5th Week of Lent 2025 - Tuesday - Believing in Christ

 

Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the importance of believing. 

Concluding his conversion with Nicodemus in Chapter 3 of the Gospel, the Lord sums up all he has explained, with these words, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

In the very last words of the 4th Gospel, St. John writes about the purpose he even wrote it: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

An interesting note, that in contrast to St. Paul and the other 3 Gospels, St. John never uses the noun “faith or belief”, instead, he uses the word “to believe”. Believing is always an active verb, not an object or thing that one possesses, it is an action, an ongoing relationship with the Truth revealed by God—the One who makes the truth known and the Truth himself. 

St. John even records different stages of believing in his Gospel. There are those who hear the teachings of Jesus or see his signs, yet refuse to believe. There are those who begin to believe, but don’t fully recognizing Jesus’ identity. There are those who come to believe in Jesus, but are evidently afraid to acknowledge their faith publicly. There are those who encounter Jesus and come to believe in him, and are recognized as his disciples. And there are those who will come to believe through the preaching of his disciples: “blessed are those who do not see, yet believe, the Lord announces to doubting Thomas. Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

In today’s Gospel, the Lord teaches about what is at stake for believing in Him or not. He states to the Pharisees, “you will die in your sin. where I am going you cannot come.” Believing in the Lord or not has eternal consequences. Notice though, as he concludes his teaching today, many of those Jesus come to believe: “Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.”

Part of the Lent certainly doing penance for ourselves and our own sin, but we also pray, fast, and give alms for others. We lift up our catechumens who have begun to believe and will be baptized at Easter, but also we lift up those who fail or refuse to believe: that their hearts, and minds, and eyes might be opened. Every year on Good Friday, we offer up special prayers who do not believe in God and those who believe in Christ. 

And we commend ourselves to God—believing in Christ—we will continue to walk in his ways, and make him known in our words and actions—that others who have not seen may be believing, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the mercy and truth of God revealed in Christ, let us bring our prayers before the Father, who desires that all might come to believe and have life in Christ Jesus.

For the holy Church of God: that she may continue to proclaim Christ with clarity and conviction, inviting all people into a living and active belief in the Son of God. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all catechumens and candidates preparing for the Easter sacraments: that their journey of faith may deepen into a lasting relationship with Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who do not yet believe in Christ, and for those who once believed but have fallen away: that their minds and hearts may be opened by grace to the truth of the Gospel. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are afraid to profess their faith publicly: that the Holy Spirit may strengthen them with courage to witness to Christ in word and deed. R: Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who suffer or are persecuted because of their belief in Christ: that they may be sustained by the hope of eternal life and the prayers of the Church. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish: that we may not only profess belief with our lips, but live it actively in our thoughts, words, and actions each day. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the suffering, and those weighed down by sin: that they may encounter the mercy of Jesus and come to believe more fully in his healing love. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the faithful departed who believed in Christ: that they may now see him face to face and rejoice in his eternal presence. Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, you sent your Son into the world that we might believe and have life through him. Hear the prayers we bring today, and strengthen our faith, that we may remain in your truth and lead others to believe. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Week of Easter 2022 - Wednesday - Authentic Christian Belief

Belief. The word belief is found almost 100 times in St. John’s gospel. After Jesus’ first miracle, the wedding at Cana, John’s notes how the disciples “began to believe in Him.”  After the Lord cured the royal official’s son, John records how the official “and his whole household came to believe.”  

John explains the very purpose of his Gospel when he says: all these things are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.”

And in today’s passage, we hear, what is likely the most popular verse of St. John’s Gospel: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

The Gospel today is clear: belief in Jesus has eternal consequences. By belief in Him we are saved from perishing. But belief is much more than intellectual assent, holding a certain fact as true in our minds. Belief needs to shape our lives, affect our behaviors, animate our decisions.

Faith however is not just holding an idea “just in case”—you know, just in case there is a God and hell is real, I’ll believe that Jesus was sort of a real important person. When St. John’s Gospel uses the word “belief” he’s talking about the very opposite of such a superficial, surface-level insurance policy. 

Belief that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God must be the fundamental orientation of our whole existence. The Christian must weigh every decision and every attitude against this belief. 

By belief in Jesus we are to seek detachment from all that would keep us from communion with God, any activity which is profane to God. Belief cries out to Jesus to save us from all that keeps us from becoming the people God made us to be. Belief seeks constant contact with the living God through the religious tenants, divine commandments, sacred rituals, and life of prayer proposed by the Church Christ Himself founded while still on earth.

We do well to examine our lives today: what is hindering Christian belief from shaping my daily life, what can I do to better cultivate Christian belief in my daily habits and routines?

May our belief in Jesus risen from the dead continue to transform all that we say and do for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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

For the shepherds of our souls, the pope, bishops, and clergy, that they may govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd, leading the Church in the increase in faith, hope, and love.

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

That our parish may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

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

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

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

April 28 2021 - St. Louie Marie de Montfort - Love of Mary bears fruit in our souls

 The priest St. Louie Marie de Montfort is one of the great Marian saints of history. He is one of the patron saints of the Legion of Mary; in fact, he is quoted more than any of the saints in the Legion Handbook.

His words "Totus tuus ego sum” became well known in the last few decades, when they were taken by Pope St. John Paul II as his papal motto. The sainted Pope dedicated his papacy entirely to Mary, and encouraged members of the Church to turn to her as well.

In the Gospel today, the Lord says, “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.” Having been sent by the Father, Jesus comes into a world that is fallen and in the spiritual darkness of sin. It is sometimes difficult to believe, and to remain committed disciples of the Lord. It is difficult to follow him amidst so many worldly temptations.

