May we promote a culture of freedom for all - Fortnight for Freedom - 4 July 2017

It is important of us to promote a culture of freedom for all, not for just us Catholics, not just for Christians, but for all in our society.  Appropriately, the Fortnight for Freedom ends on our nation’s Independence Day.  We have seen our religious freedoms erode in this past decade, erode in a way that many of us could not imagine.  This Fortnight for Freedom that we commemorate each year is an important part of our proclamation of the Gospel message. 

From the USCCB website: 

Pray

That we would work to build a culture that recognizes and respects the dignity and freedom of all people.

Reflect:  Religious freedom is for everyone. The Church teaches that religious freedom is rooted in the nature of the human person, and therefore it is a fundamental human right.  When we speak up for religious freedom, we do so not only for ourselves, but because we are called to defend the dignity of every individual and community that seeks the truth about God, including Muslims, Jews, and others who do not share our Catholic Christian faith. May we promote a culture of freedom for all

Act:  There are many organizations that work for religious freedom for all Americans. Consider signing up to receive newsletters from, and praying for, the efforts of these organizations.

For our sisters and brothers in Mexico - Fortnight for Freedom - July 3 2017

We are to pray that our neighbors in Mexico have the freedom to live out their faith.  Throughout the history of the country of Mexico, there have been periods of great religious persecutions.  The Mexican Americans living here in the United States have added a very vibrant element to our Catholic Church.  We pray that our neighbors in Mexico enjoy their religious freedom.  

From the USCCB website: 

Pray: That through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, all people in Mexico will have the freedom to live out their faith.

Reflect:  In Mexico, religious freedom violations have risen recently, with some statistics indicating it continues to be a dangerous country for Catholic priests and lay leaders. Many religious freedom violations are linked to the Law of Uses and Customs, which stipulates that indigenous communities can retain their traditional form of government, allowing the religious majority in local communities to make life difficult for religious minorities. To further complicate the situation, some illegal cartels attempt to force religious institutions to become fronts for money laundering, and to challenge Church programs and teachings that offer alternatives to a life of violence. In 2016, three priests were murdered, and there was an increase in reported extortions, threats, and abductions of religious. The Bishops of Mexico issued a statement in February 2015, calling for all elements of government and civil society to combat corruption in all its forms. They have urged authorities to find comprehensive and inclusive solutions to the violence afflicting so many individuals and families.

Act:  Religious freedom is a fundamental right, which should be recognized in all places. The USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace (IJP) works to advance the social mission of the Church on international justice and peace through policy development, advocacy, education, and

acts of ecclesial solidarity. Visit the IJP home page, where you can learn more and sign up for newsletters and action alerts!

Freedom to build stronger communities - Fortnight for Freedom - Sunday - July 2 2017

Religious institutions are a big part of the communities here in the United States, a big big part of what makes them prosperous and strong.  Our Church needs to have the freedom to contribute to society and to build up a stronger community.  

From the USCCB website: 

Pray:  That the Church and all religious institutions would have the freedom to contribute to the flourishing of our society.

Reflect: We hold our faith because it is true. At the same time, faith turns out to be good for society as a whole. When religious freedom is respected, religion itself flourishes, and society flourishes in turn. Recent research has even shown that religious institutions significantly boost the economy. Religious institutions employ many people, and their service to the poor helps to lift people out of poverty. As Catholics, we promote religious liberty so that we can have the space to serve and so that all have the freedom to seek the truth about God. When we work for religious freedom, we are working to promote the common good, the flourishing of all people in our country.

Act:  How have religious groups helped you, your family, and your neighbors? Consider starting a conversation with your friends and neighbors about all the good that people of faith have done in your community. 

Freedom to serve the vulnerable - Fortnight for Freedom - Saturday - July 1 2017

God led a people out of slavery in Egypt, making them his chosen people, liberating them on a spiritual level, a psychological level, a religious level, an economic level, a social level, and a political level.  He had a special preference for this group of slaves, this group of outcasts. This story is told in the book of Exodus in the Bible.  We as disciples of Christ are called to serve the poor and vulnerable, to reach out to them and help them.  May we respond to this call.  

From the US Bishops’ website:  

Pray:  That the Holy Spirit would give all Christians the courage and humility to serve Christ by serving the vulnerable.

Reflect:  In St. Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells his followers that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for him. In other words, we serve Jesus when we serve others, especially the poor and vulnerable. Taking it a step further, if we treat the poor and vulnerable with callous disregard, then we are scorning Jesus. Over the course of two thousand years, the Church has set up charitable institutions, such as adoption services, hospitals, schools, refugee resettlement services, and more, in order to obey Christ’s call to serve. We serve the world, not just as individuals, but as communities. Missionary discipleship is a communal activity, and it is often carried out in institutions. Religious freedom here in the U.S. is, at its core, about the space to carry out our ministries. We are called to serve others, and we work for religious freedom so that we may be able to serve others, especially through our ministries.

Act:  All of us are called to follow Jesus Christ as missionary disciples. Consider taking a few minutes to pray and reflect on how God might be calling you to serve.

2 July 2017 - 13th Sunday in Ordinary time - homily on the theme of a warm welcome and hospitality - 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16A; Matthew 10:37-42

      When I prepare for my homilies and first look at the readings for a Sunday, I try to see a common theme in them.  Sometimes the theme is very direct and evident.  Other times the theme is more subtle and challenging to find. If a common theme is contained in the readings today, I would identify it as being welcoming and hospitable.  

      Before I even became Catholic, one of the American Catholics I admired most was Dorothy Day.  I had heard about her when I was a college student at Wake Forest, since she passed away in the freshman year of college.  She was a journalist who very much lived in the secular world, with organized religion playing a very little role in her life before her conversion to Catholicism. She was searching for something in her life, finding the Catholic faith through he friendship with a religious sister who lived near her home.  Back in 1933, with her friend Peter Maurin, she started the Catholic Worker Movement and their houses of hospitality, modeled after the way the monasteries would welcome visitors and strangers in the Middles Ages. All were welcome to these houses of hospitality, especially the poor, the downtrodden, the outcasts.  Since it was in the middle of the Great Depression, those who needed to be welcomed were vast. Today, many decades after their founding, there are more than 175 Catholic Worker Houses operating.  Day once said: “Those who do not see the face of Christ in the poor, are atheists” who do not receive the entirety of Christ’s Good News.   She also said: "If I have achieved anything in my life, it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God." 

     In our first reading, a reward is promised to the Shunamite woman who welcomed and gave hospitality to the prophet Elijah.  Her hospitality foreshadows the promise in today’s Gospel, for those who “receives (or welcomes) a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.”  What a wonderful welcome this Shunamite woman made for Elisha in her humble abode: a small room on the roof of the house, with a bed, a table, a chair, even a lamp.  This humble, generous gesture of hospitality, offered simply out of respect for a man of God and with no thought of a reward whatever, grants her, in fact, a wonderful reward: next year, she and her husband, who were childless up to this point, would receive the gift of new life in a child born to them.  Elisha tells her that next year “you will hold a son in your arms”.   So too, today’s Gospel tells us that even so simple a gift as a cup of cold water will not go unnoticed by the Lord.

     The idea of a warm welcome is only part of today’s Gospel message.  Jesus gives us a challenging instruction, warning that “anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me”. This challenge reflects the situation of believers for whom the threat of persecution was very real in the days of the Early Church.  In cases where some family members were Christian and some were not, the choice between “preferring” mother or father to allegiance to Christ faced such believers in their daily reality.  We only have to look at what is in the newspapers or on the TV to see that this was not simply a challenge for those first Christians.  We see a lot of religious persecution throughout the world today and even a backlash against Christianity in our own country.  So, at first glance, some of these phrases in the Gospel reading may seem enigmatic, but delving into them, they are certainly relevant to our modern reality. 

        In our diocesan goals, the term “intentional disciple” is used a lot. So, what exactly is an intentional disciple? It is one who listens and learns from Jesus, our teacher, and then chooses to follow the teacher and apply what he teaches. An intentional disciples intends to practice what is taught.  Paul’s message to the followers of Jesus in Rome in the 2nd Reading stresses the radical change we receive in the waters of baptism: a “death” to our old existence, a death to selfishness and sin.  As baptized disciples of Christ, we are made new creations who live in the light of Christ’s resurrection.  As disciples of Christ, we can truly be intentional disciples, in union with Christ, in union with Christ’s love, embodying the values of his Good News.  

2 July 2017 - Mass introductions and prayers of the faithful - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Penitential Rite and introduction to the mass: 

At the Lord’s invitation, we gather today around the table of the Lord.  

We gather as Christ’s disciples to worship him and honor him.  As we hear today at mass more about what it means to be a disciple of Christ, let us call to mind our sins:

Lord Jesus, you are the life and the resurrection: Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, you save us from our sins, Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are the way that leads to everlasting life:

Lord, have mercy.

Introduction to Nicene Creed: 

Called to be Christ’s disciples, now let us profess our faith: 

Prayers of the faithful: 

Priest: We now come before our God with our prayers and petitions, in confidence that God will hear us and answer us.

1. For Pope Francis, as he leads our Church to focus ever more on

Christ in our service to the poor and vulnerable, let us pray to the Lord.

2. For our national governmental leaders, that they might recall and live by the principles upon which our nation was founded more than 200 years ago, let us pray to the Lord.

3. For peace and reconciliation, for an end to war, violence, and terrorism, let us pray to the Lord.

4. For the safety of our children during these summer months,

and for safe and rewarding travels for all who vacation and at summer camps.  We pray for the preparations for our VBS and our Youth Homework mission experience, let us pray to the Lord.

5. For respect and welcome for the immigrants, refugees, and

strangers among us, let us pray to the Lord.

6. For the men and women in the military, for police officers and sheriffs, for fire fighters and first responders, in gratitude for their service.  

7.  For the sick and shut-ins of our community. 

8. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.  

Priest: Gracious God, as you give us abundant life in you, we ask that you help us to respond with hearts and lives of gratitude and humble service, through Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever.

Freedom to serve families & children awaiting adoption - Friday of the Fortnight for Freedom - June 30 2017

Today’s topic that the Bishops have chosen has brought up a light of different facets of the Gospel of Life and of the religious freedom.  Catholic institutions have had an integral part in the adoption process.  As society redefines its norms and its values, will these institutions be excluded as a an important part of the process?  

From the US Bishops’ website: 

Pray:  For children awaiting adoptive parents, for the caregivers who selflessly serve those children, and for the families who are seeking to adopt; that they will find strength & support from the Church.

Reflect:  Catholic Charities in Boston excelled at finding families for difficult-to-place children.  Catholic Charities sought to place children in homes where they would flourish, and so they placed children in homes with a married mother and father. After Massachusetts redefined marriage, Catholic Charities was given an impossible choice: do what you believe

to be wrong for children or end your adoption services. They chose the latter. Intolerance from the state for religious views has real consequences, and in this case, it is vulnerable children who have suffered.

Act:  The federal Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (H.R. 1881 / S. 811) would protect the religious liberty of child welfare service providers, including adoption and foster care agencies. Similar legislation has been introduced and passed in several states. Check out the USCCB Action

Alert Center and your state Catholic conference or diocesan website for legislative updates!

29 June 2017 - Solemnity of St Peter and St Paul - Matthew 16:13-19; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Act 12:1-11

      Today’s great solemnity celebrates two men who shaped the face of the Church in those first years.  Peter and Paul were entrusted with the mission to call disciples of Christ in the different corners of the world.  The preface for today’s mass highlights their different styles and callings: Peter as foremost in confessing the faith, Paul as an outstanding preacher, Peter as establishing the Early Church from the remnant of Israel, but Paul bringing the Gentiles into Christ’s flock.  Yet, “each in a different way gathered together the one family of Christ, (they are) revered together throughout the world, (sharing) one Martyr’s crown.”  

     Indeed, the readings today highlight the courage and testimony of these two men: of Peter being arrested and brought to trial by King Herod, of Peter witnessing to Christ his belief in him as the Savior, and of Paul looking back at his life, confident that of his following his call to preach Christ’s Gospel to the world. 

       Peter, in many ways, represents the part of the Church that gives it stability, with its traditions handed down from that first group of Jewish disciples who helped Jesus in his ministry. Peter as the first pope helped establish the structures that would preserve these traditions, brining the Church consistency, solidarity and unity.  Today, indeed, Peter is represented by the pope in our modern Church.  Peter made sure that the Early Church survived and did not disintegrate.  

       Paul represents the prophetic and missionary role of the Church, the part that pushes our boundaries further out, that addresses social and justice concerns, that creatively communicates the Church’s message.  The spirit of Paul renews the Church and brings the Church to different times in history and different cultures.  The spirit that Paul brings to the Church interprets the signs of the times and dialogues with the world.  Today is actually the 10th anniversary of the release of the original iPhone - June 29, 2007.  The spirit of Paul utilizes these new technology and responds to the new ideas that surface in the world.  In the spirit of Paul, the Church remains relevant to the world today and continues to evangelize in the reality of the world.                                  
         As we celebrate this feast today, let us remain faithful to the traditions which have been passed down to us over the many centuries of the history of the Church.  At the same time, let us be ready to make the necessary changes and adaptations to effectively communicate the message of Christ to all those who are hungering and searching for the truth. 

Prayer to our Lady of Guadalupe for Justice - from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development

I picked up a prayer card with this prayer on it when I was at St Lawrence Catholic Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

Most merciful mother, you came to us out of your compassion when you appeared to humble Juan Diego, who called the smallest and dearest of your sons.  Give us your strength and protection, especially to the poor, the young, the elderly, and the vulnerable.  Plead on their behalf to the Father, that they may experience divine love tangibly in their daily lives, that all who work for justice on their behalf may grow in fortitude and humility.  In these ways, manifest your charity and concern in their lives, that the cry of humanity may be heard, that all of our suffering, pain, and misfortune may be filled with divine comfort and healing.  May we always know the peace of being in the cradle of your arms.  Bring us safely home to your son, Jesus.  AMEN.  

6/30/2017 – Friday of the 12th week in Ordinary Time – Matthew 8:1-4

     After the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus performs a series of miracles and healings. They demonstrate the authority of Jesus’ teachings and emphasize his proclamation of God’s kingdom, which is the context in which we hear Jesus healing the leper in today’s Gospel.

        Leprosy is not a disease that confronts us in the daily lived reality in modern America. However, when I read this story of the leper in today’s reading, I thought of the Louisiana Leper Home located on the banks of the Mississippi River, founded in 1894 in Carville, Louisiana on the site of an abandoned sugar plantation.  I remember the first year I was a priest at St Richard, I was planning a funeral with the sons of an elderly parishioner who had passed away.   We had picked out all of the readings, choosing traditional ones from the funeral planning guide, when we started talking about their father’s life.   These men mentioned that their dad had been an occupational therapist, with the thing he was most proud of in his career was the several years he spent as a young man working with the lepers in Carville.  I told the sons that we should pass over the Gospel reading we had originally chosen and pick this Gospel reading from Matthew about the healing of the leper. Their father had been so devoted to helping the lepers function as best they could through the effects of this terrible disease, so they thought that this Gospel reading of the healing of the leper reflected their dad and the values by which he lived. 

        We can wait for miracles to happen in our lives, and sometimes they do happen, but what wonderful initiative the leper takes today in approaching Jesus and having faith that his touch has the power to heal.  The psalm response today announces: "See how the Lord blesses those who fear him."  Instead of thinking of fear as being afraid of punishment, we should see fear in this context as having a healthy respect for God, being in awe in his presence, and recognizing his power and omniscience.  Do we approach God in prayer with the problems and struggles that we face in life?  Do we come to him in humility and gratitude?  Jesus can heal our bodies and our souls, but only if we place our trust in him.

28 June 2017 - Wednesday of 12th week in Ordinary Time - St Irenaeus - Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

      St Irenaeus was one of the first great theologians in our Catholic faith, having been born into a Greek family in Asia minor in the early 2nd century.  He was friends with St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna who was a disciples of St John the Evangelist, who himself was an important figure in the Early Church.  Irenaeus was a priest Lyons in current day France, having served there during the time of the persecutions under Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.  He later became Bishop of that city.  Irenaeus is best known for his writings in apologetics and against the heresies of his time, especially Gnosticism.  Jesus in the Gospel today has a similar message, of warning us against the false prophets who come to us in sheep’s clothing and who try to lure us away from the faith.  Indeed, the world and many other things can lure us away from the faith.   Against the dualism of Gnosticism that saw the spirit as superior and the body and matter as inferior, Irenaeus declared that the soul and body of a human being are inseparably bound together, that the soul would have no individuality or identity independent of the body.  Irenaeus saw humanity as being created in God’s image, created with the capacity for relationship to God in obedience: its fulfillment is in this relationship.  “The life of man is the vision of God”, declared Irenaeus.  We hear of the on-going relationship between God and Abraham, with Abraham wondering how he will create a great nation if he is not able to produce a child.  God fulfills that promise through his covenant with Abraham and Abraham’s obedience.  As Abraham is instructed by God not to fear, may we also have confidence and faith on our journey. 

27 June 2017 - Tuesday of the 12th week in Ordinary Time - Genesis 13:2, 5-18

     For the last couple of weeks, we had been hearing from Paul’s second letter to the Church at Corinth in our first readings in our daily masses, hearing about the advice he was giving to one of the early Church communities that formed after Christ’s death and resurrection in that first century.  In that letter, Paul reached out to the Corinthians in the midst of the day-to-day struggles and challenges they were having in their community of faith.  This week we hear from the book of Genesis about God reaching out to Abraham and establishing a covenant with him. In the days when the Early Church was growing and developing, particularly in the second century AD, the philosophy of Gnosticism was also gaining in popularity.  Gnosticism, which was eventually declared a heresy, claimed that salvation could be gained through secret knowledge.  Gnostics believed that the material world was evil, being inferior to and in opposition to the spiritual world. Gnostics also regarded the Old Testament as a embarrassment to the Christian faith, as a record of a nation bound to crude, superstitious beliefs about God and creation. In hearing the details about the story of Abraham, I thought about how our Christian faith sees the continuity of God’s activity and interaction with humanity and with creation, how God’s redemptive action is spread over the trajectory of the history of the nations of Israel, of how God at work in the prophets and patriarchs of Israel laid the ground work for the arrival of Jesus and his ministry.  In the covenant with Abraham, God reveal himself in the midst of human history, a process that continues today. Even in the midst of Abraham’s disagreements with Lot and in his decision to move, he gave thanks to the Lord in the midst of his reality, building a temple to the Lord, displaying the faith and trust he has in God.  As God kept his faithful promises to Abraham and his descendants, God remains faithful to us.  

29 June 2017 - Thursday - Fortnight for Freedom - For the Freedom of the Church

When we Americans look at other countries who have been traditionally Catholic for many centuries, such as Mexico, Spain, and France, sometimes we assume that the Church has been safe and protected in those countries and would not have experienced trouble in being a part of society.  However, all three of those countries I mentioned have had terrible times of persecution, when society and government have turned against the Church and have initiated a time a great persecution.  We in the US have often taken the Church for granted, but given our current political and cultural climate and the signs of the times throughout the world, the freedom that the Church has to proclaim God’s kingdom can not be taken for granted any longer.  We pray for the freedom for the Church to fulfill its calling in American society and throughout the world.  

From the USCCB website (American Bishops):

Pray: That the Church would have the space to carry out her mission of service and mercy for the whole world.

