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This Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost, the birth of Christ’s Church, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and confirmed them in the faith. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit graced them with the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Awe. These gifts enabled them to go out and preach the Gospel. To be effective in fulfilling Christ’s mission, they needed: Wisdom, to know and aspire for the things of eternal life Understanding of the Divine truths Counsel of the Holy Spirit, to know the ways of God, so that we may fulfill God’s plan Fortitude, to bear their own crosses and fate awaiting them Knowledge, to know God, as well as themselves; to grow in perfection and saintly ways Piety, to find honor in serving God Awe, to be filled with reverence for God Get Ready to Receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit We are just like that scraggly group of men who became the first leaders of Christ’s Church on earth.  Read more...

This month someone asked me, "Why do you Catholics pray to Mary?" I explained why we regard Mary as a mother and why the National Geographic once called her "the most powerful woman on earth."  At the Annunciation, when Mary conceived Jesus, she also conceived us in a sense. Jesus became our brother and his mother became ours. This was confirmed on Calvary when Jesus said to John (who represented us) "Behold your mother."  Mary was in the midst of the Church on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down on the first members (that's in the Bible)...and Mary has never left the Church. The Second Vatican Council gave her the title "Mother of the Church" and now some 2,000 years after she lived (!), a memorial Mass was proclaimed in honor of Mary, Mother of the Church, observed this year on May 21.  We pray to our Blessed Mother because she is an effective intercessor. Remember the Wedding at Cana? Jesus did not intend to begin his public mi

Every society, every culture has a tradition of a  scapegoat:  a person or group of people to blame and punish for the sins of that particular society. Centuries ago, old women were blamed for poor crops, cows which failed to produce milk and any birth defects. Less superstitious societies turned on each new group of immigrants to blame for their economic woes and rising crime rates. And, at the beginning of the spiritual life when we are confronted with our own sinfulness and those around us, we also tend to act just like scapegoats. Even if we live a devout, disciplined, ascetic lifestyle with a daily round of Mass, rosaries, Eucharistic Adoration and frequent confession, most of us still fall into this scapegoat trap as we try to become devoted disciples of Jesus. Suffering For Our Own Sins When we suffer in isolation for our own failings or act like a scapegoat who suffers as the result of others who sin against us, we like to think of ourselves as saintly martyrs, but

Fr Thomas Kilkenny (23 July 1922 - 7 May 2018) Fr Thomas Kilkenny was born in Lecarrow, Carrowbehy, Castlerea, County Roscommon, Ireland, on 23 July 1922. He was educated at Gorthaganny National School, County Roscommon, and Summerhill College, Sligo. He came to St Columban's, Dalgan Park, in September 1940 and was ordained priest in December 1946. Castlerea, County Roscommon   [ Wikipedia ] Father Tom was assigned to Japan in 1947 and apart from his vacations and a year or so working in Mindanao, Philippines, in the 1950s, he spent the next fifty-five years working there in a variety of pastoral assignments. His first assignment was to Oiso. This was followed by stints in Toshima, Tokyo, and a longer period in Katase, Kanagawa. Christ the King Church, Choshi   [ Source ] Then he spent time in two Chiba parishes, in Choshi and then in Tateyama. In Kumamoto he taught in the Marist High School and then worked for eight years in Tamana. After that t

In today’s Gospel from John, we hear Our Lord command us, once again, to “love one another” (John 15:17). Jesus gives this directive, yet He leaves it up to our own free will to choose to love one another, for love is a choice. Love wouldn’t be love, if it were not given and received freely, for love is a gift. In this directive from Jesus, He is asking us to be generous with one another; to forgive, to be merciful, caring and compassionate with one another. He is asking us to treat others as He treats each of us; with a heart full of unconditional love! And when we do so, we remain in His love. When we love one another as Jesus loves us, we give back to Jesus His love, because Christ lives within each of us. That is how we remain in His love. The “Love One Another” Challenge I challenge you today, to step out of your comfort zone, and express Christ’s love to someone. Give the gift of your love, and as a result, show your unconditional love for Jesus. For example: . ..Read

People, from infants to the elderly, thrive spiritually when they have enough free time to relax, create, and pray. We all need unscheduled time, time to be bored in a positive sense because boredom can the birthplace of authentic spirituality and creativity.  Self- obsessed business is often a superficial way of trying to obtain a sense of meaning and worth on our own, without God. When we refrain from distracting ourselves with what we think are important activities and embrace boring silence, we make ourselves available to hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit. God, then, has an opportunity to connect with us. Continue

