10th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Monday - Fulfillment of promises and longings

 Having come to the end of our readings through the public ministry of the Lord prior to his passion from the Gospel of Mark, our daily ordinary time weekday Gospel readings from now until September will be taken from the Gospel of Matthew. We’ll read sequentially from the beginning of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, as we heard this morning, to the final parables prior to his arrest. We’ll then read from Luke’s Gospel until the end of the liturgical year.

This gospel was written by a Jew, Matthew the tax-collector, for a Jewish Christian audience. The structure of the Gospel even reflects its Jewish origins. There are five discourse sections sandwich between 7 narrative sections. Those five narrative sections mirror the five books of Moses and portray Jesus the New Moses giving the New Law for God’s people. 

Because the Gospel was written by a Jew for the Jews, Matthew, utilizes far more Old Testament quotations and references than the other Gospel writers. Matthew’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ genealogy tracing Him back to David and then to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation.

Again, writing to Jews, Matthew portrays Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jewish people—promises of salvation and justice and peace and glory. 

In today’s reading, Jesus promises that all of those longings—longings for the kingdom, longings for righteousness, for peace, longings to see the face of God—can be found in heading his teachings. You will obtain the kingdom of heaven, if you become humble. You will come to see the face of God, if you become pure of heart. You will obtain mercy if you show mercy.

Jesus is the fulfillment not only of God’s promises to the Jewish people, he is the fulfillment of our hearts deepest longings.  He fulfills our longings for truth, for goodness, for beauty, and for peace. But he is clear. We must pursue Him. We must pursue beatitude. It requires effort and conversion and embrace of the cross.

Beatitude is not obtained by passive complacency, or by those who resist the change of mind and heart that he teaches. Again, if you want mercy, you must show mercy. If you want peace, you must make peace. If you want purity of sight, you purify your heart. If you want truth to reign on earth, you must be willing to suffer for it. If you want the highest heaven, you must become lowly—poor in spirit. 

God’s promises coincide with our deepest longings. May we seek that fulfillment we long for in Christ, actively, intently, with all the effort we can muster, and with the help of God, so to obtain the life he promises, for the Glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That during this month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, all Christians may witness to the tender love of Christ for sinners through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life—and that single and celibate Christians may witness to the sacrificial, all-embracing love of Christ for all.

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

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

September 13 2023 - St. John Chrysostom - Seek what is above

St. John Chrysostom was born in Antioch, about 250 years after our parish patron, the bishop St. Ignatius of Antioch went to his martyrdom. Perhaps the seed of our patron’s martyrdom yielded the fruit of St. John’s great faith.

It is unclear whether his parents were Christian or pagan, but we do know that he was baptized around the age of 18. While studying civil law, he felt the call to enter monastic life, but discerning it wasn’t quite his calling, he was ordained a deacon and then a priest for the Church of Antioch. 

The young priest soon garnered a reputation for his eloquent preaching. He was as St. John Henry Newman said, “a bright, cheerful, gentle soul; a sensitive heart,” who helped the people apply the Scriptures to their daily lives. About 600 hundred of his sermons and commentaries on scripture have been preserved, as well as many treatises on the moral and spiritual life, and a very famous book on the priesthood.

Today we continue to read from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” The saints, like St. John Chrysostom, are marvelous examples of what it means to be heavenly-minded, rather than earthly-minded. And that doesn’t mean we have our heads in the clouds or unconcerned with the sufferings of the poor on earth. Rather, it means that our decisions and choices and words must be weighed by if they help us to attain heaven or not.

St. John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage says, St. Paul writes these words to help us to “draw them off from pleasure and ease.” In other words, Paul is instructing us that pleasure and ease of life are not what makes a thing or an action good. Just because something is pleasurable or easy doesn’t it make it good for our minds, bodies, or souls. Rather, what is good, is what helps us to attain heaven. 

Paul is echoing our Lord’s own teaching in the Gospel: sorrow, hunger, poverty, and being hated by the world can be good, when they help us attain heaven, they can be more profitable than happiness, riches, food, and being popular or accepted by our peers. We are given this earthly life as a test, as a choice: will we pursue only what is temporary, or what is eternal.

May St. John Chrysostom and all the saints help us to attain the true blessedness for which we were made for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the bishops and priests may be men of sound doctrine, and courageously preach the Gospel in its fullness. 

That government leaders around the world may carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for freedom and the dignity of human life.  

For the grace to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbors and enemies and those who persecute us, and to share the truth of the Gospel with all.  

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy 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, 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.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Blessedness comes from following Jesus

 In the Lord’s great sermon on the mount, he teaches his disciples how to pursue blessedness. What is blessedness?

Blessedness was a topic that even the ancient Greek philosophers used to debate about. To seek blessedness, is to seek our highest human good—to seek the best way to live—to become our best selves. Many in our modern culture say there is no such thing, that we can’t make such judgments: “my way is just as good as your way.” But, the ancient greeks would say that is foolish, because it’s quite evident to anyone paying attention that some decisions help us to pursue human flourishment and some do not. Sitting around doing drugs and playing video games 18 hours a day is not human flourishment. Letting your intellectual gifts go to waste, becoming addicted to food or drink or pursuing wealth at the expense of other people, using your body in ways that bring you shame—these things are far from human flourishing; certain human choices are filthy, obscene, perverted and corrupt, morally unbefitting. 

And so the the philosophers were really serious about pursing wisdom they loved wisdom, that’s what philosophy means, philo-sophia, the love of wisdom. Because it is wisdom enables you to pursue blessedness—our highest good.

The ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle loved to make distinctions, and Aristotle differentiated between two different types of blessedness. The first type of blessedness was the Greek word eudaimonia: an earthly well-being that comes through living a virtuous life, a life where the passions are brought under control, where happiness is the fruit of putting your life in order. But there is something missing here. Eudaimonia seems like it is obtained through human effort. Well, what about grace, what about God? What about the blessedness that belongs to God?

Well, Aristotle used another word for that— “makarios”—the blessedness of the God, the blessedness of the gods enjoying divine life up on Mt. Olympus.  Because of their divinity, the gods don’t experience hunger, suffering, or depression, they enjoy a fullness of existence because of their divinity…a blessedness beyond human experience.

But at the very end of Aristotle’s writings on the virtuous life—his Nicomachean Ethics, he also hints at the possibility of humans seeking “makarios”, the blessedness of the gods.

Well guess what word St. Matthew uses in his original Greek Gospel? Makarios, when Jesus promises beatitude—blessedness to his followers, it’s not simply that first kind of blessedness—contentment from having your life in order. The Greek of Matthew’s Gospel has that second type-- “markarios”—on the lips of our Lord. The blessedness of heaven—the blessedness of God can be yours, Jesus promises, if you are poor in spirit, pure of heart, if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, if you suffer for his name.

Eudaimonia and Makarios become linked in the Christian life. We do grow in happiness, contentment, a joy, when our life becomes ordered in pursuing the highest pursuits. But the highest pursuits are not pleasure, wealth, and power, or even perfect athleticism, oratorical skill, or strategic ability. The highest pursuit is the pursuit of God—to seek first the kingdom of God, to seek first the life that God wants for each of us.  

And unlike Aristotle and Plato and every human philosopher, Jesus isn’t a mere preacher of the blessed life. He doesn’t just tell us about blessedness, he says follow me, imitate me, do as I do, and you will be blessed.

The greatest homily Jesus ever preached was not the Sermon on the Mount overlooking the Sea of Galilee. His greatest Sermon was his whole sinless life in obedience to the Father, which culminated in his mounting the pulpit of the Cross.

So, let's consider all the ways Our Lord Himself fulfills each of the beatitudes and teaches us to follow Him in practicing the beatitudes in each of our lives.

First, Jesus was poor in spirit, so poor he didn’t even have a place to lay his head (Lk 9:58). He treasured God the Father and his kingdom as his greatest gift. We become blessed when we value and pursue the things of heaven over the things of earth.

Secondly, Jesus mourned. He wept over Jerusalem for its near wholesale failure of recognizing that He is the Way which leads to true peace. He likewise wept over the death of Lazarus, when the powers of death overcame his dear friend. We become blessed when we repent, when we mourn those times when we turned away from the path of Christ and mourn when sin and death have sway in us and others.

Thirdly, Jesus was meek. To be meek is to have strength and power, but keep it appropriately bridled. He set his face with determination toward Jerusalem, he accepted the chalice of God’s will, knowing the suffering it would entail, he carried the cross through the streets of Jerusalem, laying down his life willingly for others. As sovereign of heaven, he could have called down the might of legions of angels to slay his enemies, but rather he freely lays down his life. We become blessed when we exert our strength, our energy, our time, talent, and treasure for the sake of the Kingdom--to use our strength not to oppress, but to lift up.

Fourthly, Jesus hungered and thirsted for righteousness, saying that his very hunger, his very “food [was] to do the will” of his heavenly Father, which was to make us righteous. We become blessed when we labor to help others achieve the righteousness for which they were made.

Fifthly, Jesus was merciful. He is the very face of mercy: extending mercy to the outcast, the adulterous, the untouchable leper, the grieving parent, the paralyzed friend. We become blessed when we extend mercy—engaging in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

Next, Jesus was pure in heart. Sin had no place in his mind our heart. We are blessed when we make no place for evil, perversion, corruption, greed, wrath, lust, pride, envy or sloth, to dwell in our minds and hearts

Next, Jesus was a peacemaker. He established the definitive peace treaty between God and man and signed it in his own blood. We become blessed when we accept the mission to announce God’s peace to the world.

Lastly, Jesus was persecuted for the sake of righteousness. From the scribes and Pharisees, to the scoffing passersby, to the false witnesses at his trial, to the Roman soldiers, to Herod, to Pilate, to the thief on his left, so many reviled him, persecuted him and uttered all kinds of evil against him falsely. We become blessed when we, like him, speak the truth in charity and stand up for what is right even when that means suffering for it.

How are you being called by God to pursue blessedness? What does it mean for you to allow the blessedness of Christ to grow in you and animate you, to become the driving force in your life, in your family’s life? I encourage everyone here to spend time with the Beatitudes this week. Mathew’s Gospel, chapter 5. Go Line by line, word for word. What does it mean in the concrete details of your life, to be poor in spirit, pure of heart, merciful. How might God be calling you to willingly embrace persecution for the sake of righteousness? 

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand this teaching, and learn from Jesus’ example, so that you may follow him more closely and inherit the promise of blessedness God wants for you, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

23rd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - Poor, hungry, sorrowful, and hated

The beatitudes Jesus teaches, the way to attain holiness on earth that leads to beatitude in heaven, are a pretty strange set of teachings at first glance, no? Blessed are you when you are poor? No one wants to poor. Everyone tries to get out of poverty. Blessed are you who are hungry? In Jesus’ day, to go hungry was a sign that you were cursed by God. No one likes to be hungry. Blessed are you who weep? Holiness consists in sorrow? Poor, hungry, now sad? We seek to escape sadness, depression, and grief. And the last one is even more dramatic. You are blessed when you are hated, persecuted, and condemned as evil for being a follower of Jesus. 

Poverty, hunger, sadness, and persecution are roads to holiness. If there was ever a refutation of the so-called prosperity Gospel of modern day preachers, you simply have to read these four verses.

Jesus here refutes the idea that riches, and fat bellies, and earthly satisfaction, and a comfortable, peaceful life are signs of blessing and God’s favor. In fact, to prioritize these earthly pursuits over the seeking of holiness will leave you frustrated, exhausted, spiritually depleted, and possibly damned for all time. 

Each the beatitudes are lessons in the importance of recognizing that this earthly life is not the end all and be all of our existence, but that we are to live for eternity, to use the time we’ve been given to prepare for eternity. Part of that is learning to cultivate the attitudes, behaviors, and habits that truly benefit our souls—including detachment from earthly wealth, bodily pleasures, and social favor. And the other part is learning to be dependent on God and trust in God.

Before God we are to be poor, trusting that God will give us what we need to pursue our highest ends. Before God we are to be hungry, trust that God will feed us with what we need to have the strength to follow his holy will. Before God we are to weep—to weep for our sins, to weep for the time we’ve wasted in following empty pursuits and false prophets. And we are to do so all these things, even if it makes other uncomfortable, even if we are hated by our families and past acquaintances. 

This Gospel entails embracing a real different way of life than the way most of us are brought up with. But the saints who embrace the Gospel, embrace these teachings, show us, that it works. It is the road to true and lasting joy, and fulfillment. It’s the life we really long for, but are often too afraid to pursue, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the grace to desire and pursue the holiness God desires for each of us.

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our government & educational institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes; and for a flourishing of the Gospel in our land.

For the poor, hungry, sorrowful, and persecuted, that they may trust in the Lord in their trials and know his love and strength. 

For all our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. 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

August 2 2022 - St. Eusebius of Vercelli - Constancy to affirm the Lord's divinity

 The time was the third century, the challenge facing the Church was the heresy of Arianism which denied the Divinity of Christ.

A synod was called by Pope Liberius in 355 to help settle the growing split between loyal Catholics and the Arians, and the Pope’s delegate was the first bishop of Vercelli, Bishop Eusebius.

During the Council, the Arians were vicious in arguing that the Son of God did not always exist, that he was inferior in divinity to God the Father.  The Arians wanted their opponents to condemn the writings and teachings of St. Athanasius who defended the true faith at the First Council of Nicaea.

Eusebius and other bishops loyal to Rome refused to go along with the condemnation of Athanasius.  Instead, Eusebius laid the Nicene Creed on the table and insisted that all sign it before taking up any other matter.  The Roman Emperor, himself an Arian Heretic, began to put pressure on Eusebius and the loyal bishops.  But Eusebius did not relent, in fact he confronted the Emperor for attempting to use secular force to influence Church decisions.

And you’d like to think Eusebius’ courage and constancy changed the Emperor’s mind and converted the Arians…well, no. Eusebius, like Athanasius before him, was condemned to exile for not supporting the Emperor’s will and heretical beliefs. And In exile, the Arians continued to harass the faithful bishop, even dragging him through the streets and imprisoning him. 

This reminds me of a line of Mother Theresa: “God doesn’t call us to be successful, only to be faithful.” We might not always be successful in converting the heretical emperor or fallen away family member. But we are called to be faithful to trying.  We are to uphold Catholic teaching, when faced with pressure from the secular world; maybe some will be converted…God willing…when they witness our constancy and fortitude and patience and willingness to suffer for the truth. 

As you know, I like to use the proper readings for the saints on their memorials. I like to preach on the virtues of the saints, and those proper readings are chosen by the Church because there is some confluence between God’s word and the life of the saint, the saint in some way exemplifies and illustrates God’s word by their life. And I find it pretty noteworthy that the Gospel reading for St. Eusebius is the beatitudes. 

