Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

JMJ

Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

June is the month dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is good for us to reflect on this fact because too often the world has forgotten . . . . or shall we say more accurately, it has neglected  . . .  its' devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Indeed, it is fitting that we picture Our Lord with the Sacred Heart showing.  When we see the Sacred Heart portrayed in pictures, do we not think of the immense love which Our Blessed Saviour has for us?  In popular culture, do we not equate our "heart" with "love?"  Everyone has certainly heard the quote, for example:  "Home is where the heart is," have we not?  On St. Valentine's Day do we not exchange cards decorated with images of hearts and give heart-shaped boxes of candy and heart-shaped balloons to those whom we love?  Do not those in love say to their intended:  "I give you my heart" . . .  "You are in my heart" . . . . Do we not respond to the question, "How much do you love me?" with the response, "I love you with all my heart!"  So, in this light, it would seem completely acceptable to think about how much Our Blessed Saviour loves us and picturing His Most Sacred Heart in the process.

When Our Lord was giving His famous Sermon on the Mount, part of what He chose to speak about was the fact that those here on earth spend so much time and effort trying to obtain worldly possessions.  Our Lord stated:  "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal." (St. Matthew 6:19)  Are we any different from those to whom Our Lord was speaking to some two-thousand years ago?  Do we not lay up treasures here on earth for ourselves?  We have to have the latest styles and fads when it comes to clothing so that we do not appear "different" from everyone else.  We have to have the latest electronics.   Do not people practically run to the store when the latest version of the I-phone arrives or the latest version whatever phone brand we prefer.  Do we not see images on the nightly news of people lining up to buy the hottest video game when it is released to the public?  Do we anticipate the biggest block-buster movies from Hollywood and line up to purchase our tickets as soon as the movie is released?  Do we not fixate on whatever we desire until we get it?  And then before you know it we begin fixating on the next worldly treasure which society tells us we just have to have.  Our Blessed Lord indeed knows the heart of man when He stated:  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  (St. Matthew 6:21)   Whether it be earthly treasures . . . . fancy phones . . .  latest styles of shoes or clothing . . .  drugs or drink .  . . .  riches  . . .  money . . .  Do we not hold these things close to our heart?   Whatever we treasure on earth, we will also keep these things in our heart.

 In the Old Testament we read:  "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man."  (Proverbs 27:19)  What this proverb means from Scripture is simply that just as we can see what we look like if we see our reflection in the water or see our reflection in a mirror, so too will the man be reflected by what he holds dear in his heart.   If this is true of us human beings, what can be said about the Most Sacred Heart of Our Blessed Savior?  Pope Leo XIII stated:  "There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return."  The infinite love of Jesus Christ!   What an image, indeed!    . . .  the express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ . . .  

If we consider for just a moment the portraits or paintings we have seen concerning the Sacred Heart of Jesus, many of these portraits show Our Blessed Lord presenting His Heart to us  . . .  His Sacred Heart.   Do we not say that we give our heart to the one we love?  So is it so hard to believe that Our Blessed Saviour would be of similar mind when it comes to sentiment of heart?   Without a doubt, Our Blessed Lord does give us His love.  Our Blessed Lord does give us His Heart .  .  . .  His Most Sacred Heart.  "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you  . . . . " (I St. Peter 3:15)  We should always keep God in our hearts if He is indeed a treasure to us.  If we treasure something we possess, we do not hesitate to tell others of our love, do we?  Proud parents are quick to tell of their beautiful child and their child's accomplishments, for example.   Those who enjoy a particular hobby are happy to talk about their hobby with anyone who shows interest.  So, too, should we follow the advice of St. Peter and explain the hope which is in our heart.  We should explain to the world that our hearts belong to Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who first gave His Heart to us, His Most Sacred Heart!

St. Mary Margaret Alacoque stated:  "Consider often that it is only the humble of heart that can enter into the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, and converse with Him,  Love Him and be loved by Him."   Let us always do our best to stay close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The world does what it can to lure us away from God.  The world distracts us.  The world grabs our attention.  The world tries its' best to find its' way into hearts.  And, sadly, for many in the world today, the world does just that.  Let us never stray for Our Lord's Most Sacred Heart.  It is there that His love radiates toward the entire world.

Seventh Sunday after Trinity, July 15th, 2018

Seventh Sunday after Trinity, Sunday, July 15th, 2018

We read in the Eighth Chapter of St. Mark's Gospel his account of the "Feeding of the Four-Thousand."  In this first verse we read that Our Blessed Saviour called the disciples close to Him and told them:  "I have compassion on the multitude" (St. Mark 8:1)    He had compassion because He saw that the people had been with Him for three days and had nothing to eat.   He saw that they were hungry.  He saw that they were exhausted.  He saw that they needed nourishment.  Two things I would like for us to consider briefly.

Number one,  Our God is concerned with us and for us.  Our Saviour notices things like this because He was here on earth.  In other words, He is not some distant, far-removed god who could care less about the people.  No, God cares so much for His people that He sent His Son into the world to be with His people.  Christ spent time with the people.  He ate with the people.  He worked alongside the people.  Our Blessed Lord not only spoke with the people, He listened to what they had to say.  Our Lord is not distant; He is near.  He is near to us because He wants to be.  He listens to us.  All we have to do is to reach out to Him.  He is waiting.

The second thing I would like to point out in regards to this "Feeding of the Four-Thousand."  The reason why Our Lord noticed that the people were hungry was because He was taking the time to notice.  This sounds very simple, doesn't it?  Too simple, in fact.  And yet, today,  how many of us do not show compassion because we do not take the time to notice others around us.  And the reason why we do not take notice of those around us is because we are too focused on ourselves.  We look more inwardly than we do outwardly.  We spend our days satisfying our own needs, our own wants, our own desires.  We spend our days only concerned with ourselves and our needs.  If we stand in line behind someone who is having difficulty, are we more concerned that she gets her problem resolved or are we focused on the fact that we are being "inconvenienced" by waiting in line?  Like our Blessed Saviour, do we take the time to notice those around us and if they are hungry . . . or sad  . . . . or worn out . . .  or depressed . . .  Do we take the time to notice things about others?  Do we take the time to be interested in others?  Or are we simply too busy to notice because we are too busy being interested in ourselves? Do we take interest in others or do we only take interest in ourselves?  As Christians, we are called to be "Christ-like."  As such, we should try to do what Our Blessed Saviour would do.  While we may never heal lepers or cure the blind like Jesus did, we can have compassion like He did.  We can have compassion on those around us:  our family members, . . .  our neighbors,  .  . .  . our coworkers, . . . . But first we have to take the time to notice those around us and quit focusing so much on ourselves.  

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour.

St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.

The Importance of Honoring God's Name

I had the occasion recently to be in the company of two truck owners.  One man owned a Chevy truck and the other man owned a Ford truck.  It was interesting to hear them go back and forth . . . in a friendly way, of course . . . . about which make was better:  Chevy or Ford.  Interesting also was the fact that both men "inherited" their preference, if you will, from their fathers who also owned a Chevy and Ford, respectively.  The bottom line is that both men were loyal to the brand that they had.  We all have our brand loyalty to a specific item.  Whether it be toilet paper or beer or bread or any number of other items.  The reason for this is because these items have stood the test.  They have proven themselves, so to speak.  

Can't we say the same thing about people?  What would you think if I promised you that I would take you out to a fancy restaurant and I never picked you up?  And then I promised you once again that I would take you to that same fancy restaurant but . . . once again . . .  I never picked you up.  And then I promised you that I would take you to the same restaurant.  By this time, would you believe me?  Of course not.  You would not believe me to take you to that restaurant because my word could not be trusted.  We have people that back up their words and then there are other people that are not so trustworthy.  So the bottom line is that there are people and products that we trust because they stand behind their name.  They can be trusted.  

"Give unto the Lord glory due unto His Name." (I Chronicles 16:29)

Would you say that God is trustworthy?  I would certainly hope so.  God is Our Heavenly Father.  He is our creator and the creator of the universe.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.  The Three Persons of the Trinity:  the Father; the Son; and the Holy Ghost.  Certainly, if there is anyone that we should trust, I would imagine that God would be first on our list.  As such we would never say anything bad about God.  On the contrary, we would only speak about God in a loving, respectful way.  We would never knowingly say anything bad about God.  Nor would we knowingly speak in a disrespectful way, would we?   But what about unknowingly?  Let me point out what I am referring to.  

I was recently trying to finish up work that I was doing in my back yard one afternoon.  The peacefulness of the afternoon was soon disrupted because the neighbors that live behind us were having a party of sorts with a pool and one of those big, inflatable bounce house's that the kids jump in.  I think there must have been perhaps ten to twelve children at this gathering.  These children were aged eight to ten years old, I guess, although I am not good at guessing ages.  Anyway, these children were very loud as you might expect.  Now, I really didn't have a problem with the yelling and screaming of the children.  That's just what kids do when they are outside at a party with other children.  Here's what caught my attention, though.  One of these children  . . . . at the top of her lungs . . . .  would yell "Oh My God!"   Now, this was happening every minute to two minutes.  Thus, it was very hard to miss each time she would yell it.  I have discovered that Children are very similar to parrots.  They both mimic what they have heard.  Thus, be careful what you speak in front of both parrots and children.  Thus, it was pretty obvious to figure out that this little girl heard "Oh My God" said quite a bit at home.  As a result, I do not fault the little girl in the least.  Note to those of you who are parents or grandparents:  Please teach your children to honor and respect God's Name.  If you do not teach them the importance, who will?  Just like the little girl that I made reference to above.  We should teach our children that the Name of God should not be taken lightly.  We should teach our children to honor the Name of God.  We should emphasize to our children not to blaspheme God's Name.

We hear this phrase . . .  and, sadly, much worse . . . . spoken in conversations;  . . . we hear it on TV and in the movies;  . . .  we hear Our Lord's Name spoken more as a curse word than we do as a source of praise for the wonderful things He does for us.   St John writes in his first epistle:  "That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ" (1 St. John 3:23)   The Name of God  . . .  The Name of His Son . . . . The Names and titles of the Holy Ghost . . . . All of these names are sacred; they are holy; we should speak these names with honor and respect.  And yet people utter the Name of God with utter disregard and do not even realize it.  Call on God in prayer.  Call Him when you need Him.  Utter His Name to describe the wonderful things He has done for you.  "O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His Name!" (Psalm 105:1)  The Name of God is holy.  The Name of God is sacred.  The Name of God should mean something and stand for something.    " . . .  and we will walk in the Name of the Lord Our God for ever and ever." (Micah 4:5) When we do speak the Lord's Name, let us speak His Name in the proper context.   Let us praise the Name of the Lord.  Let us speak His Name with pride and love.  Let us thank Him by Name for all of the wonderful things He has done for us.   

"Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord Thy God in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

Remember that we are commanded not to take the Name of Our Lord in vain.  Again, this is from the Ten Commandments and not the "Ten Suggestions."  The way that honor Our Lord's Name reflects the regard we hold for Him in our heart.  If we don't hold His Name in regard, how highly do we regard Our Lord to begin with?  If we use blasphemy against God's Name, how seriously do we regard our relationship with God to begin with?  Even in the Lord's Prayer we are reminded:  "Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name . . ..  "  We should do our utmost to keep God's Name respected.  

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.  That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."  (Philippians 2:9-11)

Hope in the Lord

They say that February is the gloomiest month of the year.  Unfortunately, unless you live in someplace tropical all year around  . . .  like Tahiti or Southern California . . . . you have to deal with the ice and snow and frigid temperatures of the season.  Most people, I would guess, don't like February very much.  At least in November and December we have the holidays to look forward to.  That takes our minds off of the cold and ice, doesn't it?  But in February, it would seem that we don't have anything to look forward to . . . . just more ice . . .  more snow . . .  cold temperatures . . .  and darkness.   Not much to do either because you don't feel like going out in all that mess.  This is why a lot of folks say they don't like February.   It's just plain gloomy.

In a similar vein, I guess you could say, people also don't like the holy season of Lent.  It's gloomy.  It's depressing.  People focus on what they give up  during Lent . . . . such as giving up chocolate, for example.  They focus on the penitential aspect of Lent.  In other words, dealing with being sorry for our sins.  Nobody enjoys admitting their faults, do they?  I know I don't.   This is probably why we get in the habit of pointing out the faults of others because it keeps us occupied so that we don't point out our own faults.  Let's face it, if I'm busy focusing on what others have done wrong, that probably means I am less likely to focus on what I have done wrong.  

