Homily 4th Sunday in Easter

I'm strong to the finish cause I eats me spinach, I'm Popeye the sailor man.  Popeye had no problem letting us know who he is. 

It's important to know who we are and to be able to clearly communicate that to other folks.  Quite simply, how would you tell others who you are?

As people of faith, we should know who Jesus is.  Do we?

On this 4th Sunday of Easter we leave the post-Resurrection stories and arrive in the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John.  We are kind of suspending time, at least chronologically, to hear Jesus tell us who He is.  First of all, Jesus tells us He is the Good Shepherd.  And that tells us all something about who we are.  We are His sheep!  And as our Good Shepherd He is telling us that we are in a relationship with Him.  And what kind of relationship are we talking about here?  It is an intense intimate relationship; about as intimate as the relationship Jesus has with the Father.  He intimately offers to care for us, as a shepherd cares for his flock.  We are the flock of Jesus.  Jesus, in sharing with us that He is our Good Shepherd makes a commitment to us as well: I will lay down my life for my sheep.  Now we already know that Jesus indeed laid His life down for us.  He laid down upon the Cross to die to save each of us.  The Good Shepherd indeed died for His sheep.  As He mentions in today's Gospel, Jesus is no mere hired hand who runs away at the first sign of danger, no, He is the Good Shepherd who places Himself between danger and us, to save us.  And that danger is our own sinfulness.  As a sheep follows their Shepherd, we, who follow the Good Shepherd, can be safe from the danger of sin.

Jesus introduced Himself in today's Gospel with the words, "I Am".  How many times did Jesus use the words "I Am" in reference to Himself?  The answer is approximately 27 times, depending on translations but what is important about this is simply "I Am".  Twice in this Good Shepherd discourse we hear Jesus use these words, "I Am".  Grammatically correct, "I Am" is also theologically correct.  Where did we first hear the words "I Am" in Scripture, in Salvation history?  This is how God referred to Himself at the burning bush with Moses way back in Exodus.  "I Am".  You see, Jesus, as the "I Am" and the Good Shepherd is revealing Himself as God, as in the Son, the 2nd person of the Most Holy Trinity.  Jesus is indicating the fullness of His divine nature.

Finally, in this Gospel we also hear Jesus discuss who is His flock.  He tells us it is His sheep(Israel) and His other sheep(Gentiles).  These other sheep the Good Shepherd too must lead and under His divine Sonship, these flocks will become one(universal; catholic).  For both the Jew and the Gentile there is one Good Shepherd, there is but one "I Am", there is but one God.  And He will lead them, care for them and die for them; die for us!

We take the occasion of this Good Shepherd Sunday to remember shepherds.  We honor vocations on Good Shepherd Sunday and while vocations can include Deacons, Religious, married couples, those living in the single state, today we look at the Priesthood.  We are called to pray for and support diocesan effort to grow the Priesthood.  Here is some good news; our seminaries here in New Orleans are at capacity, young men and not so young men are pursuing the Priesthood.  They deserve our prayers and our financial support!  Also, we remember today our retired Priests.  We now have over 60 retired Archdiocesan Priests, and many of them still help us by offering Mass, visiting hospitals and hearing confessions.  Today we offer a 2nd collection so we can help those who for many years have helped us.  These good shepherds, like those preparing to be good shepherds, need our prayers and financial support.  And all of our Priests need something else too, they need to know we care.  We can do that by our involvement in the parishes and ministries they lead, we can do that by cooking a meal or taking your parish Priest to dinner, we can do that by sending them a card or a note and we can do that by our constant prayers.  Can we do these things, and a dozen other possibilities, for those shepherds who care for us?

Popeye knew who he was, Jesus knows who He is, do we know the Good Shepherd?  Do we know the Great "I Am"?  Do we know who we are?  We are the sheep who follow the Good Shepherd.  Will we?

For Good Shepherd Sunday we take care of our retired Priests

Collection for Retired Priests is this weekend - April 25 & 26

Peter Finney, Jr., Clarion Herald • Fri, Apr 24 2015

                 

  

 

The annual second collection to serve the needs of retired diocesan priests will be taken up in all churches of the Archdiocese of New Orleans this weekend, April 25-26, Good Shepherd Sunday – the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The Gospel reading from John has Jesus speaking of himself as the “good shepherd.”

Since the collection was begun in 2007, it has raised nearly $1.8 million to help defray retirement costs for diocesan priests. Last year’s collection raised $232,000.

There are 50 retired diocesan priests, many of whom remain active in celebrating Masses, funerals and hearing confessions in parishes.

Two of the retired priests are archbishops – Archbishops Francis B. Schulte and Alfred C. Hughes. The retired clergy also includes former Auxiliary Bishop Dominic Carmon.

Msgr. Terry Becnel said he purposely did not commit himself to any sacramental ministry for a few months after his July 2014 retirement, but he has since helped out at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in Hahnville and at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Luling.

“It’s been wonderful,” Msgr. Becnel said. “You don’t have to worry about going to any meetings, but you can still do the things you were ordained to do. I’m retired, but I’m still a priest.”

Msgr. Becnel even had time last week to take the first cruise of his life – to the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.

“I’ve heard people say they don’t want to go because they’ll feel all locked up, but it was tremendous,” he said.

Father Patrick Williams, vicar general of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, said active priests would be stretched thin in fulfilling the sacramental needs of the archdiocese without the ministry of retired diocesan priests.

Father Otis Young, pastor of St. Peter Parish in Covington and chair of the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee, said many parishes with multiple weekend Masses would have difficulty offering the Eucharist so frequently without retired priests as celebrants.

Who are the retired priests?
The other retired diocesan priests are Father Joseph Benson, Father Ronald Braud, Father H.L. Brignac, Father Paul D. Calamari, Father Charles J. Caluda, Father Francis Carabello, Father Jerry Dabria, Father Joseph de Water, Father Danilo Digal, Msgr. James Dixon, Msgr. Charles Duke. Father J. Luis Fernandez, Father Francis Ferrié, Father John P. Finn, Father Bernard Francis, Msgr. T. Gaspard Glasgow, Father Adrian Hall, Msgr. Lawrence Hecker, Father Carroll Heffner, Father H. Brian Highfill, Father John Hinton, Father Patrick J.R. Kennedy, Msgr. Louis LeBourgeois, Father Raul Venust Lobo, Msgr. J. Anthony Luminais, Father William McGough, Father Leo Meyer. Father Brendan Morgan, Father Dominic Huyen Duc Nguyen, Father William O’Donnell, Father Michael O’Neill, Father Denver Pentecost, Father Denzil Perera, Father Vincent Qui, Msgr. Allen Roy, John Sax, Father James Schott, Father Anthony Serio, Father David Texada, Father Curtis Thomas, Msgr. John Tomasovich, Father Joseph Tranchina, Father Paul Trinchard, Father Jules Vitte, Father John Baptist Han Vu and Father Anthony J. White. –

A new basilica for Michigan; the 80th in America

Shrine of the Little Flower marks basilica status

Mark Hicks

Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron leads a Mass of Thanksgiving, Wednesday April 22, 2015, celebrating the designation of the National Shrine of the Little Flower as a Minor Basilica in Royal Oak. (Photo: Steve Perez, The Detroit News)

 

 Detroit Archbishop. Allen Vigneron leads a Mass of Thanksgiving. (Photo: Steve Perez, The Detroit Free Press)

 

 

 

Last Slide

Archbishop Allen Vigneron leads the Mass marking National Shrine of the Little Flower a Minor Basilica.(Photo: The Detroit News)

           

Royal Oak — Ellen Scholti stood amid the pews of National Shrine of the Little Flower on Wednesday evening, reveling in the white and gold decorations, flickering candles and songs from the choir.
The longtime parishioner was among more than 1,000 people who gathered there to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving marking the church's new status as a basilica.
The Archdiocese of Detroit announced this year that Pope Francis had granted Shrine the title of Minor Basilica — making it the second church in Michigan and one of more than 80 in the United States to bear the designation.
The title is given to churches around the globe to signify "a particular importance in liturgical and pastoral life as well as a closer relationship with the pope," archdiocese officials said. To meet the criteria for becoming a Minor Basilica, Shrine had to "demonstrate its heightened liturgical activity and its architectural stature," the archdiocese said.
For Scholti and other members, such a distinction more than merited a celebration.
"It's always been a wonderful parish," she said. "It's really incredible to be a part of that and the blessings that come with that. I'm very proud."
Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron, who last year requested that the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments bestow the title, led the Mass. A declaration from Pope Francis also was read.
"This is a wonderful occasion and it marks a real milestone in the life of this parish church," Vigneron told the rapt audience surrounding him.
The Rev. Robert Fisher, who leads Shrine, and its former pastor, the late Monsignor William Easton, long had sought the honorary label.
Founded in 1926, the church was among the first named after St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a French nun known as the "Little Flower."
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designated it a National Shrine in 1998 — one of the first five churches in the country to share the honor, according to the archdiocese.
Vigneron said the new status makes Shrine "an outpost for the Roman church" and positions it "to advance the work of the new evangelization."
With a membership numbering more than 3,500 families, the Shrine is considered among the largest parishes in the archdiocese.
Joanna Mikolajczyk, of Southfield, has attended for about four years. Her daughter, Sienna, was baptized there. Toasting the upgraded standing is "very important," she said. "Everybody's honored. ... I hope it brings attention to the church and strengthens everyone's faith."
Now, the main aim is for parishioners to "take this joy and share it with other people," Fisher said. "It's important for the whole community."

Pope Francis rushed to pray for the Nepal earthquake victims

Pope Francis prays for the victims of a major earthquake in Nepal.

 

2015-04-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is praying for the victims of a major earthquake in Nepal. The major earthquake, which  measured 7.9 on the Richter Scale, shook Nepal just before noon on Saturday, causing major damage to the densely-populated Kathmandu Valley. Officials fear hundreds of people have died.
The quake’s epicenter was 80 km northwest of the country’s capital, Kathmandu. The quake toppled a 100-year -old temple, split roads, and razed houses and buildings.
Among the damages is the Dharahara Tower, a national monument, built by Nepal’s royal rulers in the 1800’s. Officials estimate that at least 50 people are trapped inside the collapsed structure.
The quake is reported to have caused avalanches in the Mount Everest region of the Himalayas and Tremors could be felt as far away in New Delhi in neighbouring India .
Vatican Radio spoke with Fr Pius Perumana, an aid worker from Caritas Nepal in Kathmandu, who said many of the houses in the tightly packed city have collapsed  and survivors need emergency medical care and shelter.
 “I managed to reach Kathmandu, though the roads were blocked…they are still searching for survivors. The reports are still coming in…The picture is not very clear,” he said.
This is Nepal’s second-worst earthquake since 1934, when an 8.0-magnitude quake destroyed three cities: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan

Why we all should love our Priests (and I hope we love our Deacons too)

Lay People--Love Your Priests. It Matters

Some of the BU Catholic Community Serving Mass for Cardinal Sean.

The other day while sitting in the coffee room at the Boston University Catholic Center, one of the students said, "I told Denis that if he gets ordained, I want him to marry us, baptize all of our children, and come to our house for holidays."  The Denis to whom he was referring is an alumnus of the Catholic Center and now a seminarian.  I told the young man who said that, "I hope you hold yourself to that."

This evening, I had supper with some former parishioners of mine who met me at a restaurant near my rectory.  Occasionally, when I was their parish priest, I would join them for dinner--especially on Easter.  We conversed tonight about many things, but I mostly enjoyed hearing them talk about their children who are now all college graduates.  It is educational for me to hear about their experience raising a Catholic family.  It's a privilege to know people like them and to be part of their life.  

Occasionally, I've been told by priest friends of mine that I've been particularly blessed by the people to whom I've been assigned.  Throughout my priesthood, I've had people who have made it their mission to love me.  They've invited me to their homes for dinner, treated me like a part of their family, invited me to use their vacation home, joked with me like I was a normal human being and not an alien from some far off galaxy, and confided in me what is most profoundly affecting their lives.  Not every priest has this experience.  I feel sorry about that.  So, I just want to offer a personal witness to any lay people who happen to read this blog.

In my life, one thing that has greatly helped me in my priesthood is the love that lay people have shown me.   I've been invited on vacations with lay people, eaten dinners with them in their homes, enjoyed the twelve pack of beer that they dropped off at the rectory on Christmas, and appreciated their genuine concern for me and my life.  But, not every priest has this experience.  So, I offer these suggestions as a way of helping to build up the Church.  I'm not talking about me here.  I'm talking about guys who have not been as blessed as I have been.

Invite your priest to dinner--either at a restaurant or at your home.  Buy him a bottle of bourbon, a case of beer (good beer!), or a bottle of wine at Christmas.  Joke with him.  Tell him about your experience raising children.  He needs to hear these things.  Let him come to your home and feel totally comfortable about sharing his life.  Make him feel like he's a part of your family.  Allow him to let his guard down and enjoy hanging out.  Love him.

The other day when the student at BU mentioned how "cool" it would be for his future children to have "their own family priest," I wholeheartedly agreed.  Some might say that priests need to be completely disinterested and lacking in any personal or human needs.  Not me.  What sustains me in my priesthood are the people who go out of their way to care for me, to love me, and welcome me into their lives.  Occasionally, I have played some small part in helping other men consider a vocation to the priesthood.  My hope for these men is that they experience the same love and affection that I have experienced from the lay men and women whom I've encountered along the way.  

Love your priest.  Love him not just in some vague and theoretical way.  Love him in practical ways. This kind of love will help him to be a better priest.  It will help him to be a more human priest.  The longer I've been a priest, the more I realize how much I continually need to grow as a priest.  At the same time, I realize that the way I've grown most in my life as a priest is through the experience of being loved by the People of God.

Bottom line: The people who love me, save me.  They make life better and encourage me in my vocation. There are a lot of priests out there.  Love them, encourage them, and save them.

The author of a Gospel, 1st Bishop of Alexandria

St. Mark

 

Facts

Feastday: April 25
Patron of notaries

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The second Gospel was written by St. Mark, who, in the New Testament, is sometimes called John Mark. Both he and his mother, Mary, were highly esteemed in the early Church, and his mother's house in Jerusalem served as a meeting place for Christians there.
St. Mark was associated with St. Paul and St. Barnabas (who was Mark's cousin) on their missionary journey through the island of Cyprus. Later he accompanied St. Barnabas alone. We know also that he was in Rome with St. Peter and St. Paul. Tradition ascribes to him the founding of the Church in Alexandria.
St. Mark wrote the second Gospel, probably in Rome sometime before the year 60 A.D.; he wrote it in Greek for the Gentile converts to Christianity. Tradition tells us that St. Mark was requested by the Romans to set down the teachings of St. Peter. This seems to be confirmed by the position which St. Peter has in this Gospel. In this way the second Gospel is a record of the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of the Prince of the Apostles. His feast day is April 25. He is the patron saint of notaries.

A Memory of Love

Pope's Morning Homily: 'Pray for the Grace of Memory'

Reflects on the Life-Changing Aspects of the Encounter with Christ During Mass at Casa Santa Marta

    

Rome, April 24, 2015 (Zenit.org) Junno Arocho Esteves   

The foundation of our faith rest on that first encounter with Jesus Christ. These were the words of Pope Francis during his homily at Casa Santa Marta.

 

According to Vatican Radio, the Holy Father reflected on the impact an encounter with Christ has on one’s life. He drew from today’s first reading, which recounted St. Paul’s conversion from one who persecuted the early Christians to one chosen by God “to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel.”
The Pope noted that this first encounter, like many others in the Bible, is the one that changes one’s life. He called on the faithful to never forget their first encounter with Christ.
“He never forgets, but we forget the encounter with Christ,” he said. “And this would be a good assignment to do at home, to consider: ‘When have I really felt that the Lord was close to me? When have I felt the need to change my life, or to become better, or to forgive someone? When have I felt the Lord asking something of me? When have I encountered the Lord?’”
Our faith, the Holy Father continued, “is an encounter with Jesus.”
“This is the foundation of our faith: I have encountered Jesus, as Saul did.”
‘A Memory of Love’
Continuing his homily, the 78 year old Pontiff invited the faithful to pray daily, in order to remember that first encounter with Christ. He also said that by reading the Gospels daily, one can see the work of God in Jesus’ encounters with others.
So many encounters with Jesus are there. Maybe one of them is similar to mine. Each one of us has his own,” he said.
Concluding his homily, Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray for the “grace of memory...so that we might not hear the complaint the Lord makes in Revelation: ‘I have this against you, that you have forgotten your first love’.”

Terrorism and Persecution; a terror plot against the Vatican

Investigators Uncover Al-Qaeda Plot Against the Vatican

Italian Authorities Arrest Terrorist Cell in Sardinia That Planned to Send Suicide Bomber to Rome

    

Vatican City, April 24, 2015 (Zenit.org) Junno Arocho Esteves   

Prosecutors in Italy say that the arrest of terrorist cell in Sardinia uncovered a plot in 2010 against the Vatican by Al-Qaeda operatives.

 

Earlier today, 20 warrants were issued and nine arrests were made in raids carried out in the southern Italian island. At a press conference in Cagliari, Prosecutor Mauro Mura told journalists that wiretaps revealed plans for a suicide bomb attack at the Vatican in March 2010.
Local media stated that some of those arrested were involved in the 2009 bombing in a market in Peshawar, Pakistan that killed 100 civilians.
Following news of the plot, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, downplayed fears saying that there was no cause for alarm.
“From what it appears from the information provided, it is an idea that dates back to 2010 and it had no following. Thus, it is not a relevant fact today and is not a cause for particular concern,” Fr. Lombardi said in a statement released by the Holy See Press Office

Right out of Scripture, from the foot of the Cross, our Saint of the day

St. Mary Clopas

 

Facts

Feastday: April 24
Death: 1st century

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Mother of St. James the Less and Joseph, wife of Cleophas. She was one of the Three Marys who served Jesus and was present at the Crucifixion , and accompanied Mary Magdalen to the tomb of Christ. Tradition reports that she went to Spain as a missionary. Mary reportedly died at Ciudad Rodrigo. Another tradition states that she went to France with St. Lazarus and his sisters.