Fr. Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

Father Rego, Pray for us!

2007-08-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved father, teacher, confessor, and friend. Father Rego died on Monday, July 30, in the year of Our Lord 2007 at St. Mary’s hospital in Tucson, AZ. Though God the Father, in His wisdom, called His faithful priest to judgment, Father Rego will live forever in the hearts of those he touched on earth. Father never wavered from preaching the truth. He taught us about Catholic faith and would have made St. Paul proud, for he did it both “in season and out of season.” He reiterated time and time again the importance of the obedience of faith, frequent confession, frequent communion, praying the rosary, and a deep devotion for Our Blessed Mother. Most especially he modeled for us, a reverence and awe for “the gift beyond compare,” Our Lord Jesus, really present, truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Father Rego had a deep devotion for the Traditional Latin Mass. Such devotion was proven on a weekly basis when he traveled 300 miles round trip from Ajo, AZ for almost 10 years to offer the Traditional Latin Mass. In the end, Father succeeded in establishing St. Gianna’s, a place for those of us who equally share in the reverence and solemnity of the Latin Mass. His message of truth reached thousands via the internet and his many appearances on Catholic radio.

Father, we love you very much and will miss you so. We ask for your intercession that we may be granted the strength, humility, and grace to continue to battle in this most irreverent world of ours. Your love for Our Lord, Our Lady, and Holy Mother Church will live in the hearts of those you touched on earth.

We commend to Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Fr. Richard Joseph Rego, and we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, that as in mercy to him, Thou becamest man, so now Thou wouldst vouchsafe to admit him to the bosom of Thy Patriarchs. Remember, O Lord, he is Thy creature, not made by strange gods, but by Thee, the only living and true God, for there is no other but Thee, and none that can equal Thy work. Let his soul rejoice in Thy presence, and remember not his former iniquities and excesses, which he has fallen into, through the violence of passion and the corruption of his nature. For although he has sinned, yet he has always firmly believed in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; he has had a zeal for Thy honor, and faithfully adored Thee as his God, and the Creator of all things.

May Mary the most merciful Virgin Mother of God, kindest comforter of them that mourn, commend to her Son the soul of this His faithful priest, that through her maternal intercession, he may overcome the dread of death and, with her as guide, joyfully reach his longed for home in the heavenly fatherland. Amen.

“BY THE MANDATE ENTRUSTED TO US BY JESUS CHRIST!”

2007-07-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

It has been almost forty years since Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical letter, Humanae Vitae. As we reflect on the question of direct abortion, it would behoove us to review the teachings of the Catholic Church concerning the transmission of human life - - - teachings that are vastly rejected. Imagine! Over eighty percent of American Catholics reject the teachings of Humanae Vitae, the encyclical issued by Pope Paul VI on July 25, 1968, concerning the transmission of human life.

In 1964, the bishops of Vatican II, in the document, Gaudium et Spes, asked Pope Paul VI to settle the question of the contraceptive pill. It was already under study by a special papal commission. Was it really a contraceptive? Did it violate God's unchanged and unchangeable law that each act of contraception is, objectively, a mortal sin. After five years of research, the commission answered that, not only the contraceptive pill, but all forms of contraception could be morally acceptable under certain circumstances.

However, Our Lord did not entrust the Church's Teaching Authority to a commission or to the People of God in general. He entrusted the office of teaching, ruling and sanctifying to Peter and the Apostles. Peter lives today in his successors, the pope, who is the Vicar of Christ on Earth. The Successors of the Apostles, the bishops, must exercise their teaching authority as Vatican II mandates, "with Peter and under Peter."

On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI responded to the request of the bishops in the encyclical, Humanae Vitae. He said that the commission’s findings were not binding. Moreover, they departed from constant Church Teachings. "Therefore, by virtue of the mandate entrusted to us by Jesus Christ, We now render judgment to these grave questions" (HV n.6).

1) DIRECT ABORTION
”Based on fundamental principles of human and Christian doctrine concerning marriage. We must again declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and above all, directly willed and procured abortion, even if it is for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely rejected as licit means of regulating births" (HV n. 14). Direct abortion never can be justified for any reason whatsoever. At conception, God infuses the person with an immortal soul. Thus, the life of the "fetus" is inviolable. This principle also applies in difficult and trying situations - - - when, for example, a pregnancy results from rape or incest.
2) DIRECT STERILIZATION
”Equally condemned, as the Magisterium of the Church has always taught, is direct sterilization, whether perpetual or temporary, whether of the man or of the woman" (HV n 14). Direct sterilization, under any circumstances is objectively a mortal sin against God and the individual's bodily integrity. Persons who have had a direct sterilization must confess this sin in the Sacrament of Confession.

3) CONTRACEPTION
"Similarly to be totally rejected is every action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as a means or as an end, to render procreation impossible" (HV n. 14). Thus, the use of all forms of contraception, e.g., the pill, the I.U.D., condoms, premature withdrawal, gels, sponges, various forms of contraceptive injections, are objectively mortally sinful acts

It becomes increasingly difficult to explain these teachings to a society that is becoming more and more pagan. But, Pope Paul VI was clear - - - these teachings of the Church are derived from God's laws over which the Church has no authority to change. Thus, the Holy Father has no power whatsoever to dispense man from God's laws or change them. Man, on the other hand, has no power to dispense himself from divine law by a claim to conscience. For example, God said: "Thou shalt not steal!" Is man free to say, "I have decided to steal because it is good for me? My conscience tells me so." This is an absurdity. Man is bound to obey God's laws, as presented by the Teaching Church. Yet millions of Catholics deceive themselves by false excuses of this nature. Sadly in many cases, they have been encouraged to do so by priests and theologians. Let us not be deceived by these false teachings. Rather, let us live by God’s laws as made known to us by the Teaching Authority of the Church.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE ALL POWERFUL LOVE OF MY HEART

2007-07-25T18:04:00.001-07:00

From the earliest centuries, the Church has shown special devotion to the Sacred Heart. Our Lord confirmed to Saint Margaret Mary the need for this devotion. In so doing, He made twelve extraordinary promises, which she has conveyed to us.
Think of all of the needs and hardships that come up in life, sicknesses, injuries, spiritual and economic problems, and all kinds of anxieties. Bring them to the Sacred Heart every First Friday. Without doubt, He will hear you.
The human heart is the symbol of love. When Our Blessed Lord appeared to Saint Margaret Mary He showed her His Sacred Heart. He told her that it is filled with love for every human person. Never doubt the Lord's love for you. But never forget that the Lord Jesus longs for you to love Him. It is almost as though He barters for our love with the divine bribe of His promises.

THESE ARE THE PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
1) I will give them the graces needed for their state in life. 2) I will give them peace in their families.
3) I will console them in their troubles
4) They will find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
5) I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6) Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and Infinite Ocean of mercy.
7) Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8) Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9) I will bless the homes in which the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.
l0) I will give priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
ll) Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in my Heart and it shall never be effaced.
l2) The all powerful love of my Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
If you have not made your nine First Fridays, begin now. Just think! Our Divine Savior promised that you will not die under His displeasure. How wonderful to know that His Sacred Heart will be your assured refuge at the last hour. Place yourself in the loving hands of the Sacred Heart. Whatever crosses, which He asks you to carry, bear them with the sure knowledge that He is your refuge and strength. At the end of your life, He will embrace you with the reward of eternal life. Indeed, this is the bottom line. There is no other. Most Sacred Heat of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"BLESSED BE THE HOLY TRINITY AND UNDIVIDED UNITY!”

2007-07-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today is the Feast of the Blessed Trinity. The Introit sets the tone of the Mass: ”Blessed be the Holy Trinity and undivided Unity. We will give Him glory because He has shown mercy to us.” Every day we offer all of our prayers, Masses and Sacraments: “In the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Constantly we Catholics invoke and praise the Most Blessed Trinity.

In today’s Collect, we confess the true Faith as we acknowledge the glory of the Trinity. We adore the Triune God beseeching Him to defend us “against all adversity.” Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, expresses his wonder and praise: “O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Filled with amazement, Saint Paul searches for words to describe the unfathomable Trinitarian mystery: “Of Him (the Father), and by Him (the Son) and in Him (the Holy Spirit) are all things.”

In the Gospel we read the principal Scripture passage which asserts the Three Divine Persons of the Trinity: “Go...baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them whatsoever I have commanded you.”

For centuries, the Fathers, Doctors and Theologians of the Church have pondered this incomprehensible mystery. In the final analysis, man’s attempt at understanding humbly must yield to faith. We must believe that which Jesus has revealed for He is the Son of God. He can neither deceive nor be deceived.

Trinity Sunday reminds us of God’s splendor and majesty. What are we in comparison to God? Today, when sins of pride abound, we must reflect upon the Blessed Trinity as an antidote to our pride. The pagan culture has many false gods and their accompanying vices. It worships the false god of pop psychology, which has fed man's pride with inordinate notions of "self-esteem." In days of faith, Catholic schools taught students to know, love and serve God. Now we are immersed in our own ego. "Look at how great I am. I can be anyone or do anything I want. I am number one!" We become our own little gods.

Scripture remind us in the Books of Proverbs and Psalms that God hates pride and hears the humble. "Learn of me," Jesus said, "for I am gentle and humble of heart" (Matthew 11: 29). If we are to be like the Lord, true self-esteem must be grounded in humility and not in pride.

Saint Thomas Aquinas say that a well-ordered self-esteem humbly recalls what God has done for us. The Father, the First Person of the Blessed Trinity, has created us. He destined us for eternal life as His adopted sons. When man strayed from God by sin, the Father sent the Son to be our Redeemer. Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. After dying on the Cross and rising from the dead, the Son sent the Holy Spirit. He is the Third person of the Blessed Trinity, the Spirit of Truth, who sanctifies us and maintains the Catholic Church in truth and love.

Saint John says: "See what love the Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called children of God! Yes! That is what we are" (1John 3: 1)! Of ourselves, we are nothing. But in God's love, we have the infinite worth of having become sons of God. See how God loves us!

In the Communion Prayer of today’s Mass we humbly pray: “Bless the God of Heaven and before all the living we will praise Him because He has shown His mercy to us.”

On this Trinity Sunday, let us fall on our knees in adoration along with Our Blessed Mother, the Angels, Archangels, and the whole heavenly host. Let us worship the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. SANCTUS! SANCTUS! SANCTUS! Lord God of power and might. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory! Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"COME HOLY GHOST, FILL THE HEARTS OF YOUR FAITHFUL!”

2007-05-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Far too often we hear folks claiming to be “devout Catholics” and nonetheless, dissent from the Church’s teachings. Can a person be pro-abortion or pro-choice and still be a Catholic in good standing? Under such circumstances, is one really practicing Catholic at all? The answer is obvious.

What about politicians who claim to be Catholic, yet, are pro-abortion or pro-choice and vote in that way? Often justification from this dissenting attitude is sought in situations such as the Church's condemnation of Galileo in 1633. In other words, if the Church was wrong then, it could be wrong now. My friends, this is pure nonsense. A study of the Galileo case, which we cannot detail here, reveals that the Church did not err doctrinally. Yes, Galileo was condemned. Yes, a few churchmen acted imprudently, as did Galileo himself. Yes, the Congregation of the Index, which made a judgment in this matter, entered the scientific field where it had no competence. But, there was no doctrinal error involved here at all. The Church’s Magisterium did not teach doctrinal error. Neither did Popes Paul V nor Urban VIII enter the discussion in any way.

Can the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church teach falsehoods in doctrine or morals? Absolutely not! Such a claim is utterly blasphemous. Why? The Teaching Church consists of the Holy Father, teaching the Universal Church in faith or morals. The bishops, teaching in union with the Holy Father, are also part of the Church’s Magisterium. As Vatican II put it, they teach with infallibility when they teach, “with Peter and under Peter.”

When the Church proclaims and defends the Sacred Deposit of Faith, which includes the Natural Law, she teaches in the Name of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Catholic Church cannot teach error.

This is precisely the point of today's Solemnity of Pentecost. At the Last Supper Our Savior promised that He would send the Holy Spirit. "I tell you the sober truth. It is much better for you that I go. If I fail to go, the Paraclete will not come to you, whereas if I go, I will send him to you - - - When he comes, being the Spirit of Truth, he will maintain you in all truth" (John 16: 7, 13).

Our Blessed Lord founded the Catholic Church to carry on His work of Redemption until He comes again in glory. The Church's mission is the salvation and the sanctification of souls. Saint Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, insists that disciples of Jesus must have the "obedience of faith"(Romans 1:5). The recently published Compendium of the Catechism, question 25, affirms this very idea: “Sustained by divine grace, we (Christ’s Faithful) respond to God (His Divine Revelation) with the obedience of faith, which means the full surrender of ourselves to God and the acceptance of His truth, as it is guaranteed by the One who is Truth itself.”

If we render this "obedience of faith" to the faith and moral teachings of the Catholic Church we have the "sure hope" of eternal life. How can God demand that we obey false teachings? Thus we know we follow the truth when we render the “obedience of faith,” to the Teaching Church.

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Life and the Truth. He is the Son of God and therefore He cannot teach error. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity and cannot teach error. As the First Vatican Council taught, God can neither deceive nor be deceived. To claim that the Holy Spirit would allow the Church to fall into error as it unfolds the Deposit of Faith is nothing short of blasphemy. One is not free to make God a liar!

Do not be deceived by those that would lead us astray from the teachings of the Catholic Church. Saint Paul denounced these deceivers to Saint Timothy: “They oppose the truth (and) with perverted minds (they) falsify the faith - - - Stay away from them" (2 Timothy 3: 5, 8).

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L .

“CLAP YOUR HANDS! SHOUT UNTO GOD!”

2007-05-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

“Men of Galilee,” we read in the Introit, “why do you stand looking in the sky? The Lord will return, just as you have seen Him ascend, alleluia.” The liturgy for the Solemnity of the Ascension reverberates with the exultation expressed in the 42nd Psalm: “Oh! Clap your hands all you nations: shout unto God with the voice of exultation.”

Nothing saddens the human heart more than the death of a loved one. Our pain becomes especially intense at the end of the cemetery prayers. We leave our love ones never to see them again with human eyes. These sentiments, however, are not the ones expressed by the liturgy on the Feast of Our Lord’s Ascension. Rather, the Church rejoices! Why do we rejoice? The Epistle reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us clearly in the words of the “two men dressed in white.” They were undoubtedly angels and said: “This Jesus, Who is taken up from you into heaven, shall return just as you have seen Him going into heaven.”

Christ lives with us in His Mystical Body, the Holy, Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Church, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, is the Sacrament of our Salvation. Through the saving mystery of the Church, everyone has all of the means necessary to attain eternal life - - - the Priesthood, the Mass, the Sacraments, and the truths of Catholic faith and morality.

At the last Supper, Our Blessed Lord said: “Do not be troubled. Have faith in God and have faith in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions; otherwise, how could I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” Yes! There is a “Mansion” prepared for each of us in heaven!

Saint Augustine expresses the Church’s joy at Our Lord’s Ascension along with an admonition: “Our Savior has ascended into heaven, beloved brethren, but let us not on that account be troubled here on earth. If our minds are there, we still have peace here. So let us ascend spiritually with Christ that when His promised day will come, we will follow Him also with our bodies. We must not forget, brethren, that neither pride, nor avarice, nor impurity ascends with Christ; none of our vices will ascend with our Healer. Therefore, if we desire to follow Him, we must necessarily part with our sins and vices. For all such things hold us bound to earth as with fetters.”

We must always maintain a healthy longing for heaven. This is not a morbid death wish! Rather, it is a lively desire to be with Our Lord in heaven. Heaven is our final destination and, as Vatican II teaches, we are on our pilgrim journey to be with Christ, Our Lord, for all eternity. Again we recall the words of Saint Augustine in his Confessions: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord. Thus, our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

Jesus said: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you and your hearts will rejoice.” No! We are not orphans. Think of what God has done for us! Jesus, the Son of God, is our divine Brother. Our Lord has given us His own dear mother to be our own. Every Catholic can point to Mary and say: “There is my Mother! My Blessed Mother in heaven! Our good mother, with Saint Joseph at her side, waits to greet us in the kingdom of Heaven. It is in heaven that Jesus, her divine Son, has prepared a “Mansion” for us!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!"

2007-05-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

"BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!"
The most honored word in any vocabulary is that wonderful word, Mother. How fitting it is that we honor mothers during May, the month of the most wonderful of mothers, Mary, the Mother of God. MOTHER OF GOD! What an awesome thought! Mary is the Mother of God!
God has a tremendous esteem for motherhood. Mothers are so special that even God wanted one! In the Gospels we see the tender love that the Lord had for His, holy mother. Yet, the Lord loved us to the extent that He wanted her to be our own mother in an individual way. In His love, the Lord would not keep her only for Himself. "There stood at the foot of the cross, Mary, the mother of Jesus! Son, behold your mother! Woman, behold your son. And John took her into his home.” From that moment, followers of the Lord have taken her into the home of their hearts. Every Christian can now say: "Behold my mother!"
We live in an era when family and motherhood are under attack. This wicked attack stems from, Satan, the Father of Lies. He hates Our Lady and motherhood because they stand for life. The Lord taught us that Satan is a "liar and a murderer from the beginning." The pagan world tells us that women can find true fulfillment only when they are liberated from motherhood. MOTHERHOOD IS OUT! CAREERS ARE IN! Thus, the family is being destroyed as the evils of abortion and contraception abound in our society. My dear friends, let us not be deceived by the false values of the pagan world. Let us remember always that mothers are a great gift from God. There is nothing on earth as wonderful as a mother.
Several years ago, I attended a seminar in Willow Grove, Pa. and one of the speakers was Dr. Wanda Poltawaska, a renowned philosopher. The Master of Ceremonies told of her life in a concentration camp during World War II. He then spoke of how she went on to become a doctor and of her many titles. Yet, when Dr. Poltawaska began her talk she insisted to the audience that "most important and wonderful title is the title of MOTHER. Seated in the front row are my children and my grandchildren. Above all else, I am a mother."
Our Blessed Mother has many titles. She is Gate of Heaven, Refuge of Sinner, Seat Of Wisdom, Mary Most chaste, Mary Most Pure, etc. But the title that she likes the best is, Mother. She told us this clearly at Guadalupe.
On this glorious day when we honor all mothers, may I dedicate the poem, The Child On Her Knees, written of Our Blessed Mother by MARY DIXON THAYER:
LOVELY LADY DRESSED IN BLUE
TEACH ME HOW TO PRAY
GOD WAS JUST YOUR LITTLE BOY
TELL ME WHAT TO SAY!
DID YOU LIFT HIM UP, SOMETIMES
GENTLY ON YOUR KNEE?
DID YOU SING TO HIM THE WAY
MOTHER DOES TO ME?
DID YOU HOLD HIS HAND AT NIGHT
AND, DID YOU EVER TRY
TELLING HIM STORIES OF THE WORLD?
AND OH! DID HE CRY?
DO YOU REALLY THINK HE CARES
IF I TELL HIM THINGS
LITTLE THINGS THAT HAPPEN? AND
DO ANGEL'S WINGS MAKE A NOISE?
CAN HE HEAR ME IF I SPEAK LOW?
DOES HE UNDERSTAND ME NOW?
TELL ME, FOR YOU KNOW!
LOVELY LADY DRESSED IN BLUE
TEACH ME HOW TO PRAY!
GOD WAS JUST YOUR LITTLE BOY
AND YOU KNOW THE WAY!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"JESUS SAID TO HER, "MARY!"

2007-04-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

Mary Magdalene was at the tomb of Jesus, weeping. The tomb was empty; Jesus’ Body was gone. When Mary informed the Apostles, Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb. It was empty. Totally perplexed, they left. Mary remained, weeping. Suddenly, she saw someone she did not recognize. "Woman, why are you weeping? Who is it that you are looking for?" Mary responded: "Sir, if you are the one who carried him off, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away." Our Savior simply said: "Mary!" Immediately, she recognized Him. It was the most electrifying moment in all of human history. Mary's desolation was turned into supreme joy.

Isn't it interesting that Our Lord's first recorded appearance after His Resurrection was to Mary Magdalene? She was the great sinner from whom He had driven seven devils. Yet, it was for the Mary’s of the world that He became Man. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came for the lost sheep. No one was more lost than Mary Magdalene.

Most Fathers of the Church agree that Mary Magdalene was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Faithful Israelites, they had become dear friends of the Lord. Yet, somehow their younger sister went astray. In her youth, Mary left home for the seaport resort of Magdala where the idle rich went to play and sin. With shameless abandon, she plunged into all the pleasures of this world. Mary broke the hearts of her brother and sister.

Then, one day, Mary saw the Lord. How they met matters not! When Mary's eyes met the eyes of Jesus, her search for this world's fleeting pleasures ended. She had found Infinite Love in Jesus, the Son of God. Deep remorse came over her. She repented of her many sins, never to sin again. From that moment, she never left the Lord. The great sinner became a great saint.

Throughout Holy Week we find her with Jesus. What a comfort it is to know that, in Mary, we repentant sinners are also with Our Lord. She washes His feet with her tears of repentance. Her tears represent our tears. On Calvary she is at the foot of the Cross. Again at the Lord’s feet, she is being washed clean by His Precious Blood. There, frozen in time, Mary represents us. We too are being washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb.

Just as Jesus suffered and died for Mary, He suffered and died for each of us, individually. Our Blessed Lord loved us to the last drop of His Precious Blood. On Calvary, He who was without sin became sin, your sins and mine. In His passion and death, we too find divine forgiveness, as did Mary. Our Divine Savior loved us, "even to death on the Cross."

On Easter Morning, when our Lord said, "Mary," He was also saying, "Richard, William, Frank, Peter, James, John, Sandra, Deborah, Elizabeth, Ann, Mary Jane!" Think of it! Just as the Risen Lord saw Mary, He sees you! He loves you! He redeemed you! Never doubt that for a moment! Like Mary, may we never again offend Our Lord by sin. Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

May the joy of the Risen Christ be with you this Easter Sunday. May we all meet in heaven, gathered around the Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus Christ takes away your sins and my sins! Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“HOSANNA, FILIO DAVID!”

2007-04-06T20:31:00.001-07:00

On Palm Sunday, the Priest, vested in a red cope, blesses the palms at the start of Mass. It is the red of royal triumph. Triumph, indeed! We claim triumph because Holy Week is not a week of mourning for the Cross of Calvary and the Resurrection are inseparable. We must not separate the Passion of Our Savior from His glorious Resurrection. By His Cross, Jesus has overcome death! In medieval times, this week was viewed in a strict sense of sorrow and tearful sympathy with the Suffering Jesus. Now, through the whole week, there runs a note of victory and joy, a realization that Our Lord’s sacred passion was a prerequisite to the glory of Easter.
The Palm Sunday liturgy begins with: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. O King of Israel: Hosanna in the highest!” After the Procession of the Palms, we pray in the Introit: “O Lord, keep not thy face far from me; look to my defense, deliver me from the lion’s mouth - - - O God, my God, look upon me - - - Far from my salvation are the words of my sins!”
It is a humble prayer for without the, “King of Israel,” we are helpless. The weight of our sins overwhelms us! Only in the triumph of Our Redeemer can we find victory. Like Daniel in the lion’s den, the lions of the pagan world seek to devour us in sin. Just as the One, True God delivered Daniel, so too will Our Divine Savior rescue us
The Key to the Palm Sunday liturgy is the reading from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the Suffering Messiah. True to His mission, the Redemption, He was obedient to the Heavenly Father. He was obedient, “even unto death, death on the Cross.” Obedience! The “obedience of faith!” As the second Vatican Council teaches, it is the hallmark of the true follower of Jesus Christ!
Thus, in Christ’s Victory Procession, we too cry out: “HOSANNA, FILIO DAVID!”
Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT!”

2007-03-25T09:32:00.001-07:00

“My eyes are ever turned toward the Lord. It is He who will pluck me from the snare (of the devil). Look upon me Lord and have mercy.” Again the Introit sets the tone of today’s liturgy. We are in mortal and constant combat with the devil. He never rests; he always is, ”Seeking whom he may devour.” During Lent, his ferocity is even greater. He seeks to counter our penance and fasting with greater temptations.

In the Collect we pray: “We beseech Thee, O Almighty God, look upon the desires of the humble and stretch forth the right hand of your Majesty and come to our defense.”

Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, exhorts us to: “Walk as children of Light!” Take the offensive. Do not sit by idly waiting for the next temptation. Do not let the devil have his way. Practice the virtues that Our Lord taught us. He delivered Himself up for us and will not let us be ravished by the evil one.

Saint Paul was never one to mince words. “Fornication and all impurities or covetousness should not even be mentioned among you as is becoming of the saints.” Don’t even talk about these things. These vices are not worthy of our Christian calling.

Then Paul throws down the gauntlet: “For know you this and understand it well, that no fornicator or unclean or covetous person, which is the serving of idols, has any inheritance of the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain and empty words. Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the children of unbelief.” The Apostle leaves little room, if any, for the pendants and the analysts. We are responsible for our actions! “Walk then as children of the light; for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and truth.”

The Gospel portrays Our Lord’s open conflict with Satan. He disarms him and wins complete victory over him. Jesus then gives us the final challenge: “He who is not with me is against me and he who does not gather with me, scatters.”

My friends, there is no room in between. We are either with Christ by turning away from sin and putting on the virtues or we are not. Let us walk with Christ and not with the Satan. Let us truly walk as children of the light and not as sons of darkness. Have mercy on us Lord, have mercy!

Father Richard J. Rego

SAINT JOSEPH, THE HUSBAND OF MARY

2007-03-12T22:17:00.001-07:00

May is the Month of Mary. Yet, as I learned from my earliest years, we also honor Mary when we honor Joseph. The Church’s Magisterium makes this abundantly clear. March 19th is the Feast of Saint Joseph. We also begin the month of May with the feast of Saint Joseph, The Worker. Pope Leo XIII taught magisterially that, aside from Our Lady herself, Saint Joseph is the greatest saint in heaven. Pope Pius IX named Joseph The Universal Patron of the Church.

To develop a deep appreciation of the Husband of Mary, we must set aside some perceptions that stubbornly cling to him. Was Joseph an old man in his eighties with a long white beard? Had he been married previously? Some ancient historians have portrayed him in this fashion. Bear in mind however that one of their prime concerns was to safeguard belief in Mary’s Perpetual Virginity. Would it not be wise then, to portray an aged Joseph who poses no problem? Moreover, children by a previous marriage would explain easily references to Jesus’ “brothers and sisters.”

Do these perceptions of Joseph pass the test of reason or indeed, faith? Theologians of more recent vintage would argue that they do not. Would the Father have subjected the “Apple of His Eye” to the ridicule and embarrassment that inevitably would plague a sixteen-year-old maiden who married a man of eighty? How could an old man rise from his sleep and “in haste” assume the protective role of the arduous and perilous Flight into Egypt?

Was it necessary to counter references to Our Lord’s “brothers and sisters” by Joseph’s children from a prior marriage? Of course not! Joseph Most Chaste is not a title that he earned by default. The Husband of Mary, eternally selected by the Father, was a virtuous man in the full vigor of his youth. Saints Jerome and Augustine, the greatest of Scripture scholars, staunchly defend the mutual perpetual virginity of Joseph and Mary.

Joseph loved Jesus and Mary from the very depth of his soul. They returned his love profoundly! Recall the three-day loss of Child Jesus. When the Holy Couple found Him in the temple, Our Blessed Mother said: "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow." “Your father!” Jesus was the Son of God! No one knew that better than Mary. Yet, your father! Why? Our Lady’s words acknowledge the profound love and respect that they had for Joseph.

Pope Pius XII said that Joseph showed Jesus, "all the natural love and all the affectionate solicitude that a father's heart can know." No father loved a son as Joseph loved Jesus; no son loved a father as Jesus loved Joseph. When Our Lord took His first steps, Joseph held His hand. Together in the carpenter shop, they talked, worked, laughed, and prayed. The Virgin Mother was never far away. She never is! Visitors to the holy home literally breathed in the love that wafted through the air.

Fathers! Saint Joseph is your model! Lead your family’s life of faith by the example of Joseph. In these days when families are under diabolical attack, seek his heavenly help. Wives! Pray to Saint Joseph! The Guardian of the Holy Family will become the guardian of all who call upon him. Children! Pray to Saint Joseph! He will teach you to be obedient to your parents, as was Jesus.

One day, the inevitable time designated by God the Father arrived. Jesus was about to begin His public ministry. Never must there be a doubt that when Our Savior invoked the name of His Father, He meant His Heavenly Father. And so God called Joseph from the happiness of his earthly home to the bliss of his eternal heavenly home.
Pope Leo XIII named Saint Joseph The Patron of a Happy Death. Let the eye of our imaginations take us back to his holy deathbed. As Pope Benedict tells us, Joseph’s silence speaks volumes. Joy filled the scene, for with the Holy Family there is always joy. Yet, they were deeply saddened. Joseph was about to leave them in this life. In still supreme peace, surrounded by heaven’s angels, embraced by the arms of Jesus and Mary, Joseph closed his eyes. Grief engulfed the hearts of Jesus and Mary. They wept!

My dear friends! Go to Saint Joseph in all of your needs! He answers every prayer. Beloved Saint Joseph! Pray for our families! Pray for our youth! Pray for our diocese and for the Universal Church! Glorious Saint Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death! Grant us that we too may die in the arms of Jesus and Mary!

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may we breathe forth our last in union with you! Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"NOT ON BREAD ALONE SHALL MAN LIVE!”

2007-03-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

One this First Sunday of Lent, the liturgy turns our thoughts to Our Lord’s Temptation in the Desert. The devil! Satan! Make no mistake about it, he exists and he is man’s mortal enemy. He has one goal and one goal only - - - man’s eternal ruin in hell. Our Lord has warned us that the devil is a liar and the Father of Lies: “The truth is not in him.”

Our Divine Savior had been fasting for forty days when He allowed the evil one to tempt Him three times. The first temptation was an appeal to the social order. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to turn to bread.” In other words, Satan wanted Jesus to be a bread king, a social worker and nothing more. Satan would have been delighted to reduce Our Divine Savior’s mission to making this a better world in a purely materialistic sense. He wanted to obscure or even obliterate Our Lord’s real mission, which was man’s redemption from sin, Satan and eternal death. Satan knew well that the Cross of Calvary would end his dreadful dominion over man, which began with the sin of our first parents. Christ’s victory would come on Calvary. Satan wanted Him to forget the Cross. “That’s not what the people want. Give them bread, fill their bellies and improve the economy! Then they will follow you. Not the Cross.” Our Lord’s answer was clear and to the point: “Scripture has it, `Not on bread alone shall man live.”

Next, Satan took Him up on a high hill and showed him all of the kingdoms of the world. “I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms.” Then he added this frightening fact: “They are mine and I give them to whomever I wish. Prostrate yourself in homage before me and it shall all be yours.” He wanted the Son of God to adore him.

Satan puts this same temptation before us in various ways. He shows us the riches of this world, the lure of money, the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, the world’s comforts, and anything else that will lure us away from the love of God. All these things can be ours. The price: Sin! This is precisely why St. John tells us that the love of God is not in the person who loves this world. Again our Blessed Savior answered Satan scripturally. In so doing, taught us an important lesson. Jesus said to him, “Scripture has it, `you shall love the Lord your God; Him alone shall you adore.’”

Then came the final temptation. Satan leads Our Lord to Jerusalem and set him on the parapet of the temple. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for Scripture has it, `He will bid the angels watch over you’; and again, `With their hands they will support you that you will never stumble on a stone.’” Notice how Satan does not hesitate to use Scripture to achieve his evil ends.
The evil one wanted to reduce Our Lord to a wonder worker. Isn’t this what the wicked Herod expected of Our Lord. He wanted Jesus to work some wonders so as to entertain him? Satan was telling Our Savior to give the people what they wanted. “Spend all of your time healing the sick. You can even raise the dead, if you wish. Work miracles! Entertain them! Then they will follow you. Give them what they want and you will be popular. You will win them over completely.” St. Matthew records that at this point Jesus said: “Be gone, Satan! Scripture has it: `you shall do homage to the Lord your God; Him alone shall you adore.”

Jesus could not have sinned because His nature was divine. However, by submitting Himself to the devil’s temptations, Our Divine Savior was teaching us not to be attached to the things of this world. As he would tell Pilate: “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Next he was teaching us how to resist temptation. Do not enter into dialogue with the devil as Eve did in the garden. When we are tempted, immediately, we should repeat the words of Our Lord: “BE GONE SATAN!” As St. James says: Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” May Our Blessed Mother, the Refuge of Sinners & the Gate of Heaven, help us in our constant conflict with Satan and his evil temptations.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"THIS IS MY BELOVED SON! LISTEN TO HIM!”

2007-03-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

On various occasions, Our Divine Savior made it clear to His disciples that He would offer His life up to the Father on the Cross of Calvary. However, despite His painstakingly preparing them for the “Scandal of the Cross,” they remained incredulous. They persisted in their desires that Our Lord’s mission would be the restoration of Israel to its former glory. The last thing that they wanted was a suffering Messiah, one who would die on a cross.

Shortly before the Transfiguration, depicted in today’s Gospel, Our Lord warned them again regarding the Crucifixion. When, He did, Peter took Him aside and said: “This can never be.” This angered Our Lord and He rebuked Peter severely: “Get behind me you devil.” Imagine! Just a few days before, Jesus had promised to give to Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, He calls him a devil! Why! Peter wanted an earthy kingdom, a kingdom of this world. He was consumed with this world and not with the things of heaven.

To prepare the Apostles for “the Scandal of the Cross,” Our Lord took Peter, James and John up on a high mountain. There He allowed the glory of His Divinity to shine forth. Yes! He would allow Himself to be crucified. But He would do so of His own will. He would die in our place, accepting the punishment our sins deserved.

Jesus Christ is no mere man. He is the Son of God, who became man! Thus, on the Mount of the Transfiguration, Our Savior’s face became as radiant as the sun. Moses and Elijah then appeared with Him. They represented the Old Covenant, which was about to be replaced by the new. They were to remind us of the Law of Moses and the Prophets. God's commandments, given to Moses, reminds us that God does make moral demands and is keenly interested in man's actions.

Despite this reminder, many today fall into the foolish trap of thinking that the Lord accepts our sinful behavior. Sin can never be acceptable to God. Jesus Christ came into the world to take us out of our sins, not to confirm us in them. He is our Savior from sin, Satan and eternal death. Jesus Christ does not leave us in our sins! We, in turn, must respond to Our Lord’s redemptive act by repentance.

The role of the prophets is to call men back to the observance of God’s commandments. They did this by proclaiming the moral order. God sends the prophets to warn mankind of the consequences of sin and that God does punish the unrepentant sinner. The last of the great prophets was Our Lord Himself, who came as Priest, Prophet and King. Moses and Elijah foreshadowed the New Covenant. Our Lord instituted the New Covenant, which is the Catholic Church. In fidelity to her mandate from the Lord, the Church, in every era, exercises its prophetic role by calling men back from sin to the observance of the moral order.

In today’s Gospel, we hear the words of the Heavenly Father booming down from the heavens: “This is my beloved Son! Hear Him!” How do we hear Jesus Christ? How do we know that we are following His Gospel? The answer is clear: when we are obedient to the teachings of His Holy Church, the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. When the Church teaches through its Magisterium, that is, its teaching Authority, it teaches us in the name of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the Holy Spirit. When we are obedient to the teachings of the Holy Father, the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth, we are being obedient to Jesus. The Pope, and the Bishops who teach in union with him, teach us in the name of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the Holy Spirit.

If we are to be true followers of Our Lord, we must be obedient to the teachings of the Holy Father and the Bishops united with him. “He who hears you, hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” By dissenting from the teachings of the Pope of Rome, one separates himself from Jesus Christ and His holy Church. For, the Church is Jesus Christ is the Church and the Church is Jesus Christ! It is His Mystical Body!

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON! HEAR HIM! On the Day of Judgment, Our Lord will ask us if we obeyed that divine commandment. May God grant we are able to say, “Yes Lord, I was obedient to your Church.”

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER

2007-02-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Gospel for the Mass of the Chair of Peter, celebrated on February 22nd, records Christ's promise to Peter: "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you. I will entrust to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:18-19).

The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter is a liturgical reminder of this undeniable reality. Jesus Christ is "the Head of His body, which is the Church" (Ephesians 5:23). Our Lord, however, has ascended into heaven; He is no longer with us in His physical presence. So, He left someone here in His place, someone that we could see and hear. That someone was Simon Peter. Jesus Christ made him the visible head of His Church.

The Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth. A vicar is one who stands in the place of another and has his full authority. The Pope has jurisdiction over the whole Church in its beliefs, moral teachings and discipline. He "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and the whole company of the faithful" (Universal Catechism, N. 882).

Peter's power did not end with him but is passed on until Jesus comes again. Thus, Peter lives in his successors, Linus, Sixtus, Gregory, Leo, Benedict, Pius, John, and Paul. Today, he lives in John Paul II, the Successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, the Supreme Pontiff and Christ's Vicar on earth.

The Mass of the Chair of Peter prays: "O God, Who by delivering to Thy blessed Apostle peter the keys of the kingdom, did confer upon him the pontifical power of binding and loosing, grant that by the help of his intercession, we may be freed from the bonds of sin.”
Despite the Church's prayer, the Holy Father's teaching authority is under violent attack. Many modern Catholics erroneously equate his teachings with mere opinion. Some claim that they are free to follow dissenting theologians. Others insist that individual conscience is supreme even when it conflicts with the teachings of the Church.

John Paul II addressed these errors during his pastoral visit to the United States America in 1987. He told the American bishops in Los Angeles: "It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the Church's teachings on many questions, notably sexual and conjugal morality, divorce and remarriage . . . It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the Magisterium is totally compatible with being a "good Catholic" and poses no obstacle to the reception of the sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching office of the bishops of the United States and elsewhere."

Let us pray that we practice always the obedience of faith that is required of a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

FIRST ANNUAL FORTY-HOURS DEVOTIONS

2007-01-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Saint Gianna’s Latin Mass Community looks forward to the arrival of Father Carl Lenhardt of the Institute of Christ the King, who will preach our First Annual Forty-Hours Devotions. This is a time when Our Blessed Lord will shower us with a superabundance of divine graces. In addition to Eucharistic adoration, we will encourage all to receive the holy Sacrament of Confession. Look for the schedule of devotions in our bulletin next week.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of Forty-Hours Devotions. Pope Clement VIII issued the Constitution Graves et Diuturnae on November 25, 1592. He ordered each parish of the Diocese of Rome to conduct a Quarant' Ore - - - forty hours of continuous adoration and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. The main intentions were for the peace of the Universal Church and to combat the evils of the times. There is also evidence that Forty-Hours Devotions existed in Milan, Italy in the twelfth century. After the Council of Trent, St. Charles Borromeo mandated that every parish of the Diocese of Milan was to conduct Forty-Hours Devotions each year. The devotion spread throughout Europe and eventually to America where it soon became an annual event at practically every parish. As a result of Forty-Hours Devotions, love and respect for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was without parallel in the United States.
One of the primary purposes for Forty-Hours Devotions is to make reparation for the desecrations and indifference toward Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is interesting to note, however, that, with the practical disappearance of these marvelous devotions, love and respect for the Blessed Sacrament has declined alarmingly. This is a very sad, indeed.
The Eucharist is the Divine Gift that Our Blessed Lord has given us from the depths of His Sacred Heart. It is His Gift Beyond Compare. May we always treasure the Sacred Presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar! I invite all of our members and visitors to join us for daily adoration and our evening devotions. Sign up for an hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Attend the evening devotions for the Rosary, stirring homilies and an outpouring of divine graces. Many graces and blessing will flow from the Sacred Heart of our Eucharistic Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. O Sacrament most Holy! O Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment, thine.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

YOU HAVE KEPT THE CHOICE WINE UNTIL NOW!

2007-01-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Feast of Cana! What a charming story! Each time we read it, we discover a new endearing facet that previously had escaped us. Saint John tells us that the mother of Jesus and His disciples were there and, "Jesus performed this first of His signs."

In reflecting on the Liturgy of the Word, it is important to remember a fundamental rule - - - when relating a past event, the Church communicates a present reality. In this instance, what occurred 1900 years ago is happening now in a mystical, sacramental manner at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. At the wedding banquet of Cana, Our Blessed Lord changed water into wine. In the sacramental order, this historical event now becomes a present day reality. Our Lord repeats the miracle in the most sublime manner possible at the Eucharistic Banquet. Then, by an act of His Will, Our Lord changed water into wine. At the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus Christ the Great High Priest, changes wine into His Precious Blood. Through the Priest, who acts "in the very Person of Jesus Christ," wine becomes the Blood of Christ. Now as then, Our Lord keeps the choice Wine until last. It is the best of Wines! It cheers our souls with the divine warmth of Jesus Christ, Who has become our "Spiritual Drink."

Another present day reality took place at Cana, one that the Holy Spirit keeps before us always. Nothing escapes Our Blessed Mother constant concern for her children. She simply brought the problem to her Son: “They have no more wine."

The young, wedding couple did not plan well. To the Eastern mind, a lapse of hospitality is a host’s worst scenario possible. Our Lady's motherly warmth radiated to all, even then. When faced with this dreadful situation, the embarrassed newly weds went to Mary. Unwittingly, they prefigured that which Christians have been doing for two thousand years. Since that day, we know that, "Never was it known that anyone who fled to her protection was left unaided!"

It is important to note how the events unfolded. There was a problem because the time for Our Lord to manifest Himself was not at hand. A miracle now was not within the timeframe set by the Father. When Our Lord responded to His mother: "Woman, how does this concern of yours involve me? My hour has not yet come." Clearly, His answer was no because it was not the time for Him to manifest His Messianic Mission!

Our Lady then did that which only she and she alone could do; she used her mother's prerogative. She turned to the waiter and said: "Do whatever he tells you!" Like each one of us, Jesus could not refuse the request of His mother! And, lest we forget, the Heavenly Father could not refuse her for Mary is the "apple of the Father's eye." The timetable for the Redemption would have to be altered. Through the intercession of our Blessed Lady, water became the choice wine. As she has done from the beginning, Our Lady saved the day!

The Holy Spirit wants the Church to remember this Gospel story always. Peter, John and the other Apostles saw it and they never forgot the important lesson. Neither has the Church. In all of our needs, in all our trials, in all the tears of life, we fly to Our Blessed Mother. With her mother's heart, she hears us. Whenever her children on earth are in difficulty, Our Blessed Mother always says to Jesus: My Son, they have no more wine!"

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH

2007-01-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH

The Holy Season of Christmas is a time of deep significance for families. It brings them together to celebrate the Birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. At the center of these celebrations is the Holy Family, for these are days of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is with a human and a divine wisdom that the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family.

Pope Pius XII said that there is nothing dearer to the Church than the family. The Second Vatican Council referred to the family as the "Domestic Church." Children, it taught, are the "supreme gift of marriage and contribute substantially to the welfare of their parents." Parents "should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of Catholic faith to their children."

Marriage is not of human institution; rather, it is of divine origin. Marriage must be holy because God is holy. It must be filled with love because God is love. In our day, pagan influences and the scourge of divorce are ravaging the holy state of matrimony. Far too often, discord and violence have replaced domestic peace and tranquility. The Second Vatican Council warned that modern man is trying to build a world apart from God; modern man seeks happiness apart from God. Without God there can never be domestic peace and tranquility.

In today’s Mass, the Church prays in the opening Collect: "O Lord Jesus Christ, Who being subject to Mary and Joseph did sanctify home life with ineffable virtues: grant that with the aid of both, we may be taught by the example of Thy Holy Family, and attain to eternal fellowship with them.”

How do we attain this sanctity and fellowship? Christ must be at the center of the family. To become a holy family, a Domestic Church, families must begin with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. United as one, the family should approach the table of the Lord to receive Holy Communion. Remember the admonition of Our Lord: "Without me, you can do nothing!" Without the graces received in Holy Communion, there can never be the sanctity or the peace of Christ individually or as a family.

The Sacrament of Confession should also be a family event. My good Catholic Parents! Do you want to guard your children from the evil influences of a world ravished by lust, pornography, drugs, violence, greed, etc.? As a family come to the Holy Sacrament of Confession at least once a month. By means of frequent confession, the family encounters the forgiving Lord. Not only will families find the forgiveness of sins but will also undergo a purification of conscience and the strengthening of the will. The grace of the sacrament fortifies the family to live in Christ's holiness and peace.

Also, family prayer is not to be limited to grace at meals. As Our Lady asked of us at Fatima, we must pray the Family Rosary every day. The Rosary is a prayer centered on Our Lord Jesus. The Rosary brings Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph into our homes. Our Mother Mary will grant the family many graces. She will be our mother and our model for virtuous living. Saint Joseph will protect the family from dangers physical and spiritual. May the Holy Family be the inspiration for our families and make them HOLY in the peace of Christ.

Fr. Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

JOY TO THE WORLD!

2006-12-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

"Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). These inspired words of Saint John give us the reason that there is "joy to the world." God loves you! God loves you in a personal and unique way. It is as though you and you alone are in His Heart. The reason is just that simple.

God "gave" the world His Son, Saint John says. There is a twofold meaning to this word "gave" in the mind of the Beloved Disciple. The first meaning is the Incarnation. Think of it! For love of you, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary! God "gave" His Son for you! Christmas is for you!

Moreover, Our Blessed Lord did not come to us bursting through the clouds in might and glory. That would have terrified us. Rather, He came to us in a way with which we can all identify, the same way that you and I came into the world. Jesus Christ was born a humble Babe in the arms of His mother.

The second meaning of the word "gave" is the Redemption. The reason that God became man, the reason that Jesus was born was so that "whoever believes in Him may not perish." Jesus Christ was born to die! Calvary! The Cross! The Redemption! Those are the key words we must use to unlock this unfatimable mystery of divine love. Jesus was born, suffered and died to make atonement to the Heavenly Father for the sins of the world, your sins and mine and the sins of every person that ever walked the face of the earth. The cause of our joy is that God became Man and died on the Cross so that we might have eternal life.

May the joy of Christ glow in our hearts this Christmas. Joy to the world! Yes! Let us repeat the Christmas motto over and over again to an increasingly joyless world! As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, may our joy radiate out to the whole world.

May each and everyone know the peace of Christ this Christmas and always. May the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless your families and make them holy. May Our Blessed Mother, bless you and lead you to her divine Son. May St. Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family, protect your families. You will be in my prayers at every Mass. Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, Christmas, 2006

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS!

2006-12-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Gaudete Sunday. The Latin word Gaudete means to rejoice. Today’s liturgy tells us to rejoice because the coming of the Lord is at hand. The Introit sets the tone of the Mass: “Rejoice in the Lord always!”

It become more painfully clear each year that the Church's "joy and gladness" are in complete contradiction to the festivities of the pagan world. The Nativity of Our Lard has been turned into a winter festival devoid of any religious significance whatsoever. Our Blessed Savior is hardly mentioned. How dreadful! Jesus, Mary and Joseph do not fit into the world’s false festivities. And now in the year 2006, we have the complete blasphemy of not only expelling Christ from the Crib scene, but now we have the evil of an alternate lifestyle couple at the crib. Utter wickedness!

As followers of the Lord we must be clear that the Christmas Season is a time of Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Jesus is the Messiah! Mary is the Mother of the Messiah! Joseph is the Foster Father of the Messiah! We must stress the Holy Family, especially to our youth. Without Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Christmas is a delusion.

The Church, through the liturgy, never permits us to slip into this spirit of paganism. Today Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians tells that the peace of Christ “surpasses all understanding.” We must, as Paul continues, “keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Church sings out in the Alleluia Verse: "O Lord, stir up Thy might and come to save us.” Jesus Christ is our Divine Savior. He is our Lord and our God! He is the Eternal Word of God who took human flesh from the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ has become man to save us from sin, Satan and eternal death.

In the Communion Antiphon we pray: “We implore O Lord, Thy mercy that these divine mysteries may expiate our sins and prepare us for the approaching feast.”

Why does the Church sing out in exuberant joy? The Redemption! God who is “rich in mercy” did not abandon us to the powers of death. He did not leave us in our sins. In His infinite mercy, He sent His Son to be our Savior. Saint Paul expressed it so well to the Ephesians: "You were dead because of your sins and offenses . . . (you) lived at the level of the flesh following every whim and fancy and so by nature deserved God's wrath like the rest. But God is rich in mercy . . . He brought us to life with Christ when we were dead in sin" (2: 1-4).

This is our Christmas, "joy and gladness," the Redemption! Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, we find forgiveness and peace. The Messiah comes not to terrorize us by condemnation and wrath. No! At Bethlehem, He comes in mercy and pardon. He comes as a Babe in the arms of His holy mother. Saint Joseph kneels close in adoration and protection. Indeed, all is calm; all is bright around the Virgin and Child. Let us savor fully the Christmas joy of the Holy Family.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

PEOPLE OF SION, BEHOLD THE LORD SHALL COME TO SAVE THE NATIONS

2006-12-05T00:07:00.001-07:00

Today’s Introit, taken from the prophet Isaiah, is at the heart of the Church’s Advent message: “People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice heard in the joy of your heart.” As followers of Jesus, we are the new “People of Sion.” Jesus, Our Savior, is coming to save us from sin, Satan and eternal death. The “glory of His voice” must be heard in our hearts. We are hearing that word now in the sacred readings and in the liturgy of the Mass.

In the Gradual of today’s Mass, we read the words of the 49th Psalm: “Gather together you, His saints, and come to Him. You who have set His covenant before sacrifices.” In other words, we must keep God commandments and live our lives in accord to the faith and mortal teachings of Jesus, the Messiah. This we must do as a preparation before coming to the Temple (i.e., the church for Mass) and offer sacrifices. In other words, we must prepare for Mass by having kept God’s commandments.

Despite the pleadings of the Church, each year we witness the world’s pagan godless preparations for Christmas. The `Holiday’ is identified with a string of parties and preparations devoid of Christ. Yes, the Holy Season is a time of joy. Followers of the Lord often express their joy by sending out cards, looking forward to the family gatherings and the exchange of gifts. The smell of trees and holly, however, thrill us with a true sense of Christmas, that is, in the Lord! We identify with Christ and not with the pagan world, which knows Him not.

Every year we hear the same sorry scenario repeated: "It just doesn't seem like Christmas this year." Of course it cannot seem like Christmas! Christ is absent! He has been expelled! The Church's holy days are mindlessly transformed into pagan holidays. Advent must be for us a time of penance & conversion in preparation for the Lord's coming. The faithful follower of the Lord must be more holy one Christmas day than he was on the First Sunday of Advent. For the Christian can have no part of an Advent that is a series of parties and preparations without Christ, thus transforming Christmas into a pagan festival.

The liturgy constantly reminds us of the seriousness of the sacred mysteries. Reflect on the Opening Prayer of today's Mass: "Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of your only-begotten Son, so that through His coming we may deserve to serve You with purified minds (i.e., cleansed from sin). The closing prayer recurs constantly in the ancient liturgy: "Filled with the food of spiritual nourishment, we humbly entreat Thee, O Lord, that by partaking of this mystery, You have taught us to despise the things of the earth and to love those things of heaven.”

Seek the things of God, which are above! Be holy! Avoid the pagan mentality of the world! Seek the peace of Christ in heaven through the Catholic Church, founded by our Divine Savior. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World! This is the constant message of the liturgy in today’s Advent Mass. Indeed, it is repeated in one form or another in every liturgy throughout the whole liturgical year.
We read in the Communion Antiphon: “Rise up Jerusalem, stand on the heights and see the joy that is coming to you from God.” When the liturgy refers to Jerusalem, it always signifies the Church. Every member of the Mystical Body is exhorted to “stand on the heights,” the heights of a holy life! The joy that is coming is Christ, the Savior of the World. He alone will lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom of God has already begun in the Church. It will reach its full realization in heaven, in the Vision of God for all eternity. May Mary, the holy Mother of God, be with us on our journey to the Heavenly Kingdom.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

PEOPLE OF SION, BEHOLD THE LORD SHALL COME TO SAVE THE NATIONS

2006-12-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

SHOW US, O LORD, YOUR MERCY AND GRANT US YOUR SALVATION!

2006-11-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Season of Advent is upon us. It is the Adventus Dominus of our Messiah-Savior-Redeemer. Our Divine Lord came to save us in the past by His birth at Bethlehem. He comes to save us in the present, through the saving mission of the Catholic Church. He comes to save us in the future by His Second Coming at the end of time.

During November the liturgy exhorted us to prepare for the Day of Judgment. We must be among those, "Who have survived the great period of trial, who have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb" (Apoc 7:14). The Advent liturgies prepare us for both comings of Christ: His second Coming when He will, “Come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,” and His First Coming in mercy and forgiveness as the humble Christ Child in the Crib.

Jesus Christ’s Second Coming should fill our hearts with joyful anticipation because He will complete His work of Redemption. He will raise each and every human person from the dead and reunite us with our bodies. In Christ’s glory, we will be clothed eternally with incorruptibility (see 1Cor 15:50f). The Post Communion for this Sunday exhorts us to “prepare with due honor for the approaching feast of our redemption.”

Christmas preparations must begin with three basic ingredients:

a) A Catholic liturgical life through the Mass and the frequent reception of the sacraments,
b) Living Catholic faith by humbly accepting all the teachings of our most holy religion,

c) Living Catholic morality by rendering, as Vatican II teaches, "a religious submission of mind and will" to the Magisterial teachings of the Holy Father and the Bishops united with him.

The Advent Season is a time when we meditate on the justice and the mercy of God. The Second Coming of Christ will be in justice. The time for mercy will have passed. Thus the Church exhorts us to prepare for the Day of Judgment.

The Advent Season prepares us for the First Coming of Christ. At Bethlehem, Jesus comes to us in mercy, the mercy of God that has become Man. He comes to us as the poorest of the poor, the most humble of the humble and the most obedient of the obedient. He comes to us as a Babe in the arms of His Virgin Mother. As we marvel at the Crib of Bethlehem, our hearts are filled with great joy. We see a helpless Babe in the arms of His youthful mother. He is completely dependent on her love, just as you and I were dependent on our mothers. The All Powerful God is powerless Babe in the arms of the Virgin Mother. We have nothing to fear in Jesus Christ. He is our Brother, our Divine Brother!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

2006-11-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, November 11th, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, officiated at the renewal of our country’s consecration to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many Bishops and Priests and scores of Christ’s faithful also participated. In times of peril, we Catholics have always sought the protection and the intercession of Our Blessed Mother.
Indeed, our times are perilous. Wars, violence both domestic and international, drugs, drunkenness, abortion, pornography and countless other dangers are the order of the day. All of these vices have had, in varying degrees, their venomous effect on all. Broken lives and families are far too common. To shield us from these evils, we pray in the words of Saint Bernard: “We fly to thy protection, O Virgin of virgins, Our Mother!”
The following is the prayer for the renewal of the consecration of the United States to its Patroness, the Immaculate Conception:
“Most holy Trinity: Our Father in heaven, who chose Mary as the fairest of your daughters; Holy Spirit, who chose Mary as your spouse; God the Son, who chose Mary as your mother; in union with Mary, we adore your majesty and acknowledge Your supreme, eternal dominion and authority.
“Most holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to you. Through her we wish to thank you for the great resources of this land and for the freedom, which has been its heritage. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America. Grant us peace. Have mercy on our president and on all the officers of our government. Grant us a fruitful economy born of justice and charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect the family life of the nation. Guard the precious gift of many religious vocations. Through the intercession of our mother, have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, sinners - - - on all who are in need.
“Mary, Immaculate Virgin, our mother, patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give our country and ourselves to your sorrowful and immaculate heart. O’ sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced by the sword of sorrow prophesized by Simeon save us from degeneration, disaster and war. Protect us from all harm. O’ Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, you who bore the sufferings of your Son in the depths of your heart be our advocate. Pray for us, that acting always according to your will and the will of your divine son, we may live and die pleasing to God. Amen.”
What a wonderful prayer! Perhaps we should incorporate it into our daily prayers each day. “For never was it know that anyone who sought her protection, implored her help or sought her intercession was left unaided!”
Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION

2006-11-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

What better time to reflect on the Sacrament of Confession than during the Month of November as we reflect on the last things! The Sacrament of Confession was instituted by our Lord as the ordinary means for the forgiveness of mortal sins. In 1983, the Pope held a special Synod of Bishops in order to remind Catholics that the Church's ancient teaching remains unchanged. The Bishops insisted that the reception of Holy Communion in mortal sin is a sacrilege. If one is in the state of mortal sin, one must go to sacramental confession first before the reception of Holy Communion.
To hold that one can obtain forgiveness for sin by confessing one's mortal sins directly to God without sacramental confession is contrary to our Lord's teachings. Addressing this topic, Pope John Paul II taught: "The Church can forgive nothing without Christ and Christ does not wish to forgive anything without the Church." Mortal Sins are forgiven through the Priesthood of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Confession.
How about venial sins? The Synod recalled the teachings of Pope Pius XII: "It is true that venial sins may be expiated in many ways which are to be highly recommended. But to insure more rapid daily progress in the path of virtue, We will that the pious practice of frequent confession, which was introduced into the Church by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, should be earnestly advocated. By it, genuine self-knowledge is increased, Christian humility grows, bad habits are corrected, spiritual neglect and mediocrity are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will strengthened, a salutary self-control is attained, and grace is increased in virtue of the sacrament itself."
How many shattered families might have been saved if they went to frequent Confession and Communion? How many young people would have been spared the degradation and destruction of their of lives by drugs and lust if they had placed themselves in the hands of the Savior in the Sacrament of Penance? How many souls would have been spared the eternal punishment of hell, if they had made confession a frequent practice during their lives?
My dear parents! Do you want to insulate your family against the present day evils? Bring your children to Jesus Christ in the holy Sacrament of Confession frequently! The grace of the sacrament will shield them from the evils that can destroy now and for all eternity.
Confession is where the misery of man meets the mercy of God. The misery of man is sin; the mercy of God is the forgiveness of sins. "We (priests) are ambassadors of Christ. God, as it were, appealing to you through us. Be reconciled to God" (2Cor 5: 20).
May the Holy Mother of God, the Refuge of Sinners and the Gate of Heaven, grant us the humility to get on our knees and say to the Priest of Jesus Christ: "Bless me Father For I Have sinned!”
Fr. Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

BE WATCHFUL AND PRAY CONSTANTLY!

2006-11-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

Be watchful, pray constantly, that you may be worthy to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36). No message has more practical value. November is the month that the Church stresses these final realities.

When will the end of the world come? Often we hear people quoting Scriptural passages, which predict the end of the world. But, we simply do not have these answers. Our Lord tells: "As to the exact day or hour, no one knows it, neither the angels in heaven nor even the Son, but only the Father." Our Lord is warning us that there will be a Judgment Day when we will have to give an account of our lives. Prepare for Judgment Day! Live Catholic faith, morality and liturgy! Do not remain in the state of mortal sin! Instead, live a virtuous life.

The Catechism is quite clear: "Following in the steps of the prophets and John the Baptist, Jesus announced the judgment of the Last Day in his preaching. Then the conduct of each and the secrets of hearts will be brought to light. Then the culpable unbelief that counted the offer of God's grace as nothing will be condemned. Our attitude about our neighbor will disclose acceptance or refusal of grace and divine love. On the last day Jesus will say: `Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'

"Christ is the Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men belongs to Him as Redeemer of the world. He "acquired" this right by the cross. The Father has given `all judgment to the Son.' Yet the Son did not come to judge, but to save and to give the life He has in Himself. By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one's works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love" (N. 678 & 679).

On the last day, "Men will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." All men, from Adam to the last man, will be reunited with their bodies; the sins of all will be laid bare. The time of mercy will have come to a close; then, it will be the time of Divine Justice. In the final analysis, everyone will give glory to God. The condemned will give glory to God because of His infinite justice and the saved will give glory to God because of His Infinite Mercy. Finally, the angels will separate "the sheep from the goats."

Everyone is tempted to sin. In making the choice between doing good and evil, the man of God always weights his actions in terms of eternity. Is this or that particular sin worth an eternity of separation from God? The "bottom line" is not profit or loss in a monetary sense. The "bottom line" is the joy of heaven as opposed to the utter anguish of hell for all eternity. No sin is worth it!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

JESUS CHRIST IS OUR ETERNAL PRIEST AND KING

2006-10-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

With the glorious feast of Christ the King, the Church reminds us that Jesus Christ is our Eternal Priest and Universal King. He is Lord and Savior of all. Despite the apparent victory of evil in the world, Jesus Christ will triumph. On the final day, our Divine Savior will have won complete victory over sin, Satan and death. Saint Paul says: "Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed will be death." (1 Cor 15: 25-26)

The key to today’s liturgy can be found in the Preface of the Mass. The Church prays to the Father: “You anointed your only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, as Priest forever and King of all. He offered Himself on the altar of the Cross as a stainless Victim to appease You so that He might accomplish the mysteries of man’s redemption.

As King, Jesus Christ claims dominion over all mankind. From whom did He claim this dominion? Satan! When our First Parents sinned, man lost son ship with God and the gates of heaven were closed. Mankind thus became subject to the bondage of sin, the dominion of Satan, and the punishment of death. Adam and his descendants came under the dominion of Satan. In His infinite mercy, however, God promised to send a Redeemer. "I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, between your seed and her seed (Christ). She shall crush your head and you shall lie in wait for her heel.” (Gen 3:15) The Father did not abandon us.

As Eternal Priest, Jesus Christ, on the altar of the Cross, made atonement to the Heavenly Father for the sins of the world. Jesus said: "I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but to do the will of Him Who sent me" (John 6: 38). In perfect conformity to the Father’s Will, He "humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death on the Cross" (Philippians 2: 8). By the power of Christ's redemptive act on the Cross of Calvary, the dominion of the serpent was vanquished and the gates of heaven were opened. Man was again restored to son ship with God. WE ARE SAVED!

If we are faithful to the teachings Our Lord’s Church, we have the sure hope of eternal life in heaven. At the Second Coming of Christ, we will be reunited with our glorified bodies. Then we will see each other as God has always seen us - - - in His own image and likeness. For all eternity, enraptured in the ecstasy of the Beatific Vision we will be united eternally with Christ our King.

The Communion Prayer of today’s Mass is taken from the 28th Psalm: “The Lord shall sit as King forever; the Lord will bless His people in peace.” Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of the world! You are our Eternal Priest and King!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

CONTEMPLATING THE FACE OF CHRIST WITH MARY

2006-10-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

October is the Month of the Rosary. Saint Dominic received the Rosary directly from the hands of Our Lady. She commissioned him to spread this devotion throughout the world. By a plan formed in heaven, the Virgin Mother desired to lead all mankind to her divine Son through the Mysteries of the Rosary. Centuries later in 1917, Mary appeared to the three children of Fatima. She identified herself as: “The Lady of the Rosary.”

The Rosary is a Gospel Prayer. Pope Pius XII called the Rosary, “A Compendium of the Gospels.” Pope Paul VI taught us that the Rosary is a Gospel Prayer that focuses our thoughts on the redemptive Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. The Holy Father presented it as an excellent preparation for the celebration of Mass and the devout reception of Holy Communion.

What better act of thanksgiving can we pray after Mass than the Rosary even if the constraints of time limit one to merely a decade? Surely, she who stood at the foot of the Cross will enrich our devotion to the Eucharistic.

Our Lady’s Rosary is a perfect prayer for holy hours and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Pope John Paul II said that as we pray the Rosary, “We contemplate the face of Christ with Mary.”

The Rosary is a completely Catholic prayer. It begins with the Apostle's Creed by which we affirm our fidelity to the Roman Catholic Church. We attend the School of Mary as we contemplate the reality of the Gospel events. Our Lady of the Rosary is the Supreme Catechist who reveals to us the riches of Catholic faith.

The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary highlight the rapture of the Annunciation scene and Our Lady’s unique role in our Redemption. The Mysteries of Light reveal that the Kingdom of God is now present among us in the very person of Jesus Christ. The Fifth Mystery of Light can be said to be the high point of Sacred Scripture as we contemplate the Institution of the Eucharist on the night of the Last Supper.

We relive Our Divine Savior’s Passion and Death by praying The Sorrowful Mysteries. Jesus redeems us by His sacrificial death on the Cross of Calvary. Finally, we meditate on Our Lord’s complete triumph over sin, Satan and eternal death in The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.

“The contemplation of Christ’s face,” Pope John Paul II said, “cannot stop at the image of the Crucified One. He is the Risen One!” Jesus, the Risen Christ, is present among us until the end of time in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Saint Alphonsus de Liguori tells us that when Jesus said to His mother: “Woman behold thy son,” Mary became the Mother of Mercy. We know that Our Blessed Mother will never rest while her children are in danger of eternal destruction from the world, the flesh and the devil. She instructed the Fatima children to pray for the salvation of souls at the end of each mystery of the Rosary. “O my Jesus! Forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell, especially those who are most in need of thy mercy.”

My dear friends, we have absolute need of the infinite mercy of Jesus Christ. Mary, the Mother of Mercy, leads us to Jesus as we pray the Rosary. She is the Woman of the Eucharist who guides us to her divine Son, really, truly and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist.

She unites with us as we pray: Oh Sacrament most holy! Oh Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"OH! THAT SILLY THING!"

2006-10-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Tucson University Hospital is located directly across the road from St. Peter and Paul's Church. It was not unusual to receive several emergency calls a day at the rectory. One day a call came from a man, lets call him Ed, with a rather unusual story.
Ed was dying. Although aware that he was at death’s door, he was pleasantly resigned. His peace of soul seemed to increase as he received the sacraments, especially Holy Viaticum. All the while, he was clutching his Rosary. As I was about to leave I remarked: “I’m glad that you have been praying your Rosary.” "O! That silly thing!" he replied. Coming from a dying man, it was a strange reply. As Ed explained, he seemed to drift back through the years.
“It happened in a foxhole in the South Pacific during World War II. Another soldier was with me. Bombs were bursting all over and the machine gun fire had us pinned to the ground. I was certain that we were finished. Then, the other guy put down his rifle, got on his knees and began praying the Rosary.”
Ed, who was a confirmed atheist at that time, looked at the man in disbelief. "Put down that silly thing,” he screamed! “That's not going to help us. There's no God up there. We need guns, not prayers!"
His fellow soldier didn’t heed a word. Instead, he prayed the harder. "O.K. Go ahead and fiddle with that silly thing; I'll hold onto my gun. But you wait and see! In the morning, I'll be here alive and well." And he was!
With the break of dawn the battle was over and both soldiers had survived. Triumphantly Ed said: "See! I told you so! I'm alive! And I didn't rattle off any silly beads!"
"Yes, I know, Ed! But every time I said a Hail Mary for myself, I said one for you as well."
Our Divine Savior works in my ways for our salvation. Lying on his deathbed many years later, Ed told me that in that foxhole God's grace came into his heart. He sought out the Catholic Chaplain and began taking instructions. Soon after, he married a wonderful woman girl and they had seven beautiful children. All of this, the dying man affirmed, was through the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary,
"Every day of our married life my wife and I got on our knees and said that “silly thing” together. I'm not afraid to die. In fact, I'm anxious to meet Our Blessed Mother and thank her for the happy life and for teaching me about Jesus through the Holy Rosary."
The next day Ed was dead. This good man’s story is one that enriches our faith. My dear friends pray the Rosary every day, as Our Blessed Mother has asked. Our Lady of the Rosary always hears our prayers!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

The Most Holy Rosary

2006-09-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

The most popular devotion in the history of the Church has been the most holy rosary. On any given morning before Mass, one will find in our churches people clutching their rosaries, invoking the intercession of the Mother of God. The rosary is deeply embedded in the Catholic mentality. At the turn of the century, Pope Leo XIII established October as the month of the Rosary. He wanted the faithful to be reminded annually to persevere in the pious practice of the Rosary. This method of prayer, Pope Leo said, is so arranged as to recall all the mysteries of our salvation and to move the faithful to a great spirit of piety.
The popes of our era have earnestly exhorted the recitation of the rosary. They have taught authoritatively that the Rosary always leads us to the Lord, through Mary. Pope Pius XII called the Rosary a, "compendium of the Gospels," and urged the faithful to turn in confidence to the Virgin Mother of God. John XXIII said that the rosary is a wonderful meditation and that in saying it we: "Weave a garland of Ave Maria's, Pater Noster's, and Gloria Patri's."
Paul VI called the Rosary a Gospel Prayer, and as such, it is an unceasing praise of Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul I, in his charming way, said that the recitation of the Hail Mary's of the rosary: "sweetens the soul like a song". All know of the devotion that Pope John Paul II had for the Rosary. When I studies in Rome, I was one of a small group of priests one day that con-celebrated Mass with Pope John Paul in his private chapel. After Mass, he pressed into the hand of each priest a rosary. When he came to me he said: "Father, pray this rosary every day!" And I do!
At Saint Gianna’s, we extend the same invitation to all our members. Pray the rosary every day! I assure you that Our Lady will preserve in you always the truths of Catholic faith. She will listen to your prayers and intentions. She will protect your families and keep a watchful eye on your children. Countless blessings will flow on families that daily get on their knees, as a family, and recite the Rosary. At Fatima, Our Blessed Lady asked us to say the Rosary every day. Let us respond to that request of the Mother of God and our Blessed Mother.
MARY, QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY, PRAY FOR US!
Fr. Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

LATE HAVE I LOVED THEE

2006-09-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

What wonderful saints we commemorate during these summer liturgies! Their feast days provide the Church with a wealth of Catholic piety and devotion. August 27 was the feast of the great Saint Augustine. In the Church’s revised calendar, the feast of his mother, Saint Monica, is celebrated on the previous day.
Monica is a model of perseverance in prayer. Her husband Patricius was a pagan, a drunkard and abusive. Monica bore him three children. Two became Catholics but Augustine, her oldest son, refused to convert. Although a brilliant scholar, he was an avowed pagan. He was going to live his life to it’s fullest. Monica pleaded with him to be baptized but he would not.
Although Monica’s "Son of Tears" as she called him taught in the leading universities, she knew that his lifestyle was leading him to eternal ruin. The more she prayed, the more evil he became. He moved in with a woman who bore him a child. When he fell "out of love" with her, he moved in with another. Monica was heartbroken. Yet, she did not listen to the advice of those who told her not to say anything to him. Rather, she constantly warned her son that he was going to lose his soul for all eternity.
Monica prayed night and day! Yet, it all seemed to no avail. This went on for twenty-five years! But, God was listening; He was testing Monica’s faith. Quietly, His graces were taking effect. Whenever her son felt remorse for his sins, he would say to God: "Not just now! A little while longer!" He had become as St. Paul said, “a slave to sin!”
One day he was walking on the beach and a boy approached him with a New Testament. His eyes fell on the words of St. Paul: "Not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excesses and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the desires of the flesh"(Rom 13:13-14). The great sinner could no longer resist the prompting of grace. After twenty-five years of tears, Monica's prayers were answered. Yes! Our Good God answers our prayers! Not only did Monica's son convert, but her husband also was baptized. Augustine, her "Son of Tears," became a Priest and then a Bishop. After his death, he was canonized a saint and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. His writings on marriage and chastity are classics.
We learn from St. Monica’s story that God hears our prayers. She teaches us fidelity in marriage, perseverance in prayer and a mother’s boundless love. We learn also that God never refuses the prayer of a mother who is persistent in prayer.
If there had not been a St. Monica, there would never have been a St. Augustine. Monica's "Son of Tears" is her joy for all eternity. The wonders of Catholic Faith never cease.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

OUR MOTHER OF SORROWS

2006-09-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

During the liturgical year, the Church often celebrates related feasts on successive days. For example, we celebrate successively the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus & the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Saint Monica and her son, Saint Augustine. This year we celebrate The Exaltation of the Cross on Thursday, September 14 and Our Lady of Sorrows on Friday, the 15th.

Our Lord willed that His sufferings on Calvary and those of His Mother would become as one. The Opening Prayer for the Mass of Our Lady of Sorrows reads: “O God, at whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword pierced the most sweet soul of the glorious Virgin and Mother Mary: mercifully grant, that we who with devotion honor her sorrows, may obtain the happy fruit of thy Passion.”

The Alleluia Verse of the Mass proclaims: “Holy Mary, the Queen of heaven and Mistress of the world, stood by the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ full with sorrow.”

As we reflect on the feasts of the Exaltation of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows, let us ask Our Blessed Mother to grant us the grace to accept our crosses and carry them joyfully. Our Divine Savior said that unless we take up our crosses daily and follow Him, we cannot be His disciples. Standing at the foot of the Cross, Our Mother of Sorrows gives us the example of uniting our sufferings with the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, which is the Church.”

In times of sorrow and distress, let us reflect on The Seven Sorrows of Mary. Devotion to her Seven Sorrows will be a source of strength and inspiration. Her Seven Sorrows are:

1) THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON

2) THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

3) THE THREE DAYS’ LOSS

4) THE MEETING ON THE VIA CRUCIS

5) THE CRUCIFIXION

6) THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS

7) THE BURIAL OF JESUS

Modern Fashions Offend Our Lord Greatly

2006-08-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

On July 16, the Church commemorated the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. On this date, in the year 1251, Our Blessed Mother designated the scapular to Saint Simon Stock as the special mark of her maternal love. This feast is also known as the Feast of the Scapular. Aside from the Carmelite Order, many other religious orders wear the scapular as a sign of Mary’s special protection. Scores of lay people wear it for this same reason.
Father Pius Parsch, the great liturgist of a few decades ago, made this interesting observation: “The scapular of the Blessed Virgin should remind us that Christians have an apostolate against current extremes and extravagances in modes of dress. Clothes are a symbol of the person. Like the Christian heart, dress must be chaste and simple for one judges the interior from the exterior. It should not be necessary to add that special attention be given this matter when preparing for church attendance.” Yet today, it is necessary to add that Christians cannot dress according to the standards of the pagan world.
Who could deny that our modern world is obsessed with sins of lust? One can hardly read a newspaper or listen to the radio without finding abundant evidence to support this claim. Most television programs are utterly obscene. The soap operas, for example, are an absolute affront to Catholic morality. The mass media now provides a platform for the pagan agenda.
Moreover, modern fashions betray a pagan mentality. Although this is true of both male and female fashions, the modern style of dress for woman has gone much beyond the vulgar, to the utterly obscene.
Some Catholics, rather than resist the trend and bear witness to Jesus Christ, dress as immodestly as nonbelievers. This grieves the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Our Blessed Lady confirmed this by revealing to Blessed Jacinta Marto, one of the seers of Fatima, that sins of the flesh greatly offend Almighty God. Jacinta tells us that: “The sins which cause most people to go to hell are sins of the flesh. Fashions offend Our Lord greatly. People who serve God should not follow the fashions of the world.”
Father Parch has rightly observed that Christians must always dress modestly. This is especially true when we go to church. It is distressing to see people come to Mass in shorts and revealing clothes.
Bishop John Yanta of Amarillo, Texas has written a marvelous Pastoral Letter entitled: “Modesty Starts with Purification of the Heart.” Check it out on our websitewww.saintgianna.net in the Contemporary Bishops section. It is an excellent read.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE PATTERN OF THE CHURCH IN ITS PERFECTION

2006-08-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

The Solemnity of the Assumption is one of the most important celebrations of the Church’s Liturgical Year. The liturgy of the Novus Ordo Mass captures the richness of the mystery at hand as expressed by the Second Vatican Council. A new Preface was also composed which truly expresses Our Lady’s role in Christ’s Mystical Body. In essence, the Solemnity of the Assumption emphasizes essentially final judgment and where we, the faithful, will spend eternity.

Saint Paul, in today's Second Reading to the Corinthians is clear. At the end of time, Our Lord: "After having destroyed every sovereignty, authority, and power, will hand the kingdom to God the Father." Only then will His work of the redemption come to its full completion. Our Lord will have won complete victory over sin, Satan, and death. The Kingdom that Our Divine Savior will hand over to the Father will be the eternal abode of those who have died in the peace of Christ. The damned, those who, in effect, has rejected His holy Gospel, will be with Satan in hell and will suffer eternal punishment. There are no alternatives. Thus, the Church today puts before us the example of Our Blessed Mother as the Image of the Church and the perfect pattern of what all of us should and must become.

The mystery is perfectly captured in the preface of the Mass of the Assumption: “Today the Virgin Mother of God was taken up into heaven to be: “The beginning and the pattern of the Church in its perfection, and as a sure sign of hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way.” With these words, the Church comforts us with the reminder that we are a redeemed people, desired for eternal life in the Beatific Vision of the Blessed Trinity. In heaven, we shall have a joy that “eye has not seen or ear heard what God has prepared for those who love Him.” Moreover, we read in the orations (prayers) of the Mass of the Assumption: The Opening Prayer: “May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory!” The Offertory Prayer: “You raised her up to heaven. By her prayers, help us to seek you and live in your love.” The Closing Prayer: “May we who receive this Sacrament of Salvation be led to the glory of heaven by the prayers of the Virgin Mary.”

The Church on earth offers praise to Mary as “the highest honor of our race.” The Preface teaches us: “You would not let decay touch her body for she has given birth to your Son, the Lord of all life, in the glory of the Incarnation.” As the Second Vatican Council teaches, Our Blessed Mother is our Mother and our Model. We must not only love her as our heavenly mother but we must also imitate her as the pattern and the model of all of the virtues. During her earthly life she practiced perfect charity, obedience, purity, patience, indeed, all of the virtues to their highest degree. On Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, she gave birth to us in the order of grace. In heaven, she is our Advocate with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Good mother that she is, Our Blessed Mother ceaselessly pleads our cause, as she waits for the day when all of us are safely home in heaven.

Let us join the Universal Church, both here on earth and in the Kingdom of Heaven, in praise of Our Lady. She is the highest honor of our race. She is the “apple of the eye of the Father, the Mother of the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Mary, the Mother of God and Our Blessed Mother, “is the beginning and pattern of the Church in its perfection.” Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

LISTEN TO HIM!

2006-08-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

On various occasions, Our Divine Savior made it clear to His disciples that He would offer His life up to the Father on the Cross of Calvary. However, despite His painstakingly preparing them for the “Scandal of the Cross,” they remained incredulous. They persisted in their desires that Our Lord’s mission would be the restoration of Israel to its former glory. The last thing that they wanted was a suffering Messiah, one who would die on a cross.

Shortly before the Transfiguration, depicted in today’s Gospel, Our Lord warned them again regarding the Crucifixion. When, He did, Peter took Him aside and said: “This can never be.” This angered Our Lord and He rebuked Peter severely: “Get behind me you devil.” Imagine! Just a few days before, Jesus had promised to give to Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, He calls him a devil! Why! Peter wanted an earthy kingdom, a kingdom of this world. He was consumed with this world and not with the things of heaven.

To prepare the Apostles for “the Scandal of the Cross,” Our Lord took Peter, James and John up on a high mountain. There He allowed the glory of His Divinity to shine forth. Yes! He would allow Himself to be crucified. But He would do so of His own will. He would die in our place, accepting the punishment our sins deserved.

Jesus is no mere man. He is the Son of God, who became man! Thus, on the Mount of the Transfiguration, Our Savior’s face became as radiant as the sun. Moses and Elijah then appeared with Him. They represented the Old Covenant, which was about to be replaced by the new. They were to remind us of the Law of Moses and the Prophets. God's commandments, given to Moses, reminds us that God does make moral demands and is keenly interested in man's actions.

Despite this reminder, many today fall into the foolish trap of thinking that the Lord accepts our sinful behavior. Sin can never be acceptable to God. Jesus Christ came into the world to take us out of our sins, not to confirm us in them. He is our Savior from sin, Satan and eternal death. Jesus Christ does not leave us in our sins! We, in turn, must respond to Our Lord’s redemptive act by repentance.

The role of the prophets is to call men back to the observance of God’s commandments. They did this by proclaiming the moral order. God sends the prophets to warn mankind of the consequences of sin and that God does punish the unrepentant sinner. The last of the great prophets was Our Lord Himself, who came as Priest, Prophet and King. Moses and Elijah foreshadowed the New Covenant. Our Lord instituted the New Covenant, which is the Catholic Church. In fidelity to her mandate from the Lord, the Church, in every era, exercises its prophetic role by calling men back from sin to the observance of the moral order.

In today’s Gospel, we hear the words of the Heavenly Father booming down from the heavens: “This is my beloved Son! Hear Him!” How do we hear Jesus Christ? How do we know that we are following His Gospel? The answer is clear: when we are obedient to the teachings of His Holy Church, the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. When the Church teaches through its Magisterium, that is, its teaching Authority, it teaches us in the name of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the Holy Spirit. When we are obedient to the teachings of the Holy Father, the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth, we are being obedient to Jesus. The Pope, and the Bishops who teach in union with him, teach us in the name of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the Holy Spirit.

If we are to be true followers of Our Lord, we must be obedient to the teachings of the Holy Father and the Bishops united with him. “He who hears you, hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” By dissenting from the teachings of the Pope of Rome, one separates himself from Jesus Christ and His holy Church. For, the Church is Jesus Christ is the Church and the Church is Jesus Christ! It is His Mystical Body!

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON! HEAR HIM! On the Day of Judgment, Our Lord will ask us if we obeyed that divine commandment. May God grant we are able to say, “Yes Lord, I was obedient to your Church.”

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE PARENTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

2006-07-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 26, is the Feast of Saint Anne, the Mother of Our Blessed Mother. The Liturgical Calendar used for the Traditional Latin Mass commemorates only Saint Anne on that day. In the Novus Ordo Calendar, her Feast has been combined with that of her husband, Saint Joachim, so that they are both celebrated on July 26.
Saints Joachim and Anne are an inspiration to all of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body. All that we know of their lives comes to us from pious Catholic tradition; not a word is found about them in the scriptures. Devotion to them has increased in recent centuries. With a “Catholic eye,” we see them as devoted to God, faithful to His laws, and, each day, living a holy love for each other.
Saints Joachim & Ann led simple but holy lives. God does not expect extra-ordinary things from most of us. Too often, I believe, we associate sanctity with doing great deeds, converting nations to Christ, the working of miracles, etc. In the lives of Joachim and Ann, we see none of that. They were ordinary people who lived ordinary lives as most of us do, but with one added ingredient, holiness. As a result, look at how God blessed them. Their child, Mary, was to become the Mother of God. She was, as the scriptures tell us, “the apple of the Father’s eye.”
After years of praying for a child, finally God blessed them with a pregnancy. Little did they imagine the extent of the blessing that god would send.
Nothing would have indicated that their daughter would be the mother of the promised Messiah or that she was to be Immaculately Conceived. Soon after her birth, they knew that Mary loved God totally. Surely, they could see her wonderful virtues and exemplary life. But little did they suspect that Mary would one day be referred to, most appropriately, as the MOTHER OF GOD. See, how God rewards His holy people, how He showers His blessings on them.
What an extra-ordinary example of Catholic Family life and love we find in St. Joachim and St. Ann. May they continue to inspire us to live holy, Catholic lives. Let us develop a rich devotion to them. From heaven, may they bless and protect all of our precious families.
Fr. Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE LAUDA SION - - - PART FIVE

2006-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

Down the centuries, St. Thomas Aquinas has enriched every Catholic with the treasure of his wisdom and devotion. The lovely lyrics of his Eucharistic hymn, Tantum Ergo, which we sing at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, are a constant inspiration. "Humbly let us voice our adoration for so great as sacrament. Let all former rites surrender to the Lord's New Testament. Faith replaces what our senses fail to see. Glory, honor and adoration, let us sing out with one accord. Praised be God, the Almighty Father. Praised be Jesus Christ, His Son, Our Lord. Praised be God the Holy Spirit, Triune Godhead be adored! Amen!"

Let us now examine a few of the Eucharistic Doctrines expressed in the Lauda Sion.

“BREAD INTO HIS FLESH”
Transubstantiation! That word that brought such dread to the so-called Reformers! Yet! This is at the heart of our Catholic faith. At the Consecration of the Mass, bread become the Body of Christ and wine becomes His Precious Blood. Jesus was abundantly clear in the sixth chapter of John. The man who does not believe this, cannot be His disciple! Like Peter, we too must say: “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!”

“ENDLESS DEATH OR ENDLESS LIFE”
Like Saint Paul, Saint Thomas is abundantly clear. To receive the Holy Eucharist worthily, one must be in the state of sanctifying grace, that is, free from mortal sin. If one is in the state of mortal sin, one must go to sacramental Confession before the reception of Holy Communion. One cannot simply make an Act of Contrition and then receive Communion. Because this is of divine precept, this has been the constant faith of the Church from the beginning and it will be so until the end of time.

"AS MUCH IN A FRAGMENT"
Let us return to our analysis of the Lauda Sion. The Angelic Doctor recalls the Church doctrine that Jesus is truly present in every particle of the Sacred Host. "If the sacrament is broken, have no doubt. Remember there is as much in a fragment as in an unbroken host."

This doctrine of the Church is extremely important. Every visible particle contains the Real Presence of Jesus. This principle holds true no matter how small the particle. Priests and deacons should purify the sacred vessels after the Communion of the Mass. They must be careful to consume every visible fragment. Obviously, everyone must take every reasonable precaution when handling the Blessed Sacrament. Recall how Our Lord prepared the Apostles for this when He broke the seven loaves to feed four thousand." Our Lord then wanted to know how many fragments they had collected from what remained (see Mark 8:20). Jesus entrusts Himself to us in the Eucharist. Lovingly aware of His Divine Presence, we must be vigilant that every "fragment be collected."

"THE PILGRIM'S FOOD"
The Lauda Sion continues: "Behold, the bread of angels is become the pilgrim's food; truly it is bread for sons and is not to be cast to dogs. It was prefigured in type when Isaac was brought for an offering, when a lamb was appointed for the Pasch and when manna was given to the Jews of old."

The Second Vatican Council teaches us that we are a "pilgrim people" on our journey to eternal life. The Eucharist is the Bread of Angels that sustains us along the way. How could we find our way to God without the spiritual nourishment of the Holy Eucharist? How could we resist the temptations of the world, the flesh and the Devil without the indispensable graces that we receive in Holy Communion? "Without me," Our Blessed Lord said, "you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

With these thoughts of Saint Thomas to encourage us, we should make every effort to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion as often as possible. Without frequent reception of the Eucharist, we literally deprive ourselves of “the Bread of Life. Let us renew our commitment to the two great Sacraments that accompany us through life: The Holy Eucharist and Holy Confession.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

LAUDA SION - - - PART FOUR

2006-07-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Pope John Paul II, in his Wednesday Audience of April 12, 1995, said that the Eucharist must be the central focus of our lives. "The mysterious reality of the Eucharist introduces believers into the `plan' of God, Creator and Redeemer. God wanted His only Son to be incarnate and ever present among us as our traveling companion on the arduous journey toward Heaven."

Our deceased Holy Father's words should inspire us to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion often, even daily. Imagine! In the Eucharist, the Son of God has willed to become our traveling companion on our journey through life. Moreover, Pope John Paul reminded us that the Eucharist is the source of our strength by which we remain faithful to every vocation. "It must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people. It must be the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate. Jesus in the Eucharist is the ideal in the education and the training of children, adolescents and young people.

Our Eucharistic Lord is the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life. He must be for everyone the incentive to fulfill the testament of divine charity in humble and joyous availability to our brothers and sisters, as the Lord taught by His own example, washing the Apostles' feet."

Jesus is the "Bread of Angels," Saint Thomas tells us, Who has "become the pilgrim's food." The pagan world, seeking to explain away the concrete reality of sin, has forgotten man’s absolute need of God's mercy. Because of our sins, we desperately need mercy. Let us kneel before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and humbly seek His mercy. Like the tax collector who would not dare "to raise his eyes to heaven," let us cry out from the depth of our human weakness: "O God! Be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13)!

This is a plea that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cannot resist. Our Blessed Lord will hear our plea just as He hears everyone who seeks His mercy. Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Man, will come to you with every grace. He will enrich your life with His gentle goodness. He will grant you with the grace to become holy. Jesus, the Merciful Savior, forgave the woman caught in adultery and the Samaritan woman who had five husbands. To Zacchaeus, Our Lord said: "Today salvation has come to your house, for this is what it means to be a son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to search out and save what was lost" (Luke 19:9-10).

In the Lauda Sion, Saint Thomas pleads with the Eucharistic Lord for mercy. May his prayer be ours: "Jesus, Good Shepherd and True Bread, have mercy on us; feed us and guard us. Grant that we find happiness in the land of the living. You know all things and can do all things. You feed us here on earth. Make us citizens in Heaven, coheirs with you and companions of Heaven's citizens. Amen. Alleluia."

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE LAUDA SION- - - Part Three - - -THE NEW PASCH

2006-06-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

On the night before He died, Our Blessed Lord instituted the "New Pasch." Jesus Himself is the Paschal Lamb Who is sacrificed "for us men and for our salvation." Just as the Old Covenant was a preparation for the New Covenant, Pope John Paul II taught us that the "Old Pasch" prefigures the “New Pasch.”