Folks who saw virtue in unquestioning devotion to established values didn't like the 1960s. No institution, custom or belief seemed safe from scrutiny. Even the idea of progress — a cherished heirloom from the Age of Enlightenment — was challenged disputed, and ultimately rejected. Visions of a technotopia, where our greatest challenge was deciding how to spend our leisure time, were fading. Hopes for nuclear power's abundant clean energy were giving way to fears of an atomic holocaust and reactor meltdowns. Assuming that pollution didn't kill us first. ( July 28, 2017 ; February 17, 2017 ) Perhaps even more disturbing for social Luddites, the nation's youth seemed ill-suited for their assigned role as torchbearers for liberty, conformity and suburban living. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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'You will be my witnesses . . .' Sunday Reflections, The Ascension of the Lord, Year B The Ascension of Christ , Rembrandt  [ Web Gallery of Art ] The Ascension of the Lord, Year  B The Solemnity of the Ascension is celebrated on Ascension Thursday in England and Wales, in Scotland and in  parts of the USA .  In these regions the Ascenson is a holy day of obligation. In other countries, including Australia, Ireland, Philippines and parts of the USA, the solemnity is observed on the Sunday after Ascension Thursday. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Mark 16:15-20 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.  The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the

  Es mayo Señor, y la Iglesia que tu fundaste, le ha dedicado este mes a María.   Vengo ante ti, la Capilla está vacía y en este silencio y soledad encuentro el momento propicio para hablar un rato contigo... podemos hablar de muchas cosas.... y traigo en el alma tantas penas, tantas preocupaciones, tantos desvelos, todos encerrados en mi "pequeño mundo" pero no. Hoy no te voy a hablar de mi, tu me conoces, tu lo sabes todo, Señor... Hoy voy a hablar contigo de Ella, de tu Madre, de mi Madre, porque tu me la diste, me la entregaste desde la Cruz donde ya estabas a punto de morir. ver mas....  

Charity is known as the queen of all virtues. Therefore, it stands that the grace of Charity, bestowed upon us by God, is the fuel that propels us to do good, the glue that holds family and relationships together and the impetus for embracing all other virtue. We can do nothing truly good, without charity in our heart as the basis for action. Take for example this passage from Luke 21:1-4. When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.’ Where the wealthy give from their surplus, most likely to receive esteem from their peers, the poor widow gives everything she has, for the love of God. Her act was a true act of charity; whereas, the wealthy’s intentions make their act one that has

In doing research for my next book, I came across this fantastic site in France: the cathedral of Notre Dame in Amiens. Capable of encompassing 10,000 people, it is the largest cathedral in the country. The facade has numerous statues and sculptures, and the interior boasts of a labyrinth and thousands of wood carvings and paintings. The church has been called "the Bible of Amiens." Inside, 126 sky-high pillars support this immense structure built in the Middle Ages. Allegedly the skull of St. John the Baptist is kept there. It was discovered that at one time the statues that adorn the exterior were painted. Now in the evenings a polychrome light show illuminating these statues is presented. That is what you see in the video here. This is a far cry from the home churches where the Christians celebrated the Eucharist during the first three hundred years!   Click to continue

Today’s Gospel:  John 15:9-17  – 6th Sunday of Easter The Gospel for today is a concise description of our new, glorious life in Christ. The Christian life is an incredible life, mind-boggling if we really stop for a moment and allow the truth about it to sink in. Jesus loves us, mere mortals, with the same depth and intensity as the Father loved Him. continue

The grace of Hope that God bestows upon us, is not a hope for things of this world, but a hope in everlasting life. It is with the grace of Hope that we can place our trust in Christ and His promises. With Hope, we do not rely upon ourselves, but rather on the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Hope gives us aspirations, rather than desperations. With the grace of Hope, we aspire to be happy, even in times of trial. Especially during times of trial, we can find joy and hope, because of Christ and His promises of salvation. Hope gives us encouragement, rather than discouragement. With the Grace of Hope: We know that Christ is always with us, and He will never abandon us. Hope is a... Read more...

Some events and some experiences are so awesome that we find it difficult to capture them in words. The first Christians, for instance, found the Resurrection so utterly amazing that words failed them. Only the sun in all its splendour seemed an appropriate symbol to express the inexpressible world-shaking event that took place on the first Easter Day. That is why they called their holy day, the day of the sun or Sunday as a weekly reminder of this stupendous event. The sun not only reminded them of the love of God that filled Christ at  the moment of his Resurrection, but of that same infinite love,  as it was released to fill them on the first Pentecost day and on every subsequent day if they were open to receive it.  Read on.....

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Christ Blessing the Children , Nicolaes Maes  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 15:9-17 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition) Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you.  I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have c