Speaking Out Against the Evils of an Unjust Government

April 11, 2018 – Memorial of St. Stanislaus

Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government.

Born in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26, 1030, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, then capital of Poland, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072.

During an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II.

The king first excused himself, then made a show of penance, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death, finally excommunicating the king. Enraged, the latter ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused, the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands.

Source: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-stanislaus/

Advertisements

What It Means to be Holy

April 10, 2018

From Catholic News Service:

God calls all Christians to be saints — not plastic statues of saints, but real people who make time for prayer and who show loving care for others in the simplest gestures, Pope Francis said in his new document on holiness.

“Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy,” the pope wrote in “Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), his apostolic exhortation on “the call to holiness in today’s world.”

Pope Francis signed the exhortation March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, and the Vatican released it April 9.

Much of the document was written in the second person, speaking directly to the individual reading it. “With this exhortation I would like to insist primarily on the call to holiness that the Lord addresses to each of us, the call that he also addresses, personally, to you,” he wrote near the beginning.

Prayers Needed: Please Pray Chaplet of Divine Mercy this Sunday

The following is from Steve Dickmeyer, Dad of Carolyn (Dickmeyer) Reuter from the Bishop Chatard Class of 2004. Your prayers this Sunday are appreciated!

Please pardon my impersonal message, but I am sending this to many groups of people.

First off, thank you to everyone who has included us in your thoughts and prayers. We feel them and as a result we have experienced many small miracles that remind us that Jesus is walking with us on this rocky winding road. Here is a text message that Mary Ellen sent this morning:

“Sunday is Divine  Mercy Sunday. When Carolyn was having Chemo the Divine Mercy picture came with us. After her surgery at MD Anderson Carolyn’s nurse in the overnight recovery room was wearing a Divine Mercy badge. We didn’t have the picture with us at the hospital so God provided. A little miracle. As a family we have been saying the Divine Mercy novena. Since Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday we asking as many people as possible to pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary Our Lady Of America we are asking for God’s Mercy in healing Carolyn. We don’t know what Gods plan is but we know it’s a perfect plan. We appreciate all of your prayers , rosaries, and masses. God bless all you and your families.”

Carolyn, Lance, Mary Ellen, and their 2 babies are still in Houston at MD Anderson for radiation treatment. Soon, Carolyn will have a biopsy from her lung to determine the findings of her CAT scan. We are praying that nothing has spread and are hoping to once again storm the heavens this Sunday, “Divine Mercy Sunday“, with as many people as possible praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy from where ever you are and at any time.

http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/praythechaplet.php

We continue to pray for everyone’s intentions who have been praying and supporting us,

Continued blessings to you and yours,

Steve and Mary Ellen and Family

PS: Feel free to share this message.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

March 27, 2018

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” (John 13:21-25)

Meditation: Why did Judas betray his Master? Was his treachery motivated by greed, bitter disappointment with Jesus or hatred because of disillusionment?  It may be that Judas never intended for his Master to die.  Maybe he thought Jesus was proceeding too slowly and not acting aggressively enough in setting up his messianic kingdom.  Perhaps Judas wanted to force Jesus’ hand by compelling him to act.  Nonetheless, his tragedy was his refusal to accept Jesus as he was.  Aren’t we tempted to use God for our own purposes? It is not God who must change, but we must be changed by him.  Jesus knew beforehand what would befall him.

As Jesus ate the passover meal with his twelve apostles he put them under trial and suspicion (one of you will betray me) to teach them to examine themselves rightly, lest they be highminded and think themselves more strong than they were. We, also must examine ourselves in the light of God’s truth and grace and ask him to strengthen us in faith, hope, and love that we may not fail him or forsake him when we are tempted. Do you pray with confidence in the words Jesus gave us to pray? Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil?

Source: http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/matt2614.htm

Palm Sunday

March 25, 2018

From Catholic Online: 

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.

Palm Sunday is known as such because the faithful will often receive palm fronds which they use to participate in the reenactment of Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.

Palm branches are widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, hence their preferred use on Palm Sunday.

The use of a donkey instead of a horse is highly symbolic, it represents the humble arrival of someone in peace, as opposed to arriving on a steed in war.

A week later, Christ would rise from the dead on the first Easter.

During Palm Sunday Mass, palms are distributed to parishioners who carry them in a ritual procession into church. The palms are blessed and many people will fashion them into small crosses or other items of personal devotion. These may be returned to the church, or kept for the year.

Because the palms are blessed, they may not be discarded as trash. Instead, they are appropriately gathered at the church and incinerated to create the ashes that will be used in the follow year’s Ash Wednesday observance.

The colors of the Mass on Palm Sunday are red and white, symbolizing the redemption in blood that Christ paid for the world.

Source: https://www.catholic.org/lent/palmsunday.php

Suicide Prevention 1

March 22, 2018

The following is my weekly letter to the Bishop Chatard HS parent community:

To our Bishop Chatard parent community:

We face a sobering reality that the number of suicides among teenagers has steadily increased in the state of Indiana since 2007. The situation is such that the Department of Education is requiring that all teachers and administrators be trained in suicide prevention beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

Thanks to Social Worker Becky Wilde, and Principal Joe Hansen, Bishop Chatard is getting ahead of the requirement by engaging our staff in this training now. It will be completed in two sessions, the first having taken place this past Monday morning, the second on this upcoming Monday. The presenter is Carlabeth Mathias, MS, LCSW, LMHC from Mathias Counseling and Consulting.

I thought it might be helpful to share the information we received and discussed in those sessions. Informing you is yet another step we can take to help our youth.

The suicide prevention training is called QPR. This is an acronym for Question…Persuade…Refer.

Feast of St. Joseph: Obeying God’s Will

March 19, 2018 – Solemnity of St. Joseph

The following comes from the website, The Catholic Gentleman

Saint Joseph is the patron saint of workers and fathers, a simple carpenter who obeyed God’s will immediately and completely—and God was glorified.

Twice Joseph’s gut told him one thing, but when God’s will was the polar opposite, twice he obeyed. Joseph intended to divorce Mary. But instead, he followed the angel’s instructions to marry her and to raise the Christ child as his own (Matt. 1). Even though it didn’t make any sense, he obeyed immediately and completely. Joseph then worked hard to provide for his family. Yet he heeded the angel a second time, and moved his family to Egypt, even though it didn’t make any sense (Matt. 2:13-18). Joseph obeyed immediately and completely.

And God was glorified.

We can look to this patron saint of workers and fathers to help us go about our business in obedience to our one true Father in Heaven. We can learn from this carpenter how to trust God with the measurements when it’s time to make a cut. Like him, we can live in such a way that the word “did” will be highlighted.

Saint Joseph. The man who did. And God was glorified.

Saint Joseph pray for us, that we may obey God’s will immediately and completely, so that God may be glorified. Holy Spirit, come. O most adorable Jesus, give us obedient hearts so that, like Saint Joseph, we may join you in bringing glory to the Father in Heaven. Amen.

Source: www.catholicgentleman.net/2014/05/st-joseph-pray-for-us/