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Life Lessons From A Holy Family

December 29, 2024

Feast of the Holy Family
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The Holy Family went up to Jerusalem each year for the feast of Passover. Once, when Jesus was twelve years old, as they were leaving the city at the end of the festival, the Boy Jesus stayed behind without his parents knowing it. Whole communities would pilgrimage to and from these feasts together, so Joseph and Mary had assumed Jesus was walking with others in the caravan during that first day journeying on the road back to Nazareth. But then, perhaps when it was time to share a meal or set up camp for the evening, his parents could not find him. They would have asked all of their relatives and neighbors about the last place they had seen the boy and realized that he had not been with them for hours. Joseph and Mary would soon return to Jerusalem and find Jesus alive and well on the third day. In this difficult episode for the Holy Family, there are lessons for us today.

Jesus had the best parents in all of human history. His adoptive father was a great saint and his mother was filled with grace. And yet, one time, they lost track of their only child for three days. This shows us that sometimes we can try our hardest and things will still go wrong (at least in our own eyes). We can always choose to put forth our best effort, but we cannot control every outcome. Remember: Just because something goes wrong, even painfully wrong, does not necessarily mean that we have sinned. The Blessed Mother was sinless and yet she lost her Son.

When we are little, our parents might seem perfect. As we grow up, we are disappointed to see their imperfections. But as we advance in wisdom and age becoming adults ourselves, we better understand human weakness and limitations. This does not erase people’s flaws and sometimes grave faults, but it can help us have more mercy for people, including forgiving our parents and ourselves.

After three days, Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the temple, “sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” Jesus shows us that we can learn things even from imperfect people. Jesus’ parents were astonished when they found him, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” Like holy figures in the Old Testament before her, Mary questions the Lord about the things she does not understand.

Being twelve years old, Jesus was years beyond the age of reason. He must have known his parents would be concerned after he concealed his plans from them. But the Sinless One does not offer an apology. Instead, he asks them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” It is a mystery why it was God’s will for Jesus to remain in Jerusalem. Even after his reply, his parents did not understand what he said to them. But he returned home with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them as he advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man. Blessed Mother Mary kept this episode in her memory, remembering its stressful beginning and joyful end, and pondering its meaning in her heart.

The things which happen in our lives, like the circumstances of our upbringing or the crises that come our way, will not always make sense to us. But we can learn and grow from all these things, and become more holy families because of them, for “God works all things for the good of those who love him.”

Posted in Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast Day Homilies, Finding in the Temple, Homily, Jesus Christ, Marriage and Family, Parenting, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

3 Things I Didn’t Know About Christmas

December 24, 2024

Christmas Eve
By Fr. Victor Feltes

O holy night! Christmas has come! Jesus Christ is born! Tonight we celebrate and hear the story again of his world-changing birth. And though it is a familiar story, we all still have things to learn from it. For example, do you know what swaddling clothes are? “Mary wrapped her Son in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.”

When I was younger, I didn’t know what swaddling clothes were. Maybe because “swaddle” sounded like “squalid” and I had seen the inside of messy barns, I imagined they were dirty pajamas. It’s actually an ancient and modern practice to use cloth to wrap up infants’ arms and legs tightly to their bodies. This is called “swaddling,” and babies enjoy it — it reminds them of the warm close comfort of the womb.

Another thing I didn’t know when I was younger was what a manger is. I assumed the manger was the stable because whenever someone would point out a “manger scene” what I always noticed was the big wooden barn. The shelter in Bethlehem where Jesus was born was actually more like a cave. But regardless, a manger is not a barn; it’s an animal feeding trough that holds dry feeds, like grain. So Mary wrapped up Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid him in a feed box.

These are interesting details, but why does St. Luke mention them? The details do reflect the humility of our Savior and King. Our Lord could have arranged providence instead to have himself born inside a palace with wealth, but he chose to enter into our human poverty and discomfort. But there is another reason why St. Luke notes these things: they foreshadow what would come later.

One day, decades after Christmas, assisted by another Joseph, the Blessed Mother Mary would wrap her Son’s body with cloths and lay him down inside another borrowed cave. And it is fitting that on Christmas night Jesus’ body was placed inside of a feedbox for grain, for he would go on to offer his full self as food for us, as Bread for the life of the world. It’s all connected and the beginning contains the end. Christmas leads to Holy Week, and Holy Week gives us the Faith, the Church, the Holy Eucharist.

A third and final thing I misunderstood when I was younger was when the Magi (or “Wisemen”) really arrived in Bethlehem. Having followed ‘the Christmas Star,’ I assumed they showed up on Christmas night. The Magi actually came later, sometime between forty days and perhaps two years after Christmas. We know this because Joseph and Mary did not yet have the Magi’s gift of gold to buy a sacrificial lamb for the Presentation at the Temple. And King Herod, in his attempt to kill Baby Jesus in Bethlehem, ordered the death of all the baby boys “two-years-old and under.” The Magi responded to Christ’s birth and came after Christmas. They entered the house of the Holy Family and they came with gifts.

