Is this funny? I'm a priest so I am not sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY8k7l1pxqk

The Church

There are many models of the Church. An old fashioned describes it in this way.
1. The Church Triumphant - those in heaven
2. The Church Suffering - those in purgatory, yes the Church still believes in purgatory. No, you are not just fine the way you are.
3. The Church Militant - members of the Church on earth, we are engaged in a struggle for eternal life.

Mass Times

The first saturday of December, the first Sunday of Advent, Mass will be at 5:00.
This will be a permanent change to our Mass schedule. I hope this will be more accomodating to families with children and to those who do not like to be out after dark.
Tell your friends and spread the word.

Penance gives Prayer its Power.

St. Teresa says

"God gave us faculties for our use; each of them will receive its proper reward. Then do not let us try to charm them to sleep, but permit them to do their work until divinely called to something higher."

A good prayer

For All Good Things
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Loving God, who sees in us nothing that you have not given yourself,
make my body healthy and agile,
my mind sharp and clear,
my heart joyful and contented,
my soul faithful and loving.
And surround me with the company of men and angels who share my devotion to you. Above all, let me live in your presence,
for with you all fear is banished, and there is only harmony and peace.
Let every day combine
the beauty of spring,
the brightness of summer,
the abundance of autumn,
and the repose of winter.
And at the end of my life on earth,
grant that I may come to see and to know you in the fullness of your glory.

Flannery O'Connor, the Catholic novelist said "You have to push as hard as the age that pushes against you."
The culture cannot stand any dissent. So it attacks the beliefs of the Church and ridicules as stupid those who practice the faith. If you do not find your joys in worldly pursuits you are accused of being judgemental. Ms. O'Conner reminds not to be timid. In a faithless age those with faith must not be afraid 'to push back.'

Anger

Anger is an emotion and does not have a moral quality on its own. If it is at the service of the truth then it is good. If it is merely at the service of pride then it is bad.
Sometimes we need to be angry in order to accomplish a good. Injustice stirs up anger in the virtuous person. We have to be careful though that our anger is not easily provoked. Anger must always be subject to right reason. If it is not then it becomes like a raging animal destroying everything in its path.

Providence

If you are ever in Providence, RI you need to go to Caserta's Pizza it is wicked good.

Caserta's Pizzeria(401) 621-9190
121 Spruce St, Providence, RI 02903

saints

We've had several saints this week that I have overlooked.

St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Spain - Doctor of the Church
St. Margaret Mary (1647 - 1690) France - vision of the Sacred Heart, first Friday devotion
St. Ignatius of Antioch (35 - 110) Palestine and Rome - early church martyr whose writings show belief in the Eucharist, incarnation, and authority of the Church

To learn more about these saints go to the Catholic Encyclopedia at Newadvent.org

Vacation

I've been gone for a few days.

Last May I celebrated my 10th anniversary of priesthood.

Several of my classmates went back to the seminary to remember old times.

I spent two days in Emmitsbuurg MD. I then went up to Rhode Island with one of my classmates. Fr. Angelo Carusi is the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Providence. I saw many beautiful churches and ate many beautiful Italian meals.

It is good to be home.

Avarice

Avarice (from Latin avarus, "greedy"; "to crave") is the inordinate love for riches. Its special malice, broadly speaking, lies in that it makes the getting and keeping of money, possessions, and the like, a purpose in itself to live for. It does not see that these things are valuable only as instruments for the conduct of a rational and harmonious life, due regard being paid of course to the special social condition in which one is placed. It is called a capital vice because it has as its object that for the gaining or holding of which many other sins are committed. It is more to be dreaded in that it often cloaks itself as a virtue, or insinuates itself under the pretext of making a decent provision for the future. In so far as avarice is an incentive to injustice in acquiring and retaining of wealth, it is frequently a grievous sin. In itself, however, and in so far as it implies simply an excessive desire of, or pleasure in, riches, it is commonly not a mortal sin.

Justice

Anger offends against justice by excess. The just person carries out a punishment according to right reason. Anger can cloud our judgement so that we carry out justice with excessive passion.

Anger

The desire of vengeance. Its ethical rating depends upon the quality of the vengeance and the quantity of the passion. When these are in conformity with the prescriptions of balanced reason, anger is not a sin. It is rather a praiseworthy thing and justifiable with a proper zeal. It becomes sinful when it is sought to wreak vengeance upon one who has not deserved it, or to a greater extent than it has been deserved, or in conflict with the dispositions of law, or from an improper motive. The sin is then in a general sense mortal as being opposed to justice and charity. It may, however, be venial because the punishment aimed at is but a trifling one or because of lack of full deliberation. Likewise, anger is sinful when there is an undue vehemence in the passion itself, whether inwardly or outwardly. Ordinarily it is then accounted a venial sin unless the excess be so great as to go counter seriously to the love of God or of one's neighbour.

Benevolence

1. Desire to do good to others; goodwill; charitableness: to be filled with benevolence toward one's fellow creatures.
2. An act of kindness; a charitable gift.

Envy

Jealousy is here taken to be synonymous with envy. It is defined to be a sorrow which one entertains at another's well-being because of a view that one's own excellence is in consequence lessened. Its distinctive malice comes from the opposition it implies to the supreme virtue of charity. The law of love constrains us to rejoice rather than to be distressed at the good fortune of our neighbour. Besides, such an attitude is a direct contradiction of the spirit of solidarity which ought to characterize the human race and, especially, the members of the Christian community. The envious man tortures himself without cause, morbidly holding as he does, the success of another to constitute an evil for himself. The sin, in so far as it defies the great precept of charity, is in general grievous, although on account of the trifling matter involved, as well as because of the lack of deliberation, it is often reputed to be venial. Jealousy is most evil when one repines at another's spiritual good. It is then said to be a sin against the Holy Ghost. It is likewise called a capital sin because of the other vices it begets. Among its progeny St. Thomas (II-II:36) enumerates hatred, detraction, rejoicing over the misfortunes of one's fellow, and whispering. Regret at another's success is not always jealousy. The motive has to be scrutinized. If, for instance, I feel sorrow at the news of another's promotion or rise to wealth, either because I know that he does not deserve his accession of good fortune, or because I have founded reason to fear he will use it to injure me or others, my attitude, provided that there is no excess in my sentiment, is entirely rational. Then, too, it may happen that I do not, properly speaking, begrudge my neighbour his happier codition, but simply am grieved that I have not imitated him. Thus if the subject-matter be praiseworthy, I shall be not jealous but rather laudably emulous.