Family and the Holidays

 

I am not a real Fan of Dolly, but the song speaks words of wisdom.
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With so much pain and suffering in the world, the holiday time should be set aside for families to gather, rejoice in their bonds, love each other, and share in their common experiences. There are many families who have fought, who have not acted kindly to each other, and hold strong grudges. Yet, all can be forgiven. Isn't that the message of Christ.

Sometimes it takes just one person to set aside who was "Right" and just move on. It just takes one step to begin the process of healing. Often the most stubborn has the most hurt, carries the most sin, and often cannot feel Christ's love at all in their life. 

Maybe you can be Chrsit to that family member this Thanksgiving and Christmas Season.

Good Kids - Not Your Average Kid Next Door

Here are a group of kids that any parent would be proud to call their own.

By the grace of God, and parenting focused on Catholic Character and virtue, they are leading and living lives that many youth might call weird, because they are fighting most of the traps that most youth fall prey to today.

They fall in love and care for each other not unlike all youth, but they also put their Christian principles first and honor each other in line with being chaste.

But sometimes they need a little reminder from the father....... Thanks DAD!

The kids have been taking "Ballroom Dancing" Classes....and they can really dance.

The have realized that having a group of friends that are all striving to live lives of virtue, can also have a lot of fun as well. Life is much more beautiful than the lies and deceptions promoted on TV and the media.

Pure Happiness

Girls today are under tremendous pressure, and are constantly feed lies about what it means to be a woman. We need to do all that we can to teach and support chastity, femininity, true motherhood, and family values. These are just the areas that the devil and the forces of evil relentlessly attack.

God made girls to be beautiful and pure and to remain so throughout their lives. They are to love life, have joyful friendships, meet the man of their dreams, court and if deemed providential to marry, they will unite in a holy and sacramental marriage, consecrate the bond together with the marital embrace that has been reserved through discipline and self respect, and then create and raise a family grounded in faith and Christian virtue.

These are the type of kids that can change the world. 

With proper guidance, love, parenting, and God's grace, they can very much not look like, nor act like most of the youth of the world. They can withstand the pressure of the Pagan society, and by their example can be a holy light to the world.

Ministry Appreciation Dinner

 Here is the video tribute I showed in honor of those who serve.

We just returned home from our Ministry Appreciation Dinner at the Parish. Over 200 people attended (all of which participate in one ministry or another). What a great night of Food, Entertainment, and Fellowship. I purposley left my camera ay home so I could just enjoy the people and not be tempted to take photos.

I only Fear "Bad Catholics."

Saint Bernadette once said "All I fear in life is Bad Catholics." 

I wonder what she meant by such strong words. Is it that non-Catholics paid her little to no attention, but bad Catholics, strived to discredit her, discredit her faith, attempted to not only wound, but kill her character, her reputation, and to destroy her presence here on earth.

I often reflect on the people in my life that attempt to bring turmoil into my life. For the most part, I live a very fruitful and peaceful life, but every so often, conflict arises and there is turmoil. The turmoil that I experience never comes from pagans or even protestants, but rather from the brethren within my own designated faith.

Why does this turmoil surface? 

Upon reflection, the source never comes from devout and pious Catholics, but rather those who would be considered "Progressive" or would Saint Bernadette call them "Bad Catholics?"

I was recently informed by my spiritual director that the devil loves to cause division and conflict. He loves to turn people against each other and then just waits and watches as they work at destroying each other.

Why do some within the church feel that they must try to destroy others within the church? Is it their own personal sin of jealously, pride, resentment, or is it something much more evil?

Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration at Our Parish

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

"Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who am your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything." (Words of Our Lady to Juan Diego)

Parishioners have been working for weeks on the planning and preparation of tonight's Fiesta.

After a beautiful Bilingual Mass we were lead over to the hall by a
procession of drums and dancers.

The dancers.

We experienced some of the beautiful culture of Mexico.

And then everyone made their way into the hall.

Father Uriel

Don't you just love the homemade clothing.

As we ate, we were entertained by energetic dancers in their vibrant costumes.

The traditional dances were amazing.

The dancers were just beaming with cultural pride.......

In between the entertainment, people ate and visited with each other.

Father Jonathan concelebrated tonight and also enjoyed the festivities.

I have never seen so many people fill the hall before.
There was standing room only.

We were entertained with more and more dances.

Then the children came out and danced additional traditional dances.

Everyone watched with enthusiasm as we were mesmerized with the joy of the evening.

Then the lights went out and the dramatic reenactment of the miracle of
Our Lady of Guadalupe began.

Everyone payed close attention to the actors.

Juan Diego

Juan Diego with the Bishop who initially did not believe that Mary was appearing to Juan.

Mother Mary speaking to Juan Diego.

The Gatekeepers (monks) to the Bishop.

The Bishop now believes, and is brought to tears for his previous unbelief.

The miracle of the tilma.

To read more about Juan Diego click here

Great Spiritual Movie: Clare - Francis

A major new epic feature film on the lives of St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi shot on location in Italy.

This outstanding movie is unique among films on St. Francis because of the historical accuracy of the story and its authentic spirit of joy and piety Francis was known for, as well as the major role played by Clare who is given equal stature with Francis.

The two leads are played by very appealing performers, Mary Petruolo and Ettore Bassi, who give genuinely inspiring and beautifully moving performances of the daughter of a patrician family and the son of a rich merchant who leave all to follow Christ.

Francis renounces his inheritance of wealth to live the Gospel and serve the poor and outcasts.

Clare reads deep into his heart and decides to follow him, leaving her home and family to give herself as the bride of Christ.

Both found major religious orders and together they inspire many to follow their radical call to live the Gospel, and their impact has even reached across the centuries to change the world.

St. Louis De Montfort - The Story of Our Lady's Slave

I just finished reading this remarkable book about the life of Saint Louis De Montfort. It not only carries the "Nihil Obstat" and "Imprimatur," but inspires, teaches, and radiates wisdom. This truly is a book that will change a piece of you forever......

- - - -

"Well, what do you think of Fr. De Montfort?" asked the Bishop eagerly. "Is he preaching heresy? Is he a tool of the Devil, as some people say? Or a mad-man, as others think?"

The city was in an uproar over Fr. Louis De Montfort, and Bishop de Champflour had sent 3 wise priests to investigate. "I'm especially interested in learning about the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary;" he had told them.

Yes, huge crowds of people were coming to Fr. De Montfort's mission services, and hundreds of souls had been converted. No one left his confessional unconsoled. But some people had their doubts about what Fr. De Montfort was preaching.

What was all this talk of becoming a saint easily and quickly through the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary-by a holy "slavery" to Jesus in Mary?

Now the 3 priests were back, and the Bishop awaited their report. What would they tell him about this unusual missionary priest?

This book tells what the priests had found out. It also tells about the trouble stirred up for Fr. De Montfort by the Calvinists, by the Jansenists, and even by some Catholics who did not understand what True Devotion to Mary was all about.

In short, here is the remarkable story of the priest who went about helping others become saints by show-ing them how to be "slaves" for Jesus through Mary. For Ages 10 to 100

- - - - -

For any DJM's (Disciples of Jesus and Mary)

this book you will find particularly inspiring and enlightening due to it's spirituality

being so in line with yours - It should be a "Must read" for DJM's.

Saint Augustine - What is a Christian?

Prior to Saint Augustine's conversion he stated:

"The trouble with these Christians is that their religion is not just faith and not just knowledge either. It is a way of life. A man is a Christian only when he lives that way."

Lets think about this.

Our religion is not just Faith.

Nor is it just Knowledge.

It is way of life.

A man is a Christian only when he lives that way.

Being a Christian really isn't just having faith, or knowing the faith, it is about living the faith.

Long ago I can up with a personal motto and directive in life that I have always tried to live by.

It is as follows:

"Our actions, not our intentions define who we truly are."

How many of the people sitting in the pews today would Saint Augustine consider Catholic?

How many people who claim to be Catholic, would Saint Augustine confirm as such?

How many who even work for the church, teach our children, truly live the faith?

Isn't the Christian life truly radical in contrast to secular paganism?

If so, do you appear truly radical to those around you?

If not, can you honestly say you are "living the faith," can you really even call yourself a "Christian?" or better yet "A Catholic?"

Ignorant People: Wiser than the learned!

Those who are led by the Holy Spirit have true ideas.

That's why so many ignorant people are wiser than the learned.

– St. John Vianney

May 20, 2009 (Saint Bernardine) 1380-1444

Most of the saints suffer great personal opposition, even persecution. Bernardine, by contrast, seems more like a human dynamo who simply took on the needs of the world.

He was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking the paganism he found rampant, attracting crowds of 30,000, following St. Francis’s admonition to preach about “vice and virtue, punishment and glory.”

Compared with St. Paul by the pope, Bernardine had a keen intuition of the needs of the time, along with solid holiness and boundless energy and joy. He accomplished all this despite having a very weak and hoarse voice, miraculously improved later because of his devotion to Mary.

When he was 20, the plague was at its height in his hometown, Siena. Sometimes as many as 20 people died in one day at the hospital. Bernardine offered to run the hospital and, with the help of other young men, nursed patients there for four months. He escaped the plague but was so exhausted that a fever confined him for several months. He spent another year caring for a beloved aunt (her parents had died when he was a child) and at her death began to fast and pray to know God’s will for him.

At 22, he entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained two years later. For almost a dozen years he lived in solitude and prayer, but his gifts ultimately caused him to be sent to preach. He always traveled on foot, sometimes speaking for hours in one place, then doing the same in another town.

Especially known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, Bernardine devised a symbol—IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. This was to displace the superstitious symbols of the day, as well as the insignia of factions (for example, Guelphs and Ghibellines). The devotion spread, and the symbol began to appear in churches, homes and public buildings. Opposition arose from those who thought it a dangerous innovation. Three attempts were made to have the pope take action against him, but Bernardine’s holiness, orthodoxy and intelligence were evidence of his faithfulness.

General of a branch of the Franciscan Order, the Friars of the Strict Observance, he strongly emphasized scholarship and further study of theology and canon law. When he started there were 300 friars in the community; when he died there were 4,000. He returned to preaching the last two years of his life, dying while traveling.

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From a sermon by Saint Bernadine of Siena

When a fire is lit to clear a field, it burns off all the dry and useless weeds and thorns.

When the sun rises and darkness is dispelled, robbers, night-prowlers and burglars hide away.

So when Paul's voice was raised to preach the Gospel to the nations, like a great clap of thunder in the sky, his preaching was a blazing fire carrying all before it. It was the sun rising in full glory.

Infidelity was consumed by it, false beliefs fled away, and the truth appeared like a great candle lighting the whole world with its brilliant flame. By word of mouth, by letters, by miracles, and by the example of his own life, Saint Paul bore the name of Jesus wherever he went. He praised the name of Jesus "at all times," but never more than when "bearing witness to his faith."

Moreover, the Apostle did indeed carry this name "before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel" as a light to enlighten all nations. And this was his cry wherever he journeyed: "The night is passing away, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves honorably as in the day."

Paul himself showed forth the burning and shining-light set upon a candlestick, everywhere proclaiming "Jesus, and him crucified."

And so the Church, the bride of Christ strengthened by his testimony, rejoices with the psalmist, singing: "O God from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds."

The psalmist exhorts her to do this, as he says: "Sing to the Lord, and bless his name, proclaim his salvation day after day." And this salvation is Jesus, her savior.

Why I Wear This Cross Everywhere I Go.

Have you ever seen something and just knew that it had a significant meaning to you, not sure exactly why, but that it held a special significance.

Well, that is the case with this cross. It is a little unusual in shape and color, and it contains a Saint Benedict metal in the center.

I must say, it had been my wife's key chain at one point, but when she wasn't looking one day, I confiscated it and put a string through it and ever since it has become a part of my attire.

So why do I wear it?

You might think that it has something to do with Saint Benedict, or you might think that I am trying to make a statement to the world.

Maybe you are right to some degree..... maybe on some unconscious level, but the real reason why I wear it is because it is a constant reminder of who I am called to be.

As a Ordained Catholic Minister, I am, to the best of my ability, to be a representation of Christ to those around me.

Wearing this cross reminds me of that through out the day..... everyday!

Also, when I walk into a room, I all to often see eyes connecting with the cross and can only guess what people might be thinking.... By my very nature, I don't like to draw attention to myself, but this attention really has nothing to do with me as a person, but really has to do with that of the cross and what it represents.

Wearing this cross brings about an immediate judgement from others, probably most often in a negative sense by many, and prevents a majority of people from actually seeing me beyond their assumption of who I am and what it represents.

I have to say that in a way, it directs attention away from me and onto the cross. Isn't that we are called to do in life anyway, to grow smaller in our self identity while allowing God and Christ to grow within us, ultimately to the point that all one can see when looking at us, in all reality is Christ, and not the broken, fragile, prideful, sinful and fallen human that we are if it were not for his grace.

This is why I wear my Cross!!!

Why Are Some Speaking Out While Others Remain Silent?

Last night before going to bed, I pondered the idea:

"Why are some Bishops speaking out so boldly about blatant issues of disrespect toward the church while others remain silent?"

The issue of Notre Dame comes to mind, but there are others as well (i.e Politicians that call themselves catholic yet act otherwise, Abortion, Homosexuality, etc.)

For sometime I have thought that the election of Obama is an actual blessing (wait - just hear me out!)

Living a life in the Gray has become very comfortable for many, yes even the religious. Yet under this president, and in only 90 days, the Gray is quickly fading and leaving a polarization of either Black or White.

The issue of being a catholic in spite of these grave issues that are clearly in opposition of the true catholic faith leaves less and less room for rationalization and justification of a peculiar view, and leaves one with only a choice; the choice if one is truly catholic or not!

That is the question: catholic or not?

We look to our Shepherds (Bishops) to shine the light of Christ onto this situation, onto this significant era in time, this opportune time to hear and see their bold and courageous example of living and preaching the gospel, the truth of life, the reality of being a catholic, that reality that separates us from all the mistruths in this fallen world.

There any many Bishops that have risen to the task. God, Jesus, the Saints, the Apostles, and Mary are all looking down upon them and saying:

"Well Done My good and Faithful Servant, keep it up, you make us so very proud of you, the Holy Spirit shines within you and radiates to the world."

Yet what about the Bishops who remain silent....... What message does that speak to the faithful salivating for some holy direction, yearning for courageous direction, knowing what they are experiencing is Just wrong, but wanting to understand, wanting to know the truth.......

Where are you?

Where is your voice?

Where is the voice of God?

We Can Learn So Much From Saint Joseph

Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about him.

We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55).

He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).

Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage.

Luke and Matthew disagree some about the details of Joseph's genealogy but they both mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38).

Indeed the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.

We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God.

He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty (Matthew 1:19-25).

We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife.

When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby.

He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).



We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life.

When Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48).

We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" (Luke 4:22)

We know Joseph respected God. He followed God's commands in handling the situation with Mary and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after Jesus' birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.

Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.

Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.

Joseph is also patron of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.

We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker.

There is much we wish we could know about Joseph -- where and when he was born, how he spent his days, when and how he died.

But Scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was -- "a righteous man" (Matthew 1:18).

Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect it and guide it as you did with your adopted son.

March 17th - Saint Patrick's Day

Growing up, Saint Patrick's Day was a very special day in my household.

My Mother always called it my special day.

I was named after Saint Patrick and he is my Baptismal and Confirmation Patron Saint.

He was a missionary and inspired in me my missionary spirit.

Saint Patrick: The great patron of Ireland, St. Patrick was born in Scotland to Roman parents around 385. His mother was a relative of St. Martin of Tours. When he was 14 years old, St. Patrick was kidnapped by an Irish raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave. For six years in the pagan land, the youth herded sheep for a Druid high priest and chieftain.

Throughout his captivity, St. Patrick fervently prayed to God. He later wrote: “...His fear increased in me more and more, and the faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn, I was roused to prayer and felt no hurt from it, whether there was snow or ice or rain...”

At the age of 20, inspired by an angel in a dream, he escaped to the coast and journeyed across the sea back to his family. In Britain, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained.

Later, St. Patrick became a bishop. For 18 years, he helped St. Germanus successfully quell the heresies of paganism and Pelagianism which Christian Britain was battling. Still, according to The Catholic Encyclopedia, from time to time, St. Patrick saw visions of the children in Ireland crying to him: “O holy youth, come back to Erin, and walk once more amongst us.”

Eventually, Pope Celestine I charged St. Patrick with the mission of returning to Ireland to draw its people into the fold of Christ’s universal church. For his work, the Holy Father gave the saint many relics and spiritual gifts.

St. Patrick arrived at Ireland’s shores on March 25, 433 – on the feast of the Annunciation. While some Irish were happy to hear him preach the Gospel, the chieftains and the Druids – eager to maintain the hold of superstition among the Celts – were up in arms.

There are a number of dramatic accounts of St. Patrick’s heroic stands against the pagan forces.

In his work, “Confessio,” St. Patrick said that he and his companions were seized and carried off as captives 12 times. But the faithful servant of Christ overcame the trials as he and his followers converted thousands, built churches and formed dioceses across all of Ireland.

The humble saint is known for his powerful expositions of the principles of the Catholic faith. He even employed the ordinary, little, three-leaved shamrock plant to teach people about the Trinity.

Upon his death in the late 5th century, the Irish people came to mourn and venerate him. St. Patrick’s body was wrapped in a shroud woven by St. Brigid, and his remains were interred where the Cathedral of Down now sits.