Category: Pastor’s Corner

Dear Friends,

I want to begin by telling you about two religious sisters.  They both had an important part in my priestly formation.  The first is Sr. Mary Finn.  She lives at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and she has the habit of telling everyone, “Keep your eyes on Jesus.”  So whenever she would see me in the hallway she would ask, “Christopher are your eyes on Jesus?”  I would say yes, sister, but I’m not sure she believed me because she would then say, “Christopher, keep your eyes on Jesus.”  This was always followed with a punch to the arm.  And for a woman in her 70s she could deliver quite a wallop.  She never got the memo about not hitting students, she was old school.  But the message stuck, “Eyes on Jesus!”  “Always!”

The second is Sr. Mary Bridget; she’s a Carmelite living in Boston.  She once played the spoons on TV for David Letterman.  Her community takes care of the aged and infirmed.  They operate a number of nursing homes around the country.  Every Tuesday during my second year of seminary I’d visit patients at their nursing home in Boston, St. Patrick’s Manor.  Now in that facility every resident’s room had a prominent crucifix on the wall.  If anyone removed that crucifix there’d by heck to pay.  Sr. Mary Bridget would make sure of it.  Even the Jewish residents had to keep the crucifix on the wall.  Sr. Mary Bridget explained that the crucifix was there to remind the nurses and the sisters of whom they served.  In serving the resident they were serving Jesus.  So even in the midst of work they knew for whom they served.  Now sometimes the sisters and the nurses would get flustered or anxious or distressed.  In those moments Sr. Mary Bridget would say they’re acting like a bunch of Marthas. For a moment they took their eyes off Jesus.

In our Gospel today Martha, for a moment, took her eyes off of Jesus.  She needed to learn that what we do for Christ has to flow out of what we are for him: true and devoted friends.

It’s easy to overload our agenda with activities and commitments (even good and beneficial ones) that we lose sight of our real goal in life: to know, to love, and to imitate Christ more each day.  Only that will give real meaning to our lives.  Only that will enable us to help others find meaning.  Only that will fill us with the joy we long for.

Jesus isn’t saying that we shouldn’t do things, like serving others, working hard, and honoring our commitments. No, Jesus doesn’t reprimand Martha for her activity.   He reprimands her for being “worried and anxious“ about all those activities.  She’s become so caught up in getting things done, that she’s lost sight of why she’s doing them.  And the result is; frustration, anger, impatience, losing her temper.  Unless we are plugged into Christ and his grace, unless we constantly feed our souls with his words, unless everything we do flows out of our friendship with him – the one thing necessary – none of our actions, even the good ones, can have lasting value.  And only lasting value will give peace to our hearts.

St Phillip Neri learned this lesson well.  His nickname was “Mr. Happy-go-Lucky” and his holiness and good humor made him the most sought-after priest in the city of Rome during the mid-1500s. He was an adviser to popes and cardinals, kings and dukes, but also to beggars and shop keepers and regular people. Universally loved and respected, he reformed a corrupt city almost single-handedly.

One day a young man came to him after finishing his bar exam.  After years of study, the young man had finally made the grade, and was about to begin a promising career in the law. He was also courting a beautiful, popular young lady. He was positively beaming with enthusiasm as he described his optimistic plans: first he would take a respectable job as a legal clerk, and then he would marry his girl.

St Phillip asked him one question. He said, “And then?”  So the young man continued, explaining how he would climb the ladder of success and raise a family.

St Phillip asked him another question. He said: “And then?”  At that, the young man frowned and thought for a moment. Then he started stammering about becoming a famous judge and having grandchildren, but his enthusiasm seemed to be waning.

St Phillip smiled, peered into his eyes, and asked him another question. He said: “And then?” The young man looked at the saint with panic and confusion – he had never thought that far ahead.  He slowly walked away to think things over.  The next day he joined St Philip’s oratory, and eventually he became a holy, fruitful priest.

Not all of us are called to the priesthood or consecrated life, but all of us are called to keep Christ first, to keep our eyes on Him.  Sooner or later, only “the better part” will remain, and if we haven’t chosen it for ourselves, we’ll be left out in the cold.

The crucial sign that we may be following Martha’s footsteps a little too closely has to do with our prayer life.  Not everyone is called to spend 4 or 5 hours a day in prayer as the cloistered nuns do.  But every single one of us is called to at least have a prayer life.  We cannot follow Christ if we do not love Christ.   And we cannot love Christ if we do not know Christ.  And we cannot know Christ if we don’t spend time with him in prayer.

Prayer is doing what Mary did in this Gospel passage:  taking our place at the feet of our Lord and simply listening to him.  And Eucharistic adoration is perfect for sitting and listening.  Bring the Bible, spiritual reading, let our Lord speak to you through them.

He always has something to say to us.  He is always thinking of us.  He always wants to guide us.  If we don’t pray, regularly and sincerely, we frustrate all those desires; we shut out the grace he wants to give us.

As the Catechism says, “Prayer is a vital necessity.”

As St Alphonsus Liguori wrote: “Those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned.“

If we find ourselves frequently becoming frustrated, angry, and impatient in the middle of our efforts to do good things, maybe we have let ourselves become so “distracted with all the serving”, so caught up in the whirlwind of our activities, like Martha, that we have forgotten the reason behind them.  Renewing our prayer life is a sure way to remember.

Now one simple way we can do this is to every morning remind ourselves that everything we do we do for the Lord.  There’s an old prayer that a priest once recommended I pray every day and in this prayer we offer up to God our day, we offer him our work.  It’s a way to make our whole day into a prayer, to focus our day unto Him.  It’s called the Daily offering, so even when our focus is elsewhere we’ve given our day and our work to God.  The priest who gave it to me told me to tape it to my bathroom mirror so I’d be reminded to pray it every morning.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.  Amen. 

In the Gospels we only read of Martha in three passages.  The last we read of her is in John 12 and all that’s written is, “Martha served” she simply served Jesus.  My prayer for us today is that we always serve Jesus in all that we do.  Welcoming him into our home like Martha and into our Heart like Mary.

Peace and all good,

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley

Dear Friends,

There once was a very powerful king.  And he had three questions.  He thought that if he knew the answers to these three questions he would be the wisest and most effective ruler.  He would never fail.  The three questions were these:

1. When is the right time?
2. Who are the right people?
3. What is the most important thing to do?

He then offered a huge reward to the person who could effectively answer all three questions.  The answers he received for the first question; when is the right time?  were all over the board.  One advised saying draw up a schedule of days, months and years and stick to it.  Only in this way can everything be done at the proper time.  Another said pay attention to every tiny detail and do what is required.  Another said it’s impossible to know the right time, hire a magician, he will know.

The answers he received for the second question were also varied.  Who are the right people? Some said administrators; others said intellectuals at the university, the wealthy are the right people to know, while others said the soldiers were the most important people.

And for the third question it was no better; what’s the most important thing to do?  Scientific research, making money, and improving your military skill were some of the answers he received.

The king was not satisfied with any of the answers and no one received the reward.  In order to find the true answers to his questions, he decided to consult a hermit who was famous for his wisdom.  The hermit never left the forest where he lived, and there at his hut he would only meet with the poor and the humble.  The king therefore got rid of his expensive clothing and dressed like a common man, and getting off of his horse before reaching the hermit’s dwelling, he left his guards behind and went on alone.

The king found the hermit digging a garden in front of his hut.  When he saw the king, the hermit greeted him and immediately returned to his digging.  The hermit was thin and frail, and each time he put the shovel into the ground and turned a little clod of dirt, he would breath out very heavily.

The king approached him and said, “I’ve come to you, wise hermit, to ask you for the answers to three questions:  1^st, How can I know which is the time I ought to pay attention to, not allowing it to slip by only to be regretted later?  2^nd Who are the most essential people, those to whom I ought to give the greatest attention?  And 3^rd what are the most important pursuits, which ought to be undertaken first?  The hermit listened, but gave no answer and continued to dig in his garden.

“You’ve exhausted yourself,” the king said.  “Give me the shovel and I’ll work for a while.”  “Thank you,” said the hermit.  He handed him the shovel and sat down on the ground.  After digging two beds, the king stopped and repeated his questions.  The hermit did not answer, but got up and held out his hand for the shovel, saying, “Now you rest and I’ll work.”  But the king didn’t give him the shovel and went on digging.

An hour passed, and then another; the sun had begun to sink behind the trees when the king stuck the spade into the ground and said, “I came to you, wise man, for answers to my questions.  If you can give me none, please tell me so, and I’ll go home.”

“Here comes someone running,” said the hermit.  “Let’s see who it is.”

The king turned around and saw a bearded man running out of the woods.  The man held his hands pressed to his abdomen and blood flowed from between his fingers.  He ran up to the king and fell to the ground, where he lay motionless, and weakly moaning.

The king and the hermit opened the man’s clothing, and found a large wound in his abdomen.  The king washed it as well as he could and bandaged it with his own handkerchief and the hermit’s towel; but the flow of blood wouldn’t stop.  Again and again the king removed the bandage soaked with warm blood, washed it, and re-bandaged the wound.  When the blood at last stopped flowing, the wounded man revived and asked for water.  The king brought fresh water and gave him a drink.

Meanwhile the sun had set and it got very cool.  The king, with the hermit’s help, carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed.  He closed his eyes and got very still.  The king was so tired from his walk and the work he had done that he lay down on the floor and fell asleep.  And he slept so soundly through the night that when he woke up in the  morning it was some time before he realized where he was and remembered the bearded stranger lying on the bed.  Who was now staring very intently at him with his eyes wide open.

“Forgive me,” said the bearded man in a faint voice, when he saw that the king was awake and looking at him.  “I don’t know you and have nothing to forgive you,” replied the king.

“You don’t know me, but I know you.  I’m your enemy, and I swore to take vengeance on you for killing my brother and seizing my property.  I know you had come alone to see the hermit and I vowed to kill you on your way back.  But when the whole day passed and you didn’t return, I left my hiding place to look for you, and that’s when I came upon your soldiers instead.  They recognized me, and attacked and wounded me.  I escaped from them and I should’ve bled to death if you hadn’t taken care of me.  I wanted to kill you, and you have saved my life.  Now if I live, and if you wish it, I will serve you as your most faithful servant.  Forgive me!”  The king was happy to be so easily reconciled with his enemy, and he not only forgave him but promised to return his property and send his own doctor and servants to take care of him.

The king then went outside looking for the hermit.  Before leaving he wanted to ask one more time for the answers to his questions.  The hermit was on his knees planting seeds in the bed that had been dug up the day before.  The king approached him and said:  “For the last time, wise man, I ask you to answer my questions.”

“But you’ve already been answered,” said the hermit.  “How have I been answered?” asked the king.

“How? Repeated the hermit.  “Had you not taken pity on my weakness yesterday and dug these beds for me, instead of turning back alone, that fellow would have assaulted you, and you would have regretted not staying with me.  Therefore, the most important time was when you were digging the beds; I was the most important person; and the most important pursuit was to do good to me.  And later, when that man came running to us, the most important time was when you were taking care of him, for if you had not bound up his wound, he would have died without having made peace with you; therefore he was the most important person, and what you did for him was the most important deed.

Remember then:  First, there is only one important time – Now.  Now is the most important time.  It’s important because it is the only time we have dominion over ourselves.  And second, the most important person is he with whom you are, the person in front of you, for no one can know whether or not he will ever have dealings with any other person.   And third, the most important pursuit is to do good to him, since it’s for that purpose alone that man was sent into this life, to do good.”

“A man fell victim to robbers…a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.  He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.  Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.” 

Remember then:  there is only one important time – Now.  And it’s important because it is the only time we have dominion over ourselves; and second the most important person is he with whom you are, for no one can know whether or not he will ever have dealings with any other person.  And third the most important pursuit it to do good to him, since it’s for that purpose alone that man was sent into this life.”

“Go and do likewise.”

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley-

Dear Friends,

In 1957 Red Skelton was one of the most popular comedians on TV.  His show on CBS was always highly ranked.  He’d come a long way from his earlier days as a rodeo clown.  Red was married to a wonderful woman by the name of Georgia and he had two children a son Richard and a daughter Valentina.  Life was very good for Red.  But then toward the end of spring that year his son Richard was diagnosed with Leukemia.  Unlike today, a diagnosis of leukemia in a child of 1957 was the same as saying that Richard was going to die, and die very soon.

So Red and his wife made two decisions.  First, they weren’t going to tell Richard how sick he really was.  He was temporarily in remission and outwardly he looked healthy.  And second, they were going to take their two kids on a sightseeing tour of Europe.  So Red took a leave of absence from his highly rated show and went to Europe with his family.  The press at that time was just as aggressive as it is now.  Skelton informed the newspapers why his family was going on the trip, and he asked for their assistance in helping to keep the secret from his son that he was afflicted with a mortal illness.  Amazingly the American press agreed to help.  It wasn’t until the family reached Britain that Richard learned the truth of his fatal illness.   Reading the news, however, he said, “Everybody says I’m going to die but that means everybody but me.”

Even though the Skeltons were not Catholic both Richard and Valentina attended a Catholic school (St. Martin of Tours in Hollywood) and for the Protestant family the two high points of the trip were Lourdes and their audience with Pope Pius XII.  The Pope spent a great deal of time talking to the Skeltons.  He blessed Richard and all the members of the family and gave them religious medals.  As they were leaving the Pope gave them these words of comfort, “Life is eternal because of God.  So if life is taken away from one person in a family they are never separated because the family will always live together in eternal life with God.”

After they returned to the States, the leukemia came out of remission and it took its deadly course very quickly.  Richard was quite a religious boy.  His room was filled with religious pictures and statues.  Shortly before dying he asked Pope Pius to send him a blessed crucifix.  The crucifix didn’t make it in time.  It arrived just  after his death.  The crucifix, the cross with the image of Jesus upon it, however, was buried with him.  It was placed in his hands.

Richard, even though only nine, understood the great truth of the cross; it’s the instrument of Christ’s victory over death.    It’s our instrument of victory over death and that’s why he wanted an icon of Jesus on the Cross.  In today’s second reading St. Paul totally agrees and for a 1^st century man he says something very odd and strange, something never said before.  He says, “I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  This doesn’t sound strange to us because we see crosses on steeples and in homes all the time.  But to the people listening to Paul, they would’ve been thinking or saying, “What you talkin’ about Paul? That’s crazy talk!”  To his listeners this was madness.  The cross was something unspeakable.  The most miserable thing of torture ever thought up by a cruel person.  To die on a cross was a shameful death.  It’s the last thing you’d ever boast about.  If your son, brother, or husband ended his life on a cross you’d change the subject, if it ever came up in conversation.  You would not be in a mood to boast about it.  The cross was only for revolutionaries, slaves, thieves, or prisoners of war.

In his boasting of the cross St. Paul is inviting his listeners and us into the upside down world of Christian faith, where Christianity turns the values of the world upside down. Where in God weakness becomes strength and where in God death leads to eternal life.   St. Paul then goes on to say, “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”  In saying this Paul is not saying that he hates the physical world or the flesh.  He’s not a puritan.  He loves all of God’s creation both physical and spiritual and that includes the body.  What he is saying, however, is that he hates the worldly power of sin, division, and hatred, all the things that contributed to the death of Jesus, all the forces that caused his death.  Now over and above all of this Paul never loses sight of the importance of the resurrection. The world of sin, oppression, and hatred killed Jesus but God raised him up.

As St. Paul believed and as we believe, the cross has conquered the world.  Of course there are still evil skirmishes and resistances to the cross of which we must be vigilant and give witness against, but the cross has already conquered the world.  Now each one of us at baptism received an indelible mark upon our soul, this spiritual mark means we belong to Christ.  And nothing can ever erase this mark.  We could totally turn our back on God and the mark would still remain.  Now this spiritual mark which brands our soul can also be thought of as the sign of the cross.  St. Ivo of the 12^th century wrote that, “For it is by the power of the sign of the cross that all our sacraments are also accomplished and all the illusions of the devil are frustrated.”

So my advice today is, don’t hide your soul’s mark of the cross.  As we know this mark of the cross is not visible to the eye the only way it becomes visible is if we let the cross influence what we say and what we do.  It’s not something to be kept private and separate as our government tells us.  It’s not something to be put on display for only one hour a week here at St. Jerome’s.  The mark of the cross, the mark of our Catholic faith, should influence everything we do all week.  It should be made visible every day and everywhere to everyone.   Don’t hide the mark of the cross that brands your soul.

St. Paul boasted in the cross, a nine year old boy dying of leukemia chose to rally behind the cross.  And so my prayer for us today is that we always glory in the cross of our Lord.

Peace and all good,

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley

With you is the source of life

You who have been redeemed, consider who it is who hangs on the cross for you, whose death gives life to the dead, whose passing is mourned by heaven and earth, while even the hard stones are split. Consider how great he is; consider what he is.

In order that the Church might be formed from the side of Christ as he slept on the cross, in order that the word of scripture might be fulfilled – ‘They shall look on him whom they have pierced’ – God’s providence decreed that one of the soldiers should open his sacred side with a spear, so that blood with water might flow out to pay the price of our salvation. This blood, which flowed from its source in the secret recesses of his heart, gave the sacraments of the Church power to confer the life of grace, and for those who already live in Christ was a draught of living water welling up to eternal life.

Arise, then, bride of Christ, be like the dove that nests in the rock-face at the mouth of a cavern, and there, like a sparrow which finds its home, do not cease to keep vigil; there, like a turtle-dove, hide the fledglings of your chaste love; place your lips there to draw water from the wells of your Savior. For this is the spring flowing from the middle of paradise; it divides and becomes four rivers, then spreads through all devout hearts, and waters the whole world and makes it fruitful.

O soul devoted to God, whoever you may be, run to this source of life and light with eager longing. And with the power of your inmost heart cry out to him: ‘O indescribable beauty of God most high! O pure radiance of everlasting light! O life that gives life to all life! O light that illuminates every light, and preserves in its undying splendor the myriad flames that have shone before the throne of your godhead from the dawn of time!

‘O water eternal and inaccessible, clear and sweet, flowing from the spring that is hidden from the eyes of all mortal men; the spring whose depths cannot be plumbed, whose height cannot be measured, whose shores cannot be charted, whose purity cannot be muddied.’

From this source flows the river which makes glad the city of God, so that with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving we sing to you our hymns of praise, and by experience prove that with you is the fountain of life; and in your light we shall see light.

Dear Friends,

I recently read a book called “Priest block 25487.”  It was written by Fr. Jean Bernard and in this book he writes about his imprisonment in Dachau.  He was there from January of ’41 until May of ‘42.  Somehow his brother secured his release, but many of his priest friends died at the Nazi’s hands in Dachau.

Fr. Jean was arrested for denouncing the Nazis and was sent to Dachau’s priest block a barrack that housed more than 3,000 priests.  In this book he writes about his starvation, his torture, and the inhuman treatment he received.  But he also writes about his faith and since today is the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, I want to share with you what he said about the Christmas he celebrated in Dachau.

For Christmas he said they were allowed to stay up late.  So he and small group of priests made some crude candlesticks from left over margarine.  A priest with a good voice sang the Gloria.  A Bishop gave a homily.  And that was Christmas, but then excitement came when it was whispered that someone had smuggled in a consecrated Host hidden carefully within a piece of folded paper.  After the evening meal when it was quiet, he and a few friends met in the darkness outside the barracks.  They opened the folded piece of paper and stood there adoring our Lord, lying on a humble monstrance of paper.  Fr. Bernard then said, “We carefully divided the precious Host into as many particles as humanly possible to share with one another.  And then as we tenderly partook of Him, the Christ Child entered our hearts.”  He said that they then prayed that their sacrifice would contribute to bringing peace to the world.

Fr. Jean Bernard showed a great love and devotion to our Lord present in the Holy Eucharist.  He showed a great attentiveness and tenderness. And in his heart that Christmas night he even felt the peace of Christ, even in the midst of a death camp.

As our faith tells us, in the Eucharist God is both truly present and hidden.  Not only in the Eucharist but in all of life, God both reveals himself and at the same time conceals himself.  Why does God do this?  The answer is, to draw out from us our free response of faith and trust.  Even true human lovers don’t give or demand proofs or guarantees.  God gives just enough light for lovers, who can find him when they seek him, but not so much as to compel non-lovers and non-seekers to find him against their will.  The lover, God himself, respects the beloved’s freedom.   God respects our free will.  He will not force us.

Again the greatness of the Eucharist is known only to faith, not to the feelings or the senses or the sciences.  Its being (reality) is far greater than its seeming appearances.  The presence of Christ’s true body and blood in this sacrament cannot be detected by sense, nor understanding, but by faith alone, and this rests upon Divine authority, in scripture Jesus told us so.   But, if we’re honest with ourselves, there are many “once in a lifetime” experiences in this world that feel more heavenly to us than what happens every Sunday when we receive the Holy Eucharist.  There are many experiences that move us to tears of joy and remain in our memory throughout our lives:  births, deaths, weddings, honeymoons, reunions, sunsets, even winning a baseball game.  In contrast, most of us usually feel very little when we receive the very Body of God incarnate; even though we know that this reality is infinitely greater than anything else in our lives.

This is normal, and God lets this happen for a reason.  God does not always give us heavenly feelings when we receive the Eucharist for the same reason he doesn’t always give us sights of heaven.  We neither feel nor see Christ as he really is so that faith, not feelings or sight but that faith can be exercised, strengthened, trained, and emerge triumphant.  The Eucharist doesn’t look like Christ; and so it tests, not our sight, but our faith:  Do we believe Jesus’ words at the Last Supper and John chapter six or do we believe our human senses?  St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote, “Sight, taste, and touch in Thee are deceived; the ear alone most safely is believed; I believe all the Son of God has spoken:  than Truth’s own word there is no truer token.” 

Just as the Eucharist does not look like Christ to our outer senses; it does not always feel like Christ to our emotions.  Here again our faith is tested.  A faith that doesn’t go beyond human feeling is not faith at all, just as faith that doesn’t go beyond seeing is no faith at all.  Now sometimes God does send us special graces that can be felt when we receive the Eucharist or adore the Eucharist in a Monstrance or the Tabernacle.  Just like Fr. Jean on that Christmas night in Dachau.  And when that happens, it’s an awesome experience.  But he doesn’t always send us these graces that can be felt, not because he’s stingy or unloving, but because he knows exactly what each of us needs, and most of the time we need to exercise our faith, and not to go after good feelings.  A priest I know in Kokomo, a man of deep faith who always prays to himself at the elevation of the Host saying, “I believe but help me in my unbelief.”  He says this three times.  He wants always an ever deeper faith.  As a saint once said, these good feelings we go after are like sugary sweets, but they’re not our food.  Christ himself is our food, feelings are like sugary jelly, and Christ is our bread.

As St. Therese of Lisieux once said, “This holy bread the Eucharist is not meant to remain in a golden ciborium within the tabernacle.  At Mass He comes down to us from Heaven… to find another heaven, infinitely more dear to Him than the first:  the heaven of our soul, made to his image, the living temple of the adorable Trinity (St. Therese of Lisieux).  Come, let us receive Him in great faith.  Living in gratitude and trust.

Peace and all good,

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley

Dear Friends,

Once during my seminary studies one of my priest teachers gave me a copy of what a consulting firm might have said about the original 12 apostles.

It is our opinion that the 12 men you have picked to manage your new organization lack the background, educational and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking.  They do not have the team concept.  Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper.  Andrew has no qualities of leadership.  The two brothers, James and John, place personal interest above company loyalty.  Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would lend itself to undermining morale.  We feel it is our duty to tell you that the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau has censured Matthew for unfair business practices.  James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot both have radical leanings and both registered high on the manic-depressive scale.  One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, has a keen business mind and possesses contacts in high places.  He is highly motivated and ambitious.  We recommend Judas Iscariot as your vice president and right hand man.  We wish you every success in your new venture.

And it is to this unimpressive group with so many failings that our Lord says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  This last line makes all the difference; I am with you always, until the end of the age. “I am with you always until the end of the age.”  The apostles didn’t have to do it on their own; they couldn’t do it on their own.  Without our Lord they couldn’t have done anything on their own.

Now this is something that Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity understood very well, although it took her a while.  She grew up in France in the late eighteen hundreds; she was the daughter of a successful military officer who died of a heart attack while she was still only a girl. Elizabeth was an extremely strong-willed and temperamental child.  Her frequent fits of rage were almost uncontrollable; it was so bad that her mom often called her the “little devil.”  This began to change, however, after her first Communion, when she was eleven.  That afternoon she met for the first time the prioress of the nearby Carmelite convent.  The nun explained that the girl’s name, Elizabeth, meant “house of God,” and wrote her a note that said:  “Your blessed name hides a mystery, accomplished on this great day. Child, your heart is the House of God on earth, of the God of love.”

From then on, recognizing that God had taken up residence in her soul, she waged a holy war against her violent temper.  She didn’t win overnight, but she did win, eventually, and she also discovered her vocation to become a Carmelite sister.

Her mother didn’t like the idea, however, and made her wait until she was twenty-one.  She won friends of all ages during these years of waiting, singing in the parish choirs, arranging parish day-care service for families that worked in the local tobacco factory, and also winning several prizes for her skill at the piano.  She died only five years after entering the convent, at the age of 26, after having suffered horribly for months from an extremely painful disease of the kidneys. But her realization that the Blessed Trinity dwelt within her enabled her to suffer with patience and even with joy.  As she wrote to her mother:  “The bride belongs to the bridegroom, and mine has taken me. Jesus wants me to be another humanity for him, to be another Jesus, in which he can still suffer for the glory of his Father, to help the needs of his Church: this thought has done me so much good.”  Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity had discovered the intimate, loving presence of God that He so eagerly wants to reveal to all of us.

The reason God has revealed himself to us so thoroughly is because he yearns for our friendship.  That’s what he created us for!  But friendship is always a two-way street.

God has done His part by opening himself up to us.  That was what the Incarnation was all about.  That is what the ongoing life of the Church is all about:  the sacraments, Church teaching the sacred Scriptures, and even the beauties of nature, God’s first book of revelation.  They are all ways God has invented to speak to us, to invite us into an ever deeper personal relationship with him.  But that relationship doesn’t happen automatically – friendship never does.

Cardinal Mercier of Belgium (d1920) once made the bold claim, that he knew the secret of holiness, happiness, and friendship with our Lord.  He said, “I’m going to reveal to you the secret, every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to the things of sight, and close your ears to all the noises of the world. Do this in order to enter into yourself.  Then, in the sanctity of your Baptized soul, which is the temple of the Blessed Trinity, speak to our Lord, saying to Him, ‘O Blessed Trinity, Soul of my soul, I adore You! Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, and console me.  Tell me what I should do; give me your orders.  I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me, and to accept all that you permit to happen to me.  Just make me know your will.”  Cardinal Mercier goes on to say, “if you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely, and full of consolation, even in the midst of trial, the grace you need will  be given to you to keep you strong.”

Our Lord says, “I am with you always until the end of the age.”  The apostles, unlikely leaders as they were, Blessed Elizabeth, once described as a devil child, all came to realize they held a priceless gift within.  They were houses of God.  The Apostles, Blessed Elizabeth and you are Houses of God, baptism makes it so.  Your house is part of an awesome and great community.  Let us find that time every day to listen, and to obey the soul of our soul the Blessed Trinity.  And we will be sanctified.

Pax et Bonum,

Christopher J. Ankley

Dear Friends,

Today is Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit.  Bishop Fulton Sheen once wrote that from all eternity, the Father looks at the Son and the Son looks at the Father.  And what each of them see is utter perfection and beauty.  And so each of them sighs His love for the other.  This shared breath is what we call the Holy Spirit, the love breathed back and forth between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the life-giving breath of the Christian life.  And to live in this life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit, to trust in the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit is to allow God to take possession of our lives and to change our hearts, to make us resemble him more and more.

In our first reading today, when the Holy Spirit descended there was, “A noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.”  Now at every Mass I like to pray for the Holy Spirit to descend upon us.  To descend upon everyone  in the sanctuary and in the nave, even upon the families and kids banished to the cry room.  I pray for that same driving wind to descend upon us and engulf us, to engulf us in a divine whirlwind.  We should all be praying for the Holy Spirit to engulf us, to engulf us at the beginning of Mass, as the Gospel is being read, as we prepare to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist,  and as we leave at the end of Mass.

At Pope Saint John XXIII my seminary, we had a Church History teacher by the name of Fr. Moriarty and he would begin every class with a prayer to the Holy Spirit. It’s the same prayer you sometimes find on the inside cover of Bibles.  This prayer was meant to give us a sense of peace and to put us at ease and to focus our minds on what we were about to study.  He probably prayed it more for us than for himself.

In today’s Gospel we heard that Jesus breathed on the disciples and that through this breath they received the Holy Spirit.  And this was after he had told them two times, “Peace be with you.”  This sense of peace associated with the Holy Spirit is also found in the very first line of the Bible.  In the very first line of Genesis we read, “In the beginning God created Heaven and earth.  And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved over the waters.”  That spirit, the Holy Spirit, brought light and peace to a dark empty void.  Some theologians liken this dark empty void to the chaos that a soul experiences with sin.  Yet the Holy Spirit eradicates the chaos and brings light to the darkness of separation that sin brings between us and God.  And this action of the Holy Spirit is something we hear about in the formula of absolution in the confessional.  May we hear that prayer often.

Now in his letter to the Galatians Saint Paul gives us a list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  When we live in the Spirit we exhibit these fruits.  Are these fruits evident in our life?  St. Paul lists love, joy, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  And in each of these fruits there is an underlying sense of peace.  One who loves is at peace, one who has joy is at peace, and the one who is patient is at peace, and so on.  I’m sure we all know of someone who exhibits these qualities.   And even in the midst of some trying circumstances these people still radiate a sense of peace.  They are living a life in the Spirit of God.  Mother Theresa was a prime example of one living a life in the Spirit.  Even in the midst of Calcutta’s poverty and squalor she exuded peace.

When we live life in the Holy Spirit we are not only asking the Spirit to give us peace but to also guide us to all Truth, and Beauty, and Goodness (TBG).  We can use these three ideals as benchmarks in our life always asking the Holy Spirit to always guide us to them, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.  When we’re watching TV or visiting websites, or reading books and magazines; we can ask ourselves, is there truth here?  Is this goodness and does it reveal true beauty?  If the answer to any of these questions is no, then why are we wasting our time?  It’s only taking us away from God and life in the Spirit.  With friendships and relationships we can ask ourselves too, is there truth here?  Is this a good mutual relationship that truly reveals the God given beauty of the human person?  Or is it a relationship of selfishness and mutual exploitation?    All of our actions can be examined looking for God’s truth, beauty, and goodness.  Remember TBG.

I want to share with you a true story about trust.  In the 1860s, an acrobat named Jean-Francois Gravlet became famous for crossing over the Niagara Falls by tightrope many times.  There was no safety net or safety harness.  One day a crowd gathered at the falls to watch his most dangerous attempt yet.  He planned to push a wheelbarrow loaded with a heavy sack of cement across the tightrope, an extremely precarious proposition.  Thousands of people gathered and watched breathlessly as he made his way across, including a skeptical reporter who was observing the whole thing, just waiting for Gravlet to plunge to his death.  He and the others watched as Gravlet placed one foot carefully in front of the other, slowly but surely pushing the wheelbarrow across the chasm beneath his feet, oblivious to the roar of the water beneath him and the danger that he was in.  When he finally made it to the other side, the crowd let out its collective breath and cheered.  Gravlet had done the impossible!  After his crossing, Gravlet caught the eye of the skeptical reporter:  “Did you think I could do it?” “No,” said the reporter, “but I sure do now!” “Do you believe I can do anything on a tightrope?”  “Oh yes, Mr. Gravlet,” said the reporter, “After what I’ve seen today, I believe it.  You can do anything.”  “do you believe, then,” said Gravlet, “that instead of a sack of cement, say, I could put a man in this wheelbarrow – a man who has never been on a tightrope before- and wheel him, without a net, safely over to the other side?”  “Oh yes sir, Mr. Gravlet,” said the reporter, “I believe it.”  “Good,” said Gravlet.  “Get in.”  (He didn’t.)

My friends, the Holy Spirit is calling out to a weary and skeptical world, “Be not afraid! Get in the wheelbarrow! I will not lose you!”  Let me envelope you with my peace.  May each of us get into that wheelbarrow leading by example and showing the world that we love our Lord and that we trust Him.  May each of us be a yes man or yes woman in the best sense of the word.  And like our Blessed Mother may we always say Yes to His will, no matter what, in the most joyful and most sorrowful moments of our lives.  Just say yes.

We have such a good God who loves us more than we can imagine and He sends the Holy Spirit among us to guide us on our way, to all Truth, all Beauty, all Goodness, and to give us Peace.  We make it our constant prayer for the Holy Spirit to aid us.   I’d like to end with a part of Fr. Moriarty’s prayer.   He knew that we needed to constantly ask for the help of the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.  Send forth your spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the Earth.  

Let us always be enveloped within that Divine Whirlwind.

Pax et Bonum,

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley

Dear Friends,

May 10th is the Feast day of St. Damien of Molokai and like all the saints he truly understood the deep meaning of today’s Feast of the Ascension.  Damien was born in 1840 and was the son of a Belgian farmer.  He and his brother Pamphile joined the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.  These missionaries were responsible for bringing the Catholic faith to the Hawaiian Islands.

Damien was liked by everyone; he was generous, good-natured, and joyful.  In 1864 more missionaries were needed in Hawaii so a group of priests and brothers were chosen to go, Damien’s brother Pamphile was among the group chosen.  Just before the departure, however, Pamphile came down with typhoid fever.  He couldn’t go to Hawaii.   Damien still a seminarian, offered to take his place.  The voyage from Belgium to Hawaii lasted 18 weeks, and during the trip Damien finished his studies for the priesthood and as soon as he landed in Hawaii he was ordained.

Damien spent the next nine years among the people of Hawaii, visiting all the remote regions of the islands either by canoe or on horseback.  The people loved him; and with their help he built many chapels across the islands. After nine years of priestly service the Bishop asked for a volunteer priest to go to the island of Molokai.  This island was known as the “living graveyard.”  People went there when they were diagnosed with leprosy.  They never left; it’s where they eventually died.  Conditions were terrible; huts were ramshackle with muddy floors.  No fresh water and the food given to them was usually rotten and always in short supply.  And doctors rarely visited; if they did they only poked at the people with their canes.  They rarely received the medical care they needed.

Father Damien volunteered to serve the lepers of Molokai.  Once there, like the lepers, he never left.  He treated the people with love and respect he wasn’t afraid to eat with them or to embrace them.  He cleaned their wounds and changed bandages.  He was not afraid to anoint them or to place the Sacred Host into their decaying mouths.  Father Damien worked hard, he built new houses, piped in fresh water, got doctors to come to the Island, got medical supplies and good food for them to eat.  He built a church, a hospital, and a school for the children.  He even invited an order of sisters to come and teach the kids, and operate the hospital.  Father Damien eventually contracted leprosy and after 18 years of service to the people of Molokai he died.  At the time of his death the Island was a transformed place.  It was an oasis for the sick.  St. Damien was canonized in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.

As I said at the beginning St. Damien understood the deep meaning of today’s Feast of the Ascension.  This feast reminds us of our special dignity; Jesus ascended not only in spirit but in Body as well; His human body ascended to Heaven.  Showing us that human life is headed somewhere, it’s headed to God.  Where He goes we follow.  Now many times when we think or speak of the Ascension of Jesus we also call to mind the Assumption of Mary.  When she too was taken into Heaven body and soul.

Now the Church right from the very beginning has taught that Mary was assumed into Heaven without decay.  But it wasn’t until 1950 that the Assumption was formally defined as a Dogma of the Church.

In 1950 Pope Pius XII saw that it was necessary to remind the world of the dignity, and the greatness, and the ultimate destiny of the human person.     The world had just emerged from the trauma of Auschwitz, of Stalin’s purges, of death marches, and of so many other atheistic degradations of the human person that the Pope, together with the bishops from around the world, prayerfully concluded that it was a fitting time to make more formal something the Church had always believed.  In calling for a universal feast to celebrate Mary’s bodily Assumption, the Church wanted to remind the world that the ultimate destiny for each and every one of us is not a gas chamber, or a prison camp, or destruction of any kind.  The end for which we were made is to share in communion with God, and not just in spirit, but in body as well.   We are marvelously made.  And that’s how God sees each and every one of us, and that’s how we are to see one another.   Just as St. Damien did on Molokai.

In our second reading St. Paul prays that the Ephesians receive a spirit of wisdom a wisdom that will enable them to see reality as it truly is and to live and make  decisions according to reality.  That prayer is for us as well.  And on Ascension Sunday we are reminded of this reality:  the human person, every human person, from the first moment of conception, is not only made in the image and likeness of God but is destined to return to God, not just in spirit but in body as well, to live in God’s own life  in perfect happiness forever.  Where Jesus and Mary have gone; we will one day follow.  That is the reality of both the Ascension of Jesus and the Assumption of Mary.  And because of this realty, we understand that there are no mere mortals.  We are called to share in the divinity of God.  And because of this realty we understand not only the significance but also the true greatness of every single human person, no matter how small they are or how different from us they appear.   Thinking in accord with reality we understand the reasons why it’s against human dignity to kill children in the womb, to turn away the immigrant, to exploit men and women in pornography, to use human embryos as spare parts, or to walk in an unfeeling manner past someone in need.

Pope St. John Paul II once wrote to a friend saying, “The degradation and the pulverization of the dignity of every human person is the fundamental crisis of our age; it lies at the root of every horror.”  He goes on to say that, “You can only really know and learn about something by knowing the end for which it was made, by knowing its purpose, by knowing its destination.  Today’s Feast teaches us the end and purpose of every human life:  to be glorified in heaven!  On this Feast of the Ascension let us ask God to give us a spirit of wisdom and courage so as to more and more understand the reality of human dignity, to live according to that reality,  to boldly bear witness to it, and like St. Damien stand up for it in the world in which we live.

Let us become great Saints,

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley

Dear Friends,

In today’s Gospel Jesus reveals one of the great treasures of Christianity.  When we were baptized, God himself, the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, came into our souls and took up residence. “We will come to him and make our dwelling with him,” as our Lord tells us.  Our Lord dwells body and soul in heaven, but at the same time He can be present to each one of us at all times, through the Holy Spirit, dwelling deeply within our soul.

Since the three Persons of the Trinity share the same nature, where one is, all three are.  And for the sake of our understanding, the Church has long attributed God’s presence within our soul especially to the Holy Spirit, the most hidden of the three Persons of the Trinity.  Tradition calls the Holy Spirit the “sweet guest of the soul”.  He is the Gift that brings all gifts.  The Holy Spirit is like our own personal trainer, he hones our capacity to love like Christ, and he hones our virtue and holiness. “The Holy Spirit,” Jesus reminds us, “…will teach you everything.”

In seminary I had a teacher by the name of Fr. Moriarty.  He told us often that we are saved by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; where faith is the condition and good works are the fruit.

I have a story; Mariano Soldevila was born in 1897 in Tarragona, Spain.  He was the 6^th of 7^th children born into a very devout Catholic family.  Mariano was a very smart man and he earned his medical degree at the age of 24.  He married the following year and set up practice in the town of Arbeca.  In addition to his office practice Dr. Mariano also made house calls to the poor families in the surrounding areas.  He never charged them for his services.  And he made sure they got three things:  the medicine they needed, food for their pantry, and a priest who would visit to give them the sacraments.  He looked out for both the body and the soul of his patients.

Dr. Mariano and his wife Dolors had five daughters.  He was also elected mayor of Arbeca.  While he was mayor, a transformation took place in that town.  The Sacred Heart of Jesus was given a place of honor at city hall.  The clergy and the Church were defended by the mayor’s administration.  The Catholic faith was always evident in the doctor’s actions, words, and behavior.  You could not miss the fact that he was a faithful Catholic.

The Second Spanish Republic came into power in 1931 and revolution spread across Spain.  Within two years churches and other religious places were being burned and destroyed.  Priests, religious, and lay faithful were also being killed.  The government soldiers arrived in Arbeca in August of 1936.

Dr. Mariano was urged several times to save himself by leaving the country.  He always refused.  He believed that he was meant to carry on his medical mission for the needy.  Always telling them, “he was needed where he was.”

On August 13^th the militiamen came to Dr. Mariano’s home and dragged him away.  He was put into the back of a truck with other prominent Catholics.  As the truck bounced over the rough road, a woman ran out and had them strop.  She told the driver that her son was ill and asked if the doctor could help him.    Surprisingly they agreed and she brought the child to the doctor.  He examined the child and prescribed some medication.  He assured the woman her boy would be fine.

Before getting on their way the doctor noticed a wound on one of the militiamen; he asked if he could look at it.  The soldier showed him a deep cut in his leg and the doctor bandaged it and told him how to treat it.  Dr. Mariano’s last patient was one of his executioners.

A witness told Dr. Mariano’s wife that his last words were, “Father into your hands I commend my spirit.”

We are saved by an indwelling of the Holy Spirit where faith is the condition and good works are the fruit.  But sometimes we forget and that forgetfulness puts up a blockade to God’s power in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is polite.  He respects our freedom. He chooses to be a guest within our soul and not a dictator.  He resides within our souls, loving us, eagerly waiting for us to put away our distractions, our cell phones, to shut down our computers, and pay attention to him, to listen to him, to ask him for guidance and strength.  And whenever we do, he is able to increase what is good in us and cleanse what is bad.

So why don’t we pay attention more often? Is his voice really that hard to hear?  If it’s hard to hear, that’s not his fault.  He knows how to speak in the depths of our hearts, beyond the need for words.  He speaks by inspiring us to choose what is right and good for ourselves and for those around us.

We all hear those good inspirations. We know we do.  The problem is, they usually demand some self-sacrifice.  They demand following Christ on the way of the Cross in order to have a bigger share in his resurrection.  And so we pretend not to hear.  But today the Church reminds us that the peace, meaning, and fruitfulness that we long for, search for, and try to manufacture in a hundred different ways – can only come from following Christ:  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” Jesus tells us. “Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” God dwells in our souls, eager to guide us to that peace. Will we trust him? Will we be open and docile to his inspirations? To that inspiration he has been insisting on right now within your soul?

Every baptized Christian soul is a Temple where God truly dwells.  There is a story about a Roman soldier from the first centuries of Christianity.  He went off on a long military campaign, leaving behind his pregnant wife.  While he was gone, she gave birth.  Soon thereafter, she converted to Christianity, was baptized, and had her child baptized as well.  Meanwhile, the soldier also met some Christians and heard their explanations of what it meant to be baptized into this new faith.  But he was not able to receive baptism before the campaign ended.  When he returned home his wife was overjoyed to see him, but nervous about what his reaction would be to her baptism.   She decided to break the news gradually.   First she showed him their child, mentioning in an offhand way that he had been baptized as a Christian.  The husband looked shocked and became quiet.  He looked again at the child, thoughtfully, then knelt down beside the crib.  He bowed his head, closed his eyes, and, silently, began to pray.  His wife was puzzled.  She knelt next to him and asked what he was doing.  He looked at her and said, “I am praying to the one, true God, for if our son has been baptized, he has himself become a holy place. Christ the Lord, his Father the Creator of all, and the living Holy Spirit has made their home in his heart, so we can pray to God there.”

We are saved by an indwelling of the Holy Spirit where faith is the condition and good works are the fruit.  Every baptized Christian soul is a temple, where God truly dwells, don’t forget, and don’t let forgetfulness become a blockade to growing in holiness.

You are a marvel of creation you possess God deep within your soul, you are a marvel!

Let us become great Saints,

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley

Dear Friends,

History’s greatest leaders influence people from the outside in.  With their speech, their ideas, their example, and even their presence they move and motivate those around them, drawing others and stirring them to action.  Jesus, however, goes much deeper, influencing us also, but from the inside out.  He not only calls us from the outside, through the voice of the Church, the actions of Providence, and the example of his faithful disciples but he also unites Himself to us so intimately, so inside of us, that his very life flows through our veins.

Our Lord says, “I am the vine, you are the branches,” and through the sacraments, the Eucharist especially, his divine life, his divine sap, flows through our veins.  Our Lord then goes on to say, “Remain in me and you will bear much fruit.”  After receiving the Eucharist, do you ask, “Make me fruitful Lord.”  I have a story of a man who through the power of the Eucharist remained in our Lord and as a result bore much fruit.

His name is Manuel Garcia born in Seville Spain in 1877.  His vocation to the priesthood came very early in life.  He entered the seminary when he was just 12 years old, and later on in life he would often say, “If I was born a thousand times; a thousand times I would be a priest.”  Manuel was an excellent student.  He excelled at his studies and was held in high regard by his teachers.  He went on to earn two doctorates.  He was ordained at the age of 24.

Manuel’s first assignment was to preach a mission in a small remote village.  As he made his way to this far away site on the back of a horse he dreamed of what the mission would be like.  The church would be packed with men, women, and children all eager to hear his learned preaching.  There would be standing room only at all the Masses he would celebrate.  Lines to the confessional would stretch out in to the street and down the block.  Such were his dreams.  But when he got to town and found the church no one was there.  No crowd of children to welcome him as was the Spanish custom of the the time.  He was all alone.  So he went inside.

The church was dark and dirty, the windows so grimy that very little light entered.  The murals on the walls were un-recognizable due to the flaking, and mildewy plaster.  Statues were cracked and peeling and falling apart.  The pews were splintered and broken down.  Fr. Manuel made his way to the high altar.  It was no better.  The sanctuary lamp had leaked oil all over the floor.  The altar linen was torn, scorched and covered in wax.  And finally, the tabernacle was tarnished and covered in dust and cobwebs.

No one came to Fr. Manuel’s very first mission, no heard him preach, no one received absolution, and no one received the Holy Eucharist.  Fr. Manuel would later write that as he kneeled in front of the tabernacle and as depressing as that moment was, it was also a mystical moment of grace. He would later write, “My faith was looking at Jesus through the door of that tabernacle, so silent, so patient, so good, gazing right back at me…His gaze was telling me much and asking me for more.  It was a gaze in which all the sadness of the Gospels was reflected; the sadness of “No room in the Inn”; the sadness of those words, “Do you also want to leave Me?”; the sadness of poor Lazarus begging for crumbs from the rich man’s table; the sadness of the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, of the soldier’s slap, and the abandonment of all.  All of this sadness was there in that tabernacle.”   Kneeling in front of that dusty tabernacle a vocation was born, a vocation within a vocation.  Then and there Fr. Manuel decided to dedicate himself to Eucharistic works in praise of Jesus Christ.  His personal motto became, “Here is Jesus! He is here! Do not abandon him!”

Fr. Manuel would go on to write many beautiful books about the Eucharist, and to found the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth, the Children of Reparation, and the Disciples of Saint John, all groups dedicated to teaching and promoting Eucharistic adoration, and still going strong today.  Fr. Manuel would eventually become a Bishop.  He died in 1940; he had asked to be buried next to a Tabernacle saying, “So that my bones, after death, as my tongue and my pen in life, are saying to those who pass; “Here is Jesus!  He is here! Do not abandon Him!” This wish was carried out; he’s buried in the Cathedral of Palencia Spain, right below the tabernacle.  Fr. Manuel was canonized in 2016.  Much of his beautiful works remain to be translated from the original Spanish.

St Manuel made the Eucharist the center of his life and he became a saint.  When you look at the lives of all the saints there is this one common factor.  The Eucharist is always the center of their life.  And making the Eucharist the center of one’s own life is something that we can all do.   And it doesn’t have to be difficult.  And it doesn’t mean spending all of our time here in Church, not everyone is called to that way of life.  But for most of us, to make the Eucharist the center of our life, to make Jesus the center of our life, means receiving Communion regularly and worthily, going to confession regularly.  It means trying to get to Mass more than just on Sundays.  It means including Mass and Holy Communion on birthday and anniversary celebrations and other special occasions.  It means carving a few minutes out of our busy schedules to come and sit with our Lord, to drop by the Tabernacle, where Jesus is always waiting for us, our Divine Prisoner, keeping the gifts of His grace, ready just for us.

In our Gospel today Jesus repeats five times, “Remain in me.”  And to receive the Eucharist is the easiest way to do this.  But in doing this we have to know the person we are receiving.  We have to pay attention.  When I was first ordained I was told to celebrate each Mass as if it were my first Mass and at the very same time to celebrate it as if it were my last Mass.  In these two instances a priest pays attention to what is happening, he’s totally aware of what is happening and who is present and who is received.  We could say the same about Holy Communion.  Receive every Communion as if it were your First Holy Communion and at the very same time receive it as if it were your last Holy Communion.  Know who you receive.  Never taking for granted this divine life, this divine sap that flows through our veins.  The Eucharist is life giving, without Him we wither.

May we become great Saints,

Fr. Christopher J. Ankley