It was one year ago today that I remember standing on the altar of this church and looking out into the rows of pews before me. It was 4:00 am in the morning; almost fourteen hours after my ordination to the Permanent Diaconate. I couldn’t sleep. Very soon, I would be assisting at my first mass. One journey had ended and another had begun. I recalled that famous line from the movie The Candidate. Robert Redford just spent an exhausting amount of time and resources fighting for a senate seat in California. He was the underdog going up against the entrenched veteran. He wasn’t expected to win but he did. As they were celebrating his victory, he looked over to his campaign manager and asked: “WHAT NOW?” At that moment, I could definitely relate to that feeling. After over six years of spiritual direction, preparation, and formation, the moment was upon me and my ministry as a member of the clergy had begun. It was a beautiful, terrifying moment that I will never forget.

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, I am able to reflect on my ministry and on my life. As Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and instructed them to go out into the world to spread the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Message of Salvation. WOW. What an amazing moment and one that I could relate to in a most special way. A way very close to my own heart and my own Journey of Faith. It is also a Spiritual Moment that can be shared by all of us. The Holy Spirit guides us, moves us, and makes us feel God’s loves as we do those things we do which define us a Christians living the Faith in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the deliverer of God’s special grace and that which we long for but only get a glimpse of in our lifetime.

Pentecost is a time of remembrance and renewal. We look back a Jesus’ commissioning of the Apostles and use that moment to energize our own faith and our own mission. We are counted among the faithful and are sharers in that same mission. We are asked to come forth and testify to Gift of Salvation and the wonderful presence of our God. With it comes the power to save the world and move mountains. It is a great responsibility and great place to be; dwelling in a community of love, fidelity, and faith. Within that community we live our lives and enrichen ourselves with the gifts therein.

The presence of the Holy Spirit has the ability and power to move us in a purely spiritual way. We only need to open our hearts to receive that gift. Jesus is always waiting to give it. He only needs to be asked. And when he is asked, a whole new world is opened to us every day. Through this gift, we all feel the need to do acts of charity and goodness which define the Christian Condition. A conscious guides us towards salvation and God’s Graces surround us. We are safe, we are comforted, we are loved within our community.

Take moment today and reflect on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. How has the Church been an impact on our lives? Where would we be without the Church and without Jesus Christ in our lives? How different would our lives be? How different would this city be? How different would this world be?  We are all one body and our lives display this fact. Take a moment today and thank God for His Church, His Bride, the Rock of Our Faith. I thank Him every day as I look out into the rows of pews: be it at 4:00 am in the morning or any other time.

Yours in Christ,

Deacon Tom.

WHERE: SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS

I was speaking during a reflection at Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament last Tuesday. I mentioned how those who do work the secular society and those doing God’s work react in two different ways when the job is done. Those in secular society breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to a well-deserved rest. Those doing God’s work breath a sigh of relief then ask: “What do you want me to do now Lord?” The building up of Christ’s Kingdom on Earth is reward enough them.

The Tridium was long, demanding, and exhausting. It was also utterly fantastic. The Holy Spirit moved through this church and it was a joyous occasion. Now, we gather again, on Divine Mercy Sunday to celebrate once again. Not only in remembrance of Jesus’ eternal sacrifice but also to celebrate his mercy and love for us; to celebrate our sinfulness and our redemption through Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through the readings we learn that the Apostles spread the Good News of Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ with energy and an unbridled fervor. They were on fire. Sort of like a Baptist Tent Revival. Scattered after the Crucifixion, hiding for fear of reparations, they were reunited and invigorated by the Resurrection. It was the ultimate pep rally. You see. We as Christians now can look back can see the Crucifixion for what it is: Jesus’ Ultimate Sacrifice for our salvation and redemption. To Jesus’ disciples, they saw it as a shocking end to what they thought was a movement of promise and the fulfillment of God’s Promise of a Messiah.

That was until the Resurrection, when Jesus appeared to the Apostles for the first time after his death in that upper room and revealed to them everything in the fullness of his glory. Then they believed. Then they got it. Everything seemed to fall into place. This marked the beginning of the Apostolic Age. This was where the Apostles started spreading the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ as living witnesses. They were alive and energized by the Holy Spirit.

Here, in this Easter Season, we focus on this in a particular way, very much how we focused on the Crucified Christ during our Lenten Journey. We are encouraged to read the Letters of James and Peter: simple men from a simple way of life thrust into the spotlight and central to Jesus’ Plan. We are encouraged to learn about the early Church and how its influence spread like wildfire throughout the known world. We are also encouraged to continue to celebrate and immerse ourselves in Jesus’ Eternal Mercy. And through that, we learn more about ourselves.

What better way to celebrate all of this on Divine Mercy Sunday; a day of celebration first revealed to us by an individual not unlike the Apostles before her: simple, ignorant, uneducated, and like a child in their understanding and reverence of their Lord. Helen Kowalska, born in 1905 Poland, was from a poor religious family with 9 other siblings. From a young age she was devoted to her faith and at the age of 17 announced to her parents that she wished to enter a convent. They opposed the move and she obeyed for another year until her visions of Christ and her calling to religious life became too overwhelming.

Her persistence and her dedication to her vocation serve as an inspiration to everyone following a call to service to Christ. When she though she was ready to enter a convent and serve Jesus Christ, she was told to wait another year and work to save the money so as to purchase her wardrobe. A year later, in 1925, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Here, visions of Christ, her gifts of grace, and her participation in the Sufferings of Christ grew. Her life was filled with unspeakable joys and unspeakable horrors as she was overcome both mentally and physically as the sins of the world and the separations from the Grace of Jesus were weighed down on her so as to have her serve as a Messenger of Salvation.

Through it all she kept a diary, a confessor, and a spiritual director which would all serve as a testament in later years on her road to sainthood and as an inspiration for generations to come. She became a Messenger for Christ. Through her, this simple message was spread:

Jesus Christ is Mercy. Pray for His Mercy, pray for His love in the salvation of the world and the souls in Purgatory. A simple devotion from a simple Servant of God. How do we let this celebration of the Devine Mercy influence our own lives? There are the particular devotions which are set forth from the Chaplet, the Three O'clock Prayer, the Three O'clock Devotion, and Celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday,

There is also something else that can be done: forgiveness, praying for God’s Eternal Mercy for everyone. It becomes a collective event with the prayers of the faithful extending out beyond this community and into the world. We pray together, for everyone, and for Jesus' Mercy. This mercy that we seek can take on so many different characteristics. It can be for the sinner, for us, for faith, for understanding. For the doubts that we may foster deep within our souls. Or we can just pray; to experience Christ's Love.

Christ's Mercy and Christ's Love can be found in the most peculiar places and the most peculiar experiences. And we as human beings find ourselves reacting differently to it in different circumstances. I loved my grandmother so very much and she was an inspiration to me in my life. When she was dying, there were tears. But with her death came a peace and solace, for I knew she was with God. I missed her, but there was certain peacefulness to her death.

Maybe it was the way she accepted it as my good friend Deacon Dick did. Knowing it was there in front of them, they prepared themselves and, because of this, prepared those they loved the most; their concern for those around them. They also had tremendous faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am comforted by the knowledge that they are now with Christ.

With their passing came a massive surge of love. I felt it, welling up inside of me. A gift from God and a Gift from the Holy Spirit. God's Love, what a gift of Mercy for us who grieve. I know, sometimes it is hard to find in times of trial and heartache, but it is there.

The other day, I suffered another loss. To those who do not have a pet or never had one, it might be hard to understand. But when one has one, such as my dog Abbey, she becomes a part of the family. The children grow up with them. They become attached to them; the entire family is melded together around them. I have mentioned Abbey before and my 3:00 am walks.  She was over twelve years old; that is almost 70 years old in dog years.

In the last month, I noticed her slowing a little bit. And then, unexpectedly, I found her Thursday Morning on the floor. She could not walk. Her face was sunken and all her muscles had relaxed. I Brought her into my daughter's room and nurtured her back to health. I took her for a walk Friday Morning and Friday Night. She was alive; the kick was back in her step. She even refused to go home after her walk. The walk took over an hour.

In the morning we walked again. Then, she died.  There was gathering at my house, a wake of sorts. Even my mother was there. She was an important part of me and nothing can replace her. There was a deep bond and a deep love between us. I felt it even more when she died. I realized she indeed was precious, for she was God's creation and a true gift from him to me. And I thank him for that, that gift of the capacity to love, to miss, and to mourn.

When we do these things, when we act out our humanness, God's presence is all the more overwhelming. We need to thank God for these moments and pray for his mercy to help us through these moments, to make these moments truly beautiful in the face of loss and tragedy. All of this is God's Gift to us. That is one connection that we cannot forget, we cannot overlook. Christ's Mercy and Love join all of us together and us to creation. This is God's majestic symphony. In it there is happiness, joy, trauma, temptation, sadness, and loss. But in the end, through His sacrifice and mercy, there is love.

PRO-LIFE NIGHT AT SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH

A RESOUNDING SUCCESS!!!!!

This was the second in a series of Pro-Life Nights at All Saints Church and Saint John the Baptist. At Saint John the Baptist, 12 members of the 2009 Confirmation Class were in attendance along with about 16 other people for a total of 28. The movie "Bella" was shown and a good time in Christian Community for a good cause was had. To date, almost $400.00 was raised for the Pregnancy Care Center of Haverhill before expenses.