July 15 2026 - St. Bonaventure - Marian Protection and Christian Perfection

 

The Church celebrates today the Feast of St. Bonaventure.  When we celebrate the saints, we reflect on the lessons from their lives on how to be a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ. 

St. Bonaventure met St. Francis of Assisi as a young boy, in fact, it is said that St. Francis miraculously cured Bonaventure of a serious disease.  As a young man, Bonaventure joined the Franciscans, and it was immediately evident that he was a genius. Bonaventure went on to be one of the great academics intellects of the middle ages along with St Thomas Aquinas, writing biblical commentaries and theological and philosophical treatises. Bonaventure wrote the official biography of St. Francis’ life, which is still read today, 750 years after his death.

St. Bonaventure was declared by Pope Sixtus V as a Doctor of the Church.  For Bonaventure’s great insight into the spiritual life and into theology really shapes the way we understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 

St. Bonaventure wrote, “Whoever wishes to ascend to God must first avoid sin, which deforms our nature; he must pray to receive restoring grace; he must lead a good life, to receive purifying justice; he must meditate, to receive illuminating knowledge; he must practice contemplation, to receive perfecting wisdom.” 

Avoid Sin. Pray to receive restoring grace. Meditate. Practice contemplation.

In the spiritual life, St. Bonaventure also taught praying for the protection of Our Lady against the temptations of the devil. St. Bonaventure writes, “Deliver me, O Lady, from all evil: and from the infernal enemy defend me. Against me he hath drawn his bow: and in his craftiness he hath laid snares for me. Restrain his evil power: and powerfully crush his craft. Turn back his iniquity on his own head: and let him speedily fall into the pit which he hath made. But we will rejoice in thy service: and we will glory in thy praise.”

Bonaventure writes, of course, about looking to the life and example of Jesus, our Lord. He writes, “In all your deeds and words you should look upon this Jesus as your model. Do so whether you are walking or keeping silence, or speaking, whether you are alone or with others. He is perfect, and thus you will be not only irreprehensible, but praiseworthy.”

May St. Bonaventure, help us indeed, to Avoid sin. Pray. Meditate. Contemplate. Seek Mary’s Protection. And Follow Jesus’ example, that we may obtain that perfection for which we were made, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For Pope Leo, Bishop Malesic and all of the clergy: may their lives and ministry be marked by truth, holiness and zeal for souls. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all theologians, teachers, students, and scholars: that their studies may lead not to pride, but deeper union with God. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community: that, following the example of Saint Bonaventure, we may avoid sin, pray fervently, meditate deeply, contemplate heavenly things, and imitate Jesus in all our words and deeds. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, 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 their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the faithful departed: that they may behold the Lord face to face and enter into the perfect wisdom and joy of heaven. Let us pray to the Lord.

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.

 

 

 

11th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Tuesday - The Call to Christian Perfection

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a command that may feel overwhelming: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” At first glance, it may seem impossible. How can we, limited and sinful as we are, ever hope to be perfect like God?

This command to be perfect comes at the climax of a chapter where Jesus has redefined righteousness—not as merely following rules, but as a transformation of the heart. He tells us not just to avoid murder, but to let go of anger. Not just to avoid adultery, but to purify our thoughts. Not just to love our neighbor, but to love even our enemies. These are the marks of Christian perfection: a heart conformed to the heart of God.

Perfection is not something we accomplish by our own efforts. It is a grace, a work that God accomplishes in us if we cooperate with Him. As St. Thomas Aquinas taught, the perfection of the Christian life consists chiefly in charity—in loving God with our whole heart and loving our neighbor with God’s own love.

So, the command to “be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect” is a calling to the perfection of love, to grow into the fullness of charity that is a greater and greater share in the love of the Father Himself.

That means that Christian perfection does not happen overnight; it is a lifelong journey. It happens through prayer, the sacraments, self-denial, forgiveness, and service. It happens when we resist the urge to retaliate, when we speak the truth in love, when we are generous with our time and patient with the people who challenge us.

Again, we do not grow in perfection on our own; it requires effort to cooperate with the grace of God. Perfection is the result of grace and free will. You can’t have perfection without both.

To strive for Christian perfection is not to aim at being morally superior or scrupulously correct—it is to aim at becoming a living image of Christ, who reveals to us the perfect love of the Father.

So today, as we come to this altar, let us ask the Lord for the grace to grow in holiness. May our lives be built more and more on the foundation of Christ’s love, until we are made perfect—not by our efforts alone, but through our cooperation with His, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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With confidence in God’s mercy, let us offer our prayers to the Father, who calls us to perfection through His Son.

 That she may continue to proclaim the call to holiness and help all the faithful grow in love through the sacraments, prayer, and acts of charity.

For all leaders in the world: That they may govern with wisdom and justice.

For our parish: That we may cooperate daily with God’s grace, growing in holiness through prayer, self-denial, and acts of service.

For the poor, the sick, and those who suffer:  That they may be comforted by the love of Christ and supported by the generosity and compassion of His disciples.

For our beloved dead:  That, having sought to conform their hearts to Christ, they may now behold the perfection of God’s glory in heaven.

Heavenly Father, you call us to be holy as you are holy. Strengthen us to follow your Son with sincere hearts, cooperating with your grace, that we may one day be perfected in your love. Through Christ our Lord.

11th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - Sins of parents and leaders and seeking perfection

 Yesterday, from the first book of Kings, we read of the many sins of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in conspiring to have the vineyard owner Naboth killed, so they could steal his land. Today, we read how they even denied Naboth proper burial—truly despicable behavior for a king and queen.

Then we read how God sent Elijah to confront Ahab to pronounce God’s great displeasure and judgment upon him. Now, Elijah was not some stranger to Ahab. By this time Ahab knew Elijah's credentials. Ahab had enough wisdom to recognize that this was very serious, and so he humbles himself and repents. And God judged Ahab’s repentance sincere, and extended his mercy.

No sin is too great that it cannot be forgiven. God’s acknowledgement of Ahab's repentance is one of many signs throughout the Old Testament of God's mercy to a repentant sinner—even a covetous, idolatrous, conspiring, murderous, thieving king like Ahab. 

However, Elijah announces that there will still be earthly consequences for Ahab and Jezebel’s sins. Although Ahab's repentance was genuine, repentance does not erase the temporal consequences of our actions. The sins of parents can have long-lasting consequences on their progeny and the actions of leaders can have long-lasting consequences on their nation. This story serves as a lesson about the importance of righteous parenting, leadership and the enduring impact of sin.

The Word of God emphasizes the need for future generations to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and strive for righteousness. 

In light of the first reading, the Lord’s teaching in the Gospel today carries an interesting lesson. Jesus teaches, “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Oftentimes, children learn terrible habits from their parents. The sins of parents, the fractures in their marriage, their personal vices, their acts of selfishness can have terrible ripple effects in the lives of their children—effecting how their children relate to the world, to others, and to God. 

And so the Lord’s teaching, “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” means that children should strive to break the familial cycles of sin—to unlearn the sinful habits of their parents. Don’t simply imitate your biological Father, strive for the perfection of your Heavenly Father. 

The teachings of Jesus are to supersede, replace, and perfect our family’s ways of doing things, especially those behaviors which contradict the commandments of God. 

Thank God for the good holy example of good parents. But we know that there are some Ahab’s and Jezebel’s out with kids. May we set good Christian example for those children and for those Ahab’s and Jezebel’s because they can repent too. May we all seek the perfection of soul God desires for each of us through Christ, for the glory of God and the 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 through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people on 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

January 17 2023 - St. Anthony Abbot - Armor of God vs. the Devil's Tactics

 Around the age of 19, a young man named Anthony, the son of two wealthy Egyptian parents, was attending Mass one day. He heard the Gospel of the Lord telling the rich young man, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor.  You will then have treasure in heaven.” Anthony felt as if the Lord were speaking these words directly to him.

His parents, having recently died, Anthony gave away some of the family estate to his neighbors, sold the remaining property, donated the funds to the poor, placed his sister with a group of Christian virgins for her education, and became the disciple of a local hermit in the desert, and devoted himself to God.   This first period in the desert lasted around 13 years.  Though he had not sought it, a group of hermits grew around him, and he became their spiritual father, or an “abbot”, thus beginning monasticism as it is known today.

