14th Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Tuesday - Those who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind

 

Every few years I like to reread, Dante’s Divine Comedy.  And this morning’s reading from the prophet Hosea reminds me of a scene very early on in Dante’s Inferno. After venturing through the gates of hell with his guide Virgil, Dante the pilgrim comes to the second level of hell—the level of hell set aside for the eternal punishment of those unrepentant of the sin of Lust.

In Dante’s poem, the punishments are different for every sin, and the punishments fit the crime. The Wrathful for example are condemned to an endless physical and violent battle against each other—they were wrathful on earth, and so they are subject to the wrath of others forever in hell.

The punishment for the Lustful is to be blown about by overwhelming winds and whirlwinds for all eternity. Dante was likely inspired by the line from the Prophet Hosea this morning: “those who sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind.” Those in hell reap in eternity what the sowed in their earthly life.

Dante reserves this particular punishment for the Lustful because in life they allowed themselves to be blown about by their sensual feelings and bodily craving. Ignoring the commandments and the use of right reason, they only followed their bodily desires, which are as fickle as the wind.

Yet, this is a problem not just for the Lustful. Saint Paul warns the Ephesians about “being tossed here and there, carried about by every wind”.  He warned the Ephesians of allowing themselves to be carried by the various cultural winds, the various ideological currents, making a political agenda or social ideology the impetus of their lives rather than the Gospel. 

This line from Hosea was the inspiration for another literary work, Harper Lee’s American Classic, “Inherit the Wind”…which focuses on the ideology and injustice of racism.

But again, those who “sow in wind” are not just the lustful, but those who are not firmly rooted in the truth of the Gospel.  If we are not rooted in prayer and knowledge of the Word of God, we’ll be blown about by whatever catches our fancy. 

Folks aren’t coming to Sunday Mass because they have some intellectual opposition to the Sunday obligation, but because they are doing whatever they want.  Young people aren’t cohabitating before marriage because they’ve studied the church’s theology on marriage and found it lacking. No, they are being blown about by the winds of the culture and their passions and choosing not to think about what they are doing. 

We even describe the sin of gossip as getting “caught up” in gossip, or grumbling and complaining, like we are “caught up” in some windstorm. 

When we surrender our intellect and our faith to the winds of human desire we are going to be blown to places we aren’t meant to go.  So, God help us, to remain firm against the various bad winds which blow throughout society today, and remain rooted in faith, prayer, the study of scripture, the lives of the saints, and works of charity, in order to be faithful to the Gospel of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That all bishops and clergy will lead the Church well in standing strong against the winds of error and immorality in our modern culture.

 

For all those who have fallen away from the Church, those who have fallen into serious sin, for their conversion, and the conversion of all hearts.

 

For Pope Leo’s prayer intention for the month of July: For respect for human life—for the respect and protection of human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God. Let us pray to the Lord.

 

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, for all those recovering from or undergoing surgery today, and for the consolation of the dying.

 

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

 

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

 

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - Conduct your affairs in humility

 During my Sunday homily, about a month ago, I reflected upon one of my favorite passages from the poet Dante—from the second volume of his Divine Comedy—the purgatorio. After making his way through the inferno, where he encounters the souls of the damned, Dante must make his way up the mountain of purgatory. And there he meets the souls, like himself, still in need of purification before they can enter heaven. 

In purgatory, the first group of souls Dante meets are those needing to be purified from the sin of pride. And these souls were undergoing a very unique type of purification—a remedy for their pride. Do you remember what it was? The souls of the prideful humbled themselves by carrying heavy weights on their backs, bowed down to the earth, and through prayer—particularly by praying the Our Father.

They refused to bow down to God as they should, in life, and they refused to pray as they should, so now, before entering heaven, they carried those heavy weights to teach them to humbly bow down to God as they should. And they prayed the Our Father, over and over, so that they could internalize that beautiful prayer of humble trust and surrender to the Will of God.

Humility. Humility is at the heart of our readings this sunday. In the first reading, the great Old Testament teacher, Sirach, taught his young students, “conduct your affairs with humility”…the greater you are, the more you need to humble yourself. 

Sirach here is certainly foreshadowing the teachings of Jesus. In the Gospel, Jesus told a parable all about humility: take the lowest place at the banquet, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted". 

Humility. It is to be one of the defining characteristics of our lives as Christians, because it was defining characteristic of Jesus himself. Though he was God, Jesus “humbled Himself” by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.

The Gospels recount the humble nature of Jesus’ birth. He was born to a humble virgin and wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger in straw poverty. He grew up in obscurity. The Gospels have nothing to say about the majority of his life, except that he was humbly obedient to his parents in the house of Nazareth.

His humility is seen throughout his public ministry; Jesus did not have a house of his own. While in Capernaum, he stayed in the house of Simon Peter. He surrounded himself not with the rich and powerful, but poor fishermen. He associated with public sinners, and ministered not primarily to the wealthy, but those who could not repay him: the poor, the sick, the lame, and the demon possessed.

So many of his teachings are about humility: “blessed are the poor in spirit” are the opening words of his great sermon. In other words, if you wish to become great in the eyes of God, you must become completely dependent upon God. 

Jesus tells stories highlighting examples of humility like that of the tax collector and the pharisee. It is the tax collector who humbly admits himself to be a sinner in need of God who is exalted by Jesus, and not the supposed religious expert who thought he was doing everything right in his own eyes.

When his disciples argued about which one of them would be the greatest, Jesus rebukes them, saying, “The kings of the Gentiles lord their power over their subjects … But it must not be so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.”

Humility. St. Augustine, doctor of the Church, whose feast was this last week on August 28 said, “If you should ask me what are the three most important virtues, I would tell you they are humility, humility, and humility…if humility does not precede all that we do, our efforts are meaningless.”

St. John Vianney said: “humility is to the various virtues what the chain is to a rosary. Take away the chain and the beads are scattered; remove humility, and all the virtues vanish.”

Humility is the foundation for the life of holiness and for all the virtues, which is why humility, “poverty of spirit” is listed as the first of the beatitudes. 

So what does it mean to “conduct your affairs with humility” as Sirach teaches? Well, what affairs? Humility is needed in our family lives, towards your spouse, toward your children, toward your parents, towards your bishop, towards your fellow parishioners. It is needed in your business decisions, toward strangers, toward cashiers and waitresses, and slow bank tellers when you are in a hurry. 

Humility. It’s the recognition that I am not more important than anyone else. It means putting others’ needs before our own, even when we’re tired or inconvenienced. It means asking, “How can I serve?” rather than “What do I get out of this?” 

Humility does NOT mean simply having a low-open of yourself, or inflicting an inferiority complex on yourself. As C.S. Lewis famously observed, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Do you see the difference?

We spend an awful lot of time and energy thinking about ourselves, comparing ourselves to others, and we are sadder for it. Constantly worrying about social standing leads to social anxiety. Constantly focusing on what others have leads to envy and resentment, which makes us bitter.

Humility on the other hand, frees us from self-preoccupation, from the pride which poisons joy.

A humble person understands that their life, abilities, opportunities, and even their faith are gifts from God, not entitlements or achievements of their own making. And in recognition that God is the source of our blessings, the response of the humble heart is gratitude. A humble heart, is a grateful heart.

Humility isn’t easy. If it was, the word of God wouldn’t spend so much time teaching and commanding it. Humility takes effort. Cultivating gratitude over envy, shifting from self-preoccupation to service, takes real effort. But this is the Way. This is the Way of Christ. Without taking humility seriously, we will never progress very far in the spiritual life on earth, and we are likely setting ourselves up for a very very long and uncomfortable purgatory.

So, let’s ask the Lord to help us to grow in this most Christ-like of virtues, after all, he wants us to grow in it. We’ll certainly be happier for it, and holy, too, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

2nd Week of Easter 2023 - Monday - Born again for Easter Boldness

 In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Dante the pilgrim travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.  The pilgrim makes his journey through hell and witnesses the eternal punishments of the unrepentant sinners. Ascending the mountain of purgatory, Dante witnesses the ordeals of those requiring purification and purgation prior to entry into heaven. And then making his way into the realm of the blessed, he witnesses the sweet rewards of the saints. 

Near the beginning of the journey, after passing through the gates of hell, the first place to which Dante comes is a place called Acheron, which is a sort of ante-chamber before entering Hell proper.  Acheron isn’t filled with the murderers and adulterers and betrayers in hell’s lower regions; rather, Acheron is filled with those who were apathetic to the spiritual life, the lukewarm—those who failed to make any real life choice to pursue what is good and holy. 

Scripture itself condemns the lukewarm. In Revelation, God himself says “because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Dante puts the lukewarm in this ante-chamber of hell as a way of saying, these souls are so lukewarm that neither heaven nor hell wants them. And so Dante depicts these souls as just sort of tumbling through the after-life like tumbleweeds, forever deprived of the sight of God, forever homeless. 

This was Dante’s subtle way of inspiring his readers to make the choice for God, to choose to pursue the goal of their creation. We are created to pursue God, to make the choice for God, so that we can reach the destination for which we were made: eternal happiness in the presence of God.

We didn’t have a choice to be born. But we have a choice to be “born again” in the words of the Lord in the Gospel today. We must choose the new life, the new man, the new way of living, rather than just being blown about like tumbleweeds. 

So many of our modern Catholics have fallen into a sad indifference towards the Gospel, and are blown about like tumbleweed by the currents of culture.  When we are more committed to video games and sports games and tv shows than to matters of faith or political activism, there is a problem.

Hence, the Church’s call in modern times for all committed Catholics to seek to be emboldened in faith and to engage in a new evangelization, to rouse the spiritually apathetic to a renewed commitment to the Gospel.

In the first reading, too, Peter and John and the disciples are filled with holy boldness for spreading the Gospel. Easter is about claiming that holy boldness that God desires for us—being transformed from coldness or indifference to boldness for the Gospel. The disciples were filled with the transforming power of the Resurrection to become fearless preachers, willing to undergo persecution, even death, for the person and message of Jesus.  

Through the celebration of these Easter mysteries may we be roused out of any spiritual apathy or lukewarmness that has anesthetized our hearts, that we may engage more fully in the work of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - 

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. 

For our parish, that we may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ.

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Filled with God's light

 

This last week, I was able to spend a few days down in southern ohio with a group of priest friends. We spent our days hiking, reading, and praying. The cabin in which we stayed was very remote, it had a mile long drive up a forested hill, so it was a bit quieter than my lodgings here on west blvd. But more dramatically than the quiet was the dark. The night sky was completely devoid of light pollution; what a blessing it was to be able to look up and see the stars. 

I felt a little bit like Dante, who I’ve been reading all summer, as I’ve mentioned. For, at the end of each of the books of the Divine Comedy, Dante looks up into the heavens to see stars. At the very center, he very middle line of his 14,233 line epic poem, line 72 of canto 17 of the purgatorio, Dante looks up and sees stars surrounding him on every side. 

Contrast that to how the poem begins: in the middle of his life, Dante finds himself shrouded in darkness, in the middle of dark wood, confronted by the dark guilt of his vicious sins—lust, wrath, and avarice. He’s lost and confused, and he can’t see the light. One of the reasons of his journey into the underground of hell, is to help him understand what will be lost if he allows himself to remain in the darkness. He will be deprived of the stars and the light of God forever.

In the Gospel today, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man who dies and because of his unrepetance, his refusal to see in this life will be deprived of the sight of God in eternity. He refused to see rightly. He refused to see poor Lazarus on his doorstep. He refused to see his duty toward the man in need. 

Now recognize: the rich man is sent to hell not simply because he was rich. We aren’t told that he earned his money in an immoral way. He wasn’t selling guns to terrorists or involved in human trafficking. Nor, are we told that he was particularly malicious toward Lazarus--he didn’t mock Lazarus, send his dogs to assault him, or abuse him physically or emotionally. In the parable—it seems that the rich man is sent to Hell because he was so blind that he didn’t even see the struggling dying man at his front door. His self-absorption and his riches blinded him. 

Throughout the Gospels, it becomes very clear that we will be judged on how we treat others. And not only by the direct sins of malice, our sins of omission, our failures to love God and neighbor, and to show mercy, have eternal consequences.

But what about Lazarus? What made him worthy of heaven? Is it simply because he was hungry? After all, we aren’t told of a single good deed he ever performed. He’s not praised by Jesus like the poor widow for giving what little he had to others. We are simply told his name. But that is actually something quite profound.

In all of the parables of Jesus, the parable of the prodigal son, the dishonest steward, the good Samaritan, the wise and foolish virgins, the persistent widow, this is the only parable in which a character in the story has a name. And so we should take note. The name “Lazarus” is the Greek version of the Hebrew name “Eliezer” which means “God is my help.” 

If his name is any indicator of his personality and his spiritual, Lazarus was not just a poor man, but a man who believed and trusted in God. Lazarus therefore embodies the first and most important of the beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. We are all to be like Lazarus—our whole identity should be based on recognition of the need for God’s help. To be filled with the light of God we must recognize our utter need of God.

The rich man in the parable is rich in everything except what matters most. He lacks the one thing that really matters: having a mind and soul turned toward God. Had his soul been turned toward God, he would have noticed the poor man dying on his front door and done something about it. 

The rich man has walled himself into the darkness of his mansion. His sight is not set on God, nor the other, and so he is filled with darkness. Elsewhere, the Lord teaches “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” The rich man fails to see rightly, he fails to be filled with the light, and so he will be banished to the darkness forever.

Now most of us don’t live in mansions; but we are certainly challenged by this Gospel. Is my life filled with the light of God. The Lord says in John’s Gospel, “He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still, but He who loves his brother abides in the light.” To be filled with the light of God we must also learn to see our brother as God sees him, with perfect love.

Additionally, St. Paul explains in our second reading this weekend, how Christians must “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.” Are these spiritual fruits evident in you? They are necessary if you wish dwell in the light of God. 

Pursue Righteousness, Our feelings, our ideas, the passions of our bodies, do not always conform with righteousness. And, so righteousness often involves a real struggle. Our culture says give-in to every appetite, indulge in every craving, follow every inclination, believe whatever you want. But that’s not the way of life. Are you pursuing righteousness with real effort?

Next Paul says, Pursue Devotion. The Greek word here is Eusebia, a great word. Are you devoted to God? Is your devotion to God evident in your speech, in your actions, in private, in public? Devotion to God demands ardent affection for him—a yielding of the heart to him with reverence in prayer, meditation, and works charity. 

The daily examination of conscience, at the end of the day examining your choices, attitudes, behaviors, again, is a vital spiritual exercise. Before bed, we do well to identify where have I, like the rich man in today’s Gospel failed to see rightly; what habits, what attachments are keeping me from seeing what God wants me to see? In the first reading, Amos condemns the complacent? Where have I been complacent toward injustice, with selfishness?

That daily examination is indispensable in getting serious about your spiritual life. For through it, God sheds his light into our hearts, and helps us to see those dark places that he wants to convert.  

May our celebration of the Eucharist today, help us to see rightly in this life, to be filled with the light and love of God, that we may come to share in the beatitude of God in eternal light, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - The virtue of Humility and the purification from Pride

 This month, many of my bulletin columns and homilies have been about the virtue of humility. If you remember, we began the month of August with the feast of doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Liguori. And that great teacher of the faith recommends that each month we intentionally focus on developing and practicing a particular virtue. If we are going to grow in holiness and grow in virtue, we need to be intentional about it. And the virtue for the month of August, St. Alphonsus recommends practicing is the virtue of humility.

One of the most important laws in Christ's Kingdom is the law of humility. This law says that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted".

In other words, greatness in his Kingdom comes not from trying to prove that you are more important than other people, lording power over others, or garnering or amassing more worldly attention than other people. 

Greatness in God's eyes comes from serving others, elevating others, helping others advance in holiness.

In his great sermon on the Mount, the Lord reiterates the law of humility: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." We are before God like beggars—poor in spirit, recognizing our need of God for life—for everything. To be poor in spirit is the first step in obtaining beatitude—blessedness. There can be no growth in holiness, no progress toward the kingdom without humility; for if our actions are not motivated by humility, we are motivated by its enemy, pride.

The law of humility is stated directly in (in the book of Sirach): "conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved... Humble yourself... and you will find favor with God."

The first sin of Adam and Eve was a sin against humility, refusing to submit to the instruction of God, not trusting that God would provide for them. Because sinful pride is so ingrained in us, the Lord Jesus taught us to practice humility not simply by his words, but by his example, living out humility to the extreme: through his passion and death.

Jesus, the Lord of heaven, was born in a stable. He lived in obscurity—as the son of a manual laborer. Even during his public ministry, He allowed his reputation to be dragged through the mud by the lies and corruption of his enemies. He allowed himself to be stripped of every honor, to be condemned as a criminal, and freely took on the most humiliating form of death - crucifixion. But humbled so thoroughly, he is now glorified so magnificently.

We are to imitate the humility of Christ in all of our relationships and endeavors. The Christian must first of all be humble. No remember, humility does not mean that we think less of ourselves than we should. TO be humble is to live in the truth that we are children of God, and that is something to celebrate. We are children of God, dependent on God, dependent on the Father’s providence for all we truly need. We are also sinners in need of conversion. And called to be servants—to serve God, and God alone, in the master’s vineyard. 

St. Augustine, whose feast is August 28 said, “If you should ask me what are the three most important virtues, I would tell you they are humility, humility, and humility…if humility does not precede all that we do, our efforts are meaningless.”

Such humility is the foundation for the life of holiness and for all the virtues. St. John Vianney said: “humility is to the various virtues what the chain is to a rosary. Take away the chain and the beads are scattered; remove humility, and all the virtues vanish.”

As I’ve also mentioned in the past, this summer I’m reading Dante’s Divine Comedy as part of my daily spiritual reading. In the second book of the Divine Comedy, Dante begins to climb the mountain of purgatory. There he meets those souls who have repented of their sins, but who still require purification. In life, if are attached to sin, even if we repent, we will still require some purification after death. The saints teach that it is far easier to work on the virtues in this earthly life, than in purgatory. So we do well, as St. Alphonsus says, to be very intentional in growing in the virtues.

But for those requiring purification, the mountain of purgatory, in Dante, is divided into seven terraces, seven levels, in which souls are purified of their attachments to the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. 

Many people think lust or wrath are the worst sins we can commit on earth. But for Dante, it’s pride. Because, again, pride keeps us from obtaining all the other virtues: it keeps us from faith, hope, and love. 

So the very first terrace of purgatory is for the purification of pride. And the souls for their purification from pride are carrying this great weight on their backs and shoulders, the weight of their pride. The greater your pride the more purification you need. And for many of those souls, their going to be carrying that weight around for a while, as in purgatory, the purification at attainment from virtue is a slow process.

Interestingly, at the beginning of each terrace of purgatory, Dante finds these marble sculptures—these marble depictions of the virtue the souls will need to require. Much like how are stained glass windows depict so many of the saints and biblical figures exhibiting faith and charity, those marble sculptures were a visual aid for the poor souls. 

Also interestingly, on each terrace, Dante encounters a marble statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she is the model of all virtues, the perfect disciple of Christ, the example for all Christians to contemplate. At the base of that first terrace, Dante sees this marble depiction of the annunciation: in which the Archangel Gabriel announces God’s will to Mary, and she humbly declares herself to be the Ancilla Domini, the handmaiden of the Lord. She then offers the prayer of humble surrender: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. Let it be done to be according to thy word.

That is certainly a prayer we do well to begin each day with: Lord help me to be your servant today. Help me to serve you at every moment, in every encounter and interaction, in all of my words and deeds. Help me to hold back, restrain, and discipline my pride. Help me to keep the image of the Blessed Mother first and foremost in my mind and heart, that I may imitate her humility. Our Lady of Humility, pray for me, that I may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

In addition to starting the day off on the right foot, with some good humble prayer, ensure that at some point in the day you are picking up that Bible. Reading and taking to heart the Word of God is one way God wants to help us grow in holiness. If you say, “I don’t need to read the Bible. I don’t need to take to heart God’s word. I know everything I need to know. I have more important things to do.” Is that Christian humility? 

I’ve said it before as well, but if you are able, try to attend mass throughout the week. For at Mass, we encounter the humility of Jesus Himself, who gives himself to us in the humble appearance of bread and wine. 

In the words of St. Augustine, at Mass we become what we receive—through the humble reception of the Eucharist, we receive the one who was obedient to the Father’s will unto death. At Mass, we humbly recognize that before God we are beggars, we are the blind and the lame, the crippled and poor, mentioned in the Gospel, whom the Lord has welcomed into his banquet, because he desires our company, and desires to nourish us and strengthen us for the humble work of the Gospel. May we seek to practice humility in all of our duties, responsibilities, relationships and endeavors; humble in our earthly life, that we may be exalted in eternal life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Lust and Pride in the Inferno and Purgatorio

 
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that for my spiritual reading this summer, I’m making my way through Dante Alighieri’s 800 year old epic poem, the Divine Comedy. In the three books of the Divine Comedy, Dante chronicles a pilgrimage he makes through hell, purgatory, and heaven.   He describes the horrific sights and sounds of the punishment of the damned in hell. He then makes his way up the mountain of purgatory, where he meets those who still need to be purified of the effects of their sins before entering heaven where amidst glorious celestial light he meets the blessed saints enjoying the beatific vision of the Holy Trinity.

And throughout his journey, Dante often stops to speak to the souls he meets in the afterlife. In hell, Dante meets Popes and political leaders who misused or neglected their responsibilities; heretics who spread their errors and led others away from the Gospel of Christ, he meets those who betrayed their nation and families; and in the very lowest and iciest depths of hell, there is Judas Iscariot who betrayed our Lord.

Well, near the entrance of the Inferno, Dante meets a pair of souls, Paolo and Francesca, a married woman and her brother-in-law who are in hell because of their joint sin of lust.

The conversation Dante has with this lustful pair is interesting because like most of the souls in hell Paolo and Francesca refuse to admit they did anything wrong. They explain how they were simply spending time in a room together, reading a rather lurid romance novel, when their own passions were kindled. 

For allowing themselves to be carried away by their passions, Dante describes Paolo and Francesca with all of the other lustful souls as being blown about hell in a sort of whirlwind for all eternity. Their sin was allowing their passions to lead them to sin. They failed to exercise their intellect—and refused to admit that an unmarried couple shouldn’t have been in room together, alone, reading erotic literature—failing to reasonably protect their chastity. We call that the near occasion of sin, don’t we, when we knowingly put ourselves in a situation where, given our fallen human nature, we are likely to fall into sin.

The Catechism explains that our passions—our powerful emotions are an essential part of our human nature—hunger, thirst, desire for physical intimacy—are part of human nature, but it is our responsibility as rational beings that these passions be put under the direction of right reason.

Our passions are like horses, and they need to be directed by the bridle and bit of truth and reason and self-control. And if our passions are allowed to run-away on their own without proper direction, we will not reach the destination God wants for us—and in a very real sense our actions become little different from the animals. To allow our passions to rule is to abdicate our responsibility as human beings.

In our first reading, we hear of the grave evils running rampant in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The book of Genesis describes God Himself taking note of the grave sins taking place in these cities. Like Paolo and Francesco in the inferno, the Sodomites and citizens of Gomorrah were engaging in sins of lust. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had become so corrupt, Abraham, as we heard in our first reading from Genesis chapter 18 is really struggling to find 50 or 40 or 30 or 20 or even 10 innocent people.

Sodom and Gomorrah are spared for a time, but In the following chapter of Genesis, Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by God with fire and brimstone, which is certainly a foreshadowing of the eternal punishments of the cities inhabitants who allow their passions to become corrupted by sin and fail to repent.

After traversing through hell, Dante eventually makes his way to the mountain of purgatory. And on Mount Purgatory, Dante encounters the holy souls who, repentant of their sins, now undergo purification in order to prepare for heavenly glory.

In purgatory Dante meets souls guilty of the same sorts of sins as those he encountered in hell: sins of gluttony, and lust, and wrath, and avarice and theft. But the big difference between those in purgatory and those in hell, are that the souls in purgatory acknowledged in their earthly life that their sins were offensive to God. And so they repented and began to hand their lives over to God.

The first group of repentant sinners Dante meets in Purgatory are the souls being purified of the sin of Pride—and this is a big group—a very big group. For Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, every sin, really can be traced back to pride. For Pride is when we turn away from God, when we claim to know better than God, when we act as if we were the center of the universe.  Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their pride and traced their inability and unwillingness to recognize him as the Son of God back to sinful pride.  

As part of their Purgatorial purification from pride, Dante describes the souls pushing heavy stones up the inclined mountain, the heaviness of the stones proportional to the measure of their pride while on earth. Additionally, the souls being purified of pride are found praying; they are praying over and over and over again, the prayer we find in our Gospel today, the Lord’s prayer.

The Lord’s prayer is the antidote to pride. For in the Lord’s prayer, we humbly surrender to God’s will, over our own. The sin of Pride weighs us down from living in the freedom of the children of God, so Our Lord teaches us the Lord’s Prayer to combat our earthly pride—to be devoted to doing the will of the Father, and relying on the providence of the Father, as Our Lord himself. The Catechism states praying the our Father should develop in us the desire to become like Christ, to behave like Christ, to be holy like Christ—free from all selfishness like Christ.

A good priest once suggested to me that our holiness as a Christian can be measured by our ability to pray the Our Father from the heart.    In Dante’s purgatory, the Our Father is prayed over and over until they really learn to pray it from the heart. Do you pray the Our Father from your heart? Being one of the first prayers we learn, praying it daily, and every week at Mass, it becomes easy just to rattle off the Our Father without praying from our hearts.

The Catechism devotes its last 100 paragraphs explaining the words of the Lord’s Prayer. I recommend reading through those 100 paragraphs over the next week, you won’t regret it. But also, I invite you, each day this week, set aside some time to pray the Our Father from the heart. Pray it slowly, reflectively, pondering each word, each phrase, each petition. Allow the Lord’s Prayer to help you overcome the pride, the willfulness, the arrogance, the disordered passions that keep you from living in the freedom and peace God wants for you.

My God’s Will truly be done on earth as it is in heaven, in our lives, the lives of our families, and nation, and parish, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - The journey of Dante and Jesus

 This summer I have begun a bit of a journey—a literary journey. I’m taking a journey with the Poet Dante Alighieri—through his Divina Commedia---his Divine Comedy. I took the journey once before, back in undergrad, through the three books of La Commedia—Dante’s Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso—Dante’s Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.

My guide through Dante that first time around was John Carrol professor, Dr. Thomas Nevin, who could brilliantly lecture to the very small group of us as if he were addressing a full auditorium. Dr. Nevin was also my latin professor who taught us the ancient language with great love and excitement.

This time through Dante’s Commedia, I have a small set of companion books, titled “Spiritual Direction from Dante” written by the Oratorian Priest Father Paul Pearson. And I’m really finding his commentary quite insightful and helpful. For the journey through the Commedia is complex, and steep, and confusing, and sometimes a bit horrific…just like life.

And that’s how the poem opens: with Dante, himself the main character in his epic poem, lost in a dark, bewildering forest. Life is sometimes like a dark, bewildering forest. And, it’s not always clear how we become lost or overwhelmed by life, is it? For Dante it was unclear to him if it was because he was having a midlife crisis, or that he had strayed off the path that God had wanted for him. And that can happen to any of us, you stray a little bit off God’s path; maybe you stop saying your daily prayers, stop coming to mass every week, maybe you allow a bad habit to get out of control, and you find yourself in a place that is wholly unfamiliar and confusing. 

So there is Dante, in the middle of his life, in this dark forest, and for a moment, he thinks he can find his way back on his own, so he makes his confused way through the forest, but soon comes across a pack of wild beasts—symbolizing the sins of his life—blocking his way. His struggle with his sins and his guilt keep him from finding his way.

But right when Dante sees this wolf of lust ready to pounce upon him, he detects someone in the distance, and desperately calls out for help: “Miserere di me…Mercy upon me, mercy”. 

With him in the dark woods was one of the poets of old, the Roman poet Virgil, who he had studied in his youth. Sometimes we need to remember the lessons of our youth, don’t we? Come to discover, Virgil had been sent to help Dante by the Blessed Virgin Mary. And Virgil was tasked with leading Dante on a journey:  a journey that would take him through the bowels of hell to witness the punishment of the damned, up the steep mountain of purgatory to witness the purification of the poor souls, and through the celestial realm of heaven to witness the reward of the saints basking in the glory of God. 

For Dante had become complacent about his sins. And so he needed to make the journey into hell to finally come to the understanding of the destructive power of sin. And to witness the glory of the blessed that he would forsake, if he allowed himself to be consumed by his sins. He needed to see how sin wounds the human mind, the human heart, and the human soul. We, too, often minimize the effects of sin. We say, “Sin isn’t that bad. It doesn’t hurt anybody.” False. We need to see sin from God’s perspective. Allowing sin to take root in one’s life leads to the sort of terrifying places dante will visit in the first stage of his journey. 

I bring up Dante’s journey, again, partially to tell you a bit about my summer spiritual reading, feel free to join me by the way, but also because of the opening line of today’s Gospel, on this 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time: “When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem”

This line from late in Luke chapter 9 is the spiritual midpoint of St. Luke’s Gospel. Up until this point, Luke has told us of the miraculous events leading up to our Lord’s infancy, his glorious birth, and the infancy of his public ministry, the calling of the first apostles, his early teachings about holiness and discipleship, parables about the kingdom of God, and miraculous healings, like that of the Gerasene Demoniac. 

But today’s Gospel is the turning point in which the Lord “resolutely determines to journey to Jerusalem”. And the Lord is very well aware of what that journey will entail, the hostility he will face from his enemies—and how that journey will end—with betrayal, suffering, and death.

The reason Dante resolves to make the journey through Hell and Purgatory is not unlike the reason Our Lord resolves to make his journey to the cross. It is God’s will. And it will bring about salvation. Dante makes his journey to face and overcome the sins in his own life, that he may come to the reward of the Blessed. The Lord makes his journey, not for his own sake, but for ours: Jesus journeys to the cross to die for our sins and to win for us that grace to help us overcome the attachments to sin remaining in us which seek to reclaim us.

The english translation of today’s gospel says that the Lord “resolutely determines to journey to jerusalem”, though literally St. Luke’s Greek says, “he set his face to jerusalem” recalling the verse from the servant song of Isaiah that we hear on Ash Wednesday every year, “I have set my face like flint, that I shall not be put to shame.” Jesus, God’s chosen servant, made the conscious decision to make the uncomfortable journey---a  journey that would require courage, fortitude, perseverance, and longsuffering, fruits of the spirit that are to fill our lives as well.

Are you resolutely determined to journey to God? Is your set face like flint against the many resistances Christians inevitably face in the spiritual life? Will you do what you need  to do in order to make the journey? Will you have the courage to face your own sins honestly? to overcome the sins God wants you to overcome? Will you leave what is comfortable to obtain the sanctification God wants for you?

Dante was overwhelmed by that question. He almost fled in fear back into the forest and allowed himself to be devoured by the wild beasts. So Virgil, his guide, reasons with him, helping him to trust that God wants him to make the journey, that he needs to trust God, he needs to trust the Blessed Virgin who knows the state of Dante’s soul, his doubts, his confusion, and his longings.

You see, Dante had forgotten that God and the Blessed Virgin and the saints are on our side. They desire our salvation more than we do. They are on our side before we are, like the shepherd in search of the lost sheep before the sheep either knows it is lost or wants to be found. They want to help us face our sins, and to allow God to deliver us from them. 

“Follow me” the Lord beckons to each of us, as he did in the Gospel. Make the journey. For freedom’s sake, allow Christ to set you free, as St. Paul says in our second reading, free from our secret fears and our sins which keep us from being the people God made us to be, free to be zealous in doing good works and spreading the Gospel.

Guided by the Spirit, may we live by the Spirit, confident that God desires what is best for us, and through Mother Church teaches us to live by his commands and by his grace, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Holy Week 2022 - Spy Wednesday - The sin of Judas Iscariot

 Wednesday of Holy week is known as Spy Wednesday because on this day Judas Iscariot made the shameful bargain with the high priests to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the depths of the inferno are reserved for traitors, those guilty of the sin of betrayal. For Dante, the sin of betrayal is so much worse than sins of the flesh—like gluttony or lust. Opposed to the hot-blooded impulsive sins, Dante saw betrayal as cold, requiring forethought, and malice. Satan coldly sought to betray God, as did Judas. Which is why both Satan and Judas are together in hell’s lowest, coldest depths. 

I’ve read that In some villages in Poland, on this day, an effigy of Judas is throne from the church steeple, dragged through the streets and stoned, and then drowned in a pond.

Of Judas, the Lord himself said, “It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Why? Because Judas knew the truth about Jesus, but betrayed him anyway, and then went on to take his own life. The Church has never declared that Judas is in hell. But based on the Lord’s own words and the fact that Judas died apparently without repentance for his terrible betrayal and by his own hands, it is likely.

But it didn’t have to be so. Jesus died for Judas too. Salvific grace was available to him too, if he would have repented. Like all those in hell, Judas’ eternal sufferings would consist of  the pain of being excluded from God’s presence for all eternity, the knowledge that its duration will continue forever without possibility of rest, the knowledge that it could have been otherwise, and the understanding that it is entirely his own fault.”

