What’s In It for Us?   
 
What’s in it for us? Those words express the minds of the disciples of Jesus as he taught them again about his coming passion. They still did not get what discipleship entails. The preoccupation of their minds is how to attain power, privilege, and prestige rather than selfless service to the Kingdom. Who’s on first? Who is the greatest? Being successful and ahead in the secular sense is all they care about when Jesus was preparing them for his passion, a model for them as his followers. Jesus reminds them: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all” (Mk 9:35). Are we willing to be servants of all? Are we willing to be last in order to be first? 
 
A child is presented to the disciples as a symbol of how to serve. The child in the Jewish society is a nobody, no social status or importance is accorded the child. Yet from the innocence and trust of the child, we learn lessons of how to be a selfless servant for the kingdom of God. Are we willing to be childlike? If we want to be leaders at service, it is clear that the making of a good servant is dependent on detachment from preoccupation with self so that we become available to God to use us in the service of others. 
 
This is my goal as a priest as I celebrate my twenty-first anniversary of ordination to the priesthood of Christ on Thursday, September 23rd, the feast of Padre Pio, my spiritual mentor. Listening to Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all,” got me re-thinking how I am called to be a priest at the selfless service of the people of God. I am thankful to God for all his kindness, mercy and love in the past twenty-one years. I am filled with gratitude and joy.  
 
I echo the words of the Psalmist, “Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with a song of praise, joyfully sing our psalms (95:1-2). I invite you to join me in celebrating my priestly anniversary at 6 pm Mass on Thursday and after as I “lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (Psalm 116:13). Please, come thank God with me and pray with and for me to be a selfless servant of all. 
 
In the service of the body of Christ, 
 
Fr. Bernard, OP 
 

                                                                     Are You All In?

One of our own, David Abel, and his Stewardship team are organizing a spiritual and devotional conference at the Historic Star Barn Village on September 15 and 16 2021 and I am encouraging everyone to register to attend. Why? Not only because it is being organized by one of our parishioners and the venue is just across from our parish grounds, but also because it is going to be a period of grace. I have attended the past editions of the conference and I was enriched by all the presentations and prayers made available.
 
We need to continue to feed our souls spiritually and this is one great opportunity to do so. Attending retreats and conferences are ways of growing in the knowledge of Jesus who asked his disciples in the Gospel of this Sunday’s mass, “who do you say that I am?” (Mk 8: 29). When we continue our search, we come to a better knowledge of who Jesus is and are able to proclaim him more effectively to the world. Once we know who Jesus is, it becomes easy to yield All In, that is, to love him with our entire heart, soul, mind, and strength. That is what the conference promises. Please, avail yourselves of the opportunity of attending by going online to register. Our own Bishop Ronald Gainer will be celebrating the opening mass on Wednesday, September 15. It will be nice if we can turn out in large numbers to welcome him and let him know the great things we are doing here at St. Peter.
 
It is another anniversary of the tragic event that took place on September 11, 2001. Let us remember and pray for all who died in that ugly event. Let us honor the memory of all our heroic firefighters, policemen, and emergency medical officers who gave their lives. Let us pray for all who serve our local communities in this capacity.
 
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

                                                               Ephphata-Be Opened! 

Included in the order of Baptism for children is a ritual called "Ephphata". It is usually at the discretion of the celebrant to perform or skip it. I usually include it in baptisms because of its special symbolic value. This ritual act, similar to what Jesus did to a deaf man with speech impediment brought to him while he was in the district of Decapolis as we read from Mark 7: 31-37 involves the celebrant touching the ears and mouth of the child with his thumb as he says, “May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak, grant that you may soon receive his word with your ears and profess faith with your lips, to the glory and praise of God the Father.”It is important for our spiritual growth and life of faith to listen and speak. We need to be opened in this regard. Are our ears opened to the word of life who speaks to us in the Scriptures and prayers? Do we speak words of life to people we encounter daily? We should be opened to this act.
 
 There are a couple of ways we can make ourselves opened to God’s word. First, we have to admit that our ears are not always opened. Second, we have to be disposed to opening our ears to words of knowledge and light. We should pray daily to the Holy Spirit to open our ears to God who speaks to us every day in the Bible and in prayers. In addition, we should make efforts to listen frequently to others who have been gifted to speak words of encouragement and words that build to us. We should find time to go on retreats and attend conferences where words of inspiration can open our ears and loosen our tongues to speak of God’s love and mercy to others. This is contemplation and evangelization.
 
In this regard, I ask you to open up to the invitation to attend the Stewardship 21 conference at The Historic Star Barn Village from September 15-16. I attended previous conferences and was richly blessed. The theme this year is “All In: Love your Lord Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength.” I urge active participation of all of us at this conference that includes spiritual activities like Inspirational talks, Daily Mass, Adoration, and Stations of the Cross.
Let’s be opened to the voice of the Spirit that will be heard at this conference.
 
I want to say Thank You once again to the Council of Catholic Women and Men’s Club and all volunteers at the last Elizabethtown Fair. It was a successful witness to the joyful spirit of St. Peter Catholic Church to the larger E-Town community. I had a great time helping with selling funnel cakes and fries at the parish pavilions. Our parishioners are just lovely and joyful people, and I love them all. I encourage you to join these groups as they need new members to continue to do the great work they are doing for our church. Be open to the possibility.
 
In Him who Opens,
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Dear brothers and sisters,                              
                                                                                    
                                                               Madonna of the Chair
 
"Whatever is true…whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about all these things" (Philippians 4:8).
 
With St. Paul's recommendation in mind, I now officially introduce to you a lovely, gracious, and excellent painting that adorns the walls of our beautiful church, a replica of Raphael's Madonna of the Chair. This work is a replica of The Madonna de/la Sedia.(or Seggiola). The original is an oil on panel Madonna painting by the High Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, executed c. 1513-1514, and housed at the Palazzo Pitti collection in Florence, Italy. Although there is documentation on its arrival to its current location, Palazzo Pitti, it is still unknown who commissioned the original painting; however, it has been in the Medici family since the 16th century.
This replica was most likely created near the tum of the century. It is in a frame that is a facsimile of the original. The unknown artist's red wax seal is still intact and affixed to the back of the painting. The painting depicts Mary embracing the Christ child while sitting in a chair as young John the Baptist devoutly watches. The Madonna de/la Sedia is one of the most important of Raphael's Madonnas.
 
The Madonna de/la Sedia is Raphael's most humanistic form of the Madonna.12I Throughout Raphael's life, this humanistic representation of the Madonna occupied his mind. The Madonna de/la Sedia is the incarnation of a realistic mother and child, representing human motherhood.
The Madonna de/la Sedia balanced simplification and detail with the treatment of her embroidered shawl, the directness of the figures and the touching of the two heads (Madonna and Christ child).I4I Raphael dressed the Madonna in the Italian clothing of the time.15I Mary is depicted wearing a striped headdress, which falls behind her back and compliments her richly colored ornamental dress with fringe.
The colors play an essential role in this painting, from the green embroidered garment to the cerulean blue or the juxtaposition of the Madonna's red sleeve with the Christ child's orange drapery, which adds an extra element of enrichment and a vibrancy to the color palette.14 1 The warmer colors seem to suggest the influence of Titian and Raphael's rival Sebastiano def Piombo.
The Madonna de/la Sedia has been admired by many artists, poets, and engravers. It has been copied many times over and, historically, was considered one of the most revered of Raphael's Madonnas.18I There are a few enchanting legends connected to the Madonna de/la Sedia painting. One such legend is about a beautiful Urbino peasant girl, who was as good as she was beautiful, charitable, and pious, who gave her assistance to an ill hermit she had stumbled upon. The hermit rewarded the girl by blessing her and stating that she would be painted as the mother of God. Many years later, on a sunny day, holding her infant in the garden and with her toddler son playing at her knees, she was spotted by a handsome young man at her garden gate. That young man was Raphael Sanzio, who immediately said he would like to paint her as she sat there with her two sons, later represented as the original Virgin, Christ child, and St. John (Source: Wikipedia)
A book writer purchased this replica in Italy who then presented it as a gift to her publisher, Dan Raffensperger, of Continental Press. It was in Dan's office from approximately 1998 until he very generously donated it to Saint Peter in Elizabethtown in November 2019. Thanks to Bob Dolan for introducing me to Dan Raffensperger and providing the article on the Madonna of the Chair.
 
All things beautiful are a reflection of God.
 
Fr. Bernard, OP

Dear brothers and sisters,

                                              The Concluding Rites: “This Saying is Hard”

We conclude our biblical walk through the mass this week by taking a quick walk back through all the major components of the Sacred Mysteries. The central piece of the structure of Mass is the Eucharistic prayers. In the words of consecration said in the power of the Holy Spirit, the priest standing in the person of Christ, makes truly present the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Just like that! The faith of believers, the tradition of the Church, the authority and command of Jesus, all these come into play. If we lack faith, we would walk away like disciples of Jesus in John 6. Take and eat. Take and drink. This is my body. This is my blood. The words of Jesus are difficult to believe except we have faith. “This saying is hard’ who can accept it?”
 
Catholics have accepted it. We have lived and died for it for over two thousand years. For those with flagging faith, we pray their faith grows. We need that faith as we leave mass to bear witness to Jesus Christ we received sacramentally at Mass. The mass concludes with the words of the priest: Ite missa est- translated “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” Now we have been sent on a mission by Jesus, represented by the priest. He says literally, “go, you are dismissed, ” just as Jesus told his apostles somewhere else: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21). We wait for the concluding rites of Mass to hear those words of empowerment, of sending forth to bring the mysteries of Christ’s redemption into the world.
 
Let’s be people of thanksgiving, Eucharistic people. Believe the words of Jesus.
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

                                                                          MISSION APPEAL 2021                                         
Dear Friends in Christ,

Once again, this year, I am grateful to Bishop Ronald Gainer for allowing the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi to participate in the Mission Cooperative in the Diocese of Harrisburg. I am Bishop Joseph Kopacz, formerly a priest of the Diocese of Scranton, and now in my 8th year as the bishop of the Diocese of Jackson. We are a mission diocese where Catholics are a mere 2-3% of the population in Mississippi. Our diocese has the largest territory of any Catholic diocese east of the Mississippi River, approximately 38,000 square miles encompassing 65 counties. A small Catholic population over this expanse of territory results in many smaller rural parishes who on their own struggle to sustain their mission and ministries. In fact, there are some counties where the Diocese of Jackson does not have even a mission station. In addition, we are implanted in the State that consistently ranks at the bottom of national poverty-indicators, with respect to wages, health and access to health care, education, food, etc. Under these circumstances, it is clear that the Diocese of Jackson benefits enormously from the generosity_ty bestowed through the annual Mission Appeals.
The pandemic which has had a more adverse impact upon the poor and the marginalized, has exacerbated further the pastoral realities already straining under financial pressures in normal times. Many of our rural parishes are experiencing a significant loss of income because the majority of the parishioners are immigrants who work in the massive poultry industry in Mississippi. The gravity of their vulnerability to the COVID-19 virus is well documented and some of the large plants closed their doors because of the high rate of infections. In turn, the parishes and the Diocese of Jackson are reaching out to families whose breadwinner has lost their job because of the impact of the virus, or because of the downturn in the economy. Since June, 2020 our diocesan parishes opened under careful protocols, but for the past 10 months the number of parishioners who can attend Mass in-person is greatly reduced. When speaking with our pastors and lay leadership, it is obvious that they will need the assistance of the Diocese of Jackson through the Mission Cooperative to manage the impact of the pandemic.
I, and all leadership in the Diocese of Jackson, ordained and lay, thank you for your attention, prayer and generosity during these very challenging times for all of us, and especially for the poor and marginalized.

 Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D., PH.D.
CATHOLIC DIOCESE of JACKSON
 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,          
                                                            God Prepares the Sent
 
God is the one who calls and sends us to bear His message of mercy, freedom and love to the world. No one takes the prophetic call upon themselves; it is God who calls and sends. He called Amos to take up the prophetic task. Jesus called and sent the Twelve to preach repentance and deliverance. Before sending out those He called, God prepares them. Jesus prepared the apostles (Apostolos-the sent) by first taking them aside to teach them all they need to know. He shows them publicly by his own life and examples; then, he takes them away from the crowd from time to time to get the proper place and time to impart his grace and wisdom upon them. This time of grace and rest is called a spiritual retreat. We all need the time away not only for vacation but more importantly for retreat when we focus on listening, learning, and praying, time-tested means of growing in the perfection of love.
 
At this time, the Holy Spirit has called me to go on a spiritual retreat. As the code of canon law says in regards to clerics: for them to grow in pursuit of holiness, that is, a life of perfection, they need a regular period to go on spiritual retreats “In order to be able to pursue this perfection” (c. 276.2. n.4). This period is different from the permitted period of yearly vacation. Canon law says in 533.2 that “a pastor is permitted to be absent from the parish each year for vacation for at most one continuous or interrupted month; those days which the pastor spends once a year in spiritual retreat are not computed in the time of vacation.”
 
Having established the biblical and canonical contexts, I announce at this time that I will be spending a week of retreat/conference/mission in West Virginia from July 12-18. In August, I plan to take a couple of weeks of vacation as well. I will pray for all of you during my retreat. Hopefully, I will return refreshed and better equipped to carry out pastoral duties Christ has called and sent me to carry out in His name. Pray for me as I pray for you; we are all in the same boat.
 
With love,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

                                               True Independence Comes from Faith in God

The last time July 4 fell on a Sunday was in 2010. Eleven years after, the Independence Day falls on a Sunday, the day of the Lord. The day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, the savior of the world. Why does it matter that July 4 falls on Sunday? Nothing really other than it allows us to incorporate the remarkable day into our worship. When Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, he signifies and actually indicates henceforth our independence from sin, devil, and death. Are we free as a people, as a nation, from the dominance of the devil's evil schemes? Do we have and experience the true freedom of sons and daughters of God?
Let us especially remember our country today. As we celebrate this major holiday, let us pray for true freedom in our country. Let us praise and thank God for the many blessings we have received as a nation because God indeed has blessed America and all people of the world. Let us turn to God in prayer for our president, the congress, the governors and indeed all citizens of this great nation. Let us pray once again the prayer Archbishop John Carroll composed for the inauguration of George Washington in 1791:
“We recommend likewise, to your unbounded mercy, all our fellow citizens throughout the United States, that we may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your most holy law; that we may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.”
The next time July 4th will fall on a Sunday is in 2027. Until then, commit this Sunday to praying for our country to continue to be a nation under One God.
God bless America, Happy Independence Day
In Christ our Freedom,
Fr. Bernard, OP
Pastor.
 

Dear friends in Christ,                                             
                                                                Christ is in our Boat
 
I have a confession. Nothing puts more fear into me than flight turbulence. Each time a sudden shift in air currents bumps my plane, I cringe. I'm not too fond of flying because of turbulence during flights; it makes me dread being a passenger on an aircraft in flight. The apostles feared their boat capsizing due to roaring and destructive waves swaying it over the sea as they cross to the other side of the shore at the instruction of Jesus. I share their feelings. And, Yes, Jesus was in the boat with them. He was asleep through it all as the furious storms tug their boat up and down the sea.
 We can compare the loud and destructive storm rocking the boat in which the disciples inhabit with trials, difficulties, and tragedy that we face in life. These fear factors threaten the peace and faith of the most devout Christians. We all face furious winds and stormy seas in our day-to-day living. We have our daily long and short-term fears and anxiety related to our health, family, children, finance, career, and other life-related matters. These can be faith-testing fears. Like what turbulences in flight do to me and, I dare to say, many others, the trials and tragedies we experience in our lifetime can be a significant threat to our faith in God's presence and power.
 We may feel abandoned when we pray to God, and it may appear he is deaf to our cry to him during these threats to our faith. But the lesson from the Scriptures this Sunday is not to let our fears make us forget who God is and what he can do. The God we worship is the same one who told Job amid his stormy trials about his divine omnipotence by reminding him of his power over wild nature: "Who shut within doors the sea… and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!" (Job 38:8, 11). Jesus, our Lord, "rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: Quiet! Be Still!" (Mk 4:38).
 Jesus is in our boat, in our life, family, Church, and world at large, even as the fear of the unknown assails us. Jesus is present; wake him up with prayers. Cry to Him in supplication as the disciples did amidst scary wind against their boat. When the winds are against our soul and faith, let us call on Jesus, who never abandons us. We need to have the kind of intimacy the disciples had with Jesus. When we truly live for Jesus and are new creatures in him (2 Cor. 5: ), we can cry to him in faith, and he will give us calmness and strength. The storm will not destroy us because Jesus is in our boat. The turbulence will not crash my plane because Jesus is in it with me, and the plane is built strong enough to withstand the air currents rocking it. We should not give in to fear but allow our fear to confirm our faith. Then, in faith, we can say, Lord, let us hear "Quiet! Be Still!"
 Let me conclude by wishing our fathers a Happy Father's Day!

 In the love of Christ,

 Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
 
                                          Christ Shed Tears. His Priests Shed Tears Too
 
What a Corpus Christi Mass and procession we had last week! It is a milestone in my almost 21 years in the priesthood. Jesus spoke to my heart and mind at mass the way he has never spoken before. Why did I broke into tears during mass? I don't have the language to express it; it was the Spirit of the Mass that touched somewhere deep in my soul, and took over. But I can say this, Jesus loves us so much, and we don't even realize how much he does. It is painful, yet joyful.
 
The pains of frustration sometime yields into complex tears. That happened to Jesus in the Scripture. Sometimes, the frustration with my lack of ability to express adequate appreciation for the love of Jesus in the Sacrifice of the Mass turns into uncontrollable sobs. Yet, they are at the same time tears of joy. My mind, soul and body are often taken over by spirit of joy in knowing the unconditional love of Jesus and in a complicated and confused way, flows out as tears. Let us leave tears aside and turn to thanks.
 
There are no words adequate to express my deep appreciation for all who planned a successful Corpus Christi procession after the 10:30 AM mass last Sunday. But I will use the words available, insufficient as they may be, THANK YOU. Thank you to Joseph Barone, the MC,  members of the Knights of Columbus, St. Michael’s Guard, the special alter servers, Dr. Gregory Martin, the canopy bearers, Corinne and the singing group, the CCW, Men's Club, and of course, all the parishioner participants who did the walk with Jesus to the Historic Church despite the threat of the scorching sun. Thank you to all. May Jesus smile upon your soul.
 
May the seed of Eucharistic devotion sown last Sunday grow in large bounds and transform our parish at large into a Eucharistic centered family of God.
 
In the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
                               ~~~~  There will not be daily Mass on Monday, June 14th ~~~~
 

Dear brothers and sisters,
                                                 Jesus Walks Through Elizabethtown Today
 
On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ commonly called Corpus Christi Sunday, we will be carrying the Eucharistic Jesus in procession from the church on the hill down to the historic church. We will be bearing testimony to our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. We will do so prayerfully, singing in praise and adoration of our Living Lord as we lift him high in the monstrance through Elizabethtown. We will be praying for healing and unity, that he restores life to its proper order, for a renewal of faith and a new beginning for our church and community.
 
Please come with faith and devotional love. You will need these graces to accompany Jesus through our town. Just as in the Gospel, people flock to Jesus, seeking his mercy and blessings; we will gather around Jesus asking for his needed help.  He will grant us our desires if they are according to his will; let's approach him in faith, love, and spirit of adoration.
 
We shall be processing after the 10:30 AM mass. The children will lead, strewing the paths Jesus would walk with flowers. They will be followed by the liturgical ministers, Guards of St. Michael, and altar servers, bearing the torches and thurifer in symbolic honor and liturgical worship of Jesus, the Light of the world. The priest carrying the monstrance will be protected by a liturgical canopy, all in adoration of Jesus, really present in the Eucharistic host. The crowd of worshippers, publicly singing and praying, will follow. Let us hail and praise Jesus. Adoro te devote---let us adore him devoutly, our Lord and Saviour.
 
Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. He will be passing by today. Let us come out in large numbers to walk closer with Jesus and venerate him. It is Christ himself who will walk through our town. This is our faith.
 
In Christ who loves us,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP