21 June 2019 – Friday of 11th week in ordinary time – St Aloysius Gonzaga – Psalm 34

     “From all their distress – God rescues the just.”   We hear this in the psalm today, as the psalmist declares that he blesses the Lord at all times.  We have no problems at all giving the Lord blessings for our joys and our comforts, but it probably much more difficult to offer blessings to the Lord in the midst of our sorrows and our distress.  

         God rescues the just, but sometimes the rescue is not from earthly dangers.  The saint we celebrate today is St Aloysius Gonzaga. He was born into an aristocratic Italian family in the year 1568, but he died at the young age of 23 while studying in Rome as a member of the Jesuits from the plague that he contracted while nursing some sick patients in the midst of an epidemic.  Aloysius was known for his great piety.  He is buried in the Church of St Ignatius of Loyola in Rome.  I remember visited that church in Rome when I went there with the St Richard Youth Choir in 2010, and remember the many people who came to that church looking for St Aloysius’ grave site.

         As we bless the Lord in our joys and our sorrows, we follow the journey of faith where he calls us here on earth.  Sometimes it is quite a difficult journey, but we are called to lift it all up to the Lord.

          In 1729, Pope Benedict 13th declared Aloysius to be the patron saint of young students. And in 1926, he was named patron of all Christian youth by Pope Pius 11th.  We pray this prayer for his intercessions for our youth today:

St Aloysius ,you were a faithful follower of Christ as you were studying to enter the Society of Jesus. You steadily worked toward perfection in your life of faith while you generously served victims of the plague in Rome. Help our youth today who are faced with a plague of false cults, false gods, and false values in our modern secular world. Show them how to focus their energies toward God and to use them in service toward others. Amen.

Bulletin reflection for the weekend of June 25 and 26 2019 - leaving for Spain for the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

      After the masses this weekend, I will start my journey to the village of Loyola in the Basque country in Northeastern Spain.  I will be traveling the the sanctuary of Loyola, the place where St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, grew up and had his conversion experience, a journey that led him to the priesthood and the founding of a religious order named the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits.  While Ignatius was on his quest for spiritual renewal in the early 16th century, he wrote the spiritual exercises, which is now a classical work of Catholic spirituality and discernment.  These spiritual exercises are a compilation of meditations, prayers, and contemplative practices to help people deepen their relationship with God and hear the will of God for them in their lives.  I have always wanted to experience these spiritual exercises; now I have this wonderful opportunity.  I will pray for all of you here at St Jude as I go to pray on this retreat for 30 days in this very intentional way. 

       It is amazing how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.  Most of you know that I have had a very intense year.  Until recently, I had been working as the interim Director of Finance for the Diocese since October. Then, when I return from Spain, I will serve as Vicar General for the Diocese and will continue to serve as Pastor here at St Jude.  In addition, right before I start my retreat, I am just finishing up 30 credit hours of a master’s degree in church administration and management, a very intense amount of classes to take within the course of a year.  These weeks of spiritual exercises in the country of Spain, a place that I love very much, will be a good time for prayer and renewal for me before I start this new chapter in my priesthood here in Diocese of Jackson.  While I am gone, you will be in the hands of some wonderful priests who will be filling in for me, including Father Kevin Slattery, Father Tom Lalor, Father Scott Thomas, and Father Antony Chakkalakkal, who is the new chaplain at St Dominic.  Blessings to all of you - you will all be in my prayers.

Catholic Father's day blessing - 2019

God our Father, you govern and protect your people and shepherd them with a father’s love.

You place a father in our families and in our communities as a sign of your love, care, and protection.

We pray for our fathers with us today that they may be

faithful to the example shown to us in sacred Scripture:

steadfast in love, 

forgiving and merciful,

sustaining their families, 

and caring for the poor and the oppressed.

We pray for wisdom for our fathers, that they may encourage and guide their children and members of our community.

Guide our fathers and grandfathers with the Spirit of your love. May they grow in holiness and draw their family ever closer to you.

We ask this blessing for our fathers and grandfathers today – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN.

18 June 2019 - Tuesday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time - 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

   Paul’s letter to the Corinthians includes an appeal to contribute to a collection to the church in Jerusalem.   We hear the introduction to that appeal in today’s reading. Paul praises the community’s generosity and concern for others.  I think of how we are all interconnected parts of the Diocese of Jackson - the different parishes, programs, and ministries that all all interconnected together.  I as a priest and we have a parish try to help out the different parishes and ministries in different ways.  We try to reach out to the Catholic prisoners and college students and the patients at the state hospital.  Our Catholic faith is not an isolated entity in our parish.  We are called to see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, and as such, we are called to be in union and solidarity with each other.  Paul’s writings stress the connection that the communities had in the Early Church.  It is easy to think only of our own needs at times and to downplay that unity we have.  Certainly, it would be easier on me and our parish if I could devote all my time to our parish here and just focus on our faith community,  but loving God and loving our neighbor are essential to our faith, and obedient to the Bishop and being loyal to our Diocese are essential as well.  We are called to collaborate with our Catholic brothers and sister in Christ with charity and tenderness of heart.  We should all feel joy in being a part of our universal Church.   

Prayers of the faithful - solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Penitential rite:

Lord Jesus - you bring us the love of the Father - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you send us the Holy Spirit as our advocate - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us your everlasting peace - Lord have mercy. 

Priest: The Trinity of love created all things.  We stand in wonder and awe before the marvels worked by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, let us pray together, grateful for God’s many gifts.

For Francis our Pope and Joseph our Bishop.  For all the bishops we met together in Baltimore last week.  We pray that they may continue to lead us in worship of the true God.  We pray to the Lord.

For nations divided by hatred, violence, and fear, that the Spirit of truth may lead them to harmony and peace.  We pray to the Lord.

For people facing difficult obstacles and challenging in their lives that may at times seems overwhelming.  For those facing addictions and mental illness, that they may find patience, perseverance, and hope. We pray to the Lord.

For this community of believers, that we may live in the unity and love of the Trinity.  We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and shut-ins, for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.  For those prayers that we hold in our hearts today.  We pray to the Lord.  

Priest: Father, hear our prayers, offered for all creation, in the unity of the Holy Spirit and in the love of your son, who lives and reigns forever and ever.  

13 June 2019 - Thursday of the 10th week in Ordinary Time - 2 Corinthians 3:15—4:1, 3-6

      I have had a problem with wax in my ears since my days as a missionary in Ecuador.  I remember when the doctor in the military hospital in Quito removed all the wax and other junk that had clogged up my ear, when she opened the door, the sound was like a crash of thunder.  I had not realized how impaired my hearing had gotten when the wax had built up so much. The method of using water to flush the wax out of my ears does not usually work for me.  I usually use a baked onion or a hot water bottle to melt the wax away.  I remember that the first summer I was in Tupelo, the wax got so bad, that all the ladies in the office were yelling at me just so I could hear what they were saying. I went to an ear, nose and throat clinic in Tupelo; it took the doctor many tries to get the wax out, but once the wax did come out, I was amazed at what I was able to hear. 

         Paul tells us today, that whenever a person turns to the Lord, it is like a veil is removed.  Just like me hearing so much better once I got the wax out of my ears, once we turn to God, the way we see the world is so different as well. We are called to do much more than going through the motions of our faith, to do more than taking the easy road and accepting the status quo.  We are called to truly turn to the Lord with our hearts, to feel the Lord at the bottom of our souls. May we remove the veil that is impeding us from moving ahead on our journey of faith.  May we remove the wax that is clogging up our ears, that is impeding us from hearing the word of God in our lives. 

Blessing - our parish cat

At St James Catholic Church in Tupelo, about 10 years ago, a gray cat showed up and would not go away.  She was skin and bones, beat up, full of scratches and sores.  I arrived at that parish in Tupelo in February 2012.  By that time, Blessing took up residence at the church office.  She became a big part of the parish.  When I left for Pearl two years ago, I took Blessing and another little cat with me.  Blessing is now a beloved part of St Jude in Pearl.  She loves finding little nooks and crannies where she can sleep.  For a while, she found a mop top in our closet as a comfortable place to cuddle.  Yes, Blessing is a sweet little kitty.  

Prayers of the faithful - Pentecost - 9 June 2019

Penitential rite - 

Lord Jesus - you send us the Holy Spirit as our advocate - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you are seated at the right hand of the father - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to a life of discipleship - Lord have mercy. 

Prayers - 

In faith and confidence, we bring our prayer to our loving and merciful God. 

1. For the Holy Catholic Church, for Francis our pope, for Joseph Kopacz our bishop, and for all bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leader, that they would be guided by the Holy Spirit as they lead the people of God, we pray to the Lord:  Lord Hear Our Prayer

2. For the leaders of the nations, that they would develop the Fruits of the Spirit, and act with love, kindness, and peace, and work together for the common good, we pray to the Lord: Lord Hear Our Prayer

3. For our local community and its needs: that we act as witnesses to the love and mercy of Christ as we love our neighbors as ourselves, we pray to the Lord: Lord Hear Our Prayer

4. For our parish community: that we open ourselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we pray to the Lord: Lord Hear Our Prayer

5. For those who are sick, suffering, homeless, or unemployed; for the poor and those suffering from addictions, we pray to the Lord:  Lord Hear Our Prayer

6. For all those who have died - for the repose of our souls - we pray to the Lord: Lord Hear Our Prayer

7. For our own needs and intentions, that we now recall in our hearts - we pray to the Lord: Lord Hear Our Prayer. 

We lift up our prayers today and ask for the gifts of the Spirit to animate our lives of faith.  We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.

14 June 2019 - Friday of the 10th week of Ordinary Time - 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

      Paul, in his writings, calls the followers of Christ to believe in the glory and beauty of God’s kingdom to which we’re called.  But, there is a paradox in our existence here on earth as well. In very poetic language, Paul describes how we are in fact fragile earthenware jars, but that the treasure that these jars contain comes from God, not from our own devices and our own efforts. In this world, we are confronted with suffering and death, which makes this present existence here on earth difficult and not glorious appearing at all.  The world looks at things a certain ways, in ways that are perhaps confounded by our faith. 

        Recently, someone told me that it was unreasonable for someone to have to change planes at another airport, that even if the plane ticket was double the price, it was worth not having to put up with that discomfort and inconvenience.  Yes, that is one way of looking at it.  I thought of an experience that a friend of mine had -  she taught at our seminary.   She was traveling from Milwaukee to Lexington, Kentucky and was very nervous about flying.  Traveling was something that was very difficult and nerve racking for her.  Somehow, she got it into her mind that it would be better to travel by bus than to fly.  How she thought that, I have no idea.  Anyhow, she left Milwaukee on the Greyhound bus, transferred at the very chaotic bus terminal in downtown Chicago, and as she saw the sign on the freeway that said, “The people of Gary, Indiana welcome you to their city,” the door of the bus inexplicably flew open.  The bus had to pull over on the side of the freeway; they were stranded there for hours until another bus came and picked them up, coming from Chicago.  This professor described to me how terrifying this experience was for her. But, as they were waiting on the side of the road, she started talking to people on the bus, including a young man who was an immigrant from Central America who had been detained for several months at an immigrant detention center. She told how this trip on the Greyhound bus became a blessing to her, how it opened her eyes and how she saw God in the experiences of that trip and in the stories the people she met. I have found in my pilgrimage hikes, in my missionary work, and even in my priestly ministry, those unexpected, unplanned, in your face, raw experiences are the ones where we can really see God, in the midst of the suffering and the challenges and the rough edges that we face in this lifetime.  We may want to avoid inconvenience at all cost, but in the process, we may be separating ourselves from those experiences where God will speak to us in very profound ways.  Let us see those moments and the reality around us as opportunities that we have on our journey in encountering God. 

12 June 2019 - Wednesday of the 10th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 5:17-19

      The 5th through 7th chapters of Matthew’s Gospel contains the Sermon on the Mount. Today, we hear a continuation of those teachings.  Scholars believe that the intended audience of the Gospel of Matthew were Jews who were following the Way of Jesus.  These Jews wanted to be assured that their Jewish culture and traditions were not being abolished, but rather fulfilled in Jesus, that the Way of Jesus did not reject Judaism, but rather it was its natural fulfillment.  We see later in the Sermon on the Mount what this means, that the importance is not following each little injunction of the law, but instead placing important in the spirit of the law.

      Following, interpreting, and pastorally applying the law is always a complex challenge for me as a priest.  The popes have taught in recent years that one of the gravest dangers we have in the modern world is the pervasiveness of relativism, of thinking that there is no objective truth or law, that God’s laws and moral principles are relative and changeable based upon our circumstances, such as our culture, our education, our age, our economic status, and our gender.  I believe in what Pope Benedict taught regarding relativism, but still, as a priest, I have to apply the law pastorally in different circumstances, which is not easy. The Second Vatican Council asks the Church to read the signs of the times, to dialogue with society, and to infuse society with the values of our faith.  

       It is a great challenge living out the values of our faith.  It is difficult at times.  It requires sacrifices.  It sometimes entails going against the secular ways of the world.  Yes, meditating upon God’s law and the covenant we have in Jesus, we have a lot to think about, don’t we? 

11 June 2019 - St Barnabas, the Apostle - Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3

        We honor Barnabas the Apostle today.  Barnabas was one of the group of disciples in the Early Church who helped spread the way of Jesus throughout the ancient world.  Barnabas worked closely with Paul, as we heard in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  We don’t know a lot of details about many of the apostles and disciples, but we do know that they worked hard spreading the Gospel and that they worked hard encouraging those on their journey of faith. 

         As we are engaged in a new evangelization in our world today, a world that is becoming increasingly secular, a world in which many see religion as hypocritical or irrelevant, we find great encouragement in Barnabas and Paul, of their great missionary spirit.  We celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood in a couple of weeks.  We are called to see a missionary spirit inherent in the spirit of the Eucharist.  On the night before Jesus died, he instituted the Holy Eucharist in the Last Supper that he celebrated with his followers. He did this so that his Sacrifice on Calvary, which would be consummated on the following day, might be celebrated in every time and place and for all of humanity. Reflecting upon the Lord’s Supper, Pope Benedict has this to say: “At the Last Supper, Jesus entrusts to his disciples the sacrament which makes present his self-sacrifice for the salvation of us all, in obedience to the Father’s will. We cannot approach the (Eucharist) without being drawn into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to reach all people. Missionary outreach is thus an essential part of the Eucharistic form of the Christian life.”

         We need to break out of our comfort zones, to find new and exciting ways to grow in our faith and to evangelize in new and creative ways.  The New Testament recounts ways in which Paul and Barnabas met barriers and obstacles in their efforts to evangelize, even to the point of having their lives threatened or being kicked out of towns.  We should not get discouraged when things don’t go as we optimistically hope for.  May we find strength in the Eucharist and in our community of faith.  May we accept the call to be missionaries. 

10 June 2019 - feast day of Mary, Mother of the Church - John 19:25-34

       On March 3 of last year, Pope Francis decreed that “the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,” is to be celebrated  in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church  on the Monday after Pentecost. Even though this is a new feast day for us, the history of this veneration has been passed down through the centuries from the period of the Early Church. Mary, Mother of the Church is reflected in the writings of St. Augustine and of St. Leo the Great, both from the early 5th century.   C. St. Augustine asserted that “Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity, she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church.” St. Leo the Great stated that “the birth of Jesus, the head, is also the birth of the body, thus indicating that Mary is at once the Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and the mother of the members of his mystical body, which is the Church.” St Paul VI, at the conclusion of the third Session of the Second Vatican Council, declared Mary as the “Mother of the Church, that is to say (the Mother) of all Christian people, the faithful as well as the pastors, who call her the most loving Mother.” Paul VI decreed at the same time that “the Mother of God should be further honored and invoked by the entire Christian people by this tenderest of titles.” The Gospel we hear on this feast day is from the Gospel of John, in which Jesus entrusts his mother Mary to the beloved disciple.  Tradition holds that Mary and the beloved disciple traveled to Ephesus in Turkey, where Mary lived to the end of her days here on earth. As Mary was so beloved by the Early Church, she continues to be beloved by the faithful today.  As we leave the Easter season and as we enter the 10th week of Ordinary Time, Mary accompanies us today as our Mother and the Mother of the Church.  

6 June 2019 - Thursday of the 7th week of Easter - Acts 25:13B-21

       During the Easter season, the first readings we have in the daily masses come from the Acts of the Apostles.  I have enjoyed hearing them again during the Easter season each year, hearing about the development of the early Church, about the missionary efforts of the apostles, about the way our belief in Jesus and his ministry developed in the years right after his death and resurrection.  Especially with the persecutions in the Early Church and with the controversy about reaching out to the Gentiles, the evangelizers in the Early Church faced many obstacles and challenges.   Poor Paul in particular had such a difficult time with his missionary efforts, not only with those to whom he was bringing God’s word, but also the Jewish authorities who constantly challenged him and tried to destroy him.  Paul is sneaky and intelligent, however, as we hear him trap the Sadducees and Pharisees, getting them in an argument that he knows will keep them occupied, since these two groups do not agree in the belief in the resurrection.

      Today, we see various Christian groups still arguing about differences in what they believe.  So many in our society do not have any respect or decency with those who differ from their point of view. When we see restaurants refusing to serve dinner to someone just because they are members of a certain political party or a certain presidential administration, we might wonder what has happened to the dignity and respect in which we treat each other.  In my missionary work with the Catholic Church, we always started with the story and the reality of those we served, of the way God was already present in the lives, in whatever way that would be.  From others’ reality and other’s stories, we can learn so much.  

