June 28 2024 - St. Irenaeus - Apostolic Tradition and Unity with God

 

In the top middle stained-glass window in the east nave here at St. Ignatius is a depiction of St. John the Apostle consecrating two bishops: on the right is St. Ignatius our patron, and on the left is St. Polycarp. The bishop St. Irenaeus, whom we honor today, was a student of bishop Polycarp. And so he was still very close to the apostolic origins of the church. And that theme of apostolicity—that we are recipients of the faith taught by Jesus Christ to the apostles—was prominent in his writings and pastoral work.

For the time in which Irenaeus was bishop of Lyon, the gnostic heretics were threatening the unity of the Church. The Gnostics claimed to possess secret knowledge of God that was superior to the faith taught by the Apostles.  In other words, they thought they knew better than the Church.  

But good bishop Irenaeus rightly pointed out their error. For, Christianity is not a personal creation or private revelation. It’s not something for intellectuals and academics to recreate. To do so would be to deviate from Apostolic Tradition which Christ wants us to receive, believe, and live out.

Irenaeus demonstrated the importance of faithfully adhering to the true doctrine that could be traced back to the apostles through the succession of bishops, and even emphasized the authority of the Church of Rome.

Back in 2007, Pope Benedict was giving weekly catechesis on the Church Fathers. Listen to what he had to say about the great St. Irenaeus, who Pope Francis declared as a doctor of the Church in 2022. 

Pope Benedict wrote: “Irenaeus was first and foremost a man of faith and a Pastor. Like a good Pastor, he had a good sense of proportion, a wealth of doctrine, and missionary enthusiasm. As a writer, he pursued a twofold aim: to defend true doctrine from the attacks of heretics, and to explain the truth of the faith clearly.”

Unity and peace in the Church and unity and peace with God do not come from knowing better than the Church, but receiving and practicing the whole Truth, in obedience to the Word of God and Apostolic Tradition.  

May St. Irenaeus help us to foster authentic Christianity unity on earth through faithfulness to Christian Truth, that we may come to communion with God in heaven for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Let us turn to God in prayer, asking for the intercession of St. Irenaeus, as we strive to faithfully adhere to the teachings of Christ and the Apostles.

That bishops, priests, and deacons may be inspired by the example of St. Irenaeus to defend true doctrine with clarity and compassion, fostering unity and peace within the Church, protecting the transmission of the faith from heresy, and guiding all people to the truth of Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

That those tasked with spreading the Gospel may be emboldened by the example of St. Irenaeus, sharing the faith with enthusiasm and clarity, and bringing many to the fullness of truth in Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

That those who have been misled by erroneous beliefs may find their way back to the truth of the Gospel, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the loving support of the Christian community. Let us pray to the Lord.

That scholars and theologians may approach the study of faith with humility and a sincere desire to deepen their understanding of the truths revealed by Christ, without deviating from the Apostolic Tradition. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be close to them in their trials

That through the intercession of St. Irenaeus, we may foster authentic Christian unity and peace in our parishes, families, and communities, reflecting the love and truth of Christ in all our interactions. Let us pray to the Lord.

Almighty God, through the intercession of St. Irenaeus, strengthen our faith and unity. Help us to remain faithful to the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, and grant us the grace to live out these truths in our daily lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

December 27 2023 - St. John the Evangelist - Incline your ears to the heart of Christ

 St. John the Apostle is often depicted in art with his head resting on the breast of Christ, as he does at the Last Supper. Among the apostles, it was John alone who remained at Christ’s side at the crucifixion. John was among the first-called, along with his brother James, and the brothers Peter and Andrew. John’s Gospel describes John’s own closeness with the Lord, and so it is fitting that we celebrate the evangelist’s feast in such proximity to the Lord’s birthday.

St. Ireneaus, bishop of Lyons around the year 200, reported with assurance: “John, the disciple of the Lord, who rested on the heart of Jesus, wrote a Gospel when he was in Ephesus.” Ireneaus was a disciple of St. Polycarp who was made bishop of Smyrna by St. John himself, as is depicted in the top middle stained glass window in the eastern transept here at St. Ignatius. Remaining so close to the Lord throughout the Lord’s public ministry, it is no wonder that John’s Gospel is among the most mystical books of the Bible, filled with such intense insight into the divine identity of the Lord and his love for sinful humanity. 

The writings of St. John his letters and Gospel are saturated with the love of God. Throughout his Gospel, John identifies himself, often not by name, but by the beloved disciple. Consider that! His name was secondary to the fact that he knew that he was loved by Jesus. That is such an important lesson for Christians to “take to heart”. Do you know that you are loved by Jesus? DO you know that you are loved by God? 

Love is the key to understanding the Gospel. Love is the divine motive for the incarnation. Love is the divine motive for the Lord’s teaching and miracles. Love is the divine motive for the Lord taking upon himself the weight and suffering of the cross. Love is the divine motive for sending the apostles into the world.

John records the Lord saying, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”

John teaches us to incline our ears to the heart of Christ, to learn of his love for us, that we may in turn, love one another. 

St. John is the patron of the diocese of Cleveland, and he is a powerful example to all of us: of zealous love for the Lord, temper under control, mystical prayer, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, tireless pastor, who used his intellectual gifts to combat the errors plaguing his flock and bestowing to the Church of all ages, a portrait of piercing insight of the Lord Jesus. May we know continuously the example and heavenly intercession of so great a patron saint for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

For the Church of Cleveland under the patronage of St. John, apostle and evangelist, and particularly for Bishop Malesic, that together we may witness faithfully and tirelessly to the truth of the Gospel

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body. 

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

June 28 2023 - St. Irenaeus, bishop, martyr, doctor - Knowledge and Error

 

Without a doubt, St. Irenaeus is one of the greatest theologians of the early Church.  St Irenaeus was a disciple of St. Polycarp, who himself heard St. John the Apostle preach and was consecrated bishop by St. John along with our patron, St. Ignatius of Antioch.  

Like St. Cyril whom we honored yesterday, Irenaeus was called to uphold the truth of Christ that comes to us from the Apostles. Irenaeus was bishop two and a half centuries earlier, and he faced what is probably the first major heresy the Church had to confront: Gnosticism.  

The word ‘gnostic’ comes from the greek word for knowledge, as in the words cognizant and recognize.  Gnosis—knowledge is a good thing.  It is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Zechariah sings how God gives his people knowledge of salvation. We have a strong philosophical tradition which confirms the role of knowledge in understanding our faith.

The Gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge of God that was superior to the faith taught by the Apostles. In other words, they thought they knew better than the official teaching of the Church.  

Gnosticism is the basis of every heresy, in a sense. To claim, I know better. I know better than the clear pronouncements of Church Councils. I know better than the Church Fathers. I know that my interpretation of Scripture is more accurate than 2000 years of consistent teaching. 

What sin does that sound like? Sinful Pride of course. The pride of satan in the garden claiming, I know better than God, trust me, not Him. The pride of Original Sin and every sin. 

Again, Gnosis is good. Knowledge is good. We are meant to cultivate our minds, to seek understanding about the natural world, and to use that knowledge to foster unity and concord, to seek knowledge about God and the Church and the Christian Faith to the extent that our intellect allows. 

But, if we arrive at a conclusion which contradicts Church teaching, the teaching of the Apostles, we’ve made a mistake. And those errors, if followed can have disastrous consequences, eternal consequences. We risk not only the loss of our own souls, but leading others astray.

But, knowledge, real knowledge conforms our minds to Christ who is Truth. Jesus said, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Christians seek to know the Truth. And that brings us freedom: freedom from the burden of being the sole arbiter of truth, freedom from moral error which keeps us trapped in sin, freedom to preach confidently. We share the Gospel with non-believers because we are confident in the knowledge of God. 

That knowledge enables us as St. Paul says, to “be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness.” And through that gentle, yet confident teaching, “It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth” and freed from the Devil’s snares.

Through the example of the bishop, martyr, and Doctor of the Church St. Irenaeus may we be grounded and confirmed in true doctrine for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty, may every prayer of our heart be directed, for it is His will that all humanity should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

For the Church during this time of Eucharistic Revival: for a deeper love and reverence for the Bread of Life; that the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist will help us to live out our vocation to holiness with greater zeal, self-sacrifice, and trust in God.  

That during this month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: we may make reparation for the many blasphemies committed against God and the Church, and that the afflicted may know God’s compassion in all of their trials.

For all those who reject the faith, for those who show contempt for the holy word of God and the Catholic Church, for their openness to the Truth, and that all Christians may be committed to spreading the faith boldly, patiently, and clearly.

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

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

June 28 2022 - St. Irenaeus - Doctor of Unity

 On January 21 of this year, Holy Father Pope Francis issued a decree declaring St. Irenaeus as a Doctor of the Church. St. Irenaeus is the first Doctor of the Church believed to have been a martyr, and, having died around 202, he holds the distinction of being the most ancient of the Church’s now-37 Doctors of the Church. 

As Bishop of Lyon, in addition to his administrative duties, Irenaeus took up the project of addressing the heresies that were threatening the unity of the Church. This is why Pope Francis called declared Irenaeus, the Doctor of Unity.

And the heresy that was most prevalent at the time was Gnosticism. The Gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge of God that was superior to the faith taught by the Apostles and they looked down on anyone who did not believe or act the way they did.  In other words, they thought they knew better than the Church.  

Bishop Irenaeus preached and taught and wrote against the gnostics of his day, but that old heresy has shown its face in every age of the Church.  How many times have you heard the following:  “Jesus doesn’t really care if I go to Church every week.”  “I don’t need to confess my sins to a priest.”  “Jesus doesn’t mind if I live with my girlfriend or we use contraception, we’ve prayed about it.”

Christianity is not a personal creation, or secret knowledge, or private revelation. It’s not something for intellectual to recreate every century that allows us to deviate from Apostolic Tradition due to changing societal mores. 

The true Gospel is the one received in an uninterrupted line from the Apostles. Irenaeus himself was a student of St. Polycarp, who was a student of the Apostle John, who himself laid his head at the heart of the Savior. 

One characteristic of these Gnostic groups is that with all of their supposed special knowledge of God, they quickly became fragmented and divided, always breaking off from one another, as has happened in all of the protestant denominations and even in some Catholic parishes.  Unity and peace in the Church and unity and peace with God do not come from knowing better than the Church, but receiving the whole Truth, in obedience to Apostolic Tradition.  

In the Gospel for the feast of Irenaeus, we read of the Lord praying at the last supper, that his followers may be one, as He and the Father are one. May St. Irenaeus help us to be faithful to fostering authentic Christian unity on earth that we may come to communion with God in heaven for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That our bishops and clergy may be zealous in preaching and teaching the truth of the Gospel, and for a healing of division in the Church. 

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for the sanctification of marriages, and for increased commitment on behalf of all the faithful to the works of mercy and the evangelizing mission.

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 and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

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.

Pentecost 2022 - Unity

 

On Friday, the Holy Father, met with a delegation of young priests and monks from the Eastern Orthodox Churches—so the Greek Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and so on. And that is quite the feat, as the Orthodox Churches, historically have not always had the most cordial of relationships with Rome nor with each other. So to get everyone in a room together, in Rome, is already a Pentecost miracle. But then the Holy Father took the opportunity to speak to this disparate group, about one of the important themes of Pentecost: unity. “Strive to preserve the unity of the spirit” St. Paul writes to the Ephesians. The Lord himself prayed for the church’s unity at the Last supper, “I pray Father, that they may be one, as you and I are one.”

The Holy Father offered four insights about what Pentecost teaches us about unity. 

Firstly, the Holy Father said unity is a “gift…a fire from on high”. Unity is a gift from God. With all of our divisions in the human family and even in the Church, the Holy Father says, yes, we need to take great efforts to work for unity: prayer, dialogue, disposing ourselves to what God wants for us, but unity, says Pope Francis, is primarily “not a fruit of earth, but of heaven. It is not primarily the result of our commitment, OUR efforts and OUR agreements,” he says, “but of the working of the Holy Spirit, to whom we need to open our hearts in trust, so that he can guide us along the path to full communion. Unity is a grace, a gift.”

So, yes, we need to do our part, but in the end, all human efforts fail, they are insufficient, for the unification of divided humanity is ultimately the work of God. Jesus came to reconcile us to one another and to the Father, something that we could not and cannot do on our own. No amount of secular human progress will create unity. We need God if we hope to live in unity.

A second lesson that Pentecost teaches us is that unity God wants for us is not necessarily uniformity,” he said, “much less the fruit of compromise or fragile diplomatic balances of power. Unity is harmony in the diversity of the charisms bestowed by the Spirit. For the Holy Spirit loves to awaken both multiplicity and unity, as at Pentecost, where different languages were not reduced to one alone, but were taken up in all their variety. Harmony is the way of the Spirit, for, as Saint Basil the Great says, the Spirit is harmony.”

One of the things I love about St. Ignatius is our harmonious  and diverse unity. On any given Sunday we have folks from the neighborhood, folks who’ve moved away, life-long parishioners, and neophytes, catholics from various ethnic backgrounds, economic strata, and professions. Parishioners with so many different gifts. And we offer two forms of the holy mass, the ordinary form in English, and the old rite, both in harmony, hopefully mutually enriching each other, teaching each other, both bringing about a diversity of charisms from the Holy Spirit. 

A third lesson of Pentecost, the Holy Father explains,  is that unity is a journey. “Unity is attained along the way” he says, “it grows by sharing each step of the journey, by facing its joys and struggles, and experiencing its unexpected surprises. As Saint Paul told the Galatians, we are called to walk by the Spirit. In the words of Saint Irenaeus, whom the Holy Father named as the Doctor of Unity, the Church is tõn adelphõn synodía, in the Greek, “a caravan of brothers”. In this caravan, unity grows and matures: a unity that – in God’s quiet way – does not suddenly appear as an overwhelming miracle, but quietly emerges in the patient and persevering progress of a journey made together.” What a beautiful image. A caravan wherein each of the members are seeking growth in our unique virtues, but growing in holiness, together.

Are we here at St. Ignatius, or in the Diocese of Cleveland, “perfectly one”, as the Lord, prayed for at the Last Supper? Not quite. Are we “of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing” as St. Paul taught the Philippians. Not quite. But Paul said, strive to be of the same mind, meaning, it is an effort, a journey, as the Holy Father says.. As I preached about last week, our unity comes from our personal assent to the truths, the dogmas of the faith, and our worship of the one true God. But we have some ways to go, don’t we.

Lastly, the Holy Father explains that unity “is closely tied to the fruitfulness of the Christian proclamation: unity is for mission.  Jesus prayed for his disciples that they “may all be one… so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). At Pentecost, the Church was born as a missionary Church. Today too, the world is waiting…to hear the Gospel message of charity, freedom and peace. It is a message that we are called to bear witness to with one another, not against one another or apart from one another.”

Unity is for mission. St. Ignatius of Antioch has a mission to the neighborhood, to the fallen away Catholics, and angry or hurt Catholics, the unchurched, the drug-addled, the freemasons, the protestants, the muslims. It’s not just my mission folks. It’s our mission. Our communal mission from God. And I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to send us insight into how to fulfill that mission, and strength for that mission. 

Please pray for your parish throughout the week. If you cannot come to daily mass throughout the week, make sure you lift your parish up to God, and your pastor. These are complex times aren’t they? Confusing times. But God chose us to be here now, in 2022, for the work of the Gospel. May we be one in our mission.

The Holy Father concluded his thoughts, “Dear brothers, may the cross of Christ be the compass that directs us on our journey towards full unity. For on that cross Christ, our peace, reconciled us and gathered us into one people” 

May we draw close to the cross of Christ every day, to be set alight with spiritual fire, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

5th Sunday of Lent - Third Scrutiny - Raised from the dead

 Two weeks ago we heard the story of the woman at the well.  She encountered the Lord Jesus, who said to her, “I will give you living water, which alone can satisfy”.  She represents all of us, all thirsting for God. Jesus invites all people of all time to drink deeply of the living waters of God through Him.

Last week we heard of the man born blind.  Again, he is all of us, born in the blindness of sin.  We desire to do good and avoid evil, but it’s not always easy to see clearly. Sometimes our egos and our sinful attachments are so great, they blind us to seeing how God wants us to live rightly. Jesus says to the man born blind and to all of us, “I am the light of the world.”  If you want to see rightly, let the light of Christ and His teachings enlighten you. 

These stories in John’s Gospel move toward a sort of crescendo. I am living water which quenches thirst. I am the light by which you see. And today Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He’s not just water, He’s not just light. He is Life itself. And he desire that His life might animate us in this life, that it might sustain us through death, and animate us in all eternity, including the resurrection. 

One of my favorite quotations from the early Church fathers is from St. Ireneus of Lyons, who said, Gloria Dei Homo Vivens, “the glory of God is Man fully alive.”  Jesus himself said, I came that they might have life, and have it to abundance. Christ died, that we may live, free from sin, full of divine life.  God’s glory, what gives God happiness, is that we are fully alive.  Conversely, what saddens the heart of God is when we continue to allow death to reign in us at any level: physically, emotionally, spiritually.  

Next, week, on Palm Sunday, we’ll come to understand the price the Lord pays to defeat the powers of death in us. But on this fifth Sunday of Lent, we’re invited to consider how the Lord commands us to live. 

The wages of sin are death, writes St. Paul. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were commanded by God, do not eat of the tree or else you will die. Death is the result of sin, of being separated from God who is Life and the Author of life. We allow death to reign in us, when we indulge in sin with our minds, when we indulge in sin with our hearts, when we indulge in sin with our bodies, when we indulge in sin with our wills. 

The powers of death take root in our minds when we contemplate revenge, when we entertain lusts, when we plot to satiate our greed or to manipulate others. The powers of death take root in our hearts when we fail to forgive, when we bear grudges, when we envy. The powers of death take root in our bodies when we misuse our bodies to hurt, to steal, to fornicate, to gluttonously indulge in food or drink. The powers of death weaken our wills when we choose selfishness, when we choose wrath, when we choose not to act when we should, when we choose diversions over spiritual duty and spiritual endeavors like prayer.

But Jesus commands us, come out of your tombs, stop allowing death to reign in you. Jesus took flesh that we might have life and have it in abundance. He wants life to reign in our minds—considering how we can use our time to serve the kingdom with our unique set of talents, how we can work together with our neighbor to evangelize, how we can instruct the ignorant and pass on the faith to the next generation. He wants life to reign in our hearts—in compassion, generosity, and courage. He wants life to reign in our bodies—using our physical strength to help the weak, to build beautiful Churches like this one, to make beautiful music to assist in worship. He wants life to reign in our wills—choosing selflessness, choosing peace, choosing forgiveness, choosing mercy.

Lent helps us to identify where we have allowed death to continue to reign in us, and to engage in the spiritual practices that allows the life of Christ to flourish. Where has spiritual death continued to take root in you? What has caused you to fall short of that vocation described by St. Ireneus of being fully alive?

Last week, I repeated the invitation to make a good Lenten Sacrament of Confession. Confession is the way designated by God, instituted by Christ, in which sin is to be forgiven—where souls dead in sin or diseased with sin may be restored to life. 

St. Paul warns the Church in his first letter to the Corinthians about a particular type of sin that brings death to the souls and death to the Church, that of the sacrilegious reception of Holy Communion.  St. Paul writes, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died”

“Some have died.” In other words, some who have failed to examine themselves and confess their sins, and took communion anyway, have died the eternal death. It is the law of the Church going back to the very beginning, that mortal sins must be confessed prior to the reception of Holy Communion. Please, that life may flourish in you, if you have mortal sins, including previous sacrilegious receptions of Holy Communion, go to Confession. 

