Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, February 16th   Mk. 8: 14-21   “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Introductory Points…

• Christ makes it clear that there is good leaven and bad leaven. The bad leaven is of two kinds. The bad leaven of the Pharisees can be likened to “cafeteria Catholics” who pick and choose which teachings of the church to accept and which to reject according to their spiritual palate. The bad leaven of Herod is those who make worldly gain and pleasure their gods.
• We are called to be good leaven in the world. We may be small and insignificant in the world’s eyes, and even in our own eyes. But Christ’s presence within us can transform the world… like the tiny bit of leaven that makes the bread rise and expand.
• But first there is a battle to be waged and won! Simply put, the good leaven and bad leaven represent the battle between good and evil, and in today’s world, the battleground where the battle is being waged is The Family!

FAMILIES FORTIFIED AND FAITHFUL by Father Ed Broom, OMV

It is the basic cell of society; it is the oldest and one of the most important institutions; it is the Domestic-Church—the family, the society and community in which children enter the world and are formed and trained to be citizens of this world and the world to come! Yes! This is the HUMAN-FAMILY!

The health, wholesomeness, and duration of the society as a whole depends on the moral and spiritual state and quality of the family! History has proven with catastrophic, disastrous, and undeniable facts the following: when the family disintegrates and comes unraveled, the whole society crumbles and evaporates. The Greek civilization declined. The great Roman Empire that dominated the world declined, withered, and died due to the decline of the moral quality of the family.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church expresses with great clarity, transparency, and depth the true nature that the family must aspire to. It is an ideal that all families should strive to attain with strenuous effort, but especially by relying on the super-abundant graces of God! No doubt God’s grace overflows in abundance, but it is incumbent upon us to open our hearts to receive this free gift of the family. The Catechism of the Catholic Church comments on the indispensable and primary importance of the family for the child, for their development, the formation of their character, as well as their insertion into the entire fabric of society.

“The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which the husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within the society. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2207)

Now let us present an acrostic consisting of TEN-M’S to aid and motivate us to strive to form noble and holy families in imitation of the best of all human families: Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph—the Holy Family of Nazareth.

THE TEN M’S TO BUILD NOBLE AND HOLY FAMILIES.

1. MORNING PRAYER. Every member of the human family has incalculable importance, dignity and destiny. So from the youngest to the oldest, the day should start with prayer. What prayer? Highly to be recommended would be the Morning-offering in which you start the day by giving all you do, all you are, all you have, and even all of your intentions to Jesus through Mary. Then you end the prayer by kissing your Scapular—this is your eternal sign of consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a sign that you are in Mary’s family and you belong to her as her beloved son or daughter.

2. MEDITATION ON THE WORD OF GOD. Never allow a day to pass in which you have not spent some time immersing yourself in the infinite treasure and riches of the Word of God. The Gospels present the Virgin Mary as an example. Twice in the Gospel of Luke Mary is portrayed as the model contemplative… Mary pondered the word of God. If you like here is a short method for meditating on the Word of God: Eyes, mind and heart, then feet. In concrete: read carefully the Word of God; assimilate it in your mind and heart; then go from mind and heart to feet—like Mary, put it into practice. Allow the Word of God to transform your life and the lives of your family members!

3. MEAL-TIME IS FAMILY TIME!!! Two of the most common stock-phrases or clichés are the following: “I don’t have time or I’m too busy!” Misnomers as these two phrases are, unfortunately, they dominate the modern culture far and wide. Meal-time on a daily basis should be the high-point or apex of family time. Meals should begin with a prayer of blessing, then time to eat and time to share. Everybody at the meal-table has great importance. Every person should learn two key arts that come with practice: learn how to communicate clearly and humbly what is in your heart; then learn the art of listening to the others attentively and non-judgmentally. How many suicides or attempted suicides could have been and still can be avoided—especially among teens—if they could open up their hearts and express themselves freely at the family dinner table, assured of being heard and understood. Other topics? Anything that is honest, pure, enlightening, edifying, spiritual, informative, religious, and never forget: humorous! Everybody should have an arsenal of good jokes! I invite all to listen to the Cat in the Cradle, Harry Chapin. Get your handkerchiefs ready because it is a true tear-jerker! However, it is a splice of reality of the American culture over the last fifty years. Fathers do not have time for their kids and this is perpetuated from one generation to the next. Homes are being transformed into hotels. Families live together today as if they were strangers. As the poet expresses it: like two ships passing each other in the quiet of the night.

4. MATRIMONY: MARRIED IN THE CHURCH. Due to a deluge of materialism, secularism, and hedonism, the modern generation of young people have taken it upon themselves to set up living arrangements in which they live together, at least apparently as husband and wife, having never been married sacramentally. The terminology is vast: co-habitation, free-union, trial-marriage, trying it out for compatibility and chemistry, etc. Call it whatever you like, but until a man and woman, living as husband and wife, have been married in the Catholic Church through a sacramental marriage, they really are not married in the eyes of God. Despite the most noble intellectual qualities, sports prowess, exterior beauty, wit and charm, and material prosperity, this union will eventually fall-apart. Why? Due to the simple reason that this union was built on sand, rather than on the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Rock, the Bastion and Fortress, and Defender of the Marital Commitment. Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen penned a spiritual masterpiece in this regard for couples preparing for marriage with the title: “It Takes Three to Get Married.” The Three are the husband, wife, and the hidden but most important Person of the trio, Jesus Christ, who unites the couple in permanent, faithful and indissoluble love. Now more than ever, Pastors, catechists, spiritual mentors, good Catholic writers should promote the primordial importance of receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony so as to establish a solid rock foundation upon which to build holy and happy families!

5. MASS: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. The most noble gesture that a human person can carry out on this side of eternity is to participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass—fully, actively, and consciously and receive with faith, fervor, and love the most Holy Eucharist—the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus the Lord. Related to the topic of the family, what an enormous deluge of graces would shower from heaven on the family if family members went to Mass together, received Communion together, and offered their Holy Communions for the purpose of augmenting love among their family members! After receiving Holy Communion, we have truly received a Spiritual-Heart transplant: the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus beats in our heart and overflows to our family members! Why not live out the Our Father, with a sacramental interpretation: “Give us this day our daily bread… the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus!!!”

6. MERCY, MERCY, MERCY! Truly, the family can and should be a school of virtue. That is to say, many domestic, social, theological and moral virtues can be practiced on a daily-basis. Among the most noble of all virtues is that of Mercy. In the Diary of Saint Faustina, Jesus emphasizes mercy as the greatest of all of the virtues in His Sacred Heart.  What then is mercy? Quite simply: Mercy is the love of God forgiving the sinner. However, in our human-divine relationships, for us to receive God’s mercy, we must also practice mercy by giving it to others. No better place in the world to practice mercy, love and forgiveness then in the context of the family! On a daily basis, family members hurt us and we hurt them. The solution to the problem is this: when someone offends you—forgive them right away! And have the humility to ask for forgiveness when you hurt someone! Remember the words of Jesus: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36). Also, “…forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Mt. 5:12)

7. MIRTH: OVERFLOWING JOY IN THE FAMILY. According to the expert in the Art of Spiritual Discernment, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the state of desolation often is an open door to powerful and insistent temptations, catapulting and then cascading us into sin. Of course, one of the manifestations of desolation is a sad and depressed spirit. Rewind the film of your life, and you will find that many times your sin was preceded by a general sadness of being. To recompense for that sadness, you had recourse to some sin, your kryptonite, your basic weakness. Afterward, your conscience reproached you until you returned to God through prayer, penance and Confession. On the other hand, joy, happiness, jubilation, a truly happy spirit is a strong bastion to ward off the devil of sadness and prevent slipping into the mire of sin. Moms and Dads should be happy! They should radiate their joy by a constant smile. They should learn the art of encouragement—words that edify, lift up, sustain, and motivate. Children that experience an exuberant and overflowing joy from their parents will not desire to seek refuge in drink, porn, drugs, or gang activity, all of which are cop-outs, lies, and false-gods presented by the devil as a haven or refuge. Let us learn to live out these words in the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord; I say it again: rejoice in the Lord.” (Phil 4:4)

8. MORTIFICATION. If we run away from our cross, most likely we will run into a cross that is heavier than the one God designed in His Divine Providence to send us! One of the conditions for following Jesus the Lord is the willingness to carry the cross that He sends us. Resounding and powerful are the words of the Master: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt. 15:24) To fortify families, the cross must be present. +++ It can be a cross living with difficult people. But above and beyond demanding and challenging social conditions, we should all make an effort to practice mortification, to practice self-denial, to learn to say NO to ourselves so that we can say YES to God. To be patient with the tardy, to hold back an unkind word when tempted to speak, to take the last seat and the smaller portion at meals, to smile when you are assaulted with a splitting migraine—all of these are concrete manifestations of practicing self-denial and mortification. In other words, mortification is the antithesis of egotism which corrodes family harmony!

9. MISSIONARY. The last words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew are nothing less than a missionary mandate, an imperious obligation for all Christians, all serious followers of Christ to share the Good News of salvation, far and wide, in fact, to the four corners of the world. The words of the Savior are serious, and as such we should take them to heart and live them out: “Go out to all nations and teach them what I taught you; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And behold I am with you always even until the end of the world. (Mt. 28: 19-20) Families that have discovered the love of Christ should be overflowing with enthusiasm to share the love of Christ with other families where maybe the love of Christ has dried up and extinguished, or perhaps where the love of Christ never existed! Aquinas points out that when we share some material commodity we are poorer after giving it away. But not so in the spiritual realm! By sharing Christ with others, those who receive the Good News are enriched, but those who have shared it are all the more rich for sharing it! The first Encyclical of Pope Francis was precisely this message: The Joy of sharing the Gospel. Why not on a monthly basis bring families together to pray the Rosary, share spiritual insights, and then share a happy meal together. This might be a tool that families can utilize to implement the missionary call of the family!

10. MARY: OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS AND OUR HOPE. Our essay would be far from complete if we did not at least conclude by encouraging all families to cultivate a tender, filial and loving devotion to Mary. As prayed in the Hail Holy Queen Mary is “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” On their Wedding Day, the couple lays their bouquet of roses at the feet of Mary, expressing by this gesture their consecration to her. Families should enthrone the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in their homes! Saint Pope John Paul II, in his inspired and practical writing Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary, strongly exhorts the whole world, but especially families to pray the Rosary for two intentions: for world peace and for the protection of the family. The Rosary priest, Ven. Father Patrick Peyton has coined these two immortal sayings related to the urgency in praying the Rosary: “The family that prays together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” If this tender, filial, and loving devotion to Mary exists in the family, then positive fruits will eventually take root in the family: love, purity, respect for self and respect for others, peace, harmony, patience and joy. Mary was the perfect wife and the perfect Mother. She can help married women to strive for ever greater perfection in their duties as both wives and mothers and do it with courage, joy and perseverance!

 

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

MONDAY, February 15th   Mk. 8: 11-13   “He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.’”

Part 1: Introductory Points…
Part 2: GOD’S GOODNESS HAS NO LIMITS: LENT A TRUE GIFT! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

• We have our sign – the sign of the cross – the sign of contradiction! Christ’s glory was in the Cross. So it is with us – our gory is in the crosses God permits in our lives to purify and sanctify us, and even allow us to participate in the salvation of other immortal souls for all eternity. There is no more important work than this!
• Our Lady of Fatima, August 11, 1917: “Pray, pray very much. Make sacrifices for sinners. Many souls go to hell, because no one is willing to help them with sacrifice.”
• On the cross Christ made up for what is lacking for our eternal salvation. Uniting ourselves to the salvific power of the cross in every Mass, by the grace of God in our prayers and daily crosses we help make up for what is lacking for the eternal salvation of our loved ones and many others who are living far from God.
• Today we anticipate the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, two days from now. Let us make this our most efficacious Lent in our prayers, fasting and almsgiving for the eternal salvation of souls. Fr. Ed Broom instructs us in the right disposition and appropriate actions to accomplish this, beginning with thanksgiving!!!
• “Only at God’s judgment shall we know how many mysteries of grace took place around us and how many people were saved thanks to us, without our having ever imagined it.” (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

 PART 2:  GOD’S GOODNESS HAS NO LIMITS: LENT A TRUE GIFT! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

God’s goodness has no limits. Giving, giving and more generous giving expresses the very nature of our loving and bountiful God. Count your gifts and blessings and then thank and praise our loving God. This should be done daily!

Your body, your mind, your affections, your soul—all gifts from God. Praise the Lord. The Sacraments, the Church, the Eucharist—the Bread of Life, your Guardian angel, your friends the saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary who is your loving Heavenly Mother, and the promise of eternal life in Heaven. Praise and thank the Lord the giver of all sublime gifts. Saint Ignatius reminds us also that the more we thank God for His many gifts, the more He showers us with even more and greater gifts.

LENT AS A GIFT.  Most likely you have never spent much time reflecting upon and thanking God for the Gifts present in the Liturgical Seasons—most specifically, the Annual Gift of the Season of Lent. If that is the case, now is the time to abound in thanking God for the Gift of the Season of Lent. In the words of the Psalmist: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Ps. 136:1)

Every year, usually starting some time in February, Lent commences. The priest dons the Liturgical color of purple. Penance and a call to conversion of life marks the entire season. The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday which sets the tone of the season. Ashes are imposed with one of two phrases which are Biblical. “Be converted and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk. 1:15)  Or “Remember that you are dust and you shall return to dust.” (Gen. 3:19) The Church announces the clarion call to conversion, as well as pointing out our mortality—one day we will all die and go before the Judgment seat of God.

GOSPEL FOR ASH WEDNESDAY: 3 PRACTICES TO ARRIVE AT CONVERSION.

The Gospel in the Mass for Ash Wednesday sets the tone for Lent. Jesus offers us three specific ways in which we can attain the conversion of our lives and finish our lives dying in the state of grace and thereby attain our goal: Heaven!

Expressed in a three-dimensional pattern we might say: we must go up, go in, and go out! Go up—through a more intense prayer life! Go in—conversion through penance or mortification. Go out—through almsgiving or an active life of charity to live out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. If we can strive to live out these three dimensions in our spiritual life, then undoubtedly we will arrive at a more profound conversion of heart, a real conversion of life, and a deep aversion for sin and greater love for Jesus Christ!

Therefore, let us strive to realize that Lent is truly a great Gift from the hands and the loving Heart of the Lord Jesus to His Church, and to each and every one of us individually. With open hearts let us recognize the gift, receive the gift, and live the gift.

WAYS THAT WE CAN ACCEPT AND LIVE OUT LENT.

PRAYER…

1. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!! Increase and fortify your personal prayer life. Indeed, what air is to our lungs, prayer is to our soul. Little prayer or a weak prayer life results in the drying up of our spiritual lungs and sure death!!!

2. WAYS TO PRAY? There are countless ways, but we will offer a list that you can choose from and implement, understanding we have to act on these good proposals and not just create castles in the air and follow wishful thinking. The following is a long list of prayers that you can undertake. If you already do some of these, add more for Lent!

1) DAILY BIBLE READING: Using these five classical steps of Lectio Divina: Lectio (Read), Meditatio (Meditate), Contemplatio (Contemplate), Oracio (Pray), Accio (Act).

2) HOLY HOUR. Use your Daily Bible Reading with Lectio Divina to give the Lord a Holy Hour of uninterrupted prayer every day for forty days. Ven. Fulton Sheen coined this “The Hour of Power!” Indeed, it was for Sheen who touched the lives of millions of people!

3) DAILY EXAMEN. Spend ten minutes every day, at any time you prefer, and go through your day thanking the Lord for the gifts of the day and begging pardon for any failures, with firm resolve to reform your life the next day.

4) THE MOST HOLY ROSARY. During the Holy Season of Lent get into the habit of praying the Rosary daily. If possible, pray the Family Rosary.  Remember the words of the Rosary-priest, Ven. Father Patrick Peyton: “The family that prays together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” Incidentally, if possible, view the film/documentary PRAY! The Life of Fr. Patrick Peyton.

5) HOLY MASS. By far the greatest prayer is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If possible, aim for daily Mass and Holy Communion. The Eucharist—Jesus, the Bread of Life, will transform your life and help you to arrive at a deep conversion of heart.

6) WAY OF THE CROSS. Most appropriate in Lent is to make the Way of the Cross. For the fourteen stations move from one to the next contemplating the love that Jesus has for you personally by suffering His Passion and death for love of you and the salvation of your immortal soul!

7) LITURGY OF THE HOURS. Learn to pray the Liturgy of the Hours which is the public worship of the Church. In the Magnificat magazine you have Morning Prayer (Lauds) as well as Evening Prayer (Vespers). Most of these prayers are taken from the Psalms, the Official Prayer Book of the Bible.

8) MEAL PRAYER. If not already in the habit, start your mealtime with a short prayer to thank God for the gift of a healthy and hearty meal. Many cannot do this because they will have no food to eat or give to their children today.

9) THE ANGELUS PRAYER. In Lent you might intersperse your day with prayer by praying the Angelus three times a day: 9:00 a.m., 12 noon, and 6 p.m. Beg Mary to bless your mornings, afternoons and evenings!

10) VIEW THE MOVIE THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. If age appropriate, watch the movie of Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ. However, instead of viewing it as a mere Hollywood rendition, view it as a prayer, as a contemplation, so as to love the Lord Jesus more! He suffered all of His Passion for love of you! Which scenes touched you the most?

3. SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION. During Lent make the best Confession of your life. Indeed, this is truly the Sacrament and encounter with Christ where deep conversion really can take place.

4. READ THE DOLOROUS PASSION. In Lent much fruit can be derived from spiritual reading, most specially the Dolorous Passion by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.

FASTING / PENANCE / MORTIFICATION…

5. FASTING OF THE TONGUE. For the forty days of Lent avoid any words that could hurt any of your family members. Two rules can be of great help: First: Think before you speak. Second: Do and say to others what you would like them to do and say to you.

6. FASTING FROM FOOD. Choose at least one thing at the table that you like to eat and give that up for Lent. Do it for love of Jesus, and for the salvation of immortal souls as well as your own conversion!

7. FORM OF PENANCE: IMPROVE YOUR WORK ETHIC. A most efficacious penance/charity might simply be to upgrade your work ethic. This can be work outside the home or inside the home. Start your work on time and be orderly, systematic and methodical. Avoid cutting corners and doing a sloppy joy. Remember the words of Saint Paul: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) Follow in the footsteps of Saint Therese, the Little Flower. “Holiness consists in doing the ordinary things of daily life with extraordinary love.”

ALMSGIVING / CHARITY…

8. ALMSGVING. Pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind as to how you can help out the poor in one way or another. Never forget the words of Jesus: “I was hungry, thirsty, naked, a foreigner, sick or in prison… whatsoever you did for the least of my brothers, that you did for me.” (Mt. 25: 31-46)

9. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. Perhaps the best way to live out almsgiving or charity would be at home. Every day make an effort—for the forty days of Lent—to do an act of charity or an act of kindness—for some member of your family. This gesture is very pleasing to God and can fortify the bonds of love in the family.

A MARIAN LENT…

10. OUR LADY OF SORROWS. May this Lent be a deeply Marian Lent. Let us contemplate the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

1) The prophecy of Simeon.  (Lk. 2: 34-35)
2) Flight into Egypt and massacre of the Holy Innocents.  (Mt. 2: 13-18)
3) Loss of the Child Jesus in the temple.  (Lk. 2: 41-51)
4) Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
5) Crucifixion of Jesus with Mary at the foot of the Cross.  (Jn. 19: 25-30)
6) The Body of Jesus taken from the Cross and laid in the arms of Mary. (The Pieta)
7) The Body of Jesus laid in the tomb. (Jn. 19: 38-42)

In conclusion, friends in Jesus and Mary, let us abound in an overflowing attitude of gratitude of praise and thanksgiving towards our loving God. Indeed, how good God is in His countless gifts that He has bestowed on the world and on each and every one of us individually.

Therefore, let us recognize the Gift of Lent. Let us receive and accept it as an extraordinary gift. But then let us live out this gift! If done, our lives will be converted and our love for God will be growing, blossoming, flourishing and overflowing towards the whole world! May Our Lady attain for us a truly grateful heart!

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SUNDAY, February 15th   Mk. 1: 40-45   “A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, ‘If you wish, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’”

Part 1: Introductory Points…
Part 2: TEN WAYS CONFESSION SETS US FREE!  By Father Ed Broom, OMV

• We are that leper—struck down with the leprosy of sin! We share this ailment with all human beings going back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Welcome to Planet Molokai!
• Scripture says the just man falls seven times a day, but it also says, he rises again. (Prov. 24: 16) How do we rise again? Jesus appeared in His resurrected body to the Apostles in the upper room. An eyewitness, St. John faithfully recorded this event.
• “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”(Jn. 20: 19-20)
• “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” (Jn. 20: 21-23)
• Pope Pius XII went to the Sacrament of Confession every day. He exhorts us: “For a constant and speedy advancement in the path of virtue, we highly recommend the pious practice of frequent confession, introduced by the church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; for by this means we grow in a true knowledge of ourselves and in Christian humility, bad habits are uprooted, spiritual negligence and apathy are prevented, the conscience is purified and the will strengthened, salutary spiritual direction is obtained, and grace is increased by the efficacy of the sacrament itself.”
• Saint Pope John Paul II, who frequented the Sacrament of Confession on a weekly basis, commented: “We live in a society that seems to have lost the sense of God and of sin. Christ’s invitation to conversion is all the more urgent. It would be an illusion to seek after holiness, according to the vocation one has received from God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and reconciliation. Those who go to Confession frequently, and do so with the desire to make progress, will notice the strides that they make in their spiritual lives.”
• For these compelling reasons, we recommend as a Lenten Practice to be continued for the rest of our lives, establishing the practice of Confession every two weeks!

PART 2:  TEN WAYS CONFESSION SETS US FREE!  By Father Ed Broom, OMV

Sadness, confusion, disorientation, darkness, anger, and often bitterness—all of these words describe the soul living in the state of mortal sin. In fact, Jesus says that sin is slavery. (cf Jn. 8:34)

Film: The Mission and an Image of Sin 

In the film The Mission one character, portrayed by Robert De Niro, for murdering his brother is given the penance by a Jesuit priest of carrying with him a cumbersome ball of his possessions. Wherever this man who committed fratricide goes, he has to drag with him on a rope this truly burdensome baggage. After having carried out this penance for days, even climbing a mountain with it, falling down and rising again, the priest agrees that he has done sufficient penance. The priest draws close to the sinner and with a sharp knife cuts and severs the rope tied to the baggage and it cascades all the way down to the bottom of the mountain floor—freedom!

This slice from the film The Mission displays in one graphic scene a powerful image of what sin is like in our lives, but also the powerful effect in the soul of the sinner who repents and turns back to God through a good sacramental Confession. One of the effects of sin is a binding slavery that is like carrying a heavy weight wherever we go. The weight becomes heavier and heavier, almost to the point of being unsupportable. But then comes the transforming moment—a good sacramental Confession.

By making this well-prepared, honest, and sincere Confession the bonds of sin are broken, split asunder, and freedom is experienced—the freedom of the sons and daughters of God!

THERE IS MORE MERCY IN CHRIST THAN SIN IN US

Mercy & Confession

Saint Pope John Paul II, Saint Faustina Kowalska, as well as the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas, unanimously agree that mercy is the greatest attribute in the Heart of Jesus the Savior. Mercy is God’s infinite love forgiving the sinner.

There has been abundant catechesis on how to prepare for Confession, booklets on the Ten Commandments, as well as books written on the Sacrament of Confession. However, possibly not enough has been said on the many wonderful effects that are produced in the person who makes a good Confession.

This short article will focus on ten wonderful and uplifting effects that are produced in the soul of a good penitent.

1. Healing 

The specific sacramental grace of the Sacrament of Confession is healing. Jesus is the Divine Physician. Sin wounds the soul! What cancer, leprosy, and disease is to the body, sin is to the soul. Every time we make a good Confession, Jesus, the Divine Physician, with His gentle, tender, and loving Hand touches our soul, pours out His Precious Blood, and there is a healing. During His public life Jesus healed the blind, deaf, mutes, paralytics, lepers, and even raised the dead. Still now, through His Mystical Body the Church, Jesus continues to heal His sick members through the priests in the confessional. It is true that Jesus saves us and heals us! Right now Jesus wants to heal your moral wounds!

2. Freedom from Slavery

As mentioned above in the scene from the movie The Mission, sin is interior slavery. Confession reverses the slavery and communicates true freedom—the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. To break the bonds of our past bad habits, our powerful addictions, our bad impulses and actions we need a powerful remedy. That remedy is direct contact with the Blood of Jesus, poured forth on Calvary that first Good Friday, but applied to every soul that makes a good Confession. Instinctively we appall physical slavery and all that this entails. Should we not have an even greater abhorrence and repugnance for the interior slavery of sin and seek freedom as soon as possible? Why not try Confession!

3. From Confusion to Peace

Another negative effect of living in sin is a real lack of peace and living in a state of constant confusion. Saint Augustine defines peace as “the tranquility of order.” Sin is total disorder—the tower of Babel within. A good Confession results in putting into practice the words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola as one of the purposes of the Spiritual Exercises, “To order the disordered.” Therefore, if you really want to experience a profound peace in the depths of your soul, why not try to make the best Confession in your life? Your disorder will give way to order, and peace will follow!

4. Freedom from a Conscience Filled With Guilt

Living with guilt is truly hell on earth! People can go crazy or be driven to suicide due to a guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth was seen constantly washing her hands. This was an unconscious desire to be freed from the guilt of bloodshed and murder. She could not live with a guilty conscience that turned out to be a moral executioner. For that reason Shakespeare truly asserted: “Conscience does make cowards of us all.” Could it be that many people have recourse to medicine, taking pills to try to assuage and suppress the guilt that they are bearing in their conscience? Why not try Confession and experience the purity of an innocent conscience? With respect to Confession, never forget: it is free of charge. Also, there are no negative side-effects that often come about by taking medicine.

5. Joy: Rejoice in the Lord

Saint Thomas Aquinas states that all people are called to experience happiness or joy. If we look around us—at work, at school, on the road or freeway, we find all too often a lusterless, bland, and sad environment. Why is this the case if all are called to live in joy? The reason is this: many are looking for joy in the wrong places. Still more, many confuse pleasure with joy. Pleasure can be bought. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit! Sin produces sadness in the soul. Only God can give us true joy. For this reason, Saint Paul reminds us: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, rejoice in the Lord.” (Phil. 4:4) Our Lady in her powerful hymn of praise, the Magnificat, echoes the same sentiments: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” (Lk. 1:46-47)

Catechists have told me over the years that when a child is waiting to make their first Confession, they experience fear and anxiety, but after confessing, they leave the confessional radiating joy. Do you want to experience constant joy? Why not make it a habit to go to Confession frequently!

6. The Paschal Mystery: From Death to Life

If we have the misfortune of committing a mortal sin, we lose the grace of God and His Friendship. However, we should never give in to despair—that is the worst of sins! Like the Prodigal Son, we should return to the home of our loving Father and launch ourselves into His loving arms, and He will forgive us. Saint Therese of Lisieux stated boldly that even if she committed all the worst sins in the world, she would run and launch herself into the Father’s arms with boundless trust! The Father’s arms are like an elevator to heaven!

The great Saint Augustine, who lived a sinful life into his early thirties, stated that a good Confession is a Lazarus experience. If you remember, Lazarus died and Jesus raised him from the dead, summoning him from the tomb after he was buried for four long days. (Jn. 11:1-44) By making a good Confession we are summoned to leave the tomb of our sins and come back to a life of grace and joy!

7. Curative and Preventive Medicine

Confession is like a medicine that heals the wounds of our soul. However, Confession can also serve as a means to prevent future falls! I remember once when I was coming down with a cold and a friend suggested that I take a couple tablets of Airborne, which I did. What a blessing! The cold that was about to overtake me for probably ten days to two weeks was halted in its tracks! The same can be said of frequent Confession! If we commit a mortal sin, then we should run to the confessional as soon as possible. Nonetheless, frequent Confession, even of venial sins, can serve as a remedy to prevent us from falling into the spiritual sickness that we call sin! We all know from experience, better to prevent a fall and a break, than to heal from one!

8 An Act of Humility to Crush Our Pride

As a result of Original Sin we are all infected with the Capital Sin of Pride and we often are motivated by pride and self-love. Making a good Confession can help us grow in the opposite virtue that is essential for holiness and so pleasing to God: humility. In the Diary Divine Mercy in My Soul, Jesus revealed to Saint Faustina the three essential qualities of a good Confession: transparency (total sincerity and openness), humility, and obedience to the Confessor who represents Christ. It is important when we confess, that we do not confess the sins of our husband (or wife), neighbor, or others! Nor should we rationalize, justify, or gloss over our sins. Rather, humility means we tell it exactly like it is!

9. Growth in Self-Knowledge

Another huge blessing that flows from a well-prepared and well-confessed Confession is an increase in self-knowledge. The Greek philosopher Socrates stated: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” A noteworthy historian interjects: “He who does not know history is condemned to repeat the same errors.” Ignatian spirituality insists constantly on the importance of self-knowledge, knowing oneself and the movement of the spirits in one’s life.

Saint Ignatius asserted that one should never, ever leave off the daily Examen Prayer which is directed at self-knowledge and the awareness of God’s constant presence in our life. The desert Fathers had a short but extremely important axiom: “Know thyself.” For that reason, the person who examines their conscience well, confesses well, and consults the priest-confessor sincerely, will definitely grow in self-knowledge. By knowing themselves—their virtues as well as their sins—they can avoid falling into many future sins and avoid future tragedies!

10. Fervent and Efficacious Holy Communions

Another exceedingly important effect of a good Confession is more efficacious and fervent Holy Communions. These two Sacraments that we should receive frequently are intimately interconnected. A simple analogy could be useful: try to imagine your front room glass window pane. You have failed to clean it for more than a year. Consequently, the window has become smeared and sullied by dust, dirt, and smog, put simply, the polluted environment. So the day comes when you decide to do house cleaning and on the list is to clean that front window. You go to the store to buy Windex—a powerful and efficacious window spray. There you are, generously spraying the window, then with a dry newspaper you rub and rub. What do you notice? The window is now clear and sunlight is pouring through the window! Before, the window was half opaque; now it is completely transparent and the light of the sun can penetrate and inundate the house!

The same can be said with our soul which is like a window pane. Sin sullies, besmirches, and dirties our soul. With Confession, our dirty soul is cleansed with the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Our soul becomes pure, clean and transparent. Now when we receive Holy Communion, Jesus, who is truly the Light of the world, explodes and radiates light and the light of His Presence inundates the entire room of our soul. For that reason Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world” (Jn. 8:12); then He said, “You are the light of the world.” (Mt. 5:14) Thus the end result of frequent and worthy reception of these two sacraments, Confession and Holy Communion, is holiness! We are able to obey and put into practice Jesus’ command: “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.” (Mt. 5:48) And, with Jesus, we become a light to others!

Conclusion

Saint Pope John Paul II made this comment with respect to Our Lady and the Sacrament of Confession. He said that the Marian Sanctuaries—Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, etc.—are spiritual clinics. In other words, we go to Marian Sanctuaries to meet Jesus, the Bread of Life in Mass and Holy Communion, but also we meet Jesus who is the Healer of our heart, mind, and soul in Confession!

Let us turn to Our Lady whom we invoke as “Mother of Mercy” and “Health of the Sick” to help us live out life to the max by having frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Confession, the true expression of the loving and merciful Heart of Jesus!

 POSTSCRIPT: Dear Friends, today February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Confession is like a Valentine from God that says, “I love you more!”

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SATURDAY, February 13th   Mk. 8: 1-10   Jesus said to his disciples: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.”

• The loving and compassionate Heart of Jesus was formed in the womb of Mary. Mary’s heart was perfected in love due to the singular privilege of her Immaculate Conception— meaning she was preserved from the stain of Original Sin from the moment of her conceptions in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne.
• Hence, Mary’s love was never tainted by pride and selfishness resulting from Original Sin that we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve.
• On this Saturday, the day devoted to Mary, let us learn more about the husband and wife whom God chose to be the parents of Mary most holy!

 UNDERESTIMATED SAINTS! MARY’S PARENTS! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Jesus said: “By their fruit you will know them. A good tree brings forth good fruit, but a bad tree brings forth bad fruit.” (Mt. 7:16-17) These words of the Greatest Master and Teacher of the world can most appropriately be applied to Jesus’ two grandparents, the mother and father of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their names have traditionally been known to be Joachim and Ann. Both Saint Joachim and Saint Ann merit the highest honor and respect!

WHY THE GREATNESS OF SAINT JOACHIM AND SAINT ANN?  I honestly believe that given the high estate of their daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, right reason and logic point to the fact that Saint Joachim and Saint Ann deserve our study—our knowledge of them, our respect for them, our prayers to them, as well as our trust in the power of their intercession in our daily lives. Indeed, they are underestimated and all too often unknown by many Catholics!

SALIENT AND IMPORTANT POINTS FOR OUR REFLECTION ON SAINT JOACHIM AND SAINT ANN.  There is no actual Biblical data on Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. Nonetheless, tradition points out that this husband and wife were the vessels from which God sent into the world the greatest woman ever to be born and ever to live, who would become the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven and earth! From this woman, the fruit of the love between Saint Joachim and Saint Ann, would be born Jesus, our Lord God and Savior. For these reasons, we highlight the importance of this couple.

THE SUFFERING OF SAINT JOACHIM AND SAINT ANN.  This was their greatest suffering. Like Abram and Sarai, like Hannah, like Saint Elizabeth and Zechariah—Saint Joachim and Saint Ann, despite their great desire and longing, were never able to have children. Furthermore, according to tradition, by now Ann, like Elizabeth, was beyond the normal child bearing age. This was a source of excruciating suffering for Joachim and Ann given that they both had really wanted children.

THEIR GENEROSITY.  Despite their longing and suffering in not having a child, Saint Joachim and Saint Ann had very generous hearts. They were a devout Jewish couple, a very prayerful couple, and a humble couple. How did this unfold? From the economic means they had for themselves, they preferred to give most of it away. In other words, they really were detached from material things, especially money and its dangers, as they had their hearts set on God. As Jesus would say later on in His teachings that we read in the Sermon on the Mount: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be given to you be besides.” (Mt. 6:33) Therefore, Saint Joachim and Saint Ann gave one third of their means to the poor; another third, they gave to the Temple and its upkeep; and they kept only a third for themselves. Talk about generosity in tithing! Most people who tithe, consider themselves generous when they give ten percent of their earnings to the poor or to the Church. In the case of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann, they gave away two thirds, or if you like 66% of their means!!!

GOD CANNOT BE OUTDONE IN GENEROSITY.  How true the saying: “God cannot be outdone in generosity.” God intervened in a most powerful way in response to the prayerful, humble, and generous hearts of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann.  In seemingly impossible circumstances, God blessed them with a child! It would be a little girl. The little girl’s name would be MARY! However, this would not be an ordinary little girl. This would be the greatest little girl in the history of the world. Because of who she was and whom she would bring into the world, all humanity would be radically transformed.

SAINT ANN AND THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.  One of the reasons why we maintain that Saint Ann and Saint Joachim are greatly underestimated is due to what we will say now! In the womb of Saint Ann and through the seed of Saint Joachim, God performed one of the greatest miracles in the history of the world. This miracle is called the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. Yes, this took place in the womb of Saint Ann! That is to say, at the moment Saint Ann conceived a little girl in her womb—whom Saint Anne and Saint Joachim would name MARY—God intervened with what is called the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

MEANING OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION?  In the very moment of the conception of Mary in Saint Ann’s womb, God intervened with His all-holy Presence and preserved Mary from the stain of Original Sin. Yes! From the very moment of Mary’s conception, she was preserved from Original Sin. To be perfectly clear, the stain of original sin which taints all the rest of humanity, never touched Mary most holy! For that reason, the English poet, Wordsworth, lauded Mary in these words: “She is our tainted nature’s solitary boast!” We were all conceived in sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, the Original Sin. Mary was preserved from this Original Sin, this Original stain, this Original moral sickness, this Original disaster! However, this must be highlighted: it was through Saint Ann and Saint Joachim conceiving a child that this extraordinary privilege of the Immaculate Conception could be given by God to the child they conceived. Therefore, we should have the greatest reverence, admiration, honor, and respect for Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, and for the womb of Saint Ann that carried Mary, the Immaculate Conception, who would become the Mother of God!

There is still much that can be harvested from this abundant and rich mystery of the persons of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. Here are some.

1. LITURGICAL FEAST DAY. The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann together every year on July 26th. Try to remember this date and attend Mass and receive Holy Communion to honor these chosen Saints who were the parents of Mary, the Immaculate Conception!

2. PATIENCE. This holy couple teaches us the virtue of patience. They waited many years and finally God blessed them with the greatest gift—a child. Moreover, this child would be the Mother of God!

3. GENEROSITY. Where did their generosity come from? They were totally detached from all except God. So they could freely give two-thirds of what they had to the poor and to the Temple.

4. PRAYERFUL. They prayed, and God was pleased with their prayers due to their humility, patience, generosity, purity, and great love for God and His mysterious but wise and Providential Plans. May we learn to pray like Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. May we ask for their prayers to help us to pray better!

5. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. This is one of the chief Solemnities that the Church celebrates every year on December 8th and it came about through the persons of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann.

6. PATRON OF PARENTS. Of course, as said earlier, “A good tree brings forth good fruit.” Saint Joachim and Saint Ann raised the greatest and most holy girl in the world. Therefore, it must be said that they can be the Patrons of Parents who have to struggle so hard to raise their children in the love of God and fear of the Lord, due to the many worldly distractions and temptations pulling their children away from God. Pray earnestly and fervently to Saint Joachim and Saint Ann to guide you and to help guard and protect your children from the evils that surround them.

7. PATRON OF GRANDPARENTS. We should not overlook the fact that Jesus indeed did have two Grandparents, and they were Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. Try to imagine Saint Joachim and Saint Ann holding their grandchild, the little Baby Jesus, tenderly in their loving arms. How much Saint Joachim and Saint Ann loved their daughter Mary, and their Grandson, the Lord Jesus. They can certainly help grandparents who beseech their intercession, to carry out their noble mission in the sanctification of their family.

8. PATRON OF SPOUSES. Even though this might be obvious, it still should be mentioned: Saint Joachim and Saint Ann formed an exemplary marriage; they were an excellent married couple. They were faithful. They lived out fully the marriage promises and commitment: “Faithfulness in good times and in bad, in health and in sickness, in riches and in poverty, until death do they part.” Hopefully they will serve as a model for married couples in the realm of promising to be faithful and then living it out!

9. INSTRUMENTS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION. Indeed, it must be stated that it was through Saint Joachim and Saint Ann that the history of the salvation of the entire world had its beginning. They brought forth Mary, the Mother of God; and their daughter Mary gave us Jesus, the Savior of all humanity! For this reason, we have both Saint Joachim and Saint Ann to thank for bringing Mary, the Immaculate Conception, into the world.

10. THE OFFERING AND PRESENTATION OF MARY AS A GIFT TO GOD. After Saint Anne conceived and gave birth to their little child Mary, according to Tradition, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne presented their child at an early age to be brought up in the Temple in thanksgiving to God! The Church celebrates the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary every year on November 21st. Thus was Mary prepared for her sublime mission to become the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and the Mother of each and every one of us!

In conclusion, Saint Joachim and Saint Ann are indeed great saints. Unfortunately, they are unknown by all too many. Their greatness in the economy of salvation can barely be measured and their personal holiness appreciated.

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

FRIDAY, February 12th   Mk. 7: 31-37   “They were exceedingly astonished and they said, ‘He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’”

Part 1: Excerpt Message of St. Pope John Paul II for World Day of the Sick (Feb 1, 2004)
Part 2: SAVE THE FAMILY: SAVE THE SOCIETY AND THE WORLD! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

PART 1: Excerpt Message of Saint Pope John Paul II for World Day of the Sick (Feb 2004)

God wanted to give life in abundance to the human creature (cf. Jn 10: 10), on the condition, however, that his initiative would be met by a free and loving response.

Man tragically cut off vital dialogue with the Creator, refusing this gift with the disobedience that led to sin.

The Immaculate Conception introduces the harmonious interlacing between the “yes” of God and the “yes” that Mary pronounced without reserve when the angel brought the heavenly announcement (cf. Lk 1: 38).

The Immaculate Conception is, therefore, the promising dawn of the radiant day of Christ, who with his death and Resurrection was to restore full harmony between God and humanity.

If Jesus is the source of life that conquers death, Mary is the attentive mother who comes to meet the needs of her children, obtaining for them the health of soul and body.

On that site, since the day of the apparition to Bernadette Soubirous, Mary has “healed” pain and sickness, also restoring many of her sons and daughters to health of body.

She has worked much more surprising miracles, however, in the souls of believers, preparing them for the encounter with her Son Jesus, the authentic answer to the deepest expectations of the human heart.   

The Holy Spirit, who covered her with his shadow at the moment of the Incarnation of the Word, transforms the soul of countless sick people who turn to her.

Even when they do not obtain the gift of bodily health, they are able to receive another that is much more important: the conversion of heart, source of peace and interior joy. This gift transforms their existence and makes them apostles of the Cross of Christ, standard of hope, even amid the hardest and most difficult trials.

From the paradox of the Cross springs the answer to our most worrying questions. United to the suffering of Christ, human suffering becomes a means of salvation.

Pain, accepted with faith, becomes the doorway to the mystery of the Lord’s redemptive suffering; a suffering that no longer takes away peace and happiness since it is illuminated by the splendor of the Resurrection.

In our time, great progress has been made in the scientific understanding of life, a fundamental gift of God of which we are the administrators. Life is to be welcomed, respected and defended from its beginning until its natural end; the Family, cradle of each newborn life, must be protected with it.

PART 2:  SAVE THE FAMILY: SAVE THE SOCIETY AND THE WORLD! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

The Domestic Church, the basic cell of society, the first institution ordained and created by God—these are different names describing the same reality of The Family! Pope Saint John Paul II asserted that the way the family goes is the way the world goes.

We must pray for the grace to be able to read the Book of History related to the family and world civilizations. It has been proven time and time again that once a society or a civilization allows the family to enter into crisis and unravel at its seams, then it is simply a matter of time until such a society or civilization collapses and crashes!

The human family made up of both father and mother is the basic breeding ground of individuals. God wills that children be born into a family. God wills that children be loved in a family. God wills that both father and mother be the instruments by which their children grow and mature into the person they are called to become: a dignified and useful citizen of society and a future citizen of heaven.

It must be asserted with absolute and unequivocal clarity that the family consists of the woman (called to Motherhood) and the man (called to Fatherhood), and the children that they procreate with God, the author and origin of all life. Any other configuration that does not consist of man and woman and the children born to them is a warped and erroneous ideological concept that must be rejected and repudiated energetically.

The child needs the different manifestations of love that the mother gives and the father gives. Without this different but complimentary pouring out of love, the child is exposed to emotional, spiritual, and moral damage that can be nearly beyond reparation! It is a duty of both justice and charity that the child have in their family the love of both the Father and Mother. No person, place, thing or institution can replace this male-female, Father-Mother concept. It was ordained by God Himself.

Therefore, let us present clear and practical  action items that we should strive to both understand and implement so as to defend the future of our society, which depends on the defense and salvation of the family—the basic building block of society. Let us all pitch in to help families grow, flourish and blossom in the formation of future citizens of the Kingdom of God!

ACTION ITEMS IN THE DEFENSE OF THE HUMAN FAMILY!

1. FERVENT PRAYER.  No doubt, fervent prayer connects us with the power of God who desires wholesome, holy, stable and solid families even more than we desire their existence. Jesus commands us: “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Mt. 7:7). Let us constantly knock at the door of God’s Heart and beg for holy families. Indeed, this prayer is very pleasing to the Trinitarian Family—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

2. SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY.  In this secular, materialistic, and hedonist culture, we have returned to a neo-paganistic society. The present younger generation of Catholics have no qualms about discarding the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Instead they opt to have a civil-marriage, or trial marriage, or just live-together using the verbiage: we want to see if we are compatible, if we have chemistry. In the interim, they repudiate God from their lives by living in mortal sin! However, in a word, marriage and family cannot function without God.

3. MARRIAGE PREP COURSES.  Any activity, enterprise or endeavor worthy of pursuit demands time, energy, and real effort. Athletes claim: “No pain, no gain!” Consider this, if it takes a young man a good seven years or more to arrive at Ordination to the priesthood, equally important is the time and energy couples should exert in preparation for Holy Matrimony and the formation of wholesome and holy families.

4. NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAM.  A couple who has decided on pursuing the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony must learn the techniques of Natural Family Planning. If not, once married, the perennial temptation will be to have recourse to the use of contraceptives. Such a mentality is a corrosive, poisonous, noxious mentality and philosophy of life that often leads to serious marital problems and possible separations. In a word, succumbing to the contraceptive philosophy, mentality and style of life is tantamount to reducing the woman to a mere object to be utilized and discarded by the man. In the words of Pope Saint Leo the Great:  “Christians, recognize your dignity!” Especially in Holy Matrimony!

5. MARRIAGE PREP MENTORS.  The art of learning a vocation or profession requires training and help from those who are more expert in the field. Baseball players need coaches; singers, those who have vocal experience; and writers or journalists should consult those who know the tricks of the trade. Marriage mentors would be couples married for a good span of time who have studied their vocation and worked on really living out their marriage vocation. Experience in life can prove to be an excellent textbook! Couples preparing to get married meeting with their mentoring couples in an orderly fashion, frequently and systematically, serves to establish a rock foundation for a solid marriage.

6. ENGAGED COUPLE’S SPIRITUAL LIFE.  If the couple is engaged to receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, then both should be intent and industrious in cultivating a deep spiritual life in which God is the very center of their lives. They should strive to pray with each other, as well as pray for each other. Furthermore, they should make it a solid habit to receive two Sacraments frequently—Confession and the Holy Eucharist.

7. JESUS THE CENTER OF THEIR LIVES.  When officiating at Weddings, when couples are about to exchange vows and give a ring as a sign of their mutual fidelity, I frequently remind the couple to put Christ in the very center of their marriage and their lives. I remind them of the literary masterpiece of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen: “It Takes Three to Get Married.”  The three? The husband, the wife, and Jesus! With this trio, marriage is indeed a real winner!

8. SPIRITUAL TUNE- UP!  Once married, it is incumbent upon the married couple to make concerted efforts to grow and strengthen their marital bond and live out the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony to the max!  Marriage Weekend Retreats, Marriage Encounter, Couples for Christ and even Spiritual Direction from a priest or well-trained spiritual director can prove to be invaluable so as not to lose their first love. Love in marriage is like a fire: you must constantly feed the flames, if not the love can be blown out and extinguished.

9. CELEBRATION OF ANNIVERSARIES.  Birthdays, Baptisms, Graduations, Sports victories are all motives to celebrate and rightfully so! Equally important is the celebration of the Anniversary of your Wedding Day. A suggestion for the couple! Have a Mass offered for that intention and attend that Mass, then pray the Rosary afterward in thanksgiving for another year of faithfulness. Then off to a nice Restaurant to celebrate!

20.  ROSARY: THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER.  The famous Rosary-priest, Father Patrick Peyton, who was cured from severe tuberculosis through the intercession of Mary shortly before being ordained to the priesthood, made a proposal that once ordained, he would spread far and wide love for the Blessed Virgin Mary through the propagation of the most Holy Rosary. Furthermore, he believed that if the world is to be saved, it will have to come through the family. And one of the best ways to unite the family is through the daily recitation of the most Holy Rosary! His ambition was to get millions of families in America to pray the Rosary on a daily basis. He was known for two famous sayings: “The family that prays together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” Our Lady of Fatima said in each of the six Apparitions to pray the Rosary daily! Saint Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter, “The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary” (2002), exhorted the whole world to pray the Rosary for two intentions: for world peace and for the salvation of the family.

In conclusion, my friends in Jesus and Mary, let us do all we possibly can to support the family, sustain the family, strengthen the family and defend the family against modern attacks. The future of society and the world at large depends upon the family which is the basic building block of society. Let us turn to Our Lady, the perfect Mother, and to Saint Joseph, the perfect husband and Father, and beg that through their prayers families will be sanctified and parents will lead their children to Heaven.

 

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA