June: Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 🙏🕊❤️

A couple of years ago, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, my brother deacons and I did a series called "Catholic Teachings by the Deacon."

I did an episode on "The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Family." It was my very first episode/teaching and I really enjoyed. I also the "9 First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus," which you can find here: https://www.americaneedsfatima.org/prayers/the-nine-first-friday-devotion.

I invite you to click on the #YouTube link below to watch the episode. and learn more about the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

https://www.youtube.com/live/hK7eZw_wzuc?feature=share

Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: 16th Anniversary Edition

May is always a fun month for my wife and I as we celebrate when we first became a couple (back in 1999) and when we got married (back in 2007). The former is at the beginning of May; the latter at the end of May. Therefore, we celebrate the entire month of May (which also happens to the the month devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother's Day).

Last year, I had a jury trial setting in May so we did not celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary like we wanted; although, we did enjoy a nice dinner at the Melting Pot (https://www.meltingpot.com/austin-northwest-tx/) after the jury trial was over. This year, I had two trial settings (one in April and one in May). The one in April settled so we celebrated 24 years of relationship at Crú Food & Wine Bar. Then, the one in May got moved to September so we celebrated 16 years of marriage at Perry's Steakhouse and Grille. As you can see below, we also celebrated some in between. . .

Crú Food & Wine Bar (https://cruwinebar.com/domain/)

This is our first time to Crú Food & Wine Bar and we really enjoyed our experience. We ordered the Wagyu Meatballs, Lobster & Shrimp Potstickers, Goat Cheese Beignet, and the Chocolate Fondue for Two, as well as the "flight" of wine sampler. The food was excellent! The wine was good, although Theresa does not like red wine much, so I got to enjoy some of hers. We particularly enjoyed the goat cheese beignet.

Soupleaf Hot Pot (https://www.soupleafhotpot.com/)

Theresa had been waiting to try Soupleaf Hot Pot and we finally got our chance after they were done with their soft-opening. As you can see from the pictures below, we needed a bigger table! She got the Tonkotsu broth while I went with the Shitake broth. Of course, we sampled both broth and they were delicious - very flavorful! In addition to the items at the bar - the veggies, mussels, dipping sauces, etc. - we also ordered scallops, pork belly, and angus rib-eye. They were all delicious because we both agreed that the pork belly is better with Korean BBQ than hot pot.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille (https://perryssteakhouse.com/locations/tx/austin/downtown/)

I have been wanting to take Theresa for Perry's Pork Chop Friday Lunch Special for the longest time and we finally got our chance when our anniversary date landed on a Friday this year. We shared a wedged salad so leave room for the main course and the pork chop did not disappoint. Theresa enjoyed it and had enough leftovers for a meal that weekend. It was delicious still!

Bear King Brewery (https://bearkingbrewing.com/)

The last time we were in Marble Falls, we visited Save the World Brewery (https://savetheworldbrewing.square.site/). This time around, we decided to go to Bear King Brewery because we heard the food is excellent. We both got burgers. I got The Legendary One and Theresa got the The Farmer's Cut. They were amazing! Of course, I had to try their beer. I really enjoyed the light, fruity taste of the Hazy Hills - Hazy Pale Ale. It was a great dining experience, for sure!

Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar (https://hookreel.com/location/austin/)

Finally, Theresa had a gift card to Hook & Reel and have been waiting to take me there to try the boils so we did! We mix & match our own in spicy garlic butter and clams, lobster tail, and crawfish were delicious! We also had their oysters on a half-shelf. It was certainly a fun dining experience for us!

. . .

Other Ngon Quá Foodie blogs:

• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Plank https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-plank.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: JINYA Ramen https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-jinya-ramen.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Maxine's Gumbo House https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-maxines.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: 16th Anniversary Edition https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/05/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-16th-anniversary.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Deckhand Oyster Bar (Round Rock) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/04/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-deckhand-oyster.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Sushi Koen (Round Rock) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/07/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-sushi-koen-round.html

Dcn. Phúc's Reflections & Notes for "Catechism in a Year" (Days 31 - 40)

Day 31 (CCC 222 - 231): These are the implications of faith in one God, meaning these ought to be our response to God's revelation to and love for us. First, know God's greatness and majesty because He is the Creator of all things around us. Second, live in thanksgiving because, out of His abundant love for us, He sustains us each and every day. Third, know the unity and true dignity of all man because our true identity rests in us being beloved sons and daughters of the Father and not what the world says about us. Fourth, make good use of created things because everything we have is a gift from God, which He graciously gives to us as; we are stewards of these gifts. Last of all, trust God in every circumstance, even in adversity, because we know that God is good and His plan is for our well-being and not for our woe.

Day 32 (CCC 232 - 237): When we do the sign of the cross, we say in the "name", not "names", because we believe in one God, who is Three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - One God. The Holy Trinity is the central belief of our Christian faith and, although God reveals Himself to us in the Second Person of the Trinity - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - He is still a Mystery to us. Saint Augustine said, "If I understood him, it would not be God."

I love this analogy in CCC 236: "God's works revel who he is in himself; the mystery of his inmost being enlightens our understanding of all his works. So it is, analogously, among human persons. A person discloses himself in his actions; and the better we know a person, the better we understand his actions."

Day 33 (CCC 238 - 242): God is Father because He creates outside of Himself; He creates the world out of nothing. (While a mother creates inside herself.) However, God's tenderness and intimacy is like that of a mother. Therefore, the first representatives of God is father and mother but, human fathers and mothers are fallible. In that way, it is important to remember that "no one is father as God is Father" (CCC 239).

Something very important for us to consider is, God is the standard of fatherhood and motherhood, not the other way around. I know several people who cannot see God as a loving Father because their biological, earthly father was/is not a nurturing and loving Father. Therefore, they project their image of what a father is from their own experience on God the Father.

Finally, a simple understanding of the Trinity - three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) - is that they are God (recall that we say in the "name", not "names"). When we pray to the Father, all three Persons come to our aide. In other words, they are a "three-fer" of love and communion. 

Day 34 (CCC 243 - 248): The Holy Spirit is revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father. The eternal original of the Holy Spirit is revealed in his mission in time (CCC 243). The Father reveals Himself in the Old Testament. The Son reveals Himself in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit reveals Himself in the age of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. The Holy Spirit comes forth from the Father and the Son and this is one of the causes of contention and schism between the Latin Church and the Orthodox Church.

Day 35 (CCC 249 - 252): All Christians are baptized in the Trinitarian formula. Jesus tells us to go forth, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul has a similar Trinitarian greeting in his epistles. The Church has biblical language, as well as philosophical language, to help articulate the dogma on the Trinity. However, as Pope Paul VI said about the Mystery of the Trinity: "infinitely beyond all that we can humanly understand." The infinite knowledge of God cannot fit into our finite, limited mind; however, we continue to learn and growth in faith while at the same time, trusting in God's wisdom and the Truth that He has revealed to us.

Day 36 (CCC 253 - 256): Three points on the dogma of the Holy Trinity: (1) the Trinity is One; (2) the divine persons are really distinct from one another; and (3) the divine persons are relative to one another. God is not one monolithic god in three modes but One God and Three Distinct Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is no ranking each Person of the Trinity. We often think: the Father begets the Son and the Son sends the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit directs us to the Son and the Son reveals the Father to us. Yet all of this is from eternity and beyond our ability to full grasp: a Mystery. This is why, preaching on Holy Trinity Sunday can be quite precarious as the clergy tries not to be heretics. LOL

Day 37 (CCC 257 - 260): We call the Father the Creator, the Son the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier because they each bring something unique. Yet, the Trinity acts as One and have one mission, the "common work" of the "three divine persons."

Here is the beautiful prayer of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (CCC 26):

"O my God, whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest. May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action."

Day 38 (CCC 261 - 267): Today is the "In Brief", which is the summary of CCC 232 to 260. Here is a link to the Athanasian Creed: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/teachings/athanasian-creed-209. There is a little bit about the Athanasian Creed: https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/athanasian-creed. CCC 261 reminds us that the Mystery of the Holy Trinity is the most important mystery of Christian belief.

Day 39 (CCC 268 - 278): This quote from the Roman Catechism (CCC 274), I think, is important for us not only to understanding but meditate on and take to heart:

"Nothing is more apt to confirm our faith and hope than holding it fixed in our minds that nothing is impossible with God. Once our reason has grasped the idea of God's almighty power, it will easily and without any hesitation admit everything that [the Creed] will afterwards propose for us to believe - even if they be great and marvelous things, far above the ordinary laws of nature."

God does not remove suffering and pain in the world; He redeems it so as to help us grow closer in our relationship with Him, trusting in His love and mercy for us.

Day 40 (CCC 279 - 284): Our scientists discover wondrous things about our world - from the atomic level to the cosmic level. Yet, these "discoveries invite us to even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him thanks for all his works and for the understanding and wisdom he gives to scholars and researchers" (CCC 283). This world that we live in is not an accident, not by chance, because there would not be freewill - we do not have right or wrong, only preference or utility, which can only exist when there is freewill. We need God to know what evil is because without God, there is no good - just preference, utility, and chance. Therefore, God created this world on purpose and for a purpose. We are called to explore God, His Creation, why we are here, and what is our purpose.

Lesson from Gus Busbi

Tom spoke slowly and clearly. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, they kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread - and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us -"

Gus didn't hear the rest of the prayer. It was as if he had lost his hearing, and the silence was louder. Gus had recited that prayer Christ gave His people thousands of times in his life and had never heard what he had just heard. (Sano, 155-156).

. . .

This was one of my favorite parts in the novel, Gus Busbi, written by Catholic author Jim Sano. It was a climatic, "a-ha" moment for the main character, Gus Busbi, that changed that helped him to realize why he could not return to Mass: unforgiveness in his heart. And it was Fr. Tom who, in leading the recitation of the Lord's Prayer, helped Gus to realize this about himself. As I read the sentences above, I thought of two things: (1) God has creative ways of making us realize something about ourselves - good and bad, and (2) God puts others in our lives to convey His message to us and help us to help us heal and become the best version of ourselves.

Even more so, this helped me to understand (one again) the importance and power of prayer in our lives. When we pray, we encounter God, we enter to a conversation with Him (although for us, it seems like we are the only ones doing the talking), and, in His wisdom and out of love and mercy for us, our Father in heaven answers our prayers - in His own time and according to His will (not ours) and it is perfect as He is perfect. We just have to trust in Him, which can be hard for us because we can be blinded by what we are going through at that time and the emotions and feelings that come with our struggles. 

Lesson from Doc Brown

I recently read this blog that was posted on the Exodus90 web-site (see link below) and it reminded me of a quote from another cinematic classic - "Back to the Future" - when Doc Brown says to Marty McFly: "Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one."

I am sure I have shared this before but, with the grace of God, we can overcome our past and make our present and future the best it can be. My wife and I work with couples who are preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony in the Catholic Church. We come to us in various stages of their faith journey - from devout Catholics to non-practicing, cultural Catholics to those who do not believe in faith and religion. However, I remind them that they are going through the marriage preparation process in the Church for a reason, especially the Catholic in the relationship. The seed of faith was planted in them a long time go and now it is up to them, not their parents, grandparents, godparents, etc., to nurture and grow that seed of faith.

As children and teenagers, most of them went to Mass because of their parents or grandparents. Many take ownership of their faith but some just go through the motions of going to Mass and, as soon as they are off on their own (mainly in their college years), they leave the practice of their faith in the rear-view mirror as they drive themselves on the path to careers and the exploration the world around them. However, as they prepare to get married and start their own family, God calls them back to Him. Now, regardless of what happened early on in their life and their family of origin, they have the opportunity to shape their family how they desire. In other words, they are now responsible for themselves, their faith, and their response to God. Just like what Doc Brown says, "Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one," and the key part of that is faith, which gives us hope, and moves us to love as God loves.

Here is the link tot the Exodus90 blog that I mentioned above: https://exodus90.com/blog/the-gladiator-and-my-dad/

Homily for Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter (Year A - 5/25/2023)

Good morning. In today’s Gospel, we have the conclusion of the beautiful prayer that Christ says to his Father in heaven. I would invite you all to read and meditate on this prayer of Christ; it can be found in John, chapter 17. In my homily yesterday, I said that in the same way that God sent His Son into the world and he gave of himself for us, Jesus sends us into the world and calls us to give of ourselves for Him and for each other. Well, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us one of the ways that we can “give of ourselves”, saying: “I pray not only for these [here, Christ is talking about his disciples and us], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us. . .”

This is the mission that Jesus gives each of us at our Baptism and Confirmation, to go and make disciples of all nations, to spread the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through our words and actions, and to bring others to Christ so that they may be grafted to his Mystical Body. This is the mission of the Catholic Church, of which we are the many parts of the One Body with Jesus as the head. We all have a part to play in the unfolding drama of our salvation history. It is a daunting calling, no doubt about it. Sometimes it is easier to acquiesce to the prevailing winds of the current culture and societal norms. However, just like the disciples in their time, we are called to be counter-cultural in our time. As I said yesterday, we are in this world but we are not of this world. The world will hate us but know that the world also hates Jesus so “take courage”, Jesus tells us, just as he told Saint Paul in the first reading.

So what is the message that Jesus wants us to convey to the world? We can find the answers in Jesus’ prayer to the Father. Let us take a moment to reflect on them. First, Jesus wants us to tell others that they are a gift to him, that they are never so lost to him that he cannot find them no matter how far they have strayed from the path. Second, Jesus wants us to tell others that their Lord and God wants them to know of His love for them and that He desires to come and make his dwelling in their hearts. Third and last, through our words and actions, Jesus wants others to believe in him so that he may be in them. This means that through our words and actions, and how we live our lives, when others look at us, they do not see us but, rather, they see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because we are called to be imitators of Christ in all that we say and do. And if we do it right, Jesus will stand by us and say to us, “Take courage”, and send us to bear witness in the “Rome” of our present age so that we may glorify God before others.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:

"I pray not only for these,

but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

so that they may all be one,

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

that the world may believe that you sent me.

And I have given them the glory you gave me,

so that they may be one, as we are one,

I in them and you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,

that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Father, they are your gift to me.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me,

that they may see my glory that you gave me,

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,

but I know you, and they know that you sent me.

I made known to them your name and I will make it known,

that the love with which you loved me

may be in them and I in them."

Complete Easter Homily Series on the Spiritual Works of Mercy 2023

From Saint Albert the Great's web-page on the Spiritual Works of Mercy Homily Series:

A Blessed Easter to you! Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit! Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! This traditional Easter Greeting in Latin is a reminder that today we truly celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. During the Season of Lent we strove to grow in the seven corporal works of mercy that bring relief to the misery that can affect the body. The Lenten practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer helped us to grow in these corporal works of mercy. During the Easter Season we will be focusing on the spiritual works of mercy to pray for the living and the dead, to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, to admonish sinners, to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive offences willingly, to comfort the afflicted, and to pray for the living and the dead. These help to alleviate the misery that can affect the mind and spirit.

We begin this new message series by focusing on the spiritual work of mercy to pray for the living and the dead. Today we renew our baptismal promises and remind ourselves of the promises that God made to us at our Baptism and the promises that we made or were made on our behalf to God when we were baptized. Baptism is when we receive our identity as God's beloved sons and daughters in whom God is well pleased. Many times people ask how Catholics can commit themselves to accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior when they are baptized as infants or children. Every year Catholics join together on Easter to recommit themselves to Christ and remember who we are as God's daughters and sons. This is one of the most powerful ways each year that we can pray for the living.

In this weekend’s Gospel, we hear how Mary Magdalene went to Jesus tomb to pray for him. She gives us a beautiful witness of praying for the dead by remembering that we can go to cemeteries and pray for the dead. Every Easter, I intentionally pray Eucharistic Prayer I in masses I celebrate because of how it offers more opportunities to pray for the living and the dead than any other Eucharistic Prayer. The Eucharistic Prayer is the prayer we pray in mass from after the Holy, Holy until the Great Amen. I encourage you during the moments when I am silent during the Eucharistic prayer to pray for your own living and deceased loved ones.

It is a blessing to serve as your shepherd here at St. Albert the Great and know that I, the deacons and parish staff wish you all a Blessed Easter as we seek to pray for the living and the dead!

Fr. Charlie

Easter Sunday: Praying for the living and the dead
Readings: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9

Podcast (Fr. Charlie Garza): https://saintalbert.podbean.com/e/fr-charlie-garza-1000-am-mass-homily-english-1681161475/

Second Sunday of Easter: Forgive offenses
Readings: Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pt 1:3-9; Jn 20:19-31

Podcast (Fr. Charlie Garza): https://saintalbert.podbean.com/e/fr-charlie-garza-1000-am-mass-homily-english-1681795626/

Third Sunday of Easter: Bear wrongs patiently
Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33; 1 Pt 1:17-21; Lk 24:13-35

Podcast (Fr. Charlie Garza): https://saintalbert.podbean.com/e/fr-charlie-garza-500-pm-mass-homily-english-1682368887/

Fourth Sunday of Easter: Admonish Sinners

Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36-41; 1 Pt 2:20b-25; Jn 10:1-10

Deacon Preaching Weekend

Fifth Sunday of Easter: Counsel the Doubtful
Readings: Acts 6:1-7; 1 Pt 2:4-9; Jn 14:1-12

Podcast (Fr. Charlie Garza): https://saintalbert.podbean.com/e/father-charlie-garza-1000-am-mass-homily-english-1683583039/

Sixth Sunday of Easter: Comfort the afflicted
Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; 1 Pt 3:15-18; Jn 14:15-21

Podcast (Fr. Charlie Garza): https://saintalbert.podbean.com/e/fr-charlie-garza-500-pm-mass-homily-english-1684255483/

Seventh Sunday of Easter (The Ascension of the Lord): Instruct the Ignorant
Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Mt 28:16-20

Podcast (Fr. Charlie Garza): https://saintalbert.podbean.com/e/fr-charlie-garza-1000-am-mass-homily-english-1684707442/

Socrates and the Test of the Three Sieves

In Ancient Greece, Socrates had a great reputation of wisdom. One day, someone came to find the great philosopher and said to him:

- Do you know what I just heard about your friend?

- A moment, replied Socrates. Before you tell me, I would like to test you the three sieves.

- The three sieves?

- Yes, continued Socrates. Before telling anything about the others, it's good to take the time to filter what you mean. I call it the test of the three sieves. The first sieve is the TRUTH. Have you checked if what you're going to tell me is true?

- No, I just heard it.

- Very good! So, you don't know if it's true. We continue with the second sieve, that of KINDNESS. What you want to tell me about my friend, is it good?

- Oh, no! On the contrary.

- So, questioned Socrates, you want to tell me bad things about him and you're not even sure they're true? Maybe you can still pass the test of the third sieve, that of UTILITY. Is it useful that I know what you're going to tell me about this friend?

- No, really.

- So, concluded Socrates, what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful. Why, then, did you want to tell me this?

"Gossip is a bad thing. In the beginning it may seem enjoyable and fun, but in the end, it fills our hearts with bitterness and poisons us, too!

Pope Francis

Homily for Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter (Year A - 5/24/2023)

Good morning. Today’s Gospel is the continuation of a beautiful prayer that Christ says to his Father in heaven. As you may recall from yesterday’s Gospel, we heard Jesus pray for “those whom [the Father] gave [him] out of the world” and in whom he has been glorified (John 17:6, 9-10). Of course, we know that our Lord is talking about the disciples who were with him doing his public ministry. The disciples who he protected and guarded in the name of his heavenly Father, and he lost none of them except the “son of destruction”, because he desires for them to “be one just as [he and his Father] are one.”

More importantly for us, because God transcends space and time, Christ is also talking about all of us here and now - 2,000 years after our Lord and Savior ascended into heaven. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once said that “‘Ascension’ does not mean a departure into some remote region of the cosmos but, rather, the continuing closeness that the disciples experience so strongly that it becomes a source of lasting joy. Now, through his power over space, Jesus is present and accessible to all - throughout history and in every place” (retrieved on 5/23/2023 at Aleteia.org). Moreover, Saint Leo the Great puts it beautifully when he said that “our Redeemer’s visible presence has passed into the sacraments. Our faith is nobler and stronger because sight has been replaced by a doctrine whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, enlightened from on high” (Office of Readings, Ascension of the Lord. 5/18/2023).

My sisters and brothers in Christ, in the waters of Baptism and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we become adopted sons and daughters of our Father in heaven, who gives us to His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, out of the world. This should fill us with much joy and gladness because this means that we are chosen. This means that we are loved. Christ is glorified in us because he “acquired us with his own Blood” as he hung on the Cross. God delights in us and desires us to be one just as He and the Son are one. If that does not cause our hearts to overflow with faith, hope, and love for having been chosen out of the world, then let us listen to what Jesus has to say about us in today’s Gospel: “They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”

We are in this world but we are not of this world because we are meant to be with Jesus in heaven. But here we are, fellow sojourners on this pilgrimage in life with hearts yearning for eternal life. Let us therefore consecrate ourselves to the truth. The word of God is truth. And these are his words that lead to salvation: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In the same way that God sent His Son into the world and he gave of himself for us, Jesus sends us into the world and calls us to give of ourselves for Him and for each other.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:

“Holy Father, keep them in your name

that you have given me,

so that they may be one just as we are one.

When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,

and I guarded them, and none of them was lost

except the son of destruction,

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

But now I am coming to you.

I speak this in the world

so that they may share my joy completely.

I gave them your word, and the world hated them,

because they do not belong to the world

any more than I belong to the world.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world

but that you keep them from the Evil One.

They do not belong to the world

any more than I belong to the world.

Consecrate them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world,

so I sent them into the world.

And I consecrate myself for them,

so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Listen to podcast here: https://phucphan.podbean.com/e/homily-for-the-wednesday-of-the-seventh-week-of-easter-5242023/

Prayer for Mother's Day (5/14/2023)

My prayer for all mothers. . . 🙏🕊❤️

Our Father in heaven, in your compassion and wisdom, You give us mothers to help us understand Your love for us. A love that is self-giving, self-sacrificing, forgiving, and joyful all in the service of another. A love that fills families and homes with warmth, kindness, care, and tenderness. Fill the hearts of all moms with your peace, remove any anxieties they have, protect them, and help them to turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for her intercession and guidance. We entrust the care of all moms to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer. Amen. 🙏🕊❤️

Rough week? Go to Mass.

Last week was one of those challenging weeks. I will not get into the details of why it was challenging but I will say that I attended 6:30 Mass at Saint Mary Cathedral only once the entire week. By the time Friday rolled around, I wanted to "veg" the entire weekend but I had several things on schedule at Saint Albert the Great Catholic Church on Saturday and Sunday.

It started with Family Fiat with Mary on Saturday morning with Adoration and Holy Hour at 8:30 followed by Mass. While I did not want to wake up on Saturday morning, I did got up any way. And as I set up for Adoration - putting the monstrance on the corporal on the altar, lighting the candelabras, and getting vested in my amice, alb, cincture, and Marian stole with a cope and humeral veil - the stress and anxiety of the week faded away. As I chanted O Salutaris, after having placed our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the monstrance,  I heard an angelic voice behind me lift up our voices to heaven. I led the adorers in prayer and then we prayed Morning Prayer - the prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours. We all lifted our prayers up to our Father in heaven, trusting in His eternal wisdom, the depth of His compassion, His love, divine, mercy, and forgiveness. May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and that inspired me to pray the Litany of Loreto. Then, during Mass, as the parents and children came up to receive Holy Communion, I saw a mom walk up to Father with her child in her arms and the little child had her little finger in her mom's mouth. I smiled and my heart was filled with joy.

Then, later in the day, I served at the 5:00 Vigil Mass. I had already vested and was preparing myself for Mass when our RE director came into the sacristy and asked me to follow him. He wanted the young girls who were receiving their First Holy Communion at Mass to see me and know who I am because they would be following me in the procession at the beginning of Mass. When I saw the seven (7) little girls, my heart was filled with joy once again. One of the girls said, "I know him." I congratulated them on their sacramental milestone and asked how they felt. The same little girl said she was nervous. I assured her that there is nothing for her to worry about and I gave each of them high-fives. They and the boys did fantastic and were so adorable that all of the EMHCs waited and watched them receive First Holy Communion before they started to distribute to the congregation.

As I set up the altar for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, gave Father the bread and the chalice with wine and water, I was reminded once again of the great honor and privilege for me to serve at the altar as a deacon in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was there to serve those who are receiving the Bread of Life and the Chalice of salvation for the first, the last time, and everyone in between. I thought of my sweet goddaugther and how I got to serve at her First Holy Communion Mass and watch her receive the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time on May 14th, 2022. It was a blessed moment and, for me personally, I was so proud of her (and still am).

The tiredness, stress, and anxiety of the work week dissipated as soon as I let go, freed my mind, and allowed myself to be in the loving and nurturing presence of God. It is true what Fr. Charlie said in his homily that one time. When we are tired, worn out, and beatdown by the world. . . SERVE. Serve God. Serve our neighbors. Love God and know that He will grant us His peace in the midst of worldliness.