Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

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

FRIDAY, January 22^ND Mk. 3: 13–19   “He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter…and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.”

• The saddest day in American history was January 22, 1973 when the Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade legalizing abortion in all 50 States – violent death to the most innocent and helpless of society. 

Part 1: “I am unable to despair of humanity”… Servant of God Elizabeth Leseur
Part 2: DEFENDING THOSE CHILDREN IN THE WOMB: Let us be the voice of the voice-less!!! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

PART 1:  “I am unable to despair of humanity”… excerpt from a letter by Servant of God Elizabeth Leseur (+ 1914)  

My dear friend, I am starting from a different point of view.  I am persuaded that evil and suffering will never completely desert our poor earth, but I am also convinced that it is everyone’s task to work to reduce evil and suffering as much as possible; in our own sphere, humbly, simply, without concern for our precious personality, through dedication, love, the gift of ourselves to that which is our duty.

I believe that to accomplish this mission, the first thing to do is to try to become our best selves, even perhaps without knowing it. And God will do the rest. Our effort, our sacrifices, our actions, even the most hidden, will not be lost. This is my absolute conviction; everything has a long-lasting and profound repercussion. This thought leaves little room for discouragement: it does not permit laziness. We are poor day-laborers of life; we sow and God gives the harvest. You understand… I am unable to despair of humanity.

PART 2:  DEFENDING THOSE CHILDREN IN THE WOMB: Let us be the voice of the voice-less!!! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Human life begins at the very moment of conception.  Supernaturally, in the moment of conception, God who is the very origin and author of life, infuses in that small human person an immortal soul that will live for all eternity. How sublime this truth! 

The Founding Fathers of the United States expressed the concept with brilliant clarity and conviction: “Every human person is endowed with inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

This being said, it is incumbent upon all of us to make a concerted effort to do all within our means to defend human life, created in the very image and likeness of God. None of us should be on the sidelines as mere passive spectators; rather, we should be active participants, enthusiastically engaged in defending human life from the moment of conception up to natural death. Indeed, it is God who gives life and only He has the right to end life. The Book of Job reiterates this assertion: Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I return to the earth; the Lord gives and the Lord takes away: blessed be the name of the Lord.

We are people of life and therefore we would like to offer practical steps, action items, that we can undertake to foster love and respect for life. May Our Lady and Saint Elizabeth—in the Mystery of the Visitation—intercede for us to follow their YES to life and bring Joy to the very Heart of God, to Jesus who said: I am the Way, the Truth, and the LIFE!!!  Therefore, let us engage ourselves, choosing at least one activity, so as to promote the Pro-Life Movement and be the voice of the unborn child who cannot speak for themself. Indeed, we must be their voice!

1. STUDY THE ISSUE. It is incumbent upon us, with respect to the topic of abortion, to constantly study the moral issue of abortion. We would highly recommend the incredible Pro-life website: Priestsforlife.org. This website is excellent and offers endless activities, as well as tons of information on the topic of abortion: Biblical verses to defend the unborn child, statistics of the numbers of abortions, graphic photos to wake us up, political information so as to form our conscience on how to vote, testimonials or witnesses of those who have had abortions and been converted, Pro-life marches and activities, emergency numbers to call for those who are considering having an abortion, as well as information on P.A.S—the Post Abortion Syndrome and what steps to take to undergo the process of healing, and much more!

2. PRO-LIFE BUMPER STICKERS. You would be surprised how many people on the freeway or roadways may glance at your Pro-life bumper sticker. Many people have not decided firmly on the issue of abortion. Who knows, upon driving and seeing a catchy sticker: It’s a child, not a choice, or Abortion stops a beating heart—some undecided individuals might choose to stand under the Pro-life banner! It can be a silent but efficacious means of preaching the Pro-life Gospel.

3. TEEN-EDUCATION ON CHASTITY. An indirect but efficacious means of fighting against the abominable crime of abortion is to educate our young people on the virtue of chastity. We must teach our teens and young adults that there is a proper use of human sexuality and that is only in the context of a husband and wife united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. In other words, many abortions are carried out by teens not wanting the child or encouraged by adults to eliminate the child before they are born!

4. VOTING: PRO-LIFE. We should all cultivate a Christian-moral mentality upon which to base our voting. As a fundamental guide we should always take into account what are termed the Non-negotiables—this means that these are always intrinsically evil, by their very nature and essence. They are the following: Abortion (1st), Contraception, Practice of Homosexuality, Euthanasia, and Embryonic experimentation. In other words, before casting your vote, try to find a candidate who rejects the non-negotiables!

5. MARCH FOR LIFE. In Washington, D.C., as well as many other cities throughout the country, usually close to the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade (Jan 22nd), there are marches. These marches are public manifestations of the Pro-life cause, as well as the intrinsic evil of abortion—the killing of innocent, unborn children. Lend your support!

6. SPEAK UP! In conversation, when the topic of abortion surfaces do not be afraid to speak up! A famous writer warns us of the sin of negligence or omission with these cutting words: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” The unborn child cannot defend themself; they cannot speak for themself. Therefore, you have to be the voice of the unborn child in the womb of their mother. How many unborn babies have been saved due to valiant Christian defenders of life who had the courage to speak up!

7. USE OF THE ULTRASOUND. Another powerful, modern technological means that has proved to be very efficacious is the use of the Ultrasound. A pregnant woman viewing her little baby within her womb moving, yawning, stretching, sucking their thumb and scratching their little nose, can undoubtedly touch and move the most hardened of hearts to opt for having the child! (Read the life-story and conversion of Doctor Bernard Nathanson!)

8. PROMOTE PRO-LIFE MOVIES. Undoubtedly the viewing of a powerful Pro-life movie can impress images and ideas on minds to foster the Pro-life movement and cause to the max. If it is true that a picture is worth more than 1000 words, then what about a movie filled with countless pictures, images, and impacting scenes??? Some suggestions: The Silent Scream, Bella, October Baby, and in Spanish Madre, quiero vivir. More recently, Gosnell (2018) and Unplanned (2019). Bring together groups to view one or more of these movies, and then discuss its content. Better yet, ask your Pastor to have a movie night, age-appropriate, to view one or more of these movies!

9. SIDEWALK COUNSELING AND PRAYER. Needless to say, sidewalk counseling and prayer are highly recommended to promote the Pro-Life cause. Those with sufficient training can strive to talk to the women walking into the abortion-mill and try to convince them to have their child. Others can simply pray many Rosaries in front of the abortion-clinic trusting in the power of God’s grace and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

10. PRAYER, PENANCE, AND MASS. Of course, the most powerful weapons that we have in our arsenal are those of prayer, penance, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass! The Hail Mary, better yet the Rosary, is a powerful Pro-life prayer in which we call upon Mary, her Yes to God and the sacredness of her womb that brought Jesus into the world for our salvation: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” However the most powerful prayer, of course, is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In this prayer, the Sacrament and Sacrifice of Calvary are renewed, the Blood of the innocent Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world can be offered in reparation for the innocent blood of so many babies shed in the past 45 years—close to 60 million!!! Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Participating in Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion in reparation for the sins of abortion, as well as prevention for future sins of abortion, is very pleasing to God.

Let us end with some of the best Pro-life quotes for your meditation and encouragement to become more actively engaged in defending unborn children who cannot speak for themselves, much less defend themselves..

• “I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” (Ronald Reagan)
• “A person is a person no matter how small.” (Dr. Seuss)
• “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” (Lord of the Rings movie)
• “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” (Thomas Jefferson)
• “How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.” (Unknown)
• “This is a debate about our understanding of human dignity, what it means to be a member of the human family, even though tiny, powerless and unwanted.” (Henry Hyde)
• “It seems to me as clear as daylight that abortion would be a crime.” (Gandhi)
• “We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.” (J.K. Rowling)
• “The right to life is the first among human rights.” (Pope Francis)
• “Being pregnant was very much like falling in love. You are so open. You are so overjoyed. There’s no words that can express having a baby growing inside you; of course, you want to scream out and tell everyone.” (Beyoncé)
• She said that hearing her unborn baby’s heartbeat was “the most beautiful music I ever heard in my life.” (unknown)
• “The fight for the right to life is not the cause of a special few, but the cause of every man, woman, and child who cares not only about his or her own family, but the whole family of man.” (Dr. Mildred Jefferson)
• “I do not believe the promises of the Declaration of Independence are just for the strong, the independent, the healthy. They are for everyone—including the unborn children.” (George W. Bush)

(Taken from LIfeNews.com. 15 of the greatest quotes of all time.)

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

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

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

THURSDAY, January 21st Mk. 3: 7-12   “He had cured many and those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.”

Part 1:  Points of Meditation… 
Part 2:  JESUS OUR HEALER! By Fr Ed Broom, OMV

• During the three years of His public life, Jesus cured people’s infirmities, freed souls possessed by demons, raised others from the dead. But Jesus did not come to heal our physical ailments or eliminate our sufferings in this life. Jesus came to raise us from the death of sin to new and eternal life in Him. For pain and suffering is not an absolute evil, but sin is!
• Quite the contrary, when united to the sufferings of Christ, our pain and suffering have incomparable redemptive value. God ordained that a man and a woman participate with Him in the creation of new life. God also ordained that men and women participate with Him in the redemption of souls for eternal life, by uniting our suffering to His! “Christian, know thy dignity!” (Saint Leo the Great)
• How good God is! He allows us to walk the path that will save the greatest number of souls possible with our lives, bringing us the greatest joy possible in Heaven when we realize how many were brought there through our prayers and sufferings!!!
• This “valley of tears” becomes a deluge of graces for those who walk the Via Dolorosa with Jesus and Mary. Tears of love and sorrow for the God-man suffering and dying on the cross for our iniquities! Tears of pity and compassion for the suffering of others. Tears of remorse for our sins. Tears of heartache for the consequences of our sins and the sins of others. Tears of frustration over our failings and weaknesses. Tears of physical pain. Tears of mental and emotional anguish. Tears of loneliness. Tears of grief over the loss of our loved ones.
• If only we knew the redemptive value of suffering… we would kiss these crosses that come our way! Saint Rose of Lima said, “When we see how many souls were saved by our suffering, our only regret in Heaven will be that we did not suffer more!”
• In afflictions and sorrow, let us remember this hymn written in 1752 – and a fav­or­ite of Er­ic Lid­dell, the ath­lete who be­came famous in the 1924 Olym­pics for re­fus­ing to run on the Sab­bath (see the mo­vie Char­i­ots of Fire). He was no stranger to suffering! He became a missionary in China and was im­pris­oned dur­ing World War II. He taught this hymn to others in the pri­son camp where he died of a brain tu­mor.

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads thee to a joyful end.

PART 2:  JESUS OUR HEALER! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV   

One of the principal activities that Jesus exercised in His Public Life was that of Healer! Jesus the Healer, the Divine Physician, came into a wounded, suffering, and broken world. And we are the ones wounded, suffering and broken in so many ways!

RECOGNITION…  There is no way any of us can be healed unless we first recognize that we are wounded and in dire need of healing. The Spanish have a saying: “No hay peor ciego que no que ver; no hay peor sordo, que aquel que no quiere oir.” Translation: “There is no worse blind man than the one who does not want to see; no worse deaf man than the one who does not want to hear.” Sad to say, many of us are willfully blind and deaf, and we fail to admit this reality!

JESUS HEALED THE WOUNDED WHO TRUSTED IN HIM…  Time and time again in the Gospels, we witness Jesus healing the sick, the diseased, and the wounded. However, there were conditions! They were especially two: recognition of their wounded state, accompanied by unlimited trust that Jesus, the Divine Physician could heal them.

For our meditation, let us look at a few examples. The Blind Bartimeus—to whom Jesus gave sight to his eyes when he implored the Lord in humility and trust: Lord, I want to see! Then there is the woman with the bleeding or hemorrhage. Her desire for healing and her faith in Jesus were so great that she believed if she could only touch the hem of His garment she would be healed. Her healing was immediate, corresponding with her faith. The Centurion’s servant was healed due to one thing: the faith of the Centurion. This healing was spectacular. The faith of the Centurion was so great that he felt himself unworthy for Jesus to enter his home. However, if Jesus would only utter a word, a mere word, the Centurion trusted that his servant would indeed be healed. And so it happened! Jesus healed the servant from a distance by His word alone. Of course this healing depended on the unlimited faith of the Centurion, who was not even of the Jewish faith.

There are so many examples of Jesus healing, but one more: the paralytic carried on the mat. This case is interesting because the healing came about by team effort. Obviously the paralytic could not move by himself and thus had to be moved by his friends. We do not have the number, but maybe four. In any case, all five trusted that Jesus, the Divine Physician, could heal this paralytic. The house where Jesus was engaged in preaching was packed to the gills. Unable to enter through the front door, with incredible ingenuity, the friends decided to cut an opening in the roof (we can only imagine the reaction of the owner of the house!) and lower him through the roof towards Jesus. Rejoicing immensely in the creativity, persistence, and faith of these men, Jesus immediately healed the man’s spiritual paralysis by forgiving his sins; then He healed him of his physical condition of paralysis. Once again, healing came about through faith, confidence, and in this case perseverance!

WHAT ABOUT US? … Do we recognize we are wounded? Do we want to be healed? Jesus earnestly desires to heal all of us, not in a crowd, but each one individually. However, this all depends on our willingness to admit that we are wounded, as well as having total confidence in Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Divine Physician. Jesus, I trust in you!

SPIRITUAL WOUNDS…  Among all of the wounds that we experience, spiritual or moral wounds are the most serious; these are the wounds that are present in the very depths of our soul. The origin of these wounds goes back to the fall of the first man and woman that we call Original Sin. Due to this Original Sin that we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve, at the very moment of our conception all are wounded in mind, in soul, and even in body due to sicknesses. Only Jesus and Mary did not have this original wound. Jesus, because He is God, the “Holy of holies”. Mary was preserved due to a unique privilege that we call the Immaculate Conception in anticipation of her Yes to becoming the Mother of Jesus—the Mother of God!

JESUS AWAITS US…  Jesus is always ready to heal us of our moral wounds, our moral sicknesses. We see this from the cross—-the arms of Jesus wide open ready to heal us. Moreover, just as the Father of the Prodigal Son is waiting with his arms wide open to receive his son who was lost (Lk. 15: 11-32), so too our Heavenly Father is waiting with arms wide open to welcome us home, irrespective of the many times we might have failed. Saint Paul reminds us: “Where sin abounds, the mercy of God abounds all the more.” (Rom 5:20)

WHEN IS THE TIME?  Now is the time, now is the hour. The wounds of your soul can be healed as soon as you desire! This can happen today. God is calling you now; better not put it off until tomorrow because, to be honest, tomorrow may never come. Who knows if we will have a tomorrow? Only God knows the day and the hour we will be called to account for our life. Especially in this time of Covid, that message should be apparent to all!

HOW MAY WE BE HEALED?  Jesus heals in many ways. However, morally and spiritually Jesus heals through the Church which is His Mystical Body. To be more specific, Jesus heals through the Sacraments, and most specifically through the Sacrament of Confession, sometimes called Penance, other times called Reconciliation, in which we experience His Infinite Mercy, a limitless mercy that cannot be described in words!

Why not head off to the Church that is nearest to you and seek out that little booth that we call the Confessional. Seek out a priest and ask him if he can hear your confession. Even if you do not remember the Act of Contrition, even though you do not remember the protocol or exact method, still go and simply ask the priest to lead you through the process, and he will be more than willing to help you through it all. Then after you have finished confessing your sins, you will hear these words of Jesus speaking through the priest, the wonderful and all-consoling words of Absolution: And I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Go in peace!

In that moment, once again as in the Gospels, Jesus is healing someone, and that someone is you, and all it takes is your trust and your faith that the Divine Physician can heal you! As Jesus healed 2000 years ago, He can still heal today, if we place our trust, our faith, our confidence in His might and His words!

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

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

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

WEDNESDAY, January 20^TH Mk. 3: 1–16   “Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was restored.”

Part 1: Suffering Well… by Father Antonin Gilbert Sertillanges, O.P.
Part 2: POSITIVE FRUITS OF HUMAN SUFFERING! By Fr Ed Broom, OMV

PART 1:  Suffering Well… by Father Antonin Gilbert Sertillanges, O.P. (+1948)

Suffering without Christ is hell pure and simple. With Christ it is the sign and secret of heaven. Since misfortune draws us close to God, and since few people wish for misfortune in order to be brought closer to God, sometimes God has to wish it for them.

Why suffer? – asks the unbeliever or the man of little faith. Suffering in this life is inevitable. A better question is: How to suffer well? Full of confidence, he musters and applies all his strength, breathing deeply of the breath of victory! Nothing is more depressing than the prospect of my weakness when looked upon by itself.  But my heart united to God is a thrilling thought; then I see in my frailty, the reverse side of His omnipotence! Suffering is a diminution of life – this present life. But when accepted and loved, it is an increase of life – eternal life!

PART 2:  POSITIVE FRUITS OF HUMAN SUFFERING! By Fr Ed Broom, OMV

The purpose of this article is to highlight a list of positive fruits that flow from the person who has united their suffering to the cross of Christ, as well as to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where Jesus renews on a daily basis His passion and death through the Sacrament of all Sacraments—the most Holy Eucharist! The following is a list to encourage us to carry our cross more courageously, following in the footsteps of Jesus and His friends, the saints.  With Saint Francis of Assisi, we acclaim: “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”

1. UNION WITH AND IMITATION OF CHRIST. The name Christian means follower or disciple of Christ. By suffering with courage, we are united more with Jesus our Savior; we become more like Him and we imitate Him all the more closely.

2. GROWTH IN PRAYER. In crucial moments of intense suffering, true followers of Christ pray all the more fervently in imitation of Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed all the more fervently to the point of shedding huge drops of blood. And it is true that as we deepen our prayer life, we unite ourselves more to Christ and become living sacrifices pleasing to God the Father.

3. HUMILITY. Confronted with excruciating sufferings—be they physical, moral, mental, emotional, family or social, financial, etc.—we find ourselves helpless, and like a little child totally dependent upon the care, protection, and love of our Eternal Father and His Divine Providence. Humility really means not depending upon myself and my own limited human resources but depending upon God! “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:8) As well as, “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall lack.” (Psalm 23)

4. TRUST. One of the modern spiritual classics is the Diary of Saint Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul. This great modern saint suffered intensely, but the more she suffered, the more she trusted in God as her strength and support. So it must be with us; suffering should motivate us to trust in God all the more as the eternal Rock on which we can stand when buffeted by the storms of life.

5. PATIENCE. The nature of all suffering is that it takes a toll on us and finally forces us to practice the virtue of patience—remember the Book of Job. Maybe God Himself has sent us certain sufferings as a means by which we can grow in that all important virtue of Patience! Looking in retrospect on past sufferings that we more or less accepted, we can attest to the fact that we are at least a little more patient in imitation of Jesus, Mary, and the saints. Jesus said: “By your patience you will save your souls.” (Lk 21:19)

6. COMPASSION. Still more, the virtue of compassion can be a recompense and prize for those who are undergoing the fire storm of tribulations and sufferings. A classic example might be a woman who has survived breast cancer and is now healthy and thriving. This woman providentially meets another woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The woman who survived the ordeal can definitely have compassion for and commiserate with the woman just diagnosed. Why? For the simple reason that she went through it herself! Those who suffer in a Christian way, accepting God’s mysterious will, can definitely be compassionate and encouraging with others who are going through the same predicament. Actually the word Compassion means the ability to suffer with another.

7. PURIFICATION. As gold is purified by fire, so are the friends of the Lord purified by the fire of sufferings. Saint John of the Cross gives us the image of a piece of cold and rusty iron cast into the fire. In time, the cold and rusty piece of iron becomes red hot like the fire and the rust disintegrates. So it is with human souls cloaked with sin and sinful tendencies. The willing acceptance of suffering for the love of Christ and in union with Christ, who suffered and died for all of humanity and for each one of us individually, can be a means of purifying our soul by uniting it to the Fire of Love in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Indeed, it must be said—we can beg the Lord to give us our Purgatory here on earth, so that we can have quicker access to heaven!

8. DETACHMENT. Due to Original Sin, which we are all born with, the human person has a strong tendency to become attached to persons, places, things, ideas, concepts, etc., many of which are disordered, even to the point of being sinful. A storm blast of suffering can shatter these attachments. If someone has been diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live, they can start to unpack their life, relinquishing what is non-essential, unnecessary, or even sinful, as they prepare for death, judgment and the life to come—Heaven! Indeed, suffering can serve as a sober but very real meditation on the transitory and fleeting nature of human life. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” if not rooted in God!

9. SALVATION OF SOULS. The children of Fatima were educated in the school of suffering, especially Jacinta and Francisco Marto—both died almost within two years of the last apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. After the graphic vision of hell, July 13, 1917, little Jacinta could not undertake too many sacrifices, offering all her sufferings for the salvation of immortal souls! Sacrificing her favorite food—the sweet grapes of Portugal, giving up water on hot days, putting up with the painful insistence of people pestering her with questions about the visions, wearing a rough rope around her waist that chafed her skin. Jacinta did all this and more so as to collaborate with God in the salvation of immortal souls. In other words, her suffering had infinite value because she suffered for and with Jesus. When beatified by Saint Pope John Paul II, he gave her the title of little victim soul—such was her thirst for the salvation of immortal souls and her willingness to suffer for them with Jesus!

10. SHORTNESS OF LIFE AND ETERNITY. Finally, in our analysis of the positive meaning of suffering we have to come to terms with our mortality—that all of us one day have to pass through the door of death and this often entails suffering. However, life is very short as the Psalmist reminds us: “Man is like the flower of the field that rises in the morning and withers and dies as the sun goes down.” (Ps 1-3:15) Jesus said these words to Saint Faustina in the Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul: “You will suffer much, but not for long; you will accomplish my will and my desires and a faithful servant of Mine will help you do this. Now rest on My bosom, on My heart, and draw from it strength and power for these sufferings because you will find neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know that you will have much, much to suffer, but don’t let this frighten you; I am with you.” (Diary #36) These words of Jesus are serious, sober, but also consoling. He will always be with us and invites all of us to seek refuge and comfort, not in the things of this passing world, but in His bosom, in His Most Sacred Heart. 

May Our Lady of Sorrows console us all with her loving and maternal presence! She will always be present with Jesus to help us carry our cross patiently so as to win the reward of heaven that awaits us!

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

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

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

 TUESDAY, JANUARY 19th   Mk. 2: 23-28   “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

• CCC 1167: When we ponder, O Christ, the marvels accomplished on this day, the Sunday of your holy Resurrection, we say:  Blessed is Sunday, on Sunday heaven and earth rejoiced and the whole universe was filled with light. Blessed is Sunday, for on it were opened the gates of paradise so that Adam and all the exiles might enter it without fear.

SUNDAY, THE SABBATH DAY (Excerpt) by Fr. John Hardon, S.J.

With the coming of Christ, the third Commandment was elevated by Jesus, further by the apostles, and finally by the Church. The day from the first century was changed from Sabbath or Saturday, to Sunday; and this mainly for two reasons. First, because Christ chose to rise from the dead on Sunday. There could have been no more dramatic way for Christ to close the Old Testament and institute the New than by lying in the grave all Holy Saturday and rising from the dead on Sunday. Second, because God as the third Person of the Trinity chose to descend on the Apostles, the disciples, and Our Lady on Pentecost Sunday.

Sunday for us Christians is the day especially dedicated to the Holy Trinity – to God the Father as Creator, to God the Son as our Redeemer, and God the Holy Spirit as our Sanctifier. The Church made sure by the fourth century, and the obligation has not changed, and will not change until the end of time, it is a grave obligation for every Catholic to assist at Mass on Sunday.

The Third Commandment prescribes abstention from work. Christianity from the beginning was not so rigid as were the Jews. This is crucial. What Christianity did besides changing the day from Sabbath to Sunday, Christianity also changed the focus. The concentration in Christianity is on the sanctification of Sunday, of devoting Sunday to God, without totally removing the obligation not to engage in labor on Sunday

Christ already during His public ministry more than once showed the change that he was introducing. He would deliberately choose to work some miracles, especially when there were enough Pharisees around, on the Sabbath. They complained and what He told them, and through them us, is that you may know that the Son of man is the Lord of the Sabbath. Then He proceeded to scandalize the Pharisees and work another miracle. He even asked the Pharisees, “Is it all right to do a good work, a work of charity on the Sabbath?” As far as the Pharisees were concerned, you don’t even ask a man to pick up his mat on Saturday.

What then is the Church’s teaching, and I want to emphasize this, the law; Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation are meant to be days of rest. But they are to be days of rest as the Church interprets or explains it. First, and from the beginnings of Christianity, the Church has always distinguished two kinds of work. What we now call servile work and for want of a better word, non-servile work.

What is servile work? Servile work is physical labor. Servile work is bodily labor. Now regarding servile work, it is that in which the body is more occupied than the spirit. That is the basic definition of servile work. And it’s that kind of work which the Catholic Church forbids on Sundays and Holy Days.

However, the Church again, from the very beginning, has always made distinctions; whether servile work is done out of necessity or charity. Secondly, servile work is not merely tolerated but permitted, even praised by the Church, if it is either necessary or done out of charity. And Christ as we said before, dramatized what He was doing by performing works of charity by healing the sick or the paralytics on the Sabbath.

Remember the lives of the saints where, after Mass on Sundays, they would go to the hospitals to take care of the sick. My secretary in New York had terminal cancer, and kind friends would come to her on Sundays and do some cooking that she could not do.

Regarding non-servile work, it is permitted on Sundays when the mind is more occupied than the body. Like thinking; we are not to stop thinking on Sundays. Like writing, you cannot write without thinking. Writing, teaching, preaching, and with emphasis, praying.

Last but not least, Sundays every faithful Catholic should pray, and pray more intensely!

NOW SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.

Number One. Sundays are to be a witness to our faith; our faith in God as our Creator; our faith in God become man as our Savior; our faith in God as our sanctifier. All of this is locked up in our observance of Sundays. Sundays not only may be or should be, but must be different. 

Number Two. Sundays are days of special graces from God. No question about it. God reserves graces that He will give us only if and when and insofar as we honor His day as He wants us to.

Number Three. What the Third Commandment spells out for us is the necessity of the Mass in our lives. That at least this one day a week we must go to Mass. Why? Because the Mass, faith tells us, is necessary for our salvation.

Number Four. Our age is the age of martyrs. We are living in the age of unbelief. Sundays are marvelous for professing our faith! They are all around us: people who couldn’t care less.

Number Five – Read the story of Our Lady of LaSallete. Read it and weep. The principle message was pleading with the people to restore Sunday as the day dedicated to the Lord, otherwise dire consequences will follow.

Number Six – According to Saint Pope John 23rd, the single most specific, concrete, definite and fundamental reformation needed in the Catholic Church is to respect the sanctification of Sunday. And who in his right mind would question that the Catholic Church needs reformation?

Lord Jesus, you chose to rise from the dead on Easter Sunday and your Church ever since has identified Sunday with your day, the Lord’s Day. It was the day on which you proved to the world that you are the Master of sin and death. Now you want us, dear Lord, to commemorate, celebrate, and live our faith by sanctifying Sunday as your day. Amen.

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

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

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

 MONDAY, JANUARY 18th   Mk. 2: 18-22   “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wine-skins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wine-skins.”

• The Church is the seamless garment of the Mystical Body of Christ. The Church is the new wineskin into which is poured the infinite graces flowing from the side of Christ on the Cross, which she will continue to spread to the ends of the earth until the end of time!
• How could we know Christ—His words and actions that bring us eternal life except through the Church, through Apostolic Tradition and the Scriptures? What would our life be like without the outpouring of His Divine Life in the Sacraments?
• How could we receive His teachings and Sacraments without the ministers of His Church – our Holy Father and good priests? How could we become Jesus’ disciples without the shining examples of Mary, His Mother and ours, good Saint Joseph, and the multitude of saints the Church lifts on high for us to imitate?
• Let us praise and thank God for the graces and blessings we receive every day from Our Lord and Savior through His Holy Church! Let us ask Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Church, and our Mother to make us faithful disciples of her Son!
• Most of all, let us thank God and pray unceasingly for our own priests – Oblates of the Virgin Mary, and all priests for their ongoing sanctification and holiness of life!

IN SINU JESUS: WHEN HEART SPEAKS TO HEART! (Journal of a priest at prayer/a Benedictine monk) By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Writing as a priest for more than 33 years, and being also a Religious priest consecrated and given to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary, I honestly believe that if priests can find time to read, meditate and pray over the book In Sinu Jesu, their lives will be transformed.

In this brief article, we will highlight the essential points and messages in this text with the purpose of encouraging priests—myself included—to fall in love with their priesthood by falling in love with our Model, Friend, and Guide, Jesus the High Priest and Savior of the world.

Incidentally, this book can, of course, be read and prayed over by lay-people—married people or any person of good-will. The net results will be a greater love and understanding for the Catholic Church and the essential role that priests play in the building up of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church, the Universal Sacrament of salvation.

To facilitate the reading of this article, I will highlight ten of the most salient messages contained in this modern spiritual-gem. May you treasure them and find a place for them in the depths of your heart.

1. FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS. At the Last Supper, which was the first Mass, on Holy Thursday in the Cenacle or the Upper Room, Jesus left us His Last Supper Discourse—Jn. 13-17. Among the sublime words of truth that issued from the Sacred Heart of Jesus were these simple words: “I call you FRIENDS…” A priest must be firmly convinced of Jesus’ ardent desire to enter into a friendship with him that is dynamic and strong—that is to say, that it will grow stronger as the days, weeks and years transpire. The priest is never alone because Jesus is at his side as his Best Friend. In Spanish, “El Amigo que nunca fall…” — The Friend that never fails!

2. FREQUENT VISITS AND CONVERSATIONS. A true friendship cannot subsist if there is little or no contact between the friends. Therefore, the priest should have an earnest yearning and longing to spend time, quality as well as length, with Jesus. In the words of the Psalmist: “As the deer yearns for the running streams so my soul yearns for you, O Lord, my God.” (Ps. 42: 1)

3. PRIVILEGED PLACE OF ENCOUNTER: THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. True friends seek out propitious places for an encounter. In this encounter between the priest and His Friend Jesus, the best place is in Church in front of the Blessed Sacrament, if exposed so much the better. As the text repeats time and time again, the priest will find consolation, light, peace and strength contemplating the Eucharistic Face of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Indeed, prayer is a Face to Face and Heart to Heart encounter and dialogue with Jesus.

4. ADORATION. Jesus so ardently yearns for priests that will come to adore Him. Friendship with Jesus must be ardent, frequent and dynamic. However, we should never be oblivious to the fact that Jesus is also God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. As such He merits sublime praise, glory and adoration. Two very appropriate short Eucharistic prayers are: “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.” And, “O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

5. THANK HIM. Given that Jesus has given us so much, all that we have and all that we are, what necessarily flows is an attitude of gratitude, the urgent need to thank the Lord Jesus. Everything, except the sins that we willfully have chosen, are gratuitous gifts that Jesus has given to us. In the words of the Greek poet by Saint Paul in the Acts of the Apostles, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” By the way, the word Eucharist actually means thanksgiving. A grateful heart overflowing with noble sentiments of thanksgiving is very pleasing to God and is preparing the terrain for future abundant blessings.

6. REPARATION. Unfortunately, within the Church, and sad to say even within the priesthood, there exists coldness, apathy, indifference, and at times lukewarmness. Jesus came to cast fire on the earth, the fire of His love for the salvation of immortal souls! However, all too many hearts are both cold and indifferent. Many years ago, when the Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alaqoque at a convent in Paray le Monial, France, Jesus complained, displaying His Sacred Heart from which flared out fire, “Behold the Heart that has loved so much and receives only ingratitude and indifference in return. Console my Heart.” A true priest friend of Jesus will be drawn magnetically to the Tabernacle, to the Eucharistic Lord, and there offer prayers of sorrow, contrition, and reparation for such widespread coldness and indifference, sometimes even among the ranks of the clergy!

7. CAST YOUR CARES UPON THE LORD FOR HE CARES FOR YOU. These words are taken from one of the Letters of the Apostle Saint Peter. We all have problems and some of us many, and at times very heavy ones. An essential part of true Friendship with Jesus is the honest and humble recognition that we all have problems that weigh down upon us. Jesus longs to hear us tell Him about these problems and He desires to help us with these problems. If kept to ourselves, these problems result in depression and deep sadness. May we take these words of Jesus to heart: “Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11: 28-30) A problems shared is half the weight!

8. TEMPTATIONS AND MORAL FAILURES—SINS! According to Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen the most important title that can be given to Jesus is that of Savior. In other words, the primary reason for the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery—the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus—was to save us from our sins and eternal death. For priests to be truly good confessors to their penitents, they must first be good penitents and experience the Infinite Mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In Sinu Jesu invites the priest to strive to go to Confession to another priest on a weekly basis so as to cultivate delicacy of conscience and purity of heart! Saint Paul’s words have immense encouragement: “Where sin abounds, the grace of God abounds all the more.” (Rom. 5: 20)

9. LOVE FOR THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. Of course the highest form of prayer that a priest can offer is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In this most sublime and august Sacrament, the priest unites most intimately with the Lord Jesus Christ in His Paschal Mystery, in Jesus’ Passion, death and Resurrection. All the fruits of Calvary that first Good Friday become a reality in every Mass that is celebrated. Upon receiving Holy Communion, the priest receives the total Jesus—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And in all truth, the priest receives a Spiritual-Heart transplant in every Mass and Holy Communion. How great is our God and how loving He is to us His children!

10. MARY THE LOVING MOTHER OF PRIESTS. In Sinu Jesu is replete and abundant with references to the relationship between the priest and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The priest must get to know Mary, talk to Mary, confide in Mary, seek consolation and comfort in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, entrust his life to Mary, consecrate his life and his priesthood to Mary, and love Mary as his most tender and loving Mother—his life, his sweetness, and his hope. (Hail Holy Queen) For this reason, In Sinu Jesu, the Lord Jesus wants all priests to strive to imitate the beloved Apostle and Disciple Saint John, depicted on the front cover of the book itself. Indeed, it was to Saint John that Jesus entrusted His Mother Mary as He hung upon the cross: “When Jesus saw His Mother there whom He loved, he said to His Mother, Woman. Behold your son. Then He said to the disciple, Behold your Mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (Jn. 19: 26-27) Every priest must, in imitation of Saint John, have a filial and tender love for Mary, the Mother of all priests. In the midst of the sorrows, trials, sufferings and dark clouds in the life of the priest, Mary is the Morning Star, the Star of the Sea, the Mystical Rose, the Glimmer of Hope, the True Gate and Ladder to Heaven.

In conclusion, we invite all priests and lay-people to purchase, read, meditate and pray with the inspiring IN SINU JESU. We encourage all to pray for priests, support priests, encourage priests, offer sacrifices for priests and to love your priests. The love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus passes through the heart of the priest!

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