2nd Week of Lent 2023 - Wednesday - The Prophets: God's Mouthpieces

 

Throughout Lent our scripture readings are often taken from the Old Testament prophets. The prophets were chosen by God to preach His Word. Already this Lent we’ve heard Jonah preaching to the Ninevites, Ezekiel preaching to the Jews in exile to turn away from the wickedness that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and their Babylonian captivity. Throughout Lent we’ll hear from Micah, Hosea, we’ll hear more from Daniel.

The word prophet in Hebrew literally means “mouth”. While the prophets lived in different stages of Israel’s history, each was sent by God, to be his mouthpiece, to deliver messages Israel needs to hear. And most of the time those messages had to do with sin, either calling God’s people back to faithfulness when they had sinned, announcing the devastating consequences of sin, or announcing how God was about to deliver his people from sin.

And you’d think that when it was clear that a prophet had been sent, the multitudes would open their hearts to the message from heaven, knowing that, God who is God was sending them a message they needed to hear.

But Scripture records that the common reaction to the prophets wasn’t to embrace them, but to reject them. The vast multitudes reject the prophets, they reject God’s word. And they don’t just turn a deaf ear to the prophets, they seek to silence God’s mouthpieces, through violent means. 

In the first reading today, the people of Jerusalem plot to kill Jeremiah: “Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah…let us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word.”

The church fathers see the rejection of the prophets as a foreshadowing of the hostility that would be shown to Jesus, who faced plots, mockery, and calumny, by his own people. At the trumped up trial before the Sanhedrin, they would misconstrue his words, his message, to justify putting him to death—they accuse the Word of God—the fulfillment of the prophets—as speaking blasphemy.

The Church continues to experience hostility from the masses, from the world, when she fulfills her prophetic role. The call to conversion from sin is labeled as judgmental, when it is really an act of mercy. We love souls, we want them to be with God forever in eternity, and so we preach Christ.

But, as much as we are meant to sympathize with Jeremiah and the holy prophets, throughout Lent, we are certainly to consider the ways that we, personally, have resisted God’s Word—how we have dismissed the call to conversion, the call to holiness. We have been called to change, to be less selfish, to strive for purity, to humble our pride, to bridle our tongues, and in many instances have resisted the exertion of the extra effort.

So, during Lent we do penance through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving for the times we rejected truth, and scorned goodness, and were given to ugly words and uglier behavior, for the times when we have run away from the cross. And we plead, Lord have mercy.

This evening we will have confessions from 5 to 8 in every parish church in the diocese. Invite a fallen-away Catholic back to the Sacraments today. Pray for conversion for all, for the ability to respond humbly and generously to the prophetic call to repent, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Christians will experience the graces of profound renewal during this season of Lent.  

That this evening’s diocesan wide celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation will bring about a return of many hearts to communion with God. 

That all families will recommit themselves to fervent prayer this Lent so as to grow in greater love and holiness.  

That this Lent we will be faithful to fasting and to all the ways that the Lord sanctifies us.  

For generous giving for the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, those with  serious illness, for the unemployed, victims of natural disaster, terrorism, war, violence, and human trafficking, and for those most in need.  

For our beloved dead and all the poor souls in purgatory.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

1st Week of Lent - Wednesday - 40 days of repentance

 As I mentioned in my homily on Ash Wednesday, which begins the 40 days of Lent, there are quite a few instances of the number 40 in the Bible:

Moses was on Mt Sinai for 40 days conversing with God in preparation to receive the commandments.

The Israelites wandered through the desert for 40 years in preparation to enter the promised land.

Elijah fasted for 40 days in preparation for his prophetic mission.

And of course, the Lord Jesus fasted for 40 days in preparation for his Gospel mission which culminated in his self-sacrifice on Good Friday.

These periods of 40 days and year represent 40 days of intense, intentional preparation for God’s will and new life with God.

In today’s first reading we heard of another 40, 40 days of preaching by Jonah to a pagan people. For 40 days, the prophet Jonah preached to the Ninevites, calling them to conversion, warning them of destruction if they failed to repent. And after those 40 days, the Ninevites did repent, beginning a new life turned toward God. And they did so, in quite the elaborate and enthusiastic fashion. They did so in visible ways, outward ways—in sack cloth and ashes and fasting—in order to show their inward repentance.

Throughout these 40 days we are called by the prophetic voice of the Church to repent as the Ninevites did—to show our repentance for our sins and waywardness in outward, enthusiastic, and deeply sincere ways.

In the Gospel today, the Lord Jesus in fact condemns those of his generation for failing to repent. Lent presents us with a stark option: will we associate with the Ninevites, who repent and show their repentance by their holy works and actions? Or will we be condemned by Jesus for failing to repent as wholeheartedly as we should.

Next week, Wednesday evening, every parish in the diocese will have confessions from 5 to 8pm. If there is anyone in your life who has fallen away from the Church, be Jonah for them, call them to repentance. Your invitation might be the prophetic gesture which leads them back to God. And be a Ninevite for them, show them the power of repentance, the joy that comes from encountering God’s mercy, of returning to Him with your whole heart, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the season of Lent may bring the most hardened hearts to repentance and bring to all people purification of sin and selfishness.

For those preparing for baptism and the Easter sacraments, that they may continue to conform themselves to Christ through fervent prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

That we may generously respond to all those in need: the sick, the suffering, the homeless, the imprisoned, and victims of violence. And for all victims of the coronavirus and their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

15th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Reproaches to Unrepentant Towns

 Yesterday, we heard how the Lord sent out the twelve into the surrounding towns to preach. He instructed them and warned them to prepare themselves to be misunderstood, hated, and persecuted.

Today, we hear, that while the twelve are off on their missionary preaching mission, the Lord himself revisits some of the towns where he had preached and performed mighty deeds in the past, namely Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. 

It appears that for the most part, the people of these town have failed to heed the Lord’s message of repentance. They had witnessed many of his mighty deeds, miracles of healing and exorcism, and yet they had failed to repent. They’d missed the whole purpose of his miracles. 

The miracles were signs that God was at work in their midst, God wanted their attention. By them, Jesus was showing them that he is God in the flesh calling them to repentance and new life. And yet it seems, they had just gone back to their same unbelieving ways. They had gone back to sleep.

So, he really lets them have it. This passage contains some of the Lord’s strongest criticism of those who refuse to repent of their sins. 

Jesus says that if Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, some of the most wicked cities in history, had witnessed his miracles, they would have repented on the spot. In other words, what is wrong with you? How hard your hearts must be.

And he explains that, for this refusal to repentance, for this hardness of hearts, there will be serious consequences on the day of judgment. 

Are we supposed to imitate the Lord’s rhetorical style in our preaching of the Gospel? Are we supposed to go out into the streets and say, “Woe to you West Blvd. Woe to you Cleveland. Repent, for judgment is coming” I don’t know. 

I don’t think we should dismiss the Lord because his style conflicts with modern sensibilities. There certainly is a time for explaining to those who dismiss the Gospel the very real consequences for failing to believe and repent. 

But this passage isn’t just meant to inform how we deal with others. The Lord’s strong message here challenges us individually to ensure that our own priorities are in order, that we are living firstly for God, and that we are taking our personal sinfulness seriously, and that we are making use of the time that we have been given, to confess our sins, to repent, to strive for holiness, and to preach the Gospel as we can, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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That our bishops and clergy may be zealous and clear in preaching and teaching the truth of the Gospel and for the continued recovery of Holy Father Pope Francis following his recent surgery, may the Lord’s comfort, healing, and peace sustain him.

For the grace to respond generously to God in carrying out the mission of the Gospel. 

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

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

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Week of Advent 2020 - Friday - The many responses to Jesus

Throughout the Gospels, we see many different responses to the Lord and his call to conversion. Some, like the Apostles, drop everything they are doing to follow Jesus—they put their earthly business on hold, even walking away from it entirely, in order to follow Jesus. Some, fall at his feet to be healed by him, some climb trees to see him, some go to extreme lengths to bring others to him, like the men who lower their friend through the roof to get near him.

And then some, we know question him, try to trap him in logical arguments, and try to prove him wrong, to be a fool or liar or a madman. Some, of course, will seek to silence him and conspire against him to put him to death, as they know that his truth is a threat to their worldly power. In the Gospel today, we hear how some called him a drunkard and a glutton, seeking to discredit him.

For the most part, the name of Jesus has spread to every corner of the earth. And as it was in the Lord’s own day, so, too now, there are many responses to him. Some, recognize his truth and make his Gospel the guiding principal of their lives. Some worship him and seek him wholeheartedly and prayerfully, and strive to bring others into his presence. Some wrestle with him, like Jacob wrestling with God, they are aware of his teaching, but they just don’t want to submit; they are seeking the truth but still haven’t arrived there yet. And then, like those in the Gospel, some mock him, seeking to discredit him, so that they can ignore his teaching, and go on with their lives.

We are nearly two full weeks into the holy season of Advent, and our scripture readings challenge us in a way, to consider how we are responding to Him, to promise of His return, to the call to prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls for Christmas. Are we taking the Lord’s call to repentance seriously, or are we dismissing it, thinking we know better, so we don’t have to change? 

For many in our world, the beginning of Advent has made absolutely no difference in their spiritual lives. Sure they are shopping more, and putting up decorations of Santa and reindeer, but, their preparation from Christmas is entirely secular. For them Christmas is not about Christ, it’s about make-believe, trying to capture or evoke some emotion. Santa becomes a sort of pagan god of winter, rather than a Catholic saint who did everything he could to point others to Christ. 

We do well to examine our response to the Advent call of Christ. Are we running toward him, are we running away from him, are we standing idly, lazily, dismissingly? 

May we, alert and with lighted lamps, hasten to meet him, to know him, love him, and follow him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Holy Father, all bishops and priests, religious and laity may shine with the Light of Christ’s love for the lost and despairing.

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

For those who have fallen away from the Church, who have become separated from God through error and sin, for those who reject the teachings of Christ, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

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

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ. 

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. 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 prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

29th Week in OT 2019 - Friday - Reading the signs

On Wednesday, I was taking my regular walk along the old canal in Independence when I spotted a woolly bear caterpillar crossing our path. Folklore has it that the brown and black pattern of the woolly bear predicts the intensity of the upcoming winter: if the color brown is dominant the winter will be mild, if black is dominant, the winter will be severe. Surprisingly, this woolly bear was mostly brown, so perhaps we have that going for us. A scientific study from a few decades ago largely debunked woolly bears as reliable weathermen, so we won’t be basing our winter salt purchases on an insect I saw on a Wednesday afternoon.

In the Gospel today, Jesus is making his way toward Jerusalem when he comes across a group of non-believers. He points out how easily they forecast the weather by observing the signs—clouds and winds. But they were missing something more important than weather, what was happening in their midst. The signs of the kingdom of God where all around them: loaves being multiplied, the lame walking, hardened sinners repenting, and the good news spreading. But with all these signs many refused to believe.

Similarly today: our technological advancement is unparalleled. My phone has more computing power than the computers which put men on the moon. And yet, with all the technological advancement, large swaths of humanity close their senses, and their minds and hearts, to the message of God. Sports and entertainment, political power, excessive wealth, sexual license—the pursuit of the earthly-- take priority over the cultivation of the soul and the pursuit of righteousness that leads to eternal life.

Jesus urges the crowd to judge that the kingdom of God is at hand, that it is the time for repentance, and turning away from the seductive and ultimately empty, promises of the world. And in this present age, Christians are called to be the signs of the kingdom.

Through our lives, through our care for the poor, through the fruits of the spirit cultivated and blossoming in our lives, through our devout worship, through our penances, we are to be the signs that the kingdom of God is at head and the time for repentance is now, before it’s too late. For winter is coming, the end draws nigh, the day is now far spent, it’s later than we think.

May the signs of God’s kingdom manifest in our lives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That Christians may be faithful to evangelization, especially in the face of opposition, and for Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, “that the breath of the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary ‘spring’ in the Church.

For those who have fallen into error, for Catholics who have grown lukewarm in their faith, for those who have left the Church, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

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

That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

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