Retreat opportunities are popping up all over for everyone—from business executives to social workers, to churches, youth groups, and more. A retreat day in the corporate world might look different than a weekend at a monastery or a few hours at our Parish Center, but the concept still holds—it's a chance for us to step back from the daily happenings of our lives.

Many of us may be speeding through complicated lives, faced with challenges and choices with no time to deal with experiences and feelings. Many of us could use a day to rest, regroup, reassess how things are going, and refocus. As someone said recently to me, “there’s no space in my life, no ‘margin’ to handle what comes up, much less process it.” Are YOU worn out by this current Pandemic Experience?

Your retreat time can be used for reflection, prayer, meditating on Scripture, or just being with God, especially sitting before Him in Adoration — allowing your heart and the heart of God to engage in a dialogue. When you pour out your heart to Him, He will pour His heart into yours.

If you have never attended a silent retreat, please consider it. Whether you are coasting through life with no major complaints or are going through a difficult time or a major transition in your life, it is a “great gift” to give your spiritual life and relationship with God the space it needs to grow and deepen.

If you are married, and more so if you have children, you might wonder how you would be able to carve out even a couple of days in your schedule. However, even if you do have a family, the benefits of doing a silent retreat far outweigh the challenges that will arise from you leaving home for a few days or a few hours.

If this is a challenging season of life for you, then going on a retreat could make all the difference. The greatest blessing of going on a retreat will be that you will return from your retreat closer to God. And your newfound spiritual vigor will definitely flow into your marriage, family and everyday life.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said: “We need to find God, and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass—grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.”

The interpretation of numbers in the Bible is quite diīerent from how numbers are interpreted under popular numerological methods.

There are at least 13 significant numbers in the Holy Bible that have some special meaning, and they are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 40, 49, 50 and 70. The idea of completeness is passed on through 7, 10, 40, and 100. The number 666 has special symbolism due to Revelation 13:18. This is the last book of the New Testament that contains visionary descriptions of heaven, of conflicts between good and evil, and the end of the world. It is attributed to St. John.

The study of numbers in the Bible is called Biblical numerology. Each value is associated with some spiritual meaning. The most used numbers are 7 and 40. The number 7 signifies completion or perfection, as seen in Genesis 7:2 – 4 and Revelation 1:20. It is called “God’s number,” as only He is perfect and complete. The number 40 signifies the 40 days Jesus Christ was in desert; the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert; the 40 days and nights Noah was afloat during the Great Flood (see Gn 7); and the 40 days Jesus was tempted by Satan (Mk 1:13).

The number 3 signifies divine perfection: The Trinity. It consists of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The spiritual meaning of the number 4 is creation: North, South, East and West and the four seasons. The number of man is 6 as man was created on the sixth day and man labors six days.

Assigning meaning to numbers in the Bible is an ancient practice known as Gematria, a Greek term meaning calculation. It is based on numbers which are assigned to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Gematria is the calculation of those letters, which form words or phrases. By assigning a numerical value to a word or phrase, it is believed that two words with the same numerical value will have some significant meaning to each other. Numbers, therefore, have a key role in understanding God’s role in the universe.

Enter the Church Fathers: Around the 2nd century, the Church Fathers — those who clarified or passed on Christian doctrine — were quite familiar with this Jewish tradition of assigning numerical meaning to words or phrases (Gematria). However, they condemned the use of numbers as having some magical significance. Instead, they taught that the numbers found in the Holy Scriptures were full of mystical meaning which could be interpreted for deeper spiritual significance.

It would have been around these first centuries of Christianity that the formal rituals which related to public worship and the Mass were taking shape. The next question to ask would be: Is there numeric symbolism in the sacrifice of the Mass or in some of the prayers for Catholics? The answer is yes.

For instance, as Catholics, we have the threefold (3) penitential right — Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison — and the Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God. Outside of the Mass, we have a certain number of Masses that are offered for the dead. The Latin Word “novena” (nine) is the root for our Novenas. These nine days of prayer are thought to be based on the time that Mary and the disciples prayed in the Upper Room before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Finally, if one wants to pray a 54-day Rosary Novena, they will end up praying six full novenas. The first three should be offered for a particular intention, and the last three novenas offered in thanksgiving. In short, when it comes to numbers in the Bible and in the Catholic tradition, nothing is coincidence. Do you have a favorite Biblical Number?

Throughout the centuries, Jesus' disciples have asked the Master to teach them to pray (Lk 11:1). The revelation of the rosary is possibly one of the most tested in history.

