Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-74) - Obey God rather than men

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's First Reading, Saint Peter and the Apostles said: "We must obey God rather than men." What a bold statement to make in the face of persecution! How courageous they are in the face of death! How faithful they are to the Truth of Jesus Christ and him crucified!

In our own time and society, we too can be bold, courageous, and faithful when we stand firm on the foundation of our Catholic faith that has been passed on to us through the Church by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It can be a challenge but our faith in Christ calls us to die to ourselves each day for the glory of God. In this way, we complete what is lacking in the suffering of Christ (Colossians 1:24) in our own suffering and the cross that we bear.

However, we do not have to do this by ourselves. We can (and should) always turn to God for strengthen, just as Saint John wrote in today’s Gospel: "He does not ration his gift of the Spirit." When we come to Him with humble and contrite hearts, He gives us abundantly and holds nothing back. Therefore, let us ask for the gift of fortitude to bold, courageous, and  faithful witnesses of the Risen Christ in our own time and society, just as Peter and the Apostles did in the early days of the Catholic Church. 

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 5:27-33 and Jn 3:31-36 (see below).

. . .

The one who comes from above is above all.

The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.

But the one who comes from heaven is above all.

He testifies to what he has seen and heard,

but no one accepts his testimony.

Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.

For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.

He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.

The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,

but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,

but the wrath of God remains upon him.

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-73) - About this Life

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, the angel of the Lord freed Peter and his companions and said to them: “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.”

What is it about the life that they are living that is worth sharing? That is worth going to jail for? It is a life lived in the light of Christ that dispels the darkness that exists in the world. It is belief in the Son of God whom the Father sent to redeem His people and reconcile them to Himself. It is a life lived in this world that is preparation for eternal life with our Lord and our God. It is a life lived with our Lord Jesus Christ at the center because his Truth is the driving force behind all our decisions and actions and interactions with one another.

This is the life that, when we live it faithfully, the angel tells us to share it with others so that they too may encounter Jesus, who is love, mercy, peace, joy, and forgiveness. It is a life worth telling others about; a life in Christ.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 5:17-26 and Jn 3:16-21 (see below).

. . .

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten 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-begotten 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.

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-72) - Hail, full of grace!

Dearest Goddaughter,

Today is the feast of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. The feast is actually on March 25th but was transferred this year to April 8th because of Holy Week and the Octave of Easter.

I had the blessed opportunity to serve at Mass this morning with Fr. Doug Jeffers at Saint Mary Cathedral. As I reflected in this Marian feast day, two thoughts came to mind.

1. Mary is always pointing us to her Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even her feast day is second to her Son's Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

2. I am grateful for my mom and mother-in-law, for their own #fiat to be mothers to their children and always being present to their children and grandchildren.

This past weekend, not only did I get to celebrate 5 years as a deacon with my brother deacons and their wives, but Theresa and I got to spend some quality time with our parents. As an adult, I cherish these moments shared with our parents.

Hai con thương ba và mẹ & ba và má rất nhiều!

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Is 7:10-14; 8:10, Heb 10:4-10 and Lk 1:26-38 (below).

. . .

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-71) - Peace be with you.

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's Gospel, Jesus appeared to the apostles in the upper room and greeted them with "Peace be with you." The peace that Christ offers us transcends the chaos of the world and the busyness of our lives, and helps us to keep focus on what is important - a right relationship with our Lord and our God.

I recall my first year in Diaconal Formation. I had just returned to the paralegal profession and were preparing for trial. I was concerned about missing the required classes on Saturdays but, at the same time, realized that I had a job to do as well. Rather than ruminate on the situation, I prayed. And as I was praying, this peace and warm enveloped me and I knew that it was the Holy Spirit. Jesus was telling me, "I got your back."

So when anxiety arises in your heart, pause and pray. Ask for peace and God will grant you His peace. Jesus will whisper in your ears, "Peace be with you." During the Sign of Peace at Mass, when we offer each other the Sign of Peace, we are reminding one another to invite the peace of Christ into our lives, a peace that will keep us calm in the tempest of life.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 3:11-26 and Lk 24:35-48 (below).

. . .

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,

and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this,

he stood in their midst and said to them,

“Peace be with you.”

But they were startled and terrified

and thought that they were seeing a ghost.

Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?

And why do questions arise in your hearts?

Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones

as you can see I have.”

And as he said this,

he showed them his hands and his feet.

While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,

he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

They gave him a piece of baked fish;

he took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them,

“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that everything written about me in the law of Moses

and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

And he said to them,

“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer

and rise from the dead on the third day

and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,

would be preached in his name

to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.”

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-70) - Our hearts burning within us

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's Gospel, we read about the familiar story of Jesus accompanying two of his disciples on the way to Emmaus. At the end of the Gospel passage, the disciples wondered to each other, saying: "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

This question made me think about the parishioners who attended 6:30 A.M. Mass, at Saint Mary Cathedral, during Lent but do not continue after Lent. During those mornings of Lent, did the word of God not burn in their hearts? Did receiving the Eucharist not made them desire to continue to receive the Eucharist even after Lent is over? Did they not grow in their relationship with God during Lent?

My heart aches for them because they had already carved out that time in their morning to go to Mass. It should have become a routine, a habit for them during Lent that they could have continued after Lent. So what happened? "Were not [their] hearts burning within [them] while [Jesus] spoke to [them] on the way and opened the Scriptures to [them]?”

I would encourage everyone who did something to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus to continue to do that something. Be patient. It will bear fruit. It is worth it, because God is worth it. Jesus, I trust in you,

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 3:1-10 and Lk 24:13-35 (below).

. . .

That very day, the first day of the week,

two of Jesus’ disciples were going

to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,

and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,

Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,

but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

He asked them,

“What are you discussing as you walk along?”

They stopped, looking downcast.

One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,

“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem

who does not know of the things

that have taken place there in these days?”

And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”

They said to him,

“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,

who was a prophet mighty in deed and word

before God and all the people,

how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over

to a sentence of death and crucified him.

But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;

and besides all this,

it is now the third day since this took place.

Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:

they were at the tomb early in the morning

and did not find his Body;

they came back and reported

that they had indeed seen a vision of angels

who announced that he was alive.

Then some of those with us went to the tomb

and found things just as the women had described,

but him they did not see.”

And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!

How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things

and enter into his glory?”

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,

he interpreted to them what referred to him

in all the Scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going,

he gave the impression that he was going on farther.

But they urged him, “Stay with us,

for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

So he went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table,

he took bread, said the blessing,

broke it, and gave it to them.

With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,

but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other,

“Were not our hearts burning within us

while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem

where they found gathered together

the Eleven and those with them who were saying,

“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way

and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Exult, let them exult. . . (Easter Vigil 2024)

I had the blessed opportunity to chant the Exsultet (Easter Proclamation) at the Easter Vigil again this year. It is the second straight year that I have had this blessing. As before, I started practicing during Lent and, once again, met with Ben, our music coordinator for Mass in English, during Holy Week for his expert advice. I am glad I did because he was able to pick up "voice fatigue" as I got toward the end of the chant. I am grateful to Ben for working with me these past two years on the Exsultet; I even asked him for help to chant the Gospel (in the future).

While I started practicing at the start of Lent, things did not really "click" until I practice on evening of Good Friday, at home in darkness with just my book light on. In that moment, it was as though the Holy Spirit was telling me: "This is how I want you to chant the Exsultet." And that was exactly how I practice it after the rehearsal for the Easter Vigil. I paced around the sanctuary as I chanted the Exsultet just loud enough for me to hear only. Ben invited me to warm up with the choir before the Vigil. It really helped loosen my vocal cords even more, so I am grateful to him for the kind invitation.

As I did last year, I had my Exsultet binder with me as we processed out to the "blazing fire." Then, after the congregation started to fill in the pews, I went to Father Charlie for my blessing. I bowed to the altar and then approached the ambo. I put my notebook on the ambo and received the thurible from the altar server (Seminarian Kingsley) and incensed my binder and the Easter candle. [Note: he wanted to stand behind me while I chanted the Exsultet but I asked him not to because I did not want to inhale the incense and cough during the Exsultet.] Upon returning to the ambo, I turned on the book light, got myself situated, and waited as the congregation continue to fill in the pews. That brief wait got my nerves going but then, I inhaled the Spirit and started. . . "Exult. . ." Next thing I knew, I was at the last verse and I remembered what our music coordinator told me last year: "Finish strong." And before I knew it, everyone was singing "Amen" with me.

At last year's Easter Vigil, I chanted the Exsultet for the first time as I celebrated 15 years (March 22, 2008) as a Catholic. This year, I chanted the Exsultet for the second time as I celebrated 5 years (March 30, 2019) as a deacon. While it was tiring to be at the parish for the entire day on Good Friday and Holy Saturday (with rehearsals and setting up), I know that being at the church and serving in whatever capacity I could helped me be in the right frame of mind and heart to chant the Exsultet as God desired of me and I am grateful. Moreover, I also visited with our Lord twice before Mass in the reservation chapel. I am excited to see what God has in store for me at next Easter Vigil. . . 

Here is a link to my reflection from the Easter Vigil in 2026:

https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2026/04/exult-let-them-exult-easter-vigil-2026.html

Here is a link to my reflection from the Easter Vigil in 2025:

https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/05/exult-let-them-exult-easter-vigil-2025.html

Here is a link to my reflection on being Catholic for 15 years:

https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/reflecting-on-15-years-as-catholic.html

Here is a link to my reflection from the Easter Vigil in 2023:

https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/04/exult-let-them-exult-easter-vigil-2023.html

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-69) - Whom are you looking for?

Dearest Goddaughter,

In the Book of Genesis, we read that the Lord God went looking for the man and asked: "Where are you?" (3:9) In today's Gospel, we find a woman - Mary Magdalene - searching for the Lord and Jesus asked her: "Whom are you looking for?"

From the beginning of time, God seeks out His people to bring them back to himself. In the fullness of time, He sent his only Begotten Son to die for our sins so that we may come to know the Father's love through the Son's Presence in our lives. Thus, when we encounter Jesus in our lives, as Mary Magdalene and the apostles did, our hearts desire Jesus even more and we go searching for him because only he can satisfy the deepest yearnings in our hearts.

And when we go searching for Jesus, we will find that he will call us by name, just as he called Mary by her name, and reveal himself to us. Jesus then calls us to announce him to others so that they too may see him and know and feel his loving presence in their lives as well.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 2:36-41 and Jn 20:11-18 (below).

. . .

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.

And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb

and saw two angels in white sitting there,

one at the head and one at the feet

where the Body of Jesus had been.

And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,

and I don’t know where they laid him.”

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,

but did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?

Whom are you looking for?”

She thought it was the gardener and said to him,

“Sir, if you carried him away,

tell me where you laid him,

and I will take him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”

which means Teacher.

Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,

for I have not yet ascended to the Father.

But go to my brothers and tell them,

‘I am going to my Father and your Father,

to my God and your God.’”

Mary went and announced to the disciples,

“I have seen the Lord,”

and then reported what he had told her.