St. Libory Catholic Church

May is the month of graduations. Fortunately, our seniors this year get to have a bit more normal event. I feel sorry for last year’s seniors. They have got to feel cheated, having to celebrate in a very subdued and reserved fashion. However, they will always have a very vivid memory of their unique, final high school year. From my own experiences of being a student, following the process of our children’s education now followed by our grandchildren, I have a growing concern. Education in general has continued to slide away from the necessities of functional knowledge to a growing school of values indoctrination. Values are important. In my day, (many years ago) we were evaluated on our social behavior, our citizenship. It was very simple and to the point. Did I play well and get along well with others? When we didn’t there could be corporal punishment. I have listened to many a Catholic lament the “mean nuns”. But let me tell you, I was public, and I can match any “mean nun” story. I was picked up by my shirt, with my feet dangling, face to face with my teachers for as small of an infraction as stepping on the corner of the gymnasium floor with street shoes. The principle’s paddle was hung conspicuously visible in his office for all to see as they passed by every day on their way to lunch. If I dare to paraphrase scripture, “Fear of the principle was the beginning of wisdom!” Today we are seeing widespread bullying and intimidation from all directions to conform our thoughts, words, and actions to a very narrow range of politically acceptable morality, not a biblical morality but an academic, Hollywood, popular media morality. This is not new. It started in our colleges and universities. My 8th grade history teacher warned us about it nearly 60 years ago. In 1986, as I was being enrolled in Protestant seminary at Emory University, after all my paperwork was completed and I was in residence, I was presented with one last document to sign. It required that in my time at the university I would speak and write in a certain manner using gender inclusive language. If I did not, I would be expelled. Or using todays terminology, CANCELED! It did not set well with me then. It wasn’t that using inclusive language bothered me so much as the underhanded method of enforcement. None of this was put before me at any time while making considerations of the school or enrolling. Not until I was enrolled and moved. Then boom! Ambushed! “You must think and write the way we believe and say, or we will punish you.” Sound familiar? Here we are 35 years later. Traditional, biblical Christianity is considered socially unacceptable. It is already happening and will soon be widespread and common to be asked as a screening question for admittance to school, employment or continued employment, “Do you believe the teachings of the Church and/or the Bible concerning morality?” If you answer yes, consider yourself, CANCELED! Pray for our schools. Pray for our nation. Pray for our Church. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This Sunday we welcome 7 young souls to the Table of Our Lord for the first time. They have been preparing for the past school year by learning about Confession and Holy Communion. Now being ready they will receive our Lord Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. This is a good time for all of us to review our understanding of what we believe. Surveys have frequently revealed that a majority of Catholics do not believe that Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament. This isn’t just held among laity, there are also many priests who do not believe this either. It shows in the manner they treat the Sacrament at the altar. I find this very peculiar. When I was Protestant and among those who believed the bread and wine were just symbols, I saw individuals treat the “symbols” with far more reverence. I will concede that it can indeed be difficult. If you are looking for concrete proof, you probably will not find any short of some exceptional miracle. You see it is not a matter of proof but faith. He is indeed present but for you and I to experience the gift of His presence we must have faith, we must believe. Belief is a choice. Personally, I always go back to a simple statement of faith expressed by a second grader preparing for first communion. When asked by a priest friend of mine how they knew Christ was fully present in the consecrated bread and wine, they said, “Because Jesus said so.” That’s it folks, expressed in the simplest way I have ever heard, “He said so.” We either believe Him or we don’t. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

Next month on Saturday May 8th we will have our annual grounds clean up. (Please see bulletin.) Our parish has always been very strong in volunteering for these types of events, and I am sure this year will be the same. If the 8th does not work for you, I encourage you to come on your own time. What can you do? 1. Trim anyplace in need of trimming. 2. Pickup old decorations not attached to stones from cemetery and place them in dumpster behind parish hall. (Please do not do this before May 1st.) 3. Pick up sticks and limbs and place them on the pile west of the rectory. 4. Clean the flowerbeds. 5. Put down fresh mulch in flowerbeds. 6. Trim dead limbs out of rose bushes. 7. Assist in straightening stones in children’s cemetery. 8. Clean out parish hall gutters. 9. When the stumps are ground out, wood chips will need to be removed and dirt replaced in the holes. 10. Remove and pile tree limbs and small trees from North and Northwest edges of church property. 11. Anything else you see that needs done. I thank you for your work. These efforts are a great savings for the parish and help to keep the grounds attractive in appearance. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This is the Second Sunday of Easter and also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. There is a whole story about Divine Mercy that I encourage you to read up on. I want to talk here about the chaplet of Divine Mercy. The chaplet is a prayer devotional akin to the Rosary. If you struggle with the Rosary perhaps you should try this chaplet. It uses rosary beads in the fashion in which the Rosary is prayed but instead of praying the Hail Mary one says, “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Like the Rosary it begins with some initial prayers and concludes with some specific prayers. Overall, it moves along very quick, and the prayers are very easy to memorize. The chaplet is addressed to God the Father in light of the sacrifice of the Son. The chaplet is a splendid intercessory prayer you can pray for yourself, your loved ones or absolutely anyone. It is a wonderful prayer to encourage someone on the edges of faith to pray, even non-Catholics for who it should have great appeal. I have the chaplet on a small business size card and will have them available at the entry of the church. You may also visit www.thedivinemercy.org for instructions on praying it. You will also find resources to hear it recited and even sang. So, I encourage you to take up this gift from the Mercy of God and use it. You will be uplifted and blessed. Yours in Christ. Fr. Sid.