It is good that we are gathered for this holy night. Jesus has called you here to be with him and to be with us. But like the Magi, we all are also called to respond to his birth by coming after Christmas. This is the house of his Holy Family, and we must honor and adore him, bearing for him the gift of ourselves. Jesus’ wish this Christmas is for you, and each of us need him. Christmas, Easter, the Holy Mass; the Faith, the Church, the Eucharist; the past, the present, eternity; they’re all connected here, in Jesus Christ. Behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy! A Savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. So come, let us adore him!

Posted in Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Nativity, The Magi, Typology | 1 Comment »

Imitate The Visitation

December 21, 2024

4th Sunday of Advent
By Fr. Victor Feltes

When Archangel Gabriel informed the Virgin Mary that she would conceive the Son of God, the last recorded thing he told her was: “[B]ehold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Notice how the angel does not tell Mary what to do with this final bit of news. Yet soon after in response, likely encouraged by the Holy Spirit, “Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”

St. Luke records that “Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.” Luke’s Gospel contains details about the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, and Jesus’ early years which are not told in the other Gospels, including things upon which Mary “pondered in her heart.” Now how would you know what someone pondered in their heart unless they told you? This suggests that the original source for the stories in the first chapters of Luke was the Blessed Virgin Mary herself.

At the Visitation, at least four persons are brought together: Elizabeth, with John the Baptist at least twenty weeks along, and Mary her kinswoman, with Jesus who was perhaps only days old within her. Although Mary believed in what was spoken to her by the angel, she may not have known how far his words had been fulfilled. If that is the case, then the first person on earth to recognize and herald the presence of Christ Incarnate was another unborn child.

The angel never commanded Mary to make the journey, but she wanted to be there for Elizabeth. For about three months, apparently until the circumcision and naming of John eight days after his birth, Mary was there to help and support Elizabeth around the house and through her first delivery. Elizabeth, in turn, was an encouragement and help to Mary, sharing Spirit-inspired words, like “blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” and offering wise advice, such as whether and how Mary should reveal the news of her pregnancy to Joseph. Unborn Jesus and unborn John depended upon their mothers for life itself, yet even these little ones were helpful as well. John’s tiny leaping kicks confirmed to Elizabeth what the Holy Spirit was revealing to her, while the grace of the Son of God was mystically supporting them all. They were called to community and to help and accept help from each other. We are called to help and accept help from one another sharing community in this parish as well.

When I was in seminary, we would gather for meals at round tables in the refectory (or cafeteria). We ate from plates and bowls on top of dinner trays. Sometimes at the end of meals, my fellow seminarians would offer to take up others’ trays to the dishwasher racks. I would gladly accept the offer and thank them for it. However, occasionally when I would offer to take up other seminarians’ trays, someone might adamantly refuse. So I would ask, “How come it’s okay for you to take up my tray but not okay for me to take up yours? Come on, allow me to merit with God from doing some good deeds too!” Mary and Jesus, Elizabeth and John, were all together and helpful to each other. Christians are called not only to serve but to be humble enough to accept and even seek out kindness and help from others.

The providence and grace of God led to the beautiful mystery of the Visitation. This week, God will draw many people to our church for the first time in a long time. Joyfully greet our guests, like Elizabeth welcomed Mary. Like little John the Baptist, express excitement that they are here. Invite them to be with us and be present yourself, at Sunday Mass, as part of our Parish Council of Catholic Women or our Knights of Columbus, in the That Man Is You men’s group, at parish meals or at activities, like my next Trivia Night this January. You have nothing to lose from this, while others have much to gain. And please prayerfully consider creating community events for our parish yourself. Would you like to start a Bible study, or a Catholic video series, or a book or movie club, or host an after-Mass social? Talk to me about whatever you have in mind because I desire your rewarding work to bear much good fruit. Blessed are you who believe that the Lord could do great things through you.

Posted in Blessed Virgin Mary, Homily, Jesus Christ, St. John the Baptist, Sunday Homilies, Visitation | Leave a Comment »

Rejoice, The Lord Is Near – Have No Anxiety At All

December 14, 2024

3rd Sunday of Advent
By Fr. Victor Feltes

A story is told of an old American Indian speaking to his young grandchild seated at his feet. “Inside of me there are two wolves,” the grandfather explains. “One of these wolves is virtuous: patient, kind, chaste, generous, forgiving, and loving. But the other wolf is vicious: angry, cruel, lustful, greedy, unforgiving, and hateful. These wolves are battling within me in a fight to the death.” The child asks, “Which wolf is gonna win, Grandpa?” The grandfather replies, “The one that I feed.”

One bit of encouragement I often give in the confessional concerns the ideas, feelings, memories, or temptations which enter people’s minds. When people confess to having had bad thoughts or temptations, I ask, “Did you will them? Did you choose them? Did you welcome them? Did you say ‘Yes’ to them, or did you resist them?” Unhelpful thoughts and feelings can come to us against our will. We only sin or merit when we engage our will to accept or reject them. A saint is not someone who never feels temptation but someone who, even when tempted, choses what is good and true and loving. If we do not realize this, we will believe every temptation we think or feel is a sinful defeat when it is merely a call to battle.

Some people think temptations only attract us to pleasures, to set us up for a fall. However, some temptations draw us downwards, to grumbling, bitterness, unhappiness, and despair. In today’s second reading from the Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul presents an antidote. He says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” A person rejoices when they have gratitude for the present and the past and have hope for the future.

Our days may be very challenging but even amidst our sufferings we have much to be grateful for. We can always find a reason to complain. (Somebody with nothing to complain about could even choose to complain about that!) But most of our complaints are completely unnecessary. Instead, count your blessings—perhaps literally on your ten fingers—especially in hard times, and remember that you have great cause for hope in good things to come. When I replace pointless complaining with rejoicing my blessing cup is no longer empty but full enough to overflow for others. Because of this, St. Paul says, “Your kindness should be known to all.”

Another of our common unpleasant temptations is to anxiety. One of the things Jesus says most in the Gospels is “be not afraid!” Realize that worry (which is the natural fruit of fear) is worthless; concern is enough. If I were totally unconcerned about this homily then I would have prepared nothing to say. But if I had been worried about this homily there would still be just as much work to do but with added stress besides. What can you do when you are showing proper concern and you are doing your part but still feel the burden of anxiety? St. Paul provides this prescription: Remember that “The Lord is near.” So “have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

We are called to zero anxiety, “to have no anxiety at all.” When you’ve done what you can, you can refer the rest to God. Lift up your prayers and petitions with a thankful heart. And then, even if nothing visibly changes in the situation immediately, the peace of God which surpasses our understanding will guard and protect your heart and mind from pointless worry. The Lord is near. Give thanks and rejoice. Have no anxiety at all. For the Lord is with you, fighting on your side in the battle.

Posted in Chrisitian Virtues, Christian Perfection, Homily, St. Paul, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

The Subtle Spirit

December 9, 2024

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By Fr. Victor Feltes

I would like to highlight certain stories about three people: Mary, Paul, and Caiaphas. First, consider the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrate how she was created by God, conceived entirely free from the wounds of original sin. Throughout her existence, she has been filled with God’s grace. She is the holiest woman who has ever lived. And yet, she was shocked that an angel would ever visit her. “Hail, full of grace,” announced the Archangel Gabriel, “The Lord is with you,” but she was greatly troubled at wondered at his greeting.

Next, consider St. Paul the Apostle. No human being has written more books of Sacred Scripture than he. These Pauline texts are usually letters written to particular Christian communities and they contain the particularities one finds in personal letters. For example, in the final chapter of his Letter to the Romans, Paul greets at least twenty-three persons by name. Now St. Paul believed that he was doing the Lord’s work, but if Paul had known the letters he was writing would go on to be as venerated and as widely read as the Old Testament’s books, I doubt he would have written, ‘Say Hi to Prisca and Aquila for me.’

Finally, consider Caiaphas. So many Jews were coming to believe in Jesus that the chief priests and the Pharisees convened and said, “If we leave him alone all will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation!” Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” John’s Gospel notes, “He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation….”

The High Priest Caiaphas was speaking prophesy but did not realize it. St. Paul the Apostle was writing inspired scripture but did not realize it. The Blessed Virgin Mary was living as the holiest of all women but did not realize it. They show us that the Holy Spirit is so agile, intelligent, and subtle that he can act through us without our realizing it.

Now, it is essential for us to remain in Christ, devoted to prayer and his Sacraments. Otherwise, the Holy Spirit will achieve his purposes in spite of us, as with the High Priest Caiaphas. But if you love our Lord, if you strive to please Jesus Christ, if you are open to doing the will of God, be encouraged and take heart. The Holy Spirit is working through you more profoundly than you realize.

Posted in Blessed Virgin Mary, Christian Perfection, Feast Day Homilies, Holy Spirit, Homily, St. Paul | 2 Comments »

The Widow’s Gift Was Love

November 9, 2024

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus sat down opposite the temple treasury and watched how people gave money at God’s house. There were thirteen donation trumpets attached to sturdy chests into which people were dropping their contributions. Many rich people were donating large sums, causing loud commotions. But one poor widow’s two small coins went in quietly; a little click-click. Why did Jesus highlight her gift above everyone else’s that day?

Our Father in heaven is rich. He created the universe out of nothing. All things belong to him. Being the Almighty, he does not strictly need anything from us. In the 50th Psalm, God tells his people that he does not rebuke them for their animal sacrifices—he had commanded them to make them—but he notes “every animal of the forest is mine, beasts by the thousands on my mountains. I know every bird in the heights; whatever moves in the wild is mine. Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for mine is the world and all that fills it.” And yet, God insists upon our sacrifices for him.

God places us in a material world in which what we do matters. Whether and how we work and pray, learn and teach, plant and harvest, build and repair, save and donate, visit and invite, feed and clothe and care and love, these things really matter—for good or evil—for ourselves and others. It is true Almighty God could do everything all by himself, entrusting us with no mission and zero responsibility. But then, how would we ever mature and grow as glorious saints? Instead, God chooses to work through us, and with us, and in us. Our holy gifts and sacrifices, inspired and empowered by grace, advance God’s Kingdom while transforming us in Christ. Though, strictly speaking, God has no need of our gifts or praises, he insists upon them for our own good.

When Jesus saw that poor widow give God’s house just two coins worth only a few cents, he called his disciples to himself and said, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury; for they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

Jesus condemns those who “devour the houses of widows,” but he celebrates this woman’s evident trusting, love for God. Jesus says to beware the scribes who love the robes, the titles, the honored seats at synagogues and feasts, who recite lengthy prayers in order to be seen by men. “They will receive a very severe condemnation,” Jesus says, because their focus is not on love of God and neighbor. That poor, loving widow, however, receives the praise of God. “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.”

As I preached in a homily three weeks ago, hierarchies are normal and natural, though some are better than others. The secular world has hierarchies according to power, wealth, or status. Christ establishes a hierarchy for his Church on earth according to sacramental holy orders. But amongst the Church in heaven, a hierarchy exists according to love. In heaven, God reigns supreme and God is love pouring out for all. There is no money to be had there, the sacraments are no longer needed, and there is perfect, perpetual peace. Greatness above is according to one’s capacity to give and receive love. So whoever wishes to be great in God’s Kingdom must imitate the faithful, self-gifting love Jesus highlights in that widow and which we see modeled for us by Jesus Christ himself.

How you love and what you do matters. In the words of St. Paul, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart as for the Lord … knowing that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” For when Christ comes “he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.”

Posted in Heaven, Homily, Love, Sunday Homilies, The Poor Widow | Leave a Comment »

Blessed are the Clean of Heart

November 3, 2024

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

On November 1st, Christ’s Church celebrated all the saints in Heaven. The Gospel reading for that solemnity was Jesus’ beatitudes from his Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe God’s saints, and they describe Jesus Christ himself as well. We are made in God’s image and our Lord grows us into his likeness. This Sunday, I would like to highlight one of those beatitudes: “Blessed are the clean of heart…” Most Bible translations render this: “Blessed are the pure in heart…” What is purity of heart?

Our first thoughts perhaps may go to purity in regards to chastity. Obscene materials and obscene acts are commonly called the opposite of “clean.” Yet human sexuality can be a means of sanctity. The marital embrace is even a constitutive part of one of the seven sacraments Christ gave us. Rightly-ordered chastity is a source of joy and life and holiness. Chastity is part of being clean of heart, but it’s not the whole or deepest sense of this beatitude.

When one of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments,” Jesus answered with words from Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” A pure heart does not contain the sludge of sin. It does not willfully coddle an affection for evil. A clean heart is receptive to receive and return holy love.

I believe the Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen once noted that the Archangel Gabriel addressing and declaring the Virgin Mary “full of grace” points to her Immaculate Conception. For if there were sin present in Mary, like inches of mud in the bottom a bucket, she would not be full of grace. But she was clean of heart and full of grace and loved God with her whole self, because our loving God is good and the source of every good.

Now to prevent people from drawing the wrong conclusions, Jesus immediately follows up sharing the greatest commandment with another command from Leviticus. He declares the second greatest commandment is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If Jesus had not cited this second commandment, some people would have misunderstood and thought loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength prohibits the love of anyone else. (After all, Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters.”) Instead, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves (and by implication, love ourselves as our neighbors) even as we love God with our whole selves. When our loves are rightly ordered, in loving God fully we will love who and what he loves like he loves them. Contrary to what some might expect, we will love ourselves and other people best by first and fully loving God.

So renew your love for God, choose him first and fully, opposed to your sins or selfish lesser loves, like those saints who lived and died before us who are now in Heaven. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Posted in Bp. Fulton Sheen, Chastity, Chrisitian Virtues, Christian Perfection, Homily, Love, Sunday Homilies | 2 Comments »

The Importance of Obedience

August 24, 2024

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus agreed to come and cure the servant of a Roman centurion, but the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” This Roman centurion had commanding officers above him and soldiers and servants under his own command. He had carried out others’ orders and with authority he had given orders to others. This Roman centurion had faith that Jesus of Nazareth, this Jewish rabbi, was God’s servant and prophet — perhaps even the Christ — with authority over angels or the elements of creation. Jesus is under authority and possesses authority, through which God’s will is done. He told his Father, “Not my will but yours be done.” And he tells us, “You are my friends, if you do what I command.” We are called to obedience to legitimate authority and Jesus speaks to us in and through his Church.

During my ordination as a diocesan priest, I placed my wrapped hands inside the hands of my bishop in accordance with the rite. Bishop Listecki asked me, “Do you promise respect and obedience to me and my successors?” I responded, “I do.” I hold this obedience very seriously. In the areas of our bishop’s proper authority, what the bishop wants me to do is what Jesus wants me to do. Of course, I should share with the bishop my input and feedback because consultation helps him to make better decisions. And if the bishop were ever to command me to sin, that command would be unlawful and should be ignored. But I believe what the Church, or canon law, or our bishop commands me to do, that is what Jesus wants me to do.

The saints strongly advocate for holy obedience. Pope St. Gregory the Great taught, “Obedience is rightly placed before all other sacrifices, for in offering a victim as sacrifice one offers a life that is not one’s own; but when one obeys one is immolating one’s own will.” The Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska records Jesus telling her, “My daughter, know that you give me greater glory by a single act of obedience than by long prayers and mortifications.” And St. Francis de Sales said, “The Devil doesn’t fear austerity but holy obedience.” And there are many other quotes from the saints which commend holy obedience.

This brings us to our second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. I have never been married, but as a priest and a pastor ‘I too am a person subject to authority, with persons subject to me,’ and I know that without obedience no house can function well. St. Paul writes, “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the Church, he himself the Savior of the Body. As the Church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.” In other words, allow your husband to lead you and your family. Your input and feedback are very important in forming good decisions, and your husband has no authority to practice or command sin, but he does possess legitimate authority to lead. And “husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her… that she might be holy and without blemish.” In other words, you are commanded to love and serve, sacrificing for your wife and family, as Christ does for his Church.

Many of Jesus’ disciples listening in today’s Gospel said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” And Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” And so it is for us. Sometimes what we are told may be difficult to hear, sometimes obedience or service will be hard, but to whom else shall we go if we are unwilling to trust and obey our Lord? He has the words of eternal life.

Posted in Catholic Church, Chrisitian Virtues, Christian Perfection, Homily, Saintly People, Service, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Lessons for our Mission’s Journey

July 14, 2024

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus sent his apostles on a journey with a mission for the Kingdom of God. He sent them out two-by-two, to preach repentance, liberate souls, and cure the sick. Jesus ordered the apostles not to carry sacks, nor food, nor money, nor second tunics. He did, however, instruct them to wear sandals and take a walking stick. We as Christians are also on a journey through this world and tasked to do important work for Christ’s Kingdom. So what lessons can we learn today’s gospel reading? Like the apostles, we are not meant to go it alone. We are expected to rely on God and others. And we are to take along only what will help and leave behind whatever will hinder our holy mission’s journey.

Jesus sent his apostles in pairs in part so that they would have one another for support. They gave each other companionship, encouragement, accountability, and the support of prayer. Married spouses are to be such helpmates to each other, but even the unmarried should have spiritual friendships in their lives. Help each other along the way to both holiness and to heaven. Encourage each other, lovingly summoning each other to go further in faith. Pray together, regularly entrusting your prayer intentions to each other. Prioritize Christian partnership in your life. Jesus’ apostles were not expected to journey nor fruitfully labor alone, and neither are you.

Why did Jesus command the apostles to carry “no food, no sack, no money in their belts”? Without these provisions the apostles had to depend on God and the people they would meet. Jesus teaches not to be anxious about material things; about what we will wear, what we will eat, or what we will drink. It is good for us to work to meet these needs, however, our worry is worthless. On their mission, Jesus put his apostles in a place where they needed to trust in God’s providence. One of the great goods from the practice of tithing today, besides the help it provides for Christ’s Kingdom, is that it exercises and deepens our trust in the Lord, giving him the opportunity to prove himself provident towards us. Today’s psalm declares, “The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase.” Ask him and peacefully trust him to provide, what you need for your body—and more importantly—what you need for your soul.

Why were the apostles forbidden to take along a second tunic? Because traveling without that outer garment, prevented them from sleeping in the chilly outdoors. They needed to find nightly lodging and having sandals and walking sticks help them find it quicker amongst those whom they were sent to serve. Consider what things are helping you and which are hindering you in the holy work of your Christian journey. St. Ignatius of Loyola calls this his “First Principle and Foundation” in his Spiritual Exercises. He writes:

“God created human beings to praise, reverence, and serve God, and by doing this, to save their souls. God created all other things on the face of the earth to help fulfill this purpose. From this it follows that we are to use the things of this world only to the extent that they help us to this end [or goal], and we ought to rid ourselves of the things of this world to the extent that they get in the way of this end [or goal].”

St. Ignatius of Loyola calls us to discernment and holy detachment, If Jesus Christ would urge us to discard our own hand or eye if they were leading to our destruction, how much more should we pick up or put down habits or possessions based upon how they impact our holy mission’s journey!

In conclusion, to review the lessons of today’s gospel reading: seek Christian support from others, peacefully trust and rely on God, and seriously discern what will help you to better do what our loving Lord is calling you to do.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Sunday Homilies, The Apostles | Leave a Comment »

Prayers for Us in Heaven — Funeral Homily for Donna Mae Peterson, 88

June 26, 2024

By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus teaches that “there are many dwelling places” in his Father’s house. He says “I am going to prepare a place for you… [And] I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” The eternal dwelling place of our Father is heaven, and Jesus prepares a place for us and desires to take us there. But when can we arrive?

The Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in versions of “soul sleep” and think deceased Christian souls are not yet conscious in heaven; they both hold that experiencing heaven begins after the resurrection of the body. I have heard other Christians question whether we will still recognize or remember our loved ones in heaven. Some have wondered if we will be so overwhelmed experiencing God’s glory that we won’t think or care about anyone else. So are there saints in heaven now who are thinking about and caring about and praying about us?

In the Book of Revelation, St. John beholds visions of heaven where human souls are aware and active there even before Christ’s Second Coming, the General Resurrection, and the Last Judgment. In his sixth chapter, John recalls, “I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God. They cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long will it be, holy and true master, before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’ Each of them was given a white robe and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.” In the previous chapter, John saw people offering prayers in heaven: “Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.” So saints are now conscious and praying in heaven, but do they still remember and love those of us on earth?

How could a closer union with the All-Knowing One in heaven make us more ignorant? How could a closer relationship with the God who is Love make our love for all people colder? In one of Jesus’ parables, even a condemned rich man suffering in the netherworld remembered his five living brothers and prayed (or asked) for a messenger to be sent to warn them. The fact that miracles have followed from praying to saints in heaven asking for their intercession before God shows us that the holy dead continue to be aware of us, care about us, and pray for us.

Donna’s two sons, Tim and Ron, have shared a number of beautiful stories about her. They both mention her prayerful devotion and loving concern. Tim says the two core things in his parents’ lives were their devotion to Jesus and their dedication to family. Ron notes she was “always praying… always interested.” When Ron was experiencing hard times at chiropractic college far away in Iowa, his mom called every night to help him through it. Donna also spent hours on the phone with other relatives and friends, eventually becoming a texter and learning how to FaceTime on an iPod in order to stay in touch. She could always patiently listen and provide good counsel to help others with struggles but she would discern her advice with prayer and support those people with her prayers.

Pray for Donna’s soul, for “as gold in the furnace” God tries and purifies us in this world or in purgatory as needed, so “that we might no longer be in slavery to sin” and he may take us to himself in heaven as perfect offerings. But also remember that Donna does not forget you, she will continue to love you and continue to pray for you. Follow and cooperate with Jesus Christ, so her prayers for you shall not be in vain.

Posted in Funeral Homilies, Heaven, Homily, Intercession, Saintly People | Leave a Comment »

Jesus Is Always Your Friend

May 5, 2024

6th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Victor Feltes

At the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles, “I have called you friends…” He calls them friends and he does not lie; what Jesus speaks is true. And then he tells them, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” But what if we, or they, do not do what Christ commands? Does the Lord remain a friend towards us even when we are not being a friend towards him?

It appears Judas Iscariot was not at the table with the other apostles when Jesus spoke those words. Sometime after Jesus had kneeled down and washed their feet, Judas went out into the night to arrange for his betrayal. The passages we hear at Mass from St. John’s Gospel today are set two chapters after that. Jesus foresaw that Judas would freely choose to betray him, and God would go on to work great good from that betrayal, but these facts make the grave sin of Judas no less wrong. Later that night, in the dim light of the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas singled-out his rabbi for the arresting soldiers through a greeting and a kiss. Revealingly, St. Matthew records Jesus’ reply to Judas: “Friend, do what you have come for.” Even as Judas was betraying him, Jesus calls him “Friend.”

Jesus declares “no one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And that is what Jesus did for us and the whole world. St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans how this proves the Lord’s love for us: “Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” St. John agrees in our second reading that “in this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.”

Like the Good Samaritan towards the robbers’ victim, Jesus Christ loved us before we had done anything to merit his love. But one might ask, “Does his love for us remain the same now?” Yes, for the Letter to the Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” If we wander, he is like the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son waiting and longing for our return. Like a mother hen, he yearns to gather us together under wing. And whenever our Good Shepherd can carry home one lost sheep to his fold, he rejoices greatly with all of Heaven. In light of this divine love for us, how should we respond?

Jesus told his disciples to “remain in my love. … If you love me, you will keep my commandments. … If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love…” So first, we must to recognize and receive the incredible love he always has for us. Then, remaining in that love, we love him in return. This mutual love inspires how we act towards him and other people. And through living this beautiful way of life we remain in his love. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Jesus teaches the greatest commandments are for us to love God with our whole selves and love our neighbors as ourselves. “This I command you: love one another. … As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”

The Church Father St. Jerome records how when St. John the Evangelist lived at Ephesus that apostle became unable to walk due to extreme old age. His disciples carried him in their arms with difficulty into the church. He could not muster the breath to preach many words. He would simply say to the congregation, week after week, “Little children, love one another.” Over time, his hearers became annoyed from hearing the same message over and over. They asked, “Master, why do you always repeat the same exhortation?” John answered, “Because it is the Lord’s command, and if this be done all is done.” As St. John wrote his New Testament letter: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God [and] God is love.”

Jesus Christ is always a loving friend toward you, so be his faithfully loving friend in return, and a true friend toward all others, willing their greatest good.

Posted in Homily, Jesus Christ, St. John the Evangelist, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

Remain In My Love

May 4, 2024

6th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

Since Easter, we have been reading and reflecting on the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus and the apostles’ proclamation of the Gospel. Last Sunday we heard how the apostle Barnabas spoke on behalf of Paul and encouraged the other disciples to accept Paul’s conversion as genuine and welcome him into their community despite his past reputation. (Acts 11:19-26)

In the first reading today, St. Peter teaches us that God shows no partiality in His love. God loves everyone, both the Jews and the Gentiles. He wants everyone to be saved through His son Jesus. When Peter preached, the Roman army officer, a devout and kind man named Cornelius was the first non–Jew to become a believer in Jesus. According to Acts of the Apostles, Cornelius who was at prayer at about mid-afternoon had a vision. The Angel said to him that God was very pleased with all his prayers and kindness to the poor, (10:4) for his faithfulness God revealed His salvation to him.

At the same time, Peter had a vision, with various creatures in it. A voice from heaven told Peter to get up and eat. But Peter refused because his religious beliefs told him some of the animals were unclean. (10:14) The voice said to him not to call anything unclean that God has made clean. (11:15) While Peter was pondering over what he had seen, Cornelius arrived at his home. The Spirit encouraged Peter to go with the visitors to see Cornelius. Whatever the vision meant, Peter believed that God had a purpose; he understood God was removing barriers that were previously set in stone by his culture and religion. Through the conversion of Cornelius, the church began to embrace people from every nation and race. God used Cornelius, his family, and his friends to break down the barrier between them and the Gentles. The change did not come from a human plan but from God’s will and guidance.

The joy of the disciples, however, will be complete only if they love one another as Christ has loved them and if they continue to circulate to each other the love of Jesus that they have received. The love of Jesus for his disciples is the love of a friend. Friendship is mutual and manifests in love. Jesus manifests his love by laying down his life for his disciples. He wants us also to love each other as friends, willing to lay down our lives for each other. This is the Church—the community of Jesus’ friends. Our love must not be mere words or thoughts. When Mother Theresa of Calcutta was asked by journalists: ‘How can we solve the world’s problems?’ Her reply was simple: ‘Go home and love one another.’

We need to cultivate an abiding and loving friendship with Jesus. We need to express this love in our relationships with others by loving them and offering them trust, faithfulness, equality, forgiveness, joy, and sacrifice. We need to be persons for others: Jesus demonstrated the love of God, his Father, for us by living for us and dying for us. As Jesus’ disciples, we are to be persons for others, sacrificing our time, talents, and lives for others. The most effective way of communicating God’s love to others is by treating everyone as a friend.

Posted in Homily, Love, St. Mother Teresa, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

The Fruitful Trials of St. Paul

April 28, 2024

Fifth Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Imagine if Osama bin Laden, after masterminding terrorist attacks, had repented and begun proclaiming Jesus Christ and the Gospel? Christians might understandably still be afraid of him and wary of his claimed Christian conversion. In the first century, prior to his famous conversion, St. Paul had intensely persecuted God’s Church and tried to destroy it. At the stoning of St. Stephen the Martyr he had guarded the cloaks of the murderers. Before encountering Christ on the way to Damascus, he was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.” He had sought and obtained letters from the high priest empowering him to arrest any Christians he found in that city and take them back to Jerusalem as prisoners. So after his conversion, when “he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, [but] they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.”

Yet it was all real and true. The amazing conversion of St. Paul, that fierce enemy of the early Church, is an authentic miracle in real history which has borne true fruit in Christ. St. Paul founded and fostered early Christian communities, wrote more books of the Bible than any other man, and had a hand in saving many souls. He also discovered good fruits for himself, including Christian peace and joy. St. Paul told the Philippians he had exchanged everything from before as if it were mere rubbish for “the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Such are fruits of a life in Christ.

