Christ the King II

Christ is the Word through whom the universe was created. He is therefore above all things. Everything in heaven and on earth must obey Him. Christ's dominion extends throughout the entire cosmos. Christ's kingship over natural creation is followed by His primacy in the economy of salvation as well. In other words, by dying on the Cross Christ has reconciled the world and mankind to God the Father. Christ is therefore both our Creator and Redeemer.

Christ is pre-eminent over all creation. Sin cut mankind off from God, but Christ's blood shed upon the Cross has obtained peace for us. He who created all things has re-established peace throughout all of creation.

Today and everyday let us worshop Christ the King!

In Christ,

Father Jeffery A. Fasching

Obedience to the will of God

God's will is infinitely powerful and good. It is the center of all things. It is only by the will of God that anything at all happens both in this world and in eternity. God's will is apparent both in His commandments and in the precepts of the Church.

Christ came to earth to do the will of the Father, not His own. No matter how difficult it was, Christ always subjected Himself to the will of the Father. Likewise, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints conformed to the will of God.

If we want to obtain salvation, happiness and peace we must strive to cooperate with the will of God in our lives. This was the example of Jesus, Mary and all the saints.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

More on the Priest

A holy priest takes the place of Christ on earth. He represents Christ. He acts with Christ's authority. He acts in Christ's name. The priest is consecrated to exercise the highest functions that Christ Himself ever performed on earth. He should always strive to give himself completely to God; that is his mind, heart, strength, time and affections.

Pray for your priests.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Priest...

Saint Dionysius says: "The most divine of all divine things is to cooperate with God in the salvation of souls...Who speaks of the priesthood, speaks of an order which contains within itself all that is most sacred and most holy."

Saint John Eudes writes: "Such a priest is a man called to the sacerdotal dignity not by men, not by the will of flesh and blood, not by his parents or by the spirit of ambition, not by avarice or human motives, but by vocation from God."

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Priest Continued

Christ has said: "You are the salt of the earth. But what if salt goes flat? How can you restore its flavor? Then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

Saint John of Capistrano writes the following: "Truly the unclean, immoral cleric is trampled underfoot like worthless manure. He is saturated with the filth of vice and entangled in the chains of sin. In this condition he must be considered worthless both to himself and to others.

Presbyters who are born leaders deserve to be doubly honored, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. It is indeed a double task that worthy priests perform, that is to say, it is both exterior and interior, both temporal and spiritual, and, finally, both a passing task and an eternal one.

Even though they dwell on earth and are bound by the same necessities of nature along with all mortal creatures, at the same time they are engaged in earnest communication with the angels in heaven, so that they may be pleasing to their king and learn how to serve him. Therefore, just as the sun rises over the world in God's heaven, so clerics must let their light shine before men so that they may see their good deeds and give praise to their heavenly Father.

Your are the light of the world. Now a light does not illumine itself, but instead it diffuses its rays and shines all around upon everything that comes into its view. So it must be with the glowing lives of upright and holy clerics. By the brightness of their holiness they must bring light and serenity to all who gaze upon them. They have been placed here to care for others. Their own lives should be an example to others, showing how they must live in the house of the Lord."

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Priest II

One of God's greatest gifts is to send worthy priests out into the harvest to minister to souls. In fact, the greatest blessing God can give to any particular church is a saintly priest. We are in desperate need of them. The world is full of intellectuals, PHD's and educated men. What the world needs is more holy men and women and more priests after God's own heart.

The holy priest offers grace and eternal life to all those who are willing to seek it. He frees souls from sin and hell. He instructs, admonishes and prays on behalf of his flock. The holy priest is concerned only with teaching salvation and loving God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Let us pray that God will send His church holy priests.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Sacraments II

All the sacraments, especially the Sacrament of the Eucharist, should be received with complete purity of body and soul. We learn to advance in the spiritual life through frequent reception of the sacraments. Remember that the priest takes the place of Christ when he administers the sacraments. Priests act in Christ's name and take on His authority. To the priest is given the power to blot out sin and spread the grace of God.

We should often reflect on the greatness, holiness and dignity of the sacrament of all sacraments, the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is by far the greatest action ever performed in heaven or on this earth. At the Holy Sacrifice Christ comes to us, He sacrifices Himself for us, and He gives Himself comepletely to us.

How can we not be willing to give back to Christ all that we are and have?


Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Sacraments

We should always approach the sacraments with high esteem and have a deep respect for them all. They are God's most efficacious means of His infinite power. The sacraments display God's wisdom and goodness. God gives them to us constantly to allow souls to encounter Christ in a concrete manner. It is through the sacraments that God sanctifies souls and restores life to those whose souls are dead.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Priest III

Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds us that we are constantly doing battle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers. Satan and his minions are active and alive, prowling about the world seeking the ruin of souls. In the Royal Priesthood of Jesus Christ, Satan is even more so attacking those men whom God has chosen to share His priesthood.

Part of the duty of the laity is to constantly pray for priests, as Christ Himself prayed for Saint Peter, that Peter's faith would not fail him. Peter, in turn, was to pray for his brothers. All have a grave responsibility to do all in their power to fulfill this duty.

The priest himself has many dignities and obligations he must constantly strive to fulfill during his priestly ministry. The life of a priest is truly great and glorious and therefore carries with it much dignity. Priests will have much to answer for on the day of judgment.

Let us pray for priests.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Contemplation

We must always consider God's will and what He wants when we wish to enter into contemplation. Since we offend God in so many ways, we must constantly humble ourselves before God. We must acknowledge our unworthiness and pray that God heal our souls. We must ask for God's mercy.

After we do this, we should focus on the Spirit of God with great joy. We can then cease focusing on our unworthiness and the sadness it brings. We can begin to see that God's will rather than our own is in every way beneficial to us. We eventually learn to despise deviating from the will of God in any way.

We make progress in the spiritual life when we realize how thinking of ourselves brings frustration and sadness. However, when we think about God we are consoled in the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit. Our fear and humility gives way to hope and love.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Priestly Vocation to Perfection

From the decree on the ministry and life of priests of the Second Vatican Council:

By the sacrament of Orders priests are formed in the image of Christ the Priest, to be ministers of Christ the Head in constructing and building up his whole Body, the Church, as fellow-workers with the order of bishops...By receiving Holy Orders they have been consecrated in a new way, and made living instruments of Christ the eternal Priest, so as to be able to continue through the years Christ's wonderful work which, by divine power, has restored to wholeness the entire family of man.

Since each priest acts, as far as he may, in the person of Christ himself, he is given special grace to help him grow toward the perfection of the one whose role he plays, as he ministers to his flock and the whole people of God. He receives grace for the healing of human weakness from the holiness of Christ, who became for us high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners...

As they exercise the ministry of the Spirit and of holiness, they are strengthened in the spiritual life, provided that they are docile to Christ's Spirit, who gives them life and is their guide. By the sacred actions they perform daily, and by their entire ministry in communion with their bishop and fellow-priests, they are set on the way that leads to perfection.

The holiness of priests is itself an important contribution to the fruitfulness of their ministry. It is true that God's grace can effect the work of salvation even through unworthy ministers, but God ordinarily prefers to show his wonders by means of those who are more submissive to the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and, who through close union with Christ and holiness of life, are able to say with Saint Paul: I live, but no longer is it I who live, it is Christ who lives in me.

Pray for priests

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Peace of Heart

Peace of heart is of the utmost value in our lives. If we want true peace of heart we must practice obedience and renouncing our own will. We can learn these things through practicing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Christ wants us to lead lives according to His pleasure and not our own.

In order to do this we must unite ourselves to the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must constantly offer to God all the prayers that Christ has offered on our behalf, particulary at the time of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If you feel you are making no spiritual progress, offer God the infinite love of Christ to make reparation for your own lack of success. We can make repartation for anything imperfect in our actions by offering to God the perfect love of Jesus Christ.

Gaudium et spes reminds us that: "The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was Himself made flesh so that as perfect man he might save all men and bring all things into unity. The Lord is...the joy of all hearts and the fulfillment of their desires."

I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Obedience II

Christ was obedient even unto death and unto the death of the Cross. We should be ever grateful for the example that Our Lord has given us. The saints have always embraced this holy virtue. They constantly preached it and practiced it.

The virtue of obedience is so absolutely necessary for the salvation of our souls that Christ Himself came among us to teach it by word and example. His whole life was a life of obedience. He always obeyed His Heavenly Father. He was subject to Mary and Saint Joseph. He even bowed to King Herod, Pilate and his executioners.

Let us pray for the virtue of obedience.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Priestly Functions

Priests are successors to the disciples selected by Christ Himself. The priestly office consists of the following functions:

1. To change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, to offer Him sacrifice and give Him to the people.

2. To preach the Word of God.

3. To baptize.

4. To rule and guide souls towards eternity.

5. To forgive sins or withhold absolution.

6. To bless.

The above qualities and functions belong solely to the divine and infinite power of God. Thus, when a man is admitted into the priesthood, he is elevated to a divine and infinite dignity. Therefore, a priest incurs obligations which are infinite in character.

Pray that priests will thank God constantly. Pray that priests will give themselves completely over to God and worthily perform their duties.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Priest and the Mass

Nothing can compare with the value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is the work of God. How great is the office of the Priest! Saint John Vianney once wrote that if a priest truly understood himself he would die! At the altar God obeys the priest. At the words of the priest God comes down from Heaven and makes Himself present in the Host! Faith demands that we see God hidden in the priest!

After the Consecration, God is as present in the Host as He is in Heaven. We would die of love if we really understood this mystery. Before every Mass we should diligently prepare ourselves for what we are about to receive. We should examine our conscience well.

If we want to obtain anything from God, we must simply offer Jesus Christ to God after Holy Communion, with all the merits of His death and His Passion. Our Lord will be unable to refuse us anything...

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Silent Prayer

We should collect ourselves each day and sit in silence with our Lord. We must calm our hearts and free our minds from all distractions if we want our Lord to speak intimately with us. Christ wishes to communicate His will to all of us, but so few take the time to listen and respond.

Christ is our strength. If we root ourselves in silent prayer we soon realize we can accomplish anything. We also begin to see that is in fact Christ who is actually working in and through us. He is the vine and He wishes the branches on that vine bear fruit in abundance.

Let us renew our dedication to daily prayer and be more closely united to our Lord.

Sincerely in Christ,

Father Jeffery A. Fasching

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass II

When we participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we do so at our Lord's command. Saint Paul writes: The Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said: This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you shall proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

When we share in the Lord's body and blood it should remind us of our obligation to die to the world. Our life is to be hidden with Christ in God. We must put to death whatever in our human nature is rooted in this world. We must stop indulging in sins of the flesh. When we feed upon Christ's flesh and blood we learn to contemplate on things that the eye cannot see. Saint John Vianney once said that the eyes of this world see no further than this life, but the eyes of the Christian see deep into eternity.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Prayer and the Blessed Sacrament

There is no substitue for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Although there are in fact many forms of prayer, none will produce the wonderful effects in our lives the way that actually visiting Christ's true presence in the tabernacle is capable of. When we come before Christ in the tabernacle He is always glad to receive our adoration. He is ready to bestow graces upon us in adundance. How can we possibly neglect our Lord who eagerly awaits our visit?

In Christ,

Rev Jeffery A. Fasching

The Priesthood

What is a priest?

A man who holds the place of God -- a man who is invested with all the powers of God. "Go," said Our Lord to the priest; "as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations. . . . He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me. "

When the priest remits sins, he does not say, "God pardons you"; he says, "I absolve you. " At the Consecration, he does not say, "This is the Body of Our Lord;" he says, "This is My Body. "

-St. John Marie Vianney

Fr. Jeffery A. Fasching

Our Lady of the Rosary

The Prophets spoke of the Blessed Virgin Mary before her birth. They compared her to the sun. When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on the earth, God's anger towards man's sinfulness was immediately appeased. The Blessed Virgin is much better than the best of all mothers because she always treats her servants with love, and never punishes us.

Mary's heart is full of love and mercy. Her only desire is that we simply turn to her and pray. She places herself between the justice of her Son and us. The greater sinners we are, the more compassion she feels for us. It is the child that has cost its mother the most tears that is the dearest to her heart.

The Ave Maria is a prayer that is invaluable. All the saints have a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. No graces flow from heaven to us without first going through the Blessed Virgin. Since Mary is the only creature who has never offended God, our prayers have a special merit when they are presented to God from her.

We should always pray for a true and genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Clerical Attire revisited

Clerical Attire

The Cassock, the Surplice and the Biretta

The meaning of the Cassock and Surplice

The black Cassock signifies that the priest should always be mourning for the Crucified Christ. The priest should be dead to sin, to the world, and to himself. The cassock is a reminder that the priest should be doing penance for his own sins and those of the world. The cassock also reminds us that the priest’s body should be constantly mortified so that Christ’s life is made manifest to others.


The surplice represents the “new man,” our Lord Jesus Christ. The priest must be like Christ and clothed with His perfection, humility, charity, modesty, purity and all His other virtues. The surplus signifies the ordained minister’s responsibility to be freed from the “slavery” of secular dress.

The Catholic Church demands that her clerics who wear the surplice lead a life in conformity with the life of Christ’s. Unfortunately, there are many priests who live as world lings and view their clerical dress as an obstacle to the very pleasures they renounced at their ordination. Many clerics live with an inordinate love for secular dress and look upon their clerical attire as something to be ashamed of. I am proud to be a priest. I am proud and privileged to be able to wear a cassock.

The meaning of the Biretta

The biretta is simply a cross which the priest wears on his head to show that the cross of Christ is his crown and his glory. Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6, 14).

Priests should take seriously the meaning of the cassock, surplice and the biretta and treat them with fitting reverence. We must pray that all priests have the strength to practice what their clerical state demands of them.

“Let thy priests, O Lord God, put on salvation.” Sacerdotes tui, Domine Deus, induantur salutem.


Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Amendment of our Lives

Faith is among our greatest gifts. We must compete to remain firm in our faith and live holy lives. If we do this, we will be confident when we petition God in prayer. God knows our needs and is alwasy ready to give.

We must pray to amend our lives. We must renounce sinful pleasures and practice self-control. God's judgment is quickly approaching. This will be a terrible day. The scriptures say that the sun, moon and stars will be consumed, and the entire earth will be destroyed. All that each man has done, in open or in secret, will be brought to light. We must atone for our sins while we still have time. A good way to do this is by giving to the poor. "Love covers a multitude of sins."

In order to be saved we must repent from the depths of our hearts. If we are all to be saved, we must help each other and support those who struggle to live good lives. If we see someone doing wrong, we must warn him and point out the error.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Blessed Virgin Mary IV

From a sermon by Saint Thomas of Villanova, bishop:

"For a long time I have wondered and been at a loss to understand why the evangelists should have spoken at such length about John the Baptist and the other apostles, and yet told us so little about the Virgin Mary, who in life and distinction excels them all. Being at a loss, as I say, to understand this, all I can think is that it pleased the Holy Spirit that it should be so. It was by the providence of the Holy Spirit that the evangelists kept silent, because the glory of the Virgin, as we read in the psalms, was all within, and could more truly be thought of than described. The outline of her life: that Jesus was born of her, is enought to tell her whole story. What more do you seek for in the Virgin? It is enough for you that she is the Mother of God. What beauty, I ask you, what virtue, what perfection, what grace, what glory does not belong to the Mother of God?

The Holy Spirit has not described her in words, but has left her to you to picture in your own mind, so that you may understand that there was nothing she lacked of grace, perfection, or glory which could be imagined in the mind of a chaste human being, or rather that in fact she surpassed all understanding. So when she was wholly perfect, it would not have been right to describe her in part, for fear that you might think she could have lacked what had not been described. To say of the Virgin Mary only that she is the Mother of God surpasses all that can be said under God."

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Sanctity of Marriage and Family

(Gaudium et spes, n. 48)

Husband and wife, by the covenant of marriage, are no longer two, but one flesh. By their intimate union of persons and of actions they give mutual help and service to each other, experience the meaning of their unity, and gain an ever deeper understanding of it day by day.

This intimate union in the mutual self-giving of two persons, as well as the good of the children, demands full fidelity from both, and an indissoluble unity between them. Christ the Lord has abundantly blessed this richly complex love, which springs from the divine source of love and is founded on the model of his union with the Church.

In earlier times God met his people in a covenant of love and fidelity. So now the Savior of mankind, the Bridegroom of the Church, meets Christian husbands and wives in the sacrament of matrimony. Further, he remains with them in order that, as he loved the Church and gave himself up for her, so husband and wife may, in mutual self-giving, love each other with perpetual fidelity.

True married love is caught up into God's love; it is guided and enriched by the redeeming power of Christ and the saving action of the Church, in order that the partners may be effectively led to God and receive help and strength in the sublime responsibility of parenthood.

Christian partners are therefore strengthened, and as it were consecrated, by a special sacrament for the duties and the dignity of their state. By the power of this sacrament they fulfill their obligations to each other and to their family and are filled with the spirit of Christ. This spirit pervades their whole lives with faith, hope and love. Thus they promote their own perfection and each other's sanctification, and so contribute together to the greater glory of God.

Hence, with parents leading the way by example and family prayer, their children-indeed, all within the family circle-will find it easier to make progress in natural virtues, in salvation and in holiness. Husband and wife, raised to the dignity and the responsibility of parenthood, will be zealous in fulfilling their task as educators, especially in the sphere of religious education, a task that is primarily their own.

Children, as active members of the family, contribute in their own way to the holiness of their parents. With the love of grateful hearts, with loving respect and trust, they will return the generosity of their parents and will stand by them as true sons and daughters when they meet with hardship and the lonliness of old age.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

In the Image of God

God made man in His image and likeness. We are truly blessed that God has granted to us his eternal image and the likeness of His character. As long as we preserve our likeness to God, we possess a high dignity and calling. In order to be like God we must apply the virtues that God has planted in our souls.

The first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. When we do this we renew His image within us. True love manifests itself both in word and in deed. Scripture says: "Be holy, for I am holy." God is loyal and truthful. We must always act in the same manner. If we are harsh, proud, and stubborn we are not acting in the image of God.

Gossip has destroyed many a brother. Men often revel in minding and discussing the business of others. They often take pleasure in criticizing people behind their backs. If what we have to say does not promote peace and is not spoken with a discerning tongue, we should say nothing at all.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching