The last few weeks have been dedicated to opening school, opening Adult Faith Formation, Opening Children's Faith Formation, and opening confirmation classes. The energy needed for Autumn is extraordinary.

Probably the one place that is the biggest trial here is First Communion. We have nine first communion celebrations in the spring, and in the past they have been like the spring gathering of the pagan hoarde. Many people in church behaved as if they were coming to a sporting event, and in some cases there was the question of whether the child was adequately prepared.

This year I decided that I needed to make some serious demands of the parents in the formation of their child. I am blessed with an excellent DRE and School principal who are supportive of my efforts. We cannot really make demands of the parents without offering them the resources. So this year we had the Daughters of St. Paul come by for a Sunday and set up their book store in our Faith Formation Office. They came back again for the meeting of First Communion parents and offered a great deal of Catholic Resources for parents and children.

We also gave a free copy of Catholic Truths for our Children to each family. We may actually build our First Year First Communion Program around that book. It is an absolutely stunning book and just what we needed for our Parents.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 10:44 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Our Daily rag ran another article on the Pope and Islam, again laying the blame on the pope, and crediting the liberal wing of Catholicism with speaking this blame.

A better look would be in a WSJ editorial forwarded to me by my famous Roman connection. I see that Gerard at Closed Cafeteri also has a link to it, so I will send you there.

Here is the link.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 1:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I support Pope Benedict 100% and do not think he needed to apologize.

The Press needs to apologize.

Cast your vote here.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 3:00 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

There really is too much to fathom in a short read. It is a delight to see so much thought put into our faith. For the latest Catholic Carnival, go here.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The New York Times will condemn this kind of speech, but they will not condemn this.

Actually, our biggest enemy is ignorance.

The popes speech was a pretty dense, academic speech, it was addressed to scientists, and it condemned violence. Let me get this straight.... The New York Times wants the pope to apologize for condemning violence?

via amy

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 10:18 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Wow, I had no idea. It is my favorite herb and I have tons of it in my garden. My DRE is going to love this.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 4:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Today is the fifth anniversary of this memorable statement.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 4:12 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Here is my article on St. John Chrysostom

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Homily for tonight's solemn Requiem Mass:

The Readings and prayers were taken from the Mass In Time of War or Civil Disturbance.

Readings:
Micah 4:1-4 (lectionary 897-2)
Psalm 72 (899-1)
Gal 5:17-26 (898-1)
Alleluia (900-1)
Matthew 5: 20-24 (901-1)

Prelude: God of our Fathers, America the Beautiful
Introit: Requiem Aeternam
Kyrie, Mass XVIII-B ad missam pro defunctus
Psalm 72, Alstott
Alleluia, Mode VI
Offertory: Pie Jesu, Faure
Sanctus, Mass XVIII
Mortem Tuam, chant
Agnus Dei, Mass XVIII
Communio: Lux Aeterna
Anthem: "I Heard a Voice from Heaven" Sir John Goss (1800-1880)
In Paradisum, Mode VII
Postlude: In Paradisum, Theodore Dubois

9/11 is a word or phrase that conjures up many images. There are few people in this country who, because of the power of news media and constantly re-played video images, have not seen these planes appearing with such force out of a calm cool morning to wreak violence and destruction on unsuspecting thousands. There are few who have not seen and witnessed the images of those mighty buildings, suddenly and so horribly dissolving in a cloud of dust.

So many lives were irretrievably altered in one moment.

Millions were affected.

“Husbands and wives lost their spouses. Children lost their mothers and fathers. The grief provoked by such a horrific event cannot be measured. It never really goes away. Five years after the events of September 11th, there remains a terrible void in countless lives.”
We do not need any words to help us remember. The images and the memory are so vivid. So we must pray. We must gather in the Lord’s name to be his people and to gather his strength and healing.

We pray for those who died. It is difficult to imagine the moments they suffered so violently. We pray for the survivors, for those who are left behind and are still rebuilding their lives and their dreams. And as difficult as it may seem, yet in obedience to the Lord Jesus, we also pray for those who persecute us [Mat 5:44].

With events such as these it is difficult, yet most necessary, for us to confront the cross of Jesus Christ. His death was no less violent or brutal, yet here he asks the Father to forgive those who bound him to the cross because they do not know what they are doing.

I believe that those who persecute the innocent in these acts of terror know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. Yet we must turn away from them to challenge our own hearts.

Forgiveness takes time but it is a free and unconditional choice. It is an act of the will, not of the emotions. Justice may never be possible, but forgiveness is different from justice. Forgiveness is not about condoning; the injury remains unjust and undeserved. We have a right to defend our homes and our land, but we have an eternal obligation to defend our own heart from becoming a vessel of anger and hatred, consumed by bitterness and fear. And it takes a change of heart, a conversion, a realization that old ways are not working and are even more destructive.

Forgiveness, mercy, even pity is not easy, and is certainly not even accomplished in one moment or one day, but it has to be considered as an option. For here the Lord Jesus enters our world, not simply as an enlightened prophet who might come to us with “Thus says the Lord.” No, he comes as Divine lawgiver with “You’ve heard that it was said.”

Where was it said? It was in the Law, the Torah, the ancient book of the covenant, the Word of God. So he stands in the place, in the person, and as living Word of God and says, “But I say…!” “Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

This is no mere law, this is not accomplished in simple observance, this isn’t addressed to cities, counties and governments; it is addressed to the human heart. Christ does not reject the law, instead he intensifies it. The law now is more demanding because it places conditions, not just on our external observance, “but above all on the abiding attitude of our heart and on the concrete results that this attitude has on our actions.” [Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis]

Our persecutors are not here. We are; and what kind of people shall we be? The prophet Micah offers us a vision where “every man shall sit under his own vine or under his own fig tree, undisturbed.”[Micah 4:4] The apostle Paul instructs us that hatred and outbursts of fury are works of the flesh, and that there is no law against patience, generosity, or self-control.

Radical Islam would label us as infidel and instruct its members to eliminate us. It is the same kind of violence that radical Christian fundamentalism gave birth to in Oklahoma City. All of these are the work of the flesh and have nothing to do with those who seek the heart of God. We will not be defeated if we respond with extreme faithfulness to the call of Christ, to attend to our own heart and become people who will be celebrated, not as infidels, but as the most faithful to the Cross of Christ, which stands, not as a symbol of defeat, but a cross of victory. Rather, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." [Rom 12:20]

This is not a message that I would expect to find acceptance in the halls of power. This is not intended to address their obligation to defend our homeland. This is only for those who have gathered in prayer this night, who are challenged by the Gospel of Christ to examine their own hearts, to see if they be places of violence or a place where God would dwell. If we become angry, vengeful, bitter people, then we have been conquered. We shall not be conquered. Only in Christ shall we see the victory, only in him is death swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Cor 15:54-58]

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 5:01 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

A notice from the Oakland Diocese to its parishes.

The Diocese of Stockton has investigated Ms. Evelyn Sevilla-Davis, leader of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly Holy Grace Prayer Group, and before that Peace of the W.O.L.R.D. (We Our Lady of the Rosary Devotees) Prayer Group. The Bishop of Stockton has decreed the Group may not, under any circumstances:

1. teach or preach in the name of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Stockton,
2. use the term “Catholic” … in reference to any activities of her prayer group,
3. use Church facilities of the diocese for meetings or prayer group activities.

This information is provided for your awareness of this Group, since it has planned to hold a gathering of its devotees in a public pavilion in proximity to St. Edward in Newark , Sunday, September 10, 2006, around 2:00 PM.

Actually they were planning something in The Newark Pavillion that might as well be out my back door. We seem to have been able to cancel the event.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 6:25 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Occasionally I have posted a few things here from Fr. Mark, one of my Cistercian friends. Now he can be read more often on his own Blog. Welcome to Vultus Christi!

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 5:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

I cannot imagine what it must be like to minister in a new country, a country that is not your own. Still, since Wednesday I have seen it in the face of Fr. Jerard. His is such a gentle and joyful face, yet filled with wonder at all the things around him. He has been in the country for about 40 days at our center in Ohio and travelling with other members, but on Wednesday he arrived here at his new home.

Let us all welcome the Reverend Jerard Raj IradayanathanIradaya, C.PP.S., a Precious Blood Missionary who has been assigned to work among us for the next five years. He comes to us from our Indian Vicariate.

I met him on Wednesday with the Sunderaj family, and he expressed delight to be able to hear his own language in this new country. We treated him to an Indian feast at the Sunderaj house, and then brought him to the parish where the team was waiting for him. All in all it has been a full week, and soon we will get him settled, get him a drivers license, and we will be an international house ministering in an international parish.

Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at 8:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack