2nd Week of OT 2020 - Tuesday - Faith in Jesus' Divinity

In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus’ critics attacked him and his disciples for not living up to their standards of piety. Compared to the pharisees who fasted twice a week, Jesus and his disciples appeared not to fast. Jesus answered their criticism by hinting at his divine identity which his critics failed to grasp.

Today’s Gospel escalates things. The Lord’s critics accuse him, not simply of minimal piety, but downright sin—violating the sabbath, violating the third commandment by picking heads of grain from the field. Well, the Lord escalates things too. He doesn’t just hint at his divine identity, he equates himself with God. He is Lord of the Sabbath.

David was justified in eating the bread of offering on the Sabbath because David was the Lord’s anointed king and he was on a mission from God. How much more justified is Jesus who is the anointed king of kings on the ultimate divine mission to save us from our sins.

Again, his critics fail to understand his actions because they fail to understand his identity. St. Mark highlights many of these encounters throughout his Gospel. Jesus’ actions are criticized, and then the Lord explains that their criticism is rooted in their failure to believe that He is the Son of God.

This is why the two great moments in Mark’s Gospel occur at the halfway point and then at the end. Peter’s Confession, his proclamation of belief that Jesus is the Christ, the first person in the Gospel to vocalize faith. And then at the crucifixion, the Roman centurion vocalizing, proclaiming, “truly this man was the Son of God.”

Many people throughout the centuries have looked to Jesus’ teaching. Even non-believers can quote and even abide somewhat by the Lord’s teachings or parables. Sadly, though many of the baptized, while recognizing Jesus as a moral authority, fail to recognize him as God. This failure to believe is certainly the great cause of lukewarmness today and throughout the centuries.

We honor today, a saint of just 12 or 13 years old, who was anything but lukewarm. St. Agnes faced with the choice to forsake her faith or die, she exclaimed, “Such is Christ’s beauty that his brightness excels all the brightness of the sun and the stars; the heavens are ravished with his glory.  He is so powerful that all the forces of heaven and earth cannot conquer him.  I love him more than my soul and life and am willing to die for him.”

Again, if he were just some moral teacher, he may be worth admiring. But he is God, and his beauty and goodness exceeds all of the created universe. And that others may know that salvation comes through him, is worth dying for.

The 12 year old martyr reminds us, that children understand, often better than adults, that following jesus means to give him our whole hearts, minds, and souls, to testify with every ounce of our being that he is the Son of God, 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 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 the safety of all those traveling to the March for Life this week in Washington D.C., and that the witness to the dignity of human life may bring about greater protection for the unborn and conversion to the Gospel of Life.
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.

Sept 28 2018 - St. Wenceslaus, martyr - Holding Fast to Christ with all your heart

A hundred years before the birth of Christ, hope in the immanent coming of God’s Messiah was renewed in Israel. The Jews longed for the Messiah to restore Israel, to overthrow their enemies, and bring about an era of peace and righteousness. And yet, among the hundreds and thousands of people Jesus taught, healed, and challenged, it was Simon, the fisherman who confessed that Jesus was the Messiah. Many thought he was a prophet, yes, but the crowds failed to make the leap of faith, to believe that he was the Christ they longed for.

“Why do you say that I am?” is a question Jesus asks each of us every day. It is a question we cannot ignore because our eternal salvation depends on how we respond. Likely, our answer will be at odds with the crowds of the world. The crowds who say he’s simply a pious teacher, a philosopher whose insights can be incorporated into one’s own world view selectively. There are many modern crowds who claim Jesus was a story teller, a mythical figure who really shouldn’t be taken too seriously. There comes a point where the Christian must separate himself from popular opinion and answer with Peter’s confession.

Today’s saint, St. Wenceslaus King of Bohemia also made a choice, one that made him very unpopular with the crowds, and even his own family. Wenceslaus lived his faith in a time of great political upheaval.  He sought to unify his countrymen under the banner of the Christian faith. And even though he knew that many conspired against him, he ruled humbly and fairly, with a clear vision of  rule of what a Christian leader should be.

King Wenceslaus attended Mass every day. He ground the wheat and crushed the grapes for the bread and wine used at Mass.  He also provided food for the poor, bringing them provisions by night so they would be spared any public shame because of their poverty. 

One day after Mass, on the feast of Cosmas and Damian, He was assassinated by his brother, who had allied himself with the anti-Christian factions.

Wenceslaus likely could have avoided martyrdom by giving in to the military might of the anti-Christian factions, but as the collect this morning said, he placed the heavenly kingdom before the earthly one, he showed with his life that following Christ is not just giving lip-service to God, he held fast to Christ. Who do you say that I am? Will you serve Christ, or serve yourself? Will your trust in the ways of the Lord or the ways of the world?

Through the example and intercession of St. Wenceslaus and all the martyrs, may we hold fast to Christ with all our hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That religious indifference in our country and around the world may be transformed to radical commitment to the Gospel of Christ.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

For the conversion of Atheists, hardened sinners, lapsed Catholics, and the conversion of all hearts.

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 clergy 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After rebuking Peter, the Lord explains the necessity of his suffering and explains the cost of discipleship. This led St. Paul, writing to the Romans, to exhort them, as we heard in our second reading:  I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

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

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

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

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