Catechism Corner | Devotion to Christ’s Passion

As we enter the season of Lent, the Church offers a great number of suggestions for our spiritual progress. One common devotion is the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) which is more commonly referred to as 'Way of Sorrows', 'Via Dolorosa', or simply the Stations of the Cross.

The "Stations of the Cross" are a series of fourteen pictures, paintings, or carvings that portray the events along Christ's journey in his final hours, from his condemnation by Pontius Pilate to his body being laid in the tomb. It is thought that the Stations originated as a way for those unable to travel the pilgrimage route in Jerusalem, the 'Via Dolorosa'. The plenary indulgence attached to the pilgrimage is also given to those who prayerfully make the journey of the fourteen stations.

This devotion started when St. Helen (Helena), mother of the emperor Constantine, began to build churches on the holy sites in Jerusalem in the fourth century, corresponding devotion to those sites was developing among Europeans. The anonymous Bordeaux Pilgrim (333 A.D.) and St. Sylvia of Galicia (380 A.D.) wrote of witnessing devotional practices leading to and inside the Holy Sepulcher.

The Roman Empire ended with the sack of Rome in 476 (though the Byzantine Empire in the East continued to the 15th century). Germanic and Frankish tribes soon developed into early European kingdoms, which sought to recapture the glory that had been Rome. In church life, we see this in the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire (10th century), and the Crusades (the first in 1095), undertaken to recapture the holy sites in Jerusalem (marked by the churches Helen had established).

When Jerusalem fell to Muslim control in 1187, travel to the Holy Land became restricted. The Franciscans received custody of Jerusalem's holy places for Latin-rite Catholics in 1335, and eventually secured safe passage to these sites for pilgrims. However, most people still could not travel to Jerusalem. Instead, starting in the 11th century, returning crusaders began to establish local shrines — called "stations" — devoted to the sites they had seen in Jerusalem, including the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows. These Stations of the Cross, supported by the Franciscans, soon spread across Western Europe.

In 1686, Pope Innocent XI granted the Franciscans exclusive rights to establish Stations of the Cross in their sponsored churches, but that right was extended to all churches less than a century later.

The spread of the Stations of the Cross continued, as did devotions and meditations upon all the sufferings of Jesus — from recounting how many times he fell to the instruments of his torture.

This time in Europe — especially corresponding to the time of the Crusades in the 11th to the 15th centuries — was a time of wars, famine and plagues. The Black Death spread across Europe in the middle of the 14th century, killing half the continent's population (75 million) in just a few years. The famous Oberammergau Passion Play, which is enacted every 10 years, began to fulfill the village's pleas and promise to God when a plague struck there in 1634.

The mystical writing of saints such as St. Bridget of Sweden (d. 1373) helped deepen the focus on the sufferings of Christ. The humanity of the dying Jesus — illustrated by paintings, statues, poems and hymns — offered comfort to people who were also suffering. As Fr. Gerard Sloyan, biblical historian, noted, "The Middles Ages in Europe were a time ravaged by wars, disease and famine and hampered by the ignorance born of illiteracy. … The specter of death was ever present. …People's Christianity was real to them in the measure that they could conceive (of) Jesus Christ as sharing their suffering."

It should also be noted that, while the Mass was in Latin during these centuries, popular devotions, such as the Stations of the Cross, were in the vernacular. This added to their popularity.

However, no matter how popular the focus on the sufferings of Christ, Christians have never lost sight of the cross as the place where redemption took place. It has become more common in more recent times to add a 15th Station of the Cross to the traditional 14. (Stations have ranged in number from five to 42). This final station is the resurrection.

The 10th century Anglo-Saxon poet, Cynewulf, also knew that the cross meant glory when he wrote — as from the cross's perspective — the "Dream of the Rood (Cross)." In the poem, the cross — seen in visions as adorned with jewels, silver and gold — tells how it shared in a great hero's passion and death, and then in his glory.

The stations provide an orderly way of meditating on the Lord's Passion. Hence, the words of Pope Benedict XVI at the celebration of the Way of the Cross at the Coliseum, Rome Italy in 2008 are worth reflecting: "Brothers and sisters, our gaze is frequently distracted by scattered and passing earthly interests; let us direct our gaze today toward Christ. Let us pause to contemplate his Cross. The Cross is the source of immortal life, the school of justice and peace, the universal patrimony of pardon and mercy… His nailed arms are open to each human being, and they invite us to draw near to him, certain that he accepts us and clasps us in an embrace of infinite tenderness: 'I when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself' (Jn 12: 32)."

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

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Lesson from Fr. Paulus | God Cares

Sometimes, God seems far away, mysterious, frightening. This was Moses' experience at the burning bush.

The fire symbolizes God's other-worldliness - fire is the least material of all material things. It's like light; you can see it, but you can't touch it. It is burning in a bush, but the bush is not burnt up. That symbolizes that God's way of being is different from ours.

The name God reveals to Moses emphasizes the same thing: "I am who I am." In other words, "I am the one who exists independently of every other being."

