34th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - The war between Lamb and Beast

Throughout the visions contained in the book of Revelation, it becomes clear that history involves a battle: a war of good versus evil. In chapter 12 of Revelation, we hear of the dragon—"the dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.” And the dragon wages war against the women and her offspring. Think of Mary and her children, the Church. 

In chapter 13, Revelation introduces two beasts, demonic lieutenants of Satan. And the beasts worship the dragon because it gives them power. And the beasts blaspheme against God. And they too, wage war against the holy ones of God. 

But then in Chapter 14, we meet not a hellish dragon, or a demonic beast, but the innocent Lamb and the holy ones who follow Him wherever he goes. 

Today’s passage describes a vision of the Lamb who has waged war and is victorious over the beast and its followers. And surrounding the Lamb are, the Lambs followers, who share in his victory. These are the martyrs and the holy people who remained faithful to the Lamb unto death throughout the great battle—the great struggle—the great war that is this earthly life. 

And the followers of the Lamb sing a victory song to celebrate God’s triumph over his adversaries that is about to unfold as God brings history to an end. 

The battle is real. Our sinful condition means that our earthly life involves choosing sides—will we give in to sin, to the influence of the dragon whose evil permeates the whole world—will we join the beasts of hell in their vicious attacks on goodness, truth, and beauty? Or will we join the Lamb who delivers us from sin, who clothes his followers in righteousness?

The Catechism speaks of this battle saying the dramatic situation of “the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one” makes man’s life a battle: The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.”

The battle is real, my friends. And the battle to do right—the battle for holiness—the battle to win souls—costs us something, as it cost the Lamb—we will be hated by all—handed over by parents and friends, as the Lord tells us in the Gospel today. But sacrifice for God—for the Lamb—is rewarded with an eternal share in his victory. 

Revelation says, “The devil is in a great fury, for he knows his time on earth is short”. And evil in the world is not a sign that evil wins, but that it is making it’s last, furious grasp for souls. May we work and pray assiduously for the deliverance of those who remain in Satan’s grasp through error and sin, pleading for their deliverance through the blood of the Lamb—Christ the Lord—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Lord, sanctify your bishops and priests, and grant them courage to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

Make the lives of parents examples of faith to inspire their children to seek first your heavenly kingdom. 

Bring all those who have fallen away back to the sacraments, help them to repent of their sins and desire the life that can only come from you.

That the Wisdom of Christ may preside over our thanksgiving gatherings tomorrow, for safety for all travelers, and protection from food-born illnesses. 

Bring comfort to the sick and suffering, charity and care to the destitute and down-trodden, be present through your church to the miserable. 

Welcome into your kingdom all the faithful departed, those whose names are written in our parish necrology, all clergy and religious, and 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.

27th Week of OT 2020 - Friday - Seven demons worse than the first

The Gospels contain many instances of Jesus performing exorcisms—casting out evil spirits. These many instances of exorcism indicate that a primary aspect of Jesus’ ministry is to deliver us from bondage to evil. Why? Because evil dehumanizes us—it defaces our human dignity. The human mind and heart were not made to be dominated by forces like Lust, Pride, Envy, Greed, Wrath, Addiction. 

This is why we often see in the gospels the demon possessed displaying inhuman characteristics. Think of the Garasene demoniac bound in chains like an animal, screaming and gashing himself with stones. Or the possessed boy unable to speak—speech being one of the human faculties which differentiates us from the beasts.

The Lord Jesus, over and over in the Gospels, casts out evil spirits which dehumanize us; He has come to liberate us from the powers of sin and evil which keep us from living in the freedom of the children of God.

Yet, today’s Gospel provides a lesson of paramount importance regarding our liberation through Christ. What do we do once we have been freed from evil. What do we do once we’ve encountered Christ? Once we’ve been baptized? Once we’ve been liberated by Christ in the Sacrament of Confession?

The Lord teaches about a certain danger inherent in the spiritual life. If you do nothing, following your deliverance, it is likely you will be worse off than before your deliverance. It’s like a gardener who pulls up all the weeds from his garden, but then doesn't plant any crops. The weeds grow right back and in great numbers. 

This is why we see so many fallen away Catholics engaging in terrible behavior. Yes, they were freed from evil through baptism. They might have even gone to Catholic School for a while. But falling away from the faith, falling away from the Sacraments, their hearts turn hostile to God, and the begin to justify one sin after another. They stop hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and end up settling for so much less. Even priests, bishops, consecrated religious, can end up in terrible spiritual states because they begin to justify sin. It's usually through the cracks of pride--that these new demons enter our lives.

Rather, we need to always be pressing forward in the spiritual life—seeking growth, cultivating and making use of the spiritual gifts, as St. Peter writes, growing in grace and the knowledge of Our Lord. There are no plateau’s in the spiritual life, we are either pushing forward, climbing the mountain, growing in holiness, or we are falling back into old sinful habits or forming new ones. And those new ones might be worse than the old ones. 

The Lord wishes to produce abundant life in us, to perfect his love in us, to complete his joy in us. But we must cooperate daily, repent daily, humble ourselves daily, exert effort daily to grow in grace for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

 

That the clergy and the lay faithful may be vigilant against the tactics of the enemy to corrupt and destroy the Church, for a purification from all corruption within the Body of Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

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 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.

February 3 2020 - St. Blaise - Deliverance from Demons and the Powers of Death

Yesterday, at Sunday Mass, we heard in the letter to the Hebrews that Jesus came and shared our flesh that “he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil.” St. Luke gives a similar explanation for Jesus’ ministry, saying in the book of Acts that Jesus' ministry was to go "about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil". In fact, the Lord got quite the reputation in his ministry as an itinerant exorcist, one who traveled through the land, liberating the possessed.  And today, we hear the powerful story of the Lord casting out Legion, the unclean spirit or spirits possessing the Garasene demoniac. 

There are demons which seem to have free reign in our nation and in our neighborhoods—demons with names like “Addiction”, “Pornography”, “Greed”, “Blasphemy”, and “Despair”. But the Lord’s ministry of deliverance, casting out the demons from this world, is meant to continue, through us. Whenever we visit a new place, or a home which seems to house evil, we do well to pray, “Lord, deliver us from evil, deliver this place from evil, deliver these souls from evil.”

The unclean spirits will continue to be at work for the ruin of souls until the Lord returns, but we are certainly called to engage in the work of deliverance as well, offering up our sufferings for deliverance, praying for deliverance, setting good Christian example that those enslaved to sin might see that deliverance is possible.

Today we honor St. Blaise, a bishop and martyr from the 4th century. He had gained a reputation for his holiness among his people and for deliverance. He famously he healed a boy who had fish bones stuck in his throat and near death. He cast out this instrument of death, like the Lord casting out a demon. And so for centuries, Blaise has been invoked as the patron saint of those with throat ailments.

Up and down the centuries we see the saints standing up to the powers of death, opposed to the powers of evil and corruption. We invoke them, and seek to imitate them. That we like them, may become instruments of God’s power and goodness in the world, instruments of Christ who came to liberate all those captive to sin, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Bishops, the successors of the Apostles, may use their authority wisely and courageously in standing against the evils of this world.

For all those under the sway of evil, error, and corruption, for their deliverance by the power of Christ.

For the protection of young people from the corrupting influences of the world, for Christians families, and for the conversion of the faithless.

For the sick, suffering, and sorrowful, for miracles for hopeless causes.

For the souls in purgatory, and for N. 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.

2nd Week of OT 2020 - Friday - Apostles and Bishops and Us

The calling forth of the Apostles is a fitting scripture reading for us to reflect upon, particularly in light of yesterday’s news that Bishop Perez has been called forth by the Holy Father to be the next Archbishop of Philadelphia.

The word Apostle, comes from the Greek, Apostolein. Which means “to send”. We can see the English word “post” in there, like a postage stamp is used to send things, or a post office, a place where you send things, or simply to post, is “to send” something.

An apostle is first summoned by Christ. He is called from the world. He is called from the greater number of disciples. He is summoned to have a special intimacy with the Lord and to receive a special mission. In the case of the Apostles during the earthly ministry of Jesus, the Lord gives them a special mission of preaching and driving out demons. They are to do what he has done, what they have seen and witnessed him doing. In a sense, he’s already gone before them, showing them that the task is possible.

In their preaching, they shall use the words that they have heard him using, calling sinners to repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand, to turn away from their sins, to change their ways, that their lives may better reflect the values of God.

And they are to engage in spiritual warfare with the powers of darkness, driving away the entities and attitudes and forms of spiritual slavery through the power of God, the power given to them from God himself.

Having spent time with the Lord, having received their marching orders, the Lord then sends them out into the unknown. There they will encounter hostility, as he has encountered it. They will have to answer questions, make decisions, speak words some—many—are not willing to hear—helping them break from the sinful habits of the past in order to prepare for a future with God.

At the age of 32, St. Francis de Sales, whom we honor today was ordained a bishop. For 20 years, he labored zealously for the conversion of the Calvinists, administrated his diocese, and also found time to write his spiritual opus, The Introduction to the Devout Life, which hasn’t gone out of print in 400 years.

We certainly invoke the intercession of the bishop St. Francis and all those apostle saints and bishop saints, for Bishop Perez, called forth from Cleveland to fulfill the Apostolic mission within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. We recognize that we too, in our own way, are called to be with the Lord, that we may preach and drive out demons in the unknown territories of our lives. May we receive all the help we need from God for that purpose, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church may live out their baptismal call with greater conviction and faithfulness, and turn to the Lord in their sins with sincere contrition.

For Bishop Perez, for the churches of Philadelphia and Cleveland, for our future bishop, whomever he may be, for faithfulness to the Apostolic mission.

For the safety of all at the March for Life today, and that the witness to the dignity of human life may bring about greater protection for the unborn and conversion to the Gospel of Life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, 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 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

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - "Time is on my side"...or is it?

There is a story about a couple of demons were having a conversation about the Devil's favorite day. One demon said, I think the devil's favorite day is Halloween, for the little children dress up like monsters and murderers, we get them to play cruel pranks, and revel in the darker aspects of reality, so Halloween is the devil's favorite day. Another demon said, no, I think the devil's favorite day is “Monday”, who likes mondays? Mondays cause people to curse God, it’s a return to hard labor after a nice rest. So Monday's are the devil's favorite days. A third demon said, the devil doesn't have a favorite day, he has two. His favorite days are yesterday and tomorrow.

With yesterday, the devil can draw you into dwelling on your past. He can get you to think of the people who have hurt you in the past, he can cause you deep regret over your past misdeeds, he can make you think that since you wandered far from God in your past, you'll never find God again.
Satan loves yesterday, but he also loves tomorrow, because he causes people to think that the important changes they need to make in their lives can be made tomorrow, the sins they need to repent of can be repented of tomorrow, the people they need to help can be helped tomorrow.
If the devil can get us to focus on yesterday and tomorrow, that will keep them from following Jesus today.

I tell this little tale because each of our readings this weekend have to do with how we use the time we have been given: each of the scriptures contain references to “time”. Jonah is to announce to the Ninevites that they have a short time in order to repent and convert from their wickedness. St. Paul writes to the Corinthians that their time is running out. And our Blessed Lord's very first words in the Gospel of Mark, his inaugural address is about Time, “This is the time of fulfillment...repent and believe in the Gospel.” There is a sense of urgency in our readings.

During Ordinary Time, the Church reflects upon how we use the ordinary moments of our day—how we are to reflect the virtues and love of Jesus in the ordinary events and circumstances and times of our lives.

Based on the story, it seems that the devil likes to tell us lies about our relationship to time. He likes when we are stuck in the past, focusing on past sins, past hurts. He likes to keep family members focused on actions from the past, that we should focus on sins of the past.

The devil urges us to keep mental lists of the ways people hurt us in the past. Sadly, I think spouses do this sometimes. Very unhealthy, get rid of those lists. If your spouse did something foolish or selfish in the past, have an adult conversation with them if it really felt like a betrayal. If there is an ongoing addiction or something, that's different. Help your spouse get the help they need. But past misdeeds, like forgetting a birthday, or doing something embarrassing in public, shouldn't be used as ammunition to one-up someone in an argument.

So the devil likes to tell us lies about the past, but he also tells us lies about the future. Since the devil particularly hates the time that we give to God, one very common lie is that “you are too busy to pray, you don't have time to pray.” He does everything he possibly can to prevent us from praying...he gets us to think about the groceries that need to be purchased, the lunches that need to be made for the kids, the home-improvement projects that you've been putting off for three years.

One of the devil's great victories on his campaign against prayer, is getting people overly attached, even addicted to their iDevices. Many people do have less and less time to pray because they are overly consumed with social media and video games. There certainly is less time in the day when you spend an hour checking your Facebook feed and the pictures of cats on Instagram.

