Pope Francis' Lenten Message

Dear Brothers and Sisters, As Lent draws near, I would like to offer some helpful thoughts on our path of conversion as individuals and as a community. These insights are inspired by the words of Saint Paul: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). The Apostle was writing to the Christians of Corinth to encourage them to be generous in helping the faithful in Jerusalem who were in need. What do these words of Saint Paul mean for us Christians today? What does this invitation to poverty, a life of evangelical poverty, mean to us today?

Christ’s grace

First of all, it shows us how God works. He does not reveal himself cloaked in worldly power and wealth but rather in weakness and poverty: "though He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor …". Christ, the eternal Son of God, one with the Father in power and glory, chose to be poor; he came amongst us and drew near to each of us; he set aside his glory and emptied himself so that he could be like us in all things (cf. Phil 2:7; Heb 4:15). God’s becoming man is a great mystery! But the reason for all this is his love, a love which is grace, generosity, a desire to draw near, a love which does not hesitate to offer itself in sacrifice for the beloved. Charity, love, is sharing with the one we love in all things. Love makes us similar, it creates equality, it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us. Indeed, Jesus "worked with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, he truly became one of us, like us in all things except sin." (Gaudium et Spes, 22).

By making himself poor, Jesus did not seek poverty for its own sake but, as Saint Paul says "that by his poverty you might become rich". This is no mere play on words or a catch phrase. Rather, it sums up God’s logic, the logic of love, the logic of the incarnation and the cross. God did not let our salvation drop down from heaven, like someone who gives alms from their abundance out of a sense of altruism and piety. Christ’s love is different! When Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan and was baptized by John the Baptist, he did so not because he was in need of repentance, or conversion; he did it to be among people who need forgiveness, among us sinners, and to take upon himself the burden of our sins. In this way he chose to comfort us, to save us, to free us from our misery. It is striking that the Apostle states that we were set free, not by Christ’s riches but by his poverty. Yet Saint Paul is well aware of the "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8), that he is "heir of all things" (Heb 1:2).

So what is this poverty by which Christ frees us and enriches us? It is his way of loving us, his way of being our neighbour, just as the Good Samaritan was neighbour to the man left half dead by the side of the road (cf. Lk 10:25ff). What gives us true freedom, true salvation and true happiness is the compassion, tenderness and solidarity of his love. Christ’s poverty which enriches us is his taking flesh and bearing our weaknesses and sins as an expression of God’s infinite mercy to us. Christ’s poverty is the greatest treasure of all: Jesus wealth is that of his boundless confidence in God the Father, his constant trust, his desire always and only to do the Father’s will and give glory to him. Jesus is rich in the same way as a child who feels loved and who loves its parents, without doubting their love and tenderness for an instant. Jesus’ wealth lies in his being the Son; his unique relationship with the Father is the sovereign prerogative of this Messiah who is poor. When Jesus asks us to take up his "yoke which is easy", he asks us to be enriched by his "poverty which is rich" and his "richness which is poor", to share his filial and fraternal Spirit, to become sons and daughters in the Son, brothers and sisters in the firstborn brother (cf. Rom 8:29).

It has been said that the only real regret lies in not being a saint (L. Bloy); we could also say that there is only one real kind of poverty: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.

Our witness

We might think that this "way" of poverty was Jesus’ way, whereas we who come after him can save the world with the right kind of human resources. This is not the case. In every time and place God continues to save mankind and the world through the poverty of Christ, who makes himself poor in the sacraments, in his word and in his Church, which is a people of the poor. God’s wealth passes not through our wealth, but invariably and exclusively through our personal and communal poverty, enlivened by the Spirit of Christ.

In imitation of our Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it. Destitution is not the same as poverty: destitution is poverty without faith, without support, without hope. There are three types of destitution: material, moral and spiritual. Material destitution is what is normally called poverty, and affects those living in conditions opposed to human dignity: those who lack basic rights and needs such as food, water, hygiene, work and the opportunity to develop and grow culturally. In response to this destitution, the Church offers her help, her diakonia, in meeting these needs and binding these wounds which disfigure the face of humanity. In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ. Our efforts are also directed to ending violations of human dignity, discrimination and abuse in the world, for these are so often the cause of destitution. When power, luxury and money become idols, they take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth. Our consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality, simplicity and sharing.

No less a concern is moral destitution, which consists in slavery to vice and sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of their members – often a young person - is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling or pornography! How many people no longer see meaning in life or prospects for the future, how many have lost hope! And how many are plunged into this destitution by unjust social conditions, by unemployment, which takes away their dignity as breadwinners, and by lack of equal access to education and health care. In such cases, moral destitution can be considered impending suicide. This type of destitution, which also causes financial ruin, is invariably linked to the spiritual destitution which we experience when we turn away from God and reject his love. If we think we don’t need God who reaches out to us though Christ, because we believe we can make do on our own, we are headed for a fall. God alone can truly save and free us.

The Gospel is the real antidote to spiritual destitution: wherever we go, we are called as Christians to proclaim the liberating news that forgiveness for sins committed is possible, that God is greater than our sinfulness, that he freely loves us at all times and that we were made for communion and eternal life. The Lord asks us to be joyous heralds of this message of mercy and hope! It is thrilling to experience the joy of spreading this good news, sharing the treasure entrusted to us, consoling broken hearts and offering hope to our brothers and sisters experiencing darkness. It means following and imitating Jesus, who sought out the poor and sinners as a shepherd lovingly seeks his lost sheep. In union with Jesus, we can courageously open up new paths of evangelization and human promotion.

Dear brothers and sisters, may this Lenten season find the whole Church ready to bear witness to all those who live in material, moral and spiritual destitution the Gospel message of the merciful love of God our Father, who is ready to embrace everyone in Christ. We can so this to the extent that we imitate Christ who became poor and enriched us by his poverty. Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.

May the Holy Spirit, through whom we are "as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything" (2 Cor 6:10), sustain us in our resolutions and increase our concern and responsibility for human destitution, so that we can become merciful and act with mercy. In expressing this hope, I likewise pray that each individual member of the faithful and every Church community will undertake a fruitful Lenten journey. I ask all of you to pray for me. May the Lord bless you and Our Lady keep you safe.

From the Vatican, 26 December 2013 Feast of Saint Stephen, Deacon and First Martyr

Lent is Coming? Are You Ready?

Dear Parishioners:This week the Church across the globe once again enters into the solemn forty day fast of Lent.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. At OLM we have four Masses for Ash Wednesday: 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 12:05PM and 7:00PM. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of our forty days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  It is a time for us to truly: “Repent and believe in the Gospel!”

How do we repent for the forty days of Lent?  There are many ways to take up the cross of Lent and truly repent.   “The Three Ps”  of Lent: prayer, penance and the poor are the truest path to a good Lent.   Prayer is essential for the life of any Christian.  The best prayer for the Catholic Christian is the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith.  At Our Lady of Mercy we have an extra Daily Mass during Lent at 12:05PM.  So I invite you to consider coming to  Mass daily during Lent, at 7:30AM before work or school or at 12:05PM as you sacrifice some of your lunch hour for God. 

There are also other opportunities for prayer and devotion during Lent.  We can take up the cross and walk with Christ to Calvary as we pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday at 7:00PM.  Could you possibly give up a half-hour once a week to join us for the Stations?  Are you willing to sacrifice even one Friday night during Lent for our Lord who sacrificed His life for you? On March 22nd we begin our Annual Parish Mission as we enter into a “retreat” as a community of faith.  This year our Mission Preacher is Father Mark Spalding from Louisville, Kentucky.  So mark your calendar now and plan on attending this important spiritual event in the life of our parish.

What about penance? Well, first and foremost Lent is a time for us to return to the Sacrament of Confession most especially if we haven’t been in awhile.  Confessions at OLM are Monday nights at 6:00PM and Saturday afternoons at 3:00PM.  Additionally during the Parish Mission guest priests will be available to hear confessions each night of the Mission. So get to Confession this Lent, it’s good for the soul!

What other sacrifice can we make during Lent?  Can we give up some personal pleasure or luxury in our lives for forty days?  What could it be? Cigars, alcohol, candy, dessert, the internet, television, video games or texting?  This kind of traditional penance, fasting from something, is not meant to make us merely physically healthier (although it might help) but more importantly spiritually healthier.  Giving up something in Lent should help us to deepen our relationship with the Lord who fasted forty days in the desert.

