ELOI'S VOICE

MercyMe - Word Of God Speak - Meet Me In the Stairwell - 9/11 Remembrance

2011-09-11T10:46:00.000-04:00

From Denver to Philadelphia

2011-07-19T21:44:00.014-04:00

Last month, we were greeted with the news the Archbishop Charles Chaput will be moving east to lead the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. While I have never met the man, I had the privilege of attending a pro-life Mass where he was the main celebrant several years ago. At that time he demonstrated a no-nonsense approach to the word of God, calling a spade a spade. I admired him greatly.

Prior to writing this post I spent some time looking at what the reporters have to say about this man. The sad part is that all of the secular news media is concerned about is the fact that he is going to be leading a diocese riddled with scandal and the grand jury's findings this past February. That is a shame. The man did not create the problem. Chaput has his gifts and talents and all the media can see is the bad. I guess it is true that good news doesn't sell.

The new archbishop has had to deal with the issue in Denver as well. As a priest, I am sickened that after 10 years we are still dealing with these sins. It hurts those of us that are trying to be the best priests we can be. I feel that the effects of this scandal will be with us for many more years.

Let us pray for Archbishop Chaput and the people of Philadelphia. May the grace of God bring the Archdiocese true peace and healing.

Catholic Wedding Bells

2011-06-30T07:38:00.002-04:00

Priests in Pain

2011-05-25T09:26:00.000-04:00

‘Collar-Holler’ this Father’s Day

2011-05-22T21:38:00.004-04:00

EncouragePriests.org: Send a local priest a ‘Collar-Holler’ this Father’s Day

Encourage your priest today.

Meatless Fridays?

2011-05-18T15:08:00.004-04:00

By now you’re probably aware that the bishops of England and Wales have reinstituted Friday abstinence. The majority of CatholicCulture.org users probably applaud this development, as do I. This applause is prompted by a number of closely related considerations.

The first is that Friday abstinence symbolizes a renewal of ecclesial discipline. All discipline—whether discipline of formation or discipline of punishment—sends a message, but not all can serve as a symbol. If the Pope removes a wayward bishop from office, that sends a message to other bishops. If a bishop removes or laicizes a wayward priest, that sends a message to other priests. (I can remember observing to friends over thirty years ago that things won’t change rapidly until heads roll.) But the imposition of a visible and regular penitential pattern on the faithful is not only a discipline but a symbol. It symbolizes that Catholics ought to be characterized by a specific and publicly discernible corporate identity which distinguishes them from everyone else.

In a perfect world, there would be no need to go beyond the identity projected simply by living an exemplary Christian life, but then in a perfect world, there would be no need of Christ in the first place, let alone the scandal of his crucifixion. This brings me to a second consideration. In an imperfect world, we all need help, and among the many forms of help we need is the help of being habituated to reaffirm our Catholic identity without embarrassment. For example, the discipline of ashes imposes on us a visible identity once a year, though we may rush nervously home to clean up. Friday abstinence is only a small penitential sacrifice, but it is also both a corporate activity and visible mark of one’s Faith. If we follow this discipline we remind ourselves that we are part of something important, and insofar as others notice this peculiar habit, we remind them as well. As we do this repeatedly, we become less self-conscious concerning our special relationship with Christ, and more comfortable affirming it even in a bemused or hostile environment.

A third consideration is esprit de corps. When we do things in common with a group, we strengthen our ties with that group and increase both our commitment to it and our positive feelings about it. So too with the Church. Abstaining from meat on Friday may not be a spectacular penance, but it is in some measure a common affirmation of our membership on the team—our status as active, contributing members of the Body of Christ. Thus every group which wants to be cherished in the minds and hearts of its adherents, and desires moreover to thrive over time, establishes little traditions in which its members enjoy a common participation. These generate not only an increased sense of identity but a sense of positive commitment to the strength and importance of the group as a whole. The Church is no different with respect to this basic psychological reality, except that even as we increase our esprit de corps by our participation in the little marks and patterns of our Faith, she channels grace to us.

My fourth and final consideration is the benefit—even the necessity—of specific outward practices if we are to escape the tragedy of so much of contemporary spirituality. On every side, we find the worldly-wise affirming that they are definitely spiritual but not at all religious. By this they mean that they do not follow the narrow tenets and restrictive rules of any particular creed; instead, they follow the superior path of thinking high thoughts and keeping, as it were, a rosy outlook on life. This attitude not only deceives others; it deceives the self. Lofty as it sounds, it is really an excuse for not making any commitment to what God has revealed. It is an excuse to slide into any habit of thought we wish, and to live however we desire. Yet we are not purely intellectual like the angels; we must live a specific Faith in our bodies, or we will not live it at all. God has a plan for us, body and soul, a plan that involves a concrete and practical daily acceptance of His will. The hard edges of simple penitential practices enjoined by religious authority, however small in themselves, awaken us to this reality.

It will be interesting to see how quickly Catholics in England and Wales habituate themselves once again to the adoption of this particular penitential practice, or whether for most it will remain a dead letter. Time will tell. But it would be a very good thing if it were to take hold, simple as it is, and an even better thing if it were to spread to other countries that have similarly abandoned this venerable practice. May this tiny gesture initiate us afresh into what it means to root Catholicism in our very bones.

Taken from CatholicCulture.org by Dr. Jeff Mirus

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-06T22:38:00.003-04:00

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs…
since the payment is pure love.
Mildred B. Vermont

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T19:57:00.002-04:00

Amazing Grace

2011-04-14T21:35:00.001-04:00

Il Divo - Amazing Grace / RUS from ILDIVORUS on Vimeo.

Jelly Bean Prayer

2011-04-09T14:59:00.007-04:00

Red is for the blood He gave.

Green is for the grass He made.

Yellow is for the sun so bright.

Orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins we made.

White is for the grace He gave.

Purple is for His hour of sorrow.

Pink is for our new tomorrow.

An egg full of jelly beans, Colorful and Sweet

Is a prayer, a promise, A loved one's treat!!

Charlene Dickensen, 1997

Voice Of A Heart

2011-03-28T23:23:00.002-04:00

The Samaritan Woman

2011-03-26T08:38:00.003-04:00

There comes a time in everyone's life where they have to deal with reality. We are good at pretending that everything is going well, even though it is quite the opposite. We can get really good at it, so much so, that we are able to fool others and possibly even ourselves.

The woman of this Sunday's Gospel has been living her life the same way for years. Of course, there was a different man every few years to change things up a bit, but basicly things were routine. All it takes was an encounter with Jesus to see her life for what it really was at the time. Hesitant at first He challenges her to look at her life, not with rose-colored glasses, but with 20/20 vision. It is a wonder she could see well enough to find the source that would quench her thirst for forgiveness. She could hear; hear the voice of refreshment.

Jesus tells the woman her story. For the first time she sees that it not a pretty picture. Living in the rut of sin can easily become the norm of anyone's life. Jesus opens the door, He gains her trust and she is renewed.

Many find their way to the confessional during this season of Lent. But many find it through rose-colored glasses. We need to hear the voice of the Master calling us to really look at our lives. Perhaps the best way to do this is through a good examination of conscience. A great place to start is right here.

A La Carte

2011-03-20T23:54:00.000-04:00

Might Be A Good Idea!

2011-03-20T16:36:00.000-04:00

Chastity: A Gift

2011-03-18T10:28:00.020-04:00

Catholics are called to be examples to others of chaste living. By cherishing the gift of our body and helping others to truly respect themselves, we show God how much we love Him.

Any young person who desires to be chaste or to recover a chaste lifestyle has the opportunity to take up the cross and follow Jesus. He has promised always to be there to help us. The Lord never abandons us, but we must be open to receiving his assistance.

Jesus asks us to pray constantly. This is necessary for anyone trying to live the virtue of chastity. Uniting ourselves to Christ in an ongoing relationship of prayer is the only way to succeed. This includes anything from the simple yet profound “Help me, Jesus” to more formal prayers such as the Rosary, or asking Mary, our Mother, and the Saints to help us by their intercession.

The Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist help us on our journey to live chaste lives. If we commit a sin of impurity alone or with another person, the Sacrament of Reconciliation communicates to us God’s forgiveness and merciful love. All we need to do is approach his throne of mercy with sincere sorrow in Confession and we are assured that all our sins are forgiven. We can start anew with hope. The Eucharist is the summit of our faith because through the Sacrament we enter into an intimate union with Jesus Christ by receiving his body, blood, soul and divinity in Holy Communion. His body nourishes us and sanctifies our body.

The Process

2011-03-14T21:53:00.001-04:00

A Pastoral Letter

2011-03-08T23:43:00.003-05:00

God’s Reasoning – Christ’s Reasoning

Brothers and Sisters,

For the Christian Community, Lent is a time to reflect upon the will of God the Father and how our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished it by his death on the cross. It is also an invitation for us to fulfill God’s will in all its aspects.

The Lord has several ways of revealing to us the different facets of God’s plan.

This year, the Lord has revealed something to us that has always been there, yet in the face of it, we felt helpless. We have not been paying enough attention to the fact that, in our society, the culture of marriage and the family has changed. We complain that things are different, yet we simply resign ourselves to this fact.

This year, the current discussion on the subject of divorce has helped us to realise not only to what extent this erodes everlasting marriage, but it has also led us to question this culture. Probably we are not even aware to what extent this has changed, and that in so doing, it has served as a deterrent to those who wish to marry and persevere in their marriage.

We need to consider this year as a sign of God’s providence, because, as Christians, we are faced with a great mission. We cannot put our minds at rest where the culture of marriage is concerned: we have been given a mission to build a new culture with respect to marriage. The Christian does not fear the lack of values in culture, just as the first Christians did not fear it either. We are challenged to fill this void with values inspired by the Word of God.

