The Holy Cure of Ars: Patron of Priests

Today, August 4th, is the Feast of the Cure of Ars - St. John Mary Vianney, the patron of priests.

Make sure to thank our Norbertines for all they do.

The following is an except from the "Catechism on the Priesthood" by Saint John Mary Vianney

"Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest -- always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest."

"Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you. " Oh, how great is a priest! The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven."

"The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you. After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If the missionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, "What can we do in this church? there is no Mass; Our Lord is no longer there: we may as well pray at home."

"If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel. The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place. Saint Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed."

www.saints.sqpn.com

Closing Homily at World Youth Day 2008

Papal Homily at Closing Mass in Sydney "May This 23rd World Youth Day Be Experienced as a New Upper Room"

SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing Mass Sunday morning local time.

* * *

Dear Friends,

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" (Acts 1:8). We have seen this promise fulfilled! On the day of Pentecost, as we heard in the first reading, the Risen Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, sent the Spirit upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. In the power of that Spirit, Peter and the Apostles went forth to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In every age, and in every language, the Church throughout the world continues to proclaim the marvels of God and to call all nations and peoples to faith, hope and new life in Christ.

In these days I too have come, as the Successor of Saint Peter, to this magnificent land of Australia. I have come to confirm you, my young brothers and sisters, in your faith and to encourage you to open your hearts to the power of Christ's Spirit and the richness of his gifts. I pray that this great assembly, which unites young people "from every nation under heaven" (cf. Acts 2:5), will be a new Upper Room. May the fire of God's love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more fully to the Lord and his Church, and send you forth, a new generation of apostles, to bring the world to Christ! "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you". These words of the Risen Lord have a special meaning for those young people who will be confirmed, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, at today's Mass. But they are also addressed to each of us - to all those who have received the Spirit's gift of reconciliation and new life at Baptism, who have welcomed him into their hearts as their helper and guide at Confirmation, and who daily grow in his gifts of grace through the Holy Eucharist. At each Mass, in fact, the Holy Spirit descends anew, invoked by the solemn prayer of the Church, not only to transform our gifts of bread and wine into the Lord's body and blood, but also to transform our lives, to make us, in his power, "one body, one spirit in Christ".

But what is this "power" of the Holy Spirit? It is the power of God's life! It is the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation and who, in the fullness of time, raised Jesus from the dead. It is the power which points us, and our world, towards the coming of the Kingdom of God. In today's Gospel, Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity (cf. Lk 4:21). He himself, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, came among us to bring us that Spirit. As the source of our new life in Christ, the Holy Spirit is also, in a very real way, the soul of the Church, the love which binds us to the Lord and one another, and the light which opens our eyes to see all around us the wonders of God's grace.

Here in Australia, this "great south land of the Holy Spirit", all of us have had an unforgettable experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the beauty of nature. Our eyes have been opened to see the world around us as it truly is: "charged", as the poet says, "with the grandeur of God", filled with the glory of his creative love. Here too, in this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we have had a vivid experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the life of the Church. We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the Body of Christ, a living community of love, embracing people of every race, nation and tongue, of every time and place, in the unity born of our faith in the Risen Lord. The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life! Through the grace of the Church's sacraments, that power also flows deep within us, like an underground river which nourishes our spirit and draws us ever nearer to the source of our true life, which is Christ. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who died a martyr in Rome at the beginning of the second century, has left us a splendid description of the Spirit's power dwelling within us. He spoke of the Spirit as a fountain of living water springing up within his heart and whispering: "Come, come to the Father" (cf. Ad Rom., 6:1-9).

Yet this power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God's love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church. Prayer is pure receptivity to God's grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells within us, leading us, through Jesus, in the Church, to our heavenly Father. In the power of his Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly waiting for us to be still with him, to hear his voice, to abide in his love, and to receive "power from on high", enabling us to be salt and light for our world.

At his Ascension, the Risen Lord told his disciples: "You will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Here, in Australia, let us thank the Lord for the gift of faith, which has come down to us like a treasure passed on from generation to generation in the communion of the Church. Here, in Oceania, let us give thanks in a special way for all those heroic missionaries, dedicated priests and religious, Christian parents and grandparents, teachers and catechists who built up the Church in these lands - witnesses like Blessed Mary MacKillop, Saint Peter Chanel, Blessed Peter To Rot, and so many others! The power of the Spirit, revealed in their lives, is still at work in the good they left behind, in the society which they shaped and which is being handed on to you.

Dear young people, let me now ask you a question. What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the "power" which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make? The power of the Holy Spirit does not only enlighten and console us. It also points us to the future, to the coming of God's Kingdom. What a magnificent vision of a humanity redeemed and renewed we see in the new age promised by today's Gospel! Saint Luke tells us that Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of all God's promises, the Messiah who fully possesses the Holy Spirit in order to bestow that gift upon all mankind. The outpouring of Christ's Spirit upon humanity is a pledge of hope and deliverance from everything that impoverishes us. It gives the blind new sight; it sets the downtrodden free, and it creates unity in and through diversity (cf. Lk 4:18-19; Is 61:1-2). This power can create a new world: it can "renew the face of the earth" (cf. Ps 104:30)!

Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith's rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God's gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished - not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.

The world needs this renewal! In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair. How many of our contemporaries have built broken and empty cisterns (cf. Jer 2:13) in a desperate search for meaning - the ultimate meaning that only love can give? This is the great and liberating gift which the Gospel brings: it reveals our dignity as men and women created in the image and likeness of God. It reveals humanity's sublime calling, which is to find fulfilment in love. It discloses the truth about man and the truth about life.

The Church also needs this renewal! She needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4)! In today's second reading, the Apostle Paul reminds us that each and every Christian has received a gift meant for building up the Body of Christ. The Church especially needs the gifts of young people, all young people. She needs to grow in the power of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to serve the Lord with gladness. Open your hearts to that power! I address this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to say "yes" to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely
to the pursuit of holiness, and using all your talents in the service of others!

In a few moments, we will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit will descend upon the confirmands; they will be "sealed" with the gift of the Spirit and sent forth to be Christ's witnesses. What does it mean to receive the "seal" of the Holy Spirit? It means being indelibly marked, inalterably changed, a new creation. For those who have received this gift, nothing can ever be the same! Being "baptized" in the one Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13) means being set on fire with the love of God. Being "given to drink" of the Spirit means being refreshed by the beauty of the Lord's plan for us and for the world, and becoming in turn a source of spiritual refreshment for others. Being "sealed with the Spirit" means not being afraid to stand up for Christ, letting the truth of the Gospel permeate the way we see, think and act, as we work for the triumph of the civilization of love.

As we pray for the confirmands, let us ask that the power of the Holy Spirit will revive the grace of our own Confirmation. May he pour out his gifts in abundance on all present, on this city of Sydney, on this land of Australia and on all its people! May each of us be renewed in the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of wonder and awe in God's presence!

Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may this Twenty-third World Youth Day be experienced as a new Upper Room, from which all of us, burning with the fire and love of the Holy Spirit, go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to him! Amen.

© Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Happy Birthday St. John!

FEAST OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

“The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers; but it significant that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit.

John appears as the boundary between the two testament, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of “the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist.” Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents; as a herald of the new era, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born; it was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor, before they ever saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty.

When John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked, “Who are you?” And he replied: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” The voice is John, but the Lord “in the beginning was the Word.” John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.”

-From a sermon by St. Augustine on the birth of St. John the Baptist

SJB Festival 2008

QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE BIRTHDAY OF SJB

· SJB has two feast days: June 24 – Birthday & August 29 – Death

· SJB is the only saint other than Jesus and Mary to have the Church celebrate both birthday and death

· SJB is the only saint to have an account of both birth and death in the Gospel

· SJB birth was foretold by Angel Gabriel (like Jesus) to Zachary, a priest in the Temple of Jerusalem, that his wife, Elizabeth would bear a child, even at her old age

· SJB first met Jesus in his mother’s womb at Mary’s visitation

· SJB is often described as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the bright between Judaism and Christianity.

· SJB is the cousin and the forerunner of Our Lord Jesus

COME TO THE FESTIVAL ON JUNE 21-22, 2008
TO CELEBRATE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST’s BIRTHDAY!

Pope Benedict XVI's Visit to the U.S. Video

Happy Easter!

Felices Pascuas!

Chúc Mừng Phục Sinh!
Prospera Pascha sit!

Buona Pasqua!

Joyeuses Pâques!

Frohe Ostern!

