DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY & Beatification of Blessed John Paul 2

This is the homily from our Associate Pastor of our Parish for this day of Divine Mercy Sunday and reflections from the Gospel of today.
Jesus finds the apostles in 'hiding',immobilized by the terrible realization of the death of their beloved leader.They may be thinking that they are next. The disciples feel that their world is out of control. Everything seems lost, confused,mixed up,but Jesus assures them that such is not the case as he appears and says PEACE BE WITH YOU. In fact, he is there to offer them the gift of deep and unshakable confidence. In spite of dire appearances, all is well. Though all seemed lost on the cross, there is a hope in the Resurrection, and he invites them to TRUST.
And Jesus gives them an avenue to that trust, because he entrusts the apostles with a sacred mystery. That ministry is reconciliation. Look at the Gospel. Jesus breathes on the apostles. In the Scripture. where else does God breathe? At creation,he breathes into the nostrils of man, giving life. And now, he breathes again, telling them, "receive the Holy Spirit,whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven, and whose sins you retain they are retained." HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS! ONE OF FEW REFERENCES TO GOD OR JESUS BREATHING ON PEOPLE,AND IT IS IN THE CONTEXT OF FORGIVENESS. The apostles here are given the power and authority to forgive sins. And from that forgiveness comes healing.
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is on this day that we ponder the mercy, the forgiveness,the compassion of our God. On this Sunday, we remember the compassion of Our Lord for us through the writings of St. Faustina Maria Kowalska, a Polish nun, 1905-1938, and canonized on April 30,2000 by Pope John Paul 2. St. Faustina received visions of Our Lord, who proclaimed his mercy for his people. She wrote her communication with him down in a diary,and it is published worldwide for all to read.
We ponder his presence with us in a world where we feel lost, confused, or chaotic. Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be very special day when "all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened".
About the feastday "Divine Mercy Sunday", Jesus said "..tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet...Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy".
Our Lord said "to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon you soul.." and "every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul".
As we celebrate the Resurrection today, we are confident in the mercy of God. It is His mercy and grace which will see us through this life when, like the apostles, we feel that everything is mixed up and chaotic. It is His mercy that will strengthen us and give us PEACE. As we celebrate the Resurrection, I pray that through the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we might know the hope and trust that Our Lord calls us to, and receive his comfort and peace in our hearts. Jesus, I trust in you.
May each of us strive to put our complete trust and our hope in the resurrection of Our Lord,so that we might be filled with hope, peace, and joy.


1905-1938 AD

Feast: October 5


"Pure love ... knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love - love, and always love."
- Diary of St. Faustina, 140



“Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you.
As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy.” - Diary of St. Faustina, 1488

Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols

The service tonight was spectacular, presented by the University students, Franciscan Universtiy. I have attended this service, but I think this was one quite moving, flawless singing and organ accompaniment, and timely in this First Week of Advent. I was presented by the Schola Cantorum Franciscana & the Franciscan University Chorale.
The carols sung at the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols,and througout the subsequent liturgical seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, have deep roots in the tradition of Christian worship. By the beginning of the 15th Century, carol-singing had become an intregral element of seasonal worship, particulary in Britain.
Though carols, indeed the celebration of Christmas itself, were banned in England by the Puritan regime of Oliver Cromwell during the 17th century, they were preserved and augmented in the New World, and eventually restored as a beloved tradition in Britain.
While the terms "carol" and "hymn" may overlap, the two genres are, in fact, different. Hymn texts tend to didacaticism; while the purpose of the carol - one that stems from its medieval analogue, the mystery play - is a narrative. For unlettered folk of the Middle Ages, the carol, like a stained glass panel or a fresco tableau, depicted the momentous event of Christ's Incarnation. And, in the honor of the saint who may be called the father of the Christian ode to joy, St. Francis of Assisi, the nature of most carols in both "hilarious" (joyous) adn reverential.
Centuries ago, carol-singing celebrated several seasons of the Church year. The custom has come, however, to be associated with the seasons fo Advent and Christmas.

The Festival of Lessons and Carols was developed as a non-liturgical service for Christmas by the rector of England's Truro Cathedral in the 19th century.
The service became wide spread when it transferred to King's College, Cambridge, England, where its annual performance is broadcast around the world.
The service's popularity has also led to the an adaptation for Advent, which, given that Franciscan University students are away during Christmas, is what we celebrate each year at the University. It has come to be a tradition to present this Festival before the end of the semester and final exams. God Bless the directors and students for the great effort in their performance.
(text from the program )

Nine Days That Changed the World

Last evening at 7:00pm,I attended a new film about Pope John Paul II and his nine-day pilgrimage to Poland in 1979 that led to the fall of Communism in Europe. The screening was free and open to the public at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, Ohio. The film was produced by Newt Gingrich and his wife, Callista. They introduced the film and explained what led them to produce this 94-minute documentary that traces the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Poland the year after his election to the pontificate.
The ramifications of the pope's visit to his homeland were enormous, and the film convincingly shows that those few days in Poland set in motion the series of events that played a pivotal role in overthrowing Communist rule in Europe. Newt Gingrich, who converted to Catholicism in 2009 due to his wife's witness and an encounter with Pope Benedict XVI, presents the story of an extraordinary example of "freedom through faith."
Callista Gringich has stated " We really do try to echo Pope John Paul's message that no state government can come between you and God. And that our only freedom, our true freedom, can only be achieved and sustained through our faith."
The film used never-before-seen film footage of the Pope's visit. The Communist authorities were fearful of the impact of the pope's visit to Poland, snd so they did everything to minimize its effect. The Gringriches discovered that the Polish bishops, not trusting the Communist authoriies, gave video cameras to people in the crowd. telling them to record the event. The footage was made part of the Polish National Radio.
The movie was inspired in part due to the recent media negative coverage of the Church.
Newt Gringrich, well aware of how scandal can obscure great achievements, decided to highlight one of the greatest lasting contributions of Pope John Paul II.
The movie is produced by Citizens United ( a group active in promoting the Traditional American values.)
To schedule a screening, for more information, or to order the DVD, see the web site:
www.ninedaysthatchangedtheworld.com

Discernment of Vocations - 3rd Day of Hermitage

Saturday is set aside by the Church for Our Lady, to honor her and Hail her as Mother of us all, in the New Covenant. The Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Monastery(Toronto, Ohio) was celebrated by a young priest who spoke in his homily of his discernment to Priesthood and answer to that call.
His homily was timely, as the Franciscan Sisters of Our Sorrowful Mother of Penance, were holding a Discernment weekend for young women visiting the Order to help decide if Our Lord is calling them to religious life.
Mary's FIAT, Father's fiat, and my own fiat, a call from Jesus to live in deeper union is always present. To turn from our sins,to seek & follow the Lord, where He may call us to live & serve, to deeper and abiding prayer and penance. We have always the model of Our Lady to say YES, and when one says 'Yes', God will give us His Love, Peace, and Joy.
Included in the intercessions of today, I pray for a young man TA, who is discerning Priesthod. experienced a new Joy in my heart to hear this priest share, knowing that God is answering the collective Prayers of the Church for Vocations to the Priesthood.

St. Camilla Battista

I recently visited Italy while on pilgrimage, and met the Poor Clare Sisters of Camerino, Italy which is about 30 minutes from Assisi, Italy. I rejoice with them today for their foundress, St. Camilla Battista Varano was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square.
Saint Camilla Battista - her story from writings of Bret Thoman sfo, the Pilgrimage Tour manager of St.Francis Pilgrimages of Peachtree, Georgia and a good Franciscan brother to me.
Camilla was the name given to the girl born (illegitimately) on April 9, 1458 to Giulio Cesare of Varano, the powerful duke and lord of Camerino. Just the same, she was loved by the duke's wife who raised her together with her own children. As a child, she was vivacious and playful. She grew up immersed in the high culture typical of the splendid Renaissance court: she was exposed to poets, historians, philosophers, and painters; she learned Latin and read the classics; she learned how to dance, paint, and play musical instruments. Her future was destined to an arranged marriage to strengthen the family dynasty, but when Camilla was eight years old, her life took an unexpected turn.

A Franciscan friar preached a sermon during Lent exhorting his listeners to shed a little tear on Good Friday in memory of Christ's Passion. An enthusiastic little girl, Camilla vowed to shed a tear every Friday, a devotion she maintained for many years. By doing so, the Holy Spirit entered her soul and she began to perceive something in the Cross of Jesus much more valuable than the worldly pleasures and intrigues around her. She later discovered a booklet with a meditation on the Passion of Christ. She prayed and meditated, fasted frequently, mortified her body, confessed often, and met friars for spiritual direction.

The following is information about the Poor Clares in the U.S.A. (taken from a website of the Poor Clares in Ohio, USA

The Franciscan Family
Our origins date back to the 13th century, to the Franciscan movement initiated by St. Francis and St. Clare in Assisi, Italy. This movement which, in the beginning, was simply to live faithfully the gospel of Jesus Christ in brotherhood and sisterhood, eventually became the three Franciscan Orders: the Friars Minor, the Poor Sisters (Poor Clares), and the Secular Franciscans.
Our Holy Mother St. Clare
St. Clare was a noble woman of the Italian town of Assisi at the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th centuries. Known from her youth as a devout girl, Clare was touched to the heart by the preaching of her contemporary St. Francis of Assisi. On the night after Palm Sunday in 1212, Clare left her family home and followed Francis in giving herself to living a poor, simple, Gospel life at the little church of San Damiano on the outskirts of Assisi. Although her family was initially furious with her decision, many young women followed Clare's example within a short time, including a number of members of her own family.

Our Community
The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration is one of the several branches of the Order of St. Clare. It was begun in France in 1854 by Marie Claire Bouillevaux in response to her call to contemplation and adoration of the Eucharist in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving.

This community, first known as the Franciscan Nuns of the Blessed Sacrament, adopted the contemplative way of life, and were given the privilege of solemn exposition of the Eucharist.

In 1921, the first American foundation was established in Cleveland, Ohio. Several other monasteries have since been established in this country and in India.

Devotion to Christ in the Eucharist is and always has been the central element in the Franciscan family. For the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, this devotion is expressed in a particular way through adoration of the exposed Eucharist. This is a special aspect of our effort to live out our call to offer praise and thanksgiving to God with and through Jesus on behalf of all people throughout the world.

September 1st - Arrival in Rome, Italy

Wednesday, after an overnight flight on Delta #168 from JFK airport New York city, and my point of origin - Pittsburgh, PA. We landed at Leonardo Da Vinci airport in Rome, Itay. The flight was smooth but late leaving by 1.5 hours from New York on a Tuesday evening.
I met a number of American-born women married to Italian/American men who were travelling to Rome, Italy and small villages & towns of their husband's ancestral homes. The women were trying to be somewhat fluent in Italian, while the men held little or no interest in learning their native language. Many had been to Italy before, while for others it was their first trip.

The next step in entering a foreign country is always and especially Italy is the maneuvering through the Immigration agents. At this time, with the arrival 2-3 flights of people (400-500) were trying to get through all at the same time to three Italian Immigration agents at their booths. Lines formed on all sides of the room, there are no guideposts, there was nor order, it was a free for all. But some left quickly as they read the above lighted sign which said "Members of the Common European Union" glad I figured that out in Italian, so the frustrated Americans became somewhat cooler as myself as it appeared a large portion of the crowd was 'line-jumping.' oops!
While standing in line, I met a young family from upstate New York who were travelling compliments of the "Make-a-Wish" Foundation, they were going to be in Rome Italy for a week. I did not inquire about who was experiencing some illness, that could be terminal. This was their first time to Italy,and had some questions that were difficult to answer and give instructions all within 20 minutes while sharing the long line. They were going to be met at the terminal by a guide to get to their hotel and be given some basic facts to survive the city,etc.
I have stayed at a small Bed&Breakfast in Ostia-Antica,a family run business. It is in the ancient of the Port city of early Roman times, there ruins as comparable to Pompeii.I was given instructions to take a COTRAL bus to Lido, and then take the Metro subway 2 stops to Ostia station, to arrive at the Bed&Breakfast. Attempting to carify instructions with the concierge & some waiting passengers (all in my minimal Italain), who gave me too much false information, including there are no buses to Lido, only taxis. I was carrying my printed E-mail instructions from the B&B and I proceeded to follow them to the letter and safely arrived after a fast bus &subway system through the town of Fiumicino. The next feat is to climb & drag your luggage over the blue-metal pedestrian overpass to the B&B which by the way is only 200 metres over the Autostada. At this point it is nearly 1:00pm, I am tired, hungry and very thirsty.
I paused at the Bar/Restaurant at the entrance of the station. I recalled the young owner was named David, with Italian/Australian parents. I now inquired in Italian about David the now former owner. I learned from Alex, a tall Romanian young man, that David is now an owner of a Pizzeria outside of Ostia-Antica.
So I settled at the food bar for a cold ice tea & a hot cheese,Salami Pannini,and to polish it off I bought a Gelato with whipped cream & pistachio nuts on top. I love Italian foods. I love being in Italy. With food for the journey,I made my way over the bridge, and got settled at my B&B. In the evening, I spent time with the owners' son who speaks English, while I am trying to make conversation in Italian, he is indulging me in English. (smiles). tb continued.

September 2010 - 2nd day in Italy
Thursday - awakened @ 6am by a rooster next door to the bed & breakfast, but I fell back to sleep until 8 am. After some breakfast (prima collazione)I walked over to the Post Office to mail some postcards.
I took some light lunch of a soft Italian bun with some cheese, followed by a nice pear.
Then visited the Castle there which was built to protect Pope Julius. This was a free tour, and I was able to converse with the Italian female curator. Met and chatted with a German couple, who knew 'little' Italian.
I visited the Ostia Ruins, and was impressed with remains of site. I met another couple from the USA at the ruins. I took a snack of biscotti and water at the Cafeteria and bought two small 2011 Calendars.
I attended the Messe(Mass) @1800 hrs.in the local parish,it was the 1st day of Our Lady of Good Counsel festival.The priest was Father Neil, a Phillipino, who spoke fluent Italian. He as been the priest there for 20yrs.
After a dinner at the Barco Restaurant, which was Veal Scallopini, salad and wine, I returned to the Bed & Breakfast to chat with Mauro & Anna. I was able to use the computer of the house too.

Friday September 4, 2010
I slept 12 hours. After breakfast, I left Ostia-Antica by Subway/Train for the Basilica of St. Paul outside of the Wall. While getting off the Escalator and managing my luggage, I fell at the bottom of this fast moving device and received a wound to my left Elbow. Thank goodness for packaging a small First-Aid kit, that I was carrying in the Tourist shoulder bag. OUCH. I recalled minor cuts on arrival to Rome last time and then having to search a Mercato (grocery store) near my hotel to find Band-Aids and the language barrier. Moral of the story: pack a small First_Aid kit.

Well, I finally got to the Basilica which is not far from the subway and little walking.I wanted to visit this Basilica as the last time I was in Rome I did not make to it. After a great tour of the Basilica and staying to pray for awhile, I arrived at the Termini about 4pm. I called Alexius, a gentleman from a the English-speaking Charismatic Prayer Group in Rome, to confirm the 4pm prayer meeting on Sunday.

I bought an Italian Phone card, which took some time to locate a vendor selling them in the Termini station,this was another small time consuming frustrating event. After settling into my Hotel Salus, near the Termini, i returned to eat Dinner in the Termini. After this, I bought a Train ticket for Assisi to depart Rome in the morning.

I called my Wife back in the USA on a credit card to let her know of my safe landing,only to learn back home in the USA, this can be costly. I was not given the 7am wake up call for the morning, thus I hurried to the station without any fluids or breakfast, and missed the morning Train to Assisi, due the fact I read the Platform instructions incorrectly.

Well, at least I was not alone in this new venture, because I met a Muslim man, who spoke great English, but not a word of Italian, together we walked back from the long East side platform to the ticket office, to revamp our tickets and get information about the next train to Assisi. This man has studied Law at a university in the state of Washington, and was proceeding onto the University of Perugia the next city to Assisi, his plans are to study International law until the Spring of 2011, and then return to his native country to teach at a university. He was in is 40's,married and with 4 children, living in a family compound in his country of Afghanistan.
Over the next 2 hours, we spent time talking about Muslim tensions with the USA, his Muslim faith, and answering his many questions about Christianity. We finally got our train to Assisi, and sat together only to further our discussions. He pulled out a letter in English with instructions for him on his arrival to Perugia, with some assistance from an Italian teenager , who sat across from us on the train, I engaged him in Italian to be his "guida" (guide) at the stations in Perugia and assist him on arrival to Perugia.
We parted at Foligno as I had to change trains for Assisi. My missed train was to be a fast train, having misse it, I was delayed for an earlier arrival to Assisi, to meet my Tour operator there and begin the 8-day Franciscan Contemplative Hermitage trip in and around Assisi. I did arrive about 3pm in Assisi.
On the next train I met a young couple from Oregon, Jessi and Sarah, and David and Janet from Dallas, Texas who were traveling Europe

8-Day Contemplative Pilgrimage to Franciscan Hermitages around Assisi, Italy

This pilgrimage was born in my heart last Sept. 2009, the orginal pilgrimage plan was to attend a meeting in Jerusalem sponsored by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office in Rome. The conferenece was changed to Assisi, Italy for unknown reasons. I wanted to visit the Holy Land.But I guess that is for another time in my life. But even though I had been to Assisi 4 years previously, I felt like I was being called and invited by St. Francis himself to make this Contemplative Pilgrimage to the Franciscan Hermitages around Assisi and environs plus the timing was right- September can be a month when Italy is winding down from hot summers and the weather becomes more moderate. It did prove to be just that. It was sunny and bright with temperatures in the upper 80's with nice soft breezes in the daytime. The whole trip of 22 days was marred by a couple of days of rain (including one large thunderstorm with lots of rain).

I should mention that this tour company was pointed out to me by a common friend. As I explored the StFrancisPilgrimages website and started a Google Chat with the owner. I discovered a nice fit, and also, that he is a Secular Franciscan and that our paths have the same curves/directions.

This pilgrimage to Francicsan hermitages in Italy came after a year of spending 3 consecutive days a month in prayer,silence and seeking solitude at some small Franciscan hermitages owned by the Franciscan Sisters in my area (actually a 7 mile drive). I have been answering a "call" to live 'Desert Spirituality' in Franciscan forms, listening and sharing with my Franciscan spiritual director.

I believe this contemplative side of me has been 'marinading' there for years, and now with retirement and consent of my spouse, I can experience this stage of my life and a deeper union with God.