This forms part of the New Evangelization which is being deemed as a priority by various Popes: through the Church we come into contact with the Word of God, which is a source of great value. This Evangelization must be transmitted through the family.

God’s reasoning

The Christian is that person who has decided to follow Christ. The path, the map, is the Word of God. He lives the Word of God within the community which Christ founded – that is, the Church.

The Word of God reveals in a particular way, God’s plan for mankind. The Word of God is revealed through two principal expressions. The first is God’s logic of creation, the plan of the Creator. The second is the logic, the line of thought, of Jesus Christ: He was sent by God the Father to reveal to us, by his life and his teachings, how to live the ideal of creation in a world fraught with hardships and difficulties. If we make the same choices which Jesus made, we can never be confused when it comes to safeguarding the values of creation.

God is the Divine Creator. He created everything for a reason – with a plan so that creation would achieve its utmost aim. God is not a blind creator. He did not create without letting us know what to do with His creation. He created the human being in his image and likeness and placed him, at the centre of his creation. Every time that mankind veered from this ideal, the whole of humanity suffered: this is evident with regards to the dignity of every person, independent of race, colour, religion. This is revealed further in the respect and care for the environment.

In the same way, God has a plan for marriage and the family. This is the greatest gift which God gave to mankind. This plan bears takes into consideration the dignity of every person, man and woman, which does not stem from culture but stems from the fact that they were created equal in the image of God. This is God’s gift of the woman to the man and the man to the woman; the attraction which he instilled in the human being and which is transformed into an enduring love – becoming “one body”. God planned this in order that new beings would be born and raised within an atmosphere of love and stability (see Genesis Chapter 1 and 2). All the elements of this plan are so closely connected that when a marriage breaks down, all the benefits of this plan are lost.

According to this plan of God, an option which favours marriage and the family is an option in favour of mankind. Marriage breakdown statistics show that, in reality, although couples undergo much suffering, children are those who suffer the most.

The responsibility of mankind

God entrusted this plan for creation in the hands of mankind. The great responsibility which is placed on man’s shoulders is evident from the story of Adam and Eve. God did not only entrust everything to them, but he gave them the responsibility not to wander astray. This is the underlying meaning of the reference to the tree of good and the tree of evil which we find in Genesis (Chapter 3). This is the choice which is to be made by humanity in every age: whether to choose the path leading to God, or to do as they please, guided merely by human reasoning, which leads them away from God.

God does not only place this responsibility upon man’s shoulders but he also questions man about his actions regarding this plan. He asked Adam: “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” God also asked Eve: “What have you done?” In Genesis chapter 4, 1-16, God also asks Cain, who had killed his brother, Abel: “Where is your brother Abel?” God asks why they did not follow his plan. The Christian must live his personal life within the community of the Church, fully-aware that he must answer to these questions. This is our responsibility, which we refer to as ‘conscience’!

Christ’s Reasoning

It is hard to live out these ideals within the context of our complex world. God the Father sent his Son to show us that though we live in a demanding world, it is possible to keep moving towards the ideal of creation.

Jesus Christ taught us to live with love in a world in which we are challenged by distractions within us and around us. Jesus demonstrated this by his self-giving, his forgiveness, his empathy towards those who were weak, his patient teachings to those he chose as his disciples. The option in favour of Divine Reasoning which is referred to above, must be linked to the value of love as Jesus taught us: one cannot live ‘true love’ by human reasoning only, by not putting God into the equation. True love must be based on the Christian teachings of Jesus Christ.

One episode in the life of the Lord Jesus clearly demonstrates God’s plan in the context of marriage and the family (Mt 19, 3-10). When confronted by a group of Pharisees on the subject of divorce, Jesus showed them that he was disappointed and hurt. In the same way God was hurt by the choice made by Adam and Eve. The Pharisees believed that they could create a better society built on the possibility of divorce rather than on the stability which marriage provides.

This refers us back to the fundamental choices of every Christian person: Do I believe and allow myself to be guided by the reasoning of God and his plan for Creation when he created man and woman in complete unity as “one body”, or am I led by human logic which is detached from God’s plan, leading to the destruction of this unity as a result of divorce? The reality experienced by other societies who opted for this human way of reasoning leads us to take a personal decision. We must discern whether a society in which there is divorce offers a better future than a society which has at its foundations, stable marriages which are worth investing in.

In this regard, the Christian must not be afraid to think differently from others, because he feels confident that even if he is alone in the eyes of the world on this point, he is not alone before God. It is a great consolation to know that the Christian makes his choice before God, even if there is a price to pay.

The love of Jesus

Adam and Eve’s failings are already pre-empted by another plan which God has in order to bring them back to his fold. God loves even those who are in a state of sin and he has another plan by which he brings them back to him. God said to Noah: “And behold, I now establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you…” (Gen 9,9), meaning that God has established a new covenant with mankind who is capable of becoming confused and falling into sin.

Jesus, who was sent by God the Father into this imperfect world, taught us and revealed to us God’s plan. Together with his preaching, he showed his love concretely towards those who failed, so as to encourage them to return on the right path. Jesus did not condemn the woman who was caught in adultery but he simply asked her to sin no more. In so doing, he shed light upon the love which God shows to those who fail, in order that they may have another opportunity to find hope in him.

As people who are following in Jesus’ footsteps, we should also follow his example with respect to marriage. Those couples who are enjoying the beauty of married life should respond to the call to look lovingly upon others who are suffering from the failure of their marriage and contribute towards giving them a helping hand.

Lent

Since this is so central to God’s plan, during Lent, we should focus upon this in order that we too may contribute towards its fulfillment. We wish to offer some recommendations as to how this may be lived out: you may reflect on your married life in the light of the nature of love that flows from the Cross of Jesus. In your married life, draw closer to one another in the Lord Jesus by attending mass together regularly on Sundays and through daily prayer. Integrate your Lenten sacrifices in your conjugal life: work to conquer any elements which are hindering your love. Bear witness to your marriage everywhere and without embarassment: display photographs of your husband/wife at your workplace; do not engage in any conversations that ridicule married life, or participate in any talk that belittles women.

We cannot imagine a more beautiful way to celebrate Lent than to offer our contribution towards strengthening Marriage and the Family, and to foster in our country a culture which has at its heart, the plan of God. We join you in this mission as we pray to God the Father, together with our Lord Jesus Christ and through the intercession of Our Lady, in order that we may build up this Plan as a gesture of worship to God the Father.

We impart upon you our pastoral blessing.

+ PAUL CREMONA O.P.

Archbishop of Malta

+ MARIO GRECH

Bishop of Gozo

What's In A Name?

2011-02-17T16:16:00.003-05:00

When it comes to Scripture, names are very important. In His ministry, Jesus changed the names of some of the Apostles to indicate a change that occured in them, like Peter. Other disciples changed their own names shedding their old identity with something new, for example Saul became Paul. Religious men and women in the the Church are often given new names to model their lives after. At Confirmation, the candidate is asked to choose a new name for the same reason.

Popes usually change their names, too. The present Holy Father stated shortly after His elevation "I chose to call myself Benedict XVI ideally as a link to the venerated Pontiff, Benedict XV, who guided the Church through the turbulent times of the First World War. He was a true and courageous prophet of peace who struggled strenuously and bravely, first to avoid the drama of war and then to limit its terrible consequences. In his footsteps I place my ministry, in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples, profoundly convinced that the great good of peace is above all a gift of God, a fragile and precious gift to be invoked, safeguarded and constructed, day after day and with everyone's contribution."

"The name Benedict also evokes the extraordinary figure of the great 'patriarch of western monasticism,' St. Benedict of Norcia, co-patron of Europe with Cyril and Methodius. The progressive expansion of the Benedictine Order which he founded exercised an enormous influence on the spread of Christianity throughout the European continent. For this reason, St. Benedict is much venerated in Germany, and especially in Bavaria, my own land of origin; he constitutes a fundamental point of reference for the unity of Europe and a powerful call to the irrefutable Christian roots of European culture and civilization."

The Pope appealed to St. Benedict for help "to hold firm Christ's central position in our lives. May he always be first in our thoughts and in all our activities!"

Makes Sense to Me

2011-01-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

Bravo, Bishop

2010-12-29T13:20:00.000-05:00

First US Apparition Declared!

2010-12-25T06:34:00.004-05:00

Bishop David Ricken, of Green Bay, announced today that he officially approves the Marian apparitions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion, Wisconsin.

The announcement was made during a special Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion.

Reading from his decree, the Bishop stated, "I declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October of 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful."

Wednesday's declaration makes Our Lady of Good Help at Champion the first and only site in the United States of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In October 1859, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on three occasions to Adele Brise, a young Belgian immigrant. Brise stated that a lady dressed in dazzling white appeared to her and claimed to be the "Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners."

The Lady asked Brise to pray for sinners, as well as to gather the children and teach them what they should know for salvation. The Blessed Virgin followed the commands with these words of assurance to Adele Brise, "Go and fear nothing, I will help you."

Since 1859, countless faithful have made the pilgrimage to Champion, Wisconsin to offer prayers of thanksgiving and petition to Jesus and to ask for intercession from Our Lady of Good Help.

After receiving the apparitions, Adele Brise immediately began to fulfill the obligations the Blessed Virgin entrusted to her. She gathered local children and taught them how to pray, make the sign of the cross, and to give love, thanks, and praise to the Lord.

As part of her commitment to the Blessed Virgin, Brise set up a Catholic school and began a community of Third Order Franciscan women. Eventually, a school and convent were built on the grounds to further the mission entrusted to Brise.

The 151-year history of the Shrine is rich with written and oral accounts of prayers that have been answered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The sources document physical healings and conversions that have taken place as a result of pilgrimages to the Shrine.

In addition, as the Peshtigo fire of 1871 engulfed the surrounding area, the entire five acres of land consecrated to the Blessed Virgin remained unscathed after Brise organized a prayer vigil that circled the area.

