22nd Sunday in OT 2020 - "Do not conform yourself to this age"

Well, St. Peter has gone from hero to zero pretty quickly, hasn’t he? Last week, the Lord was extolling Peter’s faith: “You are Peter, the rock, and upon this rock I build my Church.” For Peter’s faith, he is chosen as prince of apostles. He and his successors would be given the powers to loose an bind, to teach, govern, and sanctify Christ’s holy Church. The faith and leadership of the head of the Church would impact profoundly the faith of the members.

But this week, just a scant seven verses later in Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord refers to Peter as Satan: “Get thee behind me Satan. For thou art an obstacle to me.” One can hardly imagine a more stern and bone-chilling rebuke…not a very good first day on the job for the first Pope. Peter you have become a stumbling block, an obstacle to the will of God, to the mission of God’s son. You are obstructing God as Satan does. It doesn’t get much worse than that.

Why does the Lord rebuke Peter so sharply? When the Lord explains how he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, Peter reacts not with trust or faith, not with openness to God’s will, but out of something that is pitiful and cowardly and fallen about the human condition, “For thinking has human beings do,” the Lord says. There’s something in us, in all of us, that left to its own devices, if pressed and tried, obstructs the will of God himself. 

It’s in us. It’s in all of us. A part of us that gives-in to pressure all too easily, a part of us that caves when obedience to God requires a little bit of effort. We see this all the way back in the garden of Eden. At the foot of the tree—Eve begins to cave when faced with temptation. She struggles, recalling the warning of God—but she gives into that voice uttering empty promises that her own will, her own strength, her own plan, could bring her happiness. And she caved.

So, too with Adam. But with Adam, we see even less of a struggle. When presented with the forbidden fruit from the hands of his wife, we don’t even see an argument. We don’t see Adam calling to mind the command of God and the consequences for sin: “Do not eat of the tree,” God says, “or else you will die”. Adam caves without resistance. How pitiful! And yet, that weakness is in every single one of us.

Paul had this human weakness in mind in many of his letters, particularly in today’s reading. When St. Paul was preaching to the Romans—he knew he was bringing to the Gospel to a…strong-headed people—people who valued strength, honor, patriotism, and hard-work. But, Paul also recognized a great weakness in this people. The Romans loved conformity. They believed that the way to spread and work for the spread of the Roman Empire and the glory of Rome—was through conformity to the Roman gods and the Roman values.

Paul knew, that if the Romans were to accept the Christian Gospel—they would be faced with tremendous pressure from their fellow Romans. And, Paul knew about worldly pressure. After all, he was once a persecutor of his fellow Jews who accepted Christ. Paul knew that Romans would experience, likewise, tremendous hostility for accepting Christ.  And so Paul dares to write, as we hear in his epistle today, “Do not conform yourselves to this age”. 

While some of those Roman virtues align just fine with the Gospel, the attitudes of the prevailing culture frequently oppose the values of God. That’s true for ancient Rome, and it’s true for 21st century America. Yes, there are wonderful American values that align with the Gospel: the defense of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Respect for your fellow man. Free speech. Freedom to obtain and defend private property. A disdain for corruption on all levels. Desire for justice and care for the oppressed. An attempt to live peacefully amidst many competing and contrasting values. Wonderful.

So, when Paul warns the Romans--urges the Romans—do not conform yourselves to this age—he’s not saying that they cannot have any role in Roman society, or that they have to abandon what is good in their culture. No. But, he is saying that in his age and every age there are cultural values and practices contrary to the way of Jesus Christ. You will not find a nation, state, county, or town in perfect conformity with Christ’s teachings. And so Christians, need to be extremely careful that they do not adopt the anti-Christian ideals surrounding them like the winds of the sea of Galilee. 

What guidance does Paul offer for Christian to resist these pressures? “Renew your minds” he says.  “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.”

The Christian must seek to know, understand, and interpret the world and make moral choices with a mind renewed by the teachings and grace of Jesus Christ. The Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the writings of the saints, must be the interpretive lens, the filter, the hermeneutic, to understand all things, and to shape and guide and inform all of our decisions. This is what Paul means by “putting on the mind of Christ”—to think, to chose, to act, as Christ in the world. 

And if we arrive at some conclusion contrary to the Gospel—well we have not thought and prayed long enough.

When we allow ourselves to be guided and informed by the word of God—we become like Peter walking on water, Peter exalted by the Lord—made a prince of the Church—a stable rock for his friends, his brethren, his family. A rock of faith against the instabilities and chaos of the world. But when we turn from the truth, and allow fear, pressure, worldly error to shape our actions—we become stumbling blocks for the building-up of the Church, and the saving mission of Christ. 

The Satanic spirit which tempted Eve and overwhelmed Adam, which led Peter to think and speak with human error, which pervaded ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome seeks to possess us, to possess our nation, parish, and families. And it’s relentless. It is found in classrooms, workplaces, political parties, television stations, pop songs and movies, internet forums, and it has even infiltrated the Church in many places, as it has in the past. So the Christian must be on guard. Always. “Be Sober and Alert,” St. Peter says in his New Testament letter. “For the Devil is prowling like a roaring lion, looking for souls to devour. So resist him by being solid in your faith.” 

We can see Satan at work, creating division—turning man against brother—Christian against Christian—undermining right religion, frustrating domestic tranquility, spreading terrible confusion—duping even Christians to embrace attitudes and behavior which is repugnant to the word of God. 

But, as I said two weeks ago, God chose us to live in the year 2020, with all the confusion, in the midst of this nearly-all pervasive Satanic spirit—to show the world another way, the way. To show and to witness, to follow and to suffer for the one who says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.”

The Catholic of 2020 must be a bullwork of orthodoxy—of right faith—and a fountain of right practice, who pursues the true, the good, and the beautiful in opposition to the error, corruption, and ugliness of the world. The Catholic of 2020 must take up the cross and follows Christ—no matter the hostility or pressure from the Satanic spirit. You are chosen for this. You and I were made for this. May we be faithful to this great responsibility for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

12th Sunday of OT 2020 - The sin of Adam and the Grace of Christ

After many months, Lent, Easter, and the Feasts of Pentecost, Holy Trinity, and Corpus Christi, we have returned again to the Sundays of Ordinary Time, called such, for we focus not on any Extraordinary, major event from the life of Christ or major dogma contained in our creed, but on how the grace of God is meant to animate the ordinary aspects of our life.

For the remainder of Ordinary Time, all the way until the end of November we will read extensively from the Gospel of Matthew, and until mid-September we’ll read from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. Matthew and Paul will be our spiritual directors, helping us to open our minds and heart to the grace of God in the ordinary circumstances of our lives.

And since we’ll be spending so much time with them, I’d like to say a word about Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul’s letter to the Romans is a great masterpiece of theology, a clear, thorough, and systematic presentation of the Christian faith. Profound enough for an ordinary Roman to be intrigued by the Christian faith, and clear and systematic enough that an ordinary Roman could understand it. The Letter doesn’t tell a story, like the Gospels, which follow a narrative structure. Rather it unpacks the theological implications of Our Lord’s incarnation, saving death, and glorious resurrection. What does it mean for the Church, for saints and sinners like us, that Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

If you’ve never read Paul’s letter to the Romans from beginning to end, this is a perfect time. Reading the letter in its entirety will help you internalize Paul’s message and teaching. Every Christian at least once in our lives should read the Bible in its entirety, not necessarily straight through from Genesis to Revelation, but at least each book of the Bible in its entirety, some time in your life. Speaking of the ordinary life of the Christian, reading the Bible should be part of our Ordinary Lives, our every day lives.

A day shouldn’t go by, where we don’t read something of God’s Word. Even if it’s just a single paragraph that you read and ponder throughout the day, God’s Word will ground you, and enlighten your path in these chaotic times. God’s word helps us to understand our reality and understand ourselves. It helps us to put our priorities in order. It guides our actions, and helps us to have a rightly ordered mind and heart, and it increases our hunger and thirst for the righteousness described in its pages.

In today’s second reading, Paul seeks to explain one of the most important questions ever, a question that philosophers and theologians, mystics and poets and ordinary folk have grappled with, since the moment we gained the ability to ask such questions: why is there suffering in the world? Why do we suffer? Why do people die in earthquakes and plagues, and through famine. Why do families, and nations become divided and go to war? Why do innocent babies suffer. Why do children seem to turn on their parents, why do parents neglect their duties to their children. Why are peoples subjugated and enslaved to satiate the greed and lusts and pride of those in power?

The different world religions all attempt to answer that question. St. Paul, once the student of the great Jewish Rabbi Gamaliel, and now a convert to Christ, a believer that Christ Jesus is risen from the dead, seeks to answer that question in his letter to the Romans: why is there suffering? And he does so, drawing upon his Jewish roots and his new-found Christian faith. He traces the suffering of the world all the way back to Adam and Eve and he shows that the solution to the suffering, salvation from suffering, comes through the New Adam and His Church, the New Eve, the new Mother of the saved.

Where did suffering come from? According to Genesis, there was a time before suffering, when Adam and Eve lived in a state of friendship with God. In the garden of Paradise, Adam and Eve walked in harmony with God in the cool of the evening in easy fellowship. Their minds and wills were effortlessly attuned to God’s mind and will, the way friends are naturally attuned to one another. Adam and Eve’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs were met through their friendship with God; they were without suffering.

But then, as St. Paul explains in our reading today, “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death.” Prior to sin, our inner life and outer life were ordered according to the will and mind of God. But turning our will against God through sin, nearly everything about us became disordered. We desire too much of what we don’t need: money, power, and pleasure; and too little of what we do need: prayer, good works, obedience, patience and peace. Human life, which was meant for immortality and grace, becomes disordered toward mortality and selfishness. From that disorder arises all the suffering and war  of the human race.

St. Paul having identified sufferings origins, then identifies sufferings remedy. Though death reigned throughout the generations of Adam because of the sin of the one man, through the gracious gift of another man, Jesus Christ, death is defeated, humanity is reordered to God and we are saved of suffering and death.

Yes, death and disorder continue to wreak havoc in the lives of the members of our human family. Just turn on the news, right? But what the news does not often report, the most miraculous and marvelous activity in our world today: how Jesus Christ continues to transform lives, how the grace of God overflows into the members of the Christian family, the body of Christ, the Church. The news, for the most part does not report how faith in Jesus Christ transforms the lives of ordinary people, enabling us to overcome what is fallen in us, what is perverted in us, what is selfish in us.

Turn on the news, you will find one story after another of division along political, racial, national and international lines—the effects of fragmentation in the human family, to effects of death and greed and corruption. You want proof of original sin, turn on the news. But open the bible, read St. Paul, study the lives of the saints and you’ll find a different story. Had we spent more time cultivating the grace of Jesus Christ, how different the nightly news would be.

So, if the 24-hour news cycle won’t report it, our task, is clear, Our Lord is clear in the Gospel today: shout the Good News from the rooftops. Christian grace can overcome all transgression. You want to build a society of peace, turn to Christ. You want to overcome the division in your family? Turn to Christ. You want to overcome your fallen tendencies—your lust, your pride, your selfishness? Turn to Christ. Shout it from the rooftops.  Because the news won’t report it and our politicians won’t acknowledge it.

On this Father’s Day weekend, many of us our so grateful of the faith of our Fathers, our Fathers who have been instrumental in our reception of the faith. And yet, perhaps too we think of all those fathers in the world today, maybe the fathers of our grandchildren or nephews or neighbors who want little or nothing to do with the saving faith—who have forgot their most important job, to help their children become righteous.

Ordinary Time is a wonderful time to pray and fast for those fathers, and to look for opportunities to call them to action—to take up, once again, the mantle of being a leader—a faith leader--for the sake of their families and for the future of our society. For only a house built on the solid foundation of Christ, can ever hope to withstand the intense and destructive winds of the world. If you truly care about these Fathers, call them back to the Faith, back to church.

Where will you find the words to say? Ponder the Scriptures. This week, turn to God’s word and ponder it every day. Ask God to enlighten you. Ask God how His holy word can help you in the concrete, ordinary circumstances of your life, with your ordinary sins, and your serious sins, with the ordinary drama and trials of your family, and the serious ones. If he is quiet, ask him all the more, in the words of the psalm today, “Lord, in your great love, answer me.” Revive my heart, enlighten my mind, transform me by your grace, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

7th Sunday of OT 2020 - Beyond spiritual mediocrity

For several weeks now, we’ve been hearing from the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. On the Mount of Beatitudes the Lord offers instruction to his disciples on how to live a blessed life—who they are and how they are to act in the world. Last week we heard how Christians are called to greatness—moral greatness—by observing and teaching the commandments of God. We are to make a break with sin, and seek to conform our lives to all of the Lord’s teachings and the teachings of his Church.

The commandments of God and the commandments of the world are quite different aren’t they? Where God commands we worship Him alone, the culture tells us to make money, power and pleasure the central pursuits of our life. Where God commands that we keep holy the sabbath, the culture tells us not to let church or religion get in the way of sports programs, family and social events, work and vacation. Where God commands we keep our oaths, strive for purity, and practice selflessness, the culture hates commitments, justifies perversions, and promotes narcissism and self-indulgence.

God calls his people to greatness—to a holiness and perfection which surpasses that of even the old law—a greatness which surpasses the spiritual mediocrity for which we so often settle.

This week, we hear the Lord continuing his Sermon—giving a number of illustrations—examples—what exactly this surpassing holiness looks like.

In the first example, the Lord says if someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. You really have to imagine what this looks like. We’ll have to forego the live demonstration today. If a right-handed person were to slap you, they would typically slap you with the palm of their hand on your left cheek. A slap to your right cheek however, would mean that they would have slapped you with the back of their hand. In Jewish tradition, such a violent assault carried a double penalty. Yet Jesus challenges his disciples to not only forgo financial compensation, but to even endure further insult: offer your other cheek. The Lord teaches us to beyond that violent reaction to violence. To remain calm and focused.

“Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” Under Roman Law, a Roman soldier could legally force someone to carry his equipment for up to one mile. Don’t just go the one mile Jesus says, show him Christian generosity and endurance. Carry the soldiers equipment for two miles. Well, for Jesus to teach Jewish people under Roman rule to show this generosity and kindness toward their Roman oppressors would have been quite shocking.

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Again, another startling teaching to those who were oppressed by Romans. The Romans occupied Jewish land, taxed the Jews heavily and treated them with violence and injustice, and the Lord says, “love them and pray for them”. That will make you children of the Heavenly Father. We are to look to the deepest identity of even our enemy, as see that God created them, and loves them, just as he loves us.

In each of these examples, the Lord is calling us to act quite differently than what could be considered normal, to rise above our fallen tendencies and moral mediocrity, and even to bear some humiliation in order to do what is good in the eyes of God.

It’s humiliating to be slapped on the right cheek, and hard to hold back an insult. It’s humiliating to be forced to carry an enemy soldiers’ equipment, to kneel down and pray for that coworker that backstabbed you, that politician who stands for everything you are against, that family member that betrayed your trust. Christians are to treat people better than they treat us.

And when we’re faithful to this teaching, a number of things happen. First we begin to enjoy a freedom not understood by the rest of the world. When we refuse to return insult for insult, injury for injury, we become free from the cycle of violence which often dominates human relationships. We become free from poisonous sentiments of hatred and resentment. And this freedom enables us to become instruments of God.

Because imagine you are that roman soldier who witnesses a Christian going that extra mile, carrying his equipment uphill, in the hot sun, twice as far as legally required. You begin to wonder, what is inside this Christian that enables them to treat me this way? With such gentleness and generosity? Where does that come from? Where does that freedom come from, that inner strength? And maybe, just maybe, that Roman Soldier begins to seek the God who gives us this freedom and strength.



The Lord Jesus exemplifies these very lesson particularly during his crucifixion. Remember, with those who called for his crucifixion in his midst, with the Roman soldiers who nailed him to the cross, he says, “do you think that had I wanted, my Father would not send twelve legions of angels to come and avenge me.” The Lord prayed not for angelic warriors to slaughter his enemies, but for his Father to forgive them. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” The Lord teaches us, and gives us an example to forgive whenever anyone insults us, or humiliates us, or hurts us—to endure our sufferings, pray for our enemies, and seek to show them the face of the one true God.
This week, on Ash Wednesday, begins the great season of Lent. Lent aims at helping us go beyond spiritual mediocrity and to grow in authentic Christian holiness. Traditionally, throughout Lent we engage in greater prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as ways of converting us, increasing our capacity to give to God and to others.

So, give up chocolate and desserts and snacking if that will help you love the pleasures of the world less and God more. But really consider, take responsibility for your spiritual life, and ask the Holy Spirit, what will help you become more like Jesus this Lent who is so free that he is forgive his enemies from the cross? An extra Our Father every day? Or how about a Holy Hour every week? How about getting to daily Mass, to hear the Lenten Scriptures and to receive the Lord’s flesh and blood offered on the cross for you and for many? What will help you to grow in freedom from the worldly attitudes and behaviors which have crept into your life?

What will help you be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

31st Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - Indebted to God's love

In this last section of the letter to the Romans, St. Paul continues to elaborate on the moral and practical implications of the Gospel for Christians. He reiterates today the teaching of the Lord in the Gospel, summing up all the commands of the law into One Great Command: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

St. Paul contextualizes this commandment as a response to what Jesus has done for us in dying for us poor sinners. We have a debt, we owe a debt to God, to love others as we’ve been loved. So not only should we follow the Great Command to love our neighbor because the command came from the lips of Jesus Himself, St. Paul is saying, we must follow it for another reason, we owe it to God. Because we have been loved so extraordinarily loved by God, our lives are to be permeated with love for one another.

So this certainly causes us to reflect, to ask ourselves, “what is the motivating factor in our life?” Self-preservation? Accumulation of comfort? The seeking of novel pleasures? Or Love? If the answer is not love, something needs to change in us.

For Paul, love for others is a response to being loved by God. Many Christians don’t realize how loved they are. They never stop to look at a crucifix. They never consider the sad state of their souls. They live the unexamined life. Many do not consider what they owe to God. Many of us fall into a routine, in which we just go from one event to another, without considering how I am called to allow God’s love to permeate me and motivate me in this moment.

Paul became such a powerful preacher of the Gospel because of his conviction that he was a sinner who was lost, who has been saved by God’s love, who was now in the debt of God. Yet this experience of indebtedness to God became the starting point for a mission of love that changed the world.

May we take this message to heart, that we may be faithful to the great command to love God and neighbor wholeheartedly, to renounce all that keeps us from this love, as our Lord teaches in the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the love of God and neighbor may permeate the life of every Christian.

For the strength to be faithful to all of the Lord’s commands and the grace and humility to repent of our failings.

That during this National Vocations Awareness Week our young people may respond generously to the call of the Lord to serve the Church.

That we may be attentive to the needs of the sick, the poor, and the despairing in our midst.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for the repose of the soul of Bishop Richard Lennon who will be buried today, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

31st Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Renewal of Minds and Sharing Spiritual Gifts

 Our daily readings from Romans have brought us into the final major section of Paul’s great letter. St. Paul has completed his teachings on basic Christian doctrine and has spoken of God’s plan to bring unification to humanity. Now in the last part of his letter he turns his attention to instruction on the moral considerations and consequences of the Gospel—how members of the Church are to treat each other, non-believers, and the poor.

Paul begins his instruction by setting the stage: Christians must not model their lives and their behavior on the contemporary world. For the Roman Christians, they were to avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, and the worldview of the Pagan Romans. What would be his exhortation to us? Avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, the worldview of secular society!

Rather, Paul says, renew your minds, metamorphousthe, he says in the Greek, be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Put on the mind of Christ in all things, study the faith, meditate on the word of God day and night, that you can know what is good, and pleasing to God. Wonderful advice. To the extent of their intellectual ability, every Christian should seek to understand the faith. You are never to old to renew your minds.

Okay, then Paul gets to the exhortations we find today. Rather than conforming yourself to the world, having put on the mind of Christ, Paul explains how God wants communities of Christians to discern and share and make use of their spiritual gifts. The gifts of prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, acts of mercy are to be discerned, developed, and shared.

What are these gifts? Ministry is the gift of practical service to others, particularly to widows, orphans, and the elderly. Teaching helps believers and non-believers to understand the faith with clarity. Exhortation encourages others and motivates them to live the gospel with heroic fidelity. Generosity prompts persons to make give liberally of their financial resources to assist the needy and to advance the mission of the church. Community leadership orchestrates the gifts of the community, perhaps helping other discover their gifts. Mercy is reaching out to the hungry, sick, dying, imprisoned and so forth.

We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our parish, to protect us from the errors of the world, to teach us what is good and pleasing to God, and to help us discern, develop and share our spiritual gifts for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That God’s manifold gifts may be evident in our Diocese and in our parish.

That our parishioners may be kept safe from the errors of the world and be transformed by the renewal of their minds and hearts through the Gospel.

That during this National Vocations Awareness Week our young people may respond generously to the call of the Lord to serve the Church.

That we may be attentive to the needs of the sick, the poor, and the despairing in our midst.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for the repose of the soul of Bishop Richard Lennon who will be buried today, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

30th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Suffering and the Hope of Glory

In the course of her decades of self-sacrificial service, Mother Theresa, St. Theresa of Calcutta, witnessed tremendous suffering. She encountered the abjectly impoverished, the abandoned and forgotten. She saw the agonies of Jesus in the orphans and homeless and victims of war discarded by society. She was keenly aware of the suffering caused by disease and violence and the suffering we cause to each other through neglect and greed. And yet, this woman, this saint, was not discouraged, nor did she lose faith in a good and loving God. She kept her gaze fixed firmly on heaven, and so allowed heaven to permeate her life.

She knew that in light of heaven, suffering was temporary, and helped the suffering to have hope. She said, “In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth, a life full of the most atrocious tortures on earth, will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.”

Mother Theresa echoes the sentiment of Saint Paul in the passage from Romans 8 today, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” Paul, too, knew what it meant to suffer. He suffered greatly for the Gospel. And he knew his audience knew what it meant to suffer. They suffered persecution for the Gospel as well, not to mention the ordinary sufferings of life.

But Paul dares to speak of our terrible earthly sufferings as “nothing” because his Christian hope was supreme. He says something similar to the Corinthians: “this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure.”

Suffering when faced with Christian faith and hope, transforms into the blossoming of the Kingdom of God—like the blooming of a mustard seed into the largest of trees.

Benedict XVI wrote in his second encyclical on hope:  ”We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.”

May we see our crosses today in light of eternity, and not flee from those opportunities to grow in truth, love, and goodness, despite the suffering that growth entails, and thereby witness to the power of the Christian faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For perseverance in holiness, especially for our Pope, Bishops, and Priests, and that the faith of Christians may lead unbelievers to Christ.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, “that the breath of the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary ‘spring’ in the Church

That young people be inspired to respond generously to God’s call to sanctity, and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

For all the sick and suffering, and for all those in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care, for all those who will die today, for their consolation and that of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious of our diocese, 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.

29th Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - Weapons of Righteousness

A few years ago, Pope Francis was asked in an interview: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergolio?” And the holy father answered simply: “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.” He said something similar  when he was asked by the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel if he would accept his election. He said to them: “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

St. Paul is quite clear in our reading this morning that even after our rebirth in baptism, sin continues to have a certain sway in us and in the world. We are all sinners, we experience temptation, and fall, some of us many times, into the same-old sins. And yet, God is every merciful and patient, as Pope Francis says. And when we humbly and sincerely approach the mercy of God, we begin to experience a freedom from those sinful tendencies.

And something amazing happens when we humbly approach the mercy of God: the parts of our personalities which were held under the sway of sin become “weapons of righteousness” St Paul says today. Pride when handed over to the mercy of God is transformed into a humility that shames the devil. Greed when handed over to the mercy of God is transformed into generous self-giving through which God feeds and nourishes his people. Lust when handed over to the mercy of God is transformed into passion for prayer and the works of charity. Sloth when handed over to the mercy of God is transformed into diligence and piety which build up the Church.

Slaves of sin are transformed by grace into slaves of righteousness, Paul says. A saint is a sinner who has kept trying.

This is why we do well to examine our lives and humbly acknowledge those sinful tendencies which remain, because those are potential weapons for righteousness. For the person who fails to examine his life and acknowledge his sins will ultimately fail to grow in righteousness. That which is not handed over to God will not be converted, which makes empty confession lines quite concerning.
And the Lord’s parable this morning speaks of the eternal destiny of those who fail to acknowledge their sinfulness and  hand their lives over to God.

So may we be generous and diligent in repenting of sin and handing more and more of our lives over to God, that we may be transformed in righteousness for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That all Christians may know the grace of sincere repentance and seek to grow in virtue and the fruits of the spirit.
For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, “that the breath of the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary ‘spring’ in the Church.
That young people be inspired to respond generously to God’s call to sanctity, and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
For all the sick and suffering, and for all those in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care, for all those who will die today, for their consolation and that of their families.
For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious of our diocese, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.
God of mercy, hear our prayers, ease the sufferings and comfort the weakness of your servants, and bring us to eternal life, through Christ our Lord.

29th Week in OT 2019 - Monday - Faith or Greed

Our two readings provide a stark contrast this morning. On one hand, St. Paul enjoins us to imitate the faith of Abraham. When he and his wife Sarah were late into their 80s, God promised this barren couple an abundance of offspring, their descendants would be as numerous as the stars. And long after most people are hoping to be well into their retirement, God sends them on a journey of trust, far from home, to the promised land. Despite their barrenness, despite their old age and infirmity, despite having no idea where God would lead them.

St. Paul says today that Abraham glorified God and was fully convinced in the promises of God. This is why Abraham is a perennial model of faith for us. Abraham trusts that God will bring new life where barrenness seemed to reign, supernatural strength in the face of seemingly physical limitation. St. Paul pleads with the Roman Christians, and all of us, to trust in God’s goodness and promises and to praise God even in the midst of trial.

Contrast the faith of Abraham with the greed of the rich fool in the Gospel. The rich fool thinks only in terms of financial well-being, he lives a sort of Godless existence. Money is his God, earthly treasure is his life’s pursuit. He does not consider his eternal welfare, for he lives only for a safe, secure, earthly existence.

“Take care”, Our Lord teaches, “to guard against all greed, for life consists of more than possessions.” Life, right living, righteousness, involves being oriented not simply to the accumulation and protection of physical goods, but allowing God to lead us to what is spiritually good. Not simply storing things and possessions up at home, but allowing God to lead us beyond the walls of comfort, to undiscovered countries, allow God to breath new life in places where barrenness reigned supreme.

Lots of souls out there, living only for the earthly, devoid of faith, unaware of God inviting them to something more. May God speak to them through our lives, through our righteousness, through our radical trust and faith amidst trials for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102119.cfm

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For courage to preach the Gospel in season and out, for the sanctification of the clergy, and the flowering of spiritual gifts amongst the laity.

That our civil representatives may use their authority to lead and build our nation in godly ways, for the protection of the unborn and religious freedom.

For all those who harden their hearts toward God, for those who have left the Church, for all those in serious sin, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

That young people be inspired to respond generously to God’s call to sanctity, and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, the imprisoned,  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 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.

28th Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - Faith and Good Works

On Monday, we began the great letter of Saints Paul’s to the Romans.  Excluding feast days and solemnities, the first reading for weekdays will be from this particular Pauline epistle until the first week of November.

The letter to the Romans wasn’t the first of the epistles to be written, but it is the first letter we come across in our bible—right after the book of Acts.  It is the longest of the letters, and perhaps the most important.  It was written to Christians in Rome, the capital of the world, and it is the world’s first systematic, logically organized Christian theology.

Paul is writing to this community, whom he has never met, in order to build them up and strengthen their faith. Why? Because as he states, “the one who lives by faith will live.”  In other words, faith in Jesus Christ leads to everlasting life.

In the introduction to the letter which we we heard on Monday, Paul lists his credentials:  I am Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.  Here is a man who has given himself entirely to God in faith in order to instill faith in others.

Paul then goes on to explain the universal need of salvation, how through wickedness and sin, we lost the glory of God. He continues to elaborate today that God judges rightly and impartially.

Man forms his judgments about the world and his neighbor based on incomplete truths. He is often motivated by envy and arrogance. We hold others to standards that we do not keep for ourselves. But not God. God’s judgment, Paul writes today is impartial. It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or Gentile, old or young, rich or poor, “God will repay everyone according to his works…those who persevere in good works” will inherit eternal life.

Paul connects faith in Christ Jesus and good works, much like St. James in his epistle: “faith without works is dead” and as we proclaimed in the Psalm “Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works.” We do not come to eternal life through works alone, but authentic and saving faith must translate into humble acts of kindness and charity and obedience to the commandments of God.

Faith has led us here to the celebration of Holy Mass, the great work of prayer for the needs of the world and needs of the Church. May we go forth into the world today committed to acts and works of mercy, living in the truth of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be dedicated to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

That we may be attentive to the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, imprisoned, and those most in need.

For mercy for the most vulnerable of our human family, the unborn; that their mothers may choose life and be supported by a culture of life.

For the young people of our parish. May they be strengthened to be witnesses to the Gospel of mercy and work for a future that embodies a genuine culture of mercy.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, “that the breath of the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary ‘spring’ in the Church.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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