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November 30, 2008
My Dear People,
The Advent Wreath is a holy reminder of how we are to become the light
of Christ. All four candles represents a Sunday in Advent. As we
journey toward the birth of Christ, we are to allow Christ to increase
in us. At the Manger, we present ourselves to Him. Christ's Light then
becomes one of us. At no other time in the history of the United
States, have we so desperately needed Christ's LIGHT. SO many people
have lost their way. Jesus is the only WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIGHT.
Mark's Gospel tells us this Sunday to be sober and alert. We are to be
on the watch. When we have a hunger for the Lord, we long to see His
face. Christ then comes to bring us His Light. Hunger for Christ this
Advent season. Share Christ's light with one another.
May we prepare for
Christ's coming as faithful servants doing the work God has intended
us to do.
Entrusting
you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
November 23, 2008
My Dear People,
The Feast of Christ the King concludes our liturgical season every
year. "When the son of Man comes in all of His Glory, and the
Angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne with all the
nations before Him." What a great and awesome day we look forward
to when Jesus reigns over all the Earth. To the faithful ones He will
say, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father!" Who would not
want to hear these words from the mouth of Our Good Shepherd? But what
makes us His Sheep? Doing the works of the Father is what makes us His
own little ones. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Comfort the sick.
Correct the lost. Pray for the dead. Both the spiritual and corporal
works of Mercy are what marks us as the Father's children. St. James
tells us what good is our faith without good works. At the beginning
of Advent, make a resolution to perform works of Mercy, so that the
Father may be glorified through you. At Thanksgiving, bring canned
goods for the hungry. At Christmas, take a St. Vincent de Paul
ornament and reach out to the needy in our area. Use your SVDP
envelopes often throughout the year. Bring socks for the homeless.
Pray for the lost in our nation. Be gentle with your neighbor. These
activities mark us as God's little ones. Let your faith shine...
May we Christ in one
another and in all those who need our love and car.
Entrusting
you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
November 16, 2008
My Dear People,
What are the "end of days" in Sacred Scripture? Many of the
readings on the final few Sundays of the year address the issue of the
end of time. this is not the same as the end of the world. Jesus says
that in "those days" many will abandon the practice of their
faith. Great divisions will arise in the Church. Public figures will
announce that "they" are the Messiah. There will be wars and
rumors of wars, but it is not the end. Like a woman in labor, ready to
give birth, the world will undergo great stress. Sudden and swift
disaster will overtake them. They will not escape. But the time will
be cut short for the sake of the "remnant faithful". St.
John says that satan will be bound in chains, and placed in the lowest
part of Hell. Then comes the time of Great Peace. All of this must
take place first before the very end, according to Our Lord. Only the
Father in Heaven knows the day and hour. So be "sober and
alert". May the Master find you ready when He returns. We are not
of night or the darkness, but we are children of the light. Pray to be
ready and prepared for the coming of that day.
May we use our talents
wisely, always striving hear Our Lord whisper to us "Well done,
My Good and Faithful Servant. Come, Share your Master's Joy."
Entrusting
you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
November 9, 2008
My Dear People,
"Zeal for your House consumes Me." This is Jesus's statement
after overturning the money changer's tables in the Temple. We
all believe God to be a God of Divine Mercy. It is true. We don't want
to believe that He is also a God of Divine Justice. Mercy and Justice
go hand in hand. Justice begins where Mercy ends. In the Old
Testament, God was often Merciful and Compassionate with His people.
However, after allowing for a period of conversion, when not seized,
He allowed the consequences of sin to reign. What Mercy did not
consume, Justice did. We are all responsible for our actions; both
individually and corporately. When a nation murders innocent children
in the womb, as a matter of national policy; when every form of the
deadly sins runs rampant, and when God's Law is ignored and forgotten;
it is then that Mercy turns to Justice. Read the Sacred Scriptures.
Come to know the Lord as He is revealed to us in the Holy Bible. Pray
for the conversion of all sinners. Know that the Just hand of God is
near. Continue to convert your hearts and minds to Him. Repent and
believe in the Good News. Jesus has taken all of our sins upon His
Holy Cross. By His holy wounds we have been healed.
May we come to know the Lord of the Scriptures, in our minds and
hearts.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
November 2, 2008 (All Souls Day)
My Dear People,
Why do we pray for those who have died? Ever since the beginning of
the Church, it was believed that the dead needed prayers for their
purification. Any unrepented sin on a soul at the moment of death,
prevents a soul from entering into God's Eternal Light. There are no
SHADOWS in Heaven. All darkness must be purged before coming into
eternity with Our Lord. Souls in the state of being
"purified", cannot pray for themselves. That is left up to
the Church "militant" or in other words, all of us. Each
year on All Souls Day, we remember all who have died during the past
year. The greatest prayer of the Church is Holy Mass. So please have
masses said for your family members who have died. Offer your daily
purification. When you and I arrive in Purgatory after we die, we will
be most happy for all those we have prayed for while we were still
alive. Then, they begin to pray for us. Poor souls never forget those
who have prayed for them. In return they pray for all of us. Pray,
Pray, Pray for poor souls.
May we always remember
those who have died in our Masses and Prayers.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
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