One Nation Under God

Dear Parishioners,

Next weekend we will be celebrating Independence Day and the signing of our Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We will rejoice in the freedoms won for us by that document and the War for Independence. Liberty and freedom are precious gifts here in America, but they can be abused and used in the wrong way. In the second reading (Galatians 5:1,13-18), St. Paul reminds us of that possibility. “My brothers, remember that you have been called to live in freedom — but not a freedom that gives free rein to the flesh.” In other words, freedom should be used to do good, not to engage in sin. Unfortunately, our culture has raised freedom to a form of idolatry where nothing is sinful or wrong so long as it is not against the law. And if it is against the law, then the law should be changed. Even God’s Divine Law is up for grabs if a person feels it is against his/her desires.

More and more there is the danger of intolerance with regard to freedom of religion and conscience. If a person’s religious beliefs do not agree with those of the current culture, he/she is labeled a bigot whereas religious institutions are threatened with fines or law suits should they remain faithful to their beliefs. As Catholics, we must actively engage in the culture wars and fight for freedom of religion. Our struggle for independence and freedom 240 years ago was not won overnight. It took years, and so will our struggle for freedom of religion. Let us pray for perseverance and the return of our country to being again “one nation under God.”

- Fr. Carl

“God is everywhere ready to hear your prayers.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Dear Parishioners,

Near the end of today’s gospel Jesus says, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:18-24) In short, action speaks louder than words. To be an authentic follower of Jesus, we must be willing to make sacrifices for God and one another. At Mass after the gifts and collection are brought forward, we are reminded of this. The priest invites us to “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” So we should ask ourselves, “What sacrifices have I made this week? Have I given God adequate time with prayer. Have I used my talents to benefit my family and given them the time and attention they need? Have I sacrificed some of my treasure to help the poor, the needy, and the parish, or have I just given a little of my surplus?” The way we answer these questions will show whether we “walk the walk or just talk the talk” about following Jesus. Hopefully, we are doing both.

- Fr. Carl

“Alas! O my God, if there are so few to bear the Cross,
there will only be few to adore thee in eternity.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

God Is Merciful

Dear Parishioners,

How fitting it is that during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we hear from the gospel of Luke (Luke 7:36–8:3). More than all the other gospels, Luke deals with mercy and is rightly called the Gospel of Mercy as we hear about the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, and today’s story about the sinful woman. What her sins were we don’t know, but they must have been serious, for her repentance is of the greatest magnitude. However, I doubt it could compare with the sins of David. Today’s first reading shows David condemned by the prophet Nathan. David not only committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, he tried to cover it up by having Uriah killed in battle. David finally admits this doubly sinful deed, repents, and is forgiven by God. David had been so richly blessed by God in so many more ways than the sinful woman. He should have been held to a higher standard. Yet God forgives him! We do have a merciful God. Have you experienced his mercy lately in the sacrament of Penance? If not, confessions are held each Saturday at St. Jane from 3:30pm–4:30pm.

- Fr. Carl

We ought to have a charity like that of St. Augustine, who
rejoiced to see anyone very good: “At least,” he used to say,
“here is someone who will make amends to God for my want
of love.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Time Well Spent

Corpus Christi Procession at St. Jane Frances de Chantal, May 29, 2016 (photo by Katie Torrey)

Dear Parishioners,

Last Sunday on the Feast of Corpus Christi, we had a lovely Eucharistic Procession after the 11:30 a.m. Mass. We took the Blessed Sacrament with 22 altar servers, several first communicants, and a crowd of 75 parishioners outside to four altars and gave a benediction (blessing) to the group and the 4 directions of the compass—North, South, East, and West—singing hymns along the way. It was a beautiful occasion, and I received many compliments. Thank you, Ms. Claire, for the idea and organizing the event. Next year I hope more of you will be able participate.

This week we are back in ordinary time celebrating the 10th Sunday. Time is never ordinary; it’s a gift from God. Before God created the world, nothing existed except the Trinity. It was His expansive, all-powerful love that inspired God to create time, space, and matter (the material world). As the time of daylight hours increase, may we use God’s gift of time not only for rest and recreation but time in God’s presence through prayer, spiritual, reading, and worship. It will be time well spent.

- Fr. Carl

“At the hour of your death you will see that you have saved
more souls by your illness than by all the good works you
might have accomplished in health.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

The Real Presence

Dear Parishioners,

A long time ago, a pious Augustinian nun named Juliana, in the diocese of Liege, had a vision. The year was 1209. This vision repeated itself many times. What she saw was the moon all in splendor except one dark spot. She finally came to realize that the moon represented all the great feasts of the Church. The dark spot represented the one feast that was missing, a feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. This vision was revealed to Archdeacon of Liege, Jacques Panteleon and Bishop Robert of Liege, who instituted a local feast in 1247 but not a feast of the Universal Church.

Sixteen years later, a priest named Peter of Prague was having difficulty believing in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. He was on a pilgrimage to Rome to seek a stronger faith. He spent the night in a little town called Bolsena. The next day when he celebrated Mass and said the words of consecration, the host turned into flesh and began to bleed on the corporal. Word was sent to the pope, who was in the neighboring city of Orvieto. Peter then gathered the host and the corporal and went to the pope. When they met on a bridge and the pope saw the Eucharistic miracle he said, “Now there can be no doubt about the Lord’s real presence in the Eucharist.” In August 1264, Pope Urban IV proclaimed the universal feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ) we celebrate today. By the way, his name was Jacques Pantaleon, the former archdeacon of Liege. In divine providence, there are no coincidences. However great that Eucharistic miracle was, it is not as great as what it does for us. It makes us one with Jesus who comes into our soul every time we receive him in the state of grace.

- Fr. Carl

“To content His love, He must needs give himself to us
separately, one by one.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

The Most Holy Trinity

Dear Parishioners,

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” — That’s the way we begin and end Mass; it’s the way we begin and end our prayers; it is how blessings are given. What this means is the Trinity is at the heart and center of our faith and sacramental life and is the most important mystery of our faith. Our God is three persons in one. This reveals that God is a community of persons who live in perfect love, harmony, and unity. (Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15)

The Trinity reminds us how we, who are created in the image and likeness of God, should live with all members of the human race. Of course that won’t happen until our natural families begin to live like the Holy Trinity. Let us pray that our individual domestic families and parish family may become more like the Holy Trinity living in love, harmony, and unity.

- Fr. Carl

“Those who are lead by the Holy Spirit have true ideas; that is
the reason why so many ignorant people are wiser than the
learned. The Holy Spirit is light and strength. When we are
led by a God of strength and light, we cannot go astray.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

In All Things Charity

Dear Parishioners,

Last week we celebrated the Ascension, our Lord’s reentry into heaven to be with his Father and the Holy Spirit. This week, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit to energize the apostles and the Church (Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7; John 20:19-23). The Holy Spirit also came to give guidance and unity to the Church. In the vigil reading from the Book of Genesis (Gn 11:1-9), we see the pride of early humanity in its desire to build a tower to the sky, The Tower of Babel, and make a name for themselves. Instead they should have been trying to develop a relationship with God. As a result of their sinful pride, God confused their language so that they were no longer able to communicate with one another. Their foolish venture came to an end as the multiplication of languages led to a division among the peoples and set the stage for tribal and national conflicts, which lead to the chaos and confusion that we see in the world today.

On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent not only to unite the various factions of the Jews but also the Gentiles, as well. It worked for awhile in the Church, but then again division returned, and we have a divided world, country, and Church. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will help humanity to heal the wounds of strife and division, as St. Augustine said, “In essentials unity, in non-essential liberty, in the all things charity.”

- Fr. Carl

“DIRECTLY anyone feels they are losing their fervor,
they should at once make a Novena to the Holy Spirit,
asking him to give them Faith and Love.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars