LEAVING MASS EARLY? / March 15, 2020 by TONINO VICARI

Judas Iscariot was the first person to leave Mass early.

DO NOT FEAR / March 14, 2020 by TONINO VICARI

“Do not fear.”

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." ~ Psalm 56:3

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6-7

“Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” ~ John 14:27

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” ~ 1 John 4:18

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” ~ Psalm 94:19

“But now, this is what the Lord says…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” ~ Isaiah 43:1

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” ~ Proverbs 12:25

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” ~ Psalm 23:4

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:34

“Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.” ~ 1 Peter 5:6-7

“Tell everyone who is discouraged, Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue…” ~ Isaiah 35:4

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” ~ Luke 12:22-26

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” ~ Psalm 27:1

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” ~ Psalm 55:22

“Immediately he spoke to them and said, 'Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.'” ~ Mark 6:50

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6

“'For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, for I myself will help you,' declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” ~ Isaiah 41:13-14

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” ~ Psalm 46:1

“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper.” ~ Psalm 118:6-7

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” ~ Proverbs 29:25

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ~ Mark 4:39-40

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” Psalm 34:7

“But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.” ~ 1 Peter 3:14

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” ~ Psalm 34:4

“Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.” ~ Deuteronomy 3:22

“Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.'” ~ Revelation 1:17

“Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’” ~ Mark 5:36

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” ~ Romans 8:38-39

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” ~ Zephaniah 3:17

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”…He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you…For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways…“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him…” from Psalm 91:1-16

Apage, satana! / March 2, 2020 by TONINO VICARI

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'" Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13

The devil attacks and tempts us when we are the weakest. When we are tired from a long day of work, and our patience is thin, when we are rejected, when we are hungry, when we are at our lowest the devil attacks us with his empty promises. What is interesting about the temptation of Jesus in the desert by the fallen angel, is that he tempts the God of the universe with things the devil does not even posses or have power over. The devil tries to get our Lord to turn stones into bread, because the devil cannot do this. He knows only God can perform this type of miracle. The second temptation is with the kingdoms of the world, which again, the devil himself does not posses.

The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them. Psalm 89:11

Finally the devil tempts the Lord to Worship him, which again, alone belongs to God himself. This again illustrates how the devil has no power other than that given to him by humanity when it sins or chooses to serve him instead of God. Like a parasite, the devil co-opts the power of others to achieve his will. His only tool is deception, because he is the opposite of God, the opposite of the Truth which is our Lord, he is the absence of Truth, and only obtains power to destroy through co-opting the power of humanity bending it to his diabolical will. This Lent, as we journey through the desert with our Lord and to our Lord, let us keep in mind that the devil tempts you with things he does not have and will never give you even if he did.

CHANT TO GOD / March 1, 2020 by TONINO VICARI

A TALE OF THREE KINGDOMS / February 23, 2020 by TONINO VICARI

I was recently able to attend the Los Angeles Religious Education conference and came away with some interesting insights. There were a number of great speakers that I had a chance to experience including Bishop Robert Barron and his talk on the Eucharist as well as Fr. Greg Boyle who spoke about his work with rehabilitating former gang members and others that have faced difficult lives in the city of Los Angeles. One of the most amazing stories was that of woman who gave birth to twins one of which was still born however when they place the child on this mothers chest they began to speak to the child with no heartbeat and pray for him and his heart began to beat and he came back to life. Clearly a miracle. Beyond the stories of lives transformed through the power of the Gospel, and there were many, what struck me most about the Religious Congress was found outside the conference itself.

The congress took place at the Anaheim Convention Center, a massive complex of 1,600,000 square feet. There were three different conferences happening at the same time, the Religious Education Congress, a conference on Forensics and a gaming conference full of teenagers hauling around gaming computers. What struck me most about my experience was what I saw walking from one end of the Anaheim conference center to the other which provided a study in contrasts between the attendants of all three conference. The Religious Education conference was truly a multicultural experience, there were attends from many different cultural backgrounds, there was a prayer service for Filipino Catholics, a strong Hispanic Presence, a well as Italians and others from French, German and English backgrounds. I was also shocked to see how many young religious and consecrated persons present, many of which were extremely happy individuals with great smiles interacting with friends as well as customers in the booths where they were selling books, music and other liturgical aides. There was generally a sense of joy and peace amongst the attendants of the ReCongress. In the adjacent conference, the Forensics I noticed a monolithic crowd of younger professionals, I also noticed a great deal of aggression and stress in a group that seems to be in a very competitive and stressful career. One fraught with aggression and possibly a great deal of anger in the search for justice. Which is quite opposite of the message of the Catholic Conference were peace, healing and forgiveness were stressed over justice.

The gamer conference however one the prize for chaos, however. What a shock. The first thing I notices was the group of 5-6 young police officers waiting outside the doors of the gamer conference. As if prepared for a riot. Inside the conference itself was a much darker room with flashing lights, like what you would see at a rock concert. The faces of the people milling around outside were also grim, and there was a sense of competitive ness and disappointment as well. A young couple clearly during an argument, gaming teams with great levels of anxiety as they faced their rivals in this new form of competitive sports. Besides the sights and sounds of complete chaos was the smell. It was the smell of unwashed masses, the smell of thousands of young men that had emerged from their parent’s basement for the first time in a year. It was the smell of a 100 locker rooms after a hockey game. It’s not a place or space I want to return to, despite my interest in computers in technology.

To be honest in the past I have told my students that the happiest people are holy people. And not being one myself or honestly know that many besides my wife I was hoping this to be true not quite believing it with such thin evidence. This past Religious Education conference for me provided ample proof of this statement. Beyond the stories of miracles which though never ceasing to amaze were plentiful, the memory that will stick with me the most is the looks on the faces of the attendees of those three different conferences, it was literally like a journey from hell through purgatory to heaven. And in the future, I can confidently say that yes, the Holiest people are truly the happiest and most at peace.