He went to the desert because it is a place without material attachments and earthly pleasures. And yet, like Christ, in the desert, Anthony also encountered the devil. The devil would send Anthony great temptations which took great effort and prayer to overcome. The devil would also physically assault Anthony, and beat him to the point of unconsciousness.  

But another scripture passage that Anthony took quite seriously was our epistle this morning: “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.”

The Devil hates when any soul endeavors to grow in holiness. The Devil likes us complacent and sleepy; he likes us attached to modern conveniences. He likes us soft and vulnerable and ill-equipped. 

One of the weapons that Anthony and the desert hermits would wield is the Word of God. They would memorize the Gospels and memorize the Psalms so that when the devil came with his temptations, they had the guidance necessary to see through his lies. The Lord himself utilized this tactic. Remember, when the devil said, “turn these stones into bread”, the Lord retorted with a line from scripture, “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

Due to his holiness and wisdom, many souls would seek out the advice of the Desert Abbot St. Anthony. St. Athanasius, Anthony’s biographer, even writes how the emperor Constantine, sought out Anthony’s advice on the administration of an empire that was now officially Christian.

Anthony wrote back to Constantine, advising him “not to think much of the present, but rather to remember the judgment that is coming, and to know that Christ alone was the true and Eternal King.”

May Anthony Abbot through his heavenly intercession and holy example assist us in detaching from the things of the world, seeking the perfection of Christ, putting on the Armor of God against the wiles of the Devil, and living in expectation of our own judgment in hopes of living eternally with Christ the King, 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 and care for her.

For the peoples of the world, that the Lord may 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 an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for all monastics and hermits, and that all Christians may seek the perfection for which they were made.

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.

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.

January 17 2020 - St. Anthony of the Desert - "Do you wish to be perfect?"

Most of what is known about the life of Anthony is from his biography written by St. Athanasius. Anthony was born in the year 251 in upper Egypt to wealthy parents.  Attending Mass one day he heard the words of the Gospel, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor.  You will then have treasure in heaven” Anthony told his disciples in later years, that it was as though Christ had spoken the words directly to him.  For he was inspired to take these words quite literally.

Anthony gave away some of the family estate to his neighbors, sold the remaining property, donated the funds to the poor, placed his sister with a group of Christian virgins for her education, and became the disciple of a local hermit in the desert, and devoted himself to God.   Though he had not sought it, a group of hermits grew around him, and he became their spiritual father, or an “abbot”, thus beginning monasticism as it is known today.

“Do you wish to be perfect?” That’s a question which reaches down to the root of our existence, doesn’t it? It’s a question every human person is faced with. Do I wish to be perfect and will I do what needs to be done in order to achieve perfection. For some people the answer is no. They don’t care perfect, they don’t want anyone telling them their not already perfect. They don’t want to give up their moral imperfections because of the effort involved, they don’t want to exert themselves to grow in virtue or to nurture spiritual gifts.

For Christians however, the answer must always be yes. I do wish to be perfect, Jesus show me the way. For many Christians, the way of perfection lies in putting our faith into practice in our private life, in our family life, and in our social life. We practice patience at work, and forgiveness, and even learn to embrace our sufferings in union with the Lord.

For some Christians, the way of perfection leads them to the desert, or to the monastery. Perfection leads them to an intense prayer and mortification and detachment from earthly pleasures—what the world considers important.

Not all of us can or should go out to the physical desert, but there certainly needs to be something of that openness to the desert in each of us, that detachment, even mistrust of material comforts, and the willingness to overcome all weakness of the flesh by learning strength of the spirit in deep communion with God.

May St. Anthony inspire us and aid us with his heavenly intercession in seeking the perfection for which we were made, in uniting our lives ever more fully to 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 and care for her.

For the peoples of the world, that the Lord may 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 an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for all monastics and hermits, and that all Christians may seek the perfection for which they were made.

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.

11th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Readiness to love our enemies

We continue to read from Jesus’ great sermon on the mount during these weekdays of Ordinary Time, and we are confronted with one of Jesus’ most counter-cultural teachings this morning: love your enemies.

Why this teaching is counter-cultural should be obvious. The tendency of our fallen nature is to hate our enemies, ostracize and undermine them, defeat them in battle, seek their downfall, annihilate their influence in the world. Fallen nature takes delight in seeing enemies suffer.

But Jesus’ disciples are not to follow the tendencies of fallen nature. Rather, we are to live according to a new way, the way of Christ preached in the Sermon and modeled in his earthly life.

We are to love our enemies, because He loves those who have made themselves enemies of God through sin. He went to the cross for all out of love for all.

If we love our enemies, we can love anyone. And we must. Out of obedience to Christ!

So, how are we to love our enemies? Forgive them, be patient with them, feed them, clothe them, teach them, serve them, hold no grudges toward them, visit them, pray for them, seek what is best for them. Love them even when it feels like they are scourging you at a pillar, even when they are forcing you to march to your crucifixion.

Saint Maximus the Confessor wrote, “Readiness to do good to someone who hates us is a characteristic of perfect love.” Many people in our highly-offendable culture walk around ready to attack those who offend them, to verbally assault those who inconvenience them, they are just looking to unveil someone as their enemy so they can pummel them with their pent up frustrations, to make them into a scapegoat for all of their problems.

But Christians must ready ourselves to do good to all. And by doing so we begin to reflect that perfect love of Jesus Christ. We begin to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect.

May we ready ourselves to do good to all, and pray deeply for our enemies, not simply for their conversion, but for our conversion to love them as Christ loves them, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the bishops of the Church will act as true prophets through their faithful teaching, their courageous witness, and their self-sacrificing love. We pray to the Lord.

That government leaders around the world may carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for freedom and the dignity of human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For the Church’s missions amongst the poor and unevangelized throughout the world, that the work of Christ may be carried out with truth and love. We pray to the Lord.

For the grace to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbors and enemies and those who persecute us, and to share the truth of the Gospel with all.  We pray to the Lord.

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 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. 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.

Homily: Jan 17 2017 - St. Anthony, Abbot - "If you wish to be perfect..."

Most of what is known about the life of Anthony is from his biography written by St. Athanasius. St. Anthony was born in Egypt around 251, to wealthy parents who owned land near present-day Cairo. During this time, the Christian faith was rapidly spreading throughout the vast expanses of the Roman empire, though the empire remained officially pagan for another 80 years.

Around the year 270, his parents died and he inherited their sizable wealth. But shortly after, while attending Mass he heard Jesus' exhortation to the rich young man: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Anthony told his disciples in later years, that it was as though Christ has spoken those words to him directly.

The words of Christ, striking him to the heart, Anthony gave away some of the family estate to his neighbors, sold the remaining property, donated the funds to the poor, placed his sister with a group of Christian virgins for her education, and became a desert hermit.

He sought detachment from material goods and earthly pleasures and sought his riches in God alone. His holiness soon attracted the attention of others; a group of hermits grew around him, and he became their spiritual father, or an “abbot”, thus beginning monasticism as it is known today.

God continues to call men and women to the monastic life; in fact, there seems to be a resurgence in monasticism in some places. Perhaps, due to all the chaos and hatred in the world, the monastics seek a desert place to focus on what really matters, the only thing that really matters in the end.

The monastics remind the whole Church not to become too wrapped up in the affairs and trappings of the world, to seek out the desert places from time to time, to become quiet enough to hear the silent Word of God speaking to our hearts, and to strive after the Christian perfection to which we are called.

On this feast of St. Anthony, we are reminded of the invitation to embrace the Gospel with ever greater devotion and commitment.  Inspired by grace to follow Christ with a free and pure heart, Anthony gave away all his possessions to the poor, and overcoming the weakness of the flesh by the strength of the spirit, he lived in deep communion with God in the austere solitude of the desert for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

That all Christians may seek detachment from the things of the world to focus more deeply on the things of God.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, and for the sanctification of those in the monastic orders.

For St. Anthony’s protection against all the wickedness and snares of the devil.

That the wealthy might use their earthly treasures to gain treasure in heaven by coming to the aid of the poor and helpless.

For the needs of the sick and suffering…

For the dead.

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.