9 May 2023 - Homily for Tuesday of the 5th week of Easter - Acts 14:19-28

      The establishment of the Early Church was not an easy, straight-forward, journey. There were a lot of disagreements and heated discussions, struggles and sufferings. Today, we hear about Paul being stoned by the people of Antioch and Iconium, even being left for dead. The people of this region feared the word of God; they were resistant to its message, to the point where they wanted to kill Paul, the messenger.  But, later in our first reading, we hear that other people from that same region give words of encouragement to Paul in his efforts of evangelization. Paul and his companions persevered in the midst of many challenges and sufferings.  

      The virtue of hope is evident in St Paul and his companions. Hope is important for all of us in the midst of all we see going on in the world. In his encyclical Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope), Pope Benedict addressed the sufferings we endure in life and the ability for us to still have hope on our journey of faith. Pope Benedict states: “It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.”

      St Paul and his companions did not flee from their sufferings and their challenges, but rather united those sufferings to the sufferings that Christ endured, finding meaning in those sufferings through the lens of faith. May we have that same courage and tenacity and wisdom on our own journey of faith.  

Bulletin reflection - fifth Sunday of Easter - 7 May 2023

      We great joy, we celebrate the month of May, the month of Mary. In May, we celebrate the joyful season of spring, a time of gardens, flowers, and new birth.  We celebrate the May crowing of Mary as the mother of our Lord, as our Mother, and as Queen of the Universe.  We express our love and appreciation for Mary as she expresses her motherly love to us.  We pray to Mary in a special way during the month of May.  

      This weekend is also an important time in the life our our parish as our children receive first holy communion.  Our children have been preparing for this special moment all year.  We celebrate with them and their families with great joy as they receive Jesus in this special way in the Eucharist.  

      We also celebrate with our graduates this weekend as we recognize their graduation from high school.  Send send out our prayers to our graduates in a special way this weekend, praying for their future endeavors in whatever path they choose in life, in whatever vocation to which God calls them.  We pray for a good end to the school year for all of our students.  

     Blessings to all of you as we continue our celebration of this joyful season of Easter.  Father Lincoln.  

7 May 2023 - fifth Sunday of Easter - Introductions and prayers of the faithful

Introduction: We continue our celebration of Easter on this fifth Sunday of the Easter season.  We give praise and thanks to God for sending his son, who sacrificed his life to save us.  This weekend we honor our high school graduates at our Saturday vigil Mass.  We also celebrate with great joy our children who are receiving first communion this weekend.   May Jesus’ words in the Gospel, that he is the way, the truth, and the life, inspire us to follow him with greater zeal and enthusiasm.  

Lord Jesus - you are the way that leads us to new life. 

Christ Jesus - you are the truth that reveals the Father’s mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you are the way that leads us to God’s eternal kingdom. 

Priest: Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled, as he is preparing an eternal dwelling place for us.  Let us place our needs and the needs of the world in God’s care and allow God’s mercy to enter our troubled hearts: 

1. For the Church, that we may faithfully follow Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life.  May we obey his commands to love one another and show the world the way to God, we pray to the Lord. 

2. That our governmental leaders here in our country and throughout the world may work toward ending injustices and poverty, reaching out to the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed, we pray to the Lord. 

3. For those whose hearts are troubled, that their fears and anxieties may be relieved by the loving care of God, we pray to the Lord. 

4. For our children who are receiving their first holy communion this weekend, that they may feel the Lord’s presence entering their lives in this special way, we pray to the Lord. 

5. For our high school and college graduates, that the Lord will bless them in this milestone in the lives and continue to lead them and guide them in their future endeavors, we pray to the Lord. 

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life, we pray to the Lord. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, for all our intentions spoken and unspoken, we pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Merciful God, throughout history, your people have witnessed your mercy.  As we follow your son as his disciples, we ask the you answer our prayers according to your will. We ask these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever.  

Opening prayer for the Diocesan Finance Council Meeting - 27 April 2023

 Lord God, we come to you today in the midst of the joyful Easter season as we celebrate the presence of the risen Lord in our midst in a special way.  We give thanks for our Diocesan finance council, for all their hard work to help guide our Diocese, to give advice as to our finances and administration, to assist us in our mission here to serve the people of God in the Diocese of Jackson. As we meet together today, both in person and virtually, we ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit for wisdom in the decisions we make,  In the name, of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, AMEN.  

7 May 2023 - 5th Sunday of Easter - Acts 6:1-7, John 14:1-12

     There are 37 men and women who have been designated as Doctors of the Church, a very select group of men and women from the history of the Church.  The most recent Doctors of the Church, Gregory of Narek from the 10th century and Irenaeus of Lyon from the 2nd century, were named during the pontificate of Pope Francis.  A person is designated by the Pope as a Doctor of the Church for having lived an exemplary holy life of faith and for having preaching, writings, & teachings that have deepened the Church’s understanding of Catholic faith and spirituality. One such Doctor of the Church is St John Chrysostom. Though he once spent six years living in a cave in the desert as a hermit in the 4th century, he eventually became the Archbishop of Constantinople, the main centers of Christianity in the East in the era of the Early Church. John lived a very austere life. Social justice was a main theme in his preaching and in the way he lived out his life of faith. When he preached against the depravities and extravagance of the Emperor Arcadius and the Empress Eudoxia, he was summoned before the Emperor, threatened with banishment and exile. John responded to the Emperor:  “You cannot banish me, for the world is my Father’s house.” The Emperor angrily replied: “Then I will kill you!” “No, you cannot,” John replied back, “because my life is with Christ in God.” “Then I will confiscate your treasures,” threatened the Emperor. “Sir, you do not have the power to do that, because my treasures are in heaven, as my heart is in heaven as well,” said John. “Then I will drive you from your people and you shall have no friends left,” shouted back the Emperor. John replied: “That you cannot do either, Sir, for Christ, my friend in heaven has said to me: ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ I will never be without his friendship.” John’s dialogue with the Emperor illustrates what is communicated in the Gospel today: Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The life we have in Christ cannot be taken away from us by any man, for Christ has prepared a dwelling place for us.  

       As we reflect upon the significance of the risen Christ in our readings during the Easter season, we see how the Early Church responded to the reality that faced the growing Christian community. The Christian community tried to emulate Christ’s example of love and service when they realized that some community members were being discriminated against and not having their basic needs met, so the Early Church established the office of deacon as a ministry of service in order to help meet the needs of the people. Throughout our Church’s history, we have responded to the needs and the reality around us by developing different offices of service and social institutions that would provide outreach. In service, in word, and in sacrament, the Church is the Body of Christ here on earth, Christ’s presence here on earth.  

       Today, as we commemorate the 5th Sunday of the Easter season, as we celebrate the presence of the risen Christ in our lives, we also celebrate the first Sunday in the month of May, the month of Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and the beloved Mother of our Church. The May crowning of Mary is a long-standing tradition in our Church, in which we honor Mary as the Mother of Christ, as the first disciple, as the one who always points us to the Son and brings us closer to the Son. Mary is always there to lead us and guide us.  As I think about the children and youth of our parish, Mary is the best example of humble love and service that we can give them as we all grow together in our faith. 

      That brings us to our high school graduates, whom we honor this weekend.  Graduating from high school is one of the milestones in our lives, a move from the years of our youth into adulthood.  We celebrate with our graduates with great joy.  We hope that all of you graduates take with you all of the experiences and memories that you've had at our parish, that they inspire and encourage you graduates every step of the way on their journey.  We never know where that journey may take us. 

      I thought of St John Chrysostom, whom I mentioned at the beginning of this homily.  At the age that all of you are graduating high school, he was not even a baptized Christian, but eventually found himself chosen as the Archbishop of Constantinople, a huge city in the ancient world.  It was the hope and promise of his faith that propelled his life of true discipleship and service to Christ and his Church. Pope Benedict, in his encyclical Spe Salvi (Saved by hope), quotes St Paul, by proclaiming, “in hope we were saved.” The message we receive in the Easter season is a message of redemption and salvation and hope. Pope Benedict goes on to say: “The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life." Graduates, we hope you take a message of hope and encouragement with you today from your home parish of Holy Savior, a hope of love and good will.  

      Mike Piazza was a major league baseball player who played for the Dodgers and the Mets. He was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 2016. He almost was not drafted by a major league team if it were not for his family friend, baseball coach Tommy Lasorda, who was a childhood friend of his dad's. Piazza quoted these words of hope from Pope Benedict when he was inducted into the baseball hall of fame.  He said that the Catholic faith that his mother and father instilled in him taught him patience, compassion, and hope, getting him through the difficult times in his life, in the struggles and discouragement he felt as a young baseball player when very few baseball professionals believed in him and his abilities. With your Catholic faith, you will be able to endure the difficult and challenging moments that will confront you on your journey of faith. You will have a faith foundation and a Christian family to count on when you need help. You will have the Lord and the community of saints and your life grounded in prayer as a comfort and encouragement to you.  Our faith, hope, and love go out to you, our graduates, as we recognize you and honor you today. 

5 May 2023 - Friday of the 4th week of Easter - Acts 13:26-33

       Both yesterday and today at daily Mass, we heard first readings from the 13th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, in which Paul is in in the city of Antioch. Paul presents Christ’s Gospel message of salvation and hope to the people in the synagogue in Antioch. For Paul and his companions, their faith in Jesus, Jesus' proclamation of God’s kingdom, and Jesus' death and resurrection, propel their work of Evangelization and their new life in the values of the Gospel. Every Easter season, when we hear the story of the development of the Early Church and the way in which Paul and the first disciples lived out their faith, we are called to be inspired by their zeal and energy. Everyone remembers that the Second Vatican Council called us to modernize the Church and to read the signs of our times. However, the Second Vatican Council also called us to learn more about the traditions and teachings of the Early Church, to see our roots as a community of believers in what members of the Early Church believed and practiced. Sometimes, we can get discouraged and anxious on our own journey of faith, thinking that we don’t have the courage or strength to continue. When we hear of the courage and tenacity of Paul and his companions, we cannot help but to feel edified and encouraged ourselves. May their example inspire us and lead us on our way.  

4 May 2023 - Homily for Thursday of the 4th week of Easter - John 13:16-20

      Jesus commissioned his disciples to be servants. We remember the foot washing ritual that takes place in our mass and commemoration of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday of Holy Week.  When I go on the Camino in Spain, I often encounter a lot of mud on the trail, since Northern Spain has a very rainy climate and a lot of earthen trails and roads. You can just imagine what it is like getting the gooey mud in the nooks and crannies of your hiking shoes, of mud splattered all over your pants. It is not a pretty sight. The streets of Ancient Israel often had mud, garbage, and debris all over the place, so when someone entered a house of his host in sandals or bare feet, the lowliest servant of the household would meet the guest at the door to clean his feet before entering. When taken in that context, Jesus’ act of washing his disciples’ feet at the last supper is even more humble and more an act of lowly service than we imagine. As I did not go out to the prison for Mass on Holy Thursday, I later did the foot washing of the inmates a couple weeks after Easter.  Washing the feet of our parishioners here at Holy Savior and of the inmates at the prison is a humbling experience for me, a very impactful and touching experience. I recalled how Pope Francis washed the feet of the inmates at a prison in Rome the first year of his papacy, which inspired me.  

      We live in a modern American world where everyone strives to be the best, when we want to be on top and better than everyone else. Often times we want to be served rather than to be the servant.  So, how does that fit into the way Jesus calls us to service?  Sometimes it is hard to hear this message of service in the midst of all that is going on in our lives. Pope Francis has stated that he wants his priests to be out with his people, to smell like the sheep. How can we incorporate that mandate into our daily lives? We are indeed called to follow Christ’s example. 

3 May 2023 – homily for the feast day of St Philip and St James, Apostles – John 14:6-14

    The community of saints accompanies us on our journey of faith.  This week we have celebrated a variety of saints who represent different time periods and cultures.  Monday we celebrated the feast day of St Joseph the worlker.  Yesterday was the feast day of St Athanasius of Alexandria, Egypt, an Early Church Father from the 4th century who is also a Doctor of the Church.  Today we celebrate two of the Apostles - Philip and James. This is not James the Greater, the son of Zebedee, the patron saint of the Camino in Spain. Rather this is James the Lesser, normally identified by Scripture scholars as the son of Alphaeus. 

         We see a bit of Philip’s curiosity in our Gospel reading today.  Jesus is telling the disciples about his relationship with the Father. In response, Philip wants Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus tells Philip that if one has seen Jesus, he has seen the Father. We may have a similar curiosity about our faith. We may want to see more – we may want truth or further explanation. A curious mind and the questions we ask will help us in our search for God.

         As we celebrate these wonderful saints this week, we harken back to the Early Church and to the diverse group of the faithful who have helped us journey in faith throughout history.  May we always see the saints as our friends who are helping us with their prayers and intercessions along our journey.  

feast of St Philip and St James the Lesser - 3 May 2022 - Prayers of the faithful

Lord Jesus - you call all of us to be your disciples.

Christ Jesus - you draw us beyond our limitations.

Lord Jesus - you call us to be missionary spirit. 

As we celebrate Philip and James today on their feast day today, let us bring our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For missionaries and evangelizers, that all of us may proclaim Christ’s Gospel to the world in our words and our actions.

2. For our youth and our children who are receiving this sacrament of first communion this Easter season, that the Lord will continue to accompany them and bless them and their families on their journey of faith.

3. For all who are graduating this month from college and from high school, may the Lord bless them in their continued studies and in their future endeavors.

4. For journalists, writers, and broadcasters, may the Lord bless them in their writings and the works they produce.

5. For our first responders, for our medical professionals, for the men and women in the military, for all who keep us safe in society, for their safety and protection.

6. For the sick, the shut-in, for those in the hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes, for healing in body, mind, and spirit.

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

Generous God, you sent St James the Lesser and St Philip out into the world to bring your Gospel message. We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

Prayers of the faithful - TUESDAY OF the 4th week of Easter - 2 May 2023

Lord Jesus - you tend your lambs - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you feed your sheep - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you shepherd your flock - Lord have mercy. 

With faith and hope in the risen Christ, we present our prayer to our God of love and mercy: 

1. For the Church throughout the world. May our faith in the love God has for us be expressed in our love for one another. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For peace in our world. May all lands that suffer violence and injustice find peace and reconciliation. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For the poor, the homeless, and for those who are unemployed. May our care and concern for those in need be a sign of God’s mercy and compassion. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For the protection and sanctity of human life. May all people be treated with the dignity they deserve. May we respect all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.  We pray to the Lord. 

5. For the children of our parish who are preparing for the Sacrament of first holy communion. May they grow in wisdom and grace on their journey of faith.  We pray to the Lord. 

6. For the sick and shut-ins.  For those battling addictions. For those who need healing and reconciliation in their lives. We pray to the Lord. 

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

Heavenly Father, you are present in our midst. We pray that you continue to lead us and guide us as we celebrate the Easter season. We present our prayers through the risen Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

2 May 2023 - Homily for Tuesday of the 4th week of Easter - St Athanasius - Acts 11:19-26

      In the Acts of the Apostles today, we hear how news reaches the Church in Jerusalem of how the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles in Antioch.  This was quite startling news, since to this point, the Gospel message was just being presented to the Jews. Barnabas was sent to Antioch to investigate what was going on. When he recognized God’s grace at work, he encouraged the evangelizers in their efforts to spread Christ’s Gospel message. 

