Back To Virtue

Dear Parishioners,

I have been reading a book by Peter Kreeft called Back to Virtue about our need to return to lives of virtue. He speaks of the cardinal virtues of justice, wisdom, courage, and moderation, and the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. He weaves these virtues around a discussion of the beatitudes (blessed are the peacemakers…). I wonder about what happened to these virtues? I have atheist friends who are nice people. You probably do as well. They wouldn’t kill or steal. They would probably measure up well to the Ten Commandments. But I reflect on them with sadness for their perspective is limited in that they are in this life by themselves. They live by self-chosen standards, and their view is that when they die, that is all. Game over. This life is all they have. I have a friend who is a nice person, but he wants almost desperately to have important memorable experiences. He has to fill his time with things and events. I guess that is well and good. But I do things hopefully with a greater purpose in mind. I try to make God my standard, coming from his revelation in scripture, the words and actions of his son, Jesus, and his spirit which motivates me.

The attitude of Job is important here. In this life, when difficulty hits, when pain and sorrow are present, belief in God is an asset and a consolation. I can rely on God’s truths. I try to live in him, through him, and with him. I believe that God is love, true love, ever growing and other centered. So I want to be virtuous, because those are qualities that have been handed down over the ages. They are not easy and fly in the face of our culture. I am not in it to get a reward or to feel good but to try to please God and to live up to his standards.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

“Often in the course of the day, ask for the light of the Holy Spirit.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Souls In Purgatory

Dear Parishioners,

November is the month of the Souls in Purgatory as we celebrated Mass last Thursday for our beloved dead. It’s the one day of the year that I wear black vestments as a sign of mourning for my deceased parents and relatives as well as for yours. It’s a day we remember the blessing they were to us, as well as an opportunity to pray for their speedy entry into heaven, should they need some help, and help for those still in Purgatory who need our prayers. It’s one of the 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy and a noble and excellent way of acting. However, it should not end on November the 2nd. The entire month should be a time during which we regularly remember and pray for the dead. After all, they are still part of the Church (the Church Suffering) while we (the Church Militant) fight through prayer and sacrifice for their joining with the Saints (the Church Triumphant) in the kingdom of heaven. As we remember our beloved dead, we ought to look ahead to our departure from this world. Have you looked to see if your will is up to date? Have you made plans for your funeral? Certainly there ought to be a Mass as that will greatly shorten the time spent in Purgatory. Have you left some money in your will for the poor and the Church? One spiritual writer once said that entry into heaven requires a reference from the poor, as our Lord had a special affection for them. Finally, this week’s first reading talks about wisdom (Wisdom 6:12-16). The wise virgins were ready for their master’s arrival (Matthew 25:1-13). May we imitate their readiness through prayer, service, and sacrifice to God and neighbor.

Fr. Carl

“The sun never hides his light for fear of inconveniencing the owls.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Remembering Those Gone Before Us

Dear Parishioners,

As you read this, we commemorated All Saints and All Souls days this past week. I have been thinking about those who have gone before. Personally, I am thinking about my father, who died when I was 19, and my grandparents. My family was not a calm and peaceful place due to many factors. So I remember these family members not as simple relationships but as people with interesting lives who touched me in different ways. My grandfather was a cook on a Navy submarine. He one time filled several cereal bowls with all the cereal in the box to prove to his stubborn grandson, myself, that the toy on the picture was not in the box! My grandmother who, when we lived with her during one of my parent's separations, locked my brothers and I in our room on Saturday morning, so she could sleep later. It was reasonable, because if not, we would take a blanket and surf down the long stairway like a roller coaster! My other grandfather I never knew. He came to America from Greece, in an arranged marriage. He stayed briefly, became ill, and leaving his pregnant wife, went back to Greece shortly to die. And so, my personal heritage is before me. But also at Mass, we call upon the Saints and all those who have gone before us. We call upon an angel to take our sacrifice to the heavenly altar, and we remember the Holy Father and our Archbishop. We are a communal church, and this is most evident when we celebrate Eucharist during these holy days. We pray to the Communion of Saints to intercede for us.

Dear Lord, we thank you for our Church, eternal Church, Church throughout the world, and the church called St. Jane Frances. We remember and honor all who have built this Church, the many countless people whose toil and riches were poured into these places, so that all may revere God and carry on a relationship with His Son. Thank you Lord, for the benefit of their hard lives and labor. Let us continue on and give this gift to those who will come after us.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

“To preserve Purity, three things are necessary; the practice of the Presence of God, prayer, and the Sacraments; and again, the reading of holy books—this nourishes the soul .”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Praying the Rosary

Dear Parishioners,

Two weeks ago, October 13, 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of the Blessed Mother’s appearance at Fatima and the Miracle of the Dancing of the Sun witnessed by a crowd of 70,000 in 1917. Our Lady had asked for prayer for the reparation of sin around the world, predicting a greater war than World War I, which was going on at that time. Unfortunately, not enough listened to her and prayed, and so World War II broke out and claimed the lives of 60 million men. Sin still abounds in the world and seems to be growing and growing. There is still a need for prayer for the reparation of sin. The prayer Mary called for was the Rosary. Even though October, the month of the Rosary, is almost over, Pope Francis urges us to keep praying. “Never put the Rosary aside, but continue to recite it as she asked” (Vatican Radio October 13, 2017).

At Fatima, Mary asked for the daily praying of the Rosary and made the following promise: “I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making preparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the of the beads, and keep me company for 15 minutes while meditation on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary.”

Pope Francis ended his remarks encouraging us to “Go forward in your journey without losing sight of the Mother, like a child who feels safe when close to his mother, we too are safe when we are close to our Lady.”

Fr. Carl

“Do we take as much care of our soul as of our body?”
~Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Appreciating The Gift Of Life

Dear Parishioners,

October is Pro-life month. One month out of the year where we assert the value and dignity of life from conception to natural death. I see pro-life as a pro-humanity, pro-vitality, pro-growth idea. God, the creator of the universe, has given us this most precious entity, life. We have the ability to move about and travel as a result of this life. We can communicate with other people rather complex and beautiful things, and touch the lives of others in relationship because of this life. We can imagine, feel, think, and reason because of this gift of life. We can participate in the conception and growth of children. And as we are created in the image of God, they are created in our image and look like us and share our qualities. We are dependent upon this beautiful and vast world we have been given, a world that is fine-tuned to our needs with air to breath, water to drink, food to nourish us, and beauty to perceive. We are conceived in the image of God and born with dignity and value that does not have to be earned. We are loved first and foremost by God even before we are born. All of life is a value and a precious thing. Unfortunately, we squander it loosely. We waste it easily. We abuse it badly. We break it ignorantly. We do not respect its power and complexity, its grandeur and potential. We take it for granted and sometimes see it as a nuisance or a problem to be destroyed. Let us this month stop and consider what we have in our life and the lives of others. Let us be aware of the warmth, the humor, the awe we experience in this life as well as the duty and commitment for others it brings. Let us meet the needs we see in others and the joy there is in doing good for others. There is but a thin shadow that exists between life and death. Let us always and everywhere appreciate God's gift of life. Let us give honor to God who is the giver of this good gift.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

“If we possessed a real penetrating faith like the saints we should see our Lord like they did.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Peace In A World Spinning Out Of Control

Dear Parishioners,

A friend of mine from Indiana recently came for a visit. He and I went to Gettysburg which was on his bucket list. We walked across the field where Pickett’s Charge occurred. At this part of the battle, over 12,000 Confederate soldiers attacked the Union lines marching across an open field. They were annihilated by the Union cannon and musket fire. Few made it to the Union line. We walked on sacred ground. I was struck by the peacefulness of the field that is there now, 150 years later. There are clumps of white and yellow flowers, wheat, and beans. Life has taken over where there was great death and destruction. Our faith is like this field. It is a salve for pain and suffering. It is a peace-filled place among chaos and strife. It is an offer of joy and love instead of war and hate. It carries us away from our human brokenness and shows us the image of a merciful God. It leaves the cross and becomes the resurrection.

We have encountered another field of destruction recently, that of a field in Las Vegas. This shooting leaving 58 dead only intensifies my need for God’s peace and love. My don’t we need peace in our lives! What have we become? Where is our society going? We are Catholics and have Christ as our leader who calls us to love one another. He offers us his peace as he enters the locked places of our lives. Let us look into our hearts and find a way to offer to the world the measure of our faith—love, respect, understanding, mercy, and peace. Our chaotic and dangerous world is spinning out of control. Let us hold it gently in the hands of faith and pray diligently that we who are followers of Christ will bring peace to it. As we say in morning and evening prayer, “God come to my assistance. Lord make haste to help us.”

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

“After thanking our guardian angel who has remained by our side during our sleep, we should ask him for his protection during the day.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Giving Back To God

Dear Parishioners,

“It’s not just for breakfast anymore.” That was the slogan of the orange growers a number of years ago as they tried to promote more sales of orange juice. In other words, “Drink more orange juice at other times of the day.” You could say something similar about stewardship. “It’s not just about money anymore.” Actually it never was just about money; it was the recognition that everything belongs to God, including money.

In the book of Genesis after he creates the world (Genesis 1:28–30), God tells Adam and Eve, “Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all living things that move on the earth.” He went on to give them all that covered the earth so as to be the first stewards of his creation. So then, we see the two sons of Adam and Eve giving back to God some of his gifts as good stewards should (Genesis 4). Cain sacrificed some of the fruit from the soil, and Abel sacrificed one of the best firstlings of his flock. Ever since then, God’s people gave something back to God – because they were grateful. King David has a beautiful prayer, “Therefore, our God we give you thanks and praise the majesty of your name… For everything is from you, and we only give you what we have received from you” (1 Chronicles 29:14-16). David, Cain, and Abel realized their dependence on God and, in gratitude, paid him back.

However, this week’s gospel (Matthew 21:33-43) shows some selfish and greedy stewards who not only refuse to give the landowners any of the produce, they beat and killed some of his servants and even killed his son. Naturally, those stewards came to a bad end because of their selfish greed. Let us be ever grateful for God’s gifts and generous in giving back to God a portion of what is his.

Fr. Carl

“We are occupied with a hundred and one things which, for the most part, amount to nothing; while, as for Jesus Christ, we pass hours and even whole days without giving him a thought. Or, if we do, it is so indef inite that we are scarcely conscious of it.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars