Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Knights of Columbus Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (3/25/2024)

Worthy Chapter President and Brother Knights,

I thank you for your service to the Holy Mother Church, the Diocese of Austin, and the faithful people of God. Most of all, I thank you for your witness to values that we hold hear - charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism - as brother Knights and behind faithful leaders of your families. In the immortal words of Maximus Decimus Meridius (from the "Gladiator" movie): "What we do in life echoes in eternity"; but I would also add - "forms the minds and hearts of the next generation of faithful Catholics."

In the Passion narrative that we hear on Palm Sunday, Jesus said this of Mary's action as she anointed him with perfumed oil: "Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." And while our actions might not be remembered in books, they will have an impact on on children, grandchildren, and those who look up to us as role models for authentic masculinity. With this in mind, I share with you my reflection for Holy Week and our role as Catholic gentlemen.

On Palm Sunday, this version from the Passion narrative struck me:

Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.” He broke down and wept.

There is no doubt that we will fail and fall in life, especially in our relationship with Jesus, our families, and those close to us. The important this is, how do we respond? How do we go from there? Peter failed Jesus. He realized it. He wept because it broke him. However, through faith, Peter return to Christ and sought forgiveness. Jesus not only forgave Peter but affirmed Peter's role in the future of the Church - the "rock" upon which Christ built his Church. Peter is the prodigal son who came to his sense and returns to the Father. Jesus restores Peter's dignity as a beloved son and returns him to his proper status. Let us be like Peter and the courage to ask God for forgiveness and remain faithful to Christ.

At the Chrism Mass, Bishop Joe Vasquez called his brother priests "sons", for indeed he is a spiritual father to them (and all of us) as the shepherd of the Diocese of Austin. It was wonderful to see so many students for the different Catholic schools in the Diocese in attendance at the Mass. I know that some of them, if not all of them, were moved by the sheer beauty and majesty of the Mass, and the Knights had a role in all of it. This is a reminder for us men to share the beauty and majesty of the Mass with our children and grandchildren. When I attend Mass in Houston with my goddaughter and her family, her younger brother just recently has been moving down the pew to sit next to him. While he may get a little distracted during Mass (as most young children do), I make it a point to direct his attention to what is happening at the Altar. Therefore, let us embrace these teaching moments that God has blessed us with and share with our families the beauty and majesty of the Mass, where heaven and earth embrace.

On Holy Thursday of the Lord's Supper, Jesus gave us the Eucharist and the priesthood. In the Eucharist, Jesus keeps his promise to be with us always, until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The priesthood and Eucharist are eternally connected. Without the priesthood, there is no Eucharist. Without the Eucharist, there is no priesthood because it loses its source, purpose, and meaning, which is our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ. In the washing of feet, Jesus leaves us a model to love and serve God and love and serve others, and we do that through vocations in the Church - of particular importance is the priesthood. We are the hands and feet of Christ in the world today and his Sacred Heart guides us our minds and actions. Therefore, let us lift up our priests in whatever way Jesus is calling us to support our priests. Let us also nourish and inspire vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious in our families. We do this through a firm belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and help our children and grandchildren to understand this in their hearts and minds.

On Good Friday of the Lord's Passion, we venerate the Cross - "We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You. Because by your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world." The Cross is a stumbling block for many; let is not be a stumbling block for us. Rather, let us do as Jesus tells us: "“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Let us humble ourselves because our Lord and our God humbled Himself for our redemption. He was obedient to death, even death on the Cross. Therefore, let us die to our old self and ways (addictions, temptations, etc.) and allowed Christ to renew us in faith, hope, and love. Then, let us lead our families to Christ each and every day, not matter the crosses that we bear because, through us, our families will know that true strength comes from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, I encourage you all to bring yourselves and your families to Mass on Holy Thursday and Good Friday service so they can experience the Sacred Triduum of our Lord's Passion for us.

Finally, the Easter Vigil - the "mother" of all liturgies in the Church. On this holy night, the Church welcomes home to Rome her newest members. As we witness these "neophytes" (or new Catholics) receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion, let us vow to pray for them and do what they can to help them feel welcome so that they may have a parish community where they can grow in their newfound Catholic faith. Council 10333 was instrumental in my faith formation when I came home to Rome at the Easter Vigil in 2008. So, once again, "What we do in life echoes in eternity" and forms the minds and hearts of the next generation of faithful Catholics. Vivat Jesus.




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Sunday, March 24, 2024

Homily for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (Year B - 3/28/2021)

Good morning. What a difference a year makes! It is so good to be able to read the Passion of the Christ narrative together once again as a community of faithful believers! There are two times in the liturgical year when we - the clergy and the laity - proclaim the Gospel, the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, together - Palm Sunday and Good Friday. And what a difference a week made for Jesus! Christ entered Jerusalem to joyful cries of “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” And then, in the Passion narrative, we meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary and walk the Way of the Cross with Jesus to Calvary where our Lord was crucified and died.

Moreover, we hear about the twelve disciples who, in their own way, showed us what NOT to do when we come face to face with trials and tribulations in our lives. You see, fear gripped their hearts but rather than stand by Jesus’ side, they turned away from him. Judas betrayed him for 30 pieces of coin. Peter denied him three times. The rest of them fled for fear of the Jews. Like their actions, our own sins trouble and distress Christ and make his soul sorrowful. Think about that for a moment. Our sins make Jesus' soul sorrowful. Our sins are the whips that scourged his flesh, the thorns that speared his head, and the lance that pierced his Sacred Heart, spilling his Most Precious Blood. 

Jesus was indeed the “lamb led to slaughter. . . a sheep silent before shearers” (Isaiah 53:7), but he did it willingly for you and me because he is God, and God is love. He loves each and every one of us with an everlasting love. Let there be no doubt about it, Jesus was fully divine and fully human and, in his humanity, he “prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass by him. . . [saying,] “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” And on the Cross, he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What heart-wrenching moments for us to reflect on and take to prayer? 

Jesus agonized over his Passion and death and yet, in complete obedience to God and out of love for us, he became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Saint Paul tells us that “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave. . . he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus calls us friends and there is no “greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). This was the purpose for which he came to this hour - for the glory of God the Father - so that we may be reconciled with the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit, becoming adopted sons and daughters, beloved children of the Father.

What about us? What is our purpose in this hour? And by “this hour”, I mean in the present moment, in the circumstances in which we find ourselves at this point in our lives but, more importantly, in our walk with Jesus Christ our Lord. It is said that Holy Week is “the week that changed the world”. Indeed, Holy Week is that and so much more because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. Yet, the deeper question for you and me is, how will Holy Week (or how has this season of Lent, for that matter) change us? Imagine if Jesus said to us, “one of you will betray me”. Can we respond to him in humility and say: “Surely it is not I?” Or if Jesus said to us, “You will have your faith shaken”. Can we, having persevered in faith through our prayer life and spirituality, respond to him with conviction, saying, “Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.” There lies our challenge because the circumstances in our lives can lead us on the path of utter hopelessness. We just experienced, in the Passion narrative, how hopelessness overwhelmed the disciples when the Jews arrested Jesus, and how he was tried, scourged, crucified, and died. Darkness consumed the world as hope seemingly faded away.

Hopelessness is one of the seven deadly wounds and it is how we, in a way, “betray” Jesus. Recall that Judas lost hope in Christ and he betrayed him. You see, when we are overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness in our lives, that often means that our faith, belief, and trust in God - in His goodness, love, mercy, forgiveness, and generosity - are shaken by the circumstances in our lives. However, hopelessness is not what God desires for us at all. Saint John Paul II reminds us of this, saying: “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery - the mystery of his Death AND Resurrection. ‘We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!’” (Angelus, 11/30/1986). Let us believe with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength that God’s divine plan for us is always for “our welfare and not for woe”, and to give us a “future of hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

We “rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer” (Romans 12:12) for the Lord is our help. The LORD is our light and our salvation; whom should we fear? The LORD is our life’s refuge; of whom should we be afraid? (Psalms 27:1). This is our story. It is a story of our Christian hope because our reason for hope is Christ. It is a hope that endures because Christ grants us his peace and, while we may face seemingly insurmountable difficulties and challenges in our lives, Jesus tells us to “take courage, [he has] conquered the world” (John 16:33). Therefore, let us recall the story of our salvation during Holy Week and, like the centurion, bear witness and testify to the world that “Truly [Jesus is] the Son of God!”

I would invite all of us, at this time, to gaze upon our crucified Lord on the Cross and allow these words from Scripture to penetrate the depths of our soul and fill our hearts with the Father’s love as we prepare for the Passion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this Holy Week. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint Albert the Great, pray for us. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.


Photos from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, 3/24/2024 (Year B), 10:00 Mass.


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Friday, March 22, 2024

Reflecting on Adoration during Lenten Penance Service (3/21/2024)

As I approached my 5th anniversary as a deacon, and in the busyness of secular work and active ministry, I am reminded of what my Diaconal Formation Directors once told me during one of my annual interviews. They emphasized the importance of feeling God's presence in my life, especially in the busyness of life. I once had a co-worker who was Jewish and, every year, he took off work to observe Yom Kippur. That got me wondering, perhaps I should take off work to observe Holy Week every year. I have not done that yet. The most I have done is take the morning of Tuesday of Holy Week to attend the Chrism Mass. My office gives us 1/2 day off on Good Friday but I have been taking that 1/2 day off to I can participate fully in Good Friday.

