January 29, 2014

In Tampa

Friends and followers: I'll be in Tampa, Florida this week of January 27 through 31st with the Institute for Priestly Formation as we serve Vocation Directors from across the country with an silent, directed retreat.

There will be no updates this week. I'll resume updating the blog on Saturday, February 1st.

Let's keep praying for each other.

January 26, 2014

Homily: Sunday, January 26, 2014

HOMILY: 3RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

Please note: today's homily includes a detailed letter from Bishop Fabre addressed to the parish family at Christ the Redeemer. Due to the nature of the letter, and the amount of details therein, key selections from the recording have be clipped and edited away from the final audio file. Pertinent information remains. The full letter, not available in this recording, is most prudently appreciated live and in the context of the attending congregation. However, the edited audio file below not only captures the heart of Bishop Fabre's letter, but it more importantly contains pastoral comments from Fr. Mark as shepherd of Christ the Redeemer.



Below is the full text of the formal announcement from Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, released Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2014

Greetings in the Lord!  I want to make you aware of two priest personnel changes that pastoral circumstances require take place in the near future.

Fr. Blair Sabaricos, a priest of the Diocese of Tagbilaran in the Philippines, will be coming to minister in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux staring in February 2014.  Fr. Blair’s ministry here is part of our ongoing agreement to welcome priests from this diocese for a specified period of time in ministry here in our diocese.  Taking into account the parish needs at Christ the Redeemer as well as other considerations, after consultation with other diocesan officials I have appointed Fr. Blair as Associate Pastor at Christ the Redeemer Parish in Thibodaux.  Fr. Sabaricos served very well during a previous period of time that he was in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.  We welcome him back to the diocese and look forward to his priestly ministry here again.

Fr. John Theckevalliara, who has served since April 2013 as Associate Pastor at Christ the Redeemer, will take up residency at Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chackbay.  Fr. John, who came to the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux just over a year ago to engage in hospital ministry, changed his plans soon after his arrival and made the decision to study CPE.  Since there is no place to study CPE in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Fr. John will need to leave the diocese to accomplish these plans that he has made.  However, it was revealed that to study CPE Fr. John would need a change in his status with the US Government.  The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux has sponsored Fr. John for this change in status and it is in process.  Since I needed to place Fr. Sabaricos at Christ the Redeemer, I met with Fr. John to discuss this as well as his future plans for CPE and ministry here in the USA.  In the end, the request that Fr. John made that I could immediately and easily fulfill, with due consideration for his current and hoped for future status with the US Government, was his desire to be in residence in a parish as he awaits this requested change in his status with the US Government.  Therefore, Fr. John will reside at Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chackbay.

I ask your prayers for these priests and for this parish community as they transition in these ways.  Know of my great gratitude for the priestly service offered by each one of you!  Peace!

All the readings together

Recorded Sunday, January 26, 2014 at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Thibodaux, Louisiana. © Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

NAZARETH: DAY 14
Week 3: What was Jesus' life like as a teenager?
WISDOM: Jesus would have grown in wisdom


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

“This human soul that the Son of God assumed is endowed with a true human knowledge. As such, this knowledge could not in itself be unlimited: it was exercised in the historical conditions of his existence in space and time. This is why the Son of God could, when he became man, ‘increase in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man’, and would even have to inquire for himself about what one in the human condition can learn only from experience. This corresponded to the reality of his voluntary emptying of himself, taking ‘the form of a slave.’”
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 472

“We cannot rely solely on the news if we want to understand the world and life. We must be able to remain in silence, in meditation, in calm and prolonged reflection; we must know how to stop and think. In this way, our mind can find healing from the inevitable wounds of daily life, can go deeper into the events that occur in our lives and in the world, and come to the knowledge that allows us to evaluate things with new eyes.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Vespers, December 31, 2012

“Whoever thinks with God thinks well, and whoever speaks to God speaks well. They have valid criteria to judge all the things of the world. They become prudent, wise, and at the same time good; they also become strong and courageous with the strength of God, who resists evil and fosters good in the world.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15, 2005

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Imagine Jesus as a teenager learning more and more about the mind of the Father by learning about the Old Testament’s revelation of the Father. Imagine Jesus learning to love the great Old Testament books, such as Wisdom and Proverbs. Read Wisdom, chapter 1. Read it a few times. Pay attention to what words or phrases “tug” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text. Ask yourself, are you more influenced by God or the world?

Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scenes” of Nazareth: Joseph teaching Jesus the Old Testament; Joseph teaching Jesus about the story of the Chosen People; Mary teaching Jesus about his own history; Mary teaching Jesus about prayer. Be there. Be with them. As you are with them, they turn to you. They ask you: “What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you by desiring wisdom more than I desire information.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 25, 2014

Fr. Robert Barron: 3rd Sunday of OT



FR. ROBERT BARRON: 3RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
Click here to listen to Fr. Barron's reflections for Mass this Sunday

NAZARETH: DAY 13
Week 2: What was Jesus' childhood like?
ANXIETY: Mary and Joseph were filled with anxiety


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

FOR YOUR PRAYER

As Mary and Joseph looked for Jesus they no doubt prayed as they felt great anxiety. Familiar with the Psalms, one can imagine them praying Psalm 4. Read Psalm 4. Read them a few times. Pay attention to what words or phrases “tug” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text.

Now, prayerfully imagine the scene in Luke 2:44-45. Jesus is missing … he is lost … he is gone. What went through Mary’s heart when she first realized he was not with them? As a father picked to protect Jesus, what went through Joseph’s heart as he searched? Be there. Be with them. See their anxiety. Feel their anxiety. As you are with them, they turn to you. They ask you: “What are you most anxious about? What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you by allowing you to enter my anxiety.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 24, 2014

January 24, 2014: Patience

MEMORIAL OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES
PATRON SAINT OF THE DIOCESE OF HOUMA-THIBODAUX

Mark 3:13-19



Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube



Click on the image above for today's blog about Saints ... it's awesome.


NAZARETH: DAY 12
Week 2: What was Jesus' childhood like?
FREE: What does the finding in the Temple tell us about Jesus?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

“In some portrayals of the figure of Jesus, the emphasis is placed almost exclusively on the radical aspects, on Jesus’ challenge to false piety. Thus Jesus is presented as a liberal or a revolutionary. It is true that in his mission as Son, Jesus did introduce a new phase in man’s relationship to God, opening up a new dimension of human intimacy with God. But this was not an attack on Israel’s piety. Jesus’ freedom is not the freedom of the liberal. It is the freedom of the Son, and thus the freedom of the truly devout person. As Son, Jesus brings a new freedom: not the freedom of someone with no obligations, but the freedom of someone totally united with the Father’s will, someone who helps mankind to attain the freedom of inner oneness with God. Jesus came not to abolish, but to complete (cf. Mt 5: 17). This link between radical newness and equally radical faithfulness, rooted in Jesus’ sonship, emerges clearly in the short narrative about the twelve-year-old: indeed, I would say it is the actual theological content that this story is intended to convey.”

Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, pg. 120-121

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Joseph and Mary would have allowed Jesus’ single-hearted love for the Father to naturally mature in his heart. And the Psalms would have been central in the prayer life of the Holy Family. Psalms 63 and 37 both speak of a single-hearted love for God. First read Psalm 63 and then Psalm 37:1-7. Read them a few times. Pay attention to what words or phrases “tug” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text.

Now, prayerfully imagine the scene in Luke 2:46. The child Jesus is teaching in the Temple. Be with him. Look at him. Be there. Notice his freedom. Now, he turns to you. Jesus asks you: “Are you free? What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell him? Listen to what he says in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you by growing in the freedom.


© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 23, 2014

January 23, 2014: Fear, Smoke, and Fire

THURSDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME

Mark 3:7-12


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

NAZARETH: DAY 11
Week 2: What was Jesus' childhood like?
IDENTITY: Why did Jesus go to the Temple when He was 12?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

“The Torah laid down that every Israelite was to make an appearance in the Temple for the three great feasts: Passover, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Exodus 23: 17; 34: 23f.; Deuteronomy 16: 16f.). The question whether women were also obliged to make this pilgrimage was a matter of debate between the schools of Shammai and Hillel. As for boys, the obligation applied to them once they had completed their thirteenth year. But it is also laid down that they were to accustom themselves gradually to the commandments. One way of doing this was to make the pilgrimage at the age of twelve.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, pg. 121

“Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.”
Luke 2:41-42

The Holy Father continues: “The fact that Mary and Jesus also took part in the pilgrimage once again demonstrates the piety of Jesus’ family. We should also note the deeper meaning of the pilgrimage: by going up to the Temple three times a year, Israel remains, as it were, God’s pilgrim people, always journeying toward its God and receiving its identity and unity increasingly from the encounter with God in the one Temple. The holy family takes its place within this great pilgrim community on its way to the Temple and to God.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, pg. 122

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus would recited their favorite passages form the Old Testament as they walked 93 miles over seven days. Read Isaiah 43:1-7. Read it a few times. Pay attention to what words or phrases “tug” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text. What is God saying to you as He sees you through His eyes.

Now, prayerfully imagine the scene in Luke 2:46. The child Jesus is teaching in the Temple. Be with him. Look at him. Be there. Notice his freedom. Now, he turns to you. Jesus asks you: “How do you define yourself?” What do you want to tell him? Listen to what he says in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you by growing allowing you and you alone to determine my identity.” 

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 22, 2014

January 22, 2014: Rudder

DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PROTECTION OF UNBORN CHILDREN

Mark 3:1-6


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

NAZARETH: DAY 10
Week 2: What was Jesus' childhood like?
WITH: What was Mary like as a mother?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”
Luke 2:19

“He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:32-33 

“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted.”
Luke 2:34

“And you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:35

FOR YOUR PRAYER

The Psalms would have offered great solace to Mary as she “kept all these things, reflecting on them in their heart.” Read Psalm 139:1-16. Read it a few times. Pay attention to what word or phrases “tugs” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text.

Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scenes” of Nazareth: late in the evening, under the blanket of night, Mary moves beside Jesus’ bed. She looks at Jesus as he sleeps in peace. There in the silence, as she beholds her son, she recalls all that was said to her. And you are there, with her. You look at her. You look at Jesus sleeping. You look again to Mary. She turns to you. She asks you, “What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell her? Listen to what she says in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you by growing in relationship with your Mother.” 

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 21, 2014

January 21, 2014: Equipped for the Call

MEMORIAL OF SAINT AGNES, VIRGIN & MARTYR

Week 2: What was Jesus' childhood like?
FATHERED: What was Joseph's role in Jesus' childhood?


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“In this family, Joseph is the father: his fatherhood is not one that derives from begetting offspring; but neither is it an ‘apparent’ or merely ‘substitute’ fatherhood. Rather, it is one that fully shares in authentic human fatherhood and the mission of a father in the family.”
John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, no. 21

“By calling God ‘Father’, the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood, which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard: no one is father as God is Father.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 239

FOR YOUR PRAYER

The “father’s blessing” was a rich tradition among Jewish fathers. Rooted in the tradition of Genesis 49:25-28, Joseph would have prayed over Jesus countless times. Read Psalm 103. Consider Joseph teaching Jesus Psalm 103 as he blessed Jesus with those words. Read it a few times. Pay attention to what word or phrases “tugs” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text.

Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scenes” of Nazareth: Joseph teaching Jesus how to pray; Joseph teaching Jesus the basic trade of carpentry; Joseph gazing at the stars with Jesus, teaching him how to read the sky; Joseph laughing with Jesus; Joseph spending time with Jesus. Pick a scene and let it unfold in your imagination. You are there, with them. They turn to you. They ask you, “What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you and with the Father.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 20, 2014

January 20, 2014: Fraternal Correction

MONDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME

NAZARETH: DAY 8
Week 2: Getting to know the Holy Family
MISUNDERSTOOD: Did Jesus have brothers and sisters?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

“He came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, ‘Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?  Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?’”
Matthew 13:55-56

“His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, ‘Your mother and your brothers [and your sisters] are outside asking for you.’ But he said to them in reply, ‘Who are my mother and [my] brothers?’ And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. [For] whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’”
Mark 3:31-35

“The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ's birth ‘did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it.’ And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the ‘Ever-virgin.’”
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 499

“Against this doctrine the objection is sometimes raised that the Bible mentions brothers and sisters of Jesus. The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact James and Joseph, ‘brothers of Jesus,’ are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls ‘the other Mary’. They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 500

“Jesus is Mary's only son, but her spiritual motherhood extends to all men whom indeed he came to save: ‘the Son whom she brought forth is he whom God placed as the first-born among many brethren, that is, the faithful in whose generation and formation she co-operates with a mother's love.’”
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 501

“The word ‘brethren’ (Greek adelphoi) has a broader meaning than blood brothers. Since ancient Hebrew had no word for ‘cousin’, it was customary to use ‘brethren’ in the Bible for relationships other than blood brothers. In the Greek Old Testament, a ‘brother’ can be a nearly related cousin (1st Chronicles 23:21-22), a more remote kinsman (Deuteronomy 23:72nd Kings 10:13-14), an uncle or a nephew (Genesis 13:8), or the relation between men bound by covenant (2nd Samuel 1:26; see 1st Samuel 18:3). Continuing this Old Testament tradition, the New Testament often uses ‘brother’ or ‘brethren’ in this wider sense. Paul uses it as a synonym for his Israelite kinsmen in Romans 9:3. It also denotes biologically unrelated Christians in the New Covenant family of God (Romans 8:2912:1Colossians 1:2Hebrews 2:11James 1:2CCC, no. 500).”
Scott Hahn, Curtis Mitch, and Dennis Walters, The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament 
  • Further notes from the footnote for Matthew 12:46 read: “The New Testament often mentions Jesus' brethren (13:55Mark 3:316:3Luke 8:19John 2:127:3Acts 1:14Galatians 1:19). The Church maintains, however, that Jesus' Mother, Mary, remained a virgin throughout her life. These so-called brethren of Jesus are thus his relatives but not children of Mary. Four observations support the Church's tradition: (1) These brethren are never called the children of Mary, although Jesus himself is (John 2:119:25Acts 1:14). (2) Two names mentioned, James and Joseph, are sons of a different ‘Mary’ in Matthew 27:56 (Mark 15:40). (3) It is unlikely that Jesus would entrust his Mother to the Apostle John at his Crucifixion if she had other natural sons to care for her (John 19:26-27).” 

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Imagine how often Joseph and Mary would have prayed when they were misunderstood. When Mary first conceived she was misunderstood. When Joseph decided to proceed with their marriage he was misunderstood. When Jesus was rejected in the synagogue in Nazareth he was misunderstood. Read John 15:16, then read John 15:1-15. Read it a few times. Pay attention to what word or phrases “tugs” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text.

Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scene” of Nazareth. Imagine Mary going to the water well in Nazareth. It is merely weeks after Jesus’ birth. The small-minded gossipers of Nazareth are still whispering about Mary and Joseph and the misunderstood “circumstances” of her pregnancy.
You are there, with her. She turns to you. She asks you, “What’s on your heart today? When do you feel misunderstood?” What do you want to tell her? Listen to what she says in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to be present to you as you are present to me.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 19, 2014

Homily: Sunday, January 19, 2014

HOMILY: 2ND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
"PRESENT"



All the readings together

OPENING IMAGE
  • My experience of flying home from Chicago was ...
  • I was stunned with how plugged in we are, and, therefore, how not present we are.

TRANSITION OPENING IMAGE TO CORE MESSAGE
  • What would have happened? ... if Rosa Parks doesn't sit in the front of the bus? ... if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. doesn't make a decision to lead a bus boycott in 1955? if Dr. King doesn't share the God-inspired "I have a dream" speech in 1963. What would have happened if they weren't present to the present moment?
  • What would have happened? ... if Mary doesn't listen to the Angel Gabriel's prompting? If Joseph goes back to sleep when Gabriel speaks to him in the dream? If John the Baptist doesn't listen to the voice of the Father speaking to him about Jesus in front of him? What would have happened if they weren't present to the present moment?

CORE MESSAGE
  • We can "miss" life if we're not careful. We need to be present to the present moment.

WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT THE CORE MESSAGE
  • Today's Psalm is Psalm 40 and the response is 40:8: "Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will." It's easy for us to focus on the last part: "I come to do your will." However, far too many times we miss His will be missed the first part "Here am I, Lord." Are we here ... here now ... in the present moment?
  • Today's Gospel is from John, chapter 1. John the Baptist is present to the present moment. He is present to God in the present moment. He hears God in the present moment. He then notices Jesus because of this. Therefore, John recognizes Jesus as the Lamb of God. All this happened because John is present to the present moment. 

THREE CHALLENGES WE FACE TO THE CORE MESSAGE
  •  Our secular culture has lost it's focus. We often confuse pleasure and joy: seeking pleasure hoping that it will bring us joy. We often confuse stimulation and receptivity: seeking to always be doing something rather than receiving the moment and the people therein.
  • We live more isolated. We're more "connected" than ever. However, we more alone than ever. Do we really know each other better today than people did 100 years ago?
  • Isolation has lead to narcissism. Once we're isolated we then become responsible for own fulfillment. Life becomes about what I want.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE'RE NOT ATTENTIVE TO THE CORE MESSAGE?
  • We'll loose touch with God. We get too busy. We begin to relate to God, asking for help for our future, while at the same time struggling to experience Him at all in the here and now. God will seem distant. Life will get heavier and heavier.
  • We then look to the "world" and the "world" alone for satisfaction. Life becomes a pursuit of what I can glean from the "world". I will want more and more and enjoy and relish less and less.
  • I will seek satisfaction in pleasure. Relationships will suffer because: I'm constantly thinking or working to get more provide more; I'm seeking pleasure as a reward because I deserve it; I resent the people closest to me because they "don't make me happy" or "fulfill what I want."

HOW CAN FAMILIES INTEGRATE THE CORE MESSAGE?
  • When you're together be together. Unplug. Turn off the TV, the computer, and all the iGadgets. Recommit to the art of conversation.
  • Invest in time. Make more time to be present to each other. Do what you enjoy, but do it together.
  • There is order in order. Parents must be parents, not friends. 

CONCLUSION
  • God is present to you. He's longing for you. Are you present to Him?

Recorded Sunday, January 19, 2014 at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Thibodaux, Louisiana. © Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

NAZARETH: DAY 8
Week 2: Getting to know the Holy Family
PRESENT: What kind of family was the Holy Family?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Imagine how many times Joseph and Mary would have prayed together with Jesus. Imagine the way Nazareth would have mirrored the “pace” written of in Psalm 131. Read Psalm 131. Read it a few times. Pay attention to what word or phrases “tugs” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text. Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scene” of Nazareth. Imagine an ordinary evening in the home of the Holy Family. No TV. No internet. No play station. Mary and Joseph would have been present to Jesus, enjoying the evening together. You are there, with them. Then, they turn to you. They ask you, “What’s on your heart today? How do you feel about your life, your pace, your family?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to be present to you as you are present to me.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 18, 2014

Fr. Robert Barron: 2nd Sunday of OT



FR. ROBERT BARRON: 2ND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
Click here to listen to Fr. Barron's reflections for Mass this Sunday

