Saint John Henry Newman’s

Meditation on Hope in God our Creator

In preparation for the one year anniversary of Saint John Henry Newman’s canonization on October 13, we offer the following meditation which the saint wrote on Hope in God our Creator.  It is not only absolutely beautiful, but will give an incredible boost to anyone who is suffering from feeling unwanted or unloved.   Please share this meditation with someone you love:

God was all-complete, all-blessed in Himself; but it was His will to create a world for His glory. He is Almighty, and might have done all things Himself, but it has been His will to bring about His purposes by the beings He has created. We are all created to His glory—we are created to do His will. I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created; I have a place in God’s counsels, in God’s world, which no one else has; whether I be rich or poor, despised or esteemed by man, God knows me and calls me by my name.

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his—if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me—still He knows what He is about.  (John Henry Newman, March 7, 1848)

October 10-11

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Who doesn’t like to attend a wedding reception?  Most people do and unfortunately because of the prevailing pandemic many such receptions have been postponed or cancelled.  We feel deprived if we are not given the opportunity to celebrate love and extend warm heartfelt congratulations to a newly-married husband and wife.

Our Lord uses this very imagery of a wedding banquet to reflect the joyfulness of Heaven.  But as he points out one must be properly dispersed and appropriately attired to join in the celebration.  In other words, wedding crashers are not allowed.  Neither can we crash our way into Heaven.

Think of how earnestly one prepares for attendance at a wedding reception.  We look our best in order to honor the bride and groom.  How much more then when we enter this heavenly banquet that has already begun on earth – namely the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  Our wedding garment is the state of our souls.  Just as we would be horrified to dishonor the couple all the more so should we be diligent in our preparation for the banquet of the Holy Eucharist.  The last thing we would want is to dishonor our Lord who has extended the invitation to us.

Fortunately,  through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus Himself adores us for participation in the Royal Banquet.  Through the ministration of His priests, He guarantees us a place at the table.  He does the clean-up; we need only to come humbly before Him with sorrow for our sins.

I remind you that in addition to our daily confessions before and after Mass and prior to the Sunday Masses we now have Confessions available for you on Saturday mornings from 10:30 – 12:00 in St. Mary Magdalen or in the event of a funeral at St. John’s.  Attire yourself in the mercy of God and be prepared to enter the Banquet either here or in the glory to come.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

October 3-4

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

A happy coincidence occurs this week in the Sacred Scriptures with a 8-day festival celebrated by our Jewish friends.  Beginning at sundown on Friday, October 2^nd and continuing until October 9^th, Sukkoth or feast of booths is commemorated.  This is the harvest festival which gives thanks to God for the bounty of the land.  It is the basis for our secular celebration of Thanksgiving, also meant, but often forgotten to show our gratitude to God for all that He has given us.

Generally in the backyards and fields of the Jewish people, you will see temporary booths or huts set up and ornamented.  Harvesters would live in them while “bringing in the sheaves” of wheat, barley and vegetables.  It was a time to be grateful to God who gives life and sustains it.

From both the Gospel and the Prophet Isaiah we hear of vineyards and harvesting.  What should be a time of gratefulness and rejoicing has been perverted, neglected and infected with envy and greed.  What should have been life-giving became just the opposite and blessings received were lost.

The month of October is a time for us to reflect upon the sanctity of human life most especially the vulnerable life of the unborn.  First,  we respect the life-giving Creator of all.  We recognize He has a plan and it is good.  The prevailing heresy in many circles is that we can dispense with those lives that are inconvenient or burdensome.  This erroneous mentality is contrary to the law of God.

As faithful Catholics we have a solemn obligation to stand up for and speak out when it comes to protecting innocent life.  We use what heaven has provided for us through the hands of the Mother of God – the Rosary.  Padre Pio repeatedly reminded us that this is the powerful weapon that will conquer sin and convert the most hardened of hearts.

Join us in unleashing power of prayer for the respect for life on this coming Saturday, October 10 at the Rosary Rally in Central Park in front of the courthouse.  Holy Mass will be offered in St. Mary Magdalen at 11 AM and the Rally begins at Noon to 2 PM.  In the event of inclement weather, our rally will take place in St. Mary Magdalen.

Remember also that we are adding an additional opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Every Saturday morning from 10:30 AM to 12 Noon, confessions will be heard at St. Mary’s.  In the event of a funeral, they will be at St. John’s.    Hope to see you at the rally.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

PRAYER TO OUR LADY FOR COVID19 BY POPE FRANCIS

“We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God”.

In the present tragic situation, when the whole world is prey to suffering and anxiety, we fly to you, Mother of God and our Mother, and seek refuge under your protection.

Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes towards us amid this coronavirus pandemic. Comfort those who are distraught and mourn their loved ones who have died, and at times are buried in a way that grieves them deeply. Be close to those who are concerned for their loved ones who are sick and who, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, cannot be close to them. Fill with hope those who are troubled by the uncertainty of the future and the consequences for the economy and employment.

Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us to God, the Father of mercies, that this great suffering may end and that hope and peace may dawn anew. Plead with your divine Son, as you did at Cana, so that the families of the sick and the victims be comforted, and their hearts be opened to confidence and trust.

Protect those doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers who are on the frontline of this emergency, and are risking their lives to save others. Support their heroic effort and grant them strength, generosity and continued health.

Be close to those who assist the sick night and day, and to priests who, in their pastoral concern and fidelity to the Gospel, are trying to help and support everyone.

Blessed Virgin, illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research, that they may find effective solutions to overcome this virus.

Support national leaders, that with wisdom, solicitude and generosity they may come to the aid of those lacking the basic necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by farsightedness and solidarity.

Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that the enormous funds invested in developing and stockpiling arms will instead be spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

Beloved Mother, help us realize that we are all members of one great family and to recognize the bond that unites us, so that, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, we can help to alleviate countless situations of poverty and need. Make us strong in faith, persevering in service, constant in prayer.

Mary, Consolation of the afflicted, embrace all your children in distress and pray that God will stretch out his all-powerful hand and free us from this terrible pandemic, so that life can serenely resume its normal course.

To you, who shine on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope, do we entrust ourselves, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.

Today is the 1,600 Anniversary of the death of St. Jerome. St. Jerome devoted his life to the translation of the Sacred Scripture into Latin so that people could read the scriptures and meditate upon the Word of God. Here is a link to the really beautiful letter:

http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2020/09/30/0498/01133.html#EN

Confessions will be heard Saturdays 10:30 a.m. until 12 noon at St. Mary Magdalen Church. Beginning Saturday, October 3, 2020, the Sacrament of Penance will be available at our parish every Saturday morning from 10:30 a.m. until 12noon. Confessions will be heard every Saturday at this time and will be held at St. Mary Magdalen Church. In the event of a Saturday morning funeral at St. Mary Magdalen Church, the confession location will be moved to St. John the Evangelist Church. Please plan on taking advantage of this opportunity for this most healing Sacrament!

September 26-27

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

Today we commemorate Christ. Today we commemorate Catechetical Sunday, recognizing the beginning of this year’s instructing our young parishioners in the love of God and the practice of the Faith. Parents, of course, are the first and foremost educators of their children in the ways of the Faith and emphatically made that commitment on the day of their child’s baptism. However, in order to assist parents in this awesome duty, pastors are morally obliged to provide guidance, encouragement, and resources for parents. Obviously, a pastor cannot do this on his own, and therefore, relies on selfless and committed workers in the vineyard to assist him and you. We are blessed to have an astounding grove of catechists and director of Faith Formation in our parish. At our 10:30 Mass we shall recognize them and invoke God’s blessing upon them. We are deeply grateful for their service to our children and their parents.

This past year, your priests have been offering a holy hour with Confessions on the Wednesday evenings before First Friday. It seems that this was not and opportune time for parishioners since few or no one attended. Therefore, we will cancel that particular service. Instead, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered EVERY Saturday morning from 10:30am until Noon in St. Mary Magdalen. In the event of a Saturday morning funeral, Confessions will be heard at St. John’s. Because of the COVID restrictions and the virtual catechesis of our young, we encourage parents to bring their families to the Saturday morning Confession.

We enter this week into the month of the Rosary. Family life willingly grows stronger if families will pray together the Rosary. You are inviting the Lord and Our Blessed Mother into your homes. There is no better way to bring harmony and peace into family life. Please remember that we have our annual Rosary Rally in Central Park on Saturday, October 10 beginning at 2:00 PM. Let us come together as witnesses to the Faith and the power to heal the ills of our country.

Finally, next Sunday, October 4 is the Feast of the beloved St. Francis of Assisi. As is our custom, there will be the blessing of your pets in St. Mary Magdalen parking lot at Noon.

With Blessings,
Father Langan

September 19-20

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

How often have we heard, especially these days, “Oh, it isn’t fair!”  Most of us indeed have a sense of fair-play, fair-pay; and what is rightly due me.  This is the way we perceive justice is to be administered.  Human nature doesn’t change much over the centuries because the same attitude prevailed in the days that Our Lord walked the earth.  But once again Our Lord upsets the apple cart.  In today’s parable of the hiring landowner, we hear of workers being engaged throughout the day and all ending up with equal remuneration.   It causes a most unhappy stir.  Cries of unfair and unjust rouse those who feel they have been poorly treated.  Sadly, jealousy rears its ugly head and co-workers in the field nearly come to blows.  Anger than flare-ups and even the generous landowner comes under attack.

Should we not hear the echo from today’s passage from Isaiah: “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.”  Faith, of course, demands far more from us than a worldly sense of fairness.  The Lord asks us to be generous like God, forgiving like God and think like God.  Certainly this is a tall order, but God is happy to give us the grace to fill it if only we avoid the pitfalls and sin of jealousy and anger.

Recently I had the privilege of ministering to an elderly man whose final days, if not hours had come.  He had a profound love of God, but somehow had not got around to being a member of the Church.  He asked for Baptism and Anointing.  After a brief catechesis I happily Baptized, Confirmed, Anointed and fed him with the Body and Blood of Christ.  I told him there was great joy in heaven and you had to be there to see the joy of his face.  A late comer, to be sure, but one who nonetheless received the “landowner’s” generous wage.

We offer our profound congratulations to Eric Diehl and Emily Jonas who married yesterday.  In the midst of these trying times love prevails and hope for the future endures.  Thank you Eric and Emily for being witnesses to God’s love for the world and in the world.

And our heartfelt congratulations this day (at 7:30 Mass) to Lucie Frey Henry, D.O. who has been received into the fullness of Faith by Confirmation and the reception of the Holy Communion.  Lucie and Philip Krupka, M.D. will be married next Saturday at St. John’s.  We are privileged to share their joy and assure them of our prayers and  support.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

September 12-13

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Rather coyly, Peter asks Our Lord, “How often must I forgive?  As many as 7 times?”  Peter is hoping to “look good” in the eyes of Our Lord by being so generous with his forgiveness.  And then, of course, comes the shocking response: “Not seven times, but seventy times seven times!”  This is the Hebraic formula for infinity.  No doubt Peter and the other disciples were speechless, but once again the Master challenges us to leave our preconceived notions of justice and mercy and expand our hearts and minds to think as God thinks.

Consider how many times we have prayed sincerely the Lord’s prayer and utter aloud or in silence: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  Innumerable times we have pleaded for the Lord to forgive us, but as we realize there is a condition.   And the condition is our forgiving others who have done us wrong.  Our Lord clearly points this out in the parable of today’s Gospel.  Indeed it is an eye-opener and forces us to examine our conscience and our ability to forgive and seek reconciliation.

When we think of Our Lord’s final words from the Cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  This should give us a great incentive to heal any festering wounds of anger and resentment.  As hard as it may be this is what the Lord asks of us.

Many thanks to all who contributed to our outdoor yard sale (flea market) and to all who worked so hard to bring it about.  It was a great success and thank the dear Lord for such beautiful weather.

Blessings upon catechists, teachers, students, and administrators and staff as they begin the new scholastic year in which any way they shall be participating.  God keep you safe and healthy.

Tomorrow, Monday, September 14 is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  We commemorate this date in 326 when the mother of emperor Constantine, Helena, discover the True Cross of Our Lord, buried with 2 other crosses in an abandoned cistern near the Holy Sepulcher (the tomb of Christ) in Jerusalem.  The Cross, of course, is the hallmark of our Faith – the proof of the Father’s love for us and the ultimate reconciliation that takes place in, with and through His Son.  Your Pastor is privileged to have a splinter relic of Our Lord’s Cross and will happily bless, from a distance, those attending the Monday Mass.

Lift High the Cross!

With Blessings,

Father Langan