Sister Faustina’s name is forever linked to the annual feast of Divine Mercy, which is the Sunday after Easter, the Divine Mercy chaplet and the Divine Mercy prayer prayed each day at 3 p.m. by many faithful.

She was the third of 10 children born in Poland with her father as a carpenter and a peasant.  Her family was poor, but very religious.  At the age of seven she was called to the religious life while attending the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  She wanted to enter the convent as a young girl, but her parents would not give her permission, but rather they wanted her to work as a housekeeper and support the family.

In 1924 at the age of 17 Faustina went to a dance with her sister, Natalia.  During the dance Faustina experienced her first vision of Jesus Christ.  Faustina saw him suffering and then went to the Cathedral.  According to Faustina, Jesus instructed her to leave for Warsaw immediately and join a convent.

When she arrived in Warsaw, she entered Saint James Church, the first church she came across and attended Mass.  While in that city, she approached many different convents, but was turned away each time.  She was judged by her appearance and sometimes rejected for her poverty.

Finally, the mother superior of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy decided to take in Faustina on that condition that she pay for her religious habit. Working as a housekeeper, Faustina began to save money and make deposits to the Convent.  At the age of 20 she finally received her habit and took the religious name of Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament and in 1928 she took her first religious vows as a nun.

Three years later in 1931 Sister Faustina was visited again by Jesus, who presented himself as the “King of Divine Mercy.”  In her diary, Sister Faustina wrote, “In the evening in my cell, I become aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment.  One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast.  From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other blue.  After a while, Jesus said to me, “paint an image according  to the pattern you see with the inscription:  Jesus, I trust in You.”

In the same message Jesus explained that he wanted the Divine Mercy message to be “solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.”  Three years later the picture was painted and Sister Faustina took her final vows and became a perpetual sister of Our Lady of Mercy.  Sister Faustina had written in her diary, “Oh incomprehensible in mercy towards the poor soul.  I have received this order through him who is for me Your representative on earth, who interprets your holy will to me.  Jesus, you see how difficult it is for me to write, but you given the order to write, O God, that is enough for me.”

In 1937 the first holy cards with the Divine Mercy image were created and Sister Faustina provided instructions for the Novena of Divine Mercy, which she reported as a message from Jesus Christ.  This image and novena began to become very popular.  In late 1937 Sister Faustina fell ill and died on October 5, 1938 at the age of 33.  She was buried at the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland.

Under the obedience of her superiors, beginning in 1934, she diligently wrote down the visions and private revelations in six notebooks.  These revelations are now in a single book called The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska:  Divine Mercy in My Soul.  In this diary, Saint Faustina articulates how Jesus wants devotion of his Mercy to spread.

The first way is by meditating upon the image of Divine Mercy.  This image of Jesus with the two rays of light shining from his heart, one blue and one red, signifying the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist.  This image was to venerated and honored throughout the world.  The goal of praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the second way,  is to obtain mercy, trust in Christ’s mercy, and showing mercy to others.

For others the 3 o’clock hour is important, the hour that Jesus died and poured forth his mercy on us.  At this time the prayer is recited.  Finally, Jesus wanted to raise up apostles of mercy, who both live mercifully toward others and help spread devotion to his Mercy.

In 1965 Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla, who would later become Pope John Paul II, opened up the first investigations into the life of Faustina’ life and virtues.  He requested that the beatification process to begin.  One of the miracles attributed to Sister Faustina was a woman, Maureen Digan, of Massachusetts who was cured of lymphedema after praying at Sister Faustina’s tomb.

St. Faustina was beatified in 1993 and canonized in 2000 both by Pope St. John Paul II.  She was honored as “the first saint of the new millennium.”  Her feast day is October 5th, and she is the patron saint of Mercy.  However, she is always remembered on Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the Sunday after Easter.

On the evening of Holy Thursday, the Church celebrates the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which commemorates Christ’s Passover meal with his apostles the night before he died.  Thie Mass celebrates the institution of the Eucharist, the sacramental gift of the Church of Christ’s Body and Blood presented in the transformation of bread and wine.  Also, in this Mass there is the institution of the priesthood which took place before Jesus was crucified. This occurred in the Upper Room at the Last Supper, which was the first Mass, when Jesus said, “Do this in memory of me.”  At that precise moment the Apostles were transformed into the first priests as well as the first Bishops.

During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and after the homily, the priest washes the feet of members of the congregation, remembering Christ washing the feet of his apostles.  This washing of the feet signifies the priest’s role as a servant, just as Jesus did with his disciples —  “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet.   You ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you a model to follow so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

In the time of St. Ambrose in Milan, those who were baptized also had their feet washed, because of Jesus’s words to Peter:  “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed” (John 13:10).  Many theologians see a baptismal reference in these words.   Extra hosts are consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper to be used on Good Friday when no Mass will be celebrated.  Holy Thursday is often called “Maundy Thursday” which comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “mandate.”

So, on this day Christ gave us this new mandate:  “I give you a new commandment love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”  The Mass does not end.  There is no dismissal or final blessing.  After the Mass on Holy Thursday, the altar is stripped and all decorations are removed.  The Blessed Sacrament is taken from the tabernacle on the main altar and processed to the “altar of repose,” a place where the consecrated Hosts are kept, away from the main altar where Mass is normally celebrated.  The sanctuary candle or paschal candle is extinguished and darkened and not relit until the Easter Vigil.  Many parishes will allow people to stay and pray before the reposed Eucharist at this altar of repose late into the night, remembering Jesus’ request in the Garden of Gethsemane for someone to “watch and pray” with Him.  Also, in some churches images of the saints are either kept hidden or veiled until the Easter Vigil.  Votive lights before these statues are not lit.  Crucifixes are hidden and those that are not movable are veiled until the Easter Vigil.

On Good Friday Catholics remember the Passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  It is a mandatory day of fasting and abstinence.  Mass is not celebrated on this day.  The ceremony is a communion service since Good Friday is the only day of the year during which no Masses are offered.  However, Holy Communion, which is reserved in the tabernacle on the altar of repose is distributed at the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.  The  celebration traditionally occurs at 3 pm, about the death of Jesus, and consists of three parts:  the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion.

During the Liturgy of the Word the Passion account of the suffering and crucifixion of Christ is given.  The second part is the Veneration of the Cross, which is honored individually by each parishioner during which the priest and the faithful kneel before a cross and kiss it. The third part is Holy Communion and the Eucharist given had been consecrated at the Mass on Holy Thursday.  At the conclusion the priest and people depart in silence and the altar cloth is removed, leaving the altar bare.

On Holy Saturday there are no daytime Masses.  It is a day of fasting, mediation and sorrow before the Easter Vigil begins that evening.  On this day Christ is in the tomb.  In the Apostles Creed we pray “He descended into hell” which is translated “hades”  which is the temporary abode of the dead, not the eternal lake of fire.  During this time Jesus between the time of his burial and Resurrection descended into this realm of the dead to save the righteous souls such as Adam, Eve and the Old Testament Patriarch who died before the crucifixion.  This was the last phase of Jesus’s messianic mission during which he opened the gates of heaven for the just who had gone before him.

On this day our thoughts and hearts should be with the Blessed Mother reliving what had happened on Good Friday.  We should enter into the Sorrowful Heart of Mary, who stood at the foot of the cross and relived the Passion, suffering and death of her son, Jesus Christ.  During Good Friday and Holy Saturday it is recommended that the priest and parishioners have a communal celebration of the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer.  The Office, formerly called “Tenebrae,” was a special devotion of the faithful who meditated on the passion, death and burial of Christ, awaiting the announcement of the Resurrection.  The word “Tenebrae” means “shadows, gloom and darkness.”

On the Easter Vigil which is held after nightfall of Holy Saturday, is the anticipation of the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus.  This Mass consists of four parts.  The first is the Service of the Lights as the Mass begins outside the church around a large fire.  This fire signifies the radiance of the Risen Christ dispelling the darkness of sin and death.  The Paschal candle is blessed and lit.  This Paschal candle will be used during the Easter Season, remaining in the sanctuary of the church during the Eater Season and then it is removed and used throughout the rest of the year at baptism and funerals, reminding all that Christ is the light of life.

Once the candle has been lit, there follows the ancient rite of the Lucenarium, which is the candle carried by the priest throughout the dark church stopping three times to chant an acclamation as “Christ is our Light” to which the parishioners respond, “Thanks be to God.”  As the candle proceeds throughout the church, the baptized light their candles from the flame of the Paschal candle.  Once the procession has reached the sanctuary of the altar, with the church lit only by candle light, the “Exultet,” which is the “Easter Proclamation” is intoned.

The second part of the Vigil consists of the Liturgy of the Word in which seven readings from the Old Testament are read.  Each reading is followed by a psalm and a prayer which relate what has been read in the Old Testament to the Mystery of Jesus Christ.  After the readings, the “Gloria” is sung for the first time since before Lent, with the exception of Holy Thursday, which is the only time it is heard in the 40 days of Lent.  The opening prayer is read.  Then there is the Epistle to the Romans followed by the chanting of Psalm 118.  The “Alleluia” is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent before the Gospel is read.  Then, the Gospel of the Resurrection is proclaimed.

The third part is the Rite of Christian Initiation during which people, who desire to be full members of the Church and have completed their formation, become members of the Church.  The Initiation celebration consists of the Baptismal Liturgy, Confirmation and renewal of Baptismal vows of all present.  Then, later during the Liturgy of the Eucharist some receive their First Communion.  On Easter Sunday there are many Masses celebrating the Resurrection of Christ.  Many people attend Mass celebrating the Victory of the Cross in which we are saved by the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Try to attend some or all of these liturgies during this holy time of the three days before Christ’s Resurrection.

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

The scriptures mention nothing of St. Joseph’s age and previous life.  However, one early tradition believes that he was an older man and a widower with children from a previous marriage.  Most of our information about Saint Joseph, “the silent man” comes from the first two chapters of St. Matthew’s Gospel.  There are two major feast days in his honor. On March 19th our veneration is directed to him as being an important part of redemption, while on May 1st we honor him as the patron of workers throughout the world.

Saint Joseph was an ordinary manual laborer, a carpenter, although descended from the royal house of David.  The angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as “the son of David,” a royal title used also for Jesus Christ.

According to God he was to become the spouse of the Mother of God.  Sacred Scripture describes him as a “just man” which indicates how faithful he was to protecting and guarding the lives of Mary and Jesus.  He was not rich as he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified as he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).

We know that Saint Joseph was a compassionate man when we find out that Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, and he knew the child was not his but was not yet aware that she was carrying the Son of God.  He knew any women accused of adultery could be stoned, so he resolved to send her away quietly to not expose her to shame.

However, when an angel came to Joseph in a dream, the angel told him that “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20).  He did as the angel told him and took Mary as his wife.

When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything and fled to a strange country with his young wife and baby.  He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to return home.  We also know that St. Joseph searched with anxiety for Jesus when the Messiah was teaching in the Temple (Luke 2:48).

The symbols associated with St. Joseph are a carpenter’s square and a lily.  The carpenter’s square symbolizes Joseph’s job as a carpenter and also the concept of truth.  The lily is over a logo over the letter J represents purity and Joseph’s celibate marriage to the Virgin Mary.

Liturgical veneration of St. Joseph began in the 15th century and was fostered by St. Brigid of Sweden and St. Bernadine of Siena.  St. Teresa of Avila also did much to further his cult.

In 1870 Pius IX declared him patron and protector of the universal family of the Church.  On the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis proclaimed a Year of St. Joseph beginning December 8, 2020 until December 8, 2021.  In fact, St. Joseph was essentially the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father.  He protected Jesus and acted as his father and protector and provider throughout his whole life.   He is also the patron saint of the dying because Jesus and Mary were at his death bed.

On March 19th a table full of good Italian food honoring St. Joseph is a traditional Sicilian custom.  The feast of San Giuseppe began in the Middle Ages when Sicily was suffering from a severe drought and the people begged St. Jospeh for rain.  When they received rainy weather, they held a huge feast in honor of St. Jospeh.  Today, Sicilians go to Mass on St. Jospeh’s Day and have their tables decked out with flowers, breads and all sorts of Italian foods.  The priest often comes and blesses the table and all shout:  “Long live Saint Joseph!”  Saint Joseph, Patron of Our Church, pray for us.

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

I humbly relate to you that I am a Missionary of Mercy chosen by Pope Francis to help people to celebrate this powerful sacrament. I have found that all of the doubt, fear and confusion surrounding confession is because of two grave misunderstandings: that my sin is only about me so I do not have to talk to a priest and that confession is a shameful and hurtful encounter.

Many question the need to confess to a priest as opposed to confessing to God just in private prayer and others have heard stories of negative experiences in the confessional. We are all sinners; however, with a good confession we receive the grace to resist sin and we learn humility by having to confess our sins to another person.

In addition, confession prepares us to receive the Holy Eucharist. Those who approach the Sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offenses committed against him and then are reconciled with the Church, which they have wounded by their sins, and by charity, example and prayer that helps for their conversion.

This sacrament has also been called the Sacrament of Conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus’s call to conversion, which is the first step to return to the Father from whom we have strayed.  In this sacrament, the essential element is that one discloses his sins to a priest.  Afterward, the priest absolves the penitent of his sins and asks him to perform an act of reparation or penance for the sins committed.  Finally, the penitent is reconciled with God and the Church.

The origin of Confession is found in the New Testament. In Matthew 3:2 John the Baptist shouts, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Jesus spreads this message by forgiving the sins of people He encountered. The woman who was caught in the act of adultery in John 8 is saved from being stoned by Jesus who tells her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on do not sin anymore” (John 8:11).

Even after his Resurrection, He told the Apostles to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His name to all the nations (Luke 24:47). In fact, the Sacrament was instituted on Easter evening as Jesus appeared to his disciples showing himself to the apostles and telling them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23).

Conversion to Christ occurs in our new birth of Baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit and later with the Body  and Blood of Christ who received as food have made us “holy and without blemish,” just as the Church is.  Nevertheless, the new life received has not changed our frailties and weaknesses of human nature, nor the inclination to sin which the tradition calls “concupiscence.”

Baptism is the first call to conversion. However, our other conversions are an uninterrupted task for the whole Church which is to have a contrite heart that is drawn to and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first. We saw Saint Peter’s conversion after he denied Jesus three times and after his Resurrection, there was a threefold affirmation of the love of God for Peter.

The second version is for the entire church to “Repent!”  Repentance for our sins is radical reorientation of our whole life, a return to God with all of our heart, an end to sins, a turning away from evil and the bad actions we have committed. At the same time it entails a desire and resolution to change one’s life with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace. We get a new heart as God gives us the strength to begin again.  Only God can forgive sins through the words of his priest. The ecclesial dimension of the task is expressed in His words to St. Peter, “I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind one earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).  So, reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from our reconciliation with God.

The disclosure of sins even from a human point of view frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others.  Through one’s admission one looks at sins which that person is guilty of, takes responsibility for them and opens himself again to God and the communion of the Church to have a new future possible.  Confession to a priest is essential part of this sacrament.  The confessor is not the master of God’s forgiveness, but its servant. He stands in for God. He has to have respect and sensitivity to the one who has fallen, love the truth, and be faithful to the Church. He, then, leads the penitent with patience and love to healing and fully maturity. The priest must pray and do penance for his penitents, entrusting them to the mercy of Christ.  Mortal sins must be confessed, but also confession of everyday faults, or venial sins, is recommended by the Church as it helps form our conscience, fight again evil and lets us be healed by grace and progress in the life of the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, the Sacrament of Reconciliation with God brings about a true strong spiritual resurrection, restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the child of God and affords the most precious gift which is friendship with God. Please go to Confession this Lent — Confession at least once a year is required for all, but make it a monthly practice in your faith always. Don’t be afraid, God is waiting for you with his love and mercy.

Your Missionary of Mercy, Father Gus

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

The new auxiliary bishops-elect are Father Keith J. Chylinski, Father Christopher R. Cooke and Father Efren V. Esmilla.  The Vatican announced this important information on December 8, 2023 on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. On that day Archbishop Nelson Pérez was “overjoyed to share this news” with all and continued saying that “the Church in her generosity, guided by the Spirit chose these three priests.”

The Archbishop added that these are “men of great faith, of great humility, of deep pastoral and administrative experience and they have zealous hearts.”

Bishops are the successors of the Apostles.  As the number of Apostles lessened due to martyrdom, their closest collaborators were chosen and appointed to their role in the community.  In the time of the Church Fathers, it was common for the clergy of a diocese to elect their Bishop.

Of course, this still occurs today in one instance when the College of Cardinals, the senior clergy of Rome, elects a new Pope of Rome.  During the Middle Ages the state demanded the right to select bishops as the episcopal office became more political than pastoral in nature.  Some countries today still maintain privileges of consultation on bishops nominated in their territories.

However, the decision to name Bishops is made by the Pope himself.  The current process for selecting bishops typically begins locally.  The Archbishop in this case typically inaugurates the process by submitting the request for auxiliary bishops to the Nuncio.  Usually a report is compiled with statistics of the Archdiocese giving a rationale for the need.  Auxiliary bishops are usually given to dioceses with large populations or other needs.

The Archbishop gives the names of possible candidates based on conferring with other priests and bishops of the Archdiocese.  The Apostolic Nuncio is the representative of the Pope in a particular country.  Then, the Nuncio deliberates on the candidates by consulting with various priests and officials of the diocese.  After the nuncio has reviewed all of this information, he composes a report of three candidates, called a “terna” in which he notes his preferences.  All of this material is studied by the Nuncio and his staff and then forwarded to the Vatican.

In Rome the candidates are discussed and a vote is taken. The Office at the Vatican can either support the Nuncio’s recommendation or not.  Then, the information is presented to the Pope.  At this final stage, the Pope can agree with the proposal, he may choose another candidate on the list, he may ask for a new “terna” to be submitted or more unlikely he could choose his own candidates.  After the Pope’s decision, the Nuncio contacts the priest in question if he would accept the appointment. If the answer is affirmative, the Nuncio arranges with the Holy See to set a date to make an announcement of the appointment.  Then, this list is submitted to the country’s Apostolic Nuncio.  Our Apostolic Nuncio is Cardinal Christophe Pierre.

Bishop-elect Chylinski has a bachelor’s degree in music from Temple University.  He has a master’s degree from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and also one from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia.  He has served as Rector of St. Charles Seminary since 2022.  Upon appointment, he stated that he would  “pray for wisdom and strength to do my small part as an instrument of Jesus Christ’s truth.”

Bishop-elect Cooke has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and he has a master’s degree from St. Charles Seminary.  Since 2021 he has served as Dean of the Theology Division of St. Charles Seminary.  Bishop-elect Cooke stated with great joy that we can “all grow together on our journeys as missionary disciples for Christ.”

Bishop-Elect Efren Esmilla has a bachelor’s degree from San Beda College in the Philippines and a master’s in divinity from St. Charles Seminary.  He is currently a pastor of St. James Parish  in Elkins Park and Saint Martin of Tours in Philadelphia.  He responded that “Jesus, I trust in you and I have come to serve.”

Congratulations and God Bless to all of our new Bishops.

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

The basis for this feast is found in the Gospel of Matthew`6:13-20 with a discourse between Jesus Christ and his disciples.  Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say I am?”  Simon responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  With that profession of faith, Jesus changes Simon’s name to “Peter” saying, “And I tell you, you are Peter, “Petros,” and on this rock “petra” I will build my church.”  In Greek the word “Peter” means a single movable stone.  The Greek work “petra” means a solid rock formation that is immovable and enduring.

So, Jesus converts Peter from a single stone to a solid, fixed and immovable foundation of rock on which the Church would be built and endure until the end of time.  Jesus also told Peter that He would give him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever he bound on earth would be bound in heaven, and whatever he loosened on earth, it would be loosened in Heaven.  Peter is singled out among the apostles to be the rock of Christ’s Church.  According to Jesus Christ, the Church will be so rock solid that the “gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it”(Matthew 16:18).  Although he is chosen by Jesus, Peter is a weak and fearful man.  For example, after Jesus is arrested, Peter denies him three times.  During the crucifixion Peter is not around.

After Jesus’s ascension into Heaven, Peter and the other disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  At that moment, Peter is more prepared for his mission.  He is the first to go forth to preach the Word of God in Jerusalem.  He became the first bishop of the newly evangelized city of Antioch and then he chose to go to Rome, becoming the first bishop of Rome.  In that city in AD 68 he would die a martyr, crucified upside down by Emperor Nero.

On the Pope’s authority, Vatican Councils I and II affirmed that when the pope speaks Ex Cathedra, “from the chair,” he speaks with authority of Saint Peter who was entrusted with full authority to teach and govern.  His teaching extends to all matters of faith and morals, and he governs the entire world as found in Lumen Gentium of Vatican II.  So, on every year on February 22nd, the Church celebrates the continuing role of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, beginning with St. Peter.  The use of the term “chair” comes from the Latin word “cathedra” which means the seat of government.

On this feast day the Church acknowledges that St. Peter was the first pope and that his mission continues through the Holy Father today.  His mission and that of each Pope is to care for the people of God, carry on the customs, rituals, teachings and truths of Jesus Christ, and to uphold the unity of the Church.  The Church proclaims that the authority given to St. Peter by Our Lord has been handed down to Peter’s successors for the past 2,000 years.  Happy Feast Day!

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent.  Lent is the time before Easter when Catholics prepare to commemorate Jesus’s Resurrection, through prayer, penance and fasting. Lent is the 40 days, excluding Sundays, leading up to Easter. The number “40” is significant as it refers to Jesus’s 40 days in the desert before beginning his ministry of teaching.

On Ash Wednesday Catholics receive ashes in the shape of a cross on their forehead or sprinkled on top of their head. These ashes come from the palms used during the previous year’s Palm Sunday Mass. They symbolize atonement, which is appropriate as Lent is a season of penance and it reminds us of our own mortality.  During the Mass as the priest or a lay minister applies the ashes, he says, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return” emphasizing the virtues of penance and humility. Everyone who attends Mass can receive ashes.

Ashes have a place of prominence in the Old Testament. They are an outward sign of an internal state of penance or mourning.  Some scriptural references are:

1 – “Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes” from Job 42:6

2 – “I turned to the Lord God to seek help, in prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes” Daniel 9:3.

3 – “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes” Jonah 3:6-7

This same practice continues after the coming of Jesus.  The practice of public penance was common in the Early Church. After confessing, a person would receive ashes on his head from the priest. The practice of wearing ashes to mark the beginning of Lent was first recorded during the time of St. Gregory the Great in the 6th Century. The Gregorian Sacramentary has the earliest known record of it, then known as the “Day of Ashes.” Pope Urban II recommended the practice be used universally throughout the Church in 1091.

Contrary to popular belief, Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics. However, many Catholics choose to attend Mass to mark the beginning of the Lenten season. Not eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent is mandatory for everyone from age 14 and older. Fasting is required by those between 18-59 years of age during Lent on Ash Wednesday and Fridays which means that one is permitted to eat one full meal and two smaller ones, that are not equal to the larger meal.

Lent is a time of spiritual preparation, self-examination and penance that leads up to the celebration of Easter. Catholics use this time to imitate Jesus’s 40 days in the desert. It is a time to deepen our relationship with God, seeking forgiveness of our sins and grow in our spiritual life. During this time Catholics should pray, fast and perform charitable acts or give charitable alms as a way to draw closer to God.

So about this conundrum of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday falling on the same day.  Ash Wednesday is really more important than Valentine’s Day, so it gets first preference. However, why not celebrate St. Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, Mardi Gras Day, and then celebrate Ash Wednesday on the next day?  It’s Ash Wednesday and not any other day of the week. Happy Lent!

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

After a long and dangerous journey across Sudan, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, the Legnani family and Bakhita arrived in Italy.  There, she was given away as a gift to another family, the Michielis, and she served them as a nanny.  Bakhita became the babysitter to Mimmina Michielo, whom she accompanied every week to Venice’s Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters.  While Mimmina was being taught, Josephine felt drawn to become a Catholic after hearing the classes with Mimmina.

When the Michielo family returned to Sudan for some business dealings, Josephine refused to go.  Therefore, she was placed in the custody of the Canossian Sisters in Venice.  While in the convent, she learned more about God and the Catholic Church, and was moved to discern a call to become a religious sister.  When her mistress returned from Sudan, Josephine refused to leave.  Her mistress spent three days trying to persuade her to go back to their house, but Josephine remained steadfast.  The mother superior of the convent complained to Italian authorities on Josephine’s behalf to remain in the convent.  The case went to court and the court found that slavery had been outlawed in Sudan before Josephine was born, so she could not lawfully be a slave.  She was declared free.

With her freedom, this great saint chose to remain with the Canossian Sisters.  She was baptized on January 9, 1890 and took the name of Josephine Margaret and Fortunata, the Latin for her Arabic name, Bakhita.  She also received First Communion and Confirmation on the same day.  The Archbishop of Venice, who gave her the sacraments, was Giusseppe Cardinal Sarto, who would later become Pope Pius X.

Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 as a novice and took her final vows three years later.  In 1902 she was transferred to a convent in the city of Schio, Vicenza near Verona.  For the next 42 years of her life, she worked as a cook, embroiderer, seamstress and a doorkeeper at the convent.  She traveled and visited other convents telling her story to other sisters, who were preparing to work in Africa.  She was known for her kindness, simplicity and smile.  She was gentle and charismatic and was often referred to as the “little brown sister” of honorably as the “black mother.”  When she spoke about her many years as a slave, she would always thank her kidnappers, because if she had not been kidnapped, she might have never come to know Jesus Christ and become a religious sister.  She was known to say, “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him.  What a great grace it is to know God!”  During World War II, the people of Schio regarded Mother Josephine Bakhita as their protector since bombs fell on the village, but no one died.

As she grew older, she experienced long and painful years of sickness being forced to use a wheelchair.  However, Mother Bakhita continued to be a loving witness to the faith of Jesus Christ and the goodness of Christian hope.  If anyone asked her how she was, she would smile and reply, “As the Master, My Lord, desires” even though she was in great pain.

During her final days, she relived the terrible days of slavery and begged the nurse, who took care of her, “Please, loosen the chains, they are heavy.”  On the evening of February 8, 1947 Mother Josephine spoke her last words, “Our Lady, Our Lady!”  Then, she died.  Her body lay in the convent for three days afterwards and many people came.

The fame of her sanctity and her love of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary have spready to all continents and many are those who have received graces through her intercession.  Saint Josephine Bakhita, pray for us!

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

Pope Benedict XVI was a prominent figure in Catholicism as shown by his works such as his Introduction to Christianity and his trilogy about Jesus of Nazareth.  Without a doubt he was a witness to life in the faith as shown by his homilies and his spiritual works.  Therefore, Pope Benedict XVI is still a force for those who walk the path of faith with many dramatic questions that are found in the world today.  He easily connected reason and the rationality of faith.  He showed us a dialogue between faith and reason, more generally between modern culture and faith based on trust in human reason.  The expansion of reason includes both truth and love.  These two ideas of truth and love are fully manifested in the Incarnation of Jesus, in the Word of God.  The commitment of the Church and Catholics and their responsibility for the destiny of human history in the world require both reason and love, united in the light of faith.  Therefore, as a result we must do concrete gestures of charity.

Pope Benedict XVI first appeared on the church’s international stage as Joseph Ratzinger, a young German priest and theologian advocating for progressive reforms at the 1962-1965 Second Vatican II.  He wrote that the Second Vatican Council was “not only meaningful but necessary and for the first time the question of theology of religions had shown itself in its radicality.  The same is true for the relationship of faith and the world of reason.  Both topics had not been foreseen in this way before.”  In Vatican II the question of the Catholic Church in the world finally became the true reason for the convening of the Council.

Later, he led the church as the 264th successor of St. Peter for seven years and ten months.  During those years he wrote documents noted for their spirituality and attempted to reform the Vatican bureaucracy. The ex-pontiff was known to be in frail health for many years.  His only visit outside Italy during this retirement was to visit his now-deceased brother Georg in Bavaria in June of 2020.

Benedict XVI, who led the church from 2005 after the dynamic Pope John Paul II and before Pope Francis, may not be most remembered for his public persona or for any decision he made as pope.  However, he will be recalled as a Cardinal and Pope for his long and hard struggle to implement a narrow interpretation of the wide reforms introduced at Vatican II.  He tried to connect the changes of Vatican II with the church’s past traditions.  He was essentially a conservative pope with the idea of continuity.  He left a great heritage to the church as pope and theologian.  He deepened the doctrine of the council in his writings, in his homilies which deepened our faith and spirituality.

At the beginning of his papacy, Ratzinger explained his choice of name which was to honor Pope Benedict XV, who pleaded with European leaders for peace during the first World War, and the fifth-century St. Benedict off Nursia, whose life evokes the roots of Catholic Europe.  So, he tried very hard to place Christ in the centrality of our Christian life.

As Pope he wrote three encyclicals—“God is Love” in 2005, “In Hope We Are Saved” in 2007 and “Charity in Truth” in 2009.  They focus mainly on the basic Christian virtues and the long history of social teaching.  In his writings he sounded an alarm for exploitation of the environment and rejected a part of capitalism as calling it “thoroughly destructive.”  Benedict was definitely a learned scholar.

He also drew praise from many confronting sexual abuse by the clergy.  In 2001 as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he convinced Pope John Paul II to make his office the global center to investigate accused clergy and to draft policies against abuse.   Under his care as prefect and pope, hundreds of abusive priests were removed from the priesthood.

Benedict was a noted conservative theologian who spend decades as the Vatican’s doctrine chief.   He always encouraged theological discussion.  I pray that he will be a saint since he was a great man of history and a giant of reason.  He showed us that there is a positive synthesis between faith and reason.  Pope Benedict XVI in his writings was able to speak to people’s minds and hearts in this world moving towards Jesus Christ.  He was a noted scholar and a man of deep faith.

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.

It is believed that the three kings came from the Parthian Empire, or what is known as the Persian Empire, which is today Iran and Iraq. In this empire, there was a caste of astrologer priests based on the Zoroastrianism religion. Scholars believe that the Magi were Zoroastrian priests and astrologers from Persia.  However, this information is not found in Matthew’s Gospel. Neither is it mentioned that they were kings, nor are there camels in Matthew’s gospel. The idea of the three kings and camels is found in two Old Testament prophecies. Psalm 72:10-11 tells us that “The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him.” In the Book of Isaiah the prophet prophesizes that all “nations shall walk by your light, kings by the radiance of your dawning … caravans of camels shall cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;  All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense and heralding the praises of the Lord (Isaiah 60:1-6).

The gifts presented were probably from Sheba where there were first many gold mines owned by the Queen of Sheba. Just as the queen of Sheba brought gifts to the Jewish king Solomon, so it could be that the king of Sheba during Jesus’s time came, like his ancestor, bearing rich gifts to the king of the Jews. In the Arabian peninsula near Sheba specific plants grow from which are harvested to make resin to make both incense and myrrh. These two rich gifts were used for their aroma and for medicinal purposes.  These gifts indicate that the Wise Men came from the Arabian Peninsula. These gifts were not simply rich gifts for Jesus but were symbolic gifts from their kingdoms. The gifts had diplomatic importance as they suggested that the Magi were indeed either kings or ambassadors from the court of Sheba. If the Magi were from the southern Arabian Peninsula, then their trade route ran right past Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The Wise Men mentioned in the Nativity story were astrologer priests as their knowledge and wisdom were practiced throughout the ancient world.  We do not know for sure who the Wise Men in the Nativity Story were. Still, they were probably Zoroastrian astrologers and priests in the court of Sheba who brought gifts of important significance to the newborn King of the Jews.

Just at the time of Jesus’ birth King Aretas IV sent diplomats to the court of Herod with rich gifts.  Learning of the birth of a new king of the Jews and studying the stars, the three kings set out on their historic journey.  These Wise Men were on a spiritual journey to find their true king and source of wisdom.  They found this in Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.