The rosary is of the Spirit and the Bible. The "Our Father" and the "Glory Be," as well as half of the "Hail Mary," are straight from Scripture. When we pray the rosary, we are, for the most part, repeating God's Word. Also, the 20 Mysteries that we reflect on during the rosary are taken from or based on Holy Scriptures and/or Catholic Tradition.

"You can tell a tree by its fruit" (Mt 12:33), and the fruit for those praying the rosary has been exceptional, especially for families. Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II affirm, "There is no doubt that ... the rosary should be considered as one of the best and most effective prayers in common that the Christian family is invited to recite." The rosary has also been a way of praying for victory (Lepanto), evangelization (Guadalupe), healing (Lourdes), and peace (Fatima). In effect, the rosary is part of the Spirit renewing the face of the earth.

The rosary was historically a poor, illiterate person’s way of praying the 150 psalms since saying it contains 150 "Hail Mary’s." Those praying the rosary substituted part of Luke 1 for each Psalm and, in this way, prayed them in Spirit, even if they couldn't read. Then, wooden beads were carved, strung together, and fingering the beads made the rosary a "hands on" prayer.

The Lord blesses Spirit-led creativity in praying the rosary. We see this in innovations such as adding the prayer: "O my Jesus, forgive us..." We also see the Lord working through the Rosary of Jesus, the Franciscan Rosary, the Scriptural Rosary, and the rosary in which we add intercessory prayers before each decade or even before each bead. Also, there are many chaplets, which are shortened variations of the rosary.

We may be called to creatively pray the rosary in where we pray and reflect. The rosary is a perfect prayer not only for inside the church but on the streets. Despite noise and traffic, the rosary is a way to pray together with others. The streets are where the Holy Spirit sent the Church. We should be out in "the highways and byways," leading people to Christ (Lk 14:23). We are called to put our faith on the lampstand (Lk 8:16) by publicly witnessing to the truth and waging spiritual warfare against abortion, pornography, perversions, and injustices of all kinds.

For example, some of the most prayerful rosaries I have ever recited were right here on Route 22 during “Right to Life Sunday,” in Tuckahoe Square on “World Rosary Day,” and at other public devotions throughout the year -- hundreds of believers lining up in the street professing publicly their devotions. My other favorite locations include our Blessed Mother’s Shrine, the Shrine of the Crucifixion of the Lord at Immaculate Conception Church, and in my car.

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for teaching us to pray, giving us freedom and creativity, extending our power to communicate with the Lord, and revealing to us The Great Gift of the Holy Rosary.

The addictive power of technology is like ivy on the edifice of our culture: every day growing stronger and finding more places to thrive. Today, wherever we go — to work, school, the park, the bathroom, bed, and Church -- our technology goes with us, presumably to help, inform, and entertain us as well as keep us “connected.”

We all know this, and sometimes it makes us sad. Somehow, we know we may have lost something: A relationship? A creative idea? A memory? Were we distracted from something important by the immediate access someone has over us?

Technology can be wonderful and useful for so many things. I’m not an advocate of the rotary phone and abacus. Like you, I rely on today’s tools to do my day-to-day work. But I don’t know anyone who is blind to the negative eīects it can have if allowed to take control. It can make relationships superficial, dry up creativity, sap thoughtful extended concentration, and just plain waste our time.

We are willing to talk about it, especially as we see it in others. We chuckle and nod our heads about the “youngsters.” We gasp at the college students and their video games. How upset do we get when we are interrupted at Mass, especially during the Consecration? Can we please mute our phones? “What is our world coming to?” we say.

Sometimes, when we’re honest, we admit to ourselves the power that it has over us. This is an important admission, but, once we make it, there is a harder question we face: “Am I going to do anything about it?” Like with eating habits and exercise, talk is cheap.

Yes, I know, this is yet another article lamenting the effects of technology in our day. But maybe this article will be a little different: I’m not just pointing out the problem, I’m asking, “Are you going to do anything about it?” I don’t mean at a cultural level, but personally and spiritually.

After all, the devices that we identify with technological advancement can also be used to lead us into great sin. For example, limitless access to pornography, abusive social media (Facebook, etc.) and texting to attack people or calumny. The spreading of misinformation is a real concern in our modernday society – as evidenced by the worldwide COVID-19 experience we are going through.

With the huge mass of electronic information available at our fingertips, we are perhaps the most informed generation in the history of mankind. It is said that “knowledge is power” (Thomas Hobbs, philosopher, 1588-1679) and with it comes great responsibility. With advancements in software, hardware and graphic technology, we can no longer trust what we see and hear to be the absolute truth. When it comes to the spiritual well-being of God’s people, the search for the truth has always been of the utmost concern and importance.

Spiritual misinformation is still being taught, and, in this information age, it would seem a difficult if not an impossible task to tell the truth from a lie. But with prayer, diligence and study … Jesus assures us, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (Jn 8:32)

On the Journey of Life, there comes a time when we are called to do more than walk and talk; we are challenged to “see” and “feel” (that is, to trust in the Lord Jesus). Holy Scripture and our faith tell us that our Lord Jesus comes alive in the Word and the Breaking of the Bread. Do our hearts burn like the hearts of the disciples on the road to Emmaus?

Do we have a “special road” in Eastchester/Tuckahoe? Can we place ourselves on this road and, perhaps, walk the walk? Like the walk of a parent who just buried their child; or a person who finds out they have COVID-19; or a middle-aged man who has been let go from the company he’s worked for all his life; or walking the road of one who has lost their spouse and partner of 50 years? Is there anyone you can think of who may be on this road?

We walk trying to make sense out of life: perhaps, without direction or hope, with our heads down and sometimes spiritually blind. But with hope and faith, we remember Jesus’ invitation: “Peace be with You.”

What is this Peace? Jesus says it is His gift to us. And why is that? It is because His death and resurrection provided us with victory over anything that this world can throw at us, even death. His peace is the peace of acceptance; the peace that allows us to appreciate each other, each and every moment.

So, yes, the gift that Christ gives us is the peace of acceptance and forgiveness but there is another piece of the puzzle here that brings about Christ's peace. It is our forgiveness of the sins of others against us. As long as anger resides in our hearts, there can be no peace. Peace only comes with forgiveness. “Let us offer each other the sign of Christ’s Peace.”

Pope John Paul II, in an Easter message from April 23, 2003, said: "Peace, therefore, is … inserted into the history of the Passover of Christ. It is born from a deep renewal of the human heart. … it is a gift to be accepted with generosity, to be preserved with care, … However troubled …, however strong the tension and conflict, nothing can resist the effective renewal brought by the risen Christ. Jesus … is our Peace." (430)

Amen.

The concept of the Holy Trinity has been an important part of the Christian religion since its inception. Initially, this feast wasn't celebrated after Pentecost and took a few centuries to find its place in the calendar. In 1334, Pope John XXII formally established Trinity Sunday as a Feast Day on the Sunday after Pentecost.

There are numerous Biblical references to the Trinity including:

• Matthew 28:18-20 -- “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority 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, to the end of the age.’ ”

• Corinthians 13:14 -- “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

After the celebration of Pentecost, the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church continues to meditate on the great mystery of God through the feast of Trinity Sunday. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, this Sunday was known originally as a Dominica vacans, with no specific focus or theme. At that time, there was no particular feast celebrating the Holy Trinity, but soon enough there arose a need for the Church to further define her beliefs in God.

A heresy known as the “Arian heresy,” which disputed the traditional Christian belief of one God in three divine persons, began to spread in the 4th century. The bishops of the Church decided to compose a Mass in honor of the Trinity to reaffirm the belief, but it was not given a specific date in the calendar.

By the 8th and 9th century, however, the Church found a perfect place. Sunday is consecrated throughout the year to the Holy Trinity because God the Father began the work of creation on the “first day,” the Son-made-man rose from the dead on a Sunday morning, and the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday.

Besides celebrating the Trinity in some fashion on each Sunday, there also grew a need to fill the “vacant” Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. This need was heightened by the fact that ordinations occurred during this time and there existed no specific liturgy. (Note: Our own Deacon, Rev. Mr. Steven Gonzalez, was ordained a Priest on May 29.) By celebrating Trinity Sunday after Pentecost, the Church allows further reflection on the mystery of God after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. This helps us see the connection that, if we truly want to understand the Trinity, we need to recognize the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity is one of the most fundamental beliefs of the Catholic Church, and so it is fitting that we dedicate a particular Sunday to that mystery.

In the Name of The Father, and of The Son, and The Holy Spirit … Amen!

Understood simply, Eucharistic Adoration is adoring or honoring the Eucharistic Presence of Christ. In a deeper sense, it involves "the contemplation of the Mystery of Christ truly present before us" -- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity!

Eucharistic Adoration is "God and Man reaching out for each other, at the same time!" At the moment of consecration during Mass, the "gifts" of bread and wine are transformed (transubstantiated) into the actual Body and Blood of Christ. The elements retain the appearance of bread and wine.

At the beginning of the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a priest or deacon removes the sacred host from the tabernacle and places it in the Monstrance on the altar for adoration by the faithful. "Monstrance" is the vessel used in the Church to display the consecrated Eucharistic Host during Eucharistic adoration or benediction. The word monstrance comes from the Latin word monstrare, meaning "to expose." It is known in Latin as an Ostensorium. When a consecrated host is placed in the monstrance, it is said to be a solemn exposition.

When the Monstrance contains the Sacred Host, the priest or deacon does not touch it with his bare hands but, instead, holds it with a humeral veil, a wide band of cloth that covers his shoulders (humera) and has pleats on the inside in which he places his hands. The (reserved) Blessed Sacrament serves as a focal point of devotion. At all other times, the reserved Sacrament is kept locked in the Tabernacle so that the faithful may pray in the presence of the Sacrament. The Blessed Sacrament is given the same adoration and devotion that is accorded to Christ.

"Perpetual Adoration" is Eucharistic Adoration round the clock (that is, 24 hours a day). A "Holy Hour" is "Eucharistic Adoration of Reparation" which lasts for about an hour. Adoration ceremonies traditionally include Scripture readings, hymns, prayers and time for silent adoration.

Eucharistic exposition and benediction are a complete liturgical service in their own right and are celebrated as such. Eucharistic exposition and benediction are no longer considered devotions but rather are a part of the Church's official liturgy.

This liturgy is designed to "acknowledge Christ's marvelous presence in the Sacrament and invites us to the spiritual union with Him that culminates in sacramental communion." In the past, benediction was sometimes added on to the end of another service or devotion; this is no longer done.

"Could you not watch one hour with Me?" (Mt. 26:40) Jesus waits for us in the Blessed Sacrament. He waits for our little acts of faith, adoration, love, thanksgiving, repentance, reparation and charity that we can oīer Him as we contemplate His Divine Majesty in the Blessed Sacrament.

O SACRAMENT MOST HOLY!
O SACRAMENT DIVINE!
ALL PRAISE AND ALL THANKSGIVING
BE EVERY MOMENT THINE!

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me." (Mt:25:40)

There are more than 1 billion Catholic Christians in the world. What a different society it would be if we each did something for someone needier than ourselves.

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, our Lord teaches that love of God and love of neighbor are intimately intertwined. This past year especially, we as a parish and as individuals have been called to love God more deeply by serving our brothers and sisters in extraordinary ways.

Factoid: The Bible is available in 2,300 languages; however, the world has 6,700 languages. People who speak two-thirds of the world's languages have not yet heard the Gospel. Jesus Christ tells us we have to do a more thorough job of telling everyone about who can be “their” Light. Is that not our challenge, too? To take care of each other? As we continue our faith journey, we need to ask ourselves how God may be calling us to reveal His goodness to others. We need to ask ourselves how we are answering our baptismal promise to be “beacons” of Christ's light to the world.

For the past few weeks, our Archdiocese has been actively conducting the 2021 Cardinal’s Archdiocesan Stewardship Appeal. You have received a letter from Cardinal Dolan and our pastor Fr. Sorgie indicating that the Appeal is vital to the work and life of the Archdiocese of New York and each of its parishes, including ours.

As we consider making our pledge to the Cardinal’s Archdiocesan Stewardship Appeal, the gifts we already have are gifts from God, and we receive them gratefully. We nurture His gifts responsibly and share His gifts lovingly with others.

In the face of a challenging economy, we remain thankful to God for all we have. As a sign of our gratitude, we must respond to the Appeal, which helps all those who minister to the needs of God’s people. But where does the money go?

The Appeal supports:

• Caring for the elderly
• Feeding the hungry
• Teaching our children the truths of our faith
• Helping churches on the margin who need to keep their doors open so their parishioners can pray and feel secure in their faith
• Providing for all of us the hearing the Word of God and receiving the Sacraments
• Educating our future priests and deacons
• Assisting our retired religious, affording them the opportunity to live their golden years with dignity, security and peace
• Providing resources for Catholic Charities to respond to the needs created by a pandemic, terrorism, and world disasters, and to assist in the fight for the unborn.