Friday 12 week of Ordinary Time

 

The First Martyrs of Rome

In Eucharistic Prayer I we hear a long list of strange names.

Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus,

Cornelius, Cyprian,

Lawrence, Chrysogonus,

John and Paul,

Cosmas and Damian.

Who are these people?

They are a list of the first popes and early saints who were martyred.

Linus, Cletus and Clement were the first three popes who followed after Peter.

All were martyred.

We celebrate the early martyrs of Rome because their blood watered the ground for the eventual conversion of Rome 300 years later ,

When in the year 313 when Constantine declared the Edict of Milan ending the persecutions of all Christians.

It is from these early martyrs of Rome,

That we became known as “Roman Catholic”

Thursday 12th week of Ordinary Time

 

Peter and Paul

Keys and a Sword

Prince of the Apostles and Preacher to the nations

Martyrs in Rome

Pillars of the Church

They didn’t start that way.

One started as a fisherman and later denied the Lord

And the other started a a religious Pharisees and persecuted the Lord.

And in the end they became the pillars of the Church.

Saints and martyrs for the Faith.

It is not how we begin but how we end.

Those who place their lives in the hands of the Lord

Will be just fine in the end.

But the journey to the end is one of placing our lives in the hands of the Lord every single day and not just at Sunday Mass.

Wednesday 12th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Bearing Fruit Mt. 7:15-20

Things are not always what they appear.

Anyone who has bought a product through a catalogue, TV or the Internet knows this.

As when it arrives, sometimes it is not what one expected.

Jesus therefore warns us against false prophets who appear in sheep's clothing but underneath are ravenous wolves. Mt. 7:15

He tells us that we can discern their truth by their fruits. Mt. 7:20

Even then how many people bore fruit in the beginning only to have been discovered to have deceived many people.

Their fruit later went sour.

How many political, religious leaders and even friends did we later realize were ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing bearing sour grapes!

The best way to know if it is good fruit that will last is by bearing fruit ourselves.

What fruit do we bear?

How did we nurture our fruit?

Has our fruit lasted?

By bearing and nurturing fruit of our own we know the process it takes to bear good fruit and can better discern if the fruit of others is real or not.

Tuesday 12th Week of Ordinary Time

 Do unto to others. Mat. 7:6

The message of the Gospel is simple.

Any child can understand it.

“Do unto others whatever you would have them do to you.”

Do you want forgiveness then forgive.

Do you want patience then be patient.

Do you want understanding then understand.

Do you want love then love.

Do you want a second chance then give others a second chance.

Do you want people to hear you, then listen to others.

It is the simplest message of all yet it seems to be the most difficult to do.

Monday 12th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Abraham our Father of Faith Gen. 12:1-9

Abraham is our Father of Faith because he left everything to follow the Lord.

He left his home and his family and placed his trust in the Lord as he journeyed to a foreign land.

It takes GREAT Faith to do this.

How many of us would leave our homes and our family and quit our jobs to go to a foreign land because the Lord asked us to?

Whenever your Faith is weak, call upon Abraham our Father in Faith and he will show you the way.

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sparrows and hair Mt. 10:26-33

Of all the important things in life that Jesus could be talking about and instead He is talking about sparrows and hair.

Counting hairs and the cost of a sparrow!

Hair does not seem to be an important topic for me.

I started losing my hair when I was 30.

And when I started losing my hair I did not count every hair that fell out.

But you know Who did?

God!

He counted every single hair that fell from my head

God however counts not only every single hair

He counts every single tear that falls from our eye.

Every single drop even when our eyes are filled with tears.

God also counts every breath we take

And every heartbeat every minute of our lives.

God notices everything about us.

Things that even we don’t notice

Because they may be too small or insignificant

Or because we are just too busy to notice.

But nothing is too insignificant for God

And God is never too busy to notice even the smallest things.

Things that we may take for granted,

But God doesn’t.

God notices every sparrow even though in the eyes of the world ,

they are worth practically nothing.

Yet God sees every one,

when they fall to the ground;

And God notices each soul that falls to the ground and dies.

Even those souls that are seemingly so insignificant that they die alone.

Even those souls that are so poor that they could not afford a paupers funeral.

But God will raise each one up on Eagles Wings one day

Because each soul is worth more than a whole flock of sparrows.

In God’s eyes,

Not a single hair falls out;

Not a single sparrow falls to the ground,

Not a single soul ever dies

Without Him noticing

So much does He watch over us!

When I started to lose my hair

I did not count every hair.

But you know who did.

God!

He counted every single hair that fell.

God not only counts every hair on our head and notices when a single one falls out.

He counts every tear drop that falls from our eyes

Every breath we take.

He counts every heartbeat.

He notices everything

That’s how God is.

Things we don’t notice

Things we take for granted

God doesn’t

Not even a single hair.

God notices every soul that falls to the ground and dies.

And because we are worth more than a flock of sparrows

He will raise us one day on Eagles wings

For we are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows

Saturday

 

Sub Tuum Praesidium

This is the oldest known prayer to the Virgin Mary found on papyrus dating back to the 3rd century and therefore recited verbally even earlier.

We fly to thy protection,

O Holy Mother of God;

Do not despise our petitions

in our necessities,

but deliver us always

from all dangers,

O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.

Friday 11th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Heavenly Treasures Mt. 6:19-23

When we look back at old photographs

We often see ourselves in clothes we do not wear anymore.

Things that we do not have anymore.

Places that we no longer go.

This is how it is with the treasure of this world.

They are all passing away.

Yet we spend so much time on things that pass away.

Store up instead treasure in Heaven that neither rust, nor moth nor time can ever steal from you.

Thursday 11th Week of Ordinary Time

 

A Man for All Seasons

St. Thomas More was a man who remained Faithful to His Catholic Faith and His Conscience, even though it meant being beheaded.

There was a play called, “A Man for all Seasons” about St. Thomas More refused to agree to King Henry VIII’s divorce and becoming head of the Church in England.

A Man for All Seasons is a man who is ready to cope with any contingency and whose behaviour is always appropriate to every occasion.

We need a Faith for All Seasons.

In Fair weather and in Storms,

In Persecution and in Peace.

That never wavers but it always the same

No matter the Season.

Wednesday 11th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Sowing and Reaping 2Cor. 9:6-11

Those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly.

Whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully.

So how do we sow?

Do we only offer a few minutes of our time to those who ask of it or do we offer as much time as is needed?

Do we only forgive a few or do we forgive everyone?

Do we love only those who love us or even those who don’t?

Do we pray only on Sunday or everyday of the week?

Those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly.

While those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully.

Tuesday 11th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Love without Limits Mt. 5:43-48

How far does your love extend?

Family?

Friends?

Neighbors?

How about enemies?

Or those who have hurt you?

Or just get on your nerves?

Jesus tells us that our Love must extend to everyone. Mt. 5:43-44

No matter who they are.

No matter what their race or creed is.

No matter whether we like them or get along with them or not.

Jesus reminds us,

That if our love has limits,

We are really no different than the pagans and tax collectors. Mt. 5:47-48

Monday 11th week of Ordinary Time

 

Offer no resistance Mt. 5:38-42

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth only leads to blindness.

It is a vicious cycle of violence that never ends.

Jesus instead tells us to end the violence by turning the other cheek.

Offer no resistance.

In other words the violence ends with us.

This is the mystery of the cross.

This is the only way to end violence.

Otherwise everyone will be blind one day!

11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

The Calling Mt. 9:36-10:8

If you were the conductor of a symphony wouldn’t you hire the most talented musicians?

If you were a coach, wouldn’t you choose the best athletes to be on your team?

If you were starting a business, wouldn’t you choose those who had some expertise in the field?

So what was Jesus thinking?

He called fishermen who couldn’t fish!

He called a tax collector who never practiced his Faith.

He called a zealot who hated his enemies, the Romans.

One who would deny that he ever knew Him

And another who would betray Him in the end.

And only one of them would stand by His side when He needed them most at Calvary.

They argued among themselves as to who was the greatest.

They repeatedly did not understand what Jesus was trying to tell them

Not a single one them had any skill set whatsoever when it came to preaching, teaching or religion.

And I have often wondered what God was thinking when He called me.

And God has also called each one of you!

Before the world began;

Before each one of you were ever born,

God called you to follow Him.

And maybe you do not feel worthy;

Or you could be a better Christian.

Or you don’t understand.

That is okay.

Because it is really not about us.

It is about God.

If God can created all the stars and planets.

Build up the mountains and hollow out the seas

Fill the ocean with fish and the sky with birds.

Then God can take what little we have and transform it into whatever He needs.

All we have to do is say,

“Here I am!”

Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Virgin Immaculate, perfect lover of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we ask thee to obtain for us the graces we need to become true adorers of our Eucharistic Lord.

Grant us, we beg of thee, to know Jesus better, to love Him more, and to center our lives around the Eucharist, that is, to make our whole life a constant prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Amen.

  Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us! (St. Peter Julian Eymard) 

Friday

 

The Mass is a Prayer for Everyone.

We come to Mass not just for ourselves but for the whole world because the world can be a difficult place to live sometimes for many people. So we pray that God might have “Mercy on us all.”

We pray to the Saints for their “Unfailing help.”

We pray for the Peace and Salvation, not just for ourselves but for the whole world.

We pray for the Pope and the bishops as like Moses they lead the Pilgrim Church

We pray for all God’s children “scattered throughout the world.”

And we pray for all our departed brothers and sister, mothers and fathers and friends,

That they might be “admitted to the Kingdom of Heaven,”

As Padre Pio said, “It would be easier for the world to exist without the sun, than without the Mass!”

For it is the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Prayers that are offered that really keep the world going!

Thursday

 

The Mass is a Memorial

As we have Memorial Day to remember the sacrifices others have made for our freedom, so we have the Mass to remember the Sacrifice Jesus made for our Ultimate Freedom. The Freedom from Sin and Death. Sin no longer controls us and Death no longer holds us in the grave.

At the Last Supper Jesus said, “Do this in memory of Me.” Because we can never forget the Sacrifice Jesus made for us and all He taught us. And at every Mass we also remember all of our loved ones who have gone before us, marked with sign of Faith.

Life with all of its demands can cause us to so easily forget what Jesus has done for us and we can fail to make the time to Remember. We forget His teaching and all He said. When we forget Jesus we forget what is most important.

. The Mass therefore is a time of Memories lest we forget Jesus and our family and friends.

Wednesday

 

The Mass is a Meal

The Last Supper, was a Passover Meal where Jesus took Bread and Wine and gave them to his disciples to eat, for His Body is real food and His Blood real drink. Jn. 6:55. And after the resurrection, while on the road to Emmaus Jesus stopped for a meal and revealed Himself in the Breaking of the Bread.

Ever since then Christians have gathered for the Breaking of the Bread. The Altar is a table that is set for a very Sacred Meal.

It is covered it with fine linen, the candles are lit.

There is a paten on which we put the bread and a chalice in which we pour the wine.

At the Offertory we say the prayers of blessing before the Meal.

At the Consecration the the Meal becomes the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation

And at Communion the congregation is fed with the spiritual food from Heaven so that while on earth we can share in the Supper of the Lamb in Heaven.

Tuesday

 

The Mass is a Sacrifice

The Sacrifice of Calvary and the Sacrifice of the Mass are ONE AND THE SAME!

Only made present to us differently. One Historically and the other Sacramentally.

At the Last Supper, before He died on the cross, Jesus made the Sacrifice of Calvary present to His Disciples Sacramentally as he “Gave them His Body” in the Bread and “Poured out His Blood” in the Cup of the Covenant. The Same Body He would give on Calvary and the Same Blood He would shed.

At every Mass, The altar is the cross on which the Body of Christ is laid and His blood is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

At every Mass, we are Sacramentally standing at the SAME Cross, sharing in the SAME Sacrifice; the SAME Blood is being poured over us and we are experiencing our own personal Redemption and Salvation.

Monday

 

The Mass is a Thanksgiving.

At the Last Supper, Jesus took the Bread and Wine and gave Thanks. Ever since then every Mass has been a Thanksgiving. That is why the Mass is known as the Eucharistic Liturgy. Eucharist is a Greek word which means “To give Thanks;”

The primary reason therefore for coming to Church is not “to get” something but “to give” something. To Give Thanks to God for all His blessings.

We give Thanks for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, Who sacrificed Himself for us, freed us from sin and opened up the gates of Paradise to Eternal life for us.

And we also give Thanks for blessings we have received such in our life and the past week.

And yet in our giving Thanks, we still Get more than we Give, for we receive the very Body and Blood of Christ. So it is right and just, to always and everywhere give Thanks to God.

Corpus Christi

 There I was!

Sitting in a little French kitchen,

On a small wooden chair

Sipping a glass of coke with my elbows on a red checkered plastic tablecloth. 

Thousands of miles from home and family and friends. 

I had already spent 5 days listening to French and not understanding a single word of it. 

I had just gotten back from the grotto at Lourdes. 

And as I watched all types of people young and old,

In wheelchairs, on crutches and laying on stretchers;

And others carrying gallons of Lourdes Water in each hand walk by,

While others were kneeling to pray or standing in line to touch the stone of the grotto,

I looked up at the night sky

And the steeples of the basilica,

Marveling on why Our Lady brought me here. 

Wondering what Lourdes would look like in 40 yrs;

Knowing that I would probably not be around in 40yrs to see. 

And in the quiet of the moment,

All alone in a foreign land.....

I began to reminisce on my life. 

It is so hard to do at home,

Because the treadmill of life is moving so fast

That one does not have the time to reflect and reminisce 

Or else one might fall off that treadmill!

And so Lourdes slowed me down. 

There were no family or friends. 

I slept in a strange bed,

Ate strange food;

And listened to a strange language. 

There was no TV or radio

No junk food in the kitchen

The only familiar things I had was what fit in my suitcase.....

A few clothes and some Neil Diamond and John Denver CDs. 

It was in this strangeness and nothingness,

That God began to speak to me. 

We often wonder why God does speak to us. 

Oftentimes it is because our lives are too busy and too crowded to hear Him. 

So as I sat in that little French kitchen,

I reflected on this Gospel passage. 

A passage that I had heard a hundred times and had to preach on half as many times. 

And I began to see what Jesus was trying to say. 

For the Pharisees the Law was Life. 

Following every dot and dash of it. 

This was life for them. 

For the Zealots,

Life was overthrowing the Romans. 

Killing as many as possible. 

Driving them from their land. 

This was life for them. 

For the tax collectors,

It was money. 

Taxing the rich and the poor. 

Anyone they could,

For as much as they could. 

That was life for them. 

And the Prostitutes?

Selling themselves to anyone who came along.

That was life for them. 

And Jesus looked at these people. 

He looked at their lives and what they were living for and He said. 

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE!

whoever eats the Bread that I give them will have life......

REAL LIFE. 

For My Flesh is Real Food and My Blood is Real Drink. 

And whoever eats My Body and drinks My Blood will live forever. 

We know what life was like for the Pharisees and Zealots, and tax collectors and prostitutes. 

What is life for us?

Work,work,work?

Television and junk food?

Loneliness and bitterness?

Broken homes and broken hearts?

Chasing the latest sales and hottest fashions?

There is only one place to find REAL LIFE. 

And that is in the Eucharist.....

The Bread of Life!

Everything else takes life;

Somethings faster than others.....

But they take it just the same. 

And Jesus looks at each one of us. 

At the lives we are living, 

and the deaths we are dying;

And the tears we are crying. 

And He says,

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE!