Jesus, the Beauty of All
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 26, 2022
Acts s 6: 8-10, 7; 54-59
Psalm 31
Matt 10: 17-22
How often do we think that, at His birth, Jesus came bearing gifts? He, Himself, is the ultimate gift. He is the gift of “All.” Jesus is the beginning and end of all that is good. He is the sun rising in the morning. He is the poinsettia the red fingers of which stretch out to us with love, care, joy, consolation, belonging, acceptance and brotherly pride. He is the waves proclaiming the power of the sea, the fragrance of the rose, the orange, pink grey and blue of the evening sunset. He is the all-powerful grace which reminds us to perform, He is the Truth that allows us to see. He is “All” in “All.”
And he brings all these gifts to us and says,” Here, enjoy!” In the midst of leaving this world, the 1 st reading tells us that St. Stephen , “Looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” With a humble and contrite heart, St. Stephen might have been thinking, “Most glorious God, most beautiful Jesus, I thank you for all the gifts you bring especially the gift of yourself. Now, beloved, “ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
It is for you and me to look beyond the things of this world. Yes, we must live with a contrite, humble and meek heart. But let us not stand before Jesus and have to say, “No,” when He asks if we enjoyed snow covered mountains, or the truth of our loving Abba Daddy.
Sit on a cloud arm-in-arm with Jesus and enjoy reflecting on His Birth.
Pray. Talk and listen to God.
May Love, the Very Spirit of God, Flow from Our Souls
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 19, 2022
Judges 13: 2-7, 24-25a
Psalm 71
Luke 1: 5-25
Not too long ago, Deacon John reminded us that whatever happens in life, nothing can touch our souls because our true being is spirit. Today’s Scripture reminds us of the same thing. Scripture also reminds us that God, who is “Love,” has given us precursors of his love in Sampson and John the Baptist. We learn from Sampson strength, occasions of sin and reconciliation. We learn from the Baptist, Faith, courage and the non-touch ability of the negative to our souls so long as our souls are filled with the Love of the Spirit for God’s people. We learn from both of them, that no matter what our experiences are, from the spectrum of acclaim to being put to death, our bed-rock in Christ, cannot be broken.
And so also we learn that Christ’s life and Passion was the composite of what we “witness” in the lives of Sampson and the Baptist. How beautiful to practice what we learn.
Do we take the time in all this to reflect on why Jesus became man? Do we go beyond thoughts of a beautiful baby boy and look into His soul and its Love and purpose for His being and our being? How beautiful to think of our being and our purpose springing from His. Loving and helping to save souls, may well be the greatest work we do if we reflect deeply on what it means to be a Catholic Christian if Love, the very Spirit of God, flows from our souls.
So, use your imagination. See the Blessed Trinity, Mother Mary and St. Joseph gazing at the Infant. His eyes sparkling with His thoughts of our salvation.
Pray, we adore Thee, oh Christ, and we bless Thee and lay our love of Thee, like roses at your feet, because by Thy Holy Birth and Passion, thou has saved us.
Pray. Talk and listen to God.
Mary of Guadalupe, Mother of the True God and of Our Real Hope
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 12, 2022
Revelation 11: 19a; 12: 1-6a, 10ab
Psalm: Judith 13
Luke 1: 26-38
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary
Did you ever hear anyone say that we don’t really know about heaven because no one has come back from heaven? I don’t know how that speaker would explain the apparitions of Mary and the notable physical things that happened and were witnessed.
I think that Mother Mary’s appearances are signs of God’s love and the rock- solid hope we have in eternal life. Mary’s visits have been noted 356 times, from 1531 to 1959. The Church holds that eight of her visions are “worthy of belief.” You probably know well, Guadalupe, (1531), Lourdes, (1858), and (Fatima, (1917). She has appeared in places from Mexico to Ruanda, from the Philippines to France and Egypt, from Poland to Venezuela. At Guadalupe, Mary’s sign of hope was the help she gave to have “the foreign” Spaniards become an integrated and pea+ceful people with the natives.
Just think of how any mother would give all the hope she can to her children. Think about how close a mother is to her children. Mary’s gift of Hope brings us the constant gift of confidence in our everlasting future. Think about Mother Mary holding you close and stroking your hair, comforting and holding you secure by making her warmth and her Faith enter you osmosis-like into the firm reality of God and his love.
Pray always, Hail Mary, full of grace our life our sweetness and our Hope
Pray. Talk and listen to God and Mary.
Calm, Cozy, and Uncluttered
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 5, 2022
Isaiah 35: 1-10
Psalm 85
Luke 5: 17-26
The month of Christ’s birth is here for us to celebrate. How many of us are spending a few minutes to think about being one with “Christmas Jesus?” And what it means? I suspect many are in a tizzy over who is coming for Christmas, Christmas gifts, Christmas dinner, etc. Why not take a few moments to remember a time when you were completely relaxed and enjoy Jesus’ company with you one-on-one and muse with Him over His birth in Bethlehem.
I go back to a few moments lying on a beach by a translucent, sparkling, diamond-like blue green ocean, its vast power flowing in audible, gently breaking waves. There, enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the warmth of late morning sun, I, in calm, cozy and uncluttered quiet and trust was gifted by Jesus to reflect on His transcendent goodness and the complete pea+ce in my soul. I had total confidence in being in His hands.
Jesus, through today’s Scripture, reminds us to be gentle with ourselves and our concerns and to go back to a favorite, few moments and spend them with Him. The 1st reading says, “relax , God Himself will come and save you.” The Gospel says, “God alone will take away the regrettable wrongs you committed and forgive your sins.”
And once physically, psychologically and spiritually at pea+ce with the fullness of the Spirit’s love and trust, we can pray for all others that they, like one’s self, will be emptied by the Holy Spirit, filled by the So-un of God, and loved by our Abba, Father.
Come. Let us muse with Jesus..
There Is No Reality without Truth. There Is No Truth without God.
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 28, 2022
Isaiah 4: 2-6
Psalm 122
Matthew 8: 5-11
How will I be saved? St. John’s very first sentence in his Gospel answers very simply: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came through Him, and without Him nothing came to be.” Aristotle and Aquinas might use their logic to add, “Since nothing came to be without Him, He must know the Truth of all things.” Even through Matthew’s Gospel , we hear a supposed pagan, say the same thing in his act of Faith, “Only say the Word, [the Truth], and my servant will be healed.”
There is no doubt with over a billion Catholics in the world and over 2 billion Christians in the world that we have heard the Word of God. Having heard the Word of God does not mean we have taken the time to study and understand it. Look at the:
U. S.: Does it look as though we understand life, honesty and love?
Church: Does it appear that we understand and live in harmony?
Family: Does it seem as though we understand unity and true love?
Attitudes: Does it appear that we understand selfishness divides?
The post Communion prayer reminds us that Jesus came, “To teach us the [Truth], and to love the things of heaven and to hold fast to what endures.” Archbishop Servant of God, Luis Maria Martinez tells us, “Not for one moment does our Lord turn his eyes from us, nor does His hand cease to guide us.”
Jesus, God’s personification of His Word, so loved the Truth, He called Himself the Truth. How beautiful the heart and mind which glory in and follow Truth!
Pray. Talk to God and listen to God and Mother Mary.
Mary, the Most Holy Giver of Body and Blood for God’s Humanity
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 21, 2022
Revelation 14: 1-3, 4b-5
Psalm 24
Luke 21: 1-4
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary
Our “grandparents, Sts. Ann and Joachim, were so grateful to God for the birth of their daughter, Mary, that at age 3, they presented her at the Temple to live there in service to God as a Consecrated Virgin. There is history that says Mary left the Temple at age 12 perhaps because Jewish law expected young ladies between 12 and 15 to marry. Perhaps to bring forth the Messiah.
With the Angel Gabriel’s announcement of God’s plan about Jesus becoming human and with Mary’s consent to follow God’s will, she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word.” And, as the Holy Spirit blesses us, He Blessed Mary with the unfathomable grace of God and the equally unfathomable mercy of God’s beloved Son. God allowed Mary to share her body and blood with Jesus, the Savior of the world. And from that moment, the world has never been the same.
In Mary’s carrying and releasing Jesus to the world, He, the eternal, most brilliantly glowing Star of Heaven, obliterated the intense darkness of sin, desperate, freezing, aloneness, total loss of love and our death if we choose His Truth, Way and Life. Like Mary, Jesus gave his Body and Blood for our salvation.
Is there any surprise that at Mary’s Immaculate Conception, the Birth of Jesus, the Death and Resurrection of Jesus and the Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth, that the wonder in Heaven was celebrated with the crashing of thunder, the explosion of lightening and the most holy love of the Trinity?
Let us reflect on Mary’s Presentation in the Temple but more her Presentation and yes before God. Blessed be Thou, our Mother and for your Mother Love.
Pray. Talk to God and listen to God and Mother Mary.
Fall in Love with the Power of Your Magnificent Goodness
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 14, 2022
Revelation 1: 1-4; 2: 1-5
Psalm 1
Luke 18: 35-43
“Lord, please let me see.” We know about the blind man in the Gospel. But the lack of eye sight might be the least of blindness. We hear about being blind to our sinfulness. How about our being blind to the power built into us of our goodness? Recognizing and “practicing” our goodness can be so uplifting and transcendental that we celebrate the joy that is God’s pride in us!
I just watched a movie about Rubin “Hurricane” Carter of middle weight boxer of the 60s. He spent about 20 years in jail for murders he did not commit. He had been jailed before. He decided to shut himself from reality because he would not in any way acknowledge his being guilty and live as a prisoner. He tried to live only in his mind.
A young black teenage man, Lesra Martin, was plucked out of a dysfunctional home in Brooklyn by three folks living in a Canadian commune. The trio appeared to have financial resources and wanted to spend their time doing good works. Lesra and the Canadians became aware of Rubin because of a book Rubin wrote. Over 19 years and two turndowns for new trials, the foursome finally found proof of Rubin’s innocence and ultimately, Rubin was freed. As the Book of Revelation reminds us today, “You need endurance and to suffer for my name and yet not grow weary.” And so it is as Psalm 1 tells us, those who do good, “Are like trees who will yield their fruit in due season.”
How about this: I know a Ph D chemist, who, out of his goodness, helps even strangers put together their resumes as they try to be part of health care.
Exercising our innate goodness creates a blazing sunrise for anyone who needs to feel he/or she is valued, belongs and is wanted. Let us pray, as Pope St. John XXIII prayed, “Awaken in our hearts love and gratitude for your infinite and our innate goodness.”
Pray. Talk to God and listen to God.
Causing Occasions Which May Send Folks to Hell or Purgatory – or Heaven
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 7, 2022
Titus 1: 1-9
Psalm 24
Luke 17: 1-6
Today’s Gospel brings up the topic of forgiving those who caused the occasion of sin. We really don’t discuss the occasions of salvation and sin we cause for others. We may think about only their earthly good. We should note the hate that Jesus has for sinfulness, “Woe to the one through whom [occasions of sin] occur.” Note what St. Paul says is required of priests and those who proclaim God. Their character and behavior must be such that they do not commit any scandal.” On the other hand, we note when Jesus preaches the Beatitudes how much he loves those who do His Will. He calls them, “Blessed.”
Think about the power we have. We can help people gain salvation with our words and deeds. The same is true about creating temptation for folks. Do we think about these powers? Have you ever recognized missing opportunities to help others think of God, perhaps like the Good Samaritan? Did he say to the injured person, “ I bless you in the name of God and hope in your salvation?” Again, on the other hand, how about excluding others from your group or being a hypocrite as were some of the Pharisees. Jesus told us, “Do what they say, not what they do.” Might those who are excluded get negatively angry and exclude others? Does hypocritical behavior bring scandal and then apathy and misunderstanding?
We have great power. We have great responsibility. “Whomever has been given much, much will be demanded.”
And so we might pray, brothers and sisters, “Make us a channel of your pea+ce,” love and presence. “Let us help bring all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.”
Lord, let us feel the joy-filled fruits of your sacrifice and ours.
Pray. Talk to God and listen to God.
Love Who God Created You to Be
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 31, 2022
Philippians 2: 1-4
Psalm 131
Luke 14: 12-14
Shakespeare wrote a play entitled, As You Like It. A memorable line from the play is, “All the world is a stage, and all the men and women are players.” Do you think Shakespeare was telling us that we may not live who we were meant to be but something or someone we would prefer to be? Was Shakespeare a profit foretelling what is happening to some of us today? Did he know that 3rd graders would be taught about transgenderism or that parents could go to jail if they would not allow their children to talk about transgender people?
St. Augustine tells us that we are drawn by the God-given desires which will help us be whom we were meant to be. Christ says, “I give each what he loves, [desires]; I give each the object of his hope.” If we engage in being other than who we were created to be, what does that do to the pea+ce in our souls, to the love that we are to share? Think about St. Augustine who, early on, fought whom he was meant to be. He must have suffered so much anguish when he abandoned his sinful young life and recognized he was committing sin solely because he wanted the power to sin so that he would be regarded as other than a mere student and achieve social stature among his sinful fellows. Then think of St. Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesians. He grew into his intended life and put together various organizations to educate underprivileged boys of his time. Today the organizations have over 402,000 members and 30,000 Salesian priest, brothers and nuns.
Today’s Gospel is really compelling. It helps us to breathe with the love of Christ and the courage of the Holy Spirit as we can picture ourselves reaching out in love to the lame, the poor and all the needy. In the Gospels, Jesus shows us what and who we are meant to be.
To be who we are meant to be is such a gift. And Catherine of Siena reminds us, “Be whom God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
Pray. Talk to God and listen to God.
Love Has to Be Lived to Reach and Feel Your Intense Love for God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 24, 2022
Ephesians 4:32 -5:8
Psalm 1
Luke 13: 10-17
Memorial of Anthony Mary Claret
Earlier this month I wrote to you about how wonderfully packed October is with remembrances of Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, and about many Saints of whom we are aware. I failed to tell you about St. Anthony Mary Claret and about something Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Sister Faustina and I, and perhaps some of you, deeply wish were much more conscious and visceral in us.
Mother Teresa sacrificed and did so much and yet one of her prayers to God is,” Since I cannot burn inside for love of you, I offer you the heat that I feel outside.” In her Diary, Sister Faustina constantly asked Jesus to help her love Him more. I, every day, try to get and feel closer and closer to Jesus and Mary. St. Anthony Mary was no different. He prayed, “I love you, my Father, my Brother, my Spouse, my All. Help me to love you as you love me, and as you wish me to love you. Ah, Father, I know well that I do not love you as I ought, but I am sure that a day will come in which I shall love you as much as I desire, because you will grant me this love for the sake of Jesus and Mary. Yes, my Jesus, I plead for love, love, and more love. Inflame me with this divine and sacred fire.”
St. Anthony Mary pleads with Mother Mary, “O Mother Mary, please give me the gift of divine love. O Heart of Mary, furnace and instrument of love, inflame me with love of God and of my neighbor.”
“O my neighbor, I love and cherish you because God loves you and made you in His image and likeness, and redeemed you through the Passion of Jesus.”
Let us join with the Saints and remind ourselves and God of our love for Him. Enjoy the treasure you are being loved by God and your comfort in loving Him.
Pray. Talk to God and listen to God and Mary.
Do We Face the Perils of Our Lives as Planned, Salvific Gifts of Christ?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 17, 2022
Ephesians 2: 1-10
Psalm 100
Luke 12: 13-21
Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch
Sometimes it is difficult to write what one wants to say. I watched a movie entitled Father Stu. It could have been called a horrible, almost totally disabled life but it became one of sacrificial, beautiful Faith. The movie was more extraordinary for me because it tied into the life of Ignatius of Antioch whose Memorial we celebrate today. St. Ignatius, (the middle name of Father Stu – coincidental ?), purposely gave his life to the Roman lions by acknowledging his Faith and in the fundamental tenants of Catholicism.
The theme of Scripture and the movie is that God creates opportunities for us to do the salvific, “ good works that God has prepared in advance [for us] that we should live in them.” One would think of getting angry and rid of a disease, a disease that just corrupts your physical being until you function no more. But that is not what Father Stu did in real life.
Father Stuart Ignatius Long was born in 1963 and died in 2014. The movie made him look like an alcoholic drifter of alcoholic and totally dysfunctional parents. Stu was a boxer . He incurred a wound to his jaw that could not be cured. This started a string of severe misfortunes. He held many jobs. But he also won a degree in English Literature and Writing and a Master’s degree in Philosophy.
Stu fell in love with a very religious Catholic girl who restrained his passions. In order to marry into her Catholic family, Stu went to RCIA and received the Sacraments. Life was smoothing out for him. One day he was hit by a truck and then a car ran over him. He was expected to die. But during his long convalescence, he believed he had visions of Mary and of Joan of Arc. He began to think of the priesthood and while with the Franciscans at The University of Steubenville he was told to go elsewhere and pursue parish life. He did that and then the roof fell in on him. He can down with a disease like Lou Gehrig’s disease. Because of this, it became unlikely that he would be ordained. But he refused to be denied and Christ stepped in. George Leo
Thomas became the Bishop of the Helena Diocese and confided that he kept hearing a voice tell him, “There is power in suffering. Move him forward.” Stu was ordained. He did parish work among Native Americans but needed a 2 nd pair of hands to help him say Mass. Eventually he had to live in assisted care until the point where he only served people where he was and those who came to him. His parents became Catholic as did many of those who served where he lived. Note, that in today’s Gospel, he was unlike the rich man who withheld his gifts. No. Stu gave generously of himself. At his ordination he had said, “I stand before you a broken man. Barring a miracle, I’m going to die from this disease, but I carry it for the Cross of Christ and we can all carry our crosses.”
Do you and I face the perils of our lives as planned salvific gifts from Christ as did Father Stu and St Ignatius? Is our Faith strong enough to accept these gifts of suffering as the Way to Jesus?
Pray. Talk to God and listen to God.
Holy October and the Stories of Our Lived Salvation
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 10, 2022
Galatians 4: 22-24, 26-27, 31, 5: 1
Psalm 113
Luke 11: 29-32
For me, October is a very holy month. We celebrate Mother Mary’s very specific request for us to share her narration and lived life with Jesus through praying the Rosary. Do you want to see Jesus just born, feeding 5,000 people, dancing at Cana, establishing the Eucharist and commending His soul to the Father from the Cross. Please, say the Rosary.
How about visiting two Doctors (teachers) of the church, St. Therese, the Little Flower, and Theresa of Avila, one who showed us how important little acts of love are and the other who taught us to pray, respectively. Then there is Francis of Assisi who taught us to “rebuild the Church” and to respect our environment. Simon and Jude, Ignatius of Antioch and Isaac Jogues, Paul of the Cross, with missionary zeal, taught us to honor martyrdom as a “sign” of Faith in Jesus, implicit in today’s Gospel. Did you know that Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos served in parishes very close to us in Pittsburgh and Baltimore among others?
Let us remember how our contemporaries, John the XXIII, John Paul II, and Faustina taught us about the depth and unconditional Love of God and God’s extravagant Mercy. And St. Luke who put many of the stories of Jesus and Mary into writing.
Mother Mary, with a Mother’s heart and with sweetness and Light, you have been so gracious as to show St. Dominic De Guzman, way back in the 12 th Century, how to say the Rosary during his time fighting heresy, please continue to help us live the Rosary. Let us see October 7th , The Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, as a call to pray and be joined by you, Jesus and Joseph with one heart on the Way to God.
Pray. Talk to God and listen to Him and Mother Mary.
Fork in the Road. Which Road to Take?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 3, 2022
Galatians 1: 1-6
Psalm 111: 1b-2, 7-9, 10c
Luke 10: 25-37
On the rocky coast of Maine, there lives a would-be author by the name of Helen. Helen really enjoyed writing even if only ended being solely for her satisfaction. She is in the process of writing a book about trying to get through a wild snow blizzard in the high Sierra Mountains. Being a little devilish, she decided that the travelers in her story had to face a fork in this one major path.
The right pathway would take folks safely home, though with difficulty. The left pathway looked better on the drawing she had. There were even pictures of caves the travelers could rest in if the snow tired them out. Unfortunately, the left pathway did not show the 100 feet deep in the caverns that existed. Those who went that way fell into the caverns which had sides covered with three feet of ice. There was no way to get out. The folks that traveled on the right pathway, had troubles and had to constantly make sure their thinking was corrected and their course adjusted when necessary. These folks reached a brilliant, fully lit up town decorated for Christmas. They were greeted by town folks some of whom had been at the fork and could tell of their adventures and about their lost companions.
Scripture today reminds us about the roads and people we deal with in life. St. Paul reminds us that Christ has told us the life road we travel will have spots that may look delightful but really aren’t. And there are times we will face, like the Good Samaritan of the Gospel, which could be perilous depending on what we do. St. Paul also reminds us that Jesus has given us the plan to get us to the brilliance of the Blessed Trinity, Mary and Joseph and the gleaming town of Heaven. Jesus’ plan is written in the Bible and our Tradition. More especially in the Gospel. Paul and Augustine call us to reverencing the Lord for the Truth he has given us through
Prayer:
To help us turn to Christ and God;
Self-Sacrifice: To help us turn away from ourselves,
Works of charity: To help us look out for others.
Pray. Talk and listen to God.
“If We Are Foolish Enough to Deceive Ourselves, God Will Shake Us Up Occasionally to Show Who We Really Are.”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 26, 2022
Job 1: 6-22
Psalm 9: 46-50
Luke 9: 45-50
Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian
Servant of God Ida Peterfy Father Timothy V. Vaverek has written a book entitled, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, REDISCOVERY OF OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST. Perhaps like many of you, I have to reconsider what I thought about why Christ became man. There is no doubt that Christ became man to save our souls and bring us to everlasting life. However, Father maintains that Christ’s primary purpose was to join ourselves to Him. To be one in Christ. To live his life.
I believe Father Vaverek teaches that three distinct Devine Persons live as one God in the eternal promise of the love-relationship of the Blessed Trinity. This Trinitarian relationship prefigures God’s “marriage”-like relationship to the Church and the Church’s relationship to us all bound together, God, Church, us, as a Community of love. Christ prayed for the beauty of our Community of love, John, 17: 11, 21-23:
“Father, keep them safe so that they may be one as you and I are one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you.”
Father Vaverek says there are three parts to being one in Christ and to living His life in a loving Community:
Prayer: To help us turn to Christ and God;
Self-Sacrifice: To help us turn away from ourselves, and
Works of charity: To help us look out for others.
In the Gospel, was Christ looking out for the kids? In Job, was Job one in Christ?
Pray. Talk and listen to God.
“Use No Lamp Shade, Let your Light Shine Before Others, So They May See Your Good Deeds and Glorify Your Heavenly Father”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 19, 2022
Proverbs 3: 27-34
Psalm 15
Luke 8: 16-18
Memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr
St. Augustine reminds us, “Happy are we if we do the deeds of which we have heard and sung. Our hearing them means having them planted in us, While our doing them shows the seed has borne fruit.” And we are one in Christ.
Some have heard of Father Emil Kapaun, an Army Chaplain who gave his life during the Korean War. While the U S troops were withdrawing under attack, Father refused to leave his dying and injured comrades nor the dying and injured enemy. He knew he would go to a prisoner of war camp in North Korea. Father gave up his safety, his food and his very life comforting and treating his brothers. Many who know of him, honor and praise him, as they honor the Word of God. However, Knight Brother Frank Keegan also has a questioning-reminder for those who admire Father Kapaun:
“COULD THEY WALK IN HIS BOOTS ON THE PATH HE TROD? WOULD THEY GIVE THEIR LIFE AND DIE THE INCREDIBLY HORRIBLE DEATH HE SUFFERED IN SERVICE TO “HIS BOYS” IN THAT POW CAMP ? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL GIVEN THE CHOICES HE GLADLY MADE ? CAN ANY OF US HONESTLY SAY WE WOULD FOLLOW HIM ?” THIS HOLY HERO IS FATHER EMIL J KAPAUN, SERVANT OF GOD IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR.” FR EMIL J KAPAUN IS A MAN TO BE HONORED, VENERATED AND EMULATED. Let us pray, “Sanctify our deeds , O Lord, by your blessing.
Pray. Talk to God and listen to Him.
As Mary’s Real Children, and with Profound Love and Attention, “We Sit at the Feet of Our [Mom]”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 12, 2022
1 Corinthians 11: 17-26, 33
Psalm 40
Luke 7: 1-10
Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary
As Saint Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified tells us of herself, “At the feet of Mary, my dearest Mother, I found life again. O, all you who suffer, come to Mary. At the feet of Mary, I found life again. Your salvation and your life are at the feet of Mary. Mary counts your steps and your sweat. Say to yourselves: At the feet of Mary, I found life again.
Sister St. Mary really brings us to the 1st Reading and Psalm 40. The 1 st reading is telling us we must learn correctly what the Crucified Christ was teaching us and what his life was all about. Paul tells the Corinthians not to believe in him or St. Peter or any other than Jesus. Jesus is the only God crucified for us. We must be of one heart, one spiritual family, on the Way to God. No factions.
The Gospel goes on to show us how important it is to have Faith in Christ. A pagan with a Christian heart believed so deeply in Jesus that we use his words as acknowledgment of Christ as the all-powerful God in every Mass. Psalm 40 reminds us, “Ears open to obedience [and the music of salvation] you gave me.”
Remember, “The serpent, the dragon, wanted to catch me and take my life. But at the feet of Mary, I found life again. Mary calls me, and I will always stay. At the feet of Mary, I find life again.”
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant” [ through Mary. ]
Mother, most fragrant Rose of Heaven, pray for us.
Pray. Talk with and listen to God and Mary.
Dealing with Pride Can Be Most Joyful or Complicated
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 5, 2022
1 Corinthians 5: 1-8
Psalm 5
Luke 6: 6-11
The feeling of pride is baked into our humanity. And like many things in life, pride can be a positive or negative. Knowing that one is tenderly and unconditionally loved and held in the highest esteem by God and forsaking the nonsense of this world has to cause one to be free and in real love.
Being humble and happy about being a Catholic-Christian should bring us a strongly positive, properly humbled and energizing feeling. On the other hand, being a “menu-Catholic-Christian deciding for one’s self what Christ’s doctrine should be is not good. Supporting changes that defy natural and/or moral law, may cause a massive infection. Imagine standing in front of Jesus and telling Him your personal studies caused your judgement to hold that the doctrines of His Real Presence, Reconciliation and being born as God created you had to be revised because they were now inconsistent with today’s realities!
Do you observe prideful behavior in your life experiences? I have always enjoyed All-Star actors Paul Newman and Meryl Streep. Did you ever hear much in the news about them? They commanded enough box-office money to be as prideful and arrogant as anyone but their personal self-esteem does not seem to have required “superior behavior.” I know of a gentleman who needed prestige because of the family he married into. He “struck gold” selling investments. He was so in need of esteem that he did not require investors to be committed legally. The tax law changed. This chap lost even his own assets.
It is important that even in true humility, we take reasonable pride in our accomplishments. It is always important that one does not have an irrational sense of one’s personal value, status or accomplishment to the good or the ill. Nor should one suffer from unrealistic self-esteem and hide from him/herself and others through exaggeration of oneself by degrading another. Recall how Jesus treated all He met, even the hypocrites.
Pray. Talk with and listen to God.
I Gain Nothing Unless I Gain Christ
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 29, 2022
1 Corinthians 2:15
Psalm 119
Mark 6: 17-29
The Passion of Saint John the Baptist
St. Paul and St. John the Baptist, ever carrying Christ within themselves, teach us that they are nothing in themselves but for their life in Jesus. Paul says “ I resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ so that your faith might not rest on [my] human wisdom but on the power of God.” St. John the Baptist may have taught the people in these words of Psalm 119:
“Lord, I love your commands!
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
For it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers
When your decrees are my meditation.
I have more discernment than the elders,
Because I observe your precepts.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
That I may keep your words.”
Please remember and work hard to live so that you and I may become,
“Blessed are [we], those who are persecuted for the sake of [Faith in Christ’s] righteousness, for [ours] theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Pray. Talk with and listen to God.
The Queen Mother’s Love and Hope for Hypocrites
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 22, 2022
2 Thessalonians 1: 1-5, 11-12
Psalm 96
Matthew 23: 13-22
Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
Mary may have heard what Jesus said in the Gospel, “Woe to you, scribes, Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” It appears the hypocrites were teaching and preaching superficial reality rather than the source of reality. One might ask oneself, “which is greater, my 80 or so years on this earth, or everlasting life in heaven?”
Jesus is not the “powder puff,’ some may believe. Nor is the Queen-Mother we celebrate today. As Father Elwood Smith, O.P. tells us, “Mary shares His wisdom, seeks his will. She is one with Him.” And just like the all-merciful Jesus, despite our occasional faulty focus, she prays us back onto the right track. As Father Smith tells us, “Her love overflows in the merciful care for every soul, as she wills to each of us her good, the good that is God. From her, whose will cannot be but His, He takes a loving pleading [from her, for us, her children.]
How beautiful it is to contemplate Mary’s patience with and mother’s-love for each of us.
O sweet and fragrant rose of heaven, hold us close to you.
Pray. Converse with God. Listen for His voice as He listens for yours.
God Created Mothers to Share Love and to Satisfy Hungry Hearts
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 15, 2022
Revelation 11: 9a; 12: 1-6a, 10ab
Psalm 45
1 Corinthians 15: 20-27
The Assumption of Mother Mary into Heaven
Surely as the Father knew that Mary was necessary to be mother to the human “Victor of our Salvation,” God knew other mothers would be needed to give the Blessed Trinity’s Way to us with whom They wanted to share their love.
Mary is the Arc of the Morning Star, God’s Son, our Light, love and hope. By giving herself for Christ, she not only allowed him to be human like us, but also allowed the invisible God to be visible to us in Christ.
Like all mothers, Mary shared the most intimate of relationships with Jesus. She held Jesus firmly in her heart, her intellect and will, her very soul. Mary provided all the things all mothers do. She and Joseph raised the totally needy baby, the adolescent and adult. I don’t know how and if mothers can separate their personal lives from the lives of their children. I don’t think Mary would have wanted Jesus to live through His Life, Passion and Death without her. She grew as His first Disciple and because she understood His mission, Mary shared in His moments of glory and intentionally suffered the pain of His rejection and watched his body be torn apart and crucified.
But the Lord God rewarded Mother Mary’s humanity hopefully having her understand beforehand, all that her life with Him and in Him and through Him would bring. Today we celebrate the gift of Mother Mary’s Assumption, body and soul, into Heaven. A gift from God and our Mother, showing us our future.
Ave, Ave Maria!
Pray. Talk with and listen to God.
Who Does God Say That I Am?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 8, 2022
Ezekiel 1: 2-5, 24-28c
Psalm 148
Matthew 17: 22-27
The Memorial of St. Dominic
We are familiar with Christ’s question of His Apostles, “Who do the people say that I am.” Every day, Jesus reminds us that we should ask ourselves, “Who does God say that I am.”
We are many things: Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, etc. We are fire fighters, priests, housewives, deacons, CEOs, and on and on. How many of us refer to ourselves as Evangelists? Isn’t that important because Christ gave us all that mission, “Go forth and teach all nations?” Isn’t that what Deacon Hank Fila was preaching about on July 21 when he said, “the Truth comes to us and through us?”
Today we recall St. Dominic who spent his life and taught others in the Dominican Order he founded to spend time contemplating God and to hand on to others what has been contemplated.
Can we honestly say of ourselves as does Psalm 40, “I have not hidden your love and your truth , [o God], from the great assembly?” Can we honestly and joyfully say to Jesus re God’s question at our Particular Judgements, “Lord, you ask, ‘who do people say that I am?’ People say that,
“I am a Catholic-Christian Evangelist.”
Pray. Converse with God.
Truth, Compassion, and Love Breed Justice
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 1, 2022
Jeremiah 28: 1-17
Psalm 119
Matt 14: 13-21
The Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori
There is no greater joy than to recognize that you are living the will of God.
Today we remember St. Alphonsus Liguori who, around 1723, left his law practice to preach justice. No matter the year, whether Jesus in the year 30 or Father Steve on a July Saturday in 2022, all have preached about justice.
Justice is so sweet when we know that everyone is receiving the goodness that is rightly theirs because God created us all with differences but equal in our humanity. It may be called inhumane if rights and necessities are taken from an individual or a “class” of people by those seeking to have more than enough and at the expense of those suffering injustice.
The readings today take us deeply into foundational rights. Hananiah is punished because he does not tell the Truth to the people. His attitude appears to be, “Just tell the people what they want to hear. They will make it their Truth.” Can you imagine what Jesus thinks of that after He called Himself, the Truth? Do you see the disciples in the Gospel almost dismissing the need to feed the people? See how Jesus teaches us that in justice we must care for those who have less.
St. Alphonsus writes about Jesus teaching us about the sufficiency of our sense of justice, “My Lord, would not a single prayer offered by you be sufficient for the redemption of all men?” “I know well,” answers Jesus, “that one drop of my blood, or a simple prayer, would be sufficient for the salvation of the world. But neither would [give sufficient justice] to showing the love which I bear to men [and women.]”
Truth, compassion, and love breed justice.
Pray. Converse with God.
In the Grace of Humility, Forget Yourself, Go and Love
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 25, 2022
2 Corinthians 4: 7-15
Psalm 126
Matt 20: 20-28
Feast of St. James
The greatest sign of humility and love is Jesus Christ stripped naked hanging from the Cross. Not for Himself, but for our pea+ce, hope and salvation.
A quote of Henry David Thoreau of Walden Pond fame is, “Our life is frittered away by detail…simplify, simplify.” Is that something that explains why Jesus shows us the mother of James and John of today’s Gospel was off course by looking for status for her sons? All the mother wanted was her perceived good for her children. We all want that for ours. But we must always be vigilant that we are reaching for the real and not the apparent good for ourselves, our children and all others. All of us can fall into the pitfalls of human insecurity and popularity. Think about the Good Samaritan. He was neither secure nor popular among the Jewish people. Yet he risked his life to help an injured person. Let us all reach out for the real good. How? As St. James reminds us, “Faith without good works is dead.” Let us all pursue real good works for the sake of others. Just ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”
Living a simplified life of the real good may cause us suffering. But let us strive to live as Jesus did. Pope Benedict XVI tells us, we all have to learn as did St. James and his mother, “The Messiah was not only surrounded by honor and glory, but also by suffering and weakness. Christ’s glory was fulfilled precisely on the Cross in sharing in our sufferings.” Let us bear whatever life brings united always with Jesus.
God is love and so may we be.
Pray. Converse with God.
As I Walk Beside the Lord, What Will I Say about My Life?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 18, 2022
Micah 6: 1-4, 6-8
Psalm 50
Matt 12: 38-42
Optional Memorial of St. Camillus De Lellis
I think we would all like to take a walk with Jesus. He might say, “I am so happy to see you. What have you been doing?” If you were St. Camillus, you would say, “I had a difficult time as an adolescent. I gambled away everything I owned. I think your Holy Spirit inspired me to work at San Giacomo hospital with the Capuchins. I found you and repented. I became a priest, founded the Order of the Servants of the Sick and was named the patron of nurses.”
What will be your story? St. Camillus, just like St. Paul, St. Augustine, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and so many of us, might have started our lives on the wrong side of the tracks. I know. Just for the pride of getting away with something I knew was wrong and could gloat about, like St. Augustine, I stole bananas in pitch darkness – he stole pears. I ate the bananas not knowing they were green. I got sick. I somehow spiritually sensed the words of Psalm 50, “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” That’s what we can say to Jesus, “With your help, that’s what I try to do.” Remember Jesus was also tempted and is an empathetic listener.
I know it is difficult to work one’s way through selfishness, self-acclimation, insecurity, etc. But we can gain spiritual maturity if we do as Sheba, (known as the queen of the south. probably Ethiopia), does in the Gospel: she takes the time to go to Solomon to gain his wisdom and also to gain his commercial trading powers for her own good. We can go to the wisdom of the Blessed Trinity, Mother Mary and Joseph, the Holy Family to which we belong, through their lives-lived in the Gospel. We all have busy lives. You and I are not leaders of a nation like Sheba. Surely, we have time to find our way to a more sublime necessity, our salvation.
Recall Jesus’ love for you and that he is a sympathetic, merciful listener.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
All in One. All with God.
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 11, 2022
Isaiah 1: 10-17
Psalm 50
Matthew 10: 34- 11: 1
Memorial of St. Benedict
Jesus said startling things: He would be killed, “On the 3 rd day he would rise,” (Mark, 9:31); “He who believes in me shall have eternal life,” (John 3:15); “I have come to bring not peace, but the sword,” (Matthew 10:34).
Our Jewish ancestors at first must have thought Jesus was a blasphemer, a con man, insane. Jesus is very strong in his demand that before and beyond all things, we must be united to him. He knows himself to be “The Way, the Truth and the Life,” (John 14:6). How about that for being startling.
We who have heard these words for a long time may not be startled. Perhaps we need to make sure our hearts and minds are always open to the divine melody Christ’s words intend for us. As Isaiah says in the 1st reading, maybe we have to, “Wash ourselves and put away our [distractions].”
Putting away distractions is not easy. Perhaps if we follow the rule of St. Benedict, whose Memorial we remember today, what we do will help us have reminders constantly in our lives. Benedict said, “If we wish to dwell in the tent of God’s kingdom, we will never arrive unless we run there by doing good deeds.”
Let us always be “startled” by our awesome God in his being and merciful love.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Burst into the World of Christ
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 4, 2022
Hosea 2: 16, 17c-18, 21-22
Psalm 145
Matt 9: 18-26
Jessica Hooten Wilson (PhD) in her latest book, The Scandal of Holiness, explains that learning to hear the call of holiness requires cultivating a new imagination–one rooted in the act of reading and imagining the transcendent. I can reach back almost 80 years and easily recall the magazines we received in St. Paul elementary school. I never forgot The Messenger, and its stories of Saints and “with it,” good family members who did many normal things but in a most pleasant way and with kindness toward all. Wilson contends that initiatives such as New Year's resolutions, thirty-day plans, and self-help books often fail to compel us to live differently. We settle for small goals–frugal spending, less yelling at the kids, more time at the gym–but we are called to something far greater. We are created to be holy.
One did not have to be told to be holy. By reading and entering the stories via imagination, one pictured him/herself being holy!
Today’s Gospel may suggest Wilson’s premise. After reading the Gospel, can you imagine being the father of a deceased daughter or someone who has suffered for years facing the need to ask for Christ’s help? By remembering hearing (in those days of little literacy), of his power, Christ was sought. Through their imaginations they overpowered their fear and/or their embarrassment to publicly display their hope in Jesus. Through our imaginations we too can “burst” into the world of Christ!
We were conceived with the gift of imagination. How do we use it? Can you imagine walking beside Christ, safe in the thought that he is God and can and does give us everything we need?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
One Cannot Escape One’s Mistreatment of Others in Everyday Life
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 27, 2022
Amos 2: 6-10, 13-16
Psalm 50
Matt 8: 18-22
Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Egypt
This entire writing is from a biography of Amos obtained from Google.
Amos was fed up. While most of the prophets interspersed redemption and restoration in their prophecies against Israel and Judah, God’s word through Amos was directed against the privileged people of Israel, a people who had no love for their neighbor, who took advantage of others, and who only looked out for their own concerns.
More than almost any other book of Scripture, the book of Amos holds God’s people accountable for their ill-treatment of others. It repeatedly points out the failure of the people to fully embrace God’s idea of justice. They were selling off needy people for goods, taking advantage of the helpless, oppressing the poor, and the men were using women immorally. Drunk on their own economic success and intent on strengthening their financial position, the people had lost the concept of caring for one another; Amos rebuked them because he saw in that lifestyle evidence that Israel had forgotten God.
However, while their outer lives gleamed with the rays of success, their inner lives sank into a pit of moral decay. Rather than seeking out opportunities to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, they embraced their arrogance, idolatry, self-righteousness, and materialism. Amos communicated God’s utter disdain for the hypocritical lives of His people. His prophecy concludes with only a brief glimpse of restoration to what God’s Way is. Isn’t the way to see our treatment of others is to do a good examination of conscience?
Isn’t it a good thing to talk out a better way of behaving by going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and then find one’s self at the table of love in the Eucharist? Let us have the courage and confidence to confront ourselves to gain the pea+ce of Jesus.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
There Is No Greater Excitement Than As Being One, Together
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 20, 2022
2 Kings 17: 5-8, 13-15a, 18
Psalm 60
Matt 7: 1-5
Most of us know St. AntToday Scripture reminds us that we are meant to be one in God. The 1 st reading shows the lack of loyalty to God who saved our Jewish ancestors. The Gospel shows us the lack of forgiveness and compassion we sometimes show our brothers and sisters. But in showing these negatives, we learn of the beauty of the positives. Jesus always calls us to be one with the Father through the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us we are never alone, never without the presence of the Blessed Trinity. That word, “presence,” is most important to understand. Sister, Servant of God, Ida Peterfy tells us, “To be present to someone, is more than just to be physically present; It is to feel with, to think with, to move with that person. It is inspired by love. When you love, you feel something, but that feeling bursts into action, words and gifts.” It is to share our total be….ing! Our whole self! Imagine what that “presence,” that complete togetherness and belonging feels like! That feeling brings us harmony whether there is ,or is not the physical presence. The emotional, psychological, intellectual and spiritual sense of love and belonging is real excitement. Whether one is in a fox hole on Iwo Jima or doing a heart transplant in Philadelphia, God and the fullness of presence to each other is truly the essence of support. When you love, you will feel something. Have that feeling burst into action and into words and gifts. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us ask our Heavenly Father to grant us the pea+ce that comes from trusting in His presence, His love and His strength. Let us always seek to be a loving presence for each other in our loving God.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
I Pray, Lord, for the Humility to Beg Your Forgiveness for My Sins
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 13, 2022
1 Kings 21: 1-16
Psalm 5
Matt 5: 38-42
Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua
Most of us know St. Anthony especially when we misplace our car keys or glasses. However, Anthony’s greatest gifts to us may be the gentle love he shared and shows us with the Christ Child and his words as a homilist.
The first readings for today and tomorrow help us to understand what Anthony meant when he wrote about our worth in God’s eyes,
“Nowhere other than looking at the Cross can man better understand how much he is worth.”
In the first reading today, Ahab is overwhelmed when Naboth refuses to sell him his land. Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, writes lies and hires two men to lie about Naboth. Naboth is killed and Ahab gets his land.
In tomorrow’s first reading, we learn of God’s fierce anger over the sins of Ahab and Jezebel. Dogs were to eat their dead bodies and the dead bodies of their children. But Ahab’s words of contrition and humility bring forth the eternal love and forgiveness of God for his children. St. Anthony wants us to see your worth and my worth to God even to the Cross of his only begotten Son, Jesus.
“O God, by the words of St. Anthony, raise up courageous and convincing preachers, [and missionary hearts in all of us], to stir faith to life, to heal the brokenhearted, and to offer new life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Mary, the Loving Strength and Advocate of Our Family, the Church. Thank God for Mother Mary (and Joseph)
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 6, 2022
Genesis 3: 9-15, 20
Psalm 87
John 19: 25-34
Mary, Mother of the Church
Mother, Mom, words so full of intimate connotations that I, as a man, will never fully understand: a child growing within, a wholly dependent being at one’s breast, the risk of putting part of you on a school bus for the first time, and forever nursing bruised knees and feelings. Imagine Mary knowingly doing these things for her son and the Son of God!
Mary is present to us and has prayed for the graces that protect us, the Church. Mary reminds us of the difficulties we may have as social norms and technology may keep us from relationships we should have with each other. She knows our society has been losing its moral imperatives and the World War II Family life we lived when we lived and fought as one heart, one nation.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow, she will press on with her comforting presence, inspiration, appearances and tender love for us, her children. She will be with us when we are frightened and cry the word, “Mom!” Remember the words, “… pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”
Mary knows “belonging” to Jesus is her greatest advocacy to and for us. Let us always live our lives with Mary, our Mom, today, tomorrow and forever.
Let us always remember our moms here on earth and be sure to love them in and for eternity. And Moms, thank you for being our moms.
Pray. God is listening for your voice. Let us hear His. Let us hear Mother Mary’s.
The Holy Spirit Helps Us Give Attention to the Gray Things of Life
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 30, 2022
Acts 19: 1-8
Psalm 68
John 16: 29-33
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became a believer?”
Do you believe in the Easter Victory of Christ?
Have there been any changes in your life?
Let us Strive to be pillars of Light for all, with one heart along God’s Way?”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Holy Spirit Helps Us Give Attention to the Gray Things of Life
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 23, 2022
Acts 16: 11-15
Psalm 149
John 15: 16-4a
Venerable Nguyen Cardinal Van Thunan tells us,” Only God can reveal to us what God’s Spirit is and how powerful and sweet is the Spirit’s action in our souls.” The Holy Spirit is likely to be that loving, gentle, internal voice that makes sure we consider all sides of an action, particularly those that may impact how we treat God, our neighbors and ourselves. The Spirit, our life-long God and friend, helps us to yearn for the beauty of eternal life and to: believe in God; learn about our Faith, practice our Faith.
These three endeavors are the Spirit’s “job” helping us build an enlightened relationship with God, as the Gospel says,“So we will not fall away.” We need to be open to God’s Spirit and Light and to do our part in building that relationship.
Jesus teaches us about the Spirit because he knows we may need help paying attention to what is going on in and around our lives. Both good and bad can lead us into Light or a distorted perspective. Think about it. While we would like to have things we face be clearly white or black, we really have to deal with the many shades of gray in various circumstances. Society, family issues, religious issues may always be fuzzy even when addressed with a well-formed conscience. Jesus wants us to know the Holy Spirit keeps us in love, and helps us stay strong in our focus, our caring, our Faith, courage, trust, and confidence so we can live a devout life with an understanding that allows us to take all life’s challenges in stride. With constant attention to Church teaching about God- inspired Scripture and Tradition and with an open and prized dependence on the Holy Spirit, we sustain awareness of our world and our hope of making righteous decisions the best we can. Let us resolve all things in God’s mercy.
Let us pray with St. Anthony of Padua, “O God, send forth your Holy Spirit, into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. May your grace ever help and correct me [and keep me from apathy.] May I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
“Without reality, we do not have the stability of Truth.” – St. Augustine
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 16, 2022
Acts 14: 5-18
Psalm 115
John 14: 21-26
When God created you and me and the animals and the trees, he gave all creation a way of being and acting according to who we were created to be. We call that our nature. Today’s Gospel and at the Offertory tell us that God is so concerned that we remember who God created us to be that, “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you,” “So that we may live in your mighty love.” How often in thought is the preceding sentence heard and the significance understood? Blessed Concepcion Cabrera De Armida lets us know when she tells us, “The Holy Spirit was the very life of Jesus. And Jesus did not act except under his divine influence.” The Holy Spirit is the eternal Guardian and Light of reality and the Truth of God’s will.
Most of us appreciate the reality of being who God created us to be. However, there are many who are even denying the reality of the gender or circumstances and culture we live in. We may be getting lost in the fog of our “ME… ness.” To paraphrase Father Gerald E. Murray in his book, Calming the Storm, “Many may be suffering from the loss of reality.” It seems many hold that God did not determine who we are; we make that decision. But just because I want a lie or a wishful thought to be reality and the truth, does not make the lie or the wishful thought any more than the lie or the wishful thought it is.
St. Thomas Aquinas and others added Christianity. Knowing accurately the true nature of things is critical. It enables the understanding of the divine purpose of creation.
The grace and love of the Holy Spirit conforms us to the reality of who we are and of God’s will for us and all of creation. While enjoying the things of this world, let us not forget it is God who created all things.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Lord God Has Us Covered
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 9, 2022
Acts 11: 1-18
Psalms 42; 43
John 10: 1-10
If one was in Las Vegas or Atlantic City and heard, “You’re covered,” it would probably mean your bet is matched and can be fulfilled. In today’s first reading we see and hear with St. Peter, something similar, but most profound: “A sheet comes down, lowered from the sky,” and appears to cover, include, protect and fulfill all of creation. The Jewish people may have heard similar words going back to their exodus experience and were grateful to hear the words again.
Then Christ takes them in a totally different direction when he says, “God has then granted life giving repentance to the Gentiles too.” To the Jewish listeners, those words translate into perhaps a strange, totally unexpected and unwanted message: “Even those who are not Jewish and are persecuting you are loved and saved by your, and now, their God also.” (That’s you and I.) Jesus explains to them, in their language, what they already know and that is the behavior of sheep and the sheep regard for the shepherd. He explains the shepherd’s keeping of the gate that closes them in under the shepherd’s protection.
Jesus proclaims that he is the guardian of the gate of safety and salvation, “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Another shock for the Jewish people.
Shepherds are always with their sheep, alive and vital. So it is with Jesus and all of creation. Pope Francis reminds us, “He fills your life with his unseen presence: wherever you go, he will be waiting there for you.”
We might hear Jesus conclude, “I am your Good Shepherd. You shall not want. I am with you [to protect and love you] always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus covers the bets on our salvation. Glory be to our loving Jesus!
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Even Though Bounced from Pillar to Post, There Was No Quit in St. Athanasius
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 2, 2022
Acts 6: 8-15
Psalm 119
John 6: 22-29
Memorial of St. Athanasius
We don’t hear a lot about St. Athanasius, but we use his teaching every time we say the Nicaean Creed. In the 4th Century, A. D., when a teacher named Arian tried to say that Jesus was of a different substance than the Father, i. e., even while being the Son of God, Christ was of a different substance than the Father and was made and not begotten. Think of the word, “consubstantial.” That is Athanasius speaking to us from 1700 years ago. Athanasius fought with emperors and bishops and was exiled from Alexandria, Egypt 5 times for 17 years. He was called, “Athanasius Contra Mundum,” (Athanasius Against the World), to “Pillar of the Church,” and is a Doctor (Teacher), of the Church.
Many of us sometimes fault the Church because of its language and rituals. But if we don’t keep learning, we can only remain misinformed or lethargic about understanding our God who is 2,000 years off and right beside us all the time.
In today’s Acts of the Apostles, we see St. Stephen, a Deacon, holding to the teachings of Jesus. It will cost him his earthly life. But gain for him his eternal life. And in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one He sent.” And how are we to believe if we do not learn from Athanasius and Stephen; if we do not learn from those ancients who chose and the current people who may choose to remain mortally uninformed and wounded?
Can you imagine holding your own in the emerging Christian world of Stephen and Athanasius? Can you see the Holy Spirit in them? Can you see the Holy Spirit in you and me as we try to keep on learning and take up our commission right from Christ, “To teach all nations;” “Me” nations that are sinking in selfishness?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Go, Have Your Words and Works Announce the Lord’s Gospel
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 25, 2022
1 Peter 5: 5b-14
Psalm 89
Mark 16: 15-20
Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist
In the 1972 movie, The Candidate, Robert Redford ran for the U S Senate almost as a joke. He wins and wonders, “What do I do now?” Redford had the will, but not the knowledge to reach his vision. His question may help us appreciate the work that St. Mark and the other Scripture and Tradition historians did for us. They scripted what God expects of us. Jesus made the Church our teacher.
Could you imagine being Pope without Scripture? He leads something like 200 nations and cultures many of which could not be more different. How different are we now even within the intended “unity” within the Church? Today we have traditional Catholics, other “Catholics” who expect the Church to change teachings on abortion and contraception; those who think the Church is behind the times and will have to change its position on fallen away “Catholics,” same- sex-marriage, celibacy, female priests, divorce, et al. We all accept that 2+2 will always equal 4. Many cannot accept that God, through His Word and Works has given us eternal Truths which “The Church,” has no authority to change.
Today is the Feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist. He and his fellow Evangelists have left us with the knowledge Redford did not have. We do not have to ask “What do I do now?” God has given us free will and the Holy Spirit His gifts to power us on. Take to heart the words you may hear at the end of Mass, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” It was not easy for Jesus. Nor will it be easy for us. We might face storms. But Jesus has promised to be with us always. As Hammerstein and Rodgers wrote in their song, You’ll Never Walk Alone, “At the end of the storm there’s a golden sky and the sweet silver song of the lark.”
So, share the Gospel, and, with Jesus,
“Walk on, walk on
With [Faith, Hope and Love] in your heart
and you’ll never walk alone.
You’ll never walk alone.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Jesus, True Light of True Light, Reopened Our Path, Our Broadway
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 18, 2022
Acts 2: 14, 22-23
Psalm 16
Matthew 28: 8-15
Pope Francis reminds us that as Jesus led the Apostles back into Galilee and into their memories of the work they did, he wrote, The Lord goes before us; He goes before us always. It is encouraging to know that He walks ahead of us in life and in death.” Christ did tell us that, “He is the Way.” Christ completed the earthly work of his human identity from Birth to Resurrection on Easter Sunday. He still works for us as our advocate to the Father and eventually our judge; as He enlightens and leads us as we find our way on the path He reopened to our eternal life.
One evening I watched a documentary of the reopening of Broadway in New York. For 18 months the stars of the shows longed for their parts. They did not want to lose what they had gained nor did they want to lose the stage where they found they could bring all of themselves to life by expressing their inner lives through their talents. The electric happiness they expressed was like a fully lit up Broadway. It is no doubt to me that their full-of-life and grateful demeanor could influence people by delivering the message of the show.
As Shakespeare, (a presumed Catholic), said in his play, As You Like It, “All the world is a stage, and all men [and women] are actors.“ Might that mean that Jesus, you and I have performances to do? He, God, is the play-write, producer, director and star of all Creation. We, the audience, become the actors who are to take the Devine message with radiance and faith to the world. Pope Francis asks us, “If we who have touched “the Word of Life,” do not give it, who will?”
As part of the crescendo brought to us in Psalms 149 and 150, we are to celebrate and make known the Devine message of love and Salvation.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Jesus, Fill Our Memories with Your Light and Love
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 11, 2022
Isaiah 42: 1-7
Psalm 27
John 12: 1-11
Among the most disturbing of self-centered human acts was the desire of the High Priests to kill Lazarus. Why did they want Lazarus dead? Because Lazarus, having been raised from the dead by Jesus, was a reminder of Jesus’ power and popularity. The High Priests did not want the political, social and religious competition with Christ. The High Priests not only wanted Christ to be gone but even memory of Him. One can sense the anxiety-driven pounding in their hearts. One can sense the conspiracy to kill Jesus gaining momentum.
This is Holy Week. Our prayers and Church services will summon the memories of the humility and torturing of Christ. We will know Mary, the Mother of Jesus, will have memories of the Baby of Bethlehem, seeing him walk for the first time, finding the missing youngster, watching Jesus feed over 5,000 people. She will recall Simeon’s warning that a sword would pierce her heart.
But Mary would also remember that Jesus told his intimates that for the salvation of man, He would give His everything so that we might know that love is the driving force behind the very reason for all of creation.
So, we, struggling with the desire to go back in history to help Jesus, must help Him in our times as best we can. Let us love Him and with the power of the Holy Spirit, unite, to do the Father’s will and to lift up, not only our hearts to God, to most reverently lift up the Trinity to the praise and glory which is theirs.
It is ours to lift Christ and sustain our love and the Memory of Him.
It is ours to hold and console Mother Mary and Father Joseph in our arms.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Are You and I Living Our Vision as a Catholic Christian
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 28, 2022
Isaiah 65: 17-21
Psalm 30
John 4: 13-54
Helen Keller once said, “Worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Sometimes folks think what they do is their vision. Actually, what folks do is their way of attaining their vision. Their vision is what they aspire to, what they want to ultimately attain. For instance, in Matthew 25:31, Jesus tells us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. Why? He is showing steps we should take to achieve what our vision should be which is to please God and attain Heaven.
Does one’s vision change over time? Sure, because we may aspire to many things. I wanted to be a baseball player. Then I wanted to be a machinist. These short-term aspirations are very normal but may leave us short of the Divine perspective – presumably salvation and life eternal with those we love. This is such an important Lenten question for us. Then we should reflect on the words of Isaiah given in the 1st reading, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Lo I am about to create new heavens and a new earth [where] there shall always be rejoicing and happiness.” We then have to ask ourselves if we have been sleep-walking through our rote prayers and really distracted during our devotions. So much so that we have lost that vision Helen tells us about or what Christ may call having become “lukewarm.” Hopefully our vision of eternity with God, which sees way beyond our human horizon and into the transcendent, is still in good shape as we march to the tune of today’s gospel, “Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord will be with you.”
It is difficult to live with seeking good in mind if we do not have a vision, a real active, constant recollection of our deepest aspiration. If necessary, be like Jesus in Revelations 21: 1-8 and say in prayer,”I shall make everything new.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Wrong Way Corrigan – Live the Turnabout of the Prodigal Son
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 21, 2022
2 Kings 5: 1-15ab
Psalm 42-43
Luke 4: 24-30
In 1938, a young man named Douglas Corrigan lived his dream to be the first person to fly non-stop from New York City ( Brooklyn), to Dublin, Ireland. However, he put together and old, almost junk plane that could not get government approval to make the flight over the water of the Atlantic Ocean. He did get permission to fly to California. Corrigan defied the government and successfully made the flight to Dublin. His excuse was he started out to get to the West Coast from New York City but he must have made a wrong turn and ended up in Dublin. Thereafter, he became known as “Wrong Way Corrigan.” Upon his return to the U S, a reporter suggested his error was caused by a faulty compass. Corrigan said that his compass was fine, he had just read it incorrectly. He received many compasses as gifts.
In today’s Scripture, both the 1st Reading and the Gospel see our Jewish ancestors upset because they thought that they ALONE would receive the grace and help of God. See how the Jewish people were taken aback when Jesus cured Naaman, the Syrian, of leprosy while he cured none of the Jewish people of the same disease at the same time.
When we read our spiritual compass correctly, the love and care of the Blessed Trinity is for everyone. Perhaps that was a new thought for the ancient Jews, but certainly not for anyone who has read the Gospels. Lent is a good time to take a look at our lives. Take the time to ask our forgiving Father to have the Church be our air plane, Jesus as our pilot and Scripture and Tradition our compass.
Live the joy of the Prodigal Son. Celebrate our saving Christ and loving Trinity.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Let Us Not Be Casual about Sinfulness nor Forgiveness
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 14, 2022
Daniel 9: 4b-10
Psalm 79
Luke 6: 36-38
Being human, we can lose control of ourselves because of jealousy, anger, passion, etc. Would you think that a really good, rich, powerful person could be an adulterer and a murderer and not recognize his or her sinfulness. That was King David, an ancestor of Christ, and Bathsheba. What about the opposite? People such as Augustine and Dorothy Day who had turbulent, unchristian, early lives. Should God treat these sinners like rabble, like throw-aways? No. God treated them as His children which, regardless of good or bad behavior, they are. God treated them as a loving parent, which He is. God waited patiently and through Nathan for David, Monica for Augustine and curiosity about the Mass for Dorothy, He provided the grace of Reconciliation. Augustine became one of the foremost theologians of the Church. Dorothy is now named “Servant of God,” and wrote and did much for social justice and pea+ce. She is on her way to possible canonization. You can see these people went from pillar to post in their behavior but never far from the reach of God’s mercy. God forgave them their behavior and loved and cherished them as His children.
How mindful are you and I about our attitudes and recognition of our own sinfulness and of God’s generous patience? Do you and I feel we are filled with Godly Pea+ce and that we are loved and cherished by God? It is a good time to think about a prayer like this:
Heavenly Father, I am in Lent. Lent brings to mind my having to face Jesus’ judgement and also the glory of being with the Blessed Trinity in Heaven. Prayerfully I ask that you and I spend one-on-one time. As Father Jim Rodia preached, , “Just God and me; just me and God.”. Let us talk about the state of my soul and what I ought to do to bring more Godliness to my very being.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
“Come, Inherit the Kingdom [For You Opened Your Heart to Your Family and All of Your Brothers and Sisters]”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 7, 2022
Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18
Psalm 19
Matthew 25: 31-46
Memorial of Ss. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs
For me, today’s Scripture is most profound and beautiful and maybe scary. The Lord is very clear on what will make us happy on earth and supremely joyful with Him in an all-consuming love for all of His creation in Heaven.
The thoughts of being totally open, loving, honest and self-giving with all others can bring deep, emotional and physical trials. Handling trials may be difficult. Consult St. Bakhita on Google. It was as though she did not really exist but was the walking spirit of love. An African, losing her parents and becoming a slave from about the age 7, she could not keep from helping anyone who was hungry to those in a small pox pandemic. She said, “If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian today.”
Have you ever been parched or hungry but gave your drink and food to another? Have you ever known anyone who was ostracized and longed for belonging and friendship? Did you give your warmth to help even if you might lose your status? Have you ever thanked God for your trials? Did you note the sunshine in your heart when you felt God’s grace and the knowledge that you cherished your dependence on God in your trials and did the right thing?
St. Augustine, the Doctor of Grace, called Saints Perpetua and Felicity, today’s honorees, “Companions in Grace.” Let us be dedicated to the same fullness of grace and live the words of Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
What Have I Become?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 28, 2022
1 Peter 1: 3-9
Psalm 111
Mark 10: 17-27
What we become in life is often a pleasant or not so pleasant reality. I know of a man who in his youth appeared to be very studious perhaps to hide his being, shy almost withdrawn. He seemed to be letting family disappointments just flow by. He became head of surgery at a world-wide, celebrated eye hospital. We all know of a farmer in Virginia who became “The Father of his Country, our Country. We all know of a couple of supposedly “Catholic” boys who grew up to cause the deaths of 60,000,000 people, Hitler and Stalin. How did these folks become who they were? How are we becoming who we will be?
Becoming needs a lot of attention. The rich man in today’s Gospel probably did not know he had an uninformed mind-set. It took him from honoring God to making sure his bank account was still intact. The woman who gave her last money to the Temple did not know she would become an example for all of us. Neither did Rosa Parks when she refused to sit in the back of the bus.
As St. Andrew of Crete reminds us, as he might have told the rich man of the Gospel, “Drive out all laziness from your soul and shake off you attraction to material things. Do not be unaware of yourself. Accompany the Word. Go up with him who ascends into heaven; there transplant your heart and your life. And when we pass on from here, may we mingle purely with the very object of our longing, Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory and honor to the Father and the Holy Spirit.”
As St. Peter tells us in his Letter today, God has given us, “A new birth to become heirs to an inheritance that is imperishable and kept in Heaven for us.”
Again, do not be unaware of yourself. What a Challenge! What a reward!
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Do Common Sense and Wisdom Bless Your Free Will?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 21, 2022
James 13: 13-18
Psalm 19
Mark 9: 14-29
Do you believe that common sense and wisdom are as prevalent as you think?
How often have you heard, “Common sense is not so common?’ Decades ago a friend of mine told me, that despite anything else, if there is a 10% chance that there is a God as we perceive him, those odds compel him to believe. If not Faith, that is at least common sense growing into wisdom. And I would say
teaching his children that statistic would show his sharing of wisdom.
Following that wisdom, does it not make sense to follow the teachings of
God given to us in Scripture and Tradition and brought to us by the Church? A
lack of common sense and wisdom may allow our free will to be disordered , as
today’s first reading says, “If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in
your hearts, there is disorder.” We note with sadness that today, at age 30, a
beautiful former Miss USA, a well-known reporter, a caring person, with a law
degree, a Master’s degree and a most promising life, leaped to her death from a 29th floor apartment because (paraphrased), she wrote, “She was running out of time to make a mark on this world.” Would it not have been better if she had followed the words of the first reading that tell says, “The wisdom from above is first all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits.” Jesus showed all this wisdom as did the father of the sick boy of the Gospel. The father knew Jesus had healed others and wanted the same for his son.
So let us think about the common sense and wisdom in our words and actions as we pray with Psalm 19, “Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart [be filled with your wisdom and], find favor with you.” Let us live and share the wisdom of God.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Mercy of Christ Is the Fabric of His Very Being
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 14, 2022
James 1: 1-11
Psalm 119
Mark 8: 11-13
In her Diary, St. Faustina taught us the essence and action of God’s mercy when she wrote, “My suffering caused my nature to experience a slight shudder and fear of suffering. Quickly, however, my trust in the infinite mercy of God was awakened in all its force, and everything else had to give way before it. The soul bounds forward vehemently towards God, and the two loves come Face to Face, Heart to Heart: The Creator and the creature.”
What would we do without Saint-teachers like Faustina, Paul, the Evangelists, Thomas Aquinas, John Paul II? Are we grateful and recognize all the clergy and all those others who have spent their lives living the words and deeds which carry- on for Christ? What if we were not taught the Will of God, Christ’s birth and passion and having his Body and Blood? What good would love be if we did not know about eternal life and our relationship with the Holy Family and the Blessed Trinity; about their tremendous, deep desire to protect us; to kiss, hug and hold us in their arms?
Today, the Church asks us to remember Saints Cyril and Methodious. They evangelized the people of today’s Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Cyril even had to create an alphabet that allowed the people to read the translated Latin and Greek. It is called Glagolitic script – Slavic Alphabet.
Is it not our greatest joy to bring the Word, Will and love of God to ourselves and others? Let us bring joy to the world by the learning and teaching of God.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
We All Need Reminders
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 7, 2022
1 Kings 8: 1-7, 9-13
Psalm 132
Mark 6: 53-56
Most of us forget things. I remember I was taking a shower and my vision became very blurry. I thought I was having a stroke. Then I remembered I was wearing my glasses. God knows that if things are very good for us or very bad for us, we might forget Him. We might grow oblivious to what is slowly happening to us. Some of us might become lukewarm to the 62,000,000 “legal” though immoral abortions allowed in our country. We don’t always remember the millions of people from the U S and around the world who do not live in Freedom. Some may seek absolute freedom, (really license), which may lead to anarchy and into a “fear-filled,” cultural dictatorship. God knows if we do not live our free will as God desires and correct these temporal things, we are drifting away from His Will and our eternal salvation. Even as we have these major issues, God may not always step in and correct them. These situations may be reminders of our critical need for God’s help and Truth.
The 1st reading tells us that God gives us physically perceptible reminders. Our Jewish ancestors had the Arc of the Covenant; we have the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The Gospel shows us Jesus’ supreme desire and ever-present care for us. And what is the definition of a Sacrament: a visible, (reminder), sign [of Christ] given by Christ to give grace.
Even reminders need care. I don’t think we have found the Arc of the covenant. How many “Catholics” no longer believe in the Real Presence of Christ. Nature shows us how huge, concrete-iron bars supported buildings will collapse if the drip, drip of leaking water and oxygen creep in and cause cracks. For 3 centuries of U S law, and 2000 years of the 8th Commandment, obvious lies come through to us and are said to be truth and are accepted as truth by millions because the boisterous lies are often repeated by social media.
Let us thank God by utilizing our reminders of Him and His giving us the opportunity of making us living reminders of Him to each other.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
You Still Have Time to Do Good Deeds
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 31, 2022
2 Samuel 15: 13-14, 30; 16: 5-13
Psalm 3
Mark 5: 1-20
The Memorial of St. John Bosco
I look at St. John Bosco as a dear and close friend. He created a Congregation, the Salesian priests, to help poor boys. When I was stationed in Japan, I worked with the Salesian priests who had built and conducted a trade school for Japanese children. To me, not only what they did but who they were and the sacrifices they made were straight from Heaven with the help of Christ. I know Christ’s words, “Let the children come unto me,” had to be on fire in the hearts of these men. The ones I knew came from Belgium and went back home every 15 years. Fr. DeWitt went home and when it was time to return, he knew he would not likely see his 85-year-old mother on this earth again.
Salesians live the life of Jesus wherever they are. So can anyone.
A New Jersey woman, Sister Blessed Mirriam Teresa Demjanovich, tells us that, “We should do the Will of God regardless of where we are.” She went onto God at 23 years old. She continues to do her good deeds from Heaven. 19 eye doctors agreed her first impossible eye disease cure was a miracle.
Sidney Poitier, died at age 94. He an actor and activist perhaps should be most known for seeking social justice and positive change for the good of all. He reminded us, “Speaking from the heart, [seeking] for the best in all of us.”
Truck drivers on the recent frozen, snow-covered Virginia road left their trucks to provide food and drink for stranded motorists.
Think deeply about yourself. See the beauty of who you are, capable of acting arm and arm as one with God, and further in a Community with Christ.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Don’t Fear the Realities of Life’s Contradictions
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 24, 2022
2 Samuel 5: 1-7, 10
Psalm 89
Mark 3: 22-30
The Memorial of St. Francis de Sales
St. Peter denied Christ. He swore he wouldn’t do that but did it anyway. David knew he should not commit adultery with Bathsheba but did that anyway.
Don’t we have times when we regret some of the things we do and don’t know why we do them? As St. Paul says in Romans 7: 15-24, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want , but I do the very thing I hate. Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from sin?”
St. Francis de Sales, who is recalled to us by the Church today, wrote a book, entitled, Introduction to the Devout Life. Part III of the book reads as though he is most understanding of human nature and of God’s understanding, compassion and love for letting us grow not only through what we do right, but what we do wrong. St. Francis gently reminds us, “Having recognized the [regretful] situation calmly humble yourself before God and attempt to restore your mind to pea+ce. Say to your soul: ‘Now, friend, we have made a misstep, let us proceed more carefully.” As St. Augustine tells us in his book, Confessions, “I shall mount beyond this [sin] power of my nature, still rising by degrees towards Him who made me.”
Francis answers Paul’s question, “who will deliver me from sin?” “Do not lose your courage, but be patient, watchful, and ready with a spirit of compassion [for yourself.] God will hold you by the hand, and if he lets you stumble, it will be only so that you realize that you would collapse entirely if he did not hold you, and thus to make you tighten your grip upon his hand.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Be Quiet, Be Still, Let God Love You
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 17, 2022
1 Samuel 15: 16-23
Psalm 50
Mark 2: 18-22
The Memorial of St. Anthony of the Desert
St. Anthony of the Desert, (not of Padua), is the Father of monasticism. He was one of the first to lead an austere life of prayer and fasting in the quite and solitude of the desert. In this dedicated, quite time of prayer, Anthony ventured out of what may have been his darkness into the light and pea+ce that comes from our interior lives. David Brooks in his book, The Road to Character, writes comments that may have fit Anthony’s life. Brooks explores how, through internal struggles and a sense of our own limitations, we can balance the scales of what Brooks calls our “resume (res ou may) virtues,” and our “eulogy virtues.” Resume virtues deal with emphasis on our selfishness and self- importance in the eyes of society: wealth, fame and status –and –eulogy virtues deal with our internal core, kindness, bravery, honesty, faithfulness and on what kind of relationships we have formed.
Don’t we have to ask ourselves how do we balance our “resume virtues” and our “eulogy virtues.” Our Norbertine brother, Abbot John Neitzel, gave me this thought years ago. It may help all of us. You do not need a desert. Be like Christ. Go off alone and pray. Any quiet corner will do.
Be Silent. Be Still. Alone, Empty, Before your God. Say Nothing. Ask nothing. Be Silent. Let your God look upon you. That is all.
He knows. He understands. He loves you with an enormous love. Be quiet. Be still. Let God reveal to you God’s beauty, holiness and purity.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Creation, Divinity, the Gospels
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 10, 2022
1 Samuel 1: 1-8
Psalm 116
Mark 1: 14-20
Isaiah and Revelations quote the Lord as saying, “I make everything new.” We all know that with the incredible power given to humans, God allows humans to cooperate with Him and make and bring another human being into life. One that thinks, loves, eats, works, etc. How often do we think about that and only that power, per se? Almost unbelievable other than for our experience. And will that new human being become an astronaut, a shoemaker, beggar or thief? We don’t know. Perhaps all that might have seemed old, now seems new!
Jesus came to make our lives new. Remember our Jewish ancestors did many both good and sinful things. But with the coming of Christ, all of us have the grace of love and repentance. All of us have the opportunity to become new:
Logic says nothing comes from nothing. Our Father is the Creator we call GOD; Jesus, his love, words and deeds cause us to believe he is GOD, the Divine, and the Trinity has left us the Scripture and Tradition that make up a new life’s plan.
Be renewed and steadfast in the Faith of Christ, the ultimate leader and protector of our Church and us, His Mystical Body.
Be renewed and refreshed in Jesus, Given to us by the Holy Spirit and Mary.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Name, Jesus, Reminds Us of the Full Story of Our Salvation
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 3, 2022
1 John 3: 22- 4:6
Psalm 2
Matt 4: 12-17, 23-25
The Most Holy Name of Jesus
What does hearing a specific name mean and do to your memory? The names of Joan of Arc and General Patton explode for me. I can smell the burning powder of the weapons at war; Einstein and Newton remind me that light is a material and can bend; gravity helps me remember our astronauts returning to earth. Yet, as profound as their thinking and actions, the Light and Gravity that are worlds more powerful than we can imagine, were prefigured by the name the Angel gave to Joseph for his foster son, “Jesus.”
However, Jesus also was meant to be our Light into the being of God himself: God’s mercy, presence, compassion, and especially the love he showed in today’s Gospel. Jesus was also meant to be the Gravity that brought us to the forgiveness and extravagant love of the Holy Trinity for us.
Jesus not only came to proclaim the Gospel, he is the Gospel. He gave the Gospel ears and eyes, arms and legs and a loving heart and will. The name, “Jesus” reaches out to us in his Divine-human mercy. As Sister Faustina mentions to us in her Diary, “Do you know that the mercy of the Lord is greater than all of his works? Mother Mary said to Faustina, “I gave the Savior to the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about his great mercy and prepare the world for his Second coming when he will not come as a merciful Savior but as a just judge.” For the one who desires salvation, there is an ocean of mercy to draw from.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Jesus, by Virtue of His Human Birth, Became the God-Man. He Is with Us Always, Physically, Spiritually, and Sacramentally.
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 27, 2021
1 John 1: 1-4
Psalm 97
John 20: 1a, 2-8
The Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
Today’s Scripture points out that St. John the Evangelist could easily be called, The Corporeal St. John of Christ. John reminds us of Christ’s having become flesh, the flesh with whom John lived . He rested his head on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper, he was at the foot of the tortured body of Christ at the Crucifixion and he was at the tomb to discover the Lord had risen.
We know that with God’s presence at a birth or when a loved one returns from war, our happiness is gratefully enhanced. When we are stuck on a highway in the middle of the night with cars flying by or when a loved one is having heart surgery or when we suffer with the homeless all over the world, if we could not feel that God is with us, then and there, and is holding them and us in his care, we would be empty of hope. I sit with a dear relative who has late-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. It would be unbearable without Jesus to lean on.
The fact that Jesus became man helps us to “feel” his physical presence beside us. The fact that St. Corporeal John of Christ makes the visible, human Jesus in Word and in deed more visible and present to us is another gift from God.
John writes, “Beloved, what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life, [Jesus], for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it.” You and I, brothers and sisters in Christ and Mary, also testify to the Real Presence of the Lord with us in the Blessed Sacrament.
Lord, always be with us with the joy and comfort only your presence can give to those who have gone before us and us.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Blessed Is the Virgin Mary, Whose Womb Bore the Son and the Truth of the Eternal Father
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 20, 2021
Isaiah 7: 10-14
Psalm 24
Luke 1: 26-38
Let us reverence Mary, Jesus who, with the Trinity and St. Joseph, are our “Salvation Family.” How did this Family form and why?
Why is easy to understand. We know the essence of the Blessed Trinity is love. Love is not passive. It needs to be lived and shared. And so, God created us.
Love also needs freedom of choice, but choice requires respect for reality, the truth. As we have had to learn, the truth may be hard to discern because of our selfishness or our being misguided. After thousands of years of the Father teaching humans, the Trinity had to send its 2 nd person to “straighten human crooked lines.” The person had to come as a male human, both because society showed no respect for women and to provide comfort for fellow humans.
St. Augustine explains, why Mary? Because Mary, “Conceived Christ in her heart before she conceived him in her womb.” Why Joseph? For social propriety, for his love, faith and trust in God and for all a father is meant to do.
We are part of that Divine Plan. We are to receive with love and gratitude, Jesus, who came to show us the way, truth and life. Jesus came to show us how to bear the travails of life. Jesus came to show us the love he and the Salvation Family, have for us as they suffered through our hardened hearts and the Cross.
Mary gave her all for us, her children. As any mother, at our judgement she wants to hear Jesus say to each one of us, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Thank you, Mary, the persevering Mother of God and the Father’s Truth.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
To Know Jesus Is to Love Him As the Most High Does
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 13, 2021
Numbers 24: 2-7, 15-17a
Psalm 25
Matt 21: 23-27
Memorial of St. Lucy
In continuing to read about Jesus, I find opportunities to share some wonderful thoughts written by others. Today, I have that opportunity with help from Blessed Concepcion Cabrera De Armida’s writing in the Magnificat.
“To be united to Jesus is to have surrendered to the will of the Father. To be united with Jesus is to be one with him in thought and affections. It is to imitate, in the poverty of our soul, the habitual and intimate state of Jesus’ soul, a reflection, in its own right, of the interior depths of the Divine Word.
What beauty, what clarity, what transparency, what an infinite depth of all perfection! There is not a single ray of light that does not emanate from that sun, nor a single divine ardor that does not come from that central point, nor a single drop of heavenly joy that is not derived from that font. Knowing him, studying him, and feeling his presence, who would be capable of offending him? One must manifest him, taste him, but more than anything, one must love him, because love draws us closer to him. Love is a light that illuminates, transforms, and unites.“
AS WE SAY AT BAPTISM, THE LIGHT OF [KNOWING] CHRIST BE WITH US ALWAYS.
Holy St. Lucy, Virgin, Martyr and Patron Saint of Eyes, help us always to use our eyes to learn and love the study and being of Jesus.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
In Gratitude and for Help, We Wait for the God Who Saves Us
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 6, 2021
Isaiah 35: 1-10
Psalm 85
Luke 5: 17-26
As you can imagine, the paralytic of the Gospel had the frustration of his condition but more importantly he had Faith and perseverance. And perhaps even more important than his own spirit, there were those around him that could act with him in unity and in the trust of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah tells us about the power and love of God, and that through God’s power and no matter what, God himself comes to save us.
We know there is good and not so good around us. We know, as we, ourselves, the actual Church, must refresh ourselves in the birth of Christ and the wonder of the sacrifices and love of the Holy Family.
Christ taught us to properly develop our consciences. That the fruit of being his disciples is living and practicing a never-ending study and conversion to his heart. We honor Jesus, ourselves and our brothers and sisters as we ourselves and within the unity of community, deeply embody the necessity, the reality and robustness of the continuing practice of deep and sincere prayer and the practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the inspiration and courage to honor all of God’s creation as he meant to create what he created, whether for love of the family or for the secrets of the universe yet to be discovered. And we pray,
Come, O Holy Trinity, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in the them the fire, the passion, of your love, compassion and mercy. Send forth thy Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
We Kneel and Bow Before Thee As You Come to Be with Us
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 29, 2021
Isaiah 2: 1-5
Psalm 122
Matthew 8: 5-11
Before we do anything on this 1 st Monday of Advent, let us open our souls and minds to our almighty and loving Father in heaven. Let us kneel with Mary and Joseph, the parents and guardians of Love itself as he lies in radiance before us. Let us thank God for counting us worthy to be in His Presence. Let us experience the extravagant love and Passion the Blessed Trinity has for each one of us as they send the Son into a world that needs his Divine intervention.
St. Hildegard of Bingen explains the Divine intervention as the Incarnation of Christ as the Word of God. To paraphrase, Hildegard says, “Any instructor uses his word to send his message. Jesus is our Master instructor. He became a man so we could see and be comfortable with him as he is a human, like us. He was born to teach us that he is the embodiment of the eternal, imperishable, supreme Word-Will of the Father; that he would show us the Way the Truth and the Life and help us build the Faith of the centurion in Today’s Gospel.
Jesus, as the image of God, allows the holiness and goodness of the Father to shine through him and makes known the power of the Father among all the creatures of the world, and allows those who perceive the Father to understand him as the source of all creation. And, just as Jesus has eternal life so does the Father’s Word.
O Lord, we beseech Thee to pour forth thy grace into our hearts, so we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Word, was made known, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory and fruit of His Resurrection and eternal life.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Let Us Serve God by Becoming His Image to Others
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 22, 2021
Daniel 1: 1-6, 8-20
Psalm: Deuteronomy 3
Luke 21: 1-4
The 1st reading tells us about the loyalty of Daniel and the others to God at the risk of their lives. The Gospel tells us the widow gave all she had to honor God. Intending to give our loyalty and all to God is the transcendent mind and heart moving to be all that God wants us to be, his image for the good of others. Living in the strength of emulating God we find many treasures of Faith in our history. St. Ignatius of Antioch went to Rome knowing he would literally be fed to lions for being an evangelist; Dorothy Day gave up her atheistic lover for Catholicism and spent her life promoting social justice for workers? Might Colin Powel, a contemporary, be an example? It has been said that he would easily set aside his medals and various military and political positions. Perhaps it was his imaging of God for others that he put on his God-given humanity with its integrity, humor, charity, spirituality and respect for others to focus only on the overwhelming source of all that exists because of the very being of God. Do you and I do that?
We believe that Jesus is the image of God, literally, God’s living will. He lived the will of God by his healings, his raising the dead and his graciousness to those open to hearing about God. He then obediently and freely accepted his Passion and Death, to show us the love of the Holy Trinity and the courage of the Holy Spirit in his pursuit of our salvation.
Hopefully we are conscious of giving our all to God by being his loving, living image to others. Ignatius, Dorothy and Colin seem to. Can you and I?
God knows us intimately. Let us pray to know God and live as his image to others.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
“Though the Snares of the Wicked Are Twined about Me, Your Law I Have Not Forgotten”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 15, 2021
Maccabees 1: 10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Psalm 119
Luke 18: 35-43
It is always a marvelous thing to “watch” Jesus’ agents teach us from all eternity. Give witness to the teaching of Abraham, (about 2,000 BC), to Plato and Socrates who influenced Aristotle (d. 322 BC), to Jesus, (d.33), to St. Albert, (d. 1280), a span of 3500 years. We find St. Albert teaching Aristotle to St. Thomas Aquinas, (d.1274), whose Christianizing of Aristotle we study today.
St. Albert’s teaching joined together human wisdom to divine Faith. Albert, like Aristotle and Aquinas talked about God as the One through whom everyone comes into human and spiritual being. God, is the first principle and origin of every act. Nothing can exist and act of its own power. But life can be confusing and human nature weak. Why? Because we have the choice of misdirecting that power. In the 1st Reading we “saw” some of our Jewish ancestors follow pagans and dishonor God. The Gospel is opposite. We “see” the blind man trust and use Jesus’ power, “Let me see.” “Have sight; your Faith has saved you.”
Scripture and Tradition, through God and His agents, show us the foolishness of betraying the teachings we have about the NECESSITY OF THE ALMIGHTY ONE.
St. Albert reminds us, “Do not delay to commit all things with trustful confidence into the hands of God’s sure and infallible providence.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Beauty and the Beast
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 8, 2021
Wisdom 1: 1-7
Psalm 103
Luke 17: 1-6
In Devine terms, there is nothing more beautiful to God than a saved soul and nothing more beautiful to us than eternal life with God. The most beautiful nucleus of this is our learning and living the will of God. The love we share and the goodness of the acts we perform for others make the fragrance that is awesome to God. For example, think about the Plenary Indulgence you gained for a suffering soul. That soul is relieved of Purgatory and all the pain caused by having caused his/her separation from God and loved ones. Think of how the pea+ce and love you portray, help those around you persevere in the enduring grace of God.
The Beast may be the judgement the justice of God demands. As today’s intercessory prayers beg, “Lord, purify my soul still held fast by the sins of my earthly life, that I and all of us may ready to stand in your presence forever.” Living the grace mentioned above and remembering that God dearly loves a sinner who repents. We can make our judgement the glory of God rather than an eternal tragedy. We need to remember forgiveness of ourselves and others, kindness, compassion and love. Let us always be responsible for helping with the salvation of others and not ever to be the cause of their sinfulness.
Psalm 103 tells us, “The Lord is compassion and love. It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals everyone of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion, who fills your life with good things.” Glory be to God!!!
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
You Are a Saint and a Sacrament If You…
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 1, 2021
Revelations 7: 2-4, 9-14
Psalm 24
Matthew’ 5: 1-12a
Celebrating All the Saints (Including Us)
You may not think of yourself as a Saint nor ever had the thought that you are a Sacrament. Think about this. A Saint is one who does the will of God. A Sacrament is a sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
Are you a Saint? Do you do your best to do the will of God?
Question: Did Saints become Saints after they died or while they lived on earth?
Question: Did Saints always do the will of God? St Peter? St. Augustine? Dorothy Day (hopefully soon to be named a Saint?).
Are you a Sacrament? Do you give visible acknowledgement of Jesus as God?
Question: Do you show your love of God and all the poor, the sick, all the marginalized? Read today’s Gospel. Do you live the Beatitudes?
Question: Do you openly honor the Church and the teachings of Christ?
Are you a Saint and a Sacrament?
Question: Do you offer your pain and trials as reparation to Mary and Jesus?
Rejoice and be glad thinking about all you really are or can be! However, always with humility. To paraphrase as Msgr. Franny Meehan, formerly Pastor of Sts. Simon and Jude parish, reminds us in his book, Seeking the Face of God, “Though God may use us as an instrument, we must not become self-important. We are not raised up for ourselves but for God’s people, the Body of which we are one. None of us is Messianic.” Always be with gratitude and humility.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Being Open, Free, Confident, and Loving Saying to Almighty God, “Abba, Dad”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 25, 2021
Romans 8: 12-17
Psalm 68
Luke 13: 10-17
God the Father is our Abba, our Dad. Think about all he has given us. Apart from anything we may or may not have achieved on this earth, we have been created with the opportunity for everlasting life. That’s love.
Think about the constant gifts and help we have. In October we were given examples of love, courage and fidelity through the Church which reminded us of many saintly lives including Saints Therese, the Little Flower who offered even small things for the glory of God; Francis of Assisi, lover of poverty and all of creation; Francis Xavier, missionary; Faustina, Apostle of mercy; Pope John XXIII Apostle of love; Margaret Mary Alacoque, Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; Luke, evangelist; Isaac Jogues, martyr; Pope John Paul II, Apostle of human dignity and Holy Mary, Mother of God, the tabernacle of Faith, hope and Charity.
So let us rejoice, be open, confident, grateful and loving for the lives we were given to live and with the virtuous, saintly lives with which we are gifted by our Abba, Dad, and as Fr. Steve quotes from Francis of Assisi,
“HOLD BACK NOTHING OF YOURSELVES FOR YOURSELVES, SO THAT HE WHO GIVES HIMSELF TOTALLY TO YOU, MAY RECEIVE YOU.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
A Voice We Continue to Hear for over 2,000 Years
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 18, 2021
2 Timothy 4: 10-17b
Psalm 145
Luke 10: 1-9
The Feast of St. Luke
There is so much in our Catholic-Christian heritage: Our knowledge of God, the history brought to us by ancient Greeks, our Jewish ancestors and great Saints. St. Luke, whose Feast the Church celebrates today was a great missionary who traveled with St. Paul, and is a great historian-Evangelist, bishop and martyr. You know his Gospel stories such as Mary’s Nativity and Christ’s birth; how Jesus raised people from death and cured the sick. He told us stories of compassion and morality in the Good Samaritan, and not judging others. Luke comforted us by telling us not to fear. As author of his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, Luke created 25% + of the New Testament. He died at age 84 in Boetia, Greece. He, a physician, is patron Saint of Physicians, artists and others.
St. Luke pulls together the message of Christ. Through the Acts of the Apostles, Luke also provides us with the earliest history of our Church. Luke wraps together his Gospel and the Acts, with Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection. His writings, under the auspices of the Church, flow down to us through the turbulent thousands of years of history of humanity. Luke uses Christ’ life and death to remind us of the Way of our salvation. Just as he was a loyal missionary partner of St. Paul, through Luke’s story of Jesus sending out the 72 to preach the Good News,
WE ARE REMINDED TO BE LOYAL MISSIONARIES OF JESUS CHRIST.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
How Would You Like to Be Parent to
7(Billion),830,458,560 Children?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 11, 2021
Romans 1: 1-7
Psalm 98
Luke 11: 29-32
The Memorial of Pope Saint John XXIII
“The Lord has made his salvation Known.” That is a line from today’s Psalm. It is assumed to have been written by King David who lived between 1040 and 970 B. C. From then, Jesus and all the Popes have had the responsibility of bringing that message to the 7,830,458,560 people living on earth in 2020. Of course, they bring that message through all of us especially the saints, the clergy and the consecrated Religious. To make it more interesting, note that anthropologists tell us there are a “significantly underreported” 3,814 different cultures on 7 different continents and about 200 different countries with, only God knows, how many languages.
Through all of that humanity and geography, the message of the Father’s creation, Jesus’ passion and death, and our life in the Holy Spirit must be communicated by the Pope, “the global citizen.” In 1930, Pius XI established Vatican Radio in order, “to proclaim the Gospel in the world.” That message of love was what Pope, St. John XXIII was known to carry. Let us remember all the Pope’s among them: John Paul II who taught us about hope, Paul VI, who taught us about the sanctity and the cornerstone of family and obedience, Pius 12 who helped protect Jewish people against the Nazis and who taught us courage and diplomacy, Peter, who protected the Faith, Leo XIII who gave us Social Justice.
ARE YOU AND I HELPING “The Lord who has made his salvation known?”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Until We See the Face of God, We Shall Yearn to Live All Our Love
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 4, 2021
Jonah 1: 1-2: 2, 11
Psalm ( Jonah 2)
Luke 10: 25-37
The Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, known as the poverello, or the “poor one”
We talk about love and loving a lot. But love burns with more and more intense fire as we try to understand love and live it to the fullest. Perhaps the 1 st reading causes us to see Jonah offer up his life out of love, to save his fellow travelers. The Good Samaritan story tells us the same thing. St. Francis of Assisi, whose memory we share today, tells God of his love, “May the burning and tender might of your love ravish my soul so that I may die for love of you, my love. My Lord, I am all yours.” “Lord, know all I have I give thee. Give thyself to me.”
Then, the born-wealthy Francis SHOWS his love by taking on poverty for himself and others. Hear him say to God, “You know I have nothing besides my tunic, cord and underpants. And even these three things are yours. So what can I give you?” Balancing the content of Holy Charity is hard work. It’s difficult for all of us because to a certain degree, we are all “takers” and not always “givers.”
A prayer we need to remember (From the Liturgy of the Hours):
“In the help we give our neighbor, God’s will is done; In our world-wide task of caring For the hungry and despairing In the harvests man is sharing, God’s will is done.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Serving the Poor with the Boldness, Kindness, and Humility of Jesus
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 27, 2021
Zechariah 8: 1-8
Psalm 102
Luke 9: 46-50
Memorial of St. Vincent DePaul and a reflection on Mother St.Teresa of Calcutta
It is likely we have all heard the names of Saints Vincent De Paul, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and of their deep, concern for the poor. Their work began in the 17th and 20th centuries and is active today. They lived by the words of Christ, “What you did for the least of these brothers/sisters of mine, you did for me.”
But what did “poor” mean to Christ and what did Vincent and Teresa do? Surely, the saints reached out to the poor. A homeless person who has not felt the touch of a human “in forever,” nor had a decent meal or a shower or clean underwear in what may seem a lifetime is considered poor. What about the rich, Lazarus, in hell? Was he not also a poor man due to his lack of charity and humility? Another question: is helping the poor limited to those acts that cared for the body only? NO! The words and actions of Jesus, Vincent and Teresa were also meant to enhance holiness in the spirit of those who gave and received.
Imagine the spiritual feeling the giver and receiver experience when they, in deepest sincerity and humility, recognize their mutual love. Are you and Jesus joyful together when you live: “Whoever receives the poor in my name, receives me; who is least among you is the one who is the greatest?” Vincent, Teresa and Jesus, pray for us. Let us be dedicated servants of the poor.
Let us serve the poor with God’s, pea+ce, boldness and compassion.
Let us see humility and kindness flower on the path to our Jesus!
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
In the Deepest Levels of My Soul, I Found You, My God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 20, 2021
Ezra 1: 1-6
Psalm 126: 1b-6
Luke 8:1 6-18
Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, First Korean Born Priest
Today the Church remembers 25-year-old Saint Andrew and 102 Koreans who were martyred for practicing their Catholic Faith. Why did hundreds of people living on the other side of the world from where Christ lived give up their lives 1800 years after Christ died?
Maybe Monsignor Francis X. Meehan, a former, beloved pastor of Ss. Simon & Jude Parish can help us by pondering Jesus. In reading his book, Seeking the Face of God, I came across a few of Msgr.’s insights and questions:
- how this one person, Jesus, could reside in all of us, especially the poor?
- how Jesus’ goodness could be embedded into the depths of all humanity?
St. Andrew and Msgr. may have found, that as time goes by and we “prob” more deeply into who Jesus is and what he did, our Faith would be transformed into a deep, mature, graced Faith. This growing Faith lifts us above all the subtle fears and doubts at more superficial, lesser levels of our souls as we grow into the consuming, infinite mercy and extravagant love and Being of God.
Had Andrew reached the depth of soul in which one sees the Face of God?
At what depth and level of soul is your Faith?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Walking the Talk
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 13, 2021
1 Timothy 2: 1-8
Psalm 28: 2, 7-9
Luke 7: 1-10
The Memorial of St. John Chrysostom
It is difficult to say too much about St. John Chrysostom because of his “explicit” life and copious writing calling out the need to care for the poor, confrontation with conspicuous consumption by the rich, clerical reform and “menu Catholics” of his time. He told the rich that, “They took care of their bodily functions with gold vessels while the poor suffered in the cold.” St. John lived our 1st Reading and was named a Doctor (Teacher) of the Universal Church.
In Luke’s Gospel, we find the Centurion ostensibly a pagan, explicitly living out his Faith in Christ. The key is the Centurion’s actions. Do the needy get “word- service” but are last for acts? The Centurion, Ss. John and James explicitly say:
“Prayer, Faith, without alms, without good works is unfruitful, dead.”
Our salvation is action and bringing to life what the Word, Jesus, has taught us.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Jesus Honored His Father As Son and Carpenter
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 6, 2021
Colossians 1: 24-2:3
Psalm 62
Luke 6: 6-11
As Son, Jesus loved and obeyed his Father. As Son, he learned to use his talents. Early on, his foster father, Joseph, taught him to use his skills with “Wood” that eventually would scream to Heaven for his incomprehensible torture and death. Then the “Wood” would sing to Heaven for our salvation. Through his work, Jesus always had God and God’s glory before him. Do you think a mother/wife’s work caring for a family or a lawyer’s work freeing an innocent person have them think of the goodness they create which honors God through their work?
As we honor work on this Labor Day, as we honor St. Joseph as the patron Saint of workers, let us join with Jesus to honor God through our work and the love, obedience and gratitude Jesus offered to his and Our Father. Let us pray:
HOLY SAINT JOSEPH, AS THE PATRON SAINT OF WORKERS , BE WITH US ALWAYS AS WE WORK TO COOPERATE WITH THE WORK OF OUR REDEEMER IN BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Truth Is Not a Servant of Consensus or Compromise
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 30, 2021
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
Psalm 96
Luke’s Gospel 4: 16-30
Pope Benedict tells us that, “Jesus did not come to seek the agreement of men and women but rather, as he said to Pilate, to give witness to the truth.” Sure, it was difficult for the people of Nazareth, who were part of Jesus’ childhood, to accept him as the Son of God. Luke tells us, “When the people heard this, they rose up and drove him out of the town and wanted to hurl him down a hill.” But nevertheless, Jesus did not back away from the pristine truth of his identity.
We all know what it means to compromise or seek consensus. So did Jesus. But he had to put teaching about God and building confidence in our salvation first. Jesus had to keep in mind that even the people who loved him sometimes take things for granted and fall asleep. We should be happy in the goodness we receive through the Church and the gifts of Faith, Hope and Charity; the Babe of Bethlehem, the tortured and killed God-man who hung on the Cross for us.
JESUS’ IDENTITY ALWAYS HAS TO BE CLEAR TRUTH IN OUR MINDS AND HEARTS.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Lover or Self-Delusion?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 23, 2021
Thessalonians 1: 1-5, 8b-10
Psalm 149
Matthew 23: 13-22
St. Paul tells us how the Thessalonians turned from all the ‘traps” of earthly life to serve God. On this, the Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, we learn she was so filled with the love and sharing of the love and life of God, that she secluded herself to live a life of Penance for all.
The Gospel, on the other hand, shows us how the Scribes and the Pharisees were trapped by what their “selfish” hearts could not see:
THE “GOLD” OF THE EARTH OR THE GOD WHO CREATED IT.
Do you praise the Lord from the depths you know of true Love?
Do you “Lift your Love-filled heart to God’” as is said in the Mass?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Keep Your Eyes on the Christian Culture
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 16, 2021
Judges 2: 11-19
Psalm 106
Matthew 19: 16-22
St. Stephen is remembered by the Church today. Saint Stephen, (975-1038), was the 1st King of Hungary. He worked to create a Christian culture in his Kingdom. He created laws that sought to do good for orphans, widows and the poor. He kept his eyes on the GOOD. That really means he kept his eyes and ears on God’s Word.
Today’ Scripture points out that the Jewish people and the young man took their eyes off God. In Matthew’s Gospel, 13: 18-23, Jesus asks us, “Are you the ones who have heard my word but who allow worldly anxiety and/or riches let it die? Or are you the ones who hear my word and understand it. The ones who give it life, joy and hope as we work to build a Christian culture for ourselves and others?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
My Awesome Jewish Flower, Teacher and Saint
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 9, 2021
Deuteronomy 10: 12-22
Psalm 147
Matthew 17: 22-27
Today, the Church celebrates St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
Edith Stein followed the Jewish religion, became an atheist, then a Roman Catholic Carmelite Nun – St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She had a brilliant mind, love of her people, and love of our awesome God. She died a Martyr, gassed by the Nazis in Auschwitz on 8/9/42.
Teresa of the Cross was very aware of God’s awesomeness and in our NEED for Jesus’ sacrificial Cross. Note the name she took. She said, “The Son of Man is to be killed [for our salvation] and he will be raised from the dead, [AS WILL WE.]” Amen my sister!!!!
In honor and her belief in the absolute need for God despite her tragic imprisonment, it is said of Teresa, “She is a witness to God’s presence in a world where God is absent.” To her God was just not, “oh ‘yeah’, God.”
Do you and I give witness to God as did Teresa, a Jewish convert?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Eat and Drink Well
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 2, 2021
Numbers 11: 4b-15
Psalm 81
Matthew 14: 13-21
Our Father has always provided food and drink for our earthly lives. Think of the Jewish people crossing the desert on the way to the Promised Land or the 5,000 listening to Jesus’ preaching.
Jesus gave us his own Body and Blood to keep us spiritually healthy for the trip “across life’s desert” to our Promised Land. We should frequently take and eat and drink the Lord’s Sacred Gift. To spend eternity without the love of God and our love ones would be awful.
ETERNITY IS A LONG, LONG TIME
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Awareness of God Is Baked into Our Lives
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 26, 2021
Exodus 32: 15-24, 30-34
Psalm 106
Matthew 13: 31-35
If we think about how critical our hearts and brains are to our mortal bodies, we can get an idea of how deeply and how much a necessity God is to our mortal and eternal lives. We may also wonder about how did the longing for a being we have never seen have such a “pull” on our consciousness. Did you ever wonder how pagans like Plato (424 B C) and Aristotle, (384 B C) who lived hundreds of miles from Israel got to understand and talk about a Supreme Being? Even the frightened Jewish community described in Exodus, knew they had to worship and have faith in a supreme power and mistakenly and sinfully built a golden calf.
As St. Augustine tells us, “Our hearts will never rest until they rest in God.” Aristotle’s heart was so restless that his thoughts on ethics is said to have become St. Thomas Aquinas’ teaching on free will and the role of virtue.
God is part of our DNA. Help yourself. Do you let your heart rest in His?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Our Awesome God Says to You and Me, “In Faith, Lift up Your Staff.”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 19, 2021
Exodus 14: 5-18
Psalm: Exodus 15
Matthew 12: 38-42
Moses set himself up for the ridicule of the Jewish people when he lifted his staff to separate the sea for their escape. But he knew he was obeying God, and in Faith, he was standing on God’s shoulders.
There is no greater way to share your Faith and in the glory of Jesus Christ than to stand before our fellows and declare him God. Hear then the words, “ Your Faith has saved you.” There is no greater salvific moment and effort for us.
“Lord, open our hearts to sing your praises and announce your goodness and TRUTH.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Gifts for Living Life
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 12, 2021
Exodus 1: 8-14, 22
Psalm 124
Matthew 10: 34 – 11: 1
Most of us enjoy gifts. There are different kinds of gifts, some we can “hold and admire,” some we may not even think about at all.
Sensible gifts are those we perceive through our senses, our eyes, ears, etc.
Insensible gifts are real but cannot be seen nor touched, etc. like these:
Truth: we base our thoughts and actions on what we believe is truth;
Trust: we could not be comfortable without trust in each other;
Confidence: we could not act without trusting ourselves and others;
Pea+ce: nothing satisfies if we are not calm inside;
Appreciation: without appreciation we would not enjoy a gift;
Faith: without Faith, how would you know the God of all that is?
Hope: without Hope, how would you cling to life after death?
Love: without love, we may never enjoy serving others.
These gifts are what helped our Jewish ancestors live through their lives as slaves in Egypt as we read in the 1st Reading. All these gifts are necessities in our lives too.
With the appreciation of gifts like the pillars of truth and trust, we see how God has fashioned us to have comfort and confidence in decisions we make and the perspective we keep as we live our life experiences.
We are so loved and gifted ! God, our loving Creator provides everything.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
God’s Life Shows He Is Trustworthy. Our Lives Should Be the Same.
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 5, 2021
Genesis 28: 10-22a
Psalm 91
Matthew 9: 18-26
Would you agree that trust is a basic necessity of life? Because there are many differences among the people, (Masses are said in 42 different languages in Los Angeles), especially in a non-homogenous society such as in the U S, getting along is critical. Without trust, there is no such thing as getting along. If one thinks about trust, it all begins with the need to trust in God. In our first awareness of creation, God proves he is trustworthy by creating all that is. And, if used as intended, creation works well.
As a practical matter, we know God chose to give us human life. He also gave us what we need to live successfully. Whether its water or bread, air or warmth, intelligence or imagination, love and belonging, we have it all. He also gave us his protection. You know how he rescued our ancient ancestors from Egypt, how the Jews have been returned to Israel after the Greeks, the Romans, the Assyrians, the Babylonians took over their lives and/or the land God had promised Abraham and Jacob as we note in the 1st reading. You will also note how the official in the Gospel trusted Jesus to heal his daughter. That’s trust!
God gave us free will to show his trust in us. God gave us free will so we would feel whole, in possession and in control of ourselves. So, it is up to each of us to take what our trustworthy God has given us, to use it as he taught us or not. He gave us his only Son to assure we know the way of love and to Heaven. In trust, we have been asked to honor the Ten Commandments, practice the Beatitudes; to love and act for the praise of God and the love of ourselves and others; to honor his Mystical Body, the Church, and to love the Sacraments.
Most of us value being trusted. A crucial thought and question we should think about and ask ourselves: God loves me so much and wants me back home. The life God gave me is in my hands. Can I be trusted to do my part?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
What Is Truth?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 28, 2021
Genesis 18: 16-33
Psalm 103
Matthew 8: 18-22
Truth, like water and food, is a necessity of life. Like water and food, we cannot live LONG-TERM without the confidence of having had a life lived IN TRUTH.
Over 2000 years ago, Pontius Pilate gave us a shove when he said to Jesus, “What is the truth?” St. Irenaeus, whose memorial we celebrate today, was a 2 nd century hero of the truth. We need heroes of the truth all the time because of mixed and selfish misunderstandings held by our national and global cultures.
The dictionary’s simplest definition of “truth” is that whatever we think of as truth, it must “conform to reality.” The notion of truth can be impacted by one’s own personal needs to the point of even lying, equivocating, being vague or by telling half-truths about reality. Think about the Congressman who said the insurrection at the Nation’s capital on January 6 th was a normal visit for people. That, while people died and there was over a million dollars in damage. If a lie is told over and over again, it may seem to have become the truth. While there may be different opinions about what is truth, there is “real truth.”
Sometimes truth is hard to ascertain. How often do we think we understand the totality of creation and then discover a different planet, or a new flower or the possibility of a curing vaccine or a heart-lung transplant? So, because we are finite beings, sometimes we have to learn the truth. We may live in the middle of mass deception. Our own needs could push us into dangerous, irrational positions. Think about abortion at any time and the crushing of a child even when the child is shown as viable outside the womb.
How are we to know truth? We are lucky. God sent Christ to teach us the truth. For instance, see Genesis if you want to see God’s plan for marriage, children and the genders he gave us. You will see that a life well-lived-in accordance with Jesus’ teaching really gives us pea+ce through compassion and love. You will see life well-lived conforms to beauty of reality and the truth. Thank God for Jesus.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Gonzaga, a Basketball Team or a Font of Humility?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 21, 2021
Genesis 12: 1-9
Psalm 33
Matthew 7: 1-5
Gonzaga is a name seldom heard unless you enjoy good College basketball. Let me reintroduce you to St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Aloysius , the son of an Italian Duke, gave up everything to become a Jesuit. In 1591 a plague broke out in Rome. Aloysius took care of those seriously infected and contagious, in hospitals and on the streets. He cared for many including young Jesuit seminarians. He died at the age of 24. He is known as the Patron of Youth.
Whether we are talking about Abram from today’s 1 st reading or Aloysius, one major characteristic is their humility which drove their Faith in and obedience to God. Abram left Haran, a city in Turkey, to go to Canaan. Think of traveling that distance across arid land with no planes, trains, or buses. Aloysius left the courts of Rome. For the love of God, they left behind their thoughts and personal plans to be what God wanted them to be.
Abram, (Abraham, our father in Faith), and Aloysius were gifted with not only obedience but with humility. How easy it is, if one tries to understand the greatness, the awesomeness of God, to be kneeling and searching one’s heart to find what God wants of you and me. That is why the Gospel tells us to stop looking around at the faults of others. We are in the struggle to avoid such temptations in order to rejoice in a greater pleasure of seeing the Lord, our God and observing his will. Think of the comfort you feel when you can turn over in bed and have absolute confidence that your thoughts, needs and prayers are completely understood by the Master Builder of all that is. Your cover is humility and your life is walking hand—in-hand with the Jesus who loves you.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
You Want to Go to Heaven? OK, Here Is Christ’s Formula.
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 7, 2021
2 Corinthians 1: 1-7
Psalm 34
Matthew 5: 1-12
The opening prayer to today’s Mass is so significant: “O God, from whom all good things come, grant that we, who call on you in our [own] need, [and the need of others], may at your prompting discern what is right, and by your guidance do it.” Then the `1 st Reading follows that thought up with a prayer which recognizes that, “God, the Father of Compassion and the God of all encouragement, encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement that God gave us.” Doesn’t this sound like God saying, “I will give you all the help you need so you can love yourself and your neighbor as yourself.”
Doesn’t the first paragraph hereof simply imply “Love’?” Isn’t that what Jesus is really saying is the road to Heaven? The road that is paved with belief in Him and the actions that flow from that belief. Doesn’t the Gospel follow up with the Beatitudes, the rocks we can walk on, as we cross the flow of good and bad “waters “ in our lives? Jesus specifically tells us that our practicing the Beatitudes will have us find ourselves fully satisfied and blessed by God. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could fully act and live completely in the love, pea+ce, humility, meekness, mercy, purity, witness and courage of Jesus? As Psalm 34 tells us, “Look to Him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.”
There you have the Lord speaking to you clearly and directly without allusions or parables and giving you the formula to get to Heaven. Has God left any help out? Not really. But as the essence of love is the ability to choose, we, in a real sense can choose Heaven or ………
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Mary Has Been Seen on Earth As Late As 2009
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 31, 2021
Romans 12: 9-16
Isaiah 12
Luke 1: 39-56
Mary Visits Elizabeth
As was such in the days of Mother Mary, family members were very close. These two women, one perhaps 13 years old and the other beyond the normal age of becoming pregnant greeted each other and celebrated their bearing male children. Carrying a male child was enormous because the Jewish people were awaiting a pregnancy that would deliver the Messiah.
Listen to their greetings, “[Cousin Mary], “How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”! And Mary hugs her older cousin and acknowledges Elizabeth’s greeting saying, “[Cousin Elizabeth, my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in my savior. The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”
We can share in the greatness of that visit knowing full well that Mary continues to visit not only with Elizabeth in Heaven but also us here on earth. Jesus ordained that his favorite and most blessed agent, his own Mother, would make sure we know that yes, someone has come down and back from Heaven. I am not sure we talk enough about the 386 claims of apparitions of Mary. Of those, Rome has approved 6 as “Worthy of belief.” That is Rome’s language for saying the 6 apparitions are real. You probably know the six: Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 to Juan Diego, of the Miraculous Medal in 1830 to Catherine Laboure, of LaSalette in 1846 to Melanie Calvert, of Lourdes in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous, of Knock in 1879 to 15 people, and of Fatima in 1917 to Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia. Apparitions were not limited to the people I mentioned. As many as 100,000 people saw the sun-miracle at Fatima.
There have been many other apparitions acknowledged by the Catholic Church. Mary has visited at locations all over the world. From France to Japan, Ireland to Green Bay Wisconsin.
For me, Mary’s visits are Jesus’ gift to us, reminding us that He will always be with us. It is also important to take into account Mary’s messages. Like any good Mother, she reminds of the very serious need to repent from sin, the consequences of not repenting, to make reparations to the suffering Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the glory of the Heavenly reward her son gained for us through his suffering. Let us all take comfort in our Mother’s love for each of us.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Do We Really Understand Heaven, Hell, the Church, and Mary, Mother of the Church?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 24, 2021
Genesis 3: 9-15, 20
Psalm 87
John 19: 25-34
As time moves us away from the Easter recollection of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we may need what may be both a wonderful and a frightening reminder of what should be foremost in our minds. We should always understand what is ahead of us, what we will use to get there and who will be our constant and loving guide. God, who is our ultimate source of everything, has given us all we need to understand. Peter Kreeft, Ph. D., a professor of philosophy at Boston College is one of the helpers on our path.
In his book, Wisdom from the Psalms, Peter tells us of what he thinks Heaven and Hell are. We may not think about that explicitly unless we are thinking about the line in our Act of Contrition which says, we are sorry for our sins because, “We dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell.” Peter’s thoughts may be shocking. “Our pictures of Hell are much too flattering to the damned: we picture them as human beings, such as we now know them now, in a torture chamber. BUT THEY HAVE LOST THEIR HUMANITY; they have lost their capacity to become part of the life of God; they are only [non entities O, Lord , !] garbage.” Peter quotes C. S. Lewis, “There is nothing left in the sinner but his/her sin. The sinner has lost his/her —- ‘I’,—- his/her very image of God .” Peter says, “Souls in Hell are passive, unfree, driven by the wind not by their own choices. Hell is not eternal life with pain, but eternal death.” I think Peter is saying, in Hell, we are nothing like our current selves, but are only our sins, totally empty and full of sorrow.
Heaven, “is God having digested and transformed us. Life is supremely active. [“We become like] the three things God is: life, light and love, the three things Christ manifests when he tells us he is the ”Way the Truth and the Life.” Christ made Himself the Head of His living Church to carry us on to Heaven. He is always with you and me and in prayer for our salvation. He gave us His Mother to be so close to us in His Church, and to love us as only a Mother can.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
We Are Never Alone. Jesus Was Sent to Be with Us Always.
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 17, 2021
Acts 1: 8
Psalm 68
John 16: 29-33
We hear Jesus in today’s Gospel say, “Each of you will be scattered to his own home [and own circumstances] and you will leave me alone.” That word, “alone,” can bring deeply troubling and very personal thoughts. Especially when, again as Jesus tells us, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage I have conquered the world.” And just as he does in every Mass, he reminds us that He gives us “His Pea+ce.”
In my 83 years, there have been several wars, millions of people killed, millions of people are refugees, selfishness is an overall blight on a good bit of humanity. But we carry on. For the very few, there is a posh life. For many of us , we are being sustained and hopeful because of our conscious or unconscious trust in the Real Presence of Christ. He is the only Master Teacher and the only Master Leader.
In our society we need Christ to be with us always. With self-indulgence, self- centeredness growing, our society is open to separatism and discontent. Note partisanship angst in our Congress. What this separatism ultimately creates is the need for one person to “dictate” how we should live together. Just like kids who want their own way and require a parent to set the rules everyone has to follow. Otherwise, we will keep “bumping” heads individually or as groups such as we see on the political seen. Selfishness rather than selflessness, leads us away from the essence of the Kingdom of Heaven which is mutual love. It takes the God-head to teach love and the God-man to show us from the Cross how to live it. Society can choose to have Christ lead or perhaps a narcissistic fascist. 19 years ago, I wrote, “A community lives together as closely as drops of water in a stream, flowing together for the benefit of all, with no place for boasting , jealousy, greed or status.” This is still a good message. To live this way, St. Therese, the Little Flower, tells us, “God [needs to be] the soul of our soul. Let us be Apostles. [With Jesus’ help], We shall give God souls.” What a great hope!
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Testifying to Christ Is Necessary to Saving Our Faith
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 10, 2021
Acts 16: 11-15
Psalm 149
John 1, 26-16:4a
Could you imagine how good Jesus felt when Lydia, who we met in the 1 st Reading, a believer in God, listened to Paul’s words about Jesus. The Lord opened her heart so as to have Lydia grow in knowledge of Him and to testify to the Faith. What power there is in Faith in Christ!
Today we celebrate St. Damien. We see the power of Faith exercised when we understand the prodigious work the followers of Christ like St. Damien did. You probably know that Damien went to a leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i to be what today’s opening prayer said was to be, “A shining witness of love for the poorest and most abandoned of God’s people [living in despair].” Damien established homes, schools, hospitals, grew crops and protected orphans. He even started a girl’s choir. His work did not stop him from going leper colony to leper colony to give his love and the love of Jesus, always testifying to Jesus as God. In the end, Damien probably knew he would succumb to leprosy, and he did.
Lydia and Damien testified to Christ under difficult circumstances. We too face difficult circumstances living in the deterioration of our Christian culture. Yet, our relationship to Jesus through our Faith can and must make us the same shining and powerful light as was Saint Damien. Are you conscious of loving your Faith? How do you exercise the power of your Faith? Does Jesus feel good about your efforts? Are you testifying to Christ by your words and actions?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Can’t Build Without Builders
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 3, 2021
1 Corinthians 15: 1-8
Psalm 19
John 14: 6-14
Ss. Philip and James, Apostles and Builders
We have seen many things built in our lives: skyscrapers, cathedrals, rocket ships, atomic bombs, etc. to name a few physically perceptible things. Some of these things are good some not so good and some both. We build other things that may not be visible but are even more important than the physical things. How about relationships with our family and friends, our fellow parishioners, our doctors, the poor and other marginalized? How about our sense of ourselves?
What about our relationship with God? Think about how the ancient world was in distress because of almost mandatory pagan-life, or political and military invasion and occupation, or class-distinction for whatever reason. Very difficult circumstances to build on. Maybe the worse thing is that the depth and breadth of the love of the Creator, Savior and the Holy Spirit were not yet known. How was the invisible God going to make him/herself known to us?
Jesus is not only the Master teacher, but he is also the Master builder. Christ, God, became man. He built for us the intellectual, imaginable and conscience- driven discernible blueprints, the Gospel, for building loving relationships. He gave the Apostles the bricks and mortar of his words and deeds. Christ’s purpose was so that they, the Apostolic Fathers and down through the ages our ancestors and we could pass on to our children what Christ first built.
The beauty of what Christ built is its being able to encompass all that we are in our spiritual, intellectual, imaginable and psychological lives. Our need for love, belonging and happiness are recognized in the plans. How well do understand what has been built for us? How do we share the way to live that Christ built into the hearts and minds of all whom we love? Are you a builder?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Carelessness and Loss of Joy for Leading Someone Away from Christ
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 26, 2021
Acts 11: 1-8
Psalm 42-43
John 10: 1-10
The first reading forcefully positions us in our duty to support the relationship of our brothers and sisters to God. Peter says, “If then God gave them the same gift [of Faith], He gave to us, [you and me], when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to [betray] or hinder God in His relationship with others?”
I am sure we often think about our sinfulness. But do we think about how our sinful words and actions could lead others into sin? Christ wanted us to have no part of that. Any sin is a betrayal of Christ and putting another in sinful danger is something the pea+ce and profoundly loving God hates. Remember what he said of Judas’ betrayal, “It would have been better had he had not been born.”
Since around the 1960s, there have been cries for so-called freedom which are mainly for unbridled self-interest and license, with almost no fences built on any moral constraints. One writer tells us that this “license” has changed what used to be. He remembers seeing a girl and a guy holding hands going to a movie or some other gathering. There was no expectation in anyone’s mind that these two kids were having sex. For many, those perceptions may have changed. Think about how sex has become part of a date! Think about how some parents are willing to accept and justify active sex in the young because contraception makes it safe and it is just another life experience. Think about not helping the poor or showing others how to use drugs. Think about disparaging folks because they look and believe differently than you do. Think about the ambiguities and out and out lies in the press and in public figures has perhaps devastated our perception of the truth. All these and many others are betrayals of Jesus. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us anyone living in betrayal are, “thieves and robbers.”
On the other hand, think about how abundant is the grace God gives to another when they are fed Jesus through us. Think about the Father’s joy as He watches His children returning to Him to form a union in truth and love. And Jesus tells us that as long as we follow Him, “We who follow Him might have life and have it more abundantly.” Mother Teresa points us to how to overcome even our unmindful betrayals, sins, “We need silence to be alone with God [AND FIND OURSELVES], to speak to Him, to listen to Him to ponder His words deep in our hearts. In silence we are filled with the energy of God Himself that makes us do all things with joy.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Do You Really See Your Faith As a Gift and the Pillar in Your Life?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 19, 2021
Acts 6: 8-151
Psalm 119
John 6: 22-29
How often do you say the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed? Do you really look deeply into the meaning of the words? Is it easy for you to believe that God became man? Is it easy to believe that Jesus died that YOU may live and that he was raised up to life as you will be? Do you believe in everlasting life out of fear or because Jesus said everlasting life is our destiny? None of these words can provide energy or purpose without the gift of Faith. And the more we have Faith in Christ, the more gasoline we pour on our fire of life in the Divine. Implicit in what Jesus tells the people in today’s Gospel is, don’t focus on the things of this world even like food, focus on what God wants you to do for his glory and your salvation.
And what is that Jesus wants us to do? The Lord tells us, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” Why? “Because I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. You have Faith in God. Also have Faith in me.” Jesus may not have said this explicitly, but you can discern this from his Life, Passion and Death, “I love you. I have given you the gift of Faith in God so that you can believe. I gave up my earthly life for you.” Why? “Because I have Faith in you.” Again, God loves you and wants to share the joy of Heaven with you.
What is ahead for us? What is the heavenly joy God wants to share? In (1 Cor. 2:9), as St. Paul quotes Scripture, we really don’t know because, “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it come into the heart of man what God has prepared for us.” Try, without distraction of evil, to look at the beauty of the good in this life. What does it suggest about heaven? To paraphrase St. Augustine’s thoughts about heaven , we will know the deep truth of all things and “All the citizens of that city, [of God], you see, will be urging each other to equal heights of praise with the most ardent charity toward one another, whomever has ever lived and believed in God, and God.” Can you imagine!!!!!!?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Bold Humility in the Baptism of the Spirit
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 12, 2021
Acts 4: 23-31
Psalm 2
John 3: 1-8
As the emotion of Death and Resurrection of Christ fades a bit into memory, Spring’s NEW LIFE calls us to the of new eternal life the Lord God has given us. With new life comes duty. The Gospel recalls Jesus says to us, “I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. You must be born from above.” We hear a lot about the water of Baptism. Not so much about the Holy Spirit in our lives. Interesting because as we say to God the bold statement in the Nicene Creed that we believe the Spirit is, “the Lord and giver of life.”
Bold statement, indeed! We have hung our hats on bold statements before. Think about President Kennedy’s 1960 statement that in 1969 the US would land on the moon; think about how bold it was when Norman Shumway and Bruce Kietz, both surgeons who said in 1981 they would do the first heart-lung transplant. Now it is the most common treatment for cystic fibrosis which steals oxygen from our lungs and our nutrition. Imagine how stunned the people, including the Apostles, were when they heard that Christ would rise from the dead. How bold are we when we talk to the God of all creation and are in his presence? All this was bold, but humble because it was and is the foretaste of truth.
It takes God, the Holy Spirit, to be “the Lord and giver of life;” to give us the boldness to preach and live Jesus. In every Mass we pray for the Spirit’s help, “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We can see that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit act together with vigor in our lives and give us the breath and food of life. Through the Spirit we have his grace to live beliefs we have in the bold, humility of the Truth. Blessed be the Trinity. Blessed are we who have been charged to boldly proclaim Jesus Christ.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Jesus, Wonder of the Father and Spirit, You Have Risen for Us
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 5, 2021
Acts 2: 14, 22-23
Psalm 16
Matthew 28: 8-15
Some words have many different meanings depending on prevailing circumstances. As Catholic Christians we could argue that the words, “HE HAS RISEN,” are the most meaningful words ever spoken. Those words at Easter mean, Jesus has conquered death. That miracle, gently but enthusiastically takes us to Jesus’ words spoken many times in Scripture, “Do not be afraid.” We reflect on the teaching that shouts along the paths of history; we were created for everlasting life. Where does that knowledge leave us: rejoicing; fearful? It has always been known that mortal life ends. What frightens us is what happens when we die. Jesus gifts us with the knowledge of everlasting life in the joy, presence and recognition of our most critical need, unconditional love!
The 1 st Reading reflects Psalm 16 as David tells us what HE HAS RISEN means : “I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore, my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO THE NETHER WORLD, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”
What do the words HE HAS RISEN mean to you ?
So, let us pause and recall the words of Psalm 118:24, “This is [Easter], the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.” God has given us His Son for all time.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Judging People—Instead of Behavior—Backfires
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 22, 2021
Daniel 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
Psalm 23
John 8: 1-11
There is a TV spot I watch. The set may be a modest Italian or Spanish town. Three times you see this somewhat sad looking young lad with black hair and dark eyes walk into a school room late. The boy stands in front of the teacher and puts out his right hand and never complains or explains. The teacher smacks his hand with a metal ruler. One day the teacher goes to see why the boy is always late. He sees the boy wheeling his paralyzed brother into a clinic. From there the boy goes to class and puts his hand out in front of the teacher. The teacher puts the ruler in the boy’s hand, kneels down in front of the boy and kisses his hand. Rash judgement always betrays us.
Whether from the 1st reading or the Gospel, we see sinners condemn both an innocent girl and a guilty woman. But, as the stories show, there is always the Spirit of Christ or Christ Himself there to protect the person. Jesus always stands ready to thwart lies, slander and to reconcile a contrite sinner. We remember Psalm 27, “When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies themselves stumble and fall. The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
We must always ask ourselves how often do we forgive the disparaging spoken or acted out by the “popular” one? How often do we take part in criticizing any person? Do we really believe that each person is a beloved child of God, our spiritual brother or sister in God’s family? On the other hand, how often are we the Spirit of Christ or Christ himself in an awkward situation?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Do I Really, Truly Believe and Live Every Moment for Eternal Life?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 15, 2021
Isaiah 65: 17-21
Psalm 30: 2, 4-6, 11-12a, 13b
John 4: 43-54
How important is eternal life to you? Would you do anything to gain Heaven? You may recall St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, (by a request of St. Peter), a friend of St. John, the Evangelist. Like St. Paul, Ignatius wrote Theological Letters to churches. His letters are part of the treasury given to us by the Apostolic Fathers, those ancient people who have knew the Apostles. He went to Rome knowing that he would literally be eaten by lions. Joan of Arc would not deny she heard messages from St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Michael, the Archangel. She accepted a fiery death, ending this life for the heaven Christ preached. Think about Father Emil Kapaun, a Knight of Columbus. He, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner. He who gave up his life serving our troops and enemy troops during WW II and in enemy-overwhelmed battlefields and as a POW in Korea. He, now designated a Servant of God, may be recognized as Saint Father Emil Kapaun. Note Pope Francis visiting war-torn Iraq. The Pope said Mass in a Church filled with people anyone of whom could have been a danger to him.
How could they be so brave? The first line of today’s Psalm says it all. Despite mortal danger we may hear Ignatius, Joan, Emil and Francis say: “I praise you, Lord, for you raised me up and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. Lord, [ despite my peril], I stood like the mighty mountains”
Isaiah tells us that God promised a new world for us, “Lo, I am about to create a new heaven and a new earth.” The Gospel tells us that Jesus rescued a child from earthly death, just as we are in hope that he raised Ignatius, Joan and Emil to a new heaven. We are to follow.
LET US USE LENT AND DAILY RECOLLECTION OF GOD AND ETERNAL LIFE TO REFRESH OUR SOULS. Let us open our Faith-lives and focus on Christ’s passion and death which brought us hope of THE NEW HEAVEN.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Do You Believe You Are a Powerful Person of God?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 8, 2021
2 Kings 5: 1-15b
Psalm 42: 2-3, 43: 3-4
Luke 4: 24-30
In some way, God calls us to the right person or place that can help us in our continuing salvation adventure. The Psalmist new that and calls to God, “Lend your light and fidelity, that they may guide me to the place you are dwelling.”
In the 1st reading we find the very successful army commander, Naaman, suffering from leprosy. He learns through a little girl that there is a prophet who can cure him. With a good heart, Naaman’s King sends him to the King of Israel to be cured. The King of Israel hears about Naaman’s visit but recognizes he is not God and cannot cure Naaman. The king becomes furious. But, the King sends Naaman to Elisha. And Elisha recognizes the leprosy and tells Naaman to enter the Jordan River seven times and he will be cleansed. Naaman becomes furious because he thought Elisha would make an extraordinary call on God and wave his hand over the disease and that would take care of it. Finally, Naaman’s servant convinces Naaman to do what the prophet suggested and Naaman is cured.
How many times do we set expectations based on our own or another’s experience or rationalization? On whom do you depend? Who impresses you the most, a well-to-do, showy person or a regular person with a generous smile for everyone? What makes you feel clean and great, boasting about a sin or Confession? God does not want us to set unreasonable expectations. Naaman expected an extraordinary call for God’s help and then a physical blessing. But God is teaching Naaman, and us, that he is God and has provided resources like the prophet Elisha. And that goodness of God is meant for all people not just for Jewish people as noted in today’s Gospel.
Let us live and love in the glory and Providence of our Father, God. He is always with us. WORK TO SAVE YOUR SOUL AND THE SOULS OF OTHERS. YOUR EFFORT WILL MAKE YOU A POWERFUL PERSON OF GOD.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Compassion, Forgiveness, and Patience Mark the Tenderness of God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 29, 2021
Daniel 9: 4b-10
Psalm 79: 8-9, 11, 13
Luke 6: 36-38
Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Here we are in Lent. Many of us will find ourselves thinking about the suffering endured by Gentle Jesus. Those thoughts may lead us to sorrow about things that offended Jesus, that we could have done better and sins we committed. We may think about the times when we failed the opportunity to do the good that touches the heart of one of our brothers and sisters. We may not have acted with the goodness of the Holy Spirit. Then we lean on Christ for compassion and forgiveness. As in Psalm 79, we pray to Jesus, “Do not hold inequities against us; may your compassion come quickly, deliver us, pardon our sins.” And Jesus’ compassion is always there for us, from Jesus…….. with love.
As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us
Our thoughts may turn to opposite situations where we were disrespected or ignored. Hurts that may even want us to get even. We may entertain negative thoughts about those for whom we have done so much. Imagine how the God of creation must feel. But then, with the softness of the heart that the lord has given all of us, we remember what today’s Gospel reminds us of, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Forgive and you will be forgiven. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good.“
Isn’t that goodness of heart what we want to share? Just as we want God’s understanding, God wants us to always act with understanding towards others. Lent is a good time to talk to Jesus for help to be more like Him. Let us strive to be faithful to the Lord’s suffering as we draw ever-growing strength from His passion and infinite love.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
If You Do, How Do You Think of Jesus?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 22, 2021
1 Peter 5: 1-4
Psalm 23
Matthew 16: 13-19
Through Today’s Gospel, Jesus wants to know who we think He is. We hear the name of Jesus Christ a lot. But do we stop to think of Him, ONLY, and be ONE ON ONE with him and try to understand all he is? The following is not an exhaustive list describing Jesus, but it may be a help. Our blessed Lord is:
The Eternal God: all knowing, all powerful, all present, all loving; The Divine Son of God in Unity with Father and the Holy Spirit;
Creator of the World: He made the clay for the bricks for our homes, He lights the sun , the moon and the stars, He gives life to us, trees, flowers, to the sea;
Shepherd of all creation; The human son of Mary; Sacrificial lamb of God ;His body was all but shredded by the scourge, pierced by nails, a spear and thorns; He defeated death and recognizes and helps us with our fear of death;
Provider of the food and drink of life and salvation;
Giver of His Real Body and Blood through His Mystical Body, we, the Church;Lover of each of us; Giver of all gifts;Protector of the poor and those under social, spiritual and moral attack;
Teacher and source and inspiration of truth and Faith;Friend, comforter, confidant, healer;
Eternally full of grace and its help;Miracle worker, and Judge, Priest, Carpenter, Farmer, King of Pea+ce.
HE IS THE ESSENCE OF EXISTENCE, INTIMACY, JUSTICE, MERCY AND LOVE.
HE IS OUR ADVOCATE BEFORE THE MAJESTY OF THE BLESSED TRINITY
Anything new to you? What would you add?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
How Do We Determine Which Are Messages from Christ?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 15, 2021
Genesis 4: 1-15, 25
Psalm 50
Mark 8: 11-13
With a background in the Old Testament, we know that God could allow very physical and significant discipline when our Jewish ancestors strayed from Him as God. We know about Noah’s flood, Sodom and Gomorrah and the invasions of Israel and the diaspora. We know that Mary talked at Fatima about the perils of War and the possibility of World War II. But then we might get confused by the love preached by Jesus and His acceptance of His crucifixion. How do we deal with seemingly contradictory things like allowing Coronavirus and Christ’s love?
Today’s 1st reading tells us about Cain and Abel. Cain could not bear it when he thought God favored his brother. When God asked Cain about Abel’s whereabouts, we hear the words that have rung through the ages, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Noting that the Coronavirus can kill us, but could kill brothers and sisters who are around us, are we being our brother’s keeper?
At this writing, with cases heading to 30,000,000 and deaths heading to 500,000, it is not uncommon to wonder why God is allowing the Coronavirus. I am neither an expert on God nor the Coronavirus, but I can easily argue what is going on into a “Coronavirus” message from God. In His very nature, God is ALL GOOD. He cannot create evil. When we look across the world at the horrors of genocide, starvation, refugees, poverty, racism etc., all powered by selfishness and inequitable sharing of the earth’s resources, I don’t think God sees us taking care of our brothers and sisters. We may wonder if God is sending us a message. The Gospel tells us that Jesus has given us many signs and messages. But even Jesus was frustrated by the people’s lack of growing in Faith and asking for more signs. WE have to be sure we are digesting Jesus’ teaching and reminders.
Many of us take care of the physical needs of our brothers and sisters. Can we do more? What do we do about the psychological and spiritual needs of our spiritual siblings? Let us be well and remember our brothers and sisters.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Challenging the Truths We Once Believed
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 8, 2021
Genesis 1: 1-19
Psalm 104
Mark 6: 53-56
Scriptural messages are open to many reflections on their meanings. In today’s readings we hear about creation and we hear in the Gospel of the people flocking to Jesus. It is easy to understand that some people were sick and they wanted to get help. Others wanted to see Jesus’ “magic show.” Still others were serious about asking if he was the Messiah. They wanted liberation from Roman occupation. That is what the people wanted. But what did God want?
Throughout the entire history of humanity, whether we are thinking of Cain killing his brother Able or thinking about the millions of people killed in the wars and genocides or people killing each other because their skin is a different color, weave needed reminders of our being created OUT OF LOVE by God. Jesus tried to hammer home that concept when he said, “The two greatest Commandments are we must love God and our neighbors as ourselves.
The Readings today are meant to remind us that God is the Creator of all thing sand that, as the Gospel points out, we should go to Jesus to heal everything that snot of him. Do we need that reminder? We are divided people. About 150,000,000 people voted in the last election. Half of those people may not really be honoring the U.S. Constitution. We have laws that are legal…but immoral. Before 1973, we believed that abortions were illegal. Since 1973 something like 62,000,000 babies have been aborted. There are folks with a net worth in the billions of dollars and there are folks who can’t even find things to eat when the search the garbage on the streets. Is any of this what God wants?
And so, Jesus, through his Church, that is you and I, have to be reminded of God creating everything so that the Trinity’s love can expand just as we picture the universe expanding. We must come together and hold firmly to the belief in the dignity of all God’s creation, whether man , beast or as St. Francis, the dignity of animals, birds and the wanderers occupying the seas. Whether we are blessed with good fortune or disabled by miseries, we need to see all things as leading us and our brothers and sisters in communion to return the love of God and live in the hope of a life of eternal joy with God. We are blessed and honored to have the concept of and desire for TRUTH and the virtues to live the truths that Jesus taught.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
We Are Living the Life God Intended for Us
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
February 1, 2021
Hebrews 11: 32-40
Psalm 31
Mark 5: 1-20
In his book, Confessions, St. Augustine told us that, “Our hearts will never rest until they rest in [and are reconciled to] God.” Why is that? It is because of what we call Original Sin, an act of disobedience to God by impetuous, careless and arrogant mankind, an act that even at our birth made us susceptible to sin.
You and I know that we are generated by the extravagant love, trust and generosity of the Blessed Trinity. We were made in the image and likeness of God. What does that mean? We were created with preternatural gifts. What does that mean? Being made in the image and likeness of God means, among other things, we were created with intellect, free will, self-determination and a spiritual and immortal soul. We have the power to figure things out FOR OURSELVES. That is A GOOD…but can also be dangerous. Think about how much have we lost by perhaps no longer believing what we once did. Remember what Adam and Eve did. Remember what you and I did and may still do. Had Original Sin not lost for us our preternatural gifts: freedom from sickness, (no Coronavirus), death and ignorance, and our likeness to God, we would be living in heavenly pea+ce.
The 1 st Reading, tells us of the horrors brought on ourselves: wars, imprisonment,others being tortured and sawed in half. The Gospel tells us of a man who was not only a leper, but was also tortured by evil spirits. None of this was God’s plan.
Today’s Scripture reminds us that God so loved the world that he gave us his Son to restore and RECONCILE US TO his plan by showing us that God in his compassionate power never leaves us. That he allows us the knowledge of his infinite love to live in his care and protective shadow through the light of his Son’s teaching. There are dangers and threats to our humanness, but not to our spiritual and immortal lives AS LONG AS WE LIVE WITH FAITH IN JESUS AND THE BLESSED TRINITY’S HELP AND PLAN.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Only Thing That Is Consistent Is Change (Heraclitus 535 BC)
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 25, 2021
Acts 9: 1-22
Psalm 117
Mark 16: 15-18
There is no doubt that we are all subject to change. Some of us look forward to change. Others, not so much. When someone feels they are at the top of their game, the status quo is fine. Either position may be good or bad. In the first Reading, we learn that St. Paul was probably admired for his persecution of Christians. But later in his life, he changed, or as we say, converted, giving his entire life to Christ. “I live now, not I, but Christ in me,” Galatians 2:20.
There are so many significant changes in our lives and we may not realize the import and almost the miraculous. How many of us think about the miracle of conception? God has set our biology, our appetites, our need for love such that a man and a woman may enter a singular, intimate act of unity and procreation and lo and behold another human being comes into this world. What a change!Someone may need a lung transplant just to breathe. The transplant comes by opening up a human body and there is hopefully the change to the restoration of life. An athlete, Pat Tillman, left his professional football career on the football field to join U S Special forces to fight in the Middle East. He sacrificed his life. None of us is perfect. We must look to change and conversion always.
To a large extent we are the architects of our lives, our attitudes our thinking.As life begins to move faster and faster, from our home land into a global world,from the reasonable expectation of pea+ce, to the thoughts of possible nuclear war, what changes do we contemplate? One way to focus is caught in an old question: “If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do differently today?” Some say, I would go to confession, or go to Mass or I would be more forgiving or generous. Don’t these possible changes raise other questions, such as, “If I would make these changes/acts of conversion because my death is imminent, (and it may be), why do I not make them now?”
God is our moral, loving and unchangeable rock; our source and destiny of love and salvation. God has given us the tools of conversion. If we use our imaginations, intellects and consciences, we can allow ourselves to be present at Christ’s birth, his sermon on the mountain, his crucifixion. We can be with him and comfort him and he us. I have been with Christ many times in the Garden of Gethsemane, me hugging him, him hugging me in my trials; I have been with Mary on the road to see Elizabeth; at the foot of the Cross. I have been with St. Norbert walking barefoot on his mission. I have been with my son adoring and spending time with God in heaven. That’s all true. With hope and God’s help, let us tend to our conversion ALWAYS! Use your tools and you will be close to God.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Amazing (Interior) Grace, How Sweet Though Art
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 18, 2021
Hebrews 5: 1-10
Psalm 110
Mark 2: 18-22
How many tasks have we asked a child, or a grown up for that matter, to do something and they begrudgingly said OK. When the same task came up again,were you surprised when you had to repeat your request and got the same smirk? Do you ask yourself, why? Sometimes what we are asked or advised to do just stays with us for a moment and then slips away like the Titanic under the waves of the good and perhaps unhappy things we have to face in the next moment. Many things that may be important to somebody are not necessarily important to us. They therefore never register as significant in our internal lives. Without that, there may be no or at best a tepid commitment. We may do something superficial in our exterior lives just to move on. As a New York priest, Father Haggerty tells us, “Self-denying mortifications can be managed simply by will power alone and lack love, without which sacrifice falsifies its name.” Is that why some people may make a donation or even go to Mass and the Sacraments but never live the fire of their Faith? Never do any Evangelizing or pray with someone or do the spiritual works of mercy? Father Haggerty advises, “ God wants sacrificial acts in the inner life that can unleash a fire within the undercurrents of our souls.”
Do you ever step back and ask yourself what private things have taken place in your inner life which are known only to you and God? Do share with God that you are crazy about jelly beans or that you dislike thunder storms? Does God know how you struggle to find a way to love him more intensely or deal with a very sick person? Use your sweet Amazing Internal Grace and enjoy a movie or a ball game with him. Be open. God loves you and wants to live in the depths of your internal being, your very soul. While God is always God, he is always also your Dad/Mom. He is always your best friend, almost your alter ego. You must strive to be his alter ego.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
“Into Your Hands, Lord, I Commend My Spirit”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 11, 2021
Hebrews 1: 1-6
Psalm 97
Mark 1: 14-20
The Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
You know in these words, “INTO YOUR HANDS, LORD, I COMMEND MY SPIRIT,”Christ expressed absolute confidence in the Blessed Trinity when he gave himself completely over to their care amidst horrendous physical, emotional and spiritual pain. While when hearing these words, we may be in deep thought about his crucifixion and perhaps our behavior, we may be praying,“Help me, Lord, never to cause you pain by my sins again.”
There is an enormous message in these words of Jesus. Why would today’s 1 st Reading from Scripture advise us that God has gone beyond speaking to the Jewish people through their ancestors and now has turned us over to his Son to speak to us. The Gospel gives us a similar message as we “watch” Jesus pull together his team, the Apostles. While Jesus did not need us to help him save souls, he may have chosen to include us in these words, “I, Jesus, want you to completely turn yourself over to God. BEYOND THAT, I will place others completely in your care so that you may lead them to God.” Are these words very different than, “To love your neighbor as yourself?”
Think about the Catholic Christian education you are personally giving to your children through your behavior. Hopefully that measures up to Christ’s expectations. Think about the people you meet every day. As Father Jim said in his January 3 rd homily, “We must not only see people, we must see God in the people.” Father Jim also reminded us of our responsibility to do the best we canto show our Christianity even if the best we can do is only a smile.
So, let us all, as “Fishers of men and women,” as a contemporary of ours, Father Jean Du Jesus D’ Elbee (+1982) said, “I thank you for the souls which you give me simply because I am sure that you give them to me.” Let us, “Carry a great apostolic spirit in our prayers.” Again,” Are these words very different than, “To love your neighbor as yourself?”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Those Acknowledging Jesus Christ Come in the Flesh Belong to God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 4, 2021
1 John 3: 22 – 4: 6
Psalm 2
Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25
The Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
As we enter a new year, today’s Scripture reminds us of several things. First,beware of false prophets. To me that says pay attention to the life each of us is living. False prophets may be the “gods” baked into our lack of recollecting who Jesus is and what he has done, and what he, God, continues to do for us.Secondly, who influences us and how do we continue learning the truth? The first reminder is so heavily dependent on the second. How do we win the struggle? One who helped many with the struggle is Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Many of you are Villanova basketball fans. So, you more than likely have heard of Seton Hall University. Basketball isn’t necessarily a link to God. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is. We celebrate her today. Elizabeth, was a convert to Catholicism. As a widow with five children, she started an Academy for girls to support her family. That grew into parochial and other levels of schools in the US and Canada. She focused on educating the poor. She also was the founder of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph and the first American-born person to be canonized as a Saint (1975). There is no doubt that through her efforts, as prayed in today’s Magnificat readings, “that parents [and grandparents], we redirected to form and educate their children and that creativity and wisdom might come to all who are responsible for designing and administering education programs.” It was and is Seton’s kind of effort that helped many as she said, “to keep our hearts fixed on him [and on his humanity]and try with all our souls to please our dear and blessed Lord. Then when he calls us, ‘Come up hither,’ we will fly with joy to our heavenly kingdom.” As we follow the STEPS initiative here at St. Norbert parish, what is your plan for helping Seton with the struggle for continued learning and educating focused on God?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Emmanuel, Jesus, Is Always with Us in the Middle of Our Experiences
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 28, 2020
1 John 1: 5 – 2: 2
Psalm 124
Matthew 2: 13-18
The Feast of the Holy Innocents
As innately compassionate humans we find King Herod’s slaughter of the Holy Innocents, those babies, two years and younger, not only atrocious but beyond belief. In today’s Gospel, Matthew quotes Jeremiah and tells of the pain of our ancient Jewish brothers and sisters, when he writes, “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more [in this life].” Heart wrenching!
As Catholic Christians, we believe that the Lord, God, is omnipresent. God’s love is also beyond belief, beyond what we know and feel. It is most reasonable for us to believe that God who brought each one of those babies into being, who knew them before their conception, was with them in their martyrdom. St. Caesarius of Arles (543), tells us, “They acquired the dignity of eternal life before they received the enjoyment from the present one…Death itself, which put an end to their present life, afforded a beginning of glory for them [in heaven], at the very beginning of their life.“
Not all of the traumas in life are as awful and dramatic as the death of the Holy Innocents. There is the story of Nicky, who was totally disrespected by his fellow workers because he had Downs Syndrome. As his peers got to know Nicky, they got to know of his gifts, including patience, a good sense of humor, and an unbelievable memory. They grew together and enjoyed working with Nicky. God gives us challenges. He also gives us graces and gifts including himself.
EMMANUEL, JESUS, IS ALWAYS WITH US IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR EXPERIENCES.
Let us honor Jesus, who became man to show us how to live. How to reach out to others with compassion. How to grow our own lives with love and in hope of eternal life with God though sometimes through personal sacrifice as did Jesus.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Arise My Beloved, My Beautiful One, and Come to Me
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 21, 2020
Song of Songs 2: 8-14
Psalm 33
Luke 1: 39-45
Have Pea+ce in God’s Love of You
We all know Christmas is a special time because of the coming of Christ. We are occupied with this and that. So being pea+ceful may sound impossible. And yet, Christ, God, the majesty and creator of all things comes to each of us as our most delighted lover. Can you and I put aside everything else to fuse two deeply yearning hearts, yours and this baby’s? To look into those most trusting and curious eyes and sit, as the Cure d’ Ars said, “the best contemplative prayer is, ‘I just look at Him and He looks at me.” Can you hear the words of the following song which might just as well be in today’s Song of Songs reading?“
Love is a many splendored thing. It’s the April rose that only grows in the early Spring. It is nature’s way of giving a reason to be living, the golden crown that makes a man a king. Once on a high and windy hill, in the morning missed two lovers kissed and the earth stood still. Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing. Yes, true love is a many splendored thing.”
The prophet Zephaniah (3:14-18a), tells us, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in His love. He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.”
Can each of us for a time be like Mary as Peter Kreeft would say, live in love and an overflowing heart in, “silent adoration, silent pondering, and silent adoration?” Have a most loving and blessed Christmas with the Holy Family.
Pray. Let your hearts sing to the Lord a new song. God is listening for your voice.
Like the Explosion of the Autumn Colors of Vermont
By Deacon Bill Masapollo with Father Mike Lee
December 14, 2020
Numbers 24: 2-7, 15-17a
Psalm 25
Matthew 21: 23-27
Memorial of St. John of the Cross
Recollection of Doctor St. Giuseppe Moscati
A long time ago a history professor of mine was asked if he had a Doctorate Degree. He said yes, but he does not mention it because years before he was riding on a train when a beautiful woman got sick and the conductor shouted,“Is there a Doctor on the train?” Several men ran forward. The one who arrived first was a Doctor of Divinity.
There are many kinds of doctors. Some may seem to have very different specialties but their work may heal the same disease. Today we remember two doctors, the well-known St. John of the Cross ( 06/1542 – 12/14/1591 ), a doctor of the Church and the little-known medical doctor, a medical researcher and University Professor, St. Giuseppe Moscati, ( 07/25/1880 – 04/12/1927 ).
St. John worked with St. Theresa of Avila to straighten out the spiritual practices of certain Carmelites and also worked against the Reformation. His work was like helping the body heal from the inside out. St. Giuseppe’s work was like healing the “outside “body to make the inner life blossom.
EWTN has a movie of a St.’s life on Saturday nights starting an 8 PM. St.Giuseppe’s life was featured on 11/21. He did everything to find ways to cure disease. His research led to the discovery of insulin. Though a doctor, his belief and thoughts were, “Not science but charity has transformed the world.”
He used his home as a hospital and even sold paintings and furniture from his home to pay for the food and medicine needs of the sick-poor. In one scene he is carrying something that looks like a fire extinguisher along a tiny Italian street. People in apartments were sending down baskets with some containers in them. Moscati poured milk into the containers for the poor families to lift up to their quarters. Moscati gave up the love of his life, a princess, to be available to the poor. He watched his best friend marry his princess. He freely accepted a heart-rending sacrifice. A very powerful and awful replay of the unrequited love of Romeo and Juliet.
To see St. Giuseppe light up in his extravagant love and care of the poor was like watching the earth catch fire in the explosion of the Autumn colors of Vermont.What a great gift it is to give without condition with all our hearts. See that in the Birth of Christ.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Magnificence of Our God-Given Lives
By Deacon Bill Masapollo with Father Mike Lee
December 7, 2020
Isaiah 35: 1-10
Psalm 85
Luke 5: 17-26
Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
St. Paul tells about the lives God has given us. My friend, Bob, sent me this heartfelt letter written as guidance of a father to a 4-month-old son. The letter was written just before the father, an infantry Captain, reenters combat in Acht, Germany in 1945 after having faced the desperate and heroic action on Utah Beach, France and the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. Try this summary of the letter by the son and ask yourself,
Is this what your children will say of your teaching?
“Dad’s letter is the best recitation of American values and a guide for living a truly good life as anything I have ever read.” Now parts of the letter
;Is this what you say to your children?
“We are on opposite sides of the world, but I feel very close to you. I gave you something of my life when you came into being, but, at the same time, you gave me something intangible that has a value in life which cannot be measured, the pride and joy of re-creation, the completion of one’s cycle of life, for this I am indebted to you.” [As an aside, what comes to your mind when you think these words?]
“I am glad for your sake that you were born in America. As you grow older, you will note our country is not spotless, but the precepts upon which it was founded still rule, and the fundamental conception of freedom, justice, equality,rights and religion make it a land of opportunity.” Before the war, I was taking these things for granted. Embrace desirable character traits that are as fundamental as life itself, obedience, truthfulness, kindness, sincerity,tolerance, fruitfulness, and respect for other peoples’ rights. Acquire a true sense of values so that you can recognize the things in life which are really important. Learn to love beauty, wherever you find it, music, scenery, books,anything. Develop an inquisitive mind and always remember that education is a never-ending process. Culture is not a feminine word or a sissy trait. Respect money for what it can do for you, but realize its limitations. Beyond a certain point it adds nothing to life. Never confuse ambition with greed.” Isn’t Isaiah telling us the same things in the 1 st reading – to appreciate God’s gifts in our lives? Adding of course our need to fulfill our obligations.
Isn’t Jesus always talking to us about trust, compassion and love, the beauty in our lives, thereby giving us Faith and hope in the future here on earth and in eternity? Isn’t that what we learn in the Gospel story of the paralytic and in what the father was saying?
The father mentioned above did survive the war. He may have been listening to the Holy Spirit, as St. Ambrose, Augustine’s teacher, said, “Whoever receives Christ into his heart has a disposition free from blame, and by his earnest prayers he strives to merit the [thinking] of the Holy Spirit.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Come All Ye Faithful, “I See My King Awaiting Me”
By Deacon Bill Masapollo with Father Mike Lee
November 30, 2020
Romans 10: 9-18
Psalm 19
Matthew 4: 18-22
Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle and Evangelist
Since tomorrow is the 1ST of December, it is not too early to think about the profound birth of Jesus, probably the 2nd most important event in the history of the world, the 1st being the Resurrection of Jesus. The Church helps us to reflect on our Christmas gifts from Jesus through the life of St. Andrew, the Apostle.
Andrew’s life gives us a picture of what our lives in Christ should be like. We are told that Andrew accepted the call of Jesus “at once”, no questions asked. We have that same opportunity by virtue of our Baptism. Paul tells us,” If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Andrew confirmed by Christ as we are at our Confirmations, went to Greece and “confessed” the message of Christ. We too can confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, and we will be saved.”
Andrew was tied to his cross (as are we) and crucified in Greece. Some folks wanted to free Andrew from his cross. Andrew refused by saying, “Hail, O Cross sanctified by the body of Christ, take me away from the world of men and return me to my Master.” “I see my King awaiting me.” From his cross, he addressed the gathered crowds for “TWO DAYS”. On the third day he died.”
Pray this Christmas prayer of Pope St. John XXIII as you prepare for Jesus’ birth. O sweet Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may share with all our hearts in this profound mystery of Christmas. Put into the hearts of men and women this pea+ce for which they sometimes seek so desperately and which you along can give to them. Help them to know one another better, and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness and purity. Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness. Join them all together in your love. And give us your heavenly pea+ce. Amen.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Our Own St. Columba Led Us Along the Right Road
By Deacon Bill Masapollo with Father Mike Lee
November 23, 2020
Revelation 14: 1-3. 4b-5
Psalm 24
Luke 21: 1-4
Today the Church remembers ST. Columba. Do you remember our Norbertine priest, Father William Craig whose religious name is Father Columba?
The 7th Century St. Columba is a very self-giving person. While he longed for a life of private prayer, silence and solitude, he traveled Ireland, France, Germany and finally Italy. Columba was known as the prototype of missionary activity in Europe. He established several monasteries along his path, quite a sacrifice from his personal desires. He fought the heresies of Arianism and Nestorianism.
This Irishman was known as impetuous and headstrong. He was eager, passionate and dauntless. He applied these characteristics to his austere rule for his followers. The rule encompassed the challenges of both our external life and our internal life. One of his sayings was, “What profit is there in being a virgin in body, if not a virgin in mind”? He promoted private Confessions.
Our Father, Bill “Columba” Craig was like St. Columba. He loved much: family, fun, sports and history. He played the piano to entertain his brother priests but could not read music. He especially enjoyed history and thought of himself as a modern-day Thomas Moore. He taught high school and won the respect of his students even though, as St. Columba, he was firm and fair. He relished saying the Mass slowly and with deep reverence. Father Craig did a lot with sick people. He went to Harrisburg to be Pastor of a Parish and took care of his sick mother. He also was Chaplain at Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital.
And so today we remember Irish, St. Columba of 7 th Century Europe and our own St. Bill “Columba” Craig, a product of St. Richard’s Parish in Philadelphia, the font of other Norbertine priests, Fathers Rodia, Krautsack and Louden. Let us thank God for the grace Fr. Bill Craig was and is to us.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Memorials of Ss. Gertrude and Margaret of Scotland
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 16, 2020
Revelation 1: 1-4; 2: 1-5
Psalm 1
Luke 18: 35-43
While today the Church remembers St. Gertrude, and her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I am not sure most of us know St. Gertrude at all. Among her teachings was the reality and the value of suffering but also a call to the Heart of Jesus for mercy for all sinners especially the Souls in Purgatory. Can you imagine the “levitation” in Gertrude’s mind and heart as she works hand-in- hand, side-by-side with the Spirit of Christ to fulfill the ultimate plan of the Blessed Trinity: to return all of God’s children to their heavenly home. We know what it would be like to welcome home anyone who has been away for a while: the troops in combat zones, a child in school overseas, a missionary doctor or priest, etc. Gertrude is praying for the complete forgiveness of sin so that the very essence of whom you and I are can attain eternal pea+ce and love directly from and with God. We struggle for that all of our mortal lives.
If you step back and think of what is going on when you pray for anyone. You are offering something for someone else and are trying to give to Jesus what he cannot obtain for himself, your love for his personal happiness. Jesus knows who is suffering in Purgatory. He told St. Gertrude, “I accept with the highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near me those for whom I paid such a price.” We can work hand-in-hand, side-by-side with the Spirit of Christ to fulfill Jesus’ need for the presence of a soul suffering as the soul finds its way back into the Godly arms of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. And Jesus wants his souls returned to him. Why? Because the soul is the immortal core of life. The soul is spirit created by God alone in a most intimate relationship between the person-to-be and himself. The soul is our individual, personal selves. The soul is the seat of human personality, intellect, will, emotion and warmth. it is no wonder St Augustine reminds us to ‘Have mercy on our own soul.”
Imagine the good you and I could do for our own souls by doing what the Maccabees taught: pray for those who went before us and could immediately be restored to the face of God by our offering a Plenary indulgence for them every day. Consider this: Our Lord told St, Gertrude that the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well. “Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.” In line with what St. Augustine taught, we might include in St. Gertrude’s prayer: “I offer to you, Lord, all the prayers and good works I do through the help of the Holy Spirit so to have you extend your tender mercy to the beauty you gave my soul, my real self. I hope in your joy and love.” Blessed is our Catholic Church, despite its faults, which teaches us our unchangeable Faith in which all these good things were handed down to us by Jesus.
Today, the church also remembers Saint Margaret of Scotland. St. Margaret was married to King Malcolm III and is the mother of 8 children. She helped root out paganism in Scotland. She had a legendary love for the poor. Isn’t it a beautiful thing for the Church to give us these wonderful women who are fantastic examples of caring for the living and the souls who passed on?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
She Drove Them out from the Tree and the Grass Flourished
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 9, 2020
Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8-9, 12
Psalm 46
1 Corinthians 3: 9c-11, 16-17
John 2: 13-22
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
What part does the Church building play in our lives? Is it not the place of our nurturing and protection? Here is a story about nature which might help us to understand the “life” of the buildings we call churches, the lives of our families and our own lives.
Janet, a friend of mine and her husband bought a home and property in Maine. Janet likes to work out doors and she has been clearing the property of undesirable foliage. She tells me about a devil-vine that was growing under a tree and killing everything under it. She “knocked out” the devil-vine, and under the protection of the tree, the grass renewed itself and is growing beautifully. There were other undesirable things growing in the same area: Godzilla bamboo, Asian bittersweet and Japanese Knotweed.
Our churches and our families and ourselves are like the tree. My friend, in a sense, was acting as Jesus. Think about today’s Gospel and Jesus clearing the money-changers who were around the Temple in Jerusalem contaminating the purpose of the Passover. You and I, our families, which are domestic churches, and the Church itself, are Temples of the Holy Spirit. There are many things in our personal and societal lives that grow around us and may contaminate us: uncared for poor, the homeless, self-serving politicians, abortion, refugees, sexual abuse, growing inability to have the truth, etc. But if we have become the tree-sanctuaries mentioned in the 1 st reading and in Janet’s story, the water of grace and God’s love shall flow from us. Then in love and hope, we shall see everything, everyone around us grow like the aforementioned grass, protected and cherished in the work of the Blessed Trinity.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Have Mercy on Your Own Soul by Pleasing God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 2, 2020
Romans 5: 5-11
Psalm 23
John 6: 37-40
In the City of God, St. Augustine wrote a truth that is implicit but I think should be made more explicit because it is the opposite to what me normally hear. It is a thought focused on ourselves: “HAVE MERCY ON YOUR “OWN” SOUL BY PLEASING GOD.” I added the word “own” to give emphasis.
We admire what our bodies can do and yet our bodies have zero capacity, zero life without the soul. What is a soul? A soul is the immortal core of life. The soul is the source, the power of our ability to be, do or think anything through the mortal bodies we have been given by our parents. The soul is an immaterial, spirit created by God alone, i.e., not with the need of the powers of man and woman. The soul is our individual, personal selves. It is who we really are as opposed to our faces or finger nails. The soul is the seat of human personality, intellect, will, emotion and warmth. The bottom line: No soul, no life. The soul is such a personal and intimate individual relationship between God and you and God and me that it is no wonder St Augustine reminds us to ‘Have mercy on our own soul.”
The soul has to not only activate us and give us life, it must also guide us through life with the attributes described above. Imagine the catastrophe of the soul having to bear what the Nazis did to our Jewish brothers and sisters; the horrible tragedies of war-caused deaths and immigration. Imagine what souls endure due to our human inability to feed the hungry and diseased of all the world, and to give home and pea+ce to refugees.
But there is also the beauty of thinking of the many good souls who have lived the will of God and have experienced and now live glorious judgement and eternal life with God. Imagine, further, the good you and I could do for our own souls by doing what the Maccabees taught: pray for those who went before us and could immediately be restored to the face of God by our offering a Plenary indulgence for them every day. Consider this: Our Lord told St. Gertrude that
the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well.
“Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.” In line with what St. Augustine taught, we might include in St. Gertrude’s prayer: “I offer to you, Lord, all the prayers and good works I do through the help of the Holy Spirit so to have you extend your tender mercy to the beauty you gave my soul, my real self. I hope in your joy and love.”
Blessed is our Catholic Church, despite its challenges, which teaches us our unchangeable Faith in which all these good things were handed down to us by Jesus.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Natural Law and Regard for the Truth
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 26, 2020
Ephesians 4:32 – 55:8
Psalm 1
Luke 13: 10-17
Humans have a built-in, God-given sense of what is good and what is bad. The first reading calls us to the good. If you think about it, we don’t have to be taught to be kind to one another. We do have to be reminded. Look at Christ in the Gospel. He showed the leader of the synagogue that he and they do the right thing NATURALLY. Jesus and they did the NATURAL GOOD when he cured the sick woman and they would water their oxen though it was the Sabbath. It is up to us to live human NATURAL LAWS according to our God-given goodness.
Abortion defies the Natural Law of life. The Law is how God made us. It is not an invention of the Catholic Church for which Catholics need to be defensive.
Were you impressed when our Nation was able to put a man on the moon and have him return safely to earth? Do you have any idea of what it took to do that? Medical, metallurgical, meteorological, psychological, physics disciplines were needed as well as other expertise in communications, heat, cold, various gases, speed and others I cannot name. What do all those disciplines have in common – THEIR NATURAL LAWS! Natural laws are those attributes of any creation that make it what it is for no other reason than the creation exists. The sun gives off heat and light. It we somehow destroyed the heat and light; the sun would no longer be the sun. We have to work with these Natural Laws as they are because they do not change.
Just as travel in space requires understanding natural laws, so also must we learn and work with the unchangeable Natural Laws which also govern humans. For instance, it takes attributes of a man and a woman to conceive and give life to a child. Humans would not be humans if they did not have life. To unjustly take a life at any point in time is CONTRARY TO THE NATURAL LAW. That principle exists regardless of politics, religion or anything else. That is why abortion is wrong. No one has rights that are superior to God’s NATURAL LAWS.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Embracing Our Cultural Memory
Saints John De Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 19, 2020
Ephesians 2: 1-10
Psalm 100
Luke 12: 13-21
With a bit of imagination, we can picture the martyrs we remember today to be out in a wilderness. Beautiful though it may have been, the circumstances were foreboding except for their Faith in Christ and their mission. You can see the forest density and the various kinds of animals. You can also feel both the fear of the Native Americans and their pagan culture, a culture that allowed for killing strangers, a culture that could sacrifice humans to get favors from their gods even like the ancient Greeks and the Romans. Have we learned? For the most part, we have to seek our imaginations to relive their martyr-witness lives.
“For the most part,” are words that should remind us there may be significant cracks in our “Cultural Memories. We are no longer living in a culture acting as one to protect our lives from encroaching cultures of fascism and communism, from growing Catholicism to shrinking morality and Christianity and ambiguity in our Church leadership, from celebrating new life to legal killing of the unborn and approved suicide. We used to be satisfied to be identified by the gender we had when we were born. Sexual difficulties were not discussed in the news that young children could hear and see. Have we created our own “wilderness?” You and I must remember who we are and think about how we have to work to resuscitate our Cultural Memories. It can be done by all of us even the young.
On October 10th , 2020, Carlos Acutis, was declared, Blessed. Carlos was a computer programmer. He wanted to spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. He created an exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles and made it available around the world on the internet. This “model of holiness in the digital age,” as he was called by one Archbishop, died at age 15 in 2006.
Are you and I aware of and concerned about the instability in our Cultural and especially our Catholic Memories and future? Is so, what are we doing about it?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
No Person Should Die at the Beginning of Eternal Life – Feast of St. Faustina, the Apostle of Mercy and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos
A Recollection of Danny Thomas
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 5, 2020
Galatians 1: 6-12
Psalm 111
Luke 10: 25-37
Blessed are we for these three serving our lives in God’s name. Danny Thomas, a devout Roman Catholic, the founder of St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, had put on the wall of the hospital what I guess was his vision:
“No child should die at the dawn of mortal life.”
Danny’s vision is to have no child die from cancer.
Sister Faustina would put on the interiors of our hearts her vision:
“No person should die in the dawn of eternal life.”
Sister Faustina’s vision is to have no one die without God’s mercy.
Isn’t it great to be reminded that just as life is critical at conception and birth, it is wonderful to remember how wonderful is our hope that life continues at the time we pass from this earthly life? Think about the gifts God planned for mankind before Adam and Eve sinned. We would have no sickness, no cancer. We would not die, period. Blessed be the Lord and his Church for these people.
Just as St. Faustina and Danny prayed and taught, so did Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos whose memory we celebrate today along with Sr. Faustina. All three lived today’s Gospel of the Good Samaritan, always doing for others and for no expense. Danny wanted to protect human life; Faustina wanted to protect eternal life and Francis wanted to teach children how to live life. All three devoted and grateful to Christ and his Church for the gifts showered on them for the preservation of life for eternity and the love of Christ.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Constant Peace of Christ’s Resurrection
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 28, 2020
Job 1: 6-22
Psalm 17
Luke 9: 46-50
All of us may call upon our Faith to give us a deep CONFIDENCE that God’s Wisdom will be reflected in the solution to each of our concerns. I have a very dear relative who has Alzheimer’s disease. The disease is destroying her brain. Last week I was called to her room because she had passed out and no cause was known. I sat as she slept and I looked up at the Crucifix on her wall. There was a possibility she would not awaken. I, thinking of the death and Resurrection of Jesus, attached my hope of her possible passing, to the Resurrection of Jesus. Though there were tears, I had confidence in Jesus and Mary. They knew of her life and love. They would bring her to everlasting life if God willed her passing. Jesus decided to give her back to our family.
In the 1 st reading, Job for instance, had everything going well. His family and fortune were safe. There did not appear to be evil doers around him. Evil, the devil, could not stand the thought that anyone could have such good fortune and such a positive attitude on his or her confidence unless he or she had the direct help from God. God chose to show the devil the great trust and confidence in God that Job lived by. The Lord allowed the powers of the earth to kill off Job’s family and his fortune. Even with all gone, Job, though tortured mightily, would not curse God. Job said, “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back again. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”
How do you and I react to our difficulties? When I lost my only son, I hated God. Have you lost a loved one to a disease that steals that person’s total memory of you? Are you worried about what kind of America we may leave our children? We may suffer for a long time because of these issues. But we who believe in Christ have CONFIDENCE and believe that all the concerns we face will resolve in our own resurrections, in his most blessed and love-driven Resurrection for each of us.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Plant in Every Place the Seed of Your Gospel
Feast of St. Matthew
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 21, 2020
Ephesians 4: 1-7, 11-13
Psalm 19
Matthew 9: 9-13
What do John Glenn and St. Matthew have in common? John was a member of the first team of Astronauts, the team called on to begin our nation’s actual travel in space.; Matthew was a member of the first team of Apostles, the team called on to plant in every place the seed of the Gospel. John Glenn was the U S’ first Astronaut to orbit the earth; Matthew may have been the first to enter Ethiopia. Imagine the sacrifices John and Matthew made. Both men put their lives on the line. Glenn was celebrated with a ticker-tape parade. Matthew is believed to have died a martyr in Ethiopia. Both men helped us see more of God’s creation, more of the wonderful work and power of God. Matthew went a bit further into teaching God’s love and eternal salvation.
Could you imagine John Glenn seeing almost total darkness except for the light of millions of stars and perhaps thinking about God and creation. Don’t be surprised that you might get even a greater Light from and perspective of God if you meditated on the Gospel. From the light of the Star guiding the Wise Men, to the candlelight fires during which Jesus taught, the Gospels’ Light leads us on. Could you imagine the glowing face of Christ at his Transfiguration and the Pea+ce with which he received the children. His acts of acceptance, healing and forgiveness are all there for us to see, hear, learn, share and enjoy on our Way.
Let us say to Jesus, “Lord Jesus Christ, you changed Matthew’s life by the Good News you entrusted to him. May we receive the Gospel with reverence, live it in Faith, and hand it on in love.” (Taken from today’s Magnificat.)
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Cross, the Heart of God’s Love, His Victory, and Our Salvation
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 14, 2020
Numbers 21: 4b-9
Psalm 78
Philippians 2: 6-11
Jesus, during his Passion, traveled through two roads. He had to pass through a really ugly road to get to a really splendid one. The first was filled with bone shattering and flesh tearing jolts; the other, the comfort of the smooth, grace- filled highway to heaven. We know about these roads in our lives. Parents and celebates know the many different challenges of family. All know the wonder of a child growing to be a pleasure for them and especially for God.
Most of us kept Mementoes as we traveled the roads of life. I still have a picture of my brother and my graduation from elementary school. I still have the “dog tags” I wore during my three Army years 65 years ago. I have also kept a book I read while I was in Japan. It is entitled, A Doctor at Calvary. It helped me get closer to Jesus. It has kept me there. There may not be a more frightening memento of horrific torture and death as the Cross. There may not be a more splendid memento of love, humility and mercy as the Cross.
I am sure we all see a cross from time to time. Does it create prayerful memories for you? I know I think of the new born baby, Mary and Joseph. I think of the years of Christ’s youth, when Mary, according to Venerable Ann Catherine Emmerich, knew what was ahead of him. I also get overwhelmed thinking about sharing eternity with those I care for. I have a hard time understanding what it will be like to spend eternity with God, Mary, the angels and the saints. The Cross can also drive me into a corner causing me to shudder and hide my embarrassment and fear from the Justice of God. But the humility and extravagant-merciful-love taught by the Lord and his Cross, help me to sense and accept his humility, forgiveness and love. I try to make sure he knows I am in deep gratitude for the sacrifice and joy of his boundless embrace of me. With Sister Faustina I pray, “O blood and water gushing from the heart of Jesus as a font of mercy for us, I trust in you.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Is Complacency about the Truth Tantamount to Hypocrisy?
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 7, 2020
1 Corinthians 5: 1-8
Psalm 5
Luke 6: 6-11
Truth can be very tricky. Science may have a “truth” until further study changes “the truth” as we continue to find new things in medicine, physics, astronomy, etc. Some may think that moral truth also changes. Not so. God’s truth is as perfect as he is. Maybe we don’t think about the distinction. Maybe the 1 st reading is asking us if our lives and our thinking are “fixed.” Perhaps we are “living in the old yeast,” while culture around us has changed dramatically. Do we depend on the TRUTH to maintain the status quo? If so, before we know it, we may awake to find the world is not what we thought. Think about it. For the first time last Saturday I heard the word, “Polyamorous.” It means more than two people can live in intimate relationships with the same rights as married people. This was unanimously approved by the entire city council of Somerville, a city of 80,000 near Boston. What a change! Do you remember the Ozzie and Harriet Show and The Cosby Show, both showing family life with a father, mother and children? The LOOP, a Catholic publication, reported this past Saturday, that while the New York Times mentioned some things that would be good for children like, removing lead, more pre-school help, the Times never mentioned that In the U S, in 1970, 11% of children were born to unmarried women. In 2017, 40% of children were born to unmarried women, 28%, 52% and 69%, White, Hispanic and Black women, respectively. Why? Perhaps it is because we can’t even advertise toothpaste without making it sexy. Further, Years ago, there was no legal abortion. Today there is a TRUTH at law allowing legal abortion which is absolutely against a TRUTH at moral law.
What I am hoping is that we all remember the “frog story.” We have heard the story many times. We laugh and then forget it and its lesson. The frog was put into water that slowly kept heating. The frog did not note the change in heat and he eventually found himself fully cooked. Just as the frog, we must be aware and active in our lives. We need to take STEPS AGAINST COMPLACENCY. We should act as Jesus did in the Gospel, though the Pharisees and Scribes of our day may be against us. God, in his love, in our hope, is always for us.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Comfort, Then Character, Come from the Light of Truth
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 31, 2020
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Psalm 119
Luke 4: 16-30
Unless a teacher and a student are both open and do not clutter learning by inappropriate bias, nothing will bring light. That is the point St. Paul was making when he said, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you EXCEPT Jesus Christ. “Unless we appreciate the truth, we negate the teaching in Ephesians, “Awake, O sleeper and Christ shall give you light. He has not created you to be in prison [in ignorance] forever.” Imagine the prison-darkness of those who do NOT believe in the truth about the conception and viability of a child. There are those who pray for the conception of horses and cattle, etc. and would not destroy those creatures. But in darkness human babies are killed by the millions. Imagine the prison-darkness of those who DEFY THE BIBLE TEACHINGS about men and women behaving sexually other than as their birth gender determines. From the Old Testament, Leviticus 18:22,” Do not have relations with a man as one does with a woman. That is detestable;” and the New Testament, 1 Romans 1:26-28, God punished the people for “Suppressing the truth. He gave them over to their sinful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.” Walt Disney is producing some animated movies for TV and movie theatres such as Onward which portrays transgender children, Homecoming which shows two amorous gay men and programs at their theme parks such as Magical Gay Pride Day. These days are already open in two Disney Parks in the U S and at Disneyland in Paris. Who would suspect that “Mickey Mouse” could be a negative influence on our children? Shouldn’t your STEPS eliminate this pollution? Be sure your STEPS remind you to love ALL of our brothers and sisters.
And yet we know the glory of the truth. What happened because Columbus got the opportunity to prove the earth is round? What happened because somewhere between DaVinci and the Wright brothers there were experiments with flying? Or the finding that simple saliva tests of over 50,000 people on the University of Illinois Campus may be the substance to test to quickly determine whether one has Coronavirus?
And what happened because Christ became man? What happened because Jesus taught us about love and compassion, about the Trinity, about heaven?
The Gospel shows us truth may be difficult to accept. But what comfort and character have we received through accepting and cherishing the gift of Faith and our belief in Christ’s Resurrection and our hope of life after death? What kind of a life do we live because we live in love and compassion? Without Christ, we might well have been locked in the prison-darkness of selfishness and pride. We might not have found the pea+ce coming from the heart of God to our hearts. Christ has mercifully given us the comfort and character which come from the light of truth.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Building and Sustaining the Father’s Family
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 24, 2020
Revelations 21: 9b-14
Psalm 145
John 1: 45-51
Today the Church remembers the Apostle, St. Bartholomew. I guess “St. Bart” calls to my mind the work the team of Apostles did to address their and our central aspiration, building the Kingdom of God on the earth. The first reading has a line which is clearly applicable to the Apostles as a team: “The wall of the city [the Church], had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.” How profound a tribute is that! How clear is that to show us we have an Apostolic-borne Faith.
The Gospels use words like stones, rock, etc. Picture a pyramid. At the top is the Blessed Trinity. At the bottom with Christ are the Apostles all holding the pyramid up. Throughout the center of the pyramid are the peoples of the world striving to build more layers onto the pyramid. We are in those middle layers.
Our job is not easy on ourselves or on our hope of bringing others to a relationship with Jesus. In our day, now, we are seeing hostility toward many Faiths and their outward signs such as churches, synagogues and masques, but in particular to Catholic Churches. Whether it is destruction in China or New York, Florida or Iran, we are challenged just like Thomas was in India or Paul was in Rome or James in Spain. Or even Junipero Serra, today in California. What is most beautiful about the situation is our opportunity to work side by side with Christ and the “twelve courses of stones,” the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. Together we work to sustain the beauty of 2,000 years of God’s family within which we find our own families. We resolve all of the ups and downs, successes and struggles in the love and grace of God. In even greater beauty and gratitude is the opportunity with love, compassion, understanding, learning and PERSEVERENCE, to grow the pyramid and bring all to the love of Christ.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Fork in the Road
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 17, 2020
Ezekiel 24: 15-24
Deuteronomy 32
Matthew 19: 16-22
We should have a bit of sympathy and empathy for the rich man of today’s Gospel. Any of us is disappointed when we think we are doing our best and we are asked to do much more. We would rather hear the praise we expected. Like the rich man, we may lose ourselves in this world and forget we are destined not for earthly, limited life but for supernatural, eternal life.
The first reading is telling folks, if you don’t follow my Father’s will now, you will be unhappy later. The rich man of another Gospel had a great time before his death. After his death, he had to ask a former beggar, Lazarus, even for a drop of water for his dry lips. On the other hand, the Good Thief of the Gospel probably led a dishonorable life, but in the end, he took the right fork in the road. And Jesus told him that very day he would be with Jesus in Paradise.
We make decisions every day. How do you know you have made the right decision? How do you feel about the upcoming presidential election? Truly we face a fork in the road. One candidate seems to back abortion, the other may not be trustworthy. Do you do your best to spread the Gospel? Do you wear a mask to protect others or does wearing a mask curtain your freedom?
Along the “Way” of our lives, hopefully we have done our best to develop an informed conscience. The Gospels not only teach us what is right, but teach us to shoulder with courage the possible unpleasantness of the decisions we make. The Gospels also keep trying to help us live improved lives. The rich man in the Gospel was not doing anything wrong, per se, but there was more he could do.
Decision making is the challenge of our lives. As I mentioned to you in earlier homilies, there are a reported 300 million Christians around the world being persecuted because they cling to Jesus. Are we as secure in our decisions for Christ? Are we living in the supernatural world or only in our mortal world?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Jesus, I Want to Love You More and Don’t Know How
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 10, 2020
2 Corinthians 9: 6-10
Psalm 112
John 12: 24-26
How many of us SPECIFICALLY meditate on OUR LOVE 4 GOD? Do we ask our selves if our love for God is a fire or smoldering embers? This morning’s opening prayer for Mass perhaps should be the greatest prayer of a Catholic, “O God, giver of that ardor of love for you [as was had by Deacon St. Lawrence, give us that ardor so that we may live as deeply in love with and faithful to you as he did.”]
Lawrence was one of the first seven deacons, along with St. Stephen, chosen by the Apostles. Lawrence was so deeply in love with Christ, his heart was a wide-open sanctuary for those in need. Lawrence nurtured his love for Jesus by his care for Jesus’ treasures: the destitute, the orphans, the blind and the lame. God rewarded his Deacon by giving him the strength to witness to Jesus even as the pagans set out to kill him. He gave up his tortured, literally cooked body, to an awful martyrdom. Mortal life’s idols did not hold Lawrence a prisoner. He understood what Jesus meant when he said to the Apostles, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, [unless we give our all to Jesus], it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
I am sure we think about “Christ’s crucifixion and perhaps martyrdom. We can attempt to understand the suffering Jesus and Lawrence endured. Good works and sincere meditation can get us beyond sacrifice and into the deeper and underlying reason for their acceptance of such suffering: THEIR LOVE. Do you strive to love God more and more and more? It is difficult to love the God we don’t see unless we remember that Jesus told us that when we see him, we see the Father, (John 14: 9.) Despite earthly difficulties, the eventual basking in one’s love 4 God, may bring surprise and great awareness of His pea+ce and joy. As Augustine tells us, “Thou has made us for thyself, oh Lord, and our hearts shall never rest until they rest in thee.” It takes devotion. It may be a struggle, but it works!
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Courage to Discern and Live the Truth
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 3, 2020
Jeremiah 28: 1-17
Psalm 119
Matthew 14: 22-36
Anytime there are significant positive or negative circumstances in our national or international society, there is the opportunity for self-serving, false profits to satisfy some perceived need. In the first reading, the prophet Hananiah apparently tries to help the Jewish people who are under the domination of the Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. Hananiah was setting God’s calendar. But Jeremiah chastises Hananiah because he has seriously misled the people. Hananiah was making promises of freedom that were not his to make. Hananiah, in his deception, had given the suppressed Jewish people a false confidence.
In the Gospel, Peter accepts the power of Christ as both walk on the sea. Then when there is some turbulence, Peter loses faith and falls into the water.
In the first reading, the Jewish people were under stress. They accepted a hope not born of truth. Peter, on the other hand accepted the truth of Jesus’ power but could not sustain it when he was stressed. A good question is how are we under stress or when we have “everything.”? Do we seek help with humility and courage from Jesus and trust in whatever his response is?
How important is the truth? In the current political atmosphere felt around the world, this may be a time when discerning the truth, the rock we depend on, is hidden by genocide, lack of religious freedom, the misery of poverty, inequality and inhumaneness. In the United States we kill unborn children. In Hungary, families are paid to have children to keep a “Pure Hungarian State.” But we know that God, the master of all that is, created us out of his love. Christ came to teach us how to choose and live love and bring its truth to permeate the earth. Christ is the truth. As we are reminded in John’s Gospel, ( 8: 31-33 ), Jesus said to the Jews, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and, [not a cliché], the truth will set you free.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Without Jesus, Nothing Has a Firm Foundation
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 27, 2020
Jeremiah 13: 1-11
Deuteronomy 32
Matthew 13: 31-35
Power. For many of us, the first thing in the morning is the need for power to turn on lights and get the coffee going. Off to work, we need the power of our vehicles. We may see interpersonal power exercised by some people.
The Gospel points to the power of the mustard seed. Just like the power of a split atom, the power of a muster seed creates something far greater that its size. Or like an atom which is so small that it takes over a million atoms to make a speck of dust. Yet, atoms which split over Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed something like 200,000 people. So, power exists in very small things and in things we cannot see and either discern by magnifying devices or through Faith.
What happens if we deprive ourselves of power? Without power, many things we know would not exist. What happens if we don’t understand that power comes from some source more powerful than nature itself?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, is a 61-year-old, German- born auxiliary Bishop of Kazakhstan. To me, he is a deep-thinking theologian, apologist, linguist (he speaks seven languages and reads Latin and Greek.) He has written a book entitled, “CHRISTUS VINCIT, Christ’s Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age.” Among the challenges he thinks the Catholic Church faces is the diminishment of focus on supernatural power/grace. He is saying that secularism and seeking power for and in ourselves is causing us to lose sight of God and the role God plays from our conception and all that we have in our lives. How often do we thank God for our being, for the air we breathe or the water we drink, or the music we create or the trees and the flowers and the grass that come to the brain through the eyes we have through which we see? Or the gift of children. The Bishop reminds as that in John 15:5, Jesus says, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” How often do we remember the gift of the Supernatural grace we receive from Jesus and we understand through the Faith in our hearts?
We Have Been Told. We Know Better.
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 20, 2020
Micah 6: 1-4, 6-8
Psalm 50
Matthew 12: 38-42
A long time ago a priest told me that among the things that distinguishes Catholics from others is that Catholics know the difference between right and wrong. The Jewish LEADERS understood but did not necessarily live the Old Testament law. They understood that a Messiah would come to them from God. However, it was not desirable politically and personally to accept the meek Christ as their Messiah. They wanted a warrior- king to drive out the Romans and keep them and their families in office. So, they frequently pushed back on Jesus asking him to show them a sign. Christ had shown them many signs by the miracles he performed and how he taught with authority. Jesus surely would have done more to help them understand if they were truly open- minded. But they were falsely seeking their own agendas. Jesus knew it.
All of us from time to time may rationalize or otherwise challenge the truth of what “signs” Jesus provided. Selfishness has the possibility of corrupting all of us. All of us must be aware of and take the STEPS vital to our building that “stairway to heaven.” But let’s not limit ourselves to only our “slip ups.” Fortunately, St. Norbert Parish has engaged itself with various, explicit STEPS to help us energize our personal and in-common-practice building those stairs: pray with focus, help feed, shelter and clothe the homeless. Do more to understand the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament. Let’s remember to give thanks to God for the good things we do in life.
We may sometimes be confused about our behavior just as St. Paul confesses in Romans 7:15, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.” As St. Paul also tells us we should handle our weaknesses as a source to drive us to Christ when Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “When I am weak, I am strong[when I recognize my dependence on Jesus].” Jesus died for us. Is there anything he or we would not give to a contrite heart?
Jesus, Please Don’t Grow Anxious with Me, Please Have Mercy
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 13, 2020
Isaiah 1: 1-17
Psalm 50
Matthew 10:34 – 11:1
People often think of God in the Old Testament as a tough, jealous God. How many of us would have been impatient with the Jewish people who often times were not grateful for their liberation from the slavery in Egypt or who sinned like those in Sodom and Gomora? How many parents would enjoy their children loving them and then the children switching their affection to some teen rap star just as the Jewish people switched from loving God to loving a golden calf or the gods of pagans?
I guess we shuddered when we found the God of the Old Testament flood the world or burn down Sodom. But we cower in fear when we “hear” the all loving Jesus snap at us when we don’t understand, when for our own good, we must keep God first. We may lose our way if the Father’s will is not the guiding light of love and goodness in our dark and troubled world. None of us want to hear Jesus say as in Isaiah, “I close my eyes to you. I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood [of rams, calves and goats.] I have had enough [of that.] Cease doing evil; learn to do good.”
Hearing these words, we should ask ourselves: am I a Good Samaritan? Do I have a contrite heart? Can I truthfully say, “Father, your will is my everything?
Father I am doing my best. JESUS, PLEASE DON’T GROW ANXIOUS WITH ME. PLEASE HAVE MERCY. Let me live in praise of you and your joy and pea+ce.”
Pray, God is listening for your voice.
Rich Little Poor Girl
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
July 6, 2020
Hosea 2: 16, 17c-18, 21-22
Psalm 145
Matthew 9: 18-26
I know the expression is normally, “Poor Little Rich Girl.” But today the Church remembers a, “Rich Poor Little Girl.” St. Maria Goretti had very little. She was the daughter in a very devout farm laborer’s family. Maria’s father died when she was very young. It fell to Maria to help her mother care for their family. Unlike we who have the Church and its teaching power all around us, Maria had to ask a friend to teach her the Catechism. She even had to borrow a dress for her first Holy Communion. Despite her poverty, she was a rich poor little girl.
When she was 11 and shortly after making her First Holy Communion, a 19-year-old farm laborer named Alessandro Serenelli tried to rape her. She begged him not to do such a terrible thing. In his passion, he stabbed her multiple times while at the same time she was offering him forgiveness.
Maria is a North Star for us. She shows us the way to live the powerful, personal gifts we have when WE have the courage to live them. Maria was faithful and persevering. As you can see, She had to take the STEPS to pursue her spiritual learning and life. And she stuck to her faith even unto her death.
And Maria learned from the lips of Christ, “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Alessandro’s murder of Maria may have saved his life. When he was 80-years old he wrote, “Little Maria was truly my light, my protector; with her help, I behaved well during those 27 years of prison.” After leaving prison, Alessandro spent 24 years with the sons of Saint Francis, the Capuchins Minor of Marche.
It is for us to love and honor the beautiful Marias, and penitent Alessandros in our lives. It is for us to praise God for the enormous powers that we have. It is for us to pray to the Holy Spirit for the brilliant grace to practice our gifts.
I Will Always Be There for Our Family
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 29, 2020
Acts 12: 1-11
Psalm 34
2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18
In the preface to today’s Mass you will find the essence of the work of Peter and Paul. The preface acknowledges Peter as the foremost in confessing the faith, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God;” And Paul, as the Church’s outstanding preacher, sums up what Jesus died for, “I live now not I but Christ in me.” Peter and Paul, “Together gathered the one family in Christ.” Today’s Scripture and these thoughts may give you a chance to step back and to take a time out to think about how we live of lives our lives as “One Catholic Family.” Every family needs certain things. The Blessed Trinity is the obvious leader of our family. The Father created us. Jesus educated us. The Holy Spirit sustains us.
The family must have shelter and so we have the Church which through the Gospel and through its community helps us to work through temporal challenges: Peter finally overcame his fear and stopped denying Jesus; and spiritual challenges: Paul stopped persecuting Christians and traveled the dangerous ancient world proclaiming Christ. A family needs food and drink. Christ gives us his being and the Holy Spirit feeds our hearts and minds.
The family also needs protection. We see even starting in Genesis how God promised a savior to his disobedient Adam and Eve. God ultimately protected the Jews from the enslavement of the Egyptians. Christ protected many in his day and in our day, from persecution, fear, death, disease and ignorance. It will continue to be true in our day. CHRIST WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR OUR FAMILY.
Let us then accept the teachings of all the Apostles and hope we can most joyfully say with Paul, “I have finished the race; I have kept the Faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me.”
Break the Stone That Is My Heart
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 22, 2020
2 Kings 17: 5-8, 13-15a, 18
Psalm 60
Matthew 7: 1-5
The word “hypocrite” that shows up in the Gospel, is, for me, one of the scariest words in all of Scripture and Tradition. It is scary because HYPOCRISY CLEARLY AND OPENLY ANGERED JESUS. While Christ taught the truth of our FAITH, sometimes we stray from Christ’s TRUTH. That separation may be a conscious act or an unconscious act, either due to a lack of education or carelessness in our thinking and behavior. Or just plain rationalization due to selfishness. We must not let the negative degrade the beauty of faithfulness. But we must also recognize that just like the 1 st reading, the Jewish people’s attitude is, “yes, you freed us from slavery in Egypt, but what are you doing for me now?” This kind of attitude can really give of hearts of stone. The same is also true in the Gospel. Christ tells us only God can judge a person. Nevertheless, we probably find ourselves really judging people and not behavior. We may find OUR lack of understanding the depth of Jesus’ teaching or of the Divine love lived and died for by Jesus. Keeping ourselves faithful and conscious of constancy in living Christ’s teaching and way or life are definitely challenging. Come Holy Spirit. Some Help please.
Ultimately, the desire to improve our understanding of Christ’s teachings requires our in-depth concentration and commitment to take the STEPS that lead to growing as a fervent disciple. We need to focus on Jesus, work hard to live as he did, and learn more about what he taught. We need communication and spending time with Jesus as one would have with his best friend. Common sense but very subject to human selfishness and circumstances. But also subject to the sweetness of the love we have for Jesus and our Mother Mary. And in our hope for eternal life.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
God Intended His Magnificent Generosity
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 15, 2020
1 Kings 21: 1-16
Psalm 5
Matthew 5: 38-42
“All in” is an expression we hear these days. Interestingly, Scripture today, though a couple of thousand years old, asks the same thing, “Are we all in?” This expression really calls us to consider ourselves and our attitudes; asks us to be careful and not “rationalize” but to get real about justification for our decision- making. Sister Faustina, an Apostle of Mercy, tells us how when she cautions, “In every action, we must be mindful of God.”
“All in” is recognizable in many ways. Do you remember the first responders who knowingly risked their lives during the 9/11 tragedy? How about the widow giving her last pennies to the Temple or the good Samaritan who put his life in danger to help an injured Jew in Jewish territory? Do you watch the “all in” attitude of the folks who work in the Parish Outreach effort?
Many of us do good work. We have to see a line “in the sand” which defines whether we do things from what extra we have or from true sacrifice. We also have to realize that the Gospel and the 1 st reading are really not asking us to do anything unreasonable. Sometimes Scripture does a bit of exaggeration to make a point because we humans know well how to excuse ourselves. Christ crossed the line and was “all in.” He gave his life to prove his love for us. Jesus showed GOD INTENDS FOR US TO LIVE HIS MAGNIFICENT GENEROSITY.
It is a gift given to us by Christ through the teaching of the Church that we are called to be mindful of our behavior toward ourselves and others. It is a beautiful thing these days of the coronavirus to watch the medical professionals and families EXTEND themselves to help those who are sick. We should thank God that he has given us the concept of a line on which our position on one side of the line says “you are doing ok,” the other side of which shows we understand that GOD INTENDS FOR US TO LIVE HIS MAGNIFICENT GENEROSITY.
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Gifts – Hidden in Plain Sight
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 8, 2020
1 Kings 17: 1-6
Psalm 121
Matthew 5: 1-12
Most of us like to receive gifts. If you had to define what a gift is, you might say it is something I can use, something that makes me happy, something I really need, something that is given by someone I care about. Most everything we think of as a gift is something tangible. All that is true. A Question for you. How often do you think of spoken words as gifts? Let’s look at that.
What is the most precious gift you can think of? Free tuition for your children to the school of their choice? Health for everyone? Pea+ce throughout the world? All worthwhile. But isn’t eternal life the greatest gift of all for all? And didn’t Peter tell us in John 6:68 that Jesus has, “The words of eternal life?” Now think of the Beatitudes in today’s Gospel. Think of the words of Matthew 25 about feeding the hungry, etc. If you apply the criteria we use to define a gift, wouldn’t you say that the words of those two teachings are something you can use, something that will make you happy, something you really need, something given by someone you care about? Are those words a hidden gift in plain sight because they are not tangible? It is the Lord, Jesus Christ, himself who, through the power of the Holy Spirit that breathes life and vitality into those words. And what would we do without the word “love” which is the essence of God? What better explains out heritage from the Father or what we saw on the Cross. That word springs from Divinity and compels us to be more joyful in giving than receiving? Just as God instructs Elijah in the first reading that he, God, would rescue Elijah from the perils of the reign of King Ahab, so the Lord, God, gifts us with the words of eternal life.
We must also remember from Matthew 4:4, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every [gift of] word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Beautiful, Strong, and Faithful Mother Mary
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
June 1, 2020
Genesis 39-15, 20
Psalm 87
John 19: 25-34
Today we remember Mary as the Mother of the Church. I am not sure many of us remember her as having lived and continues to live that title. Because we are the Church and she is our Mother, maybe that is one of her favorite titles. We can chat with Mother Mary and learn.
Mother Mary, you first began to Mother the church when you mothered its founder, Jesus. How were your early days with Jesus? With a knowing and reflective smile, Mary says, “Jesus was always fun. But a lot of the fun came when you were NOT riding on a donkey for miles, or not being chased across the desert into Egypt or missing him when he was a ‘lost’ child in the temple.” Nazareth must have been challenging. “It was not always easy for us financially. Jesus and Joseph had to travel in order to find carpentry work. But Joseph and I were able to shelter and feed him but most of all love him and have him taught by a great teacher, Gamaliel. Joseph and I understood Jesus’ mission on this earth. We wanted him loved by everyone. But the Father had to show that all of us are capable of living through hate, disrespect, and even crucifixion for the sake of all our children’s souls.”
And so, at the Cross you showed your understanding of your Son’s mission. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you accepted us as Mother of our FAMILY, the Church. Loving us and sacrificing for us and being our advocate to God has remained your perpetual mission. Your faithfulness has been the crown you have worn since your Immaculate Conception. With her hand on our shoulders and with a gleaming smile we hear, “As your Mother, let me remind you that your brother Jesus loves you and is waiting to share stories with you for all eternity.”
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
The Beauty of Sustained Revelation Through the Spirit
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 25, 2020
Acts 19: 1-8
Psalm 68
John 16: 29-33
Did you ever hear the expression, “Jesus stands before us as the self-relation of God”? We believe that Jesus represented the Father and the Spirit during his mortal life. Jesus also referred to himself as, “I am he.” But I don’t believe I heard him literally say that he is God. How would you feel if our brother stood before you and uttered those specific words, “I am God?” As much as I love Christ and think of him and firmly believe his is God, I would be startled. You know that the Jewish leaders used Jesus’ claim to Divinity as justification for crucifying him. Very startling words!
If we would be startled if Jesus said to us nose to nose that he is God, how do you think pagans of the Lord’s day or fallen away Catholics, menu Catholics or non-Catholic Christians would react? The Lord knew that understanding, compassion and love had to be called into the mix of opening the minds and hearts of the people. As explained in the 1 st reading, Paul spent three months with the Corinthians during which time he laid his hands on them during their Baptisms into Christ and Christ sent the Holy Spirit and, “The Holy Spirit came upon them.” Sounds familiar?
All this is good. But just as Jesus in the Gospel cautioned his disciples that circumstances of life cause us to have to remember that falling in love with God or with anyone else requires attention and often times needs help. Jesus is saying to them and us, “Do you believe now? The hour has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” Do you remember how Christ planned to give continuous help? Just as Paul called the Holy Spirit to sustain the Corinthians, as part of his Ascension, Christ promised to call down the Holy Spirit upon us and for himself to be with us always. How beautiful our heritage and our Blessed God?
Pray. God is listening for your voice.
Don’t Be Distracted—Grow in Love
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 18, 2020
Acts 16: 11-15
Psalm 149
John 15: 26 – 16: 14a
Can the virus circumstances be a great source of spiritual learning? Let’s see. Imagine having to live alone in an assisted living place that now takes care of all your physical needs and has 99.9% control of your life. Imagine your nearest family members are very close but can only be seen electronically. There is no touching, no hugging, no anything physical. Alzheimer’s is in the middle of this family situation. So there is no opportunity for real personal communication. There are tons of time when you are alone to think especially at 3 in the A M when you cannot fall asleep. You are alone in the “light” of the black of night. That is when you can rediscover the beauty of your being a body AND a spirit.
The spirit can pierce the domination of the body. The body will demand satisfaction of all of our earthly appetites: hunger, status, lust, etc. But the spirit pulls as away into our ability TO REST and to “stand back” and look at ourselves as God made us. As St. John Paul II said in his book, Redemptor Hominis, “Christ reveals man to [man] himself.” It is important to take a look at our lives and see how a prayerful spirit has and can lift us beyond the pains and travails of this life. In the spirit we can think with confidence, we can know we belong, we can see the salvific road ahead, we can act with the approval and protection of the Lord. We can rest in the Pea+ce and love of Jesus Christ as he comes to us with the heart of the Father and the harmony of the Holy Spirit. See Joan of Arc prayerful and trusting as she burned. See Dorothy Day giving her life on the streets to help the working poor. See yourself arm and arm with Jesus and Mary helping our marginalized brothers and sisters. Let us remember that no arm nor leg nor ear alone makes us holy. It is who we are in the boundless and immortal glory of the Spirit which makes us who we really are. Let us live in the Joy-filled Spirit of Christ which lovingly shepherds us together in confidence through OUR daily tasks back to the Father.
Pray. The Father Listens for your voice.
Don’t Be Distracted—Grow in Love
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 11, 2020
Acts 14: 5-18
Psalm 115
John 14: 21-26
None of us want to be thought of as fickle. We want to be thought of as having objective or Faith-justified thoughts and actions. “Concrete” people as Fr. Steve might say. But how often are we distracted by things of this world rather than by having our God’s grace-filled internal life guide our understanding of reality. I was watching an episode of Lord of the Rings. One of the characters asked a question about one of the challenges they faced. The answer was a worried look. Then the next question, “What does your heart tell you?” The answer was a wisdom-filed smile. Isn’t that smile a reflection on the reality that there is nothing we cannot overcome with the GROWING UNDERSTANDING and love for how Jesus and Mary lived? Could you imagine the comfort and consolation Jesus and Our Lady received from glances as he struggled to his death? Jesus’ look might be saying to Mary, “Mother, do not be afraid. I will make all things new. Hold yourself in my love.“ Mary’s glance might be saying to Jesus, “My sweet baby boy, do not be afraid. Hold yourself in my love. “Those glances showed their love and internal grasp of salvation, the ultimate reality Jesus and Mary had. Those glances showed how Jesus and Mary were united wholly to each other as we should be to them. However, there was no escaping the blood and hysteria of his crucifixion. Likewise, there was no escaping the power, the wonder and the necessity of our eternal life and the eternal life of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pray. The Father is listening for your voice.
One in Christ
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
May 4, 2020
Acts 11: 1-18
Psalm 42, 43
John 10: 11-18
We have a wonderfully, concise expression of our relationship with Christ in our St. Norbert Parish Vision statement, “ONE IN CHRIST.” Today’s Scripture affirms that. In the 1st reading, Simon, (Peter), when speaking to the Jewish people says, “If then God gave them, [Gentiles,] the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God”? In the Gospel Jesus says to the people, “I have other sheep, (Gentiles), that do not belong to this fold, (Jewish people). These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” The Gospel-life story of Jesus’ life shows how he included everyone. Even the Apostles were taken aback by some of what Jesus did. Think about how Jesus dealt with lepers, those possessed, foreigners such as the Samaritan woman at the well. He even forgave his murderers as he hung in agony on the Cross. Those same murderers who put his mother through such psychological and “physical” torture!
This reliance on the idea of being “One” behind a trusted leader is part of our Judeo-Christian heritage. “One” God created Adam and Eve. Abraham, Noah, etc., trusted in “One” God. Christ taught “One” God. Catholics have followed the Popes over two millennia. If you come forward about 2,000 years you find George Washington leading the colonies in Pea+ce and War; Franklin Roosevelt leading the States in Pea+ce and War. Now we come together essentially as one as we line up behind our physicians as we pray to survive this pandemic.
Without one effective and trustworthy leader, we would be all over the place. With gratitude we worship the “One” we call our God. With gratitude we praise the “One” we call our leader. How grateful should we be that our “one” is God!
Stay “Connected” for Eternal Happiness with God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 27, 2020
Acts 6: 8-15
Psalm 119
John 6: 22-29
What would you think if I told you that most of us read Scripture and pay attention to Tradition yet we sometimes miss the most common and fundamental teachings? Think about words that are most common in Scripture: we, they, us, them, the plural-you etc. What these words indicate is that people act together. They are “connected.” We know how important connections are in life. Networking is often a prime motivation. Why? Because we need the help and support of others. These connections have been going on forever. Think about the Blessed Trinity, three persons connected in one. Think about Genesis: God creates man and woman and tells them to multiply. God just created his basic social model of connectivity: the family and the domestic church. Think about the tribal lives of the Jewish people of David’s time, of Christ’s time and even today. We know Christ was almost always with the Apostles. Christ, even as he was dying on the Cross reminded Mother Mary and John that they were to be family and we with them.
The Pope, Bishop Barron and others preach that for the sake of meriting Heaven we need LIVE, face-to-face connections to people who help us live our Faith. People with whom we have common goals. Sounds easy enough, but is it? People can be connected for the “REAL” good or for self- satisfaction. Think about the Synagogue of Freeman mentioned in the first reading. They were connected and ultimately lied and supported murder. There are folks who are connected like the folks of the Gospel. They were amazed at the earthly bread Jesus provided. They seemed to be followers of Jesus. Yet they had to be refocused away from temporary needs and to eternal needs. As Jesus put it, “You [are to] believe in the one that God sent [not seek him for your earthly, perishable needs.”]
There probably is a practical need for us to examine our goals AND our actions. If salvation and being ONE IN CHRIST are not number 1, we have a problem. Then we need to consider whether our closest friends and family provide us with the help we need and are walking with us as the old song says, “On the stairway to Paradise?“ Lastly we should ask ourselves, “Are we a good connection and fulfilling our role, as Jesus did, for all our brothers and sisters?”
Part of the Holy Trinity’s Family
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 20, 2020
Acts 4: 23-31
Psalm 2
John 3: 1-8
Through Jesus’ life and death, we were given a conversion-path leading to a life as a child of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As life goes on, we grow from a purely self-centered human, to a social/spiritual human to an eternity-oriented being. We recognize these changes as we recall a baby screaming for its own needs to be satisfied to the elderly thinking more about eternal life. You can sense your growth as you see the Church providing for our needs as we mature into the Trinity’s life. The Church takes us along Jesus’ plan for our growth path: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders/Matrimony/ “Celibacy” and the Sacrament of the Sick, the road signs instituted by Christ to give grace. A Dominican priest, Father Philipon, made this progression clear. He taught, “Let there be no misgiving in the matter: Baptism establishes a real friendship between the three divine Persons and the newly baptized. Hence, for us Christians, the Trinity becomes our home, the father’s house that we must never leave. The whole spiritual life of the Christian is no more and no less than allowing Jesus to continue our conversion into a relationship with the real presence of the Trinity. Progress in the spiritual life will consist simply in becoming more and more instilled with this very real presence of the Trinity in the soul and our living as a child of God within the family of the Trinity.” That is why in the Gospel Jesus tells us, “I say to you, unless one is born of water [Baptized] and [the progressive and grace-filled life of the Sacraments and the] Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
In thanksgiving should pray to the Lord, “Bless you, Jesus, for converting my life to yours, for making us all ONE IN YOU, OUR LOVING AND BELOVED CHRIST.”
An Inspiring Easter Prayer
By Marilyn Johnson
April 13, 2020
It’s inspiring to watch people’s passion and dedication in pursuing their dreams. A young woman I know recently graduated from college in just three years—a task that took total commitment. A friend wanted a particular car, so he worked diligently baking and selling cakes until he reached his goal. Another person who’s in sales seeks to meet one hundred new people every week.
While it can be good to earnestly seek something of earthly value, there’s a more important kind of seeking that we must consider.
In desperation, struggling in a desert, King David wrote, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you” (Psalm 63:1). As David cried out to Him, God drew close to the weary king. David’s deep spiritual thirst for God could only be satisfied in His presence.
The king remembered meeting with God in His “sanctuary” (v. 2), experiencing His all-conquering love (v. 3), and praising Him day after day—finding true satisfaction in Him that’s not unlike enjoying a full and satisfying meal (vv. 4-5). Even during the night he contemplated God’s greatness, recognizing His help and protection (vv. 6-7).
Today the Holy Spirit convicts us to earnestly seek after God. As we cling to Him, in power and love God holds us up with His strong right hand. By the leading of the Spirit, may we draw close to the Maker of all good things.
Dependence on Trust Goes Two Ways
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 13, 2020
Acts 2: 14, 22-33
Psalm 16
Matthew 28: 8-15
One thing we really don’t often hear highlighted is Jesus’ need to trust the Apostles and us. Just like love, Jesus cannot assume he can trust. One has to demonstrate love and trust to Jesus or Jesus does not have them. Jesus knew his Ascension was soon? Was he to trust the Apostles and us with his mission?
As the Gospel tells us Jesus meets the Disciples in Galilee. Even though they worshipped him, they doubted he had risen. Yet Jesus knows that fear and his having risen from the dead may still have them in shock. But the Lord has known his followers and deep down and with the gifts of the Holy Spirit the Lord knows the Apostles will remain trustworthy. With the following words Jesus entrusts the Apostles with teaching us about being Baptized, i.e., starting a new life, teaching us about your eternal life and my eternal life: (Matt 28: 18-20), “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Without the Apostles having earned his trust and knowing they were soon to have the gifts of the Holy Spirit, could you imagine Jesus asking these poor, frightened fishermen, still shocked by his horrible death, to go out and preach to a pagan society? Preach about a man who performed miracles, gave up his life and then was raised from the dead? A man who was killed yet is called the Son of God? But that is what the Lord did and, through his Church, continues to require of us. One can see, it is critical that MUTUAL SHARING OF LOVE AND TRUST must be the bedrock of the relationship between Jesus and the Apostles and between us and God. Let us be thankful to Christ as we stand with him at his holy Cross as he surrounds us and we him with the magnificence of our mutual and most personal and beautiful love and trust.
Relax and enjoy. Ask God to cleanse his creation of coronavirus. Peace, Deacon Bill
Christ the Hero
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
April 6, 2020
Isaiah 42: 1-7
Psalm 27
John 12: 1-11
Christ has many titles: Master, Son of Man, Son of God, Teacher, Messiah, etc. Did you ever hear him be called a hero? Heroes are generally first thought of in a positive and virtuous light. We recognize many heroes and their good works. Heroes can change society. Think about these heroes. Socrates and Cicero were great social heroes. Dante and Sister Faustina were great literary-heroes. Jonas Salk and Werner Von Braun were great scientific heroes. Francis of Assisi and Dorothy Day were great religious heroes. Joan of Arc and Dwight Eisenhower were great military heroes.
Then we hear of the danger the heroes faced. Many heroes have made great personal and physical sacrifices. Think about 1 st responders on 9/11. Think about the medical professionals dealing with the Coronavirus. Yet, many heroes put themselves in harm’s way without thinking they might not survive.
Jesus’ story is very different. He was born to give up his life. Not in anger but, of all things, his love. His life gave understanding and goodness to all the heroic acts of others. As simply being a human, the Lord did not want to die. As God, Jesus wanted to have his humanity teach us the will of the Father. Even unto death, the Lord was teaching us. He would not be distracted from his mission. Peter wanted Jesus not to accept death, the Lord’s most salvific act. Judas was sinning right there in the sight of Jesus. But Jesus was more intent on us. In the Gospel we see Jesus step up to his horrible death. Even at this point, Jesus was not finished teaching. I don’t think it was coincidental or accidental that Lazarus was in the group. Lazarus was there as a sign of Christ’s Resurrection and ours.
After all that Isaiah tells us about in the 1st reading is finished, from the Gospel we discern Jesus, our hero, freely accepting his death to teach us the holy lesson: “Love one another as I have loved you. “
Christ Loves Innocence and a Contrite Soul
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 30, 2020
Daniel 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
Psalm 23
John 8: 1-11
There are so many things that flow from the dual nature of Jesus Christ. We often hear a lot of things with which our human understanding is comfortable. We think Jesus’ acts are human even though they stream from his Divine power: healing, feeding, raising the dead, sacrificing his own body. One thing we may not talk a lot about is how God protects us as we live in society. With his full power he administers justice and inspires the brilliance and deep emotion and confidence built into our Trust in him.
The first reading shows us how the INNOCENT Susanna IS lied about because of the uncontrolled lust of two old men. But, God, through the strength and loyalty of Daniel, draws upon the consciences of the elders and enlightens the assembly. The assembly blesses God who saves those who hope in him. Susana’s virtue, reputation and marriage are saved and the old men reap the judgment of the Lord.
But the woman in the Gospel IS guilty of adultery, one of the sins that would call for death under Jewish Law. But the guilt or no guilt of any person as a person is not for her accusers nor for us to judge. Behavior, yes. The person, no! Only God, as it is said, “Knows a person’s heart.”
As St. Augustine tells us as we live our lives, it is possible for us to see the Lord, our God, come down from the Cross to wrap us in his arms as we would for someone we love. Always remember that CHRIST LOVES INNOCENCE AND A CONTRITE SOUL.
The Cross Is Christ’s Commitment
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 23, 2020
Isaiah 65: 17-21
Psalm 30
Luke 4: 43-54
We need a lot of things to S+EP through our lives. We all need food and drink. We all need love and belonging. There is one thing we all need and perhaps don’t talk about much. That is TRUST! Imagine going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation while not trusting the confessor to honor UNTO DEATH, the seal of Confession. Imagine receiving the Blessed Sacrament and not trusting that it is the Real Body and Blood of Jesus. What would it be like if you could not trust your spouse or the doctor who is about to open your chest or skull for surgery?
As we grow older, isn’t it a God given grace to believe in eternal life after our mortal death? If you did not have that belief and trust, you would not be sitting where you are. You most likely would not behave in the moral and ethical way you do. Who would care about loving his or her neighbor? Our entire Catholic Christian life would be overturned! Jesus has come to earth to answer these questions and provide us with the comforting knowledge of eternal life in paradise.
See how the royal official in the Gospel approaches Jesus in trust and how Jesus rewards him by saving his son, “Go, your son will live.” When we think of all that is going on in our lives, it is a wonderful thing to know we can trust Jesus, God. When God tells us, “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth, no longer shall the sound of weeping be heard; no longer shall there be an infant who lives but a few days [or does not survive the womb and see the light of day.”] These, among other things, are Christ’s commitment to us sealed by the Cross. The Cross and Jesus’ Resurrection say to us, “have confidence in me because my love for you is so much greater than my Crucifixion.” Christ is saying to us, “Always seek good and not evil so that you may live. Come, you will live in the new heavens and earth I create.”
The Privilege and the Love
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 16, 2020
2 Kings 5: 1-15ab
Psalms 42-43
Luke 4: 24-30
How often do we think of the privileges we have? I suspect that most of us do not even think of our Faith as both a gift and a privilege. I hope I am wrong. We know in our hearts that gift and that love are extremely important to what we want to do and be in our lives. For instance, even though I was given the gift and the authority to preach from the Archbishop, Father Steve gives me the privilege to preach at St. Norbert Parish. So, gift and privilege are closely linked. How often do we think that the Sacraments are not only gifts from God but are privileges from God’s love of us?
In his Gospel and also in the 1 st reading we find the Jewish people getting their pride wrapped around ill-formed egos. They thought that God only did good things for Jews. Jesus is showing and teaching them that God is the Father, the gift-giver to all people.
A great loss in that thought process is not appreciating the privilege of having learned about God and God’s expectations of all of us. In Matthew’s Gospel, 10: 8, we hear, “You have received [privileges] without paying, so [share] privileges without being paid.” Matthew is putting these learnings about God as a profound duty in front of us. He is telling us it is our obligation to share them. I think it was Sister Faustina who told us that no one can believe the obedience, and the love and sacrifice of Christ for each of us unless they are taught “soul to soul.” The Liturgy of the Hours clarifies our work of sharing knowledge with others when it tells us, “Gather into your Church those who do not believe, and help them to build it up by good deeds for the love of [God.]”
Father Steve has suggested that this Lent we not only deny ourselves something but to go further and do something more. Take S+EPS to find a humble way to share God. You will find it a greater, personal, and profound communion in the love-sharing life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Forgiving, Not Judging, Loving = Lent
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 9, 2020
Daniel 9: 4b-10
Psalm 79
Luke 6: 36-38
Lent might help you recall being one-on-one with Jesus during meditation or after Reconciliation and having this conversation: “Lord, forgive me my sins as I forgive others?” With these words you may further recall difficulty forgiving others. You pray to the Lord saying, [I need your help, Lord,] for only you can grant me the grace to LIVE the words [I] say. [I] can only wonder how your pardon can reach and bless [my sometimes] unforgiving heart that may brood and judge on wrongs [I have experienced] and will not let [any] old bitterness departs? Lord, please cleanse the depths within my soul and bid resentment cease. Then, Lord, bound to all in bonds of love, my life will spread your peace.” (adapted from today’s Scripture and the Magnificat Magazine.)
Perhaps you might agree that Scripture today is the essence of the good news of Jesus Christ. We recognize the pitfalls, the potential sinfulness of our humanity. We recognize that we can harbor negative thoughts for so long that they can be buried deep into our very souls. These sinful thoughts may hide from our interior awareness and be forgotten but still drive our temperament and personalities. We also recognize that only Jesus has the grace, the power to help us NOT ONLY TO UNDERSTAND the Father’s will but to LIVE our lives in accordance with that will.
Jesus not only lifts us out of the travesty of sin which we may bring upon ourselves, but lifts us into the state of gratitude to him for our salvation. Then, in thanks, you are grateful to Jesus and say to him, “I am happy to be bound to ALL in bonds of love and have my life spread your pea+ce and forgiveness.”
I Am a Good Samaritan
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
March 2, 2020
Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18
Psalm 19
Matthew 25: 31-46
Enlighten the minds of your people, Lord we pray, with the light of your glory, that they may see what must be done and have the strength to do what is right.” Imagine what life would be like for those Jesus might call the least among us if people could see and do what is right. There may be nothing new about the words we heard in the Gospel. But think about those words.
The most common word in Jesus’ instructions is “me.” We think about the physical acts of feeding, drinking, clothing, etc. All those things for sustaining and comforting our humanity. But think deeper. We are spirits occupying bodies. Isn’t it of the divine that the love and belonging that we and the ones we serve feel is even greater than food and drink? We can actually touch and raise to heaven the actual persons spirit. The message is so full of grace, so personal to Christ. The acts may seem simple to perform and are performed by us all the time. The acts are performed with the hands and heart of Jesus Christ. A story. One of our parishioners left her phone open at a meeting that another parishioner could not attend because of injury. The injured lady was so taken by that kindness that she cried because of the love and care shown by her friend. Her friend had not only touched her human need, she also touched her spirit! Christ wants us to touch the spirit. The spirit can be needy. I asked an African American his view of the presidential election. He said he did not pay attention to it because it would not change his life. He lives in despair. We need to offer hope and brotherhood to all our brothers and sisters.
On Ash Wednesday, we heard the words, “Repent and follow the Gospel.” That can easily translate to “Do your best to avoid sin and practice loving.” We have every justification to feel we have lived the will of Christ when we act in the Lord’s loving, graciousness and in humility. Let us all remember the story of the Good Samaritan. When Christ is sitting on his throne and he asks about our love and help of others. Let us humbly say, “Lord, through your grace, I am a Good Samaritan.
A House Divided
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
January 27, 2020
2 Samuel 5: 1-7, 10
Psalm 89
Mark 3: 22-30
Perhaps Christ bringing the Holy Spirit into the conversation in such a dramatic manner is a bit jarring. We don’t talk much about the Holy Spirit. Why is Christ in today’s Gospel so stringent when he talks about blaspheming against the Holy Spirit? Why is Christ talking about “a house divided?”
Blasphemes against the Holy Spirit in this Gospel are the mortal sins of presumption and despair. Presumption means we think we can gain heaven no matter what we do and is within our sole power. We do not need the virtues of the Holy Spirit. Despair means, no matter what, God does not have the power to save us.
Was the rich man of the Gospel presumptuous? He had everything. But, in the end, he is not in heaven. We find Lazarus calling from hell for a drop of water from Abraham. Was Judas in despair when he recognized he had betrayed Jesus. He had the Lord God as his friend, but in his end, we find him dead through his own suicide. You can easily guess how confused, how, like a “house divided,” they fell. Any soul which rejects God is truly “a house divided” because it is sinning against itself. Isn’t every sin an act of presumption saying to Jesus, your love and crucifixion are unnecessary for my salvation? Isn’t every lack of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit an act of despair? We may all face these situations but to different degrees
So, let us be grateful and understand the need for the omni presence of the Holy Spirit. He keeps us in the grace to stay on track. Let us always remember that each of us is the apple of God’s eye. Let us grow our relationship with God and cling to the God who loves each of us. God is our safety net and we need his presence beside us and in us always.
And He Will Be Called God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 30, 2019
1 John 2: 12-17
Psalm 96
Luke 2: 36-40
Revelations 21:5 has a very significant comment, “I will make everything New.” I don’t know how many are thinking of that comment today. But think about it. Whether we go back as far as the creation of Adam and Eve to the death of Jesus, we find God making everything new.
That thought of newness is important. All of us go through a combination of good and bad times, personally or because we participate in our national and global culture. In his birth and our own Baptisms, our Catholic Faith, the Mass and Sacraments give us a much-needed opportunity to step back and with the principles of our Faith, revitalize and contemplate the road ahead.
So, Jesus tells us, “Okay, time to be refreshed. Reset your perspective, your courage and your fundamental love for each other.” Think of what you really hold to be the Truth of Christ and how you intend to live it. We face issues as deeply anti-Christ as abortion, as anti- social justice as economic and social discrimination. We may face the need to take steps we don’t like but believe in. John in the 1st reading tells us, “The world and its enticements are passing away.” Above everything else, we face the joyful, though maybe self-contradictory, prospect of taking another step toward our heavenly reward.
To create, if necessary, a NEW and proper perspective, think about what Anna was doing in the Gospel, giving thanks to God and make every effort to fully AWAKEN yourself and THE WORLD TO HIS REAL PRESENCE and his teachings. An easy way to remember to do that is to take a minute and say the Apostles Creed every morning. It is a wonderful and explicit act of Faith. Know with joy-filled heart and mind that you are doing the right thing. Happy and holy New Year.
And He Will Be Called God
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 23, 2019
Malachi 3: 1-4, 23-24
Psalm 25
Luke 1: 57-66
Today we remember the birth of John the Baptist, perhaps the greatest of all prophets. John may have introduced us to God by the opening words of this Mass when he said, “And he will be called God.” Affectively, John let flow the news of God’s New Testament of love. He helped lead the challenge of the Old Testament perception of God as a jealous, vindictive god.
John told us that Jesus came bearing gifts. Our Christ brought salvation and an understanding of eternal life. Our Christ brought us the Way how to die to this world but also how to live in it. As I was thinking of Jesus as God, I had an image of John the Evangelist leaning on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper. How refreshing would it be for all of us just to relax and let the pea+ce of all Christ brought flow over us? How wonderful is it to truly think of what it means to share love with one another; to be alone with God and freely help someone while only God is watching? To know that God is not only our creator, but also our personal friend.
In English, the Hebrew name John means, “God is gracious.” And God certainly is. He gives us everything, especially himself. We are the children of God. And as the children of God, when we receive Communion, the body and blood of that babe in the stable and our bodies and blood are intermingled just as any parent and child. We share everything with God. In every Mass we are reminded of the gift of intimate union with God when we hear the prayer, “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” Let us be delighted by the wonder of our being given to us by Our gracious and loving Father. Let us have a happy, holy and intimate Christmas with the Lord Our God.
Jesus, Authority, (The Truth), Itself
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
December 16, 2019
Numbers 24: 2-7, 15-17a
Psalm 25
Matthew 21: 23-27
Perhaps unbeknownst to the anti-Christ Jewish leaders, this Gospel confirms they recognized a personal attribute that separates Christ from all others. Christ speaks the reality of the Truth free from ambiguity and vagueness, with authority and free from lack of knowledge and selfishness.
We who accept as the deepest Truths of our lives: our creation, salvation and glorification by Christ’s authority, have received the fruits of the line from Psalm 25,” Guide me in your Truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior.”
It is a good thing to step back and understand what the prophet Balaam is doing in the 1st reading. The Jews were wandering in the desert for a longer time than might have been in God’s plan. They were murmuring against God. Balaam was reminding the people to hear and embrace God’s goodness and the wonderful things that were ahead of them as they ended their stay in the desert. Balaam told of the coming of a star, Jesus.
Like Balaam, we should be among those who, “Hear what God says.” As a Father Haggerty tells us, “Our Faith exposes to us the fact that God in his infinite goodness and love [presents the Truth as] is seen and heard in the person of Jesus Christ.” Are you and I sure that we don’t in some way murmur against the Truth of God given us by the teachings of Christ and his Church? Here we are soon to be at the very moment to meet the personification of all Truth. Do we stop to think of Truth itself? Do we deeply and fully appreciate what Truth is and means to us? Do we try to understand that the Truth of Christ is the means of eternal joy with God and all whom we love?
We are gifted with Jesus who is our hope and the light of Truth to the world.
All of One’s Self
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 25, 2019
Daniel 1: 1-6, 8-20
Psalm 52b
Luke 21: 1-4
Complete dedication to God is so beautiful to see. The widow in the Gospel in giving the only two coins she had showed her complete love and trust in God. We can see her in tattered clothes but so full of joy that her livelihood was consumed by God. What would it be like if, in our hearts, we found we had given and God had accepted all of whom we are? Throughout history people have done just that. The Apostles went off to foreign lands willing to die for Christ, and all but John did. Current day Saints like Dorothy Day, Giana Molla, Maximillian Kolbe, gave all of themselves for others in the name of God’s love.
I believe Dorothy Day and Gianna Molla were confident they were giving their all to God? Dorothy gave up the love of her life to stay within the Catholic Church and work for working people. She is on her way to sainthood. St. Gianna, a doctor, would not accept an abortion or a hysterectomy to save her own life. She died for the sake of her daughter about 50 years ago. They chose dedication to God’s teachings by publicly practicing what the Church teaches for the sake of their authentic Faith and their devotion to God.
To emulate the dedication of our saints, we must assure that our words, demeanors and Catholic practices show our complete dedication to the Lord. Bishop Sheen advised that we would see the fall and rise of the Church. We would be tested and our challenge is to resist the “Spirit of the World.” He was glad to face the test. Our test is to never abandon love. Yet, we have to be sure that we do not adopt an, “It’s OK,” attitude to a watered-down version of what the Church teaches about our Faith and about, among others, current major problems related to sexual preference, marriage, and abortion,. These undermine our basic sense of humanity and therefore our world. It is never OK to implicitly say that it is OK to fall short of God’s will by sinful practices.
Daniel in the 1st reading lived in the unity of courage and joy in the Lord. Think of the unity and everlasting joy created by your dedication to God and his dedication to you.
Lord Jesus, Please Let Me See
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 18, 2019
Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Psalm 119
Luke 18: 35-43
Through our imaginations, God has given us the power to see beyond our human horizons. There is no doubt that we enjoy the smile of an infant or the look of a rose. There is no doubt that we enjoy a picturesque view of a mountain or seascape. That does not mean that our eyes don’t see the idols the first reading tells us the Jewish people saw living around pagans. Being fooled by selfish, self-interest that looks good for right now led the Jewish people to betray God. You and I are not immune from acting in short-term self-interest. All with our human eyes and minds.
On the other hand, we are not kept from seeing what keeps us close to God. God is always very close to us. Seeing in many different ways is a magnificent gift. How would you like to walk along with Jesus and Mary? If you turn your attention to the power that you have to seeing through the transcendent eyes of your imagination and your blessings from Christ, you can see Jesus act. You can see Jesus granting sight to the blind man of today’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the loving respect he showed his Father and Our Lady and St. Joseph. Isn’t it great to see Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead and think about our following his Ascension into heaven? This “sight” into our Salvation History and the love of God is always available to us.
Today at Mass, when the priest says, “Behold, [ see ], the Lamb of God,” let yourself see and be with and deeply loved by the one to whom you belong, our God.
Acting with a Formed Conscience
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
November 11, 2019
Wisdom 1: 1-7
Psalm 139
Luke 17: 1-6
Through our imaginations, God has given us the power to see beyond our human horizons. There is no doubt that we enjoy the smile of an infant or the look of a rose. There is no doubt that we enjoy a picturesque view of a mountain or sea scape. That does not mean that our eyes don’t see the idols the first reading tells us the Jewish people saw living around pagans. Being fooled by selfish, self-interest that looks good for right now led the Jewish people to betray God. You and I are not immune from acting in short-term self-interest. All with our human eyes and minds.
On the other hand, we are not kept from seeing what keeps us close to God. God is always very close to us. Seeing in many different ways is a magnificent gift. How would you like to walk along with Jesus and Mary? If you turn your attention to the power that you have to seeing through the transcendent eyes of your imagination and your blessings from Christ, you can see Jesus act. You can see Jesus granting sight to the blind man of today’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the loving respect he showed his Father and Our Lady and St. Joseph. Isn’t it great to see Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead and think about our following his Ascension into heaven? This “sight” into our Salvation History and the love of God is always available to us.
Today at Mass, when the priest says, “Behold, [ see ], the Lamb of God,” let yourself see and be with and deeply loved by the one to whom you belong, our God.
Pray today’s Psalm 139, “Guide me, Lord, along thy Everlasting Way.”
Chosen to Carry the Light of Christ
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 28, 2019
Ephesians 2: 19-22
Psalm 19
Luke 6: 12-16
Today the Church takes us back through our ancestry and celebrates the Feast day of Saints Simon and Jude. They like the other Apostles learned directly from Jesus and rode the winds to the many places souls lived. Simon and Jude both served in Persia, now Iran. Simon also served in Egypt. Like all the other Apostles except for John, Simon and Jude were also martyred. Whether it was James in Spain, Thomas in India or Andrew in Scotland, all 12 did their share of carrying the light of Christ through a world that had other gods and did not know the love of the Trinity. The Apostles, not knowing exactly how they were going to serve God, did know their commission, “Go forth and teach all nations.”
As Saint John Henry Newman wrote of himself and us, “God created me to do
him some definite service. I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain. I
shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth if I do but keep his
commandments and serve him in my calling.” John Henry went on to tell us
that no matter the sickness, disillusionment and other suffering we may serve,
“God still knows what he is about [through us.”]
With Jesus as the cornerstone, the Apostles were the foundation of the
household of God. While you and I may not be called to travel all over the
world like the Maryknolls, the Norbertines, the Franciscans, etc., we have been
chosen and given the Faith and leadership of Christ to bring others into that
same household. We, not necessarily knowing exactly how we are going to
serve God, do know our commission, “Go forth and teach all nations.” Let us
recognize that we live in a hostile world. Let us recognize that through our love
of God, our ability to share the Faith and our demeanor, we again are chosen to
preach Christ. What we have received without cost, we must lovingly share.
Saint John Henry Newman would tell us not to lock our Faith in our heads, but
to turn our Faith into action and hope.
The Rosary, a Stairway to Paradise
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
October 7, 2019
Jonah 1:1-2:2,11
Psalm Jon 2
Luke 10:25-37
Today, the Church remembers Our Lady of the Rosary. Think of Mary reaching out to you through the Rosary. Its Mysteries present a panorama, a way of living life with the Holy Family and are a stairway to Paradise. The Rosary contains a masterful act of Faith, what Jesus wants from all of us, “I believe in God;” a singular address to “Our” Father taught to us by Christ. The Rosary glorifies the Trinity and gives holy praise to Mother Mary, “blessed is the fruit of the womb, Jesus.”
If you choose to, you can let Mary and Jesus guide you to his birth, watch him
change wine into water, be baptized in the Jordan. You can be present at the
Passover and see Jesus establish the Blessed Sacrament. You can see Jesus
persevere through the torments of the Jewish leaders, carry our sins on his back and in the nails and spear that penetrated the body Mary gave him. But we can take a deep breath at his Resurrection and his Ascension and his forgiveness of our sins. Perhaps a profound thought: the Gospel can help us live life LIKE Jesus and Mary; The Rosary can help us live life WITH Jesus and Mary.
The Rosary is like a rose garden including the thorns. Among the roses we will
find love, deep-heartfelt humility, gratitude and worship of the Lord. We can
enjoy the garden’s fragrance and beauty and bend a knee to our Lord, Jesus
Christ. We can offer our Mother the honor she deserves as we watch her
crowned the queen of heaven and earth and the Holy Rosary.
Pray, Hope, and Don’t Worry
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 23, 2019
Ezra 1:1-6
Psalm 126
Luke 8: 16-18
Today the Church remembers a controversial, contemporary of ours, St. Padre Pio. He worked his way through negative social and physical claims and being considered a possible fraud by Pope John XXIII. On the other hand, he found the love of the people and the Church. 300,000 people attended his canonization in Rome in 2002. As Pio tells us, no matter what, “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”
Pio seemed to have the grace to see into hearts. With that gift he showed his love for Christ and the souls of the many. He heard Confessions from dawn until dusk. In reading about Pio, I got the sense that Pio is a great reconciler between God and us. He is an intimate of Jesus. He was able to help rid penitents of the horrific stain of sin against God. It seems he was able to give others his reconciling, refreshing pea+ce and ardor for the Lord. I read that in Confession, Pio advised that we spend time with God. Pio said, “[God responds to] the person who meditates and turns his mind to God, who is the mirror of his soul, seeks to know his faults, tries to correct them, moderates his impulses, and puts his conscience in order.” Such a great recognition of the human struggle to align with God! Pio reminds us, “Through the study of books we seek God; by meditation one finds God.” No question that is a gentle and profound invitation to be in love with God who created us and wants to be one with us.
If Pio was standing here, he might say to us, “Keep your soul pure and fragrant for the groom we will see.” Pio is such a great blessing reminding us that Confession will help us rise and go to our Father. “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”
Trust in the Love and Authority of Christ
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 16, 2019
1 Timothy 2: 1-8
Psalm 28
Luke 7: 1-10
Today the Church remembers 3rd Century Saints, Cornelius and Cyprian, both Bishops and Martyrs. They both exemplified their Faith as they accepted the inevitable martyrdom ahead of them. In those days, the Roman Emperors blamed Christians for everything including a plague which hit Rome in 252.
But beyond giving his very life, Cyprian taught us as the centurion did in the Gospel, that Christ is a person of divine power and authority. The centurion acknowledges that Jesus can heal his servant. His Faith was so strong that we salute God in every Mass with his words, “Oh Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Saint Cyprian taught us about Christ’s authority and his justice as we enter eternal life. Cyprian tells us, “sinners are brought back to repentance, and that pardon and forgiveness are not denied the penitent. Oh, what a day that will be, and how great when it comes, dearest brethren! When the Lord begins to survey his people and to recognize by examining with divine knowledge the merits of each individual! To cast into hell evildoers, and to condemn our persecutors and indeed, to present to us the reward of faith and devotion! What will be that glory, and how great the joy of being admitted to the sight of God!”
Cyprian reminds us of our eternal life and takes us beyond the horizon into our Particular Judgement when we will experience not only the love, forgiveness, compassion and understanding of Christ, but also his justice. There you and I will see the merits of our own love, forgiveness, compassion and understanding.
With the Lord’s teaching, Sacraments and sacrifice, hopefully we have followed the path to glory and indeed, hear Jesus, “Present to us the reward of faith and devotion! What will be that glory, and how great the joy of being admitted to the sight of God!”
You Are a Missionary
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
September 9, 2019
Colossians 1:24-2:3
Psalm 62
Luke 6: 6-11
In his Gospel, Matthew (28:19), reminds us that Christ gave all of us THE GREAT COMMISSION when he said, “Go forth and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”…………….. St. Peter Claver, a Spanish Jesuit of the 17th century, gives us a very clear picture of following and living up to that Great Commission.
Peter worked among the 10,000 slaves brought daily to present day Columbia. Think about it. ………….Slaves were people who probably spent the rest of their lives “PERISHING” in disrespect,……………the brutality and almost total dehumanization of themselves and their families. Could you imagine a person looking at his children……… being treated like that and separated from family?
St. Peter was to bring the peace of Christ and life in the Spirit and hope in the future through Faith, Hope and Love to these people who must have felt alone and TOTALLY ABANDONED ………. Peter had to go down into the holds of many ships at the risk of his own health and the unbelievable stench and unsanitary conditions which ultimately took his life. All the time the “slaves” are human just as you and I are human. Peter is said to have Baptized over 300,000 people.
Many of these people were “purchased” to work on sugar plantations by people from the United Kingdom, France, Spain and the Netherlands, presumably Christians. CHRISTIANS who seemed to rationalize the principals that Christ taught. NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO SUCH RATIONALIZATION! Such thinking does not square with, “Love they neighbor!” We must remember that blessed are they who bring to fruition their love of God, his people and his way of life. Blessed are they who fulfill the Great Commission: “who make disciples of all nations,” ……… LIFTING OTHERS surrounded by the love of and hope in the Lord.” How many have you and I lifted up in the love of and hope in Jesus?
The Beauty of the Real Truth
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
August 26, 2019
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10
Psalm 149
Matthew 23: 13-22
You have probably heard the expression, “One cannot see the forest for the trees.” Isn’t that like saying we are sometimes blind to what is TRULY GOOD OR A MORE PROFOUND GOOD because we want reality to be the world as we want it to be rather than the truth of the way it really is? Today’s Gospel strongly makes that point. There are beautiful stories about the goodness which may or may not be recognized because our needs, our trees, may be blocking our view of the forest.
There are people like billionaire Brunello Cuccinelli who started out with less than a dollar in his pocket. Brunello was able to borrow $500, began making high quality clothes and built a $500 million business. Society, justifiably says, “Kudos to Brunello! But does the size of the business obscure the real goodness that Brunello created? Perhaps the truth of Brunello’s real success is what he did for others. He has rebuilt his home town. He had old factories and other buildings torn down. He replaced them with beautiful parks. He rebuilt the town church into the structure it originally was. He provides better paying jobs for his employees and forbids anyone to work overtime. Every day he gives his employees a 90-minute lunch paid for by the company. What is the more profound goodness of Brunello’s life’s-work? Not that all he did is not good. Will his treasure in heaven be his $5,000 suits worn by Leonardo Di Caprio or the goodness he brought to his town and his town’s people?
There is an eleven-year-old girl who made a traveling soccer team. The young girl, her parents and her grandparents are very proud of her success. However, soccer takes the place of Mass on Sunday. What is the truth, the goodness of her success?
The word hypocrite is a very strong term used by Christ. But remember Christ only seeks the Truth that he himself is. Ask yourself the question he asked, “in a Catholic Church, is the altar the gift or the Blessed Sacrament consecrated thereon?
We have to be truly discerning OF THE REAL TRUTH. We can work to do that with God’s help. As Paul tells us in the first reading, “[You can find the REAL TRUTH, true goodness as] you turn to God from idols to the REAL TRUTH of what really is. The teachings and life of Christ should filter all the experiences we have.
Acting for God and Our Own Benefit
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
Genesis 18: 16-33
Psalm 103
Matthew 8: 18-22
St. Junipero Serra, “The Apostle to California,” brought Christianity to the New World in 1769. He must have had a very sensitive economic and social sense, as well. He brought agricultural crops to California and acted to protect Native Americans against his native Spain’s colonial and military interests. St. Serra was truly a change agent for the Lord.
Today, it seems we are facing a New World of our own. As St. Serra faced the never ending changes he saw in life, so must we. Sometimes things move so fast that there is hardly time to grasp one thing before another takes its place. So fast that we watch a good, fascinating thing turn on us. Think about social media allowing more and faster communication at the same time it makes available bullying and sexual improprieties to the youngest of children and even challenges our normal face to face communication with each other. Have we had it so good that we wave off crime and spreading “political disease? “ Have we become numb to what is happening around us ?
Think about the blossoming talk even in cable news about the need to return to our core family, Christian and social values. In the first reading we see the Lord watching as Sodom and Gomorrah drift so far into selfishness and into numbness about God’s laws that the Lord needs to take action against their behavior. But even while doing so, the Lord never forgets the goodness of his people and rescues them. In the Gospel, we hear Jesus telling us to follow him and to focus on his truth. We know what to do to protect the things we hold dear. For the sake of the goodness and eternal life God has freely given to us, we may not fall asleep but remain in active hope.
Jesus Has Always Walked Beside Us in Peace and War
By Deacon Bill Masapollo
Genesis 28: 10-22a
Psalm 91
Matthew 9: 18-26
In today’s reading from Genesis the Lord says to Jacob, “The land on which you are lying, I will give to you and your descendants. Know that I am with you. I will protect you where ever you go, and bring you back to this land.” Those sentiments were so striking during this July 4th week! Coincidentally, there is a one-man play in New York entitled Beyond Glory starring Steven Lang who portrays eight WWII Congressional Medal of Honor recipients using their own words. Among those heroes is Admiral James S. Stockdale who was a POW for 7 years in Viet Nam; Lt. Dan K. Inouye, later Senator from Hawaii, lost his right arm and was shot in the leg and kept fighting, and Lt. Vernon Baker was in the all-black Buffalo Division. Given the mortal dangers these men faced, it is not difficult to believe that the Lord was beside them. Why them when others were killed? As Psalm 91 told us, “In you my God, I place my trust [in your judgement.”]
And so these men were beneficiaries of God’s promise to Jacob. They were brought back to the land, the America, for which they endured so much. With the land, they protected our American culture and values. With God’s grace, hopefully they and we make Jacob’s conclusions ours when he said, “lf God remains with me to protect me on [life’s] journey…and I come back to my father’s house, the Lord shall be my God.”
How often do we think of Jesus fighting and giving his life for our eternal lives? Jesus suffered a most humiliating and painful death in front of his mother. Jesus fought heroically against hate, selfishness, greed, lack of confidence, exclusivity, foolish pride and status, etc. How often are the pea+ce and precious freedom we enjoy deeply felt by us and attributed to God? Do we acknowledge that we have the joy of America because of the protection afforded us by our heroes and the blessings of the Lord? The protection and blessings are what we want for ourselves and for our children and grand Children. Let us sing or say God bless America every day. Just as our American heroes wear the Congressional Medal of Honor, Christ bore his Cross. Let us remember that it is in bearing the cross of our freedoms that we will remain free.