Holy Saturday

Good Friday

The Last Seven Words of Jesus

I.
"Pater, dimitte illis, quia nesciunt, quid faciunt."
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Luke 23:34

II.
"Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso."
"Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with me in Paradise."

Luke 23:43

III.

"Mulier, ecce filius tuus."

"Woman, behold your Son...Behold your mother."

John 19:26-27

IV.

"Deus meus, Deus meus, utquid dereliquisti me?"
"My God! My God, why have you forsaken Me?"
Mark 27:46

V.

"Sitio."

"I thirst."
John 19:28

VI.

"Consummatum est."

"It is finished"
John 19:30

VII.

"In manus tuas, Domine commendo spiritum meum."

"Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit."

Luke 23:46


"The seven last words of Jesus are also our seven last words – the words of terror and loneliness, of fear and horror, of despair and final surrender as we complete our journey and perhaps begin a new one."
--Andrew M. Greeley

Tenebrae

The Three Days of Darkness

On Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, SJB will starts its day with Tenebrae at 8:30 AM.

Here are some great notes about Tenebrae:

“Tenebrae” is the name given to the service of Matins and Lauds belonging to the last three days of Holy Week. It differs, in many things, from the Office of the rest of the year. All is sad and mournful, as though it were a funeral service; nothing could more emphatically express the grief that now weighs down the heart of our holy Mother the Church. Throughout all the Office of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, she forbids herself the use of those formulas of joy and hope wherewith, on all other days, she begins her praise of God. Nothing is left but what is essential to the form of the Divine Office: psalms, lessons and chants expressive of grief. The tone of the whole Office is most noticeably mournful: the lessons taken from the Lamentations of Jeremias, the omission of the Gloria Patri, of the Te Deum, and of blessings etc., so the darkness of these services seems to have been designedly chosen to mark the Church’s desolation. The lessons from Jeremias in the first Nocturn, those from the Commentaries of St. Augustine upon the Psalms in the second, and those from the Epistles of St. Paul in the third remain now as when we first hear of them in the eighth century.

The name “Tenebrae” has been given because this Office is celebrated in the hours of darkness, formerly in the evening or just after midnight, now the early morning hours. There is an impressive ceremony, peculiar to this Office, which tends to perpetuate its name. There is placed in the sanctuary, near the altar, a large triangular candlestick holding fifteen candles. At the end of each psalm or canticle, one of these fifteen candles is extinguished, but the one which is placed at the top of the triangle is left lighted. During the singing of the Benedictus (the Canticle of Zachary at the end of Lauds), six other candles on the altar are also put out. Then the master of ceremonies takes the lighted candle from the triangle and holds it upon the altar while the choir repeats the antiphon after the canticle, after which she hides it behind the altar during the recitation of the Christus antiphon and final prayer. As soon as this prayer is finished, a noise is made with the seats of the stalls in the choir, which continues until the candle is brought from behind the altar, and shows, by its light, that the Office of Tenebrae is over.

Let us now learn the meaning of these ceremonies. The glory of the Son of God was obscured and, so to say, eclipsed, by the ignominies He endured during His Passion. He, the Light of the world, powerful in word and work, Who but a few days ago was proclaimed King by the citizens of Jerusalem, is now robbed of all his honors. He is, says Isaias, the Man of sorrows, a leper (Isaias 53:3,4). He is, says the royal prophet, a worm of the earth, and no man (Psalm 21:7). He is, as He says of himself, an object of shame even to his own disciples, for they are all scandalized in him (Mark 14:27) and abandon Him; yea, even Peter protests that he never knew Him. This desertion on the part of His apostles and disciples is expressed by the candles being extinguished, one after the other, not only on the triangle, but on the altar itself. But Jesus, our Light, though despised and hidden, is not extinguished. This is signified by the candle which is momentarily placed on the altar; it symbolizes our Redeemer suffering and dying on Calvary. In order to express His burial, the candle is hidden behind the altar; its light disappears. A confused noise is heard in the house of God, where all is now darkness. This noise and gloom express the convulsions of nature when Jesus expired on the cross: the earth shook, the rocks were split, the dead came forth from their tombs. But the candle suddenly reappears; its light is as fair as ever. The noise is hushed, and homage is paid to the Conqueror of death.

Excerpted from the revered Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger, the Catholic Encyclopedia and other sources
http://www.sistersofcarmel.com/tenebrae.php

The Three Pillars of Lent...part three

Part Three: Concerning Fasting/Penance/Confession

The thought of fasting usually has been regarding food, abstinence from meat, and eating less on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Then there's the practice of "giving up something" for Lent. This has become a beautiful form of fasting, as spirtual discipline. For example, kids usually candy and sodas, while adults, it's shopping, so as to give the amount saved to the poor, or the things they enjoy, so as to spend more time doing things that matter. In all cases, fasting leads us to a greater self-discipline, a renewal of oneself.

"I speak not, indeed, of such a fast as most persons keep, but of real fasting; not merely an abstinence from meats; but from sins too." --St. John Chrysostom

Fasting can also be a act of penance. Pope Clement XIII wrote "Appetente Sacro" in 1759 to ask his Bishops to explain the reasons for fasting:

"You will begin most appropriately, and with hope of the greatest profit, to recall men to the observance of the holy law of fasting, if you teach the people this: penance for the Christian man is not satisfied by withdrawing from sin, by detesting a past life badly lived, or by the sacramental confession of these same sins. Rather, penance also demands that we satisfy divine justice with fasting, almsgiving, prayer, and other works of the spiritual life. Every wrongdoing -- be it large or small -- is fittingly punished, either by the penitent or by a vengeful God. Therefore we cannot avoid God's punishment in any other way than by punishing ourselves. If this teaching is constantly implanted in the minds of the faithful, and if they drink deeply of it, there will be very little cause to fear that those who have discarded their degraded habits and washed their sins clean through sacramental confession would not want to expiate the same sins through fasting, to eliminate the concupiscence of the flesh. Besides, consider the man who is convinced that he repents of his sins more firmly when he toes not allow himself to go unpunished. That man, already consumed with the love of penance, will rejoice during the season of Lent and on certain other days, when the Church declares that the faithful should fast and gives them the opportunity to bring forth worthy fruits of penance."

"It is only by sacrifice and suffering, offered as penance, that you will be able, by the grace of God, to convert sinners."
-St. John Vianney

Here are the penance services and confession hours at SJB:
Penance Services

--Thursday, March 6th at 7:15 PM in Vietnamese and English

--Thursday, March 13th at 7:30 PM in English and Spanish

Confession Hours

--Saturday, March 8th at 3:30-4:30 PM

--Satuday, March 15th at 3:30-4:30 PM

--Tuesday, March 18th at 8:00-9:00 PM

It is highly recommended that one goes to one of the Penance Services to avoid long lines during the confession hours.

Just for reference: The Seven Penitential Psalms are Psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, & 142

By order of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216), these prayers are to be prayed during the days of Lent. If they can't be said on each day of the Season, they can at least be prayed on Lenten Fridays (or one could pray one prayer on each of the 7 Fridays of Lent). One kneels when praying these Psalms, begins and ends with a short antiphon, and recites a Gloria in between. To download these Psalms in Microsoft Word format (10 pages), in both English and Latin, with Antiphons and Glorias, click here. (fisheaters.com)

The Sacrament of Confession is one of God's greatest gift. During Lent, by fasting, one will be able to reflect and meditate on God's mercy and His love.

Confession!
------------
John 20:22-23
And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
--------------------
The cry goes up "Why confess your sins to men? Why not just confess to God?" The answer is, as ever, the Incarnation. Jesus is not the Word made word or the Word made abstract theology or the Word made warm fuzzy feeling. He is the Word made flesh. And so, He commits His gospel into the flesh and blood hands of flesh and blood people and gives them the power to forgive sins in His name by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are creatures, not only of spirit, but of skin and bone. We need somebody with skin on to say "You are absolved of all your sins." So Jesus gives us the sacrament of reconciliation. (catholicexchange.com)

Contrition !
------------
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
--------------------
Contrition is the second element of a good confession. It is part of the typically Catholic insistence of a marriage between word and deed, spirit and flesh, inner and outer. If you confess but don't mean to change, your confession is just a show. If you claim to have undergone a change of heart, but then refuse to confess your sins or change, you're just kidding yourself. By far, contrition is the most important element of the sacrament. If you are truly and fully contrite for your sins, but get killed in battle, or run over by a bus, or struck by a meteor before you get a chance to go to confession, you are still fully forgiven by God. But, of course, if you are seriously contrite and none of these somewhat improbable occurrences befalls you, then you should get to confession. And, wherever you are, you should pray the prayer of the psalmist: "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me!" (catholicexchange.com)

The Acts of the Penitent!

