The Leadership for Nativity. 

Under the tutelage of Bishop Spalding, priests have been offered opportunities to step up in leadership.  In the seminary, running a parish is not well taught because there are so many different areas and talents of leadership. We are taught to find capable people in areas (such as finance, building and grounds) a let them run those areas. 

At Nativity, we have had a council leadership. I have personally not liked this process. It tended to be a reporting organization rather than a leadership group. 

Through the availability of the diocese, I have had the ability to complete the course of Leadership 360 and participate in the Amazing Parish Program.                   

The suggestion is to form a leadership council, a personal “Peter, James and John” to care for items that the pastor need not be handling to open up more time for priestly responsibilities. 

The Leadership Committee is listed on our website and you can contact any person to discuss smaller issues of ministry coordination, cooperation, etc…

The Leadership Committee has a 5-year plan consisting of physical and spiritual needs. On the physical side, is the new construction and on the spiritual side are opportunities to engage parishioners in a more community oriented/service church. 

What is Mortal Sins?  

There are two kinds of sin: venial (small) or mortal (deadly) Every sin has 3 parts: 

1. It must be a sin

2. One knows that it is a sin

3. By free will, one commits the sin.  

For a mortal sin:

1. It must be grievous matter

2. One knows it is grievous matter

3. By free will, one commits the sin.  

There is no way to accidentally sin. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains a mortal sin.

1. CCC #1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent." 

2. CCC#1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother. The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger. 3.

3. CCC #1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin. 

4. CCC #1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. the promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest. 5.

5. CCC #1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.                                                                                                                                                       

One could go on to describe deadly sins, sins that cry out for justice, etc… but a good rule of thumb would be to break one of the Ten Commandments (in reason). For instance, the 8th commandment to not bare false witness. Though it is never right to lie, not every lie is a mortal sin. But lying about an innocent man and he goes to jail, loses his job or his reputation is grievous since it does someone harm.  (see St. Thomas’ description of lies)

Prayer

Prayer is simply a communication with God. Your spirituality, your prayer life is left up to you. The Rosary? Some people enjoy, others do not find it helpful. Form prayers? Some people use them, and they are necessary for the community to be able to pray together, but others see them as repetitious, or perhaps even meaningless. Your spirituality is determined by you and there are many ways to work and develop that part of your life. 

The time you pray is up to you. As children we were perhaps taught to say our morning and evening prayers. For others, the mornings are so hectic it is impossible to concentrate. Evening prayers may be forgotten as you are one of those persons who have trouble falling asleep; a mind filled with the thoughts of the day or things to do tomorrow. 

However, God is with you 100% of the time. How do you develop a relationship with God? How do you develop a relationship with anybody? You spend time with and talk to the other.  You spend every moment of your life with God, He is right there with you. Now talk to him. An “Our Father”, great! But how do you talk to a human friend? “I’m happy today.” “I’m anxious about the meeting I’m leading today.” “I am so embarrassed that I made that awful faux pas in the classroom, I feel so stupid.” 

A friend listens, and a friend cares. A friend will console you or tell you to get over yourself. God is you best friend; your personal cheer leader. He wants you to succeed, even to exceed, perhaps not in worldly items but in a rich life of giving, loving, and caring for others. 

If a friend were in a coma, we have no way of knowing they can hear us or not. But you spend time reading, singing or talking to that person. This is strengthening the bond of friendship, of relationship. God always hears. He may not answer back, but He listens. We men can spend 2 hours at a movie and never say a word to each other, we just enjoy each other’s company. No words needed. And a friend, a real friend will tell you when you are wrong and share your joys. God listens and provides for us. He knows what we need and WHEN we need things. 

Every talk, or prayer to God is listened to and the pleas we offer to God have 3 answers: 1)No. And we have to be patient enough to accept a no. 2)Yes. And we have to be mannerly in acceptance and thanks. Or 3) Not yet. And we have to be patient to wait. 

Nativity is gearing up for a group program called Welcome. It’s not for the newer members, it’s for EVERYONE. It is a weekend retreat that will help you build relationships, grow in faith, create a stronger community and be inspired by the Holy Spirit! 

It is a weekend away from everything and time to get yourself aligned with God. Men and women will have separate retreats so childcare is taken care of. 

This is our opportunity to grow into the family Christ calls us to be. YOU ARE PERSONALLY invited. Retreats will be in small numbers and a waiting list will have first offer for the next retreat. 

Our goal is not how high on the earthly ladder we climb but the realization that our happiness lies in eternity with God. This is YOUR opportunity to receive from God; to be guided to do His work in the world which will enhance your life. 

There is no greater place on earth than the road that leads to Heaven!

How do I Improve my Relationship with God? 

God is with you 100% of the time!  How do you create/improve a relationship with anyone?  Spending time with and talking to them.  Spiritualties differ. Some rely on form prayers, the Rosary, reading the Gospel. But spending time and talking is imperative to creating, sustaining and improving a relationship with anyone. During the day, talk to God. You don’t have to say anything out loud, but just  think! 

At midmorning, tell God thanks for getting you up and out. Pray before meals. Converse with him as you would anyone. “This assignment is going to be difficult, please help me.” “Boy this is a beautiful drive.” “I’m so glad work is over.”  “Go Titans!” 

Suppose you had a friend in a coma. We don’t know if they can hear us or not, but if you spent an hour reading to them, holding their hand, or just being in their presence, that relationship grows. 

God is your cheerleader. He wants to not only succeed but exceed. Tell him what is going on in your life, ask for help, thank Him for His Gifts. 

Did you Know That the Catholic Ten Commandments are Different From the Protestant Ten Commandments? 

The Commandments of course come directly to us from God. In scripture, they are found in the Book of Exodus, chapter 20. 

The Catholic Church took the order from the book as follows: 

1. One God.

2. Use God’s name with respect.

3. Keep holy the Lord’s day.

4. Honor your father and mother

5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not bare false witness 

9. Do not covet your neighbor’s spouse

10. Do not covet your neighbor’s goods.  

The Protestant Ten Commandments read: 

1. One God.

2. Do not make any idols.

3. Use God’s name with respect.

4. Keep holy the Lord’s day.

5. Honor your mother and father.

6. Do not kill.

7. Do not commit adultery

8. Do not steal

9. Do not bare false witness

10. Do not covet your neighbor’s house, wife or property. 

The Church expressed the commandments first and the list lasted until the 16th century. Notice that “do not make any idols” and “one God” are saying the same thing. 

Is Divorce a Sin

The grave sin of divorce condemns those who divorce and remarry (Matthew 5:32) and those who divorce in the civil sense (except by grave dispensation). Hence divorce between two baptized Christians is a mortal sin (CCC 2384).

So basically yes, but there are grave dispensations to allow for a divorce. 

I have mentioned this at Mass, but my wording was incorrect. I stated that it was NOT a sin to divorce. What I wanted everyone to understand is that, after confession, divorce DOES NOT KEEP YOU FROM THE SACRAMENTS unless you marry without an annulment. 

However, a civil divorce does not destroy the marriage in the eyes of the church. Marriage is a sacrament. An annulment can be granted to allow a divorced person to remarry. An annulment is NOT a Catholic divorce. It is a discernment that the sacrament did not occur in the first place. 

Every sacrament is conferred by a deacon, priest, bishop or the pope (if you’re lucky) EXCEPT the Sacrament of Marriage. That sacrament is conferred on the couple by themselves with a clergy witnessing the proper exchange of vows. 

Since it is two humans conferring the sacrament, there can be many errors.  You cannot establish a sacrament based upon a lie. 

Ex. 1 A man seeks a divorce. His reasoning is that his wife left him to marry another woman. Both individuals were of adult age. The woman knew her sexuality. She was lying to herself or to her intended husband. No sacrament since it was based on a lie. 

Ex. 2 A woman seeks a divorce. In the marriage ceremony it asks if you will accept children if given to you by God. Both agree. At the honeymoon, the husband says he doesn’t want children. He lied to get married. The annulment is granted. These are real issues which I have dealt with. 

Many people have some wrong ideas about annulments. The basic argument is that it will make your children illegitimate. This is not true. The children of the first relationship are not made illegitimate by the divorce. 

Another misconception is the previous spouse will not participate. They do not have to participate. They are given an opportunity to participate but can decline. The annulment is based on witness and petitioner testimony. 