And yet we know that life itself is not perfect.   As the old song goes, "I never promised you a rose garden."   Life is not filled solely with roses and unicorns and pretty rainbows.   Life can be difficult at times.  We can work our tails off to pay bills, for example, and then just as we finish paying the bills off, something in the house breaks and needs to be replaced.  The car breaks down.  Doctor's bills come due because we are sick.   We can all come up with our own examples, can't we?   And if we are honest, life can be downright depressing at times if we focus solely on the negative things that life throws at us.

But as Christians we are called to focus on the positive.  We are called to focus on the blessings that the Good Lord has provided us with.  "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."  (Romans 14:17)   Yes, to a certain degree, we are called to be penitential during Lent . . . to focus on our sins, the things we have done wrong . . . . but we do that in order to "get right" with God.  During Lent, we are encouraged to give up the things of the world so that we can focus more on the things of God.  Also, it helps us to see first hand that Our Blessed Saviour gave up the glories of Heaven in order to walk among us as a human being.  He worked with His hands . . .  He was tired . . . He was hungry . .  .  He traded in His throne in Heaven so that He could be with us, . . . spend time with us, . . . . preach to us,  . . . . tell the world of His Heavenly Father.

"But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.  All they that see me laugh me to scorn:  They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him"  (Psalm 22:6-8)

Our Lord humbled Himself so that ultimately we could share in His glory.   This is the beauty of His suffering.  This is the true meaning of His Cross.   In carrying that blessed Cross, Our Lord paid the price . . .  for you . . .  for me.   He paid a price that we could never have paid ourselves.  This is the true meaning of Lent.  Lent is meant to be a time to prepare ourselves for the glory of Easter.  It is a time of preparation.   It is a time to set aside both the cares and riches of the world so that we can focus on the greatness of Our God.

"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." (Hebrews 6:19)

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is."  (Jeremiah 17:7)

We are indeed a people of hope.  We are all called to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the prize.  And of course that prize is life eternal spent with Our Blessed Saviour in His glory.  So often we are sidetracked by either the cares or riches of the world.  Lent is a time set aside by the Church so that we can step back, take a deep breath, and get our priorities straight.  Yes, life can be gloomy at times.  Yes, cares of the world can be overwhelming at times.  Yet, as Christians we know that God never leaves us.  We know that God sent His only Son into the world to save us.  For this we should glory in Our Blessed Saviour and all He has done for us.

Open Letter to Brother Francis Dominic . . . .

Open Letter to Brother Francis Dominic .  . . . .

[NOTE:  Brother Francis Dominic is scheduled to be ordained as a deacon on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017]

Dear Brother Francis Dominic:

I address this letter to you and it is meant for you but, really, it is meant for all of us  . . . . .  including myself.  All of us can learn important lessons in life by reflecting on the lives of others around us.  You will soon be ordained, God willing, as a deacon.  I know this is a busy time in your life with the preparations and getting things ready.  But come to think of it, when is it not a "busy time" when you are a minister of God's Word?  Reflecting on your upcoming ordination has caused me to think about my own ordination as a deacon twenty-five years ago.  Wow!  A quarter of a century seems like such a long time . . . . and it is . . .  but on the other hand, it seemed like only yesterday that I, too, was ordained as a deacon.  I remember being on edge the days and weeks leading up to my ordination, wondering if I was truly called . .. . wondering if I had what it took to be a deacon .  . .  . wondering  . . . .  wondering  . . . . wondering.  When I was ordained as a deacon I had spent some eight years in the seminary at that point.  This was eight years of studying, preparing, praying, pondering, working, worrying, sweating, enjoying, etc, etc, etc.   In other words, it was eight years of keeping busy . . . eight years of being occupied . . .  eight years of focusing on what I needed to do \right then and there, at that moment.  Preparing for tests; writing papers; being in the chapel; going to the Dining Hall; studying for finals; doing my chores at the seminary; going to do my seminarian work at various hospitals, schools and other ministries.  In other words, it was a BUSY eight years.  Come to think of it, most all of us are busy, aren't we?  Most everyone leads busy lives moving from one "chore" to the next:  going to work; paying bills; taking care of the house; cleaning; doing laundry; running errands; etc., etc., etc.   But sometimes it is good just to step back and look at the "big picture," if you will.  Because as I described above, life very often gets bogged down in the "little things" such as running errands or cleaning up messes, going from one project to the next project to the next project,  . . . .  Sometimes we get so busy running from this errand to that errand, we miss the "big picture" of why we do what we do, of who we really are, who we are called to be, quite frankly.

The "Big Picture" is this:   Ministers . . . .  whether they be priests, deacons, or bishops  .  . . . are called to do the work of the Lord here on earth.  Ministers are called to emulate Our Blessed Saviour and the work He did here on earth.  Our Blessed Saviour did His work of founding the Church and when He did, He called others to assist Him in this function.  "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-12)  Our Blessed Saviour has called us to do the work of the Lord but, in essence, he has graced us with the awesome responsibility of doing His work here on earth.  Our Lord is so awesome, so powerful, that He could have done everything Himself.  And yet He called upon average men such as St Peter, and St Andrew, and all of the apostles.  Our Lord did not call on the rich and mighty and powerful to be the Apostles.  He called on the lowly and humble.  He called average fisherman and workers and those who had no formal education, to speak of.  He called them to assist Him in His wonderful work.  He called them to follow Him and do His work among God's people.  " . . . . as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." (St. John 20:21)   We should always keep this in mind that we are indeed "sent."  Our Blessed Lord has sent us and we are merely following the call.  Please always focus on the fact that you are following the call.  Remember, we in the Church, ordained or laymen, are following the call.  We are saying yes to be sent forth out into the world.  But always remember that Our Blessed Lord never asked us to be perfect.  Whether we like it or not, a deacon, a priest, and even a bishop are human before anything else and humans sometimes make mistakes.  Our Lord took this into account when He called the Apostles.  Our Lord knew very well that His ministers would make mistakes and yet He chose them anyway.  Look at St. Peter.  Sometimes, even in our ministry, we will make mistakes, but the point is to always remember that we are not called to be "perfect" but, rather, to do the work of the Lord here on earth as best we can.

The second thing to remember, in my humble opinion, is that we are called to be "servants," first and foremost.  In this fashion, we best emulate Our Blessed Saviour and the work He has called us to do.  "For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant."  (I Corinthians 7:22)  Our Lord gave us an example to follow in that he came to serve humanity.  He came to be a Servant.  He came to have compassion on those He came in contact with.  He came to heal and teach and preach and tell the world about the Kingdom of God.  Likewise, we too are called to serve those around us by living the life of a servant.  We are called to serve those around us in whatever fashion God calls us to serve.  Remember that any "power" we have, we only have it because it was first given to us by God.  If God wants us to do something, it will be done.  Make no mistake about it.   We have to do our part, yes.  We have to be open to doing God's will.  So often we do not understand why God would call us to begin with.  Why would God call me to be His representative?  Why would He choose me?  Why?  Our Lady certainly did not understand why she was chosen either.  And yet despite her lack of understanding to why she was chosen, she still gave her "fiat."  She still said "Yes" to doing the will of God.  So, too, should we give our "fiat" to God in our being called by Him.  We may not always  understand why He called us.  We may not understand how we will do what we are called to do at times.  But as long as we say "Yes," we know that God will be with us.  

The bottom line is this:  being called to the diaconate is an awesome responsibility, yes, but it is also a wonderful gift.  The God that created the universe has called you to assist Him in the work of the Church here on earth.  Always be open to doing His will . . . always remember that you are a servant, first and foremost . . . .  and always remember that you are God's representative that He has chosen . . .  chosen by Him to do His work on earth.  And always remember that you said "Yes" to that call. Let each and every one of us say "Yes" to God.  If only the whole world would give its' collective "fiat" to God.  To say "Yes" not only with our mouth, but to say "Yes" with our life.  To say "Yes" to God in everything that we do.  To place ourselves in God's hand . . . to place our lives in His service.  To keep God first and foremost in our hearts.   "As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you."  (Jeremiah 26:14)

God bless you on your diaconate.  God bless you in your service to God and His Church.  God bless you and God bless all of us and we grow in the love of Christ and give our "fiat" to Our Heavenly Father by the lives that we lead.

The Importance of All Saints Day

“All Saints Day” is a feast traditionally celebrated on November 1^st of every year in our Western Church.  Keep in mind that the development of the actual universal Solemnity of All Saints may be somewhat confusing and hard to trace.  Why do we suggest this?  Because, keep in mind that various local churches celebrated their own “local” versions of All Saints Day from the earliest centuries.  One of the earliest origins of what has come to be known as All Saints Day dates all the way back to around the year 609 when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Mother and all the Martyrs of the Church.  This feast of All Saints was celebrated on May 13^th, though.  But even prior to this, we can see Church Fathers such as St. John Chystostom, for example, who assigned a date to commemorate a day in honor of All Saints.  His date was not set as November 1^st as we know it, though.  It was celebrated on the First Sunday after Pentecost, where it is still celebrated in Eastern Churches to this day.   It was about the time of Pope Gregory III where the celebration of All Saints was commemorated  on November 1^st.  Prior to this, as mentioned earlier, various churches in various countries around the world celebrated their own All Saints day at various dates throughout the year.   The point that we need to focus on in pointing out this brief history of sorts for All Saints Day is that Christians throughout the world were interested in celebrating and commemorating those Christians who had gone before them.  Again, this is not a new feast, in other words.  It is an ancient practice dating back to the earliest centuries of the church.   Many need to bear in mind that not only Roman Catholics and Orthodox but also Anglicans as well as even Lutherans and Methodists also celebrate All Saints Day.  Which now leads us into the importance and the underlying meaning of the Feast of All Saints to the Church in general and us as individuals.

Perhaps, first, we can make an analogy which may help to explain the underlying meaning behind the feast.  In America, for example, we will soon be commemorating “Veterans Day.”  In a similar vein, the idea is closely aligned with the general purpose and meaning of All Saints Day, when you think about it.  Veterans Day simply sets aside a day where we as a nation remember, honor, and commemorate those who have served our country to help insure the freedoms that we enjoy.  Again, to point out another secular example, we also commemorate “Presidents Day” to remember all the presidents who have helped to guide our country.  “All Saints Day,” then for the Church, is a day where we remember all those (both known and unknown) who are members of the “Communion of Saints,” in other words, the thousands who are recognized as canonized saints.  

Why is the Solemnity of All Saints important?   The Church commemorates various feast days or Saint days throughout the year (e.g., the feast of St. Andrew, St. Francis, St. Patrick, etc.) But on All Saints Day, the Church makes a point to remember all those saints who have gone before us and are now enjoying their reward in Heaven.    This includes those “known” and even “unknown” saints.  Again, why should we even care about remembering . .  . let alone set aside a day in honor of . . . . canonized saints?  The bottom line is that the Church honors those holy men and women as saints who have proven to be worthy of imitation.   In other words, they have each done their part, and in their own way, to  lead others to God.  Were the saints perfect during their lifetime?  Is this what we are celebrating when we celebrate All Saints Day?!?  Certainly not!  If we look at the Calendar of Saints, we will find all sorts of people from all walks of life . . .  priests, religious .   . . . . husbands, wives . . .  . teachers .  . . .  soldiers . .  .. farmers .   . . . . kings and queens .   . .  you name it!  No matter what their station in life, these wonderful men and women provide for each one of us an example of leading a holy life dedicated to God.  This is something we should all strive for:  to follow God and to live for God each and every day of our life.  The Solemnity of All Saints Day then should inspire each one of us to be a saint.   The Baltimore Catechism says:  “The faithful on earth, through the communion of saints, should honor the blessed in heaven and pray to them, because they are worthy of honor and as friends of God will help the faithful on earth.” (Lesson 13 from the Baltimore Catechism)  Yes, they are friends of God and they should be our friends as well.  They each have shown what it means to love God and to be faithful to God.  As such, they are valuable reminders of dedicating one’s life to God.  On the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church remembers those good and faithful servants who have gone before us as such good role models.  “Let us now praise men of renown, and our fathers in their generation. (Ecclesiasticus 44:1)”

 

March 12th, 2016 Birthday of St. Gemma Galgani

March 12th is the Birthday of St. Gemma Galgani

March 12th is the birthday of our dear St. Gemma. St. Gemma, so humble of heart, you never fail to lead souls to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Help us better appreciate the Passion of Our Blessed Saviour. Help us to gain better understanding through our suffering the suffering that Our Lord endured on our behalf. Help us to always offer up our suffering in remembrance of the Passion of Our Blessed Saviour and the suffering he endured out of His love for us! St. Gemma, I love you! Jesus, Mary, Joseph! Save souls!