6th Sunday of Easter 2025 - Truth and Peace

 Last Saturday, Bishop Malesic ordained 8 new priests for the Diocese of Cleveland. It was a beautiful liturgy. The Cathedral was absolutely packed with family members, friends, fellow parishioners of the new priests. A group of Catholics from El Salvador, where two of the men had served in the course of their seminary formation—had made their way to Cleveland to support them. There was a huge showing of the priests of the Diocese to welcome our new brothers into the presbyterate. 

It’s always deeply moving to attend those ordinations for me-- a reminder of my own ordination day, when we laid down on the marble, and knelt before the bishop, placing our hands in his, promising respect and obedience to him and his successors. A reminder of having all those priests lay hands on my head--that ancient gestures of imparting authority and blessing before being sent out into the world.

The recent ordination got me thinking about a quote from Pope Benedict XVI which I reflected upon prior to my ordination. He said, “On the eve of my priestly ordination, fifty-eight years ago, I opened the Sacred Scripture, because I wanted to receive once more a word from the Lord for that day and for my future journey as a priest. My gaze fell on this passage: 'Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth'. Then I realized: the Lord is speaking about me, and he is speaking to me. This very same thing will be accomplished tomorrow in me. When all is said and done, we are not consecrated by rites, even though rites are necessary. The bath in which the Lord immerses us is himself – the Truth in person. Priestly ordination means being immersed in him, immersed in the Truth. I belong in a new way to him and thus to others, 'that his Kingdom may come'.”

The Holy Father’s words resonated with me deeply as I prepared for my priestly ordination, and again during this ordination season. Priesthood means being immersed in the Truth of the Gospel. The Truth is to resound in my teaching, and preaching, and manner of life, so that those I serve as a priest, may too, be immersed in the Truth that sets us free.

That’s what the Lord is talking about in the Gospel today. “The Holy Spirit...will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” 

God wants us to be immersed in Truth. And so the Father has sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to help us and teach us and be reminded of everything Jesus taught, so that we can live in the truth. 

Why is the Truth important? Without it, we are wandering in darkness, wandering in error, just following our impulses. And because of our fallen nature, our impulses don’t always point toward heaven.  We want too much of what we don’t need, and too little of what we do need. We impulsively eat too much, drink too much, doom scroll too much, hoard belongings too much. And we fast too little, pray too little, give to those in need too little. 

Following our impulses is not the way of discipleship. If our impulses led to heaven, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to teach anything. Rather, How do I know that I am walking faithfully as a disciple of Jesus? If my choices reflect the Truth of the Gospel taught by the Catholic Church. And that’s why Truth is a gift—the most valuable of gifts because it leads to Heaven.

Immediately after promising that the Holy Spirit will teach us, Jesus promises his peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

Truth and peace are linked by Jesus. Do you want peace? Peace of mind know that you are walking toward heaven? Ensure that moral, spiritual, and religious truths, taught by the Church are in place in your life. Ensure that you are adhering to truth as best as you can.

When Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (John 14:27), He is drawing a sharp contrast between the divine peace He offers and the superficial peace the world promises. 

The world offers peace through military power, gated communities, savings accounts, and insurance policies. It’s a peace that depends on having control over one’s environment and minimizing threats. But this peace is always vulnerable—wars break out, markets crash, disasters come. Christian peace is deeper than mere security.

The world promises peace through money and possessions. But peace through materialism is an insatiable quest. Those who make money their ultimate quest seem to “never have enough”. But the peace of Christ can be experienced in this life, when we stop seeking our peace and happiness in things, but in Him.

The world often equates peace with numbing distractions: drugs and alcohol, endless media and video games, offer temporary escape from our problems.  But these things leave us more fatigued and unsatisfied—hungover, overstimulated, unable to get a good night’s rest, and mentally exhausted, and often, enslaved to addiction. 

The peace of “worldly distraction” does not satisfy the soul; it leaves us empty after the thrill fades. Rather, the peace of Christ does bring emptiness, but fulfillment in not being lulled to sleep, but being alive in God—a living relationship with God where we understand we are loved, forgiven, and held in God's providence, even in suffering. 

Another false promise of peace is that we can create peace ourselves through political action and activism, as if a certain policy or government will “fix everything” and turn society into a utopia. While justice and the common good matter deeply, peace that depends on politics alone quickly mutates into tyranny and corruption. 

Rather, Divine Truth, is the only real basis for peace. Truth that is not determined by a majority vote, mob rule, or a tyrant’s will. Truth is a person—unchanging yet fully attentive to the needs of the individual; Truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” 

And you can’t find that peace outside of the Church because only from within do we have access to His teachings, His sacraments, His Saints, the moral guidance needed for the complexities of life, and the prayer that keeps us and strengthens us in our union with Him. 

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit help us to be immersed in the Truth of Jesus Christ, and put the truths of our faith into action—in our love for God and neighbor. May the Holy Spirit continue to instruct us in the ways of holiness, and remind us of the Lord’s teachings and presence in our trials and joys, that we may know the gift of peace, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

October 2 2024 - The Holy Guardian Angels - Gratitude for Angelic Protection

 Last week Trapper Jack had a podcast titled “Three Drowning Seminarians Saved by Real Angels”. And Trapper Jack shared three stories about three seminarians, who are now priests, who claim to have been saved from drowning by their guardian angels. One of those priests is one of our own Cleveland priests.

And as I listed to the podcast, I was reminded of my own ordination reception. I was giving a little speech before dinner thanking family and friends for their support through the years of my seminary studies, and all of a sudden i got this flash of moments from my life…and realized that i needed to thank my guardian angel, too! I got flashes of from my life of moments like near car accidents, and my own memory of being in the middle of lake erie on a raft during a storm. And I got the sense that on all of those occasions, I was preserved from harm by my guardian angel. And so without my guardian angel, I would likely not have been ordained, and standing there and thanking all of my family and friends.

Thank God for our guardian angels. We will only know in heaven how many times we have been spared and saved. How many illnesses were staved off, how many accidents were averted, how many temptations were defeated, how many inspiring thoughts and ideas were evoked, how many times are hearts were moved with pity, all because of the ministrations of our Guardian Angels.

We do not think of them enough, we do not thank them enough. But today, the church thanks and honors our Guardian Angels for their faithfulness to the task given to them by God Himself—the task of doing everything in their power to help us get to heaven and becomes the servants God desires each of us to be.

Thank your angel today. And commit to calling upon your angel more frequently, and asking God to help you to be more docile to his inspirations and open to his assistance, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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In gratitude to God for our Guardian Angels, may we be attentive to their inspirations, and through them be kept safe from sin, and faithful to the works of mercy.

May we, like the angels, practice purity in both mind and body, and be guarded from every temptation to sin.

For special angelic protection for our police and fire fighters, first responders, and military who keep us safe from threats to our lives and freedoms.

May the sick know the assistance of the angels in their illness and suffering.

May the angels who stand ever before the face of God, help us increase in that never-failing hope of coming at last into God’s presence.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our benefit, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

Heavenly Father, may our prayers rise like a pleasant fragrance before you and be brought to your altar on high through the hands of your holy angels. Through Christ Our Lord.

3rd Sunday of Easter 2021 - Love of God perfected in us

 At 10am this morning(yesterday), His Excellency Bishop Malesic ordained 5 men to the transitional diaconate. They are called transitional deacons, as their ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacon is a transitional step on their way to priestly orders. This is in contrast to the permanent deacons, who will remain in the Order of Deacons permanently. The new transitional deacons will serve in parishes over the summer and throughout the next year as they complete their seminary formation. They are certainly in our prayers.

I’ve mentioned it before, but my favorite moment in the ceremony for diaconate ordination, is when the deacon kneels in front of the Bishop who hands the newly ordained the Book of the Gospels. The bishop then charges him: “receive the word of God whose herald you have become: believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.

