Feast of Juan Diego:

Today is the feast of St. Juan Diego! Juan Diego was the humble witness to the Guadalupe apparition. His love for her and for his faith has made him a great example of holiness for all ages! The following comes from thecatholic.org site:

St. Juan Diego was born in 1474 in the calpulli or ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan, which was established in 1168 by Nahua tribesmen and conquered by the Aztec lord Axayacatl in 1467; and was located 20 kilometers (14 miles) north of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City).

On December 9, 1531, a native Mexican named Juan Diego rose before dawn to walk fifteen miles to daily Mass in what is nowMexico City. Juan lived a simple life as a weaver, farmer, and laborer. That morning, as Juan passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud encircled by a rainbow. A woman's voice called him to the top of the hill. There he saw a beautiful youngwoman dressed like an Aztec princess. She said she was the VirginMary and asked Juan to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. She said, "I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings." 

The bishop was kind but skeptical. He asked Juan to bring proof of the Lady's identity. Before Juan could go back to the Lady, he found out his uncle was dying. Hurrying to get a priest, Juan missed his meeting with the Lady. The Lady, however, met him on his path and told him that his uncle had been cured.

She then told Juan to climb to the top of the hill where they first met. Juan was shocked to find flowers growing in the frozen soil. He gathered them in his cloak and took them at once to the bishop.

Juan told the bishop what had happened and opened his cloak. The flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (which were not grown in Mexico). But the bishop's eyes were on the glowing image of the Lady imprinted inside Juan's cloak. 

Soon after, a church was built on the site where our Lady appeared, and thousands converted to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the patroness of the Americas. He died on May 30, 1548, at the age of 74. 

Wednesday, December 9

Gospel    + + + + +     MT 11:28-30

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The word of the Lord.

Just a thought:

Imagine a wick that is placed in oil, and then lit. If the oil runs out, the wick burns. As long as there is oil, the wick doesn't burn. As long as we are living in dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit, we don't burn out. The question to ask: what's burning?
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So, are you weary? Are you carrying a heavy burden? Do you need rest? Jesus is inviting those who answer “Yes” to take on His yoke and become His yoke-mate.

It’s tempting for to take these words of Jesus and turn them into a 
promise that says, “No matter what your problems, come to Jesus and He will make you burden-free.” 

There are those who present Jesus as the remover of every problem. They portray the Christian life as though faith lifts you up and out of the realm of life’s difficulties, sorrows, and disappointments. This, I believe, is a false portrait of discipleship and a mistaken use of Jesus’ words.
Jesus makes it clear that the rest He offers us is not burden-free. He speaks of the putting on His yoke, and yokes are for bearing burdens.
Yokes were common in Jesus’ day. Yokes were made for oxen so that the animals could work together as a team and not be hurt by the burden they carried.

Yoke-making was a skilled craft. Good yokes were made of strong wood that could be made smooth. Any area of roughness on the yoke would cause skin irritation and muscle damage to the oxen as they pulled their load. Yokes also had to be expertly sized of the team for which they were made. If the yoke put the two animals too close together they would jostle and hurt each other. If the yoke put them too far apart they would not be able to share the load as easily as they might if the yoke had had a better fit.  The yoke was made perfectly for the one who wore it, the yoke was not a burden, rather, the yoke made life bearable.

Jesus is telling us that He is an expert yoke-maker. 

Try Him on for size!

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Oh, I wish I had seen this during the summer of 2014 ....

“That feeling of discomfort you have after listening to a sermon is called a conscience”


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This story is making the rounds of social media: the reaction of a college student to a sermon that he said made him feel bad.
To which Dr. Everett Piper, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, replied, in effect: “Tough.”
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His full response is reprinted below, from the university website:
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This past week, I actually had a student come forward after a university chapel service and complain because he felt “victimized” by a sermon on the topic of 1 Corinthians 13. It appears that this young scholar felt offended because a homily on love made him feel bad for not showing love. In his mind, the speaker was wrong for making him, and his peers, feel uncomfortable.
I’m not making this up. Our culture has actually taught our kids to be this self-absorbed and narcissistic. Any time their feelings are hurt, they are the victims. Anyone who dares challenge them and, thus, makes them “feel bad” about themselves, is a “hater,” a “bigot,” an “oppressor,” and a “victimizer.”
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I have a message for this young man and all others who care to listen. That feeling of discomfort you have after listening to a sermon is called a conscience. An altar call is supposed to make you feel bad. It is supposed to make you feel guilty. The goal of many a good sermon is to get you to confess your sins—not coddle you in your selfishness. The primary objective of the Church and the Christian faith is your confession, not your self-actualization.
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So here’s my advice:
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If you want the chaplain to tell you you’re a victim rather than tell you that you need virtue, this may not be the university you’re looking for. If you want to complain about a sermon that makes you feel less than loving for not showing love, this might be the wrong place.
If you’re more interested in playing the “hater” card than you are in confessing your own hate; if you want to arrogantly lecture, rather than humbly learn; if you don’t want to feel guilt in your soul when you are guilty of sin; if you want to be enabled rather than confronted, there are many universities across the land (in Missouri and elsewhere) that will give you exactly what you want, but Oklahoma Wesleyan isn’t one of them.
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At OKWU, we teach you to be selfless rather than self-centered. We are more interested in you practicing personal forgiveness than political revenge. We want you to model interpersonal reconciliation rather than foment personal conflict. We believe the content of your character is more important than the color of your skin. We don’t believe that you have been victimized every time you feel guilty and we don’t issue “trigger warnings” before altar calls.
Oklahoma Wesleyan is not a “safe place”, but rather, a place to learn: to learn that life isn’t about you, but about others; that the bad feeling you have while listening to a sermon is called guilt; that the way to address it is to repent of everything that’s wrong with you rather than blame others for everything that’s wrong with them. This is a place where you will quickly learn that you need to grow up.
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This is not a day care.
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This is a university!

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Tuesday, December 1

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He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day.
John Bunyan

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Gospel . . . LK 10:21-24
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
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The word of the Lord
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A friend of mine took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands. When lunch time arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich. The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him. They ordered lunch, and when the server brought the food, the dad said, "Son, we'll just have a silent prayer." Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time.

When he finally looked up, his father asked him, "What in the world were you praying about all that time?" With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, "How do I know? It was a silent prayer."

I’m not so sure the young boy’s intention with the prayer but I think that it could well be good practice to get lost in our prayer from time to time, to allow prayer to meander wherever it might like to go, providing, of course, that we keep the prayer focused on God.

Have you prayed already today? It’s certainly not too late. You ever ask God, in your prayer, where God might like you to go in prayer? Try it sometime.
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Monday: November 30

Monday of the First Week of Advent
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The Feast of the Apostle St. Andrew.
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Gospel + + + + + MT 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
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“How ready we all are with our praises when a cake is to be divided - provided
the cake is not ours.” Walter Savage Landor

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In his book, An Anthropologist on Mars, neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil, a man who had been blind from early childhood. When he was 50, Virgil underwent surgery and was given the gift of sight. But as he and Dr. Sacks found out, having the physical capacity for sight is not the same as seeing.
Virgil's first experiences with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colors and movements, but arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned to identify various objects, but his habits--his behaviors--were still those of a blind man.
Dr. Sacks asserts, "One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person. It is the interim, the limbo . . . that is so terrible."
Faith in Christ is a gift which God alone gives. Many may not have this gift because they do not know who to ask or even why they should ask. Faith is not a matter of here it is and there it goes. Faith is a way of life. It’s how we live and love and think and work. Faith is how we choose our friends and how we let go of obstacles to a healthy life. For us to live in faith we also have to die to self. There is often a clash between the love we have for this world and attempting to live a life in Christ. Most of the time, something has to give.

Faith in Christ is who I am.
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Friday, November 27

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It's. Beautiful day

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God bless you and yours

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Wednesday, November 25

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By perseverance the snail reached the Ark.

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Gospel + + + LK 21:12-19
Jesus said to the crowd:
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

The word of the Lord
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When she was young, Florence Chadwick wanted desperately to be a great speed swimmer. At the age of six she persuaded her parents to enter her in a 50-yard race. She came in last, so she practiced every day for the new year. Again she entered and lost. When she was an 11-year old, Florence won attention and praise for completing the San Diego Bay endurance swim -- 6 miles in all. But she still wanted to be a speed swimmer. At 14 she tried for the national backstroke championship but came in second to the great Eleanor Holm. At 18 she tried out for Olympic speed swimming and came in fourth -- only three made the team. Frustrated, she gave it up, married, and moved on to other interests. As she matured, however, Florence began to wonder if she might not have done better if she had specialized in endurance swimming, something that came more naturally. So, with the help of her father, she began swimming distances again. Twelve years after she had failed to make the Olympic team, Florence Chadwick swam the English Channel, breaking Gertrude Ederle's 24-year-old record. It took a little time, but eventually she found out what she could do best and did it.

Failure, twelve years of separation – didn’t break her spirit. This is the perseverance story we all need to be reminded of from time to time. “Giving up” – shouldn’t even be a part of our vocabulary (unless, of course, we are referring to sin).

Sometimes we do rely only upon ourselves. Not good.

Is that pride? What?

Develop our God given talent – who knows where He may lead us.
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Tuesday ... November 24

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"Death is the debt we all must pay" ... Greek Proverb
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Gospel …………. LK 21:5-11
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While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”


The word of the Lord.

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That great twentieth century prophet of Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra, said it well when describing the uncertainty of any athletic contest: "It ain't over 'til it's over." Until that last fly ball is caught or strike is called or ground ball is thrown to first base and the last out is made, the game is not over. Anything can happen. And more often than not it has. Everyone has a story about dramatic comebacks in the bottom half of the ninth inning. I suppose that is why Red Auerbach, the former great coach of the Boston Celtics, used to irritate so many of his opponents when he would lean back and light up that huge cigar. It was Red's way of announcing his confidence. Even though there would be time left on the clock, he was sure that the game was as good as over and his Celtics would win. As he leaned back puffing on his cigar even while the players still raced up and down the court, he knew it was over. Such arrogance piqued his opponents and delighted his fans.

I think it originated in some eastern ballpark a generation or so ago. I'm not sure of its exact origins. You still see fans expressing the sentiment today on large banners and posters which they love to flash for the television cameras. It expresses the eternal optimism of sports fans who are unwilling to give up until the last out is made or the clock has finally run out: "It's not over until the fat lady sings." And the fat lady hasn't sung. Therefore there is still hope. Their team can still pull it out. Of course, the same phrase is reversed by the team whose fans are confident that victory is theirs and want to rub it in to the opposition: "The fat lady has started to sing."

Our Scripture reading for today may be read as hinting about the END. The moment the “Song” is about to be sung! Yet we see that Jesus says… yes, it’s coming but you have time right now! It’s not to scare us or intimidate us. Simply to remind us that one day THAT day will come.

He is trying to love us into being ready.

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Monday, November 23

Think about it:
“He is not poor who has little but he who desires much.” English proverb

The Church’s Gospel text for today: Luke chapter 21 verses 1-4

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When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

The word of the Lord
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A few thoughts on today's Gospel
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Strange, isn't it, how a little and seemingly insignificant event in the daily round of life will suddenly bring into focus what has been churning under the surface of our consciousness for a long time.

It happens for example with people. You try to figure people out, what makes them tick and then a simple act or expression reveals who they are. You begin to see what truly motivates them, drives them or what confuses them.

It happens with ourselves. We try to understand ourselves by great introspection. We are often unsure of the conflicting mixture of values and purposes. Then in some crisis or opportunity, we act or react and it reveals what is really going on inside.

It happens with situations. We gather into our feelings and thoughts, what's happening, not really clear what we should do about a given situation. Then without expecting it, something happens and we see the whole thing very clearly, as never before.

In our Gospel reading today we see a similar picture.

Jesus has been through a grueling day and all of a sudden, what seemingly appears as an insignificant event: a widow contributing her mite, brings it all into focus. Jesus found a quiet place, a place in the courts of the temple. He sat across from the large metal boxes, which collected the contributions for the upkeep and sacrifices.

I am quite sure He sat down in the midst of the storm of that day, to think and to pray, musing at all that had happened to Him. He was probably barely aware of the stream of people that passed by, flinging their tithes, their offerings and their temple taxes into the contribution boxes.

These boxes where called trumpets, because of their trumpet like shape. People would throw their contributions in with force, in order to make a loud noise and attract the attention of those around them. The larger the coin - the bigger, the better the sound.

