Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to bring salvation to humanity: And you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins (Mt. 1:27). Jesus saves His people from the power of Satan, from sin and its ultimate consequence, death. In His ministry, especially; of healing and casting out unclean spirits, Jesus would forgive sins and reconcile us with the Father. The salvific sacrifice on the cross brought about reconciliation and peace; served as a ransom for all our sins.

Imagine how Saul must have felt when he awoke from his sleep and saw his spear missing from its resting place. Now imagine how he felt when he realized that the person who had it was the same person seeking his life - and there he sat, safe and sound. Now there’s a day you don’t forget your morning prayers.

One of the growing concerns by many here at St. Rose and Good Shepherd Mission is the level of talking and other noise in the church before and after the Mass. I remember that there was a time when we would enter the church even when it was capacity - like entering into the realm of mystery and holy silence.People didn’t talk in church. One would enter, find their pew, genuflect, and then kneel for private prayer before Mass began. And when the Mass is over, people kneel for a brief moment for prayer; but then leave quietly, not talking until in the vestibule or outside the church.

The Gospel contains the teaching of Jesus about the Beatitude, The Blessed. They are those who seem in the eyes of the world not blessed - at the same time, Jesus warns the blessed in the world’s estimation. In the first part, Jesus presents the Blessed: the poor, hungry, those who are weeping, those who are hated and insulted. Why did He say “woe” to the rich, those who have much food, who are laughing, and whom people speak well? The Gospel Beatitude is both a teaching and a reproach - they are an indictment to people who feel blessed because they have more than what they need, strive to be secure, and work to make people speak well of them.

At every Mass, before the priest or deacon proclaim the Gospel - he silently prays: Cleanse my heart and my lips Almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim the holy Gospel. Praying this is the only way a man can stand before the congregation and proclaim the word of God. And as soon as He announces the Gospel, he signs the Gospel book, himself, and everyone else in the congregation signs themselves with the cross on the forehead, lips, and breast. We all pray to be cleansed by the word of God as we listen to it.