No, your eyes are not deceiving you, after much prayer and some nudging from very important people in my life, I have decided to start writing and sending out my homilies again. I will slowly start easing back into it (don't be surprised if I miss a week or two here and there), but I firmly believe that in the times that we are living in and with the scandals that are besieging the Church, I cannot remain silent...at least online. I have preached about the scandals head on over the last two Sundays and on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15 which was the day after the Pennsylvania Grand Jury released their report. On August 15, I called what is going on in our Church by name: this is quite simply the work of the Evil One who is delighting at seeing our beloved Church in crisis. How else to explain the horrific details outlined in that report, or the massive cover up around former-Cardinal McCarrick, or the details outlined Archbishop's Viganó's swown testimony? Bishop Robert Barron probably put it best when he called all of these tragic events "a demonic masterpiece." There has been a lot infighting in the Church, which also delights Satan, when we must be united in penance and prayer, and this infighting is making us lose sight of what is most important: we must never lose sight of the innocent victims of these violent crimes who must always be first in our prayers. We cannot possibly imagine what they have suffered and are still suffering: the loss of innocence, the lose of faith. So like St. Peter trying to walk on the sea during the storm, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. Go to Mass more often. Go to Confession more often. Offer penance and fasting for the sins committed. We are ONE Church. We are a Holy Church. Yes, we are a Church made up of sinners, but as I describe in the letter to my parishioners below, Christ will purify us during this time so that we might be holy in his sight. Let us commend the victims, the holiness of God's people and the holiness of our priests and bishops to the maternal care of our Blessed Mother. May she protect us as we journey through this valley of tears.
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Message to the Parishioners of Immaculate Conception Parish (9-2-2018)
My dear friends,
The last few weeks have brought a lot of sadness, anger, and confusion when it comes to the scandals that are currently plaguing the Catholic Church. If you are angry, you have every right to be. If you feel betrayed, you certainly have been. As a parish, we have experienced this before, and once again we will overcome it because our faith in Jesus Christ must be unwavering during these perilous times.
There was a wonderful collection of verses in last week’s second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians that really stood out: “...Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:25-27)”
We are no doubt going through a period of extreme cleansing as a Church, and we must pray that the Lord make us holy and without blemish. Holiness is our universal call as baptized Christians, but in these moments it must be more than a calling. Holiness can no longer be a goal that we must strive for as Christians but rather a necessity that we must embrace in the face of the storms that are besieging Holy Mother Church. We have no choice anymore but to be holy as our Lord is holy.
The sins committed by a few have affected so many; especially God’s little ones, those he favors, those he calls us to imitate if we wish to enter the kingdom. These sins cry out to God and because we are one Church, we pray for the victims of these heinous crimes and pray for those who covered them up that they may do just penance.
This is a time of penance for us as a Church. Think of it as a summertime Lent. One thing that has not gone unnoticed are the long lines at our confessionals the last few weeks. There is a genuine desire among us to seek what is good, what is holy, and to rid ourselves of the filth of sin. And we must also rededicate ourselves to prayer at Mass and before the Blessed Sacrament. This week we will have that opportunity.
This Thursday, September 6th, we have been invited as a parish to celebrate one of the Novena Masses for Our Lady of Charity at La Ermita de la Caridad. Our school children have been invited to sing to the Blessed Mother and the priests of our parish have been invited to celebrate the Mass. There is no better time for us as a community to go to the feet of our Blessed Mother to ask her to protect her Son’s Church. We are calling on all our parishioners to do a pilgrimage this Thursday to La Ermita to celebrate this special Mass at 8pm. Prayer moves mountains and we need the Lord’s help to move the mountainous obstacles that are preventing us as a Church from being holy and without blemish.
God bless you all,
Father Manny
