St. Patrick's of Nashua

What price would you pay for freedom? In the exhilarating action epic FOR GREATER GLORY an impassioned group of men and women each make the decision to risk it all for family, faith and the very future of their country, as the film’s adventure unfolds against the long-hidden, true story of the 1920s Cristero War ­the daring people¹s revolt that rocked 20th Century North America.

Academy Award® nominee Andy Garcia headlines an acclaimed cast as General Gorostieta, the retired military man who at first thinks he has nothing personal at stake as he and his wife (Golden Globe nominee Eva Longoria) watch Mexico fall into a violent civil war. Yet the man who hesitates in joining the cause will soon become the resistance’s most inspiring and self-sacrificing leader, as he begins to see the cost of religious persecution on his countrymen . . . and transforms a rag-tag band of rebels into a heroic force to be reckoned with.  The General faces impossible odds against a powerful and ruthless government.  Yet is those he meets on the journey ­ youthful idealists, feisty renegades and, most of all, one remarkable teenager named Jose ­ who reveal to him how courage and belief are forged even when justice seems lost.

Watch the Trailer:

View the “For Greater Glory” website

http://www.forgreaterglory.com/

Catholics have long regarded Pentecost as the birthday of the Church. How so? Father Pius Parsch, the great liturgical theologian, used the image of a body and soul. He explained it this way: “The Holy Ghost is the soul of the Church. The Church is Christ’s mystical body. In a living body, there must be a soul; and the soul of the Church is the Holy Ghost. If only we would grasp this truth in all its implications!”

Many times we miss the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church and focus on other things, especially on matters that lead to division. In my years as a priest, I must confess that negative comments about church life have outweighed the positive ones by about 10 to 1. Most of these comments have to do with external matters, like the style of worship, length of Mass, the closings of parishes, noise in the church, Mass schedules, too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, ethnic rivalries, and so forth.

This widespread negativity manifests a complete misunderstanding of what the Church really is. It is not primarily a group of people who meet in a specific building. The Church is the Body of Christ, which extends itself throughout space and time. We are baptized into the universal church, a portion of which happens to worship in one place for a limited time.

The Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer for the Dedication of a Church makes this point in two places. First, it notes that God dwells in the church building “in order to perfect us as the temple of the Holy Spirit.” The gathered people — not the building — is God’s true temple. Next the prayer describes the “visible buildings” as “foreshadowing” the Church, the Bride of Christ. This beautiful prayer corrects a very common Catholic tendency to focus entirely on the “external” church, which does not last, while neglecting the spiritual condition of those who worship.

Because we focus so much on the externals, we miss the beauty of the spiritual. How amazing it is that good people help the poor every day! How amazing it is that so many people from beyond our parish come here for Confession! How amazing it is that the Eucharistic Sacrifice happens on our altars at least 10 times per week! How amazing it is that true saints, temples of the Holy Spirit, have passed through this parish and now dwell in Heaven, the ultimate Church.

When we see the Church as the living Body of Christ, which exceeds all physical boundaries, then negativity gives way to thanksgiving and joy, for indeed the Church is Christ Himself. And who can complain? Happy birthday!

Father Michael Kerper

Below is the link to the May 27th Bulletin

http://seekandfind.com/bulletins/03/0682/20120527B.pdf

Wishing all of the Mothers a Happy Mother’s Day!!

Next Thursday, May 17, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension, which marks the end of the visible appearances of the Risen Christ during the 40-day period after Easter. Inevitably, someone will ask, “Who forgot to remove the Paschal Candle?” This question frequently arises because of a liturgical change that happened almost 40 years ago.

Up until the introduction of the new Roman Missal in 1969, the Paschal Candle was extinguished after the reading of the gospel on Ascension Thursday and then removed from the sanctuary following the last Mass. This symbolized the “departure” of the visible Risen Christ from the world. The new Missal, however, postponed the removal of the Paschal Candle until the final Mass of Pentecost Sunday, 10 days after Ascension Thursday. This change reminds us that Easter is a season of 50 days, not 40 days. Though Christ ascended bodily, he still continued to dwell within the early Church. Hence, the Paschal Candle is now kept in place.

Since the Paschal Candle will be in our sanctuary for two more weeks, it seems timely to review its multiple meanings.

First, the Paschal Candle symbolizes the Risen Christ. As such, it is always the largest of all can- dles. It stands alone near the pulpit to emphasize the connection between the Risen Christ and the Word, which is proclaimed from that location.

Second, the flame at candle’s top recalls that Jesus is “the Light of the world.” This flame first appeared at the Easter Vigil when it was the initial glimmer of light in the entirely dark church. People lit their own candles from it, an act that reminds us that whatever light we have comes from Christ himself.

Third, if you look closely at the candle you will notice five small nails embedded in the wax. These little nails – really pins with small wax heads on them – were inserted in the candle after it was blessed. As the nails were pushed in, the following prayer was recited: “By his holy and glorious wounds, may our Christ our Lord guard us and protect us.” These nails symbolize the five wounds of Jesus: his two hands, two feet, and pierced side. Because the Risen Christ continued to bear and manifest his wounds after the Resurrection, the “wounds” are included on the candle. This shows the inseparable connection between the Cross and Empty Tomb.

Fourth, the candle bears the Greek letters Alpha (a regular “A”) and Omega (an inverted “U”). These letters are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. They have long been associated with Je- sus, the One who is both the beginning and the end of all things. Between the two Greek letters you will see a cross surrounded by the numbers 2012. By juxtaposing the current year with the Alpha and Omega, we are reminded that the present, past, and future are all bound together in the Risen Christ.

Though the Paschal Candle has special prominence during the Easter Season, it remains in the church throughout the year. At the celebration of every Baptism we light it to remind us that the Risen Christ stands with us as the beginning of life; and at every funeral it stands at the head of the body to remind us that the Risen Christ accompanies us through death to Eternal Life.

-Father Michael Kerper

The MAy 13th Bulletin can be found here:

http://seekandfind.com/bulletins/03/0682/20120513B.pdf

In the Franciscan Church on Arch Street in Boston you will see a very unusual image of Christ. Somewhat larger than life, the statue portrays Jesus weeping. The Lord’s right hand covers his face, except for his right eye, which is closed. His head tilts slightly forward. On Monday morning, while visiting the church, I saw a very large man, noticeably poor, clutching the statue in prayer. He too covered his face.

Jesus did not weep often. Indeed, only three New Testament texts mention His weeping: Luke 19:41 describes His weeping over Jerusalem; Hebrews 5:7 apparently recalls his weeping in Gethsemane; and John 16:35 reports his weeping before He raised Lazarus from the dead. This final act of weeping is the only public display of His heartfelt emotion.

Why was Jesus so reluctant to cry in public? Why does His gesture of covering His face have such power? I suggest that the concealment of His face symbolizes the totality of his grief, which leads Him to step aside, so to speak, so that the sadness of the Other receives complete attention. An uncovered face would beckon the grieving person to gaze upon the weeper, pulling him or her away from the situation. Jesus doesn’t do this. His concealed face honors, indeed elevates, the sadness of the Other. As always, Jesus puts the Other above Himself, even at the risk of being forgotten and ignored.

At times I meet people afflicted by inconsolable grief, which dangerously turns into anger against God and even total unbelief. The statue in the Franciscan church gives us a crucial insight into the Lord’s ways: He cares so much for us that He hides His own Divine Face. The invisibility of His Face, however, does not deny His concern, rather it reminds us that His solidarity with us is infinitely greater than we can ever imagine.

St. John, in describing the raising of Lazarus, reported that the entirety of Christ’s being — body and soul — “shuddered and churned” as He witnessed the grief of other people. This, of course, is a great mystery, the confluence of the Human and Divine in Christ.

Though we can never adequately express what happens with the Divine, the big man embracing the statue of Christ in the Franciscan church said it all: No one cares for us more than the Crucified and Risen One who wept.

Father Michael Kerper