SAA Flag Football!!

We had our first SAA Summer Flag Football games yesterday, and had a great turnout of youth! Almost 30 teens (along with about 20 adults who watched) braved the afternoon heat to enjoy a few hours of friendly competition and fellowship. What good athletes we have in the school and parish! Both boys and girls impressed the onlookers with dazzling moves, nifty plays, and great effort and enthusiasm!

Thanks to all the teens who came out, our referees, the parents who helped, George Gillespie and the Stifters for the photos, and our seminarian, Dan, who assisted me immensely. See you all next Sunday at 4 pm for more fun!

Here are some photos from the action:

Matthew 18:3-5

"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me." - Mt 18:3-5

15th Sunday, Ordinary

Fr. Mike is away this week; he’s on vacation until next week. So, if you hear any loud noise coming from the rectory late at night, it’s probably seminarian Dan and his friends. You know how those seminarians can be… crazy!? Of course, I would never do that. But, back in the day, probably!

It’s funny, when I tell my stories from high school and college to young people, they often say, “wow, you used to have a normal life”. I tell them, ‘I wasn’t always a priest”. It’s like the prophet Amos in the first reading who said, “I wasn’t always a prophet”. Actually, the first twenty years of my life were kind of the opposite of priesthood. Priests live for others; I was living for myself. I wasn’t always a priest.

Without going into detail, let’s just say that I was a great sinner. I didn’t know Christ. I was ignorant. I didn’t know the Gospel. St Jerome said that ‘ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ’. I didn’t know that the Eucharist is really Jesus’ flesh and blood. I didn’t know the dangers of mortal sin, how I need to be in a state of grace when I die if I want to get to Heaven, and that Confession restores me to that state if I've left it. I didn’t know much about the sacraments at all. Many people helped me to know Christ and the Church, but it was mainly priests who helped me to know Him.

This led me to pray …really for the first time in my life at age 21. I began to say, “Lord, show me your Will…I will do it”. It led me to enter the seminary at 23. Now, the seminary was a good time, and I enjoyed my years there. But, it was also a great struggle for me. The whole celibacy thing was huge! It was all so new, after the life I had led. For about 10 years, I ran from it, leaving the seminary twice. It wasn’t until two years ago that I finally realized that celibacy is a gift that God is offering me, and I embraced it. Now, the joy of living this gift as a priest is indescribable!

I said the first weekend I was here that I am PSYCHED to be here. If you start to understand the struggles that I’ve had…that for so many years I was begging God to show me His Will. If God doesn’t make His Will very clear to us, trying to discern It can be the hardest thing in life! I prayed, “Lord, show me my bride. Whether it’s a woman and family in marriage or a parish family as a priest, just show me the one to whom I’m supposed to give my life”. So, the day that Cardinal McCarrick told me that I was coming to St Andrew’s is the day that God showed me my bride! To be here with you to see your faces brings a happiness that I can’t describe!!

Christ has sent me here to you just like he sent the Apostles. He has sent me here like he sent so many priests to me…to help you to know Him. He has sent me here to preach the Gospel of repentance…change your lives! He has given me the power to cast out demons, to cure the sick, to consecrate the Eucharist, to forgive sins, etc. He worked great miracles through the first priests, the Apostles. Hopefully, he will do great things through me in your lives.

Above anything else, Christ has sent me here to show you the love of the Father. Christ is the visible sign of God’s love for us. So, his priests now present the love of God the Father; that is a priest is called ‘Father’. Please pray for me, Fr. Mike, and all priests…that we may show you God’s love. God sent me here to say to you time and again, “I love you”. He has such great love for each of you! May you know his love this day, and every day of your lives.

Jeremiah 3:14

"Return, rebellious children, says the Lord, for I am your Master" - Jer 3:14.

Confession: an encounter with the God of Mercy

Confessions tonight, 7 pm. I will be hearing Confessions tonight (7/14) in the Confession booths in the back left of St Andrew's Church starting at 7:00.
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We've had an excellent, ongoing discussion this week about Confession. Some great comments and questions have come in. One blogger wrote, "I was wondering one thing. How often should people go to confession? I know A LOT of people who don't go to confession because they find it too embarrassing".

If we think in general terms of what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is all about, what do we think of? Forgiveness ...confessing sins...reconciling with God...changing our lives. These are all true and good. But, I need something concrete that I can point to that will motivate me each time to swallow my pride, get over my embarrassment, and go before the priest to confess my sins. Is there one thing that will do that for me?

The Cross.

Jesus gave his life so that our sins would be forgiven: "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28). He suffered tremendously for each of us. He shed so much blood. He endured serious humiliation and mockery. He was spit on, whipped, slapped, and ridiculed by many people. He let himself be embarrassed for us.

Jesus endured all of this because we cannot bring about the forgiveness of sins on our own. In other words, it was necessary for God to become man and sacrifice himself on behalf of humanity for sins to be forgiven. The Jews tried for thousands of years to atone for sins by making sacrifices; Christ's sacrifice on the Cross is the only sacrifice acceptable to the Father for the forgiveness of sins.

Whenever we go to Confession (once a month is recommended), we say, 'thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice'. We humble ourselves in front of Him because "he humbled himself for our humanity". He hung on the Cross for at least three hours so that, among other things, we would go to Confession.

Plus, when we go, it is Christ in the Confessional. We see the priest but it's really Jesus - he is the real minister of all the sacraments (see Mt 28:20). He knows all of our sins, and wants to free us of our guilt, shame, and slavery to sin.

He treats us as he did the (embarrassed) woman caught in adultery: "neither do I condemn you. Go [and] from now on do not sin any more" (Jn 8:11). This encounter with the God of Mercy changed her life! She went through a few moments of embarrassment and then experienced a joy she had never known. She experienced the joy of Christ's love and forgiveness... a lasting joy! If we risk a few moments of embarrassment, then we, too, will receive the reward of heavenly joy.

Psalm 51:3

"Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness" (Ps 51:3).

"I will give you rest"

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, ad I will give you rest" - Mt 11:28

"Rejoicing in heaven"

A woman who lived near the parish died suddenly at the age of 49. I was especially saddened when I got the call about her death from the funeral home because the next of kin is her 17 year old daughter. When I offered the vigil prayers at the viewing, I asked the many friends and family to continue to pray for and support this precious girl much in the coming days and weeks. Having lost my own father to a sudden death when I was 17, my heart went out to the daughter in a special way.

The next day, we celebrated a beautiful burial service at the cemetery in the hot late morning sun. Many people turned out to honor and pray for the repose of the soul of this God-fearing woman. Afterwards, the family was generous enough to invite me back to their home for the reception where the scores of family and friends gathered.

Many of the daughter's friends were playing basketball in the street shortly after I arrived. At one point, I walked over and asked how much they would wager that I could drain a 20-foot shot. One guy said, "$20". My first shot fell short, and I was in the hole to the young lad. "Double or nothing", I said, to which he agreed. Then, as I lined up the next shot, one of the girls said, "I didn't know priests could play basketball" to the group of about 20 who had gathered. Whoosh! The second shot was good, the kids went nuts, and the guy was shaking his head.

Some time later, I was talking with some of the good folks back in the house. A family member asked for a blessing. Minutes after the blessing, she asked to go to Confession which we did on the side porch. Another beautiful woman of faith! When we walked back in the living room, another woman asked to reconcile with God (and the Church) in Confession.

By the time I left, three people had made beautiful Confessions; what an awesome gift for this new priest! And, it had been many, many years for some. I was reiterating to them how great it was that they came back to the Sacrament, and how much it pleased God. I told them that there was great rejoicing in heaven, just as Jesus has said: "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance" (Lk 15:7).

"My grace is sufficient"

"My grace is sufficient for you for power is made perfect in weakness" - 2 Cor 12:9.

