“Be joyful, encourage one another, have the same sentiments. In this time in which families suffer in particular the discomforts due to the pandemic, everyone can draw on fraternal communion, hope and strength to go forward. The resumption of the school year will be experienced by all with a great sense of responsibility, in the perspective of a renewed educational pact, which sees families as protagonists and places the people of boys and girls at the center: their healthy, well-formed and sociable growth is a condition for a peaceful and prosperous future for the whole of society…invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary, so that Christian families continue to form that great river that spreads life, faith, hope and love. in the people of God and in society as a whole.” — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR

MARRIGE and FAMILIES…Victims or Victors of the Pandemic?

In the Incarnation God sent his Son into the Family of Mary and Joseph. Underlying their Divine Relationship was Unconditional Love, Harmony, and Mutual Respect bound together by the virtues of  Humility, Trust, and Obedience to the Will of God For Their Marriage and their Family.

And so it is today…Bound Sacramentally, Civilly,  or simply by Blood, a FAMILY is created at the MOMENT OF CONCEPTION regardless of whether it is actualized in daily life. The Sanctity of Marriage and of the Family are Divine Institutions.

Marriage and Family are under attack in Today’s Culture and Society. The Pandemic, with its Uncertainty and Isolation, is adding tension to an already fragile Family System — no matter how you define that family to be. The Collateral Damage of the Pandemic is the Spiritual, Emotional, Psychological,  Physical, or Financial well-being of Parents and their Children.

A survey in August indicated that 30 Percent of Families in Colorado do not have enough FOOD since the Pandemic began. It also indicated that 40 Percent of Households in Colorado have experienced a reduction in INCOME since the Pandemic began.

For you and me, it means that we need to Snap Into Action!

Support your local PANTRY  and those organizations that provide FOOD AND MEALS DAILY. Support the local St Vincent de Paul Organization who PAY BILLS, PROVIDES  RENT ASSISTANCE, or BUYS A BUS TICKET HOME. Support Catholic Charities and other organizations who PROVIDE SHELTERS AND HOUSING. Support Local Governments in acquiring more HOTEL ROOMS AND VOUCHERS for those who want to move off the streets.

WHY? Families face eviction. Working professionals live in cars because their income cannot accommodate a car payment and rent. One generation in a family is raising or caring for  the other generation. And minors are caring for their siblings.

The Artificial Environment of the Pandemic with school closures, racial injustice, wildfires, world tensions, household finances, and elections can lead PARENTS TO ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. And it can lead to CHILDREN TRYING TO COPE in ways that can affect their own emotional and social development.

So, how do we deal with this UNCERTAINTY ?

First, we TURN TO THE HOLY FAMILY. In each of their challenges, they TURNED TO GOD, and not from Him…even while experiencing what you are experiencing now. There is a SPECIAL MESSAGE, NOT A UNIQUE PUNISHMENT,  for each of us in this Pandemic. Our Prayer is for that INSIGHT and CONSOLATION.

Second, we must be AUTHENTIC IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS in an age appropriate manner. How And What We Feel Form Us…and DENYING and REPRESSING those feelings only exaggerate the outcome when they are ultimately revealed. Children sense the STRUGGLES of their parents…but there is a difference between INDULGING their concerns and PROTECTING them from their fears.

Third, we must RECHARGE AND RESET. Sometimes this is Quiet Time. Sometines this is Exercise and the Outdoors. Sometimes it is a Fast from Social Media. Sometimes it is a Friends Night. Sometimes it is community Volunteering, Helping an elderly neighbor, or Assisting a single parent with a special needs child. Sometimes it is a Spiritual Retreat for an afternoon or a weekend. Sometimes it is Family Fun Night with games and crafts.

And sometimes we just need to  check in with Jesus…Telling Him We Love Him and We Trust Him. Then We Win, Our Marriage Wins, Our Family Wins…and the Pandemic Loses…

+May God Bless You And Keep You+

“Mary embraces us and unites us. Sometimes, and not only sometimes, the path becomes difficult. And in this moment of pandemic and numerous threats to health, of so much fear, of so many needs, it is even more difficult. We need the Mother to embrace us. This is how Our Lady views us. We are all different, but She is a Mother and She embraces us all.” 

— Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR

Mary is a MOTHER to all…especially in TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY…in the PANDEMIC…

How do we THANK her?

We can we THANK her through the GIFT OF THE HOLY ROSARY.

In the HOLY ROSARY , and its Beautiful Mysteries, we encounter the GREAT VIRTUES of Our Blessed Mother. Her OBEDIENCE to the Will of Our Heavenly Father at the Annunciation. Her HUMILITY in the Presence of the Lord in the Visitation. Her parental DUTIFULNESS  when she is searching for the Young Jesus lost in the Temple. Her complete TRUST in Her Son at the Marriage Feast at Cana.

October is the Month of the HOLY ROSARY. By PRAYING THE HOLY ROSARY EVERYDAY in the month of OCTOBER, we can add SPECIAL INTENTIONS for those affected by the Pandemic Impacts,  the Political Violence, and the Racial Injustice.

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7th to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church in answer to the praying of the ROSARY by the Faithful.  It was introduced by Pope Saint Pius V in 1571 to commemorate the Miraculous Victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto.  The Pope attributed more to the ‘arms’ of the ROSARY than to the power of the cannons and the valor of the soldiers.

Our Blessed Mother had given the ROSARY as a Form of Prayer to Saint Dominic in 1208 as an aid in the conflicts with the Albigensians.  In 1569  Pope Saint Pius V officially approved the ROSARY in its present form.  The ROSARY became an integral part of Prayer and Promulgation by the Dominicans.

Pope Leo XIII promoted the popular devotion to the Blessed  Mother of praying the ROSARY beginning in 1883. Pope Pius XII referred to the ROSARY as a ‘compendium of the entire Gospel’ —  centered on the great events of the Incarnation and Redemption.  Pope Saint John Paul II called the ROSARY his favorite prayer in which we ‘meditate with Mary upon the mysteries which she as a mother meditated on in her heart.’

As you pray the HOLY ROSARY during UNCERTAIN PANDEMIC TIMES, remember the Words of Our Blessed Mother to Saint Juan Diego in 1531:

Listen. Put it into your heart, my smallest child, that the thing that frightened you, the thing that afflicted you is nothing: Do not let it disturb you… am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more?

I don’t think so…

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“God…calls everyone and calls always. This means being open to horizons that offer hope to those stationed on the existential peripheries, who have not yet experienced, or who have lost, the strength and light that comes with meeting Christ. The Church must always be like God, always going out. And when the Church is not going out, she gets sick. God always goes out, because He’s a Father Who loves – and the Church always needs to do the same thing, always going out. God does not look at the time and the results, He considers the availability and the generosity with which we put ourselves at His service. This way of acting, is more than just, in the sense that it goes beyond justice and is manifested in Grace. Those who rely on their own merits find themselves last, while those who humbly entrust themselves to the Father’s mercy, from being last, find themselves first…with Jesus’ friendship, which is everything for us.” — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR

FOLLOW ME…

When Jesus CALLED the Apostles, He simply said, ‘FOLLOW ME.’  He did not explain why. He was simply HIS AUTHENTIC SELF.

The same is true for YOU AND ME. Jesus is always seeking us out, but we need to TRUST HIM on the journey that follows.

The response to OUR CALL depends on the DEPTH OF OUR FAITH…and our OPENESS TO BE TRANSFORMED. REMEMBER:

>God is WITH US and PRESENT TO US 24/7.

>God is SUPREME and BEYOND US.

>God’s MERCY OVERRIDES JUSTICE in a given situation.

>God is NEVER OUTDONE IN GENEROSITY.

ESSENTIAL TO THESE REALITIES IS  FORGIVENESS.  God forgives sinners big and small which is difficult for those who tend to be self righteous or who feel unworthy of God’s Love. When GOD FORGIVES THOSE WHO HAVE HURT US, WE CAN RESENT IT. Why?  Because we FAIL to see HIS GENEROSITY TOWARD US.

God is always willing to forgive…and it is this JOURNEY OF FORGIVENESS…of Ourselves and Others…that will take us to the Peripheries —  not necessarily to the end of the World, but to the fringes of our PERSONAL WORLD – – to our enemies, to strangers, to the immigrant, and to society’s invisible and neglected. And in many cases, it may just be down the street!

A Gracious God is a Generous God who  has a role for each of us in his Project of Salvation. As a result, no one is undervalued, marginalized or unimportant in HIS PLAN. He CALLS US based on the job to be done, not the time on the job or our sense of worth.

And that’s where GRACE kicks in. Grace is the Mercy of God demonstrated in countless ways to seemingly Undeserving People — including YOU AND ME. It is not based on a merit system… but on God’s Perfect Plan For Our Life. Divine Grace strips away presumed privilege and treats all recipients equally…which is hard to stomach when our arrogance or jealously expects more.

When we are called, we should respond at once… regardless of the timing…working diligently in the time we are given…grounded in LOVE.

God’s Generosity is a Two-Way Street: when we  ASK for Mercy, Forgiveness, and Generosity for ourselves, then we must BE Merciful, Forgiving, and Generous to others.

In LIVING OUR CALL in Gratitude, Wonder, and Humility…the REWARD may just SURPRISE US!

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“The divine attitude is justice pervaded with mercy, whereas the human attitude is limited to justice…not everything in life can be resolved by justice. In the symbolic language of the Bible this means that we are called to forgive always. How much suffering, how many wounds, how many wars could be avoided if forgiveness and mercy were the style of our life! It is necessary to apply merciful love to all human relationships: between spouses, between parents and children, within our communities and also in society and politics.Remember your last days, set enmity aside. Forgiving is not something momentary, it is something that we continue doing against that resentment, that hatred that keeps coming back.We cannot demand God’s forgiveness for ourselves if we in turn do not grant forgiveness to our neighbour. If we do not strive to forgive and to love, we will not be forgiven and loved either.” — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR 

THINK AND DO…

When I was in Third Grade at Perry School in Barnum, we had an activity book entitled,  ‘Think and Do.’ It posed a question or situation, and we would write a response. It taught us to move thought into action…literally and figuratively.

It was a MENTAL Exercise…of the MIND but NOT of the HEART.

THINK about it…

>Is JUSTICE of the MIND or of the HEART?

>Is MERCY of the MIND or of the HEART?

> Is FOREGIVENESS of the MIND or of the HEART?

>Is RESENTMENT of the MIND or of the HEART?

>Is HATRED of the MIND or of the HEART?

The answers are OBVIOUS…when we THINK.

Our responses are COURAGEOUS …IF WE DO.

The ANSWERS are TEMPORAL…Our RESPONSES are ETERNAL.

When someone hurts us — whether it is  family, friend, enemy, stranger, or society — our Natural Response is to seek REVENGE. And SATAN encourages us to pour Our HEART, Our MIND, and Our SOUL into seeking that REVENGE…to THINK AND DO as he wills. The DELUSION is that REVENGE WILL SATISFY .

The REALITY is that REVENGE WILL DESTROY…YOU!

To seek Justice, Mercy, and Forgiveness requires the SUPERNATURAL … it requires GRACE.  It focuses Our HEART, Our MIND, and Our SOUL on what is DIVINE —  ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.’

When Jesus taught us to pray, he did so NOT to give us COMFORT FOOD FOR THE SOUL, BUT to lead us to the PERFECTION OF OUR SOUL.

For many, it is THE CHALLENGE OF OUR LIFETIME…that can either  DESTROY US  OR REDEEEM US.

When You THINK AND DO, do You SEEK REVENGE…or do You RESPOND IN LOVE?

The answer is SIMPLY COMPLEX…THINK AND DO as Jesus…REMEMBER Jesus’ Last Day…and just LOOK TO WHAT JESUS DID…

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“Please, brothers and sisters, let’s make an effort not to gossip. Gossiping is a worse plague than COVID. The devil is the great gossip. He is always saying bad things about others because he is the liar who tries to split the Church. If something goes wrong, offer silence and prayer for the brother or sister who make a mistake, but never gossip. Gossip closes the heart of the community, closes the unity of the Church…If you get an urge to say something against a brother or a sister, to drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue! Hard!”  — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR 

GOSSIP KILLS!

When I was in 6th Grade at Presentation School, Sister Eugene Marie RSM tried to teach us a lesson about GOSSIP. She whispered into the ear of the first student that, ‘Dora has a pink transistor radio.’ By the time the statement circulated by whisper through 30 kids, it came out that ‘Dora is taking a vacation.’ WOW!

Sister’s point was…STATEMENTS GET DISTORTED as they are passed second and third hand… and PEOPLE GET HURT OR MISREPRESENTED along the way.

The same is true today…in OUR LIVES and in OUR CHURCH.

The SOCIAL MEDIA is full of those reporting fact and innuendo about the Holy Father,  the Church, the Clergy, and Church Politics. Sometimes it looks like a World Version of Washington DC!

Discern the TRUTH about WHAT YOU READ and WHAT YOU REPEAT. While the Church is BIG, its World is SMALL. Lay and Clergy REPUTATIONS can be destroyed  and their EFFECTIVENESS marginalized with inaccurate information or conjecture.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU REPEAT!

GOSSIP is a violation of the Fifth Commandment — You Shall Not Kill. Destroying someone’s Reputation or Integrity is not only a Sin, it can kill their Spirit…and sometimes lead to measures as drastic as suicide.

And that is the NEXUS of the PANDEMIC AND GOSSIP. With more ISOLATION, we are more inclined to converse via SOCIAL MEDIA…and CYBERSPACE NEVER FORGETS. Just as things said in anger can never be taken back, similarly an INAPPROPRIATE SHARING OF CONFIDENTIAL OR INACCURATE INFORMATION can never be retrieved…and will probably be DISTORTED OR MISUSED.

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA AGAINST YOUR SISTER OR BROTHER!

ACTIONS THAT HARM need a cooling off period. Whether it is the inappropriate IMAGE, the inflammatory STATEMENT, the unjust CONDEMNATION, the public CORRECTION, or the idol GOSSIP,  the best option is to count to 10… or even a 100…or just LET IT GO.

JESUS KNOWS THE TRUTH AND WILL HANDLE THE SITUATION.

Remember, at the times you heard GOSSIP ABOUT YOURSELF that was not true, it probably hurt your feelings.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO HURT THE FEELINGS OF SOMEONE THROUGH YOUR GOSSIP.

The three most important phrases that Jesus wants to hear from you and from me 24/7 are: I LOVE YOU, THANK YOU, AND I’M SORRY.

MERCY, GRATITUDE, DISCRESSION, AND COMPASSION CONQUER GOSSIP!

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven — there is a poverty that we must accept, that of our own being; and a poverty that we must seek instead, from the things of this world. True freedom lies in this: the one who has this power of humility, of service, of fraternity is free. We must always seek this freedom of the heart, which has its roots in the poverty of ourselves.”   — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR

In what ways are YOU Poor in Spirit?

The answer lies in the Spiritual and Temporal Poverty Realities…In Our Lives.

The answer lies in the Pandemic and the Social Unrest Realities…In Our Lives.

The answer lies in OUR RESPONSE TO EACH OF THESE REALITIES…In OUR LIFE and the LIVES OF OTHERS.

FINANCIAL POVERTY. The People Of Our Streets are a result of immediate loss of work during Shelter in Place, those whose businesses were destroyed in the riots, those who have income but not enough for basis needs, those who moved for opportunity just before the Pandemic destroyed opportunity, the chronically homeless, and those driven by addictions.

But it goes beyond the STREETS INTO OUR HOMES. A recent survey indicates that ONE IN THREE families in Colorado DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD…and FORTY PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLDS in Colorado have experienced a DROP IN INCOME since COVID began.

Are you using your Time, Talent, and Treasure to support the SHELTERS, SOUP AND SANDWICH LINES, PANTRIES, FOOD BANKS, AND MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS?

EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL POVERTY.  This is the First Complete SHUTDOWN OF AN ECONOMY in contemporary times. It has taken an emotional and psychological toll on many people: Those who have LOST THEIR JOB OR BUSINESS; Those who are WORKING AT HOME IN RELATIVE ISOLATION; Those who have NEVER EXPERIENCED LONELINESS; Those who are EXPERIENCING DEPRESSION; Those who are CONTEMPLATING OR ATTEMPTING SUICIDE; Those experiencing ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN THEIR HOMES; and Those who CANNOT MANAGE FOR THEMSELVES.

Are you REACHING OUT BEYOND YOUR COMFORT ZONE: By ASSISTING THE UNEMPLOYED financially, materially, or with odd jobs; By CHECKING IN ON THOSE WITH A LIMITED SOCIAL CIRCLE;  By VISITING THOSE WHO LIVE ALONE; By ASSISTING THOSE WHO NEED PROFESSIONAL MENTAL AND PHYSICAL CARE; By LISTENING TO THOSE OVERWHELMED AND OVERCOME BY THEIR REAL AND PERCEIVED REALITIES ; By OBSERVING AND REPORTING FAMILIES IN DOMESTIC STRESS; and By BEING THE ARMS AND LEGS OF THE HOMEBOUND?

SPIRITUAL POVERTY.   The Church and Government Guidelines and Restrictions for public gatherings in worship spaces and the required health and safety requirements for facilities have limited attendance. The DISPENSATION  from our Weekly Mass Requirement has resulted in: The search for the SHORTEST LIVE-STREAM MASS; Less time in the PRESENCE OF THE BODY, BLOOD, SOUL, AND DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST; Less frequency in the SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION; Less reception of the SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST; Less time devoted to PERSONAL PRAYER AND MEDITATION; Less commitment to FAITH FORMATION; and Less involvement in PARISH MINISTRIES.

Are you seeking: Live-stream MASSES THAT LIFT YOUR HEART; Opportunities for ADORATION AND TIME BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT; Churches that accomodate your schedule for CONFESSION BY TIME OR APPOINTMENT; Consistent personal schedule for REGULAR MASS ATTENDANCE; Dedicated time daily for FORMAL PRAYER AND CONVERSATION WITH THE TRINITY; Regular access to FAITH FORMATION WEBSITES AND TOOLS; and Resumption of PARTICIPATION IN LITURGICAL MINISTRIES AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH?

THIS IS THE POWER OF HUMILITY, SERVICE, FRATERNITY, AND LOVE THAT OVERCOMES THE POVERTY OF SPIRIT!

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“Giving priority to the well-being of the poor and marginalized is not a political option, nor is it an ideological option, it is at the center of the Gospel. The preferential option for the poor, which includes feeding the hungry and drawing close to the excluded, is the key criterion of Christian authenticity. The pandemic is a crisis, and we do not emerge from a crisis the same as before: either we come out of it better or we come out of it worse. We must come out of it better. We must act now to heal the epidemics caused by small, invisible viruses and to heal those caused by the great and visible social injustices. Starting from the love of God, placing the peripheries at the center and the last in first place, a healthier world will be possible. Recovering from the pandemic will require action rooted in tangible love, anchored in hope and founded in faith.”  — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR

How does CATHOLIC SOCIAL DOCTRINE serve as a guide to responding to the direct impacts and the collateral impacts of the PANDEMIC in a time of growing SOCIAL AWARENESS AND RESPONSIBILITY?

 

In the Catholic Church, BASIC HUMAN DIGNITY TRANSCENDS RACE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, and POLITICS — it is a GOD-GIVEN RIGHT. Jesus ministered to the Native and the Foreigner…the Friend and the Enemy. And he did it reflecting the Love, Mercy, and Compassion of HIS HEAVENLY FATHER.

 

While Our Country addressed many of the Legal Issues of Racial Equality in the 1960s and 1970s, there is a growing recognition that it may not have Changed Hearts and Minds through a TRUE UNDERSTANDING that this Nation Of Immigrants contains those WHO CAME BY CHOICE as well as those WHO CAME AS A COMMODITY…and that the Government appropriated the LANDS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES in the name of building a NEW FRONTIER.

 

As a result, Black Americans Did Not Always Receive Their Share Of The National Prosperity, the Refugee And The Immigrant Did Not Always Live In Fair And Decent Conditions, the Indigenous People Did Not Always Receive Full Value From Appropriated Lands, the Marginalized Did Not Always Receive Basic Safety And Services, and Equality Did Not Always Supercede Privilege In Urbanization.

 

The Moral and Ethical CHALLENGES during the Pandemic directly focus on these INEQUITIES, these RIGHTS, these INJUSTICES, and these INHERENT RESPONSIBILITIES.

 

How do we REPLACE , NOT NECESSARILY RESTORE, what has been LOST THROUGH THE GENERATIONS?

 

The NEW NORMAL for the CATHOLIC CHURCH POST-PANDEMIC must include the healing of Social Injustice, Inequality  of Opportunity, Marginalization of the Different, and Invisibility of the Defenseless IN THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.

 

As TWO CHURCHES FOR THE PEOPLE OF DOWNTOWN DENVER,  how do we address the Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, Psychological, and Financial needs of all those God places IN OUR LIVES AND IN OUR CARE?

 

When we Open Our Doors, do we Open Our Hearts?  What do we OFFER, what do we REFUSE, and what do we IGNORE? Do we TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM or do we ACT ON ITS ROOTS THAT ARE WITHIN OUR REACH?

 

DO OUR SERVICES, MINISTRIES, AND ACTIONS move our Minds, Hearts, and Actions to use our TIME, TALENTS, AND TREASURES TO LIVE the  sense of EQUALITY AND JUSTICE to which CATHOLIC SOCIAL DOCTRINE ASPIRES?

 

And more importantly, HOW DO WE DO IT…as Church Communities, as Beloved Children of God, and as Brothers and Sisters in Christ?

 

Servant of God JULIA GREELEY, Inspire Our Response…

 

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“What type of faith is great? What do I do with my story? Do I hide it? We must bring it to the Lord. Let us go to Jesus, knock on Jesus’s heart, and say to Him, ‘Lord, if You will it, You can heal me.’ Jesus loves us as we are, without make-up, with a love and compassion that bears our sins, our mistakes, and our failures. Jesus so tremendously wants our well-being. We are the weakness of his love.”  — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR

How do you find meaning in your Suffering? How do you find meaning in your Brokenness? How do you find meaning in an Uncertain World? HOW ARE YOU HEALED?

The World shapes us. The Popular Culture shapes us. Our Family and Friends shape us. These forces can  lead us to Conversion, Transformation, and Hope…or they can lead us to Pain, Misfortune, and Sin.

The First Letter of Saint Peter reminds us — ‘Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’

It is the Devil who rules THIS WORLD — the crimes against fundamental HUMAN DIGNITY and life, the selfishness and self-absorption that place ME BEFORE YOU, the physical and emotional scars of ABUSE AND NEGLECT that shape a lifetime, and the MEANNESS requiring that you either fit in or get out.

But it is our FAITH that defines how we respond to these forces — Spiritually, Emotionally, Psychologically, Physically,  or Financially.

As a people of HOPE, we cannot be overwhelmed by difficulties and absorbed by fears. Ironically, our HOPE is tempered not from the absence of problems, but from the Presence of God in those problems.

Saint Peter goes on to assure us that we are NOT ALONE in the battle AGAINST EVIL — ‘Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ [Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.’

But there is more…as a people of FAITH and HOPE, we are also a people of LOVE and COMPASSION — a People of COMMUNITY…WE ARE THE CHURCH.

In this time of Pandemic, WE turn to Our Heavenly Father, Jesus, His Blessed Mother…AND TO EACH OTHER. We minister to the Vulnerable… the Disconnected…the Victims…the Invisible…

We MINISTER to…those who are isolated for health reasons…those whose jobs have evaporated temporarily or permanently…those whose businesses have been destroyed by riots…those who are abused or neglected…those who have contemplated suicide out of fear or loneliness…those individuals and families who do not have enough food each day…those whose incomes have declined jeopardizing their rent or mortgage…those who are OUR SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN CHRIST in need of HEALING…

A HEALED SOUL needs a HEALED BODY…and YOU are in PARTNERSHIP with the HEALING PHYSICIAN JESUS CHRIST! YOU are His Hands, His Feet, His Mind…and HIS HEART!

To HEAL THE WORLD, we must also HEAL OURSELVES. This ‘Time Out’ can be both of time of COMPASSION TOWARD OTHERS and a TIME OF INTROSPECTION ON OUR OWN LIFE. Rarely do we get this opportunity. In the TRAGEDY OF PANDEMIC, we can PERFECT OURSELVES as we MINISTER TO OTHERS.

But COMPASSION involves RISK. Jesus showed us that FROM THE CROSS.  We risk OUR BODY when we physically reach out to those in need. We risk OUR MIND when we search for solutions to those who are suffering physically, emotionally, or financially. We risk OUR HEART when we use this time to cure the generational effects of racism, elitism, and neglect. We risk OUR SOUL when we do nothing…

This is the essence of the words from the Gospel of Saint Matthew — ‘For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’

In LOOSING our life TO OTHERS, we are GIVING our life FOR OTHERS.

In this way, EACH OF US BECOMES A FIRST RESPONDER…and PART OF THE CURE.

And it is this Christian Call To Action FOR OTHERS that can become part of our own PANDEMIC HEALING AND CONVERSION…helping YOU find meaning in Your Suffering, aiding in the healing of Your Brokennes, and giving purpose to Your Isolation.

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“St. Francis of Assisi became small in the footsteps of Jesus who humiliated Himself to the point of death on the cross. It is a narrow and arduous path, but if one follows it to the end, life becomes fruitful. The love that Jesus has for us does not dazzle us with great special effects that soon fade away, but it is a concrete and fruitful love made up of closeness, of gestures that lift us up, and give us dignity and trust. Love with the Heart of Jesus, with gestures rich in tenderness. Our whole life is called, with the grace of the Spirit, to become prayer. The Lord transforms us, day after day, making our hearts more and more similar to His. With your prayers and your little gestures, you sow in the field of the world the seed of God’s love which makes all things new.”   — Pope Francis

FROM YOUR PASTOR 

How do you make Your Life FRUITFUL?

During a time of pandemic, civil unrest, and emotional turmoil, YOUR ANSWER could be LIFE-CHANGING.

In a time of Pandemic, we do not place any special revelation from God on its occurrence. It is one of the natural cycles of a living, breathing Earth. What God does reveal in times like this is HIS GRACE for us to ENDURE these natural events and respond spiritually and corporally for ourselves and others.

We do not let the Battle of Politics and violent Threats and Riots prevent us from responding with Care and Compassion to the issues of past and present Racism.

We Reach Out to those who are Unemployed or Under-employed during this time. We support those whose Businesses have been Destroyed by violent acts thus becoming their collateral  damage.

But WE DO NOT CONDEMN those who have harmed us. WE DO NOT HARM OTHERS as we have been harmed. Rather, WE STOP, PRAY, THINK…and then RESPOND.

That is the Gentleness of Saint Francis. That is the Heart of Jesus. That makes God’s Love present in a Fruitless World.

We find this LOVE not in the Special Effects of the World, not in the Chaos of the World, not in the Isolation of the World…but in the warm embrace of a Loving Father who constantly seeks us when WE ARE LOST, when WE ABANDON HIM, and even when WE DO NOT LOVE HIM.

To find this LOVE requires the Spiritual Focus of PRAYER. Without that focus, WE SIN, WE HURT, WE OVERREACT, WE LOOSE OUR DIGNITY…and WE FAIL TO TRUST in God’s response to WHAT WE NEED…thus overriding His UNCONDITIONAL AND UNFAILING LOVE for us.

Remember…GOD NEVER GIVES UP on us —SEARCHING for us when we are lost, FORGIVING us when we sin against Him or others, LOVING us even when we do not love Him, and GUIDING us so that we do not harm others as we have been harmed.

His PURE LOVE will prevail in a World of Pandemic, Civil Unrest, and Emotional Turmoil  with the GIFTS of Love, Temperance, and Hope…to TRANSFORM US and RENEW US…even when the path is arduous and narrow…

+May God Bless You and Keep You+

“Jesus wants…to educate His friends, both then and now, about God’s logic… the logic of taking responsibility for others. The logic of not washing one’s hands, the logic of not looking the other way. ‘Let them fend for themselves’ should not enter into the Christian vocabulary. As a sign of charity, of God the Father’s generosity toward His weary and needy children, He is immersed in the life of His people, He understands their fatigue and their limitations, but He does not allow anyone to be lost, or to lose out. The compassion and tenderness that Jesus showed…is not sentimentality, but rather the concrete manifestation of the love that cares for the people’s needs. Compassion is not a purely material feeling; true compassion is ‘patire con’ (to suffer with), to take others’ sorrows on ourselves. Let us not forget this word ‘compassion,’ which is trust in the provident love of the Father, and means courageous sharing.”   –Pope Francis

 

FROM YOUR PASTOR

Do you Share COURAGEOUSLY?

Taking responsibility for others is difficult in the CULTURE we have created for ourselves. To be Politically Correct,  Socially Distanced, or Isolated leads to Spiritual Desolation, Social Pacifism, Self-Righteousness…and Loneliness.

And it moves us away from the Church’s Call to COMMUNIO…

God created us for Community. He is immersed in the lives of His people. He is with us when we are living His Plan for our life. He is with us when we sin. He knows when we are weary and needy. He understands our fatigue and limitations.

So, He sent His Son who, through the Mystical Body of Christ, established the ULTIMATE COMMUNITY…HIS CHURCH.

It is through this Community that he manifests His Provident Love to move us from real or perceived Abandonment to Consolation…Spiritually and Socially.

But there is more. Jesus passes through our life 24/7 through the people, events, and circumstances He places in our life. He makes Himself available to us through His Compassion and Tenderness…through the Gift of the Sacraments exclusive to His Church…giving us the Grace we need to endure our trials…and helping us carry our Personal Cross through the Darknes of the Pandemic…in those times when we are alone and afraid…

The Catholic Social Doctrine of Solidarity means taking other’s Sorrows on ourselves…to Suffer WITH Suffering Humanity. As Social Beings, we are called to be attuned in Charity to the needs of others…the family, the friend, the enemy, the stranger, the immigrant, the refugee, the homeless,  the rejected…the invisible.

AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS CHRIST,  WE ARE CALLED TO EMBRACE THE UNEMBRACEABLE…as Jesus Did.

God, Our Heavenly Father, asks NO LESS OF US than He did of His Son.

Courageous Sharing is not lived in our individual Comfort Zone…in our Room.

It is lived on the fringes…Spacially and Spiritually…

+May God Bless You and Keep You +