Taken from the Diocese of Green Bay website.

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

2010-12-22T23:14:00.000-05:00

Mary's Dream

2010-12-18T21:04:00.002-05:00

I had a dream Joseph. I don't understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was all about. The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks. They had decorated the house and bought elaborate gifts. It was peculiar, though because the presents weren't for our Son. They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree. Yes, a tree Joseph, right in their house. They'd decorated the tree also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. There was a figure on top of the tree. It looked like an Angel might look. Oh it was beautiful. Everyone was laughing and happy. They were all excited about the gifts. They gave the gifts to each other, Joseph, not to our Son. I don't think they even knew Him. They never mentioned His name. Doesn't it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate someone's birthday if they don't know Him. I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration, He would have been intruding. Everything was so beautiful, Joseph, and everyone so full of cheer, but it made me want to cry. How sad for Jesus not to be wanted at His own birthday celebration. I'm glad it was only a dream. How terrible, Joseph, if it had been real!

Absolutely Glorious!

2010-12-09T17:54:00.000-05:00

94 Percent!

2010-12-04T23:49:00.000-05:00

Victims Of Clergy Sex Abuse Get Patron

2010-11-09T11:15:00.004-05:00

In the weeks leading up to the canonization of St. Mary MacKillop by Pope Benedict XVI, the proposal was made by some that she be honored not only for being a Catholic pioneer and a model for Australians but also as the patron saint of abuse survivors or whistleblowers of sexual abuse by the clergy.

St. Mary endured a sort of persecution by Bishop Lawrence Shiel of Adelaide and was even excommunicated for five months in 1871 for “disobedience and defiance.” The decree, which has been described as a sham and a farce without force of law, was rescinded by the repentant bishop on his deathbed, but the claim is now being made that the oppression of St. Mary and her community of sisters was motivated by their complaint against a sexually abusive priest. The bishop supposedly gave in to a vengeful campaign by several priests against the nuns for exposing the predator cleric. Media outlets have gone so far as to assert that St. Mary was excommunicated for personally asking to have the abuser punished. The priest in question was removed and sent back to Ireland.

The claim was refuted by the long-time diocesan postulator, Father Paul Gardiner, who worked for 25 years to advance her cause for canonization on the local level. He argued that at the time the incident happened in 1870 St. Mary was away and played no part. Fr. Gardiner added in an interview with the newspaper, The Australian, that he never made the assertion and that it is “just false - it's the ill will of people who are anxious to see something negative about the Catholic Church. There's already enough mud to throw, though.”

The Sisters of St. Joseph did confirm, however, that the reporting of abuse by the members of the community was one of the reasons for the bishop’s ill-advised actions. Father Gardiner noted that Bishop Shiel realized at the end he had been misled by several of his priests.

Last year, Archbishop Philip Wilson made a formal apology to the Sisters of St. Joseph for the failings of his predecessor.

Regardless of the role of St. Mary in the actual effort to report an abusive priest, the incident was a reflection of her extraordinary life. The bravery of her community even in her absence points to the willingness of the sisters to protect the victims and to help the Church deal with the terrible deeds of an abusive priest.

This places her and her sisters squarely in the tradition of the Church in confronting the sin and crime of abuse even when there are those unwilling to recognize it. She accepted the brief excommunication with obedience and serenity knowing that justice would ultimately prevail. And it did.

During his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day in July 2008, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed, “I know that her perseverance in the face of adversity, her plea for justice on behalf of those unfairly treated and her practical example of holiness have become a source of inspiration for all Australians.”

Article taken from Our Sunday Visitor.

Benedict's Letter To Seminarians

2010-10-31T23:20:00.010-04:00

"Anyone who wishes to become a priest must be first and foremost a 'man of God,' to use the expression of St. Paul (2 Timothy 6:11). For us God is not some abstract hypothesis; he is not some stranger who left the scene after the "big bang." God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. In the face of Jesus Christ we see the face of God. In his words we hear God himself speaking to us. It follows that the most important thing in our path towards priesthood and during the whole of our priestly lives is our personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

"The priest is not the leader of a sort of association whose membership he tries to maintain and expand. He is God's messenger to his people. He wants to lead them to God and in this way to foster authentic communion between all men and women. That is why it is so important, dear friends, that you learn to live in constant intimacy with God. When the Lord tells us to 'pray constantly,' he is obviously not asking us to recite endless prayers, but urging us never to lose our inner closeness to God.

"Praying means growing in this intimacy. So it is important that our day should begin and end with prayer; that we listen to God as the Scriptures are read; that we share with him our desires and our hopes, our joys and our troubles, our failures and our thanks for all his blessings, and thus keep him ever before us as the point of reference for our lives. In this way we grow aware of our failings and learn to improve, but we also come to appreciate all the beauty and goodness, which we daily take for granted and so we grow in gratitude. With gratitude comes joy for the fact that God is close to us and that we can serve him."

May the Lord make us better servants who do what we ought, never focusing on being better than or above others, but recognizing our obligation to be greater servants to others, precisely because we have been given so much, forgiven so much, and blessed so much. May God grant us generous hearts as we serve Him and love him in others! To him be glory forever and ever.

Full text is here.

Funny Political Ad

2010-10-25T17:05:00.008-04:00

I do not normally get political on this blog, but this was just too hard to pass up. Last year, Senator Barbara Boxer made a error when she demanded that a hearing witness, a General, address her by "Senator" instead of the military address of "Maam." She has never apologized for the comment and now it shows up in a political ad. Watch how the titles change during the banter.

Reflection By Archbishop Chaput

2010-10-22T22:21:00.002-04:00

Denver's Archbishop Chaput delivered the following remarks on repentance and renewal in the mission of catechesis during a tri-diocesan catechetical congress in Victoria, British Columbia on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15 and 16, 2010.

"Some of you may know the short story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. If you don’t, I need to spoil the ending to make my point. But I promise the story will still be worth reading.

“The Lottery” is set on a summer day in a small town in 1940s America. The people are assembling for a very old annual ritual. The ritual has something to do with imploring a good corn harvest -- but there’s no mention of any God, and no clergy anywhere in the picture.

Each person in the village lines up to draw a slip of paper from an old wooden box. Tessie Hutchinson, a young wife and mother, draws a slip with a black mark.

From that moment, the story moves quickly to its conclusion. The lottery official gives the word, and the villagers move in on Tessie. And they stone her to death.

“The Lottery” is one of the most widely read stories ever published in my country. And for good reason. It’s well told. The ending leaves you breathless. Teachers like it because it provokes sharp classroom discussions.

Or at least it used to.

A few years ago, a college writing professor, Kay Haugaard, wrote an essay about her experiences teaching “The Lottery” over a period of about two decades.

She said that in the early 1970s, students who read the story voiced shock and indignation. The tale led to vivid conversations on big topics -- the meaning of sacrifice and tradition; the dangers of group-think and blind allegiance to leaders; the demands of conscience and the consequences of cowardice.

Sometime in the mid-1990s, however, reactions began to change.

Haugaard described one classroom discussion that -- to me -- was more disturbing than the story itself. The students had nothing to say except that the story bored them. So Haugaard asked them what they thought about the villagers ritually sacrificing one of their own for the sake of the harvest.

One student, speaking in quite rational tones, argued that many cultures have traditions of human sacrifice. Another said that the stoning might have been part of “a religion of long standing,” and therefore acceptable and understandable.

An older student who worked as a nurse, also weighed in. She said that her hospital had made her take training in multicultural sensitivity. The lesson she learned was this: “If it’s a part of a person’s culture, we are taught not to judge.”

I thought of Haugaard’s experience with “The Lottery” as I got ready for this brief talk. Here’s where my thinking led me:

Our culture is doing catechesis every day. It works like water dripping on a stone, eroding people’s moral and religious sensibilities, and leaving a hole where their convictions used to be.

Haugaard’s experience teaches us that it took less than a generation for this catechesis to produce a group of young adults who were unable to take a moral stand against the ritual murder of a young woman. Not because they were cowards. But because they lost their moral vocabulary.

Haugaard’s students seemingly grew up in a culture shaped by practical atheism and moral relativism. In other words, they grew up in an environment that teaches, in many different ways, that God is irrelevant, and that good and evil, right and wrong, truth and falsehood can’t exist in any absolute sense.

This is the culture we live in, and the catechesis is on-going. But I don’t think this new kind of barbarism – because that’s what it is; a form of barbarism -- is an inevitable process.

It’s not easy to de-moralize and strip a society of its religious sense. Accomplishing the task requires two key factors: First, it takes the aggressive, organized efforts of individuals and groups committed to undermining faith and historic Christian values. Second, it takes the indifference of persons like you and me, Christian believers.

I want to focus on the second factor, because it involves us.

Christians in my country and yours -- and throughout the West, generally -- have done a terrible job of transmitting our faith to our own children and to the culture at large.

Evidence can be found anecdotally in stories like Kay Haugaard’s. We can also see it in polls showing that religious identity and affiliation are softening. More people are claiming that they’re “spiritual,” but they have no religion.

Religion is fading as a formative influence in developed countries. Religious faith is declining in Western culture, especially among Canadian and American young people. This suggests that the Church is actually much smaller than her official numbers would indicate. And this, in turn, has implications for the future of Catholic life and the direction of our societies.

What’s happening today in the Church is not a “new” story. We find it repeated throughout the Old Testament. It took very little time for the Hebrews to start worshipping a golden calf. Whenever the people of God grew too prosperous or comfortable, they forgot where they came from. They forgot their God, because they no longer thought it was important to teach about him.

Because they failed to catechize, they failed to inoculate themselves against the idolatries in their surrounding cultures. And eventually, they began praying to the same alien gods as the pagans among whom they lived.

We have the same struggles today. Instead of changing the culture around us, we Christians have allowed ourselves to be changed by the culture. We’ve compromised too cheaply. We’ve hungered after assimilating and fitting in. And in the process, we’ve been bleached out and absorbed by the culture we were sent to make holy.

If our people no longer know their faith, or its obligations of discipleship, or its call to mission -- then we leaders, clergy, parents and teachers have no one to blame but ourselves. We need to confess that, and we need to fix it. For too many of us, Christianity is not a filial relationship with the living God, but a habit and an inheritance. We’ve become tepid in our beliefs and naive about the world. We’ve lost our evangelical zeal. And we’ve failed in passing on our faith to the next generation.

The practical unbelief we now face in our societies is, in large measure, the fruit of our own flawed choices in teaching, parenting, religious practice and personal witness. But these choices can be unmade. We can repent. We can renew what our vanity and indifference have diminished. It’s still possible to “redeem the time,” as St. Paul once put it. But we don’t have a lot of time. Nor should we make alibis for mistakes of the past.

Sixty years ago, when Shirley Jackson wrote “The Lottery,” she could count on her readers knowing what right and wrong were. She lived in a culture that reflected a broadly Christian consensus about virtue and moral integrity. That’s no longer the case.

The culture we live in today proselytizes for a very different consensus -- one based on political and moral agendas vigorously hostile to Christian beliefs.

A recent article in the New York Times went directly to this point. It was about a new ad campaign launched by supporters of homosexual “marriage” in New York. The campaign features politicians and Hollywood celebrities making a series of reasonable-sounding arguments.

One example is from the actress, Julianne Moore. Her ad begins, “Hi, I’m Julianne Moore, and I’m a New Yorker. We all deserve the right to marry the person we love.”

The New York campaign is misleading and ultimately ruinous to real marriages and families. But when Christians don’t understand the content or the reasons for their own faith, they have no compelling alternative to offer.

The points I’ve been making are these:

First, either we form our culture, or the culture will form us. Second, right now, the culture does a better job of shaping us than we do in shaping the culture. And third, we need to admit our failures, and we need to turn ourselves onto a path of repentance and change, and unselfish witness to others.

The central issue in renewing Catholic catechesis has little to do with techniques, or theories, or programs, or resources. The central issue is whether we ourselves really do believe. Catechesis is not a profession. It’s a dimension of discipleship. If we’re Christians, we’re each of us called to be teachers and missionaries.

But we can’t share what we don’t have. If we’re embarrassed about Church teachings, or if we disagree with them, or if we’ve decided that they’re just too hard to live by, or too hard to explain, then we’ve already defeated ourselves.

We need to really believe what we claim to believe. We need to stop calling ourselves “Catholic” if we don’t stand with the Church in her teachings – all of them. But if we really are Catholic, or at least if we want to be, then we need to act like it with obedience and zeal and a fire for Jesus Christ in our hearts. God gave us the faith in order to share it. This takes courage. It takes a deliberate dismantling of our own vanity. When we do that, the Church is strong. When we don’t, she grows weak. It’s that simple.

In a culture of confusion, the Church is our only reliable guide. So let’s preach and teach our Catholic beliefs with passion. And let’s ask God to make us brave enough and humble enough to follow our faith to its radical conclusions.

Thanks for your attention. God bless you."

The Journey To Sainthood Continues

2010-10-19T14:05:00.003-04:00

2010-10-16T22:24:00.004-04:00

Blessed Angela of Foligno

2010-10-13T19:37:00.013-04:00

Pope Benedict XVI said the penitential path of a little-known medieval mystic offers modern men and women a lesson on discovering the presence of God in their lives. He made the remarks at his general audience Oct. 13 in St. Peter's Square, where tens of thousands of pilgrims joined him on an unusually warm fall morning.

The pope spoke at length about Blessed Angela of Foligno, Italy, who experienced a conversion in the late 13th century. A worldly woman who looked down on those who observed strict poverty in religious life, she experienced a series of tragic events and suffering that changed her way of thinking, he said. After the deaths of her mother, her husband and her children, she sold all she had and joined the Third Order of St. Francis. The pope said her conversion began with a good confession and was aided by penance, humility and tribulations, as well as a fear of eternal punishment.

Part of her difficulty was that outsiders found her hard to understand, he said. But she persevered, and came to identify her own sufferings with those of Jesus -- a key phase of spiritual growth, he said. "The life of Blessed Angela began with a worldly life rather far from God," the pope said. "Today we're all in danger of living as if God does not exist, because he seems so distant from our daily lives." Her feast day is considered January 4.

October: Month of the Rosary

2010-10-04T13:52:00.003-04:00

"Mary is the model of Christian life. I ask her above all to help you all walk the path of holiness, briskly and with joy, in the footsteps of many shining examples of Christ” -- this was the Pope’s prayer before today's Angelus, at the end of Mass celebrated in Palermo where he is on pastoral visit, the occasion of the regional church gathering of families and young people.

Recalling that October is traditionally the month dedicated to the Rosary, Benedict XVI added: "The daily meditation on the mysteries of Christ in union with Mary, the Virgin at prayer, strengthens us all in faith, hope and charity."

"To the Virgin Mary - the pope observed - I wish to commend all the people of God living in this beloved land. May She support families in love and education; make fruitful the seeds of vocation that God amply sows among young people, instill courage in the face of trials, hope amidst difficulties, renewed energy in doing good. The Madonna comforts the sick and all the suffering, and helps the Christian communities so that no one in them is marginalized or needy, but everyone, especially the smallest and weakest, feels welcomed and valued. "

Benedict XVI has also devoted part of his homily during the mass to the theme of "walking expediently and joyfully on the path of holiness in the footsteps of many shining examples of Christ".

"Your beautiful island - he said - was among the first regions of Italy to accept the faith of the Apostles to receive the proclamation of the Word of God, to adhere to the faith so generously that even in the midst of difficulties and persecution, it has always seen the flourishing of the flower of holiness. Sicily was and is a land of saints, belonging to every walk of life, who lived the Gospel with simplicity and integrity. "

Also in the homily, the pope urged Sicilian Catholics to "witness the faith in the various sectors of society, in many situations of human existence, especially in those that are difficult".

Benedict XVI did not mention the word "mafia", but made indirect references when he asked Catholics not to be ashamed to be Christian witnesses: "One should be ashamed of that evil - he added - which offends God, that offends man, one should be ashamed of the evil that is inflicted on civil and religious communities with actions that loath the light of day”.

"The temptation to discouragement, resignation, comes to those who are weak in faith, to those who confuse evil with good, to those who believe that there is nothing to be done before evil, often of the deepest kind. Instead, those who are firmly founded in faith, who have full confidence in God and live in the Church are able to bring the uncontainable power of the Gospel. This is how the saints behaved, who flowered, over the centuries, in Palermo and in Sicily, as well as lay people and priests of today who are well-known to you all, such as, for example, Don Pino Puglisi. May they always watch over you and keep you united and nurture in everyone the desire to proclaim, in word and deed, the presence and love of Christ. People of Sicily, look with hope to your future”.

Bold words at last

2010-10-01T16:16:00.000-04:00

Saying Goodbye, Never Easy

2010-09-21T07:43:00.002-04:00

On The Road Again

2010-09-11T01:30:00.013-04:00

Give me strength!

1992-1994 Associate Pastor, Notre Dame, Bethlehem

1994-1998 Associate Pastor, St. Ignatius Loyola, Sinking Spring

1998-1999 Professor & Director of Spiritual Activities, Pius X High School, Bangor, Residence at St. Elizabeth, Pen Argyl

1999-2000 Professor & Director of Spirtual Activities, Marian Catholic High School, Tamaqua, Residence at St. Jerome, Tamaqua

2000-2001 Professor & Director of Spiritual Activites, Marian Catholic High School, Tamaqua,Residence at St. Patrick, McAdoo

2001-2002 Associate Pastor, Sacred Heart, West Reading

2002-2002 Associate Pastor, St. Ignatius Loyola, Sinking Spring

2002-2003 Associate Pastor, St. Patrick, Pottsville

2003-2005 Pastor, Annunciation BVM, Shenandoah, St. Mary, Ringtown, St. Mary Magdelan, Lost Creek

2004-2005 Pastor, Annunciation BVM, Shenandoah, St. George, Shenandoah, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Shenandoah & St. Mary Magdelan, Lost Creek

2005-2005 Sabbatical, Trinity Retreat, Larchmont, NY

2005-2006 Associate Pastor, St. Ignatius Loyola, Sinking Spring

2006-2008 Associate Pastor, St. Ann, Emmaus

2008-2009 Pastor, All Saints, McAdoo (consolidation of: St. Patrick, St. Kunegunda, St. Mary, McAdoo; St. Michael, St. Bartholomew, Tresckow: Immaculate Conception, Kelayres)

2009-2010 Associate Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Bethlehem

2010- ????? Administrator, St. Mary, Ringtown & St. Joseph, Sheppton

Post Office Offers New First Class Stamp

2010-09-08T09:58:00.004-04:00

More than 3,000 people packed the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Sept. 5 to mark the 13th anniversary of the death of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, attend a memorial Mass and witness the unveiling of a commemorative stamp in honor of the nun. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, was the principal celebrant of the memorial Mass in the upper church that preceded the U.S. Postal Service's unveiling of its commemorative stamp in honor of the centennial of Mother Teresa's birth. In his homily, Archbishop Sambi recalled the nun's "infectious and untiring work for her spiritual children," and said, "Mother Teresa loved God more than herself. Mother Teresa loved the church more than herself. Mother Teresa loved the poorest of the poor more than herself." He also praised her for "her passion in defense of life. She said the greatest disease is not being wanted and the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion."

Should One Pray The Rosary During Mass?

2010-08-11T11:24:00.007-04:00

Recently, I was asked about praying the Rosary during Mass. First let me say, the rosary is a beautiful form of prayer, combining both vocal and meditative prayer. Many people have grown rich in the spiritual life by praying the rosary.

The Church’s documents on the liturgy, however, do not support the practice of reciting (in a group or privately) the rosary during the celebration of the Eucharist.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (#30) states: "To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalms, antiphons, hymns, as well as by actions, gestures and bodily attitudes. And at the proper time a reverent silence should be observed."

The Instruction on Music in the Liturgy says: "The faithful fulfill their liturgical role by making that full, conscious and active participation, which is demanded by the nature of the liturgy itself and which is by reason of Baptism, the right and duty of the Christian people. This participation a) should be above all internal, in the sense that by it the faithful join their mind to what they pronounce or hear, and cooperate with heavenly grace, b) must be, on the other hand, external also, that is, such as to show the internal participation by gestures and bodily attitudes, by the acclamations, responses and singing."

In other words, the Church expects us to take part as much as we can in the prayers and ceremonies of the Mass. That is rather difficult to do while continuing to say the rosary or some other unrelated prayers. Remember, we come together as a community for communal prayer.

Report: Christians Take a Stand for Religious Freedom

2010-08-03T21:47:00.000-04:00

Small Church?

2010-07-15T08:52:00.004-04:00

For years, some of us in the Catholic Church have said that in order to have any future as a community of faith we must and will become a smaller body. Even Pope Benedict has hinted that the future truly depends on people allowing themselves to not only hear the Truth, but listen to it.

Benedict is willing to say what he thinks are hard truths, or unpopular truths. The question still remains whether those hard truths - on sexuality, on the proper celebration of Mass, on proper manner and disposition for receiving Holy Communion - will scare off Catholics who disagree.

From the early days in the Church, sects and schisms, and later with the Reformation, plagued and challenged the Church. In modern times, it has been torn by scores of local interests, sex scandals, and dissent on contraception and the role of women in the church. Over and over again, Pope Benedict mentions that the church continues to be bombarded by a secular culture that he believes offers no fixed values.

At times, or should I say many times, I have met the challenge of the lack of receptivity on the Church's Magisterium. The future suggests that this will undoubtedly increase unless we as members of the Body of Christ put aside our selfish interests and replace them with faithful discipleship.

Been There, Done This!

2010-07-15T08:52:00.000-04:00

Burying the Church

2010-07-12T10:57:00.000-04:00

2010-06-30T17:37:00.001-04:00

I'm hooked! Occasionally, the television executives bring to the tube a series that captures my attention so much that I cannot wait until the next episode. Such is the case with Lie to Me on FOX. This compelling drama was inspired by the scientific discoveries of a real-life psychologist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth and lies in criminal investigations.

Dr. Cal Lightman, played by Tim Roth is the world's leading deception expert. Lies do not make it past the good doctor. He'll see it in your face and your posture, or hear it in your voice. If you shrug your shoulder, rotate your hand, or even just slightly raise your lower lip, Lightman will spot the lie.

Here is a show that makes one think if it is better to always tell the truth, rather that deal with the repercussions of falsehoods. To watch the good doctor and his team at work, should give everyone pause. We might try to lie to others, but the real trouble comes when we try to lie to ourselves. Of course, we cannot ever lie to God.

Location, Location, Location

2010-06-20T19:38:00.003-04:00

Who do we Love?
Who do we Honor?
Who do we Respect?
Who do we Support?

When we go to the Theater, a Concert, Sporting even, or Lecture - we strive to get the Closest and Best seats. We want to be close to the action or speaker as possible - so we can see and appreciate the entire event.

When we go to church to celebrate the Eucharist
- to hear the Word of God
- to Listen to our Priest explain the Words of Scripture we just heard
- to see the Miracle of the Transubstantiation
....Where do we sit?

Do we Honor our Priest and our God
- by sitting as far back as we can,
or mingle in with the crowd that came in before us
- or do we strive to get the Closest and Best seat
to show our presence and attention
- our Love
- our Honor
- our Respect,
- and support of our Priest
- And Jesus whom he represents?

Michael Demyan
President of Serra Club
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Congratulations, Father Brian!

2010-06-08T16:08:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, June 5, 2010, His Excellency John O. Barres, Bishop of Allentown ordained Reverend Brian Miller. Father Miller is assigned as Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena in Allentown.

"Ad multos annos!"

Times Have Definitely Changed

2010-05-29T14:01:00.001-04:00

Don't Be Fooled: Satan Resides Within The Church

2010-05-18T09:18:00.003-04:00

Her name is Sister Carol Keehan. She is the President of the Catholic Health Association. She was vocal during the Health Care debate and voiced her support with the Bishops of the United States that the bill should not cover public funding for abortion. As the vote got closed Sister Carol assured Catholics that such legislation was stripped from the bill and that Catholics should support the President. Now the vote has been taken, the bill is a law and public funding of abortion is covered. Even with the "Stupak Amendment" the possiblity still remains. By the way, at the signing of ObamaCare, a standing ovation was given to Sr. Carol Keehan. Her role in the passage was aptly rewarded when she was given one of the ceremonial pens used by President Obama to sign the law. We should be so proud of her, NOT!

Are There Changes In The Wind?

2010-05-14T21:20:00.000-04:00

Incredible! Lord, Forgive Them....

2010-04-20T09:29:00.004-04:00

Even thouch I am not a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, I plan on writing a letter today to the Cardinal asking him to consider sanctions against this wayward priest. I have posted Cardinal George's contact information should you feel inclined to do the same.

His Eminence Francis Cardinal George
Archdiocese of Chicago
835 N. Rush St.
Chicago, IL 60611-2030
312-534-8200

A Penny & the Truth

2010-04-17T18:40:00.005-04:00

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.

The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny?

Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? "Look at it," he said. "Read what it says." She read the words 'United States of America ' "No, not that; read further."

"One cent?" "No, keep reading." "In God We Trust?" "Yes!" "And?" "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it!

God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"

Scandal Revisited

2010-04-13T16:56:00.000-04:00

Progressives In The Church

2010-04-08T18:07:00.005-04:00

The Exultet

2010-04-04T01:29:00.004-04:00

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

My dearest friends,
standing with me in this holy light,
join me in asking God for mercy,
that he may give his unworthy minister
grace to sing his Easter praises.

The Lord be with you.: And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.: We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,
When Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night,
when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slav'ry,
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night,
when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin.

This is night,
when Christians ev'rywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night,
when Jesus broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights,
chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of this night scripture says:
"The night will be as clear as day:
it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night dispels all evil,
washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,
brings mourners joy;
it casts out hatred, brings us peace,
and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed,
when heaven is wedded to earth
and we are reconciled to God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,
receive our evening sacrifice of praise,
your Church's solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle,
a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.

Let it mingle with the lights of heaven
and continue bravely burning
to dispel the darkness of this night!

May the Morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,
your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Panoply of Priests

2010-03-22T17:22:00.002-04:00

Ordination, Nicolas Poussin

I’m not sure if it got started in the late 1960s, but that’s when I remember family-friends and relatives beginning to express the opinion that it was better to roam from parish to parish in order to find a priest who satisfied one’s personal taste, than to stay in the parish assigned to you by your diocese. So some of my relatives started frequenting the parish where the priests were also professional theologians. Ordinary sermons didn’t satisfy their erudite tastes. Some friends only wanted to hear from the priest who passed out a paper bag at every Mass, in order to take up a special collection for the homeless men and women living on the Philadelphia streets. Gospel teaching without direct action wouldn’t do for them. Whenever and however this kind of picking and choosing got started, I recollect distinctly that my parents felt it to be an insidious development.

I didn’t really understand the strength of their feelings on this. My mother would try to explain: “these are holy men of God,” she would remind me. God has done the choosing, and these men have bravely and sacrificially done the responding. Besides, she would say, it’s just not charitable to assume the general posture that our job as parishioners is to take and to criticize. A better posture would be to thank God for what the priests do and bring to us.

True to my parents’ words, they invited a string of very diverse priests into our house and our life. There were the exceedingly pastoral priests, whose kindness and gentleness my parents just couldn’t bid goodbye after they had moved on to another parish. There was the priest who had stuck by my parents and one of my siblings after the latter had gone through some tough times in high school. There was our former pastor who we used to visit in the retirement home for priests long after he could no longer make it over for dinner. At some point during our visit, he would start glancing around his room, determined to find gifts he could present to me and to my sister – out of the few possessions he owned – so that we never went home empty-handed. There were also the priests who elicited respect, if not the warm fuzzies. They came to dinner too. There was the pastor whom I feared to meet in confession when I was a little girl, and the priest-essayist whose opinions on defense spending did not mesh with my father’s at all, but who was welcome to dinner at our house anyway, not only for the childhood memories he shared with my parents, but also due to my parents’ steady respect for his holiness, his erudition, and the courage of his convictions. No matter the variety of priests I met, the “takeaway” message I got over time was that we were privileged as a family to have the friendship and the instruction they never failed to give. They were kindness and intelligence wrapped up into a very nice package.

What a perfect preparation this proved to be for my work as an adult! When I attended graduate school in Theology, there were four women and about twenty seminarians and priests in my class. Together, we crammed for our comprehensive exams, celebrated our passage, ate many meals, and attended Mass. When I traveled the United States on behalf of the American Catholic bishops for more than ten years, I met an endless variety of holy, ordained men. I met priests who had emerged from families where there had been divorce, or disabilities – and who had become uniquely gifted bearers of Christ’s message of healing and bearing with suffering. I met quiet contemplatives, loquacious professors, and monks who operated tractors and movie cameras…all in the same day. I met priests who had prayed outside abortion clinics until the personnel inside quit because the Spirit had changed them, and priests living side by side with the homeless. I met priests whose prayer lives were so rich that they could see lucidly, what I was doing and what I ought to be doing, better than I could see while on the treadmill that was my life. The more time I spent with them (and the older I got), I could actually see how their particular gifts served the particular needs surrounding them.

