3rd Week of Easter 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - We belong to God

 

It seems strange that during this joyous easter season, we have these readings from the Acts of the Apostles about how the Church was being persecuted. Last week, we heard of how the apostles were thrown into jail for their Christian faith. Yesterday, the reading recounted the death of the first martyr, the deacon Stephen. Today’s reading picks up right where yesterday’s left off. With the death of Stephen a severe persecution broke out in Jerusalem, and Christians were scattered to the country side.

Why do we focus on imprisonment, persecution, suffering, and martyrdom during this season of joy?

The Church reads from the Acts of the Apostles during Easter because it contains the testimony of how ordinary, frightened disciples became courageous because they knew that their redeemer lived. We see how the first Christians were able to keep going, keep loving, keep preaching, keep serving, even when life became difficult because Jesus Christ was risen from the dead, and they believed that preaching and serving the Gospel was the most important thing they could do for themselves and others.

These stories are so powerful for us because they help us to be courageous and to serve God when it is difficult as well. I can’t promise you that being a follower of Jesus will help you overcome a fear of heights, or spiders, or other phobias. But I can promise you that as you seek to follow Jesus more and more faithfully, you will become a more courageous, generous, loving, peaceful, wise Christian. As you begin to hand your minds and your hearts over to Jesus more and more, he will help you overcome temptation, he will give you strength of spirit, he will help you carry the burdens of your life—including the burdens that other people do not even know about—troubles at home, grief, loneliness, or social pressure.

In the Gospel, Jesus says, I will not lose anyone who comes to me, but I will raise them up on the last day. Here was another powerful reminder to the early church. Following Jesus means that you belong to God. And God does not lose things, like we do.

The early Christians were scattered by persecution, but wherever they went, Jesus was with them. So too with us. Whenever we experience the pressure and hatred of the world for being Christian, God is with us. In whatever true challenges we face, God is with us, helping us to do his will, to walk in his light, to witness to the goodness and truth of Jesus Christ.

Trust in the Lord, now and always, for Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the risen Jesus, who conquered death and continues to guide His Church, let us bring our prayers before our heavenly Father.

For the Church throughout the world:  that, like the Apostles, she may boldly and faithfully preach Jesus Christ risen from the dead, and that Jesus, the Bread of Life, may be her strength in every season, let us pray to the Lord.

For Christians throughout the world, especially those who are mocked, threatened, or persecuted for their faith:  that the Lord may protect them and fill them with the same courage he gave to the Apostles, let us pray to the Lord.

That the grace of Easter may deeply transform our lives, strengthen marriages, renew our families, increase vocations and sanctify the clergy, make us attentive to the poor and helpless, bring peace to the world, and bless us in carrying out the mission of the Gospel.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For Corpus Christi Academy:  that our students, teachers, and families may let the power of Jesus’ resurrection shape the way we think, speak, and live each day, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are sick, suffering, or discouraged:  that the victory of the risen Lord may give them strength, peace, and hope, let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead:  that they may share forever in the glory of Christ’s resurrection, let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, you raised your Son from the dead and filled the Apostles with courage and joy. Hear these prayers we place before you and help us to live always in the light of Easter. Through Christ our Lord.

 

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - Healing Division through Humility

 

For the first six sundays of ordinary time this year, our second readings are taken from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

Throughout his letters, St. Paul gives us a glimpse into those early Christian communities: the Philippians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Thessalonians, the Corinthians. Like our own, each of those communities had its own history, its unique and diverse gifts and particular challenges.

Paul praised the Philippians for instance, for their generous support of the poor, and for their commitment to working together. The Philippians took seriously the need for Christians to cooperate in the spread of the Gospel. Yet they were not without challenges. Paul had to address disunity and rivalry among them.

The Galatians too had their gifts. Paul describes the tremendous outpouring of the holy Spirit in Galatia; miracles, even, were evident there. Yet Paul had to address how members of the Galatian church were being swayed by a "different gospel," as he called it. Some members were insisting that gentiles had to be circumcised if they were to be saved. And where does Jesus teach that? He doesn’t. So, Paul had to correct their sacramental theology: that it is baptism, not circumcision which unites us to Christ, our Savior.

