Third week of Easter

     In Communist countries throughout Europe, countries that had officially abandoned Christianity, May 1 was traditionally celebrated as the Day of the Worker.  To put the life of the worker in the context of the values of the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pope Pius XII established the feast of St Joseph the Worker in 1955.  We celebrate this feast on May 1 in our liturgical calendar each year.  We also celebrate St Joseph on March 19 in our liturgical calendar as Joseph, the spouse of Mary.  We know from Tradition that Joseph was a carpenter, that he probably taught Jesus this trade.  The Church teaches us that no matter what work we undertake in life, we are to do so with dignity and humility and in a manner that allows us to contribute to both God’s kingdom and to human society.  We can find dignity in all human work, no matter what kind of work it is.  We can lift up any work we do to the glory of the Lord, for the glory of our faith, rather than our own self-interests and selfish glory. It is easy for us to see our work and our lives as our own, to see what we do in life as the result of our own efforts.  However, our faith challenges us to look at our work in a wider context that goes even beyond our earthly existence.  

         As I thought about the Cold War that had the countries of the US and Western Europe on one side, and Russia and the countries of Eastern and Central Europe on the other side, I thought about the tensions that the world is facing today in North Korea and Syria, conflicts that could easily escalate out of control with the current world political climate.  Many thought that after the fall of Communism in Europe and the rise of the European Union and global trade, that maybe some of those tensions would be behind us.  We are all called to work for peace and the values of the Gospel, values which St Joseph exemplified in his life and in his humble work.  As we reflect upon St Joseph the Worker today, may we lift up our work and our efforts here on earth to the glory of God.  May we pray for peace and fulfillment for all workers and all human beings. 

Quote - Catherine of Sienna

“Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.” 

Prayer to St Michael the Archangel - prayed at mass at St James Catholic Church - Tupelo Mississippi

Prayer to St Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

     Our parish of St James in Tupelo will now be praying the Prayer to St Michael the Archangel after communion at our weekend masses.  We will pray this prayer for our country, for our families, for our communities, for an end to the evil acts of terrorism, fear, and violence that have taken place throughout our country and the world.  Prior to the Second Vatican Council, this prayer was prayed at the end of mass.  In recent years, this prayer has been promoted by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, with there being a resurgence of the prayer at mass.  The Saint Michael’s prayer, originally composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1884, was in response to a vision the Pope had in which he was shown an image of evil spirits trying to fulfill Satan’s boast of destroying our Lord’s Church within a certain century as they waged an attack against it.  Amid the tribulation, there appeared in the vision Saint Michael the Archangel, who cast Satan and all the evil spirits back into hell.   The Pope was so horrified by what he had seen, he felt compelled to help defend our faith in this world by composing the prayer to Saint Michael.  Pope Leo saw to it that the Saint Michael’s prayer was recited after every low Mass throughout the world.  Many parishes are reintroducing this prayer to the mass in recent years, which our parish’s liturgy commission has approved.  Your children and youth may have questions about the content of this prayer and why we are praying it at mass now.  Hopefully this explanation will help you explain it to your children and youth.  

Parish cat Blessing

Our parish cat Blessing is too funny.  She loves being close to people and loves being on top of something.  Here she is asleep on my Chicago Cubs sweatshirt - very content.  Cats are funny little creatures.  I am grateful for our two parish cats - they provide me a lot of company when I am by myself in the office.

4/29/2017 - 3rd Sunday of Easter - homily - The Road to Emmaus - Luke 24:13-35

       We are all pilgrims on a journey.  I thought about how some of our children and youth have been on a special pilgrimage journey this year as they prepare to receive the Sacraments of the First Holy Communion and Confirmation at our parish at masses this weekend.  So, in a lot of ways, our wonderful Gospel reading of the two disciples on their journey on the road to Emmaus speaks to us in the context of our reality today, in the way that we are all on a pilgrimage journey.  We do not know exactly why those disciples were on the road leading out of Jerusalem that day - it does not explain “why” in today’s Gospel.  They may have been fleeing the holy city out of fear.  They may have been trying to run away from something.  They may have been fleeing from their faith.  It is curious that even though these disciples encounter the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus, something prevents them from recognizing him.  Perhaps their presumption that Jesus was dead and had not risen to new life prevented them from recognizing him. Perhaps the resurrected Christ was transformed in such a way that made his appearance so different and unrecognizable.   Sometimes there are many reasons for our inability to recognize God’s presence in our lives.  Like those two disciples, we might be too focused on the past and are not ready to look toward the future.  Perhaps we’re stuck in past hurts and past fears.   Or, we can be so miserable and so disappointed in ourselves and in the reality around us that we cannot see the ways that Jesus is with us in the midst of that reality.   Rather than paying attention to what the stranger was telling them that day on the Road to Emmaus, or rather than looking at what was in front of them or listening to the Living Word, they were too much focused on death, too focused on their disappointments and their loss of hope. Those disciples probably felt like they were stuck in a hole, unable to get out.  Perhaps some of us feel that same way in our own lives of faith. 

