FRIDAY EVENING MASS HOMILY – FATHER JOSEPH

We see the hatred against Our Lord. The miracles, i.e., raising of the dead, the loaves and fishes, etc., the Father is accomplishing these works. Jeremiah suffered for proclaiming God's words. Jeremiah, in the midst of trials and persecutions, trusted his causes to the Lord. He keeps his eyes fixed on the Lord. The centurion expresses deep trust, as does the thief on the cross.

"Jesus, I trust in you." The Holy Father said after the canonization of St. Faustina, "This is the happiest day of my life."

Jesus found so little trust in those who were His followers. We are reminded the price Jesus was willing to pay for our salvation. We should always be willing to say, "Jesus, I trust in you."

FRIDAY EVENING TALK -- DARRELL BENNETT

Ask of Our Lady, "What do you want of me?"

These are times of fulfillment. In these days of the Miracle of the Rosary Mission, the direction we are to take is the preservation of the Priesthood and focusing on the Knights of Emmanuel which we foster and dedicate our time to.

The time of the illumination draws near now in which He calls out to the people - that light of God which illumines the hearts.

People did not want Christ to reign in their lives. They would not want to change into the Kingdom of God. The world will light up in which they should know the truth of God shortly, briefly. 

What do you want of me? Uplift and open to the response of God. Do God's will. You hear God's voice in solitude and great prayer. Open your hearts to those words, "What do you want of me?"

SATURDAY MORNING MASS HOMILY – FATHER FRANCIS

Never come to a retreat without a retreat toolbox, i.e., a bible, a rosary and a pad and pencil. The rosary is the foundation of a retreat; stroke those beads.

We want to be men and women of God, especially during Lent.

The first part of the Mass is the word of God. The second part is the sacrifice. God's word is living and effective - it convicts us. It penetrates our heart.

The Old Covenant was broken by the people of God through disobedience. God ratifies the New Covenant in His own blood, the blood of Jesus Christ.

Cultivate, seek with all your heart, your soul, your mind, all your strength with God's grace, a love of the Mass. The Mass is a living sacrifice. On the cross Jesus Christ said it is consummated, it is finished - I have done what you asked of me.

Some say the Mass is boring. We are boring if we think the Mass is boring.

We have greater than the raising of Lazarus from the dead in the Mass. Jesus dies on the cross, and three days later He raises Himself from the dead. He conquers death, Satan and sin.

The priest stands in the person of Jesus Christ and dispenses redemption. Only through the hands of the priest, the unleavened bread and wine, are the fruits of Calvary made present to us.

We, too, can conquer sin from the merits of the cross. The essence of the Mass never changes, no matter where we are. However simple, even just the consecration, it is the same Mass. Our Lord has not abandoned us.

Those who are confirmed will have an indelible mark branded on their soul for all eternity. Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders are sacraments with us until we die. Matrimony ends when one party dies.

Meditation for today and the rest of the week is the "cross". Cultivate a devotion to the "cross". 

The path of life is the path of the "cross". It gives one a martyr's heart. 

Keep your eyes on John Paul II - the hero of our times.

SATURDAY MORNING INSTRUCTION – BROTHER PETER

The Lord gave us the Church and the gift of prayer.

In Creation, there are four basic categories:

1. things that are not alive such as minerals,

2. vegetation such as plants, etc.,

3. animals such as horses and cows, and

4. human beings.

Nothing will satisfy you here except Jesus Christ. We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are to be loved. People should see Jesus when they look at us. Our Heavenly Father wants the best for us. Without prayer, the gifts that we have in the Church are going to remain unopened.

The Holy Father's Apostolic Letter contains our marching orders. We are in a battle, and the Holy Father wants us to radiate the face of Jesus Christ.

The world hates Our Lord and the Church because of ignorance. The Church is the only way to happiness. We who are here on retreat, something is going on in our hearts. Live in the presence of God; this is not our final home.

As we grow in prayer, there should be a more simple element to our prayer.Vocal prayer is where we start, but not end there. 

Methods of prayer: daily prayer habits, certain time for prayer, possibly a prayer altar in your house, etc.

How to pray:

1. of the heart, not just words,

2. be yourself at prayer. Be where you are at. Tell the Lord you are struggling with such and such, and He will help you.

3. be humble. We are nothing. We have sinned against God.

Make efforts to stay in the state of humility. The Holy Spirit is the master, teacher and sanctifier. Pray to the Holy Spirit every day.

Expressions of prayer: vocal prayer, meditative prayer and contemplative prayer.

Battles of prayer:

1. obstacles-attitudes (don't have time to pray).

2. distractions-aridity-dryness (maybe we are attached to our distractions). Do not seek consolations from God, but seek the God of consolation.

Life on the Cross - The Lord will strengthen us in prayer. We are all called to be saints. If we do not strive to be saints, we are not striving for what we are called to do. If we do not follow our Holy Father's words, we doom ourselves to mediocrity, and our life will be non-fulfilled. 

HEALING SERVICE – FATHER WADE

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday - Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

There are three categorical observances for the 40 days of Lent - increased prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We should be doing these things all year long, but in Lent, we should increase what we are doing. Do these all year long according to your state in life.

The 40-day season of Lent is all life's journey in miniature, said Bishop Sheen. The family is the little domestic church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Butler's Lives of the Saints, Scriptures, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet. This is the period of Mercy. Take it for what it means. We need to practice domestic church in our homes. Families are falling apart. You can even fast from TV and the radio. Pray for someone who has strayed away from the Faith. Don't make prayer your work, make work your prayer. Look to the great lives of the saints.

During Holy Week, re-evaluate these three categorical observances.

Your challenge: what is the one more thing that we need to do during Holy Week?

Remember faults can lead to venial sins which can lead to mortal sins.

Of the Sacraments, Confession and Eucharist can be received more than once and frequently; Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders can be received only once; and Marriage and Anointing of the Sick can be received more than once.

What is the one more thing that you need to do to follow Jesus?

Instead of pointing a finger, hold out a hand.

FATHER RAY BOURQUE'S BIBLE STUDY

The Apostolic Letter, The Beginning of the New Millennium, is a resum¾ of the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Vatican II. It is our marching orders. The Holy Father does not want the enthusiasm of the Jubilee to die out. This "enthusiasm" is a new stage as we launch out, remembering the past with gratitude, living the present with enthusiasm and the future with confidence.

John Paul II is not a gloom and doom person. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We do not have enough joy.

We have a responsibility to tell people about Jesus Christ. Jesus is the goal of history and the one Savior.

Did the Jubilee quench your thirst for holiness? Was the Jubilee a success? God looks at the Jubilee and He will say whether it was a success. Our thoughts should be of thanksgiving for the Jubilee.

What are the demands that are put on us? Reconsider the demands and then decipher.

SUNDAY MORNING MASS HOMILY - FATHER FRANCIS

The most troubling and sublime mystery begins today - Passion Sunday - Palm Sunday - Passion, death and resurrection. Holy Week begins today. Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king, but not a king with riches, etc. He comes clothed in the richness of humility. "Kenosis" means self-emptying. He becomes obedient, even unto death, death on a cross. Every knee must bend in Heaven, on earth and under the earth.

The mystery of faith is always and everywhere celebrated and accomplished by Jesus Himself through the priests every Sunday. Through the Church we enter into the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God sent His only begotten Son to shed His blood. Every mass, we are at Calvary. The greatest miracle on earth is the Mass. The reality of the Mass is that we are at the reality of Calvary in an un-bloody way. Jesus' mission was to be obedient to the Father. His life of sacrifice was continued. His coming is a revelation of God's holiness. Everything in our history points to Calvary. The beginning of the week gives light to the culmination of the week.

Jesus shows humility, the great abasement He went through. He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Perhaps we walk in church and forget to gaze upon the crucifix. "Hail, O cross, our only hope."

The cross crushes the head of Satan. In the cross, it gives meaning to what we go through.

Get a cross - get a crucifix and let it be a source for meditation. We need a crucifix.

Bishop Walsh - Only a cross can make us strong, and not only the cross, but the crucifixion itself.

Sacrifice is a must. Sacrifice is needed to make us strong. We want to cultivate a devotion to the cross. Put it in your pocket. Cultivate a devotion to the passion of Christ. Read Holy Scripture. Open Scriptures to the Passion. Cultivate a devotion to the re-creation of Calvary - Holy Mass. We need to grow in knowledge of what the Mass is. Have the crucifix always before us wherever we go.