The devil does everything he possibly can to prevent us from praying...but Jesus teaches us the opposite. In the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus implores his disciples, “Rise and pray, that you should not enter into temptation.”

Another lie the Devil tells us about the future is that we have plenty of time to repent of our sins. He might tell us that our sins aren't that serious, that we don't need to go to confession, that we can get ourselves right with God some other time. He’ll tell a lie like, “You are too busy to go to confession.”
Jesus, in fact, teaches the opposite, “you know neither the day nor the hour” he says, that you will face your judgment, so repent now, go to confession now. If we are guilty of a serious sin, we have an obligation to go to confession as soon as possible. Back in the 1960s the famous rock band, the Rolling Stones, recorded the hit song, “Time is on my side, yes it is” Well, I think Jesus and St. Paul would certainly say, “no, it’s not.”

Another lie that the Devil tells us about time, and this is a big one, one that keeps us locked in very selfish modes of thinking and acting. The lie he gets us to tell ourselves is that “My time belongs to me.” He makes us feel that it is a grievous burden when people make demands on our time, that I'm to use my time in whatever way I want, “thank you very much”.

We heard St. Paul tell the Romans last week that their bodies, through baptism, become temples of the holy spirit. Our bodies as Christians do not belong to us; and by extension that means our time doesn't belong to us. We are given time by God to become as holy as we possibly can, to fulfill God's will to the best of the ability, to order our lives according to his wisdom and his Holy will. But Christians, our time does not belong to us. We're on the clock, we're on the job, and what we do with our time, determines how we will spend our eternity.

After announcing that the time of fulfillment is at hand, that we are to repent of our sins, what does our Lord do in the Gospel today? He puts the apostles to work. To be a member of the Church, whether you are 3 or 93, a priest, widow, married person, or child, means to use the time we have been given for the work of the Gospel, catching souls for Christ.

We accomplish this primarily through our good example: they shall know they are Christians by our love, as the old spiritual goes, and by generously sharing with others the stories and lessons and truths of our faith.

Our profession, our hobbies, our leisure activities, all of these things are secondary to our primary work of using our time for God's purposes not our own, working out our salvation by overcoming our sinful tendencies and helping others to do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Tuesday - 22nd Week of OT 2017 - Miracles happen through encountering Christ

At last night’s Vespers Service at the Cathedral proceeding today’s installation, Bishop Perez spoke about how miracles occur when we encounter Christ—how Jesus met people where they were and confronted them with the power of His Truth. How each of us could speak of a time in our life, when Christ became real for us, and how that changed our life forever.

Jesus’ miracle working is perfectly on display in this morning’s Gospel: the man, afflicted with unclean spirits is cleansed through an encounter with Christ.

In Jesus’ culture, the unclean ones were to be avoided, shunned, lest they spread their corruption, their insanity, their demons. But Jesus goes to even to the unclean, and through His authority and power as God, cleanses them in his mercy.

Several lessons become clear from this Gospel. One: there is no soul so unclean, that it is not invited to encounter the mercy of God through Jesus Christ. This is a simple and profound truth that we reflected upon quite thoroughly during the Year of Mercy. Yet it is a truth that we need to repeat especially to troubled souls who are deeply afflicted by the severity of their sins and demons.

Two, as the demons were expelled, they came out of the man without hurting him. Turning our lives over to Jesus does not hurt as much as we think it will. Conversion involve a cross, but the end result of being cleansed of demons, brings a lightness, a wholeness, and a joy that outweighs the demonic slavery. We should not fear conversion.

Three, the Church is both sent and equipped for the ministry of casting out the unclean spirits of our world. Jesus cast out demons through his power and authority, and not only is that power and authority given to the Church, but the Lord sends us out to use it, to help souls encounter Christ by sharing with them the power of his Truth, will help set souls free. We must not fear new faces nor new places in spreading the mercy of Christ.

May the Lord open our minds and hearts to the power and authority of his mercy. May we reject those interests that lead us away from communion with Him and may he renew our minds and revive our love and commitment to His Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Bishop Nelson Perez, on this, the day of his installation as 11th Bishop of Cleveland, may he be preserved always in His ministry and aided by the Holy Spirit in uniting and shepherding the diverse peoples of this diocese in Catholic faith, hope, and love.

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 Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September: “That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.” We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, especially the people of Houston Texas, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, 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. We pray.

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.