Legion of Mary Philadelphia Senatus

(The tenth in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus).

Are you weak enough to receive and serve our Blessed Lord?

Our Blessed Lord knew He would die at Calvary following the Last Supper and so He ardently desired to institute the Holy Eucharist because He wanted to empower His disciples with His living presence from within their own soul.  Our Lord began this celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with washing the feet of His disciples and it’s no coincidence that we begin every Mass with acknowledging ourselves as sinners in need of God’s mercy. St. Peter protested—thinking that our Lord’s act of humility was disgraceful because He was their sovereign Lord and King. Nevertheless, our Lord insisted this cleansing and act of humility was absolutely necessary even though they were His chosen apostles, they were all sinners in need of His mercy.

I don’t think our Lord chose these twelve apostles to have a participation in His priesthood because of their impressive intellect because most of them were not learned men. They were not chosen because they were particularly strong in their faith or fearless since they quickly abandoned Him after our Lord was arrested. It is a deep mystery of God’s will, but it seems it was because of their human weakness that they were called to become His servants. The apostles were very aware of their human weakness as they kept asking our Lord to explain to them the meaning of His parables and why they were unable to cast out certain demons at one point. They even experienced their human weakness in that they were unable to catch fish after fishing all night in the deep.

These apostles are similar to the bread we use during Mass because they were easily broken, but it was in acknowledging and accepting their weakness that made them ready to receive the gift of the priesthood.  They wanted our Lord to stay and He did stay with them through His Eucharistic presence even though He left them at Calvary because just as our Lord said “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” (Mt 19:26) Our Lord poured out His infinite love and mercy upon His apostles by giving them the ability to offer up the Holy Sacrifice of Mass, so that He could remain with them and the faithful they minister to through the Sacraments.

Therefore, our human weakness and struggle with sin cannot be a barrier that God’s grace cannot overcome because God’s love is more powerful than anything and anyone. It is in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that God reveals to us that after we receive Him in Holy Communion we should look not intently on ourselves or any minister, but intently on His presence from within so that we can hear His voice and follow Him like His holy apostles. We all hunger and thirst for the Love of God to strengthen our faith so we can overcome the temptations of the world and so we consume this divine Love through our Lord’s Eucharistic presence. 

Fr. Addisalem Mekonnen

(The ninth in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus).

How does God dress us?

I just attended a swimming party this past Sunday and of course everyone had attire that was normal to wear for swimming or playing basketball. Although I wasn’t interested in going swimming, I did really enjoy playing a good game of basketball. Clothing helps us to keep warm in the cold winters and cool in the hot summers because they are designed that way for logical purpose. We can easily look at a photograph and guess what time of environment someone is in by looking at their clothing.  People from different countries wear unique clothing that is particular to their culture because it represents not only their nationality and environment, but also their core values as a nation. It is easy to identify those who are in the Military and First Responders because of the uniform that they wear. The word “uniform” means one form. God created Adam and Eve naked, so they didn’t have any clothing on until after the fall.

It was only after the fall that they recognized their nakedness so God sacrificed animals in order that they could have some clothing. It was original sin that brought the shame of their nakedness. It was on a mountain that our Blessed Lord, the New Adam while praying, revealed His Glorious Divinity to Peter, John and James. In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear a description of our Lord’s appearance “there he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (Matthew 17:2) If we needed to use only one word to define the uniform our Blessed Lord was always wearing then it would be glory.

The Church fathers commented on the “Transfiguration” as not so much a transformation of our Blessed Lord’s appearance, but rather a revelation of His Hidden Divinity which bear witness to His eternal glory—the glory He experiences before, during and after His Incarnation. In the Sacrament of Baptism, we are taught through the prayers of the Church that we put on Christ in our soul. If we don’t have Christ as the uniform for our soul, then we are not transfigured with glory in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. I can remember when I wore clothing that was not pleasing to God and this I heard from one of His faithful disciples.  I changed my attire with the intention of desiring not to offend God anymore, but rather to be pleasing to Him. It is not our material clothing that gives any type of glory to God, but it is Christ alone, who does. However, because we are not angels, but humans, we are called to express our faith in actions.

We understand that the consecrated gold and silver chalices are not more valuable than the Body and Blood of Christ, but we still use them to demonstrate our faith in the Real Presence, so how can wearing our best clothing for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass somehow not be what God is calling us to do? The chalice and altar were consecrated to God, so in a certain sense they were dressed with Christ but our body is infinitely more valuable because we put on Christ every time we receive Holy Communion. It is our Heavenly Father who calls us to have an active participation in putting on Christ not only through the Sacraments, but in every way possible because the glory of God, which is Jesus, is the only uniform required in the kingdom of Heaven. May our Blessed Mother, the New Eve, who put on Christ through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, help us to also put on Christ through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit who helps us to put on Christ as well.

Fr. Addisalem Mekonnen

(The eigth in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus).

Why did our Lord use the words “repentance” and “hand” when proclaiming His kingdom?

 There were many people around the world that were praying hard for the rescue of the 12 boys and soccer coach from the cave in Thailand. The Thai Navy Seal needed intense training and special equipment in order achieve a successful rescue.  Man cannot survive naturally under the sea because we were not created with the physical abilities like those of sea creatures who are completely at home in that type of environment. Unfortunately, the fact that former Sgt. SamanKunan, an ex-SEAL, died on July 6 while working on the mission to free the trapped boys brings that truth to the forefront.

Our Blessed Lord came from Heaven and that was the Kingdom He reigned in from all eternity with His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. When our Blessed Lord preached that in order for sinners to enter His kingdom we needed to make real preparations similar to the Navy Seals who taught the kids how to survive underwater. If the kids didn’t change and adapt to this foreign environment, then they too would not survive the journey. Although modern technology helps humanity explore foreign environments such as outer space, nevertheless, those explorations are always full of limitations because we can’t physically adapt to those environments. Modern technology cannot conqueror death, at best, only delay it. Our Lord dove into a world full of sinners in order to rescue us from an eternal death, but we have to trust Him because only He can help us get out of the cave of our sinful living. Time is limited on earth, but if we follow His lead and obey His instructions then we will not simply survive, but even thrive on our journey towards the kingdom of heaven.

We are called to pay attention to Christ with eyes of faith to realize that just as humans cannot naturally live underwater or outer space nor can sinners naturally live in the kingdom of heaven.  Everyone in heaven is a saint even though they were not all publically canonized by the Church. Consequently, they all experienced an intense purification from any attachment to sin by entering into the paschal mystery either on earth or in purgatory. These repented sinners and adopted children of God lived an intense love for the heavenly kingdom in which Christ was revealed within their own personality and ordinary life. Repentance is the process of transformation as we enter into the paschal mystery, so that our heart, mind and body are conformed to our risen Lord who lives within us. The kingdom of heaven is at hand because we are able to receive our Lord’s graces in the here and now of our journey of faith. Our Blessed Lord pours powerful graces into our soul through His real presence in the Church’s sacraments, Blessed Mother, personally guided by the Holy Spirit and daily carrying our cross to Calvary.

Fr. Mekonnen

Recently we received an email notice from Shalom World Catholic TV regarding a documentary film about Servant of God Frank Duff. To view the documentary, click on the link below.

“One of our recent program series called Glorious lives which portrays the live and legacy of the faithful catholic leaders of history has become a point of attention in the catholic media world.  One of our recent episodes is based on the life of Frank Duff, who is the founder of Legion of Mary ministry in the catholic church

Please see link below.

https://www.shalomworldtv.org/videos/index/3632

Our hope is that the life of Frank Duff will inspire your Legion of Mary members to be truly devoted to Mary in all works of faith, love, and humility.”

(The seventh in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus).

Here in the United States, it is a foreign concept for a young woman and a young man to come together through an arranged marriage. Arranged marriages, such as those in both the Old Testament and even in the New Testament (as was the case with Our Lady and St. Joseph), are not only Biblical but were also a popular practice in Ethiopia’s past, and still practiced greatly in India and other eastern countries.  The marriage of Adam and Eve was in fact the first “arranged marriage” in human history, for it was instituted by God Himself.   All of this teaches us about God’s plan for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

We hear that Our Lady and Our Lord, with His disciples, were at the wedding feast of Cana.  Our Lord indeed worked His first miracle there by converting the water into wine at the request of our Blessed Mother. That Jesus attended this wedding feast is, in fact, a sign revealing how our Lord values marriage and elevates marriage to a Sacrament. The presence of our Lord at Cana was a pre-arranged mystery intended to make crystal clear that it takes three for a successful marriage: not just the couple getting married, but also the God-Man-Himself in the divine person of Jesus Christ.   So if God is excluded from a Christian marriage, then He is not permitted to convert a couple’s natural love into that supernatural love by means of which they bear a living witness to the marriage between Christ and His Bride, the Church.

 The Sacrament of Marriage between a man and woman was the first holy vocation.  But unfortunately, because it is earthly, it ends with the death of one or other beloved spouse.  Nevertheless, the “marriage” between Christ and each beloved disciple of His is a union that death cannot separate.  It is rather converted and consecrated into a wedding feast that brings about an eternal joy, and we “taste” that joy at each Holy Sacrifice of Mass. It is important that we, through the intercession of Our Lady, answer the call from Christ to fill up our hearts with His graces and sincerely support those who are seeking marriage or are already married. Healthy marriages are the foundation for a healthy family. Marriage has both a natural and supernatural element, just as the Body of Christ, the Church, has both elements, as well. 

 It takes three to get married, and God wills to be present in every way possible so that the children the couples receive as God’s gift, experience every blessing possible. Even married couples that can’t conceive children, but who remain faithful to each other, bear witness to Christ and Church when they practice their faith.

(The sixth in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus).

It seems like everyone wants please someone else to some degree, for various reasons, depending on the nature of that relationship. A man dating his girlfriend is going to do all sorts of things he may hate doing, such as going shopping in the mall, because he wants to show how serious he is about making sacrifices for his future wife. A girl dating her boyfriend is going to do different things to make herself look more attractive because she wants to please her boyfriend. Employees, who need to support their spouse and children, will try to work hard to please their boss because they need a better position in the company and desire a pay raise to offset the added expenses of a growing family. Ultimately, no matter what someone does, they can never really be a perfect “people pleaser,” because we were not created by people for people.  Rather we were created by God for God.  In some sense, it seems that secular musicians and politicians are created by people for people.  It’s interesting to note the different level of stress they experience before and after they work in those professions!

Our blessed Lord always ardently desired to please His Heavenly Father by being faithful to His mission on earth by doing the works that His Father does, just as children do when they see their parents. Our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit were manifested as the audience at our Lord’s Baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist. God the Father is the voice from the clouds that says to Jesus, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Our Blessed Lord was hidden, patiently standing in a long line, surrounded by men and women struggling with sin, because He wanted to please sinners by showing that His holiness does not serve as a barrier between Him and them/us.  Our Blessed Lord always hates sin, but never the sinner.  He is the Lamb of God who came not to condemn the world, but rather to seek and save the sheep that were lost.  It is important to understand the ancient understanding of the role of a king in ancient times.  King David normally would lead his armies into battle, putting his own life at risk, like any other solider, on the battle field. Our Blessed Lord is baptized by water before He is baptized in blood at Calvary.  He is leading His own into battle, teaching us as disciples to indeed follow Him, as He commanded.

Just as a loving father would still recognize and embrace a son of his who is battling a drug or alcohol addiction because of the bond between them, so likewise our Heavenly Father embraces us as we battle against temptations because of the bond we have as the Father’s adopted in Jesus Christ.  It is the Sacrament of Baptism which was instituted by Christ that is a celebration of mercy that pleases both God and the people of God. I say not simply “people,” but “people of God” because all those who at least to try to be faithful, with the help of God’s grace, are pleasing to Him.  Consequently, we learn in the Letter to the Hebrews that it is impossible to please God without faith as the author wrote, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 ). 

  Fr. A. Mekonnen