Book Review - On the Map by Simon Garfield

I have always loved geography and I have always loved maps. I really enjoyed this book. It was really like a breath of fresh air, being well-written and covering so many different subjects in the general realms of maps. This book helped me think about the maps that have affected the way I view life. I have lived in densely populated urban areas and big cities - Chicago and Los Angeles. I have also lived in very remote areas - the Mississippi Delta, a jungle in Ecuador, a small town in South Texas, and an island off the coast of Guinea in West Africa. I think of the maps of all those places. I think of traveling to remote parts of Africa and South America. I think of using a map to hike a pilgrimage route in Spain. I loved all the examples in the book - maps used by explorers, maps of the human brain and outer space. Maps show how we view the world. I really enjoyed this book. It made me think about how I view my world.

Book Review - 62: A Model Kit by Julio Cortázar

I love reading.  I try to take a book for what it is, to learn from the book and its author.  I love the different places I have been transported to through book.  I recently read a book that just blew me away with its beautiful writing and very engaging story.   However, I cannot say this about this book.  

Cortázar is considered one of the most influential Argentine novelists of the 20th century.  His writing is similar to the modernists, but he is much more influenced by jazz and surrealism.  I really wanted to like this novel.  And that said, it is not often that I do not like a novel as much as I did not like this book. I recently read the Argentine novel Scars by Juan José Saer, which was also very experimental in form just like this book, and I enjoyed that book very much. I just had a hard time engaging with this novel and relating to the story and the characters in it. The story did not engage me at all. I am glad I read it - it had been on my "to read" pile for a long time. I have very intentionally read a lot of good books this year - 41 books since January 1 according to my book journal that I keep. This has been my least favorite book so far this year.

Book Review - Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

       I remember when I was taking my introduction to American literature course my first year at Wake Forest as an undergraduate accounting major, my beloved professor, Dr Thomas Gossett, advised me to read good writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F Scoot Fitzgerald, telling me that reading good authors like that would really help me in my writing. This novel, Rules of Civility, was recommended to me by a good friend who is a retired librarian. I absolutely loved this book. A book about young people trying to find their way in life, deciding on the values they want to follow, searching for meaning and a career to follow appeals to me, even though I am more at the twilight of my own career, probably about a dozen years away from retirement.  I remember as a young adult absolutely loving The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway, which to me covers similar themes. I loved the story and the characters in this novel. They engaged me and they felt very relatable. I absolutely loved the writing style of this author. This book was beautifully written from the first sentence to the last one. Some passages were so beautiful that I savored every word. I usually read several books at a time, and in the midst of this book, I was reading Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, which I also like very much. I will definitely be on the look out for more books by this author.

30 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 9 - fruit of humility and goodness

Jesus humbled himself to live with us here on earth.  May we strive to be humble.  We we strive to be humble like the saints in heaven.  Holy Spirit, renew us by your power with your goodness that we may bring the Good News to the world out of the humility of our faith.  

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord. AMEN.  

Lincoln A Dall - 1865 - 1890

As a priest, I am used to marking the lives of the saints on the anniversaries of their deaths and their entry into eternal life.  I am the fifth person in my family to have the first name of Lincoln.  The first person in the Dall family named Lincoln passed away on May 28, 1890 at the age of 24, which is 130 years ago. His family worked on ships on the great lakes, as his father and mother immigrated to the United States from their home in Fife, Scotland.  Even though he died at such a young age, I have no idea of he died from an illness or from a shipwreck or an accident on one of the ships.  I have this photo of him that was passed down to me in my family.   With my name, I feel a connection to him and to my family in a special way.  I remember Lincoln A Dall on this day.  I pray for the repose of his soul.  I pray that his spirit and his prayers continue to lead me and guide me on my journey. 

29 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 8 - fruit of self-control

Many of the martyrs for the faith have had the overwhelming self-control to go joyfully to a painful death without shrinking from the opportunity to join you in heaven. Give us this same sense of self-control to have command over our emotions and desires that we may serve you more fully. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord. AMEN.  

28 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 7 - fruit of gentleness

Despite the gravity of our sins and the way we sometimes stray from our faith, O Lord, you treat us with gentleness. Dear Holy Spirit, give us your power to treat all in our lives with the gentleness exemplified in the lives of so many saints. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord.  AMEN.  

