28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - Blessed Fulton Sheen's Daily Holy Hour

 

“Everything is ready; come to the feast.”

This invitation from today’s Gospel expresses what we celebrate every time we come to Mass [but also what we celebrate particularly this weekend during our weekend of Eucharistic devotions.] God has prepared a banquet for his people, the wedding feast of the Lamb, in which we are fed with the greatest of all foods—Christ Himself.

I was at a parish closing of Forty Hours recently, and the homilist told a wonderful story about newly beatified Blessed Fulton Sheen. I had read the story before, maybe you have too, but I’d like to share it with you today, as it is a good reminder of what we celebrate in the great gift of the Eucharist

In his autobiography Treasure in Clay, Archbishop Sheen about a resolutions he made on the day of his priestly ordination.

He writes, “I resolved to spend a continuous Holy Hour every day in the presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.” It was a resolution that Blessed Fulton Sheet kept throughout his priesthood, and he testified that it was a major source of grace and spiritual power in his ministry. He was once asked what inspired him to make the resolution to make that daily holy hour, and so he shared the story of an eleven-year-old Chinese girl.

He said: When the Communists took over China, they imprisoned a priest in his rectory nearby the church. One day, he watched the Communists enter the Church, and break into the tabernacle, and they took out the ciborium containing the precious Body of Christ, and threw the ciborium on to the floor. He saw the consecrated hosts spill out on to the floor, and he knew the exact number of hosts, now scattered on the floor: there were thirty-two of them.

While this desecration was taking place, a little girl was praying in the back of the church, a young Chinese girl of 11 years. She also watched this desecration take place in silence and sorrow. Later that night, the girl returned to church, sneaking past the guard.

She knelt down before the spilled hosts and made a holy hour: an act of love to make up for the act of hatred. After her hour of prayer she bent over one of the hosts, and with her tongue received Jesus in Holy Communion, for at the time it was not permissible for the laity to touch the Sacred Host with their hands as they are now.

Every night, the little girl snuck into church and made a holy hour and received Jesus in Holy Communion on her tongue. On the thirty-second night, after she had consumed the last and thirty-second host, she accidentally made a noise which alerted the Communist guard. The guard chased her down and beat her to death with the butt of his rifle. The priest helplessly watched this incident from his confinement.

That little girl, whose name is unknown, died a martyr for the faith. This was the story which inspired Blessed Fulton Sheen to make that promise of a daily Hour Hour.

Again this story inspired Blessed Fulton Sheet to make that promise of the daily Holy Hour. If she could risk her life, out of love for Jesus, he could at least spend an hour.

Why did she do so? For one, because she recognize those sacred hosts to be Jesus Himself. This is what happens at mass—bread and wine are truly transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. She recognized this gift that Jesus has made to the Church. She recognized her God spilled on the floor by those filled with hate. And so she sought to replace hatred with love, disbelief with faith.

That is the faith we renew [this weekend] every time we come to Mass, every time we kneel in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Beneath the appearances of bread and wine, Christ is truly present. The same Jesus who healed the sick, offered himself on Calvary, and rose from the dead gives himself to us as food. God invites us in the same words of the Gospel, “Everything is ready; come to the feast.”

In our first reading, Isaiah foretells God’s promise of a feast in which all the people of the earth would be gathered. This is the feast. And at that banquet, God would wipe away every tear from our eyes and destroy death forever.

At the Eucharist, we are comforted in all of our sorrows, that we are not abandoned by God. Jesus is with us in this vale of tears. And he feeds us with what St. Ignatius of Antioch called “the remedy for our mortality”, the antidote to death. For as Jesus taught, “he who eats my flesh shall live forever. Him I will raise up on the last day.”

Our love for Jesus in this sacrament brings a sort of fearlessness, toward death and every thing else. Our psalm expresses this confidence and fearlessness: “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.” The Eucharist is Jesus at the side of his Church. Or rather, the Eucharist is the Church at the side of Jesus—from which blood and water flowed.

That eleven year old Chinese girl understood this. Why would she risk death, sneaking into the Church, night after night for thirty-two nights? Because she knew, like so many of the martyrs, knew, that death is not the end, for those who have faith in Christ. Her love was greater than the threats surrounding her. She belonged to Jesus.

The Eucharist cultivates that same holy fearlessness in us. We still might experience anxiety, suffering, grief, and temptation, but because of the Eucharist, these things do not control our lives. The Eucharist frees us from fear. For Christ feeds us with the life that death cannot destroy.

The Eucharist especially frees us from fear for the mission of the Church. We are called, not just to sneak past Communists, so that we may worship in secret, but to convert them, and work for all who deny Christ and hate his Church. We are to love our enemy enough that we find ways to share the Gospel with them. The Eucharist expands our hearts to embrace, even our enemy. Again, as the Psalmist says, “a table has been set before us in the sight of our foes.”

In the Gospel, there were several different types of responses to the invitation to the wedding feast. There were those who outright refused to come—for reasons unknown and unspoken—they simply refused. You and I, probably know people who fall into that category. There were those who made excuses—we’re too busy—we have our farms and businesses. You and I probably know some of them as well.

The third response was this person who showed up without the wedding garment, who was consequently ejected from the banquet. The wedding garment is symbolic of the Christian life open to being more deeply converted to Christ. This is the person who shows up to mass without the desire or intention of being more deeply converted, falling more deeply in love with Christ, being truly strengthened and inspired for the mission.

The Gospel challenges us to ensure that we always come to mass with the openness to transformation and conversion that God wants for us. To become like that little Chinese girl—with a love for Him in the Eucharist so deep that it animates our life—a love that casts out fear—so that we may live more fully for him.

Perhaps the Lord inviting you to make a holy hour each week in our eucharistic chapel, or to come to weekday mass. Perhaps, he is urging you to become a Eucharistic minister, so that you can bring Him to the sick and homebound, who would be here if they could. No doubt the Lord wants to feed them, and be with them in their dark valley, but he needs our parishioners to take up this ministry. No doubt the Lord is inviting each of us to consider how and we can be more fearless in our loving service of the mission of the Church.

May this Holy Mass [and our Eucharistic devotions] bring renewal to each of us and to our parish, and an increase in faith, hope, and love, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

October 6 2026 - St. Bruno - Christian Maturity and the Cross

 

Nearly 950 years ago, St. Bruno, whom we honor today, founded the Carthusians. The Carthusian way of life combines the prayerful solitude of the hermetical life with the mutual support of communal monasticism. Carthusians withdraw from the world in order to seek the face of Christ in intense prayer, fasting, and cultivation of virtue.

The Carthusians have the distinction of have a rule of life that has gone virtually unchanged for those 950 years. While the cultures of the world have changed, their strict way of life has not. And this is very much in keeping with the motto set by St. Bruno: Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.  “While the world changes, the cross stands firm.” The ways of the world, its values, ideals and priorities, are constantly in flux, but the cross remains the way to salvation and the road to perfection.

That road is meant for every one of us. Jesus calls every disciple to take up his cross and follow him. Through the cross, we learn to surrender whatever keeps us from loving God with our whole heart.

St. Paul expresses that surrender in our first reading: “I consider everything as loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul had discovered that knowing Christ was worth more than everything he once prized. He desired to share Christ’s sufferings and become conformed to his death, trusting that this road leads to resurrection.

We entered that same mystery at baptism. The Christian life unfolds as we allow Christ to put our sins to death and bring his love to maturity within us.

For St. Bruno, this meant leaving behind worldly honors and comforts for a life of intense prayer and penance. For us, it means what? Examining what we cling to and asking whether those attachments draw us toward God or away from him. Learning to trust God that we are called, like Christ, to give of ourselves—there is no greater love than he who lays down his life for another.

The cross is the road of perfection. Now, St. Paul admits at the time of writing to the Philippians that he had not attained perfect Christian maturity, he was still a work in progress, but he says, “I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it”. Again, St. Bruno sought Christian maturity in the walls of the monastery.

All of us struggle with sin and vice, but we must not give up hope of possessing Christian maturity. But Christian maturity involves intentionality and discipline. Overcoming vice, practicing self-sacrifice are not easy. But the cross is the road to life. Each of us are called to seek union with Christ as best as we can in whatever our vocation or circumstances, following where God leads us.

Through St. Bruno’s intercession, may we follow the crucified Lord with undivided hearts, trusting that everything surrendered for his sake opens us more fully to his life, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the contemplative religious orders of the Church may inspire all Christians to seek God in moments of prayer, silence, and solitude.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people may take seriously the call of Christ to turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

That those whose lives are marked by suffering may come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

For the bishop and priests gathering for the Priest Convocation this week: that their time together in prayer, work, and fraternity may bear good fruit for the mission of the Church in our Diocese.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time - The Einstein of Wines

 

About 10 years ago, I had a funeral for a long-time parishioner of St. Clare. His name was Lenny Giuliani, and when I met with the family to plan the funeral, I learned that Lenny had been a winemaker. Making wine wasn’t his profession, but a hobby that he took very seriously; his family called him the “Einstein of Wines” because he was extremely scientific in perfecting his wines. His daughters brought me a few bottles of Lenny’s wine and suggested that I try them, and let them know my honest opinion, because their father loved constructive criticism.

So, a few days after the funeral, I opened his bottle of red, a blend of several different grapes noted on the label, with the precise percentage of each noted. And I’m no connoisseur, but I could tell that I was drinking something special, the culmination of a life’s work, a work of art.

Good food and good wine can certainly rise to the level of art. And Lenny’s wine was certainly artfully made. He developed these wines, painstakingly, and shared the fruits of his labors with family and friends. And for that, the world was blessed. In this digital age, when we are tempted to spend our waking hours, and our so-called “free time” in front of screens, we probably need to be a bit more like Lenny. To produce something with our hands, with our minds, that can be given away to bring some joy in this increasingly joyless world.

Idle hands are the devil’s workshop as proverbs says. And so a hobby, a craft, done artfully and carefully can be a excellent means of avoiding the near occasion of sin of laziness, and can bring something good into the world. 

I thought of Lenny’s wine this weekend, for one because we hear of vineyards and grapes in our scripture readings, also because it’s the anniversary of Lenny’s funeral this week. But also because our Scripture readings really do urge us to consider how we use our time, how we spend our life—how we use the time we’ve been given…to be a blessing to others…or not.

In today’s First Reading Isaiah describes God’s displeasure with Israel. The Lord had prepared Israel to be a fine vineyard—a vineyard of holy souls that should have yielded the highest quality grapes.  God had given Israel the Law, the Torah, he had delivered the Israelites out of the slavery of Egypt, and placed them in the promised Land, he had sent them prophets to help them be his holy people. And yet, what did they do with those blessings? what did they do to the prophets?

Rather than yielding the lush, juicy grapes of faithfulness, justice and peace, Israel had produced wild sour grapes of infidelity, false worship, ignorance of the scriptures, and injustice toward the poor.

Shame on Israel, right? Well, the pattern of Israel’s sin, is of course, ours as well. God has given us all we need to be saints. The Scriptures, the Holy Tradition of the Apostles, the Sacraments, the constant guidance of the Holy Spirit.

And of course, many of us have seen tremendously good fruit in our lives and among our fellow Catholics: the joy that comes from serving and caring for others, the peace that comes from mending broken relationships, the development of virtues. And yet, the rotten fruit of infidelity can still be detected: selfishness, hatred, souls given over to lust, greed, wrath, pride, envy, gluttony, and sloth. Chronic crankiness and bitterness, stinginess, are usually signs that we’ve let self-absorption take the place of Christian self-donation.

The Word of God challenges us to ensure that we are doing what we can to weed out the bad and nurture the good—to tend the field of our soul—to uproot the rotten vines lest they takeover the vineyards of our lives. For the Lord has chosen us “to go and bear fruit that will remain.”

The Gospel Parable of the Tenants today also challenges us to consider what lessons from God that we have rejected. In the parable, we read of the wicked tenants who rejected the vineyard owner’s servant and then rejected and killed the vineyard owner’s son.

The Lord Jesus issued this parable to the chief priests and elders of Israel. Jesus was helping them understand that they were like those wicked tenants—not only had they rejected the message of the prophets, they were also rejecting the vineyard owner’s son—the Son of God—in the rejection of his teachings.

Shame on the chief priests and elders, right? Well, again: how about us? We see baptized Catholics forsaking the faith, and acting like they might catch on fire if they stepped into Church. Amongst the Protestants, heresy has spread like wild-fire—they’ve lost the eucharist, the priesthood, confession, sacramental anointing and some of them don’t even practice baptism anymore, not to mention the moral teachings they have rejected. And many Catholics aren’t much better, picking and choosing which teachings they’ll adhere to like choices in a buffet line.

Rather, this Gospel calls us to ensure that we reject nothing of what comes from God, particularly the teachings of the Son of God. To repent of sin and bear fruit that will last. And as we accept and apply the teachings of Christ, we experience more deeply his peace. As St. Paul says, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The world doesn’t understand how practicing self-control, and self-constraint in the face of temptation brings peace, but it does. How practicing obedience to Church teaching and self-sacrifice, giving of our time talent and treasure can bring us peace, but it does. We have the saints, and every Christian who takes this stuff seriously to prove it. Peace and joy.

This week, we began again the month of October. October is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Rosary, as the Feast of the Holy Rosary, is celebrated on October 7. I encourage you to take up the rosary this month, especially if you are not in the habit of doing so, to pray the rosary for the good of our parish, the needs of the world, especially those who reject Christ and do not know his peace.

Ask for Our Lady’s help in putting the teachings of Christ into practice in your life, in discovering new ways the Lord is calling you to serve his kingdom, perhaps simply like Lenny, to perfect some art that can bring joy to others, or some ministry that needs to be strengthened in our parish, or to help you be more attentive to those whom God has given you gifts to serve, to assist and help. Or maybe, you need Our Lady’s help to lift you out of a place of discouragement or habitual sin. The rosary is a powerful way of seeking God’s help to overcome these things.

Avail yourself to the help of heaven in overcoming sin and pursuing the sanctity for which you were made, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 - Deathbed Repentance (Brideshead Revisited)

 

While on vacation this summer, I reread one of my favorite books: the most well-known novel by Catholic Author Evelyn Waugh titled Brideshead Revisited, the Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder. The book has had several tv and movie adaptations. I recommend the 1981 tv adaptation. It’s 11 hours, but 11 hours well spent.

The book begins with the titular character, Charles Ryder, a Captain in the British Army during World War II encamped on a large estate—a in the British countryside called Brideshead. This was not his first visit to Brideshead. He had been there many times before in his university days at Oxford, when he had befriended the son of the wealthy English Lord and owner of Brideshead, Lord Marchmain.

Throughout the story Captain Ryder looks back upon the happiness and grief and drama and grace he encountered there. He revisits his memories, hence the title, “Brideshead Revisited”

In the course of the novel Lord Marchmain is revealed to be a real scoundrel. The Lord has estranged himself from his devout Catholic family and was living in Venice, sharing a roof with his Italian mistress—living a truly profane lifestyle, devoid of all religion, focused on the pursuit of carnal pleasure, as if he were intentionally trying to flee from God.

But God’s grace breaks in at the climax of the story, Lord Marchmain, having reached the end of his life, returns to Brideshead and to his family in order to die in his ancestral home and with the people he once cherished.

Marchmain’s devout family sends for a priest to absolve the dying Lord of his sins and to administer the last rites, but Marchmain, still running away from God, sends the priest away. This grieves the family, of course, as this rejection of the priest and rejection of contrition, is akin to rejecting God. And so they worry for Marchmain’s eternal soul. So, the family fasts and prays assiduously. Marchmain grows so weak, he cannot open his eyes.

Hoping for a miracle, the family summons the priest once again. And then the miracle occurs! As the priest offers the final prayers, Marchmain lifts his arm to make the sign of the cross, and he died with God’s mercy. Personally, in my ministry, I have witnessed similar circumstances, where someone who had been unresponsive for days, opens their eyes and prays before dying in Christ’s peace.

I always think of that scene in relation to the Gospel passage for this weekend. For, in the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the Lord conveyed a number of very important lessons about accepting the invitation of God’s grace before the day runs out.

The first lesson is that that grace is available to everyone. This would be a difficult lesson for Jesus’ Jewish audience. For the Jews possessed a very special relationship with God throughout human history, stretching back thousands of years. They were like those workers who had been working in the vineyard since the beginning of the work day. And this parable challenged to accept that God’s grace and full membership in his kingdom would be available to newcomers. Gentiles.

Secondly, the parable reminds us that people accept God’s invitation at different times in their lives. Infants and babies and young children, who are baptized early in life, they are brought into God’s grace in their early years. Some souls accept the invitation only after their rebellious teenage years. For some people, it takes hitting rock bottom due to an addiction, where they realize that God is calling them to break the cycle of self-destruction. For some, conversion comes after a major crisis, like a death of a loved one, that they realize they need to accept God’s invitation before it is too late. And for some, like Lord Marchmain, it is on the death bed, where God, the fisherman, makes that final tug of the line, gives that final opportunity to accept his grace.

Here is a reminder then, that we are to never stop inviting souls to Christ. We shouldn’t assume that just because someone was hardened to God in the past, they remain hardened. The Lord is no doubt working in the lives of all people, to soften their hearts to the invitation.

Thirdly, this parable reminds all of us to ensure that we live and die in God’s friendship. For the work day does in fact come to a close. The sun finally does set. Human life and human history will come to an end. And for those souls who do not accept the invitation to work for God by life’s end, there will be eternal consequences.

Scripture is clear, the Catechism is clear. If we insist on rejecting God’s grace in this life, we condemn ourselves to hell, forever.

One of the great pains of those in hell is that they know they rejected the invitation of God, they know things could have been different, and they know it’s all their fault. So, we should urge souls not to put off conversion, lest death find them unrepentant.

If you have unconfessed serious sins and mortal sins. Please go to confession immediately. Don’t put it off. God is kind and merciful, but He has made known that he wants sins repented of and absolved as soon as possible.

Today’s Gospel is also a good reminder to make sure your family knows that when you are laying on your deathbed, they should call for a priest. Dear ones, it is not a burden to come to your death bed to offer you the Last Rites. This is why I was ordained. This is why the Bishop sent me to you. So that you could have access to the sacraments. All the other stuff is secondary to ensure that you live and die in God’s friendship, with your sins absolved.

If you are in the hospital, please call for the Catholic priest on duty. If you are in your home, please call your parish.

Finally, our Gospel, along with our first reading urge us, to seek the Lord, and work for the Lord as best as we possibly can at whatever stage we are in life. Whether we are children, teens, young adults, middle age, or seniors. God has work for all of us, no matter our age. If you don’t know what that work is, start with prayer. A good daily prayer for each and everyone of us is “Lord, help me to be faithful in all of the work you have for me today. Help me to be faithful to those opportunities you give me to serve your kingdom. Help me to use my abilities in your service. Show me how I can serve you with more and more of my soul and strength, that at the end of life, I may be counted among your faithful servants, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.”

September 23 2026 - St. Padre Pio & The White Acura

 

A few days ago, I came across an article relevant to today’s memorial—about a white 1986 Acura Legend which sits beneath a canopy on the grounds of Rosa Mystica House of Prayer in Edmeston, New York.  (https://www.ncregister.com/features/rosa-mystica-place-of-prayer)

On a rainy afternoon in 1997, a man named Anthony Fuina was stopped at a traffic light, in his 1986 Acura Legend when he saw a bearded man approach his car and ask for a ride. He felt compelled to give the bearded man a ride. Now Anthony Fuina had recently undergone a biopsy for a large tumor in his colon. And when the bearded stranger asked if he could place his hand over the area where Fuina had undergone the biopsy, he agreed. As the man prayed Fuina felt an intense warmth and electricity throughout his body.

“You are healed,” the man told him. Later that day, Fuina learned that the tumor was benign. Years later, his daughter gave him a prayer card, bearing a picture of St. Padre Pio. Fuina took one look at the image and broke down in tears. “This is the man I picked up on Hicksville Road.” That was the man who healed him in 1997.

Now Padre Pio died in 1968. But I have heard a number of stories now, where Padre Pio appeared to them and healed, just as he did throughout his earthly life. The miraculous surrounded Padre Pio. God chose this humble capuchin Franciscan Friar to be a reminder of the miraculous, of the saving power of God, of the importance of uniting your life to Jesus Christ, particularly our sufferings, like Padre Pio, who bore the mystical stigmata of our Savior. And even to this day, God continues to employ Padre Pio for miracles, often times for people who had no idea who he was in life, and only later and drawn more deeply to Jesus through him.

By the way, Anthony Fuina, the man who was healed, donated the White Acura Legend to the Rosa Mystica House of Prayer, where Priests hear confessions and people like to sit in the car to pray.

Padre Pio famously urged people to “pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Prayer does not always obtain the answer we want immediately. Sometimes God heals dramatically; sometimes he gives strength to carry the cross; sometimes we pray for years before seeing any fruit at all. But prayer is never wasted. Every prayer offered in faith draws us more deeply into communion with God and can become an instrument of grace for others.

And that is part of the mission of the Church. We are not merely spectators of miracles or admirers of saints. We are called to continue the work of God: to pray for sinners, to encourage the discouraged, to bring people to confession, to invite people back to Mass, to intercede for the sick, and to help souls encounter Jesus Christ.

Padre Pio’s life reminds us that God still acts. Grace is still powerful. Conversion is still possible.

So let us persevere in prayer, even when we do not see immediate results. Let us pray for our families, for those who have fallen away, for the sick, for sinners, and for the mission of the Church. And through the intercession of Saint Padre Pio, may our prayers and sacrifices help bring souls more deeply to Christ, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that, following the example of St. Padre Pio, she may be a beacon of Christ’s mercy to all who seek forgiveness and healing . And that priests may imitate the tireless dedication of Padre Pio in their ministry of reconciliation, bringing the love and compassion of Christ to all penitents.

For all Christians, that we may embrace the sufferings and crosses in our lives as opportunities for holiness, trusting that God’s grace will sanctify us and strengthen us to do His will.

For those who are sick and suffering, they may experience healing, both physical and spiritual, and be comforted by the presence of Christ in their trials.

 For all who have fallen away from the faith, that through the mercy of God and the prayers of St. Padre Pio, they may be led to conversion, reconciliation, and a deeper relationship with Christ.

For our parish community, that inspired by Padre Pio’s life of prayer and devotion, we may grow in holiness, seek God’s will in all things, and extend His mercy to others.

For all the faithful departed, that through the mercy of God they may be welcomed into the fullness of eternal life.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord. listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you, and through the intercession of St. Padre Pio and all the saints, grant us what we truly need. Through Christ our Lord.

 

September 16 2026 - Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, martyrs - Courage and Humility

 

Around the year 250, there was a very intentional attempt on the part of the Roman Empire to root out Christians. The vehemently anti-Christian emperor Decius mandated that all citizens had to prove their loyalty to the empire by offering incense to the Roman Gods. The emperor was well aware that Christians could not commit this act because for us it was both an act of idolatry—worshipping a false God—and apostasy—publicly denying our belief in Jesus Christ.

Some Christians tried to skirt around the mandate by bribing authorities to obtain a document which stated that they offered the pagan sacrifice without actually having to offer it. But that document still marked them as apostates.  

There were several notable martyrs of this persecution, including the Pope, Pope Fabian. Others went into hiding to avoid both martyrdom and having to commit this act.

A new Pope was elected, Pope Cornelius, whom we honor today. And Pope Cornelius had a challenging question to answer: can those Christian who committed apostasy be returned to Holy Communion? After all, they denied Christ publicly, they publicly separated themselves from the Church.

So, in the year 251, Pope Cornelius called a synod in Rome to discuss this matter. After hearing from his bishops and theologians, he declared that, yes, the apostates could be restored to communion, as long as they underwent what he called “the usual medicines of repentance”.  He affirmed that through penance and firm purpose of amendment, a sinner could be readmitted to Communion again.

Pope Cornelius was supported in this pronouncement by many bishops, but especially St. Cyprian, whom we also honor today, the most important bishop in North Africa, and one of the most important theologians and writers of the time.

All these centuries later, we still have a letter St. Cyprian wrote to Pope Cornelius describing how they would likely undergo their own struggles, and prayed that they would keep the faith through them. And he was right, two years later, Pope Cornelius was martyred when Decius’ successor, the emperor Trebonianus Gallus fired upon the persecutions again. Eventually, the persecutions reached Carthage in North Africa, and Cyprian was martyred under the Emperor Valerian in 258.

I love this story because it is such a vivid picture of the Church trying to be faithful amidst the hostility of the world both to the seriousness of the Gospel and to the mercy of Christ—the Church at her best: uncompromising about the truth, but never despairing of the sinner.

We are all to seek to be faithful to God as we possibly can, knowing that our witness is powerful. And yet, we are also to repent and seek God’s mercy when we fail, knowing that God is full of love, kindness, and mercy for the sinner.

Through the intercession of the saints, may we be serious about avoiding sin, and serious about repentance, courageous in witnessing to the Gospel and humble in seeking mercy, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the Pope and all the clergy may be effective instruments of mercy, and for the grace and strength to seek out the lost, last, and least.

That through the intercession of the martyrs Cornelius and Cyprian, lapsed Catholics will be moved to return to the Sacraments.

For an end to government corruption and politically motivated violence, and all forms of greed which breed hatred and war.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests, deacons and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

September 14 2026 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross - Our Only Hope

 

Today marks the celebration of what Pope Saint John Paul II called the symbol of Christianity. Most of us marked ourselves with it upon entering the church today; we began Mass with it, and we will end Mass with it. Essentially, every time Catholics pray, we begin and end our prayer with it. Many of our bedrooms and dining rooms have one. People of all sorts wear it around their necks. The priest holds his arms in this shape during the Eucharistic Prayer. It is the central focal point of every Catholic church. Of course, I am speaking of the Cross.

The early Christians called the Cross Spes Unica—our only hope. O Crux ave, spes unica: Hail, O Cross, our only hope. Grant increase of grace to believers, and remove the sins of the guilty.

Without the Cross, we would have no hope of heaven. Without the Cross, sin would remain unconquered, death would remain undefeated, and the gates of paradise would remain closed. That is why the Cross is our only hope. God has done for us what we were incapable of doing ourselves.

On the Cross, the Lord entered into suffering, humiliation, abandonment, and death, into human hopelessness. But that means, God is present in our crosses. There is no circumstance of human suffering where God cannot be found. Our sufferings, illnesses, griefs, temptations, and humiliations, when united to Christ, become places of grace, purification, conversion, and deeper union with God. There is no situation so dark, that God’s light cannot be found.

Today’s feast is called the Exaltation of the cross.  Literally, from the greek, exaltation means, ‘to bring to light’.  The Christian is charged with bringing the light of the cross to the world and bringing the world to the light of the cross. We are to lift high the cross in our speech and actions. But that often means going out to those who suffer, those who despair, those who have lost sight of God, and helping them to seek the light of Christ in their sufferings.

Yes, we are to fashion crosses for our homes and churches, but we are also to seek out those who feel crucified, alone, forsaken, to help them find hope, healing, and salvation in Christ.

Today is certainly a feast where we focus on the one whom we worship. But the one whom we worship sends us out, to find him, in the crosses of others. The saving grace of the cross impels us to bring the light of God’s love to world grown most dim, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For special blessings upon Pope Leo, on this his birthday—that he may continue to be sustained by the grace of the cross in body and soul.

That the Church may lift high the Cross of Christ, proclaiming salvation in Christ in our words and deeds.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and take hold of the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That all whose lives are marked by suffering may discover the saving power of the cross of Christ, and be victorious in all their trials.

For those who struggle because of addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind. May Christ, the Divine Physician, bring healing to all of the suffering.

 

That all who have died may experience the eternal life won by the cross of Christ, especially the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for my dear priest friend Father Robert Wendelken on the anniversary of his death, and all who have departed this life in faith.

Almighty ever-living God, comfort of mourners, strength of all who toil, may the prayers of those who cry out in any tribulation come before you, that all may rejoice, because in their hour of need your mercy was at hand. Through Christ our Lord. (From Good Friday Petitions)

 

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - To forgive is divine

 

 As you listened to the Gospel parable on forgiveness just now did anyone come to mind from your life that you’ve had a hard time forgiving? Someone that hurt you, or offended you, or acted unjustly towards you? Someone that you’ve forgiven several times in the past, and the thought of forgiving them again causes you weariness? Having someone pop into your mind like that, especially at Mass, might be a sign that forgiveness is needed.

Forgiveness. The Lord teaches about forgiveness throughout the Gospels, both plainly and also in parables. In the Lord’s prayer, he teaches us to ask to be forgiven by God as we forgive those who trespass against us. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches plainly, “forgive and you will be forgiven”. In Mark, he says, “When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”

As he healed the Paralytic man, he said, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

And of course from the cross, he cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.

In the Gospel today, we hear a parable of the importance of forgiveness and also the consequences of failing to forgive. There was a king who forgave a servant. But when it was that servant’s time to forgive his fellow servant, he refused, and was therefore punished by the king for not following his example of mercy.

We need to practice forgiveness from the heart, meaning not just alleviating people from contractual obligations when they ask for it, but refusing to return evil for evil when we’ve been wounded.

Whether, someone’s face popped into your head or not as you heard this parable about forgiveness, I encourage you to examine your heart toward all people, to ensure that you forgive all people. And if you find the smallest speck of unforgiveness, pray to be delivered from it. Lord, grant me the desire to forgive, and the strength to forgive. Loosen the bonds of unforgiveness in my life.

For the Lord speaks about unforgiveness as a sort of prison today. The one who fails to forgive is imprisoned. Unforgiveness is a form of spiritual imprisonment, restricting us from living in the way that God desires us to live. So, unforgiveness is to have no place in our lives. The refusal to forgive can even keep us from heaven. There is not a single unforgiving soul in heaven. Every soul in heaven is one who has let go of all unforgiveness. You must let go of unforgiveness if you want to go to heaven. For “the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you” as the Lord teaches.

Forgiveness can be challenging when we have not developed the habit of forgiveness. Just as chastity is hard when we have not developed that habit of it, or patience is hard when we have not developed that habit of it.

When we encounter the Lord’s command to forgive, our ego’s might present some resistance. There is a part of us that resists forgiveness because we don’t want to be hurt again. Also, hatred is a powerful drug. It makes you feel powerful where once you experienced powerlessness and victimhood. There’s a thrill in plotting revenge.

Unforgiveness is also hard because the devil does not want us practicing forgiveness, and so he does what he can to tempt us to hold on to hatred. He might flood our imagination with examples of how that person hurt you or might hurt you again in the future, and the pain they caused you. He’ll whisper to you that you are weak  and shame you for turning away from vengeance. For he wants us to harbor resentment, bitterness, and poisonous thoughts and emotions, ungodly, violent and hateful impulses. Why?

Because when we forgive, we are imitating Jesus, who forgave all sins from the cross, loosening us from the devil’s grasp. The Devil hates forgiveness because he hates God. And “To forgive is divine” to quote the poet Alexander Pope. The Catechism says it almost more poetically when it states forgiveness “transfigures the disciple by configuring him to his Master.”

And so the enemy will cloud our intellect and weaken our resolve. He’ll also likely attempt the familiar tactic of procrastination, telling you, you can forgive tomorrow, or some time in the future. And then he fills your tomorrows with enough distractions that you forget about what you heard in Church and read in Scripture.

So, what DOES it mean to forgive? Forgiveness does not mean pretending evil is not evil, or simply forgetting about past wrongs or allowing someone to continue to abuse us. It doesn’t mean we abandon justice. We can forgive someone from the heart while still supporting the societal need for criminals to be punished. Rather, forgiveness means that I refuse to let hatred, bitterness, and resentment to rule my life, to affect how I treat people. It certainly means refusing to return evil for evil.

For the Christian is never to be motivated by evil, but by love, for God, neighbor and enemy. When we forgive we are free to love as we should, but not only that. When we forgive, Wounds from the past are healed. Hatred is replaced with peace. And that peace is a foretaste of heaven. Jesus teaches to forgive because God wants to make his dwelling in our souls.

Now sometimes anger takes such root in the soul that it takes a lot of effort, multiple acts of forgiveness to overcome a deep wound.  After an initial act of forgiveness, little tinges of hatred remain. But as we practice forgiveness more and more, and we ask the Lord to help us to forgive as he forgives, eventually the wound is healed. The part of us that hates is transformed into an instrument of peace.

May the Holy Spirit help us to practice Christ-like forgiveness, may he help us to remember this teaching when we are tempted to forget it, that we may know the peace and joy of Christ in this life and in heaven for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

September 9 2026 - St. Peter Claver - "Slave of slaves"

 

In the age of the explorers and conquistadors, many young men left Europe for the Americas in order to seek out a fortune. St. Peter Claver, a young Jesuit priest, left his native Spain for the Americas for a different reason—not to buildup earthly treasure, but to build up treasure in heaven.

In Cartegena, a port city in modern day Columbia, St. Peter Claver ministered to the African slaves who were brought there to work in the fields and the mines.

When the slave ships entered the port, Peter Claver would board the ships to care for the sick and malnourished. And when the slaves were herded to the slave-market, Peter, would bring them medicine, food, bread, and other items that would help them survive in this new land. 

With the help of interpreters, he gave the slaves basic instructions in the faith; he assured them of their human dignity and the salvation that awaited them in God's kingdom.  During the 40 years of his ministry in Columbia, it is estimated that Claver baptized more 300,000 slaves. 

Peter Claver remarked more than once how it took everything in him at times to go down into the disgusting conditions of the slave-ships filled with filth and stench.  He reminds us that true loving service isn’t always pretty, neat and clean—we might even experience revulsion at the conditions in which the destitute live.  

On this Memorial we read from Matthew 25, the Lord’s teaching on the final judgment, a reminder that service of those in need is never a waste of time. In each slave, to whom he ministered, Peter Claver ministered to Christ himself. And for this, he is counted among the blessed. In the words of Mother Theresa: "At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me.”

We might not be called to enter into the filth of slave-ships, but we are certainly called to enter into the lives of others to help someone other than ourselves today. Again, in the words of Mother Theresa, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

The saints challenge us, don’t they, out of our comfort, to not be afraid to get our hands dirty and smelly for the sake of the kingdom, to bring the love of Christ to those whom the world discards.

The collect prayer said that St. Peter Claver became a slave of slaves. Each of us does well to prayerfully consider how God is calling us to follow his example of charity, courage, and devotion for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be diligent in bringing the truth and goodness of the Gospel into every sphere of society.

For an end to slavery, human trafficking, and all forms of inhumane oppression; and for the protection and respect of all human life.

For those whose lives are marked by suffering, illness, or grief, that they may find hope in the promises of Christ.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., for whom this mass is offered.

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrimage Church, through the intercession of St. Peter Claver and all the saints, grant us what we truly need to remain faithful to your Son in all things. Through Christ Our Lord.

September 8 2026 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Joy and Light

 

Two themes pervade the readings and prayers of this feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: joy and light.

The Entrance Antiphon gives us the tone of the whole celebration: “Let us celebrate with joy the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for from her arose the sun of justice, Christ our God.” We rejoice today because Mary’s birth in history announced that the coming of Christ was near. Her nativity was like the first light on the horizon before sunrise. The world was still waiting for the Savior, but already the darkness was beginning to break.

Justice, and our desire for God to set things right, to heal what was wounded by sin, to save us from the mortal wound of sin, to restore what was lost by sin, was about to be fulfilled. And there is joy in that—like a flood of light washing over a world drowning in darkness.

The Prayer after Communion today will repeat those themes of joy and light. We’ll pray, “May your Church exult, O Lord…as she rejoices in the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was the hope and the daybreak of salvation for all the world.”

And yet, today, we celebrate not just an event that happened millennia ago, but also for our individual souls.

Where Mary is honored, faith in Christ is strengthened. Imitating her virtues, opens our souls more fully to the grace of her Son. She, who bore Christ in her womb, teaches us how to become a dwelling place for God: through humility, purity, obedience, and prayer.

We celebrate joyfully, but also this feast calls to mind our need to turn to our lady’s assistance in overcoming the darkness and selfishness that still afflict us.

Mary will always help those who turn to her assistance to overcome vice, and to know the peace and joy of living more fully for God, as she did. Are you having a hard time seeing the light of God amidst the darkness in your life? Turn to Mary. Are you experiencing the darkness of lonliness or shame? Turn to Mary. Are you confused about what path God wants for you for your future? Turn to Mary.

Turn to Mary that the light of Christ may rise ever more fully in your lives, families, relationships, and in our world, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That Pope Leo and all members of the Church, like the Virgin Mary, may magnify the goodness of God through word and deed.

That all Christians may find in Mary the paramount example of faithfulness in living out our vocations. May devotion to Mary sanctify families, protect young people from the evils of error and sin, and bring peace to our troubled world.

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our communities, institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes. Let us pray to the Lord.

 

During this month of September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve, and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins. Let us pray to the Lord.

 

For those who struggle because of addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind. May Christ, the Divine Physician, bring healing to all of the suffering. Let us pray to the Lord.

 

For the deceased members of our family and friends, for all of the poor souls in purgatory…

 

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Labor Day 2026 - Babel or Jerusalem

 For over a century, Americans have celebrated Labor Day on the first Monday in September. This national holiday was established in the 1880s for two reasons: to mark the irreplaceable role of the American worker in making this country prosperous and strong; and to have time to attend speeches and events on the spiritual and educational aspects of work, the worker and the good that comes from work.

Likely, not many of our contemporaries will be focusing on the spiritual meaning of work today, they simply see today’s civic holiday as a celebration of not having to work. 

So, it’s good for us to gather to celebrate today a special Mass for the Sanctification of Human Labor—to ask God to make our labors fruitful, to protect us from allowing our labors to go astray, and to be in vain.

A few months ago, on May 15 2026, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV published the first Encyclical of his pontificate titled Magnifica Humanitas (which you can read for free on the Vatican website) in which he addresses the importance of protecting and promoting the human person in the digital age, this age of emerging Artificial Intelligence. I wrote about this in my bulletin column two weeks ago.

At the forefront of the Encyclical, Pope Leo draws upon two images from scripture. The first is the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)—the story of humanity using its collective power and technology to build something grand, but without God. The result is not unity but fragmentation—not progress but confusion. The story of Babel no doubt inspired the words of our Psalm today, ““If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor”.

The second image Pope Leo drew upon was that of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (cf. Neh 2–6), a different kind of building project undertaken by God’s people, not driven by pride or profit, but by prayer, shared responsibility, listening, and a genuine concern for every member of the community.

What a wonderful image for us to consider on this Labor Day. What a wonderful image for us to consider on this Labor Day. The question is not simply whether we are building, producing, advancing, or becoming more efficient. The deeper question is: what are we building, for whom, and with whom?

Our labor is sanctified when it is undertaken with God and according to His purposes—when it respects the dignity of the human person, serves our families and neighbors, contributes to the common good, and helps to build up rather than tear down.

That is why Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Our work must never become our master, nor wealth or technological progress our highest good. All these things must remain subordinate to the Kingdom. It is likely that most of our contemporaries will miss the mark on this, but we are called to be faithful, even when surrounded by the unfaithful.

So today we ask the Lord to bless the work of our hands. May He preserve us from building new Towers of Babel, and make us instead like Nehemiah: prayerful, faithful laborers, building together what serves God and our neighbor for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That all Christians will work together in harmony for the building up of the Church and the spread of the Gospel

For civil leaders, employers, and those entrusted with economic decisions, that they may protect the dignity of workers, promote just conditions, and ensure that technological progress serves the human person and the common good, let us pray to the Lord.

For all who labor with their hands and minds, that the Lord may bless their efforts, make their work fruitful, and enable them to provide for their families and contribute to the good of society, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are unemployed, underemployed, exploited, or anxious about their livelihood, that God may open new paths of opportunity and sustain them in hope, let us pray to the Lord.

For those whose work is driven by greed, pride, fear, or excessive ambition, that they may be freed from laboring in vain and learn to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, let us pray to the Lord.

For our own labors, visible and hidden, that the Lord may build with us, purify our motives, and make our daily work an offering of service, charity, and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

For the faithful departed, especially those whose earthly lives were marked by faithful labor and service, that they may enter into the eternal rest promised by Christ, let us pray to the Lord.

Almighty God, source of every good gift, bless the work of our hands. Preserve us from building apart from you, and make our labor fruitful for our families, our neighbors, and your Kingdom. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - "If your brother sins against you..."

 

A number of years ago, a television show premiered on the Arts & Entertainment network called “Intervention”. I haven’t watched it in years, but I guess the show is in its 25th season.  The show follows one or two participants who are abusing or severely addicted to drugs or alcohol. Relatives and friends of the addict are interviewed, who detail the effects the addiction has had on the family—the sadness, the grief, the lies that often accompany addiction. And they share their concern for the harm the addict is doing to themselves and the family.

A trained intervention specialist then prepares the family for staging an intervention, in which the family and friends gently confront the addict about their addiction. At the intervention, the addict is given a choice: enter a rehabilitation program or risk losing contact and financial assistance from their relatives. From what I’ve read, the show has had tremendous success in getting help for addicts and their families.

I’ve had some personal experience with intervention: In seminary, I volunteered at a drug and alcohol treatment facility for teenagers, and I would participate in group family counseling sessions, in which parents and relatives would gather, in a very gentle setting. And they would share with their teenager how the addiction has brought harm to the them and the family life.

Most priests are not trained intervention specialists or drug counselors, but for families facing these issues, the Church can help connect your family with those with this expertise. Please call me if I can be of any assistance in this matter.

This method of loving confrontation is biblical. As we heard today, If your brother falls into sin, try to help them, confront them. If they don’t listen to you, bring another with you. A family effort is often needed in helping someone who has fallen into sin, addiction, or unhealthy behavior. Notice, the Lord doesn’t say, embarrass the sinner by bringing up their faults in public. That’s not ever one of the steps, is it? Rather, correction is done in private. Calmly, rationally. Not out of revenge, but concern.

It’s interesting to note that the Lord’s teaching on intervention follows his parable of the lost sheep, in which the Lord speaks of the love his heavenly Father has for those who have strayed into sin and error. Jesus, the Son, is sent by the Father to seek out the lost sheep.

As members of the body of Christ on Earth, one of the ways God seeks out and saves his lost sheep is through us: through family members who lovingly and gently confront those who struggle with addiction to drugs, gambling, pornography, internet shopping, video games, parents who act as watchmen over their children, as we heard in the prophet Ezekiel today. If a family member stops going to Church, ignores Church teaching, blasphemes in public, we have a duty to gently correct them, especially parents toward their children.

Of course, the point of correcting fellow Christians when they fall into sin isn’t to prove that we are holier than they are. The point is concern for their souls, and helping them to be the people God made them to be.

God loves lost sheep, which is why he sends us out. God loves addicts. Many people I’ve known who have struggled with addiction have great intellectual gifts, have tremendously large hearts. And sometimes they turn to addiction because they feel emotions like grief so deeply they turn to other mind-altering substances to numb their pain. Though they act in unlovable ways, the addict is a child of God, loved by God.

Intervention and fraternal correction aims to help people who sometimes become incapable of helping themselves, who have fallen into a cycle of hurting themselves and their families, who have started making self-destructive choices. Part of being pro-life, is to help people when they are making anti-life decisions, choices that are destructive to their eternal life, their spiritual life, emotional life, physical life, or family life.

In the Reading from Romans today, St. Paul teaches that all the 10 commandments, don’t commit adultery, don’t break the sabbath day, don’t commit murder, don’t steal or covet, can all be summed-up by the command: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Fraternal correction, confronting the sinner, the addict, is done out of love. Correct the sinner is listed in every Catholic religious textbook as an act of mercy—a spiritual act of charity. Parents correcting their children when they act selfishly, gently correcting your spouse when they act selfishly is done out of love. Helping someone to be the person God made them to be, to walk righteously in the Law of the Lord, is an act of love.

It takes a lot of courage, doesn’t it, to confront someone with gentleness and patience. It’s easier to ignore it, minimize it, justify it, or just complain about it to a third party. It takes courage and carefulness. Engaging a loved one in fraternal correction is a delicate operation: you need to have your facts straight, and you better think before you speak, and ensure that you are rooted in the truth of the Gospel, thinking not as the world thinks, but with the mind of Christ. You need to make sure you aren’t just complaining about valid choices that differ from your own way of doing things—that you aren’t reacting out of a bruised ego, but out of patience and love. That’s hard! This isn’t an easy Gospel.

It is important to take up this difficult task is because we would want someone to help us if we fell in to behavior that was truly hurtful to our family or to the church. “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you” Jesus teaches in his sermon on the mount. If it was me whose life was on a downward spiral of self-destruction, if it was me choosing a lifestyle contrary to the Gospel, I hope I’d have people in my life who loved me enough to help me see the truth about my actions or errors, and help me to reconcile with God and repair the damage I’ve wrought.

We have a duty to speak the truth with love, to care enough about the people in our life that we will help them know and follow Jesus Christ to help others become the people God made them to be, to live in the freedom of the children of God and receive an everlasting inheritance in heaven for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

 

22nd Week of Ordinary Time 2026 - Friday - The joy of the wedding feast

 

Already having gained a number of disciples early on in his public ministry, the Lord attended a dinner in the house of Levi, also known as St. Matthew, a tax collector. And while at dinner in the house of Levi, some Pharisees and scribes begin to murmur about Jesus’ unconventional behavior—of dining with tax collectors and sinners. The word St. Luke uses to describe the Pharisees’ murmuring is the same word found in the book of Numbers, when the rebellious Israelites murmur and complain about the leadership of Moses out in the desert.

Then the Lord, really gave them something to murmur about. When the Scribes and Pharisees question the Lord’s practice of dining with sinners, Jesus compares what he is doing in the house of Levi, and in his ministry in general, to a wedding feast.

The Scribes and Pharisees, who were versed in the scriptures and traditions of Israel, would no doubt have picked up on the messianic undertones of the Lord’s explanation. The age of the Messiah, the long-awaited final stage of human history, when the Messiah would definitively usher in the kingdom of God—is scripturally linked to the wedding feast.

The Scribes and Pharisees would no doubt have detected that Jesus was claiming the role of the Messianic Bridegroom who was ushering in the kingdom of God.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ first miracle takes place at a wedding, the wedding at Cana, where water is turned into an abundance of wine. It was there that Jesus revealed that He wasn’t just a teacher, he wasn’t just a commentator on scriptures: that first miracle at the wedding, signaled something new in God’s plan of salvation for sinful humanity.

 Just as a wedding is filled with joyful celebration, so too, Jesus’ public ministry is a time of great joy for sinners. Sinners are invited to repent so that may be join the wedding feast. The wedding feast is not just for a particular ethnic group. All people, of all places and time, are invited into God’s presence.

We are poor, wretched sinners—but we are joyful sinners: sinners whom Christ has invited to cast off the old garments of sin and to take up a new life of friendship with God. And that is great cause for rejoicing.

That is why the Church is never merely a society of the self-satisfied, of those who gather to congratulate themselves on their virtue, their knowledge, or their respectability. The Church is the gathering of those who know they need a Savior.

Nor are we to distance ourselves from sinners and unbelievers out of fear that they might somehow infect us. We have a mission to them: to invite them to the Lord, to conversion, to the joy of the wedding feast. And that mission requires patience, prudence, humility, gentleness, and perseverance. If one approach does not work, we try another. We appeal to truth, yes; to beauty, yes; but also to goodness.

We witness to Christ through charity: charity that is patient and kind, generous and self-sacrificial. We show by our lives that friendship with Christ is not a burden, but a joy; not a restriction of life, but the beginning of life in abundance.

So that is our task. Let us take it up with courage and with joy, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That Christians may take up the task of evangelization with renewed conviction, with generosity and creativity, to spread the saving Gospel of Christ.

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our communities, institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

During this month of September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve, and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

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That Christians may take up the task of evangelization with renewed conviction, with generosity and creativity, to spread the saving Gospel of Christ.

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our communities, institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

During this month of September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve, and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

22nd Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday - I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth

 

Today we read a well-known passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in which Paul begins to address some of the problems afflicting the Christian community at Corinth, problems that were hindering the spiritual growth of the Christians there, and consequently hindering the growth of the Church, and the mission of the Gospel.

Paul begins explaining how the overall situation is that the Corinthian Christians were in their spiritual infancy. Like infants, the Corinthian Christians, although baptized and reborn in the Spirit, were still spiritually immature in their faith, attitudes, and behavior. They were still too attached to their former lives.

Proof of this was their factionalism—their jealousy and rivalries. Paul was the founder of the Corinthian church, and Apollos followed him as a leader of the church not long after. And people were claiming that they were superior Christians based on whose leadership they adhered to.

Paul then corrects the Corinthians, “What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.”

This is a beautiful image of the Church’s mission. Paul planted. Apollos watered. God caused the growth. Each had a role. Each had a task. Each served the same mission.

That is an important lesson for every parish, every family, every Christian community. We all have some role to play in the mission of the Gospel. Some plant seeds by teaching the faith to children, inviting someone back to Mass, speaking a word of encouragement, or giving quiet witness by their example. Others water what has already been planted, by patience, friendship, prayer, service, sacrifice, and perseverance. Sometimes we do not even know whether we are planting or watering. But God knows.

And that means we must be patient. The growth of grace is often hidden. Parents may not immediately see the fruit of their prayers. Teachers may not see the long-term effects of their lessons. Priests may not see how a homily touches a soul. Parishioners may not see how their charity, reverence, or fidelity strengthens others. But God is at work.

So there is no need for competition, jealousy, or comparison. The Church is not a contest of personalities or ministries. It is the Lord’s field. It is the Lord’s building. We are fellow workers, each called to play our part faithfully.

May we encourage one another, support one another, and labor patiently together, trusting that if we plant and water with faith, God himself will give the growth, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church: that all her members may labor faithfully in the mission of the Gospel, planting and watering the seeds of faith while trusting God to give the growth. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our leaders, both in the Church and in society, that they may be guided by the wisdom of Christ and work for the common good, promoting peace, justice, and unity among all people.

For parents, teachers, and catechists: that they may be diligent in their duties to plant the seeds of faith. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those whom the Lord is calling to conversion or full membership in the Church: that they may be open to deeper faith and know the assistance of the Church in their journey.

For our parish community: that each of us may recognize our role in the mission of the Gospel and encourage one another in faithful service. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all those who are suffering, especially those burdened by violence and conflict or illness, that they may experience the healing presence of Christ and find peace in His love and unity in His Church.

For the faithful departed: that the seeds of faith planted in their earthly lives may come to full harvest in the kingdom of heaven. Let us pray to the Lord.

Gracious Father, hear these prayers that we offer with faith and humility. Grant us the grace to grow in spiritual maturity that we may bear witness to Your kingdom and glorify Your name. Through Christ our Lord.