Welcome
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr, November 22
Responsorial Psalm (Dan 3)
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112221.cfm
How fitting on this feast of Saint Cecilia, we sing this beautiful hymn of the Three Youths in the Fiery Furnace! Saint Cecilia is one of the young women martyrs of the early church. Because of the method of her martyrdom she is the patron saint of musicians and choirs.
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OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, 2021
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. (Rev 1:5-8)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112121.cfm
The Feast of Christ the King invites us to remember our dignity as “a kingdom, priests for his God and Father.” “Dominion, glory, and kingship” all defined by service to the poor and outcasts. Christ our king whose crown is made of thorns. Today’s video is Servir es Reinar (To Serve is to Reign).
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Saturday of our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary
King Antiochus said: “But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of gold and silver
that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed.
I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.” (1 Mc 6:1-13)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112021.cfm
Progroms against the Jews has been a consistent part of their long history. As we come to the end of the Books of the Maccabees, we hear this remorse from King Antiochus. In Fiddler On The Roof the question is asked, “Is there a proper blessing for the Tsar? And the rabbi answers: “A blessing for the Tsar? Of course, ‘May God bless and keep the Tsar . . . far away from us!’”
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Friday, Week XXXIII, Ordinary Time
There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed. Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev. (1 Mc 4:36-37,52-59)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111921.cfm
The anniversary of the dedication of the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem is remembered in the Jewish feast of Hanukkah. This year Hanukkah will be celebrated from November 28-December 6.
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Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles, November 18
Then Mattathias went through the city shouting, “Let everyone who is zealous for the law and who stands by the covenant follow after me!” Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons, leaving behind in the city all their possessions. Many who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom went out into the desert to settle there. (1 Mc 2:15-29)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111821.cfm
We continue the heroic stories of the Books of Maccabees. Today we hear about Mattathias and his sons. The tiny Christian community in Rome was able to claim the two greatest apostles as its founders, Peter and Paul. Both were martyred in Rome. The anniversaries of the dedication of the two basilicas erected over their tombs have always been celebrated together.
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Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, November 17
It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,
to force them to eat pork in violation of God’s law. Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother,
who saw her seven sons perish in a single day, yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord. (2 Mc 7:1,20-31)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111721.cfm
The story of the mother and her seven sons is another example of faithfulness in the face of death. Saint Elizabeth was an early follower of Saint Francis of Assisi. She is considered the founder of the Third Order of Saint Francis.
Saint Gertrude, the Great, Saint Margaret of Scotland, Saint Giuseppe Moscati, November 16
When he was about to die under the blows, Eleazar groaned and said: “The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to him.”
This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation. (2 Mc 6:18-31)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111621.cfm
The story of Eleazar gives us an example of faithfulness even to the point of death. The saints for today are like a mini-All Saints Day: Saint Gertrude (d. 1302) was a medieval Benedictine abbess, Saint Margaret (d. 1093) was queen of Scotland, and Saint Giuseppe Moscati (d. 1927), an Italian medical doctor. All three give us example of courage and virtue. Please enjoy the short film, St. Gertrude.
