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Encounter Christ’s Divine Mercy

April 6, 2024

Divine Mercy Sunday
By Fr. Victor Feltes

On Easter Sunday evening, all of the apostles (besides Judas and Thomas) were gathered behind locked doors in the Upper Room. Yet the Risen Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” St. Luke records that they “were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.” So to reassure them, Jesus asked, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And Jesus showed them the enduring wounds in his hands and feet and side.

Jesus’ first order of business on Easter Sunday was to demonstrate to his disciples the fact of his bodily resurrection, and “the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” for the rest of their lives. So either Jesus Christ rose again from the dead in his flesh or all the apostles lied; but who would ever die for what one knows to be a lie? They were amazed and overjoyed, and Jesus said again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Second to establishing the fact of his resurrection, of next importance was commissioning the apostles to spread Divine Mercy and giving them the authority to forgive sins.

Some people imagine that they themselves never commit sins. However, without great devotion, that is extremely unlikely. In his first New Testament letter, St. John taught that “if we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Some Christians acknowledge their sins yet never come to confession and merely pray to God. Contritely praying to God is good, but if this were all the Lord desired for the forgiveness of your post-baptismal sins, then why did he give his Church’s priests the power to forgive sins? To do other than what he has ordained is presumptuous. Please do not be afraid to approach and receive this healing gift of mercy.

Since the year 2000, during the papacy of St. John Paul the Great, this 2nd Sunday of Easter has been celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday. This is one fruit of private revelations (judged by the Church as being “worthy of belief“) to a Polish religious sister in the 1930s. Jesus told St. Faustina Kowalska, “When you go to confession, to this fountain of mercy, the blood and water which came forth from my heart always flows down upon your soul. … Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. … Come with faith to the feet of my representative. … I myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest… I myself act in your soul. … Make your confession before me. The person of the priest is, for me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to me, and I will fill it with my light.” Jesus declared, “The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy!” … Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to my mercy.”

I know how much I regularly need and benefit from Confession and I hope that you will soon avail yourself of this sacrament soon. Please do not be presumptuous and do not be afraid. Promptly approach this great and holy sacrament of Divine Mercy. and Christ’s peace will be with you.

Posted in Confession, Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Mercy, St. Faustina, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Rites of Miraculous Cleansing

February 11, 2024

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The gospels record how a man with some advanced form of skin disease once came to Jesus in one of Israel’s towns. Seeing Jesus, he approaches and kneels and bows beseeching him, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Our Lord, who can read human hearts, probably knows how much this particular miracle will cost him, but he is moved with compassion. Jesus reaches out his hand, touches the leprous man and says, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately.

One can imagine that man’s joy and excitement. He wants to tell everyone about his miracle! However, Jesus warns him sternly, “See that you tell no one anything.” Apparently, at this point in his public ministry, Jesus does not want to attract too much attention too quickly. Instead, Jesus tells the cured man, “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” What did this offering prescribed in the Mosaic Law look like?

We read in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus: “This is the law for the victim of leprosy at the time of his purification. He shall be brought to the priest, who is to go outside the camp to examine him.” This reference to ‘going outside of the camp’ dates back to the days when the Hebrews were still wandering in the Sinai desert. “If the priest finds that the sore of leprosy has healed in the leper, he shall order the man who is to be purified, to get two live, clean birds, as well as some cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop.” So this offering involves a curious collection of items: two birds, some cedar, scarlet yarn, and at least a branch of hyssop plant.

Then Leviticus says, “The priest shall then order him to slay one of the birds over an earthen vessel with spring water in it. Taking the living bird with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, the priest shall dip them all in the blood of the bird that was slain over the spring water, and then sprinkle seven times the man to be purified from his leprosy. When he has thus purified him, he shall let the living bird fly away over the countryside.”

Jesus told the man he cured to perform to this peculiar ritual saying, “that will be proof for them.” But what would it prove? First, it would demonstrate to the Jewish leaders at the Temple that Jesus had not come to transgress God’s Law but to fulfill it. Also, the cured man himself would be living proof of Jesus’ greatness, for the miracle of a leper being suddenly healed is documented only twice in the Old Testament (i.e., the case of Moses’ sister Miriam and that of Naaman the Syrian). Yet ultimately, this ritual provides proof for all people that Jesus Christ’s saving sacrifice had been long-foreseen by God.

The scarlet yarn, the wood, and the hyssop would each have a role in his Passion. The scarlet yarn foreshadows the robe in which they clothed him. That cedar wood points to the Cross connected to his death. And St. John’s Gospel notes how a sprig of hyssop was employed to lift a sponge of sour wine up to Jesus’ lips. The two birds in that purification ritual were of symbolic importance as well. One bird is slain, while the other is spared. That second bird, after being dipped in the water and the blood of its brother, is set free. That spring water, risen from the earth, points to the liberating water of Christian baptism which receives its power from Jesus’ blood.

In addition to its commandments regarding sometimes contagious skin diseases, the Book of Leviticus has rules for evaluating, quarantining, and purifying fungal infections of houses, fabrics, or leather. These commandments were useful in helping protect peoples’ physical health. But these teachings also illustrate, in an allegorical way, lessons about sin in our lives. Mold in your home can harm the health of your whole household. Knowing this, people take black growths on their walls seriously. How seriously do you take diseases in your flesh? How seriously do you take the sins in your soul?

If you had been a leper back then, would you have come to Jesus? Lent begins this week, so decide what you will you do. Go, show yourself to the priest in Confession and faithfully offer the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Remember and honor the scarlet yarn, the wood, and hyssop of the Innocent One who took your place and through whom you can be cleansed and freed.

Posted in Confession, Homily, Leper Healing, Repentance, Sunday Homilies, Typology | Leave a Comment »

Our God of Second Chances

March 19, 2022

3rd Sunday of Lent
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

On this third Sunday of Lent, the Church provides us with another moment of grace to straighten us on our journey. Today, we celebrate the Lord who frees us from our slavery to sin, if only we listen to His warning to repent. Repentance is, feeling sorry for the sin we committed and a firm resolve not to deliberately commit it again. Sincere repentance provokes God’s compassion, mercy, and love.

The first reading taken from the Book of Exodus, tells us about the deep concern of God towards his people suffering in Egypt. He sees the hardships experienced by his chosen people and observes their misery. God had heard their cries of misery and takes initiative to liberate them from the Egyptian masters. God shows His mercy to His chosen people by giving them Moses as their leader and liberator. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob reveals Himself to Moses from the burning bush and assures Moses of His Divine presence with His people and of His awareness of their sufferings in Egypt. He declares His intention to choose Moses as the leader who will rescue His enslaved people. Then God reveals to Moses His name as Yahweh (“I AM Who AM”) and renews the promise He made to the patriarchs to give them a “land flowing with milk and honey.”

In the second reading, St. Paul warns us that our merciful God is also a disciplining God. Paul reminds the Christians of Corinth that they must learn from the sad experience of the Israelites who were punished for their sins by a merciful but just God. The merciful and gracious God is also just and demanding.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus informs us that those who do not repent will perish. On the other hand, Jesus tells us a parable about the patience of God. As the fig tree is given one last chance to produce fruit before it is cut down, so Jesus is giving His people one final opportunity to bear good fruits as evidence of its repentance. Through this parable, we are reminded of the patience of a God who is willing to give sinners a chance to reform their lives and to seek reconciliation. Just as the farmer tended the barren fig tree with special care, so God affords sinners whatever graces they need to leave their sinful ways behind and return to God’s love and embrace.

Divine grace is expressed as justice with compassion and judgment with mercy. However, we cannot draw strength and sustenance from God without producing fruit. Our fruit should consist of repentance, confession, and firm commitment to change our lives. Let us produce good fruit when we can, Let us repent while we have the chance. Let us turn to Christ, acknowledge our faults and failings, and receive from his mercy, forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life. There is no better way to take these words of Jesus to heart than to go to sacramental confession. There is no better time to go to confession than during Lent. Repentance helps us in life and in death. It helps us to live as forgiven people and helps us to face death without fear.

Our merciful Father always gives us a second chance. The prodigal sons returning to the father was welcomed as a son, not treated as a slave. The repentant Peter was made the head of the Church. The persecutor Saul was made Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. During Lent, we, too, are given another chance to repent and return to our Heavenly Father’s love.

Posted in Confession, Homily, Mercy, Moses, Salvation History, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

At the Father’s Right Hand

March 13, 2021

4th Sunday of Lent

Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” First, Jesus is raised up on the Cross. Next, he is raised up from the tomb. And finally, he is raised up to heaven. As this week’s section of The Apostles’ Creed proclaims:

He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

Jesus’ body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection on Easter. Then he visited his disciples in his body over more than a month, appearing and vanishing, conversing and teaching, eating and drinking, and showing painless wounds in his hands, side, and feet. (Jesus keeps these wounds from his Passion as trophies of his victory.) And then, on the fortieth day, Jesus led his Apostles and disciples a short ways east out of Jerusalem, past the Garden of Gethsemane where he had agonized, and up the Mount of Olives which looks down over the Holy City. He raised his hands and blessed them, and as he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. He was lifted up as they looked on and a cloud took him from their sight. They did him homage and returned to Jerusalem rejoicing. Of course, one cannot fly an airplane or ride a rocket to enter God’s presence (unless the flight ends very badly). Heaven is not a place here or there, but another dimension of reality, distinct from us but not far distant. Jesus ascends in his disciples’ sight to manifest the invisible, his entry into heaven in fulfillment of what King David had foretold about the Christ, one thousand years before, in the 110th Psalm:

The Lord [God] says to my Lord [the Christ]:
“Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. Yours is princely power from the day of your birth. In holy splendor, before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.” The Lord [God] has sworn an oath he will not change: “You are a priest forever…” At your right hand is [Christ] the Lord, who will crush kings on the day of his great wrath, who judges nations…

From ancient times the right hand has been considered the favored spot, the seat of honor for your right-hand man. Being at the right hand means closeness, allowing for intimacy and confidence. You and I have a great friend in high places who “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near to God through him.” Jesus, the high priest of the new and eternal Covenant, has “entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands… but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Jesus Christ is not only humanity’s priest and advocate in Heaven, before ‘his Father and our Father, his God and our God,‘ he also sits enthroned as our king. As the Prophet Daniel once foresaw concerning Christ in a vision:

“To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Jesus Christ is King, the Lord of the cosmos and of history, who dwells in his Church where his Kingdom is now present in mystery. The Catholic Church is the seed and beginning of the Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. We now await Christ’s Second Coming in fully-unveiled glory, such that he can no longer be dismissed or ignored by anyone. Jesus will return as ruler of all and come to judge the living and the dead. “‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ … Then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.” The conduct of each person and the secrets of every heart will be brought to light before his throne. Then the wicked “will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

It is very important that we take God and personal conversion seriously. Our first reading chronicles how God’s people had “added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations.” The Lord had sent them his messengers, early and often, for he had compassion on his people, “but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets.” God’s anger became so inflamed that he permitted them to be conquered by the Babylonian Empire six hundred years before Christ. Those who escaped the sword were carried off into Babylon captivity to be unhappily subjugated there. As today’s psalm recalls, “by the streams of Babylon we sat and wept.” Many never knew true freedom and peace for the rest of their days. But eventually, the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians, and the Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his empire encouraging the Jews to return to Jerusalem, rebuild the Temple, and worship God there. Notice how the king made this possible but didn’t force anyone to go. They were free to choose; to either return home or stay far away. Wickedness has grave consequences, in this life and hereafter, yet we do not earn our salvation by doing good deeds. As St. Paul tells us, “by grace you have been saved — [God] raised us up with [Jesus] and seated us with him in the heavens… By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.” Salvation comes from accepting God’s invitation to come home to him.

On the Last Day, Jesus will come again as our Judge, yet “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” In Christ “the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” A very powerful way to shed the darkness of sin and come into the light is through Jesus’ Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Here is another divine invitation to freedom and peace: I will be hearing Confessions in St. Paul’s Main Sacristy this Thursday, from 8 AM to 6 PM, at the start of every hour until all are heard. If those times won’t work let me know and we’ll set up something else. Maybe it’s been a long time since your last Confession? Maybe you’re nervous? You don’t need to be. I’ll help you through it. Know that when you come out you will feel absolutely wonderful. And Jesus Christ, seated at the right hand of our Father above, will look upon you and smile.

Posted in Catholic Church, Christian Perfection, Confession, Creed, Homily, Jesus Christ, Last Judgment, Last Things, O.T. Figures, Salvation History, Sunday Homilies | 3 Comments »

The Fire of God

December 6, 2020

2nd Sunday of Advent

Eighteen years ago, when I applied to become a seminarian for our diocese, one part of the process was taking the MMPI, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Test — 567 True-False questions that help to detect psychological disorders. Of all of those written questions this one is for me the most memorable: “True or False: I am fascinated by fire.” How would you answer that question on a psych exam? I recall thinking at the time, “Yes, yes I am fascinated by fire, but I don’t want them to think I’m a pyromaniac. And I’m not a pyromaniac so maybe I should answer ‘False.’” But then I considered that wouldn’t be honest, so I reluctantly filled in the bubble for “True.” In the end, the diocesan psychologist did not diagnose me as crazy, so they sent me to seminary, eventually ordained me, and here I am today. But upon later reflection, I think this question is something of a trick.

Why do people pay more to have a fireplace in their home when a central heating system is sufficient to keep everyone comfortable? When people sit around a campfire, what does everybody look at for hours into the night? I strongly suspect this question (are you fascinated by fire) isn’t looking for pyromania so much as it is checking to see whether people will lie, because everyone is fascinated by fire. Fire is beautiful, it’s mesmerizing, dynamic and powerful; it’s well-known to us and yet surprising, an incredible blessing yet dangerous to the unwary.

The Sacred Scriptures often speak about fire. In today’s in gospel, we hear the preaching of St. John the Baptist. In the parallel passages of Matthew and Luke, St. John similarly cries out:

“I am baptizing you with water… but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Fire is also mentioned in today’s second reading. The Second Letter of St. Peter tells us:

“The day of the Lord will come like a thief,
and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar
and the elements will be dissolved by fire…
the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.”

The coming and presence of the Lord is associated with fire in the Old Testament as well. God first spoke to Moses through a burning bush. And during the Exodus the Lord went before his people, leading them in a pillar of cloud and fire. The appearance of God’s glory was like a devouring fire atop Mt. Sinai. The mountain was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended upon it in fire. Smoke rose up from it into the sky and the whole mountain greatly trembled. The Lord commanded Moses to warn the people not to approach, not to climb up the mountain, lest they be struck down in their unholiness. Listen to this vision of God the Prophet Daniel had in a dream one night:

“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.”

Is the fire of God of which John the Baptist, Peter, Moses, and Daniel speak something for us to fear? Scripture says the punishment of God’s judgment is fire, but it also speaks of fire as God’s means of purifying his own. In regards to judgment, the Prophet Isaiah writes, “the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.” At the Last Judgment, Jesus Christ the King will turn to the goats on his left and say “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” And the Book of Revelation says anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will be thrown into a lake of fire: “[A]s for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, & all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” This is a fire to dread and to earnestly avoid.

Yet God’s prophets also speak of God’s purifying fire which perfects his people. Psalm 66 says “you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried;” and a verse from the Book of Proverbs says, “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.” Ancient gold and silversmiths would melt their precious metals with fire to separate out and burn away any impurities which they contained. Likewise, through the Prophet Zechariah, God says, “[I will put my people] into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” This is why Jesus exclaims, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

Jesus would separate and burn away in us everything impure, false, and worthless. This purification can happen for God’s faithful friends in this life on earth or afterwards in Purgatory. St. Peter writes to the Church in his First Letter, “Now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” And St. Paul tells the Corinthians, “If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day [of the Lord] will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” Is this a fire we should fear and dread? No, as illustrated by this story from the Book of Daniel:

In the days of the Babylonian Empire, King Nebuchadnezzar had three servants named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When the king set up a tall, golden statue and commanded that all bow down and worship it, these three faithful Jewish men refused. Enraged, the king commanded that they be bound with rope and cast into a white-hot furnace. Once this had been done, the king looked inside the furnace. He became startled and rose in haste, asking his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they answered. “But, I see four men unbound and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came to the opening of the furnace and called: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out,” and the trio came out of the fire.

The fire had had no power over their bodies; not a hair of their heads had been singed, nor were their garments altered; there was not even a smell of fire about them. Yet notice, all of the ropes which had bound them were burned away and gone. Recall that the burning bush at Mt. Sinai was not destroyed by God’s fire. And when the Holy Spirit came down as tongues of fire at Pentecost, the disciples touched by the Holy Flame were not tormented by pain but rather filled with rejoicing. The process of conversion may entail some pains because change is often hard, whether on earth or in Purgatory, but I urge you not to fear it. God’s purifying fire would take away what binds you, it will not destroy what is good in you, and its fruit will be joy.

The Book of Wisdom tells us:

“Chastised a little, [the souls of the just] shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;”
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever.”

So just souls become as sparks of fire and rule over the nations. They will rule like God their King and they will share in God’s fire. The New and Old Testaments agree, as the Books of Hebrews and Deuteronomy say, that “our God is a consuming fire.” The Lord your God is a consuming fire – beautiful, dynamic and powerful; well-known to us and yet surprising, an incredible blessing yet dangerous to the unwary. There is no approaching God without encountering his fire. Perhaps the delights of the saints and pains of damned have the same source – the unveiled presence of God. In this life, many people dismiss God while others long to see Him. But beyond the veil of this life the Holy One can no longer be ignored. Either we will eagerly run toward him or desperately desire to flee. The same Holy Fire is loved or despised according to our openness to love and honor and serve like him.

The call of Prophets Isaiah and John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord is addressed to us this Advent. In the wasteland of your imperfect soul prepare a straight and smooth highway for our God. Repent and confess your sins for forgiveness. When St. John the Baptist appeared in the desert, people from the whole Judean countryside and the city of Jerusalem were going out to him and being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins aloud. They would devote an entire day to walk or ride an animal out to where John was baptizing; wait in a single, very long line; and then confess their sinfulness in front of everybody in the mere hope of being forgiven by God. Jesus Christ makes it so much easier for us in the Sacrament of Confession. His minsters are not just one, but many, and his churches are not far away. We get to confess our sins privately in the quiet of the confessional, and with every good confession our forgiveness is assured.

St. Peter tells us “the day of the Lord will come like a thief,” that is, by surprise; we know not when. “(Then) the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.” Since this is the case, St. Peter asks, “what sort of persons ought you to be?” Conduct yourselves in holiness and devotion. Do not delay your repentance and conversion. Jesus says, “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.” If this would be the case with precious limbs, how much more surely should we now cast off our worthless sins?

To give you that opportunity, for the forgiveness of your sins and a new infusion of God’s graces, I will be hearing confessions all day this Wednesday, December 9th at St. Paul’s. This Wednesday, from 10 AM to 8 PM, at the top of every hour, I will come to St. Paul’s main sacristy to hear the confessions of all penitents, either face-to-face or anonymously, masked and socially-distanced until all are heard. I sincerely hope you will come, and bring your family too, for the purifying fire of God is far sweeter than his fire which will punish unrepentance.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Confession, Exodus, Heaven, Hell, Homily, Last Judgment, Last Things, Purgatory, Repentance, Second Coming, St. John the Baptist, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

Which Son of the Father Sinned?

September 27, 2020

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Because I am a sinner, I receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis. About twice a month, typically on my day off, I drive about twenty minutes away to confess my sins and receive absolution from another area pastor. The gracious gift of this sacrament helps me to be a better man than what I would be without it. After my most recent confession, Father and I went for a walk and talked about several topics. Something he said in our conversation made me laugh because there is some truth to it. He said, ‘The homilies that get the most compliments from parishioners are the ones they think that other people need to hear.’ (“That was a great homily, Father! You really told ’em.”) The homilies that we think we don’t need to hear – but that we think other people do – can make us feel good about ourselves without us actually becoming better people.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘Which of these two sons did his father’s will? The first, who when asked by his father to work in the vineyard, refused, but then changed his mind and went; or the second, who when approached by his father with the same request replied, “Yes, sir,” but chose not to go?’ The Jewish leaders answered that it was the first son who did the father’s will. But did they answer correctly? It’s true that the first son eventually did go to work in the vineyard. However, the Jewish leaders discount the fact that neither son did the Father’s will perfectly. One son sins by not going to the vineyard at all, but the other son sins by disrespecting his father, disobeying him to his face. No one obeyed the father completely.

The Pharisees had a similar blind spot. Once, when they saw Jesus and his disciples dining with many tax collectors and sinners, they objected: “Why does [he] eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. … I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” But wait, doesn’t Jesus come to call everyone and save everyone? Yes, but the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the elders of the people did not accept that “Christ came to save sinners,” and that this included themselves. When they confronted Jesus with the woman caught in adultery and he replied to the crowd, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” Jesus was not expecting there to be one such person among them. Even the most religious among them had sins to repent of.

Jesus would point this out, at times calling them hypocrites. Jesus’ words were hard against hypocrites, yet his words were gentle with sinners. So what’s the difference between a hypocrite and a sinner? A hypocrite is not just someone who professes one thing and does another. (Unless they lack moral principles, all sinners do that.) A hypocrite is more than a sinner. A hypocrite is someone who says one thing, does another, and doesn’t care anymore about the disconnect, if they ever cared at all.

Jesus was hard with hypocrites in hopes of shaking them from their deadly complacency. But the tax collectors and prostitutes knew they were sinners and wanted to change their lives. They were unhappy and hoped for more. They wanted a better life. They desired the way of righteousness that John the Baptist and Jesus were offering. But the Jewish leaders did not, and tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the Kingdom of God before them. As the Prophet Ezekiel records in our first reading, the Lord is more interested in the direction we are headed than where we have been. The person who turns from wickedness to do what’s right can live and be saved, but the one who turns away from virtue to do evil can die and be lost. This is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so important.

Regular confession helps us to not be hypocrites, complacent in and comfortable with our sins. Confession helps hold us accountable, it helps to make us face reality and live in the truth. A good confession forgives our sins; in the case of grave sins, it saves our soul and reconnects us to Christ. The sacrament is an encounter with Jesus Christ, and we leave confession with a new beginning, a fresh start, new graces, and a fresh perspective. We walk away much lighter and more joyful than before.

When was your last confession? I offer confession times every week, but I have heard very few in recent months. Perhaps the posted times and places are inconvenient for you. If so, then contact me to make a confession appointment, for yourself or your whole family. We can do it in church or out of church in a way that is safe and convenient for you. Please make me busy hearing your confessions. What could our lives and community be like if we unloaded ourselves of sins? Is this a homily that you’ve needed to hear? Is the Father calling you to confession? Then please respond by doing your Father’s will.

Posted in Confession, Homily, Repentance, Sunday Homilies, Two Sons | 1 Comment »

For Forgiveness

May 19, 2020

Friday, May 22^nd:

6:30 – 7:00 PM @ St. Paul’s east parking lot

Saturday, May 23^rd:

Noon – 12:30 PM @ St. Paul’s east parking lot
6:30 – 7:00 PM @ St. John’s west-most parking lot

Fr. Feltes will be hearing Confessions from inside of his car with his window closed.

Car-to-Car (if you come alone):
Drive up alongside Father, roll down your window, and turn off your engine to confess.

Walk-up (if you come with others):
Park some distance away and take turns sitting in the chair beside Father’s window to confess.

Please share these Confession times with others.

Posted in Confession | 2 Comments »

Come to Confession this Weekend (May 9 & 10)

May 5, 2020

Saturday, May 9^th:

3:00 – 3:30 PM @ St. Paul’s east parking lot
6:30 – 7:00 PM @ St. John’s west-most parking lot

Sunday, May 10^th:

Noon – 12:30 PM @ St. Paul’s east parking lot

Fr. Feltes will be hearing Confessions from inside of his car with his window closed.

Car-to-Car (if you come alone):
Drive up alongside Father, roll down your window, and turn off your engine to confess.

Walk-up (if you come with others):
Park some distance away and take turns sitting in the chair beside Father’s window to confess.

Please share these Confession times with others.

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Divinely Merciful

April 18, 2020

Divine Mercy Sunday

The Cenacle, the Upper Room in Jerusalem,
site of the Last Supper and Pentecost

Imagine an event as it did not happen…

On Easter evening, when the disciples were gathered behind locked doors in the Upper Room, Jesus came and appeared in their midst and said to them, “I condemn you. Each of you. All of you abandoned me.” And when he had said this, he showed the wounds in his hands and feet and side and said, “I suffered these because of your sins.”

If Jesus would have declared such things to his apostles his charges would not have been untrue. But this is thankfully not what Jesus did. Instead, he came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you,” a phrase he says three times in this Sunday’s gospel. Christ’s Passion, death, and Resurrection are not for our condemnation. Jesus comes in mercy for his apostles and for us. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” St. Peter writes, “who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

After assuring them of his friendship and the reality of his Resurrection, the next most important item on Jesus’ Easter list is to entrust his Church with his mission of mercy: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In this season of pandemic, public Masses are suspended; first Communions, Confirmations, and weddings are being postponed; but the Sacrament of Reconciliation continues to be offered. Did you get to Confession this Lent? Jesus has peace to give you in this great sacrament. So, where and when you can, make it a top item on your list to experience his Divine Mercy there.

Posted in Confession, Homily, Jesus Christ, Mercy, Resurrection, Salvation History, Sunday Homilies | 3 Comments »

Divine Mercy Weekend Confession Times

April 13, 2020

Saturday, April 18^th:

3:00 – 4:00 PM @ St. Paul’s east parking lot
6:30 – 7:30 PM @ St. John’s west-most parking lot

Sunday, April 19^th:

3:00 – 4:00 PM @ St. John’s west-most parking lot
6:30 – 7:30 PM @ St. Paul’s east parking lot

Fr. Feltes will be hearing Confessions from inside of his car with his window remaining closed.

Car-to-Car Confession (if you come alone):
Drive up alongside Father, roll down your window, and turn off your engine to confess.

Walk-up Confession (if you come with others):
Park some distance away and take turns sitting in the chair beside Father’s window to confess.

Please share with others these final Confession times for Divine Mercy Sunday weekend.

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The Holy Stream — Baptism of the Lord—Year A

January 13, 2020

When you think of the River Jordan, maybe you imagine something broad, vast, and impressive, like the mighty Mississippi or even the Chippewa River. But the Jordan River is a lot more like Duncan Creek. Ever heard of Duncan Creek? It’s not far from here. Duncan Creek flows out of the south end of Lake Como in Bloomer. You know the bridge between Dairy Queen and the post office? That bridge crosses over Duncan Creek. In terms of size and color, the Jordan River is much like Duncan Creek; small and muddy with shrubs and trees growing along its banks. But unlike the rivers around here in Wisconsin, which are numerous and flow though green and lush countryside, the Jordan is among the few rivers passing through its region’s mostly arid lands. This is the body of water Jesus chose to be baptized in. A humble river of life flowing through a desert. Joshua led God’s Old Covenant people into the earthly Promised Land through this river. And Jesus, the new Joshua, leads God’s New Covenant people to the true Promised Land through holy baptism.

Jesus did not need John’s baptism for himself. John the Baptist sensed this and tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus insists, so John relents, but what is the purpose of his baptism? Jesus is baptized not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy, so that this most plentiful substance on the face of the earth could serve as the material for Christ’s gateway sacrament all throughout the world.

Jesus is baptized to allow us, through baptism, to be united to himself. His baptism foreshadows what comes in Christian baptism, what happened for you and me when we were baptized. The water, the decent of the Spirit, and the voice of the Father all signify effects of our first sacrament. Through baptism our souls were cleansed, the grace of the Holy Spirit was imparted to us, and we were acknowledged as a beloved children of God. We might take these things for granted: that sins can be forgiven, that the divine can dwell with us, that we can be more than mere servants, or slaves, or distant acquaintances to the transcendent God of the universe. That we can be treasured sons and daughters of God our Father. We need to remember and appreciate these things, for what goes unappreciated can be neglected to our loss.

The Jordan River flows about one hundred and fifty miles on the eastern border of Israel, south from the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea. These physical bodies of water contain a spiritual allegory. The Sea of Galilee is a large lake. Its fresh water, full of fish, pours out as the Jordan River. And this river, flowing through the arid desert, blesses its shores with life. But once these waters descent seven hundred vertical feet down into the Dead Sea, to the lowest place on earth, the water has no place else to go. So there the water sits, evaporating away in the heat, leaving its trace amounts of salt behind, causing the Dead Sea today to be an intensely salty sea in which no plants, nor fish, nor any other visible life lives.

The pure waters from above, received from the holy stream, bear no life in this recipient. Likewise, the sacraments offer grace from Heaven above, through Jesus Christ the stream of living water, but in the unrepentant soul they bear no life. Even a priest, baptized, confirmed, and ordained, saying the Mass every day, can be spiritually dead, causing spiritual harm to many, if he does not turn away from mortal sin. If you are in mortal sin, for God’s sake, for your sake, and for the sake of those around you, repent and be reconciled to God through his Sacrament of Confession. Jesus desires us to flow with his graces as a great blessing to others in this spiritually-arid world.

The words of Isaiah in our first reading point to Jesus, but because of your baptism you are in Christ. So Isaiah’s inspired words are spoken to every soul in a state of grace:

Thus says the Lord:
“You are my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit;
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you… a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement [and darkness.]”

You might not be called to cry out or shout, making your voice heard in the streets, breaking this and crushing that. But Jesus wants to use you as his powerful instrument to do transforming good in this world. Jesus is still quietly saving souls through his faithful ones, who receive his graces and pour them forth for others. Let this be you, for Him, and for many.

Posted in Baptism of Jesus, Christian Perfection, Confession, Homily, Jesus Christ, St. John the Baptist, Sunday Homilies, Typology | 1 Comment »

Examination of Conscience (for Grades 6, 7, & 8)

October 18, 2019

Jesus preached, “What man among you having 100 sheep and losing one of them would not leave the 99 in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance.” And Jesus also said, “I am the good shepherd… Do not be afraid any longer, little flock…”
(See Luke 15:4-5, John 10:11, & Luke 12:32)

Downloadable Booklet Version

Sins against our God
Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Since my last, good confession, did I neglect daily prayer?
Did I reject God, the Lord Jesus Christ, or my Catholic Faith?
Did I receive the Holy Eucharist in a state of mortal sin?
Did I break the one-hour Eucharist fast and still receive Him?
Did I intentionally hold back from confessing my serious sins?
Did I put faith in magic, astrology, horoscopes, or superstitions?
Did I use the Lord’s name like a curse word?
Did I “swear to God” about something unimportant or untrue?
Did I ignore Friday as a special day for penance?
Did I ignore Sunday as a special day for worship and rest?
Did I act irreverently toward the Eucharist, holy persons or things?
Did I come late, leave early, or skip Sunday Mass by my own fault?
Did I attend Holy Mass irreverently or inattentively?
Did I make false gods (or idols) of delightful persons or things?
Did I stubbornly doubt God’s existence, goodness, or love for me?

Sins against our Parents & Teachers
“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord, your God, has commanded you, that you may have a long life and that you may prosper…” (Deuteronomy 5:16)

Did I neglect to show my parents love and gratitude?
Did I disobey my parents or neglect my household chores?
Did I lie to my parents or hide things from them?
Did I manipulate my parents to get what I wanted?
Did I disrespect a parent, through sarcasm or back-talking?
Did I disobey or disrespect a teacher?
Did I cheat on tests, plagiarize for papers, or copy homework?
Did I choose not give my best effort at school, work, or home?
Did I purposely break any rules or laws?

Sins against Others
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

Did I hate someone? (Is there anyone I am unwilling to pray for?)
Did I fight or quarrel with anyone?
Did I intentionally physically harm or kill someone?
Did I wish harm or revenge on someone?
Did I slander someone by spreading falsehoods about them?
Did I tell negative facts about someone for no good reason?
Did I judge others uncharitably or rashly?
Did I act as an unfaithful friend?
Did I tell any lies?
Did I steal or damage someone’s property on purpose?
Did I lead another person to sin by something I said or did?
Did I just stand by while another person did wrong?
Did I tell impure, mean, or offensive jokes?
Did I hurt someone by my teasing or prank?
Did I dress, speak, or behave immodestly?
Did I do sexual acts with another person?
Did I act selfish or phony in my relationships?
Did I manipulate someone to get want I wanted?
Did I act impatient, rude, envious, jealous, or indifferent toward others?

Sins misusing God’s Creation
“God looked at everything He had made, and found it very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

Did I get intoxicated with alcohol or use illegal drugs?
Did I smoke or vape?
Did I use steroids or misuse medications?
Did I overeat, starve myself, or “binge and purge”?
Did I intentionally do harm to my own body?
Did I plan or attempt suicide?
Did I mistreat animals or the environment?
Did I watch, read, or listen to something I shouldn’t?
Did I lust using media?
Did I use technology to send or receive bad images?
Did I disrespect someone by viewing them as an object?
Did I do sexually-immoral acts by myself or in fantasy?
Did I use any form of technology addictively?
Did I use entertainments or media in isolating ways?
Did I act greedy or ungenerous?
Did I act as if God would not take care of me?

Posted in Christian Perfection, Confession, Reflection, Repentance | Leave a Comment »

Examination of Conscience (for 2nd-5th Grade)

October 18, 2019

On Easter evening, Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the upper room and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (See John 20:19-23)

Downloadable Booklet Version

Since my last, good confession, did I not pray daily?
Did I reject God, the Lord Jesus Christ, or my Catholic Faith?
Did I receive the Holy Eucharist in a state of mortal sin?
Did I break the one-hour Eucharist fast and still receive Him?
Did I hold back from confessing my serious sins on purpose?
Did I put faith in magic or superstitions?
Did I use the Lord’s name like a curse word?
Did I “swear to God” about something unimportant or untrue?
Did I ignore Friday as a special day for penance?
Did I ignore Sunday as a special day for worship and rest?
Did I act disrespectfully toward the Eucharist, holy persons or things?
Did I come late, leave early, or skip Sunday Mass by my own fault?
Did I behave disrespectfully or inattentively at Holy Mass?
Did I make false gods (or idols) of delightful persons or things?
Did I stubbornly doubt God’s existence, goodness, or love for me?

Did I fail to show my parents love and thankfulness?
Did I disobey my parents or skip my household chores?
Did I lie to my parents or hide things from them?
Did I push or nag my parents to do what I wanted?
Did I disrespect a parent by being sassy or back-talking?
Did I disobey or disrespect a teacher?
Did I cheat on tests or copy homework?
Did I choose not to give my best effort at school or at home?
Did I purposely break any rules or laws?

Sins against Others
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

Did I hate someone? (Is there anyone I am unwilling to pray for?)
Did I wish harm or revenge on anyone?
Did I fight with anyone?
Did I physically harm someone on purpose?
Did I touch anyone in a bad or inappropriate way?
Did I use technology to hurt someone?
Did I spread untruths about someone on purpose?
Did I tell negative stories about someone for no good reason?
Did I judge others unfairly?
Did I act as an unfaithful friend?
Did I tell any lies?
Did I steal or damage someone’s property on purpose?
Did I try to get someone to do something wrong?
Did I lead another person to sin by something I said or did?
Did I just stand by while another person did wrong?
Did I tell mean or inappropriate jokes?
Did I hurt someone by my teasing or pranks?
Did I dress, speak, or behave inappropriately?
Did I act selfish or phony in my relationships?
Did I push or nag someone to get want I wanted?
Did I act unkind, impatient, rude, or jealous toward others?
Did I exclude other people?

Sins misusing God’s Creation
“God looked at everything He had made, and found it very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

Did I abuse alcohol or use illegal drugs?
Did I smoke or vape?
Did I overeat, starve myself, or “binge and purge”?
Did I intentionally do harm to my own body?
Did I mistreat animals or the environment?
Did I watch, read, or listen to something I shouldn’t?
Did I use any form of technology addictively?
Did I use entertainments of media in isolating ways?
Did I act greedy or ungenerous?
Did I act as if God would not take care of me?

Posted in Christian Perfection, Confession, Reflection, Repentance | Leave a Comment »

Lessons from the Sins of Simon Peter & Judas

April 9, 2019

After arresting [Jesus] they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest; Peter was following at a distance. They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them. … About an hour later, still another insisted, “Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.” Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly.

– Luke 22:54-55,59-62

This threefold denial by Simon Peter was perhaps the most regretted moment of his life. He denied even knowing Jesus Christ, his teacher, friend, Lord, and God. How humble Peter was to share this story with the Early Church and how wonderful that the Holy Spirit inspired its inclusion in the Gospels! He shows us the fallen can get back up, wanderers can return, sinners can be forgiven, and even those who gravely sin can go on to become the greatest saints.

Jesus would go on to rehabilitate Peter after the Resurrection, alongside another charcoal fire by the Sea of Galilee. Mirroring the three denials, Jesus asks three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter replies, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” and Jesus reinstates him as shepherd of his sheep and lambs. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (or Confession) is likewise a personal encounter with Jesus Christ where we re-profess our love for God and receive his restoring forgiveness through the ministry of his ordained priest.

Though Simon Peter’s sins were forgiven they were not without loss and opportunities squandered. During the Passion, as they led Jesus away, “they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus.” If Simon Peter had not sinned in denying Christ the night before he could have been there, ready and willing to get behind his Lord, pick up Jesus’ cross and follow him. How beautiful that would have been! But this opportunity fell to another Simon.

Thanks be to God, St. Peter went on to repent. He did not give up to despair like Judas Iscariot. When Judas saw Jesus condemned and on his way to execution he deeply regretted what he had done. (One theory for why Judas had sold Jesus out is he wanted to trigger a confrontation with the leaders of Israel which would force Jesus to wield his mighty powers and take the throne.) Judas tried to return the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They answered, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” Flinging the money into the temple, Judas departed and went off and hanged himself.

What if instead, on Good Friday afternoon, Judas had immediately ran to Calvary Hill? What if he had thrown himself down before Christ hanging on the Cross and begged his forgiveness? What would Jesus have said? What would Jesus have done? I think we already know the answer, or could pretty closely guess. Jesus would have forgiven Judas.

So come to Jesus in sacramental Confession. Come sooner rather than later and more than just once or twice a year. And, once wonderfully absolved, resolve and strive to sin no more. Though sins can be forgiven, we see that every sin or delayed conversion entails some loss, an opportunity missed.

Posted in Confession, Passion, Reflection, Repentance, St. Peter | 1 Comment »

How to Go to Confession in 9 Easy Steps!

December 12, 2015

1. Prepare for Confession by Examining Your Conscience

Consider the question, “Since my last confession, what did I chose to do even though I knew that it was wrong?” To help you know your sins, ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight. Then, perhaps review your personal relationships (God, family, etc.), the Ten Commandments, or the Seven Deadly Sins. You may want to write a list for yourself to bring into the confessional, if that would make you feel more comfortable.

2. Begin Confession with a Sign of the Cross, saying, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned”

Don’t worry. If you forget what to do, the priest will walk you through it.

3. Give the Priest Some Idea of how Long Ago Your Last Confession Was

Exact precision is not important here; it simply gives the priest some context.

4. Tell the Priest Your Sins

Confess what sins you committed and how many times (or with what frequency) you committed them. The most important thing is that you not intentionally withhold any serious sins. Avoid doing this and you’ll make a good confession. Let the priest know when you are finished.

5. Listen to the Priest’s Advice

Father will probably have some encouragement and advice to help you sin no more.

6. Make Note of Your Penance

The priest will give you a task (usually prayers) to perform to help repair the harms and brokenness that your sins have caused in yourself and the world. Though you can do your penance anytime after confession, sooner is probably better, so that you don’t forget.

7. Pray Your Act of Contrition

In essence, an Act of Contrition simply says, “Lord, I’m sorry for my sins. Please help me to sin no more.” You can pray this in your own words, or use a traditional Act of Contrition prayer like this one:

“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.”

8. Stay for Absolution

Listen to the priest’s Absolution prayer, which forgives your sins by the power of God through Jesus Christ.

9. Leave in Joy, with Your Sins Forgiven

How wonderful is that?!

Posted in Christian Perfection, Confession, Reflection | Leave a Comment »

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