As a student in a Catholic grammar school in Chicago, one of the first things the nuns taught us was to write the letters AMDG on the top of every paper or test we wrote. The Sisters explained that they represented the Latin words, Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam, which means, "All For the Greater Glory of God". Everything we did should be dedicated to His greater glory. This simple message was taught by one our greatest heroes of the Catholic Church, St. Ignatius of Loyola. We celebrate his feast this Wednesday, July 31. He was born on October 23, 1491, in the Castle of Loyola, located in the Basque country of northeast Spain. The youngest of 13 children, he was raised to embrace a military career and became an outstanding soldier. He was also a handsome courtier who enjoyed the life of the royal court of Spain and was considered quite the ladies' man. His brilliant military career came to a sudden end at the age of 29. During the Battle of Pamplona in 1421, his right leg was shattered by a cannon ball. He was taken back to his family's castle at Loyola where it was discovered that his leg had not been set properly, and he underwent several attempts to re-break and set his leg correctly, without anesthesia, so that it would not leave him deformed.

Happy Sunday!

As we begin the 16th Week in Ordinary Time the Church presents with a famous scene from Genesis 18. Abraham encounters three mysterious visitors for whom he quickly prepares a meal. These three men, who promise that in a year Sarah will bear a child, are often understood to represent an image of the Trinity. Their relative silence as they meet Abraham is a cause of wonder, but Abraham seems to understand something special about these men. While his intuition may not be what the Church Fathers have understood, his actions bring to mind that famous line from the rule of St. Benedict, "Receive all visitors as if they were Christ." Or from the Letter to the Hebrews, "Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels." (13:2)

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Happy Sunday!

This Sunday, we hear the famous parable of the Good Samaritan, with the tantalizing question from the scholar of the law who asks, "And who is my neighbor?" This question is sometimes posed in our own world as a way to get around moral responsibilities. It's as if we're saying, "Does everyone really deserve to be treated as Christ teaches?" As always, the Lord presents a radical answer, the one who is my neighbor is the one who lives showing mercy. There are no limits nor boundaries, just an invitation to show mercy wherever we find ourselves.

Happy Sunday!

I pray everyone had a good and safe 4th of July. The Gospel this weekend invites us to reflect on the missionary activity of the Church. Jesus tells the disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” The harvest which the Lord speaks of is all those souls he desires to be with Him in heaven. It is not merely about forming people as Christians, but helping people along their way to heaven. Maybe you have noticed that often when we pray for vocations at Mass on Sunday we pray specifically for young people from here at St. Joan of Arc. While it is true that most young people will be called to the vocation of marriage, there are certainly some among us whom the Lord may be calling to serve Him in the priesthood or as a religious brother or sister. The prayer we make is one that asks the Lord very specifically to raise up laborers from our own parish.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Sunday!

This Sunday I invite you to turn your attention to Mark 9:17-29. Here Jesus heals a boy with a mute spirit. The boy is brought to Jesus by his father. The man says to Jesus, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a mute spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” Jesus has just come down from being transfigured and he is met by this man. Commenting on their faithlessness, Jesus then invites the man to bring his son to Him. However, this leads to the spirit convulsing the boy. One can hear the agony in the father’s voice as he tells Jesus, “...if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Mark tells us that Jesus responds thus, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.”

Happy Sunday!

This week I would like to propose another father figure as a point of prayer and reflection. The man this week is Jairus whom we encounter in Mark 5 (below) and Matthew 9. We read:

"When Jesus had crossed again [in the boat] to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around."

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Sunday!

This week I'd like to turn our attention to another father figure in the New Testament. Zebedee was the father of two apostles, James and John. We do not receive any words from him in written form, but there is still much to glean from what the Scriptures do tell us. Let's take a look:

"And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and follow him." (Mt. 4:21-22)

Happy Pentecost! This Sunday, 50 days since Easter, the Church celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the day traditionally recognized as the birthday of the Church. On this day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles like "tongues as of fire." The image of fire is one of strength, purification, and courage. For the first Christians the gift of the Holy Spirit was important because He did for them what He desires to do for us. That is, to fill us with his love and be strengthened and prepared to spread and defend the Gospel.

In this month of June I'd like to propose St. Joseph as a model of obedience to the Holy Spirit. I hope to reflect on fatherhood throughout June taking texts from the Gospels. St. Joseph seems an exceptional saint to begin with as we celebrate Pentecost. The Scriptures share no words that he ever uttered. Everything that we hear from him is about his desire to be a just man, his discerning heart, and his action. St. Matthew tells us that when Joseph discovered his betrothed was with child "being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife…'" (Mt. 1:19-20).

Dear Friends In Christ,

In today's Gospel Jesus tells the disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you." We find this as Jesus begins the Last Supper Discourse. He is inviting the disciples to reflect on the peace that only comes from heaven. He knows full well that He will be crucified in the name of peace. The authorities believe that things will be better if He is not present. Because of this, they seek to attain peace through violence. Any peace attained in this way cannot last. This is precisely what Jesus is reminding his disciples, He offers a peace that truly endures.

Christians to echo, especially Christian mothers. Those beautiful words, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38), can become our prayer too.

As Christians, we are not called to wait on the sidelines, but to join the hymn that says, "Let it be to me according to your word." Our prayer, our relationship with God, is meant to overflow our hearts. Prayer is not merely a passive activity, but active as well. At Mass, before the "Holy, holy, holy" we say, "May our voices join with theirs", that is, with the choirs of angels. God invites our prayer to move us to action, maintaining an awareness of His presence all the while. In the same way that Mary's "yes" gave life to the Word of God, Jesus Christ, so we are called to receive the invitation and give life to God's Word in the world.

This week our parish is very fortunate to be able to host the heart of St. John Vianney. This special relic has been on a tour of the United States and we are grateful to welcome it here. It will be available for veneration from 7pm-10pm tomorrow, May 6. St. John Vianney was a parish priest from France who served in Ars from after the French Revolution until his death in 1859. He is the patron saint of parish priests. Among the many things he is famous foris that he would often spend 12 hours a day hearing confessions. He was said to have the gift of reading hearts. This beautiful prayer is one that he often prayed: