tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17803588226772792952024-03-06T01:03:36.738-05:00Father Paul's Homily BlogFather Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-91667961152330523802018-08-27T18:47:00.000-04:002018-08-27T20:50:35.765-04:00A Response to the Recent Scandals - To Whom Shall We Go?<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Sermon On the Abuse Scandal </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">21st Sunday of Ordinary Time B, August 26th, 2018</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Fr.
Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Last
week, my nephew called me. He's a journalist for an online
publication and we're very proud of him. He wanted to talk with me
about the latest abuse scandals in the Church: the resignation of
Cardinal McCarrick after the revelations that he abused boys and
young seminarians, and then the Grand Jury report from the Dioceses
in Pennsylvania that documented not only horrific accusations of
priests abusing minors but also the cover-up by Bishops and leaders
in the Church - over seven decades. In light of that, he asked me
how I was doing, if I was dispirited, traumatized, or ashamed?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I told
him “no”. Why? Because we priests went through that in 2002
when the Scandal first became nationwide and worldwide, starting in
Boston. It was then that we first had to deal with the trauma and
shame of the Scandal – that there were predators in the priesthood,
and many bishops over many decades covered up for it, shuffled them
around, treated the victims shamefully, and generally allowed a
culture where this happened. In the 16 years since, I've reached a
certain serenity about it, knowing there are some things I cannot
change, but changing what I can and being faithful to my calling.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">After
2002, the Bishops finally began to address the problem with what was
called “the Dallas Charter”, which was basically a “zero
tolerance” policy. All throughout the US, including here in the
Archdiocese of Atlanta, new policies were implemented, including the
training and vetting of all priests, leaders, and ministers in the
Church. Training about awareness, prevention, and reporting of child
abuse by anyone – we are mandated reporters here and I have on
occasion had to call civil authorities when abuse in our community
has been revealed. Some of you may have even participated in the
VIRTUS program which we implement here in the parish. All of this was to create a "Safe Environment", which I believe we have here in our community.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It also
changed the way we priests and the Church at large ministers. Trust
is gone, so the days of - camping trips, altar server outings,
priests hanging out with families in their home, or kids dropping by
the rectory to visit - are over. All offices and classrooms have
windows on the doors, confessions are held in an open, visible place,
priests won't meet with you privately unless the secretary is in the
other room, and certainly not after office hours. Priests have
become less a beloved member of the family that you can trust
implicitly and more of a professional, with boundaries. That's the
state of the Church nowadays, and I accept that.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Since
2002, a large number of priests have been removed for or convicted of
past abuse, and in general, the system as it is today protects the
vulnerable, especially minors. The Pennsylvania report revealed that
93% of abusive priests were ordained before 1985. It also confirmed
something we already knew: that 80% of the victims were teenage boys,
meaning it was not “pedophilia” as psychologists define it (which
is abuse of prepubescent children), but “ephebophila” or to use
an old word, “pederasty”. In other words, the vast majority of
abuse came from homosexual priests fixated on youth, namely
teenage boys.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So what
is different about these new scandals? I really feel that “the
other shoe has dropped”, something that really should have happened
in 2002. The key thing that the Cardinal McCarrick affair and
Pennsylvania report have revealed is this: that many of the bishops
and leaders who allowed such horrific things to happen are still in
power, some were even promoted and worked their way up in the
hierarchy, all the while knowing what they had done, or in the case
of McCarrick, were still doing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So, in
the past couple of months, we have heard a lot of statements from our
bishops about their sorrow and shame. But, as C.S. Lewis once said,
"a long face is not a moral disinfectant." Sorrow needs to
be followed by action.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As they
say, it's not the crime, it's the cover-up. And when the crime is so
horrific, the cover-up is all the more atrocious. That was true in
2002 as it is today. We know that no sector of society is exempt
from having abusers their midst (schools, colleges, sports programs,
Boy Scouts, Hollywood, even families), and it appears that cover-ups
and shuffling of abusers happens in those other sectors as well. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But
this is what I shared with Archbishop Gregory a few days ago: “The
Church should be the one place where those enablers (of abuse) are
held accountable. As a writer in the National Review recently said,
"we don't need new polices, we need better men." And if
that means some heads need to roll, <i>así sea</i>, so be it.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">My
suggestion to Archbishop Gregory was what I like to call the
“Alessandro Serenelli” option. He was the young man who in a
passion of anger and lust killed St. Maria Goretti. He was convicted
and sent to prison and remained a bitter and angry man until she
appeared to him in a dream. It changed him. He repented and showed
his remorse by his behavior, and after an early release from prison,
he spent the rest of his life as a gardener in a monastery.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIcE9ky2Ns-XQuXoygN4j3uKee_R3Y9C9XDSLzvhwSXrV1xCK8_NXwk_f6OzsR9u8h3l1OEZojcEv-s0xxsjooQfqtea7RCY9LXTWfxfS-IUfmA2QE2ukj_8wfJTypPyaBdLtJNsYGok/s1600/Last-Judgment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1143" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIcE9ky2Ns-XQuXoygN4j3uKee_R3Y9C9XDSLzvhwSXrV1xCK8_NXwk_f6OzsR9u8h3l1OEZojcEv-s0xxsjooQfqtea7RCY9LXTWfxfS-IUfmA2QE2ukj_8wfJTypPyaBdLtJNsYGok/s400/Last-Judgment.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">So my
suggestion is simple: those guilty enablers of abuse in the Church
need to be punished (civilly, canonically, or simply shamed into
resigning) and then serve the rest of their lives as gardeners in a
monastery - never to be heard or seen again in the Church. Let God
figure out if their "long faces" are sincere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">One of
the difficulties the bishops have faced is the question of priest
abusers who are now deceased. I do know that here in the Archdiocese
of Atlanta, when the Archbishop hears of such abuse even after years
or decades, he immediately responds to help the victim survivor,
sometimes personally. The Archdiocese, within the Office of Child
and Youth Protection, has a Victim Assistance Program and a 24-hour
hotline (1-888-437-0764). I have personally seen victims who have
been treated with respect, compassion, and most importantly, given
the assistance they needed to heal from past abuse. But there may be
more victims out there, and they need to know that not only will they
be heard, they will be helped.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Knowing
that, I suggested to the Archbishop this week that we name a deceased
priest who has been credibly accused of abuse from decades ago. He
agreed in this particular case. From 1975-1981, Fr. J. Douglas
Edwards served as pastor here at St. Joseph's in Dalton. He had also
previously served at my dad's home parish of OLPH in Carrollton in
the early Seventies, where I served as pastor from 2002-2009. Fr.
Edwards has been associated with claims of abuse that were brought to
the attention of the Archdiocese, some within the last 10 years. I
personally know two of the victims who have made those claims, and as
I followed Fr. Edwards as pastor by a few decades, I have seen how
the damage caused by abuse often takes many years to surface. Though
nothing can change what happened, healing, even after many years, is
possible. I want to personally assure you that I am here, the
Archbishop is here, the Archdiocese of Atlanta is here, to listen to
and respond to the needs of anyone who has been harmed by past abuse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This is
difficult, no doubt. Some people have asked me, and I have asked
myself, why would I want to be associated with a profession, the
priesthood, that has become synonymous with child abuse in the
popular culture? One reason and one reason only: the Eucharist.
“<i>Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.</i>”
I fell in love with the Lord in the Eucharist, and he called me to
be a priest. And when he calls, how could I say no? He makes it
clear, as we read last week, “<i>Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have
life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is
true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.</i>” Despite the failings
of many bishops, priests, and leaders in the Church, nothing can take
away that great gift. Jesus remains in his Church, often suffering
with its members, so that after all the trials and tribulations of
this life, he might give us eternal life.</span></div>
<br />
<br />Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-44736274082957259702013-06-30T13:38:00.001-04:002013-06-30T13:39:31.942-04:00Jesus Defends Marriage<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Homily, 13th Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle C</span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Fr.
Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">People
of good will all over the country are shocked and saddened by this
week's Supreme Court decision that failed to uphold marriage as an
institution between one man and one woman. Some perhaps feel like
James and John in the Gospel today, when the Samaritan village would
not welcome Jesus, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from
heaven to consume them?" But "Jesus turned and rebuked
them, and they journeyed to another village." So it is not ours
to react with despair or predictions of doom or desires for
punishment, but to soberly continue onwards, preaching the Good News,
and in this time in particular, the Good News about Marriage.</span>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Some
will say that Jesus said nothing about this issue, so therefore it
must be permitted. Well, what exactly did Jesus teach about
marriage? In Matthew 19 we read that some Pharisees came up to him
and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife
for any cause?" Jesus answered, "Have you not read that he
who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said,
`For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are
no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together,
let not man put asunder." </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So,
what Jesus says is that Marriage, from the very beginning of Creation
was willed by God to be the union of a man and a woman. And that
this union was so complete, that "the two shall become one
flesh", both literally and spiritually. They become one
spiritually, for the mutual good of the spouses, and their two bodies
bring about one flesh in the procreation and raising of their
children.</span>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">But can
that change, as societies grow, become more diverse and tolerant?
The Pharisees thought that too. They wanted to redefine marriage, so
they say to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a
certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" Jesus responds,
"For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your
wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you:
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and
marries another, commits adultery."</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">He
doubles-down on the definition of marriage, restating that it was
this way from the beginning, and moreover, that attempts to redefine
it or live it differently are sinful.</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">To be
clear, Jesus teaches that the only authentically human, non-sinful
expression of human sexuality is within the context of a faithful,
lifelong union of one man and one woman that is open to life. That's
why he does not spend much time addressing the myriad ways in which
sexuality is misused, including that addressed by the Supreme Court's
decision this week. As G.K. Chesterton once wrote, (Orthodoxy, p.
68): "It is always simple to fall; there are an infinity of
angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands."</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And as
if to double-down on the procreative aspect of marriage, right after
reaffirming this constant teaching on marriage, what did Jesus do?
He blessed the children that were brought to him, the fruit of
marriage, the one-flesh that results from the union of one man and
one woman: "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent
them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So
marriage is procreative both in the literal and spiritual sense. As
we pray in the Marriage Rite, "Lord, you have forged the
covenant of marriage as a sweet yoke of harmony and an unbreakable
bond of peace, so that the chaste and fruitful love of Holy Matrimony
may serve to increase the children you adopt as your own. By your
providence and grace, O Lord, you accomplish the wonder of this
two-fold design: that, while the birth of children brings beauty to
the world, their rebirth in Baptism gives increase to your Church."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That's
what our Lord taught about marriage. And that's what his apostles
taught and lived, as seen by their lives. Jesus spoke of himself as
the Bridegroom and the Church as his Bride. He uses this image
because marriage is sacred, and the people would have understood all
the more profoundly the union of God and his People that Jesus came
to accomplish. Since salvation would be spousal, it would be hard
for people to perceive what their redemption would mean if their
understanding and practice of human marriage were messed up.</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpmmTb3Nl3-8z5CnZsDzzSFR_vrUS7dte6buwJHOH7HxoU7xGDV-sB_SD21p2qoqd7YQth8C4Qp4aI0kr-hoGWY8Tl5qBWyvsuUmGAN5qGpcZ-0glJzKDbWZjmgjgtr2KIdTcloOXCjo/s1190/michelangelo_caravaggio_49_salome_with_the_head_of_john_the_baptist_london.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpmmTb3Nl3-8z5CnZsDzzSFR_vrUS7dte6buwJHOH7HxoU7xGDV-sB_SD21p2qoqd7YQth8C4Qp4aI0kr-hoGWY8Tl5qBWyvsuUmGAN5qGpcZ-0glJzKDbWZjmgjgtr2KIdTcloOXCjo/s320/michelangelo_caravaggio_49_salome_with_the_head_of_john_the_baptist_london.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">And his
cousin John the Baptist, the greatest prophet of the Old and New Testament before Christ, was likewise
firm and clear in saying that we cannot redefine marriage to make it
whatever we please. He was thrown into prison and eventually
decapitated because he had the courage repeatedly to tell King Herod
- who had taken his brother Philip's wife Herodias to be his own -
"It is not lawful for you to have her". He was a martyr for
the truth about marriage, which makes him a particular patron for our
times.</span>
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And in
history, we see the same. St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, were
both arrested for treason and martyred because of their opposition to
King Henry VIII's desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne
Boleyn and refusing to take the oath of supremacy of the king over
the church. St. John Fisher was a bishop and all the other bishops
of England apostatized and went along with the King, which of course,
led to the break of the Church of England from Rome. And St. Thomas
More would spend time imprisoned in the London Tower as his family
and friends encouraged him to save his life by saying the words only
of the oath only, not really meaning it. Neither balked. St. John
Fisher declared that like St. John the Baptist, he was ready to die
on behalf of the indissolubility of marriage, and both Saints were
beheaded.</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Many,
it seems, based on a misunderstanding of freedom, have forgotten the
witness of our Lord and his Saints and even applaud how our modern
culture and the Courts have redefined marriage. They forget the
words of Saint Paul today, "For freedom Christ set us free; so
stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery... For you
were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this
freedom as an opportunity for the flesh... live by the Spirit and you
will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has
desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these
are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want."</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Of
course, we cannot ignore the witness of countless heroic couples who
have lived the dignity and truth of Christian marriage throughout the
centuries, not needing to be told by the government how they should
define this sacred union.</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So how
should Catholics respond to this? The USCCB issued this statement:
“Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation. The Supreme
Court has dealt a profound injustice to the American people by
striking down in part the federal Defense of Marriage Act... The
federal government ought to respect the truth that marriage is the
union of one man and one woman, even where states fail to do so. The
preservation of liberty and justice requires that all laws, federal
and state, respect the truth, including the truth about marriage...
The common good of all, especially our children, depends upon a
society that strives to uphold the truth of marriage...</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Marriage
is the only institution that brings together a man and a woman for
life, providing any child who comes from their union with the secure
foundation of a mother and a father.</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Our
culture has taken for granted for far too long what human nature,
experience, common sense, and God’s wise design all confirm: the
difference between a man and a woman matters, and the difference
between a mom and a dad matters. While the culture has failed in many
ways to be marriage-strengthening, this is no reason to give up. Now
is the time to strengthen marriage, not redefine it.</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">...
In the face of the customs and laws of his time, Jesus taught an
unpopular truth that everyone could understand. The truth of marriage
endures, and we will continue to boldly proclaim it with confidence
and charity.</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXwookMTWlIwfUFG4yu6IO1m3mTsNr1svS2ev7vH2dJ6VKKO6GzYz1pJblfBXRgcFcjORiSInUlJxQPr7yzThns8lNXbFi64Ja_1wMq-bEWDbIgMd7nQ8CGoV-K8xy20YOg9IGhc22ys/s1600/sDSC_3581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXwookMTWlIwfUFG4yu6IO1m3mTsNr1svS2ev7vH2dJ6VKKO6GzYz1pJblfBXRgcFcjORiSInUlJxQPr7yzThns8lNXbFi64Ja_1wMq-bEWDbIgMd7nQ8CGoV-K8xy20YOg9IGhc22ys/s320/sDSC_3581.jpg" width="320" /></a>“<span style="font-size: medium;">Now
that the Supreme Court has issued its decisions, with renewed purpose
we call upon all of our leaders and the people of this good nation to
stand steadfastly together in promoting and defending the unique
meaning of marriage: one man, one woman, for life.”</span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In
today's Gospel, Jesus says to us, "Follow me." It is not
enough to say, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go"
and then to fear the consequences and hardship that decision, to be
overwhelmed by desires of the flesh, or to look back to a worldly way
of life. Instead, this decision is costly and difficult, more and
more so in this modern world. It demands of us a respect if not a
desire for martyrdom, as Pope Pius XI said on the canonization of
Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, "If all of us are not called
to shed our blood for the defense of the holy laws of God, all none
the less... with Christian mortification of their bodies, with
energetic striving after virtue, “must be martyrs of desire, in
order to share with the martyrs their celestial reward.”</span></div>
Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-52694996024560317132013-04-03T10:06:00.004-04:002013-04-03T10:09:05.569-04:00Good Friday in Pictures<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">My parish offers a living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday each year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here are my photos from the 2013 presentation of the Via Crucis.
- Fr. Paul Williams</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh5Gzx_QDH6-KkC8lInsXu7ARMELrcJHYJssyVa5opjBX8UM-KFNX7AA18dLMUqkNB79lSypsqK5pu2sLj-1YTbVa8ukEyr01VzK5n-r1QZb0cYdZNxaKlgNW95bauqT4Sb6pwv4irlE/s1600/SJCC-VC-2013-087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh5Gzx_QDH6-KkC8lInsXu7ARMELrcJHYJssyVa5opjBX8UM-KFNX7AA18dLMUqkNB79lSypsqK5pu2sLj-1YTbVa8ukEyr01VzK5n-r1QZb0cYdZNxaKlgNW95bauqT4Sb6pwv4irlE/s320/SJCC-VC-2013-087.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Click on this link to see the entire gallery on our Facebook page:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.454429637967184.1073741827.140813999328751&type=3" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Good Friday at Saint Joseph's Church, Dalton, Georgia</span></a>Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-60389701329125140662013-01-19T21:34:00.000-05:002013-01-19T21:34:15.755-05:00América, defiende la vida!<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Homilía
Domingo Ordinario 2 C</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Padre Paul D. Williams, Jr., párroco San José, Dalton, GA</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Gracias a "<a href="http://www.priestsforlife.org/" target="_blank">Priests for Life</a>" por los recursos.)</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Las
bodas de Caná no se trata sólo de que Jesús ayuda a una pareja en
su necesidad. Se trata de su boda con nosotros, cumpliendo la
profecía de Isaías en la primera lectura: "Se casará contigo
tu constructor." Jesús, al revelar su gloria públicamente de
esta manera y al creer de sus discípulos en él, inaugura el
matrimonio que se consumó en la Cruz. El feroz amor que Dios tiene
para la vida humana no puede ser exagerado. El agua que se convierte
en vino simboliza el hecho de que Jesucristo eleva la vida humana y
el amor humano a un nuevo tipo de vida y amor: lo que es compartido
dentro de la vida de la Trinidad. Tenemos vida humana; ahora en
Cristo somos llamados a participar de la vida divina. Experimentamos
el amor humano; ahora en Cristo somos llamados a experimentar el amor
divino. Todo está al servicio de la vida humana, llamado al
matrimonio divino.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljWEJ0OeWUc3ElruwEc50M9yYLTlKn6bC-VskSJTo_h2fifjohDjQNohlEN7v5uxl7zdO4Vz5vEq8jNtcIOV7hye8v6Uy7Cd-BA-YHQfdiWMo7OYFcruClMI_25o8fHxpPuWfuN0hjqI/s1600/pfl-lavidahumanadon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljWEJ0OeWUc3ElruwEc50M9yYLTlKn6bC-VskSJTo_h2fifjohDjQNohlEN7v5uxl7zdO4Vz5vEq8jNtcIOV7hye8v6Uy7Cd-BA-YHQfdiWMo7OYFcruClMI_25o8fHxpPuWfuN0hjqI/s320/pfl-lavidahumanadon.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Queridos
hermanos y hermanas, estamos aquí en esta misa para adorar a Dios,
precisamente porque creemos en Dios, reconocemos a Cristo como El
Señor, y adoramos al Espíritu Santo. Dios, desde el principio de
las Sagradas Escrituras hasta el final, es el Dios de la vida. El
habla de si mismo como el Dios vivo. El Señor Jesucristo dijo "Yo
soy la Vida". El Espíritu Santo, según afirmamos en el Credo
todos los domingos, es El Señor y Dador de Vida. Por ende, nosotros
el pueblo del Padre, el Hijo, y el Espíritu Santo, somos por ese
mismo hecho, gente de vida.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">El
próximo martes, 22 de enero, estaremos conmemorando 40 años de la
fecha in-famosa de la decisión de Roe v. Wade, en la cual la mayoría
de los miembros de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de los Estados Unidos
desconocieron el ser persona de los seres humanos no nacidos,
despenalizando el aborto durante los nueve meses del embarazo,
iniciando así, la violación del primero derecho humano de todos: el
derecho a la Vida.</span><br />
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Estar
con Cristo es estar por la vida y estar por la vida significa que
estamos en contra de cualquier cosa que destruya la vida. No hay nada
en nuestra sociedad que destruya más a la vida humana que al aborto
– ni el crimen, ni las enfermedades, ni los desastres naturales, ni
las guerras. En este país, cada veintiséis segundos se comete un
aborto, tres mil trescientos abortos diarios.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">La
ironía de todo esto es que hay gente que promueve esta actividad
bajo el lema "libertad de opción", "pro-opción".
Pero las mujeres que cometen abortos, no lo hacen por la libertad de
opción; lo hacen porque sienten que no tienen libertad y no tienen
otra opción. Ellas se sienten atrapadas, abandonadas, desesperadas,
con miedo y lamentablemente sienten que no hay nadie a quien puedan
ir a menos que sea donde un abortista.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Este
día les traigo buenas noticias. La Iglesia y el movimiento pro-vida
les queremos decir que hay gente lista para ayudarles, que hay
mejores opciones que el aborto. Las mujeres de nuestro país merecen
mejores opciones de las que otros les presentan! Que nadie las haga
sentir como que la única opción que tienen para solucionar su
problema es destruyendo la vida de sus bebés. Hay mejores maneras de
resolver los problemas que tenga un individuo y los de toda una
nación.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lo
triste es que muchas de las personas que necesitan este tipo de ayuda
no saben que la tienen disponible. Pero es ahí donde podemos ayudar.
Cada uno de nosotros puede salvar la vida de otro llevándoles a
todos la buena noticia de que hay otras opciones al aborto. Hoy yo
les doy un camino sencillo para hacerlo. Cuando salgan de esta
iglesia, he preparado información que se llaman "Usted puede
salvar una vida hoy." Si alguien necesita ayuda y no la recibe,
quiero personalmente enterarme de esto. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjtHhmCxib5S3xksc28oxp1OoVpyxdSikBDQZX75D_NpFRpiaP9zBukaRPZRUEshCzGnczjc77fkh-tAZXhr06KHvGSLnUEqP9xM6tBYn9KSb71AKm34kv5ZwtOI2RcYU8A7Xb9FRX00/s1600/pfl-Smiling-Ultrasound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjtHhmCxib5S3xksc28oxp1OoVpyxdSikBDQZX75D_NpFRpiaP9zBukaRPZRUEshCzGnczjc77fkh-tAZXhr06KHvGSLnUEqP9xM6tBYn9KSb71AKm34kv5ZwtOI2RcYU8A7Xb9FRX00/s320/pfl-Smiling-Ultrasound.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">Hay
personas a las cuales solo ustedes pueden alcanzar, abortos que solo
ustedes pueden detener, muchas vidas que solo ustedes pueden salvar.
Hay niños vivos hoy día, porque gente como ustedes en iglesias como
ésta, alrededor de todo el país, cuando escucharon de alguna mujer
embarazada que tenía necesidades, le hablaron y le dijeron "no
tengas un aborto...hay mejores opciones disponibles!"</span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mi
padrasto trabaja en varias clínicas pro-vida en el norte de Georgia.
Él es un operador de máquinas de ultrasonido, para ver los bebés
en el vientre. Él ha salvado más de siete mil niños en estos
años. Nadie puede ver un bebé en el vientre y decir que no es una
vida humana. Y las clínicas pro-vida ofrecen muchos servicios para
las mamás y sus bebés.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">En
la semana pasada, bauticé dos párvulos nacidos prematuramente. Una
niña, un niño. La niña tenía seis meses, y el niño veintidós
semanas. Yo los sostuve en mis manos. Tan precioso y hermoso. Nadie
puede sostener a un niño en sus manos y decir que no es una vida
humana. No. Dios nos regala con niños y los niños en el vientre
son iguales con sus niños aquí hoy.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsVkhRiDiITpI3z69PokW60YKNyvelCxEmGTMHBFR1xB9-HY6UAJCcY_FUA0WPweU-4qSHuS2Go7QoY3GsIt9xOsK5PQ02RMZR7AvFanhgsf6yNiXq_FuEe29UdcmXqQ-GZGQdZZzbcM/s1600/pfl-giftfromgod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsVkhRiDiITpI3z69PokW60YKNyvelCxEmGTMHBFR1xB9-HY6UAJCcY_FUA0WPweU-4qSHuS2Go7QoY3GsIt9xOsK5PQ02RMZR7AvFanhgsf6yNiXq_FuEe29UdcmXqQ-GZGQdZZzbcM/s320/pfl-giftfromgod.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Y
no solo tratamos de alcanzar a los que sienten la tentación de tener
un aborto, también queremos hablarle a todos aquellos que ya han
tenido abortos. A ellos les decimos, "las puertas de la iglesia
están abiertas". No rechazaremos ni condenaremos a nadie.
Ofrecemos el regreso a la paz, a la misericordia y al perdón de
Cristo. Cuando ella deja el pecado, ella recibe de nuevo la paz de
Cristo. No se preocupen. Estamos de su lado.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ser
pro-vida significa ser pro-mujer. No significa que amamos a los niños
y nos olvidamos de sus madres. Lo que significa es muy sencillo:
¿porqué no podemos amarlos a los dos? ¿porqué no podemos
protegerlos a los dos? ¿ porqué no podemos acogerlos y proveer por
los dos? podemos y lo haremos. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Y
que nadie los engañe con el lema de "pro–opción" suena
bien pero si no se habla de lo que se está eligiendo, no se ha dicho
verdaderamente nada. ¿Es una decisión particular correcta o
equivocada? ¿buena o mala? ¿debería ser permitida o prohibida?
¿acaso no depende de qué es lo que se está optando? ¿Tengo el
derecho de ir afuera y golpear sus vehículos? Por supuesto que no,
porque mis opciones terminan donde sus derechos comienzan.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KUdYhYCtvYKkWGPumnn39NbEtxJwetf-W9UF2RAryTqpY-ZURnmVKlYEXpQAaKwTqzec3CwkZZ6HVmluIUE6-BSYahfcmcERhyZ9x5v6hq39BQuZOrkFqRmJCy4rwJjqvRwv3JeSvNA/s1600/pfl-BebeRezando.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KUdYhYCtvYKkWGPumnn39NbEtxJwetf-W9UF2RAryTqpY-ZURnmVKlYEXpQAaKwTqzec3CwkZZ6HVmluIUE6-BSYahfcmcERhyZ9x5v6hq39BQuZOrkFqRmJCy4rwJjqvRwv3JeSvNA/s320/pfl-BebeRezando.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ahora
¿cuál es la opción en cuanto al aborto? algunas personas dicen que
es optar por tener o no tener un bebé. Ciertamente la opción de si
uno quiere ser mamá o papá es una opción muy propia, no es ni mía
ni tampoco del gobierno, es de cada quien.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pero
¿acaso no es ésa la gran diferencia entre optar por tener o no
tener un hijo y matar o no matar a un hijo?. Cuando hablamos de
abortos no hablamos si tal ves vengan niños al mundo, estamos
hablando de que ya están en este mundo. La pregunta no es si debería
traer un niño a este mundo, la pregunta es ¿puedo descartar a un
niño?</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cuál
es nuestra respuesta? Visito Florida cada año, y cerca de la playa
hay un aviso que había sido colocado por las autoridades locales,
diciendo: "no tocar las tortugas marinas ni sus huevos, son
protegidos bajo las leyes locales, estatales y federales".
Bueno, me alegra que las tortugas marinas sean protegidas, pero si en
este país no tenemos el derecho de optar si destruir o no un huevo
de una tortuga marina, ¿porqué entonces tenemos el derecho a
destruir un bebé que no es un huevo pero una vida humana?</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm8IGA7cI5dwYI4pJb9aZeuOvhLxXAbzoX9GQa-jIIwqZQUwXpZ2lHdQyfgx84IUqpcfRRzc4ZM3CmvWeJMYvRfFCz310Gw2HeiD9iJxEeGpMNxDMsrpbGu8KGznyYhwqtmuMQ46fBRw/s1600/pfl-heartfeet3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm8IGA7cI5dwYI4pJb9aZeuOvhLxXAbzoX9GQa-jIIwqZQUwXpZ2lHdQyfgx84IUqpcfRRzc4ZM3CmvWeJMYvRfFCz310Gw2HeiD9iJxEeGpMNxDMsrpbGu8KGznyYhwqtmuMQ46fBRw/s320/pfl-heartfeet3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Queridos
hermanos y hermanas, ¿qué es lo que nosotros, como pueblo de Dios y
que decimos que creemos en el Señor de la Vida y decimos que creemos
en Dios el creador de todas las cosas, hacemos para confrontar esta
tragedia? les puedo decir esto, ya no podemos continuar en silencio,
no podemos continuar diciendo que es problema de otros.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">El
Espíritu Santo viene y nos convierte en un solo cuerpo. De hecho en
unos momentos diré las oraciones sobre el pan y el vino y le pediré
al Espíritu Santo que descienda y que cambie el pan y el vino y los
convierta en el cuerpo y la sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo.
Después de la consagración, haré otra oración en la cual le
pediré al Espíritu Santo que descienda sobre todos, esa oración
dice: "Señor convierte a toda la gente en un solo cuerpo, un
solo espíritu en Cristo" ¿qué quiere decir esto? Significa
que tenemos la responsabilidad de uno por el otro, no porque elegimos
pero por quien somos. Cristo nos ha hecho una sola familia, Cristo
nos ha hecho un solo cuerpo, somos responsables los unos de los
otros.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No
tengamos miedo, que no nos sea indiferente. Ustedes amigos, saben que
nuestra religión no es para que nos concentremos sólo en nosotros
mismos y en nuestro mundo. Venimos a adorar a Cristo, pero después
El nos envía a que vayamos a ese mundo, y que lo convirtamos en un
mundo mucho mejor, que hagamos una diferencia. Esa es parte de la
adoración a Cristo.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">En
el Evangelio, la Madre de Dios, nuestra Señora, María Santísima,
nos dice, "Hagan lo que el les diga." Y que nos dice el
Señor? "Dejen que los niños se acerquen a mí." Como
nos dijo el Papa Juan Pablo, "América, defiende la vida!"</span></div>
Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-56792453413298348762012-11-25T17:53:00.001-05:002012-11-25T18:22:54.473-05:00La Fundación de Santo Toribio Romo, Chatsworth<br />
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Homilía
- La Vida de Santo Toribio Romo y Nuestras Metas</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Misa de Fundación, Fiesta de Cristo Rey, 25 Noviembre, 2012</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Iglesia Católica de Santo Toribio Romo, Chatsworth, Georgia USA</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Padre Paul D. Williams, Jr., párroco</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Los
testigos que le conocieron a Toribio Romo hablan de él dando una
lista de cualidades y de virtudes que lo igualan a los demás
mártires que la Iglesia ha engendrado en sus veinte siglos de
historia: fuerte espíritu de caridad, pasión por la Iglesia, amor a
la Eucaristía (sobre todo se le veía esto en su manera de celebrar
la Misa) y a la Virgen de Guadalupe, amor a obreros y a los niños.
Así mismo, destacó por su pobreza de vida y austeridad. Él era un
sacerdote y se consagró a ejercer su ministerio espiritual en bien
de todos.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Leyendo
la historia de la vida de nuestro Patrón, estoy pensando en las
virtudes de él que nos enseña sobre nuestra Misión de iglesia. La
tarea, el deber, la lucha de nuestra nueva iglesia aquí en
Chatsworth. Pienso que podemos resumirla en cinco temas: <b>La familia,
la evangelización, la justicia, la eucaristía, y la entrega</b>.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWLAKYL6a91nJSc7vXMHEer6QWZkyrBCE7YveRbA-aJs0qQBwyhzzXhLgd5XjG61-twLNyhO6TSsIoDLBl2EDuDO7oWwxyyx7zVsx8XisxTr8YlFNJa5n6hVYyGQNUF44Rxjbm30UeAM/s1600/str-familia-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWLAKYL6a91nJSc7vXMHEer6QWZkyrBCE7YveRbA-aJs0qQBwyhzzXhLgd5XjG61-twLNyhO6TSsIoDLBl2EDuDO7oWwxyyx7zVsx8XisxTr8YlFNJa5n6hVYyGQNUF44Rxjbm30UeAM/s320/str-familia-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>La
Familia</u> Toribio Romo nació en el rancho de Santa Ana de
Guadalupe, Jalostotitlán. Creció y se educó en una familia
cristiana, en un pueblo sencillo y fervoroso en la fe. Desde niño
Tori estuvo muy unido de modo especial a su hermana mayor María,
“Quica”, quien hizo las veces de segunda madre y le inculcó un
gran amor por la Santísima Virgen. También estuvo muy unido a
Román, su hermano menor, quien también llegó al sacerdocio y vivió
como él las penurias de la persecución contra la Iglesia y sus
ministros.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">En
una ocasión, allá en Santa Ana de Guadalupe, `Quica´ y su hermana
Hipólita, a quien cariñosamente decían `Pola´, se encontraban
haciendo una alba debajo de un mezquite, para el Cantamisa del Padre
Juan Pérez, quien iba a celebrar ahí. El pequeño Toribio, de
cuatro o cinco años de edad, rondaba el lugar; llegándose a ellas
tocó el alba y preguntó a Quica: -¿Qué están haciendo?... -Una
alba para el padre. -`¿Algún día me pondré una de éstas?... Pola
se volteó y le dijo: `No se hizo la miel para el hocico de los
burros´. Quica, como reprendiendo a su hermana, respondió a
Toribio: `Sí, no se hizo... pero tú te pondrás una de éstas´»...
Estas palabras resultaron proféticas.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"La
familia", dice Juan Pablo II, "es la primera y más
importante escuela de amor... La grandeza y la responsabilidad de la
familia están en ser la primera comunidad de vida y amor, el primer
ambiente en donde el hombre puede aprender a amar y a sentirse amado,
no sólo por otras personas, sino también y ante todo por Dios".
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">En
la familia es donde se hace posible el amor, el amor sin condiciones;
los padres que inician la familia con una promesa de amor quieren a
sus hijos porque son sus hijos, no en razón de sus cualidades. Es en
el seno familiar donde cultivamos lo humano del hombre, donde aprende
el cultivo de las virtudes: el amor, la honradez, la generosidad, la
responsabilidad, el amor al trabajo, la gratitud, etc. El amor de la
familia debe trasmitirse a la sociedad. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Esta
es <b>la primera meta</b> de nuestra iglesia: para formar familias
buenas, familias santas, familias que siguen a Cristo, para
transmitir al mundo este amor.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>La
Evangelización/Catequesis</u> Y esta es nuestra <b>segunda meta</b>:
la evangelización, transmitiendo al mundo el amor de Cristo.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyF2VYb67wT97dkmefnMTTLJiRtS2l7sLMx0ZP2LTxJipBMiTbhQP_OJW9rl2PJm1nhFK-nLwuIMPyvRPLvidCYy1nWAEbZImXqul-QvJaWkGttf5WKayZpN2dvLEhYi6khXhofIJo7A/s1600/padre-tori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyF2VYb67wT97dkmefnMTTLJiRtS2l7sLMx0ZP2LTxJipBMiTbhQP_OJW9rl2PJm1nhFK-nLwuIMPyvRPLvidCYy1nWAEbZImXqul-QvJaWkGttf5WKayZpN2dvLEhYi6khXhofIJo7A/s320/padre-tori.jpg" width="194" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Desde
su ingreso al seminario, Toribio dedicaba todo el tiempo que le
permitían sus labores de estudiante a la catequesis de los niños.
Todos los domingos salía a los ranchos a dar doctrina a los niños y
a los grandes... Como cura, se lanza con su obsesión de catequista,
establece centros de instrucción religiosa en todas las manzanas del
pueblo y en todos los ranchos de la parroquia, funda la Cruzada
Eucarística de los niños, establece centros para obreros, del
catecismo parroquial, abre una escuela para catequistas...</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Empezando
con el amor en la familia, continuamos en la educación de los niños,
la catequesis en la fe. Formamos buenas catequistas para formar
nuestros niños en la fe de Cristo. Y esta formación continua por
toda la vida.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Y
parte de la formación en la fe es la evangelización... para
compartir nuestra fe con nuestros vecinos, nuestros compañeros de
trabajo, los estudiantes en nuestras escuelas, y nuestros enemigos...</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Como
podemos evangelizar nuestros prójimos? Sencillo: invítalos. La fe
es una invitación de Dios a compartir en su amor. La evangelización
es el mismo.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>La
Justicia</u> Nuestro patrón, Santo Romo, era muy ocupado con la
justicia, las enseñanzas de la iglesia sobre los problemas sociales.
Con otros seminaristas formaron la Asociación Católica de la
Juventud Mexicana y se dedicaron a círculos de estudio y se
dedicaron a los obreros, estableciendo escuelas nocturnas, estudiando
la Enciclica Rerum Novarum de S.S. León XIII; y desde entonces
mostró una sensibilidad especial por los problemas sociales y
sindicales de los obreros y sus familias, cuya existencia transcurría
entre la marginación y la pobreza.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAba5XZXxUo47Eha1XEgBV2oSh1j_hmQpZyEbzEfXfeGmcB96txPOYpI5735W9IhKCMJfe8If0ushco-gMLLHSJZGP8q3dhseSeiSXEWjJb6KLCh2pxCCBz33LeLVeisZS2_p7VyoeP2Y/s1600/mural-vida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAba5XZXxUo47Eha1XEgBV2oSh1j_hmQpZyEbzEfXfeGmcB96txPOYpI5735W9IhKCMJfe8If0ushco-gMLLHSJZGP8q3dhseSeiSXEWjJb6KLCh2pxCCBz33LeLVeisZS2_p7VyoeP2Y/s320/mural-vida.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A
finales del siglo XIX, los obreros tenían que aguantar jornadas de
18 horas de trabajo intenso, salarios de hambre y miseria y unas
condiciones inhumanas de vivienda. También era común la explotación
a niños y mujeres en las fábricas. Esta situación tenía que
cambiar. La Iglesia se puso de parte del trabajador con la carta del
Papa León“Rerum Novarum”, en donde explicaba cómo estaba la
situación obrera, y defendiendo la justicia y a los trabajadores. La
solución que daba fue la caridad, pasaba por que el Estado, la
Iglesia, el trabajador y el empresario tenían que trabajar juntos.
“La Carta Magna del Trabajo” tuvo una gran influencia.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Defendiendo
los pobres y los trabajadores causaba muchas problemas para Padre
Tori, pero sequía luchando por la justicia. Fue muy difícil
especialmente en el tiempo de persecución de la iglesia católica en
Mexico en aquel tiempo.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">El
padre Toribio escribió en su diario: …"Pido a Dios verdadero
mande que cambie este tiempo de persecución. Mira que ni la Misa
podemos celebrar tus Cristos; sácanos de esta dura prueba, vivir los
sacerdotes sin celebrar la Santa Misa… Sin embargo, qué dulce es
ser perseguido por la justicia. Tormenta de duras persecuciones ha
dejado Dios venir sobre mi alma pecadora. Bendito sea El..."</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Se
continua hoy en día la injusticia contra los pobres y los
trabajadores, los niños y las mujeres, los bebés en el vientre, los
ancianos, los inmigrantes... <b>Nuestra tercer meta</b> es para
luchar por la justicia en el mundo de hoy, empezando en nuestra
iglesia, comunidad, estado y país.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>La
Eucaristía</u> Una mañana de Pascua a la edad de siete años,
Toribio recibió por primera vez la Sagrada Comunión. El Sacerdote
que le dio la Primera comunión, les decía a los niños “Este es,
queridos niños, el día mas feliz de toda su vida”, por la noche,
Toribio le decía a Maria su hermana: “Se esta acabando el día mas
feliz de mi vida…” – No Toribio, este día el Niñito Jesus se
entrego a ti, para toda la vida… pero el día que tu seas
sacerdote, tu, te entregaras a El, para toda la eternidad…</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0ITNEtL54G76ORUUCx1h8tKl8C4PThW6CjpAlhcY9NsD7s1Y6sw-z2vDSfjpTkhH1IP3fbLfGaSLxoD_WzXjfFRg4pAwCmS6PA5JpwrhvUZ0UqXJFGi3gb785NkW7U6iNU1rQ9zcOXE/s1600/templo-str.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0ITNEtL54G76ORUUCx1h8tKl8C4PThW6CjpAlhcY9NsD7s1Y6sw-z2vDSfjpTkhH1IP3fbLfGaSLxoD_WzXjfFRg4pAwCmS6PA5JpwrhvUZ0UqXJFGi3gb785NkW7U6iNU1rQ9zcOXE/s320/templo-str.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Su
gran amor a la Eucaristía le hacía repetir con frecuencia esta
oración: "Señor, perdóname si soy atrevido, pero te ruego me
concedas este favor: no me dejes ni un día de mi vida sin decir la
Misa, sin abrazarte en la Comunión… dame mucha hambre de Ti, una
sed de recibirte que me atormente todo el día hasta que no haya
bebido de esa agua que brota hasta la Vida Eterna, de la roca bendita
de tu costado herido. ¡Mi Buen Jesús!, yo te ruego me concedas
morir sin dejar de decir Misa ni un solo día."</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">La
iglesia nos enseña que “La Eucaristía es ‘fuente y cima de toda
la vida cristiana’. ‘Los demás sacramentos están unidos a la
Eucaristía y a ella se ordenan. La sagrada Eucaristía, en efecto,
contiene todo el bien espiritual de la Iglesia, es decir, al propio
Cristo, nuestra Pascua’. La Eucaristía significa y realiza la
comunión de vida con Dios y la unidad del Pueblo de Dios, la
Iglesia. En ella se encuentra Cristo, y Dios santifica al mundo.
Finalmente, por la celebración eucarística nos unimos ya a la
Liturgia del Cielo y anticipamos la vida eterna, cuando Dios será
todo en todos.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">En
resumen, la Eucaristía es el compendio y la suma de nuestra fe. Así
pues, <b>nuestra cuatra meta</b> es para ser un pueblo eucarístico,
celebrando la misa con devoción, comulgando con la pureza del
corazón.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>La
Entrega</u> Fué la fiesta de Cristo Rey, 1927, y el Padre Tori fue
celebrando la misa en el Cerrito de Cristo Rey. Todo el pueblo se
volcó sobre la montaña y casi de todos los ranchos acudieron a la
fiesta. Más de quince mil asistieron a la Misa en la que estuvo
expuesto el Santísimo y delante de El, se hizo juramento de defender
la fe, aún a costa de la propia vida y la montaña se estremeció
con los gritos de ¡Viva Cristo Rey!</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">El
12 de diciembre de 1927, celebró la Misa de primera comunión de 20
niños. Con fervor extraordinario y, a la hora de impartir la Sagrada
Comunión, dialogó con los niños para que reiteraran su fe y su
amor a Jesucristo y pidieran por la paz de la Iglesia. Teniendo en
sus manos temblorosas la sagrada hostia le dijo a Jesús: “¿Aceptarás
mí sangre, Señor”? Por un instante no pudo continuar porque las
lágrimas se lo impedían y cuando pudo pronunciar palabra repitió
la frase: “¿Y aceptarás mi sangre Señor, que te ofrezco por la
paz de la Iglesia?”.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">El
padre Toribio había ofrecido su sangre por la paz de la Iglesia y
pronto el Señor aceptó el ofrecimiento. Sus enemigos lo buscaban
con rabia y odio criminal. Los soldados lo descubrieron en su
escondite el 25 de enero de 1928.</span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBqmXH804x0CP4cZBGMkRh4vCHmktGAkEADN4nnuFlk8ob-yV4VJZM09XyhSUdD80oTbrN5qJqsSn4G2Svnvx6ViMFi1t00T3Dr16FDguvkRMy9gki5_VVfzBhxUmzTo48IDkF-g5B2Y/s1600/maritio-cuerpo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBqmXH804x0CP4cZBGMkRh4vCHmktGAkEADN4nnuFlk8ob-yV4VJZM09XyhSUdD80oTbrN5qJqsSn4G2Svnvx6ViMFi1t00T3Dr16FDguvkRMy9gki5_VVfzBhxUmzTo48IDkF-g5B2Y/s320/maritio-cuerpo.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Uno
de los soldados abrió la habitación donde estaba el Padre Toribio,
y quitándole el brazo que le cubría la cara, gritó: “Sí, éste
es el Cura, ¡mátenlo!”. En aquél momento despertó sorprendido
el Padre Toribio y dijo: “Sí soy, pero no me maten…” Sin
dejarlo terminar la frase, lo acribillaron en medio de insultos; el
Padre Toribio, con pasos vacilantes, caminó hacia la puerta y una
segunda descarga lo hizo caer. Su hermana Quica corrió hacia él y lo tomó
entre sus brazos; con voz fuerte le dice: “Valor, Padre Toribio…
¡Jesús Misericordioso, recíbelo! ¡Viva Cristo Rey!”. Con una
última mirada, el Padre Toribio se despidió de aquella hermana que
le llevó al sacerdocio y al martirio.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Nuestra
quinta meta</b> es la entrega total de nuestro ser, ofreciendo
nuestras vidas, nuestra iglesia, todos, al servicio al Señor, como
nuestro Patrón, Santo Toribio.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Viva Cristo Rey!</span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Viva Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe!</span></div>
<div lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Viva Santo Toribio Romo!</span></div>
Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-1662356272752402242012-10-21T09:08:00.000-04:002012-11-11T09:11:00.256-05:00Fame in Heaven<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Homily, 29th Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle B</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">In his
book, “The Great Divorce”, which explores in story-form the
differences between heaven and hell, C.S. Lewis gives beautiful
descriptions of heaven. The premise of the book is a man's journey
towards heaven, on which he learns through various events what heaven
is all about. Towards the end of the book, the man and his
“Teacher”, a guide somewhat like a guardian angel, see a large
procession coming towards them - what seemed like a river of dancing
light. It turns out to be a procession of people, led first by
angels who were dancing and scattering flowers. Then following were
hundreds of young boys and girls singing songs that, the man
describes, would bring eternal youth to the hearer if they could be
heard on earth. Then the musicians and other people... and even
animals - cats, dogs, horses and birds. And the whole procession is
being offered in honor of one woman in the center of it all, whose
beauty can’t be described in mere human words. The man immediately
suspects that this must be the Virgin Mary and asks his guide, “Is
it? ... Is it?” And his guide says, “No, not at all. It's
someone ye'll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith
and she lived at Golders Green.” The man protests, “But she
seems to be a person of particular importance.” “Ah, she is one
of the great ones. Remember that fame in this country and fame on
earth are two different things.” “Who are all these people?”
“Those are members of her family - every person she met became part
of her family through the abundance of life she had in Christ, and
the love she had spread like the waves from a rock thrown in a pond -
no one knows where it will end.”</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">St.
Thérèse of Lisieux (October 1st), most commonly known as the
“Little Flower”, is a “Doctor of the Church.” Though she
wrote only one book, a memoir intended for her family and superiors,
she is a master of spirituality of the Church. </span><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">She has
a beautiful story to explain why she considered herself a "little
flower" in the garden of the Lord. She writes that she found
herself pondering one day how it was that “God has his
preferences”, seemingly favoring one person over another - giving
one person extraordinary gifts, another only painful sufferings, and
still others no visible gifts at all.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-pPa7ftGSZFv_3o6FTcYn_XWSq0otKfO-p4tzjJuFpurdKDRh-BkUMcZuSGyHpILPfD_3HlbU64i2v9Z1Qxqx1fretowNVEkL4nsNbKsckAQXUxoxd-bXrUU1OSBfLc-ES4ZnsF4g88/s1600/flowers1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-pPa7ftGSZFv_3o6FTcYn_XWSq0otKfO-p4tzjJuFpurdKDRh-BkUMcZuSGyHpILPfD_3HlbU64i2v9Z1Qxqx1fretowNVEkL4nsNbKsckAQXUxoxd-bXrUU1OSBfLc-ES4ZnsF4g88/s320/flowers1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">Well,
she explains it this way: “Jesus has been gracious enough to teach
me a lesson about this mystery, simply by holding up to my eyes the
book of nature. I realized, then, that all the flowers he has made
are beautiful - the rose in its glory [and] the lily in its whiteness
do not rob the tiny violet of its sweet smell, or the daisy of its
charming simplicity. I saw that if all these lesser blooms wanted to
be roses instead, nature would lose the gaiety of her spring-tide
dress - there would be no little flowers to make a pattern over the
countryside.” She goes on, “And so it is with the world of
souls, which is the Lord's garden. He wanted to have great Saints,
to be his lilies and roses, but he has made lesser Saints as well;
and these lesser ones must be content to rank as daisies and violets,
lying at his feet and giving pleasure to his eye like that.” She
concludes, “Perfection consists simply in doing his will, and being
just what he wants us to be.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLX98feFujOluVMhReaE1729vb3T4sSoq2qtl9q-zcRiW6w8C_ZCVkIHSP-aEmXWm9o8wXc1Gyhq-cf3N_oG4SUpRjb_I-NaMU81rBiuZCiwzJ4sOmODtScuqFdcefmP8LheMRfIyrsc0/s1600/james_and_john_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLX98feFujOluVMhReaE1729vb3T4sSoq2qtl9q-zcRiW6w8C_ZCVkIHSP-aEmXWm9o8wXc1Gyhq-cf3N_oG4SUpRjb_I-NaMU81rBiuZCiwzJ4sOmODtScuqFdcefmP8LheMRfIyrsc0/s1600/james_and_john_300.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">In
today’s Gospel, James and John were seeking greatness and
importance, “Lord, see to it that we sit, one at your right and the
other at your left, when you come into your glory.” And Jesus
gently reminds them that the only way to greatness is through
service, which he showed through the Cross.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But
what strikes me about what St. Therese said and what Jesus says in
today’s Gospel is that he does want us to strive for greatness, not
in the world’s eyes, but in heaven’s eyes. After all, he says,
“Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” And throughout
the Gospels, Jesus speaks about the rewards that await us in heaven
if we do his will on earth by giving of ourselves and serving others.
At the end of the Beatitudes, he says, (Mt. 5: 12), “Rejoice and
be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” In the Sermon
on the Mount he says, (Mt. 6:19), “Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven.” And he says
that when you fast, pray, and give alms, you should do so in secret,
without drawing attention to yourself , “And your Father in Heaven
who sees in secret will repay you.” In other words, what we do in
this life matters. Our actions have eternal consequences. Jesus
says that some will be called great and others called least in the
kingdom. By our actions now, we determine our greatness in heaven.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
reason St. Therese is a doctor of the Church is that she taught how
we can achieve this greatness even in the midst of our daily life.
Her secret was that she learned how to do small acts with great love.
When she was sick and having trouble walking, she would offer the
pain for missionaries around the world. When she was not receiving
any consolation in prayer, she would persevere despite the hardships.
When she had reason to be annoyed by another nun, she would not be
impatient but instead thank the Lord for another opportunity for
mortification. If others thought ill of her, she rejoiced, knowing
that if she deserved it, she would take it as correction, but if she
was innocent, she would delight that she was sharing in Jesus’
suffering.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Now,
this great love that she showed in small actions came from her
docility to God’s will, but she was no weakling or pushover. She
was very strong-willed, it’s just that her will was properly
ordered towards the Lord. She had great confidence in God’s help.
As the Letter to the Hebrews says, “let us confidently approach the
throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in the
time of need.” There’s a delightful story about her trip to
Rome, where along with hundreds of other pilgrims, bishops,
archbishops, and cardinals, she attended a papal audience. Most
present were allowed to receive the Pope’s blessing and kiss his
ring, but they were strictly forbidden to speak. But Therese got up
her courage and when it was her turn, she said, “Most Holy Father,
I have a great favor to ask you!” She had just turned fifteen and
wanted to enter the Carmelite Convent, but she was too young. The
Holy Father looked at her gently and told her, “Do whatever your
superiors tell you.” But she didn’t give up, “Oh! Holy
Father, if you say yes, everybody will agree!” And how could he
not give in to such a beautiful child, so he said, “Go… go…
You will enter if God wills it.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And
each of us can be filled with that great love and confidence, even in
the midst of our daily life. Wherever we happen to find ourselves,
we can serve the Lord, grow in holiness, and strive for sanctity.
When we are driving, we can be patient and not grow angry with
others. When we are at work, we can refrain from engaging in the all
too common office gossip that belittles and defames others. With our
gifts and talents, we can choose to support the Church and other
worthy charities rather than get caught up in this materialistic and
consumerist culture. In our families, prayer, weekly attendance at
Mass, and seeking the Lord’s will can be an integral part of our
lives, rather than an afterthought. When an illness or cross comes
our way, we can bear it, imitating our Lord’s Cross.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">You
know, whether we see ourselves as a rose or lily, violet or daisy in
the eyes of the Lord, if we seek joy on this earth and eternal
happiness in God’s Kingdom, we need only remember what St. Therese
said: “Perfection consists simply in doing his will, and being
just what he wants us to be.” </span>
</div>
Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-82435172763430678952012-09-16T08:56:00.000-04:002012-11-11T09:12:00.827-05:00Who You Are<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Homily, 24th Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle B</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA</span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">A
friend of mine told me that he had dinner with a friend a few weeks
ago, and that his friend brought along her roommate, a young woman
who had recently graduated from college with a degree in nursing.
Well, during the course of the evening, they talked, and it seemed
that the young woman was very depressed. Apparently, her father had
been telling her her whole life that she was overweight, and the men
she knew in college were only interested in comparing her to the
women they saw in the movies. And this was tearing her apart.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So
he did what any good Southern gentleman and Christian would do, he
told her not to let others judge her by her looks, that indeed she
was very pretty. He praised her desire to be a nurse, because it was
a beautiful thing to want to give of yourself in service to others,
and he told her that no one had the right to treat her as an object,
to harass her about her weight, or to hold her to impossible
standards.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And
you know what? It was the first time she had ever heard it. Perhaps
that shouldn’t surprise us, with all the images we see in the
media, but no one had ever told her those things before. My friend
tells me that she lit up and went home seemingly renewed, just from
his simple words of kindness. And reflecting on the experience, he
wrote this to me: “why is it that I am so much more concerned with
what’s happening in the life of this girl, a stranger to me, than I
am concerned with my career or in getting what I want? [He goes on:]
I know the answer: it’s Jesus, and the effect of putting Him above
everything else. What’s happening in the life of this suffering
stranger is, I’m surprised to say, of paramount importance to me.”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As
he realized, it is of paramount importance that we know who Jesus is, </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">“</span><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">Who
do you say that I am?” Because if we do not know who he is, then
we do not know ourselves, and we cannot know each other. Pope John
Paul likes to quote the Second Vatican Council and say this: Jesus
Christ “fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most
high calling.” [for all quotes, cf. Redemptor hominis 8, Gaudium et
spes 22]</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcPnDbRpRfSOlsdzAlq5mm82tL-ZnpoaLs4-vRVsednpUfBYmVDzfio_nAQxlAR9q0qY2x0BXBol4LIAxbWwkPpf8i93Dk2fNtGeHwuKdVXeJN6oO6Xipp2yTcHUfF5mxUXRn7XAhikU/s1600/Michelangelo-Sistine-Chapel-Adam-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcPnDbRpRfSOlsdzAlq5mm82tL-ZnpoaLs4-vRVsednpUfBYmVDzfio_nAQxlAR9q0qY2x0BXBol4LIAxbWwkPpf8i93Dk2fNtGeHwuKdVXeJN6oO6Xipp2yTcHUfF5mxUXRn7XAhikU/s320/Michelangelo-Sistine-Chapel-Adam-.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">Well,
let’s take a look at what Jesus Christ reveals to us about
ourselves and each other. The first thing that He reveals to us is
our dignity as human persons. The catechism speaks of human dignity
in this way: (CCC 357) “Being in the image of God the human
individual possesses the dignity of the human person, who is not just
something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of
self-possession, and of freely giving himself and entering into a
communion with other persons.”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Because
of this great dignity, we have certain rights, which are inherent to
our very nature as human persons created in God’s image and
likeness: the right to life, work, truth, and self-determination. No
one has the right to treat you as an object, to be used or abused for
mere economic gain or selfish gratification, because God has made you
“a little less than the angels” (Heb. 2:7) And no one has the
right to judge you by your sex, skin color, weight, nationality, or
abilities and disabilities, because when God looks at you, He sees
His creation, and all of his works are good (Gen. 1:31).</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In
other words, no one has the right to treat as anything other than
what you are: a child of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit, a member
of the Body of Christ. And it is in Jesus Christ, the God-man, that
we know this is true... He who is the Son of God became one of us!
The Vatican Council would say this about his role: “human nature as
He assumed it ... has been raised up to a divine dignity in our
respect... For by His Incarnation the Son of God has united Himself
in some fashion with every human person. He worked with human hands,
He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a
human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of
us, like us in all things except sin.”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And
that is the next important thing that Jesus Christ reveals about us:
we are sinners. Perhaps like the young woman my friend met, we are
sometimes “more sinned against than sinning”, but nevertheless,
we are sinful and weak, and we cannot save ourselves.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Yes,
we are created in God’s image and likeness, but our very nature has
been wounded by sin, and we need to be healed from that sin. And
that can only happen through Jesus Christ, for only he, being
sinless, could pay the price for our sins, only He could fulfill the
prophecy of Isiah, "I gave my back to those who beat me, my
cheeks to those who plucked my beard." </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Again,
the Vatican Council would say, “[Jesus] restores [in us] the divine
likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward.” And
because we have received such a great gift, Redemption from our sins,
then we now have certain obligations, certain duties: to respect
life, to seek God's will and live our vocations, to seek the truth,
to respect others, free of anger, fear, prejudice, or discrimination
- avoiding those things incompatible with God’s design of the human
heart (CCC 1935).</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
final thing which Jesus wishes reveals to us is that if we follow in
his steps, we will discover the true meaning of love. When Peter
answered Jesus’ question and said, “[You are] the Messiah of
God”, he had perhaps only a vague idea of what that meant, because
Jesus felt the need to explain further, “The Son of Man must first
endure many sufferings, be rejected..., and be put to death, and then
be raised up on the third day.”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">There
are a lot of ideas out there today about what love is, most of them
false, some of them partially true, but there is only one way in
which you can truly come to know that fullness of love, and that is
in knowing Jesus Christ. True love is a total gift of self, and
Jesus Christ showed us the way by giving Himself completely for our
sake on the Cross, and “no one has greater love than this...”
(John 15:13)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
Vatican Council would say with St. Paul, “The Son of God ‘loved
me and gave Himself up for me’ (Gal. 2:20). By suffering for us He
not only provided us with an example for our imitation, He blazed a
trail, and if we follow it, life and death are made holy and take on
a new meaning.”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Jesus
says in today’s Gospel, “Whoever wishes to be my follower must
deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my
steps. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for my sake will save it.” My friend denied what
the world had to say to the young woman he met. He helped her, in
some small way, to discover her true self, and he was only able to do
so because he knew Jesus Christ. Only by denying our selves and
looking to Him will we truly discover our selves.</span></div>
Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-51109053943834289022012-09-09T09:32:00.000-04:002012-09-13T09:33:36.191-04:00Signs of Sacred Things<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Homily, 23rd Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle B</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Over
the years, I’ve been asked “why” about the faith many times.
Why do we fast on Fridays during Lent? Why do we have to confess our
sins to a priest? Why do we have to go to church every Sunday? Why
do we stand and kneel and sit and make the sign of the cross and
genuflect?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">You can
look at today’s Gospel and ask the same type of question: when he
cured the man who was deaf and dumb, why did Jesus put his fingers
into the man’s ears, spit and touch the man’s tongue, look up to
heaven, emit a groan, and then say “Ephphatha”? Why did he use
all these external actions, which, by themselves, seemingly have no
meaning? Why didn’t he just do what he did for the Centurion
(Matthew 8:8-13) who said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter
under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”?
Remember how Jesus said to him, “You may go; as you have believed,
let it be done for you.” And at that very hour his servant was
healed, even though Jesus never saw or touched the man.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Well,
the answer is very simple: Although it is the words of Jesus, his
divine will and power, that worked the cure of the man who was deaf
and dumb, Jesus wished to use visible, material objects and actions
in a way that expressed a more profound, inner meaning. In other
words, he was preparing us for the sacraments, which he would
institute and give to his church. St. Augustine defined a sacrament
as “the visible form of invisible grace” or as “a sign of a
sacred thing.” Jesus knew that after he died and rose again, he
would be returning to his heavenly Father, but he wanted to remain
with us in external, tangible ways. And he does this through the
sacraments, as St. Leo said, “what was visible in our Savior has
passed over into his sacraments.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now
there are various levels of sacraments, and many meanings to the
word. At the first level are what we call “sacramentals”, which
are lesser than what we know as the seven sacraments. Sacramentals
are “Sacred signs, whether an object or an action, by which
spiritual effects are signified and obtained by the intercession of
the Church.” Sacramental objects would include things like holy
water, scapulars, medals, rosaries. Sacramental actions would
include blessings and exorcisms, the sign of the Cross and
genuflecting. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now
what’s the difference between Sacramentals and sacraments? First,
Christ instituted the sacraments directly, whereas the Church, with
Christ’s authority, institutes and can change sacramentals. But
they also differ in the manner of imparting grace, the manner in
which they are effective. A sacrament imparts grace in virtue of the
rite (the action) itself, while the grace of the sacramentals depends
on the dispositions of the recipient and the intercession of the
Church.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So, if
you bless yourself with Holy Water and make the sign of the Cross
without faith or without being well disposed, then you are simply
getting your finger wet and touching your forehead, heart, and
shoulders. If you get anything out of it, it will only be because
someone else is praying for you. But if you do it with faith, then
you are reminding yourself of your baptism, when you were baptized
into Christ’s death on the Cross, and you are asking God to bless
you, which he does. If you genuflect in the presence of the
tabernacle without faith or without being well disposed, then you are
simply touching your knee to the ground. But if you do it with faith,
then you are performing an act of adoration, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>latria</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">,
the highest form of worship, acknowledging that Jesus is present in
the Eucharist, and that he is your Lord and God.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now the
seven sacraments are greater and more important than sacramentals.
These sacraments are, as we all learned in CCD: Baptism,
Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders,
and Matrimony. They are greater because they were instituted by
Christ himself and were entrusted to his Church so that we might
share in his divine life. When celebrated worthily in faith, they
confer the grace they signify. In other words, they are efficacious
because it is Christ himself who is at work in the sacraments. Jesus
is continuing his saving mission on earth, by allowing us to unite
ourselves to his Passion and Death and the promise of the
Resurrection, and he does this through his sacraments.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now,
having faith and being well-disposed to receive the sacraments is
important, helping you to more fruitfully receive them, the but the
sacraments work, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>ex opere operato</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">,
“by the very fact of the actions being performed… From the
moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the
intention of the Church, the power of Christ and the Spirit acts in
and through it, independently of the personal holiness of the
minister.” Just as Christ worked the miracle with the deaf and
dumb man, so he works now through the signs and symbols of the
sacraments of the Church.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">That is
why sacraments can be received unworthily. In </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Baptism</u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">,
through the sign of pouring the water, we really were cleansed of
both original sin and personal sin, and we wear a white garment to
signify this new purity, but if we fall back into sin and don’t
rely on God’s grace to help avoid temptation, then we, in a sense,
soil that white garment and need to be cleansed again. In
</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Confession</u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">, we confess
our sins to Christ through the sign of his priest, and we are truly
forgiven by the priest with the authority of Christ, but we can
dishonor that sacrament by not going or not taking it seriously. In
</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Confirmation</u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">, the
bishop anoints our forehead with sacred oil and lays hands on us, and
we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but we can ignore those
gifts by living a worldly life instead using those gifts to build up
God’s kingdom on earth. In </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Marriage</u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">,
we join hands and exchange rings as a sign of union, pronouncing vows
before Christ and his Church, and then God truly creates an
indissoluble bond that man cannot break, but we can dishonor that
bond by not living the promises of marriage: permanency, fidelity,
and fruitfulness in love and life. In the </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Eucharist</u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">,
Holy Communion, the body and blood of our Lord are given us under the
signs of bread and wine, but if we lack faith, are not well disposed,
or are in a state of sin, then we still receive Jesus in communion,
only we may have offended him and prevented him from working in your
soul, by our lack of faith, lack of preparation, or lack of
repentance. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The
Church itself is an effective sign of God’s work and presence in
the world, and you can not substitute for it. In that sense, the
Church is a type of sacrament, which Christ instituted. Vatican II
called the Church the “universal sacrament of salvation... The
Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament – a sign and instrument –
of communion with God and of unity among all men.” So, the
Church’s first purpose is to be an instrument that unites
individual people with God, and it is also a sign of that unity. But
also, because the Church is Catholic, universal, it unites all
peoples, from every nation, race, and language. It is a sacrament of
the unity of the human race and it is Christ who works in his Church
to unite all peoples to himself and to each other.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">That’s
what it means to be the Body of Christ, and that’s why it’s
important to not only </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>be</u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">
a Catholic, but to be a </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>practicing</u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">
Catholic. By being a Catholic, you belong to the Body of Christ,
which is God’s desire for the whole human race. By being a
practicing Catholic, you help build up the Body of Christ. The
sacraments of the Church are meant to nourish our spiritual life.
And just as you can harm your physical health by not eating, so also
you can harm your spiritual life by not partaking of the sacraments.
And that’s why the greatest of the sacraments is the Eucharist,
(John 6:51), “I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.” It is our viaticum,
our food for the journey.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And
that’s the final purpose of all the sacraments: to allow us to
share in the very life of God on this earth, so that we might one day
share it with him for all eternity in heaven.</span></div>
Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-49021123795072811402012-09-02T16:27:00.000-04:002012-09-02T16:27:41.359-04:00No Man Can Live Without Delight<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Homily 22nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 2012 <br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton, GA</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I
was in the seminary, one of our professors, who was teaching us moral
theology, came to class one day with a yo-yo. He took the yo-yo,
held it in front of him, and started swinging it back and forth, like
a pendulum. And then he called one of us up to do the same. So one
of my classmates dutifully got up and started swinging the yo-yo like
a pendulum. We thought this was a mildly entertaining diversion, a
good way to waste class time, but then our professor asked my
classmate to stop, which he did. Then he told him to close his eyes,
and to visualize the yo-yo swinging like he had just been doing, to
just think about it without actually swinging the yo-yo. We all
laughed until our classmate actually tried it. He sat there with his
eyes closed, held the yo-yo out, and then concentrated. And before
you knew it, the yo-yo was swinging back and forth. We were about to
laugh, but the professor told us to keep quiet, and then he asked
him, “Are you thinking about swinging the yo-yo?” “Yes.” “Is
the yo-yo swinging?” “Of course not.” And that’s when he
told him to open his eyes, and he was surprised to see the yo-yo
swinging back and forth like a pendulum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
point of the exercise was real simple: thoughts are, in a very real
sense, actions, or, at the least, what sets action into motion.
Ideas have consequences, and sometimes it’s hard to stop those
consequences once our thoughts set them into motion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And
this is a theme which Jesus preaches about frequently. Today, he
says, “Wicked designs come from the deep recesses of the heart:
(and then he lists a series of evils) All these evils come from
within and render a man impure.” And he would teach this again in
the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard that it was said, 'You
shall not kill;' But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment…” “You have heard that it was said,
'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you, everyone who
looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in
his heart.” “You have heard that it was said, 'Do not take a
false oath,’… But I say to you, do not swear at all… Let your
'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of
course, nowadays, many of the evils Jesus speaks of as things which
render a man impure are actually exalted as virtues. I guarantee you,
you can go home tonight, on a Sunday evening during Labor Day
weekend, and in less than an hour flipping through the channels on
the television you will see everything which Jesus spoke of: “acts
of fornication, theft, murder, adulterous conduct, greed,
maliciousness, deceit, sensuality, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, an
obtuse spirit.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, in
history and even the Bible, many of the great works of art and literature and music
contain themes of lust, violence, or wickedness. But these are works
of art because, as Walker Percy said (Signposts, p.365), they
accurately portray “the way things are, the way people are… the
truth about the human condition.” Great works of art portray sin,
yes, but they also portray the consequences of sin, and they do so in
a way that is not prurient or lewd, designed only to excite the
senses instead of stimulating the intellect or moving the heart. And
that’s what is happening in America today: these “wicked designs”
are not only entertainment; they have become glorified as virtuous.
Pornography is a multi-billion dollar per year industry, violence in
the movies glorifies the violence that we see on the nightly news,
advertisements appeal to our sensuality, greed and materialism, and
much of what we see is simply arrogant and blasphemous.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why has
this happened? Well, I believe it is simply because we have lost our
sense of true joy, true spirituality. St. Thomas Aquinas says
(II-II.35.4.2), “No man can live without delight. This is why a
man deprived of spiritual joy goes over to carnal pleasures.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have
killed spiritual joy in America today and that is why we have gone
over to these “wicked designs”, or carnal pleasures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, how
do we remedy this situation? Very simply, start within. And the
readings today give us plenty of suggestions. The psalm says, “He
who walks blamelessly and does justice, who thinks the truth in his
heart and slanders not with his tongue.” St. James says, “Humbly
welcome the word that has taken root in you, with its power to save
you. Act on this word. If all you do is listen to it, you are
deceiving yourselves... Religion that is pure and undefiled before
God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their
affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world." And
Moses says, “Hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you
to observe, that you may live.” Hear the word of God, let it take
root in you, and act on it. Let it transform you from within. Only
then will you have life, true spiritual life, true spiritual joy.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus
said, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.”
If your heart is pure – free from lust and sensuality, violence and
anger, greed and materialism, pride and arrogance – then you <u>will</u>
be able to see God, not only in the future life that he promises, but
also here and now. You will be able to see him in the community,
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am
I in the midst of them.” You will be able to see him in the poor
and the suffering, “whatever you did for one of these least
brothers of mine, you did for me.” You will be able to see him in
the sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist and
Confession, as St. Ambrose said, “You have shown Yourself to me, O
Christ, face to face. I meet You in Your sacraments.” And one day,
if you prepare your hearts now, you will be able to see him face to
face, when he leads us to the promised land, the kingdom of heaven,
which he promises to those who love him and keep his commandments.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-15009319951432240802012-08-26T19:39:00.003-04:002012-08-26T19:41:40.738-04:00Be Subordinate to One Another Out of Reverence for Christ<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Homily 21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 2012 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton, GA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the years, I’ve met many men who have never been to church, never even owned a bible, much less opened one, but who at the same time have this remarkable ability to quote the Bible from memory. And there’s one passage that they all seem to know by heart: “Wives be submissive to your husbands.” Now, they can’t quote the verse before or the verse after, but they know that verse, and they make sure their wives know it too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If they bothered looked at the verse before and after, they might have to rethink how they use that passage. The verse before says, “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” And the verse after says, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church. He gave himself up for her to make her holy.”
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With that, St. Paul is giving us a completely different view of marriage than what our society. He’s talking about mutual submission, mutual self-giving, mutual sacrifice. And this flows from the biblical understanding of marriage as a gift from God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the catechism says: (CCC 1604), “<i>God who created man in love also calls him to love… For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator’s eyes. And this love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it</i>.” Ideally, marriage should be a self-giving union between a man and woman that is love-giving, as God is love giving, and that is life-giving, cooperating with God in bringing new life into the world. And marriage also helps build up society and the community, because it is the most basic of all communities, the family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s the ideal, as God intended marriage to be at the dawn of creation, but then something happened: namely, sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were wounded, both in themselves and in their relationship with each other. As the catechism says (CCC 1607), “<i>Their relations were distorted by mutual recriminations (they blamed each other and wouldn’t admit their own fault); and their mutual attraction, the Creator’s own gift, changed into a relationship of domination and lust</i>.” And we have all inherited that wound of sin, making relationships difficult, and making us prone to (CCC 1606) “<i>discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and suspicion</i>.” And certainly, we see that in our society today, where, sadly, 60% of marriages fail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> How do we remedy this situation? We can’t, but God can and did.
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I recently renewed the marriage vows of my mother and step-father on their fifteenth anniversary. When I presided at their wedding fifteen years ago, we did something unique. When we exchanged the vows, their hands were joined around a crucifix that I had blessed. This is a custom that comes from Croatia and Bosnia, and the point of it is real simple: the priest usually says to the couple, “Now that your hands are joined in Christ, realize that in marriage you must take up your Cross, deny yourself and follow Jesus.” And then he usually adds, “if you let go of Christ, you let go of each other, and if you let go of each other, you must let go of Christ.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s a reality in marriage a lot of people learn, sometimes the hard way: that marriage requires the embracing of the Cross. And both my mom and step-dad learned that in their first marriages – both lost their spouse to cancer and stood by them faithfully during their suffering. It was hard, yes, but through the Cross, they learned the true meaning of love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s the remedy for sin, the healing of our relationships, that God gave us: Christ and his Cross. As the catechism says, (CCC 1615), “<i>By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, [Jesus] himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage… It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that the spouses will be able to receive the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ. The grace of Christian marriage is the fruit of Christ’s cross, the source of all Christian life</i>.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In other words, the only way to live marriage as God originally intended, as a life-giving, love-giving, totally self-giving union of a man and a woman, we need God’s help, and he gives us that help through the Cross. All grace flows from the sacrifice of Christ on Cross, so the grace of marriage (indeed, all the sacraments) is rooted in the Cross.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> It’s never too late to embrace the Cross and to ask for the sacramental grace to strengthen a marriage. A while back, I was speaking to some long time friends of my family, and the husband said to me, "Today is our wedding anniversary." I said, That’s great, how long have you been married? And he said to me, "We’ve been married 35 years. 25 of them happily." He was very candid about the fact that the first 10 years of his marriage were not happy. I asked him, Why? Because at the beginning, he was in it only for himself; for his career, for his expectations, to fulfill only what he wanted out of the marriage. He came into it with a very selfish view of marriage, and it was not until he learned the true meaning of the Cross that they were able to turn their marriage around and live happily. Over time, he learned humility, mercy, forgiveness, sacrifice, self-giving, all of which can be learned from the Cross.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that is why marriage is such a blessing from God, because as St. Paul says, “it is a great foreshadowing, referring to Christ and the church.” Because we are members of his body, Christ treats us as a husband would a spouse – he nourishes us and takes care of us, wanting only what is best for us, so that we might be holy and immaculate, without stain or wrinkle. St. Peter asked in today’s Gospel, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” When we are struggling with the various problems that confront married couples and families in today’s world, remember that we need only turn to Christ and his Cross, and then we can be confident that we are on the way to that eternal union in the Kingdom of Heaven.</span>Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-18790540229424340762012-07-22T20:00:00.000-04:002012-07-22T20:00:20.959-04:00Rest and Peace<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Homily 16th Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton, GA</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">After
their first mission of evangelization, the Apostles returned to Jesus
and he saw that they were tired, so he invited them to “Come away
by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” What was
Jesus looking for? Rest and peace – physical and spiritual. This
rest and peace echoes the Seventh Day, when God rested from his
labors – the creation of the universe and mankind in his own image
and likeness. So this rest and peace signifies the eternal rest we
all long for in heaven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">What
was the crowd looking for? Also rest and peace. Why were they
lacking in rest and peace? Not only because they were tired from the
long run to beat Jesus and his Apostles where they were going, but
also because they were tired and troubled from the burdens of the
world, a spiritual fatigue. They ran those ten miles because they
were looking for something that the world couldn't give them: an
interior peace, tranquility, and serenity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This
longing is written on the human heart. All the desires of the human
heart can only be satisfied in heaven, but we don't know how to get
there. He had to teach them because the people could not find peace.
Why couldn't the people reach this peace? Because they were looking
to the world to satisfy this longing. As with the people of Jesus'
time, so also today: we look for the world to satisfy this desire
written in our heart. And concretely, this takes many forms today:
Alcohol and drugs. Gluttony and shopping. Gambling and risk taking.
Fantasy and violence. Sex and porn. These actions take a good and
misuse them or use them inappropriately. All in a search for peace,
which only comes temporarily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The
devil is right there to encourage us. After we engage in these
things, we find that they do not satisfy, and usually we feel
nauseous, miserable, or disgusted. The devil tells us what to do next
time - increase the quantity and potency - which only leads to
addictions, broken relationships, and self-destruction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The
devil promises paradise, but he delivers something else: emptiness,
self-loathing, bitterness, alienation from others and from God. By
offering substitutes for true peace, he promises us heaven, but
ultimately separates us from God. That is the definition of hell,
being apart from God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So,
“When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was
moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a
shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” In today's
Gospel people come to Jesus hungry and tired. He doesn't offer a
quick fix. Instead, he begins to teach. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">What does he teach them? We see it summarized in the Sermon
on the Mount. He begins with the Beatitudes and then gives us a Catechesis on the Ten Commandments.
These teachings shows us the attitudes and manner of living that lead to true fulfillment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Satan
uses things that are good in themselves - food, drink, sex in the
context of a loving marriage, enjoyment, relaxation, even self-esteem
- and he perverts them by misusing them or using them
disproportionately. All these things are a foretaste of heaven when
used as God intended. But the devil tells us that this is all we
need, not what they signify. He takes our desire for heaven and
twists it to separate us from God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The
philosopher Josef Pieper puts it this way (Schall, p. 146): “Man as
he is constituted, endowed as he is for a thirst for happiness,
cannot have his thirst quenched in the finite realm; and if he thinks
or behaves as if that were possible, he is misunderstanding himself,
he is acting contrary to his own nature. The whole world would not
suffice this ‘nature’ of man. If the whole world were given to
him, he would have to say, and would say: it is too little.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Yes,
our desires can only be fulfilled by the transcendent God. But St.
Thomas Aquinas adds something interesting. In heaven, he says, “the
blessed will be given more than they ever wanted or hoped for.”
Basically, he is saying that even though we may see our human desires
as vast and great, in fact, they are not great enough, and indeed
they are nothing when compared to the infinite God. And St. Paul
would anticipate this when he said, “eye has not seen, and ear has
not heard, and it has not entered the human heart, what God has
prepared for those who love him”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Fr.
James Schall puts it this way, “God exceeds all our other pleasures
not by denying our other pleasures exist, but by maintaining that God
is more delightful than even these.” </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now,
Jesus doesn't only teach. He also equips us to live his teachings.
Through the sacraments, he offers us forgiveness, renewal, and
strength for the journey. He offers us an experience of heaven right
now. And for all the longings of our heart, we find them in Jesus,
who as Saint Paul says, “is our peace”.</span></div>Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-30100190090997416212012-07-07T23:27:00.000-04:002012-07-08T18:19:02.925-04:00God Particle or God Person?<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Homily 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 2012</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr, pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This
week, we've heard a lot in the news about the so-called
“God-particle”. The discovery of the Higgs bosun particle helps
physicists understand where mass comes from. While the media always
likes to hype these things, it certainly is a great contribution to
our understanding of the universe. It does not have anything to do,
however, with the existence of God. Originally it was to be called
the "<i>taking the name of the Lord in vain</i>" particle (*cough*), because the
scientists looking for it were frustrated that it was so difficult to
pin down, but they shortened it to “God particle” and the name
stuck.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI1sMQ9POId51RO_5ECUwjpTjQzj9lbggWHf47PSijKU59VGC1Vn8J8sg8rK_ux6j8MHcWBVyc74rwqILQaBSQOdPSeK5uyqCA-1CUGz3xTHKLq8PabhzbUHPr14w4LcNviNFzaD34Vk/s1600/god-particle-higgs-boson-gi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI1sMQ9POId51RO_5ECUwjpTjQzj9lbggWHf47PSijKU59VGC1Vn8J8sg8rK_ux6j8MHcWBVyc74rwqILQaBSQOdPSeK5uyqCA-1CUGz3xTHKLq8PabhzbUHPr14w4LcNviNFzaD34Vk/s320/god-particle-higgs-boson-gi.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">But at
times like this it is useful to remind ourselves about faith and
science. The catechism says, (159) “<i>Though faith is above
reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and
reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith
has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny
himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.” “Consequently,
methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is
carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral
laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the
world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble
and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led,
as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God,
the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.</i>”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So it should not matter whether a scientist is atheist or believer; the only thing that matters is that he or she is a good scientist, and in doing good science is at the service of all mankind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So
then, how to we understand faith? In today's Gospel, we read that
Jesus was “not able to perform any mighty deed” because “he was
amazed at their lack of faith.” Is this an example where the Lord,
for whom all things are possible, was unable to work a miracle? Is
he bound by faith, that he cannot perform a miracle without faith? </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">In a
certain sense, yes. For while God is all-powerful, and nothing is
impossible to him, as the catechism says (160) <i>"To be human,
“man’s response to God by faith must be free... therefore nobody
is to be forced to embrace the faith against his will. The act of
faith is of its very nature a free act.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So God
does not force faith upon us, nor does he ask us to abandon our
reason and have what many call “blind faith” (as a pejorative) .
(156) <i>The assent of faith is “by no means a blind impulse
of the mind.”</i> One can come to an understanding that there
is a God Creator through the use of reason, many such proofs exist.
But, (156) <i>What moves us to believe is not the fact that
revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our
natural reason: we believe “because of the authority of God himself
who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.”</i> We reach the logical conclusion that if such a God exists, we have
to deal with the consequences of that reality, namely that such a
creator must be all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The miracles of Jesus, that everyone knew about in today's Gospel, were invitations to faith in him. As the Catechism says (156), So “<i>that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit.</i>”; they are “<i>motives of credibility</i>”... which help us come to believe in him.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This
brings us to the most important question. In what do we put our
faith? The object of faith is a person: not ideas or ideas about
God, or philosophies or scientific theories, but a person. On your
wedding day, you don't say “I do” to the idea of marriage, you
say “I do” to a person. The catechism speaks of it in terms of
relationships. (154) <span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Even in human relations it is not
contrary to our dignity to believe what other persons tell us about
themselves and their intentions or to trust their promises (for
example, when a man and a woman marry) to share a communion of life
with one another. If this is so, still less is it contrary to our
dignity to “yield by faith the full submission of... intellect and
will to God who reveals,” and to share in an interior communion
with him.</i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So, in
saying “I do” to faith, you are placing your full hope and
confidence in God in all things, and this is done freely. (150) <i>Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At
the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole
truth that God has revealed.</i> God has made this possible by
becoming one of us. So that we can see, touch, hear, and believe.
(151) <i>The Lord himself said to his disciples: “Believe in
God, believe also in me.”</i> And through our faith in Him,
(152) <i>It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to men who Jesus
is.</i> This relationship with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
is continually deepened and renewed as are all relationships.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">How do
we come about this faith? (153) <i>Faith is a gift of God, a
supernatural virtue infused by him.</i> (154) <i>Believing is possible only
by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less
true that believing is an authentically human act.</i> So it is
a gift, but it requires a response, cooperation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">What
are the characteristics of faith?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">First,
(157) <i>Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human
knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot
lie... [Saint John Henry Newman] “Ten thousand difficulties do not make
one doubt.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Second,
(158) “<i>Faith seeks understanding”: it is intrinsic to
faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has
put his faith and to understand better what He has revealed; a more
penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith,
increasingly set afire by love... In the words of St. Augustine, “I
believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to
believe.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;">Third,
faith is necessary for salvation. (161) <i>Believing in Jesus
Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for
obtaining that salvation.</i> Believing that God exists, through
reason and faith, means nothing if we don't also believe in what he
has revealed to us: that humanity is broken through sin and needs a
Savior, and (John 3:16) “<i>God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but
might have eternal life</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Fourth,
perseverance in faith is not to be taken for granted. (162) <i>Faith
is an entirely free gift that God makes to man. We can lose this
priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated to St. Timothy: “Wage the
good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting
conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith.” To
live, grow, and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish
it with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith;
it must be “working through charity,” abounding in hope, and
rooted in the faith of the Church.</i> Doing as Saint Paul says
(Phil 2:12), “<i>working out our salvation with fear and trembling.</i>”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Finally,
faith is the foretaste of eternal life: (163) <i>Faith makes us
taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our
journey here below. Then we shall see God “face to face,” “as
he is.” So faith is already the beginning of eternal life.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">For
Christians, it's not about the discovery of the “God particle”,
it's about the discovery of the “God person”. Finding him in
faith leads us not only to the meaning of life and the universe, but
to the fullness of life in heaven.</span></div>Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-81543402324458098942012-06-16T15:56:00.000-04:002012-06-16T15:56:39.972-04:00The Judgment Seat of ChristHomily 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
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Fr. Paul Williams, pastor, Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Dalton, Georgia
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPewoVIUcIiXVihX-kvKsUq6LxBAIPrB1H5be5K2mVYveCNUo6jdtpn0xBGFT7j5xac5KjadPfAMBnBfpLDmkxz0zp33Q3LMGKJA_x1-mZcynuWxjDjimRT5dxsxF7dp1aoaj94Hrg6QA/s320/basilica-christ-in-majesty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPewoVIUcIiXVihX-kvKsUq6LxBAIPrB1H5be5K2mVYveCNUo6jdtpn0xBGFT7j5xac5KjadPfAMBnBfpLDmkxz0zp33Q3LMGKJA_x1-mZcynuWxjDjimRT5dxsxF7dp1aoaj94Hrg6QA/s320/basilica-christ-in-majesty.jpg" width="263" /></a>At the Basilica National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Mosaic is of Christ in Majesty, an image of Christ seated in Judgment, in all his power and glory. The Mosaic, for lack of a better term, is not “soft”. Jesus is depicted with a strong, youthful face, with a solemn, almost stern gaze. One brow is arched, stern and severe, the other more relaxed and serene - both justice and mercy are present. His arms are spread, showing his hands, not in the welcoming gesture of the Gentle Shepherd we are accustomed to, but focusing us on his wounds. It's as if he is saying, “Behold the wounds by which I conquered sin and death.” The inscription above the image says: “Christ reigns, Christ Rules. Eternal Victor, Eternal King His kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom that shall not be taken away.”<br />
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Saint Paul says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.” This image of the judgment seat of Christ throughout history has inspired, in a sense, a righteous fear of what that meeting will be like.
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With this image of Christ in mind, we recall that, as he said, Jesus came to fulfill the commandments, not abolish them. He says, “Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” This is a very serious matter.<br />
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As I have frequently pointed out, the commandments are worded negatively, “Thou shall not...” because everyone can NOT do something. But Jesus' new commandment is positive: “Love one another as I have loved you.” When you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, will you bring him a list of things you DID NOT DO? Or will you bring him a list of things you DID?
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The book of Sirach says (7:36) : “In everything you do, remember your last end, and you will never sin.” Imagine yourself at your last end, before the “judgment seat of Christ”. What do you bring him? What have you done, good or evil? If we're honest, we have to start first with the things we did do, that we knew to be sinful. <br />
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Saint Paul and gives us a list to meditate on, where he CCC 1852: contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: “Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.”
Before the judgment seat of Christ, Sins will be evaluated by their gravity, mortal or venial. <br />
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Mortal sins are like turning your back on God, preferring the world and sin to Him. Venial sins are like harming the relationship with one you love: you're still in love, but you've got some work to do.
Mortal sins require full knowledge and consent, and their grave matter can be seen in the Ten Commandments: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.”
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So in Saint Paul's list, many of those sins can be mortal, inasmuch as they pertain to the Ten Commandments. But how often do we think of their venial aspect? Saint Augustine explains: CCC 1863: “While we are in the flesh, we cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call “light”: if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession....”
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It is a good Christian practice to examine our lives in light of our Last End and our appearance before “the judgment seat of Christ.” When we appear before him, will we offer him our petty resentments, anger at perceived slights over small things? The so-called “white lies”, the stories told behind a friend's back, the slanders against a supposed enemy? The “off-color” jokes shared or enjoyed, the lustful glances or thoughts? The vain things we are attached to, the petty envies and jealousies?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMCodLMACwBA_TbzlP_Ez_wmI8hW15zSmkCEgEwAUNhB-AxZl2ItPXz9RfQ116tk2V6Wm1DAqbJdYDYWEl2eLz2Lb-sgO1KRXSqwh5Z1AkCW7b1MdciTAKhJhMDRAbi3eHsXrogjroto/s1600/basilica-2-detail2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMCodLMACwBA_TbzlP_Ez_wmI8hW15zSmkCEgEwAUNhB-AxZl2ItPXz9RfQ116tk2V6Wm1DAqbJdYDYWEl2eLz2Lb-sgO1KRXSqwh5Z1AkCW7b1MdciTAKhJhMDRAbi3eHsXrogjroto/s320/basilica-2-detail2.jpg" width="263" /></a>We fall into sin over so many little things and too often try to justify them: he hurt me, I was offended, she was rude to me, he disrespected me, it was just a glance, I didn't mean any harm, they deserved it, I don't owe them anything. I have to imagine sometimes that the Lord is sitting on his judgment seat, with that brow of his arched, saying to us, “Really?”, when we bring to him all our rationalizations and excuses for sin.
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The catechism says, CCC 1853: “The root of sin is in the heart of man, in his free will, according to the teaching of the Lord: 'For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man.' But in the heart also resides charity, the source of the good and pure works, which sin wounds.”
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And here's the good news. At our meeting with Christ at his judgment seat, he will take the time necessary to work us through our sins, yes, to show where we need to be purified. But he would much rather spend time with you showing you the goodness he planted in your heart, and how you pleased him, perhaps without knowing it. As Saint Paul says today, “we aspire to please him”.
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If Christ's new commandment is to “Love one another as I have loved you”, then we can discover this goodness by asking ourselves “how have we been like Christ?” This love of Christ is found in self-giving. And we should fill our lives with such acts, whether large or small acts of love.
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When we appear before him, we also bring to him those ways we have allowed him to work through us: A word of encouragement for someone who is struggling, comfort for the lonely, depressed, or sick; wrongs born patiently and quickly forgiven; going the extra mile, generosity with our time and goods; reaching out to the marginalized and excluded; quiet acts of almsgiving, prayer and fasting; courageous and simple witness to the faith; the fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives, “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.”
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These acts of love modeled on the self-giving of Christ on the Cross are the mustard seeds in our lives which, through God's grace, grow to bring great comfort to His people.
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While through faith, we need not fear the judgment seat of Christ, in faith, we should always keep it in mind, so that we may not sin and may one day enjoy the fruits of eternal life.Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-12405223222609452732012-03-03T18:56:00.006-05:002012-03-03T19:15:00.754-05:00You Might Be Happy: Reflections on the Priesthood<span style="font-style:italic;">On my 17th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood, I came across this sermon from 1995, eight weeks after I was ordained. I was asked to preach on "Call by Name" Sunday, a vocations program at my home parish, Saint Andrew's in Roswell, Georgia.<br /><br />While I have grown wiser and perhaps more concise (3000 words!) over the years, this sermon still reflects my feelings about the priesthood and the wonderful years the Lord has given me. It tells a bit of my story and asks all of us to reflect on our own vocations.</span><br /><br />Fr. Paul Williams, pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton, Georgia, March 4th, 2012<br /><br />==========<br /><br />Homily, 3rd Sunday Easter, C (St Andrew, Call by Name, 4/28-29/1995)<br /><br />This past week has been for me a time of “last things”, as I have finally finished my seminary studies. My last paper ever. My last class, ever. My last exam, ever. The last time I would gather with brother seminarians for 7am Mass and community evening prayer. My last night in a 10-foot by 12-foot room in the seminary. Indeed, probably the last time I’ll see some of the finest men I’ve ever known - as we all go off to different parts of the world to begin our ministry as priests.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFLmBmA239IG3khwtwDy72im54nUmrmN4FEXbdhvhWL9qMHaDmZn986xBklH6Rw4Ezw-R9kzk-GcW5j0UzoE_dbg7uiwfcpkMaMI3EMOSCeIzojVx54rEsErx8QbBzq_WO1YRkVEbEIQ/s1600/ord-001.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFLmBmA239IG3khwtwDy72im54nUmrmN4FEXbdhvhWL9qMHaDmZn986xBklH6Rw4Ezw-R9kzk-GcW5j0UzoE_dbg7uiwfcpkMaMI3EMOSCeIzojVx54rEsErx8QbBzq_WO1YRkVEbEIQ/s320/ord-001.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715825559175720322" /></a>As each of these last things came to pass, I found myself reflecting on what it was like when I first got to the seminary, four years ago. And as Father Reynolds has asked me to preach these Masses for the “Call by Name” vocations program, I thought I would share with you some of my reflections. And while I will speak mostly about the priesthood, let me emphasize from the start that God calls all of us in a special way to serve him, whether it be in the priesthood, religious life as a sister or nun, or in marriage or the single life.<br /><br />When I first got to the seminary at the beginning of orientation weekend, I had everything I thought I needed packed into the back of my truck - books, clothes, CD-player, computer. I pulled up to the seminary, and immediately, a dozen upper classmen greeted me, shuffled me into the reception room, and proceeded to unpack my truck and take all my stuff up 4 flights of steps to my new room (they were so thorough that I later found my jumper cables in the room). Well, I thought this was great and thanked them, and they just smiled at me. You see, it turns out they had an ulterior motive - just in case I started having second thoughts during the weekend, they wanted to make it harder for me to change my mind (4 flights of steps are a great deterrence to hasty decisions).<br /><br />And that first weekend was pretty challenging. After a relaxing night where I got acquainted with my new roommate from the Virgin Islands, that morning we were told to put on our clerics and report to the Grotto for Mass and orientation. So, I dutifully got up, donned my clerics, looked at myself in the mirror - wearing clerics for the first time (Roman collar and everything)- and thought to myself, “my God, what am I doing here?” Then I went up to the Grotto, and looked around at that Holy place and thought, “my God, what am I doing here?” Then I looked around at my fellow classmates from all over the country, men of every description you could imagine, and thought, “my God, what am I doing here?”<br /><br />Then the priest, Fr. Manochio, perhaps the holiest priest I have ever seen or known, begins the Mass, and when he gets to the homily, the first thing he says is, “I bet you’re probably sitting there asking yourself, my God, what am I doing here?” And the funny thing about it was that as I looked around, my classmates were nodding their heads with wide eyes.<br /><br />What was I doing there? Bottom line: God called and I answered. Of course, it wasn’t quite that simple. Those of you who may have seen the coverage of my ordination in the Georgia Bulletin may remember the picture of me blessing a family. Well, they are wonderful dear people that I know from Carrollton, and I saw them again on Holy Thursday. Their youngest son is David, 2-1/2 years old, and after Mass, his mom was holding him and I went up to him and said, “So, David, did you have a good time tonight?” [Nods head yes] “So, are you going to be a priest someday?” [Deliberately shakes head - side to side] So, I told his mom that this was a sure sign he was going to be a priest, because that was me when the Lord first called - no way [shaking head].<br /><br />Like Jeremiah who said to the Lord, “I am too young”, or Isaiah who looked up to the Holy of Holies and said, “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips”, or Jacob who wrestled with the angel - like all whom God calls, I wrestled with that call, tried to run from it, tried to reason my way out of it, tried to pretend it didn’t happen. I gave the Lord all sorts of excuses: I wanted to continue my career - I was a scientist, not a priest; I wanted to get married, have children, buy a house in the suburbs and spend my weekends watching football and arguing with my son about who’s turn it was to mow the lawn (what goes around comes around). I didn’t ask for much - just what every other young man my age wants out of life. But you know what? The Lord handled each of my objections - one by one - and he answered each of my questions, except one, which I had to answer myself - would I trust him?<br /><br />And that’s why I entered the seminary. You see, as I was considering the priesthood, there was a time in my life where I was exactly where I wanted to be: I lived in Florida an hour from the beach, I had a good job with great prospects for the future, and at my side at daily Mass one morning, there was a lovely young lady who had become a good friend. She knew I was thinking about the priesthood, and we had decided together that we would go to Mass that day and ask the Lord for a blueprint - whatever he willed for our lives, we would do, if only he would bother telling us what it was. Well, I got to Mass, got down on my knees, and was about to ask the Lord for that blueprint when suddenly something else came to me, “Paul, don’t pray for a blueprint. Pray for trust instead.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVahti6rKs1_0CmHEHILWZoIcaZXtCH5mVq0O5itCmifPovqA0k1aaIircBZixD6PdR4vayQqdD0jx2DwiEEujBsP5cESm9wayIJD3-rMRaD9vvVd3SJqYNs46evWSPpkvDgwpQBdzt0/s1600/profile-pic.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVahti6rKs1_0CmHEHILWZoIcaZXtCH5mVq0O5itCmifPovqA0k1aaIircBZixD6PdR4vayQqdD0jx2DwiEEujBsP5cESm9wayIJD3-rMRaD9vvVd3SJqYNs46evWSPpkvDgwpQBdzt0/s320/profile-pic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715828565014765586" /></a>That’s why I can identify so much with Peter in today’s Gospel. The Lord calls Peter by name, “Simon, son of John”, and he asks, “Do you love me?” and the Lord had called me by name and asked me the same question. I replied like Peter, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you”, but I qualified it, “you see, I’m doing rather nicely in my career, and I promise I’ll always dedicate my work to you.” But the Lord calls us by name and asks again, “Do you love me?” “Why yes, Lord, you know that I love you - if you send me that wife I asked for, I promise to be a good husband and father.” I continued to place qualifications and conditions on my response. And still, he calls us by name a final time and asks, “Do you love me more than these - more than your career, more than your dreams?” And I can almost hear the desperation in Peter’s voice, because I felt it in my own call, “Lord, you know everything. You know well that I love you - that I’d do whatever you tell me - but is this really what you want me to do?” And the Lord responds again with the call to serve, “Tend my sheep.” He was saying to me, “I have a plan for you, trust me.”<br /><br />Well, of the more than 300 men I have known in the last four years who have entered the seminary to pursue a vocation to the priesthood, all have experienced similar calls and similar struggles. And there are two objections to entering the priesthood that I see most frequently.<br /><br />The first objection is a feeling of unworthiness from within and discouragement from without. How many of us look at ourselves, see our weaknesses and failings and say, “I’m not worthy, I’m too weak and too sinful, there’s no way I can do that.” And I have only one answer to that objection: of course you can’t! If any of us pretends that the work is ours and not the Lord’s, then our work has failed before it has begun. As Jesus said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." I don’t care what your vocation is - priesthood, religious life, marriage, single life - as Ps. 127 says, “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor.” My vocation to the priesthood is not about me, it is about Jesus Christ. When John had his vision of Revelation, what did he see? Thousands and tens of thousands around the throne, not sitting around congratulating themselves on getting into heaven, but all crying out, “To the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, be praise and honor, glory and might, forever and ever!” This is about Jesus Christ, not us. As Ps. 115 says, “Non nobis Nomine Domine” - “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory.”<br /><br />And to anyone who would feel discouraged because of unworthiness, just look again to Peter, who would look at the Lord and say, “depart from me, for I am a sinful man” and would even deny him three times as he was being carried off to Calvary. This same man would be given charge over the young church - the Rock on which the Lord would build.<br /><br />And very often, I see men and women discouraged from pursuing a vocation because of discouragement from without. This takes many forms: overt and subtle. Overt in the frequent attacks we see on the Church and the priesthood in Hollywood and the like, the jokes told about nuns who used to teach us, and even the scandals given by a few priests themselves. Subtle discouragement happens when we view a vocation as a last resort or escape from the world - how many times have you heard someone jokingly say, “Oh, I guess I’ll go join a convent or a monastery”? I know a young priest who wasn’t at his parish two weeks before the schoolgirls took to calling him “Father what-a-waste.” If we don’t view a vocation to the priesthood or religious life as a worthy calling and if we don’t defend it and encourage it in our children, then why are we surprised when our young people do not pursue it?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3UJiqo4E4_4eGwrxCIm7DdK3WpK2O53bcL4G6ORz1DdY_1SoX1ANq-LiG336HDuf8iD2Z2nHtXwScL8WgYOIO6QGBTsA9y6E0t5Gg4tBlDK94Eh7SgDiIGWtqGkxcba_zzeZB5TOUTw/s1600/sjcc-christmas-2011-033.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3UJiqo4E4_4eGwrxCIm7DdK3WpK2O53bcL4G6ORz1DdY_1SoX1ANq-LiG336HDuf8iD2Z2nHtXwScL8WgYOIO6QGBTsA9y6E0t5Gg4tBlDK94Eh7SgDiIGWtqGkxcba_zzeZB5TOUTw/s320/sjcc-christmas-2011-033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715826250362986546" /></a>I know of men in the seminary who have known they were going to be priests since they were 9 years old. I know of a young girl today, 7 years old, who’s been telling her mom since she was 5 that she wants to be a nun. And you know, she just might someday. But I worry that as she grows older, others will place doubts, discourage her, or poke fun at her. Now, if she changes her mind sometime during the next 14 or so years, wonderful. Let her go wherever the Lord calls. But let her change her own mind - none of us has the right to change it for her.<br /><br />The second objection that I hear most often to entering priesthood or religious life is perhaps the biggest hang-up in our society today. I was driving back to the seminary one week after my ordination (Lord knows it was like being told I had to go back to purgatory after spending a week in heaven...), and since I was in no hurry to get back, I stopped at a Holiday Inn to divide up the trip. Well, I checked in, and the clerk asked me if I was eligible for any discounts. (Was I a member of the AARP or something like that?) Well, on a hunch, I said, “well, I’m a priest, does that help?” Well, you would have thought I’d hit him upside the head, because he did the classic double take... he looked at me with his eyes wide, then he went back to his work, he looked at me again, tried to look busy, and then he started babbling, “Wow, you’re really a priest? Like, a Catholic priest? You’re not kidding, are you? Wow, like that’s great. Wow.” And then he just came right out and said it, “You mean, like, you’re not going to have sex for the rest of your life?” I just had to laugh, but I was glad he asked the question, because it was an honest question and probably what I hear most often. I did my best to give him the two-minute explanation about the call to priesthood and celibacy, (but I didn’t get a discount).<br /><br />So, celibacy. What is celibacy? The young man behind the counter thought it was a renunciation of sex. He was wrong. It is a simple promise not to marry. And to be perfectly clear about what I am saying, the Church teaches, the scriptures teach, and Jesus himself teaches that sexuality is reserved for marriage, that all Christians are called to be chaste: those who are not married must refrain completely, and those who are, must treat it with dignity, respect and fidelity, because not only is it an expression of total love for one another, but when open to new life, as it should be, the married couple co-creates with God a new human life, a child with an immortal soul, destined to eternal life.<br /><br />Obviously, that is an amazing and wonderful thing, and we are right to desire it and seek it - to share your entire life with the one you love, to give yourself completely to someone because they are worth loving, and then to have as a result of your union, the fruit of your love - a child. It is a precious gift we have in marriage, and if it were not so precious, then the gift of celibacy would be meaningless.<br /><br />Why would a young man or young woman want to give up something so beautiful? Well, the answer is real simple: the call of the Lord who said to his disciples, “some have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."<br /><br />You see, there’s really no great difference between marriage and celibacy. When I first arrived at the seminary, we were told from the very beginning that if we did not have the qualities that would make us a good family man, a good husband, a good father, then we did not have the qualities necessary to be a priest. The difference is this: the husband’s love for his wife is exclusive, not in the negative sense, but in the sense that he has promised to devote himself entirely to her and to her alone, and to the care of their children, for the rest of his life. For the celibate, our love must be non-exclusive, in that we must treat everyone we meet as a mother, daughter, sister, father, son, or brother. In a very real sense, as a celibate, all of God’s people are my family. Marriage and celibacy are not opposed - one is not higher or greater than the other - they are complimentary, and each serves its unique purpose in building up the kingdom of God. For the married person, the promise made to the Israelites holds true, “If you obey the commandments of the Lord... loving him, and walking in his ways... you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you...” And for the celibate, Jesus makes this promise, “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqQwiISpzQOE2PtZVzbT9M4k3h98osiWbr9HXR7ZDd6ddbzDioggmOqM60CqVOFVR_PS2Ea7CkYCElawNcXuDFud9aDoeeIfIrB5oHznkweWONf5TTUfxF_vGARU6c3rkbreMH_misQo/s1600/10th-001.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqQwiISpzQOE2PtZVzbT9M4k3h98osiWbr9HXR7ZDd6ddbzDioggmOqM60CqVOFVR_PS2Ea7CkYCElawNcXuDFud9aDoeeIfIrB5oHznkweWONf5TTUfxF_vGARU6c3rkbreMH_misQo/s320/10th-001.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715827664111865330" /></a>Well, as I conclude, I realize that probably 90% of you are thinking, “this doesn’t apply to me - I don’t have a religious vocation; I’m married or I already know what the Lord has planned for me.” And that is wonderful, especially for those of you who have truly discovered your vocation and live it faithfully. But let me tell you this: this does apply to you, all of you. If you are elderly, pray for vocations. If you are married, encourage vocations in your children. If you are single, be open, seek God’s will in your life, and encourage others who may be thinking about a vocation. If you are a young person, start praying now - today.<br /><br />My ordination 8 weeks ago was probably the happiest day of my life, as you can imagine. People have asked me how it felt, and I can only say this: I felt that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I no longer said, “My God, what am I doing here”, but instead, “Thank you Jesus for bringing me here.” Well, for whatever reason, I just couldn’t hold it in, and as we processed out at the end of the ordination Mass, I had a big grin on my face. I probably looked pretty silly, but the 7 year old girl I told you about, the one who wants to be a nun, saw me and leaned up to her mom to say, “Mom, he’s smiling” as if she weren’t expecting it. Well, I’ll end with this: if any of you are considering a vocation to serve the Lord in whatever way, especially the priesthood or religious life, then I must warn you - you run one great risk, and that is this: you might be happy.Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-51660944313137292042012-01-28T18:50:00.007-05:002012-01-28T20:57:34.558-05:00We have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.Homily , 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton, GA<br /><br />Archbishop Gregory says, "<span style="font-style:italic;">the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty</span>." And he continues, "<span style="font-style:italic;">I insist that this is a direct attack on our religious freedom and our First Amendment rights</span>."<br /><br />Why does he teach this? It is important to begin with the fact that our religious freedom does not exist because the First Amendment grants it. Our religious freedom exists because it is a right that belongs to all peoples in all times and places, by virtue of our dignity as children of God: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQrHs3f3GuEwIy9nJinELd-_NinGE-IpB8Oe4psSbldvWh9bx026vElFcZIdAIqlkqIvYl2tWsVhv0TUsCT4_fYtoW_7ZTANVye2j2srk2Wmg_P4tTm453H63nP8TeyLPDEL4myGoXo8/s320/conscience11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702838158127518738" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">1738</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Freedom is exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human person, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect. The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. This right must be recognized and protected by civil authority within the limits of the common good and public order</span>.<br /><br />In other words, the Constitution of the United States did not create freedom of religion, it recognized it as an inalienable right, inherent in all peoples, citizens or not.<br /><br />By what authority, then, does the Archbishop draw this conclusion about this particular modern political issue? Is he just stating his opinion, is he choosing political sides, supporting one or another political party? No. As a bishop, he is speaking with the authority of the Catholic Church, which he is obligated to do on matters of faith and morals that affect the people entrusted to his care as Shepherd of the local church.<br /><br />Where does the Catholic Church get this authority? Christ himself is the source of the Church's authority. In today's Gospel, the people say, "<span style="font-style:italic;">What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him</span>."<br /><br />The New Testament shows that Christ deliberately created his Church to continue his mission in the world. He promised to remain present in his Church for all time, and he lovingly guides it through the presence of the Holy Spirit. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mt. 28:18</span>, Then Jesus approached and said to them, <span style="font-style:italic;">“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age</span>.”<br /><br />To ensure the success of this mission, Christ gave his Church the ability to teach, govern and sanctify with Christ's own authority. The Apostles appointed successors to ensure that the Gospel would continue to be handed on faithfully as "the lasting source of all life for the Church" (CCC 860). <br /><br />The purpose of this authority is to give the Church the ability to teach without error about the essentials of salvation: "<span style="font-style:italic;">On this rock, I will build My Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it</span>" (Mt 16:18). This authority concerns the official teachings of the Church on matters of faith, morals, and worship. Because of Christ's presence and guarantee, his Church cannot lead people astray with its official teachings. <br /><br />So when the Archbishop speaks on matters of faith and morals, he is not speaking on his own, as the Lord says to Moses in the First Reading, “<span style="font-style:italic;">I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him... to him you shall listen</span>.” <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">875</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">"How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent?"390 No one - no individual and no community - can proclaim the Gospel to himself: "Faith comes from what is heard."391 No one can give himself the mandate and the mission to proclaim the Gospel. The one sent by the Lord does not speak and act on his own authority, but by virtue of Christ's authority; not as a member of the community, but speaking to it in the name of Christ. No one can bestow grace on himself; it must be given and offered. This fact presupposes ministers of grace, authorized and empowered by Christ.</span> <br /><br />So what, then, is conscience, and why is it so important that we do what we can, politically, to ensure that it is not violated?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1778</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1776 </span>"<span style="font-style:italic;">Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths</span>."<br /><br />Conscience is a natural facility of our reason that does three things: 1) Reminds us always to do good and avoid evil. 2) Makes a judgment about the good and evil of particular choices in a specific situation. 3) Bears witness after the fact to the good or evil that we have done. <br /><br />Conscience is not itself the source of the moral law. Conscience is a judgment of reason. It uses the principles of the moral law to judge the morality of acts in specific circumstances. And this moral law is objective, knowable by reason, and universal.<br /><br />(DH 14) “<span style="font-style:italic;">In forming their consciences the faithful must pay careful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church. For the Catholic Church is by the will of Christ the teacher of truth. It is her duty to proclaim and teach with authority the truth which is Christ and, at the same time, to declare and confirm by her authority the principles of the moral order which spring from human nature itself.” 2039: “Personal conscience and reason should not be set in opposition to the moral law or the Magisterium of the Church</span>.”<br /><br />So, what is happening here? In summary, the Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, are mandating that the Catholic Church provide coverage under any health care plan for three things which are considered morally unacceptable for Christians: abortion, contraception, and sterilization. Not only are they attempting to force the Church to do this, they will fine the Church if it fails to do so, thus paying for such morally unacceptable services for other people.<br /><br />The Archbishop said, “<span style="font-style:italic;">The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply</span>.” As one commentator has said, basically “<span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences</span></span>.”<br /><br />Why such an attack on the Church, especially since the Catholic Church has traditionally been the largest hospital network in the country? Simple: to silence our voice, to make it difficult or impossible for the Catholic Church to speak out on public issues. <br /><br />We should oppose this with our voices, our pens, and in the voting booth.<br />==========<br />Homilia OT 04 B, SJCC 2012<br /><br />El Arzobispo dice, “Con esta decisión, la presente Administración ha hecho a un lado la Primera Enmienda de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos, negando a los católicos la primera y más fundamental libertad de nuestra Nación, la libertad religiosa... Con mis hermanos obispos insistimos que esto es un ataque directo a la libertad religiosa y a nuestros derechos bajo la Primera Enmienda.”<br /><br />1738 La libertad se ejercita en las relaciones entre los seres humanos. Toda persona humana, creada a imagen de Dios, tiene el derecho natural de ser reconocida como un ser libre y responsable. Todo hombre debe prestar a cada cual el respeto al que éste tiene derecho. El derecho al ejercicio de la libertad es una exigencia inseparable de la dignidad de la persona humana, especialmente en materia moral y religiosa (cf DH 2). Este derecho debe ser reconocido y protegido civilmente dentro de los límites del bien común y del orden público (cf DH 7).<br /><br />En otras palabras, la Constitución de los Estados Unidos no ha creado la libertad religiosa, pero la ha reconocido como un derecho inalienable, inherente a todos los pueblos, ciudadanos o no.<br /><br />¿Con qué autoridad, pues, el arzobispo llegar a esta conclusión sobre este asunto político particular? ¿Es solamente una manifestación de su su opinión, es que tome partido político, el apoyo a uno u otro partido político? No. Como obispo, él está hablando con la autoridad de la Iglesia Católica, que está obligado a hacer en asuntos de fe y la moral que afectan a las personas confiadas a su cuidado como pastor de la iglesia local.<br /><br />¿De dónde la Iglesia Católica recibe esta autoridad? Cristo mismo es la fuente de la autoridad de la Iglesia. En el Evangelio de hoy, la gente dice, "¿Qué es esto? ¿Qué nueva doctrina es ésta? Este hombre tiene autoridad para mandar hasta a los espíritus inmundos y lo obedecen?”<br /><br />El Nuevo Testamento enseña que Cristo creó deliberadamente su Iglesia para continuar su misión en el mundo. Se comprometió a seguir presente en su Iglesia por todo el tiempo, y con amor que guía a través de la presencia del Espíritu Santo.<br /><br />Mt, 28:18-20, “Jesús se acercó y les habló así: «Me ha sido dada toda autoridad en el Cielo y en la tierra. Vayan, pues, y hagan que todos los pueblos sean mis discípulos. Bautícenlos en el Nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo, y enséñenles a cumplir todo lo que yo les he encomendado a ustedes. Yo estoy con ustedes todos los días hasta el fin de la historia.”<br /><br />Para asegurar el éxito de esta misión, Cristo dio a su Iglesia la capacidad de enseñar, gobernar y santificar con la misma autoridad de Cristo. 890 Esta misión divina confiada por Cristo a los Apóstoles tiene que durar hasta el fin del mundo, pues el Evangelio que tienen que transmitir es el principio de toda la vida de la Iglesia. Por eso los Apóstoles se preocuparon de instituir sucesores (los obispos hasta hoy en día).<br /><br />El propósito de esta autoridad es dar a la Iglesia la capacidad de enseñar sin error las enseñanzas fundamentales de la salvación: "Sobre esta piedra, edificaré mi Iglesia, y las puertas del infierno no prevalecerán contra ella" (Mt 16:18) . Esta autoridad se refiere a las enseñanzas oficiales de la Iglesia en asuntos de fe, la moral y el culto. Debido a la presencia de Cristo y de su garantía, la Iglesia no puede llevar a la gente por mal camino con sus enseñanzas oficiales.<br /><br />Por eso, cuando el arzobispo habla de asuntos de fe y moral, no está hablando por su cuenta, pero con la autoridad y la verdad de Cristo. Entonces, ¿qué es la conciencia, y por qué es tan importante lo que hacemos lo que podemos, políticamente, para asegurarse de que no se viola la consciencia de Católicos?<br /><br />1778 La conciencia moral es un juicio de la razón por el que la persona humana reconoce la cualidad moral de un acto concreto... En todo lo que dice y hace, el hombre está obligado a seguir fielmente lo que sabe que es justo y recto. <br /><br />1776 “En lo más profundo de su conciencia el hombre descubre una ley que él no se da a sí mismo, sino a la que debe obedecer y cuya voz resuena, cuando es necesario, en los oídos de su corazón, llamándole siempre a amar y a hacer el bien y a evitar el mal [...]. El hombre tiene una ley inscrita por Dios en su corazón [...]. La conciencia es el núcleo más secreto y el sagrario del hombre, en el que está solo con Dios, cuya voz resuena en lo más íntimo de ella” (GS 16).<br /><br />La conciencia es un poder natural de nuestra razón que hace tres cosas: 1) Nos recuerda siempre hacer el bien y evitar el mal. 2) Hace un juicio sobre el bien y el mal de las opciones particulares en una situación específica. 3) da testimonio después de que el bien o el mal que hemos hecho.<br /><br />DH 14, Por su parte, los fieles, en la formación de su conciencia, deben prestar diligente atención a la doctrina sagrada y cierta de la Iglesia . Pues por voluntad de Cristo la Iglesia católica es la maestra de la verdad, y su misión consiste en anunciar y enseñar auténticamente la verdad, que es Cristo, y al mismo tiempo declarar y confirmar con su autoridad los principios de orden moral que fluyen de la misma naturaleza humana. 2039 No se ha de oponer la conciencia personal y la razón a la ley moral o de la Iglesia.<br /><br />Entonces, ¿qué está pasando aquí? En resumen, la Administración y el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos van a forzar la Iglesia Católica para ofrecer una cobertura de salud por sus empleados que contiene tres cosas que se consideran moralmente inaceptable para los cristianos: el aborto, la anticoncepción y la esterilización. Como resultado, y a menos que la regulación sea anulada, nosotros los católicos nos veremos obligados o a violar nuestra conciencia y/o a dejar de ofrecer seguro médico y de salud a nuestros empleados (y a sufrir sanciones económicas por ello).<br /><br />¿Por qué este ataque contra la Iglesia, especialmente cuando la Iglesia Católica tiene la mayoría de los hospitales de caridad en el país? Simple: para silenciar nuestra voz, para que sea difícil o imposible que la Iglesia Católica para hablar sobre los asuntos públicos. Debemos oponer este ataque con nuestras voces, nuestras plumas, y en nuestras votas.Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-56561340403231360762012-01-28T11:32:00.005-05:002012-01-28T11:56:12.115-05:00Archbishop Gregory on Freedom of Religion and Conscience<span style="font-weight:bold;">Letter from Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory</span><br />Read at all Masses in Parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta<br />Weekend of January 28 – 29, 2012<br /><br />My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe42vrdZ_fT6r1h5GNv9_niPsM-5UAwB9NTCxfTEtZHuwCz_ztQDI6UrprheOphz2dQgEL0pdr2qn4hqsEEP2zJZR5T7-8t6QfU7pgS5t-xCBSXyuU15HAmhQhboEDeDvVfQomdK_u1FE/s1600/ABG-color.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe42vrdZ_fT6r1h5GNv9_niPsM-5UAwB9NTCxfTEtZHuwCz_ztQDI6UrprheOphz2dQgEL0pdr2qn4hqsEEP2zJZR5T7-8t6QfU7pgS5t-xCBSXyuU15HAmhQhboEDeDvVfQomdK_u1FE/s320/ABG-color.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702723408609001298" /></a>I am writing to you on a matter of grave moral concern -- freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.<br /><br />In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.<br /><br />I stand in unity with Catholic bishops throughout the United States and other religious leaders vowing to fight this mandate.<br /><br />Along with my brother bishops and other religious leaders, I insist that this is a direct attack on our religious freedom and our First Amendment rights. I will work with the bishops, other religious leaders and our fellow Americans to remove this unjust regulation.<br /><br />If the administration will not rescind this violation of our First Amendment rights, we must call on our elected leaders to do so. I ask you to pray that wisdom and justice may prevail, and work together to restore our religious liberty.<br /><br />Please join me in continuing to follow the development of this important issue and contacting our elected representatives to seek a just resolution.<br /><br />Through our Georgia Bulletin, archdiocesan and Georgia Catholic Conference websites and other media, I will keep you up to date on the progress of this important issue.<br /><br />Sincerely yours in Christ,<br />╬ Wilton D. Gregory<br />Archbishop of Atlanta<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Carta del Arzobispo Wilton D. Gregory y el Obispo Luis R. Zarma</span><br />Leída en todas las misas en las parroquias de la Arquidiócesis de Atlanta<br />28-29 de enero de 2012<br /><br />Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo,<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWU39ZzpMi4bIUySKvM7ysGmtN3PilBY4CjILVc5vGd_Dh4bCRDqM7HBVv3auEpTG7IIauAXJxEyyAwXKUfshashWDd5SHT7T9q6zj9-V4tDwWT56LutxuGLvfr_q26qoTTcOQVScUSo/s1600/zarama_portrait.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWU39ZzpMi4bIUySKvM7ysGmtN3PilBY4CjILVc5vGd_Dh4bCRDqM7HBVv3auEpTG7IIauAXJxEyyAwXKUfshashWDd5SHT7T9q6zj9-V4tDwWT56LutxuGLvfr_q26qoTTcOQVScUSo/s320/zarama_portrait.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702723670475188962" /></a>Les escribo para informarles sobre un asunto serio y alarmante que afecta directa la libertad de religión y de consciencia. El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos anunció la semana pasada que la mayoría de los empleadores, incluyendo a los de las instituciones católicas, van a ser obligados a ofrecer a sus empleados cobertura de salud que incluyan la esterilización, medicamentos que induzcan el aborto y anticonceptivos. Casi todas las entidades que ofrecen seguro médico serán forzadas a incluir esta cobertura como parte de sus pólizas. Prácticamente todas las personas estarán obligadas a comprar esa cobertura como parte de su póliza.<br /><br />Con esta decisión, la presente Administración ha hecho a un lado la Primera Enmienda de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos, negando a los católicos la primera y más fundamental libertad de nuestra Nación, la libertad religiosa. Como resultado, y a menos que la regulación sea anulada, nosotros los católicos nos veremos obligados o a violar nuestra conciencia y/o a dejar de ofrecer seguro médico y de salud a nuestros empleados (y a sufrir sanciones económicas por ello). La única concesión que hizo la Administración fue dar a nuestras instituciones un año para acatar la orden legislativa.<br /><br />En unión con los obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos lucharemos para que esta ley sea revocada.<br /><br />Con mis hermanos obispos insistimos que esto es un ataque directo a la libertad religiosa y a nuestros derechos bajo la Primera Enmienda. Colaboraremos con otros líderes religiosos para eliminar esta regulación injusta.<br /><br />Si la administración no rescinde de esta violación de nuestros derechos bajo la Primera Enmienda, debemos hacer un llamado a nuestros líderes políticos que hemos elegido para que ellos lo hagan. Les pido que oremos para que la sabiduría y la justicia prevalezcan, y trabajemos juntos para restaurar nuestra libertad de religión.<br /><br />Les pido que continuemos vigilantes en el desarrollo de este tema tan importante y que nos comuniquemos con nuestros representantes elegidos para conseguir una resolución justa.<br /><br />A través del Georgia Bulletin y los demás medios de comunicación de la Arquidiócesis los mantendremos informados del progreso de este asunto.<br /><br />Sinceramente en Cristo,<br />Wilton D. Gregory<br />Arzobispo de AtlantaFather Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-16210761692311314642011-12-24T11:40:00.008-05:002011-12-25T17:41:55.081-05:00What shall I bring to the manger?Christmas 2011 Midnight Mass<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., Pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA<br /><br />St. Therese of Lisieux writes of a powerful experience she had one Christmas. She was attending Midnight Mass when she was about 14 years old (pp. 98-100). Until that time, she had been a child, very touchy, always crying over the littlest things. Her sisters used to tell her, “<span style="font-style:italic;">You cry so much during your childhood, you will no longer have tears to shed later on!</span>” But at Mass that night, something happened. She encountered the child Jesus. She writes, “<span style="font-style:italic;">On that luminous night… I received the strong and powerful God… On that night when Jesus, the gentle, little Child, made Himself subject to weakness and suffering for love of me, He made me strong and courageous.</span>” And from then on, she gave up her childish sensitivities and tearfulness. But more importantly, she discovered something else. She writes, “<span style="font-style:italic;">I felt charity enter my soul, and the need to forget myself and please others; since then I’ve been happy.</span>” After what she calls her “Christmas Conversion”, she entered the convent within a year and lived a beautiful life of self-giving prayer, now a Saint, a Doctor of the Church, and patroness of missionaries.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrD4SHMkrgbd-u7xNCwcUp2JUmmrrrJg8KX8gNdCXtlwVLWxpY2CTa7xazpXZx8gTN3zrFDCkh3ByUJmaohjqUO7yDwJF7h4Xb4sAUlj9Wu81Wx48PfaJb8MEhNI2mXLEqlBT1zGpDqo/s1600/sjcc-christmas-2011-019.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrD4SHMkrgbd-u7xNCwcUp2JUmmrrrJg8KX8gNdCXtlwVLWxpY2CTa7xazpXZx8gTN3zrFDCkh3ByUJmaohjqUO7yDwJF7h4Xb4sAUlj9Wu81Wx48PfaJb8MEhNI2mXLEqlBT1zGpDqo/s320/sjcc-christmas-2011-019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689858090363021634" /></a>The Shepherds too encountered Christ on the original Christmas night. And it changed their lives as well. The angel appears to them in the fields and says, “<span style="font-style:italic;">behold I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.</span>” It was customary in Jewish times that on the birth of a child, the minstrels would gather to welcome the child into the world with music, which I imagine is one reason we still sing Christmas Carols to this day.. But this was an event of such joy that the angels themselves burst forth in song , “<span style="font-style:italic;">Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.</span>”<br /><br />St. Therese and the shepherds knew one thing: that the child born in Bethlehem, lying in swaddling clothes in a manger, was the savior who had come to save them from their sins. As the Scripture says, “This day in David’s city a savior has been born to you, the Messiah and Lord.” So, the greatest gift of Christmas is the gift we receive: the gift of Jesus, whose name means “Savior”, our Emmanuel, who is “God with us.” In that manger in Bethlehem, as St. Paul writes, “The grace of God appeared, offering salvation to all men… our Savior Christ Jesus. It was he who sacrificed himself for us to redeem us from all unrighteousness.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLxji-4fEQZJfMnaxXlafjOpKG_CBLzGpW6Z1_CMCgRxFwXDQMS4IEhXrwl8TmUwb71DqVQuGTMcuzsXirb5AnwsLF-HSm00JE7-J3oK9Ud1cp476c4k7E2b5bbSt4XW5FwUXP8xsSaE/s1600/sjcc-christmas-2011-021.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLxji-4fEQZJfMnaxXlafjOpKG_CBLzGpW6Z1_CMCgRxFwXDQMS4IEhXrwl8TmUwb71DqVQuGTMcuzsXirb5AnwsLF-HSm00JE7-J3oK9Ud1cp476c4k7E2b5bbSt4XW5FwUXP8xsSaE/s320/sjcc-christmas-2011-021.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689858550286668690" /></a>“<span style="font-style:italic;">And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us.</span>” The prophets transmitted the word of God, but Jesus is the Word itself, the Word of God: the incarnate Word who translates God into human language, by revealing his infinite love for man. The prophets had said wonderful things about God's love, but the Son of God incarnates this love and shows himself, living and able to be touched by human hands. (DI 29)<br /><br />Of this great wonder Saint Augustine asks (Sermon LXIX.5), “<span style="font-style:italic;">Why was it done?</span>” He reminds us of what Saint John said, “<span style="font-style:italic;">to those who beli<span style="font-style:italic;">eved in Him he has given the power to be the sons of God.</span>” And then he says, “Do not imagine that it was too great a thing for you to become the sons of God; for your sakes He became the Son of Man, who was the Son of God... He descended to us, and shall we not ascend to Him? For us He accepted death, and shall not He give us His Life? For you He suffered evil things, and shall he not give you His good things?</span>”<br /><br />St. Augustine would also say (OOR, Dec. 24), “<span style="font-style:italic;">Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man. You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for this mercy. You would have never returned to life, had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had not hastened to your aid. You would have perished, had he not come.</span>”<br /><br />Archbishop Fulton Sheen writes that when the history of the world is written, the saddest line of all will be “<span style="font-style:italic;">There was no room for them at the inn. There was room in the inn for the soldiers of Rome who had brutally subjugated the Jewish people; there was room for the daughters of the rich merchants of the East; there was room for those clothed with soft garments who live in the houses of the king; in fact, there was room for anyone who had a coin to give the innkeeper; but there was no room for Him who came to be the Inn of every homeless heart in the world</span>.” The only room for him in this world, it seemed, was on a Cross. But not yet, for today the manger suffices and the world rejoices.<br /><br />There was no room for Jesus when he came among us as a child, but in a sense, the same is true today, for our hearts are too crowded with worldly things to receive him. If there is sin in our souls, especially, then we have made no room for him in the Inn of our hearts, where he wants to come and dwell. But there are two things we can do. First, make room for him through repentance, cleansing the house, as it were. And second, inviting him in through prayer. And if we do this, then we can experience the presence of Christ and serve him in so many ways: in the poor, lonely, sick and suffering, in those we encounter in our daily lives, and indeed, in our own hearts. And we encounter Jesus most especially now, in the Eucharist, where he gives us his body and blood, soul and divinity, as food for our earthly journey so that we might reach our heavenly destination.<br /><br />And what a gift this is. As Isaiah said, “<span style="font-style:italic;">The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone… For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder, dominion rests. Then name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace</span>.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9kscyasuDrLN4WwCI8lBsZdS6LE_Mo5-EdQUz3RsinDttgOJvTevXyFRBokby8zf_VV-iLCXlPGT0UWGgNVpdNgDqk5J0yIa-mhd3PwgCr7rl_8S5FuHxv6oW_1WLNWRXXHM5OIj4jU/s1600/sjcc-christmas-2011-004.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9kscyasuDrLN4WwCI8lBsZdS6LE_Mo5-EdQUz3RsinDttgOJvTevXyFRBokby8zf_VV-iLCXlPGT0UWGgNVpdNgDqk5J0yIa-mhd3PwgCr7rl_8S5FuHxv6oW_1WLNWRXXHM5OIj4jU/s320/sjcc-christmas-2011-004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689859365251028674" /></a>This great gift demands a gift in return: the gift of our very selves. There is a beautiful English carol called “Shepherd's Song At Christmas”, which you will sometimes hear played on the radio during this season. It tells of one of the shepherds, who sees the star and hears the angel, “<span style="font-style:italic;">I come to proclaim good news to you – tidings of great joy to be shared by the whole people. This day in David’s city a savior has been born to you, the Messiah and Lord</span>.” But he is worried about what he, a poor shepherd can bring to Jesus. “<span style="font-style:italic;">But what shall I bring as a gift for the king? Shall I bring a song? A song for the king in the manger? What shall I bring as a gift for the child? What shall I bring to the manger? Shall I bring a lamb? Gentle, meek and mild. Very poor I am, but I know there’s a king in Bethlehem. But what, what shall I bring him? Shall I bring my heart, and give my heart to him? Yes, I will bring my heart to the manger. Yes, I will give my heart to him</span>.”Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-15133485211855808412011-12-17T01:10:00.003-05:002011-12-17T17:27:02.530-05:00The Rest of the StoryHomily, 4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle B 2011<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., Pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA<br /><br />Cathy (our DRE) sent me a YouTube video of her daughter Jenny conducting her High School ensemble playing and singing the great Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. I was delighted to see these young people, lead by Jenny, do such a fantastic job with one of the greatest pieces of music in history. The story goes that when Handel composed the great Hallelujah Chorus, his servant walked in on him and found him in tears and Handel exclaimed, “I did think I saw all heaven before me and the great God himself.” And certainly, if you listen to the Hallelujah Chorus in person, you would think you’re in heaven listening to the angels sing. Naturally, the High School students weren't able to play the entire oratorio, but perhaps this whetted their appetites and one day they will. <br /><br /><iframe width="500" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4zdIqeFiFU8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />I once had the privilege of attending a performance of Handel's Messiah by the Atlanta Symphony orchestra and choir, conducted by the great Robert Shaw before he passed. But the funny thing about that particular performance, on Friday night during the Holiday season, was that after the Hallelujah Chorus, a lot of people got up and left – it’s a rather long performance, over two hours, and people thought that was the climax. But that’s not the end of Handel’s Messiah, it’s only the end of the Second Part, there’s still a whole Third part to go.<br /><br />I think it’s sometimes that way with Christmas in America today: we sing about Christ a lot, but do we remember the rest of the story? We want all the Hallelujah’s, the joys and the fun of Christmas, but not the rest of the song of our salvation. It’s easy to spend a lot of time preparing our homes with lights and streamers and decorations, while forgetting to prepare our hearts to receive our Lord. It’s easy to invite guests into our homes, while forgetting to ask the Divine guest to be the center of our families. Americans have been so caught up in consumerism, materialism, and the pursuit, not of happiness, but of instant gratification, that we’ve forgotten the rest of the song, and wouldn’t know it if we heard it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pW2SE_NXFwVbxoZ9BmPhavF8frp2ZhWTj7aFBrwPXOYrsJNbQqFpSl2bx6_CI9N4Js2SX51AdipF2l9hxYRuklRK_lylM9QTHHGHQs0BCfDt3Jc7HwbloTrTALKeoLX5djkTOKS8Y9c/s1600/leonardo_da_vinci_annunciation2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pW2SE_NXFwVbxoZ9BmPhavF8frp2ZhWTj7aFBrwPXOYrsJNbQqFpSl2bx6_CI9N4Js2SX51AdipF2l9hxYRuklRK_lylM9QTHHGHQs0BCfDt3Jc7HwbloTrTALKeoLX5djkTOKS8Y9c/s320/leonardo_da_vinci_annunciation2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686979191799286450" /></a>In today's Gospel, just a week before Christmas, we read again the story of the Annunciation, reminding us of that moment of great joy and wonder. The angel Gabriel gave Mary an invitation, the invitation to be the mother of the Son of God, her Son, to be named Jesus, who would rule over the house of Jacob, where he would reign without end. But do you think that Mary would have said “yes” if she knew what awaited her? If she knew the rest of the story? <br /><br />Gabriel's explanation does not tell her all the events to come. She is faced with a great mystery, which she knows to be rich in suffering. She knew from Scripture that the Redeemer would be a man of sorrows, as it was prophesied that the Messiah would have to suffer, as St. Paul says “the gospel which reveals the mystery hidden for many ages but now manifested through the writings of the prophets.” To be the Mother of the Savior, the Son of God, meant to be the Mother of one condemned to death. And the road to that Saving Cross would begin shortly after she said “yes”. <br /><br />Her child would be born in a stable, attended only by cattle and a few shepherds. King Herod would then seek to kill the child, massacring innocent children by the dozens to find him. And she and Joseph would have to flee their home to seek refuge in a foreign land till it was safe. And then when they returned, she would watch her Son begin his ministry, only to see it end on the Cross. And she would be there, watching all the jeers and insults and blasphemies hurled at her Son as he endured the Cross. <br /><br />If you were a mother, and knew all that was going to happen to your child, how easy would it have been to say, as Mary did, “Let it be done to me as you say”? But Mary did say yes. She knew that she would share in her son's sorrows, but that these sorrows are redemptive for the whole human race. That is God's plan for her, and Mary accepts it without reserve because her will is perfectly united with the Salvific will of God.<br /><br />If Handel’s Messiah were a play, and the events of Christ’s life were being played out before us as we listened to the music, you know where the Hallelujah Chorus would be sung? The Crucifixion. We sing Hallelujah because our Redemption has been accomplished on the Cross, by our Lord, who was once a child in Bethlehem. We do know the rest of the story, and our only response can be that of Mary, “let it be done to me according to your word.”<br /><br />As Saint Therese of Lisieux says, “when perfection and holiness were set before me, I understood that to become a saint one had to suffer much, seek out always the most perfect thing to do, and forget self. I understood, too, there were many degrees of perfection and each soul was free to respond to the advances of Our Lord, to do little or much for Him, in a word, to choose among the sacrifices He was asking. Then, as in the days of my childhood, I cried out: ‘My God, I choose all! I don’t want to be a saint by halves, I’m not afraid to suffer for You, I fear only one thing: to keep my own will; so take it, for I choose all that You will!’” <br /><br />Every Christian receives a vocation from God, a purpose, a mission. By our vocations, like Mary, we participate in the redemptive mission of Christ. Each of us receives countless, daily invitations from the Lord to suffer, to sacrifice, to serve, to give of self, to love, and to rejoice. Each of us can be a Saint. And it is very simple: say “yes” to God's will.<br /><br />The third part of Handel’s Messiah is about the Resurrection. And that’s the rest of the song: we await his return in glory, his Second Coming, where “we shall be changed… and the corruptible will put on incorruptibility and the mortal immortality.” And we will stand around the throne, giving as it is sung in the last song, “blessing and honor, glory and power, unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” Because he took on our human nature, as a child in Mary’s womb, because he suffered and died for our sins, and because he was raised from the dead, we too can share in his divinity, if we would share in his sufferings, and we too will one day be raised from the dead. And then we shall truly sing Hallelujah, “for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and he shall reign for ever and ever.”Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-18366107068781608842011-12-12T13:28:00.003-05:002011-12-12T13:33:54.655-05:00Oración del Papa Benedicto a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe - 2011"Oración a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe"<br />Por El Papa Benedicto XVI, Diciembre 12, 2011 en San Pedro, Vaticano, Roma<br /><br />Virgen María de Guadalupe,<br />Madre del verdadero Dios por quien se vive.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWnUngAdspgBK2WFNvkNrbxNCcTXXe60v7ANsW6HYESdsSk1i7y5fuEdYblEUvy5qaTC8bA0aJikagdDfN48EEca_SCQMLQC996eX5nQMViJv4sv6RnH0POSN16UhDPm58RiKObVaR_g/s1600/guadalupe-sjcc-01.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWnUngAdspgBK2WFNvkNrbxNCcTXXe60v7ANsW6HYESdsSk1i7y5fuEdYblEUvy5qaTC8bA0aJikagdDfN48EEca_SCQMLQC996eX5nQMViJv4sv6RnH0POSN16UhDPm58RiKObVaR_g/s320/guadalupe-sjcc-01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685310938090799266" /></a><br />En San Juan Diego, el más pequeño de tus hijos,<br />Tú dices hoy a los pueblos de América Latina:<br />‘¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu Madre?<br />¿No estás bajo mi sombra?<br />¿No estás por ventura en mi regazo?’<br /><br /><br />Por eso nosotros con profundo agradecimiento<br />reconocemos a través de los siglos<br />todas las muestras de tu amor maternal,<br />tu constante auxilio, compasión y defensa<br />de los moradores de nuestras tierras,<br />de los pobres y sencillos de corazón.<br /><br /><br /><br />Con esta certeza filial,<br />acudimos a ti, para pedirte,<br />que así como ayer vuelvas a darnos a tu Divino Hijo,<br />porque sólo en el encuentro con Él<br />se renueva la existencia personal<br />y se abre el camino para la edificación de una<br />sociedad justa y fraterna.<br /><br />A ti, ‘Misionera Celeste del Nuevo Mundo’,<br />que eres el rostro mestizo de América<br />y luminosamente manifiestas su identidad, unidad y originalidad,<br />confiamos el destino de nuestros Pueblos.<br /><br />A ti, Pedagoga del Evangelio de Cristo,<br />Estrella de la Nueva Evangelización,<br />consagramos la labor misionera<br />del Pueblo de Dios peregrino en América Latina.<br /><br />¡Oh Dulce Señora!,<br />¡Oh Madre Nuestra!,<br />¡Oh siempre Virgen María!<br />¡Tu presencia nos hace hermanos!<br /><br />Acoge con amor esta súplica de tus hijos<br />y bendice esta amada tierra tuya<br />con los dones de la reconciliación y la paz.<br /><br />Amén.Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-33183638950615257082011-12-10T13:30:00.004-05:002011-12-10T18:44:10.137-05:00We Are Only A House of PrayerHomily, 3rd Sunday of Advent, Cycle B 2011<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., Pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA<br /><br />My favorite story from St. Therese of Lisieux, who was a Carmelite nun known as the "Little Flower", is of her first experience in the novitiate when she joined the Convent. When they arrived, all the young nuns would gather together, and the novice master would lead them in the divine office or the rosary. This was their first experience in prayer, public prayer and vocal prayer, and it was designed to train them for the more advanced stages of prayer, meditation and contemplation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYrTsUmkHC8F-I5mkNCTYix4ysNeQrJXsXXbYNJ9HU1Fj5WXtMwf2fgAk2uvkFQFvkqeBuR3Q-1J0EwynQ4iAKEt1NmK0qbIY7VHcwDJE1aXgOp3xW3ZCi1cTqNygB38GnjCllPD-JlQ/s1600/Blessed+Martyrs+of+compiegne.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYrTsUmkHC8F-I5mkNCTYix4ysNeQrJXsXXbYNJ9HU1Fj5WXtMwf2fgAk2uvkFQFvkqeBuR3Q-1J0EwynQ4iAKEt1NmK0qbIY7VHcwDJE1aXgOp3xW3ZCi1cTqNygB38GnjCllPD-JlQ/s320/Blessed+Martyrs+of+compiegne.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684571183574268994" /></a>Well, one day the novice master interviewed each of the nuns about what they did during their free time, of which they were given a little each day. St. Therese said, "well, I find a spot between my bed and the window, and I just pull the curtains around me to be alone, and then I just think." The novice master asked, "what do you think about?" She replied, "Well, I think about God, the angels, the saints, heaven, stuff like that." And the novice master had to laugh, because here this young novice was already advancing into the deeper forms of prayer without knowing it. She was engaged in contemplation, which for her, it seemed, came almost naturally.<br /><br />In today's Second Reading, Saint Paul tells us, “Rejoice Always. Pray without ceasing.” Is it possible to actually do this? To pray without ceasing, to always be filled with the joy of the Lord? As last week, in the Gospel today we see John the Baptist in the desert, preparing the way of the Lord, making “straight the way of the Lord.” What is the “way of the Lord”? Nothing less than prayer, a prayer of friendship and union with the Lord.<br /><br />Jesus would also tell his apostles, "Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little." Just as St. Therese who sought a place to be alone. And in several other places throughout the Gospels (CCC 2602), we see Jesus seeking a deserted place like John the Baptist before him. Why? So that he might pray. Sometimes he would spend entire nights in prayer before his heavenly Father.<br /><br />So, by this example, Jesus teaches us the importance of making time for prayer, of seeking a time and place to be alone with our Lord, to pray without ceasing. And all Christians are called to this way of prayer. In our own experience, however, we believe this to be difficult. We want to find a time and place to pray, but we find ourselves constantly interrupted by the demands of the world: our family duties, our work, the tasks of daily life. <br /><br />This would happen to Jesus as well, for he was often interrupted. The people heard about where he was going and hastened to get there before he did, so that when Jesus arrived with his apostles, a vast crowd was waiting for him. Though he was weary, he pitied them and began to teach them. And I think this experience is common in our everyday life. Like Jesus who was looking for a place to rest and pray, we often find that the world interrupts us and keeps us from entering into that deeper communion with our Lord which we know we need.<br /><br />So, I was thinking about St. Therese and what she would do, what advice would she give to those of us caught up in the midst of the world who find it hard to find a time and place to pray, and it occurred to me that perhaps we ought to try a different approach. Rather than let the world interrupt our time in prayer, how about interrupting the world with prayer? How about interrupting our daily duties and obligations with a brief and heartfelt prayer to our Lord?<br /><br />The catechism defines prayer in this way (CCC 2559), "prayer is the raising of one's heart and mind to God." And there is no reason why we cannot do that in the midst of our everyday life: in the home, in the workplace, on the road, in the middle of our recreation and relaxation. In all these places it takes but a simple decision to raise our heart and mind to the Lord.<br /><br />And there is a very simple way to do this, a way that has been with us from the very ancient traditions of the Church, (CCC 2667) it's called the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The monks in ancient times, especially those in the East, would repeat this prayer throughout the day ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner") and they found it a perfect way to "raise their heart and mind to God" in the midst of their daily duties.<br /><br />This prayer is particularly appropriate because of the many truths it contains. The catechism says, (CCC 2664), "There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray 'in the name' of Jesus." And it goes on, (CCC 2666), "The name 'Jesus' contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray 'Jesus' is to invoke him and call him within us." (CCC 2668), "The invocation of the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always... This prayer is possible at all times because it is not one occupation among others but the only occupation: that of loving God, which animates and transfigures every action in Christ Jesus."<br /><br />This simple prayer is beneficial because it leads to more advanced forms of prayer, especially that of contemplative prayer. (CCC 2709) St. Teresa of Avila, another great Carmelite, defines contemplative prayer in this way: "Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."<br /><br />If we pray without ceasing, we invite the Lord to be a part of our daily lives, so that he might share in our joys and sorrows, our work and hardships, everything. And when someone knows us that well, what do we call them? A friend. And that's what contemplative prayer is: it is not a form of prayer reserved only for the saints or those in convents, all of us are called to this deep friendship with our Lord.<br />And the catechism goes on about contemplative prayer: (CCC 2710), "One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has time: one makes time for the Lord, with firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, emotional state. The heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty and in faith."<br /><br />You see? It is possible to pray without ceasing, for the one thing the world cannot enter without permission is the heart. And if you reserve a place in your heart for the Lord, he will always be with you and you will always experience his presence. Saint Teresa of Avila said, “If you wish to speak with your Father and enjoy His company, you do not have to go to heaven... you need no wings to go in search of Him but only to find a place where you can be alone and look upon Him present within yourself.” (Way, p28)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UA3_tWXQ2ilEG-ORd4J2_q3obS3bmhu67BcjHKrEJTfEYJ2bvP_1yXZIGhyObLEh8nKw-tiXAJN16teZ_DBFOIYkmMSddtxAj_W1sQ7mOUNGbUpJ63yqg5vITPBT4-NjuSyMcmDXVLU/s1600/dialogues1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UA3_tWXQ2ilEG-ORd4J2_q3obS3bmhu67BcjHKrEJTfEYJ2bvP_1yXZIGhyObLEh8nKw-tiXAJN16teZ_DBFOIYkmMSddtxAj_W1sQ7mOUNGbUpJ63yqg5vITPBT4-NjuSyMcmDXVLU/s320/dialogues1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684571369617935794" /></a>There's a very beautiful opera called "Dialogues des Carmelites" (Poulenc), which is based on a novel, which is based on the true story of a group of Carmelite nuns who were martyred during the French Revolution. During the opera, the Prioress says to one of the novices, "We are only a house of prayer! Prayer provides the only reason for our existence. Whoever doubts the force of prayer must regard us all as impostors and parasites. If faith in God is universal, should the same not be true of faith in prayer? And so each and every prayer -- even the prayer of a little shepherd who tends his flock -- is really the prayer of all mankind. And what the little shepherd does from time to time, as his heart prompts him, all of us must do day and night."<br /><br />And I think her words apply to all of us: day and night, our thoughts ought to turn to the Lord, so that, through contemplation, we might deepen our friendship with him. For one day, when all the trials of this life are over, we will meet him face to face, and only then will we find the place of eternal rest we seek, the Kingdom of Heaven.Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-15468561345617506292011-12-03T19:17:00.003-05:002011-12-04T10:52:47.564-05:00The Way of PerfectionHomily, 2nd Sunday of Advent, Cycle B 2011<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., Pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA<br /><br />Today we are presented with the image of John the Baptist, who “appeared in the desert... [fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy] Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhZAyheSWvUhHYeCnC_T6UznsCr5h714OwM94kcq8vNl0_CotCzTxF35my_Tj67tENfHRs9mowKI-Pj6bEXaXhoiY0sOgATALePSRbAD2LVEzreW1gi8GNm12ayCLVmb5TvVhAD9OA-Y/s1600/domenico-ghirlandaio-preaching-of-st-john-the-baptist-cappella-tornabuoni-santa-maria-novella-florence-1486-90.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhZAyheSWvUhHYeCnC_T6UznsCr5h714OwM94kcq8vNl0_CotCzTxF35my_Tj67tENfHRs9mowKI-Pj6bEXaXhoiY0sOgATALePSRbAD2LVEzreW1gi8GNm12ayCLVmb5TvVhAD9OA-Y/s320/domenico-ghirlandaio-preaching-of-st-john-the-baptist-cappella-tornabuoni-santa-maria-novella-florence-1486-90.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682068903520696418" /></a>If we want to prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus, we can look to the example of Saint John the Baptist. He leaves everything and goes into the desert to lead of life of penance. He detaches himself from all the goods of the earth, symbolized in his manner of living “clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.” For us, we are invited to retire into the interior desert of our heart, detaching ourselves from things of the world, preparing room to receive Jesus worthily.<br /><br />Saint Peter encourages us, “Since everything is to [pass away], what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion...” We are to be holy, where God is first in our lives and all worldly goods are directed by him and towards him. We are to be filled with devotion, or tender love for God, seen in our prayer and work. I see devotion like the love of spouses, who often spontaneously offer small acts of love to their beloved throughout the day. In the same way, our love of God is shown in these tender acts of love for God, expressed in numerous ways each day.<br /><br />But Jesus gives us a seemingly difficult command when he tells us what is expected of us, this preparation for union with God prefigured in Advent. He says, “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Is this call only for a few? John the Baptist, the Twelve, the Saints throughout history? The Catechism says, (CCC 2013): “All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity. All are called to holiness: Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” As Pope Pius XI said, “There are some who say that sanctity is not everyone's vocation; on the contrary, it is everyone's vocation, and all are called to it... Jesus Christ has given himself as an example for all to imitate.” (Divine Intimacy, 2.2)<br /><br />So this call is for everyone of us, without exception. The better question is: is it possible to be holy, to be perfect? If holiness is demanded of all, it must be possible for all. While there those “great saints” given a special mission accomplish, filled with extraordinary gifts, even the simplest and most humble among us can attain sanctity, sustained by Divine grace.<br /><br />Remember my definition of sanctifying grace: friendship with God. Lost by sin in the Garden, where Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in friendship, our original friendship with God has been restored by God himself, Emmanuel, God is with us, Jesus Christ, who became man, walked amongst us, befriended us, taught us his way of love, and laid down his life for us in the Cross.<br /><br />So sanctity is first and foremost a gift from God, a Divine initiative that begins in Baptism. John, as he says, baptized in water, but he who is to come would baptize in the Holy Spirit and power. Baptism has a symbolic meaning, yes, as many came to John acknowledging their sins, but Jesus would bring the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, which not only forgives sins, but also makes us anew.<br /><br />This makes it possible for us to enter deeper into friendship with God. And here's the key: deeper friendship. Saint Therese of Lisieux says “The more joyfully souls do His will, the greater is their perfection.” In other words, there are degrees of perfection. She says, “each soul was free to respond to the advances of Our Lord, to do little or much for Him, in a word, to choose among the sacrifices He was asking.”<br /><br />As I have said before, there are an infinity of goods out there from which we can choose, and authentic free will is choosing among those many goods. So it is possible to avoid evil, choose good – the basis for the moral life – and still be on the way of perfection. The way of perfection is not a constant struggle between good and evil. That is the beginning of the spiritual life. The road that follows consists in seeking, knowing, and following God's will more perfectly each day in our lives.<br /><br />So, St. Teresa of Avila would say, “The highest perfection consists not in interior favors or in great raptures or in visions or in the spirit of prophecy, but in bringing our wills so closely into conformity with the will of God that, as soon as we realize he wills anything, we desire it ourselves with all our might… bitter with the sweet, knowing that to be his Majesty’s will.”<br /><br />To grow more and more perfect means to unite ourselves more and more to the Will of God. Our perfection can be measured by the degree to which we do the will of God and find happiness in doing so. Sin is not the only thing opposed to God's will, as even attachment to other goods, our self or the world, may prevent us from acting in union with God's will. And this union of our will with God's is not mere obedience, but it is delighting in God's will as a true source of happiness.<br /><br />So what is God's will for our lives? God's will, in general, is expressed in the commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church. As Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And in his life, he founded a Church to continue proclaiming the Kingdom to all times and peoples, and the teachings and precepts of the Church are the accumulated wisdom, guided by the Holy Spirit, which continues to deepen our understanding of Christ.<br /><br />In a more concrete and particular way, God's will for our lives is expressed in the duties of our state in life and the various circumstances of life. The duties of our state in life determine how we are to act in our daily lives. For most of us, that is our responsibility towards family, work, community, and church.<br /><br />We also discover God's will revealed to us in the circumstances of our lives, important events and even down to seemingly insignificant details. Whether it be health or sickness, poverty or wealth, dryness in our spiritual lives or rich consolation, success or failures, loss or struggle. He also gives us countless opportunities each day to exercise the virtues on a day to day basis, charity, patience, generosity, sacrifice, and courage.<br /><br />It could be said that sanctity is essentially summed up in the fulfillment of duty. And since we all have our duties, and we all have grace through friendship with God, it is possible for each one of us. And Advent is a great time to make progress in perfection. As Saint Peter concludes, “Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.”Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-17449148337111189852011-11-26T14:08:00.003-05:002011-11-26T15:10:22.249-05:00Firm to the EndHomily, 1st Sunday of Advent, Cycle B 2011<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., Pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA<br /><br />While our culture has already begun the “Christmas season” with shopping, shopping, Christmas music, shopping, shopping, Christmas decorations and food, the Church celebrates Advent, a time of expectation and hope. We are awaiting the celebration of the birth of our Savior, and so we prepare ourselves accordingly. I suppose this attitude of expectation is present in our secular celebrations of Christmas, as we know, our children are anxiously awaiting that morning they can open their presents. But as adults, we should channel that same enthusiasm into celebrating Christ's first coming as a child in Bethlehem, and waiting in joyful hope for his Second Coming in glory.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKIDM5ROvNeKJ4wSGaj6Y2gv_zV0bPlRMqMdw31MSA1Vz7udVt308raqvWV5b94Abbq_lrl1_pM6l6FBtcGciEZohq_WRs4ojvt2A1gG68VXCr8tK22lG2Z0LWAu1mwucszk4gFWk4EI/s1600/advent1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKIDM5ROvNeKJ4wSGaj6Y2gv_zV0bPlRMqMdw31MSA1Vz7udVt308raqvWV5b94Abbq_lrl1_pM6l6FBtcGciEZohq_WRs4ojvt2A1gG68VXCr8tK22lG2Z0LWAu1mwucszk4gFWk4EI/s320/advent1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679399186346014722" /></a>The catechism says this about Advent, “when the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present the ancient expectation of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming.” (CCC 524) We pray with Isaiah in the first reading, “Return for the sake of your servants... the tribes of your heritage.<br /> Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...”<br /><br />The glory of his first coming should remind us that God is true to his promises. The entire history of Israel was a preparation for the coming of the Messiah, announced by all the prophets. And the Father fulfilled his word by sending his only Son on that Christmas day. And if he was true to his promises then, he will be true to ones he has made, for he will come again in glory at the end of time.<br /><br />As St. Cryril put it, “His first coming was hidden, in a stable in a small town outside Jerusalem. His future coming will be for all to see as he comes with the Heavenly Jerusalem. At his first coming, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger, at his second, he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In his first coming, he endured his Passion, despite its shame, enduring the mockery and humiliation by the soldiers; in the second, he will come in glory, escorted by an army of angels.” (Office of Readings, 1st Sunday of Advent)<br /><br />When he came the first time, he sought to teach us his way of love by gentle persuasion, so that we would freely choose him; but when he comes again, the time for learning and choosing and growing will be complete.<br /><br />Our Lord says in today's Gospel, “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come... May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'”<br /><br />Saint Augustine comments on this passage, wondering if the Lord's Second Coming is something to be feared: “'My brethren, the appointed time is short... But I wish you to be without anxiety' [as Saint Paul says]. He who is without anxiety waits without fear until his Lord comes. For what sort of love of Christ is it to fear his coming? Brothers, do we not have to blush for shame? We love him, yet we fear his coming. Are we really certain that we love him? Or do we love our sins more? Therefore let us hate our sins and love him who will exact punishment for them. He will come whether we wish it or not. Do not think that because he is not coming just now, he will not come at all. He will come, you know not when; and provided he finds you prepared, your ignorance of the time of his coming will not be held against you.” (OOR, 33rd Sunday)<br /> <br />That's why Isaiah prays, “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!”<br /><br />So, if we are to be prepared for his second coming, we must invite him into our lives today. Perhaps some of us will live to see that glorious day, but all of us, without doubt will meet him face to face in the silence of death, and that meeting is something we should prepare for every day. And how do we do this? Well that’s why in Advent we where purple: because it has a penitential character. If we are to prepare for the coming of our Lord, the traditional way is to do penance, and Scripture offers three ways, which Jesus himself taught in the Sermon on the Mount: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.<br /><br />By prayer, we get to know the Lord so that when we meet him, he won’t be a stranger, but someone we long to see face to face. By fasting, we imitate our Lord Passion, by voluntarily making acts of sacrifice and self-denial. To show that our hope is in heaven, not in things of this earth. And by almsgiving, we give of ourselves for the sake of others in reparation for sin, for as Scripture says, “love covers a multitude of sins.”<br /><br />Early in my priesthood, one of my mom's best friends died... I celebrated her funeral fifteen years ago today right before Thanksgiving. She was diagnosed with cancer before my father was, and the two of them struggled with it together for a long time. Well, on a Saturday night after the joy of a wedding, I had a chance to visit her and her family a few hours before she died. We all gathered around and prayed together, laughed a bit and cried a bit. And then the husband says to me: “Paul, remind me to give you a present that Ann bought for your new niece.” And I was amazed, for here she was, struggling with cancer for over two years, and in the final days of her life, all she could think of was giving of herself to others. And she lived her whole life that way: they used to say of her, “You can’t out-nice her.”<br /><br />One of the oncology nurses at the hospital, who has certainly seen a lot of people die, remarked that she had rarely seen so much love around a woman, that she must have been a remarkable person. And she summed it up very simply by saying, “people die like they live.” And my friend died surrounded by the love she had so freely given all those years.<br /><br />My friend was prepared because she was prepared every day. By living the Gospel command to be watchful and ready, to prepare through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, she was prepared when her final moment came. What have you done today to prepare for Jesus’ coming. Have you prayed? Have you made acts of sacrifice and self-denial? Have you given of yourselves to others? Have you made a good confession?<br /><br />If we trust in the Lord and live in joyful hope of his Coming in Glory, then that day, whether it be at the end of time or at the moment of death, will be a time of rejoicing. For, as Saint Paul says, “God is faithful... He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-75496439433870019902011-11-19T18:56:00.006-05:002011-11-20T10:52:49.404-05:00Faith Demands WorksHomily, Christ the King, A 2011<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., Pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton GA<br /><br />I once read a reminiscence written by a prominent theologian who taught at a major university. She was traveling across country to give a lecture, and it was an exhausting trip, as she had to change trains a couple times and found it difficult to eat while traveling. As she walked through one terminal, her fatigue and hunger overcame her, and she fainted at the foot of a staircase. Nearby, there was a small group of homeless men. One of them left the group and came over and helped her. He helped her up and gently sat her down on the stair. He then went off for a moment, returned with a cup of water, and stood their anxiously as she drank it up. Then he went off again, got a porter from the train she was headed to, and then helped pile her bags on the carrier. As she was leaving with the porter, she weakly tried to thank him, but he waved off her thanks with the simple words, “Oh, you’d have done the same for me!”<br /><br />That day, she learned a lesson no book could have taught her: that faith is seen in works, and God is made manifest in his people, especially the most needy in our midst. She never imagined that she would be the needy one and that the least among us would be the servant.<br /><br />During the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500's, a familiar term regarding salvation was “sola fide,” Latin for “by faith alone.” The reformers, at that time, accused the Catholic Church of departing from the “simple purity of the Gospel” of Jesus Christ. They stated it was faith alone, without works of any kind, that brought a believer to eternal life. They defined this faith as “the confidence of man, associated with the certainty of salvation, because the merciful Father will forgive sins because of Christ's sake.” Martin Luther appealed to passages from Saint Paul to justify his claim. In Romans 3:28, Saint Paul says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” And in Galatians 2:16, he reiterates, “We may be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.”<br /><br />All Christians will be able to agree on the following two truths: salvation is by grace alone, as Saint Paul says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8) and salvation is through Christ alone, as Saint Peter says in Acts, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12). On these key points we agree with our Protestant friends.<br /><br />But what about works, does faith alone save, do works play no role in our salvation? Is faith nothing more than believing and trusting? Is this enough to be saved?<br /><br />Well, Saint James was apparently responding to this concern very early in the history of the Church. Perhaps even then, some had put too much emphasis in Saint Paul's words. So Saint James says very clearly, (James 2:14-17) “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”<br /><br />Another way to look at it: We are justified by faith. Our faith is justified by works. You can't have one without the other. In fact, Saint James says emphatically, (James 2:24,26), “See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone... For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”<br /><br />Jesus as well would say that there would be people who would claim to know him, but “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather he who does the will of my Father” (Matthew 7:21). Here, Jesus clearly links salvation with doing God's will. And he explains further in today's parable of the Last Judgment.<br /><br />The King will say to those on his right, the Just, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”<br /> <br />The Righteous will protest, “Lord, when did we see you...” And the King makes it clear that loving God means loving neighbor, especially the most needy, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”<br /> <br />The consequence of this is that some will be separated from him, on his left, the wicked, and will be condemned. Why? For not serving him in the needy, as Saint John Chrysostom says: “No one has ever been condemned for not decorating the church for Christmas. But hell awaits those who despise the needy, who are a temple more valuable than any church.”<br /><br />As the King will say, “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels... 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”<br /><br />Another way to look at it: we are saved by faith, we are judged by works. Saint James would put it this way (James 2:18): “Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.”<br /><br />Last summer, Archbishop Charles Chaput was interviewed about his new assignment in Philadelphia. He was asked about serving the needy, as Christ demands in today's Gospel, and he could not have put it more succinctly, “We can't preach the Gospel and not live it. If we don't love the poor, and do all we can to improve their lot, we're going to go to Hell.”<br /><br />And this love is a demanding love, after all, it is modeled by Christ on the Cross. The love asks sacrifices of us, loving till it hurts. A good example of this is something that was reported in Chattanooga last summer, in the Times Free Press. [Original story <a href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/18/saving-mary/">here</a>. Follow up <a href="http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/oct/19/god-gave-me-this-special-gift/">here</a>.]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/18/saving-mary/"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJuMcKKVvUk8jD0-SQh7iIP4MQqlBTCuXR6Hj9mTyY6LeBNrDSboTM6-8OhBcnG5ISs3ffyTB1_1dUFyAdryDkm4JQDQDfJxMwOkGj6upmFYUYDb0aqeOIAClZF0mfz2NkpwMEvHiAe4/s320/saving-mary-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676863443742887794" /></a><br />They told the story of Mary C., a homeless woman who appeared beyond help, “a mentally retarded, epileptic and partially paralyzed woman who spent months homeless on the streets of Chattanooga late last year and the first half of 2011 until she was taken in by Nancy R., a retired organizational psychologist.” When she first saw her, “the woman was slumped, face down on a Market Street park bench. Her arms hung limp, and a filthy, stainless steel walker stood beside her. Plastic bags, stuffed with urine-soaked clothing and blankets, bulged on the sidewalk.” Many thought Mary was a drunk, prone to angry outbursts, and she “had been turned away from nearly every social service help system Chattanooga has to offer.” <br /><br />But Nancy thought to herself that the woman might be someone's mother, so she stopped to help her. No one had taken the time to get to know Mary, about how as an infant her father threw her on the floor, giving rise to her retardation and epilepsy. She was abused, abandoned, institutionalized, eventually ending up on the streets of Chattanooga, where she suffered robberies, beatings, even rapes.<br /><br />Over a couple of months, Nancy got to know her, listened to her stories, and believed her. She also began to advocate for her. Mary had an IQ of 51, and even Nancy, with a doctorate, found it difficult to work the maze of requirements and paperwork demanded by various social service agencies. At one point it was so difficult that Mary cried out in despair, “I'm not fit to live. I'm a burden to everyone.”<br /><br />But they persisted and made it through the dark times. Eventually, Nancy helped Mary reunite with her sisters after 20 years, helped her get the mental health services she needed, and just this past October, helped her get a home, working with another advocacy group for the disabled.<br /><br />Nancy's motivation for doing so much to help and abandoned homeless woman? “I just wanted a happy ending,” she said. And so does God, in my opinion.<br /><br />Christ is present in the needy amongst us, often in, as Mother Teresa would say, “in a most distressing disguise”, and our faith demands works.Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-22633566707621232622011-10-29T12:49:00.010-04:002012-01-16T13:21:39.159-05:00It's Not About MePriesthood Sunday, October 30th, 2011<br />Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton, GA<br />Click here: <a href="http://churchnext.tv/2011/10/31/fr-paul-williams-let-the-people-lead/">Interview with Fr. Paul on ChurchNext.tv</a>.<br /><br />Last night, I had an opportunity to participate in some Georgia Tech homecoming festivities with my fraternity brothers, many whom I haven't seen in many years – we're approaching our 25th anniversary. I was really glad I went, because it was delightful to see how they were doing, hear about their families and careers, and to remember the good times. It was a blessed evening. They were happy that I was a priest and doing well (they got over their surprise about my call to the priesthood years ago), and I bragged a lot about our parish. They, of course, along with family and other long term friends, were not used to calling me “Father”, but that doesn't bother me, because they knew me well, long before I was given the title. But some smiled when they attached my college nickname to the title, so they called me “Father Willie”. Only they can call me that...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFl2iQ1LpUXoKm3yoowEPVxuRG0XFDx3mAU6xRhpfwc5Usn9m5LP3McjFTszyb8CLWl5d-3QZT_KNxb56sClJ0o_T3Y8ay2H2ny9k5vxdknnloIi3OIJZMXpbVfphashjXV5rFJKB1Gfg/s1600/PriestSunday_2011.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFl2iQ1LpUXoKm3yoowEPVxuRG0XFDx3mAU6xRhpfwc5Usn9m5LP3McjFTszyb8CLWl5d-3QZT_KNxb56sClJ0o_T3Y8ay2H2ny9k5vxdknnloIi3OIJZMXpbVfphashjXV5rFJKB1Gfg/s320/PriestSunday_2011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668958577223917506" /></a>This Sunday, the Church celebrates <a href="http://www.priestsunday.org/">Priesthood Sunday</a> and encourages the faithful to express their gratitude for their priests and pastors, to pray for them, and to reflect a bit on the meaning of the priesthood. Earlier this week, <a href="http://churchnext.tv/2011/10/31/fr-paul-williams-let-the-people-lead/">I was interviewed</a> by an Episcopalian priest for his website, “<a href="http://www.churchnext.tv/">Church Next</a>”, which helps Protestant pastors to build their congregations in this age of Mega Churches, so he wanted to talk to someone from the original Mega Church, the Catholic Church, and I was the first Roman Catholic priest on his site. The Archdiocese referred him to me because we have a very large, growing parish, perhaps the biggest bilingual Catholic parish in the South.<br /><br />When he asked for any insights to pass onto other pastors about their role in growing churches, I said, “as a pastor, I remind myself each day that 'it's not about me.'” It's about the people of the church, who I serve as the least among them. That's the ideal at least. Jesus reminds the Pharisees of this in today's Gospel. They were fond of titles, being called “Rabbi” or “Father”, “they love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces.” These things will come, but they are not deserved and are not to be sought as an end in themselves. It's a simple reminder that with positions of honor and authority come great responsibility and obligations to serve, not be served, as Christ himself modeled for us.<br /><br />In his admonition to the Pharisees, Jesus warned them of the errors they had made, the pits they had fallen into and their attempts to drag others along with them. They were so caught-up in the practices of their religion that they had forgotten its principles. If you remember my sermon from a couple of weeks ago, I spoke of how a Christian should view worldly affairs, starting with our fundamental principles, which guide our general policies, that we then put into concrete practice. Principles are universal, applicable to all, and inviolable. Policies are the guidelines we use to serve those principles and make them present; they are overlying philosophies that can admit different approaches to the same principles. And practice is the level where we apply the principles and policies to individual circumstances, making exceptions and adjustments as necessary.<br /><br />These same guidelines can be applied to how we view our life in the Church. The Church has its fundamental truths that it protects, lives and teaches – it's principles that are unchanging and universal. It has its policies, which are guidelines flowing from those principles, that apply them to each age. It has its practices, which allow, for example, an individual parish to adapt to its unique situation, guided by policies and true to principles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF09jvfHeFE8NLM03nW_XkR46SVLXs3iL2DmYMyW37YyoKZtzWNzbzV2WMxIAkDO2fvdwZPhsteicnk8hvVc-ifJLmfDnEDNtzChGyA3i6_3WlIYgnQIzNE51JjCDOxqCy2Uay1UPSCQ/s1600/roman-missal-3-archatl.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF09jvfHeFE8NLM03nW_XkR46SVLXs3iL2DmYMyW37YyoKZtzWNzbzV2WMxIAkDO2fvdwZPhsteicnk8hvVc-ifJLmfDnEDNtzChGyA3i6_3WlIYgnQIzNE51JjCDOxqCy2Uay1UPSCQ/s320/roman-missal-3-archatl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668958946513680146" /></a>A good example is the upcoming liturgical translation of the <a href="http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/">Roman Missal</a> that we'll begin using fully on the first Sunday of Advent, just a few weeks from now. The Mass is the Mass, the highest expression of worship of the Church. It has its essential elements, the Word, the Eucharist, the Consecration, Holy Communion, and so on. We have policies that adapt it to different regions and languages and settings and seasons. And we develop individual practices that can change and apply to the whole church or allow adaptation to each local parish.<br /><br />So with the new translation, the Mass is still the Mass, holy and reverent as always. The language is now adapted to a new policy that includes a more direct translation of the Latin. And we as a parish have chosen a new musical setting for the sung Mass parts, that may differ from our neighboring parishes, but still sings the same Mass that belongs to the whole Church.<br /><br />And we priests, of course, have some flexibility for individual preferences. We have the honor of celebrating the greatest gift Christ gave to his Church, but it is not our Mass, it is His, given to His people. But we do bring our own style, because we cannot help but be unique individual human beings. As long as this style affirms the Church's universal principles, are within its polices and acceptable practices, then hopefully the different styles of priests will be a source of nourishment, not division.<br /><br />So, on this Priesthood Sunday, I ask you to appreciate, or tolerate if necessary, these differences. And realize an important aspect of what Jesus teaches in today's Gospel that applies especially to the attitude of the faithful towards priests and the priest's understanding of himself. Jesus says, “call no one on earth your father.” He is using hyperbole (not literal) to remind us that we have only One Father in Heaven, and that our earthly fathers, our parents or our priests, are but instruments of the Divine Father.<br /><br />I look at it this way: love your priests, appreciate them when they guide you closer the Lord, but do not hang your faith on them. Saint Paul warned the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:12), do not say “I belong to Paul”, “I belong to Apollos”, or “I belong to Cephas”. In other words, do not put your faith in the one who teaches, but in the One who is Taught, the Teacher of all. Be grateful to the teacher, but do not set yourself up for a fall should he fail you. And that's my concern today. Priests are human instruments of God's Grace, especially in the Word and Sacraments. But like everyone, we are in a continual process of overcoming our weaknesses and growing in virtues. This means that we will inevitably disappoint you, but since we're on the same Path, with your eyes fixed on Christ and not on his instruments, it will not stop you on your Journey. Only our Lord never needs your forgiveness, we priests do need it and are grateful for it.<br /><br />I'm very grateful to be here at Saint Joseph's, and I hope to be here for many years to come. As I have learned in my 16+ years as a priest, the priesthood is not about me, it's about Christ. We priests will come and go, with our different policies and practices and "style", but the parish will continue no matter the priest or pastor. And it is my hope that you appreciate their gifts, lovingly tolerate their foibles, but most importantly, keep your eyes fixed on Christ, our True and Eternal High Priest.Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780358822677279295.post-76409912110652874092011-10-26T14:39:00.006-04:002011-10-26T14:55:52.574-04:00Believe in Miracles - My Niece's Baby Story(<span style="font-style:italic;">This is my sister Romi's letter to her oldest daughter, Mary Virginia, on the occasion of her 15th birthday. True story. - Fr. Paul</span>) <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mary Virginia's Baby Story</span><br /><br />Where shall your Daddy and I begin? As you well know, your Momma named you after the Blessed Mother in my twenty’s when I became a Roman Catholic. This, of course, was years before I met your handsome Father. When I was dating your Father and I was beginning to ask God for confirmation if he was indeed “The One,” he mentioned that his mother was named “Mary Virginia.” Hmmmm … Isn’t God funny? I always knew in my heart that my first child would be a little girl named “Mary Virginia.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeUkxRSlkxUvnggorUAQiEk5S-E5o27Rdi6SfGXfujlsV6cSaSOgG9RpGVxTUKmXtpMDvEKovyNFc3liyAQF26v2UnZGgQxPl9L_oSly9pQr3wTj6UviA1EsF32RU7prH149btAkNGZA/s1600/chadwick-girls.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeUkxRSlkxUvnggorUAQiEk5S-E5o27Rdi6SfGXfujlsV6cSaSOgG9RpGVxTUKmXtpMDvEKovyNFc3liyAQF26v2UnZGgQxPl9L_oSly9pQr3wTj6UviA1EsF32RU7prH149btAkNGZA/s320/chadwick-girls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667876046639902882" /></a>After we married and after we were told we had a fertility problem, we went through a very difficulty time where our faith was tested. We were challenged by well-meaning people about “invitro fertilization” and “why didn’t we try it, etc …”; however, we stuck by our Catholic beliefs and trusted that God would take care of us in some way. I even imagined a little Chinese “Mary Virginia” but for some reason I couldn’t quite place her face.<br /><br />My Daddy, your P.D., died in September 1995 after a long painful battle with cancer. He suffered a great deal for his family and offered all of it up for us. I asked him if he would speak with the “fertility” angel in heaven and see if he could do anything for your Daddy and me. He said he didn’t know how Heaven worked but that he would see what he could do.<br /><br />Finally, in February 1996, we made the decision to adopt an Indian “Mother Theresa” baby. Long story short - The day after we mailed the application off, we discovered we were pregnant. Oh and have I mentioned that same day was my Daddy, your P.D.’s, birthday! Isn’t God Great?<br /><br />As you are aware, my pregnancy was not an easy one. I firmly believe that I had to suffer for you and your sisters. I don’t know why. But some gifts come at a cost. I was not surprised, however, at the sonogram at 19 weeks that I was carrying a girl. Shocker! I knew you before you were born.<br /><br />As you are also aware, I developed high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia) and you and I almost died on the operating table during my emergency c-section. I will spare you the details but it was really close there for a while. Again, God is Great and very, very Good.<br /><br />You and I both went through a difficult time for a while afterwards. I didn’t even get to meet you for the first couple of days because we were both so sick. Finally, a nurse in the middle of the night rolled me down the hall after saying it was time to meet my daughter! How blessed your Daddy and I were to be surrounded by loving family during this difficult time. Meme and Aunt Gi-Gi were there the first night and then everyone else arrived. We were able to celebrate your Daddy’s birthday in the hospital the day after your birthday!<br /><br />It is also very nice having a priest in the family since Uncle Father Paul was able to give last rites twice to me, once before you were born and again after. Not to mention that you were baptized on your birthday! At first the Doctors told us you had heart problems, then intestinal problems, then breathing problems … Would the Hell ever stop? Eventually though, after 3 ½ weeks, we were able to bring you home on a heart monitor.<br /><br />How I remember that first night! First, we called the nurses at Northside Hospital because you wouldn’t stop crying (how embarrassing), then your heart monitor went off around 4:30 am and your Daddy jumped up in his underwear to run downstairs to confront the burglar he thought was breaking in the house. Ah, good times! Don’t worry – I won’t bring up your constipation problems! Love those glycerin suppositories!<br /><br />There was your first bath where you pooped in the tub. Or how our cat Soccer ate through your heart monitor during an ice storm and the hospital sent a courier in the storm with a new one. Baby Kate, blanket, Casa the Barbie, memories … Again good times!<br /><br />How proud your Daddy and I are of what a lovely young woman you are becoming! You have a confidence that I wish I had at that age. Always know that no matter what, we love you unconditionally. We may get angry with you or not approve of a decision you make but we will always love and support you. There is nothing you cannot tell us; however, know that your Aunt Gigi, Aunt Sharon, Uncle Father Paul or even Meme and Grandma are available to help soften the blow if necessary.<br /><br />I remember one of the nurses that took care of you when you were born saying not to worry about “premie” babies. They are tough! She is exactly right. What with our moves and changing schools so many times, you hold your head up and just charge straight in. You are kind and funny and giving (if you would just not fight with your sisters so much). By dancing with that shy boy at the Homecoming Dance this past weekend, you showed how confident you are in yourself and how aware you are that there are other people who need a little kindness. It is not hard to be nice, is it?<br /><br />I often think about P.D.’s promise to talk to the “fertility” angel in heaven and I catch myself getting sad that you didn’t get to meet P.D. – especially when playing volleyball which he loved to watch me play! But then I remind myself there were too many God-incidences that confirmed my Daddy’s intervention on our behalf. Let’s not forget you and P.D. both have that red birthmark on the back of your necks. Meme and I are convinced it was a kiss from your P.D. to you and to us to let us know that he has not missed a thing and that you met him in Heaven before you came down to us.<br /><br />As we close this letter, we are amazed that it has been 15 years ago that you were given to us! And we look forward to all of the years ahead. Keep making good prayerful decisions. We know that God has got quite a blessed life planned for you!<br /><br />We love you!<br /><br />Momma and Daddy<br />October 18, 2011Father Paul D. Williams, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115264199503536193noreply@blogger.com