happy birthday Mom

Queen Elizabeth of Erie with Papal Nuncio Archbishop Pietro Sambi

thou shalt not text and drive

 

grazie to Fr Z at WDTPRS

Wiley:Preview Saints For Dummies

Wiley:Preview Saints For Dummies



from the authors who gave you

CATHOLICISM FOR DUMMIES
WOMEN IN THE BIBLE FOR DUMMIES
JOHN PAUL II FOR DUMMIES
EVERYTHING BIBLE BOOK
101 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE BIBLE
CATHOLICISM ANSWER BOOK

Boehner Joins Bozell, Other Conservative Leaders in Demand That Obama Fire Anti-Catholic Bigot Harry Knox

Boehner Joins Bozell, Other Conservative Leaders in Demand That Obama Fire Anti-Catholic Bigot Harry Knox


Obama appointee openly attacks Pope Benedict XVI and displays blatant bigotry towards Catholicism

American Papist and Media Research Center expose the anti-Catholic bias of this member of the Advisory Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Catholic America: Catholic clerical narcissism - On Faith at washingtonpost.com

Catholic America: Catholic clerical narcissism - On Faith at washingtonpost.com

Despite numerous efforts, my rebuttal to this article is not being published on the Washington Post website.
So much for fair and balanced journalism.

Here is my reply (after you read the above 'opinion' )


OUCH! Why the ad hominem attack and why was it necessary to imply the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy is guilty of clerical narcissism? I agree that sadly there are some members of the clergy who are more concerned with their 'career' insofar as they seek to climb the ecclesiastical ladder, so to speak. Most priests and deacons, however, got ordained to serve God, His Church and His People.

What is narcissistic about seeking personal holiness? Is this not what every Christian is asked to do? Why castigate an association of clergy which merely seeks to promote ongoing post-ordination formation of its members? The Second Vatican Council in the document PRESBYTERORUM ORDINIS officially teaches that ordained ministers need to live holy lives to help them help their parishioners do likewise. Vatican II spoke of the universal call to holiness. All the baptized are challenged to become saints. Ongoing spiritual, intellectual, pastoral and human formation for those already ordained is mandated by the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests. Why is it presumed that when priests and deacons pray, study and promote healthy fraternity that somehow these would conflict with the mission to evangelize and catechize?

As President of the CCC, I can vouch that our members are young and old, from east coast to west coast, from middle America to deep south. All of them profess their love of Jesus Christ and especially during this YEAR FOR PRIESTS, it was an honor and pleasure for us to participate in a first time international gathering of English speaking clergy in Rome. We did this not for selfish reasons. On the contrary, ongoing formation is but a means to an end. Our final goal is the sanctification of the people we serve in the parish. We can only help them if we first help ourselves learn and grow as fellow pilgrims on the journey. Professing fidelity to the Pope and Magisterium is something we are not embarrassed nor ashamed of yet I cannot see how it could ever conflict with caring for the poor or spreading the Good News. You do us an injustice by inferring or implying a form of clerical narcissism. When doctors attend annual workshops and network with fellow physicians, it is to help them become better doctors to better treat their patients. Likewise, whenever deacons, priests or bishops engage in ongoing formation, especially in annual seminars and workshops and whenever they spend some quality time together in prayer, study and fraternity, it is precisely to enable them to go back to their people and better serve them.

We do not claim the CCC is a panacea and realize there are other groups, associations and societies tailored for the gifts, talents and needs of the individual members. Please do not paint us all with one wide brush. If the Council Fathers at V2, the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the Congregation of the Clergy all agree that ongoing formation and the pursuit of personal
holiness is a good and honorable objective for the ordained, how can it be seen as selfish? Our only desire is to help as many of our people get to Heaven as is possible, by the grace of God and with the help of continued formation which includes prayer, study and personal sanctification.

Fr John Trigilio, Jr.
President
CCC

Pope Reminds Bishops to Be Close to Their Priests

Papa Benedetto spoke to bishops from Ireland and the United Kingdom during their quinquennial ad limina visit.



In this Annus Sacerdotalis [Year for Priests], I urge you to hold up to your priests his example of dedication to prayer, pastoral sensitivity towards the needs of his flock, and passion for preaching the Gospel. You yourselves should set a similar example. Be close to your priests, and rekindle their sense of the enormous privilege and joy of standing among the people of God as alter Christus. In Newman’s words, "Christ’s priests have no priesthood but His … what they do, He does; when they baptize, He is baptizing; when they bless, He is blessing" (Parochial and Plain Sermons, VI 242). Indeed, since the priest plays an irreplaceable role in the life of the Church, spare no effort in encouraging priestly vocations and emphasizing to the faithful the true meaning and necessity of the priesthood. Encourage the lay faithful to express their appreciation of the priests who serve them, and to recognize the difficulties they sometimes face on account of their declining numbers and increasing pressures. The support and understanding of the faithful is particularly necessary when parishes have to be merged or Mass times adjusted. Help them to avoid any temptation to view the clergy as mere functionaries but rather to rejoice in the gift of priestly ministry, a gift that can never be taken for granted.

These words apply aptly here in the United States as well. Our bishops NEED to be close to their priests and deacons. No one is suggesting that the dignity and honor accorded someone who possesses the fullness of the priesthood as a successor of the apostles be denied or diluted. On the contrary, we priests and deacons WANT to honor and show respect to our superiors but we also want to know and see that they care for us, not as mere employees but as spiritual sons.  Bishops are not managers or corporate executives. They are shepherds and spiritual fathers. They govern, teach and sanctify. They are the pastor of the local church we call a diocese. The business model of ecclesiolog which permeated the American church in the 1970's and lingers even today is not biblical nor theological. It is sociological but is also detrimental. The church does business but she is more than a business herself. She is the spotless bride of Christ. Holy Mother Church is much more than a flow chart of responsibilities.  Mission statements cannot replace divine law or divine revelation.  When clergy are in spiritual need, in deed, even when they are in trouble, they need a FATHER to counsel them, to correct them, to discipline them, to forgive them and to love and affirm them.  Managers and bureaucrats cannot do that.  Good shepherds love and know their sheep and do NOT act like hired hands.  Pastors will practice what they themselves experience. If the bishop and diocese act and work merely as a business or local government, then that model will extend to parish life. IF however, the family style of relationship where the father is the head of the family is used by bishops to his priests, priests and deacons will do likewise in the parish. Not democracy or republic but FAMILY as God Himself ordained.

Perennially Valid

  Dr. Ralph McInerny

Doctor Ralph McInerny was a professor of philosophy and the Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He died on January 29th, 2010, at the age of 80. An unabashed Thomist, Professor McInerny never hid his love and commitment to the philosophy often referred to in Church documents as being PERENNIALLY VALID. Thomism is more than the personal thoughts of Saint Thomas Aquinas. It is the entire perspective of moderate realism based on the Aristotelian principle that reality can and must be objectively known. The rational intellect abstracts via the senses from individual objects universal ideas that are known and knowable only to the rational mind.

Former President of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, Dr. McInerny debated vigorously attempts to 'modernize' Thomism by adapting it to Kantian philosophy (aka, Transcendental Thomism). He preferred a more pure presentation and application of the Angelic Doctor's philosophy in the tradition of Jacques Maritain and Etienne Gilson.

Author of the "Father Dowling Mysteries", he also wrote commentaries on how the so-called 'spirit of Vatican II' was used by some modernists to distort the real spirit found in the actual text sixteen documents of the Council.

He will be sorely missed and was a beacon of hope at Notre Dame showing that one still can be orthodox and a devout Catholic, loyal to the Magisterium and Roman Pontiff while teaching at that infamous institution.

REST IN PEACE.

Pope: Catholic priests should blog - UPI.com

Pope: Catholic priests should blog - UPI.com

Pope to priests: Go forth and blog - washingtonpost.com

Pope to priests: Go forth and blog - washingtonpost.com

VIS-Press releases

VIS-Press releases

The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World

Human Life International

Human Life International

Real Priests for Our Age

Pravda & TASS reincarnated

Once thought dead after the Cold War ended, the propaganda journalism of the former Soviet Union (Pravda and TASS news agency) can now be rediscovered in American magazines.
 
Krista Gesaman wrote in Newsweek (at 7:15 am) on Friday, January 22, 2010 an article entitled:
Who’s Missing at the 'Roe v. Wade' Anniversary Demonstrations? Young Women

Quoting  a D.C. cop, the Newsweek author says:
"The organizers are getting older, and it’s more difficult for them to walk a long distance,” says Stanley Radzilowski, an officer in the planning unit for the Washington, D.C., police department. A majority of the participants are in their 60s and were the original pioneers either for or against the case, he says."

Curiously, though, the Vigil Mass for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception had 1,000 priests, a hundred deacons, 400 seminarians and at least 4,000 young people (in addition to the middle aged and senior citizens who also attended).  More interesting is that the article was written BEFORE anyone got to the Mall for the speeches (which were at 12 noon)  Thousands of youth attended a Mass at the Verizon Center at 10 am and when the March began moving toward the Supreme Court, there was at least a crowd of at least a quarter million if not 400,000.  Do these images look like people from a nursing home? 

    

   

     

 
Fr Vincent Rigdon, Fr Michael Roach,  Fr John Trigilio,  Fr Ken Brighenti

Catholic chuckles

  

The Recovering Dissident Catholic: All Hands On Deck!

The Recovering Dissident Catholic: All Hands On Deck!

tu es sacerdos in aeternum

hence, if Father is not a pervert or heretic, and if he can and will celebrate the Sacraments validly, licitly and reverently, who cares what his age or temperment; whether he was trained in Rome or at some local seminary; whether a Monsignor or just a parish priest? In some dioceses, however, personality and politics have too much influence on transfers, assigments and resignations.

Archbishop Burke, Frs. Withoos & Brighenti

 

Clergy Conference flashback

   

       

    

    

YEAR FOR PRIESTS international clergy conference a COMPLETE SUCCESS

The first and historic joint meeting of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (of America) and the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy took place last week (January 4th - 8th, in the Year of Our Lord, 2010) in Rome. This was the very first time an international clergy conference was convened for priests and deacons of English speaking countries. Not only did the CCC and ACCC get together, but another confraternity was officially inaugurated for the whole of Ireland, Scotland & Great Britain.

Over 80 clerics attended the gathering held in the Vatican at Domus Sanctae Marthae (the residence of the Cardinals during a papal conclave). Speakers included Msgr. Guido Marini (Papal Master of Ceremonies), Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, CO (Congregation of Divine Worship), Fr. Timothy Finigan (Hermeneutic of Continuity Blogger), Fr. Paul Murray, OP (Professor at the Angelicum), Fr. Robert Dodaro, OSA (Professor at the Augustinianum), Fr. Joseph Carola, SJ (Professor from the Gregorianum), Msgr. Hans Feichtinger (CDF, aka the Holy Office), Fr. Paul Gunter, OSB (Professor at San Anselmo).

Each day we were blessed with magnificent music and singing from the Lassus Scholars who performed Palestrina, Mozart, Haydn, et al. for Solemn Vespers and for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (both Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite). Main Celebrants and Preachers included their Eminences Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos and Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera; their Graces Archbishop Joseph Augustus Di Noia, OP and Archbishop Raymond Burke. These took place at the Vatican (St. Peter's Basilica), Basilica of St. John Lateran, and at Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Father John Walshe (Chairman of the ACCC) and myself (President of the CCC) were extremely pleased at the turnout from clergy of the Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland and Switzerland. The sacerdotal fraternity was infectious. We laughed together and prayed together. We listened to excellent speakers talk on matters of divine worship and priestly spirituality. We discussed ways to promote ongoing spiritual, theological, pastoral and human formation among ourselves as Catholic Clergy.

We simultaneously renewed our consecration of our priesthood to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Queen of the Clergy and Mother of Priests. We pledged our unconditional loyalty and obedience to the Magisterium and the Roman Pontiff. We promised to pray for each other and to support one another as brothers in Holy Orders.

Two Australian Bishops came along as participants as they had been priest members of the ACCC before being consecrated to the episcopacy. Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett and Bishop Luc Matthys joined us for meals, conference talks, prayers, etc., and were most edifying and inspiring in their priestly zeal for their ordained brethren.

Fr. Mark Withoos with the assistance of Fr. Glen Tattersall coordinated the event, planned the divine liturgies, and put up with a bunch of clerics all week (fate worse than death). Despite that, they never lost their cool or demeanor. Both men handled obstacles, surprises, mishaps and human errors with great dignity. Triple tips of the biretta to Fr. Withoos for getting the Cardinals, Basilicas, and the Vatican to accommodate our international clergy conference.

We voted unanimously to return to the Eternal City every five years (a priestly version of the episcopal quinquennial) as an international gathering of English speaking clergy (priests, deacons and bishops) while still maintaining our annual national gatherings in the years between.

Msgr. Guido Marini got the loudest and longest standing ovation of all our speakers. They were ALL magnificent, erudite and very orthodox. But the Papal Master of Ceremonies hit a Grand Slam home-run with his talk on the the reform of the reform. Six candles and an altar crucifix are not distractions but means to enhance focus on the DIVINE rather than the mundane. Banal and pedestrian melodrama often seen in modern parishes was nowhere to be found this past week.

The esprit de corps of our group truly reflected the ethos of the YEAR FOR PRIESTS. Just being in the Pope's backyard, so to speak, made it a most memorable and cherished experience for all of us who attended. Being at the Vatican, seeing the Holy Father (we attended the Papal Mass for Epiphany at Saint Peter's), visiting the other historic churches in Rome, listening to sound speakers, having delicious Italian meals, etc., made this week special to be sure, but it was the priests and deacons themselves that made it a joy. Fr Ken Brighenti (Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD) and I left rejuvenated, renewed and refreshed. Fraternal support and ongoing formation, especially spiritual direction, confession and theological study are absolutely indispensable to priests and deacons today and tomorrow. The ACCC and the CCC exist for one purpose, to support the ordained clergy. Seeing that what most of us already do in our respective parishes and oratories coincides with papal procedures (six candles and a standing crucifix on the altar), then we know we are in VERY GOOD COMPANY. Venerable Pope John Paul the Great and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI are more than heroes to us, they are full, supreme, universal and immediate leaders who shepherd the flock and who deserve our unconditional support and obedience. It was like a SUMMIT MEETING of orthodox and traditional clergy who have come in from the 'Cold War' and are ready and willing to defend Holy Mother Church, both in good times and in bad.

The location, the talks, the food, the music, the accommodations, the weather, the camaraderie, were exceptional and I HIGHLY encourage my brother priests and deacons to seriously plan on coming to Rome in 2015 for our second international clergy conference. Just listening to the various American, Australian, Irish, Scottish and British accents made the week fun and proved our countries are only divided by one language. One Aussie quipped that it was equivalent to a Clerical WYD but in cassocks and lace surplice. An American said it was like a high church B16-alooza, with all the substance and accidents; with full plumage and ceremony. Catholicism at it's best, from orthodox teachings to sublime liturgies; from full reverence to utter elegance and beauty.

Aside from the quinquennial international conferences and the annual national gatherings, the CCC also encourages MONTHLY local meetings where priests and deacons can gather for an afternoon of prayer, study and fraternity. We just started one at Mount St. Mary Seminary (Emmitsburg, MD) on the last Wednesday of the month. The Los Angeles chapter has been consistently meeting for decades. Others can be found around the nation and new ones can be started tomorrow. No matter if it is only TWO guys, it is important to foster ongoing formation and to give fraternal support to each other.

P.S. the food was, obviously, equally superb and most of us are now in pasta withdrawal and in need of a passiagato.

THERE WERE SEVERAL UNFORESEEN AND UNEXPECTED EXPENSES INCURRED FOR THIS INTERNATIONAL CLERGY CONFERENCE. A FEW PEOPLE HELPED WITH THEIR GENEROUS DONATIONS BUT WE COULD USE MORE ASSISTANCE IF ANYONE WISHES TO HELP PROMOTE A SOLIDLY ORTHODOX AND TOTALLY REVERENT ASSOCIATION OF CLERGY. EMAIL AT catholic.clergy@gmail.com

Pope wants crucifix at the centre of ALL westward-facing altars during Mass, says papal MC. So why do our bishops ignore him?

Pope wants crucifix at the centre of ALL westward-facing altars during Mass, says papal MC. So why do our bishops ignore him?

Tridentine liturgies being celebrated in Rome | National Catholic Reporter

Tridentine liturgies being celebrated in Rome | National Catholic Reporter

CNS STORY: Papal liturgist endorses 'reform of the reform' of the liturgy

CNS STORY: Papal liturgist endorses 'reform of the reform' of the liturgy

Papal liturgist endorses 'reform of the reform' | National Catholic Reporter

Papal liturgist endorses 'reform of the reform' | National Catholic Reporter

Clergy Conference in Rome: Video of Solemn Pontifical Mass of Cardinal Canizares Llovera, Lateran Archbasilica [Updated]

Clergy Conference in Rome: Video of Solemn Pontifical Mass of Cardinal Canizares Llovera, Lateran Archbasilica [Updated]

Clergy Conference in Rome: Address of Msgr. Guido Marini, Papal Master of Ceremonies

Clergy Conference in Rome: Address of Msgr. Guido Marini, Papal Master of Ceremonies

Tis the Season

    

Two wonderful people have generously donated checks ($500 each) to the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy to help defray expenses of our upcoming international conference in Rome, January 4th - 8th, 2010, in celebration of the YEAR FOR PRIESTS.  If anyone is still in the giving mood and ability, we are still accepting any and all gifts and donations for this historic event. For the first time ever, Catholic clergy from Australia, United States, Canada, Ireland and Great Britain are gathering together under one banner to study, pray, discuss and celebrate the PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. More than 80 clerics from English speaking countries are making pilgrimage to the Eternal City to foster ongoing spiritual, theological and pastoral formation in a fraternal setting. The American and the Australian CCC have a combined registered membership of over 1,000 ordained men who publicly profess their loyalty to the Roman Pontiff and their total obedience to the Magisterium under the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Clergy and Mother of Priests. PLEASE KEEP ALL OF US IN YOUR PRAYERS THE WEEK OF JAN. 4th and we shall do likewise.

If any of my brother priests and deacons from the CCC would like to march together under the banner of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy on January 22nd, at the March for Life in Washington, DC, please email me so we can decide where to meet. I know many priests accompany their parishes or schools but just in case there are some floaters out there, hopefully we can connect before the rally moves up the boulevard toward the Supreme Court.

for more info, contact

Fr John Trigilio, Jr
President

catholic.clergy@gmail.com

Veni Veni Emmanuel

HELP A PRIEST during this YEAR FOR PRIESTS

During this YEAR FOR PRIESTS, the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (a national association of priests and deacons seeking to promote ongoing spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation of its members in a fraternal setting) asks for your assistance. First and foremost, we ask for your PRAYERS. Secondly, we could use any financial assistance you are able to provide.

During this YEAR FOR PRIESTS, please consider the following suggestions:

1. In honor of the institution of Holy Orders on Holy Thursday at the Last Supper, make a Eucharistic Holy Hour before a tabernacle or exposed Blessed Sacrament on one Thursday every month. During that hour, pray for all the priests who have been helpful to you and pray for the mediocre and bad ones who have not that they would repent and become better priests before it is too late.