Reflect:  The Church is the body of Christ, the pilgrim people of God. She is not simply another charitable organization. The Church is called to carry forward the mission of Jesus Christ in all times and places. Much current work for religious freedom asks for exemptions from the state. But we should keep in mind that the government is not granting us rights. Rather, the state is correctly acknowledging the right of the Church to fulfill her purposes. As Pope Francis, echoing Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, has said, the Church is not merely an “NGO” (nongovernmental organization). The Church is empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry out the mission of Christ, and a well-functioning government will recognize its own limits and allow the Church the space to do her work.

Act:  Our freedom for mission is difficult to appreciate if it is not exercised.  Get in touch with a local parish or diocese, find out what your local church is doing in your community, and see how you can get involved. Even if you don’t have time to volunteer, prayer can be an important way to stay connected to the work.

Fortnight for Freedom - 6-28-2017 - Wednesday - Freedom to serve through Education

When I was serving the Catholic communities in the city of Yazoo City in the Mississippi Delta, I saw first hand the impact Catholic education can have in a community.  The African American parish in that town, St Francis of Assisi, had an elementary school and high school for many years.  When many of those children and youth had to work on the farms and in the cotton fields during harvest time, getting an education was difficult and a challenge.  Many of them went on to become professionals and were very successful in their field of work.  They credited the education they received from the nuns in the Catholic school as the foundation of their success and their achievements.  We in the Catholic Church need to have the freedom to run our schools and to pass down the faith to our children and youth. 

From the US Bishops’ webs: 

Pray:  That Catholic schools would have the freedom to teach and bear witness to the truth about God and creation.

Reflect:  God has created people with a capacity to exercise reason. The Christian commitment to reason and service has meant that education is a central aspect of the Church’s mission. One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to teach. In the U.S., Catholic schools have played an important role in offering hope in impoverished, primarily urban, areas. Catholic schools have been significant anchor institutions in many neighborhoods, and thus they benefit even those who are not their students. Catholic leaders played a leading role in ensuring that AfricanAmerican children could have access to quality education. Education is what Catholics do, and it is difficult to imagine an America without Catholic schools. Catholic schools need the space, the freedom, to operate in accordance with Catholic convictions if they are to continue to be a source of vitality for our society. 

Act:  Consider getting in touch with your local Catholic schools to find out about how they serve their communities and how you might participate in their work. Or, sign up for the USCCB Catholic Education Newsletter to keep up with the latest in Catholic education.

Fortnight for Freedom - Tuesday - 6-27-2017 - For Christians in the Middle East

For so long, we in the US took for granted that religious persecution was something that took place in the past or places far away from us.  In recent years, since Christianity has come under attack here in our own country, we have paid more attention to the religious persecutions that take place in different parts of the world.  In the Middle East, the birthplace of Christianity, persecution of Christianity is a dire reality.  We pray for those who are persecuted for their Christian faith in the Middle East.  We pray for reconciliation and understanding.  

From the US Bishops website

Pray:  For our sisters and brothers in the Middle East; that through the intercession of the Apostles, who established these most ancient churches,

Christians and all religious minorities would be freed from violent persecution.

Reflect: In July 2015, Pope Francis said, “Today we are dismayed to see how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus…. [I]n this third world war, waged piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide – I insist on the word – is taking place, and it must end.” Today, Christians are among those religious minorities confronted with persecution, despite their having been critical to the vitality and pluralism of the region since the earliest days of Christianity.

Act:  Catholic Relief Services, Aid to the Church in Need, Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and the Knights of Columbus have all worked to assist Christians in the Middle East. Consider getting in touch with these organizations and finding out how you can participate in their work.

Fortnight for Freedom - Monday - 6-26-2017 - Freedom to seek the truth

We can only know the truth if we seek it out, if we read God’s word, if we study it, if we join study groups, if we learn from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We need to know what the Church teaches, not rely only on our own understanding.  Are we willing to seek out God’s truth in our lives as it pertains to religious freedom?  

From the US Bishops' website: 

Pray:  That the Spirit of Wisdom would illumine our minds and open our hearts, as we seek to know the truth about God and to live in the fullness of that truth.

Reflect:  Religious freedom is rooted in the nature of the human person. Human beings have a capacity to seek and hold fast to truth. A natural desire compels each one of us to reach out and grasp the truth about God. Creation itself bears witness to the reality of God, drawing us out, inviting us to listen for God’s voice. And God speaks to us. Because God has created us for communion with Him, we have a corresponding duty. The right to religious freedom flows from this duty to seek the truth. Religious freedom means immunity from coercion, but its source and summit is the

truth about God.

Act:  Catholic teaching on religious freedom has much to offer our culture today.  Take the time to learn more about the richness of Catholic teaching on religious freedom. Consider getting a study group together to read and discuss what religious freedom is really all about.

Fortnight for Freedom - Sunday - 6-25-2017 - Freedom to serve God with our whole lives -

Our first reading at mass today spoke about the prophet Jeremiah and the opposition he faced in his prophetic ministry, to the point of fearing for his life, for fearing those around him who are plotting against him.  No matter what the reality is around us, we are called to serve God with a sincere heart with acts of prayer, both private and communitarian, and with acts of mercy and charity.  We need to have the freedom to serve God with our whole lives.  But we also have to be willing to act upon that call.  

For the US Bishops' website: 

Pray:  That all Christians would have the courage to serve God with our whole lives and to live out our faith with boldness and compassion.

Reflect:  Christians carry out the mission of the Church by doing simple acts of charity on a daily basis. A person might check in on his elderly neighbors, or another may show her coworkers in small ways that she truly cares about their well-being. All of us, from every walk of life, are to infuse our work and daily activities with Christian charity. Sometimes, our culture urges us to think of our faith as a strictly interior matter. The culture says that we are free to worship, or to be spiritual, but our faith should not be expressed publicly. A culture in which faith is never visible tends to be one that constricts religion. Christ calls us to a whole life of discipleship. We exercise our faith in all that we do. Freedom to serve God with our whole lives. 

Act:  The life of faith begins with prayer. Hold a prayer vigil for religious freedom. Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet can all be forms of intercession for our country and our first freedom. Another great way to pray for our country year-round is the Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty.

6/24/2017- Nativity of John the Baptist – Luke 1:57-66, 80

     Ever since John’s mother Elizabeth and father Zechariah received news about John’s birth, ever since Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth while she had Jesus in her own womb, it was announced to the world that John would have a special role in the history of salvation.  God made John’s father mute because Zechariah doubted God’s will; his voice was restored when he names his son John according to God’s will. The friends and neighbors of Elizabeth and Zechariah are astonished at what they see – they know that something special and unique is going on. John himself had a fiery, assertive personality, but he channeled his energy into serving God and speaking out as a prophet who would point the way to Jesus. 

         During the Fortnight for Freedom which started at the vigil of June 21, the United States Bishops have asked us priests to preach about the importance of religious freedom in our country in the context of the solemnities and feasts we celebrate during this time period.  John the Baptist proclaimed God’s word against the backdrop of a powerful Roman empire. Herod feared John the Baptist and his message so much so that John was ultimately imprisoned and beheaded for living out his faith according to God’s will.  Herod did not want to hear the truth in the words of John the Baptist.  As we see our religious freedom under attack in our own country in our own day, perhaps the honesty, diligence, and fortitude by which John the Baptist lived out his faith is a good example for all of us to reflect upon.

         During the Fortnight for Freedom, we the faithful are to undertake prayer, education, and action in support of religious freedom.  We are to undertake a national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty.  John the Baptist paid with his life as he spoke the truths of our faith.  Just last Thursday, we celebrated the feast of St John Fisher and St Thomas More, both of whom were beheaded by Henry VIII in 16th century England.  Just like King Herod with John the Baptist, Henry VIII did not want More and Fisher to speak the truth about the Church and about the holy bond of matrimony that Henry VIII wanted to break with his wife Catherine of Aragon.  More was a lawyer and chancellor of England, while Fisher was a high ranking English Bishop in the Catholic Church.  For speaking out for religious freedom, both of them became martyrs for the faith.

         In a document that was issued this past April, the Bishops called religious freedom “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty.”  Religious Liberty was important to the founding fathers of our country: it was the topic of the first amendment to the US Constitution.  In many ways, religious liberty is at the foundation of all the liberties we enjoy in our country, for if we Americans are not free to form and follow our consciences in our religious faith and to choose the way we live out our faith each day, then how will we be able to live in freedom in any sense of that word? When our government asks us to do something that is against God’s holy teachings, then the American tradition of liberty is being trampled upon and destroyed.  We saw Dr. Martin Luther King Jr stir up the religious consciousness of our nation during the Civil Rights movement; a stirring of our religious consciousness is happening right now as well. 

         We pray for the intercessions of John the Baptist, for the intercessions of St Thomas More and St John Fisher, of St Peter and St Paul.  We pray for the courage and fortitude that propelled these men to action, to stand up for faith and for freedom.  

Fortnight for Freedom - Prayer for Religious Liberty

Almighty God, Father of all nations,

For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:1).

We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty, the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common good.

Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote our liberties;

By your grace may we have the courage to defend them, for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed land.

We ask this through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, our patroness, and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Fortnight for Freedom - Saturday - June 24 2017 - Freedom to Bear Witness to the Truth

For me, being silenced or not being given the opportunity to speak is one of the greatest acts of oppression we can be subject to.  Often times, certain voices drown out the voices of others.  Often times, our voice of Christian witness gets drowned out in society.  We pray that the Holy Spirit give us the courage to speak the truth, even when the backlash is oppression and anger.  

From the US Bishops’ website: 

Pray:  That the Holy Spirit would give us the courage to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel, even in the face of social and legal pressure.

Reflect:  We must stand up for the civil right to be free from government coercion. At the same time, we Christians must be mindful that our freedom comes from Christ, and so we are always free when we remain in Christ.  When a government attempts to force us to violate our consciences, we must witness to the truth. A state that coerces the conscience of its citizens radically oversteps its proper boundaries. Rather than resist as a revolutionary, the Christian bears patient witness to the truth, even if that witness leads to punishment.  The martyrs are great examples of this. The key to martyrdom is witness to truth. In this respect, we are all called to be martyrs.

Act:  Start speaking up today! Reflect on how to respectfully engage in conversation about religious freedom. Share with others why religious freedom is good for all people.

25 June 2017 - 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Mission Appeal at St Lawrence Catholic Church, Indianapolis, Indiana - Matthew 10:26-33

       St Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun who lived in Spain in the 16th century, a renowned mystic and Church reformer, is one of my favorite saints.  Because this was the time of the Spanish Inquisition and right after the Reformation, Teresa efforts at reform often were not well received by her community, to bring them back to their humble origins and spiritual practices.  One evening, Teresa was thrown out of her convent in the middle of a stormy night dressed only in her religious habit.  As she was leaving, riding on a donkey cart, they hit a ditch, with Teresa being thrown into the mud. Teresa sat up in the mud, looked up into the stormy sky and shouted to God in her anger and frustration: “Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, it is no wonder why you don’t have many.  But as frustrating as her work could be, she clung to her faith, she stuck to her efforts in reforming the Carmelites to which God called her.  Today, Teresa of Avila is one of our most beloved saints, one of the first female Doctors of the Church, one of our Church’s great teachers and theologians.  

      Jeremiah faced opposition to his prophetic ministry.  And Jesus and his disciples faced a lot of opposition in their proclamation of God’s kingdom.  As Jesus prepares his disciples for the hostility and rejection they would face, he told them to trust and not to fear. That is good advice for us of us to remember as we live out of faith and preach Christ’s Good News in the modern world.  As was mentioned at the beginning of mass, my name is Father Lincoln Dall.  I am a Diocesan priest from the Diocese of Jackson, mission territory in our own country.  You probably picture Mississippi as being in the heart of the Bible belt of our country, which is true.  Our Diocese of Jackson is very large geographically, taking up most of the state, all except that cluster of counties around the Gulf Coast, which comprise the Diocese of Biloxi.  Our Diocese is the largest geographically in the United States East of the Mississippi River.  However, even though we are so large geographically, our Diocese has the lowest percentage of Catholics in any Diocese in the United States, estimated to be about 2.3%. There were priests in the state of Mississippi during the time of the Spanish explorers, until the time that the Spanish settlements were disbanded in the territory of Mississippi.  Our Diocese was established in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI.  Currently we have about 100 parishes and missions, but most of those churches are rather small, reflecting the rural nature of our state.  

      I have been a Diocese priest for 9 years now.  My first assignment as pastor in the communities of Yazoo City and Belzoni in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the cotton growing region that is formed along the Mississippi River. While stationed in the Delta, I served 3 parishes and two prisons.  I remember telling a priest in California that the territory I served in the Delta encompassed about 1,400 square miles, his jaw just about fell on the floor.  However, in those two counties, only about 37,000 people resided. 

    For the past 3 1/2 years, I have been serving in the city of Tupelo in NE Mississippi.  The parish where I am pastor, St James the Greater, is more than 100 years old. For many years, the parish had been served by priests from a Benedictine monastery in Culman, Alabama, several hours away.  Tupelo had been a very small Catholic community throughout most of its history.   However, in the 1970s and 1980s, many Catholics moved down from the Midwest for jobs, from places like Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri. In the past 10 years, we’ve had an influx of first generation Americans from places like Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam.  

      You can probably tell from my accent that I am not originally from Mississippi myself. I grew up in Chicago and Los Angeles.  After serving as a missionary in Canada and South America for 7 years, I felt God calling me to be a missionary in my own land. For more than a century, the majority of our priests in Mississippi came from Ireland. There are also a lot of priests from different parts of the US who like me felt the call to be of service in the missionary territories of our own country. We have different priests and brothers from religious orders serving in our Diocese - the Redemptorists, the Society of the Divine Word, the Trinitarians, the Norbertines, and the Christian Brothers.  Recently, we’ve had a lot of priests arrive from India to help out in our parishes. 

     I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to share with you our experiences in the Diocese of Jackson. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and it is important for us to be in solidarity together in proclaiming God’s kingdom here on earth. Thank you for your prayers and your support. 

June 23, 2017 - Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of the Jesus is a common practice in our Catholic faith.  Indeed, since the 17th century, alongside the Rosary, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been one of the most popular expressions and devotions of our Catholic faith. In my parish of St James in Tupelo Mississippi, and in many Catholic churches throughout the world, the mass of the first Friday of the month focuses on the devotion to our Savior’s Sacred Heart.   The Friday in June following Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ) is the day we celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

How did this practice come about? Until the late 1600s, adoration and veneration of Jesus' Sacred Heart was common, but mostly a devotion done in private. However, in 1673, when a 24-year-old nun, St Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Order of the Visitation of Mary received three revelations in which Jesus asked her to promote public devotion to His Sacred Heart.  She claimed to have been visited by Jesus on three different occasions between 1673 and 1675.  

Margaret Mary said Jesus was deeply saddened by the ungrateful way he was being treated by humanity. He explained how His heart burned for all of God’s creation, how he had perpetually given his mercy and love to every one of us, yet so many did not give that love to him in return.   Jesus asked Margaret Mary to honor the affection pouring from His heart by frequently receiving holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of every month. He invited her to spend a holy hour the night before, offering recompense for the world's indifference. He urged Margaret Mary to promote a Church feast day in which the faithful would acknowledge His Sacred Heart as the source of love, indicating that he wanted this feast to be celebrated on the Friday after Corpus Christi Sunday. He desired people throughout the world to celebrate the day by receiving holy Communion and by prayer.

As we celebrate the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus today, it calls us out of our complacency and to delve more deeply into our faith. 

Fortnight for Freedom - Friday - June 23 2017 - Freedom to Care for the Sick -

I recently was telling a friend about how I had to battle to get a physical paid for by my insurance company, only the second physical I have had with that insurance provider, in which I have been covered since 2004.  Yet, if I had been a woman seeking payment of an expensive contraceptive prescription, that would have been covered under government law without question.  Often God’s law contradicts the law of man.  In getting health coverage and in providing health care, out conscience and the values of the faith should count for something - which is the theme for today’s Fortnight for Freedom reflection.  

From the US Bishops website: 

Pray:  That nurses, doctors, therapists, and all ministers of healing would be  strengthened by the Holy Spirit in their imitation of Christ’s compassion

and care for the sick.

Reflect:  Acts of healing were central to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. He restored sight to the blind, made the lame to walk, and cured leprosy. These miracles revealed that Jesus has come to restore the broken areas of this fallen world. The ministry of healing has continued in the Church. Christians have developed healthcare ministries dedicated to the study and practice of medicine. Indeed, the Church invented the hospital as we know it. Catholic hospitals today are often attacked for not performing abortions and other harmful procedures. Catholic medical professionals have been forced to violate their consciences and participate in abortions. Catholics serve in healing ministries out of fidelity to Jesus Christ. It is unthinkable that we would undermine our mission to heal by

destroying innocent life and harming the persons for whom we are called to care.

Freedom to care for the sick.

Act:  Concerned Catholics can help by contacting their representatives in Congress and voicing support for conscience protection. Check out Human Life Action and the USCCB Action Alert Center for updates on bills like Conscience Protection Act (H.R. 644 / S. 301) and the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7 / S. 184).

Fortnight for Freedom - Thursday - June 22, 2017 - May we be God’s servants first

On the day we commemorate St Thomas More and St John Fisher, two men who were killed by King Henry VIII in Tudor England in the 16th century after those two men chose loyalty to Church and to God over loyalty to their King when their King broke God’s law, we reflect upon what it truly means to be God’s servants first before anything else.  We often put other things before Church and before God.  May we truly be servants of Christ in our lives.  

From the US Bishops website: 

Pray:  St Thomas More and St John Fisher, we pray that we would be servants of our country, but God’s first.

Reflect:  It is good to love one’s country, but ultimate loyalty is due only to Christ and his kingdom.  Nationalism becomes idolatrous when loyalty to the nation is more important than loyalty to Christ. St Thomas More and St John Fisher show us what faithful citizenship looks like. They loved and served their country. But when they were forced to choose between God’s Church and the king, they were faithful to the Church. May their example continue to illuminate the path for us, as we seek to faithfully serve our Church and country.

Act:  Get together and celebrate religious freedom with a parish picnic. Hand out religious freedom conversation starters as a way to spur discussion about our first, most precious liberty. Or, host a movie night, and watch A Man for All Seasons, about the martyrdom of St. Thomas More.

First Day of the Fortnight for Freedom: Freedom to serve migrants and refugees

When we hear the words "migrant" and "refugee", we hear very politicized words in the context of the modern world.  It is interesting that this is the theme of the Fortnight for Freedom, a theme that is difficult to discuss in a civilized way in the context of today's politics.  May we open our hearts to this subject.  How is the Gospel calling us to receive migrants and refugees in our society and in our world.  

From the USCCB website:

Pray:   That the Lord would protect all migrants and refugees, and that all those who work with people on the move would be free to serve.

Reflect:  Christians are committed to caring for the vulnerable, and migrants and refugees are some of the most vulnerable. The Church has long sought to serve the unique needs of “people on the move,” from providing for basic needs, to assisting with resettlement, to offering legal services to help newcomers navigate the system of their host country. In recent years, new laws and regulations have been proposed that have the effect of restricting the Church’s ability to serve. Under one state law, even giving an undocumented person a ride to Mass could have been deemed a criminal offense. Furthermore, the new federal Administration has sought to drastically reduce the number of refugees admitted into the U.S., and has suspended the resettlement of refugees from countries where many people face violent persecution. The Church is called to serve the vulnerable, and we must remain steadfast in our commitment to solidarity with migrants and refugees Freedom to serve migrants and refugees 

Act:   The USCCB’s Justice for Immigrants Campaign is an effort to unite and mobilize a growing network of Catholic entities and people of goodwill in support of immigration reform. Get news, resources, and action alerts from Justice for Immigrants at justiceforimmigrants.org.