Jesus tells his disciples in today’s gospel, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit…” Notice how Jesus says God prunes those who are in him. Pruning clips off of a vine branch certain shoots or leaves in order to help the branch to be healthy and grow and produce more and better fruit. If vine branches were conscious, self-aware like us, how would this pruning feel? Painful, I imagine. Even if a branch loved producing fruit and wished to produce much more, how would a vine branch feel about such pruning if it did not understand this pruning’s purpose? There is a danger for a Christian who expects only comforts in this life and is surprised by the coming of any trials.

Consider the life of St. Paul. He suffered and endured many trials. Five times he received thirty-nine lashes from Jewish foes, three times he was beaten with rods, one time he was stoned, three times he survived shipwrecks, and ultimately he was beheaded by the Romans. St. Paul was not always liked, even by fellow Christians. It appears some Christians at Corinth said things like, “His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech is contemptible.” St. Paul’s letters reflect that the first Christian communities were far from perfect and they gave him many stressful problems to deal with. He writes of having beautiful mystical experiences but also of a “thorn” in his flesh and physical illness. St. Paul’s life was not always comfortable. However, he wrote to the Philippians, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

When St. Paul, now amongst the saints and angels in heaven, looks back on all his troubles and beholds all their good fruits, does he believe that it was worth it? Of course he does. And he cheers us on alongside that “great cloud of witnesses,” prayerfully interceding for us to “persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” In both good times and in bad, Jesus counsels us to remain in him. “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit… By this is my Father glorified…” And in this will be our glory too.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Parables, St. Paul, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

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 »

Encountering Our Risen Lord

March 31, 2024

Easter Sunday
Fr. Victor Feltes

This gospel reading is a curious one to proclaim on Easter Sunday. It’s the one we read on Easter Sunday morning every year: John’s story of Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple at the empty tomb. Other gospel reports about Jesus’ resurrection have miracles and appearances of angels or of Christ himself. St. John’s Gospel recounts examples of these on Easter as well; for instance, after where our reading ends, Mary is greeted by Jesus and angels at the tomb, and Peter sees and touches the Risen Lord in the Upper Room. This morning’s gospel reading, however, does not find Jesus and sees no angels or miracles in progress. Mary Magdalene discovers Jesus’ body is missing and runs away distressed. She finds Peter and the Beloved Disciple (traditionally, the Apostle John) and the men run back to the tomb. Both of them go inside but only find burial cloths. They had not yet understood Jesus’ previous remarks nor the Old Testament passages which foretold “that [Christ] had to rise from the dead.” But, when the other disciple went inside the tomb after Peter, “he saw and believed.”

So what convinced him? Was it something about those burial cloths? Was it because the cloth which had covered Jesus’ head was “not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place” with a tender delicacy which a grave robber would not show? Was it because tomb raiders in the ancient world would typically steal fine burial linens and leave the body behind? Was it because a body-snatcher would not peel the dry-blood-caked shroud away from the body to carry away a naked corpse? Perhaps the cloths looked deflated, as though Jesus’ body had vanished or passed through without disturbing them. Or maybe a miraculous image of Jesus’ body had been left behind upon the shroud. Whatever it was, the Beloved Disciple reasoned from what he saw to firm conviction. Was Peter convinced by seeing the same scene? Maybe not. Mary Magdalene was not consoled by her first glances at the tomb. It was later encounters, typically together with other friends of Jesus, which led Christ’s disciples to faith in him as the risen Lord.

Many people come to church on Easter Sunday morning. And this is a good thing. Our Lord is pleased that you are here. On the first Easter Sunday evening, when Jesus Christ appeared in the Upper Room even though he had died for their sins, even though they had previously deserted him, he said to all those gathered: “Peace be with you… Peace be with you.” Many people come to church on Easter Sunday morning. But typically, on the following Sunday, a fewer number attend. Jesus may touch your heart this morning, he may give new insight to your mind, you may “see and believe” in a new way. Or maybe you will encounter Jesus’ empty Easter tomb this morning and walk away unchanged. Remember that it was later encounters, typically together with other friends of Jesus, which led disciples to faith in him as the risen Lord.

Jesus desires a personal relationship with each one of us; a relationship which will bless, console, strengthen, and guide us. A life of daily prayer, weekly worship, and true devotion. Praying to God only when I need something is like talking to a friend only when I want something. If you have been away from Christ, he calling you to return, to draw nearer, so your personal relationship and conviction may deepen. Realize that if Jesus Christ had not been risen, nothing else in life would matter. But since Jesus Christ has been risen, nothing else in life matters as much as this.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Jesus Christ, Resurrection, St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Peter, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

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