October 7, 2023
This month as we celebrate the month of the Holy Angels. The article attached is a very good commentary on the angels and us. We have a nice display of angels up in the front of the church for the month. Don't forget to pray to your Gaudian Angel often. I pray every morning when I wake up before I get out of bed after the Angelus and when I put my head down on my pillow at night. Short and beautiful.
I learned this when I was a little child and it gives me great comfort to know that my guardian angel is watching over me constantly.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God's love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.
Amen.
October 7 is the Fest of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. See attached the 4 ways to pray the Rosary.
27th Sunday A 2023
Today St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Philippians
“Live according to what you have learned…
what you have heard me say and do”
What Paul preached he wrote down in his Epistles
- the earliest written words of the New Testament
All Scripture is inspired by God for our formation in Faith
Imagine what the Church would be without Scripture!
It would be like if you lost your sight or hearing.
Our Faith is daily guided by the Word of God
Which has been forming us at every Mass all our lives
In fact, most of the Mass texts are from passages of the Bible
We recently celebrated the feast of St. Jerome who translatd
the Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible into Latin
He did such an excellent job of translating that even now,
after many scholars have studied the original texts, his translationremains the Church’s official text of the bible
It is called the Latin Vulgate Bible
The author of Sacred Scripture is the Holy Spirit,
The human writers were inspired by the Divine author
They contributed their human talents and minds, but always
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for Scripture is
The Word of God, not the words of mere men
The universe was created when God uttered His Word
When God said, “let there be light, let there be the waters, let there be the plants, let there be man and woman”
In the course of time God’s Word came down to earth
In the Person of Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God
Although Jesus preached, He never wrote any of the Bible
Instead, his apostles and followers were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Gospels and Epistles we now have
Together, the NT and the OT form the Bible
The Catholic Church has the complete Bible God gave us
In the 1500’s an ex-priest thought he knew better
than the Church of the first 1500’s years: He sinned
- against the Holy Spirit, the author of Scripture
by declaring that 7 ½ books of the OT were not inspired!
he removed them from the Bible. His name was Luther
It says in the Book of Revelation, that if anyone takes away
from Scripture, his share in heaven will be taken away
Ever since he made that mistake, all protestant Bibles
are missing those books of the OT, so they have
incomplete Bible. The Catholic Church has the whole Bible
How do we know what books belong in the Bible?
This is called the ‘canonical question’ – canon = ‘list’
Your Bible has a Table of Contents – a list of the books in it
But the Bible did not come with this Table of Contents
The list of which books belong in the Bible is itself inspired
In the 4th cent. The Church officially made this list
She could do this because the Church is inspired by God
to know which books the Holy Spirit inspired
There were many ancient scrolls that claimed to be of God
But the Church chose only those which she had read
on Sundays at Mass: these she was sure were inspired
From the start, Churchmen copied these texts by hand
In every monastery there was a ‘scriptorium’
where monks spent their lives making copies of the Bible
Until printing was invented, all Bibles were handcopied
This is how the Church saved and passed on the Bible
Today you have a printed Bible: do you read it regularly?
Read it and let the Word of God guide you daily
Let the Word of God form your understanding of the Faith
The Holy Spirit at Confirmation gave you gifts
to understand the meaning of God’s Words in Scripture
If there are passages that are hard or raise questions,
Bible scholars have written commentaries to help
The Sunday Homily is given to you to explain the Readings
In the course of the 3-year cycle in the Lectionary
you hear the key passages of the Bible
So we do not interpret Scripture on our own by ourselves
The Church gives us the official interpretation of the Bible
If there are disputed passages, the Church has the final word
But protestants believe in private interpretation
If they disagree on the meaning, they form another church
This led to tens of thousands of protestant denominations
So the protestant principle of private interpretation is
A principle of division, for it divides Christian churches.
So the Church gives us the Bible because she was inspired
To write the texts of the complete books of the Bible
The Church gives us the list of which books are inspired
And the Church interprets Scripture for us at Mass
One of the most important books in the Bible
Is the Book of Psalms, because this is our prayerbook
When we pray Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepherd
It says he leads us into green pastures to feed us
To waters to quench our thirst
Those pastures and that water are the Word of God,
that nourish and strengthen us in our Faith
Scripture uses human imagery to help us receive the Word
For example, the image of the vineyard and workers
God compares Israel to a vineyard: he wants his vineyard
To bear a good harvest; his workers to pick the fruit
We too are called to yield a harvest of good grapes,
That is lives that can be transformed by Grace
The Word of God transforms our mind:
When we read the written Word of God in the Bible
Our mind is conformed to the mind of Christ
Don’t let the Bible in your house get covered with dust
Pick it up and read the Word of God daily!
Then the vineyard of your heart
will bear fruit for God’s harvest
Our Bull & Oyster Roast is sold out, but we still need Gift Baskets, Gift Cards, and Tombola items. Please call 410-947-4988 for more details.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
4 Ways to Pray the Rosary.docx
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
September 30, 2023
In this year of Revival of Devotion to and belief in the Eucharist, I find this article on Adoration to be very beneficial. (see below)
This past week we Celebrated the Feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian Patrons of Physicians. Pray for your physicians (Article and prayer attached as well).
Just recently they have dedicated a new Museum at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
shrine in Emmitsburg, MD. I have attached a very good article from Aelateiaconcerning the museum.
October is the perfect month to renew our commitment to Our Lady of the Rosary, but she is more than that: on the Cross, Jesus gave her to us to be our Mother, October is the perfect time to draw closer to Mary and thus closer to Jesus. During this month of the Holy Rosary and especially on this first Sunday of October the month which is called Rosary Sunday.
Great Story.....
My grandmother's cousin Ken graduated from high school in the Midwest during the worst of the Depression. Farm country was particularly hard hit, and Ken had few prospects. A tall, gangly boy from a large, cheerful family, Ken tried not to worry about the future.
He worked that summer for his uncle, who owned a traveling carnival. Ken manned the pony ride, where ponies walked a circle inside a pen. Because Ken was good with children, he received the job of lifting little boys and girls onto the ponies.
When fall arrived, bringing chill air and the bleak promise of winter, Ken faced a harsh reality. The carnival only operated in summer, so he could no longer help his struggling parents keep food on the table. Jobs were non-existent; many a good man drifted from town to town searching for work.
One day, Ken's friend said, "The John Deere factory is hiring. Go right now!" Ken was skeptical. They hadn't hired in years. This news should've been everywhere.
"How many men?"
"Only one," said his friend.
Ken hurried to the factory, hoping word hadn't spread far. He crowded into a large room where a hundred men waited to apply for that single job. His heart sank, but he decided to stay. He had nowhere else to go.
The foreman entered the room, mounted a small platform, and surveyed the crowd. An expectant hush fell over the men. The foreman stayed silent for a long moment and then his gaze fell upon Ken in the back.
"You there. With the yellow hair," he said. Ken looked around. Yes, the man meant him. He saw no other blonds. Stunned, he nodded, his mouth dry.
"Come up here." Ken pushed forward through the crowd of scowling men. When he reached the front, the foreman said, "Come with me." He led Ken into a sunny room and directed him to sit at a wooden desk.
"Name? Address? Previous employment?" Dazed, Ken answered his questions, then signed the paper the foreman shoved across the desk. "Report to me at 7:00 tomorrow morning. I'll show you where you work."
It took two paychecks before Ken believed his good fortune. He let some time pass before he worked up the courage to ask why he'd been chosen. The foreman smiled, as if he'd been waiting for the question. "You worked at a carnival last summer at the pony ride."
"Yes." Ken remained baffled.
"I remembered you. My little girl wanted a ride, but then she got scared. You held her in the saddle every step of the way, walking around and around with her until she started to like it. By the end of the ride, she was laughing. I thought, ‘I wish I could do something for that boy.'"
Ken worked for John Deere for 40 years. He always said he had comforted many frightened children that summer, and didn't even remember the one whose father changed his life.
by Teresa Coffman
Nevada, USA
26th Sunday A 2023
This week we celebrate some significant feasts:
Tues. Oct. 2nd is the feast of the Guardian Angels
Wed. Oct. 4th is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Thrs. Oct. 5th is the feast of Sister Faustina
Our Guardian Angel is our best friend who was assigned to each of us by God since the moment of our conception, to watch over us our entire life, over our body and soul, and will be with us at our death to lead us to heaven
Our Guardian Angel has one goal: to help us follow the will of God – to help us get to heaven
Our Angel helps us spiritually by interior promptings that urge us to do good things and avoid bad things Perhaps on a given day a thought occurs to you: ‘go see that person who needs you,’ or ‘phone that lonely neighbor’ You weren’t planning to do this, but it comes to mind Your angel may have inspired this act of charity
We Christians do not believe in pure chance or blind luck Whatever happens, God permits in his Providence: so what seems by chance is really the freedom God gave us
This freedom gives our Guardian Angel an opening to act to freely bring two people or events together So these intersections are gifts provided by God’s agents
Let us trust in our Heavenly Father who loves us and gave us the help of our Guardian Angel
St. Francis of Assisi is beloved by all people He devoted himself to serving Christ in the poor and he lived poverty himself by begging for food
He loved God’s created world, especially animals and one Christmas he was the first to put on a ‘living nativity’ scene with people and real animals
When he was young Jesus spoke to him from a crucifix, It is the ‘San Damiano crucifix,’ and it still in Assisi Jesus said to Francis: ‘go and rebuild my Church’
By this Christ meant for Francis to reform the Church which was suffering from corrupt clergy, like today
The Church is always in need of reform, to grow more holy This does not mean it needs to be changed in its essence because it is the Body of Christ and He is our Head
But we members are sinful; we need to repent of selfishness and we can do this by being less self-centered and more devoted to others, and the poor
Thurs. we celebrate St. Faustina through her Jesus gave us the message of ‘Divine Mercy’ Jesus appeared to her and told her to have his image painted
So we have the Divine Mercy image of Jesus: in the background is the darkness as he steps out of the tomb He emerges as the Risen Lord in glory and light:
From his side radiates the blue and red rays symbolizing the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist which give us salvation – which is the mercy of God
Jesus asks us to pray each day the ‘Divine Mercy chaplet’ which repeats the phrase: ‘for the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.’
The world today has many grave problems and few solutions Humans cannot solve these problems on our own We need God’s help: the Divine Mercy that can save us There were two sons mentioned in today’s Gospel: Let us be the son who does the will of our Father: It is the Father’s will that we pray for Divine Mercy So let us pray for the mercy of God on all humanity!
Do not forget our 39th annual Bull & Oyster Roast on October 15th from 1 PM to 5 PM.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
Visit new St Elizabth Ann Seton Museum.docx
Adoration at this college campus proves the Church.docx
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
September 16, 2023
Attached below is a glimpse of Mt. Saint-Michel in France which celebrates 1000 years this year.
This past week we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary and I have also attached an article related to her name which I found to be interesting.
24th Sunday A 2023
Forgiveness
In today’s parable Jesus teaches us that we are called to
deal mercifully with our fellow servants and forgive them
Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things for us to do
Christ gave us an example of forgiveness on the cross
when he said, “Father forgive them
for they do not know what they do”
Forgiveness is very difficult because it feels like its unfair
It seems unjust to let the offender ‘get off the hook’
Our sense of justice cries out that he or she must be punished
We want them to suffer for what they have done
We feel that, if we forgive them, they have gotten away with it
We feel they did not pay any price for their wrongdoing
So for us, justice means making them suffer for what they did
We see on the news angry protestors demanding justice
But are there crying out to forgive?
What is our response to anger and demands for punishment?
The solution is not to forget injustices, nor to deny them
The past cannot be ‘undone’
If a drunk driver killed my daughter by driving recklessly
he cannot give my daughter back: no matter how much
he is punished: it will not bring her back to life
What is the remedy for human sin and the suffering it brings?
Christ reaches us that the only remedy is the act of forgiveness.
In forgiving us, God ‘cancels’ our sin and the debt owed for it
Forgiveness does not mean there was no offense
Nor does forgiveness mean total forgetfulness
For in this life justice calls us to acknowledge the truth
When we get to heaven we can forget the sufferings of this life,
because moment that was time, compared to eternity,
will make the pain and suffering seem as nothing
There will be no desire to recall the sorrows and injuries of life
In the eternal joy of Heaven we will not look back to earth
When we forgive someone it is like letting heaven come to earth
because we let the mercy of God come into this world
by the only gate thru which love and mercy can enter:
The gate thru which forgiveness enters the world is our heart.
We need to forgive our enemy from our heart
The Wisdom of Sirach teaches us today that we ought
“to forgive our neighbor’s injustice, and then,
when you pray, your sins will be forgiven”
In the Our Father we pray, “forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who have trespassed against us”
How do we forgive? First we pray for the person who hurt us
After a time our anger subsides, and we go into
The presence of Jesus, in Church or in prayer, and we say:
“Jesus, in your presence, in your name,
I forgive so and so from my heart”
This solemn act of forgiveness will allow us to let go of anger
So seething vengeance no longer hardens our heart
Now we can receive Jesus’ peace in our heart
Even if it is not prudent to tell the offender, Forgiveness sets us free, to enjoy its fruit: to receive peace of heart
God’s forgiveness of human sin canceled its power over us,
it canceled the debt we owed and deserved
God’s forgiveness introduced into human history a remedy
the only way forward: by forgiving, that is,
the power of mercy entered this world thru Jesus on the cross
He has poured into our hearts the Holy Spirit of his love
Now, as Paul says, “both in death and in life, we are the Lord’s”
Every breath we breathe is now the Holy Spirit breathing in us
Every act, every word, that comes from us is touched by mercy
So let us pray for the Grace to forgive and receive peace
Grief Share is a 13 week, Christ-centered support program based on biblical principles for adults who are dealing with grief over the loss of a loved one. It is a 3 part program which includes: video presentation, discussion and workbook. The group will meet in the Religious Education classroom in the Parish Center on Tuesday mornings from 10 until noon. The sessions are free, but we do ask if each attendee could donate $20 towards the cost of the workbook. If you cannot donate, St. Benedict will absorb the cost. You may register by contacting the church office directly, or on-line at: http://www.griefshare.org. Enter the church zip code: 21223, and follow the prompts to complete the registration.
WORLDWIDE CHILDREN'S HOLY HOUR ON EWTN
OCTOBER 13TH AT 10:00 AM
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
September 11, 2023
Religious Education and Sacramental Preparation
Our Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) begins September 24th! All grade K-12 students and parents are invited to meet in the Notre Dame room at 9:15am for our opening session and registration. PREP includes preparation for eligible young people to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist.
Young people seeking the Sacrament of Confirmation are invited to meet in the Notre Dame room after the 10:30 Mass on Oct 1st! At least one parent must also attend. Sponsors are encouraged to attend. The Sacrament of Confirmation is available to baptized Catholic youth in 9th grade or above. Preparation includes six gatherings, service hours, a retreat and a desire to be fully initiated into the Church.
For more information please contact Deacon Cliff at 240-461-0974 or dcncliffb@gmail.com.
23rd Sunday A 2023 fraternal correction is affirming
Both the prophet Ezekiel and Jesus our Savior today address the obligation of Fraternal correction
Ezekiel is told that he is the ‘watchman to the house of Israel’ It is his duty as prophet to warn the people to avoid sin If the watchman does not warn them,
he too is responsible; he too will be punished
Jesus tells us that if our brother has done wrong, we are to go to our brother and correct him,
we can bring witnesses to help correct him
The fraternal correction taught by Ezekiel and Jesus
is to be understood in light of Jesus’ concluding remark:
“if two of you pray for anything it will be granted by my Father”
So Jesus places fraternal correction in the context of prayer
Before correcting, we pray first for the H. Spirit’s guidance
St. Paul today gives us further guidance on our duty to correct or warn our brother: he says to the Romans:
“owe no debt to anyone except the debt… to love one another”
But to correct our brother is an act of
we should approach him in a loving way,
How can correction be placed within prayer and love?
Correction is meant, not to tear down, but build up a person
So correction is a form of affirmation – to make firm
We affirm people in all of the dimensions of their person
There is a type of affirmation for each dimension of the person
There is spiritual affirmation, intellectual and moral,
and emotional affirmation. They each have a place.
One principle that guides affirmation is this:
“Emotional affirmation ought to precede moral affirmation”
This is because moral affirmation can involve correction
and people are more able to receive correction
if they first experience that we truly love them
Love should be the context for correction
Emotional affirmation is unconditional love for another
Jesus showed emotional love to Simon Peter for three years,
He first affirmed him by their friendship
by bestowing on him the honor of being the ‘rock’
Jesus built up Peter, who was then able to receive correction
Only after this did Jesus give the stern correction,
the harshest rebuke to Peter who had been urging Jesus
to avoid the cross, and Jesus said, “get behind me Satan,
you are thinking as man does not as God does”
That was an intellectual and moral affirmation of Peter
Because it taught Peter, if he is to be head of the Church
He had to judge by God’s standards, not by human values
God judges suffering to be redemptive; humans hate it
So we see that while emotional affirmation is unconditional,
Intellectual and moral affirmation are conditional
This is because the mind can be nourished only by truth
truth is the condition for building up the mind.
Falsehood, lies and error cannot: they weaken the mind
And our will power can only be strengthened by the good
The good the condition for affirming our moral life
But evil and sin weaken and destroy us morally
Fraternal correction teaches us the difference between
good and evil, and corrects our sinful ways
So fraternal correction means:
I love you enough to tell you the truth: it may be hard
to hear. I may have to point out your errors too.
I love you enough to point out what is good: this discipline
may be hard to take, but I want you to avoid sin & vice
So the principle is: for people to receive hard teachings,
for them to accept discipline that morally corrects them
we need to let them first experience our love for them
so they are sure that the correction is for their true good
Parents affirm their children in this way:
In infancy they love their children unconditionally
When a secure base of an emotional bond is established,
then in the toddler years they begin to correct behavior
and in the years of childhood there is more discipline
always within the context of love
Otherwise, correction is not received well
So too in the Church, in the parish: the pastor
tries his best to let the parishioners know he loves them
But he is also their watchman and called to give correction
This moral guidance is not easy to give, or to receive.
The pastor is your watchman, called to preach the truth
called in fraternal correction to preach the truth to you.
St. Teresa of Calcutta wrote the following prayer and encouraged families to pray it.
As Venerable Patrick Peyton famously said, “The family that prays together, stays together.” Prayer is vital to a united family life and is the surest way to keep everyone together, no matter what crisis comes your way.
St. Teresa of Calcutta knew this as well and urged families to pray on a daily basis. She even composed her own prayer that can be prayed by families on a daily basis. If you are looking for a something new to add to your daily prayer time, try the following prayer.
Heavenly Father,
you have given us the model of life
in the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to make our family another Nazareth
where love, peace and joy reign.
May it be deeply contemplative,
intensely eucharistic,
revived with joy.
Help us to stay together in joy
and sorrow in family prayer.
Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families,
especially in their distressing disguise.
May the eucharistic heart of Jesus
make our hearts humble like his
and help us to carry out our family duties
in a holy way.
May we love one another
as God loves each one of us,
more and more each day,
and forgive each other’s faults
as you forgive our sins.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to take whatever you give
and give whatever you take with a big smile.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
cause of our joy, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Holy Guardian Angels,
be always with us,
guide and protect us.
Amen.
I have attached an interesting article below on Mary's Birthday which we celebrated this past Friday.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
September 3, 2023
September 2nd was the 50 Anniversary of the death of J.R.R. Tolkein, Author of the Lord of the Rings. See the attachment below.
22nd Sunday Ordinary Time A 2023 Spiritual desire
Resp: “My soul thirst for the living God” Ps. 63:2
St. Augustine of Hippo, whose feast we recently celebrated,
is a great theologian who could be named the
‘doctor of desire’ because of his teaching on spiritual desire
Why is desire so central to Christian life?
Recall what Jesus says:
‘where you heart lies, there lies your treasure’
If we are overly attached to worldly things,
We have no room in our heart for God
The cause of most sin is that we want something
more than God, even going against God’s law to get it
So we sin because we do not desire, do not love God
above all, but desire other things more than God
So the remedy for our sinful desire is to desire God above all
We distract ourselves from God by a worldly focus
We fill up our body, our imagination, our heart
with worldly desires and their satisfaction,
these things will not last; they even become boring:
that is why we need one more thing, and then another
St. Augustine had pursued worldly things and desires,
so he appreciated the need to transform his desire
to direct it to God and the things of God
So we need to intensify our desire for God. But how?
What is the condition that makes spiritual desire grow?
We are happy and content when we possess something
But when we do not yet have it, that is the time of desire
Desire is felt when the good we seek is not yet ours
As the saying goes, “absence makes the heart grow fonder”
The conditions for desire are absence of what we seek
And time to feel our desire
so by repeated exercise desire is intensified
Hope and Faith are directed to what we do not see or have
In this life God is hidden from our eyes
Faith is believing in what we do not yet see
In this life we live in Hope, for what we do not yet have:
heaven and the vision of God
God makes us wait our whole life
before He gives Himself to us
so can learn desire for Him
Spiritual desire is a holy longing to be united with God
St. Augustine describes this yearning as prayer itself
“The desire of your heart is your prayer
If the desire is constant, so is your prayer”
This prayer is an interior prayer made in us by
the Holy Spirit “with sighs too deep for words” Rm 8:26
This is spoken of in Psalm 42:8, “deep calls unto deep”
St. Augustine explains this prayer of the Holy Spirit in us
He asks:
“Who cries? A sinner.
“With what do you cry? With all your heart.
“Whence comes your cry? From the depths of your heart.
The deeper our faith, the deeper our desire”
This holy longing is also expressed in Ps. 42
“As the deer longs for running waters
So my soul longs for you O God”
Athirst is my soul for the living God,
When shall I go and behold the fact of God?”
And in Ps. 27: 4 we pray this desire to be with God:
“One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life”
Can we dwell in the house of the Lord in this life?
or is this prayer directed only to heaven?
Jesus says to us: “if anyone thirsts, let him come to me”
We can dwell in the house of the Lord
By making our house his home, our heart his home
By welcoming Jesus into our heart in Holy Communion
Let us free ourselves of earthly desires,
Let go of over-attachment to worldly things,
And make space for a holy longing: desire for God above all
Let our hearts burn for Christ in the Eucharist
Below is a very good Article on Ministry to Mom's and reaching out to lapsed Catholic children.
Miraculous healing at Eucharistic Adoration
Theresa Civantos Barber - published on 08/27/23
Today Julia is a happy and healthy young woman, but seven years ago she was very sick -- until a miraculous healing at Eucharistic Adoration changed her life.
Today Julia is a happy and healthy young woman, but seven years ago she was very sick –until a miraculous healing at Eucharistic Adoration changed her life. Here is her story.
A Catholic childhood
Julia was raised in a devoutly Catholic family, and her parents helped her and her six siblings to put Jesus first. They lived within walking distance of their parish in the Chicago suburbs, so it was easy for Julia to get to church often.
“My friends and I could meet for early morning Mass before school, and once a perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel was established, I could pop over to say ‘hi’ to Jesus whenever I wanted,” she said in an interview with Aleteia.
Julia’s family also had a regular Holy Hour slot on Saturday afternoons so that the whole family could spend time in prayer.
“Christ’s presence was a comforting constant,” Julia said. “When I knelt before the Eucharist, I never doubted that I was visiting a Person, not just a symbol.”
A debilitating sickness
Julia’s health was never great, but it got much worse in her teens.
After seeing many doctors and undergoing extensive testing, she was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a nervous system disorder that affects heart rate and blood pressure.
“When I stood up or sat upright for too long, the blood would drain from my head, causing me to pass out,” she explained.
Julia’s condition worsened from needing a walker to a wheelchair to an in-home nurse who helped administer IV fluids.
“Life was appointment after appointment, medication after medication,” she said.
The illness had her completely confined to bed while her friends and peers were heading off to college and finding their vocations.
“In a sense I was in school, too — the school of the Cross,” she recalled.
A miraculous healing
On April 1, 2017, Julia went with her family to the Adoration chapel for their regular Saturday Holy Hour.
Julia could not sit upright in a pew, so she lay on an exercise mat in the back of the chapel.
She described the incredible thing that happened that day:
I had prayed for healing before, but the answer was always a very clear “not yet.” This time, my prayer was different. It was April Fools Day. Knowing Jesus has a sense of humor, I asked if he would grant me a dramatic healing as an April Fools prank, so I could confuse people with my sudden health. To my surprise, he agreed!
At first she didn’t feel any different, and she didn’t want to try walking in case she fell.
She asked for confirmation that what she was hearing was genuinely from God, and not just her own mind telling her what she wanted to hear.
I asked Jesus, “I know you don’t do this a lot outside of the Old Testament, but if I’m really healed, could you send a physically audible voice telling me it’s ok to get up and move around?” He said he would, but I didn’t hear anything outside of my own heart just yet.
When it was time to go, her mom teasingly quoted John 5:8, whispering, “Take up your mat and walk.” Julia knew that was her sign. She said:
I rolled up my mat, genuflected, and—to the alarm of my parents—began to walk home. It was only a few blocks, but even walking across a room would normally have worn me out. Walking all the way home should have been impossible! My Mom walked beside me, ready to assist if needed, and my Dad followed closely behind in the car, expecting I would need a ride. I told them it wasn’t necessary. I was healed!
A shock to everyone
Julia’s sudden recovery was a big shock to her physical therapists and medical providers. “The next few days were fun,” she said, recalling everyone’s surprise. “POTS is an illness that never goes away that suddenly, so it was definitely a miracle.”
Soon Julia was back in the dance studio, a passion she had had to abandon due to POTS, and she was able to help start a program for dancers with disabilities — “the type of program I had longed for when I was sick.”
Julia is doing well today, and she wants to share an important message:
Miracles aren’t restricted to biblical times. The same Jesus who healed the lame man in John 5:8 reached across time and extended the same blessing to me through his Real Presence in the Eucharist. I’m beyond grateful that he healed me of the illness that was keeping me bed-bound! God is so good!
We have two seminarians coming to us this fall from Mount. St. Mary’s Seminary. Jacob Martini a transitional deacon, from Peoria, IL- will be working with us and leading us on our Eucharistic Renewal program. Along with Michael Moore, a third-year seminarian from Baltimore who will be working with our shut-ins and visiting the sick. Both will be helping in the Food Pantry as well on the distribution days.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
Ministry to Moms- St. Monica.docx
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
August 27,2023
Don't forget our Concert on this evening in the rear parking lot at 7:15 PM following the Sunday evening Mass.