14th Sunday, Ordinary - Homily

One of the greatest examples of faith that I've seen involves a friend of mine who recently became Catholic. She is about my age, so she is a young woman… She was Greek Orthodox which is a very cultural faith. If one leaves the Greek Orthodox Church, it's as if you're not even Greek anymore. And, for my friend, this has been the reaction of her family. She has truly believed for a few years now that Christ is calling her to a deeper relationship with Him… in the Catholic Church. But, she has received little or no support from her family. It has been very hard for her to receive such criticism from those who are closest to her. And yet, she has continued to grow closer to Him. While it has been very hard, she has shown such beautiful and powerful faith.

We have heard much about faith in the Gospels the last couple of weeks. We heard about the lack of faith of the Apostles in the boat with Jesus. Then, last week, we heard about the great faith of the woman with the hemorrhage. Today, we hear that Jesus was amazed at the lack of faith of his own people. So, what does it mean to have faith? What does it mean to lack faith? As Christians, it comes down to the question of Jesus Christ. If we have faith, we believe in Him. If we lack faith, we don't believe in Him.

Now, the story of faith begins in the Old Testament. We see how God sends men and women to be his prophets. Holy men and women like Ezekiel from the first reading were sent by God to bring His message of love to his people. But, the prophets were rejected! God's people didn't believe that they were sent by God, and didn't listen to them. The story leads to Christ…God sends his only Son to his people so that they might believe in Him. And, as we just heard in the Gospel, Christ is rejected! He is rejected by his own people, the people from his hometown. They represent the people of Israel, God's people. God's own people don't believe in Him.

We might look at this story, and think, 'how could they reject Jesus? How could they not believe in Him?' But, we ourselves reject Christ in our own lives. We reject Him whenever we reject Scripture…or Tradition…or the Magisterium of the Church. We reject Christ whenever we don’t believe in the Sacraments…and the grace and power that they contain, especially the Eucharist. Whenever we don't love our neighbor or serve the poor, we reject Christ. Jesus says in Matthew 25 that "whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me".

Now, if we look at our lives of faith, and we see that we have been lacking faith, can God forgive us? Absolutely, in the Sacrament of Confession. It is the Sacrament of mercy. God forgives our lack of faith and restores our faith. He gives us a new life of faith! A life that is centered on Jesus in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is c.o.o.l.: center of our lives. When we receive the Eucharist, we are filled with faith; our faith is nourished and strengthened. It gives us the strength and courage to be like my friend who made Him number one in her life!

It helps us to believe that He is the Risen One…the Son of God…our Savior. We believe that He has power over all things in our lives. We believe that He is with us, helping us tackle all of our problems. We believe that He creates us, saves us, and can change us. We believe that He loves us with an unending love. God's love for each one of us does not end!

So, this day and this week, may we put our faith in Christ. Let us be men and women of faith this week. May we be open to Him and believe in Him this day. May we know His great love for us this day.

"This is a hard teaching"

Mass and Adoration tonight! All bloggers are invited to join me tonight (7/7) in St Andrew's Church for Mass (7 pm) and Adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist (7:30-8:30). We'll have some prayerful music and I'll offer a spiritual reflection. These are two great ways to be with our Lord, but especially on First Friday (of the month).
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Recently, a SAA blogger wrote the following about the Eucharist: "I JUST DON'T GET IT!!!! I can't really explain but I try to believe that it's God but somehow I just can't. That's a problem that sometimes occurs. The ENORMITY of it all just overwhelms me that I am scared to even try to understand the Eucharist fully. I'd feel safer thinking that it's just a symbol."

This is really good stuff! I don't mean to belittle the anonymous blogger's struggle at all because "this is a hard teaching" (John 6:60). But, this is what faith is all about. A connection has been made for "Anon": he/she has heard the Truth about the Eucharist. For that reason, Anon, you do get it!! You are so right to say that the ENORMITY OF IT ALL IS OVERWHELMING. It is. But, so many Catholics never even approach that point because it never registers with them that it's anything more than bread.

Now, a few practical points, to help you and all those who struggle with the Real Presence in your faith:

1) Trying to understand the Eucharist is like trying to understand the Trinity: 'not gonna do it'. We believe THAT transubstantiation occurs (the substances of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ while retaining their qualities) but we don't understand HOW it happens; it's a mystery.
2) Please read John 6. This is where Jesus teaches about the Eucharist. Neither in this chapter nor in any of the Last Supper accounts does Jesus use the word 'symbol'. The word symbol, in relation to the Eucharist, was first used in the 1500s by the Protestant Reformers.
3) To use an analogy, monopoly money is symbolic only; it means nothing in the real world.

Martin Luther was a Catholic priest who helped start the "protests" against the Church 500 years ago. He changed "this is my body" to "this symbolizes my body" in his biblical translation in order to meet the new theology of his movement. 'The Eucharist is a symbol only' is man-made; the Church has condemned it as heresy (denial of a truth that must be believed in faith). It doesn't appear anywhere in Scripture, Tradition, or in the teachings of the Magisterium. It is not safe at all, then, to believe that the Eucharist is symbolic only; in fact, heresy puts one's soul in REAL DANGER!

The Church has believed for 2000 years that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - because of 4 words: "This is my body". Jesus said these words at the Last Supper when he instituted the Eucharist (and the priesthood). Before that, he spoke in real, literal terms to thousands of Jews when he taught about the Eucharist: "whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life...my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink" (John 6:54,55). Almost all of them rejected his teaching and left him that day. He didn't stop them, and say 'hey, you all misunderstood me'. They understood him correctly, and didn't believe him.

The Apostles also understood him correctly, but they DID believe Him even though they didn't understand. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we believe" (Jn 6:68).

Happy Birthday, U.S.!

Happy 4th of July!! We get together every year to celebrate the anniversary of our country's independence, and this is a great day. A holiday is always a nice break! But, to enjoy good times with family and friends and celebrate what it means to be an American is something special. Happy Birthday, United States!

If you're like me, it's been a while since you read the Declaration of Independence which was written and signed on or around this date two hundred and thirty years ago. It is an impressive document which reveals so much of who we have been, are, and should be as a united people. Let there be no doubt of the firm foundation of faith on which the United States of America has been based. Here are some excerpts of the Declaration:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness...

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America … solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown … And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor"

Our Founding Fathers believed firmly that GOD GIVES EVERY AMERICAN THE RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS? Do we share the Founders' faith and live it? Do we defend the rights of all of the young, the elderly, the immigrants, the unborn, the handicapped, and the poor as being God-given rights? Also, do we firmly rely on the protection of Divine Providence on our great land?

In the United States, has faith increased or decreased since July 4, 1776?

13th Sunday, Ordinary - Homily

A St Andrew parishioner has asked me to post my Sunday homilies. I don't write them out, so I'll make my best effort to remember what I said!
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We don't hear the story of the woman with the hemorrhage very often in the cycle of Lectionary readings at Mass. It is a powerful story. This woman suffered for twelve years from hemorrhaging (bleeding) and went to many doctors. None of them could heal her. Then, she just touched the garment of Jesus, and immediately, the bleeding stopped. She was healed.

We use this story many times on retreats, especially with youth. What we do is bring Jesus out of the tabernacle and onto the altar in the monstrance. Then the priest puts on this garment called a humeral veil. Now, our parents and the older generation grew up on Benediction, where the priest gives the Benediction with the monstrance while wearing the veil. The understanding is that with the garment over his hands, the priest is taken out of the equation. It is really Jesus (in the Eucharist) who is giving the blessing.

So, what we do is have the priest bring the monstrance from the altar to where the youth are. He processes to where the kids are, and walks slowly around them. Holding the monstrance with the veil, again it is that he is taken out of the equation. It is really Jesus walking through the crowd of youth just as walked through the crowd in the Gospel. Using this Gospel story as the backdrop, the kids reach out and touch the garment of Jesus. Now, these kids are dealing with so much in their lives…I've seen it time and again where they experience real healing by touching the garment of Christ. It is very powerful.

