June 11, 2023
Year of Mary
October 1, 2022 to December 8, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Peace be with you. This weekend is the annual celebration of the Sunday of the Body and Blood of Christ, also commonly called Corpus Christi. Each Sunday, we celebrate the Eucharist, but this one Sunday of the year is set aside to specifically focus on the belief that the Lord is truly present, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is not a symbol. It is a reality.
On the night before he died, Jesus said, “This is my body… this is my blood.” And we take his words seriously.
The Catholic Church throughout the United States is in the midst of a Eucharistic Revival called for by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Bishop Ricken has published a pastoral letter called Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist for both the Eucharistic Revival and as the next step in his “Disciples on the Way” initiative.
My life was transformed by learning about the Eucharist, and much more importantly, spending time with our Lord, present in the Eucharist, before the tabernacle and during periods of Eucharistic Adoration.
Jesus gives us faith. Jesus is present in the Eu-charist. So it follows that spending time in prayer before the Eucharist strengthens one’s faith. It doesn’t just strengthen it, it sets it on fire.
I want both of these parishes to be vibrant faith-filled communities. When I look at other vibrant parishes, there are always four strong pillars of parish life: 1) a strong devotion to Mary, 2) dedication to reading and stud-ying the Word of God, 3) faithfulness to celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation (a.k.a. Confession), and 4) most importantly, a strong Eucharistic life.
Do you want these parishes to flourish?
Do you want these parishes to flourish?
It begins with renewing your relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist. Here are three ways to renew your relationship with the Eucharist: 1) read the bishop’s pastoral letter Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist. Both parish websites will have a link where you can access it directly. 2) Be attentive during the celebration of the Mass. The readings for Mass are available in the Word Among Us, in numerous places online, and on various apps on your phone. Read, pray and ponder over these readings in the days leading up to Mass. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your ears and heart to be attentive to the way that the Lord is speaking to you through these words. Arrive at Mass early to give yourself time to pray and to recollect yourself. And lastly, 3) visit the Eucharist often. It used to be normal Catholic practice for people to drop into the church to pray before the tabernacle. This should be a normal practice for today also. The pastoral councils at both parishes are discussing times to make Eucharistic Adoration available so that people can come before the Lord in prayer.
St. Paul wrote, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has any heart imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Jesus is waiting in the tabernacle to give you these blessings. Go and meet him there.
Blessings,
Fr. Bill
June 4, 2023
Year of Mary
October 1, 2022 to December 8, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This weekend we observe Trinity Sunday, which celebrates the central mystery of the Christian faith.
All religions are not the same. Belief in the Trinity distinguishes Christians from other world religions. Hindus believe in many gods. Buddhists are unsure about god’s existence. Jews and Muslims share with us a belief in one god, but find our belief in a Trinity as erroneous and offensive.
Our belief in the Trinity sets us apart from all other religions and is a belief that we share with all other Christian denominations.
Our belief in the Trinity is that the ONE God is a communion of three persons. Not that there are three Gods. Nor is each person one-third of God. Each person of the Trinity is fully God.
The Trinity reveals that God is, in himself, a circle of self-giving love. He is a communion of persons bound by the gift of love. The Father is the one who loves, and the Son is the one who is loved, and the Holy Spirit is the love that is shared among them. God is a communion of love based upon relationships between persons.
This probably seems like a remote theological point that does not have an impact on our day-to-day faith. However, by revealing himself as a communion of person, God reveals that faithful love is at the heart of who he is. If love is at the heart of who God is, he can share himself with us in a way that is more profound and intimate than we can ever imagine.
If God is not a Trinity, then Jesus is just a creature. If Jesus is just a creature, then God sent a creature to work our redemption rather than doing it himself. If God is not a Trinity, then the Holy Spirit is not God, but rather some vague force. If the Holy Spirit is just a creature, then we would not be receiving God himself into our hearts through faith and the sacrament.
But since God is a Trinity, we can truly and beautifully say that God himself chose to enter our world to save. Since God is a Trinity, we can truly and beautifully say that God himself dwells in our hearts as the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
Fr. Bill
May 28, 2023
Year of Mary
October 1, 2022 to December 8, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Come Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful!
This Sunday is the celebration of Pentecost. The name simply means fifty, since it is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter. It is the celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples who were gathered with Mary in the upper room.
Have you experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? If you have been baptized and confirmed, you have received the Holy Spirit, whether you realize it or not. But even though Catholics have received the Holy Spirit sacramentally, most Catholics are uncertain about how the Holy Spirit acts in their life. The Pentecostal Denomination places a great emphasis on the more dramatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. Within the Catholic Church, the Charismatic Renewal has a similar focus. Most Catholics have not had these dramatic experiences, and as a result, doubt about the power of the Spirit in their lives. But the Bible is clear that the greatest gifts of the Spirit are supernatural Faith, confident Hope, and agape Love. These gifts are often present, even when they are not expressed in a dramatic way.
Many Catholics were never taught that they should be asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If they do not know to ask for the Spirit, how will they receive it?
At different points in my life, I have participated in Catholic charismatic prayer groups. I have witnessed these dramatic gifts in person. They are real. They are powerful. And they can change lives. But usually, I experience the gift of the Spirit during times of silent and meditative prayer. The gifts of the Spirit are just as real, just as powerful, and just as transformative, even when they come silently.
How can we tell if we have received the Spirit? Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, “You will know them by their fruit.” And this is the test about whether the Spirit is present: Does this experience lead me to a closer relationship with God and a holier life? If it does, it is of the Spirit. If it does not, it is not of the Spirit.
I have been praying for a renewed outpouring of the Spirit on these parishes. At Mass during the Eucharistic Prayer, there are two times that the priest calls down the Holy Spirit. The calling down of the Holy Spirit is called the EPICLESIS. The first time is over the gifts, the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine, the server rings the bells, and the words are pronounced: “Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts…”
The second time is not as clear, but it is equally present. It is the EPICLESIS over the people. After the consecration, the priest continues the Eucharistic Prayer, and calls down the Spirit on the people with these words, “...filled with the Holy Spirit, [we] may become one body, one spirit in Christ. May he make us an eternal offering to you…”
Just as the Spirit is called down upon the gifts of bread and wine, that they may be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, so the Spirit is called down upon you, that you may become a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, that is the Church.
Today, we hear how the Spirit came down as tongues of fire. May the Spirit set your life and faith on fire starting today.
Blessings,
Fr. Bill
May 21, 2023
Year of Mary
October 1, 2022 to December 8, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Lord has risen! He has truly risen!
It is hard to believe that it’s almost the end of the Easter Season, and soon we will not be using that greeting anymore. But the end of the Easter Season draws our attention to a number of important Catholic feasts, and for me personally, it’s also close to my birthday.
This Sunday is the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord. Next Sunday is the celebration of Pentecost, followed by Trinity Sunday a week later. Since this is the patronal feast of the church in School Hill, there will be a special breakfast after the 8:00 am Mass to make the occasion especially festive. Lastly, my favorite Sunday of the whole year, the Feast of Corpus Christi.
It was in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament that my Catholic Faith was set on fire, and drawing close to our Lord present in the Eucharist in the tabernacles of our churches never fails to renew my energy. In 2011, I was ordained the day before Corpus Christi, so my first Mass as a priest was on the Sunday of Corpus Christi. The Eucharist is a dear love of mine, and I wish to share that love with you.
At Bishop Ricken’s request our parishes will be reviving the practice of the Corpus Christi procession this year. Starting this weekend, and each weekend until Corpus Christi, the bulletin will have information about the Corpus Christi procession.
Now it’s not really my style to talk about my birthday in the bulletin column, but a number of people have already asked me about it, so I will provide you with two of my birthday wishes.
My first wish is that the Corpus Christi procession has large and enthusiastic participation.
My second wish is that we really take seriously the obligation to pray daily. I hope that when I am called to my next parish (and I have no clue when that will be) that the next priest is overwhelmed by the number of people in these parishes who have deep prayer lives. I encourage you to consider going on an Entrust Retreat. They are free. Don’t buy me any books for my birthday, but buy yourself a book about prayer. I have two to recommend: Prayer for Beginners by Dr. Peter Kreeft, and Prayer Primer by Fr. Thomas Dubay. If you do not already pray the Rosary, pray a Rosary for me on my birthday. If you do not already read scripture, begin with the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew on my birthday, and continue with a chapter a day until you have read all four Gospels.
Blessings,
Fr. Bill
May 14, 2023
Year of Mary
October 1, 2022 to December 8, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
He is risen! He has truly Risen! Alleluia! Peace be with you! In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a promise, “I will not leave you orphans.” Jesus keeps this promise by making us a part of his family through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gives us a father.
Saint Paul shared this reality with the early Christians: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15-16). Or: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4:6).
This means that like any father, God has given us life. In response to the gift of life, we owe Him acts of thanksgiving and praise. And God is not an absentee father, but continues to nurture and guide us. He provides for us. So in moments of need, we should look towards Him to provide for our spiritual and material needs. In times of confusion, we should look towards Him to guide us.
Reflecting on our relationship with God as our Father, we need to also examine ourselves: Do we live in a way that gives honor and glory to God? By our words and actions, can others see “a family re-semblance” between God and us, who are his children? A father delights in looking upon his children and seeing that they have the same eye color or similar shaped ears. But a father brims with honor when he see that his children do not share a mere physical resemblance to him, but share the same virtues, values, and honor with which he lived his life, and hoped to pass to his children.
Jesus gives us a mother.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus looked down from upon his cross. He saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved, and said “behold, your mother” (see John 19:26-27). From the earliest days of the Church, this passage has been understood to mean that Jesus was giving us his own mother to be our mother in the order of grace. Mothers nurture and nourish. During the nine months of pregnancy a child draws its life from the blood of the mother. As the mother holds her child as she nurses him, can she not say, “Behold, this is of my body, and I give it to you?” While fathers can certainly be tender, tenderness is usually the privilege domain of a mother. The long experience of the church shows us that Mary continues to nurture and nourish her children. She encourages and strengthens us to grow stronger in faith. She brings us closer to Jesus.
If you want your faith to grow stronger, and if you want a personal relationship with Jesus, begin a devotion to Mary.
Blessings,
Fr. Bill
May 7, 2023
Year of Mary
October 1, 2022 to December 8, 2023
Hear to Serve
WORD AND SERVICE
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we can peek back in time to the early Church and see how the roles of Bishops and Deacons were defined.
It didn’t take long for complaints in the Church to start coming in. The Hellenists (Greeks) complained that their widows are being ignored in the distribution of food. So, the Twelve (these are the Apostles, the first Bishops) gathered with the whole community of disciples and declared, “It’s not right for us to neglect the Word of God to serve at table.”
The Apostles, the first Bishops, were making clear from the start that their primary role is not to be direct service to the people. Their primary role is to pray for their people, to study, proclaim, and preach the Word of God to the people. Through Apostolic succession, the bishops’ role has remained much the same through the ages. It’s through the bishops’ prayer and study that they are able to direct the proper charisms for the Church.
The Apostles said, “Friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task. While we for our part will devote ourselves to prayer.”
What we have just seen here by the selection of seven reputable men is the birth of the Diaconate in the Catholic Church. They had men stand before the Apostles who prayed and laid their hands on them. Just as it was done on that very first Diaconate Ordination, it is still done the same way today.
The deacons did the very important task of seeing to the physical needs of the people and the distribution of goods. They had a very hands-on service role. They were the bishops’ eyes and ears. However, the early deacons also preached the gospel and evangelized because Stephen, one of the seven, was eventually stoned to death for his preaching and evangelizing in the name of Jesus. The first martyr in the Church was a deacon.
Beginning in the 5th century, the Diaconate started to decline as more men were ordained priests. Eventually it was put on hiatus. A revival of the Permanent Diaconate occurred with Pope Paul VI and Vatican II.
Permanent Deacons (those who are not going to be ordained priests) are still in direct service to their bishop. They are ordained to assist at liturgy, preach the gospel, baptize, witness marriages, visit the sick, and be of service to the poor. Most deacons are assigned to a parish to assist the priest and parishioners as needed. The deacon’s role in the Church varies according to his time and talents. Deacons are not paid which means we have secular jobs. (It is true that some deacons are hired by a parish to fill a staff position.) Our first duty, if we are married, is to our wife and family. As you can see, a deacon has one foot in the Church and one in the secular world (try that without doing the splits).
Becoming a deacon is an answer to a very personal call from God to share the Good News of Christ. Deacons are sent out as a servant of Christ to bring charity to the world, each in his own unique way. They are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ, who came 'to serve and not to be served’. Please say an extra prayer today for all deacons and for those men who are discerning the Diaconate.
Viva Cristo Rey,
Deacon Gary
