1 October 2024 - St Therese of Lisieux - Tuesday of the 26th week in Ordinary Time - Psalm 88

I remember some years ago asking one of the inmates in our Catholic prison ministry to name for me his favorite saint.  I knew that he had read a lot about the saints and was very interested in them. I was quite surprised that he said that without a doubt it was Therese of Lisieux, not that answer I expected from him. I did not expect a young man who had served in the Middle East in the army and who was serving a life sentence in prison for murder to name a cloistered Carmelite nun as his favorite saint. 

Born in 1873, Terese entered the Carmelite monastery of Lisieux in Normandy in France at the age of 15 and died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. She was unknown to most of the world when she died, but her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, became an international best-seller. She became affectionately known to the faithful as the Little Flower. Her insight, her holiness, her honesty, the simplicity of her spirituality, and her passion in living out the vocation of a cloistered nun touched the souls of the faithful in a special way. Before she died, she knew that her work up in heaven would be the work of saving souls. She was named by Pope John Paul II as a patron saint of the missions, due to her love of missionaries and the spread of the Gospel message. John Paul II also named her as a Doctor of the Church, only the third woman to receive such a distinction. 

Our psalmists states today: Let my prayer come before you, Lord. We have such a great example of prayer and holiness with Therese of Lisieux.  We unite our prayers with her prayers today. 

Prayers of the faithful - 29 September 2024 - 26th Sunday in ordinary time - prison ministry

Priest - Penitential rite

Lord Jesus - your word is truth.

Christ Jesus - you are the way that leads us to salvation.

Lord Jesus - you call us away from sin and into new life in you.

Priest - As we are guided by the holy spirit on our journey of faith, may we pray for our needs and the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world:

1. That the Church may truly be the Body of Christ in the world, focusing on the mission that Christ left us as his disciples. We pray to the Lord. 

2. That those who have suffered abuse may find safety, healing, and justice through the ministry of the Church. We pray to the Lord.

3. For vocations to the priesthood, lay ministry, the diaconate, and consecrated religious life. May we all discern the vocation to which God calls us. We pray to the Lord.

4. For those who are searching for meaning in life. For those battling addictions, depression, anxiety, or mental health issues. For healing and wholeness. In a special way, we pray for our brothers here who are caught up in the terrible cycle of drug addiction. We pray to the Lord.

5. That the spirit of the national Eucharistic revival may continue in all of us as individuals and as a community. May we in the Catholic community here at CMCF minister to all here at this facility. We pray to the Lord.

6. That all Christians may have the courage to bear witness to their faith and be evangelizers of Christ’s Good News. We pray to the Lord.

7. For healing for the sick in body, mind, and spirit. We pray to the Lord.

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

Priest: As guided by the Holy Spirit, may we proclaim your grace in word and deed. We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

Prayers of the faithful - 29 September 2024 - 26th Sunday in ordinary time

Introduction - We come today to worship the Lord at Mass, to receive him in the Eucharist, to encounter him in our brothers and sisters, and to open ourselves to God’s revelation in the world. May today’s challenging readings inspire us to look at our lives and to remain on the path to God’s kingdom.

Priest - Penitential rite

Lord Jesus - your word is truth.

Christ Jesus - you are the way that leads us to salvation.

Lord Jesus - you call us away from sin and into new life in you.

Priest - As we are guided by the holy spirit, may we pray for our needs and the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world:

1. That the Church may truly be the Body of Christ in the world, focusing on the mission that Christ left us as his disciples. We pray to the Lord. 2. That those who have suffered abuse may find safety, healing, and justice through the ministry of the Church. We pray to the Lord.

3. For vocations to the priesthood, lay ministry, the diaconate, and consecrated religious life. May we all discern the vocation to which God calls us. We pray to the Lord.

4. For those who are searching for meaning in life. For those battling addictions, depression, anxiety, or mental health issues. For healing and wholeness. We pray to the Lord.

5. That the spirit of the national Eucharistic revival may continue in all of us as individuals and as a community. We pray to the Lord.

6. That all Christians may have the courage to bear witness to their faith and be evangelizers of Christ’s Good News. We pray to the Lord.

7. For healing for the sick in body, mind, and spirit. We pray to the Lord.

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

Priest: As guided by the Holy Spirit, may we proclaim your grace in word and deed. We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

Bulletin Reflection - 26th Sunday in ordinary time - 29 September 2024

It is hard to believe that it is already the end of the month of September. It seems like the summer months were just upon us. We will continue our journey during the days of ordinary time until we celebrate Advent at the beginning of December. We give thanks for all of our parishioners who contribute to our parish in so many different ways. This Sunday, September 29, is the date we celebrate the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. It was about ten years ago when I was stationed at St James parish in Tupelo that I started praying the prayer of St Michael the Archangel at the end of the weekend Masses with my parishioners. I noted that all the parishes I visited for mission appeals this summer pray this prayer at the end of Mass as well. I love the prayer of St Michael the Archangel. I think it is very important to teach our children and youth a lot of the traditional prayers and devotions of our Catholic faith. Blessings to all of you - have a good week - Father Lincoln.

29 September 2024 - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - James 5:1-6 - Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

This is the last of 5 readings from the Letter of James that we will hear in our Sunday Masses. I love these messages we have been hearing from James. It gives us good practical advice on how to live out our faith. It is good advice for all of us. In particular, I see it as really good advice for young Catholics: for youth, college students, and young adults. The message that we’ve been hearing from James is that we need to be doers of God’s word, not just hearers; that our faith is just not something that should remains in our hearts, but also to bear fruit in the world. 

I keep a blog with homilies and reflections. I actually started that blog about 10 years ago when I was pastor up in Yazoo City and Belzoni. I was looking at the blog - I have more than 6,000 posts so far. I was looking at an entry I made for this week in 2015; it was the week of the Pope’s visit to the US. Our country was so excited about his visit. It is interesting that we have been hearing from James these past five weeks coincides with what we heard from the Pope on his visit to the US, as he stressed how we as Christ’s disciples are obligated to be good stewards of the environment, and how we are to treat the poor and the stranger in our midst with dignity and respect. Pope Francis showed this with his actions, not just his words, in harmony with what James tells us.The Pope visited a shelter for the homeless run by Catholic Charities in Washington DC, where he told the residents that he saw the face of St Joseph in them, as Joseph was man who had no shelter and no home in which his child could be born. The Pope also visited poor inner-city Catholic School in East Harlem, New York. Many people who heard the Pope’s address to Congress back in 2015 were impressed with the four Americans he mentioned as people of faith and doers of God’s Word: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. Though many Catholics are familiar with Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, two very vibrant Catholics who lived in the 20th century, many in the secular media did not know much about them; they were scrambling to find out who they were. Unfortunately, the media can be a bit myopic and closed minded in their knowledge. Both Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton lived very secular worldly lives as young adults very much apart from God. However, once they had conversions of heart, they had a very enthusiastic committed faith. Pope Francis praised Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, for her social activism, her passion for justice, and her love for the poor and the oppressed. He singled out Thomas Merton’s work toward greater respect and dialogue between different cultures and religions, and in the way he challenged the assumptions of his day. Merton did this while living as a Trappist monk in the Abbey of Gethsemene in Kentucky. 

The Pope’s actions, and the examples he gave, are in contrast to those whom James points out in his letter, of the rich who store up their material wealth and possessions, but who do so on the backs of the poor whom they disrespect and oppress. They have great material rewards here on earth, but will not find their reward in God’s Kingdom. We can use our influence and riches to help others, in works of kindness and mercy.  We can earn a good living and still follow the values of the Gospel, or we can use our wealth and riches in ways that do not proclaim God’s Kingdom on earth.   

In the Gospel today, we see the disciples wanting to exclude those who do good works in Jesus’ name but who are not part of their group of disciples. We see in Pope Francis a desire for us to dialogue and work together, to find common ground and to care for the well-being of all. So many people in the world today see our reality as the insiders vs the outsiders, as the liberals vs the conservatives, as one country vs another, as us vs them. Pope Francis sees it differently. Our Catholic faith sees it differently. This is one quote from Pope Francis that I took away from his address to Congress: "Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples." That quote was relevant when he said it in 2015. It is relevant today. It is a message that brings us together, that does not conquer or divide. And we have seen American society become more divisive year and year. May we talk to heart the message that the values of faith and the values of the Gospel bring to us in the midst of our reality.   

Prayers of the faithful - Feast of St Vincent de Paul - Friday of the 25th week in Ordinary Time - 27 September 2024

Lord Jesus - you have a special love for the poor. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us justice. 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the glory of God. 

Priest: As we celebrate the feast day of St Vincent de Paul, let us remember God’s call to hope and justice as we present our prayers: 

1. That our government officials lead us in the practice justice and reconciliation in our communities and in our nation. 

2. That our Church leaders help in reaching out to the poor and the vulnerable. 

3. That the sick and shut in experience healing in body, mind and spirit. 

4. That the faithful departed receive God’s love and mercy in eternal life. We pray especially for the souls in purgatory. 

5. That those who have lost hope and who are struggling with addictions and mental illness find new life in our risen Lord. 

6. For a great love and appreciation for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. 

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

Priest: With hope and joy, we present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

27 September 2024 - Friday of the 27th week of Ordinary Time - St Vincent DePaul - Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Our first reading today - Ecclesiastes in Greek or Qoheleth in Hebrew -  is a part of the Wisdom tradition of literature in Israel’s scriptures. It is a common reading in funeral liturgies, since it is about a wise person reflecting upon different times in his life: times of death and birth, times of killing and healing, times of weeping and laughing. There are times and seasons in the way nature and ecology functions. There are times and seasons in our lives. While each time and season may seem to happen randomly, the underlying significance of this reading is that there is a divine purpose for everything that happens. We are reminded of the sovereignty of God, the creator and ruler of heaven and earth. We human beings learn during our lifetime that there are many things beyond our human control. We may have a smart phone in our pockets that is more powerful than the computers that put the man on the moon. We may have advanced technology that many of our us could not have imagined as children. But there are many elements of our existence that are beyond our control. We cannot conquer time. God appoints each moment. Our lives here on earth are a mixture of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, harmony and struggle, life and death. Each season has an appropriate time in the cycle of life. Nothing stays the same.  

As we hear this wise reading from the Old Testament, we celebrate the feast day of St Vincent de Paul, a very beloved saint in our Catholic faith.  He was a French priest who was born at the end of the 16th century to a humble family of farmers. He was the founder of two important religious congregations in our Catholic Church: the Vincentians and the Daughters of Charity. Both of those congregations reflect their founder’s charism of compassion, humility, and service to the poor. He is also well-known throughout the modern world for the social service organization that was named after him more than 200 years after his birth by students at the University of Paris in the early 19th century: the Society of St Vincent de Paul. May we unite our prayers with the prayers of St Vincent DePaul today.