Human existence is dependent: we come into the world through our parents; we are cared for by them, and even as adults, we need the support of a society, the companionship of others. We are dependent, God is independent. He simply is, from age to age. He has no need of anyone else.

But this far-away-ness of God isn't the whole story. It's not even the most important part of the story. He may not need us, but he wants us to be close to him.

Biblical scholars tell us that the Hebrew verb for "being" (used in God's name, "I am") doesn't just mean existence in the abstract. It also means to be near, to be close.

God came close to Moses and drew Moses close to him. In Christ and in the Eucharist, he does so even more. God tells Moses that he has heard the cry of his suffering people.Christ too is God's answer to the yearning of every human heart - his definitive answer.

Christ is the one who cultivates the soil around our hearts, as the gardener tends the fig tree in the parable.He wants our lives to bear the fruit of meaning, peace, and happiness.

God is far away - because he is God - but he is also close by, because he cares.

Giving the Greatest Alms

God is reminding us today that he is close to us. He is always thinking of us, listening to us, and guiding us, just as he was with Moses, just as he was and is in his Son, Jesus Christ.

This is a beautiful and comforting truth, and we need to think about it, to let it sink in and encourage us.

But we should also think about all those people who don't know this truth, or don't believe it. For them, life is an even lonelier journey than it is for us. All they can do is hope that someday they will stumble across the secret to happiness.

But without discovering that God, the Creator of all things, is at their side, thinking of them, guiding them, wanting to teach and forgive and lead them - without discovering that, they simply cannot find the happiness they are looking for.

God wants them to discover it. How? He is sending us to be his messengers.

Lent is a time when we should double our efforts to help those around us. What greater gift could we give them than the knowledge of God's goodness and closeness?This is the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We each need to ask ourselves: Who around me is lonely, suffering, or searching? How can I bring them this good news? How can I, through my words and actions, show them that God cares?

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The greatest alms we can give are the news that Jesus Christ, Creator of the universe, wishes to walk by our side.

In this Mass, let's ask Jesus to show us the person he wants us to bring this message to this week, and when we receive him in Holy Communion, let's promise that we will be his faithful messengers.

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Catechism Corner | Lent and the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Now that we are in the midst of the Lenten season, it's fairly common knowledge that many people have pretty much eliminated this sacrament from their lives –perhaps not consciously, but simply pushed it aside. Let's face it. It's not easy to admit our sins, and it's even harder to confess them to another person, even if it is a priest. I can only assure you that every priest, including myself, must confess his sins to his brother priest.

In some ways it may seem a burden. And yet, to be truthful, there is hardly anything more adult and mature that we can do than face our own faults and sins. Some may say, "Well, I just go directly to God." But my question is: Do you actually examine your conscience, sit down quietly, confess your sins to God, and ask forgiveness?

As difficult as this can be, it is one opportunity to actually ask ourselves how we have acted towards our families, spouses, and those around us.While I might call myself a Catholic, have I done what I need to do in living my faith? Lent is a perfect time to give honest answers to these questions.

How we approach the reception of God's mercy is important. We are God's children. We come to the father to ask his forgiveness through the mercy of Jesus given by the ordained priest. It's not just ritual.

Simple Steps to Receiving the Sacrament

  1. Examination of conscience. This is not supposed to be a torture session. Actually, our consciences will bring to mind any serious sins we have committed. Even people who have been away from the confessional for many years, even decades, realize that knowing our sins is not the hard part. It's actually owning up to them to another.Keep in mind that God knows the whole past in every detail anyway. We make an honest effort to know ourselves and our failings.But, again, it's God's mercy that is most important.
  2. Sorrow for sin. If we are serious about going to confession, sorrow comes almost automatically.After all, we are admitting we are sinners right up front. That truthful admission brings sorrow.
  3. Confession of sin. Confess your sins as simply and as honestly as you can.It is easy to link sin with a commandment: missing Mass (third), anger (fifth), impurity (sixth, ninth).
  4. Receive penance given. Listen to the words of the priest as he tries to guide you and remind you of God's love for you.
  5. Act of contrition. Making an act of contrition can be very short: "O, God, I am sorry for all my sins, now and in the past, and I will try with all my heart not to sin again."

Thanks be to God. Leave the confessional and thank God for his forgiveness and pray the prayers the priest gave you for a penance.

Now, a very important point. When God forgives sin through the absolution of the priest, he forgives ALL our sins, including those we cannot remember. We need to be sincerely sorry for all our sins.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

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Vaccine Pass, Online Lenten Devotions, and Online Holy Week Liturgy

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Request for Donations in Support of St. Anne's

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Lesson from Fr. Paulus | Without Christ, God Is Too Bright and Too Distant

We all know that happiness depends on living in a close relationship with God, as Adam and Eve did before the fall. It's the most basic truth of our catechism: separated from God, the human heart withers, like a plant that never gets sunshine.

But after the loss of grace through original sin, staying close to God became impossible. He is too bright for graceless, sin-damaged eyes to see; he is too far away for sin-weakened souls to find.

If it weren't for Christ, who shades that brightness and crosses that distance, every human soul would live in hopeless frustration, unable to embrace the only person who can make us truly happy: God. The symbolism of today's readings reminds us of this dilemma.

