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Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
MONSIGNOR GEORGE'S CORNER
February 5, 2012
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s In the First Reading of today’s Mass, Job describes how difficult life is, the futility of living before the long-promised Messiah arrives. His lament reminds us of the curse and toil and death placed upon Adam following his original sin (see Genesis 3:17-19). Men and women are like slaves, looking for shade and rest. Their lives are like the wind that comes and goes. However, as we sing in today’s Psalm, God who created the stars, promised to heal the broken-hearted and gather those lost who have been exiled from Him (see Isaiah 11:12; 61:1). We see this promise fulfilled in today’s Gospel. Simon’s mother-in-law is like Job’s toiling, hopeless humanity. She is ill, laid low by affliction and too weak to save herself. Jesus grasps her by the hand, heals her and helps her up, just as God had promised to take his chosen people by the hand and rescue them which He did many times before sending His Son to save all people of good will. The word translated for “help” is actually Greek for raising up. This is the same verb Jesus used when He commanded a dead girl to arise (see Mark 5:41-42). The same verb is used to describe Jesus’ own resurrection in the Gospel of Mark (see Mark 14:28; 16:7). What Jesus has done for Simon’s mother-in-law, He has done for all of humanity. Our Savior has raised all of us who lay dead through our sins (see Ephesians 2:5). The Gospel uses many words of totality, of completeness. For example, the “whole town” gathers; “all” the sick are brought to Him; Jesus drives out demons in the “whole of Galilee”; “everyone” is looking for Christ. We too have found Jesus. By our Baptism He healed us and raised us to live in His presence (see Hosea 6:1-2). Like Simon’s mother- In-law, there is only one way to thank the Savior for the new life He has given us. We must rise to serve Him and His Gospel. Our lives must be our thanksgiving, as Saint Paul describes in today’s Epistle. We must tell everyone the Good News, the purpose for which Jesus has come – so that others, too, may have a share in the Love and Life of Jesus, our Savior. Father George
TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
January 30, 2012 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony's, The federal government has decided to attack the fundamental right to religious liberty of all Catholics, indeed of all Christians and of people of all faiths and of all who believe in the right to life. Bishop Olmsted has sent all parishes a letter which will be read at all Masses this weekend. My corner this week is Bishop Olmsted's letter. DIOCESE OF PHOENIX January 25, 2012 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I write to you concerning an alarming and serious metter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be "of, by, and for the people," has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people - the Catholic population - and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their empolyees health coverage that inclues sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insuers will be forced to include those "services" in the insurance policies they write. Almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their health insurance plans. In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation's first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. As a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our cmployees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Administrations's sole concession was to give our instiutions one year to comply. We cannot - we will not - comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America's cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less. Therefore, I would ask of you two things. First, commit ourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored. Pray the rosaryl, asking Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of our Nation, to intercede for us. Without God, we can do nothing: with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I recommend visiting www.uscob.org/conscience, to learn about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Administration's decision. United in prayer and in confidence in God's mercy, I remain Sincerely yours in Christ, Thomas J. Olmsted Bishop of Phoenix TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
January 22, 2012 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In today’s Gospel Jesus calls two fishermen, Simon and
Andrew. He tells them, “Come after me, and I will make
you fishers of men.” This calling of Simon and Andrew
evokes Elisha’s commissioning by the prophet Elijah. As
Elijah comes upon Elisha working on his family’s farm,
so Jesus sees the brothers fishing with their father.
As Elisha left his father and mother to follow Elijah,
so Simon and Andrew leave their father to follow Jesus
who will make them “fishers of men,” the first Apostles. The prophet Jeremiah years before had announced that God would send “many fishermen” to restore the people chosen by God.Jeremiah prophesied that the Messiah would send “many fishermen” to free the Israelites just as God had once brought them out of slavery in Egypt. By Jesus’ cross and resurrection, this new exodus from sin to a new life in Christ has begun. The Apostles are the new people of God, the Church. The Church is the new family of God, based not on blood ties, but on belief in Jesus and a desire to do the Father’s will. Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle that even our most important worldly concerns, family relations, occupations, and possessions must be judged in the light of the Gospel. The first word of Jesus’ Gospel – repent – means we must totally change our way of thinking and living, turning away from evil, doing all for the love of God. We should respond to Jesus’ loves for us with true love, a love which conforms my will to God’s will so that I truly love God and my neighbor. We should be consoled by Nineveh’s repentance in today’s First Reading. Even the wicked Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching. In Jesus we have one infinitely greater then Jonah. The Messiah, God Himself, came to save us, to show sinners the way as we sing in today’s Psalm. This should give us hope not only for ourselves but also for those loved ones who have turned away and remain far from God. Jesus is the good Shepherd who seeks out and calls those who have gone astray, compassionately forgiving all who accept His saving love. We too, must continue along the path of repentance, of conversion, by striving daily to pattern our lives after our Savior’s. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
January 15, 2012 DEAR PARISHIONERS OF SAINT ANTHONY’S, THE READINGS TODAY, IN THE CALL OF SAMUEL AND OF THE FIRST APOSTLES, SHED LIGHT ON OUR OWN CALLING TO BE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST. JOHN HAS PREPARED HIS FOLLOWERS TO HEAR GOD’S CALL. THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING FOR THE MESSIAH, SO THEY TRUST IN JOHN’S WORD AND BEGIN TO FOLLOW JESUS WHEN HE POINTS OUT “THE LAMB OF GOD” WALKING BY.
IN THE FIRST READING WE SEE THAT SAMUEL IS ALSO WAITING
FOR THE LORD. HE IS SLEEPING NEAR THE ARK OF THE
COVENANT WHERE GOD’S GLORY DWELLS, DURING THE PERIOD OF
FORMATION WHEN ELI, THE HIGH PRIEST IS INSTRUCTING HIM,
SAMUEL LISTENED TO GOD’S WORD AND THE LORD WAS WITH
HIM. SUBSEQUENTLY SAMUEL, THROUGH HIS PROPHETIC WORD,
TURNED ALL ISRAEL TO THE LORD. TODAY’S GOSPEL RELATES
THAT THE DISCIPLES, TOO, HEARD AND FOLLOWED JESUS. THEY
STAYED WITH THE LORD AND BY THEIR TESTIMONY BROUGHT
OTHERS TO THE LORD. THESE SCENES FROM SALVATION HISTORY SHOULD GIVE US THE GRACE, THE STRENGTH, TO EMBRACE GOD’S WILL AND TO FOLLOW HIS CALL IN OUR LIVES. GOD IS CONSTANTLY CALLING EACH OF US BY NAME (see Isaiah 43:1; John 10:3). THE LORD WANTS US TO SEEK HIM IN LOVE, TO LONG FOR HIS WORD. WE MUST DESIRE ALWAYS, AS DID THE APOSTLES, TO STAY WHERE THE LORD STAYS, TO CONSTANTLY SEEK HIS FACE (see Psalm 42:2). FOR WE ARE NOT OUR OWN, AS SAINT PAUL TELLS US IN TODAY’S EPISTLE. WE MUST HAVE OUR EARS OPEN TO OBEDIENCE, AND WRITE HIS WORD WITHIN OUR HEARTS. WE MUST TRUST IN THE LORD’S PROMISE – THAT IF WE COME TO HIM IN FAITH, HE WILL STAY WITH US AND RAISE US BY HIS POWER (see John 15:14; 14:21-23). WE MUST REFLECT IN OUR LIVES THE LOVE THE LORD HAS SHOWN US, SO THAT OTHERS MAY FIND THE SAVIOR. AS WE RENEW OUR VOWS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN THIS HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS, LET US APPROACH THE ALTAR SINGING THE NEW SONG OF TODAY’S PSALM: “BEHOLD I COME…..TO DO YOUR WILL O GOD.” FATHER GEORGE TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
January 8, 2012 DEAR PARISHIONERS OF SAINT ANTHONY’S, IN MANY NATIONS TODAY THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY IS CELEBRATED WITH GREATER SOLIMNITY THAN CHRISTMAS. THIS IS BECAUSE IT CELEBRATES JESUS’ MANIFESTATION TO THE GENTILE WORLD. JUST AS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES THE SPECIAL MANIFESTATION OF JESUS TO THE JEWS, SO EPIPHANY CELEBRATES JESUS’ SPECIAL MANIFESTATION TO THE GENTILES. FOR THIS REASON IT IS CALLED THE “FEAST OF THE NATIONS.” THE THREE KINGS WHO CAME FROM AFAR LED BY THE STAR BROUGHT THREE GIFTS, MYRRH, FRANKINCENSE AND GOLD. THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI ARE FILLED WITH DEEP SYMBOLISM.
FRANKINCENSE WAS USED IN RELIGIOUS WORSHIP AS IT WAS IN JESUS’ DAY. THE AROMA AND SMOKE SPIRAL UPWARD TO HEAVEN AND SPEAK OF GOD’S DIVINITY. THE GIFT OF INCENSE IS SYMBOLIC OF THE DIVINITY OF JESUS. SAINT PAUL TELLS US: “JESUS ALWAYS HAD THE NATURE OF GOD, BUT HE…..BECAME LIKE MAN” AND WAS BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY. THE THIRD GIFT WAS GOLD. AMONG ANCIENT PEOPLE, GOLD WAS REGARDED AS THE KING OF METALS SO IT WAS AN IDEAL GIFT FOR A KING. A KING WAS A LEADER. THE IDEAL KING LED BY LOVE. JESUS WAS AND IS SUCH A KING WHO LEADS BY LOVE, ESTABLISHING HIS KINGDOM, HIS CHURCH, AND INSPIRING OTHERS TO JOIN HIM IN HIS WORK. HE CONTINUES TO REIGN OVER HIS KINGDOM OF LOVE. WHAT JESUS BEGAN HERE ON EARTH WE MUST CONTINUE IN OUR TIME. WE MUST CARRY THE “GOOD NEWS” TO ALL THE NATIONS…THE “GOOD NEWS” THAT JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, TOOK HUMAN FLESH, LIVED AMONG US, DIED TO PAY FOR OUR SINS, ROSE AGAIN TO SHARE HIS LIFE AND LOVE WITH ALL PEOPLES. THE MESSAGE OF THIS FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY CALLS EACH OF US TO ACTION. WITH THE EPIPHANY THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS BEGINS: IN JESUS’ NAME WE ARE “TO FIND THE LOST, TO HEAL THE BROKEN, TO FEED THE HUNGRY, TO RELEASE THE PRISONERS, TO REBUILD THE NATIONS, TO BRING PEACE AMONG BROTHERS, TO MAKE MUSIC IN THE HEART.” FATHER GEORGE TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
January 1, 2012
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua Church, Some time ago I heard a poem a college student composed to be read in a theology class taught by a priest at Gonzaga University. When the student said she had written a poem about Mary, the priest said “I’d love to hear it. “Today I saw a water lily growing in a pond. It had the most beautiful color of yellow I’d ever seen. The lily-a precious treasure-was unconcerned about whether anyone noticed its astounding beauty. As I sat there, watching it unfold its petals noiselessly,I thought of Mary, pregnant with Jesus. She, too, was a precious treasure. She, too, was unconcerned about whether Anyone noticed her astounding beauty. But to whose who did, she shared a secret.
Her
beauty came not from herself, but from the Jesus Life
unfolding its noiseless petals within her.” The poem underscores the reason for celebrating today’s feast. It is not to honor Mary in some isolated way, but to honor her because she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. The Church’s official teaching about Mary is summed up: first, that she was sinless; second, that she was a virgin; third, that she was taken bodily to heaven; and fourth, that she is the Mother of God. The last teaching is the key one. The other three-her immaculate conception, her perpetual virginity, and her assumption all stem from the fact that she was chosen to be the Mother of God. Mary was immaculately conceived to prepare her to be the Mother of God. She was a virgin to make her a unique vessel to bear a unique treasure, the body of Jesus. She conceived this unique treasure by the power of God the Holy Spirit. Mary was taken bodily to heaven for one reason: because she was sinless, she was immune from the penalty of sin, bodily death and corruption. All of the graces and privileges Mary received were not for her glory but for the glory of the Lord, as she stated to Elizabeth, “My soul glorifies the Lord….” As Luke’s Gospel relates, Mary is often mentioned beginning with the Annunciation and in the beginnings of the other 3 Gospels. Her presence diminishes during Jesus’ public life after the wedding at Cana. She is mentioned again during the Passion and Death of Jesus and at Pentecost. Mary perfectly fulfilled her vocation by bearing Jesus and by presenting our Savior to all people of good will. Let us listen to what Mary told the servant at the wedding of Cana, “Do what He tells you.” Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
December 25, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, The Church’s liturgy rings in Christmas with joyful music…uplifted voices, trumpets, horns and joyous hymns of praise. THE SAVIOR IS BORN!
In the First Reading Isaiah foretells Israel’s
liberation from captivity in Babylon. The prophet
envisions a triumphant homecoming to the promised land
marked by joyful singing and dancing. This joyous note
continues in today’s Psalm which is a victory hymn
praising our God and King for the marvelous deeds done
for all “men of good will.” Both the prophet Isaiah and
the psalmist sing of God’s power and salvation. God’s
holy, powerful arm has freed the Chosen People by
shattering Egypt, the enslaver of the Israelites. The
coming of the Christ Child into the world fulfills all
that was prefigured in Exodus as Moses led the freed
Israelites to the promised land. In Jesus, all nations to the ends of the earth will see the victory of God over the forces of sin and death. Jesus is the new King. He is the royal firstborn Son of God promised to King David (see Ps. 2:7; 2 Sam. 7:14). As today’s Gospel reveals, Jesus is the Word of God, the One through whom the universe was created, the one through whom the universe is sustained. God has unveiled a new age in speaking to us through His Son. The new age is a new creation. In the beginning, God spoke His Word and light shone in the darkness. Now, in this new age, God sends us the true light to scatter the darkness of a world that has exiled itself from God. Jesus is the One foretold by Isaiah…the One who brings good tidings of peace and salvation. Jesus announces to the world that He, the Son of God and of Mary has come to dwell and to reign (See Rev. 21:3-4) So we sing a new song on Christmas. It is the song of those who have believed in the Christ Child and been born again – by grace given the power to become children of God. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
December 18, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, What is announced to Mary in today’s Gospel is the revelation of all that the prophets had foretold. Saint Paul declares in the Epistle that this is the mystery kept secret since before the foundation of the world. Mary is the virgin prophesied to bear a son of the house of King David (see Isaiah 7:13-14). Nearly every word the angel speaks to Mary echoes the long history of salvation recorded in the Old Testament. Mary is hailed as the daughter Jerusalem who is called to rejoice…..rejoice that the Lord God has come into her midst as the long promised Messiah, her mighty Savior (see Zephaniah 3:14-17). The One Mary is to bear will be “Son of the Most High” – an ancient divine title first used to describe the God of the priest-king Melchizedek. Melchizedek is the priest-king who brought out bread and wine to bless Abraham at the dawn of salvation history (see Genesis 14:18-19). This “Son of the Most High” will fulfill the Covenant God made with King David in today’s First Reading. As we sing in today’s Psalm, He will reign forever as our King, the highest of kings of the earth and He will call God “my Father.” Daniel foresaw God the Father grant everlasting dominion to the Son of Man (see Daniel 4:14; 7:14). His Kingdom will have no end. He is to rule over the Israelites as God revealed at Sinai and the Lord promised that all nations would be invited to worship the ONE TRUE GOD (see Isaiah 2:1-5). Jesus has been made known to bring all nations to the obedience of faith (see Romans 16: 25-27). We are called with Mary to marvel at all that the Lord has done throughout the ages for our salvation. We must respond to this annunciation with humble obedience as Mary did - that His will be done, that our lives be lived according to HIS WORD. Father George
December 11, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In
last week’s Readings we were introduced to the mysterious
figure of John the Baptist. In today’s Gospel we learn more
about who John is not, rather than who he is. The other
Readings as well as the Gospel do clarify what John’s role
is in Salvation History. John is not Elijah
returned from heaven though he dresses in the prophet’s
attire and preaches repentance and judgment John prepares the way for the Lord (see Isaiah 40:3). John’s baptism is symbolic, not sacramental. It is a sign to stir hearts to repentance. John shows us the One upon whom the Spirit remains, the One who fulfills the promise we hear in today’s First Reading. Jesus’ bath of rebirth and the Spirit opens a fountain that purifies Israel and gives to all a new heart and a new Spirit (see Mark 1:8). John comes to us in the Advent Readings to show us the light so that we might believe in the One who comes to us at Christmas. As we sing in today’s response, the Mighty One has come to lift us up, to fill our hunger with bread from heaven (see John 6:33, 49-51). Today is called Laetare Sunday, (“Rejoice” Sunday). As Saint Paul exhorts us in today’s Epistle, we should rejoice, give thanks, and pray without ceasing that God will make us perfectly holy in spirit, soul and body – that we may be blameless when our Lord comes. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
December 4, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony, There is Good News proclaimed in the Readings for this Sunday. Our God is coming. The time of exile – the long separation of mankind from God due to sin is about to end. In the First Reading Isaiah promises that the Chosen People will be released, freed from captivity. But the Gospel shows that the release of the Jewish people from their enslavement in Egypt was a prophesy of a greater saving act of God. The coming of Jesus would free all nations as well as Israel from the bondage to sin. Jesus would gather all peoples and lead them back to God. God had sent an angel to lead the Chosen People toward the promised land. The Lord promised to send a messenger of the Covenant to purify the people and turn their hearts to God the Father before the day of the Lord (see Malachi 3:1, 23-24). John the Baptist cites several prophecies to show that all of Israel’s history looks forward to the revelation of Jesus. In Jesus, God has filled in the valley of sin that divides humanity from the Lord. In Jesus God has reached down from heaven and made His Glory dwell on earth, as we sing in today’s Psalm. God has done all this, not for humanity in general, but for each and everyone of us. The long history of salvation has led us to this Eucharist, in which God again comes and our salvation is near. Each one of us must hear in today’s Readings a personal call. Here is your God, as Isaiah says. In the Epistle today Saint Peter tells us that God has been patient with you. As the inhabitants of Jerusalem did, we are to go out to the Lord, repenting our laziness, our self-indulgence, our sins that make our lives a spiritual wasteland. We are to straighten out our lives, so that everything we do leads us to God. Today let us hear the beginnings of the Gospel and again commit ourselves to lives of devotion and holiness. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
November 27, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, On this First Sunday of Advent we begin the new translation of the Roman Missal. Laminated cards are in the Missalettes with the new translation of the Penitential Rite, the Responses, the Gloria and the Creed.
The new Church year begins with a plea for God’s visitation.
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,” as the
Prophet Isaiah cries in the First Reading. Today’s Psalm
also includes the anguished plea of the psalmist who
implores God to look down from His heavenly throne and save
and shepherd His chosen people. The Readings today are relatively brief; they are simple while their message is clear. The Liturgy today has a serious penitential mood as the chosen people recognize their sinfulness, their failures to keep the Covenant God has made with them. They recognize their absolute inability to save themselves, as they anxiously await the arrival of the Messiah. In this Advent season we should see our lives in the experience of Israel. As we examine our consciences, can’t we also find that we often harden our hearts, refuse God’s rule and withhold our love from God and our neighbor? Saint Paul reminds us in his Epistle that God is always faithful; He is our Father and has heard the cry of His children. The Lord has come down from heaven for Israel’s sake and for ours – to redeem us from our exile from God, to restore us to His love. In Jesus, we have seen the Father (see John 14:8-9). Jesus is the Good Shepherd (see John10:11-15) who has come to guide us to the heavenly kingdom. No matter how far we have strayed, He will seek us out and give us new life if we turn to the Savior and pledge never again to go astray. Saint Paul tells us today that Jesus has given us every spiritual gift – especially the Eucharist and penance – to strength us as we await Christ’s final coming. He will keep us strong and faithful if we let Him. In this season of repentance, we should heed the warning – repeated three times by our Savior in the Gospel – to be watchful, for we know not the hour nor the day when the Lord will return. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
November 20, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s
The Feast of Christ the King marks the end of the Church
year. The Readings from Holy Scripture speak of the end
of time when Christ the King well come in all of HIS
GLORY. The SON OF MAN is enthroned over all nations and
peoples of every language. The nations have been
gathered to see the Lord’s glory and receive his
judgment (see Isaiah 66:18). The King is the Good
Shepherd who will judge as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats. Each of us will be judged upon
our performance of the simple works of mercy we hear in
today’s Gospel. Jesus explains that these works are a measure of our love for Him, our faithfulness to His commandment that we love God with all our might and our neighbor as ourselves (see Matthew 22:36-40). Our faith is dead unless it is expressed in works of love (see James 2:20). We cannot say we truly love God, whom we cannot see, if we don’t love our neighbor, whom we can see (see 1 John 4: 20). The Lord is our shepherd, as we sing in today’s Psalm. We are to follow His lead. Jesus heals our sickness, free us from sin and death and welcomes us who were once strangers. He clothed us in baptism (see Revelation 3:5) and feeds us with the food of HIS OWN BODY AND BLOOD. At the end He will come again to hand over His Kingdom to His Father. Let us strive to follow our Savior as true disciples so that His Kingdom might be our inheritance so we may enter into the eternal rest promised for the people of God.
Father George
TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE November 13, 2011
DEAR PARISHIONERS OF SAINT ANTHONY’S, We will begin praying the Third Edition of the Roman Missal on the First Sunday of Advent. The new Missaletes in the pews will contain a laminated card which has the changes in the responses prayed by the congregation as well as the new versions of the Gloria and Creed. Both forms of Holy Communion are not as restricted as I thought, so both the Consecrated hosts and wine will be offered frequently as the Catholic Sun explains in the issue you will receive this week. The Readings for this Third Sunday in Ordinary Time clearly tell us that the day of the Lord is coming. What matters is not the time or the season, but what the Lord finds us doing with the graces and talents we have received. This is the point of Jesus’parable in today’s Gospel. Jesus is the Master. After having died, risen and ascended into heaven, He appears to have gone away for a long time. By our Baptism, Jesus has entrusted to each of us a portion of His “possessions,” a share in His divine life. Our Savior has given us talents and responsibilities, according to the measure of our faith (see Romans 12:3,8). We are to be like the worthy wife in today’s First Reading, like the faithful man in today’s Psalm. Like them we should walk in the “fear of the Lord” – in reverence, awe and thanksgiving for the marvelous gifts we have received from the Lord. This is not the fear of the useless servant in the parable who fears as a slave cowering before a cruel master. We are not to fear as one who refuses the relationship that the Lord calls us to. Jesus has called us to be trusted servants, fellow workers who use our talents to serve one another and His Kingdom as good stewards of His grace (see 1 Peter 4:10). Although the good servants in today’s Gospel were given different numbers of talents, each one “doubled” what he received. Each one earned the same reward for his faithfulness – greater responsibility and a share of the Master’s joy. Let us resolve to use well what we have received, to do all for the Love of God and of our neighbor. That we, too, may approach our Master with confidence and love when He comes to settle accounts. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
November 6, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Here is a comparison of the new and old translations of the Creed. NEW TRANSLATION OLD TRANSLATION
I BELIEVE in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven of all THINGS VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE. and earth. I BELIEVE in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only BEGOTTEN Son of God, I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. BORN of the Father BEFORE ALL AGES. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, and born of the Virgin Mary. not made, CONSUBSTANTIAL with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, AND BY the Holy Spirit WAS INCARNATE of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, HE SUFFERED He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, die DEATH and was buried, AND ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY in and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the ACCORDANCE WITH the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Kingdom will have no end. I BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds I believe in the Holy Spirit, from the Father and the Son, WHO with the Father and the Son is the Holy Catholic Church, ADORED and glorified, WHO has spoken through the prophets. the communion of saints, I BELIEVE in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. the forgiveness of sins, I CONFESS one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. the resurrection of the body, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO the resurrection of the dead and the and the life everlasting. life of the world to come. Amen. Amen.
The phrases and the words capitalized in the new version are more spiritual and a more accurate translation from the Latin. God bless you all. Father George
October 23, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, The translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal is a great improvement over the previous translation. The previous translation was valid but it was poorly done and somewhat inaccurate. The new English translation is correct; it is theological, scriptural and poetic as is the original Latin. A side by side comparison of the Gloria follows.
OLD TRANSLATION NEW TRANSLATION
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people People on earth. of good will. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, we praise you for your glory. Heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of seated at the right hand of the Father: receive the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right our prayer. hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father. of God the Father. Amen. AMEN.
Next week we will take a look at the Creed. Father George
October 16, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today will continue a commentary on the new translation of the Roman Missal which will begin on the First Sunday of Advent. The new translation of the Mass is more accurate, more uplifting, more spiritual. There are several options of the Penitential Act which require no explanation. The priest begins all the options of the Penitential Act as follows: “Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” One commonly used Penitential Act is as follows and will remain the same. PRIEST-“Lord, have mercy.” PEOPLE-“Lord, have mercy.” PRIEST-“Christ, have mercy.” PEOPLE-“Christ, have mercy.” PRIEST-“Lord, have mercy.” PEOPLE-“Lord, have mercy.” PRIEST-“May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.” PEOPLE-“Amen.” The Confiteor has several changes. “Confiteor” means I confess so it begins: “I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, (and striking their breast, they say): through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.” The priest then recites the absolution as above. Another option of the Penitential Act is as follows. PRIEST-“Have mercy on us, O Lord.” PEOPLE- “For we have sinned against you.” PRIEST-“Show us, O Lord, your mercy.” PEOPLE- And grant us your salvation.” The priest follows with the absolution. The fourth option is as follows: PRIEST- “You were sent to heal the contrite of heart: Lord have mercy. (Or: Kyrie Eleison.) PEOPLE-“Lord have mercy.” (Or: Kyrie Eleison.) PRIEST- “You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy.” PEOPLE- “Christ, have mercy.” PRIEST- “You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: Lord, have mercy.” PEOPLE- “Lord, have mercy.” Next week we will look at the Gloria. Father George
October 9, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Beginning with this “Corner” until the First Sunday of Advent, I will be explaining the new translation of the Roman Missal. This new translation from the Latin will be used beginning on November 27th, the First Sunday of Advent. Your missalettes will contain the new translation as well as a laminated card which will have the new translation of the responses and prayers recited by the congregation. “Do this in memory of me.” These remarkable words were spoken by Jesus some 2,000 years ago when He instituted the Eucharist, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Church fulfills this command of the Lord whenever the Mass is celebrated. In the Mass we participate in the supreme mystery of our faith, the memorial of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. This is much more than a “remembering.” In the celebration of the Eucharist, Christ is truly present and He nourishes our spirit with His Very Body and Blood in Holy Communion. Throughout the centuries the way the Eucharist is celebrated has undergone various changes but it is basically the same as Jesus instituted it at the Last Supper. It has three parts: The first part includes the introduction and penitential rite which prepares us, the Gloria followed by the opening prayer. Then the Word of God is proclaimed which includes Readings from the Old and New Testament and the Gospel. After the homily and the Creed the Prayers of the Faithful follow. Then the gifts of bread and wine are offered. We are invited to spiritually offer our sacrifices in the Offertory. With the Preface and the singing of the Sanctus (The “Holy, Holy”) the second part begins during which the priest offers the prayer of thanksgiving and blessing of the bread and wine which “sacramentally” becomes the Body and Blood of Christ and is offered to God the Father. The third part begins with the Our Father as we prepare to be nourished in the Banquet of the Lord in Holy Communion. After receiving the Lord in Holy Communion there is a prayer of thanksgiving, followed by the dismissal-“Go in Peace. The Mass is ended.” Next week I will explain the changes in the prayers recited by the congregation . God bless you. Father George
September 25, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today’s First Reading is a protest that God isn’t fair. The Lord punishes a man who begins to live a good life but then falls into sin, while the Lord gives life and a reward to the man who begins as a sinner but then turns away from sin. Jesus takes up this question in the parable of today’s Gospel. The first son represents the most heinous sinners of those times…the tax collectors and prostitutes who at first refuse to serve in the vineyard, the Lord’s kingdom. With the preaching of John the Baptist, they repented and did what was right. The second son represents the proud leaders of Israel who said they would serve God but refused to believe John when he told them they must produce good fruits as a sign of their repentance. Again today’s Readings invite us to contemplate the unfathomable ways of God’s justice and mercy. The Lord teaches His ways only to the humble. In the Epistle Paul presents Jesus as the model of humility. By following Jesus we will come to know life’s true path, the path on which Jesus will save us. In his letter to the Romans Saint Paul presents Jesus as the New Adam; Jesus humbles Himself to become a slave, obedient even unto death on the cross (see Romans 5:14).
In
this way Jesus has shown sinners –each one of us –the way back
to the Father. We can only come to serve God in His Vineyard,
the Church, by having the same attitude as Christ. This is the
way we glorify God. Jesus tells us He “is the Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
September 18, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The
House of Israel, the Chosen Race, is the vineyard of God. The
Lord planted and watered it to prepare the Israelites to bear
the good fruit of righteousness. Israel failed to yield good
fruit and the Lord allowed his vineyard to be overrun by
conquerors (see Psalm 80”9-20). But God promised that He would
replant His vineyard one day and its shoots would blossom
throughout the whole world (see Amos 9:15). This is the biblical background of the parable of salvation history Jesus teaches in today’s Gospel. The landowner is God and the vineyard is the kingdom. The workers who were hired at dawn are the Israelites to whom God first offered His covenant. Those hired later in the day are the Gentiles, the non Israelites. The Gentiles were strangers to the covenants of promise until the coming of Christ. In the Lord’s great generosity, the same wages, the same blessings promised to the Israelites, will be paid to those called last, the rest of the nations. In today’s parable this provokes grumbling. The complaint of the first laborers sounds like that of the older brother of the prodigal son. When the prodigal son returned the father, who represents God, rejoiced, forgave the prodigal and welcomed him home (see Luke15:19). God’s ways are far from our ways, as we hear in today’s First Reading. The Scriptures today should caution us against the temptation to resent God’s lavish mercy. Like the Gentiles, many will be allowed to enter the kingdom late – after having spent most of their days living selfishly in sin. The salvation of the good thief is a case in point. Even great sinners can call upon the Lord late in life find our most merciful God happy to forgive. The Lord forgives all who humbly repent. We should rejoice that God has compassion on all whom He has created. Our task is to continue laboring in the Lord’s vineyard. As Saint Paul tells us in the Epistle, let us conduct ourselves worthily, struggling to bring all men and women to the praise of our Savior. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
September 11, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Mercy
and forgiveness should be at the heart of the Christian life.
However, as today’s First Reading reminds us, often we nourish
our anger, bear grudges and refuse mercy to those who have done
us wrong. Jesus’ message in today’s Gospel gives us a realistic
portrayal of what happened to the wicked servant who will not
forgive the debt of a fellow servant even though he had been
forgiven. It cannot be this way in the Church. In the Old
Testament, “seven” is a number which is associated with mercy
and with the forgiveness of sins. Although a just man sins
seven times daily, there is a seven-fold sprinkling of blood for
atonement of sins (Leviticus 16). But Jesus tells Peter that we
must forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven times.
That means every time. Paul gives us the reason in today’s Epistle. We are the Lord’s; each of us has been purchased by the blood Christ shed on the cross ( see Revelation 5:9). As we sing in today’s Psalm, though we deserve to die for our sins, Jesus doesn’t deal with us according to our crimes. He came to pardon us and to save us. The mercy and forgiveness we show to others should be our heartfelt thanks, our gratitude for the mercy and forgiveness shown to us. This is why we should remember our last days here on earth, set aside our enmities and stop judging others. We know that one day we will stand before the judgment seat and asked to give account for what we have done with the new life given us by Christ. So we should forgive one another from the heart, overlook each other’s faults, and await the crown of Christ’ kindness and compassion-His saving love. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
September 4, 2011 Dear
Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, In Today’s First Reading we hear Jeremiah lament how he has been treated for relaying God’s messages to the Chosen People. Jeremiah feels abandoned by God since preaching His Word has brought him only reproaches and derision. But Jeremiah knows that God does not deceive and that he must obey the Lord and fulfill his vocation to prophesy-the role of prophet is Jeremiah’s cross. Jeremiah realizes that God rewards His obedient servants.
By His cross Jesus has shown us that we owe to God all that we have. The Psalm today reminds us that God’s kindness is a greater good than life itself. The only thanks we can offer is our spiritual worship- to give our lives to the service of God’s Wil In today’s Gospel Peter does not get it. The cross is a stumbling block for him. We too have a similar temptation-to refuse to believe that our sufferings play a necessary part in God’s plan of salvation. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel we are not to be misled by worldly values but rather to think as God thinks, to will what He wills In the Mass we have the great opportunity to offer ourselves as perfect and pleasing sacrifices of praise-we praise and thank the Lord as we live, confident that we will find our lives in losing them. Jesus satisfies our souls with the riches of the banquet as He nourishes us with HIS VERY BODY AND BLOOD. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
August 21, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
“Oh
the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” Saint
Paul exclaims in his Epistle to the Romans. Today’s With Saint Peter, we too rejoice that Jesus is the anointed descendant of King David, the One prophesied to build God’s Temple, His Church, who will reign over an everlasting kingdom. What Jesus calls “my Church” is the kingdom promised to David. As the First Reading from Isaiah foretold, the keys to the kingdom would be given to a new master who would rule God’s people. Jesus, the root and offspring of David, alone holds the keys of the kingdom. In giving those keys to Peter, Jesus fulfills the prophecy as He establishes Peter – and all who succeed him as the Holy Father of Christ’s Church. His Church, too, is the new Temple, the new House of God. The Church is the spiritual temple founded on the “rock” of Peter and built up out of the living stones of the individual believers. Jesus uses the word “church” (ekklesia in Greek) which means the people assembled, that is the people brought together by God. The Old Testament uses this same word for the assembly of the chosen people, God’s children He had rescued from slavery in Egypt and with Moses had led them to the promised land. Christ’s Church is the Assembly of the “firstborn” established by Jesus. Like the chosen people, we are baptized in water, but our Baptism is with water and the fire of the Holy Spirit of God. We are led by the Rock (the successor of Saint Peter) and are fed with the very Body and Blood of Christ. Gathered at His altar, in the presence of the angels, we praise the Lord and give thanks to His Holy Name. Father George
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August 14, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
We are
the foreigners that the Prophet Isaiah mentions in the First
Reading.
In this drama Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. This is the promise of which we sing in today’s Psalm.In Jesus, God makes His Way and His Salvation known among all the nations (see John 14:6). At the start of salvation history, God called Abraham (see Genesis 12:2). The Lord chose Abraham’s offspring, Israel, from all the nations of the earth, to build His covenant kingdom. In God’s plan, Abraham was to be the father of many nations. Israel was to be the first born of a worldwide family of God, made up of all who believe what the Canaanite woman of today’s Gospel professes-that Jesus is Lord (see Exodus 4:22-23; Romans 5:13-24). Jesus came first to restore the kingdom to Israel. But His ultimate mission was the reconciliation of the world, as Saint Paul declares in today’s Epistle. In the Mass we join all peoples in adoring and thanking the Lord. As Isaiah foretold, with the Canaanite woman, we take our place at the Lord’s table to be fed as His children.
Father George
August 7, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua,
In
today’s Gospel Jesus says to the disciples, “Do not be afraid!”
Even though they had followed Jesus for some time and had
witnessed Jesus perform many miracles, they were terrified when
the Lord walked on the water as He approached their boat that
night. Then Peter said, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to
come to you across the water.” “Come!” Jesus replied. As Peter got up and began to walk on the water, he noticed that the wind and waves were strong and then he became frightened and began to sink, crying out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus reached out his hand and rescued Peter. Blessed Pope John Paul II began his service to the Church with the same words, “Be not afraid!” Fear has a way of paralyzing us. Courage often disappears in the face of danger. If we become filled with fear, paralyzed with fear, we cannot think clearly. The feared outcome seems truly devastating. Can you remember a time in your life when you were fearful of the outcome of a situation? Finding out that a family member or a friend has been in a serious accident, or has a serious illness more than concerns you until you know how things will turn out. Losing your job, being threatened, can freeze you. You freeze and try to get control of your fear, but for a time you just can’t act. Your mind tends to rush to the worst of conclusions. We are like the disciples of Jesus. In the storms of life, we too experience fear and anxiety. Our faith grows slowly as we learn to know and trust the God who loves us. As the disciples spent time with Jesus, so too we need time reading and reflecting on the Word of God. With prayer, and time dedicated to the Word, our faith and trust become strong. Just like the disciples, we must overcome our fear and step out in faith. Jesus is always there stretching out his hand to help us. Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
July 31, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua, Isaiah’s promises in today’s First Reading are fulfilled in Jesus and in the Church He founded. All who are thirsty come to the living waters of Baptism (see John 4:14). The hungry delight in rich food – they are given bread to eat and wine to drink at the Eucharistic table.
This
is also the point of today’s Gospel. The story of Jesus’
feeding 5,000 has allusions to the Old Testament. Jesus is In the Gospel Matthew also wants us to see the feeding of the 5,000 as a sign of the Eucharist. Notice that Jesus performs the same actions in the same sequence as He did at the Last Supper. Jesus takes bread, says a blessing, breaks it and gives it (see Matthew 26:26). At the Last Supper Jesus instructed His Apostles to celebrate the Eucharist in memory of Him. This ministry of the Apostles is subtly stressed in today’s Gospel. Before Jesus performs the miracle of the miraculous multiplication of a few loaves, He tells the Apostles to give the crowd “some food yourselves.” The apostles themselves distribute the bread blessed by Jesus (see Matthew 15:36). And the leftovers are enough to fill exactly 12 baskets – corresponding to the 12 Apostles, the pillars of the Church (see Galatians 2: 9). God gives us food in due season, as we sing in today’s Psalm. The Lord opens His hands and satisfies the desires of every living thing. As Saint Paul reminds us in today’s Epistle, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Savior. Father George
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July 24, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, What is your life in Christ worth to you? Do you love His words more than gold and silver, as we sing in today’s Psalm?
Would you sell all that you have in order to possess the
Kingdom Jesus promises to us? (Matt 13: 44-49) If God were
to grant any wish would you follow the example of King
Solomon? Would you ask the Lord for the wisdom to know God’s
ways and to desire to do His Will?(1 Kings 3:5-9) Israel’s rejection of Jesus’ preaching is the background of today’s Gospel. The Kingdom of Heaven is being established; it has come into their midst, yet many cannot see that Jesus is the long promised Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Kingdom is the gift of divine compassion so that they, as well as we ourselves, might live. We too must ever discover the Kingdom anew, to find it as a treasure- a pearl of great price. By comparison with the Kingdom we must consider everything else as rubbish. And we must be willing to give up all that we have—all our priorities and plans---in order to gain it. Jesus’ Gospel discloses what Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle---the purpose of God’s plan. That purpose is that Jesus be the first born of many brothers. His words give understanding to the simple, the child like. Like Solomon does in the First Reading, we must humble ourselves before God, giving ourselves to His service. May our prayer be for an understanding heart that desires to do His Will We are called to love God, to delight in His Way and to forsake any false way. We are to conform ourselves daily ever more closely to the image of His Son. If we do this, we can approach His altar as a pleasing sacrifice, confident that we whom He has justified, will also one day be glorified in His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Father George
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July 17, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, The First Reading reminds us that God is always teaching His people. And what does He want us to know? God wants us to believe, indeed, to know that He cares for all of us. Although He is a God of justice, the Lord is always merciful. The Lord will always pardon even those who defy and disbelieve Him. The Lord in His infinite mercy will always forgive the sinner who turns to Him in repentance.
This divine teaching continues in the three parables that
Jesus tells us in the Gospel today. Each of the parables
describes how the Kingdom of God emerges from the seeds sown
by the Lord’s works and preaching. The growth of the
Kingdom is hidden-like the working of the yeast with flour
to make bread; it is like a tall bush that grows from the
very small mustard seed; this growth is improbable,
unexpected. The Readings suggest a question: Why does God permit the evil to grow alongside the good? Why does God permit some people to reject the Word of His Kingdom? Because God is slow to anger and abounding in kindness. The Lord is just as Jesus assures us and the evildoers and those who cause others to sin will be thrown into hell if they do not repent. By His patience God is teaching us that He desires repentance above all. The Lord wishes to gather all nations to worship and to glorify HIS NAME. In today’s Epistle Saint Paul tells us the Holy Spirit will intercede for us but we must call upon Him to help us so that we commit ourselves to let the good seed of His Word grow and bear fruit in our lives. We should not be discouraged when we see weeds among the wheat, truth and holiness mixed with error and sin. Rather we should pray that sinners repent. For now, the Lord makes His sun rise on the good and the bad. But the harvest draws near. Let us work that we may be numbered among the righteous children-who will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of God our Father. Father George
July 10, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, The Readings for this 15th Sunday of ordinary time ask us to meditate on Israel’s response to God’s Word—and to reflect on our own response to God’s Word. Why do some hear the Gospel (the good news) of the Kingdom established by the Savior, yet fail to accept it as a call to conversion and faith in Jesus? This question underlies today’s Gospel.
As
the Readings revealed last week, the mysteries of the
Kingdom of God are unfolded to those who open their hearts,
making their hearts the rich soil in which the seed of faith
in the Word can grow and bear fruit. Today’s Psalm sings of
Jesus who has visited our land to water the stony earth of
our hearts with the living water of the Holy Spirit (see
John 7:38; Revelation 22:1). The first fruit of the Word is the Spirit of love and adoption poured into our hearts at Baptism, making us children of God, as Saint Paul reminds us in today’s Epistle (see Romans 5:5;8:15-16). Baptism makes us a “new creation,” the first fruits of a new heaven and a new earth (see 2 Peter 3:13). Since Adam and Eve rejected God’s Word, creation was enslaved in sin (see Genesis 3:17-19;5:29). God’s Word does not go forth only to return to the Creator empty, void. Today’s First Reading from Isaiah clearly states: “My Word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” God’s Word awaits our response. We must show ourselves to be children of that Word. We must allow the Word to accomplish God’s will in our lives; we must be disciples, faithful disciples. Jesus warns us in today’s Gospel that we must take care not to allow the world, the flesh or the devil to stifle and destroy our faith. In the Eucharist, Jesus nourishes us with HIS VERY BODY AND BLOOD. The Savior does this so we may be made fertile, yielding fruits of holiness. We await the great harvest of the Lord’s Day when the Word made flesh will achieve the purpose for which God the Father sent His Only Son: “My Word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” Father George
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July 3, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, It is a blessing to be a citizen of the United States of America. We are preparing to celebrate our country’s two hundred and thirty-fifth anniversary tomorrow. Let us thank the Lord for the great blessings He has bestowed upon our country:
the
blessings of freedom to practice our faith publicly; the faith
in God of the founding fathers of our country by which they
recognized that true freedom comes from our Creator and is the
foundation of the Bill of Rights. “In God we trust.” These great
civic virtues have allowed our country to stand strong for so
many years. As Americans, we know that these blessings come from God, they have also been won by the dedicated sacrifices of millions who have made our country what it is today: not only soldiers who have shed their blood in defense of our nation, but also parents who have shaped their children in the moral strength without which democracy cannot function, as well as many others who have dedicated themselves to the well-being of their brothers and sisters. Think of the sacrifices of individuals who have fought against the evils that have been found at times in our nation—from slavery to abortion—and I am grateful for the many men and women who have taken on the burden of living out their religious faith in the public sphere. Responsible citizenship is a burden, but it is a burden that, when assumed, makes it possible for us to receive from God the great blessings that we know as Americans. At times, our Christian faith may also appear to have its share of burdens. For those who do not share it, Christianity may appear as a package of restrictions and obligations that seem onerous to assume. In fact, it offers great joy and strength. In today’s Gospel, our Lord calls out to those who labor and are burdened, inviting them to come to Him, inviting them to find rest. The sort of rest Jesus offers might seem surprising. Jesus does not tell them He will lead them to clear waters, or make them lie down in green pastures. Instead, Jesus the weary that He will place a yoke upon their shoulders. This is not the sort of rest that most of us look forward to. When we take on Jesus’ yoke a marvelous thing happens. If at first it appears burdensome to live the Christian moral life, we discover that it frees us from a way of life that brings bitter fruit…the slavery of sin. If at first it appears restrictive to take on certain spiritual disciplines such as the obligation to participate in Sunday Mass, we soon find out it opens up the joyous experience of a fully Christian life, of living in the Lord’s presence of love. Jesus uses the figure of speech of a yoke. Who is on the other side of the yoke but Jesus Himself! He is with us every step of the way. We then live as members of the Church, members of Christ’s Mystical Body; we live then as citizens of Christ’s heavenly kingdom. Because we are then faithful disciples of the Lord the burden of responsible citizenship is lightened. With good reason we take to be our motto: “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Father George
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JUNE 26, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Some years ago, a priest attended a wedding reception where he met one of the wedding guests, an Episcopal seminarian. The seminarian approached the priest and asked why he, although a Christian, was excluded from receiving Holy Communion at the nuptial Mass. After a cordial conversation about transubstantiation, consubstantiation, tran-Signification, and other points of theology, the seminarian maintained that there was no real difference between Catholic and Anglican Eucharistic belief. The priest then posed this question: “When you are ordained, as you celebrate the Lord’s supper for the first time, will you adore the host with the same adoration that you give to God alone?” After a pause, the aspiring clergyman answered, “No.” Then the priest responded, “That’s the difference.” We Catholics firmly profess and believe that the Holy Eucharist is the true Body and Blood of Christ, made present under the sacramental signs of bread and wine. “It has always been the conviction of the Church of God…….that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change in the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the Body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of His Blood. This change the Holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation” (CCC,#1374).
We praise and thank the Lord for He nourishes us with His Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine so that we might easily receive Him in Holy Communion. Let us adore and unite ourselves to Him as Jesus offers us with Him to the Father in the Eucharistic Sacrifice and at the same time He nourishes us with HIS VERY BODY AND BLOOD. Father George
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JUNE 19, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. As Saint Thomas Aquinas explains we can by our reason discern that God exists; the human mind through its powers of observation and deduction is capable of concluding that God exists, as well as deduce his goodness and his omnipotence. Our knowledge of God would be incomplete without the assistance of divine revelation.
“Man’s
faculties make him capable of coming to a knowledge of the
existence of a personal God. But for man to be able to enter
into real intimacy with Him, God willed both to reveal Himself
to man and to give him the grace of being able to welcome this
revelation in faith” (CCC,#35). Through divine revelation, God discloses his life to us. The fundamental truth about God is that He is one-there is only one God-but that He is not solitary-He exists in an altogether mysterious communion of three divine persons, Father, Son and Spirit. Each of the divine persons is distinct, yet each fully possess the one divine nature. “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is therefore the source of all other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them”CCC#234). One might ask why God confuses us with mysteries that are beyond our capacity to understand. The simple answer is that it is in God’s nature to share his life and love. God is love, as Holy Scripture tells us(see 1 Jn 4:16), and love, if it is genuine, cannot keep to itself; it is naturally directed to another. Since God is love, and love must be directed outwardly, there must be someone to whom God extends this love, not just in time, but also for all eternity. That person is the Son. And because the love of the Father and the Son is so complete, intense and eternal, it is itself a living divine person, the Holy Spirit This truth is necessary for us to understand ourselves, since we are created in God’s image and likeness. Our faith in the divinely revealed doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity is a tangible sign of our trust in God who has revealed Himself to us. Since we are created with a soul that will never perish, we are not meant to be isolated: “It is not good for man to be alone, ”(Gn 2:18). The doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity teaches us that our relationship with God, while personal, is also as a member of the Church, as a member of the Mystical Body of Christ. Apart from the Church, one’s relationship with God is incomplete. It is truly fitting that today we celebrate the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in which the Church offers Christ to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Mass is the ultimate expression of the Trinitarian love of God. We are drawn into that love as a foretaste and promise of eternal life. May God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit intensify in us the desire to share in the Lord’s divine life. Father George
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JUNE 12, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The
giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church (the new People of God)
crowns the mighty acts of God the Father in salvation history. The Chosen people traditionally celebrated the Feast of Pentecost. All faithful Jews were called to Jerusalem to celebrate their birth as God’s chosen people. God’s chosen people were born when the Lord gave Moses the Law in Sinai. God told Moses which holy days they were to celebrate and when they were to celebrate them. Moses was given specific instructions about the rituals for the holy days of Passover, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths in the Book of Leviticus ( Lev. 23: 4-44). Today’s First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles relates how the mysteries prefigured in the Feast of Pentecost were fulfilled in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Mary and on the Apostles (Acts: 1:14). The Holy Spirit seals the New Law and the New Covenant brought about by Jesus. This New Law is written on the hearts of the believers and not on stone tablets, as was promised by the prophets (Corinthians 3:2-8). The Holy Spirit is revealed as the life-giving breath of God the Father, the Wisdom by which He made all things. In the beginning, the Holy Spirit came as a “mighty wind” sweeping over the face of the earth (Gen. 1:2). In the new creation of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes again as a “strong, driving wind” to renew the face of the earth. God fashioned the first man out of dust and filled him with His Spirit (Gen. 2:7). In today’s Gospel we see the New Adam become a life-giving Spirit, breathing new life into the Apostles (1 Cor. 15: 45,47). Like a river of living water Jesus will pour out His Spirit on His Body, the Church. We receive that Spirit in the sacraments, being made a “new creation” in Baptism ( 2 Cor. 5:17). Drinking of the one Spirit in the Eucharist, we are the first fruits of a new humanity-fashioned from out of every nation under heaven, with no distinctions of wealth, race or language, a new people born of the Holy Spirit. Let us praise and thank the Lord that we may share in the life and love of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Father George
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JUNE 5, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, The Ascension of the Lord leads us to hope for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. At the Last Supper, Jesus told the Apostles that “he is going to prepare” a place for them in his Father’s kingdom. Neither the Apostles nor anyone else have the power to claim such a place as their own. This event is most important for our relationship with God. As the Catholic Catechism states, “Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the “Father’s house,” to God’s life and happiness. Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us”(CCC #661) We too, desire a place in the Lord’s Kingdom. An essential part of Christian life is to grow in the desire for Heaven.
We know from our own experience how easy it is to be distracted from our main purpose in life. There are always temptations from “the world, the flesh and the devil.” We can be misled by the “junk food of life” which always presents itself as something that will bring us happiness here and now…immediate gratification. But we know that God always gives us the grace we need to stay in union with our Savior. We are to cooperate with the Lord’s saving grace. We can say “no” and fall into sin, to take the easy road of selfishness. Jesus tells us, “Strive”—struggle, make the supreme effort—“to enter by the narrow door; for many will seek to enter and not be able.” The mission that Jesus entrusted to his Apostles is to identify the narrow door and to invite every person through the preaching of the Gospel to enter it. From the time of the Ascension to our own day, the Church has pointed to the Kingdom of God and has guided her faithful on the path that leads to Heaven. It can be and is a challenge to travel that path. If we “strive” as Jesus tells us, we will succeed, reassured that the Savior is with us every step of the way. Jesus tells us as He did the Apostles, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”(Mt. 28:20). Father George
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MAY 29, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, As Jesus promised in today’s Gospel, He does not leave “orphans.” We are made children of God in Baptism. Our Savior asked God the Father to give us the Holy Spirit, to dwell with us and keep us united in the life He shares with the Father
In
today’s First Reading we see the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Philip, one of the first deacons, proclaimed the Gospel in the
city of Samaria. With the proclamation of the Gospel and many
miracles of healing, many people were converted and baptized.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard of this, Peter and John
went to Samaria to confirm the new Christians. Peter and John
prayed over them, placed their hands on the heads of the newly
baptized and all received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is
the first recorded event of the Sacrament of Confirmation in
Holy Scripture (see Acts 19: 5-6). This Sacrament completes the
grace of Baptism and believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit
promised by the Lord. We remain in this grace so long as we love Christ and keep His commandments. Strengthened by Holy Spirit who is our Advocate, we are called to bear witness to our salvation by our words and our actions. We are to gratefully praise and thank God for all wonderful deeds He has done for us in the name of His Son. We celebrate our liberation from the slavery of sin in today’s Psalm. By His Passion, Death and Resurrection and through the Sacraments we have received Christ has made us children of God and leads us toward our eternal home. We celebrate and thank the Lord for the very best of reasons! This is the reason for our hope- the hope that sustains us in the face of a world that does not accept the Truth, the Word made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells us that Jesus was put to death in the flesh and then brought to life in the Spirit. Jesus promised: “Because I live, you will live.” Father George
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MAY 22, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In
today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that He is “the way, the truth and
the life”(John 14:6). This is in response to Thomas’ question:
‘We do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?”
(John 14:5). Thomas did not understand when Christ said He will
return to his Father, where He will prepare a place for them.
Thomas thought “the place” was on this earth, just down the
road. Jesus knows the hearts of the Apostles will be troubled because He will seem to leave them alone. He must return to his Father in his human nature but will not abandon them. He goes to heaven to prepare a place for them as well as for us. Belief in the Resurrection is essential to appreciate this. Sadly, in the Church today there are a few theologians who deny the physical resurrection. There are some who believe the Apostles created the story of the physical Resurrection as a response to the scandal of the cross. The Apostles as well as many who followed Jesus during his public life frequently saw Jesus, visited with the Savior, ate with Him before He ascended into heaven. These experiences of the Apostles reassured them. The risen Savior told the Apostles that his risen flesh is the way to experience the spiritual realities of the Truth and the real and final life, which is grace in the soul and our own resurrection at the end of time. How are we to experience this way now? We are to do this precisely living as a faithful disciple, by living the life of grace which began with our Baptism. As the early Christians did, we experience in the Sacred Liturgy the ministry of the Word and are nourished by Christ’s very Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. We offer ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice with Jesus in the Mass and by our prayers we can do the same on a daily basis, even though we are not able to participate in the Mass every day. Jesus leads us each step of the Way if we allow our Savior to do so. Praise and thank the Son of God each day of our lives for taking on a human body, teaching us, suffering, dying and rising again for us, sharing His Life and Love with us as He leads us to heaven.
Father George
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MAY 8, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
We
should put ourselves in the shoes of the two disgruntled
disciples mentioned in today’s Gospel. They are downcast and
confused as they make their way down the road to Emmaus. They
are unable to understand all the things that have happened
during the past few days. As followers of Jesus they knew that He was truly a prophet, powerful in word and deed. They had often had heard the Savior give inspirational talks and work miraculous signs. They were hoping that He would be the redeemer of Israel-the Messiah that God had promised them centuries earlier. Perhaps they were misled by the Scribes and Pharisees as well as by the High Priests in thinking that the Messiah would free Israel from their Roman conquerors as well as lead them to eternal life. They can’t even recognize Jesus as He approaches near to walk with them. They assume He was just like another foreigner who had visited Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus does eventually disclose His identity. They relate how the tomb had been found empty. How does Jesus make himself known to them at Emmaus? First, He reveals that all the prophecies of the Old Testament refer to Him. After opening the Scriptures, Jesus at the table took bread blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the two disciples-exactly as He had done at the Last Supper (see Luke 22:14-20). In every Eucharist, Jesus does the same for us. He speaks to our hearts us in the Readings and the Gospel; then at the table of the altar, in the person of the priest, He breaks the bread, and nourishes us with His Very Body and Blood. Jesus does “stay with us.” as the two disciples begged Him. Though He has vanished from our sight, we know Him in the “breaking of the bread.” Father George
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MAY 1, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
“This
is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” We
have many reasons to rejoice in this Eastertide. We are
celebrating with the 37 young parishioners who received the
Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist yesterday, April
30. May the Holy Spirit help them to grow in the love of God and
of their neighbor as they become mature disciples of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus. Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Saint Faustina was inspired by the Lord to teach us that God’s love and mercy has no limits. She was inspired to teach all of us the importance of praying to the Lord for mercy; we are to pray that by God’s grace everyone will open his heart to God’s love and be converted to Him. How appropriate it is that Pope John Paul the Second be beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday, for it is Pope John Paul who proclaimed Saint Faustina a saint, worthy of veneration, and declared that this first Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. We should thank the Lord for the life of Blessed John Paul. As we celebrate the Lord’s mercy today may we be filled with hope for He always fulfills His promises and showers us with blessings. These words spoken by Saint Peter should inspire us: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus is the Messiah who became man, suffered, died and rose again to save us. May all of us disciples who have been baptized, confirmed and nourished with the Holy Eucharist always be firm in our faith, hopeful and loving of the Lord and our neighbor. Alleluia! Father George
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April 17, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Jesus is nowhere visible. Yet today’s Gospel tells us that Peter and John “saw and believed.”
What
did they see? Burial shrouds lying on the floor of an empty
tomb. Maybe that convinced them that Jesus’ body had not been
carted off by some robbers, who would usually steal expensive
burial linens and leave the corpse behind. Notice that the word
“tomb” appears seven times in nine verses. They saw the empty
tomb and believed; they believed what Jesus had promised: that
God would raise Him on the third day. Today’s First Reading tells us that the Apostles, led by Peter and John, were to be Jesus’ “witnesses.” They were commissioned to “preach and testify” to all they had seen from the time when Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at the River Jordan up to seeing the empty tomb and believing that Jesus was raised from the dead. Besides their own experience they were instructed in the mysteries of salvation history, God’s saving plan. Jesus had revealed to them how the prophets foretold how He, the Messiah, would fulfill all that had been prophesied about Him from ancient times. Now they could “understand the Scripture.” In the Scripture of the New Testament they teach us what Jesus taught the Apostles and the first disciples. Jesus is “the Stone which the builders rejected” which today’s Psalm prophesies, as well as His Resurrection (see Luke 20:17; Matthew 21:42). We are the children of the apostolic witnesses. For this reason we gather every Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection and give thanks for “Christ our life” as today’s Epistle refers to our Savior. With our Baptism we were baptized into His death and Resurrection and our lives are “hidden with Christ in God.” We too, are the risen Jesus’ witnesses; we testify to things we cannot see but believe. We are blessed; as Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are they who have not seen but believe.” We live in memory of the Apostles’ witness, like them eating and drinking with the Risen Lord at the altar. We wait in hope for what the Apostles testified to-the day when we too “will appear with Him in glory.” , Father George
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April 17, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
How is
it that the people who hail Jesus with branches and song as He
enters Jerusalem also revile and taunt Him just a few days
later? Father George
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April 10, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Sometimes it is difficult to let someone else help us with our
personal problems, our sins, our bad habits. Sometimes we may
be tempted to say to ourselves: “Why do I need to go to a priest
to confess my sins? I talk to God all the time. The Lord always
hears me.” But the Lord knows well that it is better for
us to confess our sins to an ordained priest who shares the
power of Jesus, the High Priest, Who came to pardon us, to
“untie us” from the slavery of sin. In today’s Gospel Jesus tells his disciples that “Lazarus has died.” Then he said: “I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.” Jesus loved Lazarus so much that He wept at his death, and after commanding that the stone be rolled away, and calling Lazarus out, He said to others, “Untie him and let him go.” Jesus had others take part in this. This is where we see the importance of the Church, of the People of God. We are members of the Mystical Body of Christ and we are to help one another. We are to be a “light unto others” by the way we live and love one another by the grace of God. The Lord encourages us not only to be reconciled ourselves in the Sacrament of Penance but also by our prayers and by our example help others to “become untied” from the slavery of sin. Especially in this time of Lent we should pray for those who have drifted away from the Church and are spiritually dead. By the grace of God may our prayers help many to return and be filled with God’s love so that with joyous hearts all may celebrate the Resurrection, the Lord’s victory over the death of sin and His restoring us to the Life of God’s Love. Father George
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April 3, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, God’s ways of seeing are not our ways, as the First Reading shows. Jesus’ words and actions in the Gospel clearly illustrate this. The Savior gives sight to the blind man while the proud Pharisees become blind. he blind man stands for all of humanity. He was born blind-“totally in sin.” But the humble blind man was made a new creation by the saving power of Christ. As God created the first man from the clay of the earth (See Genesis 2:7), Jesus gives the blind man new life by anointing his eyes with clay (see John 9:11). As God breathed the spirit of life into the first man, the blind man is not healed until he washes in the waters of the Pool of Siloam (The name of the pool means “sent”) Jesus is the One “sent” by God to do the Father’s will (see John 9:4, 12:44). The Savior is the new source of life-giving water- the Holy Spirit who fills our souls in Baptism (see John 2:10; 7:38-39). This is the Spirit that rushes upon God’s chosen King David in the First Reading. David was a shepherd like Moses was earlier. David is also a sign pointing to the Good Shepherd and King to come – Jesus (see John 10:11) As we sing in today’s Psalm, the Lord is our shepherd. By the Christ’s death and Resurrection He has made a path for us through the darkest valley of sin and death, leading us to the verdant pastures of the Kingdom of Light and Life, the Church. Jesus has refreshed our souls in the waters of Baptism; He has anointed our heads with the oil of Confirmation and nourished us with His very Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, filling our cups to overflowing. With the once-blind man we enter the Lord’s house to praise God and to renew our vow: “I do believe, Lord.” We hear today that the “Lord looks into our heart.” May our Savior always find us living as “children of light”-trying to learn what is pleasing to our Father. Father George
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March 27, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
“Give me a
drink.” In his thirst, Jesus reveals his humanity, his simplicity.
Water is an ordinary thing we all need to live. What is amazing is
how our Lord quickly moves the conversation from this water we need
to live to the living water that comes from heaven, from the blessed
water with which we are baptized. Jesus stirs up a great thirst in
the heart of this public sinner who has had several husbands as He
helps her to see the beauty of God’s love for her. Our Lord has the ability to constantly bring us to higher ground. We see this in the Psalms. David, when he was working as a shepherd, observed a thirsty deer searching for water. In Psalm 42 David composed this line: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, my God.” This might not work for you assuming you don’t run into many deer searching for a drink of water, but the image is not too strange for us. Like a child longs for its bottle, like a sports fan longs for a beer, David notices the thirsty deer and connects it to the deeper thirst in his heart. Then he responds with a personal prayer: “ My God, I thirst for You.” This is a good question to ask ourselves: “How often throughout the day do I talk to our Lord?” How often do I lift up a thought, a word, a name, a prayer to the only One who can bless my world? Other than our set times for prayer which we all have, do we listen to God who inspires us to speak to Him? We might suddenly realize that we talk too much to ourselves or to others. Or do we carry on long conversations with ourselves about our concerns, our worries or even our sins? Sometimes these ordinary events remain grounded on earth, because we haven’t directed them personally to God. Lent calls us to discover that we can carry on a constant conversation with God. We can begin to hear God speaking to us in the midst of our daily activities. The Lord waits for us to raise our minds and hearts, our activities to Him. How do we know that? Jesus tells us that God always hears us and is always ready to respond with something even better for us, better than what we request. During this time of Lent as we strive to become closer to Christ we realize, as did the woman at the well, that Jesus himself has started the conversation with us. Father George
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March 20, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today’s Gospel from Saint Matthew portrays Jesus as a new and greater Moses. Moses also took three companions up a mountain and on the seventh day was overshadowed by the shining cloud of God’s presence. Moses spoke with God and his face and clothing were made radiant in his encounter with God( see Exodus 24, 34). In today’s Lenten Liturgy the Church wants us to look past Moses. We are asked to contemplate what today’s Epistle calls God’s “design…..from before time began” (see 2 Timothy 1: 8b-10).
Moses foretold a prophet like him to whom Israel (the chosen people) would listen and Isaiah prophesied that God would send an anointed servant in whom He would be well-pleased (see Isaiah 42:1). Jesus is this prophet and this servant, as the Voice on the mountain tells us today. By faith we have been made children of God from the moment of our Baptism. God, our Father, calls us to a holy life to follow His Son to the heavenly homeland He has promised us. We know that we who hope in the Lord will be delivered from death and will be raised up to eternal life in heaven. God our Father tells us: “Listen to Him!” so we go forward led by Jesus, our Savior. Father George
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March 13, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s The Liturgy of this First Sunday of Lent relates the destiny of the human race. It is the story of two “types” of men – the first man, Adam, and the “new Adam,”- Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 15-21-22; 45-49). In the Epistle Saint Paul offers a series of contrasts between “one person” and “many” or “all.” By one person’s disobedience, sin and condemnation entered the world, and death came to reign over all. By the obedience of another one, grace was abundantly restored and all were justified-life came to reign for all.
This drama of man’s destiny is revealed in today’s
First Reading and in the Gospel. Formed from the
clay of the ground and filled with the breath of
God’s own Spirit, Adam was a son of God, created in
the Lord’s image (see Genesis 5:1-3). Crowned with
glory, Adam was given dominion of the world and the
protection of the Lord’s angels (see Psalms 8:6-8;
91: 11-13). Adam was created to worship God-to live
not by bread alone but in obedience to every word
that comes from the mouth of God-to live not by
bread alone but in obedience to every word that
comes from the mouth of God. However Adam put the Lord to the test. He gave in to the serpent’s temptation, trying to seize for himself all that God had already promised him. But in His hour of temptation, Jesus prevailed where Adam failed – and drove the devil away. When we sin we follow the pattern of Adam’s fall. Let Adam, we let sin in the door (see Genesis 4:7) when we entertain doubts about God’s promises or when we naively think in our pride that “we can handle it alone” and fail to call on the Lord in our hours of temptation. But the grace won for us by Christ’s obedience means that sin is no longer our master. As we begin the season of Lent, this season of repentance, we can be confident of the Lord’s compassion, confident that He will create in us a new heart (see Romans 5:5). As we do in today’s Psalm, we can sing joyfully of our salvation, renewed in the Lord’s presence. Father George
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March 6, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
This Sunday’s Gospel takes us to the end of Jesus’
Sermon on the Mount. Like Moses in the First Reading of
today’s Mass, Jesus climbed a mountain to deliver the
Word of God’s Covenant to His disciples.
The Gospel is much more than a set of good ideas for living; it is the Will of God the Father for history. It is the “Good News” of God’s Kingdom, of the divine family the Lord has come to create on earth in His Church. The Word of God comes to us as a call to the obedience of faith (Rom 16:26). We must take to heart this Word, letting it dwell profoundly in our souls (Col 3:16). We must allow ourselves to be guided by the Word that comes to us in Jesus’ name. The Word is our solid rock. We sing of the Lord Jesus in today’s Psalm-we sing that He is our rock of refuge. The Savior promises that if we live by His Word we will have an eternal foundation to withstand the trials, the temptations, the trials of our life. Jesus will help us carry our cross each step of the Way. Jesus is the new Solomon, bringing us to the Wisdom of God (1 Kings 3:10-12). Jesus is the Wisdom of God made flesh. And like Solomon, the Savior builds the House of God, His Church, which is The Temple built on the cornerstone of Christ (Lk 7:35). We will be judged by His Word. This is not a matter of external works as Jesus makes clear. Saint Paul makes the same point in today’s Epistle. We must do the Father’s Will, which is our sanctification—knowing that we have been justified, made right before God, by Christ’s Sacrifice, His saving death (1 Thes 4:3). We celebrate and participate in this Eucharist. In this Eucharist we praise and thank the Lord God for our redemption, redeemed by the Blood of Christ, our Savior.
Father George
February 27, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, By nature we are often like Martha mentioned in the Gospel. We are prone to be anxious and troubled about many things. In today’s Gospel, Jesus confronts us with our most common fears. We are anxious mostly about how we will meet our material needs—for food and drink, for clothing, for security for tomorrow. This concern about tomorrow, about the future, seems to be uppermost in the minds of many people during this time of recession.
Yet in seeking security and comfort, Jesus warns us that
we may unwittingly be handing ourselves over to
servitude to “mammon.” “Mammon” is an Aramaic word that
refers to money or possessions. Jesus is not condemning
wealth, nor is He saying that we shouldn’t work to earn
our daily bread or to make provisions for our future.
It is a question of priorities and goals. What are we
living for? Where is God in our lives? Jesus insists
that we need only to have faith in God and to trust in
His Providence. The Readings this Sunday pose a challenge for us. Do we really believe that God cares for us, that He alone can provide for all our needs? Do we believe that the Savior loves us more than a mother loves her infant at her breast, as God promises us in the beautiful First Reading? Do we really trust that the Lord is our rock and salvation? (Psalm 62:2-3) Jesus calls us to an intense realism about our lives. For all of our worrying none of us can change how long we will live. None of us has anything that we have not received as gift from God. In the Epistle Saint Paul tells us that the Lord will disclose the purposes of every heart when He returns in glory. We cannot serve both God and mammon. We must choose one or the other. Our faith cannot be partial, we cannot be lukewarm. We must put our confidence in the Lord and not be shaken by anxiety. Let us resolve today to seek His Kingdom and holiness before all else---confident that we are his beloved sons and daughters, and that our Father in heaven will never forsake us. Father George P.S. I thank the Lord every day that He has given me the grace to serve the Church for the past fifty years. I thank God, too, for the wonderful, loving people that I have been able to serve in His Name.
February 20 , 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The First Reading and the Gospel of this 7th
Sunday in Ordinary Time make an extraordinary claim.
Jesus tells us: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly
Father is perfect.” How is it possible that we can be
perfect as our Father in heaven is Perfect? Jesus
explains that we must be imitators of God as His beloved
children(Eph.5:1-2). We are to love as God loves….with
a love that does not distinguish between friend and
foe. We are to overcome evil by doing good (Rom.
12:21).
In his Passion and death Jesus gave us a perfect example of the love we are called to. Jesus offered no resistance to the evil He suffered. Our Savior could have commanded twelve legions of angels to fight alongside Him. However Jesus allowed his Face to be struck and spit upon; He allowed them to strip his garments from Him. Jesus marched to the Place of the Skull as his enemies compelled Him, the Lamb of God, who had already been tortured and had lost much blood. In all this Jesus showed that He is the perfect Son of God. By His Grace, and through our imitation of Him, Jesus promises us that we too can become perfect children of our heavenly Father. God does not deal with us as we deserve. He loves us with a Father’s Love. He saves us from condemnation. He forgives our sins. God loves us even when we have made ourselves His enemies through our sinfulness. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us(Rom.5:8). We have been bought with the price of the blood of God’s only Son. We belong to Christ now, as Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle. By our baptism, we have been made temples of the Holy Spirit. And we have been saved to share in the Lord’s holiness and perfection. Let us glorify God by our lives living in His service, loving as God loves. Father George
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February 13, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Jesus tells us in the Gospel this week that He has come
not to abolish but to “fulfill” the Law of Moses. His
Gospel (“good news”) reveals the deeper meaning and the
purpose of the Ten Commandments and the moral Law of the
Old Testament. Jesus’ Gospel transcends the Law of the
Old Testament. The Savior requires a more demanding
Law, which is at the same time a Law which fulfills our
greatest desires. The Law of the Old Testament which was fulfilled by the most pious of Jews, the scribes and Pharisees, required an outward observance…..(Do not adore false gods; honor your parents; do not murder, commit adultery, divorce, lie, etc The Law of the New Covenant is a law which God writes on our heart. The heart is the seat of our motivations, the place from where our words and actions proceed. This week Jesus calls us to train our hearts, to master our passions and emotions. The Savior requires us to the full obedience of our hearts (see Rom. 6:17). Jesus calls us to love God with our whole mind and heart and soul, and to do His Will from the heart (see Matt. 22:37; Eph. 6:6). The message of today’s First Reading tells us that God never asks more of us than we are capable of doing. The Lord respects our free will so it up to us to choose life over death, to choose the waters of eternal life over the fires of selfish ungodliness and sin. Jesus has shown us by His life, death and resurrection that it is possible to keep His Commandments, the Laws of loving God and of loving our neighbor. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit in Baptism so that His Law might be fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:4). St. Paul tells us in the Epistle that the wisdom of the Gospel surpasses all worldly wisdom. The revelation of this wisdom fulfills God’s plan to save all people who live wisely as the Gospel teaches. Let us trust in this wisdom, and live by the Law of Love, the Law of God’s Kingdom. Let us pray that we grow in being better able to live as the Gospel teaches. May we seek God, our Loving Father, with all our hearts! Father George
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February 6, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “Your light must shine
before others.” One of the favorite songs children
learn in religious education classes is “This Little
Light of Mine.” As the children sing this song they hold
their index fingers high in the air to represent a
candle. Other lines of the song encourage them to “let
it shine, let it shine, let it shine” and to “never hide
it under a bushel.” It is obviously foolish to light a lamp and then cover it with a bushel basket; it would illuminate nothing; if the lamp had been lit so one could walk somewhere in the dark, covering it up would truly be like “the blind leading the blind.” Jesus asked his disciples to follow his example and to be a light for others by the way we live. We are to lead others so our good deeds shine before others as they glorify God; we are to live in such a way that gives God the credit. We can lead by a good example, share our faith, and in this way we are a light to show the way to family and friends and to all we may meet in this life. Just as the disciples followed Jesus’ example and were the light of the world, we can be visible signs of God’s love in doing what we should do as disciples every day. May God bless you for being a light unto others. Father George
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January 30, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches us the Beatitudes. The
Catholic Catechism states that the Beatitudes address
hope and happiness. Where do you find hope and
happiness? For most of us we find it in our families,
friends, hobbies and our jobs. What about the people
who have little hope and live in most difficult
circumstances? How can we share our happiness with the
homeless, the unemployed, the oppressed, the
imprisoned, the lonely, those who are discouraged? Such
people are part of our society with whom we may not
identify but Jesus calls us to serve them. The
Beatitudes are a reminder to the fortunate, to the
blessed, to you and me to seek out ways to serve the
less fortunate, to serve those who have been separated
from a minimal quality of life, many who have not even
been blessed with the gift of faith in our Lord and
Savior, Jesus.
Throughout my life as a priest I have been edified by many Catholics who reach out to their needy neighbors in many ways. Many persons in need do not have a need for material help, but rather need of a spiritual nature….sympathy when they are bereaved, encouragement when they are discouraged, visits when they are ill, welcome to a new neighbor, maybe just a smile. God gives us countless opportunities to reach out to others in their need, in a word, to love our neighbor. And the Lord always gives us the grace, the generosity to respond lovingly to our neighbor. I praise and thank Him for showing us the way with His teaching us the Beatitudes. Father George
January 16, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The Readings from Holy Scripture teach us how to discern
with faith God’s will for us when we make decisions, be they
more or less important ones. The Reading from Isaiah is a
clear example of this…When Samuel visited Jesse and his sons
the Lord inspired the profit to anoint David to replace Saul
(1 Samuel 16: 6-12). Centuries later when John the Baptist
saw Jesus approaching he exclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
John testified further, saying: “I saw the Spirit come down
like a dove from heaven and remain upon Him” (John 1:32) God
gives us the Spirit of discernment when we are baptized.
The Lord wants us to cultivate this gift and learn how to
use it. This is the only way we can know the Will of God
for our own life and how we are to make decisions. Jesus
teaches us to be wise and choose correctly in all matters. On one level, we all have the capacity to discern good and evil, to choose between good actions and evil ones. However, at times the distinction between good and evil are not so clear; they are in a “gray zone,” a zone in which one should proceed with caution. The first thing one should do is to pray, take the decision to the Lord. “What would Jesus do in this case?” Ask for the grace to discern correctly. Then ask yourself what are your reasons for choosing one or the other and how do the options you have compare with the Commandments of God and the teachings of the Church; then decide to choose the better of the two options. Saint John the Baptist knew how he was to live his life, preparing the way for the Savior. He remained attentive to the Holy Spirit and always discerned correctly. For him, as well as for us, to discern was to understand the Will and Love of God; spiritual discernment is not limited to our reason; it also implies obeying the Will of God, and its good results bring the greatest benefits. I suggest this prayer to you. “Dear Jesus, my Lord, help me to correctly make the important decisions of my life, as well as the less important ones, in a way that honors and glorifies You, THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.” Father George
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January 9, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Jesus presents Himself for John’s baptism in today’s
Gospel-not because He is a sinner, but in obedience to the
Father’s will. Jesus humbles Himself, to take on the
appearance of a sinner so that He can make us righteous.
His baptism reveals that He is the Christ, (the “anointed
one”). Jesus is the Servant anointed by the Holy Spirit who
was promised by the prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading
John’s baptism of Jesus marks the start of a new creation, a
new world. The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus which
reminds us of the Spirit that hovered like a dove over the
face of the waters as God created the universe (see Gen.
1:2). As in the beginning, at the River Jordan the Lord’s
majestic voice thunders above the waters: “This is my
beloved Son. My favor rests upon Him”(see Mt. 3:17) In today’s Second Reading Saint Peter preaches that this baptism is a royal and priestly anointing. Through this anointing Jesus is given the Holy Spirit and the power to fight the devil Jesus, the Christ, is revealed to be the fulfillment of God’s preparations throughout the salvation history of Israel. Jesus is the “beloved son” given to Abraham (see Gen. 22:2,12,26) and God’s “first-born son,” which is what the Lord called Israel (see Exod 4:22-23). Jesus is the divine Son begotten by God, the everlasting Heir promised to King David (see Sam 7:14). He is “a light to the nations.” By Jesus’ baptism He sanctified the waters of the Jordan and our baptismal waters. He opened up the heavens to us and made it possible for the Spirit to poured out upon us when we are baptized. We are anointed with the same Holy Spirit in Baptism and are made the beloved sons and daughters of God. This is what the word Christians means-the “anointed ones.” In today’s Psalm we are called “sons of God”-called to give glory to God in His Temple. Let us pray that we always remain faithful to our calling as God’s children so that our Father might call us what He calls His Son –“My beloved…..in whom I am well pleased.”
Father George
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January 2, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. The word “Epiphany” means the manifestation, the revelation of someone or something. The arrival of the Magi from the East to offer homage and gifts to the newborn King of the Jews was foretold by Isaiah (Isaiah 60:1-6)
The three Magi were from three different countries. They
represent the whole gentile world. Many Israelites thought
that
I suggest we pray this prayer: “Dear Jesus, I thank You for loving us and for the total happiness you will give us in heaven. Give us the strength, the grace to live the faith and to be instruments of your saving love for others.” Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
December 26, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, the family composed of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The wisdom of today’s Liturgy illustrates the mystery of the family in God’s divine plan. In the First Reading from Sirach
In the Gospel today we see how the Holy Family faced the persecution of those who sought to kill the Child Jesus and destroy His Kingdom. Moses, who was also threatened at birth, was called to save the People of Israel. As Moses was saved by his mother and sister, in God’s plan Jesus too is rescued by His Family. God leads the Holy Family to Egypt to prepare the coming of the new People of God-the Church. At the beginning of the world, God established the family in the marriage of Adam and Eve, the two becoming one body. Now in the new creation, Christ is made “one body” with His Bride, the Church. By this union we are made God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved. Our families are to radiate the perfect love that binds us to Christ in the Church. As parents approach the altar on this Feast of the Holy Family, renew your commitment to your God-given duties as spouses. Children are to renew their commitment to honor, obey and love your parents.
God love you! Father George
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December 19, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s
The
mystery promised through the Lord’s prophets is revealed today
in Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. This is “The Descendant of King David according to the flesh, Jesus is the Son of God, born of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will be anointed with the Spirit and by the power of the Spirit our Savior will be raised from the dead and established at God the Father’s right hand to reign in glory. He is the “King of Glory” we sing of in today’s Psalm. The earth has been given to Him. As God promised King David long ago, Christ’s Kingdom will have no end (see Psalm 89:4-5) In Jesus Christ we have a new creation. It is a work of the Spirit, a blessing from the Lord. In Jesus Christ we are saved from our sins, are called now “the beloved of God”, sons and daughters of the Lord. Now all nations are called to belong to Jesus Christ, to enter into the Kingdom of God, the Church. Together, through the obedience of faith we have been made a new race-a royal people that seeks for the Face of God. The Lord has made our hearts clean, made us worthy to enter His holy place, to stand in the Lord’s presence and serve Him. In the Eucharist God renews the everlasting covenant, the Advent promise that the virgin will bear a Child, Emmanuel (God with us). The Eucharist continues until the end of the age when we will be with God for all eternity. A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all. Father George.
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December 12, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, John the Baptist was in prison when he heard of the works that the Christ was performing. John sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” John knew that Jesus was doing the works that were foretold by the prophets, the works that the Messiah would perform. John knew that Jesus is the Messiah but he wanted his disciples-and us- to know that in Jesus our God has come to save us. He sent his disciples to become disciples of Jesus.
Jesus also points to John the Baptist as our model. John lived an ascetic life; he knew that life was more than food, the body more than clothing. John sought the Kingdom of God first, confident that God would provide. John did not complain; he did not lose faith. Even in his prison cell he continued his mission, he was still sending his disciples – and us – to our Savior. We come to our Savior again in the Eucharist. Jesus has already opened our ears to hear the words of Holy Scripture, He has freed our tongues to fill the air with hymns of thanksgiving. Once we were captives to sin and death but now we have been ransomed and made members of His Kingdom, crowned with everlasting joy. Raised up we now stand before His altar to meet the Savior who is to come: “Here is your God, the Messiah.”
Father George
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December 5, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In
the Gospel today John the Baptist proclaims, “Repent, the
Kingdom of God is at hand!” as he tells people to prepare
the The Messiah King will rule with justice, saving the poor from the ruthless and wicked. His rule will be not only over Israel, but will extend from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth. He will be a light, a signal to all nations, and all nations will seek the Messiah King and pay Him homage. All the nations of the earth will find blessing in the Savior King. The covenant promise to Abraham and renewed in God’s oath to King David will be fulfilled in the Messiah King’s dynasty. Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle that God confirms His promises made to Israel. But God’s promises are not reserved to the Israelites but are for all people. The Gentiles, too, will glorify God for His mercy. In Christ all will be included in “the covenants of promise ”(see Ephesians 2:12). John delivers the same message in the Gospel. Salvation is not limited to the Israelites. John’s baptism is but a baptism of repentance, of water. The Messiah has come for all people and He brings a fiery Baptism of the Holy Spirit – making us royal heirs of the kingdom of heaven – the Church. Father George
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November 21, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
The
Readings of the past Sunday Masses have been preparing us for the
revelation to be made on this, the last Sunday of the Church Year.
We have been shown that Jesus is truly the Messiah, the Chosen One, the King of the Jews. Ironically, we hear these names on the lips of those who do not believe in Jesus--Israel's rulers, the soldiers, one of the criminals dying alongside the Savior. Those who mocked Jesus could only see the bloodied figure nailed to a cross like a felon, a criminal who deserved a death sentence. They scorn the Him with words and gestures foretold in Holy Scriptures (see Psalm 22:7-9).They taunt the Savior.. if He is truly King, God will rescue Jesus. But He did not come to save Himself, but to save them and us.
The good thief shows us how we are to accept the salvation the Lord offers us. Unlike the other criminal crucified alongside Jesus, the good thief confesses his sins and acknowledges that he deserves to die. He calls on the name of Jesus and seeks the Lord's mercy and forgiveness. By his faith he is saved. Jesus "remembers" him and promises him he will join the Lord in Paradise.
God always remembers His People, in Old Testament times and He continues to do so on into eternity. The Lord visited the Chosen People with His saving deeds throughout their journey to the promised land and fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah.
By the Blood of His cross, Jesus reveals His Kingship-not in saving His life, but in offering it as a ransom for ours. God transfers us to "the Kingdom of His Beloved Son," as Saint Paul tells us in today's Epistle. His Kingdom is the Church, the new Jerusalem, the House of David that we sing of in the Psalm. The First Reading today tells us that by their covenant Israel's tribes are made one "bone and flesh" with King David. By the new covenant made in His Blood, Christ becomes one flesh with the people of His Kingdom-the Head of His Body, the Church.
We celebrate and renew this covenant in every Eucharist, giving thanks for our redemption, hoping for the day when we too will be with Him in Paradise.
Father George TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE
November 14, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, We are living in the age between our Lord's first coming and of His final coming. We live in the new world begun by the Savior's Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, by the sending of His Holy Spirit upon the Church. We await the day when Jesus will come again in glory on judgment day, hopefully to raise us up to glory. In the First Reading Malachi warns us with these words, "Lo, the day is coming." The prophets taught Israel to look for the Day of the Lord, when He would gather the nations for judgment (see Isaiah 3:9; 2 Peter 3:7).
These "signs" show us the pattern of the Church's life-both in the New Testament and today. We also live in a world of nations and kingdoms at war, at war with each other, at war with their own people, especially if their people are believers....disciples of Jesus. We should take the Apostles as our "models," as today's Epistle counsels. Like them we must persevere in the face of unbelieving relatives and friends, as well as authorities of our "culture of death" who are hostile to God. We should praise and sing to God as we do in today's Psalm. We are to joyfully proclaim His coming as Lord and King. Sunday, the Day of the Lord, is always a day that has already come and a day still yet to come. It is the "today" of our Liturgy. The Apostles prayed marana tha-"O Lord come!" In the Eucharist He answers, coming again as the Lord of hosts and the Sun of Justice with its healing rays. It is a mighty sign and a pledge of that Day to come. Father George
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November 06, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua, The Readings of Today's Liturgy clearly demonstrate there is life after this life, life in heaven. In the Gospel the Sadducees mock the faith with their riddle about seven brothers and a childless widow. They mock the faith for which seven brothers and their mother die as related in the First Reading from the Book of Maccabees (7:1-2, 9-14). The Maccabean martyrs chose death-tortured limb by limb, burned alive-rather than betray God's law. Their story is given to us in these last weeks of the Church year to strength us for endurance so that we may not falter as we follow Jesus into eternity. The Maccabeans died hoping that the Lord, the "King of the World"would raise them to live again forever(2 Maccabees14:46). The Sadducees do not believe in the Resurrection, in life after death. To ridicule this belief they emphasize a law that requires a woman to marry her husband's brother if he should die without leaving an heir(See the Book of Genesis 38:8). But God's Law was not given to ensure the raising up of descendants to earthly fathers. As Jesus explains, the Law was given to make us worthy to be "children of God"-sons and daughters born of His Ressurrection. As today's Epistle tells us, "God our Father" has given us "everlasting encouragement" in the Resurrection of Christ. Through HIs grace, we can now direct our hearts to the love of God. As the Maccabees suffered to fulfill the Old Law so might be raised up after their death, we will have to suffer for our faith in the New Covenant. Yet the Lord will guard us in the shadow of His wing, as we sing in today's Psalm. The persecutors of the Maccabees marveled at their courage. We too can glorify the Lord and edify our neighbor by accepting our sufferings and by willingly making our daily sacrifices. We have even a greater reason for hope as Jesus, our Risen Savior, has given us His Word that He will raise us up. He has promised that He will raise us up with glorified bodies; when we awake from the sleep of death we will behold His face; we will forever rejoice in His Presence.
Father George
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October 31, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The liturgy shows us today that the Lord is the lover of souls. In today's Psalm we sing that the Lord is slow to anger and is compassionate toward all that He has made. The First Reading tells us that God overlooks our sins and ignorance, giving us time so that we may repent and not perish in our sinfulness (Wisdom 12:10). In Jesus, God has become the Savior of His children. He becomes the Son of Man to save the lost. Today's Gospel presents
Zacchaeus, a portrait of a despised, lost soul. He is a tax
collector, by profession a "sinner" who is excluded from
Israel's religious life. Not only that, he is a "chief tax
collector." He is considered to be among the most fraudulent of
the tax collectors. He is a very rich man who has apparently
gained his living by fraud. Zacchaeus is not like other rich men Jesus meets; he repents, vowing to pay restitution to those he has defrauded and to give half of his money to the poor. By his humility he is exalted and made worthy to welcome the Lord into his house. By his faith he is justified. As Jesus showed us in the Gospel last week, He uses a tax collector to show us the faith and humility we need to obtain salvation. We also need to seek Jesus daily with repentant hearts. We should make our own Saint Paul's prayer in today's Epistle. "We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ." Father George
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October 24, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Jesus gives us a clear picture in today's Gospel. The proud Pharisee addresses God by bragging about himself, telling the Lord how righteous he is, better than other people. Instead of praising God for His mighty works, the Pharisee congratulates himself for his own deeds.The tax collector stands at a distance, too ashamed even to raise his eyes to God. He prays with a humble and contrite heart. He knows that before God no one is righteous, no one has any reason to boast (Luke 18:9-14).
This should be a warning to us-not to take pride in the way we practice our faith. We are not to slip into the self-righteous way of thinking we are better than others, that we are "not like the rest of sinful humanity." We all need to be humble before the Lord and recognize that all of us are sinners who need God's mercy, His saving love. All the good we accomplish comes to us from God, Who adopts us with Baptism and enables us to do good works with the Grace He gives us. Without the Lord we can do nothing of merit. If we praise and thank the Lord when He enables us to grow in His Love, we will be exalted. In today's Epistle Paul thanks the Lord for giving him strength during his imprisonment. The Lord always hears the prayer of the humble and redeems the lives of His humble servants. We too must serve the Lord humbly and willingly. He will always hear us, always help us at all times when we call on Him. The Lord will deliver us from evil and bring us safely to HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM.
Father George
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October 10, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
The miraculous cure of the ten
lepers related in today's Gospel dramatically illustrates God's
merciful love. The lepers had probably lost all hope of being
cured until they heard that Jesus was a compassionate miracle
worker. There was no known cure for leprosy in those days.
Lepers had to leave their homes, their families If anyone was cured of leprosy, they were required to show themselves to the priests before they could freely associate with others. As Jesus said to them,"Go show yourselves to the priests." They were all cleansed but only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus. When the Samaritan thanked Jesus, He replied, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then He said to him,"Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." The Samaritan's faith and his thanking the Lord not only allowed him to be cured but also won for him eternal salvation. The lesson of the Gospel is clear. We all depend on God to Whom we should be eternally Grateful. We should praise and thank the Lord. The best way to praise and thank the Lord is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where we unite ourselves to Jesus to gratefully praise God, our loving Father.
Father George
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October 3, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Today is Respect Life Sunday. The entire month of October is dedicated to respect for life. All that we are, all that we have are gifts from God. God, our Creator, has created us in his image. At the moment of our conception God has created our immortal soul and has created us so that we may "know, love and serve HIm in this life" so that we may enjoy eternal bliss with the Lord and all the saints in heaven forever and ever. From the moment of our Baptism God the Father sees looks upon us as He does Jesus, His Son and our Savior. He loves us and wants us to respond by loving Him and everyone else. The way to heaven is the path of love.
For many years now our government has
allowed the holocaust of abortion. As Pope Paul prophesied in
his encyclical letter,"Humanae Vitae" (About Human Life),
separating the marital act of love from conception would lead to
infidelity, divorce, abortion. In our country more than 50 million babies have been "legally" sacrificed. Millions of tax dollars have been given to abortion mills. The way to change the minds and hearts of these killers for profit is the way of prayer, of sacrifice so that all may be converted to respect and appreciate the gift of life. This Sunday is dedicated especially to pray for respect for life, as well as the month of October. We should pray throughout the year, indeed pray always for respect for life. Next Sunday is Rosary Sunday and I suggest we pray the rosary today and every day for respect for life. May God bless you all as we pray and sacrifice for the gift of life.
Father George
September 26, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The Readings for today's Mass are a severe warning to the rich and powerful-not for their wealth but for their refusal to share it; not for their power but for their indifference to the suffering of the poor at their door. In the First Reading the Lord has his prophet Amos warn the complacent leaders in Jerusalem who are living pampered, comfortable lives. The prophet Amos tells them they will suffer the same fate as the Israelites in the North have already suffered because of their social and moral depravity.
Today's Gospel also makes us stop
and consider. Jesus is not saying that a person will be
automatically condemned because he is wealthy nor does our
Savior say that anyone will automatically be saved because he is
poor. We will all be judged by the same law, the great
commandment of love - love for God and love for others.
I know people who are well off and at the same time are very
loving and generous, and I know people who are poor who are
self-centered and egotistical. Having wealth is not
necessarily a vice and being poor is not necessarily a virtue. We live in the most affluent country in history and for most people we have more than enough comfort, wealth. Affluence and comfort are not sinful. The Scripture Readings today force us to consider our personal attitude toward the material blessings we enjoy. What we have is not just for our self indulgence. We are to share with others; we are to be concerned for others and to be willing to share our time, our talent and treasure in a loving way. If we keep remembering where our blessings come from, then we will be more likely to remember that they have not been given to us just to become selfish, self-centered people. The Eucharist, our great prayer of thanksgiving each week, helps us to remember where all our blessings come from, and to respond to the Lord's love by loving Him and our neighbor.
Father George
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September 19, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In the Gospel today Jesus teaches us to
be truly wise...to make good choices and to speak and act wisely
as We have been given the greatest of gifts by the grace of God. From the moment of our Baptism, we are adopted by God, our loving Father. We are truly the little brothers and sisters of Jesus, our Savior...members of Christ's Mystical Body, the Church. The Lord continues to nourish us and to help us grow with the Sacraments, nourishing us with Jesus' Very Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. We are to live wisely, as true disciples, growing in Faith, Hope and Love of God, responding to God's love by loving the Lord with our "whole mind and heart and soul" and by loving our neighbor. Today is Catechical Sunday. Today we thank the Lord for the volunteer catechists of our parish who assist the parents in raising their children as true, faithful disciples of Jesus. In the Masses today we will bless and commission the catechists who teach and help form your children to be faithful, loving followers of Jesus. God bless you all, parents, children and catechists. Father George
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September 12, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The First Reading today recalls the sin of the Chosen People who had recently been freed from slavery in Egypt. Their turning their back on God and worshipping a golden calf has been called "Israel's original sin." When Moses implored God's mercy, the Lord forgave the Israelites and re-established His Covenant with them. This prefigured how our Savior would later intercede for the whole human race, as He still pleads to God, the Father, and seeks forgiveness for sinners through the ministry of His Church. Our sin is the sin of the world; it is your sin and mine. We have been ransomed from death and made God's children in Baptism, yet we too often fall prey to the idols, the temptations of this world. We remain a "stiff-necked people," resisting the yoke of God's will, despite the promise of Jesus-"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." We often forget that Jesus is on the other side of the yoke, leading and pulling us along. When we sin, we push God away, rejecting our divine sonship. God calls all the baptized "His People." When we sin God could, in justice, disown us. Yet in His mercy, God is always faithful to the covenant He swore by His own self in Jesus. In Jesus, God comes to each of us as a shepherd to seek out the lost and carry us back to the heavenly feast. In today's Epistle Saint Paul cries out: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." These are the happiest words that mankind has ever heard. Paul testifies that even blasphemers and persecutors can seek God's mercy and will surely be forgiven. As the sinners do in today's Gospel, we draw near to the Lord to listen to Him. In this Eucharist, we bring to God the acceptable sacrifice-our humbled and contrite hearts, offered to the Father united to the sacrifice of His Son and our Savior, Jesus. Father George
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September 5, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua, The Scriptures of today's Mass teach us how to live as true disciples, carrying our cross as we follow Jesus.
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August 29, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, We will arrive at the wedding banquet of heaven by way of humility and charity. This is the fatherly instruction we hear in today's First Reading, as well as the message of today's Gospel. Jesus is talking about something much more important than good table manners. Jesus is telling us how we are to follow Him; He is revealing the way of the Kingdom.....He saves us by serving us and we, too, must be humble servants-"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted." This is the way Jesus showed us, humbling Himself to come among us as a man, as one who serves, as the bearer of glad tidings to the poor(See Luke 1:52-53). This is the way, too, our heavenly Father has shown us down through the ages-filling the hungry, sending the rich away empty, lifting up the lowly, pulling down the proud(See Luke 1:52-53). The Psalm reminds us of the Lord's goodness as He led the Israelites from the imprisonment of slavery to the promised land, feeding them with bread from heaven along the way. God made them His inheritance, becoming the "Father of orphans." Now we also have gained a share of His inheritance, beginning with our Baptism. We are to live humbly, knowing that we are not worthy to receive from His table. We are to give alms, remembering we were ransomed from sin by the price of our Savior's blood. The Lord promises that if we are humble we will be exalted and find favor with God; that if we are kind to those who can never repay us, we will atone for our sins, and find blessings in the resurrection of the just. We anticipate the fulfillment of God's promises in every Eucharist, as today's Epistle tells us. In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we enter the festal gathering of the angels and the firstborn children of God, the liturgy of the heavenly Jerusalem in which Jesus is the HIgh Priest, the King who calls us to come up higher.
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August 22, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Although Jesus does not respond to the question in today's Gospel about how many will be saved, He does tell us something much more important for us and for everyone else. Our Savior tells us what we need to know to be saved...He tells us how to enter into salvation and that it is urgent to strive now, before the Master closes the door.
J In Jesus, God has come to save us--as He promises in the First Reading--to gather nations of every language, to reveal to them His glory. In the Gospel Jesus is slowly making His way to Jerusalem. On the way He eats and drinks with them, teaching them in their streets. In Jerusalem Isaiah's vision will be fulfilled: On the holy mountain the Savior will be lifted up and He will draw to Himself brethren from among all the nations--to worship in the heavenly Jerusalem, to glorify God for His kindness, as we sing in Sunday's Psalm. In God's plan, the kingdom was proclaimed first to the Israelites and last to the Gentiles, who in the Church have come from the earth's four corners to make up the new People of God. However, Jesus warns that many will lose their place at the heavenly table. By refusing to accept the Lord's narrow way they will weaken, and render themselves unknown to God the Father. We don't want to be numbered among those of weak knees and drooping hands, so we must strive to enter the narrow gate: This is the way of hardship and suffering--the way of the beloved Son. As the Epistle reminds us, by accepting our trials we know we are truly God's sons and daughters. We are disciplined by our afflictions, strengthened to walk the straight and narrow path so we may enter the gate and take our place at the banquet of the blessed.
Father George
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August 15, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua, On this great feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we praise God who has taken the sinless Virgin Mary, body and soul, into His Glory.
Of this woman, then, we sing to God as the ancient Israelites sang: "The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold." In the court of King Solomon, we see Israel's traditional arrangement: Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, takes her place at the King's right hand. At Mary's Assumption, as we see in the Book of Revelation, the Queen once again takes her place at the right hand of the Son of David, the Messiah. The Second Reading shows us why this is fitting: "in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order." What is implicit in St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthian's is revealed in Revelation. The consummation of Christ's work has begun, as is proper, with the Assumption of the Queen-Mother. John's Apocalypse also shows the fulfillment of today's Gospel. There, Mary, pregnant with Jesus, retraces the steps of King David as he brought the Ark to Jerusalem. Mary "arose and went" into the hill country, just as David "arose and went" to that region. Upon Mary's arrival, Elizabeth is awestruck, just as David was before the Ark. The encounter causes the baby John to leap with excitement, as David leapt before the Ark. And Mary stayed in the "house of Zechariah" for "three months," as the Ark remained in the "house of Obed-edom" for the same period of time. Mary is the vessel of God's presence, and she is Queen-Mother. She reigns now in splendor with Jesus in the heavenly Jerusalem. Father George
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August 8, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, We are born of the faith of our fathers, descendants of countless witnesses from the time of Abraham. We have been made God's People, living members of His Church, beginning with our Baptism. We have been made God's children, chosen for His own inheritance, as we sing in Sunday's Psalm. This week the Liturgy sings the praises of our ancestors, of our fathers in the faith. The defining moments of Salvation History is our "Family History." The Epistle relates the calling of Abraham, who always responded faithfully to the Lord. The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom recalls how God freed the Israelites from slavery and led them to the promised land.
None of our spiritual ancestors in Old Testament times lived here on earth to see God's promises made good. (But, much later, as Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are they who have not seen, but believed"). For it was not until Christ and His Church that Abraham's descendants were made as countless as the stars and the sands. It was not until Jesus' Last Supper and the Eucharist that "the SACRIFICE...THE DIVINE INSTITUTION" of that first Passover was truly fulfilled. We too now await the final fulfillment of what God has promised us in Christ. As Jesus tells us in this week's Gospel, we should live with our loins girded--as the Israelites tightened their belts, cinched up their long robes and ate their Passover standing, vigilant and ready to go, to do God's will. The Lord will come at any hour we do not expect--will knock on our door, inviting us to the wedding feast in the perfect homeland, heaven. We can begin to taste this heavenly banquet in each Eucharist. As our forefathers in the faith, we can wait with sure knowledge, as God's Word lights our path. Our God is faithful and if we wait in faith, hope in God's mercy, and love as we have been loved, we will receive His promised blessing, be delivered from eternal death and one day enter into eternal life.
Father George
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August 1, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Three priests who were visiting the big island of Hawaii a couple of months ago toured the site of a large volcanic explosion. When they arrived at the "vent' they encountered a group of some thirty people who were seated in a lotus position. They were meditating, with intense looks of concentration and with their eyes closed. Everyone was quiet and still. These people seemed to be praying, but to whom? Was it to Pele, the volcanic goddess of Hawaiian lore?
To Mother Earth? To some other god or
goddess? To some strange force? Whatever the nature of this
spiritual exercise, it reflected the deep spiritual hunger in
the human heart for something beyond the physical world,
for something transcendent. It also showed the hunger for
peace and a sense of wellbeing in the human heart, especially in
this age filled with anxiety, fear and restlessness-- this age
of the "culture of death" which Pope John Paul II named and
described so well. Our Catholic sense of prayer and spirituality is quite different. In our Catholic tradition, prayer emanates from the heart of the Church, not from proximity to a volcanic vent, not from the subjective feelings of an individual. Catholic prayer finds its most sublime expression in the liturgy, most especially in the Holy Eucharist. In this public liturgy the individual believer in the Body of Christ joins himself to the perfect sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who freely offers Himself to the Heavenly Father. This perfect sacrifice is well expressed in the climax at the great doxology, when the priest, the "alter Christus", proclaims: "THROUGH HIM, WITH HIM, IN HIM, IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, ALL GLORY AND HONOR IS YOURS, ALMIGHTY FATHER, FOREVER AND EVER." Along with the priest, the believer in the pews joins his prayer, his very life, to the prayer of the Lord Jesus, who offers it to the Father. Jesus is our prayer. Separated from Jesus our prayer is of no avail; united with Jesus Christ, who is the perfect Word of prayer, we are perfected. Through the Word proclaimed and the Body and Blood of the Lord received and consumed, we are gradually transformed into people of faith, hope and love, in communion with the Holy Trinity. This tranformation is only possible when the believer enters into a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, animated and inspired by prayer, directed and guided by the Holy Spirit. So the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Church's spiritual life, giving us boundless graces in our private life of prayer. The graces flow from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass into every private Our Father, Hail Mary, Rosary, Novena or Chaplet of Divine Mercy that is prayed privately by the believer. Personal prayers and devotions are not substitutes for the Divine Liturgy, rather prayed in union with the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, they transform us along with everyone else into greater union with God and with our neighbor. To quote Bishop Sheen: "God love you." Father George
July 25, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Though we are created from "dust and ashes," we can presume to draw near to and speak boldly to our Lord, as Abraham dared to do in this week's First Reading. However even Abraham-God's friend and our father in the faith did not know the intimacy that we know as the children of God, our Father in heaven. Jesus reveals the mystery of prayer to His disciples in this week's Gospel; we have the living relationship of beloved sons and daughters with our heavenly Father. Our prayer is pure gift, made possible by the "good gift" of the Father-the Holy Spirit of His Son. It is the fruit of the New Covenant by which we are made children of God in Christ Jesus (see Galatians 4:6-7). Through the Holy Spirit given to us in Baptism, we can call to God as our Father-knowing that when we call He will answer. Jesus teaches His disciples to persist in their prayer, as Abraham persisted in begging God's mercy for the innocent people who lived in the sinful "culture of death" of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (The word "sodomite" comes from the name of the city called Sodom. Sadly enough, many of the descendents of Adam and Eve have continued this depraved vice and even justify it as being "normal", including attempting to call homosexual relationships "marriage".)
We pray always the prayer of the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. When we participate in the Eucharist we unite ourselves to Jesus with this perfect prayer of thanksgiving and adoration as we are united to our Savior in praise and thanks to God, our Father. We have realized the promise of this week's Psalm: we worship in His Holy Temple, in the presence of angels, hallowing God's name. We pray with confidence, knowing God always hears us. While we know that our Father does not always give us what we pray for, we soon realize that He gives us something much better than what we requested. We know that God will bring to completion what He has done for us-raising us from the dead, bringing us to everlasting life along with Him.
Father George
July 11, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Today's Gospel begins with these words: On one occasion a lawyer stood up to pose him this problem: "Teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?" Jesus answered him: "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He replied: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself".
Jesus said, "You have answered correctly.
Do this and you shall live." But because he wished to
justify himself he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replies with the story of the Good Samaritan. A Jewish man traveling from Jerusalem to Jerico was robbed, beaten and left half-dead. A priest passed by, saw the wounded man and continued. A Levite did the same. When a Samaritan passed by he saw the wounded man and had pity on him, dressed his wounds, took him to an inn, cared for him and left money with the innkeeper for the wounded man's care. When Jesus asked the lawyer which of the three men who saw the wounded man was his neighbor, the lawyer responded, "The one who treated him with compassion." Jesus tells the lawyer, "Then go and do the same". Jews despised Samaritans and usually did not treat them as neighbors. With this teaching Jesus teaches us that everyone we encounter is our neighbor and we are to treat them with compassion.
July 4, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The Fourth of July--Independence Day in the United States--is a civil holiday, not a religious one. But we do well to offer prayers for our nation on this day. It needs them badly.
In whatever ways we count our blessings-material abundance, various rights and freedoms, a fair degree of peace and security--we also do well to bring our concerns to God: the right to life for the unborn is still not protected by law, and the prospects of legalizing same-sex marriage as well as euthanasia are looming threats. With reason Pope John Paul II called the culture of the U.S., as well as that of many other countries, "the culture of death." The growing secularization in our country began years ago with the relativism and consequent rejection of truth. Like Pontius Pilate many people say, "What is truth?" and proceed to make up their own truth and selfishly follow their own will. Many Catholics, misled by heretical Catholic (?) theologians, rejected Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Humanae Vitae." Pope Paul accurately predicted that artificial contraception would lead to infidelity, abortion, divorce and other licentious living as well as the break up of the family. With the break up of the family society collapses. These same theologians have led many Catholics to go astray, leading them to believe that with the Second Vatican Council a new, permissive Catholic Church was born. St. Paul tells us that Catholic marriage, the true relationship of husband and wife, represents the union between Christ and His Church. This is signified in the Eucharist. Those who divorce and remarry outside the Church cannot receive the Eucharist. Their union with the Church as well as with their first spouse is broken. For more than 25 years the Diocese of Phoenix has had a good marriage preparation policy. The new, improved policy prepares couples to truly live and grow together in their marriage covenant. Several couples who have received preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony have told me how much they appreciate the help received from the Church in preparing for their life-time commitment of love for each other. Pray for married couples, pray for families, and pray for our country.
Father George
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June 20, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The main theme of today's Gospel responds to the question: Who is Jesus? Is he the Messiah? Is he another prophet? The Gospel opens with a scene of Jesus at prayer. Jesus goes into seclusion with his disciples to pray. He prays to his Father before every major decision; in this Jesus is a model for us. To live our Catholic faith properly we need to pray often. Some good examples are: before meals, pray the Rosary (The Family Rosary is especially helpful for parents with their children.), the Angelus, morning prayers, night prayers, Divine Mercy prayers at 3 p.m.
When Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" He is not impressed with their answers. So he turns to his disciples and asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responds for all of the twelve and says, "The Messiah of God." But Peter as well as the other eleven still do not understand that Jesus is a suffering Messiah, as the Prophet Isaiah clearly foretold. Peter and the others knew Jesus on an intimate level-they knew the Messiah better than the crowds, but they were still far from knowing the Truth, the Word made flesh, the long-promised Messiah. Jesus forbids them to tell the crowds that he is the Messiah because the people had the wrong idea of that title. Even the would-be apostles initially rejected the idea that the Messiah would be a suffering servant who would be taken prisioner, be tortured and die. Jesus predicts that this is the will of the Father that he suffer and take upon himself punishment for the sins of all men. The Lord predicts his resurrection after three days to give hope to his disciples and to us. Suffering is mysterious and hard for us to understand. It is a consequence of sin, but is also related to God's plan for our salvation. Suffering is a great teacher: it reminds us that we are creatures totally dependent on God; it teaches us humility and obedience. Even Jesus learned from his suffering:"Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered"(Heb.5:8). In order to be a follower of Christ it is necessary to take up our cross daily. This means we must reject all that is selfish, evil and worldly and go against our sensuality and self-love. The cross initially meant crucifixion but it was adapted to have the spiritual meaning of self-denial. So by the "cross" Jesus means all contradictions and sufferings-interior, exterior, mental, moral or physical. Jesus insists this must be done "daily", all the time, day in and day out. But always remember Who carries the cross with us--THE MESSIAH, OUR CRUCIFIED AND RISEN SAVIOR
Father George
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June 13, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, This Sunday's Readings show us the mercy of God who sent us His Only Son to pay for our sins. When King David commits adultery with the wife of one his soldiers and she conceives a child, he attempts to cover his sin by inviting the soldier to come home and be with his wife. When this does not succeed, David arranges for the man to be sent back to the front where he is killed. After Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, had mourned his death, King David took her as his wife. The Gospel shows us another example of God's mercy; the Lord is more than willing to forgive us when we sin-He wants to forgive us. The Lord has rescued us from sin and death, anointed us with His Spirit in Baptism and in Confirmation. We are the adopted children of God, the Father, His heirs. Like King David and the woman in the Gospel, we fall into sin. Our crimes may not be as grave as David's or as "many" as that woman's, but we are sinners.
We often do not appreciate the great gift
of salvation we have been given. We often fail to live up to the
great calling of being sons and daughters of God. The good news of today's readings, the good news of Jesus Christ, is that we can return to God in the Sacrament of Confession. Our faith, our repentance, will save us, as Jesus tells the woman in the Gospel. No matter how serious our sins, nor how many sins we have committed, if we approach the Lord in true sorrow and repentance Jesus will always forgive us. We hear King David's heartfelt confession in the First Reading. We hear our Lord's tender words of mercy and pardon in the Gospel. When we confess our serious sins in the Sacrament of Penance, we hear Jesus' tender words of pardon and peace as the priest grants us absolution. In gratitude for the Lord's mercy we should promise to live by faith and for God alone. Let us devote our lives to serving God with great love.
Father George MONSIGNOR GEORGES CORNER PAGE # 2 CLICK HERE |
(see Mark 1:6). Although John is not Elijah in the flesh he
is sent in the power of Elijah to fulfill his mission (see
Luke 1:17). Neither is John the prophet Moses foretold,
although he is a kinsman and speaks God’s Word (see John
6:14). Nor is John the Messiah, although he has been
anointed by the Holy Spirit since the womb (see Luke
1:15,44).
We are to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful (see
Luke 6:36). But why? Why does Jesus repeatedly warn that we
cannon expect forgiveness for our trespasses unless we are
willing to forgive others their trespasses against us? 
This
power which Jesus gives the Apostles and their successors depends on
their communion with the Lord, on serving, pardoning, leading
sinners to be reconciled as Jesus does. Bishops and priests should
serve the people as humble servants.
We are represented by the Canaanite woman in today’s
Gospel as we stand in the line of faith coming to worship the
Lord, the God of Israel. The Canaanite woman, a foreigner,
calls upon Jesus as Lord and Son of David. This shows her great
faith in God’s covenant with Israel, with the Chosen People.
Jesus tests her faith three times. He initially refuses to
answer her cry for help. Then, He tells her His mission is only
to Israelites. Finally, the Lord insults her using the term
“dog,” a term Jews used to insult gentiles. Yet, the woman
persists, believing that Jesus alone offers salvation.
The
Scriptures tell us of the joys of heaven, which surpass anything
we can imagine. The goal of every human being, the purpose of
our existence, is to prepare for life with God. Beginning with
our Baptism we were initiated into the life of grace, the life
of God--of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We
are to grow in this life of faith, of hope and of love.
However, Christ was telling the disciples that He would
finish his mission on earth by returning to heaven in his body;
He was speaking of a spiritual way. The Savior’s risen flesh is
a highway to heaven because his human nature is a tool of his
divinity. He is the person of the Word, the Son of the Father,
who while retaining his divine nature, took upon himself a human
nature.
They have an idea of what a messiah or a prophet or a king
should be. They have decided beforehand what Jesus should do
and be for them. It is not Jesus himself they are welcoming to
Jerusalem that day, but rather Jesus as a means to bring about
their plans and schemes. For them, messiah means power. They
have no use for a messiah who is love. Love does not solve
their problems in the way they expect power should. Many of
them will later repent and rejoice because Love Himself has
forgiven them from the cross as power never will or can. Who is
Jesus for you? Is He a fix-it man whom you accuse when things
are not fixed to your satisfaction? Or are you open to welcome
Jesus as He chooses to come? Are you so busy looking for the
Savior to show his power that you never recognize how Jesus is
showing his love? We are his welcomers, we are his revilers.
May repentance always bring us back to welcome Jesus again. And
may each new welcoming be more and more enduring.
With
God’s promises in today’s First Reading, the Lord formed the
people through whom He would reveal Himself and bestow His
blessings on all humanity. The Lord later elevated these
promises to eternal covenants and changed Abram’s name to
Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would be the father
of a host of nations (see Genesis 17:5). In remembrance of
His covenant with Abraham the Lord raised up Moses (see
Exodus 2:24: 3:8). Later God swore an everlasting kingdom
to David’s sons (see Jeremiah 33:26). In Jesus’
transfiguration today, He is revealed as the One through
whom God fulfills his divine plan. Jesus is not only “the
new Moses,” He is much greater; He is also the “Beloved Son”
promised to Abraham and again to David (see Genesis
22:15-18;Mathew1:1).
Moses
climbed a mountain to receive the Ten Commandments which
the Lord ordered him to give the Chosen People. God
ordered Moses to spell out to the people the
significance of the Lord’s Word. After Jesus proclaimed
the Beatitudes and elaborated their meaning, He spelled
out the requirements of this New Covenant. This
Covenant Word requires a great deal from us…it requires
far more than our simple hearing and acceptance of
Jesus’ “message.”
the
Messiah would come only for them to free them from Roman
oppression. Jesus did not come to free them from the Roman
yoke. The Savior came to free everyone from the slavery of
sin. The Magi were the first gentiles to pay homage to the
newborn King. The God-man, Jesus was revealed to them.
They came to pay homage to the newborn “King of the Jews”
and encountered the “King of the Universe”! Who were the
three Magi Kings? They were probably astronomers, dedicated
to study the heavens and man’s place in the universe. They
searched for the truth with such dedication that they were
willing to travel a great distance to find the King they
were inspired to search for. When they finally found Jesus,
The Word made Flesh, they bowed before the Child and adored
Him. Their wisdom in recognizing the God King was truly
inspired. Today there are many people still searching
for the Savior. And Jesus inspires them to look for Him as
He reveals Himself to them. Our role in this is to be a
light unto others by the way we live the life of grace, the
life of love of God and of our neighbor.
Gospel of God”, the Good News that “God is with us” in the
person of Jesus Christ. The sign promised to the house of King
David in today’s First Reading is given is in today’s Gospel.
God himself has brought to Israel a Savior from King David’s
royal line.
In
the Gospel today, Jesus anticipates judgment day, the Day of the
Lord. He cautions us not to be deceived by those who claim "the
time has come." Jesus said not even the angels know the day or
the hour when He will return. Such deception by false prophets
is the background for today's Epistle. The signs of the Savior's
Second Coming which Jesus gave the Apostles seem to have
already come to pass in the New Testament. The Acts of the
Apostles, the Epistles and the Book of Revelation speak of
famines, earthquakes and the destruction of the Temple. These
inspired books of the New Testament tell us of persecutions-of
believers who will be imprisoned, tortured and put to death
because they testify to their faith in the Lord
But the gift of faith Zacchaeus has received brings salvation to
his house. Zacchaeus expresses his faith in his desire to "see"
Jesus. The short little man humbles himself by climbing a tree
just to see Jesus pass by. The proud, stiff-necked Pharisee
react to Jesus with their envious grumbling. Zacchaeus receives
Jesus with joy.
The
First Reading today shows us one of Scripture's abiding
themes-that God "knows no favorites "(Sirach 35:12-14). God
cannot be bribed. We cannot curry favor with Him-even with our
good deeds and our faithful observance of our religious duties
such as tithing and fasting. If we try to exalt ourselves before
the Lord, as the Pharisee does, we will be humbled.
and could only associate with other lepers. They were required
to stay away from all other people. They had to ring a bell if
a healthy person were to approach them to advise the healthy
person to stay away. Also, many of their Jewish contemporaries
believed that anyone with a serious illness like leprosy was so
ill because of being guilty of serious sin.
The
rich man in today's Gospel was not condemned because he was
cruel and violent; he was condemned for a lack of love for his
neighbor, Lazarus. For him Lazurus just didn't exist.
When the rich man wanted a favor from Lazurus in the next life,
Abraham told him that there was a great chasm between the two of
them. The rich man had created the chasm in the first
place, holding Lazurus at arm's length as if he wasn't there.
Even in the next life the rich man treated Lazurus as his
servant, not even speaking to him but asking Abraham to send him
to bring water or to go and warn his brothers lest they, too, be
condemned for their selfish lack of love for their neighbor.
true disciples. Jesus applauds the steward for preparing for his
future in this world. He makes a prudent calculation-to
use his last hours in charge of his employer's property so that
the debtors he has befriended by reducing their debts will help
him after he is fired from his employment.
esus
is the "narrow gate," the only way of salvation, the only path
by which we must all travel in order to enter the Kingdom of the
Father.
In
the First Reading from the Book of Revelation, we see God's
temple opened and the Ark of the Covenant is revealed. The Ark,
the most sacred item in Israel's history, has been missing since
the destruction of the Temple in 586 B.C. So John is reporting
some startling news. Even more surprising is his revelation that
the sacred vessel is now a woman, who is the mother of the Royal
Son of King David, the Messiah.
Our
fathers, our faithful ancestors, trusted in the Word of God, put
their faith in His oaths, convinced that what He promised, He
would do.
For
the sake of the one just Man, Jesus, God spared the city of man from
destruction (see Jeremiah 5:1), "obliterating the bond against us,"
as Paul says in today's Epistle. Jesus bore the guilt of all of us,
canceled the debt we owed to God, the death we deserved to die for
our transgressions. We pray as ones who have been spared, visited in
our affliction, saved from our enemies.
