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    Fr. Joseph Jenkins

  • An important theme for this blog is the scene in the New Testament where Jesus can be found FLOGGING the money-changers out of the temple. My header above depicts a priest FLOGGING the devils that distort the faith and assault believers. The faith that gives us consolation can and should also make us very uncomfortable. Both Divine Mercy and Divine Justice meet in Jesus. Priests are ministers of reconciliation, but never at the cost of truth. In or out of season, we must be courageous in preaching and living out the Gospel of Life. The title of my blog is a play on words, not Flogger Priest but Blogger Priest.

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Muslims & Religion in Schools

WHOA! This School Allows School Prayer, But Only For…

People are upset that Muslims are given facilities to pray in schools. I am more upset that we as Christians have so easily surrendered this liberty and have allowed the component of religion to be stripped from our lived culture and from the teaching of social studies. Freedom “of” religion does not mean freedom “from” religion. Such a mentality impoverishes us all and represents a sanitized or censored diversity. Removing the factor of religion falsifies history, as with Columbus, leaving us with charges of genocide, forced slavery, and greed but saying next to nothing positive about his faith and missionary mandate to bring the saving faith of Christ to the New World.

Snow? Really?

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The weather is certainly surprising this year!

Mother Teresa’s Nuns Executed

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Mother Teresa’s nuns have a charism to tend the needs of the poorest of the poor. Friday, March 4, 2016, Muslim terrorists executed them.

Four nuns and ten civilians were killed. Msgr. Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar to Southern Arabia, spoke to AsiaNews about this morning’s “religiously-motivated” attack against the convent of the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, in southern Yemen. At 8:30 AM, the prelate said, “People in uniform stormed the compound where the Missionaries of Charity live. After they killed the security guard and all the employees that stood in their way, they came for the nuns and opened fire, killing four [sisters]. One (the superior) managed to hide and survive. Now she is in a safe place.” The victims are Sister Anselm from India, Sister Marguerite from Rwanda, Sister Judit from Kenya and Sister Reginette also from Rwanda.

The attackers seized Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, a Salesian priest who lived at the facility. At the time of the attack, he was in the chapel praying. Overall, 16 people lost their life: four religious and ten lay people, employees of the community that also housed senior citizens and disabled people. Msgr. Hinder said: “We knew that the situation was difficult and that the sisters were running a certain risk. They decided to stay no matter what because this was part of their spirituality.” Groups linked to al Qaeda and jihadist militias linked to the Islamic State group are active in the country, which adds to the spiral of violence and terror.

Cardinal Wuerl at Deanery Meeting

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Cardinal Wuerl attended a meeting of all the priests in the PG County Deaneries. He took this photo with me. Father LaHood was our gracious host at St. Mary of the Assumption.

SCRIPTURAL LITANY OF MERCY #4

Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)

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Offered at the 9:30 AM Mass at Holy Family 1-3-16

Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:

Response: Lord, have mercy on us.

The command to take up our cross and follow Christ.
The invitation to discipleship offered to the rich young man.
The water and the wine applied by the Good Samaritan.
The words traced in dirt at the absolution of the adulteress.
The unique, longed-for voice of the Good Shepherd.
The hunger of the starving prodigal son.
The running of the father to reunite with his lost son.
The robe and ring of the forgiving father.
The certainty impelling the tax collector to pray in the Temple.
The guest who makes himself at home in Zacchaeus’ house.
The summons raising Lazarus from his four-day-old tomb.
The beauty awakening the five wise virgins.
The largesse prompting the poor widow in the Temple.
The gaze of love cast on Peter at the point of his denial.
The gleam of Christ-washed feet.
The friendship bestowed by the Son of God.
The dwelling place prepared for us in the Father’s house.
The Presence alive in the Last Supper Bread and Wine.
The offer to Simon the Cyrenian to help carry Christ’s cross.
The forgiveness to those holding hammers on Calvary.
The assurance of paradise to every begging Good Thief.
The priceless gift given to us in the Motherhood of Mary.
The saving blood and water pouring from the Crucified’s side.
What is greater than darkness, sending the women to the tomb.

Feast of the Epiphany
January 2 & 3, 2016

Celebrant: The Wisemen seek the child-king born in a Bethlehem stable. Their gifts signify a grasp of his identity and mission: Gold to express his royal dignity; Frankincense to express the offering he would make; & Myrrh to express his burial. The Magi receive in return an extraordinary gift: seeing the child whose love would one day be proclaimed everywhere. They see the Word made flesh and it alters their lives forever. Let me offer you 3 points for reflection: (1) Make the journey to Christ. It is a daily conversion of our mind and heart from sin to God’s goodness. (2) Offer Christ the gift he wants, our love. (3) Note how the Wisemen take another route to avoid Herod. Our life too has to change direction! We must move away from what destroys the reign of Christ in our hearts and move toward our true home, which is heaven. We have to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may walk in the ways of the Lord!

Adapted from Archbishop Lori

SCRIPTURAL LITANY OF MERCY #3

Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)

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Offered at the 5:30 PM Mass at Holy Family 12-26-15

Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:

Response: Lord, have mercy on us.

The angel’s announcement to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Fiat of the holy Mother of God.
The courage convicting Saint Joseph in his sleep.
The tidings of Good News to the shepherds in the fields.
The star guiding the Magi to the Bethlehem manger.
The tender will awaited by the long-suffering leper.
The healing of all those afflicted and sick.
The silencer of the storms at sea.
The expeller of demons.
The paralytic’s ability to walk.
The sight given to the blind.
The hearing given to the deaf.
The hundredfold sprouting from the well-sown seed.
The deliciousness of Cana’s wondrous wine.
The new beginning in Christ’s call, “Follow me.”
The multiplied loaves for famished multitudes.
The desire that moves us to change and become like children.
The thirst of the Samaritan woman at the well.
The garment’s hem within reach of the hemorrhaging woman.
The urgency dispatching the shepherd in search of lost sheep.
The buoyancy by which Peter walks on the water.
The life restored to the widow of Nain’s dead son.
The welcome given the sinful woman who washes Jesus’ feet.
The miraculous change promised us all in the Transfiguration.

Feast of the Holy Family
December 26 & 27, 2015

Celebrant: Our guide in prayer and the ways of mercy are outlined in Scripture. We read: “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

(Luke 6:36-38)

SCRIPTURAL LITANY OF MERCY #2

Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)

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Offered at the 9:30 AM Mass at Holy Family 12-20-15

Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:

Response: Lord, have mercy on us.

Elijah’s unlimited jar of flour feeding the widow.
Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal.
The tiny whispering sound Elijah heard on the mountain.
The cure of Naaman the leper.
The new eyesight given to Tobit.
The conquering might of Judith.
The intervention of Esther that saved her people from destruction.
The valor of the mother with her seven martyred sons.
The compassion shown to Job.
The shepherd sung of by the Psalmist.
The lover sought in the Song of Songs.
Divine Wisdom, overlooking sins so that people may repent.
The comfort proclaimed by the Prophet Isaiah.
The expiation of guilt proclaimed by the Prophet Isaiah.
The wolf and the lamb grazing together.
The voice that formed us in our mother’s womb.
The new law within us, written on our heart.
The new heart and new spirit replacing our stony heart.
The spirit and flesh put on once-dry bones.
The rescue of the young men from the fiery furnace.
The espousal of the Lord of the unfaithful wife.
The fish that swallowed Jonah, saving him from drowning.
The preaching of Jonah, converting the great city of Nineveh.
The Day of the Lord foretold by the prophets.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 19 & 20, 2015

Celebrant: Almighty God and Father, You have created all things and know the desire of every heart. In this Year of Mercy, we reflect on your great love for us, and acknowledge our sinfulness and need for your healing mercy. Trusting that you never tire of forgiving us, we open our hearts to receive your forgiveness and love. Having encountered you, Mercy itself, and guided by the Holy Spirit, may we witness to the love we have received by sharing it with those most in need: the hungry, the homeless, the afflicted, and the oppressed. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Archdiocesan Prayer for Mercy)

SCRIPTURAL LITANY OF MERCY #1

Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P.  (MAGNIFICAT)

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Offered at the 12 Noon Mass at Holy Family 12-13-15

Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:

Response: Lord, have mercy on us.

Beauteous Creation brought forth from the abyss of nothingness.
The breath that turned muddy clay into a living human being.
The leather garments that clothed sinful man and woman.
The ark that saved Noah from the cataclysm of the flood.
The rainbow—sign of your covenant with the earth.
The halt put to building the haughty Tower of Babel.
The everlasting covenant made with Abraham.
The angel who stayed Abraham’s knife above his son Isaac.
The stairway shown to Jacob in a dream.
The forgiveness Joseph offered to his treacherous brothers.
The hope of liberation promised in the burning bush.
The miraculous passageway through the parted Red Sea.
The authority of Moses and the attained Promised Land.
The manna in the wilderness for those facing famine.
Flowing water to drink from a rock in the desert.
The gift of the tablets bearing the Ten Commandments.
The Ark of the Covenant.
The certainty that filled Joshua to serve God alone.
The strength of Samson.
The tenderness that moved Ruth to stay with Naomi.
The voice that beckoned Samuel in the nighttime.
The kingly anointing of Saul.
David’s defeat of the Philistine Goliath.
The Temple built by Solomon.

Third Sunday of Advent
December 12 & 13, 2015

Celebrant: What is mercy? Mercy is the experience of God’s love that forgives faults, heals hurts, and connects us more deeply to God and each other. Pope Francis describes mercy as “the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness” (MV, 2). This Advent as we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus and to share His love, reflect on how you can open your heart to God’s mercy and share that mercy with friends, family, and those most in need.

(Archdiocesan Resource Prayer)

LITANY OF THE MERCY OF GOD

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Prayed on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (7:30 PM Mass)

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

Response: We trust in You.

Mercy of God, supreme attribute of the Creator,
Mercy of God, greatest perfection of the Redeemer,
Mercy of God, unfathomable love of the Sanctifier,
Mercy of God, inconceivable mystery of the Holy Trinity,
Mercy of God, expression of the greatest power of the Most High,
Mercy of God, revealed in the creation of the heavenly Spirits,
Mercy of God, summoning us to existence out of nothingness,
Mercy of God, embracing the whole universe,
Mercy of God, bestowing upon us immortal life,
Mercy of God, shielding us from merited punishments,
Mercy of God, raising us from the misery of sin,
Mercy of God, justifying us in the Word Incarnate,
Mercy of God, flowing from the wounds of Christ,
Mercy of God, gushing from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Mercy of God, giving to us the Most Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of Mercy,
Mercy of God, shown in the revelation of the Divine mysteries,
Mercy of God, manifested in the institution of the universal Church,
Mercy of God, contained in the institution of the Holy Sacraments,
Mercy of God, bestowed upon mankind in the Sacraments of Baptism & Penance,
Mercy of God, granted in the Sacraments of the Altar & the Priesthood,
Mercy of God, shown in calling us to the Holy Faith,
Mercy of God, revealed in the conversion of sinners,
Mercy of God, manifested in the sanctification of the just,
Mercy of God, fulfilled in the perfecting of the saintly,
Mercy of God, font of health for the sick & the suffering,
Mercy of God, solace of anguished hearts,
Mercy of God, hope of souls afflicted with despair,
Mercy of God, always and everywhere accompanying all people,
Mercy of God, anticipating us with graces,
Mercy of God, peace of the dying,
Mercy of God, refreshment & relief of the Souls in Purgatory,
Mercy of God, heavenly delight of the blessed,
Mercy of God, crown of all the Saints,
Mercy of God, inexhaustible source of miracles,

Lamb of God, Who did show us Your greatest mercy in redeeming the world on the Cross, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who mercifully offers Yourself for us in every Holy Mass, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world through Your inexhaustible Mercy, Have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

V. The tender mercies of the Lord are over all His works.
R. The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever.

Let Us Pray.

O God, Whose Mercy is infinite and Whose treasures of pity are inexhaustible, graciously look down upon us and increase in us Thy Mercy so that we may never, even in the greatest trials, give way to despair, but may always trustfully conform ourselves to Thy Holy Will, which is Mercy itself. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Mercy, Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit doth show us Mercy forever and ever.

R. Amen.

Recommended Books for Men Considering Priesthood

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SILENCE by Shusaku Endo

THE CARDINAL by Henry Morton Robinsonuntitled

THE DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST by Georges Bernanos

THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM by A. J. Cronin

THE POWER AND THE GLORY by Graham Greene

WITH GOD IN RUSSIA by Fr. Walter Ciszek, SJ

HE LEADETH ME by Fr. Walter Ciszek, SJ

THE JUNKIE PRIEST by Fr. Daniel Egan, SA