“Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.”  [St. Francis de Sales]

"Don't spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit, and love God."  [St. Padre Pio] 

Easy to read or to say, but very hard to live out.  When you get anxious, give your anxiety to God and ask God to help you focus on doing His will in your life.  God gets your worry, which the Lord can take care of, and you get to do God’s will, which you can take care of.

May God Be Praised!

St. Augustine said, "Know this: just as the wood of the ark saved the just from drowning, so too, by the mystery of His wooden Cross, does Christ, the Church’s God and King, save us from drowning in the sea of this world. In the symbol of a thing made of wood He gave human beings a foreshadowing of both the judgment to come and the salvation of the just."

Today hold a cross for 3 minutes as a reminder of His Cross & His Love for you.

May God Be Praised!

"The goodness of God is the highest object of prayer, and it reaches down to our lowest need. It quickens our soul and gives it life, and makes it grow in grace and virtue."

[St. Julian of Norwich]

Julian of Norwich - icon by Lu Bro Obin

Today look for God's goodness, don't miss it.

May God Be Praised!

G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The large philosophy is that which allows of many moods; such as charity, or zeal, or patience.  And it is so with what I count the largest philosophies; which can be in revolt against the Patience of the World while it is loyal to the creator of the World; which can love the world like Saint Francis, or renounce the world like Saint Jerome.”

The tension between being a contemplative or an active Catholic, between being Martha or Mary is a false tension each of us is called to follow Jesus as He wants us too. 

May God Be Praised!

There is an appointed time for everything,
   and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
   a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
   a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
   a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
   a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
   a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
   a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
   a time of war, and a time of peace.

                           [Ecclesiastes 3:1-22]

Take a few moment today and ponder Brother Mickey McGrath's painting above.

God will right every wrong and wipe away every tear, so today do your part in God's plan, do His will now and forever.

May God Be Praised!

“With God there is no need for long speeches.”  [St. Jane Francis de Chantal]

God our Father,
hear our morning prayer
and let the radiance of your love
scatter the gloom of our hearts.
The light of heaven’s love has restored us to life:
free us from the desires that belong to darkness.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.  [MP Pss I]

May God Be Praised!

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult and left untried.”  [G.K. Chesterton]

Live the Christian Ideal anyway; Jesus will take care of the rest. [Deacon Kelly]

May God Be Praised!

Father,
may everything we do
begin with your inspiration
and continue with your saving help.
Let our work always find its origin in you
and through you reach completion.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

As this day enfolds remember that the Lord is with you, look to Jesus as your companion today and everyday.

May God Be Praised!

Take my mind with all its plans and schemes.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.

Take my tears, my joys, my liberty.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.

I return to you your gifts untold.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.

take the very breath that sang your praise.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.

“These Alone Are Enough” by Dan Shutte

Today give each moment, each thought and each action you do to the lord our God.

May God Be Praised!

May God Be Praised!

Georges Rouault, Christ en criox [1936]

Homily 10/21/18 Cycle B

George Burns said, “The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning & a good ending; And to have the two as close together as possible.”  I hope to follow his advice tonight.

How do you measure greatness?  Books have been written; research has been conducted on it.  Why do you think somebody or some team or something is great?

Superbowl Champs?

World Series Champs?

Richest person in the world?

Hollywood Stardom?

World Chess Champion?

Noble Prize Winner?

Jesus gives us the answer in TODAY’S GOSPEL – the one who serves.

Isaiah said, “… through his suffering, my servant shall justify many.

In our Responsorial Psalm we asked God for His mercy.  Then in the Letter to the Hebrews we are reminded to approach the throne of grace confidently searching for God’s mercy & grace.  And in the Gospel [today], James & John want not only big jobs, but the biggest & most prominent jobs in Jesus’ Kingdom!  Jesus tells them [& us] the big jobs, the most important jobs go those who serve.

Being a servant is hard work, demanding work & many times menial work, work that often receives no notice or reward.  St. Teresa of Calcutta, i.e. Mother Teresa became famous for caring for & loving the dying in Calcutta.

A less famous Saint who did menial work with great love, who prayed for people through the intercession of St. Joseph & is credited for hundreds of miracles – Brother Andre Bessette.  He scrubbed floors & was the door-keeper [porter for nearly 40 years] at an Oratory in Montreal, know as the Doorman of Montreal or Montreal’s Miracle Worker.  In 1937 over a million people attended his funeral [Google him to read more about his life].

Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, & I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”  Being a Servant Disciple of Jesus can make all the difference!

What would you say to Jesus if He asked you, “What do you wish me to do for you?”  Would you ask for wealth, looks, fame, healing?  Would you ask to be a Servant?

Fr. John Kavanaugh, S.J. wrote, “Suffering can stretch & widen the human soul, making it large enough to know God.”  [Saint Louis University Sunday Web Site, 10-21-18]

Today’s Antiphon for Mass [10/21/18] asks God to “Guard me as the apple of your eye; in the shadow of your wings protect me.”  Fr. Ha prayed at the beginning of Mass, that God “… grant that we may always conform our will to yours & serve your majesty in sincerity of heart.” [Collect 10/21/18]

Jesus who is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself ….” [Philippians 2: 6-8]

Jesus challenged James & John, “Can you drink of the cup that I drink ….”

He came to earth to serve, we are called by Him to do the same.

“Jesus’ humility was born of his love for His Father & for the world. 

Because he loves, Jesus is willing to endure anything – even death – in order to save the human race.”  [Sunday Salesian, 10/21/18]  This Sunday October 21 we (join with Catholics everywhere) to observe World Mission Sunday.

Pope Francis said, “Mission revitalizes faith” we are on a Mission here on earth. (Schlert Letter 10/21/18)  Prayers & gifts for the Missions are needed & graciously accepted.

For a few minutes, in silence, think about the servants you have been privilege to know – thank God for them & ask God for the grace to imitate them & Jesus!

May God Be Praised!

"Above all, it is necessary to ask of God every morning the gift of perseverance, and to beg of the Blessed Virgin to obtain it for you, and particularly in the time of temptation, by invoking the name of Jesus and Mary as long as the temptation lasts. Happy the man who will continue to act in this manner, and shall be found so doing when Jesus Christ shall come to judge him. ‘Blessed is that servant, whom, when his Lord shall come, he shall find so doing’ (Matt. 24:46)."

[St. Alphonsus De Liguori]

"The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness."  [St. Gianna Molla]

That doesn’t mean we do not plan ahead, we need to do that, however

each moment is an opportunity to praise God by how we live.

Like these golfers we need to figure out where we are, what we should do and offer up our actions to God.

May God Be Praised!

"What is the prize if it is not Jesus Christ?  How can you take hold of him if you do not follow him?" [St. Francis deSales]

May God Be Praised!

"Faith and love are like the blind man’s guides. They will lead you along a path unknown to you, to the place where God is hidden."

[St. John of the Cross]

May God Be Praised!

“You and I are Disciples of Christ – let me suggest one precious gift you could give others – the witness of your life as a disciple of Christ!  Nothing is more valuable, more lasting, more meaningful than one’s love of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  That example is the greatest gift you can give.  Mass each weekend, almsgiving and other good works – these are the Beatitudes lived by Christ’s disciples.  What a powerful legacy to live.”  [Deacon Kelly]

May God Be Praised!

"Love proves itself by deeds, and how shall I prove mine? ... I can prove my love only by scattering flowers, that is to say, by never letting slip a single little sacrifice, a single glance, a single word; by making profit of the very smallest actions, by doing them all for love. I want to suffer and even rejoice for love, for this is my way of scattering flowers."  [St. Therese of Lisieux]

“Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to him. That is all the doing you have to worry about.”   [St. Jane Francis de Chantal]

May God Be Praised!

Thomas Merton wrote, “…the root of Christian love is not the will to love

but the faith that one is loved by God … irrespective of one’s worth. 

In the true Christian vision of God’s love, the idea of worthiness loses significance.”

May God Be Praised!

"Work hard every day at increasing your purity of heart, which consists in appraising things and weighing them in the balance of God's will."

[St. Francis de Sales]

May God Be Praised!

My son Brian mentioned Fortitude in his post

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lauriekelly2/journal yesterday, so I thought I would share some thoughts on Fortitude, the kind he is living right now as his wife Laurie continues her recovery.

Fortitude is a cardinal virtue, commonly called courage.  It is different from what much of what we think of as courage today. Fortitude allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles, but it is always reasoned and reasonable.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read, “Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear ….”

Fortitude allows us to remain steady in following God’s plan for us even when the fog of this life makes God’s plan is hard to see.  Thomas Merton’s Thoughts on Solitude provide a path for us to follow:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. 

            I do not see the road ahead of me. 

            I cannot know for certain where it will end. 

            Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will

            does not mean that I am actually doing so. 

            But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. 

            And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. 

            I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. 

            And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. 

            Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. 

            I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.” 

May the grace of God’s love sustain you today as it is sustains my son Brian.

May God Be Praised!

Today let us join with St. Augustine and pray,
Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know Thee,
And desire nothing save only Thee.
Let me hate myself and love Thee.
Let me do everything for the sake of Thee.
Let me humble myself and exalt Thee.
Let me think of nothing except Thee.
Let me die to myself and live in Thee.
Let me accept whatever happens as from Thee.
Let me banish self and follow Thee,
And ever desire to follow Thee.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in Thee,
That I may deserve to be defended by Thee.
Let me fear for myself, let me fear Thee,
And let me be among those who are chosen by Thee.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in Thee.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of Thee.
Let me cling to nothing save only to Thee,
And let me be poor because of Thee.
Look upon me, that I may love Thee.
Call me that I may see Thee,
And for ever enjoy Thee. Amen.

May God Be Praised!

“When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.”  [St. Francis de Sales]

“In everything you do, act without grumbling or arguing; prove yourselves innocent and straightforward, children of God beyond reproach in the midst of a twisted and depraved generation—among whom you shine like the stars in the sky.”  [Philippians 2:14-15]

I pray that the Wisdom of God is always at work in me, today and every day.  God gives us the grace to follow His son, Jesus Christ, in all we say and do.  Decide to follow the Way, the Truth and the Life today and when tomorrow gets here it will be today.

May God Be Praised!

Pope Francis said, "In silence we learn to contemplate God's works, which surpass all our imagination."

So today take some time to call out to God from your entire being:  
“From the depths of my heart I cry to you; hear me, O Lord.

From the depths of my heart I cry to you; hear me, O Lord.

I will do what you desire; hear me, O Lord.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

From the depths of my heart I cry to you; hear me, O Lord.”

                        [Responsory – Morning Prayer Week III, Thursday]

May God Be Praised!