NAZARETH: DAY 1
Week 1: Getting to know Mary and Joseph
OTHER: What kind of marriage did Mary and Joseph have?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Imagine how many times Joseph and Mary would have prayed together as a married couple. Begin today by reading Galatians 2:20 and John 3:30. Read them a few times. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text. Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scene” of Nazareth. Imagine an ordinary evening in the home of the Holy Family. Jesus is sleeping. Mary and Joseph are enjoying the evening together. You are there, with them. Then, they turn to you. They ask you, “What’s on your heart today? How do you feel about your marriage or your celibacy?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to know where you and Joseph and Mary are in my vocation.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

January 17, 2014

Nazareth: Day 5: January 17

NAZARETH: DAY 1
Week 1: Getting to know Mary and Joseph
LISTEN: What kind of husband was Joseph?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

“According to Jewish custom, marriage took place in two stages: first, the legal, or true marriage was celebrated, and then, only after a certain period of time, the husband brought the wife into his own house. Thus, before he lived with Mary, Joseph was already her ‘husband.’”
Blessed John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, no. 18

“Addressing Joseph through the words of the angel, God speaks to him as the husband of the Virgin of Nazareth. What took place in her through the power of the Holy Spirit also confirmed in a special way the marriage bond which already existed between Joseph and Mary. God's messenger was clear in what he said to Joseph: ‘Do not fear to take Mary your wife into your home.’ … In the [words from the Angel] Joseph not only heard the divine truth concerning his wife's indescribable vocation; he also heard once again the truth about his own vocation.”
Blessed John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, no. 18

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Imagine how many times Joseph would have prayed with his wife, Mary. Imagine how often they would have prayed the Psalms. Begin today by reading Psalm 61. Read it a few times. Listen to the word or phrase God using to speak to you. Now return to Psalm 85. Read it a few times. Again, listen to the word or phrase God using to speak to you.

Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scene” of Nazareth. Imagine an ordinary evening in the home of the Holy Family. Jesus is sleeping. Mary and Joseph are enjoying the evening together. Joseph and Mary long to pray with each other. Imagine May singing Psalm 61. Joseph follows her as he sings Psalm 85. Then … together … in silence … they listen to what God is saying to them about their marriage. Then, they turn to you. They ask you, “What’ s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply.

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to know where you and Joseph are in my vocation.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014

READINGS AT TODAY'S DAILY MASS
FRIDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
MEMORIAL OF SAINT ANTHONY, ABBOT

January 16, 2014

Nazareth: Day 4: January 16

NAZARETH: DAY 4
Week 1: Getting to know Mary and Joseph
VOCATION: What was Mary and Joseph's marriage really like?


Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube

If Jesus really is the Son of God, Mary’s conception had to be Divinely inspired. Thus, both Matthew and Luke make it clear that Mary was a virgin at the moment of her conception.
Footnote in The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament states: 

  • see Matthew 1:20, “For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her” and Luke 1:27; 34-35, “to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary … ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’ And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” 
  • “The Greek heos does not imply that Joseph and Mary had marital relations following Jesus' birth. This conjunction is often used (translated "to" or "till") to indicate a select period of time, without implying change in the future (2 Sam 6:23 [LXX]; Jn 9:18; 1 Tim 4:13). Here Matthew emphasizes only that Joseph had no involvement in Mary's pregnancy before Jesus' birth. • Mary's perpetual virginity is firmly established in Church tradition. Its doctrinal formulation is traced to the Lateran Synod of A.D. 649 and was reaffirmed in 1968 by Pope Paul VI (The Credo of the People of God, 14; CCC 499-501)”

In 1964 the Second Vatican Council released Lumen Gentium. After presenting Mary as “pre-eminent and as a wholly unique member of the Church”, the Council fathers describe her to be the Church's “type and outstanding model in faith and charity”.  When the Church defines Mary as the “type” it means she “represents” of all humanity. So, in Christ we see God perfectly revealed and in Mary we see all of humanity represented.
Lumen Gentium, no. 53

If Mary represents all of humanity, Mary represents all vocations. The only way to understand our vocation on earth is to understand our ultimate destiny in heaven. The Gospels repeatedly referred to Jesus as the Bridegroom.
see John 3:29; Mark 2:18-20; Ephesians 5:25

Furthermore, the Bible clearly states that, once we get to Heaven, we (the Bride) will be united forever with Christ (the Bridegroom). Therefore, to understand our vocation we must understand that our souls were made for marriage: the ultimate marriage with God in heaven. When speaking of vocations, the Church describes two fundamental “states” in life, two ways of preparing for our ultimate marriage in heaven. Either we are married to a person through the Sacrament of Matrimony or we forgo earthy marriage, choosing celibacy as a partial tasting on earth of our inevitable marriage to God in heaven.

FOR YOUR PRAYER

Imagine how often Mary would have prayed with the prophet Isaiah. Imagine how many times Mary would prayed with her husband Joseph. Begin today by reading Isaiah 62:1-7. Compliment Isaiah with Ephesians 3:14-21. Read both a few times. What word or phrase is God using to speak to you. . Now, prayerfully imagine the “hidden scene” of Nazareth. Imagine an ordinary evening in the home of the Holy Family. Jesus is sleeping. Mary and Joseph are enjoying the evening together. What are the kinds of conversations they would have with each other? How does a married couple enjoy each other with God as the center? Be with them. Listen to them. Now … they turn to you … and ask you to talk to them about your vocation. What do you want to say to them?

TODAY'S PRAYER:  “Jesus, I desire know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to know where you and Mary are in my vocation.”

© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014



NAZARETH: A NEW SERIES

Luke and Matthew’s Gospels have their own lens through which they tell the story of Christmas. Thus, the Gospels end differently. Luke has the nativity concluding with the presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22-38), while Matthew has the nativity end with the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-22).

However, both Gospels agree with the place chosen for Jesus’ childhood home: Nazareth.

The Scriptures tell us very little about Nazareth, and what we do know isn’t very flattering. In John 1:46, Nathanael scoffs as he asks, “What good can come from Nazareth?” In Luke 4, Jesus returns home to his native synagogue and proclaims the well known passage from Isaiah 61:1-2. Luke 4: 22 says that immediately following the reading, “And all spoke well of him”. However, soon after, Nazareth’s leaders “were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong.” (Luke 4:28-29) It seems that Jesus struggled to minister in Nazareth, lamenting, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country.” (Luke 4:24)

With all her imperfections, Nazareth was home. While Joseph’s ancestral roots were in Bethlehem , Joseph considered Nazareth home (Luke 2:4). While Mary had relatives to the south in Judah, Mary considered Nazareth home (Luke 1:26).

Nazareth was home. 

In Luke 2:39 we read: "When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him." Later in Luke 2:51: & 52 we read: "He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man."

That's it: three verses. Jesus didn't start his public ministry until he was 30 years old. We know a bit about his birth, much about his last three years of life ... and almost nothing about his first 30 years of life. All we know is that it all happened in Nazareth.

Over the next several weeks we'll unpack a the hidden text of the Scriptures. In other words, while we don't know the exact details, we do know that much happened in the 30 years of Jesus' hidden life.

Together we'll learn more about Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Together we'll learn more about his childhood, his teenage years, and those sacred years preceding his Baptism. Together we'll learn about what happened in the hidden years ... in Nazareth.

Welcome home, welcome to Nazareth.

READINGS AT TODAY'S DAILY MASS
WEDNESDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME

Mark 1:29-39

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

Christ the Redeemer will start a new Bible study, beginning the last week of January, focusing on the Gospel of Matthew. The class is free. There will be two classes. The first class will be once a week in the morning and the second class will once a week in the evening. If you are interested in more information, please call 985-447-2013 and ask for Margie in reference to the Bible study. Check out the YouTube clip below for a peak at the Bible study.