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 I will take this space and opportunity
to present teachings that reinforce our Catholic faith and morality.
You are invited to respond by e-mail.
Fr. Pat Lynch C.Ss.R.
 For
comments, please email to: pastor@hcccstx.org
May - the Month of Mary
May is traditionally the Month of Mary, where we recall the role of Mary in salvation. She is the Virgin Mother of God, whose "yes" allowed Our Lord to take human form. Because of her complete trust in God, she lived her life sinlessly. And, after her earthly life, she was taken into Heaven by the power of God and crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth. She is, of course, not divine. We worship only Jesus
Christ, but we honor Mary as a saint. Why? The simple answer is because it makes Jesus happy. Most people are honored to have someone compliment his/her mother, and the same is true for Mary. We honor God by remembering the role of Mary in the beginning of our salvation. And, remember, Devotion to Mary always leads to Jesus Christ!
In May there are beautiful feastdays:
1. May 13 - Our Lady of Fatima
2. May 24 - Mary, Help of Christians
3. May 31 - Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces
4. May 31 - Visitation of Blessed Virgin Mary
________________________________
Pope Benedict XVI proposes May to be a time to rediscover the role of the Virgin Mary in Christian life. After Christ's resurrection, when the apostles gathered with her, Mary was for them both mother and teacher, a role she continues to carry out for Christians of all times.
Every year, during Eastertide, we live this experience more intensely and, perhaps, precisely for this reason, popular tradition has consecrated the month of May, which normally falls between Easter and Pentecost, to Mary. The Pope invites all the
faithful to rediscover in the coming month the maternal role she carries out in our lives, so that we may always be docile disciples and courageous witnesses of the risen Lord.
He has entrusted to Mary the needs of the Church and of the world, especially at this moment marked by many shadows. The Holy Father encourages all Catholics to pray the rosary frequently during the Month of May in solidarity with Catholics all over the world.
"The
May
Magnificat"
Gerard
Manley
Hopkins, S.J.
"May is Mary's month, and I
Muse at that and wonder why;
Her feasts follow reason,
Dated due to season -
"Candlemas, Lady Day;
But the Lady Month, May
Why fasten that upon her,
With a feasting in her honour?
"Ask of her, that mighty mother:
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring? -
Growth in every thing -
"All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathizing
With that world of good,
Nature's motherhood.
"Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind
How she did in her stored
Magnify the Lord.
"Well but there was more than this:
Spring's universal bliss
Much, had much to say
To offering Mary May.
"This ecstacy all through mothering earth
Tells Mary her mirth till Christ's birth
To remember and exultation
In God who was her salvation."
April 27,2008
Congratulations to all our young children
who will receive their First Holy Communion this Sunday,
April 27th at the 11AM Mass
Pope John Paul II
speaks to children on their First Holy Communion 1983
Dear friends,
There is no doubt that an unforgettable meeting with Jesus is First Holy Communion, a day to be remembered as one of life's most beautiful. The Eucharist, instituted by Christ at the Last Supper on the night before His passion, is a sacrament of the New Covenant – the greatest of the sacraments. In this sacrament, the Lord becomes food for the soul under the appearances of bread and wine.
Children receive this sacrament solemnly a first time -- in First Holy Communion -- and are encouraged to receive it afterward as often as possible in order to remain in close friendship with Jesus.
To be able to receive Holy Communion, as you know, it is necessary to have received baptism: this is the first of the sacraments and the one most necessary for salvation. Baptism is a great event! In the Church's first centuries, when baptism was received mostly by grownups, the ceremony ended with receiving the Eucharist, and was as solemn as first Holy Communion is today. Later on, when baptism began to be given mainly to newborn babies -- and this is the case of many of you, dear children, so that
in fact you do not remember the day of your baptism -- the more solemn celebration was transferred to the moment of First Holy Communion.
Every boy and every girl belonging to a Catholic family knows all about this custom: First Holy Communion is a great family celebration. On that day, together with the one who is making his or her First Holy Communion, the parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, godparents, and sometimes also the instructors and teachers, generally receive the Eucharist.
The day of First Holy Communion is also a great day of celebration in the parish. I remember as though it were yesterday when, together with the other boys and girls of my own age, I received the Eucharist for the first time in the parish church of my town. This event is usually commemorated in a family photo, so that it will not be forgotten. Photos like these generally remain with a person all through his or her life. As time goes by, people take out these pictures and experience once more the emotions of those moments; they return to the joy experienced in that meeting with Jesus, the one who out of love became the Redeemer of Man.
For how many children in the history of the Church has the Eucharist been a source of spiritual strength, sometimes even heroic strength! How can we fail to be reminded, for example, of holy boys and girls who lived in the first centuries and are still known and venerated throughout the Church? Saint Agnes, who lived in Rome; Saint Agatha, who was martyred in Sicily; Saint Tarcisius, a boy who is rightly called the "martyr of the Eucharist" because he preferred to die rather than give up Jesus, whom he was carrying under the appearance of bread.
April 20, 2008
Surfing for Jesus!
We are very lucky here on St. Croix! So many resources on T.V. and the internet to learn about our Catholic Faith.
Mother Angelica. On weekday evenings there is local programming from our Diocese. Also their website
ewtn.com has invaluable information.
- Great Catholic News Websites.
Vatican.va. Zenit.org. Cwnews.com.
Know what the Pope is saying daily and instantaneously.
Other excellent Catholic Websites:
- American Life League. www.all.org
The mission of American Life League is "to serve God by helping to build a society that respects and protects
innocent human life from fertilization to natural death — without compromise, without exception, without
apology." The distinguishing mark of American Life League is their absolute commitment to the sacredness of
human life. The website helps to further this mission by providing an excellent source for information on all the
aspects of the protection of human life.
AskACatholic.com, formerly Christifideles Pizza and Theology Society, is a Catholic support group of orthodox
lay Catholics loyal to the Holy See and the Church's Magisterium whose primary interest is Catholic
apologetics and evangelization. They answer questions and clarify misperceptions visitors have about what the
Church teaches (via e-mail). The site focuses onapologetical resources, but there are many other great
features too, including a large “knowledgebase” of questions and answers about Catholicism. The site is also
updated with new information frequently.
Catholic Answers is the largest Catholic apologetics and evangelization organization in North America. Their site
is among the best and most comprehensive of the Catholics sites on the internet. It features a large library of
on-line answer tracts, personal and insightful newsletters, a number of their popular booklets, and an audio archive
of their popular radio programs "Catholic Answers Live".
The Catholic League is the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. Founded in 1973 by the late Father
Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League "defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in
American public life without defamation or discrimination." Of special interest on this site is a large, topically arranged collection of various resources published by the Catholic League, including book reviews, essays, and research papers.
Catholic.net is the successor site to the Catholic Information Center on the Internet. On this site you can
find access to a wide variety of resources including leading Catholic magazines and newspapers, papal
encyclicals, Church documents, and helpful devotional services, all in a smartly-designed and easy to use format.
Every day new content is added, including Catholic news from around the world, articles, documents, interviews,
papers, testimonials, prayers, merchandise, and web sites. This site is a great resource. However, it does include a
couple links to Protestant resources and a few secular news outlets so readers should use caution when
following these links.
Human Life International is the largest international, pro-life, pro-family, pro-woman organization in the
world. They not only fight the evils of abortion, contraception, sex education and family breakdown, but
also bring the Gospel of Life to the whole world. In many countries, HLI is the pro-life movement. This site is an
excellent online pro-life resource from one of the greatest pro-life organizations in the world.
Pure Love Club is the chastity outreach ministry of Catholic Answers. This dynamic site provides 100%
Catholic answers to the most common questions of teens on dating, love, birth control, vocations, modesty,
pornography, starting over, etc. There is also an online store, a calendar of chastity presentations, and a library of
resource links. An excellent resource for our times!
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the hierarchy of the United States and the
U.S. Virgin Islands. This site is an excellent way to stay current on what is happening in the Church in America,
and it also offers a number of very useful general resources on Catholicism.
Rates Catholic websites to make sure they are truly Catholic and Orthodox.There is not always "truth in
labeling" in cyberspace.
April 13, 2008
Motherhood Before Marriage.
(America's "single greatest problem")
A fascinating book, Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before
Marriage explores the views of poor, single mothers. Its insights on out-of-wedlock births are surprising.
The harmful effects of growing up without a father in the home are depressingly well
documented. Children raised in single-parent homes are more likely to have behavioral problems, to engage in crime, to fail in school, to abuse drugs, and to be on welfare as adults. Why do poor single young women have kids when they know the problems they face?
The authors of Promises I Can Keep spent years studying 160 single mothers in eight poor neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Camden, N.J. Their study group included blacks, whites, and Hispanics. About half of the mothers, whose average age was 25, had not graduated from high school. 75% had had their first child as a teenager. Most were dependent on welfare, and fewer than half were employed. They were among the most
disadvantaged of America's single mothers. These authors hoped to learn what caused the "dramatic break" between marriage and childbearing among the poor. What they learned was how poorly we understand the poor. Where outsiders see self-defeating action with tragic consequences, these young mothers see purpose and redemption.
The young, low-income single mothers in the study have no regrets about their decisions. They prize both marriage and motherhood--but not in that order. They have placed the bar for marriage very high and the bar for the motherhood alarmingly low. The institution of marriage is so highly valued by these mothers that they choose to delay it for the future. "I don't believe in divorce, that's why none of the women in my family are married," one single mother explains. They hope to be married one day, when they meet a good, committed man. But they are unwilling to postpone childbearing until they find
that sure bet.
They also see their children as essential to their lives. Children are the most important
accomplishment within their reach and the chief source of their identity. The love of a child is the one relationship they can count on to last. One 14 year old mother explains, "I never felt my daughter held me back from anything. She taught me how to be responsible and mature." Poor single mothers see life without their children and imagine being “dead” in jail," "messed up on drugs," or "nowhere at all."
Romantic relationships go at lightning speed, and it is high praise when a boyfriend declares, "I want to have a baby with you." Pregnancies are more likely to be planned than accidental. Facing an unwelcome pregnancy, such mothers are less likely than more affluent teenagers to choose abortion, because they disapprove of shirking responsibility.
Adoption is generally out of the question. It would mean giving away "your own flesh and blood." And abstinence education misses the mark for girls who long impatiently for motherhood.
Unemployed men are not a big problem. These girls tend not to be looking for a breadwinner because they want babies and are confident in their ability to raise them alone. Infidelity, however, often ends relationships. These mothers are surrounded by role models "who have done well by their children, ensuring that they're clean, clothed,
housed, fed, and loved." Unlike middle-class parents, they can't assume that they will be able to provide the bare necessities to their children, so they take pride in meeting a standard that emphasizes survival over achievement. "The well-dressed child transforms the shabbily dressed mother." Managing to raise and care for a child as a single parent wins respect. And because these mothers consider "being there" the most important
part of good mothering, they judge themselves successful even when their children fail in school, get pregnant as teenagers, or wind up on drugs or in juvenile detention.
The high rate of illegitimacy among the poor will not go down as long as poor young women see marriage as a luxury and children as a necessity. Attitudes must change first. Our Catholic Faith can help poor women see God's plan for them – for marriage and family. The "culture of death" needs to be overcome by the "culture of love". True love
is revealed to us by the God of love in Jesus Christ. The "single greatest problem in America" is a spiritual one!
April 6, 2008
Five non-religious arguments for marriage over living together.
By Dennis Prager
There is no comparing living together with marriage.There are enormous differences between being a "husband" or a "wife"and just being a boy friend or girl friend.
First, no matter what you think when living together, your relationship with your significant other changes the moment you marry. You have now made a commitment to each other as husband and wife
in front of almost everyone significant in your life. You now see each other in a different and more serious light.
Second, words matter. They deeply affect us and others. Living with your "boyfriend" is not the same as living with your "husband." And living with your "girlfriend" or any other title you give her is not the same
as making a home with your "wife." Likewise when you introduce that person as your wife or husband to people, you are making a far more important statement of that person's role in your life than you are with
any other title.
Third, legality matters. Being legally bound to and responsible for another person matters. It is an an-
nouncement to him/her and to yourself that you take this relationship with the utmost seriousness. No
words of affection or promises of commitment, no matter how sincere, can match the seriousness of legal
commitment.
Fourth, to better appreciate just how important marriage is to the vast majority of people in your life,
consider this: There is no event, no occasion, no moment in your life when so many of the people whomatter to you will convene in one place as they will at your wedding. Not the birth of any of your children,
not any milestone birthday youmay celebrate, not your child's bar-mitzvah or confirmation. The onlyother time so many of those you care about and who care about you will gather in one place is at your funeral.
But by then, unless you die young, nearly all those you love who are older than you will have already died.
So this is it. Your wedding will be the greatest gathering of loved ones in your life. There is a reason. It is
the biggest moment of your life. No such event will ever happen if you do not have a wedding.
Fifth, only with marriage will your man's or your woman's family ever become your family.
The two weddings transformed the woman in my son's life into my daughter-in-law and transformed the
man in my daughter's life into my son-in-law. And I was instantly transformed from the father of their
boyfriend or girlfriend into their father-in-law. This was the most dramatic new realization for me. I was
now related to my children's partners. Their siblings and parents became family. Nothing comparable
happens when two people live together without getting married. Many women say that the man in their
life sees no reason to marry. "It's only a piece of paper," these men (and now some women) argue.
There are two answers to this argument.
One is that if "it is only a piece of paper," what is he so afraid of? Why does he fear a mere piece of paper? Either he is lying to himself and to his woman or lying to her because he knows this piece of paper is far more than "only a piece of paper."
The other response is all that is written above.Getting married means I am now your wife, not your live-in; I am now your husband, not your significant other. It means that we get to have a wedding where, before
virtually every person alive who means anything to us, we commit ourselves to each other. It means that
we have decided to bring all these people we love into our lives. It means we have legal obligations to one another. It means my family becomes yours and yours becomes mine.
When you realize all that is attainable by marrying and unattainable by living together without marrying, you have to wonder why anyone would voluntarily choose not to marry the person he or she wishes to live with forever. Unless, of course, one of you really isn't planning on forever.
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