Priesthood: God's Gift

Today is the Feast of St Peter Chanel, a Marist priest and the first martyr of Oceania. It is also the third anniversary of my ordination to the sacred priesthood. These last three years have been the most fulfilling of my life. There is no greater joy than knowing that you are in God's will and that your vocation is exactly where God wants you. Celibacy is a difficult way of life, but with God's grace it can be very enriching. There have been many arguments about celibacy and that it has led to a shortage of priests in the Catholic Church. I have heard many men say that they would become priests if the church ever allowed them to marry as well. But it is a distinct vocation. If we look at the other churches that allow married priests and ministers, we can see that it is a difficult way of life for them and their wives. They do an admirable job of living married life and ministering to the flock, but many wives of ministers will be the first to say that the husband is being pulled into two different directions. The Catholic priesthood is offering an ordained man the possibility of being able to serve whole heartedly. There will be a shortage of priests, and by the way, there is a shortage of priests and ministers in every denomination, but we are called to pray for laborers for the harvest for the work is plenty but the laborers are few. Celibacy is a great treasure and a gift for the Catholic Church, and when it is lived well, it brings with it much fruit for the People of God. Please pray for your priests that they may find joy in their priesthood and pray for an increase in vocations, that more young men may find it in their hearts to give themselves to service in the vineyard.

Divine Mercy

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! we have celebrated Easter Sunday and Divine Mercy Sunday, and I pray that your encounter with the Risen Lord was a blessed time and that He will continue to shower His graces and blessings upon you this Easter Season.

Divine Mercy Sunday is a powerful reminder to all of us that the mercy of God knows no limits. Our sins are like a drop in the ocean covered by His mercy so that it is never to be found again. The Father's mercy will change your life and bring you healing if you but open your heart to im and ask for His love and mercy to fall upon you and envelop you.

Many people, including deviout Catholics, are under the mistaken notion that Divine Mercy Sunday is optional and therefore can be dispensed with under the guise that it is a private revelation. It is true that St Faustina was given these revelations from our Lord Jesus Christ, but the message of these revelations come right out of the gospels. But if one wants to truly press the point, one can also claim that Our Lady of Guadalupe should be only an optional feast day as well since this is also private revelation, yet this great feast day is celebrated as a Feast in the United States.

In any event, I encourage you to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet and to foster a devotion to this wonderful devotion of the Lord's mercy. It can be prayed on regular rosary beads. You begin with the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Apostles' Creed. Then on the Our Father beads, you pray the following prayer: Eternal Father, I offer you the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. On the Hail Mary beads, you pray the following: For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. At the end of the fifth decade, you pray the following prayer: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world (three times).

Chrism Mass

Today, Sean Cardinal O'Malley celebrated the Chrism Mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral. It was a wonderful sight to see so many priests gathered around the shepherd of our archdiocese. His homily spoke to the priests about how we must be fishers of men and have a missionary spirit. We are not called to be caretakers and keep the status quo. The successful priests will be those who through their call and their missionary spirit will lead all the Catholic faithful to become missionary in their own lives. Have you ever considered how you live your Catholic faith and how if you live it with joy and peace, you will be bringing others to Christ in a world that has forgotten Him. Secularism is hostile towards faith in God, let alone a living faith in Jesus Christ. Please pray for your priests that we may be faithful dispeners of the mysteries of God as well as images of Jesus Christ, casting our nets out into the deep to bring life and light to those in darkness and sin. And pray for yourselves that you may be lights of Christ in your daily living of your relationship with Jesus Christ. As we prepare for the Sacred Triduum, open your hearts to the message of sacrifice and suffering that Jesus Christ portrays in a very real way. God bless you.

Pope John Paul II

Today is the fourth anniversary of the death of our beloved Pope John Paul II. His long papacy brought with it many challenges in a world that has disintegrated due to a lack of morality. In fact, many people, especially the young adults who until recently have only known one pope and who call themselves JPII Catholics, do not hold to the traditional morality. And Mass attendance is still dropping. What are we to do? Pope John Paul reminded us of the power of the Eucharist and the power of prayer, especially prayer devoted to our Blessed Mother. With the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, and a strong faith in the role of the papacy, the life of a Catholic can bring with it a joy and peace that this world does not give. Servant of God, John Paul II, ora pro nobis.