Fr. Marcel Guarnizo’s Response to the Eucharistic Incident

I would like to begin by once again sending my condolences to the Johnson family on the death of Mrs. Loetta Johnson.
I also feel obliged to answer questions from my parishioners, as well as from the public, about the incident on February 25th.
Here are the facts: On Saturday February 25th I showed up to officiate at a funeral Mass for Mrs. Loetta Johnson. The arrangements for the Mass were also not my own. I wish to clarify that Ms. Barbara Johnson (the woman who has since complained to the press), has never been a parishioner of mine. In fact I had never met her or her family until that morning.

You can read the rest of Father Marcel Guarnizo statement here

Mother Angelica Classics - On Conscience

Sunday Night Prime - Father Groeschel's Guest Father Michael Gaitley, MIC

One of the books I am reading this Lent is Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Father Michael Gaitley, MIC. It is a beautiful book and a beautiful "do it yourself" spiritual retreat. Father has a new book 33 Days to Morning Glory.

Letting God be in Charge

The following is from the meditation of the day in today's Magnificat reading. It gives us much to contemplate.

Jesus, I trust in You!

Let us imagine our confusion when we appear before God and understand the reasons why He sent us the crosses we accept so unwillingly. The death of a child will then be seen as its rescue from some great evil had it lived, separation from the woman you love the means of saving you from an unhappy marriage, a severe illness the reason for many years of life afterwards, loss of money the means of saving your soul from eternal loss. So what are we worried about? God is looking after us and yet we are full of anxiety! We trust ourselves to a doctor because we suppose he knows his business. He orders an operation which involves cutting away part of our body and we accept it. We are grateful to him and pay him a large fee because we judge he would not act as he does unless the remedy were necessary, and we must rely on his skill. Yet, we are unwilling to treat God in the same way! It looks as if we do not trust His wisdom and are afraid He cannot do His job properly. We allow ourselves to be operated on by a man who may easily make a mistake- a mistake which may cost us our life and protest when God sets to work on us.

If we could see all He sees we would unhesitatingly wish all He wishes. We would beg Him on bended knees for those afflictions we now ask Him to spare us. To all of us He addresses the words spoken to the sons of Zebedee: You know not what you ask - O blind of heart, your ignorance saddens me. Let me manage your affairs and look after your interests. I know what you need better than you do yourselves. If I paid heed to what you think you need you would have been hopelessly ruined long ago. - St. Claude de Colombiere, spiritual director of St. Mary Margaret Alacoque.

SILENCE IS INDISPENSABLE FOR PRAYER

...the Pope explained that the first of these aspects "concerns accepting the Word of God. Interior and exterior silence are necessary in order to hear that Word", he said. Yet, "our age does not, in fact, favour reflection and contemplation; quite the contrary it seems that people are afraid to detach themselves, even for an instant, from the spate of words and images which mark and fill our days"...

You can read the entire article here at VIS.

A FAMILY LESSON FROM THE RATZINGERS

Speaking with Monsignor Georg Ratzinger revealed to Michael Hesemann two critical convictions: There is a family secret that explains something of the impressive trajectory lived by the two Ratzinger sons; and divine providence laid the foundations for Joseph's path to the See of Peter before he was even born.

Read the rest of the Zenit article here


Also read The EXCERPT FROM "MY BROTHER THE POPE"

A Muslim's Remarkable Conversion to Catholicism

The fascinating autobiography of Muhammad Moussaoui, who narrates his conversion from Islam to Catholicism, shows miracles of grace and of human correspondence, on the one hand, and on the other hand the terrible harshness of Islamic mentality and persecution of Christians. The book’s title, The Price to Pay, summarizes well what this elite soul had to go through in order to be faithful to the call of grace. After his conversion, he took the name Joseph Fadelle.

You can read the rest here

The Kiss of Christ

Lo, there He hangs
dying figure pinned
against the wood.
God, grant that I might
love Him.
even as I should.

I draw a little closer to
share His love divine,
and I softly hear Him
whisper,

"O foolish child of Mine,
if now I should embrace
you,
My hands would stain
you red,
and if I bent to kiss you,
My thorns would
pierce your head."
'Twas then I learned in
meekness
That love demands a
price;
'Twas then I knew that
sorrow was just
The Kiss of Christ.

- from a prayer card

The Children of Hiroshima - Award Winning Film

A Story of a Son's Call to the Priesthood

Father Ed Sousa, Jr.

The other day I asked my friend Ed of In God's Company 2 what his wife's secret in having a priest for a son. Ed graciously shared the following with me. I do have his permission to share this with you.

When Eddie was a young boy he was very prayerful and he had great love and devotion to our Blessed Mother. We could see there was something special about that, especially for a child his age. We didn't pray for Eddie to become a priest but what we did do is to say to Our Lord, " That if He was calling Eddie to become a priest someday that it was fine with us. We gave the Lord permission to do whatever He thought was best for him.
Our prayer was that His Will would be forfilled in Eddie. So that is Donna's secret and mind.

Eddie never told us that he had any thoughts or intension's of becoming a priest. We suggested to him once or twice through the years that the Lord might be calling him to the priesthood, but he just disregarded that. He said he had other plans for his life. He wanted to become a Chef.

Then one night he said to us that he wanted to go and study for the priesthood.
Wow! We were full of joy.

Isn't that just beautiful!!

Ed went even further and shared Father Ed Jr's own words to what called him to the priesthood:

" Testimony of Fr. Edward A. Sousa "

"Come follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt. 4:19). When I was a teenager, I could remember hearing this saying of Jesus read at Mass, but never did its importance actually affect me in my life, until I turned the age of twenty-six. I would say that I began to experience a turning point to respond generously to this call.

When I was a child, up to my teenage years and into my early adulthood, I had no desire whatsoever to become a priest. In fact, I remember sitting in a Career Day lecture in high school with an image in my mind of an ideal planned life for myself. I would go to college, get a good education, earn a decent amount of money, get married, have a family of my own, eventually become a grandfather and,finally,enjoy retirement in my old age.

So, what happened to me between the years of my childhood into early adulthood?

Well, my desire to follow my set plan in life grew stronger and I had a set goal of getting a good education in the field that interest me. I developed an interest in culinary arts and decided in my senior year that I wanted to become a professional chef. Therefore, upon graduating, I enrolled at Johnson & Wales University. Two years later I graduated with an Associate of Occupational Science degree in culinary arts and I was what you would call a "professional chef."

I made decent money and was happy. All during this time I was what you would call the "average" Catholic. I went to church every Sunday, although many times half-heartedly, and was doing the best I could to be faithful to my beliefs. I was always a person with much joy, and had a wonderful family. I also dated off and on, and I had many friends.

However, I felt that there was still something missing. I was searching and looking for a meaning to my life. I began to figure out that the things of the world could not provide me with this so called "purpose" and "meaning" in life. I realized that maybe it was only God that could truly provide me with what I was looking for.

I slowly developed a desire to pray the Rosary. I always had a devotion to the Blessed Mother. The more I prayed, I felt my love and relationship to Jesus growing. I started to understand what many great saints throughout the Catholic Church have said for centuries. The main purpose of our love for the Blessed Mother is, "to lead us closer to her Son Jesus, for the good of our salvation."

I found myself paying more attention to the Holy Mass, feeling a hunger for God's Word, and remembering the bible readings. I was going to confession more frequently. In my spare time, I went to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament rather than going out with my friends.

I began to get involved in church through the generosity of my current pastor, Father Reinaldo Cardoso, in all area of the parish life. My mother asked me, "Have you ever thought about priesthood?" The question caught me off guard. I tried to avoid the question with nervous laughs, but I began to realize things were changing in my life and it would only be a matter of time. I spent time asking myself, "Why would God be calling me?" I was not sure if God was truly calling me.

It was May of 1995, during a special holy hour at my parish, that I met a young visiting priest from East Timor. He asked me, "Have you ever thought about priesthood?"

I felt a moment of grace and the question hit me like a "ton of bricks." This time I did not shrug it off. It was then that I met with Father Cardoso, and told him my thoughts.

My parents were not surprised and were extremely happy with my desire to follow Christ in the priesthood. In August of 1995, I left my paying job and in September I entered the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence. I enrolled in Providence College and began the first two-year program.
I can find no way to measure the tremendous experience I have had in the course of spiritual formation.
.
In the summer of 1996, I traveled to a popular Marian shrine at Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. During my visit, I met a married couple, Patrick and Nancy Latta, who were originally from Canada and now living in Medjugorje.

I told Nancy that I found my seminarian life very difficult and at times, I felt like giving it all up. Without hesitation, she looked at me straight in the eyes and said to me, "Edward, always remember one thing. God does not want you to do great things, but to do simple things with great love." I felt at that moment, God's infinite mercy and grace. From that day forward, to this present day, I have never again looked back in God's calling to the priesthood."

It is very important to plant the seed of a priestly vocation in our boys and young men. As you read above Father Ed's mom and a young visiting priest asked him if he ever considered being a priest. Of course, they need to be called to the priesthood. But we can only imagine how many men have been called to the priesthood, but they weren't aware of it.

Please pray for more vocations to the priesthood and please pose the same question to the young men you meet "have you ever considered a call to the priesthood?