Deacon Ward's Message 5/8/2020

~Mater Dei Parish~

St. Mary Star of the Sea / St. Edward the Confessor   
St. James the Greater   

St. Benedict Labre

J *  M  *  J

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Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

I give you my heart, I give you my life.

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Deacon Ward's Almost Daily Message 

Friday May 8, 2020

Happy Easter, my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

(...and Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife, Kathy!)

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There are no new announcements today.

As we continue to be mindful of protecting our health, and that of all others...
"Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good." Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC:) 2288

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In this time of distress and anxiousness, let us place all of these things, these emotional states, into the hands of God. God has promised us...

"Fear not, I am with you;

be not dismayed; I am your God.

I will strengthen you, and help you,

and uphold you with my right hand

of justice."

(Isaiah 41:10) 

"I will instruct you and show you

the way you should walk;

I will counsel you, keeping my eyes on you.

(Psalm 32:8)

"Bow humbly under God's mighty hand,

so that in due time He may lift you high.

Cast all your cares on Him

because He cares for you."

(1 Peter 5:6-7) 

Living our life in faith, hope and love...and placing all our needs at the foot of the Cross...our ultimate goal in life is to prepare our spirits and souls for that wonderful moment when we pass over the threshold of this life...to an eternity of peace and happiness with God the Father. 

The question becomes, will we be ready at that particular moment when death comes to our bodies and life begins with our Heavenly Father?

I leave you with a thought from Robert Cardinal Sarah, from his book, 

"The Day is Now Far Spent." 

"Yes, more than ever we are called to be strong, vigorous, and unshakable in our faith! We are like the disciples. After the crucifixion, they no longer understand. Their faith is eroded. Sadness overcomes them. They think everything is lost. We, too, see the world delivered over to the greed of the powerful. The Church seems to be overcome by the spirit of atheism. Now some shepherds are even abandoning their sheep. The sheepfold is devastated. We, too, like the disciples, flee the city, disappointed, desperate and set out for Emmaus, toward nothingness. Ahead of us lies a road that seems to lead nowhere. We walk without understanding and without knowing where to go. Only the wind comes to haunt our bitterness.

Nevertheless, here is a man walking with us. What are you conversing about as you walk, he asks us. and we tell him about our sadness, our anguish, our disappointment.

Then he speaks again, reproaching us for our lack of faith.: "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? 

Was it not necessary that the Church should suffer in order to be faithful to her Master? He explains the Scriptures to us. His words strengthen us. He rekindles our faith. Our solitude is suddenly broken by the strength of his certitude and the kind benevolence of his glance.

And while, in the distance, the sun seems to fade away behind the mountains, while the shadows lengthen on the road and the cold spreads in our bodies, our courage is revived and we beg him:

Our hearts burn within us when you speak to us. Stay with us, Lord, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent."

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Join me tonight for Holy Adoration and Holy Rosary, and put all things before Him.

7:00 PM

Live-streamed: Go to the materdeivermont.com website to join!

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I wish everyone a blessed weekend...enjoy it!

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Until next time...

In His peace.

Deacon Ward