2nd Week of Easter 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - The power of Christ's resurrection in the life of the Church

 

A week and a half ago, Christians celebrated the great feast of the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. After suffering and dying on the cross and being buried in the tomb, Jesus rose from the dead, just as he said he would.

As you can see, the Church is still decorated with many signs of Easter, the priest wears the color white, to signify that we are still in the Easter season, we still have easter flowers and decorations. Much of the world has moved on from Easter, but Christians continue to celebrate Easter for 50 days—from Easter Sunday to Pentecost.

One of the features of the Easter season is that we read extensively from the book of the Bible called “The Acts of the Apostles”. The Acts of the Apostles is found in your bibles right after the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Where the Gospels focus on the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Acts of the Apostles talks about what happened next—those first weeks and months and years of the Church.

We read from the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter Season because in the Acts of the Apostles we see the impact Jesus’ resurrection had on the apostles—how Jesus’ resurrection changed them, animated them, guided their words and actions and behaviors—how they shared news of the resurrection and the importance of believing in Jesus and following Jesus and being baptized.

We also hear how the Apostles were hated by the world, just as Jesus was hated. But the Apostles were willing to suffer for the mission of the Church because their task was given to them by Jesus—to go and make disciples of all nations teaching them to observe all that he has commanded and baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles today, we hear how the Sadducees were filled with anger and jealousy over the teachings of the Apostles, just like they were filled with anger and jealousy over the teachings of Jesus. And like they did to Jesus, they threw the Apostles in jail. But then, there is something that reminds us of Easter. Just as the prison bars of death could not contain Jesus, the prison bars could not contain the Apostles. The temple guard found them, not in prison, but back in the temple area preaching and teaching in Jesus’ name.

Over the last 2000 years later, many of the world governments have tried to eradicate the Church and stop the preaching of the Gospel. Christians have been thrown in prison, tortured, and killed. But the mission continues and succeeds because the Catholic Church is not just some man-made institution—it is the body of Christ, risen from the dead, victorious over death, which continues to preach and teach in his name the message of salvation—that those who believe in Jesus and follow him shall have eternal life.

And just as the power of Jesus resurrection guided and shaped the early Church, it continues to guide and shape our lives, if we let it, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - - 

Trusting in the risen Jesus, who conquered death and continues to guide His Church, let us bring our prayers before our heavenly Father.

For the Church throughout the world:  that, like the Apostles, she may boldly and faithfully preach Jesus Christ risen from the dead, let us pray to the Lord.

For the Holy Father, Pope Leo, our bishops, priests, deacons, and all who teach the faith: that they may be strengthened by the joy of Easter and remain courageous in proclaiming the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord.

For Christians throughout the world, especially those who are mocked, threatened, or persecuted for their faith:  that the Lord may protect them and fill them with the same courage he gave to the Apostles, let us pray to the Lord.

For Corpus Christi Academy:  that our students, teachers, and families may let the power of Jesus’ resurrection shape the way we think, speak, and live each day, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are sick, suffering, or discouraged:  that the victory of the risen Lord may give them strength, peace, and hope, let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead:  that they may share forever in the glory of Christ’s resurrection, let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, you raised your Son from the dead and filled the Apostles with courage and joy. Hear these prayers we place before you and help us to live always in the light of Easter. Through Christ our Lord.

Octave of Easter 2025 - Monday - "To the dead, he has given life."

 "It is with profound sadness to announce to you that At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. We pray too for the Church, that the Holy Spirit may console us, as we grieve the loss of the Holy Father, and that she might be guided in the election of a new Pontiff."

- - - -

For much of the secular world, Easter is over now. They're back to normal life. For disciples of Jesus Christ, however today is the second day of a fifty day season of glory—reveling in, celebrating, reflecting upon, basking in the light of the most important thing that ever happened. Jesus Christ rose from the dead, just as he said he would.

News of the death of Holy Father Pope Francis has certainly cast a pall over our easter joy. And yet, we are grateful for the gift of his life, his pontificate, and the fact that he was able to celebrate one last easter with the Church whom he loved and served with his whole life.

We commend his soul to the Lord, and recall, that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the sign of hope for him and for us all. Had Christ not risen from the grave, our faith and our hope would be in vain. But Christ is risen, and death does not get the last word, for Pope Francis or for any of Christ’s beloved.

The Catechism says, “The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross: Christ is risen from the dead! Dying, he conquered death; To the dead, he has given life.”

“To the dead, he has given life.” What powerful words these are! Not merely poetic sentiment, but the very heartbeat of our faith. This truth resounds through every Easter Alleluia we sing, every Mass we celebrate, every moment we live in Christ.

Today, we face the loss of Pope Francis—a shepherd who taught us tirelessly that death is not an end, but a doorway. The sadness we feel today gives way to hope, because the risen Christ extends His victory over death not only to Himself but to each of us.

As we continue our Easter journey, let us renew our commitment to Christ, who transforms sorrow into joy, despair into hope, and death into life. May our hearts echo the Easter proclamation with renewed confidence: Christ has risen; truly He is risen! Alleluia

 

With faith in the Risen Christ, who conquered death and gave life to the dead, we present our prayers to our merciful Father:

For Pope Francis, our beloved Holy Father who has returned to the Father’s house; that he may now rejoice forever in the glory of the Risen Lord, whom he served so faithfully and joyfully.

For the Church throughout the world, as we mourn the loss of Pope Francis; may the Holy Spirit bring consolation, peace, and strength to all believers, and guide the College of Cardinals as they prepare to elect his successor.

For the whole world, particularly those who do not yet know or believe in the joy of the Resurrection; may this Easter season open their hearts to Christ, who gives life and hope to all.

For all who grieve today, especially those who mourn Pope Francis, and all who have recently lost loved ones; may the Resurrection of Christ assure them that death does not have the final word, but that through Christ, life triumphs over the grave.

For our parish community, that during this sacred season of Easter, we may renew our commitment to Christ and become ever more confident in sharing the Good News of His Resurrection.

For all the faithful departed, especially Pope Francis, and those whose faith is known to God alone; may they experience eternal joy and peace in the risen presence of Christ, who has conquered death.

Father of mercy, hear our prayers as we rejoice in the Resurrection of your Son. Comfort our hearts, guide your Church, and make us always faithful witnesses of your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

4th Week of Lent 2024 - Wednesday - Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ

 Following the fourth Sunday of Lent, we read during the weekdays predominantly from the Gospel of St. John. 

Like each of the evangelists, St. John details the miracles and teachings of Jesus, culminating in his self-sacrifice on Calvary and his resurrection. Compared to Mathew, Mark, and Luke, however, St. John often emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus, his consubstantiality with the Father, how he and the Father are united in nature, and also in their desire to save humanity.

Why did St. John convey this unique perspective? While the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, and Luke were written to explain the life and teachings of Jesus to a more general audience, including Jews and Gentiles with varying degrees of understanding of Jewish traditions, John's Gospel seems to address a community that was already familiar with Jesus' life and teachings. John’s intent was to deepen the understanding of Jesus' divine nature and to reinforce the faith of the believers. Since, John was writing a little later than the other 3 gospel writers, around the turn of the 1st century, his audience was already facing the spready of heresies about Jesus’ divine identity, prompting John to emphasize the spiritual and divine aspects of Jesus.

Today’s Gospel passage is emblematic of St. John’s high Christology, as scholars say, an example of St. John emphasizing Jesus’ divine nature and the consequences for his teaching.  The passage begins with Jesus claiming to share his Father’s work—his work and his Father’s work are the same. And immediately, St. John tells us that the reactions to this bold statement were dramatic. “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.”

