5th Week of Lent 2026 - Tuesday - Remedy for the serpent's poison

 

For forty years, God had provided for his people as they wandered the desert, giving them manna from heaven. God had fed them, God had sustained them. And yet, as we heard in the reading from the book of numbers today, “the people complained against God and Moses: We are disgusted with this wretched food!”

With their hearts hardened against God, the Israelites became subject to the deadly poison of serpents.

There is a bit of a parallel to Adam and Eve in the garden. God had provided food aplenty for Adam and Eve. But they were discontented with the food God provided, and looked to the fruit of the forbidden tree. They too became subject to the deadly poison of the serpent at the forbidden tree. They were poisoned by the serpent’s bite, and that poison brought death, not only for them, but for the entire human race.

The story from the Book of Numbers looks back to Adam and Eve and the consequences of sin, but it also foreshadows the victory of the New Adam in the Gospel.

The bronze serpent, mounted on a pole, becoming a source of life for the poisoned Israelites, foreshadows the saving death of Jesus Christ, mounted on the cross, which becomes a source of eternal life for all who believe in Him.

The drama of Adam and Eve, the drama of sin, the drama of the Israelites in the desert, plays over and over again in our lives.  We allow trust, love, and gratitude to God to die in our hearts whenever we turn to sin. We allow ourselves to grow discontent with the good food God has provided for us and seek to satisfy our hunger for God in so many artificial substitutes. We allow the serpent to whisper to us, that we should grasp for more than what God has provided. The story warns us of the folly of turning our hearts from God and the consequences that inevitably ensue.

For us and for all people, Jesus is the remedy for this cycle of sin and death. Lifted up on the Cross, He becomes the healing we could never provide for ourselves. To break the cycle, we must turn our ears away from the poisonous words of the serpent, but to turn our eyes to Christ with faith.

Lent teaches us to recognize the poison of sin in our lives and to turn again to the Crucified One. If we look to Him with repentance and trust, He will heal what sin has wounded and lead us from death to life for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the mercy of God, and turning our eyes to Christ lifted up for our salvation, let us bring before the Father our prayers and petitions.

For the Church, that she may faithfully proclaim Christ crucified as the true remedy for sin and death, and lead many souls to repentance and healing.

For the defense of our nation from all threats foreign and domestic; for a quick and peaceful resolution to all violent conflict and safety for all first responders.

For those preparing to receive the Easter Sacraments, that by God’s grace they may be protected from evil and drawn ever more deeply into the saving mystery of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection.

For those whose hearts have grown hardened through sin, complaint, or ingratitude, that the Lord may soften their hearts and restore in them trust, love, and gratitude, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

For the sick, the suffering, and those burdened by illness of body, mind, or spirit, that the healing power of Christ may strengthen them and give them peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

For the faithful departed, that having looked to Christ in faith during this life, they may now behold Him face to face in the glory of heaven, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, you sent your Son into the world to heal us from the poison of sin and lead us from death to life. Hear the prayers we place before you, and grant them according to your holy will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

4th Week of Lent 2026 - Wednesday (school mass) - Eyes fixed on Jesus

 

We have reached the half-way point of Lent. For the first half of Lent, our Scripture readings focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Now, as we get closer and closer to Holy Week: to Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday, our Scripture readings shift focus. No longer are the daily scriptures reminding us of the importance of prayer and fasting. By now, prayer and fasting are our dear friends. We know them well. And we understand their value.

But now, half-way through Lent, our scriptures begin to focus more and more on Jesus, specifically the hostility and opposition he faces leading up to his arrest and crucifixion. Our readings help us to understand, “why?”. Why did they hate him so much that they lied about him, mocked him, conspired against him, arrested him, whipped him, crucified and killed him?

This morning, our Gospel reading contains a very clear answer to these questions: “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.” They hated him, they tried all the more to kill him because he claimed to be God.

That is very important for us to understand. Jesus was not simply a nice man who told people to be kind. He was not merely a wise teacher with good advice. He was not just a miracle worker or even a prophet. Jesus claimed something much greater. He claimed equality with the Father. His work, his ministry, his preaching—was the work and words of God.

Because Jesus is God, we cannot be indifferent to Him. We cannot treat Him as unimportant. We cannot just fit Him in when it is convenient. We must listen to Him, trust Him, obey Him, and love Him.

These readings also help us to understand that all that Jesus suffers during Holy Week, especially on Good Friday, he does so because He loves us, God loves us. And he endures all of these things to save us from our sins, to save us from being people who turn their hearts away from God, like those who sought to murder him because they didn’t like his words.

So in these remaining weeks of Lent, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Praying and fasting, yes, but also growing in faith, gratitude, and love for Him. And may our hearts not harden against His word, but open more fully to the God who suffers to save us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

As we continue our Lenten journey and fix our eyes more closely on Jesus, true God and true man, let us bring our prayers before our heavenly Father.

 

For the Pope Leo, and all bishops, priests, and deacons, that they may preach Christ faithfully and lead God’s people more deeply into the mysteries of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.  Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For a quick and peaceful resolution to all violent conflict in the world, and that the wisdom of God may govern all of our national and international affairs. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those whose hearts have grown cold, distracted, or indifferent toward the Lord, that God may soften their hearts and draw them back to faith, repentance, and love.  Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For our parish and school community, that in these remaining weeks of Lent we may keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, listen to His word, and grow in gratitude for all He endured to save us from our sins.  Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For the sick, the suffering, and all who carry the weight of the cross in their lives, that they may find comfort in Christ, who suffered out of love for us and who never abandons His people.  Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For the faithful departed, that they may come to share forever in the glory of the risen Christ.  Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers we place before you. Keep our hearts fixed on your Son, that walking with Him through His Passion, we may come to share in the joy of His Resurrection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

4th Week of Lent 2026 - Monday - Focusing on Christ

 

The fourth Sunday of Lent marks a threshold.  No longer will our weekday readings emphasize prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The Church assumes, that at this point, we have habituated these practices. Rather, from now until Holy Week, our weekday scripture readings will focus on the identity of Jesus as the Divine Messiah, and the mounting hostility he faced leading up to his arrest and crucifixion. 

The gospel book changes as well.  Since Ash Wednesday, the weekday scripture readings have been taken from the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, or Luke.  For the rest of Lent, we will read predominately from the Gospel of John.

Where the Synoptic Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus’ miracles: Matthew includes about 20, Mark, the shortest Gospel has around 18, Luke records about 24, John features only 7. 

The seven miracles of John’s Gospel serve to emphasize to the reader, Jesus’ identity—he is the Word made flesh come to accomplish what no one else can do—to save us from our sins. 

Chronologically, today’s Gospel is the second of the seven miracle stories: the healing of the nobleman’s son.  

It is good for us to remember that has we progress through Lent.  Jesus is not merely a teacher, telling us to be nice to each other.  He just doesn’t cure people’s ailments, like an itinerant medicine man.  He is God come to save us from our sins.  

If the Scripture readings for first three weeks of Lent helped us to focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving, how should we be responding to God’s Word in this latter half of Lent?

I think the answer is this: with deeper faith and focus on Jesus himself. The first half of Lent teaches us what to do. The second half of Lent reminds us why we are doing it, and for whom. We pray, fast, and give alms not as ends in themselves, not as spiritual exercises for their own sake, but to be drawn more fully to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one who alone can heal and save.

Look at the nobleman in today’s Gospel. He comes to Jesus with faith, though it is still imperfect. He begs for his son’s life. And Jesus calls him to an even deeper faith—not merely faith in what he can see, but faith in the power of Christ’s word. “You may go; your son will live.” And the man believed what Jesus said and left. That is the response these later Lenten readings are meant to awaken in us: to take Jesus at His word, to trust Him more completely, and to entrust our lives to Him.

So in these coming days, as the readings reveal more clearly who Jesus is and as opposition to Him increases, we should ask for the grace for our love, and grace, and sympathy for Him to be deepened. We should not give up on our Lenten practices, but our hearts are not to be fixed on them, but on Jesus—in appreciation, and wonder, and awe, for what he endures for us for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Let us lift up our prayers to the Father. 

For the Church, that during these latter days of Lent she may proclaim with clarity that Jesus is the Divine Messiah, and lead many hearts to deeper faith in Him.  Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those preparing to receive the Easter Sacraments, that the Lord may deepen their faith and draw them into a living and lasting friendship with Jesus.  Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those whose faith is weak, imperfect, or burdened by doubt, that like the nobleman in the Gospel they may learn to trust in the power of Christ’s word and entrust their lives more completely to Him.  Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who oppose the Gospel, persecute Christians, or harden their hearts against Christ, that the mercy of God may soften them and lead them to repentance and faith.  Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are sick, suffering, or carrying heavy burdens for loved ones, that they may turn to Jesus with confidence and find in Him healing, strength, and peace.  Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the faithful departed, that they may behold forever the face of Christ, whom they trusted on earth and now see in glory.  Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, hear these prayers we offer in faith. Deepen our trust in your Son, fix our hearts upon Him, and lead us through this holy season to the joy of Easter. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

4th Sunday of Lent 2026 - To see with the eyes of Christ

 

The story of the man born blind comes just a few chapters after last Sunday’s Gospel, the story of the woman at the well. Last week, we heard of the woman estranged from her community, going from one assumably failed marriage to the next, estranged from her God. Yet, Jesus comes into the messiness of her life, and offers her a drink of the life-giving waters that well up to eternal life. Her story is our story. Jesus doesn’t wait for our lives to be perfect, he enters into the messiness of our lives, and offers us water to drink—and sends us out to offer that life-giving water to others.

In the Gospel today, we heard of the man born blind.  His story, also, is our story. Each of us struggles with some amount of spiritual blindness. We don’t see as we should.  We don’t see our neighbor as we should, we don’t see our God as we should, we don’t see ourselves as we should, we don’t see the changes we need to make in our lives, in the patterns of our speech and behavior, as we should.  As Jesus offered sight to the blind man at the pool of siloam, so too, He offers sight to us, as well.

Jesus Christ came to restore sight to the spiritually blind, and so by the light of Christ, we are now able live in the light of the truth, not only avoiding those behaviors and attitudes that are harmful to our souls, but seeing how good it is to live virtuously. Spiritual sight helps us to be ever-more attentive to the needs of the suffering, so that we may come to their aid. Spiritual sight even enables us to see ourselves as God sees us, as sons and daughters worth dying for.

The ancient theologian Origen said, “to be holy is to see with the eyes of Christ.”  “To be holy is to see with the eyes of Christ.” 

Here’s an illustration from my own life. During the semester I studied in Rome, I attended several masses at St. Peter’s basilica. Pope St. John Paul II was Pope, and the basilica would often be packed with those hoping to get close to the saintly Holy Father. During Holy Week that year, I went to St. Peter’s for the Chrism mass at which the Pope blesses the holy oils for the upcoming year. I got there very early so that I could get a good seat, and I found myself right on the aisle, where the Pope would be processing up to the altar.

This was in 2004, and the Pope’s health was not great, but he walked up the aisle that day, and I tell you, for a moment, the saint and I locked eyes. And it was if I was looking right into the eyes of Jesus. This spiritual light emanated from the eyes of the Pope. And I felt seen by God, and loved, and confirmed in my vocation. It was so beautiful. I saw the love of Jesus in the Pope’s eyes—a love that was for me and for all. He was truly a saint, for he “saw with the eyes of Christ”, as Origen said, which are eyes of love.

And that’s the goal for all of us: to be so filled with the light of God, the peace of God, the wisdom of God, the compassion of God, that we see with the eyes of Christ. But that only happens when we allow ourselves to be washed, and cleansed, healed and anointed.

When people look into your eyes, what do they see? Harshness, criticism, rash judgment, annoyance? Or do they see patience? Do they see welcome and understanding? Do they see someone who will calmly lead them to the God? If not, why not?

What has yet to be healed in you, so that the light of God can be seen in your eyes? What spiritual blindness is causing you to see not with the eyes of Christ, but with the eyes of the world—the cold, calculating, critical, self-interested eyes of the world? Do you see others as inconveniences or people God has put into your life for you to love?

When we seek to see Christ in others, they will see Christ in us. That was certainly true for the other saintliest group people I have ever met, the missionary sisters of charity, the order of consecrated religious sisters founded by St. Mother Theresa.

I told this story during my first weekend as pastor, how each Friday, when I lived in Rome I would volunteer at the missionary sisters of charity men’s homeless shelter. 

Each week, a group of us seminarians and college students were blessed to work along the sisters in their care for the homeless. And it was always so powerful to be serving alongside these holy woman. Each one of the sisters had this beautiful Christ-like light in their eyes. For their charism was to see Christ in others, and to serve the poorest of the poor as they would serve Christ himself.

We would assist with serving breakfast to the homeless men, and helping the sisters do the laundry. Since Mother Theresa didn’t believe in modern conveniences like electric washing machines, this meant washing the homeless men’s clothing, soiled sheets and towels on old fashioned scrub boards.

One Friday, during Lent, one of the seminarians asked one of the sisters, “Sister, are you ready for Easter?” And in all seriousness she replied, “No, I still have much dying to do.” And she was probably one of the most joyful people I had ever met. “No, I still have much dying to do”. Here was a woman who lived every day in what appeared to be total- selflessness—no possessions, no comforts, spending her days washing soiled sheets and washing the grime off of the homeless. Yet she said, “I still have much dying to do.”

I think about her words quite a bit. For, I know that her words contain one of the most important lessons: that without dying to self, without learning to see with eyes purified by the salve of Christ, we will never have real joy.

On the fourth Sunday of Lent—Laetare Sunday—the priest vests in rose-colored vestments, the color of dawn's first light before sunrise. The liturgical color, rose, symbolizes joyful anticipation for easter—signaling that easter joy is on the horizon. And, yet at the half way point of Lent, it is a reminder that if we want to see that joy, we still have much dying to do.

Our Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, our Lenten repenting, our Lenten penances, our Lenten confessions are aimed at helping us to die to self that we may see rightly. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God”.

From what do I still need to be purified? What impurity is still rooted in me so deeply that I don’t even detect it? Or what impurity am I afraid to acknowledge because of the change that will be demanded of me if it is healed?

To remain in spiritual darkness is to be deprived of joy. There are none so blind than those who choose not to see, and they are quite joyless as well.

 But, the Lord wishes that joy may be in us and joy may be in abundance. So may we not be afraid to expose the darkest parts of our lives to the light of the Lord, to allow him to heal us, to fill us with light, to help us to see with His eyes and joyfully love with his heart, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

3rd Week of Lent 2026 - Wednesday (school mass) - Be careful!

 

“Be careful”. Oftentimes as a kid, my parents and grandparents would warn me, “be careful”. “Be careful, the food is hot”, “be careful, that object is sharp”, “be careful walking on that patch of ice, you might slip”, “be careful with holding your baby sister, she is delicate”, “be careful with that object, it can break easily”.

One of the most important lessons we are to learn in life is to be careful. Be careful with your body, how you handle things, where you walk so you don’t get hurt. Be careful with your words, lest you say something that you shouldn’t and hurt someone with your words. Be careful, be mindful, make extra effort to think about what you are doing.

As we practice being careful, we get better at it. One of the reasons you have to be 16 in order to drive a car, is because 16 year olds have developed a certain amount of carefulness. Because if you get in a car, and you are careless with how you drive, you will seriously hurt, or even kill someone.

Being careful with your words is important. Would you trust someone with a secret, if they are careless with their words? No, because if they are careless with their words, then they are likely to tell your secret to those they shouldn’t.

In the first reading today, Moses is explaining to the people that they are to observe the laws of God carefully. “Observe them carefully,” he says, “for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations…and take care not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children's children."

Just as we are to be careful with our words, and careful with our actions, and careful with delicate objects, we are to be careful about keeping God’s commandments. We should not treat God’s commandments carelessly, casually, or as though they do not matter. If something is precious, you handle it with care. And God’s commandments are precious, because they come from God Himself and they show us the way to live.

That is why Moses says in the first reading, “Observe them carefully.” He does not just say to know them, or talk about them, or admire them. He certainly doesn’t say, “let them go in one ear and out the other”. “Observe them carefully.”

Why? Being careless has consequences. If we are careless on ice, will slip and fall. If we are careless with a car, we can really hurt someone. If we are careless with the commandments of God, that shows that we don’t really care about the one who gave them.

Being careless with God’s commandments hurts our friendship with Him. But being careful with them helps us grow in holiness. And helps others to know about him as well. So today let us ask the Lord for a careful heart: a heart that pays attention to His word, takes His commandments seriously, and wants to please Him in all things. Because that is the kind of carefulness that leads to heaven, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - 

 

Trusting in God, who teaches us to walk carefully in His ways, let us offer Him our prayers.

For the Church, that she may faithfully teach God’s commandments and help all people to follow them with love and care. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our leaders and all who make laws, that they may act with prudence, justice, and care for the good of every human person. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all parents, grandparents, and teachers, who help children learn to be careful in their words and actions, that God may bless them in their work. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who have grown careless in their friendship with God, that this holy season of Lent may lead them to repentance and a new beginning. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the suffering, and all those in need, that Christ may strengthen them and surround them with loving care. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the faithful departed, that they may be welcomed into the joy of heaven. Let us pray to the Lord.

Priest: Heavenly Father, you have shown us the path of life in your commandments. Give us careful hearts, so that we may love your will, walk in your ways, and one day come to the joy of your kingdom. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

 

3rd Week of Lent 2026 - Monday - Naaman and Nazareth: A challenging contrast

 

Each year, I’m always struck by the contrast between Naaman in our first readying, who came to believe, and the people of Nazarath, who hardened their hearts toward Jesus.

You would expect the stories to be reversed, no? You would expect Naaman, a pagan, a gentile, to reject the God of Israel. But he takes a  leap of faith—he follows the strange instructions of the prophet Elisha—he bathes in the waters of the Jordan, and he is cleansed, and comes to proclaim “there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel."

And then contrast Naaman’s faith, with the faithlessness of the people of Nazareth. They drive him to the edge of town to throw him over a cliff.

Mother Church presents us with this contrast during this Lenten season, no doubt to challenge us—to ensure that we are responding to God in faith and not hardening our hearts when we are presented with the call to conversion.

Naaman in a sense makes us think of the Catechumens—pagans, who have now come to believe in the one, true God. During Lent, they are praying, and fasting, and preparing for their Easter Sacraments—to wash in the saving waters. And they are doing so wholeheartedly.

Contrast that to the attitude of many life-long Catholics, who fail to seek any real conversion for themselves during the Lenten season. Many harden their hearts when their priests encourage them to go to confession, practice mortification, pray more fervently.

These scriptures present us with a warning, don’t they: be careful that familiarity and habit don’t  become obstacles to faith. The people of Nazareth thought they knew Jesus already. Their self-certainty became not just an obstacle to faith, but the genesis of hostility toward the Lord’s prophetic call to conversion.

We’re about halfway through the Lenten season, and we’re challenged to ensure that we don’t fall into this same trap. To say: I know God as well as I can, I already know what it means to be Christian, I am as conformed to the Word of God as I possibly can be.

Like Naaman, the Lord will certainly invite us to encounter him in some new way: new prayer, new penance, new act of charity. Let us respond like him in humble faith for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the season of Lent may bring the most hardened hearts to repentance and bring to all people purification of sin and selfishness.

For those preparing for baptism and the Easter sacraments, that they may continue to conform themselves to Christ through fervent prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

That we may generously respond to all those in need: the sick, the suffering, the homeless, the imprisoned, and victims of violence.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Sunday of Lent 2026 - Scrutinies and the Samaritan Woman

We celebrated today, with our Catechumens, the first of the three Scrutinies. The three scrutinies are celebrated on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent with those who are preparing to enter the Church at Easter.  The three scrutinies are solemn rituals in which we pray to help to purify, enlighten and strengthen the catechumens as they prepare for the Easter Sacraments.

The word "scrutinize" means to examine in minute detail, and in the scrutinies, the Church prays that every-last minute detail of the lives of the Catechumens may be converted to Christ. The ritual book for the scrutitines says that their purpose is to "heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect" and "to give them strength in Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life".  And that’s something each of us need to seek, every day: to turn to the Lord to heal anything that is defective or sinful in our hearts.

Catechism says, “In order to reach perfection, the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ’s gift, so that . . . doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor.” We are to utilize all of the strength at our disposal--the strength of our intellect and will, the gifts of the spirit—to root out sin so that we may live more fully for God.

We do this before Sacramental Confession of course. We thoroughly scrutinize our moral decisions since our last confession. But it’s a very good idea to get in the habit of doing this every day; before bed, make an examination of your day—your choices and decisions and conversations and interactions—scrutinize your day in the light of Christ. That daily scrutiny is a powerful spiritual help for growth in holiness.

“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” promises Jesus. We seek to purify ourselves of sin, so that we may see God in this life and in the next. Sin obscures spiritual vision—it clouds the intellect. We will hear more about the curing of spiritual blindness next week—in the gospel of the healing of the blind man at the pool of siloam. Yet, this Sunday’s Gospel also had to do with spiritual vision in a sense, as the Samaritan woman came to spiritually see Jesus for who he really is—the one who can quench our thirst for living waters.

This is really a powerful Gospel. There are a couple important details right at the beginning of the story: “Jesus came to a town of Samaria.” Jesus enters this place, where no pious Jew would go. . Samaria was filled with half-breeds—Jews who had intermarried with the Assyrians invaders of centuries past.

First, insight: Jesus doesn’t go around the unclean land or the unclean person. Jesus loves the unclean, the marginalized, the outsider. In the Second Reading, we are reminded by St. Paul that Jesus loves the sinner so much, he lays down his life for them.

Secondly: this woman, goes to the well, at the hottest part of the day, by herself. She is likely ostracized by her own people. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she had five husbands and was living with a man to whom she was not married. She is surrounded with stigma, she’s living in sin. And it is precisely with her, that jesus converses and offers the gift of life-giving waters.

The Samaritan woman represents every one of us.  She is wounded, complicated, burdened by her past, and yet still sought out by Christ. Jesus waits for her at the well. And Jesus waits for us too. He is not afraid of the mess of her life, and He is not afraid of the mess in ours. He sees everything. He sees every sin, every compromise, every disappointment, every attempt we have made to find fulfillment apart from God—and still He speaks to us. Still He desires to give us living water.

