Baptism of the Lord

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the formal close of the Christmas season, and perhaps no better feast to close it. These last weeks, we have taken the time to contemplate the face of Christ, born for our redemption. In the Baptism of the Lord, Jesus, now an adult, formally begins His ministry. As He begins to proclaim the Kingdom of God, He brings the saving message of forgiveness to all. As we celebrate this feast, we move from a wonder and awe of great feasts to the 'ordinary' time in our lives where we live that wonder and awe. We live out what we have celebrated. Further, just as Jesus begins to proclaim the kingdom, we recommit ourselves to proclaiming it.

This feast also begins National Vocations Awareness Week. We all have a vocation, a mission, that has been given by Christ to spread the Gospel message. National Vocation Awareness Week serves as a good reminder that all Christians are called to live out their baptismal commitment on a daily basis.

When John objects to Jesus' baptism (according to Matthew's account), Jesus responds that it must be done to "fulfill all righteousness." His willingness to be baptized begins the fulfillment of God the Father's plan for salvation. Jesus embraces the waters of the Jordan as God-made-man, undoing the sin in the Garden of Eden as Eve and Adam took the forbidden fruit in an effort to become like gods. Jesus, as the sinless Son of God born of Mary, had no sin and no need of repentance. He identifies himself with those who recognize their sins, faults, and failings; those who know that no human being on his or her own can ever find redemption. In his baptism Jesus identifies himself with the human race as more than merely than one who shares the human nature, but as one who is bringing true change. He accepts the baptism of John the Baptist and transforms it. In doing so, he inaugurates a new baptism, though not fully enacted until his death and resurrection.

Baptism begins a real transformation in us as we are given grace to respond to God's will. While we are given the grace to contend with the effects of original sin (death, sickness, concupiscence or disordered desire and darkened intellect), we are also given the ability to be transformed and to be in relationship with our creator. Baptism creates in us the ability to respond to the voice of God in a new way. We are given the opportunity not just to go back to the Garden, but to Heaven, into the very presence of the Holy Trinity.

Our life in God begins with baptism. Thus is the first sacrament of vocation. We all have a vocation, a particular role to play in God's plan of salvation. Some are called to sacraments of service, marriage and holy orders. Some are called to profess the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience and live as a priest, brother, sister, monk, or nun. But all are called!

This National Vocation Awareness Week we should call to mind the great gift of our baptism and pray that we would be able to cooperate with the grace that God gives us through it. For those who are parents with children still at home, take the time to talk to them about why you had them baptized, and also take time to pray with them and for them that they would be able to discern God's will for theirlives.

Let us pray for vocations, from our homes, our parishes, our Area Faith community, our Diocese. It is not out of a feeling of despair but of great hope: we need more priests, deacons, and religious! Yes, we need priests to feed and nourish us with the Sacraments. We need the witness of deacons, their ministry of presence in many areas. We need the witness of holiness and the various charisms in service to the Church. May all people responding to God's grace, to live God's call. May we encourage priestly, diaconal, and religious vocations, as well as support those already in the discernment process. To every young man: Consider the priesthood! To every young woman and man: Consider the religious life. We need you! The Church needs you. Christ loves you, and all of us, young and old, are called to service - may He be calling us to priesthood, deaconate, or religious life.

Taipei Times - archives

The Taipei Times printed an article on the Pill, and while their take is pretty polemic, the truth of the Matter still comes to the fore.

‘HORROR SCENARIO’: The fall in the birth rate in Austria, a chemist wrote in an article, is an ‘epidemic’ far worse than obesity and represents national suicide

THE GUARDIAN , BERLIN AND ROME
Thursday, Jan 08, 2009, Page 6
Roman Catholic leaders have pounced on a “confession” by one of the inventors of the birth control pill who has said the contraceptive he helped create was responsible for a “demographic catastrophe.”

In an article published by the Vatican this week, the head of the world’s Roman Catholic doctors broadened the attack on the pill, claiming it had also brought “devastating ecological effects” by releasing into the environment “tonnes of hormones” that had impaired male fertility.

The assault began with a personal commentary in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard by 85-year-old Carl Djerassi. The Austrian chemist was one of three whose formulation of the synthetic progestogen Norethisterone marked a key step toward the earliest oral contraceptive pill.

Djerassi outlined the “horror scenario” that occurred because of the population imbalance, for which his invention was partly to blame. He said that in most of Europe there was now “no connection at all between sexuality and reproduction.” He said: “This divide in Catholic Austria, a country which has on average 1.4 children per family, is now complete.”

He described families who had decided against reproduction as “wanting to enjoy their schnitzels while leaving the rest of the world to get on with it.”

The fall in the birth rate, he said, was an “epidemic” far worse — but given less attention — than obesity. Young Austrians, he said, were committing national suicide if they failed to procreate. And if it were not possible to reverse the population decline they would have to understand the necessity of an “intelligent immigration policy.”

The head of Austria’s Catholics, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, told an interviewer that the Vatican had forecast 40 years ago that the pill would lead to a dramatic fall in the birth rate in the west.

“Somebody above suspicion like Carl Djerassi ... is saying that each family has to produce three children to maintain population levels, but we’re far away from that,” he said.

Schonborn told Austrian TV that when he first read Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical condemning artificial contraception he viewed it negatively as a “cold shower.” But he said he had altered his views as, over time, it had proved “prophetic.”

Writing for the Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, the president of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, Jose Maria Simon, said research from his association also showed the pill “worked in many cases with a genuinely ... abortive effect.”

Angelo Bonelli, of the Italian Green party, said it was the first he had heard of a link between the pill and environmental pollution. The worst of poisons were to be found in the water supply.

“It strikes me as idiosyncratic to be worried about this,” he said.

A leading gynecologist and member of the New York Academy of Science, professor Gian Benedetto Melis, called Simon’s claims “science fiction,” saying that the pill blocked ovulation only.

Marians of the Immaculate Conception

Yesterday, I had a funeral of a man whose nephew is a novice in the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. I am very much impressed with their charism and website, and especially wish to highlight their vocations pages. There is a particularly powerful quote:

Our Congregation's Renovator, Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz, believed that a person could discern God's will by reflecting on the following:

"God draws us to Himself and guides
us to this or that way of life through
our holy desires, affections,
aspirations, propensities,
longings and so on ..."

Epiphany, 2009

This weekend, we celebrate Epiphany. It is the revelation of Jesus as the Christ to the world. The ancient Church marked three separate 'manifestations' (which is what the word epiphany means in its original language of Greek): The visit of the Magi, the baptism in the Jordan, and the wedding feast in Cana. Now, we separate them out so that we can more adequately incorporate the meaning of each into our lives. We mark the coming of the wise men, the Magi. They were not kings in the traditional sense, but rather probably men of nobility and high education. They came from most likely modern day northern Iraq (ancient Babylon and Persia had their empires in the area). They were students of the stars, convinced that the happens on earth were written in the heavens. Modern scholars suggest that the "star" they witnessed was most likely the convergence of the planets Jupiter (the father-god of roman myth) and Venus (the goddess of love) in the constellation of Leo. This alignment suggested that heaven and earth were to be united and reconciled, that the Father God would bear a son in love, and this son would become the King. The fact of it appearing in the constellation of Leo is that it was to happen to the people of Israel - the tribe of Judah as the lion had a specific connection to this tribe. The magi set forth to find this king, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gifts fit for a God and a King. The star led the way to the Holy Family. This feast ought to remind us that God can use whatever He wants, even the stars, to tell the world of our salvation.

Feast of the Holy Family

In the Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family, we hear again of God's Promises. God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, and God (eventually) kept that promise, though time had passed and Abraham attempted to take matters into his own hands.
In our Gospel, we hear of Simeon and Anna. Simeon had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would live to see the Messiah. While we can safely assume that he did not live another 30-plus years to see that fullness of salvation, he had seen the messiah, Jesus Christ. It was only a matter of time before the fulfillment. Anna, too, waited in fasting and prayer for the Messiah, and seeing Him, proclaimed Him to all who were also waiting. Can you imagine her joy? Can you imagine her words? "It is just a matter of time... He's here!"
God is the God of promises. He promised a savior, and He has sent Him.
Every year, the Church gives us the feast of the Holy Family to contemplate the face of Christ born to the Virgin Mary. The Holy Family is the school, as Pope John Paul II and Pope Paul VI proclaimed. May our families receive degrees from this school, and all priests and religious graduates of the School of Nazareth.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

This weekend's readings, we hear of God's will for the Blessed Mother given to her in the message from the Angel Gabriel. She was ready and prepared, aware of her need of a savior. Remember though free from original and actual sin, she was pre-redeemed by Jesus Christ and was still in need of His life, death, and resurrection. Hearing the message of the Angel, she receives it with joy and humility. She willingly allows the will of God to be done. Not fully knowing the 'hows', she knows the why: for the her salvation, and that of the whole world and our souls. She provides the temple for the Son of God to dwell (hence the first reading). Through her, He will be born. She receives the Lord.
In addition to John the Baptist, the Blessed Virgin Mary can provide another way of living Advent. She was ready to receive the Lord! As we count and prepare for these last days before Christmas, we should remember that God has a plan for us, too. We ought to be ready to do His will, and to receive Him with joy.

Messaggio Natale 2008

The Christmas message from the Congregation of the Clergy has been released. It is reproduced here for your reading and spiritual health:

To all the dear Priests, Deacons and Catechists of the Entire World


I extend my joyous and fraternal wishes for a holy and festive Christmas, and that the year 2009 be enlightened, grace filled a full of accomplishments in the service of Jesus Christ and of our brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor or suffering. Christmas does not confine us to a commemoration of an extraordinary event in the past, recalled with gratitude and love, but it is also an event which is actualised in the present day, in our midst.
Jesus Christ comes because he loves us and wants to save us from evil: from every evil, and even from death. He comes to welcome us, to make us experience his love, to transform us into his disciples, true sons of the heavenly Father, to invite us to proclaim in the entire world that God is Love, and that he loves us unconditionally, without measure. Jesus comes! He becomes our companion on the journey of life. Let us be gathered to him. Let us allow him to overcome us and to make his dwelling within us. He will eat with us in an unimaginable communion, in which he will have us experience the mysterious and efficacious depth of his friendship and his salvation. Enlightened and transformed by this encounter with Him we will be able to proclaim him to every man and woman of our time. Behold, such is Christmas!


Cláudio Cardinal Hummes
Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo
Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

Cardinal Arinze Presents "Letter to Young Priest"

A new book by Cardinal Arinze, "Letter to Young Priest", was announced by ZENIT news yesterday. The article seems to hit the highlights of the book. He addresses the priestly promises of celibacy, poverty, and obedience. It looks like an excellent book for a priest or seminarian in need of a little encouragement.

Third Sunday of Advent

Rejoice, again I say it, Rejoice! Our readings, prayers, and liturgical colors this week are ones of joy. We hear of John the Baptist, the one who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. His life was one that was marked with repentance, but also with joy. He leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as Mary and the newly conceived Christ greeted Elizabeth. His clothing were harbingers of his role as the Elijah - the one who has to prepare the way. He denied that he was Elijah, but not the one who was promised to come in the line of Elijah. He denied he was the Prophet - that title was reserved for the Messiah. He ate locusts and wild honey, ritually clean food. He would spend his life proclaiming the coming Messiah, not caught in the trappings of titles, clothing, or food. He simply proclaimed a message of repentance. The repentance is our response to God's grace, while God brings us reconciliation through the Messiah. Truly, here is reason to rejoice!

Second Sunday of Advent

Our readings this weekend provide much comfort. We hear the prophet Isaiah being told to comfort God's people. In the second reading, we are comforted to hear that the Lord is not as much delaying His return as allowing us the time to prepare our hearts and live in holiness and grow in devotion before the final dissolution of the world in the purifying fire of God. The Gospel is of the beginning of Mark's Gospel, and the preaching of John, his baptism of repentance and the prophecy of the Messiah's soon revelation.

We may not like to admit that we are sinners. Those who cannot admit they are sinners cannot admit they need a savior. The greater the sin, the greater the need for a savior, too. We live in a world that tries to explain away sin, and Christ as a result. Comfort comes not in saying we do not sin, but that we have a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are set free in Baptism, and renewed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are invited to live and conduct ourselves as if already in the new Heaven and new Earth.

Resources

To those looking for a list of our current seminarians, see the list of resources to the right hand column of this page (about quarter of the way down), or click here, remember you can download directly to your computer by Right Clicking or pressing option and clicking your mouse at the same time. Note that all of our resources are pdf's, and will require either Adobe reader or some other pdf reader.

For our current prayer calendar of priests, Seminarians, and Pastoral Administrators, click here.

First Sunday of Advent, 2008

This weekend, we enter a new liturgical year. In our readings this weekend, the Church reminds us of Jesus' injunction on us to be ready. We are called to be alert, to be working until the return of Jesus. Advent is more than the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas or a shopping season. It is a season of watchful waiting, of longing, of penance, prayer, and preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. Some will point out that Advent pays attention to three comings of Christ - Christ in History (born as a child, who lived, died and rose again), Christ in Mystery (in the Sacraments), and Christ in Majesty. These first weeks of Advent, we especially focus on this - to be watchful for His return. If He comes today, would we be ready? Would we have lived our lives in such a way that we would be recognize Him immediately, and that He would recognize us?

20 Tips For Making A Good Confession

Fr. Zuhlsdorf has 20 Tips For Making A Good Confession at his blog, What Does the Prayer Really Say. These are especially useful as we are about to begin Advent during which we prepare our hearts and minds.

Feast of Christ the King

Christ is the King of Heaven and Earth. When He returns, He will judge us but the standards of His Kingdom, not of ours. In the parable that we have been given this weekend, this judgement is placed in terms of our service to the least. Note that those condemned were not necessarily 'evil' according to the parable. Their response suggests that they served Jesus Christ when they recognized Him, but did not serve when they did not. Those that are commended served without seeing Christ. This is true character - they did the right thing without any hope of reward other than knowing it was the right thing to do.

At times, we may not be sure of our vocation, but we ought to be sure of the right thing - the works of mercy. We serve the Body of Christ hidden in those around us, nourished by the Body of Christ, the Eucharist.

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

This weekend, we hear the Parable of the Talents. The servants are called before the Master who is to leave for a time. He entrusts to them his wealth, to one five talents, to another two talents, and to the third one talent. He does not tell them what to do with it - it must have been simply assumed that they were to put it to use. The first two doubled the amount, but the third in fear buried it. The servants are asked what they did with the talent they were given. The one who only made two was not critiqued for not making five - he did the best he could! The poor fool who buried it was condemned for not even trying. He knew the Master's wish, and went directly against it because of fear. One can get the sense that had he tried and lost it all, he would have not been as harshly treated. The talent is taken away, the man is condemned, and the talent is given to the one who had earned five.

This parable reminds us that what we have is God's gift to us, entrusted to us to be shared with others. We must use the gifts, we cannot bury them or hide them in fear. By using them, we may find them increased, and by not using them, we will lose them. We will be held responsible for doing our best with what we have been given.

Dedication of The Basilica of Saint John Lateran

This Sunday, we celebrate the dedication of the Cathedral of Rome, St. John Lateran. It is the Pope's cathedral as Bishop of Rome. That this dedication is celebrated even on Sundays reminds us of the universality of the Church.

In our Gospel for this weekend, we hear of Jesus cleansing the Temple, which is early in Jesus' ministry recorded in John's Gospel. He tells them to destroy the temple and He will raise it up again. They hear it as the Temple - the center of the religious activity of the Jewish people. That temple was in the process of restoration of 46 years, and they cried foul. John redacts it for us: He was speaking of His Body. Temples are the places of encounter with God. Jesus is that place of encounter with God the Father, in the person of God the Son. Destroy that Temple, and it will be raised.

In the Second Reading form 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us that we are the Temple of God, too. We are the Body of Christ. We can hear echoes from Paul's conversion from being a persecutor of the Church to hearing Christ asking why he [Paul] is persecuting Him. We are built to the building of God. Some of us are called to build, too, on that same foundation of Jesus Christ. We build, so that we can be for others a place where they can encounter God because we strive to live with Christ.

Thoughts of the Election

I am writing the following as an individual, and is not an endorsement or rejection of any party or politician.

I am truly disappointed with many in the main stream media. So many are suggesting that those who voted against President-elect Obama are either racist or uninformed. He could not (or would not because it was not politically expedient) say when life began and was afforded rights. He refused to vote for a law that would have required medical care to those born alive in the process of abortion - the difference is that the woman wanted an abortion, not a baby. He supports of abortion on demand and the Freedom of Choice Act enshrining it as a right. He promised to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. He supports federal funding for fetal stem cell research. Because I am an informed Catholic, he removed himself from my support and vote for him as a candidate. It was not the color of his skin that I considered - it was the content of his character. I imagine that there was a fraction of those who did not vote for him primarily because of his ancestry, the same as I would be safe to assume some voted for him simply because of it - both are equally wrong! Dr. Martin Luther King said it best - when it is what is within that matters, not what is only skin deep.

This election was disappointing on the part of the pro-life cause. Measures aimed at limiting abortions, defining the start of human life (and rights) failed, while measures to allow embryonic research and assisted suicide passed. We by-and-large elected a pro-abortion slate into federal offices. The pro-abortion battle will not and cannot win based on logic and civil discourse, so now the politicians will force it upon us.

I 'predict' that under the new administration, access to abortion will be enshrined as a 'right', the limitations of abortion (conscience clauses, limiting federal funding, waiting periods, parental notifications, and partial birth abortion bans; so many gained only in these last years) will be removed. Abortionists and abortion mills will be allowed to relax safety and reporting regulations. Overall, we will see a declining number of reported abortions; it will be seen as a drop in abortions though they will be woefully underreported. The drop will be credited to some expensive and ultimately ineffective program, just as the 'rise' of abortion rates these last 8 years were blamed on the pro-life policies being failures, but not because of the mandatory reporting laws!

We must not be deceived - even if something is legal, it is not automatically moral. Abortion, and support of abortion, is always wrong. Life does begin at conception - it is a scientific fact in addition to being affirmed by the long teaching of the Catholic Church. The pro-life movement will have an uphill battle again, because we grew complacent.

These next years, we have a task to remind our politicians in all parties of the dignity of human life. We need not resign to the fact that abortion is here to stay, anymore than those before us gave up the cause of civil rights, the recognition of women's rights to vote, and the end of slavery. May God bless us with strength to defend the defenseless, and that He would bless our politicians and fellow citizens with the truth that life begins at conception, and that every life is precious in God's eyes.

That being written, we pray for President-Elect Obama. May he see the dignity of life from conception to natural death, and unite the nation for the good of all, not just the born (and wanted).

Prayer for Election Day

Rocco Palmo at Whispers in the Loggia links to a great prayer for this election day from the Concord Pastor. Hopefully, you will go to vote. Hopefully, this prayer will inspire you to vote, and to vote for life, and challenge our leaders to work for the poor and needy!

Feast of All Souls

The feast of All Souls gives us the opportunity to stop and remember those who have died who have not yet been entered into their heavenly rest, but in the fullness of time will - those in purgatory. Purgatory is a state of purification where the soul of those who have died without coming to the full love of Christ are purged from their earthly attachments. Prayers will not help those who, in their sins, rejected God and chose an eternity separated from Him (in Hell), and the prayers are not needed for those who, because of their faith and fullness of Love, have already been admitted to heaven as Saints. But the souls in purgatory are the ones for whom we can, and must, pray. It is a penitent prayer, a prayer of repentance on behalf of those who are there. Even the color specified for use at Mass (violet or black, if available) is one of prayer and penance. While there is a sense of joy, it is assumed, because they know that they are bound for heaven, there is the pain of letting go of their disordered attachments. We pray for them, that they may enter that purification and that we can help express the love of God with our prayers.

For us who are alive, we need to remember that Purgatory is not a goal - only heaven ought to be. We can be come to holiness here in this life, to become living saints. We pray for the grace of conversion in our lives, that we may find freedom from all that is not of God. May we be the saints that God not only has created us to be, but given us the grace to be!

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Of all the commandments of the Old Testament, the commandment to love God and our neighbor is the greatest, and also the most difficult. Love is a decision, a choice to put someone else's needs first. Love, mercy, and justice are all on the spectrum of right actions, with love being the highest. With the love of God, we respond to His love which moves us first. That love calls us to act in love with His other creatures.

Love is a choice, and it is a part of our vocation. All of us are commanded to love, but how? Is it as a spouse, meeting the needs of the other and a family? Is it as a priest who loves his parishioners and leads them in love? Is it as a religious man or woman who spends his or her life in prayer out of love for the world? We are all called to love, and in Love, let us serve Him and each other!