31st Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Friday - Imitators of the holy ones or Enemies of the Cross

Throughout the Scriptures, the Word of God helps us to understand the difference between good and bad. In the first pages of Scripture, we see God imposing order over the forces of chaos, separating light from darkness. In the Garden, Adam and Eve have a choice between trust and disobedience. Deuteronomy speaks of the way of life and the way of death. Jesus speaks of two gates, one that leads to destruction, the other that leads to life. Jesus teaches how at the Judgement God will separate the sheep from the goats. 

In today’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the Apostle differentiates between two types of people: Brothers and Sisters in Christ who Imitate Paul's Example, and the Enemies of the Cross of Christ.

The enemies of the Cross live in ways that are contrary to the message and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Their lifestyle negates the principles of self-denial and sacrificial love that the cross represents. They are driven by earthly appetites and sensual desires. Their focus is entirely on worldly matters—material possessions, status, and temporal pleasures. And Paul explains, their end is destruction. 

The Brothers and Sisters of Christ, on the other hand, align their lives with the teachings and example of Christ. They are not focused soley on the world, because they believe their ultimate citizenship is in heaven, and this earthly life isn’t simply for satisfying bodily urges and appetites, but preparing for eternity. 

Paul urges the brothers and sisters in Christ to remain steadfast in their faith because we live in the midst of a lot of bad examples who engaging in behaviors contrary to Christ’s teaching, promoting immorality, selfishness, and rebellion against God's commands. 

So Paul says, look to the holy ones in order become not earthly minded, but heavenly minded, focusing on eternal truths, spiritual growth, and the coming of Christ.

At the beginning of the month of November, we celebrated the feast of the Saints, those holy ones whose examples we need to keep every in focus. These citizens of heaven teach us how to live with God’s kingdom as our primary allegiance rather than allegiance to worldly systems and values---those opposing the message of the Gospel.

Paul’s exhortation encourages us to examine our lives to ensure that we are not conforming ourselves to this age, as he writes to the Romans, but we are seeking the renewal of our minds and hearts and souls to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness. 

May the Holy Spirit help us to imitate the saints in following Jesus Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in God's mercy and guided by His Word, let us bring our prayers before Him, seeking the grace to live as faithful disciples.

For the Church: That all members may imitate the example of Christ and the saints, standing firm in faith and resisting the allure of worldly values.

For our leaders: That those in positions of authority may promote justice and moral integrity, helping to build a truly righteous society.

For our community: That we may support one another and set good example for each other in seeking the renewal of our minds and hearts, focusing on eternal truths over temporal pleasures.

For the youth: That they may be inspired by the lives of the saints to choose the path of righteousness and self-denial.

For those facing heavy crosses of illness, loneliness, or hardship, that they may experience God's sustaining presence and our compassionate care.

We pray in a special way during this Month of November for all of the faithful departed; for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom, that they may experience the fullness of God's grace in eternal life. 

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of Your people. Grant us the grace to turn away from earthly distractions and to embrace the path that leads to eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

9th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Wednesday - They will neither marry nor be given in marriage

 In the course of his public ministry, the Lord doesn’t often talk directly about marriage, but when he does, it’s often controversial.

On Friday of the 7th week of Ordinary Time we considered the Lord’s teaching on marriage and divorce. There, the Lord put an end to the debate of the pharisees and the scholars--that aside from those circumstances where lawful impediments exist ,(siblings cannot marry, parents cannot marry their children, etc.) a husband and wife, truly joined in the bond of holy matrimony, cannot be separated, because God has joined them.

In today’s reading, the Lord gives another unexpected teaching: that in heaven, in the resurrection, there is no marriage. So a man and a woman joined on earth in holy matrimony, will not be married in heaven: “When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage”

Earthly marriage is a sacrament by which spouses are blessed to become a sign of God' steadfast and permanent love for us—Christ’s indissoluble bond with the Church.

Yet, the relationship between souls in heaven will be based on their shared love for God, rather than on earthly bonds. Earthly marriage, though sacred and important, is ultimately a preparation for the eternal union with God in heaven.

While earthly marriage ends with death, the love and grace experienced within a holy marriage are not lost. The sacrament of marriage is a means for the sanctification of the spouses, helping them grow in holiness and preparing them for eternal life. In heaven, the love shared between spouses on earth will be transformed and perfected in their shared love for God.

Whether married or single or celibate, the Lord’s teaching here reminds us all that earthly attachments and institutions, even those as vital as marriage, are temporary. We must live for heaven in mind—serving God in this life, by being faithful to our earthly commitments and vocations like marriage and the priesthood and the universal call to holiness, while always giving priority to God. 

Notice, too how, in this passage Jesus admonishes the Sadducees for not knowing the Scriptures. They lack understanding of God’s will, because they haven’t sought to truly understand God’s Word. To quote St. Jerome, “Ignorance of Scripture, is ignorance of Christ.”

So again, whether marriage, single, or celibate, we are to dispose our minds and hearts so very often, to God’s Word, by reading and reflecting on the Sacred Scriptures to guide our faith and activity.

Through the holy mysteries of our faith, may we be strengthened in that unity with God  through Christ which brings us our sanctification and salvation for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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That during this month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, all Christians may witness to the tender love of Christ for sinners through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life—and that single and celibate Christians may witness to the sacrificial, all-embracing love of Christ for all.

For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be close to them in their trials

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

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2023 - The Kingdom of Heaven

 Throughout the Gospels we can find the Lord giving teachings and offering parables about the kingdom of heaven. 

“The kingdom of heaven” is a phrase appearing over 100 times in the New Testament—30 times just in Matthew’s Gospel.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “You are Peter, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of great price which a man…sells all that he has to purchase. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed” “The kingdom of heaven is like what happens to these 10 virgins” in the Gospel today.

The kingdom of heaven stands at the very center of the Lord’s preaching. After emerging from the desert after 40 days of fasting and withstanding the temptations of the devil, the very first words Jesus proclaims are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “Metanoeite ēngiken gar hē basileia tōn ouranōn” in St. Matthew’s Greek. 

What does he mean, the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom is the realization and fulfillment of God’s kingship—God’s sovereignty, God’s will for creation. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”. 

The fall of man occurred when we set our wills against that the will of God, thus introducing disorder, suffering, and death into the world. But the kingdom of heaven involves a turning away from disorder and evil, toward the goodness of the will of God. Our feelings, our opinions, our sentiments, and our choices are disordered when they fail to conform with the will of God. So to be part of the kingdom is to allign your mind, your heart, and your will in union with the will of God.

Second, every kingdom has a throne, and the throne of God’s kingdom, is in heaven: “thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.” From heaven Christ the King descended from the bosom of the Father, he established the Church as the beginnings of his kingdom on earth, and that kingdom will have its final consummation again in the eternal kingdom of heaven. 

Thirdly, this kingdom isn't simply God's reign over individual people. God’s kingdom involves a communion of people—a gathering together of a people in the Spirit—a people of faith—a community of sons and daughters. Creation is brought into a beautiful and heavenly harmony when we join together as willing subjects and servants of our God and King.

During this life of ours, we are given a choice—of which kingdom will we pledge our loyalty, our lives. Will we follow serve the fallen kingdom by simply giving into the passions of our fallen nature, or will we choose to ally and exercise our wills with God through discipleship of Jeus Christ. 

And this choice isn’t simply about giving God lip service. God sees through our lip service. For "Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven"

In the Gospel, the Lord offers a parable illustrating the great choice, the most important choice: will we choose to be like the wise virgins, who are prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, or like the foolish virgins who are locked out of the heavenly banquet forever. This is the most important choice, because it is the choice between heaven and hell. 

This choice for heaven or for hell is one that is made in the many choices of our life, a choice that is finalized at the moment of our death, when each of us faces our particular judgment. The Catechism says, “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately, -- or immediate and everlasting damnation.” 

This judgment will take into account the state of our souls at the time of death—did we die in a state of grace, or with our souls devoid of grace because of sin. Did we accept or reject grace, truth, faith, and love? Did we harden our souls toward God through pride, or open them up to the life of God through humility? Did we seek to live by wisdom or to abide by foolishness?

Heaven is at stake for us. But heaven is promised to the wise. But what is heaven? It is peace and joy and life forever. Catechism says, in heaven the blessed will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, or self-love, that destroy or wound…The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion.”

In heaven, God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

Scripture speaks of heaven in so many images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, rich wine, banquet, rooms in the Father’s mansion, paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."

Unsurpassable joy will be experienced in the participation in God’s eternal “kingdom of justice, love, and peace.” The blessed will be raised to the resurrection of life, and the wicked to the resurrection of eternal condemnation.

Heaven is the greatest reward for those who finish the race, and the loss of heaven is greatest tragedy for those who run away from it. The parable shows us that spiritual preparation is rewarded and spiritual procrastination—putting of repentance, putting off conversion, putting off faith, is perilous. 

So, the Lord warns us, “stay awake”. There are so many forces in our world that seek to lull us to spiritual sleep, so many voices seeking convince us that taking religion seriously is only for silly fundamentalists and scrupulous fanatics. The world says, everybody goes to heaven anyway, so why put forth any effort. These are lies. Heaven is not a guarantee. If it were, why would the Lord so often stress the importance of choice: the choice to believe, the choice to live, the choice to forgive. The path to heaven begins here with the choice of Christian discipleship until our last mortal breath. 

May each of us, with the help of God, exercise that personal responsibility for our souls, that requires us to seek and live according to the wisdom of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

9th Week of Ordinary Time 2023 - Wednesday - Resurrected bodies and Consecrated Virginity

 Every Sunday, Catholics profess our faith in “the resurrection of the body”: We firmly believe, that, just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives forever, so after death the righteous will live forever with the risen Christ in a physical, bodily eternity. 

Since humans were created by God as bodily beings, the fullness of our redemption will also include a resurrected, glorified body. We will have bodies in eternity: hands, feet, mouths, eyes, and ears, just like Jesus did after his resurrection. This body will have the characteristics of Christ’s glorified body.

Perhaps inspired by his encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, St. Paul explains that our resurrected bodies will be radiant with divine glory. 

Thomas Aquinas reflects upon this further stating that the resurrected body will be incapable of suffering; we’ll be able to move without difficulty or labor. In the resurrection there will no longer be sickness, pain, or disability. 

But what will we do with our bodies? St. John affirms that in eternity we shall see God as he is. We will share in the very life of God, the eternal exchange of love within the Holy Trinity.

In today’s passage from the Gospel of Mark, the Lord teaches about life after the resurrection. He says, “When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven.”

In an earlier passage, the Lord teaches that marriage is part of God’s plan “from the beginning” and is a sacred bond that no human is authorized to break. 

In today’s passage, the Lord affirms that marriage on earth is “until death do us part”. As good and necessary as marriage is for the present age, it will give way to something far greater, a union with God and all the saints that will infinitely surpass the earthly one-flesh union of husband and wife.

In Catholic tradition, the vocations to consecrated virginity and celibacy are especially valued as signs reminding us of this ultimate destiny. Consecrated virginity and celibacy remind us, that in this life, no matter our vocation, we are to aim at the divine, turning to God with our whole body, mind and soul; to want to please God in everything; as Paul writes in Romans: to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty, may every prayer of our heart be directed, for it is His will that all humanity should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

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, and deepen in them the virtues of justice and religion.

For the support of all of the churches consecrated virgins and celibates, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life. 

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief, especially for the sick and victims of war and terror and natural disaster.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, 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, 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 Ordinary Time 2023 - Friday - Keep your heart fixed on Christ

 Over the past two weeks, our weekday readings have made their way through just over half of the Letter to the Hebrews.

Remember, the letter was written first to those jewish converts to Christianity. For accepting Christ, they were kicked out of their synagogues, they were persecuted by the Romans, and their gentile brothers and sisters in Christ were probably a bit skeptical of them at times too. 

So the author to the letter to the Hebrews writes to these dear ones and reminds them to hold fast to their Christian faith, don’t fall back to the old way of life, but throughout all of your troubles, everything that you are going through, your rejection by former friends and family, the hostility from the Romans, the very slow acceptance of gentile Christians, throughout all that, keep your heart and mind focused on Christ.

And the same is true for us: going through an illness, keep your heart focused on Christ; a family drama—keep your heart focused on Christ; an economic crisis, a temptation of an addiction you thought you had long-ago overcome? Experiencing paralyzing anxiety? Keep your heart focused on Christ. Imagine him. Imagine his face. Imagine him nailed to the cross for you. With real effort of will, fix your heart on Him.

This mid-section of the letter to the Hebrews is highly Christocentric. Chapters five, six, seven develop a rich theology of Christ’s priestly sacrifice. He is the eternal high priest. He is the fulfillment of the both the priesthood of Melchizedek and the priesthood of the Levites. He himself is the sacrifice, offering himself to his Father out of love for us.

Today, from chapter 8 we hear how the Lord having died and risen, has ascended to the right hand of His Father in heaven, into the heavenly sanctuary. The perfect sacrifice has risen to the heavenly sanctuary itself. The self-sacrifice of the obedient Son is now in heaven and is a guarantee of the promises of salvation—a guarantee of the new and everlasting covenant.

This explains the Letter to the Hebrew’s emphasis on keeping your heart fixed on Christ. For the Father Himself in the heavenly sanctuary fixes his eyes and heart on his crucified-and-risen Son. To keep your heart fixed on Christ is a divine thing. It’s a foretaste of heaven that can carry you through the most difficult moments of life. It’s the act of the will that can be justified at every moment of every day, Keep your heart fixed on Christ, 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, and aid her in her mission.

For the peoples of the world, that the Lord may establish and preserve harmony among us.

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.

1st Week of Lent 2022 - Friday - Turn away, turn toward, turn with

 

Conversion is often thought of as a three-fold process. The first stage is aversion, turning away from the things that are not of God. The second is adversion, turning toward the things of God. The third is conversion, turning with the Lord, living one’s life with the Lord.

When the Lord in the Gospel says that the righteousness that God wants for us must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, he was saying that more is necessary than that first stage. The pharisees focused on aversion, turning away, from the things that were considered unclean in the Law of Moses.

They turned away from unclean food, those rendered unclean through disease, and foreigners, considered unclean for being non-Jewish. 

So to, for Christians, we must follow that first stage of conversion, too. We must turn away from what our faith tells us is unclean. Unclean speech, unclean use of money, unclean use of our sexuality, unclean use of our eyes and ears. 

But Christian righteousness must surpass just that first stage of aversion to sin and uncleanness. We must turn toward the things of God. We learn about the teachings of Jesus. We read the Scriptures. We learn about the lives of the saints. We learn to distinguish between the foolishness and errors of the world, with the timeless wisdom of God. But still, this level keeps the things of God at a bit of a distance. Like going to Catholic School for 12 years, knowing what the Church teaches, but never integrating it. We mustn’t just learn about the things of God, we must integrate them into our lives. 

And that’s the third stage of true, authentic conversion: having turned away from sin, and toward the things of God, we integrate them into our lives. Not only do we turn toward the Church, we enter in. We engage in divine worship and authentic prayer, meditation, and contemplation. We don’t just learn about the commandments, we abide by them. We practice fasting willingly, recognizing it’s powerful spiritual value. We don’t just read the scriptures, we allow their wisdom to shape our lives, our behaviors, and attitudes. We don’t just learn about the saints, we begin practicing actual acts of sanctity. 

And the Lord says, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” The Kingdom of Heaven begins in this life. Walking with God, living with God, allowing the life of God to animate us, that begins now. And if heaven doesn’t begin for you in this earthly life, you won’t have a share in it once you shed this mortal coil.

600 years before the birth of Jesus, Ezekiel even foretells this in our first reading today: “If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die.”

May Lent help us to turn away from sin, turn toward the things of God, help us to do what is right, what is of surpassing righteousness, the holiness of Christ in whom we are to live, and move, and have our being, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For “an immediate end to the hostilities in Ukraine, for a restoration of peace and for the safety of all Ukrainian citizens. And for the Ukrainian community in Northeast Ohio, that their friends and family members in their beloved homeland be kept out of harm’s way.”

During these 40 days for Life, we pray for the unborn and for a change in laws, policies, and attitudes which devalue the sanctity of life.

That the season of Lent may bring the most hardened hearts to repentance and bring to all people purification of sin and selfishness.

For those preparing for baptism and the Easter sacraments, that they may continue to conform themselves to Christ through fervent prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

That we may generously respond to all those in need: the sick, the suffering, the homeless, the imprisoned, and victims of violence. And for all victims of the coronavirus and their families. And for the Church in China and all places where the Gospel is silenced.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

August 15 2021 - Assumption of Mary - Spes Nostra, Our Hope

“Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae: Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.” These are the opening words to the great Salve Regina, the Hail, Holy Queen prayed at the recitation of the rosary and as part of the Church’s night prayer. We’ll sing an English version of the prayer for our offertory on this great feast of the Assumption. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Our Life, Our Sweetness, and our Hope. Our hope. Spes nostra.

Why do we refer to Our Lady, as Spes Nostra, Our Hope? Well, our hope of what? Of heaven, of course. I’ve not been to heaven, have you? None of us have. When we set off on a journey, we hope to reach our destination. If our destination is right down the road, we don’t need much hope. If it’s a far off land, we need a little bit more hope, for the journey will be difficult. If it’s a place that no one has ever been to, we need a lot more hope, don’t we?

Heaven, is that place, that no one has reached on their own. Paul writes to Timothy, God lives in unapproachable light. The mountain to heaven is untraversable to man by his own power. Additionally, the very gates of heaven were closed to humanity due to sin. What hope do we have of heaven? Well, our faith tells us that Jesus died for sins. 

He promised eternal life to those who believe in him, and follow him, and are reborn in the waters of baptism. Those who eat his flesh and drink his blood shall have eternal life, and shall be raised on the last day. But, where is the proof his promises are true?

Well, we need look no farther than Our Lady. Her assumption is proof that there is a place in heaven for redeemed humanity. There is a place in heaven for the human body and the human soul. How do we know? She’s there. God has given us the great gift of taking our Lady at the end of her earthly life, body and soul, into heaven. And so she our Hope fulfilled. God keeps his promises. It’s possible to live body and soul forever in heaven because she’s already there. 

What Jesus promised is fulfilled in her and so we can truly hope in his promises. A human creature of body and soul can come to heaven through Christ—through God’s grace.

Now, living outside of that grace, ignoring his commandments, failing to repent, disbelieving His word, that’s a whole other story. We have no hope in that. We have no promise that those things lead to heaven. 

But when the Lord says “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” we have good reason to believe that observance of the word of God does lead to beatitude because of today’s feast, Our Lady’s assumption. Our Lady, who heard the word of God and observed it, has entered body and soul into heaven. 

This feast is the fulfillment of the great Magnificat which Mary proclaimed upon visiting her cousin Elizabeth. Mary said, “all ages will call me blessed”? Why would we do that? Because she has been assumed into heaven, she is in the blessed presence of God, forever. 

The Assumption shows us that God truly has cast down the mighty from their thrones: the mighty powers of sin and death which kept humanity from living in the heavenly presence of God have been defeated. God has lifted up lowly handmaid into heavenly glory. 

Mary truly magnifies the Lord. Like a magnifying glass helps us to see clearly something which is difficult to see. Mary helps us to see what God was up to in his plan of salvation. She has been filled with all the good things of God. And what was true for her, shall be true for us, if we take her as our model.

Because Mary magnifies the Lord, it is always helpful to look at her and to turn to her. As Catholics, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Our Lady, daily. A day shouldn’t go by without thinking of her, considering her example, talking to her, praying with her. Every Catholic house should have a crucifix and a statue or image of the Blessed Virgin so that we don’t forget who we are and what we are called to be, and the reason for our hope.

Friday night, I offered an adult faith formation session on some spiritual lessons from the life of St. John Vianney. I shared how during his seminary years, the saint dedicated himself to Our Lady through the consecration of St. Louis Marie de Montford. Many of you may have come across this devotion, it’s been popular for a few hundred years. In fact, Pope St. John Paul II took as his papal motto words from de Montford’s book. “Totus Tuus” I Am all yours, and all that I have belongs to you, oh blessed virgin mary. God entrusted himself to our Lady’s maternal care. For 9 months in the womb he was totally dependent on her. Our Lord was the first to utter “totus tuus” to Mary. And so, Totus tuus should be the motto of every Christian. For she is our mother, the mother of the church, the mother of Christians, Jesus himself said so from the cross.

John Vianney encouraged his flock to deepen their devotion to the Blessed Virgin, for vibrant Marian Devotion is a characteristic of every vibrant saint. You will not find a saint who does not love and honor from the depths of their being, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I also shared another story from John Vianney. After ordination, in his first parish assignment, Father Vianney started a lifelong practice of praying to Our Lady to give him strength to overcome his sensual temptations. Just because one is a priest or religious, doesn’t mean we are free from all temptations. So John Vianney made a vow to God to pray daily to Our Lady the Regina Coeli for this purpose.

Even the saints go to special lengths in order to remain faithful against sensual temptations. That’s how they become saints: they go to special lengths to grow in holiness and combat temptation.

As a priest, I hear a lot about sensual temptations in the confessional, and I’m convinced that we all need a special devotion, or prayer, on a daily basis, to remain strong against those particular temptations. If it’s good enough for John Vianney, it’s good enough for us. So whether it’s lust, or gluttony, or overindulgence of drink, or laziness, say a special prayer every day to Our Lady, to help you to overcome those temptations. The Salve Regina, the Regina Coeli, the rosary, some marian prayer, every day, to overcome the sins of the flesh—that your flesh, like hers, may be one day with God.

As we stumble through life’s hardships and pitfalls, may we place our hope in her. She prays for us now, praying to obtain from God the grace to persevere our trials, to overcome our sins, to be faithful when our flesh and the world and the devil conspire against us. May we keep our eyes daily fixed on her, who is our life, our sweetness, and our hope, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

7th Week of Easter 2021 - Tuesday - Self-Donation and Heavenly Glory

 At this point in the Easter season, you’ve heard me say a time or two that Chapters 14-17 of the Gospel of John comprise the Lord’s Farewell Discourse—his instruction to the apostles on the night before he was to be crucified, given at the Last Supper. 

Today we begin the final chapter of the Farewell Discourse, where Jesus turns from addressing his disciples to addressing his Father. Chapter 17 consists of a prayer.

And within this prayer you will find five specific petitions. Today’s Gospel contains the first two: First there is a petition for glory—that as the Father has been glorified through the Lord’s earthly ministry, that glory may reach a culmination as the mission of Jesus is completed upon the cross. The Second petition is a prayer for his disciples—the Lord lifts up his disciples to the Father as a way of uniting them to himself.

In this prayer, Jesus opens a window into his relationship with the Father, and we see that it is marked by complete selflessness. His only desire is to glorify his Father and do his Father’s will. Everything that the Father has given to the Son, the Son, in turn gives back to the Father. It is in this total giving of self that we come to some understanding of that mysterious statement that “God is love”.

And that the Lord prays for his disciples in the very next breath after praying to do his Father’s will is also profound. He prays that God may be glorified through Jesus’ loving self-donation, and then he prays for us, that we may come to share in that very same glory by remaining united with the Son by imitating his self-donation, his self-sacrifice.

The Christian life consists of imitating the Love Jesus has for his Father, love that is manifested in self-sacrifice.

This section of John’s Gospel is perhaps the most theologically dense, but that is because it is so theologically rich. We begin to pear into the very mysterious heart of God, and begin to see how Jesus’ own love for his Father is intertwined with his love for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that we may believe in Him and have eternal life” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is generous to those who call upon Him with faith.

For our young people preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation this weekend—that they may open their hearts to the gifts God has in store for them. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote domestic tranquility, national unity, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

Like the apostles gathered with Our Lady in the Cenacle, may the Church grow in Marian devotion this month, especially in devotion to the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know the peace and consolation of the Good Shepherd. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and for …for whom this mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church, grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ Our Lord.

1st Week of Lent 2021 - Friday - The paradox of God's impossible standards

Unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter the kingdom of God.

The scribes and Pharisees were renowned for their zeal, concern for purity, and their conformity to the law of Moses.  The very word Pharisee comes from the word meaning “to separate”. The Pharisees sought to separate themselves from everything that was sinful. They would even avoid eating with sinners, hence, their consternation when Jesus would dine with tax collectors and prostitutes.  

How could our holiness possibly "surpass" that of the people of Jesus' day who obeyed every letter of the law?  It sounds as if Jesus has just set humanely impossible standards for entrance into the kingdom of God. Well…he has.

No amount of fasting will gain you entrance to heaven. No amount of almsgiving will gain you entrance into heaven. No amount of feeding the poor and clothing the naked, on their own, will gain us entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

For there is nothing we can do humanly to gain entrance to heaven. If there was, we wouldn’t have needed a savior. Even the first reading contains the same impossible standard: “If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” Again, the same impossible standard. Who of us has kept all God’s statutes? Not a one. If we had, we wouldn’t have begun Lent marking ourselves as sinners with ashes on our foreheads.

Since my holiness and acts of charity and penances are not enough, what can I do? If there is nothing we can do, what can we do?

St. Paul understood man’s inability to gain entrance to heaven on his own. Which is why he sought for Jesus Christ to take over his life. So much so, that he goes on to say that, “It IS no longer me who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” How can the holiness of my life surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees—when it’s not my holiness—when it is not my will directing my life—but His.

A week into the season of Lent, and we are probably still doing pretty well with our Lenten penances—maybe even taking some pride that we haven’t slipped and snacked when we shouldn’t or given into gossip when we shouldn’t. Today’s readings are a remedy to human pride that can set in when we become focused on good works.  A reminder that our good works are not a replacement for our need for a savior, rather, they are the means by which we repent for not allowing God to direct our lives, and a solemn plea for Him to do what we cannot do, to purify, to cleans, to guide, and direct our lives, to help us decrease that he may increase in us, and to deepen our gratitude for the surpassing righteousness of Christ, who alone has saved us from our sins, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the season of Lent may bring the most hardened hearts to repentance and bring to all people purification of sin and selfishness.

For those preparing for baptism and the Easter sacraments, that they may continue to conform themselves to Christ through fervent prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

That we may generously respond to all those in need: the sick, the suffering, the homeless, the imprisoned, and victims of violence. And for all victims of the coronavirus and their families. And for the Church in China and all places where the Gospel is silenced.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

All Saints 2020 - Who we are, where we're going, how to get there

At the tail end of Vatican II, Pope Paul VI promulgated a document called Gaudium et Spes, the pastoral constitution on the Church in the Modern World. It’s purpose was to help the Church understand her position and role and mission in the changing modern world with all of its advancements and strengths and foolishness and errors. For it’s important for the Church to reflect upon the “signs of the times”—a phrase which came from this document—to understand better the concrete details in which we are to live out our Christian mission and identity.

While explaining the need for Christians to bring our faith and live our faith in the many different levels of society in which we find ourselves, Gaudium et Spes is also very realistic in speaking about monumental struggle against the powers of evil and darkness.  History is not just the story of human progress, right? We are opposed by satan, the father of lies, who seeks to corrupt souls and bring ruin to nations and families and the Church. 

Last week, when we celebrated Priesthood Sunday, I asked for and thanked you for your prayers for priests—because there is a real battle involved in working for the good of souls. And if the devil can bring ruin to priests, well, that’s going to have an impact on parishes and families, isn’t it? 

But it’s not just priests, Vatican II says, all Christians are involved in this struggle, this battle. Facing such hostility and wickedness and personal demons, we recognize we need God. We need the Sacraments. We need prayer. We need the guidance of good solid Catholic teaching from our Pope and Bishops. If we are going to survive the battle with our souls intact, we need to make sure that we are drawing as much strength and protection and light from our faith as possible. 

And, this weekend, on this solemn feast, we look to the holy souls, the saints, the men and women and children, from every age, and place, and profession, who “survived the time of great distress," as St John calls this life on earth in our First Reading. The survivors, the spiritual war heroes, those who are glorified by God in eternity because of their Christian faith, hope, and love.

Contemplating these brothers and sisters in Christ encourages us: for if they can do it, so can we. I propose three short lessons on how the saints can be our teachers and guides. 

The first lesson is that the saints live with the destination in mind—they know what is at stake—that there is more to life than this earthly life. In the first reading, we get a glimpse of those saintly victors standing, robed in white in the heavenly throne room. In the presence of God stand this great multitude—people of every nation, race, and tongue, who have put on the wedding garment of Christ, who have been baptized, and have kept their faith amidst all the temptations and persecutions in this life—again, knowing what was at stake: in the end they would stand victorious in the heavenly throne room, or be banished from it for all eternity.

Why do we resist those terrible onslaughts of temptation? Why do we pray to remain faithful in the midst of persecution? Because heaven is at stake. Not only does sin diminish us—weaking our will and clouding our mind—it puts our souls at risk of hell. 

This first lesson is so important—because if we aren’t living with the destination in mind, we are likely to veer off the path—perhaps even forget there is path. There are many souls living this way--as if this earthly life was all that is—eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die, and that’s it. And their souls are in danger. Because if you don’t live as if heaven exists in this life—why would anything be different in eternity?

So the saints remind us to live with the destination always on our minds. 

Secondly, it’s not enough to know the destination—you have to know where you are starting from—where you are, right now, spiritually, and who you are. If you can’t pinpoint yourself on the map—how do you know the direction in which you are to walk? 

And this is the second lesson: the saints understand who they are: they understand that they are human beings, with fallen natures due to sin in need of salvation. They know they need Christ. They know they need the Sacraments. They know they need prayer. 

And, they know that through baptism they have become Children of God. We read in our second reading: "See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are." Children of God. Members of God's family. God’s love for us is so profound—we are gathered into his family through the blood of Christ. And the saints are animated by this profound self-knowledge. In whatever hostilities we face, whatever temptations: we do so as Children of God. 

The saints know that they were made for love, by the one who is love. Love animates us, love guides us, love fills us, love protects us. The saints recognize because they are loved they need to become love--loving God and neighbor in the concrete details of their life. 

And that’s the third Lesson. it is not enough just to know who we are and where we are supposed to be going, but we also need to know how to get there. In order to cross a lake, you need a boat. In order to cross a mountain, you need mountain gear. In order to get to heaven, the home of the saints, you need to practice saintliness, blessedness.

This is what today's Gospel passage reminds us of: the Beatitudes are the practices and attitudes that you and I must cultivate if we wish to join the saints. 

We must practice poverty of spirit—recognizing our fundamental need for God in all things. We must mourn for our sins—those lost opportunities to live for God. We must be meek—treating each other with gentleness. We must hunger and thirst for righteousness—seeking to justly give God what belongs to God and to treat our neighbor and the poor with the respect and fairness due to every living human person. We must not just be just but merciful—going beyond what is merely fair and just—but practicing true mercy to become a blessing for others. We must be clean of heart—turning away from anything impure, corrupt, perverted, vile, or selfish, in order to seek God through prayer and worship and divine contemplation. And we must keep the faith amidst persecution—in fact, if we are not living our faith in such away that the world hates us, we might not be really living the faith.

Live with the destination in mind, live with the humble knowledge that you are a sinner, reborn in baptism as a child of God, now called to strive to live the beatitudes in this life, that we may join the ranks of the blessed in eternity.

May the saints help us and preserve us for this our destiny, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

31st Sunday in OT - 2019 - God is the lover of souls

“O Lord and lover of souls, your imperishable spirit is in all things!” What a profound statement of faith from our first reading from the Book of Wisdom today.

I’d like to consider 5 points this powerful, profound line of scripture. …“O Lord and lover of souls, your imperishable spirit is in all things!”

First, we’ll consider how it speaks to what we are. Secondly, what we are not. Thirdly, what that means in daily life. Fourthly, what it requires of us. And finally, its ultimate import.
So, firstly, this line speaks of who we are. God’s imperishable spirit is in us. We are endowed by God with what philosophers, theologians, poets, and scripture call “a soul”, an immortal, rational soul. We are made by God with a body and a soul.

Harkening back to the very first book of the bible, we read in Genesis, that in contrast to all the other elements of the created universe: the stars, the rocks, the plants, the animals, God uniquely breathed life into the man and woman. in divine image he created them; male and female he created them. When God looks upon us, he sees a reflection of Himself, we are made in God’s very image and likeness. And therefore, we are capable of understanding the order of the universe. We possess the powers of intellect and free will, and the use of reason capable of recognizing our purpose of pursuing the true, the good, and the beautiful.

“O Lord and lover of souls, your imperishable spirit is in all things!”

Secondly, then, we are reminded of what we are not. Since, we have God’s very spirit within us, we are not irrational animals, we are not some consequence of random cosmic forces, we are not bound to follow every urge, appetite, or impulse we experience. Nor are we merely mortal—we share something of the immortal nature of God. Nor, are we inconsequential to God, we are not accidents. Our existence is part of God’s plan. And there is something about us that loveable even when we have misused our free will in sin.

In the Gospel today, the Son of God, Jesus, sees Zacchaeus in the tree. What does he see when he sees Zacchaeus? Does he see a cheat, a crook, an extortioner, a collaborator with the foreign enemy? Zacchaeus was all these things. But Jesus, lover of souls, saw something deeper than all of Zacchaeus’ physical and moral shortcomings—something that was loveable in Zacchaeus and is loveable in all of us, something worth dying for.

“O Lord and lover of souls, your imperishable spirit is in all things!”

Thirdly, what this means for all of us in day to day life, is that if we believe that we have God’s imperishable spirit within us, and by the way, so does every other human being on this earth, if we believe that, we must treat ourselves and others with dignity and respect, we must foster what Pope Paul VI called a “civilization of love”, what Pope John Paul II called the “culture of life” that cherishes and protects every human person from the moment of conception until death.
The very essence of our moral theology and our call to social action is the dignity of every human person—the responsibility we have for our souls and that of our neighbor. To neglect one is to neglect the other.

“O Lord and lover of souls, your imperishable spirit is in all things!”

Fourthly, what does this require of us? What does this entail? If our soul has value in God’s eyes, we must cultivate and care for it. We are usually pretty good at caring for our bodies. Most of us don’t totally indulge every bodily appetite. Most of us observe some semblance of eating right, exercise, caring for our bodies when they become ill, diseased, or broken down.

But, the care our souls, on the other hand, is certainly not one of the hallmarks of our culture. And yet it is the lack of care for the immortal soul which is at the root of most of our exhaustion, unhappiness and societal evil. We pursue so many idols: wealth, bodily pleasure, and power, and our lives our sorrier for it.

I am reminded of a powerful article written by Bishop Lennon, who passed away this week. Bishop Lennon wrote how Christians, rather than pursuing idols the idols of the world are to place “God at the center of our weekly schedules and activities, meals, chores, conversations, parenting, work, vacations, civic responsibilities, decisions, problems, crises accomplishments, and losses.” By doing so, the bishop said, “our whole lives become charged and changed by God’s presence”. Rather than unhappiness and exhaustion from pursuing idols and neglecting our souls, our life becomes filled with power and patience and resiliency and joy even amidst our many trials.

To assist us in making sure we are taking the time to cultivate our souls and placing God at the center of our lives, the Stewardship committee has put together a wonderful Time Commitment Card. We invite you to take one of these Commitment Cards home with you and pray with it throughout the week. How might God be inviting you to make a greater return of your time to Him that he may strengthen you and speak to you?

After praying with the Commitment Card throughout the week, next weekend we will collect the cards and place them before the altar. So please take a commitment card home with you today, they are located at the ends of the pews. Pray with them, ask God to help you commit to some healthy prayer habits that will nurture your soul, and bring them back to church next weekend. No need to put your name on the card or anything, your commitment is between you and God.

God is a lover of souls and wants to see your soul flourish in virtue and grace. As, St. Paul writes in our second reading, “that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith”

Finally, why does any of this matter?

It is clear that we have the imperishable spirit of God within us. God made us to live forever, to be united with Him forever in eternity.

But scripture is also clear that what we do with our time and our choices and our free will matters—what we do with that imperishable soul matters.

For those who die in God’s grace and friendship, who have become perfectly purified from sin, their destination, immediately after death, is heaven. These are the saints, those who names we know, and those whose names we don’t, whom we celebrated in a special way on All Saints Day.

For those who died in God’s grace and friendship, but have been imperfectly purified of sin, that is, who have not given the whole of their lives and minds and wills and souls to God in this life, that’s most of us, we are destined for heaven, but have some purification after death in Purgatory. We pray in a special way for the souls in purgatory during this month of November.

And those who freely choose to live and persist in grave sin, those who allow the powers of selfishness and sin to consume them in this life, their imperishable soul will suffer what Jesus himself calls “the unquenchable fire”.

By the way, I will be taking up for my second Friday faith formation these topics of heaven, hell, death, soul, and purgatory. So, consider joining us in the school cafeteria for a discussion of these topics on friday at 7pm.

Knowing these truths is Good News. For with God’s help we can preserve our souls from evil and open our souls to the life God wishes to give us. God is the lover of souls and invites each of us, urges us  through His Word, to concern ourselves with what matters most in life, the cultivation of our souls in grace, in virtue, in imitation of the Good Shepherd, the Son of Man who came to seek and to save what was lost for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 15 2019 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - The New Ark and the Obedience of Faith

In the early history of the nation of Israel, before the establishment of the Davidic Kingdom in Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant traveled with Israel through the desert as a sign of the presence of God with his people as He prepared them for the promised land.  Inside of the Ark were three items: the second stone copy of the 10 Commandments, the priestly rod of Aaron, and a jar of manna. 

In the book of Chronicles we read of Israel’s great rejoicing as the Ark made its ways into the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Levite priests carry the ark on their shoulders, there is chanting, and musical of instruments, and the loud sound of rejoicing.

Down in Little Italy there is a procession much like the procession described in 1st Chronicles.  And here too, today we gather in similar exuberance, celebrating liturgically Mary, New Ark entering the New Eternal Jerusalem—Heaven. Mary’s Assumption is like a procession by which she entered the liturgy of heaven, to sit on her throne as Queen of the Blessed.

Mary is the fulfillment of the old testament ark, for she contained within her womb, what the objects in the old ark foreshadowed. 

Where the old ark contained tablets of the law, Mary, the New Ark contained in her womb, Jesus, the new the fulfillment of the law—and the giver of the perfect law of charity. Where the old ark contained the priestly rod of aaron, Mary, the new ark contained in her womb, Jesus the High Priest, who is himself the fulfillment of the priesthood: he is priest, altar, and the lamb of sacrifice. And as the old ark contained manna from the desert, Mary, the new ark, contained in her womb, the one who said: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

The Ark was the holiest object in existence to the Jews; and now Christians honor Mary as the New Ark, and most blessed, most holy of all women. The book of Revelation describes Mary as the Ark, containing the Christ child in her womb, clothed in the radiance of the sun. We certainly look to the glorious light of Mary’s example that we may come to that place prepared for each one of us in the heavenly kingdom.

Elizabeth in the Gospel proclaims Mary to be blessed, because she believed in the Word of God, she allowed the word of God and the plan of God to be fulfilled in her life. And we recognize that if we wish to be counted among the blessed, we must do the same. We must not only be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word of God, obedient to the Word and instruments of the Word.
We must follow the commands of the law, which Mary carried within her. We must allow Christ the Priest to save us from our sins and reconcile us to God. And we must eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, the living bread.

May the pilgrim journey of our lives be marked by joy, knowing that where Mary has gone, we are meant to follow, knowing the life that she carried within her, dwells within those who strive for that same obedience of faith. May Our Lady be present at every step of our pilgrim journey, filled with trials and sufferings of every kind that we, like her, may come to that eternal place prepared for us in heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church will grow in wisdom and holiness. We pray to the Lord.

That the prayers of Mary, Queen of Peace, will assist the nations of the earth to experience the justice and righteousness of the Gospel.  We pray to the Lord.

That the hope revealed in Mary’s Assumption will inspire many young people to strive for lives of holiness and bring about an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.  We pray to the Lord.

For the sanctification of families: that the undying love of the Mother of God in heaven will bless all families with new hope and true healing.  We pray to the Lord.

For the conversion of our culture, and for the protection of all human life from conception to death.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who suffer any sort of trial, illness, addiction or handicap: that the help of Our Lady, gloriously assumed into heaven, may fill them with the grace needed to carry their crosses with faith and hope.  We pray to the Lord.

3rd Sunday of Easter 2019 - For the sake of the name

Each Sunday of the Easter season, our first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles, while our second reading is taken from the Book of Revelation. There is a beautiful connection between these two books of the New Testament, if you think about it. The Acts of the Apostles describes the first days of the Church in time and history, Revelation describes the Church that will last forever. Acts of the Apostles takes place in the earthly Jerusalem, Revelation takes place in the new and eternal Jerusalem. Acts of the Apostles describes the Church’s pilgrimage, with all of its difficulties and trials, Revelation reveals the Church having reached her destination—the reward for her faithful perseverance.

In Acts we read how the Apostles, having witnessed the Resurrection of Christ, and having been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, go out into the streets of Jerusalem, the very town where Jesus was arrested and crucified, and preach his Resurrection.  “Jesus, whom you killed, has been raised, just as he promised” Peter preached on that first Pentecost Sunday. For their preaching of Jesus’ Gospel, the Apostles quickly gain the attention of the Sanhedrin and other Jewish leaders, the same men who conspired against Jesus, to put the Savior to death.

Today’s passage from Acts sees Peter and the gang, having been imprisoned and brought before the Jewish high court. The Sanhedrin demand that Peter and the Apostles immediately cease and desist preaching about Jesus.  Peter says, you don’t understand, this task has been given to us by God himself, and “we must obey God rather than man.” 

Here stands Peter before these corrupt Jewish leaders, knowing that they have the power to totally ruin his lie, even to have him put to death, as they did to Jesus.  Peter had already been arrested and thrown into jail, and he knew there could be dire consequences for resisting their threats. No doubt, Peter would have thought about the scene from our Gospel today. Sitting before the Risen Lord on the seashore. Do you love me Peter? Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, preach the Gospel, build my Church. You will go where I have gone, you will do what I have done.

Peter then looks int Sanhedrin in the eye: and says, “Jesus, who you crucified, has been risen.” But after courageously proclaiming Christ, Peter and the Apostles, “left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” Bleeding and wounded after having been whipped and humiliated, they left rejoicing. Would you or I be rejoicing after that? We find it hard enough to put up with morning traffic! To rejoice in suffering for the sake of Christ is a sign of Christian maturity.

When I was thinking of a modern day example of this form of mature Christian faith, I thought of the parents of Pope Benedict XVI.  Pope Benedict, Joseph Ratzinger, grew up in Germany as the National Socialist party was coming to power.  Joseph Ratzinger, Sr. the Pope’s father was a police officer in Bavaria.  The Ratzinger family experienced great hardships because they would not support the Nazis.  The pope's brother Georg said: "Our father was a bitter enemy of Nazism because he believed it was in conflict with our faith." The family knew first-hand how dangerous the Nazi philosophy was. In the late 1930s, the Nazis had implemented a euthanasia program for the handicapped. Pope Benedict had a cousin with Down’s Syndrome, and in 1941, the Pope’s cousin was taken by Nazi authorities for “therapy” as they called it.  Not long afterwards, the family received word that the cousin was dead, labeled as an “undesirable” by the Nazi party. Mr. Ratzinger spoke out publicly against the evils of Nazism, and for this, he faced demotions and the family had to move several times.

The example of Joseph Ratzinger’s parents, their willingness to suffer for the sake of the name, no doubt left a lasting imprint upon the young man, who would later become one of the greatest theologians of the last hundred years, not to mention, a good and holy Pope.

One of the goals of the Easter season is helping us to develop mature Christian faith. Where Immature faith flees from hardship, shirks demands for commitment, self-sacrifice, and selflessness and runs away from preaching the Gospel in fear, mature faith embraces hardship, accepts commitment, places the good of others before the good of the self, and preaches the truth with courage. Immature love seeks only the fulfillment of its selfish desires, mature Love, as St. Paul describes, is patient, kind, not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

In the second reading we are given a vision of heaven, the reward for those who are willing to suffer for the sake of the name.  On the throne of heaven is not some earthly king who never suffered a day in his life.  On the throne of heaven is a lamb who was brutally slain by his enemies.  And surrounding the lamb are those who suffer for him.  This is the fulfillment of Jesus promise in the beatitudes: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for my name, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The Lord was very clear in his earthly ministry, that those who follow him faithfully will likely suffer on his account. We might suffer for reaching out to our fallen away family members, to speak to them of the importance of weekly Mass attendance.  We might suffer for standing up for the right to life, campaign to enact laws for the protection of the innocent unborn and the vulnerable.  We might suffer for refusing to engage in immoral business practices. We might suffer simply for holding fast to the moral teachings enunciated in the catechism.

Pope John Paul II calling to mind the teachings of the Second Vatican Council said, “The truth about ourselves and the world, revealed in the Gospel, is not always what the world wants to hear. Gospel truth often contradicts commonly accepted thinking, as we see so clearly today with regard to evils such as racism, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia - to name just a few.”

To proclaim Gospel truth, to teach Gospel truth, to live Gospel truth, this is the call of the mature Christian in 2019 and of every generation. This is a task that may bring persecution from the world, but faithfulness to the task, is to identify with the ever-faithful Son of God, Our Lord, and to receive the rewards he promised to the faithful.

Our own parish’s patron saint, Ignatius of Antioch, exemplified this truth. As bishop, Ignatius was arrested during the Roman persecution of Antioch. He was put in chains and marched to his martyrdom in Rome where he would be thrown to the wild beasts. En route to martyrdom he wrote to several congregations of Christians including those in Rome. In his letter to the Romans we find the same sentiment as Peter and the Apostles in the first reading. Ignatius writes, “I look forward with joy to the wild animals held in readiness for me… I am God’s wheat, and I am ground by the wild beasts that I may be the pure bread of Christ… come fire and cross and grapplings with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, hacking of limbs, crushings of my whole body; only be it mine to attain Jesus Christ.”

To attain Jesus Christ. This is the point of our faith. This is the point of enduring suffering for the sake of his name, persevering in faith amidst worldly pressures and satanic temptations. To attain Jesus Christ and to be counted among his blessed ones. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

4th Sunday of Easter 2018 - Do Atheists go to heaven?

We know well the story of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit filling the upper room with a mighty wind, descending as tongues of fire upon the apostles, and sending them out into the streets to preach. We heard last week, Peter’s sermon on that first Pentecost: calling the people of Jerusalem to repent and believe in the risen Christ. About three thousand people converted on that day.

3000 new Christian converts, and reports of miraculous healings in the name of Jesus Christ, began to create quite a stir, especially amongst the Sanhedrin. So we hear today, how Peter is brought before the Sanhedrin, and questioned.

And I’d like to focus on two points from Peter’s speech today. First, Peter says, Jesus who you crucified, God has raised from the dead. He is the stone rejected by the builders who has become the cornerstone. Why does Peter call Jesus the cornerstone?

Peter perhaps remembered the time Jesus referred to himself as the cornerstone after he had cleansed the Temple. Isaiah foretold of how the Messiah was the foundation stone, the cornerstone in God’s plan of salvation. But in Psalm 118, which we sang today, that foundation stone, that cornerstone is rejected by the supposed builders of Israel.

The building of edifices included the placing of a cornerstone as the foundation and standard for its construction. Once in place, the rest of the building would conform to the angles and size of the cornerstone. In addition, if removed, the entire structure could collapse.

The chief priests and the Sanhedrin were involved in a building project, they oversaw the renovation of the Jerusalem Temple, but in a spiritual sense they were supposed to be “building up” God’s kingdom. They didn’t take it too well, when Jesus accused them of hindering God’s work. So, they rejected Him.

So, Peter in explaining his preaching, his ability to perform healing miracles, he points to Jesus. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead is the cornerstone for this work, for this mission. It was only through Jesus that Peter was able to perform the miracle for this crippled man, and it is only through Jesus that our lives are held together.

He’s what holds together the mission of the Church, the structure of the Church. Without Jesus we are just a bunch of people, each with our own ideas of how the world should work, our own goals, but Jesus unites us.

The Easter season helps us, each year, to ask ourselves Is Jesus really the cornerstone of my life? Is he holding my life together, or am I trying to do it on my own? Is He your constant strength throughout the challenges of your life? Is he the cornerstone of your family? Is he the cornerstone of your marriage? Is he the cornerstone of your professional life, your social relationships, your political associations?

How am I called to serve God today in the name of Jesus should be the first thought when we wake up in the morning, every day. What can I do to build up the kingdom of God today? And at the end of the day we should examine, did I build up or did I reject and tear down today?

So that’s the first point. The second is this. Peter then preaches the most absolute and universal statement in Scripture that Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Peter says, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are saved."

Here, Peter sets an example for Christians throughout the ages not to be afraid to present the Christian claim to those who do not yet believe. It was controversial then, and controversial now.
For our culture says, and even some Christian denominations will say that, “well, there are really many ways to salvation, Christianity is just one way among many. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, paganism, secular humanism, these are just different ways up the mountain. You can have your way, I can have my way, but in the end, we all end up in the same place.”

This is not, nor ever has been the teaching of the Catholic Church. This is not the teaching of Scripture. This is not the teaching of Jesus, Himself, who says “I am THE way, THE truth, THE life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.”

Now, we can HOPE that those who do not believe will be placed among the saved. We shouldn’t wish damnation on even our worst enemy. But If a Jew, a Muslim, or a Hindu makes it to heaven, it is because of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for all. The Good Shepherd laid down his life for all. All were in need of salvation. No one comes to the Father except through Him. And we preach that, proudly and patiently, even in this politically correct age.

Pope Francis echoed this teaching earlier this week. There was a young boy with tears in his eyes, who approached the Pope and whispered a question into the Holy Father’s ears. The boy explained that his father, who had recently died, was an atheist. The boy said that his father was a good man, he had all his children baptized, but the child despaired for his father’s soul. And so the boy asked, “Is my Dad in heaven?”

The Pope explained the perennial Church teaching, “The one who determines who goes to heaven is God….We are all children of God, the Pope said. The non-baptized, the members of other religions, those who worship idols, even the Mafiosi who terrorize  neighborhoods are children of God, though they prefer to behave like children of the devil. And so your Father, who had much good in Him, who had his children baptized even when he did not himself believe. There is hope for him, for he was a child of God.”

Now, Pope Francis isn’t saying, all atheists, all non-baptized, all Mafiosi automatically go to heaven. He’s not saying anyone automatically goes to heaven, even Christians. Baptism isn’t an automatic guarantee. But he is saying, God the Father of All, sent his Son to die for all. And because of this, there is hope for all. There is hope for the fallen-away Catholic, the atheist who seeks truth and goodness the best he can.

Pope Francis is echoing Catechism number 1260, which states:  “Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved.”

Now we may think, oh good, there is hope for everyone, so why go to all the trouble of preaching and dying for the Gospel?

That an atheist or a hindu might be judged worthy of heaven doesn’t change our mission, nor does it alleviate our individual responsibility of following all of the teachings of the Church, all of the commands of the Lord. For as the Lord teaches, “from those who have, more will be expected.”

Catholics possess the fullness of Truth, and therefore, our responsibility to be faithful to that Truth is greatest. And just as the Atheist, Muslim, or Buddhist will be judged on the criteria of his life, we will be judged on the criteria of our own, of whether we have made Christ the cornerstone of our life, or not.

May we be generous in making Christ the cornerstone of our life, and preaching always that salvation is found alone in Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday - 1st Week of Advent 2016 - Firm purpose brings peace

Isaiah speaks today of a well-defended city. It has strong walls and ramparts to protect the people from both severe weather and enemy attack. It is to be a city where the just, the righteous, the people of God can take refuge.

In a sense Isaiah spoke of what the earthly Jerusalem was supposed to be for the Jews; a place where the people of God, made holy by following all God’s commands, were to dwell and be a light for all nations.

Isaiah, too, foreshadows here, the Church. We Christians, made righteous—redeemed by the blood of Christ—make our earthly refuge within the secure walls of the Church, on the rock of faith, protected by the moral and doctrinal guidance of the Apostles, nourished by the Sacraments.

The city is even a foreshadowing of the heavenly Jerusalem that will last forever. You could find lovely descriptions, echoing the language of Isaiah, to describe the heavenly city where the redeemed shall dwell forever, in the book of Revelation.

Closely related to this idea of a city, are the houses of the wise man and the fool in the Gospel. The wise man builds his house, his life, on firm foundations—on the firm foundations of God: truth, goodness, beauty, faith, hope, love. We are foolish when we build our lives on the passing fancies of the culture, on the deficient moral principles of the world.

The city of Isaiah, the house of the Gospels, can also stand for our personal spiritual lives. Isaiah says that the inhabitants of the city have such a firm purpose that they are able to experience great peace. Great peace comes when we firmly devote ourselves to doing the will of God.

When we put off doing God’s will, when we put off spending time in meditative prayer, when we put off sitting down the scriptures, when we put off engaging in the works of charity, there is a restlessness, an anxiety. But have you ever regretted making that holy hour, have you ever regretted practicing the self-discipline and fasting?

Advent allows us an opportunity to strengthen our purpose; Advent is to be a quieter, more solemn season, in which we can discern the will of God in our lives, where we can examine the parts of our lives which our not built on the solid foundation of Christ.  We prepare well for the coming of Christ at Christmas and the coming of Christ at the end of time, by renewing our purpose. Think. Ask God. Reflect. Why am I here. What is the work I’m to be about? What are the practices that will best nourish my spiritual life? How can I best open wide the gates of my heart to those in need? For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Nov 21 2016 - The Presentation of the BVM - Mary and the 144,000

On this Monday of the final week of Ordinary time, and this, year the memorial of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we continue to read from the great book of Revelation.

Throughout the book, the evangelist John has symbolic visions of the Church, visions of the nations and rulers—the principalities and powers who persecute the Church, visions of the worship of God in heaven by the saints and angels.

In the passage, today, John sees 144,000, having the name of God on their forehead, who had been ransomed by the blood of the Lamb. Nearly every number in Revelation is symbolic. 144,000 is an interesting number—it is a perfect square—twelve times twelve—times a thousand. The number 144,000 is found again to describe the saints, and also much later, in the penultimate chapter of Revelation—it describes the architectural dimensions of the wall of the heavenly Jerusalem “144 cubits according to the standard unit of measurement”. Also, 12 foundations stones of the wall, each with the 12 names of the 12 apostles. That’s 144 names!

The 144,000 are us, the members of the Church, living, dead, and future members, those who stand firmly on the foundation stones of the twelve apostles—each of us who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, who mark our foreheads with the name of God “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.

The memorial of the presentation of Mary celebrates the naming of Mary and her dedication to God. What a lovely coincidence that in our Revelation reading, it is revealed, that the name we have received, the name Christian, the name “Child of God”, the name “follower of Jesus” endures even into heaven.

Mary is surely the model for all those with the name of Christian—she is the model of faith, hope, and love, the model of all the virtues, she is the model of trusting in God, and surrendering all to God; she is the model of suffering with Christ and suffering for Christ; she is a model for all Christian mothers, and a model for all Christians called to bear fruit for the sake of the kingdom; she is the model of magnifying the goodness of God through our own good works; she is the model of the marriage of grace and free will; the model of Christian perfection to which we all are called.

Pope St. John Paul said, the Church from the beginning has modeled her earthly journey on that of the Mother of God. “It is to her as Mother and Model that the Church must look in order to understand in its completeness the meaning of her own mission.”

May each of us consider today how we are being called more deeply to follow Our Lady’s example in following the Lamb wherever he goes, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 24th Sunday of OT 2016 - Care for your eternal soul

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found the parables of today’s Gospel a bit strange.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

And I always think to myself, “well, I wouldn’t?” Why would you put the 99 sheep at risk in order to find the 1? It’s bad business. If you are a shepherd, and your job is to protect your flock, and one wonders away, wouldn’t just count it as lost? Otherwise, if you go out looking for it, and leave the 99, you’re likely to come back to find that 45 other sheep had wandered away or worse, eaten by wolves, stolen by bandits. Kind of sounds like bad shepherding to me!

But this parable isn’t talking about prudent business decisions here, is it? Jesus is talking about the love of the father. If as a parent you have say six children, and one of them gets lost at the shopping mall, as I used to do…all the time…as a parent you wouldn’t say, “well, that’s okay, I have 5 other ones.” No parent would do that. So God, whose love for us is greater than even parents love for their children, goes to extravegent lengths to save those who have fallen away…all of us.

The parable of the woman with the lost coin is another strange image. She has 10 coins and loses 1 and then turns her whole house upside-down searching for it. The coin in question was a drachma, a silver coin. How much was a drachma worth? Some scripture scholars say it was about 65 cents, others a nickel, others a fraction of a penny. Still, with this coin, you couldn’t buy a loaf of bread for that. And yet, what does she do when she loses this coin? She turns her whole house upside-down. Maybe if I lost a twenty bucks, or a hundred, of course, but for a nickel? Not only does she rejoice when she finds this coin, she calls her neighbors over. Could you imagine, who would call up their neighbors and say, “come over, quick, I’ve got the best news, you’re not gonna believe it!” And they come over, and ask, what’s this about? And beaming, you hold up that shiny nickel…I found it! Your neighbors would slowly back up out of the house and call the men with the white coats.

And I think Jesus knew that this story was strange. For it’s not about the value of the coin…but about this amazing joy over the conversion of sinners. It illustrates just how important our souls are to God. God, in fact cares about our souls, much more than we do.

These parables, along with the parable of the prodigal son, remind us of how much God loves us, the great ends to which he is willing to go to save us, and the responsibility we have to protect our souls from evil now that they’ve been redeemed.

Why does God love us so? Why are our souls so valuable to God that he is willing to suffer and die for us—to go to extravagant lengths to save us?

What is the value of a soul? All the beauties of nature and all of the works of man do not compare in the smallest degree with the value of a soul. For nature is finite, every building or work of art is finite. But the soul is of eternal value. It will never die. You and I are going to live forever. Our bodies will die, but our souls, will never die. Your soul—your spirit—will live forever. And how we live our lives on earth, the moral choices we make, our assent of faith or our lack thereof, will determine whether our souls spend eternity in heaven or hell.

Yes, it is terrible when a person loses his health, or his money, or his friends.. But the loss of one’s soul because we fail to recognize our sinfulness and our need for God, that’s even worse, that is the truly greatest tragedy possible. On this 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the world trade center, we think of that word: tragedy. The loss of life, the violence, all of this is great great tragedy. But again, the greatest tragedy, is when a soul becomes destined for hell. A soul, destined for heaven, choosing hell through its failure to repent, is the greatest tragedy of all.

St. Peter says, God does not wish that any souls should parish, but that all should come to repentance. He gives every soul, each one of us, a super-abundance of opportunities to repent. But whether we truly repent or not will determine our eternal destiny.

It should be deeply concerning to us, when Catholics lose their faith, when they stop going to Church, when they enter invalid marriages, when they turn away from the moral teachings of the Church. Deeply concerning! For we know not the day nor the hour, when this earthly life will end and we will face our judge.

These beautiful parables this weekend remind us that God does not give up on us, he continues to reach out, to call out, He continues to search, to even do elaborate, extravagant things to bring souls to repentance and conversion…crazy things, like sending people like us out to bring in the lost sheep! If you have a family member who has fallen away from the faith, or a neighbor who has no faith, pray for them, fast for them, do penance for them, look for creative ways to bring them into contact with the saving Gospel.

We must also do our part in protecting our own souls from faithlessness. Each of us must commit to a healthy prayer life, studying the Bible daily, engaging in works of mercy. There are plenty of souls who came to church every week, but never prayed. Because they allowed the flame of faith to die out now they neither pray nor come to Church.

Prayer and reading scripture, making a frequent confession, is how we take the care of our souls seriously. Our souls are worth protecting, after all, they were worth dying for.

God comes to us in this Mass, in this Eucharistic celebration, he seeks us out to nourish us, feed us, bring us to repentance, to help us know his love for us. May we respond to his love through genuine repentance and an increased effort to cooperate with his grace for the glory of God and salvation of souls.