God's Word and Daily Life

By Mike Punzal

On February 22, the universal Church celebrates once again, Ash Wednesday.

We think that Ash Wednesday is more about death than life as we are reminded of Jesus’s suffering and death. But If we take a closer look, though, we find that the message of Ash Wednesday has far more to do with life than with death. It’s much more about what it means to be human—on this side of death’s door, not only beyond. Being human means being both blessed and broken, and Ash Wednesday is a special invitation to look at our own brokenness in a way that can bring healing, strength, and courage.

Of course, brokenness is never the goal, even if we can encounter God through the process. We don’t set out to come up short, make mistakes, or feel “less than.” But we often do, a reality that is one mysterious thread within the intricate tapestry of human life. We have another word for this kind of brokenness, one that captures our essence as incomplete all on our own. That word is vulnerable.

Vulnerability has become something of a buzzword in recent years. A simple online search of the word turns up countless videos, articles, and book titles. But what does it really mean? To be vulnerable is to be exposed, to be open. Being vulnerable means that the parts of ourselves that are not strong and beautiful are visible to others. Let us embrace our vulnerability and be humble to seek God’s grace.

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

Pope Francis' visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo and his ecumenical pilgrimage for peace in South Sudan are a powerful sign for all Christians: let us not forget Africa, this great dynamic and courageous continent, ravaged by neo-colonial exploitation and wars.

The Pope's gestures and words were strong. Let us be challenged by them.

“It is a tragedy that these lands, and more generally the whole African continent, continue to endure various forms of exploitation… "The poison of greed has smeared its diamonds with blood.”

“We cannot grow accustomed to the bloodshed that has marked this country for decades, causing millions of deaths," Pope Francis said.

"Take your hands-off Africa! Stop suffocating Africa: it is not a mine to be exploited nor a land to be plundered."

“Never lose hope. And lose no opportunity to build peace. May hope and peace dwell among you. May hope and peace dwell in South Sudan.”

Let's take the time this week to read the words of Pope Francis during his trip to Africa on the Vatican website. Let us also meet a brother or sister from Africa who lives with us to testify to them of our fraternal friendship. Let us also pray for this continent.

By Mike Punzal

On February 2, Thursday, we will celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life.

In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day for women and men in consecrated life. This global celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples. 

The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church. 

There are several ways to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life. Invite sisters, brothers, and priests to publicly renew their vows at Mass, send cards of support to newer entrants, ask to visit a mother house to meet and pray with sisters, brothers, and priests, invite a vocation director to visit your classroom, Board meeting, or faith group to learn more about consecrated life. Send flowers, make a donation to a religious community, or invite someone to discern their vocation to consecrated life!

Let us pray for the religious brothers, priests and sisters in our community, that God may grant them peace and joy in their vocation, amen!

 by Mike Punzal

On Wednesday, January 25, we remember the Conversion of Saint Paul. Once a sinner, St. Paul’s story teaches us how God’s mercy is more powerful than any of our greatest sin, and that each of us is invited to convert.

No one is more aware of the passage of time than a convert. There is a clear before and after whose threshold is a life-changing encounter with Christ. Saint Augustine’s celebrated exclamation is the most iconic expression of this: “Too late have I loved Thee!” In more recent times the famous British journalist and Catholic convert, Malcolm Muggeridge, poignantly entitled his 1972 autobiography Chronicles of Wasted Time—an allusion to a line from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 106, whose theme, in a context far removed from religious conversion, evokes the imperfection of things past as prophetically foreshadowing present fulfillment.

Looking at conversion in hindsight, as an isolated moment in time, might make all of the before time seem wasted. But considering the past in the light of grace, connections emerge that reveal the hand of God steadily at work even in the midst of our worst mistakes. A string of unlikely events and providential encounters that bring a soul to the point where they are prepared to meet the Lord and say yes to Him is a divine work that grace alone can accomplish. So, let us not be afraid to hope like Paul, to become better persons, to become witnessed of Christ.

AnBy Mike Punzal

From January 23 to 29, the Philippine Church celebrate the National Bible Week. During this week, all Filipinos are enjoined for one week to focus on the reading and studying of the Bible toward the nation’s spiritual, moral and social stability.

Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter "Aperuit illis," which establishes that "the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God."

This Sunday of the Word of God will thus be a fitting part of that time of the year when we are encouraged to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity. This is more than a temporal coincidence: the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God has ecumenical value, since the Scriptures point out, for those who listen, the path to authentic and firm unity. The various communities will find their own ways to mark this Sunday with a certain solemnity. It is important, however, that in the Eucharistic celebration the sacred text be enthroned, in order to focus the attention of the assembly on the normative value of God’s word.

On this Sunday, it would be particularly appropriate to highlight the proclamation of the word of the Lord and to emphasize in the homily the honour that it is due. Families can also find ways of giving a Bible, or one of its books, to the entire assembly as a way of showing the importance of learning how to read, appreciate and pray daily with sacred Scripture, especially through the practice of lectio divina.

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

 In his Message for the World Day of the Sick (on February 11), Pope Francis is inviting us to meditate about illness and about care: “Take care of your brothers.” He is inviting us to get involved after the Covi-19 pandemic.

“These past years of the pandemic have increased our sense of gratitude for those who work each day in the fields of healthcare and research. Yet it is not enough to emerge from such an immense collective tragedy simply by honoring heroes. Covid-19 has strained the great networks of expertise and solidarity, and has exposed the structural limits of existing public welfare systems.  Gratitude, then, needs to be matched by actively seeking, in every country, strategies and resources in order to guarantee each person’s fundamental right to basic and decent healthcare...”

Sick people, in fact, are at the center of God’s people, and the Church advances together with them as a sign of a humanity in which everyone is precious and no one should be discarded or left behind.

By Father Bernard Holzer, aa

On the last day of 2022, God has called to eternal life Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

In his last breath, he said, "Jesus, I love you."

What better summary of a life given to the Church. What better program for the year that opens before us: to know Jesus better in order to love him better and thus become better servants of the Church and of society.

What better resolution is there than to put Jesus and his Message at the center of our lives?

Thank you, Lord, for the life and teaching of Pope Benedict XVI. Thank you, Lord, for the gifts you give us and for inviting us to put ourselves at the service of others and the planet. Thank you for all the companions, sisters and brothers, you had blessed us on our way. They lead us to You.

Happy and Blessed New Year!

By Tony Morales

On Sunday, we will already celebrate the birth of our Lord. Every Christmas, we have the beautiful tradition of giving gifts. But why do we give gifts at Christmas? Christmas is a traditional time for giving presents. There are personal reasons behind why people give Christmas presents. The motivations vary by the individual, but there are some common themes.

The nativity story has a significant influence on the tradition of Christmas gift-giving. We cite the Three Wise Men, or Magi, as the Biblical context for giving presents during the Christmas season. The Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Baby Jesus in the manger.

These precious items showed the respect and reverence the Wise Men had for the Son of God. Christians likewise bestow presents on family members, friends and the needy as a way of remembering the Three Wise Men honoring of the Christ Child. A modern interpretation of the custom is the recognition that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Since giving material birthday presents to Him is not possible, instead people give gifts to each other in celebration of the day.

Christmas presents are a time to surprise and delight those we love. People enjoy finding that perfect gift. Once wrapped and delivered, the giver watches the recipient's happy face as he or she unwraps it. So, what are you waiting for? Let us share something with one another this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

It’s amazing to notice that Pope Francis, who often says that the Church is not a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), chose for December a prayer intention for volunteer not-for-profit organizations! He said :

“We pray that volunteer non-profit organizations committed to human development find people dedicated to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths to international cooperation.”

These organizations seek to fulfill the promises of the prophets that we meditate on during this Advent Season and that Jesus himself repeats:

“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” (Luc 7: 22)

But Jesus does not just repeat the prophets, he puts their message into action, as St. Luke recounts in his Gospel:

“At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind.” (Luc 7: 21)

As signs that he is "the one who is to come," Jesus does not mention the worship but the fulfillment of the promises of the prophets.

As Christmas approaches, as we celebrate God's coming among us, let us support those who work with the blind, the deaf, the sick, the suffering, the marginalized. Let us support those who go to the peripheries and pray for them. They are God's hands, the signs of his presence among us!