My update as Lent begins...

An update from Deacon Mike

Mardi Gras is now behind us. Welcome to Lent and in a few days the month of March. This weekend I am serving as Deacon of the Word (not the Gospel) at St. Louis Cathedral at 11 a.m. Sunday. On Saturday I’m looking forward to visiting with the aspirants of the Deacon Class of 2012, and my friends from the class of 2010.

Last month I shared the 5 tools from Deacon Glenn Harmon to have a truly strong foundation based on God and His Church. They are:
Prayer
Read and pray Scripture
Learn and know the Catholic faith
Be enthusiastic
Serve

In that same update, I decided to focus on #3 and began with identifying the Sacraments. So this month, let’s take a look at Baptism.

The Church firmly declares that Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life where we are freed from sin and reborn as sons & daughters of God. Through Baptism we are incorporated into the church and share in Her mission.

Baptism actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one “can enter the kingdom of God.” See John 3:5 and Titus 3:5. Baptism confers grace; not as a gift earned, rather an unmerited gift freely given by God through His Church.

Baptism was prefigured in the Old Testament, Genesis 1:2, the flood and Noah, the crossing at the Red Sea, the crossing at the river Jordan. Baptism is fulfilled in Jesus Christ who begins his public ministry after being baptized by John in the Jordan and in His great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. See Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15-16.

From the very day of Pentecost, the Catholic Church has celebrated and administered Baptism. St. Peter declares, “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” See Acts 2:38. St. Paul goes on to affirm the Catholic Church’s theology of Baptism: “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” See Romans 6:3-4.

So now, let’s answer some questions about Baptism.

Who can receive Baptism? Every person not yet baptized. Baptism can never be repeated; it is once for all.

Why does the Church baptize infants? First, all are born with original sin and infants, as well as others, need to be freed from that sin. Remember earlier I stated that Baptism is an unmerited gift, not earned and freely given by God. The sheer gratuitousness of this gift of grace is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. Scripture sights the baptism of whole households. See Acts 16:15, 33, 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:16. Also, evidence from written sources as early as the year 150 A.D. confirms the tradition. The early Church father, St. Irenaeus affirmed infant Baptism at this time as did Hippolytus who documented infant Baptism in 235 A.D.

Who can baptize? Ordinary ministers are bishop, priest and deacon. In case of emergency any person may baptize provided the formula is used: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.

Is Baptism necessary for salvation? Yes, for all those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for the sacrament.

Some other points concerning Baptism: Baptism is the sacrament of faith. It requires a community of believers. Faith must grow after Baptism. For that reason, every Easter, the whole Church renews their baptismal promises.

Baptism makes all members of the Body of Christ. See Ephesians 4:25 and 1 Corinthians 12:13. In Baptism, all share in Christ’s holy priesthood and his mission of prophecy and royalty. See 1 Peter 2:4, 2:9. Baptism also gives all a share in the common priesthood of all believers.

The baptized is also configured to Christ having been sealed with the indelible spiritual mark or character, thus belonging to Christ. See Romans 8:29.

Want to learn more? Please read the Catholic Catechism, paragraphs 1213-1277. You can also read the shorter Compendium, paragraphs 252-264. With Lent now upon us, and Deacon Glenn’s 5 tools as a guide, pick up a copy of these publications and read and pray with these paragraphs on Baptism. You will also find every scriptural cross-reference that supports these teachings so have your Bible handy too.

As I close, since we are all beginning our Lenten journey, please take time to focus on prayer, fasting and giving alms. Take advantage of extra opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation that most Catholic churches provide. Devote some time to visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or attend Stations of the Cross. Make small acts of self-denial or take time to do more for others. Whatever you do this Lent, do so from the heart and a spirit of wanting to do it. This too will be part of your Lenten prayer experience; if you do it for the glory of God the Father.

May God bless you immensely during this Lenten season and prepare you for the Easter joy of the Savior who died and rose from the dead for me and for you. Remember, even if you or I were the only one that needed Jesus to die for our sins, He would still have walked the road to Calvary. Amazing!

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
Deacon Mike
abitadeacon@yahoo.com
http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/

My February update

February Greetings from Deacon Mike:

I trust all are doing well since my last update or the last time we were able to visit. Again, I thank one and all for supporting the ministry God has entrusted to me with your prayers and support.

I hope those of you who are close by may be able to attend one of the Masses over the next two weekends where I will be preaching the homily from the Gospel of Mark. This Sunday, February 8th, I will be preaching at the 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mass. Next weekend, the 14th and 15th, which is Valentines Day weekend and the start of Mardi Gras, I will be preaching at 4 p.m. at St. Michael’s in Bush and 6 p.m. at St. Jane’s in Abita. These are vigil Masses on Saturday. Then on Sunday morning, the 15th again I will deliver a homily at 11 a.m. Mass.
These next two weekends are powerful Gospel messages of healing, forgiveness of sin and mercy. You are so welcome to join my parish family at St. Jane’s and St. Michael Mission.

In the past few weeks I have been encouraged in my faith by several events. I have visited twice since my last update with the men at Rayburn Prison where I now serve as Director of Catholic Pastoral Care. The men have welcomed me with open arms and have shared openly with me their pain, struggles and personal journey in discovering God’s love and mercy and their growth in faith and spirituality. Please consider praying for the men who find themselves in prison.

And in the past few weeks, I have been inspired by the number of people, including many young people, who attended the March for Life in Washington and those who faithfully minister outside the abortion clinic in Metairie. Our parish participated in the Bishop’s post card campaign over two weekends and I was happy to hear we exhausted our supply. Continue to pressure your U.S. Representatives and Senators to oppose FOCA, the so-called Freedom of Choice Act. And pray for the unborn and our national leaders, particularly our new President, for a conversion of heart.
Just this past week, my home parish had a 4 night mission led by Deacon Glenn Harmon of San Diego. Allow me to share a few of his teachings with you. First, learn to give up that which robs you of peace. Surrender it to God, name it and imagine being free from such burden. Decide to let it go. Give it all to God.
God calls us to serve Him and our brothers and sisters. Hear God’s promise from Sirach, chapter 35 verses 16-17: “He who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal.” WOW.

On the last night of the mission Deacon Glenn gave us five tools to have a strong foundation based on God. Here they are:
Pray: daily, every day without fail. Thank him for your life, praise and bless God, ask Him for His will in your life.
Read and pray with Scripture. Read the Bible everyday. Reject the false concept that Catholics should not read the Bible. Remember the words of St. Jerome: “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”. The Church has readings laid out every day of the year in a 3 year cycle. Even if you can’t attend daily Mass, you can read the daily readings by purchasing guides like Magnificat, Emmaus Story or Living with Christ to name but three. The Church, in Her wisdom, has made it possible that by following the readings in a 3 year cycle, you will read most of Sacred Scripture.
Learn the Catholic Faith. Each home should have a Catechism or the new more concise Compendium Catechism of the Catholic Church. Written in question and answer form, reading just one “q & a” per day can result in a much deeper appreciation for the Catholic faith given to us by Jesus.
Be proud & enthusiastic. It’s a good thing to be proud of your faith. Live it by word, deed and example.
Serve. Everyone has some gift; time or talent that can be shared with God’s people, with His church. Consider a ministry and get involved.

These are great tools that Deacon Glenn shared with us and I’m happy to share them with you. Using the Compendium mentioned in # 3 above I hope to share some information over the next few updates. Let’s start with the Sacraments of the Church.

The Catholic Church rejoices in the gift of 7 Sacraments given to Her by Christ. They are Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony.

These sacraments are the fruit of the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

The Sacraments are divided, if you will, into the following:
Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist
Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Anointing of the Sick.
Sacraments of Service and Mission: Holy Orders and Matrimony.

In my next update, we will explore the Sacrament of Baptism and answer questions like: Is Baptism necessary for Salvation? Why does the Church baptize infants? Who can receive Baptism?

Again, if you can join me for Mass, great; if not please continue to pray for me as I always pray for each of you. Please remember, the holy season of Lent will soon be upon us; what a great time to grow deeper in your faith and love for Him who died for us.

Please contact me with any prayer requests or questions you may have about the Church, my ministry or whatever is on your mind.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Deacon Mikeabitadeacon@yahoo.com