Archives for December 2012

They shall be called the holy people, the redeemed of the LORD, and you shall be called “Frequented,” a city that is not forsaken. (Is. 62:11-1) As we celebrate both Christmas and the Feast of the Holy Family this week, it is good to reflect upon our family lives, and to examine whether we're being good family members. When we contemplate the Holy Family, we note the fact that when the God became man, He came as a little child within a family. That was a divine choice; Jesus could have chosen any way he wanted to manifest Himself. God's plan for redeeming the human race began in the family because the family is the cornerstone of society. In today's modern world there are many unmarried people living together and many children born outside of wedlock. And this weakens our society. … [Read more...]

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” (Luke 1:31-32a) You might recall that on November 17, 2012 we had a special Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, after which we had a Eucharistic procession to the Midtown Medical abortion clinic where we said some powerful prayers to expel demons and bless that ground where the lives of so many babies have been killed. This is part of an ongoing effort to “pray” abortions out of our parish. The interesting thing is that the clinic has been closed every Saturday since then. And then last Saturday there was a sign on the door that the abortionist, Kiat Varnishung, had died. May God have mercy on his soul. Last Monday morning, the website … [Read more...]

“Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.” (Phil. 4:4-5 ) This third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday” from the Latin St. Paul uses when he tells us to “rejoice in the Lord always”: gaudete in Domino semper! The spirit of the Liturgy in Advent is one of expectation and preparation for Christmas and the Second Coming of Christ, but our penitential attitude is suspended on Gaudete Sunday so that we might focus on the joy of our Redemption, which should never be far from our hearts. To highlight the importance of Gaudete Sunday, the priest wears rose vestments and lights a rose candle on the Advent wreath. Why do we mark this day by focusing particularly on joy? It's because the … [Read more...]

"John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." (Luke 3:3-4 ) In the ancient world, there were no interstates. Roads were little more than worn down paths that were constantly being affected by traffic or weather. One of the hallmarks of the Roman army is that they built roads wherever they went. But when there was a battle, roads and bridges would be destroyed in order to stop the advance of the enemy. But one thing was certain: when word came that someone important was coming, the people would do their best to fix the roads or build new ones so that the … [Read more...]

“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lk 21:36) This Sunday we begin the Holy Season of Advent, a time when we prepare to celebrate the first coming of Christ in the manger at Christmas while looking with expectation toward His second coming in glory. It's a time when we're called to be “vigilant,” meaning to “keep watch” for danger. And what is that “danger”? In the Gospel today, Jesus mentions that “there will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.” In one sense, this is really our experience in the present world that has so much access to information technology. We hear about … [Read more...]