Pro-Life Irish Grieve for their Country as Abortion Sinks Its Teeth Into Ireland

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers.(Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

By Susan Fox 

Unfortunately, those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. 

In 35 short years, the Irish people managed to forget the most important lessons of their history, which includes multiple famines, civil war, British occupation, earthquakes, religious persecution, the Easter Rising and their own missionary activities around the world on behalf of the Catholic Church. 

They forgot the value of their own lives.

This is a country blessed in Knock in 1879 with a personal and silent visitation from the Queen of Heaven, Her Son, the Lamb Slain on the Altar, St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, and St. John the Evangelist, who wrote, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” John’s is the very heart of the gospel of light and life.

Could there be no greater scandal than what happened on May 25, 2018, when two-thirds of the Irish electorate with a historically high turnout voted to overturn the 8th Amendment, which guarantees the equal right to life of the unborn child and its mother: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

The pro-life amendment was passed 35 short years before in 1983 with a two-thirds majority when the Irish saw that U.S. citizens were stripped of their right to life by their own courts in the noxious Roe v Wade decision. With great foresight, the older Irish generation created the 8th Amendment because no court could overturn it. No elected legislature could change it. What happened to the U.S. population — dictatorship by the courts — could never occur in Ireland. 

Ironically, now the U.S. is poised to slip from the noose created by its judiciary in 1973 and back to its own pro-life roots with the appointment of Strict Constitutionalist Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court by U.S. President Donald Trump. Fully 51 percent of the U.S. population has remained pro-life through 45 years of legal abortion. And possibly 22 states are prepared to ban abortion once Kavanaugh is appointed to join the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. But the Irish now are are taking their first baby steps on the bloody road that plagued America for 45 years. 

Strangely enough the very children born and protected by the 8th Amendment refused the same rights to future generations of Irish. Bioethicists call this the loafer generation, willing to accept life from their own parents as their right but unwilling to extend that right to future generations. 

Irish exit polls suggest that there was an age divide. Voters over 55 voted overwhelmingly against abortion. Younger voters supported it. They ignorantly called  abortion a woman’s “choice” giving her control over her own body. Unfortunately, the victim of abortion is not part of the mother’s body, but has his own body. He exists for his own sake, not for the convenience of his mother. “Choice” turns human beings into cockroaches. They become pests who can be killed at will. 

“What about the wee future woman in the womb having control over her body? That is where the pro-choice, which is really pro-abort, argument falls flat every-time regarding abortion on demand,” tweeted Francis Doherty on June 20. 

I had three Irish babies. Two miscarried, one lives. Only six and eight weeks from conception, Raphael and Mary were tiny little human beings. One had my Irish husband’s face and long legs. I had my appendices out and they were delivered to my bedside. These appeared as stringy parts of my colon. I have personally witnessed that there is a vast difference between one’s own guts and one’s baby.

The pro-life minority in Ireland knew that. Many were shocked watching the coverage after the historic vote to see the young Irish voters cheering, and calling the outcome “compassionate.” But the “NO” vote quietly grieved and angrily tweeted. “We are winning the war against abortion all over the world. It’s just a backward sh_thole like Ireland that thinks it’s still 1967 (the year UK legalised and decided to pay for abortion),” tweeted pro-life Irish Patriot Donnchadh Mac an Ghoill.

“The media here in Ireland hacked the brains of 1.2 million fools into voting yes to abortion - imagine that - their brains were that soft that they let the media & @campaignforleo (Ireland’s Taoiseach— prime minister Leo Varadkar)  trick them into voting to kill innocent, frail, defenceless, happy babies,” wrote Amanda Gallagher.

My husband joked, "This is the Taoiseach"

A green spider landed on my wrist the other day. I screamed. My Irish husband joked that it was the the Taoiseach, who interfered in the Irish election to the extent that he was publicly advocating a “Yes” vote on the very day of the election.  

“The men and women of 1916 (the Easter Rising) would be hurt to the core of their beings by what has happened in Ireland (on May 25, 2018),” said Roger Buck, who has lived in Ireland for seven years.  The Easter Rising was an armed insurrection during Easter Week to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish republic. 

Maolsheachlann O’Ceallaigh of the Irish Conservative Forum, and author of "Inspiration from the Saints," added, “I’ve been gripped by grief for all the lives that will be lost. It’s like standing at the Viet Nam War Memorial

Maolsheachlann O’Ceallaigh

looking out at the rows and rows of names. You can’t take it in. This can’t just be another episode in the culture wars,” the Irishman said.

“A pro-choice speaker the day after the referendum said Ireland is still the same place it was the day before. Yes, but we didn’t realise how bad the situation was. It was beyond everyone’s worst fears.  Almost everything I loved about the Ireland of my youth is dead,” O’Ceallaigh said.

“There is a feeling that the real Ireland has been destroyed,” Buck said. “The real Ireland has been replaced by a fake Ireland. The overwhelming numbers in 1983 made the the pro-life choice to enshrine it in the constitution. That represents the real Ireland — an Ireland that has grown organically over centuries. It’s a natural Ireland that has always deeply valued Christianity. That has been replaced by a global Ireland, part of an alien ideology.” He blamed the modern media for the change in the electorate. 

Enshrine the 8th Amendment in your heart. I wanted it for my own country, the U.S.A.  Many young Irish were convinced by outside agitators like American billionaire George Soros, who funded the pro-death campaign through Amnesty Ireland,

that their law was wrong. The organisation lied to the Irish about abortion.

One young woman sincerely told me her pro-life law was wrong because a woman could die of miscarriage without a DNC and it would not be done because there was still a baby’s heartbeat. I responded, “My dear, if you have a heartbeat, you have a baby. There is no heartbeat in a miscarriage. I can personally attest to that.” In both of my miscarriages, I did not get a DNC by my own choice until the baby had been lost. But I was being cautious. I wrote a poem about the experience here:  No Death Rituals: Miscarriage Has No Funeral. 

I do not wish to belittle the experience of Savita Halappanavar who died in 2012 in an Irish hospital of sepsis related to a miscarriage. However, there is convincing evidence that it was medical malpractice that actually killed Savita. It’s pretty silly to cite the 8th Amendment when the woman’s water had already broken. That’s birth. She needed a DNC. Guidelines from the Irish Medical Council are perfectly clear that pregnant women must be given all necessary medical treatment to save their lives.

In the book of Deuteronomy, God gave the Israelites a choice: prosperity or destruction. Then He described the condition of the Israelites then and the Irish people now:  “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10)

And how long was this blindness to last?

God said, “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until

the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.” (Isaiah 6:11-13)

In America after 1973, the schools and houses were left deserted. 60.5 million Americans lost their lives to abortion. The children that survive are subject to school shootings. Then the evil fog of ignorance took the elderly too. Whole neighbourhoods disappeared in Florida.

And indeed, as soon as the 8th Amendment was pushed aside, the ax fell. The Irish Taoiseach — Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar — said Catholic hospitals will be forced to  perform abortions contrary to their conscience.

“It will not, however, be possible for publicly funded hospitals, no matter who their patron or owner is, to opt out of providing these necessary services which will be legal in this state once this legislation is passed by the Dáil and Seanad,” the predatory green arachnid with eight legs brazenly stated. “I’m happy to give you that assurance.”

“If Catholic Hospitals are to be forced to deliberately kill the unborn, they should shut down. Not hand over, not sell, shut down & demolish rather than be turned into abortion facilities,” said Declan Ganley, Irish Entrepreneur, Chairman & CEO of Rivada Networks, a leading public safety communications business, tweeting from his personal account. “There should be no cooperation with the state.” 

The web gets even stickier because the government insists pro-life doctors refer their patients to another doctor if the woman wants an abortion. Such is tantamount to approving the murder of innocents.  

“Darth” Varadkar insists on it. "But what we can’t allow is this suggestion that a GP

who does not provide the service will then refuse to refer their patient on to somebody who would. Because essentially that is the equivalent of ‘you’re on your own, love’ and we are not going to have that,” the prime minister said.

Health Minister Simon Harris, who before the election sneered at pro-life Irish and called them “cold and neglectful,” also put his two cents in. “The idea of a woman in crisis sitting in front of her doctor and her doctor refusing to refer flies in face of care and compassion. Conscientious objection, yes. No referral or information, no.” However,

doctors with a good conscience cannot provide information to a woman, assisting her in the death of her child. The same conundrum exists in Canada, which wants its doctors to refer patients for euthanasia.

“Western governments are increasingly reaching into areas which in the interests of religious freedom and the rights of conscience were long thought no business of government,” tweeted Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge, adding “#Australia #Ireland #Canada #USA #UK."

Irish Health Minister Simon Harris made promises to
Irish medical students regarding conscientious objection
 that he is apparently not prepared to keep.

This edict from above has caused some medical students who voted for repeal of the 8th Amendment to rethink their decision. “Many students say that they voted Yes based on the promise he (Simon Harris) made that abortions will be illegal in the later stage of pregnancy," wrote Louis Courtney, Vice-President and Education Officer, NUI Galway Students' Union, in the Galway City Tribune. “Many students regret voting Yes and feel they were tricked into doing so by the promise made by the (Health) Minister (Simon Harris), which he doesn’t seem to be prepared to keep.” He said his fellow medical students are very concerned about whether they will be able to conscientiously object to carrying out an abortion and to object to referring a patient to another doctor who will carry out the abortion. 

The sticky web spread further when the Irish government  announced plans to introduce exclusion zones of 100 to 150 meters around its abortion clinics to prevent women in crisis pregnancies from learning of opportunities for health care, housing, jobs and clothes typically offered by committed pro-lifers.

Such a plan sparked a rebellion among Irish on Facebook. I asked my Irish friends, "Would you go to prison if the government tried to stop you from witnessing outside an abortion clinic?"

“I don’t mind going to prison,” responded Tom Moore of

Tom Moore

Tralee. “They won’t be killing no babies in Ireland,” adding that if there was evidence of vote tampering as some have claimed in the May 25 election, he wanted to know. “I would love to destroy the (current) government of Ireland.” 

The exclusion zones around abortion clinics are also present in the United Kingdom. Alina Dulgheriu, who chose to have her daughter after a pro-lifer met her on her way into an abortion clinic, is raising money to launch a legal challenge to the exclusion zone in Ealing District of West London, England.

Alina Dulgheriu & daughter, saved at the last minute
on the steps of the abortion clinic. 

“I cannot put into words the joy, the beauty and the love that my daughter has brought into my life. She simply would not be with us today if vigils had been criminalised, and I refuse to accept that other women should be denied the opportunity to receive help where they want to keep their child. I cannot imagine a society where a simple offer of help to a woman who might want to keep her child is seen as a criminal offence,” Ms Dulgheriu said. She is now part of the Be Here for Me movement, Mothers Against the Ban on Help Outside Abortion Centres.

When they can, they hold public rallies outside clinics that bring tears to my eyes. Watch this video: Pro-Choice Protestors attempt to shout down a Woman’s Heartbreaking Testimony Driving Her to Tears. With a happy young child bouncing next to her, a young African woman relates the story of how she was homeless, pregnant, and thought her only choice was abortion. “I had no hope for myself or my child.”

“I remember that day I found I was pregnant, I was telling God that all I need is a home. The answer for me (appeared)  I would be forced into killing the child.”

She met Lorraine, “a pro-life lady” at the Marie Stopes Abortion Clinic in Ealing, who told her Good Counsel Network could provide her with accommodation. “When I had that, I knew I would not abort. I thank God I did not need to do that (have an abortion).” 

“If Ealing Council bans pro-life vigils today …” At that point she dropped to the ground and began crying, “Then other women like me would be forced into that (abortion).”  

Around her, people held signs saying, “Say No to Coerced Abortion” and “Don’t Criminalise Help.” 64 percent of abortions are coerced, and the top reason for abortion is fear. 

Now it looks like  the same vicious web will be thrown around the abortion clinics 

in Ireland so that desperate mothers will not receive any help at the last minute. The current Irish government simply will not allow mothers any other choice but abortion.  And such is no choice at all.

"You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the Lord your God. Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess." (Deuteronomy 28:62-63)

This link to a number of tweets from Dr. Collins outlines the corruption in the Irish leadership before the election. It demonstrates why the Irish are disappointed in their government. 

https://twitter.com/DrCollins10/status/997528579813625857

The Prophetic Call

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai, FMH

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 8, 2018 

St Francis Hospital, Roslyn, New York

On this fourteenth Sunday, we rejoice in the spirit of prophecy and faithful witness to Christ. Although, the exercise of this mission does not bring us comfort, we must continue to exercise it. This is because, the grace of God is sufficient for us, and makes us strong.

As I reflected over today’s readings (Eze: 2:2-5; Ps: 123:1-2, 2, 3-4 2; Cor 12: 7-10; Mk: 6:1-6), I recalled an encounter I had with someone some time ago. After admonishing her for acting wrongly, she simply turned to me and said: “Sorry Father, do you think you can change me?" Then, she walked away.

However, after few months, she came to apologize and to thank me for helping her transform her life.

As ministers and prophets, we encounter such resistance, insults and discouragements every day. They are the icings on our cake. Yet, we are here every day: “Be ready to accept more discomfort for my sake, for the gospel and, for the good of your generation!”

Fr. Joe Mungai and his congregation in Africa

Like Ezekiel, we all have a prophetic call and mission from God. The question is, where is this mission and, how do we begin it? Quite simple! There is mission everywhere today. There is prophetic mission in our rebellious generation, in our families, in our communities, and in our streets, work places, schools, and in the world at large.

There is much rebellion in our time against God, against nature, against divine institutions (the church), and against the fabrics of our moral, social and cultural heritage. So, God speaks to us today as he spoke to Ezekiel in our first reading: “Son of man, I am sending you… to the rebels who have turned against me.” So, we must be that voice that cries against injustice, oppression, immorality, corruption and ungodliness.

In the second reading, Paul describes his burden for the sake of the gospel. This burden was like a thorn in his flesh. For Paul, the burden includes: “insults, hardships, persecutions, loneliness and agonies." They were

his cross as a prophet. Unfortunately, these are things we do not want to experience. This is because, we do not want any discomfort and because, we want everyone to like and, to say only good things about us.

So, even when things are going wrong under our watch and nose, we are afraid to speak out. Our attitude is that of: “Please, let the sleeping dog lie, so that I can have my peace.” I do not want to hurt anybody. I do not want to lose him or her. Unfortunately, the truth is that if you do not correct or help him or her today, tomorrow you will lose him or her forever.

God saw this same fear in Jeremiah and said to him: “Get ready Jeremiah; go and tell them everything I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them or I will make you even more afraid of them” (Jer 1, 17). The truth is that these are burdens we must bear as Christians if our society must be safe. We must not be afraid because the grace of God is sufficient for us. So, if we are willing, God will fill us with his grace.

In the gospel, Jesus was filled with this grace and spoke fearlessly. Of course, he got his own share of insults. They ridiculed him, called him names like: “The son of a mere carpenter.” They called him an illiterate, and a rebel. In spite of all these, he was not discouraged. Instead, he continued to preach and heal his generation.

We must not be afraid to carry out our prophetic ministries in spite of the odds against us. Rather, we are to bear them

patiently so that good might triumph over evil, truth over lie, light over darkness and, peace over war. “Where there is no [prophetic] vision the people perish.” (Prov 29:18). We are all called to be that visionary prophet to our ailing generation.

Peace be with you!
I wish you all a grace filled Sunday!!
Maranatha!!!

May the Light of Christ who is our peace and salvation be always with you. Amen.

Fr. Joe Mungai raising money to get water to his village in Africa. Please read A Deep Down Thirst

Among Those Born of a Woman, There is No Greater Man

St. John the Baptist

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai, FMH

Nativity of St. John the Baptist, June 24, 2018

Good Samaritan Hospital Chapel, West Islip, NY

Today we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Among those born of a woman, there is no man greater, Jesus told His disciples. And the Church celebrates only three persons' birthdays in its calendar, the nativities of John, Jesus and the Blessed Mother.

The angel Gabriel told Zechariah that he would have a son, and would name him, John, which means "God is gracious."

(Luke 1:8-23) Even while John was still in his mother's womb, he recognized the presence of Jesus, leaping when he heard His Mother's voice greeting Elizabeth. 

This is the moment John the Baptist was cleansed of original sin. The angel Gabriel had previously promised Zechariah that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even while in the womb (Luke 1:15). When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:41)

John left his parents to live the life of a prophet in the desert. He preached in the desert, wearing a garment of camel-skin and eating locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6; Matt 3:4). He proclaimed the kingdom of God and

a coming judgment, and invited people to accept baptism as a sign of their repentance.

His ministry resembled that of the prophets in that he disturbed the comfortable and comforted the disturbed. He said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution? Produce fruit in keeping with your repentance and do not presume to tell yourselves we have Abraham as our father.” (Luke 3:7-8)

His message moved people. Some of the most despised of the powerful did repent. Tax-collectors asked him what they must do and he replied, “Exact no more than the appointed rate.” (Luke 3:13) Soldiers also repented, and his advice to them was “No intimidation! No Extortion! Be content with your pay!” (Luke 3:14) His message spread far and wide. Mark says all Jerusalem and Judea made their way to him and as they were baptized in the Jordan they confessed their sins (Mark 1:5).

We see John’s humility when he directed people to Jesus. People began to wonder if John was the Messiah so he told them he was not. He declared that his ministry was preparing for the coming of the Messiah, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8) 

When Jesus came to John asking for baptism, John recognized Jesus at once and said, “Look, there is the lamb of God who takes

away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) These words have found their way into the prayer of Mass; when the priest holds up the Sacred Host as we prepare for Holy Communion he says, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” 

Jesus began his public ministry after he had been baptized by John. The Jews had the expectation that the prophet Elijah would return to earth once again to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. And Jesus pointed to John as that Elijah type person they were expecting (Mark 9:13). After Jesus’ baptism, we see again John's humility as he declared about Jesus: “He must increase, I must decrease.” (John 3:30) We are reminded of this as we celebrate John’s birthday after the summer solstice as the daylight will now decrease. We celebrate Jesus' birthday after the winter solstice when the daylight will increase.

We see John's courage in condemning Herod's adulterous "marriage." This a reminder to us that not everything that is allowed by law is morally right, e.g. divorce and abortion. Herod had John arrested and put in prison. John stood up for the truth and unfortunately like many who stand up for the truth today he had to pay a price. John’s

John in prison

courage in upholding the dignity of marriage and condemning the adulterous relationship of Herod and Herodias was to result in his death by beheading in prison.

History repeats itself, and John's beheading is  echoed in the life of another martyr for marriage, St. Thomas More. He was born in London in 1478. He studied law and entered Parliament in 1504. When no offspring resulted from the marriage of Henry VIII and his wife Katherine of Aragón, Henry divorced her and married Anne Boleyn so that there would be heirs to the throne. Parliament passed a law forcing clergy to acknowledge Henry as the supreme head of the Church.

Shortly afterwards Thomas More resigned his post as Lord Chancellor. He was aware that just because something is lawful, it does not mean it is morally right. On April 14th, 1534 he was summoned to Lambeth and asked to take the oath to the king as supreme head of the Church in England. He refused and was

St Thomas More arrested & taken to the Tower of London

imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was tried for treason in Wesminister Hall and found guilty. He was beheaded on July 6th, 1535. His final words were, “I am the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935.

John’s courage in giving his life for the truth challenges us in a time when it is not popular to speak or live by the truth. Both he and St. Thomas More remind us that just because certain behavior is enshrined in the law of the land does not mean that it is morally right. John turning his focus on Jesus and away from himself reminds us to do the same in our lives. Each of us is called to decrease so that Jesus may increase in each of us. St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

Fr Joe Mungai is trying to find drink for the thirsty in Central Kenya — Gatura,Thigio in Kiambu County. To read about this important project go to A Deep Down Thirst

I Planted, But God Made It Grow

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 17, 2018

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

Today’s Gospel passage (Mark 4:26-34) calls us to keep our hearts focused on the Kingdom of God in the new life we have received in Christ. 

Our Lord speaks in parables using nature so that we can better understand what He is trying to teach us. Today, He speaks of seed being scattered on the land. The seed sprouts

and grows. Yet, the man who scatters the seed knows not how it grows. This emphasises that the growth comes about not by man’s doing but by God. Therefore, God gets all the credit. 

Today’s message can be seen as a reference to the growth of the Church. Saint Paul refers to this parable in his letter to the Corinthians where he speaks of the early Church. Paul says: “I planted, Apollos watered it, and God made it grow." (1 Corinthians 3:6). So, we are reminded that we work with and in God, but the building of the Kingdom is reliant upon His grace.

Today’s message can also relate to the work of God’s grace in our souls. The Kingdom of God has been planted in our souls in Baptism. Our Lord reminds us that the

Kingdom of God grows in stages like nature itself. He says that the seed first sprouts and grows, “first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

When we are baptized and strive to live our baptismal call, it is then that God provides the growth. In other Gospel passages, there is more insight. In John 15:1-10, we learn whatever branch does not bear fruit must be cut off and burned. What branches that do bear fruit will be pruned to bear more fruit. In other words, we must be purified of what is not of God’s Kingdom if we want to live in God’s Kingdom.

Many saints give us good insight into how Our Lord works in our soul. One such saint is the 16th century mystic Teresa of Avila. She saw the soul as a castle representing a journey of

faith through seven stages, ending with union with God.

The first mansions begin with a soul’s state of grace, but the souls are surrounded by sin and only starting to seek God's grace through humility in order to achieve perfection. Through continued love of God and prayer the soul has an aversion to both mortal and venial sin and grows in a desire to do works of charitable service to man for the ultimate glory of God.

The fourth through the seventh mansions are represent contemplative prayer as the soul becomes purified of its earthly desires and God infuses Himself more deeply into the soul. The fifth and sixth mansions can be compared to betrothal as the soul prepares for Divine Union with God which is the seventh mansion. Teresa relates that the highest mansions can only be gained by being in a state of grace through the Church’s sacraments, fervent devotion of the soul’s will to Him, and humbly receiving a love so great it is beyond human capability or description. It is this great love of God dwelling in the soul that is the goal of all Christians.

My brothers and sisters, each one of us Christians is called to union with God. This goal of union is why we practice our faith, why we pray, why we do penance. Our Lord has taught us that the kingdom of heaven is within. This kingdom is planted into our hearts in baptism. Yet, this kingdom must be preserved through holy living so that God’s grace may increase in us.

It takes a lot of faith and dedication and prayer for one to grow spiritually. Yet, when we give ourselves to God then He increases His grace in us so that we may become full of His grace.

Our Blessed Mother is the most perfect example of one who received the fullness of God’s grace. When the angel Gabriel

appeared to her she did not know how God would live in Her though the Incarnation of Jesus. She said, “How can this be?” Yet, she trusted, and thus the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the most High overshadowed her, and the Son of the Most High developed in Her womb, He Who would be called the Son of God! 

It is through our Blessed Mother’s yes to God that we too are able to share in God’s Divine life. This is being fulfilled in us right now as we are saying yes to God by striving to live His commandments. It is through Our Blessed Mother’s yes to God that we are able to receive the Holy Eucharist where God Himself dwells within our human nature.

My brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel

Fr John Paul Shea

passage calls us to acknowledge the new life we have received in our souls and to live this new life with all our hearts so that we can live with and in God for all eternity! We live in a world dominated by original sin. We live in a world that has lost its relationship with God. But, God has redeemed us through Our Lord Jesus Christ. He has given us a new life in Him. We must therefore allow this new life to grow in us so that we can become one with Our Heavenly Father.

May each one of us strive to live in God’s grace so that we can become all who He calls us to be. Amen.

To Fulfill His Mission

Jesus Waited 33 Years

then Stretched Out His Hands on the Cross

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai, FMH

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 17, 2018

Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Hoover, AL

Happy Father's Day! 

Our readings (Ez 17:22-24; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34) remind us that our Father in heaven is the planter and sower of seeds.

In some imitative way all fathers on earth are called to be an image of the sower of seeds and it will take great courage to live this way of life, patiently forming our children. Pride in the "historic man" often leads us to dominate and grasp. These are not the values Jesus presented in the parables of the sowing of seeds.

In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus gives us two parables of the seeds to describe the reign of God. The first is the Parable of the Growing Seeds. It tells us that God’s kingdom, like the seed, will definitely come, regardless of any human intervention. The second is the Parable of the Mustard Seed, “the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.” Yet when it is

sown, it grows and become the largest of plants. Why did Jesus use the image of the seed in these parables? Certainly, the seed has significant qualities that will help us understand the mystery of the kingdom of God.

First, the seed is small and, in the eyes of most people, insignificant. Only farmers truly appreciate its value. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus pictured God as the farmer who sowed seeds on the ground. And that is precisely how God works – always from humble and small beginnings: from the

manger in Bethlehem to the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth and to the cross in Calvary; from twelve unlettered disciples in Galilee to the great forums of Rome and throughout the whole world.

This teaches us the lesson on humility and littleness. Fallen human nature tends to seek for recognition and appreciation. Hence, people aspire to become big – rich, famous, and powerful. But experience tells us that this is not the way to true greatness and happiness. The seed is a reminder that being little does not mean being powerless or insignificant. In fact, as shown by the example of God, it is the way to true greatness. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A great man is always willing to be little.” In other words, it takes a lot of greatness to become little. The way of God is humility; the way of the devil is pride.

Second, the seed grows slowly. It follows the process of nature, which is gradual and slow. There is no shortcut to growth and development. This is the way the Kingdom of God unfolds. Unfortunately, many people nowadays do not subscribe to this truth anymore. Being used to the comforts and convenience in this age of technology, they think that success can be achieved quickly and easily. Everybody is in a hurry and

impatient. They hate to wait. But the seed teaches us that the way to greatness and success is a long and painstaking process – “first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” 

Again, this is clearly illustrated in the life of Jesus. He has come to save the world. But he had to undergo the complete process of birth, growth and maturity. He had to patiently wait for thirty-three years before he stretched his hands on the cross to fulfill his mission. Indeed, as the famous director, Mario Puzo, said, “Great men are not born great; they grow great.”

Have we ever thought why during these times there are so many people afflicted with cancer?  Most of these cancer cases, apart from heredity, are caused by the food we eat. In the recent past, people raise chicken and hogs in their backyards that feed on organic grains, fruits and vegetables. Fish were caught in the pristine oceans. 

Nowadays, poultry, fish and meat products are farmed and raised artificially, with the use of chemical-laced feeds so that they grow fast. Even fruits, vegetables and rice are genetically engineered and bombarded with fertilizers and chemicals for fast growth and maximum harvest. All these are done for only one obvious reason: huge and quick profits.

This greedy human intervention invariably results in the unprecedented rise in the number of cancer victims and the emergence

Pope Saint John Paul II

of many other diseases. Pope Saint John Paul II is correct when he declared, “The greatest misfortune of this age is that people consider money as the highest good.” 

This sad reality teaches us the lesson, not only on the evil of greed, but also on the need to obey the laws of nature, and on the value of patience as we wait for the slow but sure unfolding of the Kingdom of God in our midst.

Third, the seed is totally dependent, not on the power of any human being, but on the providence of God. It is God who supplies the minerals and nutrients in the soil, and sends sunshine and rainfall on the seed until it grows and bears fruit.

Again, this truth does not resonate with many people nowadays. Progress in the fields of technology and science has made people think they can be self-sufficient, and can now conveniently put God aside. Pope Benedict XVI made this apt observation: “The crisis we are living through carries with it signs of the exclusion of God from people’s lives, a general indifference to the Christian faith, and even the intention of marginalizing it from public life.” 

It is best, therefore, to remind us of the Lord’s words: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

Finally, the seed, though nurtured by nature and God’s providence, still needs the caring hands of the farmer. God seldom operates directly in the affairs of the world. As a rule, He always uses the instrumentality of human beings who cooperate in His plan to bring about His Kingdom in the world. When people obey God’s will, the advent of His kingdom is hastened: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 

God gives only the seeds of peace, progress and salvation. And He expects us to plant and nurture them to full fruition. This we do by faithfully obeying His will.

Ultimately, it is God who brings about His kingdom, and He invites us to join Him in building it here on earth until it reaches perfection and fullness in heaven.

Fr Joe Mungai is seeking his own harvest -- a source of water for his people in  in Central Kenya — Gatura,Thigio in Kiambu County. To read about this important project go to A Deep Down Thirst

The Eucharist is the Source and the Summit of the Christian Life

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai, FMH

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 3, 2018

Hospital Chaplaincy, Long Island, New York

“By the Eucharistic Celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all” (CCC 1326)

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ popularly known as Corpus Christi. It was introduced in the late 13th century to encourage the faithful to give special adoration to the Holy Eucharist.

Later, it was extended to the entire Latin Church by Urban IV in 1264 and became a mandatory feast of the universal church in 1312. Traditionally, this solemnity is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. However, where it is not a holy day of obligation, it is celebrated on the Sunday following the Trinity Sunday.

As we celebrate Corpus Christi today, both our first and second readings (Ex 24:3-8 and Her 9:11-15) talk about covenant, sacrifice, and blood. According to the first reading, the old covenant was sealed with the blood of animal sacrifice which Moses sprinkled on the people. Subsequently, the second reading reminds us that the new covenant was sealed with the blood of Christ. 

The sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ is the game changer. While the first covenant never guaranteed eternal life, the new one does because it was sealed with costly Blood through a perfect sacrifice offered once and for all.

In the Gospel (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26), Christ celebrated the First Holy Eucharist. Here He is both priest and victim. This is another

difference between the new and the old covenant. As the Priest, Christ offered Himself to God for our salvation. So, it is important to note that whenever we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, Christ is fully present both as the Priest and as the Victim.

He accomplishes his priesthood through the actions of the human priest, who is alter Christus (another Christ) and, who acts in persona Christi (in the Person of Christ). On the other hand, He accomplishes His role as a victim in the form of bread and wine. All these put together is what we refer to as the “action of grace.”

The church teaches us that: “The Eucharist is the source and the summit of the Christian life…For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself…The Eucharist is also the culmination both of God’s action, sanctifying the world in Christ and, of the worship men offer to Christ… In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith.” (CCC 1324-5).

Therefore, today’s celebration is a celebration of life, salvation and grace. It teaches us that as real food, the Eucharist is the True Body and Blood of Christ which nourishes our soul. It is a concrete way through which Christ is divinely present with us every day and moment.

So, when we share in the celebration of the Eucharist, we share in the life of Christ the Head and, in the life of the Church, His Body. This means that we must pay more attention to the Holy Eucharist by spending more time in His Divine Presence. If we present ourselves before Him daily, He will fill us with wisdom and show us the best way to approach life.

This means that we should adore and offer Christ the reverence due to Him. Any moment

spent in the Presence of the Most Holy Sacrament is both a golden moment and a moment of grace. Let us adore Christ saying: “Oh Sacrament Most Holy; Oh, Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be yours in every moment and time.”

Please read about Father Joe's home town in Africa, which is literally dying of thirst in the dry season and needs a way to drill for water underground. A Deep Down Thirst

(As I conclude I urge you to Pray One Our Father, One Hail Mary and One Glory Be..for me as I celebrate my 4th Priestly Anniversary on 7th June).