4th Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - David Trusts in God's Mercy

 

Today’s readings tell us two stories that might seem very different—a story about King David sinning against God and a story about Jesus being rejected by the people of his home town. But these stories are really about the same problem—the same choice.

In the first reading, we heard about King David. David was a good king. He loved God. But one day, he made a mistake. He told his army to count how many soldiers he had. That doesn’t sound very bad—until we understand why he did it. For a moment, David trusted numbers and power more than he trusted God.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for David to realize his sin. And notice, he didn’t make excuses. He didn’t blame anyone else. He said: “I have sinned. I have been very foolish.”

Then God gave David a choice about what would happen next—and David said something very important: “Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful.” In other words, David was saying: “If something bad has to happen, I would rather put myself in God’s hands—because God is kind, and God knows when to stop.”

David remembered something very important: God is always more merciful than we expect.

Now let’s look at the Gospel. Jesus goes back to his hometown—the place where everyone knew him growing up. He teaches in the synagogue, and the people are amazed… but instead of trusting God, they start to doubt. They say: “Isn’t this just the carpenter?” “Isn’t this Mary’s son?” “Who does he think he is?” And the Gospel says: “They took offense at him.”

In other words, they rejected Jesus—not because he did something wrong, but because they thought they already knew him. They trusted their assumptions instead of trusting what God was doing right in front of them. And because of their lack of faith, they were unable to witness the miracles of Jesus.

Here’s the connection between the two readings: both are stories about how we fail to trust God. Like David, we trust in our own strength, thinking we can overcome life’s obstacles by our own power, or military might. Like the people of Nazareth, we fail to take the time to know Jesus.

But David shows us what we must do when we fail to trust God: run back to God as soon as you can. Sometimes, like David, we mess up. But the good news—the very good news—is this: God is merciful. When we admit we’re wrong…When we say we’re sorry…When we trust God again…God always wants to forgive, to heal, and to begin again.

So today, let’s remember: Don’t be afraid to trust God, even when it’s hard. And when we fall, let us trust in God’s mercy—because, like David said, “The Lord is most merciful.” For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the mercy of God, who is always faithful even when we struggle to trust Him, let us bring our prayers before the Lord.

 For the Church throughout the world: that she may always trust in God’s mercy and help all people turn back to the Lord when they fall away.

For our Holy Father, bishops, priests, and teachers: that they may humbly serve God’s people and help others recognize Christ.

For all students in our school: that we may grow in faith, learning to trust God more than our own fears, assumptions, or doubts.

For those who struggle to believe or who have turned away from God: that they may encounter His mercy and be given the grace to trust Him again.

For those who are sick, sad, or in need of healing: that they may be comforted by God’s loving care and feel His mercy close to them.

For those who have died, that they may rest in the peace and mercy of God forever.

 Merciful Father, you are slow to anger and rich in compassion. Hear the prayers we offer today with trust in your love, through Christ our Lord.

December 20 2024 - The choice for God (school mass)

 This morning’s Gospel should sound familiar to all of us. We heard it just last week, when we were all gathered together for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. 

In the Gospel, Mary of Nazareth is visited by the archangel Gabriel. She is called “full of grace”. Hail Mary full of grace, we pray, echoing the words of the angel. These words signify how God had prepared Mary by his grace from the moment of her conception. 

And now she is presented with a choice: will she consent to God’s will and become the mother of Jesus or not? Of course, Mary chooses God’s will because she has always chosen God’s will in her life. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord”—she has served God in every way she could from the moment of her existence, and now she will continue to serve God. Thanks be to God that Mary made the best choice she could possibly make in that pivotal moment.

Like Mary, each one of us is given a choice, every day. Will I choose to follow God’s will or not?

Will I treat others in a Godly way, or not. Will I pray today as I should, or not. Will I respect my parents, or not. Will I refrain from what is harmful to my mind and my body, or not. Will I use the time I’ve been given to cultivate my intellect, or not. Will I help others who are in need, or not. Will I do what I can to make the world a better place, or not.

Choice. Each of us, every day, are given choice. Our students might not feel like they have a lot of choices about a lot of things. But you do. Will you be kind, or not. Will you be patient, or not. Will you use your gifts and talents in a constructive way, or not. 

Mary trusted God, that choosing God’s will is always what is best. And so, we have this example of the blessed Virgin choosing God’s will just days before Christmas now to remind us of the importance of making good choices, godly choices, with the time we have before Christmas, and the time we are given every day.

We might not be able to control a lot of things about our world and our families or our places of work, but, we always have a choice to grow in holiness or not, to seek God’s will or not, to go through our day prayerfully or not.

May your Christmas break be filled with holy choices—choices to seek and surrender to the Holy Will of God in the circumstances of your life for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2023 - The Kingdom of Heaven

 Throughout the Gospels we can find the Lord giving teachings and offering parables about the kingdom of heaven. 

“The kingdom of heaven” is a phrase appearing over 100 times in the New Testament—30 times just in Matthew’s Gospel.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “You are Peter, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of great price which a man…sells all that he has to purchase. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed” “The kingdom of heaven is like what happens to these 10 virgins” in the Gospel today.

The kingdom of heaven stands at the very center of the Lord’s preaching. After emerging from the desert after 40 days of fasting and withstanding the temptations of the devil, the very first words Jesus proclaims are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “Metanoeite ēngiken gar hē basileia tōn ouranōn” in St. Matthew’s Greek. 

What does he mean, the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom is the realization and fulfillment of God’s kingship—God’s sovereignty, God’s will for creation. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”. 

The fall of man occurred when we set our wills against that the will of God, thus introducing disorder, suffering, and death into the world. But the kingdom of heaven involves a turning away from disorder and evil, toward the goodness of the will of God. Our feelings, our opinions, our sentiments, and our choices are disordered when they fail to conform with the will of God. So to be part of the kingdom is to allign your mind, your heart, and your will in union with the will of God.

Second, every kingdom has a throne, and the throne of God’s kingdom, is in heaven: “thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.” From heaven Christ the King descended from the bosom of the Father, he established the Church as the beginnings of his kingdom on earth, and that kingdom will have its final consummation again in the eternal kingdom of heaven. 

Thirdly, this kingdom isn't simply God's reign over individual people. God’s kingdom involves a communion of people—a gathering together of a people in the Spirit—a people of faith—a community of sons and daughters. Creation is brought into a beautiful and heavenly harmony when we join together as willing subjects and servants of our God and King.

During this life of ours, we are given a choice—of which kingdom will we pledge our loyalty, our lives. Will we follow serve the fallen kingdom by simply giving into the passions of our fallen nature, or will we choose to ally and exercise our wills with God through discipleship of Jeus Christ. 

And this choice isn’t simply about giving God lip service. God sees through our lip service. For "Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven"

In the Gospel, the Lord offers a parable illustrating the great choice, the most important choice: will we choose to be like the wise virgins, who are prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, or like the foolish virgins who are locked out of the heavenly banquet forever. This is the most important choice, because it is the choice between heaven and hell. 

This choice for heaven or for hell is one that is made in the many choices of our life, a choice that is finalized at the moment of our death, when each of us faces our particular judgment. The Catechism says, “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately, -- or immediate and everlasting damnation.” 

This judgment will take into account the state of our souls at the time of death—did we die in a state of grace, or with our souls devoid of grace because of sin. Did we accept or reject grace, truth, faith, and love? Did we harden our souls toward God through pride, or open them up to the life of God through humility? Did we seek to live by wisdom or to abide by foolishness?

Heaven is at stake for us. But heaven is promised to the wise. But what is heaven? It is peace and joy and life forever. Catechism says, in heaven the blessed will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, or self-love, that destroy or wound…The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion.”

In heaven, God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

Scripture speaks of heaven in so many images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, rich wine, banquet, rooms in the Father’s mansion, paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."

Unsurpassable joy will be experienced in the participation in God’s eternal “kingdom of justice, love, and peace.” The blessed will be raised to the resurrection of life, and the wicked to the resurrection of eternal condemnation.

Heaven is the greatest reward for those who finish the race, and the loss of heaven is greatest tragedy for those who run away from it. The parable shows us that spiritual preparation is rewarded and spiritual procrastination—putting of repentance, putting off conversion, putting off faith, is perilous. 

So, the Lord warns us, “stay awake”. There are so many forces in our world that seek to lull us to spiritual sleep, so many voices seeking convince us that taking religion seriously is only for silly fundamentalists and scrupulous fanatics. The world says, everybody goes to heaven anyway, so why put forth any effort. These are lies. Heaven is not a guarantee. If it were, why would the Lord so often stress the importance of choice: the choice to believe, the choice to live, the choice to forgive. The path to heaven begins here with the choice of Christian discipleship until our last mortal breath. 

May each of us, with the help of God, exercise that personal responsibility for our souls, that requires us to seek and live according to the wisdom of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

22nd Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Tuesday - Nazareth vs. Capernaum

 For the first nine weeks of Ordinary Time, the weekday Gospel readings are taken from the Gospel of Mark. And then for about 12 more weeks, the Gospels are taken from Matthew. From now until the end of the liturgical year, we read from the Gospel of Luke. 

Yet, we don’t start with chapter one of Luke’s Gospel, for those are read throughout the advent and Christmas seasons. So we begin at the beginning of Our Lord’s public ministry, about 30 years after his birth, in Luke chapter 4.

And chapter 4 begins with the Lord in Nazareth, the place where he grew up, and he enters the synagogue on the sabbath, reads from the prophet Isaiah, basically claiming to be the fulfillment of the Messiah prophecy, and is then driven to the edge of the cliff by the townsfolk and almost killed. 

Today, the Lord comes to another synagogue, to the town of Capernaum, about 25 miles to the northeast. It’s the sabbath again, so perhaps only a week has gone by. 

And again he teaches. But, unlike the people of Nazareth who were filled with fury, the people of Capernaum were filled with astonishment. And then he performs an exorcism. 

In an atmosphere where Jesus is accepted and believed and listened to, demons are driven out. Where he is rejected, man allows the demons to remain in control, and push Jesus to the edge of their lives.

The task of the Christian is to bring Jesus into the lives of the peoples of our world, into their families, and homes. Will they reject him, like they did at Nazareth, or will they accept him and allow him to cast out their demons like in Capernaum? Well, we don’t find out until we are faithful to our task of bringing him into the synagogues of their lives. But we can’t be afraid to bring Jesus into someone’s life because the reaction might be a Nazareth and not a Capernaum. 

Nor can we give up on someone just because a demon shows up that is initially hostile. We must spend enough time with folks where we give Jesus the time to cast the demon out. 

There’s certainly some missionary instruction in today’s Gospel, and some of us are called to be missionaries. The missionary mustn’t be afraid of demons, rather, the manifestation of the demon is a sign that the Lord wants to cast it out. When the demon bares its teeth and calls for Jesus to be silenced, you don’t run away. You rebuke that demon in the name of Jesus, and pray for it to be cast out. Then the healing can begin, and the conversion to Christ.

And that’s true in our own life, when an old demon, an old temptation, bears its teeth, remain calm, and pray for the Lord to cast it out.

May our lives, our parish, our neighborhood be places where the Lord is encountered and believed, may his authority over the powers of darkness cast out demons and bring the light of faith, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For a flourishing of spiritual gifts needed for the missionary work and evangelizing mission of the Church.

For all those afflicted with demons, those who are overwhelmed with the Spirit of the World, that, through the ministry of the Church, they may know the cleansing power and mercy of Christ.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to practice Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. 

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

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.

12th Week of OT 2020 - Tuesday - The most important choice

Scripture often describes life as a choice between two ways. In Deuteronomy, Moses speaks of the way of life and the way of death. The very first Psalm speaks about the difference between the way of God which leads to life and the way of the wicked which leads to doom. The book of Proverbs, too, differentiates the path of wisdom, which leads to harmony with God, and the path of wickedness, which is one of greed, violence, foolishness, which leads to destruction.

Because we are endowed with free will, humans are able to choose their path: we might not be able to choose our race, our family, or the economic status in which we begin life. And we remain powerless over a great many things throughout life. But one choice is always available to us. We are always able to decide to follow God’s way or not.

We think of the first real moral choice in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had to decide between the way of obedience and the way of disobedience. And we know that the choice of disobedience at the beginning of human history had terrible consequences.

The Lord takes up this motif of two ways in the Gospel today: a way that leads to life and a way that leads to destruction. And the Lord even describes these two ways: the way that leads to life is narrow, few are truly willing to conform themselves to walk this path, the way that leads to destruction is wide and broad; the Lord sees many souls walking this path, and so this teaching is a warning to a sinful selfish world, change your ways, change your path before it is too late.

Few verses in the Bible are as sobering as these. The Lord challenges us to look at our lives from the perspective of where we are headed. The stakes are extremely high—our eternity is determined by the choices we make in this life.

Now many of our contemporaries don’t like to think about eternity. They like to live under the delusion, either, that everyone automatically goes to heaven, or that this life is all that there is. But that is not the message of the Bible, that is not the message of Our Lord. Our choices matter. If everyone went to heaven, if heaven was guaranteed, then faithfulness, obedience, self-sacrifice, really wouldn’t matter.

We must not allow ourselves to be swept up by the attitudes and faithlessness of the world, but rather we must make the choice, daily to follow Christ down the narrow path, in the moment of temptation, we must exert real moral effort to remain obedient to God, and if we have turned our back on God, and begun to wander down that destructive path, we must repent, and turn around, for the direction we are facing at the end of life will determine our eternity.

With the help of God’s grace, may we choose, wisely…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the Holy Spirit may guide the selection of a new bishop for Cleveland, that he may be a man of  wisdom, of deep Christian faith, hope, and love.

For the protection of the unborn, and that people of goodwill will work together to enshrine the protection of the unborn in law and in the hearts of all.

For the conversion of those who do not believe in God, for Catholics who have left the Church, those guilty of heresy or schism, and for a return to the sacraments of those who have fallen into serious sin.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster,  those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, all victims of abuse, especially children, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to live the call of Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.

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

6th Sunday in OT 2020 - Choose Wisely

Last weekend, we didn’t get to spend too much time reflecting upon our scripture readings due to our annual Catholic Charities appeal. We heard an audio message from our bishop, what is probably his last public address to us before his installation as Archbishop of Philadelphia this coming Tuesday. He spoke to us of the importance of living out our Christian unity—joining together to bring relief and assistance to the poor and downtrodden in our midst, joining together to promote life, peace, and justice. When our gifts of time, talent, and treasure are shared, they are multiplied.

Archbishop Perez’s installation can be viewed online on Tuesday at 2pm on both our Cleveland Diocese website and also the website for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. We certainly unite our prayers to the Church of Philadelphia and to the Archbishop, that his ministry may be blessed. No doubt the Archbishop prays for all of us, as we await a new Bishop.

My guess is that sometime this week, after Tuesday, the College of Consultors of our Diocese will meet to elect a diocesan administrator, who will cover the day-to-day operations of the diocese until a new bishop is named by the Pope, which could be in a few weeks, a few months, most likely within a year.

Last week, we heard a powerful section of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount: “you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, the Lord said, speaking to his disciples atop the mount of beatitudes. Salt and light, that what we are called to be, that is how we are to act. Not hiding our faith, but letting the light of their faith shine in our charitable works and preaching. Not allowing our faith to lose its flavor, its saltiness, not letting our faith become stale or ineffective, but nurturing our faith, doing whatever it takes to ensure that faith is the prime motivation of our life.

This week, we hear a continuation of the Lord’s Sermon. And he continues to teach about who we are and how we are to act. Primarily, he speaks of our need to keep God’s commandments. “Therefore,” he says, “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Who are we? Christians are those called to greatness by obeying and teaching the commandments.

When we hear that word “commandment”, what do you think of? I think of Moses atop Mt. Sinai, delivering to the Israelites the 10 commandments. The commandments of Moses were given by God, so that his people might be holy, that we might have guidance we need in restricting the tendencies of our fallen nature.

Why did God command that we should honor our father and mother? Because it’s not always easy. It’s not always easy to get along with family. Sometimes its harder to get along with family than it is with strangers.

Why did God command that spouses should not commit adultery? Because adultery is a perpetual temptation. In the New York Times, just this week there was an article arguing for what is known as “open-marriages” where spouses ignore the call to fidelity to each other and seek companionship outside their marriage. Not only is adultery being normalized in our modern day, it is being promoted. Not to mention the scourge of pornography and promiscuity rampant throughout our culture.

By evoking the commandments of Moses, the Lord in his Sermon on the Mount is calling his disciples in every generation to keep the commandments.  It is not up to each generation to create a new morality. Morality is not based on popular opinion or majority vote. The commandments are not outdated relics of an ancient past. Rather, they are the timeless Word of God for people of every age. And it’s up to us to trust them and to keep them. As we heard from Sirach in our first reading today: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live”

The Lord begins this section of his sermon saying, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.” In other words, don’t believe that I’m doing away with the commandments just because I’ve come to forgive your sins. Yes, your sins are forgiven, but you still need to keep the commandments. And what’s at stake? The Lord is pretty explicit, “fiery Gehenna” is still on the table for those who give n in to anger and hatred and adultery and theft and fail to repent and remedy their sinful actions.

Christians, like the Jews before us, are called to be a people set apart from the rest of the world, set apart by our seriousness in keeping the commandments of God, our seriousness for sanctity. Now, this does not mean that we are joyless, that we become joylessly obsessive about worrying if we’ve violated the smallest part of the smallest letter of the law.

We should know the commands of God well enough that we know when we are following them or not. This is where our Catechism comes in handy. The Catechism gives wonderful and clear explanation of the Commandments, and the Magisterium, the Bishops in union with the Pope continue to apply those Commandments to new moral issues which are not specifically addressed in the Bible: In Vitro Fertilization and Contraception and so on.

We seek to follow the commandments of God because we love God. They come from Him and we want to live lives pleasing to Him.

To those who follow his commands, the Lord promises eternal life. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord, we sang in our Psalm today. “Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart.” For following the commands of God, we are promised Blessedness, in this life and the next.

What does this blessedness consist of? St. Paul answers that question in our second readings today. For those who love God, who conform to his wisdom: eye has not seen, ear has not heard, it hasn’t even entered into the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him. The blessedness prepared for the faithful is greater than our human comprehension.

For disregarding the commandments of God, we have everything to lose, but following them, we have everything to gain. But, again, as Sirach says, it is our choice: heaven or hell is our choice. “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.” May we choose…wisely….for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

5th Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - The choice

Monday and Tuesday, we heard of how God brought creation into existence out of nothing. Unlike many pagan creation myths, material creation in the book of Genesis is ordered according to the divine plan and pronounced very good. And that goes especially for human beings—created in the image and likeness of God.

And today, we read the more detailed account of the creation of man and woman in the second chapter of Genesis.  God forms man from the dust, and settles him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it.  God breathes into the man, the breath of life, and immediately gives him a job: to work the garden, to care for it, to guard and protect it—to maintain the Order God has created.

Along with this job, God also issues a command:  “You may eat of every tree in the garden, but of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you will not eat, for on the day you eat of it, you will die.”  So what’s at stake at the very beginning?  Life or Death.  Obedience brings life, disobedience brings death.  God’s not lying about this—He’s not just trying to scare Adam.  Obedience brings life, disobedience brings death.  Here’s the choice given to every human being.  What’ll it be?  Will you exercise your will according to the knowledge given you by God? Will you trust God? Or will you turn your will and mind against God? 

These theme will play out over and over again throughout the Scriptures.  Adam and Eve are given a choice. Noah, Moses, the Israelite people, the judges, the kings, the prophets and those who hear the prophets. Obedience—trusting in God—brings life; disobedience—trusting in yourself or the cunning lies of serpents—brings death.

In the Gospel today, Jesus lists actions which cause defilement and death: unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.  He says all these evils come from within, not from without.  Meaning, you can’t claim the “devil made me do it” or “the culture made me do it”, these are actions that people choose freely, they are contrary to the divine will, and they bring death. Moral choices have eternal ramifications.

May we use the breath of life that comes from God, to choose the good. May we trust him when we are tempted. May we repent of the evil we have done through our own fault. And, through our obedience to the Divine Will, may the Holy Spirit renew the face of the Earth, 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 and care for her.
For the peoples of all the world, that the Lord may graciously preserve harmony among them.
For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief.
For ourselves and our parish, that the Lord may graciously receive us as a sacrifice acceptable to himself.
For the dead, for all of the souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Holy mass is offered.
O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you are the source of all goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith, we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

4th Sunday in OT 2019 - Miracles and Christian Faith

One of my favorite subjects to talk about with the children over in the school is miracles of Jesus. I like to see how many of Jesus’ famous miracles the school kids can list off: changing water into wine, walking on the sea of galilee, bringing sight to the blind, calming storms, multiplying the loaves and fishes, raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, raising his friend, Lazarus. Once, a school kid said that one of Jesus’ miracles was curing big cats. “Big cats”, I asked? Yeah, he cured the leopards. Never a dull moment in the priesthood.

Jesus was famous for performing miracles. “ But, why did Jesus perform miracles?” I ask the school kids. And they usually do a pretty good job with that too. Jesus performed miracles because he loves us, he and he wants people to know that He is God.

People from all around galilee came to know that Jesus could perform miracles. They would come to him in great crowds. And many came to believe in his Divinity, when they saw his signs and heard his teachings.

After the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders, as they spread the Gospel in fidelity to their great commission.  There are stories of Saint Thomas performing miracles in India, Peter raised Tabitha from the dead, Paul healed the sick at Malta and raised the dead. Saint Jude the Apostle has been known throughout the centuries as the patron saint of hopeless causes—his prayerful intercession has brought countless miraculous cures.
And throughout the history of the Church many saints could perform miracles: Saint John Bosco, whose feast was on Thursday, performed so many miracles that Pope Pius XI said that in the life of Don Bosco, “the supernatural almost became natural, and the extraordinary, ordinary”.  Don Bosco performed many healings; he once even raised a young boy from the dead who died in a state of mortal sin so the boy could make a sacramental confession.   Countless miracles fill the lives of saints like Patrick, Catherine of Siena, St. Kevin, Benedict, and Clare.

I personally witnessed what I believe to be a miracle from a modern day saint.  I was attending world youth day in Toronto and we were all camped out in a field on Saturday night, as we were to celebrate Sunday Mass in the morning with Holy Father Pope John Paul II.  At about 5 a.m. it started to rain.  Everyone woke up and covered themselves in tarps and umbrellas, but it was pretty miserable as sprinkling quickly turned into downpour.  When Mass started it was raining harder than ever, and everyone was totally soaked. 

You might know that during the Easter Season it is common to use The Rite of Sprinkling: the priest sprinkles the congregation with Holy Water to recall the saving waters of Baptism. At Mass that morning, Pope John Paul II looked out at the crowd in the pouring rain and declared, "Today we will have the Rite of Sprinkling by natural means!" He then said, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.” And within seconds…seconds, the rain stopped and the sun came out, and Mass continued with the Gloria.

Speaking of miracles, February 3rd is the feast of Saint Blaise. Saint Blaise was a bishop and martyr from the 4th century who miraculously cured a young boy who was choking to death. St. Blaise is invoked as the patron saint of throat ailments, and so we will bestow the blessing of throats at the end of Mass today.

In the Gospel today, Jesus had come to Nazareth, into the synagogue of his youth, and read from the scroll a passage of how the messiah would come performing miracles: the blind would see, the deaf would hear, and a time of favor from the Lord would be inaugurated.  Jesus explained how this prophecy was being fulfilled in their hearing.

The people had already heard of some of the healing miracles Jesus had performed.  So what was their response to his radical claim—the claim that he was the long-awaited for Messiah?
Well, initially they were favorable toward him.  They thought, hey, this is the son of Joseph, the carpenter.  If this guy is really the Messiah, we are his home-town boys, this is going to be favorable for us.  He’s been performing miracles, I could definitely use one of those.  A miracle-working messiah, and I’m his next door neighbor.

But, Jesus knew their hearts, and he detected a problem—a stumbling-block.  They wanted the miracles without discipleship.  They wanted the fame without the hard work.  They wanted the glory without the responsibility.  They wanted resurrection without the cross. 

Detecting this problem, Jesus tells two stories from the Old testament, one about the widow of Zarapheth, and the other about Naaman the Syrian. These two people were non-Jews, non-Jews who received healing and blessing and miracles from the God of the Jews, while Jews were passed up and deprived of blessing and miracle because of their lack of faith.

In relating these stories what is Jesus saying here, first to the people of Nazareth and secondly to us? Just because you are from Nazareth doesn’t mean you will inherit the kingdom. Salvation requires faith, it requires discipleship.

Jesus’ miracles, as our school kids point out, are to help us know and follow Jesus. Sometimes I think we are deprived of miracles for good reason, because God knows that we’ll receive the miracle and then go right back to the life of sin and unbelief.

Incited by Jesus’ insinuations, the townsfolk rose up, and drove him to the edge of a cliff to kill him. A few minutes ago they were saying how great he was, praising the gracious words coming from his lips; now they were filled with murderous fury? Why?  Jesus exposed some darkness in them, some hard-heartedness. And some people are not willing to change.   Jesus did not come to satisfy selfish requests. But rather, to help us, once and for all to overcome all selfishness, and to show us that it is the path of self-sacrifice and Christian belief which leads to heaven. 

This has everything to do with who we are as members of the Christian Church in this 21st century.  For we can easily fall into the same trap as the people of Nazareth, we can start to take Jesus for granted, or we can become bitter or angry when God doesn’t grant us miracles on our terms. We, like the citizens of Nazareth, all too easily driven Jesus to the fringes to throw Jesus off the cliff, so we didn’t have to think about him, so he wouldn’t prick our consciences, so we wouldn’t have to change our life, so we wouldn’t have to get off the couch.

The saints and the Christians you know have not driven Jesus to the fringes. Rather, through lives of  prayer, lives of service, they live in grateful response to have received salvation in Jesus Christ.  For the thrust of the Christian life is gratitude for already having received the miracle, the only miracle, that in the end truly matters: the gift of new life through baptism, the second chance at heaven. That’s the miracle. The most important miracle. The revivification of souls dead in sin brought about by Jesus’ own self-sacrifice, his suffering and death on the cross.

This is why weekly mass is essential for Christians. Without weekly mass we begin to take that miracle for granted, Our Lord’s self-sacrifice, his suffering and death for granted. And then we know how easily worldly preoccupations can creep in, Christian devotion are set aside, Christian service is left for others. Soon, the things of the world take on greater importance than the things of God. And our souls begin to separate from the source of life and goodness.

When we receive the Lord in faith, we begin to become our best-selves. We begin to see the amazing miracles God is working in the world now. May we make the choice to believe in the miracle of new life through Jesus, and change our lives accordingly, that he might make us his instruments of bringing sight to the blind, liberty to captives, and good news to the poor for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Epiphany 2019 - See, Set Out, Bring Gifts

I’d like to share this evening some thoughts from Our Holy Father Pope Francis. Last year, on the feast of the epiphany, preaching in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father noted: “Three actions of the Magi guide our journey towards the Lord, who today is revealed as light and salvation for all peoples. The Magi see the star, they set out and they bring gifts.”

These three actions of the Magi contain three wonderful lessons for us. First, they see the star. Not everyone saw the star. St. Matthew tells us that Herod and the people in Jerusalem were troubled at the news of this star. They had missed it. There concern was not for heavenly things, but for earthly things.

“We often make do” the Holy Father notes, “with looking at the ground”…we tell ourselves, “it’s enough to have our health, a little money and a bit of entertainment.” Many of our contemporaries have settled for the earthly while ignoring the heavenly, and their lives are sadder for it. Francis asks, “ I wonder if we still know how to look up at the sky. Do we know how to dream, to long for God, to expect the newness he brings, or do we let ourselves be swept along by life, like dry branches before the wind? The Magi were not content with just getting by, with keeping afloat. They understood that to truly live, we need a lofty goal and we need to keep looking up.”

That’s our first invitation for this new year: to have our eyes raised to heaven, to look for signs that God is working in our lives. To look for God in the Sacraments, to look for God in the Scriptures, in our private prayer, to look for Him in the opportunities he gives us to serve.

The second thing the Magi do, once they see the star, St. matthew tells us they “set out.” Regardless of how difficult the journey may be, they set out to find Jesus. The Holy Father notes, “His star demands a decision to take up the journey and to advance tirelessly on our way. It demands that we free ourselves from useless burdens and unnecessary extras that only prove a hindrance, and accept unforeseen obstacles along the map of life. Jesus allows himself to be found by those who seek him, but to find him we need to get up and go, not sit around but take risks, not stand still, but set out.”

“Jesus makes demands: he tells those who seek him to leave behind the armchair of worldly comforts and the reassuring warmth of hearth and home. Following Jesus is not a polite etiquette to be observed, but a journey to be undertaken.” Here the Holy Father is talking about Christian discipleship. Being a disciple is not just about observing, as he says, “polite etiquette”. It’s about setting out on a risky journey. Finding Jesus involves taking risks: the risk of going out of the comfort zone to allow yourself to be changed by Christ.

Not everyone did set out to meet him, as we heard in Matthew’s story. Herod stayed at home. He stayed in the comfort of his palace, and sent other people to do the hard work of setting out and searching for Jesus. The people of Jerusalem too, were afraid, that God could be doing something new in their lives. They wanted everything to remain just as it was, but that is rarely the way things are with God.

So there is our second invitation for this new year: not to be afraid to set out on a new adventure, to engage in acts of charity you may never have engaged in before, to reflect on Christian truths you may have shied away from, to practice devotions that have been set aside by the worldly minded.
The third thing the Magi do is they bring Gifts, they offer to the Christ Child their costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Holy Father says, “The Gospel becomes real when the journey of life ends in giving. To give freely, for the Lord’s sake, without expecting anything in return: this is the sure sign that we have found Jesus. For he says: “The gift you have received, give freely as a gift” (Mt 10:8). To do good without counting the cost, even when unasked, even when you gain nothing thereby, even if it is unpleasant. That is what God wants.”

Jesus comes to give the greatest gift of life for our salvation, and we are called to give of ourselves freely, which opens us open ever more deeply to receive the gift of His divine life.

So there is our third invitation for this new year, to give with the generosity of Jesus himself. To give of our time, talent, and treasure, as I hear you are used to hearing around these parts. To be attentive to the ways the Holy Spirit is urging us to give of ourselves for the spread of the Gospel, to set our gaze upon the things of God, to set out to obtain them no matter the difficulty, and to give of ourselves generously, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 28 2018 - Holy Innocents - The choice to receive or reject

On Christmas morning, we read from the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel: how the Eternal Word took on the flesh of humanity to enlighten and save the world. John wrote how there were those who received the incarnate Word with faith and Love and there were those who rejected Him.

Those who accepted the Christ Child at Christmas were of course, His blessed Mother, who received the Lord into her loving arms, St. Joseph, who received the Christ Child as a foster son—who vowed to guard, protect, rear, and teach the boy as if he was his own; the shepherds received the Christ Child in adoration, and the magi received the child with wonder and awe and worship.

Today, we heard of how King Herod did not receive the child with love and faith. In fact, he plotted to have the child murdered. And when his original plot failed, Herod ordered the massacre of all the young boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, in an attempt to eradicate the Christ.

Through the Gospels, each of the evangelists describe the many ways that Jesus was either received in faith or rejected and hated. All those encountering Him had to make a choice to receive or to reject.
The day after Christmas, we celebrated the Feast of Stephen, the first martyr, who made the choice to receive the Lord and to remain faithful unto death for Him. Yesterday, was the feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, who, as well, received the Lord with faith and love, and although he was not martyred, he suffered greatly, and served the Lord as a faithful apostle. The Church honors the Holy Innocents massacred by Herod as martyrs, who received the Lord in a baptism by blood—they died for Christ, and God received them into his Kingdom.

In every age there will be Herod’s who reject the Christ, who will not stop at any extreme to safeguard their own personal kingdoms. Many even who attended Mass this Christmas, who heard the Gospel preached, will reject the call to conversion, to receive the Lord with Love and Faith and Worship. Many will not allow themselves to detach from their worldly ways to receive the Lord.

But there are Herod’s and hard-hearts that can be reached, that can be softened to receive the Christ Child through the witness, prayers, and sacrifices of the Church. So we pray for them, and for ourselves, that we may receive the Lord ever more deeply, lovingly, and faithfully, and reject everything that does not come from or lead us to Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice and honesty, and for the reversal of any law which permits or leads to the destruction of innocent human life, and that God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life and a strengthening of all marriages in holiness.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness, addiction, or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

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

Thursday after Ash Wednesday 2018 - Threshold Moments

I don’t know if it’s still common today, but it used to be a tradition for a groom to carry his bride over the threshold of the honeymoon suite or their new home. Crossing the threshold marked a transition from one way of life to another.

Some of my favorite scenes in stories and movies are when the protagonist stands at a threshold with an important choice to make: Neo, from “The Matrix” choosing the red pill or the blue pill; Bilbo the Hobbit, literally standing at the threshold of his safe, comfortable home, choosing whether or not he will go on the adventure of a lifetime.

Certainly, a threshold moment in my life, was the day, as a young college student, I chose to visit the seminary for the first time.

We all have threshold moments –times when we are invited to move from one way of living to another. These moments are challenging; change and venturing into the unknown are never easy. So we often pause on the threshold itself, to reflect on what we want out of life, on who we are, one where we want to go, on the principles we must follow if we want to truly live.

Moses, in the first reading, has led the Israelites to the threshold of the promised land. And they have a choice to make, as they enter this new land, will they return to the comfortable life of sin, or will they embark on the new way of fidelity. Fidelity will be difficult. They will have to resist being led estray by the attractive paganism of the land’s current inhabitants. They will have to resist their strange gods, their voluptuous women. They will have to struggle to keep the commandments, statues, and decrees of God.

One way leads to life and prosperity, one to death and doom: “choose life”, Moses says, “heeding the voice of the Lord.”

On this threshold of Lent, we are given a choice, as well. Will we return to the comfortable, or will we embark on a journey which will change us, and convert us.

The Lord invites us to follow him into the desert, to fast and to pray with him, to learn how to surrender ourselves to God like Him, he invites us to deny ourselves and follow Him.

It is a great paradox, but true nonetheless, that the way of the cross is the way that leads to life.
Freely and wholeheartedly, may we embrace our Lenten observances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, that the life of Christ may well up, spring up in us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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For the whole Christian people, that in this sacred Lenten season, they may be more abundantly nourished by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

For the whole world, that in lasting tranquility and peace our days may truly become the acceptable time of grace and salvation.

For sinners and those who neglect right religion, that in this time of reconciliation they may return wholeheartedly to Christ.

For ourselves, that God may at last stir up in our hearts aversion for our sins and conviction for the Gospel.

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.

5th Sunday in OT 2018 - Life is worth living

Have you ever been deeply-broken hearted that you felt you couldn’t go on? Have you ever felt, like Job, in our first reading: Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? In other words, have you felt that life is just one series of a miserable circumstances after the next? Have you ever had an existential crisis, a moment in your life where you wonder “what is the point of it all?”

Such experiences are not uncommon. The whole branch of existential philosophy was developed to grapple and wrestle with the universal human experience of questioning the purpose of it all. The existential Philosopher Albert Camus even claimed, that “Deciding whether or not life is worth living” is “the fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions follow from that.”

We Christians take that question seriously. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen even launched a radio show and later what became the most popular television show at its time, called “Life is Worth Living.” The book of Job grapples with this question: if life is filled with so much drudgery and suffering, is life worth living?

In ancient times, suffering was understood to be caused by sin. If you suffered, it must be your fault, or the fault of somebody down your family line. But, this was not the case for Job, Job was a just and honest man, and yet he still suffered. So how does the virtuous and faithful Job understand his suffering?

The Book of Job ultimately concludes that the man of faith is called to trust in God whether he suffers or not, “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” “Bless the Lord at all times” as the Psalmist says. That’s a faith and trust that we all need to aspire to. And Job shows us that sort of faith isn’t always easy. How did Job reach this level of spiritual maturity? How did he go from existential crisis to deep faith, from seeing his life has monotonous and meaningless to seeing the hand of God in his life?

Job’s spiritual awakening certainly came after a lot of questioning. Maybe you’ve asked these questions too. “Why?”, “why me?”, “why is this happening to me?” But Job has a breakthrough when he shifts his focus, he changes the type of questions. He stops asking “why must I suffer?” and starts asking God “what do I do about my suffering?” Life IS worth living, no matter the suffering, so how do I deal, how do I cope with the things that are causing my unhappiness, these circumstances threatening my peace and well-being. What is the way forward?

Self-examination is a powerful tool for spiritual growth. If we are unhappy we do well to question the cause of it. Why am I unhappy and depressed? Well it might be because my drinking has increased, or I’ve not forgiven my spouse, or haven’t prayed with any real depth in a few days, or I’m really angry at my boss, or I haven’t been helping anyone but myself lately. Unhappiness is often a sign of unresolved anger, resentment, envy, gluttony, lust, sloth, self-centeredness. There is great unhappiness when one is isolated by selfishness, when one lives only for oneself. Taking a moral inventory is quite necessary from time to time.

But the road to happiness doesn’t end with the self-examination, it needs to lead to action: cutting back on the drinking, Netflix, and video games; standing up to the boss who’s been taking advantage of you, making a spiritual retreat, or maybe going to couples’ therapy if there are deep unresolved issues with your spouse; or getting involved in volunteer service if you’ve been living selfishly lately.
Life IS worth living, and even when there is suffering, even when life feels like monotonous, meaningless drudgery, we have some choices to make. And those choices will determine if we remain stuck in unhappiness or we discover God’s presence with us.

Now, one of the great miseries of life, which Job experienced as well, is the death of a loved one: a parent, a child, a spouse, a dear friend. When a loved one dies there’s often a whole host of feelings: numbness, confusion, anger. Sometimes the pain is so great it feel like you can’t go on living either, such broken-heartedness can be devastating. We ask God some of those Job-like questions: why, why did this happen, why was my loved one taken from me.

And so often, the road to healing involves that shift: from “why was my loved one taken from me” to “now what can I do to heal, to find peace”

That’s not always an easy question to ask. It’s hard to trust that healing and peace CAN be discovered again, to allow yourself to go on living, to allow God to bring you healing. As we recited in the Psalm today: “the Lord, heals the brokenhearted…Great is our Lord and mighty in power; to his wisdom there is no limit.”

To cry out to God with a broken heart is better than not crying out to Him at all. And I think that was Job’s great shift towards deep faith: learning how to turn to God and trust God amidst the suffering.
In today’s Gospel, people came from all places to be healed by Jesus—to be freed of their earthly miseries and bodily pains and their demons. And the Lord certainly, certainly wishes to bring us wholeness and peace and healing, just like he did for the citizens of Capernaum.

But I’d say most often that healing looks a little different than what we first thought. Healing and peace typically don’t come by a wave of the magic wand, but like Job, they involve learning to see things from God’s perspective, learning to trust God amidst the suffering, trusting that life is worth living, and adopting healthy ways of reflecting that faith.

The poet Stephen Vincent Benet put it: “Life is not lost by dying; Life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand uncaring ways.” So let us care deeply, love deeply, give of ourselves deeply, that we may discover the healing and life Jesus died to obtain for us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Tuesday - 5th Week of Lent 2017 - The most important choice

In the Gospel, we have a continuation of the scene from yesterday, where Pharisees brought to Jesus the woman caught in adultery. After offering God’s mercy to the adulterous woman, one might think to ask, who is this guy? Who does he think he is? As the scribes proclaim in Mark’s Gospel, “Who alone but God can forgive sins”.

Well, Jesus identifies himself today. Twice he calls himself, “I AM”. “I AM” was of course the name of God given to moses at the burning bush. Moses asked, who is this sending me on this mission to deliver the Israelite slaves? And the Lord said, tell them, “I AM sent you.”
Jesus identifies himself today as, “I AM” come to do the saving himself, salvation which could only come through Him.

“For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins." This is a choice the Jesus poses to every human soul in every generation. To believe in Him or not. To follow Him or to follow the world.

As Christians, we have been given the gift of faith to know that Jesus Christ is God and our only savior, and yet, we still struggle between these two attractions. The world is seductive. It offers immediate gratification: the saucy television show, internet sight, the juicy piece of gossip. The way the world is set up one is often rewarded for walking in the ways of selfishness.

. It’s hard to be in the world, but not of the world. Likely, this is why we find Lenten fasting so difficult: we like our worldly attachments. And in the age of social media, there are some social pressures not to appear to be “too Christian”—to not be “one of those Christians”. Many young parents struggle with this choice: bring their kids to sports practice or to church? We have a lot of parents who want to raise the next Lebron James instead of raising the next Saint James.

Each of us struggle in our own way with this duplicity. Many Christians go to the grave without ever really seeking to put God first, without really living the consecration of baptism, to put faith first, to make the choice of God or the world.

To be Christian is radical choice, it is to go down to the root of our being. If we truly believe that he is God, then we have to dedicate ourselves to Him—not simply in occasional thoughts in our moments of religious fervor, but in a concrete decision to follow him always, which puts us in contradiction with the ways of the world.

May we have the faith and strength and perseverance to make that choice day after day, moment to moment, for it is the choice that brings true life and brings it to abundance for the glory of God and salvation.
 
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That the Church will experience the graces of profound renewal during this season of Lent.  That we may grow in our eagerness in spreading the Gospel of Christ.

That all Christian families will recommit themselves to putting Christ at the center of their family life, so as to grow in faith, hope, and love.  We pray to the Lord.

For an end to abortion and for the reverence and protection of human life.  We pray to the Lord.
For the young people of our Church. May they be strengthened to be witnesses to the Gospel of mercy and work for a future that embodies a genuine culture of life.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that they will be profoundly blessed in their preparation for full initiation into the Body of Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

For the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, imprisoned, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  We pray to the Lord.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday 2017 - Choose Life

Choices. We have some choices to make this Lent. What will our Lenten penance look like? What will we fast from? What will we give up? How will my daily prayer look different in Lent then the rest of the year?

Our scripture readings, this second day of Lent, are all about choice. Choice to walk in the ways of God can bring us life, choice to walk in the ways of the world can take life from us.

In the reading from Deuteronomy, Moses stands on the threshold of the promised Land, and urges the Israelites to choose life, for their sake and the sake of their descendants. What does life consist of? Loving the Lord, walking in his ways, heading his commandments. Will you choose life or will you choose death?

The Psalm, too, this morning speaks of a choice: will you follow the counsel of the wicked or the law of the Lord? For those who delight in God’s law will be like a tree planted beside running water which will always bear fruit.

Jesus too starkly presents a choice, a choice we must make every day this Lent: will you take up the cross or not? It seems to the world that the cross means death, but paradoxically, Jesus teaches, the cross is the means to life.  Loving the Lord, walking in his ways, headings his commandments means taking up the cross.

To the world, love means fuzzy feelings, romantic walks on beaches. Jesus teaches a deeper love, a greater love, love of God means the willingness to make sacrifices for God, to suffer for God.
We choose life, we choose love this Lent by engaging in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We engage in these practices not just because we are gluttons for punishment, but out of love; love was the reason Jesus went into the desert for 40 days, love was the reason Jesus endured the sufferings of his passion.

It is possible to gain the whole world, but lose one’s soul; so we willing detach ourselves from the things of the world, in order to find our souls, to find God, and to deepen our love for Him.

The cross is the path of life, it is the Royal Road to the Kingdom of God and we are invited at the beginning of Lent to share the cross more deeply that the Lord may bring us to new life.

Life or death, blessing or curse, faith or fear, God or the world.  Choose wisely. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the Church may experience profound renewal.

For Pope Francis’ intentions for the month of March: that persecuted Christians may be supported by the prayers and material help of the whole Church.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that they will be profoundly blessed in their preparation for full initiation into the Body of Christ.

For all those tempted to commit the sin of abortion, that they may choose life.

That all people may know the closeness of God and the help of God’s grace as they bear the sufferings and heavy crosses of their lives.