11th Week of OT 2018 - Tuesday - Love your enemies

Throughout Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount he teaches us a number of things: how to be holy, how to love our fellow man, how to be in right relationship with God and how to imitate God in your generosity, how to get to heaven.

Today the Lord offers one of his most difficult teachings:   He tells us today that not only are we to love our neighbor, but our enemies as well: those who persecute you, those who sin against you, those who your country is at war with, those who cut you off in traffic, those who may have bullied you a half a century ago in grade school, those who have come into your country illegally. Love them.

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

Not an easy teaching! We find it hard enough to love someone who is a stranger, who is simply different from us, let alone our enemies. We can think of a million reasons why loving our enemy is a bad idea, but Jesus is saying, “do it!”

Maximus the Confessor expounded upon the “love of one’s enemy” to include those who actively hate you. He said, “Readiness to do good to someone who hates us is a characteristic of perfect love.”

Many people in our highly-offendable culture walk around ready to attack those who offend them, to verbally assault those who inconvenience them, they are just looking to unveil someone as their enemy so they can pummel them with their pent up frustrations, to make them into a scapegoat for all of their problems.

But, we Christians are to be ready to love our enemy. If we look into our heart and don’t find that readiness to love, we’re the one’s that need to change. We’re the ones that need to trust Christ, and obey Christ.

May the Lord bring about that change of heart in each of us, to readily love with Christ-like love, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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

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

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

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

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.  We pray to the Lord.

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

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

October 24 2017 - St. Anthony Mary Claret - Gird up your loins

Readiness is a constant theme in the preaching of Jesus. The disciples of Jesus are to be ready for action, ready for service, ready for the master’s return, ready to preach the Gospel, and ready in season and out of season, Paul writes to Timothy.

"Gird your loins and light your lamps” the Lord says today. To gird one’s loins was to fasten your robe at your belt so that you had freedom of action to move about with greater agility. The one whose “sleeves are rolled up” is ready to work, the one whose loins are girded is also ready for battle.

In First Peter we read that we are to "Gird up the loins of your mind..."; our minds are to be prepared for action; we are to be ready to explain our faith when we are asked to do so; “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have,” Peter writes.

Readiness certainly assumes a level of preparedness. In order to share our faith we must know our faith and have studied our faith. We show ourselves to be ready for the Master’s return by confessing our sins. We are to keep our minds and hearts awake for Him through daily prayer and meditation.

We honor today St. Anthony Mary Claret who certainly had his loins girded for action. He was a missionary bishop, originally from Spain, and founder of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known also as the Claretians, after him, their founder.

Upon becoming bishop in Cuba, he began a systematic reconstruction of his Diocese by personally conducting retreats for the clergy, preaching missions for the faithful, devising a system for religious education, establishing cooperative farms, parish credit unions, and institutions for disenfranchised youth.

Since he defended the rights of the working folk, the wealthy landowners launched bitter attacks upon the Holy Bishop, even banishing him from the country. But since his soul was prepared, he bore all in union with the Cross of Christ.

Each of us know doubt has some girding to do, some rolling up of the sleeves, some preparations to make for the work God has for us, for opening our hearts more and more to the life of charity and grace. With the help of the Saints, especially the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to whom St. Anthony Mary Claret was particularly devoted, may we ready ourselves generously and faithfully for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Church leaders may help us to spread the flame of faith and love in all our endeavors.
That we might not be daunted by difficulty in working for the spread of the Gospel.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, and a sanctification of all marriages and single Catholics.

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 those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind: that they will be fortified and blessed with God’s special love, favor, and peace.  We pray to the Lord.

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.

Thursday - 21st Week of OT 2017 - Christian Vigilance

Jesus speaks with serious urgency in the Gospel about the need to remain vigilant. “Stay awake”, “keep alert”, “remain vigilant”, for the thief comes when you least expect Him. Preparedness, readiness, vigilance, these are virtues that become more and more prevalent towards the end of the liturgical year, when many of the Scripture readings speak of the second coming of Christ and the final judgment. And yet, Christian vigilance is an important virtue for the whole year, and the whole of life.

Scripture speaks often about vigilance. St. Peter tells us to be “sober and alert, for our adversary the devil, prowls like a lion, seeking souls to devour”. Proverbs tells us to watch over our hearts diligently, St. Paul writes to the Colossians to “keep alert in an attitude of thanksgiving” by devoting ourselves to prayer, and to the Corinthians he writes to “Be on alert, stand firm in the faith.”
Vigilance, preparedness, watchfulness, readiness are important: they keep us rooted in reality, they keep us humble, they keep us reliant on the grace of God.

We are to be vigilant against sin. As St. Peter says, the devil is always lurking, always prowling. He attacks us at our weakest points, and often comes as an angel of light, making sin look good, and goodness look too hard. Temptation can come in many forms, and we need to be always ready to resist, by strengthening our wills through penance and mortification. “Keep watch and pray”, the Lord says, “that you may not enter into temptation.”

We are to be vigilant in prayer. Prayer should be as second nature to Christians as breathing. Always ready to thank God, always ready to seek God’s help in times of need, always ready to praise God for his mighty works. We also need to be vigilant while we prayer. We know how easy it is to be distracted in prayer. So we ask the Holy Spirit to help us pray, for we do not know how to pray as we ought.

We need to be vigilant for the coming of the Lord and our final judgment, by confessing our sins in the Sacrament of Confession.

And we need to be vigilant for the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The Lord wishes to use us for his Holy Will, and we need to remain ready to be used by Him, led and guided by Him. Many Christians are not ready, they are not prepared, they are not vigilant. The Lord wishes to use us to wake them up!

May the Holy Spirit, through the grace of the Eucharist we celebrate today, help us to remain vigilant against all sin, alert in prayer, and prepared to serve the Lord through works of mercy, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Bishop Nelson Perez, in these final days of preparation for his installation as Bishop of Cleveland. We pray to the Lord.

That our elected representatives and all civil servants may respond faithfully to the greatest needs of our nation. We pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of August: “That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.” We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, especially the people of Houston Texas, those who suffer from 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.