Perhaps we might also take on something extra during Lent, more time spent in prayer at home or at Church, reciting  the  Rosary daily, or even reading and reflecting upon the Scriptures daily.  Perhaps we might try to break some bad “spiritual” habits and  try arrive to Sunday Mass early to pray or even on time if we are often late. All of these are wonderful ways to strengthen our commitment to Christ during Lent.

Almsgiving is also central to Lent.  Helping the poor with our charity is an important part of our lives as Catholic Christians. We help the poor by giving not just from our surplus but by truly  offering financial and spiritual support that entails some sacrifice.  We can practically help the poor during Lent with financial donations to Operation Rice Bowl, the Catholic Charity Appeal, or the OLM Outreach.  Volunteering at the OLM Outreach Office, McAuley House or Emmanuel House are other ways to help the poor. In his first Lenten Message to the Church, Pope Francis reminds us:  “Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.” Prayer, Penance and the Poor. God Bless.

Enough Already!!!!!! Praying for the End of Winter Snow!!!

Dear Parishioners:Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! NOT!  Enough already of the white stuff that seems to fall every other day lately.  Last weekend as you can see by the Weekly Budget results many of our parishioners didn’t make it to Mass due to the snowstorm.  It snowed again on Tuesday and now we await the next snowfall!  Pray that it ends! The bad weather lately reminds me of an incident in World War II.  In 1944 when   General George Patton’s Third Army was poised for the breakthrough across the Rhine River, foul weather threatened to postpone the attack.

One morning Patton phoned the Head Chaplain of the Third Army, Father James H. O’Neill, and said: “This is General Patton; do you have a good prayer for weather? We must do something about the weather if we are to win the war.”  After hanging up the     receiver, Father O’Neill looked out at the bad weather which had plagued the Third Army’s operations for the past three months. As he searched through his prayer books, he could find no formal prayers pertaining to weather so he composed an  original prayer, which he typed on a note card:  “Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.”  Father O’Neill  quickly reported to General Patton’s office. After reading the prayer, Patton returned it to O’Neill and directed him to “have 250,000 copies printed and see to it that every man in the Third Army gets one.”  Let us pray to end the snow and cold sooner rather than later!

In the midst of all this snowy weather I must offer thanks to Paul Anderson and our OLM Maintenance Staff  for working so hard in shoveling and plowing the snow.  They do a great job ensuring our parking lots and sidewalks are cleared of snow and safe for those coming to Mass.  I am most grateful for their dedication to this tough assignment.

By now I hope you have seen the two statues recently put up in our Church.  The St. Joseph statue next to the Blessed Mother  Shrine was donated last year in memory of Monsignor Lolio and had been in the Candle Room.  Also the statue of the Sacred Heart was recently restored to its original beauty and repaired of the damage to its hands. It too has been given a much more prominent place in Church.  This statue was part of the old Our Lady of Mercy Church on Main Street and is nearly one hundred years old.  It was made in Germany most likely in the early 1900s.  We hope to put up some new lighting to highlight these beautiful statues.  May good Saint Joseph and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus protect us and guide our parish.

We have recently restored and refinished some of the ciboria we use at Mass for Holy          Communion.  They are nearly fifty years old and some of them were made in France.  We also refinished some our  candle sticks and are making a new processional cross out of the cross from the high altar of the old OLM Church. These items should be ready for Easter.   All of these restored or refinished items  are available to be memorialized in memory of a deceased loved one. As the month of February ends, we look forward to March and the Holy Season of Lent.  Ash Wednesday is March 5th as we begin the solemn fast of forty days once again.

In preparation of Ash Wednesday, we ask you to please bring your blessed palm branches from last year to Mass next weekend. They are to be collected and used to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday.  Containers will be available at the entrances of Church so you can deposit these old palm branches.  More about Lent next week, but mark your calendar now for Stations of the Cross of Fridays and a Lenten Mission which begins the week of March 23.  More details about it next week.   God Bless.

Who Pays Taxes and Who Doesn't? The Church? The NFL?

