Fr. Michael Lampe shares the truth in love through his homilies and other recordings. May all who come to this blog be drawn more closely to Jesus Christ!
A happily married couple of more than 2 decades shared with me the most important thing that they learned in their first 5 years of marriage. Those years were difficult for them and they reached a point of needing counseling. They each thought that the other was deliberately upsetting them. When one spouse would do something at the house, the other would think that it didn’t make any sense to do it that way and it must be some form of spite. What they learned though, is that they were two very different people with different personalities and ways of doing things. When they understood their differences, they realized that it wasn’t spite or deliberate attempts to upset each other, rather they just did things differently. By accepting their differences, they were able to save their marriage. It may sound simple, but it took them 5 years and counseling to resolve this conflict. Listen to my homily to learn some additional tips and strategies to overcome conflict!
The Retrouvaille Program is for Married Couples Facing Difficult Challenges in their Relationship
It's a marriage program that helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship. It's
primarily a practical program to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help couples reconnect.
For those in marriages that need the help of a counselor or therapist, here are some suggestions:
There are two people that I can recommend for counseling from what I was given in the seminary. Both are in the Chesterfield area. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis also offers counseling.
This website has lots of helpful things on it for tele-counseling, life coaching, and self help. There are many helpful books too, including How to Heal Your Marriage:
Most of you know me as a priest, and you might think that I have always been a faithful Catholic, but that is not the case. I had drifted away from the Church back in middle school and by the time I was in college, I lived almost as if I never was Catholic. As I used the standards of society for my own morality, I noticed some kind of emptiness, sadness, and unhappiness in my life. I tried to distract myself from this strange pain with many things like video games, movies, board games, card games, and other forms of entertainment. But as soon as the activity was over the pain returned. It was at its worst one night in the summer of 2004 when I was staying in Rolla to work as an undergraduate research assistant for one of the Nuclear Engineering professors. Listen to my homily (either one) to find out more about my return to the Catholic Church. Or, watch the video recording from Christmas Eve!
Christmas Eve
Readings: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13 [Lk 2:11]; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14.
Christmas Day
Readings: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20
Key Themes: Christmas, Christ is our light, My Conversion Story, Joy of being in relationship with the Lord
God has a plan for everyone, plans for your life and for your eternal life. He prepares us for such things as we are on our journey to Him. Listen to or watch my Homily to learn more. The audio recording is from the 5:30 pm Mass. The video recording is from the 9:15 am live-streamed Mass.
Readings: Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29 [2a]; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38
Key Themes: Divine Province, Typology, Preparation, God's plan for you
Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception! This is a great day for our country! Yes, this is a great day for our country! Today we celebrate the patroness of the United States of America! Mary, the Immaculate Conception!
We should prepare ourselves for Christmas by making room for the Lord in our hearts. We can clear away the clutter of sin with Confession. Listen to my homily to learn more!
Some resources to help prepare you for Confession:
Preparation for Confession
A great way to prepare for Christmas is to go to confession. Confession is not difficult, but it does require preparation. We should begin with prayer, placing ourselves in the presence of God, our loving Father. We seek forgiveness and healing through repentance and a resolve to avoid sin in the future.
We then thoroughly review our lives since our last confession, searching our thoughts, words, and actions for times we did not conform to God’s command to love him and one another through his laws and the laws of his Church. This is called an examination of conscience. By examining our consciences, we can recognize more of our sins and present them to God to be reconciled with Him and receive His mercy. Then we can be ready to welcome Jesus Christ at Christmas with a clean soul.
Brief Examination of Conscience
•Have I prayed to God every day, and thanked Him for His many gifts? Have I taken the name of God in vain?
•Have I gone to confession at least once a year? Have I received communion in a state of mortal sin?
•Have I indulged in boasting or vainglory?
•Have I put my faith in danger in any way or engaged in superstitious practices?
•Have I missed Mass on Sundays or holy days of obligation through my own fault? Am I attentive at Mass? Have I fasted and abstained on the prescribed days?
•Have I disobeyed my parents or lawful superiors in important matters?
•Have I hated others, or desired revenge? Have I been disrespectful or refused forgiveness? Have I been envious?
•Have I been drunk or taken illicit drugs?
•Have I consented to, recommended, or actively taken part in an abortion?
