Region XI DDCM Retreat & Passing By Childhood City of Milpitas

Ministered to Another Suicide

Homily #215b: Stand Up For What is Right, Even If You're Standing Alone (The Narrow Gate)

10am

Homily #215b: "Stand Up For What Is Right, Even If You’re Standing Alone (The Narrow Gate)”

[outline & video only; no prepared text]

By Deacon Dennis Purificacion

 

I Pre-Evangelization (Sermon Using Ecclesial Method)

A.      Adolf Hitler (start with Adolf Hitler but end with Jesus Christ) – 6M Jews + 6M non-Jews

B.      Agustus Landmesser – did not do Nazi salute, even when surrounded by hundreds who did

C.      Photo: “Be like this guy.”

D.      From poster up in my classroom when I taught at St. Pat's High School: Stand up for what is right, even if you’re standing alone.  Even if voice, body shakes.

E.       In face of genocide, which still happens today, what are we to do?

 

II. Evangelization (Proclamation/Explanation)

A.      Today's Gospel: "Strive to enter the narrow gate” (The Narrow Gate)

B.      Today's Gospel: "Some who are first will be last; some who are last will be first.” (Hitler v. Landmesser)

C.      Truth not determined by the majority.  Stand up for what is right, even if you’re standing alone.  Jesus Christ.

 

III. Explanation/Application (tell what you’re going to tell, tell them, tell what you told them)

A.      Jesus Christ- “I am THE way, truth and life.” (today’s Gospel Acclamation)

B.      His Catholic Church - Bl. Anne Catherine vision of Jesus alone in Garden of Gethsemane but still dying for a return of only a small flock following Him; unfortunately, many Catholics do not agree with Holy Mother Church’s teachings (example: existence of devil, Hell, Real Presence); but let’s take another look at Church’s teaching; invitation to deeper conversion to accept all of Church’s teachings- narrow way; be loyal sons and daughters of Holy Mother Church [if time: Benedict Option?]

C.      You & Me – today’s Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (spiritual discipline): “cause for no joy now, but later a cause of righteousness for those trained in it” [Baptism/Confirmation]

 

IV. Celebration & Closing (lives of saints and martyrs)

A.      St. Thomas More – cowardly bishops of English, only 1 bishop, St. John Fisher, stood alone

B.      Ven. Fulton Sheen – Either world will interfere with Church, or Church will influence world.

C.      “Go” (Ite, Misa Est) – First Reading from Isaiah “They shall proclaim my glory to all the nations.”

D.      Dietrich Bonhoffer, “Cost of Discipleship” à “What price willing to pay to follow Jesus?”

E.       Visual: Fold arms transition to the Cross (Augustus Landmesser à Jesus Christ)

F.       Narrow gate à is the Cross [slow down]

G.      “Be like this guy.” Point to crucifix. à “Be like Jesus Christ.”

 

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 21, 2022, 8 a.m. & 10 a.m. Masses

(quoted 3 Germans: Agustus Landmesser, Bl. Anne Catherine, Dietrich Bonhoffer)

Original video by St. Catherine Church, Vallejo, CA, USA from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvy8TYQLqz4

Movie 'Lion King' Resembles Bible Story of Salvation: Homily #214 for Rite of Baptism, Includes Baby of Former SPSV High School Student (Stephanie Hernandez Diaz, Class of 2004)

#214

Stephanie was my student at St. Pat's.  I was blessed to baptize her baby. Her toddler son raised his hand to read from the Reading from the Letter of Peter.  I was impressed.  Lisa, a godmother from another family and a parishioner from St. Patrick's in Rodeo, helped him.

Welcome to the Kingdom of God, little ones:

154: Alisha Riley

155: Sarah

156: Olivia

157: Maysa

158: Dion

A godmother asked me to pray for her 14 year old son, A.

Alisha Reily's family asked me to bless some rosaries and candles.

'Spoke to some middle schoolers about God afterwards.  Met twins named Peter and Paul who was baptized by the pastor.

Maysa said thank you to me after I baptized her and kept waving.  She was the one who said thank you to me after I poured the life-giving waters of our salvation over her head.

(photos used with permission)

Wife Stopped By My Baptism Class (for 14 babies/toddlers; 48 registered parents/godparents); Ran Into Familiar Face; Blessed Officer's St. Michael Medal

Cat Dadis (nee), St. Pat's High School Class of 2001, was in my class to serve as a godmother.

Called Out to Suicide-Drug Scene (& Almost Got Called to One Month Old Death); Other

A few months ago, I was dispatched (names withheld) to a scene where a man died in his house.  

It took me a while to post this b/c I wanted to respect confidentiality and needed time to think if I wanted to blog about this.  I decided to eventually blog b/c it is good for the public to understand a little snap shot of what law enforcement goes through.  As the Sergeant that oversees the chaplains said to the chaplains, when officers do good it doesn't make front page news, so any good that could be known to please do so.  So this is a little way to honor the officer who was present for this grieving family.

I also consoled the family and friends and helped with mortuary needs.  I also put on my clergy stole over my chaplain jacket to say liturgical prayers to bless the body, after checking in with family about this. 

The police officer on scene thanked me for my presence and, after I arrived, the officer had to go to the scene of an accident.  I was left by myself but had the lead chaplain available to call if needed.  I also told the officer that prayers would be offered related to the officer's family which the officer mentioned to me before leaving the scene for the accident.

A few days later, I found out that the scene was a suspected suicide and fentanyl drug case.  I learned later to use gloves if touching anything and other useful ways to be present.

___

On another day, I got a call from Dispatch looking for a chaplain on Sat. morning.  I was getting ready to go to a one-month old death at the hospital, but Dispatch said that the on-call chaplain on duty was able to make it after all.  So I didn't go.  'Was happy to be back up.

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I've had other calls, too, outside my assigned times, but thankfully there were other chaplains available.

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Received a birthday card from the Department.  Reminds me of how I also get birthday cards every year from my regular day job.

Homily #213: "Heaven & Hell"

 

Homily #213: "Heaven & Hell"

by Deacon Dennis Purificacion

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Aug. 7, 2022

12 p.m. & 5 p.m. Masses

I

The philosopher Peter Kreeft wrote a book called “EverythingYou Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven.”  In it, he wrote that the modern world has lost faith in Heaven.  The modern world lost faith in Heaven because today the modern world lost the love of Heaven; the modern world lost being attracted to the glory of Heaven.  He says: If Heaven is the Good News, then the opposite, Hell, is the bad news.

If we watch daily news or scroll through social media news, bad news seems to take front page.  The modern world acts like there is no Good News of Heaven.  But if we truly believed in the glory that we will experience in Heaven, then we should live like they we will one day be in the eternal glory of Heaven.  Peace would then reign on earth where God is the center of our lives instead of evil.

II

I bring this up to offer some thoughts on Heaven, so that our hearts will want to shine in the glory of Heaven someday [and avoid the eternal shame of Hell].  In today’s Gospel from St. Luke, Jesus calls us to get ready for the perpetual happiness and glory of Heaven.  Jesus uses words like being vigilant and “blessed are those servants” and “be ready” and “be prepared.”  He said, “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

When Jesus returns at His glorious Second Coming, that will be the end of the world.  Human history will come to an end.  This is the General Judgment.  This is when the dead that are elected for Heaven will Resurrect with a glorified body.  St. Augustine said that those Christians that are alive at the Second Coming will instantly experience death but then instantly Resurrect with a glorified body. 

By the way, the Catholic Church does not believe in the Protestant Fundamentalist understanding of the rapture.  This error is called Millenarianism which says that Christ will return to reign for one thousand years on earth (Catechism 674).  No, the teaching of the Church is that when Christ returns, that’s it!  [No mas, Pagtatapos; wala na.  Finis.]  Every human being that has ever existed will end up either in Heaven or Hell at the Second Coming of Christ.  In the First Reading, it is written from Book of Wisdom, “Your people awaited the salvation of the just and the destruction of their foes” (Ch. 18).  

Before the Second Coming, the Church must pass the final trial that will shake the faith of many believers (cf. Catechism 674) as well as resist the supreme religious deception of Antichrist which is a false-messianism where man glorifies himself in place of God.

III

And while we won’t know exactly when this Second Coming will happen, this General Judgment Day when the sheep will be separated to Jesus’ right while the goats will be separated to Jesus’s left, we do know that all of us someday will come to the end of our particular lives.  This is when God will call us home to Him one at a time at our individual deaths called our Particular Judgment.

True story:  A couple months after ordination, I was waiting in the back for Mass to start.  A little boy was with his parents came up to me and asked, “Is Jesus real?”  I crouched down at eye level and said, “Yes, He is very real.  And you will meet Him one day.”  His eyes pondered this, listening, and then I said, “He is my best friend, and I love Him.  How old are you?”  He then held up 5 fingers.

Yes, Jesus is real, and each of us will stand before His Judgment Seat one day.  Jesus said to be vigilant, be prepared, be ready, and blessed are those servants expecting the Master’s return.  So how can our hearts be prepared?  We should be spiritually prepared to appear before Jesus at the moment of our deaths. 

IV

Those in Heaven are like God forever, for they ‘see Him as He is,’ face to face” (Catechism 1023).  This is the Beatific Vision.  Anybody in Heaven is a saint.  So here are somequotes from the saints on Heaven to help us fall in love with the glory of Heavenand to desire to go to Heaven.

St. Faustina wrote, “Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its unconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy…”

St. Alphonsus Liguori had a vision of a popular king and a lesser-known parishioner after death.  The lesser-known parishioner said: The king and I were as far apart as the earth and sky, but now it has been reversed.  As lowly as I was compared to the king on earth, I now exceed him in glory in heaven. However, we are both happy, and our hearts are completely satisfied.”

St. Bernadette: “My crown in heaven should shine with innocence & its flowers should be radiant as the sun. Sacrifices are the flowers Jesus & Mary chose.”

St. John Vianney taught, “O my dear parishioners, let us endeavor to get to Heaven! There we shall see God. How happy we shall feel! If the parish is converted, we shall go there in procession…  We must get to heaven!”

V

So let our hearts desire Heaven!  Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, so will your hearts be.”  Now, I gave us saint quoteson Heaven; so here are two saint quotes on Hell for those not ready for thecoming of the Son of Man.

Just as Heaven is eternal, Hell is eternal.  St. Cyril once said that in Heaven the Sign of the Cross on your forehead will be for your everlasting glory; however, in Hell, the Sign of the Cross that was imprinted on your forehead will be a mark of everlasting shame.  The demons will mock the Christian in Hell because the Christians aren’t supposed to be there.  They will say that you were supposed to be among those saved.”  The Catechism teaches, “To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from Him forever by our own free choice” (Catechism 1033).

The pains of Hell are unbearable.  St. Faustina wrote in her Diary,

 “Today I was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell. It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is! The kinds of tortures I saw: the first torture that constitutes hell is the loss of God; the second is perpetual remorse of conscience; the third is that one’s condition will never change; the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it – a terrible suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God’s anger; the fifth torture is continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and, despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own; the sixth torture is the constant company of Satan; the seventh torture is horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies.

“These are the tortures suffered by all the damned together, but that is not the end of their sufferings. There are special tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in which it has sinned.  … I would have died at the very sight of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me. …

“But I noticed one thing: most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a Hell…Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners.”

These are just a few mediations and visions of the saints on Heaven and Hell. 

[If time allows, mention comments made to parents/godparents during baptism classes.]

VI

In closing, let our hearts treasure and desire the wonderous glories of Heaven, as Jesus invited us in the Gospel.  Let us pray that others, too, will make Heaven the goal of their lives starting with faith at baptism. As we heard in today’s Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, Abraham is the model of faith, and God led him to the city.  For us, our city will be Heaven.

Let us too continue the journey of faith, so that we will be like the faithful servants who await the master’s return.  Let us be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come again.  Let our hearts excitedly look forward to the marvelous beauty and joys and treasures of Heaven.  

For where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.

 

A Dream of a Police Officer Crying in My Arms

In Nov. 2021, I had a dream of a cop (who I know but name withheld here) who after collapsing with buckled knees hugged me and cried in my arms.  I said to the officer, "I know you've seen ugly."

Officer was wearing a suit and a trench coat and reminded me of the old days when detectives would dress like that in the movies.

This obviously does not represent any views other than my own psychology and the reflections of nobody but me.  I don't claim anything mystical from it.  

As I write this, I am reminded of how in Chaplain Academy one of the speakers said something along the lines of: There is a reason why the public is shielded from details of horrific crimes.

It's because they are ugly.  And the general public cannot handle the gory scenes of the worst of humanity.

Crime and sin are ugly.  God bless and strengthen the thin blue line to protect us from evil.

Helped Vallejo PD w/National Night Out 2022

Assigned to visit Friendship Baptist Church (West Vallejo).  

Two other VPD officers stopped by and spoke to me for a bit about how things were going.  Their morale was surprisingly high.  I later introduced them to the new pastor.

Met the pastor, Pastor Lester, and connected VPD with members in the community.  Seemed like there were 100-200 at this event.

Unexpectedly ran into my sister-in-law there.  Pretty cool!  

I didn't know that she recorded me line dancing with some community members until later.

I was assigned to Lt. Robinson's & Karen's group and rode in the Lieutenant's squad car.

Then we went to a second assigned location in East Vallejo.

Thank you, Karen, from Code Enforcement.

Almost forgot: 'Saw this prayer posted up on a billboard at the staging area before we left:

Police Chaplain D. Purificacion

(chaplaincy part of my service as a Catholic deacon)

In my tactical bag hooked on my belt I carry things like my Shorter Book of Blessings, holy water, notepad and pen, clergy stole, flashlight, etc.  I've needed all these in some way.)

(photo from VPD FB)

This year was a record event with 28 neighborhoods and organizations involved, along with over 16 VPD officers, 11 civilian employees and over 22 employees from different Vallejo departments and VFD.

(photo from VPD FB)

'Spoke to several officers and several staff.

Thank you, Vallejo.  

God bless, protect and heal you.

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

A.M.D.G.