Reflection for twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary time

Reflection

 

Many times I have heard among good Catholics, discussion about the state of the church.  They are fearful of heart. They are concerned about what will happen to our Church and the souls entrusted to it.

Many mothers and grandmothers whom I have spoken to, are fearful for their children who have fallen away. Their children have been swept up by the revolutionary waters spewed from the mouth of Satan and desire them back in the church. There are those who fear for the upcoming synod on the family and others who predict that a schism is looming over the horizon. Here in this passage of Isaiah our dear Lord says "fear not". If our Lord was sleeping in the boat during the storm, why do we fret over these things? Is not our Lord good? Instead of fear let us be strong in faith; praying and doing penance for sinners as well as the souls in purgatory. Let us consecrate ourselves to our Lady and strive for a greater holiness. Through so many visionaries we are told that this time, though a time of great sin, is a time of great graces. Why are we losing hope? It is like the parable of the talents. For those who do not use the graces given, they will be given to others who are prudent with there graces.  Let us not be counted among them who will be called by our Lord a wicked servant. May the Lord find us as wise virgins whose lamps are trimmed and burning even when the bridegroom seems late in coming.

 

Catechesis

 

33 And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue;

34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, be opened

 

The Baltimore Catechism, in the answer to question #574 "What is a Sacrament?" Says "A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace."

 

Are these three the things necessary for it to be a sacrament? The Catechism answers " These three things, namely:                 1. An outward or visible sign,

                                2. The institution of that sign by Christ, and

3. The giving of grace through the use of that sign

 Are always necessary for the existence of a Sacrament, and if any of the three be wanting there can be no Sacrament."  #575

 

The sacraments are baptism, Conformation, the Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, holy orders and matrimony.

 

The Council of Florence in describing the sacraments states that "the first five of these sacraments are ordered to the interior spiritual perfection of the individual; the last two are ordered to the government and to the spread of the whole church." (Paragraph 695)

 

In this same paragraph the council goes on to teach us "…by baptism we are spiritually reborn and by confirmation we grow in grace and are strengthened in the faith; being reborn and strengthened, we are nourished with the divine food of the Eucharist. If by sin, we become sick in soul, penance, spiritually heals us; extreme unction heals us in spirit and in body as well, insofar as it is good for the soul. By Holy Orders the church is governed spiritual growth; by matrimony she is given bodily growth."

 

These sacraments instituted by our Lord, were given to us to sustain us, strengthen us, and help us attain to a higher perfection in Christ and in this climate we live in, we should be receiving  frequently the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist so as to stay in the state of grace and attain heaven. For confession we should be going at least every other week for if "...the righteous falleth seven times..." (Proverbs 24:16) then should we be slothful in the reception of this most wonderful sacrament? For in this sacrament we are cleansed in the blood of our Lord and even some of the wounds and attachments to sin are healed. Because of our attachment to sin and the wounds caused by them, we live in darkness. Through penance, works of mercy and the sacraments we are effectively cleaned of our inclination and desire for sin; while at the same time we grow in our love for God, desire to do good for Him, and grow in purity of heart, body and soul.

 

The reception of these sacraments are necessary for our salvation. The council of Florence teaches "If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation, but that they are superfluous; and that men can, without the sacraments or the desire of them, obtain the grace of justification by faith alone, although it is true that not all sacraments are necessary for each individual: let them be anathema." (668)

 

Our Father in Heaven gave us these sacraments so that we would be his sons and daughters and so that we could get to heaven. Without them in would be impossible to achieve the eternal reward because without baptism we could never get to heaven in the first place. As well, we cannot only be baptized. If we were only to be baptized, we are without a doubt going to fall into many sins from the time we gain the ability to reason to the moment we die. Those sins, even if none were mortal, would accumulate to be equal to a mortal sin. As a result, we would fall into hell. The Eucharist becomes our food for the sojourn through a foreign land. For the food that the world provides for our souls is poison (power, pleasure, wealth, honor). The body of Christ gives more graces than are necessary to get through the week, not to mention the day. In fact, one Holy Communion is capable of making us saints… Our very first Eucharist received was capable of making us saints. The question is why? That is good subject for meditation.

 

On a final note, frequent the sacraments. Go to mass often and confession at least twice a week. Meditate upon the sacraments and the great love the Father has for us to send down his only son to give us the magnificent gifts. May God love you. God Bless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Church teaches: Documents of the Church in English Translation. Trans. Clarkson, John F. S.J, John H. Edwards S.J, William J Kelly S.J, John J. Welch S.J. Rockford, Illinois. Tan Books and Publishers, INC. 1973. Print.

 

Baltimore Catechism #3: Lesson 13 - On the Sacraments in General.2005.574;575.baltimore-catechism.web.     5 Sep. 2015.

 

 

 

 

Reflections: Mass readings for august 30th 2015

Reflections

Mass readings august 30^th 2015

 

Text courtesy of EWTN App

Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 6-8

 

1 "And now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes and the ordinances which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, gives you.

2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

 

6 Keep them and do them; for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'

7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?

8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?

 

Psalms 15:3-5

 

3 who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;

4 in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

 

James 1:17-18; 21-22; 27

 

17 Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

 

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. j

 

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

 

Mark 7:1-8

 

1 Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem,

2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed.

3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders;

4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze. )

5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?"

6 And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'

8 You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men."

 

Mark 7:14-15; 21-23

 

14 And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand:

15 there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him."

 

21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,

22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.

23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."

 

First, There are those who will add to the commandments to suit there fancy. There are those who will say that us Catholics have added to the law because we worship God on Sunday and not Saturday. We worship on Sunday because it is commemorating the rising of our Lord from the dead, which is a fulfillment of the Passover. The Passover being only a shadow of our ultimate liberation from sin and death. Second, did our lord "add" to the letter when he said "You have heard that it was said to them of old thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of judgment. But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, 'raca', she'll be in danger of the council and whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire." Matthew 7:7 No, of course not. Our lord added nothing to the law. He had only required that our observance of the law be more perfect.  What is meant by adding and taking is that we should not add things to the law that are not of God and we should not take anything from his law out. What Christ does, what we do on Sundays is not a butchering of the law but the law,     `the commandments being perfected.

           Now, There has never been a religion nor will there ever be a religion that has a God as close to them as Catholicism. We have the holy Eucharist! We eat God every day or at least we can if we choose. We can visit our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and our Lord happily obliges us and encourages us to go often. We can call God our Father and we have in baptism become His sons and daughters. We can adore Christ in Eucharistic adoration and approach him with confidence in prayer so much that Christ says:

            "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Yet it seems as though we are far from him.

            We have so many beautiful doctrines in our faith. We have many wise teachings which holy mother church in her wisdom has given us through her holy saints. Christ gives us teachings not only to teach us what is wrong that we may avoid sin. He also gives us countless spiritual books through his beloved saints through out the ages that have, by word and deed, guided us in the way of sanctity and righteousness. Yet, sometimes the doctrines do not bring us closer to God. He are intellectually stimulated but we do not challenge out hearts.

            We who go to the Latin Mass love to hear the word of God.  We love to hear learned sermons and if not learned, pious but do we put them in to practice? We have realized how efficacious the Latin Mass is and know that the graces that come from it are bountiful. It does bring forth more grace than the Novus Ordo. When we leave Mass do we spend they day in thanksgiving to God, multiplying our works of charity.  Or do we spend our day or even our week in idle conversations about the problems that are in the church or the bishops who say or do one thing or the other. This is akin to gossip.  The only difference is that these sins are public. But does that make it any less sinful? No. We still are at risk of pride. We hear the words of Mass and instead of partaking in holy, edifying conversation, we partake in things that destroy charity in our hearts. Should not the abundance of grace that comes from the Latin Mass propel us to a charity that is greater than those that go to the Novus Ordo? It should. We should be people filled with charity. The Latin Mass has the capacity to make us saints faster than the Novus Ordo.

 

       Listen to saint James. Religion that is pure and undefiled is one that amongst its people,  purity and charity abound.

We must save souls

It is very unfortunate. These days we are desensitized to death. Since this is true, how much more are we desensitized by the death of the soul. In continually watching movies on communism and war it is truly tragic to see so much and destruction. Though, why do we not shed a tear these days over the death of souls. It is truly a shame. We have the ability and we are encouraged to save souls by petition to the merciful Sacred Heart of Christ but why do we stall? It is a shame to the Catholic faith. We must always fight for souls. Each day someone goes to hell. Each day a person loses there soul and suffers in the eternal hell fires because of their rejection of Christ. What are we doing? Should we not with every part of our being pray for the conversion of sinners? If our family is sinful should we not pray for their conversion? If we have no pity for those who eat the same bread as us and are literally of the same blood how can we expect to love others? We must learn to save souls. The pivotal point of every Catholic should be to be like Christ and thirst for souls. Everyday should be a day that we fight for souls. If we don't then why are we praying? Yes, we should pray to overcome vice and sin but what about the souls who do not pray. What about the souls who, not only know nothing about God, but flat out spit on his commandments and reject his mercy. Souls... that should be what we fight for everyday.

It is horrific to see the systematic killing of souls on a global scale. The devil in all of his cunning and evil has found a way to destroy the soul as well as the communists destroyed the bodies of tens of millions of human beings. Maybe it is even more efficient. Why? Not only do the government allow atrocities to the soul like pornography, infidelity, sodomy, and so called same sex marriage but also parents allow it as well. Not only do mothers and father allow the murdering of children in, what should be the safest place in the world, the womb, but even those who survive the mass infanticide are brought into a world where they are likely to not receive baptism and receive sanctifying grace. May I remind you that we need sanctifying grace to get into heaven. On top of that they are bombarded with blasphemy, impurity, and pure evil with no one to protect them, not even their parents. Truly, this age is diabolical in all aspects. We must save souls. We must save all those beautiful and priceless souls which the Lord in his infinite love chose specifically so that it may live with him in heaven. Tears should pour in knowing that souls destined for love of God live as if there is no God. Souls...Never forget that Jesus came to save souls. Our religion revolves not around self-fulfillment or enlightenment or even on personal gratification or our personal relationship with God. Our religion revolves around saving souls. Every dogma and prayer is for the purpose of saving souls. Every peace of scripture, tradition, and revelation is for the purpose of saving souls. What should we do? If we have a family member who is outside of the church we should devote our prayers to there conversion and refer them to the blessed Mother. Always start converting the person closest to you. In the new evangelization, I rarely hear of praying for the conversion of souls. I believe that the new evangelization should take a new approach. The motto of the new evangelization should be “Save Souls from Hell. pray the rosary for the conversion of all lukewarm Catholics and fallen away Catholics”. Lets stop kidding ourselves in thinking that nothing but prayer, the holy sacrifice of the mass and growing in holiness will save souls from hell. That is how it has always worked and it still works. Let us learn from the saints how they converted souls. Saints like saint Monica, saint Dominic, saint Francis of Assisi, saint Francis of Paola, and many other saints who by their example of holiness and prayer converted and still convert countless souls. Start today, Save a Soul.

"Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished,
that the scripture might be fulfilled, said:
'I Thirst'."
John 19:28

What to do when we don't know what to do

How do we decide what to do, when we don't have a clue on what to do? The answer is patience and prayer for those still waiting for their vocational call from God. Truly, that answer applies to everyone and every moment in our lives. When I don't know what to do I pray in silence and look up at the crucifix and ask for nothing. All I say is thank you. When I my mind is illumined by God's grace, I trust the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph with all my work and I leave it to there intercession and grace. My skill and wisdom account for little compared to their power and generosity. Happily, I give it all up to them. In the midst of indecision what will you decide?

"Idle hands are the devils work shop". If we don't have something to do, the devil will find something. Our moments of mental paralysis can be as big as moving from one home to another. On the other hand, it can be as small as deciding what to eat. God is God over all things big and small. He loves us for everything that we are. Contrary to popular belief, he has great interest in every moment of our lives. Those moments can be the least significant and God will take great joy in our humility in coming to him and will listen to our prayers. I say this because we forget about God. We forget about him because nothing exciting, substantial, or traumatizing  has happened in our lives yet. We think of God as too big to care for the little things. More importantly and sadly, we think that it can be handled without God. Consequently, when that moment of indecision comes we don't know what to do. That moment during your indecisiveness is crucial to getting closer to God. Think about it. What is better for your soul? Is it TV or prayer, pizza or grace? Do not let the evil one trick one you into eating to satisfy yourself or your boredom.  Do not let the evil one trick you into satisfying your soul with television or any material good. Retreat into the inner sanctum of your soul and converse with the Lord. Share with Him you pains and sufferings. Share with Him your joys and triumphs. Thank Him for making you forget the chores and the menial tasks. Thank him for allowing you misplace your keys so that you can't go out with your friends. This moment was given to you so that you may know and love Him. Converse with your favorite saint. Meditate on your favorite mystery from the Rosary. Read a spiritual book. Above all, spend time with God. Nothing is more important.

Matt 26:40-41

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Luke 10:38-42

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Come Back to the Father

One time or another we have all strayed away God. Sadly, this is true but because of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus we don't have to despair. It is because of Christ Crucified that we are redeemed. Furthermore, it is his constant love and divine mercy that give us strength to persevere. His powerful example of love on the Cross gives us sorrow for our sins and gives strength to love as he loved. The Cross is the end of the road of every human being. We either come to the cross to mock the Lord or the embrace and love Him on the Cross. Which will you choose?

Christ on the Cross redeems us. He gave his life out of love so that we may enter into heaven. He gave his life so that we may never fear death. He died that we may love him. Many do not see this. Many fall away from God.Some people fall away because of love of the world and others because loving God became "boring". Some fall because they are afraid and others because they want to gain something. The reason doesn't matter. The question is not how they fell or will they fall. The question is: Will they get back up? Will you get back up? Will you come to back to God? Will you give up hope? Until our final breath there is time to become a saint. Until we stand in front of God for our judgement, there is time to repent. Do not be afraid to cry to the heavens in  sorrow. Do not be afraid to reach for holiness. Do not be afraid to touch the Lord's garment. Do not be afraid to ask someone to pray for you. Do not be afraid to come back to God. Spend some time with Him. Go to confession. Let the words "I absolve you from you sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," resonate to
the very core of your soul. Let the well spring of Gods grace fill you to the brim. We are all suppose to be saints. Let this saying be written on your soul "No somos santos, porque no queremos ser" (We are not saints, because we don't want to be") Come back to the Father.

Prodigal Son, Luke 15: 17-24

And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father' s house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger? [18] I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee: [19] I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. [20] And rising up he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck, and kissed him.

[21] And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. [22] And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: [23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: [24] Because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry

Meeting New Friends

Yesterday, I had went to a Christian youth group at my college. It had peeked my interest so I had went, but when I had gotten there it was not what I had expected. I am very much used to “organized” prayer like the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I am also accustomed to silent individual prayer like adoration of the blessed sacrament, but what had happened I wasn’t prepared for. It began with a song played on the piano, than a person started to ,out loud, petition and give thanks to God. Another person was doing the same thing in Spanish(She wasn’t translating. I was paying attention). Others were singing, and another person was saying “amen” at any point that inspired him. I was standing in silence, hands clasped together prayer. I thought that It was just a conglomerate of individual prayer, as if they weren’t praying as one, but all doing what came to their heart at the time. It felt awkward. I thought, that in the end, our prayers had just as much power as if we had all prayed alone. I felt that there was praise, but no reverence.

What I had seen though, was a love for God that as Catholics I think we feel embarrassed to show. One girl had referred to God as “daddy”. That one word she said showed such humility, devotion, love, and dependence that just inspires me. She cried out ‘”Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). They loved God and though there practice wasn’t orthodox, there love was extraordinary. They were inflamed with the love of the Holy Spirit and filled with great zeal.

I had left confused and uncomfortable asking our Blessed Mother whether I should keep going there. I knew that I shouldn’t think them as if they were lower than I was, but I was so troubled that I didn’t know if I wanted to stay. Later that evening after all of my classes were finished I had went back to the room where the group prayer had taken place. I saw the door was open so I walked inside, they welcomed me in and I sat down on the couch in the room. I listened to a conversation that one of students were having, and I was attracted to the fact that they spoke about God with such love in their topic (It was about dating), and I couldn’t help but to enter into the conversation as well. By the time I had to leave I was upset because I had finally found a place where Christ was the center.

It is funny how before that point I was so reluctant to even participate in anything that had to do with other Christian groups, but now I am more open to them. It doesn’t mean that I will not be catholic anymore and just become non-denominational. It means I won’t think of them as outcasts or on the wrong side of the fence, but as brothers and sisters. I feel that as a Catholic I have much to bring to them and share, and I also can learn much from them , and maybe their zeal will rub off on me as well.

Maybe the same feeling comes across with more Catholics than I think. To have the feeling that because we have the fullness of faith, other christian denominations are doing it all wrong, and not even just christian, but all religions and “isms” as well. We should always look to have some sort of dialogue; some kind of unity when it comes to others groups, because when we alienate based on what they believe we become less like christ whom we strive to be. Like christ we must not compromise our faith in an attempt to accept who they are. Rather, know that they are children of God and love them as Christ has loved you, with charity and love, rebukes and blessings.

May God Bless You,

Frantz Jean

So..what did we learn this summer?

Well, This Labor Day marks the end of summer vacation and the beginning of school for many. No more going to the beachor staying up late on the weekdays and aloha to homework, projects, and studying till the morning for tests. This day marks the return to old and familiar settings for some and new experiences for others. This day also calls for a little examination of life, or more specifically this summer.

Summer tests us in our spirituality in a way that I have come to think is unique. It leaves us relatively free and poses the question “Does the world have a hold of me or does God?” It is that momentary relief from the hustle and bustle of work that leaves us with no excuse as to why we don’t spend more time with God. So do you see your summer as only a time to relax and play or do you see it as a time to evaluate and grow in your faith. You were home… for three months. You could have either chosen to go out with your friends and family, or you could have relaxed, stayed home and enjoyed the day. I am very sure that praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament at least an hour a week or finding and practicing devotions were not at the top or your bucket list, and that is understandable. Though your entire summer wasn’t spent like a monk, like any experience it tests our faith to see if, when we relax our bodies, we leave our faith behind as well because it’s summer. If you did, don’t worry because the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ pours out for us at every moment.

Let’s learn from our summer experiences, and though they may have been things we are not particularly proud of its not too late to learn from them, and to ask God for the grace to persevere in his grace and love. I also think that a little bit of fear in the Lord would help us in staying on the right track.