Our Lord and Brother

What follows is a short excerpt from today's Office of Readings:

Let us understand, then, how a Christian must follow Christ even [if] he does not shed his blood for Him, and his faith is not called upon to undergo the great test of the martyr's sufferings. The apostle Paul says of Christ our Lord: Though he was in the form of God he did not consider equality with God a prize to be clung to. How unrivaled his majesty! But he emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave, made in the likeness of men, and presenting himself in human form. How deep his humility! -St Augustine

My brothers, how can we possibly fail to love with all the heart so majestic a King and so humble a Brother!

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Priestly Freedom in Christ

The following is an excerpt from the July 8, 2010, issue of The Wanderer:
He [Pope Benedict XVI] called the affirmative response to God's call "one of the most beautiful experiences that one has in the Church" in which one sees "the Lord's action in people's lives, touches it with one's hand; experiences that God is not an abstract entity, but a Reality so great and powerful that He can fill man's heart in a super-abundant way. He is a Person who is alive and near, who loves us and asks us to love Him."
The Pontiff continued: "Whoever renounces everything, even himself, to follow Jesus, enters into a new dimension of freedom that St. Paul defines as "walking according to the Spirit.'
" 'Christ has freed us for freedom!' the Apostle writes, and explains that this new form of freedom acquired for us by Christ consists in being 'in the service of each other.'
"Freedom and love coincide! Obeying one's own egoism, on the contrary, leads to rivalry and conflict."

St. Blase: Bishop and Martyr

This quote by Saint Augustine is very inspiring and very appropriate for the Society of the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles since one of our characteristics is, in the words of Father Menard, "Mystical Body spirituality."

The Son of Man has come not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for [the] many. Consider how the Lord served, and see what kind of servants he bids us to be. He gave his life as a ransom for many; he ransomed us.
But who of us is fit to ransom anyone? By his blood, by his death, we were ransomed from death; and we who lay prostrate [This is very likely a reference to priestly ordination.] were raised up by his humiliation. And yet we, too, have a duty to contribute our meager offerings to his members. He is the head; we are the body. -St. Augustine

… Christ laid down his life for us; so we, too, ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

The Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom for the many.


P.S. The rest of the quote can be found in The Liturgy of Hours. It is the Second Reading for the (Optional) Memorial of St. Blase, Bishop and Martyr.

Today's Priest Saint

So many of God’s saints, our heroes, were humble persons who—when called upon—brought their talents forth in the service of Christ and his Church. They sought no glory for themselves. Raymond of Penafort was one of these humble heroes.
Having an avid mind, Raymond was a diligent student who became a great teacher. He taught philosophy and did not charge the students any fee, which was quite unusual at the time. He received money from donors and gave most of it to the needy and to the Church.
Raymond became a Dominican priest and served as confessor to Pope Gregory IX.
Saint Raymond of Penafort never used his talents and fame for personal gain and always exhibited a humble faith and preference for a quiet life.
(Note: Posted on Menardiando, the absolutely unofficial MSA blog, because the Society of the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles works to encourage vocations, especially priestly vocations. Furthermore, St. Raymond is a holy priest, and this is the Year of the Priest. -Fr. Charlie Bak, MSA, co-editor)

Priestly Ordinations

The Missionaries of the Holy Apostles (MSA), a community of Apostolic Life was blessed with several vocations to the priesthood, and this year 2009 we had many ordinations,4 for the priesthood and 1 deaconate. Here in America Fr. Charles Bak was ordained in Waterbury in October 3, 2009; in Colombia will be ordained three priests: Fathers Virgilio, Cesar and Hermes dicember 12, 2009. And in Peru we will have 4 ordination, 3 deacons and one priest, January 6, 2010. Thanks for your prayers and help to sopport this vocations, many are the invited but few decide to follow Jesus.

Building a New Chapel at HACS

Here at Holy Apostles College and Seminary we are working forming the future priests for the Church, and sure the central aspect of this work is to teach our seminarians to be able and competently to preform the Liturgical actions of Worship. So we are in this time building a new Chapel "Mary Queen of the Holy Apostles", and we start praying and trusting in the divine providence. Actually looks nice even if it is just done in the external structure. Sure all the help and share for this holy work is needed, so please if you know or you are open to help us to finish this precious building for the glory of God, do it, we, priests, deacons and seminarians will pray for your well being and happiness now and your eternal salvation the time to come. Have a blessed Advent time, in Jesus Christ Our Savior and Lord.

Provincial Assembly USA

Here in the USA, we recently held our Provincial Assembly. I attended. Very Rev. Addison Hallock was re-elected as Provincial Animator. Furthermore, I was pleased to learn so much about how the service of the communion works in our Apostolic Society!
United in the Lord Jesus,
Rev. Brother Charles Bak, MSA