February 10 2023 - St. Scholastica - Trusting in God's plan

The first chapters of the book of Genesis reveal God’s magnificent plan for creation. In the first chapter, the days of creation follow the divine logic: the light, the earth, the heavens, dry land, sea, vegetation, stars, the fish, the birds, the animals, and finally mankind.

In chapter two, we read of God’s plan for humanity. Humanity is to fulfil the purpose for which we were made: tending creation and obeying God—trusting God. 

Sadly, in chapter 3, we read of Adam and Eve stepping out of God’s plan, man’s rebellion. Instead of surrendering to God’s plan, trusting in God, obeying God’s commands, man and women choose to believe in a lie: that they can be happy without trusting God—that they can close their ears to the Word of God and still be able to hear correctly.

In the Gospel, the effects of Adam and Eve’s Original Sin are on display: a man deaf with a speech impediment. He cannot hear the words of his loved ones; he cannot communicate rightly as man was created to do.

But, in the Gospel, God’s plan of salvation is also on display. Through Jesus Christ the impediments to wholeness are healed, right relationship with God and neighbor is restored. 

Today, we honor St. Scholastica, twin sister of St. Benedict. We do not know much about her life, save that she was a consecrated virgin. The one story we do know comes from St. Gregory the Great, and illustrates the great trust in God that we are meant to cultivate.

Scholastica loved when her brother would visit her in the monastery and engage in the holy conversation of the saints. Well, on one occasion, the conversation ran long and Benedict announced he had to return to his monastery. 

Maybe she knew it would be their last such visit because she was coming to the end of her life, but Scholastica closed her eyes and began to pray. A torrential down pour of rain, thunder and lightning swept through making it impossible for Benedict to go home. ‘May God forgive you, sister. What have you done?’ ‘Well,’ she answered, ‘I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen.”

Scholastica trusted that if God wanted to send the rains, He would. She surrendered to God’s Will and God deemed it good to send rain so that the holy twins could continue their holy conversation. Her love for God and her love for her brother when combined with holy trust wrought a miracle.

As we prayed in the collect today, “following Scholastica’s example, may we serve God with pure love and happily receive what comes from loving God” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty we direct the prayers of our heart for the needs and salvation of humanity and the good of His faithful ones.

For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her, care for her, deliver her from evil, and aid her in her mission.

Through the intercession of St. Scholastica, may all those whose lives and welfares are threatened by storms be delivered from all dangers.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may grant them relief and move Christians to come to the aid of the suffering.

For our beloved dead, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

First Friday Holy Hour - December 2022 - The privilege of discipleship

 

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus speaks about the privilege of discipleship, the privilege of being a Christian, rather than being born prior to his coming. He says, “blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

The prophets longed to see what we get to see, and hear what we get to see. The prophet delivered promises to God’s people, but were not in their lifetimes able to witness the fulfillment of those promises.

In the reading from Isaiah today, the prophet lists a number of such promises: the deaf shall hear, the eyes of the blind shall see, The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

We are the deaf who are now able to hear the Word of God Himself. Whenever the Sacraments are celebrated, that is Jesus Himself saying this is my body, this is my blood, I baptize you, I confirm you, I absolve you, I anoint you. 

We are the blind who are now able to see God, kneeling now, before his very flesh and blood made present, made visible to us. 

We are the lowly, the ones who have responded to the Lord’s invitation to humble ourselves, to trust in God who is beyond human power and understanding. And we are now able to experience a joy that the prophets could never imagine, the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity within the human soul through the grace.

And we are the poor who are able to rejoice like no other people, able to rejoice in the victory of God over the powers of sin and death. 

What an awe-filled mystery that we are able to participate in—to come here on a normal weeknight, to keep the name of God holy, as much of the world passes us by, the revere God in an increasingly irreverent world, to be in awe, in the midst of a board, overly stimulated generation.

May this holy hour deepen our faith, our hope, and our love, as we await the celebrate of Christ’s first Advent at Christmas, and the hastening of his final Advent at history’s end, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

5th Week in OT 2019 - Friday - Open our hearts to listen

The first chapters of the book of Genesis reveal God’s magnificent plan for creation. In the first chapter, the days of creation follow the divine logic: the light, the earth, the heavens, dry land, sea, vegetation, stars, the fish, the birds, the animals, and finally mankind.

In chapter two, we read of God’s plan for humanity. Humanity is to tend to creation and to marry.

Sadly, in chapter 3, we read of Adam and Eve stepping out of God’s plan, man’s rebellion. Instead of surrendering to the plan, trusting in God, obeying God’s commands, man and women choose to believe in a lie: that they can grasp at a future divorced from God and still live, that they can do anything they want without consequence, they can have their sin and their souls will remain intact, they can close their ears to the Word of God and still be able to hear correctly.

In the Gospel, the effects of Adam and Eve’s Original Sin are on display: a man deaf with a speech impediment. He cannot hear the words of his loved ones, he cannot communicate rightly as man was created to do, as we are created in the image of one who Speaks—who speaks creation into being, who created through the Word, who communicates his love between the three divine persons, who made us to be communicators of His own truth, goodness, and beauty.

But, in the Gospel, God’s plan of salvation is also on display. Through Jesus Christ the impediments to wholeness are healed, right relationship with God and neighbor is restored.

Jesus looking up into heaven and groaning before this particular healing reminds us that the ultimate healing took place when he looked up to heaven and groaned his last upon the cross.

Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we have inherited a world polluted with sin and death, our own human nature is marred so we do not hear God as we should, we do not see as we should, we do not speak as we should. But in Jesus, spiritual sight, hearing, and speech are restored, communion and communication are restored, and we renter God’s plan for our souls.

We face many times a day the same choice the Adam and Eve will face in the garden, will we listen to God or listen to the serpent. One choice will bring us life, the other will take it from us. As we just sang in the Gospel acclamation: “Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son” 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.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to those who call on you in supplication.