Pentecost Sunday

Today,  Pentecost, we are celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit  upon the apostles.  We have just heard in the Acts of the Apostles - "suddenly from the sky came a loud  sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house."

It was a very important event of the day which changed the face of the earth. With the Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, the Gospel began to be preached to the whole earth.  

They were not afraid to be a witness  to Jesus Christ and  His Resurrection  after  His death on the cross.

The Holy Spirit is therefore, the only explanation for the fact that those ordinary people in a very short time, carried (spread) the local word of God to the world attracting new followers of Christ.

We can also be sure  that our church and our house is filled  today, with  the same Holy Spirit giving us the same energy to be witnesses  to the Resurrection.

Since our Holy baptism, the same  Holy Spirit dwells in us, and as the Bible says - "we are his temple."
However, when we look at our Christian life it seems that the Holy Spirit is kept in a closed tabernacle, and we do not allow Him to act in our hearts. Yes, we have to be the temple of the Holy Spirit   in which  we will hear  His voice. We have to be the temple that is preached of in the gospel.

If we are closed to the action of the Holy Spirit, we will be like the apostles after the  Resurrection - asking about the reality of our faith and scared (afraid)  to witness to the  Resurrection and the great love of God for man.

Today, we get another chance to be open to the Holy Spirit and to learn to exceed our imperfections and our possibilities.
The Apostles went  out into  the world, despite  their incompetence, but thanks to their courage,  we believe  in our church today.  

With the help of the Holy Spirit we also have a duty to contribute  to the victory of truth and good to the modern world.

The church, today, needs our gifts and our talents to transform this world.

If you are not open to the Holy Spirit and  His gifts, do not use them responsibly, but squander  them, we will also be responsible for those who do not  hear the Gospel and are not told about the love of God.

 – Fr Tom

Church is not daying ... especially in Africa ...

PRESENTATION OF PONTIFICAL YEARBOOK 2013

Vatican City, 13 May 2013 (VIS) – This morning, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., and Archbishop Angelo Becciu, substitute for General Affairs, presented the Holy Father with the 2013 edition of the "Annuario Pontificio" (Pontifical Yearbook, the Holy See's annual directory), in the presence of the officials responsible for compiling and printing the volumes. The "Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae" (the Church's Statistical Yearbook), which the same discastery is also responsible for, was also presented.

A reading of the information given shows some changes relative to the life of the Catholic Church in the world from 2012 to the election of Pope Francis.

In that period, it is noteworthy that there were erected: 11 new episcopal Sees; two personal ordinariates; one apostolic vicariate; and one apostolic prefecture. Also, one territorial prelature was elevated to the rank of diocese and two apostolic exarchates were elevated to the rank of eparchies.

The statistical information, which refers to the year 2011, reveals details about the Catholic Church in the 2,979 ecclesiastical circumscriptions around the planet. The number of Catholics in the world increased from 1.196 million in 2010 to 1.214 million in 2011, an increase of eighteen million faithful, corresponding to a growth of 1.5%. Over the last three years the presence of baptised Catholics in the world has remained stable at around 17.5%.

The number of Catholics with respect to the total population varies considerably between the continents. Their numbers have increased in Africa (by 4.3%), which has reported a 2.3% increase of its population between 2010 and 2011. In Asia, an increase in Catholics greater to an increase in the population was also recorded (of 2% compared to 1.2%). In the Americas and in Europe the increase in numbers of Catholics is equal to the population increase (.3%). In 2011, the total of baptised Catholics had a distribution of, by continent: the Americas (48.8%); Europe (23.5%); Africa (16%); Asia (10.9%); and Oceania (.8%).

From 2010 to 2011, the number of bishops increased from 5,104 to 5,132, a relative increase of .55%. The increase mainly involved Oceania (+4.6%) and Africa (+1%) while Asia and Europe are slightly below the world average and no variation is seen in the Americas.

The steady increase in the number of priests which began in the year 2000 has continued. On 31 December 2011, their numbers stood at 413,418 compared to last year's 412,236. Nevertheless, this was not homogeneous growth. In Africa and Asia the increase was, respectively, +39.5% and +32% (with an increase of more than 3,000 in 2011 alone). In the Americas the situation is stationary (122,000 priests) while, over the last decade, Europe has seen a decrease of more than 9%.

The number of permanent deacons registered a strong increase: from 29,000 in 2001 to 41,000 in 2011. Those present in North America and Europe count for 97.4% of the total.

The number of non-ordained male religious increased, slightly surpassing 55,000. Their numbers are increasing in Africa and Asia (+18.5% and +44.9% respectively) and decreasing in the Americas (-3.6%), in Europe (-18%), and in Oceania (-21.9%).

The is a strong decrease in the number of female religious, which currently registers 713,000 members in contrast to 792,000 in 2001. There are fewer female religious in Europe (-22%), Oceania (-21%), and the Americas (-17%). Nevertheless there is significant growth in their numbers in Africa (+28%) and in Asia (18%).

Candidates for the priesthood, diocesan and religious, have increased since 2001 (112,244) by 7.5%. In 2011 there were 120,616 registered. The strongest increase in seminarians was in Africa (+30.9%), and Asia (+29.4%), while Europe and the Americas registered a decrease in their numbers of 21.7% and 1.9% respectively.

Ascension 2013

After 40 days, Christ returns to  His  Father's house. He ceases to be visibly present on earth but He is in the form of bread and in the hearts of the faithful in the church.

He continues to work on earth in the preaching of the Gospel which indicates the purpose of our journey and He still offers us His Mercy.

In other words, it is the beginning of Christ's pulling back from His active Ministry of the church.

Today's celebration also aims to show us the  purpose of our journey to Heaven.

Many times we have heard about heaven. We have some conceptions of heaven, and we yearn for heaven in the sky and that after a difficult life we will have rest and peace.

We believe that heaven is the real joy and fulfillment of our dreams of meeting God there.

So Heaven is God.

But we are still on earth, and our job is to seek Heaven.

We just heard "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

This task does not rest only on the successors of the Apostles not only on the priests who preach the Gospel but primarily on we who have adopted the same priesthood at the moment of our baptism.

 

Theological education is nothing and nothing in the church leadership is a substitute for the testimony of witnessing Christ in our life.

The best homily is our life a life of goodness, faith, authenticity and leading or pulling others to Christ.

This possibility is mostly for lay people who in their daily lives meet with many people, not just Catholics.

With this  knowledge about Heaven, we will become the only ones who can extend our hands and our words so that He is known in the world.

Benedict XVI wrote what does the Ascension mean?

This means that the faith of Christ the man came into contact with the inner essence of God.

 

Heaven is not a place but the Presence of God in man.

 

After this event, the disciples returned to their homes praising God.

So let us go with the same convictions that Christ is God who is still active in His church and that we are not alone in the building of His Kingdom.

 

Fr. Tom

Ascension of the Lord – year C

Acts of the Apostles 1:1–11; Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:1923; Luke 24:46–53

No back-up plan

Jesus gave to his followers the task of completing his work by sharing the Good News with the rest of the world.

There’s an ancient legend about the ascension of Jesus into heaven. According to the legend, when Jesus reached heaven, his body still showed the wounds of his crucifixion. His hands and feet still bore the prints from the nails. His side bore the mark from the spear. His back bore the stripes from the whip, and his head bore the wounds from the thorns. When the people in heaven saw these marks, they fell on their knees before Jesus.

They were astounded to see how much he had suffered. Then the angel Gabriel rose up and said to Jesus:

“Lord, how greatly you suffered on earth! Do all the people on earth know and appreciate how much you went through for them and how much you love them?’’

Jesus replied: “Oh, no! Only a handful of people in Palestine know that. The rest haven’t even heard of me. They don’t know who I am. They don’t know how much I suffered, and how much I love them.’’

Gabriel was shocked to hear this. Then he said to Jesus: “How will all the rest of the people on earth ever learn about your suffering and your love?’’

Jesus said: “Just before I left, I told Peter, James, and John, and a few of their friends, to tell the rest of the world for me. “They’ll tell as many people as they can. Those people, in turn, will tell other people. In that way the whole world will eventually learn about my love for them.’’

Gabriel looked even more confused now. He knew how fickle people are. He knew how forgetful they are. He knew how prone to doubt they are. So he turned to Jesus and said: “But, Lord, what if Peter, James, and John grow tired or frustrated? What if they forget about you? What if they begin to have doubts about you? “And even if none of these things happen, what if the people they tell become frustrated? What if they forget? What if they begin to have doubts about you? “Didn’t you take these things into account? Don’t you have a back-up plan—just in case?’’

Jesus answered: “I did take all these things into account, but I decided against a back-up plan. This is the only plan I have. “I’m counting on Peter, James, and John not to let me down. I’m counting on the people they tell not to let me down.’’

Twenty centuries later, Jesus still has no other plan. He counted on Peter, James, and John, and they didn’t let him down. He counted on the people they told, and they didn’t let him down. And now Jesus counts on us.

The Feast of the Ascension is the commemoration of the elevation of Christ into heaven by His own power in presence of His disciples the fortieth day after His Resurrection. It is narrated in Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

Although the place of the Ascension is not distinctly stated, it would appear from the Acts that it was Mount Olivet. Since after the Ascension the disciples are described as returning to Jerusalem from the mount that is called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, within a Sabbath day's journey. 

Tradition has consecrated this site as the Mount of Ascension and Christian piety has memorialized the event by erecting over the site a basilica. St. Helena built the first memorial, which was destroyed by the Persians in 614, rebuilt in the eighth century, to be destroyed again, but rebuilt a second time by the crusaders. This the Moslems also destroyed, leaving only the octagonal structure which encloses the stone said to bear the imprint of the feet of Christ, that is now used as an oratory.

Not only is the fact of the Ascension related in the passages of Scripture cited above, but it is also elsewhere predicted and spoken of as an established fact. Thus, in John 6:63, Christ asks the Jews: "If then you shall see the son of Man ascend up where He was before?" and 20:17, He says to Mary Magdalene: "Do not touch Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren, and say to them: I ascend to My Father and to your Father, to My God and to your God." Again, in Ephesians 4:8-10, and in Timothy 3:16, the Ascension of Christ is spoken of as an accepted fact.
The language used by the Evangelists to describe the Ascension must be interpreted according to usage. To say that He was taken up or that He ascended, does not necessarily imply that they locate heaven directly above the earth; no more than the words "sitting on the right hand of God" mean that this is His actual posture. In disappearing from their view "He was raised up and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9), and entering into glory He dwells with the Father in the honour and power denoted by the scripture phrase.

The Winning Strategy By Dr. Peter Kreeft

Many minds do seem moonstruck, however, blissfully unaware of the crisis—especially the “intellectuals,” who are supposed to be the most on top of current events. I was dumbfounded to read a cover article in Time devoted to the question: Why is everything getting better? Why is life so good today? Why does everybody feel so satisfied about the quality of life? Time never questioned the assumption, it just wondered why the music on the Titanic sounded so nice.

It turned out, on reading the article, that every single aspect of life that was mentioned, every single reason for life getting better, was economic.. People are richer. End of discussion.

Perhaps Time is just Playboy with clothes on. For one kind of playboy, the world is one great big whorehouse. For another kind, it’s one great big piggy bank. For both, things are getting better and better.

There is a scientific refutation of the Pig Philosophy: the statistical fact that suicide, the most in-your-face index of unhappiness, is directly proportionate to wealth. The richer you are, the richer your family is, and the richer your country is, the more likely it is that you will find life so good that you will choose to blow your brains apart.

Suicide among pre-adults has increased 5000% since the “happy days” of the ’50s. If suicide, especially among the coming generation, is not an index of crisis, nothing is.

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5th Sunday of Easter – C

I give you a new  Commandment, --that you love one another as I have loved you.
Today's  gospel again boils down to the topic of love.
Jesus reminds us today that His love is the hallmark of a Christian.  He gives us a new  Commandment  which itself is the pattern of love.

But is this something new? No not really.  We have not heard one sermon about this,  because we have life experiences in this matter.
Now, when we look again at these words we find that our love is to be the pattern of Christ's love. Love one another as I have loved you.

So we can ask what's new?

Surely the people before Christ had  love. They gave their lives for others, dedicated their lives.   

Not only Christ taught us to love our fellow man.

We also know how to love today. We love those who are related to us by blood and friendship. We love those who are friendly to us, who  have reached out  their hands to us in moments  when we needed them. We do not need to learn about love from  the Gospel. But usually our love is conditional, often sentimental like  the movies.

The news  of this Commandment is that Christ died  out of love for all.

The enemies and the friends.

For those who have  lived and for those who have just begun their lives. Jesus loves  every person unconditionally. Our love is conditional and, unfortunately, often sentimental.
With this  Commandment, thanks to the unfathomable love of Christ for us, His death  gave us the seed of a new love.

So we have a duty to love every human being. Of course, it will never be an emotional  love  as with loved ones but to love others is to wish them the things  we expect from life. Love of neighbor, is primarily a desire for their good, an ordinary human kindness, respect, honesty to  our fellow man.