27 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 6 - the fruit of faithfulness

O Lord, are ever faithful to your people . You are faithful until the end. Though we are weak and distracted, please give us the grace to be faithful to you as you are faithful to us.  

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord.  AMEN.  

Let us pray for the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we celebrate PENTECOST this weekend

Holy Spirit, we ask that you grant us your fruits as we celebrate your coming at Pentecost: 

1. CHARITY: The great charity of all the host of saints is only made possible by your power, Divine Spirit. Increase in us the virtue of charity that we may love as God loves with the selflessness of the saints.

2. JOY: Christ’s disciples are marked with an uncompromisable joy in times of trial, difficulty, and pain. Give us, Holy Spirit, the joy that surpasses all understanding that we may live as a witness to your love and fidelity!

3. PEACE: Christ’s peace is different than the peace of our temporal world.  Christ’s peace is rooted in faith, but it can be destroyed by sin and the attacks of the Devil.  May our Advocate, the Holy Spirit, help us achieve a peace that survives all attacks. 

4. PATIENCE: Help us to endure our trials and tribulations with an eternal patience that is only possible through you, Holy Spirit.

5. KINDNESS:  Jesus approached sinners with immense kindness. Holy Paraclete, please treat us with the same kindness and give us the ability to treat all others with that kindness as well.

6. FAITHFULNESS: The Lord is ever faithful. Though we are weak and distracted, Holy Spirit, please give us the grace to be faithful to you as you are to us!

7. GENTLENESS: Despite the gravity of our sins, may the Lord treat us with gentleness. Dear Holy Spirit, give us your power to treat all in our lives with this spirit of gentleness.

8. SELF-CONTROL: The martyrs of the faith had the self-control to go joyfully to a painful death with courage and strength. Give us this self-control to have command over our emotions and desires that we may serve you more fully.

9. GOODNESS: May we always strive to have the goodness of the saints in heaven. Holy Spirit, renew us by your power with your goodness that we may bring Christ’s Good News to the world.

26 May 2020 - Prayers of the faithful - 7th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you are the spirit of truth - Lord have mercy. 
Lord Jesus - you care for the hungry and the lonely - Christ have mercy. 
Lord Jesus - you bring us justice and peace - Lord have mercy. 

PRIEST: As many of us face a lot of tension and anxiety and unknown in our lives right now, let us raise our minds and hearts in prayer to God:  
1. May our Church and its leaders help us to go out and make disciples of all nations. .
2. May Christ’s spirit of truth, goodness, and love guide all of our governmental leaders, bringing peace to the people, and care to the weak, the sick, the hungry and the homeless.  
3. We pray for all those who have committed their lives, both at home and abroad, to communicating the word of God.
4. We pray for all involved in the world of communications and media. We pray especially that their work may serve the cause of truth and justice and bring real benefits to all.
5. We pray for the sick, those affected by the pandemic, and those who need Christ’s healing presence in their lives.  
6. We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers.
PRIEST:  Father, may your love and compassion be constantly with us in our lives.   Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

31 de mayo de 2020 - Pentecostes - Actos 2:1-11, Juan 20:19-23

     La celebración de Pentecostés y la llegada del Espíritu Santo cumple las promesa de Cristo.  Durante la Última Cena, Cristo hizo esta promesa a sus apóstoles:

"yo rogaré al Padre y les dará otro Protector que permanecerá siempre con ustedes, el Espíritu de Verdad, a quien el mundo no puede recibir, porque no lo ve ni lo conoce."  Más adelante en la Última Cena, Cristo explicó ”Les he dicho todo esto mientras estaba con ustedes. En adelante el Espíritu Santo, el Intérprete que el Padre les va a enviar en mi Nombre, les enseñará todas las cosas y les recordará todo lo que yo les he dicho."  Al terminar la Última Cena con sus apóstoles, Cristo repitió la misma promesa:  “Les conviene que yo me vaya, pues al irme vendrá el Abogado,... muchas cosas tengo todavía que decirles, pero no se las diré ahora. Cuando venga aquél, el Espíritu de Verdad, los guiará hasta la verdad completa,... y los comunicará las cosas que están por venir.”

        Después de la Ascensión de Jesús a los cielos, se encontraban reunidos los apóstoles con la Madre de Jesús.  Era el día de la fiesta de Pentecostés.  Los apóstoles tenían miedo de salir a predicar. Repentinamente, se escuchó un fuerte viento y pequeñas lenguas de fuego se posaron sobre cada uno de ellos.  Los apóstoles quedaron llenos del Espíritu Santo y empezaron a hablar en lenguas desconocidas.  En esos días, había muchos extranjeros y visitantes en la ciudad de Jerusalén.  Ellos venían de todas partes del mundo a celebrar la fiesta de Pentecostés judía.  Cada uno oía hablar a los apóstoles en su propio idioma y entendían a la perfección lo que ellos hablaban.  Todos ellos, desde ese día, ya no tuvieron miedo y salieron a predicar a todo el mundo las enseñanzas de Jesús. El Espíritu Santo les dio fuerzas para la gran misión que tenían que cumplir: Llevar la palabra de Jesús a todas las naciones.  Bautizar a todos los hombres en el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo. Es este día cuando comenzó a existir la Iglesia como tal.

       Para nosotros en el mundo moderno, ¿quien es el Espíritu Santo?   En verdad, el Espíritu Santo es Dios, es la Tercera Persona de la Santísima Trinidad.  La Iglesia nos enseña que el Espíritu Santo es el amor que existe entre el Padre y el Hijo.   Este amor es tan grande y tan perfecto que forma una tercera persona.  El Espíritu Santo llena nuestras almas en el Bautismo y después, de manera perfecta, en el sacramento de confirmación.  Con el amor divino de Dios dentro de nosotros, somos capaces de amar a Dios y al prójimo.  El Espíritu Santo nos ayuda a cumplir nuestro compromiso de vida con Jesús.

        El Espíritu Santo vino en una manera especial hoy en esta misa publica en la celebración de Pentecostés.  Hay muchos desafíos en el mundo en este momento.  Hay muchos obstáculos en la practica de nuestra fe.  Pero, con la ayuda y la sabiduría del Espíritu Santo, podemos seguir adelante en nuestra fe como familias, como una comunidad, y como la Iglesia Católica. 

26 May 2020 - novena to the Holy Spirit - day 5 - fruit of kindness

Jesus approached sinners, the poor, and those marginalized in society with immense kindness. Holy Paraclete, please treat us humble sinners with the same kindness that Jesus treated others in his ministry.   Give us the ability to treat all others with that same kindness.  

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord.  Amen.  

25 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 4 - the fruit of patience

At St Jude parish, we are praying the novena for Pentecost.  During this novena, I would like to also pray for particular gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I pray that the Holy Spirit endow us with these gifts.

Holy Spirit, you give lavishly to those who ask of you. We pray that you give us the gift of patience, which is so profoundly exemplified in the lives of so many of the saints in how they lived their lives of faith here on earth. Help us to endure all the challenges and difficulties on our journey with an eternal patience that is only possible with your help. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.  

31 May 2020 - Pentecost - Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104, John 20: 19-23

       We are so glad that we are able to be back for mass this weekend.  I know that this has been a challenging and difficult time for all of us on many different levels, hasn’t it?  What a wonderful celebration we have today as we come back for our public mass together in Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit in the world.  So, as we think about the coming of the Holy Spirit and how that event changed the world, I want us to think about other moments and events that have changed our lives. The pandemic will rank up there in events that have changed our lives and changed the world.  But we also have a lot of personal events in our lives.  During the pandemic, we have had graduations, births, and other life changing events.  This weekend, on May 31, I mark the 12th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood.  When we think of these events, we may realize that this one event is part of a bigger process and a bigger picture.  For example, when a child is born to parents, the date of birth marks the child’s entrance into the world, but then the parents and the child forge a relationship that grows and develops over a lifetime.  My priesthood officially started at my ordination on May 31, 2008, but it was proceeded by years as a missionary, years of discernment, and year of formation at the seminary, and it has been following by the years I have been serving in the Diocese of Jackson as a priest.  I never dreamed that I would one day be director of temporal affairs and vicar general of the Diocese, with all the changes and challenges I have faced in those positions in the past couple of years.  But an event like the birth of a child or a wedding day or a graduation or an ordination is just the beginning of something much bigger.  Being faithful during years of growth and development, that commitment is tested and it becomes truer and deeper.  We have heard during the Easter season different accounts of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance in the 50 days leading up to Pentecost.  We hear in the Gospel today how Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in the locked room on the evening in the first day of the week.  Yet, in reality, we can say that the actions of the Holy Spirit had been with the disciples since the day they met Jesus, as they participated in his ministry during his lifetime on earth and after his death and resurrection.  We should all pray today the words of the psalm, “Lord, send out your spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” Yet, perhaps we need to take care in praying those words, because the the spirit can take us to some very unexpected places. 
       I want to thank all of you how we have been able to continued to function as a Christian community during this time of lock down and stay-in-place orders.  No, it is has definitely not been the same, but we have shown a lot of courage and creativity in practicing our faith and remaining an active community.  I want to thank our parish staff and all of you, our parishioners, who have kept our community going.  It is going to take a few weeks of trying things at our public masses to see what works, but I know you will be patient with us and we will all work it out.  I am so glad that our public masses are starting again.  

Book Review - Gabriel Schirm - Sunrises to Santiago

I first went on the Camino of Santiago in 2003 with a good friend, the summer before I entered seminary to become a Catholic priest. I have been a priest for 12 years and I have been on the Camino of Santiago five different times for three to four weeks each time. The Camino is one of my favorite things in the whole world. When I went in 2003, I found a total of two books on the Camino in English. Now, with the popularity of the Camino and with ebooks being so popular, there are literally hundreds of memoirs out there. Every journey on the Camino is different. And I have loved reading different accounts of these different journeys. I found this book, Sunrises to Santiago by Ganbriel Schrim, to be very honest and authentic.  He spoke about the physical problems and other struggles he had on the Camino, which some books and movies about the Camino tend to overlook.  He also talks a lot about those things he thought about on the Camino, including what he wanted to do in life and what vocation and career path he should follow. He hiked the Camino with his wife.  Her journey and his interactions with the pilgrims he meets are a big part of the book, as they are a big part of the Camino experience as well.   I enjoyed his story. In fact, one of the times I was on the Camino I met a pilgrim from Poland named Gabriel - I thought about him and his journey as I read through this book. Thank you for sharing your journey with us with such honesty. Buen camino Gabriel - blessings to you on your journey.

24 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 3 - the fruit of peace

At St Jude parish, we are praying the novena for Pentecost.  During this novena, I would like to also pray for particular gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I pray that the Holy Spirit endow us with these gifts.

Holy Spirit, by your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for your gift of peace within us. The Saints were tempted, attacked and accused by the devil who is the destroyer of peace.  Through our temptations and through the times we commit sins, help us as our advocate to regain Christ's peace, a peace that is very different than the peace of our temporal world. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

23 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 2 - the fruit of joy

At St Jude parish, we are praying the novena for Pentecost.  During this novena, I would like to also pray for particular gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I pray that the Holy Spirit endow us with these gifts.

Holy Spirit, by your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Joy within us.  Your saints are marked with an uncompromisable joy in times of trial, difficulty, and pain. Give us, Holy Spirit, the joy that surpasses all understanding that we may live as a witness to your love and fidelity! Amen. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

22 May 2020 - Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 1 - the fruit of charity

At St Jude parish, we are praying the novena for Pentecost.  During this novena, I would like to also pray for particular gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I pray that the Holy Spirit endow us with these gifts.  

Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. Thus, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for the gift of charity. The great charity of all the the host of saints is only made possible by your power, Divine Spirit. Increase in me, the virtue of charity, that I may love as God loves with the selflessness of the saints. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord, Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

20 May 2020 - prayers of the faithful - 6th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you are our Good Shepherd 
Christ Jesus - you are the only begotten son of God
Lord Jesus - you are our friend and guide 

Priest: With faith in God’s promises, let us now present our needs and petitions to God.
1. For the Holy Church, that we may be strengthened in Christ, and sustained by the Holy Spirit as we teach and keep the commandments, we pray to the Lord. 
2. For those in public office, that they may respond with assistance and compassion to the challenges and issues that confront us during this pandemic, we pray to the Lord. 
3. For those who are having difficulty discerning their purpose or their calling, that they may recognize the movement of the Holy Spirit their lives, we pray to the Lord. 
4. For all care-givers, health-care workers, first responders, and essential personnel, that they may carry Christ in their hearts as the perform their service to our community, we pray to the Lord. 
5.  For the children, youth and adults who continue to prepare for the Easter sacraments, that they may be nourished and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we pray to the Lord. 
6. For all who are gathered today through this live-stream, that like the early disciples we may boldly proclaim Christ to others, we pray to the Lord. 
7. For all who have died, (mention any names…) especially victims of COVID-19, to attain the fullness of life in the eternal kingdom, we pray to the Lord. 
Priest: God of love, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, and grant us today what we ask of you, in faith, through Christ, our Lord forever and ever. 

Email message for the 7th week of Easter - St Jude Catholic Church - Pearl Mississippi

     Most of you know how much I love the community of saints.  It is one of the things I dearly love about the Catholic faith.  I love learning about the saints and reading books about the saints.  This week, we have a number of wonderful saints we celebrate on their feast day.  Monday is the feast day of the Venerable Bede, Doctor of the Church and Benedictine monk from England from the 7th century.   Tuesday, we celebrate Mariana de Jesús, a third order Franciscan from the 17th century who is the patron saint of the country of Ecuador.  Tuesday is also the feast day of Philip Neri from the 16th century, a priest who known for his joyful spirit and as the second apostle of Rome.  Wednesday we celebrate Augustine of Canterbury, who was sent from his monastery in Rome to preach the Gospel to the people of England in the 6th century.  Friday is the feast day of Pope Paul VI, who preached a message of peace in the middle of the 20th century in the midst of the Cold War.  I preach about Paul VI and his lasting legacy in my homily in Friday's daily mass.  

      Today, I would like to share a prayer written by St Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan priest originally from Portugal who was born in the 12th century.  He is the patron saint of lost things and lost souls.  I found this prayer in a daily book of prayer that I have.  I love the emphasis in this prayer on love of God and love of neighbor:

Lord Jesus, bind us to you and to our neighbor with love. 

May our hearts not be turned away from you. 

May our souls not be deceived nor our talents or minds enticed by allurements of error, so that we may never distance ourselves from your love.  

Thus may we love our neighbor as ourselves with strength, wisdom, and gentleness. 

With your help, you who are blessed throughout all ages.  Amen.

24 de mayo de 2020 – La Ascensión del Señor – Hechos 1:1-11, Mateo 28:16-20

       Hoy celebramos la Ascensión del Señor y tal vez preguntamos sobre el motivo de esta celebración en la iglesia. Por supuesto, después de la resurrección de Jesucristo, nosotros como los discípulos, queremos que él va a quedar para siempre visible entre nosotros.
       Pero, ¿qué significa “Ascensión”?  La Ascensión de Jesucristo no es solo una ascensión física donde él pasa de un espacio físico a otro. Podemos decir que es una intensificación de la presencia del Señor en nuestra realidad, comprendiendo que él no nos abandona después de la resurrección.
       Hoy, las últimas palabras del Evangelio de San Mateo nos da un mandato - “enseñen a todas las naciones, bautizándolas en el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo.”  Cristo da la responsabilidad de continuar su ministerio aquí en la tierra a sus discípulos.  Es nuestra responsabilidad como sus discípulos en el mundo moderno.  
       Con esta celebración de la Ascensión, tal vez, preguntamos: ¿Dónde está Jesús entonces, en el cielo o en la tierra?  La respuesta es sencilla: en el cielo y dentro de cada uno de nosotros. Es lo mismo que ocurre en la Misa: mientras la hostia está fuera de nosotros, la vemos, la adoramos; cuando la recibimos y comulgamos no la vemos más, ha desaparecido, se ha hecho parte de nosotros para estar ahora dentro de nosotros. Dios no está en los sucesos materiales que suceden en el mundo sino en el corazón de las personas que viven como su discípulos.  La presencia de Dios está hoy en muchos lugares: en su palabra, en los sacramentos, en la Iglesia, en nuestra comunidad, en los más pobres y débiles del mundo, en sus discípulos, en las acciones de amor que hacemos a nuestro prójimo.  La Ascensión no es la ausencia de Dios en la tierra o en nuestra vida, sino la presencia intensificada de Dios en nuestra vida diaria.
        Todos nosotros, como discípulos de Jesucristo -  los sacerdotes, los miembros de las comunidades religiosas, y los laicos también -  estamos llamados a ser testigos de la resurrección y ascensión de Jesús.  Es la llamada que tenemos hoy y que tenemos cada día en nuestro camino de fe.

Prayers of the faithful - sixth week of Easter - 18 May 2020

Lord Jesus - you are the living word of God - Lord have mercy.

Christ Jesus - you bring us hope and truth - Christ have mercy.

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

Let us now bring our prayers to the Lord of love.

1. For all who follow Christ today, that his love may be visible in their words and their actions.

2. For those week seek Christ truth in their lives, that the Holy Spirit may help find it in our Lord and Savior.  

3. For all those preparing for first communion, confirmation, and entrance into the Church - that they find hope and encouragement on their journey.

4. For all who are suffering in this pandemic, for all who need healing of body, mind or spirit - that the love of family, friends, and neighbors may remind them of God’s loving care.

5. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, and for those prayers we hold in our hearts today.  

Heavenly Father, we ask that you continue to lead and guide your people, and hear our prayers we make through Jesus Christ our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Mass schedule - St Jude Catholic Church - Pearl Mississippi - May 18 - May 24 2020

Masses on FaceBook LIVE

Monday - May 18 - 6:00 pm 

Tuesday - May 19 - 6:00 pm 

Wednesday - May 20 - 6:00 pm 

Thursday - May 21 - 6:00 pm 

Friday - May 22 - 10:00 am 

Saturday - May 23 - 8:00 am

Sunday - May 24 - 10:00 am in English

Sunday - May 24 - 11:00 am in Spanish 

29 May 2020 - Pope Paul VI - Friday of the 7th week of Easter - John 21:15-19

      We know that Peter denied Jesus three times.  We hear that during the Passion in the holy season of Lent.  Today, in our Gospel from John, we hear Peter profess his love for Jesus three times, as Jesus tells him to feed his sheep.  Today, we celebrate one of the great shepherds of our Church from the 20th century - Pope Paul VI.  Paul VI become pope in 1963, in the middle of the Second Vatican Council.  His papacy lasted for more than 15 years, until his death in 1978.  The papacy of Paul VI has left a lasting legacy in our Church in the modern world.  Being Pope at the height of the Cold War and in the midst of the Vietnam War, he addressed the United Nations in New York in 1965 with these famous words: "No more war, never again war. Peace, it is peace that must guide the destinies of people and of all mankind.”   To foster common bonds with all persons of good will, he decreed an annual peace day to be celebrated on January first of every year.  To this day, each pope issues a prayer message for peace on January 1 in St Peter’s Square.  Pope Paul VI is famous for this statement which has become a cornerstone of Catholic Social Teaching: “If you want peace, work for justice.”  To me, this message of peace and justice is what I remember most about Pope Paul VI.  It is a message I thought of often in my missionary work in different places, including teaching in the Mississippi Delta, because I certainly saw that as a work of peace and justice. 

How do we show that we love Jesus?  How do we show that we are looking after God’s flock?  The message that Pope Paul VI leaves us by his life and his words gives us a glimpse into how we should answer. 

27 May 2020 - Homily - Wednesday of the 7th week of Easter - John 17:11a-19

       In the Gospel we hear Jesus praying to God, the Father: “Consecrate them in the truth.  Your word is truth.” For us Christians, truth is not a relative thing, right?  Jesus is the truth.  God’s law is the truth.  We find the truth in the values and teachings of our faith. The truth is handed down to us by the Word of God, confirmed to us and explained to us through Tradition and through the teaching of the Magisterium, the Pope working together with the Bishops. That is what we believe as Catholics, but you would not know that by all the voices in the world today telling us their version of the truth.  The truth is relative in our secular world today.  That was one of the things Pope Benedict XVI said again and again, that relativism is the greatest evil that the modern world faces today.  Perhaps St Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church from the 16th century, foresaw what we would be dealing with today when she proclaimed: “Truth suffers, but never dies.”
       Father John Hardon, a Jesuit priest who died in 2000 and recognized as a Servant of God in the Canonization process to sainthood, wrote: “Our duty as Catholics is to know the truth; to live the truth; to defend the truth; to share the truth with others; and to suffer for the truth.”  May we be consecrated in the truth of God today. 

26 May 2020 - Homily - Tuesday of the 7th week of Easter - Acts 20:17-27

        Back in May of 1996, I arrived in Quito, Ecuador to start my time of service as a missionary with the Comboni missionaries, a religious order originally from Verona, Italy.  I remember that on one of the first weekends that I was there, we were at one of the old church in Quito when they were celebrating the feast day of Mariana de Jesús de Paredes, the first person to be canonized as a saint from Ecuador.  Mariana was born in the city of Quito in Ecuador, located high in the Andes mountains, in 1618.  Born of aristocratic parents, even though she dreamed of entering a convent as a nun or going off to a far off land as a missionary, she ended up living with her sister and her family after her parents’ death, living as a third order Franciscan under the guidance of her Jesuit spiritual director.  She felt called to undertake many sacrifices in her life, including extreme fasting, long vigils, and even wearing a crown of thorns. Her gifts included prophecy and the ability to heal people.  In the year 1645, the city of Quito was struck by a terrible earthquake and a severe epidemic that claimed many lives.  Some claimed that these calamities were caused by the sins of the people of the city.  Mariana publicly offered herself as recompense for these sins. The earthquakes ceased at around this time.  She fell ill and died in 1645 at the age of 26.  She was lauded by many as having saved their city.  She was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950.  She is beloved in the country of Ecuador to this day and serves as that country’s patron saint.  
      In the Acts of the Apostles today, we hear Paul say: I consider life of no importance to me, “If only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.”  In her way, St Mariana de Jesús followed the call she heard from God, making sacrifices and pledging her life for the people. I remember frequently passing by the trolley station in Quito named after her when I was a missionary in Ecuador.  The station was near to where our missionary order was headquartered.  I would like to pray for the people of Ecuador today, who have been very hard hit during this pandemic, as we celebrate their patron saint.  

25 May 2020 - Homily - Monday of the 7th week of Easter - Memorial Day - John 16:29-33

       Today we celebrate Memorial Day, which is a national holiday always observed on the last Monday of the month of May, honoring the men and women who died serving our country in the military.  Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War.  Waterloo, New York has been declared the birthplace of Memorial Day, which it has been celebrating since May 1866.   In the United States, Memorial Day is seen by many as the start of the season of summer.  Today, in a special way, we honor the men and women who currently serve in the military, those who have served, and those who have given their lives for their country. 

       Besides being Memorial Day, today also is the feast day of one of my favorite saints: the Venerable Bede.  I think I first was drawn to him by his very unique name.  Since the word “venerable” became a part of his name, he was given a great deal of respect and honor. He is actually that only native of Great Britain to be named as a Doctor of the Church, which was bestowed on him by Pope Leo XIII in 1899.   Bede, a Benedictine monk, was a well-known author, teacher, linguist, and scholar.  His famous work, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which I read as a freshman in college in the year long course of the history of Western Civilization, gained him the distinction of being known as the Father of English History.  

       In the Gospel today, we hear Jesus tell his disciples: In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” The life and work of Venerable Bede speak to the way he placed his faith and trust in Jesus, his Lord and Savior.  May we place our faith and trust in him as well. 

23 May 2020 – Saturday of sixth week of Easter - Acts 18:23-28

       Today, in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about the continuing missionary travels of Paul as he brings Christ’s Good News to all sorts of people.  Paul had a great impact on a learned eloquent Jewish man named Apollos. Apollos whole-heartedly embraces the Way of Jesus and in turn tries to convert others to the faith. 

         Paul must have been very encouraged by the successes he had on his missionary journeys, but sometimes the fruits of our efforts at evangelization can be very difficult to see.  Due to our human nature, we often want to concentrate our efforts in evangelization on those who give us a sense of accomplishment and a warm feeling about what we are doing.  Sometimes, the ones who most need to hear the Word of God from us are perhaps the most might be the ones who frustrate us and get on our nerves. 

         We must not forget that as Catholics, we all have a universal call to be missionary and to bring the Good News of Jesus to others through our words and deeds. We are fortunate to have many different groups and ministries and cultures present at our parish of St Jude here in the city of Pearl, where there are many opportunities for us to get involved and to spread the Good News.  May we regain the zeal, the energy, and the courage to be missionary through the example of Paul and the other great missionaries of our faith. 

22 May 2020 - Friday of the 6th week of Easter - St Rita of Cascia - John 16:20-23

       Born in the late 14th century in a poor family in Umbria in Italy, St Rita entered an arranged marriage at the age of 12.  Her marriage was not a happy one, with her husband being very violent, angry and abusive.  He died as a result of a feud with another family.   Rita’s sons sought revenge of his death, but ended up dying of dysentery.  Rita was always seeking their conversion and replied with humility, patience, courage, and kindness to the difficult circumstance that engulfed her life.  Rita was not allowed to become a nun after the death of her husband and her sons until she was able to forge peace and reconciliation between the feuding families.  She entered the monastery as a nun following the Augustinian rule at the age of 36.  She died of tuberculosis in 1457.  She was not canonized until the year 1900, more than 500 years later. St Rita, along with St Jude, is know as the patron saint of impossible causes. Her body has remained incorruptible over the centuries.  

       In the Gospel today, Jesus declares to his disciples:  “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”  St Rita found joy in her faith even in the midst of the difficult circumstances and abusive relationships that she was determined not to take Christ’s joy away from her.  St Rita, we unite our prayers with yours today, asking that you help us with any seemingly impossible situations that may exist in our lives. 

20 May 2020 – Wednesday of 6th week of Easter – Acts 17:15, 22-18:1

       An old-fashioned way to look at missionary work would be to take the attitude of bringing God to the people of a foreign land for the very first time very.  However, presently in the Catholic Church, missionaries are taught that people have God present to them and working in their lives in many ways even before they formally adopt Christianity as their faith.  Many times, they may be unaware of the different ways God is at work in their lives. 
         We might think of this in the context of today’s first reading in the Acts of the Apostles, as we hear of Paul preaching to the people of Athens.  It's astounding to hear about Paul's travels throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, but it's even more noteworthy to hear how Paul speaks not only to those Greeks educated in philosophy, but also how he can relate so well to peasants, city dwellers, rural residents, and slaves alike, helping to bring so many diverse people together in the Way of Jesus.  In today's reading, Paul makes use of a shrine “to an unknown god” to introduce the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to the Athenians, telling them that they unknowingly have worshipped the God who made heaven and earth, the God who gives life and breath and all of creation.  He is the God that the poets and the philosophers of the world have in common. 
         As we hear the words of Paul today in modern America, in a culture and a time so different from the context in which they were originally proclaimed, let us give thanks and rejoice for the privilege we have in hearing the truth of God’s holy word preached to us, in setting our hearts free by the words of holy scripture.  Let us pray in our own words and from our own hearts for what we still need to know in order to be able to follow Jesus without reservation.  May the honesty and integrity in which Paul preached the Good News of Jesus always be an inspiration to us on our own journeys of faith. 

19 May 2020 – Tuesday of 6th week of Easter – Acts 16:22-34

In recent year, our Church has challenged us to a new evangelization, ask us to grow in our faith ourselves, and then to reach out to those on the margins of the faith, to those who perhaps have drifted away from the Church, to those who are not members of a Church community.  We know that this is a great challenge for us today, so we can only image what things were like for Paul and the members of the Early Church who travel all over the ancient world, bringing the message of Christ’s Good News.  

        We know from the account we have been hearing from the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season that Paul did not have an easy time preaching Christ’s Gospel.  Today, we hear how Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten with rods, and thrown into prison.  Rather than bemoan their situation, they lift it up to the Lord, singing hymns and praying for the other prisoners to hear.  I was quite amused when I heard how Paul and the others remained in the prison after a great earthquake came and provided a means for them to escape. If that had happened in own of the prisons I have visited as a Catholic chaplain, I would imagine those prisoners seeing such an event as a means of escape and as a gift given to them from God.  Even the jailer in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles today was converted to the faith by the example of Paul.  

We never know how God is going to touch our hearts, do we? I have found so many of the prisoners eager to hear the word of the God when I ministered to them in the prisons. It has been tough for me to not be able to go out to the prisons or to the state mental hospital for our ministry.  Hopefully, as our public masses return in our parishes, we will also soon be able to go out to the other locations of our public ministry.  

As we reflect upon the message we hear from the Acts of the Apostles today, may we ask God to use as an instrument of his love and mercy in the way we live out the Gospel just as he used Paul and the group of disciples in the Early Church.