Easter V
Daily Sermons
May 19 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Peter Celestine, A Hermit of Heaven
May 20 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Ethelbert II, King and Martyr
May 21 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Ghost Stories
May 22 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Rita and the Hopeless Cases
May 23 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Julia and the Evil Queen
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Man’s ways are not God’s ways! This alone, pondering it, and pounding our cold worldly wills to Divine submissions would “justify” a great deal of prayer in our lives, far more than customary. We had better learn God’s ways, for it is truly His way or the highway…to hell! Souls are lost because no one prays for them. Don’t be a loser, or a lost one.
But today is “praying” or Rogation Sunday. Rarely, says Pius Parsch, does a week occur so rich in liturgy, in feasts and observances. We have first, today, Sunday, the Lord’s Day, all day, though the pious man today gets his Mass in or “out of the way” in the morning, and has the rest of the day for himself, and not necessarily for rest. The impious man never comes to church, or but rarely, or once or twice a month, and then it is done.
But this week calls us to church five days out of seven. What a week! This is Rogation Sunday, leading in to the Rogation processions Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Having received our rogations or asking prayers, Our Risen Lord rises now higher, out of sight, up into Heaven on Thursdays. Most of you (but not all) will return to church for the Holy Day, to catch a glimpse of Christ going home to glory, to prepare us a place, and to worship as He does.
On Friday we start our Pentecost preparations with the oldest Novena in the church, singing the stirring Veni Creator for the Holy Ghost to come. May ends on Saturday, with the lovely feast of Mary’s Queenship, which the last pope put on the calendar on the last day of May, as the last addition to the missal; a filial tribute from Pius XII to Our Lady, just before the end.
But God’s ways are not man’s ways. This is Memorial Day weekend, the start of Summer, the solemn opening of barbecues and pools and summer jobs, travel and vacations. Not too many will be thinking this week of Mass or May devotions, much less one more procession! Never mind, somebody will pray with us this afternoon for Vespers and May Devotions, and tomorrow morning, I am sure. The children will pray for us on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we’ll see you in church for the Holy Day come Thursday.
But do come tomorrow! It’s our “Spring All Souls Day.” Remember your dear dead, our veterans, the victims of all of our so many and wasted wars, which only bear testimony to man’s wickedness and Heaven’s chastisements. Come, pray with us!
If you are traveling this holiday, I wish you a safe journey. Thank you for your prayers for ours. Fr. Cekada hurried back from the seminary on Thursday in time for his evening Restoration Radio show on Bergoglio, this time covering the twin canonizations of the bookend modernists of the V2 revolution. Fr. McKenna was traipsing around the upper Midwest last week, and reports 47 souls for Rochester, Minnesota’s revived Ss. Processus & Martinian mission. My trip to the rough border town of Tijuana, Mexico went very well. It’s a long journey, some 14 hours door to door, but all passed safely. The weather was as hot as it was cold for my first visit, but you could say the same thing about Cincinnati. Fr. Arnoldo Villegas is the pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church, and visited us here once already. He commented that he had never seen his church so full. Faithful from Father’s missions in Mexicali and Ensenada swelled the attendance, and the Confirmations which numbered thirty. In Mexicali they are building a church, and the faithful invited me to visit them the next time. But they were careful to tell me to come in Winter, as Summer in this desert town on the Arizona border is just too hot. On Monday we had a priests’ day of recollection with three clergy from all over Mexico, with good prayers together including a holy hour, and a nice visit afterwards. My return trip on Tuesday morning went well, but had a slow start. We waited two and a half hours to cross the border. After that it was smooth sailing from San Diego to Detroit to Cincinnati.
I called Fr. Siordia the other night to ask for prayers for a priest. We hadn’t spoken in quite awhile, and it was good to be in touch. He says Cocoyoc is safe, but with lots of soldiers and police now.
The two Sisters of Our Lady of Reparation are moving to Cincinnati from Saybrook, Illinois next month. Please pray for a safe and efficient move for them. It will be good to have them nearby which will allow them at long last to have daily Mass and adoration.
Don’t forget our French Traditional Friday at the Cinema this week on May 30th, feast of St. Joan of Arc, whose classic life we will be viewing. Un plat des fromages et des fruits sera disponible pour nos chers cinemophiles.
Happy holiday tomorrow, and safe travels to you all this Summer. St. Christopher go with you!
– Bishop Dolan