FEAST OF EPIPHANY

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

                                        

CELEBRATED SUNDAYS JANUARY 2-8

 RISE UP IN SPLENDOR, JERUSALEM YOUR LIGHT HAS COME .

ISAIAH 60:1 

Star of wonder, star of light Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding Guide us to Thy perfect light

Guide us to Thy perfect light

 BACKGROUND

The Greek word Epiphany (επιφάνεια), means appearance or manifestation). God appears to his people. (theophany) The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest Christian feasts. Throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things

The feast of the Epiphany in the East celebrated four different theophanies, the Nativity of Christ; the Visitation of the Wise Men, the Baptism of the Lord; and Christ’s first miracle, at the wedding in Cana.

Eventually, the celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany was separated out in the West, into separate feasts of Christmas, Epiphany, Baptism of Jesus, and Marriage feast at Cana.

In 1991 the United States Bishops reduced the number of non-Sunday Holy Days to six. One of those Holy Days, the Epiphany, was transferred to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.

.COMMENTARY

 “Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you. Though darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds, the peoples. upon you the LORD will dawn, and over you his glory will be seen. Isaiah 60:1-6

The Magi were most likely a caste of Persian priests who served Kings using their skills in interpreting dreams and watching movements of stars. Stars were believed to be signs from God, announcing important events.

“…and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage… they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” Matthew 2:11

COME LET US ADORE HIM, CHRIST THE LORD!

The gifts the Magi (Wise Men) brought were gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was a gift for Kings; frankincense was offered to God in Temple worship. Myrrh was used by the High Priest as an anointing oil.( Exodus 30:23.)  It was also the Jewish custom of anointing a dead body for burial, a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and burial.

REFLECTION

There are those who seek God, find God, and serve Him, (Mary and Joseph), and those who seek God but haven’t found Him yet (the Magi). Which am I? Or am I indifferent?

“Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Isaiah 9:2 Do I seek the Light?  Do I radiate that light to the rest of the world?

Are my eyes open to the many Epiphanies in my own life? How does God manifest Himself to me today?

Let us walk in the LIGHT, radiating Jesus’ love by selfless service, unconditional forgiveness and compassionate care

SOLEMNITY OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD JANUARY 1

MARY MOTHER OF GOD

MARY MOTHER OF GOD

Solemnities are the highest rank of liturgical celebration. By celebrating a solemnity dedicated to Mary’s motherhood, the Church highlights the significance of her part in the life of Jesus.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel, God with us. Isaiah 7:14

It is fitting to honor Mary, as Mother of God, following the birth of Jesus. We not only honor Mary, but we are also honoring our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human.

Every year on January 1 the Holy Father marks the World Day of Peace, inviting all people to reflect on the important work of building peace.

On 1 January 2025 the theme of World Day of Peace is “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace As Pope Francis proclaimed: At the dawn of this New Year given to us by our heavenly Father, a year of Jubilee, I offer heartfelt good wishes of peace to every man and woman, especially those who feel downtrodden, burdened by their past mistakes, oppressed by the judgment of others and incapable of perceiving even a glimmer of hope for their own lives.

The “jubilee” recalls an ancient Jewish practice, when, every forty-ninth year, the sound of a ram’s horn proclaimed a year of forgiveness and freedom for the entire people Lev 25:10.

The blowing of the horn reminded the entire people, rich and poor alike, that no one comes into this world doomed to oppression: all of us are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of the same Father, born to live in freedom, in accordance with the Lord’s will.

Christmas honors Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God honors Mary as the “Queen of Peace” Some may wonder why we refer to Mary as Queen..

 From the moment Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a great son, the Lord Giver of life, who will inherit the throne of his father David. Mary becomes future Queen. Luke 1:26

 First century Jews would have known, under the reign of David the kingdom was ruled by both a King and a Queen. Unlike modern-day kingdoms, however, the queen of Israel was not the king’s wife but his mother. (the king often had many wives but only one mother) In the Hebrew tradition, Mary is Queen Mother.