      The message we are to receive in the Easter season is a message of hope and joy.  That is the message of the Road to Emmaus as well.  Think of how these two disciples were able to break away from the past and all that was holding them back.  They were able to leave behind their frustration and confusion and to work towards healing from their brokenness.  They were able to look beyond the hopeless and see the hope in the presence of Jesus with them.  They were able to offer kindness and help to this stranger whom they initially failed to recognize.  Finally, after they were able to break open God’s word and break bread with this stranger, they were able to recognize Jesus in that stranger in their midst. 

       Yes, the disciples were definitely fleeing something in today’s Gospel, trying to get away from Jerusalem.   But, along the way, they were conversing and debating, talking and discussing, inquiring and examining.  They were trying to make sense of what was going on when, on the surface, things did not make sense at all.  And that is what Christ is wanting us to do as well: to make sense of the reality of the risen Christ in our lives this Easter season, to converse and debate, to talk and discuss, to inquire and examine.  We may want to flee and just forget about things, to not face some of the realities that are present in our lives.  But the risen Christ is there to help us in our reality, whatever that reality may be. Christ is risen, but what does that mean for us?  

Penitential rite and Prayers of the faithful - April 25 2017 - feast of Mark the Evangelist

Penitential rite: 

Lord Jesus, you were sent to preach the good news of light in the darkness of the world: Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, you were sent to plant in our hearts the spark of eternal life: Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you were sent to reconcile us to yourself by the shedding of your blood: Lord, have mercy.  

Prayers of the faithful: 

Priest: Encouraged by our fellowship with all the saints, let us make our prayers to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Your Son called men and women to leave their past behind and to follow him as his disciples in the way of the cross. Look with mercy upon those whom he calls today, with those he marks with the cross

and makes his disciples within the Church. 

2. Your Son told his disciples not to be afraid and breathed on them his gift of peace. Look with mercy upon the world into which he sent them out, and give it that peace for which it longs.  We pray for an end to war, violence, and terrorism. 

3. Your Son formed around him a company who were no longer servants but friends.  He called all those who obeyed him his brother and sister. Look with mercy upon our families and our friends and upon the communities in which we share. 

4. Your Son sent out disciples to preach and heal the sick. Look with mercy on all those who yearn to hear the good news of salvation, and renew among your people the gifts of healing. We pray for those who are sick in mind, body, or spirit. 

5. Your Son promised to those who followed him that they would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel and would share the banquet of the kingdom. According to your promise, look with mercy on those who have walked with Christ in this life and now have passed through death. 

Priest: Almighty God, grant that your Church may faithfully hold and make known the faith that has come to us through Mark the Evangelist and the other Evangelists and Apostles,  that with them and all your saints we may inherit the glories of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Oraciones de los fieles - Misa de la Primera Comunión

Sacerdote - Con fe, presentamos nuestras peticiones en el nombre de Nuestro Señor resucitado.  

1. Por la santa Iglesia Católica, que pueda alimentar los fieles con la palabra de Dios y con el pan eucarístico, para dar nos la vida eterna, oremos al Señor.

2. Por nuestros padres y padrinos, por nuestros hermanos y familiares, que ellos puedan disfrutar en la paz de nuestra fe que el Cristo resucitado nos da, oremos al Señor.

3. Por los catequistas, los maestros, y los padres de los niños de la clase de la primera comunión, para agradecerles por su ayuda y sus oraciones en nuestra preparaciones para recibir los sacramentos de la Eucaristía y la Reconciliación, que Dios pueda bendecirles y guiarles en su camino, oremos al Señor.  

4. Por los niños que recibirán por la primera vez nuestro Señor Jesucristo en la Sagrada Eucaristía, que ellos puedan amar a Nuestro Señor con todos sus corazones y vivir siempre como discípulos de Cristo, oremos al Señor. 

Sacerdote - Con fe y esperanza, ponemos nuestras oraciones en sus brazos de misericordia.  Hacemos estas oraciones en el nombre de Cristo resucitado, nuestro Señor por los siglos de los siglos.  Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL - First Holy Communion Mass

CELEBRANT: With faith, let us now present our petitions to God as we celebrate our First Holy Communion Mass today:

1.  Let us pray for the Holy Church, may it feed us with God’s holy word and with the holy bread of the Eucharist, giving us life eternal. Let us pray to the Lord. 

2. Let us pray for our parents and our siblings, our relatives and our friends, our godparents and our grandparents, that they may enjoy the gift of deep faith and peace in their hearts.  Let us pray to the Lord.

FAITHFUL: Lord, hear our prayer.

3.  Let us pray for all the priests, catechists, teachers, and all

who helped us in preparation for our First Confession and Holy Communion.  May God bless them and bestow upon them the gifts they need for happiness and salvation. Let us pray to the Lord.

4. Let us pray for all the children who today, for the first time,

will receive the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion. May they love Him with all their hearts and forever live faithfully. Let us pray to the Lord.

5. Let us pray for our dearly departed, may the good Lord

grant them mercy, forgiveness and full blessings in heaven. Let us pray to the Lord. 

6. Let us pray for all of us gathered here. May each of us be

grateful for the gift of the Eucharist, and experience with faith and love this encounter with our Lord Jesus in Holy Communion. Let us pray to the Lord.  

CELEBRANT: Lord, accept these petitions, that with great faith, hope and love we offer upon your altar as we celebrate First Holy Communion with our children and their families today. We make these prayers in the name of your son, who is our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers of the faithful for the mass of the sacrament of confirmation - St James Catholic Church - Tupelo Mississippi - 29 April 2017

Bishop: My dear friends: let us be one in prayer to God our Father as we are one in faith, hope and love.  As we celebrate the risen Christ today on the third Sunday of Easter, we present our prayers: 

1. For the sons and daughters of God who are confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit today, that they may always give witness to Christ by their lives, we pray to the Lord. 

2. For the parents, godparents, sponsors, and teachers who have led our confirmation candidates in faith, that by their word and example they may always encourage them to follow the way of our Savior Jesus Christ, we pray to the Lord. 

3. For the holy Church of God, in union with Francis, our pope, Joseph Kopacz, our bishop, and all the lay and ordained leaders of our Diocese, that God, who gathers us together by the Holy Spirit, may help us to grow in unity of faith and love, until his Son returns in glory, we pray to the Lord. 

4. For all people of every race and nation, that they may acknowledge the one God as Father, and seek his kingdom of joy and peace.  We pray to end of war, terrorism, and violence in our world, we pray to the Lord.   

5. That we all may recognize and give thanks to the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread and in every circumstance where Christ reveals himself to us.  we pray to the Lord. 

6. For the sick and shut-ins of our community, for those in the hospital, hospice, and nursing homes, for healing and wholeness, we pray to the Lord. 

7. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, especially for John Servati for whom this mass is offered.  

Bishop: God our Father, you sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles, and through them and their successors you give the Holy Spirit to your people. May the gift of the Holy Spirit continue to grow in the hearts of our confirmation candidates and in the hearts of all who believe. We ask this through Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

St Athanasius on Prayer

St Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, Doctor of the Church, and an influential Church Father from the Council of Nicea whose feast day we celebrate on May 2 said this on prayer:  “Christians, instead of arming themselves with swords, extend their hands in prayer.”   Great quote, isn't it?  

Quote on Prayer from St Teresa of Calcutta -

Statue of an angel from Glenwood cemetery 

Yazoo City, Mississippi

Quote on prayer from St Teresa of Calcutta - 

"Prayer is not asking.  Prayer is putting oneself into the hands of God, at his disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts."  

Masses for the weekend of April 29 and April 30, 2017 - St James Catholic Church - Tupelo, Mississippi

Our church in Tupelo is always so beautifully decorated during the Easter season.  This weekend is a special weekend for our parish - we are celebrating the Sacrament of First Holy Communion with our 2nd graders and the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Kopacz for our 11th graders.  This is the schedule of our masses this weekend.  All these masses will use the readings for the 3rd Sunday of Easter and will count toward the Sunday mass obligation. 

Saturday - April 29

(Because of our busy mass schedule this weekend, we will not have mass at Traceway on Saturday morning.  Instead, they will have a word and communion service.). 

First communion mass in Spanish - 10:00 am

First communion mass in English - 1:00 am

Saturday vigil mass and Sacrament of Confirmation - 4:30 pm

Sunday - April 30

Mass in English - 8:00 am 

Mass in English with Bishop Joseph Kopacz - 10:30 am

Mass in Spanish - 1:00 pm 

Father Lincoln celebrating mass at St Matthew in Ripley, Mississippi in English/Spanish - 4:00 pm

5/5/2013 – Homily - Friday of 3rd week of Easter – John 6:52-59

       On this Friday in the third week of the Easter season, we celebrate the risen Lord in our Gospel reading from the 6th chapter of John, in which Jesus explains to us how he is truly present in us in his body and his blood in the Eucharist we share.    It seems so long ago, but back in 2011 when I was serving as the pastor of St Mary’s in Yazoo City, we started our diocesan celebration of the Year of the Eucharist, a celebration of the real presence of Christ that we have in our Church. Last Saturday, we celebrated First Holy Communion in two special masses in which more than 40 children received Christ in the Eucharist for the first time in their lives.  I know that it was a very exciting time for them and for their families. 

         The word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek word for “thanksgiving,” for each time we celebrate the Eucharist, each time we receive the Body and Blood of Christ as nourishment for us, we give thanks for this freely given gift from God.  I think of our Eucharistic celebrations here at our parish in Tupelo where we see people from many different walks of life and many different backgrounds, how the Body and Blood of Christ unites us as we ourselves become his Body here on earth. 

      I was recently reading a reflection from a Catholic priest up in New English, in which he describes the Eucharist as a narrative that gathers, heals, restores, teaches, nourishes, blesses and sends us forth as God's people, strengthened for the work God gives us to do on our journeys.  He describes the Eucharist as the heart of the faith community, giving us life and energy that is essential to our journey of faith. He describes the Eucharist as our home, the place where we the unfaithful return again and again. i would agree with all of those descriptions.  The Body and Blood of Christ we receive in the Eucharist should we at the heart of who we are as Catholics.  

5/3/2017 – Homily - Wednesday of the 3rd week of Easter - Feast of St Phillip and St James – John 14:6-14

       One of the things I love about our Catholic faith is the community of saints.  I love learning about the saints and celebrating their presence with us. In just this past week, we have celebrated two Doctors of the Church (St Catherine of Siena and St Athanasius), St Joseph the Worker, and then today two of the Apostles – St Phillip and St James.   Our parish here in Tupelo has St James the Greater, the son of Zebedee, as our patron saint, but the Apostle we celebrate today is James the Lesser, who is the patron saint of our Catholic parish in Corinth. 

         We see a bit of Philip’s curiosity in our Gospel reading today.  Jesus is telling the disciples about his relationship with the Father.  In response, Philip wants Jesus to show them the Father.  Jesus tells Philip that if one has seen Jesus, he has indeed seen the Father.  We might have a similar curiosity about our faith. We may want to see more or want some sort of tangible proof – we may want truth or further explanation.  A curious mind and the questions we ask will help us in our search for God.

         As we celebrate these wonderful saints this week, we harken back to the Early Church and to the diverse group of the faithful who have helped us journey in faith throughout history.  May we always see the saints as our friends who are helping us with their prayers and intercessions along our journey.   

5/4/2017 – Homily - Thursday of 3rd week of Easter – Acts 8:26-40

     Sometimes, Scripture and the characters they describe can seem so vivid and imaginative, almost like characters out of a novel or a movie.  In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about a court official to the Queen of the Ethiopians who receives the call to journey to Jerusalem to worship God, a God who he really doesn’t know about and that he doesn’t understand.  The Lord sends Philip to greet this court official, to teach him about the reading from the prophet Isaiah that the Eunuch is trying to understand, to teach him about the Lord of Life. Philip disappears from this scene just as quickly as he appeared, as he is sent to another land to spread the word of God to others. Yet, before he leaves, Philip baptizes this court official in a body of water that they come upon.

