Funeral Gospel Selection

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Serving or Listening One Another or Both?

Joke: Mr. and Mrs. Dennis invited their pastor for the dinner hosted in honor of the return of their son after long years of his wandering life. As Mrs. Dennis busied herself preparing food, she asked her little daughter to set the table. When the pastor started the prayer before the meals, Mrs. Dennis noticed that her daughter forgot to place silverware for the pastor. Embarrassed at the oversight, Mrs. Dennis asked her little girl why she had not placed silverware for the pastor. “Because, Mom, I have heard Papa saying that our pastor eats like a horse!”

Only at prayer, either the one who is praying or the one who is listening, will the truth be revealed. Either the prayer of whining or listening, listening prayer is what the Lord Jesus was in favor of. Whether the prayer contains many verbal words or is a silent prayer or rather a listening ear, the Lord Jesus is more interested in the silent prayer with listening. Between Martha and Mary, reported in today’s Gospel, Mary was Jesus’ favorite because she listened, while Martha was busy serving the Lord Jesus. Just as Martha served the Lord and complained at the same time, those of us involved in any ministry in our parish, have we ever served in any ministry and complained or gossiped at the same time? If we're all listening, then who is going to say the prayer when we get together? It is not about that, it is about when we come into our prayer, do we spend more time listening to the Lord, or do we spend time telling the Lord our needs, our concerns, and even our complaints?

Today’s first reading, taken from the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, retells a part of the story of Sarah and Abraham, our mother and father in faith. Living in married life, both Abraham and Sarah faced many challenges and difficulties in life, such as moving from one land to another towards the Promised Land that the Lord promised them. Waiting after waiting for their first child that the Lord promised them, they still didn’t see their firstborn at their old age. Out of anxiety and distress, Sarah offered Abraham to have a child with her maid. This way, Abraham would have children after him rather than waiting for God’s promise. Her maid did give him a child, but the Lord was not happy because it was not God’s plan. With the existence of Ishmael, the child of a relation in human’s plan that was not approved by God, both Sarah and Abraham couldn’t find peace and happiness in their lives. Sarah and Abraham, perhaps, went through arguing with heated discussions, especially after Sarah’s maid gave a child from a relationship with Abraham. Jealousy and envy arose in Sarah, and anger and distress might cause many challenges in their married life. Until today’s first reading, at a visit of the three men, after Abraham served them, they promised him that next year, his wife, Sarah, would conceive and give birth to a son. In faithfulness to the Lord and serving, Abraham received what the Lord promised him. Sarah was laughing at that saying since they were both not young anymore. By the way, this laugh has prefigured the name of their firstborn Isaac since Abraham also laughed at the word of the Lord in a previous chapter of today’s first reading that Sarah will give him a son at her age of ninety. Just as Abraham, Sarah also laughed at the word of the Lord said to Abraham. But when she was asked by the Lord why she was laughing, she denied, or rather, she lied. Struggling to have a child and facing many other difficulties of life, and at the same time believing and trusting in the Lord’s promise, Sarah and Abraham surely had to battle to overcome the difficulties and challenges of life in their marriage. Having a child in God’s plan is truly a gift from God. Therefore, Isaac is truly a gift from God, not Ishmael. In faithful serving the Lord, Abraham and Sarah received what the Lord had promised them.

In today’s Gospel, both Martha and Mary, and perhaps Lazarus as well, are living in the same house. In the Middle East culture of the time, their parents might have already died. Both Martha and Mary are adults and might have their spouses and children all living together in the same house. Martha is in charge of the household and busy with the housework so much to the point that she is exhausted and lashes out at her sister. Abraham served the three men, symbolizing the Trinity, without complaining, and Martha served the Lord Jesus while complaining. The Lord reminds us that faithfully serving one another without complaining and spending time to listen to the Lord is better than serving one another while complaining, and listening to the Lord is better than serving. Jesus calms Martha and reminds her, and perhaps everyone of us, that spiritual priority, spending time to listen to the Lord, is the better part of our lives. Of course, this does not mean that family responsibilities are not important or opposed to faithful devotion. Both listening to the Lord and serving one another are good, but it is better to listen to the Lord. Both contemplative lives and evangelizing lives are good, but it is in either lives, we are reminded to spend time listening to the Lord. For us children at home, listening to our parents and lending a hand to help them are all good, but it is much better if we learn to listen more. For couples, listening to each other is crucial to understand each other and so to love each other more and more each day, to become one each day. The decision is always yours.

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Neighbor--Communicating Love

Joke: How much does it cost to marry? A son asked his dad. Sorry, I don’t know son! “You're married, and you don’t know how much it cost Dad?” the son replied. Dad said, “How can I know how much it costs because every my paid-check, your mom keeps it.”

Out of the many laws of Moses that the Lord Jesus condensed to only two laws, but in marriage life, I’ve heard it grows faster than stock, about 100 commandments between husband and wife. Today’s readings focus on communicating love rooted in mercy that we are invited to carry out into action.

In today’s Gospel, the scholar tests Jesus, Saint Luke reports in his writing, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He asks Jesus this question: First of all is to test him because he knows exactly that Jesus is the son of Mary and Joseph, the carpenter; therefore, he might not even know the answer. Secondly, since he is a man like all of us, ask him how to inherit eternal life, the life of everlasting, and he might not know how to answer it. Unlike the wisdom of man, the wisdom of the Lord answers the scholar of the law by asking him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The scholar answers without blinking his eyes, saying perfectly what is written in the law, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus is so impressed and says, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” Remember, the scholar comes to test Jesus; therefore, he asks him, “Who is my neighbor?” Sometimes in our lives, we just want to hear what we want to hear and forget whatever others say. This is the case with this scholar. He only wants to hear “What is written in the law,” but he is not able to hear the following question that Jesus presents to him at the same time, “How do you read it?” The Word of the Bible, as some claimed that they can read and understand and don’t need to go to Church, is it so? The Word of the Bible does not only contain the letters in it, but it also contains an active act of response to these letters of the Bible. It is not only about what is written in the Bible, but how we read it. It is not only about what is written in the Bible, but how we live it.

To answer this question, beginning with the word “How” is a practical question that requires an active act of response. An active act of response to the question of “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus gives a simple answer with one simple word after a long description, saying, “Mercy.” One cannot only follow exactly the letters of the Scripture, but the spirit of the Scripture, and that spirit of the Scripture is nothing else but mercy. Notice the quality of the people who passed by the man lying half-dead on the roadside without mercy. They were very religious people who were so engaged in their religious practices that they didn’t even have time to stop and help the man who was in need. Not only that, their kind of help was so conditioned and limited that it certainly was not open to just anybody. Jesus posts this question to all of us: “How do we read the Scripture?” In other words, how do we practice what we read in the Scripture?

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses explains to the Israelites that the law of the Lord is not in the sky or the sea, but “it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” It is instilled in our nature from the very moment that God created us, male and female. He said in the first creation account, “God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.” None of us is brought into existence to harm others, to do injustice to others, to bring sorrow and sadness to others, etc., but we are called to bring peace, happiness, and joy to others, which are contained in what the Lord said, “very good” in all his creations. The question is, how do we carry it out if it’s not with mercy, just as the Lord Jesus himself died on the cross for us as a model?

In today’s second reading, taken from the letter of Saint Paul to Colossians, God is not far in the sky or across the sea, but he is near to us in and through Jesus Christ, Saint Paul said, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” For in him and through him, we have our being as Saint John, from the beginning of the very first chapter of his writing, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.” The Lord Jesus comes not as a judge, but as a sacrificial lamb who sacrificed himself for the sake of our salvation and to lead us to the Father. Through his living examples in the visible realm, and his communication of love with mercy, he invites us to follow the example of the Samaritan who is considered a neighbor of the man beaten and left half-dead on the road, to live out our Christian life not only in words but in actions with mercy as well.

In all today’s readings, take some time to examine ourselves to see who our neighbor is. What qualifications that one have to be considered as our neighbor? Our religious practices, such as attending Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation, reading the Bible, saying the Rosary, and other prayers, are all good, but how do we treat one another when we profess ourselves as the followers of Jesus? Do we treat others with mercy, or do we treat them for our gain and benefit? What is it the Lord speaks to us in today’s readings, and how do we carry it out into actions? The decision is always yours.

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Peace to This Household

Joke: A Jewish Rabbi and a Catholic Priest met at the town's annual 4 ^th of July picnic. Old friends, they began their usual banter. "This baked ham is really delicious," the priest teased the rabbi. "You really ought to try it. I know it's against your religion, but I can't understand why such a wonderful food should be forbidden! You don't know what you're missing. You just haven't lived until you've tried Mrs. Hall's prized Virginia Baked Ham. Tell me, Rabbi, when are you going to break down and try it?" Rabbi looked at the priest with a big smile and said, "At your wedding.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus appointed the seventy-two others, besides the twelve apostles, to go ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit, saying, “Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.'” The Lord Jesus continues saying, “If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.” What does it mean by “a peaceful person” if it’s not a person of peace as biblical scholars have defined? If that house has all the people living in it as people of peace, then the peace of the Lord will remain. The question is: How can it be that everyone in a family is a person of peace, so the peace of the Lord remains? Is it possible that each one of us, through the virtue of our Baptism, brings peace to others? Or at least, the peace that we exchange with each other at Mass will remain with us and continue to bring that peace home, at work, in school, or wherever we are?

It is not only about going to Mass, saying many prayers and rosaries, and doing many good things to others, these are all good, but it would be better as what Saint Paul reminds Galatians community and to every one of us, reported in today’s second reading saying, “For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation.” What is a new creation if it’s not whoever is in Christ, just as Saint Paul said in his writing? (2 Cor 5:17) Saint Paul also continues in today’s second reading, saying, “Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God.” What is this rule if it’s not what reported in Psalm 125 saying, “Do good Lord, to the good, to those who are upright of heart” (125:4). This rule, then, is to those who are upright of heart, the Lord will do good to them, or rather, peace & mercy of the Lord will be with them, and they will become the new creation. So, to be a person of peace, one needs to become a new creation. How are we able to become a new creation to share that peace with others, especially with our loved ones?

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta shared many inspiring stories that she encountered in her ministry. One of the stories she shared was about a visitation to this household, or rather, to visit an elderly man living in a poor and dark house himself. In her visitation, Mother Teresa asked the man if it was okay for her to clean his house since it was dark and dusty. The elderly man gave her permission to clean. In cleaning up, she found a lamp covered with dirt. She said to him why he didn’t use the lamp to light up the house. The man responded that nobody would come to visit him, so what was the point of lighting up the house? Mother Teresa then said to him that if she sent her sisters to come to clean up his house, would he light up the lamp? The elderly man agreed to that. Mother Teresa began to send her sisters to come to help him clean up his house. He lit the lamp, and the house filled with light and became brighter. Two years later, he felt sick and before he died, he asked the sisters to deliver his message to Mother Teresa saying, “The light that Mother Teresa lighted in his life still burning, even though it’s small, but in that darkness of loneliness, the light that she started was precious and still burning.” By helping to clean the house and lighting the light, the poor man found peace and departed from this earthly life with that light burning within.

Just as Mother Teresa brought light to dispel the darkness of a life of a lonely and elderly man, have you and I ever brought light to anyone, including our loved ones? Just as her kind deeds done to the elderly man that helped him find the meaning of life, have you and I ever done any kind deeds to others? Have our kind deeds to them brought light to dispel any darkness of loneliness, addiction of any form, or any darkness of envy and jealousy? Have you and I ever found peace in our own selves? Or how would we become a person of peace? If you and I are peaceful people, how can we share that peace with our loved ones living under the same roof? How would we bring that peace to share at work, in our community, and in this society? The decision is always yours.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 20:00:02 GMT

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God

Joke : The Hazards of Infallibility! It was the birthday of the parish priest and children had come with their birthday greetings and gifts. Father took the fit-wrapped parcel from little Mary and said, “Ah! I see you have brought me a book.” (Mary’s father ran a bookstore in town.) Yes, how did you know? “Father always knows!” “And you, Tommy, have brought me a sweater,” said Father, picking up the parcel Tommy held out to him. (Tommy’s father was a dealer in woolen goods.) “That’s right. How did you know?” “Ah! Father always knows.” and so it went, till the father lifted Bobby’s box. The wrapping pink paper was wet. (Bobby’s father sold wines and liquors.) So father said, “I see you have brought me a bottle of scotch and spilled some of it!” “Wrong,” said Bobby, “it isn’t scotch.” “Well, a bottle of rum then.” “Wrong again.” Father’s fingers were wet. He put one of his fingers into his mouth but that gave him no clue. “Is it gin?” “No,” said Bobby. “I’ve brought you a puppy.”

In today’s Gospel, taken from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” At the time that Jesus was so popular, he performed miracle after miracle, healed the sick, cured the disease, and even raised the dead back to life again. This didn’t help people to know who he was, but it made them more confused. Some believed that he was Elijah, a great prophet in the Old Testament who even called fire from heaven to wipe out all who went against God. Others believed that Jesus was John the Baptist, who was popular with his message of repentance, the forerunner of Christ who came to prepare the way for the Lord to come. Still others said that he’s Jeremiah or one of the prophets. However, Peter, a representative of the apostles, said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Who is Christ if he’s not the anointed one? Who is the living God? Jesus responded to Peter, saying, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” The heavenly Father is the living God, and because God the Father revealed this to him, Jesus entrusted the key to the Kingdom of heaven to Peter.

What’s about Paul, who is he? In today’s second reading, taken from the second letter of Saint Paul to Timothy, after his conversion, Paul had no fear to preach the Word of God and convicted saying, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” The Lord stood by Paul was the living God who gave him the strength to fearlessly preach the Word of God. Even at the lion’s mouth, at the hands of those who wanted to put him to death, Saint Paul believed, saying, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.” What’s a wonderful profession of faith of Peter and Paul?

Peter’s profession of faith is “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” while Paul’s profession of faith is, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” In the Creed that we recite every Sunday and Holy Day of obligation, we profess our faith that we believe in One God, the Father Almighty, … we believe in One Lord Jesus Christ, … was incarnated of the Virgin Mary and became man. The God that both Peter and Paul, including ourselves, profess is the living God who presently lives in our lives. He is so close to us, but are we with him? How can we experience his presence in our daily lives?

Anthony De Mello, S.J., in one of his books, told a story about a student who came and asked his teacher, “How can I experience the presence of God in my life? I studied and I read many books, but I still couldn’t find God in my life.” The teacher didn’t say anything but invited the student to come in for a cup of tea. The teacher began to pour tea in the cup until it filled to the rim and continued to pour until it spilled out on the table and ran down to the floor. To this, the student couldn’t hold himself any longer and said, “Stop, stop, it’s overflowed.” To him, the teacher then said that in order to experience the presence of God in your life, you must first empty your mind. There are so many activities running in the student’s mind that he cannot experience the presence of God in his life.

When we, together with Peter, profess our faith that Christ is the living God and we cannot experience his presence in our lives, we ask ourselves: Who is in my mind, my heart, my soul, and my entire being now? Who is Christ for me? Who is Christ for my family, my loved ones? Is there anything and everything that occupied your mind and heart that you might have difficulty experiencing the presence of God in your life? The decision is always yours.

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Do This in Remembering of Me

Joke: A Mother-in-law and the wife are often the ones to cause tension in the family of a newlywed couple. A funeral director called the wife for further instructions about her mother-in-law’s body. “Do you want her embalmed, cremated, or buried?” “All the three!” the wife answered promptly. “Don’t take any chances.”

Has Christ been embalmed, cremated, or buried? Christ was buried in the tomb for sure according to the Bible, historians, and researchers. So, if he died and was buried, how could he give us his Body and his Blood that the Church celebrates the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ today?

To answer this question, let us first dive into today’s second reading, written in the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians Community, reminding us by saying, “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” In the same way as the body, the cup follows suit, which is used to proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. Why do Catholics have Mass not only on the weekends but even on the weekdays? We celebrate Mass every day, following exactly what Jesus wanted us to do in remembrance of him. Along with that, when we eat His body and drink His blood, he promises to raise us and to give us everlasting life, “ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood,” the Lord Jesus said, reported in John’s writing, “has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” When are we going to stop celebrating Mass? We never stop celebrating Mass until he comes again.

Back to the question, how would Jesus give us his Body for food and his Blood to drink? Why didn’t he give us the Pita bread, the bread that he ate with his disciples, but instead his Body is symbolized by the unleavened bread, the host that we’ve shared at Mass in our time? At Mass, we are offered bread and grape wine, how can they become the Body and the Blood of Christ? What makes these two everyday foods become Christ’s Body and Blood?

In the Eucharistic Prayer II, the priest extended his hands over the bread and wine and said, “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body + and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The bread and wine immediately became the Body and Blood of Christ. Then, en persona Christi, in the Person of Christ, the priest takes the bread and repeats the Words of Jesus saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body , which will be given up for you ” and so with the cup. “For you” means Catholics in union with the Pope, not for other denominations.

Why do we need to receive the Body and Blood of Christ? To answer this question, let us dive into today’s Gospel. In today’s Gospel, Matthew describes clearly the scene where Jesus fed people, at least five thousand men, with only two fish and five loaves of bread in a deserted place. Why did Matthew mention that they were in a deserted place? Isn’t a deserted place often the place of no life? In actuality, the place where the lord is absent would be deemed as deserted. However, this deserted place is different because the Lord Jesus is present. Of course, Jesus took the bread and the fish, gave blessings over them, broke them, and then gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. Similarly during mass, we bring up gifts to the priest, and after he receives those gifts, he gives blessings and prayers over them in the Eucharistic Prayer. He then breaks the Bread, the Body of Christ, and gives it to us during Communion. These actions are mentioned specifically in the Eucharistic Prayers. In the aforementioned Eucharistic Prayer II, the Lord Jesus said, “He took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples.” Each time we come up to receive Communion, it is not that we receive a piece of bread and drink a sip of wine, but rather we are receiving the Body and Blood of Christ for the sake of our salvation and for everlasting life. Therefore, to have life and salvation, we are invited to receive the Body and the Blood of Christ more often. Not only did Jesus die for the sake of our salvation, but he also became the Food and the Drink for us to partake in his Divinity, for everlasting life. So, why wouldn’t we come often to the Eucharistic Celebration, the Mass, to have everlasting life? The decision is always yours.

The Most Holy Trinity Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 20:00:00 GMT

The Most Holy Trinity--Three Persons--One God

Joke: One parishioner said, “The Trinitarian God is a lot like our pastor. I don’t see him through the week and I don’t understand him on Sunday.”

Three persons but one God is very difficult to know and understand. Today, the Church celebrates the Most Holy Trinity, Three Persons, with the same essence, very distinct from one another, and yet only One God. It is a mystery. How do we understand three Persons, but one God? Who is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Who do we often pray to and why?

God the Father, the Creator that we learn from the book of Genesis. However, why do we call him God the Father? Is it because he has a Son who is Jesus Christ? How do we know that Jesus Christ the Son of God the Father? We know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God through the Scriptures, Matthew, for instance, reported that the moment that Jesus came up from the water of baptism, the heavens were opened and a voice from the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). If Jesus Christ did not have the same essence as God the Father, he would not call him Son.

Recalling a conversation I had with my co-worker when I still worked at FedEx headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. Mike liked to talk about religion, so he once said to me, “I don’t understand why you Catholics believe that Jesus is God and not that he is just a human being like all of us?” “Would you agree with me,” I said, “that in the Scriptures, the moment that Jesus came up from the water, there was a voice from the heavens saying to him, “This is my beloved Son?” “Yes,” he responded. “Then,” I said, “for God the Father to call Jesus his Son, he had to be God as well. Just as you cannot call a dog your son when he is not a human being, God the Father cannot call Jesus his Son if he is not God himself. You cannot call a fish your daughter when it’s just an animal and not a human being.” “If Jesus was God,” he asked, “Then how comes he died on the Cross? God cannot die.” “God cannot die and will never die,” I said, “but Jesus did die on the Cross. The moment that the Son of God, God himself, accepted to vest on himself our human flesh through the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the moment that he accepted all human weaknesses and limitations just like any other human being except sins. He couldn’t be born in Jerusalem and present in America at the same time. He had to eat and drink like any other human being when he was hungry and thirsty.” In Jesus Christ, there exist two inseparable natures, divine and human. When he died on the cross, it was His human nature that died and not God. Thanks to God the Son who came to us to lead us to God the Father. It is through God the Son Jesus Christ, that we can call God, Abba, Father as Matthew reported the teaching of the Lord’s prayer saying, “Our Father in heaven” (Mt 6:9).

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds the Roman community and us that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith.” It is through Christ that we have found peace and gained access to faith. Why? It is in Jesus Christ, that there are two natures: Divine and human. As Jesus a human, we are easily related to him. As Jesus God, we can call God the Father “Abba.” It is only through Jesus Christ that we are able to pray to God the Father or God the Son than to God the Holy Spirit.

Who is God the Holy Spirit? In today’s Gospel, Saint John reminds us of the words of Jesus teaching his disciples saying, “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth… he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” So, who is the Holy Spirit if he is not the one who guides us in all truth? Whatever the Holy Spirit says and does, he says and does from what belongs to God the Son. Unlike God the Son Jesus Christ talked to us in human language, Aramaic specifically, the Holy Spirit spoke to us in spirit. If the Holy Spirit does not speak in human language, how do we understand him? To understand the language of the Holy Spirit, we are invited to discern and reflect on what we are inspired or touched by whatever or whoever comes into our lives.

Why are there three Persons, but One God? Is there an order of first, second, and third? Are they different in rank? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are ONE God but three distinct Persons. They are all present at the beginning of creation.

In the very first chapter of the book of Genesis, the Lord God created the universe and what was contained in it by saying the Word and it came into being. This Word is the Son of God and God himself Saint John beautifully started his Gospel by saying, “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). What happens to God the Holy Spirit? Was there a point when God the Holy Spirit began to show up? Back to the book of Genesis, after “the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen 2:7). This breath of life is the Holy Spirit who was also with God the Father and God the Son right from the beginning. Therefore, right from the beginning of creation, there were three distinct Persons but One God appeared.

What is it to do with us on our Christian journey? As a creature that God, the three Persons, created, we ought to give thanks to God the Most Holy Trinity. We are drawn closer to God the Son because he vested in himself our human flesh to be with us and to be like us except sins. God the Son the Lord Jesus Christ is so close to us to teach us about God the Father and to lead us to him. Through the help of God the Holy Spirit, we are given the strength to live the words of Jesus’ teaching. So, to come to God the Father, we are invited to follow the Lord Jesus’ teaching. With the gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us to live out Jesus’ teaching. Among the most Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, whom have you been drawn closer to? Those of us children, how is your relationship with your father? God the Son obeyed his Father even to the point of death, death on the cross, have you obeyed your parents? As the love that abides the Three Persons in God together, how is your love for your parents? How is your love for your children? How is your love for one another? The decision is always yours.

Pentecost Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 20:00:01 GMT

The Authority to Forgive Sins

Joke: A dirty and drunken wino who was passing a Catholic Church one day, noticed a sign on the door that said: "Confessions Being heard." Since he had not been to confession for a long time, he staggered into the church, knelt down in the confessional and began to confess his sins. Unfortunately, his breath was so foul that the priest who was hearing confessions couldn't stand it and decided to cut things short. "Look," he said to the wino. "Have you murdered anybody lately?" "Nope," the wino replied. "O.K. then," the priest told him. "I am going to say the prayer of absolution.” Slightly puzzled, the wino staggered out of the confessional and as he was walking out of the church, saw a fellow wino who was going into the church. "You going to confession?" The first wino asked. "Yep," said the second wino. "Don't waste your time," the first wino said. "He ain't hearing nothing today except murder cases."

Questions arise around the word “Forgiveness” such as: What is forgiveness? Who needs forgiveness? And who needs to forgive other(s)? Or who should forgive other(s)?

As children of Adam and Eve, we all inherited the original sin through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are washed away from our original sin. However, it does not mean that after Baptism we never sin against the Lord and one another. Therefore, forgiveness is a need for forgiveness when we hurt God or one another somehow and in some way.

Honest ourselves, we all hurt God and one another in our lives. Just as Jesus himself, born as a Jew under the Jewish laws, forgave the sins of a prostitute, the tax collector, and others because they violated God’s laws and the Jewish laws, so we are too, more or less, that we violate God’s laws, human laws, and society’s laws either consciously or unconsciously. Jewish laws, the laws of Moses, human laws, or society’s laws are written laws, and God’s laws are not only the letters of the written laws but much higher than these are the spirit of the laws. In the spirit of the laws, Jesus condensed all the laws, written laws, into two great important laws which are to love God and to love one another.

The written laws, for example, how many of us are conscious of keeping the right speed of 35 mph on the street with the speed limit of 35 mph especially when we are in a hurry? How often have we passed over the speed limit of 60 mph on the highway when we might not be even in a hurry? How often do we turn to the people around us to talk to them instead of focusing on reading a book or being busy with the iPhone and ignoring the presence of others around us? How well do we keep silent when we enter the Church not talking and whispering while others are praying or meditating in silence? How have we helped financially to our Church when we hesitate to be generous with our contribution and spend extravagantly on trips and leisure or material possessions?

Thanks to God that he allows us to reconcile with God and with one another through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He gave the authority to forgive sins to his disciples and their successors when he said to his disciples reported in today’s Gospel, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Let’s remain strong in the Lord Jesus Christ, faithful in his teaching, and have the courage to live his Word by reconciling with God and with one another through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Not that Jesus’ disciples have the power to forgive sins, but they also have the power to commit sins as well. Pope Francis, when asked how often he goes to confession, his response reported by Cindy Wooden from Catholic News Service that “he goes to confession every two weeks, knowing that God never tires of forgiving those who repent, but also knowing that having a priest say "I absolve you" reinforces belief in God's mercy.” Let’s remember God’s mercy endures forever and comes often to receive the forgiveness of sins. The decision is always yours.

The Ascension of the Lord Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 31 May 2025 20:00:00 GMT

His Presence in Our Lives through the Sacraments

Joke: "Life is unfair. I lost my car keys at a ball game and never found them. I lost my sunglasses at the beach and never found them. I lost my socks in the washing machine and never found them. I lost three pounds on a diet--I found them and five more."

Just as “I lost three pounds on a diet, and I found them and five more,” the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and found himself is still with us together with the Holy Spirit as well. Was Jesus taken up into heaven and left us alone? Abandon us? Today’s Alleluia verse reminds us that Jesus is with us always until the end of the world. Is he still with us? He might not be physical with us, but is he with us spiritually? Or how?

Visiting the Holy Land, there are three Ascension Churches, one was erected by Queen Helena recalling from chapter one of the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus took his disciples to the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s journey from Jerusalem, blessed them and commissioned them, and then ascended into heaven. The second Church was erected called the Chapel of the Ascension which later became a mosque possessed by Muslims. The third one is the Russian Church of Ascension whose tower has marked the skyline of Jerusalem since it was built in 1878. These three places claimed the place of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus, the first one was the most impressive because in this Church of Ascension, in 384 AD, a pilgrim by the name of Egeria found two large footprints embedded in the rock believed that precisely the point where Jesus was taken up into heaven. Therefore, Jesus left us with his two footprints.

Is he still with us after he’s taken up into heaven? How would we know that he’s still with us now? Either physically or spiritually? Or how would he be with us? How would we recognize him if he is still with us?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke reminds us that, “As [Jesus] blessed [his disciples,] he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.” The Lord Jesus might not be physically among us just as he was with his disciples, but his blessing is always with us. The kind of blessing that he received from God the Father that Saint Paul was convicted and shared with the Ephesians community saying, “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.” His blessing is extended through the hands of the priest since his hands are consecrated at his ordination that he acts en persona Christi, he acts in the person of Christ. So, the priest’s blessing is the extension of the Lord Jesus’ blessing that any religious article, statue, rosary, etc. that is blessed by the hands of the priest, cannot be trashed but has to be burnt or buried.

Not only his blessing he left us, but also as he promised to his disciples before he was taken up into heaven, reported in today’s first reading, taken from the book of Acts of the Apostles says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In his blessing extended through the hands of a priest accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are invited to live our baptismal call to be priests, prophets, and kings. The decision is always yours.

6th Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 24 May 2025 20:00:00 GMT

The Advocate and Peace

Joke: A little boy stops in front of a church with his bike, and he sees the pastor come out. The boy wants to go to the church but is afraid his bike will be stolen. He tells the pastor his concern, and the pastor says "Don’t worry, the Holy Spirit will watch it.” So the little boy goes inside and the pastor says, "Let me show you how to make the sign of the cross. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Now you try it.” So the boy says, "In the name of the Father and the Son, Amen.” The pastor says, "What happened to the Holy Spirit?" The boy replied "He’s busy outside, watching my bike. I don’t want to bother him.”

The Holy Spirit is busy. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father sends in the name of the Son is not so busy. Otherwise, the disciples of Jesus might not get any help from the Advocate. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit reported in today’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus’ disciples reminded people that it is not that one is saved by the Mosaic practice of circumcision, but it is “to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.” These teachings were under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to remind people not to use the meat sacrificed to idols or the blood and the meats of strangled animals which were choked and slaughtered by cutting the throat and draining the blood according to Jewish Law. Also, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people should abstain from unlawful marriage. It seemed that the work of the Holy Spirit cannot be accomplished if there is no human cooperation. The role of the Holy Spirit is to teach, help, and remind us what to say and what to do to honor God the Father.

In today’s Gospel, Saint John beautifully reminds us of the words Jesus promised his disciples saying, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” What the Holy Spirit teaches us is what the Lord Jesus teaches. The Holy Spirit is to make it clear and to strengthen us to do what Jesus teaches us. Jesus, for example, when he entered the temple and found that people selling, trading, and making the temple like the marketplace and he reminded them by saying, “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves” (Mt 21:13). How does the Holy Spirit help us in this teaching of the Lord Jesus? Saint Paul reminds us saying, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Cor 6:19) Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, is supposed to be the house of prayer, and is supposed to spend time in prayer to give thanks to God. This is the reminder of the Holy Spirit, but have we followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit? “I was traveling with my friends,” someone claimed, “and they were not Catholics. So, we didn’t want to separate from the group to go to Church on Sunday, and we missed Sunday Mass.” Regardless of what the Holy Spirit reminded us saying, “Go to Church on Sunday.” We heard it, but then we made all kinds of excuses not to follow. Jesus taught his disciples and the Jewish people in person, but the Holy Spirit taught us in spirit to guide us, to remind us, and to help us to do what Jesus once taught us. Have we had enough courage and strength to do what the Holy Spirit reminds us?

Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” How did Jesus leave his peace with his disciples if it’s not to allow them to see his hands and to touch his side to increase their faith amid doubt? How did Jesus leave his peace with his disciples if it’s not to allow them to catch much fish and eat in front of their eyes after being resurrected from the dead when Peter and the other disciples caught nothing all night long? How did Jesus leave his peace with his disciples if it did not allow them to recognize him at the breaking of the bread after he was resurrected from the dead? The peace that Jesus left for his disciples amid fear and doubt after his death was his true presence in the flesh and eating and conversing with them. Amid fear and doubt, Jesus strengthened them with his peace by allowing them to experience his being present in the flesh among them after being resurrected from death. He was present to his people in the flesh when he was alive and after his resurrection from the dead, but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit was present to the disciples and all of us in the form of the Spirit to guide us, to remind us, and to help us in following the Lord Jesus’ teachings.

Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit taught the disciples and us in truth, and whatever they taught us was from God the Father instructed them. However, Jesus taught his disciples in a concrete matter such as to die for the one you love by dying on the cross for the sake of the whole human race. He allowed himself to be caught so to free his disciples. The blood and water came out from his side to show how much he truly loved humanity. He loved his disciples by bending his knees to wash their feet and sharing the same table with the one who betrayed him. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, strengthened the disciples to go out to witness the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus even to the point of death. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they spoke in different languages. Or rather, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, people could understand Jesus’ disciples in their language. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they could listen to and understand the teachings of Jesus’ disciples.

Jesus left his peace to his disciples and those who followed him, have we had his peace in our Christian life? His peace strengthened his disciples to go out to witness to the world his passion, death, and resurrection, what and how shall we witness to the world in following Jesus in this walk of life? The Advocate who came in the name of Jesus strengthened Jesus’ disciples not to fear to go out to spread the Good News, have we seen ourselves spread the Good News to others in following the Lord Jesus? The Advocate came to remind the disciples of what Jesus taught them, have we ever experienced the influence of the Holy Spirit in our Christian life? The Advocate his Father sent in his name and the peace that he left, have we received any? How would we receive them? The decision is yours.

Fifth Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 17 May 2025 20:00:00 GMT

A New Way of Love

Joke : The married couple, both 70 years old, was celebrating their 50 ^th anniversary. That night, God appeared to them in prayer to congratulate them for their faithfulness and grant each one wish. The wife wanted to travel around the world. Poof! The wife had tickets in her hand for a world cruise. Next, God asked the husband what he wanted. He said, “I wish I had a wife 30 years younger than me.” Poof! The husband was 100.

“What is love?” The title of a song, written by Dee Dee Halligan, suggests that love causes pain and hurt. Is love all about hurting and pain? Is love all about giving and not receiving? Is love all about what one can do while the other does not care? Is love all about what one can say and do has to be in the mind of the other? Is love all about possession, hurting, and pain? Is love all about loving others and not oneself? Is love all about loving God and not others or both? What is love, the love of a new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples, love one another?

In today’s Gospel, Saint John described a scene when Judas received the morsel from the hand of Jesus, he left, and Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” The moment that Judas left was the moment of coming closer to the passion and the death of Jesus. Why was it his passion and death coming and it was also a glorified moment at the same time? Was it only in suffering and passion that the Lord Jesus was glorified? Would he be glorified if he didn’t have to suffer passion and death? Or was it both suffering and glory the two sides of a reality? Welcome to our human club. It seems that suffering and glory are the two sides of a coin of the reality of being human beings. As human beings, one cannot avoid either one but learn to accept and embrace them.

Jack Dempsey, a light heavyweight boxer championed from 1919 to 1926 recalled one of his champions. He could only fall asleep for an hour after his champion match, he woke up all sweaty. He dreamt that he lost his champion, and he couldn’t go back to sleep. He decided to drive out to get the newspaper to read the news to ease himself. Reading the news about his championship, thoughts came to his mind. He finally learned that all his energy, his time, and his training were to get what they called the trophy which only excited him for a few hours. His suffering and glory ended at the age of 87. At his passion and death, Jesus was glorified for the sake of the salvation of the whole human race. Unlike Jack Dempsey, his suffering and glory left him with the reality of glory only lasted for a short time, but for Jesus, his glory gave the whole human race hope that one day, we will be glorified with him in his heavenly kingdom.

The new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.” This is how people will know that they are his disciples if they love one another. Why was that new commandment to love one another and not to love God? Can one separate the love of God and the love of one another? Or rather, these, to love God and to love one another, are the two sides of the true and only one true love? Indeed, can one love God without loving others? Or can one love others without loving God? Why did Jesus emphasize the love of one another rather than the love of God? Who are we, and who is God? Aren’t we human beings that there is time to be born and there is time to be taken away from this earthly life? God, on the other hand, is eternal. Since we are finite creatures, we should be able to love one another more easily than to love God who is infinite. It doesn’t mean that we cannot love God. But if we cannot love one another whom we can experience with our five senses, how can we love God whom we cannot even see?

Also, as a finite being, or rather corrupted being by sin, we might put on a fake face of love for God. If we pay attention to the love that we have for God, we might be able to realize that we love ourselves rather than God when we say that we love God. We love God because he is good, merciful, and generous, slow to anger, and rich in kindness. He has the power to shower blessings on us, and he also has the power to take away everything we have. We love God so that we can benefit from that love. This love seems to be like the love we have for those who are rich, and who have high standards and power in life. It seems that we love those people, but in reality, we love ourselves because we love them for our benefit. Make no mistake, Jesus gave his new commandment to ask those who wanted to be his disciples to love one another. How do we love one another?

We might not have a problem loving one who loves us, who always agrees with us, or who is our loved one. However, can we love one who does not like us, does not have the same point of view as us, or does not go in the same direction and has many other differences from us? To love one another is the new commandment to be the disciples of Jesus, from the Acts of the Apostles reported in today’s first reading, Paul and Barnabas after proclaiming the good news to the people and making a considerable number of disciples, encouraged them saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Or rather, to observe the new commandment to be Jesus’ disciples, they were reminded to undergo many hardships. To love someone is not to hurt or to cause pain, but rather, to learn to endure to love the person. A new way of love that Jesus commanded us is to love one another. To love one another is to love the Lord. The decision is always yours.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 10 May 2025 20:00:03 GMT

God’s Voice Requires Listening and Prayer

Joke: A four-year-old and a six-year-old presented their mom with a houseplant. They had used their own money to buy it and she was thrilled. The older of them said with a sad face, "There was a bouquet at the flower shop that we wanted to give you. It was really pretty but it was too expensive. It had a ribbon on it that said ‘ Rest in Peace, ’ and we thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace so that you can rest.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.” Jesus promised us that if we hear his voice and follow him, he will give us eternal life and no one can take us away from his hands. How many of you believe that? Many of us believe that, or at least, we want to believe that. But how do we hear his voice? Does it come in a sound wave calling us by name during the daytime and not in our sleep, during our sobriety, and not during our drunkenness? To be able to listen to his voice requires silence and prayer. The next question then, what is prayer? We adults might know a lot of prayers throughout our lifetime, but young people might not. Our young people might not know a lot of prayers, but I hope that our young people know at least the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory.

We know the prayers, but what does it mean silence? There are many voices in our lives that we are invited to silence to listen to or to hear God’s voice. The voice of media on television, radio, internet, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. There are also voices of school, workplace, sports, friends, advertisements, and complaining. There are voices of angry moments, frustrated moments, resentful moments, sad moments, joy moments, confused moments, etc. These are just a few voices available in our lives we are reminded to silence ourselves away from these voices to learn to listen to God’s voice.

What is God’s voice? God’s voice is through our nature that he created us. It is through our needs, our wants, and our desires. So, how is God’s voice through our needs? To be a human is to need. God’s voice speaks to us in our basic human needs. We all need to eat, breathe, and sleep to survive, don’t we? God, when he created us, wired into our physical bodies with all these needs to survive. Saint Paul said to Athenians, as reported in the Acts of the Apostles, “In him, [God], we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). That is only in God that we live, and move, and have our being. The need to eat, breathe, and sleep is revealed through our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being, and God gives them to us as a map to happiness and so much more. God speaks to us through our physical well-being as regular physical exercise, a balanced diet, and regular sleep are our simplest basic needs and contribute massively to the well-being of the whole being. Are we able to listen to God’s voice through our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual beings? What does God want us to do with our physical needs, our emotional needs, our intellectual needs, or our spiritual needs?

I had a good friend who studied for a priest together many years ago. He loved fishing, and he would wake me up early in the morning to go fishing on weekends. He knew that I wouldn’t be able to stay up early, so he always made a pot of good coffee ready. He always had a headache when he picked up a philosophy book to read. He finally had to give up his call to study for a priest because he couldn’t handle schoolwork. He married and had children. When people saw us, they always said that he looked more like a future priest than me.

How does God’s voice speak to us through our wants? Don’t we often ask questions like, “What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to study when you are in college? What do you want to do when you graduate from school? What do you want to do when you retire? What do you want to do when you get married? What do you want to do when you have children? Interestingly, life is not all about what we want to do. These questions of want should be redirected in a different way to give a meaningful purpose in life. For instance, what do you think God is calling you to be when you grow up? What do you think that God wants you to study in college? What is God inviting you to do after you retire? What do you think God is calling you to live a marriage life, religious life, priestly life, or a single life? When we redirect our wants to God’s wants, we might be able to listen to his voice. Are we able to listen to God’s voice through our wants?

God’s voice is through our desire. God created us in his image and likeness, and he wires into our being with a desire for good. When we desire what is good, true, right, just, and noble, it is because God wires into our beings this desire. When we desire what is not good, true, right, just, and noble, it is because our true desire is influenced by worldly desires. When a young man came and asked me what do you think I should do with my life? I often directed him to ask or address God in prayer saying, “What does God want me to do with my life?” Then say one Our Father or one Hail Mary and spend quiet time to listen. After some quiet time, take out a piece of paper to write down whatever comes to your mind and come back and talk to me.

Jesus is our shepherd, Saint John reminds us in today’s Gospel, and we are the sheep that he knows us and we are invited to follow him. He knows us and speaks to us often through our needs, wants, and desires, but we need to focus our needs, wants, and desires on God to hear his voice in our lives. Instead of looking and working hard for what we need, what we want, and what we desire, we should direct our human needs, wants, and desires to God to avoid the influences of worldly needs, wants, and desires. After addressing our human needs, wants, and desires, say one Our Father or one Hail Mary then spend some quiet time to listen if we cannot listen to his voice through our daily needs, wants, and desires.

Paul and Barnabas, reported in today’s second reading, preach in Antioch despite strong opposition from the Jewish community. True courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to proceed despite it if we direct our needs, our wants, and our desires to God. Saint Paul was utterly convinced of his call to direct his needs, his wants, and his desires to God to bring the Gospel to Gentiles, and despite hardship, “was filled with joy.” From the outside, a vocation to the priesthood or religious life may seem to involve too many sacrifices, but our true happiness lies in following God’s will for our lives by directing our needs, our wants, and our desires to God. The decision is always yours.

Third Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 03 May 2025 20:00:00 GMT

God's Love to Purify Our Heart & Transform Our Life

Joke: When her late husband’s will was read, a widow learned he had left the bulk of his fortune to another woman. Enraged, she rushed to change the inscription on her husband’s tombstone. “Sorry, lady,” said the stonecutter. “I inscribed ‘Rest in Peace’ on your order. I cannot change it now.” “Very well,” the widow said grimly. “Just add ‘Until we meet again.”

Fish are funny creatures. They are always so busy and yet so pointlessly busy. They are always on the move, they flit about, dashing and darting hither and thither, full of agitation and enthusiasm. How easily they are alarmed by every ripple, every shadow on the water. They are always on the alert, so ready for the unexpected, and yet so easily duped. They are so quick to react to the first rumors of danger and yet so easily caught.

There is a certain “fishiness” about us too. Like the fish, we are immersed in a sea of troubles and distractions, easily alarmed and agitated by every ripple of excitement, every shadow of a doubt that crosses our paths. Our daily life is so dangerous with temptations, and we allow ourselves to be hooked on so many creature comforts such as drugs, alcohol, sex, and many more. Today's miracle is also the miracle of our lives. The question is how does Jesus, through his church, throw his net over us to catch us, to turn us away from sins and temptations? Brothers and sisters, it is not only a net of grace and love, but he specifically instructs his disciples and the Church to do what he commands them to do. Jesus said to his disciples, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” Catching people for God’s vineyard is not only about spreading the Good News, reading and understanding the Scriptures but above all is about doing what Jesus instructs us to do. Jesus commands his disciples to cast the net, not to sit the net. To do the work, and not mumble the words. He gave a straight direction to cast the net over the right side of the boat, and not to the left side. To bring love, mercy, and forgiveness to others, rather than to condemn, criticize, and harbor hatred.

In today’s first reading, Peter and the apostles carried out their faith beautifully when they were in front of the elders and the Sanhedrin profess without fear saying, “We must obey God rather than men.” Why did Peter and other apostles obey God, specifically the Lord Jesus? They believed that He is God was described in today’s second reading, taken from the Book of Revelation when John said that he heard “The voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They cried out in a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.’” Who is the Lamb if it isn’t the Lord Jesus? It is love that God sent his only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to come to us, to show us the way to the Father, and to help us turn away from sins and temptations with his grace and love.

Facing sins, temptations, and all kinds of attraction in this earthly life, have we allowed ourselves to be caught by the net of God’s grace? Just as Peter professed himself that he loved the Lord, have we allowed ourselves, even in our weakness and sin, to declare our loyalty to God that we love him above all else? Saint Augustine, in his Confessions, wrote: "Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new. Late have I loved you! ...You shone your Self upon me to drive away my blindness. You breathed your fragrance upon me... and in astonishment, I drew my breath...now I pant for you! I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst for you. You touched me! – and I burn to live within your peace" (Confessions 10:27). Saint Paul beautifully said in his letter to the Romans that nothing but our sinful pride and stubborn willfulness can keep us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). God's love is a free and unmerited gift, far beyond what we deserve or could hope to obtain through our means. We can never outmatch God’s love. He loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding graciousness and mercy. The question for us is: Do we allow God's love to purify our hearts and transform our lives? The decision is always yours.

Second Sunday of Easter--Divine Mercy Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Mercy and Forgiveness from Love

Joke : A priest was forced by a traffic policeman to pull over for speeding. As the cop was about to write the ticket, the priest said to him, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The cop handed the priest the ticket and said, "Go, and sin no more."

What does mercy mean? Does it mean to have mercy this time, then we go back and sin again and ask for mercy again? Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” To him, Jesus replied, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Mercy and forgiveness are two different words, but they have the same root. They seem to have two different meanings, but they are caused by the same root. They seem to have different approaches, but they approach the same goal. What are that root and goal if it’s not LOVE?

In today’s Gospel, John captured a scene of the gathering of Jesus’ disciples in a house with the doors locked for the fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” In fear and frightened of the Jews, Jesus strengthened them with peace, he then showed his hands and his side to remind them that following him, they will have to suffer. But even while suffering, his peace is always with them. The peace of Christ did not only with his disciples through suffering, but his peace granted them the power to forgive sins. He granted them the gifts of the Holy Spirit to forgive sins saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Therefore, the peace of Christ, on the one hand, reminded them that they had to go through suffering; and on the other hand, it is to give them the power of forgiveness.

The wound on his side and the nail marks on his hands portray his mercy towards his disciples and to each one of us since today, the whole Church celebrates the Divine Mercy. What does mercy mean? Do we need to have mercy from the Lord? What have we done that we need mercy from the Lord?

Mercy comes from the Hebrew word rachamin which is derived from the name of the most motherly organ in the human body: the womb, “ rachem ”. This is where the strongest connection of compassion and love is bonded between the mother and the baby respectively. It seems that mercy, then, is rooted in a family’s relationship. The mercy that we learn and experience in our own family. This kind of relationship appears over and over again throughout the Scriptures.

The story of the prophet Hosea is reported in the Old Testament by Hosea himself. The word of the Lord came to Hosea, son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and asked him to marry a woman of prostitution. Hosea did marry a prostitute by the name of Gomer who conceived and bore him some children by their names such as Jezreel, Not-Pitied, and Not-My-People to describe the unfaithful relationship between the Israelites and God. Even though Gomer was unfaithful to the prophet Hosea, he still loved her and hoped that she would change her way of life. Just as Hosea loved his wife Gomer and hoped that she changed her way of life even though she said, “I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil, and my drink,” the Lord still hoped that we turned back to him and changed our way of life. The mercy of the Lord endures forever. Just as Hosea forgave the sins of his wife over and over again, the Lord also continuously forgives us over and over again when we acknowledge our sins and come back to him.

In the New Testament, we are all familiar with the story of Peter, tax collector Matthew, a prostitute woman caught in action, and many others. Peter, for an instant, even though the Lord Jesus warned him that he will deny him before the cock grew, still denied him and the Lord Jesus in his mercy and forgiveness still forgave him when he returned and came back to the Lord, and so the tax collector, the prostitute woman, and many others. God’s mercy and forgiveness endure forever as long as we come back to him and try to change our way of life. His mercy and forgiveness are no doubt rooted in love.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday and in a showing of the wounds on his hands and his side reported in today’s Gospel, we are invited to have mercy and forgiveness to one another beginning in our own family. How would we have mercy and forgiveness towards one another in our own family if we cannot love one another? Love is the root of mercy and forgiveness and the goal of mercy and forgiveness, and it is the great commandment that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to us. What is love for you? Can you love someone without having mercy and forgiveness towards him or her? How would you love someone? Have you learned to love your family? How would you love that same love to others? Can you love just as Jesus loves us by suffering and dying on the cross because of loving us? The decision is always yours.

Easter Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Meeting the Risen Lord Jesus at the Eucharist

Joke : The Sunday school teacher was testing children in her religious education class to see if they understood the concept of getting to Heaven. She asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big jumble sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?" "NO!" the children answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the garden, and kept everything tidy, would that get me into heaven?" Again, the answer was 'No!' By now the teacher was starting to smile. "Well, then, if I were kind to animals and gave sweeties to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into heaven?" Again, they all answered 'No!' She was just bursting with pride for them. She continued, "Then how can I get into Heaven?" A six-year-old boy shouted from the back, “First, you have to die!”

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke retells a story of what happens to two disciples on the road of Emmaus, and how they recognize the risen Lord. Jesus’ suffering and death scatter his disciples, and in that sorrow and sadness because of his suffering and death, Jesus comes along and journeys with them. They cannot recognize him, even though he talks and explains to them about scripture, Moses, and the prophets. They can only recognize the Lord when they witness Jesus’ breaking of the bread at the table. Who are those two disciples who witnessed the risen Lord at the breaking of the bread? Why can they not recognize Jesus on the road of Emmaus? What is it to do with us?

One of these two disciples, Saint Luke tells us, is Cleopas. The other disciple, whose name is unknown, is he one of the twelve apostles? Saint Luke vividly describes what these two disciples said about Jesus, he is “the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified.” They know so much about Jesus. Could one of them be Jesus’ twelve apostles? Regardless of who they are, the question is, have we seen ourselves in those two disciples? We are priests, deacons, religious men and women, baptized Christians, young and not young anymore, we all have learned and understood about Jesus. However, have we recognized him in our Christian lives who is the living God?

Just as the disciples felt downcast after the death of Jesus, lost faith, and were scattered that they couldn’t recognize the risen Lord while he journeyed with them on the road to Emmaus, have we encountered the risen Lord, the moment that we experience our spouse cheating us? Our children go astray? Our loved one has to suffer from illness and sickness? At the moment of sadness and sorrow, the two disciples are only able to recognize Jesus at the breaking of the bread, in our sadness, worries, struggles, and difficulties, have we recognized the risen Lord when we gather together to celebrate the Eucharist? Or have we experienced the risen Lord in our brothers and sisters, those who are suffering from illness, loneliness, abandonment, homelessness, addiction of many kinds, and many other forms of destructive life? The moment that we isolate ourselves away from others, away from our loved ones, or away from the Church, the moment, I believe, we have difficulty experiencing the risen Lord! The moment that we harbor any anger, resentment, or revenge towards anyone? The moment that we have difficulty talking, to live together in the family, at work, in our community, or any other place? The moment that we cannot talk nor communicate with others, those moments and many other moments, I believe, we are death since only death that cannot come to others, cannot communicate to the living! Jesus is risen to open the grave, have we had the courage to untie, open, and reconcile with one another with whom we might have difficulty talking, communicating, and living? The decision is always yours.

Palm Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 20:00:02 GMT

Disfigure the Image and Likeness of God

Joke : A three-year-old boy named Johnny. When it was Palm Sunday, he couldn't wait to go to church to see what Palm Sunday was. But sadly, Johnny came down with chickenpox. His parents hired a babysitter to take care of Johnny while they went to church. When they came home holding palm leaves, Johnny asked, "What are the palm tree leaves for, Mom?" She replied, "When Jesus walked through the town, people waved palm leaves at him in respect." Johnny looked upset and said, "Wouldn't you know? The first day that I'm not in the church, he shows up!"

A few years ago, on this Palm Sunday, we began the Holy Week during a pandemic throughout the whole world, we didn’t celebrate the first part, the commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem as a King sitting on a donkey. Why? It was because of the spreading of the coronavirus that there were only those involved in the celebration present. In my recollection, I felt sad and empty with the empty Church without a congregation. Now, we come back to celebrate with two parts: The commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem as a King sitting on a donkey with the congregation’s participation and the long Passion of the Lord describes a King who was to suffer and to die on the Cross. Why does the Church arrange this setting for us to celebrate every year? It is to help us relive Jesus’ last days on earth. Is it a contradiction when on the one hand, we celebrate Jesus’ entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem as the King, and on the other hand, we celebrate his passion and the death of the Lord Jesus, the King?

This contradiction in this liturgy rather portrays a true contradiction within ourselves that we are invited to look at ourselves to see who can identify ourselves with those people involved in the suffering, passion, and death of Jesus Christ.

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples that he called for himself, whom the Lord Jesus loved like the other eleven. He entrusted to him the money bag of the group for him to take care of. He had a seat at the dining table with the Lord Jesus among the other eleven. However, greed entered his heart, mind, and soul when the words of his master Jesus at the supper saying, “And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.” Even at the words of his master at the supper, Judas still allowed evil spirits that possessed him to betray his master with a kiss. We are Christians, aren’t we? The followers of Christ, aren’t we? We are at the Eucharistic celebration, and we all hear the words of Christ in the celebration of the Word which is the readings. Have you and I ever allowed evil spirits that possessed our minds, hearts, and souls to betray Jesus and his Church through our words and our deeds like Judas?

Pilate, the wicket king, wanted to protect his seat but he failed to stand for the truth. Have you and I ever failed to stand for the truth out of our selfishness?

The two criminals were crucified with Jesus one on each side of him. They were punished for what they committed. However, one was recognized for his wrongdoing and asked for forgiveness, and the other was not. To the one who asked for forgiveness, he was forgiven. Have you and I ever recognized our sins and asked God for forgiveness?

Peter, the prince of the apostles, another disciple of Jesus that he chose for himself, also had a seat with Jesus at the dining table. Even at the words of Jesus warning him of his denying his master, he said to Jesus, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.” But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.” And so it happened. However, between Judas and Peter, one didn’t believe in the mercy and compassion of God he hung himself after he recognized his false doing, the other, Peter, recognized his denying his master and came back and led the Church that his master entrusted to him before his passion and death. Have you and I ever denied the Lord Jesus? Have you and I ever failed to do the sign of the Cross to say grace before a meal? What does it mean when we fail to do the sign of the Cross?

The twelve apostles that the Lord Jesus called to himself and chose for himself, all sit with the Lord at the table, disputed among themselves when the two of them asked to sit one on his left and one on his right. They all strongly said to follow the Lord Jesus no matter what, but they all ran away when he was caught. Recalling our first Holy Communion, how hungry and thirsty we had to receive our first Holy Communion. Later on in our lives, we learn to engage in gossip, criticizing, and judging one another. We even said to follow the Lord Jesus when we profess the Creed that we believe in one God, but then we worship other gods as well such as money, work, and pleasures of all kinds, and excuse ourselves do not having time for Church on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Jesus prayed for his disciples not to be put to the test when he saw them asleep and exhausted, have you and I ever got tired of following the Lord Jesus and the teaching of the Church? Should we pray more when we catch ourselves exhausted in following him and his Church?

The crowd, the people, who were among them received healing from leprosy and other diseases, restored sight from blindness, and restored good health from evil possessions. They then picked the side with Barabbas, the rebellion and murder, to crucify the innocent Jesus.

Through all these people involved in the passion and the death of Jesus, who have you and I identified ourselves with? Have we been able to identify the times that we hurt the Lord Jesus Christ, the times that we hurt our loved ones either in words or in deeds? Have we recognized the moment we hurt someone is the moment that we disfigure the face of Jesus in him or her? The moment that we hurt someone is the moment that we disfigure the image and likeness of God in us. How should we restore the image and likeness of God in those whom we hurt through our words or our deeds? How should we restore our relationship with God and with one another imprinted on the Cross? Are you and I still created in the image and likeness of God? Take some time during this Holy Week to reexamine yourself to learn to restore the image and likeness of God in the one whom you hurt somehow or in some ways. Organize your works and your schedules to come to celebrate the Holy Triduum with us to experience the love that God the Father created us in his image and likeness; the love of God the Son restored the image and likeness of God in us by suffering and die on the Cross for us; and the love of the Holy Spirit strengthened the Apostles to have courage and strength to go out to begin the Church after the resurrection of their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

5th Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Go and Sin No More

Message from Bulletin:

Growing up in an area where houses are open and narrow houses because they have no air conditioning or heat system since it’s a tropical climate, or rather, it’s a poor country and does not have enough land, I have learned a lot. One thing, as a child, I have learned is that whenever a family in my neighborhood verbally fighting or even physically fighting, everyone in that neighborhood knows and comes over to check it out. Sadly, people in the neighborhood often come to see what’s going on and criticize or publicize the matter instead of coming to help.

In today’s Gospel, Saint John beautifully retold a story of a woman caught in adultery. Scribes and Pharisees brought her to Jesus to test him so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Other people just came along to check it out, or perhaps, to come to criticize or publicize the matter. They all had on their hands a stone ready to throw at the woman to death because of the law when she was caught in adultery. Perhaps, not all cultures that exist on this planet tend to criticize one another rather than help one another. Is it in Asian cultures that we tend to criticize rather than help, or is it that the existence of the devil created doubt in us that we tend to criticize rather than help one another?

What is it about criticizing and judging one another? Listen to what Jesus said to those who brought a woman caught in adultery, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” They went away one by one, beginning with the elders, and left her alone before Jesus. It seemed that she was not the only one who sinned. How come she didn’t run away when everybody left her alone with Jesus? Unlike others who left because they recognized their sins and didn’t bother to reconcile with the Lord in his presence, this woman recognized her sin and waited for the Lord to forgive her. Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin anymore.”

Have you and I ever sinned against the Lord and one another? Have we recognized our sins? Have we had enough courage and strength to pick up our feet to come to the Lord to ask for forgiveness through the hands of a priest in the sacrament of reconciliation? Have we tried to sin no more than the sins that we committed and asked for forgiveness? Lent is time to help us to practice this. The decision is always yours.

4th Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 20:00:00 GMT

True Reconciliation

Joke: An elderly man on the beach found a magic lamp. As he picked it up and started cleaning it, a genie appeared and said: “Because you have freed me I will grant you a wish.” The man responded. “I fought with my only older brother thirty years ago. I want to be reconciled with him so that he may forgive me and start loving me.” The genie said, “I am glad that you didn’t ask for money or riches. Your wish is granted. Are you sick and about to die?” the genie enquired. “No way!” the man shouted. “But my unmarried, older brother is about to die and he’s worth about $60 million!”

Unlike this elderly man who wanted to reconcile with his older brother because of his money, the Lord Jesus Christ in today’s Gospel invites us to reconcile with one another with unconditional love, not money. How would we reconcile with one another with unconditional love?

In today’s Gospel, under Saint Luke’s writing, we have learned that there is not only a prodigal son in the story but there is also another son. This son refused to come to celebrate for his younger brother came back and was welcomed back and was feasted with a fattened calf after spending all his money. Has the younger brother done anything wrong to the older one? Why has he gotten mad with his younger brother and with his father? Has the older son done anything wrong to his father? Why did he refuse to come to celebrate when his younger brother came back?

This parable would better be named as a story of two sons rather than a story of a prodigal son. It’s not only the prodigal son who needs to reconcile with his father, but also his older brother as well.

The younger son said to his father, “Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” Rather saying to him, “Old man dies and gives to me what belongs to me.” Don’t we ask for our inheritance when our dad is dying? We don’t ask when he is still in good health, do we? What is it about this younger son to do with us? Have we ever asked God for our inheritance? For money? What do we do if we receive what we asked for? What happens if we don’t receive what we asked for?

A true story: A pious and faithful lady came to the Church and asked for help. I happened to be there. She explained her situation and how she needed $500. I told her that we could help her with $100 only, but she insisted on the full amount, and she just wanted to borrow. She even said to me that if the Church doesn’t help her with that amount, she will quit going to Church. I lent it with my own money, and of course, I accidentally saw her at the grocery one day after some years passed, she didn’t even mention anything about that money.

The father in today’s Gospel worked hard to have what belonged to him and not belong to the son, but the son claimed it belonged to him. The father was a generous and loving father who just gave his son what he asked for with no questions to ask. What did the son do with what his father gave to him? He went to spend his inheritance to satisfy his flesh desires to the point that he broke. Greedy prompted him to ignore his father’s well-being to fulfill his desire. When he’s broken that his desire wasn’t fulfilled, it comes to haunt him. Haunting to his senses, the younger son recognized his wrongdoing, he came back to his father and asked for forgiveness saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” Have you and I ever felt sorry for what we did wrong and asked for forgiveness? We might not see our wrongdoing to come to ask for forgiveness, have we seen the need to reconcile with God and with one another?

Unlike the younger son, the older son always obeyed his father and never lost sight of his father’s care. This older son saw his father as his boss and not as his father, and he said to his father, “Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders.” Those of us come to Mass faithful on every Sunday and holy days of obligation. We try to live God’s commandments and to love one another as the Lord Jesus taught us. But who is God for you? Have you ever seen him as your father? With all the pious deeds and good things you have done, have you deserved to win the lottery to feast with others? To have a promotion at work because you are a Christian?

Out of jealousy, the older son couldn’t see his father as a father but as a boss. Out of jealousy, he couldn’t even recognize that what his father had belonged to him. Jealousy only led him to complain and complain as he said to his father, “You never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.” When there is only complaint after complaint, there is no conversation. When there is no conversation, there is no relationship. When there is no relationship, we isolate ourselves away from others. When we isolate ourselves away from others, we are in the stage of loneliness. When we are in the stage of loneliness, we are in the stage of being in the absence of God and others. So when jealousy occurs, we are in the stage of being in the absence of God and others.

True reconciliation is when we recognize that we sin; we confess; we’re sorry about our sins, and try not to sin again. Jealousy is a stage of being in the absence of God and others. How would one stay away from being jealous if it’s not to learn to love instead of getting jealous? Lent is a good time for us to practice love and not to get jealous. The decision is always yours.

3rd Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Conversion in Action & Not Return

Joke: Four Christian pastors were riding home after a conference on the necessity of reviving the ancient practice of personal confession in their Christian denominations as the Catholics have it. “Why don’t we try it among ourselves?” asked the senior among them. The others agreed and they started confessing to one another. “I must confess, said the first minister, “that my great and perplexing sin is greed for money which prompts me to give special attention to the rich in my congregation and to participate in all their parties to the point of ignoring the poor.” The second minister joined in: “My sin is gambling. I really enjoy taking chances at lotteries, casinos, and even at our neighboring Catholic bingo games.” “Although I have a beautiful wife my big sin is women,” said the third minister. “I enjoy looking at beautiful women. I would even have to call it lust.” The fourth minister remained silent. “What about you, Harry,” they asked. “Don’t you have anything to confess?” “Well,” Rev. Harry said: “my great sin is gossiping. I am impatiently waiting to reach home to tell my wife about your sins!”

Conversion, one of the definitions is, “The act of converting or the state of being converted,” American Heritage Dictionary. The act of converting does not mean to end in the senses, but it needs to sink into the heart. The true conversion only happens when whatever is sunk into the heart is carried out into action and tries not to sin again. This is the definition of the true conversion described in all of today’s readings.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, the book that priests are encouraged to read throughout the Lenten season to journey with Moses who led the Israelites out of the state of slavery. Moses first saw the bush on fire but did not consume it. Through this sensory experience of seeing, he was motivated or curious to come to check it out. When he came to check it out, God spoke to him saying, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is Holy Ground. I am the God of your father.” Moses wasn’t sure that he dreamt or he was in a moment of doubt. After he was instructed by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, free from slavery, he asked God, “If they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.” On his journey of faith, Moses encountered the Lord who identified himself as I AM. With the Lord’s instruction, Moses led the Israelites free from slavery. We found in Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God, there are three key figures: Jesus, the crowd, and the apostles. Jesus, of course, is the first and most important of the three. He pays special attention to the abandoned and destitute, offering freedom from sin and conversion to hope in the name of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s Gospel, Jesus offered them a chance not to perish if they repented saying, “If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” Repentance that he invited them to take. How do we repent? Or rather, have we had anything to repent?

When we experience the hurt and the suffering from illness and sickness, the heartbroken from separating, the stress and anxiety from losing the job, and many other difficult experiences that we might experience in our lives, the question we might ask is how do I know God that you are near to me, to protect me, to heal my illness and sickness, to help me fix my broken marriage, to direct me to find a job, and many others? We all have strengths and weaknesses, according to Carl Jung, pioneer psychologist, and Isabel Briggs Myers, creator of the Myers-Briggs. Our strengths are our reasoning, the free will, higher above all other creatures; and our weaknesses are nothing unfamiliar to us than our bodies. Moses acknowledged his strength when he saw the bush was on fire but not consuming. He accepted his weakness to do what the Lord asked him to do which was to be the leader of the Israelites, to free the Israelites from slavery.

These weaknesses were described in today’s Gospel when Jesus pointed out two new reports: The Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices and those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them. Saint Luke describes, by no means, that they were greater sinners than all others. What Jesus emphasized in these two new reports is that if they do not repent, they will all perish as those people did in these two new reports. This was the urgency for conversion that the Lord Jesus invited them to repent. By pointing out these two new reports, Jesus hoped that they understood and repented. How can one repent when one does not even understand it is wrongdoing? Watching porn, for example, recalling from one preparation of a young couple for marriage, they believed that watching porn was not a sin. If what we watch is not retained in our minds and our hearts, it is not a sin just like we look at the arts. The problem with porn is that when we watch, it remains in our minds and in our hearts which might even trigger our lustful desire in our mind and even in our flesh that we might engage in action. If we don’t see publicizing wrong information about someone as a sin, then there is no such sin as gossiping, criticizing, or judging. Some of us do talk bad about others behind their backs. We might not see it as a sin, so, there is no need to repent. Is it so?

The urgency for conversion or for repentance that the Lord Jesus invited us today and throughout the Lenten season, have we had anything to repent? How can we experience what Moses experienced and those people who did not repent were killed by Pilate and the falling of the tower at Siloam? The Lord mysteriously speaks to us, and we can only experience his voice calling us to convert or to repent when we open up ourselves to welcome him into our lives, have the courage and strength to deliver this inner voice into actions, and above all, to recognize that we sin. Have you had any sin that prompts you to repent? What is sin for you? Lent will be finished soon. What does it mean if we don’t see ourselves changed after Lent is over? When was the last time you went to confession? When was the last time you forgave someone who hurt you? Is there anyone that you find difficult to forgive? The decision is always yours.

Second Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Making a Deal

Joke: A grandfather has difficulty remembering what he tried to say, so his grandson sends him to a memory class to help him. The instructor used famous sayings or poems to help students remember what they were trying to say. After a month of study, the grandson asked, “Grandpa, what is the name of your wife?” Grandpa paused for a second and asked Grandson, “What is the name of the red flower that couples give to each other on Valentine’s Day?” “I know. It’s called Rose,” the grandson said. Turning over to his wife, Grandpa asked, “Rose, what time is our dinner?”

A moment of transformation in his old age after attending memory class didn’t help him to remember his wife’s name, but it sure helped him to remember to ask what time for dinner. Peter, the head of the apostles, out of the three chosen apostles to experience the transfiguration of Jesus, didn’t even see the deeper meaning of Jesus’ transfiguration when he saw Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem, he said, "Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." His exodus was going to accomplish in Jerusalem on the mountain of Golgotha where he would reveal his ultimate love on the wood of the cross. This cross then led to his glory in heaven. Peter didn’t understand his exodus revealed in Jerusalem, but his glory when he conversed with Moses and Elijah. The deal that Jesus showed Peter was not just the glory that appeared in front of his eyes that excited him to make three tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus. The deal that Jesus showed Peter rather was his accomplishment in Jerusalem on the mountain of Golgotha where he would reveal his ultimate love on the wood of the cross, and from this cross would lead to his glory in heaven. Peter didn’t see the first part accomplished on the mountain of Golgotha but the glorious transfiguration alone. From suffering and death that leads to glory was a deal that Jesus wanted to show his chosen disciples, and Peter missed it. Has God ever made a deal with his people throughout human history?

From the Old Testament, God made a deal with Abram, as reported in today’s first reading taken from the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Unlike the deal that God made with his chosen apostles reported in today’s Gospel which was easier and more delightful to accept, the deal that God made with Abram was more dramatic. God made a deal with Abram that when he put his faith in him, his descendants would be like the stars in the sky and the land to possess. In response to the deal that God made with him, Abram asked the Lord, reported in today’s first reading, saying, “How am I to know that I shall possess it?” To make a promise for this deal, the Lord instructed Abram to cut the animals in halves and put them opposite each other. When the sun had set, there appeared a smoking fire pot, and a flaming torch passed between these halves of the animals that the Lord instructed Abram to choose from. What it meant was that if any side didn’t keep the promise of the deal, he would be cut in half and be burned. If God didn’t keep his promise to make Abram’s descendants numerous like the stars in the sky and the land to possess, then he would be cut in half and burnt. If Abram fails to put faith in God, he will be cut in half and burnt as well. Make no mistake that when Abram placed his faith in the Lord, his name changed to Abraham. This was how God made a deal with Abram and changed his name to Abraham, our father in faith.

What is the deal that God continuously revealed to us that Saint Paul experienced and put it so well reported in today’s second reading? The deal that God makes with his people that Saint Paul in tears reminds us saying, “For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things.” The enemies of the cross will result in destruction. Refusing suffering and the difficulties of life is the weakness of the soul. Deny facing the hardship to carry our own cross to follow the Lord Jesus resulted from the cancer of the soul. If we value what comes to our stomachs instead of coming to Church to give thanks to God for the gift of life and to continue to keep us in existence, we deny our very existence of body and soul. We are human beings with body and soul. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Saint Paul reminds us. Therefore, our being is not the body alone, nor the soul alone, but it is the inseparable entity of both body and soul. The moment that God brought Adam into being, he made a deal with him that he could eat anything in the garden except the fruits of the tree in the middle of the garden. The moment that he failed to keep the deal, he was expelled from the garden. However, when Abram placed his faith in the Lord, his descendants became like the stars in the sky. Peter, on the other hand, didn’t fail to keep the deal with God, he failed to understand the deal that God presented to him at his transfiguration. But when he understood, he became a solid rock to lead and to guide the Church. Have you and I ever made a deal with God or did God make a deal with you? What is that deal? Have you kept it? How long have you kept it? Have you ever broken the deal with God? What happened when you broke the deal with God? Is it possible to repair the broken deal with God? Lent is set up for this purpose, to help us to restore our promise with God, to repair the broken deal with God, and to reconcile with God and with one another. The decision is yours.

First Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 21:00:00 GMT

Jesus' Temptations and Ours

Joke: Learning from the three moments of temptation of the Lord Jesus, little Johnnie develops three questions whenever he asks for help. One day, when he was walking down the beach, he spotted a woman sitting under an umbrella on the sand. He came up to her and asked, “Are you a Catholic?” “Yes,” she replied. “Do you go to Mass regularly?” he asked. “Yes, I do.” The woman nodded her head. Little Jonnie asked the third question, “Do you pray often?” Again the woman answered, “Yes.” “Ok,” Jonnie said, “Hold my iPhone while I go swimming please!”

Every year, the story of Jesus’ temptations in the desert is retold on the first Sunday of Lent. The temptations that the devil seduce Jesus, not when he is physically and mentally sound right after he finishes his forty days of fasting in the desert. Desert is an image of loneliness, of no life, of drying without water, and of being isolated, have we ever experienced the desert in our lives? The desert that we might experience is loneliness, not wanting to live anymore, losing faith because of suffering from difficult illness or other difficult conditions of life, and being isolated. We live, not in the desert, but in the most technology country in the world, a blessed land, we would believe that it would help us live peacefully and happily, but this doesn’t seem the case when the marriage breakup rate in America for the first marriage is 41% to 50%; the rate after the second marriage is from 60% to 67% and the rate for the third marriage are from 73% to 74%. There is nearly one in every five children, 19%, run away before turning eighteen years of age. There are at least 2,225 child offenders serving life without parole sentences in American prisons for crimes committed before they were the age of eighteen. There is no prison is called the land of freedom. No land broken marriage couples live that is called the blessed land. They all sound like deserts.

In today’s Gospel, St. Luke describes three temptations that Jesus faced after forty of fasting, we would believe that it is worth meditating on this first Sunday of Lent: To change stone into bread, to fall down and worship the devil, and to jump down from the parapet of the temple. In each of these three temptations, the devil is saying to Jesus, “Come on. Use what you have to get what you want.” This is exactly what the devil says to us in our own temptations, “Come on. Use what you have to get what you want.” A mentality that Friedrich Nietzsche , a German philosopher, developed a theory called, “The will to power.” In this theory, it motivates a person to do whatever it takes to achieve or to possess whatever he desires or he wills to achieve or possess.

Some years back, if you wish to recall with me, in the heat of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky affair, the head of a women's support group spoke on CNN. This is what she said, in essence: “Monica Lewinsky has done nothing wrong. In the world of corporate establishments and the White House bureaucracy, women [I want to change the word ‘women’ to people] who want to advance must use everything at their disposal: Power, connections, and sex. If that is what she has done, we see absolutely nothing wrong with that.” The name of the game is: Use what you have to get what you want. Many people indeed take it as their philosophy of life.

In today’s Gospel, however, Jesus shows that the principle of using whatever you have to get whatever you want is not always right. When that principle is applied without putting God first, it becomes a philosophy of the world, the devil's philosophy, a philosophy that should be rejected as Jesus did.

At the first temptation, St. Luke describes what the devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” At the second temptation, the devil said to Jesus, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours if you worship me.” Jesus said to him, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’” At the third temptation, the devil said to Jesus, standing on the parapet of Jerusalem temple, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and ‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” Using what you have to get what you want was rejected by the Lord Jesus, even though the baits that the devil used were very attractive to his human nature.

Take some time to examine yourself, especially during this Lenten season, to see in the moments of your own temptations, what kind of bait the devil used to seduce you. Is it the bait like food, drink, shelter, leisure, and many others that are so attractive to our basic human needs? Is it the bait that helps you gain popularity or gain power? The kind of bait that might block your vision so to lose faith in God and to believe in the devil. The Devil is very smart, he knows how, when, and where to attack you. He attacks you right on your basic human desires and needs that the Lord wires into your bodies the moment that you come into existence with all these desires and needs when he attacks us, it is very difficult for us to avoid or to overcome it. Therefore, in the moments of temptation, I believe, when it seems impossible for us to overcome, remember to call on the Lord Jesus since he said, for man is impossible, but for God, everything is possible that all three evangelists: Matthew, Mark, and Luke expressed in their writings. May God give us strength and courage to overcome the moments of temptation during this Lenten season, so that when Easter comes, we rejoice with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. The decision is always yours.

Ash Wednesday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 13:00:07 GMT

Two Relationships Are Revealed on the Cross

Joke : An Irishman moves into the countryside, walks into the pub, and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone, and orders three more. As this continued every day the bartender asked him politely, "The folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?" "It’s odd, isn't it?" The man replies, "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank." Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. As this continued for several days, the bartender approached him with tears in his eyes and said, "Folks around here, me, first of all, want to offer our condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know - the two beers and all..." The man ponders this for a moment, and then replies with a broad smile, "You'll be happy to know that my two brothers are alive and well. It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent. Now I am drinking for the other two!"

Giving up for Lent is one of the good practices of Lent. However, our giving up on whatever it is will be meaningless if there is no true conversion of heart. In today’s first reading, the Lord said to the people, “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.” Return to the Lord with your heart and not your garments. Giving up soft drinks, sweets, smoking, gossiping, criticizing, cheating, lust, lying, or whatever that we want to give up this Lent, it will be meaningless if we hold grudges from others, if we harbor hatred or resentment towards someone, or if we wish ill for others. Return to the Lord with our whole hearts, and not only our garments. Or rather, return to the Lord with a true conversion of heart and not only practicing the three pillars of Lent described in today’s Gospel.

What are the three pillars of Lent? They are Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. Give Alms—“When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” When you help someone, do you help that person because you want to help or do you help because you expect something in return? Prayer—“When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” What is the door of the inner room if it’s not to shut off from all the attractions of this world to be able to reflect on the word of God? Fixing our eyes, ears, hearts, minds, and souls on the Lord Jesus in our prayers away from all the attractions of this world is a true prayer that the Lord Jesus invites us. Fast—“When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Is fasting about limiting our eating or our consumption of food and drink? What is it to do with anointing the head and washing the face? Perhaps, the true meaning of fasting is to do good deeds while limiting the consumption of food and drink.

Perhaps, practicing these three pillars of Lent to help us restore the two relationships revealed on the cross that we put on our forehead at the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Two lines appeared on the Cross, the vertical line and the horizontal line. The vertical line expresses our relationship with God, and the horizontal line expresses our relationship within ourselves and with one another. Imagine if there is no vertical line, the horizontal line cannot stand by itself. It means that without a relationship with God on that vertical line, our lives will be collapsed since we cannot stand by ourselves. However, if we have a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line of the Cross, the Lord Jesus will make himself visible on that Cross to raise us, protect us, and help us on that horizontal line. It doesn’t matter how struggles we are on that horizontal line, the Lord Jesus will be there to restore our relationship with one another and within ourselves provided that we have a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line. The question is, how do we build a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line of the Cross if it’s not to learn to practice the three pillars of Lent?

The three pillars of Lent—Fast, Pray, and Almsgiving—are only brought to completion when they move from the head to the heart and carry out into action. The question for us to observe throughout this Lenten season is: Why does the Lord Jesus invite us to fast, to pray, and to give alms without others noticing? We invite you to keep the image of the Cross traced on your forehead on Ash Wednesday to remind you that Lent Season is a sacred season to help us restore our relationship with God on the vertical line and to restore our relationship with one another and within ourselves appeared on that horizontal line of the Cross. The decision is always yours.

7th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 21:00:00 GMT

Jubilee 2025--Pilgrims of Hope

I invite you to join me to do a pilgrimage to the Schoenstatt Shrine in Lamar, Rockport, one of the Holy Sites designated by our Shepherd Mulvey, Bishop of Corpus Christi, on Thursday, March 13. We will leave St. Paul at 8:00 AM, and we will leave the Shrine at 4:00 PM . During this time at the Holy Site, we will listen to a talk on the Virtue of Hope and have a chance to go to Confession. Following is the Holy Mass and lunch will be provided after Mass. After lunch, we will have time for Adoration, Holy Rosary, and Divine Chaplet with a conclusion of the Benediction to conclude the day to receive a Plenary Indulgence during this Jubilee Year of Hope. What is a pilgrimage ? Why pilgrimage? What is a plenary indulgence ? Who will receive it? How to obtain it?

According to Pope Francis, pilgrimage is a fundamental element of every Jubilee event, as setting out on a journey is commonly associated with searching for meaning in our lives . A pilgrimage allows us to escape from our routine and daily life . The sacrifice that we make—taking on a journey and spending some time with the Lord— allows us to grow in faith and in our relationship with the Eucharist . Since not everyone can go on a pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land, Bishop Mulvey has chosen six jubilee churches (one from each deanery) as Jubilee Pilgrimage Churches for the Holy Year in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Schoenstatt Shrine Lamar, Rockport, is one of them. The need for conversion and reconciliation is central to every pilgrimage. The Jubilee Indulgence is one of the “ special signs ” of the Jubilee Year, known as “ a priceless gift of divine mercy ” and “a Jubilee grace .” A plenary indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, offered by the Church through the merits of Jesus Christ . The faithful Christian can gain these indulgences under certain conditions through the action of the Church, which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1471. To obtain these indulgences, along with the specified requirements for the Jubilee indulgences, the faithful are called to:

Visit a Holy Site for the Jubilee Year designated by the Holy Father or the Local Ordinary within his diocese. When you go to a Holy Site, you do not have to stay for Mass.

Have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin.

Have sacramentally confessed your sins 20 days before or after receiving the indulgence.

Receive the Holy Eucharist within 7 days after visiting a Holy Site.

Pray for the intentions of the pope . Recite the Apostles Creed and offer one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be .

There are Sign-Up Sheets at the entrance of the Church . Please, call the office (361)937-3864 for any concern or question.

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time with Bishop's Stewardship Appeals

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 21:00:06 GMT

Blessed or Woe

Joke: There is an old story of the three traveling evangelists who were talking about how they dealt with the offerings that were collected during their evangelistic meetings. The first one said, “I draw a big circle on the ground, and then I throw the money in the air. Whatever lands inside the circle belongs to God, and whatever lands outside the circle belongs to me.” “Oh, I can do better than that,” said the second evangelist. “I put a coffee can in the middle of the floor. Then I throw the money in the air. Any money that lands inside the coffee can belongs to God, and I get to keep anything that lands outside.” Then the third evangelist grinned and said, “I’ve got you both beat. I just throw the money in the air, and whatever God wants, God takes!”

Where is God in this joke? Is he absent when these three evangelists conversing with one another? Or rather, it is a blessing that God allowed them to harvest what they sowed.

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke paints for us a picture that portrays a vivid comparison between a good action ending with a good result and a bad action ending with a bad result. It is not the story of more than two thousand years, it is a story of today.

Blessed are you who are poor, hungry, weeping, and hated for they shall receive all good things especially a great reward waiting for them in heaven. But woe to you who are rich, filled, laugh, and speak well about you for they will be sorry later.

So, how do we learn to be poor and not rich, hungry and not filled, weeping and not laugh, and hated and not speak well? Is being rich, filled, laughing, and speaking well of oneself a problem? There is no problem with being rich, filled, laughing, and speaking well of oneself, but all these things might block us from seeing those around us need our help.

A deacon once shared with me his personal story and allowed me to share whenever I could. He had a beautiful and pious wife who was always faithful to her faith and faithful to her ministry at her parish. After he retired from the military, he always stacked up beer cases in his garage that never ran empty. Every day his neighbors and friends got off work, they came and had some drinks and conversations until his bedtime. One night, his wife told him, he was so drunk that he went to bed and threw off all over her hair while she was sleeping. He said that his wife must be a saint that she woke up cleaned up her hair and the bed, and went back to sleep without saying any word. When he was not drinking, she often asked him to go to her prayer group just once. He kept the promise to her that he would go one day. To make up for that night that he was so drunk, he promised her that he would go next time. He went one time, then two times, and then he began to stop stacking up beers in his garage. When he stopped stacking up beers in his garage, his neighbors and friends began to stop coming. He began to be involved in the Church more and then studied to become a permanent deacon. His life changed slowly through his wife’s kind words and kind deeds to him. Or rather, his true conversion was a product of his wife’s kind words and kind deeds.

His wife was so poor in spirit that she depended on the Spirit or leaned on God in prayers to help her husband. She was hungry and thirsty to see her husband stop drinking. Her tears didn’t come out of her eyes, but deep down inside, she cried to God in her prayers. Her husband didn’t recognize her presence so he even threw up on her hair during her sleep. The Lord heard her prayers and she rejoiced and leaped for joy the day that he was ordained to be the permanent deacon.

Each of us is reminded to depend on the Holy Spirit to respond to our bishop for his BSA this year. We are reminded to make a little sacrifice to support our BSA. We are also reminded to share our blessing with those who are unfortunate by extending our hands to help our bishop during this BSA. Finally, we are reminded to include our brothers and sisters who need our help by stretching our offering a little to lift our retired priests and religious brothers and sisters after their many years serving others.

Following is a link to the video for the Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal of 2025 from our Shepherd Wm. Michael Mulvey, Bishop of Corpus Christi.

Website: https://diocesecc.org/bsa

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 21:00:00 GMT

At Your Command, I Will Lower the Nets

Joke: A boy told his father, "Dad, there are three frogs sitting on a limb that hung over a pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the limb?" The dad replied, "Two." "No," the son replied. Dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left." The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."

Last week, we presented to u our financial report for the year 2024. Thank God for your generosity that we saved over five thousand dollars over the year. This week, we begin to kick off our Bishop’s Stewardship Appeals, BSA, of 2025. The goal for our parish hasn’t come down but a little increased even though our congregation attendants have decreased. We ask you to pray about it and decide, and next weekend, remember to bring your wallet to pledge BSA this year. If we just decide and don’t write a check for it, the five thousand dollars we saved from last year will be gone by a snap of the fingers. So, pray about it and take action next weekend.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." What did he reply? "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command, I will lower the nets." Perhaps, during our BSA this year, we might say to our Bishop that this year everything went up through the roof even chicken eggs Waffle House is adding a 50 cents per egg surcharge to customers’ bills, as the News reported. Gas prices went up, and restaurants’ dining went up too. But have faith in Jesus, we respond to our Bishop by offering a sacrifice for BSA this year by writing a check, and don’t forget to write in the memo for St. Paul the Apostle Parish.

What happened when Simon listened to Jesus and lowered the nets, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. What if Simon Peter hadn’t done what Jesus asked, they might not have fish. What if Simon was tired and didn’t do exactly what Jesus commanded him, did they still catch fish? They would lower the nets right there and not in the deep water, but they still caught a great number of fish. Why? Because they had faith in Jesus even with a small effort. Our BSA will be successful when each one of us willingly contributes a small sacrifice to write a check for BSA, and our reward will be in heaven and it’s everlasting.

When Simon Peter saw the great number of fish they caught by just doing what J commanded them, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid.” They left everything and followed him. When we sacrifice for one another, especially to help our bishop in this BSA, we will receive many blessings in our Christian lives. For example, we have a place to come to worship the Lord every day. We can send our children to come to learn the faith. Our children have a safe place to learn about God and a safe environment to interact with one another. Our children have a chance to explore the call for the priesthood or religious life. Our unfortunate brothers and sisters receive help and support from your generosity when we support our BSA. These are just a few examples of when we support our BSA.

Many of us are preparing to celebrate this Super Ball Weekend, but don’t forget to get ready to commit to our BSA next weekend. Can I count on you for your generosity towards our Bishop’s Stewardship Appeals this year? The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time--The Presentation of the Lord

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 21:00:00 GMT

The Presentation of the Lord

From the Bulletin Message:

Being a priest, I have the privilege to go to bless many houses, whether they are new or old houses. Some people called and asked to bless their house before they moved in. Others called and asked me to come to bless their house not because their house was new, but it was because there were some evil activities, they believed, existed in their house.

I once had a chance to come to bless this house. It was not a new house, but it was sure a big house in a rich neighborhood. As usual for the blessing of a house, I asked the family members to lead the way when it came the part to the sprinkling with Holy Water in the house. When it came to this particular room, the owner told me not to bless that room because for whatever reason it was. He didn’t open the door, and so I didn’t sprinkle the Holy Water in that room.

Today, the Church celebrates the presentation of the Lord in the Temple. Both Joseph and Mary bring the boy Jesus to offer him up to the Lord according to the law of the Lord. This feast of presentation of the Lord originated in the 4 ^th century in Jerusalem and came to be celebrated in Rome by the middle of the 5 ^th century under the title the Feast of the Meeting also known as Candlemas Day. In meeting the boy Jesus in the temple, both Simeon, a righteous and devout man, and a prophetess Anna said great things about the boy and his mother Mary. With the boy Jesus in his hands, Simeon said, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the people: A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” When we truly have the Lord present in our house, in our inner being, we will find peace just as Simeon experienced in the Temple. Have you had peace in your house? Have you had peace in your inner being? How is your faith?

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 21:00:00 GMT

Christ’s Body with Many Parts Attached

Joke: God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so man and woman would live long and healthy lives. And Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to man, "You want fries with that?" And the man said, "Super-size them." And Man gained pounds. And God created the healthful yogurt, so that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. And Satan brought forth chocolate. The woman gained pounds. And God said, "Try My crispy fresh salad." And Satan brought forth ice cream. And the woman gained pounds. And God said, "I have sent you heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them." And Satan brought forth a chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And man gained pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof. And the man went into cardiac arrest. And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And Satan created HMOs.

A conversation between God and Satan on the differences between the healthy and the unhealthy foods that either flourish the body or destroy the body gives us a glimpse of the Church as One Body with many different parts and each part needs the other. It is a story of today.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul teaches us saying, “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” Has Christ had a body? What is Christ’s body? Saint Paul identifies Christ’s body saying, “You are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.” We are united all in Christ’s body. We are made up of Christ’s body. Christ’s body now is not the body of more than 2000 years ago. We are Christ’s body TODAY. As a body of Christ today, what should we do with the body of Christ with Christ the head of the body?

Saint Luke reminds us of Jesus’ trip to Nazareth where he had grown up and gone into the synagogue on the Sabbath day according to his custom. He was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah where it’s written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Jesus then said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” At his baptism, we just celebrated the last two weekends, the Spirit of the Lord rested on him in a bodily form like a dove. He was anointed with the Spirit and Fire. His ministries were to bring glad tidings to the poor, free the captives, recover the sight of the blind, free the oppressed, and proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Jesus Christ did just that as the prophet Isaiah prophesied of him. Now, Saint Paul identified the Church as the body of Christ with Christ as the head of the Church. We are the body of Christ and each one of us, first of all, is called to be united in the body. Even though we are very different from one another, just as the body has many different parts united in the body, we are reminded to be united in the Church. Just as the foot of the body, it cannot say, Saint Paul taught, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body.” Rather, Saint Paul reminds us that the foot is no less important than the hand to the body. The eye, Saint Paul said, “cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’” Each part of the body needs one another. We too need one another to form the Church. How can we be united to form the Church if we do not learn to be nice to one another, to help one another, to support one another, and to love one another? If a child makes noise or distracts you with his activities during Mass, instead of getting upset or you cannot do anything to help, you still can say a quick prayer to pray for the child, especially the parents who have to deal with it. The child’s activities and his noises are parts of the body of the Church. “If one part suffers,” Saint Paul said, “all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” If someone cuts us off on the highway, instead of getting mad, say a quick prayer for the person because we are all parts of the body of Christ. Let’s say that that reckless driver got into an accident and got hurt. It’s not only him who gets hurt, but we are too. Why? We get hurt too because we pay taxes just to help those reckless drivers and many others.

In today’s first reading, Nehemiah, Ezra the priest-scribe, and the Levites instructed people saying: "Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep". As the body of Christ for today, we need to keep that body holy since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. How should we keep our bodies holy and acceptable to the Lord if it’s not to learn to love one another by being kind to one another, helping one another, and supporting one another? Just as all the parts of the body need one another and so they are all attached to the body, we too need one another and be united in the Church to make Christ’s body visible in this walk of life. As the Body of Christ, the Church, are you attached to the body or detached from the body, the Church? The decision is always yours.

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 21:00:00 GMT

Do Whatever He Tells You

Joke: A Man and His Wife are arguing about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife says, “You should do it because you get up first, and then we don’t have to wait as long to get our coffee.” Husband says, “You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.” Wife replies, “No, you should it and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should make the coffee.” Husband answers, “I cannot believe that; show me.” So she fetched the Bible, opened the New Testament, and showed him that at the top of several pages, it indeed says: “HEBREWS.”

In today’s Gospel, Saint John describes Jesus’ first public miracle. The only Gospel reports this miracle in all four Gospels. If we recall from the Scriptures John, the author of this Gospel, is not only the beloved disciple of Jesus as the Catholic tradition believes, but he is also close to Mary as well. At the foot of the Cross, Jesus gives her mother Mary for him to take care of. Make no mistake why John retells the story of the wedding at Cana with the scene where both Mary and Jesus were present. This wedding does not only reveal the divine nature of Jesus, but it also reveals the important role of Mary since John has a special relationship with her. What is the role of Mary who is recognized as a concerning woman and a woman of faith, especially in marriage vocation?

In today’s Gospel, Saint John portrays a scene in which Jesus, Mary, and his disciples are invited to a wedding celebration. The word “invited” is in the passive voice which means the subject receives the action of the verb recalling when I studied English as my second language. Mary, Jesus, and his disciples were invited to the wedding. So, they were at the wedding celebration from an invitation. We would imagine that there must be a lot of weddings taking place in Cana, but why did John mention that Mary, Jesus, and his disciples were invited to this particular wedding? At Jesus’ baptism we just celebrated last Sunday, John the Baptist was popular at the time because of his preaching and his lifestyle which drew a lot of people to him. He pointed out that Jesus was far more important than him. In the presence of Jesus, John the Baptist said, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but one is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Jesus became popular at this time which was why he, his mother, and his disciples were all invited to the wedding celebration.

Just as a wedding celebration cannot be celebrated without wine, marriage life will run out of taste without the presence of Mother Mary. How embarrassing it was when the wedding party ran out of wine. Mary saw their need even before the wedding party recognized it and said to Jesus, her son, “They have no wine.” This short prayer teaches us two things: Mary is a woman of concern, and she is a woman of faith. As a woman of concern, she addresses directly what is her concern and nothing else. As a woman of faith, she believes totally in her son and tells the wedding party to do what he asks them to do. Mary’s intercession for the wedding party is very simple, direct, and with total faith in her son.

Have you ever prayed for someone or interceded for someone in prayer? How do you pray? Lord, help my son, for example. He is an alcoholic. He needs to stop drinking and help his family more, etc. Another prayer: Lord, help my husband. I’m worried about him. I feel that he’s unfaithful to me. Bring him back to love me and my kids, etc. Don’t we come to God in our prayers by addressing our concerns, but then we go into explanation after explanation to make sure that God understands what we are saying? What did Jesus reply to Mary when she addressed her direct concern to him, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” Why did Jesus address Mary, his mother, a woman? How difficult it is for human beings to comprehend God’s love and his faithfulness to his people. How does your concern affect me? I am God. I know what I am doing. It’s just that “My hour has not yet come.” What if Mary didn’t come to ask Jesus when the wedding party ran out of wine, had they come to Jesus for help? In responding to Mary that way, Jesus wanted to see that the wedding party or the host would come and ask him for help when the wine ran empty. As a concerned woman and a woman of faith in her son, Mary quickly told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Whatever, a very strong faith in her Son.

Why did John retell this wedding at Cana where the Lord Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were all present? It is to say that the sacrament of matrimony, one of seven sacraments instituted by Christ the Lord and entrusted to the Church, is very important that all our marriage couples should keep in mind to invite the Lord Jesus and Mary, into their married lives. When you live in marriage vocation, there are times that you cannot stop arguing with each other; there are times that you cannot stand each other; there are times that you might be unfaithful to one another; there are times that you might use drugs or alcohol to ease the anxiety and stress that you put on one another; there are times that you are either conscious or unconscious of placing stress from work on one another. In these and many other struggling times, remember to come to Jesus, address your concerns directly, and have total faith in him. To have total faith in him does not mean doing anything just have faith in him. No. To have total faith in him means to do what you can do and allow him to take care of the rest.

Why is that matrimony a sacrament instituted by the Lord Jesus? Matrimony, isn’t that just about eating together in the same house; sleeping together in the same bed; sharing the same house; sharing the same bills; sharing the same laugh, sadness, struggle, etc.? But why is that a sacrament that the Lord himself blessed the couple, not the priest that we often confuse with when we say this so and so priest married us? We, priests, don’t marry you couples, but you two marry each other. We are there to witness your marriage. In the matrimony sacrament, the two are invited to live for each other and to become one flesh, but how can the two become one if they cannot sacrifice their own needs and desires for each other? Problems in becoming one flesh in marriage vocation are numerous and often difficult to escape, but this is why John invited those who live in marriage life to invite Mary and Jesus to come into their lives. Just as Mary sees the need and the concern of the wedding party to intercede for them, do you remember to invite Mary and Jesus to come into your marriage life so that Mary’s presence will help you with your needs? What if at the wedding of Cana, Mary wasn’t present; would Jesus notice and still change that water into wine for the wedding party? Or what if in your marriage life, Mary was absent; would Jesus notice your needs and concerns? We might say that Jesus is a loving God, he knows everything. True. However, at the wedding, Mary was quick on her feet to intercede for the wedding party, and Jesus was not. Jesus even responded to Mary when she told him that they ran out of wine, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” It didn’t mean that Jesus didn’t care, but he might want to know how much faith they had in him. Mary interfered and interceded for the wedding party, it’s just because they invited her to the wedding. Should you invite Mary into your marriage lives? Or who should you seek for help in your marriage life? What would be the reason that Mary noticed that the wedding party ran out of wine and was quick on her feet to intercede for them? Would it mean that the wedding party has a special relationship with Mary that she would know immediately when they are in need? Would it mean that she is sensitive to our issues of life? Why did the Lord Jesus entrust the Church to her care? Let’s invite her to come into our lives by developing a life of prayer and a special devotion to her. For those who are searching for a marriage vocation, keep your eyes wide open before the wedding and half shut after the wedding. For those who are living in marriage vocation, learn to forgive each other by shutting one eye, and one ear, and less complain to your spouse. The decision is always yours.

The Baptism of the Lord Jesus

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 19:00:00 GMT

Baptism of Jesus and Our Baptism

Joke: A mother decided it was time for her three sons to get baptized. On the designated Sunday morning as they were on their way to Church, the mother noticed that her nine-year-old seemed to be a bit preoccupied. When she asked him what the problem was, he said, “Mom, I want to go first.” Why do you want to go first? She asked. “Because,” he explained, “I don’t want to be baptized in water that has all of my brothers’ sins floating around!”

What was the date of your baptism? On the date of your baptism, they throw water on you. On the date of your wedding, in some cultures, they throw rice on you or put some coins in your hands with Hispanic culture. What happens to you when you die? They throw dirt on you. If you believe that our human body is attached to a soul that needs salvation, we all go through these rituals except those who dedicate their lives to doing service to others in religious life or priesthood life, we only go through baptism and death. In these three rituals, baptism is the first of all and the gate for all other sacraments in the life of the Catholic Church. Why is it the gate for all other sacraments? It is to cleanse us from our original sin inherited by our first parents.

Today, the Church solemnly celebrates the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. Celebrating the baptism of our Lord is not to make the sins floating in the water just as the boy thought of his brothers’ sins floating at the baptism; rather, at Jesus’ baptism, he sanctified the water and made it holy to wash away our original sin. This feast also ends the Christmas season, not the Epiphany. What is special about Jesus’ baptism? What is special about our baptism?

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist proclaimed to the people that there is one mightier than him, who will come after him and he will baptize them with the Holy Spirit. The Baptism that John the Baptist performed is the baptism according to the Laws, and the baptism that Jesus received under the law is to complete our baptism where three Persons in God are glorified. After Jesus’ baptism, reported in today’s Gospel, “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” The baptism that John performed, was the act of cleansing with water only; but at Jesus’ baptism, three Persons in God were present: The Father identified as the Voice from heaven; the Holy Spirit identified as a Dove resting on Jesus; and the Second Person in the Most Holy Trinity was the Lord Jesus Himself. Has Jesus as God and the Son of God needed to be baptized? He didn’t have to be baptized, but he did so, first of all, to sanctify the water for the cleansing of our original sin and then to complete our baptism. Jesus’ baptism was to bring people back to God with his mercy and compassion as it was prophesized by the prophet Isaiah reported in today’s first reading saying, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.” What was Jesus’ mission if it was not to heal the sick, cure the disease, release the oppressed, free the captives, forgive the sinners, and unite people back to God? His mission began after his baptism.

At Jesus’ baptism, there is Spirit, the words of the Father came down from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” What had he done that God the Father was pleased with him? His ministries had not started yet. What had he done to please God the Father? John the Baptist baptized people with water for cleansing, but Jesus came to baptize people, what John said, “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3:11). The fire of love that Jesus began his ministries extended to all nations, races, and cultures. He healed the sick, cured diseases, freed the prostitutes who were caught in the act, set free the tax collectors and sinners, & freed the dead to bring them back to life again. Besides all these great acts, how did he demonstrate his ultimate love if it’s not to be nailed on the cross for the sake of salvation for the whole human race? His ultimate love forgave those who had a changing heart to come back to him. His ultimate love continues in the Eucharistic celebration each time we come together to celebrate the Mass.

At Jesus’ baptism, he completed the sacrament of baptism to fulfill what he said in the scriptures that he had come to fulfill the laws, not to abolish but to fulfill. Has Jesus ever actually needed to be baptized by John the Baptist? No. But why did he get baptized? The baptism that John performed was passive, while the baptism that Jesus received was the active act of the three Persons in God united and glorified. Not only revealing God the Father and the Holy Spirit, but at his baptism, Jesus sanctified the water to make it holy, and his baptism signified the beginning of his ministry to heal the sick, to cure the disease, to free the captive, and to perform many other good deeds. How does this relate to our baptism?

Our baptism would be invalid if there were no water and the formula that a deacon or a priest says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Somebody asked, can we use another liquid rather than water for baptism? NO. Can anyone baptize others? By virtue of our baptism, any baptized person, in an emergency situation, can baptize someone else using water and the formula: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The real question for us is for those who have been baptized into the Catholic faith, what effect does it have on us after we are baptized into Christ?

In our baptism, we have washed away our original sin. Also, through our baptism, we are called the children of God, calling God, Abba, Father. At Jesus’ baptism, three Persons in God were revealed, how should we live our Christian life to reveal the three Persons in God living in us? Each of us lives a dual life, a mortal life, our physical body, and an immortal life, our spiritual soul. What should this mortal life do for the immortal life to grow within us? The Lord Jesus allows God the Father and God the Holy Spirit to work in him and through him to bring that immortal life within him alive to heal the sick, to cure diseases, and to bring salvation to the whole human race, what should we do to allow the Most Holy Trinity present in our Christian lives to nurture and to help that immortal life to grow within us? Our baptism will become meaningless if there is no growth in that immortal life. The decision is yours.

The Epiphany of the Lord

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 21:00:00 GMT

Three Wisemen Responded to Three Figures

Joke: An Eight-year-old asked, "How come the kings brought perfume to Jesus? What kind of gift is that for a baby?" His Nine-year-old sister answered, "Haven't you ever smelled a barn? With all the dirty animals around, Mary needed something to freshen the air."

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany. There are at least three important figures that we are invited to ponder. These three important figures symbolize SMJ, not Shaking My Junk, but Star, Magi, and Jesus. What is the significance of the three and how do they correlate within all today’s readings?

The star, as Ephrem, one of the Church Fathers in the second century explains that it appears because the prophets had disappeared (the last one was John the Baptist). As much as the prophets proclaim in words and deeds, the star hastens to explain who the Messiah is not by words nor by deeds but by the sign, the bright light, that destroys the “darkness of the earth,” the web of sins, as describes in today’s first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, “thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you, the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.” The star that shines through the darkness of sins and the thick clouds of what is envy, infidelity, unkindness, anger, disobedience, drunkenness, lust, and many more crooked ways of life. Just as the Spirit guides and protects the prophets to do ministries that God asked them to do, the star is the Spirit that guides and protects the Magi leading them to the newborn King of Israel.

Just as the magi came from the East accepted the light and followed the light in searching for the newborn King, have we opened up ourselves to accept and follow the light that was entrusted to us at our baptism? Or do we prefer to stay in the West where the sun sets brings darkness to cover the earth? Have we preferred the darkness of sins rather than following the light of Christ in our Christian journey here on earth? The Magi opened their treasures and offered the newborn King gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Just as the magi searched for the newborn King, guided by the star, have we allowed the stars which are the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church to guide and to form our consciousness and our actions in searching for the kingdom of God here on earth?

Last but not least, the baby Jesus, the newborn King, was born and the magi came from afar to adore the Savior, but some people ignored him and tried to kill him. Who were these people? And why did they ignore and try to kill the baby Jesus?

King Herod was raised to kingship through the Roman Empire, the Roman government. He was the king of the Jews, but the wise men came and asked him, where was the newborn king of Israel? Herod was afraid to lose his seat so he secretly sent the magi with his words, reported in today’s Gospel, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After the magi found the baby Jesus, they were warned in a dream, reported in today’s Gospel, “not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.” Have you and I been afraid of losing benefits either for ourselves or for our loved one(s) that we might not stand for the truth? Have you and I ever been afraid of losing power, losing control, losing interest, or whatever it is that we lie, cheat, and mistrust others?

Not only King Herod was afraid to lose his seat, and his power to try to kill the baby Jesus, but also his chief priests and scribes, as reported in today’s Gospel, all knew exactly where and when the Savior, the newborn King of Israel was born, but they didn’t come to adore the King. Living in this society, there are so many attractions available to us that some of us ignore or neglect to come to thank the Lord for his sacrifice in the Eucharist to feed us and nurture us on our spiritual journey here on earth. Is there any moment that you and I have been ignored to come to Mass for whatever reason it is to give thanks to God and to adore the Lord Jesus in the Tabernacle? It is through the birth of Christ, the Savior, that we are all called to be, as Saint Paul described in today’s second reading saying, “coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” As the members of the same body, the Church, have we often come together as the Church to be united with Christ, the Head of the Church, in the Eucharist?

SMJ is not Shaking My Junk, but rather, SMJ is Star, Magi, and Jesus. These three figures help us to shake our junk, the junk that is covered with darkness, ignorance, envy, jealousy, cheating, lying, and coveting other’s wives in mind, heart, and even in action. Do you identify yourself as a star to give light to others to come to Jesus? Or the Magi to search for Christ with whatever it takes? Or Christ who had total faith in God's Father in taking on our human flesh lying helpless in the crypt of the manger? Magi offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Savior, what can you and I offer to Him? The decision is yours.

Mary, the Holy Mother of God

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 21:27:01 GMT

New Year Resolution with Mary

Joke: One Sunday morning, a mother was getting ready for church when she noticed her son wasn’t up yet. She finally went in to wake him up. “Come on, get up. You’ll be late for Mass,” she said. “I don’t want to go,” said her son as he buried his head under the pillow. “You have to go,” the mother wheedled. “No, I’m not going,” he insisted. “And I’ll give you two reasons. Nobody there likes me, and I don’t like them.” Indignantly, his mother replied, “You are going to church, and I’ll give you two reasons: You’re 45 years old, and you are the pastor.”

In 365 days of a year, why does the Church choose this day, the last day of the octave of the Nativity and the beginning of a New Year to celebrate Mary, the Holy Mother of God? It is to say how important it is the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God in the life of the Church. How is it possible that God, the Almighty God, Creator of the human race and the whole universe, is the Son of a woman called Mary? We can only understand this question in the contact of Christmas, Incarnation, God vests on himself our human flesh through the womb of an ordinary woman Mary chosen by God to be the Mother of God.

This day reveals two important realities: First, it is to reveal that in Christ, there are truly two natures, human and divine. Second, Mary is truly the Mother of God, the Lord Jesus Christ who has taken human flesh in her womb. How is it possible?

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Numbers, the Lord instructs Moses to tell his people Israel that when they invoke [God’s] name, [He] will bless them. Has Mary ever invoked the name of the Lord? She does not only invoke the name of the Lord, but she also acknowledges her lowliness saying, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done unto me according to your word.” How can she, an ordinary and fully human being, conceive God, the Son of God in her womb?

To prepare Mary who is like a burning bush mentioned in the Old Testament and who is a fully human being, God chooses her and prepares her to be born without original sin. We are reminded of the story of Moses leading his people out of slavery. Moses came upon a burning bush and heard a voice from that burning bush asking him to take off his sandals since the ground where he was standing was holy ground. This burning bush was not consumed, our Blessed Virgin Mary, even though fully human being, conceived God not by another human being but by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, at the moment her Son was conceived in her immaculate womb, she was still a virgin. The burning bush without consuming that Moses experienced prefigured Mary, the Mother of God. She carried God, the Son of God in her womb because God chose her. Unlike the burning bush, Mary, without her cooperation with God to say “yes” to the invitation to become the Mother of God, there would be no Incarnation took flesh in her womb.

Christ, therefore, is not only divine but man as well. In today’s second reading, Saint Paul beautifully reminds us that the Son of God was “born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons [and daughters]. So [we] are no longer a slave(s) but a son [and daughter], and also an heir through God.” In coming into our human flesh, the Son of God truly becomes man, and we become adopted children to inherit the Kingdom of God.

In coming together to celebrate Mass, the action deacon pours water into the chalice of wine accompanied with the words, “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” A little bit of water symbolized our humanity, and the wine symbolized the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask to be united with his divinity blood in his sacrificial offering for our salvation. Therefore, Mass is the highest form of all prayers because every time we come to participate in the Mass we remember the passion, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and to partake in his Body and Blood, food for our journey towards the heavenly homeland.

Celebrating the Holy Mother of God at every beginning of New Year, we might want to ask ourselves: Why did the Lord choose Mary to be the Mother of the Son of God? What was so special about her? To all our mothers, why do you choose to become the mother of your children? Just as Mary was so attractive to be the Mother of God, have you ever been so attractive to be the mother to your children? To all our mothers, just as Mary became the Holy Mother of the Son of God, how would you become a holy mother to your children? One suggestion would be to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, to be faithful to her Son even to the foot of the cross of her son.

To set a resolution for this New Year, to all our mothers, be faithful to your children and try to be there to help them always. To all our children, learn to listen to your mother, obey her, and pray for her. To all our fathers, love and be there for the mothers of your children to help them raise your children. The decision is always yours.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:00:00 GMT

Becoming Holy Family

Joke: A woman pulled her car over to the side of the road when she heard the police car’s siren. “How long have you been driving without a taillight,” demanded the officer. “Oh, no!” screamed the woman. She jumped out and ran to the back of the car. “Just calm down,” said the officer. “It’s not that serious.” “But wait ‘til my husband finds out!” “Where is he?” “He’s in the trailer that was hitched to the car!”

Just as the hitch that connected the car with the trailer, love is that hitch that connected all the members of the Holy Family to become the Holy Family Saint Paul puts it beautifully in his writing, “love, that is, the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14). Why does the Church celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph during this octave of Christmas, even before the feast of the Epiphany? Perhaps, it emphasizes more the meaning of the perfect love that God has for his human beings. This perfect love cannot be fully understood without the context of the mystery of the Incarnation, Christmas. God truly entrusts his only beloved Son to humanity to take care of and love what makes the family of human and divine become the Holy Family. How does it come about? In all of today’s readings, the Church helps us to answer this question.

The Church puts together all of today’s readings to describe the criteria to become the Holy Family in our own family. When a family becomes a Holy Family, it comes with a mission. In the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what is the mission of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?

In today’s first reading, God promised Abram that his children would be numbered, but he was still childless at an old age. Wasn’t it because of his lack of faith that he said to the Lord, “See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir?” His thought was not God’s thought, so God told Abram, “No, that one shall not be your heir; your issue shall be your heir.” Interesting! Have you ever thought in this short sentence of a short conversation that God had with Abram that God said your issue shall be your heir? What did it mean “your own issue shall be your heir”? What was Abram’s issue if it’s not faith? Through this issue of Faith when he accepted in faith, he did not only become the child of God, but the father in the faith to all nations just as God had promised him. The moment that Abram accepted God in faith, his name was changed to Abraham. This name change came with a mission, a mission to be the father of faith.

This father in faith that in today’s second reading, St. Paul beautifully emphasizes saying, “By faith, Abraham obeyed … By faith, he received power to generate, … and by faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac.” This faith that Joseph and Mary also obeyed. This faith also allowed Mary to conceive and bear the Son of God, and they named him Jesus. This faith also helped them to offer their Son courageously on the Cross for the sake of the salvation of the whole human race. By faith, Abraham now was not Abram, who was childless anymore, but he was Abraham, father in faith of all nations. Blessed Virgin Mary, the moment she was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God, her name was changed to “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you.” At the moment of acceptance to be the Mother of God, Mary’s name change entailed a mission that was to conceive and bear the Son of God. Simon, the moment the Lord Jesus chose him to be the head of the apostles and the Church, his name was changed to Peter, the Rock. Saul, the moment he was chosen to be the preacher to the Gentiles, his name was changed to Paul. What was the mission of the holy family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary if it’s not the love and the care they had for one another in the family that they were called the Holy Family?

Pope Pius XII once said that a Holy Family is a family in which the father only knows to take care of his wife and his children; the wife always focuses on taking care of her husband and the children, and the children only know to take care of their parents. This family is then called a Holy Family. When each member of the family focuses on taking care of one another members in that family, they form a holy family here on earth. Therefore, the mission of the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is to take care of one another, in good times and in bad times.

In today’s Gospel, Luke carefully describes Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus, taking care of the boy Jesus by fulfilling the requirement of the laws when they present him to the Lord in the temple. Saint Luke said, “According to the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” In the words of Simeon, both Joseph and Mary are amazed that Luke describes, “The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him [Jesus].” “When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their town of Nazareth.” There, they lived and cared for one another.

As the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph become the Holy Family when they care for one another in their family, we are invited to care for one another in our own family and our community. Just as Mary and Joseph are searching for their child in the Temple, we are invited to look out for our children, not because we are single parents or we are busy working parents who somehow neglect to take care of our children. Recalling the pandemic of COVID 19, when we are all confined at home, there is no work and no school but home’s work and home’s school, teaches us, families, to spend more time with one another in the family. Every member is compacted at home. Children get more attention from parents because they constantly remind them to wear a mask to protect themselves. Just as Mary and Joseph opened up themselves to accept the invitation of the Lord to be the parents of the Son of God, they looked out for their son Jesus when they lost him. Mary followed her son Jesus to the foot of the cross of her son after witnessing his passion and death on the cross. We are reminded to journey with our children and with one another. Just as we learn from the Holy Family united in God’s love and the love they have for one another, we, families, are invited to base our family’s values on love, the love we share in our family. The decision is yours.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 21:00:00 GMT

Fiat from How to Receive and to Conceive God

Joke: A wife complains to her husband, “From the day I married you till now, I haven’t received anything from you!” The husband protests, “It’s not true! You are received to be my wife, to be my parents’ daughter-in-law, to be a mother to all my children …” An elderly man observes the conversation happily supporting the husband saying, “What you just said is true. Men are the ones who lose after marriage.” The couple then asks the elderly man, “What have you lost?” “Losing Sleep,” he replied.

Today is the last Sunday of Advent in preparation for the celebration of the Birth of the Lord. During these past few weeks, this past week and today particularly, the Church focused on some special people surrounding the birth of Jesus such as Saint Joseph, John the Baptist, and the angels, especially the angel Gabriel, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary. Today, the Church focuses especially on Mary, the one who conceives and bears the Son of God in her womb by the Power of the Holy Spirit. What is special about Mary? What is it to do with us?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke begins with the scene of Mary hurrying in haste to go to visit her cousin Elizabeth after she is announced by the angel Gabriel that her cousin has been pregnant for six months. In this visitation, there are several thoughts for us to meditate on throughout this Christmas season. In these thoughts, two I would like to share with you today on Mary’s intimacy with the Lord that her fiat in the Lord encourages her to bring the future Savior to humanity.

First, Mary must have a deep intimate relationship with the Lord to hear and to believe in the message of the angel that she goes in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth. In some verses before today’s Gospel reading, the message of the angel is a frightening message that Mary has no relation with a man, but she’s found pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, with her fiat, deep faith, and total trust in the Lord, Mary says “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”, just one verse before today’s Gospel reading. The fact of having no relation with a man and yet conceiving and bearing a son is against the natural law that is a woman, to be naturally pregnant, she has to have a relation with a man. I’m not talking about the implantation of technology nowadays. Yet, the Lord in his power looks upon Mary and chooses her to conceive a Son. He prepared her immaculate womb to bear the Son of God and God himself, and we celebrate her immaculate conception on December 8 each year. This is saying that we have to accept the fact that we are human beings and that many times in our lives things happen that we might not understand nor explain with our knowledge and understanding but believe that God is involved in the situation. Nothing that we called “co-incident” or “it’s just happened for no reason”. Everything happens in our lives, I believe, God’s hands are mysteriously leading us. We just need to acknowledge and let him control us or not. It will depend on the free will that He installs in us the moment that we are conceived in our mother’s womb.

Secondly, Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth is not only to bring Jesus, the Savior, to Elizabeth alone but also to her unborn son, John the Baptist who is still in her womb. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the son in her womb leaped for joy. The joy of both the mother and the unborn son in her womb is overwhelmed by the visitation of the Mother of the Lord, Elizabeth shouted out, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” The image of the womb and the six months pregnant that Elizabeth is portrayed describes the earth and the time that each one of us is living in now. Scripture does not tell us what the condition of Elizabeth was before the visitation of Mary, but it’s not easy and fun that mothers can testify. All the aches, pain, mood changes, losing weight and sleep, short breath, you name it that mothers experience during the pregnancy. So, I believe, Elizabeth would experience the same. Scripture tells us that at the visitation of Mary, both Elizabeth and the unborn baby John filled with joy. Just as in the womb with a web of organs that the unborn baby has no choice but to attach to the mother’s umbilical cord, we are living in this world with all the attractions and good and bad that sometimes we cannot control. But just as Elizabeth allows Mary to bring Jesus into her pregnancy, let’s us invite Mary to bring Jesus into our mother’s womb which is our house, our school, our Church, our society, our world which is wired with a web of goods and bad such generosity and jealousy, honesty and cheating, kind and unkind, love and hatred, peace and violence, and many more that we are all in this mother’s womb. The umbilical cord that can nurture us and keep us alive is the Eucharist which is the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ. The question is: Have we allowed ourselves and surrendered ourselves to let the Lord feed us and nurture us through the teaching of the Church like the umbilical cord that transfers the food from the mother’s womb to the unborn baby?

What have we learned from the visitation of Mary? Just as Mary brings Jesus, who is the Source of life, to Elizabeth, what have we brought to others when we pay a visit to them? Just as Mary comes to visit Elizabeth during her pregnancy and stays to help her till she successfully finishes her labor, have we come to visit others, especially our loved ones, only when they are healthy and sound or when they are sick or even close to death? Mary brought joy not only to Elizabeth but to John, her son, as well, have we opened up ourselves to allow Mary to bring her Son Jesus to us, especially when we are struggling, experiencing difficulties and challenges that knitted together a web that shuts off our joy, happiness, and peace that the Lord first intended from the beginning of creation? In anticipating for second Coming of the Lord and waiting to celebrate the Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, what should we do to others, especially to our loved ones? The decision is yours.

Christmas 2024

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 21:00:00 GMT

The Mystery of God's Love for Us

Joke: Santa was working at Brookville shopping center when he noticed a young lady of about 20 years old walking toward him. He was surprised when she sat on his lap. Santa does not usually take requests from adults, but as she gave him such a nice smile, he couldn’t refuse and said to her, “What’s your name?” “Hannah,” she replied. “What do you want for Christmas, Hannah?” “Actually, I want something for my mom, please,” said Hannah. “What do you want me to bring her,” said Santa. Without blinking her eyes, Hannah replied, “A son-in-law.”

Just as Hannah expressed her wish to Santa during Christmas, what should we wish and pray for Christmas? To answer this question, the Church puts together all of today’s readings to clarify for us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are three sets of different readings according to the vigil Mass, midnight Mass, and day Mass. Why didn’t the Church use only one set of readings for all the Masses, from vigil to midnight and Daytime? Readings for Midnight Mass describe God’s grace as revealed in the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, through his true human origin. The readings for midnight Mass describe the great love that God has for us by coming to us in our human flesh to save us. Finally, the Day Mass readings describe the scene in which God has spoken to us through his Son, the Word made flesh, his true divine nature, comes into our human flesh to reveal his salvation to the whole human race.

Today, we are invited to meditate on the fact that Jesus is God who loves us so much that he willingly accepts to come to us by vesting on himself our very human flesh to be like all of us except for sins. The question begins with the word “why” which often makes us ponder how to respond to the question. We cannot stop pondering at the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ with the question: Why did God choose to come to us in our human flesh?

He comes to us in the flesh because he loves us. His origin is divine and human in today’s Gospel, John begins his Gospel by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If we recall the creation story in the very first chapter of the book of Genesis, God created everything by saying “the Word”, and creatures came into being. However, there is a little tricky, a little twist in the human creation story when God creates Adam. He forms Adam from dust and breaths in him the Holy Spirit, and he becomes a living being. Only in Adam and Eve, human beings, are created special in God’s image as it said in Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The words “Let us,” does it mean there are several gods in the creation or only one God? There are several explanations, one of them is that the words: “let us” describe the solemnity, the importance, and the seriousness, but there is only one God. When we hear the Pope speak, he often addresses us as “We.” It does not mean that he speaks on behalf of several people, but he speaks for the Church, the only Catholic Church that we profess in the profession of faith every Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.

He comes to us in the flesh because he loves us. Only in the flesh, we can come to receive his grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Also, only in the flesh, we can come to know the truth, to know God the Almighty, and to know that we are created in his image. This is why John says in today’s Gospel, “While the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Saint Paul says in today’s second reading to the Hebrews, “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe.” Only in Christ and through Christ we are adopted to become children of God and to know the way to the Father through the life of a flesh that the Son of God vested on himself on Christmas day.

Christ is the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He chose to vest on himself our very human flesh to be with us to show us how much he loves us, even to the point of suffering and death, death on the Cross for us. What have we done to return that love? Just as Jesus lying helpless as a babe, what have we done to those children who are abandoned, homeless, uncared, unsheltered, hungry, and lonely? Of all the Christmas cards that I received for Christmas, there was one that I found most practical prayer with a little sense of humor for Christmas. Perhaps, it is also a prayer for all of us during this Christmas season. The title of the card is: “The Very First King-Size Bed.” In this card, it said, “Let us thank God for that bed and the baby who slept there. It is the nicest place to be in someone’s thoughts; the safest place to be in someone’s prayers; and the best place to be in God’s hands (from Fr. Kuriakose @ Christ the King parish). The decision is yours.

3rd Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 21:00:00 GMT

Gaudete Sunday--Rejoice Sunday

Joke: A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas. A friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty 4-wheel drive vehicles." "She did," he replied. "But where was I going to find a fake Jeep?"

People thought that John was the Christ, but John didn’t fake it to go along with the crowd and testified for Christ saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire” reported in today’s Gospel. What does it mean to baptize with the Holy Spirit and Fire? How would we rejoice in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire?

Msgr. Charles Pope said, “Too many people are satisfied with which living their faith by inference, rather than by experience. In other words, they are content to go along saying what they heard someone else say. “Jesus is Lord and risen from the dead” because my mom says so, or my preacher says so, (or even), the Bible says so. All of this is fine, for faith first comes by hearing. But there comes a point when you have to say so because you know it to be true.

This is what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It is to be able to say, “In the laboratory of my own life, I have tested the Word of God and found it to be true. I have personally met and know the Lord, I know Him for myself.” Our baptism will be meaningless if it just stayed in the Church only; if our faith is not tested by the Word of God; and if we cannot find that our baptism is a true baptism in which we are called to be priest, prophet, and king that means to live a life of prayer, to live a life of good moral examples, and to be truthful to ourselves and others. To know the Word of God is to allow ourselves to be tested. For example, I should make time to go to Church today because it’s the Holy Day of Obligation. The devil might play a trick in your mind and say, “Well, it’s already late and tired, just stay home and pray it’s enough.” Or it might say, “Well, I just skip the Mass this time and go to confession, I would be okay.” Many other excuses that the devil may present to us. How can we know God when time after time we fail to keep holy on the holy days of obligation? Knowing the Word of God is not simply understanding but living it. One of the Ten Commandments is to keep Holy the Sabbath. How would we know and understand it when we cannot even live it? Perhaps, we know and understand it so well, but we don’t have enough courage and strength to live it. By knowing and understanding the Word of God, we will find rejoicing in waiting for the second coming of the Lord.

To understand the Word of God is not enough unless knowing. What is the difference between knowing and understanding? Bernard Lonergan, philosopher and theologian, in his theory of knowledge, said, “Human knowing is a combination of experience, understanding, and judgment.” To know is not just simply to experience with our five senses, but to understand it as well. For example, when I hold a pen in my hand, through my senses, I can tell it is a pen. But as a pen, its’ use is to write and not to cut paper nor to poke a hole. It will not be a pen if I do not use it only to write. Yet, we can poke a hole, but then it will damage the pen ball, and we cannot write it anymore. It cannot be a pen anymore. Our experience and understanding it is a pen, we use it to write only. However, experience with our five senses and understanding might not be enough to say that we know it is a pen unless it is recognized as a pen throughout the whole world. A stylish pen, for example, that we call in America. However, it might not be called a pen in Vietnam because they couldn’t write on paper with it. So, for us to know it is a pen, we ought not only to experience and understand it, but we need to be able to judge it so that it is recognized as a pen throughout the whole world.

Why do we need to know the difference between experience, understanding, and judging? It is so to avoid gossiping and criticizing. What is the definition of gossip? According to Google Dictionary, it is “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.” Why is it not confirmed as being true? It is because we might experience with our senses such as hearing or listening to someone talk about it without understanding the true matter. Even though we understand the matter, it is through one person, it might be false as well if it’s not confirmed by several people. The Lord Jesus is so wise when he teaches us not to judge. If it is true say it is true, and if it is not true say it is not true. If we don’t know, then say we don’t know. “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,” a radio ad said.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds us saying, “Rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” How would we rejoice in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire if it’s not to know and to understand the Word of God by kind words and good deeds to others? To have the courage and strength to live out what we understand to truly know the Word of God? Try not to gossip, not to criticize, and not to judge others, but to be truthful to each other. The decision is yours.

First Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 21:00:00 GMT

Three Ways of Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ

Joke: One Sunday after church, a mother was talking to her young daughter. She told her daughter that, according to the Bible, Jesus will return to earth someday. "When is he coming back?" the daughter asked. "I don't know," replied the mother. The little girl asked, "Can't you google it on the Internet?"

We can google a lot of things online nowadays, but we cannot google for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But if we google to see how to prepare ourselves in waiting for the second coming of the Lord, there are many ways to prepare. In light of all today’s readings, we can summarize three ways of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first way of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be aware of what might numb our heart, mind, and soul not to conduct our lives according to God’s teaching and the Church’s teaching. What might numb our hearts, minds, and souls is what it called “carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch u by surprise like a trap” that Saint Luke repeated Jesus’ teaching reported in today’s Gospel.

Does it sound familiar to us? Have we had to live in Jesus’ time to experience carousing drunkenness and anxieties? Carousing from hunger is still happening in many parts of the world, especially in poor and third-world countries. Many people still live in poverty. We might not be struggling with poverty since we are living in the blessed land, but we might be carousing, not from alcohol but the lustful eyes with all kinds of impure images so available online. Everything and anything is available on any electronic device such as an iPhone, iPad, etc. Impure images might carouse us and fill our minds with images that we have no control to deliver into action.

In the same way, using drugs such as alcohol, if we use in excess, we might not be able to control our thoughts and actions. Using drugs in excess produces the terms we call, “DWI” driving while intoxicated or impaired, or “DUI”, driving under the influence. Do you know what happens when the cops catch you driving under DWI or DUI? You can only prepare to pay for the ticket and not be able to prepare for the second coming of the Lord.

What is about anxieties? Too many worries in our daily lives might result in depression and stress that might numb our minds to lose control as well. So, how can we prepare for the second coming of the Lord if it’s not sensitive to what might numb our hearts, minds, and souls by avoiding carousing, drunkenness, and anxiety?

The second way of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is to “Be vigilant at all times and pray,” mentioned in today’s Gospel, “that you have the strength to escape the tribulations.” We might not have a problem praying, but what do we pray for? Do we pray for our readiness when the Lord comes to call us? Or do we pray to hit the jackpot? Let me reassure you, as far as I know, there has not been a single Catholic who ever hits the jackpot. How do I know? It’s never been reported Catholics donated from hitting the jackpot. What do we pray for? How many young and healthy people have ever prayed for a peaceful and happy death?

The third way of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is to love one another. Saint Paul prayed in today’s second reading, taken from his letter to the Thessalonian community, saying, “May the Lord make you increase your love for one another and all to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.” How do we love one another? Do we love those who love us? Do we love those who don’t even love us? Do we love those who hurt us or harm us? Do we love our parents when they do not listen to us? Do not give us what we want? Do not have time for us? What should we do so to love one another? How should we love one another? Are we ready for a peaceful and happy meeting with the Lord when he comes?

Advent season is a time for us to prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of the Savior, and it is a time for us to prepare ourselves to meet him when he comes to call us out of this world. How is your readiness? What would you expect when he comes? Would you prepare a gift to celebrate his birthday this year? If you prepare a gift for Baby Jesus this year, what would it be? One way to prepare a gift for Jesus’ birthday is to come to reconcile with God and with one another on Monday, December 9, at 6:30 PM with several priests coming to help us. The decision is yours.

34th Sunday of Ordinary Time--Christ the King

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 21:00:00 GMT

DKP--Dominion, Kingship, & Possession

Joke: A five-year-old boy was stalling going to bed. He asked for a glass of juice. "No, sir," his father answered. "No more juice. I'm the king of the juice in this house." "That's not right, Daddy," the young fellow retorted. "Our Sunday school teacher said Jesus is the king of the juice."

Today, the Church throughout the whole world celebrates the Feast of Christ the King which marks the end of the Church’s liturgical year. Our five-year-old boy was stalling to go to bed confused that his dad was the king of the juice drink different from Christ the King of the Jewish people whom he learned in Sunday school. Why does the Church celebrate the feast of Christ the King to mark the end of the liturgical year? How would we recognize Jesus Christ as the king of the universe?

In all today’s readings, we are invited to focus our attention on the three letters—DKP—Dominion, Kingship, and Possession of a King. DKP is not the acronym for Dragon Killing Points in the loot system that is used by guilds in massively multiplayer online games that our kids might be familiar with. Dragon Killing Points, according to Wikipedia, are the points that are awarded to players for defeating bosses and redeemed for items that those bosses would 'drop' in the game. However, Christ’s DKP: Dominion, Kingship, and Possession described the enthronement of the victorious Christ, the king in heaven, and all his glory.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Daniel, Daniel’s vision is the vision of hope that consoled and strengthened those who suffered persecution. The vision describes “the one like a son of man coming, [and] Ancient One was presented before him, the one like a son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship. His dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingship shall not be destroyed.” This mysterious Son of man that Daniel saw is nobody else, but Jesus Christ who would later identify himself, coming on the clouds, glorified by God the Father at the moment of his baptism and given dominion that will last forever. What are the Dominion and Kingship that Daniel mentions here?

The dominion and kingship that the Son of Man possessed do not belong to this world that’s what Jesus responded to Pilate’s question described in today’s Gospel saying that his kingdom “does not belong to this world.” His dominion and kingship are nothing other than the truth, and that is what he comes to testify. Anyone who possesses this truth will listen to his voice, Jesus said. What is the truth that Jesus mentions? Jesus rules his kingdom as a king, unlike other kings, serving others rather than dominating them; his kingship is rooted in truth rather than in physical forces, and his possession is nothing more than the sacrificial love offering for others and not based on the human’s rules and regulations. Jesus’ sacrificial love offering is described so well under the pen of the author of the book of Revelation described in today’s second reading saying, “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings, who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” His DKP is conquered not by any force or oppression but by love and sacrifice. Just as Jesus conquered his DKP through his great love and sacrifice for the sake of our salvation, what have we done in return for his love and sacrifice?

Just as Daniel’s vision of hope consoled and strengthened those who suffered persecution, what would help to sustain us in our dark moments: The moment of doubt, of sadness, and even of losing a loved one, the moment of infidelity between husband and wife, of children running away from parents, and many other dark moments of our lives? Should we pray for our increasing faith, hope, and love when we have to face any dark moment in our lives? Just as Christ conquered his DKP, dominion, kingship, and possession by his great love and sacrificial offering of himself, have we come to others with love and sacrifice? Or have we come to them by other means? What is it difference between Christ the King with other kings in this universe? He is the King of the universe who comes to testify for the Truth, to teach us the Truth, and to shed his blood for his love, what have we done to testify that we are the followers of Christ the King? Would it profit us if Christ is not the king of our heart, mind, and soul? What should we do and how should we live our lives to testify for the truth that He has come to testify? In celebrating the feast of Christ the King, DKP, not Dragon Killing Points, but Dominion, Kingship, and Possession, Jesus conquered them by his sacrificial love, what should we do to share his kingship? The decision is yours.

33th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 21:00:00 GMT

The Threefold Coming of the Lord

Joke: A pastor was preaching about judgment day. “Thunder will roar, flames will flash across the sky. Floods, storms, devastation such as you’ve never seen…” he continued dramatically. Wide-eyed, a young boy turned to his mother and whispered to her ears, “Will I get to skip school that day?”

Unlike the second coming of the Lord that the pastor preached that somehow excited the boy to ask if the school would be closed that day, the second coming that Jesus teaches us in today’s Gospel that no one knows the day, even the Son of Man, but the Father alone. Coming to the end of the liturgical year, the Church puts all readings together to prepare us for the coming of the Lord. In all of today’s readings, we are invited to focus our attention on the understanding not only of the second coming of the Lord Jesus but also on the threefold coming of the Lord.

His first coming was His Incarnation, the coming of the flesh that we will soon celebrate again once a year, every year on Christmas. His first coming was to offer himself as a total offering for our sins as stated in today’s second reading, taken from the letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews saying, “One offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God.” In his first coming, has Jesus come to offer himself as a sacrifice to wipe away all our sins? It is right provided that we need to work our way to turn away from sins and to fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ who is a merciful and compassionate God. “He died for our sins” doesn’t mean that we just sin, and he has to forgive us because he died for our sins. Is it so? I hope it is so, but it’s not so. The first coming has taken place, Jesus mentions in today’s Gospel that there will be “tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” All these happen to warn us for the second coming of the Lord that no one knows the day, not even the Son, but the Father alone.

Is it possible that Jesus’ second coming is either on the day of our death or at the end of time? We might not know the day of the end of time, but we might know that the day of our death coming closer and closer each day. On that day, Jesus will bring our salvation to completion. We might know how to interpret the appearances of this world such as looking at the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leave, we know that summer is near. However, we will not know when it is the second coming of the Lord. The question is, then, how do we know the day so that we can prepare ourselves so that when the day comes, we will be able to follow the Lord? Brothers and sisters, this preparation is called the third coming of the Lord which we encounter every day of our lives.

His third coming is his coming into our lives each time we live our Christian lives. Recalling from the Old Testament, when God spoke to Moses, he spoke to him in thunderstorms and lightning. For Moses to interpret these lightning and thunderstorms, I would believe that he had to have a very intimate relationship with the Lord. In our relationship, for example, husband and wife or mom and dad, or better grandma and grandpa, just with a facial expression, we would know exactly that our spouse is not in a good mood or not happy with something. Or out of the blue, he just suddenly wears cologne; or she just spends a lot of time shopping. These actions and many other actions and gestures, even though they are silent, but they can speak volumes. You know that your spouse is dealing with something that is either because of you or someone or something. Couples can tell what’s going on in their relationship. So, how would we know that God communicates to us in our Christian daily life? I would believe that we need to have an intimate relationship with him as well. What does an intimate relationship mean?

During my study of theology at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Houston, Texas, a spiritual director once explained the word intimacy saying that intimacy means into me you will see. One can only have an intimate relationship with another when he or she opens up himself or herself to allow the other to know exactly who he or she is. When one completely opens up his heart, his mind, and his soul to allow his spouse, his girlfriend, or his partner, he will be very vulnerable to being criticized and judged. Therefore, if one is prepared to marry someone else and hopes that marriage will change his or her significant, good look. One cannot change another through marriage, but he or she can only learn to accept each other in marriage. The more one learns to accept each other in marriage, the more he or she understands the meaning of the word intimate relationship. That is the meaning of the intimate relationship among the couples whom we can experience with our five senses, what’s about our intimate relationship with the Lord whom we might not be able to see or experience with our five senses? How can we have an intimate relationship with the Lord so that when he comes and speaks to us we would know?

Just as couples have some rules, obligations, and boundaries for each other to nurture their relationship, there are some rules, obligations, and boundaries in our intimate relationship with the Lord as well. These rules, obligations, and boundaries are the words of God as mentioned in today’s Gospel saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” How do we follow the words of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself? Do we get more influenced by the trends of society; the attractions of the present time which focus more on the motivation of good feelings, comforting feelings, and happy feelings regardless of human moral declining? Isn’t following the feelings of the flesh better than following the teaching of the Lord who invites us to forgive and pray for those who hate us, harm us, persecute us, and who even destroy the lives of those unborn babies who cannot even defend for themselves? The first coming of the Lord has already taken place; the second coming of the Lord is what we are waiting for, and the third coming of the Lord is what we encounter every time we act according to the Lord’s teaching and the church’s teaching. What should we do in this third coming of the Lord while waiting for his second coming? Are we ready for the second coming of the Lord? The decision is yours.

32th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 21:00:00 GMT

Giving and Receiving

Joke: A six-year-old boy, home from his first day at church, was asked what he thought of the Holy Mass. "It was OK," he replied, "but I think it was unfair that the pastor at the altar did all the work, and then a group of people came around and took away all the money."

The eyes of the boy might deceive him from what he observed the first time at Mass because Mass is not all about the collection only. It’s far more than important is the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist in remembering the Lord Jesus’s Last Supper with his disciples. Every time we attend Mass is every time we give thanks to God for the gift of life, it is Thanksgiving itself. The innocent eyes of the little boy give us a gleam of understanding of giving and receiving. What does it mean to give and what does it mean to receive in the light of the teaching of today’s readings?

In today’s first reading and the Gospel, they presented two poor widows, or rather, two stories about the generosity of two poor widows who sacrificially gave their whole lives and the means of their livelihood to God. The sacrifice of these two widows symbolizes the supreme sacrifice that Jesus would offer by totally giving up his life for us.

In today’s first reading, taken from the First Book of Kings, a poor widow had just enough food for herself and her son the last meal before they went hungry. She welcomed prophet Elijah, as a man of God, shared her food with him, and she received in return by having her daily supply that lasted for a year. This widow helps us to recall the words of the Lord Jesus reported in the Acts of the Apostles saying, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35). In giving, the widow shared what was her last supply that she was able to receive for a whole year’s supply for both herself and her son. What is it that in her small giving she receives more than what she gives if it’s not out of love?

In today’s Gospel, another poor widow contributed “two small coins worth a few cents” with all the love she had for God that the Lord Jesus declared that she had found true honor in God’s eyes through her true humble and sacrificial offering. Giving reminds me of our children’s collection at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM Masses on Sundays. In observing children put the money in the collection bag, even though it’s a small amount, they place it in the bag with joy. Some of them were overjoyed and slammed a heavy high fine. I’m sure that some of them don’t even realize the value of the dollar that they put it in, maybe they know, but it is an insignificant amount of money that they just drop in with a blink of an eye. It’s either they understand the value of the dollar or not, they put it in there with joy. Some children gave a big smile. In giving, they find joy. Some of them put it in the collection bag just for the sake of a high fine. In receiving, even though it’s not for myself, I find joy as well. What about us adults? We don’t mind living in a house that costs at least some hundred thousand dollars and driving an expensive car, but we put in the collection what is called some change or what is leftover. We don’t mind spending money to dine in a restaurant with delicious meals, but we put it in what is called change when we come to Church. We don’t mind spending money on drugs, alcohol, and shopping for unnecessary, but we count pennies to help the Church. I know some of you are very generous in giving to the Church, not only monetary but also energy and time. In giving, I hope and pray that you find joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. It is a good investment for 401K for your eternal life after this life.

The eyes of God judge through the heart of the person and not through the appearances that we, human beings, often fail to judge. This kind of offering mentioned in today’s Gospel is taught by Saint Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians community saying, “If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever” (1 Cor 13:3). The love, the burning desire within, stirs up these widows and delivers that burning desire into action, to offer what they have for the love of God. These two poor widows, reported in today’s first reading and the Gospel, give away all that they possess for the glory and the love of God. In our giving, either spending time to come to Church or to pray, either spending time to pray in this group or that group, either spending time for each other in a relationship or with the children in the family, or spending time to help others in need, or providing a listening ear to those who are stressed, have we done all these with love, the burning desire of our heart? Or we might do it with an expectance of return of favor or recognition. In our giving, have we given selflessly or purposely? In our giving, have we given with love or with an intention?

A priest once shared a true story. He came to visit a parishioner’s house. After the dinner, the man gave him a box of three lobsters and reminded the priest saying, “Father, the box has three lobsters.” “You give it to me right?” the priest asked. “The first lobster,” the man said, “is to pray for my wife’s deceased parents. The second one is to pray for my family, and the third one is to pray for my intention. I intend that you give back the box to me.”

In giving portrayed in these two widows, we are reminded of a special love that Jesus modeled for us that we called agape, the supreme love, the sacrificial love offered unconditionally that is mentioned in today’s second reading that St. Paul tells us how Jesus, as the High Priest of the New Testament, surrendered himself totally and unconditionally, as a sacrificial offering for our sins—a sacrifice far beyond the sacrifices made by the two poor widows. Is it possible to love without giving? The total self-giving is exemplified supremely in Christ, who loved us and gave himself up for us, what have we done to deserve the love that the Lord has for us?

Through the offerings of these two widows, has the Lord looked at their intentions, their offerings, or both? These two widows offered to the Lord everything they had, detached from everything they had, what have we detached in following the Lord Jesus? Three theological virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love, which one drives these two widows to act generously with all that they have if it’s not love? Or rather, it is all these three virtues that are kneaded together to make a strong robe for them to climb up to be caught in God’s eyes? How do we live our Christian life based on these three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love? The decision is yours.

Vocation Week

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 20:45:00 GMT

VOCATIONS

In any vocation, it’s either the vocation to the priesthood or religious life, a vocation of married life or single life, we are all called to be equipped and converted. If one is a priest or religious brother or religious sister, one thinks that he or she is already equipped and does not need a conversion each day, wrong. If one chooses to live a married life or a single life and believes that he or she is already equipped for that life without the need for conversion to be the child of God each day, one is deceived oneself. In any vocation, it is a call to be equipped and converted.

A young man was born into a poor family, he always wanted to liberate himself from poverty so he studied hard and worked hard just to get out of poverty. At the time he thought being a priest was the only easiest way and quick way to be a priest and rich, so he decided to pursue the priesthood. Of course, his life was focused on earthly materials even in his priestly life. In one of his listening confessions, a farmer came to confess his sins. As soon as the priest began to talk to the farmer after his confession, the farmer refused to listen to him and left. The priest came out and told him to come back because he hadn’t given him absolution. The farmer turned around and said that the priest didn’t truly live his vocation to the priesthood. He lived two faces. From this experience, the priest, Father Vincent de Paul, had a conversion to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. Now, he is the patron of the poor.

What are we doing here in this walk of life when the Lord Jesus once said that the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few? Our young men and ladies, what is your goal in life at this moment? To be rich? To have a better living condition? To have a family of your own? To be able to pursue your own dream? To do whatever you want to do? Whatever you have aimed your life at this moment, lock yourself in a quiet room for ten minutes and ask God what he would want you to be. Take it seriously, and he will reveal it to you. Then come and talk to me as soon as possible. You are earnestly invited to consider.

31th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 20:00:05 GMT

What is Love for You?

From my Bulletin Column

Some years ago, there was a mass shooting in a Synagogue Church in Pittsburgh, PA. This gunman took away the innocent lives of eleven people and six others injured. This gunman contaminated the fresh love air that the faithful came to breathe by firing the bullet of hatred. It is not about what is love but where is it that love breathes the fresh air of love for survival.

As a refugee, I came to seek freedom in a blessed land called America, I thank God and this country for allowing me and many other refugees to have a chance to breathe this freedom air. Is it all about freedom in this blessed land, I asked myself. In searching for the answer, the words on the dollar bills that captured my attention saying, “In God We Trust.” Perhaps, in God, we find the true freedom that we all breathe and share. Therefore, what is not in God will contaminate the air that we all share and breathe. So then, what is not in God?

“ Deus caritas est ” or “God is Love,” an encyclical in 2005 written by Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. By the title alone, one can say that without God, there is no love; and without love, there is no God. In addition, all the laws of the Catholic Church condense into the two great commandments given by the Lord Jesus Christ reported in today’s Gospel saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. [and] You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It is very clear then to love the Lord with all one’s whole human being and to love the neighbor as oneself is nothing more than LOVE itself.

To hurt our neighbor is not of love, and what is not of love is not of God. If we cannot love our neighbor whom we can see and experience with our five senses, how can we love God whom we cannot even see nor experience with our five senses? To learn to love God, then, to learn to love one another first; and to learn to know God is to learn to love. The first step in learning to love is to let go of what is hatred and anger toward others. Is there any anger and hatred that we might hold against someone we know or love? What is love for you? The decision is yours.

All Saints' Day

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 20:15:00 GMT

Sanctity of the Saints--Know It and Live It

Joke: A Sunday school teacher asked his class, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven? “NO!” they all answered. “If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?” Again, the answer was, “NO!” Again the teacher asked, “Well, then, if I were kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?” Again, they all answered, "NO!" “Well, then how can I get into Heaven?” A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!”

“You gotta be dead!” Perhaps, it is our understanding that we need to be dead to be united with the Lord in heaven with all the saints and the heavenly host. Is it so? In all of today’s scripture readings, the Church invites us to examine the lives of the saints to see how they get sanctified to be saints. Is it when they know Christ and live a life of Christ? How do they know Christ and live the life of Christ if it’s not through the legacy, the Beatitudes that he left for us reported in today’s Gospel?

Some years ago, a wealthy Frenchman by the name of Count Alfred de Pierre-court left his entire fortune of $2 million to pay for the growing of giants. The courts upheld the will to the extent of allowing one-fourth of the estate, $500,000, to be used for this experiment. The city officials of Rouen, France, were to search the world for men and women of large stature, pair them off in couples, and place them in homes near Rouen. The experiment failed in a few years. More than 2,000 years ago, the greatest person who ever walked this earth left a legacy to produce, not physical giants, but spiritual giants; not people who were big in body, but people who were big in soul. We just read His will in today’s Gospel, the famous Sermon on the Mount which gives us the formula for making spiritual giants. We call this program the Eight Beatitudes, the eight ways to inherit the Kingdom of God. Saints, the Church celebrates today, are those who responded to God’s invitation by living out these Beatitudes. Their lives are not only about spreading the Word of God but about living a heroic life.

A story tells that there is a Buddhist monk who lives a famous spiritual life. On his working desk, he places a little coffin, a casket, about 2 feet long with a slide coffin cover. People come to visit him, and some, out of curiosity, often ask him about that coffin, he says that people live up to the day that they have to die; and when they die, they have to lie in a casket. What usually surprises me is that we often focus our lives on material goods and powers such as big houses, fancy cars, high education, good food, high position at work, a good reputation in business, and so on, and we don’t pay attention to our death, the time of departing from this earthly life. Each time, when I run into struggle, stress, or am unsuccessful in what I want it to be, I often hold the casket up, stare at it for a while, and then find myself at peace again. We often try to achieve what we want to achieve in our lives that somehow we ignore such as ignoring to follow the beatitudes. This happens, perhaps, because we don’t think of the moment the Lord comes to ask us to leave this earthly life. When we have to face a serious illness or even a sudden death, it might be too late then, and when we die, what can we bring with us into the casket? Death will be a scary moment when we still have a lot of things to accomplish. On the contrary, when we meditate on death every day, death might become a good friend, a companion with us on a journey toward the end. It might help us to get rid of our stress, anxiety, and boring walk of life. More than that, the wise man is the one who aims his life toward the end. Our end is nothing but to be united with the Lord, with his angels and all the Saints in heaven by following the Beatitudes.

Let’s take some time this week to ask the Lord to increase our faith, hope, and love to have the strength and courage to bring that beatitude alive in our lives. Only those who are still alive need to have the increase of faith, hope, and love. When we die, there will be no faith, but hope and love since we are dead, but hope that the living ones pray for us, to intercede for us, to soon enjoy the heavenly Kingdom. When we are with the Lord in heaven, there will be no faith, nor hope, but love alone together with the Lord, the heavenly hosts, and all the saints. So, what have we aimed our life in this walk of life? Have we aimed it toward inheriting the kingdom of God? What helps us to aim our lives toward the heavenly kingdom if it’s not the legacy that the Lord Jesus left for us, the Beatitudes? The decision is yours.

30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 20:00:00 GMT

What Do We Ask of God to Do For Us?

Joke: A cab driver at the pearly gates is invited to take a silken robe and a golden staff with him into heaven. A preacher next in line is offered only a rough robe and a wooden staff. Astonished, the minister argues, “But I’m a minister! You gave that cab driver a gold staff and a silk robe. Surely I rate higher than that.” Saint Peter responds matter-of-factly: “Here we are interested in results,” he says. “When you preached, people slept. When that cabbie drove his taxi, people prayed.”

A taxi driver appears to be of a lower standard than the preacher, but his action, which we are not encouraged to do since it’s just a joke, speaks louder than his title that he is vested with a silk robe and carries a gold staff. The blind man, in today’s Gospel, is considered a beggar, a sinner, and an outcast of society, however, his action of calling out to the Lord Jesus with his simple and ordinary voice, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me?” A humbled acknowledgment of the need for God to restore his sight regardless of what he might hear throughout his blindness. He might hear a lot of things about Jesus as well, and surely he does not know that Jesus is God. That’s why he calls out, “Jesus, son of David” instead of Jesus, son of God, have pity on me. He asked to be able to see. Not only to be able to see with his physical eyes but also his spiritual eyes as well. What have we asked of God on our spiritual journey here on earth? Have we had anything to ask of God? What we ask of God is a process of conversion that we are invited to examine in all of today’s readings.

In today’s Gospel, why did Saint Mark describe that “on hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,” the blind man, Bartimaeus, began to cry out and said, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me?” It’s simply because hearing was the only possible sense that could help him to get in touch with reality and to know about Jesus. This crying out to God was a humble acknowledgment of the need for God and an initiative act of conversion responded to an initial hearing and learning about Jesus. Any true act of conversion always begins with a sense of being touched by the Lord that a person experiences through the five senses of human beings such as seeing, touching, smelling, tasting, or hearing.

This process of conversion didn’t stop at the experience of one of the five senses, in particular the sense of hearing described in today’s Gospel, but it moved Bartimaeus beyond the sensible experience to the next step which was to have a moment of conversation. The question that Jesus raised, “What do you want me to do for you” in the crowd, Bartimaeus answered saying, “Master, I want to see.” Why didn’t Bartimaeus just reply: I want to see or make me see, or just do something so that I can see then I can tell who you are, but Master, I want to see? With deep faith in the Lord Jesus which is already deep-rooted in him through hearing and learning about Jesus, he dares to call on Jesus to have pity on him and to heal his blindness by addressing Jesus, master, before asking him for restoration of his sight.

Just as darkness covered the eyes of the blind man to recognize Jesus as Master until Jesus turned to him to open the eyes of his faith, have we encountered Jesus’ presence in our lives? In encountering the presence of Jesus, the blind man responded, “Master, I want to see!” Ignoring people who rebuked him, telling him to be silent, have we ever had the courage to overcome all the obstacles that this world might block our vision to recognize the presence of the Lord in our lives? Have we had the kind of faith like Bartimaeus, the blind man, to have the courage to call out to God and to ignore the popularities of degrading human values that go against the Lord’s teaching? Just as Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak when Jesus called on him, have we had that kind of readiness to follow Jesus, to throw away our worries, anxieties, stress, or anything else to come to him and to allow him to touch us and to heal us from any brokenness of life? When we come to him in prayers and at Mass, have we acknowledged that we are human beings, He is our God, and believe that he will grant us what we ask of him with a deep faith like Bartimaeus.

Listening to people, especially students, helps me open my eyes to examine my ministry to the people that I am entrusted to care for in my priesthood. One time, one student came to me and shared that she didn’t know how to confess because she had never been in the confession before nor received her first Communion. In a retreat, one of the coordinators insisted she come up for Communion and said to her that it was okay to receive Communion even though she never received her first Communion. This made me ponder, is it really okay? She seemed okay. After receiving Communion without understanding or prior education about the Sacrament, she was still alive, still healthy, and everything else okay in front of my physical eyes. The question is who is responsible for that? Another student once said that she once thought about committing suicide. Yet, she was still alive, still healthy, and everything else okay to come to talk to me. The question again who is responsible for that? Still, another student came and told me that she could not forgive her stepfather. Parents, grandparents, and those in charge of teaching and helping our children what do we ask of God? Perhaps, we do not need to ask of God for our healthy physical eyes, but have we ever asked of God to open our spiritual eyes to follow His teaching and the Church’s teaching? Or what do we ask of God?

Just as the blind and the lame were God’s concern in today’s first reading, the blind man is also Jesus’ concern, and absolutely, Jesus might be more concerned with our modern blindness, the blindness of ignoring His teaching, ignoring the Church’s teaching, and ignoring to teach and guide our children because of our busy life. Just as Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak when the Lord Jesus called him, have we been willing to put aside our busy living to spend time with our children, to teach them, and to guide them in a society where moral values seem to degrade such as abortion allowed, same-sex union permitted, gun control allowed, and many other destructions are allowed? Bartimaeus’ meeting with Jesus opened up his spiritual blindness as well as his physical blindness, in meeting the Lord Jesus in our prayers, especially in the Eucharistic celebrations when we receive the Body of the Lord Jesus, have we received any gift from him, especially the gift of spiritual sight? If not, what would we have to do? Bartimaeus became Jesus’ disciple after he was healed from his blindness, what would we do when we have received blessing after blessing? Have we ever been inspired to serve in any ministry we have here at Saint Paul the Apostle? You might not have a problem believing in Jesus, but have you lived your faith in professing the followers of Jesus Christ? We have been reminded of the words of Saint James that faith without work is dead, how do you put your faith into action? The decision is yours.

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Unconditional Humble Servant

Joke: Tom’s wife was screaming at him, “Leave! Get out of this house!!’ she ordered. As he was walking out the door she yelled, “I hope you die a slow and painful death!” he turned around and replied, “So, now you want me to stay?”

In his homily for the opening of the year of faith in our diocese, Bishop Mulvey stressed faith which is like the two sides of a coin: One side is always the unknown which is that we do not know nor understand; and the other side of it is to let go of oneself, to abandon oneself. We are invited to look at the person of Jesus Christ whose will is the will of the Father, and his self-abandonment is his total acceptance in obedience to God the Father even to the point of death, death on the cross. So, the faith that Jesus taught us is not only following the will of the Father but also living out that will as he invited us in today’s Gospel to serve our brothers and sisters with love and humble service if we wanted to be great among our brothers and sisters.

In all the services, it is either the service to the country, to the Church, to the community, to one another, to your spouse, or even to your children, we are all called to have a humble heart of service to follow the model of our Lord Jesus that Saint Mark repeated the teaching of Jesus to his disciples reported in today’s Gospel saying, “whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Humanity is called to humility. How does humanity have a heart of humility? Do we have to serve in militaries to serve the country? Do we have to be involved in many activities in the Church to serve the Church? If we can be involved in many activities in the Church, we should and ought to. Do we have to be this person or that person to be a servant to others? In all today’s readings, the Church invites humanity to turn to humility to have a humble heart of service to others.

In today’s first reading, Prophet Isaiah shows us how the promised Messiah would save mankind by sacrificing himself as the atonement for our sins when he said, “If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.” Jesus did this sacrificial service of love for us as the Suffering Servant by offering his life on the cross as an offering for our sins, interceding for us, and taking our punishment on himself. The moment that he humbly vested in himself our human flesh, he accepted his sacrifice for the sake of the salvation of the whole human race. His last whispering to God the Father on his last breath on the cross, “ Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani ?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46) Had God the Father abandoned him or was his will to choose to die for the sake of the salvation of humanity? Jesus did die on the cross for our sins, therefore, we don’t need to do anything, just enjoy and we will inherit the kingdom of God. Is it so? I hope it is so, but it’s not so.

Listen to Saint Paul reported in today’s second reading, he reminded the Hebrew community and every one of us that, as God, Jesus vested in himself our very human flesh to become a man like all of us, except sin; and to be a mediator, the High Priest, who is sympathized with our weaknesses and to offer a fitting sacrifice to God the Father by offering himself as ransom to liberate us from the slavery of sin. Jesus liberated us from the slavery of sin, but it didn’t mean that we did not sin. We do sin, and when we habitually give in to temptations, we will become slaves to sins. In Jesus’ time, a ransom was the price paid to free someone from slavery. Sometimes, the ransomer had to offer himself or herself as a substitute for the slave. Recalling in the book of Genesis, the story of Jacob with two wives, Leah and Rachel, both are the daughters of Laban. Jacob loved Rachel because of her shape and her beauty so he agreed to work for Laban for seven years to marry Rachel. However, on the night of his wedding, Laban tricked him and gave him his other daughter Leah instead of Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel so much that he would not mind staying for seven more years to work for Laban to have Rachel. Jacob was a ransomer who worked free for fourteen years to have Rachel whom he loved; Jesus, as a ransomer, loved us so much that he even bent his back and his knees to wash the feet of his disciples. Not only bent down from his divinity to vest on himself our humanity, but he also bent his head down when he was nailed on the cross to surrender himself completely in obedience to God the Father because of his great love for us. He sacrificed himself as a ransom to wash away our original sins and to show us the way to the Father. His sacrificial offering in his humanity invites us to humility.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus explained how he accomplished his mission of saving mankind from the slavery of sin by becoming the “Suffering Servant.” This suffering servant is accomplished through a single act of humility. Here, Jesus challenged his followers and challenged us to become great by serving others with a sacrificial love of humility when he said, “Whoever wishes to be great must be a servant.” Jesus commanded us to liberate others as he freed all of us, by rendering them love and humble service. He came to show us the way of doing service to our brothers and sisters with humility. How do we follow his model of doing service to others? There are at least two possible ways of doing service to others that we often ought to choose either doing service to others with a condition or doing service to others without any condition. Have we come to serve one another with a condition entailed or do we come to serve one another without any condition attached? Jesus unconditionally sacrificed himself to become a humble servant to save us from the slavery of sin, how would we become a humble servant in following the Lord Jesus to bring peace, happiness, and joy to others? A humble servant sacrifices unconditionally for others to be great among all. Your decision is a request.

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 20:00:00 GMT

The True Possessions of the Heat

Joke: The parish church was badly in need of repair. So the pastor called a special meeting to raise funds. At the assembly, the pastor explained the need for an emergency fund for plastering the roof and supporting pillars and for carrying out other items of repair. He invited the congregation to pledge contributions. After a brief pause, Mr. Murphy, the richest man in the parish, volunteered to give fifty dollars. Just as he sat down, a hunk of plaster fell from the ceiling on his head. He jumped up, looked terribly startled, and said: “I meant to say five hundred dollars.” The congregation stood silent and stunned. Then a lone voice cried out from the back: “Oh Lord, hit him again!”

In all today’s readings, the Church puts together not to discourage those who are rich to help the Church, the Church is always welcome the help. However, the Church invites us to learn to detach what is so attached to us in following the Lord Jesus. The detachment that the Lord Jesus invites us is not necessarily the material possessions, but what is so attached to us, the Lord Jesus invites us to detach from them to follow him. What does that mean if it’s not to depend on the Lord in good times or in bad, in health or sickness, and all things, we are invited to lean on the Lord, to come to seek wisdom and guidance and to acknowledge the need for God in our life?

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Wisdom, the author tries to help us understand that all good things come to us, riches and wealth that we are possessed obtained under the guidance of wisdom when he says, “All good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.” What is wisdom and how are we able to recognize and listen to the wisdom guiding us in our life?

It is very clear that it is not a matter of the mind, the ability to think and to reason with the mind only, but it is rather the ability to listen and reflect of the heart in following the guidance of wisdom that Saint Paul beautifully describes in today’s second reading saying that the Word of the Lord, the wisdom of the Lord is “able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” The heart can discern and reflect on the words of wisdom. These discerning and reflecting of the heart are guided by wisdom in pursuing the eternal life that in today’s Gospel, Saint Mark repeats the teaching of the Lord Jesus to a young man saying, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The young man was so attached to his material possessions that somehow shut the ability of the heart to discern and to reflect on the words of Jesus that he couldn’t detach from his material possessions.

The question the young man presented to the Lord Jesus was, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.” Had this question come from the mind or the heart? The “What” question requests an answer for the subject that the curious mind would want to know, but the “how” question, how must I do to inherit eternal life, would provide the way to follow and achieve the end. This is the discerning and reflecting of the heart, not the mind, to detach what is so attached to the young man. Our Blessed Virgin Mary responded to the invitation of the angel to be the mother of God saying, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (Lk 1:34) In pondering and reflecting, Mary asked for the way to achieve the end when she was put in the confusion of the mind. The angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). Through reflecting and discerning in her whole life on the words of Wisdom that she believed in the words of the angel and asked for a way to achieve. The young man, on the other hand, memorized and observed all the commandments using the wonderful mind that God granted him, but he failed to discern and reflect on the meaning of the words that he couldn’t detach from what he possessed. The young man had everything, and he looked for more, to inherit the kingdom of God. Does it sound like he’s so greedy and didn’t know what he was looking for? Is it greedy a story of more than two thousand years ago? Have you and I ever been greedy in our lives? If we can drive a $30,000 vehicle and put only $10 in the collection basket a week, have we been greedy? If we can live in a house of $200,000 and put only $20 in the collection basket a week, have we been greedy? If we put money away in saving for this walk of life, what would we save for eternal life? We work hard for a better living condition is nothing wrong with it, but how would we inherit the kingdom of God after this walk of life? Do we have to come to follow the Lord Jesus to inherit the kingdom of heaven? Not really. Jesus says very clearly to the young man, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” He didn’t say, Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, then come and follow me, and you will have the treasure in heaven. The moment that we detach what is so attached to us in this world and share that with those who are in need, the moment that we inherit the kingdom of God, and do not need to follow the Lord Jesus to inherit the kingdom that we often think that we have to come and to follow the Lord Jesus to inherit the kingdom of God. Is it easy to detach what is so attached to us in this world? After the young man left, Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Or rather, how difficult it is for those who are so attached to this world to inherit the kingdom of God.

The young man left when Jesus asked him to sell what he had to give to the poor to inherit the kingdom of God, is that a wise choice? Perhaps, we are invited to detach what is so attached to us on our spiritual journey here on earth, but have we made a wise choice? Is there another way when we cannot detach what is so attached to us to inherit the kingdom of God? Why didn’t Jesus tell the young man to sell all that he had to offer to the Church rather than give it to the poor? To inherit the kingdom of God is to share what we have with others, especially those who are in need, or to give it to the Church, to be involved in a lot of activities in the Church, to participate in many organizations of the Church? “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” What is this treasure? Can we experience this treasure here on this earth when we detach what is so attached to us? The treasure in heaven that we might be able to experience right here and right now on this earth is peace. Have you and I found peace in ourselves in following the Lord Jesus in this walk of life? The decision is yours.

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 20:00:00 GMT

How to Love One Another?

Joke: Three men died and went to heaven. Upon their arrival, St. Peter asked the first one if he had been faithful to his wife while on earth. The man admitted to having two affairs during his marriage. St. Peter told him that he could receive only a compact car to drive in heaven. St. Peter asked the second man with same question, the man admitted that he had only one affair. St. Peter gave him a mid-size car to drive. The third man came, with the same question, the man admitted that he had no affair from the day of his marriage until he died. St. Peter was impressed and gave him a luxury car. A week later, three men were driving around, and they stopped at the red light. The men in the compact and mid-size cars turned to see the man in the luxury car crying, they asked, “What’s the matter?” The man said, “I just passed my wife, and she was on a skateboard.”

Catholic bishops of America, forty years ago, specially designated the first Sunday of October as a “Respect Life Sunday.” Throughout October, Catholics of America are called in a special way to reflect on the gift of human life, the threats against it, and how we can protect all people from conception to natural death. Together with respecting for life, the Church puts together all today’s readings to remind us of the true meaning of the vocation to marriage life when the Lord Jesus himself reminds us of God’s intention right from the beginning of creation, the creation of Adam and Eve saying, “from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” Someone might ask, how come we have the annulment, the declaration-of-marriage-nullity process, in the Catholic Church? Not only that, Pope Francis once encouraged bishops of America to speed up the process of annulment to two months instead of one year. He also encouraged them to make this process free instead of over $300 cost. The pope encouraged all the bishops of the United States to implement his new reform not to encourage people to divorce and to have annulment, but rather, he recognized the mercy and the forgiveness that the Lord had for his people, he would like to extend that mercy and forgiveness, and at the same time, still strictly maintained the Catholic doctrine on marriage and indissolubility that meant “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

In this teaching that St. Mark repeats in today’s Gospel, the Catholic Church still holds strictly her doctrine on marriage and its indissolubility. Moses allowed the Israelites to divorce, but Jesus did not, why? It’s just simply because marriage between a man and a woman has been blessed by the Lord right from the beginning of creation, and what the Lord has joined, no one can separate. “The two of them become one flesh,” as mentioned in today’s first reading taken from the book of Genesis and was repeated by the Lord Jesus himself in today’s Gospel.

Have you ever wondered why the Church blesses the rings that the couple exchange with each other at the Sacrament of Matrimony? The blessed rings that they exchanged with each other put on their wedding finger. We normally have ten fingers on our two hands. These ten fingers symbolize the close people involved in our lives. Two thumbs are our parents. Two index fingers are our siblings. The little fingers symbolize our children. The index finger symbolizes our spouse and the middle fingers, I don’t have to explain. If we put these ten fingers together, the middle fingers are the highest. This means our natural human inclination is self-center and ego. However, when we learn to humble ourselves to lower the middle fingers down, we will see everybody around us. The two index fingers, we have no problem to open them alone. The same with the two thumbs, then the two little fingers alone except the two wedding fingers. One cannot open these two wedding fingers alone. In other words, they become one. The moment the couple exchanges their rings, they are invited to become one flesh. To become one, they are invited to learn to put up with one another, to sacrifice for one another, to acknowledge the need for one another, and to truly love one another in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health to always love each other.

Both the first reading and the Gospel describe the indissolubility of a union between a man and a woman, the two become one flesh. The question is how can the two become one flesh when there are two different personalities, two different anatomy structures, two different lifestyles brought up in two different families, and many other differences? When they come together, they are invited to become one flesh, how?

These two become one is revealed through the Person of Jesus Christ who is God himself, lowers himself to the point of even lower than the angels, described in today’s second reading, to be a spouse for the Church. This sacrificial love for us is a perfect model of becoming one flesh with us and for us, especially his great sacrifice for the Church revealed on the cross. The fruit of this great sacrifice is for our salvation. The question for us then: How can we, our married couples, become one flesh as the Lord invites us? Can this becoming one flesh exist without the sacrificial love for one another? To give up one’s interests and to fulfill his or her spouse’s interests? To love each other without any condition? To accept children openly with God’s grace and help? And above all, to respect for the dignity of human beings from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death? Love and life are bound together just as the two wheels of a bicycle one cannot exist without the other to form a bicycle. Where love exists, life also exists. Just as no one can separate what God has united, no one can separate love and life. We are all invited to live this walk of life following Jesus’ teaching and the Church’s teaching. The decision is yours.

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 20:00:01 GMT

Faith Might Cause Differences, But Lor Always Unites

Joke: A pastor was talking with a member of his Church. “You know,” the pastor said, “I wish I had ten members just like you.” “Really?” the parishioner responded. “I’m a little surprised to hear you say that. I realize that I often complain about your preaching, hardly give anything in the offering, and haven’t volunteered my time for any of our ministries. Why would you want ten people just like me?” “Like I said,” the pastor replied, “I wish I had ten members like you. The problem is: I have fifty!”

Unlike the pastor who had fifty members which he wished to have only ten, Jesus had not only fifty, but he had many fifties of those who opposed to his teaching nor followed him. Look at our modern-day, some people go against the Lord Jesus and His teachings. Very close to us, on our dollar bills, there is an inscription on the dollar bills with the words, “In God we trust.” How do we trust God? By allowing abortion? By allowing to end a person's life because of a criminal act or because of a difficult illness and sickness that doctors have already given up?

Recalling one anointing Mass at an assisted living facility, a man kept saying bad words very loudly during the Mass. What amazed me was, that even though he hated the Catholic Church somehow, he always stood at a distance to yell and to curse. At that moment, I believed a miracle happened. Why did I say miracle? The man was only ten feet away, he could come and interrupt the anointing Mass easily, but why did he always keep it at a distance? There might be some forces to stop him from entering, what I called, a holy ground, even though it was not a consecrated place, even though the altar was a dining table which is never consecrated by the bishop, even though the space was not sacred. The man could curse, yell, could use unkind words toward the Church, and yet, the Lord didn’t permit him to approach any nearer. He still allowed him to breathe the air that he created, to see others with the light that he created, and many other good things that the man himself couldn’t bring into this world. Remember the scene that Moses encountered where the burning bush was burning but not consuming reported in the book of Exodus. When Moses saw the bush burning but not consuming, he decided to come closer to check it out. God said to him, “Do not come near! Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand, is holy ground” (Ex 3:5). The man, even though he hated Catholicism was in his right mind or not, he couldn’t get closer because it was holy ground. He could curse, yell, and use unkind words toward the Church, and yet, the Lord still allowed him to breathe the air that he created, to see others with the light that he created, and many other good things that the man himself cannot bring into this world.

This is exactly his indescribable love, his marvelous love bestows to the whole human race including those who do not belong to him, Jesus still sought out them and allowed them to use his name which was reported beautifully in today’s Gospel. Saint Mark repeats the words of Jesus saying, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Saint Paul, in his letter to the Philippian community, taught them saying, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Many people, ourselves included, use his name when we call ourselves Christians bearing the name of Christ, but what have we done in using the name of Jesus Christ?

Why is it that Jesus’ disciples, particularly John, one of the only three apostles who were chosen to experience the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus, turned out to get mad when they saw others who did not belong to the group using Jesus’ name to prophesize and perhaps, to do some good deeds? Is it because of jealousy? The jealousy that Joshua, Moses’ aid and the son of Nun, came to Moses and complained to him, reported in today’s first reading written in the book of Number saying, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” The reason that Joshua got mad with these two men, perhaps, unlike the other 70 elders who go out of the tent to receive the Spirit of prophecy, these two men stay back in the tent and prophesize using God’s name. Moses replies to Joshua saying, “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!” Or “Are you jealous for my sake?” as Moses said to Joshua. Jealousy might not be a story of more than two thousand years ago, but it might still happen in our modern days.

Jesus, his firm teaching described in today’s Gospel, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” If we have to cut off whatever causes us to sin nowadays, heaven might have all those who are missing some human parts. Well, the point is not about losing our physical parts when we sin against the Lord, but it is about our whole being losing in touch with God, losing our union with God, and losing our soul, the very core of our being in the Gehenna.

In the name of Jesus, we might have no problem believing in him, but have we loved one another? Faith might cause differences among us, but love always unites us together. Demonstrate your love towards others, and they will know how much faith you have in the Lord Jesus. In the name of Jesus, we are invited to love one another, even though he or she does not share the same faith with us. In the name of Jesus, we are invited to make Christ present in our Christian life by doing good deeds and spreading the Good News to others. In the name of Jesus, we are invited to sacrifice in following the Lord Jesus, even though at the moment we might have to be tough with our children, that we might have to correct our spouse for his or her misbehavior, or that we might have to step out of our comfort zone to help others so to be Christ for others. We might be all familiar with all these, but the questions are: What actions would we take to make Christ present in our spiritual journey? How would we deliver these actions to make Christ present in our lives? The decision is yours.

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 20:00:00 GMT

New Way of Life

Joke: A man was driving down the street in a lather because he had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking space. Looking up to heaven, he said, “Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking space, I promise to go to Church every Sunday for the rest of my life and give up swearing.” Miraculously, a spot opened right in front of the building. The man looked up and said, “Never mind, I found one.”

Last weekend, Jesus rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me Satan,” because his thinking was not God’s thinking. Today, he taught his disciples and every one of us a new way of life. What is his new way of life? Have we ever put on ourselves a new life of Christ every time we profess ourselves that we are Christians, the followers of Christ? What is a new way of life in Christ? The Church puts together all of today’s readings to help us to reflect on these questions.

In today’s first reading, the author of the book of Wisdom describes the just one, the righteousness, as the one who “sets himself against [people’s] doings, reproaches [them] for transgressions of the law and charges [them] with violations of [their] training.” They said one thing, but they did others. No doubt that Jesus said to the people, do not do what the scribes and the Pharisees doing, but follow what they teach. They taught people God’s laws and commandments on one hand, but they oppressed the widows and the infants on the other. They taught people God’s laws and commandments, but they neglected the poor and the sick. They placed themselves on the honor seats of the synagogue, but they placed burdens on others. Make no mistake when Matthew reported in his writing the teaching of the Lord Jesus towards the Scribes and the Pharisees saying, “Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice” (Mt 23:3). Is it a story of more than two thousand years? Or is it a story of our time as well? Have you and I ever said one thing, then do something else opposite to what we said?

When the communists took over the country of Vietnam in 1975, they oppressed people. Vietnam officially named the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Independence-Freedom-Happiness. Was there freedom when the government took away what belonged to the people, and they empty promised with their words to return? Were there happiness when the government took away people’s properties with their force, and when they returned, they returned not what they took, but very little value of what they took? Was there such independence that many people died during their escape because of the oppression from the government? The government said one thing and did the others so badly that there was a saying, “Do not believe in what communists say but believe in what they do.” They said good things and promised many good deeds, but they delivered with an empty show. Perhaps, they followed what the scribes and the Pharisees did to the people of Israel that the Lord time after time continuously condemned their rotten hearts filled with evil desires.

We are living in this blessed land. Has the way of life of the scribe and the Pharisees still occurred in our modern day? People mistreat others with unkind words and unkind deeds. Some doctors use the name of mercy and compassion to help a patient end his or her suffering from illness and sickness by injection to allow the person to die quietly. On the dollar bill inscribed In God We Trust, but we allow abortion which God never allows. We use the name of the individual right of a person to take away a life that has no chance to defend his or her right when he or she is still in the womb of the mother. The question is: What caused them, the Pharisees and the Scribes and all those who said one thing but did something else?

It is the jealousy and the selfish ambition that Saint James puts it so well in today’s second reading saying, “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there [are] disorder and every foul practice.” The scribes and the Pharisees didn’t want to lose their seats in the synagogue and the seats of honor that they willed to teach people one way and to do another. Their selfishness earned their seats of honor in the synagogue but cost them the words of condemnation from the Lord Jesus saying, “Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees” repeated several times from the mouth of the Lord Jesus towards the Pharisees and the Scribes to condemn them of their false practices. Their jealousy and selfishness blocked their mind, their heart, and their soul from listening to Jesus to change their way of life. Is it a story of more than two thousand years ago? Or is it a story of all times when we allow jealousy and selfish dominate and direct our lives? How would we overcome the jealousy and the selfish ambition? Practicing what are constancy and sincerity of what Saint James said, “Peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits,” might then help us overcome what is jealousy and selfishness. Saint James also powerfully reminded us that we can only sow peace when we cultivate peace. We cannot sow peace when we do not cultivate peace, nor do we say one thing and do the other. So, how would we live a truthful life both in our words and in our deeds?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus taught his disciples and to every one of us a new way of life to overcome what is called jealousy and selfishness by a single act of humility. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” How did Jesus demonstrate what he taught his disciples? He called his disciples friends. He sat at the same table with his disciples, and he even washed his disciples’ feet as a servant. He gave up himself to the soldiers for the safety of his disciples. He allowed his disciples to sleep, while he was alone praying. He took sorrow and pain alone on himself to be nailed on the cross, while he allowed his disciples to plea from being captured. He prayed to God the Father to protect his disciples, while Jesus himself was completely obedient to God the Father even at the point of death on the cross.

Have you and I ever been jealous and selfish with anyone? What caused us to be jealous and selfish towards others? How would you and I understand the word humility? Placing a child amid his disciples, Jesus said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Humility to acknowledge the need for one another regardless of rich or poor, good or bad, holy or not, authority or not, clergy or layperson. When we do something for a rich person or someone with high respect in society, we might do it out of selfishness. However, if we do something good for a poor or a neglected person in society, we might do it not because of selfishness but because of humility. How would you overcome jealousy and selfishness? Have you tried humility? The decision is yours.

24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 20:00:00 GMT

No Pain, No Gain!

Joke: "A woman had bought a new dress which was very expensive. Her husband asked why she had been so extravagant. She replied, "The Devil made me do it." "Well," the husband asked, "Why didn't you say 'Get thee behind me, Satan!'" "I did," explained the wife, "But he said it looked as good in back as it did in front. So I bought it."

"Get behind me, Satan!" It is a rebuke not only to Peter but to every one of us when we do not think as God thinks. How do we feel as God thinks and not be tempted by the devil? How do we recognize God's will in following him?

To answer these questions, we are reminded that God is always present in our lives. He strongly invites us to follow Him, not for our glory, but for God's glory. These are portrayed throughout all of today's readings.

In Jesus' time, people were confused when they were asked who Jesus was, and they responded, as reported in today's Gospel, saying, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." Does it sound confusing? Is Jesus John the Baptist? No, he is Elijah. No, he is just one of the prophets. Why were they so confused? After 2000 years, have we overcome this confusion? Who do we think Jesus is? Just as Peter acclaims that he is Christ, the Son of God, why do we divide ourselves? We have Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Episcopalian, Methodist, Anglican, Mormon, etc. What confuses? People were confused that Jesus was John the Baptist, it might be because John the Baptist was the voice to call for repentance, and so Jesus was.

He was Elijah, the prophet of the almighty deed. He performed great miracles, so Jesus was. Jesus changed water into wine. He healed the sick, cured the disease, and even raised the dead back to life again. People were confused that Jesus was one of the prophets with a great prophetic voice to call for repentance. What confused me if it's not that they did not get along with each other? This is precisely why Christianity has so many denominations nowadays, even though there is only one God. It's simply because we do not get along with one another. How do we get along to show God's glory in our lives if it's not to follow the Lord Jesus?

Jesus invites us in today's Gospel, saying, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, & follow me." Jesus says very clearly that whoever wishes to come after him. Whoever wishes is a voluntary act, not forced by anyone, not caused by any power of this world, but it is each and everyone's own decision. It is our own free will to choose to follow him. In our decision to follow the Lord Jesus, he invites us to come after him, not ahead of him because we are wise, we are holy, we are better than anybody else, none of these. Rather, we are invited to acknowledge the need for God in our lives to come after him. This acknowledgment requires an open ear when the prophet Isaiah puts it so well in today's first reading, saying, "The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced." How can the Lord open our ears to let us hear when we distance ourselves from him? When we close our hearts and do not let him touch us? What is it that we might distance ourselves from God and close our hearts to recognize him? Let's look at the cross. There are two lines on the cross, the vertical line, and the horizontal line. The horizontal line symbolizes our relationship with one another, and the vertical line illustrates our relationship with the Lord. When we struggle with one another in our own families, communities it leads to a distancing between The Lord and us vertically; in other words, that vertical line is broken, then that horizontal line, that relationship with one another begins to collapse because there is no Jesus in the middle to hold that horizontal line or to hold us and to restore our relationship with one another. When we have a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line, the Lord Jesus will make himself visible to hold us up on that horizontal line and to help us restore our relationship with one another.

How can we build up our relationship with the Lord on that vertical line of the cross? Can we stand at the foot of the cross and be afraid to approach God or deny the presence of God in suffering and challenges? Can we stand at the foot of the cross and say that we have faith in God and don't even bother to come to Church to reconcile with God on that vertical line, even though we face this dangerous pandemic? Saint James reminds us so well in today's second reading, saying, "What good is it, my brothers and sisters if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" "Faith of itself," he says, "if it does not have works, is dead." If we cannot deny ourselves to come to our brothers and sisters, especially when they are in need, our faith will be meaningless. We might not be able to approach the heart of Jesus, who, in his wisdom, chose to die in the middle of the cross for the sake of our salvation.

Of course, to deny ourselves, to go out of ourselves to come to our brothers and sisters might cause us pain and hurt, might cause us freedom and comfort, might cause us separation from our loved ones and others. It might even cost us our own lives, and the Lord Jesus strongly invites us to carry our cross.

Jesus rebukes Peter, "Get behind me, Satan," when Peter thinks that he knows, how can we humble ourselves to acknowledge the needs of God in our lives? In following the Lord Jesus, especially when we bear the name of Christ, how can we bring Christ to others when we have difficulty following the Lord's teaching and the Church's teaching, especially when we have to face hardship and challenges in carrying our cross following Jesus? How can we find peace and joy carrying our cross to follow the Lord Jesus that might cause us pain and suffering, sadness and sorrow, struggle and challenge, and it might even cost us our own life? The decision is yours.

23th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 20:00:00 GMT

The Extension of The Healing Hands of Jesus

Have you ever been in a silent retreat? A silent retreat is not an unfamiliar term for seminarians studying for the priesthood. In silent retreat, we are often asked not to bring any electronic device like a computer, laptop, or iPhone. We are often asked not to bring any homework or schoolwork with us. Since it is a silent retreat, there is no talking or any media interference. Even though we do not verbally speak out loud nor listen to any media, our minds are still busy with all kinds of activities. In the silent retreat, we are asked to silence ourselves to experience the presence of God even in the single breath we take in. Some of us find it very difficult to engage in a week of silent retreat.

Why is that difficult to engage in a week of silent retreat? Our mind is like a highway and for some is like a freeway with a high volume of traffic. To clear this traffic, it has to have an exit. When all the exits are media, communicating, watching, etc., these are all blocked creating a jam in our mind if we cannot focus on freeing this jam by emptying ourselves and completely relaxing. Once we are fully emptied and relaxed, it is then where we experience the presence of God. When we pause for a moment or take a little break during our daily activity, we will find nourishment and energy for the rest of the day. God is always present in our lives, but are we present to him?

In today’s Gospel, a deaf man who had a speech impediment was brought to the Lord Jesus. Through his touch, the man’s ears opened to hear, and his tongue with a speech impediment was removed. Jesus healed his deafness and speech impediment. His deafness and his speech impediment were dismissed because he engaged in Jesus’ presence and allowed the Lord Jesus to touch him. Have you and I ever engaged in the presence of the Lord while we are attending Mass or attentively praying together with others in a community? Have you engaged or participated in the Eucharistic celebration and the prayer in your attending Mass and any prayer group? What is it that might distract you from engaging in the Mass or the prayer? Is it a person, a thing, or what? Can you deal with that person, thing, or whatever it is after Mass or after the prayer? Just as a deaf man who had a speech impediment engaged himself totally in the presence of the Lord that he was healed, have you and I been able to engage ourselves totally in the celebration of the Mass and our prayer? Have you and I needed a healing hand of God? The decision is yours.

22th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Conflicts

Joke: A cab driver reaches the Pearly Gates and announces his presence to St. Peter, who looks him up in his Big Book. Upon reading the entry for the cabby, St. Peter invites him to take a silk robe and a golden staff and to proceed into Heaven. A preacher is next in line behind the cabby and has been watching these proceedings with interest. He announces himself to St. Peter. Upon scanning the preacher's entry in the Big Book, St. Peter furrows his brow and says, "Okay, we'll let you in, but take that cotton robe and wooden staff." The preacher is astonished and replies, "But I am a clergy. You gave that cab driver a golden staff and a silk robe. Surely, I rate higher than a cabby." St. Peter responded matter-of-factly: "Here we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. When the cabby drove his taxi, people prayed."

In all today’s readings, the Church puts together to help us examine ourselves how do we follow and observe God’s laws? Is there any conflict between our words and our actions? Have our words and actions followed God’s will?

In today’s Gospel, from the lips of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus repeated the words of his prophesy saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” The Scribes studied the law and taught it, while the full job of the Pharisees was to impose it on the people. They did it so well that they often had an honored seat in the synagogue, and people greeted them with high respect on the streets. Their appearances earned their respect, but in their hearts, Jesus accused them saying, “You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” They worshipped the Lord with their lips, but their hearts were far away from worshiping Him. The question is what is it in the heart and not in the actions that Jesus criticized? Listen to the words of Jesus teaching us in today’s Gospel, “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” Why is that the heart or rather the inner being? The heart, we might say, is what brings life to our human being. Without a heart, one cannot have life because it pumps blood to all parts of the body. It is a hub for transporting blood throughout the whole body.

We all can hear with our ears, to see with our eyes together with other senses of our being because the heart continues to pump the blood to nurture all parts of this body to bring all these senses into being. However, what is that that directs our eyes, for example, to see what to see and not see what ought not to see if it’s not what we call the inner being, our soul? The inner being is what triggers the delivery of actions that are either good actions or bad. The inner being tells the eyes, oh that stuff is bad, don’t watch, but temptation sometimes is so great that our inner being falls into the temptation to watch what ought not to watch. This inner being is what Jesus invites us to pay attention to. People might hear, but they might not observe because the inner being is either sick, numb, or dead. This is exactly why Moses in today’s first reading instructed the Israelites saying, “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land.” The laws that Moses taught them were not just for listening or hearing, but to observe. In observing the laws, Moses clearly said, “In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.” Someone might say, that the laws of Moses were many, not counting the Ten Commandments that the Lord instructed him to deliver to the people, but Jesus gave us only two laws, is that adding or subtracting or what? It is not adding nor subtracting, but rather, the Lord Jesus condensed these laws into two laws. According to the laws of Moses, for example, when the wife had wrinkles on her face (sorry ladies,) the husband had a right to divorce her. The Lord Jesus teaches us to love, love unconditionally. “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.” Those of you who are living in marriage life should remember this phrase when you exchanged your vow and your rings at the matrimony celebration. So, not that when you have wrinkles on your face, he will divorce you, but he will love you all the days of his life. Our inner being fails to direct our actions to follow the Lord’s teaching. What then makes our inner being fail to direct our actions according to God’s teaching?

If we can only hear or listen to God’s words or his teaching, it’s done no good to us. However, if we practice observing God’s commandments, not just reciting but doing that Saint James beautifully explains in today’s second reading saying, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.” How do we act on the Word of God? Saint James teaches us saying, “to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” It is the act of charity for oneself and others, especially to those who are in need, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. What is exactly the act of charity when there is no one around us as an orphan or widow in their affliction? How do we isolate ourselves unstained from this world with all kinds of attractions?

The act of charity is when we are kind and nice to those we meet at work, in school, at Church, at home, or even on the street; when we extend our help even though our bodies ached and pain; when you are kind and nice to your spouse and your children at home; and when you are kind and nice to one another at home, you are a peacemaker at your own home. If each individual in the family is a peacemaker, the whole family will be at peace. If each family lives in peace, the whole world will be at peace. Christ, the prince of peace, is truly present in our lives. Is it called the act of charity when we have no problem helping others but family, especially the one who hurts us? Why is it that our children have no problem listening to their friends and being influenced by their peers but have difficulty listening and to respect to their parents? What is the act of charity if it’s not rooted truly in the inner being guided by the Holy Spirit and delivered into actions? Just as Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile,” how would we conform our inner being to God’s will and deliver our actions into peace and joy if it’s not to be constantly conscious and aware of our words and actions? All our actions shall be sound when our inner being, our soul, is conformed to God’s will and guided by the Holy Spirit. Is there any conflict among God’s will for you with your inner being and your actions? The decision is yours.

21th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 20:00:00 GMT

The Words of Eternal Life—Spoken & Unspoken Words

Joke: A climber fell off a cliff. As he tumbled down into a deep gorge he grabbed hold of a branch of a small tree. “Help” he shouted. “Is there anyone up there?” A deep majestic voice from the sky echoed through the gorge. “I will help you, my son. But first, you must have faith in me.” “All right, all right, I trust you,” answered the man. The voice replied, “Let go of the branch.” There was a long pause and the man shouted again, “Is there anyone else up there?”

In our spiritual journey, sometimes we wonder and question: Are there other gods besides our God? Especially, when we have to face difficulty after difficulty, struggle after struggle. In all today’s readings, the Church helps us to focus our attention on Peter’s response to the Lord Jesus saying: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” More than ever before, these words should be in our minds and on our lips often, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” What might help us understand is: What are the words of eternal life? Words: There are two kinds of words: It is either called the unspoken words or the spoken words. The unspoken words are like symbols, pictures, the look of our spouse, the gesture of our children in trying to hide something from us, etc. The spoken words are what we can hear with our ears sometimes is soft, other times is bitter, and still others is filled with anger and frustration. Jesus speaks to the people not only in the spoken words but also in the unspoken words.

Today’s Gospel is a continuation of last weekend’s Gospel, the Bread of Life Discourse. Verses before today’s verses in chapter six of John, Jesus said to the Jews and his disciples that he is the Bread of Life that comes down from heaven “Whoever eat my flesh and drink my blood will have eternal life.” These were the spoken words speaking directly to Jesus’ disciples and those who were present. Had they believed in these spoken words of Jesus? Listen to their response reported in today’s Gospel, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” They left Jesus including some of Jesus’ disciples. Is it the story of more than two thousand years? No, it is still the story of our time. If you are, Jesus, the Son of God, you cannot give us your Body and your Blood as food and drink. This is exactly why, there are so many religions that believe in God, but not in the Holy Eucharist. The Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ, the true sacrifice of the Son of God on the Cross, they rejected and the words of eternal life they refused to listen, why is that? Perhaps, it is their hardened heart that Jesus time after time reminds them. This hardened heart blocks their mind, heart, and soul from believing that Jesus Christ is God, the Son of God, and not just a human being, a son of Mary and Joseph. The spoken words of Jesus now become the written words, the unspoken words for us, have we come to believe in the words of eternal life, the spoken words and the unspoken words?

In today’s first reading, Joshua gathers the Israelites and asks them to decide what God they follow. They all say, “The LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed.” Excellent answer. Some people listened to the spoken words of God through the unspoken words of God which are the actions of leading them out of the land of Egypt, out of state of slavery. However, if that same question is presented to us today, “What God do we follow?” How would we respond? Some of us might think that as long as we believe in the Lord, we should be saved. Therefore, we don’t need to go to Church. As long as we read Scripture and don’t do any harm to anyone, we should be saved. They might use verses here and there from the Scriptures so well like: “Faith in Jesus even saves us from condemnation” (Rom 8:1), “Whoever believes in him, will not be disappointed” (1 Pt 2:6), “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). These are a few quotes from the Scripture, but Scripture contents the whole human salvation history from the beginning to the end, from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation so that we cannot dissect or pick out a piece from this place or that place and speak for the whole human salvation history of the whole Scripture. One cannot say that he or she is a follower of Jesus Christ, a Catholic, by saying I believe in God; or I read the Scripture, or I pray, and that’s enough for my salvation. Is it so? Believe in God, read the scripture, or pray, they are all good, but is it enough for our salvation? How do we understand the words spoken by the first pope, Simon Peter, when he responds to the Lord Jesus saying, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”?

To help us understand the words of Simon Peter, Saint Paul, in today’s second reading, encourages us to pay attention to the word: Subordinate. Within eleven verses of chapter five, we see the verb “subordinate” repeated four times. What does it mean to subordinate? Does it mean to believe in God without participating in the life of the Church? Does it mean to pray by ourselves without knowing there is a need for our prayer for those within our community when we do not participate in the life of the Church? Does it mean to read the Bible without receiving the Body and the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to nurture our souls and to bring us everlasting life? Jesus, to whom shall we follow? You have the Words of Eternal Life, the unspoken words—the ultimate sacrifice on the Cross and the everlasting food and drink of your Body and Blood for our salvation, and the spoken words—the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church. Brothers and sisters, the decision to listen to the Words of Eternal life and to live the Words of Eternal life is yours.

20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 17 Aug 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood to Remain in Me

Joke: A pastor was riding his horse, and he stopped to chat with a member of his parish. “That’s a handsome-looking animal you have there,” said the parishioner. “But why is it that your horse is so big and strong and you are so thin?” “Perhaps,” replied the pastor, “it is because I feed the horse and the congregation feeds me.”

It is very striking when Jesus said to the crowds, reported in today’s Gospel, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” To eat the flesh and drink the blood of the son of man? How is it possible? At his last supper with his disciples, we learn from reading the Scriptures, “Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” These words and actions repeat at every Mass, and we do it in remembrance of him.

At every Mass, after laying his hands to consecrate the bread and wine, the priest acted in the person of Christ and said his words, “He himself took bread, and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.’ In the same manner with the cup, “He took the chalice, and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying, ‘Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.’” Each time we come together to participate in the Mass is each time we are reminded that we celebrate in memory of the Lord Jesus because of the love that he gave us his body and blood for the life within us.

Jesus said very clearly that when we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we will have life within. What does it mean if it’s not his flesh and his blood that nurture our soul within us? When we eat his flesh and drink his blood in the Eucharist, we remain in him and he is in us. This is what Jesus promised those who eat his flesh and drink his blood. Do u believe it? How is it possible?

In today’s second reading, taken from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesian Community, Saint Paul reminds them and us saying, “Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity because the days are evil.” Why did Saint Paul say the days are evil? Didn’t God create everything good that we learn in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis? The days are evil might be preferred to the day of judgment which is coming soon. It is either private or universal. It is private because each one of us, no matter who we are and what we are, we still have to depart from this earthly life. This is our private judgment. The universal judgment is at the end of the world. God will come to judge everyone according to his deeds. So, how do we live not as foolish but as wise? Saint Paul teaches, “Do not continue in ignorance but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” What is the will of the Lord? It is not ours. Then, how do we understand the will of God? Learn to spend time to give thanks to God in prayers and reflections, not ignore and use other means such as wine and debauchery. In all we do, we do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. When we do what Saint Paul taught, we live as wise not as foolish.

When we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we welcome the whole person of Christ into our lives, the Second Person in the Most Holy Trinity. When we receive Communion, it is not that we receive a piece of bread and drink a sip of wine, but it is a meeting with the Second Person in the Most Holy Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Finally, to eat his flesh and drink his blood so we can remain in him and he is in us, how can this be? “Only love,” Saint Basil once stated. Saint Basil defines a kiss is to breathe the soul into the other. Talking about love is talking about faith. Faith is not a matter, but what is deep within us. Love has to take root in faith to remain in Christ. Only Love that Christ died for us, and only love, we are invited to come to eat his flesh and drink his blood for eternal life. The decision is yours.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 17:00:01 GMT

The Faithful Virgin Was Lifted Up Into Heaven Both Body and Soul

Joke: Sophia and Hannah are discussing the best ways to make their young sons finish their meals. Sophia says, “As an Italian mother, I put on a fierce look and say to Primo, ‘If you don’t finish your meal, I’m going to kill you.’ It works most of the time.” “Well, as a Jewish mother, I look at my Isaac in his eyes and say, ‘If you don’t eat the meal, I’ve slaved over all day, I’m going to kill myself.’ It works every time.”

The first woman, Eve, closed the gate of heaven because of her disobedience. Our Blessed Virgin Mary opens up because of her total faith in the Lord that today the whole Church solemnly honors her taken up to heaven both body and soul. Today, the church solemnly celebrates the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary that Saint Luke beautifully describes a prayerful and humble woman with deep faith and total trust in the Lord that she is most worthy to be lifted up into heaven both body and soul.

Mary set out and traveled in haste to the town of Judah when she heard the angel of the Lord announced to her that her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant with a child. Why did she set out and travel in haste to come visit her cousin? When did the angel come to her during day time or day dream or night dream? The angel came to Mary in a dream. Experts said that sometimes, dreams come true or tell of a future event, it is most likely due to coincidence. In other words, it is a blind faith that one believes it comes true. Blind faith sounds like believing without understanding. Faith and understanding, Saint Pope John Paul II once wrote a book title, Fidet et Ratio, in which he compared faith and understanding are like the two wings of a bird that one cannot rise to the truth when one of the wings is injured or broken. Mary believed in the words of the angel was not a blind faith that she went in haste to visit her cousin. In order to have this kind of faith and understanding, Mary must have a prayerful life that she understood and believed in the words of the angel even in her dream.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb. The infant leaped in the womb of Elizabeth was not because of the presence of Mary, his future aunt, but because Mary brought the future Savior to him or introduce the Savior to him that later John the Baptist introduced the Savior to the whole human race.

The greeting of Mary to Elizabeth was filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit overwhelmed Elizabeth that she cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” A beautiful description of the exchanging greeting occurred between the two ladies. How did Elizabeth know Mary carried the future Savior in her womb? In today’s Gospel, Elizabeth said that she knew that Mary carried the future Savior in her womb because of at the moment of the greeting of Mary reached to her ears, the infant in her womb leaped for joy. Had Mary come to visit Elizabeth simply because she was her cousin pregnant at her old age and needed help? It was more than that. Mary came to visit her because the child that Elizabeth carried in her womb would be the forerunner who would baptize her son with water to reveal the three Persons in the Most Holy Trinity at Jesus’ baptism. By saying “yes” to the angel to be the Mother of God, Mary introduced the Son of God and God himself to the humanity. Just as Mary saw the needs of her cousin Elizabeth that she came to help her, have we ever needed Mary to intercede for us in our life? Just as Elizabeth opened up her door to allow Mary to bring the Prince of Peace to her house, are we willingly to open our hearts to allow Mary to come into our house, the temple of the Holy Spirit to help us in any brokenness or difficulties of life? How do we open our hearts to let her come in if we don’t listen to the Word of God, don’t allow the Word of God to sink into our being, and don’t want to live his teaching and the Church teaching? Can we just have faith in the Lord Jesus and that is it? How awesome it is that the Lord allowed us to come to receive him into our lives every time we receive Communion? Each time we receive Communion is each time we invite Jesus to come into our house, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Why should we let him come into our house if it’s not first to be blessed by his presence and second to allow him to nurture our soul, our inner being for the eternal life.

The Magnificat that Mary said to Elizabeth is worth for us to remember, to meditate, and to live out our call to be human beings with all limitations and weaknesses that our Creator has a special love for us to bring us into the existence.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Just as Mary is lifted up into heaven because of her prayerful life with a deep faith and a total trust in the Lord, we are invited to develop a prayerful life by prayers and participating in the life of the Church by attending Mass and other activities of the Church and to learn to balance our faith and understanding through learning to listen the Word of the Lord, to allow the Word of God to sink into our being, to come more often to receive him at Mass, and to have courage and strength to live out the Word of God. The decision is yours.

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Eating the Flesh of Jesus for Eternal Life

Joke: Joe and Bill met on a street corner. When Joe said he sure was glad to see his friend, Bill answered, “How can you see me when I’m not here? I’ll bet u $10; I can prove it.” “You’re going to bet me $10 you’re not here? Okay, it’s a bet. Go ahead and prove it.” “Am I in Chicago?” “Nope.” “Am I in New York?” Joe answered emphatically, “No.” “Well, if I’m not in Chicago and I’m not in New York that means I’m in some other place, right?” “That’s right.” “Well, if I’m in some other place, I cannot be here. I’ll take that $10.” “How can I give you money if you’re not here?”

Today’s Gospel is a continuation of the last two weekends’ Gospel on the Bread of Life Discourse that Saint John beautifully wrote down for us. We have learned from chapter six, the Jews came to Jesus not because of the sign that Jesus performed to feed five thousand men not counting women and children, but because they were fed. In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven” which caused the Jews to question, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Regardless of what Jesus did to them, they only saw him as a man of his human origin. To their hardened hearts to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and God himself, Jesus responded saying, “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.” By pointing out how the Lord fed the Jews quarreling hungry in the desert, Jesus reminded them that he was the Bread that came down from heaven to satisfy the hunger for eternal life. Jesus identified himself as the Bread of Life that came down from heaven and whoever ate this bread will live forever. Eating bread for our physical beings is understandable, but eating the flesh of Christ how can that be? What does it mean to eat the Body of Christ? To be fed by the Bread of Life for eternal life?

Medical News Today in 2020 reported an article, How long can you survive without food? According to this article, “Without them [eating meats], [our body] will start to break down its own tissue to use as food. Starvation affects all of the body's systems and processes. It is difficult to determine how long someone can go without food, but experts believe that it is between one and two months. Doctors strongly advise against starvation diets.” What about any type of meat? Can we live without eating any meat or products of animal such as milk and cheese? Or can we live by eating meat alone? The answer is yes, but it would be better if we could balance a mixture of meat and vegetables for health and well-being. Since eating is a part of our human natural need and God created all these animals and plants for us to dominate, we ought to use all of what God gave it to us. How importance it is to eat either with meat or without meat to sustain our physical body. Jesus, the Son of God and God himself saw how important it is that he comes to us in our human flesh and gives that flesh in the Most Holy Eucharist to nurture us for eternal life. As we eat any food that will be digested into small particles and transformed into blood to nurture our physical body, the Bread of Life, the Most Holy Eucharist that we receive at Mass will be broken down into particles to transform into blood to nurture our soul for eternal life. Just as blood, is the life stream for the human body, so the blood of Christ is the life stream for our soul. Just as food and drink become the bloodstream to nurture our physical body, so the Body and Blood of Christ in the most Holy Eucharist become the bloodstream to nurture our soul. Have you believed in this Bread of Life, the Most Holy Eucharist?

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds the Ephesians community and to every one of us saying, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.” What is the day of redemption if it’s not the day the Lord Jesus Christ offered himself up on the cross for the sake of our salvation? We should not doubt but believe and come to this Bread of Life more often to avoid “any bitterness,” Saint Paul says, “fury, anger, shouting, and reviling, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” If we truly believe in Christ and come to the Bread of Life, he will help us to overcome what is called bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling, along with all malice. And of course, when we are kind to one another, compassionate, and forgiving one another as God has forgiven us in Christ, the Bread of Life will sustain us for eternal life. In other words, when we learn to be kind to one another, compassionate, and forgive one another, we truly practice one of the two great commandments that the Lord Jesus taught us, “To love God and to love one another.” So, what is it to do with the Bread of Life, and how would we consume the Bread of Life for eternal life?

The Bread of Life gives us eternal life, and to come to the Bread of Life requires us first and foremost to believe in the Bread of Life, the Most Holy Eucharist. It is not to believe alone, but to take an active act by coming to receive the Body and the Blood of Divinity, Christ himself in the Most Holy Eucharist. The question is, are we worthy to receive Christ into our lives? None of us is worthy, but in actively coming to receive Christ, he will help us to become more like him just as one holy saint used to say that we become what we eat. None of us is worthy to come to receive Christ into our lives that is why before we even come up for Communion, we ask God to forgive us many times. Right from the beginning of the Mass, we say together the penitential act, to confess our sins to the Almighty God, and the priest even gives us the absolution saying, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.” In the Our Father, we ask God to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Not finished, when the priest breaks the host and places that little bit of the host into the chalice saying, “May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it,” we all say, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us,” not once but three times. Before we come up to receive Communion, we even say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” The acknowledgment of unworthiness to receive Christ. Why do we do all these if it’s not that we believe in the Eucharist, the presence of Christ in the bread and the wine after the consecration? What should we do and how should we prepare to receive Christ, the Bread of Life for eternal life? The decision is yours.

18th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Food for an Everlasting Life

Joke: Late have I come for the heavenly banquet. An elderly couple, having been married for almost sixty years, died in a car crash. They had been in good health for the previous ten years mainly due to the wife’s interest in healthy food and exercise. When they reached the pearly gates, Saint Peter took them to their mansion which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite, Jacuzzi, and lavish buffet breakfast. "How much can we eat" asked the old man. "Don't you understand" Peter replied. "This is Heaven, it's all free!" After a sumptuous breakfast, the old couple went to the clubhouse of Heaven’s extensive golf grounds and saw the lavish buffet lunch. "Where are the low-fat and low-cholesterol tables" the old man asked timidly. Peter replied, "That's the best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick. This is Heaven." The old man looked at his wife angrily and said, "This is all your fault. If it weren't for your bran muffins and sugar-free diet, I could have been here ten years ago!"

Perhaps, the life of this elderly couple was driven and determined by eating healthy food and doing exercise so that they reached to heaven late. In all of today’s readings, we are invited to redirect our lives to focus on the food that gives us everlasting life. The questions are: What and how should we live our lives that through receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we shall have an everlasting life?

In today’s first reading, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron that the Lord heard and instructed Moses saying, “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not.” Remember what happens to Adam and Eve when God put them into the garden, “They shall eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden.” As described in the book of Genesis, “It is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat or even touch it, lest you die.’” God gave, and he also asked. He gave people mana from heaven to fill their hunger, but he asked them to go out and gather their daily portion, just enough for each individual or family. Perhaps, they wanted to save for the next day and days followed and didn’t follow God’s instruction. Perhaps, we too, ask God not only for our daily bread but for extra days and years to come. Look at our society. Isn’t that we get paid weekly, biweekly, or monthly unless we work for a private contract, we might get paid daily. However, we rarely get paid daily. Perhaps, we might have difficulty dealing with our daily wage because we cannot control it.

In today’s Gospel, there are two questions that people ask Jesus, perhaps these are the questions that we ask the Lord too, especially when we pray and pray and haven’t received what we ask for. They ask Jesus, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?” Has Jesus answered these questions? He answers these questions not by showing them the signs that he has no problem performing, but he tells them directly what he can do and do much greater sign than any other signs he has done saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Have they believed in what Jesus said? (Listen to the Gospel next weekend.) The question is why have they had difficulty believing in Jesus, the Son of God, and the Bread of life? In the middle of today’s Gospel, Jesus answers them after they ask him when he has arrived saying, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not b/c you saw signs but b/c you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Have we ever been conscious of what are we working for or even praying for in our life?

A man who ruled boxing between the years 1919 to the year 1926, Jack Demsey. After a champion boxing fight, Jack couldn’t fall asleep till 2:00 AM. He woke up an hour after falling asleep caused he thought that he lost the fight in his dream. Since he couldn’t sleep, he went to town to get the newspapers to see what people said about him and so to calm him down. After reading the news, Jack finally learns that his championship brings him no taste, joy, or peace that he used to dream of before. Have we ever experienced what Jack Demsey experienced? We spend all our efforts, time, talent, and maybe our treasure too, for a purpose of life, and when we achieve what we dream of, work for, and spend all our energy, health, and everything we have for it, in the end, we still find ourselves empty and no peace. Isn’t that because like Jesus said and warned us in today’s Gospel, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you?” Jesus encourages us to come to him for eternal life, and Saint Paul in today’s second reading invites us saying, “Put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.” Only in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ we can live a life of truth and just, peace and joy. What have you based your life on truth and justice, peace and joy in this walk of life? The decision is yours.

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Nothing Is Impossible With God

Joke: A little boy got into a heated argument with his sister about who’s going to get the last brownie. His mom overheard this discussion and came in to try to resolve the fuss. Her two children, both extremely upset, each wanted that last brownie. So sensing the opportunity to teach a deeper spiritual truth, the mother looked at her children and asked that very relevant question "What would Jesus do?" The little boy immediately answered saying, "That's easy. Jesus would just break that brownie and make it 5,000 more."

Of course, Jesus would make that brownie into 5,000 more, but perhaps, with these 5,000 more, these two children might not be able to consume all. It is 5,000 people, not including women and children, hungry for food, and Jesus fed them with five loaves of bread and two fish. To turn that one brownie into 5,000 to feed only two greedy children is already impossible for a mother, to turn that five loaves and two fish to feed not two people, but 5,000 people is more impossible for human beings, but for Jesus, it is not impossible. Why is that what seems impossible for us is possible for God?

Today’s Gospel, in fact, in the next few weekends’ Gospel readings, focuses on the “Bread of Life Discourse” taken from the Gospel of John. We will have a chance to understand more about the bread of life, the Eucharist, and the central nurturing of our souls. However, today’s first reading and the Gospel reading, focus on what is impossible for us is possible for God. Diving into this insight, we might want to ask ourselves how we live our Christian life after we are fed with God’s Word, His Body, and His Blood each time we come to participate in the Mass. (We are reminded to fast at least one hour before we come up to receive Communion.)

Today’s first reading, taken from the second book of Kings, describes a man who brought to Elisha, the man of God, twenty barley loaves made from the first fruits and fresh grain in the ear that Elisha told his servant saying “Give it to the people to eat.” He didn’t keep them for himself, but he asked his servant to share with those who were hungry. His servant objected saying, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” Perhaps, twenty barley loaves would not be enough to feed a hundred people. However, Elisha insisted and believed in the Word of God saying to him, “They shall eat and there shall be some left over.” They all ate and collected some leftovers. Just one act of faith in the Lord to share with others what he had, what seemed impossible for us, Elisha demonstrated that was possible for God.

In today’s Gospel, Andrew, one of Jesus’ disciples, noticed that there was a boy who had five loaves of bread and two fish, but he said to Jesus, “What good are these for so many?” Just as Elisha fed a hundred people with only twenty loaves of bread, Jesus, the Son of God, fed five thousand men, not including women and children, with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Where are these five loaves of bread and two fish, if it’s not from the little boy? Why is it a little boy and not an adult? Does he eat all of that himself? Has he come from a wealthy family that he has more than what he needs? (Some priests and even theologians explain this passage by saying that people, including Jesus’ disciples, hoarded or hided bread under their robes. Since Jesus has a skill of great preaching, they slowly pull them out and share. This is not true. Pay attention to the words of today’s Gospel, “Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.” Jesus himself distributes the bread and the fish, nobody else.

What is impossible for us is possible for God also reminds us of Mary's question to Gabriel “How will this be” to be conceived and bear a child since she does not have a relationship with a man, and not talking about knowing the man. To this wonder, Mary received the answer saying: “Nothing is impossible for God.” This saying “yes” of Mary to surrender to the will of God does not only save a hundred people, 5,000 men, but the whole human race. The question then, how are we able to believe that Jesus is not only a man but also God who can bring what is impossible to become possible for us on our spiritual journey here on earth? The decision is yours.

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 20:00:00 GMT

16 ^th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Joke: Joke: One Sunday Mass as the priest was giving his homily, a baby in the front row suddenly started crying loudly. The mother did her best to pacify the child but nothing worked. So finally she got up and started to walk down the aisle to take the baby into the crying room. The priest stopped his preaching, and very compassionately called out to the mother, "That's OK! You don't have to leave. The child isn't disturbing me." The young woman turned around and said, "No, pardon me Father, but you're disturbing my child!"

Your preaching disturbs my child. Many times I have to reflect on myself, am I preaching or feeding the faithful with the Word of God? Saint Mark captured an awesome picture reported in today’s Gospel a scene, “When Jesus disembarked the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” Move with pity, Jesus taught the people. Perhaps, preaching ought to come from the heart of compassion and mercy towards those whom we preach. What does it mean to have a heart of mercy and compassion towards those whom we preach? Can we have the heart of compassion and mercy of beating our chest and feel sorry without moving a finger to do anything? The words at our diaconate ordination that Bishop said to us, “Believe what you read; Teach what you believe; and practice what you teach.” If we just believe and preach or talk whatever it is, it would be no problem. But to practice what one teaches and believes is much more difficult. If we just believe and talk about our faith and don’t practice what we believe, our faith is meaningless. Saint James expressed in his writing, “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). Our preaching, our faith, our sharing Bible, and our learning the Word of God will become meaningless, if we cannot put it into action or to live it.

On Tuesday, I went to HEB for groceries as usual once a week. I saw a car with emergency lights blinking right on Waldron Road outside of our neighboring Christian church. I saw people one after another passing through to the other side and continued moving. I did the same, but then I turned around to offer my help because the lady seemed to be in distress when I passed her. When I got closer, I saw another lady come in and they began to take off as if the car was nothing wrong with it. It was either my eyes deceived me or the lady failed to park in the parking lot right next to her instead of parking her car in the middle of the road. Faith is not only about believing and talking about it, but it’s far more important than that is to live it.

Evangelization is not only about preaching and talking about faith, but it is to live it. In today’s first reading, prophet Jeremiah reminds us what the shepherds’ responsibility is to gather the flock and to bring justice and mercy to the flock. They do not “mislead and scatter the flock.” They are not the ones who scattered the sheep and drove them away and did not care for them. The flock shall be “no longer fear and tremble,” when the shepherds do “what is just and right in the land.” Evangelization for the shepherds in the Old Testament is to gather the flock together, to care for the flock, and to do what is justice and right for the people they are shepherding and not simply preach and talk about it.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus Christ identified himself as the true Shepherd who had compassion and mercy toward his flock when he saw them on foot to come to him. When Jesus and his disciples were tired from doing ministry to people, and after he dismissed his disciples to go to rest as Saint Mark described, he told his disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Rest when we are tired is a natural human need that being human beings we cannot avoid. Jesus himself recognized that he needed rest as well as his disciples you recalled with me in the Scriptures that Jesus rested on many occasions. For instance, when Jesus’ disciples went out to the town to get something to eat, he rested at the well. While he rested, a Samaritan woman came to draw water at the well. He asked her for a drink. The heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was still with his people even at his rest. Today’s Gospel describes that “His heart was moved with pity for [the people], for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” The good shepherd who has a heart of compassion and mercy towards his people. Have only priests and religious brothers and sisters been called to be shepherds or rather, each one of us, through our baptism, is called to be a shepherd? So, how can we be a shepherd, a good one, in shepherding those around us?

Shepherding, as Jesus invites us, by uniting ourselves to be one flock, to do justice and right for each other, and to care for others and not only for ourselves, and above all to help those who are in need. Just as Jesus Christ, a good model of the true Shepherd, who is always present with his people to cure their sickness, heal their disease, and even raise the dead back to life again, we are invited to be good shepherds. He gathers his flock together by shedding his blood as Saint Paul describes in today’s second reading, “You who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.” Jesus’ new way of evangelization to shepherd his people is to bring peace to all people as Saint Paul continues in his letter to the Ephesians community that Jesus “came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” It is through Jesus Christ, that we have access to the new way of evangelization that we are all called to share to preach the message of peace, justice, and right to one another.

Jesus’ evangelization has preached only one message throughout his life, from the moment of his birth to the moment of resurrection from the dead, PEACE. So, let us take some time this week to examine ourselves to see how we would evangelize in following the Lord Jesus. Would we evangelize by having faith in him alone, by learning and preaching the Word of God only, or by a combination of faith, learning, preaching, and living the Word of God? How would we bring God’s message to come alive in our daily lives? Here are a few suggestions: We help those who are around us like families members and friends at home, at work, and in school; to provide a listening ear to those who are in need; to be supportive of those who need our support; to pray for those who need our prayer; especially to bring peace to people around us and those whom we come into contact each day. The decision is yours.

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Choices and Needs

Joke: “Liberation theology” of obesity: And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so man and woman would live long and healthy lives. And Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to man, "You want fries with that?" And Man said, "Super-size them." And Man gained pounds. And God created the healthful yogurt, so that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. And Satan brought forth chocolate. And the woman gained pounds. And God said, "Try My crispy fresh salad." And Satan brought forth ice cream. And the woman gained pounds. And God said, "I have sent you heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them." And Satan brought forth a chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And man gained pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof. And the man went into cardiac arrest. And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And Satan created HMOs.

In this battle between God and Satan among those choices and needs, in all of today’s readings, we are reminded of what choices we need to take and what we need to bring on our spiritual journey here on earth.

In today’s first reading, prophet Amos responded to Amaziah, a priest of Bethel saying, “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesize to my people Israel.” Does Amos know anything about giving homily like what priests and deacons do today? Has he gone through nine years of study in seminary for priests and six years for permanent deacons before he can go out and preach? No, and no. The Lord didn’t physically take Amos away from being a shepherd and a dresser, but rather, he encouraged him that He was always with him to prophesy to his people Israel.

Not only did prophet Amos experience the need for God in his life as a prophet, but Paul also experienced this that in today’s second reading, written to the Ephesian community, Paul testified that his redemption and his forgiveness of transgressions only in Christ, when he said, “In him, [Christ], we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.” Both Amos and Paul chose to follow the Lord because they experienced the need for God in their lives.

In today’s Gospel, Saint Mark reminds us that for those who chose to follow Christ, he instructed them to have total faith in the Lord by taking with them nothing but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They went out to preach repentance, to drive out many demons, not to condemn. They also went out to anoint the sick and to cure the sick with their kind words and good deeds, not to neglect the sick.

In choosing to follow the Lord Jesus, he sent them out two by two. Why did Jesus send them out two by two if it’s not to help and to support one another on their journey of preaching the message of repentance? Why did Jesus ask them to bring what was less than the human basic needs, no food, no sack, no money, but a walking stick, if it’s not to teach them to depend on the Lord rather than on themselves? Have we followed the Lord by putting our total faith and trust in him? Have we depended our lives on our own needs or God? In choosing to follow the Lord in this walk of life, what would you need to bring with you?

There are at least three human needs that we might want to examine ourselves. First, it is our human natural needs such as eating, drinking, sleeping, clothing, housing, medicine for headaches, flu or treatable illness, vacation, etc. These are the needs that we all need to survive and achieve happiness in this life to live well and to avoid sickness. The question is: Has Jesus invited us to leave all these human natural needs behind or rather to try to sacrifice these natural needs to experience the need for God? He invites us to eliminate as much as possible from our human natural needs, but please, do not give up your medicines which are prescribed for your illness or sickness, and do not give up on your psychological treatment for your depression, or any other sickness and illness that your doctor prescribed. What we are encouraged to do with our human natural needs is in our physical healthy stage to try to moderate or to sacrifice these needs to understand the need for God on our spiritual journey here on earth. Second, it is our human natural need but not necessary to have such as changing meals to have a different taste at each meal, changing clothes, changing the temperature for air conditioning during summer and more heat during winter, changing to a more expensive and cool style of automobile to make one looks cooler from the appearance, or taking a cruise vacation every year & so on, we might need all these to make our lives easier, enjoyable and happier so that our human growth can be balanced physically and mentally. However, the Lord Jesus invites us today to try to detach all these to share with those who are in need and to experience the need for God in our lives. Thirdly and finally, no human natural needs are necessary to have such as ego, pride, rich, power, pleasure, you name it Jesus invites us to sacrifice or to learn to detach, so once again, to experience the need for God. As the Lord Jesus stripped off himself from his divine creature to vest on himself our human flesh to be with us, have we learned to strip off or to detach any non-human natural needs or even any of human natural needs to experience the need for God? Has there been anything that is so attached to us that we might have difficulty detaching to experience the need for God? The decision is yours.

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Ezekiel, Paul, Jesus--Doers of God’s Will

Joke: A cab driver reaches the Pearly Gates and announces his presence to St. Peter, who looks him up in his Big Book. Upon reading the entry for the cabby, St. Peter invites him to grab a silk robe and a golden staff and to proceed into Heaven. A preacher is next in line behind the cabby and has been watching these proceedings with interest. He announces himself to St. Peter. Upon scanning the preacher's entry in the Big Book, St. Peter furrows his brow and says, "Okay, we'll let you in, but take that cotton robe and wooden staff." The preacher is astonished and replies, "But I am a man of the cloth. You gave that cab driver a golden staff and a silk robe. Surely, I rate higher than a cabby." St. Peter responded matter-of-factly: "Here we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. When the cabby drove his taxi, people prayed."

Three doers of God’s will come to their senses and follow God’s will to live, preach, and even die for the Truth. They understand their missions which are wrapped in one single word—Surrendering. Ezekiel, Paul, and Jesus surrender themselves totally to God’s will.

The first doer of God’s will, the prophet Ezekiel in today’s first reading, describes the Spirit of the Lord entered into him and set him on his feet to go to preach to those who rebelled against the Lord. The Israelites, the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.” Ezekiel accepts the invitation of the Lord to go to preach to the people of Israel, even though it is not comfortable to preach against the nation, against the obstacles that blocked their vision to recognize that the Lord, the God of Israel is the only God that they should worship and glorify, and there should be no other gods beside Him. Just as the Israelites often resist the prophetic word because of their hardened hearts, minds, and souls, we might want to ask ourselves: Is there a time in our life that we ignore the teaching of the Church to have an abortion, to steal, to cheat our spouse, to neglect taking care of our children, to act uncharitable to others? Is there a time in our life when we stop going to Church, and stop communicating with our loved ones and friends? What might be the cause of all these resisting charitable moments?

Just as the prophet Ezekiel, the second doer of God’s will, St. Paul in today’s second reading, accepts the invitation of the risen Lord Jesus Christ to preach to the Gentiles and to be witnessed to the risen Lord Jesus even at the point of wanting to run away that in his distress, the Lord says to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Just as Saint Paul accepts his weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints in preaching to the Gentile which Ezekiel also experienced, have we had that total surrendering to trust in the Lord like these two prophets do, even though we might have to face seeing our loved one suffered from cancer, seeing our children go astray, seeing our spouse unfaithful, or even seeing our society redefine the meaning of marriage which God established between a man and a woman? What God has joined, no one can separate.

There are normally ten fingers on both hands. These ten fingers symbolize all the people involved in our lives. The two thumbs are symbolized our parents. Two index fingers symbolize our siblings. Two little fingers symbolize our children. Two wedding fingers symbolize our spouse, and the two middle fingers symbolize whom I don’t have to explain. If we put them together in the gesture of praying, we are looked very holy and pious. Wrong. Why? If we pay attention, the middle fingers are the highest fingers of all other fingers. That means our self-center, our ego, our selfishness, and our attention focus on ourselves and ourselves alone that we might not be able to see anyone else including our parents, our siblings, our children, and our spouse. However, when we lower our middle fingers, we will see everybody else. The point is to humble ourselves in our relationship with one another.

The greatest doer of God’s will who is not only man but also God Himself, Jesus Christ, comes not only to preach but to bring peace and healing and to reconcile people back to God. Just as Ezekiel and Paul accept the invitation of the Lord to preach to the Gentile, the Son of God, JC, accepts to vest on Himself our very human flesh to bring salvation to the whole human race. His so great love, mercy, and forgiveness that is outstanding and far reached from Ezekiel and Paul that, unlike Ezekiel and Paul, Jesus’ preaching stirs up people’s jealousy and ego to the point that they are not able to accept Him as God, but a man only that St. Mark, in today’s Gospel, reports what the Israelites questioning Jesus saying, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?” Jesus is not able to perform any mighty deeds except for a few because of their lack of faith. Because of their lack of faith, they are not able to accept that He is God; they are not able to see Him who has the power to forgive sins; they are not able to worship the true God and to follow his true teaching.

Of these three doers of God’s will—Ezekiel, Paul, and Jesus in all today’s readings, which one do we identify ourselves with: Ezekiel who is uncomfortable when he is asked to preach to the rebelling people against the Lord; Paul who is more uncomfortable when he is asked to preach to the Gentiles that he begs the Lord to leave him alone; or Jesus Christ who is not only uncomfortable but so afraid that he asks his father saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” These doers of God’s will accept God’s will and surrender themselves to live and to testify for the Truth, do we follow our own will or the will of God in our spiritual journey? Do we follow the trend of society, the power of this earthly life, or do we follow the teaching of the Lord and the teaching of the Church? The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely b/c of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Almost one hundred years later, it was placed on the dollar bills till now. The question is not who do we trust, but how do we trust in God? Do we trust in Him by following His will or following our own will? The decision is yours.

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Faith Hope Love

Joke: Three highly decorated police officers die in a wild shoot-out with narcotics dealers and go to heaven. God greets them and asks, "When you are laid out in your casket, and your fellow officers and family are mourning you, what would you like to hear them say about you?" The first cop says, "I would like to hear them say, that I was the bravest cop on the force." The second police officer says, "I would like to hear that I was a terrific cop who died in the line of duty." The last cop replies, "I would like to hear them say ... 'Look, he's moving!"

In all of today’s readings, we are invited to examine our faith, hope, and love. How is our faith in the Lord, especially when we have to face any illness, sickness, or any challenge of life? What do we hope in this walk of life? What is love for you at this moment?

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Wisdom, the author reminds us that God has created us in his own image, and because of love, he comes to heal us from illness and sickness and even raises us back to life again. The love of God is to bring healing and to restore life, what is love for you towards others? “For,” the author of the book of Wisdom says, “God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.” We might want to ask ourselves, if God created us imperishable, in his image and likeness, he created us, how come sickness and illness enter into our life, even death that we cannot avoid? To answer this question, the author of the book of Wisdom reminds us that, “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.” In other words, the moment that we are envious of our brothers and sisters, the moment that we experience illness and sickness and even death. It is the moment that we are reminded that we are created in the image and likeness of God to stay away from evil temptations who always try to separate us from God. The next question is how can we be on God’s side at a time when we are envious of our neighbors who have what we don’t have? How can we get rid of our greed, our pride, and our self-center? Or put it together: How can we be on God’s side when our human desires and needs are never satisfied? Is it possible that envy is the root of the distortion of love?

To answer this question, we are invited to acknowledge our human weaknesses and limitations and to allow the Lord to touch us and heal us. This is portrayed so well under the pen of Saint Mark described in today’s Gospel, that when we surrender ourselves with a total faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our hunger and thirst for a better human condition will be satisfied. A daughter of a synagogue official was dying and the lady was inflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years, these two ladies were in a hopeless situation. However, with deep faith and trust in the Lord, they were brought back to a normal and healthy stage of life. Jairus, the synagogue official, represented power here on earth that he could give an order to demand Jesus to come to his presence, but he didn’t do it. He humbled himself and acknowledged the need for Jesus, and he reached out to him and begged him to come to lay hands on his daughter. The woman with hemorrhages represented the powerless or rather hopelessness, a condition in which a person bled too much. She couldn’t stop the flow of blood. She heard about Jesus, and she came and touched his cloak with a hope of healing that she was healed immediately. Both Jairus’ daughter and the woman afflicted with hemorrhages were the daughters of hopelessness. Even in the moment of hopelessness, they were healed because of their faith in Jesus. In this powerful healing, we might want to ask ourselves: On one hand, who is Jesus that said, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The little girl was dead comes back to life again? On the other hand, the lady with hemorrhages is considered a sinner, but how come she is healed by touching Jesus’ garment?

To answer these questions, Saint Paul, in his meditation on the acts of Jesus described in today’s second reading says, “For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” In other words, Jesus Christ, though he is God, lowers himself and vests on himself our human flesh so that we might be saved from illness, sickness, and even death itself. By coming to us in our human flesh all who have faith in him, come to him, touch him, especially in the Eucharist, they might be saved from any illness, sickness, and brokenness of life. Have you believed it?

Both the hopeless ladies: The daughter of the synagogue official and the lady afflicted with hemorrhages, how did they show their faith in the Lord Jesus? They couldn’t. The little girl was dying. She was dead when Jesus was on his way, so she couldn’t do anything except her father’s help to run to Jesus to seek help. Jairus, the father of the hopeless little girl, did not only believe that Jesus could heal his daughter, even at the moment of receiving the bad news that his daughter was dead. The lady afflicted with hemorrhages says to herself, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” One interesting commonality between these two people, the synagogue official and the lady with hemorrhages that they both took an active act not just by mumbling the words to Jesus but by coming, begging, and touching the cloak of the Lord Jesus. He who touched the heart of Jesus, his daughter was brought back to life again. The lady who touched his clothes, blood immediately stopped bleeding. Have you and I ever touched the heart of Jesus, his cloak? Or how would we know that we touched his heart or his cloak? Have you and I been able to believe that we’ve touched the heart of Jesus and that he has allowed us to breathe fresh air in this walk of life? Every time we receive the Eucharist, is that the Body of Christ we received or a piece of bread that we consumed? Is there anything within us that prevents Jesus from touching us and healing us from any illness, sickness, and brokenness of life? The synagogue official humbled himself and acknowledged the need for God that he came to him for help, have you and I had that humility to acknowledge the need for God in our life? What can we do to show that we need God in our life? Is that just to read the Bible and to pray at home enough to show that we need God in our lives? Some people advised Jairus to stop bothering Jesus cause his daughter was dead, what is that in him still pushing him to bring Jesus to his house even though his daughter was announced dead? Is there any difficulty or challenge in life that might cause you and me to doubt or lose faith in the Lord Jesus? How should we overcome this moment of temptation? The decision is yours.

Happy Independent Day

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 20:00:00 GMT

How Is Your Faith?

Joke: A clergyman walking down a country lane and sees a young farmer struggling to load hay back onto a cart after it had fallen off. "You look hot, my son," said the cleric. "Why don't you rest a moment, and I'll give you a hand." "No thanks," said the young man. "My father wouldn't like it." "Don't be silly," the minister said. "Everyone is entitled to a break. Come and have a drink of water." Again the young man protested that his father would be upset. Losing his patience, the clergyman said, "Your father must be a real slave driver. Tell me where I can find him and I'll give him a piece of my mind!" "Well," replied the young farmer, "he's under the load of hay."

In all today’s readings, the Church helps us to understand more of the heart of God, the Father, and the love of his Son Jesus Christ. What Job and Jesus’ disciples experienced, we can identify them with the storms of our lives.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Job, he was faithful and fearful of the Lord, yet he had to face tribulation after tribulation. He lost his wife, his children, and his property he lost everything except his flesh. Job demanded an answer, and God answered him not by justifying his actions why he allowed Satan to take away his everything except himself, but by referring to his omniscience and almighty power that God responded to Job out of the storm saying, “Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands? When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!” God is everywhere and his almighty hands set limits of everything in the universe. Do we believe that God is everywhere and his almighty hands protect us even at times of tribulation after tribulation? Do we still have faith in him and believe that he hears us and does not ignore us even though we pray and pray, and he might seem to be absent? With all the tribulations that Job experienced but still believed in God, who had a right to bring him into existence and he had the right to take away everything he had, have we still had faith in the Lord when we have to face difficulty after difficulty, challenge after challenge?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Mark captures a beautiful picture that portrays a scene where evening comes, and Jesus’ disciples take him into the boat to leave the crowd. When they are in the middle of the water, a violent squall comes up and waves are breaking over the boat, and in that fearful moment, they run to Jesus and say, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” The moment that we are baptized into Christ, the moment that we vest on ourselves Christ just as the disciples have Jesus in the boat with them. Evening comes covers the light, after baptism, we are thrown into this world with all the attractions that offer us somehow cover our eyes to believe in God. Not only does the dark of the night overshadow the disciples, but there is a violent squall and the waves break over the boat that frightens them. Amid that fright, they run to Jesus to ask for help, do we remember to seek God when we see our loved one suffering from a difficult illness and sickness like cancer? When we see our children go astray? When we see our spouse unfaithful to us? When we are disappointed to see someone does not go to Church but has a good life, while we go to Church but have to face challenge after challenge, and many other violent squalls and waves of life hitting us on every corner of our life? After Jesus quiets the wind and calms the waves, he says to his disciples, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” Perhaps, these words of Jesus address every one of us when we have to face tribulation after tribulation, when our faith seems to vanish, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul beautifully emphasizes that our lives are not the lives of ourselves, but rather, the moment that we are baptized into Christ, we vest on ourselves the life of Christ. Therefore, whether we live or we die, whether we have a good life or bad life, we belong to the Lord Saint Paul expresses saying that Christ “indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” So, do we live our lives for the sake of ourselves, for our loved ones, or others? Job lived a life for himself, for his wife, his children, his property, and everything, and at the same time, he worshipped the Lord and feared the Lord, but how come he had to lose everything except himself? Jesus’ disciples left everything behind, their spouses, their children, their everything to follow Jesus, but why were they terrified in the dark and at the raging waves? It is the faith that God tested Job, and it is this faith that Jesus’ disciples lacked, how is our faith? Jesus’ disciples physically lived with Jesus and saw him performing miracle after miracle, and yet, still lacked faith in him, how is our faith in someone whom we are not physically living with? May our faith be strengthened by God’s Word, be nurtured by his flesh and blood each time we come up for communion, and be courageous living out our faith by his living presence on our spiritual journey. The decision is yours.

11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 20:00:01 GMT

The Kingdom of God

Joke: Three very competitive priests died, but before God would let them into heaven, he gave them a chance to be anything they wanted. The first priest said, “I want to come back as myself, but one hundred times smarter than I already am.” So God made him a hundred times smarter. The second priest said, “I want to be even better than that priest, make me a thousand times smarter than I already am.” So God made him a thousand times smarter. The last guy decided he would be the best. So he said, “God make me better than both of them. Make me a million times smarter than I already am.” So God made him a woman.

What is the Kingdom of God? Is it a process of growing not only by human hands but by the hands of God as well? In this process of growing, we are invited to have a humble heart to acknowledge the need for God and to conform our will to God’s will.

In today’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus reminds the crowds about the kingdom of God that Matthew beautifully described saying, “The kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.” The kingdom of God does not only depend on human efforts like feeding the poor, sheltering the homeless, caring for the sick, caring for loved ones and others, praying for those who are in need, and many other good deeds. These good deeds are all good in themselves, but it would be better if we humble ourselves to acknowledge that God is the one who grants all our requests and efforts to do good deeds. The kingdom of God is like a process of growing from a seed into the tree that Matthew continues in today’s Gospel saying, the kingdom of God is “like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” In this process of growing, we are invited to go out of ourselves to spread the Good News to others, to be witness to the world that Jesus Christ is the Lord Savior who has come to save us not only because of our good deeds but above all, it is because he loves us. In all that we do as Christians, as the followers of Jesus Christ, we are invited to surrender all our good deeds, prayers, in fact, our entire being to God’s will. The moment that we separate our will from God’s will, the moment that we are withered because we distance ourselves from God’s grace which causes us to grow.

One example of what separates our will from God’s will is when we focus too much attention on our body rather than on our soul, we distance ourselves from God as Saint Paul clearly said in today’s second reading, taken from the second letter of Saint Paul to Corinthian, “Brothers and sisters: We are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.” One thing that I often heard was, “Father, we went on vacation with others who are not Catholics, so we didn’t want to separate from the group to go to Church on Sunday.” We need to refresh our bodies, to take vacation, but try not to forget that our soul needs food just as our body needs it even when we are on vacation.

We need to acknowledge the needs for God in our lives, humble ourselves, and allow the Lord to guide and lead us just as the prophet Ezekiel emphasizes the word of God saying in today’s first reading, “I, the LORD, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree, wither up the green tree, and make the withered tree bloom.” What does it mean if it’s not the Lord who is in control of creating and destroying, bring it up and take it down, make it grow and make it wither? This is exactly what Saint Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthian community saying, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” (1 cor 3:6-7).

Have we acknowledged the need for God in our life? Do we still see God’s hands and God’s grace pour down on us amid our suffering such as suffering from cancer or any difficult illness, suffering from seeing our loved ones facing tough times, suffering from seeing our children go astray from their faith that we try to instill in them when they are young, and many other sufferings that we might encounter? Suffering is a mystery, but have we had a humble heart to acknowledge the need for God and to conform our will to God’s will? May God who begins a good work in us to bring us into existence with his loving care continue to watch over us, to protect us, and to help us to conform our will to his will even in the moments of distress, suffering, and experience any difficulty of life. The decision is yours.

10th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 19:49:14 GMT

Who are my mother, my brothers, and my sisters?

Joke: Over coffee and donuts after Mass one Sunday, an engineer, a physician, and a politician were arguing over whose profession was the oldest. Not surprisingly, they ended up discussing God, creation, and the Garden of Eden. The doctor boasted that medicine was the oldest profession, citing the creation of Eve in the Garden of Eden. “Taking a rib from Adam’s side was a major surgery,” he said. “There’s no profession older than mine.” The engineer didn’t give up easily. “Before Adam and Eve were created,” he said, “the chaos had to be organized and set in good order. That’s an engineer’s job. My profession is even older than the Garden of Eden.” The politician just smirked and asked, “Guess who created the chaos?”

In today’s first reading, after Adam had eaten of the tree, as reported in the book of Genesis, the Lord God called and asked him, “Where are you?” Why did God ask Adam where he was? Didn’t he create Adam, and he knew exactly where he was? Also, why did Adam hide himself after eating the forbidden fruit? Was he naked before he ate the forbidden fruit? Was the serpent the only creature that could trick people?

I don’t like fishing that much, but I had a chance to go fishing with my brother-in-law a few times before. I learned from my brother-in-law that in fishing, one has to know what kind of hook to use for what kind of fish, and what kind of bait to use for what kind of fish. My kind of fish is to go to HEB to get it. Why do they use different hooks for different fish and different bate for different fish? In other words, the fish learns to stay away from the tricks that people play to catch them. Monkeys can play tricks on people and so other animals as well. So, serpents played tricks on Adam and Eve because God created them with this kind of intelligence just like any other animal to survive.

Unlike animals, human beings were given the gift of free will to choose or not to choose against God. Adam and Eve chose to go against God to eat what he forbade them to eat. The moment that they chose to go against God, they distort the image and likeness of God in them that God asked them, “Where are you?” The moment that they went against God, they distanced themselves from God by hiding themselves. This is very true to us today. At the moment of temptation, don’t we tend to hide ourselves away from God and others to sin against God and one another? No one wants to steal what belongs to another in front of his or her face. No one wants to covet the neighbor’s wife in front of her husband. No one wants to talk badly about the person in front of his or her face which causes the sin of gossiping and criticizing. Make no mistake that we have a DNA from our first parents called original sin that through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are washed away our original sin to vest on Christ a new person. How is it so that through our baptism, we become a new person in Christ?

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds the Corinthian community and perhaps to us also saying, “Brothers and sisters: Since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we too believe and therefore we speak, knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence.” What is it the same spirit of faith if it’s not the same Sacrament of Baptism that we are all baptized to call us to be brothers and sisters in Christ? We are all brothers and sisters in Christ because we believe in the same faith, and we speak the same faith. What is it that we believe and speak the same faith if it’s not that through our Baptism, we are all called to live out our Baptismal call to be priest, prophet, and king? The moment that we fail to live out our baptismal call, the moment that we distort the image and likeness of God in us God might ask us just as he asked Adam, “Where are you?”

In today’s Gospel, when they told Jesus that his mother, his brothers, and his sisters were outside of the crowd asking for him, he replied “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” What is the will of God for us if it’s not our baptismal call to be priest, prophet, and king? Recalling our baptism, when were we called to be priests, prophets, and kings? At the moment that we are anointed with Sacred Chrism Oil blessed by the Bishop at Easter Vigil, we become Christians incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet, and king (CCC 1241). What does it mean to be a priest, prophet, and king? How do we learn to be priests, prophets, and kings? The decision is yours.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 20:00:00 GMT

The Covenant

Joke: Grandma told her little grandson: “Be a good boy. At the end of the world, all the disobedient and bad people will be cast into fiery hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The little boy raised an intelligent doubt. “Grandma, you don’t have any teeth and you always quarrel with others. How would you gnash your teeth when you are cast into hell?” Grandma replied: “You naughty boy, don’t you know that teeth will be provided in hell.”

Just as eating requires teeth to grind the food into particles before it’s transformed into the blood to nurture our physical body, the Body and the Blood of Christ which we receive at Mass require not only the teeth, but a worthy of heart, mind, and soul so that the Body and the Blood of Christ will be transformed into the Blood of the Divinity to nurture our spiritual soul. Our spiritual soul is so important that today, the Church celebrates the food and the drink that nurture our spiritual soul which is called the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Has Christ meant to feed us with his real physical Body and Blood? Or it’s just symbolic under the forms of bread and wine? What do we receive at Mass? Do we receive the bread and the wine; or do we receive the Body and the Blood of Christ? In many places throughout the world, time after time, the host is found bleeding like in Argentina, Poland, or in Sentarem, Portugal, where some of us went on a pilgrimage to Portugal a few years ago that we had a chance to come to see the Eucharistic Miracle, the Host was bleeding. After the consecration at the Eucharistic Prayer, the essence of the bread and the wine changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, but not the bread and the wine themselves. The taste of the bread and the wine might not change, but the essence of the bread and wine changed into the Body and the Blood of Christ. Therefore, at our Communion, we might still taste the bread and the wine in which their essence turned into the Body and Blood of Divinity. How do we know the essence of these species changed? We only know when we have faith, and when we keep the covenant with the Lord. Each one of us makes a covenant with the Lord at our baptism that through our baptism, we are invited to live out our baptismal call to be priests, prophets, and kings. Every time we come to Mass, we are reminded of the covenant the Lord Jesus made with us by shedding his life for the sake of our salvation.

When is the last time you hear the word “covenant” in conversation with someone? When was the last time you heard the word “covenant” mentioned in the news? Where have you heard the word “covenant” mentioned?

The word “covenant” might not be heard a lot in conversation or the news, but you hear it all the time when you attend Mass, not only on weekends and Holy Days of obligation but daily Mass as well. What is the covenant? Why is it mentioned at Mass, particularly at the Eucharistic Prayer?

Covenant, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement. In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, with the blood of the young bulls, Moses sprinkled it on the people to formally make a binding agreement between the Lord and his people. The covenant of the New Testament is not the blood of the bulls, but it is the blood of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ that at his last supper with his disciples, as reported in today’s Gospel, he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” On the Cross, the blood flows out from his side, the covenant he makes for the forgiveness of sins of many. At every Mass, the priest, in the person of Christ, takes the chalice, he bows slightly saying, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.” Christ’s blood is the new and eternal covenant poured out for us for the forgiveness of sins. Saint Paul understands and teaches us in today’s second reading that Christ, “is [the] mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.”

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Gospel of Saint Mark reminds us that what we receive at Mass is not a piece of bread and a sip of wine, but it is the Body of Christ and the blood of the covenant that will be shed for many. Each time we receive Communion, the Most Holy Eucharist, we are reminded of the covenant the Lord Jesus Christ made with us for the forgiveness of our sins and the sins of the whole world. May we come more often to receive the Most Holy Body and the Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the sins of the whole world. The decision is yours.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 25 May 2024 20:00:00 GMT

I Am With You Always!

Joke: Wisdom from child’s mouth: A priest went into a second-grade classroom of the parish school and asked, “Who can tell me what the Blessed Trinity means?” A little girl lisped, “The Blethed Twinity meanth there are thwee perthonth in one God.” The priest, taken aback by the lisp, said, “Would you say that again? I don’t understand what you said.” The little girl answered, “Y’not thuppothed to underthtand; i’th a mythtewy.”

Today, the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, One God, Three Persons, the same essence, very distinctive from one another, and yet only One God. It is a mystery. In these three Persons, One God, we know only One Person since he vests on himself our very human flesh. This Second Person in the Trinity is the Lord Jesus Christ through him, Saint Paul teaches us in today’s second reading saying, we become children of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” We are the children of God through the spirit of adoption if only, Saint Paul emphasizes, we suffer with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not that we are God’s adopted children that we automatically earn our ticket to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. To enter the kingdom of heaven, we are invited to suffer with Christ, to journey with Christ, and to follow his path. What is his path? His path includes suffering, death, and resurrection. But why do we have to go through suffering and death to be resurrected with the Lord? Didn’t God create our first parents: Adam and Eve to enjoy and to have a happy life in the garden? Yes. However, they fell into the temptation that suffering and death entered into human life. Adam and Eve wanted to become like God so they were expelled from the Eternal Garden.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses said to the people of Israel, “Ever since God created man upon the earth, did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? You must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other.” There is no other god, but the God of Israel, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the only one God. It’s not the golden calf, nor Cesar, the Roman General, not even Benjamin Franklin whose face is on a $100 bill, but the God of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Who is this God of Israel, God of the chosen race?

In today’s Gospel, Matthew vividly describes the scene where Jesus’ disciples came to worship him, but they were also at the same time doubted when Jesus ordered them to come, Matthew said, “When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” Our first parents doubted that they turned their back against God who commanded them not to eat the forbidden fruit. The Israelites, the chosen race, had turned their back on the Lord to worship the golden calf and many other images because they doubted that God abandoned them and forgotten them. The Israelites came to worship the Lord in the temple, but outside the temple, they oppressed the widows and the infants, the poor and the sick. The Levi were the only ones allowed to enter the sanctuary of the temple to incense, and the Lord Jesus reminded them that when they brought up the offering, and there they remembered that their brother had something against them, leave the offering there and go to reconcile with him, then come back and offer the offering. What is the true meaning of offering if it’s not the heart of contrite; if it’s not the heart of charity to reach out to those in need? Influenced by the society that Jesus’ disciples doubted he approached them and encouraged them saying, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The Lord Jesus promises his disciples that he is always with them to the end of the age. Perhaps, it is also his promise to every one of us when we profess ourselves that we are his followers. But what does that mean to be his followers if it’s not to worship him and only him alone? If it’s not to walk on his path, the path of suffering and death leading into the resurrection? What does it mean to be his followers if it’s not to not afraid to live out our Christian life even at the moment of experiencing difficulty and challenge, the moment of seeing our spouse unfaithful to us; the moment of seeing our children going astray because of the influence of society; and many other struggling moments on our Christian journey. Remember that the Lord is with us always to the end of the age. Since he is always with us, do we remember to call on him in our needs? If we called on him and we didn’t seem to get a response, have we called on him with the right reason? Even with the right reason we called on him and still didn’t get the answer, have we still had faith in him? Just as the Son, the Second Person in Trinity, completely surrendered himself to God the Father, even in his suffering and death, have you and I surrendered to the Lord when we have to face challenges and difficulties of life? May we be united with the Lord even at the moment of experiencing difficulties and challenges of life just as the Unity of the Trinity, Three Persons, but One God, are united in love, the love of fallen humanity. The decision is yours.

Pentecost Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 18 May 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Human Language or Language of Faith?

Joke: The gift of knowledge: The story is told of a man who went to the priest and said, "Father, I want you to say a Mass for my dog." The priest was indignant. "What do you mean, say a Mass for your dog?" "It's my pet dog," said the man. "I loved that dog and I'd like you to offer a Mass for him." "We don't offer Masses for dogs here," the priest said. "You might try the denomination down the street. Ask them if they have a service for you." As the man was leaving, he said to the priest, "I really loved that dog. I was planning to give a five thousand-dollar stipend for the Mass." And the priest said, "Wait a minute! Why didn’t you tell me that your dog was Catholic?"

The priest responded quickly as soon as he heard a large amount of stipend might come from one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit called “knowledge.” We all know that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially our brothers and sisters will soon receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is worth recalling the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God. From these seven gifts of the Holy Spirit come twelve fruits: Charity, Generosity, Joy, Gentleness, Peace, Faithfulness, Patience, Modesty, Kindness, Self-Control, Goodness, and Chastity.

What does Pentecost mean? Why do we celebrate today? What does the Holy Spirit look like? What does the Holy Spirit do with our Christian life? Many other questions may arise around the feast of the Pentecost, the descending of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, and to every one of us. However, we will answer these few questions to help us a better understanding of the important feast of the Pentecost.

In today’s first reading, Saint Luke reports in the Acts of the Apostles saying, “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.” Easter this year was March 31. This Sunday, May 19, is exactly fifty days we celebrate Pentecost, the Birth of the Church. On the day of the Pentecost, Saint Luke describes, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues.” Have they spoken in different tongues or does the Holy Spirit help them understand in their native language?

Those of you ever learned a language, would agree with me. Learning a language is not easy at all—not only about speaking like native tongue, but it is much more difficult in listening and understanding. One of the teachers who taught me ESL, English as a Second Language, once said to us that it is better to know one vocabulary and put it in a sentence. Rather than we can memorize a lot of vocabulary, but we don’t know how to put it in a sentence. It is a waste. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ disciples began to speak in different tongues might not be the same as speaking in different languages. I believe that when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were able to listen and understand during the confusion of speaking. Recalling from the Old Testament, at the beginning, they spoke the same language. When people tried to build a tower reaching up to heaven, the Lord punished them and confused them with different languages, and the city was then called Babel, confusion. Therefore, it is not so much about speaking, but rather, listening and understanding. As human beings, do we tend to speak more or listen more? Why did God create us with two ears but only one mouth?

In today’s Gospel, Saint John reports, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." Then he said, “He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." It seems that at Jesus’ resurrection, he already sent the Holy Spirit to them. Unlike Luke reports in the Acts of the Apostles, on the Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection. It is not about when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples rather when the Holy Spirit comes, accompanied with the peace of Christ, Jesus’ disciples will receive the power to forgive sins. What does the Holy Spirit look like if it’s not like the wind reported both in today’s first reading and the Gospel? We don’t know where the Holy Spirit comes from as the wind. With our modern technology, they can measure the strong wind, and they can predict the direction of the wind, but it’s just a prediction. The Holy Spirit comes not only to grant us the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit also come with the twelve fruits: Charity, Generosity, Joy, Gentleness, Peace, Faithfulness, Patience, Modesty, Kindness, Self-Control, Goodness, and Chastity. How do we know that we have the gifts of the Holy Spirit after we receive Confirmation? When do we celebrate the feast of the Pentecost each year? What does it mean?

If we examine the flute, it is hollow inside so the wind brings out the sound. We are invited to empty ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Speaking a language is difficult, but listening and understanding are more difficult. Do you tend to speak to God or listen to God? Try bending your ears to listen and understand rather than talking to God. The decision is yours.

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 11 May 2024 18:00:00 GMT

BBP—Believe, Baptize, and Perform Signs

Joke: Did you hear about the 5-years old boy who said to his mother, “Mommy, I love you, and when I grow up I’m going to get you an electric iron, an electric stove, an electric toaster, and an electric chair.” (The boy did not know that the last one was used for electrocuting criminals).

On the fortieth day, last Thursday, after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the day that he ascended into heaven on which we celebrate each year. Because of the solemnity and pastoral need, this solemnity transferred to this weekend in some states of America. What happens on the day of the ascension of the Lord Jesus? Why do we celebrate it each year?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Mark captured three beautiful pictures portraying Jesus’ last moment with his disciples before he was taken up into heaven in front of their own eyes.

The first picture Mark painted was the scene where Jesus said to his disciples, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” After being with Jesus, now it’s time that he sent them out into the world to proclaim the Gospel to every creature. What is the Gospel if it’s not Jesus’ life, passion, death, and resurrection? Where should we proclaim the Gospel if it’s not to every creature and not only in the Church nor the Bible Study group/class? Through the virtues of our Baptism, we are all called to be priests, prophets, and kings. We all have a responsibility to go out to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone who has faith in the Lord or not, who is rich or poor, who is accepted or not, who agrees or disagrees with the teaching of the Lord Jesus, and to everyone who has ears to hear. How would we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to all creatures if it’s not to have faith in the Lord Jesus? How can we invite someone to have faith in Jesus while we do not have faith in him ourselves? How can we save others when we cannot even save ourselves?

The second and third pictures that Saint Mark portrayed in today’s Gospel are called BBP. BBP is not Bloodborne Pathogens which are infectious microorganisms that may be present in human blood and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM), including hepatitis B and C viruses and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but BBP, for Jesus, is Believe, Baptize, and Perform. Jesus said as Mark reported in today’s Gospel, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” They will “drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Faith alone cannot save the person, but it is to have faith and baptize that the person will be saved. If faith and baptism will save the person, what is baptism?

In today’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus said to his disciples while meeting with them, “Wait for ‘the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” Therefore, the baptism that Jesus mentioned is the baptism accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Our baptism will be invalid when there is either one of the two missing, Holy Water and the formula of the Holy Trinity. This is exactly why there are some baptisms are not recognized in the Catholic Church since their baptism is not accompanied by the formula of the Holy Trinity, or they might not be baptized with water. In Pentecostal Churches, for example, baptism is considered necessary for salvation and is done by immersion only. Because a Unitarian formula is used rather than Trinitarian, Baptism is considered invalid. Philippine Independent Church of Filipino Christians, is not a recognized church of Iglesia Filipina Independiente, hence, Baptism is considered invalid. Baptism in the Catholic Church is the baptism with the Holy Water accompanied by the Trinitarian formula.

Besides belief and Baptism, we are reminded to perform our Christian life. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminded us that those who have faith and are baptized will be able to “drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” These awesome acts that Jesus promised for those who have faith in him and baptize. We are all baptized and have faith in him, have we been able to perform these wonderful acts in our Christian life? If not, how is our faith? Has our faith only stayed on our lips and cannot move into action? Jesus reminded his disciples and all of us saying, “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Mt 17:20). How is our faith? As a Christian, and a Catholic, have you and I have faith in the Lord Jesus to live out our Christian life? Has our faith just been professed on our lips and never been able to put into action? We can do many signs of the Cross on our forehead and our chest; we can recite many decades of the Rosary; we can spend many hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament; and we can even speak the language of Jesus or have all kinds of vision in our conscious or unconscious moments, if we cannot live out what we profess on our lips, it doesn’t matter how much faith we have and what kind of baptism we received, there is no way that we can perform any mighty deeds that Jesus promised to those who have true faith and baptize with the Holy Spirit.

BBP are Believe, Baptism, and Performing Signs, where are we in now? If we cannot perform any sign, what have we we lacked? Is it possible to perform signs as Jesus promised to those who have faith and baptize? The decision is yours.

6th Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 04 May 2024 20:04:23 GMT

True Love to Act in the World

Joke: Little Tommy was so impressed by his oldest sister’s wedding that he announced, “I want to have a wedding just like Linda had.” “That sounds great,” said his father. “But whom will you marry?” Tommy announced: “I want to marry grandma because she loves me and I love her.” “You can’t marry grandma,” his father said. “Why not?” Tommy protested. “because she is my mother.” “Well,” reasoned Tommy. “Then why did you marry my mother?” Love. What is love?

Today’s Gospel, under the pen of John, so beautifully teaches us to repeat the words of Jesus saying to God the Father before he left his disciples to come to God the Father, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.” Why did he pray to God the Father to protect his disciples from the evil ones? What causes someone to become evil? Is evil one real? What causes someone to become evil might be what not true love is. What is true love? How do we know it’s true love?

Today’s second reading, taken from the first book of John, teaches us, “If God so loved us, we also must love one another.” He continues to say, “If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.” So, what is love? Saint John says, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” What does it mean to love one another? Don’t we already do that when we say we love our parents, we love our siblings, we love our friends, our co-workers, and even a stranger? So, what does it mean to love one another to have the Lord remain in us? What is true love?

According to Ancient Greek, there are four types of love: Eros, Storge, Phileo, and Agape.

What is eros love? Eros is a passionate and intense love that arouses romantic feelings; it is the kind that often triggers “high” feelings in a new relationship and makes us say, “I love him/her”. It is simply emotional and sexual love. Therefore, true love is God, but not this kind of eros love.

Phileo love refers to an affectionate, warm, and tender platonic love. It makes one desire friendship with someone. It’s a committed and chosen love. This type of love is better than eros love, but it’s still not true love.

Storge love is a kind of family and friendship love. It’s committed, and sacrificial, and makes you feel secure, comfortable, and safe. It is a conditioned love, but it’s still not true love.

Agape love is an unconditional love that sees beyond the outer surface and accepts the recipient for who he or she is, regardless of their flaws, shortcomings, or faults. The keyword for this kind of love is unconditional love. The unconditional love that God reveals to us through His beloved Son Jesus Christ who sacrificed Himself on the cross for the sake of our salvation. Therefore, to remain in God’s love, Jesus invites us to keep his commandments that John remembers and reports in today’s Gospel saying, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.”

Not only the love that we will experience through the virtues of our baptism when we follow God’s commandments but also the joy that we receive through the Lord Jesus Christ himself when he says to his disciples, reported in today’s Gospel, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.” In other words, when we keep God’s commandments, we will remain in his love and experience joy, complete joy.

Right after explaining the love and the joy, Jesus begins to say to his disciples, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” He explains what is love and joy before he makes it to the commandment. He lets this love and joy enter into a friendship saying, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Following his commandments not only helps us remain in his love but also allows us to be his friends. When we enter into his friendship, he allows us to call God, “Abba” Father and allows us to have a direct line to call on his Father when he says, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” Whatever, even when we are not worthy.

So, through the virtues of our baptism to be priest, prophet, and king, we are invited to follow God’s commandments to remain in his love and our joy might be completed. Our baptism is not finished after we are baptized into the water with the Holy Trinity form, but rather, it is the beginning of learning, observing, and following God’s commandments. Also, by observing and following his commandments, we can build up a friendship with him and be able to call on God the Father in our needs.

God loves us with unconditional love, the agape love, how do we respond to his love? Love one another as he has loved us, does it mean we are invited to love one another with unconditional love? Love might be an easy word to say on our lips, but it might be difficult to live with the true meaning of love. What should we do and how should we do when we have difficulty forgiving or forgetting someone when he or she hurts us somehow? Look upon the crucifix when we experience difficulty in forgiving or forgetting someone who hurts us. Only in the crucifix, one can experience wisdom and strength to live in God’s love, the agape love, the unconditional love, with complete joy. The decision is yours.

5th Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Remain in Jesus and His Words

Joke: A woman found herself standing at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter greeted her and said, “These are the Gates to Heaven, my dear. But you must do one more thing before you can enter. The woman was very excited and asked St. Peter what she must do. “Spell a word,” St. Peter replied. “What word?” she asked. “Any word,” answered St. Peter. “It’s your choice.” The woman promptly replied, “Then the word I will spell is love: L-O-V-E.” St. Peter welcomed her in and asked her if she would mind taking his place at the gates for a few minutes while he took a break. So the woman was sitting in St. Peter’s chair when a man approached the gates. She realized it was her husband of many years. “What happened?” she cried. “Why are you here?” her husband stared at her for a moment, then said, “I was so upset when I left your funeral that I got in an accident. Did I really make it to heaven?” “Not yet,” she replied. “You must spell a word first.” “What word?” he asked. The woman responded, “Czechoslovakia.”

In all of today’s readings, we are invited to abide in the Lord Jesus to follow his teaching to be able to bear fruits. Jesus used the image of the vine and identified himself as the vine, and we are the branches reported in today’s Gospel. As the branches cannot live on their own without the vine, we are reminded that we cannot live on our own separated from the Lord Jesus. How is it possible that we are human beings abide in the Lord Jesus who is God? Also, how is it possible that Jesus is the vine and God the Father is the grower? Isn’t it that we learn Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in him? What does he mean when he said, reported in today’s Gospel, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower”?

John began his Gospel by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This “Word” that we’ve learned is nobody else except the Lord Jesus Christ he was with God from the beginning of creation. From the very first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, we’ve learned that God created the universe and all within it by saying the Word, and everything and anything came into being. This Word that John began his Gospel identified as the Son of God, and God himself who was with God the Father right from the beginning of creation.

The moment of saying “yes” to be the mother of God by the power of the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Son of God and God himself, our Blessed Virgin Mary followed through in good times and in bad times. Her faithfulness led her to the foot of the cross of her son, Mary didn’t give up and she continued to be with the Church after her son’s death. Not only did Mary faithfully live out the call to be the mother of God, but her son also faithfully carried out his mission the moment he accepted to vest on himself our human flesh to be like all of us except for sins. The Son that our Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to named Jesus Christ whom Saint Paul emphasized in his letter to the Hebrews saying, “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered, and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Son of God and God himself though he was, lowered himself even lower than the angels, he learned to obey God the Father even to the point of death, death on the cross. Therefore, Jesus is both God and man that’s when he identified himself as the vine and we are the branches with God the Father as the grower, Saint John wants to remind us of his human nature that we are invited to abide in him to bear fruits. As the branches cannot live without the vine, so we cannot live without abiding in the Lord Jesus. How do we abide in him or remain in him?

To abide or remain in the Lord Jesus is to follow his teaching, his commandments that Saint John reminds us, reported in today’s second reading, saying, “Those who keep his [Jesus’] commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.” So, to abide in the vine, we are invited to keep Jesus’ commandments. When we keep his commandments, how do we know that he remains in us and we remain in him? When someone remains in our heart, mind, and soul, we would be nice to that person. We don’t want to hurt that person either in words or in deeds. We want to respect that person. We want to listen to that person. We want to spend time with that person, etc. We know that Jesus remains in us when we spend time to listen to him, to be with him, to respect him and his words, and to be faithful to him. What kind of fruits that we bear to testify that Jesus remains in us and we remain in him if it’s not that we respect each other? We learn to be truthful to ourselves and others. We learn to love others especially those who hurt us somehow someway.

How can the Lord Jesus remain in you when you cheat your spouse and are unfaithful to your spouse? How shall the Lord Jesus remain in you when you disobey your parents, when you cheat on your homework and exams, and when you hurt or harm someone either in words or in deeds? In his mercy and forgiveness, Jesus forgave the sinners and restored the sick back to health, have you learned to forgive one another, especially those who hurt you somehow or someway? Would you want to remain in Jesus? Would you want Jesus to remain in you? Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” Have you ever asked God and not received what you asked for? If yes, ask yourselves, “Has God remained in me and his words remained in me?” How should I live my life so the Lord remains in me and his words remain in me? The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 13:44:26 GMT

Listening, Discerning & Living a Vocation

Joke: It's been said that every pastor ought to have six weeks of vacation each year because if he is a very good shepherd, he needs it; and if he is not a very good shepherd, his congregation needs it.

In any vocation, there is a need for a vacation. Today, the Church throughout the whole world spends this day praying for the vocation to the priesthood and religious life, especially for priests. Why do we need to pray for priests? In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us saying, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Is it a call for priests only? The majority of people live in married life, very few live a single life, and fewer choose to live in the life of a priest and religious life. Living in any vocation, we are all called to be a good shepherd. Why do we need to be a good shepherd in our vocation? How do we live our life to be a good shepherd in our vocation?

On this day that the Church designated as a “World Day of Prayer for Vocations” and in response to vocation, Pope Francis once taught, “In the diversity and the uniqueness of each and every vocation, personal and ecclesial, there is a need to listen, discern and live this word that calls to us from on high and, while enabling us to develop our talents, makes us instruments of salvation in the world and guides us to full happiness.” How do we listen, discern, and live? Anthony de Mello once said that the most difficult thing in the world is to see and to listen. Why? It is because to see and to listen requires a response, and a response requires a commitment to either agree or disagree with what we see or listen.

I once was on a highway from Harlingen, Texas, back to Corpus Christi, Texas. I came across a big plastic cover that seemed to fall off from a truck or something that lay on one side of the highway. Drivers slowed down when they approached and took off as it was not their responsibility to pick it up. I joined the crowd and passed it. However, my conscience constantly bugged me what if … I finally couldn’t win my conscience, and I made a U-turn to push that huge plastic cover to the side while it was raining. Each of us can be a good shepherd if we learn to listen and to discern to be responsible not only for our shake but for others as well.

In any vocation, we are invited to learn to listen, to discern, and to live a vocation we choose. So, why and how do we listen, discern, and live our vocation?

Listening, Pope Francis once said, “We need to learn how to listen carefully to his word [God’s word] and the story of his life, but also to be attentive to the details of our own daily lives, to learn how to view things with the eyes of faith, and to keep ourselves open to the surprises of the Spirit.” How do we listen to God’s word and the story of our own life if it’s not to learn to be aware of what’s going on in our own life? What if I didn’t remove that big plastic cover I accidentally ran into, someone might drive into it because of whatever reason it is, and that might cause an accident and might cost life as well. From listening and discerning that helped me to go back to remove it.

During my pastoral year for the priesthood, I was assigned to a parish that had a hospital close by. Part of my schedule was to spend a morning of a week to go to visit patients in that hospital. That one morning on the way to head to the hospital, I came to the stop sign that if I turned left, it led me to the hospital. If I turned right, it led me to a parishioner’s house whom I had come to visit a few times. I came to visit him at his house because I used to visit him in the hospital. He suffered from diabetes so badly that they amputated his both legs to save his life. When I reached that stop sign, instead of turning left to go to the hospital as indicated in my schedule for that day, I turned right to go to this man’s house. When I got close to his house, I saw a lot of people standing outside the house. When I arrived, family members told me that they just rushed him to the hospital. On the way to go to the hospital, I called my pastor to come to anoint him. What if I followed my routine schedule, I would miss the opportunity to see him the last time and he would be missed his last rite. The Lord constantly speaks to us every moment of our lives, but are we aware of his calling to do what is out of our daily routine?

Discerning, the Pope says, “We have to resist the temptations of ideology and negativity, and to discover, in our relationship with the Lord, the places, the means and situations through which he calls us.” What did Jesus do before he performed any miracle, even before his passion and death? Prayers. Seminarians go to confession once every two weeks and pray together twice a day. Why? So, they can resist temptations and negativities and discover the meaning of a relationship with the Lord, places, and situations through vocation. Marriage vocation, have you spent time together in prayers? When was the last time that you prayed together as husband and wife? As a family together?

Not only to resist temptations and to discover places, means, and situations, but also, the Pope said, “Every Christian ought to grow in the ability to “read within” his or her life, and to understand where and to what he or she is being called by the Lord, in order to carry on his mission.” Seminarians go to annual retreats. Day of reflection once every semester. Marriage vocation, when was the last time you went on a retreat or spent time together?

The Pope said, “Living vocation is today! The Christian mission is now! Today the Lord continues to call others to follow him. We should not wait to be perfect in order to respond with our generous “yes”, nor be fearful of our limitations and sins, but instead open our hearts to the voice of the Lord.” Not finished there, the Pope continued, “To listen to that voice, to discern our personal mission in the Church and the world, and at last to live it in today that God gives us.” “May Mary Most Holy,” the Pope said, “who as a young woman living in obscurity heard, accepted, and experienced the Word of God made flesh, protect us and accompany us always on our journey.” You are invited to say one Hail Mary to pray for the vocation to the priesthood and religious life and to pray for your own vocation either to your single life or marriage life. The decision is yours.

Third Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 18:00:00 GMT

Peace Overcome Fear and Doubt

Joke: Three friends die in a car crash, and they find themselves at the gates of heaven. Before entering, Saint Peter asks each of them a question: “When you are in your casket, and your friends and family are standing there mourning you, what would you like to hear them say about you?” asks Saint Peter. The first guy says, “I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor and a great family man.” The second guy says, “I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and a teacher who made a huge difference in our children.” The last guy replies, “I would like to hear them say: ‘Look! His fingers are still moving!”

Unlike these three friends, Jesus had died. And to make sure that he was already dead, instead of breaking his leg, they pierced him on his side. He had died, and on the third day, he was raised from the dead back to life. Not only did his fingers move, but he also ate in front of his disciples as we heard in today’s Gospel. Not as a ghost as it’s defined by the Lord Jesus written down in today’s Gospel saying, “a ghost does not have flesh and bones.” In the Gospel of last weekend, Thomas believed in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus because he saw him, Jesus reminded Thomas and perhaps every one of us saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” If Thomas could see and touch or experience with his senses the risen Lord Jesus, there would be no need for belief. It was a fact, and there would be no need for faith. Just close your eyes, for example, and walk and see how uncomfortable it is for us to walk when we cannot see. If we cannot experience with one of our five senses, the eyesight for example, how difficult it is to believe in what we cannot even see nor experience with our five senses. By showing his hands and his wounds, he increased the faith of his disciples. Not only showed them his wounds and his hands in the flesh, but he also ate with them in front of their eyes. Why did Jesus appear to his disciples after his resurrection from the dead and eat with them in front of their eyes?

First, who is Jesus if he is not Christ, the Son of the living God as we learn from reading the Bible and the Church’s teaching? Particularly, in today’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter testifies to the people about Jesus that he is “The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” Jesus, the Son of God, the author of life, has risen from the dead. His death is not the end, but his death is the beginning of salvation not only for the Jews, for Christians, but for the whole world which is reported in today’s second reading, taken from the first letter of Saint John saying, “Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but those of the whole world.” Some of our brothers and sisters from other denominations use this phrase and claim that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died once to save the whole human race, therefore, there is no need for Mass. There is no need for confession but belief, “Sola Scriptura,” Scripture alone simply means that all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. Scripture is the supreme authority over the Church.

In the Scripture or the Holy Bible, we find the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old must come before the New. The Old was written by the prophets and others before the time of Jesus, and the New was written by those inspired by the teaching of the Lord Jesus after his death and resurrection. When did the Church begin if it’s not from the moment of the descending of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost, before he was taken up into heaven? He breathed on his disciples the gifts of the Holy Spirit and gave them the authority before sending them out to establish the Church.

On the Holy Thursday that we just celebrated two weeks ago. At the last supper with his disciples, Jesus did not only wash his disciples’ feet, but he also instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood. Taking up the bread and the wine, he offered prayer and said, “Do this in remembering of me.” That is why we repeat this action at every Mass repeating the words of Jesus saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it. For this is my Body which will be given up for you.” (Not for God, nor himself, but you, for me, for all of us.) In the same manner as the cup, the priest in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, says, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.” So, the Mass is not the show, but rather, we come to celebrate Mass together to remember what Jesus used to do with his disciples, and the most important is that we come to partake in the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the resurrection of our body on the last day. The moment that we don’t need Mass, the moment that we say we do not have sins, we are perfect, and we are all good. Really?

Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand him at the last supper that they scattered when he was caught. However, at the supper after his resurrection from death that we heard in today’s Gospel, Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are the messages that we need to preach to all nations. How can we repent when we cannot even see that we sin? When we cannot even recognize that we fail to love one another? How can we repent for the forgiveness of sins when we cannot sacrifice time to come to the Church to receive His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins? When we cannot sacrifice time to be with our loved ones in the family just as Jesus spent time with his parents in growing up with them? What is repentance if it’s not to change, to fix, to repair, and to make anew of what is bad, what is crooked, what is sinful, what is not love? Jesus appears at the supper table to feed them with food for physical and spiritual strength and only at the supper table where words are shared, brothers and sisters, have we spent time to eat together at least once a day in our family? Just as Jesus’ disciples recognized the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and firmly believed in his resurrection, try to eat together in the family at least once a day to experience the risen Lord and his presence in our lives. The decision is yours.

Second Sunday of Easter--Divine Mercy Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 19:56:52 GMT

Fides et Ratio —Faith and Reason

Peace of Christ Which Balances Faith and Reason

Joke: A Sunday school teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: “What do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up into the air at the end of the classroom. Leaping out of her chair she shouted out "I know, I know." "Good," said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus' first words." Extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA."

On the Second Sunday of Easter of the Jubilee Year 2000, at the Mass for Canonization of Saint Faustina Kowalska, Saint Pope John Paul II proclaimed to the world that “from now on throughout the Church” this Sunday will be called “Divine Mercy Sunday.” What makes Saint Faustina’s revelations striking is the way that they so powerfully express the central truths that lie at the heart of the Gospel: the merciful love of God, manifest especially in the Passion and Resurrection of His Son. This is also the heart of the Catholic Church that we continue to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on this Second Sunday of Easter. This mercy of God extends exceedingly in the words of encouragement, the words of reassurance saying in today’s Gospel, “Peace be with you.” In sadness and faith seemed to vanish, the Lord Jesus resurrected brought his disciples back to reality by His true peace given to them.

In his book, “Fides et Ratio,” Saint Pope John Paul II compares faith and reason are like the two wings of a bird that the bird cannot rise to the truth when one of the wings is broken. It is perfectly fit for today’s Gospel when Thomas, one of Jesus’ chosen apostles, doubted the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The request of Thomas to see the mark of the nails, to put his fingers into the nail marks, and to put his hands on the side of Jesus to believe, is it reasonable to ask as Thomas did? His reason is a concrete one that unless he sees the marks on his hands, and his feet and touches his side where the sword pierces through to his heart, he will not believe that Jesus is risen. When we see, touch, hear, smell, or taste, our five senses, there is no need for belief. What we can experience with our senses, are facts, and no need for faith. The only thing that can satisfy our senses is the fact that reason can be proven. This is exactly why Thomas fails to believe in the risen Lord because he lacks faith. That is why Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Have we come to follow the Lord Jesus with our reason, and our understanding, and not with our faith? Saint Thomas says, “Mercy consists in bringing a thing out of nonbeing into being.” Can we use our reason to explain this mercy of God that brings us from dust into being? Or this reasoning must be merged with our faith in the risen Lord who is resurrected to give us hope that one day we will be with Him in his heavenly kingdom? Saint Pope JP II explains that when we pay too much attention to understanding and lack faith, we cannot rise to the truth. In other words, one of the wings of the bird is broken, and it cannot fly to the truth. It is the same thing that when we have faith and do not understand, we cannot rise to the truth either. The question is what can help us balance this faith and understanding?

Faith. Has Thomas had faith in the Lord when He chose him as one of his apostles? What gives Jesus’ disciples the courage to follow him when he is still with them? I’m convinced that the disciples followed Jesus because he performed miracle after miracle, even raising the dead to life, they all saw it, heard it, and believed in him. There was no need of faith in following the Lord Jesus when he was still with them. But how sad it is when Jesus is caught and nailed on the cross, faith seems to vanish. Because their faith vanished and dissolved in the air Jesus’ first words to his disciples from his resurrection, “Peace be with you.” The peace that increases their faith and balances with reason, and only then, they have the strength and courage to go out to be witnessed by the world. Just as the faith of Jesus’ disciples is strengthened with Christ’s peace, how is our faith when we have to face any difficulty or challenge? When we are truthful and good to our spouse that reason and understanding can prove, but if our spouse is still unfaithful to us, what is it that we lack in our relationship? Have we sought the peace of the risen Lord when we have to face any difficulty or challenge? Faith without reason or reason without faith, one cannot rise to the truth. We cannot profess our faith without understanding what we profess, and we cannot understand what we profess without faith. Faith and understanding are like the two wings of a bird that needs Christ’s peace to be balanced so to experience the risen Lord and the presence of God in your life, have you had Christ’s peace in your life? The decision is yours.

Easter Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 18:00:00 GMT

Meeting the Risen Lord Jesus at the Eucharist

Joke: The Sunday school teacher was testing children in her CCD class to see if they understood the concept of getting to Heaven. She asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big jumble sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?" "NO!" the children answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the garden, and kept everything tidy, would that get me into heaven?" Again, the answer was 'No!' By now the teacher was starting to smile. "Well, then, if I were kind to animals and gave sweeties to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into heaven?" Again, they all answered 'No!' She was just bursting with pride for them. She continued, "Then how can I get into Heaven?" A six-year-old boy shouted from the back, “First, you have to die!”

In today’s Gospel, St. Luke retells a story of what happens to two disciples on the road of Emmaus, and how they recognize the risen Lord. Jesus’ suffering and death scatter his disciples, and in that sorrow and sadness b/c of his suffering and death, Jesus comes along and journeys with them. They cannot recognize him, even though he talks and explains to them about scripture, Moses, and the prophets. They can only recognize the Lord when they witness Jesus’ breaking of the bread at the table. Who are those two disciples who witnessed the risen Lord at the breaking of the bread? Why can they not recognize Jesus on the road of Emmaus? What is it to do with us?

One of these two disciples, St. Luke tells us, is Cleopas. The other disciple, whose name is unknown, is he one of the twelve apostles? St. Luke vividly describes what these two disciples said about Jesus, he is “the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified.” They know so much about Jesus. Could one of them be Jesus’ twelve apostles? Regardless of who they are, the question is, have we seen ourselves in those two disciples? We are priests, deacons, religious men and women, baptized Christians, young and not young anymore, we all have learned and understood about Jesus. However, have we recognized him in our Christian lives who is the living God?

Good Friday--The Passion of the Lord

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 14:00:02 GMT

Ecce Homo—Behold the Man

Joke: One Sunday, the pastor was finishing up a series on marriage. At the end of the service, he was giving out small wooden crosses to each married couple. He said, "Place this cross in the room in which you fight the most and you will be reminded of God’s commandment of love and you won’t argue as much." One woman came up after the service and said, "You’d better give me five crosses."

Each of us has our cross to carry, and some of us have other crosses to carry as well. However, have we ever wondered what happened to us before we were conscious of carrying a cross or carrying some other crosses? What is the cross that we are talking about here? Perhaps, the cross that we carry might be our job, working so many hours and getting paid so little, busy with work and busy at home as well. Instead of relaxing after work, we are busy with keeping up what’s going on on Facebook. Instead of relaxing after a long day at work, we have to face our children’s needs such as taking them to school for sports events, concert events, competition events, or whatever it is. Instead of relaxing after a hectic day at work, we have to cook the food and clean the house, while our spouse doesn’t even bother to lift his or her fingers to help, and many other challenges we might have to encounter. These, perhaps, are the moments that we carry our cross and carry others’ cross. What happens to us before we are conscious of carrying our cross or the crosses of others? To answer this question, let’s examine the picture that John captured and reported in today’s The Passion of the Lord.

Saint John captured a powerful picture of Jesus’ face before his sentence to carry the cross. After being scourged and placing a thorn crown on his head, Pilate presented him to the people and said, “Hecce homo” translated, “Behold the man!” In the presence of the Prefect, Pontius Pilate, the chief priests, the soldiers, the guards, the Jews, and perhaps, the entire human race, they all want to crucify Jesus whose appearance might be disfigured that Pilate said, “Behold the man!” Have you ever watched the movie “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson? His face was all blood with a thorn crown placed on his head, or rather saying, his face was disfigured, not the face of a human being anymore. Did he bring it upon himself after healing the sick, curing the disease, defending the widow and the oppression, and raising the dead back to life again? Or rather, because of the jealousy, the envy, the pride, the self-centeredness, they disfigured the face of the Son of God, disfigured his human face?

The moment that we are conscious of carrying a heavy cross on our shoulder or carrying someone’s cross on our shoulder, the moment that we need to examine ourselves what causes us to carry a cross or carry someone’s cross? The moment we cheat on our spouse, the moment we distant from our spouse, the moment that we don’t pay attention to our spouse’s needs or our children’s needs, the moment that we isolate ourselves in a secret place to fulfill our flesh desires and to fulfill our pleasure, the moment that we don’t want to listen to our parents, our teachers and the authorities above us, the moment that we cheat it on our homework, our tests, and many other moments, these might be the moments that we disfigure the image of likeness of God on our human face, our human dignity, our human being which God created good right from the beginning. With all the good things that Jesus did, they disfigured his human appearance before making him carry a cross, what good things have we done in the relationship with our spouse, our children, with one another at work, in school, or our community? Have we ever disfigured the face of our own, the face of others, especially the face of our loved one by the work of cheating, lying, criticizing, judging, manipulating, falsely testifying, verbally arguing, fighting, harboring lustful thoughts, hateful resentments, storing hatred and anger, and many other negative feelings and actions that might disfigure our human appearance or others’ human appearance? The cross that Jesus carried is the only Holy Cross that brought salvation to the whole human race, what is the cross that you and I are carrying? The decision is yours.

Holy Thursday--Mass of the Lord's Supper

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:00:01 GMT

The Supper of Love

Joke: A dear old lady knew that she was about to die, so she asked her pastor to give her the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. After being anointed, she said: “Soon I’ll be rocking in the bosom of Moses.” “No dear,” corrected the pastor, “the Bible says the bosom of Abraham.” She replied: “Father, at my age, you don’t care too much whose bosom it is!”

Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, is the only occasion when such an instruction is given on preaching. It says: “The homily should explain the principal mysteries which are commemorated in this mass: The institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood, and Christ's commandment to love.” What is the institution of the Eucharist? What is the institution of the priesthood? What is Christ’s commandment to love? Why does he love us? How does the model that love?

In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI, Emeritus Bishop of Rome, chose its’ title, “God is Love.” Since God first loved us, 1 John 4:10, love, Pope Benedict said, “is now no longer a mere ‘command;’ it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.” This response is clearly shown in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper tonight in three distinct parts.

Before the Supper, the Lord Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. An act of a servant towards his master. Jesus had humbled himself to wash his disciples’ feet because of his love for them, and he loved them to the end John reported in his writing at the beginning of today’s Gospel.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds us what he received from the Lord, he handed to us saying, “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, also the cup, after supper, says, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” On this, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Most of Eucharist with his disciples. Through this institution of the Most Holy Eucharist, we have the privilege to celebrate the Mass daily in remembrance of his sacrificial love for us.

Through his last supper with his disciples, the bread that he identified as his body, and the wine that he identified as his bloodshed it is for us, his disciples particularly, to do in remembrance of him. Through this act, he instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Order. Through him, all priests are welcomed into the college of the high priest of Jesus Christ through the Holy Order, all priests have the privilege to repeat the words of the Lord Jesus himself at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist saying, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” It is the same with the cup that the priest repeats at Mass saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

In the washing of the feet, the Lord Jesus reminds us, even though that we are all cleaned at our baptism, there is no guarantee that we will never sin again. The moment that we harbor hatred, resentment towards others, and even doubt, the moments that we are so attracted to sins and temptations that might block our vision to see God present in our Christian lives. These moments and many other moments that we dive ourselves into sins that God’s love does not only not condemn us, but he helps to wash away our sins with water which symbolizes the Holy Spirit. He wipes it with his apron on his waist which symbolizes his humble divinity and takes it on our human flesh. Finally, he seals it with a kiss, his true divine nature, which is love.

“God is love,” perhaps, is revealed throughout Jesus’ ministry. His love is to forgive the sin of the prostitute that in return, she washes his feet, not with water, but with her tears and wipes them with her hair. They are the tears of the conversion of heart, and her hair is her true repentance in response to wiping Jesus’ feet. Jesus’ love is also to heal the blind, to cure the sick, and even to raise the dead back to life again by his words, his touch, his command, and above all, by his love, his divine nature love.

His great love does not only point out his disciples’ dirty feet and not condemn or disregard them, but they need to be washed. Throughout his life ministry, Jesus often pointed out the corrupted minds of Levi, the Pharisees, and the scribes who often focused on appearances rather than the hearts that the Lord saw. According to their appearances, the cripples, the blinds, the mute, and the deaf were condemned as sinners; but the love of the Lord Jesus touched them, healed them, and restored them with the love of the heart. By the washing of his disciples’ feet, Jesus strongly encouraged us not only to acknowledge that we have sinned against the Lord but also to have the courage to come to confession to wash away our sins. Our forgiveness is not given by the priest, but by the Lord that in the absolution, the priest says, “I absolve you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” By coming to confess our sins, we are restoring our relationship with the Lord, with the Church, and with one another. What great is our God who revealed the great act of humility? The question then: Do we have the courage to acknowledge our sins against the Lord, his Church, and one another? Have we had the courage to come to confess? Just as the apostles allowed the Lord Jesus to wash their feet, have we allowed him to wash us, correct our crooked ways of life, change our sinful habits, calm us in our moments of impatience and anger, heal us in our sickness and illness, and above all, to allow him to love us as who we are? With his great commandment to love that Jesus humbly washed his disciples’ feet, have we humbled ourselves to come to others, especially to our loved ones with love? The love of not pointing the finger, but of lovingly correcting and helping each other to be better. The decision is yours.

Palm Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 18:00:00 GMT

The Meaning of the Death of Jesus

Joke: There was a three-year-old boy named Johnny. When it was Palm Sunday, he couldn't wait to go to church to see what Palm Sunday was. But sadly, Johnny came down with chickenpox. His parents hired a babysitter to take care of Johnny while they went to church. When they came home holding palm leaves, Johnny asked, "What are the palm tree leaves for, Mom?" She replied, "When Jesus walked through the town, people waved palm leaves at him in respect." Johnny looked upset and said, "Wouldn't you know? The first day that I'm not in the church, he shows up."

Today, the Catholic Church throughout the world marks the beginning of the Holy Week with Palm Sunday, a purpose of remembrance of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. This Palm Sunday, the Church remembers that Jesus entered Jerusalem as King. It was a long Gospel, but it’s packed with insights. There were present Pontius Pilate, the governor, twelve Apostles, including Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, and Peter, the denier, Caiaphas, the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes, the soldiers, the Jews including the bystanders and Simon, a Cyrenian was forced to carry the cross of Jesus, the criminals including Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, and the two revolutionaries who were crucified with Jesus, some women followed Jesus including Mary, his mother, and of course Jesus himself. This was the entire human race from every corner of life, from every profession of life, from every way of life gathered together, engaged into, and witnessed the voice, the groaning of the Son of God, a complete abandonment of the Son of God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

At his complete abandonment, Jesus, St. Paul testified in today’s second reading saying, “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” All those groups of people came out with only one purpose and that was to crucify Jesus. Why? He cured the sick; he healed the disease; he freed the prisoners, the oppressed, the prostitutes, and the woman caught in adultery; and he even raised the dead back to life again. What had he done wrong that they all wanted to kill him? Have we ever wanted to crucify the Lord Jesus and why?

Judas Iscariot crucified Jesus with a price of thirty pieces of silver. Peter crucified Jesus by refusing to be his follower. Other apostles crucified him by fleeing for their lives. The high priest, the chief priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees crucified Jesus because of their jealousy. The soldiers crucified Jesus because of their fidelity to the power of this world, not God. The criminals crucified Jesus because, in their despair, they could find no hope in God. The Jews crucified Jesus because of their innocence in listening to their leaders.

Have we ever crucified our Lord Jesus Christ? When we work too many hours that we cannot make it to Church; when we travel we refuse to go to Church; when our marriage is so bitter and sour that we don’t want to go to Church; when we lie to save our face, to cheat to fulfill our selfish desire, and to bear false witness to gain something, have all these and many more sounded like we are not much different with those groups wanted to crucify Jesus?

Among those people who wanted to crucify Jesus, some couldn’t go against the crowd but faithfully followed Jesus on the way. Mary Magdalen, Mary, the mother of Jesus, John, his beloved disciple, Simon of the Cyrenian, who helped to carry Jesus’ cross, Veronica courageously wiped the face of Jesus on the way to the Cross, Peter, a converter who returned to the Lord and was crucified upside down, and a good revolutionary thief returned to the Lord by acknowledging his wrongdoing and asked for forgiveness, together with some others that they were fearlessly followed Jesus even to the foot of the Cross. We often profess on our lips that we are the followers of Jesus, and when challenges and difficulties storm down on our lives, we have no fear and still faithfully follow the Lord Jesus. On a raining day or a cold day, I observed and touched seeing some elderly ladies and men walked slowly under the rain to come to Church. More touching to see husband brought the umbrella to accompany his wife to come inside the Church as if it’s mission to be born in the world to protect his wife.

In his passion, was Jesus afraid of dying? Hanging on the Cross, reported in Saint Mark Gospel, Jesus cried in a loud voice, “ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Was the silent response what God the Father wanted to abandon him? Or was it because of his love for the humanity fallen state that he willingly accepted to die for the sake of the human salvation? Did his death on the Cross show the weakness of God? Or what does it mean for us? The Church throughout the whole world celebrates this Holy Week yearly including Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter, what does it mean? Jesus Christ, God and the Son of God, loved us to the point of death, death on the Cross. What does he want return from us? Holy Week after Holy Week will become meaningless if we don’t take time to reflect the meaning of the death of Jesus, the Son of God and God himself. The decision is yours.

5th Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 18:00:00 GMT

Dying by Obedience and Following God’s Commandments

Joke: Mom asked little John to bring her the mop outside the backyard one evening. The little boy replied, “No, mom, I’m scared.” “Why?” she asked. “It’s dark outside.” He replied. “Don’t you learn in religious education class that Jesus is everywhere?” she said. “So, do not be afraid and go get me the mop, please.” Little John opened the door of the backyard just enough to sneak out his eyes and said, “Jesus, would you bring me the mop, please?”

Coming closer to the Holy Week, the Church puts the readings together to reveal the Son of God’s true nature, his mission in coming into this world, and how he would accomplish his mission.

First of all, who is Jesus Christ? A son of Mary and his foster father Joseph who performed many miracles and yet suffered and died on the Cross and had many people following and that’s it? Is he a man or God or both? I once mentioned an experience when I was in seminary. Father John Kelly used to ask us questions in the exams: Was Jesus, a man? True or False. Was Jesus God? True or False. If we answer either one was true or false, we were all wrong. The correct answer for Jesus was that he was both God and man.

In today’s second reading, a concise reading, which has only two sentences. However, Saint Paul beautifully teaches us the two true natures of Jesus Christ saying, “In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” In other words, the Son of God and God himself, Jesus Christ, though he was, in the days when he was in the flesh, taking on our human flesh to be like all of us except for sins, he learned obedience from what he suffered. When he was made perfect, and resurrected from death, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. This then conveyed that Jesus Christ was God and man. As a man, he was so limited by his human nature in obedience to God the Father that he could not be born in Jerusalem and at the same time be born in America, Vietnam, or any other places. By vesting on himself our very human nature, he needed food to eat and drink to satisfy his thirst and sleep when tired and many other depending conditions that human beings have to adapt and fulfill. The question is: Could he not eat, drink, or sleep? He could because he was not only man but also God at the same time. Forty days and nights fasting in the desert, has there been any human being able to fast like that? Fasting for three days, for example, will get our Metabolism cranking at full speed. As God, was Jesus able to get away from being caught and crucified on the cross? He could have, but why didn’t he do it? What motivated him not to run away from being seen, suffered, and died on the cross? What motivated him was his love for humanity’s fallen state and his obedience to God the Father. The question for us is as his followers, how should we obey him, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, just as he is obedient to God the Father?

In today’s Gospel, Saint John helps us to answer this question by repeating the teaching of the Lord Jesus, saying, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.” We are invited to die to our sins, die to our unkind words and deeds, die to our cheating and lying, die to our self-center, and our pride, and die to our selfishness to take on commitment responsibility for our actions and behaviors. If we don’t want to accept the challenges and difficulties of life, face and deal with them by ourselves and not anybody else, then we are just like the grain of wheat that does not touch the ground to bear much fruit.

Abortion hurts the mothers and haunts them for the rest of their lives. However, for some women, there seems no other option that they have no other choice than they have to violate what the Church teaches. Welcome to our human club with all human weaknesses and limitations, but learn to accept our human weaknesses and limitations, learn to accept the challenges and difficulties of life to face, and deal with them ourselves. Learn to humble ourselves to acknowledge the needs of God in our lives. If we have the courage and strength to enjoy our human pleasure, should we have the courage and strength to commit ourselves and take responsibility for our actions and behaviors? Do we know God’s laws and the commandments? We know them all before going to school or stepping into religious education classes and many other classes. Why do I say that?

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord makes a new covenant with the house of Israel by placing and writing his laws in their hearts, saying, “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.” The moment that we are baptized into Christ, the moment that God has written his laws and his commandments in our hearts. Pay attention to the time we are about to sin, during the time we sin, and after we sin, has there been anything that nudges us to say: That is wrong. Stop. Don’t do it. It is a sin. Stop. And many other similar words. In these moments, have we had the courage and strength to stop and listen to God’s voice, or do we allow ourselves to go with the flow? We all want to be saved from condemnation, but are we willing to die for our sins? We all know that we have to sweat our eyebrows to work hard to earn a living, but do we also know that we need to do good and avoid evildoing to achieve eternal life? Jesus Christ, though he was God, accepted to be born in human flesh, totally obedient to God the Father even at the point of death, death on the cross, have we had the courage and strength to die to our sins in obedient to God whom we put our faith and trust in him? The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 19:00:00 GMT

Human Being—Image and Likeness of God

Joke: A boy is sent to bed by his mother... [5 minutes later] "Mom..." "What?" "I'm thirsty. Can you bring me a glass of water?" "No. You had your chance. Lights out." [5 minutes later] "Mom..." "WHAT?" "I'm thirsty... Can I have a glass of water please?" "I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to spank you!" [5 minutes later] "Mommm..." "WHAT??!!" "When you come in to spank me, can u bring me a glass of water please?"

In this fourth Sunday of Lent, traditionally known as Laetare Sunday, so-called from the first word of the antiphon. Laetare (“Rejoice”) sets a tone of joyful anticipation for the Easter mystery, as does the permitted use of rose color vestment (it is not that I look pretty pink).

Experience teaches us how we relate to those we value and how people who value us relate to us. This gives us a glimpse of how the Lord relates to us. God loves us in a way that doesn’t count the cost, even at the cost of his own Son revealed in today’s Gospel that Saint John beautifully puts it, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” By sending his Son out of love for us and that sending becomes a giving when his Son is put to death on a cross. Here is the ultimate love, a love that does not count the cost. As Saint Paul says in today’s second reading, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgression, brought us to life with Christ — by grace u have been saved — raised us up with him, and seated us with him in heavens in Jesus Christ.” We are of such value in God's eyes that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up totally to the benefit of us all. It’s not surprising that the Cross has become the dominant symbol of Christianity. Every Ash Wednesday of every year, all Christians, including CEO Catholics those who come to Mass only on Christmas and Easter, come to church to receive ashes on the forehead with a symbol of a Cross.

What does it mean if it’s not to reshape the two important relationships imprinted on the cross? A relationship between God and us is revealed on the vertical line, and a relationship within us and with one another is imprinted on that horizontal line of the cross. It’s not about showing off that we are Christians with that cross formed with ashes on Ash Wednesday. Rather, it is to remind us during Lent, to learn to reshape and to restore these two relationships imprinted on that cross. Love is an easier word to say than to act, especially towards those who are our loved one(s) and those who love us; however, it might be a challenge to say love to those who are our enemies and those who do not want us to be included. The cross is an easy symbol to draw on paper or to form with ashes on our forehead, but it might be difficult for some to reconcile with God and with one another during Lent. We can draw or carve a beautiful cross, but if we cannot live out that ultimate love that the Son of God modeled for us by dying on the cross, then our talent and skill will be a waste.

God’s great love for us throughout the Old Testament history was to forgive the sins of Israel through the intercessions of Abraham, Moses, and those fathers in faith and the prophets. This great love continuously sustains us by the fact that God sends His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in Him “might have eternal life,” as it clearly states in today’s Gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” “Might,” is not a definite promise for eternal life as soon as we come into existence. Jesus suffered and died on the Cross so that he might save us from eternal punishment. His suffering and death on the cross give us a chance to come back to reconcile with God revealed on the vertical line of the cross and to reconcile with one another revealed on that horizontal line of the cross. It doesn’t matter how long we stare at the cross; how often we pray in front of the cross; how many words we talk to Jesus on the cross, and if we don’t reshape our relationship with God and with one another, we might not have eternal life.

How do we reconcile with God and with one another? Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we ask God to forgive our sins through the absolution that the priest in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bestow upon us for the forgiveness of sin. In the prayer, the Lord Jesus taught his disciples and us saying, “Our Father, … forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…” Each time we recite Our Father is each time we are reminded to reconcile with one another, especially who caused us sin, who caused us mad, who caused us doubt, etc.

This is a Rejoice Sunday in anticipation of the Resurrection Mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ, have you experienced rejoicing at Jesus’ ultimate love, his death on the Cross for the sake of our salvation, or what you might experience is the suffering and bitterness of the death of the Son of God on the cross?

It is the story of a man who was given the name Professor Lucifer who hated Christianity, in the novel The Ball and The Cross written by G. K. Chesterton, was sitting next to a monk named Michael in the plane. When the plane flew through London Cathedral, Professor Lucifer saw the cross on the roof of the Cathedral, he began to talk bad about Christianity. The monk Michael calmly told the professor a story of a man who hated Christianity. Wherever he saw the cross either in the book, magazine, art, etc., he would destroy it. He even talked badly about Christianity. For him, the cross showed weakness, suffering, and failing. One day, he was smoking on the balcony, and everything in front of his eyes turned into crosses. Out of anger, he kicked; he punched; he spitted. He went inside the house, everything turned into crosses, the wall, the table and chairs, and everything. Out of anger, he got the lighter and burned it. The next day, they found him dead next to a burning house. The monk concluded that when we destroy suffering and death, we will not have a planet to live in.

We are more than halfway in this Lent now. If you haven’t reconciled with God and with one another, come quickly to reconcile with God and with one another. What does it mean to you when you look up or stare at the Crucifix? At Jesus’ suffering and death on the Cross, what does it mean to you? Are you born in the image and likeness of God? What does it mean to be born in the image and likeness of God? The decision is yours.

Third Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 21:00:00 GMT

Ten Commandments--Certified Guided Professional Christians

Joke: A priest was coming back to his parish house one evening in the dark when a robber came behind him with a gun on his back and demanded, “Your money or your life!” As the priest reached his hand into his coat pocket, the robber saw his Roman collar and said, “Oh no, I cannot get your money, Father!” The priest was rather surprised at this unexpected show of piety, and so he offered him a packet of cigarettes, to which the robber replied, “Oh no, Father, I don’t smoke during Lent.”

Civil laws and Church laws, perhaps, are an invitation for us to meditate throughout this third Sunday of Lent on what is outlined in all today’s readings concentrated on three letters: CGP, not Certified Green Professional, but rather, Commandment, Guidance, and Progression in our spiritual journey, especially during these forty days of Lent. We might not be certified green professionals, but we might be certified guided professional Christians.

Commandments, in today’s first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, the book of laws rather, Moses delivers God’s commandments to the Israelites to follow. What are these commandments if they are not the instruction to live out one’s Christian life? Eight out of the Ten Commandments begin with the statement: “You shall not.” You shall not have other gods; you shall not use God’s name in vain; you shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not covet neighbor’s wife; you shall not covet neighbor’s goods. These Ten Commandments are the laws, the norm of moral and religious actions according to the definition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). They are the guidance to help us follow God. The question is: How do we follow it since we never kill anybody with any weapon; we hardly take the wife of our neighbor; we hardly steal from anybody’s anything; we believe in God and worship him; etc.? Really? The moment that we say unkind words to someone, the moment that we implant in someone’s mind and heart a knife that each time he or she thinks about our unkind words, the knife pokes in his or her mind and heart causes bleeding that we might not even see nor know it. We are killing them not instantly but slowly. We might not steal someone’s money, but it doesn’t mean that when we are lazy at work, spending more time surfing online than working, spending more time to chit chat rather than working, we don’t think that is stealing. We say that we believe in God and we worship God only, but we don’t even bother to drag our feet into the Church at least once a week on the weekend to thank God for the gift of life that every one of us cannot bring ourselves into the existence by ourselves. Perhaps, we memorize all Ten Commandments, but do we follow the guidance of these Ten Commandments? These commandments are not just letters of the laws, but they are the guidance pointing out the ways to live our Christian life.

Or we believe in God and worship him just as it says in today’s second reading, taken from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthian community, that the Jews demand signs and the Greeks look for wisdom and hardly accept that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died to save us. Saint Paul says very clearly that it is not about the signs that the Jews demand, and the wisdom that the Greeks look for, but rather, the suffering and the passion of Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God when he says, “Jews demand signs & Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews & foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” This is not only a stumbling block to the Jews to seek signs and the Greeks to seek wisdom from so many years ago, but it is still a stumbling block nowadays for us to seek signs and wisdom rather than to accept to face and deal with the challenges and difficulties of life when they come.

In today’s Gospel, Saint John describes a scene where Jesus comes and whips out all those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers out of the temple area. They recognize that it is a sacred place to come to worship, but at the same time, they have no problem coming to sell what are the oxen, the sheep, the doves, and even the money changers. Why is it not a place for the sick, the paralytic, and the homeless for shelter, but those people selling and exchanging money in the temple area? What is a Temple for the Jews? They don’t take Roman money, so for people to come to the temple, they have to change Roman money to temple money. What is temple money if it’s not called shekel as history told us? They set up a table in the temple for money changes. When they come, for example, they shout out loud, “I, John, give 100 shekels.” When Jesus saw all these activities happening in the temple, he swept them out of the temple, and the Jews asked him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus mentions the temple that He with God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit has created, the human body, His own body, and our bodies. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who can raise them if it’s not God, our Author of life?

We are all familiar with God’s commandments and the guidance of these Ten Commandments, especially when Jesus condensed them into two: Love God and love our neighbors as ourselves, what do we need to do if it’s not to try to progress our Christian life in following these commandments and their guidance? Commandments, guidance, and progression are to make us perfect as our perfect heavenly Father. The decision is yours.

Second Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 19:00:00 GMT

Jesus' Transfiguration

Joke: A long line of men stood at one of Heaven's gates, waiting to be admitted. There was a sign over the gate that read, "For men who were dominated by their wives while on earth." The line extended as far as the eye could see. At another one of Heaven's gates, only one man was standing. Over this gate, there was a sign that read, "For men who their wives did not dominate." Saint Peter approached the lone man standing there and asked, "What are you doing here?" The man replied, "I don't know. My wife told me to stand here."

Unlike the man's transfiguration at the gate of Heaven, he didn't want to acknowledge his wife's domination over him. In today's Gospel, acknowledging his divinity and humanity natures, Jesus was transfigured before his chosen disciples, "his clothes became dazzling white … then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus." Peter was overwhelmed with joy and wanted to build three tents, but then the cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Why was it revealed Elijah and Moses at the transfiguration of Jesus? Elijah was a great prophet, mighty in deeds in the Old Testament, and Moses was a great prophet who led the Israelites free from slavery. Amid this conversation between Jesus, Elijah, and Moses at Jesus' transfiguration, the cloud came casting a shadow over them, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The voice from the cloud symbolized God the Father. So, at the Lord Jesus' transfiguration, he revealed the true nature of his divinity and his Son-ship to God the Father.

In the Gospel of last weekend, the first week of Lent, we were reminded Jesus was driven into the desert to be tempted by Satan. In today's Gospel of the second week of Lent, the Church placed this reading from the Gospel of Mark portrayed a scene of the transfiguration of Jesus in front of his chosen apostles to help us strengthen our faith in journeying with the Lord Jesus in these forty days of Lent.

There's an interesting connection between the first reading and today's Gospel. Today's first reading, taken from the book of Genesis, retells the story we are all familiar with. The story of the sacrifice of Abraham's son, Isaac, where the moment just before the sacrifice was to happen, the messenger of the Lord stopped the hand of Abraham and saved his son. However, at the moment of sacrifice of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, at his last breath on the Cross, even he groaned to the Father, "Father, take away this cup from me, not according to my will, but your will," there was no angel appeared to save him from death. Isaac's sacrifice was an innocent sacrifice obedient to his Father Abraham, and Jesus' sacrifice was a total surrender of his will to God the Father. What is it to do with us on our Christian journey, especially during this Lenten season? Have we ever experienced any moment of transfiguration in our lives?

In the story of Abraham's son's sacrifice, Isaac, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be multiplied like the stars in the sky. However, he waited and waited and waited till the age, not young anymore, but still couldn't have a child his wife Sarah was worried about him and told him to have a relationship with her servant Hagar. Abraham then had a son with Hagar named Ishmael, but the Lord was not happy because it was in human's plan, not in God's plan. Abraham had no choice but to wait until he was about a hundred years old to have his first son with Sarah. We might want to ask ourselves, why did God make him wait that long? Maybe, the Lord wanted to test Abraham's patience and to test Abraham's faith. When Abraham waited that long and finally had a son, all of his love and yearning for a son, he now poured out for Isaac. Isaac was his precious treasure, without a doubt. However, the Lord asked him to offer the young Isaac as a sacrifice. How scary God was. Abraham still did what the Lord asked him to do to sacrifice his son Isaac. When he stretched forth his hand and was about to slay his son with a knife, the angel of the Lord appeared and stopped him from killing his son as a sacrifice for the Lord. The Lord witnessed his faith and accepted his sacrifice with an animal and not his son. During Lent, we might want to examine ourselves to see how we sacrifice and give alms. Do we offer our sacrifice with all our heart, mind, and soul? Or rather, how do we offer, and not what do we offer?

Through the transfiguration of Jesus, we are reminded to offer our Christian life as a series of transfigurations toward our heavenly homeland. On our journey towards eternity, there are at least three transfigurations in our Christian lives: The first transfiguration begins at Baptism, which washes away our original sin, transforming us to become children of God and heirs of Heaven. We are invited to offer a sacrifice of our Christian life to be priests, prophets, and kings. The second transfiguration takes place through our victory over the trials and tribulations of life. Every challenge, every difficulty, or every moment of suffering, is an opportunity to transform and spiritual growth. In this second transfiguration of our Christian life, we are invited to continue to come to the sacrament of reconciliation to wipe out our sins to be reconciled with God and with one another from human frailties and weaknesses. The third transfiguration takes place at death. Perhaps after a period of further transformation in purgatory, eternal life in Heaven is granted to those who have been found worthy. The last transfiguration will be completed at the Second Coming when our glorified body is reunited with our soul. It is a sacrifice of our humility, pride, and ego to have faith and depend on God at the last moment of our Christian life to ask for the final rite to faithfully follow the Lord Jesus in our last breaths on earth.

If a child lives with criticism, someone pointed out, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate it. If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice. If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world. Through the acceptance of our humanity and the need for one another in this walk of life, we are invited to make sacrifices and offer them up during this Lenten season to journey with the Lord Jesus during these forty days of Lent. The decision is yours.

First Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 19:00:00 GMT

The Desert of Our Inner Beings

Joke: A woman had bought a new dress which was very expensive. Her husband asked why she had been so extravagant. She replied, "The Devil made me do it." "Well," the husband asked, "Why didn't you say 'Get thee behind me, Satan?’” "I did," explained the wife, "But he said to me: It looked as good in the back as it did in the front.” So I bought it."

Today’s first reading, taken from the book of Genesis, described the covenant that God made with Noah. In the very beginning of the book of Genesis, God created everything good. When sin began to enter through disobedience from our first parents, Adam and Eve, their descendants began to distance themselves from God. They began to worship idols, to turn their backs against God, and many other false worships and bad behaviors that God destroyed them all by the flood, except Noah’s family and his livestock. In the desert, the desert of false worship and bad behaviors before the flood, God asked Noah to build an ark to save his family and all the creatures that God had created. In this ark, there was no wheel, and God was the wheel, who was in control of the ark. God even made a covenant with Noah, a sign of a bow in the cloud that stopped the water from destroying the earth and all within it as we recall from today’s first reading. It was the faith that God made the covenant with Noah and his descendants.

This ark symbolizes the Church that all children of God will be saved when they seek shelter in God’s house, the Church. Just as there was no wheel on the ark, all the children of God are invited to depend on God who is in the control of the wheel of the Church. The sign that God made his covenant with Noah and his children was a bow in the cloud that stopped the water to destroy the earth and all within it, what is the sign that God made his covenant with us through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ?

From the flood, water, the source of living, became the source of destruction. This water symbolizes the human race that time after time, people make this water dirty through sins, the sins of worshipping false idols, disobeying God, and turning our back against God who saved them from the flood. Thanks be to God that Jesus Christ came, the Son of God vested in himself our human flesh. He came to be baptized in the water to sanctify the water and to make it clean and to allow us to call God “Abba”, Father, through Jesus Christ. His total obedience to God, the Father, was a total surrender to the will of God, the Father that he allowed himself to be driven into the desert after being baptized at the Jordan River which was described in today’s Gospel.

Why was that the desert and not the city, nor a beautiful and busy place, but the desert? One custom or tradition in America we have is the Fat Tuesday. When we eat and drink and have fun, and sometimes, we drink to the excess before we enter into the forty days of Lent we might have a problem waking up the next day and not talking about fasting or almsgiving or prayer.

Jesus was driven into the desert instead of a city or a busy and active place to be tempted by Satan or to be able to reconnect with his heavenly Father instead of being distracted from any allurements of the city or busy and active place. Just as Jesus was driven into the desert of dried and isolated land, we are invited to retreat ourselves into the desert of our inner being to journey with Jesus during these forty days of Lent. How do we retreat ourselves to enter this desert if it’s not to practice the three pillars of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving? We are invited to examine the covenant that we have made with the Lord through our baptism that Saint Peter reminded us in today’s second reading saying, “Baptism … is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” Our baptism is the beginning of the covenant between ourselves and God through our Lord Jesus Christ that in this desert of the loneliness, dried and isolated land, the inner of our beings, what should we change or correct during these forty days of observance of Lent? What should we do with our inner being if it’s not to change, to convert, to return to the Lord during Lent? Some might observe Lent by attending Ash Wednesday and then come back for the Easter Resurrection. Others might observe Lenten fasting by eating healthy to lose some weight. Still others might observe Lenten abstinence by not eating meat on Friday, but then engage in gossiping, criticizing, lying, holding grudges from others, and many other negative behaviors. Just as Noah was busy building the ark in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the destruction of life to save his family, his livestock, and himself from the flood, what do we do with our desert? Should we practice praying more often, fasting faithfully, and giving alms during this Lent?

Three years ago, on Ash Wednesday, we sprinkled ashes on our heads instead of tracing the cross with ashes on our foreheads, we are reminded to make these ashes become a visible cross through our acts of conversion during these forty days of Lent. Also, the cross of ashes traced on our foreheads reminds us to reshape the two relationships imprinted on that cross: The relationship between God and us revealed on the vertical line of the cross, and the relationship with one another revealed on the horizontal line of that cross. Jesus, the Son of God, was tempted by the devils, not only one or two days, but forty days, there was no way that we could avoid temptations during these forty days of lent. Have courage brothers and sisters, we do not journey alone during these forty days of Lent, we journey with the Lord Jesus and with the whole universal Church. However, the decision to change, to convert, and to return to the Lord during these forty days is your own decision. What would you want to change, to reconcile with God, with the Church, and with one another? Try to identify and to change, so that when Easter comes, we are all able to resurrect with the Lord Jesus for winning the battle of temptation during these forty days of Lent. In all we fast, pray, and give alms during Lent, remember to change, to repair, and to fix what needs to be changed, to be repaired, and to be fixed to be able to reconcile with God and with one another. The decision is yours.

Ash Wednesday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 02:15:00 GMT

Two Relationships Are Revealed on the Cross

Joke: An Irishman moves into the countryside, walks into the pub, and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone, and orders three more. As this continued every day the bartender asked him politely, "The folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?" "It’s odd, isn't it?" The man replies, "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank." Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. As this continued for several days, the bartender approached him with tears in his eyes and said, "Folks around here, me, first of all, want to offer our condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know - the two beers and all..." The man ponders this for a moment, and then replies with a broad smile, "You'll be happy to know that my two brothers are alive and well. It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent. Now I am drinking for the other two!"

Perhaps, practicing these three pillars of Lent to help us restore the two relationships revealed on the cross that we put on our forehead at the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Two lines appeared on the Cross, the vertical line and the horizontal line. The vertical line expresses our relationship with God, and the horizontal line expresses our relationship within ourselves and with one another. Imagine if there is no vertical line, the horizontal line cannot stand by itself. It means that without a relationship with God on that vertical line, our lives will be collapsed since we cannot stand by ourselves. However, if we have a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line of the Cross, the Lord Jesus will make himself visible on that Cross to raise us, protect us, and help us on that horizontal line. It doesn’t matter how struggles we are on that horizontal line, the Lord Jesus will be there to restore our relationship with one another and within ourselves provided that we have a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line. The question is, how do we build a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line of the Cross if it’s not to learn to practice the three pillars of Lent?

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 19:00:00 GMT

Untouchables

Joke: Three ladies died and went to heaven. Upon their arrival, Saint Peter took them to the heaven garden where there were a lot of baby ducks running in the garden. Saint Peter said to them, “You have to walk very carefully to try not to step on the baby duck. If you step on the baby duck, I will give you a punishment.” Three ladies began to walk, and not too long, the first lady stepped on the baby duck and killed the baby duck. Saint Peter appeared, and with him, a not handsome man was given to her as a punishment for stepping on the baby duck and killing the baby duck. The other two began to walk slowly, and not too long, the second lady stepped on the baby duck and killed the baby duck. Again, Saint Peter appeared, and with him at this time was another man who was worse looking than the first one to give to her as a punishment. The third lady was trembling and walked very slowly till she was tired, she sat down. The moment she sat down, Saint Peter appeared, with him at this time was a good-looking man given to her as a reward for not stepping on the baby duck. She was so happy, but the man was so sad. So, she asked the man, “What’s the matter? Why do you look so sad?” “I tried so hard,” the man replied, “but I still stepped on the baby duck and killed the baby duck.”

In today’s Gospel, the untouchable leper touched the heart of Jesus just by saying, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” “If you wish” what a marvelous profession of faith that the leper believed that Jesus could heal his leprosy disease if he wanted to. How is our faith in Jesus? We believe in God and profess on our lips at least once a week on weekends when we come together for Mass. We profess the creed together that “I believe …” But when things didn’t go the way we believed or we asked for, would we still believe in God? “I believe” is a choice for each individual to profess his or her faith. It is not that we believe that we once expressed before it changed to “I believe.” Even if we said together that we believe, what is Jesus Christ for every one of us individually? He is God Almighty and Power. He is a compassioned and merciful God, etc. What would you say Jesus Christ for you and why?

I once asked brothers and sisters in RCIA class “Who is Jesus Christ for you and why,” and I received several answers. One said that Jesus Christ is a loving God because I left the Church for so many years, and now he gave me a chance to come back to draw closer to him. Someone else said that he is a merciful and healing God because when she lost her job, and her husband was diagnosed with cancer, God helped her go through it by finding a better job than the previous job. A month later, the doctor said to her that her husband’s cancer, for some reason, was not there anymore, and he was cancer-free. Still, another person said that Jesus Christ is an awesome God who is always there in his life through good times and bad times.

Jesus could be a doctor, a provider, a compassionate and merciful person, or a healer, etc. but He is for sure God and Man. What is it that the leper asked the Lord Jesus to make him clean? The leprosy disease on his skin, or rather his human dignity, his freedom to be a child of God, and to be accepted among his human race when he had a skin condition. We might not see leprosy disease in our country, in this blessed land, but leprosy still occurs in other countries like Asia, Africa, and others. Leprosy, also called Hansen’s disease, is a chronic, curable infectious disease that mainly causes skin lesions and nerve damage. It is a contagious and devastating disease. If it’s left untreated, the nerve damage can result in crippling of hands and feet, paralysis, and blindness even at the time before Jesus, reported in today’s first reading, the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron saying, “The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard; he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean,’” so people could stay away from the leper.

After the leper was cleaned from leprosy, Jesus warned him sternly saying, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” Jesus just performed an awesome job, why didn’t he allow the leper to spread the news? Oh, doctor so and so, we might say, is a great doctor, a great surgeon, or an excellent doctor, etc. Don’t we do that? And surely, some doctors are great, great surgeons, with no doubt. However, Jesus didn’t want the leper and the people to miss out on his mission to come into this world not only to be a physician on our human nature, but above all, he was the Messiah, the God and the Savior of the world who came to save the whole human race and not a certain particular race.

What is interesting was the evangelists, the authors of the Gospel, tried to capture the pictures of the ministries of Jesus that are so stunned. People, at the time, that he would not allow to touch nor get closer to the leppers, but he still approached them and even touched them to restore their health, and above all, to bring them back to the society where they were isolated because of their sickness and illness. Instead of being thankful for what he had performed to bring healing and to restore life, the scribes, the Pharisees, and even the Levites were often the ones standing at a distance from the Lord Jesus and would not allow him to touch and convert their harden hearts. Only people who were sick and ill, and even the sinner and the dead allowed Jesus to touch them, and they got healed and cured from their illness and sickness. Who do we identify ourselves with—the scribes, the Pharisees, the Levites, the ill, the sick, or the sinner? What is it that might stop us from allowing the Lord Jesus to touch us, to heal us, and to cure us from any illness and any brokenness of life? Leprosy was untouched by others for more than two thousand years ago, is there anything that isolates us away from others, even our loved ones, and untouched by the Lord Jesus Christ? How have we been untouched by the Lord Jesus Christ if it’s that we don’t go to Mass to receive Communion, Christ himself? When we accept and allow the Lord Jesus to touch us, to heal us in the Eucharist, don’t we need to encourage one another those who for whatever reason do not come to Mass? How should we overcome this bearer to be free to experience peace, joy, and happiness in life and not isolated from others? Our good intentions will become meaningless if we cannot deliver them into action. Good doctors cannot heal the sick if they cannot translate their knowledge into actions to perform good procedures to bring healing for their patients, their credentials are just by name, no more no less. Our name as Christians we bear will become meaningless if we cannot live out the teachings of Jesus in action. The decision is yours.

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 19:00:00 GMT

What to Hold and What to Leave Aside?

Joke: A preacher was repairing the fence around the old country church. He noticed that a small boy had been watching him for some time. “Do you want to speak to me, son?” the pastor asked. “Oh no,” the boy replied. “I’m just waiting.” “Waiting for what?” the preacher asked. “Waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his finger with a hammer!”

During the pandemic COVID19 three years ago, we learned to sanitize to leave the virus to keep ourselves clean and to protect ourselves by wearing masks to keep us away from infecting the virus. In all today's readings, especially when we are getting closer to the Lenten Season, a time to fast, to pray, and to give alms with the Lord Jesus, we are invited to examine ourselves what would we hold and what would we leave aside on our spiritual journey?

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Job, Job lost just about everything and anything except himself; his sheep, his oxen, his camels, his servants, and all of his sons and daughters that he had to conclude, “Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery? If in bed I say, “When shall I arise?” then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.” A few more verses after these, Job says, “Why have you set me up as an object of attack? Or why should I be a target for you?” Does it sound familiar to us? When we experience difficulties or hardships in life, do we still believe in God? Or we might think that God punishes us. Should we complain when things don’t come to us the way we want? Father, somebody asks, I haven’t done anything wrong, why is it that all the men come to me, they all lie to me and cheat on me? I’m living with the man, he’s number six, and they all have another lady outside. I have an education and a good job. I take care of the house, clean it up, and do everything in the house. I fulfill my role as a wife, and I believe that they would be faithful and appreciative of me. But how come they all end up cheating on me and having someone else aside from me?

Father, other complains, I see shadows in the house. Not only me; my sister comes to visit and sees it, and my children see it as well. Would you come and bless our house, please? My first response is, do you go to Church and receive the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ? The response I often received is, “Oh Father, I don’t go to church, but I read the Bible and I pray every day.” It is good to read the Bible and to pray every day, but it would be better to go to Church to receive the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus expelled the demons and gave that authority to his twelve apostles. Where were his twelve apostles if they did not stay with him first before he sent them out? Recalling the moment that Jesus came into this world, the angels in heaven sang “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth!” When we experience any struggle either within ourselves or with what surrounds us, the moment that we need to ask ourselves, “Have I had peace in myself?” How can I achieve this peace? Job struggled with all kinds of destruction in his life, but remarkably he never lost his faith in God. Why? It is because he had faith and trust in the Lord that his faith brought him peace even though he had to go through all hardships and difficulties.

Jesus, in today’s Gospel, never lost his intimacy with God the Father. Look at his workday, he was very busy. He preached at the synagogue. He healed the sick and expelled demons from those who were possessed. When he left the synagogue, he came to the house of Simon and Andrew. He healed Simon’s mother-in-law laid in bed with a fever. Evening came, when he was about to retire, people brought to him all kinds of illness and sickness so that he could save them. Yet, early in the morning, we would think that he would sleep in, but he woke up early and went to a deserted place to pray before he began his new day. Why didn’t Jesus stay at home and pray, but he went to a deserted place, to the synagogue, and to the temple to pray? Why shouldn’t we go to church to pray? In the presence of Jesus, all sickness and illness are healed, and all demons are expelled, should we come to Church to receive His Body and Blood so that he stays in us to expel any evil spirit that might conquer our life and our house?

Looking over his life, a wise man confesses: When I was young, I was smart, healthy, and strong, and I often asked God to help me change this world to make it a better place. When I reached midlife, he said, I recognized that I hadn’t achieved anything and hadn’t changed anybody. He decided to change his prayer: Lord, give me wisdom and strength to be able to change those with whom I have come into contact each day. When he’s not young anymore and recognizes that he hasn’t been able to change anyone. All he wished and wanted to do was too far in his reach and impossible to achieve, so he changed his prayer again: Lord, give me wisdom and strength to be able to change myself. If I prayed this way when I was young, he said, I would not regret living a meaningless and restless life.

Has Jesus come to heal the sick, cure the disease, expel the demons, free the captives, come to show us the way to the Father, and invite us to leave behind what belongs to this world? If Jesus’ mission was to come to heal the sick, to cure the disease, and many other good deeds, then he already finished his mission, what is the point for us to follow? Rather, his mission is to show us the way to the Father through his own life since he loves us, have we loved our brothers and sisters in following Christ? Is it because of love that Jesus performs miracle after miracle, or does he perform miracles to make him love us? When we help someone, do we need to have love or talent? Love helps one to gain talent or does talent help one in gaining love? If this world is built up by love, it would be peaceful. What would we choose if it’s not to follow the Lord Jesus Christ who showed us the way to the Father with his ultimate love?

The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 19:00:00 GMT

God’s Presence Expels the Unclean Spirit Within Us

Joke: One Sunday morning, a mother was getting ready for Church when she noticed her son wasn’t up yet. She finally went in to wake him up. “Come on, get up. You’ll be late for Mass!” she said. “I don’t want to go!” said her son as he buried his head under the pillow. “You have to go,” the mother insisted. “No, I’m not going,” he insisted. “And I’ll give you two reasons. Nobody there likes me and I don’t like them.” Indignantly, his mother replied, “You are too going to church, and I’ll give you two reasons: You’re 45 years old and you’re the pastor!”

In today's Gospel, Saint Mark gives us a glimpse of the work day of Jesus. It’s on the Sabbath, that he came to the temple to preach, and then he commanded the evil spirit to get out of a man who was possessed. Mark reported a very interesting conversation not between Jesus and the man who was possessed by an evil spirit, but it was a conversation between Jesus and the evil spirit in the man. The unclean spirit recognized the presence of the Lord Jesus, and he knew exactly there was no common ground between the Lord Jesus and himself. As soon as he saw Jesus, he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” The man was possessed by the evil spirit and couldn’t recognize the Lord Jesus, the Holy One of God, but the evil spirit possessed this man knew exactly who Jesus was.

Have we ever been possessed by evil spirits? How do we recognize that we are possessed by the evil spirit? Perhaps, we are not physically possessed by evil spirits such as paralyzed or mute or blind just like in some cases reported in the Bible, but you and I have ever been possessed by evil spirits which numbed ourselves to do good deeds and to love one another? The evil spirit might numb our minds, hearts, and souls in front of the temptations. How does it numb our minds? The evil spirit numbs our minds by telling lies, gossiping, criticizing, and judging wrongly of others. How does it numb our hearts? When we harbor evil thoughts and actions against others is when we allow evil spirit dominates our life? It numbs our hearts that we don’t feel hurt or regret when we hurt someone somehow. How does the evil spirit numb our soul? The moment that we don’t want to go to confession; we look at sin as if it’s not sin; and we allow evil spirit to play tricks in us saying, “Oh, you will be fine to commit that sin; or just sin one more time, you are going to be fine.” Many times I was asked to pray for an individual who believed that he or she was possessed by an evil spirit and that he or she could even speak the language of Jesus; he or she even conversed with the evil spirit; he or she even experienced some strange activities moving in the house, etc. Whenever I was asked to go to someone’s house to bless the house, the first thing I asked the individual was, “Do you go to Church?” The response that I often got was, “I don’t go to church, but I pray and I read the Bible every day.” “It is nothing wrong to pray to God at home and to read the Bible,” I said, “however, it would be better to come to Church to worship the Lord and to thank the Lord for the gift of this life.” Mass is the highest form of all the prayers, and Mass is the thanksgiving itself each time to come to Mass is each time we give thanks to God for the gift of our lives. The Church is a sacred place where Christ resides, especially in the Tabernacle in any Catholic Church. During Mass, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that Christ presents in four different places. Christ presents at the Word of God and is proclaimed at the Ambo. He is also present at the Altar where the sacrificial offering of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is celebrated. He is also present in the celebrant, the priest himself, since he is the persona Christi, he acts in the person of Jesus Christ at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Christ is also present in the congregation because the Lord Jesus Christ himself said that where there are two or three people gathered together, he is in their midst. Watching pornography, gossiping, judging, criticizing, lying, cheating, harming others, stealing, and many other crooked ways of life somehow we fall into these temptations, but we feel fine and are not ashamed nor guilty of it. We might not even see the need for confession. Someone pointed out that what’s the point of going to confession, then we sin again? Others said, “I don’t see watching pornography and masturbation as a sin,” etc. A man possessed by an evil spirit cannot control himself, the evil spirit possessed him speaking for him, reported in today’s Gospel, saying to Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” Perhaps, when we don’t see the need to go to Mass; we don’t see the need to receive the Body and the Blood of Jesus at the Eucharist; and when we don’t see the need to go to confession, we might be possessed by the evil spirit with all the distractions of this world that St. Paul encouraged us and the Corinthian community reported in today’s second reading to fix our eyes on the Lord, “without distraction,” the distraction of material goods, of self-center, greedy, ignorance, self-pleasure, and the dependency on our own will, not God’s will.

The demon thinks that he can control Jesus by the use of his name and by claiming to have a hold of his identity, wrong. Jesus, the Holy One of God, the Son of God, and God himself that at his presence, he expels the darkness of sins so that no evil survives at his presence. Through our baptism, each one of us is invited to such self-possession, liberated from the demons that inhabit the darkness within us to put a new clean white garment which is the Lord Himself, have we tried to keep that white garment continuously new and cleaned? The only detergent and water that can wash our baptismal garment clean again and again is the confession. Have we come to confession often to wash our baptismal garments clean? Have we had that willingness to follow the Lord even in our tough times, in our struggles, in our sufferings, and even in our discomfort in living conditions? Have we allowed Jesus to come to us to expel the darkness within us? As Moses challenged the Israelites to listen to God’s voice, described in today’s first reading, we are also called to hear the voice of Jesus and live out his teachings in what we say and do according to God’s will and not our own will. In the presence of the Lord Jesus, the evil spirit recognized and came out of the man, have we allowed Jesus to reside in us every time we received Communion to expel demons from us? It is not only about receiving Christ at Mass but how should we live our Christian life to have Jesus, the Holy One of God and God himself resided in us always? The decision is yours.

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 19:00:00 GMT

The Kingdom of God

Joke: A priest, a minister, and a monk sat discussing the best positions for prayer, while a telephone repairman worked nearby. "Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray," the priest said. "No," said the minister. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven." "You’ve both wrong," the monk said. "The most effective prayer position is lying down on the floor." The repairman couldn’t contain himself any longer. "Hey, fellas," he interrupted. "The best praying I ever did was when I was hanging upside down from a telephone pole."

In today’s Gospel, Saint Mark repeats the word of Jesus’ preaching saying, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” which draws his first disciples to leave their nets and everything to follow him. What does he mean by the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the gospel? And how do they recognize that the kingdom of God is at hand?

What is the kingdom of God if it’s not to believe in the Gospel and repent? What is the Gospel that we hear every time we attend the Mass? A simple and short definition of the Gospel is Jesus’ life, ministries, and teaching. Only reading and believing is not enough to recognize the Kingdom of God, but it requires a conversion of heart to repent to recognize the Kingdom of God is at hand. So, what Jesus meant is that the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the Gospel is to read the Gospel, to believe in what we read and hear, and to repent to be able to recognize the Kingdom of God is at hand.

We live in the blessed land of freedom of religion where we can practice what we believe. The Bible seems very familiar to all of us in this blessed land. There are many versions of the Bible since we are united from many different denominations. There are many versions of the Bible, but there is only one Jesus Christ, the Anointed One of God, and God himself that the four evangelists John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke inspired by the Holy Spirit reported Jesus’ life, ministries, and teaching. We might read the Bible, but do we believe in what we read? At the Diaconate Ordination, the bishop handed the book of the Gospel and said to the candidate, “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” Why, in her wisdom, does the Church ask us to believe in what we read? The words in the Gospel, Jesus invites us to love our enemies, for an instant, but how many of us love our enemies even though we read the same Gospel, the same words of God? When the year 2000 approached, there were all kinds of news. Y2K would be the end of the world. All computers would crash. The planet would fall. There would be no electricity, no water. People began to go to Walmart and HEB to get all the water they could get. At the beginning of the year 2020, the whole world had to face this novel coronavirus. There had been all kinds of messages posted online… now, in the year 2021, the Gospel still proclaims, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” But look around us, how many people believe in the Gospel and repent to recognize the Kingdom of God is at hand?

We learn from the Old Testament, particularly in today’s first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Jonah, that the kingdom of God would be taken away when people didn’t repent and turned away from their evil deeds. When Jonah preached repentance to the Ninevites, they repented and God saw “by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.” Just as the people of Nineveh, they could only experience the kingdom of God, the kingdom of no destruction, when they repented, would we be able to experience the kingdom of God present in our midst, when we believe in the Gospel and repent, to turn away from our evil way?

We learn from the New Testament, particularly in today’s second reading, taken from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthian community, which describes the passing of the world in its present form and encourages people to pursue the kingdom of God saying, “let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully.” Is it that true to experience the kingdom of God, a married man has to act as not have a wife; one is suffering from an illness or sickness has to act like not being sick; one rejoices in his peaceful and happy family has to act like not rejoicing; etc.? Wrong. What Saint Paul tries to encourage us here is that we should not allow these earthly alluring things like marriage, suffering, happiness, and earthly possession to dominate us, to block our vision to recognize the kingdom of God, the teaching of Jesus Christ and his church, but rather to focus our lives in following the Lord Jesus’ teaching and the teaching of his Church.

The kingdom of God in the Old Testament is to repent and to turn away from the evil way of life. The kingdom of God in the New Testament is to avoid the allurements of earthly things and to focus on the Person of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God present in our midst. The kingdom of God presents in our midst is an invitation for each of us to bring peace, happiness, and healing to one another and to those whom we come into contact each day. Is this kingdom of God present right here, right now? Or do we have to wait until we expire from this earthly life to experience the kingdom of God? Just as the kingdom of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, presents to heal the sick, to cure the disease, to free the prisoner and the oppressed, and to even raise the dead back into life again, have we experienced the kingdom of God present in our lives? If not, what should we do to experience the kingdom of God present in our midst? What are we looking for in this life and the life to come if it’s not the kingdom of God where there is no more sickness, illness, war, destruction, terrorism, division, brokenness, sadness, but happiness, peace, and joy? May we experience the kingdom of God when we believe in the Gospel, repent, and have the courage and strength to live our Christian life following the Lord Jesus Christ. The decision is yours.

2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 19:00:00 GMT

Active Listening and Responding

Joke: A deaf man, a blind man, and a disabled man heard a rumor that God had come down to a church in the village to heal the sick. They all went to check it out. God signed to the deaf man, "Can I help you, son?" The man signed back that he would be happy if he could hear again. God touched his ears and suddenly he could hear. God then touched the blind man and he was able to see. The third man was sitting in his wheelchair with his mouth wide open in amazement. God looked at the man and asked him what he wanted. The man drew back and yelled, "Don't lay one finger on me! I'm on disability!"

In all of today’s readings, perhaps, it is not only about allowing the Lord to touch and heal us, but it is about how to listen and respond to God’s call by faithfully attending Mass. In all today’s readings, we are invited to have an active listening ear and to respond with a humble and open heart. The voice, in today’s first reading, taken from the first book of Samuel, asked the youth Samuel for a response when he was unfamiliar with the voice. Through his teacher, Eli, Samuel was able to recognize the Lord’s calling. Eli taught him how to respond to the voice saying, “If you are called, reply, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” Did the boy Samuel hear the voice? He heard the voice but didn’t know where it came from. Through Eli, he learned to respond saying, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” Would we be able to listen to God’s voice when we are unfamiliar with his voice? What does his voice sound like? Is it our human voice? Does his voice travel to our ears in a sound wave hitting our eardrum so that we can hear his voice? What is his voice like calling us on our spiritual journey here on earth?

As a priest, I have the privilege to go to anoint people and give the last rite to those who are dying. One Christmas, after the vigil Mass and the midnight Mass, I came home and was about to fall asleep, when I received a phone call on my cell phone. I picked up, and I was asked to go to give the last rite to someone in the assisted living facility. The patient was not even our parishioner, but a friend of his son called several parishes and no priest answered the phone. The friend even thanked me for picking up the phone.

In my recollection, it seemed that I never came to this facility before. There was no receptionist. It was so quiet. I tried to navigate by following the signs to look for the room that I was given. Honestly, I was chill. After a few turns, I saw a nurse and I was so happy. She took me to the room, and I gave the unconscious patient the last rite in the presence of his loved ones. The next day, I received the message that he died. The Lord, out of the ordinary things, asked me to do something out of the ordinary. If I did what seemed to be ordinary things, that meant ignoring the phone call and going to sleep after the midnight Mass, I could miss preparing the man to meet the Lord at his last moment on earth. Listening to the Lord sometimes invites us to do what is unordinary.

The young Samuel, his familiar voice was his teacher Eli and when the Lord called him, he couldn’t recognize his voice. When he heard the voice, he automatically thought and believed that was Eli who called him. At a very young age, the age of eating, drinking, and having fun with games and all kinds of physical activities, and the Lord called him in the middle of the night, how could he recognize if no one instructed him? We too, are perhaps not busy with games, eating, or having fun like the youth, but we are busy with work and all kinds of activities in our lives, are we able to hear God’s voice when he calls us? What does his voice sound like? Are we familiar with his voice?

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul teaches us a very important lesson about human beings when he says, “The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord.” What is immorality if it’s not what Saint Paul says, “Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body.” In other words, immorality is a person commits sins against his or her own body. What is it immorality to do with listening to God’s voice in our life? The youth Samuel couldn’t recognize God’s call because his body was so tired from all the activities of the day, he was not fully awake in the middle of the night, and many other reasons, not talking about getting familiar with God’s voice. How do we get familiar with God’s voice and be able to recognize him when he calls us out of our ordinary activities of life?

We can learn to be familiar with God’s voice and be able to respond to his voice in our Christian life by learning from what Saint John describes in today’s Gospel. The moment that John the Baptist introduces Jesus, the Lamb of God, his disciples follow Jesus. This is not enough to know and to be familiar with God that Jesus told them, “Come, and you will see” when they ask him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —“where are you staying?” Only listening to the Lord is not enough, but to have the courage and strength to come and to stay with the Lord Jesus and faithfully follow him.

How can we hear God’s voice and how can we recognize his voice in our Christian journey if it’s not to come and see, to stay and experience his life, his place? Samuel recognized God’s voice through the teaching of his teacher, Eli, how can we recognize God’s voice when we participate in the Mass, read the Bible, and are actively involved in all kinds of activities in the Church? Just as the two disciples came and see where the Lord Jesus lived and be able to stay with him and follow him, what is it that we have difficulty loving one another in our family, in our community, at work, in school and wherever it is when we regularly participate in the Mass, read the Bible, and are actively involved in all kinds of activities in the Church? One thing that Saint Paul helps us to understand that to prevent us from coming to recognize God’s voice and to respond to His voice is the immorality, the sins that go against the body, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. How do we take care of our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit on our spiritual journey? Are we able to listen, recognize, and actively respond to God’s call when we allow our bodies to dominate our entire being? The decision is yours.

The Epiphany of the Lord

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 19:00:01 GMT

Three Wisemen Responded to Three Figures

Joke: An Eight-year-old asked, "How come the kings brought perfume to Jesus? What kind of gift is that for a baby?" His Nine-year-old sister answered, "Haven't you ever smelled a barn? With all the dirty animals around, Mary needed something to freshen the air."

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany. There are at least three important figures that we are invited to ponder. These three important figures symbolize SMJ, not Shaking My Junk, but Star Magi and Jesus. What is the significance of the three and how do they correlate within all today’s readings?

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Love What Binds the Holy Family Together

Joke: A woman pulled her car over to the side of the road when she heard the police car’s siren. “How long have you been driving without a taillight,” demanded the officer? “Oh, no!” screamed the woman. She jumped out and ran to the back of the car. “Just calm down,” said the officer. “It’s not that serious.” “But wait ‘til my husband finds out!” “Where is he?” “He’s in the trailer that was hitched to the car!”

Just as the hitch that connected the car with the trailer, love is that hitch that connected all the members of the Holy Family to become the Holy Family Saint Paul, reported in today’s second reading, puts it beautifully in his writing, “love, that is, the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14). Why does the Church celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph during this octave of Christmas, even before the feast of the Epiphany? Perhaps, it emphasizes more the meaning of the perfect love that God has for his human beings. This perfect love cannot be fully understood without the context of the mystery of the Incarnation, Christmas. God truly entrusts his only beloved Son to humanity to take care of and love what makes the family of human and divine becomes the Holy Family. How does it come about? In all of today’s readings, the Church helps us to answer this question.

In today’s first reading, God promised Abram that his children would be numbered, but he was still childless at an old age. Wasn’t it because of his lack of faith that he said to the Lord, “See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir?” His thought was not God’s thought, so God told Abram, “No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir.” Interesting. Have you ever thought in this short sentence of a short conversation that God had with Abram that God said your own issue shall be your heir? What did it mean “your own issue shall be your heir”? What was Abram’s issue if it’s not the lack of faith? Through this issue of Faith when he accepted in faith, he did not only become the child of God, but the father in faith to all nations just as God had promised him. The moment that Abram accepted God in faith, his name was changed to Abraham. This name change came with a mission, a mission to be the father of faith.

This father of faith that in today’s second reading, St. Paul beautifully emphasizes saying, “By faith Abraham obeyed … By faith he received power to generate, … and by faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac.” This faith that demonstrated so well by Joseph and Mary who also obeyed God completely. This faith also allowed Mary to conceive and bear the Son of God, and both Mary and Joseph named him Jesus. This faith also helped them to offer their Son courageously on the Cross for the sake of the salvation of the whole human race. By faith, Abraham now was not Abram, who was childless any more, but he was Abraham, father in faith of all nations. Blessed Virgin Mary, the moment she was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God, her name was changed to “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you.” At the moment of acceptance to be the Mother of God, Mary’s name change entailed a mission that was to conceive and bear the Son of God. Simon, the moment the Lord Jesus chose him to be the head of the apostles and the Church, his name was changed to Peter, the Rock. Saul, the moment he was chosen to be the preacher to the Gentiles, his name was changed to Paul. What was the mission of the holy family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary if it’s not the love and the care they had for one another in the family that they were called the Holy Family?

Pope Pius XII once said that a Holy Family is a family in that when the father only knows to take care of his wife and his children; the wife always focuses on taking care of her husband and the children; and the children only know to take care of their parents. This family is then called a Holy Family. When each member of the family focuses on taking care of one another members in that family, they form a holy family here on earth. Therefore, the mission of the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is to take care of one another, in good times and in bad times.

In today’s Gospel, Luke carefully describes how Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus, take care of the boy Jesus by fulfilling the requirement of the laws when they present him to the Lord in the temple. Saint Luke said, “According to the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” In the words of Simeon, both Joseph and Mary are amazed that Luke describes, “The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him [Jesus].” “When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.” There, they lived and cared for one another.

As the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph becomes the Holy Family when they care for one another in their family, we are invited to care for one another in our own family and our community. Just as Mary and Joseph are searching for their child in the Temple, we are invited to look out for our children, not because we are single parents or we are busy working parents who somehow neglect to take care of our children. Just as Mary and Joseph open up themselves to accept the invitation of the Lord to be the parents of the Son of God, even though it’s not all about joy, peace, and happiness to be the parents of the Son of God, but rather it’s blended with hard work, struggling, and even sorrow, we are invited to have the courage to accept the challenges and difficulties that this current society brings into our lives. We are also reminded to journey with our children and with one another. Above all, just as we learn from the Holy Family united in God’s love and the love they have for one another, we, families, are invited to base our family’s values on love, the love we share with one another in our family. The decision is yours.

Christmas Day

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Mystery of God's Love for Us

Joke: Santa was working at Brookville shopping center when he noticed a young lady of about 20 years old walking toward him. He was surprised when she sat on his lap. Santa does not usually take requests from adults, but as she gave him such a nice smile, he couldn’t refuse and said to her, “What’s your name?” “Hannah,” she replied. “What do you want for Christmas, Hannah?” “Actually, I want something for my mom, please,” said Hannah. “What do you want me to bring her,” said Santa. Without blinking her eyes, Hannah replied, “A son-in-law.”

Just as Hannah expressed her wish to Santa during Christmas, what should we wish and pray for Christmas? To answer this question, the Church puts together all of today’s readings to clarify for us.

He comes to us in the flesh because he loves us. His origin is divine and human in today’s Gospel, John begins his Gospel by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If we recall the creation story in the very first chapter of the book of Genesis, God created everything by saying “the Word”, and creatures came into being. However, there is a little tricky, a little twist in the human creation story when God creates Adam. He forms Adam from dust and breaths in him the Holy Spirit, and he becomes a living being. Only in Adam and Eve, human beings, are created special in God’s image as it said in Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The words “Let us,” does it mean there are several gods in the creation or only one God. There are several explanations, one of them is that the words: “let us” describe the solemnity, the importance, and the seriousness, but there is only one God. When we hear the Pope speak, he often addresses us as “We.” It does not mean that he speaks on behalf of several people, but he speaks for the Church, the only Catholic Church that we profess in the profession of faith every Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.

Christ is the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He chose to vest on himself our very human flesh to be with us to show us how much he loves us, even to the point of suffering and death, death on the Cross for us. What have we done to return that love? Just as Jesus lying helpless as a babe, what have we done to those children who are abandoned, homeless, uncared, unsheltered, hungry, and lonely? Of all the Christmas cards that I received for Christmas, there was one that I found most practical prayer with a little sense of humor for Christmas. Perhaps, it is also a prayer for all of us during this Christmas season. The title of the card is: “The Very First King-Size Bed.” In this card, it said, “Let us thank God for that bed and the baby who slept there. It is the nicest place to be in someone’s thoughts; the safest place to be in someone’s prayers; and the best place to be in God’s hands (from Fr. Kuriakose @ Christ the King parish). The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 19:00:01 GMT

A Name is entailed with A Mission

Joke: A middle-aged laywoman has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital. While on the operating table, she has a near-death experience in which she sees God. She asks him if this is the end of her life. God tells her no, she has another forty years to live. After she recovers, she’s so upbeat that she stays in the hospital and has a face-lift, a tummy tuck, and many other changes to make her younger and more beautiful. She even has a beautician come in to change her hair color and style. As long as she’s got another forty years to live, she figures out that she might as well make the most of it. The woman walks out the front door of the hospital after the last operation and is run over by an ambulance. In front of God, she wails, “I thought you said I had another forty years?” God replies, “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”

Every year, we anticipate the second coming of the Lord, and to celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, this last weekend we are invited to imitate the presence of God in our life. On this last week of Advent, this year is short in one day, we are invited to look at the lowly woman chosen by God to be the Mother of God, our Savior. What does it mean and how does Mary carry out her mission to be the Mother of the Savior?

In all today’s readings, three important people are mentioned: King David, Mary, and Jesus. These three people carry out the salvation history by obedience to the Lord. Who is King David? Why does the Lord choose to be born from his line? Is he worthy of being the ancestor of the Savior? We learn in the Scripture that King David is the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd in the field. When he is confronted with the philistine at the battlefield, he tells them, “You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted” (1 Sam 17:45). With a stone taken from his bag, he strikes the Philistine on the forehead that takes him down at once. When he becomes a King, he has not only one wife but at least seven wives and several concubines. Regardless of who he is and what he has done, the Lord promises him, described in today’s first reading saying, “I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.” Why? The Lord chooses him not because he is a good-looking boy, nor he is a wise man, but because he is a man of faith and trust in the Lord. David is the favored one, out of seven brothers, and he is anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the king.

Mary, in today’s Gospel, is also the “favored one,” as she is encouraged by the angel Gabriel saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Who is Mary if not the daughter of a barren woman, St. Ann that the Lord looks with favor on her and gives her a daughter at her old age. Why does God have favor on some particular people? He is the author of our lives, he has a right to choose what is to please him. When God wants to choose for him a man to lead his people, he chooses an old man that is Abraham. When he wants to choose a person to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, he chooses Saul or Paul, one who used to hunt down the Christians. When he wants to choose a leader for his church, he chooses an uneducated man who denies him three times. When he chooses to be born into the world to save the human race, he chooses to be born from a woman, an ordinary woman, but with great faith and trust in the Lord saying, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Has Mary been prepared to conceive and to bear a Son of God, the Most High? Yes, even though it is not recorded details in the Scriptures, through her pondering at the greeting of the Angel Gabriel, “Hail, favored one. The Lord is with you.” Mary could not ignore the greeting and asked what this was all about. She is not only prepared to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord through her prayers, but through her intimate relationship with the Lord, she can be awakened when the angel greets her. Her response is not “No,” but she ponders at the great message that the angel announced to her. This pondering becomes a raging wave in her heart and soul when the angel continues, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” At this moment, she is not only awakened, but fully awake at the message that she will conceive and bear a son and name him Jesus while she does not even know the man, and not talking about relation with the man.

Being more awakened than ever before since the moment at the greeting of the angel, Mary responds to the angel by saying, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Her response is not just for a moment, a day, a month, or a year, but for the rest of her life. Her “yes” is a long life meditating on what God has done in her and through her. Her yes is a yes of suffering with her Son when she has to see him being betrayed, hated, wept, and even death, death on the Cross. Her yes is a complete yes to follow the Lord, even at the foot of her son’s cross. How is our response in preparing and waiting for the second coming of our Lord? Are we ready for the Lord to come? How would we respond when he comes? Mary carries out her mission the day she says yes to be the Mother of the Lord, what is your mission the day that you are baptized to be the follower of the Lord? Mary is faithful to her mission, are you faithful to your mission? The decision is yours.

3rd Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 19:00:00 GMT

To Rejoice, To Pray, and To Give Thanks without Ceasing

Joke : After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, “Mom, I’ve decided to become a priest when I grow up.” “That’s ok with us,” she replied, “but what made you decide that?” “Well,” said the little boy, “I have to go to Church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit down and listen.”

John the Baptist, reported in today’s Gospel, is a voice, not yelling but helping people to recognize that God is present in their midst. As John experienced the presence of God in the desert of his heart, soul, and mind, he went out to testify for God who is the light. John is the voice calling for repentance reported in today’s Gospel saying, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” John quotes this from the prophet Isaiah, but what he adds to it that he identifies himself as the voice calling for repentance. Interesting that he doesn’t identify himself as the light, but he comes to testify for the light. What is the light and why does he come to testify for that light?

In today’s Gospel, after a series of questions people ask John to see who he is, John says that he is not Elijah, nor prophet, but “the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.’ I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” John points out that the Lord is among them, but why don’t they recognize him?

In the book, One Minute Wisdom by Anthony de Mello, S.J., shared a short conversation between a student and the master with the title “Unconsciousness”. Student asks, “Where can I find God?” “He is right in front of you.” “Then why do I fail to see him?” The master responds by asking him, “Why does the drunkard fail to see his home?” Later, the master said, “Find out what it is that makes you drunk. To see you must be sober.” To recognize the Lord, perhaps, we need to be sober from all the attractions that this world offers us. How do we stay sober from all the attractions of this world?

To answer this question, we are invited to the anointed one that Isaiah mentioned in today’s first reading that when he comes, he “bring[s] glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God.” Who is this anointed one if he is not Jesus himself? His ministries here on earth are to heal the sick, the blind, and the lepers, and to forgive the sins of a prostitute and the tax collectors and many other good deeds that he has done to bring exactly, what Isaiah says in today’s Gospel, “glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God.” With all these good deeds, how come they’re still not able to recognize him as the Savior? Honest ourselves, how many of us remember to give thanks to God for the gift of life in which none of us can bring ourselves into existence by ourselves? How many of us remember to give thanks to God by doing some good deeds to others when we experience the breath that we take in right now? What do we see right now? Of all of the five senses that we experience in this present age, how many of us believe that God’s mysterious hands are on us to protect and take care of us?

A bishop, I don’t remember his name, once shared his experience when he was a little boy, and he often remembered and thanked the Lord throughout his adult life. After WWII, one day, he ran home got into the kitchen, and asked his mom to borrow the biggest knife they had. After she handed him the knife, the boy ran off from her sight. After he left, the mother suddenly asked herself, why he needed the big knife, and she ran after him to see what he was doing with the knife. All the kids were surrounded by a big dynamite. When he was about to slam that big knife on the dynamite, his mom stopped him from behind. Bishop often reflects on that experience and believes that God’s hands are upon him and others because there is no way to explain that.

God is always present in our midst, but how can we experience his presence in our life? One way to experience God’s presence in our lives that Saint Paul encourages us, is described in today’s second reading saying, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” Just as we have difficulty being in a good mood when we are tired, or we have difficulty thinking when we are angry and frustrated, we might have difficulty experiencing God’s presence when we cannot rejoice, cannot pray, and cannot even give thanks to God in all circumstances of our lives. This is a Gaudete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday. We are invited to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks to God without ceasing in waiting for the second coming of our Lord. The decision is yours.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of BVM

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 20:15:43 GMT

Similarities and Differences between Eve and Mary

Today, the church celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is not about killing her son or herself. It is not about her virginity either, but rather it is about the moment Saint Ann conceived Mary in her womb in her old age. It is in God’s will that Mary conceived without original sin. It is not only Mary conceived without original sin, but it is also in God’s will that Eve is brought into being without original sin. However, it is disobedience that one is expelled from Eternity, and the other is received back to Eternity. How does it come about? What causes this separation?

In the book of Genesis, some verses before today’s first reading, there is a conversation between the serpent and Eve, as the serpent says to Eve, “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” Has the serpent told Eve the truth? Yes, but only half of the truth. After Eve ate the forbidden fruit, as it is described in today’s first reading, she didn’t die, and neither her eyes closed. Her eyes were wide open, and she discovered that she was naked. Was she naked before? Yes. However, she wasn’t ashamed of her nakedness until she disobeyed God to eat the forbidden fruit. Her eyes were wide open, but had she been like God? Absolutely no. This is the tricky part of the temptation that the serpent presented to Eve. Eve wanted to become like God so she was expelled from the garden. Is it a story of a long time ago? If we examine our life, this is a story of every time and every age. Examining our moments of temptation such as cheating, lying, smoking, drinking, abusing, lust, and a lot more, are these temptations presented to us only half of the truth? We can ease our pain, our suffering, our anxiety, and our struggle for only a moment when we use drugs, alcohol, smoking, and others.

Mary, on the other hand, the angel Gabriel, after the greeting, said to Mary in today’s Gospel, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son … Son of the Most High … his kingdom there will be no end.” The serpent’s invitation to Eve to eat the forbidden fruit is pleasing to the eyes, while Gabriel’s invitation to Mary is frightening. However, the response of Mary is completely different and opposite to Eve's saying ‘yes’ to the angel to follow God’s will, while Eve’s response is to go against God’s will by eating that fruit that God forbids.

Brothers and sisters, we are not animals with intelligence nor angels, but human beings with body and soul. Who are Eve and Mary? They are exactly like us, human beings. However, one responded with obedience and faithfully pondering and living God’s will, the other did not. One responded with humility and accepted the lowly creature of God, the other did not. And above all, one responded to the Holy Will by surrendering her life completely to God as she said in today’s Gospel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,” the other did not. The question for us to examine ourselves in celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, what have we responded to the Lord in our Christian life? Have we allowed ourselves to be attracted by the material possessions and powered gain that somehow our society, our family, or our neighbors are morally degrading, or have we surrendered our lives to God’s will to accept, seek help, and move on with God’s grace whatever that struggles us, that brings us stress and anxiety, that brings us separation and hatred, and many other tricks that the devils might manipulate and get us into trouble? Just as Mary reverses the sin of Eve by her total obedience to the will of God, have we had enough courage and strength to reverse the sins that we have committed? Or we are just like Eve, are temptations presented to us so pleasing to our eyes and attractive to our flesh that we just dive into it instead of going against it? Both Eve and Mary were in favor of God’s will to be created without a stain of sin from the beginning, we are in God’s favor, and through baptism, we have washed away from our original sin. Without original sin through baptism, have you and I tried to follow the Lord’s teaching to avoid temptations, or have we allowed ourselves tempted by the devil to go against God’s will for us? Eve was expelled from the heavenly garden because of her disobedience, have you ever experienced isolation from God and one another? What causes this separation? How should you restore it? The decision is yours.

Second Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Preparing the Way for the Lord

Joke: A man, who thought he was John the Baptist was disturbing the neighborhood. So for public safety, he was forced to be taken to the psychiatrist. He was put in a room with another crazy patient. He began his routine by saying, “I am John the Baptist! The Lord has sent me as the forerunner of Christ the Messiah!” The other guy looked at him and declared, “I am the Lord your God. I did not send you!”

In anticipating the second coming of the Lord, this second Sunday of Advent, especially in today’s readings, the Church reminds us of a person who comes into existence to deliver only one message throughout his entire life. That message is to call people for repentance in preparing for the coming of the Lord. Through the person of John the Baptist, the voice crying out for repentance, the Church invites us to examine ourselves to see how we prepare the way for the second coming of the Lord.

The Voice of John the Baptist called for preparing the way for the Lord to come the prophet Isaiah reported in his writing saying, “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed.” What are these images of wasteland, valley, mountain, hill, and rugged land that Isaiah mentions here? Aren’t they the conditions inside and outside of us that we need to make it straight for the Lord to come? The wasteland, isn’t that like the emptiness of the heart, the void that one cannot find the meaning of life? The condition that one might not be able to experience of being Catholic or belonging to a community of faith. How can the Lord come when our heart is just a void, a wasteland that has no life in it? The valley, does it sound like what we harbor deeply in our hearts what is to cheat our spouse, to take advantage of those under our responsibility, to ignore the needs of others to fulfill our desires and needs, and many other acts that make what is the temple of the Holy Spirit becomes the valley? Mountain and hill, perhaps, what is our pride, our self-center, our jealousy and greed that placed others under us? The rugged, dried, and rough land, does sound like what we are sometimes attracted to like pornography, drug and alcohol, liars, anger and frustration, and many other unloving acts towards others and ourselves. How would we welcome God to come into our lives when we build up these wasteland, valley, mountain, hill, and rugged land around us that block the way of the Lord to come? The Lord invites us to straighten them out so that He can come and stay with us, especially each time we come up to receive Communion, we receive Christ into our lives. How would we prepare an immaculate place for him to reside within us just as Mary was chosen to be the Mother of God that God prepared her to be born without any stain of sin, and immaculate womb to bear the Son of God and God himself?

In today’s second reading, taken from the second book of Saint Peter, Peter invites people to conduct [themselves] in “holiness and devotion, [in] waiting for and hastening [for] the coming of the day of God.” This is exactly what we ought to amend our life in waiting for the Lord to come. Not only to make the wasteland, valley, mountain, hill, and rugged land straight but also to conduct ourselves in holiness and devotion in waiting for the second coming of our Lord.

Saint Peter and other apostles, prophets, and many other church fathers and saints throughout the Church’s history experienced the presence of God in their lives when they amended their lives to the Lord. In all today’s readings, the Church put together to invite us to change and to amend our lives in preparing for the second coming of our Lord. Changing and having the heart of conversion are so crucial that Saint Mark begins his Gospel by retelling the story of John the Baptist as the voice calling for conversion in preparing the way for the Lord. As the voice, the messenger, and the forerunner of the Lord, John proclaims “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” What does that mean “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins?” Isn’t that in our baptism, we are all called to be priests, prophets, and kings? What do we do and how do we live our lives as priests, prophets, and kings? Do we live our lives as priests, prophets, and kings by putting up the walls that Isaiah mentions in today’s first reading, the wall of wasteland, valley, mountain, hill, and rugged land to block the way of the Lord to come? How do we live our lives as priests, prophets, and kings if it’s not to try to humble ourselves to acknowledge the need for God by going to confession and forgive one another, especially those who hurt us somehow and in some ways? How do we prepare the way for the Lord in anticipating the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ if it’s not to try to make straight these wasteland, valley, mountain, hill, and rugged land, the void of the empty heart, the doubt, the hurt and pain that this person or that person either consciously or unconsciously transmitted or gave it to us?

In the Zen tradition of the Far East, there is a story about a professor who went to visit the great master Nan-In one day. “Master,” he said, “teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the sacred scriptures, I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer. Please teach me the way.” At this point, Nan-In served tea to his guest. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring so that the tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and still he poured until tea was pouring out on the floor. The professor watched this until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull! Stop! No more will go in,” he cried out. “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?” When we are full of opinions, speculations, and even doubt and hurts, and they are like what Isaiah called the “wasteland, valley, mountain, hill, and rugged land” one cannot experience happiness, peace, and God’s presence in one’s life! Let us, then, empty our hearts of all the unnecessary and uncharitable thoughts and actions that we might harbor within our heart, mind, and soul, and clean it with the tears of repentance and conversion of sins, and so to allow it to be filled with God’s grace. With God’s grace and our effort of conversion, we can straighten out these wasteland, valley, mountain, hill, and rugged land for the Lord to come. This is also the meaning of Advent that we are all invited to prepare for the second coming of the Lord. Have you had anything that needs to be fixed or changed to prepare a place for the Lord to come this Christmas? How would you change or fix in you to prepare a place for the Lord to come? With God’s grace and your effort, the Lord would find a place to reside within you this Christmas, would you?

34th Sunday of Ordinary Time--Jesus Christ the King

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 25 Nov 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Are You Ready to Face His Judgment of Christ the King?

Joke: A five-year-old boy was stalling to go to bed. He asked for a glass of juice. "No, sir," his father answered. "No more juice. I'm the king of the juice in this house." "That's not right, Daddy," the young fellow retorted. "Our Sunday school teacher said that Jesus is the king of the Jews."

The Church celebrates the feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. This feast was introduced into the liturgy in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. We celebrate Christ as the King of the Universe by enthroning him in our hearts and inviting him to take control of our lives.

In celebrating the feast of Christ the King, the Church presents Jesus, whom we have learned about his preaching, teaching, and healing rooted in one word “LOVE” during the last twenty-two Sundays, as our King and Lord who was and is the visible presence of God in our midst.

In today’s first reading, prophet Ezekiel describes a king, a good shepherd is the one who “will look after and tend his sheep.” A good shepherd is the one who “tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. [He] will pasture [the] sheep; [he] will give them rest. The lost [he] will seek out, the strayed [he] will bring back, the injured [he] will bind up, the sick [he] will heal, but the sleek and the strong [he] will destroy, shepherding them rightly.” Prophet Ezekiel reminds us of the good shepherd who cares and pastures attentively to the needs of the sheep, have we learned from that as priests, religious brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents, teachers, and those who hold authority? What does it mean to be a good shepherd? Does it have to be a priest? A nun? A parent or grandparent? A teacher? A doctor? A politician? Or whoever it is? How can one be a good shepherd?

“Father,” someone shared with me in one of the parishes, “I’m hurting because of that priest. He did not give me the absolution!” The sin to betray his master, has Jesus condemned Judas Iscariot? The sin to deny his master, even though he was warned, has Jesus condemned Peter? The sin of prostitution is that according to the laws, she had to be stoned to death, has Jesus condemned her? I listened to confession, and sometimes, someone came and confessed in Spanish. Did I understand? Absolutely none. Did I give absolution? Absolutely yes. Was it right or wrong to give absolution to someone when I didn’t understand what the person said? Wrong. Exactly, wrong. Who forgives the sins of the person? God. Who needs to understand the person’s sins? God and not me. That’s why when a priest gives the absolution, he always says, “I absolve you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” “Then Father,” someone asks, “why don’t we just confess directly to God just as other religions do?” Wrong. From Sacred Scripture, Jesus commends to Peter saying, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19). Therefore, priest, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and the Holy Spirit has authority to forgive sins. Sacred Scripture, as we are reminded from the teaching of the Church, “is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 81). Sacred Tradition, Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit” (CCC 81). Therefore, our faith is passed down to us through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The Lord Jesus entrusted the care of his Church to his Apostles, particularly to Peter, whatever he and his successors released will be released, and whatever he holds back will be held back, no question to ask. The Lord entrusts us with the gift to forgive sins and to withhold sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, not in our own name. That’s why I often asked myself when I ran into a difficult situation, “If the Lord Jesus in this case, what would he do?” I often ask that question to seek guidance. Parents and grandparents, have we ever asked ourselves, what if Jesus were involved in this situation or that situation, what would he do when we experienced our children involved in drugs, involved in criminal acts, struggling with fidelity in the relationship, struggling with school, having difficulty to listen to parents, grandparents, teachers, and those who hold authorities? Or the moment that we experience these, the moment we point the finger at this person or that person, this school or that school, this church or that church, etc. Do we pay close attention to the needs of our children? Do we seek Christ for guidance? How do we seek his guidance? Or put it this way, how do we listen to God’s guidance?

A lady shares, “Father, I pray every day on my way to go to work that God gives me the patience to deal with my employees, but as soon as I walk into my workplace, I run out of patience quickly when things do not go in the way I want. Why?” “You seek God for guidance correctly,” I said. “However, you might not know how to listen.”

How do we listen to Christ’s guidance? Matthew, in today’s Gospel, beautifully teaches us how to listen to Christ’s guidance by repeating the words of Jesus saying, “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” What did they do? Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” How can we do all these if we don’t have attentive care for the needs of others, the needs of our children?

Pay attention to the verbs that are described in today’s Gospel, to feed, to give, to welcome, to cloth, to care, and to visit, aren’t they all rooted in the word “love?” What is love if it’s not the greatest commandment that the Lord Jesus teaches us? Christ is the King of the universe because of his great love, great care, great compassion, and great concern for us, have you loved, cared, concerned, and compassioned towards others? What have you done in following Christ the King of the universe if it’s not to do what he commands us to do? Are you ready to face his judgment when he comes as the King of the universe? The decision is yours.

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 19:00:00 GMT

How to inherit the Kingdom of God

Joke: Two eighty-year-old men had been friends since their Little League baseball days. One of them came down with a terminal illness and his best friend was with him by his deathbed. “Will you do me a favor?” the healthy friend asked. “I’m hoping there is baseball in heaven. When you get there, can you find out and let me know somehow?” The dying man said, “We’ve been friends for almost all of our lives. I will try and get your answer to you.” Several days after the old man’s death, his friend was sleeping when he had a vivid dream. His lifelong friend appeared to him and said, “There is definitely baseball in heaven, my friend! The bad news is that you’re pitching tomorrow.”

Heaven, what does it have? Baseball? Football? Buffet? Restaurants? Favorite pets? Loved pets? Michael Jordan’s shoes? Chanel’s Crocodile Skin Flap Bag? Ferrari car? Or what does it have in heaven? Heaven is a perfect state of being that we are always filled with happiness and peace that we do not need anything and everything. The best part in heaven is everybody is the same. There will be no boss, no manager, no supervisor, no leader, no servant, nor slave, and every one is the same. The question is, how do we get there, heaven? Each one of us is given talent(s) to prepare us to get into heaven. What is your talent? And how do you use your talent(s)?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus portrays a scene of a man entrusted a treasure, a fund or rather the gifts and talents for his three employees to use their talent(s) to make profit from it when he comes back. The employer in this parable is an Almighty Man, and he knows the ability of each and every one of his employees, so he gives them a fund, each according to his or her own ability to make profit from it. One, out of the three, doesn’t want to use the fund out of his fear that he buries it in the ground that Matthew reports vividly in today’s Gospel, “The man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.” Why didn’t he just put that money in the bank, but buried it in the ground? What happens in the ground if it’s not filled with darkness and isolation? It is only one way in and no way out. It is a place to hide rather than to expose. It is to isolate from everything else that has life. That talent becomes a death talent.

What is this talent then? Have you and I ever received a talent from the Lord on our spiritual journey here on earth? What is yours? We all receive at least one talent given to us at our own baptism, and that talent we are called to be priest, prophet, and king. The question is what have we done with the talent that we have received at our baptism? What does it mean to be priest, prophet and king from our baptism? To be priest is simply to live a prayer life. To be a prophet simply means to spread the Good News to others in our words and in our actions; and to be a king means to be loyal and truthful to the teaching of the Lord Jesus and the teaching of the Church. We might fulfill all of our obligations—to go to Church every Sunday and holy day of obligation, to say grace before, to go to confession at least once a year, not stealing, killing, nor harming others which are all good. However, have all these good deeds that we’ve done drawn others to the Church? The one receives one talent in today’s Gospel, he hasn’t done anything wrong except to close off himself away from others. He has not killed anyone nor harm any person, but has he helped others using the talent that he is given?

When the man buries his one talent, he isolates himself from all the living creatures. He locks himself in the dark that there is no way to get out. Of course, he is absolutely not the children of Light just as St. Paul said in today’s second reading. He does not hurt anyone when he locks himself in the dark and isolates himself away from others, but what he fails is to trust his boss who has entrusted him and given him the fund to make profit from it. He also fails, not to isolate himself from others, but to use that fund to communicate with others to make profit from that talent. He also fails to believe in his boss who sees his ability and gives him enough according to his ability.

Listen to the one who receives one talent saying in today’s Gospel, “Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.” Out of fear that the Pharisees and Scribes and others kept the laws so much so rigid to the point not doing anything on the Sabbath including healing the sick and picking the grain and many other things.

What have we done with our talent, a call to be priest, prophet and king that entrusted to us at our baptism? Have we shared the Word of God with others? Have we lived out our Christian call through our good words and good deeds towards those we come into contact each day? Have we had enough faith and trust in the Lord to continue to trust him in our prayers and in our Christian life when we experience difficulties and challenges of life? Or do we run away to avoid facing the reality when things do not come in the ways we want them to? Trying to avoid challenges, sufferings, difficulties, and many other uncomfortable situations are just like to bury the talent that the Lord entrusted to our care at our baptism so that we can secure our comfort zones, the zones of darkness and isolation. We might not do harm nor hurt to anyone around us, but have we done anything good to help others that we come into contact each day? If we haven’t done anything good to others, including our family members, our loved ones, and our own community, what actions should we take and deliver it into action and not just with our lips service? To avoid doing bad things, harming, or hurting others are good things, but wouldn’t it be better if we could say something good or do something goods to others? It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, as the commercial said. Have we lighted a candle or cursed the darkness in our spiritual journey? The decision is yours.

31st Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 18:00:00 GMT

God’s Calls Nonstop

Joke: The greedy man and the genie. A man is walking down the beach and comes across an old bottle. He picks it up, pulls out the cord, and out pops a genie. The genie says, "Thank you for freeing me from the bottle. In return, I will grant you three wishes." The man says "Great! I always dreamed of this and I know exactly what I want. First, I want one billion dollars in a Swiss bank account." Poof! There is a flash of light and a piece of paper with account numbers appears in his hand! He continues, "Next, I want a brand new red Ferrari right here." Poof! There is a flash of light and a bright red, brand-new Ferrari appears right next to him! He continues, "Finally, I want to be irresistible to women." Poof! There is a flash of light and he turns into a box of chocolates.

Being irresistible to women was a wrong wish, and because of that, he was turned into a box of chocolates. Perhaps, the kind of irresistible matter to the Pharisees and the Scribes in today’s Gospel is not about the irresistibleness to women, but rather the irresistibleness to power, the seats with higher honor, and the chair of Moses. Is there anything that is so irresistible to us in this walk of life? In other words, is there anything so attractive to us that can draw our attention away from following the Lord Jesus? This week of November, from November 1st through November 6th, is called Vocation Awareness Week throughout the United States. We are invited to pray for the increase of vocation to the priesthood and religious life in the life of the Catholic Church in America.

On my vocation to the priesthood, I was often asked by someone: What makes you want to study to become a priest? How do you know that you have a call? How long does it take to study to become a priest? What do priests usually do daily? There are many other questions, but I would like to focus on two questions based on my personal experience: What is a vocation call? And how does one know whether or not he or she has had a call to be a priest or live a religious life?

Vocation calls to priesthood or religious life is a discernment process. It isn’t limited to one year, two, three, or even ten years or more. It can be either at least seven years or nine years or more. Seven years for those who already possessed a bachelor's degree, and nine years for those who just graduated from high school. For me, it took me twenty-one years of discerning, and twenty-five years precisely to discern.

I was born and raised in a family of eight siblings, with me being the youngest. One of my sisters was a sister of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS). I was influenced by my sister’s vocation, my pastor, and a seminarian in my early childhood at my parish back in Vietnam. My sister was talented with music, and in fact, she taught guitar and mandolin to the sisters in her convent. My pastor often shared his food with me, and the seminarian used to teach me some lessons on guitar so I could play for the children's choir at children's Mass in our parish.

After I graduated from High School, my pastor introduced me to go to seminary to study for the priest, but I was rejected simply because I had a sister living in America. Back then, there was no relationship between Vietnam and the United States of America. In Vietnam back then, for one to be accepted into a seminary to study for priest, one had to be approved by the government. I was refused by the government. I came to America in 1992 under the sponsorship of my sister. I came directly to this Diocese to apply to study for the priesthood, and once again, I was rejected simply because I didn’t have a High School Diploma in America. My High School Diploma in Vietnam didn’t translate well in America. Or rather, maybe, because my English was not adequate to study priesthood in America, so the vocation director at that time, Bishop Daniel Flores, bishop of Brownsville now, told me that to become a seminarian in America, one had to have a High School or GED diploma in America. I had zero English when I first came to America, and I told myself, “Forget it, I don’t think that I can study to get a GED since I had zero English.” This was my second rejection of studying for the priesthood.

A vocation call is not necessarily a verbal call, but rather, it is a series of discerning moments. They could even show up in the form of failure, misunderstanding, rejection or even just randomly stumbling on in life. But when God calls a person, he will equip the person. “Behind a vocation to the priesthood, there is always a mysterious hand of God leading and guiding the person,” Cardinal Pham Minh Man once said.

Three months after the second rejection after coming to America, I got my Ph.D. Oftentimes when I share this story, people are bewildered, wondering how a guy with close to zero English could obtain a Ph.D. in just 3 months. But unlike any other Ph.D., my Ph.D. didn’t require much education since it was just a Pizza Home Delivery title. After a few months of working on my first PhD, I decided to join Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos to study towards an Electrician’s degree. I joined this school not knowing that it was a school for children under twenty-four years old, to give parents a place to send their children if they simply did not have enough time to take care of them or were unsure of what to do. It was run by the government, and because of that, everything in there was free. They also encouraged students to study for the GED. Anyone who graduated with a GED would reward us with $250. I studied the GED not because I wanted to go back to study for priesthood, but because I wanted that money. I graduated with an Electrician’s degree after fourteen months of study, and miraculously, I got my GED as well. For the total points for all five subjects in GED, one had to have at least 225 points. I took the tests, and I got exactly 225 points total for all five subjects. Later on, I reflected and I believed that God’s hand was on me.

After graduating with an electrician’s degree, I worked for Schill Electric Company as an electrician helper in Houston for a few months. I suddenly remembered that I had my GED now, so I decided to come back to this diocese to give it a try again. Bishop Daniel Flores had no other reason to reject me but to accept me. He sent me to Del Mar College to study English for over a year. He then sent me to Pontifical College of Josephinum in Columbus, OH, to study philosophy. Philosophy was another language for me. Since I was already struggling with the English language, I dropped out after a year of studying philosophy. This time it was my rejection, the third rejection.

God didn’t give up on me even though I gave up on him this third time. I told myself that I needed to wipe off my mind with the thought of becoming a priest and move on with a secular life. I studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Memphis, UofM, and I worked at the FedEx headquarters in Memphis, TN. I was an analysis technician at FedEx, and I had a girlfriend at that time. I would not ask for more in those years. Life was happy and fulfilled.

There was a good friend, he’s also a priest for this diocese. He constantly texted and talked to me for several years. On the day that Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law, had resigned in 2002 in response to the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal that Cardinal Law covered up some of his priests in his archdiocese of Boston. On those sad days for the Catholic Church of America, I decided to go back to the diocese to study for priest again. Once again, I was welcomed back and studied from 2004 to 2011. I was ordained to the priesthood for this diocese on June 11, 2011, under the imposition of hands of Bishop Mulvey, Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Was my journey of discernment to priesthood fun? Perhaps not. Was it challenged in discerning God’s call? Absolutely, yes. Had I ever doubted in my discernment for the priesthood? Surely yes. The day that I decided to resign from my work at FedEx, my co-workers tried to stop me. One of them even said to me, “Look at the Cardinal Law from Boston. Why don’t you study to become a preacher? You can preach and have a wife at the same time, which can help you stay away from trouble.” Even during all these difficulties, challenges, doubts, and many other stumbling blocks in my discerning for the priesthood, I still, somehow, discovered a sense of peace and joy in my discernment for the priesthood.

Just as the Scribes and the Pharisees were irresistible to the power, to higher honor seats, and the chair of Moses, God was irresistible to me in guiding me and leading me in my discernment to the priesthood even though I, many times at that, resisted to follow his call. Our young brothers and sisters, have you ever had any moment of resisting to respond to God’s call in your life? Resisting creates tension. Have you ever experienced tension when, at times, you were thinking of responding to God’s call for priesthood or religious life? Tension often blocks our mind from having a clear mind to decide. Have you ever had any moment of don’t know what to do? Either to study to become a priest or to marry and have a family life? Either to study to become a priest or to be an engineer, doctor, architect, lawyer, or whatever profession that is. Fear, anxiety, and worry often blur our vision and dull our minds. Have you ever had any fear, anxiety, and worry when you put thoughts into discernment for the priesthood or religious life? We might distance ourselves from God, but he’s always near to us. If you’ve ever run into vocation discernment thoughts, I’m always available to listen and to journey with you. The decision is yours.

30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Qualities of Love

Joke: A pastor was speaking to a Sunday school class about the things money can’t buy. “It can’t buy laughter and it can’t buy love,” he told them. Driving his point home he said, “What would you do if I offered you $1000 not to love your mother and father?” Stunned silence ensued. Finally, a small voice queried, “How much would you give me not to love my big sister?”

What is love? Or rather, what kind of love exists in our human existence? How should we love? Love is not only a word that is often mispresented in conversation, in writing, and even in media, but love is the word that truly describes God Himself as our Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI wrote in one of his books titled Deus caritas est “God is Love.” What is love? God is love. What is our love? What is God’s love?

In the book, The Way to Love, by Anthony de Mello, S.J. describes the four qualities of love—Indiscrimination, gratuitousness, unselfconsciousness, and freedom. Our love needs to include indiscrimination, gratuitousness, unselfconsciousness, and freedom. This is not a retreat homily, so I would like to only expand on the first two qualities of love, which are indiscrimination and gratuitousness.

Indiscrimination is not what we often hear, unlike the word discrimination. We might not have a problem discriminating against this person or that person without even coming into contact with him or her. We might not have a problem discriminating against this person or that person by just pointing fingers at them when things do not go the way we want.

For instance, hurricane Katrina started on August 23 and blocked transportation until August 31, 2005, and the news was all over television and the media. One person pointed their finger towards the engineers who insufficiently built the lever of the lake that caused the flood into the city of New Orleans. Another person pointed their finger towards the government that was too slow to respond to the matter. In all this finger-pointing, our Emeritus Bishop, the most reverend Edmond Carmody, came onto the media and made his statement to reassure his prayer and to show his support to the victims. He said that everybody was pointing fingers at this or that during the devastation of the hurricane. For him, he ran to seek wisdom from the Scripture. The love of not pointing fingers towards others is the love of indiscrimination. The love that the Lord Jesus invites us to love one another.

Does discrimination sound like elimination? One cannot love someone while also eliminating someone else. In loving each other, one would want others to come to him or her and not become eliminated. Love, then, is indiscrimination, not elimination. This is also expressed in today’s first reading where the Lord Jesus says, “You shall not molest or oppress an alien.” This is a kind of love similar to loving your neighbor as you would love yourself without discrimination and indiscrimination. The love of including, and not excluding, eliminating or discriminating, but indiscriminating even the alien.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us two great lessons about love when he says, “You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” What a great teacher and master who squeezes from the six hundred laws of Moses to only two great laws—to love God and to love neighbor as ourselves. The question then is, how do we love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul? We need to learn to love one another first. How can we love God whom we cannot experience with our five senses, when we cannot even love our neighbors whom we come into contact with each day?

Gratuitousness is like the rose which gives its fragrance; the tree which gives its shade; and the lamp which gives its light and asks for nothing in return. Love is what is just to give and does not expect in return. How can a man whose choice of his wife is determined not by any quality she may have, but by the amount of money she will bring? Such a man, we might rightly say, loves not the woman, but the financial benefits she brings. Can we call this love? The love which is already determined, and the love of giving but not without something in return. If we cannot truly love others, how can we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind? This is not gratuitousness of love because it is a love that only exists if with something sought for in mind. This kind of love is warned in today’s first reading that “You shall not wrong any widow or orphan” since you do not and cannot bring them into existence. We are invited to respect human dignity from conception to natural death.

To love God with all our heart, mind, and soul invites us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In loving our neighbors as ourselves, we are invited to possess at least the four qualities of love that Anthony De Mello pointed out in his writing, indiscrimination, gratuitousness, unselfconsciousness, and freedom. Let us take these words of Anthony De Mello, Indiscrimination, gratuitousness, unselfconsciousness, and freedom to examine ourselves to see how we would live out the two great commandments that the Lord Jesus commanded us to do. We might not have a problem in saying with our lips to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves, but are we able to put it into action, loving our neighbors with indiscrimination, gratuitousness, unselfconsciousness, and freedom? The decision is yours.

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 20:00:00 GMT

What Should Belong to God?

Joke: There is an old story of the three traveling evangelists who were talking about how they dealt with the offerings that were collected during their evangelistic meetings. The first one said, “I draw a big circle on the ground, and then I throw the money in the air. Whatever lands inside the circle belongs to God, and whatever lands outside the circle belongs to me.” “Oh, I can do better than that,” said the second evangelist. “I put a coffee can in the middle of the floor. Then I throw the money in the air. Any money that lands inside the coffee can belongs to God, and I get to keep anything that lands outside.” Then the third evangelist grinned and said, “I’ve got you both beat. I just throw the money in the air, and whatever God wants, God takes!”

What belongs to God and what belongs to us? In today’s Gospel, in a short conversation, Matthew portrays a scene that Jesus is just and righteous, omniscient, The All-Knowing God, when he asks Pharisee’s disciples, “Whose image is [on the coin] and whose inscription [is it on the coin]?” Has Jesus ever seen the coin? After at least 30 years of living under Roman rule, we would believe that Jesus must have seen the coin and knew exactly who was on the coin, but why did he ask to see the coin? Who is the person in the coin and whose inscription is on the coin? This tells us that the coin belongs to Caesar, and this is exactly what Jesus pointed out, what belongs to Caesar gives it to Caesar, and God what belongs to God.

What is it that belongs to God then? Pharisees’s disciples say to Jesus, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God following the truth.” They know that Jesus is a teacher, a truthful man, and he teaches following the truth; but why do they ask him about the tax? “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” It is lawful to pay tax, but is it what Jesus focuses our attention on? Listen to Jesus’ response, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God.” What belongs to God is to pay attention to God’s will rather than to turn our attention to the power of this world which is somehow so attractive to us and so attached to us.

What, then, is God’s will, we might ask? God’s will invites us to be aware of what’s going on in our life. Acknowledging the presence of God in our life, prophet Isaiah puts it so well in today’s first reading saying, “For the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel, my chosen one, I have called you by your name, giving you a title, though you knew me not. It is I who arm you, though you know me not, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun people may know that there is none besides me.” Everything you have of what you are and who you are, I give them to you. Therefore, you shall worship no other gods besides me. Everything we have and who we are, God loves us and gives it to us. Therefore, what we should repay the Lord is our whole being of who we are and what we are. Shouldn’t we ask God, is it lawful to pay tax? Or rather, we should ask ourselves, what shall we repay you, Lord? To pay tax according to the laws is a must as all good citizens do, but it is much more important to follow God’s will to repay to him what belongs to him.

Acknowledging the presence of God in our life, is it enough of God’s will? Saint Paul beautifully teaches us in today’s second reading saying, “Our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” Acknowledging God’s will will be completed when we live God’s will with conviction. What St. Paul convicted if it’s not, with courage and strength, to use his time, talent, and treasure, which belongs to God, to pay to God what belongs to him.

This weekend is a World’s Mission Sunday. We are invited to pray for those missionary people who respond to God’s will by going out of themselves to serve those unfortunate around the world. We are also called to help them financially in their missions. How can we be convicted to follow God’s will when we only use our time to build a better house for ourselves, to have a better car for ourselves, to have a better condition of living for ourselves, and to enjoy life ourselves with our loved ones alone? St. Paul’s conviction in following God’s will by spreading the good news to others, and sharing his time, talent, and treasure to bring people to come to know God. Have you ever been convicted of following God’s will? How would you be convicted of following God’s will? Would you be convicted to follow God’s will when you only use your talents for the good of yourselves and your loved ones? Would you be convicted to follow God’s will when you only use your treasure for the sake of your purpose and the benefit of your loved ones? Jesus says, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” What is it that belongs to God if it’s not our time, talent, and treasure? What would be your time, talent, and treasure that should belong to God? Would there be anything that we have and who we are that belongs to God? How would you and I repay God who brings us into existence, continues to keep us in existence by providing us the fresh air to breathe every moment of our lives, and continues to bless us with many blessings all the days of our lives? The decision is yours.

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 15:18:34 GMT

Heaven

Joke: Late have I come for the heavenly banquet! An old couple, having been married almost 60 years, died in a car crash. They had been in good health for the previous ten years mainly due to the wife’s interest in healthy food, and exercise. When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite, Jacuzzi, and lavish buffet breakfast. "How much can we eat?" asked the old man. "Don't you understand?" Peter replied. "This is Heaven, it's all free!" After a sumptuous breakfast, the old couple went to the clubhouse of Heaven’s extensive golf grounds and saw the lavish buffet lunch. "Well, where are the low-fat and low-cholesterol tables?" the old man asked timidly. Peter replied, "That's the best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick. This is Heaven." The old man looked at his wife angrily and said, "This is all your fault. If it weren't for your bran muffins and sugar-free diet, I could have been here ten years ago!"

Heaven, heaven, heaven, what is heaven like? In heaven, there is no starving, no suffering, no sick, and no death. Everybody is invited to come to heaven and to enjoy the rich food and choice wines just as the prophet Isaiah described in today’s first reading that on the top of the mountain, “the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” What is it top of the mountain if it’s not the highest place on earth which symbolizes heaven where we are all invited to come? But how do we get to go to heaven? And how do we dress ourselves to go to heaven? At any fiesta or party that we go to, there are always some basic requirements. To go to a wedding reception, for example, there is not only that we have to wear an appropriate dress according to the dress code, but we also need to come to a specific designated time printed in the invitation as well. We have to be able to bring ourselves to the reception or have someone to bring us to the reception. The wedding host will not come to pick us up for the reception, but we have to be able to come ourselves. What happens to the wedding feast in heaven? We do not only have to be able to get there, but we also have to follow the dress code to enter. We cannot get there by car, airplane, or any other vehicle, so how can we get to heaven? We don’t have to wear expensive dresses or elegant clothes to enter heaven, so how do we dress ourselves appropriately to enter heaven?

How do we get to heaven? Do we have to make a lot of money? Live in a big house with many things inside? Drive in an expensive car and eat in an expensive restaurant and many other things? It is okay if we have all these things, but does it help us to get to heaven? Of course, we have to die first to experience heaven, but how do we get there besides being dead first?

A man spent all of his life working hard and saving money for his retirement. When he reached his retirement, he was diagnosed with cancer and died quickly after. Before he died, he asked his loved ones to pack some dollar bills for him in the coffin so that he could use them in the nether world. St. Peter greeted him in neither world and took him on a tour. After a daylong tour, he was hungry. He saw a restaurant with all kinds of delicious food. After a filled meal, he came to pay for it. Everything cost only one dollar. He gave the waiter a hundred-dollar bill and told him to keep the change. The waiter looked at the man and reminded him that they don’t use that kind of money. “We only use,” he replied, “the money that when you were still alive you gave it out to help those in need and not the money that you save for yourself.” It seems that to go to heaven depends on how we live our lives in this walk of life. How we live our lives in this walk of life depends on following the Lord Jesus’ teaching. What is his teaching if it’s not to love God and to love one another? What will give us strength to love God and to love one another if it’s not to participate in the Eucharistic celebration often to receive the Body and the Blood of Christ to nurture us and to give us strength to live Jesus’ teaching?

Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion often and helping others only get us to reach heaven, but those whom we help will dress us to enter heaven. In today’s parable, the Church reminds us that each time we come to participate in the Mass, we ought to dress our hearts, minds, and souls appropriately. In this Eucharistic celebration, a wedding feast of Christ and His bride, the Church, the Lord has prepared for us two large tables filled with rich food and choice wine. The altar sacrifice of Christ for the Church, and the Word of God proclaimed and preached at the ambo. We are all invited to this wedding feast.

What Jesus invites us in today’s Gospel is not only to be ready, to make time to come to participate in the Holy Eucharist Mass often, but also to wear appropriate clothes which is to have a conversion of heart, mind, and soul. Interestingly enough Matthew portrays vividly only one guess who dresses inappropriately. Why does Jesus mention specifically the wedding garment that the man lacks to wear? When we go to a wedding reception, we want to wear a nice, beautiful and elegant dress for a lady; and at least, a nice shirt for a man. Why is that? What is it different from our ordinary wearing? Isn’t that true when we wear a nice, beautiful, and elegant dress that makes us look younger, lively, and more beautiful? It makes us look anew. Therefore, the wedding garment that the Lord Jesus mentions in today’s Gospel is nothing else but the changing of heart, mind, and soul, a heart of repentance of sins is a condition of dressing appropriately to enter heaven. No doubt that there are some parishes, where the pastor encourages the parishioners to dress nicely when they come to Mass which is all good, and nothing wrong with dressing nicely to Church. However, it would be much better if we could vest in ourselves a changing of heart, mind, and soul when we come to participate in the Mass.

Just as the guesses in today’s Gospel are refused to come to the wedding feast with all kinds of excuses, “Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” Have we prepared to come to Mass at least once a week on Sunday without any excuse? Just as heaven welcomes all the good and the bad who responded to God’s call to come to the wedding feast with an appropriate dress, we are all invited to come to Church on Sunday and the holy day of obligation. Have we had the courage to respond to this call? Just as the one wearing inappropriately for the wedding feast was thrown out of the feast, have we come to the Mass with a conversion of heart, mind, and soul? What happens if we have difficulty changing, to have a conversion of heart, mind, and soul? St. Paul taught us in today’s second reading saying, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” In Christ, we can find the source of wisdom, strength, and courage to change and repent. Are we willing to put our trust in Christ, to allow him to touch our heart, mind, and soul to change, to put on a new garment, a garment of changing of heart, mind, and soul each time we come to participate in the Mass? May we come to Mass with a preparation of a readiness of changing of heart, mind, and soul through the help of Christ, the Son of God. The decision is yours.

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 18:00:00 GMT

How to Take Care of God’s Field

Joke: A husband and wife are having a drink in a bar, when out of the blue he announces, “I love you.” “Is that you or your beer talking?” she asks. “It’s me,” he says, “talking to the beer.”

Perhaps, “I love you” is sometimes a misinterpreted sentence in English. For example, I love you when you love me (it is a two-way street, not a one-way street). I love you when you provide me with what I desire, when you make me happy, when you cook for me when you pay for my shopping, when you take care of my house, when you behave in school, when you listen to me, etc. (it is a conditional love). Is there such a true love called Agape? In today’s first reading and the Gospel, the authors portray the landowner of a field who is disappointed in what happening to his field. Both the landowner and the tenants interpreted the sentence “I love you” very differently in today’s readings.

The landowner interpreted the sentence “I love you” by trusting and having total faith in giving what he so loved and so dear to him, his field, to his tenants. The tenants, on the other hand, interpreted the sentence “I love you” by getting envious and greedy too much to the point that they even killed the son of the landowner just to get what they wanted.

In today’s first reading, Isiah describes the scene where the landowner loved his field and did all he could to take good care of his field, but all he could harvest at the end of the day was that he “looked for judgment, but see bloodshed! For justice, but hark the outcry!” Why was that he couldn’t find anything good that came out of his field, nothing good came out of his gentle and loving care for the field. To clear our minds, Matthew helps us to understand what causes bad fruits in the field when the landowner only sows good seeds and takes good care of his field.

Matthew learned from the Lord Jesus himself explaining the two very different attitudes of the two different characters: the landowner and the tenants. The landowner planted a field very carefully, he even built a tower to watch over the field. Not only that, he hired tenants to watch over his field, while he went on a journey. With faith and trust in the tenants that he entrusted them to take care of his field, the Lord also had faith and trust in us that he gave us this universe to take care of ourselves.

The tenants, on the other hand, had no sense of caring for the field of the landowner. Why was that? What caused them to seize the servants, to beat them, to stone them, and to even kill them including the son of the landowner? When the son of the landowner came, the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.” Out of envy and greed, out of inheritance and power, they killed the son of the landowner. Brothers and sisters, have we ever seen ourselves as those tenants? Have we ever taken care of God’s field entrusted to us? We might ask: What is God’s field that was entrusted to my care? For some of us, God’s field is to attend Mass on Sunday and holy day of obligations. God so loved us to create us with seven days a week to take care of his field, this universe, and what contents in it. There are seven days a week, and the Lord asks us to honor him only one day a week. Yet, some of us still complain or try to excuse ourselves that we don’t have time; we are still afraid of Covid 19; we have work to do; we are on a trip with others who are not Catholics so we don’t want to interrupt the trip to go to mass ourselves, etc. We have seven days a week, and 24 hours a day which is 168 hours a day. We just need to take at least one or two hours out of 168 hours to come to Church to participate in the Mass to thank the Lord for this gift of life and to remember the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection, and some of us still excused ourselves that we don’t have time or whatever reason it is.

How can we take care of God’s field when we don’t even have time? When we are afraid to come to be with him, especially to receive him into our life in the Eucharist? When we are hurt by someone who said something or did something wrong to us, we leave the Church and quit practicing the faith. This is the field that God entrusted to every one of us to take care of, but have we had enough courage and strength to take care of this central field, the Holy Eucharist which nurtures our soul? The field that we are all entrusted to take care of is not only about attending Mass on Sunday and holy days of obligation, but it might be also paying attention to each other at home, at work, in school, or in our community, to try not criticizing nor judging others, to take care of ourselves by eating healthy food, by doing some physical exercise, by helping our spouse to clean up the house, by spending time to help our children doing their homework and many other things that we can do to take care of God’s field. Each one of us is entrusted to take care of God’s field, it is either large or small, rich soil or bad soil, each one of us is entrusted with God’s field to work in this life, what is your field? How are you taking care of your field at this moment? God loved us to create a field for each one of us and entrusted it to our care, how do we respond to his love? Have we taken time to take care of our field? Is there anything so attractive to us that distracted us from taking care of our field? The field of our own spiritual life? The field of your relationship with your spouse and your children? The field of our relationship with one another? The field of listening and caring for others? The field of surrendering our own will to God’s will? The field of having faith and trust more in God? The field of stopping using drugs, swearing, using the name of the Lord in vain, etc. the field of engaging in the life of the Church such as participating in at least a ministry that we have in our parish or financially contributing to maintain our Church and community. What is your field at this moment that the Lord invites you to work on? The sentence “I love you” that the landowner, God, interprets with true love to entrust his tenants, us, to take care of his field. How would we interpret the sentence “I love you” in response to God’s love in this walk of life? The decision is yours.

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 18:00:00 GMT

The Ability and the Willingness

Joke: A boy told his father, "Dad, there are three frogs sitting on an edge of a swimming pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the edge?" The dad replied, "Two." "No," the son replied. The dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left." The boy said, "No Dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."

In all today’s readings, the Church invites us to examine the two realities that exist in our human beings: The ability to say “yes” or “no” and the willingness to do “yes” or “no,” the difference between saying and doing, the empty promises and a deeper effort of willingness.

We often find Jesus using parables to teach his disciples and the people. The parable reported in today’s Gospel under the pen of Matthew reminds us of the two sons. The father said to the first son saying, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not, ' but afterward changed his mind and went.” The other son said to his father when he was asked saying, “Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.’” In this short of exchanging words between the father and his two sons, one can see that both of the sons can say “yes” or “no” to their father. However, are they able to follow what they say and do what they say is different? Where does it ability to say “yes” or “no” come from if it does not come from the free will that God so loved us, created us, and blessed us with this free will to choose “yes” or “no”? We make a choice almost every day of our life using this free will, the ability to say “yes” or “no”. We choose to wake up early to get ready to go to work, to go to school, to do whatever it is for a day, and we can say “no” also when we feel tired, sick, or whatever reason. We even make choices for what to eat, what to wear, and where to go for a day. We make many decisions almost every day whether we are conscious of what we make or not. Sometimes, we follow through with what we choose to do, and sometimes we fail to carry out our decision or cannot finish what we plan to carry out. Why is that? Is it a story of our time or has it already happened more than two thousand years ago that Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel?

Perhaps, it is the willingness to do what we said that we do or not. But, why have we failed to do what we are saying or even committing? In today’s Gospel, why did Jesus say that the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before those who called themselves holy and righteous? Tax collectors, prostitutes, or sinners, can enter into the kingdom of God because they recognize the need to follow through what they say and do. Sinners have courageously admitted their wrongdoings, own their mistakes, and courageously change and convert to turn away from wrongdoings and mistakes to make it better and to make it right. To avoid the emptied promises, the ability to say “yes” or “no” and not being able to follow through, one would need to pay more attention to the willingness to follow through with what one promises to someone for something, and not so much about the ability to say “yes” or “no”. So, how do we have this willingness to follow through on what we promise or commit?

To turn away from wrongdoings and mistakes demonstrated in today’s first reading, prophet Ezekiel reminds us of the words of the Lord saying, a wicked man, “if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life.” Willingness, the willingness of Jesus Christ is not simply the ability to say “yes” to the Father to vest on himself our human flesh, but his willingness, like Saint Paul mentions so well in today’s second reading saying that he emptied “himself, taking the form of a slave!” The ability to be a man like all of us, except sin, and to be a servant who comes to serve. His willingness to be born of a Virgin Mother Mary will become meaningless if he cannot follow through with his passion, death, and resurrection. Vesting on our human flesh, he accepted all the weaknesses and limitations that are implanted in human beings. However, through his suffering and death for the sake of our salvation is his victory that gives us hope for the resurrection on our last day.

His willingness stripped him from heaven to lower himself even lower than the angels to be an example for us to follow. In today’s second reading, taken from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians community, Saint Paul’s conviction teaches us saying, “Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” It seems that his willingness cannot be separated from his total obedience to God the Father through his passion and death. His willingness to be the Savior of the world is an inseparable combination of commitment and obedience. Our willingness will fail us when we fail to keep our commitment and obedience to God’s teaching.

The son says “yes” to his father, but he is not able to follow through because he fails to commit that he is his father’s son; and as a son, he invites to help his father. With our father at home, have we, sons and daughters, ever failed to help him especially when he is not able to help himself? What does it mean to honor our parents when God commanded Moses to teach us in the Ten Commandments? On the other hand, the son who says “no” to help his father, but later goes and helps him, what makes him change his mind to do what his father asked him to do? Perhaps, he recognizes the need for his father; he acknowledges his wrongdoing when he says “no” to help his father, and he’s sorry for refusing to help his dad when he does what he asks. In these two sons, which son have we identified ourselves with? Have we identified ourselves with the first son who says “no” but then changes his mind and does what the Father asks? Or do we identify ourselves with the second son who quickly says “yes” to his father, but never does what his father asks? When we profess ourselves as Christians, have we committed ourselves to be faithful to the Lord and His Church by going to Church regularly and living our lives according to his teaching and the church’s teaching? Have we had that willingness to spend time in prayer, in the Eucharistic celebrations, and above all, to be faithful to what we commit to the Lord, to the Church, and each other so that the fruits of our promises will build us a latter leading to the heavenly homeland? The decision is yours.

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 18:00:00 GMT

God’s Thoughts vs. Our Thoughts

Joke: A young man by the name Johnny was driving down the street in a hurry because he had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking space. Looking up to heaven, he said, “Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking space, I promise to go to Church every Sunday for the rest of my life and give up swearing.” Miraculously, a spot opened right in front of a building. The man looked up and said, “Never mind God, I found it.”

In all today’s readings, the Church invites us to look into the mercy and generosity of God that our thought cannot explain. What is his thought? Is his thought just, loved, or both? It is just since, out of love, he creates us in his own image and likeness. Since we are his creatures, he knows exactly who we are, and not that we know exactly who God is. This, therefore, in today’s first reading, Isaiah reminds us of the words of God saying, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” When thing happens the way we want, we are proud of it; but when it does not happen the way we want, we might complain that God is absent in our lives. We doubt the existence of God. Is God absent in our lives or rather we distance ourselves from God? Isaiah invites us saying, “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.” The question is how do we know where God is to find him and to call him? Is God up there in the sky? In the Church or football stadium? In the bar or our house? In school or at work? In the park or the theater? Perhaps, God knows where we are, so he finds us and calls us, but why have we not been able to listen to his call to follow him? We don’t know where God is, how do we know to call on him when he seems so near to us?

In today’s Gospel, Matthew captures a series of pictures in which Jesus portrays the Kingdom of God as like a generous landowner who looks out for the needs of others and has mercy on those who are lost and forgotten. He doesn’t wait for them to come to him, but he goes out to seek for them. He goes out very early in the morning, from the beginning of creation, God has gone out to bring us into existence. He then finds us and seeks out for us when we are lost. The moment that Adam and Eve disobey God to eat the forbidden fruit; the moment that the prostitute lady is about to be stoned to death because of her sin; the moment that the first pope of the Church, Simon Peter, about to sink into the deep sea; the moment that we sin: the sins of the flesh, the sins of the eyes, the sins of greedy, stealing, and many other sins that we have committed, the moment that God is always there to look out for us; to invite us to come to work for his field. Just as those are invited to come to work in God’s field reported in today’s Gospel, we are also invited to come to work in God’s field, to participate in the life of the Church, to extend our hands to help those in need, to be kind to one another, to provide a listening ear to one another, to our parents, teachers and those that come into our lives. The question is: Do we remember to give thanks to God, to express our gratitude to God who so loves us and allows us to work in his field? Or do we get zealous or envious towards others when they receive more blessings than us?

The landowner asks the foreman, reported in today’s Gospel, saying, “Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.” This causes someone in the group to say, “It’s not fair!” Does it sound familiar to us? We try to be good but struggle all along in our lives, but others cheat, lie, steal, and have a sneaky life, and yet, have a better condition of living than us. People died at the World Trade Center, during the pandemic of COVID 19, and innocent people died in wars, is it fair for them to die that way? If God is a just God, why have we deserved his forgiveness time after time? Or rather, God is a loving and merciful God who is always ready to seek out us, to find us, to call us, and above all, to love us always; but have we had the courage to follow him? Do we recognize our need for God by surrendering our will to his will and following his thoughts, his teaching, and the Church’s teaching?

In today’s second reading, recognizing the need for Christ, Saint Paul beautifully states his firm belief saying, “For to me life is Christ.” Just in him, through him, and for him that all things come into the existence that St. Paul firmly believes, we are invited to focus our lives in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ, to understand that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, but rather his thoughts are his great love for us that he comes to us so to save us from our sins.

The question is how do we know God’s thoughts to follow his thoughts in our Christian life? We cannot control the way God blesses others, but we can show God’s grace to others. Instead of getting envious and zealous towards others for the blessings that they have received, we are invited to express our gratitude to God in our daily lives for the blessings that we have received. How do we express our gratitude to God in our daily life if it’s not to avoid sins, to be kind to one another, to share our blessings with the needy, and to pray more often? What have we done in working in God’s field as Christians? The decision is yours.

24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Gift of Forgiveness

Joke: Pastor’s temptation and policeman’s forgiveness: In a large city, a priest parked his car in a no-parking zone because he couldn't find a metered space. He put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 100 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses." When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."

In all of today’s readings, the Church invites us to examine ourselves through the Gift of Forgiveness. Is there such a gift for forgiveness? What gift do we receive when we forgive someone?

In today’s first reading, the author of the book of Sirach or Ecclesiastes, believed to be Ben Sira, gives us a portion of the definition of sin saying, “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” In other words, when we are content with wrath and anger, hatred and resentment, we are the best friends with sin. How do we unfriend with sin just as when we don’t like someone on Facebook, we unfriend him or her? When we don’t want those unwanted phone calls or unwanted text messages, we unfriend them by blocking them. Even blocking, somehow they are still able to call us again with different numbers. Welcome to our modern technologies. So, when we don’t like this person or that person, we unfriend them on Facebook, to block their messages or phone calls from our phone. What if we want to unfriend sin, how would we do it? Ben Sira invites us to do ourselves a favor reported in today’s First Reading saying, “Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” In other words, forgive others who sin against you; and when you pray, your sin will be forgiven. You will be able to unfriend with sin when you learn to forgive others. Does it sound familiar to us? Especially, those of us who recite the rosary every day, or at least, when we come to Mass, we hear this prayer at every Mass? It is the Lord’s Prayer. In it, we pray, “Forgive us our trespass it, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In other words, unless we forgive those who trespass against us, we will not be forgiven of our trespasses. We cannot unfriend with sin when we have difficulty to forgive others. So, to be forgiven, we ought to learn to forgive others. How many times do we have to forgive those who trespass against us?

In today’s Gospel, Matthew reminds us of a short conversation between Peter and Jesus on the subject of forgiveness when he asks Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus responds to him saying, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Does it mean to forgive those who hurt us seventy times seven equals 490 times? Or is it seventy times seventy equals 4900 times? Wrong. It is seventy times seventy times seventy for seven times, and the result of it is huge. Therefore, to forgive seventy-seven times means to forgive indefinitely. How do we do this? Exactly. How? Unless we forgive and forget those who hurt us somehow or in some way, we still haven’t forgiven them yet. We might just forgive them from our lips only if we cannot forget the hurt and the pain that they brought to us. What does it mean to forget? Forget doesn’t mean to completely forget what happens to us, but it means the moment that we remember it, the moment that it does not make us mad, angry, hate, or try to revenge. The moment that we see ourselves angry, hateful, and irritated towards the one that we say we forgive, the moment that we still hold his or her sin against us.

During my second year in Theology School, I volunteered to do a ministry to the prisoners at the Federal Detention Center in Downtown Houston. A prisoner once shared her moment of conversion to Christianity after spending some time in that prison’s cells. She said that when she first came, she was mad and didn’t accept her sentence in prison. However, through participating in the Bible Study group, she slowly recognized her false and slowly converted from Buddhism to Christianity. She even changed the name of the facility from Federal Detention Center to a new name Faith Development Center. In this center, she had a chance to develop and grow in her faith in following Christ’s teaching. How difficult it was for her at first because she couldn’t forgive those who put her in that facility. She could only forgive them when she realized that it was her false that she ended up in there. It was through her recognition of her false that she was able to learn to forgive those who put her in prison. It was then through the gift of forgiveness that she learned the faith in following Christ.

How does the Lord Jesus teach us concerning forgiveness? How do we forgive one another? Ask your parents and learn from them. Why? Children, sons, and daughters, how many times have you lied to your parents, given an attitude, or even hated your parents, someone might even unfriend your parents, and others might even hurt your parents financially and mentally. Guess what, your parents still forgive you time after time. For our parents, if you have difficulty forgiving your children, learn to forgive like the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you imagine if God holds on to our sins as you hold on to your children’s sins against you, none of us will have a glimpse of salvation? We don’t have to commit a crime to experience the isolation in the cell of the prison, the moment that we cannot forgive someone, the moment that we isolate ourselves from having peace, freedom, and joy within ourselves. How does it make us feel when we have difficulty to forgive someone? On the opposite side, how do we feel when we are forgiven by anyone including our parents? How do we feel when we are not forgiven by someone? If God forgives us our sins, are we willing to forgive other’s sins against us or hurt us? Have you ever experienced forgiveness as a gift, a valuable gift? As a gift, what do you do with the gift when you receive it? As a gift, what does it make you feel when you open the gift? Have you ever received a gift of forgiveness from someone? Have you ever given a gift of forgiveness to someone? The decision is yours.

23th Sunday in Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Talking and Listening Reflect Our Actions

Joke: A man and his wife are arguing about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife says, “You should do it because you get up first, and then we don’t have to wait as long to get our coffee.” Husband says, “You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.” The wife replies, “No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that man should make the coffee.” The husband answers, “I cannot believe that; show me.” So she fetched the Bible, opened the New Testament, and showed him that at the top of several pages, it indeed says: “Hebrews.”

In all of today’s readings, the Church invites us to reflect on our actions and to discover the motives behind our behavior. Sometimes, we cannot see a connection between our motives and our actions. The question is: How can we correct our motive before we deliver it into action? The Lord instructed Ezekiel to teach people a lesson that is reported in today’s first reading saying, “If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.” Because the wicket cannot see a connection between his motive and his wicket act the prophet is sent to help others to see it is not that the wicket act just comes naturally, but there is a motive behind the wicket act that the wicket person might not be able to see the connection between his motive and action. But if somehow someone sees his wicket acts behind his wicket motive, and he can help the person recognize his wicket motive, then he does not only help the person, but he also saves himself as well. However, if the wicket person refuses “to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself” as it continues in today’s first reading. The question is: What is it that kept hold of a person to turn away from his wicket motive to avoid his wicket act?

In the book, Recover to Live, by Christopher Kennedy Lawford, he shares the story of Dr. Richard Rawson, associate director, of UCLA Integrated Substances Abuse Programs. Dr. Richard said that when he was working as an addictions expert in 1984, he was also drinking four or five beers a night, smoking joints, and recreationally doing lots of things. What helped him was that he went to have a physical checkup annually. At his physical checkup, his doctor told him, “Your cholesterol is too high, your blood pressure is too high, your weight is too high.” His doctor would run through a list of things and one question would be: “How’s your drinking, how much are you drinking?” He would lie and say, “Well, I drink two beers every couple of days.” After several checkups, Dr. Richard finally admitted that he had four or five beers every night. His doctor says, “Well look, why don’t we do an experiment? Why don’t you try for a month to reduce your alcohol use and, if you can, down to zero, and come back in a month?” “I did,” Dr. Richard said, “and it was” not easy at all. However, by cutting down his drinking as his doctor advised, and within a month, he lost seven pounds, his lipids and his blood pressure were down. Through the intervention of a doctor, Dr. Richard was able to see the real motive of his sickness and gaining weight. This method is called motivational intervention. The real motive behind his drinking was his denial that he had a problem with drinking and that he would lie to his doctor.

Dr. Richard could hide his drinking problem, but it showed in his physical checkup. Jesus taught his disciples that if anyone sinned against his brother, go and confront that with him. In other words, using the motivational intervention method, when someone hurts us in any way, anyhow, go and point out what and how he hurts us. Dr. Richard would not have known that drinking was a problem for his declining health if his doctor didn’t intervene by doing his physical checkup. Motivational intervention, Jesus taught his disciples in today’s Gospel saying, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” If he listens, that’s good. But if he’s not, “take one or two others along with you.” Why is that taking one or two others to intervene? Motivational intervention is just one of the ways to help us recognize the true motive behind our behavior, and one person might not see what others can see. Jesus, no doubt that he is God when he invites us to bring the issue with one or two others.

Regarding human understanding with this method or that method, Saint Paul reminds us in today’s second reading saying, “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.” Love does not only bring healing, but it also helps us to humble ourselves to recognize our wicket motives to avoid wicket acts. Hatred and anger cannot bring healing to the brokenness, but love can bridge the brokenness and can bring to complete the law, the two great commandments that Jesus commands us to do: Love God and love one another. Above all, Jesus invites us to bring our brokenness on our knees in prayer together, and he promises to be there when we gather together. More than physicians, Jesus invites us to acknowledge that we are human beings, and he invites us to come together in prayer when we have conflict with one another. When we gather together in his name, he promises to be in our midst. Just as he cures the disease, he heals the sick, and he even raises the dead back to life in his presence, he can bridge our brokenness, heal our hurt and pain, and cure our illness and sickness. The question is: Do we remember to call on him when we gather together in whatever issue that we try to solve? When we call on him, do we spend time to listen to him? The decision is always yours.

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Crucifix: SIL--A Symbol, An Invitation, A Lesson

Joke: "Get behind me, Satan!" A woman had bought a new dress that/ was very expensive. Her husband asked why she had been so extravagant. She replied, "The Devil made me do it." "Well," the husband asked, "Why didn't you say 'Get thee behind me, Satan!'" "I did," explained the wife, "But he said to me, it looked as good in the back as it did in the front.” So I bought it."

“Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her; but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards to win the game,” Voltaire, a French writer, philosopher, and playwright said. God brings us into existence and grants us the grace and the gift of life, especially our free will to make a decision either to follow the Lord or not. How do we live our Christian life to achieve the kingdom of God, the moment at the age of reason that is seven? In seeing humans struggling with life, His Son decides to come to us in our human flesh to live a living example for us to follow. He comes not only to be a human being like all of us, except sin, but he also suffers and dies on the cross to give us life. His coming into this world will be meaningless if there is no resurrection! Therefore, he alone has a solution, a plan to help us achieve the kingdom of heaven after the resurrection from death! What is his plan for us? His plan is what is described in today’s Gospel which is his invitation, perhaps, to each one of us when we profess ourselves that we are Christians saying, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Therefore, the crucifix is a SIL, not a sister-in-law, but it is a symbol, an invitation, and a lesson for each one of us to follow. Is the crucifix, a symbol of failure, of weakness, of ungodly? The crucifix will become a stumbling block, a failure, a weakness, or an ungodly substance for those who are allowed all these worldly pleasures block their minds from understanding and believing that Jesus Christ, though he is the Son of God, lowers himself to come to us in our human flesh to be like all of us, except sins, using the language of St. Paul. He suffered and died because of our sins, and he resurrected us to give us hope that one day, we will be resurrected which him in his heavenly homeland. Therefore, the crucifix is not a symbol of failure, weakness, or ungodly matter, but it is a great symbol for us to follow as an invitation from the Son of God himself when we learn to come after him, not to go ahead of him; to deny ourselves, not so attached to this earthly pleasures since we are created in this material world; and to carry our cross, not other’s cross! Is it easy to follow the invitation that Christ asked us to follow? St. Ignatius once said, “When I reflected on worldly thoughts, I felt intense pleasure; but when I gave them up out of weariness, I felt dry and depressed.” When I give up my drinking habit, especially this long Labor Day weekend, I might feel dry and thirsty. When I give up my smoking habit, I might feel dizzy and headache. When I give up being quick to judge, gossiping, using unkind words to others, cheating, and lying, perhaps, we have difficulty giving up. We have difficulty denying our attachment to what belongs to these earthly pleasures. How can we give up and take up our cross to follow Jesus Christ? Prayer is one of the ways.

Last Sunday, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God; and Jesus placed him as the head of the apostles, the Rock in whom He built his Church. But today, Jesus rebuked him and equated him as “Satan” because he is thinking as not God does, but as human beings do! What’s Peter thinking at the moment when he heard Jesus say that he has to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, Peter, for some reason might not hear the words “and on the third day be raised”? Jesus does not only tell Peter and his disciples about his suffering and dying, but he also promises two very important things, “The Son of Man will come” and “he will repay everyone according to his conduct.” Like Jeremiah in today’s first reading couldn’t accept the suffering of being a prophet that in his anger and powerless, he gives up saying, “You duped me, o Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.”

Just like the prophet Jeremiah, St. Augustine had the same experience. At the age of fifteen, he developed a theory, and in that theory, he discovered that there are sides within his inner self: one side is good, and the other is bad. When someone does something good, he does something good because the good side tells him to do so. When he does something bad, he does it because the bad side tells him to do so. This theory gives him peace and comfort, but it doesn’t last too long. In his Confession, Augustine revealed the moment of conversion, the moment that being duped like Jeremiah when he says, “At once I picked up the book of the New Testament and read at random from Romans 13:13 saying “Not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” It is not that Augustine is unfamiliar with the Bible, he reads the whole Bible at an early age and memorizes word by word. But the Bible is just like a novel book that he finds nothing that can give him peace and hope for eternal life until that day. The Lord opens his deafness, gives sight to his blindness, and takes away the hardened stone of his heart to make him a new person, an instrument of God.

Did the Son of God choose to deny himself as God to come to us as human beings? Yes. He chose to vest on himself our very human flesh like all of us except sin. Did he choose to carry the cross, to suffer, and to die on the cross? Yes, he did choose it willingly as a human being, but why did he choose that way? Did he mean to give us an example to follow when he stated clearly in today’s Gospel, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”? Just as Peter becomes a stumbling block when he rebukes Jesus saying, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you,” when our friends or even our loved ones become a stumbling block to asking us to enjoy the trip and forget attending Church on Sunday and holiday of obligation; to live our life without prayer; to cheat, to liar, and to gossip and still think that it’s fine because of life? If something or someone becomes a stumbling block for us in following the Lord Jesus Christ, do we have the courage and strength to stand for the truth and for what we believe in the Lord’s teaching and the Church’s teaching? What is the condition to become the followers of Jesus Christ, the Christians, and how can we fulfill that condition? The crucifix will only be a cross with a corpse on it and no more if we cannot see in it a symbol of life, an invitation for conversion, and a lesson to follow. May we have the strength and courage to come after the Lord, to take up our cross, and to follow him. The decision is always yours.

21th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 26 Aug 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Rocks to build the Church

Joke: The rich businessman Raymond goes to meet his new son-in-law-to-be, Ben. He says to Ben, "So, tell me Ben my boy, what you do?" "I study Theology," he replies. "But Ben, you are going to marry my daughter, how are going to feed and house her?" "No problem," says Ben, "I study Theology, and it says God will provide." "But you will have children, how will you educate them?" asks Raymond. "No problem," says Ben, "I study Theology, and it says God will provide." When Raymond returns home, his wife anxiously asks him what Ben is like. "Well," says Raymond, "he's a lovely boy. I only just met him and he already thinks that I'm God."

Just as Ben portrays God as a person who provides everything for his future spouse, how do we perceive God in our Christian life? Jesus himself asks his disciples in today’s Gospel, “Who do you say that I am?” He also asks us, who do we say that he is? How do we portray the person of Jesus in our Christian life? To answer this question, let’s dive into today’s readings that the Church put together in today’s liturgy.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah says, “Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority.” Who is Shebna? Why does the Lord thrust him from his office, and what happens to him? He is a tender youth, and treasurer over the house in the reign of King Hezekiah, governor of the palace. Shebna has a conspiracy together with his college to go against the house of David, and this is why the prophet Isaiah reports the words of the Lord to Shebna. R . Jose b. Hanina, a Jewish Torah scholar infers that Shebna was punished with leprosy because of his conspiracy to go against the house of David. God in the Old Testament was the One who punished those who went against him or disobeyed him.

Paul, on the other hand, acknowledged the almighty hand of the Lord firmly stated in his letter to the Romans that was reported in today’s 2 ^nd reading saying, “For from him and through him and for him are all things.” In other words, it is from Christ, through Christ, and for Christ, all things have come into existence. Paul, the servant of God, unlike Shebna, who didn’t recognize the almighty hand of the Lord was with the house of David which led him to be expelled from the palace and suffer from leprosy just as Jewish Torah scholar, Jose Hanina, pointed out in his writing.

What happened to Jesus’ disciples reported in today’s Gospel? Who did people say that Jesus is? Simon represented his brothers and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Regardless of what people said he is John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets, Jesus’ disciples believed that he is Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus’ disciples listened and followed him which helped them recognize who Jesus is. If this question is posted to each one of us, who are called Christians, who do we say that Jesus is? How do we answer this question?

When we profess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, do we mean that he is living among us or it’s not just in words and theory? If he is living among us, do we remember to come to him on our knees when we see war and violence, terrorism and disease, disaster and destruction, broken marriages and destructive families, pandemics, and many other forms of decay? Who do we say Jesus is? Is he just like any other prophet in the Old Testament or he is the one that, like Saint Paul said in today’s second reading, that for him, from him, and through him we have our being and everything? Since for Christ, from Christ, and through Christ we have our beings and everything, do we come to him with all our beings or do we place more weight on our material possessions and our career rather than focus all our lives on Christ, the Son of the living God? For instance, a child of parents entrusts all his care to his parents since he cannot do anything himself. It is only from his parents that he receives protection, nurture, and care to grow up. So, it is only from Christ, for Christ, and through Christ that we have our beings and everything. This then “To him be glory forever” is the most and foremost acknowledgment we need to have to portray Jesus as Christ, Son of the living God in our Christian life.

Jesus’ disciples, described in today’s Gospel, recognized Jesus as Christ, the Son of the living God, because they listened and followed him. It was not the flesh and the blood that revealed this to them, but His heavenly Father. Therefore, Jesus says to Simon, “You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Brothers and sisters, each of us is a little rock that we are called to build the Church of God, to make his Person, Christ, Son of the living God, present in our Christian life. How we bring this about is a question for each of us to meditate upon today’s readings. Are we willing to use our little rock which is our talent, time, and treasure to build the Church, even though we live in our modern world with difficulty in differentiating right from wrong and true from false to make Jesus present in our life as Christ, the Son of the living God? Do ourselves a favor and ask ourselves: Am I a rock, a rubber, mud, sand, wood, or whatever material that is to come to build the Church here on earth? Are we willing to be a rock to come together to make Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God present in our Christian life? What might be a stumbling block to stop us from building our Church here on earth? The decision is yours.

20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 18:00:00 GMT

A Persistent Faith in Actions

Joke: One day, little Johnny asked his mom for a new bike. His mom said, “At Christmas, you send a letter to Santa to ask for what you want, don’t you?” “Yes,” replied Johnny, “but it isn’t Christmas now.” His mother said, “Then you can send a letter to Jesus and ask him.” Johnny said down with a pen and a piece of paper and started his letter: “Dear Jesus, I’ve been a good boy sometimes and I would like a new bike. Your friend, Johnny.” He thought about this and decided to start over: “Dear Jesus, sometimes I think about being a good boy and I would like a new bike. Your friend, Johnny.” He thought some more and tried again: “Dear Jesus, someday I might be a good boy and I would like a new bike. Your friend, Johnny.” Johnny didn’t like that letter either. Finally, he got a small statue of Mary from the front yard and started his letter again: “Dear Jesus, if you ever hope to see your mom again, send me a new bike! Your friend, Johnny.

In all today’s readings, the Church helps us to understand the kind of faith that the Lord, in his mercy and compassion, cannot turn away but to grant a Canaanite woman what she asks for with her persistence of faith.

In today’s Gospel, a Canaanite woman called out to Jesus, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Question: Is the demon real? How would we recognize demons in our time, scientific and advanced age?

Demon, at the time of Jesus, was a belief without any scientific proof. People just believed that demons existed when they weren’t advanced in the medical field like we do today. A person who was possessed by a demon couldn’t control herself. She couldn’t say what she wanted to say, and she couldn’t do what she wanted to do. Thanks be to God that she had her mother to intervene for her because of the pain and the torment that her daughter had to suffer. The mother ran to Jesus to ask for help, even though she was a Canaanite woman considered a sinner, a foreigner. Jesus, even though he’s famous for mercy and compassion, still rejected her request saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” How hurtful it was for a mother to bring her daughter to a physician and be rejected to cure her because of a different race and from a different flock.

When we come to God in our prayer, how is it when we pray and pray, and God continuously seems to be absent and hasn’t granted us what we ask for? When we ask and pray and haven’t received any response from God, ask ourselves, “Have I asked or prayed to God what is according to his will or my own will and my desire? Is it right and just to ask God for this and for that for my benefit and my loved ones’ benefit?”

What God promised in the Old Testament that Isaiah reports in today’s first reading saying, “Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.” When we observe what is right and do what is just, God will grant us what we ask for. The Canaanite woman’s request was rejected in today’s Gospel because she might not observe the laws of the Lord, the laws of Moses like the Israelites did. Make no mistake when Jesus responded to her that he was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and not for the foreigners. However, this woman, with a strong faith, believed in Jesus’ mercy and compassion, with courage and strength, came to Jesus and did him homage and said, “Lord, help me.” Imagine that we are sinners and we live a sinful life when we pray or even beg God in our prayer, to forgive us our sins and to help us in our needs; and his response to us just as he responds to the woman saying, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” It is not right to grant to the sinner and the one who is not in communion with the Church what she or he asks for. According to our human understanding and the laws, it is not right to forgive the sins of those who are not recognized their false and seek forgiveness or those who are not in communion with the Church, and it’s not just to help those who are separated from the Lord and his Church.

Even though she is rejected by the Lord Jesus several times, her persistent faith, and her firm belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” She truly and humbly acknowledges her sins and asks to receive just a little mercy and compassion from the Lord. What’s a marvelous faith of a sinner that touched the heart of the Lord that he says to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Great applause from Jesus because of her deep faith in him that he granted her what she wished.

Jesus couldn’t perform many miracles in his hometown for his people, but he was able to perform a healing of a Canaanite woman’s daughter, a foreigner, from the torment of the demon. Why? What is it that touched his marvelous heart to heal a foreigner, a sinner, if it’s not her great persistence of faith in the Lord Jesus? In our Christian life, have we remembered to come to the Lord to seek forgiveness of our sins and trusted in his mercy and forgiveness to forgive us our sins and tried to change and to be better? Or we might be able to say that we forgive this person or that person because of what he or she hurt us this way or that way, but we have difficulty forgetting and still allow the demon possesses our heart and torments us so that we might not be able to see God presents in our midst, and all we see are suffering and tormented in life. Just as the Canaanite woman, with great persistent faith, come to seek help time after time to the point of irritating his disciples that they asked Jesus to grant her what she asked for, so she should stop following them and bothering them. Even at the moment of rejection, at the moment that God seemed to turn away from her, she still had faith and trusted in his mercy and compassion; have we had that firm faith and strong belief in the Lord Jesus when we come to seek for his help and he seems to be absent in our prayer and in partaking at the Eucharistic celebration? If God seems to be absent and doesn’t respond to us in our prayer, in our good deeds, especially in our own need, do we still come to him for help? How is your faith, your belief in him? The decision is yours.

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Are We Walking on This Earth Alone?

Joke: A man went to see a psychiatrist and said that every night he was visited by a 12-foot dragon with three heads. He was a nervous wreck, couldn’t sleep at all, and was on the verge of total collapse. “I think I can help you,” said the psychiatrist, “but I must warn you that it will take a year or two and will cost $3,000.” “$3,000!” the man exclaimed. “Forget it! I’ll just go home and make friends with it.”

In today’s Gospel, the scene where Peter walked on water to come to Jesus in the night. The strong wind frightened him so that he called on the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus stretched out his hands to save him saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus saved Peter even though he doubted his little faith. More than that, Jesus saved him because he remembered to call on him when his faith was tested because darkness and strong wind demanded his life.

After the war was over in 1975, many Vietnamese people began to leave the country to seek freedom and peace. Many people left behind their loved ones, spouse, parents, siblings, children, relatives, and friends. Some arrived at their destination in another country, and some left their lives in the ocean. There were many stories told by those who succeeded to come to another country. I had my own story as well, even though it was more than thirty years ago.

During the year of my junior high, my mother decided to let me escape from Vietnam. After the first unsuccessful escape I spent a month in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, my mother let me escape the country a second time.

During my second escape, in the middle of the night, my cousin and I, at the same age, were brought to a ditch not too far from the sea. Several others were hiding in this same ditch waiting to come down to the boat. Even though it was dark and we hardly saw each other, we still heard the soft voices talking and laughing. Suddenly, we heard a gunshot. This took our breath away, and everybody was so quiet. Amid silence and out of anxiety, someone farted loud enough that broke the silence. Rain began to fall to mingle with laughing. While everybody was enjoying the laugh together, we suddenly heard several gunshots with a voice yelling, “Stop, Stop, Stop.” My cousin and I knew that we had to run in order not to be put in prison if we got caught. It was quite a journey coming home from that moment. Thank God that we didn’t get caught.

My faith in the Lord vanished the moment I heard the gunshot three times. My cousin and I held hands together and ran we had no idea where we were heading to. All I had in my mind that night was to try not to get caught. I was an altar server at the age of nine. I was the head of the altar server and was very active in growing up in the Church, but at that moment, God was not in my mind except for running so as not to be caught. Perhaps, in your difficulties or challenges of life, which are numerous as human beings, have you ever had God in your mind? Have you remembered to call on him in your struggles just as Peter did with his little faith? How is your faith at this moment in your life? Are you walking alone on your spiritual journey? Take some time this week to reflect on the Word of God and ask yourselves, how is my faith in this walk of life? Am I journeying alone in this walk of life?

Sunday of the Transfiguration of the Lord

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 18:00:00 GMT

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Joke: A long line of men stood at one of Heaven's gates, waiting to be admitted. There was a sign over the gate that read, "For men who were dominated by their wives while on earth." The line extended as far as the eye could see. At another one of Heaven's gates, only one man was standing. Over this gate, there was a sign that read, "For men whose wives did not dominate." Saint Peter approached the lone man standing there and asked, "What are you doing here?" The man replied, "I don't know. My wife told me to stand here."

Unlike the man's transfiguration at the gate of Heaven, he didn't want to acknowledge his wife's domination over him. In today's Gospel, acknowledging his divinity and humanity natures, Jesus was transfigured before his chosen disciples, "his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him." Peter was overwhelmed with joy and wanted to build three tents, but then the cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." Why was it revealed Elijah and Moses at the transfiguration of Jesus? Elijah was a great prophet, mighty in deeds in the Old Testament, and Moses was a great prophet who led the Israelites free from slavery. Amid this conversation between Jesus, Elijah, and Moses at Jesus' transfiguration, the cloud came casting a shadow over them, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The voice from the cloud symbolized God the Father. So, at the Lord Jesus' transfiguration, he revealed the true nature of his divinity and his Son-ship to God the Father.

All Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew, Luke, and Mark retell the same story of the transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ in front of his chosen disciples. Not only the synoptic Gospels but the second letter of Peter as well. At the transfiguration of Jesus, some authors of the New Testament eyewitness the majestic glory revealed in the person called Jesus who “received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,” Peter reported in today’s second reading, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Therefore, the transfiguration of Jesus is a historical fact. Why did Jesus want to reveal this transfiguration to only some of his disciples? What did it mean to his chosen disciples?

The transfiguration of Jesus, first of all, encouraged, supported, and strengthened their faith after he told them about his coming passion, death, and resurrection. This is also why the Church reminds us of this story of transfiguration at the beginning of Lent. This transfiguration strengthened the faith of his disciples so that they would not lose faith when they saw him suffer his passion and death.

Jesus’ transfiguration also revealed his true identity to his disciples. In the transfiguration, a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” God the Father wanted to introduce Jesus as his truly beloved Son and invited the disciples to listen to him. This declaration of God the Father not only confirms his true identity but also confirms that he is the Son of God the Father.

Finally, his transfiguration also revealed his ultimate mission. His ultimate mission was pleased by God the Father. God the Father was pleased with God the Son when he chose to save the human race through his humble passion revealed on the Cross.

What is the transfiguration for you? If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate it. If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice. If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world. Through the acceptance of our humanity and the need for one another in this walk of life, we are invited to make sacrifices and offer them up during our Christian journey here on earth. The decision is yours.

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 18:00:00 GMT

His Kind of Heart

Joke: In a conversation between the doctor and the patient’s wife, the doctor said, your husband needs rest and peace. Here are some sleeping pills. Wife: When must I give them to him? Doctor: They are for you ...

What does it mean to have rest and peace for oneself? Recognizing the restless and un-peaceful nations, the Lord in today’s first reading promised to the Israelites that there will be a King who will come to bring peace to the nations that Zechariah reported to us. Who is that King if it’s not Jesus Christ, who is meek and humble of heart that Matthew reported in today’s Gospel the words of Jesus exclaimed to the people of Israel saying, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” So, to answer the question, what does it mean to have rest and peace for oneself? We are invited to take the yoke of Jesus Christ and learn from him since he is meek and humble of heart. The question, then, what does it mean when he invited us to take his yoke? And what does it mean to be meek and humble of heart?

I looked up the word “yoke” in Meriam Webber Dictionary, and it said, “a bar or frame that is attached to the heads or necks of two work animals (such as oxen) so that they can pull a plow or heavy load; or something that causes people to be treated cruelly and unfairly, especially by taking away their freedom.” A yoke of Jesus is compared to a bar placed on his shoulder to carry a heavy load; or rather, his freedom is taken away to be treated cruelly and unfairly. Jesus’ freedom was taken away the moment that he accepted to vest on himself our very human flesh. He became totally like all of us except for sins. His surrendering of freedom was so great that he was sweaty with blood and called out to his Father, saying, “ Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done ” (Lk 22:42). Honest ourselves, who wants to carry a heavy load on our shoulder? Or who wants to be treated cruelly and unfairly when we are living in a land which respects the word freedom? Freedom of the flesh or freedom of Spirit, we might want to ask? Freedom that Jesus teaches us is not the freedom of the flesh, but rather, the freedom of Spirit to follow his Father’s will, not his own will. Too much freedom of the flesh would give the mother to have the right to abort the child in her womb; too much freedom of the flesh would give the okay in the same sex union; too much freedom of the flesh would give the okay to live together without marriage; too much freedom of the flesh would give no respect to the parents as soon as the children reached the age of eighteen; and many other negativities occur in our society under the umbrella of freedom, the freedom of the flesh. The yoke that Jesus carried is our freedom that gives reign to the flesh that he invites us to lay on his shoulder, to give it up.

Saint Paul beautifully reminds us in today’s second reading saying, “Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you… For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The question, then, how can we put up with the freedom of the flesh, the deeds of the body to put on the true Spirit of God to dwell in us? Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel when he says that he is meek and humble of heart. Perhaps, it is the meek and humble heart that Jesus invites us to have, so to avoid the freedom of the flesh, the meek and humble heart is to follow his Father’s will and not his own will.

Some questions help us to reflect on the Word of God in today’s readings. When we do not have a meek and humble heart, in other words, when we put ourselves up, our pride, our self-center, are we able to see the need for others such as our spouse, our siblings, our friends, our neighbors, and those whom we come into contact each day? If we cannot see the need for others in our lives, how can we see the need for God in our life, whom we cannot even see? The words of Jesus invite us in today’s Gospel, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” The yoke of Jesus is to surrender his will to his Father. What is your yoke? Jesus’ meek and humble heart is to surrender his will to follow his Father’s will. What kind of heart that you have? How can you carry his yoke and lay all your burden of life on his shoulder? Is it possible to have a meek and humble heart? Is it possible to surrender your will to God’s will? The decision is yours.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 20:00:00 GMT

Priority of Life

Joke: “My wife and I have a rule,” a pastor said. “We don't fight on Saturday nights. Do you know why? It is because I have to preach on Sunday morning. Now I don't want you to get the idea that we fight the other six nights of the week. Quite frankly, I gave her an unconditional surrender several years ago. Husbands, let me teach you a lesson that will save you a lot of grief. When it comes to your wife, if you lose the battle, you win the war.”

Just as wise advice from a pastor to all the husbands to lose the battle with their wives is to win the war, the Lord Jesus, reported in today’s Gospel, invites us differently if it’s not to say the opposite, saying, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” To love others more than Jesus is not worthy of loving him. In Saint Luke’s version, Jesus said a little harsher, saying, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:26). How many of us do not love our parents, our brothers and sisters, and our self? What does it mean to not love our loved ones more than to love the Lord Jesus Christ if it’s not that we are invited to make time for the Lord even though we might have many tasks to perform at home, at work, in school or whatever it is in life? We are also invited to take up our cross and to follow after the Lord Jesus by offering what might be considered the cross for us to carry in this walk of life. The questions are: How would we make time for the Lord in our busy life with so many attractions? How would we carry our cross to follow after the Lord Jesus?

Today’s first reading, taken from the second book of Kings, reported a story of Elisha, the prophet who came to visit a house in Shunem. He influenced the wife of the household. She asked her husband to prepare a room for the prophet, by her hospitality or rather her faithfulness to the Lord that the prophet promised her that she would conceive and bear a son when her husband was advanced in age, and they couldn’t have any child. Not losing their focus on the Lord through the prophet Elisha, the lady was granted a child at her advanced age as was promised by the prophet Elisha. It seems that when we focus our attention on having faith in the Lord, he will ease our anxiety, our distress, and stress in this walk of life. Only with deep faith in the Lord that we would be able to make time for the Lord without being distracted from any attraction. How would we do that since we are not God or angels?

We are reminded of the words of Saint Paul to the Roman community reported in today’s second reading, saying, “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? So that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” This sense of belonging to Christ through our baptism, we are reminded to follow Christ as he invited us to take up our cross, to leave everything else behind, including our loved ones, to follow after him, as reported in today’s Gospel. The questions are: Have you and I ever been distracted from anything besides God in this walk of life? Between God and humanity, God and the Church, God, and the country, God and all the good things that we have done for God, which one have we put our priority on? Have you ever had to decide to choose either God or the others that I just mentioned? If you had to choose, which would you choose as a priority? God or other things? How would you choose if it’s not to learn to accept who you are first and foremost?

Story: Gilbert Keith Chesterton, an English Catholic writer, in one of his novels, a professor was given the name Lucifer sitting next to a monk with the given name Michael on a flight across England. When the plane flew across the London Cathedral, Professor Lucifer saw a cross on the top of the Cathedral. He becomes angry and begins to talk badly about Christian. The monk asks the professor to allow him to tell him a story. I know a person who hates the cross, and wherever he goes, he always tries to destroy the cross that comes into his sight. In all the art, magazines, or anything that has a cross on it, he destroys it. Even a little cross that is hung on his wife’s neck, he takes it and throws it away. He says that the cross is a symbol of suffering and death, opposite to what is joy and a happy life. One day during summer, on his patio enjoying his cigar, he suddenly sees his patio turns into crosses. Everywhere he sees all crosses in front of him, behind him, to the right, and the left. He kicks and slams those crosses. Coming into his house, all he sees are crosses everywhere, and everything made out of wood turns into crosses. From his anger and frustration, he uses fire to destroy those crosses that they found him the next day in a burning house. The conclusion that the author places on the lips of the monk is: “If you begin to destroy the cross, you will not be able to live on this planet.” With the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, it is a symbol of victory. It is a victory of love above hatred. It is a victory over suffering and death. It is a victory over our greed.

What is your priority in this walk of life? How would you pick up your cross to follow after the Lord Jesus? Would you be able to identify your cross? What is it, and how would you carry it? The decision is yours.

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Reasons for Not Afraid to Follow Christ

Joke: In a discussion with God, a man asked: God, how long is a minute in heaven? “It’s a million years,” replied God. “How much is a penny in heaven, God?” God said, “A penny is a million dollars in heaven.” The man then asked God, “Would you give me a penny please?” God said, “You need to wait for a minute son.”

Nothing on Earth would be compared to what is in heaven. In other words, do not be afraid when we follow Christ. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds those who follow him not to be afraid because of the following reasons: First, do not be afraid because when they hurt you and harm you, you are to share your suffering with Christ, the Son of God. Second, do not be afraid because they can only kill your body, but they cannot kill your soul. Third, do not be afraid because Christ’s followers are protected. Whatever happens to us is in God’s plan just as all the hairs in our head are already counted. Lastly, do not be afraid because when we acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, before others, Christ will acknowledge us before his heavenly Father. Is it worth sharing Christ’s suffering when someone tries to hurt us or harm us because of following Christ? Is it encouraged to follow Christ because no one can destroy our soul except Christ himself? Just as Christ prayed to God the Father to protect his disciples from the evil ones in this world, would he not pray to God the Father to protect us in following him in this walk of life? Finally, he promised to acknowledge us in front of his heavenly Father if we acknowledge his presence in this walk of life, have you and I had the courage and strength to acknowledge him in this walk of life? How would we follow Christ in this walk of life? Would we follow Christ by attending Mass on TV and not at Church when there is no more pandemic? What does Communion mean? Does the Eucharistic Celebration offer by oneself, with oneself, and for oneself, or the whole community with the whole community and by the whole community?

A British doctor, Sheila Cassidy, who was imprisoned and tortured in Chile in the 1970s recounted her experiences at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. As a young medical doctor who graduated from Oxford University Medical School in 1963 and later befriended a Chilean surgeon, she decided to go to Chile to practice medicine. One of her friends, a Jesuit priest, asked her to treat a political opponent of Pinochet’s regime who had been hit by a bullet while fleeing the secret police. The worst thing that Cassidy thought could happen to her if she were caught treating this man was that she would be expelled from the country. “It never occurred to me that I could be tortured,” Cassidy said. Cassidy was caught while treating the man. She was beaten, blindfolded, and taken to a detention facility, where she was stripped and tortured with electrical shocks. In her first few days of torture, she constantly prayed for her release, but after a few days, her prayer changed. “After a few days, it came to me that a better way would be to say, ‘Do what you like. I’m yours,” she said. At this very moment, Cassidy wrote a blank check for her life to God, and it brought her a tremendous sense of peace. In this very moment, she understood the words of Jesus mentioned in today’s Gospel, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”

Have you ever been afraid or fearful of anything in life? We might not be afraid nor fearful of anything in life since we live in a blessed and free land where human dignity is protected. We might not be afraid nor fearful of covid19, but we need to keep a distance to help others who might be vulnerable to the virus. When I prepare a couple for marriage, I came across the question: Is it okay to watch pornography? Some individuals do believe and answer that it’s okay to watch pornography. Perhaps, the words of Jesus haven’t sunk into our beings when he mentioned somewhere in Scripture, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna” (Mt 5:29). Why is that pornography wrong? It’s simply because sexual love is a gift meant for marriage alone. “Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties” (CCC 2354). It seems that to understand the words of Jesus, not just by reading it alone, but more important is to listen and so to allow the word of God to touch us. For example, we read in scripture the words, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Suddenly our mind gears us to something else, reminds us of something that might be related to an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Stop what we were reading and followed that thought. Perhaps, it was a moment that we allowed the word of God to sink into our being and touched us. After that thought, we might be brought back to reality, and before we go back to continue to read, take a moment to thank the Lord for that insight, that revelation, and promise him to change, to fix, or to be better. Please, it is not just about reading sentence after sentence, page after page, book after book, and divorce still divorce, cheating still cheating, gossiping still gossiping, and many other crooked ways of life. There is only one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God himself. There is only one Gospel of Jesus Christ inspired by Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John as the Catholic Church teaches us to put together in words. To whom and what have we been inspired on our Christian journey? Who have we followed in this walk of life?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds his disciples and each one of us that fear no one in which I believe all our fathers can testify for this since they are the protectors and providers for their families. They have no fear to work hard to provide the best living condition for their own families. They sacrifice going to bed early to wake up early to go to work to help financially for their families. Anything that is heavy lifting or dangerous fixes, they are always there to face the challenges.

As children, we are in debt to our mothers who carried us in their wombs for nine months and labored us in pain and hurt. Our fathers instilled in us the responsibilities and duties for ourselves and our own families. Our mothers feed us with food and drinks of their excellent cooking skills, but our fathers feed us with their words of teaching and good model examples of life. In any debt that we have owned in this walk of life, one debt that we’ll never be able to pay back is the debt to our parents. Let’s remember our parents, either deceased or alive, by saying one “Our Father” to pray for them. The decision is always yours.

11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 20:00:00 GMT

Christian Disciple--Go and Bear Witness

Joke: Christian burial for a non-disciple ? One morning Rev. Desmond went to the front door of his rectory to get his newspaper and found a dead mule on the street. He quickly called the city health department and asked to have the mule disposed of. The smart secretary on duty said, “Hey, Reverend Pastor, I always heard that you pastors buried your own dead even if they are not practicing Christian disciples”. “Yes, we do” the pastor, replied. “But not in all cases. In this case, I would like to meet the deceased’s close relatives in the Health Department in person to offer my condolences and to give a special blessing.”

After summoning his disciples and instructing them before sending them out, reported in today’s Gospel, What it means when the Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.” Why not go into the pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town because they might mock you just as in the case of Reverend Desmond? “Hey, Reverend Pastor, I always heard that you pastors buried your own dead even if they are not practicing Christian disciples.” This is sad, but it is true. So, how can we become Christian disciples? Or rather, how would we live our Christian disciple? Is it only for priests and religious brothers and sisters?

Through the virtue of Baptism, we are called to be priests, prophets, and kings. Saint Augustine of Hippo in his sermon “On the Anniversary of his ordination” said, “For you, I am a bishop, with you, I am a Christian.” Through the virtue of Baptism, he and all of us are Christians called to be priests, prophets, and kings. As a bishop functions in the highest rank of the Holy Order, he is a bishop so to run his diocese is entrusted to his care. We are all then called to be disciples through our baptism. So, what does it mean to be a disciple? Disciple by name or disciple in action?

Jesus sent out his disciples to go after the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and as you go, Jesus said, “Make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, [and] drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost, you are to give.” We don’t call each other sister in Christ or brother in Christ when we fail to go after her or him who goes astray; when we fail to visit the sick and to console the sorrow; when we expect to get paid and not free service. It is sad “In God we trust” is imprinted on our currency, but not many people show up at Mass or the service. When we need something for our loved one(s), Baptism, for example, First Communion, Confirmation, Wedding, or even funeral, we show up. After our loved one(s) received what he or she needs, we vanished somewhere else. What does Christian disciple mean? What is the Sacrament? When have we received the Sacrament of Baptism? What is the difference between marriage in the Catholic Church and somewhere else? Why do we have a funeral Mass? Don’t have enough money to pay the Church? Our Church asked for $100 to maintain the Church, while a funeral home costs you $10,000. What is the Sacrament of Holy Order? When is the last time you heard of this Sacrament?

Why did God choose the Israelites and not Americans or Chinese or other large nations? It was because he wanted to. However, to be in his favor, the Israelites need to keep their covenant with God as reported in today’s first reading, taken from the book of Deuteronomy, the Lord said to Moses delivered the message to the Israelites saying, “If you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine.” What is the covenant for Christian disciples? Jesus instructed his disciples and us saying, “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, [and] drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost, you are to give.” All these describe in actions with active verbs—to cure, to raise, to cleanse, to drive out, and to give. A Christian disciple is not passive but active. A Christian disciple is not that saying “Lord, Lord” and expect to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Christian disciple requires a charity act. Why do we have to love each other?

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds the Romans and us how God loves us saying, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Even though we are not worthy of his love, he still loves us with his sacrificial offering on the Cross. This love he reminds us to love one another as he loves us. To be Christian disciples, we are reminded to love one another as he has loved us and to keep his commandments. Are you a Christian disciple? How can you be a Christian disciple? How do others know that you are a Christian disciple? The decision is yours.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Meaning of the Body and Blood of Christ

Just as eating requires teeth to grind the food into particles before it’s transformed into the blood to nurture our physical body, the Body and the Blood of Christ which we receive at Mass require not only the teeth, but a worthy of heart, mind, and soul so that the Body and the Blood of Christ will be transformed into the Blood of the Divinity to nurture our spiritual soul. Our spiritual soul is so important that today, the Church celebrates the food and the drink that nurture our spiritual soul which is called the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Has Christ meant to feed us with his real physical Body and Blood? Or it’s just symbolic under the forms of bread and wine? What do we receive at Mass? Do we receive the bread and the wine; or do we receive the Body and the Blood of Christ? In many places throughout the world, time after time, the host is found bleeding like in Argentina, Poland, or in Sentarem, Portugal, where some of us went on a pilgrimage to Portugal last year that we had a chance to come to see the Eucharistic Miracle, the Host was bleeding. After the consecration at the Eucharistic Prayer, the essence of the bread and the wine changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, but not the bread and the wine themselves. The taste of the bread and the wine might not change, but the essence of the bread and wine changed into the Body and the Blood of Christ. Therefore, at our Communion, we might still taste the bread and the wine in which their essence turned into the Body and Blood of Divinity. How do we know the essence of these species changed?

Not only us wandering about this, but the Jews, reported in today’s Gospel, quarreled among themselves saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” Not only do the flesh and the blood of Christ bring life within us, but also, Jesus promises to raise us on the last day. What is that life within us that Jesus mentioned here if it’s not the life of our soul? Jesus promised that if we eat his true flesh and drink his true blood, we will have life within us and he will raise us on the last day. In other words, our soul will be alive within us and our soul will be saved on the last day.

The question is, what does it mean and how do we know that the soul within us is alive and we will be saved on the last day? Jesus said very clearly in today’s Gospel saying, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” We all know and say and sing together every time we gather at Mass, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.” The first two sentences are in the present tense which means Christ continues to die on the Cross because of our sins and the sins of this world. Every time we gather together at Mass, we are reminded of his death, his resurrection and his coming again. Every time we gather to celebrate Mass together, we are fed with the Body and the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. At the same time, we are reminded that he’s risen and promised us that he will come again to save us on the last day. Once again, the Body and the Blood of Christ that we receive at Mass will nurture our soul, and the life within us and save us on the last day.

When we receive the Body and the Blood of Christ, Christ is in us as he mentioned in today’s Gospel. Who is Christ if he’s not the one who heals the sick, forgives the sinners, and even raises the dead back to life again? So, brothers and sisters, when we have Christ within us, he will cure our sickness and illness. A holy saint once said that we become what we eat. The more we eat the Body of Christ, the more we become like Christ who has everlasting life.

Is Christ divided when we receive him at Saint Paul, and others receive him at other parishes in this country or in another country? Christ is never divided, but rather, as Saint Paul mentioned in today’s second reading saying, “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” In other words, we, though many in different places are all invited to partake in one bread, Christ alone, so to be one in Christ. The question then, are we one in Christ when we partake in the one Bread and one Cup?

The moment that we are divided among our family, at work, in school, in our community, or our society, and many other moments of scattering or disunity, the moment we need to ask ourselves: Do we have Christ in our lives? The moment that a couple loses faith in each other; children have difficulty talking to their parents; friends often talk behind the other’s back; brothers and sisters don’t even bother to call each other; and much other brokenness of life that we might face. Have we had Christ in our lives? Have we received Christ or a piece of bread? When we come to the table to share a meal, we are filled and content with what we eat, are we filled and content when we receive Christ at the Eucharist? What does it mean to receive at Communion? How do others know that we have Christ in our lives after we received him at Mass? The decision is yours.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 18:00:01 GMT

Love—Common Language of Trinity

How many languages are there in the whole world? The Lingua website reports that there are approximately 6500 languages. [1] Among these languages, “English is the most spoken language in the world including native and non-native speakers.” [2] On the Pentecost last weekend, one of our children answered that the language of the Holy Spirit is LOVE. Love is also the common language of the Three Persons in God to communicate with one another and abide by one another in the unity of the Trinity.

During the pandemic COVID19, the common language that brought the human race together was LOVE. Many individuals and nations went out of themselves to help. Among those was Reverend Doctor Anthony Tam Pham, who was not only a doctor but also a Catholic priest. He left Houston, Texas, to join the medical team in New York to help patients with COVID-19. Among those billionaires was Jack Dorsey, the most generous giver, who moved $1 billion of his Square stock, a quarter of his $3.9 billion net worth, into an LLC to support COVID-19 relief efforts and other causes. The second largest pledge comes from Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, whose foundation has committed $305 million, much of it to be spent on vaccines, treatment, and diagnostic development.

The one that I was touched the most was when many famous singers and artists, including Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Lang Lang, and many others got together for a virtual concert to raise $127.9 million to help health care workers and coronavirus relief. As part of the concert, they sang the song “We Are the World.” The lyric of this song brings home to me the words of Saint John reported in today’s Gospel that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believed in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Because of love that He sent His Son to us, and because of love, the common language of the whole human race, we learn to share. Just as the children of this world, we are reminded the common language is love when we lend a hand to help, we will save. Just as LOVE abides the Three Persons in God together, LOVE will also bring the human race together in unity rather than scatter and destruction. The decision is yours.

[1] Website: https://lingua.edu/how-many-languages-are-there-in-the-world/#:~:text=While%20many%20believe%20that%20the,there%20are%207106%20living%20languages . By Lingua, June 29, 2022.

[2] Website: https://www.berlitz.com/blog/most-spoken-languages-world#:~:text=According%20to%20Ethnologue%2C%20English%20is,%2C%20technology%2C%20and%20much%20more . By Berlitz, February 5, 2023.

Pentecost Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 27 May 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Human Language or Language of Faith?

Joke: The gift of knowledge: The story is told of a man who went to the priest and said, "Father, I want you to say a Mass for my dog." The priest was indignant. "What do you mean, say a Mass for your dog?" "It's my pet dog," said the man. "I loved that dog and I'd like you to offer a Mass for him." "We don't offer Masses for dogs here," the priest said. "You might try the denomination down the street. Ask them if they have a service for you." As the man was leaving, he said to the priest, "I loved that dog. I was planning to give a five thousand-dollar stipend for the Mass." And the priest said, "Wait a minute! Why didn’t you tell me that your dog was Catholic?"

The priest responded quickly as soon as he heard a large amount of stipend might come from one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit called “knowledge.” We all know that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially our brothers and sisters who will soon receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is worth it to recall the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit which are: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God. From the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit also comes twelve fruits: Charity, Generosity, Joy, Gentleness, Peace, Faithfulness, Patience, Modesty, Kindness, Self-Control, Goodness, and Chastity.

Administering of the Sacrament of Confirmation is usually done by the Bishop who has the fullness of Christ passing down from the first Pope of the Catholic Church, Peter. To show his fullness of Christ, when the Bishop administers any Sacrament or celebrates any Mass, he often wears his miter, zucchetto, pectoral cross, crozier, and ring (not talking about his alb and his chasuble). His miter forms two sides in the shape of the roof of a house to symbolize his authority on the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible. Two tassels attached to the back of the miter symbolize Peter and Paul. His ring signifies his authority. His crozier signifies his role of shepherding his people in his Diocese. There is only one chair sitting in the sanctuary of the Cathedral reserved for him and him alone. Nobody else can sit on it.

What does the Sacrament of Confirmation mean? Why haven’t we received the Sacrament at our Baptism like some of our other brothers and sisters in other denominations? Why do Catholics have to wait until around fourteen years of age to be confirmed? Why do we need to be confirmed? Many other questions may arise around the Sacrament of Confirmation. However, we will answer these few questions to help us to have a better understanding of what we received to complete our Sacraments of Initiation.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is to complete the Sacraments of Initiation, to help the person to be mature in his or her Christian faith, and to complete the faith given in Baptism and make you strong. During Baptism, your parents and godparents make promises to renounce Satan and believe in God and the Church on your behalf, but at Confirmation, you renew those same promises and this time you speak for yourself. At your Baptism, the Chrism Oil anointed on the crown of your head, but at Confirmation, this same Oil anointed you on your forehead in the form of the Cross accompanied with the words, “Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” At this sealing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you begin to act as a mature Christian. Are we not mature at our Baptism then?

In today’s first reading at the Vigil Mass, taken from the book of the prophet Ezekiel, who describes the work of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit that puts flesh and skin to close up a corpse of those dried bones and bring it into a living being. When we are children, we act like children. We put everything into our mouths while not knowing whether it’s good or bad. When we reach adulthood, we act like an adult and put our childhood behind us. During our childhood, we are baptized into Christ, putting ourselves on a white garment, but we do not comprehend the difference between right and wrong. At the age of reason, we begin to differentiate between right and wrong. When we do something wrong, we go to confession to seek forgiveness. We go to confession to clean that white garment to make it clean and white again. This confession or reconciliation that we first confess when we first receive the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist or First Communion. Around the age of fourteen, we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. In this Sacrament, we are sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to live our Christian life as mature person.

At the age of fourteen, we begin to act differently from our childhood. That’s why we are not called children anymore, but teenage boys and girls. During these teenage years, we begin to have a better understanding of the world around us and a better understanding of our faith that’s we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us to make the right choice, and right decision, and follow the right path in following the Lord Jesus’s teaching and the Church’s teaching. Praying, for example, Saint Paul reminds the Roman community and every one of us saying, “For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groaning,” Holy Spirit will help us to direct our mind and thought to God, to help us do good and to avoid evil.

There are two important parts of the rite of Confirmation. The first part is the laying on of hands to impart the Holy Spirit upon all the candidates by extending his hands towards them and saying the prayer. The second important part is where the celebrant anoints each individual with the Holy Chrism Oil on the forehead in the form of the cross saying, “John” for example, “be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” Newly confirmed responds, “Amen.” Celebrant then says, “Peace be with you.” Newly confirmed responds, “And with your spirit.” Because of this pandemic, there will be no shaking hands. It’s just simply a nod of your head.

At our Confirmation, we are sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be more mature in our faith and be more responsible for our Christian life. The question then is, after we received the Sacrament of Confirmation, allowed the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us to live a mature Christian life? The decision is always yours.

The Ascension of the Lord

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 20 May 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Leaving but Never Leaving Us Alone

Joke: "Life is unfair. I lost my car keys at a ball game and never found them. I lost my sunglasses at the beach and never found them. I lost my socks in the washing machine and never found them. I lost three pounds on a diet--I found them and five more."

Just as I lost three pounds on a diet, and I found them and five more, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and found himself still with us together with the Holy Spirit as well. Was Jesus taken up into heaven and left us alone? Today’s Alleluia verse reminds us that Jesus is with us always until the end of the world. Is he still with us? Perhaps, not physically, but spiritually?

Last year, some of us went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we went to visit the Ascension Church. There are three Ascension Churches dedicated to the ascension of the Lord Jesus. One was erected by Queen Helena recalling chapter one of the Acts of the Apostles, reported in today’s first reading, Jesus took his disciples to the Mount of Olives, it was a Sabbath day journey from Jerusalem. He blessed them and commissioned them, and then ascended into heaven in front of their eyes. The second Ascension Church was erected called the Chapel of the Ascension which later became a mosque possessed by Muslims. The third one is the Russian Church of Ascension whose tower has marked the skyline of Jerusalem since it was built in 1878. Among these three Churches claimed the place of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus, the first one was the most impressive because it was in this Church of Ascension, built in 384 AD, a pilgrim by the name of Egeria found two large footprints embedded in the rock believed that precisely the point where Jesus was taken up into heaven. Therefore, Jesus was taken up into heaven and left us with his two large footprints. From this historical point of view, we might want to ask ourselves: Is Jesus still with us after he’s taken up into heaven beside these two large footprints? How would we know that he’s still with us now either physically or spiritually?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Matthew reminds us of the words of Jesus commissioning his disciples saying, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” The Lord Jesus might not be physically among us just as he was with his disciples before he was taken up into heaven, but his words and his blessing are always with us. The kind of blessing that he received from God the Father that Saint Paul was convicted and shared with the Ephesians community saying, “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.” His blessing is extended through his apostles to the hands of the priests since their hands are consecrated at their ordination that they act en persona Christi, in the person of Christ. So, the priest’s blessing is the extension of the Lord Jesus’ blessing.

Not only did his blessing he left us, but he also promised his disciples before he was taken up into heaven, as reported in today’s first reading saying, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” His blessing empowered his disciples with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to go to be witnessed by the whole world and to the ends of the earth. This is exactly in our baptism, we are invited to live out our baptismal call to be the priest, the prophet, and the king. Through the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, he commissioned his disciples to go out to baptize people in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In his ascension into heaven, Jesus also promised to be with his disciples always to the end of the age, and so he’s always with us to the end of the age as well. How is he present in our lives at this age?

Coming to America does not mean that we will never have a chance to go back to Vietnam again. My mother went back after two or three years of living in America. She went back because my older brother, left behind in Vietnam, got into an automobile accident. He got into this accident only a few months after he had lost his only child because of a miscarriage. He was in a coma for a month. When he woke up, he lost his memory. He didn’t even recognize my mother and had to learn everything again. My mother went back and forth a lot during this time. We, brothers and sisters living in America working hard to financially support him and my sister-in-law.

Since my father died when I was only fourteen years old and my older brother was three years apart from me, at the age of seventeen, he dropped out of high school to stay home to take over my father’s business as a blacksmith. My mother slowly taught him and guided him to carry on my father’s business. She truly was the anchor for the family when my father passed away.

She lived in America, but she always remembered and worried about the children left behind in Vietnam. Even though they were adults and had their own families, my mother never stopped thinking about them. Perhaps, she once told us, “We have a much better life in America than your brothers and sisters living in Vietnam.” My mother’s saying brings home to me when the Lord Jesus, reported in today’s Gospel, saying, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Even though my mother lived in America, her mind and her spirit were always with her children in Vietnam. As a mother, she never forgets her children regardless of distance, so our Lord Jesus never leaves us alone when he’s taken up into heaven. So, in our struggling of life, in our poor in spirit, in our suffering of any kind, in our sadness and sorrow, or in any difficult moment of life, we are reminded of the words of Jesus before he’s taken up into heaven that he is always with us to the end of the age. Do you believe that Jesus is always with you to the end of time? If yes, what would you do to get over what might constantly present you with difficulties and challenges in life? The decision is yours.

6th Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 13 May 2023 18:00:00 GMT

God Is Love & Jesus Is the Proof

Joke: Did you hear about the five-year-old boy who said to his mother, “Mommy, I love you and when I grow up I’m going to get u an electric iron, an electric stove, and an electric toaster and an electric chair.” (The boy did not know that the last 1 was used for electrocuting criminals).

Love. What is love? Is it simply the love that is expressed in couples only? Is it the love that is expressed in the family only? Is it the love that boyfriend and girlfriend often exchanged with each other only? Is it the love expressed in a friendship relationship only? Or is it the love that we have for anyone and anyone we meet daily? I don’t know what would you say about love, but what would Jesus say about love? He never gives us an electric chair, and if we have one, it’s because we brought it upon ourselves.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples and each of us saying, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments… whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Love seems to follow what the lover expects. Whenever we love our lover, not only our lover loves us but also our lover’s parents love us as well, and our lover will open up himself or herself totally to let us know who he is or who she is. True love seems to hold back nothing but revealing everything to the lover, even though it might cost life to reveal true love.

A mother bird once set out to cross a windy sea with its three baby birds. The sea was so wide and the wind was so strong, the mother bird was forced to carry her young, one by one, in her strong claws. When she was halfway across with the first baby bird, the wind turned to a gale, and she said, “My child, look how I am struggling and risking my life on your behalf. When you are grown up, will you do as much for me and provide for my old age?” The first baby bird replied, “Only bring me to safety, and when you are old I shall do everything you ask of me.” Whereat the mother bird dropped her child into the sea and it drowned. Then the mother bird returned to shore, set forth with her second bird, asked the same question, and receiving the same answer, she drowned the second child. Finally, she set out with the third, and when she asked the same question, the third and last baby bird replied, “My dear mother it is true you are struggling mightily and risking your life on my behalf, and I shall be wrong not to repay you when you are old, but I cannot bind myself. This though I can promise: when I am grown up and have children of my own, I shall do as much for them as you have done for me.” Whereupon the mother bird said, “Well spoken, my child, and wisely; your life I will spare and I will carry you to shore in safety.” What we have done for our children, they will in turn do exactly for their children. If we neglect taking care of our children, they will neglect taking care of their children; if we abandon and abuse our children, they will abandon and abuse their children; if we don’t bring our children to Church because of work or whatever reason it is, they will not bring their children to Church either; if we don’t have time to teach our children, they will not have time to teach their children neither.

Jesus listened to God the Father and obeyed him till death, death on the Cross, and invites us to follow him to keep his commandments if we truly love him. Have you loved Jesus? If yes, you do, then follow his commandments. Have you ever loved your children? If you truly love your children, you will teach them to follow your commandments, your rules, and your restrictions. The decision is always yours.

5th Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sun, 07 May 2023 18:00:00 GMT

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Joke: A little boy is sent to bed by his mother... [5 minutes later] "Mom..." "What?" "I'm thirsty. Can you bring me a glass of water?" "No. You had your chance. Lights out." [5 minutes later] "Mom..." "WHAT?" "I'm thirsty...Can I have a glass of water?" "I told you NO! If you ask again I'll have to spank you!!" [5 minutes later] "Mommm..." "WHAT??!!" "When you come in to spank me, can you bring me a glass of water please?"

The little boy ignores the spanking just to satisfy his thirst, Jesus Christ abandons himself as God to come to us in our human flesh so to show us the way to the Father. How beautiful it is to honor our mothers this weekend when the Church invites us to follow the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Our mother, in a sense, is truly the way, the truth, and the life for us in this walk of life. Why do I say that? It is because none of us come into existence without a mother. Without our mother, there is no way that we can come into this world. We are in debt to our mother. Since she carried us in her womb, protect us, nurture us, and teach when we are born, she truly teaches us the way to walk, speak, eat, and many other things. She also teaches us to tell the truth and avoid telling lies. The way she cares for us from when we are young to when we are not young anymore truly teaches us the meaning of life. (Should we give all our mothers applause to thank them from the bottom of our hearts?)

Jesus vests on himself our human nature that we often see him as a man rather than God, and that we find ourselves easy to relate to him. When Jesus mentioned to his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them in his father’s house, Thomas asked him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” To this, Jesus responds, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus’ disciples time after time missed seeing him as God and as the Son of God but as a friend and a brother to them. Make no mistake when he called them friends, brothers, and sisters who listened to him. John the Baptist recognized Jesus as God and the Son of God when he approached him for baptism. Out of the Twelve Apostles, only Peter had the courage and strength to say that Christ is God and the Son of God. What happened to others when Jesus often identified himself as a friend of the prostitute and the tax collectors, the son of the carpenter, and his mother Mary?

Our mothers often identify themselves as our friend and our sister rather than our mother, why? They often lower themselves to be our level as a friend or sister to easily communicate with us. Because of that, sometimes we forget or neglect to see them as our mothers. The Lord Jesus Christ comes down to us as one of us to be able to communicate with us, but we ignore and reject him as God since we are so familiar with him. Not only Thomas, but Philip as well missed seeing Jesus as God and the Son of God that he asked him, as reported in today’s Gospel, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” To that, Jesus responds, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Just as Philip could not see God the Father in Jesus Christ, have we ever had a problem recognizing God the Father in Jesus Christ especially when Jesus identified himself as a servant, a son of Mary, a defender for the widows and children, a protector of the prostitutes and the sinners, and a friend of the tax collector? In other words, parents, have you ever seen your children as your children to love them and help them when they just happened to follow bad friends, to fall out of school, get involved in drugs and alcohol, commit adultery before marriage, and many other negative acts and behaviors?

Jesus showed us the way, the truth, and the life of God the Father by identifying himself as a friend of prostitutes and sinners, have you, our mothers, identified yourself as friends to your children to walk with them and to be the way, the truth and the life for them to follow? Giving is better than receiving, have you, mothers, given time and paid more attention to the needs of your children? To our children, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God himself, was abandoned by God the Father, but he was still obedient to God the Father even to the point of death and death on the cross, how have you, children, responded to your parents’ teaching and obey them when God purposely placed them in our life? Perhaps, in our loneliness stressful because of the school load, have we remembered to talk to our parents, explain to them how we feel? In our changing moods and influenced by friends and society, have we come to talk to our parents and seek their wisdom and guidance? Have you ever asked yourself why there are Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but not Children’s Day? Some suggestion for Children’s Day is a day that revives, celebrates, and commits to our children and their future. Does it sound like parents’ commitments to their children? Mother’s Day and Father’s Day exist to honor our parents for their responsibilities and commitments to bringing us into existence, to take care of us when we are young, and to continue supporting us in any way they can in growing up.

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life to God the Father, have you, children, ever looked up to your parents as the way, the truth, and the life to your success in life, both in our spiritual life and our material life? We might not be able to see Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life of God the Father because he is too far from us, but have you, children, had difficulty listening, talking, and obeying your parents when they are right next to you? Parents, we might not be able to see ourselves as the way, the truth, and the life for our children when we are busy working to make a living for our family, have you taken this opportunity of the pandemic of coronavirus to spend more time with your children to eat with them, to play with them, to study with them, and to pray with them before meals and bed time? Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life for his followers, do you, parents, want your children become your followers? If yes, how would you become the way, the truth and the life for them to follow? The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Vocation to Service

Joke: Little Tommy was so impressed by his oldest sister’s wedding that he announced it. “I want to have a wedding just like Linda had.” “That sounds great,” said his father. “But whom will you marry?” Tommy announced: “I want to marry Grandma because she loves me and I love her.” “You can’t marry grandma,” his father said. “Why not?” Tommy protested. “Because she is my mother.” “Well,” reasoned Tommy. “Then why did you marry my mother?”

Behind any vocation, especially the vocation to the priesthood and religious life is always a mysterious hand of God leading and guiding us. A boy was so impressed with his sister Matrimony's vocation that he wanted to have a wedding Mass exactly like his sister had. However, the one that he wanted to marry was impossible, but it did portray what true love is. How do we discover true love? And how do we respond to it?

In today’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter preached to the crowd on the Pentecost, exhorting them to be baptized and received the Holy Spirit. What encouraged him to preach to the crowd and invited them to be baptized and received the Holy Spirit if it’s not his true love for the Lord? The true love that the Lord Jesus implanted in him slowly little by little. For example, the words of Jesus reminded him not to think with earthly thought and rebuked him to get behind him when his thought was earthly; his words also reminded Peter of his betrayal; and his words strengthened him when he entrusted him with the key of heaven and earth. Young brothers and sisters, the words of Jesus sometimes speak to us through a moment or many moments of clarity deep in our spirit during Mass, retreat, youth event, in school, at work, in our friends, or even in our family members. The question is: How do we respond to the Word of God? Just as Peter reflected the Word of God throughout his three years with Jesus so to be able to testify to the world the passion, the death, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are invited, especially our young brothers and sisters, to reflect on the words of Jesus to discover their call in their lives.

Story: In growing up, I was an altar server. I loved to become a priest because he looked so cool acting on the altar with all the eyes focused on him. As soon as I graduated from high school, my pastor introduced me to go to study for the priesthood. I was rejected by the government because everything had to be approved by the government since it was a communist country. Four years later, I came to America under the sponsorship of my oldest sister. Before I left Vietnam, my spiritual director gave me a recommendation letter for studying priesthood in the United States of America. However, I was rejected again for the simple reason that I didn’t have a high school or GED diploma in America. Perhaps, because I couldn’t speak the language and because I couldn’t listen that’s why a vocation director, who happened to be the son of this parish and a present bishop of Brownsville, Bishop Daniel Flores, refused to accept me as a seminarian for the diocese.

Beautiful Psalm, Psalm 23, that we’ve heard today reminds me of the fear, the unknown ahead, and the impossible thing to think about getting a GED at the age of twenty-two with zero English. The Psalm said, “The Lord is our shepherd” who will lead us and guide us through even in the dark valley. After a year of living and working in America with a Ph.D. that I received shortly after four months living in America, I joined a school by the name Gary Jobs Corp Center in San Marcos, TX, a school like a jail with a fence around the school and security was all over the property. Just in case you wonder what was my Ph.D., my Ph.D. was pizza home delivery. Because of this Jobs Corp Center, I achieved my GED diploma after fourteen months of study as Electrician and GED. I once again decided to come back to this diocese to apply to study for the priesthood after I had my GED. Just as the Psalmist experienced distress, fear, and anxiety, even when he walked in the dark valley, he feared no evil because the Lord was at his side; I was encouraged and strengthened by the Lord to come back to apply for the priesthood again even though I was rejected before. Throughout my vocation to the priesthood, I have learned to discover the inner peace, where we hear Jesus best, and then trustingly respond to his call.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, those who hear his voice will follow him. How do we hear his voice if it’s to have a quiet and prayer life? There are four stages of prayer, Anthony De Mello once said. First, I talk you listen; Second, you talk I listen; Third, nobody talks, just listen; Fourth, nobody talks, nobody listens just Silence. Young brothers and sisters and to all of us, can we spend thirty minutes of silence a day to rest in the Lord after a long day of work, of school, or whatever it is? How can we listen to the Word of God, and allow the Word of God touches our inner being when we cannot quiet ourselves and retreat ourselves away from all the busy activities of these earthly offerings? The decision is yours.

3rd Sunday of Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Sharing Brings Joy Happiness and Peace

Joke: A young man saw an elderly couple sitting down to lunch at McDonald's. He noticed that they had ordered one meal, and an extra drink cup. As he watched, the gentleman carefully divided the hamburger in half, and counted out the fries, one for him, one for her, until each had half of them. Then he poured half of the soft drink into the extra cup and set that in front of his wife. The elderly man then began to eat, and his wife sat watching, with her hands folded in her lap. The young man decided to ask if they would allow him to purchase another meal for them so that they didn't have to split theirs. The old man said, "Oh no. We've been married 50 years, and everything has always been and will always be shared 50/50." The young man then asked the wife if she was not going to eat, and she replied, "I’m waiting for my turn with the teeth."

Sharing everything they had including their meals, their drink, and their teeth. Three years ago, during the pandemic, there were many stories of sharing regardless of social distancing. People shared their stimulus checks to help those who were in need. Others bought materials and made masks to share with others. Still, others offered free meals to those who came. Schools gave out food for children, even though they couldn’t come to school. There were many other kind deeds that people shared during the pandemic.

In today’s Gospel, St. Luke reports the sharing of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, among Jesus’ disciples. A story of what happens to the two disciples on the road of Emmaus, and how they recognize the risen Lord. In sorrow and sadness of his suffering and death, Jesus came along and journeyed with these two disciples. They couldn’t recognize him, even though he talked and explained to them about scripture, Moses, and the prophets. They only recognized the risen Lord when they witnessed his breaking of the bread at the table. Who were these two disciples witnessed the risen Lord at the breaking of the bread? Why couldn’t they recognize him on the road of Emmaus? What is the difference between sharing bad news and good news? What is it to do with us?

One of these two disciples, Saint Luke tells us, was Cleopas. The other disciple, whose name was unknown, perhaps, might be each one of us. Saint Luke vividly describes what these two disciples said about Jesus, he was “the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified.” They knew so much about Jesus, but their story about Jesus only brought sorrow and sadness. They looked downcast on the way to Emmaus. How much have you and I know about Jesus? We might know that Jesus is a Nazarene who performs miracle after miracle that we’ve learned from the Scripture. He is mighty in deeds and words. He is the Lord of compassion and forgiveness. He always loves us and is faithful to us. There are also many things that we might know about him through reading the Scriptures, but just like his two disciples, we might have difficulty recognizing him as well. We might have difficulty recognizing the risen Lord in our spouse when we’ve learned that our spouse cheats on us when we are exhausted taking care of children and everything else in the house. Just as these two disciples witnessed the suffering and the death of the Lord Jesus that brought them downcast and blocked their vision to recognize the risen Lord, have we had difficulty recognizing the risen Lord in our lives when there is so much violent and moral degraded such as asking for legal abortion? What violates the right of human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death is what violates the right of Americans. Young brothers and sisters, have we been able to recognize the risen Lord in our difficult mother and father when we see them agonized and distressed because of being laid off at home? When did they get on our nerves because of being jobless at home? When they get mad at us because of our misbehaves, our disrespect, and our disobedience towards them who loves us and wants all the best for us?

Jesus’ disciples felt downcast after the death of Jesus, lost faith, and scattered that they couldn’t recognize the risen Lord. Young brothers and sisters, is it possible for us to encounter the risen Lord in our parents when we disobey them, disrespect them, or maybe, hate them because they spend too much time around us to check on us? Parents, have we seen our risen Lord in our children when they constantly get on our nerves and constantly misbehave in school? The two disciples only recognized the risen Lord at the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist, have we come together to attend Mass to allow each other to experience the risen Christ in each person of our family? The more we experience disunity and unpleasant time in the family, in our community, and in our society, the more we need to run to the Lord’s Table to experience the joy, happiness, and peace that the two disciples experienced reported in today’s Gospel. Each time we come together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper at the Lord’s Table, have we experienced the risen Lord present in each one of us? We celebrate Easter every year, have you and I ever experienced joy, happiness, and peace each year?

How would we experience the risen Lord every time we come to partake in the celebration of the Eucharist? Are we able to experience joy, happiness, and peace of the risen Lord when all we have in our mind is worry and worry, stress upon stress, and many other things actively running in our minds? The moment that we are so worried about so many things; the moment that we allow media to consume our lives; the moment that we allow all the distractions to distract our lives to be with one another, are we able to recognize the presence of the risen Lord? The risen Lord opened the eyes of his disciples to bring them gladness and joy at the breaking of the bread, we are reminded to share our kind words and good deeds, give hands and support each other, and be present to one another so to experience the risen Lord in those we share. May we have an unconditionally loving and sharing heart of Jesus, so that we may be able to experience joy, happiness, and peace in the risen Christ. The decision is yours.

2nd Easter Sunday of Divine Mercy

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Mercy and Forgiveness in LOVE

Joke: A priest was forced by a traffic policeman to pull over for speeding. As the cop was about to write the ticket, the priest said to him, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The cop handed the priest the ticket and said, "Go, and sin no more."

What does mercy mean? Does it mean to have mercy this time, then go back and sin again and ask for mercy again? Peter asked Jesus, “Lord if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” To him, Jesus replied, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Mercy and forgiveness seem to be two different words, but they have the same root. They seem to have two different meanings, but they cause by the same root. They seem to have different approaches, but they approach the same goal. What is that root and goal if it’s not LOVE?

In today’s Gospel, John captured a scene of the gathering of Jesus’ disciples in a house with the doors locked for the fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Amid the fear and frightened of the Jews, Jesus strengthened them with peace, he then showed his hands and his side to remind them that following him, they will have to suffer. But even while suffering, his peace is always with them. The peace of Christ did not only with his disciples through suffering, but his peace granted them the power to forgive sins. He granted them the gifts of the Holy Spirit to forgive sins saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Therefore, the peace of Christ, on one hand, reminded them that they had to go through suffering; and on the other hand, it is to give them the power of forgiveness.

The wound from his side and the nail marks on his hands portray his mercy towards his disciples and to every one of us since today the whole Church celebrates the Divine Mercy. What does mercy mean? Do we need to have mercy from the Lord? What have we done that we need mercy from the Lord?

Mercy comes from the Hebrew word rachamin which is derived from the name of the most motherly organ in the human body: the womb, “ rachem ”. This is where the strongest connection of compassion and love is bonded between the mother and the baby respectively. It seems that mercy, then, is rooted in a family’s relationship. The mercy that we learn and experience in our own families. This kind of relationship appears over and over again throughout the Scriptures.

The story of the prophet Hosea was reported in the Old Testament by Hosea himself. The word of the Lord came to Hosea, son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah, and asked him to marry a woman of prostitution. Hosea did marry a prostitute by the name of Gomer who conceived and bore him some children by their names such as Jezreel, Not-Pitied, and Not-My-People to describe the unfaithful relationship between the Israelites and God. Even though Gomer was unfaithful to the prophet Hosea, he still loved her and hoped that she would change her way of life. Just as Hosea loved his wife Gomer and hoped that she changed her way of life even though she said, “I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil, and my drink,” the Lord still hoped that we turned back to him and changed our way of life. The mercy of the Lord endures forever. Just as Hosea forgave the sins of his wife over and over again, the Lord also continuously forgives us over and over again when we acknowledge our sins and come back to Him.

In New Testament, we are all familiar with the story of Peter, tax collector Matthew, a prostitute woman caught in action, and many others. Peter, for an instant, even though the Lord Jesus warned him that he will deny him before the cock grew, still denied him and the Lord Jesus in his mercy and forgiveness still forgave him when he returned and came back to the Lord, and so the tax collector, the prostitute woman, and many others. God’s mercy and forgiveness endure forever as long as we come back to him and try to change our way of life. His mercy and forgiveness are no doubt rooted in love.

In this Divine Mercy Sunday and in showing of the wounds on his hands and his side reported in today’s Gospel, we are invited to have mercy and forgiveness to one another beginning in our own family. How would we have mercy and forgiveness towards one another in our own family if we cannot love one another? Love is the root of mercy and forgiveness and the goal of mercy and forgiveness, and it is the great commandment that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to us. What is love for you? Can you love someone without having mercy and forgiveness toward him or her? How would you love someone? Have you learned to love your family? How would you love that same love to others? Can you love just as Jesus loves us by suffering and dying on the cross because of loving us? The decision is yours.

Easter

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 18:00:01 GMT

Meeting the Risen Lord Jesus at the Eucharist

One of these two disciples, St. Luke tells us, is Cleopas. The other disciple, whose name is unknown, is he one of the twelve apostles? St. Luke vividly describes what these two disciples said about Jesus, he is “the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified.” They know so much about Jesus. Could that one of them be Jesus’ twelve apostles? Regardless of who they are, the question is, have we seen ourselves in those two disciples? We are priests, deacons, religious men and women, baptized Christians, young and not young anymore, we all have learned and understood about Jesus. However, have we recognized him in our Christian lives who is the living God?

Just as the disciples felt downcast after the death of Jesus, lost faith, and were scattered that they couldn’t recognize the risen Lord while he journeyed with them on the road to Emmaus, have we encountered the risen Lord, the moment that we experience our spouse cheating us? Our children go astray? Our loved one has to suffer from illness and sickness? At the moment of sadness and sorrow, the two disciples are only able to recognize Jesus at the breaking of the bread, in our sadness, worries, struggles, and difficulties, have we recognized the risen Lord when we gather together to celebrate the Eucharist? Or have we experienced the risen Lord in our brothers and sisters, those who are suffering from illness, loneliness, abandonment, homeless, addiction of many kinds, and many other forms of destructive life? The moment that we isolate ourselves away from others, away from our loved ones, or away from the Church, the moment, I believe, we have difficulty experiencing the risen Lord! The moment that we harbor any anger, resentment, or revenge towards anyone? The moment that we have difficulty talking, to live together in the family, at work, in our community, or any other place? The moment that we cannot talk nor communicate with others, those moments and many other moments, I believe, we are death since only death that cannot come to others, cannot communicate to the living! Jesus is risen to open the grave, have we had the courage to untie, open, and reconcile with one another with whom we might have difficulty talking, communicating, and living? The decision is yours.

Good Friday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Ecce Homo—Behold the Man

Each of us has our cross to carry, and some of us have other crosses to carry as well. However, have we ever wondered what happened to us before we are conscious of carrying a cross or carrying some other crosses? What is the cross that we are talking about here? Perhaps, the cross that we carry might be our job, working so many hours and getting paid so little, busy with work and busy at home as well. Instead of relaxing after work, we are busy with keeping up what’s going on on Facebook. Instead of relaxing after a long day at work, we have to face our children’s needs such as taking them to school for sport event, concert events, competition events, or whatever it is. Instead of relaxing after a hectic day at work, we have to cook the food and clean the house, while our spouse doesn’t even bother to lift his or her fingers to help, and many other challenges we might have to encounter. These, perhaps, are the moments that we carry our cross and carry others’ cross. What happens to us before we are conscious of carrying our cross or the crosses of others? To answer this question, let’s examine the picture that John captured and reported in today’s Passion of the Lord.

Saint John captured a powerful picture of Jesus’ face before his sentence to carry the cross. After being scourged and placing a thorn crown on his head, Pilate presented him to the people and said, “Ecce homo” translated, “Behold the man!” In the presence of the Prefect, Pontius Pilate, the chief priests, the soldiers, the guards, the Jews, and perhaps, the entire human race, they all want to crucify Jesus whose appearance might be disfigured that Pilate said, “Behold the man!” Have you ever watched the movie “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson? His face was all blood with a thorn crown placed on his head, or rather saying, his face was disfigured, not a face of a human being anymore. Did he bring it upon himself after healing the sick, curing the disease, defending the widow and the oppression, and raising the dead back to life again? Or rather, because of jealousy, envy, pride, the self-center, they disfigured the face of the Son of God, disfigured his human face?

Holy Thursday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

The Supper of Love

In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI, Emeritus Bishop of Rome, chose its’ title, “God is Love.” Since God first loved us, 1 John 4:10, love, pope Benedict said, “is now no longer a mere ‘command;’ it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.” This response is clearly shown in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper tonight in three distinct parts.

Before the Supper, the Lord Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. An act of a servant towards his master. Jesus had humbled himself to wash his disciples’ feet because of his love for them, and he love them to the end John reported in his writing at the beginning of today’s Gospel.

In the washing of the feet, the Lord Jesus reminds us, even though that we are all cleaned at our baptism, there is no guarantee that we will never sin again. The moment that we harbor hatred, resentment towards others, and even doubt, the moments that we are so attracted to sins and temptations that might block our vision to see God present in our Christian lives. These moments and many other moments that we dive ourselves into sins that God’s love does not only not condemn us, but he helps to wash away our sins with water which symbolized the Holy Spirit. He wipes it with his apron on his waist which symbolized his humble divinity and takes it on our human flesh. Finally, he seals it with a kiss, his true divine nature, which is love.

Palm Sunday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Joke: There was a three-year-old boy named Johnny. When it was Palm Sunday, he couldn't wait to go to church to see what Palm Sunday was. But sadly, Johnny came down with chickenpox. His parents hired a babysitter to take care of Johnny while they went to church. When they came home holding palm leaves, Johnny asked, "What are the palm tree leaves for, mom?" She replied, "When Jesus walked thru the town, people waved palm leaves at him in respect." Johnny looked upset and said, "Wouldn't you know? The first day that I'm not in the church, he shows up!"

Today, Catholic Church throughout the world marks the beginning of the Holy Week with Palm Sunday, a purpose of remembrance of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. This Palm Sunday, the Church remembers that Jesus enters Jerusalem as King. It was a long Gospel, but it’s packed with insights. There were present Pontius Pilate, the governor, twelve Apostles, including Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, and Peter, the denier, Caiaphas, the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes, the soldiers, the Jews including the bystanders and Simon, a Cyrenian was forced to carry the cross of Jesus, the criminals including Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, and the two revolutionaries who were crucified with Jesus, some women followed Jesus including Mary, his mother, and of course Jesus himself. This was the entire human race from every corner of life, from every profession of life, from every way of life gathered together, engaged into, and witnessed the voice, the groaning of the Son of God, a complete abandonment of the Son of God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

At his complete abandonment, Jesus, St. Paul testified in today’s second reading saying, “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” All those groups of people, including Jesus’ apostles, came out with only one purpose and that was to crucify Jesus! Why? He cured the sick; he healed the disease; he freed the prisoners, the oppressed, the prostitutes, the woman caught in adultery; and he even raised the dead back to life again! What had he done wrong that they all wanted to kill him? Have we ever wanted to crucify the Lord Jesus and why?

Judas Iscariot crucified Jesus with a price of thirty pieces of silver. Peter crucified Jesus by denying to be his follower. Other apostles crucified him by fleeing for their lives. The high priest, the chief priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees crucified Jesus because of their jealousy. The soldiers crucified Jesus because of their fidelity to the power of this world, not God. The criminals crucified Jesus because, in their despair, they could find no hope in God. The Jews crucified Jesus because of their innocence in listening to their leaders. Have we ever crucified our Lord Jesus Christ? If yes, how would we change and return to the Lord for our salvation and pray for others? If not, just as Mary Magdalen, Mary, mother of God, John, his beloved disciple, Simon of the Cyrenian, who helped to carry Jesus’ cross, Peter, a converter who returned to the Lord and was crucified upside down, and a good revolutionary thief returned to the Lord by acknowledging his wrongdoing and asked for forgiveness, how should we be witnessed to the world that we are the followers of Jesus and not the ones who crucified him on the cross? The decision is yours.

5th Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 18:00:03 GMT

Jesus Restored Life and Invite Us to free what is bound

Joke: Three people died and presented themselves to Saint Peter at the gate of heaven. Before Saint Peter admitted them into heaven, he asked them a question. He asked the first one, “When you died, what would you want people to say about you when you were lying there in the coffin?” This first one was a Catholic daughter of America, so she said, “I would like to hear them say that I used to be a good member who helped the Church to run the bingo, to have a rummage sale, and to organize many fundraises to bring money to help the Church. That’s what I would like to be recognized.” Saint Peter agreed and granted her request. The second person came, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Saint Peter asked the same question, and he responded, “I used to be a member of the Knights of Columbus. I helped to fix many things in the Church and around the Church. I was in the kitchen every Friday during Lent to cook fish and fries and many other things I did to help my Church.” Once again, Saint Peter granted him his request. The third one came, he was a Jesuit priest. Saint Peter asked the same question, and he said, “When I died lying in the coffin, I just wanted people to say, ‘Look at his fingers, they are moving.’”

As part of my preparing for the funeral liturgy as a priest, I often invite family members of the deceased one to come to my office when I don’t know the family so that I can get to know a little bit about the one that I will celebrate the funeral liturgy. Why do I do that? One of the obvious reasons is that the dead cannot speak for themselves as in the case of Lazarus reported in today’s Gospel. The name Lazarus didn’t mention a lot in the Gospels. It was mentioned only twice. In the story of the poor Lazarus begging for the food dropping from a rich man’s dining table and the story of Lazarus reported in today’s Gospel. From these two stories of Lazarus, the meaning of Lazarus was derived from the Hebrew Eleazar meaning “God has helped.” God has helped the poor and the ones who cannot help themselves. Have you and I ever needed help from God? When do we need help from God?

Lazarus, in today’s Gospel, was sick and dying that he couldn’t do anything. Did he need help from God so as not to die from sickness and illness? He sure needed it, but he couldn’t do anything except lay on his sick bed and waited to die. Thanks be to God that his sisters, Martha and Mary, interceded for him and sent words to Jesus letting him know that Lazarus was ill. Jesus received the message, but he didn’t go immediately to save Lazarus from dying. He waited until Lazarus died not one day, but four days. We might want to ask, did he ignore the message? He didn’t ignore the message, but he wanted to know how much faith Martha and Mary, his sisters, had for him. This story was not a story from more than two thousand years ago, but it is also a story of our time. Those who are infected by the coronavirus that the whole world faced back two years ago, need those not infected with coronavirus to intercede, to help, and to pray for them so that they are healed and cured of this dangerous virus and not spread to others. The question is, how do those who are not infected help those who are infected by this dangerous virus? Throughout the whole world, we, clergies, continue to celebrate Masses either alone or with a few people to pray for the end of coronavirus. Coronavirus is over now, but we still don’t see many people come back to Church yet. This makes me ask myself, has Jesus ignored our prayer for the end of coronavirus, or have we ignored his presence in our lives? The pandemic is over for a year at least, and even if we are infected by this virus, we have medicine to cure it now, and yet, many seem to forget to come to Church to give thanks to God that this pandemic is over. Has God ignored our prayers or have we forgotten to come to Church to thank God for protecting us and watching over us to keep us safe to this day?

After Jesus raised Lazarus back to life again, he asked his sisters and those present at his tomb to untie him and let him go since Lazarus was tied with burial bands on his hands, and his feet and wrapped in a cloth on his face. If Jesus could raise a dead back to life again, he would have no problem untying those burial bands at the same time, why didn’t he do that? Why did he have to ask others to help untie the dead man Lazarus and let him go? The pandemic is over, and we are encouraged and reminded to come back to Church to give thanks to God in person and not on a television screen. However, there is still a number who have not returned for whatever reason that is. The pandemic bound us for a year or two without being able to come to Church to thank God for the gift of life. The pandemic is over now. Is there anything that still stopped you to come to Church? Is there anything that we can help to untie you to come to Church?

The Lord Jesus called Lazarus from the dead back to life, are you able to hear him call you? He might not call you from the physically dead, but he might call you to get rid of the shell of laziness, the shell of depression and stress of life, the shell of doubt, etc. Have you had enough courage and strength to get out of your idleness to come to Church? If you need help to untie your idleness, what would you prefer? Martha and Mary interceded for their unmoved brother Lazarus that the Lord Jesus raised him from death, what would you and I do to help those who are bound for whatever reason it is that are not able to come to Church? Lazarus couldn’t do anything when he was lying there dying and dead, our brothers and sisters who may find themselves bound at home and not able to go to Church, how would you and I help to free them from this chain to come to Church? We are reminded that Jesus raised the dead back to life again and invite us to free one another from whatever might bind us to come to Church. The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Lent A

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 18:00:02 GMT

Seeing, Speaking, and Listening are Parts of the True Human Dignity

Joke: One day, while he was walking with God in the Garden of Eden, Adam said, "Excuse me, God, can I ask you a few questions?" God replied, "Go on Adam but be quick. I have a world to create." So, Adam says, "When you created Eve, why did you make her body so curved and tender, unlike mine?" "I did that, Adam so that you could love her." "Oh, well then, why did you give her long, shiny, and beautiful hair?" "I did that Adam so that you could love her." "Oh, well then, why did you make her a little slow, God? Is that too because I should love her?" "Well, Adam, no. I did that so that she could love you."

Just as Adam tried to find a way to understand himself and his wife Eve that he asked God question after question, the man born blind reported in today’s Gospel, after he restored his sight, tried to understand who God is. Jesus met him again and told him who he is saying, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” “I do believe, Lord,” he replied, “and he worshiped him.” In seeing the Lord, speaking with him, and listening to him, the blind man was able to recognize him and worship him. It was not because of his sins, nor his parents’ sins that he was born blind, but the Lord Jesus said, “It is so that the works of God might be made visible through him” since he was also created in the image and likeness of God. In his true human nature, God created him well as we recall from the creation stories in the book of Genesis. No matter who he is, what condition he is born with, or whatever walk of life that he has been through, he is stillborn in the image and likeness of God and a good creature in the eyes of God. What does it mean to be born in the image and likeness of God that a man born blind? Is God blind also when someone is born blind? What is the true human dignity of a person?

In the Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church, it said, “By nature and by vocation, therefore, man is a religious being, capable of entering into communion with God. This intimate and vital bond with God confers on man his fundamental dignity” (CCC 2). This means that we can only recognize our true human dignity when we truly enter into communion with God or have an intimate and vital relationship with God. No matter whether we are born blind, deaf, mute, with down syndrome, missing body parts, or whatever condition that we are born with, if we distance ourselves from God, we will lose the true human dignity in which we are created in the image and likeness of God.

In today’s Gospel, Saint John beautifully portrays the healing of blindness from a man born blind. Jesus, the Healer, with a heart of compassion, mercy, and love, restores his sight and brings him back to the society that considered him a sinner. Is it his sin that he’s born blind? Or his parents’ sins that he’s born blind? Jesus reminds us very clearly in today’s Gospel that it’s not his sins nor his parents, but “It is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” How do we recognize our true human dignity and the presence of God in our lives when we are born with whatever condition it is; or when our spouse cheated on us, our children go astray; or when we suffer everywhere we go; especially when we cannot even see ourselves valuable anymore as a human person? Just as Jesus reached out to a man born blind who, according to the culture at that time, is a sinner, the outcast of society, Jesus restores his sight and helps him recognize the Lord when he saw him, spoke with him, and listened to him. Each time, we gather together to pray and worship the Lord, we are invited to restore the sight of our brothers and sisters through our good words and good deeds to one another. The moment we distance ourselves from one another by using unkind words and unkind deeds to one another, the moment we isolate ourselves, we choose to live in the dark, in destruction.

Make no mistake when Saint Paul reminds the Ephesian community, and perhaps to each one of us, reported in today’s second reading, saying, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” How can we become the children of light if it’s not to come to the Word of God? Through Scripture, the Word of God, and the Tradition that was passed down to us from his apostles that we have come to know God and receive the light of Christ on our Christian journey. Those of us profess ourselves as Catholics and Christians, the moment that we are baptized, we are given a candle lighted from the Easter Candle, the Light of Christ, entrusted to our godparents and parents to keep that light of Christ burning, to shine on our Christian journey. Before our baptism, we live in darkness, we distance ourselves from God. Through baptism, we live in the light of Christ. When we live as the children of light, Saint Paul reminds us that we will produce what he called, “every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” Therefore, the moment that we cannot tell the truth; the moment that we mistreat one another, the moment that we bring hardship to one another, the moment that we are unjust to one another, or many other destructive and unloving moments, the moment that we need to ask ourselves, have I lived as the children of the light, or do I prefer to live in darkness, in isolation?

As we recall from the Old Testament, Moses’ laws prohibited people to work on the Sabbath, but the Lord Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath. Moses’ laws taught that if a woman was caught adulterous with a man, she would be stoned to death; but Jesus didn’t condemn her nor put her to death. Moses’ laws taught that those who were born blind were considered sinners, but Jesus confirmed that it was not his sins or his parents’ sins that he was born blind. Moses’ laws taught that an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but Jesus taught us to love our enemy and to pray for them. It is rooted in the love that we are created in the image and likeness of God. It is also rooted in the love that we can recognize our true human dignity. It is only rooted in the love that we can see God, converse with him, and listen to him in our brothers and sisters. God always loves us, follows us, and invites us to have a conversation with him, to see him, and to listen to him in our brothers and sisters with whom we come into contact each day. Our true human dignity does not only appear from our physical appearance but rather, it is revealed in our relationship with God and with one another. Therefore, to love God and to love one another is an invitation for us on our Christian journey. The decision is yours.

3rd Sunday of Lent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Going to the Well and be satisfied with Thirst

Joke: After an exceptionally long and boring sermon, the congregation filed out of the church not saying a word to the pastor. After a while, a man shook the pastor's hand and said, "Pastor, that sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God!" The pastor was ecstatic. "Nobody has ever said anything like that about one of my sermons before! Tell me, how did it remind you of the peace and love of God?" "Well", said the man, "it reminded me of the peace of God because it passed all human understanding and it reminded me of the love of God because it endured forever!"

Perhaps, Jesus gave a long sermon to the Samaritan woman reported in today’s Gospel; but his sermon was not lengthy and boring sermon. Rather, his sermon was a sermon of compassion, mercy, and respect for the dignity of a Samaritan woman, a foreigner. After listening and conversing with Jesus, she had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. How was it so if it’s not because she allowed the Lord to touch her hardened heart? By allowing the Lord to touch her hardened heart, she’s able to go out to spread the news to her hometown. From the thirst for natural water, Jesus slowly led her to the supernatural thirst for everlasting water. From giving natural water, she was given the eternal water that satisfied her thirst and became an evangelist to go out to spread the good news.

Water, in today’s first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, the Israelites grumble against Moses, saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” Their hardened hearts block the everlasting water to flow into their lives and block their vision to see the presence of God in their midst. The Lord instructs Moses to strike on the rock for the living water to flow as mentioned in today’s first reading says, “in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel … Strike the rock [with the staff on your hand,] and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” Just as a hardened rock is hit to spring forth the natural water, the Israelites are invited to allow the Lord to touch their hardened heart to fill them with eternal water. Just as Moses brings forth the natural water with the staff in his hand, the Lord will bring forth the eternal water with a staff in his hand which is God’s grace. Only God’s grace can satisfy our thirst. Why does the Lord instruct Moses to strike the rock in front of the people along with the elders? Perhaps, they may see and believe that God is with them always. The question is: Have they believed in the Lord then? If they believed in the Lord, then there would not be the story of the Samaritan woman in today’s Gospel.

In conversing with the Samaritan woman, Jesus asked her to “Go call your husband,” but she replied, “I do not have a husband.” This reminds me of the movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”. In this movie, there is a scene in which Mr. Smith puts his wedding ring back when he comes back from work. Does the wedding ring that makes a couple love each other or their love for each other creates that wedding ring? “I do not have a husband.” Jesus continued, “You have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.” The woman is living with a man who is not her husband, and she believes it’s fine. A man with a wedding ring on his hand symbolized that he’s a married man, but believes that it’s ok not to wear it. Of course, some professions do not allow anyone to wear the ring at work, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to wear it when you are not at work. For those of you married in the Catholic Church or had your marriage blessed in the Catholic Church, if you recall with me, your rings were blessed with Holy Water. Whatever is blessed, one cannot throw away or trash it, but bury it or burn it. By allowing the Lord Jesus opens her heart, she has found the key to unveiling the web of sin, the sin of adultery that covers her sight to recognize the eternal living water.

Have you ever been thirsty? The moment that you see your loved one suffering from cancer or any difficult illness; the moment that you have to face your spouse being unfaithful to you; the moment that your children go astray because of bad influences from friends such as smoking illegal drugs, drinking in access, inappropriate relationship with the opposite sex, and much other brokenness of life that you might be like the Israelites grumble and ask the same question “Why?” Why does my loved one have to suffer from illness and sickness? Why does my teen daughter get pregnant when she goes through all our Catholic schools? Why do we go to Church often, and my spouse has cheated on me? “Why?” is a popular word to form a question when we have to face difficulties or challenges, isn’t it? In those moments of difficulties or challenges, have we experienced the thirst for living water rather than grumbling, questioning, or even doubting?

Jesus satisfied the thirst of the Samaritan woman, not because she looked for him, but because he loved her. How she returns that love if it’s not by going out to spread the good news to her hometown? To be born in God’s image and likeness, have we returned his love who has created us in his image and likeness? In our sinful walk of life, he comes into our flesh to suffer and to die on the cross for the sake of our salvation because of love, how have we returned his love? From seeking the water to satisfy the physical thirst that she receives the living water to satisfy her spiritual thirst, have we ever thirsted for the Lord, the eternal water in our life? Have we had the courage to open up ourselves to allow the Lord to come to change, to fix, especially to give us that eternal living water to satisfy our spiritual thirst? The Samaritan woman does not meet the Lord in the temple or the church because she acknowledges her sinful way of life, have we ever met the Lord in our prayers, in the Church, in our worship together, in our difficult mother or father, in our nagging husband or wife, in our gossiping co-worker, in our mean friends, or just in those whom we have come into contact each day? If we haven’t met him in our walk of life, what should we do and how should we live our lives to meet him? The decision is yours.

2nd Sunday of Lent A

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 15:13:34 GMT

New Perspective

Joke: A transfiguration in old age. Grandson one day sent his grandparents to a class with a very famous instructor to help those who are easy to forget to remember what they try to say. Part of his instruction to help people learn to remember is to use poems and famous phrases to help them remember what they try to say. After a week of school, the grandson asks grandpa, “Grandpa, how is school? How is your memory now? Do you remember the name of the instructor?” Grandpa paused a little bit and asked, “Grandson, what is the name of the flower which is beautiful that lovers often give to each other on Valentine's day?” “I know,” the grandson said, “it’s called Rose.” Turning over to his wife, grandpa asked, “Rose, what is the name of the instructor?”

Just as the transfiguration at the old age of these grandparents didn’t help them with school, Peter, in Today’s Gospel, at the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus, didn’t know nor understand what he was saying, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Why is it transfiguration, a glorious moment which truly revealed who Jesus is? What does it mean? The Church places this reading in today’s Gospel to strengthen our faith. What is faith? Does faith need proof? Is faith supposed to be understood?

To call someone to be a witness to his love, God chose Mary Magdalene, a prostitute, and a sinner who first experienced the risen Lord Jesus Christ. To call someone to be the teacher of the Gentile, the foreigners, God chose a Gentile himself, Saul, who hated and persecuted the early Christians. To call someone to be the leader of the Church, of his disciples, God chose Simon and called him Peter, the Rock, an uneducated person. To call someone to be the father of his chosen race, God called Abram in his old age mentioned in today’s first reading taken from the book of Genesis. If we recalled from the book of Genesis after Abram was called to be the father of the human race, he waited and waited, and his wife Sarah still conceived no child to the point that she asked Abram to have a relationship with her maid to have children. But that’s not what God wanted, and Abram still waited in his old age until Sarah finally gave birth to his firstborn Isaac. Faith surpassed all human understanding. Faith tested human endurance. God then asked Abraham to sacrifice his now-only son Isaac. Faith without question, Abraham followed God’s command. When he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, the angel appeared and stopped him from slaughtering his son. Faith was a victory when Abraham cooperated with God.

This is exactly what Saint Paul experienced from his conversion and shared with his companion, Timothy, in his second letter reported in today’s second reading saying, “He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his design.” In other words, in faith, we are invited to follow God’s will, not our own will. Faith is to surrender our will to God’s will. Faith is to allow God works in us and not depend on our strength and understanding. Faith, under God’s grace, we will experience God’s glory, his glorious transfiguration here on earth. Just as Peter, James, and John faithfully followed the Lord Jesus up to the mountain so that they could experience the Lord’s glorious transfiguration, we are invited to follow the Lord faithfully, especially during this Lenten season, to put aside all the worries, anxieties, things that are so attractive to us, the brokenness and difficulties that we experience in this life, our spouse is unfaithful to us, our children scatter and abandon us, our friends betray us, our coworkers hate us, and many other brokenness and challenges of life that attack us on every side of our life, to have strength and courage to follow the Lord; so that when Easter comes, we will proudly experience the true joy and happiness of the risen Lord. Does the glorious transfiguration of the Lord Jesus in front of his chosen disciples mean our transfiguration after this life? Or does it mean for our present life? To experience glorious transfiguration like Peter, James, and John, what should we do? Can we achieve it by faith alone? Should we try together with faith to experience the glorious transfiguration? The decision is yours.

First Sunday of Lent A

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Three Temptations

Joke: "Get behind me, Satan!": Someone saw a cartoon on this notion that said: "A woman had bought a new dress which was very expensive. Her husband asked why she had been so extravagant. She replied, "The Devil made me do it." "Well," the husband asked, "Why didn't you say 'Get thee behind me, Satan!'" "I did," explained the wife, "But he said to me: It looked as good in the back as it did in the front.” So I bought it."

Temptation, temptation, temptation. From the temptation of disobedience to God to the temptations that challenge the Son of God reported in today’s first reading and the Gospel, what did it mean? Jesus was not only God but man as well. In that human nature, he had to undergo temptations.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, the Lord God blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so the man he created from the clay of the ground became a living being. What is this breath of life if it’s not the spirit, the soul, the inner of the human being? Since man was created differently from all other creatures that God created, he gave him dominion over all other creatures in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that the Lord God asked him not to eat nor even touch lest he dies. The first law that exists on this planet is the law of obedience—you shall eat everything except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest you die. This law was given directly to Adam, not to Eve. It is why when Eve ate the forbidden fruit, she was fine; but when Adam ate it, he found himself ashamed of being naked. From this law came the trick of the devil, the sin of doubt that evil created in the form of a serpent, the most cunning of all the animals that the Lord God had made.

The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.”

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds us saying, “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus was tempted after forty days of fasting in the desert. In the first temptation, the devil used human senses to tempt the Lord Jesus by seducing him to change the stones into loaves of bread to eat when he was hungry “If you are the Son of God,” the devil challenged Jesus. Jesus reminds the devil saying, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” By saying this, Jesus reminds the devil that people do not live on bread alone, but on the Word of God. What is the Word of God if it’s not the Lord Jesus Christ himself whose obedience to God the Father to vest on himself our human flesh to be with us? The disobedience of our first parents brought us to destruction, and the obedience of the Son of God restored our relationship with God.

In the temptation of Eve, the serpent used the Word of God to trick her saying, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest u die.’ “You certainly will not die!” The serpent replied, “No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” Adam and Eve didn’t die and their eyes were wide open but open to see what? They are ashamed of their nakedness. The sin of pride is to be like gods who know what is good and what is evil. Not only the sin of pride but also the sin of doubt.

Jesus’ second temptation, the devil took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and using the Word of God challenged Jesus saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Is it a story from more than 2000 years ago? Have you and I ever been so prideful of who we are and what we are towards our loved ones, our coworkers, our classmates, our friends, and even strangers? We might see ourselves even better than God and doubt his existence.

Adam and Eve failed to listen to the Lord which led them to sin, and sin to death and death came to all men as Saint Paul beautifully reminds us in today’s second reading, “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law.” Adam and Eve fell into sin, but thanks to the Lord Jesus that he overcame his third temptation when the devil took him up to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” To this, Jesus replied, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Thank be to God that Christ has come, he is the Word of God, the Law who came to bring us salvation.

As Jesus vests on himself our human flesh to be tempted during his fast, there is no way that we can avoid temptations during our forty days of Lent. However, Jesus overcame evil’s temptations in his total obedience and faithfulness to God, we are invited to surrender our will and be faithful to God during these forty days of Lent in fasting, praying, and almsgiving. The decision is yours.

Ash Wednesday

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 22:45:16 GMT

Two Relationships Are Revealed on the Cross With Blessed Ashes

Joke: An Irishman moves into the countryside, walks into the pub, and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone, and orders three more. As this continued every day the bartender asked him politely, "The folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?" "It’s odd, isn't it?" The man replies, "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank." Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. As this continued for several days, the bartender approached him with tears in his eyes and said, "Folks around here, me, first of all, want to offer our condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know-the two beers and all..." The man ponders this for a moment, and then replies with a broad smile, "You'll be happy to know that my two brothers are alive and well. It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent. Now I am drinking for the other two!"

Perhaps, practicing these three pillars of Lent to help us restore the two relationships revealed on the cross that we put on our forehead at the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

The three pillars of Lent—Fast, Pray, and Almsgiving—are only brought to completion when they move from the head to the heart and carry out into action. The question for us to observe throughout this Lenten season is: Why does the Lord Jesus invite us to fast, to pray, and to give alms without others noticing? We invite you to keep the image of the Cross traced on your forehead on Ash Wednesday to remind you that Lenten Season is a sacred season to help us restore our relationship with God on the vertical line and to restore our relationship with one another and within ourselves appeared on that horizontal line of the Cross. The decision is always yours.

7th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:35:48 GMT

Toughest Teaching--Forgiveness and Love

Joke: Three very competitive priests died, but before God would let them into heaven, he gave them a chance to be anything they wanted. The first priest said, “I want to come back as myself, but 100 times smarter than I already am.” So, God made him 100 times smarter. The second priest said, “I want to be even better than that priest, make me 1000 times smarter than I already am.” So, God made him 1000 times smarter. The last one decided that he would be the best. So, he said, “God make me better than both of them. Make me a million times smarter than I already am.” So, God made him a woman.

Last weekend, the Lord Jesus reaffirmed to us that he has come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. He came not to fulfill our jealousy, but to teach us to be aware of who we are. In today’s Gospel, Jesus points out the old law saying, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth … and you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Jesus fulfilled these laws by saying, “offer no resistance to [the] one who is evil, [and] love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” It is not about revenge or loving those who love us and hate our enemy, but rather learning to forgive and to love one another, even to the one who is considered our enemy. Why did Jesus teach us to love and to pray for those who are our enemies and those who persecute us? Or rather he came to fulfill what it said in the laws reported in today’s first reading, taken from the book of Leviticus, the book of laws, saying “You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

On May 13, 1981, Saint Pope John Paul II was crossing Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, a gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, who had escaped from a Turkish prison after receiving a life sentence for murdering a journalist, fired four shots on the Pope. Two of those struck him in his lower intestine, one in his right arm, and one in his left index finger. Two years later, Pope John Paul II came to visit Mehmet in prison and requested that he be pardoned. In the Jubilee year of 2000, the request was granted, and the gunman was released. But he was deported back to Turkey where he was imprisoned for a life sentence for decades ago. In Turkish prison, he converted to Catholicism and was finally released in 2010. In December 2014, he returned to Rome and laid two dozen white roses at the Pope’s tomb. The act of forgiveness from the leader of the Catholic Church has changed Mehmet to Catholic.

Why did Saint Pope John Paul II forgive the gunman who tried to kill him? Not only to forgive him, but he also asked to release him, why? With the gunman, Mehmet, why did he want to kill the Pope? Had the Pope ever thread him or hurt him and his loved ones somehow or someway? Why did he convert to Catholicism?

Saint Pope John Paul II forgave the gunman because he was a follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian, who truly followed the teaching of Jesus reported in today’s Gospel. He came to the prison to visit his gunman and asked him to be released from prison. The gunman, his motive was to kill the Pope for some political purpose or whatever it is, but his conversion to Catholicism was stamped from the generous act of forgiveness of Saint Pope John Paul II. The gunman said to one report, “I am killing the Pope as a protest against the imperialism of the Soviet Union and the United States and against the genocide that is being carried out in El Salvador and Afghanistan.” What’s interesting now, after he got released from prison, cruxnow.com reported that he’s ready to become a Catholic priest if Pope Francis will welcome him in the Vatican. The Vatican refused his request.

We have been reminded of the teaching of Saint Paul mentioned in today’s second reading that we “are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in [us].” How would we become the temple of God when we filled our temple with what is jealousy, hatred, resentment, vengeance, and many negative feelings together with worries, anxieties, stress, and business of life that we might harbor and fill in our temple that the Lord might find difficult a place to come to reside in our temple? The gunman, Mr. Mehmet Ali Agca, harbored hatred and resentment towards others and nations that locked him into the darkest place of his soul to assassinate Saint Pope John Paul II, have we ever harbored any hatred, resentment, or anger towards others or nations, especially towards our loved ones? To unlock the cloud of darkness, the cloud of our enemy, Jesus gives us a combination to open that lock. That combination is to love them, to forgive them, and to pray for them, have we had the courage and strength to love and to pray for those who hurt us and harm us? The world will be peaceful when we learn to love one another, but it will be happy in heaven when we learn to love our enemies. The decision is yours.

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 19:00:00 GMT

A New Way of Living

Superball Weekend: Some football terms applied during Mass: Draw play-What many children do with their bulletins during worship. Backfield-in-motion-Making a trip up and down the aisle to the restroom or water fountain. Quarterback sneak-Parishioners quietly leaving after communion. Blocking-using iPhone during the homily. Two minutes warning-The point at which you realize the announcements are almost over and begin to gather up your belongings. Instant replay-The priest misplaces his notes and keeps repeating his point over and over again. Sudden death-What happens to the congregation’s attention span if the priest goes overtime. Benchwarmer-Well, u should know what that is. Blitz-The rush for restaurants right after the dismissal!

This Sunday is designated as World Marriage Day to pray for all married couples and their families. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us a new way of living considered as fulfilling the law and not abolishing it. What is it new way of living? Laws, aren’t they the Ten Commandments in the Decalogue? How comes Jesus mentioned only three reports in today’s Gospel? They are: You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. You shall not commit adultery. Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. These three commandments, aren’t talking about the relationship with one another? And what is the foundation of all relationships if it’s not love? Therefore, Saint Paul mentions in his letter to the Corinthian community saying, “Faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

How did Jesus fulfill the law when it said, “You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment?” Isn’t that absence of love the beginning of destruction? When we harbor anger within our hearts, mind, and soul, we harbor the motive behind the murder. When anger continues to arise in our hearts, mind, and soul, we have no problem calling others “Raqa” translated as “blockhead” or “you fool”. Love is the only tool that can help us empty the anger and hatred that we harbor in our hearts, mind, and soul. Love is the only medicine that can cure our sickness and illness caused by harboring anger and hatred in our hearts, mind, and soul.

How did Jesus fulfill the law when it said, “You shall not commit adultery?” What we harbor with all lustful images and pictures in our hearts, mind, and souls will give us a strong motive to deliver them into action. We don’t have to wait to commit an adulterous act. We already commit adulterous acts the moment that we store lustful images and pictures in our minds, heart, and soul. Also, the moment that we have a lustful thought in our heart, mind, and soul, the moment that we commit an adulterous act.

Roncalli Cardinal, who later became Pope John XXIII, once came to a reception and was sitting next to a duchess who wore a very short dress which made him feel very uncomfortable. He gave the duchess an apple, and she was very impressed when she received an apple from the hands of a cardinal. Her response to the cardinal said, “What an honor to receive an apple from a cardinal.” Cardinal Roncalli replied, “Eve only recognized that she was naked after she ate the apple.” God created everything good, including our human beings, but evil exists because we choose to distance ourselves from God. The book of Sirach, described in today’s first reading, says, “Before man [is] life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.”

How did Jesus fulfill the law when it said, “Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow? Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one.” Learn to be truthful to ourselves and others. Learn to practice justice, one of the four cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice.

A story told that one day, a general offered to the king a mysterious and valuable ring. It was valued because it’s made of valuable and rare gold with rare diamonds around the ring. It was mysterious because when the owner of this ring told the truth, the ring was nicely fitted and beautiful on his finger. However, when he lied, the ring tied on his finger and tremendously hurt his finger. The Lord Jesus fulfills the law by giving each one of us this mysterious and valuable ring to follow his teaching. Have we kept it to ourselves all the time?

Just as Jesus fulfilled the laws based on love, how would we fulfill Jesus’ teaching and the Church’s teaching if it’s not to love God and love one another as he commanded us? Perhaps, when we replace our mind with the mind of Jesus and our wisdom with the wisdom of God, then we can have a new life in him. The decision is always yours.

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal--The Salt of the Earth by Loving Neighbors as Yourself

Joke: "Whatever God wants, God takes!" There is an old story of the three traveling evangelists who were talking about how they dealt with the offerings that were collected during their evangelistic meetings. The first one said, “I draw a big circle on the ground, and then I throw the money in the air. Whatever lands inside the circle belongs to God, and whatever lands outside the circle belongs to me.” “Oh, I can do better than that,” said the second evangelist. “I put a coffee can in the middle of the floor. Then I throw the money in the air. Any money that lands inside the coffee can, belongs to God, and I get to keep anything that lands outside.” Then the third evangelist grinned and said, “I’ve got you both beat. I just throw the money in the air, and whatever God wants, God takes!”

Prophet Isaiah reminds us of the words of the Lord reported in today’s first reading saying, “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them and do not turn your back on your own.” Today, we are asked to draw our attention to the Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal and its funding of the present needs of the Church in the Diocese of Corpus Christi for the year 2023. The ministries funded by this Appeal are made possible only by the generosity of individuals like you. The Annual BSA provides the needed financial support for ongoing Diocesan-wide activities: The Diocesan sponsored programs, ministries, and services that play a vital role in our Church’s mission.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us the words of the Lord are condensed into the words of the theme for this year’s Appeal “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” How can we love our neighbor when we neglect to share just as the words of the Lord spoken from the mouth of the prophet Isaiah? Our Shepherd, Bishop Mulvey expressed, “As Jesus gathered his first disciples, it was clear that he was forming them to be a community of faithful men and women who shared in his mission. They would assist him in proclaiming the good news, not as individuals, but together.” For this reason, Jesus gave them a mission to love their neighbor as themselves. Giving is a thoughtful, prayerful, and personal expression of love. We, each individual, give in different ways at different times of our lives. We give time, talents, and treasures from our hard work for a living. All gifts that we share are wonderful and express our love for our neighbors.

Bishop Mulvey expressed, “The Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal is an essential source of funding that has been supporting the works of Christ by serving others and ministering to those in need for decades. The success of this effort is only accomplished as a result of the combined efforts of all church parishes and missions. The strength of our unity and working together collectively enables our Diocese to reach across boundaries that define our parishes and missions that make up the Diocese of Corpus Christi. It is together that we are able to make available vital programs, ministries, and services through the generosity of parishioners and donors.”

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” compels us to support many good works of the Diocese of Corpus Christi that make programs that build the promise of our future possible through strong Catholic marriages and families as well as faith-filled vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” compels us to support the many good works of the Diocese of Corpus Christi which make possible programs that make Christ come alive and the Kingdom of God present through the Sacraments and faithful worship, through education and formation of our youth in our Catholic schools and by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ through the South Texas Catholic and our television ministry.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” also compels us to support the many good works of the Diocese of Corpus Christi which make possible programs that become the hands and feet of Christ to those from many diverse cultures and to those with special needs, those who are most in need, and those who are the strangers among us.

Your generosity to the Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal 2023 bears witness to the works of the Church through the Diocesan-wide ministries and services that benefit from our generosity.

I invite you to join me next weekend in supporting the 2023 Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal. As Bishop has decided to increase his commitment to the appeal this year, I also increase my commitment. If you are in the position to do the same, I ask you to join me in an increase. Nevertheless, I remind you that no amount is too small. Each of us can do what we can, but together we can reaffirm to Bishop that we are supporting him as our good shepherd.

Henri Nouwen said, “What we have received is so beautiful and so rich that we cannot hold it for ourselves but feel compelled to bring it to every human being on earth.” I ask of you today, along with me, to consider a financial contribution to support the Bishop’s Stewardship Appeal and carry out Christ’s mission of loving our neighbors as ourselves. I know that we can count on each other to make our appeal successful.

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 21:45:00 GMT

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2

Predicting His Future

The fall and the Rise of Many in Israel and a Sign of Contradiction

Prediction, prediction! Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the presentation of the Lord which originated in the fourth century in Jerusalem, and begins to celebrate in Rome in the middle of the fifth century called the “feast of the Meeting.” The celebration of this feast is to remind us of the presentation of the Lord Jesus into the temple according to the Law of Moses. In this feast of meeting, there were some predictions—the fall and the rise of many in Israel and a sign of contradiction. The prediction of Raymond about his future son-in-law to be might not be true, but these predictions talking about the youth Jesus that will be the cause of the rise and fall of Israel and a sign of contradiction came true when Simeon addressed these predictions to Mary. The questions then were: Who was Simeon? How did he predict what will happen to the Israelites when he saw the youth Jesus brought in by his parents? What did he mean about the rise and the fall of Israel as a sign of contradiction?

Simeon, as reported in today’s Gospel, “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.” Since Simeon was a devout and righteous man in front of God’s eyes, he was chosen to see Jesus Christ before his death. He was waiting for the restoration of God’s rule in Israel when there was so much tension among the scribes, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, and the Zealots. Among these religious groups was Roman Empire which caused more tension in Israel. The scribes were considered an authoritative group on the Torah (Jewish law). They were the keepers and interpreters of the Jewish religious tradition. The Sadducees were the priestly class, the Levi. The Pharisees were the ones who knew the laws and strictly observed the laws. The Sanhedrin was the Supreme Court in Ancient Israel. It was a council consisting of priests, elders, and scribes. They were the ones who issued rules that controlled day-to-day Jewish life, but they didn’t have a right to impose the death penalty. The Zealots were the group that went against the Roman Empire. They were not interested in Jesus’ teachings of peace and love for one’s enemies. Simeon was yearning for the restoration of Israel.

According to the laws of Moses, every first male born was brought to the temple to offer to the Lord. For the mother, after forty days since the day of giving birth to her child, she had to go to the temple for her purification according to the dictate of the laws of Moses. Mary and Joseph were devout Jews and faithful observers of the laws of the Lord, the laws of Moses. For her purification, the requirement was to offer a year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a turtledove or young pigeon as an expiation of sin. The woman who could not afford a lamb offered instead two turtledoves or two young pigeons, as Mary did here.

Jesus became the rise and the fall of Israel and a sign of contradiction because he was presented to the temple as a youth from a poor family offering two young pigeons. The Savior that the Israelites were waiting for must be a great man born in a palace or something, and they couldn’t accept Jesus born in a manger and offer in the temple by his poor parents. Jesus, a youth like any other youth, came from poor parents who were the cause of the rise and the fall of Israel and a sign of contradiction was just the beginning. His teaching and his healing with authority were more striking divisions among them. By vesting on himself our very human flesh and blood, his teaching and healing with authority caused more divisions among them. To save the human race, Saint Paul beautifully reminds us through his letter to the Hebrews saying in today’s second reading, “He had to become like his brothers & sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people.” Jesus, in coming into our human blood and flesh, became like all of us except for sins so to save us from our sins. He was the cause of the rise and the fall of Israel and a sign of contradiction, but he was the cause of the salvation of the whole human race.

Jesus’ presentation to the temple was not for the cleansing of his sins, but it was for the cleansing of the whole human race. His presentation to the temple was not only for the purification of his mother Mary according to the laws of Moses but rather, his presentation to the temple to entrust the care of the whole human race to his blessed Mother Mary to care for. Finally, his presentation to the temple was not to offer his human being as a firstborn male according to the laws of Moses, but it’s rather to sanctify the whole human race to God the Father. What have we done to deserve all these? Just as Jesus was offered in the temple to sanctify the whole human race to God the Father, what would we offer to God the Father each time we gather to participate at Mass? Just as his parents, Mary and Joseph, offered him according to the laws of Moses, how would you, parents, offer your children according to our civil laws and church’s laws? The decision is yours.

Third Sunday of OT

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Different Preparations

Joke: A priest came to visit a parishioner at Psychiatric Hospital. “You come over here,” a lady in a wheelchair called him. He looked around and didn’t see anybody beside and behind him. He asked her, “Are you calling me?” “Yes,” she replied. “Would you come over here please?” she asked. He came over and stood in front of her and said, “What can I help you with?” She stared at him for the longest time and said, “Would you go away please?” At this, he understood what it meant to be in a psychiatric hospital.

Unlike the call of this lady who had an unstable mind, Jesus, reported in today’s Gospel, called his first disciples to come to follow him. Unlike the lady who didn’t know what she called the priest, Jesus knew exactly why he called his first disciples to follow him. Why did Jesus call them to follow him? Why didn’t he call those educated and better men than these fishermen? Jesus called the fishermen to follow him first of all to be with him, to learn from his teaching, and preaching, and having compassion towards those who were sick, who were outcasts, and who were oppressed. He called them out of their ordinary life which was fishing to equip them to become the fisher of men. Jesus left Nazareth, his native land, and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. He left his native land to come to these lands, the lands of the Gentiles who didn’t know God, so to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah mentioned in today’s first reading says, “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,” the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” Jesus was identified as the light that shined into darkness, scattered the darkness, and attracted his first disciples to follow him.

Why did Jesus call the fishermen instead of the wise and educated people like Pharisees, scribes, and Levi? Perhaps, fishermen were the hard-working men that God called to equip them to be his instruments. Why was that when Jesus called his first disciples, they left everything to follow him? There was no short interview, nor short conversation with either one of them. Perhaps, they already heard about Jesus, and they opened up their simple minds and hearts to allow the words of others talking about Jesus to sink into their hearts and their minds that when Jesus called them, they just left everything and followed him.

Have you and I ever heard about Jesus Christ? Perhaps, we have heard people talk about him, and we read stories about him. We might have heard and seen many miracles happen through some good deeds of good and holy people. Some of us might experience the healing touch of God in our own life or the life of our loved ones and friends. He walked into our brokenness of life and restored us and brought us happiness and peace. Have you and I ever experienced the presence of God in our life? How would we respond when we have experienced his call and his healing hands in our own life and the life of our loved ones? After calling his first disciples to come and to stay with him, Jesus began to preach to them saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." In all that we have heard, seen, learned, understood, touched, and experienced, what does it mean to repent? What does it mean to be the kingdom of heaven which is at hand? When we come up to receive Communion at Mass, have you and I believed that Jesus is present in these two species of bread and wine? If we truly believed that he was present in these species, then the kingdom of God is in our life. If the kingdom of God is in our life, what would we need to repent? Have you and I had anything to repent? How would you respond if the Lord Jesus come to call you at your workplace, in your school, at your retirement home, in the bar, in the shopping mall, or wherever you are? Are we ready to follow him when he calls? The decision is yours.

Second Sunday of OT

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Behold the Lamb of God

Joke: Before performing a baptism, the priest approached the young father and said solemnly, "Baptism is a serious step. Are you prepared for it?" "I think so," the man replied. "My wife has made appetizers, and we have a caterer coming to provide plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our guests." "I don't mean that," the priest responded. "I mean, are you prepared spiritually?" "Oh, sure," came the reply. "I've got a keg of beer and a case of whiskey."

Last weekend, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ to conclude our Christmas Season. In the scene of Jesus’ baptism, Matthew portrayed a picture of the Spirit of the Lord descending from heaven as a dove rested on Jesus after he came out of the water at the Jordan river, and a voice from heaven testified that Jesus is the Son of God saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew emphasized Jesus’ baptism is to sanctify the water to wash away our original sin, and in Jesus’ baptism, unlike the baptism that John the Baptist performed with water only, there appeared three Persons present at Jesus’ baptism: The Father, the Voice from heaven, the Holy Spirit like a Dove, and the Son who is Jesus himself. This is exactly why, in our baptism, there is always water pours on our head in the Trinity formula saying, “I baptize you,” as the priest or deacon says while pouring the holy water, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Baptism will be invalid when there is no water and not using the Trinity formula. In today’s Gospel, John portrayed Jesus as the Lamb of God saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” when Jesus came toward John for baptism. We might want to ask ourselves, why did John identify Jesus as the Lamb of God? How did Jesus take away the sin of the world?

William Barclay, a theologian and commentator of Scriptures once said, “There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why [we are born].” John the Baptist came into the existence was a great joy for the human race as Matthew reported the words of Jesus saying, “Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Mt 11:11). The second great day in the life of John the Baptist was the day when he saw the Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jesus to testify that he was the Son of God. For this reason, John the Baptist was born into existence to be the voice in the desert calling for repentance for the coming of the Lord. The great day came when he saw the Spirit of the Lord resting upon Jesus. His whole life focused on this great day, the second day.

Not only to see the Spirit rested upon Jesus and to testify for it but there is no less important to point out that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” described in today’s Gospel. Lamb is a meek and good-natured animal that people used his fleece to make a warm coat, and his meat is for a delicious meal. More than that, the lamb is an innocent animal. His innocence, perhaps, is a reason for a Jewish person to lay his hands on the lamb symbolizing transferring all of his sins on the lamb before he killed the lamb or released him to the desert. This is how one gets rid of one’s sins. John points out that Jesus is the lamb who takes away the sin of the world. It is true that on the hill of Golgotha, Jesus brought all our sins and nailed them on the cross with him.

Just as John testifies that Jesus is the Son of God, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, how should we live our Christian lives to point out to others that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world? Just as John the Baptist humbled himself to introduce Jesus as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, how would we live our Christian lives to introduce the Lamb of God to others? Just as Jesus died as a sacrificial lamb for the sake of our salvation, how should we sacrifice our Christian life for the sake of peace, happiness, and joy to those we come into contact with each day? His great sacrificial sacrifice on the cross is based on his two great commandments: To love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love others as ourselves, have we loved each other as he has commanded us? As a perfect sacrifice pours out unconditionally in the Eucharist, have we actively participated in the offering of the Lamb of God in the Eucharistic celebration and shared his divine life by receiving his Body and his Blood every time we participate in the Mass?

Just as Isaiah points out in today’s first reading that God will make his servant, Israel, becomes the light to the nations saying, “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth,” are we the light to all the nations when we called ourselves Christians, the children of God by the virtue of our baptism? Just as Paul, in today’s second reading, encourages the Corinthian community saying, “To you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,” how should we live our Christian lives to be called holy in the eyes of God and with one another? Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world to nail on the cross for the sake of our salvation, we are invited to leave sins behind, to learn to be holy in our words and our deeds, and to actively and regularly participate in the Mass to share the Divine life each time we come up to receive Communion at Mass. Are you ready to share the Lamb of God in the Eucharist and to testify just as John the Baptist testified that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? The decision is yours.

The Epiphany of the Lord

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Three Wisemen Responded to Three Figures

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany. There are at least three important figures that we are invited to ponder. These three important figures symbolize SMJ, not Shaking My Junk, but Star Magi and Jesus. What is the significance of the three and how do they correlate within all today’s readings?

Just as the magi came from the East accepted the light and followed the light in searching for the newborn King, have we opened up ourselves to accept and follow the light which was entrusted to us at our baptism? Or do we prefer to stay in the West where the sun sets brings darkness to cover the earth? Have we preferred the darkness of sins rather than following the light of Christ in our Christian journey here on earth? The Magi opened their treasures and offered the newborn King gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Just as the magi searched for the newborn King, guided by the star, have we allowed the stars which are the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church to guide and to form our consciousness and our actions in searching for the kingdom of God here on earth?

Last but not least, the baby Jesus, the newborn King, has born to the shepherds and the magi came from afar to adore the Savior, but some people ignored and tried to kill him. Who were these people? And why did they ignore and tried to kill the baby Jesus?

Not only King Herod was afraid to lose his seat, his power to try to kill the baby Jesus, but also his chief priests and scribes, reported in today’s Gospel, they all knew exactly where and when the Savior, the newborn King of Israel was born, but they didn’t come to adore the King because of afraid to lose their power as well. Living in this society, there are so many attractions available to us that some of us ignore and come to thank the Lord for his sacrifice in the Eucharist to feed us and nurture us on our spiritual journey here on earth. Is there any moment that you and I have been ignored to come to Mass for whatever reason it is to give thanks to God and to adore the Lord Jesus in the Tabernacle? It is through the birth of Christ, the Savior, that we are all called to be, as Saint Paul described in today’s second reading saying, “coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” As the members of the same body, the Church, have we often come together as the Church to be united with Christ, the Head of the Church, in the Eucharist?

New Year--The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Mary, The Mother of God

Joke: One Sunday morning, a mother was getting ready for church when she noticed her son wasn’t up yet. She finally went in to wake him up. “Come on, get up. You’ll be late for Mass!” she said. “I don’t want to go!” said her son as he buried his head under the pillow. “You have to go,” the mother wheedled. “No, I’m not going,” he insisted. “And I’ll give you two reasons: Nobody there likes me and I don’t like them.” Indignantly, his mother replied, “You are going to church, and I’ll give you two reasons: You’re forty-five years old and you are the pastor.”

In all 365 days of a year, why does the Church choose this day, the last day of the octave of the Nativity and the beginning of a New Year, to celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God? It’s to tell us how important it is the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the life of the Church. Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Savior, and God himself, cannot separate from Christmas, the celebration of her Son’s birthday. The Church chooses this first day of the New Year to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Mother of God and to conclude this octave of Christmas to emphasize the two important realities that in Christ, there are two natures—Human and Divine, and Blessed Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God. How is it possible that God, the Almighty God, Creator of the human race and the whole universe, is a Son of a human person called Mary? We can only understand this question in the context of Christmas, the Incarnation, God vests on himself our human flesh through the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To prepare Mary to be the Mother of God, Mary was conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit, reported in the Gospel on Christmas Vigil Mass. How can this be since God is God and Mary is a human being? Exactly. God is still God, and a human being is still a human being. However, God is the Almighty God, he can do whatever he wants to do since he is God.

Interestingly enough that today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God, but today’s first reading, it talks about Moses. Why is that Moses when the Church celebrates Mary, the Holy Mother of God? In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Numbers, the Lord instructs Moses to tell his people Israel that when they invoke [God’s] name, [He] will bless them. Who is this Moses? We have learned from the scriptures that Moses, a child of a Hebrew slave, was saved by an Egyptian princess when Pharaoh gave the order to kill all the Hebrew children because of the birth of Christ, the Savior was born. Moses was adopted into a royal family and exceeded himself in wisdom and understanding until one day, Moses saw a taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave that he couldn’t hold his anger and killed that taskmaster. When this became known, fear overcame and he fled for his life. Later, he was chosen to lead the people of Israel from slavery. In today’s first reading, the Lord instructed him to instruct the Israelites that when they invoke the name of the Lord and praise the name of the Lord, they will be blessed.

Has Mary ever invoked the name of the Lord? Mary does not only invoke the name of the Lord, but more than that, she acknowledges her lowliness and says to the angel, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done unto me according to your word.” Mary follows the guideline of the laws of Moses to bring the boy Jesus to the temple as a firstborn son as Saint Luke reported in his writing saying, “According to the laws of Moses, they took him [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” Also, Mary reflected on the words of Simeon and the prophetess Anna talking about the boy Jesus. In today’s Gospel, Mary, once again, reflects on what happens when the shepherds come to adore the baby Jesus in the manger. Saint Luke said, “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Reflecting on her life, Mary teaches us to reflect more often on what’s going on in our own life. Only by reflecting, we can experience God’s presence in our lives like Mary, the Holy Mother of God. A famous philosopher in the ancient world, Socrates, once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Are we able to reflect or examine our life when we are so busy working and planning for a living? Are we able to reflect on or examine our life when there are so many attractions around us? The moment that our children come home from school, their eyes and their hands are fixed and stuck on the iPad, iPhone, or any other electronic devices. If we ask them to do iPray instead of iPad or iPhone, we might get a response such as are you crazy? I don’t have time. Honest ourselves, we too do the same thing. If we don’t have a computer, an iPad, or an iPhone available in front of us, or right next to us, are we able to look up inappropriate materials online?

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul beautifully describes that the Son of God was “born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons [and daughters]. So [we] are no longer slave(s) but son [and daughter], and also an heir through God.” Our children are born of a mother, born under the rules in our house; therefore, they ought to listen to their parents and follow the rules in the house provided that there is no attraction around them. The moment that we allow attractions present in their lives without teaching them and helping them to make good use of them, the moment they become a slave to these attractions rather than listening to or following the rules of their parents. Parents, have you had any rules in your house? Have you kept what you set as rules in your house?

In celebrating the Holy Mother of God at this beginning of a New Year, we might want to ask ourselves: Why did the Lord choose Mary to be the Mother of the Son of God? What was so special about her? The moment that you became parents to your children, have you ever asked yourselves: Why do you become the parents of your children? Just as Mary was so attractive to be the Holy Mother of God, have you ever been so attractive to be the parents to your children? Have you spent enough time teaching and guiding your children when they are young? Have you ever spent time listening and reflecting on the needs and concerns of your children? Just as Mary took time to reflect on what’s going on in her life and her Son’s life, have you ever taken time to reflect on what’s going on to you and your children? Just as Mary became the Holy Mother of the Son of God, how would you become the holy parents of your children? What would be a resolution for you this New Year? One suggestion would be to follow the examples of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God that the Church celebrates at the beginning of a New Year. The decision is always yours.

Christmas Night

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 24 Dec 2022 19:00:00 GMT

EMMANUEL --GOD IS WITH US

Joke: Santa was working at Brookville shopping center when he noticed a young lady of about 20 years old walking toward him. He was surprised when she sat on his lap. Santa does not usually take requests from adults, but as she gave him such a nice smile, he couldn’t refuse and said to her, “What’s your name?” “Hannah,” she replied. “What do you want for Christmas, Hannah?” “I want something for my mom, please,” said Hannah. “What do you want me to bring her,” said Santa. Without blinking her eyes, Hannah replied, “A son-in-law.”

Just as Hannah expressed her wish to Santa during Christmas, what should we wish and pray for Christmas? To answer this question, the Church puts together all of today’s readings to clarify for us.

Every year, at midnight Mass, the Gospel of Luke is chosen to report the multitude of the heavenly host with the angel praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” The Savior was born in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, but has it had peace where the Savior was born? There was a long list of wars happening in Jerusalem it seemed there was no peace at all. Perhaps, those figures and those who were involved in the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, help us to meditate on this solemn night of the birth of our Savior.

Our Blessed Virgin Mary, with her hands put together, reminds us of her humble gesture of grace, who believes in the words of the angel to be the Mother of God. Saint Joseph, with one hand on his chest and the other pointing to baby Jesus, reminds us that he trusts in the words of the angel that the baby Jesus is the Savior of the world and that he’s humbly to be part of his birth, especially to be the foster father of the Savior.

In the manger, one can see several shepherds. One is with one hand on his chest and the other points toward the Baby Jesus to give thanks to God and with great awe to point out Jesus to others. Another shepherd, with his hands, opened up, reminds us that he has nothing to offer to the Lord, our Savior, except his breath to warm him up during the cold night. Still, the other shepherd, with his two hands together, reminds us of his disappointment in seeing the Savior of the world born as a baby lying helpless in the crypt of the manger.

Baby Jesus, the Savior of the world, born lying helpless in the crypt, with his eyes open up towards heaven and his hands wide open empty, reminds us of his total acceptance to be born in our human flesh. He offers up our human family to God the Father, while Mary and Joseph adored him. Mary adored Jesus, and Joseph points out to others that baby Jesus, our Savior; while shepherds, some believed, some doubted, some were in awe, and others adored the Savior.

Perhaps, Emmanuel, God is with us, and his peace rests on his favorite ones just as Saint Luke reported in his writing proclaimed on every Christmas midnight Mass. The Savior was born in Jerusalem, but they didn’t seem to have peace. While he was not born in America, it seemed that his peace was in this blessed land. Why?

In the Gospel of this Most Holy Night, people denied sheltering Mary and Joseph when her due time was up. Even the educated people, knew exactly when and where the Savior was born and pointed out the exact location and date, but then they didn’t come to adore Him. One who held authority and didn’t want to lose his seat sent out soldiers to kill all the babies according to what the wise men told him.

At the birth of Jesus, angels in heaven were singing, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Is there peace on earth? Who will be considered as whom his favor rests?

Peace of Christ did come, but some accepted and others denied. Reflecting on those people surrounding the birth of Jesus, who have you identified yourself with? When have you identified yourselves with those people surrounding the birth of Jesus? The moment that you cannot find peace, gladness, and joy in this life, who have you identified yourselves with as Mary, Joseph, one of the shepherds, the wise men, king Herod, or soldiers? Christ the Savior was born more than 2000 years ago to bring peace, gladness, and joy to all those on earth whom his favors rest, have you considered yourselves as his favors to receive peace, gladness, and joy? The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Home Sweet Home— Emmanuel -- God is with Us

Joke: A Sunday school teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem. One student said that it is because all the Inns were filled. Others said this and that. This one little girl raised her hand and said, “Because they couldn’t find a baby sister.”

The main focus of all today’s readings rested in one word Immanuel, “God is with us,” which was foretold in the Old Testament and brought into reality in the New Testament that both Matthew and Saint Paul described in today’s readings. What does it mean “God is with us”?

Today’s first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, describes the scene in that Ahaz, King of Judah answered the Lord saying, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” Because of his faith and trust in the Lord, Ahaz believed that the Lord would be with him, guide him, and lead him in governing his people of Judah. Because of his faithful and trust in the Lord, the Lord promised him a sign, “The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” This promise was delivered in the time of King David’s descendant by the man named Joseph that was described in today’s second reading and the Gospel.

Who is Emmanuel? Saint Paul, in today’s second reading, believes and says that he is “descended from David according to the flesh, but established as [the] Son of God in [the] power according to the spirit of holiness.” Therefore, there is no doubt that Jesus is Emmanuel and that in him there are two natures, both God and man. These both natures are present among us as the angel said to Joseph in today’s Gospel, “They shall name him, [Jesus], Immanuel, which meant God is with us”. God is with us through him, as Saint Paul said in today’s second reading, “We have received the grace of apostleship” to be his fellow brothers and sisters.

As the Gospel of Luke focuses on the message of the angel announced to Mary who will conceive and bear a son through the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of Matthew, is focused on Joseph. Matthew sketched for us a beautiful picture where the angel of the Lord encouraged Joseph saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home,” described in today’s Gospel. “For it is through the Holy Spirit,” he continues, “that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus.” To name him Jesus is to give him the right of human origin, the descendant of David. Both Mary and Joseph believe in the words of the angel and carry them out into actions that are to accept first and foremost the invitation of the Lord to be the mother of the Son of God and the foster father of the Son of God. This invitation is not an easy invitation to accept when Mary conceived a child without a relationship with a man. This invitation is not easy invitation to accept when Joseph learned that Mary conceived a child in her womb, not by him. This invitation is not an easy invitation to accept when no one takes them into their house at Mary’s due time of labor. This invitation is not easy invitation to accept when in the middle of the night Joseph and Mary had to flee because Herod, the King, tried to kill the baby Jesus. This invitation is not easy invitation to accept when they both lost Jesus, a young boy, in the temple area. However, with deep faith and trust in the Lord, united with God in prayer even before they came together, both did not only accept the invitation, but they faithfully carried that invitation and delivered it into action.

Mary accepted the invitation to carry Jesus in her womb, while Joseph accepted the invitation to bring Mary, who conceived and bore the Son of the Most High, into his house described in today’s Gospel saying, “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” Just as Mary and Joseph accepted the invitation and prepared a place for Jesus, the Son of God, have we accepted the invitation to be children of God to prepare a place for Jesus, the Immanuel, God is with us, in our lives? Joseph, since he was a righteous man and didn’t want to shame Mary that he tried to leave her quietly, have we had that integrity to talk to each other rather than cheating and lying to each other, secretly engaging in an affair with other, secretly satisfy our flesh desire when our spouse cannot satisfy us, parents excuse not having enough time for children, children become lying and cheating more in the tests and homework, and many more brokenness occurred in family life, in school, at work, and in our society? How did Joseph feel when the angel announced to him that Mary, his wife, conceived and bore a son by the Holy Spirit, not by him? Have we had the courage to turn away from temptations and to be there for our loved ones? How did Joseph respond to the message of the angel after he woke up? Joseph took Mary into his house, have we had the courage to take our spouse, to accept our spouse of who he is or who she is, and to allow the Lord to be with us even at the moments of facing difficulties and challenges of life? Immanuel, God is with us, in other words, as Saint Paul puts it that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the house of God, what should we do for God to come and stay with us? Just as Jesus was there with Mary and Joseph for at least thirty years from the moment of conception no matter what happens, have we been there for one another, especially our loved ones even at times of difficulties and challenges? Spouses cheated, children disobeyed, mistrusted one another in the family, gossiped and destroyed other’s reputation, cheated at work and school, and many other crooked ways of life, that sometimes we are lost in touch with God and wanted to end our lives, we might want to ask ourselves: Have we had room for the Lord to come to be with us? Immanuel is God is with us, not that God is on high, and we are bellowed. No. God lowers himself to come into our flesh to be with us so that we can become like him in his divine nature. He lives among us, sacrifices himself for the sake of our salvation, suffers, and even dies for us because of love, how would we make ourselves present to one another, especially to our loved ones, when we claim that we love them? Or how can we love one another when we cannot sacrifice time, money, talent, strength, and many other good things that we can do to prove that we love them? The Lord is coming, have we had a home ready to welcome him to be with us? He is so close to us, but have we been with him? The decision is yours.

3rd Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 19:00:00 GMT

How Would We Recognize Christ Who Has No Face But Yours and Mine?

Joke: During a fire at a convent, a group of nuns is trapped on the third floor. Thinking quickly, they took off their habits, tied them together, and used them as a rope to climb down from the window. After safely reaching the ground, a reporter asks, “Weren’t you worried that the habits would have ripped as you were climbing down? They look old and worn.” “Of course not!” said one of the nuns. “Don’t you know how hard it is to break an old habit?”

Today, the Church is getting brighter with the three advent candles led up, not only to help us see our old habits but also to signify the increasing light to brighten our hearts in waiting for the coming of the Lord.

In all today’s readings, perhaps, the Church helps us to answer the questions: What are we looking for in the day the Lord comes? How do we recognize him when he comes?

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah describes God who is a loving God with mercy and compassion towards his people that when he comes, he will “strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared, the lame leap like a stag, [and] the tongue of the dumb will sing.” Have all these been fulfilled when the Lord Jesus came? The Lord Jesus fulfilled all these, but have the Jews recognized that he is the Lord Jesus Christ? No. the moment he was born, there were not many people who recognized him except the shepherds and the three wise men. Why did they miss it? Perhaps, they missed it because Christ was born in a manger opposite to what they had learned, and expected that he would come in glory and power. The day Christ was born, the sick people were still sick. The poor and the oppressed were still poor and oppressed. The dumb, the deaf, and the blind were still disabled to speak, hear, and see until the short three years of his ministry when he released their tongues to speak and opened their ears to hear and their eyes to see.

What was fulfilled exactly reported in today’s Gospel? Matthew retold the story of John the Baptist when he heard the works of Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question: “Are you the one who is to come?” John was long waiting for the Messiah to come that was why he asked that question. To fulfill the desire and the long waiting for the Messiah, Jesus told John’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Despite all of these healing actions that Jesus did, the Jews still couldn’t recognize him as the Messiah, the Savior, even though they already missed the day He came as a baby lying helplessly in the manger. Their hardened hearts and their pride blocked their mind to understand and their eyes to recognize that He is the Messiah. To these hardened hearts and sinful pride, Jesus raised a series of 3 questions to help them understand and believe: First question: “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?” What is a reed? A tall, slender-leaved plant of the grass family symbolized a weak person, according to Webber Dictionary. In other words, did people go out to search for a lifeless and unattractive being that only found its place in the desert? Isn’t that desert what is deep down in our being, all these lifeless and unattractive beings like lying, cheating, stealing, verbal abuse, and many other crooked ways of life that we harbor within us? Have we gone out of ourselves to see these? Second question: “What did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? [But] those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.” In other words, they get so attracted to the earthly materials that somehow blocked their view to recognize the Messiah, the Son of God present in their midst. If we are honest ourselves, how many times have we allowed all these earthly materials and desires to block our vision that we might have to end our relationship, children become strayed, brother and sister hate each other, the community is divided, and many more problems occurred? Jesus then raised a third question which was more crucial than the first two: “Why did you go out? To see a prophet? Among those born of women, there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Humility is what helps us to recognize the face of Christ the Savior. Through this series of three questions, Jesus invites us to humble ourselves to acknowledge the need for God. We are invited to depend on the Lord who so loved us to bring us into existence. The love of creating us in his image and likeness is important, but it’s more important that He sent His only Begotten Son to us to save us when we distorted the image and likeness of God in us. The question then is, how are we able to recognize the Son when he comes again?

To answer this question, Saint James, whose writing is filled with sound teaching and responsible moral behavior, in today’s second reading, teaches us, “Be patient … Make your hearts firm … Do not complain.” Does it sound familiar to us? What happens when we run out of patience? Haven’t we got angry easily, complaining about anything and everything? When we run out of patience, haven’t we got hooked into the sins of pornography, drinking in excess, verbally abuse to our loved ones, cheating and lying, stealing and doubt, and many other bad behaviors? We might not be able to recognize our loved ones need us when we run out of patience. We might not be able to recognize that our spouse needs help financially, physically, spiritually, or emotionally. We might not be able to recognize the love of our spouse when our hearts become numb because of our old bad habits. Running out of patience, we might not be able to recognize our children’s needs when we are so busy focusing on our individual needs; we might not be able to recognize our children’s need for guidance when they are in need. With all these unrecognized issues and many others, how would we recognize the Lord when he comes? May this increasing light of this third week of Advent lights up in our hearts the light of Christ to be able to recognize others’ needs so to go out of ourselves to help them, especially our loved ones. May this increasing light brightens up our minds, hearts, and souls to clean up what is crooked, cheating, lying, uncharitable, unkind, unloving, hateful, resentful, and many other negative attitudes, so that when the Lord comes, we can recognize him and welcome him into our hearts. In coming into our hearts, he will bring true peace and joy to us, so that we can share that peace and joy, especially with our loved ones. The decision is yours.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 21:57:55 GMT

Similarities and Differences between Eve and Mary

Mary, on the other hand, the angel Gabriel, after the greeting, said to Mary reported in today’s Gospel, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son … Son of the Most High … his kingdom there will be no end.” The serpent’s invitation to Eve to eat the forbidden fruit which is pleasing to the eyes, while Gabriel’s invitation to Mary is frightening. However, the response of Mary is completely different and opposite to Eve's her saying ‘yes’ to the angel to follow God’s will, while Eve’s response is to go against God’s will by eating that fruit that God forbids.

Brothers and sisters, we are not animals with intelligence nor angels, but human beings with body and soul. Who are Eve and Mary? They are exactly like us, human beings. However, one responded with obedience and faithfully pondering and living God’s will, the other did not. One responded with humility and accepted the lowly creature of God, the other did not. And above all, one responded to the Holy Will by surrendering her life completely to God as she said in today’s Gospel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,” the other did not. The question for us to examine ourselves in celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, what have we responded to the Lord in our Christian life? Have we allowed ourselves to be attracted by the material possessions and powered gain that somehow our society, our family, or our neighbors are morally degrading, or have we surrendered our lives to God’s will to accept, seek help, and move on with God’s grace whatever that struggles us, that brings us stress and anxiety, that brings us separation and hatred, and many other tricks that the devils might manipulate and get us into trouble? Just as Mary reverses the sin of Eve by her total obedience to the will of God, have we had enough courage and strength to reverse the sins that we have committed? Or we are just like Eve, are temptations presented to us so pleasing to our eyes and attractive to our flesh that we just dive into it instead of going against it? Both Eve and Mary were in favor of God’s will to be created without a stain of sin from the beginning, we are in God’s favor and through baptism, we have washed away from our original sin. Without original sin through baptism, have you and I tried to follow the Lord’s teaching to avoid temptations, or have we allowed ourselves tempted by the devil to go against God’s will for us? Eve was expelled from the heavenly garden because of her disobedience, have you ever experienced isolation from God and one another? What causes this separation? How should you restore it? The decision is yours.

Second Sunday of Avent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Preparing the Gift for the Savior

In anticipating the second coming of the Lord, this second Sunday of Advent, especially in all today’s readings, the Church reminds us of a person who comes into the existence to deliver only one message throughout his entire life. That message is to call people for repentance in preparing for the coming of the Lord. Through the person of John the Baptist, the voice crying out for repentance, the Church invites us to examine ourselves to see how we prepare the way for the second coming of the Lord.

In today’s first reading, prophet Isaiah talks about the day the Lord comes, he will judge his people “Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.” This is exactly what Jesus does when he comes. A Pharisee and a tax collector both prayed in the temple. The Pharisee prayed his prayer after taking his position, raised his head, and said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his chest and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ Jesus said, “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former.” From the appearance, the Pharisee seemed to win the hearts of the people since he worshiped in the temple and lived his life according to the laws, but in Jesus’ eyes, he was not justified! Why wasn’t he justified, but the tax collector, the one who was considered a sinner with no salvation whatsoever? The tax collector went home justified b/c he recognized his sinful and wrong living, acknowledged his crooked life as a sinner, and humbly asked the Lord to have mercy on him; while the Pharisee, did not on proudly told the Lord how good he is, but worse than that he pointed a finger to condemn the tax collector! This said that he made himself equal to God to judge others! That is why Isaiah continued saying that when the Lord comes, “He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” Justice he shall judge his people, and faithfulness and mercy he shall judge his people.

God is the God of justice and peace. Therefore, when he comes, the angels in heaven sing, “Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to his people on earth.” The question is how do we prepare the way so that when the Lord comes, he will bring peace, the true peace to us whom we are yearning and waiting for his coming? The answer to this question lies in today’s second reading, taken from the letter of Saint Paul to the Roman community, Paul says, “Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” In other words, whatever was written in the Scriptures, we need to have the courage to be able to endure in carrying out actions that are written in the Scriptures. What is it that we need to carry out into action that is written in the Scriptures? It is the way of the Lord. What is the way of the Lord? We might say that all we know is freeway 37, SPID, highway 22, 77, 181, all around Corpus Christi, but with way is the way of the Lord?

The way of the Lord is not numbered, but it is Repentance. This is the only way, the only message that John the Baptist delivered in his entire life. The question is what is repentance? And how do we repent? Isn’t that repentance to change the crooked way of life, to be honest to our loved ones in what we do and what we say? To admit the wrongdoing and try to improve to make it better? To spend time listening to each other concerns and need in the family? To bring peace to others instead of struggle and stress? To stop and to pause for a moment of our busy schedule within a day to thank the Lord and to offer a good deed to others with whom we come into contact each day? The advent season is a time to prepare a gift for the Lord. The great gift that John the Baptist prepared in his entire life to present to the Lord is the gift of Repentance. What is the gift that we are preparing for the coming of the Lord in this advent season? The decision is always yours.

First Sunday of Advent

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 02:23:10 GMT

When Will The Day of the Lord Come?

Joke: One Sunday after church, a mother was talking to her young daughter. She told her daughter that, according to the Bible, Jesus will return to earth someday. "When is he coming back?" the daughter asked. "I don't know," replied the mother. "Can't you look it up on the Internet?" the little girl asked.

Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher, once shared his thought on the attitude of awakening that on the ship, people enjoyed eating, drinking, and dancing, but on the top of the ship, someone was looking ahead and around to watch for a storm to report. This man is watching not for his safety of himself but for the whole ship.

Advent season is a season in which we are invited to be awakening to wait for the Lord to come. Each one of us is invited to be like that man fully awake to watch, not for him, but for all those on the ship. We are all on this journey of life, the ship in the ocean, and each one of us is invited to be alert of what might come ahead of us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminded us of the story of Noah that people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, dancing, and having fun as if it were a normal life. The day that Noah entered the ark, they did not know until the flood came and carried them away. Jesus then concluded that it will be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore, stay awake. The question is: How would we stay awake when we already missed the day the Lord came more than two-thousand years ago? The mystery of the Incarnation, looking from the historical angle, the Savior had already come in Bethlehem of Palestine, Israel. This was the fact. There would be no other birth of another Savior. From a spiritual angle, each one of us is invited to put on Christ, to become more like Christ each day of our Christian life. How would we become more like Christ each day of our Christian daily life?

In his famous book Confessions, Saint Augustine explains that his conversion to Catholicism was not instant. He had a strong desire to become Catholic, especially after he befriended Saint Ambrose. His one problem was to practice some of the Church’s teaching, especially that of chastity. To the point that he asked God to make him chaste, but not yet because he still loved the sins of the flesh. Out of his frustration and battle in his head, he retreated to a garden for deep contemplation of his soul one day. In his Confessions, he heard a child’s voice implore him to “pick up and read” the copy of Sacred Scripture he had brought into the garden with him. Immediately, he opened the book to Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 13:13-14 reported in today’s second reading saying, “ Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day , not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. ” Augustine read this passage at a very young age since he was a smart boy, but the Word of God never touched him until this moment. His ears opened, and his heart received God’s word and changed him forever. He became a great philosopher and great theologian in the Catholic Church and every seminarian in training for the priest learned from him both in undergraduate and graduate schools.

What was so important about the passage of Saint Paul that converted Saint Augustine? Perhaps, what Saint Paul said, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” Advent season is a time that we are all invited to put on Christ and to make no supply for the desires of the flesh. How would we do it? Saint Paul reminds us in today’s second reading saying, “Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy.” Or rather saying try not to lie nor cheat, try to be truthful to ourselves and others. Try not to incline to the pleasure of the flesh nor give free rein to the pleasure of the mind by using drugs, alcohol, and sexual acts either with our lustful eyes, lustful thoughts, or actions. Learn to humble ourselves and not be jealous of others for what they have that we don’t have. In all things, learn to put on Christ, who humbles himself to lower himself to be like all of us, except for sins, to strip off himself being God to be like all of us to be born from a woman’s womb. He learned to be obedient to God the Father the moment he accepted to be born of a Virgin Mother.

In waiting for his second coming, we are invited each year to put on Christ to stay awake in waiting for his coming. How would we stay awake in waiting for his second coming if it’s not to conduct ourselves properly or to conform our will to God’s will in our thoughts, in our words, and our actions? How would we conduct ourselves properly or conform our will to God’s will? The decision is yours.

34th Sunday of Ordinary Time--Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 19:00:00 GMT

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Justice, Love, and Peace

Joke: Christ the King fan: A second-grade teacher tells her class she's a big “Cowboys” fan. She's excited about it and asks the kids if they're Cowboys fans too. Everyone wants to impress the teacher and says they're Cowboys fans too, except one kid, named Josh. The teacher looks at Josh and says, "Josh, you're not a Cowboys fan?" He says, "Nope, I’m a Christ the King fan!" She says, “I have never heard of a professional football team by that name! Well, why are you a ‘Christ the King’ fan, and not a Cowboys fan?" Josh says, "Well, my mom is a Christ the King fan, and my dad is a Christ the King fan, so I'm a Christ the King fan." The teacher's not happy. She's a little hot under the collar. She says, "Well, if your mom were an idiot, and your dad was a moron, then what would you be?" Josh says, "Then I'd be a Cowboys fan!"

Today, the Church solemnly celebrates the Feast of Christ, the King of the Universe to conclude the end of the liturgical year. In this celebration, the Church chooses the Gospel reading for this celebration from the scene of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus on the cross with two criminals. Why does the Church choose this Gospel reading for the feast of Christ the King? What does it mean to be a king? Is the king powerful in words and deeds? Has the king had power and right in all things? Perhaps, the king is powerful in words and deeds. He has a right to say and do whatever he wants. However, the Gospel reading chosen for this celebration is different and opposite to the definition of a king, at least the earthly king on this planet. The words on the cross of Jesus INRI, an abbreviation in Latin for “ Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum ” meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” How can Christ be the King of the Jews hanging on the cross with two criminals? This is out of our human understanding. Make no mistake when the prophet Isaiah said in his writing that God’s thoughts are not human’s thoughts, nor our ways his ways (Is 55:8).

In today’s first reading, Prophet Samuel reported the scene in which all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron to anoint him the King of Israel. What does it mean to be a king for David? King is the one who holds power including having many wives in his kingship. A famous story of King David with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, a General of King David. Bible told us that King David one evening, “ rose from his bed and strolled about on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof he saw a woman bathing; she was very beautiful ” (2 Sam 11:2). He enquired about her and took her to bed when she was just purified after her period. When he learned that she was pregnant, he sent words to Uriah, his General, to come back home from the battlefield. When the king asked him to go home, he refused and stayed in the King’s courtyard with other servants to guard and protect the King. The King then invited him for a special reception to get him drunk and then sent him home with his wife. Once again, Uriah refused to go home and stayed in the courtyard of the King’s house. King David finally sent him back to the battlefield with a message to put him on the front line of the battle. He died on this battlefield, and King David to his wife Bathsheba to himself.

As a king, David could have any woman he pleased at that time in that culture, but why did he do this to his General Uriah? From his wicket evil deed, the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to King David. Nathan said to David, “ Tell me how you judge this case: In a certain town, there were two men, one rich, the other poor. The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers. But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children. Of what little he had she ate; from his cup, she drank; in his bosom, she slept; she was like a daughter to him. Now, a visitor came to the rich man, but he spared his flocks and herds to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him: he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” David grew angry and said to Nathan, “ As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves death! He shall make fourfold restitution for the lamb because he has done this and was unsparing.” Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man ! Why have you despised the Lord and done what is evil in his sight? You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; his wife you took as your own, and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife . Thus says the Lord: I will bring evil upon you out of your own house. I will take your wives before your very eyes, and will give them to your neighbor: he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. You have acted in secret, but I will do this in the presence of all Israel, in the presence of the sun itself” (2 Sam 12:1-12). David repented saying, “ I have sinned against the Lord. ” Nathan answered David: “For his part, the Lord has removed your sin. You shall not die, but since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you will surely die.” The Lord struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and it became desperately ill and died after seven days. In justice, King David repented for his wicked deeds, and the Lord forgave him.

In today’s Gospel, the rulers of the Jews had no sense of repentance saying to Jesus hanging on the cross, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” It’s rightly so, if you could save others, save yourself. Even the soldiers said, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Not only them, but one of the criminals hanging on the cross with Jesus said, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The King of the universe was on the cross. What if Jesus came down from that cross to save himself, who would save the human race? He came for the sake of our salvation, and if he came down from that cross to save himself, who would save mankind? Unlike this criminal, the other criminal crucified w/ him recognized his wrongdoing & said, “We have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” There was no justice for those, including one of the criminals, who was crucified on the cross, but his death on the cross did bring justice, peace, and love for all those who repented and had a true conversion of heart. When one of the criminals hanging on the cross with him requested Jesus saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus was touched by his true conversion of heart and responded, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

We all have a past, but there is always a moment of presence when we are all invited to have a true conversion of heart to taste Paradise today. Have you and I had the courage and strength to let go of our past and have a true conversion of heart? If we haven’t had enough courage and strength to let go of our past: The past of the sins of the eyes, the sins of the lustful thoughts, the sins of the flesh, the sins of pride, the sins of cheating and lying, the sins of disobedience to our parents, teachers, and those authorities over us, and many other sins. To lift our sinful nature to the holiness of God, to his paradise, Jesus, though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8). What have we done to deserve this? Christ is the King of the Universe, is there anything to do with us from his kingship? The Jews and many people are not recognized him as the King of the Universe, have you and I recognized him as the King of the Universe? Would you and I recognize him as the King in theory, concept, words, or deeds? The decision is yours.

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Perseverance & Prayer Secure One’s Life

Coming closer to the end of the liturgical year, the Church puts together all of today’s readings to help us prepare ourselves for the day of the Lord to come for every one of us. How would we prepare ourselves in waiting for the Parousia, the day of the Lord to come?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke reported the words of Jesus about the costly temple saying, “All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” If you’ve ever been to Holy Land, there are many Temples, some Temples are gorgeous and strong, beautifully constructed and sculptured. In that Holy Sepulcher temple, also called the Church of the Resurrection, the most sacred place, there are always hundreds and thousands of people who come to pray and to visit. The temple that Jesus mentioned here, perhaps, was the third temple that Herod constructed from the second temple which was built by Cyrus the Great after the fall of the Babylonian Empire, the temple of Zerubbabel. The first temple was built by King Solomon reported in the Book of Deuteronomy (Deut. 12:2-27). The reason that Herod rebuilt this second temple was that it was built like a fortress and was shorter than that of Solomon’s Temple, so he gave the order to reconstruct the temple. After reconstruction, it became the great temple by King Herod the great. This third temple now is called the Dome of the Rock regarded as occupying the actual space where the Second Temple once stood. However, some scholars disagreed to this day.

After Jesus mentioned that a costly temple will be thrown down and will not be left a stone upon another stone, they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” Famous questions: When will that day come? And what sign will there be? Have you & I ever asked these 2 questions in our lives? Perhaps, not the day of the Lord to come, but the day when you ask these questions such as: When will I see my spouse stop using drugs, alcohol, or drinking? When will I see my spouse stop criticizing me or judging me but believe in me? When will I see my spouse change because I cannot handle it anymore? What sign will you give me to confirm that you changed?

To answer the questions of when will the day of the Lord to come and what sign will there be, the Lord Jesus invites us, as reported in today’s Gospel, to persevere in our Christian life. The question then is, how would we persevere in waiting for the Lord to come into our daily Christian lives?

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul beautifully reminds the Thessalonians community and every one of us saying, “In toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you.” “We hear,” Saint Paul continues, “that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.” In other words, as we await the day of the Lord to come, let us conscientiously fulfill our Christian obligations. Each member of the Church needs to participate in the life of the Church. Just as the eye cannot say to the feet, I don’t need you; or the hands cannot say to the ears, I don’t need you, or the hair cannot say to the head, I don’t need you, but each part of the body needs each other just as each member of the Church needs each other. So, how would we engage in the need of each other in the Church if it’s not for each of us to fulfill our obligations to build the Church? How would we do it if it’s not to learn to be persevered in our Christian daily life by sacrificing our own needs and our want to give a hand to build up our community and our Church?

In his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera (20 November 2016), Pope Francis designated the thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time as a “World Day of the Poor.” He wrote, “It will be a day that will help communities and each baptized person to reflect on how poverty is at the heart of the Gospel and on the fact that, as long as Lazarus lies at the door of our homes, there can be no justice or social peace. This day will represent a genuine form of the new evangelization which can renew the face of the Church as she perseveres in her perennial activity of pastoral conversion and witness to mercy.” How would you and I persevere in our Christian daily life if it’s not to pay attention to one another in your own house, in school, at work, or in your own community? It is not to pay attention to criticize or to judge one another, but to help one another. We do not know when the day of the Lord comes, but we do know our present moment when our loved one(s) are still with us. Our present moment is so fragile and precious that when it’s gone, we cannot take it back. To look at the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem today is to see how we would take care of our temple. Life is fragile, learn to handle it with prayer and perseverance. We get only one shot at life. There is no rehearsal whatsoever. Therefore, we ought to reflect on life itself in waiting for the day of the Lord to come as we live it with perseverance and prayer. The decision is yours.

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 19:51:21 GMT

Heaven ( From Bulletin Column )

I went to Duncan Cemetery to bless the gravesite for those of your loved one(s) who laid rest there and to pray also for all those of our loved one(s) who were not laid rest there. I came home and collected a lot of stickers on my stole, not too much on my shoes since I bought a pair of boots just to use to go to the cemetery. I tugged my paint into the boosts to avoid getting stickers.

However, there are still some stickers get stuck on my Alb and my stole. Those stickers stuck on my vestments remind me those laid at rest need our prayers for them since they couldn’t do anything for themselves. A short prayer or a kind word or kind deed offered it up to the Lord to pray for our loved one(s) who have gone before we are highly encouraged to do during November. When we remember to pray for them, we don’t lose anything but rather gain. When they get to heaven, which is a perfect place without any stains or stickers, they will look over us to protect us and to pray for us, and that is our gain.

Heaven, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), is described as the communion of life and love with the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the angels and saints. Heaven is our spiritual home and home is where the family lives, in this case, the family of God. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3). It is a perfect place where there is no need to marry or remarry. It’s just having one another in front of God face to face (called the beatific vision), we are all filled with joy and happiness that there is no need to marry nor to remarry again. This is exactly what Jesus responded to some Sadducees asking him for life at the resurrection saying, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.” How would we be received into heaven after we depart from this earthly life? Let us spend time during this month to pray for all those who have gone before us, especially our loved ones. The decision is yours.

31st Sunday of Ordinary

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 17:11:17 GMT

When Does Salvation Come?

Joke: A pastor was asked by one of the presidential candidates, "Name something my government can do to help your church if I am elected president." The pastor replied, "Quit making one-dollar bills."

Getting closer to the end of the year, the Church puts the readings together to help us to prepare ourselves for the last day of our lives here on earth. In the last day of our lives, we might want to know where we are heading to. How would we know that we have salvation? In all today’s readings, the Church puts them together to help us answer this question.

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke reminds us the story of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and a wealthy man, short in stature and eager to see who Jesus is. Translated into our language that Zacchaeus, a sinful man, stealing, cheating and robbing others, he didn’t believe in God and out of curiosity, he just wanted to see who Jesus is. He climbed up the sycamore tree to see Jesus, and Jesus caught sight of him and wanted to come to his house. Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus and made an amazing generous act saying, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” Then the Lord Jesus says to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Salvation does not only come when we depart from this earthly life, but it comes right here, right now when we are still alive. How would we receive salvation from the Lord in this life? Perhaps, when we are hunger and thirst for the Lord; when we respond to his call and welcome him into our lives; and when we have a true conversion of heart, then and only then, we would have salvation right here, right now on this earthly life. Salvation does not only come when we departed from this earthly, but it comes right here & right now when we are still alive. Salvation does not come in the past only, nor in the future only, but right now in our life time.

How would we recognize God in our lives when we seem to be small or powerless; when we seem not worthy for the Lord; & even when we seem to distance from him? Just as Zacchaeus, we are invited to seek for the Lord, to welcome him into our lives, and to have courage & strength to have a true conversion of heart. Just as Zacchaeus, a sinner, seeks the Lord Jesus, have you and I ever sought the Lord Jesus? Each time we receive Communion is each time we receive the Lord Jesus into our temple, our body. He seems closed to us, but are we closed to him? Or after the Mass, we go home and everything back to normal as if he’s never present in our lives. We still sin, dishonest, cheat, liar, disobey parents, cheat on homework, hate others, don’t want to forgive one who hurts us, and many other acts that seems there is no sense of repentance, no sense of conversion. Zacchaeus, his conversion was, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” This translates as Lord, I repent of what I have done wrong. I want to leave everything behind to follow you. When you and I go to confession, have we truly repented our sins and try not to sin again? Or the moment, we get home, the moment we go back to sin again as if things we have to do, things help us release our stress, and things just like everybody else does.

The true conversion of Zacchaeus touches the heart of Jesus that he responds to him saying, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.” Zacchaeus is still alive, and yet, he receives salvation from the Lord because of his true conversion. Apparently, we don’t have to die in order to experience the salvation, the heavenly joy and peace, we still can experience salvation and the heavenly joy and peace when we truly have a conversion of heart.

Since God is a loving and merciful God, slow to anger, and rich in kindness that he’s patiently waiting for us to come back to him as the author of the book of Wisdom reminds us in today’s first reading saying, the Lord “rebuke[s] offenders little by little, warn them and remind[s] them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you.” Since he “has come to seek and to save what was lost,” have you and I ever been lost? What would you and I do when we lost sight of the Lord on our Christian journey?

One of the Popes once shared a story that when he was little, his dad took him to a parade in his city. People were so crowded, and he was so small that he couldn’t see anything. His dad decided to carry him on his shoulders. From his shoulders, he could see everything even from a distance. The Pope then said, in those years of being Pope, every time he ran into difficulty that he would not know what to do, he often asked God in his prayer to carry him on his shoulders so he could see and know what to do.

Perhaps, when we are lost is the time that we need to come to seek for him just as Zacchaeus seeks for the Lord that he found himself and his salvation. Have you and I ever needed to seek for the Lord in our lives? Have you and I ever invited him into our lives? Have you and I ever had a true conversion of heart to take some actions to make up for our sins? What are we waiting for? Seek for the Lord, invite him into our lives, and have a true conversion of heart. The decision is yours.

30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:21:08 GMT

Two Men, Two Prayers, Two Attitudes, Two Verdicts

Joke: “I never come to this Church for Sunday Mass,” boasted a wandering parishioner to his pastor. "Perhaps you have noticed that Father?" "Yes, I have noticed that," said the pastor. "Well, the reason I don't come is that there are so many hypocrites here." "Oh, don't let that keep you away," replied the pastor with a smile. "There's always room for one more."

In today’s readings, especially the first reading and the Gospel, the Church puts together to remind us of the words of Jesus reported in today’s Gospel saying, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” So, what does it mean to be humbled? What does it mean to be exalted? What is the difference between the two? Why are we invited to learn to be humbled? Or rather, how would we come before God? And why would we not come before God? Put all these questions in the present.

To answer these questions, let us examine the two people mentioned in today’s Gospel, the Pharisee and the tax collector.

Pharisees, at the time of Jesus, was the one who knew the laws and observed strictly both the traditional and written laws and was commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity. He was often considered as a self-righteous or hypocritical person. A tax collector, on the other hand, was a person who collected unpaid taxes from other people, oppressing and cheating others, especially widows and orphans. He was often portrayed as a sinner in Jesus’ time.

Recognizing their social status, they came to the temple of the Lord with different attitudes. The Pharisee raised his head, spoke the prayer to thank God for who he was, but then pointed his finger to criticize the rest of humanity as greedy, dishonest, and adulterous. The tax collector, on the other hand, recognized his sinful social status, and couldn’t even raise his head in prayer but continued to beat his chest for what he had done and who he was. Unlike the Pharisees who didn’t need the mercy of the Lord, the tax collector prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” With these two different attitudes in prayer, the Lord Jesus commanded that the tax collector would be exalted because of his humility, not the Pharisee who exalted himself that would be brought low.

With these two different men, two different prayers, two different attitudes, and two different verdicts, of whom have you and I identified ourselves? Have we ever seen ourselves as the Pharisees? What makes us think or believe that we are better than the rest of humanity, or at least, we are better than our parents or those who are superior to us? When we identified ourselves as better than the rest of humanity, aren’t we considering ourselves as God since God is the sole Author of humanity? Does God know who we are? If he knew us, has he ever listened to us? If we prayed and we haven’t received what we prayed for, has he been absent in our prayers? How would we pray for God to listen? Or what attitudes do we need to have when we come to pray?

Listen to the wisdom of Sirach in today’s first reading saying, “The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.” Widows and orphans are the defenseless people who recognized the need for God, so God becomes their only help in that culture. Their persistent prayer is heard and reaches the heavens. They are acknowledging the need for God in their prayer that pierces through the clouds, and “it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.” How beautiful it is the wisdom of Sirach invites us to acknowledge the need for God by humbling ourselves and coming to God in our persistent prayer.

Have you and I ever acknowledged the need for God? When we acknowledged the need for God in our lives, but we haven’t received what we asked for in our prayer, have you and I prayed according to God’s will or according to our own will? How would we pray according to God’s will? Would you give a scorpion to your children when they asked for an egg? Two different men, two different prayers, and two different attitudes result in two different verdicts. How would you come to God in your prayers today? The decision is yours.

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 17:57:03 GMT

Persistence in Prayer

Joke: The middle-aged farm couple had no children. As a last resort, they put their trust in persistent prayer, and it worked. The wife became pregnant, and at the end of her term, she delivered triplets. “Persistent prayer really works, doesn’t it?" she asked her husband. Her husband replied, “Seems to -- but I sure as heck didn’t pray for a bumper crop!”

Persistent prayer does work, doesn’t it? It works all the time, but we need to be aware of what we pray for. Or rather how do we pray?

In all today’s readings, the Church puts together to help us understand what is a prayer. How do we pray?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them the necessity for them to pray always without weary. In this parable, a woman was identified as a widow who used to come to the judge and ask for a just decision for her against her adversary. We might want to ask ourselves: Who was this woman? Why did Jesus identify this woman as a widow and not somebody else? Was this judge just? He neither feared God nor respected any human being, why did he grant a just decision for this widow? We learned from Scripture that Jesus often paid special attention to the widows and orphans since they couldn’t defend themselves at the time of Jesus. This was why Jesus, while he was on the cross, gave his mother Mary to his disciple John to take care of her. This widow, reported in today’s Gospel, was treated unjustly that her persistence to come to nark the judge, he finally granted her a just decision. Jesus reminded his disciples and each one of us to be persistent in our prayer, especially when there seemed to be impossible, but for God, everything was possible.

Persistence in prayer was also portrayed in today’s first reading the battle between Amalek and Israel. Today’s first reading, reported from the book of Exodus, retold a story of a battle in which every time Moses’ hands raised, Israel had a better fight to the point that his hands were weak. When his hands were weak, the Amalek had a better fight. For Israel to have a better fight, they rolled a big rock for Moses to sit on. Meanwhile, both Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady still for Israel to win the battle. Moses’ hands were raised to praise the Lord, and in his persistence in raising his hands, they sure won the battle.

These two stories from the Gospel and the first reading seem to define prayer as a persistent way of addressing the needs to God for help, a petition to the Lord for our needs. The question then is, what happens when we don’t have to face any difficulty or challenge in life, and when we don’t have to face any difficult need in our life, do we still need to pray? What do we pray when we seem to have everything and anything? Does it matter or not to pray when we have everything and anything?

To answer these questions, let us examine the words of Saint Paul in today’s second reading when he says, “Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed … proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” In other words, in our prayers, either in good times or in bad, we are reminded to remain faithful to what we have learned and believed, to proclaim the word of God with our good words and good deeds to one another, to be convinced, reprimanded and encouraged through patience and the teaching of the Lord Jesus and the teaching of the Church. The question then: How would we remain faithful to the Lord’s teaching and the Church’s teaching? How would we be persistent in our prayer to the Lord in good times and in bad? Has prayer meant only words on our lips, words in our minds, or the good deeds that accompanied our petitions of the heart? Perhaps, in our prayers, we are reminded to listen rather than to speak, to allow the Lord to touch our heart rather than to allow all activities to run in our minds, and to quiet ourselves to allow the Lord to speak to us rather than to be busy with petitions addressing on our lips or in our minds. The decision is yours.

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 20:08:58 GMT

Physical Healing vs. Spiritual Healing

Joke: A little boy wanted $100.00 very badly and his mother told him to pray to God with faith. He prayed and prayed for two weeks, but nothing turned up. Then he decided perhaps he should write God a letter requesting the $100.00. When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God, they opened it up and decided to send it to the President. The President was so impressed and touched that he instructed his secretary to send the little boy a check for $5.00. He thought that this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy. The little boy was delighted with the $5.00 and sat down to write a thank-you letter to God, which ran as follows: “Dear God: Thank you very much for the money. I noticed that you had to send it through Washington. Dad said that as usual, they deducted $95.00 for themselves in the name of “Homeland Security” to save our country from terrorists.”

To give thanks to God is what we ought to do in our lives, and to give thanks to one another is what we are reminded to do. Have you and I had anything to give thanks to God? What would we do with the things that we’ve received that we give thanks to God for? There are twenty-four hours a day and 8,760 hours a year, how often have we given thanks to God from the last twenty-four hours? Or in the last 8,760 hours? What would we want to give thanks to God for? Why should we give thanks to God when everything we have and who we are is what we work hard for it? Excellent question. We should give thanks to God because we cannot make the sunrise and the sunset, and we cannot make the air to breathe in every moment of our lives. We cannot even make the planet live in what we called the earth. In all today’s readings, the Church puts together to help us answer this question: Why should we give thanks to God when everything we have and who we are is what we work hard for it?

In today’s first reading, taken from the second book of Kings, Naaman, after being cleansed from his leprosy under the instruction of the prophet Elisha, the man of God, offered Elisha a gift and was refused. Why did Elisha refuse to accept the gift from Naaman who was healed from his leprosy? It’s simply because it was not the prophet Elisha who healed him from his leprosy but the Lord himself. Naaman then said to Elisha, “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD.” Why did Naaman want to take two mule-loads of the earth if it’s not to worship the Lord, the true God in the presence of the soil from the Holy Land where he’s truly present to his people?

In 2019, I have a chance to lead a pilgrimage for the parishioners at Saint Paul the Apostle. As part of the pilgrimage, we had a chance to emerge ourselves in the mud of the Dead Sea in the Holy Land. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Why does it call the Dead Sea? It’s called the Dead Sea because there is no life, and no fish can live in it. There is no life and no fish because the water is so dense and much salt that the Dead Sea is also known as the Sea of Salt. It’s too much salt that we can float naturally in the water. Why did I mention the Dead Sea? It’s because the mouth of the Jordan River is at the Dead Sea. It was at the Jordan River that Naaman was healed from his leprosy through the instruction of the prophet Elisha. Or rather, it’s through the hands of God who brought this land into existence. So, we give thanks to God.

Physical healing is no near to compare with spiritual healing, the healing from the inner being. Jesus demonstrated his power of healing so well through his words. In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke captured a series of pictures of healing leprosy. When the ten lepers stood at a distance from Jesus and raised their voices saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” To their cry out, Jesus healed them saying, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” Unlike the prophet Elisha asked Naaman to wash in the water of the Jordan River, Jesus, through his words alone, healed the leprosy of the lepers. His creating and restoring words invite the ten lepers to cooperate with him by doing what he commanded them to do. They all went and were healed on their way. However, only one came back and gave thanks to Jesus. To him, Jesus said, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Jesus did not only have the power to heal us from our physical illness and sickness, but he also had the power to heal us from our sins as well. Our physical being will be decayed one day, but our inner being, our soul, will live forever either in heaven or in the nether world. Should we better take care of our souls rather than our physical being? It does not mean that we ignore taking care of our physical being to the point that we often get sick, get weak, and get lazy. In taking care of our physical being, we are reminded to pay attention to taking care of our inner being, our soul.

To give thanks to God for who we are and what we are is what we ought to do. Have you ever remembered to give thanks to God as I did when someone almost hit us on the freeway? In all things that have happened in our life, have you seen the hands of God protect you and help you, or has it just coincidentally happened that way? If you believe that it’s through the hands of God protected from danger and harm, what would you do to thank God? When you do something for someone, would you expect them to thank you or to do something good for you in return? Is it benefitted you when they either give thanks to you or not after you helped them? To give thanks to God for the gift of life and for continuously keeping us in the existence is what we ought to do, and to give thanks to one another is what we ought to do also since none of us is living on this planet by ourselves, but we live with one another. Let’s take this day and this week to give thanks to God and to those with whom we come into contact this day and this week. The decision is yours.

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 18:06:27 GMT

Faith of a Mustard Seed

Joke: A climber fell off a cliff . As he tumbled down into a deep gorge he grabbed hold of a branch of a small tree. “Help” he shouted. “Is there anyone up there?” A deep majestic voice from the sky echoed through the gorge. “I will help you, my son. But 1 ^st , you must have faith in me.” “All right, I trust you,” answered the man. The voice replied, “Let go of the branch.” There was a long pause & the man shouted again, “Is there anyone else up there?”

In all today’s readings, the Church puts together to help us understand two realities: Faith and Duty. What is faith? Why is duty? To answer these two questions, Saint Luke reports the teaching of the Lord Jesus to his disciples, reported in today’s Gospel, saying, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted & planted in the sea,’ & it would obey you.” Someone said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can enter the kingdom of heaven; but if you have great faith, you would bring the kingdom of heaven into your soul. According to the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), faith is necessary for salvation Saint Mark reported in his writing the teaching of the Lord Jesus saying, “ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned ” (Mk 16:16). Faith is necessary for salvation, but does it faith alone save us? It is not so that Saint Matthew reported the teaching of the Lord Jesus saying, “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21). Faith is necessary for salvation, but it is also required us to do the will of the heavenly Father. Faith is both a gift of God and a human act in response to God that Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace: “Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace” (CCC 155). So, faith is not only a matter of believing, but it is also a matter of an act of the intellect commands our body to deliver it into action with God’s grace. Just as Saint James reminds us in his writing about faith and work saying, “ Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead ”, how would we say that we have faith without work?

Faith without work might be demonstrated from the cry out of the prophet Habakkuk reported in today’s first reading saying, “How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery?” To this cry out, the Lord said, “The rash man has no integrity; but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.” What does it mean “the rash man has no integrity?” Father Stephen Hellman once said that rashness consists in allowing ourselves to be pushed and prodded by forces outside of ourselves, by allowing our emotions, our impulses-sometimes the people around us-to drive us to do things that in our heart if we think about it, when we calmly consider it, just aren’t right. This is exactly why some people said on their lips to have faith in the Lord Jesus but doubt his presence when they are suffering and experiencing difficulty. This is exactly why some people said on their lips to have faith in the Lord Jesus but don’t want to come to Church to thank the Lord for the gift of life and to thank him for all the blessings that they received. And this is exactly why some people said on their lips to have faith in the Lord Jesus, we don’t have to go to Church since Jesus already died once for our salvation. Wrong! Our faith in the Lord Jesus is just like we believe in the vending machine that will give us some snacks or drinks. But for it to give us some snacks or drinks, we have to deposit some money in it. We cannot just stare at it or believe in it without depositing money into it and expect it to give us any snack or drink. Faith in the Lord Jesus also requires us to deposit some acts of living out his Father’s will to earn that salvation that Jesus once died for us.

Verse 4 was taken off in today’s first reading which said, “This is why the law is numb and justice never comes, for the wicked surround the just; this is why justice comes forth perverted.”

The law is numb because the Lord has been silent, the Law, whether in the form of the scroll found in the Temple in the time of Josiah ( 2 Kgs 22 ) or the form of divine instruction given by priests and prophets, has proved ineffective and so appeared to be cold, unreceptive, and powerless. For the Law to be credible, the Lord must see to it that the wicked are punished and the just rewarded. How would we keep the laws of the Lord? How good is it if we would just study and understand it but would not carry out into action?

What is our duty if it’s not all our talent, good health, awesome family with spouse and children, good living conditions, and everything else is all a blessing from the Lord? It is not that our naturally born with talent, good health, and everything else not that God granted to us but that we work at it. Wrong! Without God’s grace continuing to pour down upon us and continuing to hold us into existence by providing us the air that we breathe, we would not have all that we are and who we are. In today’s Gospel, Jesus taught his apostles saying, “Who among you would say to your servant, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at the table? Would he not rather say to him, “Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished”. Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you? When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” These sayings of Jesus remind his disciples and perhaps to each one of us that Christian disciples can make no claim on God’s graciousness; in fulfilling the exacting demands of discipleship, we are only doing our duty.

What is faith or rather true faith? How would we know that we have true faith? True faith is what we understand and believe, profess, and preach, or is it how we live our Christian life? Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted & planted in the sea,’ & it would obey you.” Has he meant it or joked about it? Why is it our duty if it’s not to teach us to humble ourselves? How many Bible verses are there about the humility of Jesus? It is 33 verses symbolized his 33 years on earth. Each year is a year of humbling himself to accept his humanity to the point of death, death on the cross for the sake of our salvation. If he has to die for the sake of our salvation, we don’t have to do anything to earn our salvation. However, it is his ultimate love that he died for the sake of our salvation, how would we live our lives to return to his ultimate love? As he died for the sake of our salvation, what we would do to respond to that sacrificial love is our duty. As a commercial said, “We are here not to perform a great task, but small with great faith.” The decision is yours.

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 18:29:14 GMT

The Result of Ignorance of One Another

Joke: “Oh Lord, hit him again!” The parish church was badly in need of repair. So the pastor called a special meeting inside the church to raise funds. At the assembly, the pastor explained the need for an emergency fund for plastering the roof and supporting pillars and the other areas which needed repair. He invited a pledge of contributions. After a brief pause Mr. Murphy, the richest man in the parish, volunteered he would give $50. Just as he sat down, a hunk of plaster fell from the ceiling on the head of Mr. Murphy. He jumped up looking startled and corrected himself: “I meant to say $500.” The congregation stood silent and stunned. Then a lone voice cried out: “Oh Lord, hit him again!”

The story of a rich man and a poor Lazarus that’s reported in today’s Gospel which we are all familiar with. We might ask ourselves: Is being rich a problem to enter into heaven? Has heaven filled with poor people like Lazarus? To answer these questions, we are invited to examine another question: How would I live my life to enter the Kingdom of heaven?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke beautifully reports the words of the teaching of the Lord Jesus who said to the Pharisees and perhaps to every one of us by telling us a parable of a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. Let us pay attention to the two realities of human beings. One is when we are alive, and the other is when we die. In the parable, both the rich man and the poor man are very close to each other in their daily life. The rich man, as described in today’s Gospel, “dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously every day.” “Lying at his door,” Jesus said, “was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.” Both of them are next to each other in their daily lives. One is filled with all good things, and the other is with an empty stomach covered with sores. The problem is not about dining sumptuously or not, dressing with fine linen or with sores, but rather, the problem is the ignorance of the rich man towards the poor man even though they are next to each other every day.

In today’s first reading, prophet Amos also reported the words of the Lord of hosts said to the people of Israel those who went against the Lord saying, “Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, eat lambs taken from the flock, calves from the stall, drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph” or the kingdom of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. Just as the rich man ignored the presence of the suffering of the poor, these Israelites ignored the presence of the Lord in their life, specifically by oppressing the poor and the widows, and their fellow Israelites.

The ignorance of the presence of God in their life, especially the collapse of Joseph lead them to go into exile and the ignorance of the poor man Lazarus lead the rich man to go to the netherworld. The ignorance of the collapse of Joseph lead them to destruction, and the ignorance of the presence of the poor man lead separated the rich man by a great distance between him and the poor man when they both died.

In this ignorance of the presence of one another in one’s life, the rich man went to the netherworld, while the poor man Lazarus went to the bosom of Father Abraham. Between these two men after death was a great chasm that separated them and prevented them and anyone from crossing from one side to another.

From this ignorance of the presence of God or the presence of others in one’s life, we might want to ask: How would I avoid ignoring the presence of God and the presence of others in my life? Saint Paul, in his first letter sent to Timothy, reported in today’s second reading, said, “You, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, & gentleness.” Above all these, the Lord Jesus, the Son of God and God himself, invites us to live the two great commandments: To love God and to love one another. Ignoring God will lead our souls into decay, and ignoring one another will lead us to darkness and destruction. The decision is yours.

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 19:32:31 GMT

DECISION—Dishonest Wealth to Buy Eternal Dwelling

Joke: A pastor was speaking to a Sunday school class about the things money can’t buy. “It can’t buy laughter, and it can’t buy love” he told them. Driving his point home he said, “What would you do if I offered you $1000 not to love your mother and father?” Stunned silence ensued. Finally, a small voice queried, “How much would you give me not to love my big sister?”

In last weekend’s Gospel, the last of the three parables was the parable of the prodigal son who squandered his inheritance. In today’s Gospel, it was another parable about a dishonest steward who squandered his boss’ property, and his boss was about to lay him off. Next weekend’s Gospel was another parable about the rich man and Lazarus. This rich man also squandered his wealth and ignored others’ needs. These three weekends have the same theme: What have we done and what should we do with what we are given? What we are given in this life is treasure, time, and talent.

“What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.” A dishonest steward squandered his boss’ property, and he was about to be laid off. Nowadays, he might be put in jail because of his dishonesty to his boss. However, the way he dealt with the debtors of his boss, his boss commended him for acting prudently. What did this dishonest steward do? He called his boss’ debtors in one by one and lowered their debts to his boss. To the one who owed a hundred measures of olive oil, he asked him to write a promissory note for fifty. To the one who owed a hundred kors, he asked him to write a promissory note for eighty.

The action of this dishonest steward was not a great one, but what Jesus concluded, “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Using dishonest wealth to buy what is eternal dwelling, not being put into jail because of his dishonesty but being commended for acting prudently. What does this mean? It means that we are reminded to use this temporary wealth that this world offered to us to build up for the permanent wealth which is the everlasting treasure, heaven. In other words, we are reminded to convert this earthly treasure for a heavenly treasure. What is our earthly treasure if it’s not what is called our time, talent, and treasure? How do we convert these three T--Talent, time, and treasure into everlasting treasure? To answer this question, we are reminded to reflect on whom have we served in this walk of life. Which master are we serving, God or mammon, heavenly treasure or earthly treasure? Are we busy building up for our earthly treasure or building up the heavenly treasure? Can we build up a heavenly treasure in our own home? If we cannot build heavenly treasure in our home, how can we build heavenly treasure in our community? Ask not what you can do for your community – ask what u can do for your own family. Ask not what you can do for God, ask who your master is. There is a commitment to serve God, are you faithfully committed to serving God? There are many distractions in this earthly life that might pull us away from committing ourselves to God, have you allowed these distractions to block your vision to serve God?

What do you do with the treasure--time, talent, and treasure which God given you? We all have time, but do we use our time to convert what is earthly treasure to turn into the heavenly treasure? We spent money in shopping, constantly eating out favorite foods in restaurant, buying things that we don’t really need, etc., but when we come to Church, we put in what is called the “left over”. We live in luxury house and drive expensive vehicle, but we put in some change when we come to Church. We spent hour after hour surfing on media with our electronic devices, but we hesitate to involve in any ministry we have in our own community.

We are all given the earthly treasure of time, talent, and treasure. What do we use them for? How do we use them? Should we convert this earthly treasure into the heavenly treasure, the everlasting treasure? Between God and mammon, who do we serve? As a follower of Christ, should we make a commitment to be a faithful follower both in words and in deeds? You can make a commitment today. The decision is yours.

24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 18:30:43 GMT

Having Filled vs. Being Filled

Joke: The most unhappy character: The pastor told the story of "The Prodigal Son" to a first-grade class. To check on their understanding, he asked; "Who was the unhappy character in the story when the prodigal son returned?" An eager boy raised his hand and stated the simple truth, “The Fatted Calf".

In the book One Minute Wisdom by Anthony de Mello, S.J., he shared a short conversation between a student and the master with the title “Unconsciousness”. A student asks, “Where can I find God?” “He is right in front of you.” “Then why do I fail to see him?” The master responds by asking him, “Why does the drunkard fail to see his home?” Later, the master said, “Find out what it is that makes you drunk. To see you must be sober.” To recognize the Lord, perhaps, we need to be sober from all the attractions that this world offers us. How do we stay sober from all the attractions of this world? To answer this question, let us dive into today’s Gospel, particularly the story of the prodigal son which was beautifully reported in writing by Saint Luke.

In the story of the prodigal son, there is not only one son that the father has, but two sons, one of them is the prodigal son. Recall with me from the Scripture, the younger son was a reckless, bad, and worst son the father had. He asked for his inheritance when his father was still healthy and not near death. After he had his inheritance, he left his father and spent his inheritance with prostitutes, drinking, and everything else. After spending all, he became broken. He came back to his father, and his generous father welcomed him back. He even celebrated with a fatted calf to welcome him back. This younger son was so attracted to all the attractions of this world that he foolishly lived his life. The good thing about this younger son was he recognized his wrongdoings and came back to reconcile with his father, and he was welcomed back.

The older son, on the other hand, was with his father all the time. He was no better than the younger son. He was so attracted to all the attractions of the world as well, and above all, he was envious of his younger brother and failed to see his loving and generous father. He complained to his father saying, “Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns,
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.” This son never saw his father as the father but as his boss. Just like his younger brother, he was more interested in the attractions of this world than seeing that he had a loving and generous father.

In the story of these two sons, the two words in English that are worth understanding, having and being. Both are the two infinitive verbs, to have and to be. To have means to possess or to own; while to be referred to as quality, achievement, and characteristic. What is the difference between having filled and being filled? Perhaps, the older son was filled with all that his father had, but he failed to recognize his father’s love and generosity. He always had what his father had, but he failed to see his father’s love and generosity. The younger son was filled at his recognition of his father's love and generosity. The state of being filled describes the present moment of being filled with the love and the generosity of the father that at one point, he lost; and now, he found it.

The Israelites reported in today’s first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, was having filled with grace and blessing to be free from slavery, they failed to recognize that and began to make a molten calf and worshipped it that the Lord in his anger said to Moses, “Go down at once to your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved.” They have been filled with depravement or corruption. Having been filled with corruption, the Israelites lost sight of God and worshipped the false god, a molten calf.

Have you and I ever having filled with God in our lives or been filled with God in our lives? What is the difference between having filled with God and being filled with God? Having filled with God, the devil might sneak into our lives and tempt us saying, “You are Christian. You believe in him. He dies for your sins. You are safe. So, just sin, and you are still fine.” Just as the older son said to his father, “All these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends,” we might say to God, “I’m a Christian all my life. I go to Mass every weekend, yet you never make me rich or better than those who are not even Christian.” We fail to be in the state of being filled rather than having filled. The fact that the air that we breathe every moment of our lives we are filled with God who holds us into existence.

A student once asked his master, “How do I know that I’m filled with God in my life?” The master replied by pouring tea into a cup on the table. The cup was filled with tea, but he continued to pour it into the cup that overflew the cup and spilled on the table and the floor. To it, the student couldn’t hold himself and said, “Stop! It’s overflown.” To him, the master said, “to be filled with God. You must first empty your mind.” When we are filled with all kinds of attractions of this world, we cannot be filled with God. Have you had filled with God or been filled with God? How would we be filled with God? The decision is yours.

23th Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 18:52:22 GMT

23 ^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Half Hearted Christianity

Joke: The doctor says to a lady, “Your husband needs rest and peace. Here are some sleeping pills.” The wife asks the doctor, “When must I give them to him?” The doctor says, “They are for you...”

Is this the kind of Peace that the Lord intended when he created the universe and all within it? All today’s readings focus on the two words spoken by the Lord Jesus: Peace and Division that Saint Luke beautifully describes in today’s Gospel.

Peace is an important theme throughout the Gospel of Luke. However, in today’s Gospel, he repeats what the Lord Jesus taught his disciples and his followers saying, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” We might believe that the Lord comes to bring division rather than peace; therefore, we just have to suffer or deal with it when there is division in our family, in our community, or this world. From the beginning, when God created this universe and all that it contains, including our human beings, He created everything good. His intention and his purpose are to bring everything well into existence. In His image and likeness, He created us, male and female with a free will to choose to follow what he commanded us or not. Created in his image and likeness, God didn’t bring division, suffering, war, or anything in that nature upon us right from the beginning of the creation, rather he gave us free will, happiness, and peace to joyfully live in that garden. It is that free will that Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and we brought division upon ourselves, isolated ourselves away from God, and distanced ourselves from being good that God intended when he created us. Just as Adam disobeyed God being isolated away from God and recognized that the shame of being naked with them didn’t feel shame before they ate the forbidden fruit, Jesus Christ, by his obedience to God, restored that brokenness and repaired that division with God by Grace. There is an American saying, “There is nothing free in America.” It is truly so with God that there is a cost to achieve true peace, the state of grace, the heaven. This cost might be a division within a family. This is why the next two chapters of Luke’s Gospel repeat the words of Jesus saying, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” He does not ask us to hate one another, especially our loved ones, but rather, it requires a cost in following the Lord Jesus and in acquiring His peace by placing him above all things, even our loved ones.

The cost of discipleship describes in today’s first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, that one might have to shed his or her life to testify for the truth when the princes come to report to the King saying, “Jeremiah ought to be put to death; he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin.” The cost of being discipleship might require us to shed our own life. King Zedekiah answered the princes saying, “He is in your power; for the king could do nothing with them.” This is very true with us when we are allowed ourselves to let sins allure us and attract us with all the pleasures and the sweetness that this earthly life can offer that we just have to give up. Just as the king is so attractive to the power that he just has to agree with these princes rather than stand for the truth that Jeremiah calling people back to fidelity, we, in our weakness and limitation, sometimes give in to what is so attractive to us, to make us so comfortable that might block our vision to see, our ability to hear, it might even numb our heart to turn away from sins and the allurements of this earthly life. This is very true with us when we get used to the sins—the sins of the flesh; the sins of sacking up without married in the Church; the sins of lying and stealing, of gossiping and hurting others, and many other sins that somehow so attached to us that we just have to give in when it arises. The question is how is it to help us become Jesus’ disciples and acquire his peace rather than division?

Saint Paul offers us the solution describes in today’s second reading saying, “Let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader, and perfecter of faith.” Fixing our eyes on the Lord Jesus gives us strength in following him, and fixing our eyes on him gives us courage in persevering whatever is so difficult and so attached to us in following Him and acquiring his peace. Saint Paul also invites us to examine ourselves, saying, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.” Saint Paul encourages us to examine ourselves that in our moments of temptation, have we had the courage to go against temptation that we might shed blood just as the Lord Jesus himself experienced in the garden of Gethsemane? In the garden of Gethsemane, he experiences the division within himself, the temptations that the devil presents to him after 40 days of fasting torn him b/w obedience to the Father’s will or to go against His Father’s will that he has to call on His Father, “Why have you forsaken me?” Perhaps, in our temptations, have we experienced the division that might trouble us to make a decision? At that moment, have we tried to fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus, or have we allowed the allurements and the pleasures of this earthly life to cover our eyes to look upon the Lord Jesus? Even though, sometimes, we just give into temptation rather than go against it b/c of its nature of pleasure and comfort that’s attractive to our human nature, do we remember to come back to the Lord, to seek forgiveness, and to try to fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus again? Among the cost of discipleship, acquiring peace, and division, which one do we see ourselves are more attractive to? How can we eliminate division to follow the Lord and acquire his peace? The decision is yours.

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

admin@stpaultheapostlecc.com (Tomasz Kozub) — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 20:12:21 GMT

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Owner Making an Honor with a Humble Inner Outfit

Joke: Story told that when we die, we are given some chalks to write all our sins while we’re climbing up on a ladder leading up to heaven. There was a parish, the president of the finance committee died not too long after the pastor died. The president met Saint Peter at the bottom of the ladder handing him chalk to write down his sins while climbing up the ladder leading to heaven. While he was climbing up and writing down all his sins, he suddenly saw his pastor coming down the same ladder. He asked his pastor why he was coming down. The pastor replied, “I’m coming down to get more chalk.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, Saint Luke reports in his writing. He observed and saw people choosing the places of honor at the table. To them, he taught a lesson of humility saying, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at a table in the place of honor.” What did he mean not to choose a place of honor when they were invited to a wedding banquet? Don’t we all want to be recognized for our presence at any function reception including weddings? Who is the one that would be honored? Who is the one deciding to honor anyone, especially at the heavenly banquet? Who were these people that Jesus focused in this story?

To answer these questions, Jesus invites us to join him in a wedding banquet that he and his apostles were invited to. The people that Jesus focused in this wedding banquet were the distinguished guests, the high-class guests, the scribes, and the Pharisees, especially the Pharisees who always thought and believed that they were the holy ones and knew the laws. Jesus particularly focused on these Pharisees because the wedding banquet was prepared at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. As people with an important status in society, they often chose a seat of honor at a banquet.

Since they were the ones with higher status in society, they were right so to choose an honored seat at any high function reception such as a wedding banquet. It was a usual gesture to make in that culture at that time. It seemed normal, but why did Jesus mention this in his teaching? The owner of the wedding banquet was the one who knew better who should have a better seat at the banquet than any other ones invited. However, this is just the banquet here on earth that Jesus wants to redirect our attention to the banquet in heaven where God is the owner of that banquet. He is the only one who decides who is honored and who is not in his heavenly banquet. Nobody else has that privilege except God himself.

In this walk of life, we might be vested with many different outfits, the outfit of beauty, the outfit of money, the outfit of talent, and the outfit of status in society. We often judge one another through the appearance of our outfits. However, God looks into the depth of our beings and not from appearances. At the banquet in heaven, he will not look at our physical outfit, the outfit that the society and the culture vest on us, but he will focus on our inner outfit.

So, what is our inner outfit if it’s not our humility to acknowledge the need for God in our life? How would we recognize that we need God in our life? In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us saying, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, [and] the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” In chapter five of Luke, Jesus reminds the Pharisees, the Scribes, and his disciples and every one of us saying, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

The book of Sirach from today’s first reading also reminds us of the teaching of the father saying to his child, “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.” In other words, in all we do and say in our life, we are invited to conduct them with humility. It is even better than the gifts that we offer at Mass. It is better than the prayers that we say each day. It is better than the time we spend reading the words of God in Scripture. When we conduct our words and deeds with humility is when we find favor with God. The question is: How would we conduct our words and deeds with humility? Learn to accept criticisms when someone presents them to us. If it’s a nice criticism, thank them. If it’s bad criticism, don’t quickly get mad, but be patient and examine ourselves (if there is smoke, there is fire.)

We might wrongly place honor on someone here on these earthly banquets. But in heaven, God is solely one who makes the honor of someone according to his or her good words and good deeds on earth. He will judge us not by our society’s status or cultural favor, but he will judge us through our inner outfit with humility. So, how would we vest our inner outfit if it’s not with humility? The decision is yours.

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Sat, 18 Jun 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Joke: Mother-in-law and wife are often caused tension in the family of a newly married couple. A funeral director called the wife for further instructions about her mother-in-law’s body. “Do you want her embalmed, cremated, or buried?” “All the three!” the wife answered promptly. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

Has Christ embalmed, cremated, or buried? Christ was buried in the tomb for sure according to the Bible. So, if he died and was buried, how could he give us his Body and Blood that the Church celebrates as The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ today?

To answer this question, let’s dive into today’s second reading, written in the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthian community saying, “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over , took bread, and, after he had given thanks , broke it and said , "This is my body that is for you . Do this in remembrance of me ." It is the same with the cup to proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. The bread that he identified himself as his body for his disciples at the table and commanded them to do in remembering him. This confirms that it is not the bread anymore, but it is his body given to his disciples. Consuming a little water mingled with wine to proclaim his death. His last supper with his disciples constituted the Most Holy Eucharist.

Why do Catholics have Mass, not only on weekends but every day? When are we going to stop celebrating Mass? We celebrate Mass every day because Jesus commanded us to do it in remembrance of him. As he commanded us, we never stop celebrating Mass until he comes again. What if Jesus did not die, we would not have Mass. Had Jesus ever eaten with his disciples before his last supper with them? Many times perhaps, but his last meal with his disciples what constituted Most Holy Eucharist. If there was no passion and death, there would be no last supper.

If there’s no last supper, there would be no Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. How would Jesus give us his Body and Blood? They are a piece of bread and a sip of grape wine, how can they become the Body and Blood of Christ? What makes these two species become his Body and Blood? In the Eucharistic Prayer III, the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine and says, “Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: By the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and + Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.” This bread and wine immediately become the Body and Blood of Christ. Then, en persona Christi , in the Person of Christ, the priest takes bread and repeats the words of Jesus saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body , which will be given up for you ” and so with the cup. The words, “For you,” we are Catholics in union with the Pope and not for other faith. Therefore, for other denominations, when they come for Mass, at the Communion, we would ask them to cross their hands when they come up for Communion. Instead of receiving Communion, they will receive a blessing.

Why do we need to receive the Body and Blood of Christ? To answer this, in today’s Gospel, Saint Luke describes clearly the scene in which Jesus fed people with only two fish and five loaves of bread in a deserted place. Jesus took the bread and the fish, said the blessing over them, broke them and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. In Eucharistic Prayer III, “He himself took bread and giving you thanks , broke it, and gave it to his disciples.” Each time we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we are reminded that his Body is the Bread of life and his Blood is the Chalice of salvation for us. Therefore, to have life and salvation, we are invited to receive the Body and the Blood of Christ. Jesus did not only die for salvation but also to become Food and Drink for everlasting life. What have we done to deserve it? Should we come more often to receive him in this walk of life? What are you looking for after this earthly life? The decision is yours.

Happy Father's Day to All Fathers

The Most Holy Trinity Sunday

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Joke: One parishioner said, “The Trinitarian God is a lot like our pastor. I don’t see him through the week and I don’t understand him on Sunday.”

Three persons but one God is very difficult to know and understand. Today, the Church celebrates the Most Holy Trinity, Three Persons, the same essence, very distinct from one another, and yet only One God. It is a mystery. How do we understand three Persons, but one God? Who is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Who do we often pray to and why?

God the Father, the Creator that we learn from the book of Genesis. However, why do we call him God the Father? Is it because he has a Son who is Jesus Christ? How do we know that Jesus Christ the Son of God the Father? We know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God through the Scriptures, Matthew, for an instant, reported that the moment that Jesus came up from the water of baptism, the heavens were opened and a voice from the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). If Jesus Christ did not have the same essence as God the Father, he would not call him Son.

Recalling a conversation I had with my co-worker when I still worked at FedEx head-quarter in Memphis, Tennessee. Mike liked to talk about religion, so he once said to me, “I don’t understand why you Catholics believe that Jesus is God and not that he is just a human being like all of us?” “Would you agree with me,” I said, “that in the Scriptures, the moment that Jesus came up from the water, there was a voice from the heavens saying to him, “This is my beloved Son?” “Yes,” he responded. “Then,” I said, “for God the Father to call Jesus his Son, he had to be God as well. Just as you cannot call a dog your son when he is not a human being, so God the Father cannot call Jesus his Son if he is not God himself. You cannot call a fish your daughter when it’s just an animal and not a human being.” “If Jesus was God,” he asked, “Then how comes he died on the Cross? God cannot die.” “God cannot die and will never die,” I said, “but Jesus did die on the Cross. The moment that the Son of God, God himself, accepted to vest on himself our human flesh through the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the moment that he accepted all human weaknesses and limitations just like any other human being except sins. He couldn’t be born in Jerusalem and present in America at the same time. He had to eat and drank like any other human being when he was hungry and thirsty.” In Jesus Christ, there exist two inseparable natures, divine and human. When he died on the cross, it was His human nature that died and not God. Thanks to God the Son who came to us to lead us to God the Father. It is through God the Son Jesus Christ, that we can call God, Abba , Father as Matthew reported the teaching of the Lord’s prayer saying, “Our Father in heaven” (Mt 6:9).

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds the Roman community and us that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith.” It is through Christ, we have found peace and gained access to faith. Why? It is in Jesus Christ, that there are two natures: Divine and human. As Jesus a human, we are easily related to him. As Jesus God, we are able to call God the Father “Abba.” It is only through Jesus Christ. This is why we are easy to pray to God the Father or God the Son than to God the Holy Spirit.

In the very first chapter of Genesis, the Lord God created the universe and what was contained in it by saying the Word and it came into being. This Word is the Son of God and God himself Saint John beautifully started his Gospel by saying, “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). What happens to God the Holy Spirit? Was there a point when God the Holy Spirit began to show up? Recalling from the book of Genesis, after “the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen 2:7). This breath of life is the Holy Spirit who was also with God the Father and God the Son right from the beginning. Therefore, right from the beginning of creation, there were three distinct Persons but One God appeared.

What is it to do with us on our Christian journey? As a creature that God, the three Persons, created, we ought to give thanks to God the Most Holy Trinity. We are drawn closer to God the Son because he vested on himself our human flesh to be with us and to be like us except for sins. God the Son the Lord Jesus Christ is so closed to us to lead us to God the Father. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, we are given the strength to live the words of Jesus’ teaching. So, to come to God the Father, we are invited to follow the Lord Jesus’ teaching. With the gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us to live with the Lord Jesus teaches us. Among the most Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, whom have you been drawn closer to? How is your relationship with your father? God the Son obeyed his Father even to the point of death, death on the cross, have you, son or daughter, obeyed your parents? As the love that abides the Three Persons in God together, how is your love for your parents? How is your love for your children? The decision is yours.

Pentecost Sunday--From Bulletin

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Questions arise around the word “Forgiveness” such as: What is forgiveness? Who needs forgiveness? And who needs to forgive? Who has the authority to forgive other(s)?

As children of Adam and Eve, we are all inherited the original sin through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are washed of our original sin. However, it does not mean that after Baptism we never sin again. Therefore, forgiveness is a need for forgiveness when we hurt God or one another somehow and someway.

Honest ourselves, we all hurt God and one another. Just as Jesus himself, born as a Jews under the Jewish laws, forgave the sins of a prostitute, the tax collector, and others because they violated God’s laws and the Jewish laws, so we too, more or less, violate God’s laws, human laws, and society’s laws either consciously or unconsciously.

How many of us are conscious to keep the right speed of 35 mph on the street with the speed limit of 35 mph especially when we are in hurry? How often have we passed the speed limit of 60 mph on high way when we might not be in hurry? How often do we turn to the ones around us to talk to them instead of focusing on reading a book or being busy with the iPhone and ignoring the presence of others around us? How well do we keep silent instead of talking and whispering while others are praying or meditating in silence? How have we helped financially to our Church when we hesitate to be a generous contribution, but we spend extravagantly on trips and leisure or material possessions?

Thanks to God that he allows us to reconcile with God and with one another through the Sacrament of Reconciliation that he gave his disciples and their successors the authority to forgive sins when he said to his disciples reported in today’s Gospel saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Let’s remain strong in the Lord Jesus Christ, faithful in his teaching, and dare to live his Word.

Not that Jesus’ disciples have the power to forgive sins, but they also have the power to commit sins as well. Pope Francis, when he’s asked how often he goes to confession, his response reported by Cindy Wooden from Catholic News Service saying that “he goes to confession every two weeks, knowing that God never tires of forgiving those who repent, but also knowing that having a priest say "I absolve you" reinforces belief in God's mercy.” Let’s remember God’s mercy endures forever and come often to receive the forgiveness of sins. The decision is yours.

Sunday--Ascension of the Lord

Sat, 28 May 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Just as “I lost three pounds on a diet, and I found them and five more,” the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven found himself is still with us together with the Holy Spirit as well. Was Jesus taken up into heaven and left us alone? Abandon us? In today’s Alleluia verse reminds us that Jesus is with us always until the end of the world. Is he still with us? Not physically, but Spirit? Or how?

Visiting Holy Land, there are three Ascension Churches, one was erected by Queen Helena recalling from chapter one of the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus took his disciples to the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath’s day’s journey from Jerusalem, blessed them and commissioned them, and then ascended into heaven. The second Church was erected called the Chapel of the Ascension which later became a mosque possessed by Muslim. The third one is the Russian Church of Ascension whose tower has marked the skyline of Jerusalem since it was built in 1878. In these three places claimed the place of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus, the first one was the most impressive one because in this Church of Ascension, in 384 AD, a pilgrim by the name Egeria found two large foot prints embedded in the rock believed that precisely the point where Jesus was taken up into heaven. Therefore, Jesus left us with his two footprints?

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke reminds us that, “As [Jesus] blessed [his disciples,] he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.” The Lord Jesus might not be physically among us just as he was with his disciples, but his blessing is always with us. The kind of blessing that he himself received from God the Father that Saint Paul was convicted and shared with the Ephesians community saying, “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.” His blessing is extended through the hands of the priest since his hands are consecrated at his ordination that he acts en persona Christi , he acts in the person of Christ. So, the priest’s blessing is the extension of the Lord Jesus’ blessing that any religious article, statue, rosary, or etc. that is blessed by the hands of the priest, it cannot be trashed but has to be burnt or buried.

Not only his blessing he left us, but also as he promised to his disciples before he’s taken up into heaven, reported in today’s first reading, taken from the book of Acts of the Apostles saying, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In his blessing extended through the hands of a priest accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are invited to live our baptismal call to be priest, prophet, and king. The decision is yours.

6th Sunday of Easter C

Sat, 21 May 2022 18:59:00 GMT

Joke : A little boy stops in front of a church with his bike, and he sees the pastor come out. The boy wants to go in the church but is afraid his bike will be stolen. He tells the pastor his concern, and the pastor says "Don’t worry, the Holy Spirit will watch it.” So the little boy goes inside and the pastor says, "Let me show you how to make the sign of the cross. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Now you try it.” So the boy says, "In the name of the Father and the Son, Amen.” The pastor says, "What happened to the Holy Spirit?" The boy replied "He’s busy outside, watching my bike. I don’t want to bother him.”

The Holy Spirit is busy. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father sends in the name of the Son is not so busy. Otherwise, the disciples of Jesus might not get any help from the Advocate. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit reported in today’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus’ disciples reminded people that it is not that one is saved by the Mosaic practice of circumcision, but it is “to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.” These teachings were under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to remind people not to use the meat sacrificed to idols or the blood and the meats of strangled animals which were choked and slaughtered by cutting the throat and draining the blood according to Jewish Law. Also, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people should abstain from unlawful marriage. It seemed that the work of the Holy Spirit cannot accomplish if there is no human cooperation. The role of the Holy Spirit is to teach, help, and remind us what to say and what to do to honor God the Father.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” How did Jesus leave his peace with his disciples if it’s not to allow them to see his hands and to touch his side to increase their faith amid doubt? How did Jesus leave his peace with his disciples if it’s not to allow them to catch much fish and to eat in front of their eyes after being resurrected from the dead when Peter and the other disciples caught nothing all night long? How did Jesus leave his peace with his disciples if it’s not to allow them to recognize him at the breaking of the bread after he was resurrected from the dead? The peace that Jesus left for his disciples amid fear and doubt after his death was his true presence in the flesh and eating and conversing with them. Amid fear and doubt, Jesus strengthened them with his peace by allowing them to experience his being present in the flesh among them after being resurrected from death. He was present to his people in the flesh when he was alive and after his resurrection from the dead, but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit was present to the disciples and all of us in the form of the Spirit to guide us, to remind us, and to help us in following the Lord Jesus’ teachings.

Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit taught the disciples and us in truth, and whatever they taught us was from God the Father instructed them. However, Jesus taught his disciples in a concrete matter such as to die for the one you love by dying on the cross for the sake of the whole human race. He allowed himself to be caught so to free his disciples. The blood and water came out from his side to show how much he truly loved humanity. He loved his disciples by bending his knees to wash their feet and shared the same table with the one who betrayed him. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, strengthened the disciples to go out to witness the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus even to the point of death. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they spoke in different languages. Or rather, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, people could understand Jesus’ disciples in their own language. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they could listen to and understand the teachings of Jesus’ disciples.

5th Sunday of Easter C

Sat, 14 May 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Joke : "What does agape love mean?” asked the teacher. “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's agape love."

“What is love?” is a title of a song, written by Dee Dee Halligan, that suggested that love caused pain and hurt. Is love all about hurting and pain? Is love all about giving and not receiving? Is love all about what one can do while the other does not care? Is love all about what one can say and do has to be in the mind of the other? Is love all about possession, hurting, and pain? Is love all about loving others and not oneself? Is love all about loving God and not others or both? What is love, the love of a new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples, love one another?

In today’s Gospel, Saint John described a scene when Judas received the morsel from the hand of Jesus, he left, and Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” The moment that Judas left was the moment of coming closer to the passion and the death of Jesus. Why was it his passion and death coming and it was also a glorified moment at the same time? Was it only in suffering and passion that the Lord Jesus was glorified? Would he be glorified if he didn’t have to suffer passion and death? Or was it both suffering and glory the two sides of a reality? Welcome to our human club. It seems that suffering and glory are the two sides of a coin of the reality of human beings. As human beings, one cannot avoid either one but learn to accept and embrace them.

Jack Dempsey, a light heavyweight boxer championed from 1919 to 1926 recalled one of his champions. He could only fall into sleep for an hour after his champion match, he woke up all sweat. He dreamt that he lost his champion, and he couldn’t go back to sleep. He decided to drive out to get the newspaper to read the news to ease himself. Reading the news about his championship, thoughts came to his mind. He finally learned that all his energy, his time, and his training were to get what they called the trophy which only excited him for a few hours. His suffering and glory ended at the age of 87. At his passion and death, Jesus was glorified for the sake of the salvation of the whole human race. Unlike Jack Dempsey, his suffering and glory left him the reality of glory only lasted for a short time, but for Jesus, his glory gave us hope that one day, we will be glorified with him in his heavenly kingdom.

The new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.” This is how people will know that they are his disciples if they love one another. Why was that new commandment to love one another and not to love God? Can one separate the love of God and the love of one another? Or rather, these, to love God and to love one another, are the two sides of the true and only one love? Indeed, can one love God without loving others? Or can one love others without loving God? Why did Jesus emphasize the love of one another rather than the love of God? Who are we, and who is God? Aren’t we human beings that there is time to be born and there is time to be taken away from this earthly life? God, on the other hand, is eternal. Since we are finite creatures, we should be able to love one another more easily than to love God who is infinite. It doesn’t mean that we cannot love God. But if we cannot love one another whom we can experience with our five senses, how can we love God whom we cannot even see?

Also, as a finite being, or rather corrupted being by sin, we might put on a fake face of love for God. If we pay attention to the love that we have for God, we might be able to realize that we love ourselves rather than God when we say that we love God. We love God because he is good, merciful, generous, slow to anger, and rich in kindness. He has the power to shower down blessings on us, and he also has the power to take away everything we have. We love God so that we can benefit from that love. This love seems to be like the love we have for those who are rich, who have high standards and power in life. It seems that we love those people, but in reality, we love ourselves because we love them for our benefit. Make no mistake, Jesus gave his new commandment to ask those who wanted to be his disciples to love one another. How do we love one another?

4th Sunday of Easter C--From Bulletin

Sat, 07 May 2022 20:00:00 GMT

Parenting children at any age can be tough if there is no mutual understanding and commitment. Many conducting surveys have concluded that parents have a harder time when their children are from the age of twelve to fourteen. It might be because of issues with identity, dating, and friends. Not only with these issues but also with disagreements such as curfew and social restrictions, choice of friends, school performance, dating, clothes, and makeup. So, how do you talk to your teens?

According to Medicine Net, Dan Brennan, MD, a medical reviewer suggests talking to the teen indirectly is better than talking directly to them. “How’d you do on the quiz?” for example, can come across as too much. Actively listening seems to make the teens feel safe enough to tell you what’s going on and ask for advice when they need it. According to Doctor Brennan, some reasonable limits need to be set such as respect for privacy—don’t snoop on your child’s calls or texts, but make sure you know where they are at all times; quality time—set aside time away from work and other responsibilities to give your child full attention; limit screens—limit screen time and set curfews on technology use to encourage good sleep; and internet safety—talk to your child about the dangers of social media and teach them to be internet savvy. [1]

Active listening is a gift that God granted to all our mothers. Mother learns to listen to her child when he or she was still in the womb. She learns when the child is upset or happy. She learns when the child is hungry or sleepy. When she gives birth to her child is the most joyous moment in her life. She increases her listening skill by raising her child from the moment he or she opens the womb throughout his or her life. It is a tremendous gift that God granted to our mother, the gift of actively listening. What have we, children, done to deserve our mother’s care? How should we repay her for her care and for actively listening to our concerns and many things in our life? Just as Jesus reminds his disciples and each one of us reported in today’s Gospel that his sheep hears his voice, we are reminded to hear our mother since she was the one who conceived us, carried us in her womb, and raised us to be who we are now.

To our deceased mothers, make an active novena to pray for the repose of their souls. To our living mothers, love them and present them a gift of listening, but above all is to pray for her well-being to continue to journey with us in this walk of life. The decision is yours.

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother's Day

Sat, 07 May 2022 18:00:00 GMT

I Ask God

I ask God for a Divine body, but He gives me a human body.

So that I can experience what my mom experiences.

I ask God for a Divine brain, but He gives me a human brain.

So that I can understand my mom’s needs.

I ask God for a Divine mouth, but He gives me a human mouth.

So that I can ease my mom in my words.

I ask God for a Divine lung, but He gives me a human lung.

So that I can experience the need for air as my mom needs in her sickness!

I ask God for a Divine heart, but He gives me a human heart.

So that I can feel the pain and the suffering that my mom has gone through.

I ask God for a Divine vein, but He gives me a human vein.

So that I can depend on God when I see my mom’s vein busted in her hands.

I ask God for the Divine hands, but He gives me human hands.

So that I can join my mom’s hands with my hands in prayer when she is not able to go to Church.

I ask God for the Divine feet, but He gives me human feet.

So that I can be my mom’s walker when she is not able to walk by herself.

I ask God for a Divine Being, but He gives me a human being.

So that I can depend on Him when I cannot help my mom any better.

I ask God for Divine strength, but He gives me human strength.

So that with my limited strength, my mom can find strength in God.

Finally, I ask God to let me take my mom’s pain and suffering on myself,

But He insists on suffering and pain my mom,

So to teach me: Only God is the One in control, and nobody else can take his place.

NHỚ MẸ

Nhớ mẹ năm tháng còn xuân,

Bôn ba vất vả, nắng mưa sớm chiều!

Một tay quán xuyến tiền nong,

Một tay lo lắng, nuớc cơm cho chồng!

Con cái mẹ chẳng hề quên,

Sớm hôm nhắc nhở chuyên cần cầu xin!

Học hành mẹ chẳng bằng ai,

Kinh hạt thì mẹ rất rành khỏi chê!

Nhớ mẹ những lúc chồng xa,

Lo lắng đủ điều, mẹ giờ khác xưa!

Nhớ mẹ khi lúc chồng xa,

Một tay chợ búa, một tay thợ rèn!

Người anh tuổi còn thiếu niên,

Mẹ dạy, mẹ nắn thành anh thợ rèn!

Nhớ mẹ khi lúc rời quê,

Mẹ bước ra đi chỉ vì thương con!

Nhớ mẹ những lúc ở Tây,

Dựng vợ, gả chồng, con cháu thật đông.

Nhớ mẹ dạy cháu, dạy con,

Mỗi tối nhớ đến đọc kinh ở nhà!

Nhớ mẹ những lúc chiều về,

Chân tay yếu ớt, mẹ giờ đổi thay!

Nhớ mẹ tóc đã bạc thưa,

Chân cong, tay yếu nay cần nhờ con!

Nhớ mẹ một niềm cậy trông,

Tin tưởng vào Chúa mẹ luôn nhắc hoài!

Nhớ mẹ khuyên rủ riêng con,

Đừng bỏ Chúa nhé, mẹ luôn nguyện cầu!

Nguyện cầu bền vững, kiên trung,

Luôn tin cậy Chúa, chẳng màng thế gian!

Lời mẹ thánh thót bay cao,

Lên Thiên tòa Chúa, Ngài thương nhậm lời.

Rằng ban cho mẹ người con,

Linh Mục của Chúa chăm lo nguyện cầu.

Mẹ còn có cả người con,

Dâng mình cho Chúa, phục vụ tha nhân.

Ở nơi hẻo lánh xa xôi!

Mẹ thương, mẹ nhớ, cầu nguyện cho Sơ!

Giờ đây mẹ đã nghỉ yên,

Chẳng còn đau đớn, chẳng còn lo chi!

Một đời tin cậy Chúa Cha,

Một đời hy sinh theo Con của Ngài!

Dù cho sóng gío ngược suôi,

Thánh Linh đưa đẩy dẫn đường cho me!

Xin tình yêu Chúa Ba Ngôi,

Mau đưa dẫn mẹ về hưởng thánh nhan.

Xin Máu Thánh Chúa Kitô,

Tẩy rửa sạch tội sớm đưa về trời.

Xin Mẹ chí Thánh đoái thương,

Cầu bầu cùng Chúa giúp mẹ chúng con.

Amen.

3rd Sunday of Easter C

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Joke : When her late husband’s will was read, a widow learned he had left the bulk of his fortune to another woman. Enraged, she rushed to change the inscription on her husband’s tombstone. “Sorry, lady,” said the stonecutter. “I inscribed ‘Rest in Peace’ on your order. I cannot change it now.” “Very well,” the widow said grimly. “Just add ‘Until we meet again.”

There is a certain “fishiness” about us too. Like the fish, we are immersed in a sea of troubles and distractions, easily alarmed and agitated by every ripple of excitement, every shadow of a doubt that crosses our paths. Our daily life is so dangerous with temptations, and we allow ourselves to be hooked on so many creature comforts such as drugs, alcohol, sex, and many more. Today's miracle is also the miracle of our lives. The question is how does Jesus, through his church, throw his net over us to catch us, to turn us away from sins and temptations? Brothers and sisters, it is not only a net of grace and love, but he specifically instructs his disciples and the Church to do what he commands them to do. Jesus said to his disciples, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” In catching people for God’s vineyard, it is not only about spreading the Good News, reading and understanding the Scriptures but above all is to doing what Jesus instructs us to do. Jesus commands his disciples to cast the net, not to sit the net. To do the work, and not mumble the words. He gave a straight direction to cast the net over the right side of the boat, and not to the left side. To bring love, mercy, and forgiveness to others, rather than to condemn, criticize, and harbor hatred.

In today’s first reading, Peter and the apostles carried out their faith beautifully when they are in front of the elders and the Sanhedrin profess without fear saying, “We must obey God rather than men.” Why did Peter and other apostles obey God, specifically the Lord Jesus? Because they believed that He is God that was described in today’s second reading, taken from the book of revelation when John said that he heard “The voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They cried out in a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.’” Who is the Lamb if it isn’t the Lord Jesus? It is love that God sent his only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to come to us, to show us the way to the Father, and to help us turn away from sins and temptations with his grace and love.

2nd Sunday of Easter C--Divine Mercy Sunday

Sat, 23 Apr 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Joke : A priest was forced by a traffic policeman to pull over for speeding. As the cop was about to write the ticket, the priest said to him, " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy ." The cop handed the priest the ticket and said, " Go, and sin no more ."

What does mercy mean? Does it mean to have mercy this time, then we go back and sin again and ask for mercy again? Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” To him, Jesus replied, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Mercy and forgiveness are two different words, but they have the same root. They seem to have two different meanings, but they cause by the same root. They seem to have different approaches, but they approach the same goal. What are that root and goal if it’s not LOVE?

In today’s Gospel, John captured a scene of the gathering of Jesus’ disciples in a house with the doors locked for the fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” In fear and frightened of the Jews, Jesus strengthened them with peace, he then showed his hands and his side to remind them that following him, they will have to suffer. But even while suffering, his peace is always with them. The peace of Christ did not only with his disciples through suffering, but his peace granted them the power to forgive sins. He granted them the gifts of the Holy Spirit to forgive sins saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Therefore, the peace of Christ, on one hand, reminded them that they had to go through suffering; and on the other hand, it is to give them the power of forgiveness.

Mercy comes from the Hebrew word rachamin which is derived from the name of the most motherly organ in the human body: the womb, “ rachem”. This is where the strongest connection of compassion and love are bonded between the mother and the baby respectively. It seems that mercy, then, is rooted in a family’s relationship. The mercy that we learn and experience in our own family. This kind of relationship appears over and over again throughout the Scriptures.

The story of the prophet Hosea is reported in the Old Testament by Hosea himself. The word of the Lord came to Hosea, son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and asked him to marry a woman of prostitution. Hosea did marry a prostitute by the name of Gomer who conceived and bore him some children by their names such as Jezreel, Not-Pitied, and Not-My-People to describe the unfaithful relationship between the Israelites and God. Even though Gomer was unfaithful to the prophet Hosea, he still loved her and hoped that she would change her way of life. Just as Hosea loved his wife Gomer and hoped that she changed her way of life even though she said, “I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink,” the Lord still hoped that we turned back to him and changed our way of life. The mercy of the Lord endures forever. Just as Hosea forgave the sins of his wife over and over again, the Lord also continuously forgives us over and over again when we acknowledge our sins and come back to him.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday and in a showing of the wounds on his hands and his side reported in today’s Gospel, we are invited to have mercy and forgiveness to one another beginning in our own family. How would we have mercy and forgiveness towards one another in our own family if we cannot love one another? Love is the root of mercy and forgiveness and the goal of mercy and forgiveness, and it is the great commandment that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to us. What is love for you? Can you love someone without having mercy and forgiveness towards him or her? How would you love someone? Have you learned to love your family? How would you love that same love to others? Can you love just as Jesus loves us by suffered and dying on the cross because of loving us? The decision is yours.

Good Friday

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 05:00:00 GMT

Saint John captured a powerful picture of Jesus’ face before his sentence to carry the cross. After being scourged and placing a thorn crown on his head, Pilate presented him to the people and said, “ hecce homo ” translated, “Behold the man!” In the presence of the Prefect, Pontius Pilate, the chief priests, the soldiers, the guards, the Jews, and perhaps, the entire human race, they all want to crucify Jesus whose appearance might be disfigured that Pilate said, “Behold the man!” Have you ever watched the movie “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson? His face was all blood with a thorn crown placed on his head, or rather saying, his face was disfigured, not a face of a human being anymore. Did he bring it upon himself after healing the sick, curing the disease, defending the widow and the oppression, and raising the dead back to life again? Or rather, because of the jealousy, the envy, the pride, the self-center, they disfigured the face of the Son of God, disfigured his human face?

The moment that we are conscious of carrying a heavy cross on our shoulder or carrying someone’s cross on our shoulder, the moment that we need to examine ourselves what causes us to carry a cross or carry someone’s cross? The moment we cheat on our spouse, the moment we distant from our spouse, the moment that we don’t pay attention to our spouse’s needs or our children’s needs, the moment that we isolate ourselves in a secret place to fulfill our flesh desires and to fulfill our pleasure, the moment that we don’t want to listen to our parents, our teachers and the authorities above us, the moment that we cheat it on our homework, our tests, and many other moments, these might be the moments that we disfigure the image of likeness of God on our human face, our human dignity, our human being which God created good right from the beginning. With all the good things that Jesus did, they disfigured his human appearance before making him carry a cross, what good things have we done in the relationship with our spouse, our children, with one another at work, in school, or in our community? Have we ever disfigured the face of our own, the face of others, especially the face of our loved one by the work of cheating, lying, criticizing, judging, manipulating, falsely testifying, verbally arguing, fighting, harboring lustful thoughts, hateful resentments, storing hatred and anger, and many other negative feelings and actions that might disfigure our human appearance or others’ human appearance? The cross that Jesus carried is the only Holy Cross that brought salvation to the whole human race, what is the cross that you and I are carrying? The decision is yours.

Holy Thursday

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 05:00:00 GMT

In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI, Emeritus Bishop of Rome, chose its’ title, “God is Love.” Since God has first loved us, 1 John 4:10, love, pope Benedict said, “is now no longer a mere ‘command;’ it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.” This response is clearly shown in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper tonight in three distinct parts.

Before the Supper, the Lord Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. An act of a servant towards his master. Jesus had humbled himself to wash his disciples’ feet because of his love for them, and he love them to the end that John reported in his writing at the beginning of today’s Gospel.

In the washing of the feet, the Lord Jesus reminds us, even though that we are all cleaned at our baptism, there is no guarantee that we will never sin again. The moment that we harbor hatred, resentment towards others, and even doubt, the moments that we are so attracted to sins and temptations that might block our vision to see God present in our Christian lives. These moments and many other moments that we dive ourselves into sins that God’s love does not only not condemn us, but he helps to wash away our sins by water which symbolized the Holy Spirit. He wipes it with his apron on his waist which symbolized his humble divinity and takes it on our human flesh. Finally, he seals it with a kiss, his true divine nature, which is love.

“God is love,” perhaps, is revealed throughout Jesus’ ministry. His love is to forgive the sin of the prostitute that in return, she washes his feet, not with water, but with her tears and wipes it with her hair. They are the tears of the conversion of heart, and her hair is her true repentance in response to wiping Jesus’ feet. Jesus’ love is also to heal the blind, to cure the sick, and even to raise the dead back to life again by his words, his touch, his command, and above all, by his love, his divine nature love.

His great love does not only point out his disciples’ dirty feet and not condemn or disregard them, but they need to be washed. Throughout his life ministry, Jesus often pointed out the corrupted minds of the Levi, the Pharisees, and the scribes who often focused on the appearances rather than the hearts that the Lord saw. According to the appearances, the cripples, the blinds, the mute, and the deaf were condemned as sinners; but the love of the Lord Jesus touched them, healed them, and restored them with the love of the heart. By the washing of his disciples’ feet, Jesus strongly encouraged us not only to acknowledge that we have sinned against the Lord but also to have the courage to come to confession to wash away our sins. Our forgiveness is not given by the priest, but by the Lord that in the absolution, the priest says, “I absolve you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” By coming to confess our sins, we are restored our relationship with the Lord, with the Church, and with one another. What great is our God who revealed the great act of humility? The question then: Do we have the courage to acknowledge our sins against the Lord, his Church, and one another? Have we had the courage to come to confess? Just as the apostles allowed the Lord Jesus to wash their feet, have we allowed him to wash us, correct our crooked ways of life, change our sinful habits, calm us in our moments of impatience and anger, heal us in our sickness and illness, and above all, to allow him to love us as who we are? With his great commandment to love that Jesus humbly washed his disciples’ feet, have we humbled ourselves to come to others, especially to our loved ones with love? The love of not pointing the finger, but of lovingly correcting and helping each other to be better. The decision is yours.

Palm Sunday Cycle C

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Joke : A three years old boy named Johnny. When it was Palm Sunday, he couldn't wait to go to church to see what Palm Sunday was. But sadly, Johnny came down with chickenpox. His parents hired a babysitter to take care of Johnny while they went to church. When they came home holding palm leaves, Johnny asked, "What are the palm tree leaves for, mom?" She replied, "When Jesus walked through the town, people waved palm leaves at him in respect." Johnny looked upset and said, "Wouldn't you know? The first day that I'm not in the church, he shows up!"

This time two years ago, on this Palm Sunday, we began the Holy Week during a pandemic throughout the whole world, we didn’t celebrate the first part, the commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem as a King seating on a donkey. Why? It was because of the spreading of the coronavirus that there were only those involved in the celebration present. This year, we come back to celebrate with two parts: The commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem as a King seating on a donkey with the congregation’s participation and the long Passion of the Lord describes a King who was to suffer and to die on the Cross. Why does the Church arrange this setting for us to celebrate every year? It is to help us relive Jesus’ last moments on earth. Is it a contradiction when on one hand, we celebrate Jesus’ entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem as a King, and on the other hand, we celebrate his passion and the death of the Lord Jesus?

This contradiction in this liturgy rather portrays a true contradiction within ourselves that we are invited to look at ourselves to see who do we identify ourselves with those people involved in the suffering, passion, and death of Jesus Christ.

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples that he called for himself, whom the Lord Jesus loved like the other eleven. He entrusted to him the money bag of the group for him to take care of. He had a seat at the dining table with the Lord Jesus among the other eleven. However, greed entered his heart, mind, and soul that the words of his master Jesus at the supper saying, “And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.” Even at the words of his master at the supper, Judas still allowed evil spirits that possessed him to betray his master with a kiss. We are Christians, aren’t we? The followers of Christ, aren’t we? We are at the Eucharistic celebration, and we all hear the words of Christ in the celebration of the Word which is the readings. Have you and I ever allowed evil spirits that possessed our mind, heart, and soul to betray Jesus and his Church through our words and our deeds like Judas?

Pilate, the wicket king, wanted to protect his seat that he failed to stand for the truth. Have you and I ever failed to stand for the truth out of our selfishness?

Peter, the prince of the apostles, another disciple of Jesus that he chose for himself, also had a seat with Jesus at the dining table. Even at the words of Jesus warning him of his denying his master, he said to Jesus, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.” But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.” And so it happened. However, between Judas and Peter, one didn’t believe in the mercy and compassion of God that he hung himself after he recognized his false doing, the other, Peter, recognized his denying his master and came back and led the Church that his master entrusted to him before his passion and death. Have you and I ever denied the Lord Jesus? Have you and I ever failed to do the sign of the Cross to say grace before a meal? What does it mean when we fail to do the sign of the Cross?

The twelve apostles that the Lord Jesus called to himself and chose for himself, all sit with the Lord at the table, disputed among themselves when the two of them asked to sit one on his left and one on his right. They all strongly said to follow the Lord Jesus no matter what, but they all ran away when he was caught. Recalling our first Holy Communion, how hunger and thirst we had to receive our first Holy Communion. Later on in our life, we learn to engage in gossip, criticizing, and judging one another. We even said to follow the Lord Jesus when we profess the Creed that we believe in one God, but then we worship other gods as well such as money, work, pleasures of all kinds, and excused ourselves do not having time to Church on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Jesus prayed for his disciples not to be put to the test when they saw them asleep and exhausted, have you and I ever got tired of following the Lord Jesus and the teaching of the Church? Should we pray more when we caught ourselves exhausted in following him and his Church?

5th Sunday of Lent C-From Bulletin Column

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Growing up in an area where houses are open and narrow houses because they have no air conditioning or heat system since it’s a tropical climate, or rather, it’s a poor country and does not have enough land, I have learned a lot. One thing, as a child, I have learned that whenever a family in my neighborhood verbally fighting or even physically fighting, everyone in that neighborhood knows and comes over to check it out. Sadly, people in the neighborhood often come to see what’s going on and criticize or publicize the matter instead of coming to help.

What was interesting enough was what Jesus said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” They went away one by one, beginning with the elders, and left her alone before Jesus. It seemed that she was not the only one who sinned. How comes she didn’t run away when everybody left her alone with Jesus? Unlike others who left because they recognized their sins and didn’t bother to reconcile with the Lord in his presence, this woman recognized her sin and waited for the Lord to forgive her. Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin anymore.”

Have you and I ever sinned against the Lord and one another? Have we recognized our sins? Have we had the courage and strength to allow the Lord to forgive us our sins through the hands of a priest in the sacrament of reconciliation? Have we tried to sin no more than the sins that we committed and asked for forgiveness? Lent is time to help us to practice this. The decision is yours.

4th Sunday of Lent C

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 18:28:00 GMT

Joke: Reconciliation with a hook: An elderly man on the beach found a magic lamp. As he picked it up and started cleaning it, a genie appeared and said: “Because you have freed me I will grant you a wish.” The man responded. “I had a fight with my only and older brother thirty years ago. I want to be reconciled with him so that he may forgive me and start loving me.” The genie said, “I am glad that you didn’t ask for money or riches. Your wish is granted. Are you sick and about to die?” the genie enquired. “No way!” the man shouted. “But my unmarried, older brother is about to die and he’s worth about $60 million!”

In today’s Gospel, under Saint Luke’s writing, we have learned that there is not only a prodigal son in the story, but there is also another son. This son refused to come to celebrate for his younger brother, after spending all his money, came back and was welcomed back and was feasted with a fattened calf. Has the younger brother done anything wrong to the older one? Why has he gotten mad with his younger brother and with his father? Has the older son done anything wrong to his father? Why did he refuse to come to celebrate his younger brother came back?

The younger son said to his father, “Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” Rather saying to him that old man dies and gives to me what belongs to me. Don’t we ask for our inheritance when our dad is dying? We don’t ask when he is still in good health, do we? What is it about this younger son to do with us? Have we ever asked God for our inheritance? For money? What do we do if we received what we asked for? What happens if we don’t receive what we asked for?

The father in today’s Gospel worked hard to have what belonged to him and not belong to the son, but the son claimed it belonged to him. The father was a generous and loving father who just gave his son what he asked for with no question to ask. What did the son do with what his father gave to him? He went to spend his inheritance to satisfy his flesh desires to the point that he broke. Greedy prompted him to ignore his father’s wellbeing to fulfill his desire. When he’s broken that his desire wasn’t fulfilled, it came to haunt him. Haunting to his senses, the younger son recognized his wrongdoing, he came back to his father and asked for forgiveness saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” Have you and I ever felt sorry for what we did wrong and asked for forgiveness? We might not see our wrongdoing to come to ask for forgiveness, have we seen the need to reconcile with God and with one another?

Unlike the younger son, the older son always obeyed his father and never lose sight of his father’s care. This older son saw his father as his boss and not as his father that he said to his father, “Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders.” Those of us come to Mass faithful on every Sunday and holy days of obligation. We try to live God’s commandments and to love one another as the Lord Jesus taught us. But who is God for you? Have you ever seen him as your father? With all the pious deeds and good things you have done, have you deserved to win the lottery to feast with others? To have a promotion at work because you are a Christian?

Out of jealousy, the older son couldn’t see his father as a father but as a boss. Out of jealousy, he couldn’t even recognize that what his father has belongs to him. Jealousy only led him to complaint and complaint as he said to his father, “You never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.” When there is only complaint after complaint, there is no conversation. When there is no conversation, there is no relationship. When there is no relationship, we isolate ourselves away from others. When we isolate ourselves away from others, we are in the stage of loneliness. When we are in the stage of loneliness, we are in the stage of being in the absence of God and others. So when jealousy occurs, we are in the stage of being in the absence of God and others.

3rd Sunday of Lent C

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Joke: Four Christian pastors were riding home after a conference on the necessity of reviving the ancient practice of personal confession in their Christian denominations as the Catholics have it. “Why don’t we try it among ourselves?” asked the senior among them. The others agreed and they started confessing to one another. “I must confess, said the first minister, “that my great and perplexing sin is greed for money which prompts me to give special attention to the rich in my congregation and to participate in all their parties to the point of ignoring the poor.” The second minister joined in: “My sin is gambling. I really enjoy taking chances at lotteries, casinos and even at our neighboring Catholic bingo games.” “Although I have a beautiful wife my big sin is women,” said the third minister. “I enjoy looking at beautiful women. I would even have to call it lust.” The fourth minister remained silent. “What about you, Harry,” they asked. “Don’t you have anything to confess?” “Well,” Rev. Harry said: “my great sin is gossiping. I am impatiently waiting to reach home to tell my wife about your sins!”

Conversion, one of the definitions is, “The act of converting or the state of being converted,” American Heritage Dictionary. The act of converting does not mean to end at the senses, but it needs to sink into the heart. The conversion only happens when whatever is sunk into the heart is carried out into actions. This is the definition of the true conversion described in all today’s readings.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, the book that priests are encouraged to read throughout Lenten season to journey with Moses who led the Israelites out of the state of slavery. Moses first saw the bush on fire but did not consume it. Through this sensory experience of seeing, he was motivated or curious to come to check it out. When he came to check it out, God spoke to him saying, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is Holy ground. I am the God of your father.” Moses wasn’t sure that he dreamt or he was in a moment of doubt. After he was instructed by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, free from slavery, he asked God, “If they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.” Synodal Church, our parish just had the encounter session this weekend, “is the faithful journeying together as the people of God with the Lord Jesus on a pilgrimage of faith toward eternity.” On his journey of faith, Moses encountered the Lord who identified himself as I AM. With the Lord’s instruction, Moses led the Israelites free from slavery. We found in Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the encounter session pointed out, “there are three key figures in this setting: Jesus, the crowd, and the apostles.” Jesus, of course, is the first and most important of the three. He pays special attention to the abandoned and destitute, offering freedom from sin and conversion to hope in the name of the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s Gospel, Jesus offered them a chance not to perish if they repented saying, “if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” Repentance that he invited them to take. How do we repent? Or rather, have we had anything to repent?

When we experience the hurt and the suffering from illness and sickness, the heartbroken from separating, the stress and anxiety from losing the job, and many other difficult experiences that we might experience in our lives, the question we might ask is how do I know God that you are near to me, to protect me, to heal my illness and sickness, to help me fixed my broken marriage, to direct me to find a job, and many others? We all have strengths and weaknesses, according to Carl Jung, pioneer psychologist, and Isabel Briggs Myers, creator of the Myers-Briggs. Our strengths are our reasoning, the free will, higher above all other creatures; and our weaknesses are nothing unfamiliar to us than our bodies. Moses acknowledged his strength when he saw the bush was on fire but not consuming. He accepted his weakness to do what the Lord asked him to do which was to be the leader of the Israelites, to free the Israelites from slavery.

These weaknesses were described in today’s Gospel when Jesus pointed out two new reports: The Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices and those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them. Saint Luke describes, by no means, they were greater sinners than all others. What Jesus emphasized in these two new reports is that if they do not repent, they will all perish as those people did in these two new reports. This was the urgency for conversion that the Lord Jesus invited them to repent. By pointing out these two new reports, Jesus hoped that they understood and repented. How can one repent when one does not even understand it is wrongdoing? Watching porn, for example, recalling from one preparation of a young couple for marriage, they believed that watching porn was not a sin. If what we watch does not retain in our mind and our heart, it is not a sin just like we look at the arts. The problem with porn is that when we watch, it remains in our mind and in our heart which might even trigger our lustful desire in our mind and even in our flesh that we might engage in action. If we don’t see publicizing wrong information about someone as a sin, then there is no such sin as gossiping, criticizing, or judging. Some of us do talk bad about others behind their backs. We might not see it as a sin, and so, there is no need to repent. Is it so?

The urgency for conversion or for repentance that the Lord Jesus invited us today and throughout the Lenten season, have we had anything to repent? How can we experience what Moses experienced and those people who did not repent were killed by Pilate and the falling of the tower at Siloam? The Lord mysteriously speaks to us, and we can only experience his voice calling us to convert or to repent when we open up ourselves to welcome him into our lives, have courage and strength to deliver this inner voice into actions, and above all, to recognize that we sin. Have you had any sin that prompts you to repent? What is sin for you? Lent will be finished soon. What does it mean if we don’t see ourselves changed after Lent is over? When was the last time you went to confession? When was the last time you forgave someone who hurt you? Is there anyone that you find difficult to forgive? The decision is always yours.

2nd Sunday of Lent C

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Joke: Transformation in old age: A grandfather has difficulty remembering what he tried to say, so his grandson sent him to a memory class to help him. The instructor used famous sayings or poems to help students remember what they try to say. After a month of study, the grandson asked, “Grandpa, what is the name of your wife?” Grandpa paused for a second and asked grandson, “What is the name of the red flower that couples give to each other on Valentine’s Day?” “I know. It’s called Rose,” the grandson said. Turning over to his wife, grandpa asked, “Rose, what time is our dinner?”

A moment of transformation at his old age after attending memory class didn’t help him to remember his wife’s name, but it sure helped him to remember to ask what time is for the dinner? Peter, the head of the apostles, out of the three chosen apostles to experience the transfiguration of Jesus, didn’t even see the deeper meaning of Jesus’ transfiguration that when he saw Jesus conversed with Moses and Elijah and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem, he said, "Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." His exodus was going to accomplish in Jerusalem on the mountain of Golgotha where he would reveal his ultimate love on the wood of the cross. This cross then led to his glory in heaven. Peter didn’t understand his exodus revealed in Jerusalem, but his glory when he conversed with Moses and Elijah. The deal that Jesus showed Peter was not just the glory that appeared in front of his eyes that excited him to make three tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus. The deal that Jesus showed Peter rather was his accomplishment in Jerusalem on the mountain of Golgotha where he would reveal his ultimate love on the wood of the cross, and from this cross would lead to his glory in heaven. Peter didn’t see the first part accomplished on the mountain of Golgotha but the glorious transfiguration alone. From suffering and death that leads to glory was a deal that Jesus wanted to show his chosen disciples, and Peter missed it. Has God ever made deal with his people throughout human history?

From the Old Testament, God made a deal with Abram, reported in today’s first reading taken from the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Unlike the deal that God made with his chosen apostles reported in today’s Gospel that was easier and more delightful to accept, the deal that God made with Abram was more dramatic. God made a deal with Abram that when he put his faith in him, his descendants shall be like the stars on the sky and the land to possess. In response to the deal that God made with him, Abram asked the Lord, reported in today’s first reading, saying, “How am I to know that I shall possess it?” To make a promise for this deal, the Lord instructed Abram to cut the animals in halves and put them opposite each other. When the sun had set, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these halves of the animals that the Lord instructed Abram to choose from. What it meant was that if any side didn’t keep the promise of the deal, he will be cut in half and be burned. If God didn’t keep his promise to make Abram’s descendants numerous like the stars on the sky and the land to possess, then he will be cut in half and burnt. If Abram fails to put faith in God, he will be cut in half and burnt as well. Make no mistake that when Abram placed his faith in the Lord, his name changed to Abraham. This was how God made a deal with Abram and changed his name to Abraham, our father in faith.

What is the deal that God continuously revealed to us that Saint Paul experienced and put it so well reported in today’s second reading? The deal that God makes with his people that Saint Paul in tears reminds us saying, “For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things.” The enemies of the cross will result in destruction. Refusing suffering and the difficulties of life is the weakness of the soul. Deny facing the hardship to carry our own cross to follow the Lord Jesus resulted from the cancer of the soul. If we value what comes to our stomach instead of coming to Church to give thanks to God for the gift of life and to continue to keep us in the existence, we deny our very existence of body and soul. We are human beings with body and soul. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Saint Paul reminds us. Therefore, our being is not the body alone, nor the soul alone, but it is the inseparable entity of both body and soul. The moment that God brought Adam into being, he made a deal with him that he could eat anything in the garden except the fruits of the tree in the middle of the garden. The moment that he failed to keep the deal, he was expelled from the garden. However, when Abram placed his faith in the Lord, his descendants become like the stars in the sky. Peter, on the other hand, didn’t fail to keep the deal with God, he failed to understand the deal that God presented to him at his transfiguration. But when he understood, he became a solid rock to lead and to guide the Church. Have you and I ever made a deal with God or did God make a deal with you? What is that deal? Have you kept it? How long have you kept it? Have you ever broken the deal with God? What happened when you broke the deal with God? Is it possible to repair the broken deal with God? Lent is set up for this purpose, to help us to restore our promise with God, to repair the broken deal with God, and to reconcile with God and with one another. The decision is yours.

1st Sunday of Lent

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 19:46:00 GMT

There are three exercises that human beings need to balance to be healthy human beings. These exercises are Physical exercise, Spiritual exercise, and Intellectual exercise or the exercise of the will. These three exercises correspond to the three temptations that Jesus face after forty days of fasting in the desert.

The first temptation, Satan said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus responded, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone .” It is absolutely that our human beings are not all about eating, drinking, and all the pleasures of the flesh. Since we are created differently from animals in that we have our soul, we are not this flesh alone like animals. Therefore, eating and drinking, and enjoying life are the basic needs of our human beings, but they are not all of who we are and what we are. We need to practice our physical exercise to moderate our needs and to control our wants.

The second temptation, Satan said to Jesus, “I shall give to you all this power and glory … if you worship me.” Jesus responded, “It is written, You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve. ” From the beginning of creation, God created man and breathed into his nostril the spirit to bring him into being reported in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. God then is the author of our beings that we should worship him and him alone. Therefore, Jesus’ temptation teaches us to recognize the need for God in our life, and him alone that we worship. This is through the practice of our spiritual exercise.

Third temptation, Satan said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands, they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus responded, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test .” The most beautiful gift that God created us with is the gift of free will. This determination of making a choice needs to be directed towards God to acknowledge the need for him and he alone that we worship with no one else besides him. This can only happen when we learn to practice the exercise of our free will to follow God’s Commandments and the teachings of the Lord Jesus.

Lenten Season is already begun with Ash Wednesday. Let’s take advantage of this Lenten Season to practice to balance these three exercises that corresponded to the three temptations that the Lord Jesus faced in the desert after forty days of fasting and praying.

Ash Wednesday

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 01:21:00 GMT

Joke : An Irishman moves into a countryside, walks into the pub, and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone, and orders three more. As this continued every day the bartender asked him politely, "The folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?" "It’s odd, isn't it?" The man replies, "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank." Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. As this continued for several days, the bartender approached him with tears in his eyes and said, "Folks around here, me, first of all, want to offer our condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know-the two beers and all..." The man ponders this for a moment, and then replies with a broad smile, "You'll be happy to know that my two brothers are alive and well. It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent. Now I am drinking for the other two!"

Giving up for Lent is one of the good practices Lent. However, our giving up of whatever it is will be meaningless if there is no true conversion of heart. In today’s first reading, the Lord said to the people, “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.” Return to the Lord with your heart and not your garments. Giving up soft drink, sweet, smoking, gossiping, criticizing, cheating, lust, liar, or whatever that we want to give up this Lent, it will be meaningless if we hold grudges from others, if we harbor hatred or resentment towards someone, or if we wish ill for others. Return to the Lord with our whole heart, and not only our garments. Or rather, return to the Lord with a true conversion of heart and not only practicing the three pillars of Lent described in today’s Gospel.

What are the three pillars of Lent? They are Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. Give Alms—“When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” When you help someone, you help that person because you want to help or you help because you expect something in return? Prayer—“When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” What is the door of the inner room if it’s not to shut off from all the attractions of this world to be able to reflect on the word of God? Fixing our eyes, ears, heart, mind, and soul on the Lord Jesus in our prayers away from all the attractions of this world is a true prayer that the Lord Jesus invites us. Fast—“When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Is fasting about limiting our eating or our consumption of food and drink? What is it to do with anointing the head and washing the face? Perhaps, the true meaning of fasting is to do good deeds while limiting the consumption of food and drink.

Perhaps, in practicing these three pillars of Lent to help us restore the two relationships revealed on the cross that we are put on our forehead at every beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Two lines appeared on the Cross, the vertical line and the horizontal line. The vertical line expresses our relationship with God, and the horizontal line expresses our relationship within ourselves and with one another. Imagine if there is no vertical line, the horizontal line cannot stand by itself. It means that without a relationship with God on that vertical line, our lives will be collapsed since it cannot stand by itself. However, if we have a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line of the Cross, the Lord Jesus will make himself visible on that Cross to raise us, to protect us, and to help us on that horizontal line. It doesn’t matter how struggles we are on that horizontal line, the Lord Jesus will be there to restore our relationship with one another and within ourselves provided that we have a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line. The question is, how do we build a strong relationship with the Lord on that vertical line of the Cross if it’s not to learn to practice the three pillars of Lent?

The three pillars of Lent—Fast, Pray, and Almsgiving—are only brought to completion when they move from the head to the heart and carry out into actions. The question for us to observe throughout this Lenten season is: Why does the Lord Jesus invite us to fast, to pray, and to give alms without others noticing? We invite you to keep the image of the Cross traced on your forehead on Ash Wednesday to remind you that Lenten Season is a sacred season to help us restore our relationship with God on the vertical line and to restore our relationship with one another and within ourselves appeared on that horizontal line of the Cross. We especially pray for peace in Ukraine and Russia and the whole world.

8th Sunday of Ordinary Time--from Bulletin Column

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 21:00:00 GMT

Recalling of once escaping from Vietnam to come to America, I was in Cambodia getting ready to cross the border to come to Bangkok, Thailand. From there, I could file papers to come to America. For some reason, I was left there and stayed with a family for over a month during the school year of eleventh grade. They then brought me back to Vietnam through the illegal route for business people, those who crossed the country illegally to come to Cambodia to buy things to sell to make a profit in Vietnam. Since it was an illegal crossing, therefore, crossing often took place when it was dark.

All night long, a group of people, including myself, walked and ran after a soldier who led the way. It seemed like we ran on a rough field that sometimes I heard a cry of a child that the mother falling into a ditch because of not being able to see in the dark. Every ten or fifteen minutes, we got stopped by a group of soldiers asking for money. Each time we stopped, each time we had to hand them some money. This was all night long walking and running in the dark.

The Word of Life was absent in this part of the world that the light of Christ couldn’t brighten the way of life for those who lived in it. Some ran away from it to find freedom of worship. Others escaped from it for the honor of human rights. Still, others hoped to have a better condition of living. Since the Word of Life couldn’t take root in this part of the world, people had no sense of brightening the light of Christ by helping and journeying with the people whom they were entrusted to care for.

We are living in a country of respect for the freedom of religion, freedom of human rights, and freedom of civil rights. The Word of Life and the Light of Christ have a stand in this country but have we opened up ourselves to allow the Word of Life to take root in our lives and the Light of Christ shines on our way in this walk of life? Without the Light of Christ, we would live in darkness; and without the Word of Life, we would be hungry from a poor living condition. Have you experienced darkness in your spiritual life, or rather the absence of God in your spiritual life? Have you ever graved for the Word of Life? Who is Christ for you? May the Word of Life and the Light of Christ continue to be present on your spiritual journey here on earth.

7th Sunday of Ordinary Time--from Bulletin Column

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 21:00:00 GMT

Someone asked a priest, “Father, help me! I used to be very bad. Now, I am a convert for several years, but I often remember the past sins that I committed. I cannot help myself. Help me, father.” “At your baptism,” a priest said, “all your sins are forgiven. However, it doesn’t mean that you will never sin anymore. Listen to what it said about Baptism in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.” The priest fetched some pages and said, “Holy Baptism,” Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches, “is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments” (CCC 1213). It is not just the basis of a period of Christian life for one day, one month, or one year after baptism, but it is a whole Christian life. It is the gateway to life in the Spirit that requires every day of conversion since the Spirit is all pure. His conversion of every day after the baptism in his whole Christian life does not stop after receiving the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, but it is the beginning of a whole Christian life.

Recalling at our baptism, we are all given a candle lit from the Easter Candle and a small white shirt. This light from the Easter Candle symbolizes the light of Christ shining on our Christian life, and the small white shirt symbolizes that we are put on Christ on our Christian journey. This light might be dim or put out, and the small white shirt might get dirty at a time(s) because of all kinds of temptation(s). This, therefore, Christian life after the baptism is a series of conversions, a series of keeping that little light kept burning and keeping that white shirt cleaning. One perfect way to shape our conversion to return to the Lord and to restore our relationship with him and with one another is what Jesus teaches us in today’s readings, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Jesus’ love reveals on the Cross. How do you and I reveal our love for others? Jesus reveals his love by praying for those who hurt him and mistreat him. How do you and I reveal our love for those who hurt us or mistreat us? Jesus reveals his love by forgiving those who hurt him and mistreat him. How do you and I reveal our love for others if it’s not to learn to forgive what others hurt us or mistreat us? Jesus reveals his love by reaching out to others, even to the ones who hurt him and mistreat him. How do you and I reveal our love for others if it’s not to reach out to others even to the ones who hurt us or mistreat us? Forgiveness will bring healing for the wrongdoing, but love will wipe away what hurts and pains from the wrongdoing. The decision is yours.

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time--from Bulletin Column

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 21:00:00 GMT

Different country has a different system of education. For one to graduate from High School in Vietnam, one has to pass the High School test including four subjects: Math, Writing, and English are always in these four subjects. The fourth subject is either Geography, History, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. The highest score of each subject is ten points, and the lowest score of course is zero points. To pass High School to take a test to enter College or University, one has to make at least twenty points total. If one does not get enough total of twenty points, one has to study at the twelfth grade again for another year and to take the test again.

I remember the date that I went to see my grades. Many students came. Some came very early. Some came on time, and others came late. I came right on time when they brought out the roster of all the names with the grades on it. I came in and looked for my name. I saw my name with the score of the first subject with only three points in English. The second score was only two points, and that was writing. I was released when I saw the scores on the next two subjects. One was ten points, and the other was nine points. I was happy and released. However, that joy and release didn’t last long. It lasted only ten minutes when I knew that I passed High School with a score of 24/20. After many years of study, I finally graduated High School and was ready for college. Reflecting on this, I had the same feeling when I got my education in America. After some years of study to get this degree and that degree, happiness and joy came on the day that I completed them. However, the joy and happiness of my accomplishments didn’t last long. It quickly brought me back to reality, the reality of my being, a being of Catholics, a follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian. Just as it takes time to study to get this degree or that degree, does it take time to be a Catholic, a follower of Christ, a Christian? Is there a set time to become a Christian? A Catholic? How do people know that you are a Catholic or a Christian?

What does it mean to be a Catholic or a Christian? It means to practice the Eight Beatitudes that are reported in today’s Gospel of Saint Luke. Are they easy or difficult to practice? Perhaps, they are not easy to practice, but that’s what we need to practice to be called Catholics or Christian. Do you practice these Eight Beatitudes? Which one of these eight that you find difficult for you to practice? Why does it difficult with that particular Beatitude than the other Beatitudes for you? Do you need to improve that particular Beatitude to make it perfect or to practice all Eight Beatitudes in which you can never make better in any one of them? Practice makes perfect, so try to practice to make it perfect at least one out of eight. The decision is yours.

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time C--from Bulletin Column

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 21:00:00 GMT

I once went on a fishing trip on a boat with my brother-in-law, his older brother, and their two friends. My brother-in-law and his family were fishermen in Vietnam. On this fishing trip, my brother-in-law was the one behind the wheel. He began with a slow speed from the port, and as soon as it passed the port, he began to raise the speed dancing on the surface of the water. When we got out to the deep sea, he began to slow down. It allowed me then to relax and enjoyed the beer with them.

Fishing was not only a fun time for me at that time, but it was a skill to catch fish. I picked up a reel that had four hooks on it with shrimp on them as bait. The moment I lowered down the hooks, the moment I felt the force pulling the reel as three fish bit and got hooked on three of four hooks. I was bleeding when I tried to reel them in. My brother-in-law, then, had to reel them in for me. I underestimated the fish when three of them pulled the force on the same string of the fishing reel. Next to me, a brother of my brother-in-law got hooked with a big fish on his fishing reel, & not a fishing rod. The fish pulled so hard that he jumped into the water to wrestle with the fish. He finally lost the fish at the end.

It was not the shrimp, the only bait for all kinds of fish, but what kind of bait to catch tuna fish, what kind of bait to catch redfish, and so on. With fake bait, my brother-in-law strolled the boat to catch tuna fish. Watching them reeled the tuna fish with the fishing rod when a fish got hooked was amazing. Tuna fish was strong, and when it got hooked, it usually made one wrestle with it for at least ten minutes. The fisherman often let the fish run out of energy after some wrestling minutes before he reared it in for a catch.

Through experience with the current of the water, the wind, and the fish that they called themselves fishermen. Even with their rich experience of fishing and a long day of catching nothing, at the words of Jesus, Simon Peter lowered the net with a specific and simple command, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon caught a great number of fish reported in today’s Gospel. This scene portrays at least two things: Jesus is God himself, and Simon is truly a human being. As God, he is the God of heaven, the whole universe, and what contained in the universe that in his command, they caught a great number of fish. As a human being, Simon is limited in his skill, strength, and understanding that when he does when Jesus commands him, he understands and recognizes who Jesus is. Jesus is his Lord, and he is a sinful man. Have you ever experienced that Jesus is your Lord, and you are a sinful person?

4th Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle C

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Joke: One Sunday morning, a mother was getting ready for church when she noticed her son wasn’t up yet. She finally went in to wake him up. “Come on, get up. You’ll be late for Mass!” she said. “I don’t want to go!” said her son as he buried his head under the pillow. “You have to go,” the mother insisted. “No, I’m not going,” he insisted. “And I’ll give you two reasons. Nobody there likes me and I don’t like them.” Indignantly, his mother replied, “You are to going to church, and I’ll give you two reasons: You’re forty-five years old and you’re the pastor!”

In today’s Gospel, a continuation of last weekend’s Gospel when Jesus said, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” What fulfilled in their hearing that Jesus came to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Jesus had done all these and many other good deeds in the other lands, not in his native land. This caused tension that Jesus told them saying, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.” Why couldn’t he do any good deed in his native land? Has he ever done any good deed in our blessed land of America? What would be considered his native land?

Jesus couldn’t do any good deed in his native land because people didn’t follow God’s commandments that in today’s first reading, prophet Jeremiah reported saying, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you.” Israelites were chosen to be the Lord’s chosen race, but they refused to follow his commandments. Therefore, the chosen race is not simply chosen by the Lord but more than that, it is a race that follows and observes his commandments. When they failed to follow and observe God’s commandments, they failed to recognize Jesus as Christ, the Anointed One, and the Son of God. Their lack of faith led them to turn their back to God not to follow and to observe God’s commandments.

Recalling reciting the Holy Rosary that it always begins with the first three beads of Hail Mary. We recite these first three beads of the Hail Mary to pray for the increase of faith, hope, and love. To follow and observe God’s commandments, we need to pray for an increase in faith. Without faith or when we lack faith, we fail to follow and observe God’s commandments. Therefore, the first bead of the three is always to pray for an increase of faith. Without faith, there is no hope. Without faith and hope, there is no love. It is only when we have a solid faith, we are strengthened with hope, the second theological virtue in the Catholic Church. Just as faith is the image of the cross, hope is the image of the current in an electrical circuit that binds all faith, hope, and love together. Love, however, as Saint Paul expressed in today’s second reading, is the greatest of all. Therefore, the first three beads of Hail Mary before we dive into the five decades of the Holy Rosary, we pray for the increase of faith, hope, and love. When we die, there would be no more faith, but we still hope that the living ones pray for us. When we get up there in heaven, there would be no more faith nor hope but love alone. Make no mistake when our emeritus Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, when he was still pope, he wrote a book, “God is Love.” So, when we get up there in heaven, there is only love remaining. The greatest of all the commandments that Jesus taught us is love, to love God, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, how do we love God and love one another?

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul teaches us saying, “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, not rude, it does not seek its interests, not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, [and] endures all things. Love never fails.” When faith yielded to sight and hope to possession, love never fails. In other words, when we pray and pray, and we don’t receive what we pray for, do we still have faith in the Lord? When we believe in God and hope for well-being, a good condition of living, but we don’t possess it, do we still have faith and hope in the Lord? However, if we learn to love, love even our enemies, love even when we are suffering from sickness or any challenge of life, with true love, faith and hope will follow since love never fails.

Just as the Israelites, the chosen race, we are also God’s chosen race through our baptism. As a chosen race, they lacked faith that Jesus couldn’t perform any mighty deeds in their midst. As a chosen race through our baptism, how is our faith in the Lord Jesus? How is our faith in him during this pandemic? Without faith, we have no hope in this walk of life, and without hope, life has no meaning in this walk of life. What would you hope in this walk of life and the life to come? Love is the greatest of all three theological virtues, how is your love to God and one another? How are your faith, hope, and love in this stage of life? The decision is yours.

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle C

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 21:00:00 GMT

Joke: God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so man and woman would live long and healthy lives. And Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to man, "You want fries with that?" And man said, "Super-size them." And Man gained pounds. And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. And Satan brought forth chocolate. Woman gained pounds. And God said, "Try My crispy fresh salad." And Satan brought forth ice cream. And woman gained pounds. And God said, "I have sent you heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them." And Satan brought forth a chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And man gained pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof. And man went into cardiac arrest. And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And Satan created HMOs.

A conversation between God and Satan on the differences between the healthy and the unhealthy foods that either flourish the body or destroy the body that gives us a glimpse of the Church as One Body with many different parts and each part needs each other. It is a story of today.

Saint Luke reminds us of Jesus’ trip to Nazareth where he had grown up and gone into the synagogue on the Sabbath day according to his custom. He was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah where it’s written, “ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. ” Jesus then said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” At his baptism, we just celebrated the last two weekends, the Spirit of the Lord rested on him in a bodily form like a dove. He was anointed with the Spirit and Fire. His ministries were to bring glad tidings to the poor, free the captives, recover the sight to the blind, free the oppressed, and proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Jesus Christ did just that as the prophet Isaiah prophesied of him. Now, Saint Paul identified the Church as the body of Christ with Christ the head of the Church. We are the body of Christ that each one of us, first of all, called to be united in the body. Even though we are very different from one another, just as the body has many different parts united in the body, we are reminded to be united in the Church. Just as the foot of the body, it cannot say, Saint Paul taught, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body.” Rather, Saint Paul reminds us that the foot is no less important than the hand to the body. The eye, Saint Paul said, “cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’” Each part of the body needs one another. We too need one another to form the Church. How can we be united to form the Church if we do not learn to be nice to one another, to help one another, to support one another, and to love one another? If a child makes noise or distracts you with his activities during Mass, instead of getting upset or you cannot do anything to help, you still can say a quick prayer to pray for the child, especially the parents who have to deal with it. The child’s activities and his noises are parts of the body of the Church. “If one part suffers,” Saint Paul said, “all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” If someone cuts us off on the highway, instead of getting mad, say a quick prayer for the person because we are all parts of the body of Christ. Let’s say that if that reckless driver got into an accident and got hurt. It’s not only him who gets hurt, but we are too. Why? We get hurt too because we pay taxes just to help those reckless drivers and many others.

2nd Sunday OT C

Sat, 15 Jan 2022 12:47:00 GMT

Joke: A Man and His Wife are having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. Wife says, “You should do it because you get up first, and then we don’t have to wait as long to get our coffee.” Husband says, “You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.” Wife replies, “No, you should it and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should make the coffee.” Husband answers, “I cannot believe that; show me.” So she fetched the Bible, opened the New Testament, and showed him that at the top of several pages it indeed says: “HEBREWS.”

In today’s Gospel, Saint John describes Jesus’ first public miracle. The only Gospel reports this miracle in all four Gospels. If we recall from the Scriptures that John, the author of this Gospel, is not only the beloved disciple of Jesus as the Catholic tradition believes, but he is also closed to Mary as well. At the foot of the Cross, Jesus gives her mother Mary for him to take care of. Make no mistake why John retells the story of the wedding at Cana with the scene where both Mary and Jesus were present. This wedding does not only reveal the divine nature of Jesus, but it also reveals the important role of Mary since John has a special relationship with her. What is the role of Mary who is recognized as a concerning woman and a woman of faith, especially in marriage vocation?

In today’s Gospel, Saint John portrays a scene that Jesus, Mary, and his disciples are invited to a wedding celebration. The word “invited” is in the passive voice which means the subject receives the action of the verb recalling when I studied English as my second language. Mary, Jesus, and his disciples were invited to the wedding. So, they were at the wedding celebration from an invitation. We would imagine that there must be a lot of weddings taking place in Cana, but why did John mention that Mary, Jesus, and his disciples were invited to this particular wedding? At Jesus’ baptism that we just celebrated last Sunday, John the Baptist was popular at the time because of his preaching and his lifestyle that drew a lot of people to him. He pointed out that Jesus was far more important than him. At the presence of Jesus, John the Baptist said, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but one is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Jesus became popular at this time that was why he, his mother, and his disciples were all invited to the wedding celebration.

Just as a wedding celebration cannot celebrate without wine, marriage life will run out of taste without the presence of the Mother Mary. How imperious it was when the wedding party ran out of wine? Mary saw their need even before the wedding party recognized it and said to Jesus, her son, “They have no wine.” This short prayer teaches us two things: Mary is a woman of concern, and she is a woman of faith. As a woman of concern, she addresses directly what is her concern and nothing else. As a woman of faith, she believes totally in her son and tells the wedding party to do what he asks them to do. Mary’s intercession for the wedding party is very simple, direct, and with total faith in her son.

Have you ever prayed for someone or interceded for someone in prayer? How do you pray? Lord, help my son, for example. He is an alcoholic. He needs to stop drinking and help his family more, etc. Another prayer: Lord, help my husband. I’m worried about him. I feel that he’s unfaithful to me. Bring him back to love me and my kids, etc. Don’t we come to God in our prayers by addressing our concerns, but then we go into explanation after explanation to make sure that God understands what we are saying? What did Jesus reply to Mary when she addressed her direct concern to him, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” Why did Jesus address Mary, his mother, a woman? How difficult it is for human beings to comprehend God’s love and his faithfulness to his people. How does your concern affect me? I am God. I know what I am doing. It’s just that “My hour has not yet come.” What if Mary didn’t come to ask Jesus, when the wedding party ran out of wine, had they come to Jesus for help? In responding to Mary that way, Jesus wanted to see that the wedding party or the host would come and ask him for help when the wine ran empty. As a concerning woman and a woman of faith in her son, Mary quickly told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Whatever, a very strong faith in her Son.

Why did John retell this wedding at Cana where the Lord Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were all present? It is to say that the sacrament of matrimony, one of seven sacraments was instituted by Christ the Lord and entrusted to the Church, is very important that all our marriage couples should keep in mind to invite the Lord Jesus, especially Mary, into their married lives. When you live in marriage vocation, there are times that you cannot stop arguing with each other; there are times that you cannot stand at each other; there are times that you might be unfaithful to one another; there are times that you might use drugs or alcohol to ease the anxiety and stress that you put on one another; there are times that you are either conscious or unconscious of placing stress from work on one another. In these and many other struggling times, remember to come to Jesus, address your concern directly, and have total faith in him. To have total faith in him does not mean doing anything just have faith in him. No. To have total faith in him means to do what you can do and allow him to take care of the rest.

Why is that matrimony a sacrament instituted by the Lord Jesus? Matrimony, isn’t that just about eating together in the same house; sleeping together in the same bed; sharing the same house; sharing the same bills; sharing the same laugh, sadness, struggle, etc.? But why is that a sacrament that the Lord himself blessed the couple, not the priest that we often confuse with when we say this so and so priest married us? In the matrimony sacrament, the two are invited to live for each other and to become one flesh, but how can the two become one if they cannot sacrifice their own needs and desires for each other? Problems in becoming one flesh in marriage vocation are numerous and often difficult to escape, but this is why John invited those who live in marriage life to invite Mary to come into their lives. Just as Mary sees the need and the concern of the wedding party to intercede for them, do you remember to invite Mary to come into your marriage life so that her presence will help you with your needs? What if at the wedding of Cana, Mary wasn’t present; would Jesus notice and still change that water into wine for the wedding party? Or what if in your marriage life, Mary was absent; would Jesus notice your needs and concerns? We might say that Jesus is a loving God, he knows everything. True. However, at the wedding, Mary was quick on her feet to intercede for the wedding party, and Jesus was not. It didn’t mean that Jesus didn’t care, but he might want to know how much faith they had in him. Mary interfered and interceded for the wedding party, it’s just because they invited her to the wedding. Should you invite Mary into your marriage lives? Or who should you seek for help in your marriage life? What would be the reason that Mary noticed that the wedding party ran out of wine and quick on her feet to intercede for them? Would it mean that the wedding party has a special relationship with Mary that she would know immediately when they are in need? Would it mean that she is sensitive to our issues of life? Why did the Lord Jesus entrust the Church to her care? Let’s invite her to come into our life by developing a life of prayer and a special devotion to her. For those who are searching for a marriage vocation, keep your eyes wide open before the wedding and half shut afterward. For those who are living in marriage vocation, learn to forgive each other by shutting one eye, one ear, and less complain to your spouse. The decision is yours.

The Baptism of the Lord

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Joke: A mother decided it was time that her three sons to get baptized. On the designated Sunday morning as they were on their way to Church, the mother noticed that her nine-year-old seemed to be a bit preoccupied. When she asked him what the problem was, he said, “Mom, I want to go first.” Why do you want to go first? She asked. “Because,” he explained, “I don’t want to be baptized in water that has all of my brothers’ sins floating around!”

What was the date of your baptism? On the date of your baptism, they throw water on you. On the date of your wedding, in some cultures, they throw rice on you or put some coins in your hands with Hispanic culture. What happens to you when you die? They throw dirt on you. If you believe that our human body is attached to a soul that needs salvation, we all go through these rituals except those who dedicate their lives in doing service to others in religious life or priesthood life, we only go through baptism and death. In these three rituals, baptism is the first of all and the gate for all other sacraments in the Catholic Church. Why is it the gate for all other sacraments in the Catholic Church? It is to cleanse us from our original sin inherited by our first parents, and it is as COVID vaccines to boost our immune system to stay away from virus infection, the sacrament of baptism is to help us against sin.

Today, the Church solemnly celebrates the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. Celebrating the baptism of our Lord is not to make the sins floating in the water just as the boy thought of his brothers’ sins floating after baptism; but rather, at Jesus’ baptism, he sanctified the water and make it holy to wash away our original sin. This feast also ends the Christmas season, not the Epiphany. What is it special about Jesus’ baptism? What is it special about our baptism?

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist proclaimed to the people that there is one mightier than him, who will come after him and he will baptize them with the Holy Spirit. The Baptism that John the Baptist performed is the baptism according to the Laws, and the baptism that Jesus received under the law is to complete our baptism where three Persons in God are glorified. After Jesus’ baptism, reported in today’s Gospel, “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” At the baptism that John performed, it was the act of cleansing with water only; but at Jesus’ baptism, three Persons in God were present: The Father identified as the Voice from heaven; the Holy Spirit identified as a Dove resting on Jesus; and the Second Person in the Most Holy Trinity was the Lord Jesus Himself. Has Jesus as God and the Son of God needed to be baptized? He didn’t have to be baptized, but he did so, first of all, to sanctify the water for the cleansing of our original sin and then to complete our baptism. His baptism was to bring people back to God with his mercy and compassion as it was prophesized by the prophet Isaiah reported in today’s first reading saying, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.” What was Jesus’ mission if it’s not to heal the sick, cure the disease, release the oppressed, free the captives, forgive the sinners, and unite people back to God? His mission only began after his baptism.

At Jesus’ baptism, there is Spirit, the words of the Father came down from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” What had he done that God the Father was pleased with him? His ministries had not started yet. What had he done to please God the Father? John the Baptist baptized people with water for cleansing, but Jesus came to baptize people, what John said, “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3:11). The fire of love that Jesus began his ministries extended to all nations, races, and cultures. He healed the sick, cured diseases, freed the prostitutes who were caught in the act, set free the tax collectors and sinners, & freed the dead to bring him back to life again. Besides all these great acts, how did he demonstrate his ultimate love if it’s not to be nailed on the cross for the sake of salvation for the whole human race? His ultimate love forgave those who had a changing heart to come back to him. His ultimate love continues in the Eucharistic celebration each time we come together to celebrate the Mass.

At Jesus’ baptism, he completed the sacrament of baptism to fulfill what he said in scriptures that he had come to fulfill the laws, not to abolish but to fulfill. Has Jesus ever actually needed to be baptized by John the Baptist? No. But why did he get baptized? The baptism that John performed was a passive baptism, while the baptism that Jesus received was the active act of the three Persons in God united and glorified. Not only revealing God the Father and the Holy Spirit, but at his baptism, Jesus sanctified the water to make it holy, and his baptism signified the beginning of his ministry to go to heal the sick, to cure the disease, to free the captive, and to perform many other good deeds. How does this relate to our baptism?

Our baptism would be invalid if there were no water and the formula that a deacon or a priest says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Somebody asked, can we use another liquid rather than water for baptism? NO. Can anyone baptize others? By the virtue of our baptism, any baptized person, in the emergency situation, can baptize someone else using water and the formula: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The real question for us is those who have been baptized into the Catholic faith, what effect does it have on us after we are baptized into Christ?

In our baptism, we have washed away our original sin. Also, through our baptism, we are called the children of God, calling God, Abba , Father. At Jesus’ baptism, three Persons in God were revealed, how should we live our Christian life to reveal the three Persons in God living in us? Each of us lives a dual life, a mortal life, our physical body, and the immortal life, our spiritual soul. What should this mortal life do for the immortal life to grow within us? The Lord Jesus allows God the Father and God the Holy Spirit to work in him and through him to bring that immortal life within him alive to heal the sick, to cure the diseases, and to bring salvation to the whole human race, what should we do to allow the Trinity present in our lives to nurture and to help that immortal life to grow within us? Our baptism will become meaningless if there is no growth in that immortal life. The decision is yours.

Epiphany of the Lord--Message from Bulletin

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 23:18:00 GMT

Just as Thanksgiving and Christmas are a big and happy season in America, Vietnamese New Year is a big and happy season in Vietnam. There is officially no work for the whole country on the first three days of the New Year. Before these days, people prepare to clean the house, buy groceries, buy new clothes, fix and make it a new in and outside the house preparing for the New Year. Besides all these cultural traditions, those who are Catholics go to Church on these first three days of New Year. During these first three days of New Year, it is a time for family and friends to greet each other with “ mừng tuổi ” or “happy birthday,” as this is also the traditional birthday of everyone when everyone’s age simultaneously increases by one year. The oldest child, normally the firstborn male, will greet “ mừng tuổi ” to the parents first, then parents will give red envelop to each child in a family. This practice takes place, at least in my family, right after we all come back from what it called “ Thánh Lễ Giao Thừa, ” Mass of the Transition from the Old to the New Year or New Year Eve Mass. In this Mass, we first thank God for the old year and pray for peace during the coming year. On the second day of New Year is the Mass for the Remembrance of Ancestors those who have gone before us. On the third day of New Year is the Mass for the Sanctification of Human Labor to pray for prosperity.

The magi from the East set out to search for the newborn king of the Jews with faith in their understanding, while the chief priests and the scribes of the people knew exactly where and when the newborn King of Israel was born but didn’t do anything nor bother to go just to see. Understanding is a gift from the Lord, but that gift will become valueless if there is no faith involved. Saint John Paul II made no mistake when he explained that faith and understanding in the book Fidet et Ratio are like the two wings of a bird that the bird cannot rise to the truth when one of the wings is broken. The feast of the Epiphany, perhaps, is a time for us to polish and to balance both of our faith and understanding in continuing to celebrate the birth of the Savior who comes to us fully human and fully divine.

Just as in the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets. The star was leading the magi to come to adore the Savior. In these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. In our days, we are invited to follow the examples of the Holy Mary, the Holy Mother of God to watch over us and to care for us. What is your resolution for this New Year if it’s not to keep the Sabbath, Sunday’s Obligation, and the Holy Days of Obligation faithfully? This simple resolution might require a great effort. The decision is yours.

Gospel Selection

Thu, 06 Aug 2015 05:00:00 GMT

1. Matthew 5: 1-12

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

The gospel of the Lord

2. Matthew 11: 25-30

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

At that time Jesus said in reply, I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

The gospel of the Lord

3. Matthew 25: 1-13

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.

The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.' While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.

Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The gospel of the Lord

4. Matthew 25: 31-46

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The gospel of the Lord.

5. Mark 15: 33-39; 16: 1-6 [long form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark

At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the bystanders heard it said, "Look, he is calling Elijah." One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another; "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.

The gospel of the Lord

5b. Mark 15: 33-39 [short form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark

At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

And at three o'clock Jesus cried Out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "Look, he is calling Elijah." One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to lake him down."

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

The veil of the sanctuary' was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

The gospel of the Lord

6. Luke 7: 11-17

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.

As he drew near to the gate of the City, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.

A large crowd from the city was with her.

When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep."

He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"

The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, "A great prophet has arisen in our midst," and "God has visited his people."

This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

The gospel of the Lord.

7. Luke 12: 35-40

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

Jesus told his disciples:

"Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.

Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.

Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.

And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.

Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

The gospel of the Lord.

8. Luke 23: 33, 39-43

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left.

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us."

The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

The gospel of the Lord.

9. Luke 23: 44-49; 24: 1-6 [long form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last. The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, "This man was innocent beyond doubt." When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events.

But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised.

The gospel of the Lord.

9b. Luke 23: 44-49 [short form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun.

Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last.

The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, "This man was innocent beyond doubt."

When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events.

The gospel of the Lord.

10. Luke 24: 13-35 [Long Form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast.

One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.

Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.

And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went to stay with them.

Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?"

So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The gospel of the Lord.

10b. Luke 24: 13-16, 28-35 [short form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?"

So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon! Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The gospel of the Lord.

11. John 5: 24-29

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus said to the Jews:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.”

The gospel of the Lord

12. John 6: 37-40

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus said to the crowd:

"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day."

The gospel Of the Lord.

13. John 6: 51-58

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus told the crowd:

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

This the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

The gospel of the Lord.

14. John 11: 17-27 [long form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him "l know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus told her, "l am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this? "She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

The gospel Of the Lord.

14b. John 11: 21-27 [short form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. "

The gospel Of the Lord.

15. John 11: 32-45

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became deeply moved and troubled; and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Sir, come and see." And Jesus wept.

So the Jews said, "See how he loved him." But some of them said, "could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?" So Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, 'Take away the stone." Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days. Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me. And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

The gospel of the Lord

16. John 12: 23-28 [long form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus told his disciples: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.

The Father will honor whoever serves me.

“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name."

Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again."

The gospel of the Lord.

16b. John 12: 23-26 [short form]

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus told his disciples:

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.

The Father will honor whoever serves me.

The gospel of the Lord.

17. John 14: 1-6

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.

In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.

If there not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.

Where I am going you know the way."

Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The gospel Of the Lord.

18. John 17:24-26

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

"Father, they are your gift to me.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me.

I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them."

The gospel of the Lord

19. John 19: 17-18, 25-30

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus carrying the cross himself went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgatha.

There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there who he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.”

Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

The gospel of the Lord

Old Testament Selections

Wed, 05 Aug 2015 05:00:00 GMT

1. Job 19: 1, 23-27

A reading from the book of Job

Then Job answered and said: Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record: that with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him, and from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.

The Word of the Lord

2. Wisdom 3: 1-9 or 3: 1-9

A reading from the book of Wisdom [long form]

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. 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. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the LORD shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.

OR [short form]

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. 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. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.

The Word of the Lord

3. Wisdom 4: 7-14

A reading from the book of Wisdom

The just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years. Rather, understanding is the ancient crown for men, and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age. He who pleased God was loved; he who lived among sinners was transported—snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul; for the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind. Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long career; for his soul was pleasing to the LORD, therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness. But the people saw and did not understand, nor did they take this into account.

The Word of the Lord

4. Isaiah 25: 6. 7-9

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever.

The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.

On that day it will be said: "Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us! "

The Word of the Lord

5. Lamentations 3: 17-26

A reading from the book of Lamentations

My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the LORD.

The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and gall; remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me.

But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope: the favors of the LORD are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; they are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness.

My portion is the LORD, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Good is the LORD to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him; it is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the LORD.

The Word of the Lord

6. Daniel 12: 1-3

A reading from the book of the prophet Daniel

I, Daniel, mourned and I heard this word of the Lord:

"At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time.

At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book.

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.

But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.

The Word of the Lord

7. 2 Maccabees 12: 43-46

A reading form the second book of Maccabees

Judas the ruler of Israel then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice.

In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death.

But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.

Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.

The Word of the Lord

New Testament Selections

Wed, 05 Aug 2015 05:00:00 GMT

1. Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43 or 10:34-36. 42-43

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles [long form]

Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

OR [short form]

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2. Romans 5: 5-11

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly.

Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.

But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath.

Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The Word of the Lord

3. Romans 5: 17-21

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

If, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all.

For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.

The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

The Word of the Lord

4. Romans 6: 3-9 or 6: 3-4. 8-9

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

[long form]

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

OR [short form]

Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

The Word of the Lord

5. Romans 8: 14-23

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

The Word of the Lord

6. Romans 8: 31-35. 37-39

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn?

It is Christ (Jesus) who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

What will separate us from the love Of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Word of the Lord

7. Romans 14: 7-9. 10-12

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the

Lord's.

For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written:

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God."

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

The Word of the Lord

8. I Corinthians 15: 20-23, 24b-28

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being.

For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for "he subjected everything under his feet."

But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the One who subjected everything to him. When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

The Word of the Lord

9. 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.

And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:

"Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word of the Lord

10. 2 Corinthians 4: 14-5: 1

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians

We know that the one who raised Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

The Word of the Lord

11. 2 Corinthians 5: 1. 6-10

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians

We know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.

Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

The Word of the Lord

12. Philippians 3: 20-21

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians

Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

The Word of the Lord

13. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

Thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Therefore, console one another with these words.

The Word of the Lord

14. 2 Timothy 2: 8-13

A reading from the second letter of Paul to Timothy

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal.

But the word of God is not chained.

Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.

This saying is trustworthy:

If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

The Word of the Lord

15. 1 John 3: 1-2

A reading from the first letter of John

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.

Yet so we are.

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.

We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

The Word of the Lord

16. 1 John 3: 14-16

A reading from the first letter of John

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters.

Whoever does not love remains in death.

Everyone who hates his brother and sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

The Word of the Lord

17. Revelation 14: 13

A reading from the book of Revelation

I, John, heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."

"Yes," said the Spirit, "let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them."

The Word of the Lord

18. Revelation 20: 11-21: 1

A reading from the book of Revelation

I, John, saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the Sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them.

I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened.

Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls.

The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.)

Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The Word of the Lord

19. Revelation 21: 1-5. 6-7

A reading from the book of Revelation

I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them (as their God).

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the Old order has passed away.

The One who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water.

The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be their God, and they will be my child.

The Word of the Lord

Funeral Gospel Selection

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Serving or Listening One Another or Both?

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Neighbor--Communicating Love

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Peace to This Household

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Sunday

Do This in Remembering of Me

The Most Holy Trinity Sunday

The Most Holy Trinity--Three Persons--One God

Pentecost Sunday

The Authority to Forgive Sins

The Ascension of the Lord Sunday

His Presence in Our Lives through the Sacraments

6th Sunday of Easter

The Advocate and Peace

Fifth Sunday of Easter

A New Way of Love

Fourth Sunday of Easter

God’s Voice Requires Listening and Prayer

Third Sunday of Easter

God's Love to Purify Our Heart & Transform Our Life

Second Sunday of Easter--Divine Mercy Sunday

Mercy and Forgiveness from Love

Easter Sunday

Meeting the Risen Lord Jesus at the Eucharist

Palm Sunday

Disfigure the Image and Likeness of God

5th Sunday of Lent

Go and Sin No More

4th Sunday of Lent

True Reconciliation

3rd Sunday of Lent

Conversion in Action & Not Return

Second Sunday of Lent

Making a Deal

First Sunday of Lent

Jesus' Temptations and Ours

Ash Wednesday

Two Relationships Are Revealed on the Cross

7th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Jubilee 2025--Pilgrims of Hope

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time with Bishop's Stewardship Appeals

Blessed or Woe

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

At Your Command, I Will Lower the Nets

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time--The Presentation of the Lord

The Presentation of the Lord

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Christ’s Body with Many Parts Attached

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Do Whatever He Tells You

The Baptism of the Lord Jesus

Baptism of Jesus and Our Baptism

The Epiphany of the Lord

Three Wisemen Responded to Three Figures

Mary, the Holy Mother of God

New Year Resolution with Mary

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Becoming Holy Family

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Fiat from How to Receive and to Conceive God

Christmas 2024

The Mystery of God's Love for Us

3rd Sunday of Advent

Gaudete Sunday--Rejoice Sunday

First Sunday of Advent

Three Ways of Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ

34th Sunday of Ordinary Time--Christ the King

DKP--Dominion, Kingship, & Possession

33th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Threefold Coming of the Lord

32th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Giving and Receiving

Vocation Week

VOCATIONS ﻿

31th Sunday of Ordinary Time

VOCATIONS

16 ^th Sunday of Ordinary Time