In this episode, I share my homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. We talk about the call of the first four Apostles and the importance of praying for vocations. I’ll share my Holy Land pilgrimage in the next episode..
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What a great grace and gift it was to be on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Cardinal Burke, Hector Molina, and brother priests. I’ll give a talk this Friday, 24 January.
* For those unable to attend, I plan to record and turn it into a podcast.
Hi friends! I know it’s been quite a while since I did a podcast. The past year and a half+ were very hectic and stressful with my father’s illness and eventually his passing on Holy Thursday. I’m catching up on a number of things that fell behind during that difficult time and I’m working on a few projects that are almost complete. Once I get caught up, I’ll begin podcasting again. It may be a month or so, but I’ll be there soon. Happy Thanksgiving!
This morning, someone gave me a copy of the Holy Ghost Fathers’ Mission News from February 1953. It was a copy of that was mailed to the Holy Ghost Fathers at my current address. My parish, Holy Ghost, was once a parish run by the Holy Ghost Fathers.
On the front inside cover, there is an application to join the Holy Ghost Mission League. I wonder if it still exists today. On this same page is listed the Purpose for those who join the Mission League. “To foster greater devotion to God the Holy Ghost, to obtain His graces for the conversion of the pagan world.” And of course, the second purpose is to financially support the missions of the Holy Ghost Fathers.
Let’s repeat that first part of the mission once again.
“To foster greater devotion to God the Holy Ghost,” This is important. Because all of the Church’s good works begin with the help of the Holy Ghost. Prayer must be first in all things. Without prayer, there is a danger that the work is our work and not God’s.
And “to obtain His graces for the conversion of the pagan world.” It is only by God’s grace that souls can turn to God and His one, true Church. People who do not believe need to convert. That is an ugly word today. It’s not politically correct. But, it is the message of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the will of our heavenly Father.
Today’s Gospel in the Ordinary Form for the Memorial of the North American Martyrs makes the central mission of the Church clear:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” And how do we do this? By “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” There is no other way to make disciples. There is no other way to bring people into communion with God. There is no other way to cleanse souls from original sin and fill them with sanctifying grace but through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.
But our Lord does not end there. It is not enough to be a disciple. He commands His Apostles and disciples that to be true disciples they must know and live His teaching. “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
In the midst of the Amazonian Synod, this message strikes a cord. They need to drop the rhetoric. Stop trying to convert us to paganism, and recommit to the central message of the Gospels: “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.”
Anything more and anything less is a mockery of the Triune God.
In this episode, I share a little story about Archbishop Sheen’s commitment to make a daily Holy Hour and I share my sermon from my father’s Requiem Mass.
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I had the great privilege of offering a Solemn Requiem Mass for my father on April 25, 2019 at St. Theresa’s Church in Nasonville, Rhode Island.
Celebrant: Fr. Jay A. Finelli
Deacon: Fr. Nicholas T. Fleming
Subdeacon: Fr. Thomas M. Kocik
MC: Fr. John M. Berg, F.S.S.P.
In today’s world, suffering is looked down upon. Suffering is thought to be a curse that we can’t escape. We do everything we can to run from it, and to avoid it at all costs. But there is power in suffering. In this episode, I share a talk I gave during Lent called “The Power of the Cross.”
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In this episode, we talk about my long absence from the podcasting world and other news.
Our main topic today is the saints. We have these great friends, our family, waiting for us in the kingdom, but also helping us to get there.
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The tradition of the “Gregorian Mass” goes back to its namesake Saint Gregory the Great. Gregory served as Supreme Pontiff from 590 to 604. The Gregorian Mass is a serious of 30 daily Masses celebrated consecutively for the soul of a departed person.
Shortly after Gregory’s election, Justus, a monk from his former monastery admitted to hiding some gold coins among his medication. Gregory imposed a severe penalty on the monk to bring about his conversion.
Soon after Justus died. And out of charity, Gregory commanded the Abbot of the monastery to offer 30 consecutive Masses for the repose of the monk’s soul. When the Masses were completely, Justus appeared to a friend and announced that he had been released from purgatory through the offering of the 30 Masses. In time, the “Gregorian Mass” spread from the Roman Monastery to other monasteries and eventually through the Church.
Today, the Gregorian Mass is celebrated mostly celebrated in monasteries and by Religious who are able to fulfill the obligation of 30 uninterrupted Masses. My friend Fr. Zuhlsdorf often puts out a call to priests who are able to celebrate the Gregorian Mass and tells people how they can schedule one.
There are no special prayers to be said. The Mass celebrated may be a Mass for the dead if it is permitted on that day, but it is not necessary. All that is necessary is that it is a series of 30 Masses celebrated without interruption for 30 days. I have chosen to offer the 30 Masses in the Extraordinary Form. But they can be in either forms of the Roman Rite or mixed.
As you may know, my father passed away on April 18th (Holy Thursday). I began celebrating a Gregorian Mass for him on my birthday, the feast of St. Peter Martyr (April 29th). Today is day 7.
When I return to the parish on Wednesday, I will celebrate the Gregorian Mass so that you may attend if you like on certain days.
* Keep an eye on Facebook & Twitter for updates.
My father passed peacefully from this life at 6:09 am on Holy Thursday morning.
Obituary and gallery may be found here.
