Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Yesterday the Church celebrated the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  The feast commemorates the queen mother, St Helena’s finding of the Cross on which the Savior of the world was crucified.  Presently, major portions of the Cross are enshrined in Rome along with other relics of Our Lord’s Passion.  In today’s Gospel our Lord very clearly refers to the Cross for Himself AND for those who would be His disciples.  So stunning was this revelation that immediately Peter forcefully objects to this proclamation.  He cannot comprehend nor understand what is basically  Christ’s teaching about salvific suffering.  In time Peter will have his own martyrdom, then he will understand.

      We, of course, cannot be too critical of Peter since we also are perplexed by the mystery of suffering.  How often do we cry out: “why Lord?” and there seems to be no satisfactory answer.  Only faith in Jesus can help us cope with the cross.  It is of utmost importance to not allow despair or disbelief dictate our rebuttal of the cross.  Sadly, many who are lacking faith fall into this trap and attempt to escape by a myriad of unhealthy, both physically and spiritually, things that rip apart the integrity of one’s soul.  As the song goes: “looking for answers in all the wrong places.”  The answers are found only in Him who is the way, the truth, and the life.

This past week we have had two very successful events: the St. Joseph golf tournament at Crick Hill and the quilt raffle conducted by the women’s’ guild at St. Bernard’s.  Our sincere thanks to Kathy and Augie Stile for conducting the tournament and all its preparation.  Thank you to the participants and gift donors and the managers of the course.  Women’s Guild members:   You did a terrific job in promoting the raffle and giving the proceeds of over a thousand dollars towards our 100th anniversary celebration.  Many thanks.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     “Decisions, decisions, decisions,”  I’m sure many of you are familiar with this lament if you have not already expressed it yourselves.  From the moment we wake our life is filled with decisions- making and though we often do it spontaneously there are indeed times when thoughtful consideration and discernment are necessary.  So we are faced with a hierarchy of decision-making.  Some would express it as: “what are my priorities?”  When we find ourselves perplexed in this process to Whom do we turn, i.e, Who has the most influence in our lives?  Should it not be the Lord?  But how often is He the first and foremost Influencer?  Perhaps, too often, it is society, other people ,celebrities, coaches, even  children who are the most influential in the course we will follow.

    In today’s First Reading, Joshua proposes a choice for the people of Israel. Either they choose to follow and be obedient to the God Who saved them from Pharaoh’s wrath or they go another way.  Indeed, as Scripture recounts, many times they had gone another way and things ended up in disaster.  Our Blessed Lord in today’s Gospel also presents a choice for those who to date had been following Him.  Some decide that the “Bread of Life” teaching was too much to bear and so they left.   How many today make the same mistake.  Looking for so-called greener pastures, they become satisfied with far less and by their choice miss out on the greater good, namely the Holy Eucharist.

     But the largess of God is that He so respects our free will that He gives us the power to make the decision to follow Him or not. And as a result we deprive ourselves of the greater Good.  What then will our future bring?

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Our Lord continues in today’s Gospel with His exposition on Himself as the Bread of Life.  No doubt those hearing Him are perplexed if not shocked.  Ringing in their minds is the question: “How can this be?”  In our own daily encounters do not loved ones and strangers say something that puts us in a quandary?  Do we dismiss them, which would be un-Christlike, or do we take the time and effort to try and understand what they mean.  The same should go with our Lord.  Doesn’t He, above all, deserve the time and effort to understand what He means.  This is the whole point of our first reading–the pursuit of wisdom.

    Remember that wisdom is one of the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit received at Confirmation.  Indeed It has been dispersed from time to time to individuals in order to accomplish the purpose God has for our salvation.  But anyone who has been Confirmed possesses this gift in order to delve into the mysteries of Christ and His Words to us.

     And so we apply wisdom to our study of the Sacred Scriptures (the 73 books of the Bible), and the Sacred Tradition (the Catechism) that we may grow in knowledge and understanding of our Faith. This is a life-long process.  Those of us who follow Dominican spirituality are bound to spend a considerable portion of each day in study and contemplation.  We are committed to unleashing the power of wisdom in order to understand more fully  the Sacred texts and apply them to daily lives.  Soon, members of our Dominican fraternity will be addressing the essential aspects of what Dominican spirituality entails and will be inviting all and any to join our monthly gathering.  In community we share the wisdom that has been allocated to each and for this effort  we reap deeper and more profound understanding of what the Lord is saying to us.  Collective wisdom is unstoppable.

     This Tuesday is the feast of our patron in Beach Lake, St. Bernard of Clairvaux.  As we are preparing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the church in his name we hope that many will join in the celebration.  Bishop Bambera will offer the Pontifical Mass on September 29th, Sunday at 10:30 AM. There will be no Mass at St. John that day so please make every effort to be with us that day.  This, by the way, is the third time this year that Bishop Bambera has visited and offered Mass in our parish.  It seems that the people of greater Honesdale are very special to him.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

August 14: 5:00 PM-St. Joseph’s, Rileyville

August 15: 7:25 AM & 12:05 PM-St. Mary Magdalen

5:00 PM-St. Bernard’s, Beach Lake

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     As the preacher and the prophet of the Good News, i.e. the long-awaited salvation of the world, our Lord captivated the hearts and minds of multitudes. But in the Bread of Life discourses we have been reading in John’s Gospel there comes a critical turning point.  How would you react if someone came up to you and said: “I am the bread of life”?  People were dumbfounded. You can hear the murmuring: “…has He lost His mind?”; “what does He mean?”;” these are mysterious sayings.  We can only imagine the baffled reactions to what He said.

It all begins with the initial question: Is He God or not? “Is He the Truth or a charlatan?”  Every one of us must answer that question in order to proceed further in accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ.  If we say and believe that He is God then ALL things are possible.  If not, then let us not waste our time. 

      How often we read in The Sacred Scriptures how God has fed His own, whether individually or collectively.  Each time He is demonstrating His power over the natural order which He Himself has put in place.  He can do with His creation as He deems best for His loved ones.  And that is exactly what He does when it comes to the Bread of Life.  It is the most intimate way God can be joined to His chosen ones.  First chosen in the waters of Baptism and then nourished, strengthened, and united with Him and others in the Holy Eucharist.

   Oh Lord how you do love us in being the Bread of Life.  Perhaps our uncertain, baffled reaction is because we cannot comprehend the immensity of your love. Is IT too much for us? Only if our hearts are too constricted to receive the immensity of your love.  Expand our hearts, Lord.  Let us revel in the holy union with You and by our humble response may the world see That You indeed are the Bread of Life.

Remember that August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother Mary.  It is a Holy Day of Obligation and all are bound to participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  Please check the bulletin for Mass times

With Blessings,

Father Langan 

Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ,

     From the earliest days of the Church, we Christians have been mocked and taunted by the evil one in many ways and forms.   One of the most ancient, i.e., in Roman Empire times, our Blessed Lord was portrayed as a donkey on the cross.  Believers do NOT respond in violence and vitrial but rather with sorrow for those so perverted by the “ways of the world” and  sincere prayer for their conversion to Him Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  After all, isn’t prayer more powerful than hate? 

   Who doesn’t like sports?  And we admire all the preparation, stamina, and grit and determination that athletes endure in order to achieve their best.  We applaud their hard work.  All of this helps to raise our spirits, enhance our patriotic fervor and affirm all that is good virtuous sportsmanship.  The Olympics are indeed supposed to foster these noble expectations.

     Unfortunately and sadly the spirit of the Olympics have been marred and tarnished by the vulgar and blasphemous opening ceremonies this past week.  For anyone watching them when it was horrific to see Our Lord’s Last Supper mocked and denigrated in such a vile and provoked manner.  How do we as faithful Christians respond to this grievous perversion of that which is holy?  Not only do we pray for the conversion of the perpetrators but we also use the media to reflect upon itself.  We take peaceful but determined action.  Voice your protest by contacting the Olympic committee at:  media@Paris2024.org.  We do not sit back idly when under attack but rather let it be known that we do not tolerate any affront to our belief.

    On a happier note I wish to thank all who were part of the joyful week of Vacation Bible School.  Anna Avery and her staff did an excellent job in energizing the Faith of our young children as well as the teen volunteers who are to be commended for their Faith and enthusiasm.  VBS has become an important ministry in our work of evangelization and we know that the children enjoyed it tremendously.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     In the progression of the Gospels that we will hear proclaimed over the next month Our Lord is preparing His followers to receive the most precious gift that mankind has received from God, namely the Holy Eucharist.  The preparation begins with Jesus feeding the body.  Once hunger and thirst are satisfied, He raises the stakes, as it were, to feeding the soul.  Our human nature suffers from a double hunger and once the more basic is taken care of we can dispose ourselves for the greater gift.

     Unfortunately many do not move on from the primal needs to the higher spiritual needs.  The first takes care of this world, the second with the heavenly. The first is passing, the second eternal.  But why is it that, more and oftentimes solely, people’s interest and devotion are for the earthly satisfaction rather than the heavenly?  It’s all a matter of belief. If we believe that we are immortal, i.e., made to live forever then we recognize we need something or better yet Someone to reassure us that that our destiny is beyond time and space and that as social beings we are meant to live in a communion with others, most especially the One Who has created us. The assurance comes with the promise of Presence, here and now that comes to completion when we transcend the limitations of this world.  That Presence is the Lord Himself in the Holy Eucharist. 

      In the aftermath of the recent National Eucharistic Congress we affirm that we are a Eucharistic people, united with God and others, who believe in the Presence of Christ among us under the appearance of Bread and Wine.  Just as the masses journeyed to find Jesus and flocked to Him, so too we journey every time we make our way to Holy Mass to hear the Words of our Savior and to partake of the Food for Eternal Life.  Having been fed it is our mission to go and let the world know He is here.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

The Guild will hold our annual Penny Social on Friday, July 26, 2024 in the downstairs hall at St. Bernard’s Church, Catholic Church Road, Beach Lake, PA. The doors open at 6:15 pm and drawings will begin at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be available.