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October 25, 2009 - 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
My Dear People,
Bartimaeus was blind and begging along the roadside. Coming upon the
scene was Jesus, accompanied by a large crowd. Hearing the crowd
describe the advancing Healer and Preacher, Bartimaeus cried allowed,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." To be heard above
the roar of the crowd, he cried out even louder. Jesus, upon hearing
the faith of Bartimaeus, stopped and went to him. The crowd confirmed
that Jesus was seeking him. Running to Our Lord, Bartimaeus humbles
himself before the Saviour. Then Jesus asks a very curious question,
"What do you want of me to do for you?" Was Jesus not
capable of discerning the man's condition? Of course He was, Jesus
needed the man's permission to give to him what the Father knew He
needed. Bartimaeus gave Jesus permission to heal his blindness. Before
healing his sickness on the outside, Jesus heals the blindness of
Bartimaeus soul on the inside. Jesus states, "Your faith in ME,
has saved YOU!" After healing the man's soul, his physical sight
was immediately restored. Bartimaeus then followed Jesus on the WAY.
Do you need to be healed? Jesus heals our hearts and souls in the
confessional. Jesus still heals from the inside out. Can you humble
yourself before Our Saviour in the confessional? What do you want
Jesus to do for you?
Entrusting
you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
May
we more deeply appreciate and value the gifts of sight, taste, smell,
hearing and touch, given by God Himself.
October 18, 2009 - 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time
My Dear People,
"Thy Kingdom Come", is our cry from the Our Father prayer.
This kingdom we long for, is not a politically correct society. It is
the beginning of the remaking of mankind into the image and likeness
of the Creator. Jealousy existed among the Holy Apostles. Jesus
chastised them for this in the Gospel. He tells them that they cannot
be petty and jealous, like pagans are of each other. It is a
requirement for the building of the Kingdom, that charity and love
prevail. Suffering is the means by which we are prepared for service
in the Kingdom. So in Mark's Gospel today, James and John asked for a
key position in this new kingdom. Jesus rebukes them for their
pettiness. "Can you drink of the cup that I will drink?"
Whoever wishes to be greatest in the Kingdom, must become the servant
of all. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. It was
not until Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, that all of the
Apostles understood this teaching.
When we look at the madness and chaos of politics in the United
States, especially in Washington, D.C., we can begin to understand the
importance of the admonition of Jesus. No one man or party can
"rebuild" what was lost in the Garden of Eden. Only Jesus,
Lord and Saviour of all Mankind, can do so. We, as followers of
Christ, cannot be misled by the madness and chaos of our government
leaders. The blind cannot lead the blind. Look to Jesus, the source of
our hope and LIFE. Only He can restore mankind to its former beauty.
Pray, Pray Pray for the conversion of our misled leaders. Pray for the
safety of our country in the coming days. Chaos is necessary to breed
additional chaos. Only God's peace can break this hellish cycle.
Entrusting
you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
May
we share our time, talent and treasures in a spirit of service and
sacrifice.
October 11, 2009 - 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time
My Dear People,
"What must I do to inherit everlasting life?" This is the
central question in the Gospel this weekend. Jesus gives a twofold
answer. First, Our Lord says that we must be obedient to Him in all
things beginning with the Ten Commandments, not the 10
"options" as some would have you believe. Secondly, Jesus
states that we must become "detached" from material goods in
order to become "re-attached" to spiritual goods. This is
why He tells the young man to go and sell all of his life goods, then
come and follow. How hard it is for us to do this. Peter then
inquires, Lord who then can be saved? Jesus tells us that for man,
this is impossible; but for God, all things are possible. So it is
essential to "let go of our attachment to the things of this
world"; family, friends, homes, lands, investments, life plan,
etc. After all, there are not any U-HAULS in Heaven. It all remains
here when we die. And death can happen, any day, any time. We must be
ready today, not tomorrow. Pray for the grace to stay obedient to Our
Lord, and detached from our earthly goods.
Entrusting
you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
May
we be good stewards by spending more quiet moments with God. Pledging
our service and sacrifice to build up God's Church here on earth.
October 4, 2009 - 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time
My Dear People,
Few would disagree that the sanctity of the family and the holiness of
the sacrament of marriage is under attack. Like the Jewish nation in
exile in Babylon, American Catholics have so wanted to be like their
unbelieving neighbors, that they have assumed many of the same pagan
traits as the culture. The divorce rate among married Catholics is the
same, if not greater than their pagan counterparts. So what happened.
Back in the early 1900's, when mainstream Protestants embraced
artificial birth control as morally acceptable, their divorce rate
skyrocketed. Later in the 1960's, when mainstream Catholics embraced
artificial birth control as morally acceptable in their own minds
(apart from the still official teaching of the Catholic Church
otherwise), they too became like their pagan counterparts. So the real
issue is Life and obedience to the law of God. Sin corrupts the heart
and mind, and prevents the conscience from proper development. Until
ALL Catholics embrace the teaching of Our Lord on the issues of LIFE,
we will continue to be just like our pagan neighbors. Pray for the
conversion of our Catholic families to return again back to God's Law.
All true conversion begins in the HEART. Place your hearts and those
of your families in Jesus' most Merciful and Divine Heart.
Entrusting
you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
May
we always embrace the law of God in our lives, so that we may be truly
free to serve Him.
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