Christmas 2009
December 25

Today is one of those days when, probably the least said, is the better. St. Francis of Assisi is to have said: the best sermons preached are those without words.

So, to those of you out there who read this blog, I wish you a very Holy and Happy Christmas.
The Manger Scene and Christmas still bring out the best in me and the kid in me. I really do wish that everyday would be Christmas Day. Not because of all the decorations but because of the spirit that brings us together in a unique way. It is Jesus who does that.

For your reading pleasure, may I suggest the article in today's Inquirer on the editorial page by Susan Fitzgerald "More Than Health Care Gets Us Through the Year".

Pax et Bonum

Monsignor Deliman

December 20 - O Radiant Dawn

... is the "O" antiphon for today.

It is the day after a snowfall that will make many happy. We will have a White Christmas.
The crest of the new fallen snow reminds us of the purity of the Virgin Mary and our own baptismal innocence. The innocence that we risk at times, due to sin.

Let our prayer today be that on Christmas Morning we will have prepared well - through a good confession - to celebrate the Birthday of the Lord.

Pax et Bonum.

December 18 - O Adonai - O Lord

O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power. This is our plea today.

May the Law of Moses and the Law of Jesus, the new Moses , be ever engraved in our hearts and minds.

I had a Canon Law professor in the seminary who always insisted that "Law is for liberty". I have never forgotten that pithy little statement. When you think about it - and I ask you to do just that - think about it, Law does free us. It shows us the way to living a just and upright life.

For a Catholic, a Christian - our laws are not binding and restrictive. They point us in the direction of He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Pax et Bonum.

December 16 - The Christmas Novena Begins

It is nine days before Christmas. Our Catholic tradition has utilized the Novena as a way of preparing ourselves for a great feast of the Church.

Remember, the first novena took place in the Upper Room where the Disciples, together with Mary, waited prayerfully for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

So, we have begun the Christmas Novena today here at SMT. This year I chose prayers that we used in the seminary. I am going back some 47 years ago. They are very traditional, but remind us of the joys and sorrows of the Holy Family on that first Christmas night.

The Spanish community begins Posadas tonight,- going from house to house with the baby Jesus seeking shelter. Is there room in the inn of your heart for Christ? If, perhaps, sin has displaced Grace, why not resolve to make a good Confession before Christmas?

Pax et Bonum.
Monsignor D.

Me and Christmas

Yes, I have grown to like Christmas very much. And I have learned to be able to mesh the great season of Advent with the Christmas Season and not diminish either. As an aside, I do wish that we could learn to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas with as much energy as we celebrate the days before Christmas. But this being the reality, I have managed to adapt.

I took a walk this morning, leaving the house at about 6:15. I wanted to be out and about for a December dawn. It was magnificent, the early morning, purple December sky giving way to the new day, prayerfully reminded me of Emmanuel - God is with us!. I suggest that you do the same. You will like it.

This just past second week of Advent was filled with wonderful delights. On Monday our children visited homes while caroling. The Spirit truly moved our young spirits as they dug in without any apparent inhibitions. They sang to neighbors and parishioners reminding themselves and other of the "Reason for the Season".

Then on Thursday we celebrated the "Mass in the Stable". In was brrrrrr.....cold. But the icy December wind didn't dull the enthusiasm of the young and the "young at heart". We tried our best to teach the children. I have always found the Mass in the Stable to be a good catechetical experience.

Today we round out the week with a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. What would Christmas be like without December 12. I am told that after Christmas and Easter, Guadalupe is the next biggest liturgical celebration in our Catholic World. Today we offer homage to Mary in her role as Mother of God, Mother of the Church and Queen of the Americas.

I will listen to some Christmas Carols in between today and be glad for December Joy on this Gaudete Weekend.

Pax et Bonum
December 12, 2009

Thanksgiving Day 2009

On Thursday good volunteers of SMT Parish will sacrifice some time in order to provide a Holiday Dinner for the poor, the alone, our shut-ins, Police and Fire men and women, in a word, to anyone who is looking for Catholic Christian Hospitality. No one should be alone on Thanksgiving Dinner.

Our volunteers are of different ages - all imbued with the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, that you do unto Me.

Please pray for the success of our endeavor. Let the prayer be that no one feels shy or embarrassed or fearful.

SMT Parishioners continue to "Open wide the doors to Christ".

Pax et Bonum

The Annual Forty Hours
A Personal Reflection

The three days that we have come to call the Annual Forty Hours has always been a very special time for me. As a youngster I can still visualize our little church in Morrisville, Pa. decked with flowers and candles. All the externals announced the Divine Presence. My singular recollection is that of all the senses being bombarded. The smell of beeswax candles, the incense and the flowers. The sight of the monstrance being carried underneath the canopy. The Solemn High Mass for opening and closing. The visiting clergy honoring the parish for this special event. The choir singing the beautiful Latin Hymns of the day. The Pange Lingua echoing throughout the church. Me, dressed in my altar boy cassock and swinging the thurible hot with charcoals and burning incense wafting throughout the congregation.

My sense of this time has not changed as a priest - an older priest now.
I look forward to next week. It is almost like a retreat without going away. The church will be decorated and open all day. People, I hope, will come in and out.
We will try to emulate the solemn ceremonies of the past.
Why do all this? Because Jesus Christ is present among us.

Forty Hours will open at the Noon Mass on Sunday.
The church will remain open all Sunday afternoon.
Sunday night will be the solemn procession with the Blessed Sacrament.
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday Night devotions will take place at 7:00 P.M.
Servers will be commissioned on Sunday night.
First Communion Children will be blessed on Monday.
Confirmation candidates will be blessed on Tuesday.
The church will be open to the faithful all day on Monday and Tuesday.

Come and stay a while.

Pax et bonum

October 21, 2009

Please pray for our staff as we go togther for an afternoon of retreat on Friday. We will be under the direction of the Catholic Leadership Institute. Assembling at the Mother Boniface Center, we look forward to this time together (1:00 - 7:00 P.M.) with only one agenda item, i.e., GOD. Our offices will be closed Friday afternoon.

A new adventure for us at SMT this year there will be the Thanksgiving Dinner that we will serve on Thanksgiving Day at noon in our hall.

Thanksgiving....a special time for all!!!

A Thanksgiving Dinner will be served from Noon until 1:30 P.M. in St. Martin of Tours Hall on Thanksgiving Day. Our invited guests will be those who may, for whatever reason, be alone. An invitation has also been given to our Police and Firefighters who will be working that day. It is our opportunity to put into practice the Corporal Works of Mercy. For all those who help, we recognize that you will want to be with your loved ones as well. Dinner will be served and clean-up will conclude by 2:00 P.M.

Would you be interested in supporting our endeavor?

Ways to help???
* Cook a turkey
* Help serve the meal
* Assist in the kitchen
* Set up
* Clean-up
* Be a driver
* Deliver a "take-out"
*Be a greeter/Hospitality
* Donate Script or Cash toward the dinner

Whatever you do for the least of our brothers and sisters, that you do for ME.

Pax et Bonum.

October 7, 2009

...and the silent blogger is back on line after a temporary shut down of a month due to vacation plans and then, the necessary post-vacation "catch-up".

I have set a theme for myself for the school year and I have shared this with our parents and now am doing the same with the students. My 2009-2010 theme is "Let's be nice. Let's be nice to one another".

I have asked students and adults to realize the special dignity that each of us possess. We are "temples of the Holy Ghost". We carry within us that unique dignity because we are made in the image and likeness of God. This is an important concept and it is a challenging one to get across to children and adults alike.

I am often astounded when we encounter people on campus who, for whatever reason, don't speak. Whatever happened to the custom of greeting one another as we pass on the street, in the corridors and going and coming from church? There is an ignorance that has crept into our society - either consciously or unconsciously. People walk by one another with never a thought to the other.

I like to say "hi". And it really ticks me off when I say "hi" to someone and you don't even get a grunt back. Sadly our youth have followed in the footsteps of many adults. It is probably a generation and a half already that has lost this one very nice, courteous aspect of daily living.
I have also asked myself, is it our Philadelphia Area that breeds such impoliteness? I am not sure. The next time you travel the Penna. TPK west, take note. The toll taker at this end doesn't care if you are a kangaroo. Arrive at Pittsburgh and you get a big hello and have a nice day. I kid you not. It never fails.

I just returned from Arizona spending 9 days in the Grand Canyon State. Walking the streets of Phoenix and Tucson, I found - to my delight - folks saying hello. Wow, I had to adjust gears. Leave my Philadelphia face behind and put on a new front. It was rather pleasant. People were nice. It is not hard and not much to ask.

Recently, I was standing out front of church before a Mass on Sunday. Coming up the steps were a couple of senior age (should have known better) and I greeted them. Nothing. So, a little louder, I said "good morning" and I emphasized that I was making a point for I am sure they both heard me the first time. I was eventually able to get a typical Philadelphia grunt. I run into the same thing at school both with the parents and the students.

So, I have asked - and I will ask all year and I am going to be a pest about it - Let's be nice to each other, let's acknowledge that Divine Dignity within each other.
A nice smile and pleasant hello can go so far.

At the October-Fest last week, I passed so many people on the lot - with never a gesture of acknowledgment - even from some of the workers. Then my day was made - a sixth grader made it a point to come over, shake my hand and say hello. Must have good parents, I thought.

I once knew a kid from Philly who went off to college in another city. I asked him about the perception others have of Philadelphians. His response to me was shocking but believable. He said: "Oh, most think that we are barbarians. That we are ignorant and have no manners."
So, again, let's be nice. It isn't hard.

Pax et Bonum.

Holy Cross - September 14

No Cross, No Crown.

When I was a pastor at Visitation Parish in Philadelphia, our Vietnamese Community celebrated a great feast by inviting a Vietnamese Archbishop. I concelebrated the Mass and afterward joined the parishioners for a grand dinner at a fine Vietnamese restaurant in South Philadelphia. I was seated with the Archbishop and enjoyed my conversation with him.

I was taken by this man. There was something about him that drew me. Something almost "mystical". I became fixed on his pectoral cross and chain. All bishops wear a pectoral cross over their heart. In most cases they appear to be fine jewelry. The one I was looking at was quite crude and imperfect. The chain actually looked like something kids might make at summer camp. Anyway, I finally worked up enough courage to ask the bishop about it. When I did, he turned red and I knew I had intruded into a private area. But he obliged me.

Archbishop Francis X. Nguyen had been a prisoner in a communist camp in Vietnam for many years. he told me that to pass the time he would gather pieces of thread and wire and gradually he fashioned what I was looking at and inquiring about.

Here was a man who had carried a cross. Here was a man who had cried as Jesus, in the solitary life of a prisoner My God, My God, why have you abandoned me! He knew isolation. The heartache of not being able to exercise his ministry as priest and bishop.

He never told me any details of his imprisonment but I learned of them later in books and periodicals and from Vietnamese priests.

...and we complain about our crosses, don't we?
Sadly we do.
...being stuck in traffic.
...having to curb our life style by a down turn in the economy.
...adjusting schedules to care for aging parents.
...impatient with our own personal aging and weakness

We complain about these crosses. Forgetting, that if there is no cross there will be no crown.
No Cross! No Glory!

Let us examine our Crosses more closely.
Pray for the grace to carry them as Christ did.
And look to victory by "Lifting high the Cross we are given".

Pax et bonum.

(I am going silent for two weeks - R&R time. Pray for me until then)

September 4, 2009 - The Year of the Priest
...and more or less an anniversary of mine

I am writing early this week about a day that, in my own odd way, I have always remembered and cherished. It's an anniversary day in my life. A day that I will never forget.
Forty-six years ago on September 4, 1963 I entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to begin my studies for the priesthood.

Some might say it is a strange day to remember. Naturally one remembers an ordination date, a wedding anniversary, the day of death of a dear one. True!
But September 4 always presents itself to me as a day when a new and important chapter in my life began. I chose to follow the route my life has taken at the age of sixteen. They look at you today, sneer a bit, ask how a 16 year old could possible make a choice such as I did (and others did as well), joke about all that one missed in the last two years of high school and sometimes even dismiss the choice as immature. I put my hand to the plow and I never looked back. I am happy that I did what I did. I have been happy with the choice that I made and I seem to get happier as the years roll on.

I remember the day as though it were yesterday. My parents drove me up the Boulevard from Bucks County, over City Line Avenue and through the front gates of the Diocesan Seminary. I had this old footlocker with a bullet hole in it and it contained what possesions I was permitted to bring with me. We had to report by 4:00 P.M.. It was the Wednesday after Labor Day. I still remember the two deans of men waiting on the front steps. Father Harry Degnan and Father Joseph Daley (who would soon become the bishop of Harrisburg). I was scared a bit when I heard the one priest say to the other "there's the Deliman boy". Did they really know us that well!

At 4:00 P.M. a bell rang which meant our parents had to leave. It also meant that we immediately, i.e., new men and veteran seminarians, fell into a routine - a routine that we basically would follow each day at 4:00 P.M. It became a schedule we would follow for some years before the Vatican II allowed a relaxing of the daily regimen.

I lived in an open dormitory with 78 other young guys. The open dorm (while I would find it difficult today) was a rather unique experience for a 16 year old kid. Let me just say that I quickly shed whatever inhibitions I had. Privacy was pretty much non existent and a thing called a bell, the Vox Dei (voice of God) ruled our lives and called us to chapel, to class, to the refectory, to recreation.

I look back at all that and thank God for his Grace. I did it and I guess it never seemed tooooo
difficult because it was what God wanted me to do. I rose at 5:00 am and learned to get ready in fifteen minutes because at 5:15 we recited the Angelus and we did it in Latin. Chapel at 5:30, Mass at 6:00 and breakast at 7:00. Breakfast, by the way, was usually in silence.
In this Year of the Priest I find myself thinking of many of these things, thanking God for my priesthood and the many folks whose lives I have touched in these years of serving as an Alter Christus - other Christ.

I am sure there are some I have offended either because I have had to make an unpopular decision, was having a bad day myself (that happens you know, even to a priest) or some one simply has not learned to agree to disagree.

I love being a priest and being with priests. Just the other night I had dinner with four other classmates and we laughed and talked and even shared matters of declining health and vigor as we approach the mid-sixties. You know - aches in places you never even knew existed.

Pray for me on my anniversary. I would appreciate a Hail Mary. And then pray for some seminarians that are very close to my heart. I look forward to the day when I can stand at the altar with them and celebrate that supreme sacrifice that is regularly celebrated from the rising of the sun until its setting.

Pax et Bonum !

August 27 - St. Monica
.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy died on Tuesday past. He was a Catholic and as his funeral arrangements are announced it is not surprising that Mr. Kennedy be given a Mass of Christian Burial.

We Catholics are an interesting bunch of believers. We have strict rules of morality and unchangeable Dogmas of Faith. We can be tough on our own and justly call them to accountability. Our Clergy and Laity both do this. We can be vocal about our beliefs and convictions. And there are times when we are painfully silent.

Senator Kennedy did a great deal of good in his almost half century of service in the U.S. Senate. Mr. Kennedy was also very far off the mark on issues that Practicing Catholics find themselves passionate in debate.

Some Catholics will disagree with his final commendation and farewell within the context of Roman Catholic Ritual. Others will have no opinion either way.

In my 36 years as a priest I have presided over countless Funeral Masses. Many I have questioned and questioned deeply:
* drug dealers
* drug addicts
* cases of suicide connected with satanic worship
* ordinary folks, nominal Catholics, who rarely darken the doors of the church
* a high profile member of the mob
* and..you get the drift.

We have accorded them all Christian Burial because, I want to believe, we have a compassionate nature. We make a case for "mercy upon mercy upon mercy".

In the Book of Macabees we read: It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead. No qualifications!

When our President recently met with Pope Benedict XVI it was reported that he hand-delivered a peronal letter from Mr. Kennedy. The contents were never disclosed. I wonder...just wonder...I'll let you fill in the blanks.

So, let God be the final judge and let us be faithful to the words of Macabees and pray for the dead. We Catholics are good at that.

No death in any family is ever a time for sniping, especially within a family of faith.
It is holy to pray for the dead.
Be holy, then, and pray.

Pax et Bonum.
*

August 25, 2009 - Year of the Priest

Moving right along and continuing still with kernels from the recently completed bio of Vianney, I wanted to cite a quote that is good for meditation.

Voltaire was educated a Catholic but became terribly tainted by the immorality of the French Revolution. He bitterly attacked the Church, the Sacraments and her Dogma.
Voltaire is said to have been watching a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. As the Divine Presence went by him he tipped his hat. Challenged by another with regard to this gesture he replied, " It is what one gentleman does to another." Voltaire declined the Sacrament on his deathbed only because he would not contaminate God's blood with his own.

As far as he drifted from the Church, something of the old remained within.
It seems to me that he chose not to complicate his grave spiritual condition any further. Receiving the Sacraments in mortal sin is sacrilege. His conscience was at least formed well that much. Is ours???

Pax st Bonum.

The Year of the Priest - August 24, 2009

Did you know that there are two kinds of preachers:
+Those who have something to say...and
+ Those who have to say something.

Interesting! I need to think more about that pithy little saying. Again, I am using it in the context of Vianney. It is said that he wasn't a very good preacher, i.e., his delivery. But people listened. That's saying something. Perhaps they listened because his very life was an authentic sermon which said much to his parishioners.

Pax et Bonum.

Year of the priest\August 22, 2009

In this year of the priest I am learning more and more about Vianney, the patron of the parish priest. Here's a good thought I found in his biography: The Gospel is Good News because it is traumatic news.

Really, to live the Gospel, to be a Christian and an authentic disciple of Jesus, is a unique challenge. No wimps here. Only the strong need apply.

Pax et bonum.

August 20, 2009
The Year of the Priest

Are you battling temptations? Of course you are. But remember this: temptations are not sinful. As sure as they are an invitation to sin, they are also an invitation to grace.

Pax et Bonum.

August 19, 2009
The Year of the Priest

I recently read a biography of St. John Vianney. A quote of his caught my attention and is worthy of reflection:

"The worst cross is not to have a cross."

Think about that one. Through the cross we are closely identified with Jesus. So, why duck the cross! Open your arms and embrace the cross in whatever form it takes for you.

I don't think you have to pray for a cross. They come. That's life. But pray for the grace to carry it without complaint...and...without shouting from the rooftops that you have a cross. No need for "woe is me" cross-bearers.

Pax et bonum.

August 11, 2009

I was away last week for a little r&r and used some of the time to catch up on my reading. My goal included some fairly heavy and intense material beginning with Benedict XVI's latest encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).
From there I moved on to Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of the Person). which was issued in September 2008 and treats certain Bioethical Questions. For ligher fare, which actually wasn't as light as I thought, I wanted to fulfill the desire of reading a life of the Cure of Ars - St. John Vianney, as we begin this "Year of the Priest". Father George Rutler's book was anything but light reading. But, focusing my powers of concentration, I did it and finished the biography a day or two after the August 4 feast day of John Vianney.

Raeding the encyclical and the Dignity of the Person made me reflect on my Catholic faith and also made me proud of my Church and her leadership. The Pope lays it out quite clearly - no gray areas . Benedict frequently cites the encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI, viz., Populorum Progressio (The Progress of Peoples). It was written some forty years ago and the present Holy Father shows how Paul VI addressed important ethical questions without giving in to the cultural weaknesses of the time. Benedict reinforces what Paul VI wrote about the urgent need for reform in the face of great problems of injustice in the development of peoples. Courageous actions need to be taken without delay.

Papa Ratzinger uses the term "the current crisis" saying it presents an opportunity for discernment in which to shape a new vision for the future. He writes that the world's wealth is growing but so are inequalities and the emergence of new forms of poverty.

In other words, I feel the good Pope is challenging all of us to be honest. Corruption, Illegal ventures and greed have sown the seeds for "the current crisis".

There is much in Caritas in Veritate. Give it a shot. Be patient, it's not an easy read. Benedict does not water down the truth nor does he seek popularity. True charity comes in speaking the truth.

Finally, one thought today on Vianney. While I never really paid a lot of attention to this saint - I think the pictures and statues of him always put me off - in spite of certain eccentricities - there is a human-ness about him that I rather like. He told it like it is. He would have liked Benedict.

July 23, 2009

I have been a little "hit and miss". Summer has given me some time to catch my breath from a mid-year transfer and...I desperately needed that. Meetings are at a minimum during these summer days (thank you JESUS) so, outside of regular routine, filling in when there are vacations and office calls, I am doing some extra reading and my much beloved hobby - biking. I am even plowing through BXVI's recent encyclical - not exactly easy summer reading. Certainly not beach reading.

Blessings come in veiled ways in our lives. I have enjoyed (and I speak for the 5 monks who live here at 5450) the presence of two seminarians who are doing apostolic work at St. Martin's for the summer months. They have brought a distinct dimension of love of God and God's People, an added dimension to our community life here in the rectory, an insight to a future priest's journey in the 21st century, a plus to our evening house prayers and much laughter. They are keeping the older among us younger in heart and spirit.

I am grateful for this opportunity to learn from these young men. It seems that they are equally anxious to learn from us. Having the seminarians with us also provides a much needed self-examen for us ordained anywhere from 3 years to 40 plus. I feel personally enriched by this opportunity. I hope our parish community is touched as well by their prayerfulness, generosity, self-sacrifice and humor. I hope that they communicate to the rest that ordinary guys like them and us are called to serve, do so, and...accomplish "blessed things" in spite of our limitations.

Both Tom and Bobby are second career seminarians having served in the work force before religious life. They have given up much for the Kingdom of God. Two priests on our staff have done the same. Two of us answered God's call very young at age 16 - in another time and age - and neither have ever looked back. What is important here is to have the courage to say "yes" when God knocks at the door.

So, the summer is going well. I hear from time to time from old friends and that is always affirming. Next week some old friends will spend the day with us providing service - they are stepping beyond their boundaries for the the Lord and, in doing so, living the Gospel.

Some vacation time away is coming soon. I will spend that with a priest-friend that I have known now for 45 years.

Blessings!!!

July 9, 2009





During the past two weeks the public media has given quite a lot of coverage to the late music and modern pop artist, Michael Jackson. Certainly the death of this talented singer and dancer is a tragedy. Death in and of itself is not a tragedy but the circumstances surrounding his death are tragic. As I listened more and more to the news vignettes of Michael Jackson's life and death, I couldn't help but think that if a movie or a play is ever written about him (and I am sure that will happen), a good title might be: Michael Jackson: A Tragedy in Life and Death.





I use the word "tragedy" in the classical sense. That genre of literature that is called a tragedy is thus defined: "a poem or tale that typically describes the downfall of a great man. A serious drama that describes conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (destiny) that has a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion." Mr. Webster supplied the aforementioned definition.





One might say that Michael Jackson was a great man. His greatness lay in his innate God-given talents, his creativity and his appeal on the stage. It also might be said that the tragedy of this popular entertainer could have been an inability to handle his greatness. Many great men and women have suffered from this insecurity. Greatness is a gift which can be used to bring out the God-given greatness in others (that Divine Image spoken of in Genesis).





It is said that a tragedian is an actor specializing in tragic roles. While I am not - and will never be - a devotee of Michael Jackson's music - I must admit that he was good at what he did. People loved him and the paparazzi attached themselves to his glittering, strangely tailored coat tails. But Michael, the individual, always appeared ill at ease. To say he was not comfortable in his own skin (using a popular expression) seems applicable literally and figuratively.





It is not my purpose to judge why he subjected himself to numerous surgeries that altered his appearance. But as a bystander, I have wondered why an apparently handsome and gifted person would do such a thing. The Michael Jackson of "kid fame" always seemed happy and free. The adult Michael looked tortured and agitated. Again, not a student of the modern pop music culture, I wondered why.



On one hand he appeared to have everything. But on the other he was lacking something. Whatever it was that he was lacking sought relief in the dark world of drugs (prescription or not, I cannot say). News items indicated that there were some who wanted to help him and deliver him from the abyss in which he was mired. The conflict between the individual human soul and destiny either became too much for him or the battle itself eluded him because of a blindness brought on by all the accoutrements of being a celeb.



As I watched the evening newscasts and saw the constant reruns of the highlights of his career, I became sad at the sadness before me. Fifty years young - successful in the ways of the world - wealthy today and poor tomorrow (rumors of financial troubles) - a large collection of siblings - the sorrow in the face of his mother - his final cry for what turned out to be a lethal drug - the tragedian was actively writing his own tragedy.



I was neither a fan nor a follower of Michael Jackson's music and dance. But the priest in me recognizes the pain that those closest to him, viz., his family must feel at this moment. None of them may easily articulate his tragic life. I hope that their sorrow is mitigated with the knowledge that God blessed him with wonderful gifts. Let God be the final judge of how he lived his life and used his gifts.


Pax et bonum!

July 1
I am graduating this afternoon. That's right. I am concluding a two year course in Good Leaders Good Shepherds. It is a program all about being a better shepherd to God's People, being a better pastor. I hope that I will be. I hope that I have been a reasonably good priest and pastor these past 36 years. Aware of my limitations, I have tried hard. Perhaps with some new tools I can improve on the limitations, the weaknesses, the faults.
The GLGS Program has laid the foundation for a good priests' support group. I hope this develops.
In this Year of the Priest, pray for me and all priests. Just completing retreat and now GLGS coincides with this special year. Providential not coincidental!
Pax et Bonum!

Tuesday, June 30

I am back. Back from retreat. What a great week to pray, rest, listen to the wisdom of a veteran retreat master, renew some old friendships and, as the kids say today, just chill'en out.
Malvern has become a spiritual oasis for me in recent years. Being spiritually comfortable in familiar surroundings is an important ingredient at this point in my life journey. There are enough surprises in life to contend with. I want no surprises on retreat. I want to know where everything is. There is peace and calm in security. Perhaps some may call this a "rut". I see it differently and I know my spiritual needs at this moment and avoid as many obstacles as I can.

The Year of the Priests began on Friday, June 19th. Three days later I began my retreat. What a good way to begin this special year! With retreat.

We focused on St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests and, indeed, patron of all priests. Generally, I know a fair amount about the Cure D'Ars but I found out also how little I know about Vianney. So, I have committed to reading his life right now. I am waiting for the book to arrive in the mail - hopefully, this week.

At this moment in my life I share priesthood with four other priests and two seminarians. This is healthy and good and I feel that "it is good for me to be here". We gather daily for evening prayer. Dinner follows and is usually quite lively with exchanges from a wide scope of experiences. Those of us older enjoy the input of the younger men and the seminarians seem open to listening to the experiences of men ordained many years. Good laughter echoes thoughout this cavernous rectory made much less cavernous since it is blessed to be filled right now.

Tim Dolan, Archbishop of New York, talks about priests being and manifesting their hapiness. It's the best vocation promotion. I couldn't agree more. I have always been happy and living with happy guys, just loving what they do, makes me even happier.

So, Lift up your hearts - Sursum Corda.

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary - June 20, 2009

On Monday I will begin my annual Retreat. It is a few days that I look forward to every year. These are days of spiritual renewal and renovation of the heart and mind. I will be under the tutelage of a Redemptorist Priest (tradition of St. Alphonsus) for the week. I have always jealously guarded this time and I am glad that I have. It is my way of going into the desert and facing my God with all my human weaknesses and asking for his strength and the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

My retreat comes at a great time - coinciding with the beginning of the Year of the Priest. I have much to think about. Much for which to give thanks. May I ask any readers to pray for me especially during this week.

Much has happened since my last retreat. For one thing my life has radically changed. I am in a new assignment responding to the challenges of a new parish, new parishioners, new surroundings .... everything is new. I rely on the prayers of God's People in my work and, most of all, I rely on God.

The Gospel for tomorrow asks the Apostles not to be afraid. And so, that is my pray that I not be afraid. There are storms and there are storms. In the vineyard there are many storms but with the Grace of God the waters can be calmed so as to preach from a boat less agitated.

Tomorrow I am preaching about prejudice and violence in our society. Pretty much encouraged by an article that I read last week that greatly disturbed me. So much so that I am even afraid of mentioning it on this blog. So I won't. But I will need courage as I speak Sunday from the pulpit. The pulpit is a place of authority and I pray to convey my message with authority but also without any hostility.

..until next week and after retreat.

Thursday before Corpus Christi - June 11

Sunday is a great feast of the Church. Regretfully, it is often a forgotten day and not celebrated as the sacred liturgy asks. Corpus Christi actually asks that we pull out all stops, utilize all the bells and whistles available to us as a Church to celebrate the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist.

The Liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows. (Const. on the Sacred Liturgy, Vat. II, Chap. 1, number 10)

The power of the Eucharist is "Presence" - Divine Presence.

So, we, as a parish, will celebrate with a Solemn Mass at Noon time which will be followed by a procession through part of our neighborhood, punctuated with three stops for the triple Benediction. All concludes on the front portico of the church. The purpose of the procession is to give witness to our faith.

Consider joining us. You will not be disappointed.

A guest will speak at all Masses this weekend promoting Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Our guests are both lay women who have personal stories of how they came to so greatly value weekly Adoration.

Weekly Adoration here at SMT will take a somewhat new form. Wednesday will be THE day of Adoration all the time. It will begin following the 8:30 A.M. Mass and continue until 5:00 P.M.
This will be All of the time, all of the year. Adorers are needed - to give whatever amount of time you can. It is time well spent. Saturday Exposition will be suspended. Each Wednesday Adoration will conclude with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Benediction.

Here follows a quote from the sermon of Pope Benedict, Corpus Christi 2005:

We bring Christ, present under the sign of bread, onto the streets of our city. We entrust these streets, these homes, our daily life, to his goodness. May our streets be streets of Jesus! May our houses be homes for him and with him! May our life of everyday be penetrated by his presence! With this gesture, , let us place under his eyes the sufferings of the sick, the solitude of young people and the elderly, temptations, fears - our entire life. The procession represents an immense and public blessing for our city: Christ is, in person, the divine Blessing for the world. May the ray of this blesisng extend to us all.

Trinity Sunday - June 7, 2009

We are having a Flea Market in the parish parking lot today and as I walk about I am hearing the same message - how the recession is touching each family, senior citizen, individual. It's a common theme today, it seems, every where one visits. A member of my own family was on pins and needles just a few weeks ago. After 30 years with the same company, he wasn't sure if the end had come. Thank God, it didn't but once there is a threat of your job becoming history, stress levels rise .

I had the unpleasant task of calling together our entire staff this past Thursday and notifying them that there would be no raises this year. I hated doing it. I have never done that in all my years as a pastor. I asked for their understanding. It was all I could ask for. I wasn;t happy giving the news and, to be sure, they were not happy receiving it.

I need to do some research. How did the Church handle the Great Depression? It seems that being a Church right now takes on new dimensions that pastoral ministers like me have never explored before. I heard about the Depression from my parents and grandparents. But I am not clear of the mission of the Church at that time. I don't think that we just keep on going "business as usual", at least I don't think so.

By-products of recessions are homeslessness, violence...and I could go on and on. You can l;ist them. So can I. Yet, as I think of this I am amazed at all the greed that we still see. Do recessions ultimately spring from greed? When one gets too much someone else does not have enough and there is enough in the world for everyone. Basic human wants are not satisfied because the school of hedonism teaches that pleasure is the principle good. There is a blindness to basic human needs.

The family of mankind must take a lesson from the family of God that we know as the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinitarian dynamic of love is the absolute opposite of the hedonistic dynamics of pleasure and selfishness. "Greater love..."is the message of the Trinity. It is the message of the Son, the second person of the Family of God. It is the Father whose love gave birth to humanity and it is the Spirit that continues to infuse life and grace into all of creation.

Look back on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

The Day after Pentecost

...so, what are those Works of Mercy that define who we really are as disciples of Jesus Christ, anointed with the Holy Spirit, called to faith and good works.

The Corporal Works of Mercy:
+ to feed the hungry
+ to give drink to the thirsty
+ to clothe the naked
+ to visit the inprisoned
+ to shelter the homeless
+ to visit the sick
+ to bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy:

+ to admonish the sinner
+ to instruct the ignorant
+ to counsel the doubtful
+ to comfort the sorrowful
+ to bear wrongs patiently
+ to forgive all injuries
+ to pray for the living and the dead.

Read Matthew25: 31ff.

Pax et Bonum!

Pentecost Sunday - May 31, 2009

It's Pentecost Sunday - the Birthday of the Church.
I recently read an old meditation from a book that was quite popular when I was in the seminary (1963-1973) coming from the Year of Grace by Father Pius Parsch.

We all know that the disciples gathered with Mary in the cenacle or the upper room. It was there that Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his apostles. Father Parsch refers to the cenacle as the first Christian church. How appropriately described! The first church where the first followers of Jesus gathered together in prayer awaiting the Holy Spirit! I wonder if they broke bread and poured wine, i.e., celebrated the Eucharist. Generally we remember this time as the first novena - the nine days of prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost Sunday.

The older I get the more attached I become to this Feast Day and the more I come to appreciate the third person of the Blessed Trinity. Maybe such an awareness comes with the maturity of years, the wisdom of experience, the gradual deepening of the spiritual life - maybe I was just too dumb in my youth to understand the importance of the Spirit of God in our lives and in the life of the Church.

Something happened to those gathered in that upper room that day. That same thing continues to happen in all the upper rooms of all the hearts which are open to Sanctifying Grace, the life of the Lord within us. Think for a moment about the last time you practiced a corporal or spiritual work of mercy. In doing so, you responded to the Holy Spirit by moving out of your personal upper room with the message of Pentecost. The act of mercy could not have taken place without the "Divine push" that comes from the Triune God. Be strong in the faith. Be comfortable with who you are. Be open to the Holy Ghost and you won't go wrong.

If anybody actually is reading this today, reflect on the works of mercy. I will list them in the next blog. In the meantime, try to remember them and when you do, it is my assumption that you will find that some you may be actually practicing.

May 27
The Wednesday before Pentecost .

Today's gospel and the gospel of last Sunday are the same. In this farewell prayer of Our Lord, He prays for his apsotles.
He prays for us.
He prays for priests.
Read John 17: 11-19
Consecrate them in the truth. As you sent me into the world, so I send them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.

I became fascinated with this idea of consecration. So I looked up some things in various commentaries and I was rewarded with some good stuff for meditation.
The word for "consecrate" comes from a Greek word which means holy but then, the meaning gets even more basic,- meaning separate or different.

* Read Jeremiah 1:5.
* Read Exodus 28:41

Jeremiah is chosen while still in his mother's womb and the sons of Aaron were ordained by Moses and set apart for a special task.

Here is a thought that is mighty powerful. If one is chosen to serve God, he must have something of God's goodness and God's wisdom. To serve the all-holy God is to be holy oneself. God equips a man with the qualities he needs to carry out his call.

In other words God gives his priests the tools and the Grace. God's Grace is sufficient.

Sixth Sunday of Easter
Ordination Weekend in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

The third weekend in May is traditionally Ordination and First Mass weekend in our Archdiocese. It gives each priest an opportunity to give thanks for his vocation and his unique call to be a priest after the heart of Jesus Christ.

For me it has been 36 years - they have been 36 wonderful years. I would not trade them for anything in the world. At different times in my priesthood I have had the good fortune to be associated with seminarians. Most recently I have had the blessing of knowing four men from a particular parish and two who have worked with me here at SMT. These associations keep me young in thought and spirit. I see up close and personal a new generation of committed and generous men who will, please God, soon be serving the Lord and the Church.

A week ago I was at the Seminary. Having attended a meeting I was then invited to a bar-be-cue with the seminarians and their formation guides afterward. What a most pleasant evening. These young men have such a spirit. It is truly rejuvenating to my own priesthood and my spiritual life.

I love being a priest. I love my work. I embrace the challenges that are set before me. I also realize that I am an instrument in God's hands. Many times asked to plant the seed and then asked to be patient as the plants grow. As I get older, patience comes easier. Thank God!

Wonderful priests touched my life as I was growing up, in my years of formation and in my years as a priest. I hope that I have touched others the same way. It remains my constant prayer to be able to influence just one young man to enter the seminary. It is my daily prayer and my life long hope.

My ordination anniversary occurs this week. "Lord, in your wisdom, you chose me. In spite of my limitations, you continue to use me. Unworthy as I am, burn into my soul the imprint of your Divine Image. Make me holy. Make me an instrument of truth and love. Amen"

Pray for a priest this day who has touched you in some way.
And, pray for that priest whom you may have misjudged for whatever reason.

May 8, 2009

The Notre Dame University Scandal continues to get top billing in the news.
Sadly, this prestigious Catholic university has brought shame upon the Catholic Church and the medium of Catholic education. I don't understand just why the University and the Congregation of the Holy Cross Fathers would take such a position that so compromises our faith. Notre Dame doesn't stand alone in its choice but it stands front and center. When it had an opportunity to be a "martyr," i.e. witness to the truths of our faith that are grounded in Scripture and Tradition, it chose to take a position that is contrary to the magisterium of the Church. It has confused the Catholic and non-Catholic world about what we stand for. Who can even gauge the destructive influence this will have on the consciences of the 2009 ND graduates?

Father Corapi's message coming through the Cardinal Newman Society is worth listening to. He says that no president in U.S. history has been so anti-Catholic in stance. The six minute talk is thought-provoking.

I keep wondering about one thing. As of today, the news media states that 70 American bishops have spoken out about the 2009 honoree at ND's commencement on May 17. Statistics tell us that we have 300 bishops in the U.S. Where are the other voices of these shepherds and the exercise of the teaching office of the bishop? Has anybody else wondered about that?

The wolves have infiltrated the flock and are nipping at the very heart of the truth. During these Easter Days that ask us to reflect on the Good Shepherd, let us pray...(you fill in the rest...)

May 3, The Fourth Sunday of Easter

If it seems as though I have been AWOL, let me expain myself. Last week I attended a module of "Good Leaders, Good Shepherds". For those not in the know about GLGS, it is a program for priests sponsored by the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). I have been a part of this program since July, 2007. It has been a journey of learning that has required discipline, patience and commitment. All in all, the best by-product has been the fraternity of priests that I have come to know and enjoy, spiritually, socially and academically. We will soon conclude our sessions and "graduate" on July 1. I have one hope and it is that we can continue to meet to support each other in our minsitry, to enjoy a few laughs together and build on what we love so much - being priests. Please pray for us.

Pope Benedict has made the coming year of 2009-10 the Year of the Priest. How appropriate that it comes as we conclude GLGS. I am praying that I will be instrumental in encouraging just one young man to consider the priesthood during this coming year. When my time comes to an end on this earth my greatest wish is that I would have been a small instrument in influencing one to become a priest. It seems to me that it is the least I could do in thanksgiving for my many years as a happy priest.

If any young man out there is reading this and feels that you may be inclined to be a priest, let me know. I would be only too happy to talk to you - no strings attached. If the tug is there, give it a fair consideration. That's all God asks. That's all I ask.

Remember, we priests are not saints. We are vessels of clay seeking holiness and perfection. We come from ordinary families. We love God, the Church and People. We love to serve.
You don't have to be the smartest guy in the world, you just need to love as Jesus did.

I will pray this night and tomorrow that I hear from you.

April 23, 2009
Time after Easter

"Witness"

It seems to me that the word "Witness" is key to our understanding the texts of the Sacred Liturgy, not only for today, but during the Easter Season.

Today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us how the disciples, after being released from prison talk openly about Jesus, - his message, the Passion, Death and Resurrection. They do so unabashedly. This witness would eventually lead them to the witness of martyrdom.

In the Gospel today (from the John 3:31ff) it is the Baptist who gives witness to Jesus. The amazing humility of John the Baptist, the fact that he was so comfortable in his own skin gave him the remarkable self-assurance to point out the Messiah and then step into the shadows of the Gospel. John's witness would lead to martyrdom, as we all know.

Being a "witness" is what we are called to do by virtue of our Baptismal and Confirmation Grace. We give witness by simply being "good", by giving good example, being true to who we are and what we are.

The Baptist was comfortable with his identity. We need to be comfortable with our identity as Catholics. A CATHOLIC CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE IN ORDER TO BE A WITNESS. A Catholic must understand the mission of the Gospel and of the Church. Then he or she must live it - uncompromisingly.

Mercy Upon Mercy Upon Mercy
Divine Mercy Sunday

Imagine that we have an entire day dedicated to MERCY!
Should that surprise us?

The mission of Jesus was about mercy. Reading the Gospels, it becomes very clear very quickly that our Savior is merciful and compassionate.

One of my favorite Gospels illustrating this divine attribute is the story of the Adulterous Woman from John's Gospel. I like this story because it so clearly manifests the mercy of God.
The law of Moses mandated that a woman who committed adultery was to be stoned to death.
The woman of John 8: 1ff. was "caught" in the act of adultery. It is the "caught" that has always captured my attention. Being caught somehow implies that someone was out looking to catch someone. One who looks for trouble will usually find it. So, the woman was caught by those self-righteous fools whose foolishness would soon cause them some embarrassment and, hopefully, some self-reflection.

They brought her to Jesus whose heart was moved to mercy - maybe so greatly moved to mercy because of the sneaky ways of the foolish of heart. Christ challenges the "catchers": Let those among you who are without sin throw the first stone. Of course, you know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would have said.

One by one, shamefacedly, they slithered away. The slithering part is my invention.
Jesus turns and says: Well lady, it looks like your accusers have all gone away. I certainly don't accuse you. Now listen, Go! And be good. Don't sin again.

Do you think she repented?
Somehow, I think she did.
There is hope for you and me.
There is mercy upon mercy upon mercy.
Thank God for that. I can sleep more easily tonight convinced of DIVINE MERCY.

Thursday of the Octave of Easter


I took a few days off.

Holy Week and Easter are always like making a retreat without going away. I mean it, in spite of all the work, it has a way of bringing the Pascal Mystery into focus.

I read something since Easter Sunday which I really thought was neat. Not putting on any airs, I never heard of this quote before. Maybe I should have.


Describing the Catholic Church, James Joyce once said: "Here comes everybody".
As I thought about this I couldn't help but think that we are an interesting group of people, some might say, even a motley group, certainly we are an interesting study.

We are everywhere. Our influence crosses cultural lines and does a pretty good job of speaking the language of the people. We are good at the language of love.

Loyalty is strong but we fight a lot among ourselves. While we stick up for our Church if attacked from without, we scuffle a great deal with one another from within.

I marvel at those who proudly call themselves Catholic yet their practice of the faith is different from what the "book" calls for.

The Catholic Culture is pervasive but at times we like to control it rather than allow it to guide us.

Our ritual is engaging and prayerful and the delight of the media. I draw your attention to yesterday's installation of the new Archbishop of New York. There is no "show and tell" like Catholic Liturgy - when we say we are sacramental and incarnational, we truly are.

Let us rejoice in our faith and in the blessings and consolation that it gives us. Also, be grateful for Our Mother, the Church. Never be ashamed of the Rock that she is "ever constant, ever new".

Happy Easter!

Easter Sunday

We have just completed a journey through Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
And remains risen in the hearts of all believers.

I gathered early this morning on our front lawn at the grave of the founding pastor - an interfaith sunrise service. Admittedly, I am still somewhat uncomfortable at these gatherings. Maybe it's because they are so informal and we celebrate somewhat more formally. But I noticed the enthusiasm among the folks - an enthusiasm brought about by an event that took place 2000 years ago and continues to touch our lives.

I welcome all those who attend church today - no matter what your faith-heritage is. You are there, they are there because a Man overcame the powers of darkness, death and sin.
That man, Jesus Christ, challenges us to do the same.

Whatever clouds have come into your life at this time, be not afraid! Fear, in the end, is destructive. Look what the Apostles were able to do once they overcame their fear.

Happy Easter to my readers!
What a glorious week it has been.

Holy Saturday

Today we wait!
There is no liturgy today. Christ has died and He has been laid in the tomb. Now we wait.
Like Mary, like the Apostles, we wait.

Waiting is one thing we "moderns" just don't like to do. Waiting is not one of the virtues of the 21st century man or woman.
Everything is instant and microwaveable.
There is fast-food and drive-in "just-about-everything".

My suggestion and profound hope is that you take some time for reflection today.
O.K., I understand that you can't give a whole day to quiet. But, I challenge you to find 30 minutes, just a half hour. Sit quietly - do nothing - contemplate your faith and the blessings and the joys that it brings to you. That's your "action" for today.

Your prayer: Jesus.

Good Friday

Some older spiritual books and journals tell us that Good Friday is a day of mourning. For some reason I resist the idea of today being a day of mourning

The Savior certainly did suffer and He really died. But the purpose of His death was redemption. There is nothing in my mind mournful about redemption.

The Cross was a horrible symbol of torture and execution reserved for the worst criminals. But Jesus' death transformed the Cross into a sign of hope. We do not look in disgust at the Cross nor do we grow mournful in our reflections on the death of Jesus. We look at the Cross with hope.

We are baptized and our sins are forgiven using the sign of the Cross.
In Confirmation we are sealed with the Chrism, again, using the sign of the Cross.

How many prisoners, be they criminals or prisoners of conscience, have scratched a Cross on the wall of their cell!

Looking at the Cross gives unspeakable and, maybe even, unexplainable comfort! Why are we comforted by the sight of a man in agony? Through the Cross, Christ brings joy to the world. Our sufferings could never equal his sufferings.

Jesus' trust (in the face of despair) is a teachable moment when we are tempted to throw in the towel.

+ Hard economic times
+ Government Leaders challenging our Catholic values
+ The threat of relativism all around us

...is all satan's way of getting us to despair as we bear the Cross. Had Jesus come down from the Cross, we would not have been redeemed. In remaining on the Cross, He confounded the powerful and the sinister.

The movie Jesus of Nazareth ends with this scene and these words: The Scribe enters the empty tomb, he looks, and he knows what has happened and says to himself, "Now, it all begins...it all begins."

Reflect today on what the Cross and empty tomb proclaim and be of good cheer, i.e., TRUST.

Action: Take a few moments to quietly look at a crucifix. Take in, not the sorrow, but your salvation.

Prayer: We adore You, O Christ and we bless You; because by your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Holy Thursday

At the Chrism Mass this morning the Church celebrates the Priesthood - the Sacrament of Holy Orders. During the Mass the priests renew their commitment to priestly service. The priests express their resolve to "unite themselves more closely to Christ", to sacrifice "pleasures and ambitions" in order to bring "peace and love to their brothers and sisters."


The priests finally resolve to celebrate the Eucharist "with devotion" and to teach the faith without compromise.


Please pray for me today. I count on your prayers because, like Paul, I am a vessel of clay.


Holy Thursday is my favorite day of the Triduum. I always remember priests who have touched my life and priests with whom I have shared ministry. Allow me to mention a few:


Father Dick Ward - my first pastor who taught me so much, how to carry the Cross. Father Joe Dougherty, Msgr. Laurence Kelly, Msgr. Jim Howard - all good men who gave me great insights into the priesthood.


So many, whose gentleness, I wish to imitate.


Prayer: (Psalm 88:2) Forever will I sing the goodness of the Lord.


Action: Write a letter to a priest today and express your love and support for him and his sacred ministry.

Wednesday in Holy Week

Today is the first day of Passover. Let us remember our Jewish Brothers and Sisters as they begin their solemn celebration of deliverance from Egyptian bondage to the freedom that God meant for all of his children.



Today was traditionally called Spy Wednesday. The Gospel of today's Mass tells of Judas going out to betray his Master for thirty pieces of silver. Yesterday's Gospel mentioned that when Judas left "it was night". The late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen coined a phrase: "It is always night when we leave the Lord!" So true, when we walk away from the Lord through sin and a depraved heart, we head straight into the darkness.



Action: Most parishes will have confessions today. Resolve to make a good confession in preparation for the Sacred Triduum.



Prayer: Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all because they have offended Thee, my God, who art all good, and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen

Tuesday in Holy Week

We have two personalities in today's gospel, viz., Peter and Judas.
Judas will betray the Master and disappear into history as an example of despair. Despair is an attitude and a sin that we must avoid at all costs. Despair can lead to depression and an isolation that is spiritually suffocating.

Peter is the rock that often seems more like sand than rock. Did you ever wonder why Jesus chose Peter to be the foundation of his Church? There is a strength in weakness. Christ recognized something in that tough-talking fisherman. As Christ foretold the denials, He also prophesied that eventually Peter would faithfully follow him, even to the cross (speaking of the the kind of death that Peter would suffer).
Peter is a powerful example of humility and repentance.

Prayer: In You, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. (Psalm 71)

Think about your most awful sin and, if you need to go to confession, do so. If you have already confessed it, thank God for the a spirit of repentance.

Confessions at St. Martin of Tours: Wednesday 4:00 - 5:00 and 7:30 - 8:30 P.M.

Monday in Holy Week

Thought for today: The Gospel for the day says that not only was Jesus in the cross-hairs of his enemies but so was Lazarus (the Lazarus who was recently raised from the dead). To be a follower of Jesus means that we may share enemies with Jesus.

Question: Am I so committed to the Gospel that I could be seen by others as a threat?

Prayer: Psalm 101:3 (Communion Antiphon of today's Mass): When I am in trouble, Lord, hear me when I call, answer me quickly.

Pax et Bonum.

I am excited! I am pumped! Holy Week is just a few days away and this is my favorite time of the year. Unlike Christmas, which as many of you know, I thoroughly enjoy, Holy Week provides a prayerful atmosphere different from any other time of the Church Year. How can I say it differently or be more emphatic, "Get into it"!

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. What a neat day. Truly a day of contrasts. Beginning with the blessing of Palm we are reminded of Christ the King, Christ in anticipation of his glory. The Palm Blessing and Procession. It is very festive. Red vestments and freshly cut palm branches (or other branches) wave in the air. The procession is more than a mere memory, we actually accompany Jesus. We do so in following the symbol of the Cross which is at the head of the procession; we are led by the priest, a representative of Christ, through the laying on of hands; and we gather as community which embodies the very presence of Jesus. "Where two or three gather in my name, there I am in their very midst".
I used to get bent out of shape if the procession didn't move in an orderly and quiet way. But I have become comfortable with reverent disorganization. After all, they didn't walk in "two's" on the first Palm Sunday. So, sing, wave your palms, greet you fellow parishioner and be filled with the Hosanna atmosphere.

Arriving in the Church and at the altar, we experience a shift - from celebration to sobering sorrow. The Gospel of the Passion is proclaimed in three parts and reminding us of the redemptive suffering of Jesus Christ.

Take your palm home and remember that it is not a superstitious lucky charm. It is a visible sign of the powerful prayer of God's Church which asks for God's blessing upon all the places where you put it. We have faith in the Church and in her prayers.

Our customs have instructed us to place the palm behind a crucifix, a holy image or the like. Palm is a symbol of victory. When you look at the palm throughout the year you should be
reminded of the victory in which you share.

Think about that victory today and in these days before Palm Sunday and Holy Week. May your heart be lifted up.

Hosanna to the son of David!

The Lord be with you all!

I just returned from Mass this evening - celebrating the Annunciation. It is a day that seems to focus us on the "will of God" in our lives. Mary is a model of faith. But as I was throwing a few thoughts around I began to think that as Mary is a model of faith so is the Son. In just two weeks we will be in Holy Week. As we reflect upon Jesus in his Agony in the Garden of Gethsemani we must not forget his prayer. Father, if it possible, let this cup pass. But not my will, your will be done. Put in another way, Jesus was praying that if it was at all possible, he didn't want to have to undergo the terrible passion and death. But not what I want but what the Father wants.

There you have it. A dovetailing of the prayers of the Mother and the Son. At the Annunciation Mary responds Let it be done to me as you will. In the Garden of Gethsemani Jesus prays not my will but yours. I never really looked at these two events in this manner. But it is a powerful lesson on being obedient to the will of God in our lives.

The will of God has been on my mind a great deal these last few months. I truly have been wrestling with the whole concept. The idea of being obedient to God's will has never been so concrete to me as in recent days, weeks and months. I keep murmuring, maybe more like muttering: God's will! God's will! God's will!

My reflections border on being serious, maybe even profound, and then I get a little light-hearted and smile at how God gets what he wants.

Well, these are good thoughts to take with us into the final weeks of Lent. Say the "Lord's Prayer" with thoughtfulness: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." On earth as it is in heaven - think about that for a moment - on earth as it is in heaven!

Make that your prayer and meditation.

Good afternoon on this Monday of the Third Week of Lent. Today is the day of my installation as pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish. They tell me that it's official after today. Someone remarked to me this morning that since that is the case, I still have the chance to bail out. Don't worry, I 'm not.

This is a good forum to thank those who have worked so tirelessly to make this evening memorable. I know that they often found me somewhat disengaged from the entire affair, so to them, let me offer my sincerest gratitude.

I have never been a good receiver and I need to work harder in that area. I love to give but I remain uncomfortable being the center of attention.

Thank you all.

...and now about this Lenten time and the call to Fast. Did you realize that there was a time in our Catholic Tradition when we abstained from not only meat but all animal products, like eggs, milk, butter and cheese? The Lenten Fast was physically rigorous.

In recent years this has all changed. Fasting has been gradually reduced and therefore, in the minds of practitioners, pretty much minimized. It's all symbolic now.

A reflection I read over the last weekend urged the reader to remember that fasting is not merely about diet. It has an inner significance. It is a call to convert the mind and will. St. John Chrysostom writes, "Fasting and abstaining are just not from food but from sins." St. Basil has an interesting observation, "What good is the fast from food if we indulge in cruel criticism and slander?"

Fasting goes together with prayer and almsgiving. It has no value without prayer and the important outreach through charity.

Peace and all that is good!

Did you ever wonder why the Lord asks us not to judge another?
We have no idea what is in the heart of another or what demons invade their spirit or what crosses they may be carrying. We too often judge the book by the cover. We judge the person by externals. Maybe our Lenten Good Work should be: Lighten up on others. We are all God's children, even with the cracks in the human facade.

Have a good day!

I was finally forced to sit down today and plan some details for my installation Mass on March 16. Frankly, I am not "into it." I find the ceremony rather contrived and more apt for the pompous of heart. This is my fourth time and in each case it has changed and evolved to this, may I say, rather aliturgical hodgpodge that now involves a bishop. The new pastor doesn't even get to preach at his installation Mass.

Anyway, my plan all along was to use the occasion as a "Vocation's Night." I have invited some wonderful seminarians to be part of the Liturgy. I asked them to serve the Mass and be present to our young people that night. I have invited the sixth, seventh and eighth graders and their parents along with our scouts and some high school students together with whatever parishioners feel so moved to attend. It is my purpose to introduce the Sems at the conclusion of the Mass and invite the young people that I hope will attend to meet them in the cafeteria afterward for some refreshment and interesting conversation.

These young guys have been a source of great edification to me as a priest and in some cases as their pastor. I presently work with two of them and I see their dedication to the apostolate and to the Church. They are all just so happy in their discernment as they look forward to the priesthood. I pray for them every day: "Dear God, keep them close to you, keep them ordinary and not above the people for whom they will be ordained, keep them in love with the basics of parish priesthood and not infected in anyway with careerism. Make them holy but never afraid of getting their hands dirty for Christ. Make them prayerful but not unreachable by those of us who have not reached the pinnacle of sanctity."

The installation is not a coronation, but asking God's blessing on the the new pastor that he be a priest after the heart of Christ.

Installation Mass

of

Msgr. Ed Deliman

Monday, March 16, 2009

7:00 P.M.

St. Martin of Tours Church

Oxford Circle.

Did you all know that our church has been called "The Cathedral of Oxford Circle"?

That's all for now...

Heed the Call !!!

I am writing with the hope that there are some young men out there (18 years of age or older) who might be considering the priesthood. Maybe there are some who have thought about it, then for one reason or another pushed the idea out of your mind. This is an invitation to sincerely ask yourself if God is calling and if you think this is the case, why not give God a chance. Give it a try!

I feel that the Lord is calling some of you, if not many of you. Here is some advice. Talk to a priest, a trusted friend or confidante.

In the end you will never know unless you try it. Prayerful Discernment is important. This discernment may lead you to the seminary where your reflection will continue. Seminaries are houses of formation where men go "to figure it out."

I know that sounds simplistic but basically that's what it is all about. Through sound spiritual, academic and disciplinary components candidates continue discernment.

It is true, discernment for some, leads them to embrace new ways of life while, for others, this discernment eventually leads to ordination. What I think should be clear is - don't give a deaf ear to the invitation to "figure it out."

How tragic to reflect later in life at age 55/60 and "wonder if" I should have been a priest.

So, to you men out there who have given some thought to this matter, Pope John Paul II said "Do not be afraid."

Lent - Lent - Lent!

It's here - again! Calling us to fasting and prayer and almsgiving.
Do I really have to do that?
The gospel says so. Check out the Gospel for Ash Wednesday from Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. IT could not be more clear.
One by one, let's explore each suggestion.

+ Prayer is conversation, it is a dialogue with God. Conversation is so important in our daily lives. We sustain relationships through conversation. If there is a breakdown in dialogue in a marriage, problems soon occur. Friends need to talk. When they don't, it does not take very long before a rift happens. We need to talk to God as well. The Lord wants to hear from us. He is a good listener. But we have to talk. That's prayer and it can take many forms ,-that's the beauty of it. You can talk to God by saying formal prayers, reflecting on the Sacred Scriptures, reading about some of the great saints of our tradition or finally you can use your own words. You can sit before the Blessed Sacrament and simply look at the tabernacle. You look at Him and He looks back at you. Good things happen through prayer. Prayer is lifting up our minds and hearts to God. You can do this anywhere. That's another plus. Driving to work, walking in a park, riding SEPTA, at home, in church, on your lunch break. Try it.. You might like it.

+ Fasting is disciplining your body, mind and spirit. It comes by way of making sacrifices, self-denial. Fasting toughens us. Lord knows, we need to be stronger. Imagine the athlete. A good example of how to condition ourselves! In order to win the race there is required a form of fasting, if you will. Eating the proper foods, getting the right amount of sleep, thorough workouts. Fasting in the spiritual life is no different. We need to be strong in the face of temptation. Satan is powerful. Satan can be very convincing. Satan can make evil look so good.
Satan really is a bully and the only way to handle this bully is to be strong morally? So, what will you do? How will you be conditioned to stand up for the truth, for what is good.

+Almsgiving is giving money. Oh, that hurts, you say. Especially today with this stressed economy. But remember, there is always someone out there worse off than you. The Rice Bowls are excellent opportunities to give alms, to make those little sacrifices that will physically help another. A percentage of the Operation Rice Bowl remains right here in our own Archdiocese to feed the hungry. Why not do the rice bowl meal in your home once a week during the season of Lent.