Encountering God

Dear Parish Family,
Where do we encounter God? Certainly in the Eucharist: the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, in the proclamation of the Word and in the people gathered, the body of Christ. We also meet God in all of the Sacraments, in our private and communal prayer and in reading Sacred scripture. God also is found in the daily business of living, if we just look and listen with an open heart and soul. God can be found in music, both liturgical and secular, that lifts us up and brings delight. Certainly God can be found in the gathering of family and friends, enjoying life and laughter; in the sound of children playing, adolescents exploring new things and in the wisdom of the elderly. St. Bonaventure teaches us that God can be found in nature; in nature we see the (Vestigia Dei), the footprints of God: in the wonder of spring, the power of a storm, the spectacle of Autumn and the quiet peace of winter. God can also be found in adversity and struggle, even pain can give us a glimpse of God’s sacrificial love for us. Even sorrow at loss can bring us an experience of God. We feel sorrow at this loss because of love, and where there is love there is God. Look for God, be open to God, let God in at every moment and every experience. God knows us intimately as our Creator, and in the Incarnation of Jesus, God became like us in all things but sin; experiencing the fullness of what it means to be truly, authentically, human. God loves you!

God Bless, Fr. Dan

Lent: a Season of HOPE & JOY

Dear Parish Family,

Most people view Lent as a penitential season, which it is, but it is so much more! It is not just about ‘giving up something’ or ‘sacrificing something’, it is about growing in our honesty with ourselves and deepening our relationship with God and the Church.  As we move through this season we should be filled with a great joy and hope. Joy that our God offers to us: the gift of true freedom and unconditional love. Hope, that in Jesus our sins can be forgiven, and we can be restored to our Baptismal dignity of being a daughter or son of God.  When we are at Mass and the consecrated Host is elevated, the priest proclaims:  “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.  Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”  What a great gift, what a great joy, what inextinguishable hope. Look at and gaze upon the Eucharistic Lord, do not hide your face from Him or look down or away.  Jesus Christ is present and wants you to have a deeper relationship with Him. He wants you to experience that great joy and hope of His gift of sacrificial love for you. Certainly, you and I are not worthy to have Jesus come to us, no one is yet the Mass continues: “… but only say the word and my soul will be healed.”  What could be a greater joy?  What could fill the human heart and soul with greater hope.  Celebrate Lent, this great penitential season that ends with the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death; a victory the He invites all of us to share.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

Church
Dear Parish Family,
While it is true that the celebration of the Eucharist is the summit and perfection of the Church and our worship; I was reminded last Saturday night at the St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph’s dinner of the many ways the Church is expressed. First, thank you to all who worked so hard to make the dinner a great success: for those who shopped, prepared and served to those who helped clean up. Thank you to all who came together to enjoy a good meal and a lot of fellowship: for the very young to the ‘not quite so young’, there was a true expression of the Church as the Body of Christ. The more we come together as a family: at our annual picnic, golf outing, Turkey Raffle, coffee and donut hours and the St. Patrick/St. Joseph’s dinner; we deepen our sense of community and enhance our prayer experience as we celebrate the greatest gift of Jesus: His Body and Blood.

God Bless, Fr.Dan

Spiritual Checkup

Dear Parish Family,

Most of us take time to get our annual physical; dental checkups and cleanings, and eye exams; I thought that this would be an appropriate time to focus on our Spiritual Life,with a Spiritual Check up.

Lent and Advent are the ‘usual’ times that we focus specifically on our Spiritual Lives, but when these are over, the passing of time and the business of life can get in the way of our prayer resolutions and time for our spiritual life.

Some questions for individual consideration:

Do I pray daily:  not just when I need or want something, or in a time of crisis, but do I take the time every day to praise God and thank Him for the many gifts and blessings He has given to me?

Do I regularly celebrate the Sacraments:  Mass every Sunday and Holy and regular Confession (If I can’t recall the last time I went to Confession, then it has been too long)

Do I use my gifts and talents to help the Parish Family and those less fortunate than I?

Some questions for families:

Do we, as a family, pray together?  Say grace before meals?  Do my children see me pray, or know that I do pray?

Do we make it a priority to go to Mass together, go to Confession together, pray together before the children, and when we go to bed for the night?

Come to Adoration and/or Benediction as a family?

Have we considered praying the Rosary together as a family?

Maybe read a passage of Scripture daily and discuss it as a family?

Talked together about Mass and the homily?

Some questions about our environment:

Would someone entering my house know that it is a Catholic household?

Do we have a Crucefix prominently displayed?

Pictures of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart?

Statue of  our and our children’s patron saint?

Do we own and use a Catholic Bible?

These are just a few suggestions that I offer to help us, our families and our parish stay truly connected to our Catholic faith in the midst of so much turmoil, secularism and anti-religious bias.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

Dear Parish Family,
This Monday, February 3, is the commemoration of St. Blaise, to honor this Saint we will be blessing throats after each Mass this weekend.

Whatever became of sin?
There was a book in the 1970’s entitled: Whatever Became of Sin?; and spoke about a culture that doesn’t acknowledge the truth that sin is real and that individuals are sinners. When Pope Francis was asked immediately after his elevation as Pope to describe himself he said: “I am a sinner.” The fact is that we are all , you and I, are sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness that was obtained for us by the obedience of Jesus Christ in His Passion, Death, and Glorious Resurrection. Sin is not a mistake or a psychological problem: but the choices that we make to ignore what God asks us to do (omission) or to do what we know is wrong (commission). There is nothing that I can do to atone for my sins, nothing that I can do that can expiate my sin, nothing that allows me to deserve forgiveness for my sin. This act of forgiveness is offered freely to me in the great gift of the Sacrament of Confession (also called Penance and/or reconciliation). In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (1:18 ) it is written: “..though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow though they are red like crimson, they shall become white as wool.” In the first letter of John (1:10) we read “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him (God) a liar, and his word is not in us.” So, ask yourself, when was the last time you were honest with yourself and acknowledged that you are a sinner; came, in humility before God in the Sacrament of Confession, confessed your sin and heard the lifegiving, freeing prayer of absolution? Confession is celebrated each Tuesday from 5:30 – 6:30 PM (before Mass, Saturday form 3:30 – 4:00 PM, twice for the “Light is on For you”: once during Advent and again during Lent; and you can make an appointment for confession by calling the Rectory and speaking to me. Jesus is waiting for each of us to turn to Him and receive the gift of forgiveness, redemption and His mercy and love.
God Bless, Fr. Dan

How do I see God?
Dear Parish Family,
From time to time I think that it is good to step back and reflect on my image of God. Do I view God as that innocent baby who was born in Bethlehem? Do I view God as a stern judge, just waiting for me to mess up so that He can punish me? Do I see God as far off, distant and aloof, who I cannot approach unless I am groveling and fearful? None of these are how God has revealed Himself to us. Yes, He was born as an infant, grew in wisdom and grace, suffered, died and rose so that we may be forgiven and experience His Kingdom. Yes He is majestic, all-powerful and all knowing, creator of Heaven and earth. Yes God gives us His grace and His life. Yes God will come again to judge the living and the dead. Yes, God is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. But most importantly and significantly, God has revealed Himself as a loving parent who, at times out of love, must correct His children (as does any good parent.) In fact Jesus reveals God, and uses this term to describe God, more than any other: God is love. This does not mean that God will allow anything, this is not love, it is apathy. It does not mean that God is waiting for us to sin; this would be vindictive. God actively seeks us out, invites us to allow Him to enter into our lives, wants to have a relationship with us and is ready to forgive when we sin. Remember Scripture tells us that : “Though your sins be red as scarlet, I will make them white as snow,” and aging, “A humble, contrite heart, I will not spurn.” We should stop trying to make God into an image that we want, or think that we or others deserve. Rather, we should embrace the gift of our loving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who want nothing less for us than to spend Eternity in a loving relationship with God, and our brothers and sisters in faith in His Kingdom.

God Bless, Fr. Dan

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