ABVM PARISH COMMUNITY

  One of my responsibilities as a pastor is to help the faithful to respond to the specific challenges of the times, that is, challenges to their faith and morals that are presented by the wider culture.   Church history teaches that every culture, in every generation, poses in different ways challenges to faith and morals.   This includes even cultures where the majority of the population believed in God and His judgment.   We should not be surprised since “all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).   The effects of sin are present in every generation.             The wise sage Qoheleth of Ecclesiastes tells us, “Do not say: How is it that former times were better than these?   For it is not out of wisdom that you ask about this” (7:10).   If we are tempted to look with longing at the past, we might consider the words of St. Augustine: “You hear people complaining about...

  WHY RELICS?             After my parents died and their children were emptying the house to prepare it for sale, I remember wanting to take home a few items by which to remember them.   I was a little surprised at this feeling because I am not sentimental.   But besides the set of glassware with the initial “B” – which logically became mine since my sisters have different last names and my brother didn’t want to ship them – I wanted something else.   Today, I have two pictures from my parents’ home which I hang in whatever rectory I am living.   One is a large canvas of swans which used to hang in their living room, and the other is a painting of a street in Montmartre, Paris which my parents bought when my father was stationed in France during the Korean War.                  It is a normal human thing to want keepsakes.   We w...

Dear Parishioners,   I present below the statement by our chief shepherd regarding the reimposition, effective today – the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary – of the mandate to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.   As you know, an essential component of the observance of the Third Commandment by Catholics is to attend Mass in person.   The willful violation of the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days is a grave offense against God.   All who are guilty should seek absolution by a sacramental confession as soon as possible.   There are circumstances which human beings face, however, which may prevent them, against their will, from attending Mass.   When this is the case, there is no sin in not attending Mass, but the Lord’s Day should be honored in some way by prayer, Scripture reading and other spiritual practices.   I am grateful to the Archbishop for his pastoral sensitivity in explaining how the mandate ought to b...

  IS THERE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO BE VACCINATED?   SHOULD IT BE MANDATED?             The great majority of scientists and physicians recommend one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines for most adults.   The consensus of medical science, it seems to me, should be the first place to start when considering whether-or-not to be vaccinated.   Getting our information from reputable sources, which have passed peer review by independent experts, will allow us to consider the advantages and risks of being vaccinated.   But neither the medical experts, nor the head of the CDC, nor any politician or talking head, has the competency to decide what is morally obligatory.   The Church is our teacher in faith and morals and has the competency to determine whether a particular treatment or procedure is morally acceptable.   So that the faithful are not led astray, the Church has declared some procedures to be imp...

      Brothers and Sisters in Christ,             We might be tempted to discouragement when we look around us and notice a decline in church attendance and a decrease in the number of vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and sacramental marriage.   This is not the trend in the Church universal.   The growth of the Church in Africa and parts of Asia is astounding.   By the photos above and below you can get a sense of the vibrancy of Catholicism in the Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria.   The Archdiocese is served by over 500 priests, 117 religious men, and 498 religious women, who serve some 2,185,137 lay faithful.   It has 750 seminarians.               Christians in Nigeria have been the victims of horrific attacks by Islamic militants, and the government has been accused of not providing them with adequate protection. ...

  Is anyone among you sick?   He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.   If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. – James 5:14-15             The first sacrament we receive is Holy Baptism.   It is the doorway to all the other sacraments, each of which confers a special grace of the Holy Spirit.   The last, and most important, sacrament we will receive, if we are able to consume it, is Holy Communion, which when given to one who will shortly pass away is referred to as Viaticum.   The word means “food for the journey” in Latin and originally referred to provisions provided to a Roman official for his travel.   In the Holy Eucharist the dying person is given the sustenance needed for the final steps of their earthly pi...

 UNMERITED SUFFERING The collapse of a condominium building on June 24 in Surfside, Florida, which could end up resulting in over 100 confirmed deaths, was a shock to the nation.   As with all such events, the news coverage was exhaustive.   At first, it was centered on the rescue of victims, but it soon became apparent that the brave rescuers were not going to find many survivors in the rubble.   Reporters then started speculating on the possible causes of the collapse.   Meanwhile, the nation mourns for the victims and their families, and we join our prayers to theirs.             One can’t help but wonder why such a thing should happen to those victims, whose only crime was to be sleeping in their beds at the moment of the collapse.   It makes no sense.   In another tragedy which gained national coverage a mother was killed by a stray bullet in Annapolis, MD outside the hotel where she and h...