In the First Reading, God seals his promise of salvation by making a covenant with Abram. The ceremony for making covenants shows how sacred such agreements were. It involved having the parties making the covenant walk between the severed halves of sacrificial animals. This was a symbolic way of saying: if I don't fulfill my part of the agreement, may I end up like these severed animals.

God makes the covenant, which shows that he wants to be close to us, but in fact he was still distant. This is symbolized by the smoking pot and burning torch that God used to represent his walking through the sacrificial animals.

The smoke of the cooking pot symbolizes God's mystery - you can't see through smoke; likewise, we can't see God clearly. The fire symbolizes his brightness and spiritual purity, too painful to look at directly, hot enough to incinerate anyone who comes too close.

The two symbols appear again in Jesus' transfiguration up on the mountaintop. Here he is preparing to establish the New and everlasting Covenant. This time the brightness shines out of Jesus himself, and the mysterious cloud covers him. The message is clear: in Christ, the distant, mysterious God of the Old Covenant has come to walk by our side.

In Christ, the age of frustration has ended. Friendship and closeness with God are once again made possible. God is no longer too bright and too distant; he is our close companion.

Following God's Example

What should our response be to this marvelous presence of God in Christ? Since we are God's children, we should thank him for his goodness to us by following his example.

Just as God bridged the distance between himself and us so gently, giving us his friendship in Christ, so we should reach out gently to those around us. Jesus is so patient with us. He comes down to our level in order to lead us up to his level. He respects us and even puts up with our tantrums.

We have to ask ourselves, is that how we treat those around us? Every Christian home should be a gymnasium where each one learns to be more like Christ. The family is the school of virtue, which means that it is the school of happiness. At home we learn to forgive and to let ourselves be forgiven; we learn to give and to receive. But we are called to be Christians not only in the home; we are his followers in our schools, in our places of work, in our social gatherings.

Christ still wants to teach the world about God's goodness. He still wants to bring God close to every man, woman, and child, because only God can make them happy. He wants to bridge the gap between God and mankind, and we are the stones of that bridge.

Today, let's all think of someone in our lives who we can treat better, the way Christ treats us. And then, in Holy Communion (spiritually or physically), let's ask God to give us the strength we need to do so.

And after we ask for that strength, let's promise that we will do our best to shine with Christ's gentle light, bringing happiness to everyone around us.
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Catechism Corner | Spiritual Exercises

The emphasis of Lent season is that of repentance, sacrifice and conversion. The Gospel, therefore, gives three practices which must be done: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Jesus said: "when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites," "when you fast, do not look gloomy," "when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing" (Mt 6:5, 16, 3, respectively). In a most profound way, the three spiritual exercises identified by Jesus are directed toward the nurturing of relationships.

The first practice is prayer, our constant communication with God. This is of prime importance in our Christian life so that we can focus our direction and goal towards our heavenly destination.Prayer, that process of listening to and responding to God's daily call, sustains and nurtures our relationship with our triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Without prayer, personal and communal, this relationship is diminished, sometimes to the point of complete silence on our part. Every day the Spirit of Jesus invites us to enter into that serious conversion that leads to blessed communion.

And this is what the second practice is all about: fasting. It is a form of sacrifice so that we will learn to control our desires by the practice of self-denial. At the same time, fasting helps us feel the pain and the suffering of the poor and the hungry, thereby making us more compassionate and sensitive to their needs. Fasting, however, is not only abstaining from food, but also from any sinful activities and desires and all unhealthy forms of entertainment and harmful vices.

But prayer and fasting are not enough. In fact, God said through Isaiah that the fasting He desires is helping the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, granting liberty to captives and all other corporal acts of mercy. Fasting and prayer, therefore, become more pleasing in the eyes of God when we come to the aid of our needy brothers and sisters.

This is the third practice: almsgiving. It is not just giving alms. It is really about extending our helping hand to anybody who needs our help, especially the poor, the sick, the orphans and the destitute. To be a disciple of Christ means to live a life of charity. To be a disciple of Jesus is to live a life of stewardship, generously giving of our time, talent, and treasure.

At the heart of all penance is the call to conversion. Jesus' imperative "Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mk 1:15) makes explicit this connection between authentic discipleship and penitential discipline. Discipleship, our following of Jesus, embraces discipline, a firm commitment to do whatever is demanded in furthering God's kingdom. Viewed in this way, the virtue of penance is not optional, just as weeding a garden is not optional for a responsible caretaker. The gardener is concerned with a bountiful harvest; the disciple is concerned about greater conformity to the person of Jesus.

If we are serious about embracing the penitential discipline that is rooted in the call to discipleship, then we will identify specific times and places for prayer, penance, and works of charity. Growth in spiritual maturity demands a certain level of specificity, for it shows that we take seriously God's call to discipline and are willing to hold ourselves accountable. In our Catholic tradition we specify certain days and seasons for special works of penance: Fridays, on which we commemorate the death of the Lord, and Lent, our forty days of preparation for the Easter mysteries.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

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Lesson from Fr. Paulus | The Three Root Sins

Let's ask ourselves a tough question today: Am I a better Christian now than I was a year ago? Am I holier? Am I more like Christ? Am I really becoming the saint that God created me to be?

It's uncomfortable to ask questions like that. That's good. Lent is a time for us to feel uncomfortable. Jesus loves us too much to let us be lazy. He is like a good coach, always encouraging us to grow, to improve.

Unfortunately, many of us aren't growing as quickly or as constantly as we should. Professionally we are moving up, maybe. Academically, athletically we are making progress, but as Christians? Not really. We're still stuck where we have always been. On a plateau. The same temptations, the same falls, the same sins. We're still mediocre Christians.

One of the reasons for this is that we don't go to the real roots of our selfishness.

We try to follow Christ more faithfully, but we don't do so intelligently.

We keep trying to cut off the branches of impatience, or greed, or lust, or dishonesty, but the roots are still intact, so the branches just keep growing back.

In Jesus' temptation in the desert, the devil makes the mistake of exposing the three roots of all our sins. In each one of us, one of these roots is bigger and stronger than the others (though we all have all three).

If we can identify which is our main root sin, we can direct our spiritual work more intelligently, and really start making progress as Christians.

Resisting Temptation

Getting to know our root sin and its most frequent manifestations arms us for spiritual battle. The better we know where we are weak, the better we will be able to resist temptation.

We are all tempted.

Every day we are invited to rebel against God in little things and big things. The patterns of behavior around us, our own self-centered tendencies, and the devil himself are always inviting us to trust more in our own flawed judgment than in God's wisdom.

But temptation is not sin. In fact, every temptation is a chance to exercise our trust in God, to reclaim territory for Christ's Kingdom, just as Jesus did when he was tempted. Because Jesus was tempted, he redeemed temptation. With his grace, his victory over sin can become our victory. That's why he came to earth in the first place!

The message Christ has for us today is a message of hope. We can conquer sin, in our lives and in the world around us. We just need to stay united to Christ. That's what the Eucharist is for - that's why God gave it to us. And that's also what the Bible is for. Jesus parries the Devil's attacks by quoting from the Scriptures, the inspired Word of God.

Today, let's renew our confidence in Christ and our determination to fight for the advance of his Kingdom, to cut back our root sin and make more room for his grace to grow in our lives.

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Catechism Corner | Why Do We Do Penance?

One important way to grow in the Lord is to observe the penitential practices that strengthen us for resisting temptation, allow us to express our sorrow for the sins we have committed, and help to repair the tear caused by our sinning.

In the Catholic Church, the season of Lent is time for do the penance. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are forms of penance. Penance simply means the repentance of sins by taking some form of action in reparation for our sins. Just as we sinned by actually committing or omitting something we shouldn't have, so we should do penance by actually committing or omitting something to "make up" for it. And this is for our benefit. So Lent is a time for increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for the greatest feast on the Church calendar: Easter.

Just as sin did something real in our souls by causing damage, in the same way penance does something real in our souls by bringing healing; doing penance spiritually turns our hearts away from sin and back on the right path of reconciliation with God and a life of holiness lived according to his will. And penance is hard work! But the saints tell us that health of our souls depends on it.

THE TWO PRIMARY REASONS WE DO A LENTEN PENANCE
1) To make reparation for our sins: We need to grow in our understanding of the depth and seriousness of our sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross, so that we do not fall into the deadly trap of thinking "it's no big deal." All sin is an offense against God, and something for which we must make amends in order to restore our right relationship with Him. The saints and holy men and women did great penances for themselves and also for the souls of many others.

2) To grow in virtue: We do not do penance for the sake of suffering. We should not choose what is going to make us suffer the most, that isn't the point. We do penance in order to deny ourselves the movements of the lower parts of our nature, thus making our will grow stronger towards the higher parts of our nature, so that we will be better able to resist temptations to sin. Virtue is only gained by choosing it over against the vice that is most opposed to it (for example, to conquer pride, one must practice humility).

When choosing a Lenten penance, we should choose something that will help you grow in virtue: Our model for Lent is Jesus who endured the wilderness for 40 days while denying his bodily appetites. When we choose a Lenten penance, we should choose something worthy and something that will help us to rely on grace to accomplish, so that we will be closer to the heart of Jesus Christ by Easter than we were at the start of Lent.

The point of doing penance during Lent is to accomplish something good in our lives, and to remove obstacles to loving God with our whole heart. What is your Lenten penance this year?

The Church's Canon law reaffirms the obligation to do penance – to interrupt the usual comforts of life, to rediscover in prayer the saving love of God, and to practice charity and justice towards those in need.

During Lent and on the Fridays of the year, we do penance, not only on our own account, but also in the name of the Church and of the world. We must take seriously our penitential obligations and be sure to carry them out. We should carefully select the form of penance that we consider most appropriate for our own circumstances and growth in the Christian life.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.
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Vaccine Pass Scheme

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Observances for Ash Wednesday, March 2

On ASH WEDNESDAY (March 2), the faithful may take part in the rite online and receive Holy Communion spiritually.

On Ash Wednesday the faithful are obliged to keep fast (for those who have reached the age of eighteen but not yet sixty) and/or abstinence (for those who have reached the age of fourteen or above). During Lent they are also obliged to pray more and to perform more acts of penance and charity, such as family prayers, rosary, meditation on the liturgical texts of daily Masses, performing the Way of the Cross and caring for the poor and others who have material or spiritual needs.

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Lesson from Fr. Paulus | Clear-Sighted and Truly Fruitful, With Our Lord’s Help

Today's readings remind us that if we truly want to recognize, do, and praise the good that we and others do we need Our Lord's help and the wisdom to not judge a book by its cover.

In today's First Reading, Sirach teaches us that the true worth of anyone, including ourselves, is when a trial by fire shakes us up and makes us show who we indeed are and how we live.

He focuses on a person's words being the accurate measurement of their faults or virtue. Appearances are not enough. He gives three examples of a process for evaluating the worth of a "fruit."

With the sieve, you sift out the undesirable, which remains in the sieve and lets the desirable pass through. With the firing of pottery, it adopts its definitive form and strength, or its definitive deformation and flaws. With cultivating a fruit tree, it's easy to see whether you're successful or not: good and abundant fruit or a withered tree with little to no fruit.

In all three of these processes, it is the result that matters. The process doesn't automatically produce a good outcome, just like we or others aren't automatically good or evil.

In today's Second Reading, Paul reminds us that it is thanks to Our Lord that this process of telling good from evil, even among the well-intentioned, is not in vain.

Our corruptibility and mortality due to Original Sin would lead to spiritual as well as physical death if left to their own devices. Original Sin disfigured us, but also disfigured our view of good and evil. We need help to correct it.

Paul encourages us to see that Our Lord will clothe that corruptibility with incorruptibility: the grace that transforms us and heals us from the wounds of Original Sin, although we still are subjected to weakness and temptation in this life, in eternity we will be purified of it, once and for all.

Our Lord clothes our mortality with immortality by sowing the seed of eternal life in us from the moment we believe and are baptized. His victory over death swallowed it up for himself and us. If we persevere in Christ, we will share in his victory over sin and death.

Our Lord in today's Gospel reminds us that we must try to see and live clearly before helping others, or it will be a case of the blind leading the blind. He also warns us that being a "bad boy," despite how culture today paints it, is never a good thing.

If a blind man were to offer to help you cross the street, you would either charitably decline, think he was crazy, or maybe convince yourself he had superpowers. We live in a society where people seek the virtuous thing to do, the logical thing to do, or the craziest thing to do, and are willing to get advice from or give advice to anyone.

We have to invest time, prayer, and reflection to determine the solid foundation on which to live and to be guided. We can't just invent this on our own: we need help from Our Lord, and we need help from dependable people and solid traditions.

If someone recognizes something to be evil, they avoid it; that is Ethics 101. That is why evil often tries to masquerade as good, to appear glamorous. Our Lord teaches us not to judge people, but he does teach us to judge actions: evil people do evil things, just as good people do good things.

A Potter's Furnace

Once the clay is prepared and shaped into pottery, it is placed into a furnace, a kiln, to harden and be complete. If there are any flaws in the shaping of the object, the furnace makes that deformation permanent. Only slight repairs are possible.

A kiln is a good metaphor for the trials by fire that we undergo in life. Trials define us for good or for ill. They never leave us the same. Trials are also the moment where we indeed show what we are made of. A trial can lead to growth or destruction. It all depends on the virtue and grace with which we face it.

Original Sin and our sins have defined us, but Paul reminds us today in the Second Reading that Our Lord, through his grace, works that brokenness into something that gradually takes shape from here to eternity: a saint.

Sift Your Words This Week

Sirach this week teaches us to sift the words of others and separate the good from the evil this week, but Our Lord teaches us that we should start by "sifting" our own words: the wooden beam in your eye impairs your vision in telling good from evil.

St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians teaches us: "No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear" (4:29).

Some people set up a "Swear Jar" and place some money in it whenever they use foul language, but this process is deeper. You can say uncharitable and unedifying things with perfect diction and "clean" language.

Set up a jar or keep track on a paper or app this week of how many times each day you said something unedifying. Once a day take stock of how edifying/unedifying your words were that day.

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Catechism Corner | House Blessing

Start this new chapter of your life off right by inviting the Lord under your roof.

House Blessing is an opportunity to give thanks to God and put our lives here, and the people we welcome in, under his protection." The priest held the blessing ceremony of new house, and went room by room. "Attend, Lord, these your servants who, upon offering you their home today, humbly request your blessing …"

These ritual blessings, accompanied by the sprinkling of holy water, are well known to the priest. Rooted in the wisdom of the Church, they are enthusiastically received by the faithful. A practice whose roots go back to the liturgy of the people of Israel. Of all the possible blessings, —for a workplace, a store, a vehicle, —the one for under the roof and between the walls of a home reflects something particularly profound. "This practice has its roots in the liturgy of the people of Israel. It evokes the blood of the Passover lamb that the Hebrews painted around their doors before the flight to Egypt.

"During the first centuries, the time of persecution, the faith was practiced within the home, in the domus ecclesiae, the 'house church'. The first Christian liturgies were celebrated in homes."

The home is central to many passages of the Bible, from Abraham's hospitality, to Jesus' visits to Martha, Mary, Zacchaeus, etc. It also resonates with what Jesus tells his missionary disciples: "Whenever you enter someone's home, first say, 'May God's peace be on this house'" (Luke 10:5) —a peace that settles in and extends, as well, to all those who live there.

Why is the home/office blessed?
The blessing of houses or other objects, including the category of sacramentals, which, like the sacraments, are intended to sanctify every important event in the life of the faithful (cf. Second Vatican Council on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium/ SC61). On the Church's intercession, the sacramental (in this case, the blessing of the house) brings spiritual effects to those who live in it (cf. SC 60), both protection from the power of evil, as well as the grace of harmony and love in the family. So, the main purpose of the sacramentals is to sanctify the faithful who use certain blessed things, and not just to sanctify the things themselves. So, if a house has been blessed, but the previous owner has moved, it is good if the new owner holds a house blessing, not because of doubts about the sacramental effects that have been given, but asking that the sacramental grace that has a sanctifying effect can be given to -and experienced by the new family who occupied it.

Among the faithful, some wish to protect, or even free, their house from all bad influences. Because We don't necessarily know what happened before we got the house. The home is a place of spiritual combat, like any church. So, when house blessing is an opportunity to pray for the people who have died there when they weren't prepared for it."

The priest then uses blessed water and salt, incense, and oil to anoint the doors and windows. simple, because the blessing is generally held with holy water, then what is needed is a certain amount of water and salt. A little salt to be mixed into the water, which at the prayers of the priest, will be a means of purifying. This is like what the prophet Elisha did, when he healed/purified the waters at Jericho (cf. 2 Ki. 2:20-22).
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Spiritual Conversation Formation Gathering

The "Spiritual Conversation Formation Gathering" (in English) by the Diocese will be hosted on Zoom platform on 20 Feb 2022 at 3:00 – 5:15 PM.

Please join this important part of the Synod of Bishops consultation work. If interested, please register before 05 Feb 2022 via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Lesson from Fr. Paulus | The Touchstone of a True Christian

Through baptism, we became members of the body of Christ, brothers and sisters of the Lord, and children of God. In our journey through life, we either stay faithful to that vocation and identity, or abandon it (sometimes we go back and forth).

In this Gospel passage, Christ gives us the sign that tells us whether we are living up to our vocation, the touchstone of the true Christian. It isn't vast theological knowledge, or personal charm, or professional success. Nor is it ecstasies in prayer or extreme penances.

Rather, the identifying mark of a Christian is treating others - all others - the way God does, the way God treats us. God is kind and merciful "even to the ungrateful and the wicked." If we are his children, his followers, we will be too.

We will be quick to forgive, to make excuses for others, to avoid judging and condemning them. We will think well of others, speak well of them, and treat them like the children of God that they truly are.

But Jesus doesn't just tell us what we're supposed to do in life, he also tells us why.

We are created in God's image, and God is love; his very divine nature is all about self-giving. So, the more we develop our capacity for love, for authentic, self-forgetful love, the more we will mature into what God created us to be.

And just as a mature, healthy apple tree bears abundant fruit, so a mature, healthy human soul overflows with the spiritual fruits of profound joy, peace, and enthusiasm. This is what Jesus means when he says, "give, and gifts will be given to you".

If we are true Christians, treating all others as we would like them to treat us, as God has treated us, we will be truly happy.

Mother Theresa Lights a Lamp

Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta was someone who learned this lesson perfectly. Once she was staying with her community of sisters who were working with the Aborigines in Australia.

While she was there, she visited an elderly man who lived in total isolation, ignored by everyone. His home was disordered and dirty.

She told him, "Please let me clean your house, wash your clothes and make your bed." He answered, "I'm OK like this. Let it be." She said, "You will be still better if you allow me to do it."

He finally agreed. So, she was able to clean his house and wash his clothes. While she was cleaning, she discovered a beautiful lamp, covered with dust. It looked like it hadn't been used in years.

She said to the man, "Don't you light that lamp? Don't you ever use it?" He answered, "No. No one comes to see me. I have no need to light it. Who would I do it for?" Mother Theresa asked, "Would you light it every night if the sisters came?" He replied, "Of course." From that day on, the sisters committed themselves to visiting him every evening.

Mother Theresa left Australia. Two years passed. She had completely forgotten about that man. Then she received a message from him: "Tell my friend that the light she lit in my life continues to shine still."

That's what it means to be a true Christian: to give, to forgive, to bless, to stop judging, to stop condemning, to stop complaining, and to start lighting lamps... In other words, to be like Christ. And that's what brings happiness to our lives and to the world.

[story adapted from Voices of the Saints by Bert Ghezzi]

Emotional Damage Control

It is hard for us to be true to Christ's standard. One reason it's so hard is because our culture gives so much emphasis to emotions. Our society tells us that whenever we feel a strong emotion, we are supposed to act on it.

When you're angry, express yourself. When you're sad, let it flow. When you're in the mood for fun, go with it. If you don't, the modern psychologists tell us, you will "repress your inner self".

On this point, the modern psychologists are flat out wrong. Emotions are blind. They come and go without our permission, like the weather. If we let them drive our lives, we will never have stability. We will never grow up; we'll be like babies forever.

We need to govern our lives by the principles of our faith.These don't change.They are true and dependable.Following them gives us stability, wisdom, and maturity.

Emotions are like the wind at sea. They can help or hinder the boat's progress. Principles are like the deep ocean currents: they drive us towards our destination no matter the weather.

Here are two ways to work on governing our emotions, so we can better follow Christ's command to treat others - all others - as we would have them treat us:

  1. Never make a decision in the midst of an emotional storm. Wait for your anger, sadness, or jubilation to calm down before you write that email, make that phone call, or decide what you are going to do. The storm will pass; you just have to be patient.
  2. When the other person is experiencing an emotional storm, pull in your sails; don't let the storm become contagious - that's when hurricanes happen.

Let's ask Jesus to give us strength to govern our emotions, so that this week we can be better Christians, more authentic Christians, stable and constant in our kindness, patience, and generosity. That's what will make Jesus happy, it's what will make us happy, and it's what this world needs most.

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Catechism Corner | Sacramental (Part 2)

For us Christians, blessings have taken on an even greater meaning through Christ who perfectly revealed to us the goodness and love of God. St. Paul wrote, "Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing." Jesus blessed those He encountered: the little children (Mark 10:13-16) and the apostles at the ascension (Luke 24:50-53). He blessed objects: the loaves used to feed the 5000 (Mark 6:34ff) and the bread at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-30). Since Christ entrusted His saving ministry to the Church, it has instituted various blessings for people as well as objects to prompt the faithful to implore God's protection, divine assistance, mercy, faithfulness, and favor.

Who can do a blessing? The Catechism states, "Every baptized person is called to be a 'blessing,' and to bless. Hence lay people may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons)" (#1669). Priests are the ordinary ministers of blessings, asking God's help for those people being blessed or dedicating something to a sacred service; the priest's blessing is imparted with the weight of the Church and therefore has great value in the eyes of God. The blessing of a layperson upon another, such as a parent blessing a child, is an act of goodwill whereby the person implores God's aid for the person; the value of this blessing in the eyes of God depends upon the person's individual sincerity and sanctity.

Blessings are categorized into two types: invocative and constitutive. In an invocative blessing, the minister implores the divine favor of God to grant some spiritual or temporal good without any change of condition, such as when a parent blesses a child. This blessing is also a recognition of God's goodness in bestowing this "blessing" upon us, such as when we offer a blessing for our food at meal time. In blessing objects or places, a view is also taken toward those who will use the objects or visit the places.

A constitutive blessing, invoked by a bishop, priest, or deacon, signifies the permanent sanctification and dedication of a person or thing for some sacred purpose. Here the person or object takes on a sacred character and would not be returned to non-sacred or profane use. For example, when religious sisters or brothers profess final vows, they are blessed, indicating a permanent change in their lives. Or, when a chalice is blessed, it becomes a sacred vessel dedicated solely to sacred usage.

In all, in bestowing His own blessing, God declares His goodness. We in turn bless God by praising Him, thanking Him for all of His benefits, and offering to Him our service, adoration, and worship. When we invoke God's blessing, we implore His divine beneficence, trusting that He will respond to our needs.
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New Pastoral Measures for Combatting COVID-19

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Lesson from Fr. Paulus | Earth Is Not Heaven; It’s the Road to Heaven

This is Jesus' first big sermon in the Gospel of Luke. His inaugural address. And it's shocking. The topic is happiness (being blessed), and in a total reversal of ordinary standards, Jesus links true happiness with struggle, hardship, suffering and opposition, not with the prosperity, popularity, and pleasure that we normally associate with happiness.

What does he mean by this? Jesus isn't saying that the good things of life are evil - not at all. They are God's gifts and we are meant to enjoy them. But he is saying that they cannot satisfy our desire for happiness. And so, if we put our trust in them, as Jeremiah says in the first reading, our lives will wither and harden, like tumbleweeds in the desert. No roots, and no fruits.

Rather, Jesus is teaching us that the true path to happiness in this fallen world is paved with life's challenges and hardships.

These remind us that this world is passing and imperfect, that the only dependable thing in life is our friendship with God. Hardships and challenges teach us to root our lives in the rich soil of knowing, loving, and serving him; then our lives will be like a flourishing tree, with strong roots and luscious fruits.

This lesson has to be re-learned continually. Because of our fallen nature, we always tend to think we can find heaven on earth by putting together just the right combination of possessions, praise, and power. But we can't, as our Lord makes perfectly clear.

We are members of the Church militant for as long as we journey here on earth, and that means we need to keep our armor on and our supply lines protected, lest we fall into the enemy's traps.

