Peter and Paul, Apostles

This holy day exists because of the passion of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul. These two martyrs practiced what they preached. They professed the truth and died for it. Christ spoke the words to Saint Peter: "I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church." "To you I shall give the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Peter thus represents the unity of Christ's Church.

Today we should pray for those who choose to embrace false religions. We must pray for a unity that sadly does not exist. We must pray for the holy Catholic Church. We must be grateful for this day made holy for us by the apostle's blood. Let us always embrace what they believed and never stray from the fullness of the faith.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Christ in Relation to the World

Pope Paul VI writes in one of his homilies: "Not to preach the Gospel would be my undoing, for Christ Himself sent me as His apostle and witness. The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on. I am bound to proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of Him we come to know the God we cannot see. He is the firstborn of all creation; in Him all things find their being. Man's teacher and redeemer, He was born for us, died for us, and for us He rose from the dead...

I can never speak of Christ for He is our truth and our light; He is the way, the truth and the life. He is our bread, our source of living water who allays our hunger and satisfies our thirst. He is our shepherd, our leader, our ideal, our comforter and our brother...Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, Lord of the new universe, the great hidden key to human history and the part we play in it...

Remember it is Jesus Christ I preach day in and day out. His name I would see echo and reecho for all time even to the ends of the earth."

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Corpus Christi

The holy King David once said: "Come, my children, I have something important to reveal to you. Come and I will tell you how good the Lord is to those that love Him. He has prepared a heavenly repast for His children, which bears fruit for this life. In every place where we find our God, if we enter heaven, He is there; if we traverse the ocean, He is by our side; if we go down into the depths of the sea, He accompanies us." Moses once uttered the words: "My God, show me, if it pleases you, your countenance, then I shall possess all things that I want."

Our lives should truly be centered around the Holy Eucharist. We should regularly pray before the Blessed Sacrament exposed. When we have Christ our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar we truly possess all we could possibly ask for.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Holy Eucharist

There has never been, nor will there ever be, a nobler or more magnificent love than that which Jesus Christ has shown us in the Blessed Sacrament of His love. There is nothing on earth or in heaven that can compare to it. Christ gives us His adorable Body and His Precious Blood! We are so very blessed and fortunate, yet the Eucharist is so little appreciated! Christ could not have possibly loved us more than in giving Himself for us.

As we approach the feast of Corpus Christi, let us focus on the Holy Eucharist. Let us beg God for the grace to be more thankful. Let us acknowledge that in giving us the Eucharist, Christ has given us everything.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Blessed Trinity

When the Holy Ghost dwells within us, the Word who gives us the Holy Ghost dwells within us as well. Furthermore, the Father is also present in the Word. This is why Saint Paul says: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!" Grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.

Saint Paul came to know Christ better than anybody else. Saint Paul became the very image of Christ and so he was able to say: "It is no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me." This is what we strive for as Christians. It is a lofty goal, but one that Christ Himself wishes us to attain!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Doing God's Will

Saint Cyprian writes:

"All Christ did, all He taught, was the will of God. Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith, a moral sense of modesty in conversation, justice in acts, mercy in deed, discipline, refusal to harm others, a readiness to suffer harm, peaceableness with our brothers, a whole-hearted live of the Lord, loving in Him what is of the Father, fearing Him because He is God, preferring nothing to Him who preferred nothing to us, clinging tenaciously to His love, standing by His cross with loyalty and courage whenever there is any conflict involving His honor and His name, manifesting in our speech the constancy of our profession and under torture confidence for the fight, and in dying the endurance for which we will be crowned--this is what it means to wish to be a coheir with Christ, to keep God's command; this is what it means to do the will of the Father."

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Pentecost

We know we are a child of the Holy Ghost if we avoid grievous sin. The Holy Ghost can only dwell in a soul who has no part of serious sin. Every sin is an abomination to the Holy Ghost. Saint Paul writes: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” In other words, do not sin! Sin turns the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost into the dwelling place of Satan! Saint Gregory says: “The sinner’s heart is the devil’s workshop, but not the dwelling of the Holy Ghost.” It is most notably the sins of impurity-unchaste thoughts, words, and actions which drive the Holy Ghost out of our hearts. The sensual man cannot receive the grace of the Holy Ghost. The book of Genesis tells us: “My spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh;” in other words, because he is addicted to the lust of the flesh.

If you have lost the Holy Ghost through leading a sinful life now is the time to repent! You must do penance to purify your soul and receive the Holy Ghost once again into your heart. Saint Peter says: “Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”


In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Comforter

"I will send you another comforter," another deliverer, "the Holy Ghost," says Jesus Christ. This Holy Spirit will not only rule over the holy Church founded by Him, but He will enter into every soul and enlighten and guide them in the way of salvation; in Him we shall live, walk, and work for heaven. However, not all men who have received the Holy Ghost cooperate with Him for heaven.

We have received the Holy Ghost both in Baptism and Confirmation. We have received the Spirit of truth who guides us into all truth. We must cooperate with the promptings of His grace in order to live up to our calling as sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. We must "stir" up the Holy Ghost who comes to us whenever we sincerely open up our hearts to Him. How often we forget that our Creator God dwells in our very souls! How often we grieve Him by our sins!

Pentecost is upon us! Veni Sancte Spiritus! Let us beg the Holy Ghost to purify our hearts and make us worthy temples of the Holy Spirit!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Charity III

Saint Peter in his epistle for Mass today encourages us to put on charity above all else. Christian charity is the key to holiness. Saint Paul himself reminds us that charity is how we show our true love for Jesus Christ. As we approach Pentecost we acknowledge that we have received the very Holy Ghost of God into our souls! We must realize we can accomplish anything we set out to do!

Veni Sancte Spiritus!

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Martyrdom

Our Lord Jesus Christ promised that the jaws of hell will never prevail against His Holy Catholic Church. However, He did not promise that the Church would always and everywhere flourish. Christ did not promise that His Church would be vibrant in every place She exists. Those who shed their blood for the faith offer us inspiration. If we find ourselves in an area where the Church seems stagnant or the faithful have grown complacent we must remember the example of the martyrs. We must practice our own faith with conviction and enthusiasm. The martyrs pray for us. The saints pray for us. We must pray for one another. Christ expects as much from us. He does not settle for lukewarm Christians. Christ will always give us the grace and strength to boldly proclaim the Gospel, but we must trust Him completely.

Today let us pray for an increase in faith. Let us thank God for the Church we are blessed to be a part of. Let us pray for those who deny the true faith or who have grown cold or indifferent.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Ascension of our Lord

Today our focus is on our Savior who went back into heaven and assumed His place at the right hand of His Father. We know that Christ never actually left His glory in heaven when He took upon Himself our human nature. After He suffered, died and was buried He rose from the dead. We firmly believe that He was seen for forty days by many eyewitnesses. When He ascended back into heaven His apostles were sad. However, they were also consoled at the words of Christ. He told His apostles He had to go so that they would be able to receive the Advocate. It was only after Christ sent His Holy Spirit upon His apostles that they were able to proclaim the Gospel with boldness, confidence and authoriy.

During the Easter season we must remember we are a people of joy. Our joy comes from the privilege of possessing the very same Holy Spirit by virtue of our baptism and confirmation. We thus share the same mission Christ entrusted His apostles with. Our very lives must be focused on proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. As we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord, we beg God for the grace of a firm faith and lively courage to follow in the footsteps of His apostles.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching