Message to The Stressed from Covid-19

I cannot recommend more the following letter I received from our Chaplain where I am employed. It reminds me of Pope St. JPII!

April 19, 2020 Divine Mercy Sunday
Dear Marian Sisters and Brothers,

Happy Easter! I write this letter to you from our Chapel in the Rectory and am entrusting each one of you to Jesus through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. He is Risen! Today, He brings to us the fruit of His passion, death and Resurrection … Mercy. Blood and water poured forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, soak it in on this beautiful feast day.

I chose to write a letter, and not record a video because the exercise of putting thoughts to paper allows a person to really pour himself into the message. And writing a letter before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament creates an intimate space for both you and me. As I write each sentence to you, the Lord is able to interact with me and what you read reflects my own relationship with Jesus; this relationship is the foundation for my priesthood. But the context for which the relationship gets to bear fruit is with those Jesus has allowed me to serve, you. Therefore, this letter is not stagnant. It isn’t meant to be read in a vacuum. It’s an organic expression of yours and my participation in the Mystical Body of Christ that surpasses time and space. Prayer for each other is the vehicle for service. We are connected by the Holy Spirit, the Love of Jesus. So, my brother, my sister in Christ, let me serve you now.

How are you doing? I hope you are doing well and if so praise Jesus. But if you are struggling know you are not alone. Whether it be a physical, emotional or spiritual pain, I hurt with you; offer it to Jesus. What has you anxious? What robs your hope? What thoughts of fear or anger occupy your mind? What is the source of your frustration, your restlessness, your uncertainty? What makes you feel not needed, alone, loss of purpose? These questions may not have solutions until this tragic situation is resolved. Or maybe you don’t want a “fix” but rather just to express your pain and be heard. Know that Jesus hears you! And it is in His words we find comfort:
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.” 1Peter 5:7
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” Isaiah 41:10

There is definitely a great “desolation” on our community, state, country and world. St. Ignatius describes desolation as: feelings of anguish, loneliness and despair. There is a feeling that hope has been lost, God is far away, and it will never end. However, he goes onto say that feelings don’t always reflect reality. In desolation, God is very close to us, even if we can’t “feel” His presence. Hope is still rooted in Jesus and is attainable. And most importantly, St. Ignatius tells us that desolation always ends! So today be uplifted! Be filled with joy, because Jesus offers us His mercy. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes mercy as the virtue which allows us to have compassion for another and to alleviate their misfortune. Jesus’ mercy is more active in today’s world than ever before because we are in greater need of it. Jesus tells St. Faustina “proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy…My daughter, have fear of nothing; I am always with you. You are my dwelling place and constant repose”. It is so easy to be hurt with our circumstances today, but remember that God is still in control and even more so, is with us.

Right now, our boat is being tossed about by the waves of the world’s storm. The effects of the virus and the shutdown rage against our meager vessel and it seems like Jesus is asleep. We fear drowning, just as the Apostles feared it (Matthew 8: 23-27) and we cry out to Jesus to save us. “Jesus wake up…don’t you care we are drowning?” The Good Lord looks at us mercifully. He senses our fear, He knows we are empty and at our wits end. His heart feels the anguish that overwhelms ours and He is moved with compassion. With a gentle reproach He strengthens us, “Why are you afraid? Don’t you know I am with you?” His face is all tenderness. Mercy and empathy radiate out of him and we can see ourselves reflected in His eyes as He gazes on those He loves most. But then His face changes. There is resolute purpose. The tenderness in His eyes is gone and all we can see is a fire that blazes. Before we know what to think, Jesus has turned to face the raging waters assaulting our boat. He seems to have become larger than life and with a voice that could tear the sky in two, He says to the storm, “QUIET, BE STILL!” All becomes calm, all is peaceful. God’s Spirit is on us and all is in harmony. We feel joy return and we wonder how we ever could have doubted. We look at Jesus and see Him peering at us, holding us in His gaze…He says our name, and we know He will be with us always. This is the Lord of Mercy…trust in Him.
I miss you all and am looking forward to the day we can all be together again. Until then, know of my continued prayers. Please, email me or leave a voicemail if you need prayers or support. Also, keep an eye on our live streamed masses, daily email hugs and confession opportunities for support and for reception of God’s merciful grace!

May the Lord of all Consolation bless you abundantly!

Fr. Dom

Comments

This video of a young boy twerking at Pride has homophobes outraged | Gay Star News

DANCING WITH MR. D: This video of a young boy twerking at Pride has homophobes outraged | Gay Star News : 'via Blog this'

Dancing With Mr. D: Grooming the Little Children

A former pro-transgender activist said she regretted her previous work in pro-transgender activism, adding she felt she was "indoctrinated" on gender ideology in an interview with Fox News Digital. "I started to realize that what I had been doing at my job at the LGBT Center, it was grooming," Kay Yang, a former employee of a location in New York, said. Grooming in this context means "to get into readiness for a specific objective." Kay works as a 'deprogrammer' to help parents and children who have been 'indoctrinated' by the 'cult-like' transgender agenda. Yang herself previously went by they/them and worked as a 'trans educator' in schools for years. Listen to her testimony.

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST: Time for Weeping

EPISTLE (I Cor. 10. 6-13.) Brethren, Let us not covet evil things, as they also coveted. Neither become ye idolaters, as some of them: as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and there fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted, and perished by the serpents. Neither do you murmur, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them in figure, and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human: and God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able but will make also with temptation issue that you may be able to bear it. Can we sin by thought and desire? Yes, if we de...

Novus Motus Liturgicus

From The Smoke of Satan in the Temple of God: In 1959, Pope John XXIII saw a true need for liturgical renewal within the Roman Rite in accordance with the metaphorical principle of organic development, the aim of the Liturgical Movement endorsed by Pope St. Pius X. In authentic organic development, the Church listens to what liturgical scholars deem necessary for the gradual improvement of liturgical tradition, and evaluate the need for such development, always with a careful eye on the preservation of the received liturgical tradition handed down from century to century. In this way, continuity of belief and liturgical practice is ensured. As Cardinal Ratzinger wrote at the time, the principle of organic development ensures that in the Mass, “only respect for the Liturgy’s fundamental unspontaneity and pre-existing identity can give us what we hope for: the feast in which the great reality comes to us that we ourselves do not manufacture , but receive as a gift. Organic de...

From the WAPO Compost

Benedict XVI once wrote on the Parable of the Sower and the Seed: “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.” Our Lord reminds us here that His teaching on the Kingdom of God in its fullness remains fruitless for those who see the Kingdom as merely an earthly kingdom, having rejected its supernatural dimension. This seed bears no fruit, and its fate is the spiritual fate of the hearer. What the Sisters of Notre Dame DeNamur taught me in my formative years was that there was more to my existence than things temporal, challenging me to work toward holiness and the salvation of my soul Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam that I might enjoy happiness with Him forever. Here is the lastest example of furuitlessness: Outlook Perspective Evangelicals and Catholics made their peace. Catholics are paying the price. Some have begun to realize they tra...

About the Author II

In the years prior to the Second Vatican Council, I also remember attending daily Mass before elementary school, which, because we had fasted for three hours, allowed us to eat breakfast in Mr. Sullivan’s math class. I remember bellowing out Tantum Ergo at Wednesday Evening Benediction, which I was in the habit of attending with my Mom, siblings and “Gramp,” (her Dad, John). I also remember looking forward to participating in the praying of that most sublime form of prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, with my St. Joseph’s Daily Missal. With Pope Benedict’s having granted permission for priests to offer the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, we hear much ado in the form of reaction against this from Catholic “progressives,” and about how the Council placed a new emphasis on the laity’s participation at Mass, the implication being that Catholics did not actively participate at Mass prior to Vatican II, opting for such devotions as the praying of the Rosary or Holy Car...

Bishops Bishoping!

As the nation’s courts increasingly strike down popularly-supported state bans on marriage between men who have sex with men, and women who have sex with women, bishops increasingly are “bishoping”, to coin a term I use often in my book; i.e., they are at long last defending the faith against the onslaught always sure to come from the secular culture. Diocesan Catholic schools in Cincinnati and Oakland, Calif., are weathering criticism for contracts that require teachers not only to witness to the faith in the classroom, but also in how they live their lives in the public square. Condemnation of Catholic-school contracts that ask teachers to not controvert the Church in public have received dramatized coverage from the secular media in California and Ohio, where a slight number of teachers are opposing the contractual language. A a teacher in a Catholic school it is heartening to see the dioceses in question standing their ground, emphasizing the dynamic role teachers ...

Libido Redux: On Transgerderism

W hat Christianity shares with Judaism (and Islam, for that matter) is a belief that God created all things (though all three religions understand God differently). We are creatures. We owe our being, our existence, to Him. We are stewards of His creation, stewards, even, of our own bodies. Acknowledgement of God’s creative power leads to religious awe, a sense of the sacred. This means that each creature/creation has a nature, a manufacturer’s (God’s) instruction manual. Masculinity and femininity are aspects of that nature for human beings. When belief in God becomes irrelevant, we can throw away this instruction manual and refuse to see ourselves as a creature who has responsibilities to God and to society. To understand ourselves, we need to start at the beginning. What kind of being are we? The traditional answer–originating with the Greeks, continuing in the Middle Ages, and persisting into our own time -- and the answer given by common sense intuition -- is ...

Blogging Disciples!

To promote a book I spent years in writing , I began this blog. I am a baby boomer who knows all too little about blogging and the latest techie stuff. As I was perusing various Catholic blog sites, I noticed a post by Fr. Longenecker entitled, "The Smoke of Satan." If one troubles oneself to read Fr.'s quite accurate assessment, and becomes interested in just exactly how, according to the Pope who coined the phrase "Smoke of Satan" the Devil made his entrance into the post-Vatican II Church in the U.S., then my book is just what the Savior may have ordered, so why don't you!?

Update on Bishop Cordileone Bishoping!

I have a copy of the Bishop's response to San Fran Nan Pelosi's warning to The Archbishop: THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE OF THE ARCHBISHOP ONE PETER YORKE WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109-6602 (415) 614-5500 June 16, 2014 California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom Gabriel Blau, Executive Director, Family California State Senator Mark Leno Equality Council California Assemblymember Tom Ammiano Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Founder School of California Assemblymember Rich Gordon the Americas Watch San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros Gary Buseck, Interim Executive Director San Francisco Supervisor David Campos Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener Lesbian Task Force Dr. Michael J. Adee, Director, Global Faith and Faith Cheltenham, President, BINET USA Justice Project, Horizons Foundations, Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director, New San Fr...

Search This Blog