The Holy Grail

There have been many stories and sagas written about the search or quest for the very cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper where he instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The sacrament in which His whole mission and ministry is embodied. It is through the shedding of His blood that salvation for us all takes place. It is through the Eucharist the other six sacraments of our Church find their origin. You can imagine how cherished that very cup would be that held the wine that through Jesus’ words becomes His very blood. The cup that Jesus tells us, “This is my blood, the blood of a new and everlasting covenant shed for you.”  Jesus uses very concise language when he gives us this most precious of gifts. What he doesn’t say is, “This cup holds a symbol of my blood” or “It is almost like my blood”.  What he does say is, “This is my blood.”  Who wouldn’t want that cup?  Even Hollywood knows this cup’s significance and uses its existence to create many movies – my favorite being, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.

During the very action-packed movie, Indy is looking for the Holy Grail, and at the very end, he finally finds it.  It is guarded by a very old knight, and he is told that if he drinks from the Holy Grail he will find healing and youth.  He will gain eternal life.  Wow, Hollywood almost got it right.  We know as Catholics that eternal life is offered through drinking from this cup but they got one very important thing wrong.  It is not the cup that brings eternal life, it is what was in it. Jesus’ blood.  The same blood that we find on our altar after our priest says those beautiful words of consecration.  The true presence: body, soul, and divinity, is found in that very cup on the altar. The Holy Grail is right there.  It would be any cup that held that precious blood. We are all bigger heroes than Indiana Jones once we come to believe and have faith in the true presence of Christ. We do what Christ tells us and drink from it in memory of him.  Once we drink from that cup our own adventure takes place because not only is eternal life given to us, we now become a vessel that holds the blood of Jesus Christ Himself.  We become a Holy Grail.

The chalice a priest uses is usually very ornate and made of precious metal.  Each priest cherishes and takes care of his chalice -keeping it clean and keeping it in a place of honor when he is not using it.  He loves his Holy Grail.  Each of us as a Holy Grail needs to keep ourselves clean and in places of honor.  There is nothing Christ cherishes more than each of us and He is ready to pour all of Himself into us.  We need to be prepared.  It is this time of Lent when the Church gives us the opportunity each year to repent and prepare ourselves to receive Christ in His fullness.  It is a time to remind ourselves of the true presence of Christ in each of us as we become the very Holy Grail He wants us to be. 

May Jesus live in our hearts forever! 
Deacon Chris

Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful.
Luke 6:36

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to practice mercy, forgiveness, and radical love. He urges us to show compassion to others and to bear the image of Christ in all our actions. Humanly speaking this seems impossible, but “with God all things are possible.”

Jesus warns us to avoid judging others because it builds up a barrier to God’s grace. Judging others can be rash and may lead to a lack of compassion and love. When we judge, we often don’t know the whole story and we can hurt others with our assumptions. Jesus teaches us to listen to and help each other instead of judging. Understanding the struggles others are facing will hopefully move us to show compassion, kindness, and support, especially when we don’t fully comprehend another’s situation.

Judging others can create barriers and harm relationships. It separates us and makes it hard to see the good in others. By choosing understanding instead of judgment, we can build stronger, more loving communities. By following Jesus’ example of love and mercy we will judge less and show more compassion. We will help bring more kindness and understanding into the world.

Living in the image of Christ means to embody His values in our daily lives. Jesus shows us how to love others, even those who have hurt us, not an easy task, but one that requires patience and daily prayer and God’s grace to forgive those who have offended us. When we strive to live like Christ, we become a light for others, showing them the path to peace and love.

Jesus exhorts us to love our enemies. We are called to a life of mercy, just like David showed mercy to Saul. Mercy means choosing kindness over revenge. It means forgiving others, even when it is difficult. It means being a Jesus model for others. Forgiveness is something we all need. Holding grudges will prevent us from finding peace. We need to forgive in order to be forgiven.

This Sunday’s scriptures remind us to strive to live out Jesus’ teachings in our daily lives. Let us strive to avoid judgment, and show compassion, kindness, and love. Let us strive to be the image of Christ so that our lives will make a positive impact on those around us. Let us grow in virtue: namely, love, forgiveness and mercy. Let all of us draw closer to the heart of Jesus!

You may be aware that a couple of weeks ago was Catholic Schools’ Week. For those of you who are not familiar with that, it is a week-long celebration of what makes Catholic Schools so unique.

What makes Queen of Angels different from other schools?

I could answer that question with sharing all of the things that we have at our school like:
– Brand new HP computer lab (Google platform and Microsoft)
– Brand new middle school and STEM wing
– New dedicated full-time learning support teacher and program
– New connection with Our Lady of Confidence (OLC)
– Our campus is growing so that any student can come and be welcomed and supported

But many schools can claim that! All those things are excellent, but they are more “things”.

What makes Queen of Angels unique is that we focus on what the Responsorial Psalm says so well, “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord!” We recognize, teach, and proclaim Jesus and we “hope in the Lord”. Our children are growing up understanding that we are here on earth to serve the Lord, Jesus Christ. There is one Savior. That Savior is not a president, king, governor, or politician. Our Savior is Jesus Christ, and our focus is on Him! Our school has a dedicated Catholic curriculum that you can read through on the archdiocese website. You can be sure that the values your are instilling in your children at home are being supported during the school day.

We use that new computer lab that I mentioned, to serve the Lord.

We use that new middle school and STEM wing, to serve the Lord.

We have a full-time learning support teacher and program, to bring students of all different learning abilities to the Lord.

We are building the connection between Queen of Angels and Our Lady of Confidence students because the Lord wants us to learn and accept students of all abilities, gifts, and skills.

Everything that we do at Queen of Angels is guided by the desire to grow and bring others closer to the Lord, Jesus Christ. If that is something that you want to be a part of, please call our school office and schedule an appointment for a visit. We would love to show you in person everything that I described to you and more!

Faith and Sacrifice

One of the things I struggle with as a father is letting my children go out into the world without me to protect them. Even at this very moment I have a daughter on the aircraft carrier Carl Vison serving our country and another living on her own down in Charlotte, NC. They are on my mind all the time. Every parent probably struggles with this very thing as their children go out into the world. Now imagine that you were given a glimpse of something bad that may happen to them. Granted we cannot control everything, but would you stop them from going if you could?

Now imagine being our Blessed Mother. You are told you will be carrying the Son of God, the Messiah. The one who will bring salvation to the whole world. You then learn that the work He will do will come with Him suffering and your own heart being broken or pierced. Would you try and prevent that from happening? Mary does not. What she does do is she takes Jesus home and helps prepare Him for His divine mission. She has faith in our God even though she must sacrifice her beloved child.

If there ever was a Gospel passage the has the tone of faith and sacrifice, this is it. Starting with Simeon’s faith in God that he would see the Christ, he acknowledges Jesus’ road will be rough and he gives us his beautiful verse,

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

He has faith that Jesus’ suffering will lead to salvation for all. Anna then confirms again in faith Jesus, mission and our salvation. Lastly, we see Joseph and Mary, knowing what was just said to them, take their child home where He finds favor with God in his preparation.

We know and have faith that through Jesus’ sacrifice we now have an opportunity to have a relationship with God the Father again. His sacrifice includes suffering, and it includes death. But in the very act of dying Jesus would show that Godliness, in its essence, survives death because His divine love outlives death offering us eternal life. This faith allows us to know the God has great things planned for us all and all our children also. I can live with that.

In today’s Gospel, we hear the familiar phrase of God pronouncing, “This is my Beloved Son…” Have we ever stopped to think that God looks at us as “beloved”?

The truth is, we are beloved sons and daughters of God. The devil is going to tell you that you can’t be. He is going to whisper words that are not true. Remember, the devil is a master liar! His “book of plays” is the same, though. We know what he will do. He will take something good and twist it into something negative and shameful.

I remember a good priest friend saying to me, “Remember, God calls you by name. The devil calls you by your sins!” Think back to all the Bible stories we know and love. The calling of Moses, David, Samuel, the Blessed Mother, Peter, Mary Magdalen, Paul, etc., those are just a few! Notice in those stories that the Lord always calls them by name!

If you are hearing other things that are not your name, they are not from the Lord. The devil will work hard to remind you of all the things that you have done wrong. Jesus will echo His Father’s words and call you “Beloved.”

I know that New Year’s Day was almost two weeks ago. For some, it seems silly to make a new year’s resolution. Maybe, this year, you can choose to focus on what Jesus calls you. Take this year to remember who you are and WHOSE you are!

My favorite pope of all time, Pope Saint John Paul II, always reminded the young people, “You are meant for more. You are meant for greatness!” Don’t let the devil call you or claim you to be anything that you are not. Remember, you are a “beloved son or daughter”! Have a blessed week and see you in the pews!

The Gift of a New Year

Theologian and spiritual writer Henri Nouwen once shared these words on the best way to approach a new year: “We must learn to live each day, each hour, yes, each minute as a new beginning, as a unique opportunity to make everything new.  Imagine that we could walk through the new year always listening to the voice saying to us: ‘I have a gift for you and can’t wait for you to see it.’”

“The problem is that there are many cunning foxes (and voices) jumping on our shoulders and whispering in our ears the great lie: ‘There is nothing new under the sun.’  When we listen to these foxes (and voices), they eventually prove themselves right: our new year, our new day, our new hour becomes flat, boring, dull and without anything new.”

“We must open our minds and our hearts to the voice that resounds through the valleys and hills of our life saying: ‘Let Me show you where I live among My people.  My name is ‘God-with-you.’  I will wipe all the tears from your eyes; there will be no more death, no more mourning or sadness.  The world of the past has gone.’”

As we celebrate the beginning of 2025 and the feast of the Epiphany of our Lord, the manifestation of the Lord to the nations, let us be determined to live each day reflecting the Glory of the Lord and being grateful of the gifts that God has showered upon us.                              

May God bless each moment of your year,
Father Kennedy

One of my duties here at St. David as the deacon is to meet with parents who are about to have their first child baptized.  During this Pre-Jordan interview, I ask the parents to share with me their faith journey and where they are now in their faith.  Sometimes they are reluctant to share because they haven’t really been practicing or their journey towards God has not always been easy or they have an atypical faith journey. They also almost always think their difficult path towards our Lord is specific to them and they wish they could have done better. 

First, I tell them this, everyone struggles, and it is in the attempt where we can find our Savior.  I use this analogy: The image of the mountain with God at the top is used throughout scripture so in order to get to God we have to climb. Climbing can be tough. There are also multiple paths we can take to the top of God’s Mountain. It almost always is never straight up. We go left. We go right. Sometimes we even fall back and have to start again. But know this. God has sent us a guide. This guide knows every path there is to God because he happens to be His Son.  The reason why Jesus is such a good guide to the Father is because he has made the journey Himself. But even Jesus had help in His path and that help came from His earthly family, Mary and Joseph. We know from today’s Gospel even they struggled at times. It is in this very family dynamic, the parents bring their children to the Church.

At baptism, the parents make a commitment in front of God and the community that they will raise their child in our Catholic faith. Even the godparents make a commitment to hold the parent to that task. If the parents don’t make the journey toward the Father, it is very difficult for the child to ever do so. Mary and Joseph had the same responsibility. Jesus did not come into the world just to be Mary and Joseph’s child. Just the opposite. Mary and Joseph came into earthly existence to prepare this boy for His role as the adult son of the Father of all things and our Savior.  This is the same for us.  It is within the family that our faith is nurtured the most. It is not a coincidence that God sent His Son into a family to prepare Him.

Every family’s duty is to send their young children out from home when they are approaching adulthood. They can do this confidently and with faith in God and Jesus Christ when they are prepared in our very own Holy Families. The trek up the mountain is not as hard when we have the support of a family of faith from the beginning.

May Jesus live in your heart forever.
Deacon Chris.

GAUDETE! REJOICE

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” With these stirring words St. Paul reminds us that we can find genuine happiness only when we are rooted “in the Lord” and strive to live grace-filled Christian lives. At our Baptism, God infused His theological virtues of faith, hope and charity or love into our souls. Through these freely given gifts we are bound to the Lord and He is bound to us. Frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, fervent prayer and good works strengthen and increase these virtues within us.  

The joy and happiness in the Lord that we celebrate today is symbolized by lighting a rose candle on the Advent wreath, instead of a purple one. Rose signifies the dawning of a new day and new life. It is a special color because it emphasizes the main message of Advent, which is hope.

Charles Peguy, a French poet, expressed the depth of meaning of faith, hope and love in a special way. Faith is like a mother who is faithful and true to all her children; a mother who is like a rock in the family and a shelter in the storm. He says that charity or love is also like a mother. She is a mother who gives and gives and gives, and all the poor come to the door, and she continues to give them their daily bread … each day. However, he said that “Hope is a little girl who wishes me good day, every morning when she gets up.” Three lovely images: two strong and valiant women and a cheerful little girl. Faith, hope and love.

Why is the little girl the most important of the three? It is always hope who runs on before faith and even before love with a heart full of joyful anticipation. Faith and love are vital to the family but they are concerned with the here and now. It is the little girl who looks to the future with confidence and with hope in her heart. Yes, we are safe and sound if we have hope.

The whole world waited with breathless expectation, upon the response of a maiden from Nazareth, not much older than a little girl named Hope, Mary, who held our future in her hands, spoke the words to the Angel Gabriel that changed our whole world: “Be it done to me according to your word.” After centuries of joyful anticipation, the Christ Child was born to us, on that First Christmas Day and that has made all the difference!

Wishing You Advent Joy!

Sr. Kathleen

The Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday can be hard for us to imagine.  Kind David wrote many of the psalms and this one is particularly happy and hopeful.  You might be thinking to yourself, “what Responsorial Psalm?” We may not have read the psalm very closely. Some of us tend to skip right from the 1^st Reading to the 2^nd Reading (I’ve done that!). 

The Responsorial Psalm talks about our mouths being filled with laughter and our tongues being filled with rejoicing.  The psalm continues with, “those who sow in tears will reap rejoicing”.  For some of us, that can sound too good to be true!  We may be experiencing hardships, pain, hurt, fear, anxiety… How can Jesus change that for good?

I would like to present a challenge for us this week.  Advent is a time in the Church for us to recall all that God has done for us!  Advent gives us the space to remember God’s redeeming work!  So, what has God done in your life?  Maybe right now, things are bad for you.  It is during the hard times, that we need to look back at all the faithfulness and love that God has bestowed on us. 

When I first entered the convent, a sister recommended that we keep a list of all our answered prayers.  It was a powerful experience to watch the list grow with all of God’s faithfulness. Then, the list became a source of support and encouragement when things were tough. 

I encourage you to think back through your life.  Where has God been faithful and loving? The devil works very hard to keep us short sighted.  The devil doesn’t want us to remember all of God’s goodness.  If you are struggling to think of things, find a good and faithful friend.  Friends can help us see outside of ourselves.  Maybe you can be that friend to someone else. 

Happy Advent!
Sr. Carolyn Braun

Advent, a Season of Thin Places

The ancient Celts embraced a sense of Thin Places – not because the air is rarified or the land is narrow but because the distance between heaven and earth shrinks, and time and eternity embrace. A thin place is where the veil between this world and the next is lifted for a moment, and it may be possible to get a glimpse of what one’s life is all about—perhaps of what life itself is all about.

The Celts saw these sacred thin places in sacred wells where refreshing water was drawn.  On mountain tops where they felt close to God.  In the forest where the voice of God was heard in the rustling of the winds and in the breezes. And on high cliffs where the power of God was felt and experienced.

For the past 2,000 years Christians have viewed Advent as a Thin Time.  A season where the lines and barriers between heaven and earth are blurred and often traversed.  A time where women and men draw close to God; as God draws close to them.

This Advent we invite you to reflect on your own Advent experienced of a thin place or thin time in your life. It may be a person or a situation.  A memory or an experience.  It may be recent or long since passed. An experience where you felt close to God, the Saints, a Biblical figure, your own personal “communion of saints” or to yourself or family and friends.

Reflecting on this thin place or thin time during this season of preparing and awaiting can be a great way for you to await the great feast of the Incarnation.

May your memory be a means for you to experience a space where: the distance between heaven and earth shrinks, and time and eternity embrace.

Ego versus the Sprit, which has taken over our hearts?

There is an old metaphor that I think about when I reflect on this. Imagine that we take an orange and squeeze it as hard as we can knowing that when we squeeze it what comes out is orange juice. We know that no matter how many times we squeeze, apple juice will never ever come out of an orange.  So, the question is why is it that when we squeeze an orange as hard as we can does orange juice come out? The reason that orange juice, and not apple juice, comes out when we squeeze it is because that’s what’s inside.

Now to extend the metaphor with you and I.  What happens to us when we get squeezed in life: Do our egos come out or the Holy Spirit? Do we need to win, be right, keep score, and get even? Or do we forgive, give compassion, and love without costs. I know for myself I would like to say I always allow the Holy Spirit to come out, but I would be lying to everyone here, including myself.  Life has a way to squeeze us sometimes. Life squeezes us when someone gossips about us. Sometimes life squeezes by someone’s offensive behavior. Sometimes life squeezes by real injustice that happened to us or a loved one.

When these things happen, when we get squeezed, we have to ask ourselves what comes out of us. Is it anger, hatred, bitterness, tension, fear, anxiety, or stress? Immediately, we may say the reason that it comes out of me is because how he said it or because they did this or that to us or because life is so unfair. But the truth is and the reality is that what comes out of us is what is inside.

St. Augustine, once a sinner who was controlled by his ego and pride, allowed God to convert his heart to be a saint. This came after many years and many prayers by his mom, St. Monica. St. Augustine said that the key to allowing God to do this in him is found in the three greatest virtues: humility, humility, humility. Humility in that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Humility in that only his love and how he works through us will change our sinful behaviors because we cannot change them by ourselves. Humility in knowing that we are sons and daughters of God.

Conversion of heart takes a life time, so it’s about seeing the good work that He is doing in us and in our neighbors despite us not being perfect in life. So again, which has taken over our hearts in life – our egos or the Holy Spirit. Letting go and letting God in our lives is uncomfortable, but it has to be done if we want true life. When we let go of our egos, our own wills, our own agendas, it will feel like a real loss at first. We will feel an emptiness, but if we let him in to those wounds and hurts we will see the Holy Spirit transforming us into Saints

In the Gospel reading today, we find that Jesus compliments the scribe.  Jesus says, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”  I don’t know about you, but I immediately asked the question, “what is he missing?”  The Gospel says that the scribe answered Jesus with understanding.  So, what is the scribe missing?

I propose that the scribe may have understood, but did not act on this understanding.  The scribes were very good at practicing the burnt offerings and sacrifices.  However, they tended to forget that the animal sacrifice and burnt offerings were to remind them of personal sacrifice.  Maybe this is why the scribe “was not far from the Kingdom of God”!  The scribe remembered that loving God with all you are and your neighbor as yourself were more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices, but did not practice this.

I find this true for myself.  Of course, we believe that we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  I am good at loving my neighbor, until I see my neighbor! Even taxpayers and sinners love those who love them!  I propose that we take this week to focus on those things that are hard for us to do.  Maybe “burnt offerings and sacrifices” are easy for you.  Today, our “burnt offerings and sacrifices” are going to Mass regularly and giving our monetary offering to Church.  (We have not practiced the “burnt offerings and sacrifices” since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.) 

Maybe going to Mass on Sunday is easy for you and loving your “neighbor” is harder.  Loving the neighbor who knocks over your trash cans every week is harder for you. Or it is harder to be nice to the neighbor who doesn’t take care of their lawn as you would like.  For others, loving your neighbor may be easier.  Maybe getting to Mass on Sunday regularly or contributing weekly to the Sunday offering is harder.  One thing to try is to find a Mass time that does work for you and your family.  If giving to the Church financially is hard for you right now, can you give of your time by volunteering?  There are many ways to give to the Church. You can give by your time, talent, and/or treasure. 

Take this week to see where the Lord is asking you to grow!  For each person reading this, what the Lord is calling you to, will be different.  Can’t wait to see what the Lord creates through you!

Are You an Influencer?

I recently gave a homily about a term which is relatively new to me.  That term is “Influencer.” Apparently it is one of the terms with which persons familiar with social media are conversant.  It does just what it says it does, it influences you to one point of view or another. I think we used to call that peer-pressure for the younger generations and advertising for the rest of us.  Someone or something is always influencing us one way of the other.

At the end of that Mass one of our parishioners approached me and handed me a pen.  On the pen was inscribed: Pray, Post, Repeat – Catholicinfluencers.com.

I don’t think that this was a coincidence, I do think that it is God’s Grace at work in our midst.  We are all called to be influencer in our world.  By the things that we say, by the choices that we make, by the example that we give, by how we live out our call to be a Christian is how each of us becomes an influencer.

One of the Catholic influences that I use is a site called Aleteia.  Recently they posted an article on Blessed Carlo Acutis within which they referred to him as an influencer.  Here are six of the takeaways that might help you to be the influencer that God has called you to be:

• Be Authentic, Not a Photocopy
• Use Your Platform For Good
• Balance The Online and The Offline
• Simplicity is Powerful
• Kindness Over Fame
• Leave a Lasting Legacy

The young Carlo Acutis may not have had millions of followers or a global platform in his lifetime, but his influence continues to grow years after his death. This is because he left behind something meaningful. He lived with intention, purpose and a clear sense of values. He didn’t chase fame.  Instead he chased a life of meaning, and that’s what makes his story so compelling today. Blessed Carlo and other influencers can help us to use our talents and passions to uplift others, make a positive impact, and live authentically.

Have a great week and God Bless you,
Father Kennedy

Father Windle and I have an ongoing joke about the lottery. Whenever the lottery gets very large, hits the news, and everyone starts playing it, I always tell Father, “Trust me, Father, if I hit the lottery, St. David Parish will not have a want or need again.” Father Windle always says the same two things back to me. First, he says. “Can I get that in writing?” Then he says, “Made a deal with God again?” I say, “Yes Father. If I win, making my life carefree without any suffering and worries, I will give a portion of my winnings to the Church.” Sounded like a good deal to me. A “win, win” for both parties. In reality, I forgot that I had already won the greatest lottery of all time. It is the reward that Jesus has given me: eternal life in Heaven with His Father — a treasure with no equal. There is a difference though. For us to claim this eternal reward we must give up the idea that we will be spared from all suffering and instead of being served we are asked to serve. We are asked to join Jesus in His suffering for this glory. When James and John hear this from Jesus in today’s Gospel, the apostles do what you and I are tempted to do when we hear bad news. They change the subject!

The Apostles, like us, are stuck in an earthly view of what Heaven is like and how to get there. We see the great people on earth as the rulers or the rich. In Jesus’ view, the servants are the truly great ones. Real glory doesn’t come from lording it over others, but from serving others. Jesus is most glorious in his crucifixion when he loses everything but love. What made Jesus’ sacrifice so special is that, inside of all the loneliness, darkness, jealousy, misunderstanding, sick crowd hysteria, coldness, and murder, he held out. He gave himself over, without bitterness and without self-pity, holding his ideals intact –  to be gracious, respectful, and forgiving – without losing his balance, his meaning, or his message. He remained faithful to His mission and His Father to the very end. The struggle to do that, to remain faithful, is the real drama inside the death of Jesus. In the end, it is a struggle of the heart, not the body. He loves us through the worst to show what the best really is.

The Apostles do not know what they are truly asking of the Lord. What they are asking is whether they might be crucified with Jesus on either side of him. And here is the most powerful thing to notice in this story. Jesus does not rebuke James and John for their request. He grants it. They will drink his cup with him. We are all called to drink that same cup. It may be difficult at times, but like Jesus, we can go through life with love in our hearts and service to others. We can withstand all suffering and reap the winnings of eternal life.

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris

Inviting One Back: The Spirituality of the Invitation

Do you remember the last time that you were invited somewhere? It may have been a wedding, a lunch date or a cup of coffee. Invitations mean something. They say something: “I want to be with you”; “I enjoy your presence”; “I want you to be part of my life.”

Invitations are uniquely powerful. An invitation is not forceful nor aggressive, yet by nature, it expects a response. Jesus used invitations all the time! He invited people to worship and glorify God, He invited people to follow him, He invited people to dine with him, and He invited people to repent and believe in the Gospel. We should do the same today.

Though there are many reasons why Catholics stop attending Mass, it is safe to assume the majority will only come back if personally invited. No matter where individuals are or what decisions they have made, the Church remains a spiritual home and community of people in need of God’s love and mercy. An invitation reminds them that they belong within our community and that their presence is missing.

If even one person is missing from our parish, their absence matters! In the words of the great Christian writer, C.S. Lewis: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” Every person we have encountered has an eternal destiny. Every person who has ever been a parishioner of our church is a person with an immortal soul and, therefore, of an infinite amount of value. Whether our parish is missing just a single soul, or five souls, or five hundred souls, we are incomplete without one another.

Our efforts in evangelization and inviting Catholics back to Mass are not just about increasing numbers or filling pews. Rather, our efforts are about guiding people to intimate encounters with Jesus Christ and leading souls to salvation, allowing them to experience God’s love, mercy and goodness.

It is important to invite these people back because it is a great act of love! It is also one of the simplest and most effective ways to evangelize. Love desires to be shared once it is received. The source and summit of the Christian life is participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, where we encounter the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Our faith is nourished and our souls are strengthened through this encounter, which is essential for our spiritual growth and vitality.

Let us pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and fortitude to carry out this sacred mission. Let us embrace each soul with open arms, rejoicing as they return to the embrace of the Church and our parish community through the gift of the Eucharist.  

National Eucharistic Revival

In the Gospel reading today, we find that the disciples are offended for Jesus, just like the Israelites were for Moses in the First Reading.  Jesus, like Moses, gives us a great example here.  If someone is doing something good, hopeful, and helpful, why should we be offended?  The Lord is very powerful and does not have to work through us.  Are we comfortable with letting the Lord work wonders in and through those who “don’t fit our ways”? 

I have found that the Lord often speaks in and through those most unlikely.  This should not be surprising to us, as Scripture says, God uses the weak, the poor, the lowly…  In school, some of the most powerful thoughts often come from our youngest children.  Children have the gift of seeing things in new and/or different ways.  They can make you laugh when you want to cry.  I have watched tough, 6-foot 8^th graders become soft and gentle around the smallest kindergarten student.

Do we leave room in our lives for Jesus to work in the most unexpected ways?  Jesus is doing great work in our Church, parish, and school community!  A couple of weeks ago (September 15^th) I was blessed to be part of the Abbey Fest in Paoli, Pa.  The Abbey Fest has been going on for 10 years!  It is a Saturday, in September, where you can go and meet Catholic vendors (businesses), hear Catholic musicians and artists, go to Confession as well as time for Adoration!  The day ends with 4:30pm Mass with Archbishop Perez, Benediction, and then a Matt Maher concert.  The day is filled with ways that Jesus is doing things in unexpected ways! 

It was awesome to meet Catholics who are excited about their Faith and wanting to share it with others!  Some of these brothers and sisters might not be in every youth group, young adult group, or be a registered member of a parish.  But they are working hard to share the Faith through their business, art, music, craft, etc… All of these are more examples of how Jesus is working through so many others!  What a gift!  Thank you Lord, for giving us the eyes to see what you are doing in our Church today!

Suffering

In my many years in the mechanical trades, I have had to deal with the movement and transfer of liquids. During my apprenticeship, I studied the science of liquids from their movement to their changes of states and their properties.  Water itself is an incredible creation by God because of its uniqueness.  Water has an incredible ability to absorb heat and then the ability to hold that heat and release it slowly.  This is why we use it in heating our homes and many other industrial uses.  There is one issue with water which we deal with in all heating systems and that is it will always choose the path of least resistance.  If you have ever heard someone complain about one part of their house being cold, and asking why the other part is warm, it is because of this very property of water.  The flow will always go the easier path.  This is why we use control valves and special fittings to balance the water so the heat from the water can be distributed in a more even way.  We actually are asking the water to do something it does not want to do.  In a sense, we cause the water to suffer to perform its task.  Our own suffering in this life does this for us.

We also love the path of least resistance, but that path may not be the path we are meant to be on.   Why does Jesus come down on Peter so hard?  Because he heard this very temptation before from Satan in the desert:

Save yourself. Do not give up your life for others. Since you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. Show your power. Be the Christ. You keep talking about your heavenly Father: doesn’t he want you to carry out your mission instead of suffering and being killed?

The devil’s enticements had the same point that Peter’s does in today’s Gospel.  Jesus absolutely could have chosen the easier path but that is not why His Father sent him.  His suffering is what brings about our very salvation.  It is through our own suffering we are brought along the path Christ means us to be on.  Saint John of the Cross compared it to a green log in the fireplace.  When a green log is placed in a fire, it doesn’t start to burn immediately. It first needs to be dried out. Thus, for a long time, it lies in the fire and sizzles, its greenness and dampness slowly drying out. Only when it reaches kindling temperature can it ignite and burst into flame.  We also can be tempered through suffering to burst into the flame of faith Christ calls us to be.

We need to remember one thing is that we never suffer alone.  Christ is always with us.  Always helping us through.  It is as the line in the first reading today says: 

The Lord GOD is my help; therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

There’s a line in Jewish apocalyptic literature, which, helps answer this question of suffering: every tear brings the messiah closer! 

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris

I am directionally-challenged and I thank God for GPS, because before GPS I would always get lost (and even with GPS, I still get lost).  Well, there was one time when I was 21, way before GPS, I was driving to an interview in Malvern. I wanted to make sure I got there very early for the interview.  I thought everything was going well, until I saw signs saying I was getting close to New Jersey. I panicked, found a gas station, and humbly asked for directions back to Malvern. I estimated that I had gone at least 40 miles in the wrong direction. Thankfully, I had allowed myself enough time that everything worked out and I arrived in time for my interview – and it worked out only because I realized I had made a huge mistake, stopped what I was doing, turned around, and went the other way.

I share this story because this is the first thing that we must do when we sin in order to be saved. There is a word for it: repent – turn back. But before we can even repent, we need to know which way to go. As Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  When the Israelites were called to the promise land, they had to repent in the desert.  Moses had a vision that was clear leading the Israelites out of Egypt and unfortunately not everyone came along.  Some stayed behind, as he said, “You have two paths to go to in this life. One that will lead to death and doom and the other is life and prosperity.”

In life, it seems a very obvious choice, but the problem is that we can get so caught up in the comforts of this temporal life that we may think we are traveling in the right direction, but in truth we may not be.  That is why Jesus says, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Christ’s path is challenging because it humbles us to ask God in prayer “Am I still going the right way?” We must be humble and open enough to hear him say” “Yes,” or “No.”

Where we must be honest with ourselves and him and what we must ask are:

• What am I attached to in life?
• Am I attached to a sin?
• Am I attached to a certain agenda even if it’s good?
• Am I attached to being right and keeping score of all the things that I do for God or others?
• Am I attached to being comfortable?
• How many of us are attached to Him?

Our vison statement that we instituted a few years ago now can be viewed as a foundation to repentance.

“Knowing Jesus is the best Gift any person can receive; that we have encountered him is the best thing that has happened in our lives, and making Him known by our words and deeds is our joy.”

We all have things that we need to work on and that is why an encounter with the Lord is so important when we repent.  Because Jesus doesn’t point a figure at us for our wrongdoing, rather it is about us trying not to offend the person whom we love the most. This vision can reorient our GPS systems so that we can see if we are going in the right direction with him. As we continue to together on this journey towards heaven, let us ask for the grace of humility so that we are open even more to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.

This time last month, many of us were adoring our Lord Jesus, truly present in the Most Holy Eucharist and deepening our faith in Him – in person and via social media, at the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. I am sure this thrilling spiritual experience continues to fill your heart, as it does mine, with joyful hope and abiding faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to grant us the graces we need to be vessels of God’s love and mercy to all, especially those who have wandered away from the Lord.

The National Eucharistic Revival is NOT OVER! At the closing Mass of the Eucharistic Congress, Cardinal Antonio Tagle summoned all Catholics to be Eucharistic Missionaries, right in our own surroundings. Through our Baptism, we are all called to evangelize. Thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are all well-equipped for this mission. There is someone in your life right now whom Jesus longs to call to Himself. He wants to spark a relationship with them and bless them with the sacraments. This is your opportunity to be God’s instrument in the life of another person.

Just as Jesus called His followers one-by-one, say “YES” to a special form of one-to-one accompaniment entitled the WALK WITH ONE initiative. The Bishops of the United States, in conjunction with the NEC team have developed a simple four stage process of accompaniment that focuses on this heart-to-heart approach.

Step 1: Identify someone in a spirit of humility:
Prayerfully begin to discern whom God is calling you to accompany. Before you begin the process of inviting someone into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, spend time in prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you in this process.

Step 2: Intercede for that person in communion with the Holy Spirit:
Pray for the grace to be able to accompany the person whom the Lord has laid on your heart. Now that the Lord has identified a person whom you know, commit to pray for them for a specific period of time, asking God to open the opportunity for a conversation.

Step 3: Connect in Eucharistic Friendship
Look for ways to accompany the person you have prayed for, to build a deeper relationship, and to practice the art of empathetic listening. Take the time needed to develop a real friendship and get to know your friend’s joys and struggles and share your own.

Step 4: Invite that person on a path most suitable for him or her:
Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit to invite him or her to a concrete next step in fostering a personal relationship with Jesus and the Church. Perhaps the first step is to invite the person to a parish social gathering, a service opportunity or a small group experience. The invitation to accompany you to Mass may come at a later time, depending on the person.

Throughout each stage of your Walk with One journey you are encouraged to pray the Eucharistic Examen, to help you discern the path the Lord is calling you to follow (see website below). If you can open your heart to speak about how Jesus has touched your life, your heart will touch the heart of whomever Jesus leads you to accompany. Imagine how our families, parishes, neighborhoods and country will be transformed if every Catholic answers this call to WALK WITH ONE!

For more in-depth information on this Walk With One initiative, please go to: www.eucharisticrevival.org/walk-with-one.

For the past couple of weeks, we have been reading from the Gospel of John and the Bread of Life discourse. This is very timely since the Catholic Church in the United States participated in the National Eucharistic Congress this summer in Indianapolis. Over 60,000 people gathered in that city to adore and learn more about Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist. The National Eucharistic Congress was 5 days of joy, excitement, energy, while at the same time, being prayerful, respectful, and inspiring! The Congress truly represented people from all walks of life who practice the Catholic Faith! Every “type” of Catholic was there, from single young adults, couples with no children, small families, large families, older men and women, religious men and women, seminarians, priests, and bishops! Everyone came together with one focus in mind ~ the Eucharist!

We participated in Daily Mass, Adoration, Rosary, along with talks from every expert in the Catholic Faith! Families could go to sessions that helped them in their unique walk with the Lord. The youth had sessions where they could learn more about the Eucharist, their Faith, and their building their relationship with Jesus Christ and more. Men and women who serve the Church as youth ministers, young adult leaders, DREs, CREs, pastoral associates, etc… could go to sessions that renewed and strengthened them in their ministries. Seminarians, Priests, and Bishops had sessions specifically for them. There was so much to offer each person no matter where they were in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

With all that excitement and joy, think about what would have happened (or not happened) if each person at the Congress responded to Jesus the way that some of the disciples responded in today’s Gospel. “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Jesus was excited to share His Body and Blood with those gathered because that is what they really needed! They didn’t need bread that would perish! They needed Bread that would live forever!

The Congress was amazing! It will take me time to digest all that I was blessed to experience and learn! But it was difficult too! It was difficult for families to go to the Congress. It was a significant financial burden to go the Congress. There are many good and valid reasons why many people could not go! But think about how quickly we say, “This is too hard.” “This just can’t be done.” The Lord never said it wouldn’t be hard. He said that He would be with us through everything! Let us take time this week to reflect on how we respond to what Jesus is calling us to do. Do we focus on what is in the way and not possible? Or do we see the potential and/or choose to think positively about what the Lord is asking of us?

Remember: “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me!” (Philippians 4:13) The Eucharist is the source and summit! He is the wind in our sails and not the waves pushing us down! With Christ, we can do this!