(231) BOB SCHOPIS (1921-2019): One of the Last of the Great Generation That Won World War II

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Bob Schopis and Ellen faithfully at his side for 70 years.  We study American History.  They lived it.  This photo was taken in about 2011 for the 2012 St. Louis Church Directory.

       Bob and Ellen Schopis are members of the “Great Generation” that got us through the Depression and won World War II.  On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and the United States faced a crisis greater than 9/11.  The United States was losing the war at first because the country was woefully unprepared for it.

 

The United States had to mobilize 16 million soldiers from its population of 140 million to fight while retooling its industrial might (mining, oil, steel, vehicles, machinery, etc.) to produce armaments, ammunition, equipment, vehicles, ships, air planes, food to feed the troops and fight a war on two fronts……Europe and the Pacific.  The entire economy was directed toward winning that war.  

     Pro sports were disrupted as such legendary players as Bob Feller, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio gave up three years of their careers in their prime to join the armed forces.  Thus a one armed pitcher was able to make the big leagues during the war.  In pro football, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles had to temporarily merge into the Steagles.

  

Even Superman and Batman joined the fight in the comic books with the “Japs” and “Krauts” pictured in very uncomplimentary ways.  As little kids, we would play war with toy guns, fighter planes, bombers, and tanks.  I even had a toy air craft carrier.  Oh how we looked up to soldiers like Bob Schopis, especially marines, who would come home on furlough for R & R, a break for rest and recuperation!

 

       As a six year old my mother would send me to the store down the street with money and ration stamps.  There was a limit to how much each family could buy to make sure there was enough for the troops.  When I was in 1^st Grade, we had to collect used tin cans to recycle steel for the war effort and sang patriotic songs at school.  The local steel mills were going full blast.  The teachers cajoled us into saving our pennies to buy war bonds.

 

Because Pittsburgh was a prime target, we had air raid drills although neither Germany nor Japan was capable of sending bombers such a distance.  Instead of cars, Chrysler and GM produced tanks and trucks. Boeing and McConnell Douglas produced fighter planes and bombers.

 

I remember seeing one railroad car after another hauling tanks to port.  Bob was risking life and limb on the war front and Ellen was on the home front.  People were huddled at their radios for the latest news about the war after reading about the details in their daily newspapers.  Nobody thought of demonstrating against that war.  The Country was never so united except for our shameful culture of segregation and racial injustice with even a segregated military as well as ethnic Japanese Americans being unjustly forced into internment camps…….paranoia at its worst.

        

At the age of 20 in 1942 Bob Schopis answered the call while young women like Ellen did their part on the home front in the factories and other support jobs.  Bob joined the United States Marines and was deeply involved in the South Pacific Theater, including the August 7, 1942 amphibious landing in the Battle of Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands.  It was the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific Theater of operations.  The Japanese finally abandoned the island the following February.  Bob came back; some 416,800 never did, witness the thousands of American graves at Normandy, France.

Robert Schopis, U.S. Marine Corps, about 1942.

       
     The motto of the United States Marines is “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful).  Bob lived that motto for the rest of his life.  He was always faithful to his country, his community as a scoutmaster, and later his job in quality control at Stauffer Chemical on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River after utilizing the GI Bill to obtain a degree in Chemistry from the Catholic Seton Hall University in Newark, NJ.  More important, he was faithful to his wife and family of six children, even taking care of Ellen for several months during her illness four or five years ago.

       At lunch after the funeral for Bob Schopis, I asked Ellen, his widowed wife:  “You were married for 70 years, what’s your secret?”  “There is no secret”, she replied in her characteristic New Jersey accent.  “We made a vow, ‘Until death do us part’.  We worked things out.  Marriage is like a roller coaster.  There’s ups and downs, twists and turns.”  In other words, be faithful and adapt.

   

The most important of all, Bob was faithful to God and His Church from Catholic grade and high school to his death.  He was brought up in a Catholic culture that we must restore in our families.  For 70 years this beautiful couple aged together and were fixtures at the 8 o’clock Mass………no flimsy excuses; they were there EVERY SUNDAY because it is a SERIOUS OBLIGATION to God.  Thank you, Bob for serving our country and being a model for us of quiet faithfulness.

 

    Bob was a railroad enthusiast whether model miniatures or the real thing.  In lieu of flowers, he directed contributions to the restoration of the old Gallipolis railroad station complete with a steam engine, passenger car, and a caboose.  Fr. Thomas Hamm, our pastor, beautifully utilized his hobby in the homily.  “Bob stayed on track”.  May we also stay on track on our journey to eternity.

       His son Paul gave a beautiful eulogy at the burial of his father at St. Louis Church Cemetery that gives further insights into this member of the Great Generation.

       The motto of the United States Marines is “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful).  Bob lived that motto for the rest of his life.  He was always faithful to his country, his community as a scoutmaster, and later his job in quality control at Stauffer Chemical on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River after utilizing the GI Bill to obtain a degree in Chemistry from the Catholic Seton Hall University in Newark, NJ.  More important, he was faithful to his wife and family of six children, even taking care of Ellen for several months during her illness four or five years ago.

       At lunch after the funeral for Bob Schopis, I asked Ellen, his widowed wife:  “You were married for 70 years, what’s your secret?”  “There is no secret”, she replied in her characteristic New Jersey accent.  “We made a vow, ‘Until death do us part’.  We worked things out.  Marriage is like a roller coaster.  There’s ups and downs, twists and turns.”  In other words, be faithful and adapt.

   

The most important of all, Bob was faithful to God and His Church from Catholic grade and high school to his death.  He was brought up in a Catholic culture that we must restore in our families.  For 70 years this beautiful couple aged together and were fixtures at the 8 o’clock Mass………no flimsy excuses; they were there EVERY SUNDAY because it is a SERIOUS OBLIGATION to God.  Thank you, Bob for serving our country and being a model for us of quiet faithfulness.

 

       Bob was a railroad enthusiast whether model miniatures or the real thing.  In lieu of flowers, he directed contributions to the restauration of the old Gallipolis railroad station complete with a steam engine, passenger car, and a caboose.  Fr. Thomas Hamm, our pastor, beautifully utilized his hobby in the homily.  “Bob stayed on track”.  May we also stay on track on our journey to eternity.

       His son Paul gave a beautiful eulogy at the burial of his father at St. Louis Church Cemetery that gives further insights into this member of the Great Generation.

Eulogy to Bob Schopis By His Son, Paul

“Good morning and welcome, on behalf of my family and myself.  I want to thank all of you for coming here today to help celebrate the life of my father, Robert Schopis and to pay our last respects to him. As his son, I've spent some time reflecting on how to sum up in just a few moments 97 years of living, and at nearly a century’s duration, what a life it was.  

He was born in 1921, to a working class family. He was only 8 years old when the Great Depression started. I remember him telling me that during those years receiving the luxury of an orange and peanuts for Christmas gifts was considered fortunate, as many people were going hungry.  His family put forth their best effort for his education and he was able to attend St. Benedict’s prep school. 

When World War II broke out, and he was called up for military service, he joined the Marines, trained at Paris Island and was deployed to Guadalcanal.  Like many men of his generation, he didn’t talk much about the war itself, rather he talked about getting there and back, his time at Santa Barbara and maybe a few observational anecdotes such as watching aerial combat above the islands, but he almost never talked about his involvement in the fighting, except to say it was an ugly business and he didn’t like to think about it.

He came home, met my mother, and they married.  They produced 6 offspring, his work brought him here to Southeast Ohio, far from the urban environment he was accustomed to.

Like most people, he was a complex and complicated person.  He had a great regard for learning and was truly curious and inquiring about the world around him and how things worked.  He loved reading about history and enjoyed classical music.  On the other hand, much to the chagrin of my mother, he thoroughly enjoyed Benny Hill, sophomoric as it was. He had a generally serious demeanor, but thoroughly enjoyed “playing” with his model trains.  And boy did he love trains.  It would be difficult to remember a family vacation that somehow didn’t involve railroad rides, visits to railroad museums, visits to hobby shops that specialized in model railroading or a combination of all of the above.

He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, and was uncomfortable with public displays of affection or emotion.  I remember when my older brother Bob graduated from law school.  We were standing in Mershon Auditorium’s lobby and my brother was moved to hug dad.  I thought he would have the big one right there and then.  On the other hand, when my oldest son Seth was born, mom and he came to visit and he patted me on the shoulder, and gave me “that” look.  He didn’t have to say what he meant; I knew it.  “You’re one of us now; you’re in the club; better buckle up; it’s going to be a wild ride”.

But if there is one thing I want to remember about dad, it is his integrity.  He was one of the most honest people I know.  He was honest in all of his financial dealings; he was considerate of others; and he was intellectually honest.  And if one has a legacy, he can claim that as his.  On the last point, I can cite a few examples.

First, his family, like many of the day, held racially biased attitudes.  Despite the fact that he grew up in a household where that was the prevailing attitude, he came to the conclusion that bigotry was wrong.  As  children, we were prohibited from ever using a racial slur in our house.  If we did, it was a good way to get our mouth washed out with soap.  Parents still did that back then.  My point is: that through his own efforts and listening to individuals such as Dr. Martin Luther King, he realized how wrong racial bigotry was.

He maintained that intellectual honesty well into his advanced years.  In our turbulent and ever evolving times, he continued to read and reevaluate his views and thinking.

Lastly, when it came to his family, he brought his A game; he gave it his best.  He did what he thought was right and as we, his children, approached the age of reason, he let us become ourselves, and for that, Pop I thank you.”

(230) THE EARLY CHURCH: The Apostles Go Out to Teach All Nations

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The original 12 apostles including Judas (bottom row betraying Our Lord with a kiss 

by his free will).  He was replaced by St. Matthias (right corner).  St. Paul, often 

called the Apostle of the Gentiles, is also included here, giving a total of 14 in this 

illustration.  It was a motley crew of tough rustic men and fishermen that our Lord 

chose, taught and formed for three years at campfires and walking all over Galilee 

and Judea.  Only St. Matthew, a former tax collector, and Judas, a thief, were out of 

place.  Although the original apostles had the best teacher of all time, they still didn’t 

understand much of our Lord’s teaching until they were filled with the Holy Spirit at 

the first Confirmation on Pentecost.  By virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation, we 

are also called and sent to be apostles in the New Evangelization by prayer and example 

(as fearless witnesses with our lives), by word and deed.   We must continue the work of 

the first apostles and should also be ready to accept persecution (be it direct or indirect, 

subtle or blatant……..ridicule, discrimination, verbal attacks, calumny, false accusations, 

being bad mouthed, loss of job or promotion for being politically incorrect, jail, even 

death).  The New Evangelization is critical today since our Society is becoming more and 

more secularized (without God) as even some of our loved ones are drifting away.  

Secularization includes not only opposition to even the mention of God for the sake of 

“political correctness”, but also indifference to His presence (“He might exist but I don’t 

care”) and living like He does not exist.  Secularism is really functional atheism.

        At the Ascension Christ gave the apostles their 
commission to teach all nations.  However, they were 
apprehensive, afraid, and unsure of themselves.  They still 
did not understand much of what the Lord had taught them.  
Thus they kept a low profile, cooped up in the upper room 
in a prayerful ten day retreat, preparing themselves 
spiritually in wait for the Holy Spirit.  Pentecost changed 
all that!  Our Lord’s teaching became clear to them and it 
all made sense! They were on fire for the Lord.  Filled with 
the Holy Spirit, the apostles immediately went out to spread 
the good news with great zeal.  They felt compelled to share 
what they learned from Jesus and be His instruments to 
change the world.

Although concentrating on Judea until the year 42,

the apostles eventually spread out across the 

known world.  It is not well documented where 

each apostle went, but there are legends and 

tradition…….passed down in the local churches, 

at meals, camp fires, and living rooms where 

friends and family gather.  Today story telling 

and conversation are becoming lost arts in the 

age of television, computers, and i-phones.

St. Andrew, brother of St. Peter, may have covered Asia Minor, Turkey (Constantinople) Armenia, Romania, and Slavic countries such as the Ukraine.  Some of his relics were brought to Scotland and he became its patron saint.  St. James the Greater, brother of St. John, preached in Spain where he is buried.  St. Philip went to Samaria and Asia Minor.   St. Bartholomew (Nathaniel) worked in Turkey, Armenia, Persia, and India.  St. Thomas is associated with southern India where many Christians venerate him.  He probably reached Turkey and possibly Indonesia as well.  St. Matthew preached to the Jews in Palestine and wrote a Gospel directed to them.  St. James the Lesser evangelized in Egypt and Syria.  St. Jude Thaddeus preached the Gospel in Samaria, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Libya.  St. Simon the Zealot preached in the Middle East, Iran, and Ethiopia.  St. Matthias planted the faith in Armenia, Turkey and Ethiopia.  

St. John the Apostle wrote the fourth Gospel which is the most theological of the four, three epistles, and finally the Book of Revelation on the island of Patmos.  He took care of Mary in Ephesus, Turkey while evangelizing in the area.  He was the last apostle to die in 98 A.D. (https://www.catholicireland.net/after-pentecost-what-happened-the-twelve/).

  

From the cross before dying, Christ gave His dearest mother to us as our mother in the care of St. John.  The mystic of the 19^th Century, Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich (1784-1824), revealed hidden details in the life of Christ in her book and also the exact location of Mary’s house in Ephesus in present day Turkey.   Apparently, St. John used Ephesus as his base.  It is believed that St. John took Mary to Jerusalem for a council of the Church and that’s where the dormition and Assumption of Mary took place.  According the Quran, Mary is the most perfect woman that God ever created.  Thus  Muslims revere Mary and visit her house in great numbers.  

The apostles were so convinced of Christ’s teachings and His resurrection, to which they are witnesses, that they were willing to face any obstacle, face scourging, and even die for the faith.  All the apostles were martyred except St. John, who was banished to the Greek island of Patmos after miraculously surviving immersion in boiling oil.  All of this gives greater credence to what they taught since they had nothing to gain and everything to lose materially.

   

Early Trials in Jerusalem. In the name of Christ the apostles healed the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits (Acts 5).  In Acts 10 Peter restored Tabitha to life.  These works or signs gave credence to their teaching.  Acts 5 also describes how the apostles were imprisoned, but that night were freed by an angel, who ordered them to go back and preach in the temple area.  Again they were seized and brought to the Sanhedrin.  

      In defense Peter said:  “We must obey God rather than men”.  But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people……said to them, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you are about to do to these men……So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.  But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God." They were persuaded by him.  After recalling the apostles, they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus…….So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.  And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus.  Nothing could stop them.

The Church grew rapidly.  The apostles were unable to both preach and serve the material needs of the people without neglecting their prayer life.  Thus they delegated the charitable works to others as St. Stephen, ordaining them by praying and laying hands over them.  This was the beginning of an organizational structure under the overall leadership of St. Peter (Acts 6).

  

                              The bronze statue of St. Peter in his basilica in Vatican City.  

                              His toe is worn down by so many people kissing it.

St. Peter. Christ Himself ordained Peter (and implicitly his 265 successors) as His vicar on earth, the first Pope when He said: “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19).  Accordingly, the other apostles and new Christians deferred to him as the head of the Church as described in Acts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter  and http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12260a.htm).

Under the leadership of St. Peter and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church evangelized non-Jews and did not require Christians to observe old Jewish norms and laws as to food, circumcision, etc. since gentiles also received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10, 11,  & 11).  Two epistles are attributed to St. Peter.  He had considerable influence on the Gospel of Mark since the evangelist accompanied him in many of his apostolic endeavors.

St. Peter went on a preaching tour of Asia Minor.  He taught in Rome and took charge as Bishop there before being martyred under Nero on June 29 in the year 67.  He spent nine months chained to a column in a filthy dungeon.  According to tradition he was fleeing Rome during a violent persecution.  Outside the city Peter confronted the risen Christ who was walking toward Rome.  Peter asked the Lord: “Quo Vadis?” (Where are you going?).  Jesus answered:  "I am going to Rome to be crucified again".  This gave Peter the courage to return and continue His mission there.   The Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz authored the novel “Quo Vadis” which won the 1905 Nobel Prize for Literature.  It was made into a movie which was nominated for eight academy awards in 1951.  It is available on Amazon.com and probably Netflix and video stores.

                    His statue in front of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.

St. Paul, originally a well educated Pharisee and a zealous persecutor of Christians who oversaw the martyrdom of St. Stephen (Acts 7), was converted by Christ Himself on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9).  The energy and zeal of St. Paul was a great stimulus to the Church as described in much of the Acts of the Apostles where he is very prominent.  Since St. Luke accompanied him, the evangelist was an eye witness to much of what St. Paul  did and recorded it in the Acts of the Apostles.  Thus St. Paul is better documented than all of the saints of the first 15 centuries after Christ.  The great majority of the Epistles are attributed to St. Paul.  They are letters to Christian groups after teaching them and moving on.  He is known as the apostle of the gentiles, preaching through much of the Roman Empire.

                                Appendix  

Our thanks to Sharon Beal who shared the following article on 

how the apostles died.  You will find it interesting.

HOW THE APOSTLES DIED

1. Matthew

Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, having been killed by a sword wound.

2. Mark

Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.

3. Luke

Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.

4. John

Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered From death.

John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully

5. Peter

He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross.

According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

6. James

The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.  This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

7. James the Son of Zebedee

He was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

8. Bartholomew

Also known as Nathaniel , he was a missionary to Asia and witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey.  Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

9. Andrew

Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: “I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.”  He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.

10. Thomas

Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.

11. Jude

Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

12. Matthias

He is the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot.  Matthias  was stoned and then beheaded.

13. Paul

Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in 67 A.D.  Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.

Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles and disciples during their times for the sake of the Faith.  “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”

Pass this on to encourage other Christians.

+ Sharon Beal copied this from a Facebook post.

And may I add that every person has a cross to bear.  The way we handle our own crosses and sufferings can be a pathway to Heaven, especially if we unite our cross and trust with the Lord’s cross and offer that up as a dynamic prayer for world peace, for the Church, for our Country, and for our loved ones…..a most effective prayer.   That makes suffering productive and more bearable.   

(229) Corpus Christi (the Eucharist): Living With Christ, Who Feeds Us, Through Images of the Holy Land

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The 4th Century mosaic underneath the altar of the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes at Tabgha (Galilee in Israel) – the believed site of the miracle.

       God has always fed us in the abundance of crops that the earth has reaped.  Human work made the crops into products such as bread and wine. 

       We see in Genesis that after Abraham followed God’s call to migrate to what is today the Holy Land, he was victorious in rescuing his family captured by the enemy.  To celebrate: “Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words: ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.’  Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:18-20).  Little did they know that this incident was the very first prelude to the Eucharist. 

       After the exodus from Egypt when the Israelites were wondering in the desert for 40 years, God first fed His people with manna and then quail.

The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes at Tabgha (Galilee in Israel).

       The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. When Christ was preaching to the crowd of 5000 in a rather isolated rural area and provisions were far away, He fed His people.  It is described in all four Gospels since this miracle is really a prelude to the greatest gift of all, the Eucharist.    God nurtured the people with His word and fed the people to maintain their health and give them the strength and energy to walk back to their homes.  Today through the priest, His Person Christi, He nurtures us with His word and feeds us with His body and blood in the Eucharist, being with us in a real way, giving us strength against the onslaught of evil.     

       According to Matthew who was an eye witness to the miracle: He withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.  When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.  When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."  (Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves."  But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."  Then he said, "Bring them here to me” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. 

        Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.  They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over----twelve wicker baskets full.  Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children (Matthew (14:13-21).  This miracle along with the fellowship of the meal among the thousands (true communion) was another prelude to the Eucharist.  See a video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=HP4sALWxJZw.

The Bread of Life Discourse Shortly After the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. Jesus answered them and said, "You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.  Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal"…....So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?  Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  

So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always" Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst (John 6:26-35).

The Jews murmured about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven”…….”Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life.  Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
  

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him (true presence).  

     Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever".  These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:41-59).

Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"…….As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.  Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"  Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:60-69). 

If Jesus meant the Eucharist to be a mere symbol, as Protestants assert, nobody would have walked away.  Furthermore, when aware of their doubts, He would have clarified that the discourse was merely symbolic and no reason to leave.  On the contrary, it would have been difficult for Christ to be more explicit in saying that the Eucharist is indeed His body and blood, soul and divinity.  Paradoxically, Evangelical Christians interpret almost everything in the Bible literally EXCEPT John 6, probably the most important passage in the Bible.  IMAGINE WHAT OUR SEPARATED BROTHERS ARE MISSING OUT ON…… GOD'S GREATEST GIFT TO EACH ONE OF US……..HIMSELF!!!!!!

       How does Jesus give us the Bread of Life today?  At the Last Supper our Lord instituted the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders.  Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me."  And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you (Luke 22:19-20).  This was part of the Passover meal of Christ and His apostles, indicating that the Eucharist is true sacrifice.  

       Today and every day the persona Christi, the ordained priest does the same for us at every Mass (Divine Liturgy).  We have the awesome opportunity to receive the Bread of Life, the Eucharist, Jesus Christ Himself, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.  Don’t pass it up!  The Eucharist is a taste of Heaven on Earth.  For a short period of time the King of the Universe is in your heart!  On Holy Thursday Our Lord gave us Himself in the Eucharist on a deep level to feed us until the end of time.  On Good Friday He gave us salvation and His mother as our mother too.

       Why should belief in the Eucharist be a problem for some?  If God can create the universe and everything in it along with the miracle of human life, the Eucharist is certainly not beyond Him.  After all, He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. 

       The Eucharist is really a consequence of His immense love for each one of us.  In fact Christ revealed to St. Margaret Mary His intense love for humanity and thus His willingness to undergo intense suffering and ignominious death on the cross for each one of us.  Then the Eucharist is a consequence of His intense love for us…….His desire to be united with you and me in a very very special way. 

The rock over which Christ appointed St. Peter as the first Pope.  It is in the Church of the Primacy of Peter in Galilee.

The Primacy of Peter.  Christ made Peter the first pope (and his successors) through the words: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16: 18-19).

Again after the Resurrection, Christ reinforces the authority He gave to Peter:  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "”Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"   He said to him, "”Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."   He said to him, "”Feed my lambs."   He then said to him a second time, "”Simon, son of John, do you love me?"   He said to him, "”Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."   He said to him, “Tend my sheep."   He said to him the third time, "”Simon, son of John, do you love me?"   Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "”Do you love me?"  and he said to him, "”Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."   (Jesus) said to him, "”Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17).

                                            

                                      The site of Christ’s ascension into Heaven.

        

    At the Ascension Jesus said to them, "”All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age"  (Matthew 28:18-20).  Christ directed this command not only to His disciples, but to us too.  

      So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.  But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs (Mark 16:19-20).

         Christ directed this command not only to His disciples, but to us too.  So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.  But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs (Mark 16:19-20).

       To this day the Church continues under the authority of the Vicar of Christ and the Successor to St. Peter, namely the Pope and the leadership of the successors to the first apostles, the bishops.  The Church continues to teach all nations, feeding us with the word of God, and feeding us with the Eucharist, His body and blood, soul and divinity to complete its mission of guiding and helping us to obtain the reward of Heaven.  The Eucharist remains as the source, the center, and the summit of Church belief, the liturgy, and the motivation for all of its work.  God sustained the Jews on their journey to the Promised Land with manna.  Today God sustains us on our journey to Heaven with the Eucharist.    

(228) SOLDIERS OF CHRIST SEMPER FIDELIS, ALWAYS FAITHFUL......... Confirmation is the beginning of a great adventure in the Faith, not the end.

AMDG

The First Confirmation…….the Birthday of the Church.  

It’s our turn when we receive the sacrament.

       Where have we seen “Semper Fidelis” before?  You probably saw the motto of the United States Marines on its flag.  It’s Latin for, “Always Faithful”.  What’s that got to do with the sacrament of Confirmation which 20 of our youth will be receiving this Sunday?  It’s our largest Confirmation class ever at St. Louis Church in Gallipolis, Ohio.

       Our youth will be anointed as soldiers of Christ and will receive many graces to combat the forces of evil.  Evil affects us as individuals (personal sin) and as members of a society engulfed in a deadly cultural spiritual war on many levels over abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, promiscuity both heterosexual and homosexual, gender change, same sex marriage, drugs, corruption, violence, social injustice, violations of religious freedom, laxity regarding the faith, etc.

       To be an effective soldier of Christ, one must be first and foremost, faithful.  What does that mean?  Our Lord founded a Church to guide us to eternity through teaching us what He taught, passing it down from generation to generation with the help of parents.  The Church’s mission is to help us to get to Heaven.  Christ uses His Church as the primary source of the graces we need through the sacraments to help us along the way.  The Church brings us closer to God through the sacraments and prayer during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and devotions.  

       Holy Mother the Church applies the teachings of Jesus Christ to the reality of today’s problems.  If we rely on ourselves to determine what is right or wrong, we can play mind games and talk ourselves into believing that almost any evil is OK, such as abortion when carrying the baby to term is inconvenient.  Holy Mother the Church settles theological disputes and moral dilemmas; she establishes certain rules such as the grave Sunday obligation and Confession at least once a year to keep us on track to Heaven and closer to God.

 

Faithful to Church Teaching.  When everyone interprets the Bible in his own way, we have chaos and some 35,000 different Christian religions.  The Magisterium of the Church is a tremendous gift for preserving the unity, consistency, and coherence of the teachings of Christ over the centuries as our understanding of doctrine develops while theological disagreements and new problems occur.  The foundation is the Bible and also tradition passed down from the apostles.  The great secular historian, Arnold Toynbee was amazed by this as unprecedented. 

The Pope, the Vicar of Christ and Successor of St. Peter as a shepherd and teacher, has the last word on matters of faith and morals after prayer, discussion, and study when he speaks “ex cathedra” which is rare.  We know that the Holy Spirit is there to guide the Church and keep it from doctrinal error.  

We know that “the gates of hell shall never prevail (Matthew 16:15-20)” despite the presence of some corrupt laymen, priests, bishops, and even popes over the centuries.  That’s why Pope Pius VI told Napoleon after arrogantly declaring that he will destroy the Church:  “We ourselves tried to destroy the Church and couldn’t do it; you won’t either”.

      

       Thus a faithful Catholic will: attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every single Sunday and worthily receive the Eucharist each time.  The faithful Catholic will go to Confession every few months to assess how he or she is doing, what he has to work on in the development of virtue, and obtain advice from his confessor.  The faithful Catholic will follow Church teaching as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  He won’t go off on his own as a “Cafeteria Catholic” and believe what s/he chooses to believe.  

       He or she will have a strong prayer life……..daily Bible reading, daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration when able.  Pray for God’s will in everything you do.  One cannot be a good soldier of Christ without prayer.   A good soldier needs constant training.  That includes participating in Bible studies, doing spiritual reading, watching EWTN and DVDs, using CDs, attending conferences, etc.

                    

       If one misses Mass when simply tired or for no grave reason, he or she will start to drift.  Confession disappears from his or her life.  That soldier is derelict of duty.  Soon s/he goes to Mass only when convenient, then only Christmas and Easter, finally not at all.  That soldier of Christ is no longer a soldier at all, but a deserter.  DON’T BECOME A DESERTER.  ALWAYS REMAIN A FAITHFUL SOLDIER OF CHRIST TO THE END when our Lord will tell you:  “WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT!” (Matthew 25:23).  Win that super bowl trophy……Heaven!

The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ as the head and we are the parts 

(1 Corinthians Chapter 12).

        For the first apostles, Confirmation was the beginning, not the end…….the birth of an eternal Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.  The first apostles were set on fire to go out and spread the Faith, to defend the Faith, to make any sacrifice, to endure any hardship, to even suffer martyrdom if necessary.  Christ told His apostles and us too: “Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).  We are not any different from the first apostles.  Confirmation is not the end of the Parish School of Religion (PSR), but the beginning of a lifetime adventure in serving the Lord.  DON’T JUST KEEP THE FAITH; SPREAD IT in little or big ways…….by prayer, your example, your witness, by word, or deed.

 

There’s probably a big mission field right in your own extended family!  Every extended family has fallen away Catholics and non-Catholics.  Take advantage of little opportunities to evangelize with courage by boldly standing up for the truth, by courageously defending the faith when attacked, by talking about the Faith when moral or spiritual issues come up in conversation.

   

       Through the graces of Confirmation, Our Lord expects us to be His witnesses for the truth and in the never ending battles between the forces of good and evil.  Whose side are you on?  God gave each one of us a special mission in life.  Each one of us has a part in the battle and the graces of Confirmation equip us for the battle.  In Confirmation we are anointed for a special mission with the strength and help to accomplish it, to be witnesses……..SOLDIERS OF CHRIST!

Confirmation increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us.  Pray that the gifts may grow in you throughout your life.

      What is Confirmation?  As in any sacrament, it is Christ who administers it through His Persona Christi, the priest or bishop.  Jesus invokes the Holy Spirit to complete the sacrament of Baptism and its graces.  By the sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is more perfectly bound to the Church and is enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit against sin and evil.  He or she is anointed to be a true witness of Christ, is more strictly obliged to spread and defend the Faith by word and deed (#1285 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church).  In Confirmation we become more firm in the Faith and are consecrated to the Lord as we receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit the same as at the first Pentecost and with the first converts, noted in the Bible’s New Testament Acts of the Apostles.

Confirmation makes us better disciples and increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us and unites us more closely to Christ.  In Baptism our godparents professed the faith for us.  In Confirmation we individually profess the faith and become more firm in it.  The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are: wisdom (to discern what is important in life as God sees it); understanding (to see how God works in our lives); counsel (to see what is right and wrong); fortitude (courage to do what is right despite the consequences); knowledge (the ability to see things from God’s perspective); piety (faithfulness to God); and fear of the Lord (reverence and respect for God in awe with fear of offending Him).  

When one allows himself to be completely formed by God, he or she reaps the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity (Galatians 5:22-23).

 

A Closing Short Daily Prayer:  Dear Holy Spirit: always tell me what to do, what to say, and what to write.  Never let me do or say anything against your will.  Renew in me your seven gifts and the graces of Confirmation.