Pastor's Page
February 19, 2012
Ash Wednesday is February 22nd and begins our Lenten season. Masses with the distribution of ashes are at 7, 8, & 10 am and 5:30. A Simple Supper follows the 5:30 Mass. For those who would like to attend Daily Mass during Lent, Masses are at 7 and 8 am, Monday through Friday, and 8 am on Saturday. Stations of the Cross are Fridays at 8:30 am and 7 pm.
We often ask “What are you giving up for Lent?” The question focuses on acts of self-denial and fasting. A better question is, “What am I doing for Lent?” Generally there are three things we do; we fast; we pray, and we do works of charity.
Fasting or acts of self-denial help us draw a connection to our dependence upon God, to connect the “suffering” of our doing without to the suffering of Christ, to join our “want” with the reality of those who do not have what they need, and to find in the “hunger” of our fasting a desire for God to fill us with His grace.
Prayer deepens our relationship with God. Try to attend Daily Mass or Stations of the Cross and continue after Lent. Praying a weekly or daily Rosary, adding evening or morning prayer to our day, or spending an hour in the Adoration Chapel enriches our spiritual life throughout the year.
An act of charity increases our gratitude for all the blessings God has bestowed on us. Participate in Operation Rice Bowl and put your change into the box for the world’s hungry, or combine this with your fasting. For example, give up desserts or soda and give the money saved to the hungry. Giving of ourselves to others or even visiting someone else can also be a tremendous way of giving.
As Deacon Dave suggested, we can offer fasting, prayers and acts of charity to oppose the new insurance requirement undermining religious liberty. Lent’s challenge is not to make resolutions that resemble “New Year’s Resolutions,” but rather, to do something that helps us grow spiritually, not just to give up something.
Father Tom
February 12, 2012
This weekend is the Special Collection for Seminarian Education. At the moment, we are blessed with 11 seminarians. Priestly formation takes 6-9 years to earn both a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Master of Divinity. The education and formation needs to be done at specialized schools called seminaries. One year of formation costs more than $30,000 per seminarian. Your generosity through this appeal helps to defray some of this cost. Thank you.
You may remember Duy Nguyen, one of our Vietnamese seminarians, who stayed with us a couple of summers back, and has adopted us as his “home” parish. He, Hiep Nguyen and Linh Vu returned last summer to Vietnam to visit their families. Duy and Linh were denied Visas to return to the United States. Hiep was allowed to return. Duy and Linh are currently in the Philippines working on their English. We believe once their English proficiency improves they will be allowed to return to the United States and continue their seminary studies here. Please pray for them.
I remember Father Burk Bigler, CM, a Vincentian priest who gave a parish mission when I was a sophomore at the University of Wyoming. I asked him how one knows if he has a vocation to the priesthood. He told me the only way I could truly discern if I had a vocation to the priesthood was to go to the seminary. I believe his advice still is true. If a young man is thinking about priesthood or a young man or woman is considering a vocation as a religious brother or sister, the only way to truly discern is to enter either the seminary or the formation program of the religious order. The seminary and novitiate give the person the time, tools and place to discern their calling.
Please pray for and encourage vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life and ecclesial lay ministry. Let us invite young men to consider and test out a vocation to the priesthood by entering the seminary.
Father Tom
February 5, 2012
The days we live can sometimes be grueling and life draining. Job, both the model of fidelity to God and the epitome of suffering, said,
Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of a hireling? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, “When shall I arise?” then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. My life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again. (Job 7:1-4, 6-7)
Job has experienced three great losses – his oxen, mules sheep and camels, his livelihood, were stolen or killed in a storm, his children were all killed in the collapse of a building, and his health has deteriorated. These alone are enough to crush someone, but in addition Job has three friends who told him that these miseries are all his fault, that they are the results of his sins. Job maintains his innocence, but laments that suffering is a part of the human condition.
If suffering is part of the human condition, if loss is inevitable, what brings hope? The answer is Jesus, or more particularly, a personal relationship with him. In the Gospel today (Mark 1:29-39), we see Jesus healing, exorcising demons, and preaching. The people who experienced him were given hope and they flocked to him.
How do we experience this Jesus of hope? In the Gospel it is easy to miss that Jesus did one thing that we too must do, he prayed. Prayer has to be a constant part of our life if we want Jesus in our lives. There are two forms of prayer – the public prayer of the Church, especially the Mass and the Sacraments, and personal prayer. Strive to tithe at least a day’s worth of time each week in prayer. There are 1440 minutes in a day and 10% is 144 minutes. That is 60 minutes for Mass on Sunday and 14 minutes for prayer each of the other 6 days.
The celebration of Sunday Mass, especially with the reception of Holy Communion, and the taking of time each day to speak from our heart to the Lord and to listen, gives us the opportunity to encounter Jesus, and to be given today the hope he gave to those who heard him ages ago and were touched by him.
Father Tom
January 29, 2012
This week is Catholic Schools Week. We are blessed here in Cheyenne with an excellent Catholic school. Since 1884, St. Mary’s has been offering an environment which encourages academic excellence, promotes family involvement and fosters the development of the whole person – religious, intellectual, physical and moral. You are invited to visit the school at any time, but especially this week. Come learn about the Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade Programs and the new Summer School Program. There is a special open house this Thursday, February 2nd, from 6:30-7:30 pm.
After the 5:30 pm Mass on Saturday and the 9 am and 11 am Masses on Sunday, St. Mary’s Catholic School students, families and faculty will be distributing cookies and available to speak to you about St. Mary’s School. For more information stop by St. Mary’s Catholic School, 2200 O’Neil Avenue, call 638-9268, or visit their webpage at http://www.stmaryswyo.org/.
Father Tom
January 22, 2012
This article came to me several times in the past few weeks. I thought I would share it with you this weekend as we remember the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion allowing it to be performed anytime during a woman’s pregnancy for any reason whatsoever. Let us work to change the hearts and minds of people who see the child in the womb as unwanted, a burden, an inconvenience, a threat, or just something to get rid of. Let us work to ensure that human life is protected from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.
Father Tom
Pam’s Story
In a recent email, I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.
Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.
While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher.
Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.
The University of Florida’s star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah.
Tim’s notoriety and the family’s inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women’s centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters. I pray her tribe will increase!
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always!
Dr. Gerald B. (Jerry) Kieschnick
President Emeritus, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Presidential Ambassador for Mission Advancement, Concordia University Texas
Newsletter, Volume 111, Number 15, December 15, 2011
January 15, 2012
In the Gospel today, as Jesus walked by, John the Baptist said to Phillip and another disciple, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Earlier John had said of Jesus, “Behold ,the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” These are the words we use just before the reception of Holy Communion. First, we say, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us…” Then the priest holding the Host either above the paten or the chalice says, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” When Phillip and the other disciple heard these words, they left John and followed Jesus. When we hear these words, we too are invited to dedicate ourselves to follow Jesus as the means of deliverance from sin.
Now, the interesting thing is that after coming to Jesus, the response of Phillip is to go and get another to follow Jesus. He went and got his brother, Peter, and brought him to Jesus. The response to receiving Jesus is to bring another to him. Our response to receiving Jesus in Holy Communion at Mass is to be the same, to go forth and bring others to Jesus. This is part of the reason we call the Eucharistic celebration, the Mass, the commissioning.
At the gates of Heaven, we often think the question of judgment will be either “Have you been a good and charitable person?” or “Have your been faithful?” Perhaps, rather, the question might be, “Who did you bring with you?” So, who are you inviting to know the Lord?
Father Tom
January 8, 2012
The Solemnity of the Epiphany marks the close of the Christmas season. On this day, we recall the coming of the Magi from the east. They followed the Star from its rising until it led them to the house where Jesus and his mother Mary were.
One of my favorite depictions of this event is that of Sandro Botticelli’s fifteenth century Adoration of the Magi. One of the reasons I like this depiction is that it is contrary to a popular view that the Magi came at night. Here they are depicted as coming during the day. This means that the light of the Star was bright enough that it could be seen during daytime. The theological significance is that the light of Christ is even brighter than the day. Nothing can obscure the Lord.
The second thing I like about this piece is that 3 generations of the Medici family and a total of five Medicis are depicted in this picture; Cosimo, Vesari and Giovanni as Magi, plus Gialino and Larenzo. This was the piece of art that hung above the altar in Larenzo’s private chapel. While one might see this as hubris, or extreme pride, it is actually a form of devotion. This is a process of visualization. One reads the text and then imagines oneself in the story. I believe this can be helpful for us today.
If I were one of the Magi, which gift would I bring? Would it be the gold, the frankincense or the myrrh? Would I be the first to present my gift , the middle or the last? What would I say? What would Mary say to me? Would I ask to hold the Christ child or would I be too in awe to do so? How long would I stay? What more would I do? These types of questions can help us to enter more deeply into the story and into the Scriptures.
Father Tom
December 25, 2011
A blessed and merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you and your families!
The Christmas Day Gospel is the Prologue of the Gospel of St. John, which begins, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world… And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, …” With these words, St. John draws a connection to the beginning of the Book of Genesis, which starts, “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth… Then God said, "Let there be Light.”
We often experience Christmas as the culmination of at least a month's preparation. We,ve shopped for Christmas gifts, which have now been given away and opened by their recipients, we have been to various Christmas parties, pageants, performances and plays, we have decorated the Christmas tree and house, we have prepared and eaten a Christmas meal and we are ready to rest. For us, we can see Christmas as the end, the completion.
St. John, however, sees the coming of Jesus as a new creation. Christmas is not the end, but a new beginning. Although we celebrate this day with joy, the idea of it being a new beginning may incline us to surrender a little of that joy. New beginnings often mean added things to do, and if we already feel overburdened or just tired from all that we have just accomplished, a new beginning isn't exactly thrilling. St. John's new beginning, however, isn't about burdening us, but freeing us.
St. John tells us, “But to those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation, nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.” Our mere acceptance of Jesus, our faith in him, makes us children of God. The inference here is that we were slaves, slaves to sin, but now we become children of God, free men and women who are entitled to inherit all that God has. The work that makes this happens is not our efforts, but the action of God. God takes the first step and God makes it happen through his grace.
Christmas as the new beginning is the realization that because of God's action we are saved. It is like being a guest at Christmas dinner where we are not allowed to bring anything but ourselves, where we enjoy a scrumptious meal, and where we don't have to do any of the clean up afterwards. It is all gift. All we have to do is accept the invitation. Merry Christmas!
Father Tom
December 18, 2011
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet bemoans that her and Romeo’s family names make them enemies, but they are lovers; therefore, names are not important, but what underlies the name is. While this is true for Shakespeare and his tragedy, this is not true for Scripture.
Names in Scripture carry great significance and they represent a sometimes hidden reality. For example, the name of God, YHWH, is never said by a devout Jew. They would instead say “Adonai,” which in the Greek is rendered “Kyrios,” and in English “Lord.” When the New Testament refers to Jesus as “Lord,” this means not just “sir,” or “lord,” but “Lord” in the connotation of “Adonai.” There is an identification that Jesus is God.
In the Gospel today, the Archangel Gabriel tells Mary that she will conceive and bear a son and that his name will be Jesus. Jesus means “God saves,” or more fully, “God saves his people.” The name “Jesus” can have no substitute, because it alone expresses the reality that under lies the name. This Son of Mary, the Son of God, comes to save God’s people.
As we look forward to the great feast of Christmas, we remind ourselves what this day signifies. God, the Eternal Word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, takes flesh and becomes one like us in every way except for sin. He comes into the world to reveal to us the way to the Father. He comes to save God’s people. There is actually a lot in a name. Another name does not work.
Father Tom
December 11, 2011
This weekend is the special collection for the St. Joseph’s Society: Clergy Retirement Fund of the Diocese of Cheyenne. The St. Joseph’s Society provides retirement benefits to our retired priests.
We currently have 55 priests and bishops in the Diocese of Cheyenne and 17 of them are retired. This coming June more will retire: Fathers Beavers, Carr, Savio, Stolcis and Sheridan, increasing the number of retired to 23. There is 1 ordination for the Diocese, Deacon Louie Shea, in May. The St. Joseph’s Society provides a monthly retirement check to the retired priests and they need your help to make these payments.
When a priest is active, he receives room and board from the parish and a salary to pay for his expenses. When a priest retires, he has to pay for his housing, food, and other living expenses from his own resources. The St. Joseph’s Society enables him to do so. Priests like Father Doudican and Monsignor O’Neill are dependent on the Society for their retirement. They are most grateful to your generosity.
To contribute to the St. Joseph’s Society, please use the envelope mailed to you or an envelope in the pew. For more information contact Matt Potter at 638-1530 or mpotter@dioceseofcheyenne.org. Thank you for your support of our retired priests.
Father Tom
December 4, 2011
The retailers remind us that there are just 20 shopping days left to Christmas, 16 if one intends to shop via the internet. So, if one is to select and purchase the perfect gifts for loved ones and friends, then one must hit the stores with haste.
John the Baptist’s call was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!.” He was announcing the coming of the Messiah, who’s birthday we celebrate in just 3 weeks. John demanded good fruits as clear signs of repentance. A mere reliance on the past was insufficient.
What are the fruits of repentance? They are the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity. For reflection, which of these fruits needs to be more evident in my life?
Father Tom
November 27, 2011
Thanks to Father Kevin Koch for coming and being with us here at Holy Trinity from the last part of August through November. He has been a great help with various ministries beyond Daily and Sunday Masses and confessions. He has been helping with the junior and senior high religious education, the RCIA, and marriage prep, among others. Our prayers go with him as he goes down the road to Pine Bluffs. May God blessing him!
Father Kevin’s address will be:
Rev. Kevin Koch
St. Paul’s Catholic Church
PO Box 97
Pine Bluffs, WY 82082-0097.
Father Tom
November 20, 2011
Next weekend, the new translation of the third edition of the Roman Missal will be fully in use. We have been using the new Gloria, Holy Holy and Memorial Acclamations. We have cards in the pews to help with responses, and the 2012 Breading Bread Missalettes will have all the new responses. I’ve been looking forward to the new translation, but know it will be awkward at first as we all struggle with new words.
I have thought that the one response that will be both the hardest and easiest to learn is
“And with your spirit,” as opposed to “And also with you.” I think it will be the hardest, because we are so accustomed to the older translation. But, I believe it will be the easiest to learn, because we use it 5 times in each Mass.
The new translation is being introduced to provide a formal equivalent English translation of the Latin, sort of a word for word, as opposed to dynamic equivalent translation, sort of a paraphrase. This formal equivalent translation seeks to bring out more clearly the Biblical references in the texts of the Mass and to make clearer the theology being expressed. Another of the purposes is to have the same translation for all countries that use English as their language in worship, so that no matter where one celebrates the Mass in English, the words will be the same. For more information on the new translation, see the Bishops website, http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/.
As we work to learn this new translation, I invite lots of patience. I know in learning the new Holy Holy, I find myself slipping into the old translation unless I pay close attention. A year from now, however, we will have the new wording down.
Father Tom
PS Thanksgiving Day Masses will be Thursday, November 24, at 7:00 am and 9:00 am. The collection this day is for the St. Joseph’s Food Pantry.
November 13, 2011
God entrusts us with three “talents,” time, talent and treasure. We are called to invest what has been given to us and to give it back to God. Thus we give back to God a portion of our time in prayer, our talents in service to God and others, and our treasures in donations to the Church and other charities. In the parable of the talents in this weekend’s Gospel (Matthew 25:14-30), three servants are entrusted with talents (large sums of money), each according to his ability. The first two double what was given to them. The third only returns what he was given. The difference between the first two and the third was faith. The third had no faith in his Master and thereby no faith in himself.
The moral “For everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” can also be read as “For everyone who has faith, more faith will be given and he will grow rich in faith; but from the one who has not faith, even what faith he has will be taken away.” Thank you for all you do to live out your faith as good stewards of what God has entrusted to you. Thank you for your prayers, your service and your financial offerings.
This weekend we look at stewardship of finance. Stewardship means giving of the "first fruits," not what is left over. It is a planned and proportionate gift, whether it be of our time in prayer, our talents in service or our treasures in charity. In regards to finance, each of us must decide what we give. The tithe is recommended in Scripture. A suggestion for dividing the 10% tithe is: 5% to parish, 2% to the Bishop’s Appeal and 3% to second collections and other charities.
Here is the link to the annual financial report for the parish for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Thank you for all you donate to the parish. May God bless you for your generosity, for sharing a portion of what God has given to you.
Father Tom
Our parish, from an 8% tithe of its ordinary income, gives quarterly to support the following charities:
Wyoming Family Home Ownership $1,200
Needs Inc. $600
Centralized Pharmacy $900
St. Mary’s Rent and Utility Assistance Program $2,400
St. Joseph’s Food Pantry $2,700
Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless $300
Comea Shelter and Traveler Assistance $1,200
Abbey of Walburga in Virginia Dale, CO $300
Carmelite Monks in Clark, WY $300
Total $9,900
From its tithe, the parish also has assisted various individuals and given small annual donations to Special Olympics and the Cheyenne Children’s Show. 10% of our Christmas Collection is donated for a clean water project. Additionally, we have monthly charities which we support through the donation of tangible items. These charities are the St. Joseph’s Food Bank (3 times a year), the Comea Shelter (2 times), Life Choice (2 times), the Boys & Girls Club, Family Promise Cheyenne, the VA Hospital, the Welcome Mat and the Cheyenne Animal Shelter. The Pastoral Council reviews the charities annually.
Thank you for all you do to support those in need. Your generosity is a blessing!
November 6, 2011
A warm welcome to Father Maurice J. Nutt, CSsR, DMin, who is here to lead us in our Parish Mission. He was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. His vocation to the priesthood was nurtured at St. Alphonsus Liguori “Rock” Catholic Church, a Redemptorist parish. He professed vows in the Redemptorist congregation in 1983 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1989 by Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D. at his home parish of the “Rock.” As Divine Providence would have it, his first pastoral assignment after ordination was as Associate Pastor of the very parish where his vocation was born and nurtured. It was not long after that he was named the first African American Pastor of this historic parish where he served as pastor for 9 years. Under his pastoral leadership the parish grew from 150 families to over 1,200 families with over 80 ministries! In 2000, the parish was named one of 300 Excellent Catholic churches in the US by the Pastoral Summit.
Father Maurice’s retreats, missions, and lectures are always overflowing with people hungry for the Word of God and eager to be inspired, loved and a part of a joyful celebration! He specializes in preaching, evangelization, spirituality and community and church development.
Father Nutt is currently a member of the Redemptorist Parish Mission Preaching Team based in Chicago, IL. Additionally, he is a member of the faculty of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans where he teaches Preaching. He has written three books: Thea Bowman: In My Own Words, Advent and Christmas Wisdom from St. Alphonsus Liguori, and Lent and Easter Wisdom from St. Alphonsus Liguori. Father Nutt is also a contributor to the African American Catholic Youth Bible, a collaborative project between the National Black Catholic Congress and St. Mary’s Press to be published in 2013. He has also published articles about preaching, evangelization and stewardship.
The Parish Mission will be Sunday through Wednesday night at 7 pm. Each night will last an hour and there will be a social gathering afterwards. Come and join the Mission and be nurtured in your faith.
Father Tom
October 30, 2011
This Tuesday, November 1st, is the Solemnity of All Saints and a Holy Day of Obligation, and this Wednesday, November 2nd, is the Feast of All Souls. On All Saints, we recognize the countless named and unnamed men and women who have achieved the destiny for which we have been created, to become one of God’s saints. On All Souls, we remember our friends and family members who have died and ask that God welcome them home to heaven and comfort us in our sorrow. Sunday, November 20th, is the Solemnity of Christ the King, in which we recall that Jesus will come at the end of time to judge the living and the dead.
Because November begins with the All Saints and All Souls Days and basically concludes with calling to mind the end of times, November is dedicated to remembering our beloved dead. We remember our deceased loved ones in three ways. First, we have our Book of Remembrance in which we write the names of those who have gone to the other side of life and we remember them at each of our November Masses. Second, we have a candlelight procession for those buried from Holy Trinity since last November and for other loved ones lost to death this past year. Third, you can have Masses offered for them, not just in November, but throughout the year. Suggested offerings are $10 per Mass.
St. Paul in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, tells us:
For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heave. For in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation… Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Our true home and permanent dwelling is not here on earth, but is with the Lord. We can lose sight of this. The loss of loved ones to death, however, reminds us that this life is temporary. And our faith in the resurrection reminds us that there is a permanent place for us in heaven. Let us, therefore, pray for those who have died and live lives worthy of those destined to be God’s saints, so that we can join those who have gone before us.
Father Tom
October 23, 2011
This weekend is World Mission Sunday. The gospel of St. Matthew ends with this final commandment of Jesus:
All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.
The Church in general and each of us in particular is called to be missionary. The reason we call the celebration of the Eucharist in the Latin Church “the Mass” is to remind ourselves of this. Mass comes from the Latin “Missa,” which means commissioning. This comes from the ending, “Go forth, the Mass is ended” (Ite, Missa est). The new dismissals also emphasize this aspect of being missionary, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” and “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
The last of these dismissals, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life,” reflects the admonition of the St. Francis of Assisi, who said, “Preach the Gospel always. Only when necessary use words.” The way we lead our lives gives testimony to Christ, it shows others the joy and hope we have and invites them to share in what we have been given.
One of the patrons of the missions is St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. She was a cloistered Carmelite nun, who never went out into the world to preach the Gospel. She, however, is a patron of the missions because of her prayer and example of love.
One way that we can support the missionary efforts of the Church is this weekend’s collection. Our donations help to support missionaries as they proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who do not know him and have never hear of him. We are missionary by the quality of the life we live, the prayers we offer for the conversion of souls and our donations to the missionary efforts of the Church. Thank you for all you do on behalf of this missionary effort.
Father Tom
October 16, 2011
I was named after my father, hence the Junior at the end of my name; and I have chosen Thomas, the Apostle, as my patron saint. I judged by doing that, I could claim all the Thomases thereafter. I was ordained a priest on December 29th, the Feast of St. Thomas Becket.
St. Thomas had an interesting life. When his parents died, he was left wanting, so he began a career in the Church at Canterbury, England. He received minor orders and was ordained a deacon. He was greatly favored by the Archbishop, and was named Archdeacon of Canterbury, the most prominent position in the Church in England beneath those of bishops. He was influential in getting King Henry II crowned as King of England. For this, the King made him Chancellor of England. He assisted the King with many reforms in England.
Outwardly, people saw his love of power and position, his pride, quick temper, and impulsiveness; but privately, he was a man of great devotion and penance. When King Henry II wanted to nominate Thomas as Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas refused, stating that such an action would jeopardize their friendship, because it would require him to take a stand against the King. King Henry wanted to tax the Church and strip her of certain rights. Thomas, however, was eventually elected and named Archbishop of Canterbury. He was first ordained a priest, then a bishop and finally installed. True to his word, Thomas began to oppose King Henry’s interference in the Church and he lost the King’s favor. First, the King stripped him of his office as Chancellor and then he attempted to strip him of his ability to move about the country and communicate with the Pope. There was a dispute about whether the first see of England should be Canterbury or Kent, and the King threw his influence toward Kent. Thomas fled to France and lived there in exile for several years.
He returned to Canterbury, England in December of 1170. Then, on December 25th, with the approval of the Pope, he excommunicated the Archbishop of Kent and several of his bishop allies. When King Henry heard of this, by legend he is to have said, “Will someone not rid me of this meddlesome cleric?” Four of his knights went to Canterbury, followed Thomas into the cathedral as Evening Prayer was being sung and killed him there in the transept of the church between the altars of Our Lady and St. Benedict. The horror of an archbishop who stood up for the Church being murdered in his cathedral ran through England. It came to light that Thomas, under his elegant garments, wore a hair shirt next to his skin as a penitential act and that as Archbishop of Canterbury had quietly doubled the alms given to the poor. People began to flock to Canterbury to visit his tomb. Three and half years after his martyrdom, he was declared a saint. King Henry did public penance, first in May following the murder and then again following Thomas’ canonization.
In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus states, “Repay to Caesar what belong to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” St. Thomas Becket when he was elected Archbishop of Canterbury had to re-examine his life and decide what he owed to the King and what he owed to God. He did three main things to reaffirm what he owed to God: he stood for the rights of the Church and what she taught, he had a discreet care of the poor and he had a private penitential and prayer life. We too are called to such an examination of our lives and to determine whether we are giving to God what he is owed.
Father Tom
October 9, 2011 (Our Lady of the Rosary)
October is one of the months dedicated to Mary (May is the other), and is also dedicated to the Rosary. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was last Friday, October 7th. The Rosary is a great prayer form. The traditional Rosary consisted of 3 sets of 5 Mysteries, each with 10 Hail Marys. This made 150 Hail Marys and they corresponded to the 150 psalms. In 2002, Pope John Paul II added a new set of Mysteries, the Luminous. Here are the Mysteries:
Joyful: Annunciation, Visitation, Birth of Jesus, Presentation, Finding inthe Temple
Luminous: Baptism of Jesus, Wedding at Cana, Proclaiming the Kingdom,Transfiguration, Institution of the Eucharist
Sorrowful: Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning withThorns, Carrying the Cross, Crucifixion
Glorious: Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption,Coronation
I encourage everyone to pray the Rosary, at least once a week, if not daily, both alone and with family and friends. Through the praying of the Rosary and our meditation on the events in the life of Jesus and his mother Mary, we are drawn into a more perfect imitation of Jesus. Let us pray this prayer for one another.
Father Tom
October 2, 2011 (Right to Life Sunday)
“I came so that all might live life and have it to the full” is the theme to this year’s Respect Life Weekend.
Popular culture promotes a dangerous myth – exalting the freedom and glamour of the rich and famous, the powerful or “beautiful” people, whose public lives seem superficial and whose private lives feature a succession of brief and broken relationships. All too often they end up in treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, usually after injuring others or humiliating themselves publicly. But until then, in the eyes of the world, they have it all! And don’t we often feel like we want it all? And we want it now!
According to this myth, money equals freedom. It makes us free to sample from the whole rich smorgasbord of consumer delights – the latest electronics and trendy fashions. We are invited to be constantly entertained by new places and new experiences, the latest music or latest video games. For some people, acquaintances pass in and out of their lives, but they rarely have the time to know and love them deeply, to know the longings of their hearts, the goodness of their souls.
When other people make demands on our freedom, we can choose to ignore or even eliminate them from our self-centered lives. Our culture gives us “permission” to turn our back on an ill-timed baby, a neglected spouse or a mother in a nursing home who pleads for a visit.
But money can’t buy us love. And neither power nor freedom can bring us the one thing humans need to thrive: We were created to love and be loved. We cannot be satisfied by earthly things alone. By creating us in his own image, God gave us a nature that is partly spiritual – an intellect, the capacity to know right from wrong, the free will to choose how to act and the capacity to know and love him. Jesus’ incarnation, life and death reveal to us that God is Love (1 Jn 4:8). To love God and others fulfills our deepest needs allowing us to have life “to the full.”
Every person bears God’s image and has an immortal soul. Yet many are viewed as being outside the circle of love – unborn children whose parents are tempted to eliminate them, vulnerable people with illnesses and disabilities who risk being abandoned or even killed through misguided “mercy,” prisoners on death row, forgotten or despised long after they have repented of their wrongdoing.
Although it seems a paradox, the greater the sacrifices made out love, the greater is our joy and peace. Whether it is the grave decision of a pregnant woman to reject abortion and allow a loving family to parent her child when she cannot, or the daily sacrifices of parents in raising young children, or the hard work of caring for an elderly relative with dementia, when we step up to these challenges, God can stretch our hearts and fill them to overflowing with his love, joy and peace. With hearts so transformed, we can become living witnesses to the meaning of Jesus’ mission: I came that all might have life, and have it to the full!
(From Respect Life Pamphlet, Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops)Father Tom
September 25, 2011
The full use of the new translation of the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal is now just two months away, November 26th-27th. With permission, we have been allowed to introduce the new translations for the Gloria, the Holy Holy (called the Preface Proclamation in our pew cards) and the Memorial Acclamations. We have new musical settings for these, the Amen and the Lamb of God, and with a little patience and time, we will have them down pat.
Pope John Paul II announced a revised version of the Roman Missal during the Jubilee Year 2000. Among other things, the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal contains:
- prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints
- additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers
- additional Votive Masses and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions
- some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass.
The manner of translating also changed from dynamic equivalence (sort of a paraphrase) to formal equivalence (more word for word). Formal equivalence helps connect to the references and allusions to Sacred Scripture and brings out some of the deeper theological meaning in the Latin text. We have some new words, with deeper meaning, but the same actions. The new translation also seeks to have the same translation for all the English speaking countries of the world (11 in total, plus 15 other countries that use English in the liturgy). For more information, go to the Bishop’s webpage at www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/roman-missal/index.cfm.
Father Tom
