Saturdays at 3:00pm
(before the 4:00pm Vigil Mass)

Sundays at 9:30am
(before the 10:30am Mass)

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,  and I will give you rest.  (Mt. 11:28)

There are two opportunities to participate in Eucharistic Adoration in our parish.  Every Tuesday, there is a Holy Hour from 5:00-6:00pm in the church prior to the 6:00pm Mass and a Holy Hour every Thursday from 7:00-8:00am in the Rectory chapel immediately following the 6:30am Mass.

Jesus said: “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” (Jn. 2:16-19)

Two weeks ago Jesus was out in the desert, hungry and thirsty. Last week, He was on top of a mountain, gloriously transfigured in dazzling white before Peter, James and John. This week, He’s in the Temple, purifying it. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus casting the money-changers out of the Temple, and most of us understand that the scene is more than about a beautiful stone building in Jerusalem. Ultimately, the story points to the “temple” of the body of Jesus and even further to us as “temples” of the Holy Spirit. But there is something else going on in this passsage. While it’s true that the “worldly” things are cast out of the Temple, what is more important is that Jesus Himself entered the Temple.

Two weeks ago we heard about how Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil in the desert. Last weekend we heard how he revealed His heavenly glory of God on the mountaintop. In imitation of Jesus, we are called to overcome the temptations of the world so that we might obtain the glory of Heaven.

This week Jesus helps us to understand that we respond to this call not by our own human efforts, but with the help of divine grace. We could never resist the temptations of the devil or obtain the glory of Heaven unless Jesus came to our aid. He conquered sin and death by the Paschal Mystery (His suffering, death, Resurrection and Ascension), but we participate in this mystery by allowing Jesus to come into the temple of our own bodies. He does this initially at our Baptism when we are first called “temples of [God’s] glory.” This is the moment when the Holy Spirit cleanses us from original sin. Later, at Confirmation, we are “sealed” by the Holy Spirit, and our bond with the Body of Christ is made more perfect. At First Holy Communion, the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist enters into the temple of our bodies in a physical way. These are the Sacraments of Initiation, and they provide the grace that God gives us to follow Christ from the poverty of the desert to the glory of the mountaintop.

In the Gospel, Christ enters into the Temple. Today welcome Him into the temple of your soul.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Americans United for Life released their seventh annual “Life List” this week – a ranking of all 50 states based on the way each addresses a comprehensive list of life issues – from abortion to euthanasia. For the second time in three years, Louisiana tops the list, followed closely by Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Arkansas.  But we should never stop working and praying until the government of our country changes the law to protect human life in the womb.  Every biological textbook teaches that human life begins when a sperm cell fertilizes an egg.  From that moment on, that unborn child should be protected.   Please join us in prayer each Saturday at 11:00am outside of the abortion clinic located at 3500 St. Charles Avenue (next door to the Capital One bank near the Louisiana Avenue intersection).

An article on the front page of the Times-Picayune two weeks ago saddened me somewhat. It said that out of all religious groups in America, the group that gave the smallest percentage of their income to their church were Catholics. While Mormons generally give the Biblical 10% we call “tithing,” and while the average churchgoer in the United States gives 2.4 %, Catholics give the lowest percentage of every other religion.

And before you think the reason I was saddened is because our church is need of repairs or because we need more money to operate, let me tell you the real reason: giving to charity shows a great reliance on God, and God rewards a cheerful giver. Ever since I began “tithing,” God has given me more blessings than I can imagine. And as He gives me more, I try to give more away.
Collections in our parish cover less than 50% of our parish expenses. With the costs of insurance, salaries, utilities and upkeep, we have a tough time. Without some generous benefactors donating at year’s end, we would be in bad shape! We’re a parish that is very generous to the poor, but we also need to be good stewards of our church and buildings that have been left to us by past generations.
Consider the following: If you give less than $5 into the collection each week, perhaps you can raise it to $5. And if you give more than $5, perhaps you can raise your contribution by 25%.

Thanks for your consideration, and THANKS TO THOSE WHO ARE GIVING MORE. Our collection was higher than a normal (non-holiday) weekend.

Friedrich Niemöller was a German Lutheran pastor who was active in German politics in the 1930’s. As a national conservative, he was initially a supporter of Adolf Hitler. However, after Hitler sought to take control over the Lutheran church, Niemöller became a vocal critic of the Nazi regime. For that, he was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945. After the war, he was asked why he ever supported Hitler. He replied: “I find myself wondering about that too. I wonder about it as much as I regret it. Still, it is true that Hitler betrayed me. I had an audience with him, as a representative of the Protestant church, shortly before he became Chancellor, in 1932. Hitler promised me on his word of honor, to protect the church, and not to issue any anti-church laws. He also agreed not to allow pogroms against the Jews. Hitler's assurance satisfied me at the time. On the other hand, I hated the growing atheistic movement, which was fostered and promoted by the Social Democrats and the Communists. Their hostility toward the Church made me pin my hopes on Hitler for a while. I am paying for that mistake.”

After the war Niemöller made the following statement against the German intellectuals during the war (of which he was one):
First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

I’m not seeking to compare our elected and appointed governmental leaders to anyone in the Nazi regime, but we must look at our country and see what is happening. Fringe groups of radicals are engaged in social engineering that is having a disastrous effect on our moral values. First, abortion became the law of the land. Attempts were made to legalize euthanasia. Governments have changed the definition of marriage. Birth control is available over the counter. These affronts to human dignity are a threat to the ability of the Catholic Church to preach the Gospel. Now, the Department of Health and Human Services has said that Catholic institutions must pay for medications it deems “preventative medicine” such as birth control, sterilizations and drugs that cause abortions. It’s as if to say the pregnancy is some sort of disease! Make no mistake: this is not about “birth control.” This is an attack on our faith. This is our government being swayed by radical social engineers who hate the values of the Catholic Church. If we don’t speak up for the teachings our faith, who will speak up for us when they come to seize our church?

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. (Mk. 9:2-3)

Last week Jesus was out in the desert, hungry and thirsty. And this week, He’s on top of a mountain, transfigured in dazzling white before Peter, James and John. This transfiguration has traditionally been interpreted as a preliminary revelation of the glory of Jesus given to His closest collaborators so that they might be strengthened in advance of the scandal of the cross. And in this moment of mystical experience, they also hear a voice from heaven: “Listen to Him.”

During Lent, there is something comforting about the transfiguration for us, too. It reminds us that we are also on a mission, and it reminds us that we are called to accept the wisdom of Jesus, which counsels us to reject our worldly quest for satisfaction and security in favor a new life marked by service to others.

In the end, the words “Listen to Him,” are directed well beyond Peter, James and John to each one of us 2000 years later. And the implications are profound. If Jesus is our model, our leader and our savior, then our participation in salvation is completely connected to the words of his message: the Word.

We know we are in a desert in this world, despite its beauty. And we know that Heaven is brighter than the “dazzling white that no fuller on earth could bleach.” And in-between we have the journey of life. Lent is a mini-journey within our larger journey where we take the time to divorce ourselves from the pleasures of the world. It is a time when we should train ourselves to seek the things of Heaven.

As St. Paul tells us: “we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18). The transfiguration is a reminder of the eternal things of God – incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. And the small denials (“giving up of things”) of Lent are our rejection of the transitory in favor of the eternal. Prayer, fasting and alms giving characterize our season. Two specifically reject the transient things of earth, and one reaches to eternity in Heaven. Remember: “SACRIFICIUM.” That’s what won us Heaven.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

December 15, 2011

When the song of the angels is stilled
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others, To make music in the heart.
Howard Thurman

Dear Parishioners,

This is the season of giving and we are so grateful for your wonderful gift of socks, gloves, tshirts and toiletries. These are wonderful treats for our guests . This is an acknowledgement of this donation to Lantern Light, Inc. and that you have received no goods or services in return for this donation. Thank you very much for your help in spreadingjoy and blessings to all of God’s people!

The cold weather is here. Our guests are enjoying the warm mittens and hats, the hot chocolate, and the other items that your generosity makes possible. We usually can’t make snowmen here but when the weather is in the 30 to 60 range it is cold to those who have to be out in it day and night. Their way of life is often difficult to imagine.

Our website, lanternIight.org , has been revamped and you can keep updated on our news and refer others to it to for information about Lantern Light. Do check it out!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
With gratitude and wishes of peace and joy,
The Presentation Sisters
1802 Tulane Ave. New Orleans, LA

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. (Mk. 1-12)

I always look forward to Lent. And this year is no exception. Now that Lent is here, I’m happy to create my own little desert of calm by the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It’s the perfect remedy for the last two weeks of noise, feasting and excess.

One of the good disciplines of Lent is “giving something up.” When I was in seminary, I remember my rector publicly acknowledging that he gave up cigars during Lent. And then one Friday in Lent, I walked by his room and smelled cigar smoke. The next day I asked him about it, and he said that he decided to do something different that year because he felt like everyone knew he gave up cigars. He felt like he was doing it for the “crowd” rather than God.

The truth is that I’m not sure that it was necessarily a “bad” thing that people knew about it. Today in the Gospel we hear about the 40 day fast of Jesus. The only way that St. Mark the Evangelist would have known to write about Jesus’ fast is if Jesus had told someone about it! Think about it: no one was there when Christ fasted; He must have opened up his heart to tell them a little about this important moment in His hidden life. Sharing pain can help with healing, sharing joy can bring joy, and sharing penance can give strength. Jesus shared this story to tell us that He was tempted and He overcame. And filled with the same Holy Spirit as Jesus, we can overcome the temptations of the world so as to focus on the reward of heaven.

This year we have started a little program borrowed from the Archdiocese of Denver. In the back of church you’ll find some silicone wristbands with the word “Sacrificium,” or “Sacrifice” on them. They’re free (although we would appreciate a donation to cover the cost!). Wear one during Lent to let people know that you’re sacrificing something to united yourself with Jesus in the desert. And share your penance, if they ask. It might help you, and it might help them.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Thus says the LORD: Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. (Is. 43:18-19)

Consider Our Lord. He is always doing something “new.” We might have heard the expression, “whenever the Lord closes a door, He opens another.” Isaiah’s prophecy above points to a number of events. It points to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, as they made their way to the Promised Land through the Red Sea. It points to Paschal Mystery by which Our Lord saved us from sin by offering Himself on the cross. And it points to the Holy Spirit – the true source of life by means our lives are renewed. And we are called to take part in this “renewal” on an individual basis. Our Lord “renews” us only to the extent that we are opened to being “renewed.”
This Wednesday, we begin the season of Lent. While today we might be focused on the parades and parties of Mardi Gras, Lent should be a time of renewal. The austerity of Lent is given to us so that we might contemplate the fleeting nature of earthly goods. When we rely on them, we will never find happiness. And the events of Holy Week remind us that Jesus entered into our earthly reality. But His purpose wasn’t to comfort us her, but to renew us and bring us into a new reality of life in the Spirit. We participate in that reality through the Sacramental life of the Church. Mardi Gras is almost over. Let us prepare ourselves for Easter by making a good Lent. And when Easter comes, we will be renewed.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Brothers and sisters, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)

Over the next two weeks, many of us are going to do a fair amount of eating and drinking! And that’s not a bad thing. Fat Tuesday is meant to be a time of feasting in preparation for the fasting and thin austerity of Lent.
But that doesn’t mean that Lent is a “holy” season and Mardi Gras is a “pagan” season. As St. Paul tells us above, everything should be done for the glory of God.

Last year, the Lagniappe section of the Times Picayune had a question on the cover: “What vices are you giving up for Mardi Gras?” And then it listed a long list of “vices,” including among them “meat” and “alcohol.” Now it’s certain that excessive drinking and obesity are unhealthy, but can we call meat and alcohol “vices”? Of course not. The word “vice” comes from the Latin word vitium, and it’s commonly defined as “an immoral or evil habit or practice.” A vice is the opposite of a virtue. But if alcohol and meat are vices, then Jesus committed vices by drinking wine and eating the Paschal Lamb. And that’s absurd.

Mardi Gras isn’t a season to “give up vices.” Our entire lives are devoted to giving up vices! The inspiration for Lent comes from Jesus having gone into the desert prior to His temptation by the devil. In the desert Jesus emulated Elijah and Moses who each fasted for forty days. It was a time of spiritual preparation prior to a great struggle. But Jesus didn’t go out into the desert to give up “vices.” He gave up good earthly things – food and water – so that He could focus on the things of Heaven.

Alcohol and meat in moderation are good. And when we give up things that are “good,” we learn to resist temptation. And strengthening our ability to resist temptation allows us to battle against vices on a daily basis.

You might also hear people telling you that they don’t want to “give up” anything during Lent; they want to use it as a time to “do some good.” And that’s exactly what the Catholic Church teaches. For centuries, the three great practices that the Church has advocated for Lent are: (1) prayer, (2) fasting, and (3) almsgiving. These spiritual practices allow us to participate with God in making our world a place of justice and peace. Prayer is ordered to a relationship of justice and peace with God.  Fasting is ordered to justice and peace within ourselves. And alms-giving is ordered to justice and peace with others, especially those who are poor. And when we live lives that are ordered toward justice and peace, we move away from immoral thoughts, words and actions. We naturally avoid vices.

And there’s another problem with the thought that Lent is a season to “give up vices.” What happens when Lent is over? Do we return to our “vices”? Of course not. Have a Holy Lent, and don’t get your theology from the newspaper! Our lives should always be directed to the glory of God – reaching for virtue and avoiding vices.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Job spoke, saying: Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. (Job 7:4)

Most of us know the story of Job. He was faithful to God, but God let the devil take away all of Job’s possessions, kill all of his children and ruin his health. And despite his misfortunes, Job does not curse God. But that doesn’t stop him from bemoaning his situation. The passage above reflects his poor attitude, but it speaks to a truth. The world often imposes on us many miseries. We get tired and frustrated with work. We get in arguments with family members and friends. We get sick, we can’t pay the bills, and we worry about the future of ourselves and our country.

So what’s the solution? Recently I’ve been doing marriage preparation for a number couples, and one of the things that I’ve been noticing is the number of couples who don’t go to Mass every Sunday, but only once or twice a month. I wonder how many people don’t realize that missing Sunday Mass is a serious sin? If it involves full knowledge and full consent, then it is a mortal sin. Remember, all three conditions (grave offense, full knowledge, and full consent) have to be present for a sin to be a mortal sin. God says to “keep holy the Sabbath.” And Jesus showed us how to worship when He gathered His apostles at Last Supper and instituting the Holy Eucharist. He commands us to “take this all of you and eat of it…do this in memory of me.” As followers of Jesus, we are obligated to keep holy the Sabbath by attending Sunday Mass. It is a grave obligation.

But there’s something else going on here. Let’s look at it from Job’s point of view. When Job was focusing on the things of the world – the things he’d lost – he was miserable. But then God spoke to him, and told Job that he was seeing the whole picture. Job didn’t understand that his suffering had a purpose. And once Job acknowledged that he was short-sighted, he no longer bemoaned his condition.

Sunday Mass is the time of the week that we allow God to speak to us and help us understand our own condition. In a sense, we “climb the mountaintop” and come into Holy Communion with God. And when we’re up on that mountain contemplating the most important things like life, death, love and eternity, we should be able to look back down into “the valley” and get some perspective on our worldly problems. They’re not going to disappear while we’re in Mass, but in the grand scheme of things, worldly troubles should pale in the face of God’s Divine Love. Sunday Mass helps us more than we’ll know until we see God face to face.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kindred, and will put my words into the mouth of the prophet; the prophet shall tell them all that I command. Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it. (Dt. 18:18-19)

In the Acts of the Apostles, both St. Peter (3:22) and, St. Stephen (7:37) quote the above passage as referring to Jesus. Jesus is the prophet who came to teach us (in word and deed) how to live according to God’s plan and attain the Kingdom of Heaven. And when the time came, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon His Apostles to guide them and us through the Holy Catholic Church. But Jesus foretold that some would not listen to His words, and He warned us that we would be persecuted for following Him.

When we think of persecution, we usually think of the martyrs of the early centuries of Christianity. Most people don’t realize that there were more martyrs for Christianity in the 20th century than in all of the previous 19 centuries combined. And persecution still exists. And it even exists in our own country. The Church is ridiculed, mocked and ignored, especially when it speaks the truth regarding fundamental issues of life and human sexuality. Abortion – the intentional killing of innocent unborn children – is accepted as some sort of Constitutional right. State governments have passed laws redefining marriage – an institution of mutual complementary self-giving between a man and a woman ordered to the procreation of children – as also including same sex relationships, which are in and of themselves infertile. The Church has also had to close adoption facilities when they would be forced to place children into same-sex relationships.

And the stakes have gotten higher. Just last week, the current Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the Obama Administration issued a ruling that Catholic employers and organizations must pay for sterilization and all FDA-approved contraceptives, including drugs that can cause an early abortion. Never before in U.S. history has the federal government forced citizens to directly purchase what violates their beliefs. The Bill of Rights says we are free to live by our religious beliefs. Forcing us to buy coverage for sterilization and contraceptives, including drugs that induce abortion, is a radical incursion into freedom of conscience. This is not a matter of economics and healthcare, it is a suppression of the Church’s right to preach and live the Gospel. Archbishop Aymond – joined with all of the bishops of the United States – has asked each of us to notify our Congressional representatives and register our outrage. I have done so. Here is a way that you can do the same: www.usccb.org/conscience . All that is necessary for evil to triumph in the world is for good people to do nothing. I hope you will join me in the battle for our beliefs.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Occasionally, parishioners without transportation inquire at the parish office whether it is possible for another parishioner to give them a ride to and/or from Mass.  If you need a ride to Mass, or you would be willing to provide transportation to a fellow parishioner, please contact the parish office at (504) 899-1378.

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mk. 1:14-15)

The words above are the first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. How are we to interpret them? Clearly the words evidence the reality that occurred when God was incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. If God is incarnate, then “this is the time of fulfillment”; all of the prophecies have been fulfilled. And if Jesus is present, then the Kingdom of God is present, since the Kingdom is present where the King is present. But what about the middle part “repent and believe in the Gospel”?

There are different ways to understand the words “repent and believe in the Gospel. They can be understood collectively, in the sense that society needs to repent; and they can be understood individually, in the sense that each of us needs to repent. Personally, I think it’s easier to understand these words individually. Each of us should be aware of our own sins. If we aren’t, then we really need to examine ourselves. Many times during the day we will probably find ourselves thinking thoughts, saying words or carrying out actions that do not exhibit perfect charity toward God or our neighbor. And if we think we are doing pretty well, we might need to think what we have neglected to think, say or do.

But what about “collective repentance.” Where does that take place? Collective repentance is when we examine ourselves as a society and realize that we have created structures that are sinful. One of the most obvious structures of sin in our current culture is the abortion industry. Prescinding from the moral arguments about abortion (bet you never thought you’d hear me say that), the abortion business is a big business that employs multiple doctors, nurses, “counselors,” and “helpers.” There are over 1.25 million abortions in America each year. Abortions cost anywhere from about $500 (for an early term abortion) to over $3000 (for a late term abortion). Conservatively speaking, abortion is a $1 billion industry that we have allowed to be established in our country. We are in need of collective repentance for this travesty.

This weekend in our life garden in front of the church are 150 small flags. The flags indicates the number of babies that are killed each hour in the United States of America. That’s about the length of time we’ll be in Mass. Using Planned Parenthoods own figures, that represents about $110,000 in gross revenue that the abortion industry has received during Mass.

I hope you find that shocking. I’d say we’re in need of collective repentance for tolerating an industry that profits on the death of our most innocent children.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

The internet has opened up an easy access to pornography which has become a major addiction in our society and a burden to many men.  And the Church wants to help.  The Archdiocese of New Orleans is beginning a confidential Catholic 12-step program for men struggling with an addition to pornography called the “My House Men’s Group.”  For more information contact (504) 430-3060 or email