Lastly, everyone will know my business. An annulment is not shared information. The Tribunal officials are required to keep material to themselves. They are trained to recognize a lie if it does not concur with the witnesses. The ONLY person that can read the annulment before it is sent to the Tribunal court is the petitioner. This is a good idea since it may spur some other issue that was forgotten.  

What is a Mortal Sin? 

There are two types of sin: venial and mortal. Scripturally we find this in 1 John 5:16-17, “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.”

Venial sins are small sins (think of your small veins). Mortal sins are deadly (think of mortality).

Every sin has 3 parts: 

1. It has to be a sin

2. One knows it is a sin

3. It is a sin of intentionality

For mortal sins: 

1. It has to be a serious sin

2. One knows it is a serious sin

3. It is a sin of intentionality. 

No one can “accidentally” sin. You have to be aware of it. A mortal sin would be breaking one of the 10 Commandments (but in reason). 

For instance, Commandment #8. You shall not bear false witness. Telling a lie such as saying you didn’t eat any candy when you did, is a sin, but not a deadly sin. Making a vow to tell the truth and your lie sends an innocent man to prison IS a mortal sin. 

Did Jesus Have Brothers and Sisters?  

Several times in the Gospels we here of Jesus’ “brothers”.  The first response is that in the Jewish culture, close relations, such as cousins were referred to as “brothers”. 

Even in modern Christian times, we refer to fellow Christians as “brothers and sisters in the faith”. 

The absolute connection is found in the Gospel of Mathew 13:55-56 “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? THEN, in Matthew 27:59-61, “Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb.” Who is the OTHER MARY? Theologians tell us this Mary is the mother of James and Joseph who was at the foot of the cross with the Blessed Mother. 

In the Gospel of John 19:45, “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.”  This Mary, the wife of Clopas is identified as the “sister” of The Blessed Mother. This makes James and Joseph the sons of Mary, the wife of Clopas. However, it would be very uncommon for the Virgin Mary to have a sister named Mary. So she would be a relative. 

Not all information in the Bible is notated since some items were commonly known. Theologians have to read external documents to verify items within the scriptures. The major evidence from the early Church Fathers who knew exactly who these other “brothers and sisters” were.  A primary source of these early Church Fathers in this matter is the historian Eusebius. 

Why Infant Baptism? 

We want what is best for our children. I wanted my child to follow Christ and get to Heaven. Therefore, I did everything I could to assure that. 

We inherit original sin.  Some do not see the original sin as a quality of humanity, but it is a reality. I explain it as a very beautiful, clear trout stream and I can see all these wonderful fish. Someone builds a chemical plant 40 miles upstream. The plant leaks and the stream, through no fault of its own, becomes polluted. 

We live in a broken world and I want my child protected.  We baptize a child to take away original sin, incorporate them into the Church, plant the Holy Spirit, and make them a member of the Royal Priesthood. But more importantly, the sacrament itself

anoints the child in an exorcism to keep evil at bay. It's not like you would see on TV; the child is much cuter. But the most impressive item is that now, Sanctifying Grace engulfs the child like a cage of protection. As long as we are in the state of grace, the grace engulfs us as full as the heaviest rain shower you can experience and that grace is for the entirety of our lives to assist us against evil and to do the right thing. 

The child benefits from the grace of God and protection from evil. The child doesn't know this, but I, the parent, know this. I don't ask the child whether they want this or not, it is a gift from God and I facilitate it for the good of my child. 

 I also provided my child with the MMR vaccine. My child doesn't know, but I know they will not suffer measles, mumps or rubella. I am not going to wait for my child to understand and ask for this vaccine. I provide for my child.   An open heart surgery? Same thing, I will provide. The child is unaware, but I know what to do.

It is interesting that, as parents, we instinctively begin to teach our children what they need to know in the world, whether they know they need these things or not. We work with colors, numbers, shapes, etc.... We don't ask the child; we know they need to know these things. 

Is the end of life knowledge or Heaven?  We do both for the child's sake. The child can identify a square long before they know what it is used for or needed. 

Without Baptism, the child will also miss First Penance, First Communion and perhaps Confirmation. Or, they may never decide they need these things. A child may miss all of its medical treatment if we do not provide it. They may never know they want them until they are deceased or perhaps dying. 

Baptism is a sacrament which means an act of God, entrusted to the Church to be dispensed for the salvation of souls. Sacraments do what they say they do. If we ignore them, they can't do anything for us. 

Sin is bad. It is so bad that the first sin, the Original Sin, blocked the doors of Heaven. To pay the debt, which we all inherit, Jesus took our debt upon His shoulders and died to provide the payment due and reopen the gates of Heaven. 

God could have provided for our salvation, the ability to have our sins forgiven and the ability to enter Heaven any way He wanted to, but He chose the sacrifice of His Son. Our salvation was not provided by a party but by suffering. Suffering has value. 

Jesus suffered for us and now He is able to suffer with us. But our sufferings can be used also. St. Paul tells us that, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church.” Thus, OUR sufferings make up for wat is lacking in the suffering of Christ.  

This does not mean that Jesus’ suffering was not sufficient. He paid the debt of sin completely and gained our salvation. However, as we move forward in time there are always more people who need to gain their salvation. We do not add anything to the suffering of Christ, but we are allowed to PARTICIPATE in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of others. 

Never overlook an opportunity to offer up your sufferings and unite them to Christ’s work. Our sufferings contribute to the treasury of mercy in Heaven and our suffering can be used to do wonderful things. Perhaps our suffering will bring about the conversion of a soul that we will never know about. Perhaps our suffering will change the hearts of leaders to bring an end to war, the beginning of peace. 

We do not know what our sufferings can do, but we participate in the suffering of Jesus for the sake of others. Our sufferings help redeem others; redeem the world. This is redemptive suffering. Christ’s suffering had value. Our sufferings have value.

The liturgical calendar revolves around the most important day in our faith: Easter. 

The Jews celebrated their holy days on a lunar calendar and so the Catholic Church sets the pinnacle of its calendar also based on the moon. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Due to this, the liturgical calendar dates fluctuate. 

The Church year begins with the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means “something is coming”. The “something” is the birth of Jesus. The priestly colors for Mass are violet; a quiet color which indicates a penitential time. Advent, which is four weeks long is a time to prepare for the birth of Christ. We refrain from singing Christmas carols and pull our hearts towards “cleaning” up for the arrival of the Savior.  

Christmas brings us the joy of Christ’s birth and so the priestly color is white; the color of celebration. Christmas is so important, the Church celebrates the day for eight days in a row (the octave of Christmas), then the season of Christmas continues with the celebration of the Holy Family, Epiphany and ends with the Baptism of Jesus. 

Next comes the color green marking ordinary time (ordered time) since the weeks are numerically aligned. 

Depending on the time of Easter, the Church backs up approximately 40 days to start Lent (lent means lengthening since the days now begin to lengthen in light). The priestly color returns to violet for penance. Lent is the season to prepare for the great feast of Easter, the high point of the year: Easter; the resurrection of Christ. 

On Easter, the color returns to white to celebrate. Again, the day is so important, the Church celebrates the day of Easter of eight days (the octave of Easter). The Easter season extends for 50 days and ends with the celebration of Pentecost (Greek for 50 days) and the descent of the Holy Spirit. 

Finally, the Church returns and picks up ordinary time with numbered weeks until the return of Advent. 

The liturgical calendar ends with the great celebration of Christ, the King of the Universe. 

Jesus was crucified on Passover. These two dates don’t always coincide due to the fact that Jewish celebrations were based on a lunar calendar. Even now, Easter is connected to the Spring equinox and the moon. Easter is the First Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. 

Jesus’ resurrection is on the first day of the week following Passover. For forty days, Jesus is seen by those whom He wishes to appear to and then ascends to the Father, body and soul. Forty days? The Jewish number of purification. Jesus is on earth for forty days to “purify the Church”.  

In the Upper Room (the Last Supper’s space), are gathered 120 followers. They are very scared. So they pray and they pray hard. How long? Nine Days. The first novena of the Church. Then on the next day, we come to day fifty. On this day, the Jews celebrated the giving of the law (Shavuot).  According to Levitical law, this was one of the days everyone should return to the Temple, if they could. So people from many countries were present. 

The Greek word for fifty days is Pentecost. On this day, the Holy Spirit descends in tongues of fire to the 120 in the Upper Room and they receive the gifts of the Spirit. They are no longer afraid but throw open the doors and preach the Great Commission of Jesus to “go out to all the world and preach the Good News”. 

Natural Law and Divine Law

Through the Old Testament, God says many times that He will take away our “stony” hearts and give us “fleshy” hearts and write His law upon them. This law is the Natural Law. Not the Law of Nature which is eat or be eaten, but the law that provides every human with the born knowledge of right and wrong. All humans are made with the Imago Dei, the image and likeness of God. Every human (unless there is some mental fault) knows certain items to be right or wrong. We know that it is wrong to kill our children for example. 

The Divine Law is the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. 

The question we all need to ask is do we actually follow these laws? 

Here’s a challenge: Can YOU name all of the Ten Commandments? In Order? Did you know that the original Catholic commandments are different from the Protestant commandments? 

Catholic: 1. One God 2. Use God’s name with respect, 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. 

Protestant: 1. One God 2. Make no graven images 3. Use God’s name with respect

Protestants have both covets combined. Catholics have the two covets separate.  

Married “IN” the Church

Every time I receive a registration form and the registrants state they are not married in the Church, I personally call them.  I want to clear up misunderstandings and also offer assistance in this area. 

I have asked people if they were married in the church and the answer was “no”. However, they had a dispensation to be married in another denomination. 

Being married “IN” the Church doesn’t always mean being married in the Catholic Church building itself.  There are several reasons one may be married in another denomination’s building, but the couple has followed all of the procedures to be married with the Church’s permission. 

One of the Precepts of the Church is to obey the laws of the Church concerning marriage. That means, you meet with a priest or deacon to fill out the appropriate forms and go through marriage preparation classes. 

Perhaps your home parish has a church too small, or your fiancé is of another Christian denomination. With the approval of the Church being married in another suitable denomination’s building is appropriate. You are married “IN” the Church. 

Perhaps one of the engaged has a parent who is an ordained minister in a Christian denomination. That parent, being officially ordained can be a part of the marriage ceremony at the Catholic or other Christian denomination’s church. The limitation is that only one person, Catholic or the other denomination, receives the vows. 

I have also come across some misunderstandings of the ability to be married in the Catholic Church such as: my spouse wasn’t Baptized (this is not a hindrance to marry in the Church) or my spouse was not Catholic (this, also is not a hindrance).

Disregarding the rules of the Church on marriage, actually remove you from the sacraments until the situation is rectified. Often the rectification is a snap of the fingers.  In your first marriage? Both of you?  A convalidation brings the marriage into the Church with a very simple ceremony.  

If the situation is as listed above, PLEASE contact a priest. You have no idea how easy this is. And it offers unification with the Church and a great blessing for the marriage. 

Friday Penance. 

Before Vatican II, every Catholic was required to do penance on Friday. We abstained from meat (flesh) because Jesus gave His flesh for the life of the world. It united us to the suffering of Christ Who died on a Friday. 

After Vatican II, we were no longer required to abstain from meat, but the duty to do some type of penance on Friday was NEVER DONE AWAY WITH. Many of us by-pass the obligation required for every Catholic to do some type of penance on Friday, again, to united ourselves to the sufferings of Christ’s death on a Friday. 

So it is up to each individual as to what type of penance they are to perform. Some say an extra rosary, some spend some time in adoration, others still refrain from meat.  But EVERYONE is required to do some type of penance on Fridays. 

UNLESS….. If the Friday falls on a day marked as a solemnity, we are not required to do penance on that day.  This would be a Holy Day of Obligation or some other date marked by the Church as a Solemnity. 

Nativity Going Forward

We now owe only approx. $236,000.00 on our debt. Our first step is to complete

the parking area and build a new entrance/exit for the church. At this time, our

architect is working on the drainage and other items for the parking area. As soon

as these drawings are complete, we will seek bids.

We believe we can do this over the Summer.

The Architectural Firm of Bauer/Askew, who prepared the schematics for our

present church, also drew and entire plan for the complete campus. The new

church will go to the South of our present church. We wanted to place learning

areas in the basement as we have in the present building, but that location is

located on granite.

It would cost a great deal to dynamite a basement. The architect gave us an idea of

placing Faith Formation and our Pre-School program in a building between our

present church and the new construction.

We have spent months collecting your ideas and incorporated what we can into the

new designs.

We will not begin the financial fund raising until after the Summer but will spend

the Summer with town hall type meetings to be sure everyone is on board with the

new design.

We have contracted with Conrad Schmitt, liturgical designers to offer ideas for the

interior of the new church. These ideas will be computer generated and presented

to the community. This company did the restoration of the Assumption church in

downtown Nashville.

Our present building will be turned into a large ballroom with a complete kitchen

and storage for use in receptions, fish fries, church gatherings, etc…

But we want to make sure the entire community is on board before we begin. This

will take quite a while to share, discuss and approve.

Papal Election 

At the death of a pope, the embers of the Curia (cardinals) begin a conclave. Conclave means “with key”. The cardinals are gathered and locked in; no communication out or in by any means. Meals are eaten behind locked doors. Special teams sweep the area for visual and listening devices.  Nominations are made and discussion follows. The cardinals even sleep behind locked doors. Prayer is offered by the individuals and group for the selection of the next pope. At a determined time, a vote is taken. The individual name is placed on the altar in a chalice. A 2/3rds majority is needed. After each vote, smoke is sent through a chimney. If no pope is chosen, chemicals are added to have black smoke. Should a pope be selected, white smoke is sent up the chimney. 

It may take a very long time to choose a pope. The selected man is gathered and chooses a name to take for his papal authority. Then, the new pope is prepared to meet the Church from a balcony after the announcement is made:” habemas papum” or, “we have a pope”.  

It is the guidance of the Holy Spirit which directs the selection of the pope. Those who vote are cardinals under 80 years of age. In agreement under the influence of the Holy Spirit, a new pope may decline the office or accept. 

The longest conclave was held from 1268 until 1271 after the death of Pope Clement IV. The shortest conclave was in 1503 which took only 10 hours.

Particular Judgment and Final Judgment

The Church teaches us that when we die, our soul (which is eternal; it cannot die) appears before Jesus for our specific judgment. Of course, Jesus doesn’t send us to Hell or Heaven, we do that on our own by accepting or rejecting God. That soul carries our mind, dreams, memories, ideas, pictures; everything that makes you you. The body that carried the soul falls away:” dust to dust - ashes to ashes”. The soul will be with God and be able to love as God loves. 

At the Second Coming there will be a final judgment of the world to bring it back into order, a new Heaven and a new earth. But at that time our earthly bodies will be raised up and made into a new creation. With the senses of a material body, we will be able to see, taste, touch, smell and hear the eternal beauty of Heaven. 

A beautiful promise for each human. 

When will the Second Coming of Christ come? No one knows, but our personal “Second Coming” will be when we die or Christ returns. 

When bringing people into the Church, I ask, “Who started the Church?” They hesitate, and some can at least get to St. Peter. The reality is that Jesus Christ started the Church. He turns to Peter who is the first pope. After Peter, there is an unbroken line of popes, each given the authority to lead as the “CEO” so to speak. 

The unbrokenness goes even to a deeper level. Every priest was ordained by a bishop, who was ordained by another bishop, who was ordained by another bishop, and so on who was ordained by the first “Bishops”, the Apostles, who were ordained by Jesus at the last supper. 

The succession is unbroken from Christ to the present day; a lineage of authority and order begun by the perfect Priest, Jesus. 

Since the Church was started by the perfect Priest, then the Church would be the perfect Church. 

We must remember that this Church is perfect while the people within the Church are sinners. 

The Church’s teaching on immigration is that all people are made in the image and likeness of God. The world was made for all people. All people have the right to seek out a life to provide prosperity to themselves and their families. 

However, as to the free migration of people to any part of the world, the virtues and justice and prudence must be applied. 

Countries have the right to control their borders. Countries have the right to protect their own citizens. Open borders are neither just nor prudent. 

There are three principles of the Church teachings of immigration. 

First Principle: People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.

Second Principle: A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration. 

Third Principle: A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy. 

Reason, justice, prudence as well as mercy must be provided. 

Cohabitation, a fancy work for “shaking up” is when people exist in a sexual relationship living as a “family” before marriage. Most people who come to me for marriage preparation tell me it is a good way to prepare for marriage. 