In the middle of all these people, of all the questions and all the racket, a frail little old widow unpretentiously approached one of the trumpets and quietly slipped in her contribution. The coin that she contributed was called a lepton, which literally means "the thin one".

The little tinkle of her coin sliding down the throat of the trumpet caught Jesus' attention immediately.

He had a way of hearing what was insignificant to others. It was always true in the milling crowds; He could hear the frail cry of people in need. It was in the crowd, He heard and felt the need of a woman with a hemorrhage of blood, you remember? It was in a crowd that He heard the cry of Bartamaeus for sight and hope.

Now He hears the sound of the widow’s coin. Let me just ask this: How could you not believe that He hears you when you call out to Him?
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Enjoy your week,
Father Pat

Saturday:
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Gospel LK 20:27-40

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers;
the first married a woman but died childless.
Then the second and the third married her,
and likewise all the seven died childless.
Finally the woman also died.
Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them,
“The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise.
That the dead will rise
even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called ‘Lord’
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive.”
Some of the scribes said in reply,
“Teacher, you have answered well.”
And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

The word of the Lord.
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Today you can go to marriage seminars on finances, in-laws,
sexual happiness, and every other kind of thing in order to make a
marriage successful. You can look in women's magazines and books, but
there is one kind of marriage that God will truly bless. It has the power of
God on it, and that is a marriage that is made in heaven. You say, "Aren't
all marriages made in heaven?" No, I don't think so. But those that are
made in heaven have certain blessings upon them and are made up of
certain ingredients.

Since most of you reading this are married at this present time or have been married ...
you might finish this meditation yourself:

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Enjoy your weekend.


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Friday ......
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Gospel LK 19:45-48

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
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The House of Dior and other well-known "Houses" have defining characteristics that are keys to their longevity.
• House of Dior
• House of Valentino
• House of Versace
• House of Givenchy
• House of Gucci
• House of Jean Paul Gaultier
• House of Faberge
• House of Ralph Lauren
• House of Pierre Cardin
For the hoi-polloi, the common people, there are surrogate fashion houses: like Martha's World at K-Mart (if you can find a K-Mart anymore), or Michael Graves at Target, and there's Betsey Johnson and Ralph Lauren - Companies are trying to become more like houses, with company signatures coming in the form of architect Michael Graves, or lifestyle maven Martha Stewart. Each wants to be your Total Fashion Designer, and to provide you with a Life Style.
The House of Dior or Martha's World have defining characteristics that are keys to their longevity. Each house, like that of the House of Lauren, is a corporation with franchises and manufacturing plants on multiple continents; hundreds and even thousands of shops carry their names, not to speak of specialty boutiques. And these houses sell everything – perfumes, cosmetics, luggage, shoes, eyeglasses, clothes. They produce objects that are carriers of meaning, beauty, identity.
Our Scripture this morning reminds us of the specialness of God’s House … that it is a House of Prayer. Nothing to buy, nothing to sell, just a place to “be”. “My house”, He says, “shall be a House of Prayer.”
Is that what you do when you go to His house?

Talk to Him this weekend,
Father Pat

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Thursday

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In today's Gospel reading, a parable, each servant receive one cold coin, but some invest it better than others. There are some gifts that God has given all of us in equal measure and some that we each receive in varying degrees. At Baptism we receive the gifts of faith, hope and love in seed form, so to speak, and it's up to us to make sure that they are cultivated, irrigated and exposed to enough light so that they will grow and bear fruit. These gifts of faith, hope and love are not given to each of us just for rainy days, like today, or moments of trial, but rather to keep us focused on who we are as children of God and heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Exercising these virtues is like earning gold, one coin at a time.
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How often have I thanked God for His gifts of faith, hope and love?
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Do I strive to grow in these virtues by keeping my heart set on things of heaven and through charity towards my neighbor?
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Remember hearing in the Gospel of St John: "God is love"? God's essence is self-giving. The man in our Gospel reading today who hid his coin could not discover or fathom this reality, but the man who "spent" his gold coin found this out as he was able to earn more money. Jesus' death on the Cross is the perfect example of the transformation of sacrifice and self-giving into fruitfulness.
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Is Jesus our King if we don't follow Him?
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We have much to give up but we have so much more to gain by using our talents for His Kingdom.
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Lord Jesus,
I am sometimes afraid of what it means to die to myself.
Help me to use all of my talents
for Your Kingdom.
Help me to realize that I have nothing to lose
and everything to gain
and to take steps courageously to love You.
Amen
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Year of Mercy Will Test, Inspire Bishops and Faithful Alike (601)
The U.S. bishops, meeting in Baltimore this week, discuss outreach, the synod on the family, and election-year challenges.


by JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND 11/17/2015 Comments (1)
CNA file photo
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
– CNA file photo
BALTIMORE — “In less than a month, Pope Francis will open the Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and we bishops will be opening doors throughout America. As we walk through these doors of mercy ourselves, we will lead the faithful in a jubilee year of mercy,” Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told his brother bishops at their annual General Assembly in Baltimore.
“Just as the merciful encounters in the pages of the Gospels began with Jesus being present, so our mission of mercy begins with a presence. Reflect with me on three facets of that presence of Jesus today,” Archbishop Kurtz continued, noting three areas for reflection: “our humble encounters as pastors of souls”; “our faithful witness and service within our society”; and in the “faithful witness of Catholic families, whom we want to honor, call forth and support.”
Further, just as the Parable of the Prodigal Son framed the merciful disposition of the father, and the reciprocal need for humble contrition from the son, so, Archbishop Kurtz and other speakers at the Baltimore meeting made clear that the Year of Mercy poses overlapping but distinctive challenges for Church leaders, pastors, churchgoers and alienated Catholics. Dioceses will prepare for a roll out of papal initiatives linked to the Year of Mercy, like absolution for the sin of abortion and relaxed annulment procedures, as well as a still unresolved wildcard: a possible change in Church discipline on marriage for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.
At the same time, ongoing changes in the culture and the Church, from the decline of religious practice to the explosion of nontraditional households and the weakening of Catholic education, will test the bishops’ ability to find more creative ways to locate and engage the young and other cradle Catholics who have drifted away from parish life.

Outreach Opportunities
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Holy See’s representative to the United States, referred to some of the difficulties that could handicap the bishops’ effort to make the Year of Mercy a turning point for the Church in the U.S., and he gave special attention to the need to strengthen the Catholic identity of Church schools.
“We have received and we have to pass down the authentic teaching of Christ,” Archbishop Vigano told the assembly.
The apostolic nuncio asked the bishops to “give particular care to our Catholic education” from elementary school through the university.
At the Baltimore meeting, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, who will step down as chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro Life Activities, joined Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who will succeed him on the committee, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington in outlining a broad framework for reaching out to post-abortive women with the help of local Project Rachel ministries.
Cardinal O’Malley also touched on the conference’s strategic effort to evaluate the quality, substance and impact of the Church’s message to the faithful and to the wider culture, an acknowledgement that the rapid decline of church attendance, especially among the young, has led Church leaders to test new ways to present and deliver Catholic teaching.


Synod Recap
Beyond the papal initiatives that call for priests to grant absolution for the sin of abortion and streamline the annulment process, Pope Francis may endorse another proposal that could l transform the Year of Mercy into a landmark year in the life of the universal Church.
The widely debated proposal to permit divorced and civilly remarried Catholic to receive Communion dominated media coverage of the Ordinary Synod and provoked great anxiety from U.S., African and Eastern European Church leaders, including Cardinals Dolan and Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, two synod fathers.
On Nov.16, Archbishop Kurtz asked U.S. Church leaders who participated in the Ordinary Synod to offer brief summaries of their experience, but the bishops withheld their own preference regarding an outcome that would decisively alter Catholic pastoral practice. All applauded Pope Francis’ decision to issue a post-synodal apostolic exhortation within five to eight months.
Several synod fathers said they were inspired by the testimony of Church leaders across the world in their own assessment of the challenges that confront marriage and family life.
“I was … most impressed by the assertiveness of bishops in the developing world, especially Africa,” said Cardinal DiNardo, in a reference to the united stand against changes to Church discipline adopted by African delegates at the synod.
“Almost everybody agreed we need to do a better job [to provide pastoral support], once a couple is married.”
Cardinal Dolan said he was impressed that Pope Francis was present throughout the synod proceedings and listened carefully to the interventions. “He showed up at all the meetings,” noted Cardinal Dolan. “He said, ‘I am hear to listen.'"

Election-Year Challenges
The Year of Mercy also overlaps with the 2016 presidential election, and several questions directed at Church leaders during a Nov. 16 press conference suggested that the bishops will be under pressure to square the Pope’s call for mercy with the USCCB’s ongoing advocacy on religious freedom, life and marriage issues.
Bishops who updated the assembly on Church policies that are politically sensitive, like religious freedom, showed no inclination to back off from hot-button issues.
For example, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, the U.S. bishops’ point man on religious freedom, linked the cause of religious freedom to the Church’s right and responsibility to advance the common good through service and social justice advocacy.
Likewise, though the bishops have faced pressure to drop their critique of same-sex "marriage" in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., was among those who called for the conference to defend the Church’s teaching on marriage.
During a press conference, one reporter noted that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints recent issued a policy decision that will reportedly exclude the children of same-sex couples from baptism, and asked how the U.S. bishops would address this complex matter.
At a Nov. 16 press conference, Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City affirmed the need to protect the religious freedom issues posed by the legalization of same-sex "marriage" and related matters, in response to a reporters’ question.
But he also acknowledged: “This is an unfolding situation in our country and we are continuing to address it.
“We … cherish our Church doctrines. We treasure them, at the same time, seeking to help people live the Catholic faith as they address these challenges.”
The inspiration for the Year of Mercy came from Pope Francis, and Archbishop Kurtz and other conference leaders were clearly committed to fulfilling his vision for a festival of mercy in the Church, despite the difficulties and potential minefields that lie ahead.
“Our greatest witness as representatives of Jesus will always be humble, clear and courageous — offered with words that match lives well lived — coming from a freedom that flows from our dignity and responsibility,” Archbishop Kurtz told the assembly.
“This is not a freedom of special privilege but a freedom that makes room for witness and service in a manner consistent with our faith and mission.”


Joan Frawley Desmond is the Register's senior editor.
She filed this story from the bishops' meeting in Baltimore.

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Zaccaeus

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Tuesday

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Few people ever welcome Jesus with the joy and exuberance as did the man, Zacchaeus. He came down from the tree, gave half his wealth to the poor and promised to restore any fraudulent transactions four times over. Zacchaeus has truly been that merchant in search of fine pearls. He is willing to sell all he has to buy that pearl of great price (remember Matthew 13:45-46): friendship and intimacy with the Lord. How many times has Jesus looked up at me and asked me to remain with Him? How many times have I had the immense grace of receiving the King of Kings into my heart by receiving the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist? Do I offer merely a corner of my heart to Him or do I offer Him the presidential suite? Do I maintain a pure soul for my special Guest?
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Jesus help me to be willing to do whatever it takes to grow in a deeper friendship with You. Don't allow me to be overly concerned with the voices of the world that surround me but only to listen to Your voice and to respond to You with generosity.
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It's been a long time since I posted on my blog.  No excuses.
For me, the daily Scripture comes alive in so many different ways.
I want to return to sharing my thoughts on the daily Gospel or perhaps another of the chosen Scripture passages for the day.
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Today:   Luke   chapter 18   verses 35-43
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Jesus promises us that He will listen to our request just as He listens to the blind man in this passage. But what should my request be?  To have a more comfortable stool to sit on by the roadside so that I can beg with more comfort and ease?  To have a cleaner, more beautiful cup to collect coins in?  Or do I want to see?  See!
Often what we really need is not what we ask for in prayer.  Often what we need is the vision that only the supernatural virtue of faith can give.  We need the ability to see everything from God's vantage point and to see how the difficulties and trials we experience are part of a much larger picture.  We need to have the firm assurance of the final victory of the Lamb, Jesus, and the strength to persevere in fidelity.  Lord, please let me see.  Please increase my faith.
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Lord Jesus, allow me to praise and glorify You for Your constant companionship and for never leaving me alone in my struggles and trials.  Increase my faith so that I will be able to experience Your love even in the midst of difficulty and trials.
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Happy Eve Of Epiphany

Feast of Mary, Mother of God

After Mass met with Sunnie and Brenda for pictures:

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2015