Dear Parishioners:In my work as the Diocesan Lobbyist at the RI Statehouse I often have some odd encounters.  Recently while I was there a rather prominent special-interest lobbyist engaged in a short exchange with me.  He thinks that the Church should not have tax-exempt status.  He’s not a secular humanist but an active Catholic who regularly attends Mass. He was responding to the call for School Choice in our state. As you may know School Choice involves allowing all parents especially the economically disadvantaged decide which school to send their children. However, for the poor the choice is limited because they cannot afford tuitions and often there are not enough seats in the Charter Schools.  So School Choice calls for a tax-credit or voucher system that would enable all families a choice in their children’s education. This lobbyist felt that if the Catholic Church along with Jewish Schools of RI, Christian Schools and non-religious private schools wanted School Choice they should pay taxes.  He was really directing his emphasis upon the Catholic Church.  His argument for removal of exempting for  religious groups is not new and seems to be picking up more supporters as our nation gets more secular. I often hear this type of argument anytime I lobby on a particular issue or if Catholic Bishops speak out on a social issue like abortion, marriage, immigration, peace or poverty.  These calls for the federal government to revoke the tax-exempt status of churches usually take place in election years! The most common arguments made for taxing churches are that exemptions deny the government important sources of revenue.  Also  many claim that  churches often abuse their tax-exempt status by violating IRS guidelines that prohibit them from engaging in political activity.  The IRS specifically defines “politics” as seeking to influence the election of candidates and “lobbying” as seeking to influence legislation.   The Catholic Church cannot and does not endorse candidates or political parties.  However, the Church can educate their followers about the voting record of elected officials and the stance on issues of political candidates.  This is part of the Church's mission of education not a political endorsement.  The Church can and does lobby on both local and national level  elected officials about issues of concern. None of this activity is illegal or prohibited by the IRS. In fact, many non-profit, tax exempt groups do the same thing and they are often non-religious.  In fact, the IRS exempts many different types of organizations from paying taxes, including labor unions, chambers of commerce, social clubs, and “social welfare” organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Interestingly enough I just read an article about the National Football League (NFL) and its tax-exempt status.  Some US Senators are now questioning why the NFL is tax exempt since the NFL Commissioner is paid $30 million a year.  By the way the NFL spent over $5 million lobbying US Congress over the last few years. For the record, all priests pay Federal and State income tax and property tax on their personal property like homes and cars.  The Catholic Church is tax-exempt as an institution because She provides a public good.  In fact, the Catholic Church is the second largest provider of social services and education after the government.  Should we pay  taxes?  Would that curtail some of the good works we provide to all people, Catholic or not?  Perhaps we should begin to look at non-profits which don’t provide as much to the common good of our nation before we go after Churches.  My lobbyist friend works for an extremely large tax-exempt non-profit himself.  When I brought this to his attention he began to waiver his position slightly. You can hear more about the “Church in the Public Square” on Monday at 7:00PM.  I hope you join us.  Happy Presidents’ Day. Have a great school vacation

Praying for the Sick on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

Dear Parishioners: The Blessing of Throats on the Feast of St. Blaise is always a popular devotion especially during these days of colds and flus.  It is a great tradition to ask for the intercession of the Fourth Century Bishop and Martyr, St. Blaise.  I pray and hope his intercession protects all from diseases of the throat and all other ailments.  In the meantime we continue to pray for all those who are sick especially those in our parish.  This Tuesday we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes which Blessed John Paul II declared as World Day of the Sick in 1993.  When he did so he suggested that it be “"a special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one's suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding everyone to see in his sick brother or sister the face of Christ who, by suffering, dying and rising, achieved the salvation of humanity."

The tradition of praying for the sick finds its foundation in the teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ who cured the sick and prayed for the ill and infirm.  It is a tradition continued throughout the history of the Church as described in the Letter of St. James: “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the priests of the church, and they should pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up. If they have committed any sins, they will be forgiven.   The Church continues to encourage her sick and infirm members to receive The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick so that their faith and hope is strengthened and they will not give in to discouragement. Fr. Connors and I routinely anoint the sick and often we do anoint parishioners who are going in for surgery.  We are most happy to do so and also to visit the sick at hospitals and at home.  We just need to know if you are in the hospital or going in for surgery.  Due to the privacy laws hospitals no longer notify us of parishioners who are hospitalized as they used to in the past. So if you are hospitalized or know of someone who is sick or hospitalized from OLM, please contact the Parish Office and let us know.  In the meantime, we can all pray for the sick in our daily prayers.   I ask you to please do so in a special way this Tuesday.

Tuesday also marks the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858 to fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous. Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, the Blessed  Virgin appeared eighteen times, and showed herself to Saint Bernadette in the hollow of the rock at Lourdes, France. On March 25 she said to the little shepherdess who was only fourteen years of age: "I am the Immaculate Conception." Since then Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and many cures and conversions have taken place. The message of Lourdes is a call to personal conversion, prayer, and charity.  May Our Lady of Lourdes intercede for all the sick, suffering and dying in our world.

