Father's Tuesday, 5/19/2020 Message

Today’s first reading reminds me of a story told by a Franciscan priest from New York who came to celebrate a First Saturday Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in center city Philadelphia. 

Every first Saturday, a Pro-Life Ministry called the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants would ask a different priest to celebrate Mass before all those who were able would then go out and walk to a Planned Parenthood facility to pray the Rosary as a witness to the sanctity of human life. For those not able to walk, they would remain in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in Church until we returned for Benediction. 

Similar to Paul and Silas who were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, and doing good, the priest was arrested and put in prison for praying in front of an abortion facility in New York.  He admitted that at first he was angry at God because, he was in prison for doing good, but, after awhile he decided to pray.  He was allowed to have his Breviary with him, and so like Paul and Silas, he started praying and singing the Psalms out loud.  He then heard other prisoners in cells along the row asking who he was, and he said a Catholic priest.  They told him that they had a Bible study class, but, weren’t able to understand a few passages, could he help them.  With that, he said his eyes filled with tears, as he suddenly understood why he was in prison. 

Like Paul and Silas, who by being in prison, ended up Baptizing the jailer and, his family, so, the priest realized that he was there in prison at that time, to help those men understand the Scriptures.  Sometimes, things may happen to us that we may not understand when we are trying to do good for God, but, may these two examples give us hope that God can indeed bring good out of all things. 

God bless you,
Fr. Robert