Since Ordination, on March 30, 2019, Holy Week has been a blessing but also hectic because work has been busy, except perhaps 2020. In 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holy Week was strange to say the least. I missed participating fully in the Sacred Triduum for the first time in years. To watch the Easter Vigil from home was very odd to me. Then in 2021, Holy Week was busy as we were preparing for an in-person jury trial in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The setting got moved from April to July so that provided some relief. Then, in 2022, we had a May jury trial setting that we were preparing for so it was another Holy Week in the "trenches" of secular work. Finally, in 2023, we had another May jury trial setting that got moved to September before the case settled before we had to pick a jury. So, three years, three jury trials, and God was with me through it all with His peace and consolation so that I can serve in ministry in the midst of the busyness of secular work.

This year, Lent has been a quiet one with my secular work compared to the past 3 years. However, we do have a 2-day hearing on Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week, which we are in the full swing of preparing at this time. This brings to last night's Penance Service. It was a busy work day with preparation for a hearing so I was glad to spend the evening with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. I had the blessed opportunity to do Exposition, Adoration, Benediction, and Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament for this evening's Penance Service.

Here are some "nuggets" during my Holy (2) Hour:

1. Jesus made a claim which only God can make - "if any one keeps my word, he will never see death." St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), explains this verse from John 8:51:

"It means nothing less than he saw another death from which he came to free us - the second death, eternal death, the death of hell, the death of the damned, which is shared with the devil and his angels! This is the real death; the other kind of death is only a passage" (Tractates on the Gospel of John 43.10-11).

Dcn. Phúc: I am reminded of a story about Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She and her sisters of charity were so busy helping the poor and sick, so much so that her sisters said something about it to her. Rather than ease their prayer hours, Mother Teresa added another holy hour and that made all the difference. It is when we are so busy that we need time for prayer even more than ever, which was why the 2-hour Adoration / Holy Hour was exactly what I needed during a busy work week at the office.
. . .
2. [Hint: we are the messianic people.] "This messianic people, then, though it does not in fact embrace all mankind and often seems to be a tiny flock, is yet the enduring source of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race. It is established by Christ as a communion of life, of love and of truth; it is also used by him as an instrument for the redemption of all, and is sent out into the whole world as the light of the world and the salt of the earth." (Lumen Gentium, cited in the Office of Readings)

Dcn. Phúc: One of our good friends have a daughter that was in gymnastics and she would describe her daughter as "tiny but mighty." While those of us who follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ faithfully are smaller compared to the "nones" and "religious unaffiliated", we are mighty because God is with us. Moreover, as the quote from "Lumen Gentium" reminds us, God uses us as "an instrument for the redemption" of the whole world. That is our purpose, my sisters and brothers in Christ, to love God and love our neighbors, and through our faithfulness, do our part in helping Jesus' work of salvation.
. . .
3. Many sorrows has the wicked †
but he who trusts in the Lord, *
loving mercy surrounds him.

Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord, *
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy, *
all you upright of heart. (Psalm 32, Evening Prayer)

Dcn. Phúc: Trust and rejoice in the Lord always. We are an Easter people. People will know we are Christians by our love because God loves us first. [Read more here: https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/03/homily-for-fifth-sunday-of-lent-year.html #homily]
. . .
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Night Prayer)

Dcn. Phúc: Even in the busyness of life, I feel God's loving presence and peace but that is because of my prayer life and spirituality that I have had to continue to grow in every day. I cannot imagine going through a stressful day or facing obstacles in life without Jesus by my side. I am grateful that Christ is my companion on my journey through life. Jesus, I trust in you.
. . .
5. Lord God,
send peaceful sleep
to refresh our tired bodies.
May your help always renew us
and keep us strong in your service.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
— Amen. (Night Prayer)



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Monday, March 18, 2024

Lenten Book Study "Self Portrait" - Chapters 29, 30, 31, 32 (THE END)

Once again, I am leading a book study. This time the book is Jim Sano's novel "Self Portrait", the 3rd 4th book in the Fr. Tom series. It is a mini-book study over 4 evenings - Feb. 13th, Feb. 20th, March 5th, and March 19th - covering 8 chapters during each meeting.

To help us with our discussions, I came up with questions for us to reflect on and prepare to share during the meeting. The questions are:
  • Which character struck you the most in the chapter? Why?
  • Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?
  • Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapter? Which one? Why?
  • Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?
  • What do you find most compelling about the chapter? Why?
Below are my thoughts on chapters 29, 30, 31, 32.

Which character struck you the most in the chapters? Why?

Billy learns that being his true self is freeing, especially when he attends Mass because there is no need to hide our shame and guilt from God. He knows us better than we know ourselves and, like the woman caught in the act of committing adultery (John 8:1-11), He does not condemn us but shows us unconditional love. Moreover, in Chapter 31, Melina Green (Kenny's mom) donated her liver and kidney to Mary because of what Patrick meant to Billy and Mary but also to her son, Kenny. Moreover, Melina knew what it meant for Billy to forgive her son.

Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?

Once again, Billy because, in forgiving Kenny, he "asked Patrick what he wanted". For the rest of us, we ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?" and we try to follow that discernment to the best of our abilities. Moreover, in Chapter 30, Kenny is doing his best to turn his life around with the help of Billy and Sean. And, as Kenny says, he is giving himself a chance to make the most of his new lease life.

Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapters? Which one? Why?

In Chapter 30, we find that Mary needs a liver transplant and a kidney transplant as soon as possible. Yet, despite the odds being against her, Mary and Billy did not let it dampened their Christmas spirit. This certainly was because of the strength of their faith. Moreover, as we find out in Chapter 31, Fr. Tom has great compassion for Billy and Mary and, with the help of others, he was able to coordinate the first annual Isabella Stewart Gardner's Annual James Gerard Quinn and Patrick William Quinn fundraiser, which raised more than enough money for Mary to have her surgery.

Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?

In addition to the teaching about the woman caught in the act of committing adultery (see above), in Chapter 30, Billy says that Fr. Tom might have given him the perfect engraving for Patrick's tombstone: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (John 15:13). In Chapter 32, Billy and Kenny teaches us about unconditional love and forgiveness because of their love for Patrick.

What do you find most compelling about the chapters? Why?

In Chapter 29, I find Billy and Mary most compelling in their decision to make Sean officially their "adopted son." They never saw him as a "replacement" for Patrick but truly loved him as a son and he loved them as his parents. At one point, Sean almost slipped and called Mary. . .mom. Moreover, in Chapter 30, Billy takes Sean to Patrick's grave, which was Sean's first time and Mary tells him to think of Patrick as a brother he had loss, like Billy lost his brother, Jimmy.




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Sunday, March 17, 2024

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year A Scrutiny - 3/17/2024)

Good morning. These past weeks of Lent, we have been walking with Jesus as he moves closer to Jerusalem - the place of his persecution, Passion, and death on the Cross at the hands of his own people whom he loves. As we approach the end of our own Lenten journeys, Thomas extends to us this invitation in today’s Gospel: “Let us also go to die with him.” The apostle is encouraging us to continue to die to our old self, take up our crosses, and come and follow Christ daily - through the end of Lent, the joy of Easter, and beyond. Even if the path leads us somewhere that we are uncomfortable going, we trust that everything will be okay because Jesus is with us. And so let us go to die with Jesus so that we may rise with him to new life.

To our Elects and Candidates, I ask you this: “Are you prepared to go to die with Jesus?” I was in your shoes 16 years ago, preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation and to come into full Communion with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I yearned for the Eucharist - to receive the Body of Christ given up for us and to drink from the cup of salvation the Blood of Christ poured out for us for the forgiveness of our sins. My heart ached to come to the Altar of the Lord, where “spiritual and matter ‘kiss;’ [where] heaven and earth embrace. . .” (Christopher West). That is what awaits you all at the Easter Vigil when you come home to Rome. However, before you can taste the sweetness of heaven on earth, you must complete your preparation.

This weekend is the third and final scrutiny. And while the scrutinies are for the Elects and Candidates, these special rites should remind the rest of us of God’s desires for us to go from sin to repentance, from thirst to satisfaction, from illness to health, from darkness to light, from death to new life. As I reflected on the Scrutiny Year A Readings, the Holy Spirit put in my heart the virtues of FAITH, HOPE, and CHARITY that I believe are interwoven into the Gospel stories of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well (John 4:5-42), his healing of the man blind from birth (9:1-41), and Christ raising of Lazarus from the dead (11:1-45).

FAITH helps us believe in God, in all that he has said and revealed to us, and that the Holy Church proposes for our belief, because [God] is truth (CCC 1814). We respond to God with FAITH (CCC 142). The woman at the well did not know who Jesus was but she yearned for the “living water” that he had to offer. She responded to Christ with FAITH, saying, “Sir, give me this water. . .” And when Jesus revealed that he is the “Messiah. . . the Christ,” she responded with FAITH that moved her to invite others to come see Jesus. We hear that “[many] Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified” about him. We learn from the woman at the well how we should respond to God’s revelation with FAITH that leads others to encounter Jesus so that they too may come to believe in him.

HOPE helps us to place our trust in Christ’s promises because he is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Saint Theophilus of Antioch wrote that "God is seen by those who have the capacity to see him. . .  All have eyes, but some have eyes that are shrouded in darkness, unable to see the light of the sun. . . If [we]. . . live in purity and holiness and justice, [we] may see God. But, before all, FAITH and the fear of God must take the first place in [our hearts]. . .” Before Jesus healed the man blind from birth, he told his disciples that he is the “light of the world.” He then made clay with saliva, anointed the man’s eyes and, after the man washed, his eyes were opened. He was able to see “the light of the world.” Jesus not only healed the man’s physical blindness, he opened the man’s eyes to FAITH so that he may have HOPE. He becomes God’s witness, testifying to others, “I was blind and now I see.” Like him, may HOPE move us to tell Jesus that we believe in the Son of Man and worship him as Lord and God.

CHARITY helps us to “LOVE God above all things. . . and our neighbors as ourselves for the love of God” (CCC 1822). There is no greater love than God’s love for us and no better friend than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Saint John wrote that “we love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who BELIEVES in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. . . whoever BELIEVES in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and BELIEVES in me will never die. Do you BELIEVE this?” (11:25-26) Martha responds, saying: “Yes, Lord, I have come to BELIEVE that you are the Christ, the Son of God. . .” Jesus desires this of us; it is his prayer to his Father: “. . .because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may BELIEVE that you sent me.”

This is our Lenten journey, to repent (and turn away from temptation and sin) and (turn to God and) BELIEVE in the Gospel. Jesus is the “living water” that washes away our sins and renews and strengthens us in FAITH. The waters of Baptism from which we were all baptized is a “spring of water welling up to eternal life” that we can come back to as often as we need to die to our old self (our bad habits and addictions), take up our crosses daily, and come and follow Christ. Jesus is “the light of the world” that dispels the darkness and brings us HOPE. We should not be afraid to let Christ shine his light into the deepest recesses of our burdened hearts or the darkest places of our messy lives. Jesus is the only Way for us to escape the snares of the Devil and be healed and reconciled with the Father. Jesus is “the resurrection and the life”. If we are dead spiritually because of sin, then Jesus can transform our sins and help us to live lives of virtue. In doing so, Christ resurrects our spiritual life and breathes his Spirit into our lives so that what was once dead in us is renewed in Christ. Jesus came to free us from slavery to sin and temptation so that we can LOVE God above all and see each other with eyes of CHARITY.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, to BELIEVE in God is to have faith in God. To have FAITH in God is to hope in God. To HOPE in God is to love God. And when we LOVE God, Jesus promises that we will live, we will never die. Let us believe with faith so that we have hope to love as we should, as God intended us to love. These are not only lessons that we learn from Jesus when we open our mind's eyes to the richness and beauty of our Catholic FAITH, but truths that we embrace in our hearts because God is LOVE, Christ is our HOPE, and the Holy Spirit strengthens our FAITH. And so let us accept Thomas’ invitation with gratitude and praise in our hearts and go to die with Jesus so that we may rise with him to new life.
. . .
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, 
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil 
and dried his feet with her hair; 
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying, 
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death, 
but is for the glory of God, 
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill, 
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples, 
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him, 
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, 
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, 
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles, 
because the light is not in him.” 
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death, 
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. 
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe. 
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, 
“Let us also go to die with him.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus 
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary 
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus, 
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life; 
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, 
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, 
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village, 
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her 
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her, 
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, 
she fell at his feet and said to him, 
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, 
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, 
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said, 
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man 
have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, 
“Lord, by now there will be a stench; 
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe 
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me; 
but because of the crowd here I have said this, 
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice, 
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands, 
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.



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Friday, March 15, 2024

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-68) - Anyway by Mother Teresa

Dearest Goddaughter,

Today's first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, reminds me of this poem by Mother Saint Teresa of Calcutta (see below). When we strive for holiness and righteousness in our lives, there will be those around us who are threatened by us - "To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways." However, let us not be deterred by them and continue to strive for holiness and righteousness in our lives because, in the end, we are judged by God, not by man, and God's judgment of us counts.

Moreover, in today's Gospel, we hear how the people try to "domesticate" Jesus (as Bishop Robert Barron would often say". While Jesus is a brother to us and we can certainly have a personal relationship with him, we must never forget that he is God and give him right homage and praise. Christ teaches us: "You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me." We must always remember Jesus' true identity. He is Word of God become Flesh and dwelt among us.
. . .
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Teresa

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Wis 2:1a, 12-22 and Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 (below).
. . .
Jesus moved about within Galilee;
he did not wish to travel in Judea,
because the Jews were trying to kill him.
But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.

But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.

Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
"Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
"You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."
So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,
because his hour had not yet come.



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Monday, March 11, 2024

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-67) - We are His Handiwork

Dearest Goddaughter,

John the Evangelist wrote: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. . ." THAT is how much God loves each and everyone of us but, in the busyness of our modern lives, we seem to have forgotten this simple yet profound reality that is of great importance. God created us. We are his handiwork work.

Why is it that we prefer the darkness of this world to the light of Christ? We are not unlike the Israelites, who "princes of Judah, the priests, and the people  added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD’s temple  which he had consecrated in Jerusalem," as we hear in today’s first reading. They they mocked the messengers of God,  despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy." We have ears so we ought to hear. We have eyes so ought to see. Lest we become like the Israelites and incur the wrath of God.

Jesus does not mince words when he said, ". . .everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,  but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." We believe in God and in his goodness is to love Him. To love God is to believe in Him and his goodness. These are his commandments - love God, love our neighbors. But first is, love God.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: 2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23, Eph 2:4-10, and Jn 3:14-21 (below).
. . .
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, 
so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, 
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish 
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, 
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, 
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world, 
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light, 
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, 
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.



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Thursday, March 7, 2024

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-66) - One in Christ

Dearest Goddaughter,

We sometimes say this about someone who did not do their job - "they had one job." However, what about us when it comes to God? In today's first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, God asks of us this one thing: "Listen to my voice." Yet, we only need to look at our nation and world to know that we as a people do not listen to the voice of God.

God knows this about us and calls us out, saying: ". . .they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. . . they have not obeyed me nor paid heed. . . this is the nation that does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God, or take correction. . . Faithfulness has disappeared." Do we walk in the hardness of our evil hearts? Are we so stiff-necked that we turn our backs, not our faces, to God?

Jesus warns us against being divided against ourselves, saying that even the Evil One and his minions know not to be divided: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.. . .if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?" Jesus did not mince words when he talked about unity, saying: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." 

Therefore, as the many parts of the One Body of Christ, let us not sow Christian disunity but be united under the one banner of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How can we do this? We look to the Holy Trinity - Three Divine Persons, God. The Psalms provide us with a good roadmap to follow:

"Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
. . .
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides."

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Jer 7:23-28 and Lk 11:14-23 (below).
. . .
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters."



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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Lenten Book Study "Self Portrait" - Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 ***SPOILER ALERT***

Once again, I am leading a book study. This time the book is Jim Sano's novel "Self Portrait", the 3rd 4th book in the Fr. Tom series. It is a mini-book study over 4 evenings - Feb. 13th, Feb. 20th, March 5th, and March 19th - covering 8 chapters during each meeting.

To help us with our discussions, I came up with questions for us to reflect on and prepare to share during the meeting. The questions are:
  • Which character struck you the most in the chapter? Why?
  • Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?
  • Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapter? Which one? Why?
  • Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?
  • What do you find most compelling about the chapter? Why?
Below are my thoughts on chapters 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Which character struck you the most in the chapters? Why?

In Chapter 25, it was all Mary because, not satisfied with the reasons why Kenny Green was generously giving them the money for the surgery that Billy and Sean gave her, she searches for the truth herself. She talks with Mr. DuBois, Angelo (and learns about Frank Gala, who is a marksman), Tobey, Reggie Hope's mother - Rozzy, and Kenny Green and his mother - Melina. In the end, she focuses on Sean and gets him to confess to he that it was all his plan.

Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?

While Billy no longer feels guilty about taking the money so that Mary could get the surgery that she needed, he has exchanged guilty for fear - most of all, fear of losing Mary should she know the truth (p. 145).

After his confrontation with Kenny Green, in Chapter 26, Billy realized that Patrick did not commit suicide. Rather, he laid down his life for the ones he loved, his parents - Billy & Mary (p. 166). Fr. Tom encourages Billy to forgive Kenny, saying: "God wants you to forgive him, and my guess is that Patrick already has" (p. 167). Mary encourages Billy to "let [Patrick] be with God."

Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapters? Which one? Why?

In Chapter 25, after Mary gets Sean to confess that he was the mastermind behind the heist to get the reward money to pay for her surgery, Sean reveals his own feelings of "self-rejection" and "lack of self-worth" (p. 158). He felt that he was a placeholder for Patrick and could never be his replacement in the lives of Billy and Mary. This certainly pains him because he loves them so much and wants to take the pain of losing Patrick from them but does not know how.

Mary does not take the money. Fr. Tom tells Billy that he should also know how Mary feels about it and honor her. Their souls are more important so that they can spend eternity together and see Patrick again.

Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?

In Chapter 24, Sean brings Jennifer for Thanksgiving dinner to meet Billy and Mary. Mary also invites Fr. Tom and Angelo. During their conservations, Sean reveals that Jennifer does not want them to move in together until after they are married. Jennifer understands what happens to couples whose marriages are broken later on because of these "uncommitted 'mini-marriage'", which the Church calls co-habitation. Fr. Tom, in his usual expert and pastoral way, exhibits the fallacy of a man and a woman cohabitating before marriage (p. 148-149). [Note: I plan to use this in our CALLED TO BE ONE Marriage Class.]

Moreover, in Chapter 27, Billy faces his own fear of rejection by Mary; however, Mary assures him that he "should be able to share anything with [her] and know that "she'll] love him." After he was able to let go and let God, Billy felt free for the first time in a long while. He felt love.

In Chapter 28, Billy forgives Kenny. Kenny declines the reward.

What do you find most compelling about the chapters? Why?
In Chapter 24, during Thanksgiving dinner, Mary, Jennifer, Fr. Tom, and Angelo start talking about the heist and wonder if Kenny Green is claiming the reward money unless he was part of the plan to get the reward money instead of stealing the painting. Interestingly enough, everyone, except for the two officers involved in the investigation, found this odd.

In Chapter 26, we learn from Sean how connected Patrick and Kenny were when he tells Billy & Mary that "Kenny was in the room when Patrick died" (p. 159). He also dropped another piece of information that sent Billy over the edge when he said, "Patrick was under a lot of pressure after the shooting, but he didn't kill himself. He couldn't" (p. 160). Billy pieced the meaning behind this revelation from Sean and immediately leaves the apartment in search of Kenny Green. Billy learns from Kenny the impossible situation that he and Patrick was in: "If Patrick informed the police, you and Mary would be dead. If I didn't take him out, you, Mary, and my mother would be killed" (p. 163). Kenny confesses to Billy that he was the one how shot Patrick.



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Lenten Book Study "Self Portrait" - Chapters 20, 21, 22, 23 ***SPOILER ALERT***

Once again, I am leading a book study. This time the book is Jim Sano's novel "Self Portrait", the 3rd 4th book in the Fr. Tom series. It is a mini-book study over 4 evenings - Feb. 13th, Feb. 20th, March 5th, and March 19th - covering 8 chapters during each meeting.

To help us with our discussions, I came up with questions for us to reflect on and prepare to share during the meeting. The questions are:
  • Which character struck you the most in the chapter? Why?
  • Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?
  • Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapter? Which one? Why?
  • Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?
  • What do you find most compelling about the chapter? Why?
Below are my thoughts on chapters 20, 21, 22, 23.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Which character struck you the most in the chapters? Why?

Billy because he is faced with quite the dilemma after he figured out that Sean was the mastermind behind the heist in an effort to get the insurance money to pay for Mary's surgery. Also, in Chapter 21, Sean is shot while he and Billy responded to a robbery at a convenience store. As Sean is laying there in his own blood, Billy gets flashbacks of the time when he discovered his son, Patrick, laying in the pool of his own blood. Fr. Tom provides insight into what Billy was experiencing, saying: "Present suffering touches past suffering, making everything worse" (p. 128-129).

In Chapter 22, Billy reveals the burden that he had been carrying with him all this life. First, he felt that he was not there for his mom. Then, he was not there for his brother, Jimmy. Finally, he was not there for his son, Patrick. He is determined to be there for Mary no matter what. Because of this, Billy was at peace with accepting the money to get Mary the surgery that she needed to live. He shares this with Sean who is ecstatic because he wants to save Mary as well.

Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?

Kenny Green wanted to help Sean because he benefited him and would also benefit a complete stranger - Mary. He was willing to take a bullet if it meant him having a chance to rise above his current situation. I think in many ways we can all relate to Kenny and what he desires in life.

Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapters? Which one? Why?

It would have to be Sean. He sees Billy and Mary as his parents. He caught himself from calling Mary "mother" (p. 118) during his conversation with Billy. He saw how tormented Billy was at the prospect of life without Mary if she did not get the surgery. Sean told Billy many times that he would do anything to save Mary and so he set his plan in motion and it involved Kenny Green, Reggie Hope, Dougie Jones, and Reggie's nephew, Tobey.

In Chapter 22, Mary pleads with Billy to stop blaming himself for their son's death. She tells him to go talk with Fr. Tom, who is a trained psychologist. Mary pleads with Billy, saying: "I need you" (p. 130).

Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?

Billy received a call from Kenny Green offering him $500,000 of the reward money from the insurance company to help Mary get the surgery she needed. However, he has to discern if this is of God or not of God, thinking to himself: "If God was answering his prayer, why didn't he trust his way of providing that answer? What else could it have looked like?" (p. 117)

In Chapter 21, Billy is conflicted. On the one hand, he wants to Mary to have the surgery and get better; however, on the other hand, he goes to Confession and knows that the end does not justify the means.

What do you find most compelling about the chapters? Why?
Chapter 20 is the turning point of the novel, I believe, because it is revealed that Sean is the mastermind behind the whole heist of the Rembrandt painting. Billy figured it out and confronted Sean about it and Sean confessed. However, what is most compelling is, Sean did the wrong thing for the right reasons - his love Billy and Mary and for Mary to get the surgery that she needs. What is even more compelling is, it is Billy who probably pushed Sean into action because he could not bear to live life without Mary.

In Chapter 22, we learn from Sean that Kenny Green knew Patrick (p. 133). Both Kenny and Patrick were forced into participating in criminal activities by Kenny's older brother, Kyle, including a drive-shooting death of a rival gang leader. [Could this be the shooting incident that occurred in "Gus Busbi" in which Jamiel was shot?] Moreover, Fr. Tom tells Billy that he knows what it is like to lose someone he loved in life to suicide (alluding to "The Father's Son").




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Monday, March 4, 2024

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-65) - Psalm 51:12

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's Gospel, Jesus cleaned up his Father's house by driving out the vendors and money changers with a whip that he made out of cords. After cleaning house, he foretold of the raise of the eternal temple that is his Body.

Saint Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit because, as God said to the Prophet Ezekiel (36:26-27):

"I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them."

Therefore, by cleansing the temple of sinners, he is leaving us model to follow, calling us on to keep our bodies, which are the temples of the Holy Spirit, pure from sin and evil. Jesus warns us of things that come from within us that defiles our hearts:

"He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

“But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”"

Moreover, Saint Paul reiterates Jesus' teachings in his letter to the Galatians:

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,* drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another."

Therefore, let us pray and ask God (Psalm 51:12): "A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit."

Also, click hear to listen to this reflection/homily being delivered during Communion Service at The Conservatory on 3/3/2024: https://phucphan.podbean.com/e/gospel-reflection-332024-psalm-5112/

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Ex 20:1-17, 1 Cor 1:22-25, and Jn 2:13-25 (below).
. . .
Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, 
as well as the money changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, 
and spilled the coins of the money changers
and overturned their tables, 
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here, 
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, 
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them, 
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said, 
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, 
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, 
his disciples remembered that he had said this, 
and they came to believe the Scripture 
and the word Jesus had spoken.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, 
many began to believe in his name 
when they saw the signs he was doing.
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, 
and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.
He himself understood it well.



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Saturday, March 2, 2024

Lenten Book Study "Self Portrait" - Chapters 17, 18, 19

Once again, I am leading a book study. This time the book is Jim Sano's novel "Self Portrait", the 3rd 4th book in the Fr. Tom series. It is a mini-book study over 4 evenings - Feb. 13th, Feb. 20th, March 5th, and March 19th - covering 8 chapters during each meeting.

To help us with our discussions, I came up with questions for us to reflect on and prepare to share during the meeting. The questions are:
  • Which character struck you the most in the chapter? Why?
  • Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?
  • Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapter? Which one? Why?
  • Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?
  • What do you find most compelling about the chapter? Why?
Below are my thoughts on chapters 17, 18, 19.

Which character struck you the most in the chapters? Why?

In Chapter 17, although Angelo did not officially make an appearance in the chapter, Detective Brooks mentioned that Angelo located Peter Buck, who he believes is "running a major fencing operation for the black market and New England crime families" (p. 102). And then, in Chapter 18, Fr. Tom and Angelo were already talking with Peter Buck when Detective Brooks, Billy, and Sean arrived on scene.

Which character reminds you of yourself or someone you know? How?

In Chapter 19, Sean revealed to Billy and Mary that he is seeing a woman named Jennifer. When questioned by Mary why he has not brought Jennifer around to meeting them, Sean explained that he thought that happens when two people are serious or engaged. However, he has already met her family. Sean told Billy that he would do anything for him and Mary. They meant the world to him.

Do you empathize or sympathize with any of the characters in the chapters? Which one? Why?

Henri DuBois' reaction when they recovered the missing painting (in Chapter 18) was genuine. All he ever wanted was for them to recover the painting. He did not care about the mystery, only to recover the Rembandt masterpiece. He is the curator of the museum after all.

Were there any teachings or references to the Catholic faith that you picked up in the chapter? If yes, what is it and what were your thoughts?

In Chapter 17, page 101, in this midst of recovering from a gunshot wound, Billy offered prayers for Mary to be healed of her ailment, asking God to "don't let her suffer from this condition." This is redemptive suffering, to unite our suffering with the suffering of Christ on the Cross and intercede for another. In Chapter 19, page. 114-115, Billy, Fr. Tom, and Angelo talk about the nature of good and whether compromising honesty to achieve an end that is good is itself a good. Fr. Tom said that he should have been honest with Tobey in the first place and admitted that he acted on instinct. However, Fr. Tom admits that not all things are so black-and-white sometimes. He recommends prayerful discernment to help determine the right course of action depending on the particular situation.

What do you find most compelling about the chapters? Why?

In Chapter 17, Detective Brooks brought both Reggie Hope and Dougie Jones in for additional questioning based on the additional information that they gathered from Tobey's interrogation. However, both Reggie and Dougie vehemently deny having anything to do with the stolen painting. In Chapter 18, it was Kenny Green who showed up at the Gardner Museum with information on the stolen Rembrandt and to collect the reward money. The question remains, how did Kenny Green know where the painting was hidden? An even better question, was he involved in the heist with Dougie and Reggie?





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Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B - 11/10/2024)

Good afternoon. The two widows from today’s readings teach us an important lesson about the theological virtue of love, or charity, which is...