      We hear about such miraculous stories of faith in Sacred Scripture, of how the Lord touches the hearts of different people, bringing them to him through great odds and through difficult circumstances.  We often take our faith for granted, don’t we, not wanting to be inconvenienced in the obligations we have in our faith or finding excuses why we don’t spend time with the Lord.  We are called to be inspired by today’s reading, of how this non-Christian court official goes out of his way to discover more about the faith and to find out more about what he doesn’t understand about God.   
       May the Lord continue to lead us and guide us along our journey of faith.  May he set our hearts on fire with a love of God and the curiosity to always want to learn more and to grow in the ways of faith.  

2 May 2017 - St Athanasius - homily - Tuesday of the 3rd week of Easter - Acts 7:51—8:1A

      Alexandria was one of the great centers of learning and commerce in the Ancient World.  Athanasius was the Archbishop of the great city of Alexandria in the 4th century for 45 years, an incredible amount of time. Yet, during that long time he was Archbishop, Athanasius was exiled by different emperors 5 different times.   More than 6 years of that time of exile was spent in the desert.  D. He also had to flee Alexandria 6 additional times when he feared for his life. Athanasius is one of that select group of men and women who have been named as a Doctor of the Church for their contributions to spirituality, theology, and Church doctrine. There are currently only 36 men and women who have been given such a distinction.  As Archbishop, Athanasius battled Arianism, a belief named after Arius, a priest who lived in Alexandria in this same era. Arius and those who supported Arianism saw Jesus the Son as being subordinate and inferior to God the Father. In fact, Arius saw Jesus as a being who did not exist at the beginning of time, who was created and a separate and distinct entity from the Father. Many emperors and Church leaders of this era held this same heretical belief. The writings and teaching of Athanasius defended the doctrine of the Trinity and are fundamental as to how we understand the three persons of the Trinity today in the Church’s teachings. 

      Even though Athanasius endured much violence, persecution, and exile in his service to the Church, tradition passes down that Athanasius died peacefully in his own bed, surrounded by clergy and his supporters.  Stephen, however, is recorded as the first martyr of the Early Church in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles today.  Stephen, in fact, has his own feast day on our Church liturgical calendar, on December 26, the day after Christ’s birth.  We don’t know much about Stephen other than what is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.  Scripture scholars believe that he was probably a Jew who had lived outside of Israel and who was greatly influenced by the Greek culture.  We do not know, however, as to whether the mob that stoned Stephen was acting outside the auspices of Jewish law or if this incident was following Stephen’s trial by the Sanhedrin.  As we heard of the trials of Athanasius, the saint we celebrate today, and of others in our modern world who are being persecuted for their faith, as we see our own religious liberties curtailed and limited in different ways in our society, perhaps the story of Stephen has even more resonance and meaning to us. 

Great Flood of 1927 - Mississippi Delta

The above is a photo of the welcome center in Greenville, Mississippi, shaped like a River Boat. Today, April 21, 2017, is the 90th anniversary of the day that the levee broke just North of Greenville in 1927.  The Great Flood of the Mississippi River in 1927 is an event that shaped our country and the history of the Mississippi Delta.  Families throughout the Delta have stories from that event.  Our Diocese has a photo of the nuns in the convent in Greenville being evacuated from their convent in a boat.  We remember this event, the tragedy of the the lives that were lost and ruined.  I pray for my adopted state of Mississippi.  (Interesting side note:  My full name is Lincoln Spencer Dall.  My dad named my after his favorite great uncle, whose first name was Lincoln and last name was Spencer.  Even though my dad's family was from Illinois dated from when my Great Great Grandfather Captain David Dall settled in Chicago in the middle of the 19th century from Scotland, Lincoln Spencer somehow ended up in the state of Mississippi, living on the coast in the community of Ocean Springs.  How he got there and what happened to him and his descendants, I do not know.)  

4/29/2017 - Big Weekend

The weekend of April 29/April 30 is a big weekend for us in Tupelo.  We will be hosting the Knights of Columbus convention for the state of Mississippi this weekend.  On April 29, we will have the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Kopacz for our eleventh grader, as well as First Communion for our children both in Spanish and in  English.  It will be a very exciting weekend for us at St James in Tupelo.  

4/28/2017 - homily - Friday of the 2nd week of Easter - Acts 4:34-42

       In our first reading, the apostles rejoice in that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor at the hands of man for the sake of the Gospel and the name of Jesus. The disciples left the Temple area after they had been flogged and ordered by the Sanhedrin to stop preaching the Gospel. However, Peter and the other apostles continued their preaching with even more enthusiasm.  What a great example of faith their witness is for us today.  The apostles rejoice at the dishonor they suffered because they had suffered for the honor they were giving Jesus.  So often, so many of us think that we shouldn’t suffer at all for our faith, that we shouldn’t have to make any sacrifices for the faith.  Some of us may say that we are too busy to fit mass into our busy schedules, even when we have three or four or five different choices to go to mass throughout the weekend.  Some of us get mad if we don’t get our way or when we have to compromise or accommodate the needs of others. We sometimes would rather criticize and complain instead of offering to help. So many of us in the modern world don't want to be inconvenienced or to make a sacrifice. 

      Catherine of Siena lived in the 14th century in Italy. Her feast day will be celebrated this weekend.  She was a lay woman who worked in the Dominican order, but had very little formal education.  Yet, Catherine was considered to be one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day.  There was a lot of problems plaguing the papacy in her day.  Catherine used her skills of persuasion to convince Pope Gregory XI to move back to Rome from his exile in Avignon, France.  Catherine is held in very high esteem in our Church today.  Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila were named as the first women as Doctors of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.  She was named as one of the patrons of Italy along with Francis of Assisi in 1940, and was named as one of Europe’s patron saints by Pope John Paul II in 1999.  This quote of hers reflects her courage and tenacity in living out her faith: “Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.” May none of us be afraid to proclaim the Gospel in our lives.  

4/27/2017 – homily - Thursday of 2nd week of Easter – Acts 5:27-32

     Do we sometimes feel like we are guided by a higher authority that contradicts the laws of our secular world?  That is what the apostles profess today before the Sanhedrin, that they are following a higher authority that dictates their consciences and influences their actions, an authority that is sometimes in conflict with civil authority.The Sanhedrin issued an edict that the apostles refrain from preaching the Gospel, but Peter and his companions declare that they must obey God and not man.  We see situations like this in our modern world as well. We Catholics in modern America live in a land where capital punishment is practiced and condoned by our secular society, where abortion is legal and viewed a way to get rid of an unwanted or inconvenient pregnancy.  Even our own Diocese sued the federal government several years ago, along with other Catholic Dioceses and institutions to protest that provisions in insurance plans that we were forced to follow that violate the Gospel of Life.  By refusing to obey the authorities, Peter and his companions have put their lives in danger.  Even though they had just seen their Lord crucified, they felt compelled to speak out and to follow their conscience. They knew that God had raised up Jesus, but that human beings had killed him.

    Daniel Berrigan was listed in the Give Us This Day devotional this week as one of the holy people of the day.  Berrigan, a Jesuit priest, died on April 30 of last year at the age of 95.  Berrigan was considered a leading voice of the anti-war movement in the Vietnam War era.  Having seized and destroyed some files from a draft board in Maryland, Berrigan was convicted and spent two years in prison for this action.  He was arrested numerous times for his peace activism.  Daniel Berrigan and his brother Philip, who was also a priest, were heroes to many college students and young Catholics.  Daniel later worked with AIDS patients in the early years of the epidemic of that disease when there was much fear and hysteria going around.  As I read the story of Daniel Berrigan, I thought about our reading from Acts today, about how Berrigan’s actions must have taken as much courage and tenacity as Peter and his companions summoned within  them.  Yes, sometimes following the will of God in our lives takes a lot of courage, a lot of faith.  

4/26/2017 – Acts 5:17-26 - homily – Wednesday of the 2nd week of Easter –

   We know from accounts of the Early Church that Peter, Paul, and the rest of the apostles were imprisoned many times for the way that they publicly preached the Gospel to the world in the years after Christ’s death and resurrection. As told in today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, when Peter and a group of apostles are imprisoned, they are miraculously set free and go out into the Temple area where they once again preach publicly about Jesus and his proclamation of God's kingdom.  

