"Today, let us do honor to Christ's baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the trinity, as now you received--though not in the fullness--a ray of its splendor, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen." (St. Gregory of Nazianzus) As we celebrate his baptism, let us be conscious of our baptism and renew our baptismal promises. At his baptism, Jesus was confirmed as the beloved Son and Messiah, kissed by the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit. At our baptism, we were redeemed by the Son, adopted by the Father, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. As baptized, we give thanks to God for his graciousness.
"Joy and sorrow are never separated. When our hearts rejoice at a spectacular view, we may miss our friends who cannot see it, and when we are overwhelmed with grief, we may discover what true friendship is all about. Joy is hidden in sorrow and sorrow in joy. If we try to avoid sorrow at all costs, we may never taste joy, and if we are suspicious of ecstasy, agony can never reach us either. Joy and sorrow are the parents of our spiritual growth." (Henri Nouwen) These companions are given to us by God. In his own life Jesus knew and embraced both. He knew the joy of the wedding at Cana and he wept at the death of Lazarus. He celebrated the success of the seventy two disciples after their first mission. He wept over his rejection by the religious leaders. He told the apostles that they would experienced great anguish at his crucifixion but that his resurrection would bring them greater joy. We do not have to seek either, they will find us. Within each is a grace given by God for our holiness.
MEN'S MONTHLY MASS
SATURDAY
JANUARY 7, 2017
7:30AM
BISHOP JACOBS' HOUSE
107 ALBANY DR.
HOUMA, LOUISIANA
BRING A FRIEND!
“Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, . . . for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.” (St. John Neumann) Am I fulfilling my mission? When I face God in eternity, will he say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the kingdom prepared for you by my Father"? Or will he say, "Depart from me, for I do not know you"? What are our priorities? It is important for our eternal salvation that we do not forget why we have been created, given a mission, blest in so many ways. We belong to the Lord. We are his servants. We should be longing to see his face.
"And what was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will." (St Elizabeth Ann Seton) What sounds so simple is truly not, as we know. First, it is not always easy to know God's will for us in a given situation. Secondly, sometimes we prefer to do it our way. Thirdly, even if we know that this is the will of God for us, there is an inner law of sin within us that rebels against it. To embrace the will of God without question is the road of holiness. It is this submission we say in the Our Father: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." There are no conditions, but a total and free yes to God's will. Lord, help me to fully embrace your will today.
"God has also exalted him and has given him a name which is above every name, so that, at the name of Jesus, every knee would bend, of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those in hell, and so that every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11) There is power in the name of Jesus. In his name we are healed; we are saved. Jesus himself taught that whatever we ask the Father in his name will be granted us. That is why in the Mass we conclude the opening prayer, the prayer of offering and the final prayer, "through Jesus Christ, our Lord." In time of temptation, we call on his name to defend, protect and deliver us. The Jesus Prayer has been a help for many over the years. "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner." How blessed are we to profess the name of Jesus!
"I have learned from Jesus Christ Himself what charity is, and how we ought to practice it; for He says: 'By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' Never can I, therefore please myself in the hope that I may obtain the name of a servant of Christ if I possess not a true and unfeigned charity within me." (St. Basil) As we begin this new year of grace and make new resolutions, may I suggest the most transforming one of all: love. It is the greatest of all spiritual gifts, according to St. Paul. Love is the distinguishing mark of his disciple, according to Jesus. So important that our entrance exam into heaven will be based on this one question: how, when, where, why and to whom did you show love? God is love and his adopted children are to reflect him in their lives by love. If we try to outdo others in anything, it should be in only this.