We consider Judas’ story today, during holy week, to understand the events leading up to the Lord’s Passion, but also, that we might not make the same mistake as Judas. 

We mustn’t lead greed fester in us, allowing our sins to remain hidden, like Judas who stole from the community purse. We shouldn’t allow anger toward God fester in us. We mustn’t allow unrepentance to fester in us, for any sin, no matter how slight. 

Tomorrow begins the Great Paschal Triduum. In our great liturgical celebrations, we will consider all the Lord did, and suffered, and endured for us. He bore the weight of our sinful betrayals, our lusts, our selfishness, our greed, our pride, wishing no sinner to die, but to return to Him and live. As we contemplate his sufferings and His love for us, may our conviction for the Gospel increase, that we will look for opportunities to know him, love him, and serve him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

For increased faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That the grace of these holy days may touch the most hardened of hearts, and move unrepented sinners and fallen-away Catholics to return to the mercy of God.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

August 20 2019 - St. Bernard - A light shining and burning

Adviser of popes, preacher of the Second Crusade, defender of the faith, healer of a schism, mystical contemplative ,reformer of a monastic Order, Scripture scholar, theologian and eloquent preacher: today we celebrate the memorial of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

In the year 1111, around the age of 20, Bernard left his home to join the Cistercian monastery at Citeaux in France.  St. Bernard with his intelligence and holiness of life attracted many vocations, in fact two of his uncles and five of his brothers joined the monastery with him, and his sister became a Benedictine nun. There is even a book written about St. Bernard’s family called, “The Family that Conquered Heaven.” Bernard founded not only the monastery at Clairvaux, but 163 other monasteries throughout Europe. 

The Collect Prayer for his memorial calls Bernard a “light shining and burning” in the Church. And his light was certainly not hidden under a bushel basket, rather it drew many to seek holiness, as it does for us.

From where did his holiness derive? Bernard’s love for Our Lady is renowned. Bernard had a unbounded confidence in the intercession of Our Lady, and composed that powerful prayer, the Memorare: “Remember, O Most Gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.”

The Magnificat Antiphon for Vespers this evening calls Bernard the “most eminent preacher of the Virgin Mary’s glory”. St. Bernard’s love for the Blessed Virgin was so renowned, that when Dante composed his Divine Comedy, it is St. Bernard who leads the pilgrim to the highest heaven, to the mystical rose, to Our Lady whose faith, hope, and love for God surpasses all others. It was Bernard who proposed the title for Our Lady as Mediatrix of Grace.

It was Bernard, too, who uttered one of my favorite quotes. He said, “the three most important virtues are humility, humility, and humility.”

Through the intercession and example of St. Bernard, may we grow in confidence and love for Our Lady, may we grow in humility, humility, humility, and may we seek that personal holiness, which becomes a light for others to draw near to Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

For an increase in vocations to the consecrated religious life, and that our consecrated religious may continue to be a shining and burning light in the Church.

For those who disbelieve in Our Lady’s role in the Church and plan of God, for increased devotion to Our Lady’s intercession, that we may imitate the love of her Immaculate Heart.

That the young students of our school beginning classes this week may know the love of Christ in their families, that each school family may seek to practice right religion to the honor of God.

For mercy and peace for all those who suffer: for the sick and diseased, for those undergoing surgery this week, for the destitute and despairing, for all victims of war, violence, and abuse, and for those who will die today and the consolation of their families.

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.

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.

17th Sunday in OT 2019 - Purification from earthly pride

The Catholic poet, Dante Alighieri, wrote a famous poem, almost 800 years ago now, called the Divine Comedy—La Comedia Divina.  In the three books of La Comedia, Dante chronicles a pilgrimage he makes through hell, purgatory, and heaven.   He describes the horrific sights and sounds of the punishment of the wicked in hell for their failure to repent from their self-centeredness. He then makes his way up the mountain of purgatory, where he meets those undergoing purification from the effects of their life’s sinfulness. Dante finally visits heaven, il paradiso, where amidst glorious celestial light he meets the blessed saints who free from all selfishness now enjoy the beauty of being in God’s presence.

Dante uses an interesting literary device to depict the suffering of the wicked in hell, a device called Contrapasso. Contrapasso means the punishment fits the sin. For example those who in hell unrepentant of the sin of lust are caught blown about the second circle of hell by this terrible hellish whirlwind. How does the punishment fit the sin? As the lustful allowed themselves to be carried by the winds of their passions on earth, in hell they are subject to these uncontrollable winds for eternity—without rest.

In purgatory, for Dante, the purification also fits the sin. At the base of the mountain of purgatory, the largest group of people Dante meets are those who need to be cleansed of the sin of pride. For Dante, every sin can be traced back to pride. Pride turns away from God, pride claims to know better than God, better than the Church. We commit pride when we act as if we were the center of the universe. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their pride and traced their inability to recognize him as the Son of God back to pride.  Our self-centered pride keeps us from loving God and loving neighbor as we should.

So if for Dante, the purification fits the sin how did he depict the purification of the prideful? Well, what is the opposite of pride? Humility. The purification of the prideful of purgatory involved a very specific act of humility, an act of humility prescribed by the Lord Himself. Their purification, the healing of their willfulness, their self-centeredness, their sinful egotism, was to recite over and over, humbly and devoutly, the prayer we find at the beginning of the Gospel today, the Our Father.

Why does Dante see the Our Father as a fitting purification for pride? Sinful Pride claims “MY WILL BE DONE”, the Our Father prays “Thy Will be Done.” Sinful pride asserts its own self-sufficiency and control; the Our Father approaches God with open hands, seeking the daily bread that can only come from God. Sinful pride refuses to forgive, never forgiving an affront to our almighty egos, the Our Father asks God for the grace to forgive, allowing the wounded ego to heal. Where sinful pride does not acknowledge that it could ever make a mistake, could never sin, the Our Father pleads mercy for our sins, mercy that can only come from God.

A good priest once suggested to me that our holiness as a Christian can be measured by our ability to pray the Our Father from the heart. In Dante’s purgatory, the Our Father is prayed over and over as an act of purification from pride, until these souls truly learn to pray it from the heart, with a heart in union with the heart of Jesus.

The Our Father is one of the first prayers we learn as Catholics: we commit it to memory, we pray it every week at Mass. I remember committing it to memory in first grade PSR. Now, once committed to memory it becomes easy to rattle off the words, barely thinking about what they mean.  So, there is certainly a difference between praying the Our Father from memory and praying it from the heart, isn’t there? 

To pray the Our Father from the heart means to pray it from your very depths, to mean every phrase of it, to pray it with the heart and the mind of Jesus Christ.  As a spiritual exercise it is helpful from time to time to pray the Our Father, very slowly, reflecting upon every word, what those words really mean for us as Christians.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, by the way, is a wonderful resource for this, the entire final 100 paragraphs of the Catechism deal with each line and each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer.

Let’s just like at the first word of Jesus’ prayer. Where pride focuses on me, me, me.  The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to focus on us, on we.  We are to address God as part of a community.  The first word of the Our Father is Our. 

In teaching us to pray, Jesus teaches us to focus not just on ME, my life, my needs, my desires, rattling off my wish list. For Christianity is not a mere private affair.  The Church Jesus founded is not just a gathering of isolated individuals, but persons who have been brought into a new communion with God and one another.  We go to God together. 

Look at Sunday Mass.  We cannot fulfill our Sunday obligation by sitting in a room, by ourselves, communing with God.  We are meant to come together, at least every week, in united prayer. Someone who claims that they don’t need the Church to be Christian needs to reexamine the data and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Christian Church is a communion, a community, a family of souls on earth united in faith and prayer to the souls in purgatory who both receive the help of the blessed souls of the saints in heaven. And the Our Father, to be prayed by every Christian every day, opens us, reminds us, recommits us, to being a faithful members of this communion. It humbles our egocentrism, opening us up to new vistas of charity and living in harmony.

Seek and Ye shall Find. And in the Our Father, the Lord teaches us a prayer of perfect and unselfish love offering ourselves entirely to God and asking from Him the best things, not only for ourselves but also for our neighbor.

May this Holy Eucharist help us to truly be purified from all earthly pride, to grow in humble surrender to the holy will of God in all things, to pray with the hearts and minds of Jesus, united with all of the holy souls and the saints, that Our Father may truly be hallowed on earth as He is in heaven, for the Glory of God and the salvation of souls.

14th Week in OT 2018 - Tuesday - Those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind

Every few years I like to reread, Dante’s Divine Comedy.  And this morning’s reading from Hosea reminds me of a scene very early on in Dante’s Inferno: Upon entering the gates of hell with his guide Virgil, Dante the pilgrim comes to the second level of hell—the level of hell set aside for the lustful and those who have subjected the use of their reason to their passions.  Now, the punishments of those in hell in Dante’s poem often in some way relate to the sins for which they are being punished.   So the eternal punishment of the lustful is to be blown this level of hell by these tremendous winds without rest, forever.

Perhaps this scene was inspired by the line from the Prophet Hosea this morning: “those who sow the wind,  shall reap the whirlwind.”

Who are those who “sow the wind?” Those who give-in to being blown about by their sensual feelings, their bodily desire and physical cravings. Ignoring the commandments and the use of right reason, they only follow their feelings, which are as fickle as the wind.

Saint Paul warns the Ephesians about “being tossed here and there, carried about by every wind”; he's not just talking about lust here, but warns against being blown about by religious error, different ideological currents, and making a political agenda or social ideology the impetus of their lives rather than the Gospel.

So, those who “sow in wind” are not just the lustful, but those who are not firmly rooted in the truth of the Gospel.

If we are not firmly rooted in prayer and knowledge of the Word of God, we’re going to be blown around by whatever catches our fancy.  Folks aren’t coming to Sunday Mass because they have some intellectual opposition to the Sunday obligation, but because they are doing whatever they want.  Young people aren’t cohabitating before marriage because they’ve studied the church’s theology on marriage and found it lacking. No, they are being blown about by the winds of the culture and their passions and choosing not to think about what they are doing.

We even talk about getting caught up in gossip, or complaining, like we are “caught up” in some windstorm.

When we surrender our intellect and our faith to the winds of human desire we are going to be blown to places we aren’t meant to go.  So, again, we must remain rooted in faith, prayer, the study of scripture, the lives of the saints, in order to be faithful to the Gospel of Christ.

- - - - - - - - - -
 
That all bishops and clergy will lead the Church well in standing strong against the winds of error and immorality in our modern culture.

For all those who have fallen away from the Church, those who have fallen into serious sin, for their conversion, and the conversion of all hearts.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of July: That priests, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral work, may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, for all those recovering from or undergoing surgery today, and for the consolation of the dying.

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

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

February 22 2018 - Chair of Peter - Unity and Peace and Enkindling the Fire of Charity

Just over a week into the Lenten of season, white vestments are donned, the Gloria is sung, as we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of Peter. Since its earliest days, the Roman Church has especially commemorated the authority of the Petrine office—that the successor of St. Peter continues a ministry of the utmost importance to the Church of Christ.

The Opening Prayer spoke of how God protects us from the tempests, the storms of the world, by founding the Church on the rock of Peter’s confession of faith. The successors of Peter, the Popes, throughout the century have helped the Church maintain faithfulness to the authentic Gospel, through heresies, schisms, the rise of false religions, atheistic ideologies. The faithfulness of the Pope to the Word of God will enable the Church to outlast every earthly enemy—individual, nation, or rival religion. In fact, he leads to the Church in driving back the darkness, driving back the errors, beating back and knocking down the gates and ramparts of hell.

This feast falling during the season of Lent is significant. Much of our attention throughout Lent is interior: am I fasting enough, am I praying enough, am I giving enough. Yet a universal feast, such as this, causes us to look for help outside ourselves. We have had some of the holiest Popes in Church history just this last century.

We do well to reflect on the words and example of St. Pius X, Venerable Pius XII, St. John XXIII, Blessed Paul VI, St. John Paul II. Personally, this Lent I am reading through a series of meditation from the writings of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who always offers such a clear and penetrating insight for me.

The current Holy Father, Pope Francis, offered a beautiful reflection for the beginning of Lent. He reflected upon the great Poet Dante’s depiction of the lowest ring of hell, with Satan and Judas Iscariot encased in the coldest ice, in frozen and loveless isolation. Pope Francis invites the Church to consider how, this Lent, we might rekindle the fire of charity that has perhaps grown cold in us, how we may become more aware of the signs that love for God, love for the Church, love for the poor, love for family, has perhaps begun to cool.

The teaching of Peter, the structure and doctrine of the Church, the sacraments, exist that we may know unity and peace with God and with one another.

May our Lenten observances and our celebration of this great feast help us to experience the unity and peace, the freedom from sin, the fire of charity that our good and gracious God desires for each one of us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - -
 
For the Successor of St. Peter, our Holy Father, that he be strong in his mission and strengthen the whole Church in faith.

For all bishops, that they grow in union with Peter, share the zeal of Paul, and lead us by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

For those preparing for baptism and the Easter sacraments, that they may continue to conform themselves to Christ through Faith taught by St. Peter and his successors.

For the conversion of all people to Christ, for those who reject the Faith, for those who have fallen away from the Church, for those who mock and persecute Christians, for hardened and unrepentant sinners, we pray to the Lord.

For the sick and the dying, the poor and the oppressed, and all victims of war, violence, and the selfishness of their fellow man, that they may experience the peace and presence of Christ, we pray to the Lord.

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

Father, We rejoice in the call to belong to the Church, to believe in the Gospel, and to be united with the successors of your Apostles. Answer our prayers and increase our fidelity to the Gospel. Through Christ our Lord.

33rd Sunday in OT 2017 - How Examination of Conscience can save your life

This is the last Sunday until January 14, the feast of the Epiphany, that the priest will be wearing a green chasuble. Next Sunday, the priest will wear white or gold for the Feast of Christ the King, in which we show that our allegiance to Jesus Christ is above any other allegiance: national, economic, or ideological. And the Sunday after that the green of Ordinary Time is replaced with the purple of Advent.

In fact, we already we see a lot less green out in nature, don’t we? As winter nears?  For Green is the color of growth, and winter is coming.  During Ordinary Time, we are concerned with the spiritual growth of the soul. And, so the liturgical color green reminds us of the need to engage in those spiritual practices which bring growth to our souls: prayer, meditation, study, works of mercy.
And so, as we come to the end of the season of growth, what’s your soul look like? Has your soul grown in the last six months? Have you grown in faith, hope, and love? For some of us our waist lines have surely grown, but what your soul? What have you done with the time you’ve been given? In the Gospel, this same question is asked by the master: What have you done with the talents given to you by God?

It is important for us to answer this question honestly. For our Gospel is clear, there are eternal ramifications for what we do with the time, talent, and treasure afforded to us by God.
Last week I finished a very interesting book on Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s called, “How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History's Greatest Poem”. Rob Dreher, author and former journalist, described the impact of reading and reflecting upon Dante’s Epic Poem, how Dante helped deliver him from his mid-life crisis, depression and existential doubt.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Divine Comedy, a man named Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark forest, symbolic of the darkness and confusion of his life. These three vicious beasts, a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf attack him—the beasts symbolic of the lust, pride, and cupidity that have plagued his life. Dante cries out for deliverance, and there appears a figure from antiquity, the ancient poet Virgil. Virgil and Dante then embark on an adventure of a life-time, down through bowels of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, and into the celestial orbs of heaven.

In hell, Dante meets the souls of the damned, who were unrepentant for the selfishness and violence they committed during their lives. As Dante confronts the souls in hell and their eternal punishment, Dante confronts his own failure to love God and neighbor as he should, making gods out of earthly things, and as he makes this pilgrimage, he seeks God’s help to be purified from them.

I had read Dante in college, but I found this return to Dante to be very beneficial. It’s a reminder of the pilgrimage we must all make through life, turning away from idols and selfishness, and opening our hearts to the grace of God, so that we might love Him more.

Yet, Dreher’s book wasn’t simply a summary of Dante’s journey; it was more of a spiritual journal of how he applied the lessons of Dante in his own life. Dreher described how the pride of the souls in hell, could be seen in his own pride and resentment toward his family, who treated him as a sort of outcast. He saw how lust and greed tainted many of his choices during his college years. He saw how his self-absorption had led him, to this very dark place.

Using Dante to examine his conscience and his life, he became aware of sins from his past and present and brought them to the sacrament of confession. This he claims helped to deliver him from his depression and alienation from his family. Helping him find spiritual growth when he desperately needed it.

Many of us are not used to this sort of deep and prayer reflection. One of the tendencies of modern man is to go from one event to another without any sort of reflection on lessons learned. Just take this new fad of binge-watching television shows. Binge-watching is when you watch two, three, five episodes or more of a television show without any break. What’s the problem with that? First, it likely leads to the neglect of our household and family duties, and the exercise and sleep we need for healthy bodies. Secondly, if we are binge watching television, we aren’t engaged in prayer, study, meditation, and the works of mercy. And thirdly, it’s mindless. There’s no reflection. It’s just a constant stream of stimulation. It's "unexamined".

This lack of examination of conscience and lack of engagement in real life, is what led Dante to the middle of the Dark Forrest to begin with, he felt his life was not worth living because he wasn't engaged in real life, just sinful alternatives. He could not see the presence of God in his life because all he was focused on were earthly realities, especially his sinful attachments, and this led him to despair.

The saints, on the other hand, are so full of life and joy and charity, they are so keenly aware of the presence of God is because through the thorough examination of conscience in light of the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ, they distance themselves from the pursuits and attitudes which distract them from God and from doing His Holy Will.

We all know how busy Advent can be. With parties and shopping and concerts and baking and wrapping and decorating. And this can lead to much emptiness if we do not keep Christ at the center of it all, by reflecting on the meaning of the season. So perhaps, this Advent you might consider a spiritual journal. Read through the scripture readings for the day, and spend some time reflecting upon them, asking God what he might be trying to teach you in the concrete details of your life. Come to daily Mass throughout the week, if your schedule permits. And so importantly, if it’s been a few months or years, make a good examination of conscience and Sacramental Confession.

This way, you won’t lose your way in the busyness of the season, but will be able to truly enter into the joy the master has in store for us. Again in the Gospel, rewards and praises those who use their time and talent to do the master’s will. So, let us reflectively take stock of the talents we’ve been given, to repent of our selfish misuse of them, and recommit to using them to bear fruit that will last unto eternity, that we may enter into the master’s joy, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 15 2016 - Our Lady of Sorrows - Mother of they Dying

In times of great sadness, suffering, and loneliness, we think of our mothers. No doubt, it brought such great consolation to Jesus, as he hung upon the cross, that his mother was with him, even though it brought her great pain to do so.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,

All his bitter anguish bearing,

Now at length the sword had passed.

Mary, we know, looks upon all of us as her sons and daughters. For from the cross, as we read in the Gospel today, Our Lord gave to her all of his disciples throughout all the ages to be her spiritual children. She has such great compassion for us all, and comes to the aid of her children.

Mary comes especially to the aid of the dying, in the final moments when salvation may be won or lost. We read numberless instances in the lives of saints and devout souls in which Mary appeared to them and aided them on their deathbed. The rooms of the dying are Our Lady's special sphere of activity, for those who are in their last agony are her beloved children. Mary draws close to the dying, helping them prepare for eternity.

In Dante’s Purgatorio, one soul explains how because of his wicked life he had become destined for hell, but in his last breath he was inspired to speak the name of Mary, and this was enough to save his soul.

Sharing our Mother’s compassion for the dying, we should pray every day for those in the hour of death, for faithful souls as well as impenitent souls. For we know that deathbed conversions are possible. Mary helps unrepentant souls reach final contrition.

Whenever I visit the dying, I always encourage their family members to pray the rosary with them. For no doubt, as they lay dying, the prayers of our childhood, are so comforting and also so powerful because it helps them to know the closeness of Mary, Mother of the Dying.

Those who die with her as their mother, die as faithful disciples of Christ, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. May we show true compassion to all the afflicted, and know Mary’s closeness as we carry our crosses for the glory of God and salvation of souls.