FRIDAY NOON MASS HOMILY – FATHER ANTHONY  

Father asked for prayers for the Community. Today at EWTN priesthood is in the air. Deacon Mark will be ordained Saturday. It is exciting here. It makes us think of what he is reflecting. He is giving his whole life for the Gospel, the Church, for you in the name of Jesus Christ. One of the great graces of Ordination is the inspiration of other young men to consider the priesthood. It leaves an impression on them. They think "Is the Lord calling me to the priesthood?" It makes us think of our own Ordination – the excitement, the joy.

Father read from a book written by the Foundress of Madonna House. She had written to a 
young man contemplating the priesthood. She said, "Nothing can be greater in this world than a priest, nothing but God Himself." 

SATURDAY MORNING MASS HOMILY – FATHER SHANNON   

Today we celebrate the Feast of Holy Father Francis , founder of the Franciscan Order. He was a 
member of the richest families in Assisi. He was very kind, very pure. He liked a good time, but this did not give him happiness. He became a true reformer and had true love of Christ, of Christ crucified. He was very close to St. Clare and both loved God. They became like Christ and had the Holy Spirit. When we imitate Christ, we get more of the Holy Spirit.
 
Francis received the stigmata of Jesus Christ in his body; so much did he imitate Christ to the point of crucifixion because of the stigmata. He was on the cross with Jesus Christ. 

SATURDAY MORNING INSTRUCTION – FATHER SHANNON 

The topic of today's talk is the Holy Spirit. Why? Because He, the third person of the Blessed 
Trinity, is often forgotten. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift – the greatest gift of God, the most loving 
gift of God. We received Him at Baptism and Confirmation. The one source of love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit. He is the embrace of the Father and Son. He is the best consoler you will have in your life, the one closest to us of the three Divine persons. He is called the finger of God's right hand. The Holy Spirit has a special intimacy with us.
 
Father Shannon then gave us different images of the Holy Spirit, such as, a dove, fire, and water. 
We have received the Holy Spirit, but we can have more of Him in Communion. The water is still being poured out. When we receive the body of Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit, because Jesus has the spirit to give. We are being brought together by the power of the Holy Spirit. His job is to get us to be another Christ, and will never want to take attention away from Jesus Christ. The more we get closer to Jesus, the more He gives us His Holy Ghost, because He has the water to give us. 

HEALING SERVICE – FATHER SHANNON 

"I am the Bread of Life." St. Francis was a deacon and assisted at many Holy Masses. In certain 
circumstances Francis distributed Communion. When Francis used to go into a church, he immediately grabbed a broom to sweep up any dust in God's house. We have to take on this attitude of Francis.
 
We should accept this supernatural gift with faith that Jesus Christ gives us His flesh and blood 
to eat. The only reason we believe that Jesus Christ is in the Blessed Sacrament is because He said so. Children have a trust. That is the attitude we need when we speak of Jesus Christ. He is the Father of the new Adam. We believe He has power. When Jesus speaks, things happen. We need to try to trust every Holy Communion as our first Holy Communion. 

SUNDAY MORNING MASS HOMILY – FATHER JOSEPH   

 The gospel today is the most unpopular in how much it is to heed the words of our Lord – that 
divorce is not in God's plan. Man's happiness depends upon a healthy family for society. There are four goals in the vocation of the family:

(1) help in the development of society; (laws that support the family; legislation that does not offend family life; that government upholds the family). 

(2) the family is called to serve life. (Human life is always a splendid gift of God's goodness even if suffering.) The family proclaims hope and trust in Divine Providence that God will provide for them and help them. The love of God is always faithful to us; the love of Christ is always faithful to the Church. The Church is here to help families, to give them the Sacraments. The families, in turn, are here to hold up the Church.

(3) forming a community of persons according to each their own gifts.(Build up and support one another). The family reflects the Trinity. The family can be called the school of love. They learn how to pray. The Sacrament of Confirmation can help a family. Reconciliation with God and deeper reconciliation with one another. 

(4) Sharing in the life and mission of the Church. The family should be a church in miniature from which the Gospel is transmitted. Each person in the family is evangelized by the parents. The Church uses the family as a model. The role of the parents is to lead their children on the road to Heaven.