This too makes the Samaritan woman’s faith is so striking—“Sir, give me this water”. She doesn’t quite yet understand who Jesus is completely. She doesn’t have a master’s degree in theology. But she recognizes that Jesus can do for her what no one else can. Her life may not be completely in order—but she gets this right. Recognizing Jesus as Savior, was life changing.

And then the next striking thing about this story: this encounter was so meaningful that she immediately becomes a missionary. This woman who had been avoiding others now runs to them. Once she encounters Christ, she can no longer keep Him to herself.

Here is a sign of authentic conversion. A real encounter with Jesus never remains private. It bears fruit. It changes how we speak, how we act, how we love, how we see others. When we ourselves have been healed, we are moved by love to desire that healing for others.

We know the suffering that comes from living apart from God, and so we desire to help others know Him. We know the emptiness the world has to offer, and so we desire to help others experience the fullness that comes from Him.

We do not want the people around us to remain thirsty, burdened, wounded, confused, or far from God. We want them to know the One we have come to know. We want them to encounter the mercy that has begun to heal us. That is what we see in the Samaritan woman. Once she begins to recognize who Jesus is, she leaves behind her water jar and goes her family and fellow townsfolk. She becomes, almost immediately, a witness. She does not yet understand everything about Jesus. Her faith is still new, still developing. But even so, she has found something—or rather Someone—too important to keep to herself.

And that is often how conversion works. A person who has really encountered Christ may not yet be able to explain every doctrine or answer every theological question, but we know this: I was thirsty, and He met me. I was burdened, and He spoke to me. I was wandering, and He began to lead me. I was hurting, and he comforted me. That’s evangelization.

Evangelization is not only the task of apologists, theologians, clergy, and catechists. Certainly, we have an important role in the Church. But at its heart, Christian witness is simple. I was wounded and empty, and he healed me. It is one beggar showing another where to find bread; one thirsty soul showing another where to find water.

This Lent, the Lord invites us to scrutinize our lives—to lay them bare that we may drink every-more-deeply of the life-giving waters, then sends us out to make that invitation to others—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

2nd Week of Lent 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - Worldly Greatness or Great Holiness

 

It has been two weeks since Ash Wednesday, two weeks since the beginning of these 40 days of Lent. One of the reasons Lent is 40 days, as many of you do, is because Jesus spent 40 days in the desert. He fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days, and so we fast and pray for 40 days.

You probably know the story how while in the desert, the devil appeared to Jesus to tempt him—to tempt him to turn away from His Father and from his mission.

And Jesus really was tempted, he experienced temptation Jesus like we do. One of the ways that the devil tempted Jesus was with greatness. The devil took Jesus to a very high place and showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil told Jesus, “all these things I will give you, if you worship me”. In other words, the devil told Jesus, I will make you king of the world, I will give you all the riches, and palaces, and power you could every possibly need and more, if you just turn away from the cross.

In the Gospel today, it seems like that same temptation has made its way into the heart of the mother of the apostles James and John. She wants her sons to be great. She asks Jesus if her sons can sit on thrones to his right and his left. She wants riches and power for her sons; she wants her sons to be great in the eyes of the world.

And Jesus responds, “you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t understand what is really important. I’ve not come to make people great in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God.

If you want to be truly great, seek God’s will, not just your own—and that means becoming as holy as we possibly can, by becoming like Jesus—faithful, self-giving, self-sacrificing because that is what God wants for us.

The season of Lent is a time for growing in greatness—greatness in the eyes of God—by practicing fasting, like Jesus did, prayer, like Jesus did, self-giving like Jesus did. So that when we are tempted by the promises of the world, we may remain faithful as Jesus did—seeking not worldly greatness, but great faithfulness--for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

 

 

As we journey through Lent with Christ, let us place our needs before the Father.

For the Church throughout the world: that she may be faithful in bearing witness to the Cross as the path to true life.

For all who face strong temptations—especially to pride, popularity, and the desire for power or riches: that, like Jesus, they may remain faithful to the Father and choose what is right even when it is hard.

For our parish school community—students, teachers, staff, and families: that our Lenten fasting and prayer may shape our hearts to become more like Jesus: faithful, self-giving, and self-sacrificing.

For those who are poor, hungry, or without security: that the Lord may provide for their needs, and that our Lenten sacrifices may become real acts of generosity and care for them.

For the faithful departed: that, they may come to share forever in the true greatness of Heaven.

For X, for whom this mass is offered, and for the petitions we voice now in the silence of our hearts.

Father, we thank you for your loving care for us. Hear our prayers and help us to remain always faithful to your Holy Will, through Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

1st Week of Lent 2026 - Wednesday - Get serious about repenting

 

A week ago, we gathered on Ash Wednesday. We received Ashes on our foreheads as a sign that during this season we will seek to turn away from sin and turn toward God.

Well, just one week into Lent now, our readings today are about one of the grandest examples of turning away from sin in the entire old testament.

Jonah preached for forty days that unless the city of Nineveh repented, it would be destroyed. And what happened? Well, they weren’t destroyed were they? Just the opposite. And it was really amazing. The entire city of Ninevah, which was so big that it took a person three days to cross, the entire city-- the nobility, the peasantry, everyone—marked themselves with ashes, they fasted, and prayed, in order to turned away from sin and turn to God.

What a great story. I love this story. And apparently, Jesus loves this story too. For as we heard in our Gospel Jesus tells the people of his generation that they need to be more like the people of Nineveh. In fact, Jesus used more serious language than that didn’t he?

He said the failure to turn away from sin—the refusal to turn away from sin—will result in condemnation.

What’s Jesus talking about here? I think some of you know. Jesus is talking about hell. Condemnation to hell. Serious stuff.

God doesn’t want any of us to go to hell. God doesn’t want any one of us to be excluded from heaven. Which is why Jesus tells people to turn away from sin and turn toward God. Because that’s what it takes. That’s the choice we must make.

Will you turn away from sin or not? This is a serious message isn’t it? For lent is a serious time. It’s okay to be serious during serious times.

During Lent we get serious about sin and turning away from sin and doing penance for sin—serious prayer, serious fasting. “Turn to God with all your heart” we heard on Ash Wednesday. Not half-your heart, not the part of your heart you have left after you’ve given it your hobbies. Give God all of your heart—that it may be filled with life—the life which Jesus obtains for us on the cross.

So, get serious about turning away from sin this Lent. Show your repentance through prayer, fasting, almsgiving for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - - - 

For the Church throughout the world: that during this holy season of Lent her fasting, prayer, and almsgiving may bear fruit.

For those preparing for baptism and the Easter sacraments, that they may continue to conform themselves to Christ through fervent prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

For the students, families, and staff of Corpus Christi Academy: for a flourishing of faith, hope, and love and help from God in our trials.

For the sick, the suffering, the homeless, the imprisoned, and victims of violence.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy.

 

1st Sunday of Lent 2026 - Three Temptations

 

Each year, on the 1^st Sunday of Lent, we hear the powerful Gospel passage of Our Blessed Lord facing temptation in the Judaean desert. The mere fact that we even know about this story is significant: none of the four evangelists were with Jesus in the desert. So, the details of this story must have come from the lips of Jesus himself. He wanted his disciples to know about this profound experience: “Yes, even I was tempted, just like you.”

The Letter to the Hebrews explains the Lord’s solidarity with us poor sinners, saying: “because he Himself suffered and had been tempted, he is able to help all those who are tempted.” “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning.”

Why do we read from this Gospel of the Lord’s temptations each year, at the beginning of Lent? During Lent, as we are confronting our demons and temptations, it is good to hear the Lord’s faithfulness to His Father amidst his own temptations. This strengthens us as we face our own temptations: If he was faithful, and he dwells in us, then we can be faithful too.

Let’s consider each of the three temptations of the Lord, in hope that it will help us.

Firstly, Jesus is tempted, “if you are the son of God, turn these stones into bread.”  Our Lord was certainly hungry after forty days of fasting. He was likely in physical pain as his body, having used up fat reserves, was beginning to break down his muscle tissue to stay alive. Freshly baked bread would sound very good to a starving man. And so the devil tempted the Lord in his hunger, to use his divine powers to spare himself the suffering of the human condition.

Here, the devil is tempting Jesus to abandon the road of the cross. Spare yourself the suffering. This is a temptation each one of us faces. Spare yourself the suffering of your Lenten penances. Spare yourself the suffering that will come when you take the Gospel seriously. You had a hard day, you don’t have time for prayer. You had a hard day, you deserve that extra drink. You had a hard day, you deserve to indulge the lusts of the flesh.

In his faithfulness to this father, the Lord quotes the Psalm: “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” helping us trust that by following the will of God, even when that entails suffering, we find life. When we follow the will of God—even when, and maybe especially when, that means turning away from the cravings and weaknesses of the flesh, we will know a peace and joy that nothing in the world can give.

Secondly, Jesus was tempted “throw yourself down from the temple and let the angels catch you.” Here the Lord is tempted to use his divine powers for fame. Using his divine power to have angels float him down from the temple would make his identity undeniable.

This temptation of fame permeates our society today doesn’t it. Society even seems to be structured around social media presence, followers, likes, and views, viral moments; influencer culture and celebrity worship. We are subtly trained to believe, “if it isn’t seen, it doesn’t matter. If it isn’t applauded, it isn’t real. If it doesn’t go viral, it isn’t valuable.” We literally have people throwing themselves off of buildings for internet celebrity.

This temptation of fame strongly effects those whose identity is insecure. If I am uncertain who I am, I will try to prove it—even in illogical, sinful ways. If I do not know I am loved by God, I will try to derive my worth by the applause of men. But, living for fame is a distortion of the way of Christ. For, Christians derive our worth, not from public recognition and adulation, but from our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God.

At the Lord’s baptism, the voice of the Father, declared “you are my beloved Son”. Because Jesus is secure in his identity, he overcomes this temptation. So, too, for us. When we have taken to heart our identity as beloved son, beloved daughter, we will overcome temptations to find our worth in sin.

Lastly, the devil tempts Jesus, showing him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, as if the good that Jesus as come to do could be accomplished with money and power.

And yet, don’t so many of us make this mistake: we allow money and power to dictate our decisions and our worth. How many Christians fear poverty more than they fear sin?

Christians need to remember that our aim isn’t to become rich and powerful in the eyes of the world, but to become rich in the things of heaven: wisdom, generosity, self-control.

Now we often play a game here: when I have accumulated enough wealth, then I’ll become generous. But we are called to generosity now. In whatever state of life, whatever the size of our bank account right now, we are called to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure in service of the mission of the Church.

Jesus goes to the cross and achieves our salvation in poverty, owning nothing, stripped even of his clothing. We do not need a certain amount of wealth to be effective of instruments of God. In fact, our poorest saints, francis, clare and so many others, show us the exact opposite.

The point of this Gospel story isn’t just to teach us that the devil is real. We see the effects of sin on the daily news and the divisions in our families.  This story shows us that the devil doesn’t get the last word.  Temptation can be overcome when we cling to the Word of God.  St. Peter says, resist the devil and he will take flight.  So often, we fall into sin because we put up no resistance and fail to trust in the Lord.

We do well to imitate Jesus in those moments of temptation, to look at the temptation right in the eyes, to look the serpent right in the eyes and so, “No, I will not sin because I am a Christian.” 

This Lent, we practice fasting, almsgiving, and prayer in order to strengthen our resolve for doing God’s will, of turning our hearts a way from earthly pleasure, power, and glory, and to recall that our true happiness is found in communion with Jesus Christ and humbly following God’s plan for our lives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Holy Hour for Peace - February 2026

 

Earlier this month, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, requested that Catholics gather for a holy hour this month to pray for renewal in the United States and in people’s hearts in the midst of the “current climate of fear and polarization”.

Bishop Malesic echoed this request and asked that each parish hold a holy hour for peace. So, we gather before the Blessed Sacrament seeking peace at its source — in Jesus Christ.

 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

St. James reminds us in the first reading that violence, disorder, and division come from within: from jealousy, selfish ambition, and bitterness. These things tear apart families, communities, and nations. Peace is not built first by treaties or policies, but by conversion of heart.

Pope St. John Paul II taught, as we will hear later in this holy hour, the Eucharist forms us into a people capable of building a more human and peaceful world. In our encounter with the one who IS peace—Jesus Christ—in opening our hearts to him, bringing to him our divisions and strife—and the disorders in our own hearts—we find healing and conversion.

“As we kneel before the Lord, we certainly bring to him all the needs of our nation and our world — to help us work through our polarization — knowing that true unity cannot be forced from the outside, but must grow from hearts united to Christ. Here in the Eucharist, the Lord draws us into communion with himself and with one another, forming us into a people capable of reconciliation and peace.

The Lord invites each of us to ask: Where is there division in my own heart? Where do resentment, anger, hatred, or fear still remain? The peace of Christ comes to dwell in those who allow Christ overcome these things in their own hearts.

Working for peace and justice can also take a toll on us. We know from experience how easy it is to become discouraged — to grow weary when progress seems slow, when divisions remain, or when efforts to do good are misunderstood or rejected. Even sincere efforts for justice can leave us drained, frustrated, or tempted toward bitterness. Without a deeper source of strength, the work of peace can exhaust the human heart.

But the Lord does not ask us to carry this burden alone. In the Eucharist we encounter the One who gave himself completely for the life of the world. Here we come not as activists relying on our own strength, but as disciples who receive strength from him. In his presence we are reminded that the work of peace is first God's work before it is ours. He is the one who heals hearts, reconciles enemies, and renews the world — often in quiet and hidden ways that we may not immediately see.

Before the Blessed Sacrament, we learn again the patience of Christ. We learn that peace grows slowly, like a seed planted in the soil, often unseen at first but destined to bear fruit. The Lord calms our anxieties, steadies our hearts, and restores the hope that allows us to continue the work he has entrusted to us.

And so this holy hour is not a pause from the work of peace, but part of the work itself. By coming into the presence of Christ, we allow him to renew our charity, purify our intentions, and strengthen our resolve. Refreshed by his grace, we engage with our families, our workplaces, not with resentment or fatigue, but with the quiet strength that comes from knowing that his grace is already at work in the world for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

Friday after Ash Wednesday 2026 - Conversion leads to Divine Intimacy

 

On this First Friday of Lent, we are immediately challenged by God’s word to ensure that our Lenten penances are rightly ordered.

In our reading from the prophet Isaiah, God says something startling.

The people are fasting. They are bowing their heads. They are wearing sackcloth. They are afflicting themselves. And yet God says: “You fast, but I do not see it.” Why? Because their penances have not changed their hearts. The people were performing religious acts. They are keeping the ritual. They are technically doing what is required. But at the same time: They continued to exploit their workers. They quarreled and fought with each other. They pursued their own interests. They neglected the poor.

Their penance were simply external. Their hearts remained untouched, unmoved, unconverted.

This is one of the central temptations of Lent: to reduce penance to religious performance: Give something up. Eat less. Pray a bit more. Check the box.

But Isaiah reminds us: God is not impressed by religious theater. He wants conversion. “This is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, setting free the oppressed, sharing your bread with the hungry, clothing the naked, not turning your back on your own.”

Notice the movement. True penance loosens the grip of selfishness and turns the heart outward in mercy.

When we fast properly, selfishness diminishes—our ego, our pride, our attachment, our indifference diminishes—in order to give way to charity—to that of the Lord’s own heart

If Lent does not conform our hearts more closely to His—if our fasting does not make us more patient, more merciful, more generous—then we are bowing our heads like reeds while our hearts remain stiff.

Our Isaiah read ends with a powerful promise. If you allow your heart to be converted, if you allow selfishness to be transformed into charity—then you will know the closeness of God: “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!”

What a beautiful promise that reminds us that the purpose of Lent is union with God.
Lent is not about impressing God. It is about removing the obstacles that prevent us from allowing his life to flow through us. Interior conversion leads to active charity which leads to divine intimacy.

Lord, may our Lenten penances soften our hearts, detach us from selfishness, move us to charity, and unite us more closely to you, for the Glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Trusting in the Lord, we call upon Him with sincere hearts.

For the Church throughout the world: that during this holy season of Lent her fasting, prayer, and almsgiving may bear fruit in true conversion and works of mercy.

For the Holy Father, bishops, and priests: that their lives may reflect the charity of the Sacred Heart and lead God’s people to authentic repentance and deeper union with Christ.

For civil leaders and all who exercise authority: that they may release those bound unjustly, defend the oppressed, and govern with justice and compassion.

For the poor, the hungry, the infirmed, the homeless, and those who suffer injustice: that our Lenten sacrifices may translate into concrete charity and real assistance for those in need.

For our parish community: that our fasting may soften our hearts, diminish selfishness, and make us more patient, merciful, and generous toward one another.

For those who struggle to repent or who feel distant from God: that they may experience the Lord’s promise of closeness.

For the faithful departed: that purified of every attachment to sin, they may rejoice forever in the fullness of divine charity. We pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, you desire mercy and not empty show. Purify our hearts this Lent and hear the prayers we offer with confidence through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Ash Wednesday 2026 - Listening, Fasting, Community

Last Week, Holy Father Pope Leo issued a message to the Church for this Lent 2026. 

He said, “Lent is a time in which the Church…invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.”

Many of us know well how easy it is to lose sight of God. Work, social standing, anxiety over health, money, or relationships, pastimes like sports and video games, can obscure the place that God is meant to have in our lives. And Lent, as the Holy Father says, invites us to place God back at the center.

To do so, the Pope goes on to explain that we do three things: Firstly, listening. Lent is about listening to God, to God’s voice, to the word of God. God is speaking to us in 2026, are we listening? 

We are deluding ourselves if we think it is good to go through the day without listening to God. To quote Jesus himself when he was 40 days in the desert, “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” We need to listen to God’s word for guidance, for the wisdom we need to make hard choices, and to hear those personal messages of love that God has for each of us.

Every day during Lent, we need to spend some time to listen to God’s Word, reading a little passage from the Bible, and considering what God is saying to us in our present circumstances, in the concrete details of our life.

[Teachers: try to incorporate the daily mass readings in your lessons. Parents, do the same in the life of the home. Have you read and thought about your scripture passage today?] 

Secondly, in his Lenten message, Pope Leo tells us to fast. Our Lord himself fasted in the desert and taught his disciples to fast. Abstaining from food, helps us to keep our hunger and thirst for righteousness alive. Physical hunger can be a powerful reminder of our need to pray and to seek God. It reminds us, too, of the hunger of the poor, towards whom we should have a special care during the Lenten season.

Lastly, the Pope reminds us that we are in this together, that the members of the Church, the members of the Body of Christ, observe Lent, together. Lent is a season for the whole church, to pray, fast, give alms, to listen to God together. 

During Lent we come to church more often to engage in communal prayer, like for daily mass, for stations of the cross, for holy hours and confessions, because Lent is a shared journey—the shared journey of the Church toward Easter.

During Lent, the whole church, together, prays in a special way for will soon be joining our company—the catechumens preparing for the easter sacraments—who will enter into full communion with the Church at easter. We pray and fast for them, mindful of the good example we are to set for them and the encouragement we are to offer them in pursuing holiness.

This weekend we will offer a Holy Hour for peace in our trouble world from 2pm to 3pm here in Church, a wonderful opportunity to pray together, to seek peace together, to implore God’s healing and justice together. We will also pray the stations of the cross each Friday at 7:30pm—a beloved and time-honored tradition of walking with Jesus as he carried his cross and suffered and died out of love for us. Stations of the cross are a powerful devotion which helps us listen to the voice of God’s love.

In just a few moments we will have ashes imposed on our foreheads. These ashes are a reminder of our mortality and sin, for from dust we were made and because of sin to dust we will return. By reminding us of mortality and sin, they more importantly remind us of our need for salvation, our need for God, our need for Jesus. For each of us facing our mortality sooner or later, recognize that Eternal Life is found in Jesus Christ alone, and we are called to believe in Him, love Him, and follow Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

May these ashes, together with our Lenten penances, help us to seek that fullness of life that only comes through intimate union with Jesus Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

February 11, 2026 - Our Lady of Lourdes (School Mass) - Miracles flow when we listen to Mary

 

168 years ago today, the Blessed Virgin Mary began appearing to a poor peasant girl in a small village called Lourdes in France. The poor peasant girl’s name was Bernadette. Bernadette was 14 years old. She was poor. She was not a strong student. She had asthma and was often sick.

One day, while gathering firewood near a rocky cave called the Grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette saw something amazing. She saw a beautiful Lady dressed in white with a blue sash and golden roses at her feet.

The beautiful Lady was the Blessed Virgin Mary. From February 10 to July 15, 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times. Mary didn’t give long speeches. Rather, Mary told Bernadette to do simple things: Pray, especially pray the Rosary, and to do penance for sinners.

Furthermore, the Virgin Mary requested that a chapel be built at the grotto so that people could come there in procession.

During the ninth apparition, on February 25, 1858. Mary instructed Bernadette to “go, drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” Bernadette, seeing no spring, instinctively dug with her hands in the muddy ground. Soon, clear water began to flow, and this spring has never ceased.

Over the last 168 years, millions of people each year have made pilgrimage to Lourdes, to the miraculous spring there, to wash in those waters, for it has become a place of countless miraculous healings. People who are sick and crippled and even dying have been miraculously healed there at Lourdes. Many more have received peace, consolation, strength, and renewal of faith.

In the Gospel today, we read the story of the wedding feast at Cana, when Jesus performed the miracle of changing water into wine. And notice, Mary was part of the story. Mary was paying attention to the needs of the wedding party. She detected that they had run out of wine and brought that need to Jesus. Mary then directs the servants of the wedding party to bring the jars of water to Jesus. “Do whatever he tells you.” And because they listened to Mary, they became witnesses of the miracle of Jesus and benefited from it.

When we listen to Mary, and does as she tells us, God works miracles. Lourdes is proof of that. Real miracles—miraculous healings—miraculous renewals of faith—occur every year at Lourdes. But not just Lourdes: those who take seriously Our Lady’s message—to pray the rosary and do penance for sinners—we see God doing amazing things all the time.

You don’t have to be Catholic to pray the rosary and you don’t have to be Catholic to do penance for sinners—penance like fasting, abstaining from meat or dessert or video games regularly. But if you do, I promise, you will begin to see God doing amazing things in your families and in your community. You will know peace and strength like you’ve never known.

May Lourdes continue to be a source of faith and healing for the Church, may it inspire us to turn to Mary as the heavenly helper God has made her for us. For Mary always helps us to follow Jesus more closely and to love Jesus more deeply for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - - -  

Trusting in God’s mercy and in the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us bring our prayers before the Lord.

For the Church throughout the world: that she may continue to proclaim Christ boldly and lead many people to the waters of salvation.

For those who do not yet know Jesus or who have wandered away from Him: that Mary may gently lead them the healing waters of Christ.

For those who are sick, suffering, or discouraged, especially members of our school families: that through Mary’s intercession they may receive comfort, strength, and hope.

For all who have died, especially those who suffered greatly in this life: that they may now share in the joy of heaven.

Priest: Heavenly Father, you gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary as a loving mother and helper. Hear these prayers we offer with confidence, through Christ our Lord.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - Salt

 

I remember as a kid, my dad telling stories about working in the salt mines under Lake Erie when he was a younger man.  Morton Salt has about 3 miles of salt mines 2000 feet underneath our great lake.  . This salt is an important source of revenue for the State of Ohio, and the salt is utilized in a number of ways: particularly as a seasoning for our food and on our roads during the winter. With 3 miles of salt mines, it kind of makes you wonder why we supposedly have a winter salt shortage this year. But I degress.

Immediately following the Lord’s teaching on the beatitudes, which we heard last Sunday, the Lord says that his disciples must become like salt. Talk about bringing us down to earth. In order to attain heaven, you must become like salt.

Salt was used in a number of ways in Jesus’ time, just as it is for us. And those different ways salt is used can certainly help us to understand what Our Lord meant when he told us to become like salt.

First salt is used as a seasoning. So, too, Christians are to be a sort of seasoning to an otherwise bland world.  There is nothing more interesting—no one more full of life than a true Christian saint filled with the life of Christ. The saints are the best season we can imagine, and we must become like them. Do you know the names of any famous athletes, actors, businessmen, or politicians from the 13^th century? But we certainly remember names like Francis, Clare, Dominic, Anthony of Padua, Elizabeth of Hungary, Hedwig, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Raymond of Penafort, Albert the Great. So why would we want to be like athletes and actors? Strive to be truly remembered for your holiness, for seasoning people’s lives with the goodness of God.

How else is salt used? Salt is necessary for life. Even the most stringent nutritionists have to admit that salt is a necessary component of the human diet. The ancients, too, understood, salt was necessary for good health.  Similarly, Christians need to be salt in this way. The health, the survival of a society depends on Christians—doing what Christians do, infusing societal life with the life and goodness and truth and beauty of God. Our mission isn’t just to come to Church and leave our faith at the door. Our mission is to infuse this neighborhood with the saltiness—the life—of Christ because without the life of Christ it will die.

Salt is also a Preservative: In the days before refrigeration, salt made preserving food. Salt keeps food from decay. So Christians, have the task of preserving our world from spiritual decay. Seeing many of the strong Christian values in our country begin to fade, Christians need to take up again this call to preserve. Christians must preserve our world—and protect our children—from spiritual rot.

Salt is also a Purifier: The salt in the oceans of the world act as a natural cleaning agent, and most water purification systems use salt as a "purifier." Christians are to be the world’s purifiers: opposing the corrupting powers of malice and perversion and greed. Each of us too needs to seek the constant purifying of our minds from the world’s corrupting influence. In his second New Testament Letter, St. Peter writes, “make every effort to be found without stain or defilement.” So, we must constantly purify our minds through study of God’s word, interiorizing the doctrines of our faith, imitating the example of the saints.

Salt also has a destructive power.  As a kid, I’d run to the kitchen to get a salt shaker when I found a slug in the garden.  In the ancient world, when an army would conquer their enemy, they’d knock down the walls, raise the city to the ground, then really to rub it in sometimes they would cast salt upon the earth so that nothing would ever grow there again. Are Christians to be a destructive power in society? In a sense we are! We are to be a an opposing force against the powers of evil and the manifestations of the Antichrist.

Satan is like that slug, a garden slug, and he is diminished when Christians really get salty with the life of Christ. We are meant to disrupt the work of the antichrist to deface the dignity of the human person. Satan seeks to pervert life, lead souls away from God, and we must get salty in this battle. We need to take back territory and claim it for Christ.

Another use for salt: as we know all too well, living here in Cleveland—Salt is used for the melting of ice. Salt makes things flow that are frozen.   The Church’s task is to loosen up a world frozen in its own self-regard, frozen in violence and selfishness, frozen in habits of “oppression, false accusation and malicious speech” to quote our first reading.  When we are faithful to Christ, we have a melting influence.  

Think of the power of one saint. Saints melt hearts frozen against Christ. Hardened atheists have come to Christ by finding about the goodness of Francis, the piety of Padre Pio, the selfless charity of Mother Theresa and Elizabeth Ann Seton. Many souls have been converted to Christ because they saw Christians selflessly engaged in acts of charity. When the Church is faithful, we have that melting influence to get cold hearts flowing in the right direction again.

Finally, just like it’s used on our roads, in ancient times salt was also used to prevent people from slipping on slippery paths.  Christians are called to help souls from slipping into damnation—promoting the teachings of Christ on a societal level which give stability to civilization, pointing out when fellow Christians begin down slippery paths away from God. We call them fallen Catholics because they have slipped. The reason why we are to take Catechesis and strong moral formation is to help people from slipping and falling

You and I are called to be salt. But the Lord warns that salt can lose its flavor. Perhaps maybe you have lost a bit of enthusiasm for the Christian life. Perhaps Christ is not the vital force in your marriage that he should be.  Maybe you don’t feel like you are having a positive influence on your neighbors, or the fallen away members of your family. 

The solution: Pray, pray, pray.  You cannot be salt without constant prayer.  A priest who does not pray is worthless, husbands and wives who do not pray will not have the strength and power to faithfully live out the Christian responsibilities of the marriage sacrament.  Young people who do not pray will not have the strength to withstand the nearly unending torrent of evil from our culture. 

Salt: an ordinary substance with tremendous potential, which is why the Lord tells us to be salt: ordinary people with tremendous potential, many uses, vital to life and civilization. We must become salt by bringing Christ into our workplaces, into our conversations, into our civic life, in our family life. Be salt, my friends, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

4th Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - David Trusts in God's Mercy

 

Today’s readings tell us two stories that might seem very different—a story about King David sinning against God and a story about Jesus being rejected by the people of his home town. But these stories are really about the same problem—the same choice.

In the first reading, we heard about King David. David was a good king. He loved God. But one day, he made a mistake. He told his army to count how many soldiers he had. That doesn’t sound very bad—until we understand why he did it. For a moment, David trusted numbers and power more than he trusted God.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for David to realize his sin. And notice, he didn’t make excuses. He didn’t blame anyone else. He said: “I have sinned. I have been very foolish.”

Then God gave David a choice about what would happen next—and David said something very important: “Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful.” In other words, David was saying: “If something bad has to happen, I would rather put myself in God’s hands—because God is kind, and God knows when to stop.”

David remembered something very important: God is always more merciful than we expect.

Now let’s look at the Gospel. Jesus goes back to his hometown—the place where everyone knew him growing up. He teaches in the synagogue, and the people are amazed… but instead of trusting God, they start to doubt. They say: “Isn’t this just the carpenter?” “Isn’t this Mary’s son?” “Who does he think he is?” And the Gospel says: “They took offense at him.”

In other words, they rejected Jesus—not because he did something wrong, but because they thought they already knew him. They trusted their assumptions instead of trusting what God was doing right in front of them. And because of their lack of faith, they were unable to witness the miracles of Jesus.

Here’s the connection between the two readings: both are stories about how we fail to trust God. Like David, we trust in our own strength, thinking we can overcome life’s obstacles by our own power, or military might. Like the people of Nazareth, we fail to take the time to know Jesus.

But David shows us what we must do when we fail to trust God: run back to God as soon as you can. Sometimes, like David, we mess up. But the good news—the very good news—is this: God is merciful. When we admit we’re wrong…When we say we’re sorry…When we trust God again…God always wants to forgive, to heal, and to begin again.

So today, let’s remember: Don’t be afraid to trust God, even when it’s hard. And when we fall, let us trust in God’s mercy—because, like David said, “The Lord is most merciful.” For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the mercy of God, who is always faithful even when we struggle to trust Him, let us bring our prayers before the Lord.

 For the Church throughout the world: that she may always trust in God’s mercy and help all people turn back to the Lord when they fall away.

For our Holy Father, bishops, priests, and teachers: that they may humbly serve God’s people and help others recognize Christ.

For all students in our school: that we may grow in faith, learning to trust God more than our own fears, assumptions, or doubts.

For those who struggle to believe or who have turned away from God: that they may encounter His mercy and be given the grace to trust Him again.

For those who are sick, sad, or in need of healing: that they may be comforted by God’s loving care and feel His mercy close to them.

For those who have died, that they may rest in the peace and mercy of God forever.

 Merciful Father, you are slow to anger and rich in compassion. Hear the prayers we offer today with trust in your love, through Christ our Lord.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - Healing Division through Humility

 

For the first six sundays of ordinary time this year, our second readings are taken from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

Throughout his letters, St. Paul gives us a glimpse into those early Christian communities: the Philippians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Thessalonians, the Corinthians. Like our own, each of those communities had its own history, its unique and diverse gifts and particular challenges.

Paul praised the Philippians for instance, for their generous support of the poor, and for their commitment to working together. The Philippians took seriously the need for Christians to cooperate in the spread of the Gospel. Yet they were not without challenges. Paul had to address disunity and rivalry among them.

The Galatians too had their gifts. Paul describes the tremendous outpouring of the holy Spirit in Galatia; miracles, even, were evident there. Yet Paul had to address how members of the Galatian church were being swayed by a "different gospel," as he called it. Some members were insisting that gentiles had to be circumcised if they were to be saved. And where does Jesus teach that? He doesn’t. So, Paul had to correct their sacramental theology: that it is baptism, not circumcision which unites us to Christ, our Savior.

So, too, the Ephesians. Paul praised their strong faith in Christ and their love for the saints. He thanked God for the profound spiritual blessings evident among them. Yet, the Ephesians, too, had challenges. Paul detected some willful ignorance in them, hardness of heart, callousness, licentiousness and impurity. And so he challenged them to grow in Christian maturity—to get serious about casting off their old way of life and to put on the new way of Christ.

And then there were the Corinthians! Oh, the Corinthians. Thanks to St. Paul’s extensive correspondence with the Corinthians, we are better informed about the church at Corinth than probably any other first-century Christian community.

Paul extolled their knowledge, their eloquence in speech, and the diversity of their spiritual gifts. Yet,  just because they knew the faith and were eloquent in explaining it, didn’t mean they were living it. There were divisions and quarrels among them. The Corinthians had allowed the sexual immorality of the pagan culture take root in their community. They had disagreements about Christian marriage and food offered to idols. They also had arguments about theology.  They had issues with disorder in worship. Their church politics was causing division. All of these divisions, theological, earthly, and moral were threatening their mission and their souls.

This is why Paul began his letter, as we heard last week, urging the Corinthians to strive for Church unity—unity in faith, behavior, and worship. Why? Because division hinders the mission. It makes it hard to prove that Jesus is the Way of peace and reconciliation and holiness, if our divisions are disrupting that peace. So Paul urges the Corinthians to make every effort to strive for unity among them.

That concern for unity is exactly why Paul turns, in today’s passage, in our second reading, to the teaching on humility.

“Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.” Our calling to what? To be first and foremost, witnesses of the Gospel. And it’s not because we were rich, powerful, and wise that God chose us, but because we are foolish, weak, and sinful, in other words, we were in need of saving. No amount of earthly riches and worldly knowledge or wisdom could get us to heaven. We can’t get to heaven on our own. We can’t find peace and joy and fulfillment on our own. We need God. We need Jesus Christ. And the Christian is first and foremost a soul who humbly admits he needs God.

That brings us directly to the Beatitudes. In the Gospel today, we hear the beginning of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, this series of short but powerful teachings, known as the beatitudes: teachings about the dispositions, attitudes, decisions Christians are to practice if we are going to live a blessed life on earth that leads to eternal blessedness in heaven.

The Lord begins his Sermon, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” It is not arbitrary that Jesus teaches this beatitude first. For it is not one Beatitude among many. It is the fundamental beatitude that is necessary to obtain the others—It is doorway to all the rest, and instruction that every Christian is to adopt at a fundamental level.

When the Lord says “blessed are the poor”, he’s not saying that poverty is holy. He’s not saying that all poor people are holy, and by virtue of their poverty, they are automatically going to heaven. He’s not saying that all Christians need to be materially poor.

What’s he saying. Fundamentally, essentially, To be poor in spirit is to recognize our need for God—not occasionally, not in emergencies, but always. It is the recognition that we cannot save, justify sanctify, or redeem ourselves. It’s to acknowledge that we are not only incomplete without God, we’re incomplete if God is not the absolute center and primary force of our lives, of every decision and relationship.

If poverty of spirit is not our fundamental disposition, and God is not the absolute center of our lives, then something else is. Something unholy. Pride. Pride, the deadliest of sins because it claims, I’m not poor in spirit, I can get to heaven on my own, I can be fulfilled without God.

Pride, is believing the same lie that the enemy told Adam and Eve in the Garden, you don’t need God, you don’t need to obey, you don’t need to give your heart to Him. You can make it on your own, you’ll be happier without Him.

Pride. It hinders advancement in the spiritual life because it makes God secondary to our own egos. It stalls conversion, halts repentance, obstructs spiritual growth, impedes the mission of the Gospel. It keeps us from the life-giving waters and mercy of Christ, the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit, and the loving embrace of the Father.

But blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit means to open wide the doors of ones mind, soul, and heart to God.

This is why St. Paul stresses humility—poverty in spirit—as the remedy for the division and immorality in Corinth. Because as each member of the Church seeks God with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, they are brought in deeper union with God and with one another.

Each of us does well to ask the Holy Spirit to helps us identify how we are called to better strive for and live out that first beatitude. What does it mean to be poor in spirit in my understanding of Catholic doctrine? What does it mean to be poor in spirit in my approach to and celebration of the Sacraments? What does it mean to be poor in spirit in my moral life—in my obedience to the commandments, the call to charity and the cultivation of the virtues? What does it mean to be poor in spirit, to throw open the doors of my heart in prayer?

May the Holy Spirit help each of us to identify who we can take more seriously this first beatitude, to grow in surrender and trust and obedience to God, who heals the wounds of sin and division for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.