Knights of Columbus Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (4/22/2024)

Worthy Chapter President and Brother Knights,

During the Easter season, we are preaching on the theme of Redemption. How are we to understand what it means to be saved, to be redeemed but the Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? After all, it is the Good News that we - as Catholics - are called to share with others as part of our mission as disciples of Christ. It is the kerygma that we are called to preach - not just bishops, priests, and deacons at the pulpit but all of us are called to preach the Good News: (1) God so loves us that He sent His Son to save us and that (2) Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the dead to save us from our sins and (3) to reconcile us to God.

Once again, how are we to understand what it means to be saved, to be redeemed but the Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? I think this past Sunday’s Gospel, about the Good Shepherd, helps us to know that when we talk about being saved and redeemed, we are talking about God’s unconditional love for all of us - his beloved sons and daughters. God’s unconditional love for us frees us to live lives of holiness and strive for sainthood, and is the basis of the pillars of our fraternal Order - charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism (particularly charity). I recently shared this thought with a few of the officers and I want to share it with you all:

The first pillar of our Order is Charity. Certainly, Charity encompasses the corporal and spiritual works of mercy of the Church. However, even more than that, Charity is rooted in the Great Commandment - to love God and love our neighbors. Therefore, all our works of charity must include an evangelization component to it. In other words, when the Knights are out doing works of Charity, we must also preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to those we are helping. Invite them to Mass, accompany them, and help them to take ownership of their faith in the same way that we have taken ownership of our Catholic faith.

As THE Good Shepherd, Jesus leaves us a model to be the “good shepherd” in our families - as “shepherds” of our “domestic churches.” From the Gospel of John: “. . .and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. . .“ (10:16) & “. . .he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him. . .” (10:4). Let us ask ourselves these questions. Do we lead our families in faith or do we abdicate our responsibility to our wives? Do we take an active role in the formation of our children - faith, morality, and the day-to-day stuff?

Again, from the Gospel of John: “. . .I know mine and mine know me. . .” (10:14) & “. . .the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. . . But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers” (10:5). Do we know our children’s voices? Do our children know our voice? In other words, are we spending quality time with our children and taking the time to know them and allow them to know us?

Finally, yesterday was also World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In this homily yesterday, Fr. Michael O’Connor shared this story of a father who said to his son after a Mass where vocations to the priesthood and religious life was the focus. The father said to his son: “Don’t even think about the priesthood! I have grandchildren so get a real job.” As fathers, let us ask ourselves these questions. Are we selfishly living our dreams through our children when we should desire that our children follow the dream that God has for them? How can we change our way of thinking? We cannot on our own but God can help us. We must first hear God’s voice in the midst of all the distractions in our lives. We then help our families, especially our children, grandchildren, and godchildren, to hear God’s voice in the midst of all the distractions in their lives. May we always hear the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, so that we will always follow his will and lead our families to do the same. Amen.

Here is my challenge to you all for the month of Man. PERSONAL & FAMILY: Make Mother’s Day Christocentric. Perhaps even pray this prayer of blessing over her:

May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26)

As a COUNCIL: Perhaps participate in the Living Rosary and May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our mother.

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-78) - Why do we persecute our Lord?

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's reading from the Acts of the Apostle, we hear about one of the accounts of Saul's conversion. While on the way to Damascus, Jesus appeared to Saul and said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" In that moment, Saul's eyes are darken by the light of Christ in the same way that our hearts are darken when we persecute our Lord and our God with our sins.

It was a frightening moment for Saul because not only was he blind physically but spiritually as well. He was a Pharisee, a learned man of the faith, and yet he could not see the light of Christ. How many of us today are cultural Catholics and yet we persecute Jesus with our actions or inactions when it comes to living out the virtues faith, hope, and love in our lives.

Yet, God never gives up on us and, as He sent Ananias to Saul, Jesus puts people in our lives so that we may come to see his light in our lives. The "ball is in our court", how will we respond to God's love and mercy for us? Based on a recent Pew Research study, only 28% of Catholics go to Mass regularly. That means 72% of Catholics persecute Jesus when they respond to God's love and mercy with indifference.

In the Gospel today, even if it is not apparent to us how much God loves us, God so loved the world that He gave us His only Begotten Son to die on the Cross for us. Jesus loves us so much that He left us His Body and Body in the Eucharist to sustain us and strengthen us. So, go to Mass and invite, encourage fallen away Catholics to return to Mass.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 9:1-20 and Jn 6:52-59 (see below).

. . .

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,

"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,

you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood

has eternal life,

and I will raise him on the last day.

For my Flesh is true food,

and my Blood is true drink.

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood

remains in me and I in him.

Just as the living Father sent me

and I have life because of the Father,

so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven.

Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,

whoever eats this bread will live forever."

These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

The Holy Eucharist | EMHC Gathering (4/17/2024) (UPDATED 5/3/2024)

I had the blessed opportunity to talk with a group of our amazing Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) on the Eucharist and Eucharistic miracles. Below are my talking points and notes that I shared with him. I pray that we all grow deeper in our love and reverence for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

1. Opening Prayer - “I Devoutly Adore You” (Daily Missal) (see below)

2. Introduction:

1. I served when my goddaughter received First Holy Communion 2 years ago. I am planning to serve when my nephew receives First Holy Communion next month.

2. As a convert, I did not fully understand the Real Presence until I started Diaconal Formation because of Adoration & Holy Hour and serving as an EMHC.

3. Share one parishioner’s reason for not being a EMHC for a long time: they did not feel worthy to touch the Body of Christ with their hands.

4. [DcnP: We are so privileged and blessed to be given the great responsibility to giving our Lord to another during Holy Communion.]

3. Talk on Eucharistic Miracles

1. Scripture

1. Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse - John 6:22-59 (after feeding of the 5,000 & walking on water) [DcnP" I would invite you all to read and reflect on John, Chapter 6, in the presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration.]

1. Manna not from Moses but from Father in heaven.

2. Jesus is the bread of life come down from heaven.

3. Christ’s flesh is true food and blood is true drink.

4. “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” {DcnP: This was what Jesus said that was so hard to them (and many of us today) to accept: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you." So they left Jesus, except for the apostles.]

5. “You have the words of eternal life.”

2. The Lord’s Supper (celebrate on Holy Thursday) [DcnP: Jesus is very intentional, exact, precise, purposeful in the words that he uses because he wants us to know that it is HIS body and HIS blood given for us.]

1. Matthew 26:26-30 & Mark 14:22-26: “Take and eat; this is MY body. . . Drink from it, all of you, for this is MY blood. . .”

2. Luke 22:14-20: “This is MY body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. . . This cup is the new covenant in MY blood, which will be shed for you.”

3. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

1. “This is MY body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. . . This cup is the new covenant in MY blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

2. A few Eucharistic miracles of note [DcnP: There are 32 Eucharistic miracles that Blessed Carlo Acutis cataloged on this web-site. I want to focus on these three because the two of a result of priests (in persona Christi) who did not believe and the third is an attempt to desecrate the host.]

1. Lanciano, Italy (8th Century, Circa 750) {DcnP: The priest doubted the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. As he spoke the words of consecration, the host and the wine became flesh and blood that coagulated into five (5) globules for the five (5) wounds of Christ.]

2. Bolsena-Orvieto, Italy (1236) [DcnP: The priest doubted the transubstantiation. The host started to bleed during the prayer of consecration.]

3. Santarém, Portugal (13th Century) [DcnP: A woman was having marital problems so she sought out a sorcerer whose "payment" was a consecrated host. The woman received communion, spit out the host, and dried it. The host started to bleed. She did not know what to do so she put the bleeding host in her trunk. In the night, a light emanated from the trunk. The next day, she brought the bleeding host to the priest and repented.]

4. Read about them here: "10 Amazing Eucharistic Miracles" https://catholicworldmission.org/amazing-eucharistic-miracles/

3. The Eucharist and the Saints

1. Saint Tarcisius (young Roman boy during the reign of Emperor Valerian, Christian persecution) - LESSON: protect the Eucharist in the face of threats and death

2. Saint Teresa of Calcutta (“when you look at the crucifix you understand how much Jesus loved you then; when you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now”) - LESSON: spend time with Jesus in Adoration / Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament [DcnP: One of my favorite stories about Saint Teresa of Calcutta is, she and her sisters were always busy helping the poorest of the poor. One day, her sisters griped to her about not doing a Holy Hour because they have so much to do. Mother Teresa added another Holy Hour to their day and that made all the difference.]

3. Blessed Carlo Acutis - at 14 years old, created a web-site dedicated to Eucharistic miracles - LESSON: deepen our love for and understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist [DcnP: Here is a link to an article on Blessed Carlo Acutis with a link to his web-site: https://www.ncregister.com/blog/five-eucharistic-miracles.]

4. Read about them here: "Six Saints' Devotion to the Eucharist" https://catholicexchange.com/six-saints-devotion-to-the-eucharist/

4. The Legend of a Little Girl Named Li (inspired Venerable Fulton Sheen to do a Holy Hour daily)

1. READ from excerpt from Treasure in Clay https://aleteia.org/2022/03/31/how-a-little-girls-eucharistic-faith-inspired-fulton-sheen/

2. Elsewhere in China, a priest had just begun Mass when Communists entered and arrested him and made him a prisoner in a house adjoining the little church. From a window in that house he could see the tabernacle. Shortly after his imprisonment, the Communists opened the tabernacle, threw the Hosts on the floor, and stole the Sacred Vessels. The priest then decided ­­ to make adoration to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament as much as he could day and night. About three o’clock one morning, he saw a child who had been at the morning Mass open a window, climb in, come to the sanctuary floor, get down on both knees, press her tongue to the Host to give herself Holy Communion. The priest told me there were about thirty Hosts in the ciborium. Every single night she came at the same time until there was only one Host left. As she pressed her tongue to receive the Body of Christ, a shot rang out. A Communist soldier had seen her. It proved to be her Viaticum.

1. Priest adored the Lord from his place of captivity

2. Li consumed a host a day with her tongue for 32 days

3. Viaticum (food for the journey)

5. We experience a Eucharistic miracle at every Mass

1. Is each of us a Doubting Thomas? Jesus said to [Thomas], “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (John 20:29)

4. ACTION ITEM: Encounter Jesus in the Eucharist - spend time in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament (experience from Diaconal Formation and leading Holy Hours for parish) [DcnP: What Jesus said to the disciples during his agony in the garden, he says to us today: Can't you spend an hour with me? The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.]

1. “There are two things the devil is deadly afraid of: fervent Communion and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.” Saint John Bosco

2. “The Eucharist is the secret of my day. It gives me strengthen and meaning in all my activities of service to the Church and to the whole world.” Pope Saint John Paul II

3. Read more here: "12 Quotes from the Saints on the Holy Eucharist" https://www.catholic365.com/article/29961/12-quotes-from-the-saints-on-the-holy-eucharist.html

5. Closing Prayer - “The Litany of the Holy Eucharist" (https://ewtn.co.uk/prayer-litany-of-the-most-blessed-sacrament/)

. . .

"I devoutly adore you" Prayer

I devoutly adore you, O hidden God, truly hidden beneath these appearances.

My whole heart submits to you, and in contemplating you, it surrenders itself completely.

Sight, touch, taste are all deceived  in their judgment of you,

But hearing suffices firmly to believe.

I believe all that the Son of God has spoken;

There is nothing truer than this word of truth.

On the cross only the Divinity was hidden,

But here the Humanity is also hidden.

I believe and confess both,

And ask for what the repentant thief asked.

I do not see the wounds as Thomas did,

But I confess that you are my God.

Make me believe more and more in you,

Hope in you, and love you.

O memorial of our Lord’s death!

Living bread that gives life to man,

Grant my soul to live on you,

And always to savor your sweetness.

Lord Jesus, Good Pelican,

wash me clean with your blood,

One drop of which

can free the entire world of all its sins.

Jesus, whom now I see hidden,

I ask you to fulfill what I so desire:

That on seeing you face to face,

I may be happy of seeing your glory. Amen.

. . .

UPDATE (5/3/2024): Why is Jesus called the Good Pelican in the "I Devoutly Adore" Prayer? I found the information below from a post on a Catholic social media site. What a beautiful image of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Pelican.

THE PELICAN

The pelican is one of the symbols or representation of Christ. The pelican, to prevent its chicks from starving in times of scarcity or famine , wounds its chest with its own beak and feeds them with it’s own blood. According to other legends, if the pelican chicks die, this one opens its side and brings them back to life, at the expense of his own, spraying them with his own blood.

In light of this pre-existing tradition, the early Christians adopted the motif as a symbol of Christ.

The Redeemer who gives His life to bring His own from death which is sin and feeds them with His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

“Lord Jesus, good pelican, cleanse us purify us with your blood.

For with a single drop you can free the whole world of her crimes

Heal and set us free with the power of your Precious Blood!!! Strengthen us with the bread of angels. Feed us with your body and blood ,the food that gives life to our soul

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-77) - Be bold. Be Catholic.

Dearest Goddaughter,

After Stephen was stoned to death, followers of Christ scattered because of the "severe persecution." However, the apostles remained and, those who did scattered, like Philip, continue to preach the word and proclaim Christ to the people. 

I am reminded of all the Christians who continue to die for faith in Christ all over the world - back then and now. However, they are never lost to Christ who said in today's Gospel: "And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day." The heroic Christians are with Jesus in heaven.

Christ calls to be bold witnesses of his love and mercy in today's society and world, even in the face of persecution, mockery, and an unfaithful and godless nation. And while we are not all called to martyrdom, we die to ourselves each day so that our lives can be renewed in Christ, who gives of himself to us in the Eucharist so that we have the courage and strength to be authentic witness like the faithful followers of Christ before us. 

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 8:1b-8 and Jn 6:35-40 (see below)

. . .

Jesus said to the crowds,

"I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

But I told you that although you have seen me,

you do not believe.

Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,

and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,

because I came down from heaven not to do my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.

And this is the will of the one who sent me,

that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,

but that I should raise it on the last day.

For this is the will of my Father,

that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him

may have eternal life,

and I shall raise him on the last day."

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-76) - Bread of Life

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's Gospel, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ tells the people (and us): "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." Jesus promises to be with us until the end of the age, and he keeps his promise in the Eucharist, which he instituted at the Last Supper.

We are never closer to Christ, never more intimately in his presence than when we receive him into our body at Holy Communion. Jesus is present to us when we sit before the Blessed Sacrament. Yet, we sometimes allow our limited senses to dull our faith and belief in the real presence of our Lord and our God in the Eucharist. In those moments, let us get on our knees and beg God to help us with our unbelief.

I have the blessed opportunity to talk with our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion tomorrow evening on Eucharistic miracles. I look forward to it. However, a Eucharistic miracle happens at every Mass when the bread and wine, through the Holy Spirit, becomes the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Believe, and be healed.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 7:51—8:1a and Jn 6:30-35 (see below).

. . .

The crowd said to Jesus:

"What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?

What can you do?

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat."

So Jesus said to them,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;

my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world."

So they said to Jesus,

"Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-75) - Things of God

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's First Reading, Gamaliel - a Pharisee and teacher of Saul, advises his fellow Sanhedrin members (and us):

". . .have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God."

In other words, things that are not of God, while they may rise, will eventually fall and be a footnote in history. However, things of God will last for eternity. For our part, we must be patient and prayerfully endure when we are faced with the challenges of things that are not of God. And there are many things not of God happening in our society and world right now.

This is a hopeful message for all of us to take to heart and prayerfully meditate on. It is like saying goes, "This too shall pass." This thing that is not of God shall pass. In the meantime, we pray, saying confidently: Jesus, I trust in you. 

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Acts 5:34-42 and Jn 6:1-15 (see below).

. . .

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.

A large crowd followed him,

because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.

Jesus went up on the mountain,

and there he sat down with his disciples.

The Jewish feast of Passover was near.

When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,

he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"

He said this to test him,

because he himself knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered him,

"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough

for each of them to have a little."

One of his disciples,

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,

"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;

but what good are these for so many?"

Jesus said, "Have the people recline."

Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.

So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,

and distributed them to those who were reclining,

and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,

"Gather the fragments left over,

so that nothing will be wasted."

So they collected them,

and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments

from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,

"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off

to make him king,

he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

HELP Letter for Men's Welcome Weekend (April 13-14, 2024)

The Men's Welcome Weekend team invited the deacons to write a HELP (He Extends Love Perpetually) letter for the men who are participating in the retreat. I was more than happy to write a HELP letter because I remember how special it was when I read my HELP letters during my Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) men's renewal weekend. One of the HELP letter encouraged me to discern the diaconate. Below is the HELP letter that the Holy Spirit inspired me to write.

. . .

Dear Brother in Christ:

Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! He is risen, indeed. Alleluia! Alleluia!

As we continue to rejoice in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ this Easter season and prepare our hearts to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, I want to reflect on this gift of the Holy Spirit: Fortitude is the courage to do what one knows is right (Loyola Press, 4/9/2024).

It takes a lot of courage for a man to step back from the responsibilities of life - as a working man, a husband, a father, a caretaker (to name a few roles that men have in life) - and be present to God. It takes even more courage to work on our relationship with God because it means that we have to let our guard down and be vulnerable with ourselves. I say vulnerable with ourselves because God knows our minds and hearts (Jeremiah 17:10).

There is nothing we can hide from God but, like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), our Father in heaven waits for us to come to him of our own freewill. You have done that this weekend. Of your own freewill, you chose to take time to spend time with our Lord and our God, and allow Him to pour His love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, and joy into your hearts.

You are His beloved son. He loves and adores you as the apple of His eyes. That is your true and deepest identity as a man - you are a beloved son of the Father. Remember that always and let no one tell you otherwise. And when you forget who you are and whose you are, pray and believe. In prayer, the Holy Spirit will help you to remember that you are a beloved son of the Father.

I thank you for having the courage to be on this men’s Welcome Weekend. May your experience bear fruit through a robust prayer life and spirituality that is always focused on our Lord Jesus Christ because he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

Vivat Jesus.

Deacon Phúc Phan

. . .

Link for more information on Men's Welcome Weekend Retreat: https://saintalbert.org/welcome-weekend-retreat-for-men