      I give thanks to Paul for his courage and strength.  May we follow in those same footsteps as disciples of Christ.

7 June 2019 - Friday of the 7th week of Easter - ACTS 25:13B-21

    Today we continue to hear about charges brought against Paul in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  Specifically, we hear the charges being explained to Herod Agrippa, the head of this region of the Roman empire.  It is explained to Herod that Paul is not accused by the chief priests and the elders of the Jewish people of criminal charges related to laws of the Roman empire, but rather of violating Jewish religious laws, specifically related to Jesus, who Paul claims is alive.

     How is Jesus alive in our hearts today?  At the Easter Vigil Mass this year, Pope Francis stated in his homily: “To return to a lively love of the Lord is essential, otherwise, ours is a ‘museum’ faith, not an Easter faith. Jesus is not a personage from the past; he is a person living today. We do not know him from history books; we encounter him in life.”  The Pope states that Christ, the living one, must be at the center of our lives.  For this to happen, we Christians must ask for the grace not to be “carried by the current, the sea of our problems; the grace not to run aground on the shoals of sin or crash on the reefs of discouragement and fear.” I love how the pope expresses himself.  

       Indeed, Christ is there alive for us if we let him enter our lives.  

4 June 2019 - Tuesday of the 7th week of Easter - Acts 20:17-27

       Paul says goodbye to the community of Ephesus in our first reading today; he spent approximately 2 to 3 years preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in that community.  Paul at first encountered great enthusiasm from the Jews there as he preached to them in their synagogue, but later, when opposition arose, he moved to the public hall where his message was heard by many.  As he gets ready for his departure, Paul makes preparations to go to Jerusalem, even though he knows that he may face violence or arrest upon his arrival there.  

      It is difficult saying goodbye sometimes, isn’t it?  We who are involved in ministry do not know when we are going to be called to a different place or a different type of ministry altogether.  Already, as a priest with 11 years of experiences, I have had four different assignments in parishes and 2 different assignments in the chancery office.  Ministry can be like that - saying hello and saying goodbye is something we do often.   We give thanks for Paul and those first Fathers and Mothers of the Early Church who were pioneers in preaching Good News of Jesus Christ and for all the priests and lay ministers who have served here in our Diocese.  The Lord is with us in our of our experiences - in our joys and our accomplishments, in our sufferings and our challenges, in our arrivals and in our goodbyes. 

5 June 2019 - Wednesday of the 7th week of Easter - Acts 20:28-38

     I lived in Winnipeg for two years as a missionary.  Interestingly enough, this city of about 700,000 inhabitants has two different Roman Catholic Cathedrals.  The Cathedral of St Mary is the Cathedral of the English speaking Archdiocese of Winnipeg.  The Cathedral of St Boniface serves a French speaking population.  When I would travel to the soup kitchen and food bank where I worked, when I mostly traveled by bicycle, I would pass by the Cathedral of St Boniface, a very interesting architectural marvel.  It was built in 1906, but in 1968, there was a terrible fire that destroyed the Cathedral, all except the front facade.  A new smaller cathedral was built behind the facade, making a very interesting new building that has won many architectural awards. 

       I thought of the St Boniface Cathedral today because today is the feast day of St Boniface.  Born in the 7th century in England, Boniface spent many years as a monk in his native land.  At the age of 40, he received a command from the Pope to be a missionary to the Saxon people of present day Germany, who still had not converted to the faith.  He had great success in bringing them to the faith and later became the Bishop of Mainz in Germany.  At the age of 80, while in Frisia in Germany bringing the Gospel to the people there, he was attacked and killed, becoming a martyr for the faith.  

       It is interesting that in our first reading today, the end of a farewell speech Paul directs to the elders of Ephesus, he warms them about those would try to divide his community.  We, too, need to be cognizant that our words and our actions can either build things up, or conversely they can tear things down.  

From the example of St Paul and St Boniface, in their words and in their actions, it took great courage, strength and persistence to build up God’s kingdom. Pope Francis has said that our vocation in life, whether it be to the priesthood, consecrated life, lay ministry, or marriage, is a call to center one's life on Christ and build up his kingdom. Pope Francis goes on to say: "The more we unite ourselves to Jesus through prayer, sacred Scripture, the Eucharist, (and) the sacraments celebrated and lived in the church and in fraternity, the more there will grow in us the joy of cooperating with God in the service of the kingdom of mercy and truth, of justice and peace.” 

     Paul and Boniface left lasting legacies with the people whom they served.  May the spirit lead us in those same footsteps.