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Everything I have in this life – everything that has value – is truly a blessing from God. Today my wife and I will celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary. We will celebrate this day the same way we have celebrated since our wedding day. We will start the day in Church giving thanks to God for bringing the two of us together and we will spend the rest of this day celebrating it with our family. A day has not gone by in these 34 years that I haven’t looked at my wedding ring and reminded myself of the vows I took the day I was married. The vows I gave to my wife on that day in front of family, friends and most importantly – God. To be true to my wife in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health; for richer or for poorer – I will love her and honor her all the days of my life. To take from the line from our Gospel acclamation…I still do, I always have and I always will.

I don’t know that there could be more appropriate readings this morning to celebrate our anniversary either. These readings are full of inspiration and a call to holiness.

Reading I from Deuteronomy…

…This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever…

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 33

Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.

Reading II from Romans…

…The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Gospel from Matthew

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

In the Church today, we celebrate the Mystery of the Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Three distinct beings that make up one distinct God. Just as this is a mystery to all believers but the basis of our faith, it is in my mind is the basis of what my marriage is to Sarah. We are two very distinct individuals who have become one and from the love we share with each other, we have our eight children. And from that comes 4 beautiful spouses (we hope #5 too – eh Ruth?) that have joined our family and from that 6 beautiful grandchildren. So what better way to try and understand the Holy Trinity than the celebrate our anniversary on this beautiful Sunday and thank God for the blessing of my wife Sarah, for Grace, Chris, Aiden, Logan, Audrey, Jerome Jr., Megan, Jerome III, Nicholas, Cecilia, Garrett, Skylar, Richard, Megan, Mary, Ruth, Paul (eh Paul?), Tony and Teresa.

Do something great for our Lord today – hug your spouse; remind yourself of the vows you made before her and the Lord. Live your life by His statutes and commands, be an heir to His kingdom and dip your hand in the Holy Water while going into Church and think about the sign of the Cross you’ll make when doing this…In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…AMEN.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and kindness. Compete well for the faith.

Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday. Tomorrow we renew our belief in the power of the Holy Spirit. Every Mass at every Church should be filled to the brim…that is my hope and prayer this morning. After the year we just endured we all need to renew our faith in the Holy Spirit and pray that the sevenfold gifts of are renewed – rekindled – within us.

The following is copied from an article I found online written by Frank S. Blisard on June 10, 2019…

The Traditional Explanation

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are, according to Catholic Tradition, heroic character traits that Jesus Christ alone possesses in their plenitude but that he freely shares with the members of his mystical body (i.e., his Church). These traits are infused into every Christian as a permanent endowment at his baptism, nurtured by the practice of the seven virtues, and sealed in the sacrament of confirmation. They are also known as the sanctifying gifts of the Spirit, because they serve the purpose of rendering their recipients docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in their lives, helping them to grow in holiness and making them fit for heaven.

The nature of the seven gifts has been debated by theologians since the mid-second century, but the standard interpretation has been the one that St. Thomas Aquinas worked out in the thirteenth century in his Summa Theologiae:

• Wisdom is both the knowledge of and judgment about “divine things” and the ability to judge and direct human affairs according to divine truth (I/I.1.6; I/II.69.3; II/II.8.6; II/II.45.1–5).
• Understanding is penetrating insight into the very heart of things, especially those higher truths that are necessary for our eternal salvation—in effect, the ability to “see” God (I/I.12.5; I/II.69.2; II/II.8.1–3).
• Counsel allows a man to be directed by God in matters necessary for his salvation (II/II.52.1).
• Fortitude denotes a firmness of mind in doing good and in avoiding evil, particularly when it is difficult or dangerous to do so, and the confidence to overcome all obstacles, even deadly ones, by virtue of the assurance of everlasting life (I/II.61.3; II/II.123.2; II/II.139.1).
• Knowledge is the ability to judge correctly about matters of faith and right action, so as to never wander from the straight path of justice (II/II.9.3).
• Piety is, principally, revering God with filial affection, paying worship and duty to God, paying due duty to all men on account of their relationship to God, and honoring the saints and not contradicting Scripture. The Latin word pietas denotes the reverence that we give to our father and to our country; since God is the Father of all, the worship of God is also called piety (I/II.68.4; II/II.121.1).
• Fear of God is, in this context, “filial” or chaste fear whereby we revere God and avoid separating ourselves from him—as opposed to “servile” fear, whereby we fear punishment (I/II.67.4; II/II.19.9).

These gifts, according to Aquinas, are “habits,” “instincts,” or “dispositions” provided by God as supernatural helps to man in the process of his “perfection.” They enable man to transcend the limitations of human reason and human nature and participate in the very life of God, as Christ promised (John 14:23). Aquinas insisted that they are necessary for man’s salvation, which he cannot achieve on his own. They serve to “perfect” the four cardinal or moral virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) and the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity). The virtue of charity is the key that unlocks the potential power of the seven gifts, which can (and will) lie dormant in the soul after baptism unless so acted upon.

Because “grace builds upon nature” (ST I/I.2.3), the seven gifts work synergistically with the seven virtues and also with the twelve fruits of the Spirit and the eight beatitudes. The emergence of the gifts is fostered by the practice of the virtues, which in turn are perfected by the exercise of the gifts. The proper exercise of the gifts, in turn, produce the fruits of the Spirit in the life of the Christian: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, modesty, self-control, and chastity (Gal. 5:22–23). The goal of this cooperation among virtues, gifts, and fruits is the attainment of the eight-fold state of beatitude described by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3–10).

Do something great for our Lord – help in spreading the Word about tomorrow. Help in kindling the Fire of the love of God through our celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Be there to celebrate this blessed and holy gift.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.

I know this is a rather late blog, but bear with me on this. My thoughts went to this the first chapter of Deuteronomy tonight…

all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, the plain (the valley of Jericho, the City of Palms), and as far as Zoar. The LORD then said to him, This is the land^c about which I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “I will give it to your descendants.” I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross over. So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; to this day no one knows the place of his burial. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.

So how is it on a Tuesday night that my thoughts would go to this Chapter of the Bible? My wife and I have invested many years in varsity high school sports. Our first year of this was 2002 – we had moved back from Decatur, IL and our kids were attending Gateway Academy. At that time, our oldest daughter was in 8th grade, but the high school soccer program was very small and they needed girls to play up on the Varsity team…since Gateway was not part of MSHAA at the time, Grace was able to varsity soccer as an 8th grader. 8 children played a variety of sports in high school…soccer, basketball, volleyball, track & field, field hockey, wrestling, cheer, theater and choir (I’m going to hear from my boys on the last three :)) over the 19 years. That’s a lot of days/nights/games/practices/ups/downs.

Fast forward to tonight. Tonight Teresa’s soccer team took the field against Lafayette in the first round of the district playoffs but there was one slight problem…game time was 6:30PM, she had to be back at school and dressed out for her last choir concert by 8PM. Both the soccer coach and the choir director knew about the conflict. She didn’t get to play in the soccer game tonight and when we left to go back to Marquette, the Mustangs (Marquette) were winning 2-1. We left, but our daughter Mary stayed behind to watch the game (Covid protocol only allowed for Sarah and I to attend the final choir concert at school). As we were sitting down in the theatre for the concert,, the phone buzzed…3 minutes to go and Marquette was still winning. Then the phone buzzed…40 seconds to go and Lafayette tied the game at 2. Concert starts but I had a pit in the bottom of my stomach about the soccer game. Mary texted again…no score after 9 minutes into the 10 minute overtime. And then the phone buzzed again quickly…with 21 seconds left in overtime, Lafayette scored and won 3-2 over our Marquette Mustangs. It was in the middle of the 4th song of the concert the cold hard reality sunk in…I have 3 more songs to go and our high school varsity experience would be over. The concert was beautiful and Teresa was part of a “solo” but just as quickly as it started 19 years ago, it is now over.

And so my thoughts drifted to Moses. I thought of all he went through to lead God’s chosen people; all the sacrifices he endured through the trials with the Egyptians, the Exodus, the wandering in the desert, receiving the 15 (according to Mel Brooks) commandments, the burning bush…all of that only to be told at the end… I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross over. Just as I’m sure Moses was like WHAT?!? is exactly how I feel right now. WHAT?!? How can this be over? Just give me another soccer game…volleyball, basketball, play, wrestling match – heck, I’ll even cheer for the cheer leaders…this can’t be it. But it is and I think that might be the point. I had all these grandiose plans for the final soccer game, but they have now changed. I’m sure Moses had his eye on a condo and a jacuzzi but that wasn’t in the plan God put together for him. Same for me. I pray every morning to have the courage to live my life according to His will; according to what He has planned for me. So I’m sure He’ll understand my sorrow for the rest of tonight but come tomorrow, I’ll wake up and start fresh in the morning. I will wake up and dedicate my day to His will and all will be well. I can say I have many fond memories of watching my children compete, sing, dance, act and with a slight hesitation – cheer. I have God to thank for all of that and I will do so.

Do something great for our Lord today – let Him make the plans, you just need to have the courage to follow them. I’ll remind myself in the morning that His joy will be in me and my joy will be complete…but tonight I’m gonna sit and wonder how the hell did all that time go by so quickly.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

I don’t know any other way to say this than to just be blunt and say it…it is time to get back to your Sunday obligation. It is time to get back to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath. Yesterday’s Gospel – for the Ascension of the Lord, convinced me that now is the proper time.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Are you hearing the same message that the Holy Spirit inspired me with in yesterday’s Gospel… These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

No harm will come to those who believe. Hands will be laid on the sick and they will recover. No harm will come to those who believe…

Do something great for our Lord today – BELIEVE. Believe in Him. Believe that you will be safe in His house. He has promised no harm will come to you. Please come back to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, gentleness and patience. Compete well for the faith.

I was inspired to Keep It Simple Stupid this morning…

If you’re reading this, see it as a sign to go to Mass this morning. Grab a bulletin to show your Mom you went.

Do something great for our Lord today – celebrate His Ascension into heaven. Mass time are 7:30AM, 9:30AM and 11:30AM. You won’t regret going.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, gentleness and patience. Compete well for the faith.

in the image of God He created them;

male and female – He created them.

I just don’t understand the whole philosophy behind what is being referred to as the “Cancel Culture”, “Critical Race”, or any other idea that’s sole intention is to divide our nation. I was taught – and I still whole this “truth to be self evident” – that we are ALL created equal. We are all created in the image and likeness of God. I have also come to believe I don’t need to look at my fellow man with “color blind” eyes. If we truly are made in the image and likeness of God, why should I not see the beauty of all races, of all people whether they are black, white or any color in between. We are all beautiful in God eyes and that should not be canceled.

I am reminded of the famous line that “those who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it”. I know the Bible isn’t a “history” book, but just look at the many examples of “cancel culture” written in the Bible. Cain & Abel; Egyptians & Jews; Romans & Jews; Jews & Christians (look no further than Saul/Paul in regards to this); Romans & Christians. In more recent history, How about the slave trade? How about Hitler? How about the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. No good has ever come from a theory that’s sole intention is to cancel out a race of people. The “cancel culture” that existing today is no different.

Christ was about love. Christ was about serving not just the “chosen” race but people of all races. Look no further than the Gospel readings these past few weeks to find that out…

Last Friday: Jesus said to His disciples…”This I command you – love one another.”

Last Saturday: Jesus said to his disciples: 
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.

Last Sunday: Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

Monday: “I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you.”

Tuesday: For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me; 
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

Wednesday: Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth…”

Those with ears ought to hear…

Do something great for our Lord today…call on His advocate – the Holy Spirit – and let the Spirit guide you in the Truth. Don’t cancel your fellow man but love them. This is the command of Jesus…love one another as He has loved you.

I firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.. Compete well for the faith.

Ever heard a “line” and it just sticks with you forever…

“Ask not what your Country can do for you but what you can do for your Country.” John F. Kennedy

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” –Mother Teresa

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” –Margaret Mead

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” –Robert Louis Stevenson

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” –Benjamin Franklin

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” –Helen Keller

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” –Aristotle

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” –Anne Frank

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Impressed – I did those all from memory. I also have some ocean front property in Arizona I’d like to get off my hands. I digress. Simple words of inspiration can go a long way in making your day. Let me add a few more that inspired me growing up.

“I’m so broke…I couldn’t afford the down payment on a free meal.” -Jack W. Dorhauer, Jr.

“If you keep that up, I’m going to slap you to sleep and then slap you for sleeping.” -Lucille “Grandma” Hilbert

I’m not sure where this one originated, but I have passed it on to my children…

“If if’s and but’s were candies and nuts, we’d all have a merry christmas.”

Simple lines can stick with us – it’s just that simple. If you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you’ll notice I use a number of lines to close it out each time. They are – simply put – words to live by. And in Today’s Gospel reading, we have one of the best lines ever given…one that should shape our entire outlook on life.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” -Jesus Christ, Son of God

Take a second to reflect on that. Here is the whole Gospel from today’s readings.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. 
You have faith in God; have faith also in me. 
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.” 
Thomas said to him, 
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?” 
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. 
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Do something great for our Lord today – do not let your heart be troubled by the politics of today, by the economy, by the pandemic or by anything else that troubles you. Be comforted by this one last quote for the day… “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Now that is one line to live by and remember always.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.”

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.

I want to share two things with you this morning. The first is the Response Psalm from today’s readings.

R.    (12) How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
How shall I make a return to the LORD
    for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
    and I will call upon the name of the LORD
R.    How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
My vows to the LORD I will pay
    in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
    is the death of his faithful ones.
R.    How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
O LORD, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
    you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R.    How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?

This may be my favorite Psalm…Psalm 116 and it’s meaning ties directly into the next thought I want to share with you this morning – John’s Gospel narrative we’ve been reading the past number of days. Jesus Christ has offered me His life – how can I thank Him enough for that? Jesus Christ died on the Cross for my sins – how is it I repay Him for that blessed gift? I will take up His Cup of Salvation. I will be His servant. I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving; I will always call upon the name of the Lord. I must die to my way of life and live in Christ’s way – the way of love and mercy.

I believe this ties directly into what Jesus taught us and what we as Catholics have upheld since He celebrated the “last supper” with his Apostles. It is the source, center and summit of our Catholic faith – that He is the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has never been nor ever will be merely symbolic – it is truly sharing and receiving THE BREAD OF LIFE…

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” 
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you. 
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink. 
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 
This is the bread that came down from heaven. 
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink. 
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.

Where in all of this narrative does Jesus back down from saying He is True Bread and True Drink? He was questioned to clarify it more than once in John’s narrative…He is challenged to clarify again in this morning’s Gospel…

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.

Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”

Do something great for our Lord today – if you have left; come back. If you have doubts; believe. Follow the Apostles and contemplate Peter’s declaration to Christ… “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

I firmly resolve, with the Help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God, chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.

Ever wonder why it is the priest “dresses” like he does for Mass? Of all things, I was watching Jeopardy yesterday and the answer was “This religious clothing has 33 buttons to symbolize how many years on earth that Christ lived and 5 buttons on each sleeve to symbolize the wounds he suffered on the Cross. What is a…

So I work up this morning thinking about that and found this article that does a nice job explaining the tradition behind each piece of the clothing our Catholic priests wear to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Do something great for the Lord today, know that “What is a Cassock?” was the proper question to the answer on Jeopardy yesterday – which my wife corrected me after I said Surplice. (I knew the answer; I just wanted to make her feel good!!)

Do something great for our Lord today – think about what it is that you wear to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass…does it have any meaning or tradition behind it?

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.

First, sorry for the lapse in recents posts; I had technical difficulties – I couldn’t get up early enough!

So what is it that grounds you in the faith you profess? I was raised a Catholic (I am by popular terms a Cradle Catholic) and the older I get, the more my profession of this faith grows stronger. The readings from Monday and this morning only bolster my faith in the Roman Catholic tradition.

Traditionally in the Catholic faith, when one is confirmed, they choose a saint whose life was nourished by the Holy Spirit and inspired them to do great things in the name of the Father and the Son so that they too will do great works. The saint I chose to emulate was St. Stephan – the first martyr for Christ.

From yesterday: Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

From Today: They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul. 
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Now Saul was consenting to his execution.

In the Gospels from these two days, we hear Jesus tell the crowds that He IS the bread of life. If we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we will have eternal life.

There is so much going on here between the readings, the psalms and the gospels that strengthen my resolve in the Catholic faith. I will highlight a few of the verses here, but I would ask that you spend some time reflecting on these and call upon the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts. At the end of these verses, I will offer one thought of mine that is just SHOUTING out to me this morning.

Monday:

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

Though princes meet and talk against me,
    your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
    they are my counselors.

One does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you. 
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”

Tuesday:

When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Be my rock of refuge,
    a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
    for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.

So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.” 
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

So what is it that grabbed my attention this morning? At my first read, it didn’t hit me. It wasn’t until I started typing this post that the words jumped off the page. We are told in the 51st verse of John 6 the following:

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Apostles were witnesses to this. Our 1st reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. It was simply three words (from this reading this morning) that brought this truth of John 6:51 to life for me this morning. Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep. I know this is more than three words, but look again at the last three words of this witness statement…he fell asleep. HE FELL ASLEEP. By the witnesses account, Stephan did not die but simply fell asleep. How can that be? It is a simple truth revealed to us…Stephan believed in Christ; Stephan ate His flesh and drank His blood and did not die but found eternal life as promised to him. I am strengthened in my faith reading this because I too choose to eat His flesh and drink His blood everytime I am blessed to go Mass. I too hope to fall asleep one day and find myself experiencing all the joys promised to me in eternal life.

Do something great for our Lord today – profess your faith in God, in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit. Eat His flesh; drink His blood. Amen. Alleluia.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.