3rd Sunday of Easter 2025 - Papal Funeral - "Feed my Sheep"

 

In this week’s bulletin, I included excerpts from the funeral homily for Pope Francis, delivered by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. His homily was a touching, reverent, and insightful reflection on the late pontiff’s life and legacy.

It began by acknowledging our sorrow. It is indeed sad when a Pope dies—the Church mourns the loss of Pope Francis’ leadership, his kindness, and his Christian witness. But, as with all good Christian funeral homilies, Cardinal Re quickly reframed that grief through the lens of our hope in Christ. We grieve, yes—but we do not grieve as those without hope. We are sustained by the certainty of faith: that death is not the end, but that, through the Resurrection of Christ, eternal life awaits all who place their trust in Him. That hope is for the Pope—and for each one of us.

You can find the full text of the homily online, but I want to share with you a powerful image that I did not include in the bulletin.

In his homily, Cardinal Re invoked the powerful image of the last time the world saw Pope Francis. Despite his serious ailments, and doctors telling him it was not a good idea, Pope Francis insisted on blessing the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.

What a powerful image of the Paschal Mystery—the Pope, imitating Christ in both his suffering and his service. And. what a fitting final image of Pope Francis: still serving, still giving, still loving the Church to the very end.

Cardinal Re then communicated the following, referencing the Gospel we just proclaimed today. He said, “We are enlightened and guided by the passage of the Gospel in which the very voice of Christ resounded, asking the first of the apostles: “Peter, do you love me more than these?” Peter’s answer was prompt and sincere: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!” Jesus then entrusted him with the great mission: “Feed my sheep.” This will be the constant task of Peter and his successors, a service of love in the footsteps of Christ, our master and lord, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many”.

Notice how Cardinal Re gave a beautiful job description for Popes: the Pontificate is a service of love—a love of Christ’s flock, the Church, rooted in what must be the Pope’s personal love of Christ.

What a beautiful and fitting description of the papal office. The Pope does not Lord his authority over the Church. Rather, he is, as tradition calls him, the servant of the servants of God. The Pope serves the Church so that all people may come to know Christ and the salvation He won for us.

This coming Wednesday, the College of Cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the Papal Conclave. They will elect a new Pope, and we must pray for them—that the Holy Spirit will guide their deliberations and raise up a shepherd who will love and serve the Church with the heart of Christ.

From Peter to Pope Francis, every pope has faced unique challenges throughout the centuries—times of persecution, division, war, and scandal. By the end of the week, we will likely have a new Pope, and he too will face great challenges. That’s why we must pray for him—daily.

The Church prays for the Pope at every Mass, but we should also remember him in our personal prayers. One beautiful tradition is to offer the three extra Hail Marys at the end of the Rosary for the Pope and his intentions. 

Praying for the Pope is important because of the enormous responsibility he bears: the visible sign of unity in the Church, the guardian of the apostolic faith, and the supreme shepherd of God’s people. As Christ said to Peter, “Feed my sheep,” the Pope is called to help the Church live out her mission in this unique moment in history—to give the Church what is truly good: the nourishment of God’s Word, the truth of the Gospel, and the visible witness of Christ’s love in the world. 

So we pray pray for the Pope—that he may love and feed the flock of Christ with courage, clarity, and compassion—and not flee in the face of wolves.

But let us not forget: we too have heard the voice of Christ in the Gospel today. We too are asked, “Do you love me?” And if we dare to answer like Peter, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” then the command that follows is for us also: “Feed my sheep.”.

That command is not reserved only for popes and priests. It belongs to all of us—parents, teachers, workers, students, retirees, young and old alike. Each of us, through baptism, has been entrusted with a share in Christ’s mission. And so we are called, like Peter, to “put out into deep waters”—to go beyond what is safe or comfortable, and to live our faith with purpose.

What does that look like in daily life?

If you’re a parent, “feed my sheep” means teaching your children to pray, bringing them to Mass, and showing them what Christian love looks like in how you treat one another at home.

If you’re elderly, it might mean using your wisdom to encourage the younger generation, offering your suffering as intercession for the Church, or simply being a faithful presence at daily Mass and in prayer.

If you work in the world, it may mean acting with integrity in your business dealings, bringing compassion into conversations, or witnessing to your faith in subtle but sincere ways—making Christ known by how you carry yourself.

And for all of us, putting out into the deep might mean volunteering in the parish, reaching out to a lapsed Catholic, helping at the food pantry, or forgiving someone we’ve been reluctant to forgive.

The Church is not nourished by professionals alone. It is nourished by ordinary believers doing ordinary things with great love. That is how we "feed the sheep"—by making the Gospel visible in the way we live, love, and serve.

So yes, pray for the Pope—daily. But also ask the Lord: “How do you want me to love and feed today?”

Let our lives become a kind of blessing—like that final image of Pope Francis on Easter Sunday: frail perhaps, but faithful; worn, perhaps, but willing; quietly proclaiming by our actions that Christ is alive and still feeding His people through us.

“Do you love me?” Then feed my sheep. And put out into the deep for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

August 13 2024 - Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus - Pope and reconciled anti-Pope, martyrs

 We celebrate two saints today: Pope Pontian and the reconciled anti-Pope, Hippolytus, both of them martyrs. 

Hippolytus was part of a schismatic group which became separated from Rome over a theological controversy. In 217, Pope Callixtus decreed that Christians who were excommunicated due to serious sins of adultery and apostasy could in fact be readmitted to Holy Communion through Confession and penance.

Hippolytus opposed this decree and was elected anti-Pope by like minded individuals. Hippolytus remained in schism through three pontificates including that was Pope St. Pontian who was elected in 230. 

Well, in 235, a new Roman emperor, by the name of Maximinus launched a violent campaign against all Christian leaders. Pope Pontian was arrested, and the emperor didn’t care who was pope or anti-Pope, Hippolytus was arrested too. Both were exiled to work in the mines of Sardinia.  

Amidst the suffering and hardship of the mines, Hippolytus renounced his schism and papal claim and was reconciled to the Church by Pontian. Both men then succumbed to the harsh conditions of imprisonment, and their remains were transported for burial in Rome, where they were recognized as martyrs and saints of the Church.

People make mistakes—intellectually, theologically, morally. Groups of people make mistakes and fall into error.  The story of Hippolytus shows us that even very well meaning people can find themselves on the wrong side of the truth, and that just because they have a lot of support, doesn’t mean you are right. Just because a fervent group of people raises you up, doesn’t mean you are right.

Thanks be to God Hippolytus came to recognize that he was in error or else you would have died rejecting the authority of the true Pope, whom Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ gave authority to teach and lead the Church.

No doubt St. Pontian was instrumental in Hippolytus’ conversion—offering up his prayers, his sufferings, and conversing with Hippolytus, witnessing to the truth of the Gospel. 

Pontian for us is a model of evangelization, that we like him are to witness, to pray for, and to do penance for those who have fallen into error. And Hippolytus is a sign of hope for us, that even an anti-Pope can return to the truth through the grace of God and the witness of the Church.

May these two saints inspire us and aid us in our daily task of remaining faithful to the truth of Christ, and making use of the time we have been giving for witnessing to the truth, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that she may always be a beacon of truth and reconciliation, welcoming back those who have strayed with open arms and compassion. Let us pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis and all Church leaders, that they may lead with wisdom, humility, and courage, especially in times of controversy and division, and for theologians and teachers of the faith, that they may remain faithful to the Church's teachings and humbly submit to proper authority. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who have left the Church or are struggling with their faith, that they may find their way back to the fullness of truth, For the grace to recognize and correct our own mistakes, intellectual, theological, or moral, with humility and openness to God's truth. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community, that we may be instruments of evangelization, offering our prayers, sacrifices, and loving witness to bring others to Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all those who suffer illness, temptation, discouragement, and those Christians facing persecution, that they may be strengthened by the witness of the martyrs. 

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers, and may the example of the saints inspire us to be instruments of Your peace and reconciliation, to stand firm in times of trial, and to offer our lives in service to Your Church and the spread of the Gospel, through Christ our Lord.

November 12 2018 (school mass) - St. Josaphat - Martyrdom and Eucharist

The month of November began with the great feast of All Saints. There are many types of saints canonized over the centuries. Saints who were Holy Popes, priests, and deacons, saints who were married or widowed. Saints who were religious brothers and sisters who remained unmarried and consecrated themselves to Jesus for their whole of life. Saints whose names and stories we know, and saints whose names we will only learn in heaven.

A very special category of saints are known as the martyrs. The word martyr comes from the Greek word for witness, for the martyrs witness, they testify, they tell the world about Jesus, not only through their preaching and teaching, but to the point of death. Martyrs are so dearly beloved by the Church and exalted by the Church because they follow in the footsteps of Jesus who himself was arrested, tortured, and killed for his witness to the Truth of God.

Today, the Church honors a saint who witnessed to the truth that Christians are supposed to look to and follow the spiritual leadership of the Pope. St. Josephat was a bishop who was killed by a mob of people who hated the Pope. As bishop, St. Josephat witnessed to the truth that Jesus, Our Lord, created the Church and organized it to have a spiritual leader, who governs the Church in faithfulness to Jesus. For defending this truth, Josephat was killed. Josephat was faithful to those words we heard in our first reading, St. Paul writing to Titus about bishops "holding fast to the true message."


So many of the martyrs throughout the centuries have died defending what is True, what is true about Jesus, what is true about God, what is true about the Church, and what is true about the human soul, that the human soul is need of conversion, it needs to humble itself, turn away from sin, and believe in the Gospel.

We are thankful for the witness of the martyrs. And every time we come to celebrate the Eucharist, we need to approach the altar with the desire to have the same strength of faith that the martyrs showed. That when we are called to witness to the truth, we will have the strength to endure mockery, social-pressure; that our courage and love of God will be stronger than our human fears of suffering.

There is a strong connection between martyrdom and what happens on the altar every time we celebrate mass. For on the altar, bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, who offered himself in witness to the truth of God’s love. And the martyrs offer themselves as well, that we may know and remember that same truth. As we prayed in the opening prayer, “Stir up in your Church, we pray, O Lord, the Spirit that filled Saint Josaphat as he laid down his life for the sheep, so that through his intercession, we, too, may be strengthened by the same Spirit and not be afraid to lay down our life for others”…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.