    Even though the Gospel message was spread throughout the world by missionaries in the early Church to great success, Jesus’ human and divine identity was the subject of great discussion and controversy, even several centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection. The Arian heresy arose as a part of this controversy, named after Arius, a teacher and presbyter who lived in Alexandria, Egypt in the 4th century. Arius argued that Jesus was a created being with divine attributes rather than a being who was eternally divine. Arius and his beliefs were labeled as heresy at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Jesus’ eternal divine nature was professed in the Nicene Creed.  I bring up the Arian heresy because the saint we celebrate today, Athanasius, was instrumental in defeating the Arian heresy. Athanasius was a strong voice in this debate in his role as Bishop of Alexandria, an important leadership position in the Early Church. This debate was so heated in the Early Church that Athanasius was exiled five different times for his defense of the doctrine of Christ’s divinity. His writings on the Arian heresy are considered important theological works in the history of the Church, earning Athanasius the title of Doctor of the Church.  Among his celebrated writings is the Life of St Anthony, a biography of the famous Desert Father. This biography of Anthony and his teachings are said to have had a great influence on the development of monasticism in the Western Church. We celebrate St Athanasius today and unite our prayers to his prayers and intercession. 

Introductions and prayers of the faithful : Prison Mass at CMCF - 30 APRIL 2023 - 4th Sunday of Easter

Introduction: Today, we welcome everyone to Mass as we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Easter.  We are all members of Christ’s flock who willingly follow our shepherd, whose voice we recognize and who calls us by our name. Gathered together to celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, we strive to become more attuned to Christ’s voice so that we may continue his mission in the world. 

Lord Jesus, you are the gate through which your flock enters. 

Christ Jesus, you are the way to true and lasting peace. 

Christ Jesus, you are the way to union with the Father. 

Priest: God the Father sent us the Good Shepherd who came that we might have new life and have more abundantly.  As we present our prayers today. Let us have confidence that our prayers will be answered by God. 

1. For Pope Francis, Bishop Joseph Kopacz and all our Church leaders, that they may shepherd the Church as the Good Shepherd would, leading us through the dark valleys down the right paths, we pray to the Lord. 

2. For governmental leaders here in Mississippi and around the world, that they may find in the Good Shepherd an example to follow as they lead their people with care and compassion, we pray to the Lord. 

3. For an end to violence in our communities, in our cities, and across our nation, so that we may all live free from the fear and the trauma that violence brings.  We continue to pray for the state and federal officials who are helping solve the water problem in the City of Jackson. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For all of us inmates here at CMCF.  For justice for our cases.  For healing for our wounds and brokenness.  For healing body, mind, and spirit. We pray to the Lord.  

5. For our loved ones, children, spouses, and family members.  May all of our family members and children in school have a good end to the school year.  May they feel our prayers and love reaching out to them.  We pray to the Lord.  

6. For all of our visitors and new members to the community of St Michael the Archangel. We welcome them to our flock.  We pray to the Lord.  

Priest: God of mercy, your son came to us with unparalleled love, reaching out to the sinner and the outcast. May we continue to share that mercy and love to others. We present our prayer through Jesus, our Good Shepherd and Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

1 May 2023 – Reflection on St Joseph the Worker – Monday of the fourth week of Easter

Many Communist countries throughout Europe had officially abandoned Christianity during the Cold War era. May 1 was traditionally celebrated as the Day of the Worker in those countries.  To put the life of the worker in the context of the values of the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pope Pius XII established the feast of St Joseph the Worker in 1955.  We celebrate this feast on May 1 in our Church’s liturgical calendar each year.  We also celebrate St Joseph on March 19 in our liturgical calendar as Joseph, the spouse of Mary.  We know from Tradition that Joseph was a carpenter, that he probably taught Jesus this trade. The Church teaches us that no matter what work we undertake in life, we are to do so with dignity and humility and in a manner that allows us to contribute to both God’s kingdom and to human society. We can find dignity in all human work, no matter what kind of work it is. We can lift up any work we do to the glory of the Lord, for the glory of our faith, rather than our own self-interests and selfish glory. It is easy for us to see our work and our lives as our own, to see what we do in life as the result of our own efforts.  However, our faith challenges us to look at our work in a wider context that goes even beyond our earthly existence.  

As I thought about the Cold War that had the countries of the US and Western Europe on one side, and Russia and the countries of Eastern and Central Europe on the other side, I thought about the tensions that the world is facing today in the war in the Ukraine.  Not so long ago we were hearing about war in places like Syria and Iraq and the oppression doing on in places like North Korea. With the current world political climate, it is hard to predict what is going to happen next. Many thought that after the fall of Communism in Europe and the rise of the European Union and global trade, that maybe some of those tensions would be behind us.  

We are all called to work for peace and the values of the Gospel, values which St Joseph exemplified in his life and in his humble work. As we reflect upon St Joseph the Worker today, may we lift up our work and our efforts here on earth to the glory of God. May we pray for peace and fulfillment for all workers and all human beings. 

prayers of the faithful - Friday of the 3rd week of Easter - 28 April 2023

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

Christ Jesus - you gather your flock with joy - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you give yourself to heal us and bring us strength - Lord have mercy. 

Priest:  We make our prayers known to our loving God this morning with hope.

1. For all who follow Christ, that their faith in the resurrection of Jesus may deepen. 

2. For missionaries and for all believers, that we may all spread the Good News of Jesus, and that the joy of Easter may fill all of us with fresh zeal for evangelization. 

3. For people who suffer, in mind, body or spirit, that they may experience divine healing and new strength.  We pray for all in the hospital, hospice, and nursing home. 

4. For our children, youth and families. We pray especially for our children preparing for first holy communion.  May the Lord accompany all of them on their journey.  

5. For those who have died recently, that God’s light may shine on them perpetually.  We pray in a special way for the souls in purgatory. 

6. For our first responders, the men and women in the military, and our medical professionals. 

6. For the prayers we hold in our hearts.  

Priest: O God our salvation, your glory shines throughout the world to bring joy to your people: hear our prayers and grant us your all-powerful grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord forever and ever.  Amen.

Prayers of the faithful - 27 April 2023 - Thursday of the third week of EASTER

Lord Jesus - you are a light shining in the world.

Christ Jesus - you bring healing into our lives.

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

As we continue to celebrate this joyful Easter season, we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father with faith and hope:

1. For the Church: that we may shine forth the light of Christ each day and confidently live as sons and daughters of God.

2. For those receiving the sacraments of baptism, first communion or confirmation during the Easter season: that they may faithfully follow Jesus and keep the light of Christ burning in their lives

3. For protection from violence and mass shootings: that God will protect the human family from destructive violence and the killing of innocent persons. May we all work toward reconciliation and healing in our families and in our communities. 

4. For all who have died: that they may enter the eternal life of God's kingdom and be one with Him for all eternity.  

5. For our children and youth: that they may live and grow in peace, celebrating God's love each day of their life, and for a good end to the school year.  

6. For those who need healing body, mind and spirit.

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

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

prayers of the faithful - Wednesday of the third week of Easter - 26 April 2023

 Prayers of the faithful - 3rd week of Easter - 19 April 2021

 Lord Jesus - you call us to Easter joy. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us the light of God's kingdom.  

As we celebrate this joyful Easter season, we now present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For our growth as children of God: that God will give us the grace and strength to love God with all our hearts and follow God's law and commandments in our words and actions, we pray to the Lord.   

2. For the grace of reconciliation: that God will help us to turn from selfishness, forgive those who have injured us, and be instruments of reconciliation in our society. 

3. For peacemakers: that the Holy Spirit will give them wisdom and insight to help others recognize to the length and breadth of God’s love and mercy. 