      I thought about how we ourselves can imprison God’s word in the world just as the chief priests and the Jewish authorities did when they put Peter and the other apostles in prison. The Gospel message needs to be more than just words to us.  Christ's message needs to be more than words that fascinate us and touch our imagination.  We need to put those words into action and into practice.  We need to have God’s word in our lives to inspire us, motivate us, and lead us along our journey.  It is difficult to live out our faith sometimes.  Our lives can seem so busy that we do not make time for God or for Church.  But God always meets us in our reality and helps us with the ups and downs of life.

        If God’s words do not infuse our own words and actions, if God’s word does not have a place in our reality, then his word will be imprisoned just as at was when the first apostles were put into jail.  How can we set God’s word free in our lives?  

23 de abril de 2017 - homilia - domingo de Divina Misericordia - el segundo domingo de pascua - Juan 20:19-31

      Hoy, en el Evangelio, escuchamos sobre San Tomás el Apóstol y sus experiencias con Cristo resucitado.  Tomás no estaba presente cuando Jesús se apareció a sus discípulos en la casa con las puertas cerradas.  Entonces, Tomás hizo una declaración famosa a los demás apóstoles: "Si no veo en sus manos la señal de los clavos y si no meto mi dedo en los agujeros de los clavos y no meto mi mano en su costado, no creeré.”  De hecho, Tomás tocó a las manos de Jesús y su costado cuando apareció de nuevo a los discípulos una semana después. A través de este encuentro con el, Tomás estaba capaz de creer en Jesús y la resurrección. Sin embargo, este incidente que mostró el escepticismo de Tomás le gana el título “el incrédulo". Pero, este título no cuenta toda la historia sobre él. Tomás se convirtió en misionero. Llevó el Evangelio a India y murió como mártir de la fe. Tomás tenía dudas en este momento en su vida, pero muchos de nosotros tenemos dudas en algunos momentos de nuestra vida. Podemos recordar Tomás como creyente, no solo como incrédulo?  Tomás dudó, pero con sus dudas le llevó a tocar las heridas de Jesús.  Tomás tocó esas heridas - le llevó a la creencia. En esta historia de Tomás, vemos la misericordia y la gracia de Dios. Tomás creció en sus duda y se convirtió en un verdadero testigo de la fe en esas simples palabras: "¡Señor mío y Dios mío!”

     Es un Evangelio perfecto para nosotros de escuchar hoy en el Domingo de Divina Misericordia.  El Papa Juan Pablo II declaró el Segundo Domingo de Pascua el Domingo de la Divina Misericordia  cuando celebró el Año Jubilar de 2000 en la misa en la que la Hermana Faustina Kowalska fue canonizado. Hermana Faustina, una monja en Polonia, tuvo una visión de la Divina Misericordia de Jesús en 1931, acompañado por estas palabras: "Yo deseo que la Fiesta de la Misericordia sea refugio y amparo para todas las almas, y especialmente para los pobres pecadores. Ese día la profundidad de mi misericordia tierna está abiertas. Yo desahogo un mar de gracias sobre las almas que se acercan al manantial de mi misericordia ".  Con esta declaración de la Divina Misericordia, la devoción a la Divina Misericordia de Jesús y la coronilla de la Divina Misericordia son muy populares entre los católicos del mundo.  Sin embargo, la celebración de hoy es más amplia de la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia.  El mensaje que todos nosotros debemos recibir hoy es que el amor y la misericordia son para toda la humanidad.  Dios da la bienvenida a todo el mundo - ese es el mensaje que la Iglesia y nuestro Papa Francisco dan al mundo.  Si nos acercamos al trono de la misericordia de Dios en nuestra humildad y nuestra creencia como lo hizo Tomás, podemos cambiar nuestra vida.  Los dos rayos que brillan del corazón de Cristo a la imagen de su Divina Misericordia representan la sangre y el agua que salieron de su cuerpo en la cruz - su divinidad y su humanidad.  Estos rayos demuestran que el amor y la misericordia de Dios llegan a nosotros a través de Cristo crucificado y resucitado.

     En nuestra celebración de la Divina Misericordia de Dios, debemos darnos cuenta que tenemos una responsabilidad. Somos testigos del amor y la misericordia de Dios en el mundo, para hacerlo con toda la sinceridad de corazón.  Es el deseo del Papa Francisco para nosotros, los fieles.  En noviembre del año pasado, terminamos la celebración del Año Jubilar de la Misericordia.  El Papa quiso dar la celebración de este Santo Año Jubilar como testimonio de la misericordia de Dios.  Que podemos tener la misericordia de Dios en nuestros corazones hoy en esta celebración en la temporada de Pascua, con corazones llenos de esperanza y alegría.

23 April 2017 - homily – Divine Mercy Sunday – 2nd Sunday of Easter – John 20:19-31

     On the Second Sunday of Easter of the Jubilee Year 2000, at the Mass for the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, Pope John Paul II proclaimed to the world that “from now on throughout the Church this Sunday will be called Divine Mercy Sunday.” Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have carried on the tradition of having the Lord’s mercy as an important message in their pontificates.  We probably all remember that back in November of last year, we concluded the Jubilee Year of Mercy that Pope Francis had proclaimed.  At the vespers for Divine Mercy Sunday in 2015, Pope Francis explained that he was declaring this jubilee year because it was the time for mercy:  “a favorable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.” 

      As a priest, it is always engrained in my very being that the Sunday after Easter weekend, we gear up to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  But where did the idea for Divine Mercy Sunday originate?  Was it something that Pope John Paul came up with himself?  Those are good questions, aren’t they? Sister Faustina Kowalska, a religious sister with the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy had visions, starting in 1931 of Jesus appearing to her as the image of Divine Mercy, wearing a white garment with red and pale rays emanating from his heart.  Pope John Paul II later explained the context of Jesus as Divine Mercy in the world in the 1930s.  This was a time when most of the industrialized countries of the world was suffering from the Great Depression, a time of great poverty and misery for so many people. It was a time when many people were turning their backs on Christianity and turning to the ideologies of evil, nazism and communism.  Pope John Paul II saw Sister Faustina as being the herald of the mercy of Christ, the one message capable of off-setting the evil of those others ideologies. In establishing Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Catholic faith on the Sunday right after Easter, Pope John Paul II felt that he was putting into place in our universal Church a very meaningful Catholic devotion that started in his native country of Poland. 

      In the visions Sister Faustina had of Jesus as Divine Mercy, she records in her diary 14 different occasions when Jesus requested that a feast of Divine Mercy be observed in the Church.  On one such occasion, Jesus told her, “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the Fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. … Let no soul fear to draw near to Me. … It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.”

      This quote by Pope Benedict explains what the message of Divine Mercy Sunday is all about:  “Mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the Face with which he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive Love. May this merciful love also shine on the face of the Church and show itself through the sacraments, in particular (in the Sacrament) of Reconciliation, and in works of charity, both communitarian and individual. May all that the Church says and does manifest the mercy God feels for man.” 

      In a world when we often want justice in the form of punishment, retribution, and revenge, wanting even more than “an eye for an eye,” this message of mercy that the Church brings to the world may be laughed at and mocked, seeming strange and foreign.  I came across an article on the internet from Minneapolis, Minnesota about a mother whose 20-year-old son got in an argument at a party and was shot and killed by a 16 year-old gang member who was heavily addicted to drugs.  The mother, Mary Johnson, wanted justice for her son, which meant that she wanted this young man locked up for his entire life for killing her son.  At the time, she said that she felt all of these things: “Shock. Disbelief. Hatred. Anger. Hatred. Blame. Hatred.”  She stated: “I wanted him to be caged up like the animal he was.”  The young man was sentenced to 25 1/2 years for his crime.  However, Mary, a devout Christian, started to attend a support group that reached out to mothers whose children had been killed.  She realized that she needed to forgive, so she asked if she could visit in prison this young man who had killed her son.  Released from prison after serving 17 years, this young man needed a place to stay, so Mary Johnson found him a vacant apartment in the same apartment building where she lives, where they live side-by-side.  The young man who committed the crime, Oshea Israel, says that he wants to pay back the mercy Mary has shown him by contributing back to society.  Besides working at a recycling plant during the day and taking college classes at night, he visits prisons and churches to talk about forgiveness and reconciliation, with Mary Johnson often joining him as they tell their story together.  

     God’s mercy that we celebrate today on Divine Mercy Sunday is truly a gift to humanity.  His mercy calls us out of our fear and complacency and selfishness.  His mercy calls us to pardon and reconcile.  His mercy calls us to love and peace.