Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

SUNDAY, JANUARY 23rd    Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21   Alleluia Verse: “The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to captives.”

As Jesus was sent by God the Father to bring us the Good News of salvation, we also are sent through our Baptism and Confirmation to share the Good News and thereby save our souls. Fr. Ed’s meditation fleshes this out and calls us to greatness in our everyday living!

WE ARE CALLED TO SERVICE AND SALVATION by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

You are created by a loving and Providential God who is indeed your Father, who cares for you with the love of the best of all Fathers for the purpose of praising Him, reverencing Him, and showing your love for Him by serving Him with your whole being. If this is done, the net result will be salvation—the saving of your immortal soul and rejoicing in God’s Presence and His Love for all eternity!

This leads us to a double consideration… SALVATION & SERVING OUR LORD!

First, how we can best serve Our Lord God and Creator? Jesus gives us the answer: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40)

As a sublime and inspiring example of service, we will take the Blessed Virgin Mary and meditate upon the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary — Mary’s Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. Among the countless messages of inspiration that Mary presents to us in the Visitation, one of the primary is Mary’s attitude of service. Indeed, Mary went in haste to visit her elderly cousin who was with child so that she could serve Elizabeth and the baby in her womb, St. John the Baptist.

The second part of our meditation will be on that of salvation. Indeed, the primary purpose of our short life on earth is to work with God’s grace to attain the salvation of our immortal soul. There is no more important endeavor or enterprise in our brief earthly pilgrimage than that of “working out our salvation in fear and trembling,” in the words of the Apostle Saint Paul. (Phil 2:12) We will see how this is accomplished through Service!

CALL TO SERVICE: MARY’S VISITATION TO ELIZABETH (LK 1:39–56)

1. My Prayer

Lord, grant me the grace to show my love for you by offering my life as an act of service to others in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her visit to her cousin, Saint Elizabeth.

2. Haste                                                                                                   

After conceiving Jesus in her womb and learning about Elizabeth’s pregnancy in her old age, Mary moves in haste to be of service to her elderly cousin in a town in the hill country of Judea. Contemplate Mary ascending the hills and traveling possibly 4-5 days to arrive and serve. Walk with Mary and talk to her about many things, but especially about how you can be of greater service in your family and to all of humanity.

3. Joyful Greeting

Upon arriving, Mary greets Elizabeth with great joy. Mary does not serve begrudgingly and mournfully. On the contrary, she serves joyfully. Saint Paul says: “There is more joy in giving than in receiving.” (Acts 30:35) Also, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7)

May your serving others be done with a radiant smile on your face. One of the clearest signs that we are followers of Jesus and Mary is that of a smile!

4. Mary and Elizabeth

Mary prays with Elizabeth. In the passage of the Visitation, we have the beautiful prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary—the Magnificat. This prayer the Church prays officially in the Liturgy of the Hours Evening Prayer every day of the year. The Church teaches us to praise God through Mary’s canticle of praise!

5. Mary Serves Elizabeth

It is not mentioned explicitly how Mary helped, but we can imagine the many ways that Mary could have served her elderly pregnant cousin:

1) Fetching Water. Imagine Mary traveling to the well with a huge container and drawing water from the well—this was hard work and service.

2) Cooking. No doubt Mary helped with the cooking of the meals for Elizabeth and Zechariah. She must have been an excellent cook. Taste her cuisine!

3) Cleaning and Order. Of course Mary loved order. She would have worked to keep the kitchen and home clean and in order. This too is service. One of the purposes and benefits of doing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola is “to order the disorder in our lives.”

4) Washing. There were no washing machines or dryers back then. Therefore, Mary would have helped in the washing of clothes by hand and drying them in the sunlight.

5) Sweeping. We can picture Mary with a broom in her hand on a daily basis sweeping out the dust and dirt that so easily invades homes, especially those in rural areas.

6) Now Talk to Mary About Service…  In all of these menial and often routine activities of service, Mary teaches us a lesson. Holiness consists in doing the ordinary duties of our daily life with extraordinary love! As you contemplate Mary engaged in the active life of service, beg her for the grace to offer your life as a sacrifice of service to others, beginning in your own family! Sometimes that is where we are least appreciated, but the Lord who sees all, loves us and blesses us all the more for that!

CALLED TO THE SALVATION OF OUR IMMORTAL SOUL!

Jesus stated the sober truth in these simple but very profound words: “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. What can a man exchange for the salvation of his soul?” (Mk 8:36-37) The second part of your meditation will be upon these words of Jesus that refer to the core and essence of the why of our existence, the very purpose of our existence, why we are really here in this world!

1. The Why of Your Existence

“What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? What can a man exchange for the salvation of his soul?” Read, meditate, reflect, and consider over and over again these words of Jesus about the salvation of your immortal soul!

2. The Most Important Pursuit in Life

By far the most important pursuit in your life is achieving, with the help of God’s grace, the salvation of your immortal soul. There is no greater pursuit, endeavor, or enterprise! At the end of your life, nothing else will matter!

3. Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Value of Your Soul

The Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas, expressed this profound truth succinctly: “Your immortal soul is worth more than the whole created universe.” Recall the grandeur, majesty, and immensity of creation (Gen 1 and 2), and reflect on the fact that your immortal soul has much more value than all of creation combined. How great and important is the value of your immortal soul, and every immortal soul, all created in the image and likeness of God!

4. The Price of Your Salvation: The Blood of Jesus

Saint Peter states: “You were redeemed not by the blood of lambs or calves or heifers; nor were you bought by the price of gold and silver. Rather, you were redeemed by the Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (1 Pt 1:18-19) Saint Leo the Great in his Christmas message exhorts us: “Christians, recognize your dignity!” We would like to add to the word dignity another word, recognize your destiny—Heaven!

5. Called to Heaven

Coming at this truth from a slightly different angle or perspective, possibly this can encourage you in the pursuit of the salvation of your immortal soul: you are called by God to be with Him in heaven forever and ever. Indeed, every time you pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, you are calling to mind the reason why God created you: to save your immortal soul and get to heaven. It cannot be any clearer than that!

Let us pray earnestly to the Lord Jesus and to our friends in heaven to help us!

COLLOQUY:

THE SAINTS:  Beg fervently the angels and saints who are praising God in heaven to pray that you will have a burning passion and desire to get to heaven. Talk to any saint, or as many saints as you like, to help you to utilize all the means necessary, including loving and generous service of your neighbor, so as to attain your goal: HEAVEN!

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY:  Then turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the full of grace, who loved God with all her being and served God in her neighbor, and beg her for the grace to desire to get to heaven and to be a true servant of the Lord so as to attain heaven. Pray the Magnificat. (see below)

OUR LORD JESUS:  Finally, beg the Lord Jesus for the desire be His faithful servant and to do all you can in this life to stay close to Him in all times and places, so that when you die, you will be His faithful friend forever in heaven. May the longing for heaven be the most ardent desire in your heart and in your life!

MAGNIFICAT  (Lk 1: 46-55)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. 
From this day all generations will call me blessed: 
the Almighty has done great things for me, 
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation. 
He has shown the strength of his arm, 
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, 
and has lifted up the lowly. 
He has filled the hungry with good things, 
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy, 
the promise he made to our fathers, 
to Abraham and his children forever.

Copyright 2022 Oblates of the Virgin Mary / St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

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

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22nd    Mk 3:20-21   “When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

January 22, 1973—one of the saddest days in American History!!!

Jesus’ relatives think that he is out of his mind for healing the sick and teaching the Truth. Can we say that is what others think of those who defend life from the womb to the grave?

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 freeways 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 what we call 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 our 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 the 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. 13 of the greatest quotes of all time.)

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

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

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21st    Mk. 3: 13-19   Alleluia Verse:  “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

Jesus sent forth the twelve to preach the Good News of salvation. He also sends each one us to draw others to Him through His one, holy, catholic (which means universal), and apostolic Church.

Indeed it is incumbent upon us, who have the fullness of the truth in the church that Christ Himself founded to bring the Good News to others. “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:18-20)

Today, Fr. Ed invites and guides us how to bring others to the one true faith of Jesus Christ, and especially back to the faith if they have fallen away!

TEN WAYS YOU CAN HELP DAILY TO SAVE SOULS FOR ETERNITY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

The powerful words of the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas should move us from the very depths of our souls to do great things for God. These words: “One immortal soul of one person is worth more than the entire created universe.”

In fact, if we meditate upon the first two chapters in the Bible from the Book of Genesis, we contemplate God as Artist and Builder as He brings all that never before existed into existence. God created, and all that He created was good! The water in the immense oceans; the splendid, sparkling and dazzling sky in its remarkable beauty from the first streaks of dawn to the deepening twilight; the flowers, plants and trees in their boundless variety; the multitude of animals from a small squiggly lizard to an immense and muscular rhinoceros—all were brought from non-existence into existence by God the Creator.

THE CROWN OF CREATION

Of all the immensity, variety and beauty of creation, nothing can compare to the creation of the human person. In fact, in the eyes of God, man and woman are the very crown and apex of creation. Not only that, all the rest of creation came into existence for the benefit of the human person. If you like, God created all things for the proper use of man and woman so that they might arrive at their eternal destiny—Heaven. For this reason, the human person, given life from God, the Author of Life, must use all of creation as a stepping stone, a ladder to arrive at Heaven!

The one word that describes Our Lord Jesus Christ best, according to Ven. Fulton J. Sheen, is that of Savior. Indeed, Jesus came into the world through the consent of the Virgin Mary and the Incarnation specifically for that primary purpose—to save all of humanity from sin and bring them into the eternal Kingdom of peace, justice, joy and life—Heaven! Jesus is the only Savior. Nobody goes to the Father except through His Son, Jesus Christ.

However, Jesus wants all of us to do all we can to collaborate with Him in the salvation of everyone in the entire world. Saint Paul expresses it in these pungent words: “Let us fill up what is lacking in the passion of Christ.” (Col 1:24) Jesus is the only Redeemer, but we can collaborate with Him and become mini Co-Redeemers!

After a bombardment that shook, rattled and partially destroyed a Catholic Church, the Pastor observed that the Crucifix on the wall was severely damaged. Due to the impact of the bomb—the arms and hands, the legs and feet of Jesus on the cross had been destroyed. Utilizing great ingenuity and apostolic zeal, the Pastor posted below the partially destroyed image these words coming from the Sacred Heart of the Savior: “I need your arms and hands, your legs and feet!”

How true! Jesus needs and wants your person—your arms, your hands, your legs, your feet, your voice, and especially the zeal of love in your heart so as to carry the Gospel, the Good News of Salvation, to the distant corners of the earth!

“GIVE ME SOULS!”

Therefore, let us discern and decide upon ways that we can drop the nets for a catch of souls by going in search of poor sinners to introduce them to the Good Shepherd, as well as those who had the faith and lost it—the lost sheep, and invite these many Prodigal sons and daughters to come back to the Good Shepherd. The motto of the great Saint John Bosco was: “Give me souls and take all the rest away!” May this likewise be our motto!

1. Fervent Prayer.

Prayer is the key to salvation. Prayer is the key to the conversion of poor sinners. Prayer unlocks the treasure-chest of God’s graces. Let us lift up fervent prayers every day, especially for the conversion of sinners and their eternal salvation. Remember, one soul is worth more than the whole created universe!

2. Invite the Lost Sheep to Confession.

When all is said and done, bringing a wandering soul, a prodigal son or daughter, a confused Catholic, an angry and bitter Catholic to the fount of God’s Mercy, manifested and applied through the Sacrament of Confession, can be one of the most efficacious tools in placing this lost sheep back on the highway to salvation and eternal life.

3. Confession Schedule and Examination of Conscience.

If a wandering sheep has not been to confession in a long time, they may need a little advice, orientation and encouragement. This you can do by telling them when and where the Confessions are being held. Offer them an examination of conscience pamphlet or booklet explaining the Ten Commandments. Go with them to the place where the priest is hearing Confessions. Then you go to Confession first and come out with a radiant smile, as encouragement. By following this protocol, you have a winner, a winner in saving souls for Christ!

4. A Good Book.

Bad books are proven to be intellectual poison. However, a good book can serve as a catalyst to save a soul. We have never lived in a world with so much information; however, we have never lived in a world with so much confusion. The world is truly a Tower of Babel! This cloud of confusion can be dissipated and cleared by the reading of good books that tell the truth. Many have been saved by reading and reflecting on good books. Recommend a good spiritual book to them! From Humdrum to Holy by this author is a practical and easily accessible way to either introduce or re-introduce someone to the practice of the faith and to grow deeper in their faith!

5. A Good Catholic Friend

That good Catholic friend should be you and me! As a priest, many people come to me with their problems in all shapes, forms and sizes. Off the bat, I tell them that I cannot solve their problems, but I know the Person who can solve their problems—Jesus the Lord. Like Saint John the Baptist, I point to the Lord Jesus as the only Savior. We should not have a Messiah-complex—believing that we are the ones who save. Wrong! Only Jesus can save! 

Fulton Sheen put it in these words: “The starting point of our spiritual life has two principles: there is a God, and it is not you!!!” Again, only Jesus can save! Like John the Baptist, let us be human signposts pointing to Jesus.

6. A Retreat Experience.

One of the principal reasons why the modern person remains stuck in the mud of their own ignorance and sin is due to a world filled with noise and excessive movement. This lack of silence and stillness, does not allow for reflection, meditation, and examination of conscience. A spiritual retreat—for a weekend, eight days, or even a month—can serve as a powerful means to examine one’s life and make radical changes. Promote retreats, especially Ignatian Retreats. These can really be conversion experiences!

7. Apostolate of Suffering.

Jesus willingly chose the cross—His passion, suffering and death, as the means by which He would save all of humanity. Your suffering has infinite value, most especially for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls, when united to Jesus in His Passion, death and Resurrection. Do not waste your suffering but offer it for the salvation of immortal souls!

8. Offer Masses. 

As a sequel to the concept of suffering is that of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As a priest, many mothers come to me in tears with a broken heart because their children no longer practice their faith and have so many doubts. My advice: have Masses offered for the conversion of sinners, starting with your own children, and for the salvation of immortal souls. By far, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most efficacious tool or means of conversion and salvation. One drop of the Precious Blood of Jesus that He shed on Calvary is enough to save the whole universe!

9. Patience, Patience, and Even More Patience.

One of the most powerful and exemplary models of patience in the pursuit of sinners for their conversion and eternal salvation is the person and example of Saint Monica. Talk about a dysfunctional family, Monica had one and in the fullest sense of the term! A husband who was violent, a drunk, and a womanizer! A wayward son addicted to sexual pleasure! And finally, a gossipy mother-in-law! Through Monica’s prayers, penance, patience, and perseverance, God granted power and grace for the conversion of the whole family! Follow the example of Saint Monica and imitate her prayers, penance, and most of all her patience!

10. Our Lady: Refuge of Sinners!

This famous prayer rings so true related to the conversion of sinners and the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is the Memorare! The words? “Never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided….”  

The great Saint Frances de Sales received a deluge of grace, comfort and consolation when he prayed this prayer in the Church of Our Lady of Victory in Paris. In our lives, may the prayers of Mary prove victorious in the conversion and salvation of countless souls, beginning with our own families! 

Remember the words of the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas: “One immortal soul is worth more than the whole created universe.” Let us work energetically with Jesus and Mary, the angels and saints, to save an abundant harvest of souls for the eternal Banquet—Heaven!

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

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

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20th    Mk. 3: 7-12   “He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.”

They come to Jesus because He is healing them. But will they believe in Him when He is no longer there to heal them? It is easy for us to believe in Jesus when things are going well in our lives, but do we still believe in Him when the storms of life descend upon us?

FAITH THAT CAN MOVE THE MOUNTAINS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

A both charming and captivating movie that came out several years ago was that of Little Boy. One of the most memorable and impressive scenes was when the Little Boy was confronted with a miracle situation in which the mountain had to be moved. Indeed, Jesus Himself said faith can move the mountains. With fervor, enthusiasm, and all of the energy in his soul, Little Boy beckoned the moving of the mountain and in fact the mountain really did move, to the surprise and shock of all except Little Boy. The words of Jesus ring true: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” (Mt 17:20) Or, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (Lk 17:6)

This being the case, let us talk about the virtue of faith, what it is, where it comes from, and how can we cultivate the virtue of faith and be like Little Boy, able to move the mountains and uproot and transplant the trees.

1. DEFINITION OF FAITH. 

One of the most simple ways of defining faith is the following: “To believe in a God whom we cannot see and trust in His Word.” The risen Jesus gently rebuked Saint Thomas, giving him the nickname Doubting Thomas, because he refused to believe the testimony of the other Apostles when they told him the risen Jesus had appeared to them. Jesus appears to the Apostles again and this time Thomas is present. With the following words, Thomas offers to Jesus and the world at large one of the most simple and profound professions of faith: “My Lord and my God.” (Jn. 20:28) The Lord gently upbraids the Apostle saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (Jn 20-29)

2. ORIGIN OF FAITH. 

Faith is one of the three theological virtues that with Hope and Charity are planted in the very depths of our soul in the moment of Baptism. When you were baptized by the priest, deacon, or Bishop, using the Trinitarian formula:  “______________” (insert Name), I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”—not only was Original Sin wiped clean from your soul, and not only did you become a living Temple of the Holy Spirit, but you also received these three very special Gifts, the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.

3. FAITH COMPARED TO A SEED PLANTED IN A GARDEN.

One of the best images for understanding the dynamic process of growth necessary for the virtue of Faith is that of a seed planted in a garden. It could be the best seed in the world. However, if that seed is not cultivated carefully and watered then that seed can wither up and die. So it is with the virtue of Faith: it must be cultivated or it too can wither and die!

4. FAITH MUST BE PRACTICED.

Not only must the virtue of Faith be cultivated, but it also must be put into practice. A weight-lifter, a baseball player, a swimmer, a runner—all of these athletes might potentially be the best in their field. However, if they do not practice, they will never know and exhibit the talents they have been endowed with. This short saying resounds as true: “Practice makes perfect.” The younger generation have coined this one-liner: “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” The following will be practical ways that we can cultivate and grow in our faith by making concrete acts of faith.

5. PRAYER.

The saintly Jesuit-Theologian who died in the year 2000 and is already a Servant of God, Father John Hardon, made this acute observation related to prayer and faith or the loss of faith. He asserted that it was his observation that almost always, those people who abandoned the practice of prayer, who abandoned this essential practice, lost their faith. It stands to reason because every time we pray, we are making an act of faith; we are talking to a God who is invisible, whom we cannot see with our physical sight, but we still believe hears us.

6. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 

Another key act of faith is when we make the Sign of the cross, saying the words: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” This gesture and these words express our faith in the most profound Mystery of the Catholic Faith, the Blessed Trinity, that we believe in one God and Three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

7. GENUFLECTION.

Another key corporal act of faith is that of genuflection, in which your right knee touches the ground every time you walk in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Your faith is directed toward The Mystery of Faith, that it is Jesus truly present in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar.

8. BOW UPON HEARING THE NAME OF JESUS.

Saint Paul says: “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11) These words of the great Apostle Saint Paul express the greatness of the Person and the Name of Jesus. Therefore, we should form the habit of bowing our head upon hearing the Name of Jesus. By doing so, our faith will be bolstered.

9. TRIALS SENT BY GOD.

Like Abraham, like Peter and the Apostles, like the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, our faith has to be tested, purified, and perfected by means of many trials. Saint James expressed this truth in these words: “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Jas 1:2-4). God must allow trials in one form or another to purify, strengthen, and fortify our faith. As rusty iron is purified and perfected in the crucible of fire, so our faith is perfected in the crucible of various kinds of trials. The episode of Peter, first walking on the water and then sinking in the waves, in which he cried out “Lord, save me”, elicited these words and gesture of Jesus: “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?” and Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed on to that of Peter.” (Mt 14:30-31)Then Peter walked on water again until they got in the boat! Like Peter, at times we are called to leave the comfort zone of our boat and walk on the cold, rolling, and uncertain waters, all the while placing our faith and trust totally in the Lord Jesus.

10. SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH OTHERS.

In a material way, when we give something away we become impoverished. Not so when we share our faith. By sharing our faith in Jesus, in God, in the Catholic Church, we grow, and the more generously we share, the greater growth we experience! Saint Paul reminds us: “There is more joy in giving then in receiving.” (Acts 20:35) Share your faith and you will grow in your faith!

Let us beg Our Lady, who never lost her faith and total trust in God even in the most difficult times in her life, to pray fervently for us so that like Little Boy our faith will be so strong that we will be able to move the highest mountains. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

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

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19th    Mk. 3: 1-6   “Then he said to the Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?’ But they remained silent. 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.”

How willing are we to see a need and do what we can meet that need? Today, Fr. Ed gives us a meditation for self-examination and reflection.

TO SERVE IS TO REIGN; TO REIGN IS TO SERVE by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

We are building upon the solid structure of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Principle and Foundation: We were created to praise God, to reverence God, and to serve God, and by this means to save our soul. Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew 25 that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to Him! In other words, Principle and Foundation challenges us to go out of our comfort zone, to leave our security blanket behind, to step out of the boat into the cold water at the Lord’s command so that we can truly serve! May Mary, the humble servant of the Lord, assist us in our true vocation—the vocation that leads to heaven—the vocation of authentic service!

BIBLICAL REFERENCES ON THE VOCATIONAL CALL TO SERVE.

1. SATAN—THE ANTITHESIS OF SERVICE.  It must be said that Satan/Lucifer raised his voice in a clarion call of rebellion against the will of Almighty God with the resounding NO to obeying God—NON SERVIAM! I will not serve God. From which a battle ensued against the angels who due to their own free-will and determination decided that they would not serve God, obey God, or submit to His holy will. God marshalled forth Saint Michael the Archangel, the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, whose name means who is like unto God. Those rebellious angels, transformed into hideous and horrendous devils, were expelled from heaven and cast into the fiery pit of hell. (Read Rev. 12 and Isaiah 14—the Fall of the Angels.) In sum, all of the tragedies started, and still start when there is a failure to serve God, a failure to obey God, a failure to submit one’s will to the will of our Lord God, our Father and Creator! Sometimes, due to concupiscence and the effects of Original Sin, we battle within our own divided heart to submit our will in obedience and service to our Heavenly Father.

2. OUR LADY’S YES TO GOD AND SERVICE.  There could not be a more marked and significant contrast than the NON SERVIAM of Lucifer/Satan and the YES of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As she listens to the invitation of the Archangel Gabriel to obey God, to submit her will to the will of God and to serve God, Mary gives her total consent to the will of the Heavenly Father and becomes, among her many beautiful titles, the Humble Servant of the Lord. Mary’s Yes to God to be His servant in all times and places radically transformed the world. Mary said to God through the intermediation of the Archangel Gabriel: “Behold, I am the handmaid (the servant) of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy will.” (Lk 1:38) As a result of Mary’s yes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14) It is incumbent upon us, in imitation of Mary and her powerful intercession, to give our Yes to God in service; if this is done, we are truly living out Principle and Foundation in our lives in the realm of the universal call to service! May the example and prayers of Mary come to our aid!

2. SERVING IN TWO COMPLIMENTARY WAYS: MARTHA & MARY… (Lk 10:38-42)  At times Jesus would stop in Bethany to visit three of his good friends, two sisters and their brother: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus enjoyed their friendship immensely. On one occasion Jesus was in their home in Bethany, a town close to the city of Jerusalem, and Mary and Martha were present to Jesus but in two different ways. Martha was busy with the details of hospitality; we can imagine her cleaning, preparing the meal, the table, etc. Mary was simply sitting at the feet of Jesus. What was she doing? Listening to the words of Jesus, talking to Him, gazing at Jesus and simply loving the Lord as her Best-Friend. Tense, nervous and somewhat frustrated, Martha tells Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Jesus comes to the defense of Mary with these words: “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things; Mary for her part has chosen the only thing necessary and she will not be deprived of it.” (Lk 10:41-42)

With respect to our call to serve in our consideration of Principle and Foundation, this passage with Mary and Martha teaches us a very important lesson. Like Martha, we are called to serve Jesus and to serve others, very true!!! However, we should be very careful not to fall into the modern heresy of Activism, or as Pope Saint John Paul II called it Horizontalism, or as Pope Leo XIII termed it Americanism, or if you like, the danger of being transformed into the so called Workaholic! We must serve our brothers and sisters. However, we should never place serving them over giving God our first-fruits, giving God our best, giving God our all in this sense. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and then, Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lk 10:27) In sum, while we are definitely called to serve our brothers and sisters, we are always to put God in the very center of our lives. Remember, as creatures of God we are first called to praise God, then comes our attitude and application of loving service!

3. MT 25: 31-46 OUR FINAL JUDGMENT—ON LOVE & SERVICE. HOW WILL YOU FARE???  Once again going deeper into the topic of service, we visit and meditate upon the last Parable that Jesus gives us in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, also referred to as the “Last Judgment”. The Shepherd will separate the goats from the sheep, the goats on the left and the sheep on the right, the damned and the saved. Our final judgment and eternal destination will depend on our love for God manifested by the love that we show towards our brothers and sisters in need. Jesus could not speak with greater clarity: “Whatever you did for the least of these, that you did for me.” Examine your Principle and Foundation and the key term in this meditation SERVICE related to the way you are living out the classical Corporal Works of Mercy (one through six only). How do you fare? For Jesus, love and service are almost interchangeable! Examine your life!

1) “I was hungry and you gave me to eat…”  Have you fed the hungry at home or outside your home or anywhere where there has been an opportunity? Saint Mother Teresa, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Katherine Drexel, Saint Alberto Hurtado, Saint John Bosco, Saint Joseph Cottolengo and countless other saints saw Jesus in the hungry. To live out Principle and Foundation on Service how can you feed the hungry?

2) “I was thirsty and you gave me to drink…”  From the cross, Jesus cried out: “I thirst!” At the well Jesus asked the Samaritan woman: “Give me to drink!” In the Parable of Dives and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31), the rich man Dives failed to give the poor man Lazarus food and drink, and consequently suffered the loss of his soul. Inscribed above the altars on the walls of the sisters of Mother Teresa, The Missionaries of Charity, are the words that Jesus uttered from the cross I THIRST! This Thirst can also be for love and attention. Mother Teresa saw and treated the whole person. How can you live out Principle and Foundation and Service by slaking the thirst of those around you?

3) “I was naked and you clothed me…”  Naked can be interpreted as lacking or in need of something. Many lack dignity, respect, learning and education, doctrine and catechism, knowledge of the faith. They are the lonely, the neglected, the forgotten, and those who literally lack proper food, clothing, housing, and medical care. What is your response to the cry of Jesus in the poor of the world? Remember that the conversion of Saint Martin of Tours was triggered by seeing a Roman soldier cutting in half and sharing his cape with a poor, half-naked, shivering man lying on the cold, hard ground! Pray over this: in what way can you alleviate the plight of the many naked of the world? This too is living out Principle and Foundation and our vocation or call to Service!

4) “I was a foreigner and you welcomed me…”  Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph were foreigners; they were exiled and immigrants. Many of us are immigrants or come from parents or relatives who were immigrants. Remember the Golden Rule and the call to live out Principle and Foundation in Service—“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Mt 7:12) Jesus is present in these people: the immigrant, the ostracized, the insulted, the marginalized, the misunderstood, the deaf and the mute as far as society is concerned for they have no voice. Remember the words of Jesus, our Lord, God and Savior: “The Son of man has not come to be served, but to SERVE and to give his life in ransom for many.” (Mt 20:28) We will be judged on the way we treat and serve others in imitation of the Lord Jesus, our model.

5) “I was sick and you visited me.”  We all know from personal experience how difficult it truly is to suffer. We all know from experience how challenging and hard it is to be sick. Many of us know how hard it is to spend time, days or maybe weeks in a hospital bed. But at the same time, we all know how consoling, comforting, encouraging, and supportive it is when God places a Good Samaritan in our path to help us in our sickness. A kind word, a warm smile, an extended hand for a handshake or a warm hug, a fervent prayer—all of these are gestures that can lift us from the valley of tears and darkness to the mountain-peak of hope. By visiting the sick, caring for the sick, you are living out Principle and Foundation in the realm of Service! “To serve is to reign and to reign is to serve.”

6) “I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on one occasion made a visit to a Prison. He had the opportunity to talk to close to 1000 inmates. He made this startling comment: “We are all prisoners in one way or another. The only difference between you prisoners and me is that you got caught and I did not!” What the saintly Archbishop was really saying was the fact that all of us are sinners, all of us are at times prisoners of our own moral slaveries. The fact that we are not incarcerated in some County Jail or prison is the grace of God. Saint Philip Neri, seeing a man lying in the gutters of Rome commented: “There go I save the grace of God.” Saint Therese, the Little Flower, commented with great humility: “The only reason why I did not commit the most heinous of crimes was because God cleared the path for me.” She went on to say that we are all capable of the most heinous of crimes if God’s grace did not sustain us, support us and protect us!

Let us take a step back and look at our life, our social milieu, those people that God placed in our path—those who helped us, possibly some who led us astray, and perhaps some we led astray. Let us give thanks to God for His graces that protected us and beg His forgiveness where we failed Him and others. Let us beg for the grace now to recognize those who are really in PRISON… those who are a slave to some vice: drinking, porn, drugs, gambling and casinos, compulsive buying or eating. These are the modern prisoners; they are prisoners and slaves of their own passions, of their own sins. With respect to Principle and Foundation and once again Service, what can you do to help these people? What can you do to set the captives free? Recognizing we also are that captive to some greater or lesser degree!

May the Lord Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints help us to look into our lives and become aware of the many opportunities that God offers us to serve Him in those we meet, those we live with, those we work with, those that we bump shoulders with. These people are really Jesus in disguise!