Divine Mercy Fraternity●Secular Franciscan Order●Vero Beach, Florida ● February 2021

Fraternity Officers/Council Members Our Regular Gathering (exp. Feb. 10, 2022) Sunday, February 14, 2021, 2-4 PM Minister: Fred Schaeffer, OFS Please wear your mask at meetings Vice-Minister: Helen Caldarone, OFS Secretary: Jean McGovern, OFS Meeting Agenda Treasurer: Jack Reddy, OFS 2:00 Opening, Reports, etc. Formation Director: Donna Haro, OFS Councilor-at-large: Joanne Giordano, OFS 2:20 Formation Program: Franciscan Martyrs (Donna) Spiritual Assistant: Dcn. Richard Blake, OFS 3:00 Divine Mercy Chaplet 3:10 Social 3:40 Liturgy of the Hours: Evening Prayer “Formation Friday” is found here: 4:00 Closing prayers and Dismissal — Council Meeting follows. dmf-ofs.org Let us pray for all our members, especially those who are ill. Thanks.

Minister’s Message

“The next day he (John the Baptist) saw coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on

whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (Jn. 1:29-34)

Behold the Lamb of God A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

“After agreeing to baptize him along with the sinners, John the Baptist looked at Jesus and pointed him out as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". By doing so, he reveals that Jesus is at the same time the suffering Servant who silently allows himself to be led to the slaughter and who bears the sin of the multitudes, and also the Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel's redemption at the first Passover. Christ's whole life expresses his mission: "to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." CCC¹608

It is clear that the Holy Spirit gave John the Baptist the Wisdom to say these words describing Jesus in this manner. Jesus’ in the Jordan, which we celebrated last Sunday (Jan. 10th) tells us already that Jesus was to die for us. Equally important is the last line, v. 34: “And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” Continued page 2

1. CCC is Catechism of the

Divine Mercy Fraternity●Secular Franciscan Order●Vero Beach, Florida ● February 2021 page 2 With those words uttered by John the Baptist, and His baptism, Jesus begins his public life. For us, Francis- cans, we begin Ordinary Time in our Liturgy. Read Scriptures a lot, for it forms the backbone of our Faith and Evangelization. The best daily source of Scripture is attending Holy Mass either in person or via Cath- olic Media (e.g. EWTN, your parish where services may be streamed, etc.). In addition the Liturgy of the Hours (Office of Readings) is a good source of Scripture and Reflections by various Saints. I make use of it periodically, using the four-volume Liturgy, or iBreviary on the Internet. iBreviary just began using a new app., which is a joy to use, and even has a Franciscan version which is easily selectable. For example, today is the commemoration of St. Bernard of , a Capuchin who lived 1605-1667 in , and with iBreviary you can find the appropriate Franciscan parts of the Liturgy.

The January meeting was a very nice meeting and I look forward to the next gathering. /Fred S.

St. Bernard of Corleone, pray for us.

We are never alone in trials and suffering- Jesus, our , is always at our side, helping us get over the anguish and pain no matter how we feel about Him. Some people have lost all faith somewhere be- tween their Baptism and the current experiences, and feel even more abandoned when a deadly disease comes their way. Jesus is so close ... they need only whisper that they are sorry for having offended Him, and when the opportunity arises to make a good Act of Contrition before a priest. Hospitalized people cannot always receive Sacramental absolution, as not all hospitals have priests nearby who can get there in time when a person is dying. We hope they can, but God understands a hearty "I'm Sorry" as a dying declaration in prayer, when one is at death's door. God listens, and He sees in our hearts and He knows our inner disposition. But when a person is still able to receive the Sacrament of Reconcilia- tion and priests are available, then penitents should avail themselves of this beautiful Sacrament.

Excerpt from “Jesus our Brother” an old reflection by Fred S.

1. CCC is Catechism of the Catholic Church

Divine Mercy Fraternity●Secular Franciscan Order●Vero Beach, Florida ● February 2021 page 3

He won't let us down! A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS We can always count on Jesus Christ. I make this statement without reservations, because I know it to be true. People tell me, they pray and pray ... and nothing happens. Jesus does not heal on our command, but He does heal. He often uses other people to heal us. He uses doctors, spouses, priests (the confessional is a big place of healing), deacons, even strangers, but He will do something. He won't let us down! "In his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him." (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] 2621)

"Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great fig- ures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we pray habitually in his name. The "spiritual battle" of the Christian's new life is inseparable from the battle of prayer." (CCC 2725) God wants to heal us, He won't let us down ... but, unfortunately, we often let Him down. When we let Him down, we are not ready to receive the healing He provides. "The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bod- ies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick." (CCC 1421) The Sacrament of Penance is key to healing. A penitent who seeks to repent and convert to a life of persevering faith, trying very hard to sin less or sin no more, will find that prayers are answered more frequently. Prayer isn't difficult. It is not necessary to recite psalms or other printed prayers, rather prayer is asking God for help just as you would ask your best friend. Just relax, be yourself, acknowledge that you are far from perfect, that you often haven't been the greatest friend of Jesus, and ask to be heard, and describe your needs. Then thank Him... with a lively expectation that He can indeed heal us. Tell Him that you love Him - but be honest. If you sin then you do not love Him. If you try to overcome habitual sin, then there is hope for you but if you still sin, you do not love Him enough. Don't give up. Keep trying to do better. He will help all those who ask for help in spiritual improvement. We can pray to God in the Name of Jesus. We can ask God for help via Mary, the Mother of God, asking her to in- tercede for us. Likewise, we can ask our favorite Saint for intercession, and what most people forget, we can ask our deceased loved one or family member in heaven to intercede for us. We can even ask the souls who are in Purgatory to intercede for us, because they will see the promised land. There is hope for everyone who repents. Everyone can get to Heaven but it depends how we live, what we do, and how we treat other people.

May God give you Peace! Fred Schaeffer, OFS 2021

1. CCC is Catechism of the Catholic Church