The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Dear Parish Family,

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord brings an end to the Church’s Liturgical celebration of Christmas and the Christmas season.  His being made known to the nations, we now proclaim the beginning of His public ministry. Jesus is proclaimed by the Father to be His ‘beloved Son,’ and the Holy Spirit  is evident (in the form of a Dove) as there is a total unity and equality among the Three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity.  Jesus is acknowledged by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God, the One who has come to take away the sins of the world.  Today, Jesus begins His public ministry, the proclamation of the Gospel, the good News of God’s loving plan to bring healing, hope, forgiveness and salvation to all humankind. This will reach its culmination in His Passion, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Today, we also are reminded of our own Baptism, where we received the grace of the forgiveness of original sin, adoption as one of God’s children, Christ’s sibling and a Temple of the Holy Spirit.  It’s now our mission to continue the mission of proclaiming the Gospel by the witness of our lives.  Offering faith, hope, love and Christ’s redemption to all the world. As we begin this year we should look at and examine how faithful I have been to the wonderful gift of my faith and the graces of my own Baptism.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

IT IS TIME TO COME TOGETHER
Dear Parish Family,
This coming Tuesday the election will be over; no matter what the outcome; it is time to put aside all the rhetoric, vitriol and division and remember that we are “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We are all Americans and we ned to come together, work and pray together so that our children can have a future of peace, freedom and justice. Together, we can pray for all those who were elected to serve with honesty, dignity and integrity.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

The Church Triumphant and the Church Purgative

Dear Parish Family,

In addition to the Church on earth (the Pilgrim Church), the Church also consists of those who have gone before us who are in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) and those who have gone before us who will be in Heaven but are not yet there, those Holy Souls in Purgatory (the Church Purgative).  All three are connected by Baptism and all are called to live in the fullness of the Kingdom of our God.  November 1 we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, not just those Saints who are officially recognized as Saints by the Church, but the uncountable number of others who have achieved the beatific Vision, Heaven, and are celebrating the fullness of life with God, the Virgin Mary and all the angels. November 2 we commemorate All Souls Day, the day we specifically pray for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory.  There is a great deal of confusion about Purgatory; this is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us.  “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so to as achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.  The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory at the Councils of Florence and Trent, The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Sacred Scripture; especially 1 Maccabees 12:46, 1 Corinthian’s 3:15, 1 Peter 1:7.(CCC 1030 – 1031 ff).  We rejoice with those who have gone before us in faith, we pray for those in Purgatory, offer up good words and have Mass celebrated for them.  We acknowledge our brothers and sisters in Heaven and thank them for their intercession of our behalf before the throne of God.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

A statement of the Catholic Bishops of New York State.

Proposal 1: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

This past week I was on retreat, and while praying for the parish it came to me that many are suffering from cancer.  Did you know that we have a Saint to whom we can pray specifically for intercession for cancer patients?  He is St. Peregrine, and here is his story.

The Rebel Who Became a Saint

I found a statue of St. Peregrine which I purchased and blessed along with a book of Catholic Novenas with the novena in honor of St. Peregrine in it.  If any one or any family would like to take the statue and Novena to their home and pray that novena for themselves, a loved one or a friend; please contact the rectory.  All that I ask is that you bring the statue and novena back to the rectory after your nine days so that others might have the opportunity to take part in this prayer.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

Christian Love

Dear Parish Family,
The three Theological virtues are Faith, Hope and Love; according to St. Paul, Love is the greatest and the foundation upon which the Christian Life is based. In Corinthians, Paul writes: “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-13)
This virtue is the very essence of God, as God is described as Love. This is not the love of the world: it is something very different. The love of God is freeing and sets free; it is forgiving and creative. However, it is not the same as liking. Liking is an emotion, based on attraction, or similar interests and goals. The Love of God is a decision based on ‘grace’; to look beyond any external, or changing reality, or deed that a person has done to find a unique child of God, created in the Divine Image and redeemed by the Blood of Christ. This Love reminds us that we are to love as we have been loved by God: freely, honestly, without any condition or reservation. God Bless, Fr. Dan

The Power of Prayer

Dear Parish Family,
Each weekend at Mass in the prayers of the faithful we remember the prayers in our ‘Book of Intentions,’ and ‘Memorial Book’ and last week prayer cards for the sick were available. You may have noticed in front of the altar a box marked: “prayer intentions”; these are from the weekend of the Eucharistic Miracle presentation and the Blessed Carlos Acutis exhibit. I plan to leave this box in front of the altar until the beginning of Advent so that our parishioners (in fact anyone who wishes) may write a prayer intention and place it in the box.:. There is a group who gather every Thursday to pray the Rosary, and every First Friday people have the opportunity to spend an hour with the Lord in adoration. Our prayers aren’t simply what we do by rote, we do believe in the power of prayer and that as Jesus tells us: “If two or three of agree on earth to pray for anything it will be granted to you by My Father in Heaven.” Of course prayer is not magic, nor are our prayers magic incantations, yes, our heavenly Father answers our prayers, but not always in the way that we want. Sometimes, like any good parent, the answer must be ‘no’ for our own spiritual and even physical good. The most powerful prayer is the Eucharist, where we join with our Eucharistic Lord in offering up all to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Someone once said: “Act like everything depends on you; pray because everything depends on God.” There is no vacation from prayer.
God Bless: Fr. Dan

Faith?
Dear Parish Family,
I remember the weekend after 9/11; the Churches were as full as they were at any Christmas or Easter. The same was true of parishes of all denominations. We were reminded that we need God, not only in our personal lives, but in our Civic and National life as well. Unfortunately, as the weeks went on the attendance dropped and it seemed that many other ‘priorities’ took precedence over faith in God and the Church at prayer. It is interesting that many turn to God only in their need, or time of crisis or expect God to do our bidding or on demand whenever I think about Him or need Him or like Santa Clause; giving me what I want when I want it without condition or exception? Is God a part of my daily life, my professional life, my family life, our national and Civic life? God is not a magician and faith is not a magic incantation. God desires to be an active part of our lives; in difficult times as well as well as when things are going well. So I need to ask myself: Do I really believe in the God of Revelation and Tradition; the Judeo-Christian God of Scripture; or do I believe God owes me, because after all, I know better than God and I certainly don’t want to be looked at ‘funny’ by the ‘modern world’ and secular society. Am I one of those to whom Jesus could say: “O you of little faith.” God Bless, Fr. Dan

The Permanent Diaconate

Dear Parish Family,
On Saturday, May 11, Jeff Dixe was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate; this is the same office as Deacon John has. To be Ordained a Deacon is to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders: there are three distinct offices within Holy Orders, to become a Deacon, to become a Priest, to become a Bishop. Even though there are three offices, there is only one Sacrament. Within the office of Deacon there are two distinct types. One can be Ordained a permanent Deacon, as Jeff and John are: a permanent Deacon will remain within this office. One can be Ordained a transitional Deacon, which means that one will then be Ordained to the office of Priesthood. The word Deacon means servant, and much more. It includes the concept of Mission and companion within the Ordained Ministries of the Church. A Deacon (both permanent and transitional) has the responsibilities to proclaim the Gospel at Mass to preach; to officiate at Weddings and to perform Baptisms; a Deacon may also perform Wake Services and bury the dead. Implied in the Office of Deacon is to help the faithful better understand the Faith and assist in the Church’s ministry of Charity. Congratulations Jeff, and welcome to the fraternity of the ordained Ministers of the Church.
God bless, Fr. Dan

Let the Children Come…

Dear Parish Family,
As you can see, we had two Baptisms last week and we have five more scheduled before the beginning of June; Baptisms are a great joy and a sign that our parish is healthy and growing. Thank you to all you parents who bring your children to celebrate the Eucharist with us; they are a delight and joy and remind us of how wonderful a gift children really are.

There is a quote (and I don’t remember where it is from): “A parish that isn’t crying is dying” It is great to hear the children, even if they cry, wiggle, or walk around. Parents never be concerned that your child is making too much noise, or is a distraction: they ARE NOT. Children are supposed to be children. When the children see you at Mass, they will feel comfortable in Church; it is their parish home and we are their parish family.

To quote one of my favorite Scripture passages: “And the people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them, blessed them, placing his hands on them.”   Mark 10: 13-15
God bless, Fr. Dan