We all are dealing with a lot. We all have wounds like the woman with the hemorrhage. Our wounds may go back twelve years, maybe longer. Our wounds may be sins…habits…vices…maybe problems with family or friends…maybe hatred…anger… rejection…loneliness…tragedy…illness. Whatever our wounds are, we can be healed… by Christ.

Are we like the woman with the hemorrhage, and have gone to many doctors to be healed. Do we go to counselors or therapists with our wounds? None of them has the power to heal us like Christ has. He is the Divine Physician who can heal our souls… mainly through the Eucharist and Confession. And, he has given his power of healing to his priests. I know possess his power to heal. One therapist told me and a group of priests, "we don't have the tools and power that you guys have."

But, why is it that we all have wounds? Why do we all suffer? Where did suffering come from? Did God make suffering? No. From our first reading, Wisdom Chapter 1, "God did not make death" (v. 13). God did not make suffering. "Death entered the world through the envy of the devil" (Wis 2:23), through sin. Suffering, then, is a natural result of sin. That means that all of my wounds are caused by own sins or the sins of others.

Now, what if my wound is cancer, or depression? It doesn't seem fair because I've done nothing wrong. Well, we look at the Cross, and see the ultimate Innocent Victim. He did nothing wrong, and suffered tremendous wounds for us. St. Peter writes in his first letter, chapter 2, "by his wounds you are healed" (v.24). Christ took on all of our wounds so that we might be healed. He knows the pain of all of our wounds, and can heal them.

So, we come to this Eucharist today to be healed. It is the same Christ that will be present on the altar and in Holy Communion who healed the woman with the hemorrhage. It is the same Jesus, the same healing power. If we come to Him with the same faith as her, hopefully He will say the same words to our hearts: "your faith has saved you" (Mk 5:34). Your faith has healed you. May we all be open to the healing power of Christ this week. He has such a great desire to heal each one of us. He has such great love for each of us. A deep, passionate love. May you know His great love for you this week.

The Eucharist is Jesus' risen body

This is sort of a repeat post on this site, but it's new to the St Andrew's site. There might be a few of these as I get that site started. It never gets old talking about the most enriching parts of our faith, especially the Eucharist.
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When I introduced myself the first weekend at St Andrew's, I mentioned that for the first twenty years of my life, I thought that the Eucharist was just a symbol of the Body and Blood of Christ. I'm sure, at some point, that I'd been taught about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, having been raised in a strong Catholic home and gone through fourteen years of Catholic school. I just didn't get it.

Years ago, a study revealed that about 70% of Catholics believe that the Eucharist is merely a symbol, a representation of Christ's flesh and blood. From where did I get this erroneous understanding? From where do the 70% get it? There are, at least, a few possible answers, but these are more rhetorical questions than anything for my purposes here.

It was pretty much one conversation with a priest that changed my understanding, and changed my life. Fr. Tom Wells was a good friend with whom I played golf regularly (the 19th Hole was our favorite), went on beach trips, and discussed everything under the sun - religion, politics, sports, etc. He was a great priest who was brilliant, funny (probably the funnest person I've ever met), holy, and a 100 % believer in the Eucharist.

One day when I was twenty-one, I was sitting in Fr. Wells' office, shooting the breeze with my buddy. I somehow blurted out, "well, you know, Father, the Eucharist is just a symbol". "What??", he said. "It's a ...symbol?", I said very shakily. He replied in a very casual but firm manner, "Greg, 'this is my body' means 'THIS IS MY BODY'". I was simultaneously dumbfounded, intrigued, inspired, and curious the moment these words registered in my mind and heart. That was the moment the light bulb went on: FINALLY, I GOT IT!

We continued talking about how the Eucharist is really Jesus' Body and Blood. Fr Wells explained to me that Jesus doesn't die over and over again at every Mass; Scripture says that Christ died once and for all (see Rom 6:10, Heb 7:27). The Eucharist that is present on the altar at Mass, in the tabernacle in the Church, and that we receive in Holy Communion is the RISEN body of Christ. This realization changed my life (I will write more about this in a future post).

"The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world" - Jn 6:51.

Do you believe in the Resurrection?

The most fundamental question of Christianity is: "Did Jesus rise from the dead?" In fact, it is the THE question that separates Christians from non-Christians. Quite simply, anyone who answers 'yes' is saying that he is a Christian; anyone who says 'no' is saying that he is not. So, what does it mean to say that Jesus rose from the dead? What does it mean to believe in the Resurrection?

If I say that I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then I believe that he has power over all things, even death. If I stop and think about what it means for a person to rise from the dead, it is mind-blowing! Jesus died a terrible and cruel death. He hung on a cross for at least three hours, and then died of suffocation. The death of Jesus of Nazareth is an indisputable, historical fact; even the most ardent atheist would admit that Jesus shed his flesh and blood on Mount Calvary.

His life had ended. "He breathed his last" (Lk 23:46). This is confirmed by all of the Gospel writers, as well as the reaction of the disciples: "(they) were mourning and in tears" (Mk 16:10). We can only imagine the tremendous sorrow and grief the disciples felt. Was Jesus not the Son of God? Not the Messiah? Was he a false prophet? Was he a liar and a blasphemer?

As they pondered these serious and somber questions for three days in their mourning, they received startling news from Mary Magdelene on the third day. "He has risen from the dead" (Mt 28:7). Those who went to see the empty tomb where Christ was buried were amazed at what they saw, and believed. He is risen!!

To believe in the Resurrection of Jesus is to believe that He is the Anointed One...He is the Christ. No one has risen from the dead before Him, and no one has done it after Him. He is the Resurrection (Jn 11:25). He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6). Everything he said is true, and he is God's only Son. He offers us his life, and all those who believe in Him and live the Gospel share in his Resurrection (life after death). Do you believe?

"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless and you have not, after all, been released from your sins" (1 Cor 15:16, 17).

My first priestly assignment

So, I moved from St Francis to my first priestly assignment, St Andrew Apostle, last Friday. I was able to fit all of my stuff in one carload (although it was a tight fit, and I was a bit weighed down - Fr Lee cautioned me about hitting speed bumps!) which made me happy. Right after I moved my stuff in from the car and met the St Andrew's staff in the rectory, I shot over to the school to meet some of the school staff. Some good people work here!

At the pastor's request, I introduced myself at all of the Sunday Masses. I said that I was struggling with one thing by being here: coming up with the right word to describe my experience. I said, "to say that I'm happy doesn't fully do it...I'm excited, pumped, juiced, stoked...I'm PSYCHED to be here!!" People probably thought I had too much coffee or something, but they were getting a kick out of my energy.

I went on to explain what I meant. "The Cardinal gave us our assignments just days before he ordained us. When I heard that he was sending me to St Andrew's, it was like winning the lottery days before getting married!". It is a great parish with an extraordinary pastor, Msgr Mike Mellone, and staff, many young and large families, and an impressive amount of 'lights of the world' (the youth that I love so much).

It was a tremendous honor to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi my first weekend here. I told the congregations that I have two great loves in my life: the first is the Eucharist, and the second is youth (the third, I said, is the Washington Redskins...yeah, Skins...we're talking Super Bowl!) By the way, Msgr Mellone asked me to make my Eucharist brochures available to folks after the Masses...they took about 200 of them! Woo-hoo!

I mentioned about how it took me twelve years to get ordained (normally, it's six years after college), but didn't explain it further. "The point is", I said, "that I have waited many years to be here with you. To serve you, to pray with you, to break bread with you, to have fun with you, to enjoy life with you. To fall in love with you....with your families...with your marriages...with your kids. This is going to be very good!"

Goodbye, St Francis

Today, I move on to my first priestly assignment: St Andrew the Apostle Church in Silver Spring. While I am sad to leave St Francis, I very much look forward to begin working in the vineyard of St Andrew's. St Andrew's is located at the intersection of Kemp Mill Rd and Arcola Ave, about 10 miles from St Francis. It is a sizable parish with a large school (over 400 students). Should be a good fit, pray God.

These past nine months have been pretty amazing here in this great parish. It all started in the rectory, where I truly enjoyed my time with Fr Lee and Msgr Ralph. These are two very fine priests who have been faithful for so many years. I learned so much from both of them about service, priesthood, life, and love. They continually showed me Christ and the fullness of his Gospel. They taught me what it means to be a shepherd, mainly through their actions, and also through their words (in the true spirit of St Francis!). What an honor to share a home with these two holy men!

To the staff and parishioners of this extraordinary parish, I say two words: THANK YOU!! Thank you for your warmth, friendship, fun, support, prayers, and love. You helped me so much during some of the most critical months of my life - preparing for ordination. I realized early on that the reason God put me here was so that I would be as ready as I could be, spiritually and personally, for priesthood.

St Francis is a family parish and a parish family!! Christ is truly present in your hearts and His love and kindness are shown regularly here. I had a real experience of His kingdom these past nine months. And, speaking of nine months, it's been like a mother carrying her child to birth. You have given birth to a priestly vocation, and now I am the fruit of your womb. Whatever good I do in my priesthood, it will be through you. You have nurtured a vocation so well; God knew what He is doing in sending me here.

While I say 'goodbye' in my title, this is not goodbye. If we pray for each other, we will see each other in prayer every day. Please pray for me, that I will be a faithful priest! Please know that you will be in my daily prayers. My hope is that you will remain a Christ-centered parish family, focused on Christ in the Eucharist, and living his Gospel of Love. May God continue to bless you abundantly, and thank you, St Francis! I love you all.
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P.S. I will continue this blog site - probably will start one at St Andrew's, and just cut and paste from that one onto here when I do.

Jesus' flying leap

Today, we are in Galway, Ireland, enjoying the town with a day of relaxation. We have been on the road every day, driving about 100 miles each day, going from town to town, B&B (bed and breakfast) to B&B, seeing the impressive (and often breathtaking) views of countryside, mountains, skies, pastures, and towns wherever we go. Two more days here, and then we come home. God is so good to allow me to enjoy such beauty and joy during my time here!
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One anonymous blogger wrote about his/her experience during my first Mass of Thanksgiving. Well, I have my own pretty amazing experience...actually, there were a few, but this one stands out. I still don't know exactly what happened, or at least how it happened, and probably never will. It occurred during the Adoration / Procession of the Holy Eucharist in front of the youth after Holy Communion (one of the last of the pictures I posted from my first Mass).

When I put the lunette (the small piece that holds the Eucharist) into the monstrance (the large gold and glass vessel which shows us the Eucharist) on the altar, I struggled to make the door of the monstrance shut tightly. When I finally got it tight, I wasn't entirely sure the lunette was totally secure, but felt that the door was shut, and Jesus was fine in the monstrance.

Then, we had a few moments of Adoration of Jesus in the monstrance while my buddy, Ed Becker, played his song, "Thank you, Jesus" with all of the youth around the altar area. When he finished, I picked up the monstrance and processed with Jesus, as an instrumental song from the movie, "The Mission", resounded throughout the Church, my eyes locked on Jesus in the monstrance the whole time, and noticed no movement from the door to the montrance.

After the few moments of Procession, I brought the monstrance back to the altar, and showed the Eucharist to the congregation, moving very slowly. One time SLOWLY to the left, and then one time SLOWLY to the right. As I moved to the right ever so slowly, all of sudden...the Eucharist made a flying leap out of the monstrance!! Uhhh! There was a huge gasp from those, especially the youth, who could see Jesus come out of the monstrance.

In one motion, the door of the monstrance and the door of the lunette had opened, and the Body of Christ had come falling down towards me. So, I quickly moved my left arm to catch our Lord, and he (miraculously) landed securely on my arm. I caught Him! Whoa! I struggled to get my right arm out of the humeral veil I was wearing, but when I finally did, I used both hands to put the lunette back in the monstrance, and held the Eucharist up for a few moments longer, and then reposed Him in the tabernacle.

The chances of this happening (the monstrance door and lunette opening simultaneously and the Eucharist flying out) are EXTREMELY SMALL. My first thought was that it was the work of the devil. But, it's an even smaller chance that the Eucharist would just land on my arm with all of the slick vestments I had on it. MIRACULOUS!! Whatever forces were at work in the whole experience, they were definitely supernatural, and, in the end, Jesus showed his great power and personal touch in the Eucharist.

Ordination pics

Ireland!! Some friends of mine and I are here in Ireland for a 10 day trip. God's Country! We're taking in some of the amazing sites of this great land, but also here to play some golf! Yesterday, the course was amazing- next to the beach, lots of sun, wildgrass everywhere...Ireland can be a tought place to play golf. But, oh so fun! Oh, and yes, we've been hittin' some pubs.

The best part, though, has been daily Mass...I've been either celebrating or concelebrating each day (2 of my buddies here are priests). Two Masses outside - the one I celebrated was on the mountain where St Patrick fasted for 40 days before he drove out all the snakes. Way cool!!
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Here are some pics from the Ordination. Many thanks to Mary Lee O'Connell and her daughter, Kathy, for all of their help!

The experience of Ordination day

Ireland '06!! In the spirit and tradition of our good friend, Msgr Thomas Wells, some buddies and I are going to Ireland today until June 14. Should be a fun trip...lots o golf and seeing God's Country.
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It's still hard for me to put into words what happened last Saturday, May 27, at my Ordination to the priesthood and first Mass of Thanksgiving, but I'll try. In general terms, it was an experience of the Holy Spirit...the glory of God...the kingdom of Heaven. It was awesome!!

I was moved powerfully by the Spirit at the Ordination. During the Rite of Ordination, the twelve of us lay prostrate while the Church sang the Litany of Saints. I internally made my promises for my life as a priest to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. It was intense. I laid down my life as I laid on the floor, and asked the Holy Trinity to help me live out my promises. It brought many tears because it was one of the most profound and serious senses of intimacy I've ever had.

Then, after the laying on of hands (the moment of ordination), all of the priests - about 200 - laid hands on each of us twelve. Tears again! The picture from The Washington Post didn't show them which was probably cool. Again, I really can't put into words why I was crying and was moved so much, other than to say it was the Holy Spirit. What that means is that I was open to receiving the Spirit in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and was REALLY receiving the Spirit (I remember reading once that the gift of tears is a gift of the Spirit). So, at the Ordination, when I wasn't shedding tears of joy, I was smiling with great joy!!

After the almost 3 hour Ordination, I gave "first blessings" for over an hour. That was intense, too! The coolest and most powerful part was when people kissed my hands. My hands were anointed with sacred Chrism just after the laying on of hands, and now are the hands of Christ (when I perform the sacraments). That was one of the moments that told me things were different, and that now I'm a priest!

The first Mass which was later that evening...I was never really nervous - too happy to be nervous. We had many different things going on in the Mass, and I was very focused on them. Everything went so well, thanks be to God, and it really was a glorious liturgy. It was a normal Sunday vigil Mass with a few things added: a friend of mine coming into the Church, and Adoration and Procession of Jesus in the Eucharist in front of about 200 youth around the altar area.

From what I've gathered, many people at the first Mass had a very powerful spiritual experience. Again, it was an experience of the Holy Spirit. At one point in the Adoration and Procession, I could feel all 1000 sets of eyes on Jesus in the Eucharist. If that's true or even close to being true, then we all had the same experience - a powerful encounter with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit in the person of a newly ordained priest. Faith is awesome stuff!! It's all about faith!