Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance--not meant to honor veterans or those currently serving in the Armed Forces. It's the day we honor the memories of members of the armed forces who never made it to veteran status because they were killed fighting for our country in wars, police actions, peacekeeping missions or more recently, terrorist attacks.
While I was in the seminary, I remember going to Arlington and seeing the many graves of military personnel who lost their lives in defense of our country. On Memorial Day, flowers dotted the cemetery, marking also the prolonged grief of mothers and fathers of fallen soldiers.
That's why, to me, Memorial Day is the most "Catholic" of American holidays. Respect and honor for the dead, and the connection between the body that lies in the ground, awaiting resurrection, and the soul that has gone before it--these are very Catholic themes. Memorial Day reminds me of All Souls Day (November 2). It is a day to pray for the souls in Purgatory, especially those who died in the service of our country.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Recently I was presented with the question about having a relic of a Saint in our altar. Here is the present teaching on fixing a relic of a Saint at the altar.
As you know from catechism class, the altar is absolutely necessary for the lawful celebration of Mass. The altar is the table representing the table at which Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist on the evening of the Last Supper. You may wonder what does this have to do with placing a relic in the altar. The practice of placing relics within the altar goes back to the days of the catacombs, when the flat-topped tombs of martyrs were used as altars.
The Church suggests that the altar stone, consecrated by a bishop, an oblong slab of stone, measuring perhaps ten by twelve inches by placed on the 'mensa', or the flat rectangular top of the altar. It has five crosses cut into the stone, and near its front edge a "sepulchre" or cavity containing the relics of saints and sealed with a cemented stone lid.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
There is a very popular video that just came out on YouTube called "the world's toughest" job, which is really the world's most important job. The video shows various interviews for the position. The applicant only knows that they were applying for a position entitled "Director of Operations". During the interview, potential candidates are told about the responsibilities and requirements of the position.
The job requires that the person be able to work standing up most or all of the time – constantly on your feet, constantly bending over, constantly exerting yourself, and a high level of stamina. The work hours were explained as 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or unlimited number of hours of work per week with no breaks available. This position would be 365 days a year with very little time to sleep. You would eat only after your associate was done eating. The position requires excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills with a degree in medicine, finance, and the culinary arts. You must be able to wear several hats and the associate needs constant attention. Sometimes you would have to stay up with the associate throughout the night. You would need to work in a chaotic environment and if you had a life you would have to give that life up. There are no vacations, if fact, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and others holidays meant the workload would increase and you would need to have a happy disposition. However, the people connections that you make and the feelings you get from helping your associate are immeasurable. The salary would be $0.00, completely pro bono. The video concludes by letting the person being interviewed (who is completely confused at this point) in on the fact that billions of people currently hold this position as "Director of Operations".
READ MOREBecause of the excitement around the canonizations of Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II, another saint with an important messages for our time was celebrated this past week but a bit hidden in the shadow of these celebrations.
April 28th is the Feast of Saint Gianna Molla, a medical doctor and mother of four. She is a saint for our modern times and has much to teach Catholics, mothers, and working women.
St. Gianna was a fun loving wife and mother who put her faith into action, regularly serving the poor of her day. After opening her own medical clinic she gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor. Her faith inspired her to specialize in Pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952.
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