The Feast of St. Andrew

Andrew was born in Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee. 

His brother was Peter,

And he was a fisherman. 

Nothing extraordinary or noticeable 

Until Jesus called Him to come and follow him. 

Then everything changed. 

He became a fisher of men. 

He was later crucified on a cross in the form of an X

Many of us were born in small towns. 

Surrounded by farms and some farmers. 

And Jesus calls us to sow the seed of the Gospel. 

Fishermen or Farmers. 

It matters not.

All that matters is following the Lord,

And then the catch and the harvest will be Great. 

Wednesday 34th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Hated by all Lk. 21:12-19

Who doesn’t want to be liked?

At school, at work, on the street,

Everyone likes to be liked. 

But at what cost?

What are we willing to give up so that others like us?

Jesus tells us that if we follow Him, we will be hated. 

Because He does not follow the world and what it likes. 

We will either be loved by Jesus and hated by the world,

Or rejected by Jesus and loved by the world. 

Tuesday 34th Week of Ordinary Time

No Stones left. Lk. 21:5-11

The world learned nothing from the Tower of Babel. 

It just keeps building bigger and better buildings, stadiums 

High rises and homes. 

And Jesus tells us that the day will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone. 

It will all come falling down. 

So what are we building in our lives?

Build a spiritual house not made of stones,

But made of Faith, Hope and Love. 

For these are the things that will endure,

And the greatest of them is Love!

Monday 34th Week of Ordinary Time

Remaining Faithful Dan. 1: 1-20

Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah were all carried off to Babylon in exile. 

The King offered them the best food and drink but they refused to break the dietary customs of their Faith. 

And ate only Vegetables and drank water. 

And God blessed them for remaining Faithful. 

And made them healthier than the others who did. 

We live in a land of exile in this world. 

And we are tempted with many things by the world. 

But if we remain Faithful,

We too will be blessed more than those who did not. 

Christ the King.

  

When Christ comes on the clouds in all of His glory surrounded by His angels 

He will not ask us to recite the Creed or the Catechism. 

Or if we can quote Scripture by chapter and verse. 

Rather He is going to judge us by how we treated one another. Mt. 25:31-46

Because what we do to one another we do to Christ. 

Mary sat at His feet and listened to Him when He talked. 

Martha fixed Him a meal when He was hungry. 

Veronica wiped his bloody face. 

Joseph of Arimathea laid Him in a tomb when He died. 

The Wise Men brought Him gifts when there was no room at the Inn. 

Pilate however judged Him. 

The Pharisees rejected Him. 

Others just walked away too busy to listen. 

While still others claimed to care but when Jesus needed them most they denied they ever knew Him. 

Jesus stands in front of us everyday. 

In our family and friends. 

In those we meet on the street. 

Do we ever say things to other people we would never say to Jesus?

Do we treat people differently than we would treat Jesus?

Do we act one way in church and another way on the street?

Jesus is not Santa, but He is keeping a list!

A list of how treated others. 

For how we treat each other is how we treat Christ!

In other words, Our Eternal life depends on how we treat one another   

For how we treat one another is in the end how we treated Christ!

Friday after Thanksgiving

 

Don’t stop now!

Keep giving Thanks.

Thanks for leftovers;

Thanks for elastic;

Thanks for sales;

Thanks for family;

Thanks for freedom;

Thanks for football;

Thanks for yesterday;

Thanks for today;

Thanks for Faith;

The more one gives Thanks Always and Everywhere

for everything great and small;

The lighter one’s heart becomes so that nothing can ever weigh it down.

Thanksgiving Day

 

At every Thanksgiving we stop and give Thanks for all our blessings.

At every Mass we give Thanks “Always and Everywhere.”

Stop and think about that for a minute.

Do we give Thanks Always and Everywhere

Or only when when things are going right.

And when the sun is shining in our life.

But when things are going horribly wrong

And the storm clouds of life are rolling in,

We dont’.

On the night Jesus was betrayed.

On the night before He was scourged;

Crowned with thorns and crucified,

What did Jesus do?

He gave Thanks.

Jesus gave Thanks to His Father Always and Everywhere.

And if Jesus can do it, we can too with His grace.

Wednesday 33rd week of Ordinary Time

Feast of St. Cecilia

St. Cecilia is regarded as the patroness of music, because she heard heavenly music in her heart when she was married, and is represented in art with an organ or organ-pipes in her hand.

Does our heart sing with praise and thanksgiving to God?

At every Mass, as we sing the Holy, Holy, Holy,

we join our voices with the Angels in one great choir

To sing God’s praises.

It does not matter if we have a good voice.

What matters is if we sing it from our hearts

As St. Cecilia did.

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

As a child, Joachim and Ann took Mary to the Temple

where they presented her and consecrated her to the Lord.

In the Presentation, Mary placed herself in God’s hands

and God did great things in her;

She became the Mother Of God.

Because Mary presented herself in the Temple,

She was able to later present Jesus in the Temple.

It all begins with the gift of oneself to God.

We may give money or other sacrifices to the Lord,

But what the Lord really desires is ourself!

The Gift Of Self is the greatest gift we can give to God.

For when we give ourselves to God,

God can do great things in us.

On this feast of the Presentation Of the Blessed Virgin,

Let us place ourselves in her hands,

So that through her Intercession and example,

God may do great things in us!

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

 Multiplying your Faith

I am going to date myself but I think it really will help the Gospel story hit home.

When I was a kid, I used to collect soda bottles and turn them in for money.

I got 2 cents for a 12oz bottle and if I got lucky and found a 16oz bottle I got 3 cents.

Now that may not sound like much but soon I had multiplied what I made and had enough money for candy.

Then as we all get older we increase what we made.

Some made thousands and others made millions!

Jesus however does not want us to multiply our money.

He wants us to multiply our Faith!

We come to church every week and Jesus gives us our talents for the week.

And what have we done with them?

He gives us His Words in the Scriptures and His Body and Blood in the Eucharist

And when we leave church what do we do with the talents, with the gifts we have received?

Have we multiplied them or buried them?

If we have buried them,

No wonder the world is in the shape it is in.

God gives us Faith, Hope and Love;

How have we multiplied these gifts?

In our family, our city, our church?

Just imagine if we increased our love what our families would look like.

Or doubled our Hope, there would be less despair in the world and in our hearts.

Or if we tripled our Faith, people would notice and follow us to church and the pews would be filled.

God gives these gifts to everyone regardless of how old we are or what we do in life.

But if all we do is bury what we God gives us here on earth.

We will lose out on the riches of Heaven.

Wednesday 32nd of Ordinary Time

 St. Albert the Great

Albert was a philosopher, scientist and theologian, and the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, arguably the greatest theologian in the history of the Church.

Now it is obvious why he is called the Great.

He once said,

“ I have never gone out to mingle with the world without losing something of myself.”

The world only takes from us.

Only God gives;

And What God Gives is His very Life in the Eucharist.

So we step out of the world and come to Mass,

To find our True selves in Christ.

Tuesday 32nd Week of Ordinary Time

Unprofitable Servants Lk. 17:7-10

What does God owe us?

Absolutely nothing!

Although sometimes we may think to ourselves;

Well I did go to Church;

I did say my rosary;

I did give to the collection;

So maybe God might owe me just a little bit.

But who gave us the Faith to go to Church?

Who inspired us to say the Rosary?

Who gave us the ability to work?

Ultimately everything that we are and have has been given to us from God.

We would not even exist,

If God had not created us.

So God owes us nothing.

We are merely servants who have hopefully done what God has obliged us to do.

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

The Wise and the Foolish Mt. 25:1-13

Have you ever asked yourself,

“What was I thinking???”

What was I thinking when I said or did that???

The Foolish never ask that question

Fools either keep repeating their foolishness,

Or eventually their foolishness catches up with them.

Just asking that question however is the first stage of Wisdom;

But if one is truly Wise,

One will move from,

“What was I thinking?” To

“Where am I going?”

The Wise are always one step ahead

And the Foolish are always one step behind.

The Wise Virgins knew the Bridegroom was coming

but not WHEN he was coming.

So they asked themselves “what must I do to be prepared for when he does?”

And they brought oil with them.

The Foolish ones did not.

Fools very seldom ask any questions.

Which is why they so often get into trouble.

The Spiritually Wise ask “Where is my life leading?”

“Where am I going?”

“Who am I and Who is God?”

The foolish never do.

They never stop and ask where they are going.

Questions only slow them down!

They prefer to run with the crowd.

Like lemmings running over the cliff who fall into the ocean.

Fools end up drowning in the ocean of their own foolishness.

Today, we are told that the Bridegroom is coming;

But we do not know when.

The Wise will be prepared.

For the Wise reflect upon their life and where they are going and where they will end up.

And their Wisdom guides them along the right path.

Always prepared.

The Fools however are never prepared.

Fools are always caught off guard and surprised,

The Fools will find themselves on the outside looking in at the Heavenly Wedding Feast.

Still unable to understand;

Because Fools never do!

Friday 32nd Week of Ordinary Time

 

St. Elizabeth of Hungary. 1207-1231

Elizabeth was rich because she was a queen,

But she chose to embrace poverty

and gave away her riches so that she could care for the sick.

In what are we rich?

Money?

Love?

Time?

Talent?

Friendliness?

Whatever we are rich in,

Give it away and become richer in Christ.

Thursday 32nd Week of Ordinary Time

 

The Kingdom of God. Lk. 17:20-25

Israel had been conquered by one Kingdom after another,

From the Assyrians, to the Babylonians to the Romans.

So the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God was going to come and set them free.

And Jesus told them not to look for the Kingdom of God here or over there;

But within ourselves.

For the Kingdom of God is Holiness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14:17

And that begins in the human heart.

Wednesday 32nd of Ordinary Time

 

St. Albert the Great

Albert was a philosopher, scientist and theologian, and the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, arguably the greatest theologian in the history of the Church.

Now it is obvious why he is called the Great.

He once said,

“ I have never gone out to mingle with the world without losing something of myself.”

The world only takes from us.

Only God gives;

And What God Gives is His very Life in the Eucharist.

So we step out of the world and come to Mass,

To find our True selves in Christ.

Tuesday 32nd Week of Ordinary Time

 

Unprofitable Servants Lk. 17:7-10

What does God owe us?

Absolutely nothing!

Although sometimes we may think to ourselves;

Well I did go to Church;

I did say my rosary;

I did give to the collection;

So maybe God might owe me just a little bit.

But who gave us the Faith to go to Church?

Who inspired us to say the Rosary?

Who gave us the ability to work?

Ultimately everything that we are and have has been given to us from God.

We would not even exist,

If God had not created us.

So God owes us nothing.

We are merely servants who have hopefully done what God has obliged us to do.

Monday 32nd Week of Ordinary Time

 

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

She found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances, truly a valiant woman, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she did.

In 35 years, Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick. Seeing great need among Italian immigrants who were losing their faith, she organized schools and adult education classes.

As a child, she was always frightened of water, unable to overcome her fear of drowning. Yet, despite this fear, she traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times. She died of malaria in her own Columbus Hospital in Chicago.

“If you are in danger, if your hearts are confused, turn to Mary; she is our comfort, our help; turn towards her and you will be saved.”

— Frances Xavier Cabrini

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

The Wise and the Foolish Mt. 25:1-13

Have you ever asked yourself,

“What was I thinking???”

What was I thinking when I said or did that???

The Foolish never ask that question

Fools either keep repeating their foolishness,

Or eventually their foolishness catches up with them.

Just asking that question however is the first stage of Wisdom;

But if one is truly Wise,

One will move from,

“What was I thinking?” To

“Where am I going?”

The Wise are always one step ahead

And the Foolish are always one step behind.

The Wise Virgins knew the Bridegroom was coming

but not WHEN he was coming.

So they asked themselves “what must I do to be prepared for when he does?”

And they brought oil with them.

The Foolish ones did not.

Fools very seldom ask any questions.

Which is why they so often get into trouble.

The Spiritually Wise ask “Where is my life leading?”

“Where am I going?”

“Who am I and Who is God?”

The foolish never do.

They never stop and ask where they are going.

Questions only slow them down!

They prefer to run with the crowd.

Like lemmings running over the cliff who fall into the ocean.

Fools end up drowning in the ocean of their own foolishness.

Today, we are told that the Bridegroom is coming;

But we do not know when.

The Wise will be prepared.

For the Wise reflect upon their life and where they are going and where they will end up.

And their Wisdom guides them along the right path.

Always prepared.

The Fools however are never prepared.

Fools are always caught off guard and surprised,

The Fools will find themselves on the outside looking in at the Heavenly Wedding Feast.

Still unable to understand;

Because Fools never do!

Pope Leo the Great

 

Pope Leo the Great was the first Pope to be called “the great.”

He was Pope for 21 years until his death Nov. 10, 461 AD

While he is famous for turning Attila the Hun away from sacking Rome and thus sparing the city.

He is even more famous for His defense of The One Person of Christ in two natures at the Council of Chalcedon.

The early Christians were uncertain how to explain,

How Jesus was both, God and man.

How Jesus could be both,

Immortal, infinite, omniscient, and Divine Son of God,

And at the same time, be mortal, finite, ignorant and human.

Through the writing of Pope Leo the Great wrote,

That while Jesus is a Divine Person with a Divine Nature,

When He Became flesh in the womb of Mary He took on a Human Nature as well.

And that means that God really does know what it means to be human,

And that we can know what it is like to be God,

For Jesus was fully god and Fully human.