Blog Post 9/15/2022 - Advice from St. Francis de Sales to Reflect Upon

 

St. Francis de Sales said, “The love of God reaches perfection in those who are obedient to his Word.” 

 

He, also, offered us this advice, “Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that.”

 

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Spend a few minutes today thinking about your obedience [listening & following the Word of God] and your value as a person mistakes and authenticity [a human being made in God’s image and likeness].

May God Be Praised!

 

*The image is available at the Salesian Shop https://www.salesianshop.com/the-sacred-artwork-of-bro-mickey-mcgrath/

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Post 9/14/2022 - The Great Commandment [Reflecting on our Prayer Roots]

Hear, O Israel!  The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! 

Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.

Take to heart these words which I command you today.

Keep repeating them to your children.

Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.

Bind them on your arm as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.

Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.                                           [Deuteronomy 6: 4-9]

May God Be Blessed and may we pray often with deep reverence and awe.

 

Blog Post 9/13/2022 – Wisdom & Fear

 

 

 

 

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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who practice it.

— His praise shall endure for ever.

Those who love wisdom keep her law, for all wisdom is fear of the Lord.

— His praise shall endure for ever.”  [Liturgy of the Hours Wednesday 9/07/2022, Office of Readings: RESPONSORY Psalm 111:10; Wis 6:19; Sir. 19:17]

 

Today reflect on how much you love the Wisdom of the Lord and how much you fear losing it?

May God Be Praised.

 

*The image is available at the Salesian Shop https://www.salesianshop.com/the-sacred-artwork-of-bro-mickey-mcgrath/

 

Blog Post 9/12/2022 - Remembering & Learning

                               

Remembering 9/11/2001 [Twin Towers, The Pentagon & Flight #93], 12/07/1941 [Pearl Harbor], 11/22/1963 [Assassination of President Kennedy], 4/04/1968 [Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr] and most importantly the crucifixion of Jesus Christ circa. 33 A.D. is important only in what our memories lead us to do, how those memories inform our lives and our actions, or our lack of action.  What we learn from history and how it influences our life.

 

The Anniversary of 9/11 gives us the opportunity to ask ourselves two basic questions, 1. What kind of person am I and 2. What kind of nation are we?

On the evening of April 4, 1968, the evening of Dr. King’s assassination Robert F. Kennedy pointed out that moments like these are times for us to look inward and ask, “what kind of nation we are.”   He also said, “And even in our sleep,
 pain which cannot forget
 falls drop by drop upon the heart, 
until in our own despair, 
against our will,
 comes wisdom through the awful* grace of God.”  [Aeschylus]

 

The Greek playwright Aeschylus wrote about tragedy. “Wisdom through the awful grace of God” is a powerful insight into life itself.  We should reflect on the “awful grace of God”* assured that God’s Grace will not necessarily alter our life here, but it will carry us to the Joy of God’s love and care here and in eternity.

 

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help intercede for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

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

 

Join me and pray to God for each problem we face and our world faces and plead to God for mercy and compassion, and the “awful grace”* to comfort one another. 

May we follow Your Light as we continue our earthly journey and prepare for the gift of eternal life.  Amen.

May God Be Praised.   

 

*awful in ancient Greek meant awe-inspiring or awesome

 

Blog Post 9/11/2022 - Homily Delivered on 9/16/2001

 

Twenty-one years on September 16, 2001, I preached this homily, at the invitation of Rev. Francis Danella, O.S.F.S., the pastor [then] at Our Lady of Good Council in Vienna, VA, I believe it is still relevant and important today. 

We have been through a most devastating week, as a nation. Tuesday’s events are seared into our hearts and minds.  In our reading from Exodus, we heard “…for they have become depraved” - - and don’t the people responsible for Tuesday’s death and destruction come to mind.

Those of us who were not personally affected by Tuesday’s events can readily identify with Paul’s letter to Timothy, “… but I have been mercifully treated.” 

But in today’s Gospel we must grapple with a most difficult lesson: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son(s).  These parables turn our world upside down - -they turned Jesus’ world upside down!

How hard it would be for us to rejoice if the people responsible for Tuesday’s devastation - - repent and are saved God’s compassion?  It is beyond our wildest dreams and our comprehension, but we should pray for just that.

So, Jesus tells us the story of the two sons - -one who tells his Dad to drop dead!  As a father if my children did that I would be devastated.  Jesus tells us that God our Father calls us to: bear our grief and forgive our hurts, and to be compassionate.

Today we should search our hearts for the pain and hurt we haven’t forgiven yet!  Those in our families most especially!

This week has taught us many lessons - -one of them is how fragile life is - -Today forgive in your families because tomorrow may be too late.  We hope and pray that Tuesday’s horror is never repeated.

Let us heed Jesus’ call to be compassionate.

His call to be the “foolish” shepherd, woman, father.

His call to heal first in our families and then in our world, then we will join with the psalmist and “…rise and go to my father.”

 

May God Be Praised!  [24^th Sunday - Cycle C 9/16/2001, Readings: Ex 32:7-11, 13-14, 1 Tm 1:12-17 and Lk 15:1-32; photo: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters /Landov]

 

Blog Post 9/10/2022 - Pope John Paul I

Recently Pope John Paul I was beatified, he was known as the smiling pope.  He said, “I shall be called John Paul.” I have neither the “wisdom of the heart” of Pope John, nor the preparation and culture of Pope Paul, but I am in their place. I must seek to serve the Church. I hope that you will help me with your prayers.  His coat of arms carried the virtues of faith, hope & charity and the word "humilitas" meaning humility.

 

 

A man, priest and Pope who served God and God’s people, we can learn to be better disciples by imitating his humility.

 

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/john-paul-i-smiling-pope-month-moves-towards-sainthood-2022-09-04/

 

 

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post – 9/09/2022 - God Seeks Us

 

At one time or another each one of us has been lost, take a few minutes to read this story.

“A marine tells about a field exercise he was participating in at Camp Lejeune, N.C. His squad was on a night patrol making their way through some thick brush. Halfway through, they realized they’d lost their map. The patrol navigator informed the rest of the squad that their odds were 1 in 359 that they’d succeed in getting back to their base of operations.

 

“How did you come up with that figure?” someone asked, “one chance in 359?”  “Well,” he replied, “one of the degrees on the compass has to be right.”

 

Those marines were lost. One chance in 359 is not very good. Fortunately, it was just a training exercise, but they were lost just the same. We’ve all been lost at one time or another. That’s part of the human condition.” [King Duncan, www.Sermons.com]

 

 

Our spiritual compass needs to point in one direction to God [our spiritual magnetic north], Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  When you pray today remember you are praying inside God, Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

 

May God Be Blessed.