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Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the question of when the liturgy is celebrated. The Catechism states that there is a word that marks Christian prayer, and that word is “today.” Fr. Mike emphasizes that our liturgy and worship happens “today,” not in the past and not in the future, but right now in this present moment. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1163-1167.
Click on link to play video: https://youtu.be/JcCyyJyc-4I
Saint Anthony of Padua’s Story (1195 – June 13, 1231)
The gospel call to leave everything and follow Christ was the rule of Saint Anthony of Padua’s life. Over and over again, God called him to something new in his plan. Every time Anthony responded with renewed zeal and self-sacrificing to serve his Lord Jesus more completely.
His journey as the servant of God began as a very young man when he decided to join the Augustinians in Lisbon, giving up a future of wealth and power to be a servant of God. Later when the bodies of the first Franciscan martyrs went through the Portuguese city where he was stationed, he was again filled with an intense longing to be one of those closest to Jesus himself: those who die for the Good News.
So Anthony entered the Franciscan Order and set out to preach to the Moors. But an illness prevented him from achieving that goal. He went to Italy and was stationed in a small hermitage where he spent most of his time praying, reading the Scriptures and doing menial tasks.
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The call of God came again at an ordination where no one was prepared to speak. The humble and obedient Anthony hesitantly accepted the task. The years of searching for Jesus in prayer, of reading sacred Scripture and of serving him in poverty, chastity, and obedience had prepared Anthony to allow the Spirit to use his talents. Anthony’s sermon was astounding to those who expected an unprepared speech and knew not the Spirit’s power to give people words.
Recognized as a great man of prayer and a great Scripture and theology scholar, Anthony became the first friar to teach theology to the other friars. Soon he was called from that post to preach to the Albigensians in France, using his profound knowledge of Scripture and theology to convert and reassure those who had been misled by their denial of Christ’s divinity and of the sacraments..
After he led the friars in northern Italy for three years, he made his headquarters in the city of Padua. He resumed his preaching and began writing sermon notes to help other preachers. In the spring of 1231 Anthony withdrew to a friary at Camposampiero where he had a sort of treehouse built as a hermitage. There he prayed and prepared for death.
On June 13, he became very ill and asked to be taken back to Padua, where he died after receiving the last sacraments. Anthony was canonized less than a year later and named a Doctor of the Church in 1946.
Reflection
Anthony should be the patron of those who find their lives completely uprooted and set in a new and unexpected direction. Like all saints, he is a perfect example of turning one’s life completely over to Christ. God did with Anthony as God pleased—and what God pleased was a life of spiritual power and brilliance that still attracts admiration today. He whom popular devotion has nominated as finder of lost objects found himself by losing himself totally to the providence of God.
Saint Anthony of Padua is the Patron Saint of:
Lost items
Poor
Travelers
Blessed Jolenta of Poland’s Story (c. 1235 – June 11, 1298)
Jolenta was the daughter of Bela IV, King of Hungary. Her sister, St. Kunigunde, was married to the Duke of Poland. Jolenta was sent to Poland where her sister was to supervise her education. Eventually married to Boleslaus, the Duke of Greater Poland, Jolenta was able to use her material means to assist the poor, the sick, widows, and orphans. Her husband joined her in building hospitals, convents, and churches so that he was surnamed “the Pious.”
Upon the death of her husband and the marriage of two of her daughters, Jolenta and her third daughter entered the convent of the Poor Clares. War forced Jolenta to move to another convent where despite her reluctance, she was made abbess.
So well did Jolenta serve her Franciscan sisters by word and example, that her fame and good works continued to spread beyond the walls of the cloister. Her favorite devotion was the Passion of Christ. Indeed, Jesus appeared to her, telling her of her coming death. Many miracles, down to our own day, are said to have occurred at her grave.
Reflection
Jolenta’s story begins like a fairy tale. But fairy tales seldom include the death of the prince and never end with the princess living out her days in a convent. Nonetheless, Jolenta’s story has a happy ending. Her life of charity toward the poor and devotion to her Franciscan sisters indeed brought her to a “happily ever after.” Our lives may be short on fairy tale elements, but our generosity and our willingness to serve well the people we live with lead us toward an ending happier than we can imagine.
Saint Barnabas’ Story (c. 75)
Barnabas, a Jew of Cyprus, comes as close as anyone outside the Twelve to being a full-fledged apostle. He was closely associated with Saint Paul—he introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles—and served as a kind of mediator between the former persecutor and the still suspicious Jewish Christians.
When a Christian community developed at Antioch, Barnabas was sent as the official representative of the church of Jerusalem to incorporate them into the fold. He and Paul instructed in Antioch for a year, after which they took relief contributions to Jerusalem.
Later Paul and Barnabas, now clearly seen as charismatic leaders, were sent by Antioch officials to preach to the gentiles. Enormous success crowned their efforts. After a miracle at Lystra, the people wanted to offer sacrifice to them as gods—Barnabas being Zeus, and Paul, Hermes—but the two said, “We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God” (see Acts 14:8-18).
But all was not peaceful. They were expelled from one town, they had to go to Jerusalem to clear up the ever-recurring controversy about circumcision, and even the best of friends can have differences. When Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin John Mark, author of the Gospel, but Paul insisted that since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp that Barnabas and Paul separated: Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking Silas to Syria. Later they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark.
When Paul stood up to Peter for not eating with gentiles for fear of his Jewish friends, we learn that “even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy” (see Galatians 2:1-13).
Reflection
Barnabas is spoken of simply as one who dedicated his life to the Lord. He was a man “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thereby, large numbers were added to the Lord.” Even when he and Paul were expelled from Antioch in Pisidia—modern-day Turkey—they were “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
Saint Barnabas is the Patron Saint of:
Cyprus
Saint Joachima’s Story (1783-1854)
Born into an aristocratic family in Barcelona, Spain, Joachima was 12 when she expressed a desire to become a Carmelite nun. But her life took an altogether different turn at 16 with her marriage to a young lawyer, Theodore de Mas. Both deeply devout, they became secular Franciscans. During their 17 years of married life they raised eight children.
The normalcy of their family life was interrupted when Napoleon invaded Spain. Joachima had to flee with the children; Theodore remained behind and died. Though Joachima re-experienced a desire to enter a religious community, she attended to her duties as a mother. At the same time, the young widow led a life of austerity and chose to wear the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis as her ordinary dress. She spent much time in prayer and visiting the sick.
Four years later, with some of her children now married and younger ones under their care, Joachima confessed her desire to a priest to join a religious order. With his encouragement, she established the Carmelite Sisters of Charity. In the midst of the fratricidal wars occurring at the time, Joachima was briefly imprisoned and later exiled to France for several years.
Sickness ultimately compelled her to resign as superior of her order. Over the next four years she slowly succumbed to paralysis, which caused her to die by inches. At her death in 1854 at the age of 71, Joachima was known and admired for her high degree of prayer, deep trust in God, and selfless charity. Joachima was beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1940, and canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1959. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on August 28.
Reflection
Joachima understands loss. She lost the home where her children grew up, her husband, and finally her health . As the power to move and care for her own needs slowly ebbed away, this woman who had all her life cared for others became wholly dependent; she required help with life’s simplest tasks. When our own lives go spinning out of control, when illness and bereavement and financial hardship strike, all we can do is cling to the belief that sustained Joachima: God watches over us always.
Saint Ephrem’s Story (c. 306 – June 9, 373)
Poet, teacher, orator, and defender of the faith, Ephrem is the only Syriac Christian recognized as a doctor of the Church. He took upon himself the special task of opposing the many false doctrines rampant at his time, always remaining a true and forceful defender of the Catholic Church.
Born in Nisibis, Mesopotamia, he was baptized as a young man and became famous as a teacher in his native city. When the Christian emperor had to cede Nisibis to the Persians, Ephrem fled as a refugee to Edessa, along with many other Christians. He is credited with attracting great glory to the biblical school there. He was ordained a deacon but declined becoming a priest. Ephrem was said to have avoided presbyteral consecration by feigning madness!
He had a prolific pen, and his writings best illumine his holiness. Although he was not a man of great scholarship, his works reflect deep insight and knowledge of the Scriptures. In writing about the mysteries of humanity’s redemption, Ephrem reveals a realistic and humanly sympathetic spirit and a great devotion to the humanity of Jesus. It is said that his poetic account of the Last Judgment inspired Dante.
It is surprising to read that he wrote hymns against the heretics of his day. He would take the popular songs of the heretical groups and using their melodies, compose beautiful hymns embodying orthodox doctrine. Ephrem became one of the first to introduce song into the Church’s public worship as a means of instruction for the faithful. His many hymns have earned him the title “Harp of the Holy Spirit.”
Ephrem preferred a simple, austere life, living in a small cave overlooking the city of Edessa. It was here that he died around 373.
Reflection
Many Catholics still find singing in church a problem, probably because of the rather individualistic piety that they inherited. Yet singing has been a tradition of both the Old and the New Testaments. It is an excellent way of expressing and creating a community spirit of unity as well as of joy. An ancient historian testifies that Ephrem’s hymns “lent luster to the Christian assemblies.” We need some modern Ephrems—and cooperating singers—to do the same for our Christian assemblies today.
Saint William of York’s Story (c. 1090 – June 8, 1154)
A disputed election as archbishop of York and a mysterious death. Those are the headlines from the tragic life of today’s saint.
Born into a powerful family in 12th-century England, William seemed destined for great things. His uncle was next in line for the English throne—though a nasty dynastic struggle complicated things. William himself faced an internal Church feud.
Despite these roadblocks, he was nominated as archbishop of York in 1140. Local clergymen were less enthusiastic, however, and the archbishop of Canterbury refused to consecrate William. Three years later a neighboring bishop performed the consecration, but it lacked the approval of Pope Innocent II, whose successors likewise withheld approval. William was deposed, and a new election was ordered.
It was not until 1154—14 years after he was first nominated—that William became archbishop of York. When he entered the city that spring after years of exile, he received an enthusiastic welcome. Within two months he was dead, probably from poisoning. His administrative assistant was a suspect, though no formal ruling was ever made.
Despite all that happened to him, William did not show resentment toward his opponents. Following his death, many miracles were attributed to him. He was canonized 73 years later.
Reflection
“Good things come to those who wait” might be the catch phrase for today’s saint. We don’t always get what we want when we want it. Sometimes we have to wait patiently, trusting that if it is for our good, God will bless us.
How can we know if our actions are a sin or just a mistake? Can we be committing sin without knowing it?
Today Fr. Mike details the three elements that must be present for an act to be a sin and helps us grapple with our own sinfulness and God’s desire for mercy and reconciliation.
If you haven’t heard about the developing story regarding the LA Dodgers and the so-called “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence”, a quick (but cautious) online search will catch you up to speed. Fr. Mark-Mary isn’t going to spend too much time going into the disturbing details here.
But, today, Fr. Mark-Mary shares how Catholics can respond to this blasphemous situation and what we can do to combat encroaching evil. And it’s not just a suggestion: it’s Jesus’ call for all people.
The Trinitarian God
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
June 3 – 4, 2023
Gospel: John 3: 16 – 18
16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 For God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through Him the world might be saved. 18 No one who believes in Him will be judged; but whoever does not believe is judged already, because that person does not believe in the Name of God’s only Son.
In life, there are two ways in which we are able to learn. One is by instruction, and the other is by experience. Notice that I said, “able to learn.” That doesn’t mean we always learn – just that we are able to learn. During instruction we are taught stuff that we have no possible way of knowing about. We know it exists and that’s about all.
Pope Leo XII said, “The most sublime of all the mysteries is the Trinity through which all the other mysteries flow.” Indeed, we cannot know who God is unless He reveals Himself to us. And He does. Throughout Scripture, He has revealed who He is. . . one divine nature and three Persons. He revealed His love on the Cross. Beyond that we probably can’t comprehend who He is because we are able to comprehend so little. However, we gain greater knowledge of Him through experience. And that experience is gained by letting Him become a part of us . . . to become one with Him. Unfortunately, some people don’t learn through experience. Look at any drunk. The first time they get sick from drinking too much most people say, “I’m not doing that again!” On the other hand, the drunk says, “Hey, that was great! Let’s do it again.” They did not learn from the experience.
If we allow His nature into our sinful bodies, our souls, which have been disfigured by original sin and the sins committed after Baptism, are transformed into His own image and likeness. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the greatest gift of all. If you were a salesman and you had the greatest product in the world, you would approach people and say, “Hey, I’ve got the greatest product in the world, and you’re going to love it! This is what it does for you. Try it.” It’s the same with me and bacon. . . if I have some, I want more and more. So, people will try your product because it is the greatest thing, and they will want more and more of it because of the benefits.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the greatest thing because we see the nature of God. We see Heaven on the altar. He is love itself, and He offered His Son on our behalf. The most sublime act of love happened at Calgary before the Father and made present for us. Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, He gives us the fruits of that love which is the gift of Himself. We receive the nature of God through the Seven Sacraments. It becomes part of us if we let it. But you have to cooperate.
Now, through the Sacraments, we receive the whole God and not just parts of Him . . . the whole Trinitarian God becomes a part of us as long as we remain in a state of grace. Do we understand it? No, and we never will. But we become one with God. We have His nature inside of us. By perfecting our human nature, we will grow ever more holy. This is how we experience Trinitarian love through the Sacraments. It is how we preach Trinitarian love . . . by having God within us and taking His love to the world by living Christian lives. This is how we should evangelize.
When you receive any of the Sacraments, you receive the whole God. Some will say, “But at Confirmation, you receive the Holy Spirit.” Yeah. Each Sacrament contains a particular grace. Another bad teaching is that Jesus Christ is received for the first time at Confirmation. That’s not true. You receive Jesus Christ for the first time at Baptism. However, you receive the whole God in all of the Sacraments . . . not just pieces of Him. Each of the Sacraments has a specific purpose in which a part of God’s love is more emphasized than in the others. For example, the precious blood of Christ is given at the Sacrament of Penance; however, you receive the whole Trinitarian God.
We become more aware of the nature of God as we conform our souls into His likeness which is brought about by the grace given to us. God offers to share His very nature with us which is love. This is the greatest gift of all. He shares the Trinitarian God . . . the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we do good things as a response to the grace God has given us, those acts are Trinitarian because we do it out of love for the whole God. And that is how we can bring God’s love to the world.
How will you apply this message to your life? ______________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”