MONSIGNOR FRANZINELLI'S HOMILIES
May 2004 and Investiture of Ecclesiastical Order

Homily PENTECOST SUNDAY
May 30, 2004

PRAY THAT on this Pentecost Day that the Holy Spirit may come upon YOU and all of God's people for an increase of faith. That we who believe may give thanks to the Holy Spirit for God's saving help in our lives and the lives of those for whom we pray and love.

Pray from your hearts to the Holy Spirit for an increase of faith, so that, though our faith be weak and we do nor understand, we will still believe. And at the same time, acknowledge and thank God, the Holy Spirit, for your faith.

How often has God saved us from ourselves in the world and the temptations of the devil, Satan, the evil one?   Do we turn and thank the Holy Spirit often enough for saving us?   How ungrateful can we be when we attribute to "accidental luck",  what the Holy Spirit has done for us - Faith in God, the Holy Spirit's  influence in our lives instead of coincidence or luck. Believe that the Holy Spirit has come upon you, dwells in you. It is that Holy Spirit that moves you to love one another. Don't allow the human animal attractions to dominate your lives. Unless you ask God's Holy Spirit to come alive in your prayer life, will you survive the war within you.???

Prayer opens the door that the Spirit of God may enter in. Believe in the power of prayer;  it is the power of the Holy Spirit working within you. As God has saved me over and over again, with prayer God will save you as often as asked. Let God's presence dominate your lives ...

On the heels of the Holy Spirit is the Mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, who is also your mother and mine. Tomorrow, Monday, the 31st is the Feast of Our Blessed Mother's Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth when she gave thanks to God for what He had done for her. She conceived by the Holy Spirit the Savior of the world sent by God, the Father, for the forgiveness of our sins. It is through the Holy Spirit that we have the forgiveness of our sins. What the Holy Spirit did for Mary, in some measure the Spirit does for us.

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS
MAY 2004

As those who believe in Jesus Christ and remain as His Disciples, the Ascension is that event when our parents let us go, as toddlers. And after many trials and falls, we successfully manage to walk on our own. As the Acts of the Apostles testify -  the Risen Jesus Christ, after His Passion, Death and Resurrection from the dead, visibly appeared to His Chosen followers.  He reminded them of His teachings and wonders He had done. He instructed them to "Go preach the Good News and Baptize". He entrusted to the Apostles the responsibility of His Power to forgive sin. All who accept and believe in Christ and repent of their sins, their sins would be forgiven. The Risen Christ, the Son of God, knew that His time on earth was coming to a close and He would return to the Father, from whom He had been sent. His Mission in the Flesh as teacher and model was completed. Finally after He had prepared them to "walk the walk", Jesus put them on their own to continue His Mission on earth. "Get up and go", Don't be afraid, don't be scared, I'll be with you always. They were told to stay put in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit would come upon them in fire, and the Holy Spirit will strengthen you, so that you can be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.

The Ascension experience reminds us of our responsibility, as baptized to show the world that we follow Christ and HIS CHURCH - HIS WAY, HIS TRUTH:  to fearlessly stand up to represent the truth of your Catholic religion. Jesus, the Risen Son Of God leads you in faith to "walk the walk". 

As the baptized, we have it all. We have the forgiveness of our sins. We have renewal of His Sacrifice on the Cross at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And besides we have the reality of His Own Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in Holy Communion, the Eucharist from Mass. God is with us, His Spirit united in us. So "Get up, let's go"... Pope JPII says - be the visible presence of the Risen Christ in the world today. His Command is to continue His Mission on earth, to be His Presence in the world to live your faith. Show the world you are not afraid to "walk the walk", do your best to get along with one another, to love one another as He Loved us by forgiveness and charity - to help one another. Don't be afraid to stand up for the principals of your faith even if it means confronting the world's immorality. Work to halt the evil of abortion, and the evil of contraception to prevent childbirth for convenience sake. Work to promote Catholic morality. Work to elect political leaders who stand up for pro-life. Our war is not outside ourselves. it is within. The terror and fear within. Don't shut it out by putting your head in the ground. Jesus has returned to His Father, our Father, to inspire and assist us in our Mission of Hope and Peace and Love and Forgiveness. Get up and let's Go!

Homily Fifth Sunday, Easter 
MOTHERS DAY, May 9, 2004

The Holy Scriptures today tells us about the successful missionary journeys of St. Paul and his associates evangelizing.  Then St. John reveals to us his wonderful vision , "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race" (remember God is Love and he who abides in love abides in God) and "Behold I make all things new". The Gospel is special because it's a flash back to the Last Supper, after Judas took off, and Jesus  speaks about Resurrection, God is glorified in Him. The important fact is the we, too, shall Glorify God and God will be Glorified in us if we try to love one another as Christ has called us to do. Children, Love one another...

To love one another is not impossible; it is not impossible even to love the most unlovable. Not so much as because you want to love them but because God has asked you to love them. Love presumes forgiveness, no matter how deeply you have been hurt.  Be mindful that God has forgiven you when, at times, we too appeared to be unforgivable. You love your enemy and those who have hurt you not because you want to, but because God has asked you.  

For me, sometimes, the hardest moments for loving others is not toward some misguided criminal or zealot, but toward the obstinate self righteous who say I have no sins. I don't have to go to confession. Forgive them because they know not what they do.

Love also presumes sacrifice.  

Today is Mother's Day, honoring all mothers. Let us examine LOVE in the light of motherhood. 

In today's world, the love that Jesus asked of us as His Disciples has been ignored.  Many are downright antagonistic toward the Gospel concept of Love. They live on hate and resentment.  

The primary first teachers of human love is normally experienced at our mother's knee.  So in order to love as Christ taught us presumes on the love and sacrifice and forgiveness learned as children.  This is where it counts. The Little ones, your children, need to see it to believe it. Make sacrifices to love one another, to forgive as I have forgiven you. Anyone who is faithful to Christ, as Christians and especially mothers, needs to realize that turning the other cheek and enduring injustice, unfairness, for the sake of bringing Christ's Love and His Gospel to others is to be expected.

So, if you are a practicing, Catholic mother, who is not perfect yet, who prays and wants your prayers heard and answered, check yourself and clear your way of any obstacles to God's gifts and Grace. Ask forgiveness of God for any neglect or omission.  The future of the world we live in depends on you. Whatever the past has been, it is never too late to turn it around.

We also need to be confident that God is always with our mothers. He is never far away. "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race" (remember God is Love and he who abides in love abides in God) and "Behold I make all things new". 

In Holy Communion, Christ unites Himself to you. Mothers are particularly called to be His Ambassadors of Love and forgiveness.
This is how all will know that you are His disciples. You are mine and I am yours.

HOMILY MAY 2, 2004 - Good Shepherd Sunday
Fourth Week, Easter

This fourth Sunday after Easter is traditionally called "Good Shepherd Sunday".  The opening prayer refers to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Our Responsorial Psalm response was, "We are His People, the sheep of his flock".  

The second reading speaks of the Sacrificial Lamb of God who will Shepherd us, and the sacrifice of those who have made their robes white in the Blood of the Lamb. St. Paul tells us that it will not be easy to persevere, we Christians will meet with persecution, hardship and sorrow
The Gospel is rather short, but speaks to us about the sheep of Jesus who hear His Voice. Those who listen to Him will have eternal Life. No one can snatch them out of our Lord's Hands.

Here Jesus implies that there will be those who will try to do so. We may not be tested by the world we live in to the point of martyrdom, yet it is bad enough to be challenged in our faith and morals by the liberal world around us, as well as personal temptations everyday. If we pray and are loyal to our Catholic Christian faith and the voice of our "Good Shepherd", we will overcome the ridicule, opposition and criticisms of the world around us. Prayer and the Sacraments are the antidotes.

Keep the Image of the Good Shepherd with the Lamb upon His Shoulder always before you. It points out to us His Love and concern for His Straying sheep.   See how He is always ready to forgive and forget. 

It is easy to wander away, even the strongest of His Sheepfold. Satan knows the human weaknesses of our nature, but it is the Good Shepherd's who searches to forgive and forget.  The human weaknesses of some of His Priests and even Bishops we know of have tested our hearts and minds. Human weakness cannot be condoned, but it is our faith in the Good Shepherd's Love and Forgiveness THAT MUST persevere. As it is for others, so it is for ourselves. It is mercy and forgiveness, the foundations of the Teachings of Christ Our Lord and His Church that will win over all.

Pray for all the Shepherds of Our Church, for our priests, who have strayed and for OUR Holy Father who remains firm with loving kindness.