2. On every Thursday (except Solemnities) voluntarily abstain from meat OR fast (one full meal for the day with two smaller ones) and offer up that mortification for the sanctification of all priests, for future priests (seminarians), for sick and infirm priests, for suffering priests, and for the perseverance of good priests to continue.

3. IF POSSIBLE, consider sponsoring a priest or at least make a donation to the CCC to help defray the costs of our upcoming conference in Rome. We are gathering January 4th - 8th, 2010 with our compatriots from the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy and a few priests from Britain and Ireland as well. Each member pays his own airfare and conference fees but combined those costs can easily add up to $2,000. Your generous gift can help a priest or deacon who otherwise might not be able to afford this once in a lifetime experience. We also need to offset some of our expenses, so any and all donations are greatly appreciated. Please email me if you are interested and able to proved any financial assistance. (catholic.clergy@gmail.com)

4. PLEASE make an effort to pray a rosary and divine mercy chaplet each day during our conference (January 4th to 8th, 2010). Your prayers and the powerful intercession of Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy and Mother of Priests, will be our greatest asset during this YEAR FOR PRIESTS.

Yes, we know that some of our colleagues have not behaved as they should have nor have they taught or preached with clarity and in conformity to the Catechism. Some have debased the Holy Mass into a personality cult or have diluted it into a pedestrian and banal performance rather than a supreme act of divine worship and Holy Sacrifice. While it is easy to identify the recalcitrant miscreants, it is nevertheless imperative that the faithful clergy be encouraged and supported since often they are the most maligned, attacked, persecuted and criticized by diocesan bureaucrats and ecclesiastical sycophants. We NEED YOU, our beloved faithful laity and religious, to pray for us and to support us every way possible. The heterodox dissidents who violate Ex Corde Ecclesiae have more power and influence in the press and with a handful of those higher up in the clerical food chain often appear to be in control but they are the minority and are becoming an endangered species. Newly ordained and those of us JP2 clergy have seen the abuses of the 'spirit of Vatican II' while we are cognizant of the actual content of the real 'documents of Vatican II'. Older and middle aged priests and deacons, though, are also realizing the deception foisted upon them by a few self-anointed experts who distorted the words of Vatican II and manipulated the spirit to promote their own agenda. John Paul the Great and Benedict XVI have ushered a real Renaissance in the Church where LEX ORANDI, LEX CREDENDI, LEX VIVENDI is restored in all its fullness. Reverent worship + orthodox teaching + holy living is the guaranteed formula for personal sanctity and eternal happiness.

IF nothing else, please say at least one Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory Be every Thursday during this YEAR FOR PRIESTS so that all us priests can become BETTER priests so we can BETTER serve Almighty God, Holy Mother Church and the People of God.

Father John Trigilio, Jr.
President
Confraternity of Catholic Clergy
121 William St
Marysville, PA 17053

Grazie; Danke; Gracias; Domo; Merci; Dziękuję

As our nation celebrates THANKSGIVING, it behooves us as Catholic Christians to ponder what that word really means. We know that the word "Eucharist" comes from the Greek word for 'thanksgiving' but most people never get beyond that.

Using the via negativa method (which Aquinas was fond of) we first see what thanksgiving or gratitude is NOT.

It is not QUID PRO QUO in the same way I pay someone ten dollars to shovel snow off my driveway. Barter or commerce is based on a mutual agreement of exchange of money, services or materials for something of equal value. The donor, unlike the merchant, acts spontaneously and gives without restrictions. The recipient, unlike the customer, is expected to realize it is a gift, not payment.

It is not mere formality or just good manners. Saying 'thank you' is a necessary component, not the only one, however. At the same time, they are not just words one should speak casually like 'hello' and 'good-bye'.

It is not an option. The Angelic Doctor says gratitude is a form of justice. We owe the giver of a gift our gratitude. To NOT be grateful is to be an INGRATE. Ingratitude is more than rude and impolite, it is also UNJUST. Morally, though not legally, we are obliged to be grateful, to express our appreciation and to demonstrate it in a tangible way (often called repaying the favor).

It is not restricted to expensive or only very valuable gifts. One should not be grateful only for big things, but as Saint Therese of the Little Flower reminds us, we should be grateful for all things, big and small, that come from the Lord.

Saint Thomas lists three degrees of gratitude in his Summa Theologica.

a) RECOGNITION of the gift or favor bestowed
b) EXPRESSION of appreciation (verbal or written 'thank you')
c) DEMONSTRATION of gratitude (symbolic or ritual)

A man reaches the first degree of ingratitude when he "fails to repay a favor;
the second when he declines to notice and indicate that he has received a favor;
the third and supreme degree is when a man fails to recognize the reception of a favor, whether by forgetting it or in any other way."

Further, ingratitude turns into the opposite of gratitude; hence:

"it belongs to the first degree of ingratitude to return evil for good, to the second to find fault with a favor received, and to the third to esteem kindness as though it were unkindness."

You and I ought to be GRATEFUL to God for creating us; for redeeming us; and for the many times He forgives us. We also ought to appreciate the many gifts and blessings He has given us. Ironically, many times we focus on what we do NOT have but what someone else has. We ENVY others' possessions while not appreciating what we do have ourselves. Saying grace before and after meals and going to church one day a week is not even the bare minimum but pathetically, it is the full extent some so-called Christians are willing to do.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the supreme and most perfect, eloquent and proper manner in which human beings can show their appreciation and gratitude to God. The Scriptures and prayers and hymns remind us of WHAT we should be grateful for and WHY. The worship of God is HOW we express that gratitude. Kneeling, genuflecting, bowing, etc., are part of that. Giving an hour or more of your time as many days as you can is the best sign possible. This is why we do NOT go to Mass for what we GET out of it, rather, we go to GIVE BACK to God what we OWE Him, i.e., worship, adoration, gratitude, honor, etc.

If we neglect to thank human beings for all gifts, large and small, then we will eventually omit our thanks to God and vice versa. INGRATITUDE is not merely bad manners, it is an act of INJUSTICE. So, on this Thanksgiving Day, let us pray we can all be grateful to God and our family and friends for every GIFT given to us. After BEING grateful, let us EXPRESS our thanks and let us perform ACTS of gratitude as well. Holy Hours, Rosaries, Pilgrimages, Litanies, Novenas, et al. are wonderful ways to show God our thanks.

Doing unexpected or spontaneous favors for others in return for their previous acts of kindness and generosity are things we can do to each other. It is important to DO it and to allow others to do it TO US as well. This is why we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and why we exchange gifts at Christmas and why we have going away parties for people when they leave or move or are transferred.

And that simple "thank you" to the waitress, waiter, cab or bus driver, flight attendant, office secretary, postal worker, delivery-man, cashier, nurse, etc., can become more than just an exercise in politeness. Christians need to be polite because it shows RESPECT and that is one way to demonstrate our LOVE OF NEIGHBOR. You cannot love someone you do not respect. Hence, even in Old Testament as well as in Gospel times, hospitality was more than good manners. It was a sign of faithfulness to the covenant.

I want to thank by former Bishop Kevin Rhoades for his five years as shepherd of our Diocese (Harrisburg). Our loss is Fort Wayne-South Bend's gain. We will painfully miss him. Orthodox and reverent AND respectful. And while we give thanks today for all God's blessings (life, faith, family & friends), in this YEAR FOR PRIESTS I thank the Good Lord for giving me a priestly vocation and I thank him for my priests friends, especially my classmate, co-author and best friend Fr. Ken Brighenti; my mentor, Fr. Bob Levis and very dear friend and diocesan colleague, Fr. Dennis Dalessandro.