Blessed Mother Here We Come

 

Let us begin by praying the Memorare Prayer

 

“Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, We fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer them.”  Amen.

 

Bro. Mickey McGrath, O.S.F.S. offers us this observation and suggestion [his painting is above], “These past days have been unbearably painful as we have watched tragedies unfold in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Louisiana- and across our country with covid on the rise again. Perfect time to pray to Our Mother of Sorrows and reflect on these powerful words from St. Teresa of Avila. May God protect the American service men and women and the people of Afghanistan in these tense and fearful times.”

And may God comfort those impacted by the Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and by the Earthquake in Haiti.  May we be open to the Holy Spirit's promptings to pray and to help as we are able.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised. 

Are you sure?

 

 

Are you sure?

 

“I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

Hope in the Lord!”

 

Albert Schweitzer said, "The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."

 

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised

 

The art work above was done by Bro. Mickey McGrath O.S.F.S.  

 

Join me and pray:

God, our refuge and hope, we turn to You during this COVID 19 Pandemic and plead for Your help.  In Your mercy and compassion, You carry the dead home and give us grace to comfort each other. 

As the Pandemic persists, in its Delta variant form and we try to return to “normal” life, may that “normal” be filled with prayer and thanksgiving for You and for the many blessings You give us.  May we follow Your Light as we continue our earthly journey and prepare for the gift of eternal life.  Amen. 

[Dcn. George Kelly]

 

 

Homily - Cycle B 8/29/2021 - 22nd Sunday – Ordinary Time

Today I am going to share with you some thoughts in area that I am an expert – SIN.  It will not be an exhaustive analysis, because that would take several days

In the area of SIN, we each have expertise.  That expertise is not something we should be proud of, rather we should be honest enough with ourselves to admit it.

 

In our 1^st Reading from Deuteronomy – Moses teaches the Israelites and us to observe the statutes & decrees and to observe them carefully.  

Our 2^nd Reading is from the Letter of James offers us the building block for our worldview – “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above ….”  FROM GOD.  James reminds us to HEAR God’s Word and to LIVE God’s Word.  He urges us to allow God’s WORD to guide our actions, our life.

And, in today’s Gospel Jesus confronts hypocrisy; He challenges the Pharisees and the scribes about being hearers of God’s WORD but not doers of God’s WORD.  Jesus points out to them that they “cling” to human tradition and “disregard” God’s commandment.

When we sit down to dinner how many times do, we or did we ask our children, “Did you wash your hands with soap and water?  Fortunately, when my children were growing up, they were unaware of this Gospel passage or they would have said, the Apostles didn’t wash their hands, why do we?  We know that is not what Jesus is saying, He is saying what makes us unclean is not the dirt on our hands, but the dirt in our hearts.

Pope Francis recently reminded us not to be hypocrites, not to fear the truth, not to pretend.  “Who we are, what we do, the kind of persons we are begin within the heart – the place where God dwells ….”  [Connections, 8/29/2021]

God’s dwelling place in our lives increases or decreases by our actions, how we live our lives.  "An old Cherokee once told his grandson about a fight that was going on inside of him.  He said it was between two wolves. One was evil: Anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, gossip, resentment, and false pride.

The other was good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.  The grandson thought about it for a moment & then asked his grandfather, 'Which wolf do you think will win?' The old Cherokee replied, 'The one I feed.'"  [Sermons.com, Philip W. McLarty, - The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares] 

The Catechism teaches us that “Sin is ‘a word, an act, or a desire contrary to eternal Law’ … an offense against God in disobedience to his love.”[Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #392, p.114]

God transforms the world one person at a time, and He wants us to start now.  The Kingdom of God belongs to the childlike, the people who put God first in their life, who allow God’s Will to become their wills.  Maybe this true story can help us, “A boy’s letter to Jesus ….”  It is dated December 17, 1939 (southern France)

Little Pierre wrote: “Dear little Jesus, to prepare me for my first communion, I ask you not to bring me toys this year; I want to make this sacrifice to thank you and ask you to take care of Daddy, and to end the war soon so that he will no longer be forced to go far away where fighting is going on.”  [Aleteia, 8/11/2021] 

As we wash our hands with soap and water may it remind us that we need to confess our sins so we can have the soap and water of God’s Grace and Mercy clean our souls and help us do God’s Will more faithfully.

For a few minutes, in silence, reflect on where God is in your life: At the center?

Somewhere else?

 

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 May God Be Praised.  

Join me and pray, God, our refuge and hope, we turn to You during this COVID 19 Pandemic and plead for Your help.  In Your mercy and compassion, You carry the dead home and give us grace to comfort each other. 

As the Pandemic persists, in its Delta variant form and we try to return to “normal” life, may that “normal” be filled with prayer and thanksgiving for You and for the many blessings You give us.  May we follow Your Light as we continue our earthly journey and prepare for the gift of eternal life.  Amen.  [Dcn. George Kelly]

 

Live Today

 

St. Francis de Sales advised us, “Let the world turn upside down, let everything be in darkness, in smoke, in uproar—God is with us.”  [Letters to Persons of the World]

 

And so today we pray, “God on high, source of all light, hear our morning prayer.  Turn our thoughts to what is good and guide us by the glow of Your Holy Spirit.  May our actions be those You want lived today.  We offer this pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.”  Amen.  [Dcn. George Kelly]

 

I hope this story puts life on earth in its proper perspective, it is called “Lowly Sinners, Everyone” [Sermons.com]

Historians tell about the funeral of Charlemagne. Charlemagne was the greatest Christian ruler of the early Middle Ages. After his death a mighty funeral procession left his castle for the cathedral at Aix. When the royal casket arrived, with a lot of pomp and circumstance, it was met by the local bishop, who barred the cathedral door.

"Who comes?" the Bishop asked, as was the custom.

"Charlemagne, Lord and King of the Holy Roman Empire," proclaimed the Emperor's proud herald.

"Him I know not," the Bishop replied. "Who comes?"

The herald, a bit shaken, replied, "Charles the Great, a good and honest man of the earth."

"Him I know not," the Bishop said again. "Who comes?"

The herald, now completely crushed, responded, "Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs the gift of Christ."

To which the Bishop, Christ's representative, responded, "Enter! Receive Christ's gift of life!"

 

In God's eyes, we're all sinners in need of Salvation and God’s Grace and Mercy, Charlemagne, you and me.  So today remember, “As morning breaks we sing of your mercy, Lord, and night will find us proclaiming your fidelity.”

 

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised. 

 

A Litany for Our Time

 

Lord God,

I Trust You in the Darkness and in the Light,

in the COVID Pandemic, and in the violence on our streets,

in the crosses I carry, and in the joy I receive,

in the blessings I am given, and in the prayers I offer,

in the hurts I suffer and in the burdens I bear,

in the waking of the morning, and in the depths of the night,

in the storms in my soul, and in the sorrow for my sins,

in joy for Your forgiveness, and in the tears of my grief,

in my delight, and most importantly, in the joy of The Eucharist, where my weary soul meets You and rests.

Amen.  [Dcn. George Kelly, A Litany for Our Time 2021]

 

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised. 

 

 

Day Ten - A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta - Conclusion

Day 10 – A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta - “I Loved Jesus in the Night”

One of Mother Teresa’s famous Prayers was the five finger Prayer.  Place your hand on a Bible, on your heart or on a table, gentle spread out your fingers and slowly pray: “You-did-it-to-Me.’

Read the Gospel of St. Matthew 25:31-46 [The Solemn Judgment at the End of Time]

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was ill and you took care of me; I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will say to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  

 

When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you?’ And the King will answer, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you did it to Me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you did not welcome me; I was naked and you did not give me any clothing; I was ill and in prison and you did not visit me.’

“Then they will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to You?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you failed to do for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you failed to do for me.’ And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.”

Jesus calls each one of us to be faithful servants, remember that whatever you did, “you-did-it-to-Me.”  Mother Teresa recognized that her darkness was the price of lighting ‘the fire of love.’”  [p.248]

Let her example lead you closer to Jesus, who is your Lord and Savior, “you-did-it-to-Me."  “The reality of her relationship with Jesus was truly a paradox.  He was living in and through her without her being able to savor the sweetness of His presence …. it was only when she was with the poor that she perceived His presence vividly.  There she felt Him to be so alive and so real.”  [p.212-213]

Saint Teresa of Calcutta's Relic presented at her Canonization Mass on September 4, 2016 and her feast day is September 5. 

Reflection:

St. Francis de Sales advised, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing, but leave ourselves in the arms of divine Providence, without busying ourselves with any desires, except to will what God wills of us.”  de Sales’ advice is fundamental to anyone who wants to do God’s Will faithfully and fully.  Simply put, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing.”

St. Joseph pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  St. Brendan the Navigator

May God Be Praised.

Day Nine - A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta – Part Three

 

Day 9 - A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta - Part Three

 

Chapters Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen – “At His Disposal”,  “God Uses Nothingness to Show His Greatness” and “Radiating Christ”

 

Chapter Eleven - “To Be The One”

“The honors bestowed upon her and her work accentuated the absence of intimacy with Jesus, which she longed for.”  [p.237]

“In September 1962, writing to now Bishop Picachy, Mother Teresa emphasized how dark her interior state was.”  [p.238]

 

“Not having the sense of believing, Mother Teresa still struggled with the fear of deceiving others …. When she wanted to disclose her apparent lack of faith she was deprived of the power to do so ….  She did have faith, a biblical faith, a blind faith that had been tried and tested in the furnace of suffering, and that trusted the path to him through darkness.”  [p.239]

 

Chapter Twelve – “An Instrument In His Hands”

“… despite the numerous activities, the frequent travels to visit the increasing number of houses, the growing needs of the poor she witnessed daily, and persistent interior darkness that troubled her, her fidelity to prayer was categorical: [in a letter to Fr. Michael van der Peet she wrote] “You write so beautifully of nothingness, we – and fullness – God. – And to think that those two are so apart and yet the humility of God has made it one - Jesus ….”  [p.270]

 

Mother Teresa “… shared with her friend Eileen Egan …. ‘Sorrow, suffering, Eileen, is but a kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Jesus that He can kiss you. – I think this is the most beautiful definition of suffering ….”  [p.281]

 

 

Chapter Thirteen – “No Longer Me, But Only Jesus”

 

In January 1988, Mother Teresa wrote to Fr. van deer Peet, “At the beginning there were no slums in heaven. – Now heaven is full of slum people.  Jesus must be very happy to have those thousands coming to Him, with love from Calcutta.”  [p.309]

 

Reflection:

St. Francis de Sales advised, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing, but leave ourselves in the arms of divine Providence, without busying ourselves with any desires, except to will what God wills of us.”  de Sales’ advice is fundamental to anyone who wants to do God’s Will faithfully and fully.  Simply put, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing.”

 

St. Joseph pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  St. Brendan the Navigator

 

May God Be Praised.

Day Eight - A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta – Part Two

 

 

A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta – Part Two & Part Three

 

Chapters Eight, Nine & Ten – “The Thirst of Jesus Crucified”, “My God How Painful Is This Unknown Pain” and "I Have Come to Love the Darkness"

 

Chapter Eight: “A Terrible Darkness Within”

 

Mother Teresa wrote to Archbishop Perier on March 18, 1953, “You Grace,

… Please pray specially for me that I may not spoil His work and that Our Lord may show Himself – for there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything were dead.  It has been like this more or less from the time I started ‘the work.’  Ask Our Lord to give me courage.  Please give us Your blessing ….”  [p.149]

 

“Though not without struggles, Mother Teresa’s work among the poor continued with remarkable results.  She was aware that it was ‘God’s work’, she was but an instrument in bringing ‘souls to God – God to souls’ … prayer and sacrifice were essential: united to Jesus’ redemptive suffering, prayer and sacrifice leavened the work for the poor.”  [p.153]

 

Mother Teresa wrote to Archbishop Perier that, “In October 1958 Mother Teresa unexpectedly received a major grace on the occasion of the requiem Mass for Pope Pius XII ….  ‘the day you offered your Holy Mass for our Holy Father’s soul in Cathedral - I prayed to him for a proof that God is pleased with the Society.  There & then disappointed that long darkness, that pain of loss - of loneliness – of that strange suffering of ten years.  Today my soul is filled with love, with joy. Untold – with an unbroken union of love.  Please thank God with me & for me.”  [pp.176-177]

 

“This experience was like an oasis in the Desert.”  [p.177]

 

Part Three - Chapter Nine – “My God How Painful Is This Unknown Pain”

 

                                                “An Imprint of the Passion”

 

In April 1956 Mother Teresa shared her spiritual desert/darkness experience with Fr. Picachy on the retreat he gave to her community.  She wrote, “No priest except Fr. Van Exem & you have known the darkness in me.”  [p.179]   [Archbishop Perier was her bishop, so she did not include him here.]

 

“Mother Teresa was aware that it was love that made her suffering so acute ….  She was torn between the feeling of having lost God and the unquenchable desire to reach Him.”  [p.180]

 

“Instead of stifling her missionary impulse, the darkness seemed to invigorate it.  Mother Teresa understood the anguish of the human soul that felt the absence of God, and she yearned to light the light of Christ’s love in the ‘dark hole’ of every heart buried in destitution, loneliness, or rejection.”  [p.185]

 

Chapter 10 – “I have Come to Love the Darkness”

 

                                                “The Spiritual Side of the Work”

 

Mother Teresa wrote, “For the first time in 11 years - I have come to love the darkness – for I believe now that it is part of a very, very small part of Jesus’ darkness & pain on earth.  You have taught me to accept it [as] a ‘spiritual side of your work’ ….”

“The reality of her relationship with Jesus was truly a paradox ….  He was living in and through her without her being able to savor the sweetness of His presence …. It was only when she was with the poor that she perceived His presence vividly.  There she felt Him to be alive and so real.”  [pp. 212-213]   

 

Reflection:

St. Francis de Sales advised, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing, but leave ourselves in the arms of divine Providence, without busying ourselves with any desires, except to will what God wills of us.”  de Sales’ advice is fundamental to anyone who wants to do God’s Will faithfully and fully.  Simply put, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing.”

 

St. Joseph pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  St. Brendan the Navigator

 

May God Be Praised.

 

 

Day Seven - A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta – Part Two - Chapter Seven

                            A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta – Part Two 

Chapter Seven – “The Dark Night of the Birth of the Society” 

                                    “The Plan of Our Lord is Being Fulfilled”

“With the permission of the Holy See, Archbishop Perier officially established the Society of the Missionaries of Charity in the archdiocese of Calcutta on October 7, 1950, the feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary….  Jesus’ call that Mother Teresa heard on September 10, 1946, was now recognized and confirmed by the Church.”  [pp. 138-139]  

 

Reflection:

St. Francis de Sales advised, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing, but leave ourselves in the arms of divine Providence, without busying ourselves with any desires, except to will what God wills of us.”  de Sales’ advice is fundamental to anyone who wants to do God’s Will faithfully and fully.  Simply put, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing.”

 

St. Joseph pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  St. Brendan the Navigator

 

May God Be Praised.

 

 

Day Six - A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta – Part Two

 

Chapter Six – “To the Dark Holes”

 

                                                            “The Dream Realized”

Archbishop Perier wrote to Mother Teresa, “Dear Teresa,

“… Pray much and live intimately with Our Lord J.C. Jesus Christ asking for light, strength, decision; but do not anticipate HIS WORK.  Try not to put anything of your own in all this.  You are His instrument, nothing more.”  [p.112]

On August 17, 1948 clad in a white sari with a blue border Mother Teresa – a European nun alone in newly independent India – set out to begin life as a Missionary of Charity … her wealth lay in her heart: unshakable faith in God and absolute confidence in the promise He made to her two years earlier: ‘Do not fear – I shall be with you always … Trust Me lovingly – trust Me blindly.’”  [pp. 121-122]

 

Reflection:

St. Francis de Sales advised, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing, but leave ourselves in the arms of divine Providence, without busying ourselves with any desires, except to will what God wills of us.”  de Sales’ advice is fundamental to anyone who wants to do God’s Will faithfully and fully.  Simply put, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing.”

 

St. Joseph pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  St. Brendan the Navigator

 

May God Be Praised.

Day Five - A Mini Retreat with St. Teresa of Calcutta – Part Two

Chapter Five - “Delay No Longer.  Keep Me Not Back”

                                                “Longing to Bring the Light of Christ”

 

“Father Van Exem [Mother Teresa’s Spiritual Director] ‘felt urged to change [his] decision once more and allowed her to dwell on all thoughts inspired by Our Lord ….”  [p.82]

 

“During these weeks Mother Teresa enjoyed an intense degree of union with Our Lord ….  Years later she recalled this extraordinary time: ‘Before the work started [1946-1947] there was so much union-lobe-faith-trust-prayer-sacrifice’ ….  After much prayer & deliberation, the Archbishop finally felt free to give Mother Teresa permission to pursue her goal ….  Withholding my consent, I would hamper the realization, through her, of the will of God.”  [P.102]

Reflection:

St. Francis de Sales advised, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing, but leave ourselves in the arms of divine Providence, without busying ourselves with any desires, except to will what God wills of us.”  de Sales’ advice is fundamental to anyone who wants to do God’s Will faithfully and fully.  Simply put, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing.”

 

St. Joseph pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  St. Brendan the Navigator

 

May God Be Praised.