Also today, Good Shepherd Sunday, pray for vocations to the Holy Priesthood and for worthy Bishops united in Word and Spirit with Our Holy Father, the Pope. Pray for young men who will not be afraid to risk the call of the Holy Spirit to follow a life of self sacrifice and service for the Sheepfold of Our Risen Christ.

MONSIGNOR FRANZINELLI INVESTED INTO ECCLESIASTICAL ORDER

Msgr. Franzinelli, founding and Emeritus Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church and spiritual director/founder of the Medjugorje Information Center of Las Vegas [aka Las Vegas Marian Information Center], will be invested into the Ecclesiastical Order of Knighthood to join the ranks of the Catholic Church's prestigious society of the Equestrian Order Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. The Investiture is to take place on October 24, 2004 in Salt Lake City's Cathedral of the Madeleine. Five others from the Las Vegas Diocese will also be inducted into the Order of Knighthood and Ladies of the Order: The Rev. Edward F. Anderson, C.S.V.,The Rev. Francis P. White, C.S.V. and Mr &Mrs Phil and Marie Bevins, and Mrs. Sondra L. Tiberti.

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is one of the oldest and the only Order of Chivalry under the protection of the the Holy See. Membership is considered as one of the highest Papal Awards conferred upon clergy and laity alike. It is both a great honor and a great responsibility. Membership in this Order entails a personal and solemn commitment to daily prayers for peace in the Holy Land as well as an active support to protect and maintain the Shrines of the Holy Land and for there to be a continuing presence of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem.

Our congratulations to Msgr. Franzinelli and also to Bishop Joseph Pepe, and other clergy and laity who were invested last year as Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

Members of the Holy Family Catholic Parish will host a reception honoring the Knighthood of our own beloved founding Pastor, Monsignor Franzinelli, on Sunday, October 31, following the 9:30 Mass.

Historical Origins of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Founded in the 11th century, the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem traces its roots to the First Crusade in 1099 A.D. In 70 A.D., the City of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Legions. Later, the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine, built a Basilica covering Calvary Hill, the site of the crucifixion and burial of our Lord. The Basilica was continuously venerated by early Christian pilgrims until its destruction in 614 A.D. by invading Persians. The Basilica was later rebuilt, only to be destroyed again in 1009. In 1070, Jerusalem was occupied by the warring Seljuk Turks who began to harass, prosecute and kill Christian pilgrims. Christian Europe reacted, forming the First Crusade, and culminating in the great battlecry, "Deus Lo Vult", (God wills it!), led by His Holiness, Pope Urban II at Clermont on 1095. The cry in Latin, "Deus Lo Vult," is the motto on the coat of arms of the Order.

With the Pope's preaching of the need for Western European Knights to liberate the Holy Places from the infidel, the crusading movement that changed the face of Europe and the Middle East began. After nearly three years of combat under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Brabant (located in modern Belgium), 12,000 exhausted knights stood before the walls of Jerusalem. After a month long siege and a final assault, Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders in July, 1099, commanded by Godfrey of Bouillon, a Frankish ruler and Duke of Lower Lorraine in what is now northern France. When the successful Crusader armies asked Godfrey to accept the title of King of Jerusalem, he refused the honor, saying he would never wear the crown of gold when Jesus wore a crown of thorns. Godfrey was elected the Protector of the Holy Sepulchre and began to organize the kingdom.

Establishment of the Equestrian Order of the Knighthood of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Almost immediately after his election as the Protector, Godfrey created or dubbed new Knights at the Holy Sepulchre. Receiving knighthood at the Empty Tomb became an important ritual for the Crusaders. The first Knights of the Holy Sepulchre were those men who chose to remain in the Holy Land as protectors of the tomb rather than to return home. They joined with the religious Order under the rule of St. Augustine, the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, who cared for the needs of pilgrims. The Knights of the Order took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, just as the monks did. Godfrey's coat-of-arms, originally gold on a silver background, became the red cross of the five wounds of Christ and contained the cross potent, a large cross surrounded by four small crosses. The coat of arms became the symbol of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and is sometimes referred to as the Jerusalem Cross and has remained the official insignia of the Order to this day.

The crusaders affirmation, "God Wills It!" is the motto of the Order, but it signifies today a commitment to a Christian way of life very different from that of the medieval knights who took up the cross at Clermont. Though of ancient origin, the motto is alive and vibrant, for it inspires the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre to crusade for equality, justice for all, and peace in the Holy Land so that Christian, Jews, and Muslim may live side by side in love of God and each other as, "God Wills It!"

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