30 JULY 2022 - Saturday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 14:1-12

      We welcome all of you to St Mary Catholic Church in Yazoo City, which is one of the hidden gems of our diocese.  I was pastor here at St Mary from October 2010 to February 2013, just a little more than two years.  It was my first assignment as pastor.  I really enjoyed my time in Yazoo City, an area that is a gateway to the Mississippi Delta and certainly a part of Delta culture.  Today, we got to see some history of Yahoo City, with our tour of the historic cemetery and historic St Mary Church.  

      This week in some of our daily Masses, some of the saints we celebrated included the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, beloved friends of Jesus, who just got their own feast day last year; Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ maternal grandparents; and St Ignatius of Loyola from 16th century Spain, the founder of the Jesuits.  We also hear today in the Gospel the summary of the life of Jesus’ cousin, St John the Baptist.  The history of our faith as told to us in Bible stories and the lives of the saints is important to us.  Our Catholic history in the Diocese of Jackson and in our parishes is important to us as well.  The history of the Catholic Church is an interesting history, of a church that burned down twice, which ties us to the legend of the witch of Yazoo City which you heard about in our tour of the cemetery today.  At one point, Yazoo City had two Catholic Churches and two Catholic schools from kindergarten to high school. It was an important center of Catholicism in Mississippi with a great history and great traditions. Today, it is a much smaller Catholic community.  Communities and churches all over the Delta are shrinking and closing.  It is a part of our history right now that is perhaps a bit difficult to see.   

      Thank you all for coming out here with us today.  I hope you enjoyed your visit to Yazoo City.  I have a lot of great friends here and a lot of great memories.  It is a place that is very important to me.  It is important for us to know our history and to reach out to other Catholic in our Diocese, to let them know that we are in solidarity and community with them.  

prayers for feast of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus - 29 July 2022

The feast of Martha that was celebrated on July 29 is now the feast of the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.  Below are the new prayers for that feast day: 

Collect Prayer: 

Grant, we pray, almighty God,

that the example of your Saints may spur us on to a better life, 

so that we, who celebrate the memory of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus,

may also imitate without ceasing their deeds.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. AMEN.  

Prayer over the Offerings

As we proclaim your wonders in your Saints, O Lord, we humbly implore your majesty,

that, as their homage of love was pleasing to you,

so, too, our dutiful service may find favor in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon - Martha said to Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into this world.

Prayer after Communion

May the holy reception of the Body and Blood of your Only Begotten Son, O Lord,

turn us away from the cares of this fallen world,

so that, following the example of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, we may grow in sincere love for you on earth

and rejoice to behold you for eternity in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. AMEN.  

5 AUGUST 2022 - The feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome - Friday of the 18th week in ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 16:24-28

      “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”   Most likely, we have heard this command that Jesus makes in today’s Gospel countless times.   We know the words, but if we truly listen to them, then we realize that their meaning is so radical, so revolutionary.   In a society that prides itself in individualism and accomplishments, denying oneself and voluntarily taking up a cross is very revolutionary and goes against what most people in our society want most.

         As we hear this Gospel calling us to take up our crosses, today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, one of the four major basilicas in that holy city.  It might seem strange to us that we dedicate a feast day in our Church to a building, especially since the emphasis after the Second Vatican Council has been about how the Church is more than a building, how the people are the Church.  Yet, this basilica is an important center of worship of our faith. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The basilica of St Mary Major dates back to the 4th century, with the current building dating from the 5th century, right after the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be the “Theotokos,” the God bearer, the Mother of God. 

     Back in December of 2010,  when I had the opportunity to travel to Rome for the international choir congress with the St Richard Youth Choir, we had the honor of having a private mass with Cardinal Bernard Law at the Basilica of St Mary Major while he was rector there. That mass was one of the greatest moments of our trip.  When Cardinal Law greeted the youth and their parents personally, I saw their faces light up with great awe and joy.  What a faith-filled experience that mass was, as we celebrated in that beautiful church dedicated to the Blessed Mother, as we received Christ in the Eucharist in a basilica dedicated to his mother.  As Catholics, as we honor Mary, as we honor the Mother Church in Rome, may we grow closer to our faith, may we gain in our understanding of Mary as the Mother of God, our Mother, and the Mother of our Church.

4 August 2022 – Thursday of 18th week in Ordinary Time - St John Vianney - PSALM 51

    “Create a clean heart in me, O God.”  I find it really interesting that the psalmist does not say purify my heart or cleanse my heart, but rather “create” in me a clean heart.  The psalmist emphasizes God’s creative action, the new life and the new creation that we become through God.  The psalmist goes on to say – “A steadfast spirit renew within me.”   In asking for a new spirit and a new heart, the psalmist asks to renew the presence of both the human and the divine within him, to renew that which is depraved and broken and disordered within him.

           I thought of the saint we celebrate today, a priest whose ministry touched the hearts of the faithful in a special way.  St John Vianney was born in France near the end of the 18th century.  He is known as the Cure of Ars from the name of the French village where he lived most of his life as a priest.  He was a  seminary student studying for the priesthood during the era of the French Revolution, a time in which the Catholic faith was being oppressed in France. He was known as the least capable student in his seminary.  He was ordained to the priesthood reluctantly by his superiors, even though he failed his final oral exam. He was sent to a small French village where it was thought that he would do the least harm.  He led a very strict, devout life as a priest. His example of faith touched the lives of many of the faithful which went beyond his parishioners. He became well-known for his preaching, for his compassion as a confessor, and for his spiritual direction. As his reputation grew, Vianney had more than 300 people visiting him each day from different parts of France to hear him preach and to go to confession with him.  John Vianney is the patron saint of diocesan priests.  I pray for all the priests in the Diocese of Jackson in a special way today, especially the Diocesan priests.  I will leave with a quote from John Vianney on a homily he did on happiness.  It contains a good message for us to take away from his spirituality: “My God, I give you my heart, and since you are so good as to give me another day, give me the grace that everything I do will be for your honor and for the salvation of my soul.”

3 August 2022 - Wednesday of the 18th week of Ordinary Time – Matthew 15:21-28

      This may seem like a different perspective on Christ’s life and ministry, but perhaps we can see in Gospel reading ways that Jesus changed and grew into his ministry and in his understanding of his mission as the Son of God. In Jesus’ interaction with the Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus at first does not treat her with very much respect.  He initially tries to ignore and avoid her requests to heal her daughter.  Then very bluntly, Jesus tells her that he came only to preach to the people of Ancient Israel, that helping her, a Gentile, instead of helping a Jew, would be like taking food away from a child and giving it to a dog. Yet, the Canaanite woman never gives up on Jesus. She never gives up in her belief in him. Finally, as this interaction continues, Jesus recognizes her great faith and agrees to heal her daughter.  Perhaps, in this encounter with the Canaanite woman, Jesus is brought to a greater understanding as to his mission and ministry here on earth as the Son of God. Perhaps Jesus realizes that he is meant to be open to more than just the Jewish community. Like the Canaanite woman, we also are to be persistent, persevering, and tenacious in the way we live out our faith, in the way we search for the presence of God in our lives, in the way we seek out God's will for us.  May we always live out our faith with courage and conviction like this Canaanite woman in our Gospel today.

2 August 2022 - Tuesday of the 18th week in Ordinary Time – Psalm 201

       The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem was a very traumatic event for the people of Israel - that is what we hear about in this morning's psalm.  The people placed their hope in their belief that the Lord would rebuild their Temple, that God would restore their nation to power and might.  In recent years, I know that many Christians in the United States have been frustrated in the way our society has been heading away from Christianity and toward a more secular agenda.  We can become frustrated with politicians who don’t seem to understand what the common person is going through, that seem more obsessed with their own gains and their own reality, being oblivious to the pain and suffering and reality of others.  We see corruption, dishonesty, and political scandals, and we are fed up with the status quo. Yet, we cannot give up.  We need to try to have a voice in the way we vote and in our selection of our elected officials.  The psalmist pictures God from on high, listening to the groaning of the prisoners, releasing those who are sentenced to die.  There are times when it feels like that our cries are not heard.  We might wonder where God is in all of this.  We are to walk in faith each day, placing our trust in the Lord, working for the establishment of his kingdom.  It is hard sometimes, especially in light of the injustices we see and the frustrations we have, but the Lord will give us the strength to endure.

Reflection on St Ignatius of Loyola and the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius in honor of his feast day - 31 July 2022

      Back in the spring of 2017, when I found out I was going to move to St Jude parish in Pearl, the Bishop asked me if I wanted to take some additional time off, since I had been a priest for nine years at that point and with all that was going on in my life as a priest, I had not had a lot of vacation time and down time.  I told him I wanted to reflect upon that, to use that time in a good way.  I decided to go on a 30-day retreat on the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola on the site of his family’s castle in the Basque Country in northern Spain, which I ended up doing in July 2019.  What an amazing, intense experience those spiritual exercises turned out to be!  Based upon his own time of discernment in the early 16th century when he left behind his life as a medieval knight and solider to become a priest, the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius are a time of intense prayer and silence that include a daily meeting with a spiritual director.  Except for that daily meeting, there was no talking at all, just prayer, Mass, and silence. I remember telling a friend about that experience, saying that it was like going deep inside myself and baring my soul each day. I give thanks that Bishop Kopacz gave me the opportunity to have that experience.  

     This Sunday, July 31, as we celebrate the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, we will pray two of his well-know prayers at Mass.  The Suscipe is a traditional form of Catholic prayer which comes from the Latin word “receive”.  Those of you who have been connected with Catholic schools founded by the Sisters of Mercy will be familiar with the suscipe prayer written by that order’s founders Sister Catherine McAuley.  We will pray the suscipe of St Ignatius. Also, even though it appears that St Ignatius did not write the Anima Christi prayer, it is a prayer included in the beginning of his spiritual exercises and it is very closely associated with him.  Blessings to all of you. I am so glad to be with all of you as your pastor here at Holy Savior Clinton and Immaculate Conception Raymond.  Father Lincoln.  

27 July 2022 - Wednesday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time - prayers of the faithful

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 kingdom of God. 

2. 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. 

3. For victims of violence, for those who are struggling with addictions and mental illness, for those who have lost hope : that they may feel the loving and merciful Spirit of God in the lives, bringing them to wholeness and healing. 

4. 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. 

5. For healing for all of us in body, mind, and spirit.  

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

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

31 July 2022 - 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23, Luke12: 13-21

      It is hard to believe, but this summer marks 25 years since Princess Diana of England was killed in a tragic car accident in a tunnel in the city of Paris.  Not only being a famous princess, Princess Diana earned the love, respect, and admiration of many throughout the world for her charity work and for the way she reached out to the poor and oppressed of the world in great love and compassion. More than 2.5 billion people around the world watched her funeral on TV in 1997.  Her friend, singer Elton John, brought tears to the eyes of many when he sang his song “Candle in the Wind” at her funeral. Yes, the flame of a candle can go out so easily with the blow of wind. Indeed, our life here on earth is very fragile. We can live to an old age, or we can die when we are young, but all of us will die one day when our earthly lives will come to an end. 

     The words from the book of Ecclesiastes gets our attention this morning: “Vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!”   On the surface, those words might appear pessimistic and cynical, but what do they really mean?  The Hebrew word “hebel” that is translated into the English word “vanity,” literally means breath or, more specifically, for the fleeting vapor we see when we breathe into cold air.  Ecclesiastes is telling us that life can be like a fleeting breath, filled with emptiness and futility.  We human beings often attach ourselves to material things, thinking that these things will make us more secure or more appealing, that these material things will satisfy our desires and our needs and make us feel like we have meaning in life. But these things often leave us empty and wanting more, especially when we compare them to the eternal life that awaits us in God’s kingdom.  Perhaps the message from Ecclesiastes is not very comforting as it calls us to reflect upon life and our earthly existence.

      Giving thanks to God is not only an essential part of our Christian faith, but gratitude and thanksgiving are important parts of our secular world as well. Think of how the holiday of Thanksgiving is an important part of the fabric of American society.  Saying thank you to someone is one of the first things we learn to do as a child. In today’s Gospel, the Jewish tradition of the rich man with a bountiful harvest would call upon him to give thanks to the Lord in the form of prayers, fasting, and almsgiving.  Yet, instead, the rich man hoards his riches, sharing them neither with God nor with his neighbor.  Instead, he plans to enjoy himself, to “eat, drink, and be merry.”  The values of our faith see him as foolish because he puts all his trust in his material treasures, not in God. He cannot see beyond himself, being selfish to his very core.  The rich man gave no thought to the poor and the hungry.  He did not think about the laborers who brought in the harvest for him. He feels no responsibility to share his blessings with them. This foolish rich man is perhaps exemplified by this Roman proverb: “Money is like sea water; the more a man drinks, the thirstier he becomes.” 

       This Sunday happens to be the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.  Before his conversion of faith, Ignatius would have had an attitude very similar to the rich man in the Gospel.  Ignatius was born in the Basque Country of Spain in 1491, the year before Columbus sailed for America.  He was was the youngest of 11 children. He was trained to be a member of the royal court and to be a solider.  He lived the life of a knight in medieval Spain, which included partying and carousing and enjoying the material pleasures of life. However, while fighting at the Battle of Pamplona in 1621, he suffered a broken leg that had to be re-broken after it did not heal properly.  His friends carried him more than a hundred miles from the battle site back to his family’s ancestral home.  Ignatius was confined to his bed for a long period of time during his recuperation from his injuries, where he read books about saints such Francis of Assisi and about the life of Christ. This brought about a profound conversion of faith. After spending time living as a hermit in a cave and journeying as a pilgrim, he reflected profoundly on his life. He enrolled in the university of Paris at the age of 30 to become a priest, a very advanced age to be in formation for the priesthood in that era. He had to study Latin with young boys in order to get ready for his study of theology.  Even though Ignatius had turned his back on God for most of his early life, he now opened his life to God and to God’s will for him.  From the humble beginnings of his conversion, to the spiritual exercises he developed to help discern God’s will, to the way he saw gratitude and thanksgiving as an essential part of our journey of faith, Ignatius of Loyola went on to found the religious order of the Society of Jesus, commonly called the Jesuits, an order of priests that still has a great influence in Catholicism today. 

     St Ignatius of Loyola was able to get beyond the vanities that attracted him in life.  In our own life of faith, we can easily get distracted by vanities as well, things that can hold us back in our journey of faith. Our readings today call out to us to look at our priorities in life, at the things we consider to be our treasures. May we ask the Lord to help us grow in our holiness and to help us be true disciples. 

     I want to close with the Anima Christi prayer.  It is included in the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises which St Ignatius wrote.  Being that this prayer is very closely associated with St Ignatius, it is often been mistakenly attributed to him as to it’s authorship. However, Church historians believe that this prayer is probably several hundred years older than St Ignatius. This prayer recalls Jesus’ passion and his body and blood, which is why it is frequently said by individuals after receiving Holy Communion.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
 Body of Christ, save me.
 Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
 Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
 Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
 O Good Jesus, hear me.
 Within your wounds hide me.
 Permit me not to be separated from you.
 From the wicked foe, defend me.
 At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you
 That with your saints I may praise you
For ever and ever. Amen.

Prayers of the faithful - Thursday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time - 28 July 2022

Lord Jesus - You are the word of God. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to a life of discipleship. 

Lord Jesus - You teach us about the kingdom of God in parables. 

With humble hearts, we now bring our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For our church leaders, may they help us bear witness to the Gospel in our lives. 

2. For our community of faith: that we reach out to the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized in our words and our actions. 

3. For all who are persecuted for the faith, for those who are struggling with committing to the faith, for those who have fallen away from the practice of their faith: that they may feel God’s love and mercy reaching out to them. 

4. For all couples preparing for the sacrament of holy matrimony and for couples who are newly married: that the Lord strengthen their bound of love and unity.  

5. For all who have died: that the Lord welcome them into the kingdom of light and peace. 

6. For all missionaries who spread the Gospel message throughout the world: that we may collaborate with them and may all of us be missionary in spirit. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts. 

As we ask you to encourage us on our journey of faith, we present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.  

prayers of the faithful - 17th week in ORDINARY TIME - 29 JULY 2022

Lord Jesus - you call us to justice. 

Christ Jesus - you proclaim God's kingdom. 

Lord Jesus - you show us how to have the heart of a servant.  

My brothers and sisters, as servants in God’s kingdom, let us turn to God in prayer:

1. That our worship may stir the Church to bear witness to the Gospel in the reality of our world. 

2. That our governmental leaders may be guided by the wisdom of God’s Spirit for the benefit of the people, unifying our communities and our country. 

3. That those suffering drought, brush fires, and high temperature may find relief and safety.  

4. That all who are ill with diseases and illnesses receive the healing touch of God.  For front-line workers, caregivers, and family member, that God may give them the strength and courage that they need. 

5. For our students, teachers, and families as they all soon begin the new school year.  For God's presence with them in their studies, their learning, and their school activities.  

6. For all who have entered into eternal life, for our deceased loved ones, family members, and parishioners.  For the faithful departed who have no one to pray for them.  

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts.  

God of love, you call us to be a people of prayer and to persevere in faith. Help us to be faithful servants of your kingdom. We ask our prayers through your son Jesus Christ our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

29 JULY 2022 – Memorial of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus – Friday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time – John 11:19-27

    You may recall that traditionally, we celebrated the feast day of St Martha in the liturgical calendar on July 29, primarily since the identity of her sister Mary was a bit confusing in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.  However, last year, the CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS in the Church announced that the siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus would all be celebrated together on that day in the Church’s liturgical calendar.  

      Last Friday, we celebrated the Feast day of St Mary Magdalene, an important disciple and evangelizer from the Early Church.  In fact, the great medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas called Mary Magdalene “the apostle of the apostles” for the way she announced Christ’s resurrection to the apostles and to the world.  Today, we celebrate these three siblings who were beloved friends of Jesus.  

       The Gospel we hear today is from John’s account of the raising of Lazarus, in which Martha, in a daring leap of faith, declares her belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the long-awaited one:  “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” There have been a lot of different interpretations and reflections on the Gospel readings concerning Mary and Martha.  In fact, you already heard a reflection on them a couple of weeks ago when we had the reading from the 10th chapter of Luke’s Gospel on the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  What we can say is that Martha has a very practical, lived reality aspect of her faith.  Martha definitely is faith put into action.  When her brother dies, she is able to say that she believes that her brother will rise again because she knows who Jesus really is: the Son of God.  The Church needs both Marys and Marthas.  The Church needs priests of different stripes and colors as well – theologians, canon lawyers, missionaries, theologians, Diocesan priests in the small towns in the Delta, rectors at the cathedrals, intellectual Jesuits, and contemplative Benedictines.  The Church always has had people of action and people of prayer, people of the establishment and the prophetic voices of the poor.  As we celebrate Mary, Martha, and Lazarus today, let us learn from their experiences, and may we look for balance in our lives. May we all be beloved friends of Jesus just as these three siblings were.  

28 July 2022 – Thursday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time – Matthew 13:47-53

      We have been hearing a lot of different parables in the Gospel readings at mass lately.  Today, we just heard the parable of a huge net that hauls in all kinds of fish, in which the fishermen will separate the good from the bad.  Jesus explains that at the end of the age, the angels will take the wicked, separating them from the righteous, throwing them into a fiery furnace where there will be anguish.  There was a fiery place outside of Jerusalem called the Valley of Hinnom, also referred to as Gehenna. Jeremiah refers to that valley as a place where the pagans sacrificed children as offerings to the false idols.  Both Isaiah and Jeremiah refer to that place as a symbol of the destiny of the wicked, as a fiery furnace and a place of torment where there will be no consolation or comfort for those who will be excluded from God’s divine blessing in eternal life.  I remember once when I attended a Friday evening synagogue service, a rabbi was asked a question by a Christian about the specifics of heaven and hell, of how the Jewish people conceptualized those two places.  The rabbi explained that the Jewish faith places greater emphasis on their conduct in this current life, in obeying God’s will and following his laws and commandments, as opposed to trying to speculate as to what heaven and hell will be like for them when life has ended here on earth.  May we follow God’s love and mercy in our lives, praying for those who have who have chosen to live life away from the faith. 

27 JULY 2022 – Wednesday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time – Matthew 13:44-46

      We have been hearing different parables in our Gospel readings this week. It is striking to me that the treasure in the parable is found by accident. The person was probably not even looking for that treasure when he found it. Our life of faith is that way as well.  We can have a plan for how we want our faith life to unfold, but then Jesus can come to us in very unexpected ways. Perhaps those surprise visits from Jesus are the greatest treasures we can have on our faith journey. As a priest, I can make a “to do” list with everything I want to get done on a certain day, but then, many different things can happen to wipe away my plans.  On the web forum for the pilgrims going to the Camino of St James in Spain, many who are planning their pilgrimage don’t want to leave anything to chance. They try to plan each little detail of their pilgrimage to the greatest extent possible.   The trouble with that is that sometimes it does not leave much opportunity for God to interact with us in those unexpected ways.  A big part of pilgrimage is being open to God in unexpected ways.  Even if we are happy and content with our lives, Jesus can come to us out of the blue, changing our plans.  Let us try to open up our hearts to those unexpected ways God speaks to us in our daily lives.

26 JULY 2022 - PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL - Tuesday of the 17th week in ORDINARY TIME

Lord Jesus, your glory shines in creation. 

Christ Jesus - you are the living bread. 

Lord Jesus - You are the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.  

Our Lord is our provider.  He natures us and blesses us.  Let us now raise our voices to him in prayer.  

1. For our Church leaders, that they may help us proclaim the Gospel message throughout the world.  

2. For our nation, that we may all work together to solve the problems and challenges that confront us as a nation.  

3. For our families and students as they get ready for the new school year.  

4. For the respect of human life in the world, especially the most vulnerable and the forgotten. 

5. For all who are finishing up their summer vacation, for safe travels, and in thanksgiving for our time of recreation and refreshment.  

6. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

God of abundant grace, you know our needs before we know them ourselves.  We ask that you look with favor on the prayers we present through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

26 July 2022 – Memorial of Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Tuesday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time – Jeremiah 14:17-22

     In our reading from Jeremiah, the people of Israel are suffering, yet they are not afraid to ask God why.  They cry out to God: Have you cast Judah off?  Is Zion loathsome to you?   The people acknowledge their own sins and the sins of their fathers, sins that were committed against God.  They ask God to remember the covenant that he made with them, to forgive them in honor of his own name.

       We live in a society where many people are not willing to acknowledge the wrongs that they have done.  It is so much easier to blame the system, to blame someone else, to sue someone, to not take responsibility. The people in the Old Testament were confronting God in the midst of suffering from a great drought.  I wonder if some of the people in California and the American West who are in the midst of a terrible drought ever cry out to God in the same way.

        In the midst of this acknowledgement by the people of Ancient Israel, we celebrate today the memorial of St Joachim and St Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  They are not mentioned by name in the Bible, but they have been honored since the days of the early Church. Tradition tells us that Joachim and Anne were an older couple without children when they were given the gift of a daughter.  When their daughter, Mary, was with child herself, both Joachim and Anne were notified separately by an angel of the Lord of this good news, which was the same way Joseph and Mary both heard the news of the upcoming birth of Jesus.  Since their daughter was specifically chosen for this special role in the history of salvation, we can only imagine the holiness and example of faith that Anne and Joachim gave her as she grew up in their home.  We celebrate the lives of Anne and Joachim and the example of faith that they are for us.

       I remember having a conversation with a young man from Shreveport, Louisiana who was helping us paint the church in Tupelo after the tornado.  He was of an Evangelical Protestant background. He asked me in a lot of questions about our Catholic faith. He could not get over that we in the Catholic faith don't go by Scripture alone. I explained to him that we also have the teachings of the Magisterium and Tradition.  A lot of what we know about Mary and Jesus is filled in by what the Magisterium and Tradition teaches us, by what was passed down to us from the Early Church. As we celebrate the lives of Anne and Joachim today, may we give thanks for their place in the history of salvation.  Let us do so in the same spirit of humility in which the people approached God in the Old Testament reading from the prophet Jeremiah today. 

       

Catholic Funeral Readings - Isaiah 25:6-9 - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 - Psalm 23 - Matthew 5:1-12

FIRST READING: 

A reading from the prophet Isaiah:

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples, a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever.

The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.

On that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”

The Word of the Lord.

PSALM 

(Cantor will sing the refrain - lector will read the verses)

Psalm 23

R: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; 

for you are at my side

With your rod and your staff that give me courage.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

SECOND READING 

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to Timothy:  

For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.  From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

The word of the Lord.  

GOSPEL:

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew: 

      When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

      Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

The Gospel of the Lord. 

Prayers of the faithful - July 24, 2022 - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction: We gather today for Mass as those who have been raise with Christ by faith in the power of God.  Let us deepen our understanding our God’s word and pray for those in need.  

Lord Jesus - You died and rose again to save us from sin 

Christ Jesus - you teach us how to pray

Lord Jesus - in you, we find the path to holiness

Prayers of the faithful - 

Priest: Jesus assures us in today’s Gospel: Ask and you will receive.  As children of God, let us bring our needs before our Father in heaven:

1. For the Church, that we may imitate God’s generosity as we assist those in need, materially and spiritually, let us pray to the Lord: 

2. For our governmental leaders, that they may work toward the day when no one will be without daily bread, we pray to the Lord:

3. For those who have been affected by natural disaster, by drought, and through the heatwave in our country and throughout the world, that their suffering may be relieved, we pray to the Lord. 

4. That all who gather around the eucharistic table of the Lord may remember those not present, especially the sick and the homebound, we pray to the Lord.  

5. That our Church may deepen its persistence in prayer and its witness of the Gospel message, we pray to the Lord. 

6. That the nations of the world may seek peace, defend life, and practice mercy, we pray to the Lord.  

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, we pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Father of mercy, you are quick to forgive.  Help us to desire the good and to guide us to seek the truth.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

Prayers of the faithful - July 31, 2022 - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction: The Holy Spirit draws us to Mass today to listen to God’s living word, to receive the Lord in the Eucharist, and to give praise and thanks to God. 

Lord Jesus, you are our lasting treasure. 

Christ Jesus, you call us to shout our resources with the poor. 

Lord Jesus, you lead us to everlasting life. 

Prayers of the faithful:

Priest: Let us seek with matters to God with generous hearts.  We now pray for our needs, the needs of our brothers and sisters, and the needs of the Church:

1. For the Church, that we may be a model of generosity, freely giving of our abundance to all in need, we pray to the Lord. 

2. For the leaders of the nations, that we may be inspired to share our resources with those who suffer in poverty, we pray to the Lord. 

3. For an end to terrorism, war, and violence. For healing and reconciliation in our families, our communities, and our nation, we pray to the Lord. 

4. That all of us may seek wisdom, guidance, and understanding in God’s holy word, we pray to the Lord.  

5. For healing for the sick and the afflicted in body, mind and spirit, for those who are suffering from addictions and mental illness we pray to the Lord. 

6. For our students, families, and teachers who are starting the new school year.  May the Lord bless their studies and all their school activities, we pray to the Lord.  

6. For the prayers we hold in the silence for our hearts, we pray to the Lord. 

Priest: God of holiness, you lovingly renew our minds and our spirits.  We seek your mercy as we offer our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.  

Prayers of the faithful - July 17, 2022 - 16th week in Ordinary Time

Introduction - On this 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, let us be filled with gratitude and humility as we enter the presence of Jesus, hearing his word and breaking the bread of life with him.  

Prayers of the faithful:

Priest -  As disciples on our journey of faith, we present our prayers and concerns to our loving and merciful Father: 

1. For our Holy Father Pope Francis, for our Bishops and for all Church leaders, that they we lead the people in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel. We pray to the Lord.

2. For our political and governmental leaders, that they will help us guard the dignity of all human life, especially the unborn and the most vulnerable.  We pray to the Lord.

3. For all who are traveling during these summer months, that the Lord will bless their travels and their time of rest and leisure and keep them safe.  We pray to the Lord.

4. That we the local Church may be a place of welcome and spiritual  renewal. We pray to the Lord.

5. For all who keep us safe in society: for first responders, for the men and women in the military, and for our medical professionals.  In gratitude for their service and their sacrifices.  We pray to the Lord.

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life.  For the souls in the process of purification in purgatory.  We pray to the Lord.

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. We pray to the Lord.

Priest - As we ask you to send us the presence of the Holy Spirit to help heal our world, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.  

Prayers of the faithful - July 10, 2022 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time -

Introduction - 

On this 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear Jesus tell us the story of the Good Samaritan.  May we recognize our neighbor in need.  

Prayers of the faithful:

Priest: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.  Let us turn him with our needs, the needs of the Church, and the needs of the world: 

1. That our Church leaders, including Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Pope Francis, bear witness to love of neighbor as did the Good Samaritan.  We pray to the Lord. 

2. That our governmental leaders may work toward peace, toward an end to war, terrorism and violence.  We pray to the Lord. 

3. That individuals and communities may treat the earth with dignity and respect, preserving its richness and beauty for future generations. We pray to the Lord.

4. That all people may have access to affordable housing, health care, and education.  We pray to the Lord.  

5. For our children and families who will be participating in Vacation Bible School this upcoming week.  May they see God accompanying them through their actives, their fun and their fellowship.  We pray to the Lord.

6. That the members of our Church community may welcome the stranger, shelter the homeless, and foster a community of forgiveness and love.  We pray to the Lord.

7. That the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts be heard by our loving Father.  We pray to the Lord.

Priest: Saving God, your mercy heals our wounds.  Hear and answer the prayers we offer through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.  

Prayer service based on the prayer intention of Pope Francis for the month of July - prayers for the elderly

I prayed this pray as part of our Monday morning prayer for the chancery staff of the Diocese of Jackson this past Monday, July 18 2022.  

Prayer intention of Pope Francis for the month of July: 

We pray for the elderly, who represent the roots and memory of a people; may their experience and wisdom help young people to look towards the future with hope and responsibility.

Thoughts from Pope Francis

We cannot speak about family without talking about the importance of the elderly among us.

There have never been so many elderly in the history of humanity, but many of the elderly don’t quite know how to live this new stage of life: there are many plans for assistance for the old age, but few projects for existence.

The elderly often have a special sensitivity for care, for reflection, and affection.

The elderly are, or can become, teachers of tenderness. And indeed we can!

In this world accustomed to war, we need a true revolution of tenderness.

We have a great responsibility towards new generations about this.

Thoughts from Father Lincoln: 

We think of the older generation that does so much for our parishes, who do so much in supporting our parishes, our schools, and our Diocese financially and in prayer.  

We think of our retired priests who are doing so much right now to help our Diocese and our parishes, who celebrate Mass and fill in and give us their wisdom and who accept assignments when we need them.  

We think of the wise elders in our own families who have led us and have guided us in so many ways.  

I think of many of you in the chancery who have elderly parents or grandparent who have challenges with health or dementia or memory or just trying to do the basic functions of life, of how challenging it is to try to help them in their reality and help them feel treated with dignity and respect. 

Let us remember our grandparents and the elderly who are the bread that nourishes our lives, the hidden wisdom of a people. That is why we are called to celebrate them 

Prayer intentions: Let us now pray: 

We pray for the elderly, that they may become teachers of tenderness so that their experiences and wisdom may help young people to look towards the future with hope and responsibility.

Let us pray for the sick and the shut-in, for all those who are in the hospice, hospitals and nursing homes. For healing in mind, body and spirit.  

For our call to follow the Gospel of life in our lives through our words and our actions, that we see care and respect for the elderly as a part of the Gospel of Life.  

For all who are victims of violence and crime.  We pray for the elderly who are often vulnerable and taken advantage of.  We pray for healing and reconciliation for the wounds and injustices we have in society.  

We pray for all of our families during the summer vacation.  We pray for our children, families and teachers as they get ready to go back to school.  We pray for our parishes getting ready for the new school year of religious education.  We pray for our Catholic schools. 

We pray for Pope Francis’s upcoming pastoral trip to Canada (July 24- 30), that it being a healing trip for the Church in Canada, that it bring new life to the faithful there.  

Closing - let us pray the Lord's Prayer together: 

24 de Julio de 2022 - decimoséptimo domingo del tiempo ordinario - Lucas 11, 1-13

Antes de la Guerra Civil, cuando los barcos de vapor viajaban  por el río Mississippi, un niño pequeño estaba de pie en la orilla del río, saludando y gritando mientras pasaba un gran barco.  El niño estaba llamando al barco para que llegara a la orilla. Un hombre pasaba cerca de él y le comentaba a su amigo: “Ese niño es tonto. Ese barco nunca llegará a tierra. El capitán está demasiado ocupado navegando por el río. Nunca le prestaría atención a un niño pequeño que agita los brazos y lo llama.”  En ese momento, el hombre vio que el barco daba un giro brusco, dirigiéndose a la orilla del río. El niño estaba tan feliz. A medida que el barco se acercaba, el niño se volvió hacia el hombre con gran orgullo y le dijo: “¡Ese es mi papá allá arriba! ¡Es el capitán del barco! Ese es uno de los puntos revolucionarios de la oración del Padre nuestro que Jesús enseña a los apóstoles en el Evangelio este domingo, que Dios es Abba, Papi, Padre.  Dios es el capitán del universo, pero también escucha a sus hijos con amor, y compasión.

San Lucas no dice cuándo o dónde Jesús enseñó a sus discípulos la oración Padrenuestro, solo que sucedió en un lugar determinado. Sin embargo, la tradición dice que esto tuvo lugar al lado del Monte de los Olivos en una gruta a la que a menudo se hace referencia como la gruta del Padre Nuestro. En el sitio de esta cueva hay un gran patio rectangular con largos pórticos, con las palabras del Padre Nuestro apareciendo en 60 idiomas diferentes. Jesús enseñó a sus discípulos esta oración en su idioma común, el arameo.  Durante muchos siglos, los católicos oraban el Padrenuestro en latín. Ahora, con la misa en lengua vernácula en todo el mundo, cada cultura reza el Padrenuestro en su propia lengua cotidiana.

El Evangelio nos llama a ser persistentes y perseverantes en las oraciones.  El domingo pasado, en el evangélico sobre las hermanas María y Marta, Marta quiso acoger a Jesús y sus amigos con hospitalidad y con almuerzo. Los viajeros en el antiguo Israel a menudo viajaban durante la noche para evitar el calor del mediodía y llegaban a la casa tarde en la noche. Ciertamente podemos relacionarnos con eso con el calor que tuvimos aquí en Mississippi y en los Estados Unidos este verano. Los aldeanos del antiguo Israel se acostaban temprano sin electricidad. Entonces, tiene sentido que el amigo en la parábola intente encontrar algo de comer para sus invitados recién llegados, tratando de brindarles hospitalidad.  La bodega del amigo está vacío, por lo que va a su vecino a buscar comida.  

No creo que esta parábola esté diciendo que Dios es un dador reacio. En cambio, la parábola llama nuestra atención sobre la necesidad de perseverar en la oración como nuestra forma de depender de Dios en el camino de fe. Cuando perseveramos en la oración, podemos enfocarnos en nuestras esperanzas y deseos, llevándonos a descubrir cuál es la voluntad de Dios para nosotros. En nuestra persistencia, debemos estar abiertos a la voluntad de Dios, para que nuestras esperanzas y deseos puedan cambiar en nuestras oraciones. A menudo, en sus cartas en el Nuevo Testamento, San Pablo enfatiza que debemos orar sin cesar, orar en todo momento y ser firmes en nuestras oraciones.

Pero, nuestras a Dios no es como comprar algo en la tienda, gastando nuestro dinero y recibiendo la compra.  En la sabiduría de Dios, él sabe qué él quiere darnos en nuestras oraciones.  Él sabe cuándo y cómo. Cuando le pedimos a Dios que nos dé nuestro pan de cada día, podemos tener en la mente nuestro hambre física, pero Dios puede indicarnos cómo satisfacer un hambre espiritual de la que tal vez ni siquiera estemos conscientes.  Jesús quiere que pidamos y sigamos pidiendo, que busquemos y sigamos buscando, que llamemos y sigamos llamando. Confiar en Dios es una parte importante de nuestra relación con él. Podemos querer que Dios responda a nuestras oraciones en un sueño dramático o en una epifanía. En cambio, la respuesta a las oraciones puede ser en una voz silenciosa que escuchamos en el silencio del corazón. Hay muchos tipos diferentes de oraciones que podemos orar como católicos: oraciones que expresan necesidades y deseos, oraciones que dan gracias a Dios, oraciones silenciosas que son contemplativas y místicas, oraciones que fluyen libremente y que están en nuestras propias palabras, y oraciones tradicionales establecidas. como una novena, una letanía o el rosario. Pero el Padre Nuestro que Jesús nos enseña a rezar tiene un lugar central en nuestra vida de oración como cristianos. Como dijo el Padre de la Iglesia Primitiva Tertuliano, la oración del Padre Nuestro es el “resumen de todo el Evangelio."

24 JULY 2022 – 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C – Luke 11:1-13

     Back before the Civil War, when steam boats went up and down the Mississippi River, a little boy stood on the banks of the river, waving and shouting as a large steamboat was going by. He was calling out for the steamboat to come to the shore. A man standing near him remarked to his friend: “That foolish boy. That boat will never come ashore.  The captain is too busy navigating the river.  He would never pay attention to a little boy waving his arms and calling out to him.”  Just then, the man saw the boat take a sharp turn, heading for the shore of the river.  The little boy was so happy.  As the steamboat got closer, the little boy turned to the man with great pride and said: “That’s my daddy up there!  He’s the captain of the steamboat!” That is one of the revolutionary points about the Lord’s prayer that Jesus teaches the apostles in today’s Gospel, that God is Abba, Daddy, Father.  God is the captain of the universe, but he also listens to his children with love, compassion, and concern.  

      Luke does not say when or where Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s prayer, only that it happened at a certain place. Yet, tradition passes down that this took place on the western slope of the Mount of Olives in a grotto often referred as the grotto of the Our Father, or the grotto of the teachings of Jesus.  At the site of this cave, there is a great rectangular courtyard with long porticos, with the words of the Our Father appearing in 60 different languages.  Jesus taught his disciples this prayer in their common language, Aramaic.  For many centuries, the Catholic faithful prayed the Lord’s prayer in Latin.  Now, with the mass in the vernacular language throughout the world, each culture prays the Our Father prayer in its own everyday language.

      Our Gospel today calls us to be persistent and persevering in our prayers.  Last Sunday, in the Gospel story of Mary and Martha, Martha wanted to welcome Jesus and his friends with hospitality and a home cooked meal.  Travelers in Ancient Israel often traveled during the evening to avoid the hot mid-day heat, arriving at a host’s home late at night.  We can certainly relate to that with the heat wave we are having here in Mississippi and across the US this summer.  The villagers of Ancient Israel went to bed early since they had no electricity.  So, it makes sense that the host in the parable tries to find something to eat for his newly arrived guests, trying to provide hospitality for them.  The host’s cupboard is bare, so he goes to his neighbor for food. Many homes of Ancient Israel only had just one sleeping chamber, so everyone in the household would have been woken up by the commotion, even the children.  It is the persistence of the host that gets him bread from his neighbor.  I don’t think that this parable is saying that God is a reluctant giver. It instead calls our attention to the need for persistence in prayer as our way of depending upon God on our journey of faith.  When we persevere in prayer, we can focus on our hopes and desires, leading us to discover what God’s will is for us.  Often, I tell parishioners that in our persistence, we need to be open to the will of God, so our hopes and desires may change in our prayers.  So often, Paul stresses that we need to pray without ceasing, to pray at all times, and to be steadfast in our prayers.

      But praying to God is not like putting coins in a vending machine, selecting the type of soda pop we want, and getting exactly what we select. God is not a magic genie in a bottle who grants our every request. In God’s wisdom, he knows what to give us in our prayer requests.  He knows when and how.  When we ask God to give us our daily bread, we may have in mind our physical hunger, but God may point us to satisfying a spiritual hunger of which we might not even be aware.  Jesus wants us to ask and keep on asking, to seek and keep on seeking, to knock and keep on knocking.  Trusting God is an important part of our relationship with him. We may want God to answer our prayers in a dramatic dream or in a profound epiphany.  Instead, the answer to our prayers may be this silent voice that we hear in the calm of our hearts.  There are many different types of prayers that we can pray as Catholics: prayers that express needs and desires, prayers that give thanks to God, silent prayers that are contemplative and mystical, free flowing prayers that are in our own words, or set traditional prayers like a novena, a litany, or the rosary.  But, the Our Father that Jesus teaches us to pray has a central place in our prayer life as Christians.   As the Early Church Father Tertullian said, the Our Father prayer is the “summary of the whole Gospel.”

17 de julio de 2022 – decimosexto domingo del Tiempo Ordinario – Lucas 10, 38-42

Cuando escuchamos el Evangelio este domingo sobre Marta y María, podemos reflexionar sobre las diferencias entre ellas. Tal vez, tengamos la tendencia de ver la afirmación de Jesucristo a María en su elección de escuchar sus enseñanzas, y de ver su desprecio de la tarea de Marta, mirando esta tarea con menos importancia. A veces, necesitamos incorporar las virtudes de María en nuestra vida de fe - y a veces necesitamos incorporar las virtudes de Marta.  Como sacerdote diocesano, tengo la llamada de tener una vida de oración muy rica, de tener las lecturas espirituales y la formación espiritual como parte de mi vocación sacerdotal, pero también tengo la llamada para manejar una parroquia en muchas detalles.  También, tengo otro trabajo en administración por la diócesis por el orden del obispo. Como cristianos, necesitamos tener el equilibrio entre Marta y María en nuestra vida diaria, en la manera que vivimos nuestra fe

Frecuentemente, Jesús interrumpe la realidad del mundo en sus enseñanzas.  El desafía la manera convencional que el pueblo mira al mundo.  Escuchamos muchas veces en la Sagradas Escrituras de la importancia de hospitalidad y da la bienvenida de un huésped, de comer juntos a la mesa. En verdad, Jesucristo hace un punto para dar la bienvenida a las personas que normalmente no tiene la bienvenida en la sociedad judía – los pecadores, los gentiles, los recaudadores de impuestos, y los extranjeros.  En este punto de vista, podemos anticipar que Jesucristo afirmará la tarea de Marta – la bienvenida que ella da a Jesús en su casa.  Marta es muy ocupada – ella limpia y cocina y lava.  En sus distracciones y en sus frustraciones, ella hace su tarea sin la ayuda de María. Con las palabras de elogio que Jesús da a María, en la manera que ella no contribuye a la tarea de la casa, Marta se siente muy mal. ¿Y eso es justo?  Pero, podemos recordarnos que muchas enseñanzas de Jesucristo en los Evangelios tienen la meta de dar un choque a nuestras sensibilidades y a nuestro punto de vista al mundo. 

Jesús rompe nuestra expectativas, tal vez con la meta de darnos cuenta que el reino de Dios está aquí, para reconocer y proclamar la presencia del reino de Dios en nuestra vida diaria. En las otras partes del viaje largo en el Evangelio de San Lucas, Jesús nos explica que nada debe distraernos de la realidad del reino de Dios en nuestra vida.  No hay tiempo para descansar, no hay tiempo para despedir de nuestra familia, no hay tiempo para enterrar los muertos. Hay mucha urgencia en el mensaje que Jesús nos da en el Evangelio. Necesitamos vencer a las distracciones que tenemos en nuestro camino de fe – y la bienvenida que Marta quiere dar Jesús por su tarea en la casa no puede ser una distracción tampoco, aun es una parte importante de los costumbres y tradiciones en Israel Antiguo.

Dicho eso, pienso que necesitamos reconocer y respetar a ambos Marta y Marta en el Evangelio este domingo por su ser y por los dones ellas llevan. A veces, tenemos la llamada para ser María o Marta en la vida de fe. Y tenemos la llamada para reconocer los dones de las Marías y las Martas que existen en nuestra parroquia y nuestras families, para los dones que las dos dan a nuestra fe. Sin la presencia de estos dos elementos, no podemos funcionar cómo a comunidad de fe o una familia animada y sana. 

Prayers of the faithful - feast day of St Mary Magdalene - 22 July 2022

Lord Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Christ Jesus - you are the Savior of the World. 

Lord Jesus - you are the word of God.  

In the midst of the challenges of life, the Lord invites us to trust in him and present our needs to him. 

1. That the Church may always proclaim, faithfully and joyfully, the presence of Christ in our midst, for he is our hope of glory. 

2. That all public officials may seek to secure the God-given rights of the people, proclaiming a respect for all human life. 

3. That the gift of hospitality may fill our families and communities that it may it shape the way we respond to the terminally ill, the unborn, and those on the margins. 

4. That those in the Church dedicated to contemplation and solitude may be faithful to their call and persevere in prayer. 

5. That the sick may find peace in uniting their sufferings with the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body the Church. 

6. That all who have died may have eternal rest and peace. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts. 

Heavenly Father, we rejoice in how close you are to your people. Hear our prayers and give us the grace to serve you joyfully. We ask this through Christ our Lord forever and ever. Amen. 

22 July 2020 - the feast day of St Mary Magdalene - John 20:1-2, 11-18

The Church recognizes the role of Mary Magdalene as one of the first witnesses to Christ resurrection and as a true and authentic evangelizer of the faith.  In recognition of her important role in the history of the Catholic faith, in 2016, the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments conveyed Pope Francis’ decision to elevate the observance of St. Mary Magdalene from a memorial to a feast, raising her feast day status as being equal to the other apostles.  This decree stated: “In our time the Church is called to reflect in a more profound way on the dignity of Woman, on the New Evangelization, and on the greatness of the Mystery of Divine Mercy, it seemed right that the example of Saint Mary Magdalene might also fittingly be proposed to the faithful.”

We, the Catholic faithful, remember Mary Magdalene as one of the women who remained with Jesus throughout his suffering and death on the cross, in addition to being the first witness to his resurrection.  Our reading from the Gospel of John today focuses upon her visit to Christ’s tomb.  She arrives at his tomb, finds it empty, and breaks down weeping.  She does not recognize Jesus when he appears to her.  She is blinded in her grief and in her own failings.  She is overwhelmed by the death of Jesus and by her our struggles.  

We hear Jesus instruct Mary Magdalene to deliver a message to his disciples about his death and resurrection, that he is going to his father and our father, to his God and our God, instructing us that we have the ability to have a personal relationship with God.  Through those instructions, Christ teaches us that through his suffering and death, he has indeed transcended his earthly death and has opened the gates of heaven to us.  

On many levels, we can identify very easily to Mary Magdalene because her journey is so relatable.  At times on our own journeys of faith, we can be blinded by our fears and our hardships.  In the midst of that reality, the faith and courage of Mary Magdalene is a great example for all of us to follow.  Mary Magdalene learns to have faith and trust in the presence of Christ’s love and mercy. She is the apostle to the apostles as she brings them the news of Christ’s resurrection.  Her witness was so important to the Early Church. As we honor Mary Magdalene today, let us unite our prayers with her prayers.  

Prayers of the faithful - Thursday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time - 21 July 2022

Lord Jesus - You bring us the blessings of the Father. 

Christ Jesus - You open our eyes and our ears to God’s truth. 

Lord Jesus - You are the son of the Father. 

With humble and hopeful hearts, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For the Christian faithful: that we may follow Christ, the head of the Church, more closely and continue his mission of reconciling others to both God and one another. 

2. For this community of faith: that our deeds of compassion and loving service may be signs of God’s presence in our midst. 

3. For openness of heart: that we may allow the pain and suffering of others to move our hearts and spirits to a loving response. 

4. For insight: that God will help us recognize our neighbor in the refugee, the homeless person, and the marginalized of society, inspiring our response to their needs today. 

5. For conversion of spirit: that God will teach us how to love with our whole hearts and guide us in moving our religious ideals from ideas to action. 

6. For the faithful departed: for their entry into eternal life.  And for the souls in the process of purification in purgatory. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

As you call us to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need and to live out the spirit of the Eucharist in our daily lives, we present these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

21 July 2022 - Thursday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time -Matthew 13:10-17

    We recognize how we live in an age where the motives behind our faith are questioned by many in society, as many do not want believe that we are sincere and grounded in our faith. That thought came to my mind with what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Being able to believe in our modern world is a grace from God. It is not something that comes from ourselves alone.  It is a fruit from a gift we receive from God. Our faith would not exist without God and the Holy Spirit interacting in our lives in a very real way. 

      All of us have an exterior journey in life: the job we go to each day, the different activities that we have, the errands we run, the tasks we attend to, the way we spend our leisure time and our down time, the way we try to be productive each day, the way we serve others.   But we also have an interior journey, a spiritual journey, the journey of the soul, of how we process our experiences, our encounters with others, our joys and our sorrows.  By God’s grace, we travel down these exterior and interior journeys of life. 

     On our faith journey, the saints are such a great example for us.  Within the community of saints, the Doctors of the Church represent those men and women who have blessed us with teachings and writings that help us on our journey of faith.  Lawrence of Brindisi, who was born in 1559 in Florence, Italy in the midst of the Protestant Reformation is the saint of the day.   Lawrence was known for his gift of languages, able to speak and read in his native Italian as well as Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish, and French.  He was ordained a priest in the Franciscan Capuchin order at the age of 23.  With his gift for languages, he studied the Bible in its original texts. At the request of Pope Clement VIII, he preached to the Jews in Italy. His ability to speak Hebrew was so good that many rabbis thought that Lawrence himself was a Jew who had converted to Christianity.  He was a gifted diplomat who was dispatched to different foreign diplomatic trips.  In fact, he died on one of those diplomatic trips in Portugal in 1619 on his 60th birthday.  He was also minister general of the Capuchin order, overseeing great growth and expansion of that order.  His sermons and writings on Scripture take up 15 volumes; they are still considered classics today.  He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1959 by Pope John XXIII.  One other interesting fact about him - his remain are found at a Poor Clares’ convent in the village of Villafranca del Bierzo, one the the towns on the Camino pilgrimage trail in Spain.  I am not sure of the circumstances of how his remains came to be there.  Let us unite our prayers with the prayers of St Lawrence Brindisi today.

Prayers of the faithful - Wednesday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time - 20 July 2022

Lord Jesus - You teach us with your parables. 

Christ Jesus - You are a light shining in the darkness of the world. 

Lord Jesus - You are our savior and our redeemer.  

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

1. For our church and governmental leaders, that they will fulfill their duties with integrity, justice, and good will. 

2. For freedom of spirit: that God will free us from fear, attachments, and wounds, so that we may fully respond to all that God asks of us

3. For a new encounter with the Lord: that through prayer and reflection on Sacred Scripture, we may enter into a deeper relationship with Christ. 

4. For all who have been the victims of crime and violence: that God will restore their loss, heal their wounds, and help them to trust others again. 

5. For all who care for those in need: that those working in outreach ministries,  housing assistance, healthcare, pregnancy centers, or refugee services may continue to bring God’s love and compassion to those whom they serve. 

6. For all who are ill or recovering from surgery: that they may know the tender touch of God through the prayer and care of this community. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

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

20 July 2022 – Wednesday of the 16th week of Ordinary Time – Matthew 13:1-9

     We have been hearing a lot of parables in our daily mass readings these past few weeks.  Parables and stories capture our imagination and engage our attention. They help us better understand God and what the Kingdom of God is all about in words that we can easily understand.  Even though there are not many people in our society today who are involved in agriculture and farming compared to previous generations, many of us have gardens, so the parable of the sower still speaks to us today.  We can sow seeds in a lot of ways in life. Some of those seeds will fall on ground where they cannot take root, but some of the seeds will bear fruit for God’s kingdom.  We won’t know if we don’t try.  We won’t know if we don’t sow seeds.  If we just keep those seeds on a shelf, afraid to plant them for fear of failure, then none of them will take root. We need to take risks on our journey of faith, to go where God calls us, even if it seems a bit uncomfortable.

     Today is the anniversary of the death of Pope Leo XIII, who died on July 20, 1903.  Leo XIII was pope for approximately 25 years at the end of the 19th century and at the dawning of the 20th century.  He is most remembered in our Church for writing the encyclical Rerum Novarum, considered to be the first major Church document devoted to Catholic social teaching in the modern era. As we talk about sowing seeds and taking risks, we definitely see that in this encyclical.  Rerum Novarum came out at a time when workers were being exploited all over the world, where children were forced to work in dangerous conditions, and where the poor were not afforded many opportunities to live in dignity and justice.  Rerum Novarum is still considered a ground-breaking document today for the way it celebrates God’s love and mercy, calling us to implement justice for all our brothers and sisters in society, especially the least of our brothers and sisters who live on the margins.  We have a lot of social programs in our society today and unions that fight for the rights of workers, but many wonder if our modern social programs have locked the poor into a system that lacks the justice and dignity of God and enslaves them in yet another way. 

     May we hear the call to God’s justice and mercy. May we hear the call to sow seeds on our path in life.  May we take risks in our journey of faith.

19 July 2022 - Tuesday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 12:46-50

     A week ago in our Sunday Gospel, with the parable of the Good Samaritan, the topic of discussion was identifying our neighbor.  There was a lot of discussion about who was identified as neighbor in Jesus’ day. With all the social unrest in our own country in recent years, identifying our neighbor is also very relevant for us today.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks: Who is my mother?  Who are my brothers?  Good questions to ask.   

      When Jesus’ was pointing to his disciples, saying that they were his brothers and his mother, I don’t think that Jesus was lessening the importance of his mother Mary and his earthly father Joseph. As Christ says elsewhere in the third chapter of Mark’s Gospel, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”  The family of our Lord Jesus Christ is eternal. It is a family that he gathers to himself. It is a family that we are a part of as his disciples. He welcomes us to his family to do his will because that is our destiny in our life of discipleship. To be faithful to our vocation as disciples, to be faithful to our purpose in life, we are to fulfill the hopes and dreams that God has in store for us.   As members of Christ’s family, we are called to holiness.  We are called to strive toward perfection.  It is a perfection that we will never achieve, but we are to strive toward it and to do our best.  At the end of our days, may Christ be able to say to us: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Prayers of the faithful - Tuesday of the 16th week in Ordinary time - 19 July 2022

Lord Jesus - You hear the cry of the poor. 

Christ Jesus - You do the will of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - You are our savior and redeemer. 

The Lord listen to the prayers we make out of the simplicity of our hearts.  Let us now present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For civic dialogue: that our political leaders may listen to opposing views, respect the dignity of those with different ideas, and strive to find a path that will promote the welfare of all. 

2. For the stewardship of God’s creation: that being aware that all creation came through Christ, we may work to honor and protect it as a sign of God’s love for all people. 

3. For those who keep us safe in society: for first responders, for the men and women in the military, and for our medical professionals.  

4. For peace: that we may turn to Christ, whose death and resurrection offers the only peace that endures, to bring an end to violence and bloodshed and give us a new vision for cooperation and justice. 

5. For our children, youth, and families, for their summer activities, for safe travels for all who are traveling this summer.  That we all may see God’s presence in our summer activities.  

6. For the prayers we hold in our hearts.

As we give thanks to you, O heavenly Father, we present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.  

17 JULY 2022 - 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 10:38-42

      Most of us have very busy, fast paced life. It seems like when I first became a priest, at least in the summer, things slowed down a bit.  Now, even in the summer, my calendar is very busy. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t check my planning calendar each day, I don’t remember what I am doing one day to the next. 

      Even though Jesus lived 2,000 years ago in Ancient Israel, he lived a very busy life as well.  He was going from village to village, visiting people, teaching in the synagogues and answering questions, performing miracles and proclaiming the kingdom of God. But Jesus realized that he needed down time as well. Several times we hear of Jesus fleeing the crowds in order to find a quiet space to rest. We also hear of times in the Gospels when Jesus enjoyed the kindness and hospitality of friends. He had a close friendship with the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.  On their way back to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples passed through Bethany where they visited Mary and Martha.  I think of how here in the South, a good home cooked meal is a big part of welcoming people just as it was in Ancient Israel. 

     The central teaching of today’s Gospel is not that Martha’s actions were bad and that Mary’s actions were good, although that is how this Gospel is often interpreted.  I see today’s Gospel message centering upon balance and doing the right thing at the right time. Martha wanted to prepare dinner for her guests, knowing that if she sat around visiting with them, a welcoming dinner wasn’t going to prepare itself. If we didn’t have the Marthas of the world, how much would get done? I say that knowing that I have a very busy weekend with a lot going on. I am going to have to miss a luncheon on Saturday with only newly ordained deacons in order to celebrate a wedding in Spanish. And if I wasn’t busy writing homilies every day and going to meetings and doing the administrative work I have as vicar general, and instead spending all my time in prayer, reading, and studying, the things I need to accomplish would not get done. 

     I don’t think that Jesus is faulting Martha for her service, since the passage just before this in the 10th chapter of Luke’s Gospel is the parable of the Good Samaritan, which was the Gospel we heard last weekend. Isn’t Martha being a neighbor in the Gospel story today? It is Martha who recognizes that Jesus is probably hungry, thirsty, and tired after his journey. She has the gift of service and hospitality in her heart: what a wonderful gift that is. I don’t think Jesus is faulting Martha for wanting to be a good neighbor or a Good Samaritan, for putting her faith into action.  

     Perhaps it was the spirit that Martha embodied in that moment that Jesus was pointing out.  She is encumbered by her serving. She is upset and anxious. Martha had definitely has Type A, driven personality.  She gets things done.  

      But, sometimes we need to slow down, since we sometimes try to tackle too much. We can be stretched to our limits to the point of burnout. Having balance and simplifying our lives may be what God is calling us to do. The Canon law of the Church recognizes this for us priests, as we are required to attend a five day retreat each year of prayer and spiritual exercises. 

     When I was at the conference at Notre Dame this past week, one of the speakers mentioned how we priests need to address the reality of our work lives in our homilies.  I know so many of you have a busy work life and other activities and obligations with your children and with your families, that sometimes finding time for prayer and the practice of our faith can be difficult.  That is a lived reality many of us face.  But, no matter how busy we are, taking time for our prayer time and for our spirituality is important, no matter how busy we can become. 

       Any of us can become like Martha in today’s Gospel. As Martha was getting irritated, it didn’t appear that the joy of the Gospel was filling her heart at that moment, as she is described as being burdened. Remember how Jesus tells us in Matthew’s Gospel, which we heard at daily Mass last Thursday: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

     Indeed, there are times when we have to bear down and make sacrifices and to give it our all.  But it is a blessing for us to know when it is the time to bear down and then when it is time to rest and to enjoy. Remember, Jesus said that most important commandment is to love God with your heart, your soul, your strength, and your mind.  And second is to love your neighbor as yourself.  They come in that order. When we are centered on God, then our service and love can flow out of our faith.  That is the way it is supposed to be for us as disciples of Christ.