What is the significance of this ritual? The Church needs the ordained to be men of Truth, don’t we. Men who know the Scriptures, know the Gospel, and who teach Truth and live the Truth. We want priests who have encountered Jesus in prayer and will help others meet him and live his teachings. 

Right belief is required for right teaching. Right teaching is required for right practice. Without this harmony of right belief, teaching, and practice in our shepherds, the sheep become scattered. So many divisions in the Church come from church leaders failing in their duties to believe rightly, teach rightly, and live rightly. Rather we need good shepherds whose minds and hearts are in union with the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock.

I meet a lot of Catholics these days who simply don’t know their faith. Some of my young couples that I work with in marriage preparation, they cannot name the seven sacraments, some of them don’t know there ARE seven sacraments, nor do they know what sacraments are. They can’t name the 10 commandments or more than one or two books of the bible. I recently asked a young Catholic if she knew what is meant by “the state of grace”, and she said, “oh, like the Taylor Swift song”. I kind of laughed and cried at the same time.

By the way, googling the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s hit single, I wouldn’t recommend listening to it, one does not find an explanation of the necessary condition of soul at death to attain heaven, the soul’s possession of the gift of sanctifying grace which is lost through mortal sin, without which the soul upon death will be severed from the life of God forever.

In the first reading today, St. Peter guided by the Holy Spirit goes into the streets of Jerusalem and begins to preach. “The author of life you put to death but God raised him from the dead”. Peter, once slow to believe, who even denied knowing his master as he carried his cross, now filled with conviction, speaks the Truth.

And he does so passionately, but patiently, he says, he put the author of life to death, and I know, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did” but now it’s time to believe. He is patient with those who acted out of ignorance. But he’s also very clear. Now it’s time to repent, and convert. 

I remember within my first week or two of seminary. And I remember sitting in my room with the catechism. And my mind was being blown. I’d never encountered the Truth so clearly presented. I had a pretty lousy catechetical education as a young kid. My parents were not at all concerned about the quality of the catechesis I was receiving in my parish PSR program. They did not at all understand that they were tasked to be the primary educators of faith. 

And in seminary I quickly came to discover how inadequate my catholic education had been. So many of the other seminarians, and my seminary professors, knew the faith, very well. And I remember a very pivotal moment, when I was sitting there with my catechism, and I prayed, Lord, if I believe any errors, help me to be free of them. If at any point, I think I know better than the Church, humble me, correct me. Replace my ignorance with your truth.”

Theological knowledge is important. Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. We should always be open to doctrinal correction. If I believe or teach any error, may I be corrected. But the third part of that diaconal charge is also essential. Live what you preach. Live the truth of the Gospel.

“Those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not in them,” writes saint John in our second reading. It is not enough to know about God. Head knowledge, theological knowledge isn’t the end-all-be-all measure of the Christian life. The ability to give a theological treatise on grace will not gain us entry into heaven. If we claim to know God and claim to be in right relationship with him but are not keeping his commandments, then we are deceiving ourselves. 

Now of course, sometimes we fall into sin out of weakness. Those falls are easy to confess and repent of. John, rather, is very concerned with the Christians who are allowing sin to take root in their lives and are failing to repent of them.  If you are justifying serious sin, attitudes and activities that holy mother church defines as sin, allowing them to take root, you are deceiving yourself. “Repent, and be converted,” says Peter in our first reading, “that your sins may be wiped away.”

For when we do, and this is good news, they are. God grants mercy and gives us strength to change. Change is scary, but the Lord is with us. He walks with us showing us a new way of living. The one who hears God’s word, who puts that word into practice in his daily life, “the love of God becomes perfected him” writes John. Our love for God increase, and the presence of God’s love in our souls becomes perfected. When we keep his word—through right belief and right practice—God’s love reaches its intended goal, the perfection of our souls. 

The one who goes to confession every two weeks, because he acknowledges the sins of his life, and confesses them because he loves God and wants to grow in perfection, is much closer to the kingdom, than the one who refuses to acknowledge his sins or has justified them and is allowing them to take root.

In the Gospel we see this progression of perfection on display: in the beginning of the story, the disciples are filled with fear, fear stemming from ignorance.  Then as they spend time with the Lord, who teaches them, their ignorance is replaced with understanding. They spend more time with him in conversation. They eat with him. They study the scriptures with him. Their fear is transformed into joy, and the Lord proclaims them and charges them at his witnesses.

Here is a beautiful program of Christian growth for all of us. We study our faith and grow in our conviction that Christ is Risen. We immerse ourselves in the scriptures, allowing God to open our minds to his truth through them. We come to Mass to eat with Him, to be bolstered in our love for Him as we share the Eucharistic meal with Him. And then we are sent out as witnesses—our faith, our relationship with Jesus—having a real, observable difference in our day-to-day lives: our speech, our activities, our relationships, our leisure activities.

Through repentance, conversion, and the embrace of our Catholic faith, may we be free from error and fear; may the love of God be perfected in us, that we may be his true witnesses for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Ascension Sunday 2017 - The prostrate heart ascendeth

Last Friday evening, Bishop Thomas ordained 8 men priests in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist downtown. It’s always inspiring to attend an ordination: to witness enthusiastic, pious young men making the commitment to lay down their lives in priestly service.

Bishop Thomas gave an extraordinary homily in which he reflected upon one of the unique parts of the ordination ritual: when the ordinandi, those to be ordained, lay down on the cold marble floor of the sanctuary. I’d like to share with you some of his words.

He said, “These 8 men are about to lay down their lives; they are about to prostrate themselves on the floor of the sanctuary of this cathedral. The prostration of the candidates is always one of the most memorable, moving, and yes, photographed moments of any priesthood ritual. But why? What is so mesmerizing about people lying on the floor? As all the saints are invoked for these candidates in the litany we will sing, they take a posture of awe and reverence in the presence of the All-Holy. It is a posture of abandonment, of complete self-offering, of utter humility, of total surrender to the Lord, a posture of dying to the “old man”, so that they might rise to the “New Man”, Christ Himself.

Now when does anyone, let alone 8 healthy vibrant young men, ever lie on the floor before anybody else for any reason? It is perhaps the most vulnerable surrender-position one can take. But they won’t lie here, prone as unwilling captives, waiting to be murdered, hands behind their heads, lying before terrorists. No, they will lie on this floor as willing victims, longing to be transformed, heads resting on folded hands, prostrate before the three-fold-terror of Love, the Holy Trinity.

This evening in prostration, we witness an act which signals something that is counter-cultural and counter-intuitive. In this symbol is contained the very essence of what Jesus did for us, the very essence of what these 8 men will do for the rest of their lives as priests.

In a world fixated on power and influence, the prostration symbolizes their dying to themselves: in the promise of respect and obedience to the bishop, a respect and obedience born of the love of a son for a father, for the sake of an openness to the will of God and a readiness to do that Holy Will.
In a world, drunk on sexual perversion and pleasure, confused about identity and marriage, the prostration symbolizes their dying to self in their already, chaste celibacy, to offer a loving commitment to the Body of Christ, to love for Christ’s sake, as Christ loved.

In a world deaf to God’s word and ignorant to recognize his presence, the prostration symbolizes their openness to the inspiration they will receive in prayer and their commitment to offer themselves in the sacrifice they offer each day at the altar.

Is what they are about to do crazy? One author, a protestant minister, wrote an article titled, “Why I am not a celibate, but I’m glad priests are”.  And in the article, he said, I am so glad I have priest friends who are celibate. Is being celibate crazy? Absolutely! As crazy as a young man in the military, throwing himself on a grenade to save his fellow officer, out of love. That’s how crazy, what they do tonight is!”

“Dear sons and brothers,” the bishop said to the ordinandi, “lay down your lives through your reverent celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacraments and living each day in that mystery. Lay down your lives: revealing His mercy within and without the saving Sacrament of Penance. Lay down you lives: healing the wounds of body, mind, and spirit, in Holy Anointing. Lay down your lives: praying the Liturgy of the Hours faithfully and fervently for and with your people. Lay down your lives: caring for the poor and needy, being a voice for the voiceless, and teaching the saving truth of Christ and his Church. Lay down your lives: loving with celibate chastity those entrusted to your care. Lay down your lives: inspiring all, especially young people, to become holy disciples and follow the vocation the Lord has for them. Lay down your lives: joining men and women in Holy Matrimony. Lay down your lives: for Christ and His Church.

I share these words of the Bishop, not only because they are beautiful and powerful. They are pertinent to the feast we celebrate today, the Feast of the Lord’s Ascension.

40 days after his resurrection from the dead, before the very eyes of his closest followers,  Jesus Christ ascended body and soul in heaven.  He ascension—his glorious and victorious return to the Father—was possible because first, he laid down his life.

The prostration of the ordinandi teaches all of us, the posture we must all take if we truly wish to follow Christ. We must prostrate, if we wish to ascend. We must surrender, in order to attain victory. We must lay down, in order to rise up.

In explaining the significance of the Ascension, the Catechism begins with the cross. It says, ““The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven”. On the cross, Jesus, according to the will of the Father, laid down his life, that we might be lifted up from sin.

Pope Francis echoed this recently. He said, “We should be clear in our Christian life that entering the glory of God demands daily fidelity to His will, even when it demands sacrifice and sometimes requires us to change our plans.”

The Ascension is one more proof that following God’s will leads is the road to becoming the people God made us to be, it leads to victory, it leads to eternal life. Following his will for us demands change, conversion, sacrifice, laying down our life for the good of others, but all that effort, all that suffering, will bring eternal life, because Christ has transformed those things, he has transformed the cross to be the royal road to eternal life.

May we take that posture of prostration before God through daily prayer, through acts of charity. God will never spurn a heart truly prostrate before Him. Rather, the soul prostrated before God, surrendered to God is transformed into an instrument of his goodness and his love for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Friday - 5th Week of Easter 2017 - Chosen and Sent

In the readings today we have a lot of choosing and sending. Our Lord tells the apostles in the Gospel: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” And in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, “the Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church, decided to choose representatives and to send them”

Tonight, at the Cathedral, the Bishop will choose to ordain and send 8 men as presbyters for this age.
This Bishop, addressing the chosen men will address them with the following words: “A priest's duties are to offer sacrifice, to bless, to govern, to preach, and to baptize. So high a dignity should be approached with great awe, and care must be taken that those chosen for it are recommended by eminent wisdom, upright character, and a long-standing virtuous life…. Therefore, my dear sons, chosen as you are by the judgment of our brethren to be consecrated as our helpers, keep yourselves blameless in a life of chastity and sanctity. Be well aware of the sacredness of your duties. Be holy as you deal with holy things.”

If you’ve never attended an ordination before, tonight would be a wonderful opportunity to see this ancient rite that is traced back to the Lord himself choosing his apostles and sending them for the building up of the Church.

I believe I’ve attended ordination every year since my own ordination. I always find it brings renewal in my own priestly vocation.

It is also a reminder that each of us as disciples must freely choose every day to follow the Lord in holiness, we must choose to follow him when it is hard to do so, we must choose to follow him in the face of temptation, we must choose to pray amidst so many distractions, we must choose to obey the teaching of the Church, we must choose to love those who at times appear unlovable, and to forgive those who have insulted us or violated our freedom.

We make our choices in response to the Lord who has chosen each one of us for a life of holiness. He has chosen us because he has loved us, now we are called to love God and love another in return, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For ever deeper faithfulness in following the commandments of Christ and for the grace to love those who are difficult to love.

For lasting peace throughout the world: that Christ, the Prince of Peace will put an end to all enmity and division, and unify the peoples of the world.

For the 8 men who will be ordained presbyters tonight, that they may be ever faithful to their calling.
That those chosen to represent us in government will use their authority to protect the dignity of human life and the well-being of the poor, especially the unborn.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation or illness, and that the Lord may grant his gift of peace to those most in need of it.

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.