-------------

Isaiah 58:6
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

------------------
One of the funniest things about the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the strange paroxysms that some opponents of the Church put themselves through to complain about penance. On the one hand, we're told that penance is an outrageous form of "works salvation" which allegedly requires us to do something in order to "earn" the grace of God. On the other hand, we're also told that penances are trivial and light and no work at all and that if the Church were serious, its priests would assign "meaningful" penances. So there you are: penance is a burden and it's not burden enough, according to the critics.

In reality, however, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is, like all things Catholic, incarnational. Repentance is supposed to issue in action, not just words. So the Church calls for some small act of penance to be done, not as a way of earning grace, but as a way of living out the grace we have received. Typically, this act is small precisely in order that it may not be a burden. But it is real because grace must be incarnate just as the Word had to become flesh. Real penance is not just a ritual: rather, it is a way of saying thanks!
(catholicexchange.com)

One just soul can attain pardon for a thousand sinners.
-St Margaret Mary Alacoque

The Three Pillars of Lent...part two

Part Two: Concerning Prayer

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. "

The Sign of the Cross is a prayer in itself. It lets us acknowledge the Holy Trinity and be in the presence of God.

Prayer is a conversation with God. In any conversation, there must be a two-way communication. Therefore, listening and being silent is just as important as talking. This would let us hear what God has to say: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:9)"

"I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence - we need to listen to God because it's not what we say but what he says to us and through us that matters."

--Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"The fruit of Silence is Prayer.

The fruit of Prayer is Faith.

The fruit of Faith is Love.

The fruit of Love is Service.

The fruit of Service is Peace."

--Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

As Catholics, we are encouraged to pray always. St. Paul in Letter to the Colossians tells us about prayer; "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymn, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:16-17)"

At SJB, we are blessed with the Norbertines presence and are fortunate for the opportunity to pray with psalms, hymn, and songs through the Liturgy of the Hours three times a day, on the weekdays. The schedule is as follow:

Weekday Liturgy of the Hours:

Office of Readings and Morning Prayer: 6:00 - 6:30 AM

Mid-Morning Prayer: 8:15 AM (*Rosary is after the 8:30 AM Mass)

Evening Prayer: 5:15 PM

The Liturgy of the Hours prayers in the Church each are followed by the Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the highest form of prayer. At SJB, it is a blessing to have three Masses daily, at 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM, and 5:30 PM, making it convenient for many to attend Mass everyday. Also, on the weekends, SJB provides ten Masses, including one at Fairview Developmental Center, in four different language, which are English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and our latest addition of the Traditional Latin Mass. It is a true blessing to know that Jesus loves to meet us where we are.

Also at SJB, we are blessed to be able to pray before the Blessed Sacrament through Perpentual Eucharistic Adoration, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, in the Blessed Sacramanet Chapel, along with daily Adoration from 7-8 AM in the church and our monthly Adoration on the 10th of the month. Time before the Blessed Sacrament is time well spent.
If you have not signed up for Perpentual Eucharistic Adoration, please do at our homepage http://www.sjboc.org/ under "Ministries."
"Every moment of prayer, especially before our Lord in the tabernacle, is a sure, positive gain. The time we spend in having our daily audience wiht God is the most precious of the whole day." --Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

As St. Paul tells us, we should "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." Blessed Mother Teresa concurred as she said, "You can pray while you work. Work doesn't stop prayer and prayer doesn't stop work. It requires only that small raising of the mind to him: I love you God, I trust you, I believe in you, I need you now. Small things like that. They are wonderful prayers."

This week, from Monday through Friday, SJB will have its Lenten Parish Mission by Fr. Wolfgang Seitz. Schedule is as follow:

8:30 AM --Mass

9:15 AM --Conference by Fr. Seitz in Church

10:00 AM --Rosary & Confessions

5:30 PM --Mass in Church (*Tuesday - Solemn Anniversary Mass of SJB Dedication)

6:00 PM --Soup Meal in Parish Hall (*Tuesday - Refreshments)

7:00 PM --Repeat of Morning Conference in Church

7:45 PM --Exposition, Rosary & Confessions (*Friday - Stations of the Cross & Confessions)

8:45 PM --Benediction (*Friday - No Benediction)

Please make an effort to come and see how we can better prepare for Easter.

Here's what the saints have to say about Prayer:

Singing is praying twice.

-St. Augustine

Prayer is to our soul what rain is to the soil. Fertilize the soil ever so richly, it will remain barren unless fed by frequent rains.
-St. John Vianney

Our Lord gives to souls of prayer a deep understanding of Himself.
He never deceives them.
-St. Peter Julian Eymard

When our hands have touched spices, they give fragrance to all they handle. Let us make our prayers pass through the hands of the Blessed Virgin. She will make them fragrant.
-St. John Vianney

Prayer is the bulwark of chastity.
-St. Gregory the Great

Vigilance and prayer are the safeguards of chastity. You should pray often and fervently to be preserved from temptations against purity, and for the grace to overcome them.
-St. John Baptist de la Salle

Prayer is necessary for salvation; and therefore God, who desires that we should be saved, has enjoined it as a precept.
-St. Alphonsus Liguori

Prayer should be accomplished by grace and not by artifice.
-St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Faith believes, hope prays, and charity begs in order to give to others. Humility of heart forms the prayer, confidence speaks it, and perseverance triumphs over God Himself.
- St. Peter Julain Eymard

If we are able to enter the church day and night and implore God to hear our prayers, how careful we should be to hear and grant the petitions of our neighbor in need.
-St. John the Almoner

Love to pray. Take the trouble to pray. Prayer opens your heart until it is big enough to hold and keep God. We must know Jesus in prayer before we can see him in the broken bodies of the poor.

-Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Next week: Part Three - Fasting/Penance/Confession

The Three Pillars of Lent..part one

The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Part One: Concerning Almsgiving
"I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving, but do not give your leftovers. Give until it hurts, until you feel the pain."
--Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Last week and this week, Fr. Hildebrand comments how important it is to give, especially during Lent and making a pledge in the Pastoral Services Appeal (PSA). The PSA will help the Catholic schools in need, Religious Educcation, Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Catholic Charities of OC, Detention Services, Catholic Deaf Community, Vocations, and many other ministries within the Diocese of Orange, as well as our very own Parish, SJB. When we give, we are not just helping others, but we, in return are helping ourselves too. Please give generously.

Watch the PSA Video:
http://www.rcbo.org/videos/videos/PSA_English.wmv

Online PSA Donations:
http://www.rcbo.org/donations/PSA/PSA_donations.php
Where it says: "Select Parish to Receive Credit For Your Gift", please scroll down and make sure to select: 2008 PSA St. John the Baptist Church

Pope Benedict XVI in his 2008 message for Lent said: "Almsgiving helps Christians conquer the constant temptation to become slaves to wealth and material goods." He continues, "Almsgiving helps us overcome this constant temptation, teaching us to respond to our neighbor's needs and to share with others whatever we possess through divine goodness." In another release, the pope said that the practice of almsgiving "represents a specific way to assist those in need and, at the time, an exercise in self-denial to free us from attachment to worldly goods."

Here's what catholic.org has said about almsgiving:
"It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized."

Here's are what the saints has said about almsgiving/charity:
"Charity begins today. Today somebody is suffering, today somebody is in the street, today somebody is hungry. Our work is for today, yesterday has gone, tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today to make Jesus known, loved, served, fed, clothed, sheltered. Do not wait for tomorrow. Tomorroe we will not have them if we do not feed them today."
--Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Charity unites us to God... There is nothing mean in charity, nothing arrogant. Charity knows no schism, does not rebel, does all things in concord. In charity all the elect of God have been made perfect."
--Pope St. Clement I

"Charity is the sweet and holy bond which links the soul with its Creator: it binds God with man and man with God."
--St. Catherine of Sienna

"One thing that I ask of you: Never be afraid of giving. There us a deep joy in givng, since what we receive is much more than what we give."
--Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Next week: Part Two - Prayer

Latin Mass

"The Most Beautiful Thing This Side of Heaven" has come to SJB.

"If there is anything divine among man's possessions which might excite the envy of the citizens of heaven (could they ever be swayed by such a passion), this is undoubtedly the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by means of which men, having before their eyes, and taking into their hands the very Creator of heaven and earth, experience, while still on earth, a certain anticipation of heaven. How keenly, then, must mortals strive to preserve and protect this inestimable privilege with all due worship and reverence, and be ever on their guard lest their negligence offend the angels who vie with them in eager adoration!"
--Pope Urban VII (1634)

The first Traditonal Latin Mass at SJB was celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent by our very own Fr. Philip, who wore a violet Roman Fiddleback Vestment and the Norbertine white biretta.

The church pews were all filled and some had to stand in the back. Some had the Latin-English Order of the Mass from Una Voce booklet, while others had their very own versions, and some either shared or not have any books to follow the Mass by. With the booklets and the missalettes, the Latin Mass let us become more focus and aware on what is really going on during the Mass. It let us know when to sit, kneel, and stand throughout the Mass. It let us learn the responses in Latin and understand the unique prayers being said in the mass, even when they are not said aloud. It also points out the celebrant detailed gestures at the altar because the we are not able to see them.

The reverence shown by all the faithful during the Mass was admirable. The way the silence was kept during the Canon of the Mass, let the faithful be still and breathless as the bells are rung during the consecration. It inspires others to be attentive and keep reverence during Mass. The communion process, though was slow, gave us more time to pray fervently and diligently.

The SJB Choir was astonishing in making the Latin Mass sound beautifully. The Altar Servers were careful in how they assisted Fr. Philip before the altar.

The Latin Mass is sure to be one of the most beautiful and meaningful for SJB.

Talking about Lent

"Tell the children about God and His Saints. During the holy time of Lent, speak to them of their suffering Savior. During Paschal time, of His glorious Resurrection. During Christmas time, of His Birth. You will see what a profound impression it will make on the minds of your children."

-St. John Vianney

What does Lent means to YOU?

Lent is starting early this year with Ash Wednesday being on February 6, 2008 and Easter is also early on March 23, 2008. Every year on Ash Wednesday, the day that we, Catholics are obliged to fast and abstain from meat, it becomes a challenge to stay within the rules and find the true meaning of Lent for oneself.

What are the Rules? Here's what was written from the back cover of our Church calendar:

CHURCH REGULATIONS REGARDING FAST & ABSTINENCE DURING LENT

¨Abstinence from meat (beast or fowl) is to be observed by all Catholic 14 years old and older on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent. This obligation prohibits eating of meat, but not eggs, milk products, or condiments of any kind, even though made from animal fat."

¨Fasting means limiting oneself to one full meal on a given fast day. Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On fast days, two additional smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength. However, the two smaller meals together may not equal one full meal. Moreover, eating solid foods between meals on fast days is not permitted."

So here's how I found my meaning of Lent last year on Ash Wednesday:

Last year, I had to go the 6:30 AM morning mass, because I had work and I was taking a class at night. Because I woke up early, I became superhungry. According to the Lenten regulations, I can eat two small meals (as long as they don't equal to be a full meal) and one full meal. To many, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but as for me, I usually skip it or I just have one piece of bread with the Norbertine Sister's yummy jams in the morning. So, on Ash Wednesday, I had my one piece of bread with jam. For lunch, I went out with a friend and we shared a fish burrito combo from Rubios. During work, I realized that when I focus on fasting, it becomes harder to fast. With all the access to food and snacks, the temptation to snack is harder to battle, but because when I have a bottle of water sitting on my desk, I am reminded that, water is the only thing I can drink that day and that Lent was a time of cleasing of the soul. After work, I had a night class from 6:30PM until 9 PM, and starved until I came home, only to make a fish sandwich for dinner and trying not to commit the sin of gluttony.

Besides the fasting and abstinence, I was encouraged to leave the ashes in the sign of the cross on my forehead for the whole day, even during work and night class. The truth was that I never left the ashes for the whole day. I usually just wipe it off when I got home from the evening Ash Wednesday mass. I didn't know whether or not I can clean/wash the ashes away or not, so I left the ashes on my forehead during work and class. My co-workers did comment on my thick ashes, so did my professor. And whenever they commented, I would just smile because I didn't know what else to say. Eventhough, it was tough at first, feeling a little ashamed of my Catholicity, but it made me stronger and proud to be a Catholic and reminded me of the cross that was made for me to carry.

Lent reminds me that I am made from ashes by God, in His image, and that I am His. I am encouraged to carry my cross with a smile. With the cross, Lent reminds me to cleanse my soul through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance, not just during Lent but throughout the year. Through the cross and penance, Lent tells me that there is hope where there is God because Jesus died and was resurrected.

So, what does Lent means to you?

Leading the Way