The night of November 14th was bone-chilling cold! So cold infact, that even wearing two pairs of wool socks and heavy combat boots didn’t keep Officer Larry DePrimo warm as he walked his beat through Times Square. It was around 8 o’clock that night when Officer DePrimo encountered a shoeless, barefooted elderly man hobbling down 7th Avenue. Many people passed by, either not noticing the man or not caring to help; but not Officer DePrimo. Continue reading ““Make Straight the Paths of the Lord””
Author: Father Cioppi
“See, we already wait” Luke 21:25-28,34-36
We come together this first day of Advent to witness the opening of the Word of God. Over these next three days, we will have opened our minds and hearts in faith. We will listen to God speak to us in His own language and reveal to us a profound truth about Himself: that He is One, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Blessed Trinity is the Divine Family, which He now reveals to us in Jeremiah: “Judah shall be safe…Jerusalem shall be secure…and The Lord (is) our Justice.” We can recognize in these words our own desire to establish these divine qualities in our own family thus binding our human and divine families together. God embraces His People and re-creates them as His Family.
Within this new structure, God takes on the role of Father, the one who teaches and guides children in Truth. Psalm 25 defines how God sees Himself in our Family. “A Father is good and upright….He shows the way….He guides the humble to justice and He teaches the humble His Way.”
Our role as His children is to wait, to watch and to listen. Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians says, “You know the instructions we gave you…how you should conduct yourselves to please God.” Paul calls us to do even more and so we enter this Advent time of waiting at this Altar, the Footstool of our Father, “in anticipation of what is coming upon the world.”
See, we already wait. We are being taught, Christ the Church to Parents, Parents to their children, in God’s own language how to be ready. We gather within our families (the reflection of the Trinity) and we listen together to the words spoken for us this day: “Be vigilant at all times.”
“Thy Kingdom Come” John 18:33b-37
On the last day of the liturgical year, the Church announces a solemn truth about Jesus: Christ reigns as King over all creation. The Church proclaims that everything is subjected to Christ; the Lord of Life is good.
When we pray to the Father for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom, we understand that His Kingdom belongs here in this time, in this place and within this culture. We understand too that his Kingdom belongs to our future.
As we celebrate Christ the King we place Him in the center of our reality and reclaim Him as Lord of Life.
Jesus is a king who loves. Because he loves us as human beings to the shedding of His blood, He frees us from sin. Only love is capable of liberating us from that bondage, freeing us to live the life we have been destined to complete in Him.
The Kingdom of God lasts forever. The Kingdom of truth, of grace, and of pardon knows no end, even though it may be threatened at times. The Kingdom of Christ is victorious over sin and we are charged to help others understand their own unique freedom in it.
Let us look, as we begin a new year of grace, to the hope that Jesus brings through His Kingdom. And in the reality of our lives pray earnestly that His Kingdom continue to come on earth as it is in heaven.
Parish Retreat given by Father Cioppi, December 2, 3, 4
“GO IN PEACE, YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU”
Luke 7:36-50
Retreat Schedule
Sunday, December 2
11:30 am Opening Mass/ Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
4:oo pm Evening Prayer and Benediction – “What is Faith?”
7:30 pm Night Prayer – “Faith is a gift, not a possession”
Monday, December 3
8:00 am Mass/Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
11:30 am Midday Prayer
4:00 pm Evening Prayer and Benediction – “Finally, He sent His Son.”
4:30- 5:00 pm Confessions
6:45 – 7:15 pm Confessions
7:30 Night Prayer – “Praying with the Universal Church”
Tuesday, December 4
8:00 am Mass/Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
11:30 am Midday Prayer
4:00 pm Evening Prayer and Benediction – “Confession is the stuff of martyrs”
4:30- 5:00 pm Confessions
6:45 – 7:15 pm Confessions
7:30 Night Prayer – “Becoming ‘saints among Saints'”
For those making the retreat on-line: The homilies and retreat suggestions are published under the Year of Faith link on our website.
Confession is highly recommended during retreat. I encourage all our parishioners to take advantage of this opportunity.
If you working toward a plenary indulgence during this Holy Year, a confession at this time would fulfill your oblligation along with the recitation of the Creed at the Baptismal Font. The talks during this retreat are a reflection on the Creed. Prayer should also be offered for the intention of our Holy Father, Benedict (Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be) to fulfill the remaining obligation.
Send Souls to Heaven! Mark13: 24-32
These last two weeks before Advent, the Scriptures speak of the end of time when all things will be made new. The Church gathers us together to help us prepare. At the end of our life, what will we be able to say?
This month dedicated to our praying for the poor souls in purgatory gives us the opportunity to think about what purgatory is and the likelihood of us being there.
Purgatory is a period after our death, when we are suspended from seeing God. It is a suffering of love that purifies our souls from sins for which we have not repented or for which we have not done penance.
The children at Fatima were given a vision of purgatory, which Lucia refused to reveal. She said no one should witness a soul who cannot see God. “Pray for the souls, pray for the souls,” she said.
My dear friends, purgatory is a reality in our journey to heaven. We should think about our lives/what we have done wrong or what we have failed to do, to perfect ourselves in the virtues and produce for Christ the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
If we only had these last two weeks until the end of our lives, what could be said of us? Did we teach our children how to p ray especially for the poor souls in purgatory? Have we taught them to remember the least soul who has no one to pray for them? Have we they learned how to pray for us? Have we showed the by our example what it means to pray in the Church, in the quiet of our own rooms?
We are on the right path however as our parish gathers on the mountain of God’s glory this Sunday to partake of His Holy Eucharist and encounter Christ’s holy Word. With these gifts we attain happiness and the courage to march on in our Christian confession with courage and grace.
At our Baptismal Font we have a guide on how to attain a plenary indulgence for you, some one you love, living or dead or even for that poor soul, the least in purgatory. Help send souls to heaven! Let this be our work in the Holy Year of Faith. Send more souls to heaven!
To love God first! Mark 12: 28b-34
Deuteronomy says: “Fear the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with your entire mind” Jesus through Mark clearly articulates the one directive that will lead us to heaven.
In making decisions about the direction of our lives both communally and individually we should always connect with the essential tenets of our Church, ‘to love God and to love our neighbor.’ What He means is that I must love with as a whole person; who is a unity of the spiritual, the intellectual and the physical.
How do we love God in this way? We can only love God through the Church by conforming our lives to Christ’s. We need to ask one another and ourselves: ‘What does the Church tell us Jesus would do?’
To love with all our heart means our desires and passions; all of which need to be brought to Jesus as the ultimate measuring stick, and if they do not conform to His life, to get rid if them.
To love with all our soul means through our prayer, our worship, our personality, and the reality of who we have become, these things need to measure up to Christ. And if they don’t, if we need to change, then we should increase our involvement in the sacraments of confession and Eucharist; adopting these as a guide for everyday living.
To love with all our mind means to think critically, making decisions as a result of our profession of faith make each week together as the People of God. We are a Catholic people and need to see our Catholicity as an integral part of our whole life not just a part of it.
As citizens, we will have the opportunity to exercise our right to vote. These national elections will set a new course for us as a nation. We should not enter this day fragmented. We should not separate what we believe from how we vote. We vote as citizens yes, but Catholic citizens who recognize the dignity of the human person and have the God given right to say so in public if we so choose.
Think critically in making your electoral decisions, investigate what the candidates believe, weigh it against what Christ teaches and with prayer make an informed choice.
Let it be said of us, when we are gone from this earth, “Well done! You were right in saying- He is the one and there is no other than he!” And, when Jesus looks to us and sees what we have done in our lives, may he say: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
" Jesus needs you to learn the Catechism" Mark 10:35-45
This is World Mission Sunday and our minds and hearts reach out today to people who in extraordinary ways make it their business in life to live out the Gospel of Jesus on the Continents of Africa and Asia, and in South America. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” These catechists remind us that we share this mission here in America, and in Europe where the faith is weakening and our silence deafening.
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Christ needs us my friends, to be catechists in a new generation of disciples. In these very public times, we have an opportunity to express Christ’s teaching as servants of both the Word and the Sacrament, in the way the Church reveals that Truth to us.
Do not allow fear or complacency to get in the way of being a faithful servant of God. The trouble today is people do not understand who we are and we need to be able to explain to them the words of Jesus in our lives. Speak the words given to you by the Holy Spirit and do not be afraid. God is with you.
Jesus needs you to learn the Catechism so you can explain to people in the marketplace what Christ means when He says love your neighbor, love even your enemy!
Jesus went into the marketplace and preached about human dignity and reverence. He preached these things as the Father taught Him. Jesus, being His father’s obedient Son, did as He was commanded. We can do no less.
Jesus sets the example for us; do not be afraid to give up your own life for the sake of others. It makes you more human and better able to reflect the face of God.
Introduction
October, 2012
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried,and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
“The Church at the Easter Vigil praises the Lord for the even more wonderful work of the redemption of mankind and the cosmos:
“Almighty and eteranl God, you created all things in wonderful beauty and order. Help us now to percieve how still more wonderful is the new creation by which in the fulness of time you redeemed your people through the sacrifice of our Passover, Jesus Christ.”
Through the Commendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I thought we could reflect more deeply on the Creed we devoutly declare every Sunday in our Parish Worship of God in the Holy Mass.
God. The question of God has always been a thought and soul provoking question for us throughout our history. Every human being graples with this question and realizes that the answer to those questions lies in the gift of Faith; a gift already given to us by a God Who desires to exchange gifts with us. Once we realize that this Person truly desires to be with us; and willingly accept this gift, we can begin to understand ourselves and the world around us as creative, living and joyful.
Recently there has been an active and overhwelming push for God to be eradicated from public life. It is almost as if men and women deliberately intend to reject this gift given, in a attempt to despise Someone Who is trying to love us. We only need to review the Old Testament again to see where this approach to God leads us, both as a person and as a community of persons.
If I cannot believe in God. If my arrogance does not permit me to accept or receive graciously a gift, then a person cannot accept themselves, their value as one created and loved. Then a person becomes ignorant of how to do these things for others.
The more we alienate ourselves from God, the more inhuman we become.
November, 2012
The Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible…
What does it mean that I believe in a God that is both Father and Almighty?
I think that when I say Father, I mean there is a relationship between myself and God. Now, what that relationship is? I can look at the relationships I have with members of my family, with my own father, and with my friends. How do I relate to others? Are my relationships ‘all about me?’ It seems that it would be difficult to have a shared relationship if that is the case. So, what is my relationship with God? How do I treat Him? What do I do for Him? In others words, how do I love Him? Is my relationship with God worth it for Him or for me?
When I say I believe God my Father is Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, of all things visibe and invisible. WOW. I believe that God can do all things! Can He help me out of this pickle? Yes, He can. Can my Father direct me on a course in life that will make me happy? Yes, He can. God is also Creator which means He had a life before we came along, and He’ll still be living long after we die. God has a life all His own and this life includes places we cannot see with our eyes or touch with our hands. The invisible world we believe in is a spiritual world in which God dwells with the Angels and the Communion of Saints. So you see, we bleieve in A God that has His Own Will apart from our will, whic He created by the way. He will do things His Way when He answers our prayers!
This part of my faith is hard to realize and appreciate because Gos gave me free will and I enjoy using it. Perhaps too much. Perhaps I am too willed, too stubborn or too proud to see things God’s way. But, if I could lift up my stubborness and ask my Father to bless my efforts to see and understand His Will, that humility might help me give up MY way of doing things and see Divine Providence for what it is: NOT MY WAY.
Let God be God once in a while. It’s good for the soul and the mind!
What must I do to inherit eternal life? Mark 10:17-27
The story of rich young man challenges us at the dawn of this holy year of faith to look more carefully at how the young man approached Jesus and how Jesus met him.
The wealthy young man came running. He flung himself at the feet of the poor, penniless carpenter from Nazareth. The man calls Jesus, “good” and immediately Jesus stops him: Don’t flatter me! Jesus then leads him to the Father.
While at first, it seems that Jesus is trying to cool the young man’s enthusiasm, Jesus did what every evangelizer should be careful to do: point to the God. Often times we find a preacher who is exciting and fun to listen to; there develops a kind of personality cult around them. The preacher can forget his job is to lead others to Christ.
Jesus knows that this man’s zeal has led him to fall to his knees, but he should not fall simply because he was overcome with emotion. Jesus, the teacher needs to bring him along and help him mature in his faith.
Did you notice that Jesus only laid out the negative commandments that the young man excitedly says he has kept? Because Jesus realized this is where the man was in his life. This is good if you want to be a good citizen, a good person. But to gain eternal life, what more have you done?
The Christian life consists not in being just a good person; in just ‘not doing wrong things.’ The Christian Way involves ‘doing right things’, putting yourself out for others; drawing others in. In effect Jesus is saying to the young rich man, do the right thing, take all of your possessions, all that you have and are and use them for the good of others.
Jesus is asking us how much do you want to get to heaven? It may be respectable never to take anything away from anyone, that’s just being good. It is the Christian way to give everything to someone.
Jesus looks at the young man with love. Why? Because Jesus does love him and because He does so much, He wants the man to be everything he is called to be and to do everything he is capable of doing. Jesus looks at us the same way. He challenges us, He looks into our eyes and sees what we might be, what we could be if we accept His challenge to love others.
All disciples of Jesus are called in this Holy Year of Faith to consider their own relationship with Christ in the Church and to see in real and effective ways how that faith can become more attractive in a world that is learning what ‘life without God means:;’ to enter a desert of human experience, a void in real emotion, the confusion of irrational thought and alienation from love and truth.
The Church enters this desert in order to “rediscover the value of what is essential for living; to recognize a true thirst for God. The Church needs people of faith like you to be in the desert to look with love on those who have stalled their faith in emotion and lead them to a more mature love that involves commitment, perseverance and sacrificial joy.
It is the power and influence of the Holy Spirit that draws the Church to this moment of opening. It is here we can clarify our Creed with the knowledge and surety that these beliefs will embrace the whole person, body and soul. And, since he is a pilgrim on this earth, they will lead him always toward eternal life.
As a parish we dedicate ourselves once again to building up the faith in new ways with a new excitement and a mature zeal, given so generously to us by God, within our families and within our parish.
Meditating here at the Baptismal Font, we have come to recognize there are within our community Catholics who have abandoned the true faith, embracing other churches in order to find easy, uncommitted way to meet emotional needs. We have Catholics too who are in danger of losing their faith from a lack of perseverance in their religious practice; they have allowed material things to take precedence over the spiritual realities.
These are the challenges in King of Prussia. This holy year will be a time for us to mature and deepen the practice of our faith, and face straightforwardly these challenges, then go out, through this door, and proclaim Christ as Lord of all Life.
I say, “we,” because I cannot do this alone; I need you to walk with me, to run with me to the feet of our Lord and ask him, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
We seek on this day and in the days to come, a door to faith, a deeper faith, a converting faith, a faith rendered unto God Who looks at us with love. Catholics are increasingly vulnerable to secular and fundamentalist movements that pull us away from our relationship with God. This holy year strives to pull us together once again under the folds of the Good Shepherd.
This year will be a time to reflect more deeply on the gift of faith, by meditating at the baptismal font; by deepening our knowledge and understanding of the Catechism and the Documents of the Second Vatican Council; by reading, reflecting and praying with Scripture, by nourishing and strengthening our faith through the Holy Eucharist and finally, by becoming brighter lights to become ourselves “the door of faith” for others.
Let us go forth from this place and time; seeking God with all our hearts, knocking on the door of those who have lost their way; asking them to join us in Sunday worship so together we can find once again the unity for which we long and the communion He so desires.
Go out then, be a true and more mature Christian, don’t ever give the least, give the most and you will inherit eternal life.
“To Jesus Christ, our most amiable Redeemer, immortal King of peoples and of times, be love, power, and glory forever and ever. Amen” (John XXIII)
MANNA FOOD DRIVE AT MDP
Mother of Divine Providence Parish is having the yearly Manna Food Drive the first weekend in October. The Food Cupboard at Catholic Social Services is grateful for this being done at an off time — the food supply is low and the food line is twice what it has been in past months. Bags will be available at the doors of the church this weekend and should be filled with nonperishable items and returned on October 6th and 7th. As we prepare for this collection, I believe my last Alaska story that follows this information is very appropriate.
There is a wonderful little bird in Alaska called a Puffin. This bird is very unusual because it is a great diver and swimmer. The puffin has a very strong bone structure, which makes it heavy. It has to use great effort to fly, BUT, it can dive 250 feet below the surface and stay underwater for a while. Its purpose in life, besides being cute, is to chase the fish to the surface of the water so that the other birds can get food. The Puffin is definitely a “feed the hungry” bird. There is a lesson for us from this creature. He spends his entire day diving and chasing fish to the surface so that other birds may eat. He is a great swimmer; he seems to glide in the water with such ease. We saw this in the wild on our cruise on Resurrection Bay and at the Sea Life Center in Seward. There is a special section for sea birds and we could actually see them dive and catch the fish in the big glass tank at the center. I could have watched all day –amazing! What does this Puffin teach us? What kind of time do we spend helping others? Are we willing to give of ourselves at any cost? Let’s take the example of this Puffin and help feed the hungry by our participation in the Manna Food Collection next weekend. Thank you for your support.