"Helpful Hints of Life"

​

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour. 
"Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me." He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception.
-Catechism of the Catholic Church #478
 
 ​

'We Want to Light a Fire'
- USCCB plans Eucharistic 'Revival'A Pillar interview
JD Flynn - Jun 16 14

​During the USCCB’s spring virtual assembly this week, Bishop Andrew Cozzens will give a presentation to U.S. bishops on a proposed “Eucharistic revival” project that would aim to increase devotion, love, and belief in the Eucharist, through collaboration with parishes, dioceses, schools and universities, religious institutes, and ecclesial movements.
Cozzens, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and chair of the USCCB’s evangelization and catechesis committee, talked with The Pillar June 15 about the project.

Pope Francis offers a Eucharistic blessing March 27, 2020. Credit: Vatican News/youtube
​Subscribe now

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Bishop, thank you for talking with us about this project. To start things off, I’m struck by the name of this project. “Revival” is not an ordinary part of our Catholic lexicon. It’s more often a Protestant word, or perceived that way. Why is it the right word here? What does it convey?
Revival conveys the bringing back to life of our Catholic expression of the Eucharist. 
The theme of the revival is from John 6:51, “my flesh for the life of the world.”
We’re experiencing the world pandemic, where life is precious, and the real answer is the life of Jesus, which he shares with us through the Eucharist. So the revival aims at bringing something back to life. 
And I think that's actually the sense — it’s like we have this real concern that because of a lot of things, but also because of COVID, that some people have forgotten that Eucharist is our life, or never knew it. And we need to bring that back to life, you know?
I like the idea of a revival because it brings to mind a fire. And that’s the way I see this: We want to light a fire. The scripture passage that keeps coming to me is: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”  [John 12:32]

What is the model of this project? Is there one program or liturgy at the center of this, or is the aim to encourage different kinds of Eucharistic projects organized by different groups and parishes, and dioceses?
The latter. We want everyone to do their part, and we want there to be a sense of participating in this large movement, which is a revival the bishops are organizing. But we don't intend at all to try to control it, because seeing different expressions of faith —  that's kind of the beauty of the Eucharistic faith of the Church. 
So, for example, we're working with the charismatic renewal, and we want them to do Eucharistic holy hours and have healing Masses and all kinds of things. And we're also going to be working with liturgical musicians, who we hope will revive the beauty of our liturgical music tradition. So we expect that everybody will bring their part, in their charism and identity, and it doesn't have to be one way in one in every diocese. 
So the basics of the project are to look at a three-year period of revival. We’re looking at the possibility of a national event, for which we’d have to get approval from the bishops in November. But we’re hoping to affect the Church at every level: the diocesan level, the parish level and the national level.
What we're going to do is propose activities and invite participation and therefore try to create a movement that happens at all levels. 
I have been struck, over and over again, by the image of Pope Francis offering his Urbi et orbi blessing last March, at St. Peter’s Square, in the wind and the rain, holding a monstrance and asking for God’s intercession. What does that moment say about the Eucharist and the Church?
That moment shows that understanding that Eucharist is not just a matter of catechesis.
And one of the things we want to encourage is to make sure that we have good catechesis. Because we know we haven't always had that. But we want to encourage what we would call experiential encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist.
And in particular, anyone who's been a part of youth ministry in the past 10 years understands the power of Eucharistic adoration for young people, and for their conversion, and their experience of Jesus.
That moment was a great example of the Holy Father providing a Eucharistic encounter for the whole Church, you know?

​

And this is why I love national events, because I think they can provide those kinds of encounters in ways that others events can’t.
I was at World Youth Day in Panama [in 2019] and they had adoration in a field, and there were several hundred thousand people there. There were moments — long moments, 15 minutes sometimes — where everybody was silent.
300,000 people silent before the Lord.
And then there were other moments where they had people from different vocations come out, and sing a song to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: They had families do this, consecrated women do that, their priests do that. And it was a very moving encounter with Jesus and Eucharist to be together in that way before the Lord.

Those are the sort of things we want to help use as part of the revival.
So how did the idea for a “Eucharistic revival” project begin to take shape at the conference?
So it started when the Pew numbers came out in 2019, which showed a record low belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist amongst Catholics.
I think it was around 30% [of surveyed Catholics who said they believe Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist].
The bishops were disturbed by that. And there was a lot of conversation at the November 2019 meeting about doing something about that. And Bishop [Robert] Barron [then chair of the USCCB committee on evangelization and catechesis] had proposed the idea of a Eucharistic revival, and he got about 10 committee chairs together in January of 2020 —  before COVID — to talk about this.
Bishop Barron was scheduled to present on this at the June 2020 meeting, which got cancelled because of COVID. And then he was not able to present at the November 2020 meeting because it took place over Zoom and most of the scheduled presentations weren’t able to be put on the agenda, and so we instead held regional discussions about in November 2020, and there was a lot of support among the bishops. 
A lot of bishops said that especially now, in light of COVID, and this great concern about whether people would come back to the Eucharist, that it was Providential that we were already planning this. 
I became chair of the evangelization committee, and I started doing a lot of work on the project this spring. We have a bishop’s advisory committee that’s been meeting every month, and then I’ve been meeting with thought leaders and others. 
The exciting thing is that almost everybody I talk with gets it immediately, and sees the importance of this movement to help revive Eucharistic faith. And to me it’s a sign that the bishops see the idea of Eucharistic coherence in a much larger context, which is that we know we actually have to renew faith in the Eucharist among all of our Catholic people. So there's a desire to have a movement that would affect the church at every level in order to do that. 
The beautiful thing has been the partnerships. You might have seen that last week, both Archbishop Lori and Patrick Kelly, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, spoke to state deputies of the Knights, and they said this Eucharistic revival will be a major priority for the Knights of Columbus over the next three years. So that’s just one example of a very large national organization that sees the gift of this. And I’m getting the same response from youth movements in the Church, whether it’s NCYC, or FOCUS, or St. Paul’s Outreach, or whatever it is.
And it’s a beautiful thing because Christ is actually the thing that unites us sacramentally and existentially. And so it’s a great opportunity for us as a Church in the United States to be united around what’s the most important.
Can you speak to the connection between Eucharistic devotion, even Eucharistic adoration, and the Mass itself?
So, of course, the source and the summit of our life is the celebration of the Eucharist, where we participate in Jesus's perfect act of worship to the Father, which he did on the Cross. 
And as everything in the Christian life there is this responsive giving and receiving. So when we participate in the Mass, he gives us back resurrected life. It gives us back the resurrected Jesus. And for people to fully receive the love of the Lord, they need to come to understand that. 
And as Saint John Paul II often said, and others, the Mass itself is not enough time to fully receive the gift of the Eucharist. That's why we need times of adoration.   
But we also want to show in this that a life lived in service and a life lived in self-gift is essential to a Eucharistic life. 
When Mother Teresa said that you can't love Jesus in the Eucharist if you don't love him in the poor, she was expressing a theological truth about encountering Jesus. When I really encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, then I encounter him in my neighbor and I encounter him in the people around me, and I encounter him in the unborn child. And I encounter him in the poor person, and the homeless person, and in the person who disagrees with me. 
And so Eucharistic faith, when it's really lived, can and should, as Pope Francis has made clear, flourish in a life of service.
We’re in a period in which people are experiencing the fruit of Eucharistic devotion: how it increases my love, and then how that changes me, and then how that changes the world.
Spending time in adoration has an effect on my soul. A profound effect. Mother Theresa insisted that the most important thing she did in her community was to establish a daily Eucharistic holy hour of adoration every afternoon. And that was centrally important to giving the sisters the strength they needed to go out and serve the poor in radical ways, you know?

Our goal is to create Eucharistic missionaries. We need to remember the gift, and reverence the gift, and we need to recall what a great gift it is. And so if the Church in the United States over the next three years could say that we actually focused on this and recalled this great gift and we've come to understand our need to be missionaries of this message.
If all practicing Catholics were somehow affected by this, or strengthened in Eucharistic faith and then had a sense of the missionary conversion that's needed, that would be success. 
It sounds like some of this is sowing seeds, and waiting to see how God’s providence will bring them to fruition. Is that a fair approach to this project?
Absolutely. It seems to be Jesus’ method. So if we plant a few seeds and we don’t get to see all of them grow, we can trust. But of course that doesn’t mean that we won’t talk to data analysis people, and marketing people, and be thoughtful about how best to do this wisely and well.
I know that you consulted with many Catholics — and in the interest of full disclosure, I was one of them. But you consulted with many people wiser than I am. What did you hear consistently from those consultations?
One- “This is really needed.”
Two — “I want to be a part of it” — It was amazing to hear that.
Three — “If you rely simply on parish and diocesan structures, it will fail. Because they’re just overtaxed.” And so we want to work with movements and involve a very broad network of people at every level. 
And one of the other things we heard is that this is a privileged moment for the Church. Coming out of the COVID, there’s a unique moment here, and let’s seize that moment.
Of course, the Eucharistic discussion that will garner most of the attention at this week’s USCCB meeting is not this one, but the discussion about the notion of “Eucharistic coherence.” How does this Eucharistic revival project relate to that discussion?
The revival is going after the deeper issue of Eucharistic coherence. That means we need to make sure that our teaching on the Eucharist and all that means — including “Eucharistic coherence” —  is clearly understood by our people. 
Nobody wants to be in the situation where we have prominent Catholics who aren't living Eucharistically coherent lives. And so what we want to do is a broad-based movement of Eucharistic renewal and revival. 
The bishops I talk with know that renewal always begins with self-examination. So each of us —  starting with the bishops —  need to revive our own faith in the Eucharist and make sure that we're living Eucharistically coherent lives. Because the Eucharist makes demands on all of us. It has to begin with us. It has to begin with Catholics in the pew. And from there, we can go out to help bring forth this renewal. 
What role does the Eucharist play in your own spiritual life, and your own formation and growth as a Christian?
Even as a young kid, serving Mass, the source of my vocation was kneeling close to the altar and recognizing Jesus's presence on the altar and realizing I wanted to be close to him. 
I wanted to be close, and I wanted to be close to him for my whole life. And I began to realize that that was the essence of a priestly vocation. 

And so at a certain point that blossomed into participation at daily Mass. And then of course the great privilege to celebrate the Mass every day, which every priest comes to realize —  or should come to realize — is the central moment of his day. 
I try to live that way, so that the Mass is the central moment of my day. 
I've always loved the line from Cardinal Ratzinger, who preached a homily at an ordination where he talked about the great privilege a priest has to hold the Eucharist in his hands every day. And he said that if you will entrust yourself to Jesus in the Eucharist every day, if you will celebrate Mass with reverence every day, then the Eucharist will transform you. It will change you because it's too powerful not to. 
And he said that either we shake off the Eucharist with all of its demands it makes upon us, or we cling to it with everything that we are, and it gradually pulls us along with him. And that's certainly become the heart of my own spirituality. It's why I spend a daily holy hour in adoration as well — I know that by being with him, he's going to more and more transform me into himself.  

And so at a certain point that blossomed into participation at daily Mass. And then of course the great privilege to celebrate the Mass every day, which every priest comes to realize —  or should come to realize — is the central moment of his day. 
I try to live that way, so that the Mass is the central moment of my day. 
I've always loved the line from Cardinal Ratzinger, who preached a homily at an ordination where he talked about the great privilege a priest has to hold the Eucharist in his hands every day. And he said that if you will entrust yourself to Jesus in the Eucharist every day, if you will celebrate Mass with reverence every day, then the Eucharist will transform you. It will change you because it's too powerful not to. 
And he said that either we shake off the Eucharist with all of its demands it makes upon us, or we cling to it with everything that we are, and it gradually pulls us along with him. And that's certainly become the heart of my own spirituality. It's why I spend a daily holy hour in adoration as well — I know that by being with him, he's going to more and more transform me into himself.  

Polish President Andrzej Duda visited the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland after winning the his second presidential term on July 13. The monastery contains a shrine and a miraculous image of Our Lady of Częstochowa.
​
The president participated in Evening Prayer and dedicated Poland to Our Lady.

​

THIS 95-YEAR-OLD CATHOLIC COUPLE DIED IN EACH OTHER'S ARMS...

San Diego, Calif. (EWTN News/CNA) - Few love stories can say that they began at the age of eight. But for Jeanette and Alexander Toczko, they couldn't have imagined life any other way. 
 
What began as a childhood crush later bloomed into a deep, committed love – a love that would last throughout a war, five children, and seventy-five years of marriage.
“Their hearts beat as one from as long as I can remember,” said Aimee Toczko-Cushman, one of the couple's five children, according to the Daily Mail.
 
After meeting his future wife at the age of eight, Alexander Toczko married Jeanette in 1940 while he was enrolled in the U.S. Navy as a telegraph operator. Alexander was a devoted husband to his wife Jeanette, and as Catholics, he fondly carried a snapshot of Jeanette's First Holy Communion in his wallet. 
 
The Toczko's settled in San Diego, California in 1971 where Alexander and Jeanette worked together, establishing their own fashion photography and advertising firm. Alexander had a passion for golf and sketching, and the couple loved to travel with each other. 
 
They raised their five children in the San Diego area, and over the years became the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren.
 
This past June, the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Alexander, a WWII veteran, was 95 and Jeanette was 96. 
 
The couple's health had been declining over the months, especially after Alexander had taken a recent fall, breaking his hip. 
 
“He was going fast,” their son, Richard Toczko, remembered.
 
Hospice care was brought to Jeanette and Alexander's home, so that they could share their own bed and stay close to each other in their final moments.
 
Remarkably, the inseparable couple had a dying wish that they often told their children – they both wanted to pass away together, in each other's arms and in their own bed.
Alexander was the first to go on June 17. Once Jeanette had been informed that her husband had died, she said, “See this is what you wanted. You died in my arms and I love you. I love you, wait for me, I'll be there soon.”
 
Jeanette died only hours after her husband on June 18.
 
“Even the hospice nurse said it was the most incredible thing to see the two of them taking those last breaths together,” Aimee Toczko-Cushman said.
 
“They both entered the pearly gates holding hands,” reflected their son, Richard Toczko.
A funeral mass was held for Alexander and Jeanette on June 29, a ceremony which commemorated both their lives and their 75th wedding anniversary. They were buried at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.

 ​

A bit of humor…

 Some Thoughts:
-“What's the name of your new dog?” “I don’t know. He won’t tell.”


-Daddy reads some bedtime stories to make little Jonny fall asleep.  Half an hour later mommy opens quietly the door and asks: “And, is he asleep?”  Little Jonny answers: “Yes, finally.”



50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say

16)  Go ahead and ask me all your questions about Catholicism.  I feel pretty confident that I can answer all of them.


17)  There are too many people in the front pews at Mass.


18)  I had my conversion through Religious Ed.


19)  Birth Control or Natural Family Planning (NFP)?  I haven’t really heard any strong opinions one way or the other.


20)  Donuts after Mass AGAIN?!?!


21)  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, that 2600 page book? Yeah, it's a pretty quick read. Totally beach material.


22)  All that exorcism stuff doesn’t freak me out at all. 


23)  You're interested in celibacy, too?!!


24)  G.K. Chesterton… He was Anglican, right?


25)  I don't know who to pray to when I lose my stuff!


26)  I never really get distracted during the Rosary either.


27)  Latin Tridentine Mass and Novus Ordo are practically the same thing.


28)  I, too, have a devotion to St. Willibald.


29)  How ‘bout them Crusades?!


30)  Mary who?


31)  I just wish the Sisters of Life were more joyful.


32)  I’m not at all self-conscious after Ash Wednesday Mass.  Let’s go to the disco.


33)  What marriage controversy?


34)  I think St. Patrick would be proud of how we celebrate him.


35)  I miss Limbo.


 


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Several days ago as I left a meeting at our church, I desperately gave myself a personal TSA pat down. 
I was looking for my keys.  They were not in my pockets.  A quick search in the meeting room revealed nothing.


Suddenly I realized, I must have left them in the car.  

Frantically, I headed for the parking lot.  My wife, Diane, has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition.  My theory is the ignition is the best place not to lose them.  Her theory is that the car will be stolen.  

As I burst through the doors of the church, I came to a terrifying conclusion.  Her theory was right. The parking lot was empty.
 
I immediately called the police, gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car and that it had been stolen.  

Then I made the most difficult call of all, “Honey,” I stammered.  I always call her “honey”in times like these.  “I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen.”
 
There was a period of silence.  I thought the call had been dropped, but then I heard Diane’s voice. “Ken” she barked, “I dropped you off!” 

Now it was my turn to be silent.  Embarrassed, I said, “Well, can you please come and get me.”  

Diane retorted, “I will, as soon as I can convince this policeman I have not stolen your car!”​

+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 27th, 2021

The First Reading- Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24        
God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.
Reflection 
 It is mentioned several times in Scripture that death is the enemy of God. In today’s first reading, we hear that death is not part of the created order — that God did not create it, but that we invited it into the world through our cooperation with the devil, and that “they who belong to his company experience it.” Of course, we all experience it because we all sin at times in our life.
Adults -How can you actively fight against sin in your life?
Teens - What do you think the Wisdom reading means when it says, “they who belong to his [the devil’s] company experience it [death]”? If we are Christians and we reject the devil, why do we still suffer?
Kids - What does it mean to have eternal life?

Responsorial- Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Reflection 
-Get to know the book of Psalms a little better this week, and recite a Psalm of praise as a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings in your life.

The Second Reading- 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also.  For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.
Reflection
The second reading speaks to Jesus’ great charity in becoming poor like us; vulnerable like us, so that we can be rich in grace and the Spirit. Jesus also looks to our material needs, and through our charitable efforts, continues to minister to the poor. We are called to share what we have so that no one should be without.
Try to increase your charitable giving this week - donate clothes or food to a local shelter.

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live." He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?" But his disciples said to Jesus, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.
Reflection
The Gospel invites us to experience healings on several different levels through two stories sandwiched together. First we meet Jairus whose young daughter had died. He was very worried, and his household was grieving as only people who have lost a child can. While Jesus was on his way to their house, a woman who had become desperate in her suffering, touches his cloak fully expecting to be healed. She was! When Jesus questioned her, she fessed up, and he commended her for her faith. Jesus got to Jairus’ house and healed the young girl. From these two events, a woman with chronic illness was healed, a little girl was healed from death, her parents and their community were healed from grief. Wherever Jesus is, death has no power. He took death on himself and conquered it in the resurrection so that when that enemy shows up on our door, Jesus stands right with us to take our hands and say, “Arise.”
Adults -What has been your experience of death? What has been your experience of the Resurrection in times of suffering, illness, or grief?
Teens  -The woman who had been ill for a long time had the gumption to touch Jesus — which was absolutely against the Jewish law — because she couldn’t take the pain anymore. What do you feel so strongly about that it makes you take action, even if you’re afraid to do it?
Kids - How does Jesus help us make the right choices in our lives?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “If Today, let us say a fervent prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of active faith which he has given us and beg of him to keep that faith ever alive in our breasts. Let us think, too, of our fellowmen, our brothers in Christ, who are so busy with their worldly occupations and pleasures that they cannot find time to listen to his message. They are spiritually anemic and almost spiritually dead, but cannot push their way toward Christ through the throngs of earthly, worldly barricades which they have built about themselves. Our sincere prayers can help them to overcome these obstacles; frequently and fervently let us ask God to send them his efficacious grace so that these brothers in Christ will also be with him in heaven.  -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

​

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
      She that, “kept all things, reflecting on them in her heart (Luke 2:51),” is the source of Jesus' Sacred Heart.  For if Mary did not first conceive Jesus in her Immaculate Heart, she would have never said yes to the Angel Gabriel and conceived Jesus Christ in her womb. 

      Mary has a heart that is for all men.  She who received our Lord Jesus with unimaginable love in her heart and body, she who raised Him and treasured the moments she shared with Him, she who saw Him go forth from her side into a world that loved and despised Him, she whose heart was pierced when she saw Him so cruelly treated by men and pierced in His own Sacred Heart with a lance as He hung on the Cross, is the same woman and the same Immaculate Heart that loves you and I more than we can ever conceive.   And that Heart is the one shelter we most desire to dwell in (whether we recognize it or not) for it there where Jesus and His Sacred Heart dwells! 

       Let us turn toward and love the Heart of Blessed Mary Immaculate because she was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne; sorrowful because she beheld the death of her beloved Son and beholds your sinfulness and mine, but this is your Heart and mine to dwell in forever because she loves and is completely united to Jesus Christ, and Jesus and Mary are our true comfort and our true strength!

 Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert


P.S.  This coming Sunday is the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  >> Readings

P.S.S.  At the end of E-weekly is this week's readings with reflections and questions for self or family.


​

Communication


Communication in today’s world is expected to be brief, quick, “close the deal” communication.  However, we as human beings need deep, heartfelt communication - the kind that causes us to take risks and let our guard down.  This type of communication is difficult.  We have all been wounded and have reasons to censor ourselves.  But God has created us to be in communion with each other, and therefore in communication with each other. 



Devotion of the Five First Saturdays
 
Given by Our Lady of Fatima and the Infant Jesus to Sister Lucia, a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin
in reparation for the 5 sins against her Heart.
 The Virgin of Fatima speaks to the three children at Famita Portugal in 1918:
"You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.  If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace... I shall come to ask for... the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays..."

The devotion involves the following practices on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, with the specific intention of making reparation for the five gravest offenses of man against the Blessed Virgin. 

1. Go to Confession (within 8 days before or 8 days after the first Saturday) 

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist 

3. Pray five decades of the Rosary 

4."Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary."
 
On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Lucy of Fatima, and by her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucy's shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a Heart surrounded with thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child Jesus said:
 
"Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them."
Then the Most Holy Virgin said:
 "Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes, while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
 
“Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: "Woman, behold your son."        -Catechism of the Catholic Church #964
 ​

Pope Francis met with deacons and their families Saturday at the Vatican and encouraged them to help their parishes to recognize Jesus in the poor.
“Deacons remind the Church that what Saint Thérèse discovered is true: the Church has a heart inflamed by love. Yes, a humble heart beating with service,” the pope said June 19.
“The generosity of a deacon, who gives of himself without seeking the front ranks, has about him the perfume of the Gospel. He tells of the greatness of God's humility in taking the first step … to meet even those who have turned their backs on him,” he said.
The pope welcomed deacons from the diocese of Rome to the Vatican’s Hall of Blessings, where he expressed to each of them the importance of their distinct ministry in the life of the Church.
“The decrease in the number of priests has led to a prevailing engagement of deacons to substitute them in tasks which, however important, do not constitute the specific nature of the diaconate. They are substitute tasks,” he said.
Pope Francis cited the dogmatic constitution, Lumen Gentium, which describes the diaconate a ministry in which “hands are imposed not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service.”
He said: “The Council, after speaking of service to the People of God ‘in the diaconate of the liturgy, of the word and of charity”, emphasises that deacons are above all - above all - “dedicated to duties of charity and of administration (Lumen Gentium, 29).’”
“The phrase recalls the early centuries, when deacons looked after the needs of the faithful, especially the poor and the sick, in the name and on behalf of the bishop. We can also draw on the roots of the Church of Rome.”


