Lord, for whom all things are possible,
We are confronted once again today With the evil of the abortion industry And the corruption found In the world's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood.
Lord, we pray for all who plan to be parents, And we ask your mercy on those Who teach others to reject parenthood.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Father James Gilhooley has collected some powerful details about Our Lord that are worth sharing. He acknowledges that few of the lines that follow are original and that the majority of these thoughts belong to those writers known as Author Unknown. Where possible, he identified the artist. He begins:
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. It is usually a holy day of obligation. However, when it falls on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated (that is, the observance is typically held during the weekend services in the weekends where these days fall). For instance, the Feast of the Assumption fell on Saturday in 2009, Monday in 2011 and Saturday in 2015; in these cases, Catholics in the United States were not required to attend Mass. That being said, this feast day is meant to give us hope. We can always look to Our Blessed Mother as the beautiful woman of faith who inspires us to grow in holiness and God’s grace. She shows us how to be open to God’s will and to offer our lives to God through sacrifice and penance so that we too will enjoy everlasting joy in heaven.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
It is a tragic reality that many young people do not know the faith given to us by Christ and therefore do not know Christ. Tragically, many adults aren’t much better! For these reasons, we are offering classes for parents in the Religious Education program. We cannot give what we don’t have. To share the faith, you need to know the faith. Teaching your children (or other’s children) the faith is primarily the work of the parent. If parents are unable to do their job in teaching children the faith, then grandparents must step in to help. The Church is here to support you, not to do your job.
So how well do you know the faith? Here are some questions a typical student in our Religious Education program needs to know how to answer:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I want to take this opportunity to address some staff changes happening at St. Joan of Arc. After several years of joyful service to our parish, Deb Jones will be leaving St. Joan of Arc to be with her family in Florida. Deb has been a wonderful blessing to our community in so many ways; i.e., as our resident accountant and CPA, gift shop manager, fish fry organizer, volunteer coordinator, stewardship coordinator, and so much more, Deb has played a major role in leading our parish in many incredible ways.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Planned Parenthood has been in the news a lot lately. I thought it might be a good idea to look at some of the roots of this
very influential organization. Planned Parenthood was established by Margaret Sanger who held some very controversial
views. Here is just one example: “The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” - Margaret
Sanger (editor). (The Woman Rebel, Volume I, Number 1. Reprinted in Woman and the New Race. New York: Brentanos
Publishers, 1922.)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our Lord has given us the greatest gift of Himself in the Mass. Of course He wants for us to receive Him in Holy Communion at every Mass. That needs to be the desire of our heart. That being said, the bishops have said that you and I are not the judges of those who come forward for Communion. For example, a couple may not be in a valid marriage, but they may have made a special pledge to live as brother and sister. That would be between them and their pastor and must be granted by the bishop. If one does have a concern about whether someone else should refrain from Holy Communion, the first thing to do is to pray. Maybe you are not the right one to approach that other person. Maybe God will send someone else on account of your prayer. And maybe he will open a door for you to gently guide the other person. It would be a great act of love.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Part of our problem - at least in the United States - is that many have lost the sense of connection between Holy Communion and the rest of their life. Here are some things that can exclude a person from Communion. For example, a couple living together in a union that is not recognized by the Church should not come forward to receive Holy Communion. If you have missed Sunday Mass without a sufficient reason, you should not receive Communion until you have gone to confession. The 1983 Code of Canon Law says this: "A person who is conscious of a grave sin is not to . . . receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession unless a grave reason is present and there is no opportunity of confessing; in this case the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible" (CIC 916).
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Since the time of Christ, Christians and, specifically, Catholics have been under attack. You may have heard about the child being barred from performing a Christian song at a school for a talent show. Other examples of these attacks on Christian freedom include public spaces that have forbidden prayer. This past year the government has told pastors what they can and cannot say from the pulpit. Students are arrested for publicly expressing their views on abortion. Now government seeks to redefine marriage apart from God’s plan for marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Who knows, I may be arrested for writing this column since it could be seen by some people as “hate speech”?!?! These are just a few examples of how Catholics are under attack by those who wish to silence us!
As we observe Independence Day celebrations every year, we hear the word freedom being bantered around a lot. But the problem is, in our country today, our understanding of what freedom is and what it is supposed to be used for is dramatically disordered. That is, we see freedom primarily, often only, as “freedom from.” Ask many Americans today and they will most likely tell you that freedom means freedom from something or someone. Men and women have come to the United States for over 230 years to escape from tyranny and oppression—all good things.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
St. Paul tells us: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1 Cor. 11:27–28). First, you must be in a state of grace. That doesn't mean you are perfect. It means you are free from any grave or serious sin. This is an absolute requirement, which can never be dispensed. To receive the Eucharist without sanctifying grace in your soul profanes the Eucharist in the most grievous manner. St. Paul identified at least one person who should not be part of the Church's communion.
The problem is that sometimes, either because of habit and out of fear of what those around them will think if they do not receive Communion, some Catholics, in a state of mortal sin, choose to go forward and offend God rather than stay in the pew while others receive the Eucharist.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today we give thanks to God for those who have the special title of father. Everybody has a father… even if he is not in your life right now. There is so much confusion about who and what a father is today. Popular belief often makes fun of the role of the father. In many popular television shows, the father is often seen as very passive and disconnected with reality. This has not been my experience with my father or with many other men of God who are excellent examples of good and holy men of God.
In this particular time in history, we definitely need a positive role model of what it means to be a man and a father. St. Joseph, the appointed father of Our Lord, teaches us the correct role of a father. His committed presence as provider and protector for Our Lord and Our Lady are beautiful reminders of a father's love. Those who have experienced a father's love have experienced a great blessing. For those who have had a negative experience of their earthly father, Our Lord provides us with the answer.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
I have to begin by saying; we cannot judge another person's soul. Only God can judge a person's soul. But we also need to recognize that there are certain actions that would prohibit someone from coming forward to receive Holy Communion.
For example, this concern about who can and who cannot receive Holy Communion usually comes up during election years. Some bishops have told certain disobedient Catholic politicians not to receive Communion. In the past, some supposed "practicing" Catholic politicians have taken public stands promoting abortion. Because of their public stand in support of abortion, they are promoting a sin against life and, therefore, are against God and His teaching that all life is sacred. Therefore they are not able to receive Holy Communion. This may surprise some people. What business, they ask, do the bishops have telling someone they should not receive Holy Communion?
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This is also known as Corpus Christi. Once again we are reminded of the importance of the Eucharist in the life of a Catholic. Of the seven Sacraments, one could say that the Holy Eucharist is central to a person's walk with Our Lord because in no other sacrament, do we receive the very Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
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