INFORMATION
MONTHLY MASS FOR:
MEN: SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2019, 7:30 AM
WOMEN: SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2019
BISHOP'S HOUSE, 107 ALBANY DR. HOUMA, LA
BRING A FRIEND
FELLOWSHIP AFTERWARDS

In one of  his daily meditations, Pope Francis commented on the Holy Spirit. "A Christian life - or a person who calls himself or herself a Christian - that does not leave space for the Spirit and does not allow the Spirit to go forward is a pagan life, dressed as a Christian one....The Spirit is the protagonist of Christian life; (it is) the Spirit - the Holy Spirit - that is in us, that accompanies us, that transforms us and is triumphant within us”. (Pope Francis) 

To what extent is the Holy Spirit alive in us? To what extent do we wait  upon and depend on the Spirit of truth to guide us to all that is good and beautiful, all that is truthful and right? How many mistakes have we made by doing what we wanted rather than waiting upon the Spirit to direct us? We want to be in total control rather than surrender that control to another, including God. The admonition in the psalms to wait upon the Lord and then follow, is more than a good idea. It is the only way to go about our life throughout our day, if we want to be at peace and in the will of God.

God has many divine appointments for us. Some we keep; others we totally miss. These divine appointments are grace opportunities to fulfill God's mandate to be a witness of his love and mercy to others. These divine appointments are as simple as a person's name that comes to mind "out of the blue". If it persists, we need to ask God what he wants us to do. It may be as easy as making a phone call to that person. When we do, we may realize that God wanted us to talk to this person for a reason, to show them love, to minister to them when they are down and depressed or when they are lonely.

There is no coincidence in life, no pure accident. God has a plan and is inviting us to participate in his plan for the good of another person. So, be attentive to those grace moments. Instead of brushing them off, bring them to the Lord and seek his guidance. Our response may be crucial in the life of another person.

I remember one of many of these in my own life. I had a full day. I was tired and just wanted to chill out and relax. I was trying to decide if I should go visit some friends or not. I went back and forth in my mind for over twenty minutes. I couldn't make up my mind. Then the phone rang. The person said that he was contemplating suicide that night and asked if he could come talk to me. Had I gone to my friends, I would have missed that divine appointment. Who knows what the person would have done.

Be alert and attentive to that inner move of the Holy Spirit, which is truly a divine appointment.

The gift of tongues is expressed in two different ways. First, it is private prayer of the person to the Father. Praying in tongues frees one from the limitation of one's known language. For instance, our human vocabulary is limited in words of praise, thanksgiving and worship before the Father. But when one prays in tongues, there is no limitation. The focus is the Father and not self. We have offended God in our human words. The prayer of tongues gives no offense to God. For it is the Holy Spirit praying through us.

The second form of the gift is called "speaking in tongues". While the first form is more of a private prayer, even thought heard by others, the second is more "public". While the first does not need interpretation, the second requires someone to interpret the message, if it is of God. Usually, when someone utters a prophetic-like utterance in tongues, someone usually prays for an interpretation, not a translation. Once an interpretation is given, there should be a discernment whether this is from God or not. Like prophecy, speaking in tongues may or may not be of God.

Both are authentic gifts of God for different purpose. But it is the same Spirit manifesting God's purpose in the given moment. Pray to be open to the gifts God desires you to exercise for his greater glory and service to others.

Sixth Sunday of Easter Gospel C

Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
· There are four things Jesus is reminding us of: 1) He loves us first;  2) Love is responded to by doing what the other has asked us to do; 3) As we act thus on the word of Jesus, we will experience the Father’s love for us in response; 4) this is experienced by the indwelling presence of God, which is a sharing in his own divine life.
· Does our life at this point reflect this teaching of Jesus? If not, what will we do to love him more by keeping his word?

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.
· Jesus shows us the consequences of not acting on his word in love. It amounts to rejecting him and the Father.
· Thus his word needs to be taken seriously.

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. 
· This is the second time during the Last Supper that Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit to the Apostles.
· Again, he calls the Holy Spirit an Advocate. Jesus is our first advocate in the sense that he intercedes for us before the throne of the Father. Later on in John the Holy Spirit is a teacher, a witness to Jesus, and a prosecutor of the world.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. 
· This peace is more than a greeting. It is a gift of salvation leading to right relationship with God.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”
· Later, he will explain that his going will be for their benefit. First, he must go in order to send the Holy Spirit upon them. Second, he goes to prepare a place for them.
· His first going away is his death on the cross; his return is the resurrection. The second going away is his Ascension; he will return in his second coming.
· When Jesus says that the Father is greater than him, he is referring to his humanity not his divinity. Because he says in other places that the Father and he were one.
· Again, a key theme in John’s Gospel is the need to believe in Jesus as the one sent by the Father as our Lord and Savior. To believe him is to embrace his word as the truth which will lead to eternal life.

The gift of "praying in the Spirit" or the gift of tongues is the least of the gifts but the one that causes the most difficulty for people. There are many things we would do differently if we were God, but the fact is this gift is a true gift from God. It is also referred to as the language of angels and children. 

This is how St. Paul speaks about it in his Letter to the Romans: "The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will." (8:26-27)

Trusting in the Lord, we are called to yield our voice so that the Spirit can pray to the Father in what  may sound like childish babbling, but in reality is a prayer of praise to the Father.

Again, Paul's teaching on the subject. " For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God, for no one listens; he utters mysteries in spirit. On the other hand, one who prophesies does speak to human beings, for their building up encouragement, and solace. Whoever speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the church.Now I should like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. " (1 Cor 14:2-5)
And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.2And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.

One of the more common exercise of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is the gift of healing. This is probably the one most sought after by people. Healing can come from natural means or supernatural means. Healing through natural means, namely medicines or operations, etc, can be explained scientifically. Healing through supernatural means, such as prayer and the laying on of hands, cannot be explained by any other reason than a divine intervention.

We are encouraged to go to doctors when there is a need. But at the same time, we can turn to prayer as well. We can go to doctors for treatment and at the same time we can have others lay hands on us and pray in faith for God's intervention.

There are many signs of the exercise of the gift of healing by Jesus and the Apostles in the Scriptures. There are many signs of the same exercise of the gift of healing throughout the history of the Church over the centuries. Unfortunately, this is seen as rare by many people. When in fact, it is meant to be normative in the life of the Church. For each of us has been given the various gifts of the Spirit in Baptism and in Confirmation. They are given to us to step out in faith and to pray in the name of Jesus for the healing of those in need. We do not heal. Jesus does. It is in his name that we pray, believing that he wants us to be healed.

Not every time we pray for healing do we see the specific healing we were praying for. But when we pray for healing, God is healing in the person what he desires to heal. God's grace is not in vain. As his Word does not return to him void, so his healing grace is not ineffective. Do not be afraid to exercise this gift of healing in the name of Jesus and for his glory.

The most exercised gift of the Spirit and the one most sought after by others is the gift of healing. I am going to divide this gift into two: gift of the healing of memories and the gift of physical and psychological healing. Even though the later is most known, the former sometimes is needed prior to the physical healing.

Everyone of us has been scared by someone and have scared someone. That is the state of our imperfect nature. These past emotional scars and hurts have so impacted us that today  they still have influence in our lives. Growing up we may not have perceived we were loved. We may have perceived we were less than others. The way our parents or other adults spoke to us or treated us may have left a memory scar within us. If someone led us into some sinful behavior or we led others into such experience, a scar has been left. The examples are endless.

What can we do today? Healing of these begin with forgiveness from the heart. If when we think of some past situation and we still sense a pain or shame or guilt or anger, etc, then there is a scar attached. What is the process. Without reliving that experience, we need to say in our heart to the person who was the source of this pain, in the name of Jesus, I forgive you for what you did. And if I did anything against you in response, I ask your forgiveness. Then, in the name of Jesus, I forgive myself and ask you, God, to forgive me. I place this hurt and memory at the foot of your cross. I leave it there and walk away from it. Then I picture Jesus with arms open and outstretch and I go into his arms, asking him to love me in that memory.

God wants us to be free from the negative damages of the past. He doesn't want us to hold on to them or feel bound by them. This is a process. We have a lot of scared memories. Thus, it will take time to be freed and healed. It is God's love that will heal.

As we reflect on the various gifts of the Holy Spirit that God has poured upon us, we need to make a distinction between ministering in one of the gifts and exercising that gift. Even though I know that some people will not agree with me, but if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have all the gifts of the Spirit at our disposal. We may not use any or all the gifts, but like our muscles they are available to us. We don't use at the same time all the electrical power in our house, but our house is fully empowered.

Continuing our reflections on the authentic gifts of the Spirit which each of us received in Baptism and in Confirmation, we look at the gift of prophecy. What is this gift? A person perceives a word of God in their hearts, discerns that it possibly could be God's word and utters it as if God was speaking. The scriptural examples are the writings of the prophets, like Isaiah and Jeremiah. God put on their heart a message for the people of Israel. They felt compelled by God to utter the word. Thus, the  prophet was a spokesperson for God's word or message. The prophetic message was meant to up build and guide the people in the way of the Lord.

In the OT, God poured out his Spirit upon Moses and later on 72 others to help him in governing the people during their Exodus journey. Moses said that he wished that God would pour his spirit of prophecy on all of the people. Later, in the NT Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians: "Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy....(The) one who prophesies does speak to human beings, for their building up, encouragement, and solace."

Each of us received the gifts of the Spirit when we were baptized and confirmed.  Though we have the gifts of the Spirit, we do not exercise them. But like the muscles in our body, if we don't exercise the gifts of the Spirit spiritual atrophy will take place. At the same time the exercise of the gift of prophecy must be discerned. Not everything is of the Lord.  It is better to err by speaking than err by withholding God's word. If it is God's word, God will confirm it in the hearts of those who hear it. Ask God for the freedom to be used by him in the gift of prophecy when he chooses to use you. In other words, be open to the gift of prophecy.

Fourth Sunday of Easter Gospel C

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
· Sheep become accustom to the voice of the shepherd and respond to his call. They don’t respond to the voice of a stranger. How in tune are we to the voice of Jesus within us? Can we distinguish his voice from that of others?
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
· Jesus desires to share his life with us. How desirous are we of that life? How protective are we of that life?

No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
· There is one thing that can separate us from God. That is sin. Sin is not something from the outside but from within. It is our choice to sin or not to sin.
· The evil one can tempt us, but doesn’t snatch us away from the hand of God. We choose to remain with God or choose to separate ourselves through sin.
· Jesus gives us life. It is up to us to remain in that life with him or to squander the gift for something much lesser and lasting only for a short moment.

 The Father and I are one.”
· As long as we follow the voice of the Shepherd, as long as we live in his life, we will be one with the Father and the Son. This is the will of God. What is our will?
· Be attentive this week to the way you listen to the voice of Jesus. Be conscious of the divine life within you and resist the attempts to draw you away from the Lord.

As we continue to reflect on preparing for the Feast of Pentecost, we will now look at the gift of the Holy Spirit known as Word of Wisdom. This is different from the gift of wisdom. The gift of wisdom is the ability to see things from God's perspective. This is meant for me and my spiritual growth. The gift of the Word of wisdom is the insight the Holy Spirit gives us to deal with a particular situation. This is for the good of another.

 Jesus exercised this gift many times. A couple of examples. When Jairus heard that his daughter had died and there was no need to bother Jesus, the Lord responded: "Fear is  useless. What is needed is trust." This enable Jairus to still have hope that Jesus would do something. Another example. When the Pharisees tested Jesus on the question of divorce, Jesus told them that this was not God's plan from the beginning and gave them the scriptural reference to back his word. While it did not impact the Pharisees, it may have been meant for the disciples.

There are times that the Holy Spirit places on our hearts and minds the truth that another needs to hear. It is not something we planned to say. It comes as a grace from God.  We need to be open to those moments and not be afraid to speak out the word of wisdom given to us.

As we continue to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us in Baptism, Confirmation and in Marriage, we want to look at the gift of Word of Knowledge. Jesus, led by the Spirit in his humanity, exercised this gift at different times in his ministry. Recall his meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well and their interchange. After preparing her heart to receive life-giving water (the Holy Spirit), he asked her to go get her husband. She responded that she didn't have a husband. The Spirit placed on Jesus' heart the truth. "You have had five husbands and the man you are living with is not your husband." Jesus had never met this woman before. He didn't know her history. And he said this, not to condemn her but to open her, through repentance, to the revelation of himself as the Messiah.

This was a supernatural gift of a word that was given to Jesus by the Spirit for the further ministry to the woman whose faith was being stirred up. There are times when we are ministering to someone when a flash of a word or idea crosses our conscious awareness that the person alone knows. When this happens, I usually say, "Does this mean anything to you." If it is a gift from God to help this person to be more open to what God wants to do, the person will acknowledge it, wondering how did I know. When this happens, the person is usually more open to the working of God in their life at the moment. Our God is a mystery and full of surprises.

INFORMATION
MAY MASSES FOR MEN AND WOMEN
MEN: SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019
           7:30 AM
WOMEN: SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019
                 8:00 AM
BISHOP'S HOUSE
107 ALBANY DR, HOUMA, LA
BRING A FRIEND
FELLOWSHIP AFTERWARDS

The Holy Spirit anoints us in many ways. There is the grace of faith to believe that we have been saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the faith that leads to salvation. There is also the gift of faith that enables us to put our trust in Jesus to accomplish through us what he has promised to do. This charismatic gift enables us to step out of our comfort zone. Peter was invited by Jesus to get out of the boat and come to him on the water. When Peter did, he was acting on the gift of faith, trusting, for a while, in Jesus. The same is true when Peter and John said to the crippled beggar at the Temple gate, "In the name of Jesus stand up and walk."  The gift of faith was stirred up in Peter and John as they spoke the words that set the man free from his physical bondage. Ask God to stir up in a fresh new way this gift of faith in you so that, trusting in God, you will be able to act in his name when he calls you to.