Lepers were outcasts of society. They were driven from their homes and communities and left to fend for themselves. Their physical condition was terrible as they slowly lost the use of their limbs and withered away. They were not only shunned but regarded as “already dead” even by their relatives. The Jewish law forbade anyone from touching or approaching a leper. This leper did something quite remarkable. He approached Jesus confidently and humbly, expecting that Jesus could and would heal him. No one who sought out Jesus was refused his help. Even the untouchables and the outcasts of Jewish society found help in him. Jesus touched the leper who approached him and he made him whole and clean. Jesus not only grants the man his request, but he demonstrates the personal love, compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch. Jesus met the man’s misery with compassion and tender kindness. He communicated the love and mercy of God in a sign that spoke more eloquently than words. He touched the man and made him clean—not only physically but spiritually as well. The Lord is always ready to show us his mercy and to free us from whatever makes us unclean, unapproachable, or unloving towards others.

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, we shall also do what Jesus did to the leprosy-affected man, showing kindness and mercy towards others and never disregarding anyone. And also, whenever we feel sick and disregarded by others in society, make sure in our hearts that there is someone on our side, Our Lord Jesus Christ. In all our discriminations and pains and sufferings, Jesus is on our side because he had already gone through all this in his own life. That’s what we are going to meditate on this coming Holy Season of Lent. During this season of Lent, let us pray to him to make us clean and to make us his own. We shall prepare well for the season of Lent. On this coming Wednesday when we come and receive the ashes on our foreheads, we shall ask the Good Lord to help us spend more time in meditating and praying to him to make us clean and pure of heart and body. We have 7 AM, 12 noon, and 6 PM Masses and Ashes. Try to make this Holy Season with Jesus and for Jesus doing more prayer, penance, almsgiving, and sacrifices in our daily lives. Try to “Imitate Christ” in our lives. God Bless you and I wish you all to have a Holy Season of Lent.

Love and prayers,

Fr. Charley

Once a great speaker was giving a talk or a seminar about our value before God. He had taken a $50 bill and showed everyone in the hall and asked how many of them needed it. All the people in the hall lifted their hands. He then took the $50 bill and started to fold it into so many pieces and then he repeated the same question. All of them raised their hands. Then he put the dollar bill on the floor where it became very dirty and then he asked again, “How many of you want it?” Again, all of them raised their hands for it. Then the speaker said, “My dear brothers and sister, you have just learned a very valuable lesson from this dollar bill. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. No matter how smudged and rumpled it became, it was still worth $50.” Many times, in our day-to-day lives, we get knocked around—dropped, crumpled, smudged, and ground into the dirt—by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. And sometimes we feel as though we are worthless, used up, and of no account. But no matter what has happened—or what will happen—we will never lose our value in God’s eyes. Look at the first reading in the Book of Job, how he speaks about life—the pains and problems that he was facing in his life, but he was not ever ready to give up his faith in God. Even his best friends were trying to get God out of his life. He knew his value before God would never decline whatever happened to him, and he had faith that his God would never abandon him at any time. We also heard in the second reading that Paul was talking to himself. “I will become weak and a slave for God in this world. I know how to proclaim his gospel. Whatever happens to me, I am God’s own.”

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, this must be our attitude also. People can put us down, do all kinds of evil to us, but before God we are God’s own. Do not ever be afraid. Without His knowledge nothing will ever happen to us, because God is our Protector and Guard. Do we feel spiritually sick? Do you have a fever? St. John Henry Newman says “fever” can be gambling, alcohol or any other bad habits. Jesus can touch and heal from them just as He healed the sickness of Peter’s mother-in-law. The Doctor is in the house—Jesus Christ, the Great Physician—and just as His love healed Simon’s mother-in-law, even so, His love can heal us, help us, cure us, redeem us, save us. Make sure in your heart that He only can do that in our lives because we are God’s own. Don’t ever hesitate to approach Him anytime.

Love and Prayers,

Fr. Charley

(between January 3, 2024 and February 2, 2024)
1. Make the intention of receiving the plenary indulgence. Ask God to help you be completely detached from all sin. He wants this for you, and he will help! Have confidence in God and in his grace. Also, recite an Act of Contrition from the heart.
2. Decide whether you wish to receive the indulgence for yourself or for the souls in Purgatory. Make your decision part of your intention also.
3. Think about when you last went to Confession, and consider whether you need to go again soon. To gain a plenary indulgence, one must go to confession within about 20 days before or after.
4. Visit the Nativity scene at the Cathedral of Saint Paul or in another one of the area churches or public chapels.
5. Pause in prayer for a few minutes before the Nativity, contemplating the birth of Our Lord, and pouring out petitions to God for peace. It is especially fitting to pray for peace in the Holy Land.
6. Recite an Our Father, Apostles’ Creed, and conclude with the following brief litany (this all may be done in the pew—you need not remain before the Nativity for this part):

Dearest Jesus, infant King, have mercy on us.
Most blessed Mother, Queen of Peace, pray for us.
Good Saint Joseph, guardian and protector of the Church, pray for us.
Saint Francis of Assisi, Protagonist of Peace, pray for us.

7. Say a Hail Mary “for the intentions of our Holy Father, Pope Francis.” It is not necessary to know what his specific intentions are. Our Lady will know!
8. Go to Holy Communion (in the state of grace) as soon as possible (within 20 days before or after). One confession can cover multiple indulgences—but one communion is needed for each indulgence. (Therefore, those who go to confession at least once a month and also go to Mass each day can theoretically receive one plenary indulgence per day!)
9. Give thanks to God for these gifts of grace from Holy Mother Church, which help us on our path to eternal life with the Holy Family, St. Francis, and all the saints and angels! (Taken from the Cathedral of St. Paul)

My dear Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, we shall try our best to gain the Indulgence in our spiritual life. Make use of the opportunity that the Holy Church and the Holy Father have given to us.

With love and prayers, Fr. Charley

Who is Jesus for you? John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and thus signifies Jesus’ mission as the One who redeems us from our sins. The blood of the Passover Lamb delivered the Israelites from their oppression in Egypt and from the plague of death. The Lord Jesus freely offered up his life for us on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. The blood which he poured out for us on the cross cleanses, heals, and frees us from our slavery to sin, and from the “wages of sin which is death” and the “destruction of both body and soul in hell.”

John, with his great humility was eager to point out the Christ—the anointed one, MESSIAH. Because he was so humble before God and man, he did not hesitate to direct his own disciples to the Lord Jesus. When two of John’s disciples began to seek Jesus out, Jesus took the initiative to invite them into his company. He asked them one of the most fundamental questions of life: “What are you looking for?” Jesus asks each one of us the same question: “What are you searching for? Do you know the meaning and purpose for your life?” Only God, the Father and Author of life, can answer that question and make our purpose fully known to us. That is why the Lord Jesus invites each one of us to draw near to himself. He wants us to know him personally—to know what he came to do for us and what he wants to offer us.

“Come and see” is the Lord’s invitation for each one of us every day of our lives. Saint Augustine of Hippo reminds us that it is God, our Creator and Redeemer, who seeks us out, even when we are not looking for him. It is God who initiates and who draws us to himself. Without his mercy and help we could not find him on our own.

You know that when we find something of great value it is natural to want to share the good news of our discovery with our family, friends, and neighbors. That is what Andrew did. Once he met Jesus and discovered that he was truly the Messiah, he immediately went to his brother Simon and told him the good news. Andrew brought his brother Simon to meet Jesus.

When Jesus saw Simon approaching, Jesus looked at Simon and revealed that he knew who Simon was beforehand. Jesus gave Simon the new name “Cephas” which is the Aramaic word for “rock.” Cephas is translated as Peter—Petros in Greek and Petrus in Latin—which also literally means “rock.”

To call someone a “rock” was one of the greatest compliments in the ancient world. The New Testament describes the Church as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones. Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones.

Yes, my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, who is Jesus for us? Do we receive His invitation every day that he calls to us, “come and see”? Are we trying to seek the most valuable in our life—like Christ the Messiah? What is our preference in life? Do we have great Faith like “Rock” in our daily life to follow Him without turning back?

With gratitude, love, and prayers,

Fr. Charley

(Taken from the sermon of St. John Vianney)
O what happiness to grow up in the bosom of a truly Christian family! It requires care, a great deal of care conscientiously to fulfill the obligations of a father or mother.

The parents are a mirror to their children, and the children constantly look into this mirror. Be careful therefore that only the good and what is worthy of imitation is perceptible in you and graven upon your hearts.

What a consolation it is to you if you can say: I am the father, the mother of a pious child, pleasing to God and man.

Watch particularly over your children when they have grown up. Do not allow them to associate with irreligious persons…How many hearts have been poisoned in their youths by obscene writings. Do not permit anything of this kind to be brought into your house. Bring up your children simply, withhold all luxury from them, discourage a too great desire of pleasures, and let them learn only which is good, useful, and practical. See to it that in their childhood, as well as when they are older, they frequent the Sacraments regularly.

Christ must come back into the family!
Christ must remain in the family!

Let this be your motto. Then, with the help of God, a devout, chaste generation will spring up to the joy of the parents and of the church. When the time comes for your children to make their choice for life, the divine blessing will descend upon them, and with unpolluted hearts they can join hands for life. Such good, well brought up children, will at least be the support and consolation of your old age.

Christian Husband! Imitate St. Joseph by beginning your day’s work with God and ending it for Him. Cherish those belonging to you as the holy foster father did Jesus and be their faithful protector.

Christian Wife! Follow in the footsteps of the ideal of all womanhood, the Blessed Mother of God; in joy and sorrow she will be your advocate at the throne of her Son.

And you, dear children, be as pious as the twelve-year-old Jesus and like Him be subject and obedient to your parents, as the Savior was to His parents for thirty long years. Help your parents in their labors as the Redeemer helped his foster father. We will all make our hearts like unto the Heart of Jesus. Let us often say the ejaculatory prayer: “Jesus! Mary! Joseph! Enlighten us, help us, save us!”

Christ must come back into the family! Then God will make you partakers of His blessing; then will true happiness reign amongst you!

With love and prayers,

Fr. Charley

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

Jesus the Son said “Yes” to the Father and humbled himself to become man so that we might have eternal life. Mary, the lowly, young Virgin, full of faith and love of God, said “Yes” to the Father to become the Mother of our Savior and Mother to each of us. Joseph, the humble carpenter, said “Yes” to the Father and, in that act, became the foster-father of the Savior. At Christmas time we are reminded that our salvation was dependent on the “Yes” of Jesus, of Mary, and of Joseph. It is wonderful what happens when we say “Yes” to the Father! This Christmas, may we all find ourselves willing to be as humble and obedient as Joseph, and may our faith and love be as strong and true as Mary’s, and may we all follow Jesus’ example to give ourselves to do the Father’s will no matter how difficult.

May you and your families be full of the joy and wonder of that first Christmas and may the love of the Christ child instill in your heart the desire to say “Yes” to the Father. My own heart is so very grateful for all your love and support—your prayers, your talents, and your financial sacrifices. May the Good Lord bless you in the coming year with good health and many spiritual blessings. Please keep me in your daily prayers and be sure of my prayers for you.

With Love and Prayers,

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Charley