Plants contribute so much to the worship of God that they need another week to get through all the ways they sacrifice themselves in the mass. Last week, we saw that flowers, cotton, linen, wheat, and grapes are all involved in the liturgy, and we began to see the sacrifice of trees and their role in salvation history. We continue with trees, and there is still more they give.

Dear Friends,

Last week, we, Priests and the Bishops of our Diocese gathered in Flagstaff for our annual convocation. While it was radically different from the convocations we had in the past, it was nevertheless hailed as one of the best we have had in recent years. Our presentations focused on the hidden life of St. Joseph through the lenses of artists. Elizabeth Lev, the renowned Vatican Church art historian, and author who made these presentations, captivated the priests and the bishops with her very thrilling talks and sense of humor, making the three days of the convocation look like half a day. This was not a mean feat to achieve, considering that she was talking to priests who are often hard to impress.

The Holy Mass is offered to God through the sacrifice of Christ, united with the sacrifice of all of creation to facilitate the worship of God. Last week we took a look at the sacrifice that animals make in order to contribute to the Mass. Today, we will see how the plant world offers itself to the glory of God.

Flowers are often the most conspicuous offering of plants to God in the mass. They are often made of bouquets of cut stems, meaning the life they have to give is by definition limited. Their blooms give the rest of their life accentuating the sanctuary and adding extra beauty on the most holy days of the year. The flowers will eventually wither and die, but in their short life they gave their all to decorate God’s throne room.

Dear Friends,

Over the past three weeks, we have emphasized in different ways that, as Christians, we are all called to be good stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us, which include our time, talent, and treasure. One of the most significant ways we can demonstrate our faith and commitment to our parish, which I want to focus on this week, is specifically by sharing our financial resources. In this article, I want to emphasize three points: the importance of generosity, the benefits of giving, and the practical ways you can share your financial resources with your parish.

Dear Friends,

In the last two weeks, our homilies focused on Stewardship, inviting us to recognize that all the things we have: our time, talent, and treasure are gifts to us from God. Both last week’s homilies and article discussed the stewardship of TIME, emphasizing the need for us to spend time with our Loving Father. It was essentially about creating time for prayer and for our brothers and sisters. Understood this way, stewardship of time becomes a very important aspect in developing our relationship with God and our community.

The Holy Mass is first and foremost a sacrifice to God, and in this ultimate sacrifice of Christ is many smaller sacrifices composing a vast array of the entire natural world. From animals, to plants, to even the earth itself, all of God’s creation comes together in the Holy Mass to offer fitting sacrifice to their creator.

Let us first start with the sacrifice that the animals make to facilitate worship of God. Certain vestments (the ceremonial garments worn by the clergy in the liturgy) may be made from silk, a sacrifice of silkworms to create. The most important books used in the liturgy are bound in leather, a sacrifice of cows to create.

Dear Friends,

This is a famous quote from one of the Church’s great modern saints, Maximilian Kolbe; a Franciscan priest who lived his life leading others to Christ and gave his life at Auschwitz in order to save the life of another. We recently celebrated the feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe and his call to recognize the poison of indifference is even more relevant today.

On Sunday, September 15th, the Distribution of the Precious Blood will be reintroduced at masses in a phased roll-out, beginning at the 9am and 11am masses. As discussed in previous articles about the Precious Blood, one does not need to consume both species of the Blessed Sacrament (Body and Blood separately) in order to receive all of Christ; he is entirely present in either species. If, however, you wish to receive the Precious Blood, please follow the instructions below.

Dear Friends,

For the past five weeks, our liturgy focused on the Bread of Life Discourse from St. John’s Gospel, Chapter 6. However, beginning this Sunday till the end of the month, our Sunday liturgy will shift focus on Stewardship. You may recall that for several months in the past, I spoke about and wrote articles on stewardship. I am convinced therefore, that stewardship is by now not a new concept to our parish.

Because the Eucharistic bread is by no means just “ordinary food” but the very Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, we must make it a point to receive holy communion in a manner that reflects what we believe as Catholics. Our bodies speak a “language.” Therefore, we communicate with our bodies what we really believe about what the Church teaches regarding the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Dear Friends,

Over these past four Sundays we have spent time reflecting on the Eucharist as we explore the words of Our Lord in the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel. As we move into this final Sunday, I believe it is worthwhile to look back on the rich teaching of the Eucharist provided by Jesus in the Gospel of John in order to grow in our Eucharistic devotion as individuals and as a parish.

As was discussed in the last article, the Sacrifice to God is not completed fully by simply offering it to God, but by the consumption of the lamb’s flesh by the people for nourishment and anointing the lintels of the door of their dwelling with the lamb’s blood. When Christ became that sacrificial lamb for us, the manner of the sacrifice accordingly changed, as we are now able to offer an unbloody sacrifice, and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is re-presented, or renewed before God by the priest. Similar to the ancient Israelites, we complete the sacrifice through consuming the Precious Body of the Lamb, the host. We may also anoint the lintel of the door of the dwelling of our soul, the lips of our mouth, when we consume the Precious Blood.

Dear Friends,

This weekend, our homilies will be the fourth, based on the Bread of Life Discourse taken from John, Chapter 6. We have devoted these five weeks to reflect on the Eucharist because as Catholics, the Holy Eucharist really matters to us as the Source and Summit of our Faith. The beauty of all this is that the Eucharist truly embodies Christ’s uninterrupted Presence among us twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week in all the tabernacles around the world.

Dear Friends,

We are now in the seventh week since the actual construction of our perpetual adoration chapel commenced. I am extremely excited about the progress so far made. Though you may not see much behind the barricade, we have already done the plumbing work for the bathrooms and laid the foundation for the building. These are the most important aspects of the structure of the chapel, (Mt. 7:24-26). As we wait for the concrete for the foundation to set, I look forward with even greater anticipation and excitement for the superstructure to soon take shape. We expect this to commence soon.

Since the times of the ancient Israelites, as shown in the Book of Exodus, a lamb was offered for sacrifice to God. The people ate the flesh of the lamb, and the blood was poured out and used to mark the entrance of their homes. Each year for Passover this was repeated, when each family brought a lamb to the temple in Jerusalem, and then the lamb was sacrificed on the altar by the priest on behalf of the people.

Dear Friends,

We have just concluded the National Eucharistic Revival in the United States, which ran from July 17-21. By all accounts, it was said to have been one of the most successful Catholic revivals in our country and the first in 83 years. Over 60,000 Catholics attended, enthusiastically participating in Eucharistic Processions and Adoration, and had many opportunities to listen to inspiring speeches. This number included more than 1,100 priests, 1,200 religious, 600 deacons, 600 seminarians, and 200 bishops and cardinals.