In Memoriam

Though he wasn't a Catholic preacher, I have a great respect for Billy Graham as a man of faith and an authentic Christian disciple. May he rest in peace, with all the saints in light. 

Into thy hands, O merciful Savior, we commend thy servant BILLY GRAHAM, now departed from the body. Acknowledge, we, humbly beseech thee, O Lord, a sheep of thine own fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. 

O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our prayers on behalf of thy servant BILLY GRAHAM, and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Remember thy servant, O Lord, according to the favor which thou bearest unto thy people; and grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, he may go from strength to strength in the life of perfect service in thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Almighty God, we remember this day before thee thy faithful servant BILLY GRAHAM, and we pray that, having opened to him the gates of larger life, thou wilt receive him more and more into thy joyful service, that he may win with thee and all thy servants everywhere the eternal victory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Into thy hands, O Lord, we commend thy servant, our dear brother, as into the hands of a faithful Creator and most merciful Savior, beseeching thee that he may be precious in thy sight. Wash him, we pray thee, in the blood of that immaculate Lamb that was slain to take away the sins of the world; that, whatsoever defilements he may have contracted in the midst of this earthly life being purged and done away, he may be presented pure and without spot before thee; through the merits of Jesus Christ thine only Son our Lord.

Amen.

How's Your Lent going?

As we set up for the First Sunday of Lent, it's good for us to see how we're doing so far ... a whole three days in.

If one of the things you were going to work on was spend more time at prayer, or with your family, or just at arm's length from social media, let me suggest this article to you ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/well/phone-cellphone-addiction-time.html

Maybe with a little bit of help, we'll all be a little less bound to our cell phones, and a little more united to God and neighbor, by next Sunday.

Happy Lent!
Father Ryan

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas!

I was listening to the radio this weekend, and surprise! I was confronted with Christmas music. One of the songs was that old classic, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

It took me back to an article I read some time ago that said this is really a song about Christ Jesus -- the singing bird in the Tree of the Cross. Even though the folks at Snopes have shown this isn't really a medieval catechism song, I still think the content of the article is worth sharing, so that we can all look for opportunities to see Jesus, to think about His birth, and to imitate His love in the midst of this intensely busy season of Advent.

Without further ado ...

Jesus Christ is the Partridge in the Pear Tree, hung upon the Tree of the Cross to protect us, the "birds of the air which rest in its shade" (Mark 4:32), and who gathers us as a mother hen (Matthew 23:37).

The 2 Turtle Doves are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible ... they come as a pair.

The 3 French Hens are the Three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, which like French hens, are known to produce abundant fruit (both eggs and good works).

The 4 Calling Birds are the Four Gospels whose "voice goes out to all the world" (Ps 19:4)

The 5 Golden Rings are the Pentateuch, the first Five Books of the Old Testament, which show the "chain" of sin in the world from which Christ came to free us.

The 6 Geese A-laying  are the six days of Creation, coming to life and birth like hatching eggs.

The 7 Swans A-swimming are the Seven Sacraments, keeping up with the "S" theme.

The 8 Maids A-milking are the eight Beatitudes which help us to "not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life" (John 6:27).

The 9 Ladies Dancing are the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit, which show the outward results of a right disposition before God, bringing us to "sing and dance for joy" (Luke 6:23).

The 10 Lords A-leaping are the Ten Commandments, which was "our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24).

The 11 Pipers Piping are the eleven faithful Apostles whom "we hear in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God" (Acts 2:11).

The 12 Drummers Drumming are the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed. ... And in case you're wondering what those are:

1. I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
5. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
10. the forgiveness of sins,
11. the resurrection of the body,
12. and the life everlasting. Amen.

So ... I hope this is a little inspiration to be looking (and listening!) for the Presence of Jesus, even during these busy days leading up to Christmas.

Happy Advent!
-Father Ryan

PS - In case you're looking for the original article, there are several editions of it, but the one I read was at https://www.ewtn.com/library/HOMELIBR/TWELVDAY.TXT.   God bless! -Fr. Ryan

Election Day!

I was praying the Liturgy of the Hours yesterday -- the collection of psalms, prayers, and Scripture readings that priests, consecrated religious, and some lay people pray every day -- and I was struck by the timeliness of the meditative reading in what's called the Office of Readings, an extended time of reflection on a Scripture passage and some other meditation from the writings of a Saint or some document of the Church.

Yesterday's reflection came from one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, called Gaudium et Spes from its first words in Latin (meaning "Joy and Hope"), or in English, the more long-winded title, "The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World." And I thought it was appropriate to meditate on and to share as we come to this day when we exercise our civic responsibility and privilege, to vote for candidates who will work for a better world for ourselves and those around us. The Church describes these responsibilities -- for our elected officials, and for each of us -- like this:

Men must not be content simply to support the efforts of others in the work for peace; they must also scrutinize their own attitudes. Statesmen, responsible as they are for the common good of their own nation and at the same time for the well-being of the whole world, are very much dependent on the opinions and convictions of the general public. Their efforts to secure peace are of no avail as long as men are divided or set against each other by feelings of hostility, contempt and distrust, by racial hatred or by inflexible ideologies. There is then a very great and urgent need to reeducate men and to provide fresh inspiration in the field of public opinion.

Those engaged in education, especially among young people, and those who influence public opinion, should consider it a very serious responsibility to work for the reeducation of mankind to a new attitude toward peace. We must all undergo a change of heart. We must look out on the whole world and see the tasks that we can all do together to promote the well-being of the family of man. We must not be misled by a false sense of hope. Unless antagonism and hatred are abandoned, unless binding and honest agreements are concluded, safeguarding universal peace in the future, mankind, already in grave peril, may well face in spite of its marvelous advance in knowledge that day of disaster when it knows no other peace than the awful peace of death.

In saying this, however, the Church of Christ, living as it does in the midst of these anxious times, continues unwaveringly in hope. Time and again, in season and out of season, it seeks to proclaim to our age the message of the Apostle: Now is the hour of God’s favor, the hour for change of heart; now is the day of salvation.

To build peace, the causes of human discord which feed the fires of war must first be eliminated, and among these especially the violations of justice. Many of these causes are due to gross economic inequality and delay in providing necessary remedies. Others arise from a spirit of domination and from a contempt for others, and, among more fundamental causes, from human envy, distrust, pride and other forms of selfishness. Since man cannot bear so many violations of due order, the result is that, even where war does not rage, the world is constantly plagued by human conflict and acts of violence.

The same evils are also found in relations between nations. It is therefore absolutely necessary that international institutions should cooperate more effectively, more resolutely and with greater coordination of effort, in order to overcome or prevent these evils, and to check unbridled acts of violence. There must also be constant encouragement for the creation of organizations designed to promote peace.

On this Election Day, may God grant us good-hearted candidates who will work for this true peace in the world, and give us a sense of hope in the united hearts of humankind, that we may all work together in this "hour of God's favor" to transform the world according to the Heart of Christ! Even "in the midst of these anxious times" (a prophetic phrase from over 50 years ago!), we "continue unwaveringly in hope," for He is the one who has redeemed us!

God bless you, and God bless America!

So what about those new Norms for Mass?

OK ... So you heard about the new Norms for Mass during the homily last weekend and still aren't quite sure what Father was talking about?

Let me try to explain ... 

Back in May, the Bishop and the Council of Priests of the Diocese of Raleigh approved some changes to the way Mass is celebrated in the Diocese. Many of these are just reaffirming what came out in the Third Edition of the Roman Missal back in 2011, but others of them define what options are going to be used in the Diocese and which are not. 

Taking a step back, the purpose behind these changes is to help each of us focus more intently on what is happening during Mass and to avoid anything that might be a distraction from wholehearted worship -- just like those jewels on the walls of the Temple in this past Sunday's Gospel were originally meant to draw people into worship but ended up being a distraction for them (Luke 21:5). 

So with that in mind, the Diocese published new Norms for Mass back in May, and the different parishes began to implement them on a schedule that was convenient for them. At St. Michael, we like to make changes around Advent, since that's a natural time in the liturgical year to start new things. Some of the changes we're going to make beginning this weekend will be more noticeable than others, but here's a quick summary. In case you're an eager beaver and want to read the whole document yourself, I've put the reference paragraphs in the Norms for Mass at the end of each point.

•  As we have begun to do already this fall, we will continue to focus on quiet time before Mass starts. We invite all our parishioners and visitors to talk to each other and to build community in the gathering space before and after Mass, but to reserve the sanctuary as a silent space for those who need a quiet refuge to be with the Lord (par. 7).

•  In the past, people have held various postures during the praying of the Lord’s Prayer; beginning this weekend we ask people to hold their hands folded in prayer during the Our Father – not outstretched,  and also not holding hands – in order to focus on our own internal response to the Eucharistic Prayer (par. 80).

• As we move from the Our Father into the Sign of Peace, we ask everyone to offer the Sign of Peace to those around them in the pews and not to move around in the church, in order to keep a quiet and reverent atmosphere before Communion (par. 81).

•  The Communion Procession is a time to come forward to receive Holy Communion and to show our oneness in Christ and His Church – in other words, it is a “single purpose procession.” To demonstrate this truth, the Bishop has ended the option to come forward for a blessing in the Communion line  (par. 89).

• At the same time, however, we recognize that there are circumstances when someone will need to come forward in the Communion Procession without receiving Communion – young children accompanying their parents, for example – and in these cases, the minister of Communion (whether an ordained Priest or Deacon, or a lay person) will not offer a blessing but may smile and say “God bless you” to these people.

• The purpose of this distinction is to not embarrass someone who comes forward unknowingly in the procession, while maintaining the primary purpose of the Communion Procession as the moment to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord as those united in the Catholic Faith.

• Although it is not a change from previous teaching or practice, the new Norms for Mass reiterate the teaching of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that all Catholics attending Mass in the United States should receive Communion in a standing posture (par. 92). All those receiving Communion have the option to receive on their tongue or in their hands, but everyone is reminded that we receive Holy Communion; we should never reach for, grab for, or “one-hand” our reception of the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion.

• Finally, we will be focusing particularly on the important moments after we receive Holy Communion when we are able to unite ourselves most perfectly to the Lord and pray for ourselves, our loved ones, and the whole world. Thus, we will begin to keep a few moments of sacred silence after Communion and before our Song of Praise to allow all of us to spend some time uniting ourselves to Christ Jesus Whom we have just received (par. 95).

So that's the scoop. As I said earlier, if you really get excited about all this stuff (and let's be honest, there's a LOT to get excited about!), the entire document is only about 30 pages long, and it is available on the Diocesan web site: http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/sites/default/files/files/General-Norms-for-the-Celebration-of-the-Sacred-Litugy-of-the-Mass-in-the-Forma-Ordinaria.pdf.

I hope this was a help, and I'll see you at Mass!
Father Ryan

Wow!

I had the great opportunity to hear Father Jim Sichko this morning at our Sunday Mass, and it seems like the whole parish enjoyed him tonight as we began our Parish Mission. Tonight he reminded us that we need to TRUST to get anywhere in the spiritual life ... and sometimes that just means, "Stop being a jerk!"

I hope you can join us Monday night and Tuesday night at 7pm in the Church for the remainder of our FANTASTIC parish mission - as we learn to "Be You ... Be Kind ... Be Merciful ... Be Christ"!

The Power of Grandparents

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Wenceslaus ... whom we typically think of around Christmastime, as he went out on the Feast of Stephen (Dec. 26) to do some good works for the poor around his castle.

An important part of his story, though, begins long before he was ever crowned king. Wenceslaus' parents were nominally Christians, but they were what we'd call "non-practicing" today. His grandmother, St. Ludmilla, on the other hand, took a deep interest in Wenceslaus' faith education and invited him to come live in her castle and be tutored by her private chaplain, Father Paul (it must be nice to be able to run your own Catholic school for just one student!).

Thanks to St. Ludmilla, Wenceslaus learned rhetoric and statecraft and all those things a good king would be expected to know -- but he also made his Sacraments and learned to be a good Christian and a compassionate king. It is even said that, when he walked into a meeting with the German Emperor to negotiate a treaty on behalf of his kingdom, Emperor Charles got out of his seat to go and meet this impressive young ruler. (Emperors typically don't do that sort of thing ... they wait for the visitors to come and see them!)

So today I am very grateful for my own grandparents who were wonderful models of the practice of the Christian Faith. They were also my godparents, so that's a doubly good reason for them to make me think of Jesus! May God be good to them for their positive influence in my life.

And to all you grandparents out there -- especially grandparents whose children aren't particularly good models of faith for your grandkids -- say a prayer to St. Ludmilla today that she will help you to form your grandchildren in the Faith with your good example. She made a saint out of her grandson, so she might just help you, too!

What about the Sacraments?

I was in class this morning (as I'm supposed to be while in summer school!), and we had a good discussion about the importance of the Sacraments in the life of the Church. Our professor pointed us to one of the clearest and most concise discussions I've ever seen about the beautiful importance and effects of the Sacraments in the life of the Church ... so I thought I'd share it with you. It comes from Lumen Gentium, the "Constitution on the Church" from the Second Vatican Council, paragraph 11:

It is through the sacraments and the exercise of the virtues that the sacred nature and organic structure of the priestly community is brought into operation. Incorporated in the Church through baptism, the faithful are destined by the baptismal character for the worship of the Christian religion; reborn as sons of God they must confess before men the faith which they have received from God through the Church. They are more perfectly bound to the Church by the sacrament of Confirmation, and the Holy Spirit endows them with special strength so that they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith, both by word and by deed, as true witnesses of Christ. Taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life, they offer the Divine Victim to God, and offer themselves along with It <n.b.: Pius XII, Mediator Dei: one sacrifice of Christ, to which all unite themselves>. Thus both by reason of the offering and through Holy Communion all take part in this liturgical service, not indeed, all in the same way but each in that way which is proper to himself. Strengthened in Holy Communion by the Body of Christ, they then manifest in a concrete way that unity of the people of God which is suitably signified and wondrously brought about by this most august sacrament.

Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from the mercy of God for the offence committed against Him and are at the same time reconciled with the Church, which they have wounded by their sins, and which by charity, example, and prayer seeks their conversion. By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of her priests the whole Church commends the sick to the suffering and glorified Lord, asking that He may lighten their suffering and save them; she exhorts them, moreover, to contribute to the welfare of the whole people of God by associating themselves freely with the passion and death of Christ. Those of the faithful who are consecrated by Holy Orders are appointed to feed the Church in Christ's name with the word and the grace of God. Finally, Christian spouses, in virtue of the sacrament of Matrimony, whereby they signify and partake of the mystery of that unity and fruitful love which exists between Christ and His Church, help each other to attain to holiness in their married life and in the rearing and education of their children. By reason of their state and rank in life they have their own special gift among the people of God. From the wedlock of Christians there comes the family, in which new citizens of human society are born, who by the grace of the Holy Spirit received in baptism are made children of God, thus perpetuating the people of God through the centuries. The family is, so to speak, the domestic church <n.b.: first introduction of this term!>. In it parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children; they should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of them, fostering with special care vocation to a sacred state.

Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect.

I hope that this beautiful reflection helps to stir up your appreciation for the Sacraments in a new way, as it stirred up mine this morning. May the Sacraments continue to be a help to deepen all of our faith this summer, and all through our lives!

In Christ Jesus, from Chicago,
Father Ryan

He is Risen!

Happy Easter! We have been celebrating the Resurrection for the last week-and-a-bit, and we are still so happy at this gift of God to us -- new life -- that we sing out "Alleluia" to the Lord!

Easter is such a big day in the life of the Church that we celebrate an entire 8 days as if it were Easter morning -- we call this the Octave of Easter. This past Sunday, we closed out that Octave with the Second Sunday of Easter, a day in the life of the Church has a bunch of different names. It has been called the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, The Sunday in White Robes ("Whitsunday" in Old English), or my favorite, Quasimodo Sunday.

(c) Disney Studios, 1996

Most people hear Quasimodo and think of a certain Hunchback who lived in a certain Cathedral in Paris ... and rightly so! If we were celebrating Mass in Latin this past Sunday, the first words you would hear would be Quasi modo geniti infantes, rationabile, sine dolo lac consupiscite ("Like newborn infants, you must long for pure, spiritual milk" - 1 Peter 2:2).  The Hunchback of Notre Dame was dropped off on the church doorstep as a baby on this day in the church year, and so he was named for the Mass of the day -- Quasimodo Sunday!

No matter what you choose to call it, I hope that this beautiful feast day and the great joy and hope that the Resurrection offers us may be a source of peace and gladness for you and those you love!

Walk the Walk!

As we walk the Road to Calvary with Christ Jesus this week, I wanted to let you know about all the special Holy Week activities happening at St. Michael for the Week of the Passion -- please come join us and be near to Jesus during this season of deep mysteries and overflowing graces!

Saturday, March 19
5:00 PM	Palm Sunday Mass		Church
7:00 PM	Palm Sunday Mass (Misa en español)		Church
Sunday, March 20
7:15 AM		Palm Sunday Mass	Church
8:45 AM		Palm Sunday Mass	Church
8:45 AM		Palm Sunday Mass	Green Hope H.S. **
10:30 AM		Palm Sunday Mass	Church
10:30 AM		Palm Sunday Mass	Green Hope H.S. **
12:15 PM		Palm Sunday Mass	Church
2:00 PM		Palm Sunday Mass (Misa en español)	Church
6:00 PM		Palm Sunday Mass	Church
Monday, March 21
7:00 AM	Mass		Church
8:30 AM	Mass		Church
Tuesday, March 22
~~ No morning Masses as requested by the Diocese to set up for the Chrism Mass. ~~
2:00 PM	Chrism Mass		Church
7:00 PM	Mass (Misa en español)		Church
Wednesday, March 23
7:00 AM	Mass		Church
8:15 AM	School Mass		Church
2:00 PM	Living Stations of the Cross - StMS School Students		Church
Holy Thursday, March 24
8:30 AM	Morning Prayer		Church
7:00 PM	Mass of the Lord’s Supper (English)		Church
7:00 PM	Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Misa en español)		Parish Center
9-11:00PM	Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament		Chapel
Good Friday, March 25
8:30 AM	Morning Prayer		Church
12:00 PM	Stations of the Cross		Church
3:00 PM	Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (English)		Church
6:00 PM	El Viacrucis del Señor (en español)		Church
7:00 PM	Celebración de la Pasión del Señor (español)		Church
Holy Saturday, March 26
8:30 AM	Morning Prayer/ Blessing of the Easter Food		Church
	No Confessions Today
8:00 PM	Easter Vigil Liturgy (English) (begin outside)		Church
8:00 PM	Easter Vigil Liturgy (Misa en español)		Parish Center
Easter Sunday, March 27
7:15 AM	Easter Sunday Mass		Church
8:45 AM	Easter Sunday Mass		Church
8:45 AM	Easter Sunday Mass		Green Hope HS**
10:30 AM	Easter Sunday Mass		Church
10:30 AM	Easter Sunday Mass		Parish Center
10:30 AM	Easter Sunday Mass		Green Hope HS**
12:15 PM	Easter Sunday Mass		Church
12:15 PM	Easter Sunday Mass		Parish Center
2:00 PM	Easter Sunday Mass (Misa en español)		Church
No 6pm Mass will be celebrated

** (Green Hope H.S. is located off High House Rd on Carpenter Upchurch Rd in West Cary)