Superior Priest

A Sincere Gift (5LB-18)

What will make you be happy? Consumption or Gift?

 The two lakes in Israel teach us about the human person. We can either be the Sea of Galilee teeming with life, or be mineral rich, but lifeless like the Dead Sea. Vatican II Document “Gaudium et Spes” (Joy & Hope) says “Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself” (24). St. Damien of Molokai who made a sincere gift of himself in the 1800s to serve lepers in Hawaii and died of leprosy himself did not regret his life or seek that he had more pleasures, ease, and comfort in life. Instead in imitating Christ and dying like a grain of wheat brought forth abundant fruit. As we receive Jesus in the Eucharist we receive his grace and life not to hold, but go out and make a sincere gift of yourself as Jesus Christ. “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life” like the sea of Galilee. 3/18/18

Let Your Blindness Make God’s Work Visible (4LA-18)

Bad things happen to good people. Why? So that God can work a great good an allow his work to be made visible.

We sometimes think when bad things happen to us it is because of sin. Sometime, but not all the time. Sometimes, God wants to allow His work to be made manifest. Blessed Chiara Badano is one modern day youth that did just this, suffering with bone cancer and allowing God’s light to shine through her sufferings. She was asked "The light in your eyes is splendid. Where does it come from?" Chiara simply replied, "I try to love Jesus as much as I can." May we love Jesus as much as Blessed Chiara as we practice this Lent and unite everything to the cross of Jesus through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 3/11/18 

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The Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Parts of Adoration

Walk through the basics of a Holy Hour of adoration physically, mentally, and spiritually.

 If you would like to have an outline of the talk go to https://frsamuelspod.com/podcast/the-physical-mental-and-spiritual-parts-of-adoration/

What are Your Priority? (3LB-18)

We are so busy, but you can always make time for what is most important in your life. What are your priorities in your life? Do you make other gods by giving other things greater priority?

 In order to be a good corn farmer you have to make farming a priority with lots of work. To be a Christian you have to make God a priority that sometimes requires a lot of work and getting rid of weeds that take up nutrition and water. Jesus cleanses the temple today and tills the group getting the temple ready for right worship of God. He also wants to cleanse us, temples of the Holy Spirit, during this Lenten time. Are we willing to put in the work, till the ground, plant seeds, water, and make God a priority. “You shall not have other gods besides me” any priority greater than God becomes another god. May we choose God as our greatest priority and strive to live his law in our temple. 3/4/18

The Whys Behind the Whats of Mass

Answers to your questions about why we do what we do during Mass. A talk given at St. Joseph on Feb. 27th about the Mass. Questions were submitted and Fr. Samuel did the best he could to answer them. If you would like more of the information used, look at my website and this talk https://frsamuelspod.com/podcast/the-whys-behind-the-whats-of-mass/ 

I Want a Beer (2LB-18)

We are 10 days into lent. How is it going? Do you have a willing heart of love like Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus?

 Lent is not just about a new years resolution, will power, or suffering. It is about a willing heart that imitates Jesus Christ in His sacrifice on the cross. Abraham and Isaac foreshadow that sacrifice of the Father and Son, Jesus Christ. What makes the sacrifice redemptive for us is not the amount of blood shed, but the willingness and love with which it is offered. At every Mass we have the opportunity to unite our sacrifices, sufferings and pains to Jesus Christ as we celebrate the Last Supper the start of Jesus willing passion. May we have a lent not filled with a rocky heart, but a willing one filled with charity. 2/25/18

Just Say No…To Temptation (1LB-18)

Jesus is in the desert of temptation, but does not sin. We also do not need to be ruled by temptation, but instead choose Life and the path that God has made for us.

 Jesus is lead into the desert by the Spirit and is tempted by Satan. We learn that Jesus lives out the perfect humanity between wild beasts and angels, flesh and spirit, and body and soul. From the scar of original sin, concupiscence, we tend toward the low, earthly, and sinful. We are not abandoned there, but redeemed and shown a better way if we but repent and believe in the Gospel. Turn away from sin and turn toward God’s grace and his truth. “Lord, I can’t, you can, please do!” 2/18/18

Rend your heart (Ash Wednesday-18)

On Ash Wednesday we put ashes on our head, but it does not end there…

Jesus tells us to wash our face and anoint our head and instead we put ashes on our head. What gives? Well Jesus specifically criticizes the hypocrisy and the ostentatiousness of it. We just start lent with ashes, but we pray and hope it doesn’t end there. God does not want us to just rend our garments and put ashes on our heads, He wants us to live it out in our life. We have a chance this lent to tear down the gods of the belly, money, pleasure, and security and place our love in God alone by fasting prayer and almsgiving. 2/14/18

Do Everything for the Glory of God!! (6OB-18)

We give thanks and glory to God for our success, do we also give him glory in our leprosy, weakness, and struggles? We can if we bring all to Jesus as the leper does today.

 St. Paul tells us to “do everything for the glory of God.” The Eagles in their Super Bowl victory gave the glory to God. It can sometimes be easy to give the glory to God in good things, but what about in hard things? The Leper gives glory to God by bringing his greatest sorrow and humiliation, his leprosy itself. Jesus cleanses him and brings the glory to God. We ourselves can bring everything to Jesus and let him redeem it and bring glory to God. This lent we have the opportunity through our penances of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving not to build ourselves up but bring the glory to God. 2/11/18

Life is Drudgery (5OB-18)

Human life is often full of suffering and pain. Jesus does not take this all away, but redeems it all.

 The problem of suffering is dealt with by Job in the Old Testament, but as Christians we can look at it in an even fuller light of Christ. Jesus did not heal every person in Israel, nor does he heal every person who believes in Him. In fact, he does not promise prosperity and health to his followers, but the cross and persecution. Jesus did not take away all suffering, but entered into it. We now have an opportunity to enter into our suffering and redeem it by love by uniting it to the cross as St. Paul did and rejoice in the suffering that now has meaning in love. 02/04/18