Father, I would like to add to my daily prayers. I am thinking about listening to a pod cast from a Catholic web site. Do you have any podcasts that you would recommend?
Becoming part of the church through RCIA, I have a question regarding the baptismal rite. I know you do a lot of research and perhaps this will be an easy question for you.
Raised in a protestant church, I was taught that a person chooses to get baptized to share with the world that one has turned away from a life of perpetual sin, being reborn as a child of God and accepting Christ into his or her life.
So, I must be misunderstanding the purpose of baptisms, as an infant surely cannot make a choice to turn away from a “life” of sin (neither can a child, for that matter, to my way of thinking). I was baptized when I was young, but had not matured enough at the time to make that kind of decision. I was baptized for real in my mid-20’s.
When I read about John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan, it also seems more of a rite intended for adults and for those adults to be submerged in water, instead of being dusted with water.
I would very much be interested to read your insight and the Church’s view on baptism.
The Apostles were directly requested by Jesus Christ to “Go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit” Matt 28:19. Baptism brings about the birth in Water and the Holy Spirit: CCC1215 ” Amen Amen I say unto you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Holy Spirit’ John 3:5
So baptism is a birth into eternal life. Baptism frees us from previous sins including original sin. Through baptism we become sons and daughters of God. Baptism is a new beginning. The Church teaches that you can only be baptized once by the following formula ( I baptize you in the name of the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit) . Baptism will not keep us from sinning. We need to continue to Choose God and his ways to avoid sinning! We have the Sacrament of reconciliation where we confess our sins and are reconciled with God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation renews our baptismal Grace, and puts us in the state or Grace!
In Baptism we begin our life in Grace (Participation in The Life of God CCC 1997 ) We Renew this life of Grace when we receive the Eucharist In a state of Grace. We maintain a state of grace by being aware of relationship with God and when we are aware of our sinfulness we participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Baptism has a rich theology I would suggest you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Baptism can be found on paragraph numbers 1213- 1284.
If a boy @ birth gets a gender surgery to be a girl. Then decides he wants to be a man again Can he get Married later in life to a women because he has decided to go back to being a man
From a very confused parishioner on gender surgery situations
First off the Church does not make decisions on things without an active case taking place. Therefore I believe the Church would remain quite on the issue. The gender at birth is gift from God and I don’t know why there would be a surgical gender change at birth. Obviously at birth the boy did not have a choice in the situation for the surgical sex change. The Church believes one is either a boy or girl at birth. Although the Church also is aware of those who come into this world with both genitalia (Hermaphrodite ) and this is conjecture on my part that the Church would allow this particular individual to choose for themselves what sex they would want to live their life out as. In this particular case ( the one proposed in the last sentence) I think the Church would allow the adult individual to choose the gender which they are comfortable with. The Church most certainly is not agreement with gender altercation surgery. In regard to Marriage the Church does not ask many questions about gender it is normally easy to identify Male and Female.
If we pray for someone with cancer and ask a particular saint to intercede for them, when the individual dies, do we continue to pray for that person, but cease to implore the saint from interceding for them?
We can always pray for individuals living or deceased. I would expect that when praying for the living we are praying for healing or peace of mind or for an increase faith for the individual. once the person passes from this world we shouldn’t stop praying although we should change the focus of prayers. “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” 2 Maccabees 12:46. In our prayer we would ask for the salvation of Jesus Christ for the deceased. In regards to calling upon saints yes it is proper to call upon saint to intercede for any good petition we my have for our Triune God. As we change to focus of pray from healing to salvation in Christ Jesus the Saints will change with us!
Father Kaech, will you please explain the dialogue between the woman and Jesus?
What have the scraps, going to the dogs, to do with the deliverance of the woman’s daughter?
Jesus was the Expected Messiah that was to come for the People Israel. Although The Lord told Abraham Israel’s Grandfather that all people would be Blessed in him: Genesis 22:18. The Messiah or the Anointed one was expected to be the savior of Israel. In other words the Gentiles in Many ways in Jewish Culture where not considered worthy of the blessings of the Lord! One would think that the Lords statement comes from this Cultural standing but it does not! ” It is not right to take the Children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Matt 15:26. Jesus Christ in this statement was trying to tease out the Faith of this Canaanite Woman! Why? to teach his disciples what deep faith is. Jesus used an insult to bring the faith out of this woman. the woman answers with ” Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table” Matt 15:27
You ask what do these statement have to do with the deliverance of the the Canaanite woman’s daughter? If someone desires to be delivered from evil there are a few things that are required. Faith that Jesus Christ can deliver one from evil is most important! This is why this dialogue took place. Another requirement would be the individual that is possessed by the evil needs to reject this same evil and desire deliverance. In this particular scripture passage it is the Faith of the Mother ( the Canaanite woman). Once one is delivered from evil it is important that they remain in the state of Grace or evil can reestablish itself within.
I noticed on the church April 2020 calendar Christ in Limbo and am confused since for the Apostle Creed we pray, He descended into hell not descended into Limbo. Limbo is place for unbaptized babies and Purgatory is for souls waiting for purification and hell is for souls against God. So if Limbo, Purgatory and hell are all different, where did Jesus go, all three?
The Church Believes that after Jesus died he went to the abode of the dead. Every body from Adam and Eve and all their descendant’s were detained in a place the Hebrew called Sheol. Although the word Sheol refers to hell. Hell as we know it is separation from God. What we are trying to refer to is a place of the dead that is not a final resting place or damnation. Limbo is a good word to use in that this word has taken on that definition of a period of waiting. Keep in mind Limbo was never a teaching of the Church. Limbo as place was coined by St. Augustine in one of conversation regarding Baptism and Children who die with receiving Baptism. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1R.HTM
Good day Father….I have a simple question. I have found myself in the last year or so praying much to the Holy Spirit. I find myself talking to the Holy Spirit throughout the day. For I find the Holy Spirit so powerful and so loving, trying to guide me to the words and works of Jesus.
But one day as I was talking to the Holy Spirit as I normally do, out of the blue I realized there were times I was referring to the Holy Sprit as “it”! I surely never meant it in such a way. And then I realized when I talk to Jesus, I will refer to him in many ways, “My Lord”, “Jesus” and then as “him”. I never referred to Jesus as “it”. Same thing when I refer to God.
But you rarely hear a gender reference to the Holy Spirit which is probably why I used the word “it”. I have been reading the Psalms recently and am slowly falling in love with the prayers. I have found a couple Psalms that refer to the Holy Spirt as “she”.
If using the Holy Spirit in a gender manner, is it proper to refer the Holy Spirit as “she” or should you refer to the Holy Spirit as “him’? Or is neither proper? Either choice is much better than “it”! 🙂 Mind you, I do normally find myself calling upon the Holy Spirit by her name. But throughout the day I do find myself in intimate conversation with the Holy Spirit. Which is what brought on this question.
When Talking to the Holy Spirit one normally doesn’t use a personal pronoun , He, She, it. When talking about the Holy Spirit I Just naturally ( right or wrong) use He. I really don’t think She would be wrong when referring to the Holy Spirit although we must not get into the gender wars of our day! The Holy Spirit along with God the Father and God the Son are neither Male nor Female and they most certainly are more than an “it” ! ( although God the Son took on Human Flesh in and through Mary of Nazareth)
Regarding the Gospel on the 33rd Sunday, I did not understand why the 3rd servant told the master he was fearful because he “harvested where he did not sow and gathered where he did not scatter.” Does this mean the master was a criminal and wouldn’t the servant’s fear be justified?
how many times have you heard in Scripture do not fear? Fear ties us up and puts us in bondage. The Master wanted his servants to be fruitful with the talents that he gave them. remember it is a worldly story to tell of the Kingdom of Heaven! But fear will keep us from doing Gods work as well. Let see how perhaps we allow fear to bind us up! ” I can’t talk about my faith with him or here because they will ridicule me! ” . or perhaps the fear we have going to the confession.
No the Master was not a criminal it is but a story to make a point that we should not fear and to go out on a limb to advance in spiritual and physical matters is of God and the ways of the kingdom of Heaven. Some don’t serve the poor because they fear them etc.
The Rosary prayer gathering we shared last Saturday at 12noon, to lift up our Police Officers was so comforting and inspiring. Thank you Fr. Kaech. In these uncertain times of civil unrest and moral trepidation it was so comforting to gather together in prayer with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I’m looking forward to Mass on Tuesday morning, scary election day with threats of violence. Thank you again Father, you’re a wonderful spiritual leader for your flock !
WE must continue to pray for our officers! Although I wait for lay leadership on this not just one person so others please weigh in on the conversation!
Thanks Be to God that we live in in a nation of laws!
Father, I would also like to continue the rosary for police officers, but would also like to include health care workers and others on the front line during the pandemic.
I was reading Sunday’s gospel, Ordinary Time Week 30, Matthew 22:34-40. I was inspired by Jesus’s response that the first and foremost law of the commandments is to love him. And then Jesus follows up the 2nd law, is like the first commandment which states to love your neighbors as yourself. Then Jesus states the whole law depends on these two commandments.
I have recently been studying the Psalms. And I was reading Psalm 18 which is about God helping David defeat his enemies. It made me think what is an enemy? For there are many people we don’t like. There are many people that are bad and hurt people. There are politics that are cruel and even kill people. When do you decide that someone is no longer a neighbor and is an enemy?
I’ve always taken the stance that I am not the judge and rely solely on God as the judge. But there seems to me there is a fine line where we need to decide as humans the definition of an enemy and a neighbor…so when is there a time you don’t love someone as your neighbor?
Thank you….
The Lord told his disciples that ” For whoever is not against us is for us” Mark 9:40
We Christians should have no enemies on our part! There are people we have lost trust in but we need to continue to love them! We need to trust only in God!
On the other hand we can attract animosity from another for one reason or another! Although we do not need to enter into the others enmity! The part of the Law ” Love your neighbor as yourself” has been brought to a new level by Jesus Christ the Son of God! Think of this saying. Most of us think well of ourselves and that is helpful for our neighbor if this is the maxim we go by. Although if one does not think well of themselves they most likely wont think well of their neighbor either. Jesus explains that our neighbor is the foreigner the folks who are estranged from us. The good Samaritan story Luke:25-27.
There is a call from Jesus for us to love our enemies and those who project ill will toward us. Matthew 5:43-48. there is a call from Jesus to ” be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect” found in the same passage as mentioned above. There is no room in Christianity for those who despise another. Although there is forgiveness and reconciliation in Christianity. We should be a people of Mercy toward on another and allow God to be their Judge. If we hold animosities toward an individual we put ourselves in the place as their judge and push God out of his role, consequently Disrespecting our God and his role in our lives. We are called to love the sinner hate the sin.
I want to vote as a Catholic in the upcoming election. Has the Archdiocese given us any direction about the bill regarding comprehensive sexual health education. Is there a website to help?
Normally the names of angels are used for both Male and Female. You can see this practice in the Latino community. Gabe, Gabi Gabriel, Michael, Michel, etc.
I watched a discussion about Saint Mother Teresa and she was asked how she felt about gay people. Her reply was, “They are all God’s children.” I thought becoming a child of God was only through the sacrament of Baptism. Am I incorrect?
A good question: The fact that we are made in the image and likeness of God Is most likely what Saint Mother Theresa was referring to. “The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the communion of persons, in the likeness of the unity of the divine persons among themselves”CCC 1702
The fact that WE are made in the Image and likeness of God does not mean that we will live for all eternity with God. We still have to ” work out our salvation with fear and trembling” Phil 2:12 also in the catechism not far from the above quote from the Catechism is this “Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom at the very beginning of history.”10 He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He still desires the good, but his nature bears the wound of original sin. He is now inclined to evil and subject to error:
Man is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness.” CCC 1707
I heard today, that priests are assigned two guardian angels because they are spiritually attacked in a greater way than the rest of us and that this part in Eucharistic prayer 1 is one of the evidences of priests having two guardian angels: With deep reverence we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be carried by the hands of your holy angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty. Can you (Father Kaech) feel your spiritual companionship? Can the rest of us, having only one guardian angel, be allowed to feel our spiritual companionship?
Mercedes
Yes, have also heard before the Priest have 2 guardian angels. At times yes I have felt the presence of Help on the Altar, that is not a human being! Although I never knew who it actually was the Lord an angel or saint? I believe that feeling ones guardian angle is not a natural quality of Human Beings! I do believe that the more one respects (recognizes, through prayer and communication) his or her guardian angle the more they will be aware of the angle of Gods presence. CCC328-336
Kathy
in reference to your question ( August 19) about the ascension in to Heaven of Jesus Christ!
Yes Jesus Ascends into Heaven ( CCC 659) ( these are my words) In Jesus ascension he takes our humanity to unite with is Father and Holy Spirit. Heaven is where this unity of the God head is! In our humanity it is very hard to conceptualize entry into something without using our language which is bound to space and time. God, Father,, Son, and Holy Spirit are not bound by space and time !
A few People in our faith community have been infected by the Covid Virus. Therefore we will belive streaming Mass on Facebook! Sorry but we have to be safe: Beginning tomorrow the church will be closed except for a few staff meetings. There will be no public services in the Church or the Church facilities until September 13th. Please be safe wear your mask and social distance and
” don’t put the Lord to the test” Luke 4:12
Happy 22nd week in ordinary time everybody. Sundays first reading was read again the breviary today.. Jeremiah 20: 7-9. Jeremiah explains how the word of God is burning within his person and he has to share it with others. This is a sign of Jeremiahs great love for God. We all know what it means to be in Love, our heart burns for the other and we have a need to share the Love we have for this individual with the people around us. It is hard to contain this love within to stay silent.
We all find ourselves at different stages in our Journey as Christians. Perhaps our heart burning within is not our experience. If this is the case it begs the question: why not? Especially if the burning of the Heart is a normal thing. The reality is our God wants a relationship with us but do we want a relationship with our God? If we want this relationship we need to come to Love God and all his works. We also need to reject all that is not of God because all that is not of God is contrary to our Love!
Love requires abandonment: opposed to explaining Love I refer you to
1 Corinthians Ch13″ 4-13 Then I refer your to 1Joh ch 4:7-21.
“To be in Love is to be in God for God is Love” 1 John
I or nobody else can explain to you how you come to love God for you are an individual that is Loved by God and this love deserves a response from you. The reason I cannot explain how you are are to come to love God is because I am not you. Your love comes from your in most being ( your heart) and it can not be taught or bought. Song of Songs 8:7
Self abandonment is the best advice. All with reason; we are saved in our vocation! Vocation comes from a Latin word vocare which means call. As the church teaches our vocation is our call from God. Our occupation is not our vocation. In the Church there are 4 vocations: the single life, the married live and the vowed religious( communities) and the Priesthood which is 3 fold : Deacon , Priest and Bishop. I explain vocation because we need to begin with our identity of how we are naturally called by God. If in order to Love God we must abandoned ourselves to Our God we must first respect our call from God our vocation. Say we are married with children we should not be abandoning our family to give more time to God. We need to find time for God in our family. I am not saying that you shouldn’t come to the church and pray , i am saying that you don’t abandon your call from God to honor God in different way. Grace builds on nature. Just some thoughts!
Good morning, Father Kaech!
May God bless and keep you!
May I amend your continued homily, from September 1st, for Sunday in the 22nd week of Ordinary Time?
“To be in Love is to be in God, for God is Love.” 1 John
It is not possible, of course, for mankind to Love God for all His worth; to Love Him as He rightly deserves.
Even to announce that we Love God above all else seems small in proportion to all that our Lord God has done for each and every one of us.
Our best gift of Love for our Triune God, and this depending on the satisfactory completion of prior commitments (vocations), would be to give ourselves, body and soul, in perfect obedience to the beautiful service of our Precious Lord God – Father, Christ Jesus, and Their Holy Spirit!
Add to this our devotion to His Holy and Immaculate Mother Mary, Who has Loved us as our Mother since before our conception.
There is nothing so beautiful to God than to have His Love for us returned to Him, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, from hearts who Love Them truly – purely.
I refer you The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2794 in reference to ” Who art in Heaven” as said in the prayer Jesus Christs taught us: Teh Our Father!
2794 This biblical expression does not mean a place (“space”), but a way of being; it does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is not “elsewhere”: he transcends everything we can conceive of his holiness. It is precisely because he is thrice holy that he is so close to the humble and contrite heart.
“Our Father who art in heaven” is rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just, as in his holy temple. At the same time, it means that those who pray should desire the one they invoke to dwell in them.
“Heaven” could also be those who bear the image of the heavenly world, and in whom God dwells and tarries.
Is it because if Jesus’ body descends from Earth then it would be in H E double hockey sticks which is the opposite of where He merits to be or because His body is also to be in a Heavenly state of being?
Remembering the Creed “He descended into hell and rose again on the third day” and remembering Him on earth 33 years, both of which was to save us so thinking that was only a temporary state of being for Jesus because of who he is cannot remain in those states, must always and forever be in a heavenly state. So at the same time while he’s in a lower than heavenly state of being can be in a heavenly state as well?
Mercedes
Wow! Gracias! the rest is wonderful too: 2795 The symbol of the heavens refers us back to the mystery of the covenant we are living when we pray to our Father. He is in heaven, his dwelling place; the Father’s house is our homeland. Sin has exiled us from the land of the covenant,56 but conversion of heart enables us to return to the Father, to heaven.57 Jn Christ, then, heaven and earth are reconciled,58 for the Son alone “descended from heaven” and causes us to ascend there with him, by his Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension.59
2796 When the Church prays “our Father who art in heaven,” she is professing that we are the People of God, already seated “with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” and “hidden with Christ in God;”60 yet at the same time, “here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling.”61
[Christians] are in the flesh, but do not live according to the flesh. They spend their lives on earth, but are citizens of heaven.62
Is this site still active?
Father, I would like to add to my daily prayers. I am thinking about listening to a pod cast from a Catholic web site. Do you have any podcasts that you would recommend?
Thank you & God bless you
Good Afternoon, Fr. Kaech,
Becoming part of the church through RCIA, I have a question regarding the baptismal rite. I know you do a lot of research and perhaps this will be an easy question for you.
Raised in a protestant church, I was taught that a person chooses to get baptized to share with the world that one has turned away from a life of perpetual sin, being reborn as a child of God and accepting Christ into his or her life.
So, I must be misunderstanding the purpose of baptisms, as an infant surely cannot make a choice to turn away from a “life” of sin (neither can a child, for that matter, to my way of thinking). I was baptized when I was young, but had not matured enough at the time to make that kind of decision. I was baptized for real in my mid-20’s.
When I read about John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan, it also seems more of a rite intended for adults and for those adults to be submerged in water, instead of being dusted with water.
I would very much be interested to read your insight and the Church’s view on baptism.
Thank you,
Joe
The Apostles were directly requested by Jesus Christ to “Go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit” Matt 28:19. Baptism brings about the birth in Water and the Holy Spirit: CCC1215 ” Amen Amen I say unto you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Holy Spirit’ John 3:5
So baptism is a birth into eternal life. Baptism frees us from previous sins including original sin. Through baptism we become sons and daughters of God. Baptism is a new beginning. The Church teaches that you can only be baptized once by the following formula ( I baptize you in the name of the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit) . Baptism will not keep us from sinning. We need to continue to Choose God and his ways to avoid sinning! We have the Sacrament of reconciliation where we confess our sins and are reconciled with God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation renews our baptismal Grace, and puts us in the state or Grace!
In Baptism we begin our life in Grace (Participation in The Life of God CCC 1997 ) We Renew this life of Grace when we receive the Eucharist In a state of Grace. We maintain a state of grace by being aware of relationship with God and when we are aware of our sinfulness we participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Baptism has a rich theology I would suggest you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Baptism can be found on paragraph numbers 1213- 1284.
Easter Blessings
Fr. Kaech
If a boy @ birth gets a gender surgery to be a girl. Then decides he wants to be a man again Can he get Married later in life to a women because he has decided to go back to being a man
From a very confused parishioner on gender surgery situations
First off the Church does not make decisions on things without an active case taking place. Therefore I believe the Church would remain quite on the issue. The gender at birth is gift from God and I don’t know why there would be a surgical gender change at birth. Obviously at birth the boy did not have a choice in the situation for the surgical sex change. The Church believes one is either a boy or girl at birth. Although the Church also is aware of those who come into this world with both genitalia (Hermaphrodite ) and this is conjecture on my part that the Church would allow this particular individual to choose for themselves what sex they would want to live their life out as. In this particular case ( the one proposed in the last sentence) I think the Church would allow the adult individual to choose the gender which they are comfortable with. The Church most certainly is not agreement with gender altercation surgery. In regard to Marriage the Church does not ask many questions about gender it is normally easy to identify Male and Female.
If we pray for someone with cancer and ask a particular saint to intercede for them, when the individual dies, do we continue to pray for that person, but cease to implore the saint from interceding for them?
We can always pray for individuals living or deceased. I would expect that when praying for the living we are praying for healing or peace of mind or for an increase faith for the individual. once the person passes from this world we shouldn’t stop praying although we should change the focus of prayers. “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” 2 Maccabees 12:46. In our prayer we would ask for the salvation of Jesus Christ for the deceased. In regards to calling upon saints yes it is proper to call upon saint to intercede for any good petition we my have for our Triune God. As we change to focus of pray from healing to salvation in Christ Jesus the Saints will change with us!
Blessings
Fr. Kaech
Mt 15:21-28
Father Kaech, will you please explain the dialogue between the woman and Jesus?
What have the scraps, going to the dogs, to do with the deliverance of the woman’s daughter?
Jesus was the Expected Messiah that was to come for the People Israel. Although The Lord told Abraham Israel’s Grandfather that all people would be Blessed in him: Genesis 22:18. The Messiah or the Anointed one was expected to be the savior of Israel. In other words the Gentiles in Many ways in Jewish Culture where not considered worthy of the blessings of the Lord! One would think that the Lords statement comes from this Cultural standing but it does not! ” It is not right to take the Children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Matt 15:26. Jesus Christ in this statement was trying to tease out the Faith of this Canaanite Woman! Why? to teach his disciples what deep faith is. Jesus used an insult to bring the faith out of this woman. the woman answers with ” Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table” Matt 15:27
You ask what do these statement have to do with the deliverance of the the Canaanite woman’s daughter? If someone desires to be delivered from evil there are a few things that are required. Faith that Jesus Christ can deliver one from evil is most important! This is why this dialogue took place. Another requirement would be the individual that is possessed by the evil needs to reject this same evil and desire deliverance. In this particular scripture passage it is the Faith of the Mother ( the Canaanite woman). Once one is delivered from evil it is important that they remain in the state of Grace or evil can reestablish itself within.
Blessings
Fr. Kaech
I noticed on the church April 2020 calendar Christ in Limbo and am confused since for the Apostle Creed we pray, He descended into hell not descended into Limbo. Limbo is place for unbaptized babies and Purgatory is for souls waiting for purification and hell is for souls against God. So if Limbo, Purgatory and hell are all different, where did Jesus go, all three?
The Church Believes that after Jesus died he went to the abode of the dead. Every body from Adam and Eve and all their descendant’s were detained in a place the Hebrew called Sheol. Although the word Sheol refers to hell. Hell as we know it is separation from God. What we are trying to refer to is a place of the dead that is not a final resting place or damnation. Limbo is a good word to use in that this word has taken on that definition of a period of waiting. Keep in mind Limbo was never a teaching of the Church. Limbo as place was coined by St. Augustine in one of conversation regarding Baptism and Children who die with receiving Baptism. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1R.HTM
Blessings
Fr. Kaech
One of his conversations regarding Baptism and Children who die without receiving baptism
Good day Father….I have a simple question. I have found myself in the last year or so praying much to the Holy Spirit. I find myself talking to the Holy Spirit throughout the day. For I find the Holy Spirit so powerful and so loving, trying to guide me to the words and works of Jesus.
But one day as I was talking to the Holy Spirit as I normally do, out of the blue I realized there were times I was referring to the Holy Sprit as “it”! I surely never meant it in such a way. And then I realized when I talk to Jesus, I will refer to him in many ways, “My Lord”, “Jesus” and then as “him”. I never referred to Jesus as “it”. Same thing when I refer to God.
But you rarely hear a gender reference to the Holy Spirit which is probably why I used the word “it”. I have been reading the Psalms recently and am slowly falling in love with the prayers. I have found a couple Psalms that refer to the Holy Spirt as “she”.
If using the Holy Spirit in a gender manner, is it proper to refer the Holy Spirit as “she” or should you refer to the Holy Spirit as “him’? Or is neither proper? Either choice is much better than “it”! 🙂 Mind you, I do normally find myself calling upon the Holy Spirit by her name. But throughout the day I do find myself in intimate conversation with the Holy Spirit. Which is what brought on this question.
Thank you soooo much for all your wisdom!
When Talking to the Holy Spirit one normally doesn’t use a personal pronoun , He, She, it. When talking about the Holy Spirit I Just naturally ( right or wrong) use He. I really don’t think She would be wrong when referring to the Holy Spirit although we must not get into the gender wars of our day! The Holy Spirit along with God the Father and God the Son are neither Male nor Female and they most certainly are more than an “it” ! ( although God the Son took on Human Flesh in and through Mary of Nazareth)
Regarding the Gospel on the 33rd Sunday, I did not understand why the 3rd servant told the master he was fearful because he “harvested where he did not sow and gathered where he did not scatter.” Does this mean the master was a criminal and wouldn’t the servant’s fear be justified?
how many times have you heard in Scripture do not fear? Fear ties us up and puts us in bondage. The Master wanted his servants to be fruitful with the talents that he gave them. remember it is a worldly story to tell of the Kingdom of Heaven! But fear will keep us from doing Gods work as well. Let see how perhaps we allow fear to bind us up! ” I can’t talk about my faith with him or here because they will ridicule me! ” . or perhaps the fear we have going to the confession.
No the Master was not a criminal it is but a story to make a point that we should not fear and to go out on a limb to advance in spiritual and physical matters is of God and the ways of the kingdom of Heaven. Some don’t serve the poor because they fear them etc.
Blessings
Fr. Kaech
This is the most clear explanation of this particular Gospel that I have ever read!
Thank you for your always exemplary teaching, Father Kaech!
I agree 100%!! I too had confusion with that Gospel. What an eye opening response….thank you so much Father!
The Rosary prayer gathering we shared last Saturday at 12noon, to lift up our Police Officers was so comforting and inspiring. Thank you Fr. Kaech. In these uncertain times of civil unrest and moral trepidation it was so comforting to gather together in prayer with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I’m looking forward to Mass on Tuesday morning, scary election day with threats of violence. Thank you again Father, you’re a wonderful spiritual leader for your flock !
WE must continue to pray for our officers! Although I wait for lay leadership on this not just one person so others please weigh in on the conversation!
Thanks Be to God that we live in in a nation of laws!
Fr. Kaech
Father, I would also like to continue the rosary for police officers, but would also like to include health care workers and others on the front line during the pandemic.
I was reading Sunday’s gospel, Ordinary Time Week 30, Matthew 22:34-40. I was inspired by Jesus’s response that the first and foremost law of the commandments is to love him. And then Jesus follows up the 2nd law, is like the first commandment which states to love your neighbors as yourself. Then Jesus states the whole law depends on these two commandments.
I have recently been studying the Psalms. And I was reading Psalm 18 which is about God helping David defeat his enemies. It made me think what is an enemy? For there are many people we don’t like. There are many people that are bad and hurt people. There are politics that are cruel and even kill people. When do you decide that someone is no longer a neighbor and is an enemy?
I’ve always taken the stance that I am not the judge and rely solely on God as the judge. But there seems to me there is a fine line where we need to decide as humans the definition of an enemy and a neighbor…so when is there a time you don’t love someone as your neighbor?
Thank you….
Michael
The Lord told his disciples that ” For whoever is not against us is for us” Mark 9:40
We Christians should have no enemies on our part! There are people we have lost trust in but we need to continue to love them! We need to trust only in God!
On the other hand we can attract animosity from another for one reason or another! Although we do not need to enter into the others enmity! The part of the Law ” Love your neighbor as yourself” has been brought to a new level by Jesus Christ the Son of God! Think of this saying. Most of us think well of ourselves and that is helpful for our neighbor if this is the maxim we go by. Although if one does not think well of themselves they most likely wont think well of their neighbor either. Jesus explains that our neighbor is the foreigner the folks who are estranged from us. The good Samaritan story Luke:25-27.
There is a call from Jesus for us to love our enemies and those who project ill will toward us. Matthew 5:43-48. there is a call from Jesus to ” be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect” found in the same passage as mentioned above. There is no room in Christianity for those who despise another. Although there is forgiveness and reconciliation in Christianity. We should be a people of Mercy toward on another and allow God to be their Judge. If we hold animosities toward an individual we put ourselves in the place as their judge and push God out of his role, consequently Disrespecting our God and his role in our lives. We are called to love the sinner hate the sin.
I want to vote as a Catholic in the upcoming election. Has the Archdiocese given us any direction about the bill regarding comprehensive sexual health education. Is there a website to help?
https://www.usccb.org/offices/justice-peace-human-development/forming-consciences-faithful-citizenship
Are there archangels with female names? (There was weird stuff on internet so asking) If not, are there any angels with female names?
Normally the names of angels are used for both Male and Female. You can see this practice in the Latino community. Gabe, Gabi Gabriel, Michael, Michel, etc.
I watched a discussion about Saint Mother Teresa and she was asked how she felt about gay people. Her reply was, “They are all God’s children.” I thought becoming a child of God was only through the sacrament of Baptism. Am I incorrect?
Kathy
A good question: The fact that we are made in the image and likeness of God Is most likely what Saint Mother Theresa was referring to. “The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the communion of persons, in the likeness of the unity of the divine persons among themselves”CCC 1702
The fact that WE are made in the Image and likeness of God does not mean that we will live for all eternity with God. We still have to ” work out our salvation with fear and trembling” Phil 2:12 also in the catechism not far from the above quote from the Catechism is this “Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom at the very beginning of history.”10 He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He still desires the good, but his nature bears the wound of original sin. He is now inclined to evil and subject to error:
Man is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness.” CCC 1707
I heard today, that priests are assigned two guardian angels because they are spiritually attacked in a greater way than the rest of us and that this part in Eucharistic prayer 1 is one of the evidences of priests having two guardian angels: With deep reverence we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be carried by the hands of your holy angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty. Can you (Father Kaech) feel your spiritual companionship? Can the rest of us, having only one guardian angel, be allowed to feel our spiritual companionship?
Mercedes
Yes, have also heard before the Priest have 2 guardian angels. At times yes I have felt the presence of Help on the Altar, that is not a human being! Although I never knew who it actually was the Lord an angel or saint? I believe that feeling ones guardian angle is not a natural quality of Human Beings! I do believe that the more one respects (recognizes, through prayer and communication) his or her guardian angle the more they will be aware of the angle of Gods presence. CCC328-336
Kathy
in reference to your question ( August 19) about the ascension in to Heaven of Jesus Christ!
Yes Jesus Ascends into Heaven ( CCC 659) ( these are my words) In Jesus ascension he takes our humanity to unite with is Father and Holy Spirit. Heaven is where this unity of the God head is! In our humanity it is very hard to conceptualize entry into something without using our language which is bound to space and time. God, Father,, Son, and Holy Spirit are not bound by space and time !
I hope this answers your question
Blessings
+ Fr. Kaech
Dear All
A few People in our faith community have been infected by the Covid Virus. Therefore we will belive streaming Mass on Facebook! Sorry but we have to be safe: Beginning tomorrow the church will be closed except for a few staff meetings. There will be no public services in the Church or the Church facilities until September 13th. Please be safe wear your mask and social distance and
” don’t put the Lord to the test” Luke 4:12
Father Kaech,
Would you consider, please, live-streaming First Friday Mass and Adoration on September 4th, since we are unable to attend?
Happy 22nd week in ordinary time everybody. Sundays first reading was read again the breviary today.. Jeremiah 20: 7-9. Jeremiah explains how the word of God is burning within his person and he has to share it with others. This is a sign of Jeremiahs great love for God. We all know what it means to be in Love, our heart burns for the other and we have a need to share the Love we have for this individual with the people around us. It is hard to contain this love within to stay silent.
We all find ourselves at different stages in our Journey as Christians. Perhaps our heart burning within is not our experience. If this is the case it begs the question: why not? Especially if the burning of the Heart is a normal thing. The reality is our God wants a relationship with us but do we want a relationship with our God? If we want this relationship we need to come to Love God and all his works. We also need to reject all that is not of God because all that is not of God is contrary to our Love!
Love requires abandonment: opposed to explaining Love I refer you to
1 Corinthians Ch13″ 4-13 Then I refer your to 1Joh ch 4:7-21.
“To be in Love is to be in God for God is Love” 1 John
I or nobody else can explain to you how you come to love God for you are an individual that is Loved by God and this love deserves a response from you. The reason I cannot explain how you are are to come to love God is because I am not you. Your love comes from your in most being ( your heart) and it can not be taught or bought. Song of Songs 8:7
Self abandonment is the best advice. All with reason; we are saved in our vocation! Vocation comes from a Latin word vocare which means call. As the church teaches our vocation is our call from God. Our occupation is not our vocation. In the Church there are 4 vocations: the single life, the married live and the vowed religious( communities) and the Priesthood which is 3 fold : Deacon , Priest and Bishop. I explain vocation because we need to begin with our identity of how we are naturally called by God. If in order to Love God we must abandoned ourselves to Our God we must first respect our call from God our vocation. Say we are married with children we should not be abandoning our family to give more time to God. We need to find time for God in our family. I am not saying that you shouldn’t come to the church and pray , i am saying that you don’t abandon your call from God to honor God in different way. Grace builds on nature. Just some thoughts!
Blessings
Fr. Kaech
Good morning, Father Kaech!
May God bless and keep you!
May I amend your continued homily, from September 1st, for Sunday in the 22nd week of Ordinary Time?
“To be in Love is to be in God, for God is Love.” 1 John
It is not possible, of course, for mankind to Love God for all His worth; to Love Him as He rightly deserves.
Even to announce that we Love God above all else seems small in proportion to all that our Lord God has done for each and every one of us.
Our best gift of Love for our Triune God, and this depending on the satisfactory completion of prior commitments (vocations), would be to give ourselves, body and soul, in perfect obedience to the beautiful service of our Precious Lord God – Father, Christ Jesus, and Their Holy Spirit!
Add to this our devotion to His Holy and Immaculate Mother Mary, Who has Loved us as our Mother since before our conception.
There is nothing so beautiful to God than to have His Love for us returned to Him, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, from hearts who Love Them truly – purely.
Is Heaven a state of being or a location or both?
Mercedes
I refer you The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2794 in reference to ” Who art in Heaven” as said in the prayer Jesus Christs taught us: Teh Our Father!
2794 This biblical expression does not mean a place (“space”), but a way of being; it does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is not “elsewhere”: he transcends everything we can conceive of his holiness. It is precisely because he is thrice holy that he is so close to the humble and contrite heart.
“Our Father who art in heaven” is rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just, as in his holy temple. At the same time, it means that those who pray should desire the one they invoke to dwell in them.
“Heaven” could also be those who bear the image of the heavenly world, and in whom God dwells and tarries.
It short it is a state of being in God!
Father,
If heaven is a state of being, why did Christ bodily ascend into heaven?
Is it because if Jesus’ body descends from Earth then it would be in H E double hockey sticks which is the opposite of where He merits to be or because His body is also to be in a Heavenly state of being?
Remembering the Creed “He descended into hell and rose again on the third day” and remembering Him on earth 33 years, both of which was to save us so thinking that was only a temporary state of being for Jesus because of who he is cannot remain in those states, must always and forever be in a heavenly state. So at the same time while he’s in a lower than heavenly state of being can be in a heavenly state as well?
Wow! Gracias! the rest is wonderful too: 2795 The symbol of the heavens refers us back to the mystery of the covenant we are living when we pray to our Father. He is in heaven, his dwelling place; the Father’s house is our homeland. Sin has exiled us from the land of the covenant,56 but conversion of heart enables us to return to the Father, to heaven.57 Jn Christ, then, heaven and earth are reconciled,58 for the Son alone “descended from heaven” and causes us to ascend there with him, by his Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension.59
2796 When the Church prays “our Father who art in heaven,” she is professing that we are the People of God, already seated “with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” and “hidden with Christ in God;”60 yet at the same time, “here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling.”61
[Christians] are in the flesh, but do not live according to the flesh. They spend their lives on earth, but are citizens of heaven.62
Thank volunteers spread the word about the Mass on First Friday and about our new Blog!
Blessings +
Fr. Kaech
I’ll be volunteer number two
Father Kaech, I will happily volunteer for First Friday Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament!
In today’s first reading, it says to go to the Parath. I couldn’t find the meaning of Parath. Can you help, Father?
Silly blog! It didn’t post the first time and now both appear.
Will it be possible for 50 parishioners to attend First Friday Mass and one hour adoration?
Yes!
Please, Father, this would be so wonderful, if the Archbishop will approve it!
Buenos Dias! Will it be possible for 50 fieles to attend First Friday Misa y una hora de adoration in August?
I made it!
This looks great! Excellent!