We need to know that this new and unconditional love, will cost us a lot.  It will now hurt and often not  be understood by others. But through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 

We read in the Acts of the Apostles...

Let us love each other, our first task, the hallmark of our Christianity. With love we do the simplest daily activities. 

Remember that the we are called to love.

Fr. Tom

4th Sunday of Easter

My sheep listen to  My voice, and I know them. They follow  Me and I give them eternal life.

The readings today show us what it means that Jesus is our shepherd, but they also reveal the truth of what it means to be a sheep and how to look like a man for whom Jesus is the guide.

First of all, people who decide to follow the Shepherd and obey His voice  must know that they may be crticized, ridiculed, judged and even persecuted. But it is precisely in this way in which we aim for our goal of salvation.  

Following Christ is not and never will be easy,  as it has enumerable obstacles.

We live in a country in which there is religious tolerance. But we know that nowadays there is a persecution of Christians in 70 countries of the world.  In the twentieth century, every day about 1,250 Christians were killed about 460 thousand per year. So persecution has not ended. The world is  struggling with God and His followers all the time.

Despite this, Jesus has not changed his Gospel and  He further reaffirms its words with who ever follows Him and listens  to His voice will change his life dramatically.

Can I say that today the Lord is my  Shepherd and I shall not want?
Is it true he is able to give me what I need to live in the twenty-first century?
Surely you can go to Christ by selectively choosing what you want to hear.  No, I am not able to face the world  that tries at all costs to create a false image of faith and the commandments for selfish benefits. Where sin and evil ceases to be merely human weakness.

Many times we hear that surely the church should  move forward and  be progressive on a  number of moral issues. That the church  should be more open to man today because  we  cannot live the same radical commandments  as in the time of Christ.

Yet, God clearly says that we have only  to listen to His voice and we will go a long way towards eternity. 

Unfortunately, we cannot trust only our instincts and rely on our experiences because we need a solid foundation upon which to live.

Yes, some say that God is merciful and always ready to forgive.
But  what about the man who with a life time of premeditation selects only those commandments that are comfortable, easy to follow, that do not require sacrifices does he deserve the mercy of God?

The problem is that by selecting our own way we can never meet God who is ready to forgive  us.

And where do we stand?

On the side of Jesus, or the hypocrisy of the world.?
On the side of life or death?
Who do we listen to more?

Jesus, who demands a lot from us, which might discourage us down the road? Or maybe the promises  of those who require little from us.

Following Christ we must always choose the path of man. An uphill path where there will be an elevator or escalators which gives us the world. This way we only need to move on with our Shepherd.
Let us give  Jesus the permission to show us how to  surrender to Him, for then, He will show us the way to  eternal life.

 – Fr. Tom

III Easter Sunday - C

Simon, son of John, do you love me? You know everything, you know that I love YOU - Peter responded.

Certainly, if Jesus asked today - Do you love me? Our answer would be the same: Lord you know everything you know I love you.

And there is a lot of truth in that.

Our presence here in the church is a public profession of our love for God. Our prayer, our fraternal help for another person and to trust our attempts, also confirms this.

Why does God, from time to time, ask us to love Him?

Not like Peter three times, but through whole of our live?

Is once not enough?

It appears that not.

We are people who often fall in love. We fall in love with another person, fall in love with our talents, fall in love with whatever we have. Normally, we would not change our lives but for a loved one we sacrifice everything. Time, skills, money. Silently counting on this love, to be returned to us as a reciprocated love. 

When our love is not understood by another and not reciprocated, we pull back. Very often we give up too early, because we see that it was not love but infatuation. Then we fall into gloom, and despair and ask ourselves - why does the other person not see our love?

A similar situation may occur in our relationship with God.

Many of us can confirm our love and devotion to God. Especially in the solemn moments of our lives: when we receive the sacraments, in the solemn moments of the liturgy of the church.

How strong is our love and faith at Christmas and Easter?

How strong we feel when we have faith that God hears our prayers and they impact our life as we want them to?   When we are not missing anything, when we are happy because our children are our friends, we call out ..."God loves us".

But the situations in our life do not look so colorful when we start to doubt whether in fact we are  loved very much by beloved Father. 

Are we sure He sees our efforts?

St. Peter affirmed his love for Jesus and for this love he was paid by death.

Well we know that love very often requires sacrifices. We can only say after years if it was a great and lasting love. Only when we decide to commit to someone can we see the everyday reality of life to be able to overcome the problems and to be able to say I love you, I love you now, I love you still and I will not stop loving you.

Our God is asking from time to time for our love for Him. He wants to eliminate our temporary fascination with love. While waiting for our answer, He wants to be treated exactly the same as those which we love.

People with whom we live and for whom we are able to devote our lives. Do not expect flowers, gifts, and other examples of love from God, for when we begin to live with Him, as in our common everyday life we affirm our words..."Lord you know that I love You."

Fr. Thomas

Annunciation 2013

 When the angel came to Mary, she certainly felt in  her heart great anxiety.  An  unknown creature talking to her about things that she never would have expected. Her answer and consent to the plan of God had to be a big puzzle and had to be questionable.

We can only imagine what Mary felt, and thought. But on the other hand, how great must have been the faith of this woman, completely resigned to their plans, to keep the promise made to somebody who loves you. Somebody who is thinking humanly, shattered her life and erected a very difficult job to do.

How great had to be her humility because from that moment  nothing mattered to her but  a human  desire to fulfill God's plan.

How great must have been  this love since the threshold of her adult life  reigned  from the beautiful flesh of human love and spiritual love,  she devoted  herself to  her God. These are the effects of total entrustment to God of life.
When today we are faced with the mystery of the Annunciation we want  to settle accounts with our attachment to God's plans.

How many times have we promised entire confidence and to give our life to Him?  But, as a result it turns out that we can not do that. It looks a little as if, that life goes its own path and our own faith also .Often we think that God is not able to guarantee our everyday existence.

Is it possible today  that a man can give himself completely to God? Seems not.
We have too much to lose.

When we look at the life stories of people who have said yes to God, we see they left everything and started a new life.
Can we afford such a gesture?

You do not have to wait long for an answer because the heart tells us -  I am  afraid. We can not endlessly promise God something we can not do or what we are not yet ready to do.  Looking at Mary I admire her and I think that not many of us would have survived,  and I ask that she help us during our lives to prepare for such a gesture. It helps us to evaluate  ourself and see how far we are from God and His plans for us.
And FIAT let her quiet  holiness  slowly but surely prepare  our souls so that  when the day  comes,  we will want to return to God, to do his will and sing "God I come to do Your will"

Fr.  Tom

Divine Mercy Sunday 2103

Over the last 9 days, the church has been preparing for todays feast....Divine Mercy Sunday, established by Pope John Paul 2nd.

This Sunday we open our hearts to the healing action of the love of God. None of us can say that,.. "I do not need Mercy."

Very often we learn in the media about disasters, and their victims. However, as it turns out, the more information we get the more we become immune. Yes, we can afford gestures of solidarity, and as a gesture of Mercy, we say we can afford to help the victims materially. But, what good is all this if we have a closed heart? It probably has nothing to do with the Mercy that God offers us. For Mercy, which God wants to teach us, is opening up to the man in need, the spiritually blind, the depressed, and those seeking only love.
This opening will also help us find each other, and, as Francis, our Holy Father said at the beginning of his Pontificate,.... to believe that God will never tire of forgiveness. The problem is that it must parallel our asking Him for forgiveness. We are able to become people of Mercy but only with God's help.

We understand God's Mercy only.... when our lives of charity will be visible. We will be merciful only.... if it is a Mercy for us, asked by the whole world. We do not doubt the fact that we can be merciful. Sister Faustina wrote: The biggest sinner can become a saint, because of the greatness in the power of God's grace. It depends on us not to resist the action of God.

Pope Francis said: "Only someone who has experienced Mercy , who has suffered a tender caress of Mercy is happy before God."

Today, let us hear the following words which Sister Faustina once heard: "Try to see to it that everybody after meeting with us, can go away happy. Spread the "smell" of happiness around you, even if they can only touch your robes. Remember well these words, which at this moment I am speaking to you."

Perhaps many of us lack the strength for our everyday life. The problems are getting heavier. Maybe we cannot cope with the problems. Maybe we should stop to think about God as a loving Father. Maybe we do not believe in His help and forgiveness. This day is just for you....Time to trust in Jesus...Time to believe in the impossible. This, together with St. Thomas we say: "My Lord and My God."

Sisters and brothers, believe in the words spoken to Sister Faustina: "I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, especially for poor sinners. Believe in the incredible power of these beautiful words: "Jesus, I Trust in You."

Jesus, we trust that our community will be a true family in which we will learn that Mercy. A Mercy we will experience and share.

Fr. Tom