Sing a New Song

Alleluia, Alleluia, Christ is Risen!

May we sing at the top of our lungs
For our life has been restored.
May we never forget all that He did
And how He overcame death
For us

Thank You, God. Without You, I am nothing.
With You and within You,
I am saved.

The Message of the Cross

Thoughts today while contemplating the crucifixion...

Today, is Good Friday. The day when Christians around the world recall the death and crucifixion of our Lord.

On this day, we commemorate when the world--Jew and Gentile alike collaborated to crucify God. They nailed Him to a piece of wood and put Him on display for the entire world to see.

What is the message of the cross?

For the Pharisees and Romans, it was
See what he did! See what he said.
This is what he gets
If you follow him, this is what you get.
Don't be like him.
Look at him. He's suffering. He's dying.

Follow us. Follow the world.
Give in to her temptations.
Greed. Lust. Sin.
Follow us and you will not die.


The message of the world then
is the same message of the world today.

Their message is a lie!

What's Christ's response?

"Take up your cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)


Oh Lord, may I remember your Passion every day. May I follow you always. May your love for me be reflected in my love for all. Thank you for all you've done for me. I owe you my life.

When you fast...

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. (Matthew 6: 17)

Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of Lent. As Catholics, we are called to start fasting. Not by the Church but rather by God. Jesus doesn't say "if you fast" but rather when. He wants us to fast. He wants us to sacrifice something we love so that others may gain.

More importantly, we must associate our fasting with something through prayer. A friend who is sick or family member who is suffering. Perhaps to improve our evangilization.

We fast so that others may exerience God.

On Eucharistic Adoration

(I was given the privilege today at Mass to talk about Eucharistic adoration.)


"We adore You O Christ and we praise You...Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world!"

These words are repeated over and over every night at this parish and at Catholic Churches around the world every Friday night during Lent.

What do these words mean?


Have you ever wondered what your purpose is in life?

What is the meaning of everything?



Why were we created?


We were created to love God with all of our heart, with all of our heart, and with all of our strength.

Our meaning...our purpose in life is to focus our lives wholly on Him. And through His love, we in turn love our families, love our friends, and we love our enemies.

Through His love, we draw all people closer to Him.

Every action that we do and every word we speak should reflect our love for Him.

And the reason why is because He loves us! He loves each and every one of us!

More than we can possibly imagine.

He yearns for us--so much so that God would rather be nailed to a tree and die than to be separated from any one of us.

And all He wants is for you to love Him back.


Lent is coming. Lent is a call to conversion. A time to draw closer to God. A time to prepare ourselves and better understand what God did for us at His Passion.

Our ushers will be handing out forms for Eucharistic adoration for all of you to fill out and hand in to the collection basket.


I know what a lot of you may be thinking.

"Why go to Eucharistic adoration?"

"What's in it for me?"

Quite simply, the reason to go is that there is no greater place on the entire planet than Resurrection parish on Wednesdays during Lent. Because here from 1:00 to 6:30, God is present on the altar.

And He wants to see you.

He wants you to be with Him.

He wants you to love Him.


Several years back, at a retreat during Lent, I volunteered for an hour of Eucharistic adoration.

In that hour, I gazed at His presence and asked, "Are you really there?"

By the end of the retreat, God made it knon to me that He was VERY present in the Eucharist and that He was not pleased with how I was living my life.

That one event caused a tremendous conversion that is still occurring eleven years later. Since that retreat, my life has turned and now, I understand my meaning and my purpose.

Since then, I've dedicated my entire life on loving God more...and I am truly thankful for all He's given to me.

When you go to Eucharistic adoration, there's no need to pray the Rosary. There's no need to read the Bible and there's no need to pray Our Fathers or Hail Marys...although you're more than welcome to do that.

You just need to be there. For an hour...a half hour...or even a minute.

Just be there and quiet your heart and clear your mind and just say, "Lord, I'm here and I'm listening."

And just listen to what He has to tell you. You may not hear it with your ears or your mind, but your soul is going to rejoice and hearing Him.


"We adore You O Christ, and we praise You. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world!"

Why go to adoration?

What's in it for you?

Greatness!!!


Thank you.

Speak, Lord

Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:9)

So many times in prayer, we talk when we should listen. We act without guidance. We work with no goals.


O God! Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, may I quiet my mind and heart so that I may hear Your voice.

I am Your servant. May I always do Your will.

