The Presentation February 2

 

The Temple in Jerusalem was where the Holy of Holies dwelt.  

There was no holier place on earth!

The Most High who brought the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt. 

Who fed them with manna in the desert

And who led them to the Promised Land. 

Dwelt there. 

So that Israel would never forget all that God had done for them, He decreed that the first born whether man or beast should be consecrated to the Lord.  Ex. 13:1

Mary and Joseph therefore brought Jesus to the Temple to present Him to the Lord. 

The Temple however no longer exists. 

It was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. 

So what does the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple mean for us today?

Is it just an historical event in the life Jesus that we remember every year ?

Rather we are the Temple of the Lord who by the Holy Spirit dwells in us. 1 Cor. 3:16. 

And while the Temple in Jerusalem was made by human hands. 

We, The New Temple of the Lord are made by God Himself, in His own image and likeness. 

And at every Mass, Jesus presents Himself to us in the Eucharist. 

The priest is the New Simeon who holds Christ in his hands and presents Him to the Father in us who are living Temples of the Most High.

With every Eucharist we receive, 

the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple is renewed; 

Not symbolically, but Actually!

Not historically, but Now!

For we are the Temple of the Lord and

The Eucharist is Christ Himself in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity being presented in the Temple which is us!

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi

800yrs ago Sister Death came for St. Francis. 

Death was not the grim reaper for Francis;

But his sister who came to carry him home. 

Francis so loved the world, 

More than anyone 

Except God !

Francis played under Brother Sun. 

And danced beneath Sister Moon. 

He bathed in sister Water

He breathed in Brother wind and air

And walked barefoot on Sister Earth. 

Everyone and everything was brother and sister and mother to Francis. 

Even Death;

And that is why Francis welcomed Death as his sister. 

Because as much as Francis loved this world

He knew he was only a Pilgrim passing through. 

And that Sister Death would carry him home. 

Sister Death therefore is not the end

But the beginning. 

Not a separation but a reunion;

And that as we play in this world

The evening will come

When sister Death calls out to us

That it is time to come home;

For dinner is ready;

And everyone has gathered;

Around the Supper of the Lamb. 

Plenary Indulgence for the Jubilee of the Transitus of St. Francis

Jan 10,2026-Jan 10 2027

Pope Leo is granting a Plenary Indulgence for the 800th anniversary of the Death of St. Francis of Assisi 

What is a Plenary Indulgence?

While sins are forgiven, restitution for the damage which sin has caused must in Justice be repaid. Mt. 5:26

The Church which has the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven given to Her by Jesus Mt. 16:19, offers to unlock the treasury of her graces and pay the restitution through the gift of a Plenary Indulgence If a person seeks an honest conversion and repentance of their life through Confession, Communion and prayer and make Pilgrimage to a Franciscan Church or shrine.

This Plenary Indulgence may be applied to one’s own life or be offered as a gift of restitution for someone who has died. 

One may receive more than one Plenary Indulgence if one fulfills each time the requirement of visiting a Franciscan Church, Confession, Communion and prayers for the Pope’s Intention with the desire of one’s own personal conversion and repentance. 

After the Jubilee Year of 2026 is over, one may receive a Plenary Indulgence every August 2 on the Franciscan Feast of Our Lady of the Angels, by visiting a Franciscan Church on that day, going to confession, receiving Communion and praying for the Pope’s Intentions within 8 days. 

Franciscan Churches of St. Bonaventure Province

Marytown : 1600 W. Park Av. Libertyville IL

St. Ita :  1220 W. Catalpa Av. Chicago, IL

St. Josaphat Basilica : 2333 S. Sixth St. Milwaukee, WI.

St. Patrick 420 E. 6th St. Minonk

St. Ann 311 W. Santa Fe Toluca

St. Mary 207 W 3rd S. St. Wenona

St. John the Baptist 301 S. Sheridan Lostant

Friday 3rd Week of Ordinary

A mixed bag. 2Sam. 11

David was a mixed bag. 

He is so in love with the Lord that he dances before Him in the Ark of the Covenant. 

And then He turns around and is so in love with a married woman that he has her husband killed. 

David knew this conflict within himself

And in Psalm 51 cried out to the Lord

To Have mercy on him. 

And the Lord in His goodness

Washed away his sins. 

How often do we come to the Lord with the best of intentions

Only to throw them all away in the face of temptation?

When we do, ask the Lord for Mercy

For His goodness which endures forever

Will wash away our sins as well. 

Thursday 3rd Week of Ordinary Time

 What is your measure Mk. 4:21-25

Jesus tells us,

“ The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Mt.  7:2

So what is the measure of our love?

What is the measure of our forgiveness?

That is how much love and forgiveness the Lord will give us in return. 

Or what is the measure of our anger or impatience or criticism we measure out to others?

This too will one day be measured out to us. 

Fill our cup O Lord, overflowing with Love and Forgiveness and Patience so that the same may overflow from your hand to us one day. 

Wednesday 3rd week of Ordinary Time

Thomas Aquinas

By our wounds we are known

One day while Thomas Aquinas was at his desk studying

He had a vision of a man

Dressed in white, light shining all about him

Looking glorious. 

And Thomas asked the man who he was. 

And the man said 

“I am your Lord”

And Thomas said,

“If you are my Lord, show me your wounds.”

And instantly the man disappeared. 

Because it was the devil disguising himself as Jesus. 

Jesus is known by His wounds. 

And so are we!

There are some Christians who outwardly look like Jesus,

But are only in disguise. 

It is By the wounds we bear. 

And the wounds we suffer

By forgiving and turning the other cheek. 

That We too will be known as True Christians. 

Tuesday 3rd week of Ordinary Time

Dancing before the Lord 2Sam. 6

David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. 

And he was so filled with joy at being in the presence of God

That he began to dance before the Lord. 

When we come into the presence of the Lord in the Ark of the Tabernacle in church are we so filled with Joy that we feel like dancing?

Or do we feel nothing at all?

Monday 3rd week of Ordinary Time

Feast of Timothy and Titus

When was the last time you wrote a spiritual letter to a friend. 

Telling them how you yearn to see them;

How Grateful you are for the Faith that they have shared with you;

Encouraging them to stir into flame the gifts God gave them;

This is exactly what St. Paul did for his friends Timothy and Titus. 

It is amazing what a word of encouragement and support can do. 

That no matter what hardship they may be facing,

They can bear it with the strength that comes from God.