Open Your Mind To The Scriptures

Dear Friends of OLC and St Jane Frances,

This weekend we celebrate the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. This Sunday is also now known as the Sunday of the Word of God, instituted by Pope Francis in 2019. This designation is meant to remind all of us of the importance of the Sacred Scriptures in our lives as well as the relationship between the word of God and the liturgy (Mass). The document instituting the Sunday of the Word of God is called Aperuit Illis coming from Luke’s Gospel which says: “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:25). I would encourage all of us to take a few minutes each day to read the Sacred Scriptures, and allow the Lord to open your minds to the mystery of God’s love for us. Just be sure you are reading from a Catholic Bible. Non Catholic Bibles have deleted some of the books of the Old Testament (For example, if you don’t have 1st and 2nd Maccabees, then you don’t have a Catholic Bible.)

The scriptures this weekend remind us of God’s power to save us, which fulfilled the promises made to the prophets of old. The great light of Jesus Christ has shown on the people walking in darkness, as we hear from the Prophet Isaiah. Matthew’s Gospel begins with the fulfillment of this prophecy by Jesus Christ among us. Jesus begins his ministry by calling the first apostles, Peter, Andrew, James, and John to come and follow him. What Jesus does in those early days of his ministry is what the Church continues doing to this very day: teaching, proclaiming, and curing/healing. This is salvation—the healing power of Christ at work in the Church, and in each one of us.

Excitement is building for the return of the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar at St. Jane Frances. It has been four years since the last big event as Covid shut things down in 2020. I am hoping that our pastorate parishes will work together to make the bazaar as successful as it has been in the past. Volunteers and donations are needed in order to do this. If you would like to volunteer, please call the parish office at St. Jane Frances (410-255-4646).

I would also like to thank everyone who assisted with Shelter Week at Our Lady of the Chesapeake earlier this month. We hosted about 25 gentlemen and the week went well. Thanks to Mary Cooley, Lisa Wolfe, and all of the numerous volunteers from both parishes who volunteered so much of their time to make this event run smoothly. Thank you all very much! 

The start of Lent is only one month away. Ash Wednesday is February 22nd, exactly one month from this Sunday! For your planning purposes, our Mass schedule for Ash Wednesday will be as follows: 

• St Jane – 8:30am, 12:00pm, 7:00pm
• OLC – 8:30am and 7:00pm.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

The Testimony Of John The Baptist

Brothers and Sisters,

Whenever I read the Gospel passage for his Sunday (Jn 1:29-34), I am amazed at the insight and knowledge that John the Baptist has been given concerning the identity of Jesus. How would John have known all of this about Jesus? What was the source of such profound statements about Jesus? Most likely John would have studied the Scriptures of the time and would have known the many statements about the coming Messiah spoken by the prophets of old. He would have known the scriptures of the Old Testament. But, first and foremost, John would have gained his knowledge by the gift of faith. He would have had true spiritual insight granted by God. This insight reveals not only the greatness of John and the depth of his faith, but it also reveals what we must strive for in life. We must strive to daily walk by faith and spiritual insight granted by God. John was clearly “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” (Lk 1:15, CCC 717). These spiritual gifts gave him the ability to live a life sustained by the grace of God. John knew things and understood things that only God could reveal. He loved Jesus with reverence and submission of his will that could only be inspired by God. Most evidently, John’s holiness came as a result of his relationship with God. John’s knowledge was insightful because the Holy Spirit was alive in his life, leading him and revealing these truths.

May we commit ourselves, this day, to an imitation of John’s deep faith and develop the spiritual gifts each of us has been given. This will lead us to a deeper relationship with Jesus and to be open to all that God wants to speak and reveal to each of us.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Epiphany: The 12th Day of Christmas

Dear Friends of OLC and St Jane Frances,

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Today’s feast celebrates the arrival of the magi, bearing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Although we refer to the Magi as “wise men,” the scriptures never refer to them in that way. Instead, Magi is used in the scriptures to signify that these travelers were actually part of a class of scholars who engaged in dream interpretation, astrology, and predictions for the future. They acknowledged Jesus as the new born King, born in Bethlehem as foretold by the prophet Micah. The star they follow is an “epiphany” or a manifestation of the divine presence, now born among us in the baby Jesus. May the divine presence dwelling within each one of us help us to become a sign to the world of the living God, drawing all to come and see the new born king.

I would like to thank everyone who helped make our Christmas Masses at both parishes so beautiful and prayerful. Both Churches were decorated beautifully for Christmas, so thank you to everyone who helped in preparing the liturgical spaces. Thanks also to our music directors Rob (SJF) and Kevin (OLC), our choirs, and all who support our music ministry at both parishes. The music was uplifting and set the tone for the season. Thanks also to all who served at multiple Masses helping with organizing and ushering and making sure each Mass was set up and ready to go. Fr. Jim and I could not have done it without all of your assistance, so THANK YOU!!!

I would also like to thank everyone who sent Christmas cards, gifts, and baked goods. Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated. I am always amazed at how generous the people of God are.

There are several activities that will be occurring in the coming weeks, including our Pastorate Middle School Snow Tubing trip on January 28th, the launch of the second half of Into the Breach (for Men) and Walking with Purpose (for Women). Other items of interest to our Pastorate (such as the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar and our Lenten Mission) can be found in the bulletin and on our parish websites.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Blessed New Year!

Dear Parishioners,

Blessed New Year! On December 30th, I’m flying to Israel for a 2-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land (delayed a year due to COVID) with fellow seminary alumni classmates and this year’s Deacon class from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. Please pray for me, as I keep you in my prayers.

My first 6 months. I cannot begin to count the many blessings and graces and inspirations I’ve received
from you while serving as your Associate Pastor here at St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake these past 6 months, witnessing and experiencing your desire to know, love, and serve God and neighbor, expressed through countless acts of love and service.

Since I’m often asked, “Why did you became a priest?” and “What can I pray for you?” I thought I’d share an answer to both questions (and also for anyone who may be considering the priesthood). It’s an excerpt from an essay I wrote almost 8 years ago for application to become a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in response to “Why do I want to be a priest?” which still rings soundly in my soul. My New Year’s resolution is to live up to these words, through the grace of God and your prayers.

“I would like to become a priest so that I can bring Christ to others and bring others to Christ through the sacraments, to be an instrument of God’s grace through the most profound and sacred moments in their lives: being born again through baptism, becoming free from the slavery of sin through the absolution of it, offering sacrifice and thanksgiving on behalf of God’s people and giving them Jesus in the Eucharist to sustain them, witnessing and blessing the life-long unity of a man and a woman in matrimony, strengthening and sealing the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, and healing the body and soul through the anointing of the sick. I would like to become a priest to offer masses for my wife Shirley, and to pray for my sons.”

“I would like to become a priest to preach the Word of God: to make it come alive and relevant and challenging and attractive for singles, husbands, wives, and children as family members, workers, students, neighbors and friends… to have God’s Word make a difference in their lives so that they can change the culture for Christ and bring about His kingdom right here and right now.”

“I would like to become a priest to teach parishioners the richness and fullness of the Church’s teachings from the Scriptures, the Catechism, the Doctors of the Church, Councils, our popes, and saints to allow the Holy Spirit to convict them and naturally draw them to their truth and beauty and goodness, and the incredible benefits of embracing them and following them. Doing this as a priest would make me feel like the man in the parable who found the treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44)—the treasure which is the fullness of God’s revelation through Jesus Christ—who in his joy gives up everything he has to spend the rest of his life sharing these treasures with my parishioners so that they too ‘may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).’”

Your servant in Christ,
Father Jim

Love, Joy, Peace And Hope

Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake,

On behalf of Fr. Jim and all of us at the Pastorate of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake, I would like to wish you all a very Blessed and Merry Christmas! The Christmas Season is such a wonderful time of the year, as it reminds us that our God dwelt among us through the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. His birth was foretold by the prophets, acknowledged by the host of angels, and was witnessed to by the rising of the star in the east. Together, we continue to remember his birth as we wait in joyful hope for his coming again. May this Christmas season fill your hearts and your homes with the love, joy, peace and hope that Jesus Christ offers to each and every one of us.

We have reached the six month mark since the launching of our Pastorate relationship between our two beloved parishes. This has been a new experience for all of us, but especially for St. Jane Frances, with the retirement of Msgr. Carl in July and the arrival of Fr. Jim and myself at the parish. But there also have been transitions at OLC as well. We are still in the early days of getting to know one another. As we all know, transitions can be stressful, but hopefully this transition has not been too stressful for you. Fr. Jim and I have been deliberate in trying to make it as smooth as possible, and we desire to continue doing so.

As we prepare to enter into the New Year, I wanted to give you a sense of where our Pastorate will be going. As you know, the Archbishop’s pastoral plan called A Light Brightly Visible 2.0 is a pastoral letter outlining our need to renew the mission of the Church and re-energize our Pastorate for the mission of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to our parish communities. In order for us to prepare for this task, our Pastorate will be using next year to begin a process of listening, gathering, discerning, and planning for our future: asking ourselves to reflect on our strengths, opportunities, and challenges so that we may have the necessary organizational structures in place to support our Pastorate’s mission.

I know each and every one of us loves our Church and loves our parish. I hope we will also grow to
love our Pastorate and unite ourselves in our common mission. What we sometimes say at Christmastime is also true when it comes to our Pastorate mission: Jesus is the reason for the Season! Jesus is the reason for our existence, and his mission is our mission as well. There is much work to be done, but for now, please enjoy this time with family and friends as we celebrate our Savior’s birth! Merry Christmas!

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Listening

Brothers and Sisters,

In this week’s Gospel, we hear about Saint Joseph’s “yes” to the Incarnation (Mt 1:18-24). His “yes” to God’s call was essential just like Mary’s. Saint Joseph is a man that we know little about, but think about the importance of his role in salvation history. He was entrusted with the Son of God as his little child. Upon receiving the words of the angel in a dream, he accepted this Child as his own and cared for Him with a father’s love.

It’s significant to note that Saint Joseph embraced the Christ Child because of a dream. But was it only a dream? So why did Saint Joseph rely upon the authenticity of this dream? Even though the dream he had was just that – a dream, it was also accompanied by the gift of faith. Saint Joseph knew, with a certainty beyond human reason, that the voice of God had spoken to him, and he responded with generous faith. God may or may not speak to us through dreams, but He does speak to us constantly throughout our daily life. He speaks directly to our minds and hearts through many unique ways. After all, He created us, He knows how to divinely and effectively communicate to each of us personally. The real question is whether or not we are listening?

Listening to the voice of God is not about us seeing or hearing the angels literally speak. Rather, it’s a matter of discerning the Lord’s language of love spoken to us and calling us to faith. Today, may we listen in the silence of our heart and allow ourselves to follow the glorious and steadfast witness of Saint Joseph as he responded to our Lord’s will with perfect faith and trust. Let us respond to our Lord with an active and unshakeable faith.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Waiting

Dear Parishioners,

Why are we perpetually waiting… for God to do something in “the future”? Our two weeks of Advent readings from Isaiah have all been about “the future” when life will be joyous—why not today? In today’s 2nd reading (Jas 5:7-10), James says that “the coming of the Lord is at hand”—well, we’re still waiting. Even in today’s Gospel (Mt 11:2-11), John the Baptist appears impatient: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

Said differently: When God the Son finally comes to earth for 3 years of public ministry [4000 years (of
biblical timeline) after initially promised], what does Jesus do? He tells us that his kingdom is not of this world, says that He will come again, and returns to heaven! Why does God seem to perpetually keep His people waiting for His coming (his “advent”) for thousands of years? Within this “perpetual Advent” of now His Second Coming, each year the Church repeats the 4-week Advent preparation of Jesus’ First Coming. Why does God seem to always keep us waiting for Him to do something in the future? It seems like Jesus never comes.

…But He does! Jesus comes at EVERY Catholic mass! During the liturgy, we proclaim one of the
central messages of the Bible, the mystery of faith: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your
Resurrection, until you come again.” This refers of course to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time, but also to the reality that Jesus has just sacramentally come—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—and is really (“substantially”) present among us in the Eucharist. At Mass, we participate in Jesus’ perpetual heavenly offering of his crucified, resurrected, and ascended body before His Father in heaven (Hebrews chapters 8-10, and Revelation chapters 4-8 and 19).

The Book of Revelation is about the Catholic Mass! It begins with a priestly greeting (Rev 1:4), proceeds with the “liturgy of the Word” (the word of the angels to the churches in chapters 2–3), and continues in chapters 4 and 5 with the “liturgy of the Eucharist” depicting the worship of God and the Lamb, culminating in the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in chapter 19, and the New Jerusalem built upon the foundation of the apostles (chapter 21), i.e., the Catholic Church. At the very end of the book—the last words of the Bible—Jesus says “Surely, I am coming soon!” to which John replies “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20) …referring not only to Jesus’ Second Coming but also the to reality that Jesus comes to us in the worship of the Eucharist at Mass—a participation in the heavenly worship revealed to John on Sunday (the Lord’s Day, Rev 1:10).

So let us prepare again this Advent for Jesus to come again in a new and profound way into our hearts at Christmas. But let us not forget that the “coming of the Lord is at hand” (today’s 2nd reading) already, at every Mass. He does not delay. “‘Surely, I am coming soon!’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus!”

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim