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.

August 14 2024 - St. Maximilian Kolbe - The antidote to poisonous indifference

 Last week, on August 9 we celebrated the martyr Saint Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, a jewish convert to Catholicism and Carmelite nun who was killed in the Nazi Concentration Camp in Aushwitz in 1942.  A year earlier, the Franciscan priest Maximilian Kolbe, was also martyred at Auschwitz.

Today’s Saint died a heroic death in a Nazi concentration camp in 1941.  

Born in Poland in 1894, Maximilian Kolbe entered the Conventual Franciscans at the age of 16.  Ordained at 24, Fr. Kolbe saw religious indifference as the deadliest poison of the day. No doubt, Fr. Kolbe saw the inhumanity rampant in the war, inhumanity that led to those death camps, the inhumanity rampant throughout the 20th century, as a result of that indifference.

Our ultimate meaning, our ultimate purpose, is found in our relationship with God. And when we are indifferent toward God, our already damaged moral compass suffers even more. Without God, there is nothing to stop greed, lust, and pride from becoming the primary motivators of our lives. Indifference toward God is poisonous. And our society has largely succumbed to this terrible poison. 

To combat the growing religious indifference in early 20th century Poland, Fr. Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil with the witness of the Catholic life, prayer, work, penance, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr. Kolbe started a religious magazine under Mary’s patronage, Knight of the Immaculata magazine, to help spread the message of the Faith. 

Fr. Kolbe knew that the Blessed Virgin Mary is not only the antithesis of religious indifference, but also the antidote to it. 

Mary ‘s active, engaged faith, her intentional contemplation of God, her attentiveness to the needs of others, her nearness to Jesus at the cross, and to the apostles at pentecost, sharply contrasts with the indifference of our day. Her example inspires us move beyond coldness and antipathy toward God, to full, active pursuit of the one thing that matters.  Mary's "yes" to God,  stands in stark contrast to modern attitudes of self-centeredness which breed innumerable evils.

Mary's "fiat"  in response to the Annunciation demonstrates complete openness and submission to God's will. Throughout her life, Mary actively participates in God's plan, from the Visitation to her presence at the foot of the Cross. The Gospels describe Mary as "pondering the things of God in her heart," suggesting deep reflection on spiritual matters - the opposite of indifference. 

It was Mary’s faith, hope, and charity, that led Fr. Kolbe to lay down his life for another in the concentration camp, love that is praised by the Lord himself, when he says, there is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.

Like him, May faith, hope, and love animate our lives, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - - 

For the Church, that like St. Maximilian Kolbe, we may combat religious indifference with active faith, fervent prayer, and devoted service to others. 

For world leaders, that they may recognize the inherent dignity of every human life and work for a society of lasting peace. 

For all Catholics, that inspired by Mary's "fiat," we may respond with wholehearted "yes" to God's will in our lives.

For those experiencing persecution for the faith, those who suffer illness, extreme poverty, addiction, and those near death, may they find hope and peace in the example of the saints.

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 laid down their lives for our safety and freedom. 

Almighty Father, hear our prayers, and grant us the grace to serve you, as so many faithful saints through the centuries. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin grant us what we truly need to be your devoted servants always and everywhere. Through Christ our Lord.