PathToHoliness

Last Sunday was Father’s Day but I couldn’t visit my Dad. However, my brother did and delivered a present from us kids (new GPS). So I got a photo during the week.

I’m very proud of my father and wanted to take this opportunity to say so. He has helped shape me into the person I am today more than he’ll ever know. I’m sure there have been plenty of times when I didn’t want to admit it too. I love him and miss getting to see him although my job has allowed me to visit at least once a year usually. Hopefully I’ll get to do so again later this year since my wife and I got to visit in April.

So, speaking of Father’s Day. Here’s me with my three daughters. They were all here for supper and we had a good time.

Like with my Dad, I don’t say how much I love them often enough. I’m very proud of them. Of course, you’ve met Chelsea since she writes here with me. My other daughters Carly and Caitlin are wonderful young women too who are pursuing career ideas right now of their own.

BTW. Chelsea is off to Catholic Familyland for their Family Fest right now where she’ll be speaking. You can follow her on Twitter and her blog.

We hear so much about the need to feed the hungry around the world. But how is that being done? Can it be done?

One of the things that will help is increasing the productivity of people who can produce food. That would be farmers. Biotechnology is helping them accomplish this. But like just about everything today it seems, there are people who want to protest it. I think most of them just don’t like big companies. They just use this as an excuse to promote their own personal agenda. Genetically modified crops are very safe and the amount of research that goes into the creation of what is essentially just speeding up a natural process is extensive. There’s never been a negative problem with a GMO.

So, why the Pope’s picture? It’s really because of the action of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and a letter from a Minnesota farmer. Thanks to Terry Wanzek who grows corn, soybeans, and wheat on his family farm in North Dakota and serves as a North Dakota Senator and board member of Truth About Trade & Technology, for bringing this to my attention.

He wrote a letter in which he mentions that the Pontifical Academy of Sciences has given it’s blessing to genetically modified crops as one solution to world hunger. Here’s the first two statutes of the Academy:

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, founded by Pius XI of hallowed memory, is placed under the exalted and direct protection of the reigning Supreme Pontiff.

The aim of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is to promote the progress of the mathematical, physical and natural sciences and the study of epistemological problems related thereto.

Here are a couple of excerpts from Terry’s letter:

There are some people around the world who think religion and science shouldn’t get along. For some reason, they believe the men of the cloth should disagree with the men of the lab coat, now and forever.

Are GM foods dangerous, as so many Europeans have been told? “No substantiated environmental or health risks have been noted,” says the academy. “Opposition to biotechnology in agriculture is usually ideological.”

Isn’t it great when science and religion can agree and even in the face of extreme emotionalism with a political agenda.

Today is the feast day of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. It is the anniversary of his death in 1975. This is a photo of him from the early 1920’s before he even became a priest.

Many Masses are being celebrated in his honor today and you can find a list of many of them here.

On May 17, 1992, Pope John Paul II beatified Josemaría Escrivá. He proclaimed him a saint ten years later, on October 6, 2002, in St. Peter’s Square, in Rome, before a great multitude. In his homily on that occasion, the Pope said: “Following in his footsteps, spread in society the awareness that we are called to holiness, without distinction of race, class, culture or age.”

I had the honor and opportunity to attend the cannonization of St. Josemaria in 2002. This is a photo of his casket which was displayed in various locations during the days prior to the ceremony in front of the St. Peters Basilica.

I can’t tell you how much the spirituality taught by St. Josemaria via Opus Dei has meant to my life. It’s such a simple thing, to live out holiness in the everyday world. But I realize how difficult it is in our world and culture and that’s why having a plan of life is so important.

This is me on the day of the cannonization ceremony with my headphones on to listen to the english translation of the ceremony and Mass. The crowd was unbelievably huge and went on as far as I could see. These are scans of my photos from then since it was pre-digital photography for me.

I have also had the honor to meet then Pope John Paul II and this was just one of a number of occasions when I was able to see him and how well loved he was by so many.

St. Josemaria please pray for me and thank you for everything.

“Time is a treasure that melts away. It escapes from us, slipping through our fingers like water through the mountain rocks. Tomorrow will soon be another yesterday. Our lives are so very short. Yesterday has gone and today is passing by. But what a great deal can be done for the love of God in this short space of time!”

~St. Josemaria, Friends of God: Time is a Treasure

Here are a couple of Twitter feeds you should start following. One is for Archbishop Eijk of Utrecht and the other is for FuturePriests.com. The Archbishop has issued a call for prayers for vocations on Twitter.

If you’re Twitter savvy just use the #futurepriests hash tag in your tweets.

On Friday, June 19, Dutch Archbishop Eijk of Utrecht asked the world to join in prayer for vocations to the priesthood – using Twitter. Using one of the computers of the archdiocesan seminary in Utrecht, the bishop launched a ‘Global Twitter Campaign for Vocations’ by posting a call for prayer on the fast-growing social network. In his message, he invites his Twitter-followers to spread the initiative around the world.

“The world is in dire need of priests to celebrate the Eucharist, the heart and the source of our faith,” the archbishop said. “We want to join the Holy Father at the start of this ‘Year of the Priest’ by answering Jesus’ call to pray for workers to bring in the harvest (Luke 10:2). Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networks in the world, so it’s a great medium to get many people involved in this prayer-campaign.”

You can learn more on the Future Priests.com website. Here’s the homepage prayer:

Loving God,

Amen.

Happy Father’s Day to all Dads everywhere. My Dad is not a computer kind of guy so I’ll call him later today to wish him well. Let’s all say a prayer to the patron saint of fathers, St.

Joseph.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.

Mathew 1:18-25

Let’s hope that fatherhood grows in our society. Former President George W. Bush said this on Father’s Day:

Responsible fatherhood is important to a healthy and civil society. Numerous studies confirm that children whose fathers are present and involved in their lives are more likely to develop into prosperous and healthy adults. Children learn by example; and they need their father’s presence as examples of virtue in their daily lives. A child’s sense of security can be greatly enhanced by seeing his parents in a loving and faithful marriage.”

I agree. So Dads, I hope you’re finding a way to spend time with your children. Even in today’s culture you can do simple things even after they’ve left home like call them, email them a message, send ’em a text message even.

I love my wife and my children and today I also hope and pray for them.

From Fr. Ben Nwosu’s homily this morning at Immaculate Conception church in Jeff City, MO

“Mary’s blessedness as Mother of God came from the willingness of her heart to submit to the will of God.”

Happy Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!!

Solemn Act of Consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary

Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world.

Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world.

O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully.

We come with confidence to You, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love. Inflame us with the same Divine Fire which has inflamed Your own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Make our hearts and homes Your shrine, and through us, make the Heart of Jesus, together with your rule, triumph in every heart and home.

Amen.

–Venerable Pope Pius XII

“In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
~promise of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima

From a good and holy priest in our diocese:

“I always say the human heart needs the Sacred Heart. We have the blessing of the Sacred Heart of Jesus living and beating, so to speak, in the Blessed Sacrament. It’s a great gift. I especially feel that in the morning and in the afternoon when I spend time in adoration.”

-Fr. Bill Korte, Salisbury, MO

Happy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!

O Most Merciful Jesus, I consecrate myself today and always to Your Most Sacred Heart. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine! Most Sacred Heard of Jesus, have mercy on me!

Let us continue to pray for our priests as we near the Year For Priests. To commemorate it, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a website:

Pope Benedict XVI has declared a “Year for Priests” beginning with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, 2009. The year will conclude in Rome with an international gathering of priests with the Holy Father on June 19, 2010.

Please pray for our priests that they might always be faithful to their sacred calling.

We’re getting closer to the 26th June, the anniversary of Saint Josemaría’s death in 1975 and which is now his feast day. In case you’d like to celebrate it in a very meaningful way you can find a couple of listings of Masses in his honor.

There’s one on the Opus Dei website and you can also find one on the St. Josemaria Institute website.

Here in Missouri you can find them:

Immaculate Conception Church
2083 Hanley Road
Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
636-561-6611
Saturday, June 20
11AM

Our Lady of Good Counsel Church
3934 Washington
Kansas City, Missouri 64222
816-561-0400
Wednesday, June 27
7PM
Celebrant: Bishop Robert Finn, Bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph

Saint Clement of Rome Church
1510 Bopp Road
Des Peres, MO 63131
(314) 965-0709
Celebrant: Rev. Edward Richard