4. For a renewed desire for the sacrament of reconciliation: that God will help us recognize the healing that one can experience in that sacrament. 

5. For all who are questioning their faith or God presence in their lives: that the Spirit will guide them to new insights and help them recognize God’s presence through the witness of Christian’s love and service. 

6. For the sick and the shut-in and for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.  

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of hearts.  For the prayers we send out to our loved ones, family, and friends.  

With Easter joy in our hearts, we present these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. 

26 April 2023 – homily for Wednesday of the 3rd week of Easter – Acts 8:1b-5

    In today’s reading from Acts, we hear about the increased persecutions of the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem that occurred just after Stephen was stoned to death. Stephen became the first martyr of the early Church immediately following Christ’s death and resurrection. That era of increased persecution led to even greater evangelization and an increase in conversions to the way of Jesus. In the midst of these persecutions, Philip goes to Samaria where he performs miracles of healing and exorcisms to the shouts of great joy in that city. There are times where we can feel out of place for the values of our faith that we try to live out in the face of adversity.  Yet, we are reminded through our reading today that times adversity and tribulation can bring about transformation, renewal, and an abundant harvest. 

     We are call to feel the joy of the resurrection during the days of the Easter season. Jesus is resurrected – that should fill our hearts with joy and comfort. Yet, sometimes what is going on in our lives do not fill our hearts with joy and hope. I found this quote from Henri Nouwen relevant to todays message from Acts: "Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. We joyfully announce it. [And yet] I realize that my faith and unbelief are never far from each other. Maybe it is exactly at the place where they touch each other that the growing edge of my life is." May we embrace the reality of our joys and our sorrows, our comforts and our challenges, our doubt and our belief. May we feel God’s presence today on our journey.

27 April 2023 - homily for Thursday of the 3rd week of Easter – Acts 8:26-40

      Sometimes, our readings from Sacred Scripture can be so compelling and so vivid that it may seem like a movie or theater production enfolding before our eyes. In our reading from Acts today, we hear about an Ethiopian Eunuch who receives the call to journey to Jerusalem to worship God, a God whom he really doesn’t know about and doesn’t understand. The Lord sends Philip to greet him, to teach him about the reading from the prophet Isaiah that the Eunuch had been trying to read, to teach him about the Lord of Life. Philip disappears from scene just as quickly as he appeared, just like a super hero in a Hollywood movie. The Lord sent Philip to another land to spread the word of God to others. Yet, before he leaves, Philip baptized the Eunuch in a body of water that they came upon.

       We hear about such miraculous stories of faith in Sacred Scripture, of how the Lord touches the hearts of different people, bringing them to him through great odds and difficult circumstances. At Holy Savior, we had ten adults enter the Church during the Easter vigil Mass.  One of the young men entering the Church, a young man from Meridian, had his high school teacher from St Patrick parish in that city come to be his sponsor.  I had six men come into the Church at the prison in Pearl.  One of the men had another inmate serve as his sponsor; that inmate had been his football teammate at a high school on the coast, and the sponsor’s dad had been their football coach.  That inmate state that the coach and his son and the way they were examples of faith that helped influence him wanting to become Catholic.  

        All of us face challenges in our journey of faith in one way or another. We can see in the story of the Eunuch how we are called to go out of our way to discover more about our faith, to find out more about what we don’t understand. Sometimes, the example of others and their ministry help us tremendously on our journey of faith. May the Lord continue to lead us and guide us along our journey of faith.  May he set our hearts on fire with a love of God and a curiosity and vigor to always want to learn more and to grow in the ways of faith.

28 April 2023 - St Gianna Beretta Molla - Friday of the 3rd week of Easter - John 6:52-59

    Gianna Beretta Molla was born near Milan, Italy, the 10th of 13 children.  An active member of the St Vincent de Paul society and the Catholic Action movement, and a practice pediatric doctor, she married in 1955.  She had three children in her first four years of marriage.  Early in her final pregnancy, which occurred after two miscarriages, doctors discovered that she had both a child and a tumor in her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor but not to perform the complete hysterectomy that they recommended, which would have killed the child. Seven months later in April 1962, her daughter was born, but she Gianna died the following week from an infection.  Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified in 1994 and canonized a saint in 2004.  She is the patron saint of doctors, unborn children, and wives.  

     In a very intentional way, Gianna Beretta lived out the values of the Eucharist and Christ’s Good News in her life. In that same spirit, our Gospel reading today is a part of the Bread of Life discourse from the John’s Gospel.  The Eucharist is to always have a central role in the way we practice our Catholic faith. The sixth chapter of John gives us a solid foundation in our belief in the Eucharist. In fact, I recommend reading this chapter of John's Gospel to any Christian who wants to understand the Scriptural basis for our Catholic belief in the Eucharist as the real presence of Christ’s body and blood. We can only imagine how radical it was for those Jews to hear Jesus tell them that they were to eat his flesh and drink his blood and that this would be true food and true drink for them on their journey. 

     One of the greatest honors I have as a priest is to give a person his first communion.  Looking in the eyes at the moment can say so much, more than words could. How important is the Eucharist to us in our lives of faith?  Is it something we truly long for? I know what the answer is for those of you here at daily mass. I know the Eucharist is important to you and you make it a priority in your busy lives. How can we transmit that message to others? 

25 April 2023 - Prayers of the faithful - Feast day of St Mark the Evangelist

Lord Jesus, you were sent to preach the good news of light in the darkness of the world: Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, you were sent to plant in our hearts the spark of eternal life: Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you were sent to reconcile us to yourself by the shedding of your blood: Lord, have mercy.  

Prayers of the faithful: 

Priest: Encouraged by our fellowship with all the saints, as we celebrate St Mark the Evangelist today, let us make our prayers to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Jesus called men and women as his disciples to leave their past behind and to follow him in the way of the cross. Look with mercy upon those whom he calls today, with those he marks with the cross and makes his disciples within the Church. 

2. Jesus told his disciples not to be afraid and breathed on them his gift of peace. Look with mercy upon the world into which he sent them out, and give us the peace for which we long. We pray for an end to war, violence, and terrorism. 

3. Jesus formed around him a company of disciples who were both servant leaders and friends. Jesus called all those who obeyed him his brothers and sisters. Look with mercy upon our families and our friends and upon the communities in which we share. 

4. Jesus sent out disciples to preach and heal the sick. Look with mercy on all those who yearn to hear the good news of salvation. Renew among your people the gifts of healing. We pray for those who are sick in mind, body, or spirit. 

5. Jesus promised his followed him that they would share the banquet of God's kingdom. According to this promise, look with mercy on those who have walked with Christ in this life and now have passed through death. 

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

Priest: Almighty God, grant that your Church may faithfully hold and make known the faith that has come to us through Mark the Evangelist and the other members of the community of saints,  that with them, we may inherit the glories of eternal life. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

25 APRIL 2023 – Tuesday - homily for the feast day of St Mark the Evangelist – Mark 16:15-20

     Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Mark the evangelist.  Mark wrote what scholars believe to be the oldest of the four Gospels. His Gospel was probably written sometime around 60 AD primarily for Gentile converts to the faith in Rome. 

       In the reading today from the Gospel of Mark, we hear the commission that Jesus gives to his apostles. Jesus' last words to the apostles point us to his saving mission and to the call he gives them to be witnesses to his saving death and resurrection, to proclaim the Good News of salvation to all. 

         While some of us are ordained to specific ministries in the Church, while some of us are sent as missionaries to bring the Good News to the world, all of us as followers of Christ are given a share in the task of being heralds of his Good News. We are all to proclaim him as savior of the world. However, we are not alone in our call to discipleship. We are all members of the Body of Christ, the Church.  The risen Lord works in us and through us by the power of the Spirit.  Through our words and actions, through our faith, the risen Christ is a very real presence in the world today. 

