Kittens Looking for a home

We have three kittens looking for a home, let me know if you are interested.  They are two weeks old, will be ready in 7 to 8 weeks.  Email me at frjpic@gmail.com.  thanks fr john

4th Sunday of Lent: For God so Loved the World

On this fourth Sunday of Lent we have read and listened to one of the greatest passages in all of Scripture, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  (Jn. 3:16, NABRE)  Often times we will see signs at the ball games that read 3:16 and often enough we hear it spoken by Evangelists, preachers, and priests.  It is God reminding us that he loves us.  It is that love that makes us whole and holy.  It is a love that pierces right through the heart.  This love gives us happiness in God.  It also has another effect; it also sheds light on any darkness in our lives.

After the greatest words spoken to man of God loving the world, John the Evangelist writes, “…the light came into the world, but people prefer darkness to light, because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light, so that his works might not be exposed.” (Jn. 3:19-20, NABRE)  These words had unbelievers in mind; those who refused to believe in God and would rather live in sin.  Yet, the words are for us in some manner as well.  All of us are guilty of sin - everyone single one of us.  “If we say, “we are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us.” (1 Jn. 1:8, NABRE)  St. Paul also tells us, “All have gone astray, all alike are worthless; there is not one who does good, there is not even one.” (Rom. 3:12, NABRE)  

Last week, I spoke about man’s wounded nature, the part of us that sometimes leads us to sin when we give in to that sinful nature.  We give into it because we feel it brings us happiness; yes, happiness.  All sin is disguised as something good, something pleasurable, and every sin has its roots in pride.  Pride is that inordinate desire to be greater than one really is, i.e. to become our own gods.  Therefore, whether the sin is one of greed, lust, wrath, jealousy, etc., it stems from pride.

The symbol of darkness, as the John the Evangelist employs throughout his Gospel, takes on a few meanings.  Two, in particular, are that darkness is a means for hiding a particular sin or sins; and darkness being ignorance, not being fully aware of the Light or Truth.  When we sin, as I said, we usually do so because we feel that it brings us happiness that we deserve.  Let’s take a look at some sins in which that is obvious.

If we examine adultery, (I guess I’m picking a big one here – I could have gone lighter but I’m trying to make a point), the person usually engages in the act because he or she believes they have a right to it.  They are seeking happiness for whatever reason.  They might feel that they deserve this experience and they justify it in their minds by whatever means necessary.  One is in darkness here on the two levels that I spoke of:  1) the person who committed the act of adultery does not want to be found out, therefore the act itself is wrong and evil – being hidden in the darkness; 2) there is also the possibility of ignorance concerning the act; the person may truly think there is nothing wrong with it.  Their conscience has been numbed, and that is only for God to judge. 

Another sin we examine is greed.  This one comes into play during tax season.  The sin comes from pride and is usually reasoned out this way:  The Government has taken enough from me.  It’s time to get what I deserve, to get some back.  Therefore, we fudge a little bit here, a little bit there, the whole time justifying our actions because we feel someone else has cheated us.  Again, we are in the darkness, for we are not being honest and we definitely do not want to be exposed to the Light as we would then owe some back taxes. 

One final example is the sin of wrath or vengeance.  I did not choose anger because anger is not always a sin.  But once it morphs into rage, wrath, or vengeance then it has become a sin.  We allow ourselves to fall into this from time to time because we take justice into our own hands and become the arbiters of that justice.  Though God may ask for mercy, we are far from it in terms of being merciful.  This can be not only with enemies but those within our own family.  We will hold onto grudges, non-forgiveness, for years as a means of holding something over someone, a form of punishment against the other.  The darkness here is that we are blind to the Truth and the Light.  We are self-justified in our wrath: even God himself has taken our side, at least that is what we believe in our minds.  Satan has twisted the lie into the truth and we allowed our wounded nature to overcome the nature of grace given by God, which God not only asks that we forgive but He actually makes it a command vital to eternal life.  “Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.  Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall.  Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 Jn. 2:9-11, NABRE)  And from the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”  (Mt. 6:14-15, NABRE)

 

This Lent, I have been focusing on our wounded nature and devoting time to why we sin and its repercussions.  The immediate repercussion is that sin actually makes us unhappy.  But like a vicious cycle, we return to it to ease the pain of the previous sin.  Our passions sometimes get the best of us.  Jesus knew this and that is why he came so that he might help us with our wounded nature.  He wants to heal it through and through.  The toughest things about Lent are admitting that I am a sinner, admitting that I sometimes harm relationships by being choosing selfish acts, that sometimes I hold onto bitterness and I am not quick to forgive, that I sometimes cheat and feel that I deserve to do so.  The hardest thing about Christianity is TRUTH - truth about oneself with all our foibles, idiosyncrasies, weaknesses, and sins. 

Walking with Jesus in the desert for these forty days is not just about giving up meat on Fridays, or candy or soda.  Anybody can do that.  Those are just simple forms of penance to help us realize the deeper truths of who I am before God.  We go into this hot and dry desert without water or anything else along with Jesus so that we can learn from him and, also, to let go of everything because you can’t carry much in desert; you have to leave it behind.  Therefore, as we are in the 2^nd half of our journey in the desert, let us finish strong:  as many basketball coaches would say to their players, “Leave your hearts on the floor this half, give it everything.”  Jesus wants to bring us light so that we are whole, holy, and happy, but we can’t be afraid of the Light and exposing the dark part of ourselves, for it brings healing.  There may be initial pain, sorrow, and regret, but with forgiveness come peace, joy, and the lifting of a heavy burden.  The sin of pride is always directed toward self; the virtue of grace (and mercy) is always directed outwards because it always makes us happier to serve than to be served.  Come towards the Light - do not be afraid, for it is your God who calls.

Fr. John Picinic                 

The Letter, The Spirit, and Love

The Gospel of John does not end on the most positive note.  Rather, John tells us, “Jesus did not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.  He himself understood it well.” (Jn. 2:24-25, NABRE)  Mankind can be fickle, untrustworthy, sly, greedy, and even dangerous.  These vices stem from our wounded nature, the part of ourselves that is at war with the spirit.  St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, makes this quite clear when he says,“…but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind , taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Miserable one that I am!  Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” (Rom. 6:23-24, NABRE).  This is what Jesus understood:  that man is definitely wounded.  That is why they were turning his house into a marketplace, why they put more faith in the stones of the temple than in the One who dwells there, and why they finally crucified him (the “they” also being you and I).

God has been trying to remedy this wound of ours since the fall of our first parents.  God intervened through covenants, for example, with Abraham, Noah, and Moses.  The Mosaic covenant is of special importance today, as our first reading was from Exodus when God solidifies the Covenant of the Law with Israel.  This law is given to us by God to help us in our wounded nature. 

We live in a society today that shuns laws or at least makes them so relative they no longer have any grounding.  From time to time, we need to remind ourselves of the Law and reflect on why the Law is important.

God establishes law for the main purpose that the Law serves as a kind of teacher.  The Ten Commandments are to help us judge between right and wrong.  They set limits for us, and the Law is to convict our hearts in order that we feel remorse for the wrongs we have done.  In many ways, society does not want to be told what is right and wrong - just turn on the local or national news for 5 minutes and this will become painfully obvious.  Because of our wounded nature we go beyond the limits or try to suppress feelings of guilt. 

As important as the Law is, there is another aspect we must remember and that is that the Law does not “save us”.  For if it did, then Jesus died for nothing.  And yet, at the same time, Jesus demands that obedience working through love, one embrace the Law in one’s heart and not follow it simply to follow it.  Allow me to explain.

Many of you are parents.  Do you want your children to love you because a law tells them to or do you want them to love you simply because they do so freely and for whom you are – their parents?  If they loved you only because they had to, it would not be love, as it would not be free but a constraint.  The same goes for our relationship with God.  He desires that we love him simply for who he is and that we do so freely.  Now, just as with parents, children must still be obedient and follow the rules of the family/home.  The rules are there to help us, guide us, and convict us.  When a child does wrong a teachable moment arises – the Law working as a teacher.  The child also learns to follow the rules, not so much out of obligation but because of a desire to please his or her parents.  It is love that motivates such desire in us; so too with God.  When we are graced by God with the ability to love him, we wish to please God and follow his rules – the  Ten Commandments or the Law.”  When we break them, we know it, which is good since that is Holy Spirit moving us to repentance.  

We must also remember that even with the Law that is written there is something else that guides it, which is called the “Spirit of the Law.”  You remember the stories of Jesus and his apostles picking grains of wheat on the Sabbath and that of King David and his soldiers eating the holy bread when there was nothing else to eat.  In both cases, the Apostles and David’s men broke the letter of the Law because both did something they should not have.  In David’s case, the men ate bread reserved only to the priests, and Jesus’ disciples were picking grain on the Sabbath; both unlawful.  Yet, there was a human need to eat since both were hungry.  The circumstance changes the outcome.  Hence, both the Apostles and David’s soldiers did not break the Law since they were within the Spirit of the law.  For example, do you starve to death because the Law says you can’t pick grain on the Sabbath or do you eat?  Common sense dictates the circumstances.   Sometimes the Church herself needs to be careful in this regard, following the letter of the law while disregarding the Spirit of the law.  All of us can think of ways in which that has happened, both within the Church as an institution but also with all of us as individuals.

So, then, what is the Good News today?  The Good News is that God is always working in us, through all of history, and cleaning and tending to our original wound, be it with the Old Testament Patriarchs with whom covenants were established, the Prophets who preached to us of God’s kingdom, or through Jesus himself in his dying and rising to new life.  Isn’t it wonderful to know how patient God is?  Even though he knows our nature well, that we can be awful sinners at times, he could yet say from the Cross, through the Spirit of the law and not the letter, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!”

By Fr. John Picinic

Strength for the Long Walk

One of my favorite biblical stories is that of Abraham.  From its beginning, when God asks him to leave his father’s house, until he dies as an old man, it is not only a story of wonder and amazement, but more importantly one of relationship and grace.  In some ways, we can point to Abraham and correlate him with Mary; he being the Marian prototype of the Old Testament.  We don’t believe that Abraham was born immaculate, or that he was sin-free.  No one holds a place equal to our Blessed Mother, but if anyone comes in what we would consider a close second, it would surely be our father Abraham.

Both Mary and Abraham always said “yes” to God regardless of what he asked.  For Abraham, the most difficult thing God asked was for him to sacrifice his own son.  You can imagine what that must have felt like for Abraham, if you are a father, and it was you who had to take your son on that long walk up that mountain to offer him to the Lord.  You can imagine what it would be like, if you are a mother, and you had to see your son carry a cross on the road to Calvary.  Both Abraham and Mary took that long walk even though God asked for the impossible.

The Lord, however, does not leave us without the strength to carry out the seemingly impossible.  Rather, he prepares us slowly, quietly, and sometimes very obviously.  Abraham would not have been prepared to offer Isaac if that had been the first thing God asked of him.  When you read the story of Abraham, you can see how God was journeying with him and giving him strength.  God spoke directly and indirectly to Abraham, visited him in person at least twice: once as the King of Salem, and another time as (one could even argue) the Trinity, when appearing to him and actually dining with him.  You can see that a relationship was being developed, one with a sense of trust and, more importantly, love.

The apostles themselves would be asked to accept things that were very difficult: for example, that Jesus would have to suffer, and that they themselves would suffer (as a great majority of them would be martyrs).  And yet, Jesus strengthens them before he asks such sacrifices from them.  He appears to them in glory on Mt. Tabor so that they would see the true glory of God, so that they would remember it and have it carry them through difficult times.

Just like the apostles, our father Abraham, and even our Blessed Mother, we all face major difficulties in life.  Do not think that these holy souls did not face tribulation, suffering, and undergo “great tests”; they did.  They were no different than us.  All of us share life’s sufferings.  Jesus knows this as well, for no one knows it better.  Therefore, Jesus gives us moments of transfiguration so that we will endure whatever life may throw at us.  He also does not let us be tested beyond our means, as St. Paul reminds us, “God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13, NABRE)

The question, however, remains.  How and when does Jesus provide moments of transfiguration?  For Abraham, it was direct and indirect conversation with the Lord.  For Mary, it was through an angel, prophecies by Simeon and Anna, and probably other means not mentioned in Scripture.  Now, you may think it unfair since we do not receive the same powerful and direct revelations like Abraham, Mary, or the Apostles.  That is true.  It is very rare that God will show himself as he did to Abraham or be transfigured before our eyes, but since their tests were much greater than ours, they needed more intervention by God, if you will.  For remember, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” (Luke 10:48, NABRE).  No one was entrusted with more than Mary, as she is the Theotokos, the God-bearer, or Mother of God.  Our father Abraham was entrusted with becoming the father of faith, hence, the father of many nations.  We can see how they would need great help.

Though we may not be entrusted with that kind of responsibility, God still gives us many talents - gifts (c.f. Mt. 25:14-28, Rom. 12:6-8, Jam. 1:17) that we are to use for the sake of building up God’s Kingdom on earth.

Now, to answer the question of ‘how and when does God come to us “transfigured” to provide us with strength for our journey’?  There are the obvious ways, such as through the sacraments, through the mass, and through personal and public prayer.  There are the less obvious ways, such as a dream, an intuition, the subtle conversation with others, (i.e. the whisper in the wind).  God never leaves us alone but walks with us every step of the way, no matter what.  The problem is not that God abandons us; rather, the problem is that we sometimes forget about him, or we may feel he is not helping us when we need it.

If you need help, right here and right now, pray and ask for it.  Remember that Jesus not only transfigured for the apostles on Mt. Tabor, but he will also provide us with the same as we celebrate the Eucharist.  Jesus will be with us in his glory.  However, if you are looking only with your eyes, you will only see a host.  If you are looking with your soul, as did Abraham, Mary, and the Apostles, then you will see the King of Salem, the baby in the manger, and the Lord of Glory transfigured before the eyes of his apostles on Mt. Tabor. 

God bless you,

Fr. John

picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_and_Isaac_before_the_Sacrifice,_Jan_Victors,_1642.jpg

Ash Wednesday: Return

The Prophet Joel tells us, “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments.”  (Joel 2:12-13, NAB) This “returning” is nothing less than turning around from the direction we were heading in and moving back towards God.

In the Gospels when Jesus begins his public ministry he often says, “Repent and believe in the Good News, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”  The word repent comes from the Greek word “metanoia," meaning to to think beyond one's own interpretation or vision, as well as meaning to turn around, to return.

Lent is that time when we have to stop walking in the direction we want and to actually turn around both literally and figuratively.   There are so many things we get caught up in life, many which we use as comforts, rewards, and outlets.  Often times those comforts are not healthy, be it overindulgence in drink, food, smoking.  Sometimes we reward ourselves by buying things, the latest cell phone, plasma TV, clothes, or whatever it may be.  The justifications we use are, “I deserve it, it’s not that bad, the Church is wrong on this one – we are living in the 21^st century, etc.”  Sometimes our justifications are more serious, i.e. I make the rules concerning marriage, divorce, and remarriage; matters concerning abortion or contraceptive use.  If one reads Scripture closely and pays attention then one will easily see that it is not some Pope or a bunch of Bishops making the rules up as they please, rather “the rules” if you will, come right from the lips of Jesus.  Start with the Gospel of Matthew!

I don’t simply point the finger, I too, and all clergy are also sinners who need to turn around, and trust me I like walking in my own direction sometimes.  I feel like I am in control, my way is better, I know what I’m doing – sound familiar.

Well, Jesus doesn’t leave us walking in our own direction for too long.  He keeps sending reminders, sometimes as little hints, like a whisper, other times, like today – Ash Wednesday a long and loud cry of, “Return to me.”  He does this to keep us on the right path.  We place those ashes on our heads not only as a sign to the world that we die to self and are united to Christ on the cross, but that we reject our own way, and walk his way, the way of Jesus. 

So my friends, return completely to the Lord, if something is holding you back surrender it to God, rely on God’s mercy and not your own strength, leave everything at the Cross, because in 40 + days we are going to take a long walk with Jesus on the road to Calvary and there will be no strength in us to carry around too much baggage because the Cross is heavy enough.  Leave it behind.  Turn around!  Walk towards Jesus!

FJ

Until We Meet Again

My dear friends,

            

The last three and a half years serving first at St. Anne’s in Elmer, St. Joseph’s in Woodstown, and then in the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit has been wonderful, rewarding and very blessed.  To be able to minister to you in your darkest times as well as in your most joyous has been a precious gift from God.  I am humbled that the Lord would place me in the midst of such kind, welcoming, and admirable folks.

            

Saying goodbye is never easy.  The parish is my home and the parishioners are my family.  It is always difficult to go our separate ways when family members take leave of one another.  Shakespeare was right when he wrote, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” 

It is sorrowful because leaving you is so difficult.  I remember when Fr. Ed left for his new assignment some two years ago or so and he was so upset and emotionally moved.  I wondered why he was so upset, we are priests; this is what we are supposed to do.  Little did I know that I would feel the same way.  God has a sense of humor, so as I stood there watching Fr. Ed thinking, “I will be stronger when I have to say goodbye,” it seems now that he held it together better than I.  God loves to humble us.

Leaving is also sweet in the sense that the Lord is giving me another opportunity to serve others, to go on a new journey which is always exciting, meeting new people, other Christians whom I hope to share many Gospel stories with and begin new fellowships. 

You can see how we live in the tension of this sweet-sorrow as priests.  I am sure the apostles felt it as well, moving from one place to another, but that is the essence of our vocation, “Go from town to town proclaiming the Good News.”

   

I will always keep you in my heart and prayers and know this is not goodbye, but just, “Until we meet again.”  I am proud to say that I am your brother and that you were my first parish, St. Joes and St. Anne’s, later becoming The Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit.  I ask that you pray for me to be a good priest always at the service of others.  My brothers and sisters, I love you and pray the Lord to bless you abundantly and always keep you in the palm of his hands.

I leave you with the words of Stonewall Jackson when he said goodbye to the 1^st Brigade, especially in how all of you, St. Anne’s, St. Joes, and Holy Name have carried yourselves throughout the very difficult transition into becoming a new community, you folks are too good and I am humbled to be in your presence.   I changed General Jackson’s words a little so they would work, God bless you.

            

“I shall look with anxiety to your future, and I trust that whenever I shall hear of the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit, it will be of nobler deeds achieved and higher reputation won.  In our Universal Church you are the 1^st, in our Diocese you are the 1^st, in our deanery you are the 1^st, in the affections of your priest you are the 1^st, and I hope by your future deeds and bearing you will be handed down to posterity, and always remembered as the 1^st, because you will always be first to me…God speed!

Fr. John

Final Schedule

Friends, My remaining schedule is as follows:
Tuesday Feb 7th         St Joes 7:30am
Wednesday Feb 8th    St Joes 7:30am
Friday Feb 10th          Holy Name 9am
Saturday Feb 11th      Mullica Hill PC 4:30pm
Sunday   Feb 12th       Mater Dei 10am
Sunday   Feb 19th       Woodstown PC 9 and 11:30am