First Sunday of Lent

We have begun the Holy Season of Lent. The word “lent” is an old English word for “spring time”. It is an opportunity to allow the seeds of faith that have been planted, to grow stronger and its roots to go deeper.

Lent is marked by a period of forty days. For the adults who will be baptized, confirmed and receive their First Holy Communion at Easter, these forty days are particularly crucial in their final preparation for Christian initiation. Today we will send them to San Diego, and alongside men and women from all the 98 parishes of our Local Church they will be presented to our bishop and formally recognized by him as sons and daughters of Holy Mother Church.

The commitment and great sacrifices of those asking to be initiated fully into the Church this Easter should be an encouragement to all of us to also mark this period of Lent to strengthen our Catholic identity and our own commitment to live evermore-authentic Christian lives.

These forty days of preparation can remind us of the forty days Moses fasted on the top of Mount Sinai in preparation for his epic encounter with God who would give him the Ten Commandments. The forty days of our Blessed Lord’s fast in the desert where he did battle with Satan allow us the necessary time to strengthen our own defenses against the devil, to repent of our sins and to mend and repair the damage our offences have taken, against God and our neighbor. This all takes time to do, for if we truly examine our conscience with the saving grace of self-knowledge, we should know our weaknesses, what areas of our life are vulnerable to sin, and what we need to do protect ourselves from the evil that does exist in the world.

If is often said by people who do not want to go to Church, that they avoid it because it is full of hypocrites. There is some truth to this. The closer a Christian gets to the sacred, the more Satan will tempt them to sin and fall. And if they do so in daylight, it becomes scandalous. The devil wins on two fronts. He has poisoned someone’s soul and shows them off like a scarecrow, to frighten away others from seeking God. Maybe this is you and I at times, even without knowing. For this reason we have to continually examine what we are, and how we are, in all our relationships and associations. As Christians we must always expect to be tempted by the devil. And if we can see it coming, then we have a better chance to avoid the danger.

Notice what the Gospel says today. It was the Holy Spirit that led Jesus into the desert where Satan tempted him. If the Holy Spirit allows us to face temptation, God will be fighting along with us, in the battle. But if you run into the battlefield on your own initiative, thinking that you can fight an enemy who is hell-bent in destroying you, do not expect much help from God, for he will not want to encourage any of us in our recklessness nor does he reward foolishness. No Christian should want to expose themselves to temptations. If God does, then he will help us give the devil a bloody nose!

And even if we manage to send the devil packing, we must never let down our guard. It is often during times of peace that the enemy plots. For this reason a Christian, even though we move forward with life, we must always keep a careful eye on the rearview mirror. But our enemy is not always out there hiding. Sometimes it’s the very things that we love to hold to, without much thought, that can do the devil’s dirty work for him. It is for this reason, we should often look at ourselves in a mirror – it’s called an examination of conscience, acknowledging humbly the truth about all our relationships and testing the motives behind our everyday actions.

And finally prayer! If vigilance keeps us close to ourselves, prayer keeps us close to God. Memorize the words of prayers and learn the discipline of praying throughout the day. Pray before Mass asking the Holy Spirit guide you through it. Pray the words of the Mass that you can read from the books in front of you. Pray afterwards in thanksgiving for the blessings received. The discipline of continuous prayer and careful vigilance concerning how we live, are the sharpened tools we can use in our continuous spiritual battle with evil. The more we are strengthened in the virtues of living our lives in true freedom, the more we will allow God, to be given glory rather than the foe.

With strong faith in Christ’s victory over the forces of darkness, let us pray that our own Christian witness will be authentic and credible for the sake and salvation of all our brothers and sisters. May this holy season of the Lent provide each one of us, the necessary training to accomplish this goal, through Christ our Lord.

Miércoles de Ceniza - Ash Wednesday

Las cenizas representan el polvo de la tierra en la que, a causa del pecado de Adán, debemos todos volver. A pesar de nuestras miradas, de valores o lo que podría aferrarse a la vida, este polvo de ceniza nos recuerda que todo lo que, a causa de la infestación del pecado en nuestras vidas y su efecto en la creación, todas las cosas ultimamente se convierten en polvo. Incluso el universo, en su propio tiempo, vuelve al polvo cósmico. Con este pensamiento nos mantiene humilde.

Nos marcaan con el signo de la cruz. Hecho de cenizas, no es una hermosa cruz. Es feo. Esto nos recuerda que Jesucristo, que no tenía ninguna mancha de pecado, tomó sobre sí mismo, el la fealdad de todos los pecados y su aguijón - la muerte. No es una cosa bonita.

La cruz se traza en la frente, la parte más expuesta de nuestro cuerpo. Cristo no fue crucificado a puertas cerradas, en privado o en un lugar apartado. Su muerte fue pública. La cruz en la que colgó era para todo el mundo lo viera. Para los soberbios, la cruz es una vergüenza. Para el pecador arrepentido, la cruz inspira la humildad y la gratitud a Cristo para pagar el precio que pagó por mis pecados, cuando debería haber sido yo el castigado y no él.

Finalmente, las cenizas pronto se lavaran. La cruz no es nunca la última palabra. La resurrección de entre los muertos es. Que este tiempo santo de Cuaresma nos lleve a través de la cruz de Cristo, y no alrededor de ella, sino que permita la cruz, como una brújula, que nos apunta en la dirección de la celebración del domingo de la resurrección del Señor. Oremos para que el día de el último juicio, nosotros también participemos en su triunfo de manera que cuando el polvo se soplado lejos, nos encontramos transformados en una nueva creación y vivir para siempre con él, el nuevo y Jerusalén celestial, con todos los ángeles y santos. Hasta que llegue ese día, oremos por a nosotros mismos ya los demás, que las disciplinas y devociones de este tiempo santo se llevan juntos en esta dirección.

Ashes stand for the dust of the earth into which, because of the sin of Adam, we must all return. Regardless of our looks, securities or what we might hold onto for life, this dusty ash reminds us that everything, because of the infestation of sin in our own lives and its effect on creation, all things ultimately turn to dust. Even the universe, in her own time, returns to cosmic dust. With this thought we are kept humble.

We are marked with the sign of the cross. Made of ashes, it is not a beautiful cross. It’s ugly. It reminds us that Jesus Christ who had no stain of any sin, took upon himself, the ugliness of all sins and its sting – death. It is no pretty thing.

The cross is traced on our forehead, the most exposed part of our body. Christ was not crucified behind closed doors, in private or in a secluded place. His death was public. The cross on which he hung was for the whole world to see. For the proud, the cross is an embarrassment. For the repentant sinner, the cross inspires humility and gratitude to Christ for paying the price he paid for my sins when it should have been me punished and not Him.

Finally, the ashes will soon wash off. The cross is never the last word. The resurrection from the dead is. May this holy season of Lent lead us through the cross of Christ, and not around it, but instead allowing the cross, like a compass, to point us in the direction of the Sunday celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. Let us pray that on the day of final judgment, we too will share in his victory so that when the dust is blown away, we will find ourselves transformed into a new creation and live forever with him the new and heavenly Jerusalem with all the angels and saints. Until that day comes, let us pray for ourselves and each other, that the disciplines and devotions of this holy season will lead us together in this direction.

Game plan for Lent

Beginning on Wednesday together we will begin our journey to Easter. We will turn our back to the attractions of the world and set our sights on the eternal kingdom to come. This will be no easy task. The Ashes that are placed upon our foreheads on Wednesday will remind us that this is what our bodies will ultimately become – our bodies must surrender if our souls are to reach heaven.

Christ is your companion

As difficult as the journey is to heaven, we are assured that Our Lord will walk every step of the way with us. It does not seem too long ago that we celebrated his birth as the baby in the manger. Now this child has grown to full maturity. As he now stands with us, he is the man from Nazareth, our loving brother – he is our strength and our divine friend.

During the forty days of Lent, the penances that we are determined to do, Christ does too. Any suffering that we are willing to endure to perfect our souls, Christ suffers with us too. When examine our lives and recall the weight of our sinfulness, Christ weeps with us. When we are determined to sin no more, Christ carries the burden of our sins.

Read and meditate on the Gospel of Mark

And so our journey through the holy season of Lent to Easter Sunday is shared with Christ. As he makes his way to Jerusalem, through the desert, along the roads and through the towns and villages, we will ask for God’s help to be able to follow him courageously, and even though we know ourselves to be weak in body and soul, it must always be our effort to listen to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Even though we are sinners and do not deserve it, Christ continually offers you and me salvation. By listening to the words of the Gospel, by mediating on his word we will be encouraged that we can be healed, strengthened and renewed in our relationship with God.

Lent is, of course a spiritual journey – but it must affect us also physically. We are shown in the Gospel, that Christ will endure fasting and offer up many sacrifices in his own body. If we repent of our sins, then we too must fast from the people, places and things that are to us familiar opportunities to continue in our sinful behavior.

Examine your life, confess your sins, be resolved to keep join forward

Unfortunately, because sin is the willful separation of ourselves from the presence of God, we will seldom forget our past sins, not matter who much we try. Our past sins, even though confessed and repented from, can still haunt us and play in our mind and memories. The practice of regular confession of our sins, sorrow over our sins, and determination not to sin again can never be underestimated, for the soul, like the body, needs discipline.

Fast

For this reason, the Church asks of us, during the season of Lent to discipline our mind and our bodies with fasting and penances – to go against the natural compulsions of our natural instincts, which have become so often corrupted by the world we now live in. Study and take encouragement from the martyrs of the Church. Study their lives and learn from their example that God can make the weak strong in the face of every challenge.

Reflect on the Lives of the Saints

The lives of the saints show us the importance of personal and regular prayer. The importance of daily spiritual exercises, morning prayers, grace before meals, evening prayers – praying together as a family, especially the rosary. And the opportunities for daily Mass before work or school should not be overlooked.

Give Alms, do charity

In the same way as we discipline our bodies and our appetites, likewise we must do so for our own households. Almsgiving, sharing our wealth, letting go of all the stuff that really is useless in our lives – and easily and freely given away to others. During this season, Our Annual Catholic Appeal finds a place, giving to charities, allowing others to benefit from our own blessings is in the spirit of Christ who, still in many ways, walks the streets of this world looking from the outside into our living rooms and places of cozy comforts.

Detachment from the things and letting go

And here might be our greatest challenge, but an opportunity for the richest grace during this holy Season, to separate ourselves, as truly best we can, from the pleasures of world , which it offers us on its own terms, and by its own alluring powers of attraction. How much does the TV or the Internet influence your thoughts, your relationship with family, God and his Holy Church. How much of eating, shopping, casual entertainment, waste time – time a precious gift.

My dear friends, weak as we know we are, our journey through Lent begins this Wednesday. We are practicing and training our bodies for their resurrection from the grave. How will we rise on that glorious final day? Will we still be trying to hold on to a passing world or instead reaching out in complete surrender to God, leaving behind everything that would come between his love and us?

Avail of the medicine of immortality

To this end, we have the divine food to strengthen our bodies and souls to be compatible with heaven – our food is Christ himself. As the bread and wine of the old order of creation is transformed into the Glorious and Triumphant Christ, may we too come to share in his Easter glory, both now in this world and forever in the world to come.

6th Sunday of the Year

"He, (that's Christ), remained outside in deserted places and people kept coming to him from everywhere." There is a sense of irony here in this last line from the Gospel passage we have just listened to. Christ, who so often would be preaching in the towns and villages would now forced to stay outside, while the leper, once exiled to these places, was now back in the midst of the towns and villages.

What is Christ's attitude to sickness and disease? Our modern English translations say that Christ was "moved with pity". The older more literal translations say that Christ was "provoked with anger' this is at the core of what we mean by the word "compassion". "Com" means "with" - compassion - with passion - that same passion which moved Christ to throw out the moneychangers in the temple. It is alone these lines that we identify crimes of passions with anger.

With a person contaminated with leprosy, Christ is moved with anger for he sees before him an example of how the beauty and nobility of man has been distorted and ruptured by sickness and disease (which were never intended by God for humanity). Christ is moved with anger at how this son of Adam has been cast into the wilderness by his brothers and sisters when God had declared, when he formed Adam, that it was not right that man should be alone.

Today’s Gospel was first read to the early Christians of Rome who were being persecuted by their fellow citizens, who treated them harshly like lepers, outcasts. Might we be reminded, maybe as the early Christians were, that to be a Christian is to often go against the trends and attitudes found or taken for granted in our society, that in many ways we do not fit in, any more than Christ himself who was cast out of the city and abandoned on a cross. It was there on that cross that Christ took upon himself that sickness and disfigurement of all humanity – that of sin and death.

Like a leper Christ was stripped down and hung on the cross, and most of his disciples kept their distance from him. As he did so in the gospel this Sunday to the man who asked for cleansing, through the sacrifice of the Mass, Christ stretches out his hands from Calvary, touches us all, and from the cross says to us, "Be cleansed". “Let us consider here, dear friends, if there be anyone here that has the taint of leprosy in their soul, or the contamination of guilt in their heart. If anyone has, let them adoring God, say, “Lord if you wish, you can make me clean”. (Origen) May each one of us be able to hear Christ's reply, "I do will it. Be made clean".

Sexagesima Sunday (1962 Calendar)

La semilla es la palabra de Dios, aquella palabra cuyo incensable sembrador fue Pablo, entre afanes y sufrimientos y hasta la muerte a filo de espada; aquella palabra encarnada en Cristo, Verbo divino, centro de la Sagrada Escritura.

Oración. - Oh Dios, que veis cómo no confiamos en ninguna de nuestras acciones, concedednos propicio que seamos fortalecidos por la protección del Doctor de las gentes contra toda adversidad.

Matthew 20:1-16

In the traditional Roman calendar last Sunday was called Septuagesima, Latin for the “Seventieth” day before Easter. This number is more symbolic than exact. This Sunday is called Sexagesima (“sixtieth”) and next week is Quinquagesima (“fiftieth”). Ash Wednesday brings in Lent, called in Latin Quadragesima, “Fortieth”. So that the season of Lent does not suddenly come upon us, these weeks serve to remind us that Lent is round the corner. We are visually reminded by the color purple and our avoidance of the use of “alleluia”. In fact, there is, in some countries the ancient custom of burying a scroll with the word “alleluia” written on it, only to be resurrected with much solemnity at Easter. So we have started the countdown for Easter.

In a way, we are getting ready for something along the lines of a military exercise. Last week, the Gospel spoke about being enlisted into the work schedule of the vineyard. The Mass this week lays the groundwork for our training.

In a way, our Lord asks us to reflect on what we are made of – if we are able to be conditioned by his grace, if we will allow him to reach into the depth of our heart and soul and allow him to plant the seed of immortality. Hence we have heard in the Gospel the parable of the sower and the seed. What is the soil of our souls made of? Is it, right now, capable of the training it needs to undergo, or does it first have to be purified, our like the soil of the earth, has it become too hard, or even attached to much to the things of this world.

But even the best soil can do nothing without good seed planted in it. And so, in the Collect payer we have rightfully acknowledged that cannot put any trust in our own ability to save ourselves, we need God’s grace to penetrate deep down into our souls, to stir us in the right direction and help us to grow strong so that, as St. Paul reminded us in the first lesion, we can survive through any storm that passes over us. He reminds us in that First Lesson that even if we find within ourselves a weakness – a place of vulnerability, God’s grace works all the more to balance us and keep us afloat should the raging waters come up against us.

So, in a way, we have spread out the map and evaluate our situation and consider where the points of engagement will be. Of course the map we must open to review is our own lives. We must highlight the vulnerable areas and ask God to plant the seed of his grace at strategic points in our lives, so that “renewed by this sacrament, our lives will become acceptable in thy service” – lives fruitful in good works.

Annual Catholic Appeal

The Church as the Body of Christ

Although our experience of the Catholic Church is first and foremost through our local parish, each faith community is not a Church unto itself. We are a living cell, united to other parishes throughout the San Diego and Imperial Counties- one of 99 parishes.

United with them in our common Catholic faith we form what is called a diocese, a Local Church. The Bishop is the chief shepherd of our diocese, responsible for the souls of over one million local Catholics, including yours and mine! There are 2167 dioceses in the world held together in unity by the Pope. That’s 1.181 billion members of the Catholic Church through the world!

Each year, every parish in our diocese, like muscles of a body working together, demonstrates the ability to coordinate with other parishes in a unique feat of strength. No one part of the body of the diocese is able to take on the entire burden. In fact, all parts of the body need to coordinate in order to contribute to the mission and ministry of Christ and his Church.

To make this happen, we first give attention to the part of our Local Church which finds itself continually feeling the strain. We have twelve parishes in the Imperial Valley. This area has the highest concentration of Catholics, the lowest per capital income and the greatest unemployment figure in our local Church. Our brothers and sisters there need our support to help build churches and provide resources for their pastors to be effective in their ministry.

Another area of our Local Church body which needs continual support is the organization we call Catholic Charities. Every year almost 300,000 of our brothers and sisters, from every part of our diocese, are given practical assistance for food, clothing and shelter- what we call in our Catholic tradition, the “Corporal Works of Mercy”. This work is ongoing as God’s mercy is everlasting.

However, a body is only as strong as its defenses are. In a world where we too often experience the effects of sin and find ourselves vulnerable to many attacks from every side, our mind must always be kept sharp, our heart should find comfort and our soul must always be nourished.

Toward these goals we need to combine our efforts to help secure greater resources to promote vocations to the priesthood and support seminarians in their formation and training to be good, holy and effective priests.

This goes hand in hand with helping young couples in particular with their preparation for marriage. The diocese provides workshops, presentations and retreats to help men and women marry well and to create the environment necessary for a stable and wholesome family life to begin.

Of course, like anybody, we are always growing and learning how to adapt to ever changing surroundings. We are often challenged to explain and defend our way of life and our faith. Our investment in Catholic education is essential in providing support for Catholic schools, training the catechists and teachers to ensure our Catholic identity is strong and credible.

Each parish in the diocese, small or large, rich or poor, is asked to contribute their energy to furthering these goals. Naturally each parish, like that muscle in the body, has a particular function. Each parish gives of itself accordingly to an assessment of its own strength and ability towards our Annual Catholic Appeal.

Please support the Annual Catholic Appeal. One person makes a difference, one parish cooperating with others, one Church continuing the mission and ministry of Christ.

Click here and make the difference!

Fourth Sunday of in Ordinary Time

The Face of God – Christ The New Moses

The People of God in the Old Testament had encountered God on the holy mountain, manifested by thunder and fire. In a way, such an encounter with God was too overwhelming for them. Who could look upon the face of God and live? Their request that a more tangible way of encountering God might be available is heard. Moses assures them of God’s promise that "A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen.”

This new Moses would show the people the face of God in such a way, that instead of fear, love would be evoked. Jesus Christ, the new Moses, has reveled to us the very face of God. Whereas the old Moses was a friend of God and could only see God through the cloud and smoke, Jesus the “New Moses” is not called a friend of God. Rather, he is the Son of God; the intimacy of a relationship with his heavenly Father is a union of love so perfect that to look upon Jesus is to look upon the very face of God and not to be afraid.

Because the divine nature of God is, in a way, “hidden” in the humanity of Jesus, waiting to be revealed, we do get glimpses of Jesus power as God. These are not just in the miracles and wonders he did, but on that mountain top where his whole body was transfigured in the light of his divinity. And who was there, as if having stepped through the corridor of time, but the old Moses, now able himself to look upon the face of God in bodily form, in the form of Jesus of Nazareth.

In the Old Testament, the holy prophet would have had to repeat the words of God, prefacing them with “Thus says the Lord”. But now in the New Testament, Jesus speaks literarily as God and prefaces his own words with “I tell you solemnly.” Conscious of this difference, not just in style, but in substance, we hear in the Gospel today, that “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”

Although, the people who encountered Jesus did not know him as yet as “God with them”, the demons knew. They even shouted out in horror and fear, for they knew that through the eyes of Jesus of Nazareth, God was looking right at them! Jesus silenced them, not because they knew him to be God in bodily form and that they were “giving away” the “secret”. Christ silenced their confession because “he did not wish that the truth should come forth from an unclean mouth” (St Anastasias to the Bishops of Egypt”). Christ would wait for Peter to make his confession, not out of fear, but out of love and as a gift from God.

When we gather around this altar, we do so within the context of the history of salvation. The candles and the incense we use can evoke those sacred images of the smoke and fire on Mount Sinai that announced the presence of God. This altar, the central focus of our Sunday worship is like that mountain top that Moses climbed to speak with God and negotiated a covenant. But now we see this altar/mountain top in a new light – that of Calvary were Jesus Christ revels the very face of God in the sacrifice of the new and eternal covenant sealed in his own body and blood.

So that we may see the face of God and live, may our preparation for Holy Communion with our Lord always begin with a careful examination of our souls, in the light of Christ’s teaching and of His Church through which the Spirit of Truth is revealed for the sake of our salvation and that of the whole world.

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (1962 Calendar)

“Senor, salvanos, que perecemos! Levanto’se entonces Jesus e impero’ al viento y al mar, y siguio’ una gran bonanza.” Mientras el evangelio manifiesta la divinidad de Jesus, reclama de nuestra parte una fe cada vez mayor en su divino poder.

The Holy Mass teaches us today about the virtue of overcoming fear with confidence in God’s word. As Christians, we do not deny that danger exists. For this reason, the Church prays “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”.

Although the Introit, Gradual, Offertory and Communion verses sung by us are the same as last Sunday’s and will be the same until we get close to Lent, they take on, in a way, a different “color” as they are sung and prayed from a different perspective. In the background, there is a storm brewing (the Gospel). In the here and now, Christ is no longer sleeping in the depths of the boat. The Introit reminds us that he is seated on high, in the heavens. While we find ourselves caught in the storm, our prayer must rise to the heavens from where our help comes.

The Collect Prayer comes to the point. We will find ourselves in danger and we are often not up for it. We need help from on high. But that help comes to us as God’s grace, infusing in our minds, bodies and souls the strength we need to find our way, with God’s help, out of the entanglements we often allow ourselves to drift into.

This leads us into the Epistle. St. Paul shows us clearly what we have to navigate through and what to avoid if we are to reach safe harbor. But what propels us forward is not fear of God’s wrath; instead it is love of God and our neighbor.

As we negotiate the storms around us, as Christians we must remember that we are also being examples to the world, especially those who are not Christian or part of the Church. The Gradual and Alleluia reminds us of our responsibility to lead the way, so that the nations and the whole earth may turn to God in reverence and in joy. And we get a sense of that joy in being rescued in the Offertory Verse – a sense that being plucked out from the storm and now set down on dry land, we now know how blessed we are and how valuable our lives are – that God saves us for a reason.

And then that Secret prayer of the Priest – like our Blessed Lord in the Gospel, hidden from sight, a reminder to us what is truly happening behind the scenes. We pray that Christ, who offers himself in sacrifice so that we can reach our destination of home safely, will not only cleanse us from sin, but also be our protection until we reach our heavenly destination.

Yet having said that, if Christ points the way homeward through the great and often daunting oceans of life, we cannot go by instinct or feeling. The Communion antiphon will remind us as part of the “crew”, be must listen and accept the clear directions and directives from the mouth of God. He alone knows what waits for us beyond the horizon. He must trust his judgment. And so the post-communion prayer will be appropriate. Our faith in God in the midst of uncertainties, attaches us to Christ who gives us a new kind of strength to use to battle the storms of life. It is Holy Communion, the Bread of Angels. He is our strength, our nourishment, our way home. Fortified by His Body and Blood, we can be courageous in our faith – we go forward – homeward bound.

Third Sunday

Free to be Faithful

The Old Testament reading for today speakers of creating the right environment in our community whereupon we can repent of our sins. The Gospel speaks of responding to the call of Christ who asks his disciples to free follow him and be faithful to His Message. Repentance of sins and the freedom to follow Christ's call are the bedrock of our faith. The opportunity to freely respond and be faithful to our heart's desire for God is enshrined in our American history.

Our Declaration of Independence reflects our nation's founding principles of personal and religious freedom - the freedom of one's own conscience to direct our own lives in the direction of truth. It clearly states (and we know these words, and we should know them by heart): "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

This is ironic. Although the birth of this great nation owes its beginning to a pilgrim people who sought to find a land, an environment, free from government interference in their religious beliefs, and thereupon set up this unique structure of government to protect religious freedom, during this past week in particular, with one stroke of a pen, the government in Washington has now turned off the oxygen on religious freedom and freedom of conscience.

This is dangerously reflected in a decision by President Obama's Administration now demanding that sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and artificial contraception be included in virtually all and every health care plan. Take, for example, the health care plan offered by a religious institution, such as a Catholic school or a Catholic hospital. Our Catholic institutions are now being forced to provide coverage for abortion drugs and sterilizations. The administration's edict gives one year for religious institutions to revise their health care plans. In the words of the archbishop of New York, “In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences."

And these are the words of our former metropolitan Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Mahoney, and he spells it out load and clear. He says, and I quote,

"For me there is no other fundamental issue as important as this one as we enter into the Presidential and Congressional campaigns. Every candidate must be pressed to declare his/her position on all of the fundamental life issues, especially the role of government to determine what conscience decision must be followed: either the person’s own moral and conscience decision, or that dictated/enforced by the Federal government. For me the answer is clear: we stand with our moral principles and heritage over the centuries, not what a particular Federal government agency determines."

The Cardinal continues, reminding everyone that clergy, of course, do not recommend political candidates. He also adds, and I personally concur, when he says, "My vote on November 6 will be for the candidate for President of the United States and members of Congress who intend to recognize the full spectrum of rights under the many conscience clauses of morality and public policy. If any candidate refuses to acknowledge and to promote those rights, then that candidate will not receive my vote."

And I agree. I would also add, that when these issues are brought up in the public square by a clergyman or a religious institution, you can expect that many of those who are opposed or indifferent to the protection of vulnerable human life, and especially many of those who might benefit financially by sponsorship or endorsement from abortion-providing organizations, will cite the "separation of church and state." This has nothing to do with the institution of the church and the state. This has everything to do with the individual and the state, the pregnant mother and the state, the rights of very man, woman, child and baby, regardless of their religion, and the state.

The crisis in our nation is not an economic crisis. It's a moral crisis, the crisis of a great nation that came into existence and is held together by religious freedom and freedom of conscience.

After receiving an honorary doctorate from Notre Dame, President Obama stood in front of the graduating class of 2009 and said, referring to health care reform, "Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause". A couple of months later, the president reiterated, “.. my underlying position has always been consistent, which is I’m a believer in conscience clauses. I was a supporter of a robust conscience clause in Illinois for Catholic hospitals and health-care providers. I discussed with Cardinal George (the archbishop of Chicago) when he was here in the Oval Office, and I reiterated my support for an effective conscience clause in my speech at Notre Dame.” It is my observation, sadly, that the president has broken his word and went back on his promise.

As a pastor of souls, I would suggest that all of us, from the holder of the highest office in the country, to the priest in this pulpit, to every Catholic in the pew, as recorded in the Gospel today, to take heed and respond to the very first word uttered by Christ as he began his public ministry, ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel".