The Holy Trinity - Three in One

 Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. We remind ourselves of this important truth of the faith that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There are NOT 3 gods, but rather 3 persons who are ONE God or one essence.  For centuries the brightest minds, both within and without the Church have tried to fully comprehend and explain this, but they could not.

God cannot be understood completely by mortals.  Human beings are limited to space, time, and matter and can only understand things within the laws and experiences of each.

What human being has experienced infinity in order to define it?  What human being has experienced being all benevolent, all omnipotent, all sapient, and all-knowing?  There is none.   Human beings are finite creatures with finite minds.

It is important to understand that the Father is not the Son nor the Son the Father.  Moreover, the Father and Son are not the Holy Spirit and vice versa.  Each is distinct Divine persons who are of the same singular Divine substance or essence.

Think of it in this way:  One of western psychology's pioneers and also an atheist, Sigmund Freud believed that human beings have the Super Ego, Ego, and Id which comprises their psyche. Each is distinct but is of one person.  Moreover, human beings have a reason, conscience, and self-awareness.  Each is distinct but is of one person. The same with God, but with the difference that each (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are distinct persons, not attributes of personality as in the aforementioned examples.

There are some sects today that deny the Holy Trinity such as, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons.  Jehovah's Witnesses even went as far as to altering the Gospel of John 1:1 to read ".. the Word was A god..." which was done to support their idea that Jesus is some sort of a lower god or demi-god.  In Genesis 1:26, God says, "Let US make man in OUR image, to be like US."  The words "US" and "OUR" signify a plurality of persons.  God describes Himself as a community of persons.

It sounds confusing, but this shows the awesomeness of God.  God will never be completely understood by any creature.  If any creature understands God completely, then God would not be God. He would be a thing in nature that can be understood.

There is a story about Augustine of Hippo who is a Catholic saint and bishop. He is a well-known philosopher and a celebrated champion of Christian thought. 

Anyhow, one day he was trying to figure out God - in particular the idea of Father Son Holy Spirit as one God - he thought and thought and thought wondering how can God be 3 persons in one - how can God be God. Well, while sleeping he had a dream that he was by the shore. He saw a small child digging a hole in the sand. Once dug, the child took a shell and went to the ocean and took water. He brought it back and poured it into the hole. The child then ran back and repeated the same action. Augustine smiled and went to the child and asked the child, "what are you trying to do?" the child answered, "I am trying to put the ocean in this hole." Augustine smiled again thinking the child said something cute. Augustine replied to the child, "The ocean is vast and immense, there is no way you can put it all into this small hole." The child looked at him smiling and replied, "neither can you put all of God in your mind." At that Augustine woke and realized that no one can truly grasp God. It would be like putting the ocean into a small hole dug in the sand on a beach.  This child is said to have been Augustine's guardian angel.

Today's readings introduce the three Divine Persons.  The first person of the Blessed Trinity or The Father is introduced in the first reading. In the first reading, Moses is telling the people of the one true God YHWH (Exodus 8:10, Deuteronomy 4:39,2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Chronicles 17:20). He begins to ask the people if they recall anything so great to ever happen before and if they have ever known of a people who heard the voice of God or any god speaking from fire or venturing out to rescue them from another nation by using tests, signs, wonders, and war.  He, of course, is referring to the events of the Exodus (Exodus 13:21-22, Exodus chapters 7-20). Moses was reminding the people then and us today of this one true God. Mankind has formulated all kinds of designations and descriptions for deities trying to define the One God; however, these deities never spoke to them nor went out to rescue them from powerful nations. While these people had the right idea that a Supreme Being exists, they got the name and descriptions wrong.  Only one God has done what Moses described, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc (Exodus 3:6, Acts 3:13).   Moreover, some atheists and skeptics claim the story of Exodus is fiction. However, we have evidence such as the text "Ipuwer Papyrus" which describes the ten plagues that fell over Egypt which Moses reminded us of in today's readings.  God is indeed an awesome God. He is faithful and our Father (Deuteronomy 7:9, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Isaiah 64:8, Matthew 6:9).

In the responsorial Psalm, we read of the greatness of God.  His word is upright and trustworthy. God is not a liar (Numbers 23:19, Romans 3:4).  He is fair and just (2 Thessalonians 1:6). The word of God is what brings things to existence (Genesis 1:3).  This "logos" keeps our universe in existence (Hebrews 11:3, Colossians 1:17). We as His children must wait on God and trust in Him for He is our help and our shield (Psalm 91).  His Spirit gives us life, protects us, and guides us as we read in the second reading.

The second reading focuses on the third person of the Blessed Trinity whose coming we celebrated last Sunday on Pentecost. This Spirit reminds us that we are sons of God, not slaves (Galatians 3:26). We are able to call God "Abba, Father!"  We are united with the Blessed Trinity in the Spirit, not to be God, but to be sons and daughters of God (1 John 3:2).  This Spirit is our guide and our courage who gives us gifts that allow us to grow in the Holy Trinity and be witnesses to this union of love to the world (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 4:7-13, Romans 12:3-8).

Finally, in the Gospel, we read of Jesus' last words to the disciples before the Ascension.  He reminds them that all power in heaven and earth was given to Him because He is the Word of God (John 1:1).  Jesus instructs them to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Here we read Jesus dictate to His disciples the persons who constitute God. This is a truth that can never change because it comes from Christ who is the Truth (John 14:6).  God is One in three Divine distinct Persons.  Some atheists tweet around this meme of Christ praying at the Garden of Gethsemane and next to it they write that Christ is praying to Himself and asking Himself to spare Himself from what He is about to go through.  This, of course, shows the ignorance of many atheists who do not understand the Holy Trinity, among many other things.  Our job is not to try to understand this, but to trust this triune God who created us and loves us so much that the second person of this Trinity came, took on flesh, suffered, and died for all of us (John 3:16).  We must trust this God who rescues us from oppression as He did in the Exodus and who sends us His Holy Spirit to remind us of what Christ taught and guide us.  Again, no one can truly understand the Holy Trinity using man's knowledge (1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 11:34).  We can understand the Holy Trinity with love because God is love (1 John 4:8).  As Catholics, we must go out and evangelize reminding the world of the One God in three Divine Persons.   

God is always with us even in these trying times with the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.  It may seem like God abandon us or just simply does not care, but that is not so.  He has been with us since day one and will continue to be with us until the end when the good are weeded from the bad and those who rejected Him will get their wish of existing without feeling connected to God for eternity.        

Readings: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity | USCCB
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Glory be to the Father,

And to the Son,

And to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen  

Pentecost - Come Holy Spirit, the World Needs You!

Today we celebrate Pentecost or the day when the Catholic Church was officially born in the public. 

In the first reading, we read the account of this coming of the Holy Spirit.  The Blessed Virgin Mother Mary and the Apostles gathered in an upper room and prayed for 9 days (Acts 1:14).

They then received the Holy Spirit who descended upon them as tongues of fire. Each received the gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as the gift of tongues so that people could understand them in their native language as they preached the Gospel of Christ. This ability to communicate in various languages while speaking only one is connected to the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The people of Babel were ambitious, never thinking of God, only themselves.

Like today, they place science and technology as means to give humankind a sense of self-divinity. We can split atoms, go to the moon, collide protons, clone animals, land space crafts on comets and immediately we think we are gods. The arrogance of the people of Babel brought God to confuse their language. Their sins united them, so to speak. The confusion of their tongue humbled them and delayed any advancements they were planning.  However, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the Blessed Mother and the Apostles the gifts of tongues allowing them to once again speak in one language that was intelligible to everyone else but with the message of Christ, not one like those of Babel who were self-centered humanists.

Pentecost means the 'fiftieth day' and was the day on which the 'Feast of Weeks' or 'Shevout' was celebrated.  On this day, all Jews recalled the day the Commandments were given to Moses 50 days after their Exodus from Egypt (Leviticus 23:15-21, Deuteronomy 16:9-11).  There was a big harvest on this day. Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit to the Apostles (Luke 24:49).  He told them that the Helper or Paraclete would come to them reminding them of all He has taught them and will guide them in Truth (John 14:15-31).

These are important verses that are ignored by our separated brethren who often claim that the Catholic Church is corrupt and apostate.  In America's infancy, groups such as the Finneyites rose up preaching a form of "primitivism," or what they called a return to the "original Christianity."  We see many of their sects today such as the Baptists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Evangelicals, Mormons, Adventists, and so on.  Anyone who believes that Christ's Catholic Church became corrupt is basically calling Jesus a liar.  If Jesus indeed promised that the Spirit would guide the Church in Truth, how can it become corrupt?  How can the Church fall away from Christ?  This is a misconception our separated friends must really meditate on.  They must cast away that ignorant rhetoric from the harsh anti-Catholicism that existed in the past - post-reformation and into America's infancy.

It is the Holy Spirit who gave life to the universe, the earth, and man (Genesis 1:2, Genesis 2:7).  The Spirit will renew the face of the Earth as we read in today's Psalm.  It is via this Spirit that we can profess faith in Jesus as Lord as the second reading (the first option from (1 COR 12:3B-7, 12-13) tells us. This Spirit gives us the gifts necessary for us to spread the Gospel to others and grow in the Gospel internally. We must not fight the Holy Spirit, but let Him transform us as we read in the second option from Galatians 6:16-25.

Lastly, in the Gospel, both options tell us of Christ's promise of this Helper. We need this helper today more than ever. Our Church is being attacked from within and without. Many among us have lost our way, even among the clergy.  Churches are closing, people are leaving the faith.  A culture of death, sexual confusion, and egoism is on the rise.  The world seems to have gone to hell, so to speak. We must ask the Holy Spirit to come to us and renew us so that we can combat the evils in the world which come from the father of lies (John 8:44, Ephesians 6:12). The Spirit will come when we are united in prayer.  In this Holy Spirit, we must go out and proclaim Christ in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).  We all know that Christ and His Gospel is extremely out of season in our day, nevertheless, we must be courageous because God's Spirit which was given to us is not a pusillanimous or timid Spirit  (2 Timothy 1:7).  We may not have the 'eye of the tiger,' but we have the Holy Spirit and the world will hear us roar just like on the day of Pentecost.

• Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to come once again and renew the Catholic Church and the world.  
• Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to rid the Church of scandals; to rid the Church of her Judas' who continue to betray Jesus.  
• Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to renew our faith and to restore or bring the gift of faith to those who lost it or never bothered with it.  
• Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to tell us what to do in these trying times.  To instruct us how to confront with love and reason the errors of today such as Relativism, Atheism, Secularism, Homosexual behavior, the distortion of Marriage, the selfishness and ego of Feminism, Indifferentism, Personhood distortion and attack on life, and gender confusion.  

The Covid 19 Coronavirus pandemic has humbled man in ways he has not imagined. As stated before, humanity prides itself on having abilities to split atoms, bring men to the moon, robots to Mars, the internet, and so forth.  Like Babel, man is still arrogant thinking he can build himself to God's realm and be godlike.  Ironically, an organism way smaller than man has reminded man that he is not the be-all-end-all of nature.  The Covid 19 virus paralyzed the world. It froze economies, world powers, belittled science and medicine into primitive guessing trades, and even froze religious institutions. We must learn from this and remind ourselves that we are not gods. Our science and knowledge are allowed by God only to do good, not to become gods or replace God.  We must rely on God's Holy Spirit for true Knowledge and Wisdom which guides us to goodness and righteousness.  This year is the year of St. Joseph and we should focus on him; however, we should also focus on the Holy Spirit during this pandemic.  God's Spirit is what gives the universe life and existence.  Let us call on the Paraclete to come to help us during this pandemic and in everyday situations.  Let us ask Him to guide us and protect us from evil and ourselves.   Let us pray for all the confirmandi around the world who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation, especially those of Our Lady of Solace and St. Dominic in the Bronx. My nephew and niece were among them.  May the Holy Spirit be with them always guiding them.  Today is also my anniversary of my First Communion. Pray for me that I may remain faithful, humble, and always open to service to God, Church, and world. 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love, sent forth your spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.


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Readings:  Pentecost Sunday | USCCB

7th Sunday of Easter - The Church Starts to Form

 As we approach the end of the Easter season and Christ has ascended into heaven, we prepare to commemorate the events at Pentecost.  Today's readings show us the early Catholic Church in formation.

In the first reading, we once again see Peter, the first Pope takes leadership of all (120 in number).  He speaks with authority regarding Judas and who is to be chosen to replace him.  As you may know, the apostles were the first bishops.  The offices of the priest and deacon as we know them today still did not fully develop (Acts 15:6, 23, Acts 1:20, 1 Timothy 3:8-13, Philippians 1:1). These offices would form to be part of the kingdom of priests caring for the Church (Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:10).  By Peter being the one leading the selection to replace Judas, we see how important his role is.  This is why only Popes appoint bishops.  Peter had to choose a replacement for Judas because the 12 apostles represent the 12 tribes of the old covenant.  Jesus did not abolish the old but fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).  He began a kingdom with a new Jerusalem on the throne of David (Psalm 122:4-5, Revelation 21:9-14, Galatians 6:16). This new kingdom would be founded on Peter or "the rock."  Peter would be given the keys which are linked to the Davidic throne (Isaiah 22:20-22, Revelations 3:7).  You can read more on the primacy of Peter and the Papacy here: http://www.sacerdotus.com/2013/02/the-chair-of-peter.html. The responsorial Psalm continues with the theme of the throne.

The Psalm for today reminds us that God has set His throne in heaven. Since heaven is above, this means that God's throne rules over all (Psalm 47:8, Psalm 22:28). From this throne, God views all and orders all today His purpose (Proverbs 3:6).

In the second reading, we are once again reminded that we must love one another.  This is one of the most important essences of Christianity. Christianity is not a religion of the self like Buddhism, Taoism, and so forth. It is a religion of love that serves others (Matthew 5:44, Matthew 25:35-46).  If we are Christian, yet do not love anyone, then we cease being Christian (John 13:35).  This is because God is love and commanded us to love (1 John 4:8).  As the reading says today, "..if we love one another, God remains in us.."

Lastly in the Gospel, we read of Jesus praying to God the Father.  He asks the Father to keep the apostles in His name.  He also asks the Father that the apostles be one.  We see here how important the Church is to Jesus. The Church has to be of one mind, heart, and body, so to speak (Ephesians 4:4-6).  She is the pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).  Unfortunately, due to human egos and other reasons, the Church has lost members who have created their own "churches" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  We must join our prayers to that of Jesus by asking God to make us one again.  Christianity must be only One Catholic Church and not a Catholic Church along with other smaller groups claiming to be the Catholic Church or the "true Church." Jesus said He would build His Church on Peter, not churches (Matthew 16:18). In my opinion, I believe this is the reason why many are leaving the faith. They see all these different "churches" competing with one another and ask themselves, "how can there be truth if there are different variations of it?"  This then leads to doubt and alienation from Christianity and eventually God. This week a study was released claiming that Christianity is on the decline, in particular Catholicism.  I address this here: http://www.sacerdotus.com/2015/05/pew-study-christianity-declining-in-usa.html.

We must try our best to bring Protestants, the Orthodox who refuse to accept the Papacy and others back into unity with Rome (Matthew 5:24). This is what Christ desired.  We must ask the Father along with Jesus to consecrate all of us in truth.  It should be the truth that keeps us united because Jesus is the truth and there is only one Jesus (John 14:6).  Unfortunately, our attempts to understand this truth and the egos behind it keep us from unity.  As we approach Pentecost, we must ask the Holy Spirit to unite the Church since He is the spirit of truth and our paraclete (helper) (John 14:16).  We must be true witnesses to the truth in the world so as to bring it to Christ.  This truth is not popular.  We will be hated because of Christ (Matthew 24:9).  Today we are seeing this more publicly with the persecution from Isis, governments, the LGBT movement, secularists, and so forth.  It is a battle between what God wills and what I want to do.  Nevertheless, we may suffer, lose members, parishes may close, there may be shortages of priests, but in the end, we will win because Christ already won. We must remain faithful and go through the storm (Romans 5:3-5). In the end, we will receive the crown (James 1:12, 1 Corinthians 9:25).  As Catholics, we must evangelize. Being Catholic is not something we only do on Sundays.  At work, in school, in public, within families, we must preach Christ even when Catholicism may be unpopular.  It is via the way we live our Catholicism that others will be either attracted to it or disgusted by it. Unfortunately, the mistake of bishops closing parishes during this alleged covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has hurt the faith of many.  Why even have Mass or a church if we can pray at home via live streams?  If the Sacraments were denied to those dying and everyone else, then what good are they if they do nothing against a virus?  There are many things the Church has to answer now after her bishops made exaggerated decisions without any scientific thought. Recently the pope issued a motu propio making the catechist an official ministry.  This is the first step to reclaiming the world for Christ.  However, catechists must be trained well so they can evangelize with clarity and facts so conversions can be made.  Let us pray for the Catholic Church, for more vocations, for the Holy Father the Pope.  May Jesus be praised forever!


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Readings:
Seventh Sunday of Easter | USCCB

6th Sunday of Easter - Love Of Neighbor

Today's readings remind us of God's commandments and love.

Readings: Sixth Sunday of Easter | USCCB

In the first reading, we read of Peter taking his leadership role of the Church as the first Pope. He speaks of God as showing no partiality. God does not have any favorites (Romans 2:11, Colossians 3:25). He treats everyone equally and does not judge anyone based on appearance, only what is in the heart (1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17:10). This is important especially in today's world where the word "equality" is being thrown around a lot.

Instead of picking favorites, God looks at those people who fear Him or respect Him and who are righteous (Proverbs 15:9, 1 Timothy 6:11). Now, this does not mean that God only pays attention to the good people because remember,  all have sinned and this includes the good and the ones who persist in sin (Romans 3:23). Rather, God pays close attention to those who while still in sin, try their best to be righteous and holy.  He still does pay attention to those in sin waiting for them to turn around (Isaiah 30:18, Romans 11:32).  No one is going to become a saint overnight. It is a process that entails God's grace and a response to that grace with faith and good works (James 2:14-26, Romans 3:24, CCC Article 2 Grace & Justification). This grace is open and free to all peoples, both the Jews and Gentiles. This is why the circumcised believers or the Jews were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out onto the Gentiles. God wants all to be saved because all humanity are His children (1 Timothy 2:4, Hebrews 2:14). This is why Baptism should not be denied to anyone.  The closing of churches around the world is a great travesty. Many were denied the Sacraments even as they died of Covid-19 Coronavirus!  Peter clearly states that water for baptizing these people should not be withheld. It is in baptism that we die in Christ to then rise in Him (Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12). In Baptism, God's power removes original sin and prepares the soul for spiritual growth as we read in the responsorial Psalm.

In the responsorial Psalm, we read of God's saving power being revealed to the nations. God has always willed that all be saved starting with Abraham who became the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). God has worked wonders with Israel in order to prepare the rest of the world for Christ (Isaiah 40, John 20:31, Acts 13:29, Matthew 26:56). Christ would come to redeem the world and open the doors to heaven for all peoples (Titus 2:14, Galatians 3:13). In order to be part of this salvation from Christ, we must follow His commandments. Loving one another is one of these commandments and what the second reading tells us about.

The second reading beings with "let us love one another because God is love." As Catholics, we must love one another. This does not mean fellow Catholics only, but everyone, including those who hate us (Matthew 5:44). Christ wants us to love one another as we love ourselves (John 13:34-35). We cannot be the true image of God if we hate one another because God is love and we cannot reflect something that is contrary to God. This can be extremely difficult since there are some people in our lives that we sometimes want to push down the stairs or under a bus. However, this is our fallen human nature thriving on concupiscence. We must ignore these impulses and offer them to Christ on the Cross. It is not easy getting along with others since each person is an ego with different views, experiences, understanding, temperament, and so forth. However, we must ask God for the grace to understand other people and be patient and forgiving with them (Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:13). If we love one another, we truly show that we are of God and know God. This theme continues in today's Gospel.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples to love one another as the Father loves Him. In other words, this love must be genuine and perfect, without ulterior motives. This is done by following the Father's commandments and not our own desires which often seek to trump the will and lives of others. Jesus then tells His disciples what true love is and that it entails the laying down of one's life for his friends. He was referring to Himself on the Cross. This does not mean that we have to die just to show our friends that we love them. However, it does mean that the love of others should not be selfish (Philippians 2:3). 

In 2015, New York City's Police Department buried one of its finest. Young police officer Brian Moore only 25 years old was shot and later died of his wounds doing his job: to serve and protect. Detective Moore (he was promoted posthumously) paid the ultimate price for the job he always wanted; to be a police officer. While his loss of life is not exactly the "laying down of one's life" as Jesus described, nevertheless, it similar in that as a police officer he had a job to serve and protect his community.  Similarly, many have sacrificed themselves to help others, such as doctors, nurses, and teachers.  This week we celebrate them.  They put themselves on the front lines during this Covid-19 Coronavirus alleged pandemic.  

Furthermore, Jesus tells His disciples that they are no longer slaves, but His friends. By using the word slave, Jesus means servants since He is King and royals often have servants (John 12:15, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14). This statement is a powerful one indeed. Can you imagine being the friend of a King!? This friendship also applies to us who are baptized in Christ and are given grace freely. In turn, we must respond with genuine faith and good works which comprise loving one another. May Jesus Christ be praised forever!


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Please help fund this work. Hosting this site and running this work is not free. I have to pay for the domain name, materials I mail people, postage, etc.  Moreover, I want to expand Sacerdotus Radio hosted on BlogTalkRadio which costs money and also want to publish some writings.  Without your generosity, I will not be able to continue this on my $70 a month stipend. Please donate and help me raise the funds necessary to run and expand.   I will probably have to stop this work if I am not able to keep up with costs.  You can donate to our Paypal or purchase items on our store: New tab (New tab (teespring.com)).  Or you can use the GofundMe this site to make your donation which you can report on taxes as a gift, thanks and God bless. Thank you. 

5th Sunday of Easter - Vine & Branches: Representing Christ in the World

In today's readings, we learn of the importance of representing Christ in the world as his branches. Evangelization is important!

The first reading tells of Saul who persecuted the Christians.  After a vision of Christ, he converted and his name became Paul (Acts 9).  Since Saul persecuted the Christians, the disciples were worried when he approached them asking to be part of their group.  They felt he was just pretending in order to find out where Christians gathered in order to make arrests (Acts 8:3).

However, he sincerely did want to join the disciples and Barnabas took him in.  Saul told them of how he had seen the Lord who spoke to Him.  As a new Christian, Saul wasted no time and went after the Hellenists or the Greek philosophers of the time and debated with them.  They did not like his arguments so they tried to kill him. (Sounds like me today with online atheists who are constantly targeting me after I refute their nonsense!)  As a Church, we must spread the Gospel and praise the name of the Lord as the Psalm for today calls us to (Mark 16:15).

**(Please help me expand this work by donating here, thanks:  www.gofundme.com/sacerdotus)

Message to readers:
Please help fund this work. Hosting this site and running this work is not free. I have to pay for the domain name, materials I mail people, postage, etc.  Moreover, I want to expand Sacerdotus Radio hosted on BlogTalkRadio which costs money, and also want to publish some writings.  Without your generosity, I will not be able to continue this on my $70 a month stipend. Please donate and help me raise the funds necessary to run and expand.   I will probably have to stop this work if I am not able to keep up with costs.  You can donate to our Paypal or purchase items on our store: New tab (teespring.com).  Or you can use the GofundMe this site to make your donation which you can report on taxes as a gift, thanks and God bless.

Today's responsorial Psalm calls us to be faithful to God and praise Him.  We must call the whole world to remember the Lord and turn to Him (Acts 3:19). Like John the Baptist, we must be that "voice in the wilderness" calling the world to repentance and righteous living by reminding them that to God only should worship be given (Isaiah 40:3, John 1:23). Covid 19 coronavirus has reminded us all that we are not here for long. Our lives and end at any moment for whatever reason.  Nothing will change this.  I am sure many of you noticed how our technology and science were reduced to nothing by a microscopic virus. It is humbling.  We need to be focused on God and repent.  The alleged pandemic brought the world to its knees to repent.  This call to the world to repent must be made with love as we read in the second reading.

In the second reading, we read that we must love in deed and truth, not just by words. We must show our love for others, not talk about it (1 Corinthians 13:1-2).  We who are in Christ belong to the truth because Christ is the truth (John 14:6).  With this confidence in Christ Jesus, we must go out and evangelize, keep the commandments ourselves and be examples to those around us (Titus 2:7).  Again, all of this must be done with love as Christ commanded (John 13:34-35). We are part of the Church, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27, Romans 12:5).  Christ is the true vine and we are the branches as we read in the Gospel.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that he is the true vine, the Father is the vine grower and we are the branches.  Every branch that does not produce fruit, the Father will throw away in the furnace (hell) (Revelation 21:8, Matthew 25:46). Those branches that do produce fruit, the Father will prune so that it bears even more fruit.  Jesus reminds us that without the vine, the branches cannot produce fruit. If we do not remain in Christ, then we cannot bear fruit.  It is in Christ that we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). Again, the Church is the body of Christ. We must remain faithful to the Church in order to be truly incorporated in Christ.  As branches, we must reach out around the world and spread the Gospel. The message of the Gospel works best when done with love as Christ commanded.  Mary, the mother of Christ, and our mother is a perfect example.  She was not just His mother, but also His disciple.  Her last recorded words in the Gospel are at the Wedding at Cana where she tells the servants "Do whatever He (Christ) tells you." What powerful words are these!  They ring true throughout the centuries.  In the month of May which is the month of Mary as our mother, the Holy Father Pope Francis has called on us to pray the Rosary daily.  Let us pray it daily and ask the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary to helps us be better disciples of her Son Jesus.  May Jesus Christ be praised!  


Readings: Fifth Sunday of Easter | USCCB