2nd Sunday of Advent 2020 - Advent Courage

Above the front steps of our beautiful church are statues of the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Do you know which one is which? You can indeed tell them apart by the symbols associated with them. St. John, is depicted with the eagle, because his Gospel begins soaring in the heavens, “in the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and the word was with God”…in heaven. The symbol for the Gospel of Luke is an ox, because Luke’s Gospel begins with the story of Zechariah, the Levitical priest, who would offer such oxen as sacrifices in the Temple. The symbol for Matthew is a human or a human face because Matthew’s Gospel begins with the human genealogy of Our Lord—Matthew traces the human generations of the Lord all the way back to Abraham. The symbol for Mark also derives from the beginning of his Gospel. Mark’s symbol is a lion because his Gospel begins, as we heard moments ago, with the voice in the wilderness roaring out like a lion, the call to prepare the way for the Lord. 

Remember, St. Mark was originally writing his Gospel to the ancient Romans—who valued symbols and persons of strength. So, the lion, a symbol of boldness, fierceness, courage, strength, sovereignty, and justice, would have resonated with Mark’s Roman audience, especially this bold character whom we meet in the Gospel’s opening lines: John the Baptist, this sort of ferocious character, this wild man roaring the call to repentance out in the desert.

John, is fierce, he’s courageous. He doesn’t fear the opinions of onlookers who might ridicule him for the way that he was dressed; he doesn’t fear the repercussions for boldly proclaiming that the Messiah was near. Later in the Gospel, we find John the Baptist boldly calling out the sinful adultery of King Herod. And he arrives on the scene to point to one who is even mightier than him, who will baptize, not with water, but with fire and the holy spirit.

So, on this second Sunday of Advent, we are presented with this bold, courageous lion, John the Baptist, as a figure to consider and emulate.

I don’t know about you, but the characteristics, I typically associate with Advent are attitudes like patience, passivity, waiting, calmness, and peace. And yet, I propose, that each of us, could use a little bit of the spirit of the lion, John the Baptist, in our Advent preparations.

Last, Sunday, Pope Francis convoked a consistory in which he created 11 new cardinals, and of course he preached to them, giving the new cardinals their marching orders. And in his homily, the holy father spoke about how Christian courage is an important antidote to the mediocrity, lukewarmness, and indifference which threaten the Christian life. He said, “Without making an effort to love God daily and awaiting the newness he constantly brings, we become mediocre, lukewarm, worldly. And this slowly eats away at our faith, for faith is the very opposite of mediocrity:  it is ardent desire for God, a bold effort to change, the courage to love, constant progress…Faith is not water that extinguishes flames, it is fire that burns; it is not a tranquilizer for people under stress, it is a love story for people in love. That is why Jesus above all else detests lukewarmness.”

Again, think of that symbol of the lion. A lion is anything but mediocre, lukewarm. He’s fierce, he’s bold, he’s not timid or tamed or constricted by the ways of the world. 

So, too, the Christian is to be a sort of lion: bold in our proclamation of the Gospel, and courageous in pursuing the love of God in our personal life. 

In addition to his remarks to the new cardinals, Pope Francis spoke about Advent courage in his Sunday Angelus message. He said “Confidently waiting for the Lord allows us to find comfort and courage in the dark moments of our lives…“The Lord never abandons us; He accompanies us through the events of our lives to help us discover the meaning of the journey, the meaning of everyday life, to give us courage when we are under duress or when we suffer. In the midst of life’s storms, God always extends His hand to us and frees us from threats.”

Now, a lion is courageous and bold because, well, he is at the top of the food chain, isn’t he? His physical prowess is superior to the other beasts. So, notice what the holy father says is the source of our Christian courage—certainly not physical strength, rather the source of our courage is that the Lord accompanies us every day, always and everywhere. 

John the Baptist boldly proclaimed Christ because he was guided by the hand of God. God had chosen him, and he knew God was with him for this special mission.

So, too with us. In resisting those powers of darkness that seek to lull us into spiritual slumber, we are able to take courage because God is with us. God has chosen us and called us to boldly proclaim the Gospel in this very strange era of 2020. How do you know that you can overcome the temptations of your life? Because you’re a Christian. How do you know that you can remain faithful to God in these most complex, confusing times? Because you are a Christian. And God is with you.

In a very real sense, we light the candles of our advent wreath, not simply to count weeks before Christmas, but as a reminder that we need to be set on fire. Beyond gentle images of beautiful angels, lowing cattle, and an expectant mother, these first weeks of Advent present us with these bold characters like Isaiah and John the Baptist, to help set us afire with courage. And so, we do well to examine…where have I become spiritually lukewarm, spiritually mediocre, spiritually lazy, spiritually fearful? 

In the collect prayer at the beginning of mass last week, we asked God to give us the resolve to run forth to meet Christ at his coming. And this week’s collect prayer spoke of setting out in haste to meet God’s son. 

Spiritual Resolve, haste, courage, boldness, do you see these characteristics in your spiritual life? If not, make good use of the time you have left. Run forth with righteous deeds, resolving daily to engage in acts of charity for others, yet boldly set aside time daily to run forth to meet Christ in prayer, and courageously examine your conscience for any sins that need to be repented of, or confessed in the Sacrament of Confession, and do not be afraid, like John the Baptist, to appear a little strange to the rest of the world, in bravely pointing others to God for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

November 18 2020 - Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul

On June 29 every year we celebrate the feast of the martyrdoms of Saints Peter and Paul. Today’s feast commemorates the dedication of the Roman Basilicas built in their honor: the basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican in the year 350 and the dedication of the basilica of St. Paul in 390.  

Both of these edifices now stand very near the places where it is traditionally believed Saints Peter and Paul were martyred. Peter, we know, was said to have been crucified upside-down in the Circus of Nero, located on the mons Vaticanus, the Vatican Hill. Paul, was martyred outside the walls of the ancient city, at a place now called the abbazia delle tre fontane, the abbey of the three fountains, called such, because it is said, that when Paul was decapitated, his head bounced three times, from which, springs of water began to flow.

Each were buried near the place of their martyrdom. Again, Peter in a roman cemetery on Vatican Hill. And Paul, in a Roman Necropolis outside the ancient walls, in the tomb of a devout roman Noblewoman named Lucilla. 

When Christianity was eventually legalized in the Roman Empire, basilicas were built over the burial places of these two foundation stones for the Church. Though pilgrimage to their tombs was already occurring before the edict of Milan. Christians in fact risked imprisonment in order to make pilgrimage to pray at the tombs of Peter and Paul. 

Neither of the original basilicas still stand, in fact St. Paul’s has been subject to numerous fires. The new basilica of St. Paul’s was consecrated by Pius IX in 1854 and St. Peter’s Basillica was consecrated on this day, November 18 in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII—the altar of St. Peter’s basilica standing directly over the burial place of the apostle.

We can certainly see homages to these two great basilicas in the architecture of St. Ignatius, and yet, we aren’t really celebrated architectural achievement today, are we? Rather, the entire Catholic world today celebrates these two buildings in Rome,  in order to show our honor to the Apostles, and to remember that we belong to a Church that spans the entire globe, several millennia, which is built on the apostolic foundation. 

In an age where so many are tempted to sever themselves from the past and from authentic Church teaching, this feast is an important dimension of our Catholic faith. We unite ourselves to the great efforts of the apostles, to the millions of Catholics who have suffered persecution for our faith, for the efforts of missionaries and evangelists and teachers who have spent their lives passing on our faith, without whom we would not be here today. 

May our lives continue to be built upon the apostolic faith, courage and strength of Peter and Paul. May the love for the Lord which animated their lives animate ours, that we may serve him generously, if not heroically, like them, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the purification of Holy Church, that the Pope and Bishops and clergy may be filled with Apostolic Zeal, and that all the Christian faithful may discover and nurture their spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

For those who have left the Church, for those who have grown lukewarm, for those in mortal sin, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

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

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

 

Christ the King 2019 - Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat

In the middle of St Peter’s square in Rome, there stands a great obelisk. Standing over 80 feet tall and weighing over 325 Tons, this stone spear-like monolith originally stood in the temple of the sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis over four thousand years ago, representing the egyptians’ desire to communicate with the divine, like an antenna to the heavens. The obelisk was brought to Rome by the dreadful Emperor Caligula and set in the emperor’s gardens upon the mons Vaticanus, the Vatican Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. A decade later, the equally dreadful Emperor Nero erected a circus there, an open-air venue for public events, and it was in that circus that St Peter was martyred; the obelisk may well have been the last thing on this Earth that Peter saw.

The obelisk was moved about 1500 years later to its present location by Pope Sixtus V who engraved the following words upon the top of the obelisk, “Christus Vincit, regnat, imperat, ab omni malo plebem suam defendat: Christ conquers, He reigns, He commands; may He defend His people from all evil.” And it was topped with a bronze cross containing a fragment of the True Cross of Calvary.
These magnificent words are certainly part of the message resonating throughout this great feast of the Solemnity of Christ the King. “Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!” – “Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands”

Notice, that these words, are not in the past tense. Certainly, Christ conquered. He conquered death through his resurrection. He fought and won on the field of battle through his self-sacrifice. He conquered the false gods of the worlds and showed himself to be the true victor, the true God. And yes, he issued many commands. He commanded the apostles to teach and preach the gospel and to baptize all nations, he commanded sinners to repent, he commanded his followers to pick up and carry their own crosses, to eat his flesh and drink his blood, to follow him, to rejoice, to let their light shine, to honor god’s laws and to love god with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself, to be reconciled with estranged brethren, to keep one’s word, to go the second mile to help one in need, to love one’s enemies, to pray, to seek the kingdom of God, to beware of false prophets, and to not be afraid of persecution, suffering, and death.

But those words, Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat! are not in the past tense. They are in the present tense. For Christ conquers now, he reigns now, he commands now.

Christ the King conquers now. He conquers our pride, he conquers our lusts, he conquers our self-centeredness, he conquers coldness and fear. He conquers through the light of his Gospel truth in our minds, he conquers through the working of sacramental grace in our souls, he conquers the dark parts of our world when Christians choose life over death, faith over disbelief, hope over despair, love over selfishness.

Christ the King reigns now. He reigns in hearts that love the things of God over the things of earth. He reigns when Christians make his Gospel the guiding principle of their lives over secular political philosophies. He reigns in the authentic teaching and governance of the Church. He reigns in the hearts of his saints on earth who leave their comfort to raise up the poor and down-trodden from their miseries. He reigns in families who make Him the center of their family life.

And Christ the King commands us now. Well, everything that he commanded his disciples 2000 years ago, he commands us now. For christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” Go and teach all nations, teaching them to keep all that I have commanded you.” “If you love me, keep my commandments” He commands us through the Deposit of Faith. He commands us through the legitimate authority of the Pope and Bishops in union with Him. He commands us to be faithful and to turn to him for strength when we are tempted and tried and tired.

On this great solemnity of Christ the King, may we unite our minds and wills and hearts to Christ Our King and allow him to conquer in us, reign in us, and command us. May he defend us his people from all evil, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

34th Week in OT 2018 - Thursday - Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a haunt for demons For John’s original audience there would have been no doubt that Babylon—the harlot city in his apocalyptic vision—was Rome, “the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

We have to remember that St. John is not talking about the Rome of Saint Peter’s Basilica or the Roman Catholic Church, as some Protestants claim, but the Rome where Saint Peter was put to death, the Rome which led a persecution of God’s faithful ones. Rome is also symbolic of every earthly dominion or earthly leader, value, or attitude, which puts itself in opposition to the kingdom of Christ.

Not everything about ancient Rome was bad, just like not everything in our own secular culture is bad.  You can hear John’s admiration for what could have been: Rome’s art, her rule of law, her music.  But Rome had fallen into decadence, perversion and vice, violence and error and seemed closed to the true Faith of Christ.

Rome, saw itself as the mother of a new culture, and seeing her values and mores spread throughout the known world, was called the “Eternal City”. Revelation, depicts Rome, in a much different way. Not as a mother filled with faith, hope, and love, but as a prostitute, filled with error, demons, and uncleanliness. Not as an Eternal City, but a city destined for destruction because of its hostility toward God.

Rome was called Babylon in reference to the tower of Babel from the book of Genesis, whose builders sought to build it as a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and by doing so sought to make a name for themselves, to have their fame spread throughout the earth.  So, Babylon is a fitting nickname for any culture which set itself at odds with God’s plans for humanity! In the Gospel, Jesus even says Jerusalem will be destroyed for its opposition.

On this side of eternity, there will always be a Babylon trying to make a name for itself, setting itself at odds with God’s plan, spreading its vile morality.  As the liturgical year comes to a close, here is another reminder for Christians to be in the world, but not of the world.  The values of the modern day Babylon must not be adopted by Christians, lest they share in her destiny.

Today is the first day of the Immaculate Conception Novena. I encourage you to pray this Novena, for what better model of keeping oneself free from the stains of the world, than the Immaculate Virgin whose faith and humble submission to the Divine Will is a model for all Christians. Like her, may we be found worthy members of the heavenly city, this day, and forever, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112918.cfm

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For Pope Francis, Bishop Perez, and all ordained ministers, that their ministry may be effective in leading the Church in Christian faith, hope, and charity.

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

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

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

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

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