Precious Blood Family arrived today and this article is found in the March-April Issue

God has willed to make us holy and to save us, not as individuals without any bond or link between us, but rather to make us into a people who might acknowledge and serve God in holiness.(1) We are called, not simply as individuals but as a people, to be sign and instrument(2) of the work of God in this world, not only in the past, in history, but also in this time and place. Before any other description of our basic attributes or qualities, the communal nature of the church is placed before us a basic presupposition.

For what purpose are we in the community? To cooperate with the great designs of divine Providence in the sanctification of ourselves and others; to be united in the bond of charity, and to imitate more closely the life of Jesus Christ. (3)

St. Gaspar would remind us often that the community should gather each month. He would make sure that we were not to work alone on a mission but to cooperate with others. This was to be the school of charity as it was in other communities, but Gaspar also saw the community as the bulwark against any assaults of the evil one.

He never thought of himself as working alone. He always thought of himself as part of a community. Bonnani, Albertini, Cristaldi, and others are always mentioned as being among his closest co-workers. (4) In telling the stories of the early missions and retreats one hears of several missionaries working together with brothers in service, and even selected laity. The effects or fruits of the mission were maintained by seeking out suitable people among the laity who could continue these associations that were begun by the mission. And in advising his missionaries, he would always remind us not to trust in our own thinking alone, but to work together with others for the common good. “Clinging to one's own opinions and rejecting the advice of others” was one of the things that Gaspar assigned to the “miserable condition” of us humans.

God has no need of people in his work; we are the ones who reap benefits from his Society. The Lord will multiply his gifts for those who remain and it will be sufficient that on our part we do what is required of us. In addition to that, through prayer, let us place it in God’s hands, and let us never cease to take counsel with one another as the opportunities arise. Let us surrender our own will in all things and we shall have died to ourselves. (5)

The scriptures themselves call us to a common life. This is not just the property of religious and clergy but something common to all the faithful who believed together and had all things in common.(6) We live the legacy of Gaspar in contrast to the self-reliance, self-assertion, self-expression and self-centeredness that is the hallmark of our age and central among our national values.

What a good fortune for us to live in community where the fulfillment of our sacred duties is, without doubt, facilitated in its execution, along with our individual association with an Institute which is promoting so much good work to the glory of the Lord! (7)

1) Lumen Gentium, p. 359
2) Lumen Gentium, art.9 par.2, p.360
3) Eleventh Circular Letter
4) "Historical Sketches of the C.PP.S.," Andrew Pollack, C.PP.S.
5) Letter 1638
6) Acts 2:42-47
7) Letter 1479

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Ahhhh....It is finished. It was a wonderful experience for me and the people were most affirming. The singing was inspiring and the choir is a real blessing. Thanks, Geri, for all your hard work. Diane was such a trooper with the kids and the children's presence each night was truly exciting for me. I will post some pictures soon.

Now it is on to Holy Week. May the blessings of the recent mission remain and continue to inspire. Thanks, God, for everything.

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Ok, it melted my heart. Can you imagine the emotion when a 10 year old says to you, "I just want to thank you for the best confession of my life."

Every mission brings its own joys. But this one ranks up there with the best.

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I was ordained in 1991. At that time a new sacramentary was on the horizon. I am in my 13th year of priesthood. The more I have studied the latin I know how poorly we have been served by our current sacramentary. Most egregious has been the prefaces, especially the seasonal ones. Some of the images of these prayers have made it into homilies, but sadly have not been supported by the text of the mass.

Not everyone will be happy with the new book, but I am sure that in many ways it will be a vast improvement. Maybe it will encourage more priests to pray the mass rather than preach it.

Interesting article.

One interesting text is the prayer after the "Our Father."

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that with the help of your mercy
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all disquiet
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I am not sure that "disquiet" is a word we use in common English, and it happens in a place where many priests have been tempted to change or explain the "anxiety" that we are trying to avoid. One hope I have is that there will be less temptation to over-psychologize the Mass.

It has been more than four years since the GIRM was released. It is about time we had a new book to use for prayer for the next generation. I am getting tired of waiting. Lent is one of those times where this wait becomes painful. I have Fr. Marvin Steffes' translations of the Lenten Prefaces. The differences are incredible and the images from the Latin prefaces and prayers are so much more inspirational and instructive.

God, help our Bishops to make a decision quickly and to get these prayers into our hands as soon as possible.

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at St. John the Baptist, Whiting Indiana. It was a wonderful night. The Parish Mission team is exceptional. Geri, an occasional commenter on this blog, is a wonderful music director. The Choir this morning was stunningly beautiful.

Prayers for the mission would be appreciated. Even with unrelenting rain we had a good crowd.

Y'all come to night two, Monday at 7:00pm

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The parish here in Whiting is undergoing some renovation. It is going to be beautiful when it is done. The picture is a detail from the arch over the sanctuary.

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An ancient tradition begun by St. Gaspar, a mission cross is erected in the churches where the mission is preached. The first mission listed in The Minster Mission Cross is 1854, obscured by the flash. The last one was 1991 before this one in 2004.

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I am home in Chicago, briefly. Tomorrow we start a new mission at St. John the Baptist Parish, Whiting, IN. There will be a team of preachers for this mission with Precious Blood Companion, Gerry Downs joining the team.

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Well, it was a delightful mission. I really do not want to leave. Here is a house where the missionaries pray the office together every day. What an inspiration! And the choir! This is an absolutely wonderful mens's schola, and they have a wonderful buliding to sing in. Amy, their director is very charming and a joy to work for. Jane, the Director of Adult Formation and her team are an inspiration to watch. The humor in the house, well. aside from a couple of good groaners it is fun to laugh, and this place smiles. Well, in the morning after Mass I have to pack the car and head back to Chicago. Just like Gilbert, AZ, I am a bit sad about leaving. The people were very affirming about the preaching. I wish I could cart them off to my new parish. May the church always have such faithful people.

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The Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of O’Fallon, Missouri, invite you to join them in prayer for their General Chapter, March 25 to 28 and June 25 to 30, 2004. At this Chapter the Sisters will come together to evaluate their life and mission, establish directions for their future and elect their leadership for the next six years. The Sisters are depending on your prayerful support as they seek to discern God’s grace at this time in their history.

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There is a neat little prayer to the Precious Blood over at Ever-New. It seems to be loosely based on the Precious Blood Chaplet.

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Parishioner at St. Augustine Parish called me this morning to pay me this compliment.

Listening to your homily last night was like trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant

The night before he said I hit another home run out of the park.

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Amen, Amen, Amen!

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Greetings on the Feast!

This really is the central mystery of our faith:

Two things:

1. Flesh and Blood

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. God is near, available, personal. We can have a relationship with the creator of the universe in the flesh, and whatever we do to flesh and blood we to to God.

2. The will of God

This is the most we can say of her. She heard the Word of God and put it into practice. Here am I, I come to do your will. When Jesus said " Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice," he was not diminishing Mary, but he was describing her. She is the first disciple. She is the one who responded first. This is what it means to have a devotion to Mary, we listen for God's Word, we fall in love with God's will, and we put it into practice, and then the Word of God becomes again, flesh and blood.

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Hmmm...I think he goes a little further than the rubrics do.

He says:

This is made clear by the rubrics which, in one form of the rite, describe how this cross may be progressively unveiled, showing first the top of the cross but not the face, then the right arm, and finally the entire body

I immediately consulted a sacramentary. The rubrics are not at all clear, they never use the word crucifix, they always use the word cross, they never refer to arm, face or body.

Is he looking at a different book?

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What to say....it's a wonderful mission. It was an inspirational evening. The music was stunning, and yes, I am exhausted. More later.

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The Minster Girls High School Team wins the Division IV Ohio State Championship.

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...amd what a day, too. What a great parish, and such neat people. What faith! What singing! The church was getting crowded. We figure conservatively that there was at least 500 people there. I love it when people hear things I do not say, but God tells them strongly to begin working on things. It is absolutely exciting to hear confessions at a mission. Sometimes, I am constantly amazed at how exciting, enriching, humbling, exhilarating it is to be a priest. Jesus is still multiplying the loaves.....

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This is really cool.

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8:00am Mass
10:00am Mass
11:30am Mass
1:00 High School Students
3:00 Married Couples and Engaged Couples
7:00 High School and Young Adults

Yep, just a little tired today, but a good kind of tired. This is a great parish.

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Greetings from Minster, Ohio.

This is the only second time I have preached a Lenten Mission in Ohio. The last time was was in Girard, OH back in 1992 at St. Rose of Lima Parish. The Saturday and Sunday of the Mission was conjoined with a celebration of the Boy's Basketball Team from Girard High School that won the State Championship on that Saturday night. Well it is happening again. The Minster High School Girl's Basketball Team won the Division IV State Championship last night, and the whole town is awash in celebration.

Well, it is Laetare Sunday, a time for joy, and that joy in Redemption is mixed with a joyful village proud of their Basketball team.

That must be the ticket. If you want your High School in Ohio to win a State Championship, just invite me to preach the parish mission. (grin)

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You are the Celtic Cross: This cross was first made
out of stone and is often found atop hills, in
front of castles and in graveyards throughout
Ireland and Scotland. The stone was carved with
various symbols including a circle or halo
(representing eternal life) and variations of
the celtic knot.

What Kind of Cross are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks to MaryH for the new quiz for Lent.

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This prayer was written by Ed Gleason, a Retrouvaille husband from San Francisco, California. Ed Gleason was also responsible for having Retrouvaille International name St. Joseph as the patron saint of Retrouvaille.

PRAYER TO ST JOSEPH
Based on Matthew 1:18-25

We ask your prayers, St. Joseph, an upright man, a spouse who planned to divorce Mary in secret and who by God's grace was able to see his role in God's plan. We ask you in our behalf to pray to God that our marriage be healed.

We are enveloped in pain and despair as you must have been when you learned of Mary's pregnancy. Be for and with us, Joseph, in our hour of doubt. Let us listen to and heed the voice of God as you did.

Be our intercessor to your Jesus, to give us the blessings to change, to listen, to forgive and most of all to hope that our marriage will heal and our family remain whole and holy.

We give you honor, quiet St. Joseph, for you are a spouse like us, who while knowing pain, did not divorce. By God's grace you nourished the Holy Family and the Savior of all families throughout the ages.

Amen.

Thanks to Dave & Maria Elena Byron, Oakland team couple and Interim San Francisco coordinators, and the couple who first introduced me to Retrouvaille, for forwarding this prayer.

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The Readings
2 Sam 7:4 5,12 14,16 , I will be a father to him, and he a son to me, the throne of David will endure forever.

Psalm 89, The Son of David will live forever

Rom 4:13,16 18, 22 , Abraham believed and became the father of many nations.

Matt 1:16, 18 21, 24, Joseph awoke from the dream and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

St. Gaspar
As for me, I am cheerful, tranquil and content, only because I am doing the will of God. I proclaim that I want to live and die with total abandonment to him. (1)

I adore the will of God (2)

Likewise I would like you to be assured of the will of God in regard to your vocation. Excessive fear causes agitation too, as one can readily imagine. Oh, my beloved friend, why become anxious as long as we are in the hands of God? Is he not a most loving Father? Does he not take care of us? Does he not dispose all things for our own good? He used Moses to humiliate Pharaoh and, in general, infirma eligit, ut fortia quaeque confundat.(3) When we use the 24 hours of the day for God, in the mystical bed of his will, we have done everything. This does not deny, however, the necessity of prayer and faith in God. (4)

"But how is Jesus to be imitated? Look at him for just a short while. As an example to us, he is obedient to Joseph and to Mary and lives in the humblest of homes. He is employed in manual labor, shows himself to be a model of silence and is withdrawn from the world, a benefactor to all." …Seek, then, to be of service to the Society and respect the will of the Creator in his creatures. No task is menial if it tends to glorify the Almighty. On the contrary, your work is similar to that of Jesus Christ who aided his foster father, St. Joseph. Purity of intention alone is necessary for you to properly regulate your interior and exterior actions. Realize, too, that a hidden and humble life is a special shield against vanity and human glory.(5)

I give thanks to God for the concern that you nourish in promoting the glories of the Divine Blood and I hope that abundant blessings will be your reward. Our Father Amici is putting the final touches on the little work on St. Joseph to be printed after having gathered together a good number of supporters, the printing will be undertaken. This great saint is the special protector of our death. People are interested in this devotion. (6)

Reflection
St. Joseph was a just man. He was faithful to the laws and customs, the ways of Israel. And yet he was also faithful to dreams, hopes and a vision of what God desires. More than being the patron of the Church, he is the patron of the hidden doing of God's will. In the silence of his sleep, we hear and see nothing. In his dreams he sees everything.

Imagine what his anxious moments must have been like. He desired to do what was right and just, but he also desired to do what was fair for Mary. Gaspar would have us look at our own anxious moments and know that just as Joseph was in the hands of God, so are we. Gaspar would encourage us to seek God's will with the same energy and devotion as Joseph.

Joseph challenges us to love the will of God and to trust the will of God with the same tangible faith. This faith would get us up from our sleep to follow a dream of God's way without fear or anxiousness.

•How do I show I love the will of God?
•What dreams have I failed to follow?
•In what ways could I follow God's will even as it goes against social values of my time?
•What makes me anxious?

NOTES
(1) from Letter No. 22 to Countess Virginia Malaspina Carocciolo, June 18, 1811
(2) from letter 873 to Mr Giovanni Franceso Palmucci, April 14, 1824
(3) see 1 Cor 1:27, God chose the weak…to shame the strong
(4) from letter 1101 to D. Domenico Silvestri, April 19, 1825
(5) From Third Circular Letter, 1829
(6) Letter 1786, July 31, 1828, Giovanni Francesco Palmucci

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It is time to start a parish mission, this one at St. Augustine Parish, Minster, OH

I have a mission preaching stole which includes embroidery of St. Gaspar, St. Maria de Mattias, and Fr. Francis de Sales Brunner. Fr. Brunner brought the Missionaries of the Precious Blood to America and established us here. He was once pastor of St. Augustine. We have been serving the parish continually since 1845.

St. Gaspar would often remind us that God's work is established through prayer. So, I want you to pray, not just for me, but for the parish and for the Mission. I will be there six days. Pray that my words will be what the Lord intends, and what the people need.

The focus of the mission will be the new and everlasting covenant established in the Blood of Jesus. Our starting point will be Isaiah 55:3, Listen that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits promised to David.

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It is not even Spring yet. We have Spring and Summer and a good chunk of Autumn before this is over. The Presidential Candidates are taking personal pot-shots at each other, and it is the issues that will suffer.

I think it is reasonable to change one's mind when new information or experience is available. This business of attacking someone for flip-flops is bogus on the face of it. It allows us not to discuss the issue.

All we will have then is a conflict between Bush's Flip Flops and Kerry's Flip Flops.

Also, I would encourage Catholic Bloggers out there not to become too closely defined by your identification with either candidate. Instead we should be identified with the respectful discussion of the issues and the search for truth. This election may turn into a schoolyard brawl. People who identify with Christ should try to do it differently.

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In letter 899, we find this passage:

I would like the Collect, to be added at the Mass, to be the one found at the end of the Missal along with all the other Collect: "pro petitione lacrymarum."(1) Also, after Vesper prayers, we would like to add the Litany of Loreto, and one Our Father in honor of St. Xavier, our protector. This has been our practice in other communities too. Following the manner that you judge to be best, you should direct the closing of all taverns during the time of the preaching so that everyone will be led to a contemplation of God. More when we see each other in person.

Notes
(1) For the request of tears

I find it somewhat affirming that St. Gaspar chose that particular Collect for the opening of a mission. In the new sacramentary there is apparently a new Mass called "For the Gift of Tears." The Bishops used that for their meeting in June of 2002. When I saw the approved translation, I copied it out and put it in my mission file. I found it quite useful for the first two nights when the topic is reconciliation.

Last night one of the seminarians joked that I would be long retired by the time we got a new sacramentary.

Opening Prayer
Almighty and most gentle God, who from a rock made flow
a fountain of living water
for your thirsting people,
draw now from the hardness of our hearts
tears of sorrow
that we may weep for our sins
and, by your continued mercy,
be made ready to accept their pardon.
We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ…

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What are people thinking and feeling about Liturgical Dance these days? One recent correspondent indicated she thought dance would eventually be approved for the liturgy.

Having been to the Vatican and participated in the opening liturgy for the Synod on Asia, I have witnessed movement that is integral to the liturgy. One moment that was exquisite was the offering of incense and flowers after the Eucharistic Prayer.

This is quite different from what I have seen in the US where Dance is a little performance somewhat separate and added on to the movement of the liturgy. Sometimes I have seen it done well, and sometimes it has been poorly performed and a distraction from the liturgy.

Our sense of reverence in movement, procession, gesture seems to be missing from our culture and I am wondering how it might be restored.

Movement should not call attention to itself. Movement that is focused on an offering of gifts to the altar or a presentation of flowers and incense, or a solemn procession for entrance and communion, should be done with care, reverence and beauty.

I would be interested in your thoughts and experience.

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It was a nice discovery to come upon letter 900. This being Lent, I am preaching 3 missions. I am really looking forward to the one in Ohio where the first Precious Blood Mission was preached in 1854.

I am sure the entrance to the mission will be much quieter. The sound of my voice will not be heard until Sunday in the Church. Saturday is a Day of Reflection that I will lead for parishionmers who are working on the parish mission team.

Take a look at letter 900 here and se how St. Gaspar describes the mission:

There is no one who does not know that a Mission is one of those extraordinary means of God's providence whereby our most loving Father seeks to call people back to repentance and to a sincere renewal. Such a period of time is referred to as the acceptable time during which the Divine Lord, in a special and most abundant way, pours out upon souls his heavenly blessings. And oh! happy are those people who, animated by these principles, become fully cognizant of its value!

The devil, the ever present enemy of good, does not cease, however, depicting that holy ministry as something exceedingly terrible and repulsive. From the reports given at Missions, one sees how great his efforts are. So, to escape the diabolical lies, one must prepare that first entry for the Mission in such a way that the people should realize that they are always to have their hearts filled with joy, for the merciful acts of the great God will be made manifest. How is it possible not to externalize in the most glorious and, at the same time, most moving way, that internal joy which is the fruit of religion and faith?
For that reason, at the gates of the city, and at the designated time which is set beforehand, the bishop, or his representative, should be there along with the clergy and the various confraternities in their uniforms. Perhaps, too, the Magistrate should participate in the function so that he can further encourage the people to learn just what a Mission means.

With the solemn ringing of the bells at that time, the gospel preachers will meet the people. They will immediately prostrate themselves before the bishop, or his representative, to receive the consignment of souls as the Director of the Mission accepts the Crucifix. after the Missionaries have then asked for a blessing at that moment, the Psalm Laudate pueri Dorninum is intoned and the people are to repeat after each verse: May the name of Jesus and Mary be ever praised, and the procession to the church selected for the Mission will begin. There, after a short adoration of the most Blessed Sacrament and a short prayer, the assistance of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the Veni Creator is sung. The Director of the Mission, having recited the prayer: Deus qui corda Fidelium etc., will then pay a short visit to the relic of the most holy Madonna which has at that time been placed on exposition, so as to entrust to the maternal heart of the most holy Mother, this apostolic ministry. After all this has been done, they proceed to the platform. The Director of the Mission will, in person, announce what will follow after the entrance.

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I won!!

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There has been a fair amount of discussion over at Fr. Bryce's blog about a painting he has dubbed Exterminatrix of Heresies.

I have posted this picture before. This is probably not a picture that you have seen too many places, nor is it often the way that we imagine or see the Blessed Virgin Mary portrayed in artwork. Having been to the birthplace of our congregation four times, and having spent one week there this past summer, this is a picture that I have grown to love and delight in. ?Fascinating? is the word that I use most often in my journal in describing this picture and its effect on me as I sit in its shadow and mediate on what it contains.

When St. Gaspar founded our congregation in 1815 he placed it under the protection of Mary, Help of Christians whose feast is celebrated each May 24. There is another image that we use under the title of Madonna of the Precious Blood, an image that St. Gaspar used in his mission travels. I have a banner with that image on it and it goes with me on my mission travels.

This image of Mary, Help on Christians hangs in the cloister of the Abbey of San Felice in Giano del Umbria. it was painted by Francesco Melanzio (1465-1530) and it originally hung in the left side of the upper sanctuary, probably when San Felice served as a Benedictine Monastery. (San Felice was given to us in 1815) You can see the monks portrayed hiding in the folds of her garment on the bottom left side of the painting. The look of fear on the major figure there is striking. The child Jesus, much like the child in Revelations 12, is caught away to safety. The devil has a sinister look on his face; he has a hold on the child?s clothing, not on the child himself. The Madonna with the club is the most fascinating feature. She never loses a look of gentleness and peace, but it is also a look of determination and strength.

I would be interested in your reflections on this painting.

Madonna del Soccorso, by Francesco Melanzio (Montefalco - c.1465-c. 1530)
Found in the left side Upper Sanctuary of the Abbey of San Felice, Giano. It now hangs in the Cloister. It was restored by Professor Giovanni Bartoloni in 1961

Fr. Bryce incorrectly states the painting hangs in a little church in Montefalco, Italy. It is possible it did at one time. According to the date in the upper right it was painted in 1494.

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Here is my next article for the magazine, Precious Blood Family

Gaspar's Mission

As sons and daughters of Gaspar we are to carry in our hearts a special devotion to the Word of God, and a desire to share it with the ends of the world. We belong to a community that dedicates itself to the service of the Church through the apostolic and missionary activity of the ministry of the word. (1) St. Gaspar and his missionaries were a source of continual renewal for the priests and the people, mainly by preaching missions and retreats. (2)

Gaspar encouraged the people to see the mission as a unique and extraordinary opportunity. We are subject to many voices each day and the mission was the one opportunity to pay attention to the voice of God. A Mission is one of those extraordinary means of God's providence whereby our most loving Father seeks to call people back to repentance and to a sincere renewal. Such a period of time is referred to as the acceptable time during which the Divine Lord, in a special and most abundant way, pours out upon souls his heavenly blessings. (3) The mission was the focus on the good, the intent of God, God's hopes and dreams for the individual and for the community.

The focus of his missionary activity was conversion, reconciliation and awakening from sleep. The social and political forces of Gaspar's time had left towns and villages in great disarray and upheaval. There were deep divisions, and life was marked by bloodshed and violence. Gaspar's crew of missionaries was armed with only the Word of God, but their presence was enough to awaken in the townspeople a longing for the peace and healing God desired. This is the time when God is calling out to you, that God is showing you the disillusion of earthly things and that they are nothing more than sheer vanity. How is it that we cannot be awakened from that profound sleep of death that oppresses us! How can we be so deaf to the many words of advice! Oh! The ineffable goodness of our loving God who, rather than hurling bolts of lightning toward us in righteous justice and condemning us to perdition, is rather moved with compassion toward each sinner. (4)

Gaspar had a profound sense that he was sent by God for this purpose. He could not shrink back from what he knew God desired. A weakness of spirit was an insult to God who had given everything. If the missionary focused on his own gifts he might fail, but knowing that it was God's work and that God would see it through any struggle or difficulty, the missionary could show the courage of a young David or Mary who were called by God and who prevailed in their weakness. This time, he is sending me to you my listeners. Weak, indeed, is the instrument that is being used, but I am consoled by the thought that his divine mercy will be evermore triumphant. The Lord was always accustomed to select weak subjects to do his work of bringing relief. (5)

We Missionaries, Adorers, Companions and members of Unio Sanguis Christi, we carry this vision of Gaspar as dangerous memory, knowing that each encounter is that significant moment Gaspar imagined, that each of us is called to the same awakening, and that even in our weakness we are sent with God's Word to the ends of the earth.

I wish you the faith of an Abraham who left all things for his God and with his actions demonstrated the interior truth of his sentiments. I wish you the courage of a David fighting Goliath, and, speaking of the New Testament, I wish you the constancy of the Apostles when they received the Holy Spirit. (6)

NOTES
(1) Normative texts
(2) Normative texts
(3) Letter 900, no date
(4) St. Gaspar, Spiritual Writings, Vol 1, Introduction to the Holy Missions, Volume 16, p. 458-459
(5) Ibid.
(6) St. Gaspar, Scritti, At the conclusion of a Mission, Volume 9, No. 61, pp. 208-209

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I remember with fondness my two trips to Ireland, in 1998 and in 2003. It is an absolutely beautiful country. This picture is one I took in 1998 in Carndonaugh.

St. Patrick, much like St. Gaspar, was formed by a period of captivity. It is beneficial to celebrate his feast in this Lenten time, not that we might get a dispensation from fasting so that we can indulge in our favorite Irish Stout, but that we might focus on the cross, and reflect on how the thorns and difficulties have formed us.

God, indeed, who brings things to maturity, requires us to be patient for his works are generated and cultivated through thorns, crosses, and all sorts of hardships that accompany a ministry of the primary and essential relationship in the Church of Jesus Christ.

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Occasionally there are feasts during Lent when the readings and prayers from the feast are used instead of that Lenten weekday. Two such feasts are approaching, St. Joseph and Annunciation.

Here are the latest additions to the Handbook for those feasts.

The Handbook can be found here.

Anybody out there using these Lenten reflections?

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Ok, RC fixed the text and colors along with a new banner. How is it looking to everyone now? Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

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I am really looking forward to being in parish life again. I will still be involved with Retrouvaille and with some retreat and mission work, but to a lesser degree. My provincial has assured me that he wants me to remain with Retrouvaille. I will continue serving as International Chaplain until January 1, 2006.

During the past three years I have done no baptisms, weddings or funerals. I have not been involved with RCIA or Adult Faith Formation, a ministry that I found very enriching. I have not been part of the activities of a Catholic School, been able to participate in children's faith formation or celebrate school masses. Parish missions gave me limited opportunities to be involved with parishioners on a regular basis.

I have enjoyed the travel, but I will still be a missionary in Parish life.

One of the great joys of being a priest is being involved with people at very important moments of their life. I look forward to being connected to them again. There are some challenges. It is a large parish, 5600 families. I will be presiding in Spanish, one mass every week.

I hope to enter the parish slowly, listening to people's stories and experiences before making any drastic changes. Fr. Jeff Finley, CPPS has been a wonderful pastor and many will surely miss him. Transitions are often difficult for parishioners. It is the Lord?s flock, and I hope to be a good servant.

I am familiar with the parish and have been there many times, and many people remember me.

In 1978, when I was a seminarian for the Diocese of Oakland, I was assigned to St. Edward in Newark for my pastoral year. I led a bible study, did hospital ministry, and this is where I preached on a Sunday morning for the first time. It was a Diocesan parish and Fr. Ricardo Chavez was the pastor.

In 1984, I was hired as Director of Music at St. Edward. I served until 1988. Fr. Marvin Steffes, C.PP.S. was the pastor. The choir is still an excellent choir under the direction of Mark Purcell. Many of the same people from the 80's are still singing in the choir.

In 2000, the pastor Fr. Jeffrey Finley, C.PP.S., invited me to preach the parish Lenten Mission.

In 2004, I return to St. Edward as Pastor.

1984

2004

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I am back in Chicago for a while. I leave for Ohio on Friday. Next up is a parish mission at St. Augustine, Minster, OH.

It is in the land of the cross-tipped Churches. The first Precious Blood Mission was preached there in 1854. We have been staffing the parish since before that. I am glad to be part of that long tradition.

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Yesterday it was announced at St. Edward Parish in Newark, CA that I have been appointed their new Pastor effective August 1, 2004.

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Well readership of the New Gasparian has more than doubled in the past few weeks. If you have not seen the Handbook for Heaven it is available here.

This is the latest edition, all the C Cycle Sundays are now included.

I am hoping to get this published for next Lent. So if you would like to be one of the original reviewers, all you have to do is promise to tell me if there are any typos, or if it can be improved in any way.

Thanks to Precious Blood Companions Maureen and Peggy who have been the biggest support and encouragement along the way.

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Please keep in your prayers the couples attending Retrouvaille this weekend:

I leave in the morning for Tampa, FL. The computer stays at home. I will be back on Monday. Prayers appreciated.

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Here is the selection for the Handbook for the Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle C. I do believe I have the project finished now.

If you are reading the book, please let me know if there is anything difficult or unclear. Also let me know if there are typos.

Guess what? I sent it off to a publisher today.

Click below for the meditation.

Third Sunday of Lent (C)

The Readings
Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15, Moses and the burning bush
Ps 103, The Lord is kind and merciful.
I Cor 10:1-6, 10-12, They drank from a spiritual rock, and the rock was Christ.
Lk 13:1-9, If you do not repent, you will perish.

St. Gaspar
"Oh how few people know how to suffer! A bundle of wood tidily arranged and carefully piled together is carried with ease, while that same amount of wood, arranged haphazardly or loosely tied together here and there, is carried with difficulty, and is pulled along with twice as much pain. The same can be said about Crosses etc."

"A man who has no Crosses - Oh! In how many dangers does he not find himself! What does God do? He permits calumnies etc. etc. The humbled man looks more deeply into his own nothingness etc. In the delight of his courtly life, David sinned etc. But later, with God permitting, Absalom rebelled against him and David then exclaimed: It was good for me to be humbled,? (Psalm 119:71)

"Tell me, oh Christians: does the press harm the grapes? Not really. Even though it crushes the grapes, it nevertheless dissolves them into a very sweet wine. Tell me: does the file harm the metal? Not really. Even though it roughly scrapes it, it makes it shinier. Does fire harm gold? Not really, for even though it burns it and attacks it, it nevertheless cleanses it etc. Look there at that wood destined for the fire; an artist sees it, he is attracted to it, and with his own instruments, he shapes it and converts it into a work that is worthy of admiration. So, if I were to question the wood to see whether it would have been happier etc?. (From St Gaspar, Scritti, Reform 5., Volume 7, No. 13, p. 34-36)

Reflection
Politics can be pretty passionate, and often unreasonable. Often for peaceful purposes we do not discuss politics with people who may disagree with us. You can almost imagine the tone of voice of the partisans who confront Jesus in today?s gospel: ?Did you hear? Wasn?t that awful? What a tragedy! What are you going to do??

Often we hold misconceptions of God as a passionate partisan for whatever cause we hold, as if God is only a God of justice, righteousness and vengeance.

Jesus does not ask them to submit to Pilate. He does not require them to acquiesce to Roman oppression. But he has a deep concern for the people in front of him who will destroy themselves and all around them if they do not look first at their own heart. Evil forces are at work in them, too, Pilate, or no Pilate, they must change or be destroyed by these forces. Often those who fight for a just cause will assume that the struggle for justice will make them righteous. It is not possible to be righteous by pointing out the wrongs in others. For Jesus, that would be avoiding the real issue, the soil of each heart that longs for growth.

The God that is revealed here is not a General that takes sides and established justice through the exercise of power. No, God is revealed as a patient gardener looking for fruit. He is willing to do some hoeing and weeding, willing to provide the nutrients, willing to be patient for the growth. St. Gaspar encourages us to let God till the soil and crush the grapes, and to see in our struggle and crosses the true path to justice and peace.

------ What are we doing to allow the Lord to till the soil of our hearts?
------ What changes to we need to make in our demands of God?
------ What is the growth we are looking forward to in our own life?

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I offer this excerpt from St. Gaspar's letter 43 for your Lenten meditation today. It is helpful to remember that this letter was written while he was imprisoned by Napoleon. In this letter he give us three means by which we might revive our faith in the presence of God:

This matter of our advancement in perfection surely does not consist in doing great things, but rather in fulfilling the will of the Lord and becoming sanctified along the path through which he is pleased to lead us. So, what is most important to our being successful in this great undertaking is the exact execution of those ordinary and common daily actions which God wants us to do in the state of life in which he, in his loving kindness, has placed us. In my opinion, this constitutes the very essence of a holy and virtuous life. Upon this does advancement in goodness depend; upon this the more copious bestowal of God's blessings. A fortress that is under constant attack needs to be kept well-armed with the necessary means so as to be able to offset the enemy's strength. A soul that is always engaged in warfare against the powers of hell must never be left unguarded, but rather be continually on the defensive so as always to sing the song of victory. Let us pause briefly to consider this idea and, since the necessity for our leading a methodical and virtuous life is very evident, let us now recall those means that are conducive to achieving it with perfection and in concordance with God's good pleasure.

The first of the means suggested by the saints as a most effective way to attain the desired result is to revive our faith in the presence of God. Seneca said that any person who desires to be virtuous and to do things well must imagine that he has before him a person whom he greatly venerates. Perhaps this would be enough for doing things well, but, how much more efficacious would that means be if we walked in the presence of God? Especially is this true since this is not a mere imagining as Seneca asserts but an unshakeable teaching of our faith. And oh what a great consolation it is for us to reflect that no matter where we may be, we are with God. This is the same thing as saying that we are with our one and only Good, with the object of our delights, with the only one who can satisfy our heart's desires. My God and all. The saints, meditating on this, were not able to hold back their tears and, overwhelmed with joy, they never ceased to bless and praise the all-merciful God. So, when dwelling on the words: It is necessary to pray always and not to grow weary, they were wont to say that the person who is engaged in doing good works is one who is praying at all times. St. Augustine, commenting on the words of the Psalmist: All day your praise says: Do you want a way in which you can spend the entire day praising God? Whatever you do, do it well, and you will have praised God. Thus, if a servant makes the effort of showing his master that he is diligent in serving him, in pleasing him, in demonstrating his abilities, this is already a strong plea for greater affection, greater favors, and greater rewards from his master. We follow the same argumentation when speaking of our own spiritual conduct: let us imitate the faithful servant. We must remember that our heavenly master is watching us at all times and knows very well how to reward one who is deserving of it: Those who keep the law multiply prayer. (Eccl 35); A saving sacrifice is to observe the commandments, and to depart from every iniquity. and again, I shall no longer call you servants but friends. The Lord wants us to serve him perfectly, not only because he is present to us as master, but also because he is present to us as friend. He expects from us definite proof of our true love of him. Finally, he is present to us as father and wishes us to love him with filial love: Son, offer me your heart, behold my heart.What a difference there is (generally speaking) in the love of a servant, the love of a friend and the love for one's child. Oh what thoughts are these that re-animate our spirits in such a way that they are to be completely inflamed by the exercise of that beautiful virtue of charity! What an anticipated heaven do we not experience in being intent on working for the greater glory of God. What unspeakable joy! What a calming peace! My God and all ... my eyes always on the Lord.

The second means for doing well the deeds and work of our state in life is to do each thing as though it were the only thing left for us to do. The devil, implacable enemy of our advancement and our eternal salvation, though unsuccessful in getting us to fall into sin, is nevertheless clever enough to get us to be languid in the practice of virtue, supplying us with a thousand different distractions and disturbances. Therefore, let us avoid those diabolical subtleties and deal with our infernal enemy with great courage. Let us always keep etched in our minds that beautiful principle of Fr. Avila. "When a thought suddenly comes to your mind at the wrong time, simply say: My Lord does not order me in any way with regard to this, and so I need not think about it; when my Lord does command it, then I will consider it". In that way, we will remain firm in our decision.

The third means is found in those beautiful words of St. Bernard: In all your work say to yourself: if you were about to die this moment, would you do that? What a great counsellor is the thought of death.

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Ok, I am willing to try anything now. testing, testing....

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