1/15/2013 –Wednesday of 1st week in Ordinary Time – Mark 1:29-39

         Yesterday, we heard about Jesus healing a man possessed by an unclean spirit in the synagogue.  Today, we hear about Jesus healing the mother-in-law of Simon Peter upon leaving the synagogue, as she was sick with a fever.  What I love about this story is that in response to her healing, the mother-in-law immediately waits on Jesus and the other disciples.  They don’t even give the poor woman time to rest!

         God inspires us to service.  We see how the word of God inspired so many of the missionaries of the Church to spread this word throughout the world and to serve him in so many different ways.  Today is the feast day of St Arnold Jansen, a parish priest from Germany who endured the persecutions of the Catholic Church under Otto von Bismarck, the leader of that country.  Jansen fled to Holland, where he proposed sending Germany priests all over the world as missionaries, which eventually led to the founding of the Society of the Divine Word missionaries.  This order of priests was approved by the Vatican in 1901, and shortly thereafter they came to the United States, where they founded many parishes serving the African American community in our state of Mississippi.  Priests from that order still serve in our diocese in towns such as Jackson, Indianola, Vicksburg, Greenville, Shaw, and Shelby.  Father Gus who served the Hispanic community here in Tupelo is also a member of this same religious order.  The story of St Arnold Jensen and the founding of the Society of the Divine Word shows us that even in the face persecution, we can find ways to spread God’s word and keep it alive and vital.

         May the enthusiasm and vigor of Arnold Jansen and the other missionaries of our faith help serve as an inspiration to us all to bring the healing power of Christ’s Good News to others.  May God’s Holy Word continue to inspire us and motivate us in our lives.

1/13/2014 – Monday of 1st week in ordinary time– Mark 1:14-20

        In today’s Gospel message, Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God.  He calls all to repent and to believe his Good News. Then, Jesus immediately calls others to be his disciples and gives them a mission to bring others into the kingdom of God.  As the first disciples, Jesus chooses fishermen, not scholars, or scribes, or the Temple priests, or the learned. He chooses people from the common, ordinary ranks of ancient Jewish society.  When the Lord calls us to serve, we must not think that we have nothing to offer.  The Lord uses us for greatness in his kingdom. 

         Sometimes, we get caught up in the busy, hectic schedules of our daily lives, Sometimes, we are not sure where he is calling, where we need to serve.  It is easy to make excuses and to think that we are not worthy or that we don’t have the gifts we need.  In the quiet, still moments in our lives, and in those hectic, busy moments as well, let us hear the Lord calling us to discipleship, to those tasks where he needs us to serve. 

Our parish cat Mary - when she was still a kitten

Guadalupanas - St James Catholic Church - Tupelo, Mississippi

With the Guadalupanas - the group of Hispanic ladies at the St James Catholic Church in Tupelo, Mississippi who planned the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe at our parish.  A great group of ladies that did a great job!

Good Morning God - a prayer for the morning -

(Grotto - St James Catholic Church - Tupelo, MS)

Good Morning, God. 

You are ushering in another day. 

This morning untouched and freshly new.  

Here I come to ask you, God, if you will renew me, too.

Forgive the many errors that I made yesterday.
Let me try again, dear God, to walk closer in your way.

But, Father, I am well aware I cannot make it on my own.
Take my hand and hold it tight, for I cannot do it alone.

1/12/2014 – The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Matthew 3:13-17

      It has been two and a half weeks since we celebrated Christmas day, commemorating the birth of our Savior.  Today, our Christmas season officially comes to an end with the celebration of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. Our Christmas season has included different celebrations that has made Christ manifest in different ways in the world.  We celebrated the Holy Family the first Sunday after Christmas, as we saw Joseph lead Mary and Baby Jesus to safety as King Herod sought to kill the Christ child. Then, we celebrated Mary, the Mother of God, as the Blessed Virgin pointed us to her Son and helped us understand his identity as fully human and fully divine.  And last week, we celebrated the visit of the Magi to the Baby Jesus, as Gentiles from the East recognized the salvation that the light of Christ was bringing to all.

      Today, as we focus on the Baptism of Jesus, as he begins his public ministry and his proclamation of God’s kingdom. We might wonder:  Why would Jesus have to be baptized anyway if he was the Son of God, already free from sin?  What insights can we learn from Jesus' baptism?  And what does our own baptism really mean for us in our daily lives?

      The crowds came to John the Baptist for baptism in repentance for their sins, yet Jesus had no sins that needed repentance.  John baptized them as they turned away from sin, but this also pointed to something much greater, to Jesus, who would take on humanity's sins and would pay for them by making God’s forgiveness available to all who seek it.  Jesus was baptized publicly not only in recognition of his role in our redemption and in taking away our sins, but also to reveal his identity as God's Son.  After his baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on him, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

      Jesus' baptism is at the heart of his mission to heal us, in identifying with our sinfulness, our brokenness, and our human nature.  Jesus' baptism and his identification with our human condition help us recall our own baptism and the hope that comes with it.  Our Catholic faith is rich in symbols as powerful aides and reminders. Water is one of our most meaningful symbols, reminding us of the new life we receive from Christ in the water of baptism.  We have a water font as we come into church– many of us make the sign of the cross as they enter and exit the church.  I see parents showing their children how to make the sign of the cross with the holy water. Sometimes, when I go to visit the sick or shut-ins, I carry a container of holy water in order to bless them and to remind them of our baptismal promises, of how Christ the Good Shepherd leads us to streams of living water.  Water is a very earthy symbol for us as human beings, reminding us that our human existence is tied to the water that makes life on earth possible and that from a spiritual perspective, the baptismal water gives us new life in Christ.

      In the rite of baptism, the parents of the child being baptized are told that they are to be the first of teachers and the best of teachers to their child in our faith.  Jesus had his family who taught him in the ways of the faith, just as most of us had parents, godparents, and other family members present us for baptism as infants and who formed us to be believers. Yet, we also had others outside of our extended family who prepared us in the faith, who were examples and inspirations for us. A friend of mine who is a priest in Florida recently challenged his congregation in a homily to think about those who nurtured them and formed them in the faith. In thinking about this, I recently wrote letters to a woman whom I worked with at the soup kitchen and food bank while I was a missionary in Canada, to a friend in college who encouraged me so much on my journey of faith, and to a high school teacher who also was very encouraging to me.  I had not been in touch with any of these individuals for many years.  All three of them were great examples of our faith for me, as believers who really try to live out Christ’s Gospel in their lives. I wanted them to know that I still remember and appreciate them, and in many ways they have influenced the way I have lived out my own faith as well, even now as I serve as a priest.  As we end our Christmas season and our celebration of Christ's birth, perhaps it would be good for us to think of the people in our lives who have connected us to our faith, who prepared a path to Jesus for us much like John the Baptist did for Jesus' ministry.  It would be a wonderful way to remember our baptism and to commemorate Jesus' baptism if we recalled those individuals and wrote them a letter this week, expressing our gratitude for the role they had in fostering our faith. 

      Through the new life in Christ that we gained in our baptism, through the baptism of Jesus that we celebrate today, may we all try to live that new life with passion and dedication in a way that is truly worthy of our calling as followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1/12/2014 – El Bautismo del Señor – Mateo 3,13-17

      Después de las celebraciones del nacimiento de Jesucristo, después de las fiestas de los tres reyes magos y la sagrada familia, celebramos hoy el bautismo del nuestro Señor. Tal vez, tenemos preguntas sobre esta celebración.  ?Por qué Jesús necesitaba el bautismo?  Por supuesto, él no tenia ningún pecado original y él es el Hijo de Dios por su naturaleza. También, Jesús no necesitaba un proceso de purificación como nosotros.  En verdad, cuando yo enseñaba una clase de confirmación para los jóvenes en la parroquia de San Ricardo en Jackson, un joven me preguntó: ?Por qué Cristo aceptó el bautismo? porque este acto implica arrepentimiento por los pecados.   Gregorio Nacianceno, doctor de la Iglesia, dice que “Jesús vino para sepultar la humanidad llena del pecado en las aguas de bautismo.  El vino para santificar el Río Jordán para nosotros.”  En verdad, Cristo está bautizado con nuestro bautismo y tenemos nuestro bautismo en El - bajamos con el en las aguas del bautismo y subimos con El en una vida nueva. 

      Necesitamos el bautismo para nuestra salvación.  En el bautismo de Nuestro Señor, el Espíritu Santo bajó de los Cielos como una paloma para anunciar la identidad de Jesucristo.   En el momento de nuestro bautismo, el Espíritu Santo nos transforme en hijos de Dios.  Es una transformación permanente que hace una marca imborrable en nuestra alma.  La invitación del bautismo es una invitación por la parte de Cristo, es una invitación para entrar en El mismo.  En verdad, Juan puede bautizar a la gente con el agua e invitarles al arrepentimiento, pero él personalmente no puede concederles el perdón.  El bautismo de Juan es externo y físico, mientras que el bautismo que Cristo puede darnos es interior y espiritual. 

      Nosotros, como católicos, somos privilegiados para tener el don de Dios y de nuestra fe en nuestras vidas.  Muchas veces no nos damos cuenta que la presencia del Espíritu Santo nos hace seres nuevos, capaces de entender y ayudar a otras personas que no han terminado de aceptar a Dios en sus vidas.  Es importante para reconocer que en nuestra celebración de hoy en el bautismo del Señor, estamos celebrando nuestro bautismo también.  Y en nuestro bautismo, viene la responsabilidad.