Wisdom from... Scripture

Lluís Borrassà, St Peter's Altar  (15 c)

In today's epistle John tells us:

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

While we shouldn't presume our own merit, we also shouldn't fear what God has in store for us. Our fears of punishment from God often betray a lack of confidence in God, or a lack of confidence in our own love. But when we truly remain in love, we remain in God (1 John 4:16), and we have no need of fear.

Paul offers us three theological virtues: faith, hope and love; not scrupulosity, fear and self-loathing. Let yourself love God and neighbor freely, and take some time to explore where your life is rooted. Do you act morally out of fear of punishment? Or do you act out of love in all things? Where do you remain?

Loving perfectly can seem like no easy task, but in reality it is no task at all, since Jesus has already completed the task for us. By offering of himself and His Spirit, he has made it possible for us to exist in love, rather than making an effort to love. By acknowledging that he is the Son of God, we allow him to remain in us and root our lives in love (1 John 4:15).

It can be hard to hear this simple message of hope through the noise of the everyday. We can allow ourselves to stray from love and move into fear when we get distracted by judging other people or by the judgments of other people, or by the well-meant, but sometimes misguided urgings of our friends and neighbors.

Today, take a moment to speak to God in prayer and examine where you remain. God can help you tune out the complicated messages of the world, and turn up the simple message of the gospel: do not be afraid! (Mark 6:50b)

Knoxville Bishop and Social Justice Ministry With Youth Highlighted on CatholicTV Talk Show

On April 1st, the Center for FaithJustice (CFJ) will be discussed on the live CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”.

The CFJ is a unique ministry which assists in community service with youth and young adults, educates people about social justice, sponsors research on social justice, and much more. Widian Nicola from the CFJ will be interviewed on This is the Day.

An interview with Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville will also air on This is the Day. Bishop Stika heads a very young diocese which was founded in 1988. The diocese is also unique because of the rapid growth of its Hispanic Catholic population, which “if the estimates are correct and there are about 50,000 new Hispanic immigrants in the area, their number nearly doubles the area’s current official Catholic population.”

Bishop Stika considers Pope John Paul II his “episcopal grandfather” because the pope ordained Cardinal Rigali an archbishop in 1985, and the cardinal ordained Monsignor Stika a bishop. The bishop met John Paul II numerous times on trips to the Vatican. In February 2009 he visited Pope Benedict XVI to thank him personally for appointing him bishop of Knoxville.

Mercy and Faith

Our Catholic Faith has many facets - like a beautiful diamond worn by a bride - there are just so many glistening surfaces, all of which reflect the light of the Risen Christ and all of which tie very closely together. In parochial school I recall being taught many of these impenetrable facets by the good Sisters of St. Joseph. I remember learning that Jesus Christ lives in us; that Jesus can be found in others, especially in those who suffer and are poor. As I grew older and began to think in a more analytical fashion, this facet of my Faith, our Faith, began to make little sense to me.

In his letter to the Church in Galatia, St. Paul writes that in Baptism we have been crucified with Christ; we died with Him. Now Christ Jesus literally lives in us. In addition, St. Paul writes that we are made just, not by our works, but by Faith. This is how Jesus lives in us: by Faith. We believe in Him, which is to say that, without tangible, scientific proof, we understand Him to be the very person of God, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, eternally lives as One God. It is this Faith that will save us. However, if that Faith is real, it will exhibit itself in actions which are of God. We will come to live a life that is truly Christ-like.

If we study the Gospels we quickly learn that for Jesus, the greater the sin, the more tremendous is the mercy. As we come to know Jesus, we learn forgiveness. If indeed Jesus lives in us, then forgiveness will be one of the great fruits of our growth in Faith. People will experience mercy in us. When we pray alone or with others and every time we gather to celebrate Holy Mass, we pray with the exact words Jesus taught us, "...forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

If Jesus lives in us, we must be women and men, boy and girls of great mercy, be it in the schoolyard, on the beach, in the workplace, at the dinner table or behind the wheel. We live in an imperfect world and each of us, no matter our age, experience, intelligence, state in life, depth of holiness, all of us are imperfect. To forgive one another for small and great offences is to truly exhibit the Faith we profess. In this way, Christ Jesus lives in me, He lives in you.

At this very moment, our God is looking at us in a very tender way. God loves you beyond measure, despite all of your imperfections; despite all the sins of your past, my past. In the Sacrament of Penance the Lord Jesus continually offers the invitation to mercy, merely for the asking.

And He, Who lives in us, asks only that we try and do the same.

Fr. Robert Reed, Director CatholicTV

Using Golf to Teach Catholic Spirituality? Seminar Leader/ PGA Member Will Discuss on CatholicTV Talk Show

On March 30, Tim Kilcoyne, will be interviewed live on the CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”. Tim is a unique lay Catholic who uses golf to teach Catholic spirituality. Tim Kilcoyne, M.Ed./Religious Education, B.A./Theology, Developmental Psychology, is an experienced teaching professional and member of the Professional Golfers Association of America.

Tim Kilcoyne offers 1,2, and 3-day retreats. The purpose of them is to “introduce or deepen one’s relationship with our Lord through the game of golf.” Practical fundamentals, rules-etiquette and the Spirit of this “game of a lifetime” are compared to classic principles of authentic Christian spirituality. The services that Tim provides are a “holistic-holy” mix consisting of; religious recreation seminars, fundraising-outing services, and golf school-retreats. More information about these sessions may be found at http://fairwaystofaith.com/

This is the Day airs at 10:30AM ET at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV. The show is rebroadcast at 7:30PM.

The National Catholic Register said of Tim:

“Out of golf season, Kilcoyne directs 'Talk Catholic" a series of talks intended to instruct and engage adult Catholics in their faith. What drives both ministries, Kilcoyne says, is his conviction that Catholics need intellectual and spiritual formation beyond confirmation. In Kilcoyne's formulation, "Both programs are meant to introduce or re-introduce all sincere of heart to Christ in the hope that a constant, communicating, prayerful relationship takes root."

Boston Red Sox Star Mike Lowell To Appear on CatholicTV Talk Show

Mike Lowell, 3rd baseman for the Boston Red Sox and Catholic father, will discuss faith, cancer, and baseball on “This is the Day”-a talk show on CatholicTV on Tuesday, July 7th. Also on “This is the Day” will be Fr. Ron Sajdak who helped to found “Reaching Out To Africa”, a mission which assists African refugees, African priests and religious, and the less fortunate in Africa.



Mike Lowell is well known as star 3rd baseman of the Boston Red Sox. He is a 4-time All-Star, a Golden Glove Winner, and also named the 2007 World Series MVP. During his interview on “This is the Day”, Mike will talk about baseball and how despite how much he loves baseball, he says “baseball is only what I do, not who I am”.

At the age of 24 Mike was diagnosed with testicular cancer and his initial reaction was “am I going to die?” After being diagnosed, Mike began to reexamine his life and to think about his Catholic faith more.

Mike was born in Puerto Rico and comes from a Catholic family. He will discuss his early family life during his television interview. Before his CatholicTV interview, which took place at Fenway Park, Mike mentioned how during Sunday home games, a priest from the Archdiocese of Boston comes to say Mass for about a dozen people at Fenway Park. During away games Red Sox players and personnel always have access and a ride to the local Mass.

Also on the show, will be Fr. Ron Sajdak- a priest from the Diocese of Buffalo. After meeting a few African refugees from Sudan in 1995, Fr. Ron was “changed forever”. He helped to start an effort to assist more African refugees who were moving into Buffalo, NY. Eventually, more people became interested and the ministry grew. Now, Reaching Out To Africa’s mission is:

· To assist African Refugees primarily in Buffalo, NY.
· To assist African Priests & Religious in their ministry to the motherland.
· To have a “hands on” outreach to specific ministries in African Countries.

You can learn more by visiting http://www.reachingout2africa.com/index.php

These guests can be seen on Tuesday, July 7th live at 10:30AM (EST) on CatholicTV where available (rebroadcast at 8PM). The show will also be streamed simultaneously at http://www.catholictv.com/ and will be available on the site’s archives starting Tuesday night. All videos at the website are viewable in full-screen. Paste this URL into your browser in order to access the “This is the Day” video archives. http://www.CatholicTV.org/shows/default.aspx?seriesID=72

CatholicTV in HD

For the first time, CatholicTV^® will broadcast Holy Week services from The Cathedral of the Holy Cross in High-Definition. All the events from the Cathedral can be seen here at Your Catholic Broadband Network in HD with Digital Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.

To watch the Great Vigil of Easter live on Saturday evening at 8:00 pm, please go to this special page: http://catholictv.com/HD-Holy-Week.aspx

The Schedule for The Sacred Triduum on CatholicTV:

+ Thursday, April 9: The Chrism Mass from Rome at 11 a.m.; Mass of the Lord’s Supper from Rome at 2:30 p.m.; and the Cathedral Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:30 p.m. (HD)

+ Friday, April 10: The Cathedral Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion services at 3 p.m. (HD); Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion from Rome at 5 p.m.; and Way of the Cross with the Holy Father at 8 p.m.

+ Saturday, April 11: The Easter Vigil from Rome 4 p.m. and the Cathedral Easter Vigil at 8 p.m. (HD)

+ Sunday, April 12: Easter Mass from Notre Dame at 10 a.m. and Easter Mass from Rome Pope Benedict XVI at 11:30 a.m.

Daily Appeciation

The celebration of Thanksgiving in our country and with our families is an annual reminder of how grateful we really should be. Now that the holiday is past, this Monday morning gives us an opportunity to be grateful. This should be a daily practice for it is a practice of our Faith.

Personally speaking, I am not feeling that well. I came down with some brutal chest cold late last week and it really has a grip on me. However, this afternoon I am going to visit with a man in his 50's, the brother of a neighbor of mine. This man is in the last stages of a fight with cancer. He wants to talk about death and his funeral. So, as you can see, I have every reason to be grateful, even if I am physically dragging.

Apart from my health, my Faith, my priesthood, my family and friends I remain daily thankful for the chance to work at CatholicTV. We have a fantastic group of people who make this Catholic television station run 24 hours, every day. We have many generous priests who come in to celebrate the television Mass and not without personal sacrifice. We have good programs and a bright future. Best of all, I feel we represent and serve the average, good Catholic who is out there striving to be like Jesus Christ in the midst of daily living!

So, consider yourself quite fortunate today and make this a daily practice. God has been so good to you and me. Make gratitude to Almighty God the first prayer of your day, every day.

-Father Reed of CatholicTV.com