From antiquity, Mary has been called “Theotokos“, or “God-Bearer” (Mother of God). The term was used as part of the popular piety of the early first millennium church.

This is seen dramatically in Mary’s visitation to her cousin, Elizabeth.. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. LUKE 1:41-42

BLESSED ART THOU AMONG WOMEN LUKE 1:42-43

Mary is the Mother of God because she carried Jesus in her womb and contributed the genetic material for His human nature. If Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of God.

In the 4th and 5th centuries there was much debate about Jesus’ divine nature. At the center of this debate was the particular title of Mary Mother of God.  Referring to Mary this way was popular in Christian devotion, but the patriarch of Constantinople from 428-431, Nestorius, objected on theological grounds.

Nestorius suggested that Mary was only the mother of Jesus’ human nature, but not his divine nature. Nestorius’ ideas were condemned at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, and again at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451.

The Council’s insistence on the use of the title Mary Mother of God reflected an effort to preserve the teaching of the Church that Jesus was both Divine and human, that the two natures were united in His One Person. Women give birth to PERSONS.

This wonderful title, Mary, the Mother of God, “Theotokos“, reveals a profound truth not only about Mary, but about each one of us. We too are invited to become “God-bearers

THEOTOKOS–GOD-BEARER

 

 

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

WHAT DO WE CELEBRATE THIS CHRISTMAS DAY

At Christmas, the God-man, Jesus, enters into human history, humbling himself taking on human nature that we might share in His divine nature now through grace, and forever in heaven face to face with God for all eternity.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. John 1:1-3

In time the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you…  Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God…  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High Luke 1:26-27

 THE GREATEST EXCHANGE OF GIFTS

At Bethlehem, humanity sees not only God-Made flesh but also receives an invitation to become God-like.  God offers to make men and women by grace what Jesus Christ is by nature,

In exchange for the humanity Jesus takes, the Incarnate Word gives us a share in his divinity.   God is born in time so we can be reborn in eternity.  The Son of God becomes the Son of Man so men and women can become children of the one same Father in heaven.

REFLECTION

PEACE OF CHRIST BE WITH YOU

 The night the Christ Child was born, there was no room in the Inn….Is there room in my heart for the Christ Child…

 Shepherds came and saw, then worshiped and spread the Good News…do I spread the Good News… or Do I hide my light under a bushel

 Mary pondered all these mysteries in her heart…do I ponder the birth of Jesus in my heart…

 Do I ponder other mysteries…

PRAYER

God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen


SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT

 O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!

 

 

COME LORD JESUS, LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

“the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen”

Matthew 4:16

COMMENTARY.

 As We approach the fourth week of Advent, the birth of Jesus which changed the world forever is ever closer.  “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Isaiah 9:1

One of my favorite metaphors for Jesus is comparing him to LIGHT.  Jesus is the light of the world.  A world so dark with its burdens of sin and disease awaits the one who will lighten our load… Come Lord Jesus!

The first chapter of John’s Gospel describes the role of Jesus, “What came to be through him was life,and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:2-4

“A man named John was sent from God.  He came for testimony, to testify to the light…He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” John 1:4-9

Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus affirms He is that light. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

 REFLECTION

 Come to me all you who labor and are burdened

…and I will give you rest… Matthew 11:28.

 

Do I need that rest in order to heal and reconcile?

 

Are there things hidden in my own life that need the light of Christ…

 

Those who choose Light become children of the Light….and testify to the Light…

 

Do I hide my light under a bushel or do I let it shine everywhere, even where inconvenient, in the public square?

… ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here Until the son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Let us be people of the Light who walk in the Light and give witness to the Light everywhere we go!  AMEN!

 

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD    MAKE STRAIGHT HIS PATHS

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,  the voice of one crying in the wilderness: John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins MARK 1:2-5

 INTRODUCTION

As we prepare our homes for Christmas, guests, decorations, clean carpets etc, what about our Spiritual House? What do we do with the messiness that resides there…anger, resentments,  grudges, habits of sin that stain our souls and cloud our wills.

Let’s brighten up His dwelling place within us. We need to be reconciled to God and neighbor. What is the best Spiritual House cleaning tool for this?

The Sacrament of Reconciliation!

The evening of His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to his Apostles, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” JOHN 20:21-23

WHOSE SINS YOU FORGIVE  ARE FORGIVEN THEM

Remember the priest, when hearing your confession, is in persona Christi (person of Christ). It is Christ you are confessing your sins It doesn’t matter to the priest how long ago your last confession was.  You can’t shock the priest either. The priest has heard it all.

When the priest receives the penitent, he is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seek the lost sheep and the Good Samaritan who binds up the wounds. The priest is the sign and instrument of God’s mercy.

 We know how merciful God is from the many stories from Scripture…the Prodigal Son…The woman at the well…the woman caught in adultery…. And the Good Thief…. This day you will be with me in Paradise…

 …When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Savior.  There is nothing I cannot forgive and heal…Come to Me with your misery and your sins. I stand at the door of your heart and knock… I am seeking you every moment of the day….

JESUS SEEKS US OUT;  WON’T YOU LET HIM IN!

 

FEAST OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS, MARY MOTHER OF GOD

FEAST OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION DECEMBER 8

Immaculate Mary, Your praises we sing,

You reign now in heaven, With Jesus our king

Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.

 BACKGROUND

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, in its oldest form, goes back to the seventh century, when churches in the East began celebrating the Feast of Saint Anne, the mother of Mary.

The feast arrived in the West probably no earlier than the 11th century with a developing theological controversy between the West and East.  In the East they believe every human being is born with original sin including Mary mother of God.

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was officially defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Dogma means that a definitive article of faith has been solemnly promulgated and is necessary for the belief of all Catholic faithful.

 Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854 promulgated,

“We declare, the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”

 Four years after the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was promulgated Mary appeared to a young woman in Lourdes, France 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, and announced that she is the Immaculate Conception”

I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 

LOURDES 1858

 COMMENTARY

 According to St. Thomas Aquinas, God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ.

In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception in anticipation of her Redeemer rather than as with all other Christians, in Baptism.

Mary’s soul was created in a state of original sanctity, innocence, and justice.  neither stained by Original Sin, nor by consequences of that sin…clouded intellect and weakened will.

It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is called the Virgin Birth.

Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived “by the power of the Holy Spirit,” in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. Mary did have a human father.  The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin.

At the Annunciation, The angel Gabriel greets Mary, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” This greeting “full of grace was not a result of the angel’s visit but rather, an acknowledgement that Mary, preserved from original sin, is already sanctified.

REFLECTION

 The Immaculate Conception is the concrete expression of God’s love for Mary, who gave herself fully, completely, and without hesitation to His service. 

 Mary is exactly the human being that God meant each of us to be from the very beginning of creation. It was man’s fall that brought about sin and death.

 God isn’t finished with us yet, thanks be to God. He remains patient and merciful as He calls each one of us to be the person He had in mind when He created us in our mother’s womb.

MARY IMMACULATE

PATRONESS OF UNITED STATES

John Carroll, the first bishop in the United States, had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1792, he placed the diocese of Baltimore which encompassed the thirteen colonies of the young republic under her protection. U.S. bishops unanimously named Mary, under her title of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the nation in 1846, during the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 1, 2024

 We begin the first week of Advent, a season of preparation and waiting.  What are we preparing for and what are we waiting for? Is it a holiday? Is it gifts?  Is it family gatherings? Is it snow? It may be.  But this is not what the Church’s Liturgical Season of Advent is about.

Advent is a time when we ponder the great mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery of God coming and dwelling with us in physical form. Jesus shares in our humanity that we may share in His Divinity.  What a gift!

God the Son came and took on our human nature and all that goes along with being human.  And though He never sinned, He knows the effects of sin, the burden, the dysfunction, the evil that runs rampant in this world. God comes to deliver us from our sins,.

Advent is a time of waiting. Waiting is hard.  Waiting in traffic jam, waiting for test results, waiting in lines to check out, waiting to get on the internet…Our ancestors waited centuries for the birth of the promised Messiah.

Fifteen hundred years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah prophesied, “…a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, and Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, Isaiah 9:6

Hundreds of years later, born in Bethlehem, a small town in the Roman Empire, their hope is finally realized but Jesus is not the earthly warrior-king many expected…

“though he was in the form of God he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”  Phillipians 2:6-11.

PREPARE FOR COMING OF JESUS?

PRAYER sustains and nurtures our relationship with our triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

 FASTING assists us in getting our own house in order. All of us have to deal with areas of addiction, whether in regard to immoderate use of smoking, alcohol consumption… Deny ourselves worldly appetites and goods so that we may be more attached to God the giver of all good gifts.

ALMSGIVING Jesus was always concerned about those who were poor and in need. To be a disciple of Christ means to live a life of charity.

Are we prepared to meet our new born King?  Don’t let grudges and resentments fester; keep your relationships in good repair.  Is our “Spiritual” house cleaned?  If not, why not? Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation; bring our sins before Christ and seek his forgiveness.

Give thanks to the Lord, His mercy endures forever!

Be ready to journey with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.  Ready to adore our new born king!

MARANATHA COME LORD JESUS

 

 

 

THANKSGIVING DAY NOVEMBER 28, 2024

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

 

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD,

HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER

PSALM 107

COMMENTARY

Every day is a day to give thanks to God.  We didn’t need the Government to set aside a special day but it is nice to take a break from work and reflect on our blessings with our family and friends despite living at a moment of extraordinary division, discouragement, and uncertainty.

I am reminded of another time in our history where divisions were so severe that military warfare broke out between our states 1863 was the bloodiest year of the Civil War.  By some estimates, more than 200,000 American soldiers died that year.

Our nation was wounded, deeply divided, and angry.  Political leaders were distrusted and reviled, immigrants and minorities were marginalized, and religious practice was waning in many places. In the midst of this division and bloodshed, President Lincoln called for a day of Thanksgiving and repentance to Almighty God.

Writing to his divided and discouraged country, President Lincoln issued a proclamation re-calling the many blessings that Almighty God had given our nation.  Lincoln recognized that the United States had been showered with “the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

 ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

 OCTOBER 3, 1863

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed we are prone to forget the source from which they come…the watchful providence of Almighty God.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that the whole American People should solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice our gratitude. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States…., to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens…

 THANKSGIVING PRAYER 2024

 Father in Heaven, Creator of all, Thank you for all the graces and blessings you have bestowed upon us, both spiritual and temporal.

Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. For this beautiful earth you gave us as home.  We pray that we do not diminish it by our actions.

Most Gracious God, Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat, especially for this feast today.  Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick and suffering war and violence.

We give thanks for our family, in good times and bad times.  Thank you for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness.

For our Mothers and Fathers, brothers, and sisters, living and dead, that helped in giving direction and guidance in our formative years.  .

And For our health in good times and bad times. We willingly accept the burden of poor health to develop more trust and dependency on you, God our Father.

THANKS BE TO GOD!

 

 

 

FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING NOVEMBER 24, 2024

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

CHRISTUS VINCIT, CHRISTUS REGNAT, CHRISTUS IMPERAT

CHRIST CONQUERS, CHRIST REIGNS, CHRIST RULES. 

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

 INTRODUCTION

 We have been on a journey the past twelve months as we traveled through the Christian Church Year. The Liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent, and ends today with the Feast of Christ the King.

During the Liturgical year, we re-live the life of Christ. We follow in His footsteps as he walked the dusty trails of Galilee, gathered disciples, opened blind eyes, made the lame to walk, taught the multitudes, was crucified, rose again and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.

 The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to assert the sovereignty of Christ and His Church over all forms of government, to remind Christians of the fidelity and loyalty they owe to Christ, who by his Incarnation and sacrificial death on the cross makes us adopted children of God and future citizens and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven

The title “Christ the King” has its roots both in the Old Testament and New Testament. In most of the Messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel, the Messiah is represented as a King.

 From the very beginning of the New Testament at the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel says to Mary, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,* and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:32-33

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy Kingdom come . . .” immediately followed by “Thy will be done.” And so, the definition of the Kingdom is “a community of people who do God’s will on earth as perfectly as it is done in heaven.”

REFLECTION

 IS CHRIST THE KING, KING OF MY LIFE?

 The Kingdom of God is a space. It exists in every home where parents and children love each other. It exists in every region and country that cares for its weak and vulnerable. It exists in every parish that reaches out to the needy. It exists in every work place where one is kind and patient with their fellow workers.

The Kingdom of God is a time. It happens whenever someone feeds a hungry person, shelters a homeless person, or shows care to a neglected person. It happens whenever we overturn an unjust law, or make peace instead of war

Jesus Christ is king!  We belong to his Kingdom when we try to walk with him, when we try to live our lives fully in the spirit of the Gospel and when that Gospel spirit penetrates every facet of our living.

“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” Matthew 20:28 We too are called to service We too are called to be a people of service who reach out to embrace the enemy and the stranger, a people who will endlessly forgive, a people who will reach out in compassion to the poor and to the marginalized….

 PRAYER

To Jesus Christ our Sovereign King

who is the world’s salvation,

All praise and homage do we bring

and thanks and adoration

 Your reign extend O King benign,

to every land and nation;

For in your kingdom Lord divine

Alone do we find salvation

 To you and to your Church, great King

We pledge our heart’s oblation;

Until before your throne we sing

In endless jubilation

 Christ Jesus, Victor!

Christ Jesus, Ruler!

Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer

COME FOLLOW ME, YOUR SOVEREIGN KING

 

 

 

 

 

CATHOLIC CHURCH MUST REMAIN TRUE TO JESUS IN A WORLD THAT REJECTS US

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

 

SERMON ON THE MOUNT

BLESSED ARE YOU WHEB THEY PERSECUTE YOU AND HATE YOU FOR MY SAKE

I have been thinking recently why the society I live in and the government that is there to serve the “common good” are so often unfriendly and sometimes, even threatening, to a practicing Catholic who puts God’s Law and his conscience first.

At the same time, I worry how much pressure there is in the Catholic community on the Church Magisterium to water our doctrine down to accommodate the world and other religions.

Over the last few decades some practices, centuries old, have changed.  Fasting Days in the Catholic Church were reduced some time ago.  Holy Days of Obligation have been reduced as well.  Homilies on sin or hell are remote and spare.  Today, you see in some dioceses across the globe accepting same-sex marriages, inviting divorced and remarried Catholics without an annulment invited to receive Holy Communion and Protestant spouses of Catholics invited to receive with their spouses.  And the beat goes on…

I just don’t see how becoming more like every other denomination is attracting more to the Catholic Church. What must attract people to the Catholic Faith is its authenticity to the Gospel, its sacraments, and its liturgy, the Mass. A watered down Catholic Church is a “lukewarm” Church.

Jesus was counter-cultural. “You have heard it said, but I say to you.”  Jesus taught with authority.  His authority came from the Father.  “Who sees me, sees the Father.”  Jesus founded a counter-cultural Church on Peter, the Rock and promised the Holy Spirit to guide it on earth from error.   Catholic Church teaching condemns abortion, contraception, divorce and remarriage, same sex marriage and gender identity theory.

All right, so we pull ourselves up, tighten our belts, and go forward as soldiers of Christ.  What can we expect? Jesus gave us the answer. “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first….. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. John 15:18 – 23 Well that isn’t very comforting is it?  But why do we expect more than our Savior who gave His all for all of us?

Hold on, there is more…Jesus also tells us what happens if we persevere

to the end.  “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you because of me Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven, they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11

]Catholicism remains the staunchest opponent to the culture of the times. Our doctrines are stubborn things, even for some inside the Church who would like to change them. The Rock of Peter, whatever the human limitations may be.  By God’s own promise, the gates of Hell slam against the Rock but cannot prevail.

REFLECTION

PHILLIPIANS 2:6-12

Taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;*

and found human in appearance

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.*

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name*

that is above every name,

That at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,*

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth

And every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.