11AUG22. Conversation with Megan McMechan the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Community at the Chapel of Hope in Yokosuka Japan. We talk about Holy Days of Obligation and about the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I will offer two links.

Ideas about how to celebrate the feast day from a Catholic mother: https://www.elizabethclareblog.com/celebrating-the-assumption-of-mary/

More about Eastern Catholic Church: https://www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/sites/default/files/files/2014-08-17_weekly%20column.pdf

07AUG22 (22cO19). “With great power comes great responsibility” was popularized by Spider-man. It is certainly a truth we understand in our moral, ethics, and law. The Gospel today indicates this understanding with greater punishment for those who are more blameworthy. Catholicism makes the distinction between Mortal and Venial sins. We are to avoid sin and pursue goodness. If we fail and turn away from God in a serious way it seriously hurts us and we must turn back to God.

31JUL22 (22cO18). What are we made for? What end (Telos) are we made for? To fulfill our purpose is happiness. We are made for God and love. When we seek the things of this world as our end we are disappointed. St. Ignatius of Loyola beautifully wrote “The First Principle and Foundation”. It is an amazing statement that is a challenge to everyone.

10JUL22 (22cO15). We are called to be disciples by love. Love of God and neighbor. It is not be avoidance of sin, but by action. The only way we know how to properly love is by prayer which will help us to be formed in God’s image of authentic love in difficult circumstances.

03JUL22 (22cO14). We are sent forth from this Mass into the world, to be in the world, but not meant to be part of the world. It is ok if we don’t fit in. We should not be normal, but we also shouldn’t be weird. The letter to Diognetus https://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010522_diogneto_en.html is a great reminder of how we are supposed to live in the midst of the world. The US has been a strange place for us Catholics. We are grateful for 1st Amendment right for the free exercise of religion, but we have always been a little in the minority. Now we live in a wanning Christian culture. We are sent for to be lights in darkness.

26JUN22 (22cO13). We are called to follow Christ in discipleship. This means to walk closely with Jesus and to become like him. We are called to freedom to love our neighbor. I was challenged with this in college with abortion in a moral and ethics course. It challenged me to think about what I actually believe. Roe vs. Wade has been over turned and although we will not be deciding supreme court decisions or legislation, we are influencing the culture of life by our discipleship. We influence the culture of life by our actions. Here are a few actions 1. talk about support and not condemnation in family. 2. Support Pregnancy Help Centers for crisis pregnancy. 3. Prenatal and Postnatal healthcare for difficult pregnancies and births. 4. Have Pro-family attitudes at work. 5. Have Pro-family attitudes at home acknowledging that the most important job and role in the world is motherhood. 6. Support foster care. 7. Support adoption. 8. I did not mention in the homily but is supper important get the father involved. Most of the burden is on the mother, we need to do a better job of calling on the men to be fathers and take responsibility. The world is a dark and difficult place. It needs light and hope and love. Let’s be those disciples that do so.

19JUN22 (22cCorpus). Humans need to eat every day to not be starving. We also need to pray every day or we will be spiritually starving. God has given us the Eucharist to be fed. It does require small participation to have any effect, but with that small gift of self it multiplies and satisfies.

12JUN22 (22cTrinity). The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines. It is a mystery and confusion, but there are some amazing things to take from it. God is ultimately a God of relationship and communion!! Wow!! Every time we make a sign of the cross we should be reminded that God is love, and wants us to be in relationship and communion with him.

5JUN22 (22cPentecost). Holy Spirit is active today. It has been present in the past and wants to be active in the present. One of the ways you can engage the Holy Spirit in your life is discernment.

29MAY22 (22cAscension). Jesus ascended to Heaven not to abandon us, but lead us differently. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12). We live in the Church’s age of the Holy Spirit. We live in the age of the impact driver. Amazing power if we just ask for it, “Come HOLY SPIRIT…”