Pastor's Corner, August 10, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

The next habit mentioned in “Seven Daily Habits for Faithful Catholics” by Fr. McCloskey is Holy Communion.

Jesus has given Himself to us in Holy Communion and says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6: 53-54). With a gift like the Holy Eucharist, how can we not want to receive Holy Communion as often as possible?

The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. It is the most intimate contact we can have with God this side of heaven. It is the Sacrament of His presence. We are sacramentally united with our Savior and receive not just grace but the giver of grace.

I know daily Mass would be a sacrifice for many people and just not possible for some. Receiving Holy Communion is a daily habit because of how powerful a gift it is for us and how much fruit Holy Communion would bear if we received Him daily. I hope you would consider coming to Mass during the week, if not daily, in order to grow in holiness.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Pastor's Corner, August 3, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

The second spiritual habit to achieve the success of holiness found in the booklet “Seven Daily Habits for Faithful Catholics” is called Mental Prayer. Fr. McCloskey recommends at least 15 minutes each day.

Prayer is a conversation with Our Lord. It is a heart to heart talk with the One who is love. FaceTime is a special feature on smart phones that allows two people to see each other and speak with each other over the phone. Well, mental prayer is simply “face time” with God. The Book of Exodus tells us that “the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (33: 11). We too need to have this encounter and conversation with the Lord face to face each day. It is one of the keys to growing in holiness.

The time of mental prayer is something personal. It might begin with some memorized vocal prayers but it is time for us to just speak with God from our own mind and heart, just as we would speak with a friend. Reading a passage from Scripture or some spiritual book can help us reflect and get the conversation going. We also have to be silent during our mental prayer in order to listen to God and to sense the movement of the Holy Spirit. In this way God can leave us with clear indications for our lives and answer our prayers.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Pastor's Corner, July 27, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

"Seven Daily Habits for Faithful Catholics” begins with the first habit called the Morning Offering.

One of the hardest things for people to do each day is to wake up on time. The first minute of the day could be called the “heroic minute” precisely because it is a moment of sacrifice and struggle. Yet, it is the first moment that we can give back to God as an offering of our love.

The Morning Offering takes the form of a prayer which can be personal or a memorized prayer that offers the first moment and all the moments of the day to God. When we pray a morning offering prayer upon waking, we make God the first thought of our day and begin the day on the right track. If we can conquer our tendency to push the snooze button or think of our own comfort at that first moment of the day, then we will be much more successful in making the rest of the day a proper offering to God.

Among the many fine Morning Offering prayers, I would like to share one that is special to me: I am all yours and all I have is yours, dear Jesus, through Mary your holy mother.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Pastor's Corner, July 20, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

In 1989 Steve Covey wrote what would become one of the most influential business management books, “The Seven Habit of Highly Effective People.” In his book Covey presents basic principles of ethics that can help anyone be successful in the business world.

A friend of mine, Fr. C. John McCloskey, has written a brief and well published booklet called “Seven Daily Habits for Faithful Catholics” which presents seven basic spiritual habits that form a kind of “plan of life” for us as a Christian. Covey’s book helps people be a success in the world of business. Fr. McCloskey’s booklet has helped thousands of people be a success in the world of holiness.

Fr. McCloskey makes the point that the only true way to happiness is to come to know and love Jesus Christ. The only way to do that is to spend a considerable amount of time with Him on a daily basis. The seven daily habits are: Morning Offering, 15 minutes of Mental Prayer, Holy Communion, 15 minutes of Spiritual Reading, the Angelus, the Rosary and Examination of Conscience.

Over the next few weeks I will dedicate the Pastor’s Corner to a reflection on these seven habits. A free copy of the booklet is available from CatholiCity (http://www.catholicity.com). Tune in over the coming weeks to hear more about successful habits of the spiritual life.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Pastor's Corner, July 13, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Believe it or not, we are already in the middle of the summer vacation season.

One of the reasons the Lord provided us with the 4th commandment to “keep holy the Sabbath day” was to remind us of the need to relax and enjoy some time of leisure. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the institution of Sunday helps all “to be allowed sufficient rest and leisure” (2194). Taking some “down time” and enjoying a break from the usual daily and weekly grind can help refresh us and give us an opportunity to praise God with joyful and fun activity. Vacation time can help foster relationships with family members and friends.

But we should never take a vacation from our vocation as a Christian, especially on Sunday. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once said, “Leisure time is certainly something good and necessary, especially amid the mad rush of the modern world. Yet if leisure time lacks an inner focus, an overall sense of direction, then ultimately it becomes wasted time that neither strengthens nor builds us up. Leisure time requires a focus, the encounter with Him who is our origin and goal.” (September 10, 2007).

I pray that this summer time might give us all some moments to relax and enjoy. These moments should not distract us from the Lord. Rather, they can bring us ever closer to Him. Remember to always participate in Sunday Mass when on vacation and thus assure that our leisure time is also an encounter with Him who is our origin and goal.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

Break the seal of confession?

Louisiana’s Supreme Court has ruled that a priest may be compelled to testify as to what he heard in the confessional in 2008 concerning an abuse case. Read the article linked below and know that the priests of the Cathedral will always defend the absolute seal of your confessions

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/07/11/priest-could-be-jailed-for-refusing-to-break-seal-of-confession/

Pastor's Corner, July 6, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

We just celebrated the birth of our nation this past July 4^th. We are truly blessed to live in a country that was established on principles of democracy and freedom. But this freedom does not come automatically. We have to continue to promote and defend all our freedoms, especially religious freedom.

I was shocked to read the news a few weeks ago about Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco. He was chided by various politicians and publically ridiculed by various media outlets for participating in the March for Marriage this past June 19^th. Other threats to religious liberty include the mandate of the Department of Health and Human Services forcing religious institutions to facilitate and/or fund a product contrary to their own moral teaching. Moreover, in its over-100-year history, the University of California Hastings College of Law has denied student organization status to only one group, the Christian Legal Society, because it required its leaders to be Christian and to abstain from sexual activity outside of marriage.

These examples should encourage us to work hard to promote and defend religious liberty.

Here are some profound words of our bishops that can help us: “To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other. Our allegiances are distinct, but they need not be contradictory, and should instead be complementary. That is the teaching of our Catholic faith, which obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our common life together” (from “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty”).

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker