Please Pray for Fr. Joe & Bob
     

Prayer for Grace for our Country

Dear Father united to Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally made present, celebrated around the world, in the Holy Spirit. We offer up all we do united to the Mass. We unite in one mind and one heart as members of the mystical body of Christ, with Christ our head in the pure and holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary, through the powerful intercession of Mary with all the angels and saints and souls in purgatory, and we beg for the saving grace, for our country, the United States. Please help us. We further pray for unity to always do the will of God in love. We spread the Blood of Jesus on the leaders and people of the United States and cast the devil into hell. We consecrate our country to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart and all our dioceses, and beg for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God help us. We pray for our families, the priests, the Church and the world. In the Name of Jesus please hear us, we pray. We pray for our president and leaders. We pray that we are united as one nation under God to work together in love as God wants.  

   

May 18, 2021

Matthew 5: 1-12

Seeing the crowds, he went onto the mountain. And when he was
seated his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak. This is
what he taught them:

How blessed are the poor in spirit:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Blessed are the gentle:
they shall have the earth as inheritance.
Blessed are those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those
   who hunger and thirst for uprightness:
they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
they shall be recognised
   as children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted
   in the cause of uprightness:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  

Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and
speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this
is how they persecuted the prophets before you. 

    

R. A woman at Church asked me if I still get messages. What’s going on she said with all that is happening.

I want to quote Fr. Joe from the book Bread of Life.
   

 

3rd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 35: 1-6, 10

Let the desert and the dry lands 
    be glad, 
let the wasteland rejoice and bloom; 
like the asphodel, let it burst into flower, 
let it rejoice and sing for joy. 
The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, 
the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; 
then they will see the glory of Yahweh, 
the splendour of our God. 
Strengthen all weary hands, 
steady all trembling knees 
and say to the faint–hearted, 
‘Be strong! Do not be afraid. 
Here is your God, 
vengeance is coming, 
divine retribution; 
he is coming to save you.’ 
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, 
the ears of the deaf unsealed, 
then the lame will leap like a deer 
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy; 
for water will gush in the desert 
and streams in the wastelands,

For those whom Yahweh has ransomed 
    will return, 
they will come to Zion shouting for joy, 
their heads crowned with joy unending; 
rejoicing and gladness will escort them 
and sorrow and sighing will take flight.
 

James 5: 7-10

Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord's coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too must be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord's coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in patiently putting up with persecution, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name;

  

Matthew 11: 2-11

Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?’ Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin–diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor; and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.’ As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, 'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? 8 Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. 9 Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: 10 he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you. 11 'In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

   

Psalm 9: 10

Those who revere your name can rely on you, you never desert those who seek you, Yahweh.

 

Epiphany 2019

  

3rd Sunday of Advent

December 11, 2016

INTRODUCTION – (Isaiah 35,1-6a.10; James 5,7-10; Matthew 11,2-11) Today’s first reading most probably comes from the fifty-year period when God’s captive people were exiled in Babylon. (This was in the sixth century BC.) No doubt the people were depressed over the loss of their freedom, their homeland, their temple and their personal property. It is likely they had no hope of ever being set free. The prophet Isaiah had a more optimistic view of things. He describes for them a bright future. God would bring them home. God would turn their desert, arid lands, into gardens bursting with vegetation and beauty. Those who were weak, sick, blind and lame would be freed of their affliction. God’s people would be crowned with everlasting joy. Isaiah could not have given a more beautiful picture of paradise.

The picture Isaiah presents is not here yet – but it’s on the way. It begins with the work and the teaching of Jesus. St. James tells us in the second reading not to become impatient because it’s still a little ways off. He encourages us to be patient and steadfast in our faith.

HOMILY – Fifty-two years ago, when I was just beginning my ministry as a young priest, when the Masses were all in Latin, the opening hymn began with the word “Gaudete in Domino semper, iterum dico Gaudete!” which means “Rejoice in the Lord, always, again I say rejoice.” Paul was writing this to his favorite community - the Philippians. Paul was not sitting on a beach somewhere sipping on a glass of fine wine, with a few friends, watching the sun go down, when he wrote this. He was in prison; indeed, he was in danger of death. His situation was not one that a normal person would have anything to rejoice about. In the next verse, Paul tells us why he has reason to rejoice and why the recipients of his letter should rejoice. He says “the Lord is near.”

Indeed the Lord is always near for us, too, and it’s not just because Christmas is only two weeks away. Each time we pray, each time we come to Mass, each time we perform a kind act for someone, the Lord is near. The Church thinks it is especially appropriate to be reminded of these words of Paul when we get this close to Christmas.

Notice, Paul tells us to rejoice as if it is a command. Even when things are not going well, we do have some control over whether we want to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves or whether we choose to take a more positive view of things.

I’m sure any one of us can name ten dozen things that can pull us down and depress us. If we choose to constantly focus on any of them, it can destroy us. Paul is saying, “focus on Jesus. He is near.” He was near to Paul in prison. He is near to us. One of my favorite lines in Scripture is: “for those who love God, everything works out for the best.” The more I am hurting, the stronger I have to believe it.

Perhaps John the Baptist was having a hard time of it while sitting in Herod’s prison. He was doing God’s work and preaching God’s word, and King Herod didn’t like it. So Herod got John thrown into prison. We don’t know for sure why he asked whether Jesus was the Messiah, the one who is to come. Maybe he thought if Jesus is the Savior, why doesn’t he get me out of here.

He’s doing good things for others, why isn’t he doing something for me?

Maybe this is where the second reading comes in. St. James tells us to be patient.

God has his own schedule and it doesn’t always match up with ours. It comes down to the fact that he’s in charge and we are not. We can ask for what we need, but he has the last word. His last word will always be for our happiness.

That is what Isaiah tells God’s exiled people in our first reading. Let us hear it once again: “Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.”

 

R. Rejoice.
Doing good has its own joy.

We won’t feel good if we sit around feeling sorry for ourselves.

Rejoice!

We see Christ’s passion and death at the end of His life.

We see all Pope John Paul II did and how terribly he suffered with Parkinson’s at the end of his life.

He walked in great suffering like Christ.

I told the woman in Church we encourage all to pray the Shepherds of Christ prayers with devotion to Jesus and Mary’s Hearts —praying for the priest, the. Church and the world.

We live the life, death and resurrection of Christ in our lives.

Fr. Carter would say it’s not that there is too much suffering in this world, but so much is wasted.

Rejoice always — God is with us.

 

May 19, 2021

It is in giving that we receive.
Love is Godly.
Love gives and does the will of God in love.

We are here to live in truth.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.
 

Today's Readings

Acts 20: 28-38

    ‘Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the guardians, to feed the Church of God which he bought with the blood of his own Son.

    ‘I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I never slackened in counselling each one of you with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified.

    ‘I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that these hands of mine earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. By every means I have shown you that we must exert ourselves in this way to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving." ’ 

    When he had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed. By now they were all in tears; they put their arms round Paul’s neck and kissed him; what saddened them most was his saying they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

  

Psalm 68: 29-30, 33-36

from your temple high above Jerusalem.
Kings will come to you bearing tribute.

Rebuke the Beast of the Reeds, that herd of bulls,
that people of calves, who bow down with ingots of silver.
Scatter the people who delight in war.

the Rider of the Heavens, the primeval heavens.
There he speaks, with a voice of power!

Acknowledge the power of God. Over Israel his
splendour, in the clouds his power.

Awesome is God in his sanctuary. He, the God of Israel,
gives strength and power to his people. Blessed be God.

 

John 17: 11-19

I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.
Holy Father,
keep those you have given me
   true to your name,
so that they may be one like us.
While I was with them,
I kept those you had given me
   true to your name.
I have watched over them
   and not one is lost
except one who was destined to be lost,
and this was to fulfil the scriptures.
But now I am coming to you
and I say these things in the world
to share my joy with them to the full.
I passed your word on to them,
and the world hated them,
because they belong to the world
no more than I belong to the world.
I am not asking you
   to remove them from the world,
but to protect them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself
so that they too
   may be consecrated in truth.

 

St. Paul says

Acts 20: 35

remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving." ’ 

 

R. At the last supper Jesus gave us himself.

He wants us to be one.

Jesus prayed that we would be one.

Jesus says consecrate them in the truth.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Satan is the Father of lies.

Lying to oneself, about their sins, can have eternal effects.

Lying is wrong.

Lying takes you away from God who is absolute truth.