•Have I willfully looked at impure images, entertained impure thoughts, or engaged in unchaste conversations or actions?
•Have I used artificial contraception?
•Have I been unfaithful to my spouse or engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage?
•Have I stolen or damaged another’s property? Have I been honest in my business relations and with my employer?
•Have I been responsive to the needs of the poor? Do I contribute to the Church?
•Have I told lies or gossiped? Have I judged others rashly in serious matters?
A step-by-step guide to Reconciliation (Confession):
1.Make the Sign of the Cross and say, ‘Bless me, father, for I have sinned. My last confession was [give the number of weeks, months, or years].’
2.Confess all of your sins to the priest. In order to make a good confession, you must confess all mortal sins according to kind and number. If you are unsure about how to confess or you feel uneasy, ask the priest to help you.
3.Following your confession of sins, say: ‘I am sorry for these and all my sins.’
4.The priest assigns you a penance and offers advice to help you be a better Catholic.
5.Say an Act of Contrition: ‘O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.’
6.The priest, acting in the person of Christ, then absolves you from your sins.
7.Perform your assigned penance.
8.Resolve to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation often.
Back in 2007, in a Washington D.C. Metro station many pedestrians were going about their daily lives. A violinist next to one of the walls in the Metro station played music for 40 minutes. He was mostly ignored and despite hundreds of people passing by, only 7 people stopped to listen. The violinist earned $59 at that Metro station. This same violinist would regularly fill concert halls where the seats averaged $100 each. He recorded over 40 albums, had over 200 international concerts, and his violin is worth $3.5 million dollars. The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top violinists in the world. So, what was he doing in a Metro station? Listen to or watch my homily to find out! The audio recording is from the 5:30 pm Mass. The video recording is from the 9:15 am livestreamed Mass.
Fr. Eddie Voltz, Assistant Vocation's Director, presided over and preached at the Holy Hour for Vocation on November 8th, 2019. Listen to his encouragement for those who are discerning a call and to those who are praying for vocations.
Have you ever gone out of your way to get the perfect gift for someone you love? I can remember when my grandmother did this for me... Listen to my homily to find out more!
Are you prepared? The parable in the Gospel passage reminds us that we need to be perpetually ready for the coming of the Lord. This parable is rich in symbolism, but you have to listen to the homily to find out what I mean by that!
Bulletin Article on Indulgences and Additional Options for Indulgences
Indulgences
“An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is concerned… the Church… applies the treasury of the satisfaction won by Christ and the saints” to the recipient of the indulgence. “An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.” (Indulgentiarum doctrina, Norms 1 & 2)
The indulgences received can only be applied to oneself or the deceased. Indulgences are granted to encourage the faithful to grow in the perfection of charity. Only the baptized who are in a state of grace while doing the prescribed work according to the time and manner prescribed, and intend to gain the indulgence, can do so.
Only one plenary indulgence can be received per day, but multiple partials can be granted per day. To gain a plenary indulgence, one must perform the work specified and meet the following conditions:
1.Detachment from all sin (even venial)
2.Sacramental confession (within several days, applicable to multiple indulgences)
3.Holy Communion (for each indulgence)
4.Prayer for the pope’s intentions (for each indulgence; can be satisfied with one Our Father and one Hail Mary)
If any one of these conditions is not met, then the indulgence will be partial instead of plenary. A partial indulgence adds to the good work an equivalent remission of temporal punishment to what the work itself receives.
A plenary indulgence (applicable only to the souls in purgatory) is granted to those who devoutly visit a church on All Souls Day (Nov. 2nd) and pray an Our Father and the Creed. By special permission from the Pope, this year only, this plenary indulgence can be obtained on any other day of the month chosen by each member of the faithful. Likewise, a plenary indulgence can be granted to a soul in purgatory when the faithful visit a cemetery and pray for the dead from Nov. 1st thru Nov. 8th. This year, the indulgence can be obtained by anyone who visits a cemetery, even if only mentally, on any day in November, and devoutly prays for the faithful departed.
For more information, see The Handbook of Indulgences Norms and Grants.
Additional Options
Plenary Indulgences can also be obtained in any of the following ways, in addition to the ways mentioned above for the month of November, along with the 4 conditions required above:
1. Making a visit to the Blessed Sacrament to adore Him for at least one half hour.
2. Spending at least one half hour reading Sacred Scripture, as spiritual reading, with the veneration due to the Word of God.