In his very first homily as Pope, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of repentance. “God never tires of forgiving us,” he proclaimed. “It’s we who tire of asking for forgiveness.” Then he prayed, “May we never tire of asking for what God never tires to give!” God never tires of raising us, like Lazarus, from the dead. Calling us to emerge from our tombs. He never tires of breathing new life into us.

This is true in our own lives, and also the life of our parish. Authentic revitalization in this parish will only come when there is sincere spiritual revitalization. That’s why I take Lent and Confession and the invitation to prayer so seriously. God wants to raise souls to new life. That’s the mission of the parish. To be a place where souls can receive life. To help us like Lazarus to be raised to new life. To help us be like Martha and Mary in today’s Gospel who brings Jesus to their brother who was dead. We have family members and neighbors whose souls are dead and rotting, who we must lead to Jesus by our prayers and penances and personal invitations. We should never pretend, that just because it’s 2022, that some sins are now okay. And repentance is optional.  I know, it’s unpleasant to think that some souls are in danger of hell. But that should motivate us all the more to pray and evangelize.

“I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land” we heard in our first reading. God has given us His spirit, He’s given us his life, and he’s given us this land, this parish territory, that we may make His life, his glory, his love known, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

June 28, 2017 - St. Irenaeus - Faithful in season and out of season

Stained glass window of Saint Irenaeus | Église Saint-Irénée, France

Yesterday, the Church honored one of the great 5th century defenders of the faith, St. Cyril of Alexandria, who championed the motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Council of Ephesus.

Today, the Church honors a defender of the faith from nearly 300 years prior. St. Cyril, lived in a time, when Christianity had become legalized. In fact, the Council of Ephesus, in 421 at which he presided was convened at the bequest of the Roman Emperor, Theodosius II, who was concerned about the theological divisions within his Empire.

St. Irenaeus, did not have the benefit of Imperial patronage. In fact, the Empire was still quite hostile to Christianity. St. Ireneus defended the faith against the Gnostic Heretics, and called Christians to faithfulness amidst the pagan debaucheries that persisted in those days.

St. Irenaeus was a bishop of Lyons, when in the year 202, under Emperor Septimus Severus issued an imperial decree calling for the murder of Christians. When under the shepherding of Bishop Irenaeus, the Christians refused to participate in the debaucheries which accompanied a certain pagan festival, assassins armed with daggers, stones and knives filled the city murdered thousands of Christians, with their 80 year old bishop, Irenaeus.

In two days, we've had a “white martyr”, Cyril, who confessed and taught the true faith in a time of peace, and today, a “red martyr” who witnessed to the faith through his many writings, but also with his life.

St. Paul writes to Timothy “to preach the word in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.” We see these two bishops, separated by three centuries, being faithful to St. Paul’s injunction to the bishop Timothy.

The Lord Jesus in the Gospel warns his church against false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing, trees that bear rotten fruit. Well, we are certainly thankful for those men and women who bore good fruit for the sake of the kingdom, who suffered that the true faith would persevere through the centuries.

Today concludes three weeks of reading through the Sermon on the Mount. We Jesus’ instruction lived out in lives of the saints, their faithfulness, their commitment to the truth, their willingness to suffer for Christ. May the Saints aid us in striving to be faithful to all the Lord teaches and commands, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That our bishops and clergy may be zealous in preaching and teaching the truth of the Gospel, and that our future bishop of the diocese of Cleveland may be a man of true faith and the Holy Spirit.

That this fortnight of prayer for religious freedom may help people of faith remain vigilant in defending their religious liberty and united in making their voice heard on behalf of the rights of the Church.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for the sanctification of marriages, and for increased commitment on behalf of all the faithful to the works of mercy and the evangelizing mission.

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 and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.