July 15 2020 - St. Bonaventure - To know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge

Knowledge is a wonderful thing. We are born into this world knowing nothing but our instincts. We know enough to cry when we are hungry, or uncomfortable, or lonely. And there is a joy, when a child begins to learn—how to walk, how to talk. I remember visiting the library as a very young child, but not knowing how to read, the books there were basically useless. But the joy of learning how to read gave me access to the contents of those countless books. Even children who have a rough time with formal education find a joy in grasping new concepts and facts in school.

And of course knowledge helps us to make our way in the world: we learn how to take care of ourselves, how to cook, clean, use money, it enables us to pursue really good things, and can help us alleviate the sufferings of others.

On these feast of the Franciscan Saint Bonaventure, great doctor of the Church, learned in the ways of God, who teaches us so much about God, we have a reading from St. paul’s letter to the ephesians, in which the Apostle speaks of the most important knowledge of all.

Of all the things that we will ever learn or ever know, there is one thing that rises in importance above every other thing: it is the knowledge of Christ and His love.

St. Paul prays that Christians “may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Knowledge of the love of Christ fills us with the fullness of God.

The knowledge of an object or of a science is one thing, but knowledge of a person, the knowledge family members have of each other, the knowledge spouses have of each other. This brings great fulfillment. But higher still is knowledge of the love of Christ. Because it brings us a fulfillment that nothing else in the world can provide.

Knowledge of Christ’s love does not come simply through reading books. It comes experientially, spending time in his presence through prayer, following his example of charity and obedience to the will of the Father, and following in his footsteps by taking up our crosses. It comes sacramentally, for through the Sacraments we encounter Him, his mercy, his love, his strength. The Lord longs to share the knowledge of his love with us, but we must humble ourselves, and seek to love him more than our sins, more than the world, more than our very lives.

Having encountered this love, we seek to bring others who are outside of this knowledge, outside of this experience, into the Church, into relationship with God through Christ, that they may know it, too. For those outside of the Church are deprived of that which makes life worth living.

Bonaventure said, "If you learn everything except Christ, you learn nothing. If you learn nothing except Christ, you learn everything."

May we know the constant assistance of St. Bonaventure and the heavenly court in obtaining and sharing this surpassing knowledge which fills us with the fullness of God for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may have a burning love for the Crucified-and-Risen Lord, and that love may be seen in the priorities of their life.

That the work and ministry of all Franciscan organizations and charitable institutions may bear fruit for the spread of the Gospel.

For the purification of our minds and hearts from the errors of the culture and from the lure of worldly attachments.

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

Friday - 24th Week in OT 2017 - Truth and Mercy must remain united

Since last Thursday until this Saturday the first readings have been from St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy.  Timothy was a young convert who came to the Faith via Paul’s preaching and teaching.  And he became the bishop of the important city of Ephesus when he was still pretty much a young man.  Paul wrote this letter to him personally for encouragement and advice on how to administer this great responsibility.

About 30 years later, St. John would address part of the Book of Revelation to the Church at Ephesus, and it is really interesting to compare the state of the Church in Timothy’s time and the state of the Church when John wrote to them.

Ephesus was the most prestigious cultural, commercial, and most important political center in Asia minor. It was known for having many temples, including a very prominent temple to Artemis. We know from the book of Acts that even though Christianity was opposed by the merchant class in Ephesus, the new faith spread quite rapidly.

When St. John wrote to the Ephesians in the book of Revelation, he praises the them for remaining in the truth. Particularly, for opposing the false teachings of the Nikolatians. The deacon Nicolaus, from the book of Acts, apparently hadn’t turned out to be such a good choice. Nicolaus had been falsely teaching that it was okay for Christians to try to blend in with the culture, taking part in pagan temple worship and the…temple prostitution.

So when we hear in the reading today, Paul urging Timothy to protect his flock from false teachers, it seems like Timothy had heeded, at least the first part of Paul’s instruction.

However, St. John reveals that the Ephesians were failing to live up to a very important Gospel tenet. He says that they had “abandoned their first love” and had given up on the good works, the works of mercy, which are so fundamental to the Christian life.

So the Ephesians were outstanding in holding to the truth, they knew their catechism, but they were neglecting the works of mercy. Perhaps, they had allowed that love of money, which St. Paul warned them against, to keep them from the charity we are called to be Christ.

As Catholics, we don’t choose between Catechism and Charity. We must be both wholly committed to right doctrine AND wholly committed to the works of mercy. "Gracious love must meet truth; righteousness and peace must kiss" Psalm 25 says. Pope Francis, is keenly aware of this, as is evidenced in his prayer intention for the month of September. Truth and Love are united in Christ, the Saints always hold fast to both, and so must we, if we wish to be effective in the building up of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may hold fast to right Christian teaching and engage in right Christian action.

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

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.”

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, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests 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.

Homily: Friday - 28th Week in OT 2016 - Sealed with the Spirit

Yesterday, we began St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which we’ll be reading from for the rest of the month.  Just as we begin every prayer evoking the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Paul begins his letter praising the three Divine persons

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We heard yesterday his praises of the Father. He praises the Father for His plan of salvation—choosing us from the foundation of the world to be adopted sons and daughters.

He then praised Christ, the Son—how Christ fulfills the Father’s plan through his blood.

Today we heard the next section of Paul’s Trinitarian opening to his letter in which Paul recalls three truths about the Holy Spirit.

First he says, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, Paul says we’ve receive the Spirit according to God’s promise.

Thirdly, he calls the Spirit “the first installment of our inheritance.”

In the ancient world, a letter or legal document was marked in wax with the seal of its author; the seal gave evidence of its authenticity. A seal was also used to indicate ownership: sheep and cattle were branded with their owner’s seal. When soldiers enlisted in the Roman army, they were often sealed by tattooing the name of their commanding general on their hand or forearm.

Several place in Scripture speak of God placing seals on people to indicate that they belong to him and are under his protection. In baptism and confirmation, Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit—we are marked as belonging to God, being under his protection, and is proof that we are his sons and daughters, and members of God’s army.

It’s kind of ironic that a seal, which is something visible, is used to describe the mark the holy Spirit leaves on us—for the Spirit is invisible. So the proof that we are sealed needs to be seen in the way we live—in the way the sacramental grace is appropriated into our lives by our constant turning away from sin, through prayer, and charity, and manifesting the charisms and fruits of the Spirit.

That St. Paul calls our experience of the Holy Spirit “the first installment of our inheritance” means that the joy and the peace the Spirit gives us is but a foretaste of what the faithful shall enjoy in heaven.

But in order to come to that eternal reward, we must continue to cooperate with the Spirit, to be faithful to God by making use of the gifts he gives us, by working always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday - 28th Week in OT 2016 - Chosen by God

For the rest of the month, we’ll be making our way through the St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians is the most eloquent of the letters attributed to St. Paul and contains rich theological passages. In a way, Ephesians is to the epistles what John is to the Gospels: the most mystical, profound, and universal of them all.

Paul probably wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon from prison in Rome around 60 or 62 AD. Ephesians seems to be addressed, not simply to the Christians in the city of Ephesus, but to all the Christians in that region. It’s a sort of encyclical, a letter meant to be circulated to the churches in the region of Asia minor.

Paul spent about three years in Ephesus, longer than anywhere else after beginning his missionary work. The investment of time in Ephesus was strategic: it was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire, numbering about two hundred thousand people, it was a center of commerce, the capital of Asia minor, and was famous for its large and beautiful temple to the Goddess Artemis, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Besides worshiping Artemis, the Ephesians had temples to Caesar and an assortment to other deities.

In this letter, Paul is going to argue that Christ is bigger than all these false gods. Christ is the main focus of the letter: who Christ is, what he has done for humanity, how he calls his followers to unity, how Christ’s followers become beloved children of God, and therefore must live holy and righteous lives, how the members of the Church form the body of Christ, the Church, of which Christ is the head.

Again, Ephesians is a beautiful, rich letter, that you would do well to read in one setting sometime in the next few days, in order to get a sense of the whole letter, and what Paul was trying to accomplish in writing it.

We heard today the opening of the letter, Paul greets the Ephesians in a greeting which we continue to use 2000 years later in our celebration of mass: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul then offers fervent praise to God for his generosity toward those redeemed by the blood of Christ.

He reminds the church, you have been chosen by God. You and I brothers and sisters have been chosen, destined, by God himself, to live a holy life. A people who do not give in to the profane ways of acting and thinking from the surrounding culture. The way we act, the way we speak, the way we treat other people is to be different. Although, each of us have our own shortcomings, we have been chosen to make Christ known by the way we live: in our joyous singing, in our lifting up our hands in praise of God, by our charity towards others, through our sharing with others the good news of God’s kindness and love, in our quiet meditation, and humble prayer on bended-knee.

Reflect deeply on what it means to be chosen by God, and cooperate with God’s grace to become worthy of that great destiny, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.