Well, today’s Saint, would say, let Mary help you believe. Give yourself to Mary. She loved Jesus more than anyone in history. She will help you love him too. The greater our doubts, the more we should turn to Mary for help. The greater our temptations, the more we should turn to Mary.

When from the Cross, the Lord said, “behold your mother”, he meant more than just keeping her picture on our mantle. He wants us to study her, to imitate her, to hold her in our hearts as he did. For she will help us in the Christian way like no other. 

In his book “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, which John Paul II carried with him and read often, Saint Louis wrote, “Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul”.

St. Louie’s feast prepares us well for the upcoming month of May, dedicated to our Lady, in which we are to increase the fervor of our Marian devotion, that the abundant life of Christ might increase in us and willingly be spread by us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For deeper Marian devotion amongst all Christians, that the Church may more deeply share in Mary’s Easter joy in the Resurrection of her Son.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will diminish, and purity, righteousness and faith may increase.   

For those whose hearts are hardened against or cold toward Our Lady, that they may come to know her great maternal love for them, for the Church, and all mankind.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, Mediatrix of Grace and Help of the Afflicted. 

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

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

 

2nd Week of Easter 2021 - Wednesday - The invitation to believe

 “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” This most popular verse of John’s Gospel should sound familiar, for we heard a very similar verse quite recently. On Divine Mercy Sunday, following the account of Our Lord’s post-resurrection appearance in the upper room John explains the very purpose of his Gospel: “But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.”

Through Belief we come to life. No other gospel accentuates belief like John's. The Greek verb used for belief, pisteuō is found 98 times in his gospel. After Jesus’ first miracle, the wedding at Cana, John’s notes how the disciples “began to believe in Him.”  After the Lord cured the royal official’s son, John records how the official “and his whole household came to believe.”  When Jesus gave sight to the blind man, his response was “I believe, Lord.”  

That Greek word is interesting, it has a different connotation than the latin word: credo, which comes means to credit, to affirm, to put one’s heart into a thing. That’s a good word too, don’t get me wrong. We need to affirm with our heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. But, the word John uses in the Greek pisteuo, comes from the word peitho, which means, to persuade. To believe in God and in Jesus Christ, means allowing God to persuade me to follow him. 

I like the different connotation there. The latin credo is a strong word. I believe. With my heart I affirm it. I put the stamp of approval on it. The Greek word though, puts the emphasis on God. God is the one beckoning, inviting, persuading me. He has sent his Son, as a sign of his love, inviting me to follow. He is worthy of belief. He is compelling. He has something to offer. 

The passage today speaks of condemnation for those who refuse to believe. For there is something terribly sad about the one who has refused to be led by God. If Jesus, God in the flesh isn’t worth following, what is, who is? The refusal to believe in Jesus, in a sense, is a refusal to be led by Goodness and Truth and Life. 

And so, yes, there is condemnation for that; there are eternal consequences to saying no to the light of Christ, to saying, I will not be persuaded by that which is most worthy. John stresses the importance of belief, because he is realistic about what is at stake. Belief leads to eternal life, but the refusal to believe—refusal to accept the invitation to life--to be persuaded by the light of God will end in eternal darkness. Will you turn and face and follow the easter light or not? And sadly, as John says, there are people who prefer darkness to light, and in the end their sad state will be exposed.

For those souls who resist belief, may we pray and offer compelling reasons to believe in Jesus in our words and deeds, for as long as they draw breath in this life, they are not without hope. For the Lord wishes to use us, to use our easter joy and integrity of life and good works—to persuade all those who would believe to himself, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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

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

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ, especially we pray for the conversion of those who refuse belief in God and Jesus the Christ, His Son.

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

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

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

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

3rd Week of Easter 2019 - Friday - Eat his Flesh. Drink his Blood.

Our Gospels this week have been from the series of passages from John Chapter 6. And today we hear of Jesus giving what is perhaps the hardest part of the teaching on the Eucharist: that the bread of life is his flesh and his blood.

St. Thomas Aquinas maintained that believing that the Eucharist is Jesus’ flesh and blood is a challenging act of faith.  Thomas writes, “The presence of Christ’s true flesh and blood in this sacrament cannot be detected by sense, nor understanding, but by faith alone which rests upon Divine authority”.  The Eucharist does not look like Christ; thus it tests not our sight, but our faith. 

But we trust that the Eucharist is Jesus’ true flesh and blood, because He Himself has told us so, and there is no truer Word than His.  St. Thomas expresses this sentiment in his short poem Adoro te Devote, where he writes: “Sight, taste, and touch in Thee are deceived; the ear alone most safely is believed: I believe all the Son of God has spoken: Than Truth’s own word there is no truer token.” 

This shocking statement started a quarrel amongst the disciples; and as a result of their inability to accept this teaching, some of those who had begun to follow Jesus, turned away from him and went back to their former way of life.  Nevertheless, Jesus did not recant or even modify His terminology. He was willing to lose even the twelve apostles rather than change or water down his teaching. I think many walked away from this teaching, because they sensed the cross, they sensed the demands, the suffering, that following this man would entail. That if he is willing to give his flesh and blood for God, he might demand that his followers also give their flesh and blood for God.

The Eucharist is the source of our highest calling, to unite our own flesh and blood with our Savior, and also the source of strength to be faithful to that calling. May we know that strength, that we may be faithful to Him in all things for the glory of God and 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 Christ’s Eucharistic Self-Sacrifice will be experienced in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, among friends, strangers, and enemies.  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.