Thanks for all who helped make the Feast Day Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel so spiritually uplifting. From the readers to the servers to the Extraordinary Ministers to the music ministers to those who provided hospitality, it was a beautiful evening in a beautiful church. 

On May 2, 2010, our parish secretary Dixie Williams will be awarded the Order of St. Louis IX Medallion by Archbishop Aymond at St. Louis Cathedral.  The Order of St. Louis IX award was established more than 40 years ago to honor those members of the laity who have contributed their time and talents to the church.  Although it is rare that the award goes to an employee of the parish, it is obvious to anyone that Dixie’s work for the parish is much more expansive than her morning work hours!  Dixie’s here virtually every day, including weekends and many evenings.  Even as I write this little article at 6:00pm on Friday, she’s waiting for me to call her so that she can come back to copy it for the bulletin insert on Saturday morning!  THANKS for all that you do for our parish, Dixie!  We love you!

Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God. (Lk 24:50-53)
*     *     *
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, which is the elevation of Christ into heaven by His own power in the presence of His disciples. In Sacred Scripture, this occurred on the fortieth day after the Resurrection – which was actually last Thursday, traditionally called “Ascension Thursday.” However, the celebration of the Ascension has been moved to Sunday to encourage a more active participation in the Feast. In terms of modern air travel, I guess Jesus’ flight got postponed for three days!

The Ascension was prophesized by Christ’s own words. In John 6:63, Christ asks the Jews: “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?” and in 20:17, He says to Mary Magdalen: “Do not touch Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren, and say to them: I ascend to My Father and to your Father, to My God and to your God.”

Tradition has consecrated the place of the Ascension as Mount Olivet near Jerusalem, since the disciples are described as returning to Jerusalem after the Ascension from “the mount that is called Olivet.” (Acts 1:12). Christian piety memorialized the event by erecting a basilica over the site. The original basilica was destroyed by the Persians in 614, rebuilt in the eighth century, destroyed again, and rebuilt a second time by the crusaders. This second basilica was also destroyed by the Muslims, leaving only an octagonal structure which encloses the stone said to bear the imprint of the feet of Christ. It is now used as a small oratory.

What does the Ascension mean to us theologically? It meant a greater blessing for the Church. While Jesus walked the earth in the flesh, he was only present in one place at any one time. After the Ascension, He could be present everywhere through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel today says that Jesus “raised up His hands, and blessed them.” Because of the Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, every priest in the world – configured to Christ through ordination – will raise up his hands this week and bless the people. At Sunday Mass, Jesus will be present when we gather in His Name, in the Word proclaimed, in the Eucharist and in the Priesthood. By the Ascension, Jesus opened the way for us to be present with Him in a much greater way.

Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. (Jn 14:27-31)
*      *     *
How do we define peace? Politically, it can defined as an “absence of conflict.” If we are busy at work, it might mean “no interruptions.” Some parents might equate peace with their kids being asleep or at their grandparents for the night. Peace happens to some people when their cell phone finally runs out of batteries or when a power outage knocks out the internet and the television. Oftentimes we actually “seek” peace in different ways. We can seek it by going to a quiet room, finding a secluded tree in the park, or going on a vacation to the mountains or a quiet island.

So why does Jesus say that He gives us peace “not as the world gives.” What does He mean? I guess the obvious thing is that He doesn’t mean it in the ways I’ve described above. Generally, when Jesus says that something is not “of the world,” then He’s saying it’s from somewhere “out of the world”: from Heaven. So what is it about this Heavenly peace? What makes it different from worldly peace? The answer can be found in places where earthly peace meets Heavenly peace. Many of us have gone on spiritual retreats. We know that this time can be important by allowing us to remove ourselves from the world of distractions and concentrate on the most important things. But we don’t just retreat from noise into quiet. We retreat from the temporal world to seek eternity. The peace of Christ isn’t found by an absence of conflict, interruptions, noise or technology. The peace of Christ is a gift given to those who seek Christ.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The peace of Christ comes from Christ. And if we want His peace, it’s there waiting for us in the quiet contemplation of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. On Tuesdays from 5:00pm – 6:00pm in the church, Christ is present in Adoration in the church. On Thursdays from 7:00am – 8:00am, He is present for Adoration in the Rectory Chapel. Before Mass, we can spend some time to experience His peace. After Mass, we can linger and spend some time to experience His peace. Over at Holy Name Parish, Christ is present 24/7/365 in the Adoration Chapel on the corner of Palmer and LaSalle Place.

After you’ve tried all the other ways to peace, seek the peace that the world can’t give. It’s the peace of eternity. And it’s found in Christ. And not only is it the peace the world can’t give. It’s the peace the world can’t take away.

Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

As the cross is being raised, a final thanks to our “Spirit Givers”!

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Ballard, III, In Memory of the Bergeron & Boudreaux Families, Philip & Ella Boudreaux, Kathy, Molly & Katie Burns, Matalin & Emma Carville, Robert & Druscilla Charlebois, The Chisesi Family, In Memory of Mae Colgan Clementino, The Howell Crosby Family, Ronnie Demilio, In Memory of Louis J. Derbes, C.M., Martin Feldman, Dr. & Mrs. Norman Francis, Arthemise Galle, Joyce Griener, In Memory of Mary & Jimmie Hanemann, Hunter P. Harris & Family, Lucy M. LaBella, Ronald & Mary Ellen Leggio, Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Liljeberg, Sr., In Memory of Garrett & Claire Martin, McNamara & McAuliffe Families, Patricia & David Mitchell, Superintendent & Mrs. Henry Morris, The Nalty-Hanemann Family, Rev. Msgr. Christopher Halpin Nalty, Deacon Paul & Jane Nalty, The Paciera Family, In Memory of John Leon Pecarrere, Sr., Herbert Joseph Petit, Sr., For the Grandchildren of Edward & Julie Poitevent, The Rareshide Family, In Memory of William G. Raymond, Rivers Robinson Singley, Joel & Margaret Soniat, Vetter Amadeo Taylor & Renee Torina

Ave Crux, Spes Nostra!
(Hail the Cross, Our Hope!)

In honor of the raising of the cross this week, I wanted to share a beautiful sermon by Saint Theodore the Studite about the precious and life-giving Cross of Christ:

How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return.

This was the tree on which Christ, like a king on a chariot, destroyed the devil, the Lord of death, and freed the human race from his tyranny. This was the tree upon which the Lord, like a brave warrior wounded in his hands, feet and side, healed the wounds of sin that the evil serpent had inflicted on our nature. A tree once caused our death, but now a tree brings life. Once deceived by a tree, we have now repelled the cunning serpent by a tree. What an astonishing transformation! That death should become life, that decay should become immortality, that shame should become glory! Well might the holy Apostle exclaim: Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world! The supreme wisdom that flowered on the cross has shown the folly of worldly wisdom’s pride. The knowledge of all good, which is the fruit of the cross, has cut away the shoots of wickedness.

The wonders accomplished through this tree were foreshadowed clearly even by the mere types and figures that existed in the past. Meditate on these, if you are eager to learn. Was it not the wood of a tree that enabled Noah, at God’s command, to escape the destruction of the flood together with his sons, his wife, his sons’ wives and every kind of animal? And surely the rod of Moses prefigured the cross when it changed water into blood, swallowed up the false serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians, divided the sea at one stroke and then restored the waters to their normal course, drowning the enemy and saving God’s own people? Aaron’s rod, which blossomed in one day in proof of his true priesthood, was another figure of the cross, and did not Abraham foreshadow the cross when he bound his son Isaac and placed him on the pile of wood?

By the cross death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The cross is the glory of all the apostles, the crown of the martyrs, the sanctification of the saints. By the cross we put on Christ and cast aside our former self. By the cross we, the sheep of Christ, have been gathered into one flock, destined for the sheepfolds of heaven.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond would like to call your attention to two important items:

1. In the Clarion Herald this weekend, he has written an article discussing the recent media coverage of the Holy Father’s handling of several cases involving the sexual abuse of minors which took place a number of years ago. For six years Archbishop Aymond served as Chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People. He is in a unique position to answer questions about the situation. Please read his article in the Clarion. Copies are in the back of church.

2. Next weekend, the Archdiocese is taking up a collection for the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Money will be used to support religious education, youth ministry, evangelization, seminary education and ministry training in mission dioceses in Alaska, Appalachia, the Southwest, as well is Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories. Please be generous!

This Sunday is the Feast of Divine Mercy It is dedicated to the devotion to the Divine Mercy promoted by St. Faustina, and is based upon an entry in St. Faustina's diary stating that anyone who participates in the Mass and receives the sacraments of confession and Eucharist on this day is assured by Jesus of full remission of sins.

According to the notebooks of Saint Faustina, Jesus made the following statements about this day: "On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity." (Diary of Saint Faustina, 699)

The devotion was celebrated unofficially in many places for some years.  However, on April 30, 2000 (Divine Mercy Sunday of that year), Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina and designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in the General Roman Calendar, with effect from the following year. He also decreed a plenary indulgence associated with this devotion. Pope John Paul II said he felt a closeness to St. Faustina when he was writing his letter Dives in misericordia. He died during the vigil of the Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005.
Instructions on how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, using as a Rosary

Instructions on how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, using as a Rosary

Start at the Crucifix
Make the Sign of the Cross.
“Thou didst expire, Lord Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.  O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Thyself out upon us.”

(3 times) “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in Thee!”

1. Pray the Our Father.
2. Pray the Hail Mary.
3. Recite the Apostles' Creed.

* On the large bead before each of the five decades (set of ten prayers) say:
“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

* On each small "Hail Mary" bead:
“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

* After five decades, conclude by saying three times:
“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

* Concluding prayers:
“Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Thy mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Thy holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen.”

My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (Jn 13:33a, 34-35)
*     *     *
The Gospel of John could be called the “Gospel of Love.” It condenses the stories about Christ into one succinct passage in the third chapter, the verse seen often on signs at football games: John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” It gives us the reason and purpose of the first coming of Christ. He came because God loves us, and He came to give us eternal life in His love.

The word “love” that is frequently used in John’s Gospel is “agape.” It’s a word that is rarely found in ancient writings, but it is found extensively in the New Testament and among early Christians writers. In fact, it was specifically used to describe the love that comes from God rather than simple “friendships” among humans. When John says that “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) he used the word “agape,” which came to mean that love that was revealed on the cross when Christ gave Himself for all humanity. When Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment, He said, “Love (agape) the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ... Love (agape) your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt 22:37,39)

Since that time, spiritual writers have used “agape” love (generally rendered as “charity” in English) to mean a selfless love that is passionately committed to the good of another. It is a form of love that is unconditional and voluntary. And it is a love that has characterized the Catholic Church since Christ established it. And it perdures to the present day in a myriad of ways. Most people don’t realize it, but the Catholic Church is the largest charity in the world. Our Church is made up of people of every race in the world: young and old, rich and poor, sinners and saints. We runs more hospitals, orphanages, relief efforts, schools, clinics than any other charitable organization in the world. And why? It’s because of that “agape.” We love.

You might remember a “schmaltzy” song we sometimes sang at Mass in the 1970’s: “They Will Know We are Christians By Our Love.” It wasn’t a great song, but the dates back to the 2nd century author Tertullian. He remarked how Christian love attracted pagan converts: “What marks us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness. ‘Only look,’ they say, ‘look how they love one another.’”

Under our new Cross, let us remember the love that it represents, and let us pass that love to all who gather under it – especially those most in need of our love.


Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

Easter Sunday is the day of the “Alleluia!” After forty days of Lenten sacrifice and fasting, we finally arrive at the most important day of our liturgical year, and the only word we have to express our inner joy is “Alleluia!!”

In the old Greek version of the Book of Tobias, in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Hebrew psalter, and in the original Greek of the Apocalypse we hear about this most holy word. It is part of the earliest Christian liturgies of which we have record.

It is a word composed of the divinely acclaiming verbal form Allelu and the divine pronoun term Ya (for YHWH or Yahweh). So, preserving its radical sense and sound, and even the mystical suggestiveness of its construction, it may be literally rendered, “All hail to Him Who is!”--taking “All Hail” as equivalent to “Glory in the Highest,” and taking “He Who is" in the sense in which God said to Moses: “Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel; WHO IS hath sent me to you.” The ancient Jewish and Christian tradition all point to the conclusion that the “Alleluia” belonged to the Hebrew liturgy from the beginning as a divinely authorized doxology. As to when it was first formed, much evidence points to it being one of man's most ancient formulas of monotheistic faith--the true believer's primitive Credo, primitive doxology, primitive acclamation. That in part would explain remarkable fondness for its liturgical use. As a rule the Church uses it wherever joy is to be emphatically expressed, especially as to triumph or thanksgiving.

The “Alleluia” is a great characteristic of Easter, as it has an important place in all of the liturgies, constantly appearing at the beginning and end, and even in the middle, of psalms, as an instinctive exclamation of ecstatic joy.

The very sound of the words should be held to signify a kind of acclamation and a form of ovation which mere grammarians cannot satisfactorily explain; this is the reason why the translators of the Old Testament have left it untranslated, and the Church has taken it into the formulas of her Liturgy or of the people who use it at any time or place where joy need be expressed for God’s greatness and love! Alleluia! Praise God!

Thanks to Chad Ham and the many other volunteers who greeted pilgrims taking part in the Nine Church Walk on Friday. The pilgrims started arriving almost at the completion of our Holy Thursday vigil at 6:00am, and they continued even into the afternoon and evening. There were many new faces in the church for the Stations of the Cross at 6:00pm. Chad had his handy clicker to count numbers, so we know that at least 2,000 people came to visit St. Stephen’s on Friday. I sat in the confessional from 9:00-11:00 am, and it made me realize that next year I need to extend the hours. The line was continuous for the entire time. Anybody who doubts the vitality of the Catholic Church in New Orleans need only to have seen the busloads of high school groups, CYO groups, and large families taking part in the walk to have their doubts removed. I was so happy to greet many pilgrims from other parishes where I have served. It was great to see old friends, but it made me so proud and happy to be able to welcome them to my new home. I heard nothing but good reports from the crowds at St. Henry and Our Lady of Good Counsel. I wish I had been able to make it to those churches, but between the Holy Thursday vigil, confessions, the soup service, the 3:00pm Good Friday service and 6:00pm Stations of the Cross, I didn’t have much time to venture out! Thanks to everyone!

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (Jn 21:15-17)
*     *     *
Simon Peter is one the most intriguing characters in the New Testament. Unlike people like John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, or the tax collector Zacchaeus, we can’t really get a fix on Peter. His relationship with Jesus begins strangely when Jesus performs a miracle, and Peter falls at His knees, saying: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” He gets the greatest compliment from Jesus: “Blessed are you Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” Then two verses later, when he recoils upon hearing of the suffering of Jesus, he’s told: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do!”

He promises to die for Jesus, and later that same Holy Thursday evening, he denies Jesus three times. This Sunday, he’s asked about his love for Jesus. And he’s asked again. And again. And he affirms his love for Jesus.

In a way, Peter stands for all of us. Each of us goes through stages in our relationship with God that can’t be put into one story. The story takes place over our life. We need to commit ourselves to a lifetime of conversion.

St. Augustine says that Peter had to tell Jesus he loved Him three times to counter the three times that he denied Jesus. And after Pentecost, Peter was never to deny Jesus again. And I imagine that this last scene between Jesus and Peter set the stage for the rest of Peter’s life. Given his marching orders, Peter set out to evangelize the world. But I bet Peter replayed this encounter with Jesus in his mind until his deat: “I kept telling Jesus I loved Him, and He kept telling me to ‘feed His sheep.’ I guess that’s the way that I’m supposed to express my love for Him: by loving his sheep.”

It’s the call of Peter. It’s the call of Pope Benedict, as Successor of Peter. And it’s our call within the Body of Christ. We deny Jesus every time we fall into serious sin. Our remedy is to tell Jesus we love Him. And the way we can show it is to love His people.

Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.” (Jn 10:27-28)

For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Rev. 7:17)

*     *     *

This week is the Fourth Sunday in Easter, and it is traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because of the Gospel reading today in which Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd. We’re all familiar with the images: Jesus standing, staff in hand, with the lamb across his shoulders. Or perhaps we think of Jesus sitting under a tree – a little lamb on his lap. These are beautiful images, but they are incomplete.

For thousands of years, the Jewish people have used the Good Shepherd image to refer to God. It goes back to Genesis 49:24, where Joseph was saved “By the power of the mighty one of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, the God of your father...” Such imagery was used by Moses and most of the prophets. And it was used most familiarly by David in the 23rd Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

So when Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd, he wasn’t singling out the nicest herdsmen in the field. He was pointing to the prophecies about Himself. He was revealing Himself as God. But within this revelation was something knew. Jesus says at Jn 10:11 that “A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” Now this might seem a bit extreme. Sure, the shepherd loved the sheep. Sure he protected, fed and led them. But most of us would find it strange to give up our life for animals.

And that’s what happened, and that’s what is revealed in the second reading from Revelations. “the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them.” So the Good Shepherd is also the Lamb of God. And that Lamb of God lays down his life for the other lambs. The infinite God becomes a lamb, and allows Himself to be led to the slaughter on the altar of the cross. Behold the Lamb of God, slain on the cross to take away the sins of the world!

During the recent remembrance of Good Friday, I described the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. I tried to imagine why would God allow Himself to be so brutally slaughtered by sinful men. The theological answer would be that He did it to show how much He loves us. It’s hard to wrap our minds around a love that strong. I can’t explain the “why” He would die for us. But I know that He did.

Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty