29th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - The Rosary and Persevering Prayer

 

During the 12th and 13th century, a dastardly heresy swept throughout Europe known as Albigensianism. The Albigensians struggled with the reality of evil in the world, like many of us. They believed in a good Creator God who wants our souls to flourish, but couldn’t understand how that a good God could allow evil and disease and war and suffering in the world. 

Instead of seeking the answer to this problem in the sound teachings of our Faith, the Albigensians adopted the heretical belief that because good and evil seem to coexist, there must exist two separate Gods—a God of Spirit and Light and then an equally powerful God of darkness and evil which governed the physical realm. 

The Albigensians then extended their error to explain that Jesus therefore couldn’t really be God, because the God of Spirit and Light couldn’t really take on flesh and suffer, because flesh and suffering were evil. And because according to the Albigensians flesh is evil, they forbade the eating of animals and milk, and they condemned marriage and procreation since they believed begetting children meant imprisoning a beautiful pure soul in a prison of flesh. They denied the sacraments of the Church, refusing to believe that the God of goodness could work through physical things like, oil, water, bread, and wine.

And you might wonder: who would join these people? But they actually became really popular. And many Catholics adopted the errors of the Albigensians and fell away from right religion.

To deliver souls from this error, God raised up a holy saint. In the early 13th century a young priest named Dominic Guzman was tasked by the Pope to preach against the Albigensians. He preached all through Europe. St. Dominic took up the mandate St. Paul gave to St. Timothy in our second reading today, "to be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." And though he was persistant and faithful, St. Dominic, initially, wasn’t very successful in winning souls back to the Catholic faith.

So Dominic prayed and fasted and did penance. And one day in 1214, Dominic received a heavenly visit: Our Lady appeared to Him with some instructions from heaven. She said, “Dear Dominic, do you know what weapon the Most Holy Trinity wants to use to reform the world?...I want you to know that in this kind of warfare the ‘battering ram’ will be the Rosary. So, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them to God, preach my Rosary!” 

And this campaign must have worked. For in my hands I hold a rosary…and have you met any Albigensians lately? Dominic taught the people to pray the Rosary and Europe was converted.

I tell this story because it is October, the month of the Rosary; we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. But, also because the praying of the rosary relates to our scripture readings today, on prayer and perseverance.

In the first reading from Exodus we heard how Moses had to persevere in keeping his hands raised during a battle with the Amalekites. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel was victorious in battle; but when he let his hands down, the Amalekites, Israel’s enemies got the upper hand. 

This is a great metaphor for the Christian life and the mission of the Church—when we keep our hands raised before God, persevering in prayer, engaging in the works of mercy, victory is won—our souls grow as they are meant to, the mission succeeds. When we grow lax, lukewarm, and disobedient, our souls diminish, the mission struggles. 

Similarly, in the Gospel, our Lord praises the widow who perseveres in petitioning the judge for justice. His hard is moved to acquiesce to her request when he recognizes her perseverance.

Perseverance is a required virtue for the Christian life. Daily, we must strive to keep the faith and do what is right, amidst temptations and errors and challenges. 

Often in the scriptures speak about perseverance. Jesus teaches about the need to carry our crosses daily; and gives us the example of his only perseverance in following his Father’s will unto death on a cross. St. Paul enjoins Timothy to persevere in right doctrine. Jesus teaches that amidst the evils of the world, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

How will we persevere amidst so many distractions and challenges? Daily prayer is so vital. St. Alphonsus Ligouri says, “if, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one cannot be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace.” 

While there are many helpful devotional prayers that can help sustain us in the Christian life. The Rosary is so powerful. Hardened souls are converted through the rosary, including our own. If you are struggling with a particular vice, a particular addition, a particular sin, take up the rosary daily for strength and the grace of conversion. If your family is going through a particularly turbulent time, pray the rosary together. If a loved one has fallen away from the Church and is engaging in a sinful lifestyle, pray the rosary for them. 

The rosary is not simply a relic from the past. As Our Lady told St. Dominic, it is a powerful spiritual weapon that the Holy Trinity wishes us to utilize to reform the world. And though the Albigensian heresy has been defeated, there is much reform needed in our present day--many errors and sins which separate souls from God.

So if you’ve never prayed the rosary, or don’t know how to pray the rosary, this is the month to take up this powerful devotion. A guide to the Rosary is available on our parish website.

Prayer is powerful. In can win miracles. It can convert hardened hearts. It can bring relief to the sorrowful and light to the confused. But perseverance is needed. Our Lady called the Rosary “a Battering Ram” because a battering ram is a large beam, sometimes a whole tree, handled by many people, used to open a large gate, or to make an opening in a wall.  It only works with the repetition of blows on the gate or the wall—with perseverance. 

And the Rosary is a battering ram, taking up by the many hands and hearts of the members of the Church, to knock down the walls which separate our minds and hearts from God. 

And if it’s not the rosary, it needs to be something. Each of us needs to discern well how God is calling each of us to persevere in the sort of prayer that will support the church and enable us to persevere in the Christian life, strengthened and supported in our weaknesses, and equipped, as St. Paul says, for every good work for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Wednesday - Holy Striving

 

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

The word translated “strive” in this morning’s Gospel is the Greek Word agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize. The implication here is that those who seek to enter heaven must do so through struggle and strain, like a running athlete exerting himself toward the finish line, all muscles taut and giving his all in the effort.

It can’t be a coincidence that Jesus’ passion begins with the “agony” in the garden, where shows us that even he strives, and agonizes, and sweats blood, to do the Will of the Father.  

Entering heaven requires real effort on our part to conform our lives to the will of the Father and the teachings of Jesus Christ. We can’t simply slide into heaven. 

This effort takes many forms in the Christian life. First, there is the daily effort of self-denial - the small but constant choices to put God's will above our own desires. Whether it's choosing to bite our tongue rather than speak in anger, or rising early for prayer when we'd rather sleep in, these daily exercises of virtue prepare us for larger spiritual challenges ahead.

Then there is the effort of perseverance in faith during times of darkness and doubt. Just as Jesus faced his moment of agony with the words "Not my will but yours be done," we too must sometimes wrestle with God's will when it seems difficult or unclear. This is not a sign of weak faith, but rather an opportunity to exercise spiritual endurance.

There is also the effort of charity - the deliberate work of loving others as Christ loves us. This means actively seeking the good of others even when it costs us something. It means forgiving those who hurt us, serving those in need, and building up rather than tearing down. 

And perhaps most importantly, there is the effort of continual conversion - the ongoing work of examining our lives, recognizing our sins, and striving to change with God's grace. This is not a one-time event but a lifelong process of allowing God to reshape us into the image of Christ.

But let us be clear: this spiritual striving is not mere human willpower. We do not earn our way into heaven through our own efforts alone. Rather, our striving takes place within the context of God's grace, which both enables and perfects our efforts. Like branches drawing life from the vine, our spiritual exertions bear fruit only when they're energized by God's own life within us.

The narrow gate beckons us to this holy striving. Will we strive for heaven? The choice is ours, but the grace to succeed is God's gift to all who truly seek Him.

So let us embrace this blessed striving - knowing that the One who calls us to enter through the narrow gate has already blazed the trail before us, showing us not only the way, but giving us the strength for the journey for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Let us pray for the needs of the Church and the world:

For the Church, that in our daily striving for holiness, we may be strengthened by God's grace and encouraged by the example of our Lord.

For all who serve in ministries of charity, that their efforts to love and serve others may be sustained by divine grace and bear abundant fruit.

For our parish community, that we may support one another in the daily exercises of self-denial and grow together in holiness.

For all victims of war, for peace in the Holy Land, an end to the violence and the consolation of the suffering. May God come to the assistance of the communities and families devastated by terrorism and war; and may world leaders work together for peace. 

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know God’s consolation, healing, and grace.

For the faithful departed, that having strived to follow Christ in this life, they may now enter through heaven's gate into eternal joy, we pray to the Lord...

Loving Father, hear these our prayers, and bless us with the grace to strive for holiness on our journey toward heaven, through Christ our Lord.

Good Friday 2024 - Morning Prayer - Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus

 There is a poignant line from the Letter to the Hebrews which contains an important injunction for any day of the year, but particularly for today, Good Friday. The biblical author writes, “let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross.”

This line from the Letter to the Hebrews is particularly poignant for Good Friday because it encapsulates the essence of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

Let’s break it down. First we are told,  “let us rid ourselves of every burden of sin”. Good Friday is a day of reflection on the weight of sin and our own inability to overcome it on our own. Yet, we must do our part in “ridding ourselves”—rooting out sin with the help of God’s grace, acknowledging our selfishness, and making a firm purpose of amendment to overcome it as we can. 

Next we are told to perseverance in Running the Race of Faith: Good Friday marks the culmination of Jesus' earthly ministry, during which he endured trials, opposition, and ultimately, crucifixion. And we his followers are to persevere in our own journey of faith, following the Lord’s example of steadfastness and endurance, even in the face of suffering and persecution. In this way, the Lord is the leader and perfecter of our faith. Our faith is imperfect until it attains union with Christ crucified. 

Then we are told to keep Our Eyes Fixed on Jesus. This is our task on Good Friday. We are to keep your focus firmly on Jesus throughout the day by reflecting on his life, his teachings, his sacrificial love, his obedience to God's will, the wounds, and blows, and mockery, and agony he suffered to obtain the ultimate victory over sin and death. Make every effort today to avert your eyes from all things that are not Him. 

Finally, Hebrews says that he endured the cross for the sake of the joy that lay before him. Despite the agony and suffering of the cross, Jesus endured it all for the sake of the joy that lay before him. This joy refers to the redemption and salvation of humanity. Your redemption and freedom from sin is God’s joy. Which is why, for God, today is Good. 

May our prayer this morning help us to enter into the goodness of the day. Helping us to keep our eyes fixed on him, to persevere with him to the cross, to be cleansed by him, that we may know his joy, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Holy Week 2024 - Wednesday - Persevering in Mercy amidst Betrayal

Yesterday, the first reading from Isaiah contained the second of the four servant songs—those poetic prophecies regarding the servant of God who would extend the salvation of God throughout all the earth through his humble service. We then considered how Jesus is the fulfillment of that humble servant—especially at the last supper as he washes his disciples’ feet.

Today, we delve into the poignant parallels between the Third Servant Song of Isaiah and the harrowing betrayal of Jesus by Judas, one of His trusted disciples.

In Isaiah 50, we encounter the Servant of the Lord, who speaks with a voice of resilience and divine assurance. He is no ordinary servant; he is a teacher who "wakens morning by morning," attuned to God's voice, equipped to offer words that sustain the weary. Yet, this divine mission does not shield him from suffering. On the contrary, the Servant describes a path marked by humiliation and pain—struck, insulted, and shamed. Despite this, he stands unwavering, bolstered by God's vindication, facing his adversaries with a steadfast heart.

Jesus walks this path during His final days. In the intimacy of the upper room, He breaks bread with His friends, aware of the darkness looming. Here, the shadow of betrayal hangs heavily, not from a distant enemy, but from within His inner circle. Judas, one of the Twelve, chosen and trusted, turns away from the light of fellowship, stepping into the night to betray his Master.

The betrayal by Judas is not just a narrative detail; it intensifies the suffering of Jesus, injecting the poison of betrayal into the already daunting prospect of His impending passion and death. Yet, in this moment of ultimate betrayal, the true character of Jesus, like that of Isaiah's Servant, shines brightest. He does not retaliate, does not falter. Instead, He continues to fulfill His mission of love and redemption, embracing the path set before Him with unwavering resolve.

Perhaps, reading about Judas causes us to reflect upon our own experiences of ruptured friendships or even betrayal. Each of us, in our journey of faith, face moments when it is difficult to love the people around us. Yet, the lesson of God’s Servant—Christ the Lord—calls us not to dwell on bitterness or plans of retribution but to the courage of forgiveness.

The example of our Lord is not just one of passive acceptance of suffering but to an active trust in God's justice and mercy—to turn our moments of betrayal into opportunities for grace.

God’s ultimate vindication is in the extension of mercy. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. 

And may the love and mercy of Christ, who endured betrayal for our sake, heal our wounds and guide our steps in the path of peace for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For increased faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That the grace of these holy days may touch the most hardened of hearts, and move unrepented sinners and fallen-away Catholics to return to the mercy of God.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

33rd Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Monday - Persevering faith amidst a culture of death

 300 years before the birth of Christ, Alexander the Great embarked on a mission to Hellenize the world—that is, to spread the greek language, the greek culture, the greek Gods.  He conquered vast territories from Greece, down to Egypt, and just shy of India to the east.  

But Alexander didn’t plan well; he died suddenly leaving his vast empire, which included Israel, to his generals—Ptolemy and Seleucus. Judea was initially under Ptolemaic rule, but fell to the Seleucids around 200 BC.

Ptolemaic rule was fairly sensitive and tolerant of the Jewish religion, but things changed when the Seleucid tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes came to power, whose
name we heard in the first read today.  Radical Hellenization was imposed under penalty of death-- the Jews could not worship, nor could they practice their faith in any way that distinguished them from the Gentiles. So they could not observe the Sabbath, they could not observe the laws of circumcision.

And we also heard how some of the Jews believed it was expedient to go along with Hellenization. And they even influence the jewish king to order that the jews abandon the precepts of the Mosaic Law in favor of the Greek custom—they were to abandon the laws of God for the laws of man. What a sell-out to the culture! This even led to the Holy Temple of Jerusalem dedicated to the One True God becoming a place of pagan worship and pagan sacrifice.

As people of faith, we need to be in the world, but not of the world. There can be no compromise between the laws of God and the laws of man. 

In the Gospel, a blind man is hindered by the crowd in approaching Jesus in order to be healed by him. The crowd here is similar to the Greeks and the hellenized jews in the first reading. There are many worldly forces that will keep us from approaching Jesus, even compromised Christians will try to convince us that we are taking our faith too seriously. 

But we must persevere. If the world seeks to drown out our cries for Jesus, we need to cry out all the more. If the world seeks to distract us from following Jesus, we need to draw close to Him all the more. If Christians abandon the work of the Gospel, we need to endeavor in that work all the more. If born and raised Catholics abandon the Sacraments, we need to make use of them all the more, lest we become like them, instead of becoming like Christ.

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That we may endeavor to put our time, talent, treasure, creativity, and devotion into serving the mission of the Gospel. 

For a strengthening of Christian marriages; for an increase in virtue among spouses; for healing in troubled marriages; and for God’s mercy to replace bitterness, resentment, and selfishness. 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we pray for the safety of travelers, the peaceful resolution of all family divisions and national hostilities, for protection from disease, and harmony amongst all those who gather; for the lonely and forgotten, and that holy gratitude may fill our hearts and animate our lives.

For the safety of police and firefighters, for first responders, the underemployed and unemployed, for those struggling with addiction, for the incarcerated, for those suffering from depression or burn-out, and for the sick and dying. 

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 all the souls in purgatory, and for…

O God, you 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.

August 4 2023 - St. John Vianney - Persevering in Prayer

 When St. John Vianney arrived in the small village in Ars, it was just like other villages in France in the wake of the French Revolution, that is, there was the loss of faith.  The local taverns seemed to be the center of the life of the village. The people were given over to worldliness and pleasure seeking; they were indifferent to the faith and the things of religion. 

But the new pastor ventured out to gather in his scattered sheep: he visited families, got to know them, got to know their moral situation; above all, he prayed:  he was seen to wake up early and go to the blessed sacrament to beg conversion for his parishioners. 

Two prayers were the bulwark of John Vianney’s prayer life, the Divine Office and the Holy Rosary.  He could be seen going from home to home praying his office as he traveled; and also the rosary, asking Our Lady for the grace of conversion for his parishioners.  He would also hand out rosaries to encourage that devotion among his parishioners.

After 8 years, there was a transformation in the village of Ars.  What was at first a place of lukewarmness with respect to the faith became fervent.  There was regular attendance at Mass among the villagers, and long lines for the confessional: John Vianney often spent over 12 hours a day in the confessional, sometimes 16 to 18 hours. By the time of his death, a special railway was established for the number of pilgrims coming to Ars, up to 120,000 people per year.

St. John Vianney is the patron of priests, and also a shining example for all Christians. Perseverance and constant prayer are needed in our mission of spreading the Gospel. God sends us into those lukewarm, faithless places to rekindle faith and to spread the faith anew. And we mustn’t become disheartened when our efforts are not met with immediate success. It takes time for hearts to become warmed to the Gospel, to begin to see the emptiness in living without God. 

Constant prayer helps us to remain attuned to God and the heart of the Shepherd, so that we do not become disheartened. Prayer helps us love the godless with compassion and patience. 

St. John Vianney said: ”My dear brethren, not only is prayer very efficacious, but, even more, it is of the utmost necessity for overcoming the enemies of salvation.”  The enemies and obstacles to salvation in our day are great, may we be fervent in prayer for all those who have fallen away or do not know Christ, and that we may be faithful in working for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the intercession of St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, faith, hope, and charity may increase in the priests of the Church, particularly those experiencing vocational crisis and those most in need of our prayers.

For a deeper love for and devotion to the Eucharist, for those who do not believe in the Real Presence, for the spread of the Eucharistic Reign of Christ in society. For the conversion of the irreligious in our neighborhood. 

That our young people on summer vacation may remain close to Jesus through prayer, attendance at Holy Mass with their families, repentance through Sacramental Confession, and faithfulness to all the teachings of Christ. 

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

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.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - Lessons from a Chinese Opium Addict (St. Mark Ji Tianxiang)

 At the turn of the 20th century there was a persecution against Christians in China called the Boxer Rebellion. Now persecutions of Christians in China have been occurring since the 1600s, but unlike former persecutions of Christians which were led by the Chinese government, the Boxer Rebellion was led by a Chinese Secret Society called The Righteous and Harmonious Fists, or the Yi-he-quan. And the Yihequan was basically an anti-foreign, anti-Christian hate group. They believed foreigners and Christians were threats to Chinese society, so Yihequan destroyed foreign owned businesses and property, such as foreign owned railroads and telegraphs. And they hunted down and murdered Christian missionaries and Chinese Christians.

There were about 1000 Christians who were martyred during this persecution, one of whom is honored on July 9, St. Mark Ji Tian-xiang. (Shi-ang)

St. Mark was born in China in 1834. He was a physician who served the poor. But when he himself became seriously sick in his 30s, he began to treat himself with one of the common medicines of that time, opium. But he began to abuse the powerful drug and developed an opium addiction that lasted for decades.  

As a Catholic, St. Mark prayed for deliverance from his addiction, but he kept falling. He would confess his moral failure in the Sacrament of Confession, but even that only provided periods of sobriety, and as the Yihequan began their persecutions access to the Sacrament became impossible. Nevertheless he remained a believing and practicing Catholic. 

During the Boxer Rebellion, St. Mark was captured by the Yi-he-quan and when he was given a chance to renounce his faith in order to save his life, he refused.  It is said that he sang the litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he was led to his execution. 

And remember St. Mark died still mired in a vice from which he was never able to completely break free: that crippling addiction to opium. 

No matter how many times he confessed, and no matter how many times he uttered his resolution to amend his life, he continued to fall back into addiction. Those around him, including his family, his friends and even the priest to whom he regularly confessed his sins suspected him of abandoning the desire for conversion. 

And yet…he died a heroic Christian martyr. He professed Christ with his last breath and won the martyrs crown. He is with Christ in heaven. This addict had also cultivated heroic courage and responded to the grace of God in final perseverance.

As St. Mark and his family were dragged to prison to await their execution, his grandson looked fearfully at him. “Grandpa, where are we going?” the grandson asked. To which St. Mark replied, “We’re going home.” St. Mark begged his captors to kill him last so that none of his family would have to die alone. He stood beside all nine of them as they were beheaded; his faith unshaken. 

Those who have struggled with or those who continue to struggle with addiction know that there is a real temptation just to give up trying to overcome the addiction, to give up and give in. But St. Mark reminds us all to persevere in seeking to overcome our vices. As many times as you fall, come back to the Lord. Don’t stop praying for deliverance. Don’t stop going to confession and receiving the Eucharist with the desire for inner healing and freedom. 

In the Second reading, St. Paul s very clear about how the flesh and the Spirit are at war. There is a war between what our body desires, what our flesh desires, and what is good for our soul. Because of Original Sin, we cannot trust that every bodily desire is for our greater good.  We desire too much of what we don’t need, like sin, and too little of what we do need, like prayer. Our body often craves what is sinful, not always, but enough that bodily desires must be discerned.

And St. Paul teaches that there are eternal consequences for living only for those sinful fleshly desires, making an idol of the flesh, where pleasure is first and God is second. “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

St. Mark Ji Tianxiang didn’t give up. He fell. He relapsed. He disappointed his family and himself. But he persevered in the struggle. That’s what living by the Spirit means. It’s not that we are automatically morally perfect in all of our behaviors just because we are baptized. Living by the Spirit means continuously struggling against those weaknesses of the flesh, repenting when we fall, turning to God for forgiveness, making a firm purpose of amendment to change as we can with God’s help. 

The Lord in the Gospel says, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you.” You want refreshment in your struggles against the flesh? The Sacrament of Confession is like instant refreshment. You who are burned by the guilt of sin, you can receive instant refreshment. So many people deprive themselves of that beautiful sacrament, that refreshing sacrament, where Jesus is waiting to refresh you, if you would but humble yourself. Confession is such a powerful aid to our sanctification. Every sin might be a failure, but every confession is a victory for God. 

And there may come a time, like in 20th century China when priests were rounded up and forced underground, when that Sacrament—that gift from Jesus himself, isn’t as available as it is right now. With the way modern society is bent on giving up its freedoms these days, and obscuring the message of the Gospel, the Church may have some difficult times ahead in these parts, not to mention the secret and not-so-secret societies which hate the Church and work against her. But even then, it will be okay, because the real fight is always the fight of the Spirit—to seek faithfulness to God when the world’s powers are unleashed.

For those who learn from Jesus, those who become meek and humble of heart like him, even in persecution, will find rest in his presence, in his company, the company of the saints with Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

5th Week of Lent 2023 - Wednesday - Yielding a harvest through faithful perseverance

 

One of the lessons of today’s scripture readings is one of faithful perseverance. When told they must worship an idol or be put to death, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, persevered in their faith. They kept the faith even when threatened with death in the fiery furnace.

In the Gospel, too, teaches about perseverance. He says his disciples must remain in his word, to keep his word, to remain faithful to his teachings, to persevere in the way he has shown us, and promises that if we do, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

We often think of the perseverance of the early Christian martyrs: martyrs like Perpetua and Felicity, martyr-popes like Sixtus and Cornelius, apologists like Justin, our own patrish patron saint, St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop, were told to worship the roman emperor or die. And they embraced death as an opportunity to offer the ultimate witness to the truth and freedom that comes from Christ. Their choice to imitate their Lord, who freely goes to the cross out of love for us, continues to echo through the centuries, and they give timid Christians like you and me the courage to persevere in the faith in our own time.

Now the pressures we face, might not involve coercion to offer a burnt offering to the emperor of Rome, but certainly we experience pressure to forsake prayer to the one true God in order to give our time and focus to the false gods of entertainment, gossip, consumerism, or the pressure just to fit in with the rest of the increasingly secular society. 

How often Christians are being faced with the choice to forsake bedrock basic truths to promote the insane ideas of our culture in regards to sexual morality, gender ideology, and the rights of the unborn! Baptized Christians who have chosen to say the Church is wrong and the culture is right! There are bishops right now in the world who are feeling this pressure: to water down or neglect the preaching of church teaching because some teachings are controversial. God help them, and God help us to keep the word with a generous heart.

Most of us feel daily pressures in the form of stress. And likely, most of us are not praying enough to combat the stresses and pressures. We aren’t studying enough to sharpen our minds against the intellectual onslaught of the culture. We aren’t making use of the sacramentals against the dark spiritual forces which seek our ruin. 

The heat of the furnace is being turned-up, and we might not be able to control that. But we can control our prayer lives. Do we seek the presence of Christ with us in the furnace? Do we allow him to sustain us in our trials? Do we allow him to teach us how to survive the fire with him at our side?

Because of their perseverance, Nebuchadnezzar came to believe in the one true God. Such is the power of persevering faith. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t swallow earthly errors. Don’t worship the false gods of our culture. Souls can be won, hearts can be moved, enemies can be converted. “Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest (of souls) through perseverance” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

For those without faith, those with hearts hardened toward God, and for those searching for Him.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For the victims of the horrific school shooting in Nashville and the consolation of their families, for the protection of our young people from such future evils, for all those with mental and spiritual illnesses which contribute to such evils.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

1st Week of Ordinary Time 2023 - Tuesday - All things are subject to Him

 

Until the beginning of February, the first readings on normal weekdays will be taken from the Letter to the Hebrews.  The Church does not know who wrote the letter to the Hebrews, for many years, a certain verse of chapter 13 seemed to point to Saint Paul, but the jury is still out.

This Letter seems to be addressed to Jewish Christians who were undergoing persecution for their new belief in Christ. The letter itself states how these converts to Christ "endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword's point".

And so, the sacred author of this letter wrote to encourage them—to persevere in their faith even unto death because Christ is victorious. He is Lord. He is the True High Priest. He is the perfection that was promised, who established a new covenant in his blood. All things are subject to Him.

But today, just in chapter 2 of the letter, read a verse that is brutally honest: “at present we do not see all things subject to him.” Ain’t that the truth! The Church proclaims Christ is victorious. Well, to those who are experiencing persecution, or anyone whose eyes are open, it sure doesn’t look that way, at least not initially.

If all things are subject to Christ, why were the powers of the world still holding such sway. Why were the Romans so bloody efficient at putting Christians to death? Why were there still imposter kings imposing their godless wills. The Messiah was supposed to usher in the eternal kingdom of justice and peace. So where was the justice, where was the peace? Why are the wicked still in control? 

And why should those who are being persecuted, keep the faith, if this promise of peace and justice has not been fulfilled? 

This letter is grappling with some serious questions. It’s the same question that Job grappled with. The problem of evil. If God is omnipotent, why is does evil persist? If the claim is that Christ is victorious, why doesn’t it look that way? 

The answer probably has to do with the cross, doesn’t it? The victory came through the perfect one’s suffering and death. And to share in his victory will also require us to share in his cross. And the evil in the world, the persecution, is in a sense, our cross. “Endure your trials,” Hebrews says.  As you are experiencing them, “they seem a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained” by them.

During this season called Ordinary Time, we are to learn from our Lord, how to endure our trials patiently, with endurance and faith, that they may produce the fruits of righteousness, 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 graciously preserve harmony among them.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief.

For ourselves and our own community, that the Lord may graciously receive us as a sacrifice acceptable to himself.

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.

6th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Tuesday - Persevering in temptation

 
One of my favorite parts of the whole Bible is the book from which our first reading was taken today: the New Testament Letter of St. James, one of the twelve apostles. There are two apostles named James, actually. James, son of a man named Zebedee, who was a fisherman with his brother, the apostle John, and the other James, the son of a man named Alphaeus. And it’s this second James who wrote today’s first reading.

Whereas many of St. Paul’s letters are written to particular groups of Christians in particular towns or regions, like the Corinthians, the Thessalonians, and the Galatians and Ephesians. St. James writes his letter to all the Church. To all of us.

His letter contains a lot of wonderful, practical advice, so many helpful truth for us to keep in mind as we seek to be faithful to Jesus.

Today’s passage comes from the very beginning of his letter. And St. James again gives advice that is helpful for all of us. James today speaks about temptation and trial.

Everyone experiences temptation. Temptation is when we know something is wrong, but there is a part of us that wants to do it anyway. I know it’s wrong to talk back to my parents, but there’s a part of me that is tempted to talk back. There’s a part of me that is tempted to fight someone who insults me. 

Everyone experiences temptation. Teachers, principals, parents, children, the elderly. And that’s why James wants to address this issue. He knows that we are all tempted, from time to time.

Sometimes we even begin to talk ourselves into following that temptation. We tell ourselves: it’s alright if I steal from my friend, he won’t miss it. It’s alright if I ignore my guardian when they tell me to clean my room or put away the video games, I’m having fun after all. It’s alright to treat people inconsiderately, after all, they’ve treated me without kindness, I might as well do it back to them.

But what was the opening line of St. James today: “Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation.” In other words, you grow in holiness, you grow in likeness to Jesus, you allow the life of Jesus to flow in your heart and mind when you resist temptation to do wrong. We become the people God made us to be.

James goes on to explain that when you give into temptation, that’s called sin, and when you sin, when you give in to the temptation to sin, something very sad happens, something in us dies, something good dies. And if you choose sin enough, if you just give in to every temptation, something inside of you might die forever. And that is very sad, because God didn’t create us for sin, he created us for grace, for life, for holiness, for joy.

Now again, every one of us has been tempted, and everyone of us, at some point, has given in to temptation. But it didn’t have to be like, and it doesn’t have to be like that in the future. And that’s part of the goodness of being followers of Jesus: just because we’ve chosen sin and evil in the past, doesn’t mean we have to continue to make bad choices. God forgives us when we ask for forgiveness, he gives us another chance.

With God’s help, may we all come to persevere in temptation, so that we may come to receive the crown of life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021 - The end times

 We’ve come to the end times. The end of the calendar year isn’t too far away, and the end of the liturgical year has just two weeks left. As things are winding down our scripture readings return, as they do at this time every year, to the last things, the end times—death, judgment, heaven, hell, and eternity.

Our Lord’s teaching  on the end times in today’s Gospel passage, takes place during the last week of his life—holy week. He had entered Jerusalem for the last time on Palm Sunday, he went to the temple and taught there for the last time. And, after a busy day of teaching, contending with the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Temple, Jesus and his Apostles go to rest on the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem.  

Fitting how, as his own earthly mission is drawing to a close—the end and culmination of his earthly mission—the Lord speaks about the end times. And as we just heard, the Lord describes some pretty frightening imagery: “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”

This sort of language and imagery is nothing new in scripture. The Old Testament prophets use this sort of language quite often: how there are going to be some pretty traumatic cosmic events prior to the ushering in of God’s kingdom. Isaiah prophesies about the darkening of the sun and the stars, the earth trembling, green grass withering, and waters turning to blood. The prophet Joel speaks of the blood and smoke and fire that will signal the great and awesome day of tribulation. Zephaniah describes  wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness, clouds and gloom. Jeremiah speaks of all of creation sort of unravelling preceding God’s great day. Daniel, as we heard in the first reading, takes up this language as well.

So, the Lord draws on the apocalyptic language of the prophets of old, to reaffirm that these cosmic events will proceed the end of the age. But this age ends, so that it might give way to a new one that will last forever. For he adds, “when you see these things happening, know that the Son of Man is near, at the gates.” 

Here the Lord describes a truth that we proclaim in our Creed every week regarding the Lord’s return. The second coming. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, we proclaim. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. 

Great tribulations will proceed the Lord’s return. And the Catechism says, “Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.” So the Lord offers this teaching, that we may not loose faith when the rafters of heaven shake. 

These tribulations are but the labor pains, as he says in the proceeding verses—Labor Pains of a new world, a new heaven and a new earth in which God will rule over creation in an eternal kingdom of peace.

And in a sense, every generation has to face its own tribulations, every individual in fact. There are events in our life, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, even scandal in the church, that can shake our faith. 

In the lifetime of the apostles, they would see the Temple destroyed, Jerusalem sacked, and Christians put to death by the Roman government, each of them, would have to face serious personal trials, and so must we. 

The Catechism goes on to say that throughout her persecutions the Church will be tempted to believe the deception of the anti-Christ, that man can save himself, that we don’t need God, but that we find fulfillment when we put ourselves in the place of God. We see people in our modern culture more than ever before falling for this deception, that by sheer human will and ingenuity we can usher in our own era of peace, devoid of God. 

Every Christian generation, every individual, is to live as if the Lord’s return is imminent and to keep the faith when there are wars and earthquakes and plagues, and remain vigilant against the temptations of the anti-Christ.

 “Be watchful, you do not know the day or the hour, be prepared, it can come when you least expect it.”

Will the Lord return in our own lifetime? Perhaps. Nonetheless, we will all have to appear before him as judge at the end of our life, which might also come when we least expect it. So, we must be prepared, by repenting of and confessing our sins, receiving the flesh and blood of Christ as often as we can, and living lives of righteousness, as best we can.

To be watchful means three things:

First, it means making our personal relationship with God our highest priority through daily prayer, ongoing study of our faith, and frequent reception of the sacraments.

Second, it means sharing with others the news that Jesus has shared with us. If this Gospel teaches us anything it is that time is short. And we must make use of the time we’ve been given to bring souls to Christ. We are here today because someone cared for our souls and the souls of our family members who passed the faith on to us, and we must do the same.

Lastly, we must follow the Lord’s example in our daily lives. Jesus was honest, courageous, gentle, patient, forgiving, humble, pure, and faithful. And every single day, in all of our relationships with family, friends, and strangers, we are to imitate his goodness.

As we continue with this Mass, let’s thank our Lord for the time we’ve been given to fulfill our mandate and mission—to live with the end in mind by living wisely in the present for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Discipleship lessons from Blind Bartimaeus

The 10th Chapter of Mark is a long chapter, the longest in the entire Gospel until we get to the Passion narrative in chapter 14. We’ve hearing from chapter 10 all month. It began, you might remember with Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce, then we heard of the rich young man who goes away sad when challenged by the Lord to leave his possessions and follow Him; had we not celebrated our patronal feast last weekend, we would have heard the story of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, vying for a high position in the Lord’s kingdom. This week we conclude chapter 10 with a beloved story, the healing of blind Bartimaeus. This is the very last healing miracle in Mark’s Gospel, and a very significant one, at that.

In this miracle story, we get a lot of details leading up to the miracle: Mark includes where Bartimaeus was standing, what he was doing when the Lord made his way out of Jericho, how he got the Lord’s attention, the annoyance of the other members of the crowd, the exuberance with which Bartimaeus leaped up, shedding his cloak so that nothing may hinder, the tender dialogue between Jesus and the blind man, and then Bartimaeus’ response of gratitude. All this in six verses!

Consider this story in light of the other stories in this chapter. Where the Pharisees harden their hearts against the teachings of Jesus and his identity as Messiah at the beginning of the chapter, Bartimaeus acknowledges Jesus as the Son of David and recognizes that Jesus has the power of God within him. Where James and John seek a position of power to lord over others, Bartimaeus approaches Jesus as a beggar, seeking nothing but healing. Where the rich young man refuses to follow Jesus and goes away sad, Bartimaeus joyfully follows the Lord on the way.

Bartimaeus is a model of the true discipleship that seems to elude just about everybody else in Mark’s Gospel, including Peter and the Apostles. Since he is a model of discipleship, what do we have to learn from him?

Firstly, we must recognize that like him, before meeting the Lord Jesus we are blind. Without Jesus, we are standing on the side of the road, not knowing which way is which, blind and not going anywhere. We might not be physically blind, but without Jesus, something is missing, we are without the light that is meant to guide our earthly lives. St Paul writes to the Corinthians: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel.”

Through sin, Satan has placed a blindfold on the eyes of the world. And even among the baptized, he is always trying to get us to put the blindfold back on, so that without the light of the Gospel, we walk not toward heaven, but toward hell. Sadly, there are members of the baptized who have let him, or perhaps have blindfolds because their parents had them baptized but never raised them to see Jesus and follow Jesus. But there are people in the world, in our neighborhood, in our workplaces, who like Bartimaeus, are blind, but want to see. So we need to ensure that the light of Christ is shining brightly in our lives. 

Secondly, Bartimaeus models for us what it means to prioritize faith. He makes looking for Jesus his highest priority. And he does so with a sort of courageous recklessness. On the side of the road, he starts making a commotion. He doesn’t care what people think of him, he wants to get Jesus’ attention, he wants to encounter Jesus, and he pursues Jesus with a praiseworthy singlemindedness. When people tell him to quiet down, he cries out all the more for Jesus. He might have been labeled as a fanatic, or a zealot, or obnoxious; he doesn’t care. He cries out and keeps crying out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” with perseverance, intensity, and passion. Bartimaeus recognized that searching for Jesus must be our highest priority. And so must we. As Christians, are days and our weeks are to be structured around Jesus. Seeking him in prayer, engaging in the works he commands. Sunday Mass without compromise. Daily prayer without excuse.

Thirdly, Bartimaeus shows us that we must throw off our cloaks to approach Jesus. The thick, heavy cloak of the people of Israel was among their most prized possessions. It was protection against the rapid and frequent temperature changes, insulation against the harsh Judean winds, and at night it doubled as a blanket, especially for the poorer residents of the Holy Land, like Bartimaeus.

For these reasons, the Fathers of the Church have seen in this cloak a symbol of self- sufficiency, a symbol of our deep-seated tendency to think that we are capable of solving all of our problems on our own.

The cloak symbolizes all those things that we wrongly depend on for happiness, that we tend to idolize: good looks, intelligence, athletic ability, money, good education, success, popularity. You’ll never regret giving up television in order to pray and engage in charity, like taking part in our parish St. Vincent de Paul group. Don’t be afraid to rearrange things, to make prayer and charitable service a more deliberate part of your life.

Fourthly, notice how Bartimaeus is specific in his prayer. I want to see. Daily, we need to make specific petitions to the Lord. Bring to prayer that sick family member, pray by name for that clueless politician, for the return of lapsed Catholics, and like Bartimaeus, don’t give up and enunciate your petitions clearly: Master I want my son to be saved from addiction. Master, I want peace in my family. Master, I want healing for my friend. Master, I want a good job. 

Lastly, having persisted in crying out to the Lord, throwing off his cloak, clearly enunciating his request to the Lord, he is healed, and then in gratitude, he abandons all that he has to follow Jesus.

There are a lot of people who cry out to God, they pray for healing, for peace, but when the prayer is answered, they go their own way. They are like the nine lepers, who healed by Jesus, fail to recognize and show gratitude to Jesus. Or the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. He received healing then went on to a life of sin. There are those who pray in desperate moments and then when the crisis is passed they return to their virtually faithless lifestyle.

But, not Bartimaeus. “Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.” His physical blindness was healed, but more importantly the eyes of his heart were enlightened. Bartimaeus is the only recipient of a healing whose name is recorded by St. Mark, certainly suggesting that Bartimaeus continued to follow the Lord after his healing, and was a disciple known to the early Church. 

I recommend some time this week, opening your bibles back to chapter 10 of Mark’s Gospel, reading through this story again, and asking the Lord to help you identify your blindnesses, how you can better seek Him in your life, what cloak, what safety blanket, you need to throw off, in order to follow the Lord with greater trust, and shine with the light of the Lord for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 4 2021 - St. John Vianney - The persevering pastor

 When St. John Vianney arrived in the small village in Ars, it was just like other villages in France in the wake of the French Revolution, that is, there was the loss of faith.  The local taverns seemed to be the center of the life of the village. The people were given over to worldliness and pleasure seeking; they were weak and indifferent to the faith and the things of religion. 

He ventured out to gather in his scattered sheep: he visited families, got to know them, got to know their moral situation; above all, he prayed:  he was seen to wake up early and go to the blessed sacrament to beg conversion for his parishioners. 

Two prayers were the bulwark of John Vianney’s prayer life, the Divine Office and the Holy Rosary.  He could be seen going from home to home praying his office as he traveled; and also the rosary, asking Our Lady for that grace of conversion.  He would also hand out rosaries to encourage that devotion among his parishioners.

After 8 years, there was a transformation in the village of Ars.  What was at first a place of lukewarmness with respect to the faith became fervent.  There was regular attendance at Mass and Catechism lessons. 

St. John Vianney is the patron of priests, and also a shining example for all Christians. Perseverance and constant prayer are needed in our mission of spreading the Gospel. God often sends us into those lukewarm, faithless places to rekindle faith and to spread the faith anew. And we mustn’t become disheartened when our efforts are not met with immediate success. It takes time for hearts to become warmed to the Gospel, to begin to see the emptiness in living without God. 

Constant prayer helps us to remain attuned to God and the heart of the Shepherd, so that we do not become disheartened and to help us love with godless with compassion and patience. 

St. John Vianney said: ”My dear brethren, not only is prayer very efficacious, but, even more, it is of the utmost necessity for overcoming the enemies of salvation.”  The enemies and obstacles to salvation in our day are great, may we be fervent in prayer for all those who have fallen away or do not know Christ, and that we may be faithful in working for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That through the intercession of St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, faith, hope, and charity may increase in the priests of the Church, particularly those experiencing vocational crisis and those most in need of our prayers.

For a deeper love for and devotion to the Eucharist, for those who do not believe in the Real Presence, for the spread of the Eucharistic Reign of Christ in society.

That our young people on summer vacation may remain close to Jesus through prayer, attendance at Holy Mass with their families, repentance through Sacramental Confession, and faithfulness to all the teachings of Christ. 

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

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.

17th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Jesus explains the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat

Today we witness sort of a rarity in the four Gospels. Jesus takes his disciples away from the crowd and offers a point-by-point explanation of an earlier parable—the parable of the Weeds and the Wheat.  

He explains how each of the elements in his parable, the field, the weeds, the wheat, the sower, the harvest are symbols for a deeper reality.  

Why, out of all the parables, does the Lord explain this one? After all, the original parable isn’t that difficult to understand, is it? Perhaps, it’s because this parable in particular is addressing not just the moral life, or Christian attitude toward the poor, like the parable of the good Samaritan. It’s just to instill a sense of urgency toward conversion, like the parable of the pearl of great price. 

The Lord explains parable of the weeds and the wheat for it concerns the very mission of the Gospel: why he came, why he is forming the Church, and the obstacles which the Church will face as we continue his work until his return. “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”

We should not be discouraged by the amount of evil in the world.  It seems like it is just getting worse and worse out there, and harder and harder to remain faithful.  So many distractions to the life of faith, so many people falling away, acts of true goodness rarer and rarer.  

Today Jesus provides assurance that the faithful children of God’s kingdom will be vindicated, that God has a divine plan, even as weeds of wickedness sprout up in abundance in this presence age, a future age of glory will follow for God’s faithful ones.  We must remain patient in the presence of the wickedness of the world, and faithful to all God asks of us. For there will come a time when the faithful will go to their eternal reward, and the wicked, to perdition.

Christians will have to strive to remain faithful to the Gospel amidst terrible, toxic evil. And evil is going to be so insidious, it will often disguise itself—like a wolf in sheep’s clothing—weeds and wheat, during our earthly life, will often appear indistinguishable.

But that’s the territory. And that’s the mission. To live out the Gospel amidst all that confusion, to cooperate with the Lord who continues to sew the seeds of the Gospel through the lives of his faithful ones. That things are going pretty sour out there, shouldn’t surprise us. Our task is to keep the faith, in its entirety, without compromise, with fervor and grace, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the conversion of hearts hardened to the Gospel, for those who have fallen away from the Church, for non-believers and unrepentant sinners, and that Christians may be attentive to our responsibility of sharing the Gospel with all. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the purification of our minds and hearts from the errors of the culture and from the lure of worldly attachments. Let us pray to the Lord.

That leaders of nations may find guidance in the Word of God for proper governance and the pursuit of justice for all. Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christian family homes may be places where the Gospel is studied, understood, observed, and cherished. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all those who suffer illness, those in hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, the deceased members of our families friends and parishes, for those who fought and died for our freedom, and N. for whom this Mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain

6th Week of OT 2020 - Tuesday - The remedy for every temptation

Yesterday, we heard from St. James that Christians must keep their faith throughout the inevitable trials of life. When we keep the faith when faced with hostility for the Gospel both from outside and within the Church, when we keep the faith in times of poverty, grief, and illness, God perfects us, James says.

Today James addresses a particular trial universal to all people of all places and times, a trial even faced by our Lord: the trial of temptation. Every trial tests our constancy, but temptation is a particular enticement to sin and to turn away from God, to choose evil rather than good.
“Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.”

James declares that the reward for persevering temptation is blessedness—holiness in this life and the experience of beatitude in eternity. And he also gives us the key to perseverance. Love of God. We resist temptation by loving God more than the object of temptation to the point of suffering for what is good in order to resist the evil.

In the moment of temptation, we must be quick to make an act of love: “God help me to remain faithful to you, whom I love and should love above all things. God, you are more to me than the pleasures of my body, more important than my reputation among men, more important than my bank account, more important than obtaining the position of authority, more important than offering that cutting remark about someone who hurt me.”

Failure to love God was at the heart of original sin. Adam and Eve failed to love God, they failed to heed his command and to trust that God could provide all that they needed to be perfectly happy. So, they grasped at happiness for themselves, allowing their love and trust in God to die in their hearts.

So too, failure to love God is at the heart of every sin. This is why Jesus’ greatest commandment is to love God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. Love, in this sense, is the remedy for every temptation.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word,”  saith the Lord, “and my Father will love him and we will come to him. ” Again, in the moment of Temptation, when we make that act of love and trust and surrender, the Lord comes to us with the strength we need to resist the strongest of temptations.

St. Alphonsus says “it is not necessary to acquire riches, nor to obtain dignities, nor to gain a great name. The only thing necessary is to love God.”

In every trial and temptation, may our minds, hearts, and wills turn to God in love, that we may obtain the crown of life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That in every temptation we may love God with our whole hearts, minds, souls, and strength..

For Bishop Perez, as he is installed as Archbishop of Philadelphia tomorrow, for blessings upon his ministry, and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to direct the appointment of a new Bishop for the Church of Cleveland.

That young people may seek Christ amidst all the perversions and distractions of the world, and for the protection of innocent human life from evil.

For healing for all those suffering disease, especially diseases without known cures, for the people of China and all people afflicted by the Coronavirus, and all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief, and For the Holy Father’s prayer intentions for this month: that the needs of migrants and victims of human trafficking may be heard and acted upon.

For the dead, for all of the souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Holy mass is offered.
O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you are the source of all goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith, we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

33rd Sunday in OT 2019 - Persevering in faith until the end of time

At the beginning of Holy Week, on Palm Sunday every year, we reflect upon Jesus’ triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem. As he processes through the city gates, Jesus is hailed as king, the Messiah who comes in the name of the Lord to usher in the kingdom of God. After his Palm Sunday procession, Jesus made his way to the Jerusalem temple, and he went there to teach and preach and prophecy and confront the Pharisees and Sadducees and cast out the money changers like the prophets of old.

The temple was the center of Jewish life, the focal point of Jewish divine worship. So, Jesus going to the Temple during Holy Week is symbolic, a hint that he is not only a human messiah, he is divine, he is God. As the prophet Habakkuk acclaims,“God is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him.”

St. Luke goes on to detail Jesus’ several visits to the Jerusalem temple throughout Holy Week. Today’s Gospel passage contains part of his final teaching in the Temple before the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. The Lord had already lamented how the Jewish leaders had failed in their mission to lead God’s people to the fullness of faith—they were like a barren fig tree, spiritually defunct and pastorally useless. Sure they were popular, but were they holy? Well, Jesus condemnation of the spiritual leaders was not as shocking as the teaching we heard today.

Standing in the Temple, Jesus announces, “Everything you see here, the costly stones, the votive offerings, all of this will be destroyed.” Now, we have a hard time imagining how shocking this would be because as Christians we believe that our faith is not tied to a building. We gather in beautiful church buildings, we adorn our church buildings because we love God, but our faith is not tied to a building. Our faith has survived barbarian invasions and decades where we had to gather for worship in catacombs and family homes because of government persecution.

But, for first century Jews, the Lord’s prophecy of the Temple’s destruction meant an end to religious life as they knew it. And if that weren’t shocking enough the Lord goes on to describe these terrifying events— powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues, and persecutions—that would proceed the end of the world.

Why did Jesus give this teaching? Why the dire prophecies and dark subject matter? To prepare us, certainly, that his followers might be prepared, that we might keep the faith and persevere in the faith when these events came to pass.

And just as he said, 40 years after his death and resurrection, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed, there have been famines and plagues earthquakes and wars, his followers have been persecuted up and down the ages, but the Church continues, the faith endures, and she will continue to persevere in faith, until the end of time.

These terrible events will not so much be signs that the Lord is about to return imminently. Rather, we need to persevere in faith despite them. Will there be signs that he is about to return? His teaching basically says today is “no.”  We need to be prepared always. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Perseverance in what? Perseverance in faith despite the chaos in the world, despite the sufferings we endure. Keeping the faith through whatever the world and the devil throws at us will enable us to secure eternal life.

St. John Paul  once said, “Fidelity always has to undergo the real test, that of endurance…it is easy to live consistent with our faith for a day or a few days…but only a consistency which last right through life deserves the name ‘fidelity’.”

I remember a couple of years ago the Media was reporting on the Mayan Calendar which supposedly predicted the end of the world, do you remember this? The Calendar of the ancient Mayans only counted up to the year 2012. And so people were jumping to the conclusion that that is when the Mayan’s thought the world would end. Christians didn’t buy into the hype. We bought new calendars for 2013. For, we do not know the day, nor the hour the Lord will return.

In our second reading, St. Paul gives instruction to the Thessalonians on how they were to conduct themselves as they awaited the Lord’s return. Paul had received reports of disorder in Thessalonica. Christians were not living in an orderly, diligent manner, they were not focused on persevering in faith, in fact, they were busy about minding the business of others. Paul calls them busybodies, focused, not on the Lord and the work of the Lord.

Instead of building up the church, the busy bodies tear it down through gossip, they sow divisions and set poor example through their sloth and idleness—busy about their own plans instead of the plans of God. They carry the name Christian, but they are play-actors.

When our lives are not sufficiently centered on Christ, when we are not sufficiently preparing for Christ’s return, when we are not sufficiently working for the spread of the Gospel, we begin to focus on what is non-essential, we focus on the business of others, rather than the good of others, and we are filled not with peace, but anxiety, exhaustion and unhappiness.

As a remedy for the busy-bodies, St. Paul urges us to “work quietly”, to engage in humble work for the good of the community out of the spot-light, humble work to build up the Church.  For peace and joy are found, not in selfish pursuits, but in giving ourselves away in imitation of Jesus. Minding the business of others of likely a sign we are neglecting some spiritual work to which God is calling us and that we have constructed obstacles to authentic communion with God and neighbor.

What is the humble work that God is calling you to this week? What are the quiet ways the Lord is calling you to spread his Gospel? How is the Lord calling us to be less anxious about the future, and less anxious about the business of others, and more diligent in prayer and virtue, more focused on the presence of God in the Temple of our souls?

May this Holy Eucharist renew us in purpose and peace, amidst all the chaos and sufferings of our life, renewing us in our mission in working to build up the Church, the temple built of living stones, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

29th Sunday in OT 2019 - Persistent Prayer

During the 12th and 13th century, a dastardly heresy swept throughout Europe known as Albigensianism. The Albigensians struggled with the reality of evil in the world. They believed in a good Creator God who wants our souls to flourish, but couldn’t understand how that a good God could allow evil and disease and war and suffering in the world.  Many of us perhaps struggle with that same issue, the problem of evil in the world. But the Albigensians fell into heresy when they adopted the belief that in addition to the One God of Spirit and Light and Goodness, there was a second equally powerful God of matter and darkness and evil. The Albigensians claimed that Jesus really wasn’t God, because God couldn’t suffer, he couldn’t really take on flesh, because flesh is evil. They forbade the eating of animals and milk, and condemned marriage and procreation since they believed begetting children meant imprisoning a beautiful pure soul in a prison of flesh. And they denied the sacraments, refusing to believe that the divine would come so close to us. And it’s really remarkable how popular, how rampant this heresy became.

Well, in the early 13th century a brilliant young priest named Dominic Guzman was accompanying his bishop on a diplomatic mission from Spain to Northern Europe. In his travels, Dominic became aware of two enormous challenges for the Church of his time: entire regions of Northern Europe were largely unevangelized, and the Albigensian heresy had spread like wildfire, particularly in France.
When Dominic brought these challenges to the pope’s attention, the pope personally asked Dominic to devote himself to preaching to the Albigensians. Dominic’s initial efforts of preaching were unsuccessful. The Albigensians were unconvinced that God became flesh and died on the cross for our salvation. They were unconvinced that sins could be forgiven through the waters of baptism, that God would became present under the appearance of bread and wine, that the One True God had created this world good.

So Dominic prayed and fasted and did penance, and one day in 1214, Dominic received a heavenly vision, a heavenly visitor, Our Lady appeared to Him and said, “Dear Dominic, do you know what weapon the Most Holy Trinity wants to use to reform the world?...I want you to know that in this kind of warfare the ‘battering ram’ will be the Rosary. So, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them to God, preach my Rosary!”

And this campaign must have worked. For in my hands I hold a rosary…and have you met any Albigensians lately? Dominic taught the people to pray the Rosary and Europe was converted.
So, why did Our Lady called the Rosary “a Battering Ram”? Because a battering ram is a large beam, sometimes a whole tree, handled by many people, used to open a large gate, or to make an opening in a wall.  It only works with the repetition of blows on the gate or the wall.  Our Lady compares the Rosary to a battering ram: all those rosaries in the hands of so many Christians, all those Hail Marys prayed in order to knock down the gates of hell and defeat demonic heresies.

I tell this story because it is October, the month of the Rosary; we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. But, also because the praying of the rosary relates to our scripture readings today, on prayer and perseverance.

In the first reading from Exodus we hear how Moses had to persevere in keeping his hands raised during a battle with the Amalekites. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel was victorious in battle; but when he let his hands down, the Amalekites, Israel’s enemies got the upper hand.
This is a great metaphor for the spiritual life—when we keep our hands raised before God, persevering in prayer, engaging in the works of mercy, victory is won—our souls grow as they are meant to. When we grow lax, lukewarm, and disobedient, our souls diminish.

Similarly, in the Gospel, our Lord praises the widow who perseveres in petitioning the judge for justice. Jesus praises this widow who overcomes—what—being poor, being without husband, having little social status—in persuading the hardened heart of the judge.

The parable certainly reminds us that the Christian life requires perseverance in general. Daily, we must overcome temptations, we must be faithful in the midst of suffering and pressures from the world, we must repent of our sins, we must not giving up working for the conversion of non-believers.

Often in the Gospels the Lord takes up the theme of perseverance, he speaks of the need to carry our crosses daily; He enjoins us to not stop seeking until we find God, to not stop knocking until that door is open, he says though he sends us out as sheep amidst wolves, and will be persecuted even by members of our family, he says, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

What will give us the strength to persevere in the Christians life, certainly a prayer life that perseveres. St. Alphonsus Ligouri says, “if, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one cannot be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace.” Jesus told his disciples this parable of the persistent widow after all to teach them the necessity of prayer for the spiritual life.

A Particularly powerful prayer in preserving us in perseverance is of course the Holy Rosary. Pope Francis this year called upon “all the faithful of all the world, to pray the Holy Rosary every day” during the Marian month of October, especially during this time of “spiritual turbulence” as he called it. The rosary is not a relic from the past century to be discarded. No, it is a powerful spiritual weapon, that the Holy Trinity wishes us to utilize in the great spiritual battle in which we find ourselves. For though the Albigensian heresy has been defeated, we know plenty of other errors and lukewarmness which separate souls from God.

I’ve taken the liberty of printing up some guides on how to pray the rosary, just in case it’s been a while or you were never taught. They are available at the parking lot Church entrance.
Prayer is powerful. In can win miracles. It can convert hardened hearts. It can bring relief to the sorrowful and light to the confused.

Oremus pro invicem, let us pray for one another, that we may persevere in the Christian life, be strengthened and supported in our weaknesses, and equipped, as St. Paul says, for every good work for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

27th Week in OT 2019 - Friday - Irrational Opposition to Jesus

As Jesus’ mission progressed, the Lord began to face mounting opposition from his critics. His critics even began to criticize the good he was doing. When Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic, the Jewish leaders accused him of blasphemy; when he allowed the sinful woman to anoint and honor Him, a Pharisee was upset that he allowed such a woman to touch him.  Jesus was constantly being ridiculed for reaching out and eating with tax collectors and prostitutes. And, we heard in the Gospel, how Pharisees accuse Jesus of using the power of the devil to cast out a demon.

In the present age, the good work of the Church is similarly criticized.  When she speaks about the dignity of marriage, she is criticized and called anti-Gay.  When she speaks about the evil of abortion, she is criticized as being anti-woman.  When she speaks about the importance of holding on to the timeless truth that comes from God she is called anti-progress. When Pope Benedict spoke out against certain violent tendencies in Islam, he was criticized for being anti-tolerance.  When Pope Francis spoke wrote about the dangers of unfettered capitalism, “the cult of money and the dictatorship” of an inhumane economy, he was lambasted and called ignorant. Priests who are faithful to their duty to obey Church law are labeled as rigid or unpastoral.

The Church has been labeled anti-freedom, anti-science, anti-human flourishing.  And yet, she is the greatest instrument of true progress, true freedom, and true joy.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that there will always be irrational resistance towards the Church, toward the Christian message.  But that doesn’t mean we stop working or compromise the Truth.  Resistance to the Gospel doesn’t mean that we have the authority to change it.  We might have to state it more clearly, with greater conviction.  We might simply have to suffer for it. 

We shouldn’t be surprised that working for the spread of the truth feels like a constant, uphill battle.  Christ continued his ministry despite the opposition.  And so must we. 

May we be faithful when we face opposition in our Gospel mission for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That Christians may be faithful to evangelization, especially in the face of opposition, and for Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, “that the breath of the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary ‘spring’ in the Church.

For those who have fallen into error, for Catholics who have grown lukewarm in their faith, for those who have left the Church, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For an increase in devotion to Our Lady’s Holy Rosary, and that we may all come to more fully imitate Our Lady’s faith and purity.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you 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.

May 22 2019 - St. Rita of Cascia - Remaining faithful throughout hardship

Jesus in the Gospel says, those who remain in me will bear much fruit. St. Rita, remained in Christ throughout her difficult marriage and the austerity of religious life.

St. Rita is a truly remarkable figure in the history of the church and the history of the saints. She was born in Umbria in 1381. From an early age she wanted to become a nun, a religious dedicated entirely to God. But her parents had other plans for her. They wanted her to marry, and so she did; she obeyed her parents’ insistence and married at a young age. But her husband turned out to be cruel and harsh and the marriage was very difficult, Rita’s only consolation during these years was God; she united herself often, in prayer, to Christ’s sorrowful passion.

After 18 years of a difficult, abusive marriage, her husband, got himself killed in a brawl. When her two sons vowed to avenge their father's murder, she feared for their souls. She tried to persuade them to let go of their anger, but to no avail, they began to plot a murder.

So she prayed, and she petitioned God to prevent her sons from sinning and losing their souls, even if it meant that they lost their earthly life. And it so happened that the sons developed fatal cases of dysentery; however, before they died, they were reconciled to God, repentant of their hatred.

Free from earthly ties, St. Rita entered the Augustinian nuns in the nearby town of Cascia. She became renowned for her austerity, devotion, prayer, and charity; and for her patience in long-standing illness, she received visions from heaven and the stigmata—a wound resembling the crown of thorns on her forehead, which she bore until her death, which occurred on May 22, 1457.

“Those who remain in me will bear much fruit”. St. Rita remained faithful when the world told her to be unfaithful. And because of her faithfulness, because she remained in Christ, she won the grace of repentance for her sons, she progressed in holiness, which blossomed into deep mystical union with Christ.

Jesus too says, the prayers of those who remain in him will be heard and granted. St. Rita’s prayers were likely so effective throughout her life because of her holiness and perseverance. She has been invoked as one of the patron saints of impossible causes for many centuries because her prayerful intercession in heaven continues to be greatly effective.

May we take her example of faithful long-suffering to heart, may we persevere in our own prayers for the conversion of fallen away family, friends, and neighbors, in our own life, and benefit, too, from Rita’s heavenly intercession, especially in those most impossible of cases, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Christians may grow in grace by uniting their sufferings to the Sufferings of Christ and know God’s presence with them in their sufferings.
For all those in difficult or abusive marriages, that the Lord will protect victims of abuse and bring healing and reconciliation where it is possible.
That all young people may come to value discipleship of Jesus Christ above all earthly pursuits, be preserved from sin, and grow in grace and holiness.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, and for a strengthening of all vocations of service.
For all those impossible cases which only the grace of God can remedy.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for all of the pour souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.