At the Last Supper, Our Divine Savior said to the Apostles: "I have greatly desired to eat THIS PASSOVER with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15). "This Passover" refers to this new Passover that He was about to offer up to the Father. Jesus Christ establishes the New Covenant sealed in His Blood. The New Covenant is to replace by the Old Covenant. The Passover Banquet of the New Testament will take the place of the Passover Meal of the Old Testament. Jesus Christ Himself is the "Lamb without blemish." He is the "Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world." The “New Covenant” is the Church, the Holy, Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

When Our Savior said: "This is my Body; this is my Blood," He offered, in an un-bloody manner, the same sacrifice that He would offer on the Cross of Calvary in a bloody manner. The "Old Pasch" memorialized the deliverance of the Israelites. The "New Pasch," the Eucharist, is the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Calvary. Thus, the new Compendium of the Universal Catechism teaches: “The Sacrifice of the Cross and the Sacrifice of the Eucharist are one and the same Sacrifice”(#280).

Our Lord Jesus redeemed mankind from the bondage to Satan, the slavery to sin and the punishment of death, eternal death. The Roman Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, is the New Israel, the New People of God.

St. Thomas Aquinas says:"(The Eucharist) has the nature of a sacrifice inasmuch as it is offered up; It has the nature of a sacrament inasmuch as it is received." In offering Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Our Lord is both Priest and Victim. The Compendium affirms this clearly: “The Priest and the Victim are the same; only the manner of offering is different: in a bloody manner on the Cross, in an un-bloody manner in the Eucharist”(# 280).

In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus is our Paschal Banquet. "At this table of the new King,” Saint Thomas continues, “the New Law's New Pasch puts an end to the old Pasch. The new displaces the old, reality the shadow and light, the darkness. Christ willed that what he did at the supper was to be repeated in His memory."

The wonders of the Eucharistic mystery never cease. The more we explore the mystery, the more we marvel at the holy mysteries. Jesus Christ, hidden in the Eucharistic, is the Tremendous Lover of Man. Humbly, we repeat the words of the Centurion; "Lord! I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof. But only say the word and my soul shall be healed" (Matthew 8:8). God has become Man. The God/Man, Jesus Christ Our Lord, is our Paschal Banquet. Praised be Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE LAUDA SION - -Part Two- THE OLD PASCH

2006-06-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

At the conclusion of last week’s article, we saw that in the Lauda Sion Saint Thomas referred to the Old Pasch and the New Pasch. Let us examine briefly what the Angelic Doctor meant by this distinction.

Moses stood before Pharaoh and said: "Thus says the Lord, `Let my people go so that they may worship me!’” Repeatedly, Moses made this demand of the Pharaoh. Yet, Pharaoh remained obstinate. God then visited nine plagues upon the Egyptians. These severe punishments, however, did not soften the hardness of the Pharaoh's heart. Stubbornly, he refused to comply with God's command. Moses then made his final appeal. If the Pharaoh continued to disobey God, the firstborn of every Egyptian family would be struck dead from the Pharaoh to the first-born of the least slave girl. The animals would be struck as well. Obstinately, Pharaoh again refused! In punishment, God sent the angel of death upon the Egyptians! God spared the Israelites, His Chosen People, from this scourge.

God then instituted the Passover Meal as the memorial of His deliverance of the Israelites from bondage to the Egyptians. To observe this yearly Pasch, every family was to obtain a year-old lamb, without blemish. They were to slaughter it and spread some of its blood on the doorposts of every house where the lamb was eaten. "This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the Lord. For on this night, I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt, I, the Lord! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you" (Exodus 12:11-13).
This was the Passover Meal of the Old Covenant, the Old Pasch to which Saint Thomas referred. The word Pasch itself means passage. Thus, the Passover Meal commemorated the, "passage" of the Israelites from bondage to Pharaoh and slavery to the Egyptians. The "Old Pasch" memorialized the night that God delivered the Israelites from the punishment exacted by the angel of death.

The Old Pasch also symbolizes man’s passage or deliverance from his bondage to Satan and his slavery to sin. God delivered the Israelites through the intercession of Moses. This deliverance foreshadowed the Father’s eternal plan for man’s redemption.

The Father’s merciful plan comes to fruition in Jesus Christ, Our Lord. By His passion, death and resurrection, He delivered us from the bondage to Satan, the slavery to sin, and the dreadful punishment of eternal death. Praised be Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Man. Next week, we will examine the New Pasch.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE LAUDA SION - - - PART ONE

2006-06-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 15th the ancient liturgy celebrated the magnificent feast of Corpus Christi. This feast serves as a liturgical reminder that the Presence of Our Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is “Real” and not merely symbolic. Also, the Church reminds us that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Himself that Our Lord offered up to the Heavenly Father on the Cross of Calvary.

The Sequence of today’s Mass is the Lauda Sion, by St. Thomas Aquinas. It is a masterpiece of Eucharistic doctrine and devotion. I will present to you a series of articles on this sequence to commemorate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Our Lord.

Pope John XXIII, in his Encyclical Mater et Magistra, teaches us that the Church as Mother and Teacher. "The Church is the Mother and Teacher of all nations. She was such in the mind of her Founder, Jesus Christ. The Church holds the world in an embrace of love. Men in every age should find in her their ultimate completeness in a higher order of living and their ultimate salvation. She is the `pillar and the bulwark of truth.'" Man's "ultimate salvation," of course, is eternal happiness with God in Heaven.

In every age, the Roman Catholic Church gives witness to Jesus and His redemptive death on the Cross of Calvary. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes," Jesus commanded the Apostles, "and you will give witness to Me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Through the liturgy of the Mass, the Church prays what she believes. The Mass Orations, the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharistic Prayers are chock full of doctrinal and moral truths. The Feast of Corpus Christi is an excellent example of the Catholic Church teaching us through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Feast of Corpus Christi originated in Belgium in the thirteenth century. In 1264, Pope Urban IV extended the celebration to the Universal Church. He commissioned the Dominican, Thomas Aquinas to write the liturgical office for the feast. Saint Thomas composed the Lauda Sion, Pange Lingua, Panis Angelicus and the Verbum Supernum. These hymns are masterpieces of Eucharistic doctrine and adoration. Our choir sings these hymns beautifully for our edification. The Lauda Sion is the Sequence of the Mass of Corpus Christi.

Drawing from the writings of St. Augustine, the Second Vatican Council refers to the Eucharist as the Paschal Banquet. In the Lauda Sion, Saint Thomas writes: "At this table of the new King, the new law's new Pasch puts an end to the old Pasch. The new displaces the old, reality the shadow and light the darkness." What does St. Thomas mean by the "old Pasch" and the "new Pasch?" What is the Paschal Banquet? We find the answers in both in sacred Scripture and sacred tradition. In next week’s article we will continue our reflections on the Lauda Sion and the profound Eucharistic mysteries it explores.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

BLESSED BE THE HOLY TRINITY AND UNDIVIDED UNITY!

2006-06-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the Feast of the Blessed Trinity. As usual, the Introit sets the tone of the Mass: ”Blessed be the Holy Trinity and undivided Unity. We will give Him glory because He has shown mercy to us.” Every day we offer all of our prayers, Masses and Sacraments: “In the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Constantly we Catholics invoke and praise the Most Blessed Trinity.
In the Collect of the Mass, confessing the true Faith, we acknowledge the glory of the Trinity. We adore the Triune God beseeching Him to defend us “against all adversity.”
Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, expresses his wonder and praise: “O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Filled with amazement, Saint Paul searches for words to describe the unfathomable Trinitarian mystery: “Of Him (the Father), and by Him (the Son) and in Him (the Holy Spirit) are all things.”
In the Gospel we read the principal Scripture passage which asserts the Three Divine Persons of the Trinity: “Go...baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them whatsoever I have commanded you.”
For centuries, the Fathers, Doctors and Theologians of the Church have pondered this incomprehensible mystery. In the final analysis, man’s attempt at understanding must yield to faith. We must believe that which Jesus has revealed for He is the Son of God. He can neither deceive nor be deceived.
Trinity Sunday reminds us of God’s splendor and majesty. What are we in comparison to God? Today, when sins of pride abound, we must reflect upon the Blessed Trinity as an antidote to our pride. The pagan culture has its many false gods and their accompanying vices. It worships the false god of pop psychology, which has fed man's pride with inordinate notions of "self-esteem." In days of faith, Catholic schools taught students to know, love and serve God. Now we are immersed in our own ego. "Look at how great I am. I can be anyone or do anything I want. I am number one!" We become our own little gods.
Scripture remind us in the Books of Proverbs and Psalms that God hates pride and hears the humble. "Learn of me," Jesus said, "for I am gentle and humble of heart" (Matthew 11: 29). If we are to be like the Lord, true self-esteem must be grounded in humility and not in pride.
Saint Thomas Aquinas say that a well-ordered self-esteem humbly recalls what God has done for us. The Father, the First Person of the Blessed Trinity, has created us. He destined us for eternal life as His adopted sons. When man strayed from God by sin, the Father sent the Son to be our Redeemer. Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. After dying on the Cross and rising from the dead, the Son sent the Holy Spirit. He is the Third person of the Blessed Trinity, the Spirit of Truth, who sanctifies us and maintains the Catholic Church in truth and love.
Saint John says: "See what love the Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called children of God! Yes! That is what we are" (1John 3: 1)! Of ourselves, we are nothing. But in God's love, we have the infinite worth of having become sons of God. See how God loves us!
In the Communion Prayer of today’s Mass we humbly pray: “Bless the God of Heaven and before all the living we will praise Him because He has shown His mercy to us.”
On this Trinity Sunday, let us fall on our knees in adoration with Our Blessed Mother, the Angels, Archangels, and the whole heavenly host. Let us worship the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. SANCTUS! SANCTUS! SANCTUS! Lord God of power and might. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory! Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

COME HOLY GHOST, FILL THE HEARTS OF YOUR FAITHFUL

2006-05-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

Far too often we hear folks who claim to be Catholics, even “devout Catholics,” and nonetheless, dissent from the Church’s teachings. Can a person, for example, be pro-abortion or pro-choice and still be a Catholic in good standing? Under such circumstances, is one really practicing Catholic at all? Obviously not!.
What about politicians who claim to be Catholic, yet, are pro-abortion or pro-choice and vote in that way? Often justification from this dissenting attitude is sought in situations such as the Church's condemnation of Galileo in 1633. In other words, if the Church was wrong then, it could be wrong now.
My friends, this is pure nonsense. A study of the Galileo case, which we cannot detail here, reveals that the Church did not err doctrinally. Yes, Galileo was condemned. Yes, a few churchmen acted imprudently, as did Galileo himself. Yes, the Congregation of the Index, which made a judgment in this matter, entered the scientific field where it had no competence. But, there was no doctrinal error involved here at all. The Church’s Magisterium did not teach doctrinal error. Neither did Popes Paul V nor Urban VIII enter the discussion in any way.
Can the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church teach falsehoods in doctrine or morals? Absolutely not! Such a claim is utterly blasphemous. Why? The Teaching Church consists of the Holy Father, teaching the Universal Church in faith or morals. The bishops, teaching in union with the Holy Father, are part of the Church’s Magisterium. As Vatican II put it, they teach with infallibility when they teach, “with Peter and under Peter.”
When the Church proclaims and defends the Sacred Deposit of Faith, which includes the Natural Law, she teaches in the Name of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Catholic Church cannot teach error.
This is precisely the point of today's Solemnity of Pentecost. At the Last Supper Our Divine Savior promised that He would send the Holy Spirit. "I tell you the sober truth. It is much better for you that I go. If I fail to go, the Paraclete will not come to you, whereas if I go, I will send him to you - - - When he comes, being the Spirit of Truth, he will maintain you in all truth" (John 16: 7, 13).
Our Blessed Lord founded the Catholic Church to carry on His work of Redemption until He comes again in glory. The Church's mission is the salvation and the sanctification of souls. Saint Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, insists that disciples of Jesus must have the "obedience of faith"(Romans 1:5). The recently published Compendium of the Catechism, question 25, affirms this very idea: “Sustained by divine grace, we (Christ’s Faithful) respond to God (His Divine Revelation) with the obedience of faith, which means the full surrender of ourselves to God and the acceptance of His truth, as it is guaranteed by the One who is Truth itself.”
If we render this "obedience of faith" to the faith and moral teachings of the Catholic Church we have the "sure hope" of eternal life. How can God demand that we obey false teachings? Thus we know we follow the truth when we render the “obedience of faith,” to the Teaching Church.
Jesus Christ is the Way, the Life and the Truth. He is the Son of God and therefore He cannot teach error. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity and cannot teach error. As the First Vatican Council taught, God can neither deceive nor be deceived. To claim that the Holy Spirit would allow the Church to fall into error as it unfolds the Deposit of Faith is nothing short of blasphemy. One is not free to make God a liar!
Do not be deceived by those that would lead us astray from the teachings of the Catholic Church. Saint Paul denounced these deceivers to Saint Timothy: “They oppose the truth (and) with perverted minds (they) falsify the faith - - - Stay away from them" (2 Timothy 3: 5, 8).

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L

CLAP YOUR HANDS! SHOUT UNTO GOD!

2006-05-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Men of Galilee, we read in the Introit, “why do you stand looking in the sky? The Lord will return, just as you have seen Him ascend, alleluia.” The liturgy for the Solemnity of the Ascension reverberates with the exultation expressed in the 42nd Psalm: “o clap your hands all you nations: shout unto God with the voice of exultation.”

Nothing saddens the human heart more than the death of a loved one. Our pain becomes especially intense at the end of the cemetery prayers. We leave our love ones never to see them again with human eyes. These sentiments, however, are not the ones expressed by the liturgy at the Lord’s Ascension. Rather, the Church rejoices! Why do we rejoice? The Epistle reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us clearly in the words of the “two men dressed in white.” Undoubtedly Angels, the men said: “This Jesus, Who is taken up from you into heaven, shall return just as you have seen Him going into heaven.”

Christ lives with us through His Mystical Body, the Holy, Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Church, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, is the Sacrament of our Salvation. Through the saving mystery of the Church, everyone has all of the means necessary to attain eternal life. We have the Priesthood, the Mass, the Sacraments, and the truth of Catholic faith and morality.

At the last Supper, Our Blessed Lord said: “Do not be troubled. Have faith in God and have faith in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions; otherwise, how could I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” Yes! There is a “Mansion” prepared for each of us in heaven!

Saint Augustine expresses the Church’s joy at Our Lord’s Ascension along with an admonition: “Our Savior has ascended into heaven, beloved brethren, but let us not on that account be troubled here on earth. If our minds are there, we still have peace here. So let us ascend spiritually with Christ that when His promised day will come, we will follow Him also with our bodies. We must not forget, brethren, that neither pride, nor avarice, nor impurity ascends with Christ; none of our vices will ascend with our Healer. Therefore, if we desire to follow Him, we must necessarily part with our sins and vices. For all such things hold us bound to earth as with fetters.”

The Catholic mind has a healthy longing for heaven. This is not a morbid death wish! Rather, it is a lively desire to be with Our Lord in heaven. Heaven is our final destination and, as Vatican II teaches, we are on our pilgrim journey to be with Christ, Our Lord, for all eternity. Again we recall the words of Saint Augustine in his Confessions: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord. Thus, our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

Jesus said: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you and your hearts will rejoice.” Indeed, we are not orphans. Think of what God has done for us! Jesus, the Son of God, is our divine Brother. Our Lord has given us His own dear mother to be our own. Every Catholic can point to Mary and say: “There is my Mother! My Blessed Mother in heaven! Our good mother, with Saint Joseph at her side, waits to greet us in the kingdom of Heaven. There Jesus, her divine Son, has prepared a “Mansion” for us!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

MAY! THE MONTH OF MARY

2006-05-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

May! Mary! Motherhood! May! The Month of Mary! The Month of Mothers! Mary is the Mother of God and Our Blessed Mother! See what God has done for us. Each of us can call Mary, Mother!

Invigorated by the fresh, crisp air of another spring, we sense a renewed appreciation of the gift of life. Life is GodÂs first gift to us. Human life begins at conception and develops deep within the body of a mother, close to her heart. God has a special love for mothers. Jesus, the Son of God, was born of a mother. During this month of May, let our Catholic hearts rejoice in Mary.

Our Blessed Lady has many titles, a whole litany of titles. She is the Queen of Heaven and Earth, Queen of Angels, Mystical Rose, Refuge of Sinners, Gate of Heaven and all of the wonderful titles listed in her litany. The title dearest to her heart, however, is - - - Mother! This precisely how she wants us to address her: Mother!

MaryÂs motherhood is rich in meaning for she played a unique role in our redemption. This work was referred to in Gen. 3:15 when the Father promised to send the Redeemer. Through Jesus, she would crush the head of the serpent. Mary is the Virgin Mother foretold by Isaiah. At the appointed time, Saint Luke tells us that the Angel Gabriel asked her if she would give the Redeemer a human Body.

In pride and disobedience Eve had said ÂNoÂ to God and ÂYesÂ to the angel of darkness. Mary would be the New Eve. In humility and obedience, she said, ÂYesÂ to GodÂs messenger, the Archangel Gabriel. ÂBehold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.Â At that instant, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became Man in MaryÂs womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah who would atone for the sins and guilt of mankind. MaryÂs ÂFiatÂ set our redemption in motion and our Divine Redeemer took on human flesh!

Adam, in pride and disobedience, turned from God. Jesus, the New Adam, in humility and obedience, became Man. He is the Sacrificial Lamb, Who would take upon Himself the sins of the world. By His death and resurrection we are freed from the bondage of Satan, the slavery to sin and the punishment of eternal death.

At the Presentation, Simeon warned, ÂYour own soul a sword shall pierceÂ (Luke 2:35). Our Lady had no illusions. She knew that she would be uniquely linked with the Messianic mission of her Son. The Cross of Calvary became crystal clear to her.

Our Blessed Mother was with Our Savior during those thirty years of preparation for His mission on the Cross of Calvary. She was with Him during His public life. She stood at the foot of the Cross in full knowledge that our Redemption was taking place. Jesus is the Redeemer. Mary is the Co- Redemptrix, as recent popes have stressed. During this Month of May, let us grow in love and devotion to Our Blessed Mother through Rosaries, litanies and Marian devotions. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us, our Latin Mass Community, our families, and our friends. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

SING A NEW SONG TO THE LORD

2006-05-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

With unrelenting repetition, the 97th Psalm permeates the Easter liturgies. As we approach Pentecost Sunday and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Easter again repeats the refrain: “Sing a new song to the Lord, Alleluia. He has revealed His justice in the sight of the Gentiles.”

Jesus is the Light of the World Who came to separate us from the darkness of sin. Jesus, the Great High Priest, washes us clean from sin in the cleansing waters of Baptism. Being born again in Christ Jesus, the “new song” that we must sing is a life of grace and the practice of the Christian virtues. The new song that we sing is Catholic faith.

Left to our own resources, we could never succeed. Thus, the Lord Jesus gives us the means to attain the “Universal Call to Holiness,” as Vatican II calls it. That means is indeed none other than the holy, Roman Catholic Church.

In Baptism we are cleansed from sin and incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. It is the Church that we find the Priesthood of Jesus Christ that brings us the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, we have the infallible guidance of the Holy Father and the Bishops and Priests in union with him. We know with infallible certitude, that the faith and moral teachings of the Church are transmitted to us, in truth.

Saint James sums it up in the Epistle: “For of (the Father’s) own will, He has begotten us by the word of truth so that we might be some new beginning of His creature.” Saint James tells us to be swift to hear and slow to anger. Cast away impure actions and all wickedness, he exhorts us, and with “meekness receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
Saint James the Less, as He is called, was the Apostle who was greatly to be admired. He was the “cousin” of the Lord and the first bishop of Jerusalem. Due to his endless hours of prayer, his knees became calloused “like a camel’s hoof.” The style of his epistle is simple, straight to the point and eminently practical.

Saint James begins by exhorting his flock to practice the virtue of patience. “Esteem it in all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the trying of your faith begets patience. Let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.”
Each of us could reap great spiritual growth by heeding the words of Saint James. A few, calloused knees, might also be of great help.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

SING A NEW SONG TO THE LORD

2006-05-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

With unrelenting repetition, the 97th Psalm permeates the Easter liturgies. As we approach Pentecost Sunday and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Easter again repeats the refrain: “Sing a new song to the Lord, Alleluia. He has revealed His justice in the sight of the Gentiles.”
Jesus is the Light of the World Who came to separate us from the darkness of sin. Jesus, the Great High Priest, washes us clean from sin in the cleansing waters of Baptism. Being born again in Christ Jesus, the “new song” that we must sing is a life of grace and the practice of the Christian virtues. Yet, left to our own resources, we could never succeed. Thus, the Lord Jesus gives us the means to attain the “Universal Call to Holiness,” as Vatican II calls it. That means is none other than the holy, Roman Catholic Church.
In Baptism we are cleansed from sin and incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. It is the Church that we find the Priesthood of Jesus Christ that brings us the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, we have the infallible guidance of the Holy Father and the Bishops and Priests in union with him. We know with infallible certitude, that the faith and moral teachings of the Church are transmitted to us, in truth.
Saint James sums it up in the Epistle: “For of (the Father’s) own will, He has begotten us by the word of truth so that we might be some new beginning of His creature.” Saint James tells us to be swift to hear and slow to anger. Cast away impure actions and all wickedness, he exhorts us, and with “meekness receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
Saint James the Less, as He is called was Apostle who was greatly to be admired. He was the “cousin” of the Lord and the first bishop of Jerusalem. Due to his endless hours of prayer, his knees became calloused “like a camel’s hoof.” The style of his epistle is simple, straight to the point and eminently practical.
Saint James begins by exhorting his flock to practice the virtue of Patience. “Esteem it in all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the trying of your faith begets patience. Let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.”
Each of us could reap great spiritual growth by heeding the words of Saint James. A few, calloused knees, might also be of great help.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

JUBILATE DEO

2006-05-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

“Shout with joy to God, all the earth, alleluia: sing ye a psalm to His Name, alleluia, give glory to His praise, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!” In the Introit of today’s Holy Mass, the Church continues to bask in the glory and joy of the Resurrection.
Acknowledging that we are a Church of repentant sinners, we pray in the Collect: “O God, Who to those who go doth astray show the light of Thy truth, that they may return to the path of justice: grant that all who are enrolled in the Christian Faith may spurn all that is hostile to your Name and follow only that which is fitting to it.” Filled with Easter joy, we must pray also for those who have not repented from their sins.
Lest we become presumptuous, Saint Peter reminds us in the Epistle to be faithful to our Baptismal Promises: “Refrain from carnal desires which war against the soul.” The first Pope teaches us that in this world we are, “strangers and pilgrims.” In other words, like Our Divine Savior, our kingdom is not of this world. Two thousand years later, the Second Vatican Council repeats the same exhortation, reminding Christ faithful that we are in the world, “but not of the world.”
During these Easter liturgies, three symbols recur to remind us that we are not from here. Rather, we are, as Saint Paul said, “citizens of heaven.” The symbols are light, water and canticle.
1) Light! On Holy Saturday Night, the deacon carries the Easter Candle, lit from the Easter fire, into a darkened Church. “Lumen Christi,” is sung three times. Christ is the Light. Jesus Christ alone is the Light of the World. Every time we look upon the Easter Candle, we see the Light of Christ shinning to separate the darkness of sin from the Lumen Christi.
2) Water! The Waters of baptism! We have been born again and washed clean in the waters of baptism. Like Christ Crucified on the Cross of Calvary, we have died. Through Him, we have died to sin. By the waters of baptism, which flow from the side of Christ, we are re-born to a life of virtue. After the homily of the Easter Mass, we re-new our Baptismal Promises. We repeat our rejection of: “Sin, Satan and all his empty promises.”
3) Canticle! Again and again during the Easter Liturgies, the Church prays the 95th Psalm: “Cantate Domino, canticum novum - - - Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing out to the Lord all the earth.” What is this new song that we sing out? Is it a new hymn that the Church or some great composer has given us? No! Rather, as Saint Augustine tells us, it is the new life that now we must live in Christ Jesus. Having seen the light, we have proclaimed the Lumen Christi. Then we have been washed clean in the waters of Baptism. Each day of our new lives we sing out: “Cantate Domino, canticum novum - - - sing a new song to the Lord. Sing out to the Lord all the earth.”
On Christmas, we sing with the Heavenly Host, “Joy to the World,’ because Christ is born. On Easter Sunday, we sing joy to the Lord. He offered Himself up to the Father on the Cross of Calvary. But, He has risen as He said He would. Resurrexit sicut dixit! Jubilato Deo! Jubilato!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD

2006-04-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

The image of Our Lord as The Good Shepherd dates back to the Church’s earliest days. Subsequent to the apparitions of Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary, beginning on December 27, 1673, there has been a greater emphasis on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart reveals His immense love for us and inspires us to a deep love of Jesus. Yet, the image of Jesus as The Good Shepherd is also a source of great devotion. In today’s Gospel, Our Lord tells us that He is the Good Shepherd. “For (my) sheep,” He says, “I will give my life.” This is precisely at the heart of our Easter reflections.

The Introit of today’s Mass sets the theme for Good Shepherd Sunday: Misericordia Domini plena est terra, alleluia. The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord, Alleluia. Next we read the 32 Psalm: “Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just, praise becomes the upright.” The Church rejoices in the mercy of the Good Shepherd which descends upon us like the gentle rains from above.

In the Epistle, Saint Peter, the Head Pastor of the Church, tells us that Jesus is the Shepherd of our souls. Although we had gone astray, perhaps many times over, Jesus never leaves us. The Good Shepherd does not abandon us to roam the hills of life aimlessly as sheep without a shepherd. When we go astray, as all have, the Good Shepherd leaves the “ninety-nine in search of the one that has gone astray.” Christian art portrays Jesus with the lost sheep held safely around His neck. What a consolation! Although we leave the Lord because of the lore of sin, He never leaves us. Rather, He goes out to seek us out if we go astray.

In the Gospel, Our Lord said: “I know my sheep and my sheep know me in the same way that the Father knows me and I know the Father. For these sheep I will give my life.” In these texts, we see the true measure of Our Lord’s love. It is the Redemption accomplished on the Cross of Calvary. What is the measure of our love for the Lord? This also He has revealed: “If you love me you will keep my commandments.”

In our times, many claim that can continue in a life of sin with no purpose of amendment and still live in God’s grace. This is a tragic error for they misunderstand God’s mercy by mistaking it for a permissive attitude on His part. The Gospels are clear that we must strive to keep His commandments if we are to live in His love. Saint John said that anyone who says that he loves God while not keeping His commandments is a liar.

How do we know what God’s commandments are in these confusing days when so many conflicting messages are prevalent? To combat these grave errors, Our Lord left us visible shepherds who stand in his place and who act “in His very Person.” He has left us the Holy Father, the Pope of Rome, to guide us with infallible certitude in the path of Catholic truth and Catholic morality. He has left us bishops to shepherd every diocese in the world preaching the “Good News” of salvation. He has left us priests, Pastors of souls, to be our immediate contact with Him through the Mass and the Sacraments. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has left no stone unturned to bring us to eternal life with Him.

To hear the voice of Jesus, our Good Shepherd, we must be obedient to our Pastors whom He has left in His place. Yet, we must be clear that every Catholic must obey the teachings of the Holy Father, for he is the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth. Every Bishop and Priest must teach in union with the Pope. United with the Pope, they transmit the teachings of Jesus. Everyone in the Church must heed these voices and be obedient to their teachings.

My dear people, let us never fear the teaching authority of the Church for it infallibly leads us to eternal salvation. The Church is the Bulwark of Truth, as Saint Paul calls her. The Catholic Church teaches us the truth of the Gospels. Good Shepherd lead us, the sheep of your flock, to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

WHOSE SINS YOU FORGIVE ARE FORGIVEN THEM.

2006-04-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

In the ancient liturgy of the Church, today is know as Dominica in Albis, White Sunday. Those who had received the Sacrament of Baptism on Easter Sunday wore the same white garment to Mass the following Sunday because the rebirth of baptism is a life long commitment.
By the decree of Pope John Paul II, the first Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. Actually these two ideas do not conflict but rather are complimentary. Although we have been washed clean in baptism, we are sinners still. The Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ is our hope. Divine mercy Sunday is the ideal time to reflect once again on the Sacrament of Confession.
The Sacrament of Penance is the ordinary means for the forgiveness of sins committed after baptism. This is the unmistakably clear teaching of the Roman, Catholic Church. The new Universal Catechism confirms the same doctrine taught in the old Baltimore Catechism. Indeed, it is even more emphatic and precise. On the Second Sunday of Easter, Holy Mother Church recalls Our Lord’s institution of the Sacrament of Penance. Our Lord said to the Apostles: "Receive the Holy Spirit; if you forgive a man's sins they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound."
On March 12, 1994, the Pope, in an address to the confessors of Rome's Basilicas, said: "It is really God who is offended by sin and it is God who forgives sin. It is He who scrutinizes `what is in man,’ that is the individual conscience. God has graciously associated the human priest with this healing, sanctifying conversion, raising him to the ineffable privilege of acting in persona Christi."
With these words, the Pope is teaching the Church that the priest forgives sins acting in the very person of Jesus Christ. He acts neither as the representative of Jesus Christ nor in the place of Jesus Christ, but rather, in the very person of Jesus Christ. In confession, the priest sacramentally becomes one with Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest. Like Our Blessed Lord, he becomes the mediator between God and man. He intercedes for us, prays for us, and advises us. Yes, at times, he must admonish, but if he does, he must do so with the "aroma of Christ" (2Cor 2:15). Like Jesus, the priest prays, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Acting in the Person of Jesus Christ, the priest of Jesus Christ forgives our sins with the words of absolution: "I absolve you from your sins, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." What a consolation to a spirit that has been broken by sin and restored by God’s mercy.
The Priest of Jesus Christ has the power to forgive every sin, no matter how vile or frequent they may be. This power is a living witness to God's infinite mercy. When the priest lifts his hand in absolution, the Precious Blood of Christ drips from his hands washing our sins clean. Moreover, in confession we are alone with God in the inviolable sanctuary of the confessional with the priest at our side. Under no circumstances, may the priest reveal a penitent’s sins. This is known as the Sacramental Seal. The Holy Father also said: "Church law binds the priest to total silence usque ad sanguinis effusionem {even to the shedding of his last drop of blood}." To this rule of silence, there is absolutely no dispensation or exception of any kind. The sacredness of the sacramental seal is the Church’s guarantee to penitents that their sins will never be revealed under any circumstances.
As penitents, we must have sorrow for our sins and make a firm purpose never to commit them again. Then we must confess our mortal sins in number and kind, what we did and how many times that we did it. If there are no mortal sins, we can either confess some or all of our venial sins or some sin of the past. Finally, we must do the penance that the priest imposes on us. It is just that simple: sorrow, confession and satisfaction.
During this Easter Season, if we have not been to Confession, let us do so now. Even if we have committed no mortal sins, the frequent confession of venial sins is vitally important. Many graces flow from frequent confession. In confession, we encounter Our Lord Jesus in His Priesthood, in His mercy, in His forgiveness and in His love. As we have read so often in the Gospels, we too hear those wonderful words of Our Savior: Go and sin no more! Your sins are forgiven. Praised be Jesus Christ on this wonderful feast of Divine Mercy Sunday! Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

JESUS SAID TO HER, MARY!

