DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

For centuries in the liturgy, the Church has proclaimed the mercy of God through the Word of God and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. The tables of Word and Sacrament are heaped with the promises of Divine Mercy and its grand effect in the lives of millions. It is this great blessing of mercy received that must be shared, must be proclaimed, must be given away to other sinners that they might come to know and experience the love of the Risen Lord.

Pope John Paul II shared, proclaimed, and gave away to sinners the beautiful gift of Divine Mercy. Our Holy Father's second encyclical to the Church  examined some of the “major anxieties of our time” and said that God’s mercy is what is needed in the world “at this hour of history.”  In the year 2000 at the canonization of St. Faustina Pope John Paul proclaimed to the world that the second Sunday of Easter will be called Divine Mercy Sunday. Some 70 years ago St. Faustina was directed to paint this particular image. The icon depicts the Risen Lord with red and white rays coming forth from His heart symbolizing the sacramental life in the Church, showing to us His Mercy, it simply says: Jesus, I trust in You.

Finally, in an amazing story of mercy captured on the cover of Time Magazine in January 1984 is a picture of Pope John Paul and his would be assassin with the title - Why Forgive? Our Holy Father put the message of Mercy into practice when he embraced his enemy and pardoned him.  

What joy there is in our Church this day that this lover of Divine Mercy would take a step closer to sainthood by being declared in the city of Rome -

Blessed John Paul.

Let us be like Blessed John Paul and share the Divine Mercy of God with all thepeople that we meet each and every day.

And the winner is ...

Everyone is leaving the red carpet. The 2011 Oscars are over and the winner for best picture is ...

One late Saturday afternoon my wife and I decided to go to the movies. With so many movies to choose from we relied on the advice of a friend who had mentioned they were deeply touched by The King's Speech. It was our good fortune that the advice was good. Knowing that there is nothing worse than a movie spoiler I will refrain from discussing the plot. Instead I want to focus on a life lesson that  was demonstrated through the characters of this story.

Each of us experiences trials and difficulties, sometimes these problems are obvious but sometimes  noone knows what they are but us. The struggles are real in both situations. Trying to deal with these difficulties by ourselves can become overwhelming. What we need are people who will stand with us - not judging, not blaming, not putting us down, but people who will love us for who we are and who will be ready to help us in whatever way is necessary. Sometimes they will stand with us in silence, but there are other times that they will need to speak a strong word to help us get back on track. This is true friendship, a willingness to suffer with another - compassion.

When you see this movie perhaps you will agree that one very important reason for this movie being an award winner is the vivid illustration of true compassion for another person and how such a concern can be a life changing experience.

Thank You, Mr. Presidents!

When I was a young boy we didn’t have a Presidents’ Weekend we celebrated the actual birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. By far my favorite of the two celebrations was George Washington’s because on that day we would have sugar cookies shaped like hatchets and lots of cherry pie. But my parents seized the moment to tell me about George when he was about my age. Remember the story. George received a brand new hatchet and immediately went out and about trying out his new gift. However, one victim of his hatchet was his father’s favorite cherry tree. When his father saw the tree he was very angry and asked George if he knew what happened to the tree. George, surprised at first, then replied, “I cannot tell a lie, father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut it down.” My parents would emphasize that if I wanted to grow up and be someone special – even to be the president – it was important for me to be good, to be honest, to always tell the truth. So they set before me a new goal.

Reflecting on Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. you will see Jesus seizing the moment and setting before us a new goal. Jesus is replacing the old rules with new ones. He is raising the bar on what it means to be a disciple. Jesus is challenging us to go beyond what is expected, beyond what we might think is reasonable or even achievable. He is calling us to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, and pray for those who persecute you.

The question is how can we respond to the goal of Jesus. Think of times someone has hurt you, where you have been betrayed or a relationship has been destroyed. All that seems to come to mind is revenge, striking back, certainly not loving them, nor praying for them. But here is how President Lincoln responded:

During the Civil War, President Lincoln made a speech in which he referred to the Southern Confederates as “erring human beings,’ rather than as enemies of the United States. An elderly lady complained to him, “Mr. President, how can you refer to such slave-holding rebels as ‘erring human beings’; they are actually sworn enemies of the Union and of freedom.” Lincoln replied calmly, “Why, madam, do I not destroy my enemies when I make them friends?’ Lincoln was putting the new goal of Jesus into practice.

The Spirit of the living God will do it! The Holy Spirit can make the impossible  - possible; can empower us to pray and love our enemies. The Holy Spirit can help us strive to become more like Jesus. The spirit of the living God can help us to always tell the truth or to destroy our enemies by making them friends.

We need to say Yes. We need to daily pray Come Holy Spirit!

A SUPER CITY

Did you survive Super Bowl Sunday? It always amazes me that unless your favorite team is playing, the game becomes secondary. There are hours and hours of programming - musical performances both good and not so good, interviews with all sorts of people, and of course the commercials. With all of this TV coverage the only thing I learned about the Green Bay area was they have a championship football team, that the weather is very cold, and a lot of their fans like to wear cheese shaped hats.

But if I could can I mention one other important fact about the Green Bay area.

In 1855 at the age of twenty-four and the oldest of four children of Belgian immigrants, Adele Brise came with her family to the Green Bay area. Adele had intended to join a religious community when she came to America, but her first days in Wisconsin were taken up with the hard work of farming and pioneer life.

Adele’s life changed in early October 1859. While carrying grain to a mill about four miles from her home, Mary appeared to her. A few days later, on October 9, while walking to Sunday Mass in Bay Settlement, about eleven miles from home, Mary appeared to her again. After Mass, Adele told the pastor about what she had seen. He said to her, “Ask in God’s name who it was and what it desired of her.” On the way, home, Mary appeared a third time and Adele asked the question as the pastor had suggested. Mary responded:

"I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners and I wish you to do the same. Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation. Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross and how to approach the sacraments."

Adele Brise dedicated the rest of her life to doing what Mary instructed. She gathered the children near her home and taught them the faith. She also traveled to other farms, sometimes as far as fifty miles away, to do the same. She faced challenges of the forest and weather that were often easier to handle than ridicule that came from those who didn’t believe that Mary had appeared to her.

Eventually, a school and chapel were built at the site of the appearances. Adele gathered a lay community known as the Sisters of Good Help.

December 8, 2010, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, was a momentous day for the Church and for the United States of America. It was on that day that Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay issued a decree that authenticated the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Adele Brise. The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, is now worthy of belief as a site where Mary really appeared along the level of Guadalupe in Mexico, Lourdes in France, and Fatima in Portugal. Mary’s appearances to Adele Brise are the first Marian apparitions approved by the Church for the United States.

So Green Bay is not only the home of the Super Bowl Champions but also the home of a SUPER natural appearance of the Blessed Mother.

Happy New Year?

Well, it’s official. This week I received my first email challenging me to make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. I wonder how they knew. But from now until the end of the year we will be hearing countless commercials about this diet or that weight loss program. Everyone of them will promise us that we can become thin and trim in just a few short weeks. Somehow the media has tied celebrating the New Year with weight loss. Nevertheless as the New Year approaches people will be talking about making some changes, some resolutions. It makes sense doesn’t it – a new year and a new you. But in reality I tend to think that although some people make these resolutions sincerely for most of us it is just a fun thing to do. We make these promises but we don’t really expect these changes in our life to really happen. We don’t really believe that we can become thin and trim in just a few short weeks. But as Christians we know there is something very good about reflecting on our life and seeing where we might make a decision, a resolution, to change, to grow, to break some patterns that we are not happy with and to start over again.

In the life of our Church this Sunday is like New Year’s Eve. The feast of Christ the King marks the end of the Church Year. The following Sunday we begin a new year as we begin the holy season of Advent. So on this eve of a new Church year let's decide to make New Church Year Resolutions.

What could our New Church Year Resolutions be? I think the best way is to take some time and reflect on this past year and ask God what area or areas in your life might need some change or improvement. Then have confidence that the Lord wants to bless us by showing us some areas to consider.  And that our God will give us what we need to actually put these changes into action. But there is one resolution that we can all make. Our Holy Father has invited the whole Church to focus on the unborn as Advent begins. Pope Benedict is opening Advent this year with what appears to be an unprecedented liturgical focus on the unborn and the gift of human life. Next Saturday evening in St. Peter’s Basilica the Pope Benedict XVI will lead a First Vespers service and a “Vigil for all Nascent Human Life.” And the Holy Father has requested bishops and parishes throughout the whole world to do the same. In response to this invitation many parishes in the Archdiocese are gathering before next Saturday’s Vigil Mass to join their minds and hearts with the Holy Father and Catholics throughout the world by praying the rosary for the unborn. Although we all can’t be in Church next Saturday night we can all stop what we are doing and pray as one family.

And then let’s continue our resolution of prayer for the unborn throughout the season of Advent. Is there a better time to pray for the unborn than in this great season of Advent which culminates in the celebration of the most important human birth in the history of the world – the birth of Jesus.

May all of our New Church Year resolutions bring us true joy and peace throughout this New Church Year.

Called to be Saints!

Channel surfing during the half time of the Eagles game I came across the Game Show Network. Much to my surprise on the TV at that very moment was a silly game show that I used to love to watch - Let’s Make a Deal. Just as I remembered there was Monty Hall in the audience making deals with a crazily dressed audience. Some people actually won some prizes while others got a clunker of a prize. Well it all came down to the big deal of the day – two people who won the most during the show could trade in their winnings for a chance at the grand prize knowing that it was behind one of the three curtains. On this particular show no one picked the curtain with the big prize.

But what if you could see behind the curtain? What if you could see what the prize was? Wouldn’t we all pick that curtain? I know I would.

John’s vision from the Book of Revelation is like a sneak peak behind the grand prize curtain of life – it is a glimpse of the prize that awaits all who faithfully follow the Lord Jesus. Take a look …

Great multitude …every nation, race, people, and tongue … wearing white … palm branches … singing, rejoicing before the throne of the Lamb

This is the celebration of ALL the SAINTS!

You know in many ways All Saints Day is really more for us. I am sure the saints are excited about all of us gathering to worship the Lord and to honor them but the saints are sharing in the heavenly banquet, they have won the prize and they are enjoying eternal life with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The saints don’t need All Saints Day – we do. We need to realize what a tremendous life lies ahead. We need to know that Jesus was serious when He promised to prepare a place for us. So All Saints Day is a day for each of us to pick the grand prize curtain, it is a day to choose to be a saint.

But how … how do we choose to be a saint? Aren’t saints super holy? Doesn’t it require that we do something spectacular? Don’t we have to be successful in all that we do?

Mother Teresa answered these kinds of questions this way, “God has not called me to be successful, He only called me to be faithful.”

This is what is required to be a saint

 - FAITHFULNESS -

WE need to HEAR the Word of God and ACT on it!

But it is not all up to us the Holy Spirit will help us to really hear what God is saying to us and how we are to respond. Then we need to respond by coming forward and receiving Jesus Himself in the Eucharist. He will be the strength and the power we need to be able to put that word into action.

The BE-attitudes are our Gospel challenge. Jesus instructs us on how to act, how to be faithful. We need to be live humbly, with a pure heart, showing mercy and compassion. We need to be peacemakers, and to be  concerned about the welfare of those we encounter. For each day we are in constant contact with others from family members to complete strangers. But our attitude should be the same. “Whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me.” Each person needs to be loved as though we were meeting the Lord Himself. This is what it means for you and I to begin becoming saints.

Simple everyday faithfulness to God’s Word

 by caring for all those we meet.

What a Ride!!!

In one of my favorite movies, Parenthood, the wise grandmother makes an interesting observation about life. She compares life to two very different amusement rides by explaining how she felt when she rode each ride. Thrilled, afraid, excited, fearful were the conflicting feelings she had when she rode the roller coaster. Up and down! Up and down! But even with those feelings she always wanted to ride again because all of the ups and downs were so thrilling. On the other hand the merry-go-round just goes around and around. That's it. No excitement, no thrills just the same thing again and again. Grandma preferred to live the life that is like a roller coaster. There are days when life could not be any better. Everything is going so well. It is almost like living heaven on earth. But then there are days that are the complete opposite. Days that are filled with struggles, disappointments, and sadness.

If I didn't know any better I would think that Grandma was a Phillies fan. This season has been one long roller coaster ride of thrills and disappointments. A perfect game, a league best number of wins, H20, another Eastern Division title are just some of the thrills. But then there were injuries and trips to the DL for player after player. In fact, it seems like most of the team spent some time on the disabled list. But if you asked any one of the more than 3.6 million people who witnessed these ups and downs first hand at Citizens Bank Park I think every person would agree that the roller coaster experience of life is much more exciting than a team that just goes through the motions and packs their bags for vacation on the last day of the season.
Well Phillies fans especially those that thought the ride was over by the San Francisco Bay the team has provided another upward thrill and has extended the ride for ...
Whether the ride ends tomorrow or two weeks from now it has been great. Thank you Phillies for saving us from the boring,  repetitive merry-go-round kind of baseball season. Grandma was right - the roller coaster is the way to go!