The pope encouraged the deacons to follow Christ by embracing his “logic” of lowering oneself.
“We are all called to lower ourselves, because Jesus stooped to us, He made himself the servant of all. If there is one great person in the Church, it is the one who made him- or herself the smallest, and servant of all,” Pope Francis said.
“I expect you to be humble. It is sad to see a bishop and a priest showing off, but it is even sadder to see a deacon wanting to put himself at the centre of the world, or at the centre of the liturgy, or at the centre of the Church. Be humble. Let all the good you do be a secret between you and God. And so it will bear fruit,” he said.
Deacons can also serve the community through their witness as good spouses, fathers, and grandfathers.
“This will give hope and consolation to couples who are going through difficult times and who will find in your genuine simplicity an outstretched hand,” he said.


The pope added: “Doing everything with joy, without complaining; this is a testimony that is worth more than many sermons.”
Deacons can act as “sentinels” for their parish, he said, by helping “to help the Christian community to recognize Jesus in the poor and the distant, as He knocks on our doors through them.”
“Whatever the need, see the Lord. So you, too, recognize the Lord when, in so many of his little brothers and sisters, He asks to be fed, to be welcomed and loved. I would like this to be the profile of the deacons of Rome and of the whole world,” Pope Francis said.

Praised be to God!
The Vatican announced that the Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified after the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.
The Congregation approved the miracle on July 6. Official beatification dates have not yet been announced.
The MiracleCatholic News Agency reported that the miracle involves the “unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria-area town of Goodfield.
“He showed no signs of life as medical professionals tried to revive him. The child’s mother and father prayed to Archbishop Sheen to heal their son.”
Seven medical experts advising the Vatican Congregation unanimously approved the miracle. The archbishop needs one more approved miracle attributed to his intercession for his canonization.
Sheen’s cause for canonization was postponed for many years due to a legal battle over his burial place.
The remains were recently transferred to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois (where Sheen also received his priestly ordination), allowing the cause to continue.
Archbishop Sheen was especially recognized for his work in radio and television.From 1930-1950, Sheen hosted The Catholic Hour on NBC night-time radio, which after 20 years, had a weekly listenership of four million viewers.
His show, “Life is Worth Living,” aired on DuMont Television Network (1952-55) and ABC (1955-57), reaching millions of viewers.
His show also won two Emmy Awards for “Most Outstanding Television Personality.”
His competitors for the 1952 award were Lucille Ball, Edward R. Murrow, Arthur Godfrey and Jimmy Durante.
Listen to one of Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s showsbelow:
https://youtu.be/tAW2I0pTlsw?list=RDtAW2I0pTlsw



His Mother Rejected an Abortion – Now, This Priest Helped Her Meet the PopeBy Elise Harrishttp://www.ewtnnewsonline.com/images/Pope_Francis_Figueridos.jpg


Rome, Italy (EWTN News/CNA) - It was during the thalidomide sleeping pill craze that Sarah Figueiredo became pregnant with her fourth and last child, Anthony.
Developed after the Second World War and found not only to help with sleeplessness but also to alleviate morning sickness for expectant mothers, thalidomide was widely prescribed by doctors across the world to their pregnant patients as a safe drug to use.


Sarah, who was raising her young family in Nairobi at the time, was one of the expectant mothers prescribed the drug.
It wasn’t until 1961 that thalidomide was discovered to cause severe birth defects in babies born to mothers using it. Many of the children were born with a condition called “phocomelia,” which results in shortened, absent or flipper-like limbs. It was taken off the market in 1962.


When the doctors found out that Sarah’s unborn son would be among the children with this disability, they advised her to have an abortion. However, Sarah and her husband,  both devout Catholics,  refused. Sarah believed her son had “a special mission.”


According to her son – now Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo – what his parents told the doctors was that “if God has allowed us to conceive a child, that child will not be wasted. On the contrary, God will have a mission for that child, which they believe very strongly is that I would be a priest.”


Despite his crippled arm, Msgr.  Figueiredo was ordained in 1994 and has vast experience in missionary work and a hefty academic background in theology. He currently  serves as a spiritual director to hundreds of seminarians studying at Rome’s Pontifical North American College, advises cardinals on their writing and speeches, and works closely with the Pope.


He has also met Mother Theresa and was able to work as a personal assistant to St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI for several years.


The priest largely credits his parents and their faith for encouraging his vocation, telling EWTN News that they “never discouraged me from being a priest.”
“With great sacrifice they sent all of us to Catholic schools and now with old age my mother is the happiest woman in the world, one would say, because she has a son who is a priest.”


Sarah, 84, told EWTN News that she and her husband had prayed that one of their three sons would become a priest, and that she knew this prayer would be answered in Tony, as she calls him, because “I dreamt that one day. I had a dream that one of my sons, the last one,” would be ordained. “I (knew) he had mission.”


While there are “a lot of blessings” in having a son who is a priest, one of the biggest came during a trip Sarah made to Rome to visit her son during the June 1-3 Jubilee for Priests.


Msgr. Figueiredo said he had been walking in the Vatican Gardens one day in April when he got a phone call from the Pope himself.


The Pope said that he knew the priest’s mother would be coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Priests, and wanted to meet her. Since he was busy throughout the three-day event, which concluded with a Mass June 3, Francis told Msgr.  Figueiredo that  “I would really like her to come to my home prior to that Mass.”


It was Pope Francis himself, then, who “completely organized everything,” and welcomed both the priest and his mother into his residence at the Vatican’s St. Martha Guesthouse the morning of June 3.


“It was very, very beautiful. He was just like an ordinary parish priest the way he made my mother welcome,” Msgr. Figueiredo said, recalling how Francis spoke about the number of children in their families and the biblical roots of some of their names.


One particularly touching moment for Msgr. Figueiredo was when the Pope told him that he recognized the priest’s mother from a photo he had given him.


“I gave him the photo three years ago,” Msgr. Figueiredo said,  saying it’s  “quite extraordinary that this Pope, who is probably the most photographed man in the world, remembers each person. It’s as if he has them in his heart.”


Pope Francis also administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to Sarah, who has suffered from two strokes in recent years and in 2010 was diagnosed with aggressive, stage 4 breast cancer, but today is cancer-free.


The Pope “took his time, there was no rush, and he was particularly compassionate,” the priest said, noting how when his mother attempted to stand up for the anointing, Francis told her sit down and himself got up.


“I think that’s amazing from a Pope. There’s really no sense of being in authority, he’s really a servant, a servant of the servants of God. We touched that that day in his residence.”


Sarah, who carried the chalice up to the altar during the Mass after their meeting, said to visit the Pope was “a gift from God…I felt very proud that God had chosen me to come to this special occasion.”


After bringing the chalice to the Pope, “he pressed my hand, and he recognized me and he held me tight,” she said, explaining that the experience is something “I will remember all my life and I thank God for that.”


She also thanked her son for helping give her the opportunity to meet the Pope and to receive his blessing. Giving advice to parents who are hoping for a religious vocation among their children, she counselled that “the more you pray the better it is.”


“We need more priests in this world,” she said, noting how she “always prayed” for her son’s vocation. Even at 84, Sarah continues to pray a daily rosary, keeping one under her pillow so that should she wake up during the night, she can pray a decade before going back to sleep.


Msgr. Figueiredo said that to celebrate the Jubilee of Priests alongside his mother “was an enormous sign to me that God is faithful,” especially when someone gives something of their life to him, whether it’s a parent, a child, a type of suffering, or a vocation.


In regards to the “special mission” his mother believed he had, the priest said for him, this mission has entailed showing a special compassion and solidarity with those who suffer.


“I truly believe what St. Paul said: that God’s power is made perfect in weakness,” he said,  voicing his belief that priests “who particularly have a cross can show a certain kind of compassion and mercy to those who are suffering.”


While as a priest “I can preach until the cows come home,” people really start paying attention when they see “that you yourself suffer in your flesh…one immediately connects.”


For Msgr. Figueiredo, this is what Christ did on the Cross: “he suffered on the cross for us, and so when I am going through suffering myself I see that he’s gone there before me and has faith, believing that the Father will bring good even from tragedy.”


“That’s really helped me to stay close to the smell of the sheep, as Pope Francis exhorts us as priests and as every Christian,” he said.



" The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177


 ​

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
 
O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially ...(special intention).
We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.
Amen. (said for 9 days in a row)
 
 SPECIAL PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heavenly beauty and splendor of the Father,
You are the most valued Heavenly treasure.
 
New Eve, immaculate in soul, spirit and body,
Created of the godly seed by the Spirit of God,
You are the spiritual Mother of mankind.
 
Pure Virgin, full of grace then and now,
Your whole being was raised Heavenly in full glory,
To be elevated above all the hosts within the Kingdom of God.
 
O Heavenly Mother, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I recognize the glory of your highest title,
The Immaculate Heart of Mary!
 
Loving Mother, dispenser of endless blessings,
You who continuously intercedes on our behalf,
Please present my need before your loving Son Jesus.(In your own words, make your special request here. Do not just mention a word. Speak to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as you would speak to another person, begging your Heavenly Mother to plea to Jesus on your behalf, that you be granted this special request.)
 
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I know that you are now presenting my need before Jesus,
For you have never turned away those in dire need.
 
Mother dearest, I await your favorable answer,
Submitting myself to the Divine will of the Lord,
For all glories are His forever and ever. 
 ​

“The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?" Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #534

​

+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 20, 2021

The First Reading - Job 38:1, 8-11
The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said: Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands? When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!
Reflection 
God’s intervention here reflects and emphasizes his role as Creator and sustainer of all things. This reading is a great prelude to our Gospel, reminding us that it is only the Lord that can control nature.
Adults - Do you set aside time in your day to listen for the voice of the Lord? Do you practice intentional silence?
Teens -How can you be more intentional about cultivating silence into your life?
Kids - Spend five minutes each day this week sitting in silence with the Lord.  

Responsorial- Psalm 107:23-24, 25.26, 28-29, 30-31
R.Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
They who sailed the sea in ships,
    trading on the deep waters,
These saw the works of the LORD
    and his wonders in the abyss.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
His command raised up a storm wind
    which tossed its waves on high.
They mounted up to heaven; they sank to the depths;
    their hearts melted away in their plight.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
    from their straits he rescued them,
He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze,
    and the billows of the sea were stilled.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
They rejoiced that they were calmed,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his kindness
    and his wondrous deeds to the children of men.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
Reflection 
Like the first reading, this Psalm alludes to the power of God as Creator. This Psalm read in light of the Gospel today - the Calming of the Storm - makes it clear that it finds its fulfillment in Christ.  Consider God’s mighty works throughout Salvation History, and throughout your own life. Give thanks for them!

The Second Reading- 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Brothers and sisters: The love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised. Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.
Reflection - Saint Paul is describing briefly the effects of Christ’s death; a death which He underwent because of His love for mankind. By its nature, love is mutual; there must be a movement from within and without: that is, of each of the lovers toward each other. The love that Christ has for us works on us interiorly by grace.  -Where have you seen, or do you currently see, grace working in your life?

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”  
Reflection
In today’s Gospel we find Jesus sleeping amidst the storm. The cry of the Apostles suggests that they think Jesus can help them but is indifferent to their needs. God’s people had approached Him this way at times in the Old Testament too (Ex. 14:10-11, Num. 14:3). Jesus awakens and rebukes the storm, with His own power. He does not pray to God to rebuke it - He does it. In the Old Testament the sea was often viewed as a symbol of chaos and the habitation of evil powers. They also knew that only God could calm it, so Jesus calming the sea is an implicit reference to His divinity. Similarly, the word for “rebuked” used here in the Greek is the same word Jesus uses to exorcise demons. Jesus calls them to a higher faith with His question about their faith, we see that the Apostles are in awe of Him, who can perform the acts of God.  
Adults - Do you feel like Jesus is sleeping amid the storms of your life?  Ask Him, like the Apostles, to make Himself known to you, and to help and guide you.
Teens - Reflect on how God has worked at different times in your life. Cultivating this attitude of awareness and gratitude can help strengthen our faith!
Kids - Repeat this simple prayer each day: Jesus, I Trust in You!

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “If we use these storms or trials of life to come closer to Jesus, to throw ourselves on his mercy, they will serve the purpose for which he permits them. Unfortunately, there are Christians who question not only the goodness of God, but his very existence, when some heavy seas break across their life's barque. "How could God, if he be good," they ask, "allow me to suffer like this, I who have been so faithful? Why should he let me bear all this poverty, all these pains, all this dishonesty of my fellowmen, when a small act of his will could remove it all and make me healthy, happy and prosperous?"
What such a Christian forgets is that God's purpose in creating him was not to make him healthy, happy and prosperous in this life, but to give him a share in his own eternal happiness in heaven. If this life were the end and sum-total of man, if all ended with death, then certainly that complaint would have some foundation. However, our human intelligence, and divine revelation, prove to us conclusively that this life is not an end for man but a means with which to attain his real end, perfect happiness.
Therefore, we must not expect to get from life what it cannot give. Instead, we must use what it gives us, the unpleasant as well as the pleasant, the rain as well as the sunshine, the pain as well as the pleasure, as means which will help us to reach our perfect ending, our eternal dwelling-place in heaven. Too often like the disciples that night in the storm, we think that God has forgotten us, that he is not interested in us when storms break around us. In fact, it is then that he is nearest to us. We think he is sleeping and that all is lost, when he is but using this storm to rekindle our faith, and make us realize that we are pilgrims on our way across this earth and not permanent residents here. -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
​

Of the many promises Our Lord Jesus Christ did reveal to Saint Margaret Mary in favor of souls devoted to His Sacred Heart the principal ones are as follows:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of 
My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall 
have their names eternally written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour. 



“Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me." He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception.”                                 Catechism of the Catholic Church #478

​

Servants of God: Meet the Two Potential Saints on the USCCB Agenda
Jun 9, 2021

At their virtual meeting next week, the U.S. bishops will vote on the causes for canonization of two Servants of God, both military personnel who risked their own safety to protect the lives of others.
Father Joseph Lafleur and Leonard LaRue - later known as Brother Marinus - have been honored by both civil and religious authorities for their acts of self-sacrifice during wartime. Lafleur sacrificed his life to help other prisoners of war evacuate a sinking ship during World War II. LaRue volunteered his cargo ship to conduct one of the largest single refugee evacuations in history during the Korean War. 
The lives of the two men will be discussed at the June 16-18 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Servant of God Fr. Joseph Lafleur. Official US Army Photo. Public Domain.

Father Joseph Lafleur
Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur was born in Ville Platte, Louisiana on Jan. 24, 1912. He was ordained a priest in 1938 and became a military chaplain a few years later.
Stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines during a Dec. 8, 1941 attack, Lafleur helped rescue those who were wounded and assist the dying. He later became a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) for more than two years. He was known for ministering to those imprisoned with him, both spiritually and materially. He would often give his own food or medicine to those in need.
Lafleur was killed on Sept. 7, 1944 while aboard a Japanese POW vessel that was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine. According to survivors, he was seen helping other prisoners on board evacuate the sinking ship, forgoing his own opportunity to escape.
He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross. During the award ceremony, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham praised Lafleur as “the epitome of a good American and a godly man.”
Lafleur’s cause for canonization was opened by Bishop Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette on Sept. 5, 2020.
In his 2017 address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy Broglio recalled Lafluer as “a man for others right to the end.” 
“He drew on his virtue to care for, protect, and fortify the men imprisoned with him,” Broglio said. “Many survived because he was a man of virtue who gave unstintingly of himself. To speak of the greatness of our Country is to speak of men and women of virtue who gave of themselves for the benefit of all. We build for a new tomorrow when we draw from that wellspring of virtue.”
​
Brother Marinus (Leonard) LaRue
Leonard LaRue was born Jan. 14, 1914 in Philadelphia. He became a U.S. Merchant Marine Captain on the S.S. Meredith Victory, a small freighter bringing supplies to American soldiers in Korea during the Korean War.
While delivering supplies to the port of Hungnam in December 1950, LaRue discovered tens of thousands of frightened Korean refugees packing the city’s docks, seeking to flee the invading Communist troops.
Moved with pity by the sight, LaRue welcomed 14,000 refugees into the cargo holds of the small ship, which was designed to hold only about 60 people. He transported them all safely through enemy waters to a South Korean island, where they arrived on Christmas Day after a nearly 500-mile voyage.
The crew of the S.S. Meredith Victory were given awards by both the South Korean and U.S. governments for the rescue.
In 1954, LaRue entered a Benedictine monastery in Newton, N.J., taking the name Brother Marinus. He lived there until his death in 2001.
LaRue’s cause for canonization was opened by Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, N.J. on March 25, 2019.

​

​'Fastest Nun in the West' on path for sainthood
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS


This undated photo provided by the Palace of the Governors shows Sister Blandina Segale, who co-founded the first hospitals and schools in New Mexico and reportedly challenged Billy the Kid. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe is exploring sainthood for the Italian-born nun for her work with the poor, immigrants and Hispanics and Native Americans during the frontier days. (AP Photo/Palace of the Governors)


       
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Wednesday it is exploring sainthood for an Italian-born nun who challenged Billy the Kid, calmed angry mobs and helped open New Mexico territory hospitals and schools.
 
Archbishop Michael Sheehan said he has received permission from the Vatican to open the "Sainthood Cause" for Sister Blandina Segale, an educator and social worker who worked in Ohio, Colorado and New Mexico.
 
It's the first time in New Mexico's 400-year history with the Roman Catholic Church that a decree opening the cause of beatification and canonization has been declared, church officials said.
 
"There are other holy people who have worked here," said Allen Sanchez, president and CEO for CHI St. Joseph's Children in Albuquerque, a social service agency Segale founded. "But this would be a saint (who) started institutions in New Mexico that are still in operation."
 
Segale, a nun with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, came to Trinidad, Colorado, in 1877 to teach poor children and was later transferred to Santa Fe, where she co-founded public and Catholic schools. During her time in New Mexico, she worked with the poor, the sick and immigrants. She also advocated on behalf of Hispanics and Native Americans who were losing their land to swindlers.
 
Her encounters with Old West outlaws later became the stuff of legend and were the subject of an episode of the CBS series "Death Valley Days." The episode, called "The Fastest Nun in the West," focused on her efforts to save a man from a lynch mob.
 
But her encounters with Billy the Kid remain among her most popular and well-known Western frontier adventures.
 
According to one story, she received a tip that The Kid was coming to her town to scalp the four doctors who had refused to treat his friend's gunshot wound. Segale nursed the friend to health, and when Billy came to Trinidad, Colorado, to thank her, she asked him to abandon his violent plan. He agreed.
 
Another story says The Kid and his gang attempted to rob a covered wagon traveling on the frontier. But when the famous outlaw looked inside, he saw Segale.
 
"He just tipped his hat," said Sheehan, the archbishop. "And left."
 
Many of the tales she wrote in letters to her sister later became the book, "At the End of the Santa Fe Trail."
 
"She was just amazing," said Victoria Marie Forde of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. "It's tough to live up to her example."
 
Segale found St. Joseph's Hospital in Albuquerque before returning to Cincinnati in 1897 to start Santa Maria Institute, which served recent immigrants.
 
Her work resonates today, with poverty, immigration and child care still high-profile issues, Sanchez said.
 
Officials say it could take years — possibly a century — before Segale becomes a saint. The Vatican has to investigate her work and monitor for any related "miracles."
 
Those miracles could come in the form of healings, assistance to recent Central American immigrant children detained at the U.S. border or some other unexplained occurrences after devotees pray to her, Sanchez said.
 
"She's going to have to keep working," Sanchez said. "She's not done."

Pope Francis celebrating Mass at Santa Marta residence

27/06
 
(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said God is like a gentle father who holds us by the hand and we need to become like a small child to have a dialogue with Him.  This was the focus of his homily during the Mass he celebrated on Friday in the Santa Marta residence.
 
June 27th is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Pope’s  homily was a reflection on the nature of the love between God and his people.  He described this feast as a celebration of God’s love in Jesus Christ. 
 
“There are two aspects to this love.  First, love is more about giving than receiving.  Second, love is more about actions than words.  When we say it’s more about giving than receiving, that’s because love communicates, it always communicates.  And it’s received by the one who is loved.  And when we say that it’s more about actions than words, that’s because love always generates life and makes us grow.”
 
Pope Francis said that in order to understand  God’s love we need to become small like a child and what God seeks from us is a relationship  like that between a father and child. God gives us a caress and tells us: I’m by your side.
 
“This is the tenderness of our Lord and of His love; this is what He tells us and this gives us the strength to be tender.  But if we feel we’re strong, we’ll never experience those caresses from the Lord, those caresses from Him that are so wonderful.   ‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you and I’ll hold your hand’… These are all words spoken  by the Lord that help us to understand that mysterious love He has for us.  And when Jesus speaks about Himself, he says: ‘ I am meek and humble of heart.’ Even He, the Son of God, lowers himself to receive his Father’s love.”
 
Pope Francis concluded by homily by noting that God is always there in front of us, waiting for us and urges God to give us the grace to enter into the mysterious world of his love.
 
“When we arrive, He’s there.  When we look for Him, He has already been looking for us.   He is always in front of us, waiting to receive us in His heart, in His love.  And these two things can help us to understand the mystery of God’s love for us.  In order to communicate  this, He needs us to be like small children, to lower ourselves.  And at the same time, He needs our astonishment when we look for Him and find Him there, waiting for us."
 



" The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support and instrument, called to the service of the People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is, true to a variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly of the faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they are associated in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon themselves his duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them." priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in communion with him. The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1576

​

A bit of humor…

What are you going to do?


I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.   
I like work. It fascinates me. I sit and look at it for hours.


Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
The sole purpose of a child's middle name, is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.



There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country.  "Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk.  "Only the Ten Commandments." answered the lady.
==================================================================
"Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world.
There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."
==================================================================
A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.  Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times.  If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment.  Forgive us our trespasses." When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years.  If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job.  Lead us not into temptation."
==================================================================
While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage.  The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign...
"Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass.  Caution: Do not step in exhaust."
 ​

Prayer for Priests

by St. Catherine of Siena
 
I beseech You, direct the hearts and wills of the servants of Your Bride, the Holy Church, unto Yourself so that they may follow the poor, bleeding, humble, and gentle Lamb of God on the way of the Cross.  Make them angels in the shape of men; for after all, they have to administer and distribute the Body and Blood of Your Only Begotten Son!  Amen.

 
  
“Only validly ordained priests can preside at the Eucharist and consecrate the bread and the wine so that they become the Body and Blood of the Lord.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1411
 
 ​

+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
11th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 13th, 2021

The First Reading- Ezekiel 17: 22-24          
Thus says the Lord GOD: I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar, from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot, and plant it on a high and lofty mountain; on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it. It shall put forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its boughs. And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree, wither up the green tree, and make the withered tree bloom. As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.
Reflection 
 In the first reading, the Prophet Ezekiel speaks for God saying that God will take a tree—a cedar, which is highly valued wood—and from it make a little shoot that will be placed high up on a mountain where it will flourish. High mountains symbolize closeness to God. God will plant his people (us)—who are highly valued by him—close to him, and when they respond by living in deliberate closeness to God, they will flourish and become a refuge for living things. We are called to do the same.
Adults -How has the Lord protected you this week?
Teen - Do you understand yourself to be a valued like the cedar in the first reading? How has God planted you where you can flourish and become a refuge for others?
Kids - Sit quietly and watch a tree. What animals come and go? How does the tree help them? Does it give them food? Shelter? A place to hide from danger? How is the tree similar to the way God takes care of us?

Responsorial- Psalm 92: 2-3, 13-14, 15-16
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
Reflection 
-Look at what parts of your life our currently flourishing and give thanks to God.  

The Second Reading- 2 Corinthians 5: 6-10
Brothers and sisters: We are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.
Reflection
Paul reminds us that we must walk by faith and not by sight.  To the eye the Eucharist appears to be bread and wine. It is our faith that tells us that we are looking at the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord.  
Take special care at Mass and Adoration to remember that you are standing on holy ground, eye to eye with the Creator of the universe.  

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Reflection
In the Gospel Jesus tells his disciples about the Kingdom of God. First he talks about a farmer scattering seed and the yield that is produced by the grace of God. This is how we should be—planting seeds of faith, love and charity, and letting God’s Holy Spirit do the growing. The second parable is the familiar mustard seed story. It was the smallest known seed at the time, but grows into a huge plant. It, like the cedar in the first reading, gives refuge to nature, supplies seasoning and even medicine to those who harvest it. This is a reminder to us that even our smallest efforts at sharing the Gospel are multiplied by God. All the good that we do God takes, perfects, and makes more fruitful than we could ever have imagined.
 Adults -Do you plant seeds for God? If so, how and where? How do you see God multiplying your efforts?
Teens  - How does the mustard seed relate to the growth of the Church throughout history?
Kids - Even though you are small, you can do God’s work!  How can you spread God’s love?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “The tiny mustard seed has grown into a tree but it has yet to gather many more under the shelter of its branches. Christ asks every one of his followers to help him to bring all men into the safety of his kingdom on earth, so that they may be enabled to enjoy happiness forever in his heavenly kingdom. Realizing all that God and his divine Son have done for us, would we be so mean and ungrateful as to refuse to lend a helping hand? God forbid! God has already put us on the right road to heaven; we will help him to get in the stragglers, the lazy, the "couldn't-care-less" ones on that same road, by every means available to us.”  -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
​

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

      Every person whether they would admit it or not, or recognize it or not, has as their deepest need and desire to be truly loved.  This is not as the world loves, but as God is Love.
 
       The Son, Jesus, left His Father in heaven so that He could come to earth to die for your sins and mine. And then He left His Mother on earth so that He could give us Himself fully Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD, HIS SOUL, AND HIS DIVINITY, His whole self in the Holy Eucharist.
 
        And the love at the Holy Mass should not only be coming from one place, namely Jesus.  He, Who is only Love and Mercy, must be able to dwell in us fully as He does in the tabernacle.  He must do this so that you and I are not rushing from the Holy Mass cutting each other off in the parking lot, but that you and I are most desiring to lay down our lives for one another in our families (to our kids and parents, brothers and sisters), in our friendships (those old and those new friends), in our work place (the one we don’t like) and in our schools (to all our classmates).


         Love starts in God’s House with you and me.  So let it begin in our immediate families and our parish families.  Talk to and invite over that family you do not know well in the parish, especially if they sit by you at everyMass.  Visit the sick and home-bound of the parish.  Ask how you can help some family in the parish that is in need or suffering in any way.


   Go now to MARY, Mother of the Eucharist, MARY, who gave us Jesus in the BODY, go to Mary and THANK (Eucharist means “thanksgiving”) God for the gift of the Holy Eucharist and starting living that gift of selfless love in the here and now!!!


Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert


P.S.  This coming Sunday is the Corpus Christi-Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
​>> Readings 


P.S.S.  A past Sunday’s homily can be found in written form below.

For the homily from this past Sunday (it may take a while to load, please be patient): 
>> Listen

By Jonah McKeown
New York City, N.Y., Jun 5, 2021 / 06:01 am
A perpetual adoration chapel slated to open next spring will bring spiritual healing and revitalization to Manhattan, according to a Dominican priest overseeing the project. 
"This is really a project of the Holy Spirit. There's so many times when it's seemed like we're running into snags and they just work themselves out," Fr. Boniface Endorf, a Dominican friar and pastor of St. Joseph's parish in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, told CNA. 
"It's clear the Holy Spirit is a driving force, and I think this will be a spiritual gamechanger for Greenwich Village and the city of New York, to have a place where you can encounter Jesus Christ." 
Manhattan, one of the most densely populated and influential areas of the entire U.S., currently lacks a perpetual adoration chapel. Last year, Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York asked Fr. Endorf if his parish would be willing to take on the challenge of opening one. 
The new chapel will be constructed in a basement space that the parish is currently using for storage. At present the project is in its last stage of fundraising, with construction set to begin in early fall. The goal is to have the chapel open by Easter 2022. 
Fr. Endorf's catchphrase for the project is "The city that never sleeps deserves a chapel that never closes." 
The location is ideal, Fr. Endorf said, because the area is well-served by public transit. He said St. Joseph parishioners and students from the nearby universities are very excited about the project. 
The neighborhood needs the graces that will come from the chapel, Fr. Endorf said. Greenwich Village is a quieter, more residential neighborhood of Manhattan, but also is known for being artistic and bohemian, and also as a haven for LGBT culture. 
Fr. Endorf said he fully expects the adoration chapel to be a source of grace for vocations among those to visit; to help ordinary Catholics to grow in holiness; to aid in the strengthening of marriages in the neighborhood; and to provide spiritual healing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit New York City early, and especially hard. 
In terms of aesthetics, the parish church itself is neoclassical, and the design of the chapel is somewhat romanesque. The theme for the chapel is Divine Mercy, and it will feature a mosaic of the Divine Mercy image above the monstrance.
The main design element is a large wooden rood screen, a feature born partly out of necessity— the screen protects the monstrance from theft— but which will also serve as a large, visible surface on which to place additional artistry and symbolism. 
The chapel will also have choir stalls to allow the faithful to join in with the Dominicans as they pray the liturgy of the hours throughout the day. To keep worshippers safe, the chapel will be secured through a PIN-based or biometric security system, according to the project website. 
Fr. Endorf said that when the chapel opens they plan to pursue locals who can sign up for an adoration slot. But he also hopes that people from across New York, as well as tourists, will take advantage of the chapel as well.

​

Thomas L. McDonaldJesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
By John Bergsma
Image, 2019
272 pages, $25
To order: amazon.com


The mystique of the Dead Sea Scrolls — from their discovery in the Judean desert in the 1940s to the long delay in publishing — has led to outlandish theories that can obscure the genuine reasons for their fascination. They provide the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament, proving the continuity and stability of the texts, as well as containing some manuscripts created during the lifetime of Jesus. They also illustrate the beliefs and practices of a community of Jews that developed shortly before the birth of Christ, casting new light on Judaism and the early Church. Most intriguingly, particularly for author and Scripture scholar John Bergsma, are the parallels between the Qumran community of Essenes and the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus and the Church, and the tantalizing suggestions of contact among them.
Bergsma, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, lays out all of these issues carefully and cautiously in Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity. He doesn’t make any outrageous or extraordinary claims, nor engage in the flights of fancy that characterize a certain kind of writing on the Scrolls. Instead, he explores the evidence by focusing on five areas where the world of the Essenes can cast light on the roots of Christianity: baptism, the Eucharist, marriage and celibacy, the priesthood, and the Church.
Who exactly were the Essenes? Josephus counts them among the Pharisees and Sadducees as one of the sects of Judaism, known for their more rigorous lifestyles and interpretation of the Law. Like the Pharisees, they believed in the resurrection of the dead, heaven, hell, angels, demons and other aspects of first-century Judaism that would become part of the Jesus movement. To the Essenes, however, the Pharisees were slackers. They objected to the way the Temple was run, practiced demanding ascetics, engaged in more frequent ritual washings, and lived in communities with common goods.
The movement had two levels of followers: those who married and lived according to the Law in various places, and those who remained celibate and followed a proto-monastic lifestyle of work, prayer, study and copying of Scriptures. In a small settlement at Qumran on the Dead Sea, a group of Essenes awaited the coming of two messiahs — one priestly, one kingly — while they collected and produced a diverse library of documents, including copies of Hebrew scripture (both canonical and non-canonical), community rules, prophecy, apocalyptic writings, law, prayers and interpretations. This library, discovered over a span of 10 years, is what comprises the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The value to Christians of these discoveries should be obvious, since they add greatly to our understanding of religion in the period immediately before and after the Incarnation. They show that certain beliefs about the messiah, celibacy, ritual washing, communal memorial meals, and the kingdom of God were not as alien to first-century Judaism as some have suggested.
Bergsma begins with John the Baptist, who seems as though he could spring out of some of the texts found among the scrolls. Writers less cautious than Bergsma have suggested that, in fact, he is directly referenced in the Scrolls. Like the Essenes, his ministry was prophetic, ascetic and celibate, which made it distinct in the milieu of first-century Judaism. John’s ministry in the Judean wilderness was a half-day’s walk from Qumran, and his use of ritual washing done with repentance and humility echoes particular practices of the community. John’s language of repentance finds parallels in scrolls such as the Damascus Documents, where the Essenes are called the “repentant ones of Israel.”
John identifies himself with Isaiah as a “voice crying out in the wilderness,” which is similarly cited in the Community Rule of Qumran. The passage, in fact, drew both John and the Essenes to choose the wild areas as the locus of their work. Both were preparing for the coming of messiahs. Part of joining the Qumran community was a pledge not to take food prepared outside of the community, except for things found in the wild, which may explain John’s peculiar diet of locusts and honey. The scrolls even detail how to prepare locusts for eating. None of this proves that John was an Essene, but it’s certainly suggestive.
Bergsma also explores a kind of sacred meal of bread and wine practiced by the Essenes. We already knew of these second hand from Josephus, but now the scrolls provide primary evidence that men in priestly garments (white linen) performed ritual immersions and then took a meal in which bread and wine was blessed, prayers were said, and lessons read from scripture or community documents. Interestingly, the Scrolls state that the men are to take their seats according to rank, which evokes Luke 22:24, in which the apostles argue over rank.
These points are just a sample of the connections Bergsma outlines as he views the New Testament through the lens of the Scrolls, casting light on issues such as the Eucharist, the date and location of the Last Supper, celibacy and marriage, the organization of the Church, and the priesthood. These are not all new observations, but they’ve never be synthesized this well for a general readership in such a clear and engaging way.
The subtitle is the key to understanding Bergsma’s project: Christianity grew in Jewish soil and has Jewish roots. By illuminating the beliefs and practices found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, we understand that soil and those roots far better. Even if there were no direct connections between Qumran and early Christianity, we can still learn an immense amount about how Christianity took shape, its concerns and forms, from analyzing the scrolls. And while Bergsma doesn’t prove the link between Qumran and Christianity, he amply and convincingly illustrates its plausibility.
Thomas L. McDonald writes from New Jersey.

Their beliefs were rooted in Jesus' words and the traditions passed down to them from the Apostles.

After almost 2,000 years of Catholic teaching, the Church boldly proclaims in the Catechism, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it'” (CCC 1324).
It is a striking statement, one that shows how much the Church values the Eucharist in the present age. Yet, is this belief something new, introduced during the last few centuries? Or has it been part of the Church’s teachings since the very beginning?

​

As with all essential teachings of the Catholic Church, it is simply a reechoing of the Church’s beliefs throughout the centuries. This is clearly revealed when delving into the writings of the early Christians who lived in the first few centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection.
To help illustrate that point, here is a small selection of quotes from these Christians that detail their beliefs about the Holy Eucharist. After reading these, it becomes clear how the Church has passed on this teaching over the years virtually unchanged.
On the Lord’s own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: “In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations.” (Didache, c. 90)
For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus. (St. Justin Martyr, c. 100)
They [Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110)
[Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies. (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 140)
The Word is everything to a child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. “Eat My Flesh,” He says, “and drink My Blood.” The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh, and pours out His Blood; and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O incredible mystery! (St. Clement of Alexandria, c. 150)

​

Vatican City, Jun 10 / 11:13 am (EWTN News/CNA) - During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis lauded families for the “hidden heroism” of caring for a sick loved one.

“These are the heroes. This is heroism of the family!” the pontiff said during his Jun. 6 catechesis.

The Pope spoke of men and women who come to work, sleep-deprived after having cared for a sick family member.

“This hidden heroism is done with tenderness and with courage when someone is sick at home,” he said.

The Pope's address, delivered Wednesday to pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square, was the latest in a series of catechesis dedicated to the family. Since late year, the pontiff has been centering his Wednesday addresses on this theme as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.

Pope Francis focused his latest address on the particular sufferings experienced when a family member falls ill.

“It is an experience of our fragility which we live mostly in the family, from children, and above all the elderly,” he said.

He added that because of the love we feel for family members and loved ones, we feel their sufferings even more.

This is particularly the case when parents suffer from the illness of a son or daughter, he said.

In many parts of the world, families do not have ready access to hospitals, the pontiff noted. In these cases, the family becomes the “closest hospital,” in that caring for the sick person falls to the parents, grandparents, and siblings.

Pope Francis observed how, in general, families grow in times of sickness. For this reason, he stressed the importance of teaching children from a young age with a sense of solidarity during such times.

“We must educate children to solidarity with the sick so that they are not anesthetized to the sufferings of others, but rather are capable of helping the ill and of living fully each human experience,” the Pope said.

Throughout his catechesis, the Holy Father recounted several scenes from the Gospel in which Jesus heals the sick.

“(Jesus) publicly demonstrates himself as one who fights against illness, and who has come to heal man of every evil: The evil of the spirit and the evil of the body,” he said.

Pope Francis recalled a scene from the Gospel of Mark in which the people brought sick and possessed people to Jesus.

Recalling how the doctors of the law reproved Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, the Pope said: “But the love of Jesus was to give health, and do good.”

The pontiff cited particularly the scene of the man born blind, and the debate over whether he had been deprived of sight because of his sins or his parents' sins. “The Lord clearly said: neither him nor his parents; and thus he manifested in him the work of God, and healed him.”

This is God's glory, and the Church's task, the Pope said: “to always help, console, to lift up, and be close to the sick.”

Pope Francis also emphasized the Church's invitation to continuously pray for those “struck by disease.”

“And we must pray more, be it personally or in community.”

Pope Francis said that the Christian community knows that the family, in times of sickness, is never alone.

“We must thank the Lord for the beautiful experiences of fraternity in the Church which help families through difficult moments of pain and suffering,” he said.

“This Christian closeness, from family to family, is a real treasure for the parish: a treasure of wisdom, which helps families during difficult times and makes them better understand the Kingdom of God.”

“These are God's caresses,” he said. 

A bit of humor…


The Point of A Conference Call
A conference call is the best way for a dozen people to say “bye” 300 times.
Liz Hackett On What The ’80s Taught Her
If growing up in the ’80s taught me one thing, it’s that my friends and I should have found a treasure map by now.
 
Some Thoughts
When there's a will, I want to be in it. 
When you don't know what you are doing, do it neatly. 
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard drive on my computer? 
Who stopped payment on my reality check? 
Why is abbreviation such a long word? 
Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted then used against you. 
You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me and not you!

​