St Teresa of Avila Falls in the Mud (humorous)

St Luke tells us that a great crowd had gathered from all over Palestine. It must have been like the World Youth Day gatherings with the Pope: a whole stadium full of people: rich and poor, the suffering, the curious, the young, the old - all looking hopefully up at Jesus.

And Jesus "fixes his eyes on them", St Luke tells us. The eyes of God looking into the eyes of regular people just like you and me. What was in Jesus' heart? How glad he must have been that they were there to hear him!

And what is his message? Blessed are you who are poor, who are hungry, who weep... For to you belongs the Kingdom of heaven. He tells them that he is at work in the midst of their sufferings. That he knows about them, and that they have a purpose.

Every saint learns this lesson. St Theresa of Avila was the great reformer of Carmelite Order. She spent the last years of her life traveling extensively, as she laid the foundation for seventeen discalced Carmelite convents throughout sixteenth century Spain. On one of these trips, as she was getting out of a carriage after a long, tiring journey in the rain, she slipped and fell in a large mud puddle. Her nice clean habit was soaked and dripping with mire. Exasperated, she prayed, "Lord, why do you do these things to me when I'm only trying to help you?" Jesus answered her prayer, saying, "This is how I treat all my close friends." Teresa retorted, "Then it's no wonder you have so few!"

But it's true. Jesus loves us too much to let us deceive ourselves into thinking that we can have heaven on earth. He is always trying to remind us of our true destination.

Exercising Our Faith

It takes faith to accept this teaching of Christ. Faith is for our Christian lives what natural intelligence is for our natural lives.

We received natural intelligence when we were given life. It enables us to know, understand, and learn things about the world around us. It enables us to write poems and read books, unlike animals and plants, which don't have this kind of intelligence.

When we were baptized, God gave a new kind of intelligence - faith. This enables us to see things from God's perspective. Faith allows us to perceive God's love behind the beauty of a sunset, God's presence in the Eucharist, God's wisdom at work in suffering.

And just as we need to exercise our natural intelligence if we want it to grow and mature, we have to exercise this gift of faith too.

The hardships of every day are the best opportunities to exercise our faith. When things go our way, we don't have to exercise faith to accept them - natural intelligence is enough. When they don't go our way, then natural intelligence is not enough. We have to say: I don't know where you're taking me, Lord, but I know you're still in charge. [Here you can make reference to the illustration you used...]

Sickness, betrayal, accidents, money problems, rejection, being made fun of because of our Christian standards - these things make us blessed, because in them we can exercise our faith in Christ. They make us more like Christ, who saved us by suffering all these things himself.

Let's remind ourselves that earth is not heaven. Let's ask Jesus to teach us to live by this supernatural intelligence, so that it can be a sturdy lighthouse guiding us along this earthly road heaven. Lord, increase our faith!

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Catechism Corner | Sacramental (Part 1)

Blessings come under the category of sacramentals. A sacramental is a special prayer, action, or object which, through the prayers of the Church, prepares a person to receive grace and to better cooperate with it. For example, we make the sign of the cross using Holy Water when entering a Church: That pious action and the Holy Water itself, which together remind us of our Baptism, awaken us to the presence of God and dispose us to receiving God's grace. Unlike a sacrament, a sacramental does not itself confer the grace of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, like a sacrament, a sacramental helps the faithful to sanctify each moment of life and to live in the Paschal mystery of our Lord.

Among the sacramentals, blessings would be foremost. In the decree publishing the Book of Blessings, Cardinal Mayer, then prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, wrote, "The celebration of blessings holds a privileged place among all the sacramentals created by the Church for the pastoral benefit of the people of God. As a liturgical action, the celebration leads the faithful to praise God and prepares them for the principal effect of the sacraments. By celebrating a blessing, the faithful can also sanctify various situations and events in their lives." Blessings are signs to the faithful of the spiritual benefits achieved through the Church's intercession.

Throughout Sacred Scripture, we find how God issued various blessings: In the Genesis account of creation, God blessed all the living creatures and especially Adam and Eve, telling them to be fertile, to multiply, and to fill the earth and subdue it (cf. Genesis 1:22, 28). After the flood, God blessed Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:1ff). The patriarchs administered blessings, particularly to the eldest son, signifying a bestowing of God's benevolence, peace, and protection. In a similar vein, the Lord spoke to Moses and commanded the following blessing for all the Israelites: "The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!" (Numbers 6:22-27). The people also blessed God, praising His goodness shown through creation, as illustrated in the beautiful hymn of praise in the Book of Daniel (3:52-90). The Preface for Eucharistic Prayer IV captures well this understanding of a blessing: "Father in Heaven…, source of life and goodness, you have created all things, to fill your creatures with every blessing and lead all men to the joyful vision of your light." 

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Epidemic Prevention Measures

Those who enter the church must take the following epidemic prevention measures:

  1. Scan the "Leave Home Safe" QR code / register your name and phone number to record your visit.
  2. Always wear mask. If you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, then dispose sensibly.
  3. Body temperature must be screened.
  4. Use hand sanitizer to clean hands.
  5. Those present should keep a social distance of at least 1.5 meters from each other.
  6. Do not step on the kneeling stool of the church.
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