So, too, the Ephesians. Paul praised their strong faith in Christ and their love for the saints. He thanked God for the profound spiritual blessings evident among them. Yet, the Ephesians, too, had challenges. Paul detected some willful ignorance in them, hardness of heart, callousness, licentiousness and impurity. And so he challenged them to grow in Christian maturity—to get serious about casting off their old way of life and to put on the new way of Christ.

And then there were the Corinthians! Oh, the Corinthians. Thanks to St. Paul’s extensive correspondence with the Corinthians, we are better informed about the church at Corinth than probably any other first-century Christian community.

Paul extolled their knowledge, their eloquence in speech, and the diversity of their spiritual gifts. Yet,  just because they knew the faith and were eloquent in explaining it, didn’t mean they were living it. There were divisions and quarrels among them. The Corinthians had allowed the sexual immorality of the pagan culture take root in their community. They had disagreements about Christian marriage and food offered to idols. They also had arguments about theology.  They had issues with disorder in worship. Their church politics was causing division. All of these divisions, theological, earthly, and moral were threatening their mission and their souls.

This is why Paul began his letter, as we heard last week, urging the Corinthians to strive for Church unity—unity in faith, behavior, and worship. Why? Because division hinders the mission. It makes it hard to prove that Jesus is the Way of peace and reconciliation and holiness, if our divisions are disrupting that peace. So Paul urges the Corinthians to make every effort to strive for unity among them.

That concern for unity is exactly why Paul turns, in today’s passage, in our second reading, to the teaching on humility.

“Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.” Our calling to what? To be first and foremost, witnesses of the Gospel. And it’s not because we were rich, powerful, and wise that God chose us, but because we are foolish, weak, and sinful, in other words, we were in need of saving. No amount of earthly riches and worldly knowledge or wisdom could get us to heaven. We can’t get to heaven on our own. We can’t find peace and joy and fulfillment on our own. We need God. We need Jesus Christ. And the Christian is first and foremost a soul who humbly admits he needs God.

That brings us directly to the Beatitudes. In the Gospel today, we hear the beginning of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, this series of short but powerful teachings, known as the beatitudes: teachings about the dispositions, attitudes, decisions Christians are to practice if we are going to live a blessed life on earth that leads to eternal blessedness in heaven.

The Lord begins his Sermon, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” It is not arbitrary that Jesus teaches this beatitude first. For it is not one Beatitude among many. It is the fundamental beatitude that is necessary to obtain the others—It is doorway to all the rest, and instruction that every Christian is to adopt at a fundamental level.

When the Lord says “blessed are the poor”, he’s not saying that poverty is holy. He’s not saying that all poor people are holy, and by virtue of their poverty, they are automatically going to heaven. He’s not saying that all Christians need to be materially poor.

What’s he saying. Fundamentally, essentially, To be poor in spirit is to recognize our need for God—not occasionally, not in emergencies, but always. It is the recognition that we cannot save, justify sanctify, or redeem ourselves. It’s to acknowledge that we are not only incomplete without God, we’re incomplete if God is not the absolute center and primary force of our lives, of every decision and relationship.

If poverty of spirit is not our fundamental disposition, and God is not the absolute center of our lives, then something else is. Something unholy. Pride. Pride, the deadliest of sins because it claims, I’m not poor in spirit, I can get to heaven on my own, I can be fulfilled without God.

Pride, is believing the same lie that the enemy told Adam and Eve in the Garden, you don’t need God, you don’t need to obey, you don’t need to give your heart to Him. You can make it on your own, you’ll be happier without Him.

Pride. It hinders advancement in the spiritual life because it makes God secondary to our own egos. It stalls conversion, halts repentance, obstructs spiritual growth, impedes the mission of the Gospel. It keeps us from the life-giving waters and mercy of Christ, the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit, and the loving embrace of the Father.

But blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit means to open wide the doors of ones mind, soul, and heart to God.

This is why St. Paul stresses humility—poverty in spirit—as the remedy for the division and immorality in Corinth. Because as each member of the Church seeks God with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, they are brought in deeper union with God and with one another.

Each of us does well to ask the Holy Spirit to helps us identify how we are called to better strive for and live out that first beatitude. What does it mean to be poor in spirit in my understanding of Catholic doctrine? What does it mean to be poor in spirit in my approach to and celebration of the Sacraments? What does it mean to be poor in spirit in my moral life—in my obedience to the commandments, the call to charity and the cultivation of the virtues? What does it mean to be poor in spirit, to throw open the doors of my heart in prayer?

May the Holy Spirit help each of us to identify who we can take more seriously this first beatitude, to grow in surrender and trust and obedience to God, who heals the wounds of sin and division for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

May 2 2025 - St. Athanasius - Light of Truth or Darkness of Error

 

For the past two weeks of the easter season, we have been reading from the acts of the apostles. We’ve heard Peter preaching in the streets of Jerusalem, and Peter and John being arrested for preaching about Jesus Christ, and how the Church began to grow as thousands and thousands of people began to believe that Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead and by believing in Him we might have eternal life.

As the Church began to grow in those early centuries, the successors of the apostles, the bishops of the Church continued to preach and teach and lead the Church in Jesus’ name. Sadly, there arose preachers and teachers who did not hold fast to the teachings of the apostles. 

Writing just a few decades after the death and resurrection of Jesus, St. Paul wrote about divisions in the Church in places like Corinth and warned the Church about deviating from the teaching of the Apostles. To depart from apostolic teaching about Jesus meant preaching a different Christ—worshipping a false notion of Christ.

Fast forward three hundred years. The Christian faith spread from Jerusalem, through Asia Minor and Greece, into Europe and Africa. With Church growth also came division. Christians, even bishops did not heed the warnings of Paul.

Things got so bad that the Roman emperor, Constantine I, who wasn’t even baptized, merely a catechumen on the road to baptism, called all the bishops of the world together in a place called Nicaea, to deal with a particularly pernicious error called Arianism, which claimed that Jesus was not God, merely a creature like us. 

And at this Council, the Council of Nicaea, one of the most important figures was today’s saint, St. Athanasius. St. Athanasius reminded the bishops, many of whom had become Arian, to hold fast to the teaching of the apostles—that Jesus Christ is truly God in the flesh, who became man, so that we can be rejoined to God. 

Athanasius, only a deacon at the time, stood up to those in error and defended the truth about Jesus Christ. Now, he made a lot of enemies because of this. After the council, Athanasius was made the Bishop of Alexandria, and his enemies would see to it that he was exiled 5 times. But even from exile, he continued to teach the fullness of the truth about Jesus Christ.

What you believe about Jesus Christ matters. Will you believe the truth about him or error? Will you allow the light of truth to fill your minds rather than the darkness of error?

May St. Athanasius help us to believe rightly, that we might walk rightly in the light of the truth, the light of Christ, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Inspired by the courage and fidelity of St. Athanasius, we present our prayers to our Heavenly Father.

For the Church and her leaders, for teachers of the faith, theologians and catechists, that they may steadfastly proclaim the fullness of truth about Jesus Christ, faithfully teaching the Gospel received through the apostles.

For the Holy Spirit’s guidance for the college of Cardinals as they prepare for the conclave and the papal election that they may elect a Pope with courage and conviction to defend and teach the Catholic faith.

For unity within the Church, that divisions and errors may be healed through the power of the Holy Spirit and the faithful witness of believers.

For those who struggle with doubt or confusion about their faith, that the Holy Spirit may lead them into the fullness of truth revealed in Christ Jesus.

For those who suffer persecution for their commitment to Christ, and for all of the sick and suffering.

For God’s departed servant Pope Francis, and for the faithful departed, that having embraced the truth about Christ in this life, they may enter into the eternal light and peace of God's kingdom.

That during this month of May dedicated to devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, all people may come turn to her example of faith and know her heavenly intercession.

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers. Strengthen our faith and deepen our love for your Son. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

June 2 2023 - Sts. Marecellinus and Peter - Martyrs of the Great Persecution

 

As you likely know, for the first three hundred years of our faith, our faith was persecuted throughout the Roman Empire. Some of those persecutions were fiercer than others. Well, around the year 284, the most severe of the persecutions was led by the Emperor Diocletian--known as the Great Persecution. Thousands of Christians were executed under the authority of Imperial edicts.

During the Great Persecution, clerics and laity were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and killed, the churches we had managed to erect were burned, along with our scriptures and ritual texts. The goal of the persecution was to finally force Christians to relinquish their faith and to submit to the Roman pagan religion, including the worship of the emperor himself as a divinity. And the persecution was empire wide, from Palestine, Syria, including Antioch to Greece and of course in Rome. 

Many of the martyrs of the Great persecution are still honored with great devotion today: Sebastian, Agnes, Vitus, Lucy, Cyrsogonus, Cosmos and Damian, Januarius, Catherine of Alexandria.

Around 303, the Great Persecution reached its fiercest point. And it was then that the two saints honored today were killed. The first was a Roman exorcist by the name of Peter. While in prison, Peter performed an exorcism on the daughter of the prison-keeper. This demonstration of Christ's power over demons is said to have brought about the conversion of the daughter, the prison-keeper, his wife, and the entire household--all of whom were baptized by the second saint honored today, the Roman priest Marcellinus.

After this, both Marcellinus and Peter were called before a judge who was determined to enforce the emperor's decree against the Church. When Marcellinus testified courageously to his faith in Christ, he was beaten, stripped of his clothes, and deprived of food in a dark cell filled with broken glass shards. Peter was also returned to confinement.

But the conversions continued. And they were so successful in converting their fellow prisoners, that the Roman authorities didn’t want to risk a public execution, lest their deaths inspire even more conversions. So Marcellinus and Peter were taken to a forest in the middle of the night, forced to dig their own graves, and beheaded. 

It is said that the executioner was so moved by their courage that he sought out baptism, and later shared with Pope Damasus the location of the martyrdom, so a church could be built there. 

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking part in the celebration of the Sacrament of confirmation with about 40 young people, and so many of them chose as their confirmation patrons, the names of those early Christian martyrs. 2000 years later, young people, still look to the martyrs of the early Roman church as inspiration for living out the Christian faith. 

Why? No doubt, their courage in the face of hostility is perennially inspiring. All of us face some sort of adversity, and the martyrs show us what courage looks like, they show us that courage is possible, withstanding adversity, persevering throughout an earthly trial is possible. Their love for Jesus Christ and the Church is also contagious. 

May Marcellinus and Peter and all of the martyrs of the Roman Church help us to courageously confess Christ in our own day and place, remaining true to Him in word and deed, loving Him with all of our heart, mind, and strength, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For openness to the Holy Spirits gifts, that we may be always bold and clear in spreading and defending the Gospel.

That the faith of the martyrs may give us courage in times of persecution.

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept close to the truth and heart of Jesus.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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

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.

A reading from the book of the prophet Joel

Thus says the Lord God: Children of Zion, delight and rejoice in the LORD, your God! For he has faithfully given you the early rain, sending rain down on you, the early and the late rains as before. The threshing floors will be full of grain, the vats spilling over with new wine and oil. You will eat until you are fully satisfied, then you will praise the name of the LORD, your God, Who acts so wondrously on your behalf! My people will never again be put to shame. Then you will know that I am in the midst of Israel: I, the LORD, am your God, and there is no other; my people will never again be put to shame.

A continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set [him] in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles* into the middle in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? l But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”

June 02 2021 - Sts. Marcellinus and Peter - The powerful witness of the Roman Martyrs

 When I celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation last week, I was so impressed that all four of our confirmandi chose martyrs as their patron saints: Dymphna, Sebastian, Cecilia, and joan of arc are all martyrs. 3 of them are early roman martyrs like the saints we honor today, Saints Marcellinus and Peter.

Marcellinus was a priest, and Peter was an exorcist. For the faith, they were arrested and imprisoned. They were so successful in converting their fellow prisoners, that the Roman authorities didn’t want to risk a public execution, lest their deaths inspire even more conversions. So Marcellinus and Peter were taken to a forest in the middle of the night, forced to dig their own graves, and beheaded. However, one of the soldiers was so moved by their courage, that he converted to Christ, and told the Church where Marcellinus and Peter were buried, so they could be properly venerated.

The emperor Constantine, the first Holy Roman Emperor who ended the persecutions, had a church built over the spot of their martyrdom.  

2000 years later, young people, like our newly confirmed, still look to the martyrs of the early Roman church as inspiration for living out the Christian faith. 

Why? No doubt, their courage in the face of hostility is perennially inspiring. All of us face some sort of adversity, and the martyrs show us what courage looks like, they show us that courage is possible, withstanding adversity, persevering throughout an earthly trial is possible. 

Their love for Jesus Christ and the Church is also contagious. When I think of the martyrs, I think, I want to love Jesus, I want to love the Church, that much. I want to be equipped with those same “weapons of righteousness” as St. Paul calls them. To be able to stand up to kings and judges, and to set good example for those of weaker faith. I want concern for souls and conviction for the truth of the Gospel to be my highest priority. 

I encouraged our young people to learn the stories of their confirmation saints well, to be able to share their stories with others. Because the stories of their witness are so powerful, they are contagious. The martyrs aren’t relics of the past that we’ve failed to discard, the Roman martyrs are ever-ancient, ever-new, just like the Church, just like Christ.  

And following them, they lead us to Christ who is "Rex et caput martyrorum"—the king and head of martyrs. For the martyrs ultimately lead us to love and imitate Him—who testified to the love of the Father, by the embrace of his bloody Passion and death.

May Marcellinus and Peter and all of the martyrs of the Roman Church help us to courageously confess Christ in our own day and place, remaining true to Him in word and deed, loving Him with all of our heart, mind, and strength, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For openness to the Holy Spirits gifts, that we may be always bold and clear in spreading and defending the Gospel.

That the faith of the martyrs may give us courage in times of persecution.

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept close to the truth and heart of Jesus.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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

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.

2nd Week of Easter 2019 - Tuesday - Unity of Believers

Early in the Easter season, our attention is drawn by our readings from the acts of the apostles to that early group of Christians, living in Jerusalem, just weeks and months after the resurrection of Jesus. We hear today about the profound unity of this group of Christians, unity which is to serve as a model for Christians of all ages.

Their unity could be seen in their concern for one another, their administration of their material goods, their evangelization efforts, their deference to the apostles, and their unity of belief. “They were of one heart and mind.”

Could we say the same here at St. Ignatius of Antioch? In the diocese of Cleveland?
In some ways, yes, I think. The communal charity of the early Church was seen in their willingness to sacrifice for each other, to use their own goods for the good of the other. This parish has a long history of profound charity. And our diocese, year after year, runs the largest Catholic Charities, not just in the country, but in the world.

And such charity does not come from being compelled. The Church is not Communist in the sense that her functions are compelled by a Communist Dictator. Rather, our Christian Charity here is born from love and freedom.

Unity in the community of Christians, is hard work, just like unity in a marriage. And we are always being challenged, aren’t we, to grow in unity. Are we of one heart, always, with the universal Church, with the Bishop, with the Pope, with the Magisterium? If not, why not? What needs to change in us?
The Lord Jesus in the Gospel today describes the Holy Spirit like a wind, that blows in particular directions, and those “born of the Spirit” through baptism, are to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Are we of one heart in discerning and following the inspirations of the Holy Spirit within our parish and community? If not, what needs to change?

A community of believers of one mind and heart, certainly requires individuals who make every personal effort to work for that unity.  One of the things the Lord Jesus came to overcome through his death and resurrection are the divisions which hinder God’s people from following the Divine Will. May the power of the Lord’s Resurrection heal our wounds of sin and division, and lead us in the ways of the Spirit, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.
For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.
For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ, especially for all victims of religious violence.
For our parish, that we may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ.
For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.
That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

August 10 2018 - St. Lawrence of Rome - Laughing in the face of death

Today’s saint was a deacon of the Church of Rome in the mid 3rd century.  It’s hard to imagine the situation of the Church in Rome during the persecution, which lasted from 64 A.D. to 313 AD. We're talking about a state sponsored persecution lasting longer than America has been a nation. 

Earlier this week we heard about how the Roman Emperor Valerian passed a decree that Christian worship was forbidden unto death and that everyone was now forced to practice the pagan religion of the state.  And then, a second decree, a year later in 258 AD, that simply and coldly ordered all bishops, priests, and deacons be put to death. 

The Pope, Bishop of Rome, Pope Sixtus II, was arrested and killed on August 7th 258 AD. Today’s saint, the Roman Deacon Lawrence was arrested and killed four days later. Lawrence, like Sixtus is mentioned in the Roman Canon, the first Eucharistic prayer.

As a deacon in Rome, Lawrence was in charge of the Roman Church’s treasury, and had the responsibility of distributing alms to the poor.  When Pope Sixtus was arrested and killed, Lawrence knew that he would be next—he sold all of his personal possessions and gave them away to the poor widows, orphans, and beggars of Rome.

When the prefect of Rome heard this, he imagined that Church must have a considerable treasure hidden somewhere in the city.  He ordered Lawrence to bring the Church’s treasures to him.  So, Deacon Lawrence gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasures of the Church.”

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was to be slowly roasted alive upon an iron grill.  Lawrence however was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flame. He even joked,  "I'm done on this side! Turn me over” Among many other things, Lawrence is a patron saint of Comedians.

This feast’s Collect Prayer asks God to help us love what Lawrence: He loved serving the Church, He loved the poor, he loved the Lord. Because of his great love, he was able to have such courage in the face of death, even to laugh in the face of death.

May we, like St. Lawrence be filled with love for all that God loves and order our lives to reflect that we are made for a life beyond this life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may grow in their awareness of and charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in their midst.

That Christians persecuted for the faith may be courageous in their witness to the saving Truth of Christ. And that the witness of the martyrs may never be in vain.

For the Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of August that any far-reaching decisions of economists and politicians may protect the family as one of the treasures of humanity.

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

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

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 Week of Easter 2018 - Wednesday - Hard times are good times

It seems strange that during this joyous easter season, we have these readings from the book of Acts about how the Church was being persecuted. Last week, we heard of how the apostles were thrown into jail for their Christian faith. Yesterday, the reading recounted the death of the first martyr, the deacon Stephen. Today’s reading picks up right where yesterday’s left off. With the death of Stephen a severe persecution broke out in Jerusalem, and Christians were scattered to the country side.
Why do we focus on imprisonment, suffering, martyrdom during this season of joy?

What we pay particular attention to this season is how the Christians joyfully endure these things. And the good God brings about through the perseverance and faith of the early Church.

Just as God brought about the greatest victory in history through the suffering and death of His Son, so too does God bring about great victory through the suffering and martyrdoms of His adopted sons and daughters, the early Christians.

You may have heard the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, that’s exactly what Christians do in the face of persecution.

For what did we read about them doing today when the persecution scattered the Christians to the countryside? Though they were scattered, the Christians continued to work for the building up of the Church. Though the world tried to silence them, the Christians continued to preach. Though the world tried to cast them out, Christians continue to cast out unclean spirits. Though the world tries to wound them, Christians continue to heal the sick. Though the world tries to put them to death, Christians continue to bring souls to new, spiritual life through Jesus Christ.

Hard times are good times for Christians. Because God brings about goodness when we persevere in faith during those hard times. We show just how powerful our faith is when in the face of persecution we continue to preach and worship and praise God, that’s attractive, that’s something that souls open to Truth are drawn to.

So, we don’t lose hope when the world hates. We don’t compromise our faith because the world disagrees us with. Rather, we remain solid in our faith, trusting, as the Lord Jesus teaches in the Gospel today, that those who believe in Jesus and follow him will have eternal life and be raised on the last day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

June 1 2017 - St. Justin Martyr - Defending the Faith

St. Justin the martyr was born in the Holy Land around A.D. 100.  He was the son of pagan Roman nobles who educated Justin well in poetry, history, science, especially ancient Greek philosophy.

While walking by the sea near the town of Ceasarea, he met an old man who spoke to him about the insufficiency of philosophy and urged him to study the Scriptures and the teachings of Christ. That conversation sparked the flame of faith within him, and so Justin converted around the year 130 and went to Rome where he opened a school.

Many of the early Christians were uneducated, but Justin believed that Christians should understand the faith as deeply as possible so that they could explain the faith when called upon.

Justin was also a great apologist: defending the faith and helping many pagans to see the errors of the false religions.

Only three of his written works have been preserved.  He defends Christianity as the only rational creed, and includes accounts of the Christian ceremonies of Baptism and the Eucharist, counteracting the distorted accounts from detractors of the faith which circulated at the time and to, of course, instruct non-believers. Particularly important his his 2nd century explanation of the Holy Mass, showing the celebration of Eucharist to be an unbroken practice from the Last Supper to the present age.

At his Roman school he debated a philosopher named Crescens.  When Crescens lost the debate, being no match for Justin’s grasp of the Truth, he denounced Justin to the authorities.  Justin was arrested and when given the opportunity to renounce the faith to save his life, he refused.  Justin was put to death as a martyr by beheading along with six of his students, five men and one woman, in 166.

In the Gospel today Jesus prays for those who will come to believe through the words of his disciples. This is the primary way unbelievers come to the faith, through our profession of the faith:  through our patient, gentle, yet convicted explanation of doctrine, through our defense of the faith, through our ability to justify our faith, rationally and clearly.

With the advent of the internet, publication of books, cds, lecture series, we have all these tremendous opportunities to study the faith, to learn the faith, in order to pass on the faith in a culture where the truth of the Gospel continues to be marginalized.

Through the example and heavenly intercession of Justin Martyr may we be bearers and defenders of the Christian faith to all we meet, witnessing to the saving power of Christ in our words and deeds for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For openness to the Holy Spirits gifts, that the Christian Church may be always bold and clear in spreading and defending the Gospel.

That the faith of the martyrs may give us courage in times of persecution.

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept close to the truth and heart of Jesus.

That our parish festival may be preserved from inclement weather and may be an instrument for the strengthening of our parish and the spread of Christ’s saving truth.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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

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.

Homily: Feb 23 2017 - St. Polycarp & the Chalice of Christ

Fr. William Jurgens was the professor of patristics, the study of the early church fathers, at our seminary here in Cleveland from 1961 until around his death in 1982. He was a quite incredible man, and priest; an internationally renowned church historian, and quite musically gifted, he had a great love for Gregorian chant.

There is a story told among the priests of Cleveland, that that in his course on the early church fathers, Fr. Jurgens would become so passionate and so emotional during the lecture on today’s saint, the bishop and martyr Saint Polycarp, that when he got to the story of Polycarp’s martyrdom, Fr. Jurgens would begin to weep, and he would then cancel class for the rest of the day. Needless to say the seminarians were both edified and grateful for Fr. Jurgens pious devotion to Polycarp.

Polycarp was born sometime between the years 75 and 82.  Saints Peter and Paul had already been martyred in 67, but Polycarp was able to meet and become the disciple of one of the Apostles, Saint John the Evangelist.  So, you can imagine how the early church revered him, being a sort of connection to the last of the twelve apostles.

Polycarp was entrusted with the church at Smyrna and was consecrated its bishop.  He wrote many letters and formed many holy disciples. During his episcopate, at the age of 86, a violent persecution broke out in Smyrna against the Christians. A young boy betrayed the bishop’s location, and Polycarp was arrested.  He was led directly to the roman judge, who ordered him make sacrifice to a pagan God and commit blasphemy. Some of his Christian friends had urged him to make the sacrifice in order to save his life.

He responded, “for 86 years I have served Jesus Christ, and he has never abandoned me.  How could I curse my blessed king and savior.” Polycarp was sentenced to be burned alive.

While tied to the stake, he prayed, “Almighty God, I give you praise, for you have counted me worthy to be among your martyrs, who drink the chalice of Christ’s sufferings.”

The ancient opening prayer for today’s Mass uses words spoken by Polycarp as he died for his Lord, petitioning God that we too may share with St. Polycarp in the chalice of Christ.

To drink from the chalice of Christ means to share in Christ’s suffering for the sake of the salvation of souls and the Father’s glory.

"Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” our Lord asked James and John. It is the cup which fills us with the life of God, it is the cup which gives us strength to do the will of God, it is the cup which drunk from leads to eternal life, but it is the cup which entails suffering for the sake of the kingdom, which means not running away and abandoning the faith when it becomes difficult, not succumbing to the temptations of the world.

May St. Polycarp’s example and prayers help us drink deeply of the chalice of Christ—the chalice of faithfulness and everlasting salvation for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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The martyrs freely embraced death in bearing witness for the faith, give us the true freedom of the Spirit. We pray to the Lord.

The martyrs professed their faith by shedding their blood, give us a faith that is constant and pure. We pray to the Lord.

The martyrs followed in the footstep of Christ by carrying the cross, help us to endure courageously the misfortunes of life. We pray to the Lord.

The martyrs washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb, help us to avoid the weaknesses of the flesh and worldly allurements. We pray to the Lord.

May the faithful departed, all of the poor souls in purgatory, the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for Fr. William Jurgens and the deceased priests of the diocese of Cleveland, and all those who have fought and died for our freedom, come to share the joys of the eternal kingdom. We pray to the Lord.