October 23 2023 - St. John of Capistrano - From prison to priest

 After a thorough education in law, at the age of 26, John of Capistrano became governor of the Italian city of Perugia.  After war swept through his region of Italy, John went to his enemies to broker peace, but his enemies threw him into prison.  But there, something remarkable happened.  He experienced a deep conversion to Christ. 

As a result of his conversion, around the year 1406, John entered the religious life as a member of the Franciscan Order, itself already 200 years old.  

After his conversion, Friar John became one of the greatest preachers of the 15th century.  He was instrumental in the conversion of many heretics and many who were obstinate to the faith. He truly believed that there could be no lasting human society unless first and foremost Christ was enthroned as King, and those principles which Christ came to teach were embraced.

He also spoke about the importance of all of the baptized to lead lives of holiness.  Listen to his words: “those who are called to the table of the Lord ought to glow with the brightness that comes from the good example of a blameless and praiseworthy life.  They must completely remove from their lives the filth and uncleanness of vice.  Their upright lives must make them the salt of the earth for themselves and for the rest of the human family. The brightness of their wisdom must make them the light of the world that brings light to others.  Jesus declared ‘You are the Light of the World’! Now, a light does not illumine itself. But instead it diffuses its rays and shines all around upon everything that comes into its view.  So must it be for your glowing lives.”

In the Gospel for today’s memorial, there Lord makes three invitations, but those invitations are met with excuses. Many of us have our own secret excuses we make to the Lord who invites us to greater holiness. The saints urge us to trust the Lord, to stop making excuses, that we may come to experience the life God wants for us. Our excuses are prisons, keeping us from the freedom and joy of the Children of God.

St. John of Capistrano: an example to us all, of our vocation to holiness. As we draw near to the table of the Lord to be fed with His Body and Blood, let us seek to be that light of the world which draws all men to Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

For unity in the Church, faithfulness to right teaching, detachment from worldly vices, generosity in the works of charity, and courage in the Church’s evangelizing mission. 

Through the intercession of St. John Capistrano, that the imprisoned may come, like him, to conversion to Christ, and seek a life of holiness.

For all victims of war, for peace in the Holy Land, an end to the violence and suffering, and healing for those whose lives have been tragically disrupted. May God come to the assistance of the communities and families devastated by the horrors of 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 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 for N. for whom this mass is offered.

Graciously grant our petitions, we beseech thee, O Lord; may your grace sustain us always in your service, through Christ Our Lord.

October 10 2023 - St. John Leonardi, Priest - Patron of Pharmacists

 St. John was born in 1541 in the Tuscan town of Lucca Italy. Before entering seminary, trained for 10 years and apprenticed to become a pharmacist and became certified to practice the trade. But the young pharmacist had an attraction to the priesthood that he could not deny. And so he entered seminary for his theological and priestly training. 

After his ordination in 1572 Father Leonardi dedicated himself to works of mercy, especially in hospitals and prisons. The example and dedication of his work attracted several young laymen who began to assist him in his charitable works. He and his followers established a new congregation of diocesan priests called the clerks regular of the mother of God.

Father Leonardi and his Clerks Regular spread devotion to the Mother of God and the 40 hours devotion, and also the importance of the frequent reception of Holy Communion. 

As a consequences of their holy work, the Clerks provoked great political opposition from the civil authorities in Lucca (imagine that!), and Father Leonardi was exiled from his hometown for almost the entire remainder of his life.

But during exile, Leonardi took his work to Rome where he became friends with St. Philip Neri, who became his spiritual director and held him in high regard for his high qualities of firmness, good judgment, and entrusted John with delicate works. In keeping with the spirit of the Catholic Counter-Reformation launched by the Council of Trent, John Leonardi and his congregation sought to deepen the knowledge and practice of the faith among clergy and lay catholics. 

In a letter written to Pope Paul V, St. John Leonardi stressed the universal call to holiness for Catholics of all walks of life, but urging the Father that priority be given to the training of Pastors, as authentic reform in the Church must begin with those who communicate the Gospel to others. 

St. John was tasked with overseeing the reform of several monasteries, and also founded a seminary for the training of foreign missionaries which became the present day college for the propagation of the faith.( cf. Collect: DEUS, qui beátum Joánnem Confessórem tuum ad fidem in géntibus propagándam mirabíliter excitáre dignátus es…)

John died at the age of 68 from influenza contracted by tending to his brothers stricken by the disease raging in Rome at the time. He has been held in such high regard that Pope Leo XIII had his name placed in the Roman martyrology. His relics are enshrined in the Church of Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome which continues to be served by his Clerks Regular.

What a priest’s priest! And to imagine, he was 10 years into training for another profession before entering seminary. I know of several priests here in Cleveland who have followed a similar path. They trained as nurses, lawyers, chefs, engineers, CPAs, who felt the call, and answered it, thanks be to God. Countless lives have been touched, countless souls have been led to Christ because this pharmacist answered the call to priesthood and to holiness. May we too heed God’s call to serve his Holy Will, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That Pope Francis and all Bishops and Clergy may humbly and faithfully pass on the Gospel of Christ in all its fullness. 

That young people may be kept safe from the poisonous attitudes of the world and that they and their families may be kept in close friendship with the Lord Jesus and his Church, and if called, may they respond generously to a priestly or religious vocation.

Through the intercession of St. John Leonardi, we pray that all pharmacists may use their training for God’s glory, always respecting the dignity of every human life.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, for peace in Israel, and an end to war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to live the call of Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. 

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.

EF Readings

A reading from the second epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians

Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged. Rather, we have renounced shameful, hidden things; not acting deceitfully or falsifying the word of God, but by the open declaration of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even though our gospel is veiled,* it is veiled for those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves* but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God. Therefore, we are not discouraged;* rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

A continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke

At that time, the Lord appointed seventy[-two]* others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag,d no sack, no sandals;e and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - A priest's rosary

 You may remember, all the way back at the beginning of the month, I shared how the month of October is traditionally devoted to the Holy Rosary, and how the Holy Father and the Bishops encourage us to pray the rosary daily during this month. 

Pope Francis offered a message about the rosary recently. He said, “I invite you to pray the rosary, and to carry it in your hands or in your pockets. The recitation of the rosary is the most beautiful prayer we can offer to the Virgin Mary; it is a contemplation on the stages of the life of Jesus the Savior with his Mother Mary and is a weapon that protects us from evils and temptations.”

Catholics often get frustrated because of the many difficulties that arise in prayer, how difficult it is sometimes to pray. But, the Rosary is easy enough that a child can pray it, profound enough for a mystic to pray it, and they do, and concise enough that a busy person with a lot on their minds can pray it.

I’d like to share with you a method of praying the rosary that I’ve been using for a number of years now. I offer each decade of the rosary, each set of 10 hail mary’s for a particular intention. No matter which set of mysteries I am offering: the joyful mysteries, the sorrowful mysteries, the luminous mysteries, or the glorious mysteries, I offer each decade for a specific intention. 

The first decade I offer for my greatest challenges. If I have a difficult decision to make, or if I am having a difficult time being patient or charitable with a particular person, I offer that decade for them. The Lord says, pray, pray, pray for those who persecute you. So I offer that first decade for an expansion of my heart to love those it is difficult for me to love.

The second decade I offer for those who are sick and suffering. As pastor, many parishioners ask for my prayers, and during this second decade I bring to the Lord those of you who are sick and suffering. Those who are lonely, those who are addicted, those who are anxious, those who are preparing for surgery or dealing wit heavy burdens, those who are dying or grieving.

The third decade I offer for a flourishing of spiritual gifts in the parish. In the third glorious mystery, the holy spirit descends upon the church and in the third joyful mystery the christ is born into the world. So I pray for the Holy Spirit’s gifts, and the life of Christ to fill this parish, to make us more effective in our Gospel mission.

In the fourth decade, I pray for priests. Priests need to support each other in prayer, priests need prayer, constantly. For, the devil hates priests and is bent on the corruption of priests and undermining the holy faith of priests. So I take up the mighty spiritual weapon of the Rosary to pray for the protection of priests from evil and temptation and the flourishing of their ministry.

In the fifth decade, I pray for myself. We need to pray for ourselves—to humbly admit what we need from the Lord, and to pray to by docile to the divine will—to be humble and holy.  I pray for the grace to be crucified with Christ, like in the fifth sorrowful mystery, to honor our lady as queen of heaven and earth like in the fifth glorious mystery, to be broken and shared like the Eucharist as in the fifth luminous mystery, and to find Jesus in the hidden events of my life as he was found in the Temple in the fifth joyful mystery.

I invite you to use and adapt this method, to see if it work and helps to focus your prayers. Our Lady will assist every soul who prays the rosary to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as we heard in the Gospel today. 

On Thursday, I was making my holy hour and about to offer my rosary when I was moved to adapt my method slightly. Since, on holy Thursday, the Lord gathered with his apostles and made them the first priests of the church, and, since this weekend being priesthood Sunday, I thought I would offer my rosary particularly for priests.

So, as I said, I adapted my method a little bit. In the first decade of my rosary, I prayed for the priests that I am challenged to love, the priests who have left active ministry, the priests who have been found guilty of crimes, the priests who spread heresy, the priests whose personalities just rub me the wrong way. I prayed for them by name, and prayed for the grace to love them.

In my second decade I prayed for the priests who are sick and suffering: the priests, I know, who are very sick or dying or diminished by old age, the priests who struggle with substance abuse, addiction, or who are unjustly treated by their bishops, by their parishes, the media, or government. The priests who may be struggling with the promise of celibacy, priests who may be finding it difficult to pray daily as they ought, the priests that may be on the verge of leaving ministry without proper discernment, and priests with clinical depression, and the like.

In the third decade I prayed for a flourishing of the spiritual gifts in the priests of our Diocese. We need priests on fire with the Holy Spirit. We need priests filled with wisdom, who are not timid in speaking the truth, who are tireless in ministry, who are prophetic, who are able to discern and call forth the Spirit’s gifts from their parishioners. We need priests who will preach, like Jesus, in the third luminous mystery,  throughout galilee, going to the margins as Pope Francis would say, to bring the Gospel to the farthest ends of the earth.

In the fourth decade of my rosary, I prayed for the priests who died. Like the fourth luminous mystery, where the Lord shines in Transfigured Light, I prayed for the priests I have known who have died, that the perpetual light of christ may shine upon them, and that their time in purgatory, if any, will be lessened. I have known many good and holy priests who have gone onto their eternal reward, and I’m sure you have as well. Please do not forget them in your prayers.

Lastly, as I do in all my rosaries, I offered the last decade, again, for myself, especially that I may good be a holy priest and receive a share of the spirit that has animated the priesthood of so many of our good and holy priests in the diocese of Cleveland. I prayed for the prudence of Bishop Pilla, the keenness of mind of Fr. Jack Murphy, the warm compassion of Fr. Jim O’Donnell, the indefatigable energy of Fr. Pete Colletti, the liturgical reverence of Fr. Mike Woost, and piety of Fr. Sean Donnelly, and the fortitude in suffering of Bishop Richard Lennon, those close to him know how he suffered for the church of Cleveland like very few have suffered.

On this priesthood Sunday, I ask once again for your prayers for priests. If there have been priests who have insulted or hurt you or your families, please pray for them, and pray for the grace to forgive them, that any lack of forgiveness might not keep you from deep engagement in the life of the Church. Please pray too for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. I do not know the last priestly vocation to come from this parish, but we do well to pray that God may raise up good holy priests from the young men in our midst. The Church will need good and holy priests until the Lord’s return, and it is the duty of every Catholic to promote healthy priestly vocations through prayer and encouragement.

Priest seek to help the church love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. So please pray for priests, Pray the rosary, pray for vocations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Epiphany 2021 - What child is this?

 In keeping with the ancient practice, following the proclamation of the Epiphany Gospel, I just chanted the announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts for this liturgical year.  

Before the age of mass produced calendars and smart phones, the chanting of the feasts was a practical necessity; now, we do it as a way of remaining rooted in our Catholic tradition; the light of faith, the light of our Catholic Tradition is something that we’ve inherited from ages past, and it’s up to us to keep the light of faith burning in this darkened age.

Light. The Feast of the Epiphany sheds light upon the identity of the child born in Bethlehem, a light which the Catholic Church is called to manifest throughout the world.

“What child is this?” asks that beautiful Christmas carol. To an ordinary onlooker, he is just another child born into poverty—this one so unfortunate that he is born in a stable, amidst the filth of beasts of burden. There is no crib, so he is laid in the feeding trough. But then something interesting happens. As if choreographed by heaven, the christmas star, a spotlight from heaven shines upon the stable, and three strange figures approach the stable, and the fall prostrate before the child. 

What child is this, that these learned men—these magi—these royal philosopher astrologers from the east—having traveled a thousand miles, from Babylon to Bethlehem, see him, and fall flat on their faces?

What child is this that after doing him homage, they offer him gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Who did they think this child was to offer him these strange gifts?

Well, they had studied and pondered the ancient jewish prophecies, and they believed this child to be a king, the king of king and lord of lords, and so they brought him gold. The first gift: gold fit for a king. By the gift of gold they acknowledged the child to be the long-awaited heir to the Davidic Kingdom. A king who would gather all the scattered peoples of the earth into a single kingdom. A king who would rule over the whole earth—over a kingdom that would last forever. An eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. And a king who would make his dwelling place among his people.

The prophet Zechariah says that this king “shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne.” He would not only be a king, but a priest. And hence the second gift—the gift of frankincense. In the book of Exodus, Aaron and his sons were consecrated to God as priests with frankincense.

Just like the smoke of the sweet smelling incense rises up to God, the priest’s job is to offer sacrifice to God on behalf of the people--to offer sacrifice for peace and blessing and healing and favor and the forgiveness of sins. And so the gift of frankincense acknowledges the identity of the child as priest—the high priest of the One True God—the fulfillment of the priesthood.

And then the final gift, the bitter gift, the gift of Myrrh. Myrrh was used throughout the scriptures in many different ways: for purification, for anointing, as a medicine and a painkiller, as a sort of perfume for the wedding bed, and also for the anointing dead bodies at the time of burial.

Myrrh, like frankincense is a sort of resin cultivated from trees. Myrrh is extracted by piercing the tree’s heartwood and allowing the resin to trickle out into bitter red droplets called tears. Even the process of cultivating myrrh makes us think of the sort of death the Lord would endure—pierced on the cross for our sins and laid in the tomb, so that we may be healed, and cleansed, so and presented to God as a pure and spotless bride.

What child is this? Through the gift of Myrrh, the Magi showed that this child through his suffering and death would bring about our healing and purification and union with God.

Throughout the centuries there have been attempts to reduce Jesus to a moral teacher—simply a good role model of the morals we should adopt. In the early 1800s for example, Thomas Jefferson composed a sort of alternative bible, in which he attempted to extract all of the moral principles of Jesus’ teaching from the new testament, while leaving behind anything that hinted at the Lord’s divine mission and establishing the Church. Jefferson’s Bible contains a bit of the Christmas story, how the child Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. But it omits any reference to today’s Gospel of the Magi and the gifts they brought. For the gifts of the Magi show that the child is much more than a moral teacher, guru or life coach. He is king, priest, and savior. 

Jefferson, a wonderful statesman, but a lousy theologian, and so many of our contemporaries, deny that Jesus is anything more than a moral teacher. They believe that human flourishing and blessedness can be reached simply by human efforts. But God directs us to a higher good than human frailty can attain on its own. Jesus is not simply a frail human teacher with some good ideas about living an upstanding life. He is more than that. He is king, priest, and savior, and so we owe him more than an interested ear. We, like the wise men, owe him our complete homage. We journey to him and fall prostrate before him. We like the magi bring him the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of our lives—the honor, obedience, and worship we owe to God.  

And by allowing the fullness of his light to shine in our lives, in the words of our collect today, we are able to pass through the shadows of this world and reach the brightness of our eternal home. Picking which moral teachings we wish to follow is not enough in order to obtain heaven.

“What child is this?” How we answer that question, how we allow that question to shape our earthly life will determine our eternity. Will we go a search diligently for him, and fall down in worship before him, or will we, like Herod, sit in our palaces lazily, and leave the work of worship and service to others—the spreading of the light of His Gospel.

May this new year be filled with gifts, the gifts of homage, prayer, worship, obedience, gratitude, honor and faith, given to Him, every day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Holy Hour of Reparation - Healing from Scandal and Grief

In response to the sexual abuse crisis engulfing the Church, the Holy Father, Pope Francis has asked the faithful and the clergy, “the entire holy faithful People of God to a penitential exercise of prayer and fasting, following the Lord’s command.”

“This can awaken our conscience and arouse our solidarity and commitment to a culture of care that says ‘never again’ to every form of abuse,” he said. “Every one of the baptized should feel involved in the ecclesial and social change that we so greatly need.”

To be honest, my first emotions in response to the news of these recent revelations were those of anger and sadness. Anger and sadness over brother priests, consecrated to the Lord, who disgraced their sacred orders; anger at the injustice of bishops and cardinals covering-up the crimes of the abusers; sadness for the pain caused to the victims and the scandal caused to them, how their image of the priesthood and of the Church and perhaps of God has been damaged, how their trust in their priests has been undermined.

Emotions of anger and sadness must always be brought to the Lord to be healed, lest they fester and become poisonous. Likely, I am not alone, here tonight, in bringing my anger and my sorrow to the Lord to be healed.

I came across a quote, just yesterday, from a letter written by the irish playright Oscar Wilde. Wilde writes from prison, this letter which he titled “De Profundis”, out of the depths, the first words of Psalm 130. Wilde writes from the depths of prison, a place of helplessness, despair, anger and sadness. A short sentence near the letter’s beginning resonated with he. He wrote, “where there is sorrow, there is holy ground.” “where there is sorrow, there is holy ground.”

His words reminded me of the second beatitude, “Blessed are the sorrowful, for they shall be comforted.” A time of sorrow can become holy when that sorrow is brought to the Lord. Whether we are grieving the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, the loss of property, or we are sorrowful for the sins of fellow Christians, like during this time of scandal, grieving can be a holy activity, when our grief is brought to God to be healed.

I think our grief is so great, because grief is a consequence of wounded love.

We grieve the sins of the clergy because we love the clergy, we love our bishops and priests, and it grieves us when they fail, when their sins are so great. We grieve the wounds of the victims, because we love them, especially our young people who put their trust in the Lord and those he has ordained to serve the Church. We grieve their sense of betrayal.

But I truly believe that in coming here is holy, acknowledging our anger and grief before our Eucharistic Lord. This is holy ground because we come to the Lord for healing, healing our wounds, and those of the Church.

We pray that the Lord will hear the prayers of the grieving and bring healing to all the victims of abuse, those who are scandalized by the sins of trusted clergy, and that the Lord will give us strength to continue to work for the spread of the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

October 5 2017 - Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos - Laborer for his harvest

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was beatified during the Jubilee Year of 2000 by Pope St. John Paul II. He was a native of Bavaria who ministered to German Speaking immigrants here in the United States after joining the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. He ministered alongside his confrere, St. John Neumann in Pittsburgh.

His availability and innate kindness in understanding and responding to the needs of the faithful, quickly made him well known as an expert confessor and spiritual director, so much so that people came to him even from neighboring towns. Faithful to the Redemptorist charism, he practiced a simple lifestyle and a simple manner of expressing himself. It is said that his preaching, rich in biblical content, was appreciated and understood by all, regardless of education, culture, or background. A constant endeavor in this pastoral activity was instructing the little children in the faith. He not only favored this ministry, he held it as fundamental for the growth of the Christian community in the parish.

In 1860 he was proposed as a candidate for the office of Bishop of Pittsburgh. But he asked Pope Pius IX to excuse him of this responsibility so that he could dedicate himself to the life of an itinerant missionary. He preached in the states in New England and as far west as Ohio and Michigan. It would be interesting to see if he preached at some of our older parishes here in the diocese of Cleveland.
He died visiting and caring for victims of yellow fever in New Orleans on October 4, 1867 at the age of 48.

Our Lord, in the Gospel, told us to pray for the master to send out workers in the vineyard. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was truly a zealous worker in the vineyard of the Lord.  He taught, he preached, he brought comfort to the afflicted, he wrote of his desire to offer every moment and every endeavor as a sacrifice to God, how we waste everything we do not offer to God.

Assisted by the example and heavenly intercession of Blessed Xavier Seelos, may we answer the Lord’s call to work in his vineyard, to proclaim the mysteries of redemption with our words and deeds, to labor zealously for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -
 
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, especially among our young people, and that all Christians may take up their vocation to labor for the spread of the Gospel.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October: That all workers may receive respect and protection of their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common good.

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

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. We pray.

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.