Fr. Jay's Homilies
Interpreting Homilies 
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Most people who know me are aware that I have always dreamed of writing a book. Well that dream has finally been fulfilled! I have written a book on the Holy Rosary entitled Let Me Tell You About My Son. It is presently available on Amazon.com. The idea behind the book is that when we pray the rosary, Mary takes us by the hand and leads us to a deeper relationship with her Son. She literally says to us, “Let me tell you what my Son did for me, let me tell you what my Son did for you.” The inspiration for this book came from Pope John Paul. When he promulgated the Luminous Mysteries he pointed out how the name of Jesus is at the very heart of the Hail Mary. He encouraged people to have a little reflection at that point in the prayer to help them keep focused on Mystery that is being contemplated. I took that to heart and have developed a reflection for every one of the 203 Hail Marys’ prayed throughout the four sets of mysteries of the rosary. We will be making the book available to parishioners starting on the weekend of April 14 and 15 at a cost of $10.00. Nearly half of that will cover the cost of the books, but more than $5.00 a book will be donated to our debt elimination fund, (so I will make no profit on any books sold to the parish). I am also developing a CD and MP3 download to accompany the book. This is not an audio book, but praying the Rosary using the reflections I’ve developed. It is my hope that people will be able to pray the Rosary in the car or when taking a walk. Whenever I pray the Rosary now, I use these reflections and it has been a great blessing to my spiritual life. I hope you will find it the same! The book itself is a prayer book that helps us grow in our spirituality. It is also a bible study book, in that it helps you see how the Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament. There is much about the Catholic Faith that we cannot understand if we fail to see those connections. And, finally it is a book of apologetics (the defending of the faith). Reading the book and praying the Rosary in this way will equip you to answer questions like: where’s the pope in the Bible? Why do you Catholics pay so much attention to Mary? Why do you Catholics baptize infants? Why should I have to confess my sins to a priest? Why do you believe in the “Real Presence,” the ministerial priesthood, the necessity of going to Mass, etc? The CD and MP3 download will not be ready for a while yet, but my hope is that you will find this book spiritually uplifting. God bless you and Happy Easter. The EucharistIt’s important to understand that there’s a parallel between the fall
[forbidden food—commanded food] Our souls just like our bodies need food—and what our souls need most is Jesus In Mathew, Mark, Luke and 1 Corinthians the bible tells of the Last Supper when Jesus says, “This is my body…this is my blood” –there are lots of words Jesus could have used to say “this represents my body or this symbolizes my body—or this should remind you of my body” –but Jesus doesn’t use them –He uses this is my body…this is my blood In John 6 Jesus says four times we must eat His body and drink His blood if we are to be saved [see John 6 slide] John 6:47-60; 66-70 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; 50this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” 52The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” 53Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. 67Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” 68Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” 70Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?” 71He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve In 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 it says if anyone eats the bread or drinks the cup without recognizing the body—they eat and drink a judgment on themselves [see I Corinthians 11 slide] 1 Corinthians 11 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. 28A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying. Notice that there are terrible consequences of eating and drinking unworthily or in eating and drinking without faith that it’s really Jesus |
