Feast of the Holy Family

This weekend, we continue our Christmas celebration with a contemplation of the Holy Family. The feast allows us to ponder the love and model of the Holy Family, how St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother provided a stable home for Jesus Christ.

This Feast also gives us the opportunity to thank God for our own families, in which we were raised to respond to our vocations, and to ask the Lord fro his grace in forming that safe place for those who have been placed in our care.

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas!

Christ is truly born for us...

From the Christmas Proclamation:


Today, the twenty–fifth day of December,

unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth

and then formed man and woman in his own image.

Several thousand years after the flood, when God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.

Twenty–one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah;

thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.

Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges;

one thousand years from the anointing of David as king;

in the sixty–fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.

In the one hundred and ninety–fourth Olympiad;

the seven hundred and fifty–second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.

The forty–second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus; the whole world being at peace,

Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,

desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,

being conceived by the Holy Spirit,

and nine months having passed since his conception,

was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary.

Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Having just conceived herself, Mary rushes to Elizabeth to be with her in her pregnancy. As these women receive each others' greetings, there is a profound moment of joy. Elizabeth recognizes that the child just conceived in Mary's womb is important - in fact - is God. She praises Mary, and in humility exclaims "Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" She receives Christ with joy.

These women show us an important aspect of our vocations, and of our last days of Advent: We must strive to recognize Christ in the subtle ways He comes to us, and receive Him with joy. Like Mary, having said yes to the will of God, we need to respond to the needs of those around us.

Third Sunday of Advent

Rejoice, and be glad! Salvation is near. John preached the message of repentance, and gave a baptism for the repentance of sins, to prepare the people for the revelation of his divine kinsman, Jesus Christ. The people were filled with anticipation, asking what they had to do to prepare for the Messiah. Note that he does not give them something too grand - they are to do their jobs well, to produce the fruit of repentance in their lives. John witnesses this himself. St. Luke alone records (as we heard last week) that the "word" (in Greek "rhema") of God came to him. In Luke's gospel, that word seems to be used for any message of vocation. (The Blessed Mother herself received one - "Let it be done to me according to your word."

As we respond to our vocations, that is our task - to produce fruits all areas of our lives, to do our duties well. Let us respond to that word of God...

Second Sunday of Advent

"Prepare the way", John the Baptist proclaims. He calls the people, and us too, to repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This is how we can best prepare our hearts for the Lord's return.

We are called to look east, toward the rising sun, and to see how the Lord prepares the way for His coming. When He does, all shall see our salvation.

First Sunday of Advent, 2009

As we begin a new Church year this weekend and enter into the penitential season of Advent, we hear Christ telling us to be prepared and to not grow weary. Our hearts need to be awakened, and Christ alone has the words that can rouse them. May we enter this season, opening our ears to His word, and respond to His will for us.

Feast of Christ the King

Jesus Christ is the King of All, and with the feast of Christ the King, we proclaim Him and claim Him. May our lives give Him homage!

The 13th Day

Wow! That is the only word that comes close to describe the movie "The 13th Day". It is a beautiful film about the Marian Apparitions of Fatima.

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Christ is the High priest, having offered Himself to the Father. He is to return and take us to the Father, and while that day is hidden it is certain. Do we shine brightly with wisdom, leading others to the Lord by the lives we lead?

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

The widow gave only a few small coins, pittance compared to the extravagant gifts of the rich, yet Jesus praises her for her generosity. She understood what it meant to trust in God, and to make a full return of gratitude to Him. She does not hold on to her livelihood (and none should fault her if she would have), but gives freely. Did she experience God's presence in her life that lead her to this action? Did she experience Him sustaining her after? She simply trusted that the Lord would provide.

We must learn to be come like this widow - to learn to give without counting the cost, to give without expecting reward, and to live generously. When we do, we find responding to a vocation as natural as breathing!

All Saints Day 2009

The Feast of All Saints reminds us that we are called by God to be saints. In all circumstances, the saints found blessedness in God. They responded to the grace of God, and we celebrate that they are in the presence of God. They show us how to live and love so completely so as to be in His presence. They knew themselves to be the children of God, and now they are something 'more', yet to be revealed to us. They responded to the grace of God, the same grace that we are given in the Sacraments. They struggled in the same ways (certainly circumstances change, though) that we do.

We have communion with them - they assist us by their prayers, and we follow their model. May we follow them into the Kingdom of God, being filled with His love, and serve Him all of our days.

Thirty Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Son of David, have mercy on me." Bartimaeus, a blind man, begs the Lord Jesus to help him. In Mark's Gospel account of the healing, there may be a play on words, highlighted that Mark repeats himself - Bartimaeus literally means (in Hebrew) Son of Timaeus, a name that in turn means 'unclean'. But St. Mark repeat the name, this time saying that he is a son of Timaeus (in Greek). Timaeus in Greek means 'honor'. Unlike a leper, Bartimaeus calls out not his name "Unclean", but rather Christ's title as the Messiah He knows not only who Christ is, but his own dignity and honor to call out despite the silencing cries of the crowd.

We out to do the same - we have been given a dignity in Christ. Do we call out of that dignity?

Twenty-ninth in Ordinary Time

"Lord, grant us our request." The brother apostles James and John ask the Lord Jesus to give them their desire. Note that Jesus does not chide them on their desire, but rather on their lack of understanding what they really were asking. Were they willing to suffer hardship, willing to serve others? They reply that they were.

Desire in and of itself is a good thing, but it must be balanced. When it is a desire for holiness and comes with not a desire for fame and power, and when it leads toward service, it is good and holy. Let us accept the cup, ultimately the Chalice of the Blood of Christ, and accept the suffering in our life as a part of the suffering of Christ, and serve one another.

Vocations Views October Edition

I have just posted the latest (as of today) Vocations Views. Enjoy and pass it on!

New List of Seminarians

We have posted our newest list of Seminarian information. Download it here.

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What must we do to inherit eternal life? The Question that the rich young man is our question, too. Jesus responds to him to keep the Commandments, and then invites him to discipleship. Keeping the Commandments is important, but only a first step, a minimum step. Christ desires us to be more than minimum - we are to live life to the full, to place our trust in Him alone. So we, too, are asked to leave everything behind and to follow the Lord. When we do, we will find every need meet, and will be given everything in extravagance.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Marriage is a vocation, and as such it requires a commitment that is lifelong. Marriage, like priesthood, is under attack. So many seem to simply desire to define these sacraments their own ways, claiming a moral superiority over the Church, Tradition, and ultimately even Christ, based on their 'conscience'. Marriage is between one man and one woman, who willingly, knowingly choose to enter into the union for the good of the couple and the good of children, until death parts them. Anything else ceases to be marriage and rather a perversion of the truth. Christ gives marriage a sacramental grace, and those who enter it enter for life do so with this gift of grace. Just the same, those who are called by God to be priests and respond do so for life, and are given the grace that is needed to live it out their entire lives...

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary time

There is the reality of sin - and Hell - that we sometimes forget. We are to be so radical to avoid sin that we would do whatever it takes. Christ Jesus himself speaks of the reality of condemnation and Hell, and as the savior, He comes to save us from sin. His power is shown not in simply saying "Everything is okay" but in "I forgive you". Our lives are to be able to give glory to God. Not only that, but we must remember that Jesus asks us to be so aware of our actions that we not lead others into sin by word or example. If we do, He says that we would be better to have a millstone tied around our necks and thrown into the sea (to drown). Again, we are to be so separated from sin. Christ gives us the grace to do so.

A place to explore your calling to be a Catholic Priest

A great site calledA vocation to be a Priest was recently brought to my attention and seems to be a great place to start... Written by teens for teens, it seems to be pretty good.

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Who is the greatest? The question we hear being discussed by the apostles in this weekend's Gospel passage is one that still plagues us. We jockey for position, put just enough of a religious spin on it to make it appear that we are trying to live the Gospel out. The question is not who is the greatest, but who are we serving? Are we serving ourselves, our pride, and our own positions? Are we serving others without counting the cost or expecting repayment, simply because it is the right thing to do? We need to examine our motivations and passions and ask the Lard to purify them.