Podcasts about Redemptorists

St. Francis of Assisi was fond of saying that, “I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, He can work through anyone.” How true. There was a Redemptorist missionary stationed at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Boston who used to wear a gold watch on a key chain. He would hold the watch up to the crowds in church and say, “If anyone has a sin that I have not heard before, I will give you this gold watch.” You can imagine how long the lines were outside his confessional, but the point he made was clear. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. These thoughts come to mind in light of first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. By all measurements, Saul of Tarsus was an evil man. As he was was traveling to Damascus to continue persecuting those following the Way of Jesus, he was “breathing murderous threats.” Even Ananias, who received a vision from the Lord and eventually laid healing hands on Saul, said that Saul had done “evil things” to the holy ones in Jerusalem. Misguided as he was, Saul was on fire. Now, empowered with the Holy Spirit, he would preach before “Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel,” and, in the process, learn how to suffer for the name of Christ. The question we need to ask is, how do we keep our conversion going? The answer is in today's Gospel reading: “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him.” We remain in Christ by receiving him in Holy Communion, knowing that the fullness of God's presence is available only when we leave our old selves behind and take up our new lives in Christ. St. Francis and Saul of Tarsus experienced this truth daily. The Holy Spirit sinks deeply into hearts that are receptive to change. “The past is history,” a beloved Redemptorist used to say to all of his penitents, “the future is mystery. Today is God's gift to us. That's way we call it the present.” 

Following the death of Pope Francis, Redemptorist priest Tony Flannery, theologian Gina Menzies and catholic commentator Breda O'Brien join The Last Word to discuss the legacy he has left behind.Catch the full discussion by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Full Text of ReadingsSecond Sunday of Lent Lectionary: 27The Saint of the day is Saint Clement Mary HofbauerSaint Clement Mary Hofbauer's Story Clement Mary might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists, as it was he who carried the congregation of Saint Alphonsus Liguori to the people north of the Alps. John, the name given him at Baptism, was born in Moravia into a poor family, the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest, there was no money for studies, and he was apprenticed to a baker. But God guided the young man's fortunes. He found work in the bakery of a monastery where he was allowed to attend classes in its Latin school. After the abbot there died, John tried the life of a hermit, but when Emperor Joseph II abolished hermitages, John again returned to Vienna and to baking. One day after serving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stephen, he called a carriage for two ladies waiting there in the rain. In their conversation they learned that he could not pursue his priestly studies because of a lack of funds. They generously offered to support both John and his friend Thaddeus, in their seminary studies. The two went to Rome, where they were drawn to Saint Alphonsus' vision of religious life and to the Redemptorists. The two young men were ordained together in 1785. Newly professed at age 34, Clement Mary, as he was now called, and Thaddeus were sent back to Vienna. But the religious difficulties there caused them to leave and continue north to Warsaw, Poland. There they encountered numerous German-speaking Catholics who had been left priestless by the suppression of the Jesuits. At first they had to live in great poverty and preach outdoor sermons. Eventually they were given the church of St. Benno, and for the next nine years they preached five sermons a day, two in German and three in Polish, converting many to the faith. They were active in social work among the poor, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys. Drawing candidates to the congregation, they were able to send missionaries to Poland, Germany, and Switzerland. All of these foundations eventually had to be abandoned because of the political and religious tensions of the times. After 20 years of difficult work, Clement Mary himself was imprisoned and expelled from the country. Only after another arrest was he able to reach Vienna, where he was to live and work the final 12 years of his life. He quickly became “the apostle of Vienna,” hearing the confessions of the rich and the poor, visiting the sick, acting as a counselor to the powerful, sharing his holiness with all in the city. His crowning work was the establishment of a Catholic college in his beloved city. Persecution followed Clement Mary, and there were those in authority who were able for a while to stop him from preaching. An attempt was made at the highest levels to have him banished. But his holiness and fame protected him and prompted the growth of the Redemptorists. Due to his efforts, the congregation was firmly established north of the Alps by the time of his death in 1820. Clement Mary Hofbauer was canonized in 1909. His liturgical feast is celebrated on March 15. Reflection Clement Mary saw his life's work meet with disaster. Religious and political tensions forced him and his brothers to abandon their ministries in Germany, Poland, and Switzerland. Clement Mary himself was exiled from Poland and had to start all over again. Someone once pointed out that the followers of the crucified Jesus should see only new possibilities opening up whenever they meet failure. Clement Mary encourages us to follow his example, trusting in the Lord to guide us. Who is your patron saint? Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Why did Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul II go to confession every week? They were not robbing banks. (Rumor has it, Pope John Paul II had a Redemptorist in Rome as his regular confessor.) I think these saints went to confession every week because they learned the lesson that Isaiah the Prophet, Paul the Evangelist, and Peter the Apostle learned: we are totally dependent upon the grace of God.  These saints knew who they were. Peter expressed it this way: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,” while Isaiah pronounced: “I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” They might also have had the same hesitations that we have; that God might ask of us something that we are not ready to give. God's gaze is not on this world, but on the Kingdom to come, our true home. When God looks deeply into our hearts, God sees all the talents and strengths that are uniquely yours. You can reach people that no one else can - and we may all have hidden gifts that we are not even aware of! Oh, but I am too young, you might be thinking. Isaiah probably said the same. Oh, I have so much in my past that I am not proud of. Peter had the same reservations. I am not worthy to be called a disciple of Christ. Certainly, Saul of Tarsus was only too aware of his rebellious past. Or, we may be thinking at this moment that my best days are behind me. What could God expect out of me? But God does not see us that way. God looks upon us with tender love and hopefulness.  I like to conclude with a story of a man named Harry Lipzig. He was a lawyer, but he did not practice law. He ran the shop. He worked the business end of the firm. But that changed when Harry took on a case when he was 88 years old. It was the case of a woman whose 71 year old husband was struck and killed by a drunken city employee driving his city vehicle. She was suing the city for the future earnings that she was deprived of due to her husbands death.  The city thought they had a solid case. What was a 71 year old going to earn, anyway? Their clever case was undermined however, when they realized that the woman had hired an 88 year old lawyer. She was awarded $1.25 million. The truth is, the world still needs prophets. We still need people to express what is noble and deepest within us. The world still needs people who do not merely catch fish, but catch people in the unconditional love of God. The voice of God can come to us at any age and asks us the same question asked to Isaiah: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?” Scripture prompts us to answer: “Here I am, Lord; send me.”  

Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time IFebruary 21, 2025 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time. Today's reading is from the holy gospel according to Mark     Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."     He also said to them, "Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power."The gospel of the Lord. Homily As I read today's gospel, the words that pop out at me, and I think for many of us, are Jesus' statement: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” But what does it mean to deny oneself and take up one's cross? Often, the first thing that comes to mind in denying oneself are the little acts of penance, or the giving up of certain things we like or enjoy, that we are planning to do for Lent. Jesus' meaning is really much wider than this. He is asking us to stop placing ourselves at the center of our decision making, and to start thinking of ourselves as part of a larger reality where we seek the greater good in loving God and neighbor. Just looking out for number one, has no place in God's kingdom. In the same way, taking up one's cross is not putting up with sickness, loss, and inconvenience or the unwelcome acts of others, it is remaining faithful to God's word through thick and thin. If we are following Jesus, we have to take seriously his prayer to the Father in the Garden of Olives: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” When we find ourselves in confusion and teetering on unbelief, we must pray: “Father, I do not understand, but I trust in your presence and love.” When we find ourselves overcome by hurt and anger, we must pray with Jesus: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” And while the loss of trust in an individual or a group may be impossible to restore, we must never lose our trust in God. Following Jesus also calls for compassion. If my neighbor is in need, I am called to give a response, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The neighbor may be the person next door, or a group of people whose situation somehow impacts my life. My human situation may limit my response to a kind word, an attentive ear, or just a prayer; but I can perhaps do more. The one sure thing is that in carrying my cross in obedience to the Father, I cannot simply ignore the situation. Jesus promised his listeners that among them were those who would not taste death until they had seen the Kingdom of God come in power. They saw it in Jesus' resurrection from the dead and in the miracles and community building of the Apostles. Down through the centuries we have continued to see it in the miracles that accompanied men and women of faith who dedicated their lives to serving their less fortunate brothers and sister. The first reading tells the story of the Tower of Babel and how a prideful project of building a society without God came to a halt when people lost the ability to communicate with one another. We are in a similar period today, where people cannot speak to each other in respectful and civil terms. Carrying our cross today may mean never giving up on rebuilding means of communication with one another. Think about it. May God bless you. Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsR Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY

Dr. Tom Curran continues to share insights handed on by one of his spiritual fathers, Father Tom Forrest, C.Ss.R, Redemptorist priest and founder of Evangelization 2000. Tom talks about the impact of a “dad,” a leader, a good shepherd, and more.

Dr. Tom Curran begins to share insights handed on by one of his spiritual fathers, Father Tom Forrest, C.Ss.R, Redemptorist priest and founder of Evangelization 2000. Tom talks about evangelization, preaching and encountering God in scripture.

Why did Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul II go to confession every week? They were not robbing banks. (Rumor has it, Pope John Paul II had a Redemptorist in Rome as his regular confessor.) I think these saints went to confession every week because they learned the lesson that Isaiah the Prophet, Paul the Evangelist, and Peter the Apostle learned: we are totally dependent upon the grace of God.  These saints knew who they were. Peter expressed it this way: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,” while Isaiah pronounced: “I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” They might also have had the same hesitations that we have; that God might ask of us something that we are not ready to give. God's gaze is not on this world, but on the Kingdom to come, our true home. When God looks deeply into our hearts, God sees all the talents and strengths that are uniquely yours. You can reach people that no one else can - and we may all have hidden gifts that we are not even aware of! Oh, but I am too young, you might be thinking. Isaiah probably said the same. Oh, I have so much in my past that I am not proud of. Peter had the same reservations. I am not worthy to be called a disciple of Christ. Certainly, Saul of Tarsus was only too aware of his rebellious past. Or, we may be thinking at this moment that my best days are behind me. What could God expect out of me? But God does not see us that way. God looks upon us with tender love and hopefulness.  I like to conclude with a story of a man named Harry Lipzig. He was a lawyer, but he did not practice law. He ran the shop. He worked the business end of the firm. But that changed when Harry took on a case when he was 88 years old. It was the case of a woman whose 71 year old husband was struck and killed by a drunken city employee driving his city vehicle. She was suing the city for the future earnings that she was deprived of due to her husbands death.  The city thought they had a solid case. What was a 71 year old going to earn, anyway? Their clever case was undermined however, when they realized that the woman had hired an 88 year old lawyer. She was awarded $1.25 million. The truth is, the world still needs prophets. We still need people to express what is noble and deepest within us. The world still needs people who do not merely catch fish, but catch people in the unconditional love of God. The voice of God can come to us at any age and asks us the same question asked to Isaiah: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?” Scripture prompts us to answer: “Here I am, Lord; send me.”   Blessings,Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R. 

Full Text of ReadingsThe Epiphany of the Lord Lectionary: 20The Saint of the day is Saint John NeumannSaint John Neumann's Story Perhaps because the United States got a later start in the history of the world, it has relatively few canonized saints, but their number is increasing. John Neumann was born in what is now the Czech Republic. After studying in Prague, he came to New York at 25 and was ordained a priest. He did missionary work in New York until he was 29, when he joined the Redemptorists and became its first member to profess vows in the United States. He continued missionary work in Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, where he became popular with the Germans. At 41, as bishop of Philadelphia, he organized the parochial school system into a diocesan one, increasing the number of pupils almost twentyfold within a short time. Gifted with outstanding organizing ability, he drew into the city many teaching communities of sisters and the Christian Brothers. During his brief assignment as vice provincial for the Redemptorists, he placed them in the forefront of the parochial movement. Well-known for his holiness and learning, spiritual writing and preaching, on October 13, 1963, John Neumann became the first American bishop to be beatified. Canonized in 1977, he is buried in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia. Reflection Neumann took seriously our Lord's words, “Go and teach all nations.” From Christ he received his instructions and the power to carry them out. For Christ does not give a mission without supplying the means to accomplish it. The Father's gift in Christ to John Neumann was his exceptional organizing ability, which he used to spread the Good News. Today the Church is in dire need of men and women to continue in our times the teaching of the Good News. The obstacles and inconveniences are real and costly. Yet when Christians approach Christ, he supplies the necessary talents to answer today's needs. The Spirit of Christ continues his work through the instrumentality of generous Christians. Saint John Neumann is a Patron Saint of: Educators/Teachers Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Saturday of the Third Week of AdventDecember 21, 2024 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Saturday of the Third Week of Advent. Our reading today is from the holy gospel according to Luke.           Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."The gospel of the Lord. Homily Our gospel opens with Mary rushing from Nazareth into the hill country of Judea. Why a young woman would suddenly undertake such an arduous trip is not really surprising when we remember that the angel had just told Mary that her much older cousin Elizabeth was already six months pregnant, and Mary understood that her cousin would need help in the last months of her pregnancy. Also, it would give Mary the chance to confide in Elizabeth all that the angel had told her and to take counsel. I can imagine the surprise that Mary felt on arriving at Elizabeth's house and discovering that Elizabeth already knew, because she greets her with the words we pray every day in the Hail Mary: "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” And then goes on to say: “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” Mary also gets caught up in the joyous moment and sings: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoiced in God my savior.” Here we have two mothers-to-be at the forefront of God's in-breaking on our world, rejoicing in a moment of grace and overcome by wonder at the faithfulness and mercy of God who was undertaking the fulfillment of the age-old promises. As I meditate on this scene, I have to ask myself if that same joyful wonder fills my heart as I admire the manger scenes that decorate our churches and houses in preparation for Christmas? Or is my wonder more about what I may find under the Christmas tree? God's ardent desire to be with us is the whole reason Jesus took flesh in the womb of Mary and was born in the stable of Bethlehem. The depths of this love is brought out in the first reading from the Song of Songs. This ancient love song has been interpreted as God's untiring pursuit of his people. “Hark! my lover – here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills.” Our God wants to bind our hearts to his with bands of love: "Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come! ... Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely." Few of us would imagine God calling out to us like this, but Mary heard it, Elizabeth heard it, and they both rejoiced. Saint Alphonsus taught that to begin to comprehend the birth, life, death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus, we must understand that God is crazy in love with us. It makes sense, then, that many of our carols are love songs, and during the Christmas holidays we try to give special attention to those we love. So, instead of looking for presents, let us try to be a present to those God has placed in our lives. And, as we sing our own love songs, let us not forget the God who first loved us. May God bless you. Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsRBasilica of our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time IINovember 21, 2024 – Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke     As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”The gospel of the Lord.Homily I have often wondered about the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple, because there is no hint of it in the gospels. The story comes from the Protoevangelium of James, a second century collection of pious stories that tries to fill in the blanks in the gospel accounts about the lives of Jesus and Mary. This document also gives us the names of Joachim and Anna, the parents of Mary. Since the liturgical feasts of Mary parallel the feasts of Jesus, I wondered if the date of this memorial had anything to do with the purification of Anna, eighty days after the birth of Mary; but no, there are only 74 days between the memorial of the birth of Mary and the memorial of her presentation in the Temple. The date celebrates the inauguration of the New Church of the Mother of God, built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the year 543 near the ruins of the Jerusalem Temple. Mary's presentation is actually a parallel to the prophet Samuel's presentation. Just as Samuel's mother Hanna, in thanksgiving for being cured of her bareness, presented him to God in the sanctuary of Shiloh, when he was three years old, so too, Mary's parents Joachim and Anna consecrate her to God at three years old in the Temple in Jerusalem. What we celebrate is not so much a historical fact, as the spirit with which Mary dedicated herself to God from her very childhood under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who filled her with grace to become the temple where the Son of God would take on human flesh. Just as Mary's cooperation with God's plan for our salvation began early in her childhood, and carried on throughout Jesus' life and ministry, passion, death and resurrection, and into the early years of the Church, so too it did not end with her life on earth. As Jesus wept over Jerusalem because its inhabitants did not recognize the time of their visitation, Mary with her son in heaven weeps over the many people who in the midst of violence, war and misfortune, continue blind to the saving presence of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. That may explain why Mary has appeared throughout the centuries in many countries across the world to call people back to prayer and faith in Jesus so that he may gather them together into God's kingdom, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. In today's gospel we hear Jesus' lament over the destruction that would overwhelm Jerusalem, because they rejected their true savior to follow a human, political one. The first reading from the book of Revelation proclaims Christ, the all-powerful and all knowledgeable Lamb of God who will protect his people in the terrible times of persecution and natural disasters they were facing. As the sacred writers encouraged their communities and us to remain faithful to Jesus in every circumstance, so too Mary by her example and intercession directs our eyes, mind and heart to Jesus, and calls us to cling to him, Son of God and Savior of the World. May God bless you.   Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsR Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY

There is a fascinating history surrounding today's Feast of the Dedication of the St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. The magnificent church is just down the street from our Redemptorist headquarters and our own beautiful church of San Alfonso. The Basilica of St. John Lateran was built on land donated to Emperor Constantine by the Lateran family and given to the Church in the fourth century. It was dedicated to the Christ the Savior in honor of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. It was consecrated by Pope Sylvester I on November 9, 324 and is still considered the Pope's cathedral today. The structure has survived the ravages of war, earthquake, fire, and schism. When the papacy returned to Rome from Avignon, France in 1378, the church and the adjoining palace were in ruins. Pope Innocent X commissioned the work that has made St. John Lateran one of the most imposing churches in Rome. The front of the church has 15 towering statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, and 12 doctors of the Church. Inside the basilica, there is a simple wooden table in the sanctuary where tradition holds that St. Peter himself celebrated Mass. The church stands as a monument to God and all the work done for God through the Church. This is also a special day for the Redemptorists. On Saturday, November 9, 1732, inspired by God and guided by the Holy Spirit, our founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori and his companions, gathered around a simple altar in the nun's convent in Scala, Italy and dedicated their lives to follow Jesus the Redeemer by preaching the Gospel to the poor and most abandoned. We Redemptorists celebrate this day as the founding of our congregation and try to continue this mission today. It was not an easy decision for Alphonsus. He had to leave everything behind. He was well known and respected in Naples; a lawyer of civil and canon law, a sought after preacher, and close to his parents and six siblings. Yet, the goat herders living high above the city of Scala on the Amalfi coast of Italy had stolen his heard. They were even poorer than the street children he evangelized in Naples. He placed his sword before a statue of Our Lady of Ransom and left the city on the back of a donkey. He met his companions in Scala. They did not stay in the Cathedral of Scala, but in a convent, praying intensely for God's will to be done. The three days prior to November 9th, they had a Eucharistic Triduum with the sisters in their small monastery church. They were given the grace by God of seeing in the Eucharistic Host a figure of Christ holding his cross. They took this as a sign of heavenly approval and, with the authority of Bishop Falcoia who was with them, they took the name of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior, a name that linked them to the dedication of the Pope's Cathedral in Rome. The name was soon changed by Rome to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.  Today, we give thanks to God for our vocations. We renew our commitment to continue this mission as prophetic witnesses to the Redeemer, who continues to call men and women to share in the charism of the Redemptorist family. May our Mother of Perpetual Help, St. Alphonsus, St. Gerard Majella, St. Clement Hofbauer, St. John Neumann, and all Redemptorist saints and blesseds pray for us. May we continue the work they began with love and perseverance. Blessings,Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

Full Text of ReadingsSaturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 466The Saint of the day is Blessed Francis Xavier SeelosBlessed Francis Xavier Seelos' Story Zeal as a preacher and a confessor led Father Seelos to works of compassion as well. Born in southern Bavaria, he studied philosophy and theology in Munich. On hearing about the work of the Redemptorists among German-speaking Catholics in the United States, he came to this country in 1843. Ordained at the end of 1844, he was assigned for six years to St. Philomena's Parish in Pittsburgh as an assistant to Saint John Neumann. The next three years Father Seelos was superior in the same community, and began his service as novice master. Several years in parish ministry in Maryland followed, along with responsibility for training Redemptorist students. During the Civil War Fr. Seelos went to Washington, D.C., and appealed to President Lincoln that those students not be drafted for military service, although eventually some were. For several years, he preached in English and in German throughout the Midwest and in the Mid-Atlantic states. Assigned to St. Mary of the Assumption Church community in New Orleans, Fr. Seelos served his Redemptorist confreres and parishioners with great zeal. In 1867, he died of yellow fever, having contracted that disease while visiting the sick. He was beatified in 2000. The liturgical feast of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is celebrated on October 5. Reflection Father Seelos worked in many different places but always with the same zeal: to help people know God's love and compassion. He preached about the works of mercy and then engaged in them, even risking his own health. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is a Patron Saint of: Immigrants to the United States Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Jesus was a man of prayer. All throughout the Gospels we see him at prayer. He prays in a lonely place. He prays in the synagogue. Before ministry he prays. Before sending out the apostles he prays. He prays the great priestly prayer at the Last Supper. He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane - he even prays on the cross. And he gives us many prayer parables. But when the apostles come to him and ask him to, “Teach us how to pray,” Jesus only gives one form of prayer. He talks about prayer of petition. He says, “Seek…ask…knock,” and then he teaches them the Our Father.The Our Father is our Lord's lesson on prayer - and it is really made up of seven petitions. Shall we try it? Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. 1) Thy kingdom come. 2) Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 3) Give us this day our daily bread and 4) forgive us our trespasses 5) as we forgive those who trespass against us. And 6) lead us not into temptation, but 7) deliver us from evil.  A lot of us think that prayer of petition is something for children or not for the spiritually elite. We figure that it is a second class prayer, that we should move on. Maybe it was good for a starter, but to always say, “Give me, give me, give me,” sounds self-serving. But Jesus is the one who recommends this prayer. He doesn't speak much about thanksgiving or praise and adoration - or even contrition. Any lesson he gives on prayer is prayer of petition. So we should keep at it. We should keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.A lot of people say, “I ask, but my prayer doesn't work.” But we know that prayer is mainly a relationship, like the ones you have with your friends or family. For example, a friend will visit you that you haven't seen in a long time. You spend time with that friend. You might go out to lunch or go for a walk. You hang out together and catch up on the news in each other's lives. It's a relationship. And our relationship with Jesus is all we will take with us when we die.  I think the best definition of prayer is given by St. Teresa of Avila. She says that “prayer is spending time, frequently, with someone who loves you.”  Those three elements: spending time, frequently, with someone who loves you are the way we deal with all of our relationships. Time is the gauge; not our feelings, not the soft warm glow we might get. If you want to increase a relationship with someone, you spend more time with them. If you want to decrease a relationship, you spend less time. If you want to end a relationship, you spend no time at all. So, time is the gauge. And it is good for us to ask, because it is natural. We ask people for directions. We ask advice of doctors and professionals. Why not ask God? Ask because it is the only lesson that Jesus gives: ask, seek, knock. St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists, said that prayer of petition is efficacious and is essential for our salvation. Prayer of petition is probably the easiest prayer we can say. All of us know how to ask. We have to keep asking. God is not deaf. And we do not change God's mind by our asking. We need to ask because we need to realize that God is in control, we are not. In any prayer we say, God always takes the initiative. God begins the prayer in us. St. Paul says in Romans 8: “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us in groanings that cannot be expressed in speech.Prayer of petition is understood by the poor - or by anyone who has a radical dependance upon God. When we pray, we are saying: “I am dependent. I am not in charge.” Whenever we pray, we are saying: “I believe. I have faith. I have a relationship with God, there's a bond there.” So the lesson for us today is to keep praying. Be persistent in prayer. “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened for you.” (Mt. 7:7-8)Blessings,Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

594. Part 2 of our interview with Nick Douglas about  New Orleans jazz and civil rights. “I am working with my filmmaking partner Doug Harris on a documentary called the Reconnect: The Untold History of Jazz. It is a true story about the actual formation of jazz in the only place it could have formed: New Orleans. But it is more it identifies for the first time New Orleans as the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. It shows how jazz and jazz musicians used jazz and musical performances to fund and support the civil rights movement long before most people realize the movement started. It answers questions about jazz and the civil rights movement that have never been exposed. Enjoy and if you like what we are doing share the video and donate to get this project completed.” Nick Douglas is the author of “Finding Octave: The Untold History of Two Creole Families and Slavery in Louisiana.” Nick is an MBA with a background in international business. Born in Oakland, California, Nick grew up in a multi-generational Creole home. As a child he had a close connection to his grandmother and great-grandmother, who were both Creoles from New Orleans. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 220 years. Order your copy today! This week in Louisiana history. October 6, 1860. John Slidell publishes his address to people of LA. "Let every man go to polls...we may soon be called under a common flag against a common enemy" This week in New Orleans history. October 5th marks the annual Feast Day of 5 Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, who was assigned, in 1866, to the Redemptorist community in New Orleans.  He also served as pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption parish. He died after contracting yellow fever, on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48 years and 9 months.  Pope John Paul II beatified Father Seelos in St. Peter's Square on April 9, 2000.The National Shrine of Blessed Francis Seelos, C.Ss.R is located at St. Mary's Assumption Church. This week in Louisiana. Gothic Jail After Dark Haunted Attraction October 11-31, 2024 205 W 1st St. DeRidder LA 70634 October features a Haunted House like none other this Halloween season! Experience the haunting and historic Gothic Jail, where paranormal activity runs rampant and the walls hold secrets of a brutal murder, suicides and a double hanging! (337) 463-5534 Website beautour@bellsouth.net Postcards from Louisiana. The Jazz Vipers play at the French Quarter Fest. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, 1819-1867; born in southern Bavaria; came to the United States in 1843 to serve German-speaking Catholics; during the Civil War, he appealed to President Lincoln not to draft his Redemptorist students; died of yellow fever, contracted while visiting the sick Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/5/24 Gospel: Luke 10:17-24

Mark Humanity is a long-time vegan activist. He currently lives on the edge of a rainforest in New Zealand and is on the Board of the Vegan Society of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Mark has been involved in animal rights since a teenager, initially in Ireland's embryonic movement and later in the much more developed UK movement. A hunt saboteur for many years, Mark has been vegan since 1989 and got involved with the NZ Vegan Society via his vegan outreach Initiative called “Vegan Living Auckland”. He is currently helping raise two plant-based children and has a background in mental health nursing. Mark is the author of "The Humanity Trigger". In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the most important questions: “what's real?”, “who matters?” and "how can we make a better world?" Sentientism answers those questions with "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 00:00 Clips! 00:34 Welcome - Tom Harris episode - Corey Lee Wrenn episode - Philip McKibbin episode 02:13 Mark's Intro - Anarcho-punk and vegan activism - Now “anarchish” - Writing “The Humanity Trigger” about two centuries ofdirect action for animals in Ireland - Vegan Society Aotearoa board - 20 years as a psychiatric / learning disabilities nurse - Now stay at home dad raising two vegan kids on the edge of a rain forest 03:28 What's Real? - “Things that still exist irrespective of whether people believe in them or not – are what's real” - Raised in a staunchly Irish Catholic family and society - “our sense of reality growing up was filtered through the eyes of a deeply authoritarian… fascist-adjacent dictatorship of the Roman Catholic church” - “The government were simply puppets at the beck and call of the church when the church chose to intervene” - Attending church run by Redemptorist priests / monks “on the surface they preach very worthy things… giving to the poor… vows of chastity & poverty & obedience…” - The monthly Redemptorist “Reality” magazine: “Very medieval thinking… resurrections… ascensions to heaven… virgin births… that was all reality” - “I tried to believe it because it was what everyone around me was saying was true.” - “Anyone that even thought or even asked questions about it was deemed to be dangerously… on the slippery slope” - “If you haven't been brought up in a strictly religious environment it's very hard to imagine what it's like when everyone around you believes in the devil… god… jesus… heaven and hell…” - Transubstantiation “Jesus does come down into that bread – his body is in that bread… it is literal – it is not meant to be taken as a metaphor” - “I tried to believe it but I couldn't” - Comics, 2000AD, Pat Mills, Alan Moore “I read into those scripts… Flesh… Strontium Dogs, some of Judge Dredd… non-human animals had agency… were lead actors in these scripts… were the heroes and villains” - The influence of punk on other Sentientism guests: Delci Winders, Kristof Dhont, Nick Pendergrast, Nicola Harris, Luke McGuire, Nico Delon, Jamila Anahata, Tom Harris 19:05 What and Who Matters? 34:30 A Better World? ... and much more (full show notes at sentientism.info) Follow Mark - Mark at Earth Island Books - The Humanity Trigger Book - The Humanity Trigger Web Site - The Vegan Society Aotearoa Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sentientism.info⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"I'm a Sentientist" wall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this simple form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here on FaceBook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come join us there!

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 404The Saint of the day is Saint Alphonsus LiguoriSaint Alphonsus Liguori’s Story Moral theology, Vatican II said, should be more thoroughly nourished by Scripture, and show the nobility of the Christian vocation of the faithful and their obligation to bring forth fruit in charity for the life of the world. Alphonsus, declared patron of moral theologians by Pius XII in 1950, would rejoice in that statement. In his day, Alphonsus fought for the liberation of moral theology from the rigidity of Jansenism. His moral theology, which went through 60 editions in the century following him, concentrated on the practical and concrete problems of pastors and confessors. If a certain legalism and minimalism crept into moral theology, it should not be attributed to this model of moderation and gentleness. At the University of Naples, Alphonsus received a doctorate in both canon and civil law by acclamation, at the age of 16, but he soon gave up the practice of law for apostolic activity. He was ordained a priest, and concentrated his pastoral efforts on popular parish missions, hearing confessions, and forming Christian groups. He founded the Redemptorist congregation in 1732. It was an association of priests and brothers living a common life, dedicated to the imitation of Christ, and working mainly in popular missions for peasants in rural areas. Almost as an omen of what was to come later, he found himself deserted after a while by all his original companions except one lay brother. But the congregation managed to survive and was formally approved 17 years later, though its troubles were not over. Alphonsus' great pastoral reforms were in the pulpit and confessional—replacing the pompous oratory of the time with simplicity, and the rigorism of Jansenism with kindness. His great fame as a writer has somewhat eclipsed the fact that for 26 years he traveled up and down the Kingdom of Naples preaching popular missions. He was made bishop at age 66 after trying to reject the honor, and at once instituted a thorough reform of his diocese. His greatest sorrow came toward the end of his life. The Redemptorists, precariously continuing after the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, had difficulty in getting their Rule approved by the Kingdom of Naples. Alphonsus acceded to the condition that they possess no property in common, but with the connivance of a high Redemptorist official, a royal official changed the Rule substantially. Alphonsus, old, crippled and with very bad sight, signed the document, unaware that he had been betrayed. The Redemptorists in the Papal States then put themselves under the pope, who withdrew those in Naples from the jurisdiction of Alphonsus. It was only after his death that the branches were united. At 71, Alphonsus was afflicted with rheumatic pains which left incurable bending of his neck. Until it was straightened a little, the pressure of his chin caused a raw wound on his chest. He suffered a final 18 months of “dark night” scruples, fears, temptations against every article of faith and every virtue, interspersed with intervals of light and relief, when ecstasies were frequent. Alphonsus is best known for his moral theology, but he also wrote well in the field of spiritual and dogmatic theology. His Glories of Mary is one of the great works on that subject, and his book Visits to the Blessed Sacrament went through 40 editions in his lifetime, greatly influencing the practice of this devotion in the Church. Reflection Saint Alphonsus was known above all as a practical man who dealt in the concrete rather than the abstract. His life is indeed a practical model for the everyday Christian who has difficulty recognizing the dignity of Christian life amid the swirl of problems, pain, misunderstanding and failure. Alphonsus suffered all these things. He is a saint because he was able to maintain an intimate sense of the presence of the suffering Christ through it all. Saint Alphonsus Liguori is the Patron Saint of: TheologiansVocations Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Friends of the Rosary, Today is the Memorial of St. Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787), founder of the preaching order of the Redemptorists, bishop, priest, and doctor of the Church. He was known for contributing to moral theology — he wrote "Moral Theology." Alphonsus was a great preacher of the Gospel to the poor. Like our Lord did the Apostles, he sent his Redemptorists to announce the Kingdom of God and work among the country people of Italy, who often lacked the opportunity for missions, religious instruction, and spiritual retreats. At the age of sixteen, Alphonsus received his doctorate in both canon and civil law and, for nearly ten years, practiced at the bar. When he found that one of the legal cases he was defending was not based on justice but on political intrigue, he gave up law practice and dedicated his life to God. As bishop of Sant' Agata dei God, he corrected abuses, restored churches, reformed seminaries, and promoted missions throughout his diocese. His charity and generosity were boundless during the famine of 1763-64. He is the patron saint of confessors, moral theologians, and vocations. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Pray for Us! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 1, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, 1696-1787; born near Naples, graduated in law at the age of 16; entered the ecclesiastical state, and was ordained a priest in 1726; in 1732, he discerned a call from God to found the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer--also known as the Redemptorists--to labor for the salvation of the most abandoned souls; appointed bishop of St. Agatha in 1756, and retired to his convent in 1775, where he died Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/1/24 Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – BJuly 21, 2024 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to Mark     The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.     When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.The gospel of the Lord. With psalm 23 we sing “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want;” and we see that put into practice by Jesus in the gospel. Our reading there ends with the words: [When Jesus} saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. That had not been Jesus' original intention. After the apostles had returned from their mission, great crowds of people kept coming and going, and they had no time even to eat. So, Jesus invited them to go with him by themselves in a boat to “a deserted place and rest a while.” Somehow the crowd caught wind of it and knew where they were going. They raced ahead on foot and were waiting for Jesus when he arrived with his apostles at his special place. Instead of being disappointed and angry with the crowd for infringing on his plans, he sat down and patiently attended the crowds. In the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah, we heard that because God was disappointed with the shepherds of Israel, God himself would shepherd his people, and would raise up a righteous one. We know that Jesus is that righteous one, Emmanuel, God with us. He is our Good Shepherd. Jesus was a shepherd to the apostles. He not only sent them out in mission filled with the power of his spirit, but was concerned about them and took care of them on their return. The crowds, too, were the object of his concern. Even though they were demanding and not fully aligned with his message, he put their needs before his own. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, takes that a step farther, and declares that Jesus is not only the shepherd of Israel, but the shepherd of the gentiles as well. Through his death on the cross and his resurrection, Jesus broke down the wall dividing the peoples, so that now, all are called to be one people of God in the Spirit granted by Christ Jesus, who is now the shepherd of the whole world. That is good news for us, because it means that Jesus is always with us, looking after us even when we are inconsistent and stray. Like the apostles, he invites us to spend time with him, meditating on his word and actions in the gospel and opening our hearts to him in prayer, sharing our deepest anxieties and doubts, and also our joys and concerns. And as the apostles learned to today's gospel, there will be time when we have to put the needs of others ahead of our own, because like the apostles, Jesus sends us out not only to spread the news of God's loving concern for each one of us, but to live that concern in the daily actions of our lives. Like the apostles, we will not always be consistent, but the more time we spend with Jesus, the closer we will come to his way. As St. Paul assures us, we have already received his spirit in Baptism, and he will never abandon us. He is not only our companion for the journey, he is also our food for the journey, as we will hear in the Sundays to come.May God bless you.``Fr. Karl E. EskerBasilica of Our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary TimeJune 21, 2024 – Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious  Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time.Today's reading is taken from the holy Gospel according to Matthew: Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be." The gospel of the Lord. In our gospel today, Jesus tells his disciples: “where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” We often think of a treasure as something material, like a pot of gold or a bank account, a shiny new car or a dream house. But it could just as well be a relationship, like a very dear friend or a significant other, or something less material, like ambition to power or status within a group. And it may happen that our lives seem so scattered all over the place, or so taken up with just getting my, that we lose sight of our treasure. Jesus warns that if we do not look for and choose our treasure well, we could end up losing it and everything else. That is what we see in the first reading. There we hear the story of Athaliah, the mother of the king, who could not bear the thought of losing her position and influence when the king died. Her ambition led her to try to kill the whole king's family and become herself the queen. She almost succeeded, but one of her grandchildren escaped, and when that child grew up, those officials who had remained faithful to God's covenant proclaimed him king to the joy of the people; and Athaliah lost not only her position, but her life as well. It's a story worthy of the Game of Thrones, but here the main point is not the intrigue, but God's faithfulness to God's people. The question of the treasure is not so much what we do with it, but what we become with it. What is the value system we take on to attain our treasure? As Jesus in another part of the gospels asks: “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit one's life?” By life he means the full realization of our humanity in right relationship with God and with others. So, to choose the wrong treasure is to direct our lives toward something that will not help us grow as human beings and children of God. This is where Jesus' parable about our interior light comes in. We need to cultivate a sound conscience, otherwise it will be overgrown by the tangle of our desires and we will end up in darkness. We need a good eye to see our true selves and the true treasure that may lie hidden in our heart, overshadowed by the busyness of our lives. One way would be to examine where we spend our time. Outside of work or study, how much time to I spend paging through social media? How important is it to score or give “likes?” Do I go crawling through some dark places of the Internet? Does my use of the Internet help me grow as a person, or does it just feed my curiosity and my fears. Am I becoming a slave to it? And what about the other areas of my life? To cultivate a sound conscience and discover my true self, I need to spend time with Jesus in prayer and reflecting on the gospels; I need to invest myself in my relationships with my family, my work, and my church or neighborhood. This will help me to grow as a human being. Then I will know the value of the other things in my life, because my true treasure is God's gift of myself and the ability to relate myself in love to God and to the others God places in my life. Only then can I truly be me. May God bless you.Fr. Karl E. EskerBasilica of our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time IIMay 21, 2024 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time. Our reading today is from the holy gospel according to Mark.     Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.     They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”The gospel of the Lord Homily Our fifty days of rejoicing over Jesus' victory over sin and death have come to an end. We have celebrated Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit, who then sends the disciples and ourselves back into the world to spread the good news that Jesus' victory is also our victory. And all of a sudden we are back in Ordinary Time. And, instead of great victories, we are made conscious of the reality of our own human weakness and sinfulness. Until we win the victory over our own self-interests, we cannot hope to win the victory over the world. We see that in the gospel we just heard. Jesus is telling them what he will have to confront when they get to Jerusalem, but they are not listening. Instead, they were arguing over who was the greatest. I guess they wanted to strut their stuff: who the greatest preacher was; who worked the biggest miracle; who expelled the most demons, who brought in the most donations. So, Jesus has to bring them back down to earth: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” They would be able to do nothing, if it were not given to them from above. If someone wants to be first, let them see a need and be the first to attend to it. And then to emphasize his point, taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” It is in our willingness to attend the least advantaged, that we become great in the eyes of God. We see the same problem in the first reading from James. He calls the community of believers to task for the battles and conflicts among them. It seems that many are seeking greater recognition at the expense of others. James reminds them that seeking one's own self-interest and satisfying one's passions is the spirit of the world, which makes one an enemy of God, because “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” And he gives them this advice: “[S]ubmit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, and purify your hearts, ... Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.” This advice serves any Christian community in any age. We all know examples of people who work their way up to leadership in ministries or activities of their parish, who then try to make themselves indispensable and demand special consideration. We may even be guilty of that ourselves. So, before we start judging others, let us purify our own hearts first, recognizing that the capacity for good that we have comes from the grace of God. Let us humble ourselves, not by downplaying our abilities, but by placing them at the service of others, especially the most needy. Draw near to God in prayer. Let Jesus embrace you in his love and concern. It is only by overcoming our pride and self-interest that we can defeat the world and become great in the eyes of God.May God bless you. Fr. Karl E. EskerBasilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY.,

Fourth Sunday of Easter – BApril 21, 2024 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter.Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to John.            Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father."The gospel of the Lord.Homily The principal image in this Sunday's readings comes from the gospel, where Jesus proclaims: “I am the good shepherd.” This is one of the favorite images people have of Jesus and many homes have pictures or statues of Jesus as the good shepherd protecting his flock and holding a sheep in his arms or carrying it on his shoulders. But that peaceful image does not fit well with his pronouncement today: “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus willingly gathers us together, but at great cost to himself. And we ourselves, as his flock, are not supposed to just sit passively under his protection, but are called to actively enter into the mission he received from God the Father. That is the whole question of knowing, which in the scriptures goes beyond intellectual knowledge to include sharing of life. So, when Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father,” he is sharing his life with us so that we can enter into the same relationship with God that he has. And that, too, has its cost, because Jesus repeats: “and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” It is not enough to just follow after Jesus, we must also become like Jesus.  We know Pope Francis' famous phrase that the shepherd should smell like the sheep. Here Jesus almost turns that around; the sheep should smell like Jesus. Just as the Son of God took on our humanity in everything but sin., we need to become more and more like Jesus.  We see that in the reading from Acts. Just as Jesus was hauled before the Jewish court to give an accounting of his preaching and miracles, now Peter is hauled before that same court, the Sanhedrin, to give an accounting of his healing of a cripple and subsequent preaching Jesus' name. The same one who denied Jesus three times, now openly declares, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved," before the very ones who condemned Jesus to death. In the inspiring words of his letter, John tells the believers that they are God's children now, but more awaits them: “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as his is.” In the meantime, we are called to live, suffer and witness with and in Christ Jesus. So that we don't think of ourselves too special as Jesus' flock, he also says: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.”  I pray that the joy and peace of our lives in Christ be an invitation to others to know and follow our Lord and Savior. May God bless you.Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsRBasilica of Our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

In this two-part episode, Christian Esguerra sat down with a Redemptorist priest on the issue of "super evil" politicians. Then a favorite guest suddenly appears later in the show.

Thursday of the Fifth Week of LentMarch 21, 2024 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Thursday of the fifth week in Lent.Our reading today is from the holy gospel according to John.           Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” So, the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.' You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” So, the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So, they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.The gospel of the Lord.HomilyOur readings today ask us to reflect on God's promise of eternal life to those who keep God's covenant, first through Abraham, and then more importantly, through Jesus Christ. Abraham and those of his day did not understand eternal life the way we do today. For Abraham, eternal life was to be remembered through the ages and to have a continuous line of descendants. When God entered into a special relationship with Abraham, God promised him: “I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you. I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ... On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.” When Isaac was born, Abraham knew that God would keep God's part of the bargain, but I don't think that Abraham could imagine that the very Son of God would become man, a descendant of Abraham, in Jesus Christ. Still, King David and the kings of Judah were all descendants of Abraham, and they dwelt in the land God had promised to Abraham. However, we know that neither the kings nor the people were always faithful to God's covenant; but God always remained faithful. Then, in the fulness of time, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, descendant of king David, descendant of Abraham. And in Jesus' day, people were already exploring the idea of personal immortality, that those who were faithful to the covenant would receive eternal life. This is what Jesus believed and what he preached. In our gospel today, Jesus tells the leaders of the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” Of course, Jesus' opponents ridiculed him, stating that Abraham and the prophets died. Jesus counters that Abraham lives on in God and rejoiced to see Jesus' day. In a similar discussion about Abraham and the resurrection in Mark and Matthew, Jesus says: God “is not God of the dead but of the living.” While we must all face death, through the resurrection we enter eternal life. Next week we will celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection. He went to the cross willingly because he always kept the Father's word and was convinced that God, his Father was faithful and would raise him up. And so it happened. Now, Jesus offers a covenant greater than the covenant with Abraham. Entering into a special relationship with God is no longer based on family lineage, but on faithfulness to the word and life of Jesus Christ. For us, then, the question remains: do I live as though this life on earth is all there is, or can I stake my life on God's faithfulness, making choices that may seem foolish to this world, but express my desire to be faithful to my loving God, the way Abraham did, the way Jesus did? May God bless you.Fr. Karl E. Esker C.Ss.R.Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

Full Text of ReadingsSaturday of the Fourth Week of Lent Lectionary: 249The Saint of the day is Saint Clement Mary HofbauerSaint Clement Mary Hofbauer's Story Clement Mary might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists, as it was he who carried the congregation of Saint Alphonsus Liguori to the people north of the Alps. John, the name given him at Baptism, was born in Moravia into a poor family, the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest, there was no money for studies, and he was apprenticed to a baker. But God guided the young man's fortunes. He found work in the bakery of a monastery where he was allowed to attend classes in its Latin school. After the abbot there died, John tried the life of a hermit, but when Emperor Joseph II abolished hermitages, John again returned to Vienna and to baking. One day after serving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stephen, he called a carriage for two ladies waiting there in the rain. In their conversation they learned that he could not pursue his priestly studies because of a lack of funds. They generously offered to support both John and his friend Thaddeus, in their seminary studies. The two went to Rome, where they were drawn to Saint Alphonsus' vision of religious life and to the Redemptorists. The two young men were ordained together in 1785. Newly professed at age 34, Clement Mary, as he was now called, and Thaddeus were sent back to Vienna. But the religious difficulties there caused them to leave and continue north to Warsaw, Poland. There they encountered numerous German-speaking Catholics who had been left priestless by the suppression of the Jesuits. At first they had to live in great poverty and preach outdoor sermons. Eventually they were given the church of St. Benno, and for the next nine years they preached five sermons a day, two in German and three in Polish, converting many to the faith. They were active in social work among the poor, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys. Drawing candidates to the congregation, they were able to send missionaries to Poland, Germany, and Switzerland. All of these foundations eventually had to be abandoned because of the political and religious tensions of the times. After 20 years of difficult work, Clement Mary himself was imprisoned and expelled from the country. Only after another arrest was he able to reach Vienna, where he was to live and work the final 12 years of his life. He quickly became “the apostle of Vienna,” hearing the confessions of the rich and the poor, visiting the sick, acting as a counselor to the powerful, sharing his holiness with all in the city. His crowning work was the establishment of a Catholic college in his beloved city. Persecution followed Clement Mary, and there were those in authority who were able for a while to stop him from preaching. An attempt was made at the highest levels to have him banished. But his holiness and fame protected him and prompted the growth of the Redemptorists. Due to his efforts, the congregation was firmly established north of the Alps by the time of his death in 1820. Clement Mary Hofbauer was canonized in 1909. His liturgical feast is celebrated on March 15. Reflection Clement Mary saw his life's work meet with disaster. Religious and political tensions forced him and his brothers to abandon their ministries in Germany, Poland, and Switzerland. Clement Mary himself was exiled from Poland and had to start all over again. Someone once pointed out that the followers of the crucified Jesus should see only new possibilities opening up whenever they meet failure. Clement Mary encourages us to follow his example, trusting in the Lord to guide us. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Wednesday of the First Week in LentFebruary 21, 2024 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Wednesday of the first week in Lent.Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to Luke.While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”The gospel of the Lord.HomilyHello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Wednesday of the first week in Lent.Against the background of the leaders and people of Nineve receiving God's mercy because they had turned from their evil ways and from the violence they had in hand, and turned to God at the preaching of Jonah, we have Jesus' challenge to the crowds that are gathering around him. They have marveled at his teachings and his miracles, but their hearts have not changed. While some admire and others question Jesus, few are willing to follow and live as Jesus lived. Still, Jesus does not give up on them, but challenges them to seek the wisdom he has to offer, as the queen of Sheba sought the wisdom of Solomon. He asks them to repent and to turn to their God of mercy as the Ninevites did. And those same challenges are made to us.Those who are preparing to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation know, probably better than we, that Lent is a time for conversion, for turning our lives more in line with the life of Jesus Christ. As they have prepared for Baptism, they have had to change certain aspects of their life-styles. And they have done so joyfully, because they have learned to confide in the Lord who calls them out of darkness into his wonderful light.We, who have grown up Catholic, have our customs of forgoing certain things during Lent, but do we really see a change in attitude or disposition that brings us closer to the way Jesus thought and acted? Because, if after Easter our lives just go back into the way we were before, then our Lenten observance will have produced no fruit in our lives. And I wonder how many of us, now, half-way into our first week of Lent, have cheated on the resolutions we made just seven days ago. Pope Francis suggests that we make our Lent more meaningful by working on our relationship with God and with others. We need to take time to pray and not just say words, but to examine our lives in the light of Christ, and, conscious of our many failings, ask God's mercy and grace to conform our lives more closely to Jesus by working on just one of them.We need to take our eyes off of our cellphones, tablets, ant TVs, so we can see those whom God's has placed near us at home, at work and in our neighborhoods and recognize in them a humanity that is equal to our own. Then we need to fast from anger, complaints and offensive words, so we can offer them patience, meekness and encouraging words. We need to fast from selfishness, bitterness and resentment, so we can offer them compassion, joy and reconciliation. We can do this, because the closer we get to Jesus, the more we discover that he truly is the greater one, greater than any earthly authority, greater even than our own sinfulness, because he offered his life for us on the cross and rose from the dead. To us, who share in his life, he offers the same victory over death and the promise of eternal life.May God bless you.

Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil and Tim Livesey, Chief Executive, Embrace the Middle East discuss discuss dignity and hostility   Archbishop Bashar Warda is Archbishop of Erbil. Ordained a priest in 1993, he joined the Redemptorist order of Flanders in Belgium two years later. After receiving his MA at the Catholic University of Louvain in 1999 he returned to Iraq. In 2009 the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church elected him for service as a bishop. Bishop Warda was consecrated in July 2010. Tim Livesey is Chief Executive of Embrace the Middle East, a medium-sized UK charity which works with 50 civil society and church affiliated partners helping to sustain Christian social witness in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel and Iraq, including the Chaldean diocese in Erbil.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – BJanuary 21, 2024  Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to Mark.After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.The gospel of the Lord.HomilyIn the gospel we get Mark's vision of the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Whereas John the Baptist had proclaimed a time of preparation for the coming of God's kingdom, Jesus declares: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." There is a certain urgency to Jesus' words, because John the Baptist has been imprisoned. Mark does not begin by telling us how the crowds reacted to Jesus' preaching, but he gives us a sign in the call of Simon and Andrew, James and John. They abandon their nets; leave their boats; and follow Jesus. It is the same quickness we met in the first reading. After a single day of hearing Jonah's preaching, the whole city of Nineveh believed in God, they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, did penance to ask pardon for their sins. God saw how they turned from their evil ways and granted them forgiveness and salvation. If Jonah's message of death and destruction – "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed" – could elicit a change of life that brought salvation, how much more will the preaching of Jesus – “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" – bring salvation and eternal life to those who believe. We have to keep in mind that the preaching of repentance is not directed toward feeling sorry for our sins; it is a call to radically transform our lives according to God's will and God's call. As St. Paul tells the Corinthians: “I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. ... For the world in its present form is passing away.” It is not so much that the world is coming to an end, but that with the coming of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God has entered the world and brought a change in our relationships. We are in the world, but not of the world. Marriage is not just an agreement of mutual support between two people; they become partners in giving God's life to each other, to their family and to the world. A job is not just where one gains the means to acquire the necessities of life, but where one gives of oneself to develop one's talents and to contribute to the building of a better society. Follower of Jesus Christ do not forget the world, they become more concerned with the world, because the relationships have been raised to a higher level. Simon and Andrew, James and John did not leave their lives as fishermen because there was something wrong with being a fisherman, but because they were called to be fishers of men, to participate with Jesus in his mission of introducing their fellow human beings into the life of the kingdom of God. They would face challenges with successes and failures, but they would continue in their mission because they had opened their hearts to the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are called to do the same. And in less than a month we will hear those words again: “Repent, and believe in the gospel," on Ash Wednesday. May we dedicate ourselves to living more fully the life that leads to eternal life. May God bless you.Fr. Karl E. Esker C.Ss.R.Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop Lectionary: 208The Saint of the day is Saint John NeumannSaint John Neumann's Story Perhaps because the United States got a later start in the history of the world, it has relatively few canonized saints, but their number is increasing. John Neumann was born in what is now the Czech Republic. After studying in Prague, he came to New York at 25 and was ordained a priest. He did missionary work in New York until he was 29, when he joined the Redemptorists and became its first member to profess vows in the United States. He continued missionary work in Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, where he became popular with the Germans. At 41, as bishop of Philadelphia, he organized the parochial school system into a diocesan one, increasing the number of pupils almost twentyfold within a short time. Gifted with outstanding organizing ability, he drew into the city many teaching communities of sisters and the Christian Brothers. During his brief assignment as vice provincial for the Redemptorists, he placed them in the forefront of the parochial movement. Well-known for his holiness and learning, spiritual writing and preaching, on October 13, 1963, John Neumann became the first American bishop to be beatified. Canonized in 1977, he is buried in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia. Reflection Neumann took seriously our Lord's words, “Go and teach all nations.” From Christ he received his instructions and the power to carry them out. For Christ does not give a mission without supplying the means to accomplish it. The Father's gift in Christ to John Neumann was his exceptional organizing ability, which he used to spread the Good News. Today the Church is in dire need of men and women to continue in our times the teaching of the Good News. The obstacles and inconveniences are real and costly. Yet when Christians approach Christ, he supplies the necessary talents to answer today's needs. The Spirit of Christ continues his work through the instrumentality of generous Christians. Saint John Neumann is a Patron Saint of: Educators/Teachers Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Twelfth Day of Christmas Memorial of St. John Neumann, 1811-1860; born in what is now the Czech Republic, came to New York at 25, was ordained a priest, and joined the Redemptorists; at 41, as bishop of Philadelphia, he organized the parochial school system into a diocesan one, attracting teaching communities of sisters and the Christian Brothers to the city; first American bishop to be beatified; canonized in 1977 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/5/24 Gospel: John 1:43-51

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, more than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Yesterday the Associated Press reported that in central Gaza Strip, eight people were killed in a strike on a building in Nuseirat refugee camp, and on Tuesday, at least five people, including a baby, were killed and several injured in an airstrike on the Red Crescent headquarters in the city of Khan Yunis. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they have launched an investigation. Gaza-based journalist Akram Al Satarri spoke with “EWTN News Nightly” from Khan Yunis about the state of the Gaza Strip as bombs went off in the background. In terms of the conflict escalating, Al Satarri believes it is “inevitable.” The killing of a senior Hamas leader in Beirut by a suspected Israeli air strike, followed by more than 85 people killed in Tehran at a ceremony marking the four-year anniversary of General Qasem Soleimani's assassination, are the latest indications of a widening conflict. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256442/gaza-journalist-says-escalation-of-war-is-inevitable A federal judge heard testimony this week in a trial that will decide whether the state of Colorado can exclude Catholic schools from participating in its universal preschool program. The Archdiocese of Denver, along with two Catholic preschools, is taking legal action against the state, contending that the program is unconstitutional as it discriminates against Catholic schools by preventing them from participating. The suit, which began on Tuesday, was filed in the US District Court for the District of Colorado in August 2023. Colorado's universal preschool program, created in 2022, offers eligible families at least 15 hours per week of free preschool for every participating child, according to the program website. The lawsuit maintains that the program rules are unconstitutional and objects to the exclusion of Catholic schools but not the preschool programs of other private schools. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256440/colorado-catholic-preschools-argue-in-court-that-state-program-discriminates-against-them Today, the Church celebrates Saint John Nepomucene Neumann. Neumann was born on March 28, 1811, in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, and was ordained a priest in the United States and sent to Buffalo. Father John established himself in a small log parish house. He hardly ever lit a fire and often lived on only bread and water. He joined the Redemptorist order and continued his missionary work until he was appointed bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. As bishop, Neumann built 50 churches and began the constuction of a cathedral. He opened almost 100 schools, and the number of parochial school students grew from 500 to 9,000. He died suddenly on January 5, 1860 and became the first American bishop to be beatified. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-nepomucene-neumann-106

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.Si quis venit ad me, et non odit patrem suum, et matrem, et uxorem, et filios, et fratres, et sorores, adhuc autem et animam suam, non potest meus esse discipulus.  27 And whosoever doth not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.Et qui non bajulat crucem suam, et venit post me, non potest meus esse discipulus.  28 For which of you having a mind to build a tower, doth not first sit down, and reckon the charges that are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it:Quis enim ex vobis volens turrim aedificare, non prius sedens computat sumptus, qui necessarii sunt, si habeat ad perficiendum,  29 Lest, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mock him,ne, posteaquam posuerit fundamentum, et non potuerit perficere, omnes qui vident, incipiant illudere ei,  30 Saying: This man began to build, and was not able to finish.dicentes : Quia hic homo coepit aedificare, et non potuit consummare?  31 Or what king, about to go to make war against another king, doth not first sit down, and think whether he be able, with ten thousand, to meet him that, with twenty thousand, cometh against him?Aut quis rex iturus committere bellum adversus alium regem, non sedens prius cogitat, si possit cum decem millibus occurrere ei, qui cum viginti millibus venit ad se?  32 Or else, whilst the other is yet afar off, sending an embassy, he desireth conditions of peace.Alioquin adhuc illo longe agente, legationem mittens rogat ea quae pacis sunt.  33 So likewise every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be my disciple.Sic ergo omnis ex vobis, qui non renuntiat omnibus quae possidet, non potest meus esse discipulus. John Neumann was born in what is now the Czech Republic. After studying in Prague, he came to New York at the age of 25 and was ordained a priest. He did missionary work in New York until he was 29. when he joined the Redemptorists and became it's first member to profess vows in the US. He continued missionary work in Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, where he became popular with the Germans. At 41, as bishop of Philadelphia, he organized the parochial school system into a diocesan one, increasing the number of pupils almost twentyfold within a short time. Gifted with outstanding organizing ability, he drew into the city many teaching communities of sisters and the Christian Brothers. During his brief assignment as vice provincial for the Redemptorists, he placed them in the forefront of the parochial movement. Well-known for his holiness and learning, spiritual writing and preaching, on October 13, 1963, John Neumann became the first American bishop to be beatified. Canonized in 1977 and buried in St Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia.

Thursday of the Third Week of AdventDecember 21, 2023 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Thursday of the Third Week of Advent.Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to Luke.Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."The gospel of the Lord.HomilyHere we are, just four days before Christmas, and our gospels these days show us how God prepared the way for Jesus, the Son of God, to come into our world. Today we hear part of the beautiful story of Mary's visit to Elizabeth. But before we go into the gospel, I would like to spend a moment with the first reading from the Canticle of Canticles. It is one of the rare times we read from this book in our liturgies. It is a love song, which may be why some schools are banning it from their libraries, but we read it as a love letter between God and his people. First the people cry out: “Hark! my lover –- here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills,” to which God replies: ‘O my dove ... Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.”Now, imagine Mary with Jesus already in her womb making the trip from Nazareth to a village near Jerusalem to visit Elizabeth. Jesus, the Son of God, is making his way into our world to be our Savior. And Elizabeth greets Mary: “how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” When Mary, the handmaid of the Lord and full of the Holy Spirit, heard that her cousin was also with child, the love of God impelled her to go to her cousin in her moment of need.Recognizing the grace that was before her, Elizabeth exults in the Holy Spirit, as does the child in her womb: “For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” Thus, John the herald makes his first proclamation of the coming of the savior, and it is one of joy.Many saints, including our own Saint Alphonsus heralded the Incarnation, the coming of God into our world and taking on the flesh of our humanity, as a supreme act of love by God for his creation, especially humanity. And while we consider Mary singularly most beautiful in God's eyes, we are all objects of God's love, to whom he says: “let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.”Our sinfulness does not take away from God's love for us. He wants us close to himself through prayer and especially through loving one another; and as we grow closer to God, we leave sin behind. God did not come down to earth to judge the earth, but because he saw our need for God. In the same spirit, Mary did not wait for Elizabeth to ask for help; she saw a need and went to do what she could. Our efforts will not always get the reception Mary's received, but as we do our part to address the human needs around us, we become heralds of God's love. And as John rejoiced in his mother's womb at the arrival of the Savior, may we and the world rejoice at the fruits of God's love in us.May God bless you.Fr. Karl E. EskerBasilica of our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time INovember 21, 2023 – Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin MaryHello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today's reading from the holy gospel according to Luke At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost." The gospel of the Lord. Homily The memorial of the presentation of Mary is an attempt to imagine the joy with which Joachim and Ana received their daughter Mary and how they offered her to God to do the Lord's will. I am sure there were some relatives who were not pleased that Ana had given birth to a daughter instead of a son. But we believe that all things work for the good of those who follow the will of the Lord. They had no way of knowing that God had chosen Mary to be the mother of the Redeemer, to give human flesh to God's only Son. The reading from the second book of Maccabees presents one of the Jewish heroes during the Greek persecution. This old man, named Eleazar, preferred to offer himself up to death in fidelity to God and as an example for the young people, rather than go against the Law of Moses. His Greek friends thought him a fool, and kept offering him ways to save his life, but he refused; and proclaimed that he was suffering torture with joy in his soul, because of his devotion to God. In the gospel we hear Jesus invite himself to the house of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector in Jericho. Zacchaeus had done something extraordinary. He wanted to see Jesus, but could not see over the crowd, because he was too short. So, he ran ahead and climbed a tree along Jesus' path. Jesus recognized his longing, so when he arrived at the place, he calls up to him: "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." Zacchaeus received him with joy and offered to give half his wealth to the poor and to make amends if he had defrauded anyone. Of course, there were those in the crowd who began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Jesus declared: "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost." God's ways often leave us confused, and if we listen to the nay-sayers, we will quickly become discouraged. We need to recognize God's presence and grace in our lives, as did Ana and Joachim, Eleazar and Zacchaeus, and offer ourselves in service to God. We echo the psalmist's prayer: “you, O LORD, are my shield; my glory, you lift up my head!” Our heads are raised, not to look down on others, but to recognize the grace of God in our lives. It is this presence of Christ Jesus in our lives that gives them meaning, and permits a feeling of peace and joy even in difficult times. We can follow the way of the Lord, “because the Lord sustains me.” May God bless you.   Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsR Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY

 Author Stephen Kokx shares with us his insights into the importance of the life and writings of St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787). His insights are personal and inspiring. The founder of the Redemptorists and author of the most famous Way of the Cross has much wisdom to inspire Catholics in the midst of the ongoing crisis in the Church. Be sure to listen until the end of the interview when Mr. Kokx shares an interesting insight into the recent persecution of Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler Texas. You can purchase Mr. Kokx book on St. Alphonsus in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/St-Alphonsus-21st-Century-Handbook/dp/B0CHGBLJ5Q/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699893774&sr=8-1 

This is a special day for Redemptorists around the world.  On this day, 291 years ago, our founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori and five companions; Fr. Giovanni Mazzini, Vincencio Mannarini, Fr. Piatro Romano, fifty-year old Giovanni Battista de Donato, and aspirant to the priesthood, Silvestro Tosquez, gathered around a humble altar with Bishop Falcoia presiding and began the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior.  It was soon made known that there was another religious congregation with the name, Holy Savior, so the name was changed to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists.  You can imagine the scene when thirty-six-year-old Alphonsus left his family behind in Naples.  There were tears, of course, but he was determined to leave his Neapolitan gentleman's life behind.  He left on a donkey with two companions by his side.  They were headed for the mountain village of Scala on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.  They did not stop at the beautiful cathedral of Scala that could hold 2,000 worshippers or more, but continued up the rough mountain pass to where the goats and the shepherds lived.  There they stopped at a small monastery of nuns and met their other friends.  The nuns gave them shelter and they prepared themselves for the founding of the Congregation on November 9th, intentionally selecting the date of the Dedication of the Church of Rome, the great Lateran Basilica, which was also called the Church of the Holy Savior. Tuesday, November 6th, Wednesday, November 7th, and Thursday, November 8th, were spent in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  On these three successive days they were blessed with a vision in the Sacred Host of a cross that first appeared black, then changed to blood red, and then to white.  On the cross was Our Savior, Jesus Christ, with the instruments of his crucifixion by his side; the spear, sponge, and nails.  If they had any doubt about the start of this new adventure, this sign from God dismissed all fears.  The vision of our Lord in the Host led to the motto of the Redemptorists from Psalm 130: “Copiosa apud eum redemptio” (“With Him there is plentiful redemption”).   The Congregation was approved by Pope Benedict XIV on February 25, 1749.  From small beginnings, God has blessed the work and vision of St. Alphonsus.  Today we number almost 5,000 men in over 80 countries.  We are still reaching out to the poor and abandoned people of our world through parish missions, retreats, teaching moral theology, ministering in parishes, and in many other charitable works.  The message of plentiful redemption has been enhanced by lay women and men who share their gifts with us and are aptly called, Partners in Mission.  Together with the Redemptoristines, the marvelous contemplative order of nuns who share in all that we do, we look forward to future bright with promise. Every member, whether they be Partners in Mission, Redemptoristine nuns, or the religious brothers and priests of our Congregation - we all began our journey with a silent “yes” to the call of our Savior.  There is work for you, too.  Might God be leading you to a decision today?  

Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time IOctober 21, 2023 Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time.Our reading today is taken from the gospel according to Luke.Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.    "Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." The gospel of the Lord.Homily In the gospel, Jesus tells his disciples and us: “everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.” When Luke wrote his gospel, there was real danger in being a Christian. They were being hauled before magistrates and judges and told to renounce their faith in Jesus. Many did renounce their faith to preserve their lives and families, but many others were faithful to the end and gave up their lives and possessions in witness to Jesus. These we call the martyrs. Today it seems like few of us will be called to be martyrs; however, how are we supposed to acknowledge Jesus in a world torn by division, rivalry and hatred? Just saying that one believes in Jesus Christ is not enough, because even those who profess Jesus' name are divided into warring camps. And Jesus would certainly not agree with those using his name for political or material benefit. Jesus refused to be drawn into the political posturing of his own day. He would sit down at table with his friends; he accepted invitations from tax collectors and sinners, and even from pharisees, who were his greatest opponents. He challenged all of them to open their minds and their hearts to the mercy and love of God. To the despised and the outcast, he was a friend who showed them their worth. For the simple and oppressed, he favored loosening the rules to make their life easier. And to the self-righteous, he held up a mirror to their hypocrisy. Still, he did not stridently favor one side or condemn the other. He used funny little stories, we call parables, to get people to think beyond their own horizons. Of course, that did not save Jesus from the cross. And I wonder: knowing today how we stick to our tribes of like thinking people and condemn or even demonize anyone who is different, if Jesus returned to earth in human form, would we welcome him, or would we probably just nail him back up on the cross. That thought should make us pause. Church people are moaning over the fact that so many people, especially the young, are abandoning the Church. They talk about the sexual and financial scandals, which certainly contribute, but I think that the problem lies much deeper. Too many people are using Jesus' name, but too few are living as Jesus lived. The remedy lies with each one of us. I don't think I would bring these questions up at the dinner table. I am not good at making up funny little stories, so I would probably just get booted out of the house. However, we all need to break out of the confining boxes of our own certainties and try to put on Jesus' way of welcoming the outcast, lightening the load of the oppressed and questioning our own self-righteousness. That way we will acknowledge Jesus as Son of Man and Son of God before the men and women of this age.May God bless you.Fr. Karl E. Esker C.Ss.R.Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The Vatican's Synod on Synodality has passed the halfway mark for this year. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255696/this-week-at-the-synod-on-synodality-participation-focus-comes-amid-possible-early-exit-of-chinese-bishops Midway through the Synod on Synodality, two bishops from mainland China are suddenly departing the assembly early, and as of Monday there is not yet an explanation. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255697/chinese-bishops-leaving-synod-on-synodality-early The Latin Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem has offered to be exchanged for the children being held hostage in the Gaza Strip by Hamas. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255694/jerusalem-cardinal-pizzaballa-offers-to-be-exchanged-for-gaza-hostages Today the Church celebrates Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French nun whose visions of Christ helped to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart throughout the Western Church. Her life changed in response to a vision she saw one night while returning from a dance, in which she saw Christ being scourged. Margaret believed she had betrayed Jesus, by pursuing the pleasures of the world rather than her religious vocation, and a the at the age of 22, she decided to enter a convent. Two days after Christmas of 1673, Margaret experienced Christ's presence in an extraordinary way while in prayer. She heard Christ explain that he desired to show his love for the human race in a special way, by encouraging devotion to “the heart that so loved mankind.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-margaret-mary-alacoque-626 The Church also celebrates Saint Gerard Majella. Saint Gerard entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in 1749 and professed of perpetual vows under the Redemptorist's founder, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, in 1751. He served as tailor and infirmarian and became known for his extraordinary supernatural gifts of bilocation, prophecy, ecstasies, visions, and infused knowledge. Though not ordained to the holy order of priest, his spiritual direction and advice were sought by many among the clergy and communities of nuns, to which he also gave conferences. He was most successful in converting sinners, and was widely known for his sanctity and charity. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-gerard-majella-21

Dr. Salvatore Forcina survived against all odds. His story is one of tenacity and perseverance. Dr. Forcina was born in Italy in 1941. This was the time of World War 2 and the war and its aftermath presented locals with few options other than to flee their homes and later, ultimately, their country. Dr. Forcina has been a general and vascular surgeon for forty years and also trained in trauma surgery.  Born in Italy during World War II, Salvatore Forcina was a young boy who survived all odds by living through his young childhood without any real or proper shelter. Like many Italians during this time, a month after turning eight years old his parents followed this migration to Argentina, a developing country at the time rich with natural resources and hope for a more stable life.    Sent away to live with Redemptorist priests for seven long years as the only available option to study, this young boy struggled emotionally and psychologically with no social outlets and little emotional development. Salvatore's dream to study medicine and help people propelled him to carry on and continue his education, eventually being educated and living on three different continents, each with a new language to learn and master.  Despite his meager beginnings which provided no social and little educational opportunity and despite the many years and setbacks it took him to accomplish this, his goal was ultimately accomplished because of his sheer determination. This true-life story is motivating, uplifting, and based on what genuine love of family can provide to someone.    

Full Text of ReadingsThursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 464The Saint of the day is Blessed Francis Xavier SeelosBlessed Francis Xavier Seelos' Story Zeal as a preacher and a confessor led Father Seelos to works of compassion as well. Born in southern Bavaria, he studied philosophy and theology in Munich. On hearing about the work of the Redemptorists among German-speaking Catholics in the United States, he came to this country in 1843. Ordained at the end of 1844, he was assigned for six years to St. Philomena's Parish in Pittsburgh as an assistant to Saint John Neumann. The next three years Father Seelos was superior in the same community, and began his service as novice master. Several years in parish ministry in Maryland followed, along with responsibility for training Redemptorist students. During the Civil War Fr. Seelos went to Washington, D.C., and appealed to President Lincoln that those students not be drafted for military service, although eventually some were. For several years, he preached in English and in German throughout the Midwest and in the Mid-Atlantic states. Assigned to St. Mary of the Assumption Church community in New Orleans, Fr. Seelos served his Redemptorist confreres and parishioners with great zeal. In 1867, he died of yellow fever, having contracted that disease while visiting the sick. He was beatified in 2000. The liturgical feast of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is celebrated on October 5. Reflection Father Seelos worked in many different places but always with the same zeal: to help people know God's love and compassion. He preached about the works of mercy and then engaged in them, even risking his own health. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is a Patron Saint of: Immigrants to the United States Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

This prayer before the Blessed Sacrament by Alphonsus Liguori, the 17th century founder of the Redemptorist order (pictured), is a moving and fitting way to begin a visit with our Lord.  The transcription for this podcast can be found at https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/alphonsus-liguori.html ADDITIONAL LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Alphonsus Liquori The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori    

Thursday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, 1819-1867; born in Germany, joined the Redemptorists, and came to America; served in Pittsburgh with St. John Neumann, then returned to Baltimore, later being transferred to Cumberland and then Annapolis; he was an expert confessor, a watchful and prudent spiritual director and a pastor always joyfully available and attentive to the needs of the poor and the abandoned; he was a full-time itinerary missionary preacher from 1863 to 1869; he was then assigned to New Orleans, where he died of the yellow fever epidemic Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/5/23 Gospel: Luke 10:1-12

Welcome back to the Redemptorists' daily reflection series. My name is Father Brian Vaccaro and today is Sunday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time.    Let us begin + The Lord be with you. R/ And with your spirit. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.      Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus told His disciples this parable:"The kingdom of heaven is like a landownerwho went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,he sent them into his vineyard.Going out about nine o'clock,the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,and I will give you what is just.'So they went off.And he went out again around noon,and around three o'clock and did likewise.Going out about five o'clock,the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,'Why do you stand here idle all day?'They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,beginning with the last and ending with the first.'When those who had started about five o'clock came,each received the usual daily wage.So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,but each of them also got the usual wage.And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,'These last ones worked only one hour,and you have made them equal to us,who bore the day's burden and the heat.'He said to one of them in reply,'My friend, I am not cheating you.Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?Take what is yours and go.What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?Are you envious because I am generous?'Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."           The Gospel of the Lord.Thanks be to God. In the parable from the Gospel from today's liturgy, which I just read, the landowner was totally equal in how he paid the workers. Whether they started at dawn, at 9AM, at midday, or in the afternoon, all of them were paid the same wage. And this is how God treats all people regarding eternal life. All people that make it to heaven get the same reward – eternal life with God. God does not differentiate among those who were life-long faithful followers of God, those who became God's followers late in life, and those who had a deathbed conversion. For human beings, this does not seem fair because we generally judge and treat people using a scale. For example:  ·      People who do a couple of hours of work get paid less than those that work a full day·      Those who have more education generally get paid more than those who have less education But this is not how God works because our God is a God of love and mercy. And it is a good thing that our God is not like human beings and does not judge on a scale like we do when it comes to heaven because we are all sinners and, if God judged us on a scale according to our sins, I think that many of us might find ourselves unable to enter heaven. But luckily, our loving God has a different standard. If we try to live a good life, if we repent of our sinfulness, if we seek to have a strong relationship with God, and we try to be the people that God has called us to be, regardless of whether we have done this our whole life, or if we started in our 40s, or we started late in life, or if we have a deathbed conversion, all of us can achieve eternal life with God.  In the parable, the landowner was totally equal in how he paid the workers. In just the same way, God treats all people equally regarding eternal life. So regardless of whether we have been a faithful follower of God for our entire life or if God is calling us now to change our lifestyle and to become His follower, let us strive to be God's faithful followers each day of our life so that, when we die, eternal life will be ours. May God bless you!

Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelistSeptember 21, 2023Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist.Today's reading is taken from the holy gospel according to Matthew.As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."The gospel of the Lord.Homily Matthew is mentioned in the lists of the apostles in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts. Only the gospel of Matthew has Jesus calling him from the tax collector's post, as we just heard. Mark and Luke call the tax collector, Levi, and Mark says he was the son of Alphaeus. This is all we know about Matthew from the New Testament. But because he was an apostle, we know that he accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry, witnessed Jesus' death and resurrection and went out to preach that Jesus was the Son of God and Savior of the world and to form communities in Jesus' name. He was faithful to Jesus to the end and most likely died a violent death in imitation of his Master. It was this desire to spread the Good News more effectively that lead Matthew to write the gospel that now bears his name. From the way the gospel is written, we can deduce that Matthew was a devout Jew who wrote for a Jewish-Christian community. They were comfortable with celebrating high feast days in the temple and frequenting the synagogue on Saturdays. But they were all Baptized and on Sunday they would meet in a house to celebrate the Eucharist. Of course, all this would change with the destruction of the Temple and the subsequent expulsion of the Christians from the Synagogue.  That a former tax collector was one of the leaders of this community is amazing. It shows what a tremendous effect associating with Jesus and heeding his call had on Matthew. It brought him back to his roots in the Old Covenant and then beyond into the New Covenant of water and the Spirit. Matthew lost no time in spreading the word. As soon as he was called, he invited his friends to a banquet in his house, so they, too, could come and meet Jesus. Of course, the Pharisees objected and asked the other disciples: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard and bluntly replied: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Years later, the memory of those kind and saving words would lead Matthew to begin writing his gospel. Paul, a Pharisee, was also transformed by his encounter with the Lord, as we hear in the letter to the Ephesians. He urges his listeners to “live in a manner worthy of the call [they] have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” And he makes his profession of faith: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Matthew and Paul, each in his own way, built up the Body of Christ. By reading and meditating on their works, we draw closer to Jesus Christ, and receive the call to recognize God's infinite mercy towards us, and to do our part in spreading the word.May God bless you.Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsRBasilica of Our Lady of Perpetual HelpBrooklyn, NY

Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our reading is from the holy gospel according to Matthew.      At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus' disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.The gospel of the Lord. Our readings today tell us that God's love and mercy is greater than anything we can imagine; and we are called by God to enter into and participate in God's love and mercy. It is a lesson we find difficult to learn and Jesus, in his humanity as he carried out his mission of teaching and healing, also had to learn it. At first reading, many of us are shocked by what seems to be Jesus' initial callous treatment of the Canaanite woman who came asking for a cure for her daughter. At first he ignores her, then he rebuffs her request implying that she is worth no more than a dog. All this reflects the attitude of the Jews toward their pagan neighbors in Jesus' time. But this was not God's attitude, as we hear from the prophet Isaiah in the first reading. The prophet envisions foreigners coming to worship the Lord in Jerusalem. As long as they love the Lord, keep the sabbath and hold to the covenant, their prayers will be heard, their sacrifices accepted and they will even minister in the temple, because God's “house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” In closing the infancy narrative of his gospel, Luke tells us that “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” We often forget that, in spite of being the Son of God, Jesus was a true human being and had to grow and learn. His encounter with the Canaanite woman was a growth experience. When she first cried out to him, invoking his title as Messiah, he ignored her. As she kept crying out, his disciples asked him to please give her what she wanted, just to get rid of her. It was not Jesus' way to simply make a miracle, it had to be within his preaching of the kingdom of God, so he explained to his disciples: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." At least that was his understanding up to that point.  Finally, the Canaanite woman, a foreigner, comes up to him, kneels before him and says: "Lord, help me." Then come the words that grate in our ears: "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." But the woman is not to be put off: "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." to which Jesus replies: "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." In all the gospels, only two people got the better of Jesus in an argument, and both were women: Mary, his mother, at the wedding feast of Cana, and this Canaanite woman. And in both cases, it came after a profound expression of faith in Jesus. Jesus learned that the gift of faith was open to all, and so was the Kingdom of God. Saint Paul would learn the same lesson. He became the apostle to the Gentiles after his message was rejected in the synagogues and could only conclude: God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all. Today we need to learn the same lesson. The demons of war, violence and corruption are forcing millions from their homes. They knock on the doors of other countries, where politicians and influencers try to give them horrible and prejudicial labels, so that we all might turn our backs on them. But that is not God's way. God's kingdom is open to all who seek it in faith and good will. May God's love and mercy reign in our heats, and may God bless you. Fr. Karl E. Esker Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY

SPECIAL GUEST  Wisdom Wednesday Brother Andre Marie  Host of ReConquest aired only on The Crusade Channel Follow Brother on GAB and Twitter - @Brother_Andre Boniface -  HEADLINE: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1787) by The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary  He was in his ninety-first year when he died. He founded the Redemptorist Order in 1732. He became a Doctor of the Church by constantly preaching and writing about the Holy Eucharist and about the Virgin Mary. No saint is more complete or superlative in the praise of the virginal Mother of God than he. Three members of the Redemptorist Order have been canonized saints, thanks to the prayers and example of their father and founder, Saint Alphonsus Maria. These saints are: Saint Gerard Majella, whose feast is October 16, Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer, whose feast day is March 15, and Saint John Neumann, whose feast day is January 5. HEADLINE: St. Alphonsus Liguori: All God's Gifts Aimed at Binding Mankind to His Love by Edward Pentin  QUESTION: What is a Doctor of the Catholic Church exactly? ANSWER: Doctor who has - exemplary knowledge, theological science, and exemplary sanctity.  To teach, to govern and to sanctify - Office of the Bishop (the teacher of his diocese) You now have 4 female doctors of the church. Towards the end of his life his chin was stuck towards his chest. Alphonsus was afflicted with rheumatic pains which left incurable bending of his neck. Until it was straightened a little, the pressure of his chin caused a raw wound on his chest. He suffered a final 18 months of “dark night” scruples, fears, temptations against every article of faith and every virtue, interspersed with intervals of light and relief, when ecstasies were frequent. AUDIO/VIDEO: Blessed Seelos featured on EWTN's "They Might Be Saints”  “Miracle Hunter” Michael O'Neill examines the lives of men and women on the path to sainthood. From miracle workers to martyrs and ordinary people living extraordinary lives of heroic virtue, this EWTN series presents those exemplary people who make us wonder if someday they might be saints. This segment features Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R. The Redemptorists were the anti-Americanist. They had sworn enemies. FBI investigation - 

SPECIAL GUEST  Wisdom Wednesday Brother Andre Marie  Host of ReConquest aired only on The Crusade Channel Follow Brother on GAB and Twitter - @Brother_Andre Boniface -  HEADLINE: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1787) by The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary  He was in his ninety-first year when he died. He founded the Redemptorist Order in 1732. He became a Doctor of the Church by constantly preaching and writing about the Holy Eucharist and about the Virgin Mary. No saint is more complete or superlative in the praise of the virginal Mother of God than he. Three members of the Redemptorist Order have been canonized saints, thanks to the prayers and example of their father and founder, Saint Alphonsus Maria. These saints are: Saint Gerard Majella, whose feast is October 16, Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer, whose feast day is March 15, and Saint John Neumann, whose feast day is January 5. HEADLINE: St. Alphonsus Liguori: All God's Gifts Aimed at Binding Mankind to His Love by Edward Pentin  QUESTION: What is a Doctor of the Catholic Church exactly? ANSWER: Doctor who has - exemplary knowledge, theological science, and exemplary sanctity.  To teach, to govern and to sanctify - Office of the Bishop (the teacher of his diocese) You now have 4 female doctors of the church. Towards the end of his life his chin was stuck towards his chest. Alphonsus was afflicted with rheumatic pains which left incurable bending of his neck. Until it was straightened a little, the pressure of his chin caused a raw wound on his chest. He suffered a final 18 months of “dark night” scruples, fears, temptations against every article of faith and every virtue, interspersed with intervals of light and relief, when ecstasies were frequent. AUDIO/VIDEO: Blessed Seelos featured on EWTN's "They Might Be Saints”  “Miracle Hunter” Michael O'Neill examines the lives of men and women on the path to sainthood. From miracle workers to martyrs and ordinary people living extraordinary lives of heroic virtue, this EWTN series presents those exemplary people who make us wonder if someday they might be saints. This segment features Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R. The Redemptorists were the anti-Americanist. They had sworn enemies. FBI investigation - 

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 402The Saint of the day is Saint Alphonsus LiguoriSaint Alphonsus Liguori’s Story Moral theology, Vatican II said, should be more thoroughly nourished by Scripture, and show the nobility of the Christian vocation of the faithful and their obligation to bring forth fruit in charity for the life of the world. Alphonsus, declared patron of moral theologians by Pius XII in 1950, would rejoice in that statement. In his day, Alphonsus fought for the liberation of moral theology from the rigidity of Jansenism. His moral theology, which went through 60 editions in the century following him, concentrated on the practical and concrete problems of pastors and confessors. If a certain legalism and minimalism crept into moral theology, it should not be attributed to this model of moderation and gentleness. At the University of Naples, Alphonsus received a doctorate in both canon and civil law by acclamation, at the age of 16, but he soon gave up the practice of law for apostolic activity. He was ordained a priest, and concentrated his pastoral efforts on popular parish missions, hearing confessions, and forming Christian groups. He founded the Redemptorist congregation in 1732. It was an association of priests and brothers living a common life, dedicated to the imitation of Christ, and working mainly in popular missions for peasants in rural areas. Almost as an omen of what was to come later, he found himself deserted after a while by all his original companions except one lay brother. But the congregation managed to survive and was formally approved 17 years later, though its troubles were not over. Alphonsus' great pastoral reforms were in the pulpit and confessional—replacing the pompous oratory of the time with simplicity, and the rigorism of Jansenism with kindness. His great fame as a writer has somewhat eclipsed the fact that for 26 years he traveled up and down the Kingdom of Naples preaching popular missions. He was made bishop at age 66 after trying to reject the honor, and at once instituted a thorough reform of his diocese. His greatest sorrow came toward the end of his life. The Redemptorists, precariously continuing after the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, had difficulty in getting their Rule approved by the Kingdom of Naples. Alphonsus acceded to the condition that they possess no property in common, but with the connivance of a high Redemptorist official, a royal official changed the Rule substantially. Alphonsus, old, crippled and with very bad sight, signed the document, unaware that he had been betrayed. The Redemptorists in the Papal States then put themselves under the pope, who withdrew those in Naples from the jurisdiction of Alphonsus. It was only after his death that the branches were united. At 71, Alphonsus was afflicted with rheumatic pains which left incurable bending of his neck. Until it was straightened a little, the pressure of his chin caused a raw wound on his chest. He suffered a final 18 months of “dark night” scruples, fears, temptations against every article of faith and every virtue, interspersed with intervals of light and relief, when ecstasies were frequent. Alphonsus is best known for his moral theology, but he also wrote well in the field of spiritual and dogmatic theology. His Glories of Mary is one of the great works on that subject, and his book Visits to the Blessed Sacrament went through 40 editions in his lifetime, greatly influencing the practice of this devotion in the Church. Reflection Saint Alphonsus was known above all as a practical man who dealt in the concrete rather than the abstract. His life is indeed a practical model for the everyday Christian who has difficulty recognizing the dignity of Christian life amid the swirl of problems, pain, misunderstanding and failure. Alphonsus suffered all these things. He is a saint because he was able to maintain an intimate sense of the presence of the suffering Christ through it all. Saint Alphonsus Liguori is the Patron Saint of: TheologiansVocations Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media