Jesus then doubles down, and claims that he can do nothing apart from the Father and does whatever the Father does, indicating a unity of action and will between the Son and the Father. That the Father has granted the Son authority to give life and to execute judgment, and goes so far to say that they should all should honor the Him with the same honor as they give to the Father. And then the real kicker: Jesus claims power to resurrect the dead and give eternal life.

This passage is helpful for us to understand the reasons for the hostility Jesus experiences, but also it offers several good lessons for Lent.

Lent is a time to deepen our understanding and appreciation of who Jesus is. He is the Divine Savior sent by the Father out of love for us, to do what we could not do for ourselves, save us from our sins. Jesus models perfect obedience and submission to the Father's will. And during Lent, we are called to imitate Christ's example by aligning our own will with God's and seeking to do what pleases him. Jesus emphasizes that he can do nothing apart from the Father. This reminds us of our own need to rely on God's strength and guidance, especially as we seek to grow in holiness during Lent. As Jesus speaks of the coming judgment, we are reminded of our own accountability before God. Lent is a time for self-examination, repentance, and seeking to live a life pleasing to God.

And finally Jesus' discourse highlights his authority over life and death and his role in the final resurrection. Lent is a time to focus on eternal realities and to live in light of the resurrection hope we have in Christ.

By reflecting on Jesus' divine identity and his relationship to the Father we honor Jesus as the divine Son, submit to his authority, depend on his power, and live with an eternal perspective as we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - -  

As the Solemnity of Easter approaches, dear brethren, let our prayer to the Lord be all the more insistent:

That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and those to be fully initiated in the coming Paschal Solemnity

For Peace throughout the nations of the world most threatened by hatred, division, and violence, for the protection of the unborn and the safety of the men and women in our armed forces.  

That all families will commit themselves to fervent prayer this Lent so as to grow in greater love and holiness.  

For the physical, emotional, and spiritual healing of all people, especially the spiritually blind and hard of heart.  

For all those who have died, for all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for…  

Have mercy, O Lord, on the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in the divine mystery may never be left without your assistance. Through Christ our Lord.

9th Week of Ordinary Time 2023 - Wednesday - Resurrected bodies and Consecrated Virginity

 Every Sunday, Catholics profess our faith in “the resurrection of the body”: We firmly believe, that, just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives forever, so after death the righteous will live forever with the risen Christ in a physical, bodily eternity. 

Since humans were created by God as bodily beings, the fullness of our redemption will also include a resurrected, glorified body. We will have bodies in eternity: hands, feet, mouths, eyes, and ears, just like Jesus did after his resurrection. This body will have the characteristics of Christ’s glorified body.

Perhaps inspired by his encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, St. Paul explains that our resurrected bodies will be radiant with divine glory. 

Thomas Aquinas reflects upon this further stating that the resurrected body will be incapable of suffering; we’ll be able to move without difficulty or labor. In the resurrection there will no longer be sickness, pain, or disability. 

But what will we do with our bodies? St. John affirms that in eternity we shall see God as he is. We will share in the very life of God, the eternal exchange of love within the Holy Trinity.

In today’s passage from the Gospel of Mark, the Lord teaches about life after the resurrection. He says, “When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven.”

In an earlier passage, the Lord teaches that marriage is part of God’s plan “from the beginning” and is a sacred bond that no human is authorized to break. 

In today’s passage, the Lord affirms that marriage on earth is “until death do us part”. As good and necessary as marriage is for the present age, it will give way to something far greater, a union with God and all the saints that will infinitely surpass the earthly one-flesh union of husband and wife.

In Catholic tradition, the vocations to consecrated virginity and celibacy are especially valued as signs reminding us of this ultimate destiny. Consecrated virginity and celibacy remind us, that in this life, no matter our vocation, we are to aim at the divine, turning to God with our whole body, mind and soul; to want to please God in everything; as Paul writes in Romans: 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, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

To God the Father Almighty, may every prayer of our heart be directed, for it is His will that all humanity should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her and care for her.

For the peoples of all the world, that the Lord may graciously preserve harmony among them, and deepen in them the virtues of justice and religion.

For the support of all of the churches consecrated virgins and celibates, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life. 

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief, especially for the sick and victims of war and terror and natural disaster.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, 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.

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.

5th Sunday of Lent 2023 - Jesus Wept and Raised the Dead

 You may have noticed something unique about the prayers at Mass during these last weeks of Lent. 

After the offertory prayer, the priest offers a prayer called the Eucharistic preface. You know the one. The priest standing at the altar prepared with the gifts of bread and wine, prays, the lord be with you, and you respond “and with your spirit”, lift up your hearts, we lift them up to the Lord, let us give thanks to the Lord our God, it is right and just.

And the prayer that follows that little dialogue is called the Eucharistic preface, the preface to the Eucharistic prayer. And normally, the Eucharistic preface is unique to the season—there are eucharistic prefaces for ordinary time, and advent, and lent, nuptial masses, and funerals. But there are a few Eucharistic prefaces that can be used only once a year, on a particular Sunday or feast.

Well, the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent are such days. And if you remember from the last two weeks, and as you’ll hear later in this mass, the beautiful Eucharistic prefaces correspond to the Lenten Gospels readings. 

So, two weeks ago, when we heard the Gospel of the Samaritan woman at the well, the Eucharistic Preface referenced that reading. Listen again to the beautiful preface. “For when Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water to drink , he had already created the gift of faith within her; and so ardently did he thirst for her faith, that he kindled in her the fire of divine love.” So many profound theological insights packed into one simple prayer. Jesus thirsts for our faith, and even before we come to faith, God is at work, kindling in our hearts, love for God. This certainly makes us think of the catechumens, in whom God has been at work there whole lives to bring them here, to bring them to faith.

Then last week, when heard the Gospel of Jesus commanding the man born blind to go down into the pool of Bethesda to be healed. And then the Eucharistic Preface spoke of those waters by which we are healed of darkness and spiritual blindness. Listen to last week’s preface. It goes: “By the mystery of the Incarnation, Christ has led the human race that walked in darkness into the radiance of the faith and has brought those born in slavery to ancient sin through the waters of regeneration to make them God’s adopted children.”

Again, notice the connection with the Gospel and the rich and profound theological insights the Eucharistic Preface brings to mind. Like the man born blind, the human race without Christ walks in darkness, but sight is restored, it is regenerated through baptism, when we are made adopted children of God. Restored relationship with God brings healing, brings spiritual sight. 

In our Gospel for this fifth Sunday of Lent, we just heard the raising of Lazarus. And we are given the third of these special Eucharistic prefaces which correspond to the Lenten Gospel. Listen to these words: “For as true man, [Jesus] wept for Lazarus his friend and as eternal God raised him from the tomb, just as, taking pity on the human race, he leads us by sacred mysteries to new life.”

Again, how beautiful and theologically rich! We are given this reminder that Jesus was truly human. He wept. He had a heart that experienced human emotion. Sadness. Grief at the death of friend. He knows what it is like to grieve like we grieve. God, who is infinite and inaccessible light, took on human flesh and experienced pain, emotional and physical. 

And this is an important truth for us to ponder as we near holy week. Next week, as we read the Lord’s passion, we keep in mind, that Jesus’ suffering isn’t just for show, it wasn’t theater, he was moved by real love to undergo real suffering for us, the weight and penalty of every sin which warranted eternal separation from God, the venial and mortal of our lives, out of love for us.

But then, the Eucharistic preface, after reminding us of Jesus’ real humanity, then reminds us of Jesus’ real divinity. As a human like us, he wept, then as God, he raised the dead. 

Resurrection. It is the natural course of dead things to stay dead. Forever. To die and rot. That’s natural. Dead things and dead people cannot come back to life on their own. We only come back to life by the power of God. Science and medical technology can resuscitate things that aren’t really fully dead yet. Only “mostly dead” to quote the classic film. But once fully dead, a person or an animal is dead, beyond science and medical technology. Death is an absolute limit to our human capabilities. Lazarus was dead. He was rotting. There was stench.

And as eternal God, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. No religious leader, in any world religion, at any time, in human history, raised anyone from the dead, save Jesus. Because every religious leader, of any world religion, at any time, save one, was merely human. Even the Jewish prophets, through whom God worked a lot of marvelous things, never raised anyone from the dead. 

Why follow Jesus Christ? Why seek baptism and faithfulness to him? The promise of being raised from the dead is a pretty and living forever in God’s kingdom of peace is a pretty good reason. And it’s not just an empty promise. The promise of some delusional cult leader. Jesus shows us what God is capable of, what God longs to do. He’s done it before. And at Easter, we celebrate that Jesus Himself was raised from the dead. No other religious leader can make that claim either.

Resurrection: it’s really the ultimate argument against anyone who says all religions are the same. No. They aren’t. Show me a member of another religion who not only raised the dead but also rose from the dead. And then maybe we’ll talk.

But again, this beautiful reading and eucharistic preface about resurrection prepares us for Holy Week. Death doesn’t get the last word. And so as people of faith we willingly follow the Lord all the way to the cross. Because we know that the cross isn’t the end of the story. 

But it really makes you wonder, doesn’t it, why Peter and the other apostles fled in fear. They had witnessed the raising of Lazarus. They had been given this glimpse into who Jesus is. What were they afraid of? Well, we know that too, don’t we. Because, even though we’ve been baptized, and we have faith in the resurrection, we still flee from suffering for the kingdom; we flee into myriad sins because sin is the old comfort zone, the ingrained habit, the weakness of man that has yet to be brought to God to be healed.

But that’s why the last part of that Eucharistic preface is so important: God, taking pity on us, leads us by the sacred mysteries to new life. Yes we are sinners. Yes, we are works in progress. And we recognize that as sinners we are being led to eternal life. And we so return week after week to the sacred mysteries, to the Eucharist, because the Eucharist is our pledge of eternal life. Christ promises that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood shall be raised on the last day. The Eucharist is the remedy for mortality, as our dear Patron St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote nearly 2000 years ago. Ignatius writes, “Assemble yourselves together in common; breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote that we should not die but live forever in Jesus Christ.” 

By these sacred mysteries, may we be strengthened in faith and love, healed of sin and selfishness, and live in firm and unshakeable hope in the resurrection through Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Hope in the Resurrection and Courage

Throughout the Gospels we hear of the different religious and political factions of Jesus’ day. You had the scribes, the pharisees, the herodians, the saducees, the zealots, and the essenes. 

The Pharisees were the most influential religious leaders in our Lord’s day. They were the popular experts in theology and morality. If you had a religious or moral question—how to apply a particular scripture passage to your life or circumstance—you went to a pharisee for a religious answer.

Oftentimes the Pharisees interpretations were right on the money, consistent with revealed Truth, however they also got in trouble with imposing their own personal opinions—in a rigid manner. Hence the term, Pharisaical. However, the pharisees rightly taught that at the end of time, God would raise the dead—in the resurrection. 

Their teaching on the resurrection was drawn from the later books of the Old Testament—like second book of Maccabees, from which we read this weekend: “God will raise us up to live again forever." Rightly said!

The Pharisees believed this, and Jesus himself taught this: that the righteous will be raised to the resurrection of eternal life, and the wicked, those who reject God and his laws will be condemned to the resurrection of eternal damnation.

In the Gospel this weekend, we hear of the Sadducees. And the Sadducees rejected the later books of the old testament, like the second book of Maccabees, as do many Protestants by the way. And because the Sadducees didn’t find the doctrine of the resurrection in the first five books of the bible--in the Torah—they rejected belief in the resurrection. The Sadducees reject the resurrection which is why they were sad-you-see? 

The Sadducees were not only religious rivals but also political rivals to the Pharisees. For the Sadducees collaborated with the Romans, who the Pharisees and most of Israel saw as enemy occupants, a foreign power who had no business in Israel. But this political alliance was calculated, and for allying themselves with the Romans, the Sadducees enjoyed some political power and also wealth. 

And it kind of makes you wonder: did the Sadducees start living worldly, pleasure-centered politically motivated lives because they had lost faith in the Resurrection, or did they lose faith in the Resurrection because they started living worldly, pleasure-centered lives? There is an old proverb that says if we don't live according to what we believe, we will soon believe according to how we live. 

This is a danger for us in the Church today, because the prevailing values in our society are not Christian. The Church's moral teachings are laughed at and even violently opposed. Chesterton said: “These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own.” There are even some Catholics who, embarrassed at or opposed to Church teaching, seek to exert social, political, and financial pressure on Church leaders to change Church teaching, as if our moral teachings did not come directly from Christ. 

Anti-religious sentiment makes it difficult, doesn’t it, to even discuss our faith? No one likes to be laughed at, no one likes to be excluded from mainstream culture, criticized, labeled or hated. But in the face of these challenges, if we lose courage and deviate from Christ, we will end up like the Sadducees, losing the very faith that leads to eternal life—we will be sad-you-see?

Courage. C.S. Lewis says, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” When we pray for courage, we are praying, that in the moment when virtue is hardest, our trust in God will overcome the vice—and overcome fear.

We need Courage to overcome Gluttony: at that moment where we want more than we should, we need to have the courage to say, “I don’t need that. It’s not good for me” and to turn away from the excess. We need courage to overcome Lust: at the moment when our powerful bodily urges desire pleasure that is forbidden, we need to have the courage to say, “I don’t need that. It’s not good for me” and turn away from the perversion.

We need courage to practice real sacrificial kindness, too: in that moment where we second guess the inspiration to help someone, reaching out to a stranger, we need the courage to say: “of course kindness is better than walking away. I need to get out of my house and perform more acts of kindness.”

And we need courage when it comes time to share our faith: in that moment where we become fearful of sharing our faith, or fearful that someone might reactive negatively, we need the courage to tell ourselves: Jesus calls us to share our faith. Just do it.” Or when we are tempted to compromise our faith—we need courage to say, “this is what God has revealed, it must be right.”

Our first reading this weekend is such a powerful image of courage: a mother and her seven sons were arrested and tortured in attempt to force them to violate God's law. And one of the sons speaking for the whole family says, “We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of God.” That’s courage. We need that form of courage, in facing our sins and working for the mission of the Church. I’d rather die than violate God’s law. Woe to me, if I don’t share the Gospel. 

So, if Courage is needed, where does Courage come from? It comes, of course, from God. When we praise the martyrs for the Courage, we are praising the God who gave them such Courage.

Courage comes from God, and so we need to go to God for courage, daily. This is why daily prayer is so vitally important. Daily we need to bring all the things that are testing your faith to God and pray for God to help us at those testing points—when faced with temptation. God give me courage to overcome my addiction. God give me courage to turn away from social media in order to study and pray. God give me courage to get more involved in volunteer work. God give me courage to keep my mouth shut when I feel insulted. God give me courage to hold back that snarky remark. God give me courage to share my faith with the faithless, to reach out to family members who have fallen away from the faith, to encourage them to come home. God give me courage to bring my embarrassing sins to Sacramental Confession.

I’m a priest and my faith is tested every day, my guess is yours is too; there are many testing points every day, and we all need to pray assiduously for courage. 