The K of C will have Crab Soup, Hotdogs, and Burgers available as well. Bring your own chair.
Young Men 12+, Come and See the Benedictines - Br. Bosco, Br. John Fisher & Fr. Paschal Morlino.
Enjoy Mass, Kickball, Dinner & Chat. September 9, 2023 at 4:00 PM. RSVP at 410-947-4988.
Let us remain united to Christ as members of his Body the Church ‘for the hand of the Lord feeds us, he answers all our needs.'
BE LIVING WHEN…
Be not ashamed of what you are
Made of the same stuff as a star
Except you do not radiate
Except with love, or maybe hate
When adventure of life is over
It will not matter, rich or clever
But only as much as you have loved
For which you will be God beloved
Do you remember who they were
The ones you loved, what did occur?
A feeling you were not alone
Nor had the need to life postpone
But were alive and would again
Be living when you loved as then?
Twenty First Sunday A, 2023
Psalm response
When I called you answered me; you built up strength in me
In the 1st reading Eliakim is raised up by God and
given a new role as master holding palace keys
In the Gospel, Peter, is raised up by Jesus and
is made rock and given the keys of the kingdom of God
Both Eliakim & Peter gratefully realize that as mere men
they could not do their task, but as Ps. 138 says today:
unless God ‘built up strength within them’
Peter could not know that Jesus is the Son of the living God
unless he was receiving Divine Revelation.
As Jesus says: no mere man told you this
But my heavenly Father revealed this to you. That is,
Peter and the Roman Pontiffs are guided by the H. Spirit
This gift is handed on to each Pope so thru them the H. Spirit
St. Paul asks today: ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord?’
The Lord makes His mind known to the Holy Father.
To the Holy Father is given ‘to know the mind of the Lord’
The secure ‘rock’ on which the Church is built is
God’s revelation to the Pope and bishops united to him
This rock-like quality is called ‘infallibility’ which means
The Pope cannot err about the doctrines that teach us
the true Faith to be believed for our salvation
and the truth of what ought to be done for good morals
Does the Pope’s divine inspiration apply to everything? No
It is a narrow privilege that applies to solemn acts
when the pope defines a dogma – a statement of
what we believe as essential to Christian Faith
Such dogmas are given only a few times in Church history
In all other religious teachings of lesser matters the Pope
is not infallible, but has authority that we should respect
‘fallible’ means can fail; infallible means cannot err
Infallibility means that the God guarantees the Church
a Divine Guidance that cannot mislead us
Could the pope err in lesser matters of faith and morals?
It is possible
Recall how, right after Jesus told Peter he was rock, then
Peter protested that Jesus should not have to suffer
Jesus gave Peter the strongest reprimand he ever gave:
“get behind me you Satan, you are not judging
by God’s standard, but judging by man’s” standards
This is stern warning to all of Peter’s successors the popes:
Let the Holy Spirit guide you, do not let Satan deceive you
Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance;
If the pope, and even many bishops, did not see the error,
and if he did not step down, and many let him stay,
then the election of another pope by those who vote for him
would put the Church into a state of division - ‘schism’
(from Greek word for ‘cut apart’ – ‘scissors’ ) into
two parties: those who kept the true Faith and true pope
and those who stayed with the error, and the anti-pope
There have been a few times in history when, for a time,
There was more than one pope - due to governing disputes
God used St. Catherine of Siena to re-unite the Church then
But we have not had a pope who taught doctrinal error
The possibility that a pope could err in lesser teachings
does not mean, is not evidence there is no papal infallibility
which is reserved to solemnly defined dogmas
Let us pray that our Holy Father be faithful in teaching all
and only what the Church teaches in Faith and Morals
Let us pray that we adhere in Faith to the Church’s teaching
It is a gift to have faith in all that the Church professes
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
Queenship of Mary 22 August.doc
Caryll Houselander on parenting as devotion to Christ.docx
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
August 15, 2023
Tuesday of this week August 15th, is a Holy Day of Obligation:.
The Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Lady. Masses are at 8:00 AM, Noon, and 7:00 PM
Magnificent Attachment by Gerard Manley-Hopkins on Mary and Motherhood.
Mary, preserved from sin and chosen to be the Mother of God, is queen of heaven and earth.
Mary, preserved from original sin to be a worthy vessel for the Son of God, gives God her fiat in complete surrender to his plan. She then visits Elizabeth to tell her what the Holy Spirit has done. Mary, sinless, ever virgin, and spouse of the Holy Spirit, did not experience death in the same way as all others, but rather fell asleep in the Lord and was assumed, body and soul, into heaven. She is honored as the queen of heaven and earth.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
In the first reading, the Ark of the Covenant is seen in heaven – a woman with a child, dazzling and crowned. She is the one who brought forth the child who ruled the nations, and she now lives forever in the place God prepared for her. In the second reading, Saint Paul writes that the last of the enemies to be destroyed by God is death. The Gospel tells the story of Mary, pregnant with Jesus, making her way to her cousin Elizabeth. After her own baby leaps in her womb, Elizabeth proclaims that Mary is blessed among women.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
BLESSING OF HERBS ON ASSUMPTION.docx
Gerard Manley-Hopkins-Mary.docx
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
July 29, 2023
Don't forget to make your reservations for the Crab Feast on the Paddle Boat. August 11th. Bus leaves at 9:30 AM and returns at 6:30 PM
17th Sunday A 2023
Wisdom and God’s Law
Wisdom is the pearl of great price in the gospel.
What is this wisdom? The 1st reading tells us that wisdom is an ‘understanding heart’
Christ has the most understanding heart
The Heart of Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God
To find, to know, to love Christ is to find the pearl of great price
The wisdom in Sacred Scripture refers to practical wisdom:
This wisdom to guide moral action is named ‘prudence’
Prudence is an ability to judge distinguish right from wrong is
But on its own, prudence does not establish good or evil
This is learned from God’s Law by which he orders creation
God’s Divine Law is given to humans in three ways:
1. God put the natural law in the heart of every person
It is basically our conscience that knows right from wrong
But to help us, and form our conscience,
So that we would not miss the truth about good & evil,
God spelled out the natural moral law in the:
2. 10 Commandments which put into words the natural law
God divided the commandments into two parts:
Commands 1 – 3 teach us ways to respect the One God
Commands 4 – 10 teach us ways to respect one another
But even the 10 Commandments are not enough insofar as they
do not give details how to apply them to every moral question
So in addition to the natural moral law and the 10 Com.
3. God also gives us moral guidance
through the Church’s moral teaching
which interprets and applies the 10 Com. to new questions
The Church continually applies her wisdom to new moral issues
When new questions arise about which act is good or evil
We have a duty to inform our conscience
by listening and obeying the Church moral teaching,
which is as binding as the 10 Com.
If you heed the Church’s teaching you can avoid the corrupt
and misleading opinion of false worldly ‘wisdom’
The world reduced to morality to each person’s opinion
- that is ‘moral relativism’ which holds that
good or evil are entirely subjective: up to personal ‘choice’
But God’s Law is the truth about reality, about good & evil
If we desire to find the pearl of great price, wisdom of heart,
Then we need to heed the 10 commandments
And the Church’s explanation of how they apply
This is the way to seek Christ, the Wisdom of God
because ultimately, Christ Himself is the law of God
because His person and example embody God’s Will
So we ought to follow Jesus’ example of obedience to His Father
And that way we make God’s ‘law our delight,’
as the Psalm response says, may each of us say in our heart:
“I love your commands”
How happiness is connected to charity
Philip Kosloski - published on 09/10/23
The Bible reminds us that if we want to be happy in this life, we need to be more charitable towards others.
We all desire happiness in this life, whether we realize it or not. Few desire to live each day in a state of despair, and most simply want to be happy. It is an honest desire, one that God does not negate.
In fact, God shows us the true path to happiness in this life.
Fr. Francis Xavier Lasance explains in My Prayer Book how happiness is intimately connected to charity.
Our happiness depends to a great extent on our observance of the law of fraternal charity: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and of the Golden Rule announced by our blessed Savior: “As you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner” (Luke 6:31). In doing good to others we become like to Christ, of whom we read in the Gospel that “He went about doing good to all.” “This commandment we have from God,” says the disciple, whom Jesus loved, “that he, who loves God, loves also his brother” (1 John 4:21). And St. Paul observes: “He, who loves his neighbor, has fulfilled the law” (Rom. xiil. 8).
It is interesting to think how the more we think and care for others, the more our own personal happiness grows.
We reap what we sow. Kindness begets kindness. Man can scarcely enjoy sweeter satisfaction than that which results from good deed generously performed or a kind word unselfishly spoken. “Happy is he, who has charity for every one,” says the Blessed Egidius of Assisi; “happy is he, who performs great services for his neighbor, yet does not trouble about receiving anything in return.”
The key is to be truly charitable in thought and deed, not simply performing kindness out of obligation, but because of our sincere desire for the good of another person. If we regret the charity we give to another, our happiness will likely decrease, as we will be disappointed when the other person does not return the charity.
However, when we are not worried about what others think and simply do a kind deed out of the love we have, our happiness increases in this life and in the next.
Our deeds of disinterested charity are recorded in the Book of Life. On the great day of recompense, our blessed Savior will say: “Come, blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; naked, and you covered Me; sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me; As long as you did it to one of these little children you did it to Me” (Matt. XXV. 34-36).
If we want true and lasting happiness, we must make the effort to be chartable on a daily basis, seeing Jesus Christ in every person we meet.
Attached below is an excellent article on Mark Twain about hopelessness. It is worth a read.
If you are an anxious grandparent, here is a powerful prayer for those you dearly care about.
Grandparents possess a great duty in the life of a family. Not only are they given the task of passing on their experience and wisdom to the next generation, they are also encouraged to pray for their grandchildren, especially when they appear to be walking away from the life of faith.
In fact, only in Heaven will we truly realize how much the prayers of grandparents have brought many of us back to the Church after wandering for so many years!
One of the most powerful set of intercessors that grandparents can turn to are Sts. Joachim and Anne. They were the grandparents of Jesus Christ and the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What an amazing household of faith!
Below is a simple prayer, often called the “Grandparent’s Prayer,” that can be prayed on a daily basis for all of your grandchildren. It is also a reminder of the great task that grandparents have and a daily call to conversion, recognizing the fact that grandchildren will always look to their grandparents for inspiration, whether they admit it or not.
Good Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, parents of Mary and grandparents to Jesus, be with me and all grandparents that we may be wise and loving, may share our time and stories and sense of humor, and may enjoy and not spoil too much the grandchildren who are close to our hearts, for they are the sign of God’s life to us. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be with our grandchildren and all other grandchildren that they may love and respect their grandparents and all older people, may remember to call, visit or write ,and grow in wisdom, age and grace before God.
Amen.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
July 22, 2023
Useful information:
When ever I anoint someone who is near death I always use this Apostolic Pardon. I have used it twice in the past two weeks for Patricia Hand and Barbara Cazpar. Both of whom we have celebrated funerals .It is Reserved for those on their deathbed, the Apostolic Pardon is a true gift of grace for the dying. We will also hold a funeral this week for June Miller.
As a person draws closer to the doors of death, there is one blessing in particular that the Church reserves for this most sacred moment: the Apostolic Pardon. It is a pardon that can be given by any priest and has the special power of removing all temporal punishment due to sin.
You can also read the account of one husband’s experience of seeing his wife receive this special grace.
The Catholic Encyclopedia explains exactly what the Apostolic Pardon is and the requirements to perform it.
“The anointing [of the sick] is ordinarily succeeded by the conferring of the Apostolic benediction, or ‘last blessing,’ as it is commonly called. To this blessing a plenary indulgence is attached, to be gained, however, only at the hour of death, i.e. it is given nunc pro tunc. It is conferred in virtue of a special faculty granted to the bishops and by them delegated quite generally to their priests. The conditions requisite for gaining it are the invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus at least mentally, acts of resignation by which the dying person professes his willingness to accept all his sufferings in reparation for his sins and submits himself entirely to the will of God…. The words of St. Augustine are in point: ‘However innocent your life may have been, no Christian ought to venture to die in any other state than that of the penitent.’”
In just a few days on August 11th we will have our annual Crab Feast on the Paddle Boat. I hope you have your reservation in soon so you will not be left out. It is always a really great day out on the Choptank River with steamed crabs, corn on the cob, fried chicken and other good food. The Bus leaves here at 9:30AM and returns at 6:30 PM. Cost for bus and boat is $130.00. Call the office to make your reservations..410-947-40988..Alcoholic drinks available but not included.
16th Sunday A, 2023
The good seeds
Let us interpret this parable as said of each of us:
Our own heart is the field
in which God has planted the good seeds
by the influence and guidance of family and friends
their actions and lives gave us good examples
When we followed these, only good came of it in our lives
Yes, God has sent saints into our lives whose inspire us:
perhaps our parents, grandparents,
or a neighbor or Sunday school teacher, etc...
Let us appreciate the blessings God has sown in or lives:
Our parents and siblings, our spouse, our children
The talents God put in us, and jobs He has blessed us with
These persons and the work we do, are good seeds
If we treasure and appreciate them;
if we cultivate and care for them,
they bear fruit in our lives
Through the Holy Spirit, with the help of others in our life
God has also put in our heart the seed of Faith,
the anchor of hope, the fire of Love
Have we let these - faith hope and love - mature in us?
So each of us is that field of which the Lord speaks,
and our lifetime is the season in which the seeds grow
B. The tares - weeds
Yet also in our hearts there are also weeds
that were sown by the evil one:
by the influence of the bad actions of others
people we should not have followed,
bad examples we should not have imitated
false teaching, temptations and vices
We also need to admit the seeds the evil one sowen
that led to acts of poor judgment and mistakes we made
- the things we regret, the bad choices that hurt us and others
Have we let the seeds of doubt, despair, hate grown in our heart?
C. Each new day
God teaches us in the 1s reading from the Book of Wisdom,
That He is very patient and merciful in his judgment on us
One of God’s greatest mercies is to give us time to learn
to correct our mistakes and to start over
to care for the good seeds and blessings God gives us
Every morning we again awaken
is one more chance, one more blessing
Each day is a gift from God,
to start over to treasure our blessings
to cultivate the good seeds God gives us today
When we look back in our lives, we see the times we trusted
the times we did not trust in God’s Providence
Although God sent us Blessings,
we did not always trust in Him or His Plan for us
Although we sometimes squandered His gifts, by bad choices
God still gives us another chance, another day to repent
because God is patient with us: he is a loving Father
Although he may have to let us suffer for our mistakes
so we learn our lesson, God helps us up to get up again
As the Psalm says, “O Lord, you are good and forgiving”
How can we cultivate the good seeds God has given us?
How can we respond to his Providence and Blessings?
How can we wisely see and care for the Gifts he gives us today?
God has given a way to help us discern His blessings,
and to avoid the evil one’s bad seeds
Prayer is the cultivator that works the soil of our soul
Prayer is the tool that opens up our heart to God
St. Paul says prayer is the action of the Holy Spirit in our heart
“The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us…the Spirit intercedes for the saints as God Himself wills”
The Holy Spirit, praying in us, directs us to God’s Will for us
hence we need only turn our attention toward God
Then the Holy Spirit is the power that does the heavy lifting
Who lift up our spirits, and moves us forward
But without prayer the Christian life lacks activation of the seeds
The seeds of Faith Hope and Love remain dormant
Unless we give time to God in prayer
Our Soul is the garden of the H. Spirit: let in the Spirit by prayer!
Attached below is a very interesting article concerning St. Lawrence of Brinidisi whose feast we celebrated this past week on Friday. I had a classmate in the novitiate who took the name of Lawrence and Lawrence of Brindisi was his patron.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
July 8, 2023
Tuesday, the 11th of July, is the Feast of St. Benedict. St. Benedict held up the dignity of work, believing that work played an essential role in our daily lives and path to heaven. He passed on this idea to his monks specifically through his Rule. He warns the monks: “Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore, the brothers should have specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading."
St. Benedict also believed that work helps us keep a healthy mind and that we should transform every task into prayer. Our days should follow a rhythm of sleep, work, and prayer. We also should practice discipline and read often to feed our minds and souls.
The Benedictine Monks of St. Vincent Archabbey have ministered in the City of Baltimore since 1874. They have served at St. Benedict Parish since 1893.
Funeral on Saturday at 1:00 PM for Daniel Reichart at Hubbard Funeral Home. Dan was nearly 101 years old, was a member the parish, and one of our Seniors Bingo group who meet on Wednesday at 1:00 AM-1:30PM
July is then month of the Precious Blood. Read the article below on the saint who will help you find the blessings of the Precious Blood:
In July, we focus on the Precious Blood of Jesus. Mary Magdalene saw it falling from his wounds and gushing from his side.
This month of July, let’s imagine our faith like a garden, lush with color and bursting with life. Then we can invoke St. Mary Magdalene, who encountered the Risen Lord in a garden, to guide us. We ask her to intercede for us that we may persevere in prayer and have the tenacity to tend the garden in all its challenges. Most of all, St. Mary can lead us to a beautiful devotion to the Master Gardener whose Cross she stood beneath as He shed His Precious Blood for us. She is perfect to lead us this July, the month in our tradition in which we are called to deepen our devotion to the Precious Blood.
More than her sinful past, Mary Magdalene is remembered as a paragon of great love of Christ and in that we should seek to emulate her example and pray for her intercession. St. Mary Magdalene is a wonderful saint to help us increase our devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus, since she remained at the foot of the cross, along with our Blessed Mother and St. John the Beloved. She would have seen and wept over the blood flowing from our Savior’s many wounds. She would have been there when Christ’s side was opened by Longinus’ spear and the blood and water of Divine Mercy opened upon the world.
St. Mary Magdalene is one of the only followers of Jesus whom we know stayed so faithful to Him even during His Passion. It is often said that praying at the foot of the cross, St. Mary Magdalene represents all penitent souls, all fallen sinners who were forgiven as she was because of their great love. In the words of St. Padre Pio, “If you have the courage to imitate Mary Magdalene in her sins, have the courage to imitate her penance!” Speaking of penance and the Precious Blood, the best way for us to draw near to both is the Sacrament of Confession.
Jesus told St. Faustina Kowalska,
“Daughter, when you go to Confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul.” (Diary #1602)
To celebrate the Precious Blood of Jesus this July and follow the example of the Magdalene’s penitence, let us get to Confession, remembering that if we have committed a mortal sin, we must get to Confession as soon as possible: The eternal salvation of our soul depends upon it! If it’s a Sunday and we haven’t confessed the mortal sin we must still keep our obligation to attend Mass but not receive Holy Communion until we are once more in a state of grace: after a good Confession. If our sins are “only venial” let’s rush to Confession to remove those sins, too. So many graces are poured out upon us when we confess, and our tendency to keep committing habitual sins is lessened the more we confess them. Pope St. John Paul II went to Confession every week … and he’s a saint! Wonder which came first? Confession!
Let her teach us with her words
Here are three quotes by St. Mary Magdalene that serve as wisdom for us in our own lives. All three of these quotes take place at the Resurrection of Jesus.
1) “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” (Jn 20:15)
These words spring to Mary’s lips when “she thought he was the gardener.” These insightful words referring to He who prunes and tends us are a reminder of how the writings of St. Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” teach that each soul is made to be a flower in the garden of God. Mary Magdalene knew she was dependent upon the Gardener for everything, for light, strength, and for her very life.
Mary Magdalene’s words teach resilience in faith and in prayer, seeking God with holy stubbornness. She is zealous, never lukewarm. How can we do this? Say for example there is no Eucharistic Adoration at your church, or it was canceled for the evening. Find another church that is offering it … and drive there, even if it takes extra time. Or for example, if you got to church late just as Adoration was ending and the last chords of Tantum ergo sacramentum are fading … stay anyway and pray before the locked tabernacle. Confession only available on Saturday afternoons at your parish but a sin is troubling you? Find the nearest church offering it midweek and go encounter Jesus in the confessional. Let’s bring that Magdalene zeal to all we do in prayer!
2) “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”) (Jn 20:16)
Mary Magdalene turned toward Jesus and cried out “Teacher” in Aramaic, when she recognized Him. For this month of July as we follow the Magdalene’s example, let us address Christ as “Teacher” in prayer. Let’s bring ourselves into the role of student in our faith. Perhaps now is a good time to read one of the spiritual classics about Jesus we’ve never read such as Imitation of Christ or This Tremendous Lover.
3) “I have seen the Lord!” (Jn 20:18)
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news that she had seen Jesus, who had asked her to go to the apostles and tell them He had risen. How do we model that we have seen the Lord with the eyes of faith? We should ask ourselves what we can do this month to give greater witness to our Catholic faith, especially the way we literally do see the Lord: in the Eucharist. Try inviting a friend to Eucharistic Adoration, or wearing a noticeable crucifix in the public square. How can we bear greater witness to our faith with our example?
To celebrate the influence of St. Mary Magdalene this month, try having a Mary Magdalene-themed tea with your family or friends. Serve some Madeleine cookies! Since Mary Magdalene brought the spices to the tomb of Christ, serve hot or cold spiced tea: anything from chai spiced with ginger and cardamom or black tea with cloves and cinnamon. Visit the grave of a departed loved one and in the spirit of Mary Magdalene, bring beautifully scented flowers to the grave. You can sign up here to receive a guided hour of prayer invoking the intercession of St. Mary Magdalene. Finally, in the spirit of Mary Magdalene who loved so much that much was forgiven … let us choose to lovingly forgive when we are hurt by others this month, remembering those words of the Our Father: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
July 1, 2023
Our Office will be closed on Monday and Tuesday this coming week, in observance of the 4th of July. Many folks are traveling and gathering in various places. We will celebrate Mass on the 4th of July at :9:00AM.
Remember in your prayers Marge Chenowith who went to God on the 25th of June and was buried at 11:00 AM Mass from St. Benedict on July 1st.
July is the month of the Most Precious Blood. We will begin on Sunday, July 2nd to provide for the reception of the eucharist under both species. the Host will continue to be distributed as usual. Now there will also be two cups for the precious blood available as well at the 10:30AM Mass only for the beginning. Please be very considerate and if you have a cold or sore throat do not drink from the chalice. We want to keep our parishioner healthy.
Here for your reading and prayerful thoughts are the complete words of our National Anthem.
O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
’Tis the star-spangled banner—o long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto—“In God is our Trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
13th Sunday A 2023 Thoughts
The first reading and Gospel are about hospitality
A woman welcomed the prophet Elisha to her home
God rewarded her and her husband with conception of a son
Jesus says: “he who welcomes you, welcomes me”
He tells us if we welcome a holy man, or give a disciple
even a cup of water, God will reward our hospitality
Jesus asks even more of us: to give up family and property,
To follow him by taking up our cross as He carried His
The call to Christian discipleship is a call to self-sacrifice
What is this sacrifice? St. Paul puts it this way:
“you must consider yourselves dead to sin,
but alive for God in Christ Jesus.”
So hospitality and generosity are linked to self-sacrifice
and they call for the renunciation of sinful habits
Spouses and parents practice hospitality and sacrifice
by their sacrifices for one another; and by their work
and sacrifices they provide a home for their children
Some people even give hospitality to relatives or others in need
Our nation is being challenged to provide hospitality
to millions of immigrants who are entering our country
Whatever our political views of how this is occurring; still,
the Church extends help and care to those in need
As the Psalm says: “My kindness is established forever…”
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
Sent by Cody Barber
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
May 6,2023
See the attached items below: They are all very interesting for this week. Pope Francis' homily and thoughts on Frist Communion in 2019 is especially a very good read as is How to deal with that toxic person in your life, according to St. Therese.
Thanks to all who came last Sunday and celebrated my birthday. It was truly a happy celebration and I certainly do appreciate all the well wishes I received.
While home at my sister's this past week, I took time to read every card and note. I was very touched by so many of them. Not two cards alike. Praises and Thank You for those who put it all together. It was a beautiful job!
Mother's Day is Next Sunday the 14th. Don't forget to get your Mass intentions in for your mother's living and deceased to be put on the altar for the Masses on Mother's Day.
My sister Margaret is doing very well post surgery-getting stronger every day.
First Communion PP Francis 1 '19.docx
St.Theresa & a difficult peson.docx
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
April 16, 2023
As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday The Lord invites us to touch his wounds and encounter the font of all mercy. As Jesus gives Thomas a great gift when he invites Thomas to touch his wounds. In his wounds, Christ displays his response of mercy to our sinfulness. When we doubt, we can ask the Lord for the grace to touch his wounds through prayer and to receive his mercy for us. Listen carefully to the reading this Sunday...They have powerful messages for us.
In Acts, we hear a description of the early Church as a community of deep faith, shared possessions, and continual growth. Saint Peter speaks of the power of faith that endures through adversity. In the Gospel, Jesus reveals himself twice to his disciples. Thomas would not believe without seeing Jesus. Let us pray to Thomas when we have doubts and fears and touch the wounds of Jesus so that we may join with him and say "My Lord and My God"
"The Emmaus journey is a symbolic presentation of the liturgy. We come to Mass like the two disciples, often walking in the wrong direction. But Jesus with his infinite patience comes to join us, opening up for us the meaning of the Scriptures, showing us once again how the Old Testament story culminates in and centers around him. This is the Liturgy of the Word. Though this illumination is necessary, it is not sufficient. We don't fully understand who Jesus is until, like the two disciples, we sit down at the sacred sacrificial banquest that makes present his saving cross. It is in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup, that we see him in his Real Presence. Finally, having seen, we can move in a more correct direction."
Bishop Barron
How to greet each other during the Easter season.docx
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
April 9,2023
Christ is Risen! Alleluia! He is Truly Risen! Alleluia!
"The Paschal Greeting"
Christ is Risen! He is Truly Risen! (English)
Al Masieh Qam! Haken Qam! (Arabic)
Cristo ha Resucitado! En Verdad ha Resucitado! (Spanish)
Le Christ est Ressuscite! En Vertite Il est Ressuscite! (French)
Il Signore Risorto! Il Signore Vero Risorto! (Italian)
Christus ist Erstanden! Er ist Wahrhaftig Erstanden! (German)
Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! (Greek)
Christus Resurrexit! Vere Resurrexit! (Latin)
Khristos Voskrese! Voistinn Voskrese! (Russian)
On this beautiful Easter Day it is with a grateful heart that I wish to say Happy and Joyous Easter to all of you. We have transformed St. Benedict Church into a blooming, fragrant garden in which to celebrate the great Feast of Christ’s Resurrection.
It is without a doubt, a fitting garden setting in which Christ may welcome our parishioners, our visitors this glorious Easter Day. What a fitting place to celebrate the New Life which Christ gives us as we renew our Baptismal promises today.
Be assured I shall have you in my heart and in my Easter Masses.
On this glorious Feast of the Resurrection, our hearts and voices are filled with jubilation! The proclamation “Christ is Risen” is joyfully met with the response, “He is truly Risen!” This is truly the day the Lord has made. We are filled with joyful Alleluias!
We were given the opportunity to grow in faith during our 40 days of Lent and can now enter into the Easter celebration, proclaiming Christ for the world.
Today the whole Christian community around the world is united to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. In our midst the Paschal candle, representing the Risen Christ, burns brightly as we listen to the good news of the Resurrection.
I urge you to reflect deeply today on the readings we hear proclaimed and to ask the Lord Jesus to help you know why you are in church today.
The big question today is why am I in church today, Easter Sunday? The answer… I am here to celebrate the central fact of human history and the Catholic faith, the bodily resurrection of Christ from the grave! The victory of life over death, light over darkness, salvation over sin! There it is! The heart of the Resurrection message!
Death does not have the victory. “They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction, but they are in peace.” Wisdom 3:2 Because of the Resurrection, sin and death are conquered. We remain strong in our hope that we will see one another in eternity.
The Resurrection message is alive and well. It has survived the onslaught of all the devils of two thousand years and recently, the pandemic. The message brings us to church today to say it once more: “He is truly Risen!”
Today, begin to look at others through “Resurrection glasses”. Go ahead, put them on. Begin to see the face of the Risen Christ in everybody around you.
O Risen Jesus,
May I always seek and find you,
thinking about you, speak to you,
and do everything,
for your honor and glory.
Be always my hope, my peace,
my refuge and my help
in whom my heart is rooted,
so that I may never
be separated from you.
Amen
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
2612 Wilkens Ave, Baltimore, MD 21223 • saintbenedict.org/
April 1
Walking Stations of the Cross
Good Friday is a most special day in the life of Christians because it brings to light the great love of God for us, sending his Son to suffer and die for us. Let us proclaim that great love and show that we truly believe in Christ who shed his blood for us upon the Cross. Let us bring the message of God's love to the city and especially our neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore.
Please invite your family and friends to join us on Good Friday for the Walking Stations which were absent during the pandemic. We begin at 10:30AM on the front steps of St. Benedict Church, 2612 Wilkens Ave, and pray the Stations of the Cross as we walk our neighborhood praying and singing, giving witness to our Faith while inviting others to join us. We should be finished at noon.
Lift High the Cross! The Love of Christ proclaim 'til all the world adore His Sacred Name!
In the Gospel about the raising of Lazarus has a pointed message for us.
Everyone reading this is, to a degree, spiritually dead. Maybe you’re like Lazarus—four days in your tomb. Maybe you feel there is just no hope for the likes of you. I don’t care how far you’ve fallen. I don’t care how dead you are. The voice of Jesus can call you back to life, can pull you out of the tomb.
Listen to what Jesus says: “Untie him and let him go.” God hates death and the ways of death. He hates all the ways we’ve managed to tie ourselves up. He hates how we’ve wandered into tombs and graves.
Maybe you’re sunk in an addiction. Maybe you’ve done things you are so ashamed of that you can’t even bring yourself to speak of them. Maybe you’ve fallen out of relationship with the people you love the most. Maybe you’ve been a first-class jerk. Maybe you just feel you’re a failure. Maybe you’re terrified of dying. I don’t care. Listen for the voice!
“Untie him and let him go.” Confessions on Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM. We will have 5 priests available for Confession.
Holy Week Schedule 2023 final.docx
PALM SUNDAY 2021 COMMENTARY.docx
Veiling of Statues- Passiontide.docx
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
Sent by Cody Barber
March24
The Past week we celebrated the Feast of St. Joseph. This great article, appeared on the 20th of the month to which his feast was transferred this year, as his feast day was actually on Sunday. I thought it was well worth sharing with you.
Also, Mark Whalberg's take on Lent is a great read as well.
Walking Stations of the Cross
Good Friday is a most special day in the life of Christians because it brings to light the great love of God for us, sending his Son to suffer and die for us. Let us proclaim that great love and show that we truly believe in Christ who shed his blood for us upon the Cross. Let us bring the message of God's love to the city and especially our neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore.
Please invite your family and friends to join us on Good Friday for the Walking Stations which were absent during the pandemic. We begin at 10:30AM on the front steps of St. Benedict Church, 2612 Wilkens Ave, and pray the Stations of the Cross as we walk our neighborhood praying and singing, giving witness to our Faith while inviting others to join us. We should be finished at noon.
Lift High the Cross! The Love of Christ proclaim til all the world adore His Sacred Name!
Homemade chocolate Easter Eggs available in our gift shop. Several flavors available with milk and dark chocolate.
The liturgy this Sunday focuses on God's promises, His spirit of life, and the hope that comes to those who trust and believe in Him. How beautiful is it that even in the midst of darkness, death, and sin, Jesus' love and mercy raises Lazarus from the dead!
It takes hope to believe what Jesus says about who God is and about who we are. It takes hope to truly believe in the good news.
Over the last few weeks of Lent, you had the opportunity to consider God's love and mercy from a variety of perspectives. As you reflect back on your time meditating on these Lenten reflections, are there any messages (from Scripture, a personal prayer time, a particular video, or text) that were particularly meaningful to you? How do you sense the Lord communicating good news to you?
I invite you to conclude this reflection by expressing your faith—or your desire for more faith—in a prayer or letter to God. Tell the Lord what you have come to believe about who he is and about who you are. Express any thanksgiving or praise you may feel, as well as any resolutions that reflecting on the good news has inspired in you.
These sentence starters may help you put your faith into words:
God, I believe that you are . . .
I believe that you have . . . for me.
I believe that I am . . .
I believe you when you say . . .
I put my faith in you to . . .
Even though I struggle with . . . I believe that
Yours in Christ and St. Benedict,
Fr. Paschal Morlino, OSB
Pastor
2612 Wilkens Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
PHONE: 410-947-4988 FAX 410-947-6009
Know that if you do not have a church of your own, you will be welcome at Saint Benedict Church.
March 4
Come and join us for a Beautiful Day of Food and Fun on the 19th of March...for our Mid Point in Lent celebration and to Honor St. Joseph. See the attachment for details.
Lent is a time of spiritual combat, and there are three particular enemies to fight during this special liturgical season.
Many spiritual writers in the Church point to St. John’s first letter to unmask these enemies.
All that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life! John 2:16
Dom Prosper Gueranger explains these three enemies in his Liturgical Year.
By the concupiscence of the flesh, is meant the love of sensual things, which covets whatever is agreeable to the flesh, and, when not curbed, draws the soul into unlawful pleasures.
Concupiscence of the eyes expresses the love of the goods of this world, such as riches, and possessions; these dazzle the eye, and then seduce the heart.
Pride of life is that confidence in ourselves, which leads us to be vain and presumptuous, and makes us forget that all we have – our life and every good gift – we have from God.
He then explains that even Jesus combatted against these enemies at the end of his 40 days in the desert, and reveals how he defeated them.
Our Savior, then, who would be our model in all things, deigned to subject himself to these three temptations … But, let us observe how it is, that our Divine Model, our Redeemer, overcomes the tempter. Does be hearken to his words? Does he allow the temptation time? and give it strength by delay? We did so, when we were tempted, and we fell. But our Lord immediately meets each temptation with the shield of God’s word. He says: It is written: Not on bread alone doth man live. It is written: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. It is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve. – This, then, must be our practice for the time to come.
As we struggle against these enemies during Lent, may we look to Jesus for help and inspiration, wielding a shield of faith against every obstacle. 2nd Sunday Lent A 2023 Today we celebrate the Transfiguration of Jesus the Christ, Accompanied by Moses and Elijah who represented the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament witnessing to Christ, as Peter, James & John, representing the NT, witness the event Pope St. Leo the Great, who lived in the mid 1st millennium, teaches that there are three reasons for the Transfiguration:
by showing Christ in glory, God removed the scandal of the cross from the hearts of the apostles beforehand, that is, before the humiliation of His crucifixion
To give Christians hope of glory, for as members of the Body of Christ, the Church, we too will be raised to life
To give the unified witness of OT & NT to the truth that Jesus Christ is the Beloved Son sent by the Father
If the apostles had not seen Jesus transfigured in glory, Then when the crucifixion occurred, they might have been discouraged and lost hope, but the Transfiguration prepared them to believe in Jesus’ promise that he would be resurrected In our own lives, we too face trials that can discourage us And in our times we see events on the nightly news that can make us fearful of the state of the world . Let us keep faith that God is in ultimately charge: Christ is the Victor over sin, and the Lord of History. In the course of world history, the United States of America had the privilege and the power to defend the chance for citizens to have human rights and freedom The US did this, but it did not succeed in doing this for all, President John Adams and some founding fathers opposed slavery as contrary to the Declaration of Independence. But to get the southern colonies to unite with the 13 states founding fathers tolerated slavery as a temporary evil. 6th President, JQ Adams, defended the Amistad slaves before the Supreme Court, and the won their right to freedom. He also advised Abraham Lincoln, who led the Civil War, not just to avoid a nation divided, but to free the slaves But the Emancipation Proclamation was not enough to end discrimination; even the civil rights movement is being undone by policies that weaken the family as Planned Parenthood wages genocide on black babies Worse than slavery, abortion kills the Preborn baby denying the basic human right: the right to life itself
So today we find our nation divided by painful issues evils that threaten human beings, rights and freedom So in human history, and today there are threats to face, these tests make us ask: can we defend human dignity?
Will freedom be saved? Can we survive as a United States? In the face all of these dark forces in society – slavery, abortion, war and enemies – let us still have hope. Our hope springs from Christ’s victory over Satan and all sin. This is not the first time the Church, or a nation, faced danger.
Back in the 540’s the Huns and Vandals invaded Europe Pope Leo persuaded Attila the Hun not to invade Rome And Genseric the Vandal not to kill the people of Rome. By God’s mercy these threats were avoided or mitigated, God will show His mercy on us too when we pray, fast, and put our trust in God. For as Paul says today: Christ has robbed death of its power
And the Gospel reveals life and immortality, This is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham: Life in a promised land, which is eternal life in heaven. Even if this is not fully realized here on earth, we have hope The way the enslaved slaves in the youth endured slavery was by the hope their Christian faith gave them They sang spirituals, hymns that expressed their suffering and their hope of freedom, both on earth & in eternal life. The slaves likened their condition to Israel’s Biblical captivity.
To the Biblical exodus with the hope of freedom. We too have to pray and sing with them: ‘set My people free’ . But the freedom we first need is to be free from slavery to sin.
That is the purpose of our Lenten disciplines: to free us from the grip of habitual sins and vices. These sins enslave our soul, and keep us from following Christ as we ought – with all of heart and strength.
Let us hold onto the hope of Christ’s resurrection as we sing: May Your Kindness be on us who put our hope in you O Lord.
February 17
This Sunday we sing farewell to the Alleluia! As we do so, it is with a very heavy heart, one of our best singers is not with us. Monty Phair, who sang in the choir, was a lector, and worked in the Food Pantry, went to God very suddenly on Thursday morning. We certainly do not know the day or the hour when God will call us. And as St. Benedict tells us, monks, "Keep Death always before your eyes." He will be greatly missed by many and especially the choir as he
was dearly loved by them all. I had the pleasure of sitting across the table from him for a time at the choir post-Christmas get-together dinner on the 29th of January. I have known Monty and Daria for years as they were part of our St. Maximos Society (an ecumenical group) that met monthly for many years in the Parish rectory. I was quite happy when a couple of years ago they joined the parish and the choir was delighted when they joined the choir. Once you met Monty you certainly did not forget him.
Our Deepest Sympathy goes out to Daria and his family.
Hubbard's Funeral Home on Wilkens Ave. will be handling Monty's funeral. There will be a viewing on Sunday afternoon and evening from 2:00 to 4:00 PM & 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The funeral Mass is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday at 10:00 AM and will take place at St. Benedict.
Comments on Monty from the Pantry:
What a Light this man was among our congregation! I’m not sure I ever met anyone with such infectious enthusiasm! Oh, and the way he read the Word of God; the lilt in his voice, the anticipation he could create in the excitement of his voice, it made me feel like a child listening to his grandpop tell the most wonderful story! Oh Monty, the witness of Christ in life here on earth was and remains a great gift for all of us who were blessed by your presence. We are all the better for the Gift of God you were to each of us. Now dear friend we entrust Daria and your family to to our Lord in their time of sorrow. Until we meet again…
Greg
Comments from the Director of Music:
I was thinking this evening about the 1st time I met Monty and Daria. I don't remember the year but I do think it was during the Christmas season. Not being a large congregation it's usually easy to see when someone new is in church. For several weeks I noticed Monty and Daria sitting on the side of the church by St Joseph"s altar. Then one Sunday they appeared in a pew behind the organ, and I could hear them singing, If I remember correctly they were harmonizing to the refrain of the Christmas Gloria. I went to Sammy before the Mass was over and said " we have some singers" try to talk to them after Mass. I think they "got away" the first week, but eventually, Sammy made contact and the rest is part of our choir history. Monty will surely be missed, not only in choir, but in all the different ministries in which he was involved. Our lives were certainly enriched by the time he was with us.
Bob Kolarek
Helping Families Find Beauty and Mystery in Being Catholic – As part of St. Louis Parish’s Speaker Series, Kimberly Hahn, a Catholic writer and speaker is presenting at the parish on March 9. Kimberly is the daughter of a Presbyterian minister and is married to Scott Hahn, a former Presbyterian minister. After much study and discernment, Scott entered the Catholic Church in 1986. It took Kimberly four years but she, too, entered the Church in 1990. Their conversion story is recounted in their book Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism in which Kimberly discusses her struggles with some Catholic beliefs. Kimberly holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary. She is an author, a contributing author, and a sought-after speaker. In their spare time, Kimberly and Scott enjoy spending time with their six children and eighteen grandchildren.
George Weigel at St. Mary’s Seminary & University - On Thursday, March 9, at 7:00 pm St. Mary’s Seminary & University is holding its annual Carroll Lecture and are pleased to welcome George Weigel to speak on his most recent book, To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II. The program will include the opportunity to purchase the book and have it signed.
February 11, 2023
Sixth Sunday A, 2023
Today the Word of God instructs us in morality
Sirach reminds us of the moral instruction
given to Adam and Eve at the beginning, and to the Israelites at Sinai when God made a covenant with them
A. Morality involves two things:
God’s law and our free moral choice acc. to Law and conscience
Adam and Eve were given a choice to obey God and live
or, to disobey God to die by eating the forbidden fruit
When He gave the 10 Commandments and the Covenant, God said:
“I have set before you life and death, choose life
by obeying the 10 Commandments,
that you may live in the land…”
Morality is about our free moral choices and consequences
It comes down to a choice to obey and live
or to disobey and die
Why are life and death the consequences of moral choices?
Because to obey is to love God Who is the source of life
But to disobey God is to cut oneself off from life
B. To be moral is to obey God according to our conscience
There are several ways to build up our conscience
If we listen to the Church’s moral teaching. This builds up our conscience in the truth. But if we set ourselves as judges of moral good and evil. Then we mislead ourselves and weaken our conscience- this is what the devil tempted Adam and Eve to do: “If you eat of this tree you will become like gods and then you will decide what is good or evil.”
The proper way to form and follow our conscience is to be informed by the Church’s moral teaching. How does our conscience get informed about morality?
Thru reason, which God gives us to recognize natural law. God puts a conscience in every human being. This is called the ‘Natural Law’ of good human conduct.
Thru the 10 Com. by which God sums up the Natural Law. Because sin corrupted human society and conscience. God gives us 10 Comds. to remind us of the core of Nat’l Law
Thru the the Church’s ongoing moral teaching - which applies Nat’l Law and 10 Commandments to particular new moral problems as they arise in each era
If we regularly go to the Sacr. of Penance – Confession and make a nightly examination of conscience then we do not forget or become ‘unconscious’ of our sins because we regularly acknowledge and repent of them But if we habitually sin, then we suppress our conscience.
So we have a duty to inform our conscience by listening
to the Natural Law, the 10 Com, and Church Teaching
and in light of these examine our conscience, and Confess sin
C. In the Gospel Jesus reinforces the 10 Com. as God’s law
He tells us he has come not to abolish but to perfect this
To explain what he means by perfecting the moral law
Jesus specifies several commandments such as do not commit adultery, do not lie, and do not kill. Jesus shows that it is not enough to observe the 10 Com
in a merely external way by appearing to obey them
Rather, we ought to do the right action for the right reason
Our interior intention also ought to be righteous
Our Psalm response today distinguishes external & interior:
exact observance in action; right intention in the heart;
“Instruct me O Lord in the way of your laws that
I may exactly observe them” – this is external conduct
“Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart – this is right intention
What is the fruit of obeying God’s law with all our strength in actions, and with all of our heart?The Psalm response reminds us:
“Happy are they who follow the law of the Lord!”
And why are those who follow God’s ways happy?
Because they shall live in the land God gives us
That Promised Land is life with God in Heaven
St. Paul says we cannot even imagine “What God has prepared for those who love Him”
Let us live by the wisdom of God’s Plan, forming our conscience by His Law, and following it in our actions.