from 52 Sundays "A Guide to Reclaim The Lord’s Day for Faith and Family" 
By Anita Houghton and Tara Stenger 

Bl. Alphonsus Pacheco and Anthony Francisco, SJ
 (Feast Day July 25) 
1549 – July 25, 1583;
1550 – July 25, 1583  

Alphonsus Pacheco was born in Spain. At the age of eighteen, he entered the Jesuit novitiate. He was eventually recruited for the Far East missions. Alphonsus arrived in Goa, India in September 1574 and was ordained a priest and worked at St Paul’s college. He returned to Europe and two years later he returned to Goa with thirteen new missionaries.

Anthony Francisco was a Portuguese missionary and was among the thirteen who arrived in Goa with Fr. Pacheco in 1581. Francisco was ordained in 1582. Fr. Francisco was appointed to the mission at Orlim on the Salsette peninsula; however, his active missionary career lasted only a few months. When a new mission superior arrived in Salsette, Fr. Pacheco served as his guide in the visitation of all the villages in Salsette. Fr. Francisco and others were among the group. In the village of Cuncolim, there was a revolt against Portuguese colonization and the Jesuits were killed in the incident. When Fr. Pacheco saw the hostile Hindu villagers massacring his three companions, he boldly faced the assailants and immediately a lance pierced his breast. Extending his arm in the form of a cross, he prayed,” Lord, you were pierced with a lance for me. I ask you to pardon those who have wounded me and to send them to other missionaries to lead them to heaven.” Fr. Pacheco died saying the name “Jesus.” The last to fall was Fr. Francisco. All five Jesuits were between thirty and thirty-five years of age. Their bodies were recovered from a well and taken back to the mission in Goa. They were beatified by Pope Leo XIII on April 2, 1893. 

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‍‍FAMILY FUN:   Chalk Art

The people in today’s Gospel ask Jesus for a sign that he is God. Take some time today to decorate the sidewalk or driveway with messages of faith and encouragement to help your neighbors believe in Jesus. You may also want to give them an activity to do as they walk by your house such as a hopscotch game, a maze, or another activity.

 
RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

Soda Bread

Make this soda bread to remind you of Jesus, the Bread of Life!

oil

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 F. Oil a covered casserole dish or a Dutch oven. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and Cream of Tartar. Add buttermilk. Mix until blended; dough will be a bit sticky. Knead 4 or 5 times (not too much of the bread will be tough) and shape into a ball. Cut cross in top and place in prepared pan. Bake covered 30 minutes.

                                                                   FAMILY PRAYER: 

Jesus, the Bread of Life

Father in heaven,

you have made us for yourself;

our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

Fulfill this longing through Jesus, the Bread of Life,

so that we may witness to him

who alone satisfies the hungers of the human family.

By the power of your Spirit

lead us to the heavenly table

where we may feast on the vision of your glory

for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Holy Eucharist & Sin Part 1 (background)

In recent weeks individuals & the media have highlighted the Eucharist and the question of sin but not from the point of view of the Catholic faith. It is my aim to clarify things in these areas. This is the 1st of several articles in which I will present the Catholic view of the Eucharist and sin.

Recent polls have shown that only 30% of those who self-identify as ‘practicing Catholics’ (who attend Mass weekly) believe what the Catholic faith believes about the Eucharist. Namely, that, once consecrated, the bread and wine cease to exist and what comes into being is Jesus Himself, — His risen Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity (called the Real Presence). In other words, all that makes Jesus who He is as the God-Man is present under the appearances (but not the reality) of bread and wine. The other 70% of self-identified ‘practicing Catholics’ believe that the Eucharist is some form of symbol only. I think that is part of the problem in discussing the Eucharist and sin.

If someone doesn’t believe that the Eucharist is really Jesus Himself, but only a symbol, then they have no problem divorcing their life-actions from whether or not they can receive Holy Communion since Communion is only a symbol. However, if we take Jesus at His word at the Last Supper when He said: “This is my Body, take and eat” and “this is my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, take and drink”, then we must believe that a new reality has come into being, — not just a new symbol or a new interpretation of an old Passover meal ritual. Vatican II said that the “Eucharist is the source and summit of the whole Christian life”.

Since in Holy Communion we receive the Incarnate Son of God, a Divine Person Who is all-holy, we must live our lives in such a way that we will be fitting temples for Jesus when He comes to us as Holy Communion. At the very least, we must be free from mortal sin in order to receive Holy Communion worthily. There are 2 kinds of sin: mortal and venial sin. Mortal sin kills the life of God in the soul because it is a conscious decision to live and act independent of God and His rule of life. This decision is always expressed in some kind of action. Mortal sin on your soul is like mixing bleach and ammonia — it is deadly to your soul. This is what St. Paul meant when he said: “whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord….For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1Cor. 11:27 & 29)

To be mortal, 3 things must be present at the same time: 1) the action or omission must be objectively gravely sinful; 2) the individual must know that the action or omission is objectively gravely sinful and 3) the individual must fully choose to do the act or omission knowing that it is objectively gravely sinful. If mortal sin is present in a soul when the individual receives Holy Communion, another mortal sin — sacrilege — is added to the soul.

Mortal sins must be forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession before receiving Holy Communion to avoid this spiritual danger. If a person persists in mortal sin until they die, they condemn themselves to hell because they tell God “I don’t want to live with you”. God reluctantly gives them what they want, an eternity away from Himself. Confession is the place where the infinite, undying Mercy of God meets the sinner and brings each one back from death to life. In Confession, it is necessary to have a ”firm purpose of amendment” to be forgiven. That means that the individual INTENDS to change their life now and cease doing the things that are mortally sinful. Even if they don’t always fully succeed, they are making the effort to bring their behavior in line with God’s will and so they are forgiven. As long as the person has a firm purpose of amendment, they can receive forgiveness over an over. This is why Confession is the Tribunal of the Mercy of God and the Eucharist is the Throne of His Mercy. 
 

Fr. Bruce King, I.C.  Pastor

(the next article will deal with the practical pastoral concerns of the Eucharist & Holy Communion)  For the first article in this series please click the document below: Respect All Life article from Fr. King, I.C.

Entendiendo Nuestra Fe
 

La Sagrada Eucaristía y el Pecado - Parte 1 (fondo)

En las últimas semanas, los individuos y los medios de comunicación han destacado la Eucaristía y la cuestión del pecado, pero no desde el punto de vista de la fe católica. Mi objetivo es aclarar las cosas en estas áreas. Este es el primero de varios artículos en los que presentaré la visión católica de la Eucaristía y el pecado. Encuestas recientes han demostrado que solo el 30% de los que se identifican a sí mismos como "Católicos practicantes" (que asisten a misa semanalmente) creen lo que la fe católica cree sobre la Eucaristía. Es decir, que, una vez consagrados, el pan y el vino dejan de existir y lo que surge es Jesús mismo, su Cuerpo, Sangre, Alma y Divinidad resucitados (llamado la Presencia Real). En otras palabras, todo lo que hace que Jesús sea quien es como Dios-Hombre está presente bajo las apariencias (pero no la realidad) del pan y el vino. El otro 70% de los "católicos practicantes" que se identifican a sí mismos creen que la Eucaristía es solo una forma de símbolo. Creo que es parte del problema al discutir la Eucaristía y el pecado. Si alguien no cree que la Eucaristía es realmente Jesús mismo, sino solo un símbolo, entonces no tiene ningún problema en divorciar sus acciones de vida de si puede o no recibir la Sagrada Comunión, ya que la Comunión es solo un símbolo. Sin embargo, si tomamos la palabra de Jesús en la Última Cena cuando dijo: "Este es mi Cuerpo, tómalo y come" y "esta es mi Sangre, la Sangre del nuevo y eterno pacto, tómalo y bebe", entonces Debe creer que ha surgido una nueva realidad, no solo un nuevo símbolo o una nueva interpretación de un antiguo ritual de comida de Pascua. El Vaticano II dijo que la "Eucaristía es la fuente y la cumbre de toda la vida cristiana". Ya que en la Sagrada Comunión recibimos al Hijo de Dios Encarnado, una Persona Divina que es toda santa, debemos vivir nuestras vidas de tal manera que seamos templos adecuados para Jesús cuando Él venga a nosotros como Sagrada Comunión. Por lo menos, debemos estar libres de pecado mortal para recibir la  Sagrada Comunión dignamente. Hay 2 tipos de pecado: pecado mortal y venial. El pecado mortal mata la vida de Dios en el alma porque es una decisión consciente de vivir y actuar independientemente de Dios y Su gobierno de vida. Esta decisión siempre se expresa en algún tipo de acción. El pecado mortal en tu alma es como mezclar lejía y amoníaco: es mortal para tu alma. Esto es lo que quiso decir San Pablo cuando dijo: “Quien coma el pan o beba la copa del Señor de manera indigna, será culpable de profanar el cuerpo y la sangre del Señor ... Para quien coma y beba sin discernir el el cuerpo come y bebe juicio sobre sí mismo ".(1Cor. 11:27 y 29) Para ser mortal, 3 cosas deben estar presentes al mismo tiempo: 1) la acción u omisión debe ser objetivamente gravemente pecaminosa; 2) el individuo debe saber que la acción u omisión es objetivamente gravemente pecaminosa y 3) el individuo debe elegir por completo realizar el acto u omisión sabiendo que objetivamente es gravemente pecaminoso. Si el pecado mortal está presente en un alma cuando el individuo recibe la Sagrada Comunión, se agrega al alma otro pecado mortal, — el sacrilegio. Los pecados mortales deben ser perdonados en el Sacramento de la Confesión antes de recibir la Sagrada Comunión para evitar este peligro espiritual. Si una persona persiste en pecado mortal hasta que muere, se condena a sí misma al infierno porque le dice a Dios "No quiero vivir contigo". Dios les da a regañadientes lo que quieren, una eternidad lejos de sí mismo. La confesión es el lugar donde la infinita e inmortal Misericordia de Dios se encuentra con el pecador y devuelve a cada uno de la muerte a la vida. En la confesión, es necesario tener un "firme propósito de enmienda" para ser perdonado. Eso significa que el individuo TIENE LA INTENCIÓN de cambiar su vida ahora y dejar de hacer las cosas que son mortalmente pecaminosas. Incluso si no siempre lo logran por completo, están haciendo el esfuerzo de alinear su comportamiento con la voluntad de Dios y por eso son perdonados. Siempre que la persona tenga un firme propósito de enmienda, puede recibir el perdón de una vez por todas. Por eso la Confesión es el Tribunal de la Misericordia de Dios y la Eucaristía es el Trono de Su Misericordia.  Pdcto. Bruce King, I.C., Párroco (el próximo artículo se ocupará de las preocupaciones pastorales prácticas de la Eucaristía y la Sagrada Comunión)