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Showing posts from April, 2016

Gift of the Spirit and Gift of Peace ~ Msgr. Daniel Hoye 4.30.2016

Homily for April 17, 2016 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Scapegoating Faith

Interesting barrier for entry.   Religion does incite violence, as well as peace.  This cartoon recently appeared in the Cape Cod Times and promotes the mistaken belief that religion prevents peace and tranquility. Consider the 2014 book "Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence" by Karen Armstrong, author of numerous books on religion.  She believes that modern society has made a scapegoat of faith.    She said, "Until the modern period, religion permeated all aspects of life, including politics and warfare, not because ambitious churchmen had 'mixed up' two essentially distinct activities but because people wanted to endow everything they did with significance.   Every state ideology was religious...And because these states and empires were all created and maintained by force, religion has been implicated in their violence."

Blessing Gifts

Some say a blessing at meals.   Some ask for a blessing during reconciliation: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”  Some offer a blessing every time someone sneezes: “God bless you.” My favorite occurs before dismissal when our priest calls the children up for a blessing.   After a sign of the cross on their foreheads, I usually say: “May God always be in your heart, keep you safe, and fill you with love.”  I just finished a book published in 1986: “The Blessing – Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance” written by Trent and Smalley.”  My 2011 edition was another one of my used-bookstore finds.  

Baptismal Shield

Today is the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, and our Gospel reading (Mark 16:15-20) emphasizes baptism and salvation.    This focus is quite consistent with the purpose of this Gospel attributed to Mark.  As one author has claimed: “…sections of Mark were composed to meet the early Church’s liturgical needs to Christianize a prevailing synagogue practice – and, in the process, to provide authoritative teaching from the Lord to serve as the basis for the instruction for the catechumenate who were seeking baptism.”    Being involved in RCIA for many years, I can see the connection. If I was a non-Christian during Mark’s time soon after the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, I would have been attracted to what the Christian community claimed:  “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages.  They

I Was Sick and You Visited Me

Yesterday I wrote about how much I loved my ministry as Chaplain at the Falmouth Hospital visiting patients. It is truly a blessing in my life and I receive much more than I give. There are days, however, that are more difficult and there seems there is nothing I can offer the patient or family to help alleviate the situation. Last fall I wrote about one of those situation. It concerned a woman who lost her child after twelve weeks of pregnancy, an event that is always traumatic, but one that was made more distressful because of her situation. She felt she was being punished by God because she had been divorced and remarried and that she was living in sin but couldn’t do anything about it. She kept repeating that over and over as she sobbed. She desperately wanted to be part of the Church but couldn’t because she had been kicked out because of her second marriage. I mentioned the possibility of an annulment. She had gone through the process but was denied the annulment because

God and Family In the Hospital

I love my ministry as a chaplain at the Falmouth Hospital. I look forward to visiting the patients and talking to them about whatever they want to talk about. I find the hospital a place of Hope. People are hoping to get better, hoping to get out of the hospital soon, and hoping they don’t have to come back anytime soon. It is very, very rewarding and I feel that I get so much more from the patient than I give to them. There is a lot of time to think in the hospital. It may be the first time a person has thought about their own mortality. It can be quite insightful and humbling for them. There are two items that they almost always talk about and it is obvious that they are the most import things in their lives. The first is family and the second is their relationship with God. There is no question that family is the most important thing on peoples’ minds while they are in the hospital. Even more important than their own health. Very often when I ask a patient if they would like

Listen To His Voice (4th Sunday of Easter)

John 10:27-30 A few years ago I went to my 40th college reunion in Minnesota. I had only seen three or four classmates a couple of times over the years. I wasn’t sure if I would recognize anyone. I was right. I didn’t recognize anyone, not even my own roommate for two years in college and who was in my wedding. I guess time changes us, at least physically. But one thing didn’t change. Their voice. It was by listening to them talk that I could remember their names and remember who they were. Something similar happens to me in the hospital. I may be walking down the hall talking to someone and a patient from a room will call out and say “Deacon Beckel, is that you”. They heard and recognized my voice. Now I don’t think I have an accent but apparently some people notice a Minnesoota twang to my voice, ya. In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus say “My sheep hear my voice”. “I know them and they follow me”. He is the shepherd that guides us and as long as we hear his voice we are able t

Goats Rule!

[Homily Sunday 8:30 Mass]  Who doesn’t like sheep?   They give us wool for warmth and food, such as lamb chops giving rise to that famous Lamb Chop children know – that’s the lamb brought to life by puppeteer Shari Lewis accompanied by her Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy.   Today’s Gospel told us we are the sheep that hear Jesus’ voice.   We sung in our Responsorial Psalm that we are the sheep of his flock.  In the second reading from the Book of Revelation we heard that Jesus is our shepherd leading us to springs of life-giving water.  We also heard that Jesus is the Lamb of God.   All this talk about sheep reminds us of an old and familiar nursery rhyme. “Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.”   This nursery rhyme highlights those attractive traits of sheep.  They are calm, obedient, rarely cause trouble, and they are good followers. 

Mission Appalachia Blessing

Spreading the Word ~ Deacon Bob Lemay 4.17.2016

Homily for April 17, 2016 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

AmazonSmile & Christ the King

Support Christ the King Church by shopping AmazonSmile. What is AmazonSmile? AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile ( smile.amazon.com ), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to eligible charitable organizations selected by customers. To support us, go to smile.amazon.com and choose Christ the King Church.

Do You Love Me? ~ Msgr. Daniel Hoye 4.10.2016

Homily for April 10, 2016 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Vocations

Last Sunday a former altar server of mine from St. John the Evangelist in Atlteboro was installed in the ministry of lector.  His name is Matt Gill.   He will later be installed as an acolyte and then ordained  a deacon and then a priest in two years.  This brought back memories of my own experience.  I believe I was the last class to be tonsured,   and then installed in what were then called  minor orders:  porter, exorcist, acolyte and lector.  I know I was in the last class ordained as subdeacon then deacon and priest.  This May I will celebrate my 44th anniversary of priesthood so my guess is that tonsure took place 48 years so.  Yikes, I am getting "up there".  Please pray for vocations to deaconate, priesthood and religious life. Monsignor Hoye

Mission Appalachia

Several of our  "snowbirds" came back to the Cape on April 1.  Boy have they been "fooled" with a couple of snow storms these past few days.  Sunday morning was like a January day, cold and snowing to beat the band.  Attendance was off and, of course, so were the collections.  I felt bad for the folks from Mission Appalachia who were seeking donations to bring to the various places they will be serving during April vacation.  Sixteen teens and nine adults will drive to West Virginia in two large vans.  They will leave April 17 at three in the morning!  They will be visiting soup kitchens, doing some manual labor and helping the needy in West Virginia.  If you want to help them, bring a donation to the office by Friday, April 15.  Please say a prayer that the participants will have a successful Mission. Monsignor Hoye

Annunciation

Because March 25 was Good Friday, the Church moved the Solemnity of the Annunciation to today, April 4.  In the Gospel of Luke Mary captures two realities of life when she says to the angel, "How can this be?" and later says , "Let it be done to me according to your word".  Like ourselves we may be confused at what life deals us.  Like Mary we proclaim, "How can this be?  I don't understand.  I am puzzled.  At the same time we ask for the grace to respond to the Lord,  Let it be according to your word.  Mary is our model in so many ways and today's Gospel shows us how we can balance both puzzlement and contentment. Monsignor Hoye

Doubt and Faith ~ Msgr. Daniel Hoye 4.3.2016

Homily for April 3, 2016 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Confirmation Class of 2016

click to view Mass ~ Video of Receiving Confirmation ~ Photos