Also, the truths of our faith give us courage. When faced with torture and death, the family in the first reading recalls that remaining true and faithful to the laws of God will be rewarded in eternal life. We are to live for eternity—to live with eternity in mind. To turn our faces from God in this life, may result in the loss of the beatific vision for ever. 

Pope Francis said recently: “Courage is needed for the Kingdom of God to grow.” May we cultivate and exhibit real Christian courage, that the kingdom will grow in our midst, in our hearts, in our land. May we courageously turn away from sin and turn away from fear; and turn towards God and his kingdom in prayer, faith, and works of charity, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

January 26 2022 - Conversion of St. Paul - Deliverance from Self-Delusion

 Today we celebrate one of the most important events in the history of the world: the conversion of Paul of Tarsus. Accepting Christ changed his life and it marked a watershed moment in the Church history. Paul, the student of the Jewish Pharisee Gamaliel, had spent years seeking to silence the Gospel, stoning Christians to death. To Paul, the Gospel was heresy, it was a perversion of truth, it was an erosion of right religion, leading souls away from the covenant with God.

In a sense, Paul’s conversion was not so much a conversion for an immoral life to a moral life. He was a zealous follower of the Mosaic Law. He wasn’t a greedy cutthroat, or a lecherous carouser.  His mission was to stomp out a heretical sect that was dividing Judaism and blasphemously claiming that a carpenter from Nazareth not only was the Messiah, but the Son of God.

But Christ broke through Paul’s errors. We are not saved by our external conformity to the prescriptions of the Mosaic Law. Rather, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. His conversion came when he experienced the resurrection. The resurrected Christ victorious over the grave appeared to him. The truth of the resurrection pierced through his hardness of heart and self-delusion. Paul’s conversion in a sense, was from a false notion of a holy life, to a true notion backed by the fact of the resurrection. 

Why do we believe what we believe? Because Christ has risen. He is risen, and therefore his teachings and promises can be believed. Ressurexit, sicut dixit. He has risen, just as he said he would, therefore, what else has he said, that needs to be believed? All of it.

Like Paul prior to his conversion, there are many people who believe they are living a good life. They believe they stand for justice and goodness. But we are not saved by good intentions. For good intentions, can lead to justification of murder, as it did for Paul. 

Rather, a good life is not simply based on opinion. It can’t be based on something as fickle and prone to error as that. A good life, eternal life, is obtained not by human reasoning or even human effort. The best human effort can do is build a tower to the heavens, like in the story of Babel. But the after effects of Babel are confusion and division, two of our culture’s defining attributes.

Rather, heaven is reached through the risen one. Eternal life is obtained through the Eternal Son of God who came down from heaven, taking on human flesh, who died and rose. He is the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him. And we are called to so much more than division, confusion, and self-delusion.

This is why Paul, following his conversion, spent the rest of his life, even to the point of death, witnessing to Christ. “Woe to me, if I do not preach Christ”, all else is rubbish, Paul says. And it’s true. 

Sometimes, I think the modern Church has forgotten what is most central in our mission—Preaching Christ crucified and risen from the dead and the conversion of life that necessitates from that truth.

May this feast of the great conversion of Paul, bring about great conversion in our world and in ourselves to Christ risen from the grave, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - -  

That our bishops may be graced with Saint Paul’s zeal in preaching and teaching the Word of God. Let us pray to the Lord.

That our parish may build up missionary disciples equipped for the spreading of the Gospel. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the conversion of all hardened sinners and all persecutors of the faith and those in error, that the Lord may touch their hearts and remove the blindness from their eyes. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who have suffered as a result of violence or abuse, all of the sick and suffering, especially victims of natural disaster, poverty, and addiction, may they be comforted and supported by God’s healing love. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

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

August 6 2021 - Transfiguration - Luminous Mystery Par Excellence

 

In the Year of the Rosary 2002, Pope St. John Paul II made history.  He proposed five new mysteries to the devotion of the Holy Rosary, the five luminous mysteries.  So, in addition to the 15 joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, now, we would add meditation upon Jesus Baptism in the Jordan, his self-manifestation at the wedding at Cana, his call to conversion through the preaching of the Kingdom, his Transfiguration, and the institution of the Eucharist.  

Pope St. John Paul explained that each of these luminous mysteries “is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus,” and that “The mystery of light par excellence is the Transfiguration, traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount Tabor. The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father commands the astonished Apostles to "listen to him" and to prepare to experience with him the agony of the Passion, so as to come with him to the joy of the Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus’ face radiating his majesty as the Son of God was burned into the minds of Peter, James, and John, who would play such important roles in the early Church. This event shed its light upon who Jesus was, his mission, and also who his followers were called to be and how they were called to follow in his footsteps.

“To look upon the face of Christ,” the saintly Pope said, “to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of His human life, and then to grasp the divine splendor definitively revealed in the Risen Lord...is the task of every follower of Christ" 

Why is this our task?  Because we need the light of Christ to guide us through the trials of life, just like they guided Peter, James and John in the trials of the early Church.  We need to remember who He is, so that we remember who we are called to be. When we contemplate the glorious divinity of the Lord, we are filled with his light, and become ready to face the trials of our life and the difficult task of witnessing to the Gospel and building up the Church in our own dark age.  

Like the apostle, each of us has to walk through dark valleys at times, sharing in the agony of the Passion, and yet this luminous mystery is a light in the darkness, a foreshadowing of the resurrection for Christ’s faithful ones. 

So, by the Transfiguration of the Lord may we be filled with the light of Christian Hope, and radiate that light for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

That Holy Church may radiate the light of the transfigured Jesus through her preaching, teaching, works of mercy, and suffering for the sake of the Gospel.

That the Holy Father and all the ordained may find in the Transfiguration the strength and courage needed to bear the crosses which their mission entails.

For those who doubt or deny the divinity of Christ: May the Transfiguration help them believe that Jesus is true God and true man. 

That those whose lives have been disfigured by vice may find in the transfiguration the inspiration they need to begin a new life. 

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation or illness: that the glory of the Transfiguration may bring them hope and consolation.

For the deceased members of our families and parish, for all deceased priests and religious, and all the souls in purgatory, that they may come to the destiny revealed in the Transfiguration of the Lord, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrimage Church, and grant us what we truly need that we may follow your Son in His Passion and Death and become heirs of his glorious Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

February 1 2021 - St. Ignatius of Antioch (EF) - Crowned with Many Crowns of glory

About 300 years after the death of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the archbishop of Constantinople, the golden-tongued St. John Chrysostom gave a stirring homily about the martyred bishop, which can be accessed for free on the internet, if you have the means, I highly recommend reading it.

St. John begins his homily with a funny even surprising little analogy. He says, Entertainers—theater producers and hosts of athletic competitions and the like—put on frequent and constant entertainments to show off their wealth and to show good will to their acquaintances. In the martyrs, God has done something similar. In the martyrs, God shows the power of his love and grace, in transforming weak and ordinary people, into powerful witnesses of the Gospel. And unlike the theater and athletic competitions of his day, which were limited to just men, Chrysostom says, “both maidens and women, and men, both young and old, and slaves, and freemen, and every rank, and every age, and each sex” are called forth by God for the noble purpose---the contest, he calls it—of the Christian life.

Then, St. John goes on to say that Ignatius of Antioch was so successful in this contest, he won so many crowns he doesn’t know where to begin. He says, “just like when you go into a field and there are roses and violets and lilies and spring flowers, you don’t know where to look, “coming to this spiritual meadow of the mighty works of Ignatius” he doesn’t know where to begin. 

He begins, though, with Ignatius’ selection as bishop of Antioch. Ignatius was crowned by he was crowned by the Apostles, selected as bishop of Antioch by one of the original twelve apostles. The top stained glass window of the eastern transept, shows Ignatius and Polycarp kneeling before St. John the Apostle, as they are being made the bishops of Antioch and Ephesus respectively. 

To be chosen as a Bishop is a great honor, but Chrysostom notes that being chosen as Bishop by the Apostles was an honor greater still. The Apostles knew what the job demanded. Ignatius fulfilled some very specific Apostolic qualifications, like those set forth by St. Paul in his letter to Titus, when he writes “A bishop as God’s steward must be blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents.”

And this leads to the second and third crowns. Ignatius won the crowns of being a competent bishop of a humungous diocese, boasting a population of about a million people. And not only a humungous diocese, but the see that was once presided over by the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter himself.

Another crown, won by Ignatius is evidenced in his writings. In his letters, written to the various Churches visited on the way to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius exhorts Christians over and over to hold fast to the Apostolic faith taught by the faithful bishops.

And, finally,  while each of the other crowns and accomplishments of Ignatius were blessings to the Church, it is in the crown of martyrdom, that truly echoes through the ages. 

For anyone who might ever doubt that the Lord truly rose from the dead: the martyrdom of Christians like Peter, Paul, and Ignatius is proof that the Lord is truly risen. “For in reality, writes Chrysostom, “ [martyrdom] is the greatest proof of the resurrection that the slain Christ should show forth so great power after death, as to persuade living men to despise both country and home and friends, and acquaintance and life itself, for the sake of confessing him, and to choose in place of present pleasures, both stripes and dangers and death. For these are not the achievements of any dead man, nor of one remaining in the tomb but of one risen and living.

Martyrdom is therefore encouragement to every Christian, and proof for every non-believer, to forsake the world and to live for Christ who is truly risen. 

Not only today, therefore, but every day, writes John Chrysostom, let us go forth to blessed Ignatius, plucking spiritual fruits from him. His holy example is a perpetual treasure, a spring that fills us with blessings, with boldness, nobleness of spirit, and much courage, in witnessing to Christ in our own lives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

3rd Sunday of Easter 2020 - Stay with us Lord

Just months before his death, Pope Saint John Paul II issued a beautiful letter to the Church titled, “Mane Nobiscum Domine” quoting words from today’s Gospel--this 3rd Sunday of Easter. Mane Nobiscum Domine, stay with us Lord, are the words the disciples speak to the Lord on the road to Emmaus. There words are a beautiful petition and an urgent plea. The Holy Father writes, Mane Nobiscum Domine, “this was the insistent invitation that the two disciples journeying to Emmaus on the evening of the day of the resurrection addressed to the Wayfarer who had accompanied them on their journey. Weighed down with sadness, they never imagined that this stranger was none other than their Master, risen from the dead. Yet they felt their hearts burning within them as he spoke to them and “explained” the Scriptures….Amid the shadows of the passing day and the darkness that clouded their spirit, the Wayfarer brought a ray of light which rekindled their hope and led their hearts to yearn for the fullness of light. “Stay with us”, they pleaded. And he agreed.”

The Holy Father’s words, written 15 years ago already, are so poignant. For we, like the disciples are on a sort of journey these days, aren’t we.  A journey not of physical distance, but of spiritual depth, a journey, for many of us, made in isolation, at least from first glance.

This beautiful passage urges us to consider, how has the Lord remained with us during these days of quarantine, and how have we sought to remain with him. How has the Lord been journeying with us, breaking the Scriptures open for us, breaking Bread with us? How has he wished to set our hearts afire?

Our Gospel, I believe is quite comforting, because consider the initial experience of these disciples on the road. Notice, there were walking away from Jerusalem. On easter Sunday, they were walking away from the victory, away from the resurrection, away from the Good News, away from the community of Apostles, away from the Church. And they were walking away not because they were these big terrible sinners, either. It’s not like they had fallen to depravity or immorality. They were walking away, they were fleeing Jerusalem because of what happened on Good Friday. They were scared. Their faith was week. They didn’t get it. They couldn’t believe that God could bring victory out of something as tragic as the terrible event on mount calvary. So they gave up. In a sense, they are experiencing hell. The hell of believing that God is dead, that God has not and cannot save them.

But into this sort of hell, Jesus breaks into their lives, the Lord appears as if out of nowhere. Jesus breaks into their lives, just like he broke into locked upper room, as we heard last week.  And the Lord begins to speak Good News to them about, he interprets the Scriptures, and deepens their understanding of what God accomplished on Good Friday, he explains that Good Friday was a victory, not a defeat. And I think this Gospel is so comforting, for it reveals how one does not necessarily need to have perfect faith or perfect understanding in order to encounter Jesus Christ, in order to have him set our hearts on fire. God can break in to confusion and doubt and failure and bring fire and light and truth.

This resonates with us, doesn’t it…that the encounter with Jesus Christ doesn’t always occur in the brightness of day, in the experience of joy and certainty. Rather, the encounter with Jesus often occurs in the experience of darkness and sadness and shadow and fear. The risen Lord is more powerful than these experiences. He is able to meet us where we are in order to lead us to Communion with Him and to Holiness.

And for many of us right now, there is darkness and isolation and fear. We, like the disciples may even be questioning, where is God in all this? How can we believe in God’s victory when the innocent suffer and pestilence spreads? How can we believe in Easter glory when loved ones die and the economy trembles and quakes?

As Christians, we don’t have to pretend that sometimes our faith is not tested. Darkness and shadow will often test our faith. We like the disciples are often poor wayfarers: bewildered and dejected men, sorrowing and not quite knowing what to think, not quite knowing what to do with their lives. But in this experience, we need to turn to the Lord all the more, and pray like the disciples, mane nobiscum, domine, stay with us lord.

This whole encounter on the road to Emmaus gives us a wonderful model for the daily prayer we need during these trying times.

First the disciples encounter Jesus as a stranger. We need to open the scriptures, daily, as strange as they might seem, and begin to read.

Secondly, the disciples listen to Jesus explain the scriptures. As you read the scriptures, ask the Lord to help you understand them, how they apply to his life, and how they can apply to yours.
Next, the disciples share their burdens with Jesus. So too, share with the Lord your fears and temptations, angers and confusion.

But then, listen to the Lord some more, allow him to share his wisdom. Go back to the scriptures, look for guidance, look for hope. Every passage of Scripture in some way points to Him. You don’t have to have a degree in Scripture in order to pray with Scripture and encounter the Lord through the Scriptures. So give it a shot. These days, what do you have better to do?

As you grow in the practice of prayer, you will notice the Lord is with you, His light is shining in your life now, he’s been with you all this time.

So, don’t be afraid, these days of quarantine to seek that encounter with the Lord,  to turn off the television, especially to skip the fearmongering from the mainstream media, to seek that heart changing, faith igniting encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus in prayer, that the light of the Resurrection may banish all sadness and shadow in your life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

4th Week of Easter 2019 - Friday - The Life of the Faithful Departed

Today’s Gospel is requested more than any other for Masses of Christian Burial, that is, for Catholic Funeral Masses. Why this one in particular? Why are these words of Jesus at the Last Supper so comforting, so powerful?

Perhaps it is because Jesus answers one of the ultimate questions of the human experience: “where do we go when we die?” And how does he answer that question today? He says that his followers, those who follow him, believe in him and obey him, those who allow his truth to guide their lives, those who preach his truth, and those who allow his life, his spirit, to dwell in them, will go to the Father. Christianity, “The Way” of Christ, leads to the Father, it leads to Eternal Life with God the Father.
Jesus offers this teaching at the Last Supper, before he departs from this life, for a time. Similarly, Christians who pass from this life, depart to go to the Father. We even speak of them as the faithful departed. Where have they departed to? To go to the Father.

When a beloved fellow Christian dies, we are often overwhelmed with grief. And that is quite understandable. Life will be different without them. But grief must be met by Christian hope based on the teaching of Our Blessed Lord: death is not the end for the faithful Christian.

Now, had Jesus died on the cross and not resurrected, if he had stayed dead, his words could be doubted, his words would have no more weight than any other religious leader in history. As St. Paul writes, “had Christ not risen from the dead, our faith would be in vain”. Jesus’ promises to the disciples at the last supper would be empty words.

But unlike Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, or any other religious founder, Jesus has risen, Jesus is risen. Jesus resurrection is the stamp of guarantee on his teachings: following him, believing his truth, living his life, leads to the Father. Not all roads lead to heaven. In fact, Jesus says, today, there is one road, his road.

As we read through the Acts of the Apostles, this is why the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas are willing to suffer so, because the way of Christ is not man’s best attempt at religion, it’s not some unverified theory, it is the truth. And every person who hears the Gospel preached will have to grapple with this truth, and their acceptance or rejection of this truth will have eternal consequences.

May our easter celebrations deepen our conviction of this truth, and help us to enter more deeply, and walk more faithfully, the way of the Lord Jesus, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 

God the Father was glorified in the death and resurrection of his Son. Let us pray to him with confidence.

God the Father bathed the world in splendor when Christ rose again in glory, may our minds be filled with the light of faith.

Through the resurrection of His Son, the Father opened for us the way to eternal life, may we be sustained today in our work with the hope of glory.

Through His risen Son, the Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world, may our hearts be set on fire with spiritual love.

May Jesus Christ, who was crucified to set us free, be the salvation of all those who suffer, particularly those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction, and grief.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.
For the 9 men who will be ordained priests at the Cathedral tomorrow, that their minds and hearts may be united to Christ the Good Shepherd in all things.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

2nd Sunday of Lent 2019 - The Passion leads to the Glory of the Resurrection

On the 1st Sunday of Lent, every year we hear the Gospel story of Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, how he fasted for forty days, how he was tempted by the Devil, and how he remained faithful to his Father.

On the 2nd Sunday of Lent every year, we hear the Gospel story of Jesus’ transfiguration on Mount Tabor.

If the first Sunday of Lent is an especially striking reminder of Jesus’ solidarity with us in temptation, the second Sunday is meant to remind us that the glory that bursts forth from Jesus’ body on Mount Tabor is a glory that he means to share with all who are baptized into his death and resurrection.
In each of the Gospels, the transfiguration takes place immediately after Jesus’ first prediction of his Passion. The Messiah who has been preaching the Gospel and performing miracles, announces to his disciples that in order to fulfill the mission for which he was sent by the father, he must go to the cross and die.

We know how Peter reacted to that news. Peter, truly forgetting his place, rebukes Jesus for saying that he had to die. And Jesus says, “Get behind me Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Peter, like Satan in the desert, attempts to convince Jesus to abandon the cross and abandon his mission.

After rebuking Peter, Jesus teaches, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

To show that the cross is the culmination of his mission and the foundation for Christian discipleship, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to witness this wondrous event. As a foreshadowing of Jesus’ forthcoming climb of Mount Calvary, he first leads his closest disciples up this Mountain. St. Luke tells us that there on Mt. Tabor Jesus’ clothing became dazzling white and he began to speak with Moses and Elijah about his exodus which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

Just as Moses led God’s people in exodus out of slavery in Egypt, and just as Elijah preached to those who had forsaken the covenant to return to God through repentance, Jesus would achieve the ultimate exodus, the ultimate reconciliation, in Jerusalem upon the cross.

For remember, Jesus was not simply an enlightened teacher offering a moral program to guide our lives. He came to achieve what we were powerless to do on our own. He came to save us from our sins, to reconcile us to God. As John writes, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins”. And the Transfiguration is a foreshadowing that though he goes to die, death is not the end. The cross leads to the resurrection, for Him and for us; the cross is not the end of the story, rather the beginning.

The preface for the Eucharistic prayer will summarize this truth so beautifully today. In just a few moments, the priest will pray on behalf of the whole Church: “For after he had told the disciples of his coming Death, on the holy mountain he manifested to them his glory, to show, even by the testimony of the law and the prophets, that the Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection.”
The Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection. This was the lesson he wished to drill into Peter, James, and John. For their faith would be tested when they witnessed their master undergoing his Passion. Our faith is tested, too when we face the cross, isn’t it?

When a loved one suffers, when we are betrayed by those we trusted, when we are beset with temptations, when our Christian faith has consequences in our social lives or financial success. These things challenge our faith. At the sight of the cross, many of us like Peter, flee. And so few of us, like John travel all the way to the cross, and stand there with complete self-identification with Him.

But, the way of the cross is the way of our salvation, it is the way of freedom. Paradoxically, the way of suffering is the remedy for our sin. The cross is the source of healing for the corruption so deeply rooted in our minds and hearts. It is the remedy for our self-destructiveness and shameful selfishness. God only knows how enslaved we are to the worst parts of our own personalities, how in love we are with our own sins, how attached we are to our own egos. It is through the cross, sacrificing our contentment in the present, that we can ever hope to attain the glory for which we were made.

We read from the Transfiguration every year to remind us that we must climb the mountain with the Lord, if we wish to attain glory with him. We must take up our crosses with Him, we must fast with him, pray with him, give of ourselves with Him, suffer with him, allow ourselves to be crucified and die with Him. For the Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection.

Through our own Passion and coming to share in His, we become heirs to the promise St. Paul makes in the second reading today: “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body”: his glorified body which shone in the darkness on Mount Tabor, his glorified Body which rose victorious over the grave at easter. We will experience this glorification, this transfiguration, we will become citizens of that eternal kingdom whose citizenship we forfeited in sin, when we do not flee from the cross, but embrace it.

“Stand firm in the Lord, beloved” St. Paul says. When your faith is tested, when your crosses grow heavy, when you are scandalized by weak church leadership, when the world mocks you for your Christian faith: stand firm. Endure the passion with him, that you may experience glory with Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

3rd Sunday of Easter 2018 - Instruments of Hope

In today’s First Reading from the Book of Acts, St. Peter courageously preaches the Gospel to the same Jewish leaders and residents of Jerusalem—the very same group of people who had conspired to condemn Jesus to death by crucifixion. Peter doesn’t sugar-coat his message; bluntly he says, “You have put to death, the author of life.”

But he doesn’t dwell on this fact for long, he moves on from their sin and weakness and ignorance to the more important truth. He tells them that God has brought forth something inestimably good from Christ’s suffering and death.  God has turned the death of the Messiah into the definitive victory over death, evil, and suffering. “God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses” Peter says.  “We are witnesses”.  Certainly he was thinking about those times, as we heard in today’s Gospel, where the disciples witness the Risen Christ, appearing to them, eating with them, letting them see and touch his wounds, proving the he was not a ghost or illusion.

Christ has risen, and this changes everything. It is a new beginning for the human race. Whether you were one of the people who were calling for his crucifixion, or like Peter, you denied him. A new beginning has come.

And the same goes for us: if there were times in our life when we disregarded certain commandments or in our weakness found them too difficult to follow, if there were times when we didn’t stand up for the faith as we should have, if there were times, perhaps, when we struggled with atheism, or perhaps we committed a really shameful sin, like abortion or helping someone procure an abortion, Easter is a new beginning. The Resurrection means a new beginning in which we can truly leave behind the chains of sin and selfishness in all their forms. The Resurrection puts all good things within reach: wisdom, patience, joy, fortitude, self-control—in short, it makes holiness and lasting happiness possible for each of us.

That is what Peter is telling the crowds, and that is what the Church is telling us: let Easter be a new beginning, do not despair, hope in Christ, leave everything aside to follow him, and he will work wonders in your life.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, tells a story about his visit to a prison to celebrate Mass for the prisoners there. While he was being escorted by the prison warden into the room where they were going to gather for the celebration of Mass, the Archbishop thanked the warden for allowing him the opportunity.

And the warden said, “No, Archbishop, thank you.  We are glad when chaplains come.  The most dangerous man in the prison is a desperate man.”  And that word ‘desperate’ was carefully chosen.  The word desperate comes from the Latin – de, spes –without hope.

“The most dangerous person in jail is a desperate man—a man without hope—that man will do anything.  But if a prisoner has hope, and it might just be a natural hope to get out, or to have certain privileges restored, or it might be a noble hope, to discover his inner dignity—to discover the image of God deep down and to make his peace with the Lord.  Once a prisoner has hope, that prisoner comes alive, that prisoner can be reformed, that prisoner becomes a blessing to our community.  We can do a lot of things in jail, but we cannot give hope.  It is good that you men of faith come, because our men need hope.”

It is our Easter Task to proclaim that no matter your past, no matter your sins, there is hope! The task isn’t just for prison chaplains, it’s the task of every Christian!

How can we better embody the hope that comes from the Resurrection of Christ? I’d like to focus on three points.

First, as St Peter stressed in the First Reading, we must "repent, and be converted."

If we are constantly fighting with our siblings, or engaging in physical relations outside of marriage, or if we are a constant source of negativity, gossip, sarcasm, or resentment. We have some repenting to do, some conversion is needed, to open ourselves to be people of mercy.

A nightly examination of conscience before bed can help us identify attitudes, habits, and behaviors that need to be converted. Repentance is where transformation begins. Failing to repent is like trying to inflate a tire with a hole in it, or putting water in a broken cup.

So, if there are any serious sins that we have not repented of, we need to bring them to the sacrament of confession. For only those who have encountered mercy can be instruments of mercy.

Secondly, as today’s Psalm reminds us, we must turn to God in prayer: "Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one; the LORD will hear me when I call upon him." Daily "calling upon the Lord" is not just for Lent. Lent was to help us put into practice disciplines we should practice all year round.

Developing a deep prayer life means learning to spend quality time with the Lord in silence, encountering him in the daily reading of scripture, the writings of the saints.

This week, Pope Francis issued a wonderful new apostolic exhortation called: “Gaudete et Exsultate: “Rejoice and Be Glad: On the Call to Holiness in the Contemporary World.” Our own Bishop, Bishop Perez has recommended that we all read and reflect upon this new exhortation.

In addition to the second lesson, the need to pray, the Holy Father says, “we shouldn’t “think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer... We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain”

So the third Lesson, is to strive to witness in our day to day activities by practicing Gospel values always. And that becomes all the more possible when we’ve rightly repented of sins, and encountered the Risen Lord in prayer, in word and sacrament.

Repent, pray, bring Christ into your day-to-day activities. By this may we continue to open ourselves, this easter season, to the transforming hope that comes from the Resurrection, that we may be transformed into instruments of hope for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Easter Octave 2018 - Friday - "Come Have Breakfast"

When the angel appeared to the women at the empty tomb, the angel told them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee, and there they shall see the Lord. Well, today, we hear how they have gone to Galilee—the Sea of Tiberius is another name for the Sea of Galilee—and there they see the Lord. Why they decided to go fishing is questionable, shouldn’t they have been focusing on looking for Jesus instead of retreating back to their comfort zones?

Well, they might not having been looking for Jesus, but Jesus was looking for them. And making their way to shore, Jesus says to them, “come, have breakfast”.  There is something special about breakfast. It’s not a royal banquet, it’s a simple, yet intimate meal, typically shared with family. It’s informal, everybody might still be a bit disheveled, not everyone is washed. The disciples, after a night of working, certainly fit this description.

And Jesus is the one here who makes breakfast for the group. Like a parent for children, still groggy from sleep. In fact, Jesus calls the disciples “children” here, doesn’t he. And just like groggy children, the disciples didn’t seem quite awake when they first saw the Lord.

This is also going to be a moment of reconciliation and a sharing of love, just like the family table is meant to be. For it was beside a charcoal fire that Peter denied Jesus, and now beside a charcoal fire, Peter will express his sorrow and his love for Jesus.

Jesus knew the disciples would be hungry after a night of fishing, but no doubt they were hungrier for the truth: that Jesus was with them, that he had indeed risen from the dead, that their first two encounters with him weren’t hallucinations, he wasn’t a ghost, and that he was continuing to prepare them for the great mission of spreading the good news, making disciples, teaching all nations that salvation is found in Him.

We are like the disciples here, groggy, a bit distracted, disheveled from all of our worldly business. And Jesus, calls out to us, often in a voice we don’t initially recognize, to come and to be renewed in faith, to be reconciled with Him, to deepen our love for Him. Jesus knew the disciples needed to be strengthened for their mission, so he feeds them, and he feeds us too, in intimate moments of prayer and with His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

But he does so, that we may wake up, and shrug off our grogginess, and be ever more focused and intent on spreading the Gospel and building up His Body the Church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - -
 
Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ.

For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received.

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

Easter Sunday 2018 - Easter Laughter & The Joy of the Gospel

During the 15th century in southern Germany, a delightful custom sprung up in many parishes. At the end of the Easter church service, the priest would leave the altar and come down among the people and lead the congregation in what was called the “Risus Paschalis”, which roughly translates as “the Easter laughter.” The priest would tell funny stories and sing comical songs to evoke Easter laughter. Eventually this evolved into a regular annual practice, and the Sunday after Easter became known as Risus Paschalis Sunday. Priests would include jokes and funny stories in their sermons, and would sometimes even play practical jokes on their parishioners.

Eventually Pope Clement X outlawed the practice due to severe abuses of the practice: perhaps the medieval equivelant of putting whoopie cushions under the pews or itching powder in the holy water for the sprinkling rite.

But, why did this practice arise? Why did priests start telling jokes on Easter? Laughter is a sign of the joy that should mark this day. Joy is to bubble up in us like laughter after a good joke, as we celebrate the great victory of Jesus Christ over the powers of death.

In a sense, the greatest, most elaborate, most memorable prank in history took place that first Holy Week. Think of it…everyone was convinced Jesus was gone, dead, done away with for good. Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers thought so; with Jesus dead, they wouldn’t have to worry about an insurrection. The crowds that called for Jesus’ crucifixion thought so, in their minds, Jesus was a charlatan and got what he deserved. The Pharisees and Sanhedrin thought so; they had done everything in their power to be rid of Jesus who they thought to be guilty of the most heinous of blasphemies—claiming to be God. Satan himself must have thought that he had pulled off his great triumph in frustrating the plans and purposes of God.

But then the surprise. Then the punchline. Death was not the end, rather suffering and death became the instruments of God’s greatest victory. Death and violence do not get the last laugh, the last word. , The work of the evil one is undone by turning his own weapons against him. Suffering and death, which entered the world as a consequence of sin, were to become the very means by which sin was vanquished.

Easter is the morning when the Lord laughs out loud, laughs at all the things that snuff out joy, all the things that pretend to be all-powerful, like cruelty and madness and despair and evil, and most especially, the great pretender, death. All these pretenders are swept away by the truth and joy of the Resurrection.

As the good news of Jesus’ resurrection spread among his disciples, no doubt, surprise and joy and laughter must have bubbled up within them.

Joy is to mark the lives of Christians, especially in the Easter season when we focus on spreading the good news of Jesus rising from the dead. A glum, sour Christianity attracts few disciples.
Friedrich Nietzsche famously quipped, “If you Christians want me to believe in your Redeemer, you need to look more redeemed!”  Not that we should necessarily take advice from an atheist philosopher.  But he is certainly onto something: a truth that has been echoed often by the current holy Father, Pope Francis.

In his encyclical, “Evangelium Gaudium”, the Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis writes of how complaining and pessimism can often turn Christians into “sourpusses”, which is probably the first time the word “sourpuss” appeared in a papal document in 2000 years. Actually, the Pope’s original Spanish version of the encyclical used the phrase, “cara de vinagre” faces of vinegar, to describe Christians who have allowed pessimism and defeatism to rule over their hearts. A Christian who is complaining is not attracting anyone to Christ.

Rather, we are called to radiate with a Christian joy that bubbles up in us from our faith: that Christ is risen, he is truly risen.  Conviction that whatever powers of evil and death are left in the world, they’ve been defeated. Faith that human suffering and human death have been transformed into instruments for the sanctification of Christians. Faith that resurrection will come for all those who live and die in communion with Christ.

Christian joy is not an act. When you meet a truly joyful Christian, he is not pretending. He’s allowed the truth of the Gospel to transform his heart. And that joy is sustained through daily prayer, regular charitable service, fidelity to the commandments, and the humility to repent of his sins.

Pope Francis wrote “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.”

Easter is not just a day, it’s an entire season of 50 days. So, how can we sustain and nurture our easter joy over the next 50 days? I encourage you to read through and reflect upon the Acts of the Apostles and to imitate what you find there.

In the Acts of the Apostles we read that the first Christians “ate their food with joyful and generous hearts” (2:46). A family sitting down to breakfast or dinner, before saying grace, can recall Easter joy. Have one person say, “He is Risen!” and the rest respond “Indeed, he is risen!”

Acts of the Apostles tells us that wherever the disciples went, “there was great joy” (8:8); even amid persecution they continued to be “filled with joy” (13:52). When something doesn’t go your way, instead of complaining or cursing, recall the resurrection. Say to yourself, “He is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!”

In Scripture we find the Blessed Mother rejoicing, the apostles rejoicing, the woman at the empty tomb rejoicing, the newly baptized rejoiced, those who were persecuted for being Christians rejoicing. “Why should we not also enter into this great stream of joy?”

But again, joy is not an act. It’s not pretend. It comes from the real conviction, real faith, real belief, that Jesus is risen from the dead, and this changes everything.

Now, if you were waiting for me to tell an Easter joke at some point in this homily, I apologize, the only jokes I know are about Jesuits and lawyers, so, if you know a good easter joke, I could use one for next year.

May each of you come to know and experience great Easter joy today and throughout this holy season, for He is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen! For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Easter Thursday 2017: He opened their minds to understand

Even though the disciples had the testimony of Mary, the testimony of Peter and John, the testimony of the disciples who had met the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus, even though their very topic of conversation had been the resurrection, when the risen Jesus appears in the Gospel today, the disciples are panicked, fear-stricken, and confused.

Why? Because they did not understand. So, Jesus offers them peace, he meets them in their ignorance, and then helps them understand what has happened by opening the scriptures for them.
Here is a perfect model for evangelization. We are to go out into the very confused world, a world which denies Christ, which is really afraid of embracing Christ, offering peace to them, and helping them to understand.

It is one of the Act of Mercy to instruct the ignorant. Not only are we to proclaim THAT Jesus rose from the dead, but we must help them understand it, help them realize how that changes everything.
Instructing the ignorant is listed as first among the spiritual acts of mercy. We see Jesus instructing his disciples throughout the Gospels, and he even commands the apostles very clearly: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

While much of the world has heard about Jesus Christ, most are ignorant of what Jesus actually taught, the truths which are passed on faithfully and taught clearly by the Holy Catholic Church.
To Communicate the truth of our faith is certainly more than memorizing a lecture and entries from the catechism. We are to witness to the resurrection in our way of life: what we buy, when and where we work, how we talk, how we dress, why types of entertainment we engage in, are engagement in politics and volunteer work, all this must point to the our belief that Jesus is risen.

But still, to be able to communicate clearly the Catholic faith, to be able to open the scriptures and help people understand, we must prepare ourselves for this work through study—the constant “renewal of our minds” as St. Paul says. To not only explain what we believe but why we believe it.
Many people know that the Church teaches that abortion, contraception, homosexual activity, IVF, are sinful, but not really why she teaches these things—the biblical foundations and also the natural law and the science behind them.

The Spiritual gift of understanding is given to every Catholic in their baptism—He’s “opened our minds to understand” and we are to cultivate that gift to the best of our ability, through prayer and study, that we may give ever clearer and faithful witness to the resurrection of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - - -
 
Filled with paschal joy, let us pray more earnestly to God that he, who graciously listened to the prayers and supplications of his beloved Son, may now be pleased to look upon us in our lowliness.
1. For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely, the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.
2. For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace given by Christ.
3. For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness which no one can take from them.
4. For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ.
O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ Our Lord.

Easter Tuesday 2017 - Letting Go and Letting God

Two mysteries arise from the Gospel reading today.  First, why does Mary Magdalene have difficulty recognizing the risen Lord? And, second, why does Jesus tell Mary not to cling to him?

Some scholars have suggested that Mary doesn’t immediately recognize the Lord because her tears and grief have clouded her vision. Perhaps, she confuses him with the gardener because of a connection to the Adam who failed as the "tender" of the Garden of Eden. The first Adam allowed the powers of evil and death to creep into the garden, which claimed his soul and the soul of his bride. Now the risen Christ is the New Adam, who gave his life so that his Bride might be free from sin, breaking Satan’s power over man and creation.

Perhaps, Mary does not recognize him because the resurrection has transformed him. The Risen Christ physical body has been eternalized, recreated, beaming with life. We know he is able to walk through locked doors, and appear and disappear.

And perhaps, Mary does not recognize him for the same reason the disciples on the road to Emmaus do not recognize him. He remains veiled until they are ready to see him. Well, it doesn’t take Mary quite as long to recognize Him, she sees clearly when he speaks her name. The faithful flock know the voice of the Good Shepherd.

This certainly challenges us to ensure that we are accustoming our minds and hearts to the sound of his voice through prayer and service.

Secondly, why does he tell her not to cling to him? Many scholars indicate there seems to be no satisfactory answer in light of the fact that a week later Jesus will invite Thomas to place his hands on Jesus' very wounds. St. John Chrysostom suggests that, having known the human Jesus He is now asking her to show more respect for His glorified body. Perhaps, He is simply urging her not to waste time clinging to Him but He has given her the mission to run quickly to the Apostles with the news that she has seen Him. Or perhaps, her desire is to cling to Him is to keep Him bound to earth, or to cling to the past, how things were, before the arrest.

The relationship to Christ is meant to grow. Our faith in Christ, our hope in Christ, our love for Christ should be greater than it was last Easter. We should be growing in using our spiritual gifts for the service for others. Easter is about new life, not simply celebrating the new life we received in baptism, but the new life Christ wants for us, today. What do we still have to let go off, in order to let God’s life flourish?

May we continue to accustom ourselves to the voice of the Risen Christ, who sends us out with the message of Good News, and allow the new life of the Spirit to flourish in our souls in his service for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - -

Filled with paschal joy, let us pray more earnestly to God that he, who graciously listened to the prayers and supplications of his beloved Son, may now be pleased to look upon us in our lowliness.

1. For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely, the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.
2. For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace given by Christ.
3. For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness which no one can take from them.
4. For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ.

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