The Year of Mercy Begins Today

"The Lord Jesus shows us the steps of the pilgrimage to attain our goal: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Lk 6:37-38). The Lord asks us above all not to judge and not to condemn. If anyone wishes to avoid God’s judgement, he should not make himself the judge of his brother or sister. Human beings, whenever they judge, look no farther than the surface, whereas the Father looks into the very depths of the soul. How much harm words do when they are motivated by feelings of jealousy and envy! To speak ill of others puts them in a bad light, undermines their reputation and leaves them prey to the whims of gossip. To refrain from judgement and condemnation means, in a positive sense, to know how to accept the good in every person and to spare him any suffering that might be caused by our partial judgment, our presumption to know everything about him. But this is still not sufficient to express mercy. Jesus asks us also to forgive and to give. To be instruments of mercy because it was we who first received mercy from God. To be generous with others, knowing that God showers his goodness upon us with immense generosity."
--Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, Paragraph 17

There is Enough for Everyone

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines. –Isaiah 25:6

There is Enough for Everyone

Reflection. Advent is a time to identify our hungers and go to the right place to have them satisfied.

I suggest that the right place is the Word of God and the Table of the Eucharist. Few of us are physically hungary but we have many spiritual hungers.

Prayer. St Joseph, we pray that our hungers may be satisfied by the Living Word and the Bread of Life.

--from Day by Day with St. Joseph, Catholic Book Publishing

Year of Mercy

Tuesday, December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception begins the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy as called for by Pope Francis. Jubilees date back to Old Testament times. But in our era they occur every 25 years. The last one was in the year 2000 celebrating the millennium. The Year of Mercy is called Extraordinary because it falls outside the 25 year cycle. Jubilees are times of renewal, graces and forgiveness.

Pope Francis tells us that Jesus is the personification, the face, of the Father’s mercy. The Year of Mercy has several aspects. First, it reminds us of God the Father’s great mercy toward us. We can easily understand this by seeing the mercy, forgiveness, love and concern a parent has for their child. Mercy is readily and freely given. In acknowledging this mercy we should find joy, serenity and peace. In realizing God’s mercy toward us we become witnesses of our faith and express it with greater enthusiasm and conviction. We become living signs of the Father’s love for us.

Our response reveals the second aspect. In following Jesus, in living the Gospel life, the essence of being a Christian is having mercy toward others. Our mercy toward others is seen in our forgiveness. We are told to forgive seventy times seven times. Our mercy is also seen in our charity and in the corporal works of mercy. We sense the need to be patient, kind and compassionate to others including those who are separated from us. We become Good Samaritans.

A Jubilee year also is a time of forgiveness. Every Jubilee is a time of special reconciliation, but the Year of Mercy encourages us and the church to make special efforts of reconciliation with the Father through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, with ourselves – sometimes the hardest one to forgive, and with our family and neighbor.

One prominent feature of the Year of Mercy is the opening of the Holy Door, so rich in itself with symbolism. This will be done not only at the Vatican but also in every diocese. Holy Name Cathedral as well will have a holy door opened.

The Jubilee calls for pilgrimage. Many will go to Rome, many to their diocesan cathedrals.
I hope you will take time and meditate on and embrace this opportunity for yourself and others to take advantage of this Year of Mercy.

Aquinas 101

With deference to our Franciscan brother St. Bonaventure, I’ve been studying St. Thomas Aquinas’ thought, philosophy and theology for about a year now. I’ve finished reading the first of his five

volume Summa Theologiae.

The Summa is difficult, but most of the difficulties lie in the volume of his works and in his terms. I say this because I just finished Aquinas 101 by Rev. Francis Selman, and I must say this is a terrific book to read if you have an interest in St. Thomas or what to know the basis of a lot of Catholic philosophy and theology. Selman presents St. Thomas in a very clear and easily understandable way. I feel greatly rewarded for having read it.

More so, I am impressed by the height of Thomas’ knowledge and his love for God which is clear in every paragraph he writes.

So impressed am I with this book, I’m considering facilitating a book discussion group in my parish.

The Art of Manliness

I’ve been reading “The Art of Manliness,” http://www.artofmanliness.com/, blog, on and off, for some time now. He had a lot of good articles for men. The only thing is that he never mentions faith. In my opinion, faith makes a man fully a man. Nevertheless, below are the 100 skills every man should know. I won’t say how many I know. Let’s just say a good majority.

Here is the link to read more about it: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/09/28/100-skills-every-man-should-know/

1. Tie a Necktie
2. Build a Campfire
3. Hang a Picture
4. Shine Your Shoes
5. Treat a Snakebite
6. Read a Book
7. Survive a Bear Attack
8. Wet Shave
9. Parallel Park
10. Paddle a Canoe
11. Negotiate/Haggle
12. Fix a Leaky Faucet
13. Treat a Burn
14. Tell a Joke
15. Predict the Weather
16. Do a Deadlift Properly
17. Recite a Poem from Memory
18. Grill with Charcoal
19. Perform CPR
20. Throw a Spiral
21. Sew a Button
22. Split Firewood
23. Find Potable Water
24. Change a Flat Tire
25. Break down a Door
26. Take the Perfect Photo
27. Sharpen a Knife
28. Change a Diaper
29. Give a Speech
30. Navigate With Map and Compass
31. Unclog a Toilet
32. Buy a Suit
33. Swim the Front Stroke
34. Shake Hands
35. Treat Frostbite
36. Iron Your Clothes
37. Practice Situational Awareness
38. Do a Proper Pull-Up
39. Build a Shelter
40. Grow Your Own Food
41. Cook Eggs
42. Make Small Talk
43. Identify Poisonous & Edible Plants
44. Do a Front Dive
45. Shuffle Cards
46. Hunt
47. Properly Pour Beer
48. Perform the Fireman’s Carry
49. Open a Bottle without an Opener
50. Cast a Fishing Line
51. Speak a Foreign Language
52. Drive in Snow
53. Perform the Heimlich Maneuver
54. Ask a Woman on a Date
55. Always Know North
56. Fell a Tree
57. Hitch/Back-Up a Trailer
58. Play Poker
59. Write in Cursive
60. Throw a Knockout Punch
61. Make Pancakes from Scratch
62. Skipper a Boat
63. Dress for the Occasion
64. Shoot a Bow and Arrow
65. Drive Stick Shift
66. Do a Proper Push-Up
67. Pick a Lock
68. Mix Two Classic Cocktails
69. Field Dress Game
70. Play One Song on the Guitar
71. Use a Chainsaw Safely
72. Do a Squat Properly
73. Cook a Steak
74. Entertain Yourself (Without a Smartphone)
75. Change Your Car’s Oil
76. Whistle with Your Fingers
77. Shovel Snow
78. Carve a Turkey
79. Tie a Bowline
80. Ride a Horse
81. Give a Good Massage
82. Get a Car Unstuck
83. Break a Rack of Pool Balls
84. Make a Logical Argument
85. Cook Bacon
86. Write a Letter
87. Shoot a Gun
88. Make a Toast
89. Jump Start a Car
90. Know How to Dance
91. Brew the Perfect Cup of Coffee
92. Tie a Tourniquet
93. Know Two Cool Uncle Tricks
94. Fillet a Fish
95. Calm a Crying Baby
96. Ride a Motorcycle
97. Hammer a Nail Correctly
98. Cook a Signature Dish
99. Make Fire without Matches
100. Tell a Story

Come to Me

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11-28

Never Sacrifice These Three Things

Victims of the Umpqua Shooting

Victims of the Umpqua shooting:

Lucero Alcaraz, 19, of Roseburg, whose sister posted on Facebook that she won scholarships to cover her college costs;

Quinn Glen Cooper, 18, of Roseburg, whose family said he loved dancing and voice acting;

Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59, an outdoors lover who was taking classes at the same time as her daughter;

Lucas Eibel, 18, of Roseburg, who was studying chemistry and loved volunteering with animals;

Jason Johnson, 33, whose mother told NBC News that he successfully battled drug abuse and was in his first week of college;

Lawrence Levine, 67, of Glide, an assistant professor of English at the college;

Sarena Dawn Moore, 44, of Myrtle Creek;

Treven Taylor Anspach, 20, of Sutherlin; and

Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18, of Myrtle Creek.

"These Christians were killed because of their faith in Oregon this week. I can help but wonder what I would say in that situation. A gunman asking whether or not students are Christian, and killing the ones that say yes. I’m humbled by the courage and conviction of those who did not deny Christ in that moment. God help me to live for You with the same boldness of these students who died for You."

Sunday Sermons

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!

If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.

If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that

it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I've gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that  time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons, but for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them so, I think I'm wasting my time and the priests, Ministers or rabbis are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column. Much to the delight of the editor, it went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

'I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this...They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”

When you are DOWN to nothing....God is UP to something!

Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!

Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

 

IF YOU CANNOT SEE GOD IN ALL, YOU CANNOT SEE GOD AT ALL!

USCCB president calls Supreme Court ruling on marriage 'tragic error'

USCCB president calls Supreme Court ruling on marriage 'tragic error'

USCCB president calls Supreme Court ruling on marriage 'tragic error'

By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president of the U.S. bishops' conference called the Supreme Court's June 26 marriage ruling "a tragic error" and he urged Catholics to move forward with faith "in the unchanging truth about marriage being between one man and one woman."

"Regardless of what a narrow majority of the Supreme Court may declare at this moment in history, the nature of the human person and marriage remains unchanged and unchangeable," said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky.

"It is profoundly immoral and unjust for the government to declare that two people of the same sex can constitute a marriage," he said.

In a 5-4 decision, the court said states must license same-sex marriage. In the second part of the ruling, the court affirmed that every state must recognize marriages performed in other states, a question that will become moot as the first part of the opinion is enacted.

"Just as Roe v. Wade did not settle the question of abortion over 40 years ago," when it legalized abortion in the U.S. virtually on demand, Obergefell v. Hodges "does not settle the question of marriage today," Archbishop Kurtz said.

"Neither decision is rooted in the truth, and as a result, both will eventually fail," he added.

The court had several marriage cases to consider and bundled them under the title of the Ohio case, Obergefell v. Hodges. That case arose after the October 2013 death of John Arthur of Cincinnati. He and his longtime partner, Obergefell, had married earlier that year in Maryland. When the local Ohio registrar agreed to list Obergefell as the surviving spouse on Arthur's death certificate -- which is key to a range of survivor's benefits -- the state attorney general challenged the status because Ohio law bars same-sex marriages.

The other cases included: Tanco v. Haslam, the Tennessee case, and Bourke v. Beshear, the Kentucky case, which similarly challenge those states' refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, and DeBoer v. Snyder, the Michigan adoption case.

"The unique meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is inscribed in our bodies as male and female," Archbishop Kurtz said in his statement. "The protection of this meaning is a critical dimension of the 'integral ecology' that Pope Francis has called us to promote.

"Mandating marriage redefinition across the country is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us, especially children. The law has a duty to support every child's basic right to be raised, where possible, by his or her married mother and father in a stable home.