Superior Priest

Jesus Ascends to the Father in Heaven. It kind of makes me sad, but all the disciples are joyful. We have a lot of changes in life that give us are fraught with excitement and fear. They are also times of great opportunity to build new good habits focused on God, or fraught with peril of forming bad habits that take us away from God. All changes and transitions to be successful need hard work and preparation. The biggest change we will all face is death. May we be prepared by the small changes and transitions here in life for the biggest one of all so we will enjoy the potential of spending eternity with God that Jesus proceeds and demonstrates to us today in the Ascension. 6/2/19.

Jesus at the Last Supper tells his disciples, “the Father will send [the Holy Spirit, who] will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” John 14. We have a great promise from Jesus that we are not just left up to our own human reason, but guided by the Holy Spirit. And if Jesus rose from the dead, then his promises are true. The best explanation is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 888-892

4 ways of infallible teaching magisterium

First, the most exciting EXTRODINARY (not in a good way) act of Infallible teaching magisterium proclamation from the pope to “by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.” Ex Cathedra (from the chair of Peter).

            Example: Pope Pius IX in 1854 proclaimed Ex Cathedra to define that “Mary was, from the first moment of her conception […] preserved immune from all stain of original sin” (Ineffabilis Deus) CCC 490-493

Second, Ecumenical Council. An act of Supreme Magisterium where the bishops acting together with the pope meet and decide on matters of faith and morals.

            Example: Council of Nicaea, defining Jesus full humanity and divinity. CCC 464-469

Third, unanimous agreement of the bishops with the pope as the ordinary and universal magisterium.

            Example: Before Pope John Paul the Great wrote Evangelium Vitae he surveyed all the bishops and found unanimous agreement that murder, willed abortion, and euthanasia were immoral.

Fourth, Sensus Fidei. This is where the whole church preserves and maintain a teaching and believe. Laity and hierarchy. CCC 92-93 and also defined in Vatican II Lumen Gentium, 12

Example: Pope Pius IX references this sense (although not explicitly) often in his justification for declaring the Immaculate Conception in Ineffabilis Deus.

5/26/19

Jesus gives us a “New” commandment to “Love one another”, but that law is already given in Leviticus 19. So why does he say it is new? It is new in its pure application through the example and love of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus says “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. In the early church that was clearly true and evident and transformative given by this great letter of Diognetus. Today are we known by our love? 5/19/19

Why are we at Mass? To get something out? To listen to the homily? No…the primary reason is prayer. The homily, which is often what is referenced in relation to a good or bad Mass is in fact the least important part of Mass. The Homily you get to talk to the priest, for all the other parts of Mass you are talking to God. God is a better person to talk to. We might not always experience it as “better”, but objectively God is much, much, much better than Fr. Samuel or any priest. 4/12/19

Mass can be a drag, what do you get out of it? Often, we judge it by the homily, but we should judge it by our prayer. We should not ask what we can get out of it, but what we can put in. We talk about prayer a lot, but don’t always show you how. Today I would like to do a simple and quick Lectio Divina. 5/4/19

What is Mercy? We sometimes equate it to forgive and forget, but it is more complicated than that. There are the Corporal works of Mercy and the Spiritual Works of Mercy. The Spiritual works of mercy should get us thinking a little more about the complexity of mercy. One of the works is “Admonish the Sinner” How is that merciful? There is also: To instruct the ignorant; To counsel the doubtful; To admonish sinners; To bear wrongs patiently; To forgive offenses willingly; To comfort the afflicted; To pray for the living and the dead. 4/28/19

Easter and Christmas are the two largest Christian holidays. Everyone can get behind Christmas, because it is just a birthday. Easter forces the Christian issue a lot more. Either Jesus didn’t rise from the dead and all our faith is in vain, and Jesus is evil, or Jesus did rise from the dead and it changes EVERYTHING! 4/21/19

The Easter Vigil focuses on the paschal candle of Easter. What does that represent for our Christian life? 4/20/19

We often don’t understand how God deals with sin. We think that he gets as flustered as we do. In the Woman caught in adultery we see how God deals with our miserable sin. He meets it with mercy. “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more”. 4/10/19.

It is and innate desire for humans to choose priests and to offer sacrifice to God. The Old Testament prepares the world for Jesus perfect fulfillment of all desire and prophesy in his perfect act as priest and sacrifice. May we participate in his priesthood and sacrifice of will in love. 4/19/19