First of all, all sex outside the Sacrament of Marriage is a sin. Period. 

Secondly, throughout this arrangement, either person can leave. You can put up with a lot if you know you can leave at any time. 

The first thing I tell couples when they come to me is WELCOME! I’m glad you are here. But, as we go through our discussions, we talk about the dignity of sex. Jesus’ relationship to the Church is a spiritual nuptial relationship. Jesus is the Bridegroom; the Church is the Bride.  The perfect reflection of this relationship on earth is the Sacrament of Marriage. Jesus love for His Bride is completely giving. The nuptial relationship outside marriage is closed off. Neither gives themselves completely. Thy do not want to have a child, the fruit of their relationship. Artificial birth control retains the complete giving of one to the other. 

Now, with thanks and gratitude, we welcome these couples into the Sacrament. However, at the Sacrament, the two now hear the words “ ‘ till death” The non-commitment of cohabitation has a psychological shift. Many now feel imprisoned or locked into a relationship. 

The divorce rate in the United States is just over 50%. However, for those who live together before marriage, the divorce rate is 90%.  

The cohabitating couple can prepare themselves psychologically for this transition by living apart for a while. At least sleep in different rooms. 

If you marry in the Church, go to church, pray for AND WITH each other and practice Natural Family Planning (because it is giving to the other completely and it forces the couple to COMMUNICATE --and it is much easier today with apps and watches to relate human cycles; as well as an holistic manner of spacing births) the rate of divorce drops exponentially to as low as 7%. 

It’s easy to say yes to the culture. “Everyone else does this.” It is more difficult to say yes to God. However, God’s way is better and help you to not be just another statistic. 

The Jews refer to the “Three Fold Lust”: lust of the eyes, flesh and pride.  The three lusts come from the story of Eve in the Garden where Satan tempts Eve to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; the tree forbidden to Adam and Eve. Satan, to Eve says, “It looks good”, “It tastes good” and “you will become like God if you eat the fruit”. The Jews say that every sin is based on one of these lusts. 

In the 1John 2:16 in New Testament, the Christians are still harboring this belief as John says, “For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world.”

The ways to fight the three-fold lust is also three- fold: 

1. Fasting gives us prudence in desires of food and items that lead us away for God.

2. Prayer aligns us to God to repel the wandering eyes as well as giving us a closer attitude to do the will of God

3. Almsgiving offers us prudence in wealth and obtaining power. 

Diocesan and Religious (not that the Diocesan Priests are not religious). 

Religious Priests fall under groups called Orders. Fr. Cyriac is a Religious. He is connected to a group of priests who have a specific charism, or gift. They take the vows of obedience, chastity and poverty. These priests in orders send all of their income to the community, who in turn send them an allowance to live on.  They own nothing. Everything belongs to the community. The money sent to the community provides for all the priests in the group through retirement and expenses for funerals. They receive health benefits, vacation time and time for a spiritual retreat which is mandated by Canon Law. They have a community of support. A Religious Priest can be sent anywhere his community wants him to serve. 

A Diocesan Priest such as Fr. Jerry, works for a specific diocese. The odds of a Diocesan Priest working outside his diocese are rare. Diocesan Priests work in a limited area and take the vows of chastity, obedience but not poverty. They receive a paycheck and they manage their own personal wealth. However, the diocese does provide connectivity between their priests for support and community. The diocese also provides a retirement plan for each priest along with health benefits, vacation time (finances for the vacation are paid by each priest), and a spiritual retreat each year mandated by Canon Law.  

Why no Meat on Fridays? 

Before Vatican II, all Catholics were required to not eat meat on Fridays. Why? Jesus gave His flesh for the life of the world. Jesus died on a Friday. 

Science defines meat as birds and mammals. Amphibians, reptiles and fish are not defined as meat. We Catholics pushed away from eating flesh on Fridays to remind us of the Flesh of Jesus given for us on a Friday. 

Today, Catholics are required to abstain from eating meat only on Ash Wednesday, and the Fridays of Lent, including Good Friday. However, the removal of the not eating meat for the rest of the year did NOT do away with the obligation for every Catholic to perform some type of penance on Friday. 

Every Catholic is required to do some type of penance on Friday. Some still refrain from meat but there are many things you could give up or do without to remind you that Friday is the day of the death of our Savior. OR you could do something extra on Fridays such as saying an extra rosary, visiting a shut-in, extra prayers or a visit to the church. 

Salvation from the Teaching of the Church.

Adam sinned and thus driven out of the Garden. The gates of Heaven (Eden) were locked and an angel placed to keep us from returning. The penalty of the Original sin was death. God sends an immediate series of rescue missions: prophets and covenants to realign us to Himself. Finally, as in the parable of the Vineyard, God says, “I’ll send my Son; surely they will listen to my Son.” 

The penalty due to the Original sin should have been paid by all of us, individually, but Christ assumes our debt. Only a human could pay the price of the sin of a human, so in His humanity, Christ pays the price by His crucifixion. Only a God could plead for us to God, so in His divinity, Christ ascends and begs his Father to reconcile Man to Himself. On the cross: Jesus says, “Father forgive them….”. In Heaven, Jesus, “Father, forgive them….”

Because of the work Jesus had done, the gates of Heaven are unlocked and everyone has to ability to return to the Garden. We receive Salvation by the work of Christ, as the Sacrament of Baptism removes the stain of Original Sin. That Salvation is ours to keep forever, so in a sense, once saved; always saved. Salvation is a free gift. However, we can turn our back on God and loose our Salvation by sinning. 

But to regain our Salvation, we only turn around, repent and ask for forgiveness (Confession) and your Salvation is regained. Heaven is once again a possibility.

In John 3:5 it says that, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”  However, the Church teaches us that there are three ways to be baptized. Water, fire and desire.

Water is the normative way.

But let’s say you’re on your way to be baptized and are killed in a car wreck. You had the desire to be baptized, so you’re baptized. Or, we had a gentleman with Covid who went through RCIA and was not baptized. We couldn’t go to him nor he to us. If he were to die, he would have the Baptism of desire. If, however, he was to get better, he would receive Baptism by water.

Now, should you believe in Jesus and for some reason had no water and were killed for your belief such as a martyr, then that would be Baptism by fire.

Purgatory (AGAIN?!)

I have heard some contestation of the Church’s teaching on Purgatory as of late. Here is the teaching of the Church on Purgatory. Some say they personally do not agree with this teaching. If you think you know more than the 2000 years of gathered teachings of the Church which was given the authority to teach and interpret scripture by Jesus, you may want to think again.

Every sin contains a penalty. For instance, if I hit your car, I could be forgiven but the penalty is to fix or replace your car. Even if I should die in the collision, my insurance, estate or family would be responsible to replace the car.

When we sin, we immediately receive a penalty due that particular sin. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin. Look at the crucifix to see how bad sin really is!

It helps to think of Purgatory as a process. From our first sin, we are purging ourselves of the penalty due the sin.

Should we die before the penalties are all paid, our sins are gone but we still owe those penalties to be reconciled so that we may enter Heaven, “perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.’ 

In His great mercy, God allows the state of Purgatory for this process. Think of it as taking a shower to get ready to meet God.

On earth, we can pray for those in Purgatory and the souls in Purgatory can pray for us. However, the souls in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves: they cannot gain any grace since they are dead (in our earthly sense).

To better understand this, if someone has committed a crime and placed in prison (although Purgatory is NOT a prison) when in prison, no one can get themselves out on their own. They need to be released by someone else: they finished their sentence, they have been release by a state or federal act of clemency or by a legal process.

Purgatory is a timeless place. Time is a human construct. No one knows how long their stay in Purgatory will be except God. Our works of mercy or indulgences can be applied for their release to assist in their entrance into Heaven.

So, scripturally, where is Purgatory in the Bible? We find this in the Book of Maccabees: “And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. … [2 Maccabees 12;45). There is a battle and Judas Maccabeus finds dead soldiers, who are good Jews but under their armor are found amulets pertaining to other gods (similar to holding a “rabbits foot” for good luck.) Judas knows that they are good Jews and states that it is good to pray for the dead.

Our Protestant brothers and sisters, whom we respect do not have the Book of Maccabees in their Bible. It was removed as part of the Protestant Reformation as well as other books which speak of praying for the dead. A removal of these books removes the underlying pinions of Purgatory.

For more information, look into the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1030-1032