Down to Brass Tacks ...

I was at an activity this weekend where I was really struck by something. We had a group of folks together, and the conversation turned to some of the basics of the Catholic Faith. One of the group (and it wasn't me, I promise!) asked another (again, not me -- but you probably guessed that) what the Fifth Commandment was, and the poor person was left speechless.  So, given that, I broke open my trusty-dusty copy of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore's "Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity" ... where they have a GREAT list of the basics of the Catholic Faith. So, let's get down to brass tacks:

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

(Exodus, chapter 20)

1. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
3. Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day.
4. Honour thy father and thy mother.
5. Thou shalt not kill.
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
7. Thou shalt not steal.
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour' s wife.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods.

THE SIX PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH

1. Attend Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation.
   [In case you were wondering, in the United States those are: Jan. 1 (Mary, the Mother of God), Ascension Thursday (40 days after Easter), Aug. 15 (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary), Nov. 1 (All Saints' Day), Dec. 8 (Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary), and Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)]
2. Fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent.
3. Make a sacramental Confession at least once a year.
4. Receive the Eucharist during the Easter Season (from Easter Sunday to Trinity Sunday).
5. Contribute financially and materially to the support of the Church.
6. Observe the laws of the Church regarding marriage. (The U.S. Bishops have a short summary here.)

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS AND OPPOSING VIRTUES

Pride  --  Humility

Greed  --  Generosity

Lust  --  Chastity

Anger  --  Gentleness

Gluttony  --  Temperance

Envy  --  Brotherly love

Sloth  --  Zeal

I hope this helps to "dust off" your faith ... and sharpen those brass tacks!

Grateful for "Rerum Novarum"

“Rerum Novarum” was a document written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 to reflect upon the involvement of the Church and Her teachings in light of the modern world. It was a document that took a long, hard look at the dignity of work and of the workers who did it, and found the presence of God there, as He is in all good things.

But what the title of that document means, in plain and simple Latin, is “New stuff.” And I am just overwhelmed and thrilled about the amount of  “new stuff” that is happening here at St. Michael this week. It’s an exciting time in the life of our parish as we see the result of all the planning that has happened behind the scenes now for almost 5 months.

·         At long last, we are getting new carpet in the church -- carpet that is designed to stand up to the thousands of folks who come in and out through the weeks (the dealer called it “airport quality”)! And it matches everything!

·         We are re-striping the parking lot, so everybody will be able to see the space markers. We’re hoping that, with the new lines, we might even be able to fit a few more cars in the lot where they were taking up a space-and-a-half before!

·         We have almost finished the approval process to replace our air conditioners in the church. We still have to get the pieces delivered … and then get them out of the roof … but at least the parts are on the move!

·         We have a beautiful new piece of artwork in our parish school. Mr. Al Boyle painted a beautiful scene of Jesus blessing the children who came to Him, and we have dedicated the painting back to the Lord by hanging it in the front hallway of our school where our children can see it.

What a wonderful slate of “new stuff” for us to receive with rejoicing! God has been very good to our parish! As a priest of the parish and as a recipient of the many, many blessings that He has given to us, I want to give thanks to Him with all my heart. But in the spirit of Pope Leo’s “Rerum Novarum,” I also want to thank the many people who have offered their labor in service to our improvement projects: the carpet layers, the air conditioning technicians, the parking lot crew, Mr. and Mrs. Boyle, and the many who work so hard for our parish every day of the week. We can see the work of God in and through you!

Let your good works shine ...

As I took my vacation to visit friends in the Frozen Northlands this past week (and by that, I mean Philadelphia), I was really struck by the change of seasons that's already happening up there. The trees are showing off their best reds, oranges, and yellows. Some of the trees are at their peak already, all changed over and ready to let the leaves come down. Others are just starting out, letting a little bit of color show around the edges.

 But it made me think and wonder a little bit: no matter where I am on my journey of faith -- fully committed as an intentional disciple of Jesus, or only at the beginning stages around the edges -- am I letting the glory of God shine through me so that others may "see my good works and give glory to God my Father" (cf. Matthew 5:16)? The whole of creation is telling us that it's time!

Te Deum Laudamus

When the Church recognizes a special blessing in her life, she very often sings the "Te Deum," a hymn of praise for what God has done for His people. For example, the beginning of the New Year, the celebration of Sunday, an Ordination, and celebrations like that usually have a "Te Deum" as part of their celebration. So, as I look back on my first year of Priesthood, I am so grateful for the many blessings God has given me and the way He has helped me grow by being at St. Michael Parish.

So here goes (no, this is NOT me singing): http://musicasacra.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/2008-colloq-te-deum-tonus-sollemnis.mp3

And now I give thanks also for 2 weeks of vacation to enjoy the Ordination of the NEXT batch of priests for the Diocese in the person of Father-Elect Michael Burbeck, and then to join our wonderful choir on their concert tour of Germany and Austria.

Yes, indeed, "We Praise You, O God", for all that You have done for us!

Upcoming Events ...

It's been a while since I sat down to meditate on the state of our parish and the many fantastic things that are happening at St. Michael.  The main reason is that there are so many fantastic things happening at St. Michael!  But as part of that, I want to invite you to be a part of it!

Here are a few things going on in the next 2 weeks:

Parish Penance Service -- in church, Wednesday, April 9, at 7 pm

Come experience the powerful and transformative mercy of God! We'll have a bunch of different priests available to hear your Confession and help you get ready for Easter.

Stations of the Cross -- in church, Friday, April 11, at 7 pm (English) and 8 pm (Spanish)

The the time to walk with Jesus in His suffering and death. Be touched by the tremendous love He had for us to give Himself in offering for our sins! This is a great preparation for hearing the Passion this coming Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday...

Palm Sunday  -- regular Mass times.

A free souvenir palm comes with every Mass attendance! :)

Chrism Mass -- in church, Tuesday, April 15, at 2 pm

Come celebrate the gift of God's healing, sanctifying, and governing grace to the Church as the Bishop consecrates the Sacred Oils used in the Sacraments for the coming year!

Triduum and Easter -- you don't want to miss this high point of the Church Year. (There's so much going on that you'll just have to go on the parish website and read for yourself.)

Due to these events, the Luke 5:29 Bible Study will NOT MEET for the next 3 weeks. We'll get together again on April 30 at 5:29 pm in the Youth Room above the Parish Center. 

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you!

Because by Your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world!

"At the preaching of Jonah they repented"

It's been a while since I shared a thought through Father Ryan Online ... blame it on my retreat which led into Lent at St. Michael Parish. But as I sit here preparing for tonight's Mission Mass, I can't help but be struck by the readings which the Church provides for her  liturgy today.  As we wrap up our reflection on "Our Call to Holiness and How to Get There," the Church invites us to reflect on the life of the prophet Jonah -- the guy who provided a three-day snack for a great fish.

Jonah is a great reminder for us about what the call to holiness means. He didn't want to be holy. He actively tried to RUN AWAY from God's call to holiness. He wanted to get as far away as possible from his vocation. And yet God intervened in his life in a powerful way to BRING HIM BACK to where he needed to be ... with the result that "a very large city" repented of their sins, down to the last donkey.

So often we think that holiness is something that we have to do. Yet we learn from the life of Jonah that God desires our holiness even more than we do. He desires to intervene in our lives to put us where we need to be ... in short, to help us to respond to His love, and thus to BE HOLY. When it comes to our part, WE need only place ourselves in a position where we can respond to that call. We need only open our hearts to receive His grace so that we can respond to that love. We need only "pull a Jonah" and let ourselves be taken to where we need to be.

I hope to see you at the Parish Mission Mass tonight at 7:00 at St. Michael's. ... And until then, may God give us the grace to hear His call and allow Him to put us where we need to be, so that we can be holy.

When was the Last Time YOU Went to Confession?

I was so proud of our second graders who received First Penance the past two weekends. One of the parents handed me this cartoon and got me thinking ... when was the last time YOU went to Confession?

Are You a Twitter-er?

If so, you can follow Father Ryan on Twitter through @FrRyanElder.

God bless you -- Nuntiatur Evangelium!

BIBLE STUDY: CANCELLED THIS WEEK!

It's one of those unfortunate things that we've had 2 weeks without Bible study now ... but I certainly didn't drive anywhere today, and I don't want you to do that, either.  So, for safety's sake, there will be NO BIBLE STUDY TODAY ... and we'll pray for better weather next week.

If you're an eager beaver and want to check up on what we WOULD have done, the readings for Sunday are here ... and St. Sophronius (a bishop from olden days) has this to say about the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord:

(By way of context, this Sunday we will process into church with lighted candles to celebrate the entrance of Jesus into the Temple with his parents. Then we will undergo that great Catholic tradition, the Blessing of the Throats in Honor of St. Blase. But I digress ... back to St. Sophronius -- ) 

In honor of the divine mystery that we celebrate today, let us all hasten to meet Christ. Everyone should be eager to join the procession and to carry a light.

Our lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendor of the one who comes to expel the dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candles also show how bright our souls should be when we go to meet Christ.

The Mother of God, the most pure Virgin, carried the true light in her arms and brought him to those who lay in darkness. We too should carry a light for all to see and reflect the radiance of the true light as we hasten to meet him.

The light has come and has shone upon a world enveloped in shadows; the Dayspring from on high has visited us and given light to those who lived in darkness. This, then, is our feast, and we join in procession with lighted candles to reveal the light that has shone upon us and the glory that is yet to come to us through him. So let us hasten all together to meet our God.

The true light has come, the light that enlightens every man who is born into this world. Let all of us, my brethren, be enlightened and made radiant by this light. Let all of us share in its splendor, and be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness. Let us be shining ourselves as we go together to meet and to receive with the aged Simeon the light whose brilliance is eternal. Rejoicing with Simeon, let us sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the Father of the light, who sent the true light to dispel the darkness and to give us all a share in his splendor.

So: for the rest of this week, if you ever get back to school and I ever go back to work in my office, let's be aware of the ways we can bring the light of Jesus' love and hope to those around us. And come to think of it, maybe we should look for that opportunity when we're NOT back at school, and have the opportunity to show that love and care to the family members we don't see a whole lot on a normal day.

Be safe and warm today -- I'll see you on Sunday for 5 PM Adoration and 6 PM Life Teen Mass!

How Ordinary is Today?

As of Monday, the Church began the season of Ordinary Time. We're back to those beautiful green vestments again! But in the new translation of the Roman Missal, we call these weeks "The Weeks through the Year." We hear again the invitation from the Church to keep walking with Jesus as a disciple.

But we just heard on Sunday about the Baptism of Jesus. We were reminded that the focus of our discipleship is drawing deeper through Him into the relationship of the Trinity ... coming closer to that eternal relationship of love that created us in the first place. We learned once again that each of us, through our baptism, is "my beloved son (or daughter, as the case may be), in whom I am well pleased."

So, the question is, halfway through this First Week of the Year, can we accept that invitation? Can we see the actions of our life -- ordinary actions on an ordinary day -- as steps which help us to walk with Jesus as His disciple? Can we live and act from this identity of a beloved child of God in small moments as well as big and important ones?

Sure we can ... because we're walking "through the year" with Jesus, toward the love of the Trinity.