I beg your forgiveness if I seem to be a name dropper but in recent days I have had the opportunity to be in the presence of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. As he has done since his installation.........
I beg your forgiveness if I seem to be a name dropper but in recent days I have had the opportunity to be in the presence of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. As he has done since his installation he focused much of his attention on the concern he has for the community’s celebration of the Sunday Eucharist and the revitalization of the use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In conjunction with the Year of the Priest he is formulating plans with many people in the Archdiocese to assist God’s people in appreciating the significance of the Lord’s Day and the gift of Divine Mercy. Of course, his model and ours in this task is the Cure of Ars, Saint John Vianney. Coming out of a dedicated family this servant of God touches his generation and ours with his simple faith. Into a culture that had abandoned the ancient tenets of divine love and law he brought words and deeds which challenged and inspired. He called people of Ars to prayer: “Not only is prayer very efficacious, but even more, it is of the utmost necessity of overcoming the enemies of our salvation…Yes, my children, we will watch over ourselves and all the motions of our hearts in vain, in vain we will avoid temptation if we do not pray; if we do not have continual recourse to prayer, all our other ways will be of no use at all to us and we shall be overcome…Yes, my dear children, with a prayer well said, we can command Heaven and earth, and all will obey us.” Hour upon hour the pastor of souls in his backwater met his people in the confessional. He forgave their sins and encouraged them to turn their lives around and make satisfaction not only to God but their neighbors as well. “When anyone has really given up his sins, he must not be content simply with bewailing them. He must also give up, leave far behind, and fly from anything which is capable of leading him in the direction of them again. In other words, my dear brethren, we must be ready to suffer anything rather than fall back into those sins which we have just confessed. People should be able to see a complete change in us…” Calling his people to Church and the Mass the Cure preaches: “Tell me, my dear brethren, who is there who, as he is going along to the Church is saying to himself: Where am I going? Is it to the house of a man or to the palace of a king? Oh, no, it is to the house of my God, into the dwelling place of Him Who loves me more than Himself, since He died for me. Whose compassionate eyes are aware of my actions. Whose ears are attentive to my prayers, always ready to hear my prayers and to forgive. Filled with these blessed thoughts, why would we not exclaim with the holy King David: ‘O my soul, rejoice that you are about to enter the house of the Lord’ to give Him your homage, to show Him your needs, to listen to His divine words, to ask Him for His graces. Oh what things I have to say to Him, what graces I have to ask of Him, what gratitude I have to pay Him! I will speak to Him of my worries and I know that He will console me, I will admit my faults to Him, and he will forgive me. I am going to talk to Him of my family, and He will bless it with all sorts of mercies. Yes, my God, I shall adore You in Your holy temple, and I shall return from there filled with all sorts of benedictions.”: It is no wonder that Pope Benedict XVI and our Archbishop saw in this saint an ideal example of priestly ministry and evangelical wisdom.
In our spiritual life we must restore sacramental confession. We must dismiss thoughts of innocence and freedom from blame. No longer must we use phrases such as “Everyone does it.” Or “I’m not as bad as other people” or “I did it because I am psychologically impaired” or “There really is no right or wrong.” In addition to a lack of a sense of sin, we must realize that excuses such as “I receive God’s forgiveness in my room” or “Who is the priest, he’s not perfect” or “I’ve had a very bad experience when I was younger” are inadequate excuses. The Lord Jesus came that we might be reconciled to the Father. After His resurrection He came and having forgiven His Apostles for their abandonment of Him in His time of need, instructed them to forgive sins or retain them in His name. From apostolic times until now the church’s priests and bishops empowered to share divine forgiveness encourage the faithful with helpful advice and comfort. Such gifts they themselves receive as they recognize their own weaknesses and confess to a fellow minister of God’s mercy. As you know, Fr. Perry and I hear confessions before each weekday nine o’clock Mass and on Saturday afternoon. If these times are inconvenient, please feel free to contact the rectory for whatever time that would be more appropriate for you.
In some of his writings I noted that Saint John Vianney had many concerns about the faithful’s practice vis a vis the Mass which are still relevant to our day. He spoke of the necessity for his parishioners to arrive at Mass in a timely fashion. He called upon them to give good example to the children of the community. With his saintly guidance let us all think of ways in which we can become more mindful of the importance of the Lord’s Day. With our liturgical celebration as the centerpiece let us all encourage one another in honoring God’s providential care and the blessing of family life and the need for rest from our labors.
In closing, let me express the deepest sense of gratitude for the generous response to my report of parochial activity and appeal for greater financial support. As promised, the capital improvement amount has been segregated and I will keep you informed as to the how it will be used on our infrastructure. I know that you appreciate that the amounts given must be sustained if we are to meet our expenses and sustain our programs.
My prayers continue for each of you as I seek yours for myself and the parish.
Vivat Jesus,
Fr. Brian