2006-04-13T18:03:00.001-07:00

Mary Magdalene was at the tomb of Jesus, weeping. The tomb was empty; Jesus’ Body was gone. She informed the Apostles. Immediately, Peter and John ran to the tomb. It was empty. Totally perplexed, they left. Mary remained, weeping. Suddenly, she saw someone she did not recognize. "Woman, why are you weeping? Who is it that you are looking for?" Mary responded: "Sir, if you are the one who carried him off, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away." Our Savior simply said: "Mary!" Immediately, she recognized Him. It was the most electrifying moment in all of human history. Mary Magdalene's desolation turned into supreme joy.

Isn't it interesting that Our Lord's first recorded appearance after His Resurrection was to Mary Magdalene? She was the great sinner from whom He had driven seven devils. Yet, it was for the Marys of the world that He became Man. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came for the lost sheep. No one was more lost than Mary Magdalene.

Most Fathers of the Church agree that Mary Magdalene was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Faithful Israelites, they had become dear friends of the Lord. Yet, somehow their younger sister went astray. In her youth, Mary left home for the seaport resort of Magdala where the idle rich went to play and sin. With shameless abandon, she plunged into all the pleasures of this world. Mary broke the hearts of her brother and sister.

Then, one day, Mary saw the Lord. How they met matters not! When Mary's eyes met the eyes of Jesus, her search for this world's fleeting pleasures ended. She had found Infinite Love in Jesus, the Son of God. Deep remorse came over her. She repented of her many sins, never to sin again. From that moment, she never left the Lord. The great sinner became a great saint.

Throughout Holy Week we find her with Jesus. What a comfort it is to know that, in Mary, we repentant sinners are also with Our Lord. She washes His feet with her tears of repentance. Her tears represent our tears. On Calvary she is at the foot of the Cross. Again at the Lord’s feet, she is being washed clean by His Precious Blood. There, frozen in time, Mary represents us. We too are being washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb.

Just as Jesus suffered and died for Mary, He suffered and died for each of us, individually. Our Blessed Lord loved us to the last drop of His Precious Blood. On Calvary, He who was without sin became sin, your sins and mine. In His passion and death, we too find divine forgiveness, as did Mary. Our Divine Savior loved us, "even to death on the Cross."

On Easter Morning, when our Lord said, "Mary," He was also saying, "Richard, William, Frank, Peter, James, John, Sandra, Deborah, Elizabeth, Ann, Mary Jane!" Think of it! Just as the Risen Lord saw Mary, He sees you! He loves you! He redeemed you! Never doubt that for a moment! Like Mary, may we never again offend Our Lord by sin. Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

May the joy of the Risen Christ be with you on Easter Sunday. May we all meet in heaven, gathered around the Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus Christ takes away your sins and my sins! Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

HOSANNA, FILIO DAVID!

2006-04-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

On Palm Sunday, the Priest, vested in a red cope, blesses the palms at the start of Mass. It is the red of royal triumph. Triumph, indeed! We claim triumph because Holy Week is not a week of mourning for the Cross of Calvary and the Resurrection are inseparable. We must not separate the Passion of Our Savior from His glorious Resurrection. By His Cross, Jesus has overcome death! In medieval times, this week was viewed in a strict sense of sorrow and tearful sympathy with the Suffering Jesus. Now, through the whole week, there runs a note of victory and joy, a realization that Our Lord’s sacred passion was a prerequisite to the glory of Easter.
The Palm Sunday liturgy begins with: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. O King of Israel: Hosanna in the highest! After the Procession of the Palms, we pray in the Introit: O Lord, keep not thy face far from me; look to my defense, deliver me from the lion’s mouth - - - O God, my God, look upon me - - - Far from my salvation are the words of my sins!
It is a humble prayer for without the, King of Israel, we are helpless. The weight of our sins overwhelms us! Only in the triumph of Our Redeemer can we find victory. Like Daniel in the lion’s den, the lions of the pagan world seek to devour us in sin. Just as the One, True God delivered Daniel, so too will Our Divine Savior rescue us
The Key to the Palm Sunday liturgy is the reading from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the Suffering Messiah. True to His mission, the Redemption, He was obedient to the Heavenly Father. He was obedient, “even unto death, death on the Cross.”

Thus, in Christ’s Victory Procession, we too cry out: HOSANNA, FILIO DAVID!
Father Richard J. Rego

BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM!

2006-04-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

On Passion Sunday, the ancient liturgy brings the Church into a period of mourning over her divine Bridegroom. Just as the Pre-Lenten Sundays prepared us for the holy season, we now prepare for the Sacrifice of our Redemption. Our Divine Savior will be lifted high on the Cross of Calvary. In ancient times a vigil was kept at the tomb of Saint Peter during the night before Passion Sunday. This was done because Peter was called to be the Successor of Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest.

The Introit of today’s Mass begins with Judica me, Deus, the supplication of the 42nd Psalm. At the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, the Priest begins each day’s Mass with this Psalm:“Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy. Deliver me from unjust and deceitful men: for thou art God, my strength. At today’s Mass, we identify with Jesus in His struggle on the Mount of Olives. Our Lord begs the Heavenly Father for a judicial decision between Himself and His unholy people, particularly the wicked and treacherous Judas Iscariot, who seek to kill Him. We are making the same plea as we struggle with the evil forces in our midst for these forces attempt to lead us away from Our Savior.

The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus, the mediator between God and man, will bring about man’s redemption by means of His death. But, make no mistake; no one will take His life from Him. In obedience to the will of the Father, He will lay His life down of His own of His own will. Jesus, the Messiah, is the Son of God.

In the Gospel, Saint John shows us the growing hatred of the Sanhedrin for Jesus. They should have recognized that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. They knew the signs. Although they had eyes to see and ears to hear, they refused to see and hear. Because they refused to believe, Jesus told them that they would die in their sins. Infuriated by this rebuke, they insulted and blasphemed Him. They even had the audacity to accuse Jesus of being possessed by the devil.

Our Lord’s answer: Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day; he saw it and was glad. Then in response to their continued denial, He said: Before Abraham was, I AM. With this, they took up stones to stone Him to death. Why? Because, they knew that His words could have meant one thing only - - - He was identifying Himself as the Son of God! Still, they refused to believe.

Were they responsible? Could one argue that they made an honest mistake? No! Our Lord’s words make that very clear. They knew the Scriptures extremely well. The signs were clear! The blind saw, the lame walked, the dead rose, and the poor had the Gospel preached to them. Yet, they would not believe; they would not follow Him. They wanted no part of His teachings.

Today, two thousand years latter, many do the same. They still refuse to believe. Like the Sanhedrin of old, they too want a Messiah whose kingdom is of this world. They do not want the Kingdom of God, as presented by the Jesus of the Gospels. They want a kingdom their way, not God’s way.

Let us not fall into the same trap. We have been baptized into Christ Jesus, into His Mystical Body, which is the Church. The Church is the Sacrament of Salvation, as Vatican II identifies it. She is our ticket to the Kingdom of Heaven. God grant that we will never depart from the truth of her teachings. May Mary, the Mother of the Church and our holy Mother of Sorrows, lead us safely home to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“REJOICE, O JERUSALEM!

2006-03-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Why is the liturgy of Laetare Sunday exhorting the inhabitants of Jerusalem to rejoice? Why not: Rejoice, O Members of the Church?” In reality, that is precisely what is at the heart of todayÂ’s liturgy. Remember that a fundamental liturgical principle is that Old Testament texts are to be understood in a New Testament sense. The Church is the New People of God. We, who are the members of ChristÂ’s Body, are the New Jerusalem!

By invoking the cry of Isaiah to the Israelites in the Introit, the Church is crying out: “Catholics! Rejoice! Come together all you who love the Church, rejoice with her, you who have been in sorrow. Be filled with the consolation that comes from the breasts of the Mystical Body of Christ.

Laetare Sunday gives us a break from the penitential mode of Lent. The symbolism of the rose vestments means a middle ground between the somber violet and the jubilant white. Easter is in sight. Soon, we too will rise with Jesus from the death of sin to the eternal life of the Resurrection! We have been baptism into Christ Jesus, into His Mystical Body, which is the Church. Moreover, we are to be nourished in the Eucharistic Sacrifice with the Bread of Life. A further cause of our rejoicing, we have the holy Sacrament of Penance. Bishop Austin Vaughan, the deceased Auxiliary Bishop of New York called Confession, a “continuing Baptism.” We rejoice in the Church, in our Baptism, in the Holy Eucharist and in the continuing mercy of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Penance.

In the Collect of the Mass, we pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who are justly afflicted for our deeds (our sins), may be relieved by the consolation of Thy grace.”

The Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians tells us of our deliverance from our sorry state of sin through the Sacraments of Baptism or through the Sacrament of Penance. The two sons of Abraham symbolize the two Testaments. Ishmael, the son of Agar, represents the Israelites as slaves to the Law of Moses. Isaac, the son of Sarah, represents the Gentiles whose faith makes them heirs of the promises of Christ.

The Gospel brings us even richer symbolisms. The miraculous multiplication of the loves and fishes is a sign of the Eucharist. Catholic life revolves around the Blessed Eucharist as Sacrifice and Sacrament. The Eucharist is the “source and the summit of all of the sacraments.

Finally, todayÂ’s magnificent liturgy is tied together in the Post Communion Prayer: “We are constantly filled with Thy holy mysteries, O merciful God. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may celebrate them with sincere homage and always receive them with steady faith.

Truly, the readings for Laetare Sunday are Lenten gems for our meditation.

Father Richard J. Rego

“REJOICE, O JERUSALEM!”

2006-03-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

Why is the liturgy of Laetare Sunday exhorting the inhabitants of Jerusalem to rejoice? Why not: “Rejoice, O Members of the Church?” In reality, that is precisely what is at the heart of today’s liturgy. Remember that a fundamental liturgical principle is that Old Testament texts are to be understood in a New Testament sense. The Church is the New People of God. We, who are the members of Christ’s Body, are the New Jerusalem!

By invoking the cry of Isaiah to the Israelites in the Introit, the Church is crying out: “Catholics! Rejoice! Come together all you who love the Church, rejoice with her, you who have been in sorrow. Be filled with the consolation that comes from the breasts of the Mystical Body of Christ.”

Laetare Sunday gives us a break from the penitential mode of Lent. The symbolism of the rose vestments means a middle ground between the somber violet and the jubilant white. Easter is in sight. Soon, we too will rise with Jesus from the death of sin to the eternal life of the Resurrection! We have been baptism into Christ Jesus, into His Mystical Body, which is the Church. Moreover, we are to be nourished in today’s Eucharistic Sacrifice with the Bread of Life. A further cause of our rejoicing, we have the holy Sacrament of Penance. Bishop Austin Vaughan, the deceased Auxiliary Bishop of New York called Confession, a “continuing Baptism.” We rejoice in the Church, in our Baptism, in the Holy Eucharist and in the continuing mercy of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Penance.

In the Collect of the Mass, we pray: “Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who are justly afflicted for our deeds (our sins), may be relieved by the consolation of Thy grace.”

The Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians tells us of our deliverance from our sorry state of sin through the Sacraments of Baptism or through the Sacrament of Penance. The two sons of Abraham symbolize the two Testaments. Ishmael, the son of Agar, represents the Israelites as slaves to the Law of Moses. Isaac, the son of Sarah, represents the Gentiles whose faith makes them heirs of the promises of Christ.

This Sunday’s Gospel brings us even richer symbolisms. The miraculous multiplication of the loves and fishes is a sign of the Eucharist. Catholic life revolves around the Blessed Eucharist as Sacrifice and Sacrament. The Eucharist is the, “source and the summit of all of the sacraments.”

Finally, today’s magnificent liturgy is tied together in the Post Communion Prayer: “We are constantly filled with Thy holy mysteries, O merciful God. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may celebrate them with sincere homage and always receive them with steady faith.”

Truly, the readings for Laetare Sunday are Lenten gems for our meditation.

Father Richard J. Rego

“WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT!”

2006-03-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

“NOT ON BREAD ALONE SHALL MAN LIVE!"

2006-03-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

One this First Sunday of Lent, the ancient liturgy leads us into the desert with Jesus. Our Divine Savior had fasted for forty days and forty nights. Exhausted, hungry, His throat burning with thirst, He allowed Himself to be tempted three times by the evil one.

The devil! Satan! Make no mistake! He exists! He is a real person who is our mortal enemy. The devils have one solitary goal, the eternal ruin of every human person in hell. Saint Peter warns: "Be on your guard. Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking anyone who he may devour." It was for this reason that Pope Leo XIII mandated that the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel must be recited after every Mass. In dealing with Satan, Jesus has taught us an essential lesson. The devil is a liar! He is: "The father of lies and the truth is not in him."

The first temptation, as recorded by Saint Matthew in todayÂs Gospel, was an appeal to the social order. "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to turn to bread." In other words, Satan tempted Jesus to be a social redeemer, a bread king and nothing more. He would have been delighted to reduce Our Divine Savior's mission to making this a better world in a purely materialistic sense. Satan wanted to obliterate Our LordÂs real mission, the Redemption! The Mission of the Messiah was to atone to the Heavenly Father for the sins of the world.

Satan knew that the Cross of Calvary would end his dreadful dominion over man, which began with the sin of our First Parents. Christ's victory would come on Calvary. Thus, Satan tempted Our Lord to forget the Cross. "That is not what the people want," was the clear call. "Give the people bread so that they can fill their bellies. Improve the economy! Then they will follow you. They want no part of the Cross." Our Lord's answer was clear and precise: "Scripture has it, `Not on bread alone shall man live."

Next, the devil took Our Lord on a high hill and showed him all of the kingdoms of this world. "To you I will give all these kingdoms and their glory." Satan then added this frightening note: "For they are mine and I will give them to whom I will." Mine and I will give them to you! The price! "If you then will worship me, they shall all be yours." Again, Our Blessed Savior responded scripturally: "Scripture has it, `you shall love the Lord your God; Him alone shall you adore."

Satan tempts us in the same manner. He shows us the riches of this world. He tempts us by the lure of money, the pride of life, and the lust of the flesh. All these things can be ours, he promises. The price is the same, sin! This is precisely the reason that Saint John tells us that the love of God is not in the man who loves this world.

For the final temptation, Satan leads Our Lord to Jerusalem and set him on the parapet of the temple. "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for Scripture has it, `He will bid the angels watch over you"; and again, `With their hands they will support you that you will never stumble on a stone." Satan does not hesitate to use Scripture to achieve his evil ends.

The evil one wanted to reduce Our Lord to a wonder worker. This is the same temptation employed by the wicked Herod to taunt Jesus. He wanted Jesus to work some wonders so as to entertain him. Satan was telling Jesus, to give the people what they wanted. "Spend all of your time healing the sick. You can even raise the dead, if you wish. Work miracles! Entertain them! Then they will follow you. Give them what they want and then you will be popular and win them over." Jesus said: "Be gone, Satan! Scripture has it: `you shall do homage to the Lord your God; Him alone shall you adore."

Let it be clear that Jesus Christ could not have sinned because His nature was divine. However, by submitting Himself to the devil's temptations, Our Divine Savior was teaching us not to be attached to the things of this world. As he would tell Pilate: "My Kingdom is not of this world." He was teaching us also how to resist temptation. Do not enter into dialogue with the devil, as Eve did in the garden. When we are tempted, immediately, we should repeat the words of Our Blessed Lord: "BE GONE SATAN!" Saint James says: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

May Our Blessed Mother, the Refuge of Sinners and the Gate of Heaven, help us in our constant conflict with Satan and his evil temptations.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!”

2006-02-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

The ChurchÂ’s preparation for the holy season of Lent reaches its conclusion with todayÂ’s liturgy. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and, on this solemn day, the Church awakens us from our slothful slumber. We are signed with ashes with the prayer: Â“Remember man! Thou are dust and unto dust thou shall return!Â”

In the Introit of the Mass, we beseech God: Â“Be our Protector, and a house of refuge to save me.Â” Just as God delivered the Israelites and Joseph, He will deliver us. In the Collect, we pray that God will release us from our sins and guard us from all adversity.

We are beset with adversity and perils from all sides. The world about us, which becomes increasingly pagan and Godless, seeks to devour us. We are living in a Â“Culture of Death.Â” Yet, through it all, we have in Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Jesus, the Savior of the World, will never abandon us.

In the Epistle, Saint Paul teaches us of Love, the most fundamental of Christian principles. God is Love and He has made us for Himself. Without love we can never find happiness, for the alternative is hate. Indeed, hell can be described as a state of eternal hatred and banishment from God. In the eternal inferno, which is filled with hate, there is not a shred of love!

Faith cannot exist without love. Saint Paul tells us: Â“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.Â” Paul goes on to say that, if we had faith that could move mountains but have not love, we are nothing. Nothing!

Lest we become disheartened by our lack of charity, the liturgy then invokes the 99th Psalm. Â“Sing joyfully to the Lord, all the earth - - - Come in before His presence with exceeding joy. Know that the Lord is our God! He made us. We are His people! The Church never lets us stay down too long. She is quick to give us a dramatic reminder that God loves us. Despite our human weakness and sinfulness, He will never abandon us.

GodÂ’s infinite love is demonstrated beautifully in todayÂ’s Gospel story. The blind man hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. Â“JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!Â” The more the people tried to restrain him, the louder he cried out: Â“JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!Â”

Pope Saint Gregory the Great says that the blind man in todayÂ’s Gospel symbolizes the human race. He is you and I. Because of the sin of our First parents we have been blinded. Our solidarity in sin makes our condition more perilous. Despite this, Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. Just as the blind man cried out, we too cry out to Jesus. Our Blessed Lord will restore our sight also for this is His mission. Jesus Christ is the love and the mercy of God Who has become man. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. With hearts filled with a longing for love, we too can cry out: Â‘JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!Â”

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“LORD HELP US AND DELIVER US!”

2006-02-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

The “Mass of the Ages,” follows the Church Calendar, which was in use before the liturgical reform of 1970. Then, as now, the Christmas Cycle celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation.

Unlike the new calendar, there are three Sundays that introduce the Season of Lent. They are: Septuagesima Sunday, meaning seventy days before Easter, Sexagesima Sunday, sixty days, and Quinquagesima Sunday, fifty days before Easter. Numerically, it doesn’t compute; it is not meant to. The purpose was to gradually introduce Christ’s Faithful to the holy season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday.

In the Introit of today’s Mass, the Church cries out to God to save us. “Exsurge!” “Arise!” The Church cries out to God, figuratively, yet emphatically, asking God to rise from His sleep. “Why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arise and cast us not off to the end. Why turnest Thou Thy face away, and forgettest our troubles?”

We are in dire need of Gods love and His mercy. Forget us not, Lord, is our prayer. No! God never forsakes us. It is we who forsake Him. Thus, the Church, recognizing our total dependence on God, again begs for mercy and forgiveness for our sins.

In the Collect or Opening Prayer of the Mass, the Church does something a little unusual in the Liturgy. We pray for the protection of one of the Apostles, Saint Paul. “Mercifully grant that by the protection of the Doctor of the Gentiles we may be defended against all adversities.”

Our struggle in the world is daily and endless. As in every era, the combat is a mighty one in our days. In January, we reflected upon the dreadfully evil Roe vs. Wade decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. This was evidently one of the most iniquitous acts in the history of man. Resulting from it, millions upon millions of unborn have been slaughtered.

Yet, we saw the ferocity with which some members of the Senate and their supporters are willing to exhibit in their opposition to anyone or anything that would overturn this evil. They engage in marches, demonstrations, and cries of indignation over the abolition of the alleged, “Woman’s rights of privacy.” Millions of Catholics sit by idly, not saying a word.

Pornography and immodest dress now have become commonplace. Even the House of God is not immune from this immoral attire. Many Catholics, scantily dressed, stubbornly approach the altar to receive the Bread of Life.

These are just a few examples of the egregious departure from the Gospel of Christ that we are witnessing in our days. Today’s liturgy reminds us that we must resist this mentality. In the Epistle, Saint Paul recounts the sufferings that he endured for the sake of the Gospel. He is in prison more often than not! Beaten with whips, stoned, thrice shipwrecked, a day and a night in the sea, in peril of robbers, in peril from the Gentiles and false brethren, in hunger and thirst in fasting and in nakedness, as the list of horrors goes on. Yet, the Apostle endured all of this and more for the love of Jesus Christ and His Church.

How then are we to react to temptation? Are we to give in at the first moment of trial? Do we join the crowd around the water cooler in their immodest speech? Do we deny that we even know the Lord? In the light of Saint Paul’s sufferings, how trivial is our small list of trials. The liturgy is asking us to stand up for our faith. Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, gives us the example.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT!"

2006-01-30T20:51:00.001-07:00

The “Mass of the Ages,” follows the Church Calendar in use before the Church’s liturgical reform of 1970. The Christmas Cycle celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation. In the old calendar, however, the Easter Cycle celebrated the mystery of the Redemption with the seasons of Lent, Eastertide, and the “After Pentecost Season.”

Unlike the new calendar, there are three Sundays, which introduce the Season of Lent. They are: Septuagesima Sunday, meaning seventy days before Easter, Sexagesima Sunday, sixty days, and Quinquagesima Sunday, fifty days before Easter. Numerically, it doesn’t compute; it is not meant to. The purpose is to gradually introduce Christ’s Faithful to the holy season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday.

In the Introit of today’s Mass, the Church calls upon the Lord to deliver us for we are surrounded by dangers. “The sorrows of death. The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer.”

In the Collect, we plead for God to hear us in His gracious mercy. We acknowledge that we are “justly afflicted for our sins.” It is the Church’s cry for mercy, forgiveness. Filled with sorrow, we are in dire need of the Redemptive Act of Christ!

Then we begin the Liturgy of the Word, as it is now called. The Apostle Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, compares our life in this world to an arena. If we wish to obtain the final victory, we must fight and mortify ourselves constantly. Paul exhorts us to: “Run the good race! Fight the good fight!” Look at the athletes of this world who train and mortify their bodies for the corruptible prizes of money and fame. The Apostle reminds us that these fortunes, which are sought fervently by the world, will fade completely.

Saint Paul also tells us that he chastises his body in order to bring it sunder subjection: “Lest, having preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.” As disciples of the Lord, like Paul, we too must seek the incorruptible prize, which is eternal glory in heaven.

Today’s Gospel parable of the vineyard instructs us that all of us must work to obtain the reward of eternal life. Heaven is not automatic. Our labor must be fortified by the graces we receive at Mass, the Sacraments, and Catholic devotions.

Having been refreshed and strengthened by the Body and Blood of the Lord, we again pray for mercy in the Communion Prayer: “Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant, and save me in your mercy; let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon you.”

Notice how the Church’s liturgy prepares us for the holy seasons of Lent and Easter. Actually, it is a preparation for Calvary, for the Redemption. We begin by acknowledging our sinfulness as we pled for mercy and forgiveness. No place for psychological excuses here! We have sinned and our need for divine mercy is absolute.

The Mass ends with the Post Communion Prayer: “May Thy faithful people, O God, be strengthened by Thy gifts; that in receiving them, they may seek after them the more, and in seeking them, may receive them forever.”

When we follow the Mass by reflecting on the prayers and readings, we came to understand our need for the, “full and active participation” of the faithful.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"LET THE PEACE OF CHRIST REJOICE IN YOUR HEARTS!"

2006-01-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

On that first Christmas night, the angels sang out: “JOY TO THE WORLD!” Saint Paul in his letter to the Colossians read on the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, exhorts us to have this joy and peace constantly. He invites the “Elect of God” to live holy and virtuous lives. If we are to be followers of Jesus, Paul tells us, we must live as Jesus taught us to live. Christian conduct must radiate “humility, modesty, patience: bearing with one another and forgiving one another.” Jesus, the Son of God, shows us the way.

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord commemorates the fact that Jesus Christ has made Himself known to mankind. The word epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning a manifestation of divinity. Through the Church’s liturgy, the Holy Spirit gives us assurances us that the Child, born of the Virgin, is indeed the promised Messiah!

The Gospel on the Feast of the Epiphany relates the story of the Three Magi who came to adore Him. This is an EPIPHANY, a manifestation, that the Christ Child is the Son of God; He is a Divine Savior. It is the first of three historical events recorded in the Gospels to illustrate this fact. In the First Reading Isaiah tells us: "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come . . . See, darkness covers the earth . . . but upon you the Lord shines."

Jesus Christ is "the Light of the World" who illumines a world filled with the darkness of sin. Our savior drives out the wickedness and evil of the world just as He dispelled the demons in the Gospels. As His followers, we must allow His grace to fill our hearts so that wickedness is driven out of our lives.

The second major epiphany, manifestation invoked by the liturgy is the Baptism of the Lord. As Jesus emerges from the baptismal waters, God the Father identifies Him. He also gives the corresponding obligation of accepting this revelation. "This is my beloved Son! Hear Him!" At every Mass, the Priest lifts high the Host and repeats the words of John the Baptist: "Ecce Angus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi - - - Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."

Our Lord's mission was the Redemption! This is why He came into the world. He did not come as a political, social or economic reformer. Indeed, if men would follow His Gospel, none of our social evils would exist. Yet, the Messiah’s essential mission was to save us from the dominion of Satan, slavery to sin and the punishment of death, eternal death. Jesus Christ, the Messiah is the Son of God. He is a Divine Person, true God and true Man. He is Emmanuel, God with us!

The third major epiphany, manifestation telling us that Jesus Christ is the Divine Savior who has come into the world is the wonderful story of the Wedding Feast of Cana. At Cana, the God/Man turns water into wine, a clear epiphany, manifestation of His divine power. By an act of His will, a blush comes over the water and it turns into the rich red of the choicest wines. So too, he will change our hearts from sin to virtue, if only we would let His grace radiate into our hearts. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior! He is our God! As the Centurion who plunged the spear into His side on Calvary said: “Truly this man is the Son of God!”

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"LORD, EVERY NATION ON EARTH WILL ADORE YOU!"

2006-01-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord commemorates the fact that Jesus Christ has made Himself known to mankind. The word epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning a manifestation of divinity. Through the Church’s liturgy, the Holy Spirit gives us assurances us that the Child, born of the Virgin, is indeed the promised Messiah!

Today's Gospel tells us of the three Magi who came to adore Him. This is an EPIPHANY, a manifestation, that the Christ Child is the Divine Savior. It is the first of three historical events recorded in the Gospels to illustrate this fact. In the First Reading Isaiah tells us: "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come . . . See, darkness covers the earth . . . but upon you the Lord shines."

Jesus Christ is "the Light of the World" who illumines a world filled with the darkness of sin. He drives out the wickedness and evil of the world just as He dispelled the demons in the Gospels. As His followers, we must allow His grace to fill our hearts so that wickedness is driven out of our lives.

The Alleluia verse proclaims that, "we have seen His star in the east and have come to adore the Lord." We see His star today and every day through the saving mystery of the Catholic Church. It is through His Church that we find the Lord. As the Wise Men followed the Star of Bethlehem to find the Child, we follow the teachings of the Catholic Church, which lead us safely to Jesus. The Catholic Church leads us to the Kingdom of Heaven. There we will adore the Lamb for all eternity.

The second epiphany, manifestation, is the Baptism of the Lord. As Jesus emerges from the baptismal waters, God the Father identifies Him. He also gives the corresponding obligation of accepting this revelation. "This is my beloved Son! Hear Him!" At every Mass, the Priest lifts high the Host and repeats the words of John the Baptist: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Our Lord's mission was the Redemption! This is why He came into the world. He did not come as a political, social or economic reformer. If men would follow His Gospel, none of our social evils would exist. The Messiah’s essential mission was to save us from the dominion of Satan, slavery to sin and the punishment of death, eternal death. This Messiah is the Son of God. Jesus Christ is a Divine Person, true God and true Man. He is Emmanuel, God with us!

The third manifestation telling us that Jesus Christ is the Divine Savior who has come into the world is the wonderful story of the Wedding Feast of Cana. At Cana, the God/Man turns water into wine, a clear epiphany, manifestation of His divine power. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior! He is our God! As the Centurion said on Calvary; “Truly this man is the Son of God!”

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“MAY GOD BLESS US IN HIS MERCY!”

2005-12-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

It is sometimes argued that the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, celebrated on January 1, should not be a Holy Day of Obligation. The claim is that, since January 1 marks the New Year, it is more of a civil feast than a religious one. Thus, it should be abolished as a Holy Day.

This type of thought is contrary to the Church’s tradition. The Church has always made the first day of the calendar year a Holy Day of Obligation. She does this in order to counter the godless activities that accompany New Year festivities. The world celebrates the New Year with drinking parties and the pursuit of pleasure. Holy Church, however, reminds us that the followers of Our Lord cannot be part of this kind of activity. Our Divine Lord taught us that we are in the world but we are not of the world.

"Set your minds on the things that are above, not the things that are of the earth," Saint Paul said in Colossians 3:2. To do this, Catholics must begin the New Year by flying to the protection of the Mother of God. Under her mantle, we are able to shun the world’s evil.

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us," Saint John tells us. God, the Father, in His infinite love for man, sent His Son to be our Savior. The Son took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary.

It is defined article of Catholic faith that Our Lady must be given the title, Mother of God! In fact, Mother of God is her most appropriate title. Jesus Christ is True God and True Man. He has a divine nature and a human nature. Our Blessed Lord shared His Divine Nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity. His human nature, however, was taken from Our Lady.

Our Savior’s human nature was not suspended in space. It was united to His Divine Person. Jesus Christ is one divine Person. Consequently, we must address Mary as the Mother of God. She is the Theotokos, which is the Greek word for, the God Bearer. In her wisdom, holy mother Church begins the New Year with this Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Thus, we Catholics live the year under her protection.

In today’s Gospel, Saint Luke tells us: “Mary kept all these things in her heart.” My friends let us be assured that she keeps our parish in her heart. Indeed, she keeps all of us in her heart.

May we always keep our dear Blessed Mother in our hearts, as well. Never let one day go by without saying a special prayer to her, especially her holy Rosary. In the Rosary, she teaches us about her divine Son.

May all of you have a blessed and a happy New Year. May Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, bless you. May our dear Blessed Mother guide and protect you throughout the New Year and all the days of your lives.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“JOY TO THE WORLD!”

2005-12-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

It is said that Christmas is a time for giving. In a limited sense, this is true. However, in the eyes of Almighty God, Christmas is a time of receiving. Yes! Receiving! With the birth of our Divine Savior, we receive God’s gift of mercy, forgiveness and redemption, through Jesus Christ Our Lord!
"Yes, Saint John tells us, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life." These inspired words of Saint John give us the true reason that there is "joy to the world." God loves you! God loves you in a personal and unique way. It is as though you and you alone are in His Heart. It is just that that simple.

God "gave" the world His Son, Saint John says. There is a twofold meaning to this word gave in the mind of the Beloved Disciple. The first meaning is the, Incarnation. Think of it! For love of us, each of us, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary! God "gave" His Son for you and me! Christmas is for each of us, individually! Our Blessed Lord did not come to us bursting through the clouds in might and glory. That would have terrified us. Rather, He came to us in a way with which we can all identify. He came to us in the same way that you and I came into the world. Jesus Christ was born a humble Babe in the arms of His mother.

The second meaning of the word gave is the, Redemption. The reason that God became man, the reason that Jesus was born was so that "whoever believes in Him may not perish." Jesus Christ was born to die! Calvary! The Cross! The Redemption! Jesus was born, suffered and died to make atonement to the Heavenly Father for the sins of the world, your sins and mine and the sins of every person that ever walked the face of the earth. The cause of our joy is that God became Man and died on the Cross so that we might have eternal life.

Joy to the world! Yes! Let us repeat this Christmas refrain over and over again in an increasingly joyless world! As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, may our joy radiate out to the whole world.

May all of us receive God’s gift of the peace of Christ this Christmas. May the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless our families and make them holy. May Our Blessed Mother, bless you and lead you to her divine Son. May Saint Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family, protect our families. JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH! PRAY FOR US! You will be in my prayers at every Mass. Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, Christmas, 2005

"THE VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON!”

2005-12-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

The noted liturgist, Dr. Pius Parsh, made this marvelous observation about the Virgin Mother of God: "The Eternal Father built for His Son a temple of precious stones, the body and soul of the Immaculate Virgin Mary . . . Since Advent means preparation for receiving God's grace, who could be a better model than she who contained and sheltered Him and was privileged to be a true mother to Him? The mystery of Mary's divine Motherhood demands an extensive role in the Advent liturgies."

Our Blessed Mother is at the heart of the Advent mysteries. Her "Fiat" at Nazareth set in motion the work of our Redemption. Upon her consent to the Eternal Father’s plan, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became man. Because of her obedience to the Will of the Father, Mary, "conceived of the Holy Spirit." In today's Gospel, the angel assured Joseph to take Mary, his wife, into his home for the Child conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “Because he will save the people from their sins!”

The Cross! Man’s Redemption! This was the mission of our Divine Savior! If we do not see the shadow of the Cross of Calvary hovering over the Crib of Bethlehem, we miss the point of the Christmas Mystery, entirely! The sacred mysteries of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are never exhausted as we contemplate the Advent/Christmas mysteries.

It is also noteworthy that, during Advent, the Church celebrates two significant Marian feasts. On December 8, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Preserved free from original sin, Mary lives her entire life free from the slightest stain of sin. Not even the slightest venial sin ever tarnished her soul. Moreover, Our Blessed Lady practiced every virtue to its highest degree. Indeed, she is "the highest honor of our race!"

Next, on December 12, the liturgy honors the Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1531, she gave Saint Juan Diego a simple, yet profoundly beautiful message. "I am your mother!" This is her message to each of us.

Saint Juan Diego had difficulty delivering Mary's message to Bishop Zumarraga of Mexico City. Our Blessed Mother consoled him with these wonderful words: "Listen my son to what i tell you now. Do not let anything worry or afflict you; do not fear illness nor any troublesome happening or pain. Am I not here, I, who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and my protection? Am I not your life and health? Are you not in my embrace and in my prayers? What else do you need?"

As we savor Our Blessed Mother's words, we enter into the joy of the Christmas Season. Recall them often, especially in times of distress and discouragement. In these days when the truth of Our Lord’s mission is being denied and rejected, let us ask Our Lady in heaven to shower us with graces. We must have her protection from the wiles of Satan and his agents.

When we see the Virgin Mother with Jesus in her arms, we see in Mary our own mother as well. Each one of us can say: “Mary is my mother!" How wonderful! Jesus willed this as he was dying on the cross. On Calvary, Our Blessed Mother gave birth to each of us in the order of grace “with an agony beyond all telling.” Saint Juan Diego teaches us how to love Our Lady with the simple love of a child. With Saint Juan, let us say: “Dear mother in heaven: We love you! Keep us always faithful to the Catholic Church and her teachings!”

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"REJOICE! THE LORD IS NEAR!"

2005-12-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday. The Latin word Gaudete means to rejoice. Today'’s liturgy bids us to rejoice because the coming of the Lord is at hand. The Entrance Antiphon sets the tone: Rejoice in the Lord, always; again I say rejoice! The Lord is near!
It is painfully clear that the Church's "joy and gladness" is in complete contradiction to the godless merry making of the pagan world. The world has turned the Nativity of Our Lord into a pagan, “winter festival.” Now some have even forbidden that the Holy Name of Jesus is mentioned at all. How dreadful! Jesus, Mary and Joseph do not fit into the world'’s Christ less carnival. Once again, there is no room at the Inn. How sad! How empty! How dreadfully displeasing to the Father!
As followers of the Lord we must be clear that the Christmas Season is a time of Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Jesus is the Messiah! Mary is the Mother of the Messiah! Joseph is the Foster Father of the Messiah! We must stress the Holy Family in the stable of Bethlehem, especially to our youth. Without Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Christmas is a delusion.
The Church, through the liturgy, never permits us to slip into this spirit of paganism. Today's Responsorial Psalm puts us on the right course. The Church sings out: My soul rejoices in my God!
Jesus Christ is our God. He is our Lord and Savior! He is the Eternal Word of God, who took human flesh from the Virgin Mary. He became man to save us from sin, Satan and eternal death. My spirit finds joy in God my Savior. The Church prays the prayer of Mary in the Magnificat.
Why does the Church sing out in exuberant joy? The Redemption! God, who is “rich in mercy, did not abandon us to the powers of death. He did not leave us in our sins. In His infinite mercy, He sent His Son to be our Savior. Saint Paul makes it abundantly clear: "You were dead because of your sins and offenses . . . you lived at the level of the flesh following every whim and fancy and so by nature deserved God's wrath like the rest. But God is rich in mercy . . . He brought us to life with Christ when we were dead in sin" (Ephesians 2: 1-4).

My friends, this is our Christmas joy and gladness, the Redemption! Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, we find forgiveness and peace. The Messiah comes not to terrorize us by condemnation and wrath. No! Rather, He comes in mercy and pardon. He comes as a Babe in the arms of His holy mother, Mary. Saint Joseph kneels close in adoration and protection. Yes! All is calm; all is bright around the Virgin Mother and Child. Let us savor fully the Christmas joy of the Holy Family. REJOICE! REJOICE IN THE LORD!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD! MAKE STRAIGHT HIS PATHS!”

2005-11-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Alleluia Verse for the Mass of the Second Sunday of Advent is at the heart of the ChurchÂ’s message: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths! All mankind shall see the salvation of God.”
The word “Advent” comes from the Latin, Adventus Domini, the Coming of the Lord. The Church prepares for the coming of Christ by exhorting Christ’s faithful to turn away from sin and live a new life of grace.
The Prophet Isaiah tells us to cry out at the top of our voices for the coming of the Messiah is at hand. “Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: `Here is your God’”!
Yet, many people now do the exact opposite. More and more each year, Jesus Christ is expelled from Christmas. Despite the pleadings of the Church, we witness the world's pagan, godless preparations for Christmas. The `Holiday’ is identified with a string of parties and preparations devoid of Jesus Christ. Now, more than ever, “There is no room at the inn.”
Yes, the Holy Season is a time of joy. Followers of the Lord enjoy sending out cards, looking forward to the family gatherings and the exchange of gifts. However, the smell of trees and holly must thrill us with a true sense of Christmas, one that is in the Lord! We must do these things in a godly way. We must identify with Christ and not with the pagan world, which knows Him not.
Every year we hear the same sorry, silly scenario: "It just doesn't seem like Christmas this year." Of course it cannot seem like Christmas! Christ is absent! He has been expelled! The Church's holy days are mindlessly transformed into pagan festivals. For Christians, advent must be a time of penance & conversion in preparation for the Lord's coming. The faithful follower of the Lord must be more holy on Christmas Day than he was on the First Sunday of Advent. We can have no part of Christmas preparations without Our Lord, Jesus.
The liturgy constantly reminds us of the seriousness of the sacred mysteries. Reflect on the Opening Prayer of today's Mass: "Father, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things (sin, paganism, materialism) that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy." The closing prayer pleads: "Father, you give us food from heaven. Teach us to live by your wisdom and to love the things of heaven."
Seek the things of God, which are above! Be holy! Avoid the pagan mentality of the world! Seek the peace of Christ in heaven through the Catholic Church, founded by our Divine Savior. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. This is the constant message of the liturgy in today’s Advent Mass. Indeed, it is repeated in one form or another in every liturgy throughout the entire liturgical year.
We read in the Communion Antiphon: “Rise up Jerusalem, stand on the heights and see the joy that is coming to you from God.” When the liturgy refers to Jerusalem, it signifies the Church. Every member of the Mystical Body is exhorted to “stand on the heights,” the heights of a holy life! The joy will come to us is Christ, the Savior of the world. He is the One who will lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom has already begun in the Church on earth. It will reach its full realization in heaven, in the Vision of God for all eternity. My prayer at Mass for you is that the holy Mother of God will be with us on our journey to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"LORD! GRANT US YOUR SALVATION!”

2005-11-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

The Season of Advent is once again upon us. It is the Advent of our Messiah-Savior-Redeemer. Our Divine Lord came to save us in the past by His birth at Bethlehem. He comes to save us in the present, through the saving mission of the Catholic Church. He comes to save us in the future by His Second Coming at the end of time.

During November, the liturgy exhorted us to prepare for the Day of Judgment. We must be among those, "who have survived the great period of trial, who have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb" (Apoc 7:14). The Advent liturgies prepare us for both comings of Christ. From the 1st Sunday in Advent to December 16, the stress is on His Second Coming. Then, the emphasis shifts to Our Lord's First Coming and His humble birth.

Jesus ChristÂs Second Coming should fill our hearts with joyful anticipation because then, He will complete His work of Redemption. He will raise each and every human person from the dead and reunite us with our bodies. In ChristÂs glory, we will be clothed eternally with incorruptibility (se1Coror 15:50f).

The preface of the Mass for the first part of Advent exhorts us: "Now we watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in His Glory."

Our, watch, must always include three basic ingredients:
a) Live a Catholic liturgical life through the Mass and the frequent reception of the sacraments,

b) Live Catholic faith by humbly accepting all that our holy religion teaches,

c) Live Catholic morality (i.e., our moral behavior) by rendering, a religious submission of mind and will to everything taught by the Holy Father and Catholic Tradition.

The Advent Season is a time when we meditate on the justice and the mercy of God. At the Second Coming of Christ, He will come in justice. The time for mercy will have passed. Thus, these early Advent liturgies exhort us to prepare to render an account of our lives on the Day of Judgment.

The second half of the Advent Season prepares us for the First Coming of Christ. At Bethlehem, Jesus comes to us in mercy. Jesus Christ is the mercy of God Who has become Man. He comes to us as the poorest of the poor and the most humble of the humble. He comes to us as a Babe in the arms of His Virgin Mother. As we marvel at the Crib of Bethlehem, our hearts are filled with great joy. We see a helpless Babe in the arms of His youthful mother. He is completely dependent on His motherÂs love, just as you and I were dependent on our mothers. We have nothing to fear in Jesus Christ. Now, He is our Brother, our Divine Brother!

Kneeling by the Crib, we find Joseph. He is the intimate and indispensable part of this inner circle of love. Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Even the animals sense the profound peace that pervades the gentle serenity of the stable.

Let us begin Advent with a holy confession. Resolve to turn from sin, never to return. Let not the Christmas Season become a pagan festival filled with useless sentimentality. Put on instead the true sentiments of Advent. Prepare for both comings of Christ. On this first Sunday of Advent the Church exclaims in the Gospel verse: "Lord, let us see your kindness and grant us your salvation." Alleluia! JESUS CHRIST, OUR SAVIOR IS COMING!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

CHRIST THE KING CLAIMS DOMINION OVER ALL CREATION

2005-11-13T09:42:00.001-07:00

With the glorious feast of Christ the King, the Church brings to a close its liturgical year. As we try to make our way in a world that is filled with paganism, let us remember always that Jesus Christ is our King. He is the one Lord and Savior of all. Despite the apparent victory of evil in the world, in the end, Jesus Christ will triumph. On the final day, our Divine Savior will have won complete victory over sin, Satan and death. Saint Paul says: "Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed will be death" (1Cor 15: 25-26).

The key to understanding todayÂ’s liturgy can be found in the preface of the Mass: "YOU (FATHER) ANOINTED JESUS CHRIST, YOUR ONLY SON, WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS, AS THE ETERNAL PRIEST AND UNIVERSAL KING. AS PRIEST HE OFFERED HIS LIFE ON THE ALTAR OF THE CROSS AND REDEEMED THE HUMAN RACE BY THIS ONE PERFECT SACRIFICE OF PEACE. AS KING HE CLAIMS DOMINION OVER ALL CREATION THAT HE MAY PRESENT TO YOU, HIS ALMIGHTY FATHER, AN ETERNAL AND UNIVERSAL KINGDOM."

As King, the liturgy tells us, Our Lord claims dominion. From whom did He claim this dominion? Satan! When our First Parents sinned, man lost son ship with God and the gates of heaven were closed. Mankind thus became subject to the bondage of sin, the dominion of Satan, and the punishment of death. Adam and his descendants came under the dominion of Satan. In His infinite mercy, however, God promises to send a Redeemer. "I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, between your seed and her seed (Christ). She shall crush your head and you shall lie in wait for her heel” (Gen 3:15). God did not abandon us.

Jesus Christ's mission was the Redemption, atonement to the Father for the sins of the world. Jesus said: "I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but to do the will of Him Who sent me" (John 6: 38). In perfect conformity to the Will of the Father, the Savior "humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death on the Cross" (Philippians 2: 8). By the power of Christ's redemptive act on the Cross of Calvary, the dominion of the evil one is vanquished. When Our Blessed Lord died on the Cross of Calvary, the gates of heaven were opened. Man was again restored to son ship with God. WE ARE SAVED!

If we are faithful to Our Blessed Lord by fidelity to the teachings of His Holy Church, we have the sure hope that heaven awaits us. At the Second Coming of Christ, we will be reunited with our glorified bodies. Then we will see each other as God has always seen us, in His own image and likeness. For all eternity, we will be with Christ, our King. Enraptured in the ecstasy of the Beatific Vision, we will share eternal life with Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, all of the angels and saints, and our beloved families and friends.

Lord Jesus, we want to be eternally yours! You are the Savior of the World! You are our Lord and our King! We worship you and adore you, Our Eternal King! Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

2005-11-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Friday, December 2, 2005 is the first Friday of the month. Thus, let us review the importance of First Friday Devotions.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is all about love, the inexhaustible love that Jesus has for, as He said, Â“you in particular.Â” He holds His Sacred Heart out to you just as He did to St. Margaret Mary. On December 27, 1673, Our Savior told Saint Margaret: "My divine Heart is so passionately in love with the human race, and you in particular, that it can no longer keep back the flames of its burning charity."

Our Lord asked St. Margaret to spread devotion to His Sacred Heart throughout the world. Practically every Pope since then has exhorted the faithful to develop a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In his marvelous encyclical on the Sacred Heart, Pope Pius XII asked: "Is there a devotion more excellent than that to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one which is more in accord with the real nature of Catholic faith or which better meets the needs of the Church and the human race today?"

Our Blessed Lord made twelve remarkable promises to those who accept His divine invitation. Our Lord, Jesus, wants to make His love known. Moreover, He wants you to love Him in return! In this divine and human exchange, Our Lord made twelve remarkable promises to all who would love and honor His Sacred Heart. Read them well for they are His divine plan for peace and happiness both in this life and the next:
1) I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
2) I will give peace in their families.
3) I will console them in their troubles.
4) They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially in the hour of death.
5) I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6) Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
7) Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8) Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9) I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10) I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11) Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart and it shall never be erased.
12) The all powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, or without receiving their sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

We have, directly from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a divine guarantee of blessings, graces, conversions, peace in the family, and the Last Sacraments at the hour of death. All Our Lord asks in return is that we love Him. If we do, our names will be written in His Sacred Heart for all eternity! Start this First Friday!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“STAY AWAKE AND BE READY!”

2005-10-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Catechism of the Catholic Church supplies this sobering statement: "The Church is clear in its teachings concerning the existence of hell and its eternal duration. Immediately after death, the souls of those who die in the state of mortal sin descend to hell where they are subject to the pains of eternal fire. The principal punishment in hell consists in eternal separation from God, who is the source of life and happiness and for whom man was created" (N.1035).
The existence of eternal punishment, known as hell, is a reality that no Catholic is free to reject. Our Divine Savior Himself was most clear concerning the concrete existence of hell. We read in the Catechism, N. 1034: "Jesus declares with extremely strong words that He `will send His angels who will gather all evildoers and hurl them into the fiery furnace' (Matthew 13: 41-42). Then He will say to the damned, `depart from me you accursed ones into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matthew 25: 41)."
No one likes to preach about hell; it is not an endearing topic. It is far more pleasant to speak of love and heaven. However, failure to preach of hell is a betrayal of the complete Gospel message. It not only lulls God's people into a false sense of security but it plays directly into the hands of the evil one. Satan is most anxious to have us believe that hell does not exist.
Our Blessed Lord did not become man to leave us in our sins. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became Man to lift us out of sin and to bring us to heaven with Him. The very first recorded words of Jesus were: "Repent and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1: 15). But Our Lord will not force us against our will. We must cooperate with His graces by allowing ourselves to be "washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb." Our Savior is quite clear about the consequences of refusing His saving grace. For this reason, St. Paul makes no effort to moderate his language. The wages of sin, he insists, is death, eternal death (see Romans 6: 23).
The liturgy reminds us of this throughout the year, especially during this month of November. This is precisely the message of today's liturgy. In the Gospel we read of the wise virgins as opposed to the foolish. The wise virgins represent those who live their lives in accord with the Gospel of Jesus. The foolish virgins, on the other hand, are those who live their lives apart from the teachings of Christ. When the bridegroom arrives, they are not ready.
The Bridegroom is Jesus Christ. The foolish virgins lived and died in unrepentant mortal sin. Therefore, they could not enter the heavenly banquet of the bridegroom. To insure that we understand the consequences of unrepentant sin, Our Blessed Lord gives us this compelling warning. When they knocked: "The door was barred!” “Master, master,” they cried, “Open the door for us.” The frightening answer of the Lord is clear: “I know you not!”
The moral of the story is that we must be vigilant by being ready for death. “Stay awake and be ready!” If we refuse to repent, if we reject the saving power of Christ Crucified on the Cross of Calvary, then divine mercy demands divine justice. Today's Gospel Acclamation tells the story: "Be watchful and ready: you know not when the Son of Man is coming."
When is the last time that we have made a good Confession? If it has been weeks or months or years, the time for Confession is today! “You know not the day nor the hour!”

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

PRAY THE ROSARY EVERY DAY!

2005-10-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Prayer! How badly it is needed in these days when evil abounds. Friday, October 7, was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. At Fatima, on October 13, 1917, Our Blessed Mother identified herself to the children with this title. She also asked each one of us, through them: "Pray the Rosary every day!"

We are engaged in a mortal struggle with Satan and his agents. The signs are clear that a persecution of the Church is unfolding, for paganism and Catholicism cannot exist side by side. The Church, in fidelity to its mission, must preach Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ Crucified. She must proclaim Catholic faith and morality. As always, the pagan world will respond with persecution and violence. Faithful Catholics will suffer, perhaps even to the shedding of blood one day! Yet, we must never lose faith. Our Lady has given us a weapon by which we can never be conquered. That weapon is the Holy Rosary.

Taking into consideration that the Mass is essentially a sacrifice, the Rosary can be said to be the perfect prayer. Pope Pius XII said that it is a Gospel prayer that recalls all of salvation history.

The Joyful Mysteries begin with the Annunciation, as Gabriel says: "Hail! Full of grace!" The promise of Genesis 3: 15 is about to become a reality. Mary says: "FIAT!" The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, True God, becomes True Man!

United with Our Lord in the Agony in the Garden, we recall the Sorrowful Mysteries. We humbly admit the reality of sin, which is man's horrible response to the Infinite Goodness of God. At the foot of the Cross, we join Our Lady, Saint John and that great sinner who became a great saint, Mary Magdalene.

Jesus won complete victory over sin, Satan and eternal death. Attending Mary's School of the Rosary, we meditate on the Glorious Mysteries. She teaches us that we are citizens of heaven. United with Christ, Our Savior, we will see the Divine Splendor of the Blessed Trinity. We will see Our Blessed Mother, our loved ones, and all the angels and saints, in the eternal bliss of God.
My dear friends, bring the Rosary into your homes. Our Blessed Mother wants you to pray the family Rosary every day. To combat the evil one and paganism, she wants us on our knees. Our Lady wants the family gathered around her with our rosaries in hand. Satan is no match for her for she has the evil one planted firmly under her feet. The Virgin Mary will protect you. She will protect your family, especially the children. If we are faithful to the Rosary, Our Blessed Mother will never allow us to depart from Catholic faith. She guards all of her children with a mother's watchful eye.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE MAN WITHOUT THE WEDDING GARMENT

2005-10-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

Who is the man, described in today’s Gospel (Matthew 22: 1-14), who came to the feast of the king without a wedding garment? Why was he cast into the night? Wasn't it harsh indeed to treat him so cruelly? You may have asked yourself this question whenever you heard today's Gospel parable related.

It has been revealed that God wills that all should be saved. The Father does not wish that "anyone should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2Peter 3: 9). The Father is "rich in mercy," St. Paul said (Ephesians 2: 4). Jesus Christ is the Mercy of the Father that has become Incarnate.

Nevertheless, Saint Theresa of Avila tells us that love must be returned. This the reason that God gave man a free will. He wanted man to love Him freely. God does not allow us to stand in the middle. We either love Him by obeying His laws or we disobey Him and sin. In today Gospel, as He does often, Our Lord warns us that heaven can be lost.

When interpreting a parable, do not look for every piece to fit. Our Lord used figures of speech so that all could understand. The wedding banquet is the Kingdom of Heaven. The invited guests are the Israelites. In God's plan of salvation, He addressed Himself first to the Jews and then to all the Gentiles (Acts 13: 46). The wedding guests rejected the first invitation. They were numbered among the Israelites. A second invitation was extended and rejected. Then the door was opened to the Gentiles and many accepted.

"When the king came in to meet the guests, however, he caught sight of a man not properly dressed for a wedding feast." Some Church Fathers would identify this man as one who responded to the invitation to Baptism and becomes a member of the Church. Yet, he did not have the disposition that one must have to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He may be likened to some of today's Catholics who reject some of the Church’s teachings. I am a Catholic "but" I refuse to go along with the Church's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. I am a Catholic "but" I believe a woman has a right to an abortion. I am a Catholic "but" what two people do together is his or her private business as long as no one gets hurt.

The man without the wedding garment then is not as far removed as we might expect. He or she may go to Mass every Sunday and even be members of the Parish Council. They may be Extra-Ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, yet dissent from Church teachings on evils such as contraception. The person not properly dressed can be the Priest or sister who refuses obedience to the teachings of the Holy Father. He may be the popular theologian praised by many, yet he dissents from the teachings of the Magisterium. He may even be a member of the Church’s Hierarchy. He could be you or me if we refuse to repent.

The penalty? Our Lord is painfully clear! "The king then said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the night to wail and grind his teeth.' The invited are many, the elect are few."

Everyone has the ability to dissent from Church teachings. No one, however, will be able to escape the Day of Judgment. We affirm this inescapable reality every Sunday in the Creed. Regardless of the struggles of life and the weight of our crosses, we want to see God! We want to be with Our Lord and Our Lady for all eternity! May the Holy Mother of God grant us the grace to be "properly dressed" on the Day of the Lord! Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

2005-09-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

The most popular devotion in the Catholic Church is the most holy Rosary. In our churches on any given morning, one can find the faithful clutching their Rosaries and fervently invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mother of God. The Rosary is deeply embedded in the Catholic mentality.

At the turn of the nineteenth century, Pope Leo XIII established October as the month of the Rosary. He ardently desired that Christ’s faithful should have an annual reminder to persevere in the pious practice of praying the Rosary. This method of prayer, Pope Leo said, is so arranged that it will recall all the mysteries of our salvation. Moreover, it moves the faithful to a great spirit of piety.

All of the modern Popes have earnestly exhorted us to the recitation of the Rosary. They have taught, authoritatively, that the Rosary always leads us to the Lord, through Mary. Pope Pius XII called the Rosary a, "compendium of the Gospels." He urged the faithful to turn in confidence to the Virgin Mother of God. John XXIII said that the rosary is a wonderful meditation and that in saying it we: "Weave a garland of Ave Maria's, Pater Noster's, and Gloria Patri's."

Paul VI called the Rosary a: "Gospel prayer and, as such, it is an unceasing praise of Jesus Christ." Pope John Paul I, in his charming way, said that the recitation of the Rosary’s Hail Mary's: "Sweetens the soul like a song." Finally, everyone is aware of the profound devotion that Pope John Paul II had for the Rosary.

One of my fondest memories was that of being one of a small group of Priests who concelebrated Mass with Pope John Paul II in his private chapel. After Mass, he pressed into the hand of each priest a Rosary. When he came to me he said: "Father, I would like you to pray this rosary every day!" So you see, I have a personal mandate from the Holy Father to pray the Rosary every day. And I do!

May I now extend the same exhortation to you? Pray the Rosary every day! I assure you that Our Blessed Mother will preserve in you always the truths of Catholic faith. She will listen to your prayers and intentions. She will protect your families and keep a watchful eye on your children.

Countless blessings flow on families who get on their knees each day and, as a family, recite the Rosary. At Fatima, Our Blessed Lady asked us to say the Rosary every day. Let us respond to this request of Our Blessed Mother. She will never forget that we heeded her invitation!

MARY, QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY, PRAY FOR US!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“CHRIST BECAME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH!”

2005-09-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

The reading of the Twenty-Sixth Sunday from the Letter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians provides us with the solution to living our faith in a way that is pleasing to Almighty God. Obedience, which is the corollary of humility, is that key ingredient. Without obedience and the humility that characterizes it, we cannot please God. One could conquer the universe for Christ, but if it is done in pride, it cannot please God.

Obedience is the basic virtue of Our Blessed Mother. At the Annunciation Our Lady said: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.” When God’s will had been made known to her, she placed herself in complete accord with His will. This was the basis for her every thought, word and deed in life. The same was true of the great Saint Joseph. When the angel appeared to Joseph with instructions from heaven, Joseph obeyed immediately.

Our Blessed Lord said: “It is not to do my own will that I have come down from heaven, but to do the will of Him who sent me (John 6:38). In the profound mystery of our redemption, the Father willed that His Son would become man and offer up His life in atonement for our sins. Saint Paul tells us today that Jesus “humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!” Why? Why the Cross? Couldn’t there have been another way? Yes, If God so willed it to be! But He did not! He willed the sacrificial death of His beloved Son on the Cross of Calvary.

Just as it is impossible for our limited intelligence to comprehend this mystery, so too is it impossible for us to understand the mystery of sin and of the enormity of its offensiveness to God. By contemplating the mysteries, we can come to some limited understanding. Yet, not until the Day of Judgment will the wisdom of the Father be revealed to those “who have been washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb.”

Like Our Divine Savior, we must accept the will and the wisdom of the Father both in regard to Jesus’ Passion and Death and our own sufferings in this life. The saints understood this to a much higher degree than we do. Only Our Blessed Mother understood it completely. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Mary, “His mother was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of the redemptive suffering (Catechism N. 618).

During our earthly sojourn, let us personalize the words of Our Lord: “I always do what is pleasing to Him” (John 8:29). It is only in accepting the trials and crosses that the Lord sends that we can find the peace of Christ. Like Peter, we have an aversion to suffering. We too seek the glory and not the trials. We too falter and fail. But, just as Peter repented of his sins and failures, we too must live a supernatural life of faith.

How will we find the strength to carry our crosses? In Christ Crucified! In contemplating His Passion and Death on the Cross! This is where Saints Peter and Paul found the strength to suffer martyrdom. This is where St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher found their strength as they waited to be hung, drawn and quartered for their allegiance to Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church. This is where every follower of Jesus finds strength, courage and hope, in Christ Crucified.

We adore Thee O Christ and we praise you. Because by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world!
Father Richard J. Rego

THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS

2005-09-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends,

Last week I wrote to you of the feast of Our Mother of Sorrows. This week let us reflect on another wonderful feast celebrated by the Church during the month of September, "The Exaltation of the Cross."

The most important event in human history was the Redemption. Jesus Christ, the Son of God shed His blood for us on the Cross of Calvary. Each year on September 14th, the Church recalls His redemptive crucifixion with a special feast called the Exaltation of the Cross.

The Entrance Antiphon sets the theme of the Mass: “We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He is our salvation, our life and our resurrection; through Him we are saved and made free.”

Jesus Christ is our Savior. He, and He alone, is our life and resurrection. It is only through Christ Crucified that we are saved. By His death, we are freed from sin, Satan, and eternal death. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of Man.

This doctrine is expressed in the Opening Prayer of the Mass: “God our Father, in obedience to you your only Son accepted death on the Cross for the salvation of Mankind.” The key word is obedience. Because of the disobedience of our First Parents, sin, suffering and death came into the world. By His complete obedience of Jesus Christ to the will of the Father, Jesus overcame sin and its dreadful effects. Thus, Jesus Christ is the New Adam.

The First Reading of the Mass is from the Book of Numbers. After God delivered the Israelites from the bondage of the Pharaoh in Egypt, they complained against God and doubted His love for them. For this, God punished them. He sent saraph serpents, which “bit the people so that many of them died.” The people repented and appealed to Moses who interceded for them. God said to Moses: “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and whenever anyone who has been bitten by a serpent looks at the bronze serpent, he will live.”

There is rich symbolism here. The bronze serpent represents Jesus Christ while the pole represents the Cross of Calvary. When the Israelites who were bitten by the serpents looked on the bronze serpent mounted on the pole, they were healed. In like manner, we who have been bitten by falling into sin, look to the Cross of Christ. It is through the Cross of Calvary that we are healed.

The Responsorial Psalm recalls the 78th Psalm: “Do not forget the works of the Lord.” The Church is calling us to remember Christ Crucified. Do not forget our Redemption. Do not forget that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!

Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world. Every sin possible comes under the umbrella of the Cross. Jesus on Calvary forgave every sin that was ever committed from the sin of Adam to the sins of the last man who will ever walk the face of the earth. An old preacher once said that it is as though one single match represented all the sins of the world. Light that match and throw it into the heat of the sun. That solar inferno would swallow it totally. On the Cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ swallowed all of our sins. He, who was without sin, as Saint Paul says, became sin. Our Savior, with His arms outstretched in an embrace of love, took our sins upon Himself. We are saved by the Blood of the Lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Father Richard J. Rego

OUR MOTHER OF SORROWS

2005-09-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

During the liturgical year, the Church often celebrates related feasts on successive days. For example, we celebrate successively the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus & the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Saint Monica and her son, Saint Augustine. This year we celebrate The Exaltation of the Cross on Wednesday, September 14 and Our Lady of Sorrows on Thursday, the 15th.

On Calvary, Our Blessed Mother united her sufferings with those of her crucified Son, as He offered His life for our redemption. The Opening Prayer for the Mass of Our Lady of Sorrows reads: “Father, as your Son was raised on the Cross, His Mother Mary stood by Him, sharing His sufferings. May your Church be united with Christ in His suffering and death and so come to share in His rising to new life, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.”

The Alleluia Verse of the Mass proclaims: “Blessed are you, O Blessed Virgin Mary; without dying you won the martyr’s crown beside the Cross of the Lord.” Our Lady never suffered physical martyrdom. Yet, the Church honors her as the Queen of Martyrs. Saint Alphonsus says that if we combined the sufferings of all the Church’s martyrs, they would not equal the suffering of Our Lady as she “stood” at the foot of the cross.

The Prayer Over the Gifts is: “God of mercy, receive the prayers and gifts we offer on this feast of the Virgin Mary. While she stood beside the Cross of Jesus, you gave her to us as our Loving Mother.” At that moment, Mary gave birth to each of us in the order of grace. You and I can point to the Virgin Mother of God and say: “Behold my mother!”

As we reflect on the feasts of the Exaltation of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows, let us ask Our Blessed Mother to grant us the grace to accept our crosses and carry them joyfully. Our Divine Savior said that unless we take up our crosses daily and follow Him, we cannot be His disciples. Standing at the foot of the Cross, Our Mother of Sorrows gives us the example of uniting our sufferings with the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, which is the Church.”

Father Richard J. Rego

THE SEVEN DOLORS OF MARY ARE:

1) THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON

2) THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

3) THE THREE DAYS’ LOSS

4) THE MEETING ON THE VIA CRUCIS

5) THE CRUCIFIXION

6) THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS ON CALVARY

7) THE BURIAL OF JESUS

"I AM A PRIEST!"

2005-09-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

One of the great needs of our modern Church is for role models who will inspire us in the pursuit of virtue. Both Priests and Laity alike need role models. It is precisely for this reason that the Church stresses the lives of the saints in the liturgy.

To inspire and motivate Priests, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Maximillian Kolbe on August 14th. August 21st is the feast of Pope Saint Pius X who truly was a model Priest. Pope Pius' motto on his Coat of Arms was, "To Restore All Things In Christ."

Let us reflect today on the story of St. Maximillian Kolbe, the saintly Franciscan Priest who had great devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In a special way, Our Lady is the Mother of Priests because they share in the Priesthood of her Divine Son.

Father Kolbe also possessed the indispensable characteristic of a holy Priest, zeal for the salvation of souls. Like Jesus Christ, our Lord, he was prepared to lay down his life for his sheep. He proved this in a dramatic way.

On July 31, 1941, Father Kolbe was a prisoner at the infamous Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. One day a prisoner escaped. In retribution, the commanding officer ordered that ten men were to be shot. The unfortunate ones were selected at random. One of the men broke down crying and said: "I have a wife and children." He pleaded for mercy. But mercy was not to be had!

His cries fell on deaf ears in that infamous place which knew only cruelty without pity. Suddenly one prisoner broke ranks and came forward. Hat in hand and standing at attention he said: "I will take that man’s place." In amazement, the commandant asked: "Who are you?" The man answered: "I am a Priest." It was Father Kolbe. Notice that our hero did not say I am Maximillian Kolbe. Rather, he said: "I am a priest!" How well Fr. Kolbe knew the words of Our Divine Savior: "Greater love than this no man has than to lay down his life for his friend."

Gleefully, granting Father's wish, the Nazis flung him upon the cross of the starvation bunker. There, he was left to die like an animal. But he died like a saint. Father Kolbe, in imitation of Our Blessed Lord, laid down his life for his friend, a friend that he did not even know. Truly, Father Maximillian Kolbe was, Another Christ.

This is the model that holy Church places before us Priests. The Priest's life is not his own. He must do the work of the Church for the salvation and sanctification of souls. This is precisely the reason that celibacy is a demand of the Priesthood. Priests must live, not for themselves, but for Christ's faithful. Very few are called to give the witness that Father Kolbe gave. Yet, every Priest is called to lay down his life for his flock.

Saint Paul puts it this way "Every high Priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weaknesses, and so, for this reason, must make sin offering for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God" (Hebrews 5: 1-4).

Saint Maximillian Kolbe, pray for us and especially pray for our Priests.

Father Richard J. Rego

"THUS SAYS THE LORD!"

2005-08-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

Repeatedly, the Liturgy of the Word recalls the words of the Old Testament Prophets. This week it is the Prophet Ezekiel. As with all the prophets, his message came directly from God. This is the reason that the Prophets prefixed their message with the words: "Thus says the Lord!"
Ezekiel warned the people that if they did not turn from their sins, God's wrath would descend upon them in punishment. Yes! God does punish us for sin. Yet, let us be mindful that even the most severe of His punishments is His divine effort to bring us to repentance. Saint Peter tells us that God wants all to attain eternal salvation.
Thus, God's punishment in this life is curative. Man suffers God's punitive punishment comes when he rejects grace and refuses to repent. Then, divine mercy demands divine justice and God's punitive punishment takes place. That is Hell!
In today First reading, Ezekiel warns the Israelites that they must turn from sin and return to God. If they turn from their sins, God, in His infinite mercy, will forgive them completely. But if they refuse they shall die for their guilt.
It is for this reason that the responsorial Psalm repeats the refrain: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Do not block out God’s voice, spoken, in the liturgy, through His holy Church. Repent! Turn away from sin! This message, in one form or another, is the Church’s constant call.
God's eternal law is the ultimate measure of good and evil, not individual conscience, as many will tell us these days. Conscience must be obedient to God's laws as made known by the Church. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church is "the pillar and bulwark of truth" (1Tim 3: 15).
Thus, everyone must heed the Church’s Magisterial Teachings. Only then can one be certain that he is pleasing Almighty God. Only then can one be certain that God’s blessings will come in this life and the next. If however, the Redemptive Act of Christ Crucified is rejected by unrepentant sin, divine wrath will follow!
The Alleluia Verse of today Mass sums up today’s Liturgy of the Word. Saint Paul tells us: “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ and entrusting to us (that is, to the Church) the message of salvation.”

Father Richard J. Rego

THE PLEDGE OF FUTURE GLORY

2005-07-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

The Holy See is preparing for a Synod of Bishops to be held in Rome marking the close of, “The Year of the Eucharist.” Among the matters to be discussed by the Bishops is the notable lack of respect and devotion for the Blessed Sacrament that has become evident in many places.

The renowned theologian Fr. John Harvey wrote that the greatest challenge that the Church faces today is the catechetical illiteracy of many Catholics. Do we really believe the Lord Jesus when He said: "I am the Bread of Life?"

This Sunday’s Mass formulary (July 31, 2005) provides us with a liturgical reminder of the Church’s doctrine regarding the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. We read in the Responsorial Psalm: "The hand of the Lord feeds us; He answers all of our needs.” The Eucharist is Our Divine Savior’s supreme gift to us. It is the Gift beyond compare!

The Gospel describes the manner by which Jesus prepared His disciples for the mystery of the Eucharist. By an act of His divine power, He feeds many thousands with, “five loaves and two fish.” This miraculous multiplication manifested that Jesus, the Son of God, had the power to change bread and wine into His own Body and Blood. On Holy Thursday night, He bestowed this exact same power to His Apostles when He ordained them the first Priests of the Catholic Church.

The Universal Catechism reaffirms the unambiguous teaching of the Council of Trent, promulgated on October 11, 1551. The Council of Trent taught infallibility that Jesus Christ is really present in the Holy Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He is truly and substantially present.

On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus took bread in His Sacred Hands and said: "This is My Body." With these words of consecration, the entire substance of the bread ceased to be bread and became His Body. Then He took the cup filled with wine and said: "This is My Blood." Instantly, the entire substance of the wine ceased to be wine and became His Precious Blood. A substantial change took place. Bread ceased to be bread; wine ceased to be wine. Only, the appearance of bread and wine remained. This change is known as the transubstantiation.

In the Blessed Sacrament, our senses see, smell, touch and taste bread and wine. Yet, we know by our faith that this is the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus, the God-Man, is true to His word. He is truly present in the Eucharist. He is present, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Moreover, Catholic faith teaches us that we must adore Our Divine Lord in the Blessed Sacrament with a worship that can only be given to God. Jesus Christ is the Son of God!

At the Closing Prayer of this Sunday’s Mass, the Priest prays: “Lord, you give us the strength of new life by the gift of the Eucharist. Protect us with your love and prepare us for eternal redemption.” Eternal redemption! Yes! The Holy Eucharist is Our Lord’s pledge to us of eternal salvation!

The essential mission of the Church is the salvation and the sanctification of souls. It accomplishes this mandate through the Mass and the Sacraments, principally the Blessed Sacrament. Without the Eucharist, our safe journey into eternity heaven would not be possible. Without the Eucharist, we would not have the strength to resist the wickedness of Satan. Without the Eucharist, we would become captives to the world, the flesh and the Devil. It was precisely for this reason that Our Divine Savior insisted that we must eat His Body and drink His Blood. “Unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood, you will not have life in you.”

May Mary, The Woman of the Eucharist, teach us to have a deep and abiding love and devotion for the Gift Beyond Compare, Jesus, truly present, in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

“THE APPLE OF THE FATHER’S EYE”

2005-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, July 26, the Church honors Saints Joachim and Anne, the Parents of Mary, Our Blessed Mother. What a wonderful feast it is for the old venerable couple is an inspiration to all! We feel as though they are part of our own families.

The Scriptures have revealed nothing of their lives to us, not even their names. All that we know comes completely from pious tradition. Yet, for centuries Catholics have revered the holy couple. With a “Catholic eye,” we perceive their love for God, for each other and for their wonderful daughter, Mary.

Like us, they were ordinary people who led day-to-day, simple lives. There were no extra-ordinary accomplishments. Too often, I believe, we associate sanctity solely with marvelous miracles, great deeds, converting nations to Christ, and the like. Yes! Some saints have done this! However, most did not! For this reason, the Church has always exhorted us to sanctify our lives by fidelity to our state of life.

Joachim and Anne did precisely this; their lives were filled with holiness. They obeyed the Law of Moses in all of its moral and ceremonial precepts. When Anne prayed to be delivered of her infertility of many years, God answered her.

Behold how God blessed them! Mary, the child who God sent, was to be the Mother of the Messiah. Their own daughter was, as the scriptures tell us, “the apple of the Father’s eye.”

Nothing would have indicated to them that their child would be the mother of the promised Messiah. Although Mary’s profound love of God and her totally virtuous life were apparent to all, how could they have suspected that one day their own daughter would be called, The MOTHER OF GOD? Yes! God blesses us, His people! His blessings are beyond our wildest imaginings.

Saints Joachim and Anne are a compelling example of Catholic piety. They inspire us to live holy lives. Their influence in heaven is beyond measure for they are the Parents of Mary, The Mother of God. Saints Joachim and Anne! Pray for us!

Fr. Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"JESUS SAID TO HER, `MARY'!"

2005-07-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

It was one of the most moving moments in all of Sacred Scripture. “She stood beside the tomb, weeping,” Saint John records. Mary Magdalene struck the figure of a soul sheathed in the agony of loss.

A few months earlier, in the house of Simon the Pharisee, Mary, The Penitent Woman, had anointed Our Savior’s feet. Now she would anoint His lifeless body. But the tomb was empty! His body was gone. Who had taken it? Mary was in a state of frenzy!

Suddenly, a voice broke the early morning still: "Woman, why are you weeping? Who is it that you are looking for?" It was the Lord! But, Mary, in her anguished tears, did not recognize Him. Thinking it was the gardener, she pleaded: "Sir, if you are the one who has carried Him off, tell me where you have laid Him and I will take Him away." Jesus responded with one electrifying word: "Mary!"

Who is this Mary who expressed such intense love for Jesus of Nazareth? Most Church Fathers believe that she is the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Pious tradition buttresses this belief.

Lazarus and Martha were dear friends of Our Blessed Lord. Profoundly devout Israelites, they faithfully followed the Law of Moses. Mary, their youngest sister, suddenly went astray. With the recklessness of youth, she left home for the town of Magdala, located by the Sea of Galilee.

Because of its sunny, picturesque shores, Magdala was the playground of the wealthy. They flocked there with their riches in pursuit of pleasure and vice. With abandon, Mary plunged into the self-indulgence of this decadent city of sin. Because of her beauty and charm, she soon became known as Mary of Magdala. Seven demons, Saint Mark tells us, had possessed her. The hearts of Lazarus and Martha were broken.

Then one day Mary met the Lord. Perhaps it was merely a chance meeting. Perhaps, disillusioned in the frenzied world of her futile loves and paltry pleasures, she had sought Him out. However, when she met Jesus, He penetrated the shield of her sensitive, tormented soul. The gentle but firm eyes of the Savior of the World looked into Mary’s eyes. Filled with shame, she recalled the faith still lodged in her soul. With tears of repentance, Mary instantly became a disciple of Jesus Christ. The Good Shepherd had found His lost sheep. Never again would Mary Magdalene leave the Lord.

During this Year of the Eucharist, let us pray that Saint Mary Magdalene will help us to deepen our devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Aside from our Blessed Mother herself, no one ever had a greater dedication to the Eucharist than did Mary Magdalene. Every time a priest, “Broke the Bread,” an indescribable devotion consumed her. Could anyone have understood the Eucharistic Sacrifice more than Mary Magdalene?

It is also significant that on her feast day the Church, at Evening Prayer, offers the prayer in honor of Virgins. Yes! Virgins! In the redeemed Body of Christ, great sinners can become great saints. Innocence lost can be found!

May this tremendous lover of Our Lord teach us true devotion to Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar. Saint Mary Magdalene! Pray for us sinners!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

2005-07-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 16, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. On this date in 1251, Our Blessed Mother designated the scapular to Saint Simon Stock as the special mark of her maternal love. This feast is also known as the Feast of the Scapular. Aside from the Carmelite Order, many religious orders wear the scapular as a sign of Our Lady’s special protection. Scores of lay people wear it for the same reason. Many of you, I am sure, wear Our Lady’s Scapular.

The renowned liturgist, Fr. Pius Parsch made this interesting observation about wearing the Scapular: “The Scapular of the Blessed Virgin should remind us that Christians have an apostolate against current extremes and extravagances in modes of dress. Clothes are a symbol of the person. Like the Christian heart, dress must be chaste and simple, for one judges the interior from the exterior. It should not be necessary to add that special attention be given this matter when preparing for church attendance.”

Modern fashions betray the blatantly pagan mentality of our times. Rather than resist the trend, many Catholics now dress as immodestly as nonbelievers. The dreadfully immodest dress of many at Mass is an absolute outrage. Without doubt, the Hearts of Jesus and Mary are grieved exceedingly.

Our Lady revealed to Blessed Jacinta Marto, one of the seers of Fatima, that sins of the flesh offend Almighty God greatly. Blessed Jacinta said: “The sins which cause most people to go to hell are sins of the flesh. Fashions offend Our Lord greatly. People who serve God should not follow the fashions of the world.”

Who could deny that the modern world is obsessed with sins of lust? In all of its forms, the Media gives abundant evidence of this sinful behavior. Many television programs are utterly obscene and unfit to enter Christian homes. The afternoon soap operas are an absolute affront to Catholic morality.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel gave us the Scapular to wear as a constant reminder that we are of Christ and must live as His followers. Let us pray to Our Blessed Mother to be our protection and our strength in our struggle against evil. Our Lady of Mount Carmel! Pray for us!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

"NO! NO! IT IS A SIN!"

2005-06-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, July 6, the Church honors a wonderful role model for youth of all ages, Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin & Martyr. Maria was a vivacious but pious child who lived in the small town of Nettuno, Italy. She was filled with a special love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Blessed Mother. She enjoyed a joyful youth, praying her daily rosary and frequenting the sacraments.

One day that joy came to an abrupt end. Alessandro, a young man who had spent his youth pursuing pornography and lust filled desires, tried to seduce Maria to commit a grave sin. Maria was horrified at the suggestion. Immediately she responded: "No! No! It is a sin!" The young man insisted but Maria held her ground. She would not cooperate in his lustful aspirations. Heroically, Maria insisted: "No! No! It is a sin! I will not commit a sin against God!Â Despite this, he constantly harassed her.

Finally one day, while their parents were away, Maria found herself alone with Alessandro. She was trapped! Brandishing a knife, the depraved young man gave Maria the appalling ultimatum: "Give in or I will kill you!" Filled with fear and dread, our young heroine's answer remained the same. With the heart of a saint, she insisted: "No! No! It is a sin!"

In a senseless act of a rage filled violence, Alessandro stabbed Maria fourteen times. She fell to the floor, mortally wounded. When her mother found her several hours later, she was barely alive. Only after her mother insisted did she reveal her assailants name. ÃÂIt was Alessandro, Mama. He wanted me to commit a terrible sin.Â

The trip to the hospital was dreadful. Maria was placed in the back of a horse drawn wagon. They had to travel ten miles over a bumpy road. At the hospital, there was no anesthesia; the doctors had to operate on the child while she was fully conscious. Maria suffered horribly. But, it was hopeless. A priest was called. Maria was dying!

Before death, our young heroine gave us another example of the meaning of Christianity. ÂMama,Â she said, ÂI forgive Alessandro. I will pray that he will be with me in heaven.Â

Maria was twelve years old when she refused to engage in an act which violated GodÂs law. To preserve her purity, Maria Goretti died a martyr's death.

Fifty years later, Pope Pius XII canonized Maria Goretti a saint of the Holy, Roman Catholic Church. He also named her, The Patroness of Youth.

In a society that is consumed with sins of the flesh, Saint Maria Goretti is a wonderful role model, not only for youth, but for all. God expects us to live morally good lives. The vice of lust and the shockingly immodest dress of our times offend God greatly.

Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr! Pray for us! Intercede for us as we struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil. May Our Blessed Mother, the Virgin most pure, grant us the grace to follow the example of St. Maria Goretti, The Patroness of Youth!

Father Richard J. Rego

"I AM THE KING'S GOOD SERVANT, BUT GOD'S FIRST!"

2005-06-23T21:15:00.001-07:00

We hear the constant claims of so-called Catholic politicians and others who claim to be Catholic and yet vote for pro-abortion legislation. What is the Church’s answer? The Church’s Liturgy gives us the answer.

Each year, on June 22 we celebrate the memorial of two great martyrs, Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher. Both of these great Englishmen paid the ultimate price by giving their lives in witness to Catholic faith.
John Fisher was the Bishop of Rochester, England. He was a saintly man who wrote many works combating the doctrinal errors of his times. Thomas More was married and had a son and three daughters. King Henry VIII appointed him Lord Chancellor of England. Sir Thomas also was a staunch defender the Church.

Until the time of King Henry’s, Great Matter, all of England was Catholic. In 1521, as a reward for responding to Martin Luther’s errors in a book on the sacraments, Pope Leo X conferred on King Henry VIII the title, The Defender of the Faith.

No one could possibly have imagined that, within a few years, both Sir Thomas and Bishop Fisher would be held prisoners in the Tower of London because they remained faithful to the Catholic Church. Yet, this is what came to be!

King Henry wanted Rome to declare his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, his wife, to be null and void. He wanted to take another wife, Anne Boleyn. In 1533, Pope Clement VII decreed that there were no grounds for an annulment. Henry's marriage to Catherine was valid and could not be broken by any power on earth, not even the Church’s.

Despite the Pope’s decree, King Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne. Henry then formally broke unity with the Pope by declaring that he, and not the Pope, was the head of the Church of England. Next, he decreed that all of his subjects, including the bishops and priests, must sign the Act of Supremacy and the Oath of Loyalty to him, thereby rejecting the authority of the Pope. The penalty for refusal to sign: Death by being hung, drawn and quartered!

Every bishop in England signed. In so doing, they formally rejected the Catholic faith that they had sworn to defend by their Episcopal consecration. Bishop John Fisher was the only exception. He fearlessly said that he would remain loyal to the Pope. Just as John the Baptist had been willing to die to defend the sanctity of marriage, so Bishop John Fisher also would be willing to defend the Primacy of the Pope, even in the face of a cruel and merciless death.

Sir Thomas More was just as faithful. Imprisoned in the Tower of London, his wife pleaded with him. His beloved daughter, Margaret, pleaded: "Father, sign the oath! Live!” Thomas More’s' answer was clear: "How many years do I have left? How many pleasures in this life can I enjoy? Nothing is worth my eternal salvation. If I sign, against my conscience, I will lose my soul for all eternity." He remained loyal to the Papacy and refused to sign the betrayal to the Papacy.

Bishop Fisher was beheaded on June 22 and Sir Thomas More on July 6, 1535. The only mercy shown them by Henry was that they were spared the agony of being hung, drawn and quartered. As he stood before the axe, Sir Thomas’ last words were: “I am the King’s good servant, but God’s first”

Saints Thomas More and John Fisher lost their lives but saved their souls. In 1935, Pope Pius XI canonized them to be saints in heaven. As to those who signed the Oath of Loyalty to Henry VIII, we can only pray that they repented from their sin against faith. Pope Paul III formally excommunicated King Henry VIII in 1538.

This is the answer that the liturgy gives to Catholic politicians. In these days, when the rejection of the Papal Teaching Authority has become fashionable, when Catholics in the Congress claim that they must sign pro-abortion legislation, the Church points to these two courageous saints. If we are to remain Catholic and save our souls, we must remain faithful to the teachings of Christ's Vicar on Earth, the Holy Father.

In the Opening Prayer of the Mass of their Feast, the Church prays: "May the prayers of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More give us the courage to proclaim our faith by the witness of our lives." Yes! May we all, each and every one, have the courage to stand up for our faith!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

2005-06-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Friday, June 3rd, was the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. From the earliest centuries, the Church has shown special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Recall that Saint John, the Beloved Disciple, “rested his head on the Lord’s bosom”, close to His Sacred Heart.

Our Divine Lord confirmed to Saint Margaret Mary the need for this wonderful devotion. Also, Jesus made twelve extraordinary promises to us.

Think of all of the trials that come about in our lives. We face sicknesses, injuries, spiritual and economic problems, and all manner of anxieties. With confidence, let us bring these, “tears of life,” to the Sacred Heart, especially on the First Friday of every month.

The heart is the symbol of love. Pope Benedict, speaking of Sacred Heart Devotion, said: "Last Friday we celebrated the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, devotion profoundly rooted in the Christian people. In biblical language, "heart" indicates a person's center, seat of his feelings and intentions. In the heart of the Redeemer we adore God's love of humanity, his will of universal salvation, his infinite mercy. Worship of the Sacred Heart of Christ means, therefore, worship of that heart which, after having loved us to the end, was pierced by the spear, and from the cross on high, shed blood and water, inexhaustible source of new life."

When Our Lord appeared to Saint Margaret Mary, He showed her His Sacred Heart. He revealed to her how it is filled with love for every human person. Never doubt His love!

Let us also be mindful that the Lord Jesus longs for us to love Him in return. It is almost as though He barters for our love with the divine bribe of His rich promises. These are the promises made by the Sacred Heart Of Jesus:

1) I will give them the graces needed for their state in life. 2) I will give them peace in their families.
3) I will console them in their troubles.
4) They will find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
5) I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6) Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and Infinite Ocean of mercy.
7) Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8) Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9) I will bless the homes in which the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.
l0) I will give priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
ll) Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in my Heart and it shall never be effaced.
l2) The all powerful love of my Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

If you have not made your Nine First Fridays, begin now. Imagine! Our Divine Savior promised us that, by making the Nine First Fridays, we will not die under His displeasure. How wonderful to know that His Sacred Heart will be our assured refuge at the last hour. Whatever crosses He asks us to bear, let us bear them with the sure knowledge that He will be our refuge and strength. At the end of our lives, He will embrace us with the reward of eternal life. Indeed, my friends, this is the bottom line. There is no other. Most Sacred Heat of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY

2005-05-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

“WHOEVER EATS THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOREVER!

Because of fallen human nature, we frail mortals need constant reminders of the reality of the supernatural mysteries of our faith. Precisely for this reason, on Corpus Christi Sunday, the Church contemplates the Eucharist as Sacrifice and Sacrament. The Eucharist is at the heart of our holy religion. The Second Vatican Council identifies the Blessed Sacrament as: “The source and the summit of all the sacraments."

The Mass Sequence for Corpus Christi Sunday is the Lauda Sion, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas. In this splendid expression, the Church prays practically all of her Eucharistic beliefs. Let us consider some of the Thomistic reflections found in the Lauda Sion.

1) "CHRIST'S FOLLOWERS KNOW BY FAITH THAT BREAD IS CHANGED INTO HIS FLESH AND WINE INTO HIS BLOOD."
At the Consecration of the every Mass, when the Priest says, “THIS IS MY BODY”, the entire substance of the bread is changed into the Body of Christ. With the words, “THIS IS MY BLOOD,” the entire substance of the wine is changed into the Blood of Christ. This mystery of Catholic faith is known as transubstantiation.

2) "MAN CANNOT UNDERSTAND THIS."
As with the Blessed Trinity, the Eucharistic mystery is beyond our understanding. Yet, Our Lord Jesus demands our faith, just as He did of the Israelites in the sixth chapter of John.

3) "HIS BODY IS OUR FOOD, HIS BLOOD OUR DRINK."
Our Lord also says in the sixth chapter of Saint John's Gospel: "Unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood, you will not have life in you." Our reception of Holy Communion must be a frequent occurrence throughout our lives. Weekly reception is of the greatest importance; it is only exceeded daily reception. Without frequent Communion, one would be literally starving to death, spiritually.

4) "CHRIST REMAINS ENTIRE UNDER EACH SPECIES."
When a person receives the Sacred Host, he or she receives the whole Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. The same is true of the Precious Blood. If one were to receive only from the Cup, that person would also receive the whole Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, as well. This is know as the Church’s Doctrine of Concomitance.

5)"THE GOOD AND THE WICKED ALIKE RECEIVE HIM BUT WITH THE UNLIKE DESTINY OF LIFE OR DEATH."
It seems as though a blight of reason has set into the minds of many modern Catholics. Perhaps some have reduced religion to a mere sentimentality. Sad to say, some folks refuse to acknowledge that Holy Communion cannot be received in the state of mortal sin. Moreover, as Pope John Paul II was quite clear on numerous occasions, one CANNOT merely make an act of contrition and go to Holy Communion. If one is in mortal sin, a person one must go to sacramental confession before Communion.

Saint Thomas is painfully clear on this matter. The "destiny" of those who receive Holy Communion in mortal sin is "death." Saint Paul is equally precise. "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the Body and Blood of the Lord" (1Cor 11: 27).

If there are any among us who have been receiving the Holy Eucharist in the state of mortal sin, I urge them, as a Priest of Jesus Christ, to go to sacramental confession to a Priest as soon as possible.

6) "REMEMBER THERE IS AS MUCH IN A FRAGMENT AS IN AN UNBROKEN HOST."
The Church teaches that as long as any particle of the Host is visible to the eye, no matter how small, the Real Presence is in that particle. It is precisely for this reason, that the Priest, or a duly authorized minister, must conscientiously and meticulously purify the sacred vessels after Holy Communion.

7) "JESUS, GOOD SHEPHERD AND TRUE BREAD, HAVE MERCY ON US!"
In the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord has entrusted Himself to us, completely. Our Divine Savior is present in the Church until the end of time. He is present with us with us as our food and drink. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, nourishes us, sanctifies us and sustains us with the Living Bread so that we can attain eternal life in heaven.

Our Lord is also with us so that we can adore Him, love Him and console His Sacred Heart. Our Divine Savior is with us in the Blessed Sacrament because He loves us. He wants to be with us always, really, truly, and substantially.

In reflecting of the Eucharist, let us be mindful that, in another sense, the Lord Jesus is with us through the ministry of Priests. In the Holy Sacrament of Confession, we receive from the Priest, forgiveness of our sins and the divine mercy of Jesus Christ, which is beyond our poor comprehension.

On this Corpus Christi Sunday, let us unite with Pope Benedict XVI and the Universal Church in adoring the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist. "O! Sacrament Most Holy! O! Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!"
May Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, teach us to know, love, and serve Our Eucharistic Lord with ever greater love and devotion. Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego

“GLORY TO THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT”

2005-05-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today is Trinity Sunday. On this Sunday, we honor and revere the Most Blessed Trinity in a special way. The Blessed Trinity is the most profound and incomprehensible truth of our holy religion. The Preface of today’s Mass succinctly defines the essence of this mystery and our response in faith. "We joyfully proclaim our faith in the mystery of your Godhead. You have revealed your glory as the glory also of your Son and of the Holy Spirit: three Persons equal in majesty, undivided in splendor, yet one Lord, one God, ever to be adored in your everlasting glory."
In the First Reading, Moses, holding the two tablets of the law, assures the Israelites of God’s mercy: “The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” Today’s Responsorial Psalm, taken from the Book of Daniel, proclaims the Church’s unending praise and adoration: “Glory and praise forever!”
In all of its rituals and prayers, the Church invokes and exalts the Most Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One God in Three Divine Persons.
The Israelites, immersed in the belief in the, One True God, were not aware in the least, of the Blessed Trinity. It was Our Lord Himself who revealed this. Jesus made know to the Apostles that, in the One God, there are Three Divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit confirmed this truth on Pentecost.
For centuries, the Fathers, Doctors and theologians of the Church have pondered this mystery. Saint Augustine, for example, wrote a profound book called De Trinitate (Concerning the Blessed Trinity). Yet, despite our efforts to explore the mystery, the Blessed Trinity is totally beyond our limited, human intelligence. Therefore, understanding must yield to faith. We believe that which God has revealed for, God can neither deceive nor be deceived.
Trinity Sunday reminds us of God’s splendor, majesty and glory. What are we in comparison to God? Today, when sins of pride abound, man must reflect constantly upon our Almighty God. Pagan culture, has fed man's pride with inordinate notions of "self-esteem." In days of faith, students were taught to know, love and serve God. Now, the emphasis is on the ego. Me! "I am number one!" This mentality obscures the truth that: "The Lord is God and there is no other."
Scripture reminds us that God hates pride and hears the humble. Instead, Jesus taught us: "Learn of me, for I am gentle and humble of heart"(Matt 11: 29). True self-esteem must lead us to humility and not pride.
Saint Thomas Aquinas defines for us a true, well-ordered self-esteem. The Father, the First Person of the Blessed Trinity, created us and destined us for eternal life as His adopted sons. When man strayed from God by sin, the Father sent the Son to be our Redeemer. He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity who became man. After dying on the Cross and rising from the dead, the Son sent the Holy Spirit, the Third person of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us and maintains the Catholic Church in truth.
Saint John says: "See what love the Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called children of God! Yes! That is what we are" (1John 3: 1). Of ourselves, we are nothing. We are like grains of sand of the beach of the universe. Yet, in God's loving plan, we have the infinite worth of sons of God. See how God loves us! He made us His sons and daughters.
On this Trinity Sunday, in adoration, let us fall on our knees in union with Our Blessed Mother, the Angels, Archangels, and the whole heavenly host. Let us worship the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. SANCTUS! SANCTUS! SANCTUS! HOLY! HOLY! HOLY! Lord God of power and might. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen! Amen!

Father Richard J. Rego

'IN PERSONA CHRISTI"

2005-05-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

In his Letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul us that a "Priest stands daily at his ministry." He declares that a Priest is one who offers sacrifice. What does that mean? What is a Priest?

On Holy Thursday night our Savior offered, Sacramentally, the first Mass. In an unbloody manner, He offered the same Sacrifice of Himself which He would offer the next day on the Cross of Calvary in a bloody manner. Then He ordained the Apostles to be Priests of the New and Eternal Covenant, the Church. Ever since, the most respected of men have been the Priests of Jesus Christ.

I remember my days as an altar boy in Philadelphia. The Priest was larger than life. Men tipped their hats to him on the streets. As the women of the Gospels ministered to the Lord, so too good Catholic women didn't know what to do next for "Father." He Baptized us, heard our Confessions, gave us Holy Communion, and offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass daily. He was there when we were sick, had an ever open ear to our problems and always presented himself as a man of God. Never did he utter a word that was contrary to the teachings of the Church. He dressed like a Priest, looked like a priest, and acted like a Priest. Truly, he was an "ambassador of Christ" [2 Cor. 5: 20].

In its document on the ministry of Priests, Vatican II says, "The Priest receives a special Sacrament by which, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he is conformed to Christ the Priest in such a way that he can act, in Persona Christi, that is, in the very Person of Jesus Christ."

Being "conformed to Christ" means that the Priest must identify with Jesus Christ and not with the pagan world. He must be an alter Christus ----- another Christ. Vatican II reaffirmed this definition. When people see the Priest, they must see a reflection of the Lord. They must see His charity, His patience, His love, and, of course, they must see His purity.

The Council taught that the Priest is conformed to Christ in such a way that he can act "in the Person of Christ." This is Sacramental identification with Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest. My friends, we are living in days of grave crisis. As Pope Benedict XVI has said, "a filth has entered the Church." Grave shame has come to the Priesthood because of the evil lust of a few. Despite this shame, what a profound privilege it is to be a Priest! When he says, "This is my Body," or "I absolve you," or "May Almighty God bless you," the Priest is not acting in the place of, or as a representative of, but rather, he acts, "in the very Person of Jesus Christ."

Pope Pius XII put it beautifully in his encyclical letter Mediator Dei: "The indelible mark on the souls of Priests comes with the power of the Priesthood and it conforms them to Christ. Their hands have been consecrated so that whatever they bless may be blessed, whatever they consecrate may become holy and sacred in the name of the Lord Jesus. Only the Priest can offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Let all who would live in Christ flock to their Priests. By them they will be supplied with the comfort and food of the spiritual life. From them they will obtain the medicine of salvation ensuring their care and happy recovery from the fatal sickness of their sins. The Priest finally will bless their homes, consecrate their families, and help them as they breathe their last across the threshold of eternal happiness."

This is the Priest of Jesus Christ! This is who he must be! May God grant that we never forget it! Let us pray that the day will return when the Priest will have regained that which was lost because a few have forgotten who they are. Perhaps, the day will come again when we tip our hats to the Priest of Jesus Christ!

Father Richard J. Rego

"CUM PETRO ET SUB PETRO"

2005-05-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

Pope John XXIII identified the Church as Mater et Magistra, Mother and Teacher. What does the Church teach concerning the Papal Magisterium? Since the Church "prays what she believes," she teaches Christ's faithful primarily through the liturgy. Thus, the liturgy of the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, February 22, provides us with deep insights concerning the Teaching Authority of the Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father. In various expressions, this Mass formulary repeatedly recalls the promise of our Lord to St. Peter: "Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you. And I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you shall declare bound on earth shall be bound also in heaven. Whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed also in heaven" (Matthew 16: 18-19).
Reflecting on this power of Peter, Pope John Paul II taught the following: "This does not mean only the power to formulate points of doctrine or general norms of action according to Jesus. It is the power of "binding and loosing," that is, of doing whatever is necessary for the life and development of the Church. The opposing terms "binding-loosing" serve to show the totality of the power." The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter is a liturgical reminder of this undeniable reality. At the offertory of the Mass, the priest prays: "Lord, accept the prayers and gifts of your Church. With St. Peter as our shepherd, keep us true to the faith he taught and bring us to your eternal kingdom."

THE SUPREME MAGISTERIUM OF THE HOLY FATHER
St. Paul was clear: "Jesus Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church" (Colossians 1: 18). He is the Invisible Head of the Church who we cannot see. By the will of Jesus Christ, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, is the Visible Head of the Universal Church who we can see. As Pope Pius XII taught in the encyclical, Mystici Corporis: "Our Redeemer also governs His Mystical Body in a visible and normal way through His Vicar on earth."

Pope John Paul reaffirmed the Church's ancient belief regarding the Petrine Primacy. "The fact that Peter's authority was calmly recognized in the Church is due exclusively to Christ's will. It shows that the words with which Jesus assigned to the Apostle his unique pastoral authority were understood and accepted without difficulty in the Christian Community."

The First Vatican Council focused its teaching on the Supreme Authority of the Holy Father. It was emphatic that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth and that when he teaches the Universal Church, he teaches in Christ's Name. "This power obliges shepherds and faithful of every rite and dignity, both individually and collectively, to hierarchal subordination and true obedience, not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in those pertaining to the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world."

When the Pope teaches, he does so with the authority of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the "Spirit of Truth" (cf. John 14: 16-17). "For the Holy Spirit was promised to the Successors of Peter not that they may manifest a new doctrine by His revelation, but rather that with His assistance, they should religiously preserve and faithfully teach the revelation that was handed down through the Apostles---the Deposit of Faith" (Pope John Paul II, General Audience of December 16, 1992, N. 2).
Every member of Christ's Mystical Body, bishops, priests, religious, deacons and laity must be united in the faith and moral teachings of the Holy Father. Can a Catholic dissent from the Papal Magisterium and still claim to be a Catholic in good standing? Can one refuse to render a "religious submission of mind and will" to the Pope's teachings? No! Absolutely not! Vatican II was clear on this fundamental point.

Moreover, Catholics must obey the teachings of the Pope both from his Ordinary and his Extra-Ordinary Magisterium. Too often, I believe, the mistake is made of restricting the infallible teaching charism of the Holy Father exclusively to the ex cathera forum. Dissident theologians have capitolized on this misinterpretation, leading many Catholics to believe that they are bound to follow only the de fide or ex cathedra teachings of the Roman Pontiff. This limitation was never the mind of the Church. It certainly was not the mind of the Fathers either of Vatican I or Vatican II.

Pope John addressed this fallacy in his discourse to a group of bishops from New York State on Octobers 15, 1988: "The Magisterium is not above the divine word but serves it with a specific carisma veritatis certum. This includes the charism of infallibility which is present not only in the solemn definitions of the Roman Pontiff and of Ecumenical Councils but also in the Universal Ordinary Magisterium (cf. Lumen Gentium N. 25). Thus, the Universal Ordinary Magisterium can truly be considered as the usual expression of the Church's infallibility."

"CONFIRM YOUR BRETHREN!"
Recall the words of our Lord to St. Peter: "Simon, Simon! Remember that Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith will never fail you. And you, when you have been converted, confirm your brethren" (Luke 22: 31-32).

"Confirm your brethren," Pope John Paul II tells us means: "Teach the faith in every age, in different circumstances and amidst the many difficulties and contradictions which preaching the faith will encounter in history; by teaching instill courage in the faithful---spread the message of faith, preach sound doctrine, reunite the "brethren"---These words of Saint Luke are very significant for all who exercise the munus Petrinum in the Church; they continually remind them of the kind of original paradox that Christ himself placed in them, with the certitude that in their ministry, as in Peter's, a special grace is at work which supports man's weakness and allows him to "confirm his brothers."

THE MAGISTERIUM OF THE BISHOPS
The Magisterium of the Bishops is an undeniable part of the Deposit of Catholic Faith. There are some well intentioned Catholics who staunchly profess their obedience and loyalty to the Holy Father. Yet, they would withhold loyalty to the bishop. Frankly, this is a grave error. The Second Vatican Council makes the following analogy between the College of Apostles and their successors, the bishops. "Just as in accord with the Lord's decree, St. Peter and the rest of the Apostles constitute a unique apostolic College, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter's Successor, and the Bishops, the Successors of the Apostles, are united to one another."

Indeed, the Council teaches that the Pope has full, supreme and universal power over the entire Church. Our Lord placed Simon alone as the rock and bearer of the keys of the Church and made him the shepherd of the whole flock. Nevertheless, in hierarchal unity, "individual bishops, who are placed in charge of a particular diocese, exercise their pastoral government over the portion of the People of God committed to their care . . . Bishops (must) promote and safeguard the unity of faith and the discipline common to the whole Church, to instruct the faithful to love the whole Mystical Body of Christ" (Lumen Gentium, N. 13).

This ecclesial understanding closely follows the teachings of Vatican I and previous Councils. According to Pope John Paul II, the bishops, as Successors of the Apostles, were given the mission of preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. They are "united among themselves by the will of Christ and under Peter's authority. "The Second Vatican Council," he further taught, "does not present this doctrine (of Episcopal collegiality) as something new, except perhaps in its formation, but as the content of a historical reality which receives and fulfills the will of Christ, as it comes to us in Tradition."

THE "OBEDIENCE OF FAITH"
"Bishops by divine institution have succeeded to the place of the Apostles as shepherds of the Church. He who hears them hears Christ, and he who rejects them, rejects Christ and Him who sent Christ (cf. Luke 10: 16). In the bishops therefore, for whom priests are the assistants, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme High Priest, is present in the midst of all who believe." Catholics must render the "obedience of faith" (Romans 1: 5) to the Holy Father and the bishops as they defend and proclaim the Deposit of Faith which the Lord has entrusted to His Church. The faithful Catholic must be obedient to the Magisterium.

Moreover, we read in the Council's Decree on the Office of Bishops: "Individual bishops who have been entrusted with the care of a particular church---under the authority of the Supreme Pontiff---feed their sheep in the name of the Lord as their own, ordinary and immediate pastors, performing for them the office of teaching, sanctifying, and governing."

"NEVER APART FROM THIS HEAD"
The Papal Magisterium is a divine gift to the whole Church which guarantees that it will never fall into doctrinal error. It is precisely for this reason that Vatican II, more firmly and consistently than previous councils, recognizes and affirms the supremacy of the Papal Magisterium. It teaches that: "The college or body of bishops has no authority unless it is understood together with the Roman Pontiff, the Successor of Peter as its head. The Pope's power of primacy over all, both pastors and faithful, remains whole and intact---The order of bishops, which succeeds to the College of Apostles and gives this body continued existence, is also the subject of supreme and full power over the universal Church, provided we understand this body together with its head the Roman Pontiff and never apart from this head."

Therefore, bishops must teach in solidarity with the Holy Father. Individually or as a body, they cannot go off on their own, so to speak, rendering opinions that contradict or conflict with the teachings of the Successor of Peter. Thus bishops, either as a body or as individuals, always must teach CUM PETRO ET SUB PETRO, (With Peter and Under Peter).

A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF TEACHING "CUM PETRO ET SUB PETRO"
Let us take the question of abortion as a specific example. When Bishop Rene Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi, Texas, taught that every direct abortion is an, "intrinsic evil---which violates both the laws of nature and of God," he was teaching Magisterially. As the first teacher of Catholic faith in his diocese, he stood in full collegiality with the Supreme Pontiff. Bishop Gracida was teaching "CUM PETRO ET SUB PETRO." Therefore, to remain a Catholic in good standing, one must obey this teaching of Bishop Gracida.

Conversely, at times, we have heard from a few bishops who, either explicitly or implicitly, have advocated the ordination of women to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. This absolutely is opposed to constant Church teaching. Repeatedly, the Holy Father and his predecessors have taught that the Church, in fidelity to Sacred Tradition, "calls men to the Priesthood and does not call women."

A Bishop who opposes this papal teaching does not teach, CUM PETRO ET SUB PETRO. Therefore, Catholics are not bound to observe these dissenting speculations. Moreover, with due respect to the dignity of the episcopacy, views of this nature must be resisted. The Holy Father is the highest authority in the Church. In fidelity to Catholic faith everyone in the Mystical Body, including bishops, always must remain united to the Pope in his faith and moral teachings.

Thus, the true test of orthodox Catholic faith is unity with the Holy Father in all of his faith and moral teachings. Can one truly be Catholic and pro-abortion or pro-contraception or advocate same sex marriages? Of course not! Always, in all questions of faith, morals and the discipline of the Church, we must render the "obedience of faith," to the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth, the Holy Father. In our day, we must be united with Pope Benedict XVI.

The expression of the Second Vatican Council, CUM PETRO ET SUB PETRO (see the Council documents, Ad Gentes N. 38;cf. Christus Dominus, N. 2 & 3) has deep and profound significance. Catholics do not have the liberty of following any wind of change that comes along and tickles their fancy. Catholic politicians cannot vote for abortion legislation. No, if we are to be Catholic, we must be united with the Vicar of Chriat on Earth, the Holy Father. May God grant that we always have the humility required to have the "obedience of faith," (Romans 1: 5).

Father Richard J. Rego

REPUDIATE HIS PREDECESSOR! REALLY! WHAT A DECEPTION!

2005-05-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

We have heard from more than a few so called Catholic theologians that the reason our new Holy Father took the name Benedict was because Pope Benedict XV brought peace and calm to the Church. The claim is made that his predecessor had ruthlessly stifled dialogue in the Church. Legitimate theological opinions, they claim, were suddenly silenced. Benedict XV, in his very first encyclical letter, put an end to this and once again restored peace to the Church.

This is a distortion that is filled with half-truths and, sad to say, outright deceptions. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI took his name in memory of Benedict XV. He did indeed try to bring peace to the world and prevent World Wat I. That part is true. The rest is a false.

The truth is that in his very first encyclical, Pope Benedict XV, not only praised his predecessor, but affirmed his teachings. Thus we read in: Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum: N. 25 "Besides, the Church demands from those who have devoted themselves to furthering her interests, something very different from the dwelling upon profitless questions; she demands that they should devote the whole of their energy to preserve the faith intact and unsullied by any breath of error, and follow most closely him whom Christ has appointed to be the guardian and interpreter of the truth. There are to be found today, and in no small numbers, men, of whom the Apostle says that: "having itching ears, they will not endure sound doctrine: but according to their own desires they will heap up to themselves teachers, and will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:34). Infatuated and carried away by a lofty idea of the human intellect, by which God's good gift has certainly made incredible progress in the study of nature, confident in their own judgment, and contemptuous of the authority of the Church, they have reached such a degree of rashness as not to hesitate to measure by the standard of their own mind even the hidden things of God and all that God has revealed to men. Hence arose the monstrous errors of "Modernism," which Our Predecessor rightly declared to be "the synthesis of all heresies," and solemnly condemned. We hereby renew that condemnation in all its fullness, Venerable Brethren, and as the plague is not yet entirely stamped out, but lurks here and there in hidden places, We exhort all to be carefully here and there in hidden places, We exhort all to be carefully on their guard against any contagion of the evil, to which we may apply the words Job used in other circumstances: "It is a fire that devoureth even to destruction, and rooteth up all things that spring" (Job 31:12). Nor do We merely desire that Catholics should shrink from the errors of Modernism, but also from the tendencies or what is called the spirit of Modernism. Those who are infected by that spirit develop a keen dislike for all that savours of antiquity and become eager searchers after novelties in everything: in the way in which they carry out religious functions, in the ruling of Catholic institutions, and even in private exercises of piety. Therefore it is Our will that the law of our forefathers should still be held sacred: "Let there be no innovation; keep to what has been handed down." In matters of faith that must be inviolably adhered to as the law; it may however also serve as a guide even in matters subject to change, but even in such cases the rule would hold: "Old things, but in a new way."

26. As men are generally stimulated, Venerable Brethren, openly to profess their Catholic faith, and to harmonize their lives with its teaching, by brotherly exhortation and by the good example of their fellow men, we greatly rejoice as more and more Catholic associations are formed. Not only do We hope that they will increase, but it is Our wish that under Our patronage and encouragement they may ever flourish; and they certainly will flourish, if steadfastly and faithfully they abide by the directions which this Apostolic See has given or will give. Let all the members of societies which further the interests of God and His Church ever remember the words of Divine Wisdom: "An obedient man shall speak of victory" (Prov. 11:8), for unless they obey God by showing deference to the Head of the Church, vainly will they look for divine assistance, vainly, too, will they labour. "

It is amazing to witness how folks like Father Richard McBrien can refer to this encyclical, "Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum," and make the outlandish claim that Pope Benedict XV repudiated his predecessor's policies. Clearly, the implication is that Pope Benedict XVI will do the same and, in some way, repudiate the teachings of his predecessor. Let me assure one and all that this is wishful thinking. By the way, Benedict XV's predecessor was Pope Saint Pius X, one of the greatest Popes in the history of the Church. Historians tell us that Pope Saint Pius X was the kindest of men, but did not tolerate, for an instant, false teachers or false doctrines. It is amazing to behold how far some modern theologians will go to further their falacious views.

Giacomo della Chiesa, (His name translated into English, means, James of the Church) was ordained in 1878, named Vatican Secretary of State in 1901, Archbishop of Bologna in 1907, and created a Cardinal in 1914 by Pope Saint Pius X. That same year, after the death of St. Pius X, he was elected Pope. To our detriment, this outstanding pope has been lost in the shadow of the great popes of modern times. His encyclical were short, to the point and profound. Perhaps the most famous of these was Spiritus Paraclitus, commemorating the life of Saint Jerome and the correct study of Sacred Scripture.

A common complaint these days is the emptiness of many of the sermons that we hear. It is interesting that Pope Benedict XV addressed the subject of preaching in his encyclical, Humani Generis Apostolorum, November 1, 1914. After reading it, I was deeply moved. "Wow," was my first thought! Pope Benedict XV was VERY clear about the grave responsibility of preaching the truth of Catholic faith. It indeed gives pause to all of us who are entrusted with preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For an eye opener, look it up and read it. Then, pray for us priests that we may indeed preach the Gospel, "in charity and truth."

Father Richard J. Rego

"COME HOLY SPIRIT, FILL THE HEARTS OF YOUR FAITHFUL!”

2005-05-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

MY DEAR PARISHIONERS!
The Alleluia Verse for Pentecost Sunday echoes an ancient prayer of the Church. It implores the Holy Spirit to lead the Church in all truth. On the night of the Last Supper, Our Blessed Savior promised to send us the Holy Spirit: “I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. He will lead you in all truth” (John 16: 13).
This promise of the Holy Spirit is Our Lord’s guarantee that His holy Church will never lead His followers into doctrinal or moral error.
Jesus did not set up the Catholic Church as a conglomerate of opinions and positions, which are subject to change in conformity with the world in which it lives. It is true that customs that are subject to Church Law can, and often, should change. But divine truth is unchangeable. We believe today that which Peter, Paul and the other Apostles taught from the very beginning. We are bound to live by the same moral code that bound the early Christians. This will be true until the end of time.
Can the Catholic Church teach falsehoods in faith or morals? No! Absolutely not! Such a claim is utterly bogus. Why? The Teaching Church, that is its Magisterium, consists of the Holy Father and/or the Bishops, teaching in union with the Pope. When the Church’s Magisterium proclaims and defends the Sacred Deposit of Faith, she teaches in the Name of Jesus Christ and under the guide of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Church cannot teach error.
This is precisely the reason that the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is a reminder to Christ’s faithful of this fundamental truth. Our Lord founded the Catholic Church to carry on His work of Redemption until He comes again in glory.
The Church's mission is the salvation and the sanctification of souls. Saint Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, insists that followers of Jesus must have the "obedience of faith” (see Romans 1:5). If we render this "obedience of faith" to teachings of the Catholic Church, we have the "sure hope of eternal life.” How can God demand that we obey false teachings? How could Jesus, the Son of God, establish a Church, which would lead the sheep of His flock into falsehood and perdition?
Jesus Christ is the Way, the Life and the Truth. He is the Son of God and, thus, He cannot deceive us. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Spirit of Truth who cannot teach error. God can neither deceive nor be deceived, as the First Vatican Council taught. Any claim that the Holy Spirit would allow the Church to fall into error as it unfolds the Deposit of Faith, is nothing short of blasphemous. One is not free to make God a liar!
Do not be deceived by those who would divert us from the teachings of the Catholic Church. Saint Paul denounced these deceivers: “They oppose the truth and with perverted minds they falsify the faith. Stay away from them" (2 Tim 3: 5, 8).
In the Sequence of Pentecost Sunday, the Church prays: "Come Holy Spirit come! Bend the stubborn heart and will. Melt the frozen, warm the chill. Guide the steps that go astray." The Church implores the Holy Spirit to, “enkindle us with the fire of your love.”

Father Richard J. Rego

BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!

2005-05-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Without doubt, the most revered and honored title in the english language and every other language is that special title for the most special people in the whole world---that beautiful title, Mother! On Mother's Day, we honor mothers in a special way. It is quite fitting that Mother's Day falls during may, the month of Mary, who is the Mother of God and Our Blessed Mother!

Mothers are so marvelous that even God Himself wanted one. When the Heavenly Father decided to send his Son into the world to save us, he willed him to have a mother just as we all do. And Mary was that mother! Of all of the worlds mothers she is the most tender, the most understanding, the gentlest, the most full of sympathy and compassion---the most motherly. Our Lady was all of this for her Divine Son.

Woman Behold thy Son, Son Behold thy Mother!

Each one of us has a special place in his heart for his or her mother whether they are living or dead. And so today we honor all mothers.

In paying tribute to mothers, the great Cardinal Mindzenty of Hungry put it so well. His Eminence said:

"The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. No! She need not. She has built something much more magnificent than any cathedral---a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to heaven. Only a human mother can do that. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any human creature. God joins forces with mothers in performing his act of creation... What on God's earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother."

It is sad in our day, however, that we live in an era when motherhood and the family are under attack. That attack, I believe, stems from, Satan himself, the father of lies. The pagan world about us, under the lead of Satan, tells us that women will find their true greatness and fulfillment only when they are liberated from motherhood and are able to go out of the home. And so motherhood is out---careers are in! Ask any young girl these day what she wants to be when she grows up. Because of the influence of society, the answer will be a doctor, a lawyer, an Indian Chief---every and anything, but very seldom a mother. How sad that is! As a result, we are witnessing the destruction of the family. The true love of children and family is being replaced by a worldliness that is immersed in sins of greed, lust, avarice and the like.

And so my dear Catholic people, let us not be taken in by the false values of this world. Let us not sell short the great gift of motherhood for there is nothing so wonderful and important as to be a mother. This was made very clear to me several years ago when I attended a conference in Willow Grove, Pa. One of the speakers was Dr. Wanda Poltawaska. The Master of Ceremonies introduced her and told of her wonderful accomplishments---of her life in a concentration camp in Poland during the war---how she went on to be a doctor of science and an author, a famous lecturer, etc. When Dr. Poltawaska began her address she said to the master of ceremonies: "I thank you kindly but you forgot my most important title!" She said: "You see, I am a mother! Seated out front are my children and with them are my beautiful grandchildren."

Our Blessed Mother has many titles. She is Gate of Heaven, Refuge of Sinners, Tower of Ivory, Mystical Rose, Mary Most Chaste, Mary Most Pure, Queen of Angels, Queen of the universe, and more. But the one title that she likes the best is that of mother. Why? The same reason that you good mothers like to be called mother. Because you are proud of your children and you love them. Our Lady likes to be called mother because Jesus, Our Lord, is her Son. And because all of us are her children. And she loves us all. And like any other mother, she wants us to love her.

On this Mother's Day, in honor of our tender heavenly mother and in honor of all mothers, in the words of the poetess Mary Dixon Thayer, we say to our Lady, we say to her:

Lovely Lady dressed in blue, teach me how to pray

God was just your Little Boy, tell me what to say!

Did you lift Him up, sometimes gently on your knee?

Did you sing to Him the way mother did to me?

Did you hold His hand at night

and, did you ever try telling Him stories of the world?

And oh! Did He cry?

Do you really think he cares if I tell him things---little things that happen?ÃÂ And do angel's wings make a noise?

Can He hear me if I speak low? Does he understand me now?

Tell me, for you know! Lovely Lady dressed in blue

teach me how to pray!

God was just your Little Boy and you know the way!

Treasure in Clay by Mary Dixon Thayer: The Child On His Knees.

Welcome, in the Name of the Lord!

2005-05-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends in Our Lord, Jesus Christ,

Welcome! It is my hope and prayer that my writings will bring you closer to Our Lord, Jesus and Our Blessed Mother, through the mystery of the Holy, Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. I look forward to hearing from you with your questions and comments. Also, I am working on improving my web-site. Nevertheless, I welcome your visits there as well. May God's blessings be with you.

Stay tuned for more articles.

In Christ Jesus,
Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.