Thoughts on Independence Day

 I was reminded by my parish priest during his comments in his homily at the July 4th Mass I attended, that Missouri was never under the rule of the British.  While most everyone in the United States celebrates Independence Day on July the 4th, most of what is now the United States did not belong to Great Britain in 1776.  Missouri for example, was first settled by the French Canadians in 1764 but quickly fell under the rule of Spain until France took it back in 1800 under the Treaty of San Ildefonso.  In 1803 it became known as the Missouri Territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase, and did not become a state of the union until 1821.  So while we all celebrate July the 4th as the birthday of the United States, you have to look to your own state's history to determine when it actually became a part of the union, which for Missouri was August 10, 1821.  This begs the question:  why don't states make a bigger deal about the anniversary date of when they became a part of the United States?  Why don't we in Missouri, celebrate August 10th with fireworks?

Scott

Thoughts on the Fourth of July holiday

 

As an American citizen, today the US remembers and celebrates the Fourth of July as a national Holiday. It's a great celebration around the country where families and friends come together for festivities. It's a great day! As I'm getting ready to celebrate with my family, I kept remembering the Bible verse: "I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men: 2 For kings, and for all that are in high station: that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity. " - 1 Timothy 2:1-2 I know so many of us are from all around the world; some are celebrating the Fourth of July while for some of you, it's another date on the calendar.  But what unites us is our Catholic Faith and the duty to pray for those in leadership positions. What is more patriotic and Christian than to pray for those in authority of the country? Especially after these past few weeks, prayers seemed to be needed for all nations more than ever. So together, let's offer up this prayer below for peace throughout the world, God's mercy upon each nation, and the Reign of Our Lady to come.

We pray, O almighty and eternal God, who through Jesus Christ has revealed thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of your name. We pray Thee, who alone are good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, the pope, the vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, all other bishops, prelates and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise among us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct your people into the ways of salvation. We pray O God of might, wisdom and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the president of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to your people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of your divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty. We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by your powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. We recommend likewise, to your unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Finally, we pray to you, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of your servants departed, who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech you, a place of refreshment, light and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen. This prayer was written by Baltimore Archbishop John Carroll in 1791. May God bless each and every one of you. And may Jesus and Mary grant peace and harmony to all the nations! In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Christopher P. Wendt International Director Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima

Thoughts on leadership

 

The Way Out is the Way In

From: The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society

Christian leadership is accomplished only through service. This service requires the willingness to enter into a situation, with all the human vulnerabilities…. This is a painful and self-denying experience, but an experience which can indeed lead man out of his prison of confusion and fear. Indeed, the paradox of Christian leadership is that the way out is the way in, that only by entering into communion with human suffering can relief be found.

Reflection Question: Who might need your service and willingness to enter into their suffering today?

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction. - 2 Corinthians 1:3–4

Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) was a priest, professor, and spiritual writer. He authored over 40 books on the spiritual life and spent his final years at L'Arche Daybreak, a community for people with intellectual disabilities. Drawing from his own journey of vulnerability and faith, he invites seekers into deeper intimacy with God, themselves, and others.

More Books by Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on faith

 

Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 8:5–17

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus celebrates the trust of the centurion who asked him to heal his servant: “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” We can say with the centurion that the Lord is a rock, a stronghold, a firm place to stand. The God who is not one more shifting and indefinite creature but rather the ground of being itself is a power upon whom we can rely, a covenant-maker whose word we can trust. In his very freedom and sovereignty as our Creator, God is a parent in whose lap we can serenely find our rest. Undoubtedly, what has made religious belief such an indispensable part of human consciousness and behavior is just this assurance of safety that it brings. There is nothing in the cosmos that will not, finally, disappoint us. There is no place in the universe that will not, finally, be shaken. But God, the self-sufficient ground of existence itself, can be trusted not to disappoint and not to betray. “No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I’m clinging,” says the author of the hymn, witnessing ecstatically to this divine faithfulness. Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on discipleship

 

Once in a personal retreat, my retreat director made a stark statement that continues to haunt me: It is one thing to follow Christ’s call; it is quite another to accept his mission.

When St. Matthew narrated the call of the first disciples which we find in the Gospel selection for this weekend’s Mass, he emphasized the speed of their response. They were adventurous young men who only needed a nudge from God to leave behind all they knew and serve a man who drew crowds wherever he went.

The Gospel writer knew the compelling nature of Jesus’ call. At the start, a life of discipleship promises fulfillment, wisdom and grace, as well as potential honor and status. But, the inspiration of these dreams of doing great things for God can sometimes obscure the hard work and suffering inherent in discipleship. In his preaching this week, Jesus offers his disciples no such illusions.

Hostility to Jesus and his message had already begun. The debate over his ability to forgive sins had turned some faithful Jews against him. Now he had doubled down on his claims and was sending his disciples out to spread this same message throughout Judea and Galilee. It’s easy to imagine friends and family quietly begging the Twelve not to go; and, it is easy to imagine the disciples beginning to wonder what they had gotten themselves into. Jesus’ response is clear, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

The Twelve must have sensed they were passing a point of no return. Until now, they had learned from Jesus, but they had not yet risked themselves. Now, to continue their discipleship they had to preach his difficult message alone among strangers. By making his words their own, they were making themselves target for the hostility directed at Jesus. Those whose goal was to sit at Christ’s side in a restored kingdom of Israel must have been utterly bewildered.

Discipleship today requires the same self-abnegation. We need to speak Christ’s words in our own voice and actions. We have to pass the same point of no return. In doing so, we may confuse our families and maybe lose a few friends. The only people who might understand what we are doing are those who have undertaken the same mission themselves.

Is Christ asking you to leave something behind to follow him more truly?


Fr. Frank Reale, S.J.

Thoughts on criticism

 

Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 7:1–5

Friends, Jesus’s parable in today’s Gospel is one of the most psychologically and spiritually insightful remarks in the New Testament. Let’s face it: a favorite pastime of most human beings is criticism of others. We delight in pointing out the shortcomings, moral failings, and annoying tendencies of our neighbors. This is, of course, a function of pride and egotism: The more I put someone else down, the more elevated I feel. But it is also, oddly, a magnificent means of turning a mirror on ourselves, to see what usually remains unseen. Why, we ought to ask, do we find precisely this sin of others particularly annoying? Why does that trait or sin of a confrere especially gall us? Undoubtedly, Jesus implies, because it reminds us of a similar failing in ourselves. I remember a retreat director asking each of us to call to mind a person that we found hard to take and then to recount in detail the characteristics that made the person so obnoxious to us. Then he recommended that we go back to our room and ask God to forgive those same faults in ourselves. His words were as unnerving and as illuminating as these words of Jesus. Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on Father's Day

 

I want to wish a very happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, and spiritual fathers reading this right now. Watch my reflection here.

Fatherhood is one of the most profound and necessary callings in our world. As fathers, men become living signs of God’s own sacrificial love—providing, protecting, and guiding with a compassionate heart. “As a father has compassion for his children,” the psalmist proclaims, “so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.”  In living out this calling, you walk in the footsteps of Saint Joseph, who looked after the Holy Family with such quiet and steady devotion. Fathers, never underestimate the influence you have; your commitment to your family and your faith is the foundation upon which the next generation stands. This year, I want to propose a special intention for your Father’s Day celebration. As you honor the men who have shaped your life, remember in your prayers the priests you’ve known throughout the years. These men have answered a call to spiritual fatherhood, becoming, as Fulton Sheen put it, a Jacob’s ladder connecting heaven and earth, serving as a bridge between human beings and God.  In a particular way, I invite you to pray for your own pastor—the man who shepherds your local parish family. Pray that he be strengthened in his ministry and find joy in his sacred calling. In Christ,

Bishop Robert Barron