3. Making the Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross). This includes walking from Station to Station. (At publicly held Stations, if this cannot be done in an orderly way, at least the leader must move from Station to Station.) No specific prayers are required, but devout meditation on the Passion and Death of Our Lord is required (not necessarily on the individual Stations).
4. Recitation of the Rosary (of at least 5 decades), with devout meditation on the Mysteries, in addition to the vocal recitation. It must be said in a church, family group, religious community, or pious association.
At one point in time, many people believed that only priests and those in religious orders were called to become saints. Only they were to pursue the life of holiness. However, everyone is called to be holy, everyone is called to be a saint! Only saints are in heaven. If you want to be in heaven, then you have to become a saint.
Wait! The Church has to declare someone a saint right? Listen to my homily and get the answer!
We are all called to be saints, we are all called to live a life of holiness, so that we are with God forever in Heaven. Within that vocation we each have our particular vocation or calling of how to live lives of holiness. Some are called to become priests, nuns, sisters, brothers, monks, consecrated virgins, etc. but most are called to marriage. Since marriage is the most common calling, we can sometimes be dismissive of the other possibilities and fail to discern if God calls us to pursue holiness in these special ways. Anyone who takes their faith seriously should consider the possibility of being called to holiness in ways besides marriage. If you do not yet know your vocation, please consider the possibilities.
Prayers for Vocations
2019-2020 Vocations Prayer
God our Father, Bless Your Church with an abundance of Priests, Deacons, Brothers and Sisters. Give those You have called to Marriage and those called to a singular, holy commitment to You, the special graces their lives need. Form each and all of us into the image of Your Son, so that in Him, with Him, and through Him we may love You more deeply and serve You more faithfully. And Father, help me to know and live my vocation with Mary, our Mother. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
2020-2021 Vocations Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of life and the gift of faith; born of Your infinite love. We ask you to bless our diocese with selfless hearts, willing to worship and serve You in Your Church.
Lord Jesus, we ask You to raise up saints from our homes, as called by the Father; providing courageous and humble men to the holy Priesthood, faithful servants to Consecrated Life, and holy men and women to the Sacrament of Matrimony.
Holy Spirit, help us live out our universal call to holiness, by listening to the Father’s voice and gratefully responding with a surrendering and sacrificial love.
Holy Mary, Model of Vocations, teach us to hear and follow your Son Jesus.
Holy Mary, Queen of Priests, sanctify our priests and obtain for us many more.
Holy Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, show us the Way to the Heart of your Son.
Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for our families and children to be holy.
There are lots of things that are going on in our lives and demanding our attention. Globally, there is the pandemic. Nationally, we have our elections coming up. The holidays will be here soon too. We are bombarded with many forms of entertainment and material things to consume. How do we figure out what is most important? How do we prioritize the many options of our lives?
Jesus was teaching about being faithful citizens first as members of the Kingdom of Heaven, which started with our baptisms, but also in our countries here on earth. Be faithful in both. What then does God through His Church teach us about being faithful citizens? Listen to my homily to find out!
This audio recording is from the 5:30 pm Mass and the video recording below is from the 9:15 am Mass. The bulletin articles mentioned in the homily can be found below as well.
Here are the articles that appeared in the bulletin over the last few weeks:
Moral Issues and Voting
Below are some excerpts from the USCCB document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.
22. There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. … These are called "intrinsically evil" actions. They must always be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned. A prime example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion and euthanasia. In our nation, "abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most fundamental human good and the condition for all others" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 5). …
23. Similarly, human cloning, destructive research on human embryos, and other acts that directly violate the sanctity and dignity of human life are also intrinsically evil. These must always be opposed. Other direct assaults on innocent human life, such as genocide, torture, and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, can never be justified. …
25. The right to life implies and is linked to other human rights … As St. John XXIII taught, "[Each of us] has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for the proper development of life; these are primarily food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and, finally, the necessary social services" (Pacem in Terris, no. 11).
26. St. John Paul II explained the importance of being true to fundamental Church teachings:
Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights-for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture-is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination. (Christifideles Laici, no. 38)
What does the Church teach about Catholics as citizens?
From the Archdiocese of St. Louis document Political Process Guidelines for Parishes, Schools, and Agencies (#1.1):
The Church teaches that human persons need to live in society as a requirement of their human nature and in order to fulfill their human vocation.1 … The role of legitimate authority in society is to “ensure as far as possible the common good,”2 exercising their authority in ways that are not “contrary to the dignity of the human person or the natural law.”3
Catholics are called to participate in promoting the common good and, as far as possible, to take an active part in public life.4 …
To fulfill this calling, Catholics must be informed, active, and responsible participants in the political process. … They need to know about current social issues, to understand the Church’s teachings about their moral dimensions, to form their consciences in light of their faith, and to act out of their moral convictions. …
Among all the concerns and issues facing society, there is an order of priority. Conditions upon which other conditions depend must receive first consideration. Therefore, the first consideration must be given to the protection of human life itself, and within considerations of protection for human life, the protection of the life of innocent, defenseless, weak, and burdened persons must have primacy of place.13
“In weighing all of the social conditions which pertain to the common good, we must safeguard, before all else, the good of human life and the good of marriage and the family.”14 “The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed.”15 “The family – based on marriage between a man and a woman – is the first and fundamental unit of society and is a sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of children. It should be defended and strengthened, not redefined, or further distorted.”16
You may be surprised by this, but when I was in primary school, I was a terrible student. I hated doing homework and would find any excuse not to do it. I was struggling with reading and spelling, and because I was so bad at it, I would avoid those subjects, which only made it worse. When I heard about the possibility of repeating a grade, I was motivated enough to do better, but still not a good student. Around 5th grade I wanted to impress my older brother with good grades and when I was affirmed for my hard work I was motivated to be a good student from that point onward.
You might think, what does that have to do with anything in the readings? Listen to my homily to find out! This audio recording is from the 5:30 pm Mass and the video recording below is from the 9:15 am Mass.
Readings: EZ 18:25-28; PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; PHIL 2:1-11 OR 2:1-5; MT 21:28-32
Key Themes: Our Choice, Free Will, Doing the Father’s Will, Eternal Life, Heaven, Hell, Final Answer
Jesus told His parable to the chief priests and the elders, to help them, and us, choose to live for Heaven. So, let us repent of our sins and go to confession. Let us choose to do the will of God the Father by following the teachings He gives us through His Church and seeking a relationship with Him even while we are here on earth.
As we go through life we often recognize differences between our lives and the lives of others. We may notice how someone else may get what we wanted, or we may want what someone else has. It’s possible that we may have the same thing as others but somehow, we had to work harder to get it and it seemingly was easy for them. We might think these things are unfair. We might be upset, bitter, or angry about it.
If you had experiences like these, then you also may know how the early workers in the parable of our Gospel passage felt... Listen to my homily to learn more!
Readings: Is 55:6-9; Ps 145; Phil 1:20c-24, 27A and Mt 20:1-16A
Key Themes: Jealousy, Envy, Generosity, Mercy, Love
Let us take the next moment of silence to offer any jealousy and envy, and any other sins we struggle with, to God, along with ourselves, and ask Him to grant us an increase in generosity, mercy, and love. Let that be our daily prayer this week and let us also thank our Lord for the great gift of Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist.
At Ascension we have a Spanish Mass every second Saturday of the month. We rotate who celebrates this Mass. Although I am able to celebrate Mass in Spanish, it is only after a lot of practice. This is the first time I recorded my Spanish homily. I hope to continue to improve as time goes on. Below is a recording of the homily both in Spanish and in English.
Perdonar Siempre - HomilÃa de la misa en español para Domingo 24 en TO - 12 de septiembre de 2020
Always Forgive - Spanish Mass Homily for 24th Sunday in OT - September 12th, 2020
Readings: Sir 27:30-28:7; Ps 103; Rom 14:7-9; and Mt 18:21-35
In February 2019, I was blessed to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.We went to many places in the Holy Land where the events in the Bible actually happened.While we were in Jerusalem, we took the opportunity to walk the Way of the Cross.We started near the site believed to be where Jesus was condemned by pilot, then we walked through Jerusalem carrying a large wooden cross.We had at least 5 people carrying it at a time, and I was leading the Stations of the Cross as we stopped at different locations that commemorated those events.We couldn’t take the wooden Cross all the way to the top of Calvary because Calvary is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Although we couldn’t take the cross all the way to Calvary, we did carry it most of the way. Why did we do that? ... Listen to my homily and find out!
Readings: Jer 20:7-9; Ps 63; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27
Key Themes: Good out of Evil, Carrying Our Crosses
Carrying a cross through the streets of Jerusalem
February 2019
Excerpt from homily:
Whatever difficulty, challenge, suffering, or burden we face, we can unite that to the sufferings of Jesus Christ for a greater good as we carry that cross. Some crosses can be small and easy to endure, like a paper cut. Others can be devastating and difficult to comprehend like the terrorist attacks that took place on 9/11 back in 2001. But, God can bring good out of any evil. We as a nation rallied together after 9/11 and for a time many who fell away from the faith came back. We must cooperate with the grace that God offers us when we are confronted with our crosses, and in this way we can experience and receive the good that He intends to bring out of it.
P. S. Ironically, I mentioned in my homily a cross of a paper cut and got one the next morning. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to carry this cross and offer up this minor suffering in union with the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord!
In 2017 Msgr. Rivituso was named the new auxiliary bishop for St. Louis. At that time, I was still a seminarian and many seminarians would ask each other about the possibility of becoming a bishop someday. A common response was not to want it because of the huge responsibility that comes with being a bishop. ... We are about to get a new Archbishop for St. Louis.Archbishop-designate Mitchell Rozanski will be installed as our new Archbishop this Tuesday on the Feast of St. Louis.This is a huge responsibility.
Listen to my homily to learn more about this responsibility of a bishop.
Readings: Is 22:19-23; Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8; Rom 11:33-36; Mt 16:13-20
Key Themes: Responsibility of a bishop
I challenge you to pray for Archbishop-designate Mitchell Rozanski every day this week with an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
A young man set his heart upon a young woman back in the 1920’s. He expressed his romantic interest in her by a letter. She replied saying that it would never work out. However, he was not deterred by her letter. Instead he was inspired to write another. She again resisted his advances. He did not give up and wrote again. Although she gave little evidence that a romantic relationship could ever work out, she continued to write back to him. The very fact that she would continue to respond gave him hope and he would look for every opportunity in what she said in her letters to try and persuade her to give him a chance. She seemed to be playing hard to get, and as she was willing to continue the exchange of letters, the young man’s love for her continued to grow. Listen to my homily (recorded at the 5:30 pm Mass) to find out what happens and how this is similar to the prayer of the Canaanite woman. Or watch the video recording from the 9:15 am Mass!
Readings:Is 56:1, 6-7; Ps 67; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28
Key Themes: Pray like her, imitate the Canaanite Woman, Perseverance in prayer, Faith, and Humility
Know also that you will probably gain more by praying fifteen minutes before the Blessed Sacrament than by all the other spiritual exercises of the day. True, Our Lord hears our prayers anywhere, for He has made the promise, ‘Ask, and you shall receive,’ but He has revealed to His servants that those who visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament will obtain a more abundant measure of grace.
Key Themes: Adoration, Benefits of Adoration, Expanding Adoration to Tuesdays
Although Mass is objectively superior to Adoration, and Adoration is an extension of the Mass, many people are too easily distracted during Mass to be open to all the graces God wishes to give them. Adoration allows us an extended time of quiet prayer before the Lord so that we can be less distracted and more focus on the Lord and receive more from Him than if we didn't spend any time at all in Adoration.
No editing was done to this picture,
the glow around the top of the monstrance
is how it appeared in the camera!
Please take a moment to help us determine if there is enough interest in Adoration on Tuesdays from 7 am to 7 pm for us to commit to having it. Eucharistic Adoration Survey:
I was incredibly nervous as I made my way to St. Patrick’s Church in Rolla. I had never, or at least as far as I could remember, never gone go Adoration before that. However, when we were invited at Mass to go to Adoration, the Lord put it on my heart to accept the invitation. I was going by myself and determined to do as God was calling me, but I also had no idea what to expect or what I should be doing when I get there.
I opened the door to the chapel and looked inside. There were about few people there. Some sitting, some kneeling. I quickly found a seat and went there, while trying to make it look like I knew what I was doing. “Should I be sitting or kneeling? I can sit. Now what? Um, now I kneel. Lord, I don’t know what I am doing, but I’m here.”
Key Themes: Adoration, Buried Treasure, Pearl of Great Price, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus our King
This homily (actually, a slightly longer version) was part of our 9:15 am Live Stream Mass. The homily was clipped from the rest of the recording of the Live Stream and can be viewed by clicking the link below.
Fr. Lampe Preaching at the 9:15 am Mass on July 26th, 2020
This Gospel passage is so familiar isn’t it? At first, I wasn’t sure what to say about since it seems straight forward. We start with the Parable of the Sower, and it sort of makes sense by itself, but before we finish our passage we have an explanation. Jesus tells us what He means by the parable. So, we can just read the ending and we would know what the parable means. Okay, so, does that mean I’m done? Nothing more to preach about? Oh, there is always more with God. Listen to the Homily to learn more.
Readings: IS 55:10-11; PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14; ROM 8:18-23; MT 13:1-23 OR 13:1-9
Key Themes: Sower, seed, soil, bearing fruit, word of God, tips to be rich soil
Tips to be Good Soil (Excerpt from the Homily):
I hope that you at least desire to be like the disciples, be rich soil, and allow the teachings of Jesus Christ and your relationship with Him transform you into the saints He wants you to be. Here are some tips to help you be the rich soil:
·Pay attention. Pay attention to what is happening, right here, right now, during Mass and any time you pray with scripture. You can’t receive the word of God if you aren’t paying attention. The Mass is mostly scripture quotes, so at any point during the Mass you could be able to receive the word of God.
·Receive the seed. When something strikes you or stands out, when it makes you wonder or ponder its meaning, it could very well be the seed God is sowing in you.
·Write it down. Yes, write it down. Whatever seed God sows in you, you will retain it better if you write it down. Write it down immediately after Mass or write it down during my homily. I would be happy to see you writing something during my homily because then I’ll have to assume it means I said something worth writing down. Just don’t let the seed be taken from you.
·Think about it. Whatever seed you received will more easily take root if you are thinking about it and trying to understand it more fully.
·Discuss it with family and friends. The seed will grow and bear fruit if you are sharing it with others. In order to share it, you must first have it for yourself, so discussing it helps you understand it better and allows it to be sown in others.
Recently, I was looking through some of my class work from the seminary. I came across a paper that I wrote. I remembered what it was like when I wrote that paper. I had an early start and it seemed to be going well. However, I had other classwork, duties, and responsibilities that led me to pause my work on the paper. Later, I tried to work on it some more, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I spent many hours laboring on it with very little to show for it. I was frustrated and confused why I seemed to have a writer’s block. The paper seemed to be such a burden to me, so much so, that I avoided working on it. When the due date was near, I couldn’t avoid it any longer, so I tried to work on it again, but continued to struggle.
Didn’t Jesus say, “my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”Why was it so hard to write this paper then?Why is following Jesus through His Church hard sometimes if He says it is easy?Why do we find it hard to avoid sin if the burden of being His follower is supposed to be light?
Listen to my homily for answers to these questions!
Two bishops were conversing with each other as they walked down a street in Rome, Italy. One of the bishop’s noticed a woman who was immodestly dressed and appeared to be selling herself. So, he warned his fellow bishop to avert his eyes to avoid temptation. The second bishop instead looked intently at her, not at her body, but her, a person, a beloved child of God. He said to her how unfortunate it was that she did not know her worth and her dignity. His genuine and chaste love for her as a lost child of God was confusing for her, but also transformative. With his help she abandoned her sinful way of life and acquired a good and healthy job. Which bishop made the right choice?
Back in February I visited my older brother and his family. One day, while I was playing with my nieces on the living room couch, my youngest niece, who was about 1 year old, was near the edge of the couch. I didn’t notice since she was behind me and I couldn’t see her. My brother, who was on the other side of the room, sees his daughter in danger and without hesitation rushes across the room, dives, and...
Listen to my homily to find out what happens next!
In the early Church, parents gave a very simple blessing of making the Sign of the Cross on their children’s foreheads. This practice continues today at the beginning of every baptism and can be repeated by the parents whenever they want. It’s also good to vocalize this blessing by saying something like, “I bless you, my child, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” There is no set or required words, so you can also free style the blessing. Using Holy Water in the bless is another great option. I encourage fathers to pray a blessing over your children everyday if possible. This is a great family practice as everyone is getting ready for bed.
