10th Week of Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday - Prophetic Role of the Baptized

 

In the first reading, we heard of one of the great spiritual showdowns of the Old Testament—the prophet of the God of Israel, Elijah versus the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal.

In dramatic fashion, Elijah proves that God is the One True God and exposes the futility of belief in the false god, Baal. When you hear the word “prophet” you might think of one who foretells the future. But in Scripture and in our Tradition, the role of the prophet is to do exactly what Elijah did in our first reading. The Prophet has the job of making the true God known to the world, which might include the occasional showdown with the false prophets.

So, who are the prophets these days? The Pope? The highly trained theologian? Well, not just them, of course. God has raised up, called, and anointed each of the baptized as prophets. Each of us has a role, a share, in the Church’s prophetic mission.

To highlight your prophetic role, when you were baptized, the priest or deacon who baptized you put oil on your head, and explained to you, that as God “has given you new birth by water and the Holy Spirit”…”he now anoints you, so that you may remain members of Christ, priest, prophet, and king”

The Pope has a unique role as teacher and leader, but every baptized person is called to be a messenger of God's truth and to proclaim the Gospel. This mission involves living a holy life, serving others, and speaking truth even when unpopular, following the example of the biblical prophets, and of course, Jesus, Our Blessed Lord Himself.

In the Gospel today, Our Lord himself connects good example and our role to proclaim the truth: “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

And so we should strive day by day to become the most effective prophets we can; by ensuring we are giving good example and by learning how to effectively teach the faith to people in the various circumstances of their lives. This includes the members of our families, being a good example for them, and also giving good Christian example when we are in public. That’s probably the most effective prophetic witness we can give—is to show people how God, how being Catholic can transform someone like me, into someone like Jesus—how Christianity helps people become more like Christ. That’s the task, just like Elijah, to point people to the one true God—through word, example, acts of charity, obedience, bearing spiritual fruit for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - 

 

For the holy Church of God, and that every Christian make take seriously their share in the Church’s prophetic mission.

For the peoples of the world: that they may come to acknowledge and worship the one True God.

For the priests of the diocese who begin a new parish assignment this week, especially for the newly ordained, that they may be faithful Christ in every dimension of their ministry.

For our young people on summer vacation, for their protection from the evils of our culture, from all physical harm, and that the faith may be practiced and flourish in their families.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief, especially for the sick and victims of war and terror and natural disaster.

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.

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.

 

Holy Week 2024 - Monday - Holy Feet of Jesus

 Throughout Lent, here at St. Ignatius we have been utilizing the Stations of the Cross of St. Alphonsus Ligouri. Several times in the course of the Stations, St. Alphonsus draws our attention to the Holy Feet of Jesus. In the 11th Station, the saint describes how they nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross, and in the 12th stations the Saint prays, “By the merits of Your death, give me the grace to die embracing Your feet.” 

These prayers remind me of how on Good Friday, we come up and venerate the cross, and if it is a crucifix, many people choose to kiss the feet of Jesus. And I always find that to be such a beautiful gesture.

There is in fact a Novena of unknown origin called the “Novena in Honor of the Holy Feet of Jesus”. The Novena begins considering how Mary and Joseph must have adored the Infant Feet of Jesus, and how the Holy Feet of Jesus carried the Good News to the poor. It contains scriptural references like how Jairus falls at the Holy Feet of Jesus to make his request, Mary sits at the Holy Feet of Jesus listening to him, and the Holy Feet of Jesus are nailed to the cross.

The Samaritan Leper who was cleansed returns to Jesus and falls facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving. At the empty tomb, an angel sits where Jesus’ feet had been. And St. Paul scribes how God has put all things under the Holy Feet of the Victorious Christ.

During Holy Week, we do well to consider his Holy Feet. These feet, which once walked on water and brought healing to the sick, are bruised and bloodied by the weight of the cross and the cruelty of the soldiers. The Lord allows his Holy Feet to be nailed to the cross out of love for us, and precious blood to spill to the earth from the wounds made by the nails.

But prior to the blood and suffering, in today’s Gospel, we stoop down with Mary of Bethany who anoints the Holy Feet of Jesus as an act of love. Mary’s act of love calls us to be lavish in showing great love in gratitude for all we have been given and forgiven. We consider what this act of anointing entailed—how she considered where those feet had tread, and where they would go in the coming days—his feet which recalled his journey thus far—the many miles he walked throughout his ministry. The feet which walked on water as a sign of his divinity. And the feet which would be pierced in sacrifice out of love. They are feet about which the very first book of the bible prophecies, when God in the Garden tells the serpent that he will strike at the heel of the woman’s offspring, but he will fatally crush the serpent’s head. 

As we walk with Jesus this Holy Week, may we never lose sight of his Holy Feet. May we adore them, kiss them, and allow the precious blood that flows from them to wash over us, cleansing us of our sins and drawing us deeper into the Holy Life of God, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - - -  

That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

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 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.

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.

Holy Week 2021 - Monday - Lavish Charity in the House of Bethany

The Gospel for Monday of Holy Week presents two very different attitudes towards Jesus. One attitude symbolized by Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and another symbolized by Judas Iscariot on the other.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus recline with Jesus, they share intimacy with Him, serve Him and anoint Him. Lazarus is gratefully aware that the Master raised him from the dead and wants to share that joy with others as he invites friends to a banquet in his home to meet Jesus. Mary lavishly shows her love and affection for Jesus by anointing his holy feet with expensive perfumed oil and drying his feet with her hair.

But not Judas. Judas snickers, Judas sneers, Judas mocks. Judas envies. He covets. 

The Church, of course, is to embody the spirit of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary: serving Jesus, bringing people closer to Jesus that they may share with him in the banquet of life, lavishly pouring out our very best, our very selves to honor and love Jesus.

Very often, we encounter the spirit of Judas Iscariot, though, don’t we, sneering and snickering at the Church’s most holy expressions of love for Jesus—our liturgy, our care for the poor. The Church is mocked sometimes by her own members for if that unholy spirit can infiltrate the twelve, it can certainly infiltrate the Church. It is a whisper that even many devoted Catholics have heard in their own hearts—don’t serve Him, it’s too costly, you have more important things to do. The Spirit of Judas is always trying to turn people away from the lavish love of God.

What seems like an incredible waste of time, money, and effort to the world—our service, our worship, our prayers, are to be offered in a spirit of profound and lavish charity, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in the Gospel today. Judas cries out that all this is a waste. But we know better.  Our lavish expressions of holy friendship with Him, our love of Him, our expressions of  gratitude for how he has blessed us, and for the immensity of what he suffers for us, are holy to God.

So, we must not be embarrassed in our lavishly loving Him, we must not hold back from lavishly serving him, and we must not be hesitant in inviting those who hunger for his goodness, his truth, and his beauty, to the table of the Lord. Yes, there are many Judas’ out there, but there are also many on the fringes, who are yearning to meet Him, know Him, and love Him. 

Each of us does well today to reflect upon how we can show our gratitude to the Lord, how we can serve the Lord, and how we can bring others to know the Lord, even perhaps to soften the hearts of the Judases of the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -
 

That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

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 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.

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.

 

Holy Week 2019 - Monday - His Holy Feet

What a beautiful, intimate, tender, moment, we’ve just heard described on this Monday of the Holiest Week of the year, when Mary anoints the feet of Jesus, and washes them with her hair.

In ancient Israel, anointing was usually used for rituals of elevating one's status, such as anointing the head of one becoming a priest, prophet, or king. Priests, prophets, and kings were anointed to show that they had a special task from God. The word ‘Christ’ is the Greek Word for anointed one. Jesus is the Christ, the one anointed for the ultimate mission of human redemption.

Anointing was also done at burial. Not just the head, but the entire body would be anointed with oil.
Here in Bethany, neither Jesus’ head nor his entire body was anointed, but only his feet. Why his feet? Perhaps simply as an act of devotion and love. Perhaps Mary falls at Jesus’ feet as one would fall at the feet of a King, to show her belief that he is Christ the King.

But perhaps also to draw our attention to his Holy Feet. So that we would watch where his feet trod this Holy Week. His feet which trod the Via Crucis, the way of the cross. His feet which trod the hot and dusty roads of the Holy Land to bring the Good News to the poor, now blaze a path for his disciples to follow. His feet are pierced for our offenses.

It is at his feet, the Mary chose the better portion. Rather, than becoming busy with the things of the world, like her sister Martha, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to listen to him, to learn from him. And unlike her sister, Martha, who complained about the odor that would come from the tomb, Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet fills the house with the fragrance of love and devotion.

Through the Lord’s willingness to walk the path of obedience to his Father’s Will, It is his feet which will crush the head of the ancient serpent. Because of his faithfulness, St. Paul says “God put everything under His feet.”

Sometimes as Christians, we are called to walk down paths that are terrifying, the flesh often abhors the road of the spirit, our feet want to run away from sacrifice and penance, run away from the stranger calling out for help. But as members of the Body of Christ, we are called to walk where he walked, follow where he leads, and perhaps be the feet that crushes Satan still at work in the world.
This Holy Week may our adoration of His Holy Feet, help us to walk where he has walked, to follow Him all the way to the cross, in subjection of our whole lives to His Holy Rule 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 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 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.

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.

Homily: Monday of Holy Week 2017 - Actions speak louder than words

painting by DANIEL F. GERHARTZ

What did Mary know? What did she understand? What was in her heart when she poured this anointment over Christ? What did she grasp about his identity, that she perform this very strange and costly action?

In the Old Testament, prophets are of course known for their preaching, calling people to repentance, inviting people back to intimate union with God. But they are also known for their actions. They would often perform strange actions which carried deep symbolic meaning.

Think of Elisha commanding Naaman the Syrian to go and wash himself in the Jordan. Isaiah strips off his clothing, shames himself, to expose the shame of Israel’s enemies. Hosea marries a prostitute to show how Israel had given herself over to false gods.

Jesus, too, uses prophetic gestures to show deeper meaning: he changes water into an abundance of wine, to show the abundance of God’s blessing, he puts clay on the blind man’s eyes showing that he restores us to an Eden-like state.

What is Mary, sister of Lazarus doing with this costly oil? Perhaps, she is simply thanking the Lord for raising her brother from the dead. It certainly shows her profound love for Him, a love we all do well to emulate. But, perhaps she did grasp something, the fruit of contemplating the face of Jesus as Martha her sister was busy at work around her. The anointing with oil certainly shows that Jesus is the anointed one, the one chosen by God to save us from our sins. The costliness of the oil shows the preciousness of his own sacrifice.

In scripture, so often, actions speak louder than words. And so to in our own lives. During this Holy Week, we do well to open the jars of costly anointment for the Lord—bringing Him our best, giving our best for Him.

I cannot help but thinking of the nearly 50 people who were killed by Islamic terrorists in Egypt yesterday on Palm Sunday. They gave their lives for Him. And we are called to do the same.
In our gestures of love for the needy, in our prayer, in our fasting, in our observance of the Holy Week liturgies, in preparing our homes and hearts for the Easter festivities.

During this Holy Week, our love and affection for Jesus should fill the room like the fragrance of ointment.  It should be detectable by those we meet. That they too perhaps can be drawn into the relationship of divine love for the glory of God and salvation of souls.