The First of May

International Workers Day ‘12

            Today is also May Day, and the Solemnity of St. Joseph the Worker. Mayday is a cry of distress and Catholics, if not Christians everywhere, should declare an official panic. It is the day that my ancestors danced around a May Pole and today sexual liberalism is everywhere. While I can’t agree with the socialist’s agendas against Monotheism and right to life; I can’t agree with the Conservative’s against the progress of the labour movement either. This doesn’t leave me many friends. But in Morning Prayer this morning, the Canticle from Daniel 3 verses reads “For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,/brought low everywhere in the world this day/because of our sins.//We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,/no holocaust, sacrifice, oblation or incense,/no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.//But with contrite heart and humble spirit/let us be received;/as though it were holocausts of rams and bullocks,/or of thousands of fat lambs,/so let our sacrifice be in your presence today/as we follow you unreservedly;/for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.”

            St. Joseph is the patron saint of St. Joseph’s, here in Belleville, where I often go during the week, when I can’t get to St. Michael’s church. He is the patron saint of Canada and worker’s hence: here it is a Solemnity Feast Day, now. While the first of May originally celebrated Communists victories; triumph’s which entailed persecutions of Christians, Jews and other martyrs, it has been embraced by the New Left and Catholics as a day of solidarity with marginalized, slaves and unions. It is obvious that any form of killing for a cause is wrong but I do not feel reactionary reductions of benefits for the poor and unemployed is anything more than claiming rights for earnings I’ve worked for having without embracing my responsibility to the human family. God blesses us with what we have in North America and He can take it away.

            Another right which is being abused is the right to choice. Who can deny that we should have free will to choose abortion or euthanasia as opposed to the right to life. But doesn’t this take away the right of the unborn to live? Or take away the right of a person to live as long as they can? The Catholic Church doesn’t take away freedom of choice, but defends life, and always has. Evangelicals have got on the band wagon also and are agreeing to this right to life as well. I think the error in our society comes before a state of emergency that seems to threaten family and personal freedom when we still feel we can enjoy the rites of Spring in gaily and liberally free sex. When we value the quality of life so dearly that we want to end it before a natural lifespan we aren’t embracing the responsibility that comes from having rights either.

            St. Joseph is remembered for his strong family values. Whether he was a widower and had a family, the cousins, which would be a better word to be used as a translation than brothers, of Jesus, or Joseph remained a virgin all his life; all look up to him as keeping Mary a virgin, and being the stepfather of our Lord. Maybe Mary taught Jesus to read and write or maybe it was Joseph: who probably took Him to the synagogue a lot, and instructed Him in the traditions that came down from his ancestor King David. Certainly his chastity is something that should inspire fathers today to be there for their unborn, their children, and the mothers of them. And it should inspire people to wait for marriage before sex. He should inspire people to accept humble work, if they can get it, and pray they are ready willing and able. And he should inspire people to be good stewards of whatever God gives them, and take care or look after families. Saint Joseph, the Worker, pray for me.

           

           

Food for Thot

The Feast of St. Mark

                Our Lord used a lot of references that were rural in inference. The Gospel writer St. Mark portrays this in the parable of the sower. The Word is the Lord and the Good News and the seed. The seed cannot grow if demons or birds snatch it away. If we are listening to the wrong words or having negative thoughts, good thoughts cannot grow. If our hearts are hard like stony ground we don’t have the word rooted in our hearts. When the weeds of daily care, concerns, wealth and image choke the seed as our spiritual growth in Jesus is stifled, we can’t focus on positive things. When the harvest is white and ripe sometimes the labourers are few. St. Mark was a martyr whose robe is white and a great harvester of souls. The Lord of the harvest is also the Bread of Life. When Christ fed the multitudes they still asked for signs. Jesus walked on water. The Lord is the Eucharist. The Father gave them bread from heaven, manna, and the bread of the presence.  Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” – John 6:26,27; NRSV

The Seed (Mark 4:23) My own paraphrase.

I heard they were scattered in a field

With messages which had taken seed

By the way scavengers ate it up

‘Til doldrums come and take it away

Some have had rocky occasions

Not too deep soon sprouted

Gladsome prematurity won’t sink

Long lasting past trouble

Amongst persecution young shoots

Sun burnt not deep nor grown dry up

Anxious pressure comes with messages

Give up at once

Amid brambles desires crowd choke

In too deep for riches soil wealth

Some roots don’t bear fruit from seed fallen

In good circumstance situations sprouts lent growth

Here yields accept bore fruit indeed

Thirty-fold sixty times one hundred per cent increase

You have been given the secrets of the Kingdom

Bear fruit increase and multiply

If you look and look but do not see

Listen and listen but don’t understand

Here if you did you’d hear our message

And be fruitful, filled with forgiveness

Put light beneath beads or a table or on standards

“Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open

And whatever is covered up will be uncovered

Listen then if you have ears!”

Divine Mercy Sunday

Friday the 13^th, April ‘2012

Turn Around

There is joy in my little old heart

And I must do my part

To gladden the heart of God

Giving up the past

Sin that would make you aghast

And saddened the Sacred Heart of God

There is hope in my heart to swell

With confidence say all is well

With me and Jesus Son of God

And now do the will

On the Way to heaven still

And the wedding of the Lamb of God

There is peace in my heart today

From the sacrifice made Easter day

Then followed flowed Holy Spirit of God

Once I craved unholy union

Now just Holy Communion

Lord fills me Divine Mercy of God

The little way heart accept it

With humbleness don’t reject it

Ones roll like the Little Flower of God

Stubbornness and pride

Forsake as incoming tide

Faith, Hope, Love abide with Triune God

Sunday Morning, April 15^th ‘2012

Brothers and sisters we are invited to a feast

Of the Body and Blood of the Lamb

We have been gathered for a wedding banquet

To be united with Christ our head

Each humble part brought together

In the Divine Mercy to be restored

Healed forgiven we offer thanks and praise

To God the Father through the Spirit and Son be adored.

Happy Easter!

Why is there a Jesus on a Catholic’s cross?

One might better ask why isn’t there one on a Protestant’s. I don’t want to get into the history of it, the early church didn’t start with a cross as the symbol of Christianity but it just about universally is accepted as such now. They have recently banned the wearing of a cross in Great Britain but they have ostracized and persecuted Christians of various denominations before. It would be well protested somewhere with bombing if they tried to ban Islamic dress anywhere. But it was mentioned at our local Belleville Catholic Men’s Fellowship that all Catholics should wear a cross.

However my main point is about the problem of suffering.  When I was a Protestant, we obviously had some sermonizing on offering up our suffering to the Lord. I have an impression rather that there is instruction from some pulpits to give the impression because Christ suffered, we shouldn’t have to do so. I realize Protestants are still being martyred for Christ, right alongside our Catholic brothers and sisters. I’m sure too Protestants have burned Catholics at the stake and vice versa. But today we hear, mostly from Conservatives and Republicans, that we can be comfortable, healthy and not give up our affluent society, because the Lord has blessed us. This even means we should support abortions, euthanasia, and not marriage for life between members of the opposite sex, by some people, who are for some social justice; from the “new left.” And I’m not saying that Protestants don’t teach and preach that we should take up our crosses.

I am saying that the issue of suffering gets put on the back burner a lot. If the image of Christ isn’t seen on a cross in every room, church, business or Cathedral, I tend to forget that I have to suffer for Christ. No I get to suffer with Christ and crucifixes just remind me of that. They remind me that Christ suffered and died for me.  I suppose so does a cross without an image of Jesus on it. But somehow when I was a Protestant, that all got forgotten, by myself, at least. We don’t pray to images of Jesus or any of the Saints, they’re statues, paintings, or just images. But every year, Catholics venerate the cross publicly. Many have great devotion to the cross or their crucifix, I know I do for it and mine. God doesn’t want us to suffer but he asks us to do so. So: if you venerated a Cross yesterday,  do so on a regular basis, even if you just admire Catholic art of the Crucifixion, and you respect the Cross, I’m sure you’ll agree with me it really puts a positive prospective on the Passion and suffering, but if your perspective is that a crucifix is an idol or shouldn’t be in your church, home, or place of business, perhaps you’ll reconsider.   

poem for Lent

Lament for A Saviour

Did anybody really love me.

Did anyone really care.

I know that my Mother Mary,

Did salvation’s story with me share.

And John, the Beloved, was with me,

Right on top of Calvary’s hill.

Then Mary Magdalene first saw me

After I rose and had to meet Father still.

But who was it when others leave me

Stand by like Saints Peter and Paul.

Or when the majority would deny me

Saints like Lucy and Barbara stand tall.

In times many would persecute us

There’d be a Saint Polycarp to offer up

And where the Faith those would desert us

Saints Ambrose and Benedict held the Cup.

If you need to fight a dragon for me

Be a Saint George, a patron, a friend.

And pagan, all, world seems around me,

Be as St. Patrick, to convert, make that a trend.

Do most protest or split from us?

Be a Saint Teresa of Avila.

Is your will or health not for us?

Be a Saint Therese of Liseux.

Do all hoard and greed around you?

Be a Saint Theresa of India.

Then should you feel lowly; I’m calling you:

Be a Saint Andre, have a Saint Joseph view.

And what of you – think no one knew me

When you thought your last lover gone?

Will you be sister/brother to me?

Turn this lament to victory song.

Lent '12

                Well here it is almost Spring, which means we are in Lent. March is in like a mangy old lion today in Belleville. This year I feel tempted to say, like Luther, I don’t need to say the Confiteor any more, I don’t need to say another Act of Contrition, and I don’t need to go to Confession again; haven’t I been sorry enough for my sins, most of them: long forgotten, and forgiven, if they were mortal, and doesn’t God understand if my sins are venial.

But then I am reminded that part of the great discipline of the Catholic Church is the sacrament of Reconciliation and if we are truly sorry for our sins we don’t stop being sorry that we have sinned. It doesn’t mean we don’t feel forgiven, that we don’t forgive others and ourselves, or that we don’t let the past go. It doesn’t hurt this season of renewal to bring to mind our sins in the Penitent rite, or say an extra Act of Contrition.

And I have had brought to my attention that simple acts of mercy and little ways of charitable deeds are all part of almsgiving. Like Ruth, who didn’t have much, except herself to offer Naomi , also we are now leaving our old world behind and living forever with a new people. This is the Church militant, until we either join the Church suffering, or the Church triumphant. We are being refined as silver, which has to be through the refiner’s fire twelve times, before it is pure. It isn’t one trip to the altar and then it’s just me and Jesus against the world that does the trick.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t depend solely on the Lord. We don’t depend solely on the Bible, but on the teachings of the Church, Sacred tradition, the authority of the Magisterium, and the Pope. It doesn’t negate the Word of God, the Truth, which Sacred Scripture is. We don’t depend solely on our Faith to save. James said it: Faith without works is dead; and we don’t suggest, as Luther did, just throw his book away, not to be in the Bible. However we do depend solely on the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for grace, mercy, and the strength to obtain salvation, a gift of God, through Faith, not by our works, but proven by them.

So God strengthens us; during Lent: by mortifications, Penance, to make Acts of Charity, fast and pray. It is only through much fasting and prayer, can some healings or some miracles take place, according to Jesus. Then we can get rid of the demons of the past, commend demons to the place prepared for them; avoid being put in a place ourselves where we are still asleep in the Lord and still need more purification, which we have called Purgatory. Then we can defeat the Demon, as the Lord who reminded the Devil: man does not live by bread alone, but every Word, that comes from the mouth of God. Then we can live in the presence of the Lord, with the Saints, in Glory. Then we can walk and talk with the Lord face to face, even before he comes again in glory himself.   

The Baptism

The Baptism
In the 3^rd chapter of the Gospel
Of St. John the Divine it says
You must be born again
And earlier on St. John the Baptist
Even baptized the Son of God

And so we know we must be born
Of water and of the spirit
St. John said repent and be baptized
And we are adopted child of God
Born in the family of God