The Sixth Station

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Jesus, suddenly a woman comes out of the crowd. Her name is Veronica. You can see how she cares for you as she takes a cloth and begins to wipe the blood and sweat from your face. She can’t do much, but she offers what little help she can.

As a child, sometimes I know someone could use a little help and understanding. They may be picked on or teased by others, or just sad or lonely. Sometimes I feel bad that others don’t step in to help, but I don’t help either.

As an adult, I notice the needs around me. Sometimes my own family members crave my attention, and I don’t even seem to notice. Sometimes a co-worker, friend, or family member could use help or understanding, but I don’t reach out to help lest I be criticized, or that they demand more of me than I’d like to give.

My tender Jesus, Who didst deign to print Thy sacred face upon the cloth with which Veronica wiped the sweat from off Thy brow, print in my soul deep, I pray Thee, the lasting memory of Thy bitter pains.

The Fifth Station

Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

“As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

- Matthew 27:32; 16:24

Simon of Cyrene is on his way home, returning from work, when he comes upon the sad procession of those condemned ­ for him, perhaps, it was a common sight. The soldiers force this rugged man from the country to carry the Cross on his own shoulders. How annoying he must have thought it to be suddenly caught up in the fate of those condemned men! He does what he must do, but reluctantly. Significantly, the Evangelist Mark does not only name him, but also his children, who were evidently known as Christians and as members of that community (cf. Mk 15:21). From this chance encounter, faith was born.

The Cyrenian, walking beside Jesus and sharing the burden of the Cross, came to see that it was a grace to be able to accompany him to his crucifixion and to help him. The mystery of Jesus, silent and suffering, touched his heart. Jesus, whose divine love alone can redeem all humanity, wants us to share his Cross so that we can complete what is still lacking in his suffering (cf. Col 1:24). Whenever we show kindness to the suffering, the persecuted and defenseless, and share in their sufferings, we help to carry that same Cross of Jesus. In this way we obtain salvation, and help contribute to the salvation of the world.

The Fourth Station

Jesus Meets his Blessed Mother

No sooner has Jesus risen from his first fall than he meets his Blessed Mother, standing by the wayside where he is passing.

With immense love Mary looks at Jesus, and Jesus at his mother. Their eyes meet, and each heart pours into the other its own deep sorrow. Mary’s soul is steeped in bitter grief, the grief of Jesus Christ.

“O all you that pass by the way, look and see, was there ever a sorrow to compare with my sorrow!” (Lamentations 1:12)

But no one notices, no one pays attention; only Jesus.

Simeon’s prophecy has been fulfilled: Thine own soul a sword shall pierce (Luke 2:35).

In the dark loneliness of the Passion, our Lady offers her son a comforting balm of tenderness, of union, of faithfulness; a “yes” to the divine will.

Hand in hand with Mary, you and I also want to console Jesus, by accepting always and in everything the will of his Father, of our Father.

Only thus will we taste the sweetness of Christ’s cross and come to embrace it with all the strength of Love, carrying it in triumph along the ways of the earth.

The Third Station

Jesus Falls the First Time

The heavy cross cuts and tears into our Lord’s shoulders.

The crowd has swollen into a multitude, and the legionaries can scarcely contain the angry, surging mob which, like a river that has burst its banks, flows through the streets and alleyways of Jerusalem.

The worn-out body of Jesus staggers now beneath the huge cross. His most loving heart can barely summon up another breath of life for his poor wounded limbs. To his right and left, our Lord sees the multitude moving around like sheep without a shepherd. He could call them one by one by their names – by our names. There they are, those who were cured of their ailments, those he taught by the lakeside, on the mountain, and in the porticoes of the Temple.

A sharp pain pierces the soul of Jesus; our Lord falls to the ground, exhausted.

You and I can say nothing: now we know why the cross of Jesus weighs so much. We weep over our wretched failings and also for the terrible ingratitude of the human heart. From the depths of our soul there comes an act of real contrition, which lifts us up from the prostration of sin. Jesus has fallen that we might get up: once and for all.

The Second Station

Jesus Takes up His Cross

Outside the city, to the northwest of Jerusalem, there is a little hill: Golgotha is its name in Aramaic, locus Calvariae, in Latin: the place of skulls, or Calvary.

Offering no resistance, Jesus gives himself up to the execution of the sentence. He is to be spared nothing, and upon his shoulders falls the weight of the ignominious cross. But, through love, the cross is to beome the throne from which he reigns.

The people of Jerusalem and those from abroad who have come for the Passover push their way through the city streets, to catch a passing glimpse of Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. There is a tumult of voices, and, now and then, short silences – perhaps when Jesus fixes his eyes on someone: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me (Mt. 16:24).”

How lovingly Jesus embraces the wood which is to bring him to death!

Is it not true that as soon as you cease to be afraid of the cross, of what people call the cross, when you set your will to accept the will of God, then you find happiness, and all your worries, all your sufferings, physical or moral, pass away?

Truly the cross of Jesus is gentle and lovable. There, sorrows cease to count; there is only the joy of knowing that we are coredeemers with him.

The First Station

Jesus is Condemned to Death

Jesus, you stand all alone before Pilate. Nobody speaks up for you. Nobody helps defend you. You devoted your entire life to helping others, listening to the smallest ones, caring for those who were ignored by others. They don’t seem to remember that as they prepare to put you to death.

As a child, sometimes I feel alone. Sometimes I feel that others don’t stand up for me and defend me when I am afraid. Sometimes I don’t feel like I am treated fairly, especially if I am scolded or corrected.

As an adult, sometimes I feel abandoned and afraid as well. Sometimes I too, feel like I am treated unfairly or blamed for things unfairly. I have a hard time when people criticize me at home or at work.

Help me be grateful for what you did for me. Help me to accept criticism and unfairness as you did, and not complain. Help me pray for those who have hurt me.

My Jesus, often have I signed the death warrant by my sins; save me by Thy death from that eternal death which I have so often deserved.

Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Messiah?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.

- Matthew 27: 22-26

Stations of the Cross

As the Easter Season is almost upon us, I thought it would be important for all of us to begin to reflect on the Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Imagine the terrible pain and anguish our Lord endured for us – for our salvation and redemption. Even though we know that the Lord suffered greatly for our sins, we continue to participate in acts that are sinful because of our humanity. It is important for all of us to turn to the Lord, asking Him for assistance and help to deal with the temptation to sin and for mercy and forgiveness for the times we have given into that temptation.

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

- 1 Peter 2:21-24

As the season of Lent comes to a close, may we follow the example of Christ. Do not insult when you are insulted; do not threaten when you suffer. Rather, hand yourselves over to the Lord, the Divine Healer, asking him for pardon, mercy, and forgiveness. Only through Christ can true healing be found.

Imitation of Christ

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading the Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. As we journey through the season of Lent, one particular chapter struck me and I thought it would be important for me to share it with all of you. It is important for all of us to have our eyes fixed on Christ, our High Priest. As we begin to ready ourselves for the celebration of Easter, I thought this brief examination of conscience would be something that would interest everyone.

The Examination of Conscience and the Resolution to Amend

The Voice of Christ

ABOVE all, God’s priest should approach the celebration and reception of this Sacrament with the deepest humility of heart and suppliant reverence, with complete faith and the pious intention of giving honor to God.

Carefully examine your conscience, then. Cleanse and purify it to the best of your power by true contrition and humble confession, that you may have no burden, know of no remorse, and thus be free to come near. Let the memory of all your sins grieve you, and especially lament and bewail your daily transgressions. Then if time permits, confess to God in the secret depths of your heart all the miseries your passions have caused.

Lament and grieve because you are still so worldly, so carnal, so passionate and unmortified, so full of roving lust, so careless in guarding the external senses, so often occupied in many vain fancies, so inclined to exterior things and so heedless of what lies within, so prone to laughter and dissipation and so indisposed to sorrow and tears, so inclined to ease and the pleasures of the flesh and so cool to austerity and zeal, so curious to hear what is new and to see the beautiful and so slow to embrace humiliation and dejection, so covetous of abundance, so niggardly in giving and so tenacious in keeping, so inconsiderate in speech, so reluctant in silence, so undisciplined in character, so disordered in action, so greedy at meals, so deaf to the Word of God, so prompt to rest and so slow to labor, so awake to empty conversation, so sleepy in keeping sacred vigils and so eager to end them, so wandering in your attention, so careless in saying the office, so lukewarm in celebrating, so heartless in receiving, so quickly distracted, so seldom fully recollected, so quickly moved to anger, so apt to take offense at others, so prone to judge, so severe in condemning, so happy in prosperity and so weak in adversity, so often making good resolutions and carrying so few of them into action.

When you have confessed and deplored these and other faults with sorrow and great displeasure because of your weakness, be firmly determined to amend your life day by day and to advance in goodness. Then, with complete resignation and with your entire will offer yourself upon the altar of your heart as an everlasting sacrifice to the honor of My name, by entrusting with faith both body and soul to My care, that thus you may be considered worthy to draw near and offer sacrifice to God and profitably receive the Sacrament of My Body. For there is no more worthy offering, no greater satisfaction for washing away sin than to offer yourself purely and entirely to God with the offering of the Body of Christ in Mass and Communion.

If a man does what he can and is truly penitent, however often he comes to Me for grace and pardon, “As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live”; I will no longer remember his sins, but all will be forgiven him.

The Imitation of Christ; Book 4, Chapter 7

“Speak, Lord, Your Servant is Listening”

This weekend, the seminary community sponsored a Vocations Awareness Weekend. It was an opportunity for men throughout the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami (Dioceses in the State of Florida) to experience a little bit of seminary life and to recognize God’s love for them on a deeper level. Even though the weekend was geared towards the guests who think God is calling them to discern the priesthood of Jesus Christ, it was also an invaluable experience for the seminarians. For myself, this weekend allowed me to recall the events that led me to enter into a deeper conversation with the church about the priesthood of Christ and the possibility of entering the seminary.

I believe that it was the grace of God that allowed this Vocations Awareness Weekend to take place this particular weekend. Many of you may recall that March 16, 2008 was Palm Sunday. I can tell you that this date will never be forgotten by me because it was when I heard God’s call to re-open the book of vocations in my life. On that particular evening, I was just finishing my prayers and not looking forward to getting up the next morning and going to school. As I was “flipping through the channels” looking for something on television to put me to sleep, I had this tremendous feeling that God was in my presence and that He was communicating something to me. Our heavenly Father was answering a prayer that I raised to Him a few weeks prior.

At the beginning of the 2008 Lenten Season, my parish sponsored a Lenten Retreat, where all of the parishioners were invited to attend a series of evening meetings led by Fr. Michael Sullivan, O.S.A. The Sunday the talks were set to begin, Fr. Sullivan was the main celebrant at the 7:30 a.m. Mass. As he was going through his homily, Fr. Sullivan was calling upon different people within the congregation to stand up and answer some questions. Being the altar server at that Mass, I was prime for the picking because I was sitting right up front. Sure enough, he asked me to stand and began asking me all sorts of questions. In the course of the questions, Fr. Michael looked me in the eyes and asked, “Tom, have you ever thought about being a priest?” I was speechless!! I couldn’t believe that this was coming up…again!

When I was in the 8th grade, I began thinking about serving God through the ministry of the priesthood. But throughout high school and my first year and a half of college, the desire for a family and a career in law enforcement and politics consumed me. I thought I had my life planned out. Did I ever get that wrong?! The saying goes; if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Well, He clearly had a good laugh at my expense.

Through the course of the next few weeks, I spent each night praying for the Lord to show me what He wanted me to do with my life. I was grappling with making a decision to follow my desire to be a police officer or to follow the Lord’s call to the priesthood. March 16, 2008 was when God provided me with the answer. The next day, I contacted my pastor, Fr. Thomas Barrett (Former Vocations Director for the Diocese of Orlando), telling him the story of my experience the night before. He told me to get in touch with Fr. Miguel, the current Vocations Director, and schedule a meeting with him. In our email and phone conversations, Fr. Miguel reminded me that we, as a Church, were entering into the most profoundly spiritual week of the year and encouraged me to take time to sit with the Lord, a piece of advice I took to heart. A couple of weeks later, I began the application process to be accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Orlando.

As I reflect on this past weekend, I am thankful that the Lord was able to allow me to recall the events that led up to my decision to enter seminary. As each day passes in formation, I am reassured that this is the path the Lord is calling me to take. Each day, I wake up with a renewed vigor that the Lord is present in my life. As we go about the remainder of the Lenten season, I encourage all of you to call to mind an experience you had where you knew the Lord was present in your life. Thank Him for that and allow that experience to carry you through Lent, to the Easter season.
May God bless you and may He continue to bless the Catholic Church. Bye for now…

Operation Deliverance Update

Date: April 3, 2009

Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Location: Blanchard Park | East Orange County

The event “Operation Deliverance III,” consists of area churches and ministries volunteering at least one hour to pray in a designated area for forty straight days without interruption.

For this event we have partnered with the Blanchard Park YMCA located on Rouse Rd. The times will be 6:30-7:30 pm (Mon-Fri) and 2:30- 3:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. All we ask is that you select a day between the dates of February 23- April 3, 2009.

There is no doubt that prayer is a strong tool to reach peace, hope and harmony. Doctors encourage patients and relatives to use prayer as part of the healing process for their patients. Our nation and communities are suffering some very tough times with the economy, families are losing their homes, their jobs and there are lot’s of uncertainty of what the future will hold. We too could use prayer as a tool to bring peace, harmony, hope and the end of violence in our communities.

This is a prayer event, music instruments are welcomed but not loud speakers or megaphones. You are encouraged to bring church bulletins or brochures to hand out. Through you we want to invite others to pray for the community and get involved. This event has been conducted in other parts of Orange County and the City of Orlando and it has been very successful.

- Excerpt of a letter from Sheriff Jerry Demings and Deacon (Captain) Miguel Pagan

http://www.visionorlando.org/news_items/news030209.htm

April 3rd is fastly approaching! I encourage all of you who live in Orange County to come out to Blanchard Park to pray for the end to crime throughout our community. It is important for us, as a community, to come together and show our unity amongst our diversity, praying to our heavenly Father.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the Orange County Sheriffs Office at 407-254-7000.

Vocations Awareness Weekend

This weekend, the seminary community welcomes young men, and not so young men, from throughout the Dioceses in the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami. They will be joining us in a weekend of prayerful reflection and discernment. Throughout each of the scheduled events, the seminarians will have an opportunity to share our lives each of these men, to help them discern their calling in life. Whether that is following in the footsteps of the Christ Jesus in priestly ministry or if that entails something else, all of these men are here to listen to what the Lord wants them to do with their lives!

As you go about this weekend, please remember us in your prayers. The Spirit is working throughout the Church!! Vocations are on the rise, including in the United States!! With your prayers and loving support, more men and women will be willing to offer their lives for ministry in the church.

May God bless each and everyone of you! Bye for now…..

I’m Headed to Rome!!!

On May 19, 2009, about seven seminarians from St. John Vianney College Seminary will be heading to Rome for a week-long trip to the Eternal City. Needless to say, there are still a lot of things to do before the trip. I have to go to the Passport Office on Friday morning to get a passport. (I think that is important!) Then there are a few more things that need to be taken care of. However, I am so extremely excited!!

Second Sunday of Lent – Already??

It is quite unimaginable how fast this Lenten season is going – it’s already the Second Sunday of this most needed liturgical season. Before you know it, Holy Thursday and the Easter Triduum will be upon us and we will be entering into the holiest season of the Church year. However, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the importance of the Season of Lent for us, as Catholic Christians.

During the Lenten season, many Catholics and non-Catholics decide to take a break, a fast, from certain “things” that may inhibit their availability for prayer on a regular basis. Many, mostly from the younger generations, have decided to give up things like Facebook, Myspace, iTunes, and other technological aspects of our “connected” world. In fact, during Fridays of the Lenten season, I will be abstaining from the use of Facebook and Twitter; I will be fasting as well. However, there is more to Lent than just giving up “stuff” – it is about a call to conversion, giving up our instances of sin and turning away from temptation.

Throughout the duration of the forty days Christ was in the desert, he was tempted by Satan to give in to the desires of the human world. Satan challenged Jesus: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” (Matt. 4:3) Jesus, with all his strength and courage, replied to Satan, telling him that “One does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4)

This brief passage is an important message for all of us! The Lord tells us the temptation of Satan is going to be tough to overcome. However, if we keep our eyes fixed on the Heavens, everything will turn out okay. Our Heavenly Father will be there to give us the strength and courage of Jesus and will send, to minister to us, His angels.

However, no one is perfect! We all have our challenges in life, whether they are giving into anger, hate, or other vices. We all struggle to ignore the temptation of the devil. Most of the time, we end up giving into that temptation, thus turning our gaze FROM God and ignoring his extended hand. But, there is hope! Even though we fall, the Lord is always there to call us back to Him, which is the reason for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

As the Lenten season continues and the call to conversion reaches the depths of your hearts, pray to the Father for a certain grace. Ask him to send his Holy Spirit to assist you in turning away from the temptations of the devil. Ask him to help you be faithful to His gospel message. At some time during the season, go to confession to truly receive the love of our Father and start again with a “blank slate,” a tabula rasa. In fact, a perfect opportunity for those in the Diocese of Orlando to receive this beautiful sacrament is the weekend of April 3rd and April 4th. During those days, at various parishes throughout the Diocese, priests will be available to hear confession. [For more information, please go here.]

The Lord is waiting for you. Are you going to say no, or are you going to turn your gaze to the Heavens and embrace that loving affection our Father has for you? As you continue to journey throughout these Lenten days, be mindful of the Lord’s presence in your life, giving thanks to Him who loves you.

May God continue to bless all of you throughout this observance of Lent.

Reflection on the Economy

Over the past few months, millions of Americans have lost their jobs as a result of the downturn in our global economy. In fact, on March 6th, it was announced that an additional 651,000 people lost their jobs in the month of February. As the economy continues to fall, people across the world have a general consensus of, “When is this all going to end?” The truth is that this downturn in the global economy hasn’t even reached its peak. Even now, the outlook for the future continues to be bleak. This recession will take many years to overcome and the only way people are going to get through these times is by turning to one another and to our Heavenly Father.

During the Great Depression, as millions of people were faced with the toughest decisions of their lives, a vast majority of Americans turned to religion to help them with their struggles. There is some debate as to whether or not THIS economic recession has turned people towards God. Many say that it has, others are a little more hesitant to say. But, this is a golden opportunity for the love of Christ to be experienced and shared throughout the world. Instead of people turning towards the church, the church needs to turn to the people and ask them if there is anything we can do to help.

In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David Zubik authored A Pastoral Letter to the Church of Pittsburgh on the Economic Crisis, in which he calls upon the people to join him in “reflecting upon how [they] can best support each other in the name of, and with the heart of, Christ in these difficult times of economic duress.” Here is a brief excerpt from his letter…

“The time will come when economic experts will better understand what caused our current problems. They will devise long-term solutions. But in the here and now, we have to turn toward each other-to find out what we can give and what we need. This is not the time to struggle alone. This is a communal challenge we face together, not alone.

“We know that our faith is lived in and through others. We are all connected in grace. We never know who will touch us and whom we will touch. None of us knows when we get up in the morning exactly what the day will bring. But one thing can be certain. Each day is a time of grace, and grace will be encountered in the people with whom we will share that day.

“When we talk about sharing-a divine activity that is an action of Jesus Himself and of His Body, the Church-we are not being simply sentimental. Real sharing is that glimpse of the divine love that exists from our Creator and through His Son, the Word made Flesh in our Church, in our lives and in our world. People are God’s tender mercy in our lives, our chance to live out-and experience-His sharing.

“Yes, sharing is a divine activity, an action of Jesus Himself. And not for Jesus alone: For His Body, the Church, and for you and me as an important part of the Church. Not an option, but a necessity!”

People who are “better off” than others have a moral obligation to help those in need, especially in times like this. It is a necessity for us to help one another. Many people are answering this responsibility by giving support and financial assistance to many outreach programs in their own church communities.

Even though I am not in the parish to experience the impact of this economic crisis on the people of God firsthand, I know that people are suffering. At Brothers Keeper, an outreach ministry of my home parish, the number of people being served food each week has increased tremendously over the past three months and continues to rise. This ministry and others like it throughout the Church are being funded and supported because of the generosity of the people of God.

Throughout the Diocese of Orlando, many parishes are beginning the capital campaign Alive in Christ. The funds raised from this campaign will not only help bring the Church in Orlando into the future, but will also guarantee services for the community, including outreach programs like Brothers Keeper, Catholic Charities, and St. Vincent de Paul societies.

As the clarity of the future is still unknown, please take some time to pray for those who are going to be affected deeply. Please also do everything you can to help those in need. The Lord is counting on His children to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters. I ask that you take the following scriptural passage to prayer and reflection to contemplate what you can do to help your fellow man.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will assemble before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25: 31-40

May God bless you all.

Operation Deliverance

While Fr. Miguel was at the seminary, he told the Orlando Seminarians that we will be responsible for an interfaith prayer meeting on April 3rd. The event is part of Operation Deliverance, a special community initiative sponsored by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.  At the event, representatives from all the major religious groups and law enforcement agencies of Orange County will come together for a moment of prayer to end the crime that has become a major problem throughout the county. More information will come on this as the date approaches.

Date: April 3, 2009

Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Location: Blanchard Park | East Orange County