Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Holy Mass: Our Behavior, Our Attire...

The following is a repeat of one of my "Pastor's Desks" from last summer. It will be worthwhile to reflect upon it once again, now that we are in the midst of warm weather.

The Church gives us the obligation to come to Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days because it is good for us. It is like the obligation to eat foods that will nourish us. Without nourishment, a person will soon starve and die a very unpleasant death. Without spiritual nourishment one’s soul begins to starve and die, that is, lose the life of Grace.

The Mass is the unbloody Sacrifice of the Cross on Mt. Calvary. Our participation gains for us an increase in Grace (God’s life), provided we are free from serious sin. We become holy—more in the image of God. We are actually in the presence of our divine Savior who offers Himself up and sacrifices Himself for us and for the whole world. So, out of love for her children, the Church imposes the obligation to attend Mass. But, rather than just attend Mass, we should participate. This means that we listen, pray, and offer ourselves up through the priest. The extent to which we do this is the extent to which we realize the beauty of the Mass and the love of Jesus.

Thus, we can see the importance of our attitude and our preparation for Mass. First, do we make an effort to come to Church on time and stay to the very end? Not only is this good for us, but it is helpful to our brothers and sisters who already are in Church. Being on time gives us the full benefit of the whole Mass and reduces considerably any distractions that latecomers may cause to those praying and listening. In a movie theater, if it’s bad when many latecomers walk down the aisles and move into seats after the start of the picture, we can imagine how much worse it is when it happens during Mass.

Second, do we use our time to participate well, avoiding undue talk, movement, and noise? For the reasons already stated, it makes sense to have the proper deportment.

Third, do we dress appropriately? This is particularly worth considering during the warm weather. Although in our church we do not seem to have a problem in this area. Nevertheless it is good to think about it. God wants us in Church for Holy Mass and doesn’t look at what we are wearing; but how do we want to present ourselves to Him in His house? All we have to ask ourselves is—and I think that we are doing this—“Am I dressing to meet someone very special?” Indeed, we are meeting Someone very, very special in Church.

We have probably all heard someone say that it is better to be at Mass whether late, a little noisy, and/or sloppy than not to be there at all. However, knowing the Treasure, Who is there, makes us eager to be in Mass with our whole attention, with all of our hearts.

Fr. Stanley

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Good Catholics and Good Citizens...

June 29 is the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul. It ranks as a special feast because both are considered pillars of the Church. St. Peter was chosen by Jesus as an Apostle and as head of the Church, the first pope. St. Paul was a Pharisee who was called sometime after that first Pentecost by Our Lord to be an Apostle as well. His work was largely in preaching to those who were not Jewish. Thus he is called the Apostle of the Gentiles. Quite a number of the New Testament Epistles were written by him under the inspiration of God, while two Epistles were written by St. Peter.

Their holiness consisted of their commitment to doing what God asked of each of them. That is what holiness is; simply doing God's will whatever it might be for us. It does not mean a perfectly sinless life. St. Peter, you recall, tried to dissuade Jesus from his purpose of going up to Jerusalem to suffer for us. Our Lord reacted by calling him a "satan" which means and adversary. He also had a temper; he cut off the ear of the high priest's servant in the Garden of Olives. We all know about his triple denial of even knowing Jesus. Nevertheless, Our Savior, knowing his weakness, called him to be his Vicar on earth—to be the Pope.

St. Paul had his issues too. He was opposed to the new sect of Jews who followed Christ. A persecutor of Christians, he gave approval to the stoning to death of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. Our Lord had to knock him off his horse and confront him with his wickedness. He acquiesced and eventually joined the Apostles. He endured many hardships and sufferings during his three missionary journeys and arrests. Eventually he suffered martyrdom in Rome in 67 A. D. because of his loyalty to Christ. St. Peter also underwent martyrdom in the same city three years earlier.

We honor these two great martyrs today. We pray for the Church especially today, that all open their hearts and minds to her mission. Let us pray for ourselves too, and we keep on trying each day to do what God asks of us.

On Friday we will celebrate and thank God for our beautiful nation. We recognize the sacrifices and efforts that America's founding fathers and most Americans have made to give us this great land. We know that our U.S.A. is far from perfect and ideal. Yet, we are loyal citizens, ever using our privilege to vote and working to correct the wrong and to foster the good.

It is interesting to note that St. Peter lived under a government that was Godless and largely unjust. Yet, read the Divinely inspired words that he wrote:

"For the sake of the Lord, accept the authority of every social institution: the emperor, as the supreme authority, and the governors as commissioned by him to punish criminals and praise good citizenship. God wants you to be good citizens..." (1 Peter 2:13-15).

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Fr. Stanley

Sunday, June 22, 2008

On April 30, Pope Benedict XVI delivered the following thoughts during the General Audience. This is the conclusion of these reflections. Reading this is a good way for us to relive the inspirations of that joyful week. How special it is that God takes care of us with our Holy Father.

At the end of the audience, the Pope greeted the people in several languages. In English, he said:

My recent Apostolic Journey to the United Nations and the United States of America was inspired by the theme, "Christ our Hope". I am most grateful to all who helped in any way to make the Journey a success. My visit was meant to encourage the Catholic community in America, especially our young people, to bear consistent witness to the faith, and to carry on the Church's mission, especially with regard to education and concern for the poor. American society traditionally values religious freedom and the need for faith to play its part in building a sound civic life. In my meetings with President Bush, and with Christian leaders and representatives of other religions, I reaffirmed the Church's commitment to cooperation in the service of understanding, peace and spiritual values. My address to the United Nations stressed the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which grounds respect for human dignity in a universally valid ethical order. In a particular way, my visit to Ground Zero, charged with sober silence and prayer, was a moving testimony to the hope which is stronger than evil and death. I ask all of you to join me in praying that this visit will bear abundant spiritual fruit for the growth of the faith in America and for the unity and peace of the whole human family.

I offer a warm welcome to the participants in the third Christian-Buddhist Symposium, meeting in Castel Gandolfo during these days. Upon all of you and upon the English-speaking pilgrims from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, Malta, South Africa, Korea, Thailand, Canada and the United States, I cordially invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Christ.

© Copyright 2008—Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Zenit News Agency correspondent Carrie Gress was interviewed on her experience being so close to the Holy Father during his papal journey, and was asked to give us the inside scoop on the Pontiff's impact on America. Here is her response to the following question:

Q: Do you think the Pontiff's trip to the United States was a success?

Gress: If success can be measured by how one brings Christ to others, I think it was a tremendous success. With Pope John Paul II, people flocked to him because of his personality, exuberance, charm and charisma. Even in his later years, there was still speculation that was the draw for so many young people -- they wanted to be close to a celebrity. But with Pope Benedict, the celebrity flash is just not there—and yet, he drew people in with the same magnetism—a magnetism that can only be attributed to Christ. From the president down to school children, everyone seemed to be caught up by his witness of hope.

How true! We are attracted to Him because he is the Vicar of Christ on earth. When President Bush was asked what did you see when you looked into the Pope's eyes. The President replied: "God."

Fr. Stanley

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Pope Benedict Reflects on his Trip to Our Country (Part IV)...

On April 30, Pope Benedict XVI delivered the following thoughts during the General Audience. Reading this is a good way for us to relive the inspirations of that joyful week.

Other moments of my stay in New York have remained firmly etched in my spirit. In St. Patrick's Cathedral, in the heart of Manhattan, truly a "house of prayer for all peoples," I celebrated holy Mass for the priests and consecrated persons who had come from all parts of the country. I will never forget the warmth with which they congratulated me for the third anniversary of my election to the See of Peter. It was a moving moment, in which I experienced in a tangible way all of the support of the Church for my ministry. I could say the same about my meeting with youth and seminarians, which was held precisely in the diocesan seminary, preceded by a very significant meeting with handicapped boys and girls and their families.

I proposed to youth—who by their nature are thirsting for truth and love—some figures of men and women who have given an exemplary testimony of the Gospel in the lands of the United States, the Gospel of the truth that frees in love, in service, in life given for others. In seeing the darkness that today threatens their lives, youth can find in the saints the light that dissipates it: the light of Christ, hope for all men.

This hope, stronger than sin and death, motivated the emotion-swelled moment that I spent in silence at the crater of ground zero where I lit a candle, praying for all the victims of that terrible tragedy. Finally, my visit culminated with the celebration of the Eucharist in Yankee Stadium in New York: I still carry in my heart that festival of faith and brotherhood, with which we celebrated the 200 years of the oldest dioceses of North America. The original little flock has progressed enormously, enriching itself with the faith and the traditions of successive waves of immigration. To this Church, which now faces the challenges of the present, I have had the joy of announcing anew "Christ Our Hope" of yesterday, today and forever.

Dear brothers and sisters, I invite you to unite yourselves with me in thanksgiving for the encouraging results of this apostolic trip and in the supplication to God, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that it produces abundant fruits for the Church in the United States and in all parts of the world.

Next week is the conclusion.

It really is a blessing to have a day each year to remind us about the gift that each of our fathers is to us. May we respect and honor them each day. If we give a gift, may that gift be a manifestation of the love in our hearts. For those fathers who have departed this life, may they always be remembered by their children in their prayers and Masses. We hopefully pray for our fathers daily. These are ways that we can express our appreciation and our love for them.

Fr. Stanley

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Pope Benedict Reflects on his Trip to Our Country (Part III)...

On April 30, Pope Benedict XVI delivered the following thoughts during the General Audience. Reading this is a good way for us to relive the inspirations of that joyful week.

In a country like the United States of America, with a multicultural vocation, the meetings with representatives of other religions have taken on special importance: in Washington, in the John Paul II Cultural Center, with Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Jains; in New York, the visit to the synagogue. Moments, especially this latter one, which were very cordial, which have confirmed the common commitment to dialogue and the promotion of peace and spiritual and moral values. In [a country] that can consider itself the homeland of religious liberty, I wanted to recall that this should always be defended with a joint effort, so as to avoid any kind of discrimination or prejudice. And I stressed the great responsibility of the religious representatives, both in teaching respect and nonviolence, and in nourishing the deepest questions of human consciousness. The ecumenical celebration, in the parish church of St. Joseph, was also characterized by great cordiality. Together, we asked the Lord that he increase in Christians the capacity of giving reasons, also with an ever greater unity, for their unique hope (cf. 1 Peter 3:15) based in a common faith in Jesus Christ.

The other principal objective of my trip was the visit to the central offices of the United Nations Organization: the fourth visit of a Pope, after that of Paul VI in 1965 and the two visits of John Paul II, in 1979 and 1995. In the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Providence permitted me to confirm, in the most great and authoritative supranational assembly, the value of this declaration, recalling its universal basis, that is, the dignity of the human person created by God in his image and likeness to cooperate in the world with his great design of life and peace.

Respect for human rights is rooted, as well as in peace, in "justice," that is, in an ethical order valid in all times and for all peoples, which can be summarized in the famous maxim: "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you," or, expressed positively in the words of Jesus, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12). Upon this base, which constitutes the characteristic contribution of the Holy See to the United Nations Organization, I renewed and I renew again today, the commitment of the Catholic Church in contributing to strengthen international relations, characterized by the principles of responsibility and solidarity.

....continued next week.

Fr. Stanley

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Pope Benedict Reflects on his Trip to Our Country (Part II)...

On April 30, Pope Benedict XVI delivered the following thoughts during the General Audience. Reading this is a good way for us to relive the inspirations of that joyful week.

Naturally, the mission and the role of the ecclesial community were at the center of the meeting with the bishops that took place in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington. In the liturgical context of vespers, we praised the Lord for the path traveled by the people of God in the United States, for the zeal of its pastors, and for the fervor and the generosity of its faithful, which is manifested with a high esteem and openness to the faith, and in innumerable charitable and humanitarian initiatives within the country and outside it.

At the same time, I was able to support my brothers in the episcopate in their difficult task of sowing the Gospel in a society marked by many contradictions, which threaten the coherence of the faithful and of the clergy themselves. I encouraged them to raise their voices on current moral and social questions and to form the lay faithful so that they be good "leaven" in the civil community, starting from the fundamental cell that is the family. In this sense, I exhorted them to re-propose the sacrament of matrimony as a gift and indissoluble commitment between a man and a woman, the natural environment for the welcoming and education of children. The Church and the family, together with schools, especially those of Christian inspiration, should cooperate to offer youth a solid moral education, but in this task the agents of communication and entertainment also have a great responsibility.

Thinking of the sorrowful situation of the sexual abuse of minors committed by ordained ministers, I wanted to express to the bishops my closeness, encouraging them in the commitment to heal the wounds and to reinforce their relationships with their priests. Responding to some questions asked by the bishops, I highlighted a few important aspects: the intrinsic relationship between the Gospel and "natural law"; the healthy concept of freedom, which is understood and fulfilled in love; the ecclesial dimension of the Christian experience; the demand to announce in new ways, especially to youth, "salvation" as the plenitude of life, and to educate them in prayer, from which sprouts the generous response to the call of the Lord.

One of these challenges is certainly that of education, and for this reason, in the Catholic University of America, I met with rectors of universities and Catholic educational centers, with the diocesan leaders responsible for teaching, and with representatives of professors and students. The educational task is an integral part of the mission of the Church, and the U.S. Church community has always been very committed in this field, offering at the same time a great social and cultural service to the entire country. It is important that this can continue. And it is in the same way important to take care of the quality of the Catholic centers of education so that in them, [students] are formed truly according to "the extent of the full stature" of Christ (cf. Ephesians 4:13), joining together faith and reason, truth and liberty. With joy, therefore, I have confirmed the formators in their precious commitment to intellectual charity.

To be continued next week.

Fr. Stanley

Sunday, May 25, 2008

The Greatest Gift of All, Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist...

Years ago, Corpus Christi or The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ was commemorated on the Thursday after Pentecost Sunday. In order to encourage more of the faithful to reflect on this great gift, the Church moved it to the following Sunday. Many Churches throughout the world have Eucharistic adoration and processions. This is the second year that St. Michael's and Sacred Heart parishes will together as one in faith and love adore and thank Our Lord for the Gift of His Body and Blood.

Adoration and procession is scheduled after the noon Mass in Sacred Heart Church. Then, all of us will proceed outside for song and prayers at two stations at Sacred Heart. From there we will process with the Blessed Sacrament down Ridge Rd. to two stations outside St. Michael's. The concluding prayers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament will take place inside our Church.

As we get used to something or someone, we all have a tendency to take it for granted. This can happen with someone we love or with a gift. It happens with us and Jesus who is Someone we love and also the greatest Gift. So, we take more time today to meditate on this great mystery of our faith. Once the words of consecration are said by the priest with the proper intention over the bread and wine, they are no longer bread and wine although they retain the appearances of such. Because our Lord cannot be divided, each of the species contains the whole Christ. So, the sacred Host is the Body and the Blood, the Soul and the Divinity of Jesus Christ, whole and entire. The precious Blood is the same, that is, the Body and the Blood, the Soul and the Divinity of Jesus Christ, whole and entire.

Because this is such a profound and tremendous Gift, it is always worthwhile to spend sometime in meditation before Mass, thinking about what is going to happen on the altar and Whom we are going to receive. Then, after Holy Communion, it is recommended that we use the time to thank God for the Gift of Himself. Also, we examine ourselves to see how prepared we are to receive Him. This is where Sacramental Confession comes in. Our preparation and the manner in which we receive manifest our appreciation and love of the One about to be received.

Memorial Day...

May we always remember the sacrifices our military men and women made for our country—for us. Let us always remember them. Without thinking about them and praying for them, we can easily take for granted the land for which they fought. May they be with our Lord in eternal glory!

Fr. Stanley