         Celebrating the feast day of St. Mark the Evangelist reminds us of how central the apostolic faith of the Early Church is to our traditions and to our faith. Not only did the Second Vatican Council attempt to modernize and renew our traditions in the context of our modern culture, to call us to dialogue with the reality of our world, but it also called us back to the roots of our faith as expressed by the Evangelists, the Early Church Fathers and Mothers, and the Apostles. In the spirit of St. Mark and the commission that Jesus gives to all his followers, may we be filled with the joy of the risen Christ in a special way this Easter season. May all of us proclaim the glory of God to the world.

30 April 2023 - Bulletin Reflection - Good Shepherd Sunday

   This is a busy Sunday for us, the fourth Sunday of the Easter season. Because of the Gospel reading in which Jesus states that he is the gate through which the sheep enter, this Sunday is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus as our Good Shepherd is such a beloved image for us. In addition, this is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, fulfilling the Lord's instruction to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest. We all have different vocations to which God calls us, but, particularly on this world day of prayer, we pray for vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated religious life. 

      We had had Uno the sheep with us in our church as a symbol of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  I got the idea for Uno from a parish I visited last summer in New Hampshire on a mission appeal for our Diocese.  Many children and adults have loved Uno and all that he symbolizes.  Every time we see Uno at Mass, may we be reminded of Jesus as our Good Shepherds who leads us and guides us through the ups and downs of life.  

     As we wind down our religious education program for the year, I give thanks for all the men and women who have volunteered this year as catechists and teachers to teach and form our children, youth, and adults in the faith.  We are very grateful for the contributions you make to our parish.  Blessings to all of you.  Father Lincoln.  

 

Fourth Sunday of Easter - 30 April 2023 - Prayers of the faithful

Introduction: We are members of Christ’s flock who willingly follow our shepherd, whose voice we recognize and who calls us by our name.  Gathered together on Good Shepherd Sunday, we strive to become Moree attuned to Christ’s voice so that we may more effectively continue his mission in the world. 

Lord Jesus, you are the gate through which your flock enters. 

Christ Jesus, you are the way to true and lasting peace. 

Christ Jesus, you are the way to union with the Father. 

Priest: God the Father sent us the Good shepherd who came that we might have new life and have more abundantly.  As we present our prayers today, let us have confidence that our needs and the needs of our brothers and sisters will be answered by God. 

1. For Pope Francis, Bishop Joseph Kopacz and all our Church leaders, that they may shepherd the Church as the Good Shepherd would, leading us through the dark valleys down the right paths, we pray to the Lord. 

2. For governmental leaders here and around the world, that they may find in the Good Shepherd an example to emulate as they lead their people with care and compassion, we pray to the Lord. 

3. For an end to violence in our communities, in our cities, and across our nation, so that we may all live free from the fear and the trauma that violence brings.  We continue to pray for the state and federal officials who are helping solve the water problem in the City of Jackson.  We pray to the Lord. 

4. For Catholics of all ages, that we may be open to the call of the Good Shepherd to ordained and lay ministries, we pray to the Lord. 

5. For our children and youth, that they have a good end to the school year.  We pray for to the Lord. 

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life. For healing for the sick and shut-ins.  We pray to the Lord. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, for our intentions spoken and unspoken, we pray to the Lord.

Priest: God of mercy and love, your son came to us with unparalleled love and mercy, reaching out to the sinner and the outcast.  May we continue to share that mercy and love to others. We present our prayer through Jesus, our Good Shepherd, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

30 April 2023 - Good Shepherd Sunday - World Day of Prayer for vocations - 4th Sunday of Easter - Psalm 23 - John 10:1-10

     The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Today is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in the Catholic Church. Some of our readings today directly talk about shepherds, helping us to reflect upon the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who devotedly takes care of his flock. The title of the parish priest, "pastor," actually means “shepherd." A shepherd leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects his flock. These are also responsibilities that belong to our church leaders. Christ’s disciples in the Early Church had seen him as the fulfillment of the ancient Jewish vision of a good shepherd. St Paul and many of the other apostles saw Jesus as the shepherd of all peoples, not just the Jews, as they wanted everyone to be invited to be members of God’s flock. 

     Throughout Israel’s history, the Jewish people had many shepherds that God selected to lead them and guide them. The Jews had a very interesting legend that has been passed down through the generations to explain why God chose Moses to be the leader of His people. It explains that when Moses was tending the sheep of his father-in-law in the wilderness, a young lamb ran away. Moses followed the lamb until it reached a ravine, where it found a well to drink from. When Moses got up to the lamb, he said: “I did not know that you ran away because you were thirsty. Now you must be weary.”  Moses took the lamb on his shoulders and carried it back.  Then God said: “Because you have shown pity and mercy in leading back one of a flock belonging to another man, you shall lead my flock Israel.” In our faith, we are comforted by the images of shepherds, whether it be the image of the Lord as the Good Shepherd in the 23rd psalm, the image of Moses shepherding the people of Israel, or Jesus as the true shepherd who has love and concern for his people.  

   In praying for vocations today, on Good Shepherd Sunday, hopefully it is obvious to all of us that our Church today is in great need of good shepherds, the shepherds who are totally committed to the Way of Jesus. We are very proud to have two members of our parish, Chris Halliwell and Hunter Yentzen, in the formation program in our Diocese to become deacons. Pope Francis leaves us these thoughts on this occasion: “Dear friends, on this day in particular, but also in the ordinary pastoral life of our communities, I ask the Church to continue to promote vocations. May she touch the hearts of the faithful and enable each of them to discover with gratitude God’s call in their lives, to find courage to say ‘yes’ to God, to overcome all weariness through faith in Christ, and to make of their lives a song of praise for God, for their brothers and sisters, and for the whole world. May the Virgin Mary accompany us and intercede for us.” 

       As we are asked to pray today that our Christian communities will be graced with good shepherds and good pastors, we are called to not narrow the term “vocation” to those who feel called to the priesthood or to religious life as a sister or brother or monk.  We in the Church emphasize that every single baptized person has a vocation, with each being called by God not just to a vocation in which he lives out his professional life or trade, but also in a specific role in the Christian community and in the wider community.  Indeed, unless we Christians see that vocation as something that we are all called to, it is not likely that there will be enough people to meet the service needs of our Christian communities. Our Christian communities can only grow and thrive when every member makes a contribution to the well-being of the whole. I will close our homily today with this prayer for vocations that I adapted from the  National Religious Vocation Conference:  

      Holy Spirit,  stir within us the passion to promote vocations to the consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, diocesan priesthood, and permanent diaconate.

       Inspire us daily to respond to your call with boundless compassion, abundant generosity, and radical availability. Help us to remember our own baptismal call to rouse us to invite the next generation to hear and respond to your call.

      Inspire parents, families, and lay ecclesial ministers to begin a conversation with young Catholics to consider how they will live lives of holiness and sacred service.

       Nudge inquirers and motivate discerners to learn more about monastic life, apostolic life, missionaries, and cloistered contemplative life.

       Ignite our Church with the confident humility that there is an urgent need for religious sisters, brothers, deacons, and priests to live in solidarity with those who are poor, neglected, and marginalized.

       Disrupt our comfortable lives and complacent attitudes with new ideas to respond courageously and creativity with a daily 'YES!'  Amen.

Prayers of the faithful - Wednesday of the 2nd week of Easter - 19 April 2023

Lord Jesus - you call us to a life of holiness. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us new life. 

Lord Jesus - you are the resurrection. 

In the light of Easter joy, we bring our prayers to our loving God.  

1. For the Church: that through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we may recognize God’s presence with us and profess that Jesus in our redeemer and savior.  

2. For all the newly baptized and those who have entered the Church through a profession of faith: that their faith may continue to grow and that they may generously offer loving service to those in need

3. For the gift of peace: that Christ’s gift may abide with us and sustain us through all the challenges of life.  May we all work toward reconciliation and healing in our lives.  

4. For a spirit of openness: that we may be open to God’s love and forgiveness, which God abundantly pours out for us. 

5. For God’s healing presence in our lives, for healing for all of us in body, mind, and spirit.  

6. For the faithful departed, for our deceased family members, for their entry into eternal life. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts this morning.  

With simplicity and humility of heart, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

20 April 2023 - prayers of the faithful - Thursday of the 2nd week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you call us to faith. 

Christ Jesus - you are the resurrection. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to Easter joy. 

With Easter joy in our hearts during this 2nd week of the Easter season, we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For the Church: that we may bring the light of Christ into the dark corners of our work through a message of hope for all who are struggling.

2. For all the newly baptized throughout the world: that they may faithfully follow Jesus and keep the light of Christ burning in their lives.

3. For the human family: that Christ’s victory over death may bring hope and healing to all who are burdened by poverty, disease, prejudice and fear.

4. For all who are confused or doubting their faith: that they may experience the Risen Lord and discover the truth through His love.

5. For vocations to religious life and the priesthood, to marriage and the single life and for those called to the diaconate: that they may be faithful to their call in life.

6. For all those suffering mentally, physically or spiritually.  For healing in their lives. 

7. For all parishioners and loved ones who have died: that God will meet them face to face on their journey to eternal life.

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

We present these prayers this evening thru your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

21 April 2023 - Friday of the 2nd week of EASTER - Prayers of the faithful

Lord Jesus - you are the resurrection

Christ Jesus - you bring us new life

Lord Jesus - you bring us hope.

Priest: We present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. We pray for Francis our Pope, the communion of Bishops, and all the clergy, for their fidelity to the truth of the Gospel revealed in the mercy of Christ. 

2. We pray for all Christians, that we may embrace the corporal and spiritual works of mercy we are called to in our Baptism. 

3. We pray for all people of good will. That the entire human family may recognize our common bond to work for justice and the good of all peoples. 

4. We pray for all victims of injustice. That they may learn the freedom of mercy and find healing. 

5. We pray for all those enslaved by their past sins or decisions. That the wounds of Christ may encourage them to seek his surpassing love for them. 

6. We pray for the sick, the suffering, and the dying. That they may receive healing and encounter the mystery of their dignity as God's children. 

7. For those prayers we hold in our hearts.

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

23 April 2023 - Third Sunday of Easter - prayers of the faithful

Introduction: As we continue to commemorate the Easter season we celebrate the new life we receive in the resurrection of Christ.  We pray that we may grow in our understanding of the Easter season and the reality of the resurrection in our lives of faith. We hear the Gospel story of the Road to Emmaus today, of how two of Christ’s disciples recognize him in the breaking of the bread.  May all of us always be open to recognize the Lord in our midst.  

Lord Jesus - you are the Lamb of God. 

Christ Jesus - you are the living word of God. 

Lord Jesus - you bring us new life. 

Priest: God continues to work his mighty deeds, wonders, and signs in our midst.  With confidence, we present our prayers to our merciful God. 

1. For the Church, that all of us may strive to recognize Jesus’ voice when he speaks to us through Scripture, through prayer, and through others, we pray to the Lord. 

2. For those affected by violence and conflict in the world, that they may know peace, justice and comfort, we pray to the Lord. 

3. For those whose life journey is coming to an end, that they may look forward in joy to eternal life with the Lord. We pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. We pray to the Lord. 

4. That we as a parish and as a diocese may feel new energy and new zeal in our community outreach and evangelization, we pray to the Lord. 

5. For the continued recovery efforts for those communities recovering from the tornados and storms here in Mississippi and throughout our country, we pray to the Lord. 

6. For those who entered the Church on Easter weekend, for their continued journey of faith and for the spirit of the resurrection that is alive in their hearts, we pray to the Lord. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, for our intentions spoken and unspoken, we pray to the Lord.

Priest: Loving God, as you show us the path of life, as your son accompanies us on our path, we ask that you hear the prayers that we make and ask that your grant them according to you will. We make our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

Third Sunday of the Easter Season - Bulletin Reflection - 23 April 2023

     Imagine that we are on the road to Emmaus with the two disciples. They are full of fear, confusion, and uncertainty as they tell stories about Jesus, even though their hopes ended with his violent death. Even though they have heard that he has been raised from the dead, they are trying to figure out what that means.

     Indeed, the disciples in the Early Church had a lot to figure out.  This was a new reality that they did not yet understand. Cleopas and his friend felt comfortable talking to Jesus on their journey. Jesus brought understanding and encouragement to them as they walked and talked together. They were comforted by his presence, even though at the time, they did not realize it was Jesus himself. Sometimes on our journey of faith, we feel comfortable and encouraged.  Other times, we face changes on our journey of faith, or the world changes around us. We are confronted with a new reality that we cannot make sense of and that we cannot understand. I think that most of us had been chugging along on our journey of faith, having a routine and feeling a sense of comfort with our relationship with God. But, then, several years ago, the pandemic hit, and our whole reality changed, including our life of faith. 

      But like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, God is there with us to help us make sense of things.  When we are confronted with a changing reality, there are new opportunities, new blessings, and room for growth and development. Perhaps some of us are now realizing how much we have taken our faith for granted. Perhaps we are looking at new, creative ways in which we can live out our faith.  Perhaps the new technologies we are using to keep in touch with our faith can serve us even now. Perhaps we now better appreciate the importance of community in our life of faith.  God will help us make sense of things. 

       Blessings to all of you. Father Lincoln.  

23 APRIL 2023 - 3rd Sunday of Easter - homily - The Road to Emmaus - Luke 24:13-35

       We are all pilgrims on a journey.  I thought about how some of our children and youth have been on a special pilgrimage journey this year as they prepare to receive the Sacraments of the First Holy Communion and Confirmation. In a lot of ways, our Gospel reading of the two disciples on their journey on the road to Emmaus speaks to us in the context of our own reality, of how we are all on a pilgrimage journey. We do not know exactly why those disciples were on the road leading out of Jerusalem that day, as it does not explain “why” in today’s Gospel. They may have been fleeing the holy city out of fear. They may have been trying to run away from something. They may have been fleeing from their faith. Even though these disciples encounter the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus, something prevents them from recognizing him. Perhaps their presumption that Jesus was dead and had not risen to new life prevented them from recognizing him. Perhaps Christ’s transformation in the resurrection made his appearance so different and unrecognizable. Sometimes there are many reasons for our inability to recognize God’s presence amongst us. Like those two disciples, we might be too focused on the past and are not ready to look toward the future. Perhaps we’re stuck in past hurts and past fears. Or, we can be so miserable and so disappointed in ourselves and in the reality around us that we cannot see the ways that Jesus is with us in the midst of that reality. Rather than paying attention to what the stranger was telling them that day on the Road to Emmaus, or rather than looking at what was in front of them or listening to the Living Word, they were too focused on Christ's death, their own fears,   their disappointments, and their loss of hope. Those disciples probably felt like they were stuck in a hole, unable to get out.  Perhaps some of us feel that same way in our own lives of faith. 

      The message we are to receive in the Easter season is a message of hope and joy. That is the message of the Road to Emmaus as well. These two disciples were able to break away from the past and from all that was holding them back.  They were able to leave behind their frustration and their confusion to work towards healing from their brokenness. They were able to look beyond their hopelessness and see the hope in the presence of Jesus with them in the way they offered kindness and help to Jesus in the form of this stranger whom they initially failed to recognize. Finally, after they were able to break open God’s word and break bread with this stranger, they were able to recognize Jesus in that stranger in their midst. 

      The disciples were definitely fleeing something in today’s Gospel, trying to get away from Jerusalem. But, along the way, they were conversing and debating, talking and discussing, inquiring and examining.  They were trying to make sense of what was going on when, on the surface, things did not make sense at all.  And that is what Christ wants us to do as well: to make sense of the reality of the risen Christ in our lives this Easter season, to converse and debate, to talk and discuss, to inquire and examine. We may want to flee and just forget about things, to not face some of the realities that are present in our lives. But the risen Christ is there to help us in our reality, whatever that reality may be. Christ is risen, but what does that mean for us?  

Reflection on Holy Week - Questions regarding Holy Week

When I was pastor of St James parish in Tupelo, the religion reporter for the local newspaper asked me some questions regarding Holy Week for an article he was writing.  I thought I would share my answers with all of you, since it is a good introduction to Holy Week. I have revised the answers to reflect what we are doing here at Holy Savior and Immaculate Conception during Lent and Easter.  Father Lincoln.

(1) For those who may not know, what is Holy Week and why is it important?

Holy Week starts with Palm Sunday at the end of our Lenten journey. During Holy Week, Christians reenact, relive, and share in the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. In many ways, the events of Holy Week tell us what our faith is all about.

(2) What is the purpose of the somewhat somber tone the Church takes in the weeks leading up to Easter?

      Lent is a penitential season of preparation.  It is 40 days with Jesus in the desert.  Lent begins with the faithful receiving a smudge of ash of their foreheads, as they are told: "Repent and believe in the Gospel."  We accompany Jesus on his way to the cross, on his way to his passion, death, and resurrection. The Church calls us to practice the Lenten disciplines of fasting, prayer, and acts of charity. Without this period of preparation, without the somber and serious tone of this season, the celebrations of Easter would not have its full meaning for the faithful. The somber tone of Jesus' way to the cross is in contrast to the joy of the resurrection at Easter.

At Lent this year in Immaculate Conception and Holy Savior, we have had the theme of "Seeking God in All Things".  This theme reminds us that God is there with us in all the experiences of our lives - we just need to be cognizant of his presence.

(3) What are some of the rituals/traditions involved with Holy Week, and how did they get started?

       Holy Week observances began in Jerusalem in the earliest days of the Church. Christians would travel to Jerusalem at Passover time to reenact the events of the week leading up to the Resurrection.  On Palm Sunday afternoon, groups of early Christians would wave palm fronds as they made a procession from the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem.  At our parish, we carry palm fronds in a procession as we enter the church on Palm Sunday as we hear the Gospel reading of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem and as we read the Passion narrative from the Gospel of Matthew.

      On Tuesday pf Holy Week, all of the priests from our Diocese and many other faithful travel to the Cathedral in Jackson where we celebrate the Chrism mass.  The priests renew their promise of obedience to the bishop and receive the oils from him that we use in the different sacraments throughout the year.  The tradition of the Chrism mass can be traced at least as early as the 5th century.  It manifests the unity of the priests and the faithful with their bishop.

       On Holy Thursday, we celebrate a special Mass of the Lord’s Supper, commemorating the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. On the night before Jesus Christ was crucified, he changed bread and wine into his own Body and Blood, and he commanded the Apostles and their successors to act in his stead and make present this sacrifice in the mass. The priest washes the feet of twelve parishioners in this mass as a symbol of servanthood with Christ as our model as he washed the feet of the twelve apostles.  At the end of the mass, the Eucharist is removed from the tabernacle and the church is emptied of candles and lines to ready it for the commemoration of Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday.

      On Good Friday, the faithful gather for the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion. In this tradition, which includes reading the Gospel narrative of Christ's passion, the people also venerate the cross, in which the faithful process to the front of the altar, reverencing the crucifix with a kiss, a bow, a touch, or other gesture of dignity and respect.

      The Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday is the highlight of the Church's liturgical year, recognizing Christ's resurrection and the salvation we have in him.  The Mass starts after sundown and begins with the lighting of the Easter fire, symbolizing the light of Christ in the world coming out of his resurrection.  The Exsultet, an Easter proclamation, is sung at the beginning of mass.  The priest blesses the baptismal waters in the baptismal font, with all the faithful present receiving a special blessing with the holy water.  At this mass, adults who have been preparing for entrance in the Church all year receive the sacraments of baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation, a tradition that began in the early Church.  This tradition was revived in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Holy Week concludes with the celebration of mass on Easter morning with the celebration of Christ's resurrection.

 

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter - Prayers of the faithful - 18 April 2023

Lord Jesus - You are the resurrection - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - You give us new life - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - You are a light shining in the darkness of the world - Lord have mercy. 

PRIEST: Christ is Risen. The power of his resurrection fills the world with new life. With hope and expectation, we bring him our needs in our prayers this evening. 

1. That the Church may boldly and faithfully proclaim the Resurrection of Christ to the world in our words and our actions. 

2. That the leaders of the Church may embody the mysteries of new life which we celebrate in our liturgy during the Easter season. 

3. That the leaders of the nations of the world may help those in greatest need. 

4. That in the light of Christ's victory over death, nations may work together to overcome violence, especially acts of violence committed against the poor, the weak, & the unborn. 

5. For the sick and shut-in, for healing for us in body, mind, and spirit. 

6. For our medical professions, for our first responders, and for the men and women in the military. 

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

PRIEST: God of glory, you know the deepest desires of our hearts. As we celebrate the Resurrection, make us faithful to you in all we do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

21 April 2023 - Friday of the 2nd week of Easter - St Anselm - Acts 4:34-42

      Today in our reading from Acts, the apostles rejoice in that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor at the hands of man for the sake of the Gospel and the name of Jesus. The disciples left the Temple area after they had been flogged and ordered by the Sanhedrin to stop preaching the Gospel. However, Peter and the other apostles continued to preach with great joy and enthusiasm.  Their witness and their zeal give us a great example of faith. The apostles rejoice at the dishonor they endured because they had suffered for the honor and praise they were giving Jesus. Often, many of us think that we should not endure any sufferings or sacrifices for our faith. Some of us may say that we are too busy to fit mass into our busy schedules, even when we have three or four or five different choices to go to mass throughout the weekend. Some of us get mad if we don’t get our way or when we have to compromise or accommodate the needs of others. We sometimes would rather criticize and complain instead of offering to help. So many of us in the modern world don't want to be inconvenienced or to make a sacrifice. 

     Today is the feast day of St Anselm, Abbot of a Benedictine monastery in France in the 11th century, Archbishop of Canterbury in England, and proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1720.  During his time as Archbishop in England, he went into exile twice due to tension between the King and the Catholic Church in England.  Anselm is remembered today as not just as a wise, patient Church leader, but also as one of the Fathers of Scholasticism, the theology and philosophy movement he described as “faith seeking understanding.”  Anselm once said, “For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe: that unless I believe I shall not understand.”  We live in an age when faith is sometimes mocked, where we see people of faith in our modern world persecuted or discriminated against. With the example of the early disciples and the saints throughout history such as St Anselm, may we feel encouragement and edification as we live out our lives as modern disciples of Christ. 

20 April 2023 – homily - Thursday of 2nd week of Easter – Acts 5:27-32

     Do we sometimes feel like we are guided by a higher authority that contradicts the laws of our secular world? With the way our world is becoming more secular, perhaps we can really relate to our first reading today. The apostles profess before the Sanhedrin that they are following a higher authority that dictates their consciences and influences their actions, an authority that is sometimes in conflict with civil authority.The Sanhedrin issued an edict that the apostles refrain from preaching the Gospel, but Peter and his companions declare that they must obey God and not man. We see situations like this in our modern world like this. We Catholics in modern America live in a land where capital punishment is practiced and condoned by our secular society. Even though the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, some individual states still allow abortion. You might remember that our own Diocese sued the federal government several years ago, along with other Catholic Dioceses and Catholic institutions to protest that provisions in insurance plans that we were forced to follow that violate the Gospel of Life. By refusing to obey the authorities, Peter and his companions have put their lives in danger.  Even though they had just seen their Lord crucified, they felt compelled to speak out and to follow their conscience. They knew that God had raised up Jesus, but that human beings had killed him. May the example of these apostles increase our faith and perseverance. 

19 APRIL 2023 - homily for Wednesday of the 2nd week of Easter – Acts 5:17-26

  From Scripture and from accounts of the Early Church, we know that Peter, Paul, and many of the other apostles were imprisoned many times for the way that they publicly preached the Gospel to the world in the years after Christ’s death and resurrection. As told in today's first reading from Acts, when Peter and a group of apostles are imprisoned, they are miraculously set free and go out into the Temple area where they once again preach publicly about Jesus and his proclamation of God's kingdom.  

      I thought about how we ourselves can imprison God’s word in the world just as the chief priests and the Jewish authorities did when they put Peter and the other apostles in prison. The Gospel message needs to be more than just words to us. Christ's message needs to be more than words that fascinate us and touch our imagination. We need to put those words into action and into practice. We need to have God’s word in our lives to inspire us, motivate us, and lead us along our journey. It is difficult to live out our faith sometimes with all we have going on in our lives. However, God always meets us in our reality and helps us with the ups and downs of life.

        If God’s words do not infuse our own words and actions, if God’s word does not have a place in our reality, then his word will be imprisoned just as at was when the first apostles were put into jail.  We need to set God’s word free in our lives.  

18 April 2023 - Tuesday of the 2nd week of Easter – Acts 4:32-37

     Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles tells us about the followers of the early Church, how they lived in community.  From the beginning of this reading, it mentions four elements that distinguished this early Christian community. The believers formed a community. They were of one mind and one heart, united with each other. No one in the community claims their belongings for themselves; these things were held in common. They witnessed their faith, their belief in the risen Christ. They witnessed this faith through signs and miracles of healing. 

     There is a religious denomination called the Hutterites who were founded in the 16th century and who are part of the Anabaptist movement, of which the Mennonites are a part. Even to this day, the Hutterites live on farms where property is collectively owned and all their physical needs are met. However, individuals do not posses any individual private property other than the clothes they wear. We can see this as their interpretation of the spirit of today’s reading from Acts.  

       I don’t think we are all called to that lifestyle, while I also don’t think we are called to the political systems of socialism or communism. Today’s verses point us to a lifestyle of the early Christians that we could see as being characterized by generosity, self-sacrifice, and concern for others over their concern for themselves. Also, we can see the community as a whole as being connected to the individual community members who care for each other, rather than living by rugged individualism. The Gospel ideals presented in Acts today give us a lot to think about in light of the values of our modern world. 

Bulletin Reflection - Divine Mercy Sunday - 16 April 2023

       On April 30, 2000, in front of more than 250,000 pilgrims, at the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska, Pope John Paul II declared that the second Sunday of the Easter season would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy of Jesus has become one of the popular devotions amongst the Catholic faithful. 

          God’s divine mercy has been a teaching of the Catholic Church long before the revelations of Sister Faustina in 1931. The Catechism states that"the Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to sinners".  Divine Mercy is the Good News of the Gospel.  Pope Benedict XVI reinforced this idea by stating that "Divine Mercy is not a secondary devotion, but an integral dimension of Christian faith and prayer.”

           God’s mercy meets us in the midst of our suffering and our brokenness. In his divine mercy, God's love meets us and helps us in this reality. God’s mercy is that for all of us, no matter how dark our reality might seem. Sister Faustina’s revelation states: “All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us. Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a person’s sins were as dark as night, God’s mercy is stronger than our misery.  One thing alone is necessary; that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God’s merciful grace, and then God will do the rest.”

      May the message of Divine Mercy Sunday be an integral part of our faith.  Blessings to all of you as we commemorate Divine Mercy Sunday this week in the midst of our joyful Easter season.  Father Lincoln.  

16 April 2023 - Divine Mercy Sunday - 2nd Sunday of EASTER - CYCLE A - John 20:19-31

     On the Second Sunday of Easter of the Jubilee Year 2000, at the Mass for the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, Pope John Paul II proclaimed to the world that “from now on throughout the Church this Sunday will be called Divine Mercy Sunday.”  What a wonderful message we have today of God’s love and mercy for us as we celebrate the risen Christ during the Easter season. By linking the revealed truth about God’s mercy to one of the most solemn Sundays after Easter, Pope John Paul II gave light to the way that our liturgies already proclaim Christ’s divine mercy. This echoes what we hear in the first verse in the psalm today: “His mercy endures forever.” 

      We can see God’s love and mercy at work in the lives of Christ’s disciples in the Gospel today. The disciples were huddled together behind a locked door that evening when Jesus miraculously appeared to them, wishing them peace.  A few years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, we literally found ourselves behind locked doors ourselves, when social distancing and stay-at-home orders dictating our lives and we were not able to come to our Holy Week liturgies.  There may also be times when we feel our faith has been locked behind a door, feeling constricted in the way we normally live out our faith. With all this in mind, perhaps we can very much relate to what Thomas and the other disciples are going through today.  

      In a lot of ways Thomas has gotten a bad rap in the way most Christians view him.  We label him “Doubting Thomas” in a negative way, although that name is never officially given to him in Scripture. As I thought about Thomas this week while working on my homily, I thought about the different styles we can have in learning, of our different personalities, of the different ways we human beings can interact with the world and with our faith. I remember when I taught Spanish at Greenville Weston High School for 4 years in the Mississippi Delta from 2000 to 2004, our motto one year as teachers was this: If my students don’t learn the way I teach, then I change the way I teach. A good motto to have, especially when most of my students in the Delta probably did not learn in the same way that I did when I was in high school. In fact, I remember one of the first things I did with my students the first week of the school year was to take a learning styles inventory with them, and then the way I tried to teach throughout the school year related to those particular learning styles of my students. It was interesting and not too surprising to me that rather than learning best by listening to a lecture or reading a book, most of them were kinetic or tactile learners, where the students learned best by doing or touching or performing an activity.  I see Thomas as a tactile and kinetic learner as well. He has to have a physical touch, an activity that shows him that he can indeed believe.

       In the Gospel, Thomas is said to be also known as Didymus – the Twin. It doesn’t use the specific name “Doubter” at all. In fact, a lot of Christians feel shame when the reality of their lives in a given moment is characterized by a lot of questions in their faith, when they aren’t sure any more about some of those things they had previously accepted by faith, when they are have trouble understanding or accepting some of the things that the Church teaches. Rather than saying that Thomas is a doubter and labeling him in a negative way, we could say that Thomas is a realist. In fact, doubt is not the opposite of faith as it is sometimes labeled. To doubt sometimes, to ask questions, to search, to wonder, and to seek – those are all ingredients of a vibrant, alive faith, a faith that is in motion. It’s healthy to be a realist like Thomas. We are all called to bring the reality of our lives to our faith, to be honest with God with the ways we not only try to put our trust in him and have confidence in him, but also to bring our skepticism, our uncertainty, and our unbelief to him. Thomas the Apostle was honest with Jesus. Thomas wants to believe. In turn, Jesus invited Thomas to reach out and touch him.

       Reflecting upon Thomas the apostle today and about the divine mercy of Jesus made me think of a prayer by Thomas Merton. I have gone back to this prayer again and again on my journey of faith. This prayer expresses some thoughts about how we might sometimes feel on our journey of faith in light of this Gospel about Jesus appearance to Thomas and the other disciples:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.I do not see the road ahead of me. Nor do I really know myself. And the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death I will not fear for you are ever with me. AMEN.