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.