Prayers for Pope Benedict XVI

I hesitate to say something about the recent scandals that some are using to implicate and tarnish His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. The history that they piece together (or more importantly, the pieces they leave out) is awful, and that it leaves me thinking that no honest person who has a little love for the Pope and the truth can ultimately believe much of it. But the stuff just keeps coming. That's why I will turn your attention to A Response to the New York Times given by Father Raymond J. de Souza in the National Review Online. It is a extremely well-written article, filling in the missing historical pieces.

I think part of what is happening is that those who are attacking the Pope are angry he did not do enough - if that is reason to condemn someone, then we all stand guilty! It has happened in our Church, and it is time that we say STOP - NEVER AGAIN will we allow this crime to occur, especially in our Churches and most especially by our priests. I also think it is being used to attempt to strip the Church of Her moral authority. It is used by some to promote a 'different' view of priesthood - blaming celibacy, blaming an all-male priesthood, etc. It may even be a thinly veiled attack on him as we are at his fifth anniversary as our shepherd - them trying to throw into question the outcome of the conclave, or even the presence of the Holy Spirit! As I said at the end of the Masses this weekend, the Lord promised that Gates of Hell would not conquer the Church.

Let us pray for the conversion of all abusers, and that properly punished (either through forced laicization and incarceration, or through extremely limited contact, while closely supervised, life in a care facility due to age and health issues if there has been true contrition and conversion), may repent of their sins and never commit them again. Let's pray for the conversion of those involved in promoting the scandal, but more importantly, pray for the continued strong leadership of Pope Benedict, especially as he has always been part of the strongest response to the sin of sexual abuse.

Palm Sunday, 2010

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we call to mind how Christ enters His own people with cries of acclamation, only to have those cries drowned out 4 days later with cries to crucify Him. We have the beautiful Passion given to us. We could spend our lives memorizing the passion, but let it not be a mere academic pursuit - it needs to transform our hearts. As we look upon Christ crucified, may our hearts cry out with praise, know that here is love made real for us as the God who is made man for us pours His life out. Lord, may the rocks cry out if I cannot praise you!

Dissenting Sisters thanked for support of healthcare bill

Catholic News Agency has an article Planned Parenthood head thanks religious sisters for ‘critical support’ of health care bill. It gives a good overview of the level of dissent that one group, erroneously claiming to represent all religious sisters, have done to support the pro-contraceptive, pro-abortion healthcare bill. The Lord will hold us all accountable. One telling sentence:

"This brave and important move, demonstrating that they cared as much about the health care of families in America as they did about church hierarchy, was a critical demonstration of support."

Since they have demonstrated that they do not care much about the church hierarchy, do they equally lack compassion for health care for families???

Fifth Sunday of Lent

A woman caught in a sexual sin of adultery is brought to Jesus as a trap. The Law allowed them to stone such women, but they also knew thought Jesus was 'accepting' of such sins. If He responded stone her, perhaps the leaders thought, the crowd would see the hypocrisy and cease following Him, but if He responded to not stone her, He would have been setting Himself as interpreter of the Law. His answer is more than a clever response, but one that speaks to the heart of sin, judgement, and forgiveness. The one without sin would be allowed to throw the first stone. The leaders go, starting with the oldest. The woman stands before Jesus, the only One there (since only He and the Blessed Mother were sinless) who could have condemned her, but He forgave her. This forgiveness did not give her permission to continue as she had, but called her to reformation. This is not being 'light' on sin, but merciful.

None of us are without sin. Jesus calls us to forgiveness, to repentance. So just as He told the woman, we too are to go and sin no more.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

The lost sons in today's parable demonstrate a principle of sin. The youngest son wandered far from his father, squandered his inheritance, lost his identity, faith, and dignity. He recognizes his distance, and that he does not deserve to be a son, but desires to be a servant of his loving father. The older son, while he did not wander far from his father, had his heart far from the father. He simply did not even recognized his father's love. Both of these sons are in a land of dissimilarity, as St. Augustine would call it. The younger son returns from his life of sin, but the older dutiful son is left with the decision.

Those responding to a vocation need to know the love of the Father, to have their hearts with Him, experiencing His love. Whether we were great sinners who wandered far from the Lord, or dutiful servants, the Father loves us and claims us as sons and daughters.

Third Sunday of Lent

We never know the time when the Lord will call us. Just as the Lord called Moses from the burning bush, He may be trying to call us. Just as the Galileans of the unfortunate 18 killed by a falling tower, our time here on earth could come to a quick end. Whether good or evil, it matters not. God works on His time, not ours. For us who wish to be with Him for eternity, that means we must always be prepared and produce the fruit that the Lord requires.

The Perfect Priest

Fr. Zuhlsdorf at What Does the Prayer Really Say has a great post named The Perfect Priest. It is humorous, but sad at the same time.

Second Sunday in Lent

The second Sunday of Lent, we hear the passage of the Transfiguration. Some hold that the transfiguration occurred shortly before the Passion, which makes sense. Jesus reveals His glory to the apostles Peter, James, and John. It prepared them for the 'scandal' of the Cross, the humiliation and extreme pain of crucifixion. They may not have understood at the time of the transfiguration, or even during the Passion, but certainly after the Resurrection, they were able to reflect on it as Christ's way of showing them who He truly is, encouraging them to a faith.

On of the principals of the Christian life is that we keep returning in prayer to the episodes when Christ is revealed to us, to understand at a deeper level. St. Peter provides that model, and when we follow it, we will find the grace to follow the Lord even in the darkest of days.

First Sunday of Lent

Jesus is tempted after his 40 day fast in the desert. He entered the desert to prepare for His ministry, and in resisting the temptations of the devil, He shows that he is (of course) perfectly united with the will of His Father.

In our Lenten Journey, we also enter the desert so that we can be be configured at a greater level to the mystery of Christ. We too are tempted - nothing disturbs Satan more than a person committed to Christ! Are our wills in union with God's will? If not, we have the gift of the sacraments, the sacramentals, the Scriptures, and the teaching of the Church. We have the example of the saints. Let us be further configured to Christ, asking for the Grace to avoid temptation and evil, and follow God's loving will.

Our Newest prayer Calendar

Our newest prayer calendar for priests, pastoral administrators, and seminarians is online. You can download it here.

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Blessing or curse - which one we experience is dependent on were we put our faith. If we place it on our current state of things, on our human understanding, we will find that they do not last. If, however, we place our trust in the Lord stretching out to him like a tree's roots grow toward water, we will find hope that endures, and will know the blessings of the Lord.

Those who are discerning a vocation must place their trust in the Lord, not on their human understanding. Too often, many will stop discerning when they consider the low pay, the long hours, the hard study. But one who is able to trust in the Lord is also able to know the blessing of knowing the Lord.

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. Both Simon Peter and Isaiah state that, in their own way. The veil between the human and divine was lowered, and each had an experience of God. But both responded out of a realization of their situation, but both found themselves cleansed and called.

In every Eucharist, we cry out with the angels and saints the same song that Isaiah heard "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts". Do we have the same pious fear of the Lord that makes us aware of His goodness and our sins? Do we hear and respond to His call, changed by the encounter we have with the Lord?

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, 2010

May we never grow so familiar with Jesus Christ that we forget who He really is and why He came! The residents of His hometown cannot accept Him because they know His family. Jesus chides them on this, and compares them to the widows and lepers of the Old Testament during the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. These two prophets helped a pagan woman (from Sidon) and a pagan leprous military leader (from Syria) respectively. The townspeople could not have been pleased, but Christ stands his ground. We must come to the Lord, place our perceptions of Him at His feet, and let Him tell us who He is and who we are in His light.

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

That we may have certainty, St. Luke writes his own ordered sequence of the events of the life of Christ. This is the prologue of his gospel, and in it he gives the purpose of writing. While the next part of the Gospel passage we have this weekend is 4 chapters later, we hear Christ saying that the message of justice and peace is being fulfilled in their hearing. Jesus gives us the motivation for our treatment of the poor, sick, and disenfranchised: To treat them with love and compassion.

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, 2010

This weekend, we hear of Jesus' first miracle - the transformation of water into wine for the wedding feast at Cana. Jesus transforms 120-180 gallons of water, in jars used to stay kosher according to the Mosiac Law, a true super abundance, at the request of His mother. The headwaiter states that this is the best wine, saved for last.

Is not that exactly what the Father does with the Covenants? Jesus does not undo the covenant, but fulfills it and makes it better, giving the very best. Jesus blesses this marriage, and transforms marriage into a sacrament. For those called to marriage, may they seek the grace of Christ, inviting Him into their lives. But even those not called to Marriage, we should take the Blessed Mother's words "Do whatever He tells you" as our task: To listen to the Lord, and to ask for His grace

Whispers in the Loggia: Baptized In the Spirit, "Be Who You Are"

Whispers in the Loggia has a great post about National Vocations Awareness Week, started yesterday, that is worth a read!

Baptism of the Lord, 2010

After the celebration of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we enter Ordinary Time in the Church. Perhaps, this is most fitting. The readings we have this weekend remind us of the preparation of our hearts still needed, we hear of Christ's baptism by John. Though he was sinless, He accepted it as a sign of His unity with and embracing of the human race. In doing so, He begins to transform the ritual of John into the Sacrament of Baptism, in which we are baptized, which allows us to be children of God. The mystery of the incarnation needs to be lived out, and we need to allow it to transform us.

Epiphany, 2010

Like the magi in today's Gospel, we have come to worship Christ. They followed the light of the star, while we follow the light of Christ. They brought gifts coffers full of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; we bring hearts full of love and praise. The magi left the comforts of home to worship - do we bring Christ home with us?

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.