The Pope's Midnight Mass Homily

Yet there is no room at the inn. In some way, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near. But when the moment comes, there is no room for him. Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others – for his neighbour, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others.

Saint John, in his Gospel, went to the heart of the matter, giving added depth to Saint Luke’s brief account of the situation in Bethlehem: “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not” (Jn 1:11). This refers first and foremost to Bethlehem: the Son of David comes to his own city, but has to be born in a stable, because there is no room for him at the inn. Then it refers to Israel: the one who is sent comes among his own, but they do not want him. And truly, it refers to all mankind: he through whom the world was made, the primordial Creator-Word, enters into the world, but he is not listened to, he is not received.

--Pope Benedict XVI at Midnight Mass 2007

If you haven't yet read the Pope's message, here it is. The message is truly of hope and better than what I heard at my Christmas mass.

Let's make room for Him in our hearts as only He can bring us true life.

Merry Christmas

Venite Adoremus...Dominuum!

Christ is the Lord...O Praise His Name Forever!!!

December 25--The Feast Day of the Incarnation

On the day we share with family, God wedded Himself to humanity as our brother so that we can share in His role of Priest Prophet and King.

On the day we use to exchange presents to our loved ones...God gave us His greatest present. His only begotten Son.

Lord, may I always do Your perfect will. And thank you for all you've given me. May I be a gift to You.

Everything I have is Yours. Do with it as you will.

Living Greatly!

"IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU SHOULD BE, YOU WILL SET THE WHOLE WORLD ON FIRE." ~ St. Catherine of Siena

God has wonderful things planned for all of us. All we need to do is trust in Him and He'll do all the rest.

Lord, you made me who I am. I am your slave. Do with me what you will.

Fatherhood and Obedience

"the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.'
He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. " (Matthew 2: 19-21)

St. Joseph,

Thank you for being such a wonderful example of fatherhood. May I always use you as an example of a perfect father. One who protects his family. One who loves and teaches his beloved child.

And one who is fully obedient to God.

I ask that you pray for me. Please ask your adopted Son to please give me the grace to be fully obedient to Him.

Thank you again and may your shining example of love and humility lead me to Him.

Recognition

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

Oh God, may I always recognize You in all people. Keep me focused on You. Give me the grace to love You in all people.

And allow me to forgive them as You have forgiven me.

Thank You!

Alleluia, Alleluia, He is Risen

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

Thank you, Lord. I gaze in awe at Your presence.

May I be made worthy of Your sacrifice.

The True Vine

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

O God, without You, I am nothing. A withered branch. With You, I am saved. Remain in me. I need You. Nourish me, Make me grow.

Thank You Lord for all that You have given to me.

Very Good

"God looked at everything He had made and He found it very good." (Genesis 1: 31)


Can God hate?

No.

Thank You God for Your wonderful creation. My Potter. I am in Your hands. Mold me. Transform me. Make me Your own.

Render to God

"In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil, while Abel, for his part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not. " (Genesis 4: 3-5)

What does God want from us?

He wants our best.

Faltering Faith

"Beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand..." (Matthew 14: 30-31)

When I worry, When I doubt, I need to remember to trust in the Lord.

If my faith starts to falter, If Iwander from Him and start getting lost, I need to remember Peter and ask Christ to save me. Such a short simple prayer.

He'll do it immediately.

Thank you, God.

Obedience...

His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2: 5)

So many times we are so busy talking that we don't bother listening. We are called to serve God and do what He wants.



Lord, I have heard Your blessed mother. What do You want me to do today?

Remembering 9/11

"How is it possible to commit acts of such savage cruelty? The human heart has depths from which schemes of unheard-of ferocity sometimes emerge, capable of destroying in a moment the normal daily life of a people. But faith comes to our aid at these times when words seem to fail. Christ’s word is the only one that can give a response to the questions which trouble our spirit. Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say. Christian hope is based on this truth; at this time our prayerful trust draws strength from it."

"To those affected by this immense tragedy I hold up the light of the Gospel and pray that by the prompting of the Holy Spirit they will be led to an ever closer union with the Lord Jesus Christ in the mystery of His cross and resurrection. To all I solemnly repeat the Gospel injunction not to be conquered by evil, but to conquer evil with good (Rom 12,21), to trust in the power of God's grace to transform human hearts and to work fearlessly to shape a future of justice, peace and security for the children of our world. "

--Pope John Paul II in the days following 9/11

The above words were written by Pope JPII shortly after 9/11. One was in a letter to Cardinal McCarrick in Washington, D. C., offering his condolences and the other was in a speech to his General Audience on 9/12.

There is a darkness. A shadow so black that all that can be found is coldness and hatred. It's a darkness that prevails because Christ has not cast His light on it.

It's a darkness in a person's soul and it's a darkness that can kill thousands of people. It's a darkness that can cause buildings to collapse.

Yet from this evil came an immense good. The faith that came alive in the days after 9/11 was a good so astounding showing that God can take something truly evil and bring something beautiful out of it as He so often does!

I can't believe it's been five years since that horrible day. I remember my heart being filled with so much emotion. Fear. Sadness. Anxiety.

The two words that rang through my head for around two weeks as we were inundated with television coverage were, "mercy and justice."

May God show mercy on all involved in the 9/11 attack and may His justice always prevail.

The Seven Gifts

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2: 1-4)

Today, June 4, 2006, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Pentecost. This, in essence, is the birth of the Church. It's when Christ sent down His Holy Spirit to renew the face of the Earth.

Unfortunately the Holy Spirit can sometimes be the Forgotten Person of the Trinity...at least for me. However, many times in my life, I have been very strongly filled by the Holy Spirit. It's quite a feeling to have Him rush through you. It takes your breath away.

In my life, I have been taught that the Holy Spirit gives us 7 Gifts which help us daily with our faith:

1. Wisdom
2. Knowledge
3. Understanding
4. Fortitude
5. Piety
6. Counsel
7. Fear of the Lord

In prayer, as Christians, we can ask the Holy Spirit to come down and give us these gifts...however, be prepared!

For with every gift we grow closer to God. And as we grow closer to Him, the more we realize just how truly distant we are from Him.

In preparation for Confession, I have asked the Holy Spirit to reveal my sins to me. (That's a tough one) and He reveals them to me in spades.

While praying, I ask Him, "What is keeping me from You?" And the answers come to me. And sometimes (most of the time?) they are answers I quite frankly don't want to hear.

All in all, the Holy Spirit has blessed me with the above gifts.

And I am forever thankful.

Come Holy Spirit
Fill the Hearts
Of Your Faithful and
Enkindle in Them
The Fire of Your Love.

On Witnessing

But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." (Acts 1: 8-11)



To the ends of the earth...

Today, May 25, 2006, the Catholic Church celebrates Ascension Thursday. It is the day (40 after Easter) that we celebrate the above passage when Jesus Christ ascends into Heaven to be seated at the right hand of His Father.

If you notice in the above passage, Jesus' final words to them before He ascends is to "be witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and to the ends of the earth."

What does it mean to be a witness? Well, for the apostles, they lived a life of Christ and preached the Gospel and all of them (save one) had pretty horrific deaths.

Is that what God wants from us?

Yes.

He wants us to be a witness for Him. This means that we must live a life of Christ. We must preach the Gospel (using words if necessary). We must follow His commandments obediently and we must bring others closer to Him.

But even more so, we must sacrifice our lives for God. We must die to self. It's no longer what I want to do. It's what God wants me to do.

It's in that sacrifice that we are with God.

Happy Ascension Day.

Christ in Me

"If we consider the final part of the short spiritual autobiography that Saint Paul gave us in his Letter to the Galatians. Its concluding words contain the heart of this biography: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). I live, but I am no longer I. The "I", the essential identity of man - of this man, Paul - has been changed. He still exists, and he no longer exists. He has passed through a "not" and he now finds himself continually in this "not": I, but no longer I."

--Pope Benedict XVI during his Easter Homily

I went to a great talk yesterday by a priest friend of mine. He mentioned in his talk that we should read the Pope's homily (sermon) from Easter on line and how profound it was. I read it and was really just blown away. Pope Benedict XVI is one of the true great Christian intellectuals of our time. Reading this one homily on line was better than any blog I've read from any person. I invite all people who read this to click on the Pope's homily and read it. It is quite meaningful to all Christians.

In the above quote, the Pope is talking about Baptism. In Baptism (and throughout our entire lives), we must die to ourselves and be reborn in Christ so that it is not "I" who lives in me but rather Christ who lives in me.

And if Christ lives in me, there can be no room for hatred...no room for jealously...no room for sin.

Only Love.

May all who read this follow Jesus obediently to eternal life in His resurrection.