In short, I came to see – and won’t my parents be happy when I tell them – that my parents’ instincts were right on. God has called a great variety of men to live, work, and speak to this infinitely variable world.

Helen Alvaré is the mother of three children and resides with her husband in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She is presently a professor of family law and law and religion at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, and previously worked in the pro-life office of the USCCB for ten years. Professor Alvaré is also a consultor for the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

In Persona Christi

2010-03-10T22:36:00.004-05:00

In persona Christi is a term frequently used to describe a priest. The universal patron of priests, St. John Vianney once said, “The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.”

Throughout my life, God has sent an abundance of faithful priests to guide me in unexpected ways. Each played a distinct role in my spiritual growth. Just like me, each possessed unique gifts and struggled with daily challenges and human failings. Yet these men worked together seamlessly for the betterment of my soul. In most cases they were unaware of guidance others had given. Yet, they were remarkably consistent in their teaching. How can this be?

I believe the Holy Spirit inspires God’s faithful priests through prayer. If a priest is to transform lives through his example of holiness and celebrate Mass worthily, he must regularly place himself in God’s presence for spiritual nourishment. In order to touch people’s souls in the Sacrament of Confession, he must have one ear open to the penitent, and one to the Holy Spirit.

I am a physician who returned to the faith 13 years ago and later joined the Tepeyac Family Center, a completely pro-life obstetrics and gynecology practice in Fairfax, Virginia. I have come to consider working in this holy place as my vocation, and I have learned much about how to practice there…from priests.

It amazes me to see the similarities between faithful doctors and priests. We both care for the whole person, but the emphasis varies. I often refer patients to priests. One particular priest sends patients to me when their spiritual difficulties seem to stem from medical illness; he had studied pre-med before he entered the seminary. That is continuity of care at its best!

On a personal level, priests were present at my baptism and throughout my life. They helped me as I grew in my faith and later when I questioned it. When I stepped away from the Church for a while, they continued to treat me with the love and compassion Christ has for his children. When I was ready to return, a priest was there to lead me back home.

At the time, I was practicing medicine in a way which was not in keeping with Church teaching. A faithful priest guided me through the difficult period of spiritual growth which followed. With each passing day, I felt God stretching my heart to fill it with grace. It was painful, but it was a good pain. I hungered to receive the sacraments, but I couldn’t until I eliminated my objectionable practices. The priest and many other people prayed for me in earnest. What a blessing it was to experience the relief of having the burden of sin lifted from my shoulders in the confessional where Christ was waiting for me, veiled as the priest. All I had to do was come to him in humility.
After joining the Tepeyac Family Center, I learned that obstetrics is one of God’s best classrooms. We cannot control the challenges of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, but priests can help us respond to these challenges in persona Christi.

In 2004, our 25 year old daughter died suddenly in a motor vehicle accident. Needless to say, I was devastated. Numerous priests came forward to help me. Eight of them literally dropped everything to concelebrate her funeral Mass. Together, they transformed my crushing pain and suffering into an incredible opportunity for holiness. Throughout my life, and particularly on this occasion, I have truly experienced the “love of the Heart of Jesus” through God’s faithful priests.

Marie Anderson, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. is Medical Director of the Tepeyac Family Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Marie and her husband Dave have three children.

Gimme A Break!

2010-03-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

Who is a Priest?

2010-03-02T10:34:00.003-05:00

A priest is a man, clothed in tenderness, who speaks of God’s mercy, who prophetically pronounces the truth, unpleasant though it might be and who reflects God’s love to a hurting world. Sometimes he is shoring up souls and sometimes he is breaking up concrete. He’s comforting the grieving and challenging the young. He’s soothing the dying and blessing the newborn.

In the 25 years since I founded Project Rachel, the post-abortion healing ministry of the Church, I have witnessed firsthand the gift that priests are to the world. I have seen the heart of the priest repeatedly. It is generous, compassionate, willing to sacrifice for others.

At the inception of Project Rachel, when some thought post-abortion ministry was a hare-brained idea, the priests here in Milwaukee supported it as did my bishop. As I was planning the training, one priest told me not to be disappointed because he didn’t think any priests were going to come, but 60 priests came and generously embraced this new ministry of mercy. And 25 years later, those priests are still involved in the work. If there is anything I need, they are immediately willing to help.

Across the country many priests actively keep me and the ministry in prayer, recognizing that prayer is powerful and protective.

Several times I have received calls on our referral line from elderly women somewhere in the U.S. looking to reconcile an abortion loss from 40 or 50 years ago. They have said to me “I can’t ask my children to take me to confession because they will say “Ma, you are old. What could you possibly need to confess?” And in every case, I was able to find a priest who would make a house call to ease the fears of an old woman preparing to die.

A priest who was preparing to leave the priesthood received a Project Rachel call the night before submitting his resignation to the bishop. But as he spoke with the woman, he knew he couldn’t leave the priesthood until he had seen this process through with her. When he finished it, he tore up the letter because, he said, he had rediscovered the meaning of his priesthood in this sacramental encounter that set the woman free.

A delayed vocation seminarian I met through a God appointment asked me what the most difficult part of my ministry was and I responded “raising money.” This former businessman supported my ministry for several years while divesting himself of his earthly riches before ordination. How many lives were touched because of his incredible generosity?

It was the pastoral awareness of the bishops of this country, who, as confessors, recognized the pain of women who had had abortions, and called for a ministry of post-abortion healing in the first Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities, issued shortly after abortion became the law of the land. And it is this pastoral heart that motivated bishops to personally call me after the founding of the ministry to ask how they could make it happen in their diocese.

A woman who had been convinced by her doctor to abort a child with severe anomalies called me after the hospital had released her dead baby to her, as she and her husband were grieving profoundly over this loss. The hospital had referred her to a chaplain, but he had been of little use, refusing to help them bury their child. I called an experienced Project Rachel priest and explained the circumstances to him. He was a canon lawyer with years of post-abortion experience. He went to the family, held them as they wept, gave their child a proper burial and soothed the wounds left by the insensitive chaplain, keeping them in the Church. She called to tell me what a gift he had been to them as he came into my office to thank me for the opportunity to minister to them.

A woman will often call after speaking to a priest she has been referred to, to tell me of her profound experience of God’s love and mercy brought to her through the priest. She will say “Please tell the priests how grateful we are to them for what they have said and been … the mercy and love of God made manifest, the wisdom of the Spirit speaking to our souls, indeed Father was Jesus with skin for me! Alter Christus made manifest!”

To the many Project Rachel priests in the this country and to the multitudes of confessors who soothe a woman’s terror, confront her despair, set her free of her sin and bring her home to the Lord and her lost children: Thank you from the depths of my heart. Without you, this ministry of Project Rachel would not exist! And on behalf of the multitudes of people who have touched: THANK YOU! You change the world, one heart and soul at a time.

Written by Vicki Thorn, the founder of Project Rachel Post-Abortion Ministry. She is also the founder and ongoing director of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing based in Milwaukee. Mrs. Thorn is an internationally renowned author and speaker on healing and reconciliation in the aftermath of abortion.

For this Lenten Season

2010-02-16T23:56:00.001-05:00

Our Bishop Shares Time With Our Kids

2010-02-03T08:37:00.001-05:00

Bishiop Barres held a basketball clinic for Schuylkill County kids. I am sure that we will be seeing a repeat in the other counties of the Diocese soon.

Priests Are Special

2010-01-25T08:30:00.002-05:00

For the last several months, priests around the Diocese of Allentown have been getting post cards in the mail from people indicating their appreciation of the answer to God's call. I have received several so far, and each time I do, the emotions take over. To know that there are people out there that take the time to offer their Masses, spend Holy Hours of Adoration, pray Rosaries, offer Divine Mercy Chaplets and other things for me can be over-whelming. But what is even more incredulous is the fact that I do not know most of them. What a true gift for a priest! Thanks to all who offer prayers for us, your servants. May we live up to the vocation.

The Beautiful Hands of a Priest

2010-01-16T01:17:00.002-05:00

We need them in life's early morning,
we need them again at its close;
We feel their warm clasp of friendship,
we seek them when tasting life's woes.
At the altar each day we behold them,
and the hands of a king on his throne
Are not equal to them in their
greatness; their dignity stands all alone;
And when we are tempted and wander
to pathways of shame and sin,
It's the hand of a priest that will absolve
us----not once, but again and again;
And when we are taking life's partner,
other hands may prepare us a feast,
But the hand that will bless and unite
us is the beautiful hand of a priest.
God bless them and keep them all holy
For the Host which their fingers caress;
When can a poor sinner do better than
to ask Him to guide thee and bless?
When the hour of death comes upon us
may our courage and strength be increased.
By seeing raised over us in anointing the
beautiful hands of a priest!

Author Unknown

Fishers Of Men

2010-01-12T15:16:00.000-05:00

Bishops Encouraged To Help Their Priests

2010-01-07T09:24:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2009-12-25T12:14:00.003-05:00

Finished with my Christmas Masses, I now have some time to sit and reflect upon the days events. It seems to my that we are very fortunate people. I mean that...we are fortunate people. When I ponder the event that we celebrate, the birth of our Lord, I cannot help but focus on the meager beginning of the Incarnation. Spend some time thinking about that for yourself. Oh how we get ourselves so wrapped up in the little things of life. Merry Christmas and God's Blessings!

Bishop Barres Christmas Message 2009

2009-12-23T23:20:00.001-05:00

Silent Monks Singing Halleluia

2009-12-15T23:48:00.001-05:00

An Advent Story: the Mother Mary

2009-12-10T18:30:00.001-05:00

Advent Reflection

2009-12-10T18:29:00.001-05:00

Immaculate Conception: St. Anne's Love

2009-12-07T22:22:00.006-05:00

Some non-Catholic Christians criticize Catholics for our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are afraid that celebrations like today's take away glory from Jesus Christ, the one Lord of life and history, the one Savior. They are afraid that because we give so much veneration and respect to Jesus' Mother, we will fail to give enough respect to Jesus himself.

But those are foolish fears. Have you ever known anyone who resented compliments being given to their mother? Jesus himself, in fact, started devotion to Mary, by choosing her to bring him into the world. After all, he could have become incarnate just by forming himself from the clay of the earth, as he had done with Adam. But instead, he chose to give himself a human mother, to whom he was devoted, following his own commandment to "honor your father and mother." And he passed that devotion onto his Church, by entrusting his disciples to her care while he hung on the cross.

True devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, then, does not distance us from Christ; it brings us closer to him. Today's celebration is a perfect example of how that happens. Today we commemorate and celebrate two things:
•first, the conception of Mary in her mother's womb (Saint Anne);
•and second, the dogma (officially defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, after being believed and celebrated by the whole Church for centuries) explaining that that conception was "immaculate", that Mary was protected from the stain and effects of original sin from the very first moment of her existence.

Why did God give Mary such a unique privilege? Because of Christ, and because of us.

There Was a Time: An Advent Poem

2009-11-28T13:52:00.001-05:00

There was a time when there was no time,
When darkness reigned as king,
When a formless void was all that there was
in the nothingness of eternity,
When it was night.
But over the void and over the night Love watched.
There was a time when time began.
It began when Love spoke.

Time began for light and life, for splendor and grandeur.
Time began for seas and mountains, for flowers and birds.
Time began for the valleys to ring with the songs of life,
and for the wilderness to echo with the wailing of wind
and howling of animals.
And over the earth, Love watched.

There was a time when time began to be recorded.
A time when Love breathed and a new creature came to life.
A new creature so special that it was in the image and likeness of Love
Of Love who is God.
And so man was born and the dawn of a new day shone on the world.
And over man, Love watched.

But there came a time when the new day faded.
A time when man who was like God tried to be God.
A time when the creature challenged the creator.
A time when man preferred death to life and darkness to light.
And so the new day settled into twilight.
And over the darkness, Love watched.

There was a time of waiting in the darkness.
A time when man waited in the shadows,
And all creation groaned in sadness.
There was waiting for Love to speak again--for Love to breathe again.
And kings and nations and empires rose and faded in the shadows.
And Love waited and watched.

Finally, there came a time when Love spoke again.
A Word from eternity--a Word
Spoken to a girl who belonged to a people not known by the world
Spoken to a girl who belonged to a family not known by her people
To a girl named Mary.
And all creation waited in hushed silence for the girl's answer.
And Mary spoke her yes.
And Love watched over Mary.

And so there came a time when Love breathed again
When Love breathed new life into Mary's yes.
And a new day dawned for the World
A day when light returned to darkness, when life returned to dispel death
And so a day came when Love became man--a mother bore a child.
And Love watched over Love--a Father watched His Son.

And, lastly, there came a time when you and I became a part of time.
Now is the time that you and I wait.
Now we wait to celebrate what the world waited for.
And as we wait to celebrate what was at one time, we become a part of that time
A time when a new dawn and a new dream and a new creation began for man.
And as a part of time, Love waits and Love watches over us.

Fr. Joseph Breighner

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

2009-11-26T19:27:00.004-05:00

Washington, D.C.

October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,Secretary of State

Catholic Campaign For Human Development?

2009-11-23T19:11:00.001-05:00

Thank you Bishop Barres for being only one of four bishops in the US to not take up this collection this year. May we pray that other bishops will follow suit.

Where Have All The Crosses Gone?

2009-11-23T12:04:00.002-05:00

The leader of the Greek Orthodox Church is ready to convoke an extraordinary synod to strategize how to combat a European Court of Human Rights decision that ruled crucifixes in schools are a violation of rights.

"Majorities also have rights," Ieronymos II said in a statement that L'Osservatore Romano reported.

His statement responds to the Nov. 3 ruling from the rights court, which decided in favor of a mother who protested the crucifix in her children's school. The court found that the presence of crucifixes in schools "restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions."

2009-11-19T22:28:00.003-05:00

A Pensacola, Florida abortion clinic closed Oct. 30, just as the 40 Days for Life prayer vigils being held at the site were drawing to an end. The clinic was facing a state fine for an expired license. The facility had been the site for three "40 Days."

“There had been an abortion clinic in that location for 25 years,” said David Bereit, national director of 40 Days for Life. “People have prayed there that abortions would cease, and it was during the fall 40 Days for Life campaign -- the peaceful, prayerful presence of faithful Christians -- that it was finally announced that this facility, where untold numbers of unborn children perished, was closing.

"That is not just a coincidence. God works in mysterious ways, and this is indeed an answer to prayer!”

Harrisburg Bids Farewell To Bishop Rhoads

2009-11-14T22:13:00.003-05:00

The announcement came as a shock to the faithful of Harrisburg that their beloved Bishop has been chosen to lead the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The Bishop has been out-spoken on various topics pertinent to Catholic teaching. Most recently, the Notre Dame honoring President Obama at this past summer's commencement ceremony. Rhoads now shepherds the diocese that is home to ND. Could this be the Holy Father's hand being played on the topic? Our prayers are with Bishop Rhoads, and the dioceses of Harrisburg & Fort-Wayne-South Bend.

In Definition Of Marriage

2009-11-11T21:21:00.010-05:00

The U.S. bishops are praising Maine's voters for speaking out in favor of the truth of marriage and repealing a state law that would have allowed same-sex "marriage." Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, said this in a statement released on behalf of the U.S. episcopal conference.

Maine is the 31st state to oppose gay "marriage" at the polls. Five states now allow the unions.
"The people of Maine voted to uphold the true nature of marriage as the union of one man and one woman,..."Marriage is an institution which precedes all others, whether political or religious. It deserves the state’s reinforcement and protection," said Kurtz.

While the archbishop acknowledged that the Church's opposition to gay "marriage" is hard for some to accept, he urged "all to respect it...the Church "stands for the basic rights of all people," he continued, and noted that it speaks out against discrimination or unjust treatment of any group of people. But the issue of marriage, "has nothing to do with denying basic rights to anyone, though it is often framed in such terms."

"In fact, protecting marriage is safeguarding the rights of our most dependent and vulnerable among us -- our children, who deserve to be welcomed as a gift of spousal love and not to be intentionally deprived of a mother and a father," Archbishop Kurtz said.

"Sadly, the attempts to redefine marriage today ignore or reject the unique identity and gifts of man and woman," said Archbishop Kurtz. "Such a dismissal only fosters confusion about what it means to be human. "Protecting marriage between one man and one woman is a matter of justice. It is a matter of truth. Law should be at the service of truth and justice. Laws based on untruths are unjust."

Archbishop Kurtz invited all to work toward making marriages stronger, and to not attempt to redefine it: "Marriage must be protected and promoted today for what it is and what it is meant to be: the lifelong, exclusive union between husband and wife." "There are many ways to uphold the basic human rights of all people," he added, "but sacrificing marriage can never be one of them."

Check out TIME this week.

Pray For The Poor Souls In Purgatory

2009-11-08T07:42:00.003-05:00

O Almighty and Eternal Father, as by your will we pray for the souls in purgatory. I dedicate to you through the most pure hands of Mary, all the masses that are offered today, for your glory and for the release of the souls in Purgatory. I humbly beg you to forgive them their sins, through the grace of your beloved Son and to have mercy on them.

In reparation for the failures of these souls to show you praise, love, honor and gratitude, and for the merits which they failed to gain, I offer to you all the praise, love, honor, gratitude, and suffering with which your Son praised you while He was on Earth.

In reparation for all the negligence and indifference showed by these souls, I offer you the ardent eagerness with which Your Son accomplished all his deeds on Earth, deeds which endure and glorify you in all the Holy Masses.

In reparation for all the mistakes and faults of these souls, I offer you all the virtues of your Son, which continue to glorify you in all the Holy Masses.

In expiation of the sins of these souls, I offer you the divine Blood which your Son spilled while on earth, and which He still offers to you for us in all the holy Masses.

As recompense for all the punishments and tortures which these souls suffer, I offer you the terrible suffering and death of your beloved Son, which are renewed by him in all the holy Masses.

For the liberation of these souls from the darkness of sin, I offer you the merits which your Son had on earth, and which he still offers in all the holy Masses.

Finally to appease your strict justice, I offer you all the virtues of the most Holy Mother of God and all your saints, who suffered greatly to make up for what the souls in purgatory failed to fulfill. May the merits which they obtained, united with the suffering and death of your beloved Son, attain for the souls in purgatory everlasting freedom and peace. Amen.

Saint Bernard's Joy

2009-11-06T23:40:00.003-05:00

Only Jesus is "joy to the heart," says Benedict XVI, citing words from St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The Pope offered a reflection on the 12th-century saint, highlighting the abbot's personal relationship with Christ. "Only Jesus -- insists Bernard in face of the complex dialectical reasoning of his time -- only Jesus is 'honey to the mouth, song to the ear, joy to the heart,'" the Holy Father said. He recalled another line from the abbot: "'When you discuss or speak, nothing has flavor for me, if I have not heard resound the name of Jesus.'"

Obama's "Catholic Plan"

2009-10-31T18:52:00.001-04:00

2009-10-29T09:17:00.002-04:00

This weekend I am the Assistant Spiritual Director for the 80th Women's Weekend of Cursillo in the Allentown Diocese. Please pray that the ladies will find this "short course" in our faith a valuable experience. DeColores!

2009-10-24T08:47:00.000-04:00

Thank a priest this weekend!

Soooo True! And Funny!

2009-10-20T23:36:00.001-04:00

Year For Priests: Offer Illness For Priests

2009-10-19T20:48:00.003-04:00

The president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry is urging sick people to offer their sufferings for the holiness of priests. Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski made this appeal in a letter sent to the sick and suffering and to priests who care for them. The prelate noted the Year for Priests which is under way and said: "I invite you, dear sick brothers and sisters, to unceasingly address your prayers and the offering up of your sufferings to the Lord of life for the holiness of your well loved priests, so that they can with devotion and pastoral charity perform the ministry that is entrusted to them by Christ, the physician of bodies and souls."

2009-10-16T16:18:00.003-04:00

"The longer I live, the more I realize

the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past,

than education, than money,

than circumstances, than failures, than successes,

than what other people think, say or do.

It is more important

than appearance, giftedness or skill.

It will make or break

a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is

we have a choice every day

regarding the attitude we embrace for that day

We cannot change our past...

we cannot change the fact

that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do

is play the one string we have,

and that is our attitude...

I am convinced that life

is 10% what happens to me

and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you...

we are in charge of our Attitudes”

by Charles Swindoll

Anti-Catholic Sentiment Again in "2012"?

2009-10-15T14:41:00.014-04:00

The movie trailer for 2012 can be veiwed by some as another anti-Catholic statement by the secular movie-town elite. Case in point:

At the 20 second mark we've got the arms of the Jesus the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janiero falling off and then the whole thing falling over completely.

34 seconds in you see like fifty thousand people with candles standing in St. Peter's Square looking up at the Pope who's looking down at them.

36 seconds in you've got a crowd of people all making the sign of the cross.

50 seconds there's an image of St. Peter's Basilica toppling.

52 seconds cut to Cardinals inside praying only to look up at the art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to see it breaking apart and presumably crushing them.

54 seconds those people who were praying with candles outside are now screaming and running. Why? Because the dome of St. Peter's is crashing down on top of them and then rolling over them crushing a few thousand people as it rolls essentially on top of the camera blacking everything out.

Doesn't the Catholic Church do anything good? What about the aid it gives to the world's crisis situations, the largest charitable health care provider, etc. Some day the voice of the Church needs to be heard.

Our Stance on ALL Sexual Predators

2009-10-12T22:39:00.001-04:00

2009-10-09T22:10:00.004-04:00

DOORS

God opens doors.
Look back and thank God.
Look forward and trust God.
Look around and serve God.
Look within and find God!
God closes doors
no man can open
and God opens doors
no man can close.

Sacramentality Of Marriage

2009-10-04T08:28:00.007-04:00

Today's readings spoke to us regarding the sanctity of the Sacrament of Marriage. It is in these readings that Jesus stipulates that husbands should not divorce their wives. The question then arises as to why the Church allows so many previously married couples to receive a Declaration of Nullity (Annulments).

The simple truth is that one must look at the Sacramentality of the Marriage, not just the legality of the union. To be a Sacrament, the Marriage must contain three clear conditions. First, the couple must recognize that a marriage is permanent, lasting until death. This means that the couple must have no intention to end the marriage; therefore, pre-nuptual agreements are out of the question since they place a condition upon the union and the possibility of the marriage failing. Second, the couple must intend to be faithful to one another. Fidelity is something that causes many marriages to fail, but it does not simply mean another individual becoming involved in the relationship. There are many other distractions that cause one to be unfaithful: addictions, possessions, job, etc. Finally, the couple must have an agreed openness to life, meaning that they do and intend to have children by this marriage (procreation).

These three conditions, when shared and honored between the couple demonstrate to the Church that the Sacrament of Marriage is indeed there. Where all three are not present the Sacrament is in question. Check the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops website at http://www.foryourmarriage.org

Makes You Think, Huh?

2009-10-03T21:12:00.001-04:00

2009-10-01T00:15:00.002-04:00

Pope Benedict XVI approved the date and theme for the next International Eucharistic Congress, to focus on the Eucharist as communion with Christ and with one another.
The Vatican press office reported today that the Pope approved the June 10-17, 2012, conference theme. The event will be held in Dublin, Ireland.

A communiqué explained that the theme is inspired in No. 7 of "Lumen Gentium": "Really partaking of the body of the Lord in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion with Him and with one another. 'Because the bread is one, we though many, are one body, all of us who partake of the one bread' (1 Corinthians 10:17). In this way all of us are made members of His Body, (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:27) 'but severally members one of another' (Romans 12:5)."

In fact, this 50th Eucharistic congress will take place precisely on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, which, according to Dublin's Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, was "a moment of renewal and further reflection on the teaching of the Church and of her self-understanding as Body of Christ and People of God."

Just For the Fun Of It

2009-09-22T15:40:00.001-04:00

Obama Anti-Catholic? Pro-Abortion?

2009-09-22T14:33:00.007-04:00

Since taking office, President Obama has been labeled ANTI-CATHOLIC and pro-abortion. Some argue that not to be the case, yet the questions still linger when he has done the following:
• He has filled his administration with prominent pro-abortion Catholics, including Kathleen Sebelius, Ken Salazar, and Leon Panetta. Catholics Tom Daschle and Bill Richardson were also nominated, but backed out. And don’t forget Vice President Joe Biden!

• The Obama team is working closely with George Soros who funded “Catholic” dissident groups such as Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. And President Obama recently named Alexia Kelley from Catholics in Alliance to a plum position in his faith-based initiative office.

• Obama has named anti-Catholic bigot Henry Knox to his faith-based advisory council. Knox has called the Pope a “discredited leader,” and claimed that members of the Knights of Columbus who helped pass the California marriage amendment were “foot soldiers of a discredited army of oppression.”

• When speaking earlier this year at Georgetown, Obama staffers demanded that the monogram ‘IHS’ on the pediment over the stage be covered up. IHS is a traditional abbreviation for the name of Christ.
These points are fact. Yet, we are told that our President is not prejudice. Jesus warned his followers, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matt. 7:15) Yes, there are wolves in the Catholic Church that effect the lives of rest of the fold. While the appointments of these so-called "Catholics" look good to the "Average Jane in the pew", the truth will be revealed. It continously amazes me how most liberals state that they are fighting for the under-dog, but still the most vulnerable have no voice.

Remembering 9-11

2009-09-11T11:27:00.001-04:00

Alan Jackson sings "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning"

Benedict On Eloi's Voice

2009-09-10T22:04:00.004-04:00

Rembrandt Van Rijn - Philosopher in Meditation

"People need to carve time out of their busy day to dedicate to silent prayer or meditation in order to hear what God has to say," said Pope Benedict XVI in this week's audience address. We allow ourselves to become completely caught up in their daily activities and concerns, forgetting that Jesus should be the focus of their lives. It is important to learn how to achieve an inner silence in order to listen to God's voice, he said.

The faithful must take time out of their day to seek out a quiet place, "a sort of sitting parlor, where God can speak to us," he said. One can learn God's word and the right path to take in life through quiet prayer and meditation, he said. All Christians, not just contemplative religious, must cultivate this intimate union with Christ, Pope Benedict said.

"We shouldn't let ourselves be completely absorbed by our daily activities, problems and worries, forgetting that Jesus must truly be at the center of our lives," he said.

The Moral Value Of Health Care

2009-09-07T20:07:00.004-04:00

The bishop of Fargo, Bishop Samuel Aquila, is outlining four principles for Catholics to take into account when analyzing the moral value of a health care reform proposal. In a statement released Aug. 29, he addressed the current debate in the U.S. legislature over various health care reform proposals.

The Bishop affirmed that the Church "ought to always promote wider and more complete access to health care," but clarified that this "does not mean that in practice the Church ought to support each and every plan which is proposed by civil leaders."

The first, he stated, is that "any provisions for actions which deny the dignity of human life, especially abortion, euthanasia, whether passive or active, and embryonic stem-cell research must be excluded from all health care plans."

As a second principle, the bishop affirmed, "the freedom of consciences must be safeguarded."

Third: "Access to health care ought to be available to all people, including the poor, legal immigrants, the handicapped, and especially the elderly and unborn members of society."

Lastly, "the means of providing access to health care should be governed by the principle of subsidiarity, being reasonably and equitably distributed among members of society."

Lost and Found: Episode One The Early Church

2009-09-03T11:04:00.001-04:00

Keep the creative teaching coming Dr. Russ. Good mesasage!

Hearing Vs. Listening

2009-08-31T10:43:00.005-04:00

Each day many of us use words in our language that mean something other than what is intended. For example: Do you think there is a difference between hearing and listening? Stereotypically, women have asked their husbands for decades, "Do you hear me?" when they should have been asking "Are you listening to me?"

If you said there is a difference between these two words, then you are right, there is! Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear. If you are not hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens. Listening, however, is something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences. Listening leads to understanding and learning.

Most people tend to be "hard of listening" rather than "hard of hearing." Perhaps we should be more conscious of our listening to God. Speak, Lord, I'm listening!

CAUTION: UK PSA

2009-08-27T17:43:00.001-04:00

Bishops Offer Healthcare Site

2009-08-24T22:27:00.004-04:00

WASHINGTON, D.C., AUG. 17, 2009 (Zenit.org).- As the U.S. president and Congress continue to consider health care reform, the nation's bishops are offering a Web page to support a package that protects human dignity.

The site includes letters from bishops to Congress, videos, facts and statistics, frequently asked questions, and links for contacting legislators.

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, describes how abortion relates to the health care reform debate. Kathy Saile, director of Domestic Social Development, outlines the bishops' general position and concerns.

The page also contains facts and statistics about Catholic health care in the United States, which includes 624 hospitals, 164 home health agencies, and 41 hospice organizations.

Bishops' health care site: http://www.usccb.org/healthcare

Bishop Barres Visits OLPH

2009-08-23T23:24:00.002-04:00

Monsignor Sacks, Bishop Barres & Me

Photo: Ralph K. Sullivan