The snow on Monday prevented Fr. James Ruggeri from coming to OLM.  However, we were able to reschedule his talk to Monday, February 24th at 7:00PM. Fr. James works with the poor in Providence and is known as the “Saint of Smith Hill.”  I think you will find his talk inspirational and challenging.  So mark your calendar. In fact, please join us on Mondays the rest of month for all of our Adult Ed Lecture Series.

Last week we sent out Annual Tax Statements to all OLM parishioners who donated last year.   If you have not received yours or if yours is inaccurate in any way please contact Mrs. Sandra Demers at the Parish Office.  I offer my sincere gratitude and thanks to the many parishioners who so generously support the parish financially.  We couldn’t pay our bills without your generosity and I am deeply appreciative.  Congratulations to Fr. Connors!  His homily for Catholic Schools Week was so good it has now been posted on the Diocesan Catholic Schools webpage.  Great work!!   I am away this weekend on holiday visiting with friends in Southern California.  See you next Sunday.  God Bless.

Catholic Faith in Action: Supporting Catholic Education, Promoting School Choice and Protecting Human Life

Dear Parishioners: What a terrific celebration of Catholic Schools Weeks we had at OLM.  Fr. Connors set a great tone for this annual event with his excellent homily about the importance of Catholic Education.  The Open House at our school was visited by many families considering Catholic Education. Also some alumni returned for a visit to their old school.   We ended the week with a joyful celebration of Mass on the Feast of St. John Bosco, the Patron of Catholic Youth.  I ask you to please continue to pray for the administration, faculty, students and families of Our Lady of Mercy School.

This past week was also National School Choice Week and was marked by a gathering at the RI Statehouse on Thursday.  Some may ask, what is school choice? School choice gives parents the freedom to choose their children’s education, while encouraging healthy competition among schools to better serve families' needs.  School choice lets parents use the public funds set aside for their children's education to choose the schools—public or private, near or far, religious or secular—that work best for them.

There are many types of school choice programs including vouchers, education savings accounts, tax-credit scholarships, and individual tax credits offered in many states.  All of these various programs have been declared constitutional and provide an opportunity for many low-income families to make a choice which school their child attends.  Every year many Rhode Island children are unable to pursue academic success through school choice because their families cannot afford to pay the full cost of tuition.  There is a program called the Rhode Island Scholarship Tax Credit that allows corporations and small businesses to help lower-income families afford private school education for their kids in return for a substantial tax credit.

These businesses are all allowed to receive up to a 90% tax credit amounting to $100,000 annually on contributions to a scholarship granting organization.  Last year the General Assembly increased the cap on the total tax credit to $1.5 million.  Many businesses take advantage of this opportunity to both help financially struggling students and gain a significant tax credit.  The Diocese of Providence established a scholarship granting organization called Financial Aid for Children’s Education of Rhode Island (FACE).  FACE provides financial aid for needy students wishing to attend a RI Catholic School of their choice. Every  dollar received through FACE is directed to low-income families in need of tuition assistance and children searching for the school of their choice. If you work for a corporation of any size or own a small business you might consider looking into this great program.  More information is available through the Catholic School Office and at providencediocese.org/face-of-ri.

Also at the RI Statehouse last week the Annual RI Right to Life “Rally for Life” was held.  This event saw a large crowd including many pro-life elected officials standing together in support of the defense of human life.  It was a great witness to the call to respect all human life.  There are some challenges facing the state and the defense of human life.  One is HealthSource RI, the local Obamacare Exchange created by Governor Chafee.  This program includes coverage for abortion-on-demand in every healthcare exchange plan.  Also there is a drive by some legislators to expand Medicaid coverage to include the public funding of abortion.

It is clear there is much work to be done in the RI General Assembly in defense of human life.  Please pray that our elected officials might be able to see the immeasurable dignity of all human beings most especially the innocent unborn and have the conviction and courage to protect human life in law.  I invite you to join us on Monday night as Fr. James Ruggeri from St. Patrick’s Church in Providence offers us a talk entitled “Blessed Are the Poor.”  He is an outstanding priest and preacher and I know you will enjoy his time with us.  Hope to see you on Monday. God Bless.