30 June 2022 – Thursday of 13th week of Ordinary Time - Matthew 9:1-8

Today, we hear about a group of friends who bring a paralytic to Jesus for healing.  Seeing the faith of this group of friends, he forgives the sins of the paralytic. It is noteworthy that it is not the faith of the paralytic himself that saves him.  Jesus later tells him to rise, pick up his mat, and to go. Many people in Ancient Israel came to Jesus for healing in his day.  Many come to him for healing in our own day as well.   We are always looking for a cure for something in our lives.  Sometimes we look in many different places for healing in our lives, often times in the places where we should not be looking for help.   

We want healing in our lives.  We want mercy in our lives as well. It can be easy to ask for mercy for ourselves.  It might be harder to understand why others should receive mercy. Instead, we may want justice in the way we ourselves understand justice, justice from our perspective.  Not the way God understands justice. Yet Pope Francis has this to say: “Justice on its own is not enough. With mercy and forgiveness, God goes beyond justice, he subsumes it and exceeds it in a higher event in which we experience love, which is at the root of true justice.”  When we are hurt or wronged, it is natural to seek justice.  God shows us a better way, a way that leads to love. God had mercy on the paralytic and his friends.  Perhaps if it was just purely justice, it might have been a very different Gospel passage. Let us pray this week that we can help move our world beyond justice to mercy and forgiveness. May the mercy of God and the wisdom of Pope Francis guide us and lead us on our journey of faith. 

1 JULY 2022 - prayers of the faithful - 13th week in ORDINARY TIME

Lord Jesus - You call us to be missionary in spirit. 

Christ Jesus - You bring us hope. 

Lord Jesus - You bring us Good News. 

With hope and faith, let us bring our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For Pope Francis: that God will renew him, strengthen his knees, and help him lead the Church to greater service, love and unity. 

2. For all who are making a journey, particularly pilgrims, refugees, and those going on mission trips and youth trips: that God will guide and protect them on their journey and lead them to new discoveries about themselves and God’s love for them

3. For all who are called to bear prophetic witness: that their witness to the truth may touch hearts and be an opportunity for deeper conversion for all God’s people. 

4. For our elected officials: that the Spirit will guide them in addressing the issues of violence, injustice and poverty, and to work more diligently for those who are oppressed or forgotten by society. 

5. For healing of families and communities: that those touched by violence, anger, division, or addictions may heal and reconcile and be brought to wholeness. 

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our heart:

We present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.  

Prayers of the faithful - 13th week in Ordinary Time - 28 JUNE 2022

Lord Jesus - You are the son of the living God.

Christ Jesus - You are our savior and our redeemer. 

Lord Jesus - You nourish us with your body and blood. 

With faith and hope, we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For the Church: that we may hear God’s call to discipleship and seek first the reign of God in our lives. 

2. For the grace of freedom: that we may know freedom of mind and heart so that we can serve those in need around us, free from the expectations and demands of society.

3. For all who strive to hear the call to discipleship: that God’s word may touch their hearts and guide them into a deeper knowledge of God. 

4. For all who feel impelled to violence: that the Spirit of God will calm their anger and help them recognize each person as a child of God. 

5. For all who are recovering from natural disasters, whether they be storms, drought, wildfire or floods: that God will protect them from further harm, guide them to the resources that they need, and open the hearts of many to assist them. 

6. For the prayers in the silence of our hearts:

We present these prayers with humble hearts through your Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

prayers of the faithful - Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul - 29 JUNE 2022

Lord Jesus - You call us to a life of discipleship. 

Christ Jesus - You as the son of the living God. 

Lord Jesus - You call us to be missionary in spirit. 

Priest: In company with Saints Peter and Paul, who prayed for the Church of God, let us confidently turn to the Father with our prayers:

1. For Francis our Pope, Jospeh Kopacz our bishop, and all Church leaders, that they will strengthen us in the apostolic faith. 

2. For all leaders of nations, that they will strive to protect the Church from persecution and harassment.

3. For all who are suffering for who they are or for what they believe, that they will find strength in the Lord, who is at their side.

4. For all who are sick or housebound and for those

who have died recently, that they will know Christ's saving love.

5. For our Christian community, that apostles, prophets, and teachers will build us up as the Body of Christ. 

6. For all who are in distress, that they may place their trust in God who rescues the poor and shelters all who seek refuge.

Priest:  God of saints and sinners, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter and Paul bore courageous witness to the death and resurrection of your Son. Hear our prayer for your blessings, that we may be more faithful witnesses to the truth of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, both now and for ever. Amen.

29 June 2022 – Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18, Matthew 16:13-19

     We have been journeying through Ordinary time these past several weeks since the end of the Easter season. But during that time, we have celebrated the solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ these last couple of Sundays, and today we have another great solemnity that celebrates Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles.  We honor all of the apostles with feast days, but of all the apostles, Peter and Paul hold a special significance in the development of our faith. There are many lessons we can learn from them. 

      The first thing we can learn from Saints Peter and Paul is that even in the midst of our human frailties and weaknesses, God calls us to serve him and his people.  We hear of the great faith of these two saints in today’s readings.   In the Gospel, we hear of Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, at a time when most everyone else in Ancient Israel still had not figured Jesus out.  We hear Paul reflect in his second letter to Timothy about how his life is coming to an end, how he sees his life as having been poured out as a sacrificial drink offering to God, how he sees himself as having kept the faith throughout his journey of life.  However, in addition to admiring Peter and Paul for being men of great faith, perseverance, and sacrifice, we also see in Scripture the times that they fell victim to their weaknesses.  In Scripture, we hear about their doubts and their human frailties.  For example, on the eve of Jesus’ passion, as Jesus was leaving the last supper with his apostles, Peter tells Jesus that he will never have his faith in him shaken.  But, then, Peter denies Jesus three times before the rooster crows.   With Paul, before his conversion to the faith, in his zeal in following Jewish law, Paul oppressed Christians by persecuting them, sometimes to their death. 

       Perhaps we can relate to Peter and Paul in this same way in our own journey of faith. There are times when we can be courageous and steadfast in our faith.  Yet, in our weaknesses, we also can deny Jesus like Peter did, both in words and in actions, and in our failure to follow God’s law.  In our frailties and our pride, we can fail to humble ourselves before the Lord just like Paul before his conversion. 

      In addition, we can see in Peter and Paul individuals with different backgrounds and different ways in responding  to God’s call. Yet, both of them were able to work in ministry together, to build up the Kingdom of God in the Early Church and to bring others to the faith.  Peter was called to be a disciple out of his work as a fisherman.  He probably did not have much formal education. He was an original member of the group of Apostles who journeyed with Jesus in his earthly ministry.  Peter served as a leader in the Early Church right after Christ’s death and resurrection, serving the interests of the Jewish followers of Christ in the tensions that existed with the Gentiles and the Jews who chose not to follow the Way of Jesus.   But, in many of ways, Paul was the opposite of Peter.   Paul was intellectual and well-educated, a member of the privileged class of Pharisees.  He did not know Jesus during Jesus’ life here on earth.   Paul felt called to bring the Good News to all, to break down the barriers that kept the Gentiles from joining the Way of Jesus.

      Both Peter and Paul could be bold and direct.  They clashed and they argued at times, but they were both effective leaders in the Church.  Despite their differences, they both greatly influenced the faith that we practice today.  They both lived out their faith and died courageously for the faith. 

       As we close religious freedom week today in our celebration of Peter and Paul, let us hear the call to follow in their footsteps to be missionaries and to be true to the Gospel, to be true to the calling God has for each one of us.

28 June 2022 - Tuesday of the 13th week in Ordinary Time - Amos 3:1-8 and 4:11-12

      For the last several weeks, we have had readings from the 1st and 2nd books of Kings in the daily masses.  Today, we hear from the prophet Amos, a shepherd from the southern kingdom of Judah.  God called Amos to be a prophet, sending him to the northern kingdom of Israel.  Amos confronted the people for the way they ignored social justice in their society while still devoutly worshipped God in their liturgies and prayers. Amos’s message of social justice still calls out to us today. Amos today tells the people that although they were favored by the Lord in all of the human family, they did not respond in love and service. 

     As we hear about the prophet Amos' call to bring God's message to the world around him, the saints we celebrate in the Church reflect the reality they responded to in their lives.  Our saint today, Early Church Father Irenaeus of Lyons, is being named the latest Doctor of the Church. St Irenaeus was born in the early second century near the city of Ephesus in Turkey.  He moved to Lyons in southern France where he served as a priest and then as the Bishop for 25 years.  He was martyred during a time of persecution in the Early Church.  Irenaeus is most remembered for his writings in defense of the Church, especially against the heresy of Gnosticism, a popular philosophy in the first centuries of the Early Church.   Gnosticism saw the material world as being inferior to the spirit world. It saw a need for human beings to gain salvation and liberation from the material world.   The Church, however, saw the world as intrinsically good as a part of God’s creation.  Irenaeus stated: “He who is the Son of God became the Son of Man, that man might become the Son of God.” Irenaeus saw a unity between God and man, between man and creation, very different from the dualism proposed by Gnosticism.  

     As Amos confronted the reality of his day, of the way the people were not practicing the mercy and justice of God in their daily lives, and as Irenaeus confronted the heresies that were trying to take control of the Early Church, we also are to read the signs of the times in our modern world. We are called to look at the ways we practice justice and mercy in our lives.   Are we turning away from the word of God and turning away from his laws and commandments?  How are we called to turn back to the Lord? 

1 July 2022 - Father Junipero Serra - Friday of the 13th week of Ordinary Time - Matthew 9:9-13

      When Jesus called out to Matthew, the tax collector, “Follow me,” it was a surprise not only to Matthew, but those who knew him.  How could a tax collector, seen as a member of a dishonorable profession, be called to be one of Jesus’ close disciples? 

      Sometimes, those who receive God’s call defy human logic.  On September 23, 2015, when Pope Francis was in the United States on a pastoral visit, he canonized Father Junipero Serra at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.  Pope Francis said that it was fitting to canonize Father Serra in Washington, since it is in that same city that Father Serra’s statue stands in the national statuary hall of the US Capitol, where he represents the state of California. Father Serra was an academic scholar, a professor in a seminary on the island of Mallorca in his native Spain, when he was chosen to travel to the missions in Mexico. He did not seem to be the logical choice.  At the age of 53 and in very poor health, after spending 18 years in Mexico, Father Serra was then chosen to found the missions in the Mexican province of Alta California in the present-day US state of California.   A hard, persistent worker, Father Serra’s founding of the missions in the state of California is seen as contributing greatly to the establishment and spread of the Church on the West Coast of the United States when it was still mission territory. Father Serra established 9 of the 21 missions in California himself prior to his death, including the missions in Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Juan Capistrano, and San Diego.  He is buried at the mission of St Charles Borromeo in Carmel, California.  A pilgrimage walk linking all of the California missions together has been established by American pilgrims who have walked the Camino of St James in Spain.  And who knows, maybe in our lifetime that walk will become a popular American pilgrimage Camino. The whole mission chain from San Diego to Sonoma stretches across most of the state over more than 800 miles.  I have hiked part of the mission trail in California, and hope to hike more of it when I go out to California for a mission appeal in August.  

       We never know how Jesus is going to call us to follow him, do we?  I am sure Father Serra never imagine that his road from being a quiet professor would lead him to be founder of the Catholic missions in California.   All we have to do is take that first step in following that call. 

26 de junio de 2022 - el decimotercero domingo del tiempo ordinario - Galatas 5:1 y 13-18; Lucas 9:51-62

      Después de la conmemoración de las temporadas de Cuaresma y Pascua, después de las celebraciones de la Santísima Trinidad y del Santísimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo las últimas dos semanas, este domingo nos encuentra del Tiempo Ordinario. Además, este es mi último fin de semana aquí en St Jude como párroco después de mi servicio de cinco años. 

      En las lecturas este domingo, podemos reflexionar sobre la Constitución de la Iglesia en el mundo moderno escrito por el Concilio Vaticano II titulada Gaudium et Spes en latín.  Ese documento afirma que “la Iglesia siempre ha tenido el deber de examinar los signos de los tiempos y de interpretarlos a la luz del Evangelio.”  Nosotros, como cristianos, estamos llamados a dialogar con el mundo moderno en un lenguaje que se pueda entender fácilmente, para responder a las preguntas que se hacen sobre la vida en la tierra y la vida eterna que viene.  En su carta a los Gálatas, San Pablo afirma que para la libertad, Cristo nos ha hecho libres. Sin embargo, en libertad, como seguidores de Cristo, no debemos elegir ser esclavos de las cosas de este mundo o de los caminos de la carne.  Sin embargo, cuando algunas personas en nuestra sociedad escuchan la palabra "libertad", pueden ver esto como una excusa para la autocomplacencia ilimitada y el placer egocéntrico.  Pero, para ser verdaderamente libres, no se trata de escapar de la realidad de la vida, sino de afrontar la realidad.  Para ser libres, asumimos la responsabilidad de la vida y de nuestras acciones, sin tratar de poner la culpa a los demás por nuestras propias luchas y dificultades personales. En libertad, puede ser fácil aferrarse a valores externos, como el dinero, los logros, el placer o los tesoros materiales.  La verdadera libertad que San Pablo quiere que abracemos como discípulos de Cristo nos lleva a seguir la verdad, a cuidar y compartir con los demás, a luchar por la paz y la seguridad interior.  En la libertad que Dios nos da, debemos vivir en el Espíritu, amar y servir a nuestro prójimo, vivir a la luz del amor y los mandamientos de Dios.

      El centro del Evangelio este domingo contiene respuestas a la invitación que Jesús nos hace a cada uno de nosotros. Cuando Jesús responde al hombre que quiere enterrar a su padre y al hombre que quiere despedirse de su familia, Jesús no dice que no debemos amar y respetar a los miembros de nuestra familia.  En este mensaje del Evangelio, Jesús nos pide que miremos dónde ponemos nuestras prioridades. Si deseamos ser discípulos, no podemos hacer nuestros propios planes primero, y luego, solo cuando decidimos que estamos listos, vamos y lo seguimos.  Las demandas del Reino de Dios, el reino de la verdad, la compasión, la libertad y la paz, deben ser lo primero.  Sin embargo, muy a menudo, queremos poner otras cosas antes que Dios, antes que el llamado al discipulado.  Jesús nos llama en el presente. No esperamos para contestar esa llamada solo cuando es conveniente. Debemos responder fervientemente con alegría, entusiasmo y prisa.

      Como sacerdote, paso mucho tiempo predicando los valores de la fe, hablando de las vidas de los santos que son ejemplos de estos valores y trato de promover una cultura de vida en la Iglesia y en la sociedad.  Realmente me sorprendió escuchar el anuncio de el Tribunal Supremo de los Estados Unidos, que cambió la realidad del aborto en nuestro país.  Ahora, en Mississippi y en muchas partes de los Estados Unidos, es mas difícil para obtener el aborto. Sin embargo, este cambio no significa de ninguna manera que podamos sentarnos tranquilos, que nuestro trabajo está hecho. Necesitamos proclamar siempre el mensaje del Evangelio, que contiene el Evangelio de la vida.  En nuestro país tan dividido aquí en los Estados Unidos, donde hay tantas heridas y tanta ira, debemos trabajar para la sanación y la reconciliación. 

      Quiero terminar con una historia de un santo.  El Padre Junípero Serra, el santo que celebramos este próximo viernes, nació en Mallorca, España, en 1713. En su vida como sacerdote franciscano, pasó muchos años como profesor de filosofía en España. Después, como misionero en Mexico, pasó muchos años allí enseñando en el seminario también.  Cuando tenía 53 años, fue designado para establecer las misiones en la costa de California.  En ese momento, Padre Junípero estaba muy mal de salud, lo que incluía una pierna gravemente infectada por una picadura de araña que nunca sanó. El necesitadla viajar a pie en viajes largos con esta pierna muy mala. El establecía 9 de las 21 misiones de California.  Contra el ejército y el gobierno español colonial, el Padre Junipero Serra fue un gran defensor de los indigenas que vivían en los sitios de misión de California. Los misioneros como el Padre Serra, que se dedicaron sus vidas para llevar el mensaje del Evangelio en todo el mundo, deben ser una inspiración para nosotros en nuestro camino de fe.  El lema de Junipero Serra como misionero era “siempre adelante.” Este misionero muy humilde dejó a sus padres, su familia y sus amigos en la isla española de Mallorca para convertirse en misionero en las Américas, para nunca volver a verlos en esta vida.  Valientemente siguió adelante, sin volverse nunca atrás en el camino que el Señor abrió para él, sin importar la lucha, el desafío o la dificultad. Siempre adelante - avancemos siempre con Jesucristo en nuestro camino de fe.

Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Hail, Heart of Jesus, save me!


Hail, Heart of my Creator, perfect me!


Hail, Heart of my Savior, deliver me!


Hail, Heart of my Judge, grant me pardon!


Hail, Heart of my Father, govern me!


Hail, Heart of my Spouse, grant me love!


Hail, Heart of my Master, teach me!


Hail, Heart of my King, be my crown!


Hail, Heart of my Benefactor, enrich me!


Hail, Heart of my Shepherd, guard me!


Hail, Heart of my Friend, comfort me!


Hail, Heart of my Brother, stay with me!


Hail, Heart of the Child Jesus, draw me to yourself!


Hail, Heart of Jesus dying on the Cross, redeem me!


Hail, Heart of Jesus in all your states, give yourself to me!


Hail, Heart of incomparable goodness, have mercy on me!


Hail, Heart of splendor, shine within me!


Hail, most loving Heart, inflame me!


Hail, most merciful Heart, work within me!


Hail, most humble Heart, dwell within me!


Hail, most patient Heart, support me!


Hail, most faithful Heart, be my reward!


Hail, most admirable and most worthy Heart, bless me!

Lord Jesus, let my heart never rest until it finds you, who are its center, its love, and its happiness.


By the wound in Your heart, pardon the sins that I have committed
whether out of malice or out of evil desires.

Place my weak heart in Your own divine heart, continually under your protection and guidance, so that I may persevere in doing good and in fleeing evil until my last breath.  Amen.

26 June 2022 - 13th SUNDAY in Ordinary Time - Galatians 5:1,13-18; Luke 9:51-62

      After our commemoration of the holy seasons of Lent and Easter, after our celebration of the solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ the last two weeks, this Sunday finds us back in Ordinary Time.  In addition, this is my last weekend here at St Jude after having served here for five years.  That certainly is hitting home to me.  

       In looking at our readings today, I thought about the Constitution of the Church in the Modern World issued by the Second Vatican Council titled Gaudier et Spes in Latin.  That document famously states that “the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.” We as Christians are called to dialogue with our modern world in a language that can be easily understood, to respond to the questions that are asked about our life on earth and the eternal life that is to come.  In his letter to the Galatians, St Paul states that for freedom, Christ has set us free. Yet, in freedom, as followers of Christ, we are not to choose to be enslaved to the things of this world or the ways of the flesh.  Thus, we Christians can have an interesting discussion about freedom in the modern world, for when some in our world hear the word “freedom,” they might see this as an excuse for unlimited self-indulgence & self-absorbed pleasure.  But, to be truly free, we are not try to escape from the reality of life, but rather, to face reality.  To be free, we take responsibility for life and for our actions, not trying to find a scapegoat or to put blame for our personal struggles and difficulties on others.  In freedom, it can be easy to cling to external securities, such as money or achievement or pleasure or material things. The true freedom St Paul wants us to embrace as Christ’s disciples leads us to follow the truth, to care and share with others, to strive toward inner peace and security. In the freedom God gives us, we are to live in the Spirit, to love and serve our neighbor, to live in the light of God’s love and commandments.  

     The heart of our Gospel today contains responses to the invitation that Jesus makes to each of us.  In Jesus responding to the man who wants to bury his father and the man who wants to say goodbye to his family, Jesus isn’t saying that we shouldn’t love and respect members of our family. In this Gospel message, Jesus asks us to look at where we place our priorities.  If we wish to be his disciple, we cannot make our own plans first, and then, only when we decide we are ready, we then go and follow him. The demands of God’s Kingdom, the kingdom of truth, compassion freedom and peace, must come first. Yet, so often, we want to put other things before God, before the call to discipleship.  Jesus calls us in the here and now.  We don’t wait to answer that call only when it is convenient.  We are to respond fervently with joy, enthusiasm, and haste.  

      Last Wednesday, we began religious freedom week on the feast day of St John Fisher and St Thomas More, two Catholic men of integrity and faith who stood up to King Henry VIII in 16th century England; as a consequence, they both were put to death for not compromising the values of their faith.  Last Thursday, we commemorated the nativity of St John the Baptist.  John spoke God’s truth to King Herod in the midst of the mighty Roman Empire.  John, too, was made a martyr for standing up for the faith.  As a priest, I spend so much time preaching the values of the faith, talking about the lives of the saints who exemplify these values, and trying to promote a culture of life in our Church and in our society.  It really stunned me to hear the Supreme Court ruling from the Mississippi case vs the Jackson Women’s Health Clinic, of the overturning of the Roe vs Wade abortion decision. Yet, this does not in any shape or form mean that we can sit back thinking that our work is done.  We always need to proclaim the Gospel message, which contains the Gospel of life. In our very divided country, where there are so many wounds and so much anger, there is much work of healing and reconciliation to do.  The theme of religious freedom week this year is life and dignity for all.  What a wonderful theme that very simply says what religious freedom is about. 

     I want to leave you with a story of a saint, which you know I love.  Junipero Serra, whose feast day we celebrate this upcoming Friday, was born in Majorca, Spain in 1713.  Becoming a Franciscan priest, he spent more than 30 years as a prefessor teaching philosophy both in Spain and in Mexico.  When he was 53 years old, he was appointed to establish mission up the coast of the present-day state of California.  At this time, he was in very poor heath, which included a badly infected leg from a spider bite that never healed.  Imagine traveling everywhere by foot with a bad leg!  He ended up establishing 9 of the 21 California missions.  Against the colonial Spanish military and government, Junipero Serra was a big advocate for the native people that lived at the California mission sites.  Missionaries like Father who were so dedicated to spreading the Gospel message throughout the world should be a inspiration for all of us Catholics.  Junipero Serra’s motto as a missionary was “siempre adelante” - always moving forward.  He left his parents, family, and friends on the Spanish island of Majorca to become a missionary in the Americas, never to see them again in this life.  He valiantly went forward, never turning back on the path that the Lord opened for him, not matter what the struggle or challenge or hardship.  Siempre adelante - let us always move forward with Jesus on our journey of faith.  

     

Flocknote Reflection - Religious Freedom Week - 22 June 2022

      Today starts religious freedom week as declared by our US Bishops.  The theme this year is “Life and Dignity for All.”The observance of this week starts with the feast day of St Thomas More and to John Fisher, two English martyrs who fought religious persecution during the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century. Both Fisher and More were put to death for upholding the values of their faith.   The week ends on June 29 on the feast of St Peter and Paul. The week also includes the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, which is June 24.

        As we commemorate religious freedom week this year, we are anticipating any day now the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case presented by the state of Mississippi.  The US Conference of Catholics Bishops is mindful of the debates around our country about abortion.  The US Bishops state: “The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in bearing witness to the Gospel of life and serving all who will be affected by these discussions and their outcomes.”  The Dobbs case involves a Mississippi law that ban abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy. An initial draft of a Supreme Court opinion in the case was leaked in May, indicating the high court is set to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision, which 50 years ago legalized abortion nationwide.  The court also is expected to overturn its 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which affirmed Roe and prohibited regulations that created an “undue burden” on women seeking an abortion. If the final ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturns Roe and Casey, the issue of abortion would be returned to the states.  Those are the stakes that are present in this case. 

        During religious freedom week, another a major area of concern is the  protection of the religious freedom of U.S. Catholic institutions, such as schools, hospitals and child welfare service providers.  The US Bishops are concerned that they be able to carry out their missions with integrity and in accordance with their religious beliefs”. The Bishops state: “In particular, protecting Catholic adoption and foster care will become even more vital, as we take new steps in building a culture of life and dignity for all in the United States….To build a culture of life and dignity for all must support women and children.”

          The USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities in 2020 launched the “Walking with Moms in Need” initiative thorough the United States. Its aim is to engage every Catholic parish in providing a safety net to ensure that pregnant and parenting moms have the resources, love and support they need to nurture the lives of their children.

        We Catholic have recognized how our religious freedoms have been under attack in so many ways in recent years.  Hopefully, our commemoration of religious freedom week will encourage us to learn more about the ways we can protect our religious freedoms.  Hopefully this week will call us to reflection, education, and action.  

Bulletin Reflection - Father Lincoln's last weekend at St Jude - 26 June 2022

I have very much enjoyed my time at St Jude. It is hard to believe that I arrived at St Jude five years ago. I will take away a lot of good memories. I made a list of things that we as a parish have accomplished together during these five years, including new programs, new initiatives, and new projects. All these things happened through the collaboration and work of many of you helping in different ways.

Alpha evangelization programs for adults and youth

Quads small group program

Homework summer program for youth

Youth going to St Meinrad liturgical leadership program “One Bread, One Cup” in summer of 2022

Reconstructing and repaving parking lot

Correcting water runoff problem on church property

Replacing stained glass window frames in church

Spanish lessons for adults

Recognizing parishioner contributions through Bishop Chanche award for adults and youth

St Jude involvement in Pearl Ministerial Association

Spanish Mass and ministry program

Sunday afternoon youth Mass

Millsaps College Ministry for 4 years

St Jude ministry and Masses at Whitfield State Hospital (currently suspended during the pandemic)

Restarting St Jude ministry at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl for inmates

Hosting Latin EF Mass for the Jackson area

Hosting many different Diocesan groups and events (Diaconate formation program, Carmelite secular order, Marian servants, Diocesan Catholic Schools principals workshops, etc)

Streaming Masses during the pandemic and hosting Drive in Masses

First Friday Mass dedicated to Sacred Heart of Jesus and hosting First Friday 24-hour adoration

Purchase of new rectory

Adapting old rectory for youth program and Knights of Columbus

Remodeling religious education atriums and putting in new carpet

Furnishing two new classrooms and a lounge area in office building (establishing a new library is underway)

Establishing new daily chapel in parish center building

Construction project for columbarium

Subscription to the Formed religious education website

Outdoor stations of the cross

Incorporating prayers and traditions in our activities and liturgies, such as St Michael prayer at weekend Masses and vocations prayer at daily Mass

I am proud of the many things we have been able to accomplish these last five years at St Jude parish. I will most remember the warm welcoming spirit of the parish. Blessings to all of you. Father Lincoln.

Prayers of the faithful - Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - 24 June 2022

Lord Jesus - you love us with your Sacred Heart. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love and compassion of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to justice.  

As we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus today, we are confident that Christ intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. With faith in his love we make our prayers in his name:

1. For the whole Church, that all who believe in the Risen Christ and his Sacred heart may follow him faithfully. 

2. For our Diocese and for our parish community, that we may see the Lord in the signs he has left us, giving us new life in  our baptism and nourishing us in the Eucharist. 

3. For all who are in need, that those with plenty may act with compassion so as to serve their brothers and sisters in Christ with justice.

4. For all who are sick or suffering and for those close to death, that Jesus, the risen Saviour, may give them grace and strength. 

5. For the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life.  And for the souls in the process of purification in purgatory.  ‘

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

God our Father, increase in our minds and hearts the new life we share with Christ, helping us to grow as your people in love and compassion. We ask this through Christ our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

Prayers of the faithful - Nativity of St John the Baptist - 23 June 2022

Lord Jesus - You and your ministry followed in the steps of John the Baptist. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to follow God’s justice and love. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to listen to God’s prophets. 

Prayers of the faithful: 

In company with St John the Baptist and with all the saints, let us prayer for our needs and the needs of the whole world. 

1. For the Church, that the Word of God may be truly a light for the nations, so that salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

2. For the world, that its peoples and their children may grow in justice, peace and prosperity.

3. For all who work in service to others, that their generous self-sacrifice will be rewarded and bear fruit. 

4. For our Diocese and for our parish communities, that we may each be filled with the courage, faith and humility of St John the Baptist. 

5. For the unborn, that God, who calls them into being and forms them in the womb, may keep them in safety and preserve them from harm

6. For all who are sick or suffering, elderly or infirm, that they will find comfort and healing in Christ.

God of holiness, you made St John the Baptist a mighty herald for your Son. As we celebrate his birth, help us by his example and intercession, to serve you with heartfelt love.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers of the faithful - Wednesday of the 12th week of ORDINARY TIME - 22 June 2022

Lord Jesus - you are the seat of justice. 

Christ Jesus - you are the Lamb of God. 

Lord Jesus - you are the beloved Son.  

Prayers of the faithful: 

With joy in our hearts, let us present our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For all who are facing their addictions: that God’s healing Spirit will free them, open them to new sources of strength, and restore their lives. 

2. For healing: that God will bring an end to the Covid pandemic, bring healing to all who are ill, and give strength to all medical professionals and for all who care for the sick. 

3. For our first responders and for the men and women in the military, in gratitude for their call and for the sacrifices they make, for their safety and for the well-being of their families.  

4. For all who are persecuted for their faith and for those who put themselves in danger as they spread the Gospel Message, particularly missionaries: that God will preserve them from harm and encourage them in their faith.  

5. For leaders of religion, government, and communities: that the Spirit will inspire them with ways to resolve the issues of injustice, violence, and domestic abuse, so that all may live in peace and safety.

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

With joy in our hearts, we present our prayers today through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  

Prayers of the faithful - Tuesday of the 12th week in Ordinary Time - 21 June 2022

Lord Jesus - you call us to practice justice.

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to faith.  

prayers of the faithful: 

With love and hope in our hearts, let us present our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For a deepening of virtue in our lives: that we grow in patience, endurance, fortitude, and hope, manifesting God’s life in us. 

2. For the gift of conversion and transformation: that God’s generous love will help those trapped by crime or violence to seek a new way of life. May God help us break through our addictions, prejudices, and all those things that enslave us.  

3. For renewal in our relationships: that the new life of God within us inspire us as we grow in our human relationships. May we learn to better share our lives and enrich the lives of others.  

4. For the Catholic faithful: that God will inspire us to work for the common good of our parishes and our Diocese, to encourage and accept each other, and to make room for the gifts of each other. 

5. For all who are preparing to celebrate the sacrament of holy matrimony: that God will form them into a community of life, strengthen their commitment to each other, and help them to encounter Jesus in their love for each other.

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts.

With the month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we present our prayers through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

bendición - día de los padres - 19 de junio de 2022

Padre de misericordia y bondad, creador del mundo, tú enviaste a tu Hijo Jesús, para redimir y salvar a los hombres. 

El quiso nacer en una familia como la nuestra, le diste a la Virgen María como madre y a San José como padre. 

Te pedimos por estos padres presente con nosotros hoy, para que, a ejemplo de San José, amen a sus hijos, los cuiden y protejan, y sobre todo, les enseñes a amarte a ti que eres nuestro Padre del Cielo.

Pedimos, también, sus bendiciones a todos los que han servido como figuras paternas para nosotros, que se les muestre el amor que nos ha mostrado, para ayudarles a saber que su influencia nos han cambiado para mejor.

Da a los padres nuevos y futuros la orientación que necesitan para criar a sus hijos, fundados en el amor a Dios y el amor al prójimo, tratando a su familia con dignidad, compasión y respeto.

Oramos para que nuestros padres que entraron en la vida eterna han sido bienvenidos en su amoroso abrazo.   

En el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo.  AMÉN.     

23 June 2022 - Solemnity of the nativity of John the Baptist - Luke 1:57-66, 80

    Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John” But John would have agreed with what Jesus added to that statement: “Yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 

     Today, as we honor John in the celebration of his nativity, we go back to John’s mother and father receiving the news of his birth, to Mary who went to her cousin Elizabeth while she had Jesus in her own womb, to the announcement to the world that John would have a special role in the history of salvation.  

      For the last 10 years, starting on June 22, the Catholic Church in the United States has been celebrating religious freedom week. The Bishops ask 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 killed  for following 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 today, the honesty and fortitude by which John the Baptist lived out his faith is a good example for us to reflect upon.

         During the religious freedom week, 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.  Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of St John Fisher and St Thomas More, both of whom were beheaded for their faith by Henry VIII in 16th century England.  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.

         Our US Bishops have called religious freedom “our first, most cherished liberty.”  Religious Liberty was important to the founding fathers of our country.  Religious freedom is 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, 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; we need stirring of our religious consciousness in the midst our current reality. 

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

22 June 2022 – Wednesday of 12th week in Ordinary Time – Matthew 7:15-20

      Jesus warns us to beware of the false prophets in our midst in today’s Gospel.  However, it may not be so easy to distinguish a false prophet from one of God’s holy messengers.  Tomorrow, we celebrate the solemnity of the nativity of John the Baptist.  John was recognized as a true prophet from the time of his birth.  He was asked by God to make the ultimate sacrifice for his faith, beheaded for speaking the truth, becoming a martyr for the faith. Speaking the truth is a sign of a true prophet.  In speaking the truth, the prophet challenges the people of God, pushing them beyond complacency and past their comfort zone. The prophet’s message often contains words that the people do not want to hear.  A false prophet can disguise himself, clothing himself in righteousness and using that righteousness to spread lies and rumors in his proclamation of a message that is not the Word of God. 

      Jesus tells us today that prophets can come disguised as sheep, but deep inside they can be wolves who will destroy and tear down, rather than lift up and build.  Jesus asserts that we will know the false prophets by their lack of fruits. Thus, it is important for us to study the word of God and the teachings of the Church in order for us to know when we are in the presence of a false prophet, to be able to distinguish the false prophecies from the message God wants us to hear?   A lot of this is our responsibility. We cannot just sit back and be passive.  We must properly form our consciences on our journey not faith, not making judgments on things of which we are ignorant.

24 June 2022 - Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – John 19:31-37

       Each time that we gather around the Lord’s table for mass as a community of faith, we celebrate God’s love for us in a special way. Today’s celebration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls 19 days after Pentecost, so it always falls on a Friday. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a beloved religious devotion in our Church, as it sees Jesus’ physical heart as a symbol of the love that he has for humanity.  Many saints have contributed to our understanding of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I most associate the Sacred Heart with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French Visitation Nun of Holy Mary from the 17th century.  Her visions of Jesus conveyed this message: “Look at this heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love me in return. Through you, my Divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth.” Devotion to the Sacred Heat goes back to the Medieval period.  In the 12th century, St Bernard of Clairvaux stated that the piercing of Christ's side reveals the goodness and charity of his heart for us. The earliest known hymn to the Sacred Heart is "Summi Regis Cor Aveto" written by the Norbertine Hermann Joseph von Steinfeld in the 13th century in  Cologne, Germany. The hymn begins: "I hail Thee kingly Heart most high."

       As we reflect upon Jesus’ Sacred Heart, our own hearts are to be touched by his death on a cross, by the way the soldier thrust a lance into his side, out of which blood and water flowed.  St Augustine of Hippo wrote about how Christ is the door through which we enter for salvation, how that door was opened for us by his death and resurrection, by the soldier’s lance that opened up his side.  We choose where we want to enter Christ, to enter from his side as he hung dying upon the cross, the side from which the blood and water flowed.  The purification we receive from Christ is the water that flowed from his side.  The redemption we receive from Christ is the blood that was shed for us.  

     In his encyclical On Devotion to the Sacred Heart, Pope Pius XII calls the Sacred Heart of Jesus “a symbol of that divine love which he shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit but which he, the Word made flesh, alone manifests through a weak and perishable body, since in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily."  May the Sacred Heart of Jesus call us to a life of holiness today.  May it call us to true devotion and love for Christ Our Savior.  

Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy

God our Father in heaven, have mercy on us

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us

Holy Trinity, one God,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit

in the womb of the Virgin Mother,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, one with the eternal Word,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, infinite in majesty, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us.  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, well-spring of all virtue, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn to you,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of healing, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, sharer in our sorrow, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, safe-guarder of the vulnerable, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, friend of the betrayed,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, companion of the ignored,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, face of the misjudged,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, memory of the disbelieved,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, true voice in the silence,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, wounded by our failings,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, bearer of our sufferings,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, acquainted with grief,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, atonement for our sins, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, broken for our sins, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, obedient even to death,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in you,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you,  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints,  have mercy on us

Lamb of God, you take away

the sins of the world spare us O Lord.  

Lamb of God, you take away

the sins of the world graciously hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, you take away

the sins of the world have mercy on us, O Lord.  

Jesus, gentle and humble of heart. Touch our hearts and make them 

like your own.

Let us pray: Father, we honor the heart of your Son broken by man’s cruelty, yet symbol of love’s triumph, pledge of all that man is called to be. Teach us to see Christ in the lives we touch, to offer him living worship by love-filled service to our brothers and sisters. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.  AMEN. 

Reflection on being pro-life in our Catholic faith

With the Supreme Court expected to issues its ruling on the Mississippi case soon that may have a big impact on the abortion laws in our country, and with the Archbishop of San Francisco addressing the issue of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the Eucharist based on her views on abortion, it would be good for us to look at what it means to be pro-life in our Catholic faith.

This is what the US Conference of Catholic Bishops state on its website

“A wide spectrum of issues touches on the protection of human life and the promotion of human dignity. As Pope John Paul II has reminded us: "Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and discrimination, for human life is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation; it is an indivisible good" (The Gospel of Life, no. 87).

Among important issues involving the dignity of human life with which the Church is concerned, abortion necessarily plays a central role. Abortion, the direct killing of an innocent human being, is always gravely immoral (The Gospel of Life, no. 57); its victims are the most vulnerable and defenseless members of the human family. It is imperative that those who are called to serve the least among us give urgent attention and priority to this issue of justice.

To focus on the evil of deliberate killing in abortion and euthanasia is not to ignore the many other urgent conditions that demean human dignity and threaten human rights. Opposing abortion and euthanasia 'does not excuse indifference to those who suffer from poverty, violence and injustice. Any politics of human life must work to resist the violence of war and the scandal of capital punishment. Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing and health care' (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 23). We pray that Catholics will be advocates for the weak and the marginalized in all these areas. "But being 'right' in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the 'rightness' of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 23).”

Source: https://www.usccb.org/prolife/pastoral-plan-pro-life-activities

This same document issued by the Bishops addresses these pro-life Issues:

Abortion and contraception

Capital punishment

Pregnancy services

Post-abortion healing and reconciliation

Care for those who Are chronically ill, disabled, or dying

Care for prisoners, those on death row, and victims of violent crime

As we live in a very challenging environment right now, we need to remind ourselves of all that our Catholic faith encompasses. There are so many things we priests try to address with the faithful. Especially at Mass, when we are trying to celebrate all the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year, and trying to address how God speaks to us in his Holy Word in the reading for the day, sometimes these different issues that face us in our daily lives are not brought up as often as they should. Being pro-life is an important part of our faith. We need to constant learn what that means in our lived reality.

Blessings to all of you. Have a blessed rest of the week.

Father Lincoln.

15 June 2022 - Wednesday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time - 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14

       Elijah is considered one of the greatest prophets in the history of Israel.  He is the one for whom an empty seat is left during the Passover meal that the Jews celebrate each year.  In today’s first reading, we hear about the moment before Elijah is going to be taken up to heaven by the Lord, when the mantle of prophet is going to be passed to Elisha.  Elijah offers to do whatever Elisha wants before he is taken up by the Lord. Elisha’s response is very remarkable indeed: to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.  Elisha desires to serve the Lord as a prophet just as Elijah did; he want to be legitimately recognized as such and to have Elijah’s spirit follow him.  In the end, we see that God has indeed blessed Elisha in this way, as he is able to part the Jordan River just as Moses and Elijah were able to do.

         Both this past Saturday and this upcoming Saturday I have baptisms here at St Jude.  As a part of the baptismal rite, the baptized is anointed to serve as a priest, prophet, and king in their communities.  In light of today’s reading from the second book of Kings, we might reflect in the ways that God is calling us to be prophetic.  God calls us to be prophetic in the way we live out the Gospel message in our words and our actions, being faithful to God’s truth.  As prophets, we are called to have lives rooted in prayer and in communicating regularly with God.  For those of us who are parents or godparents, we are to make time in lives to instruct our children and youth in our faith.  

          We may not be called to be an Old Testament prophet in the line of Elisha and Elijah, but we are called to prophetic on our journey of faith.  

12 de junio de 2022 - La solemnidad de la Santísima Trinidad - Juan 16:12-15

Como católicos, hablamos y oramos sobre la Trinidad con tanta frecuencia en la Misa y en los sacramentos de la Iglesia, que no podemos reflexionar realmente en lo que la Trinidad significa para nosotros.  Un buen lugar para comenzar este domingo es el Evangelio, en el que Jesús habla de las relaciones dentro de la Trinidad desde su perspectiva. B. Jesucristo habla de su relación con el Padre, de su puesto como el Hijo que tiene todo lo que tiene el Padre. Jesucristo habla de su relación con el Espíritu, a quien nos envió para ayudarnos a guiarnos en la verdad de Dios. Podemos decir que el concepto de la Trinidad habla sobre la relación de Dios como tres personas, la relación que Dios tiene con nosotros.

La mayoría de ustedes saben que la semana pasada fui a un viaje misionero con el Obispo Kopacz a Saltillo, México. Con todo lo que pasa en mi vida como sacerdote en este momento, casi cancelé este viaje. Pero, pasé la semana en las misiones con el pueblo de Dios allí y experimenté el trabajo misionero que apoyamos como diócesis.  Esta experiencia fue muy edificante para mi. La misión diocesana en Saltillo tiene una historia muy interesante.  En 1969, en medio del movimiento de los Derechos Civiles y la Guerra de Vietnam y muchos problemas sociales en Mississippi, el Padre Patricio Quinn de nuestra Diócesis tuvo el sueño y la visión de ser misionero en México.  En nuestro viaje de la semana pasada en Saltillo estuvo Monseñor Miguelito Thornton, un sacerdote jubilado de Biloxi. Él pasó 11 años de su sacerdocio en las misiones de Saltillo. Yo publicaba fotos del viaje misionero a Saltillo en el Facebook.  Yo recibí comentarios de muchos adultos que fueron a viajes misioneros allí cuando eran adolescentes. Comentaron sobre cómo ese viaje misionero fue una parte tan importante de su camino de fe. Yo tengo una historia en las misiones de Saltillo también. En el verano de 2004, antes de comenzar el seminario, fui con un grupo de jóvenes diocesanos a Saltillo que incluía algunos de los jóvenes de St Jude. En tres viajes con grupos de jóvenes a Saltillo, yo tengo muchos recuerdos maravillosos. Nuestro apoyo a las misiones y la fidelidad de la Diócesis de Jackson en los sacerdotes y los laicos de Mississippi contribuían a lo largo de los años aún hacen posible este ministerio hasta hoy día.

Entonces, ¿por qué hablo sobre este viaje misionero a México en la celebración de la Santísima Trinidad este domingo? Lo hago porque la realidad de la vida y la fe que tenemos nos ayuda a comprender mejor cómo la Santísima Trinidad vive dentro de nosotros y tiene un impacto en nosotros. La Trinidad es ciertamente un misterio de fe, pero todavía podemos profundizar en este misterio en nuestra comprensión humana. Teológicamente, hablamos de Dios como tres personas en el Padre, el Hijo y el Espíritu Santo, pero no son personas en el mismo sentido psicológico en el que nos consideramos personas y seres humanos. En términos que podemos entender, podemos pensar en Dios como la Trinidad en tres formas distintas de ser, subsistir y existir.  Dios subsiste como el Padre, creador y fuente de toda creación. Dios subsiste como el Hijo, la Palabra Divina que llega entre nosotros para darnos redención y salvación.  Dios subsiste como el Espíritu Santo, como el amor y la misericordia de Dios que nos unifica con la esencia de Dios en nuestra redención y en la creación de Dios.

La Santísima Trinidad es más de un conceptos teológico. La Trinidad es una realidad, un misterio y un elemento esencial de la fe. La realidad de la Trinidad provoca nuestra curiosidad. En la vida de fe, la Trinidad es una doctrina práctica para nosotros que nos ayuda a entender a Dios y nos ayuda a vivir la fe cristiana. Mientras tratamos de entender la Trinidad y la comunidad de tres personas en la Trinidad, podemos crecer en la fe y extender la mano a nuestro prójimo desde la profundidad de nuestra fe.  Tenemos un ejemplo de fe en los Apóstoles, en su creencia en la Trinidad.  Los Apóstoles salían de su patria para llevar el mensaje del Evangelio a los otros países de la tierra mientras aprendían acerca de su fe en Jesucristo, en el Espíritu Santo, y en Dios Padre.  De la misma manera, tenemos muchas necesidades y mucho trabajo en nuestra parroquia y en nuestra Diócesis, pero nuestra misión sigue a nuestros hermanos en otros países y en otros lugares.  Eso es el ejemplo que tenemos en estos últimos 53 años en el trabajo misionero en Saltillo, México. Entonces, con la gran alegría que tenemos en la celebración de la Santísima Trinidad este domingo, tenemos una oportunidad para reflexionar sobre la realidad de Dios y para participar en la vida de Dios a través del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo.

Reflection on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ - 19 June 2022

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

The US Conference of Bishops is promoting a movement in our Church of renewal in enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. This movement will promote healing, conversion, formation, and unification through an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, which will propel us to evangel others through our renewed faith and relationship with Jesus. This coincides with the Year of the Eucharist which we have been promoting in our Diocese.

As we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we look forward to journeying through this Eucharist revival that will take place in the Church. As a convert to the Catholic faith and as a Catholic priest, the Eucharist is one of the central beliefs and practices of my faith. Starting in July, I will be a part of a two-year program at the Center of Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame that will focus on fostering a Eucharistic culture in parishes, schools, and dioceses as a way of promoting deeper affiliation with the Church. This is coinciding with this Eucharistic revival. Through this program, I am hoping to bring new initiatives and new ideas to our Diocese in my role as Vicar General that will promote this Eucharistic culture. I am hoping that the promotion of this Eucharistic culture will coincide with the goals our Diocese and our parishes will promote as a part of the synodal process we are undertaking.

Blessings to all of you as we celebrate this special solemnity focusing on the Body and Blood of Christ today. Father Lincoln.

21 June 2022 - Tuesday of the 12th week in Ordinary Time - Aloysius Gonzaga - Matthew 7:6, 12-14

      We hear Jesus telling us to go through the narrow gate, as opposed to the wide gate and the broad road.  As I heard this message in the Gospel, I thought about what the reality has been during the 14 years I have been a priest, how society in general and how so many people have been moving away from the faith.  So many in the media have been turning against the Church and organized religion.  Following the faith today is certainly going through the narrow gate.  

      Back when I visited Rome in 2010, I visited the church where the remains of St Aloysius are located in the Church of St Ignatius of Loyola.  St Aloysius certainly exemplifies a young person who followed the values of the faith with great courage and conviction in his life.  He was born in the middle of Renaissance Italy in the 16th century.  His family wanted him to pursue a military career, but even as a child and a youth, he felt the call to be a priest.  He chose to study to become a Jesuit priest when he heard stories of the Jesuit missionaries serving overseas.  Aloysius had been crosses to bear in his young life, including kidney disease, chronic headaches, and skin disease.  He died of the young age of 23 when he contracted the plague while he was nursing so patients in Rome in the midst of his studies who were suffering from that affliction. The faith of St Aloysius Gonzaga still calls out to us today many centuries after his death.  May we ask for his prayers and intercession for us today.  

17 June 2022 - Healing Mass - Friday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 6:19-23

      As we hear Jesus in the Gospel today talk about the need for us to store up and value the treasures of heaven rather than the treasures of the earth, I thought of some posters that I saw while I at one of the mission sites on my mission trip to Saltillo, Mexico last week with Bishop Kopacz and Bishop Kihneman of Biloxi. One poster hanging in the church listed the good seeds that we should sow on our journey of faith, such as God’s truth, service to others, community, respect, evangelization, organization, prayer, and love.  The poster that listed the bad seeds we can sow in our lives included sadness, division, marginalization, anger, jealousy, and ignorance.  

       I think of a reading we had recently in the Easter season, where Mary Magdalene was hanging on to the resurrected Christ, but he warned her not to cling to him, as he had not yet ascended to the Father.  That message is similar to the message we hear in today’s Gospel, to not cling to the things that are earthbound, to look at what is ahead of us, to have the values of our faith lead us and guide us and to tell us what our foundation here on earth should be. 

       Today is the last healing Mass I am going to have here at St Jude before I move to my next parish assignment on July 1.  I love the tradition of the healing Mass here at St Jude, which we have at many parishes here in the Jackson area.  In the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, we ask the Lord to come into our lives in a special way to bring us healing body, mind, and spirit.  We thank the Lord for the way he is present in our lives in different ways.  We thank the Lord for bringing us healing and wholeness, by showing us what should be important to us in our lives.  

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL - WEDNESDAY OF THE 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 14 JUNE 2022

Lord Jesus - you call us out of our hypocrisy. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to be true to the faith. 

Lord Jesus - you are the beloved son of the Father. 

With faith and hope, we present our prayers to the heavenly Father. 

1. For the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which we celebrate in the month of June, that Jesus’ Sacred Heart may help us to increase in love, compassion, and acts of mercy and charity.  

2. For our Diocesan mission in Saltillo Mexico, that God will help the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi in our missionary efforts there, following the legacy of Father Quinn and so many other priests, lay people and youth who have served in the missionary efforts in Saltillo.  

3. For our Deacon candidates and aspirants, that they may follow God’s call into their vocation as Deacons.  We pray especially for Mark Bowden who will be ordained to diaconate this July.  

4. For the Church: that we may experience the length, breadth, and depth of God’s love that has been poured out into our hearts, so that we may be transformed and fully live as children of God.

5. For a deeper appreciation of the gift of nature as a part of God’s creation: that we may see in the heavens, on the earth, and in the sea the handiwork of God and the beauty of God’s creation.  

6. For a greater desire for God’s truth: that we continually seek the truth so that we may see God in all things and be aware that we are always in God’s presence.

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

With humble hearts, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

Prayers of the faithful - Tuesday - 14 June 2022 - 11th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you bring us God’s mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to love our neighbor. 

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

With faith and hope, we bring our prayers to our Heavenly Father: 

1. For our world leaders and Church leaders, that they will lead us to observe the values of the Gospel of life and help us to heal and reconcile.  

2. For those children, youth and families participating in Vacation Bible School in our parish in the moth of June, that they may see God in their fellowship, food, and activities. 

3. For safety for all traveling during the summer, for rest, refreshment, and new energy. 

4. For all of us as we struggle with high gas prices and inflation, that our business and government find a solution that will help all, especially those who are most suffering. 

5. For those who need healing in mind, body and spirit.  For those in the hospital, hospice, and nursing home.  

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts.  

Heavenly Father, help us to live the values of your kingdom.  We make our prayers this evening through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

15 June 2022 - Tuesday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 5:43-48

       We live in a society where so many seek vengeance or revenge.  We hear of teenagers taking out a gun and killing people at the McDonald’s in downtown Chicago; we hear of a drug deal gone wrong in front of the train station in downtown Jackson, with several victims hospitalized with severe wounds and others killed; we hear of a drive-by shooting near the governor’s mansion in downtown Jackson; we hear too often of a mass shooting by a teenager in a school.  All these incidents have happened in the last couple of months.  Why are people turning to violence?  Why are people seeking to bring harm to others, to strangers or to those to whom they hold a grudge?  What we see all too often are actions that are the opposite of Jesus’ message of loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us.  

      At our mission site in Saltillo, Mexico which Bishop Kopacz and I visited last week, we saw a lot of love and solidarity and healing, of people of God working together, united by their faith. This all happens in the midst of poverty and a very challenging reality.  The fruits of what we saw last week was not something that happened by accident or by chance.  Rather, 53 years ago, priests from our Diocese here in Mississippi started a mission ministry down in Mexico where many priests and lay people have been contributing ever since.  We felt a spirit of love, healing, and solidarity down in the missions, not a message of hatred or anger or vengeance or revenge.  Yet, we know that this is not easy.  It is hard work.  It is give and take. It is perseverance and commitment.  It is forgiveness and working together and unity.  May we hear this Gospel message today calling us to this same work in our daily lives and in our families.