Today we celebrate Columbus Day. While people argue about whether or not this day should be celebrated as a holiday, it is safe to say that most people enjoy the day off from work. For most it is a day to be with their families. For most children it means “no school on Monday!” Today’s Gospel tells us that “…there is something greater than Jonah Here.” (See Luke 11: 29 -32.) This made me think about our society today. Our society knows how to take a day off. I enjoy time with family as much as anybody else and a day off as much as anyone else. Yet, we have an opportunity to take a day off for a reason greater than Columbus every week. Every Sunday we remember the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is God. He is greater than Jonah, Columbus and everyone else. Why don’t we close businesses on Sunday anymore? I know that the answer is the Almighty Dollar. We are required and invited to go to Mass by God every Sunday. The Third Commandment does not say “thou shall keep Holy the Sabbath Day unless you work.” We Catholics have the power to change things by prayer and by example. The last job I held before entering the seminary was working Security for Burns Security at the old Yankee Stadium. One Sunday we were told we had to be on post at a certain time because the Yankees were playing a 1 pm game on a Sunday. I told my boss I could not be on post at the time he wanted me because the earliest Mass at Saint Joan of Arc was at 8 am. To his credit he told me everyone had to be on post on time except me. He told me to go to Mass and that he would hold my post. My post was a desired one because it was on the third base side, in the front row were many celebrities attended the game. These were the best seats in the House that Ruth Built. When I arrived to work that Sunday and every Sunday after that he did not mind that I was late because I was putting God first. You should have seen his reaction when later in the season I gave him my letter stating that I was resigning because I was going to enter the seminary. He thought it was a joke. Thank God it was no joke and God gave me the gift of the priesthood. Here are some suggestions if you are stuck working a job on a Sunday. Remember, liturgically Sunday begins Saturday at 4 pm. We can go to any Mass from Saturday at 4 pm until the last Mass on Sunday. Look around while the last Mass in my parish is at 1:30 pm at Saint Joan of Arc in the Bronx they have a 7 pm Mass. Also remember that we do not have to go to Mass in a language that we understand we just have to go to Mass. A final thought is to exchange days off with a pious Muslim. I know of one Muslim who will exchange his day off with any Catholic. The Catholic will work his Friday and he will work their Sunday. The same can be done with the pious Jew. Their holy day is Saturday. If you put God first you might suffer greatly but at the end of time when it really matters you will not regret it.
Obedience is like a Diamond in the rough. When diamonds are first pulled out of the ground they can be dirty with mud. They are also in rough shape and not ready to be placed into a ring or a chalice. However, after they are cleaned and cut diamonds are amazingly beautiful and ready to be set. The same is true with obedience. In the beginning, what is asked in obedience might not make sense nor is it desirable. After a while however, the object of obedience becomes as beautiful as a diamond. An example of this in my own life is when I was first sent to Saint John's as a seminarian. I had never heard of Goshen, NY until I was assigned there. The first week was rough, I didn't know anyone, there seemed to be anyone on the street and it was very quiet. I originally grew up in the Bronx so this was all too different for me. After my three years as a seminarian I was about to be ordained as a priest and I asked God to give me the gift of being assigned to Saint John's in Goshen, NY. God was good to me and I was able to serve my first three years as a priest in Saint John's in Goshen, NY. They were three wonderful years. My diamond in the rough shined brightly. I was very sad to leave my beloved parish and its people. My new diamond in the rough is my new assignment here in Incarnation in Manhattan. I hope that in three years I will feel the same about my new parish as I did about my old parish. So far the people here at Incarnation are wonderful. Please pray for me and for all priests who have been transferred that we may get our diamonds in the rough to shine like the Star of David. 
Today, Ash Wednesday is one of the busiest days of the year. Today, everyone is Catholic. As many of us know many Catholics who normally do not attend Mass will be present. Although Mass times have been published on our website, bulletin and online newslettter, people will still call and ask "when are they giving out the ashes?" On a human level it can be annoying but this is our chance to go fishing! No I don't mean literally fishing, I mean fishing for souls. This is one of those moments throughout the year in which with our kindness and charity we can bring people back to the Church! Their are many ways in which this can be accomplished. First and foremost I think simply being kind to the people and not demonstrating how physically and mentally tired we are might work. People will see a happy priest. If the priest is happy their must be a reason. As we know Jesus is the reason.
Have you ever heard, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth? This can be applied to Bibles. Lately, I've noticed too many Catholics do not own a bible. Sometimes bibles (especially Spanish Language bibles) can be expensive. to solve the problem I bought the digital NABRE bible and put it on my phone and gave away most of my bibles. The problem is that I only had so many bibles I could give away and people still would like free bibles. For my jail ministry I need bibles but its difficult to get donors to donate for jail ministry. (If you want to donate towards jail ministry you can do so here: 
