Most dioceses in the United States of America now celebrate The Ascension of the Lord on Sunday rather than Thursday. There are two components that stand out to me each year in regard to what we have lost by doing that. First, is the original novena. Second, we never hear the readings assigned to The Seventh Sunday of Easter.
Waiting upon the descent of the Holy Spirit during the time from The Ascension of the Lord until Pentecost was powerful for the Apostles. It should remain powerful for us as well. These (originally) nine days of prayer were an opportunity to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Thankfully, many people still utilize these nine days to do just that. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t line up as well with the liturgical calendar as it now stands.
Another real loss is the fact that we never hear the readings assigned to The Seventh Sunday of Easter. I invite and encourage you to read them on your own. There is plenty to meditate upon in these omitted readings. You can find them here:
Flowers, candy, and romantic dinners will be part of the day’s festivities for many couples this Valentine’s Day. Whether you enjoy this “holiday” or not may depend on a number of factors. Are you in a relationship with someone? Has your relationship recently ended due to a break-up? Has the love of your life died and you find yourself lonely? Frequently, an event that brings joy to one person will bring heartache to another because of different circumstances.
Some people perceive Valentine’s Day to be an economic holiday which enhances business at local florists, bakeries, and greeting card companies. It is possible that this writer may subscribe to that philosophy, but I would never admit that in writing. (I’ll be back in a minute. I need to go order flowers for my wife.)
As I read the news headlines each day in the secular world and in the inner circle of the Church, I yearn for civility and a little love in our political discourse. I intentionally used the words “political discourse” because it seems that everything is now viewed through a political lens regardless of the topic. Social media is anything but social since the last presidential campaign. It is now a political venting machine. I clicked off this morning after seeing that Ivanka Trump sat in the desk chair of the president in the Oval Office. Let’s have a meltdown on social media over her sitting in her dad’s desk chair. Seriously?
Unfortunately, the divide in the Church seems to grow more with each passing day as well. Posters in Rome against the pope show a sharp divide between conservatives and the papacy. Hitting the four-year mark of Pope Benedict’s “resignation” on February 11, also reignited some of the conspiracy theories as to why he left the papacy. Some laud the pastoral approach approach of Pope Francis. Others think he is changing Church doctrine. Some think that if you disagree with the pope you get demoted. Enter the name of Cardinal Burke as a reference point. Cardinal Burke is in the news on a frequent basis. He gets positive press from the conservative outlets and sharp criticism from the left. Where is the truth in all of it?
Bishop Barron is now in the hotseat for some of his comments in an interview with Dave Rubin. Were his comments helpful for evangelization, or did he simply miss an opportunity to teach the faith? The answer to that question will depend upon the viewpoint of the person being asked.
The divisions within the Church are nothing new, but I will admit that it is a bit exhausting to follow all of it. It breaks my heart to see some of the pain and confusion generated by some of these stories. We have a long way to go to be “one flock under one shepherd.”
I am looking forward to the season of Lent. My schedule is full with more than 30 preaching and teaching opportunities from March 2, through April 5. I will be entering into these weeks of penitence with great anticipation of seeing the Lord move powerfully within our midst. That will be a welcome reprieve from the political in-fighting of the Church that sometimes diminishes the beauty of God’s grace in our lives.
We are two weeks away from the start of Lent and five weeks away from the start of spring. Let the sun shine. Let the snow melt and the grass turn green. Let the Light of Christ shine in our hearts!
Holy Family Statue at the Guardian Angel Cathedral in Las Vegas, Nevada
Tomorrow, (Friday, December 30) the Church celebrates the Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This feast should give all of us hope and courage as we strive to become holy families as well.
We may experience problems in our families, but I can only imagine some of the discussions that went on in this Holy Family starting from the beginning. The mystery of the Incarnation was very real for Mary and Joseph and had practical implications. Mary’s explanation to Joseph that she had become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit was not a small matter for Joseph to digest. Joseph and Mary both walked by faith. They have given us a tremendous example to follow.
Our families aren’t perfect. We each have our areas of struggle and sin. The tensions and stress in our day-to-day lives can also take a toll. There are financial difficulties, addictions, anger issues, mistrust, suspicions, communication difficulties, and broken relationships. The potential pitfalls in developing healthy relationships are many. We need fervent prayer and a rock solid commitment to do our best to make our families holy. Even then, we still stumble and fall from time to time. That is why we are in need of grace and redemption.
I offer my prayers today for all families–small families, large families, cohesive families, splintered families, nuclear families, extended families, merged families, healthy families, and shattered families. May each of you experience the profound love, mercy, and healing touch of Almighty God!
All Saints Catholic Church in St. Peters, Missouri
I realize that it is not Ash Wednesday. However, as we approach All Saints Day I think it is good to keep the symbolism of the ashes front and center in our minds. When we are marked with the ashes each year we are reminded, “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” Are we living our day-to-day lives with that realization firmly etched in our minds? Have we turned away from sin? Are we being faithful to the Gospel?
I am amazed at the number of Catholic funerals that I have attended in which the priest who is presiding attempts to give a homily but instead eulogizes the deceased. While I firmly believe in the mercy of God, and I pray for an outpouring of that mercy regularly, I also recognize that we each have free will. There are times when we make choices that are not holy. Those choices have consequences. What happens if we die in a state of mortal (serious) sin?
Some people prefer to believe that hell does not exist. That is contrary to what the Church has always taught. If we make the choice to separate ourselves from God while on earth, why would we be expecting to be united with God forever in heaven? That makes no sense. We must desire God’s mercy now. We must repent of our sinful ways. Our choices have consequences.
I would recommend that you read paragraphs 1033 through 1037 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to see what the Church teaches about hell. I would recommend that you read paragraphs 946 through 972 to learn about The Communion of Saints. If you do not have a copy of the Catechism you can find the pertinent paragraphs here: www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#IV (Hell)
God chose us in Christ before the world began to be holy and blameless in His sight. (See Ephesians 1:4) We are each called to be saints. Do we believe that? If not, why not? If so, does our life reflect that awesome calling? Can people see Jesus Christ in us and through us? Do we pray with intensity and fervor? Do we truly desire God’s grace to work within us so we can be great saints?
Choices have consequences. Make the choice today to be a great saint!
I saw a quote this morning from the German-Swiss Theoretical Physicist Albert Einstein which stated, “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” As I reflect upon the lives of the two great saints we celebrate today, it fills me with hope that God’s grace can move magnificently in all of our lives. The power of the Holy Spirit and the gift of wisdom–natural and supernatural–can impact us dramatically if we but seek to do God’s will.
Decorations on the ground will soon be mounted on the poles.
Workers were busy this week in Cheyenne getting Capitol Avenue ready for the annual Christmas Parade this Saturday. The forecast of rain, ice, and snow with temperatures only reaching into the teens on Thanksgiving Day will help put us in the mood for the holidays–or it will frustrate the heck out of us as we try to reach our travel destinations to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends.
As we prepare to enter into a new Church Year this weekend with the First Sunday of Advent, I thought I would take a brief look backward at this past year. It has been a difficult year in a lot of ways and it hasn’t always been easy to be grateful for these challenges. Sometimes when we are in the midst of pain it can be a monumental task to see any of the blessings. They are there, but we may have to look very closely to spot them.
The first week of February my mom fell and broke her hip. It was awful. She had immense pain and struggle for many weeks. The blessings–I happened to be in Missouri visiting when she fell and I was close at hand. Another blessing was to see her determination to walk again. The therapy and rehab was painful for her. Yet, she eventually walked again. That is quite a feat for someone 91 years old.
In March I landed in the hospital myself. I had to cancel a couple of speaking commitments. It took me a long time to find any good in this experience. However, it occurred to me that many people were praying for me. I need that for more things than just my physical health. What a blessing! My illness probably had more of an impact than if I had stayed healthy and showed up to speak.
In May we celebrated our daughter’s wedding. Although I didn’t feel very well that day, I am grateful I was well enough to be there and to make it through the Father/Daughter dance without collapsing. I wanted to have a dance to remember and we definitely do. We enjoyed watching the video again recently in honor of their six-month anniversary.
In September another brother-in-law died. This was the second one in less than 18 months. The blessing was that we were in Missouri again at this time and my wife got to spend the night in the nursing home with him before he passed away the next day. The blessing of family was evident in many ways.
At the beginning of October I ended up back in the hospital again. Apparently, I needed more prayers. This time I missed commitments centered around Respect Life Sunday. The good news is that I got a different cardiologist and we may actually be making progress this time.
At the end of October my mom died. When she suddenly took a turn for the worse she only lasted two days. Her prayer was to go quickly. I think her prayer was answered. Although hard for me, it was a blessing to her.
In November it was my wife’s turn to have a brief stay in the hospital. What is the good news in that? I’m not sure yet. I’m still looking. (It could be that with my bills and her bills we may actually have a combined total large enough to actually deduct medical expenses from our taxes this year. (That is still sad.)
The difficulties, sadness, and pain have been very present during the past year for me personally. It is through these moments that we have the opportunity to recognize all the many blessings and graces as well. As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day I invite you to name very specifically those people, places, and things for which you are sincerely grateful. Take time to let God know of your gratitude. Take time to let the people you love know just how you feel.
St. Vincent de Paul Statue in St. Vincent de Paul Church–Cape Girardeau, MissouriSt. Vincent de Paul Statue at Assumption Parish in O’Fallon, Missouri
St. Vincent de Paul has long been one of my favorite saints. I am a little biased because his feast day falls on a very important date in my life. However, his life story and the works he accomplished are amazing. Many Vincentian priests have had a significant influence in my life as well, and I am grateful for their faithful witness. I have also learned much from a couple of Vincentian brothers and a number of sisters who are Daughters of Charity. Their service to the poor and marginalized members of society is phenomenal.
The official name of the Vincentian Order is Congregation of the Mission. Thus, you will see the letters C.M. after the name of a Vincentian priest. I encourage you to learn more about their work. You can visit their website for details.
If you ever have the opportunity to attend a parish mission offered by one of the Vincentians I would strongly encourage you to attend. I have heard several of them on multiple occasions throughout the years and they are terrific. Fr. Richard Gielow C.M. is the Director of the Mission Team and is a talented preacher. His brother, Fr. Robert Gielow C.M., is also a wonderful preacher. They have each impacted many lives with their dynamic parish missions. You can learn more about their ministry at:
I extend my gratitude to all of the Vincentians and Daughters of Charity today. I hope you have a wonderful feast day celebration. To all of the parishes and parishoners bearing the name of St. Vincent de Paul or St. Louise de Marillac, I pray you have a very blessed day.
As a side note–since I was just at St. Vincent de Paul Paish in Cape Girardeau, Missouri last weekend–I have the inside information that they are going to have turtle races as part of their celebration today. How cool is that!
What a joy it was to look out early this morning and see the gorgeous pre-dawn sky in its vast array of colors! Getting an extra hour of rest with the time change was an added benefit.
This view made me think of the great gift of salvation. I wonder what it was like when Jesus rose from the dead. What does it look like now when a deceased person enters the glory of heaven? I am certain that the beauty we see here on earth is only a glimpse of the grandeur of heaven.
In the Catholic tradition we set aside November 2 as All Souls Day. There is a lengthy history and tradition of people praying for the dead. Several hundred years before the coming of Christ we see an example in the second book of Maccabees chapter 12, verses 41-45 where Judas prays for the deceased in atonement for their sins. In the second century we see references to praying for the dead in The Acts of Paul and Thecla. We also see it in the second century in theMartyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity. In the fourth century Monica asked her son Augustine (who was a priest) to remember her soul in his Masses and prayers after she died.
The essence of praying for the dead on November 2, can be traced as far back as the date 998 A.D. St. Odilo of Cluny established this tradition in the Cluniac monasteries. It eventually spread to Rome, and indeed we continue to honor this practice even today. Obviously, there is a lot of disagreement over this pious practice. However an in-depth study of the history of the church, as well as studying the theological understanding of redemption in the light of faith, can certainly provide food for thought and meditation.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) On this Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus we are clearly reminded of the boundless love of God. Let us embrace that love with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.
