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