8th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Offering ones life to God

God's Word commands us not to come before the Lord empty-handed (Sir 35:4). This means we must come to the Lord with our offerings — with the fruit of our service, finances, parenting, work, and life.

One of the prayers you may have learned in Catholic Grade School is The Morning Offering: O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.

It is good to begin the day calling to mind the need to offer everything to God, to not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

One of the great mysteries of our faith which we contemplate during the upcoming season of Lent, is the Lord’s willingness to give everything to His Father. He was “obedient unto death, death on a Cross” writes Paul to the Philippians. And Our Lord himself said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”.

Following the commandments to love God and love neighbor, imitating Jesus, all require this willingness to give of ones-self, to hold nothing back in service to God. This of course does not mean we need to spend 16 hours a day in Church. We give of our selves at the altar, in order that, we might give of ourselves OUT THERE.

When Peter says today in the Gospel, 'We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus detects that Peter was just giving lip-service. He hadn’t given up everything, for he did not possess the willingness to give his life.

The OTHER St. Ignatius—Ignatius of Loyola—also has a wonderful prayer of offering, called the suscipe prayer, that we do well to pray often: “Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.”

By offering everything to God in union with Jesus we becoming receptive to an abundance of graces which can truly transform the world for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the upcoming season of Lent may be a source of renewal and spiritual growth for the entire Christian Church.

For the freedom and willingness to make of ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

For the Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of March: for respect for the rights of persecuted Christian communities and their closeness to Christ.

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.  We pray to the Lord.

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

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - Melchizedek and the Priesthood of the Baptized

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:17)

Who is this Melchizedek fellow? 

Melchizedek was encountered by Abraham back in the book of Genesis.  He was a strange figure: a king and a priest. He was no idol-worshiping pagan priest, but a priest of God Most High, the one true God of Israel, the creator of heaven and earth.

Melchizedek appears kind of mysteriously after a battle in which Abraham, with a band of only 318 men, defeated a coalition of four pagan kings and rescued his nephew Lot from captivity. Melchizedek leads Abraham in offering a thanksgiving sacrifice to God—a sacrifice of bread and wine.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” certainly refers to Jesus. Melchizedek is certainly a foreshadowing of our blessed Lord who is priest and king—who by his own sacrifice on the cross has defeated the powers of man’s captivity—through whom we offer God the Eucharistic sacrifice for our salvation.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” certainly refers to the ordained priesthood, who share in Christ’s priesthood to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” also refers to all of the baptized. By our Baptism, every Christian shares in the priesthood of Christ.

These words were deeply consoling to the original audience of the letter to the Hebrews. These Christians were being persecuted and martyred by the Roman government. They "endured mockery, scourging, chains and imprisonment” and death, like Christ. And this letter encouraged them, and encourages us, that what we suffer for Christ has meaning, has power, for the salvation of souls. And so we are to offer ourselves, our sufferings, our time, talent, and treasure, our lives in union with Him.

St. Paul emphasizes this very teaching in his letter to the Romans, when he writes: “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 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.

May we truly be pleasing and perfect sacrifices to the Father, not conformed to this age, but with minds and hearts renewed by Word and Sacrament, offer our lives in union with the One saving sacrifice of Christ Our Lord for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an end to the divisions among Christians: that we may be united in proclaiming the Gospel and announcing the freedom, healing, reconciliation and peace that comes through Christ.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

For the temporal and spiritual needs of our parish, for the conversion of non-believers in our neighborhood and families, for protection from all evil.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for the grace to unite our suffering with our Savior’s cross.

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

22nd Sunday in OT 2017 - "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Our Gospel today is a continuation of our reading from last week--from the 16th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel. Last week we heard Peter’s Confession. Jesus had done a sort of public opinion survey: “Who do people say that I am?” And he received a range of opinions. Peter, however, was given a great grace from the Father, an insight into Jesus’ true identity, and responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus then declared Peter, “the Rock”, the foundation stone of the Church. Peter’s confession, and the ministry of the successors of St. Peter, the Popes, have been a source of stability and power for the Church throughout the ages.

Then this week, we have an interesting twist. Just a few moments later, Jesus lays out what it means to be the Son of God, what that entails. It means he has come to suffer and die. As Son of God, Jesus is the one sent into the midst of fallen humanity to suffer and die to save us from eternal damnation.
Peter goes from hero to zero pretty quickly, when he denies that Jesus should submit himself to suffering and death. No sooner does Peter finish putting his foot in his mouth than Jesus thunders back the words: “Get behind me, Satan.” One can hardly imagine a more stern and bone-chilling rebuke…not a very good first day on the job for the first Pope. Peter you have become a stumbling block, an obstacle to the will of God, to the mission of God’s son.

Why did Peter fail here? “For thinking has human beings do,” the Lord says. Now, what does that mean? Don’t we all think as human beings do? Well, not entirely. Peter’s Confession of Jesus as Son of God moments before was a result of careful and attentive listening to the Lord’s words, being open to the Wisdom of God. But Peter’s misunderstanding here, his impulsive claim that Jesus shouldn’t have to suffer, wasn’t the result of spiritual discernment. Peter’s mind and thoughts aren’t on the will of God, but on the fear of human suffering. This wasn’t the first time Peter acted on fear rather than faith, nor was it his last.

Remember, a few weeks ago, that wonderful story of Jesus walking on the water? The Lord beckons to Peter, “come to me”, and for a few steps, Peter was able to walk on the water toward the Lord. But what happened? Peter let his fear take over. He takes his mind and heart off the Lord, and begins to sink. Same thing here in this story. Peter allows the fear of suffering to replace the power of faith.
In this way, Peter is symbolic of all of us. The early Church, had such great esteem for Peter, not only because he was the first Pope and a martyr, but because he is so fallible, he reminds us of us. I encourage you to read through the Gospel stories of Peter. He’ll remind you of someone, yourself.

For all of us, so often, allow the fear of suffering to replace the power of faith. The fear of suffering keeps us from prayer. The fear of suffering keeps us from penance. The fear of suffering keeps us from the Confessional, and keeps us from charitable service.

There’s a little suffering, isn’t there, in turning off the television, or prying yourself away from the computer screen, in order to sit down with the Word of God, the rosary, to drive up to the adoration chapel? It’s not always delightful to read from the Scriptures, is it? After all, the Scriptures prick our consciences, they remind us, they show us, how far we are from the being the people God made us to be.

Going to confession involves a bit of suffering, the humbling of pride. It is uncomfortable at times to kneel before the priest and acknowledging all those embarrassing sins.. And so we begin make excuses: the priest is just a man, I can tell my sins to God directly, my sins aren’t that bad anyway, I don’t have time to go confession. But all those excuses are far from the truth. And we tell the excuses because of fear, we are afraid to admit we were wrong, we are afraid to change ingrained bad habits.
St. Therese of Lisieux said, “it is more through suffering than through eloquent preaching, that God wills to establish his kingdom in souls.” Coming to Church once a week, to hear a more-or-less thoughtful inspiring sermon, is just part of the spiritual life, an indispensable part, yes, but still, just a part of it. Turning away from earthly pursuits and earthly goods in order to pursue heavenly ones throughout the week is also a major part of the Christian life.

After rebuking Peter, the Lord explains the necessity of his suffering and explains the cost of discipleship. This led St. Paul, writing to the Romans, to exhort them, as we heard in our second reading:  I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, 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.”

You can bet St. Paul is urging the Romans not to shy away from the spiritual practices that involve some suffering. Prayer, fasting, almsgiving, are not just for Lent. For Christians, in a sense, “Semper Quadragesima” it is always Lent, because prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are sure means of growing in sanctity, and disciplining our bodies for the Lord.

St. Paul urges the Romans not to conform themselves to their age, their culture. As Christians, we don’t look to the example of Hollywood celebrities or professional athletes on how we are to live our lives. We are to be suspicious when advertisements tell us we need the next, new device to be happy. We are to be guarded against the new psychological models that come out of liberal academia, that explain away or contradict the Catholic faith.

Rather, we renew our minds by turning to the Word of God, the wisdom of the Saints, the doctors of the Church. I think every Catholic should have some sort of spiritual reading, for the renewal of our minds, at all times. That’s one nice thing about the internet, we have access to a treasure trove of theological and spiritual writing. If you aren’t currently reading anything about our faith, pick up a book by Pope Benedict, Cardinal Sarah, or Scott Hahn, or one of the great Catholic classics like The Imitation of Christ. Don’t like reading? Listen to something from the Lighthouse Media display on your way to work. This fall, starting Tuesday, September 12th, consider attending our adult-education opportunity where we will watch and discuss wonderful videos on Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, G.K. Chesterton, and others.

Renew your minds, Paul says, “so that you may discern what is the will of God” for your lives. Jesus rebuked Peter for thinking with the mind of his fallen humanity, fearful of suffering, conformed to the Spirit of the World. Mayh the Sacraments and spiritual practices of our faith help us to offer our bodies, our minds, our very lives as sacrifices to the Father, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.