It's almost as if the Church is saying, take note of this saint, he exemplifies the beatitudes of Jesus Christ. He was meek as Jesus was meek, he was pure of heart as Jesus was pure of heart, he was insulted and persecuted and had every evil uttered against him because he was faithful to God, and for this, for his faithfulness, he is counting among the blessed and his honored by the Church, but also held up as an example, of what it means to be a holy bishop, and faithful Catholic.

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That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.

For Bishop-elect Michael Woost who will be consecrated bishop this week, for blessings upon his ministry as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland.

That politicians and government officials may protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the law of Christ to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race

For all those who experience persecution for the sake of the Gospel, that they may be sustained in their faith, and bear fruit for the salvation of souls.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection, especially N. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

10th Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Salt and Light

 We continue today to read sequentially through the Lord’s great sermon on the mount—today’s passage immediately following the Beatitudes. 

Practicing the beatitudes enables disciples of the Lord to be “Salt of the earth” and “light of the world”. Jesus’ disciples aren’t going to be sitting around in contended beatitude while on this earth. We are given work to do, we’re given a new purpose. 

In the ancient world, salt had a number of uses. So, too, Christians are to have a number of jobs.

First salt is used as a seasoning. So, too, Christians are to be a sort of seasoning to an otherwise bland world.  There is nothing more interesting, no one more full of life than a true Christian saint filled with the life of Christ. Something each of us are to aspire to.

Salt is also a Preservative: In the days before refrigeration, salt made preserving food possible for times of famine. Christians will have the job of preserving what is good and holy in creation, opposing spiritual decay. Salt is also needed for life. You cannot survive without some salt. Similarly, Christians need to be salt in this way. The health of a society can be measured by its Christians living faithfully according to the precepts of our faith.

Salt is also a Purifier: The salt in the oceans of the world that act as a natural cleaning agent, and most water purification systems use salt as a "purifier." Christians are to be the world’s purifiers: opposing the corrupting powers of malice and perversion and greed, purifying the mind and heart of society by preaching the word and calling to conversion.

Finally, just like it’s used on our roads, in ancient times salt was also used to prevent people from slipping on slippery paths.  Christians are called to help souls from slipping into damnation—promoting the teachings of Jesus which give stability to civilization.

Christians are also called to be the light of the world, we are to be out in the world, shining with good deeds, so that the nations might trace our good deeds back to our God who inspires them. 

What a wonderful vocation: to be salt and light. But the Lord, in this passage also gives his first warnings. Salt can lose its flavor, light can be hidden under a bushel. Christians must not allow these things to happen. You must chose to be faithful to your vocation every day. Living the beatitudes is a choice, being the salt you are called to be, and the light you are called to be requires an intentional decision: study, prayer, effort, courage, and patience.

May our Christian saltiness, our brightness, and the beatitude of the Lord increase in us today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the whole Christian people, that the beatitudes of Christ may animate our lives. Let us pray to the Lord. 

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote authentic and lasting peace in the world, an end to terrorism, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

For blessings upon the priests of the diocese who begin new assignments today: may their ministry be blessed with the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept close to the truth and heart of Jesus, that young people may live in faith-filled homes where the Gospel is cherished, studied, and lived-out. Let us pray to the lord.

For all of the sick and suffering, for the grace to unite their sufferings with Christ and to know His consolation and peace.

For our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. We pray to the Lord.

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

10th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Monday - Beatitude in every season

 Over the next three weeks we will read through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for our daily Gospel readings, beginning today with the opening verses of Chapter 5 of St. Matthew’s Gospel.  

The beatitudes are read at baptisms, weddings, funerals, and throughout the Church year because they are the attitudes and dispositions we are meant to cultivate throughout every season of life whether we are mourning or rejoicing, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, in youth or old age.

Families often request the beatitudes be read because even in their grief, they recognize that it is good and holy to turn to God in gratitude for the ways in which their loved ones lived out the beatitudes and to pray for the ways their loved ones well short.

Bride and groom often request the beatitudes for their wedding because the beatitudes are the key to a happy, holy marriage. I often say to bride and groom: In the beatitudes, Jesus Himself gives all Christians a blueprint for a life of holiness and faithful discipleship.  Yet, here are also keys to a happy, holy marriage.

Your marriage will be blessed when you are poor in spirit, when you rely on the grace of God and put God first in your marriage at all times.  Your marriage will be blessed when you mourn, when you say you are sorry for moments of selfishness to God and to each other. Your marriage will be blessed when you are meek, when you are gentle instead of being domineering or self-centered. Your marriage will be blessed when you are merciful, when you are quick to grant forgiveness to each other. Your marriage will be blessed when you are clean of heart, when you guard your hearts, minds and marriage from the poisonous attitudes of our selfish culture. Keep your hearts and marriage clean from materialism, envy, entitlement, spiritual laziness. Your marriage will be blessed even when, and maybe especially when, you are persecuted for being a follower of Jesus, when you are faithful to Jesus even when there are consequences—socially, perhaps even financially. 

The beatitudes, however, are not just a list of commandments. They are about transformation. The blessedness of Christ is to transform our minds and hearts and personalities. We are to be meek, as he was meek; we are to be pure, as he was pure; we are to be devoted to doing the will of God as he was devoted.  

It is good to come across the beatitudes in Ordinary Time because they remind us that we must always be about the business of cultivating the blessedness of Christ in the ordinary circumstances of our lives—His blessedness is to transform us and animate us every day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the whole Christian people, that the beatitudes of Christ may animate our lives. Let us pray to the Lord. 

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote authentic and lasting peace in the world, an end to terrorism, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept close to the truth and heart of Jesus, that young people may live in faith-filled homes where the Gospel is cherished, studied, and lived-out. Let us pray to the lord.

For all of the sick and suffering, for the grace to unite their sufferings with Christ and to know His consolation and peace.

For our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. We pray to the Lord.

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 30 2020 - First Martyrs of Rome - Blessed are the Christian Persecuted

Yesterday, we celebrated the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, both martyred in Rome, perhaps even on the same day. Peter and Paul were martyred, likely in the year 67, but they were not the first martyrs of Rome.

There were Christians in Rome within a dozen or so years after the death of Jesus; it is to them that Paul wrote his great letter to the Romans.

Little can be said with certainty about the social and economic situation of those original Roman Christians; they probably represented a cross-section of Rome’s urban population. It was probably a congregation consisting mostly of folks from the middle and lower classes—artisans, merchants, manual laborers, slaves and former slaves, with perhaps a modest number of affluent citizens and perhaps a one or two politically influential persons. They were probably a combination of Jewish and Gentile—Paul even refers to a few of his relatives in his letter, Prisca and Aquila.

Rome was somewhat tolerant to its Jewish citizens. They were exempt from offering the pagan sacrifices. As a foreign religion, some Romans viewed Judaism with disdain. Cicero, for example, referred to Judaism as a barbarous superstition. He did not consider it dangerous, merely uncultured.

So, when some of those Roman Jews and a handful of Gentiles become Christian, it probably didn’t cause much concern, as it did in Jerusalem. Perhaps, as time went on, rumors of the Christians claim that Christ was King and true God began to cause some concern in the imperial palace.

In July of 64 A.D., more than half of Rome was destroyed by fire. Rumor blamed the tragedy on the Emperor Nero, who wanted to enlarge his palace. He, in turn, shifted the blame off of himself by accusing the Christians.  And so Nero ordered their arrest and execution.  Christians were rounded up, many were tortured, some were even crucified or thrown to wild beasts or burned at the stake.

The 1st century roman historian Tacitus wrote about the incident, “great multitudes of Christians were put to death”. Even Tacitus suggests that Nero made the Christians scapegoats for the fire.

Nero's was the first persecution by a Roman emperor, but certainly not the last.  But we celebrate and commemorate today those who were killed by that persecution, for their association with Christ. For their witness which must have impacted the early Church profoundly and continues to bolster our faith, 2000 years later.

“Blessed are those who are persecute you, and insult you, and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me, rejoice and be glad, for your reward is the kingdom of heaven.” As the world continues to oppose and conspire against Christ, against his Church, and against Christians, may we be counted among his friends, his disciples, his brothers and sisters. 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 that our future bishop of the diocese of Cleveland may be a man of true faith and the Holy Spirit.

That people of faith remain vigilant in defending their religious liberty and that Christ may govern the minds and hearts of those who govern us. We pray to the Lord.

That we may never allow the witness of the martyrs to be in vain, but live lives worthy of their sacrifice.

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 Christians persecuted for their faith around the world, 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, and for Richard Behlke & Catherine Strauss for whom this Mass is offered.

Heavenly Father, graciously hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church on this feast of the Roman Martyrs, through Christ, Our Lord.

10th Week of OT 2020 - Wednesday - Beatitudes of Christ and Law of Moses

We continue to read from the Lord’s great Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew. The Lord, remember, began his sermon with the Beatitudes. Like Moses atop Mount Sinai communicating the law of God to the Israelites, the Lord, atop the mount of Beatitudes delivered a set of new commandments for his disciples: we must become poor of spirit, we must mourn our sins, we must become pure of heart, we must hunger and thirst for righteousness, we must be willing to be persecuted for the Gospel.

After delivering these new commandments, the Lord, just a few verses later, explains the relationship of his teachings with the commandments delivered by Moses. As we heard today, he says, I’ve not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill the Law. The beatitudes do not replace the law of Moses, they are added to it in a sense.

Christian disciples will need to keep the tenets of the moral law, the 10 commandments and such, in order to remain in right relationship with God. But then, we must also keep the beatitudes and all the teachings of the Lord, and all of his authoritative interpretation of the Old Law, so we may become salt of the earth and light for the world, as we heard yesterday. Our inner conformity and outward activity must set an example for non-believers, for little ones, for children, neophytes, and those weak of faith.

It is amazing how the Lord connects our duty to God and our duty to our neighbor. We have a duty to God to follow these commandments, a duty to the Lord to strive to live out the beatitudes, and in doing so, we point our neighbor to a deeper love of God. When we fail in our duty to keep the commandments, we are also, in a sense failing our neighbor. And when we fail to love our neighbor, we are failing to love our God.

But, when we do obey the commandments and teach others to do so, our Lord says, we will be great in the kingdom of heaven. We merit, through obedience and love, greater and greater shares in the divine life of God. The one who loves little will be rewarded with little, but the one who loves much will be rewarded with much.

With the Lord’s help may we truly mourn our failures to keep the commandments, and repent of them, that is to change our minds and change our hearts, that they may be conformed in all things to the mind and heart of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the preaching and teaching and charitable works of the Church will inspire all people to seek to practice and keep the commandments of God.

That those in public office may govern with wisdom, put an end to all political corruption, and work for a society of authentic justice and peace with special care for the most vulnerable.

For an end to oppression, racism, hatred, addiction and injustice. For the healing of all the sick.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for a strengthening of marriages, for all single people who strive to follow Christ, and for the grace to utilize our spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory for Dennis Dentzer, 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.

10th Week in OT 2020 - Monday - The need for spiritual poverty

Over the next three weeks we will read through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, for our daily Gospel readings, beginning today with Chapter 5 of St. Matthew’s Gospel. 

This is also the first day since February 25th this year that I am wearing liturgical green for Mass. Green, the liturgical color for the season of ordinary time, symbolizes growth, spiritual growth, growth in the virtue, growth in charity, growth in utilizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that is to occur throughout the ordinary seasons of our life. The ordinary day-to-day life of the Christian is meant to bring about growth in us.

And there is no better place to beginning to talk about spiritual growth than with the beatitudes. The beatitudes are read at baptisms, weddings, funerals, and throughout the Church year because they are the attitudes and dispositions we are meant to cultivate throughout all of life whether we are mourning or rejoicing.  By practicing the beatitudes the Christian orients himself to eternity by putting on the mind and heart of Christ.  We are to be meek, as he was meek; we are to be pure, as he was pure; we are to be devoted to doing the will of God as he was devoted. 

The very first beatitude is the key to all the rest and therefore the key to any real spiritual growth we hope to obtain. Blessed are the poor in spirit. First and foremost, we must practice poverty of spirit in everything we do, in every conversation we have, in every attempt to serve the physically, we must take upon ourselves the fundamental attitude of Christ—poverty of spirit.

Poverty of spirit means that we recognize our absolute need for God, that without God we our absolutely impoverished. Without God we have nothing, and without God we cannot hope to become the people we are meant to be. Without God, the builder builds his house in vain. Apart from me, Jesus says, “you can do nothing” at least nothing worth doing.

The sin of Adam and eve, and every sin, is essentially a failure to practice this very first beaitutide. Without it, we begin to believe and live as if we do not need God,  we do not need to trust God or obey his commandments. It is the belief that we can grasp and obtain happiness and life without God. Without the first beatitude we begin to swell with a sinful pride that leads to perdition.

Rather, the Christian is to cultivate the soil of their hearts, minds, and souls with and by humility, and by doing so, we become heirs of the kingdom of heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the preaching and teaching and charitable works of the Church will inspire all people to seek to practice the beatitudes of Christ.

That those in public office may govern with wisdom, put an end to all political corruption, and work for a society of authentic justice and peace with special care for the most vulnerable.

For an end to oppression, racism, hatred, addiction and injustice. For the healing of all the sick.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for a strengthening of marriages, for all single people who strive to follow Christ, and for the grace to utilize our spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory for Bishop George Murry, bishop of Youngstown and for Paul Becker, 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.

November 1 2019 - All Saints (School Mass) - The person God made me to be

As a student at St. Ignatius of Antioch School, or in your youth, you may have been asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” If I were to ask the young students in our congregation here today, I’d bet I’d come up with a whole host of answers: a professional athlete or a teacher, a doctor or nurse or veterinarian, an actor or musician or artist, perhaps a soldier or police officer or fire fighter. At different times in my life I wanted to be an archaeologist and uncover ancient cities, and it wasn’t until I was a little older, in college, that I thought God was calling me to be a priest.
Well, no matter the profession, I bet every single one of us could answer that question, “when I grow up, I want to be happy. I want to do something that makes me happy. That helps the world.” No one wants to grow up to be unhappy or bored.

Well, what if I told you that being happy in life, being fulfilled, is not simply the result of your job or profession, it’s not based on the amount of money you make, the amount of power or responsibility, it’s not based on how popular or famous you become. The French poet Leon Bloy, rightly said, There is really only one sadness in life, not to be a saint.” For each of us has been made by god to become holy, to be a saint. And the only real sadness in life, is to not become the person God made us to be, happy with him in this life that we may be happy with him in eternity.

So if you had to choose between all of the material wealth, power, and fame the world could give you, if you choose any of those things over being a saint…you chose wrong.

For the saints, Saints like Francis and Clare, Ignatius and Joan of Arc, Agnes and John Vianney, they show us what it means to be truly alive. Life is not meant to be all about the pursuit of material things and earthly things, but spiritual things and heavenly things.

In the Gospel today, did Jesus say blessed are you when you win trophies for your athletic accomplishments? No. Did he say, blessed are you when you are well-known in your professional field? No. Did he say, blessed are you if you have more friends, more money than other people? No.
What did he say? Blessed are you when you are merciful, blessed are you when you are pure of heart. The beatitudes, the teachings of Jesus Christ, are the key to unlocking the blessedness for which we are made.

And today we celebrate those individuals who followed God’s plan for their life, who followed the teachings of Jesus instead of the errors and empty promises of the world.

In the end, the question “What do I want to be when I grow up?” isn’t nearly as important as the question, “God, what do you want from me? God, what is your will for me? God, how can I become the person you made me to be?”

Most of the time, we spend our efforts pursuing trivial things, which do not bring us the happiness, the joy that God offers us in the life of holiness. It might even be something the world considers very important, like becoming a famous basketball player. But if you become famous, but do not become a saint, you chose wrong.

What does it mean to become a saint? To become a saint means to become a true friend of Jesus Christ—allowing Jesus Christ to live his life in you. To be a saint is to invite Jesus into every dimension of your life, and allow him to reign. To put on the mind of Christ, to put on the attitude of Christ, to put on the heart of Christ in all things. And the saints are celebrated for doing just that.
Each of the saints has an interesting story. It is interesting to hear how Saint Francis would preach to the animals, or how Saint Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, or how the Devil would appear to St. John Vianney trying to scare him, or how St. Sebastian was shot with arrows and still survived, or how St. Theresa of Avila would levitate when she prayed. But behind every saint is that great desire to know Jesus and to love him with their whole heart. And that’s what we need to emulate.

Don’t get swept up with all of the distractions are world gives us. Being a saint means saying “no” to a lot of things—things which seek to ruin our friendship with Jesus, things that seek to corrupt our minds, sour our hearts. But we say “no” to the things of the world, because of our great desire to say “yes” to God with all of our being.

Today, on this feast of Saints, we recognize our own call to become saints, we ask the saints of heaven to help us become like them, to love Jesus more than anyone or anything. We look to their example, and seek their prayers, that we may become the saints that God made us to be for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Memorial Day 2019 - The Souls of the Just

On May 5, 1868, In his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation calling for "Decoration Day" to be observed annually and nationwide, a practice which had already begun in the south. Where Veteran’s Day, in November, honors those veterans who survived their time of service. The purpose of memorial day is to honor our war dead.

Memorial Day asks us to ponder an important question: what do the living owe the dead? Especially if we believe that the dead served us, offered up, as Lincoln once described, “the final measure of devotion, of fidelity.” What do we owe them?

We are quickly becoming a society unable to remember history, disconnected from our roots, set loose from the lessons that our ancestors learned. So, on behalf of those who are so quickly forgetting, we remember those today who are most worth remembering: those who died for us.

The Roman Missal does not have particular prayers and Scripture readings for Memorial Day.  But for this Mass, I chose today prayers and Scriptural readings for the faithful departed. From the book of wisdom we hear of God’s promise to the just. That in eternity not torment shall touch them. The Lord in his most famous sermon, the beatitudes also speaks of eternal reward for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

We remember our heroes today—those who hungered and thirsted for justice, enough to die for it—and not just justice and peace for themselves, but for future generations.

Today we also recall our duty to not let their sacrifices go in vain. And we commit to not wasting the freedom they died for, we commit to fighting against tyranny and injustice in our own day, and remembering the lessons of the past.

With a spirit of profound gratitude for all who made it possible for us to be here today, we pray for our beloved war dead, and pray that we may, like them, hunger and thirst and work for justice and peace for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is generous to those who call upon Him with faith.
For Pope Francis, Bishop Nelson, and all the bishops: may they rightly lead the Body of Christ in faithfulness to all the Lord teaches and commands.
For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote authentic and lasting peace in the world, an end to terrorism, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life.
For the protection of all those who serve in our nation’s military, and for all wounded servicemen and women, for all those widowed and orphaned because of war.
For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom for whom this mass is offered.
Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church, grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ Our Lord.

6th Sunday in OT 2019 - Sermon on the Plain

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives his most famous sermon on top of a mountain. For Matthew depicts Jesus like Moses who atop Mt. Sinai received the Law of the Old Covenant from God. Jesus—the New Moses gives the teachings of the new law—the law of the new covenant that he came to form between God and Man. In Matthew’s Gospel, atop what is now called the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus taught about holiness and eternal life, about salt and light, about anger, adultery, and divorce, and the love of enemies, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, about judging others and casting pearls before swine, and the imperative of building your life on the solid foundations of his teachings.

In Luke, Jesus gives his first major sermon, not from the top of a mountain. In fact, St. Luke tells us that Jesus came down from the mountain, and taught his disciples and this large group of people on a stretch of level ground. This passage of Luke’s Gospel is known as Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, and is delivered immediately after spending a night in prayer and naming the 12 apostles.

Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount and Luke’s Sermon on the Plain contain much of the same content, in fact, Luke’s version is a bit more down-to-earth, clearer and direct.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man."

Just four beatitudes compared to Matthew’s eight. And on the surface…this is a pretty strange teaching. Blessed are your when you are poor? Well, no one wants to poor. Everyone tries to get out of poverty. Blessed are you who are hungry? In Jesus’ day, to go hungry was a sign that you were cursed by God. Know one likes to be hungry. Blessed are you who weep? This is getting more masochistic as it goes on. Poor, hungry, now sad? We seek to escape sadness, depression, and grief. And the last one is even more dramatic. You are blessed when you are hated, persecuted, condemned as evil for being a follower of Jesus. Well…where do I sign up?

How do we begin to understand these odd teachings? Jesus certainly shakes-up the expectations of his audience. Christians are to view and treat the world differently. We aren’t to trust in the same things the worldly-minded trust in, we aren’t to hunger or crave or seek the same things as the worldly-minded because we recognize that nothing in the world can satisfy our deepest hunger for God. We get in trouble when we attach that deepest spiritual hunger to the things and ways of the world; we end up frustrated, exhausted, spiritually depleted, and even lost in sin.

This odd teaching requires we go a bit deeper though. Jesus uses this phrase “blessed are you” in each of these sayings. The Greek word for “blessed” is “Makarios”, the same as in Matthew’s Gospel. “Makarios” is often translated as blessed, happy, fortunate, or divinely joyful. The Greeks used to call the island of Cyprus “makaria” the Island of Joy. The Greeks felt Cyprus was like a high-end resort: so fertile, beautiful, pleasant, safe, peaceful, and rich in minerals and natural resources, that its inhabitants were completely self-sufficient. They had no need to travel or trade in order to live in perfect physical comfort. Maybe, Luke had this in mind in writing “Makarios”, that following Jesus’ teaching, you receive what is sufficient for making your way to the heavenly paradise.

Blessed, fortunate, divinely joyful, in possession of what is necessary for eternal life, are you when you are poor, that is, when you are not attached to or controlled by material things, but rather, when God is your greatest possession, when you do not allow the material things of the world to keep you from knowing, loving, and serving God.

So much of our sadness comes from allowing the things of the world to control us and distract us from what is most important in life. The world tells us that joy and happiness are obtained by amassing houses, cars, mobile devices, clothes and shoes, grander and more luxurious vacations. The devil loves to convince us to work harder and harder for these things, which may bring some temporary gratification, but in the end leaves us exhausted. The devil loves using worldly allurement to draw us away from that which truly gives us life--prayer, service, devotion, worship, and communion—that is genuine encounter with God, and genuine authentic human contact. So how blessed are you when you are poor, detached, dispassionate about the worldly and rich in the things of God.

Okay. Blessed, fortunate, divinely joyful are you when you are hungry. Hunger is linked to the sensual. So, how fortunate when you are not addicted to sensual pleasure. Food and drink and sex are good, and the ability to enjoy them in their proper context is good. Catholics are not puritanical. God pronounced these created things good. But good, in their proper context, moderated by reason. Pleasure is good, but not God. What sinful man tends to do, is to make them into gods. We attach our infinite desire for God to these created things and bend our wills to obtain them inordinately. But because these things do not satisfy our deepest desire for God, it’s no surprise that addictions emerge around these things: food addiction, drug and alcohol addiction, sex and pornography addiction—Addictions which cause great damage to the psyche, to families, and to souls.

But blessed are you when hunger, when you are detached from these sensual pleasures, when you don’t let the pursuit of physical pleasure control your life. Jesus came to set us free from slavery to the sensual.

Thirdly, Blessed, fortunate are you who now weep. The weeping of the righteous in scripture is often linked to the acknowledgement of sin. Isaiah cried out and wept: Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips” Isaiah wept because he was unable to come into the presence of God because of his sins. And so, blessed are you when your recognize your sinfulness and weep for your sins and seek conversion.

What does the world weep over? Certainly not over offending God! One can’t help but think of the recent legalization of abortion up to and including the birth of the child in several states for any reason. As a kid, in popular culture there was at least some acknowledging that abortion was not ideal. The slogan was “make abortion safe, legal, and rare”. In 2019 we hear slogans like “shout your abortion” or “abortion on demand without apology”. People not weeping but reveling in the fact that innocent life is murdered. The world weeps not for the destruction of its moral compass. 

Rather, Christians blessed are you when you weep over sin. We do well to make spiritual reparation through prayer and fasting for sins that cry out to heaven and for the conversion of those who revel over and celebrate sin.

And those who weep over sin, the Lord says, will one day laugh; those who acknowledge and repent of sin in this life will rejoice in the world to come.

And finally, blessed are you when you are persecuted for Christ. “Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!” The world wants to silence the Christian Gospel, wants us to compromise the moral teachings of Jesus, to water down the content of the faith, to change what has been received from Christ and the apostles. And we will face resistance when we trust in Jesus.

But Jesus promises blessedness, eternal life, and joy to those who persevere in the truth, who are willing to undergo suffering to courageously defend, patiently explain, clearly articulate, and unambiguously live the Christian faith in the face of error and confusion and persecution. We proclaim the Gospel of Life in the midst of a culture of death, but we do so joyfully, knowing that our efforts are made for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

All Saints Day 2018 - Children of God

As a student here at Holy Family School, or in your youth, you may have been asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” As a kid, I remember enjoying reading the comic strips in the newspaper, like Bill Waterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" and Gary Larson's "The Far Side". And so for a time, I wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist, that’s before I realized I can’t draw. If I were to ask the young people in our congregation here today, I’d bet I’d come up with a whole host of answers: a professional athlete, an astronaut, a doctor, a truck driver, a professional dancer, an artist, musician, a soldier; perhaps one or two might be thinking of being a priest or a nun.

No matter the profession, I bet every single one of us could answer that question, “when I grow up, I want to be happy.” No one wants to grow up to be sad or bored.

There are a lot of things that may cause us unhappiness, sadness in life: not becoming as successful as we thought we should, not having the house or car or job that we thought we should, perhaps losing a loved one before we were ready. It was the French philosopher Leon Bloy who said, “There is really only one sadness in life, not to be a saint.” For if each of us have been made by God to become holy, to be a saint, the only real sadness, is to not become the person God made us to be, happy with him in heaven for eternity.

If you had to choose between all of the material wealth, power, and fame the world could give you and being a saint, if you choose anything but becoming a saint, you’ve chosen wrong.

The saints show us what it means to be truly alive—to have truly lived a good life. Life is not meant to be all about the pursuit of material things, earthly things, but spiritual things, heavenly things.
In the Gospel today, did Jesus say blessed are you when you win trophies for your athletic accomplishments? No. Did he say, blessed are you when you are well known in your professional field? No. Did he say, blessed are you if you have more friends, more money than other people? No.
What did he say? Blessed are you when you are merciful, blessed are you when you are pure of heart. The beatitudes are the key to true human flourishing and true human happiness.

And today we celebrate those individuals who made the beatitudes the most important pursuit in their lives—saints like those our second graders are dressed-up as today. Francis, Mother Theresa, Saint Clare, Saint Patrick. If you want a truly good life, become like them. Don’t just learn their names, learn the love they had for Jesus, learn the love they had for fasting, prayer, spreading the Gospel, charity toward the poor.

Why is there so much unhappiness, boredom, perversion in the world? Because instead of seeking to become saints, we turn to trivial, selfish pursuits.

Today is a celebration of those who turned away from selfishness, and immersed themselves in lives of mercy, into the life of Christ. They choose to fully embrace their identity as children of God.

Any of the saints would tell you: don’t get swept up with all of the distractions in the world. Being a saint means saying “no” to a lot of things—things which seek to ruin our friendship with Jesus, things that seek to corrupt our minds, sour our hearts, and corrupt our souls. But we say “no” to the things of the world, because of our great desire to say “yes” to God with all of our being.

We all of us today recognize our own call to become saints, and come to thank God for this great cloud of witnesses who teach us what it really means to be Christian, what it really means to be human, what it really means to be children of God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Sept 10 2018 - Grandparents Day, Peace and Justice, Beatitude (School Mass)

As was mentioned in our introduction before Mass this morning, today we have a few events being commemorated today. We are celebrating the important role our grandparents play in our lives. We also remember the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks, those who lost their lives because of hate and violence. We offer special prayers for justice and peace, that the justice and peace of Jesus Christ might fill our world and our hearts. And just like we do at every Mass, we gather to offer thanksgiving to God for the gift of our salvation.

Our Gospel reading is very fitting to have read today. We heard the famous beginning of Our Lord’s great Sermon on the Mount, these opening lines to his great sermon are known as the beatitudes. And we should be pretty familiar with the beatitudes. Our third graders, I believe, study them line by line when they learn about Jesus’ ministry. We do well to memorize the beatitudes, so that we always have them with us. And in the liturgical life of the Church, the beatitudes are read at baptisms, weddings, funerals, and throughout the Church year. We read them so often, and in so many different settings because they are the attitudes and dispositions we are meant to cultivate throughout all of life whether we are grieving at a funeral, or rejoicing at a wedding, or coming to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

The beatitudes help us to practice the blessedness, the holiness, that God wants for all of us. Not all of us are designed by God to be great athletes, great musicians, great public speakers, greater writers or scientists, we all can’t be all those things. But God has designed all of us to be holy. Each one of us can become deeply holy, and we are to do so by practicing the beatitudes.

By practicing the beatitudes we begin to value heavenly things over earthly things; humility over pride, repentance over hard-heartedness, gentleness over harshness, justice and peace over violence and selfishness; courage over fear; purity over perversion.

The beatitudes teach us that True Success in this life isn’t measured by the size of our house or bank account, the number of athletic trophies or academic rewards we accumulate but by allowing the Christian faith to permeate every dimension of our life; by using our time, talent, and treasure for God’s Will, not our own.

We thank God today for our grandparents, who are so often models of holiness, and blessedness, and Christian faith for us. For many years, every Sunday, week after week, year after year, my grandparents would bring me to Sunday mass when my own parents would not. I would not be here today, a would not be a priest without my grandparents faith and generosity. Grandparents never underestimate your role in these young people’s lives.

We also pray today that each of us may put into practice the lessons the Lord teaches us, that grave evil, like the September 11th terrorist attacks may never happen again. We pray t who allow hatred and evil to fill their hearts, may come to know the love and peace of Jesus Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Memorial Day 2018 - Remember rightly to live rightly

Memorial Day was originally an occasion to remember and to decorate the graves of the soldiers who died in the American Civil War. Today’s Civil holiday, rightly so, has grown to encompass all those who died in war in the service of our country.

Memory is an important faculty of the human soul. Our memories contribute to who we are, the choices we make. As Christians, our memory of the life of Jesus Christ, his teaching, his sacrifice, his death and resurrection defines us. This is why every week, on the Lord’s Day, Christians gather at the altar, to remember. When we stop remembering, we cease to be who we are called to be, we cease to honor God as he is meant to be honored.

The same can be said for those our nation honors today. As a nation, we remember their sacrifice, that it not be in vain. And our memory of their bravery is meant to shape us, to shape the course and discourse of our nation. We are to remember what they fought for, that this nation may be a place where all people can come to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, free from the tyranny of oppressive governments. Failing to remember is to fail to be worthy of their sacrifice.

Today, we are to carry their memories in our minds and hearts. We thank God for them. We Pray for them. We Observe silence for them. Perhaps, we even weep for them. We allow them to inspire us, to make right use of the rights of life and liberty they fought for. We seek particularly to be free from the selfishness which can so easily dominate our lives.

As Christians, we recognize that only by living according to God’s plan, as enumerated in the beatitudes, as we heard in the Gospel today, that we can come to inherit the true life, the true liberty, the true happiness of God’s kingdom.

May we remember rightly, that we may live rightly, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is generous to those who call upon Him with faith.

For Pope Francis, Bishop Nelson, and all the bishops: may they rightly lead the Body of Christ in faithfulness to all the Lord teaches and commands.

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote authentic and lasting peace in the world, an end to terrorism, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life.

For the protection of all those who serve in our nation’s military, and for all wounded servicemen and women, for all those widowed and orphaned because of war.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom for whom this mass is offered.

Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church, grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ Our Lord.

3rd Week of Easter 2018 - Monday - Working for Spiritual Food

Last week we read the portion of John chapter 6 in which Jesus feeds five thousand through a miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes. Today, the Gospel sets the stage for Jesus’ great Bread of Life discourse.

Those that had been fed by Jesus cross the sea are looking for him. Why? They are hungry again and they want more bread and fish! Jesus, the great teacher is going to use their physical hunger to talk about a deeper hunger, a spiritual hunger.

They are coming to Jesus because he gave them bread and fish. Jesus will reveal that He is the source of this spiritual bread that only God can satisfy, and that bread is his flesh: the Eucharist. We’ll hear about that later this week.

But in this little prologue, Jesus talks about work: we spend a lot of time working for the physical food our bodies need, and little time working for the spiritual food our souls need. We feed the body, while neglecting the spirit.

The crowd, like many people today, believe the most important thing in life is to keep alive, to be healthy, strong and economically sufficient. Jesus is speaking of a deeper purpose here.

The purpose of life isn’t simply to satisfy our physical desires. There is a human hunger, a restlessness, for more, a spiritual hunger for doing the will of God. Man does not live on bread alone, but by following the divine vocation, the call to holiness.

In his new, apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis speaks of these dual hungers:  “Hunger and thirst are intense experiences, since they involve basic needs and our instinct for survival.” But there is a deeper hunger, the Holy Father, says, one, which Jesus praises in his beatitudes when he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”…the deeper hunger, is for true justice and holiness.

This includes seeking to be faithful to God’s will in every aspect of our life and also seeking justice for those who are most vulnerable, as Isaiah teaches: “Seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

Jesus feeds us with his body and blood, that we, like Him, might become abandoned to the will of the Father, to work for justice, for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.

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That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the redemptive power of Christ’s Eucharistic sacrifice will extend to the hearts and minds of all those who govern peoples and nations.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Real Presence of Jesus will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, and in our friendships.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who live in want: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians may bring the justice and mercy of Christ to all those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], 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.

Monday - 10th Week of OT 2017 - The roadmap to eternity

The Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that man’s highest goal, the motive behind all of his actions, is happiness.  The desire for happiness is the one goal that unites all of humanity.  He used the Greek word “eudaimonia” to describe “earthly happiness” that comes through living a virtuous life, a life where the passions are brought under control of the right reason, a life where one pursues the highest things.

There was another greek word, “makarios”—used to describe the blessedness and immortality of the gods. And at the very end of his Nicomachean Ethics, in which he spends so much time explaining what it takes to achieve eudaimonia, earthly happiness, he hints at the possibility of man seeking “makarios”, the blessedness of the gods.

Today’s gospel reading begins Jesus’ great sermon on the mount, from which we’ll be reading from for the next three weeks. And Jesus doesn’t just hint at the possibility of blessedness for his followers, the very first word of his sermon, is markarios, blessed are you, blessed will you be. Jesus speaks of our deepest longing, we are not made simply for a short earthly life. We are made for eternity, and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is the roadmap to eternity, to blessedness.

Jesus will show that eudaimonia and makarios are linked: eternal blessedness will certainly involve earthly virtue. However, our deepest longing isn’t simply earthly happiness, our deepest longing is union with God. And Jesus promises that, too!

So often, we look for happiness and joy in all the wrong places, so Jesus in this Sermon is going to help lead us out of this spiritual slavery, this constant pursuit of looking for happiness where we shouldn’t. Jesus teaches us to seek first the kingdom of God, to build our houses on the solid rock foundation of his teaching, so that we may filled with true life.

Just as Moses gave the 10 Commandments of the Law upon a mountain, Jesus, on a mountain, gives a new Law, not simply an ethic, but a roadmap to union with God, to communion, to intimacy.

As I did last time these readings came up, I encourage you to read through chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew’s Gospel in one sitting. Jesus speaks these words to every age of the Church, to every person. May we receive his teaching with open minds and hearts, and strive to be faithful to all he taught, that we may achieve the end for which we are made, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her, preserving her from error, helping her to rejoice in the Truth of the Gospel.

That the faith may be practiced in all Christian families, for strengthening in charity among spouses, that parents may be examples of faith to inspire their children that the young may learn and practice virtue and prayer.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For the healing of divisions caused by heresy, and moral and doctrinal error among Christians.

For those who do not believe in God and for those who have fallen away from the Church.

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.

Homily: 4th Sunday in OT 2017 - "Seek the Lord, Seek Justice, Seek Humility"

Recently, I was talking with one of the brothers from the Blessed Sacrament Community over at St. Pashcals about the great Winston Churchill. Churchill is certainly one of history’s intriguing and complex characters. At times, his ego seems to loom quite large: When asked by a reporter if he was prepared to meet his maker, the respected leader responded: “I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”

With that same razor sharp wit, he could be humble as well. Churchill was once asked, "Doesn't it thrill you to know that every time you make a speech, the hall is packed to overflowing?" "It's quite flattering," replied Sir Winston. "But whenever I feel that way, I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big."

At least he was able to make a joke about himself from time to time, many lack the humility even for that. And his humility is certainly evident in his service to his country, putting the needs of his country before his own.

When St. Augustine was asked to name the three most important virtues, he gave an interesting answer. The first he said is “humility”, the second he said is “humility”, and third he said is “humility”. I have a book of quotations from the writings on the saints organized by topics: charity, discernment, mercy. But the section on humility is the longest.

Thomas Aquinas wrote in his Summa, “The reason Christ especially recommended humility to us is because it most effectively removes the main obstacle to our spiritual welfare, the preoccupation with earthly greatness that holds us back from striving for spiritual and heavenly things.”

Humility is the unifying idea that undergirds the eight Beatitudes, which we heard proclaimed in our Gospel today, summarizing Jesus' teaching about how to live. Looking carefully, we see a common denominator amongst each of the beatitudes: you will be blessed when you stop thinking about yourself all the time.

The poor in spirit are blessed because they realize they are not the center of the universe - God is. The clean of heart is blessed because he doesn’t use people for the sake of his pleasure. The peacemaker is blessed because he engages in caring for needs and problems of others. The merciful is blessed because he seeks to alleviate the suffering of others. The mournful is blessed because he is sorrowful over sins sins and remedies the damage his sins have done to the Church, the world, and other people. The meek is blessed because he rightly channels his strengths, practices self-control, and cares more about getting things done than getting credit for doing things. Those who hunger for righteousness are blessed because they seek to serve a higher purpose rather than only looking after themselves.
Underlying all the Beatitudes is this fundamental attitude that that puts God and others ahead of self, and we call that “humility”. Humility is absolutely necessary for growing in Christian maturity—growing out of the egotism of youth into the selflessness of Christian adulthood.

The need to become humble runs throughout the scriptures. As we heard in our first reading, from the prophet Zephaniah, written 600 years before the birth of Christ, “seek the Lord…seek justice, seek humility”.
Why is humility important? Pride closes us in on ourselves, arrogance seeks seeks happiness only in its own selfish willfulness. Humility on the other hand opens us the blessings God wants for us, and helps us to recognize the blessing of serving others. In the beatitudes Jesus defines the holy life, the blessed life to be one that is put at the service of God and others.

St. Philip Neri would say, “Had I only been humble, I never would have committed this sin.”
The same saints who speak about the importance of humility, also teach of the importance of humbling ourselves before God in the acknowledgement and the confession of our sins. The saints teach the importance of frequent examination of the conscience and regular confession. As with all virtues, we grow in humility by exercising it and there is no better way to exercise humility than to go to confession regularly and frequently.

Our Christian faith impels us not to simply seek the bare minimum in order to get to heaven, there is nothing in the beatitudes about doing the bare minimum. Rather our Christian faith impels us to seek the perfection of our souls for which God made us. We seek to overcome even small vices, in order to become more like Christ—to humble the major areas of pride and also the areas that are hidden to everyone else.

Just because we aren’t axe murderers or suicide bombers doesn’t mean we have nothing to confess. The book of Proverbs says, “even the righteous man stumbles seven times a day.” So it is silly for us to pretend that we have nothing to confess. If we can’t find sins to confess, likely we haven’t examined our conscience as well as we should. Saint Mother Teresa went to confession every week, not because she had these glaring mortal sins, but she truly wanted what God wanted for her, the perfection of her soul. So we do well to examine ourselves thoroughly, rooting out the selfish impulses, the judgmental thoughts, lack of custody over our tongues, over our words, laziness in our prayer life.

God knows that we are constantly battling against these impulses, and he instituted the sacrament of confession for our sake, to give us an objective way to repent, to receive his forgiveness, and to attain strength from his grace to keep fighting and improving.

During the season of Lent, which is just a few weeks away, we increase our confession schedule. Here and at St. Paschal’s there will we penance services, as well as our Diocesan Night of Confession during which every parish in the diocese will have confession from 5 to 8pm. Of course we have confessions scheduled here at St. Clare every Saturday at 3:30, and confessions are always available by appointment.

St. Alphonus once said, “After we have offended God, the Devil labors to keep the mouth closed, and to prevent us from confessing our guilt.” Those voices telling you that you don’t need to go to confession, you have to ask, are those really from God?

St. Faustina said, “Pride keeps in darkness…the soul that does not come to confession in humility”. So let us expose our souls to the light of God’s mercy.

May we confess our sins in truly humility; for humility opens the doors of our hearts to Christ, who wishes to bestow upon us his many gifts, and lead us to eternal life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: All Saints 2016 - "The only real sadness in life..."

As a student at Corpus Christi Academy, or in your youth, you may have been asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” If I were to ask the young people in our congregation here today, I’d bet I’d come up with a whole host of answers: a professional athlete, an astronaut, a doctor, a truck driver, a professional dancer, artists, musician, a soldier; perhaps one or two might be thinking of being a priest or a nun.

 No matter the profession, I bet every single one of us could answer that question, “when I grow up, I want to be happy.” No one wants to grow up to be sad or bored.

There are a lot of things that may cause us unhappiness, sadness in life: not becoming as successful as we thought we should, not having the house or car or job that we thought we should, perhaps losing a loved one before we were ready. It was the French philosopher Leon Bloy who said, “There is really only one sadness in life, not to be a saint.” For if each of us have been made by God to become holy, to be a saint, the only real sadness, is to not become the person God made us to be, happy with him in heaven for eternity.

If you had to choose between all of the material wealth, power, and fame the world could give you and being a saint, if you choose anything but becoming a saint, you’ve chosen wrong.

The saints show us what it means to be truly alive. Life is not meant to be all about the pursuit of material things, earthly things, but spiritual things, heavenly things.

In the Gospel today, did Jesus say blessed are you when you win trophies for your athletic accomplishments? No. Did he say, blessed are you when you are well known in your professional field? No. Did he say, blessed are you if you have more friends, more money than other people? No.

What did he say? Blessed are you when you are merciful, blessed are you when you are pure of heart. The beatitudes are the key to true human flourishing and true human happiness.

And today we celebrate those individuals who got that. The saints looked around and saw that when people center their lives on things other than God, the ungodly were the truly unhappy ones.

Look at the joy of saint francis, saint mother Theresa, saint clare, saint therese, do you want that joy? If so, become like them. Most of the time, we spend our efforts pursuing trivial things, which do not bring us the happiness, the joy that God offers us in the life of holiness. It might even be something the world considers very important, like becoming the president of the United States. But if you become president, but do not become a saint, you chose wrong.

What does it mean to become a saint? To become a true friend of Christ—allowing Jesus Christ to live his life in you. St. Paul said, “it is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me.” To be a saint is to invite Jesus into every dimension of your life, and allow him to reign. To put on the mind of Christ, to put on the attitude of Christ, to put on the heart of Christ in all things. And the saints are celebrated for doing just that.

Each of the saints has an interesting story. It is interesting to hear how Saint Francis would preach to the animals, or how Saint Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, or how the Devil would appear to St. John Vianney trying to scare him, or how St. Sebastian was shot with arrows and still survived, or how St. Theresa of Avila would levitate when she prayed. But behind every saint is that great desire to know Jesus and to love him with their whole heart. And that’s what we need to emulate.

Don’t get swept up with all of the distractions are world gives us. Being a saint means saying “no” to a lot of things—things which seek to ruin our friendship with Jesus, things that seek to corrupt our minds, sour our hearts. But we say “no” to the things of the world, because of our great desire to say “yes” to God with all of our being.

We all of us today recognize our own call to become saints, and come to thank God for this great cloud of witnesses who teach us what it really means to be Christian, what it really means to be human, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.