29th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - The Rosary and Persevering Prayer

 

During the 12th and 13th century, a dastardly heresy swept throughout Europe known as Albigensianism. The Albigensians struggled with the reality of evil in the world, like many of us. They believed in a good Creator God who wants our souls to flourish, but couldn’t understand how that a good God could allow evil and disease and war and suffering in the world. 

Instead of seeking the answer to this problem in the sound teachings of our Faith, the Albigensians adopted the heretical belief that because good and evil seem to coexist, there must exist two separate Gods—a God of Spirit and Light and then an equally powerful God of darkness and evil which governed the physical realm. 

The Albigensians then extended their error to explain that Jesus therefore couldn’t really be God, because the God of Spirit and Light couldn’t really take on flesh and suffer, because flesh and suffering were evil. And because according to the Albigensians flesh is evil, they forbade the eating of animals and milk, and they condemned marriage and procreation since they believed begetting children meant imprisoning a beautiful pure soul in a prison of flesh. They denied the sacraments of the Church, refusing to believe that the God of goodness could work through physical things like, oil, water, bread, and wine.

And you might wonder: who would join these people? But they actually became really popular. And many Catholics adopted the errors of the Albigensians and fell away from right religion.

To deliver souls from this error, God raised up a holy saint. In the early 13th century a young priest named Dominic Guzman was tasked by the Pope to preach against the Albigensians. He preached all through Europe. St. Dominic took up the mandate St. Paul gave to St. Timothy in our second reading today, "to be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." And though he was persistant and faithful, St. Dominic, initially, wasn’t very successful in winning souls back to the Catholic faith.

So Dominic prayed and fasted and did penance. And one day in 1214, Dominic received a heavenly visit: Our Lady appeared to Him with some instructions from heaven. She said, “Dear Dominic, do you know what weapon the Most Holy Trinity wants to use to reform the world?...I want you to know that in this kind of warfare the ‘battering ram’ will be the Rosary. So, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them to God, preach my Rosary!” 

And this campaign must have worked. For in my hands I hold a rosary…and have you met any Albigensians lately? Dominic taught the people to pray the Rosary and Europe was converted.

I tell this story because it is October, the month of the Rosary; we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. But, also because the praying of the rosary relates to our scripture readings today, on prayer and perseverance.

In the first reading from Exodus we heard how Moses had to persevere in keeping his hands raised during a battle with the Amalekites. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel was victorious in battle; but when he let his hands down, the Amalekites, Israel’s enemies got the upper hand. 

This is a great metaphor for the Christian life and the mission of the Church—when we keep our hands raised before God, persevering in prayer, engaging in the works of mercy, victory is won—our souls grow as they are meant to, the mission succeeds. When we grow lax, lukewarm, and disobedient, our souls diminish, the mission struggles. 

Similarly, in the Gospel, our Lord praises the widow who perseveres in petitioning the judge for justice. His hard is moved to acquiesce to her request when he recognizes her perseverance.

Perseverance is a required virtue for the Christian life. Daily, we must strive to keep the faith and do what is right, amidst temptations and errors and challenges. 

Often in the scriptures speak about perseverance. Jesus teaches about the need to carry our crosses daily; and gives us the example of his only perseverance in following his Father’s will unto death on a cross. St. Paul enjoins Timothy to persevere in right doctrine. Jesus teaches that amidst the evils of the world, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

How will we persevere amidst so many distractions and challenges? Daily prayer is so vital. St. Alphonsus Ligouri says, “if, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one cannot be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace.” 

While there are many helpful devotional prayers that can help sustain us in the Christian life. The Rosary is so powerful. Hardened souls are converted through the rosary, including our own. If you are struggling with a particular vice, a particular addition, a particular sin, take up the rosary daily for strength and the grace of conversion. If your family is going through a particularly turbulent time, pray the rosary together. If a loved one has fallen away from the Church and is engaging in a sinful lifestyle, pray the rosary for them. 

The rosary is not simply a relic from the past. As Our Lady told St. Dominic, it is a powerful spiritual weapon that the Holy Trinity wishes us to utilize to reform the world. And though the Albigensian heresy has been defeated, there is much reform needed in our present day--many errors and sins which separate souls from God.

So if you’ve never prayed the rosary, or don’t know how to pray the rosary, this is the month to take up this powerful devotion. A guide to the Rosary is available on our parish website.

Prayer is powerful. In can win miracles. It can convert hardened hearts. It can bring relief to the sorrowful and light to the confused. But perseverance is needed. Our Lady called the Rosary “a Battering Ram” because a battering ram is a large beam, sometimes a whole tree, handled by many people, used to open a large gate, or to make an opening in a wall.  It only works with the repetition of blows on the gate or the wall—with perseverance. 

And the Rosary is a battering ram, taking up by the many hands and hearts of the members of the Church, to knock down the walls which separate our minds and hearts from God. 

And if it’s not the rosary, it needs to be something. Each of us needs to discern well how God is calling each of us to persevere in the sort of prayer that will support the church and enable us to persevere in the Christian life, strengthened and supported in our weaknesses, and equipped, as St. Paul says, for every good work for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

May 13 2024 - Our Lady of Fatima - Fatima and Pentecost

 

During this final week of the Easter season, as we prepare for the Great Solemnity of Pentecost, we commemorate today “Our Lady of Fatima”. 

In 1917, in the small town of Portugal called Fatima, the Virgin Mary appeared to three young shepherd children. She delivered messages that were both a warning and an instruction: a call to prayer, especially the Rosary, and a plea for repentance and conversion. These messages were not just for those children or for that time; they are messages for all of us, across all times.

For, the messages of Our Lady at Fatima are consistent with the perpetual teaching of the Church: repent, believe in the Gospel, enter into a living relationship with God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through the Church, through a life of prayer, the imitation of Christ, and reception of the Sacraments.

At Fatima, we see God continuing to use Mary as his instrument, to help the world know, love, and follow Jesus Christ. At Fatima, Mary echoes the same instruction she gave at the Wedding at Cana: “do whatever he tells you”.  

At Fatima, God gathered souls around Mary to be strengthened in faith and in the mission of the Church, just like at Pentecost, when the apostles were gathered around Mary. On Pentecost, the apostles, those spiritual sons of Mary, prayerfully prepared for the decent of the Holy Spirit with the assistance of her humble example and her prayers. 

As we prepare for Pentecost, the message of Fatima helps us remain intent on seeking the strengthening of our own faith, and a deeper openness to the gifts and movement of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the Church’s mission, through the aid of the Blessed Virgin.

We do well to follow Our Lady’s instruction at Fatima to pray the rosary each day this week, meditating on the mysteries of the life of Our Savior—that we may imitate what those mysteries contain and obtain what they promise. The Rosary is a powerful means to welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, as did Our Lady. We pray for ourselves and for those who fail to pray as they should—unbelievers, hardened sinners, the prideful the lukewarm, and those souls at risk of hell. 

May our devotion to Mary and our anticipation of the Holy Spirit prepare our hearts to be renewed, that we might be effective witnesses of the Gospel in our world today for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the maternal care of Our Lady may bring protection to the shepherds of the Church and all who preach the Gospel.

That Our Lady’s devotion to the Divine Will of God will move government leaders to work to build a culture of life and peace to further the reign of Christ.

That through the penance and prayers of the Church, hardened sinners will return to God.

That the intercession of Our Lady will bring comfort and care to all who suffer disease, violence, and afflictions of any kind.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

August 8 2023 - St. Dominic & The Pro-Life Rosary

 St. Dominic is the Founder of the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominican Friars, and lived around the same time period as Francis and Clare. Dominic was born in Spain around 1170 to an old noble Castilian family. Supported by a priest uncle, he was well educated, and had a great love of Sacred Scripture and for the poor.  

As a young priest, he accompanied his bishop on a diplomatic mission to Northern Europe, and while staying with innkeepers in southern France, he came face-to-face with a heresy that was sweeping through Europe, the Albigensian heresy. 

The Albigensians claimed to be Christians, but also held the erroneous belief that the created material world is evil. They denied that God truly became man in Christ, and also our doctrine of the resurrection, believing material bodies to be evil. They denied the good of marriage, and procreation. 

St. Dominic stayed up all night to convert the Albigensian innkeepers. And he came to recognize within himself this deep desire to help souls in error come to the true faith. Following his mission, Dominic made pilgrimage to the Pope, and brought to the Pope’s attention this heresy that was sweeping throughout Europe. Consequently, the pope personally asked Dominic to devote himself to preaching to and seeking the conversion of the Albigensians. By spreading the devotion of the rosary and demonstrating the Truth of our Faith from Scripture, Dominic won many converts. 

Now, one might say, St. Dominic was successful, because, there aren’t a lot of Albigensians walking around. But, in a sense there are, a lot of them. There are a lot of people these days who hold a lot of the same errors as the Albigensians. There are people who deny that the child in the womb is good, and so they justify it’s destruction. There are people who deny the good of their bodies created by God, and so they justify mutilating their bodies in sex-change operations. There are people who deny the good of marriage and procreation. And of course there are many who deny the incarnation of Christ and the resurrection. 

Tell you what though, I’ve never met anyone who prayed the rosary devoutly who held these errors. The rosary is a means to convert the modern day Albigensians. We need to get rosaries in their hands, and teach them to love this great prayer. The rosary given by Our Lady herself to St. Dominic is the battering ram that can topple these horrible errors which lead souls away from God. This voting day, is a perfect day for praying the rosary for the defense of life and for the conversion of those who do not value bodily life as a gift from the Creator. 

May St. Dominic assist us in our modern day campaign to bring souls to the Truth of Christ, Truth which is a share in God’s beauty and goodness, the Truth which leads to human flourishing and eternal life, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.

That our nation, and the State of Ohio, especially on this voting day, may be guided by God’s wisdom as we seek the defense of children and families from laws harmful to life.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, especially for the Dominican Orders. 

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for those recovering from surgery, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.

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

Hear Our Prayers, O Lord, and through the intercession of St. Dominic, help us preach the truth of Christ always and everywhere. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

First Friday Holy Hour - October 2022 - Eucharistic Adoration and the Holy Rosary

 This morning, on the feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, the priests of the diocese concluded our week long convocation with Bishop Malesic, and at Mass this morning, His Excellency, the bishop, evoked a beautiful image that I’d like to share with you.

The bishop spoke of a statue that he encountered in a parish Church in Kentucky, of Our Lady, kneeling in front of the blessed Sacrament with a lighted lamp in her hands. He said, that often, when he kneels in front of the Blessed Sacrament, he recalls that statue, of Our Lady, in adoration of her Son, holding that lighted lamp, like the Wise Virgins in the Gospel parable.

Our Lady models for the Church the posture we are to take, and the attitude we are to have for the Blessed Sacrament; we kneel in adoration, for He is God with us. Falling to our knees in adoration is the appropriate response to His Presence. And He is the lamb worthy of Our Love. “Worthy is the Lamb to receive honor, glory, and blessing” We bend the knee to Him, Our King, Our Savior—the Victor over Sin and Death.

The feature of the statue, of Our Lady holding a lighted lamp, is also a poignant one, and recalls the parable of the wise virgins, who keep their lamps filled with oil, as they await the return of the bridegroom. We are to keep faith, hope, and love for Him burning, like the lighted lamp, until his return. In fact, by our devotion to Him, we pray that faith, hope, and love might be kindled elsewhere, in the dark places of the world, where faith has grown dim.

Our Lady models for us why Eucharistic Adoration is so important. Catholics need to fervently express our belief that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist here in Church, so that we can bring that faith out in the world, to draw souls back to Him. And don’t we see our Lady modeling for us that task of deepening belief so that we may draw others to Him. “Do whatever he tells you” she says, at the Wedding Feast of Cana. She teaches us to lead others to submit their lives to Him, a submission that is renewed everytime we celebrate the Eucharist, and every time we receive the Eucharist, we are to do whatever the one whom we encounter and receive tells us. 

On the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, it is also good for us to consider the connection between the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration.

The U.S. Bishops write that the Rosary, 'a prayer inspired by the Gospel and centered on the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption,' 'should be considered a prayer of deep Christological orientation,' and may rightly be counted among the prayers designed to 'direct the attention of the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord.' ... [T]he recitation of the Rosary before the exposed Sacrament should help lead the faithful back 'to a knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him, finding great encouragement and support in liturgical prayer before the Eucharist.'"

Every time we come and kneel before the blessed Sacrament it is good to spend time in silent adoration, listening to Our Lord in the Silence, and allowing our Hearts to offer worship that is too deep for words. But also, it is praiseworthy to pray Our Lady’s Rosary—which directs us to union with the one whom we adore.

May this time with the Lord allow us to stir into flame our faith, hope, and Love of Him whom we adore, and may Our Lady, and her rosary, draw us deeper into union with Him, that we may in turn draw others to Him out in the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

29th Sunday in OT 2019 - Persistent Prayer

During the 12th and 13th century, a dastardly heresy swept throughout Europe known as Albigensianism. The Albigensians struggled with the reality of evil in the world. They believed in a good Creator God who wants our souls to flourish, but couldn’t understand how that a good God could allow evil and disease and war and suffering in the world.  Many of us perhaps struggle with that same issue, the problem of evil in the world. But the Albigensians fell into heresy when they adopted the belief that in addition to the One God of Spirit and Light and Goodness, there was a second equally powerful God of matter and darkness and evil. The Albigensians claimed that Jesus really wasn’t God, because God couldn’t suffer, he couldn’t really take on flesh, because flesh is evil. They forbade the eating of animals and milk, and condemned marriage and procreation since they believed begetting children meant imprisoning a beautiful pure soul in a prison of flesh. And they denied the sacraments, refusing to believe that the divine would come so close to us. And it’s really remarkable how popular, how rampant this heresy became.

Well, in the early 13th century a brilliant young priest named Dominic Guzman was accompanying his bishop on a diplomatic mission from Spain to Northern Europe. In his travels, Dominic became aware of two enormous challenges for the Church of his time: entire regions of Northern Europe were largely unevangelized, and the Albigensian heresy had spread like wildfire, particularly in France.
When Dominic brought these challenges to the pope’s attention, the pope personally asked Dominic to devote himself to preaching to the Albigensians. Dominic’s initial efforts of preaching were unsuccessful. The Albigensians were unconvinced that God became flesh and died on the cross for our salvation. They were unconvinced that sins could be forgiven through the waters of baptism, that God would became present under the appearance of bread and wine, that the One True God had created this world good.

So Dominic prayed and fasted and did penance, and one day in 1214, Dominic received a heavenly vision, a heavenly visitor, Our Lady appeared to Him and said, “Dear Dominic, do you know what weapon the Most Holy Trinity wants to use to reform the world?...I want you to know that in this kind of warfare the ‘battering ram’ will be the Rosary. So, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them to God, preach my Rosary!”

And this campaign must have worked. For in my hands I hold a rosary…and have you met any Albigensians lately? Dominic taught the people to pray the Rosary and Europe was converted.
So, why did Our Lady called the Rosary “a Battering Ram”? Because a battering ram is a large beam, sometimes a whole tree, handled by many people, used to open a large gate, or to make an opening in a wall.  It only works with the repetition of blows on the gate or the wall.  Our Lady compares the Rosary to a battering ram: all those rosaries in the hands of so many Christians, all those Hail Marys prayed in order to knock down the gates of hell and defeat demonic heresies.

I tell this story because it is October, the month of the Rosary; we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. But, also because the praying of the rosary relates to our scripture readings today, on prayer and perseverance.

In the first reading from Exodus we hear how Moses had to persevere in keeping his hands raised during a battle with the Amalekites. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel was victorious in battle; but when he let his hands down, the Amalekites, Israel’s enemies got the upper hand.
This is a great metaphor for the spiritual life—when we keep our hands raised before God, persevering in prayer, engaging in the works of mercy, victory is won—our souls grow as they are meant to. When we grow lax, lukewarm, and disobedient, our souls diminish.

Similarly, in the Gospel, our Lord praises the widow who perseveres in petitioning the judge for justice. Jesus praises this widow who overcomes—what—being poor, being without husband, having little social status—in persuading the hardened heart of the judge.

The parable certainly reminds us that the Christian life requires perseverance in general. Daily, we must overcome temptations, we must be faithful in the midst of suffering and pressures from the world, we must repent of our sins, we must not giving up working for the conversion of non-believers.

Often in the Gospels the Lord takes up the theme of perseverance, he speaks of the need to carry our crosses daily; He enjoins us to not stop seeking until we find God, to not stop knocking until that door is open, he says though he sends us out as sheep amidst wolves, and will be persecuted even by members of our family, he says, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

What will give us the strength to persevere in the Christians life, certainly a prayer life that perseveres. St. Alphonsus Ligouri says, “if, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one cannot be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace.” Jesus told his disciples this parable of the persistent widow after all to teach them the necessity of prayer for the spiritual life.

A Particularly powerful prayer in preserving us in perseverance is of course the Holy Rosary. Pope Francis this year called upon “all the faithful of all the world, to pray the Holy Rosary every day” during the Marian month of October, especially during this time of “spiritual turbulence” as he called it. The rosary is not a relic from the past century to be discarded. No, it is a powerful spiritual weapon, that the Holy Trinity wishes us to utilize in the great spiritual battle in which we find ourselves. For though the Albigensian heresy has been defeated, we know plenty of other errors and lukewarmness which separate souls from God.

I’ve taken the liberty of printing up some guides on how to pray the rosary, just in case it’s been a while or you were never taught. They are available at the parking lot Church entrance.
Prayer is powerful. In can win miracles. It can convert hardened hearts. It can bring relief to the sorrowful and light to the confused.

Oremus pro invicem, let us pray for one another, that we may persevere in the Christian life, be strengthened and supported in our weaknesses, and equipped, as St. Paul says, for every good work for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

October 7 2019 - Our Lady of the Rosary and the Battle of Lepanto

Over the last 2000 years, there have been a number of authenticated apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And during these appearances, Our Lady has often exhorted the seers to pray the rosary. Why the Rosary? The Rosary, Our Lady, explained to St. Dominic is the spiritual weapon by which The Holy Trinity wishes to reform the world.” The rosary is a powerful means of intercession, a weapon against error and vice, as well as an avenue to sanctification that can be employed by the novice and the mystic alike.

Today’s Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, was established to honor the power of Our Lady’s intercession through the rosary at a decisive moment in history.

By the middle of the 15th century, the Turkish Ottoman Empire conquered the Byzantine Empire, plunging a large portion of eastern Christendom under Turkish rule. Over the next hundred years, the Turks expanded their empire further and further west, both on land and by sea. They terrorized the coasts of Italy and Spain, taking captive over 10,000 Christians, whom they used as slaves. By 1570, the Turks had captured the Island of Cyprus and amassed a naval fleet there, giving them virtual control of the Mediterranean.

Pope Saint Pius V now had grave and immediate concerns that within the year, the Turkish forces could invade any part of Christian Europe and bring it to its knees. So he financed a naval fleet and formed a coalition known as the Holy League to counter this threat and protect Christian civilization. This proved easier said than done, as many of the major powers in Europe were reluctant to enter into a war that could result in their financial ruin.

The Venetians were interested in finding a diplomatic solution, but when their diplomats, who had been promised safety, were attacked and murdered by the Turks, the immanence of this threat became more apparent, and they joined the Holy League.

On October 7th 1571,  the Holy League, outnumbered by the Turks, sailed to confronted the Battle of Lepanto. At the Pope’s insistence, all of Europe was asked to pray the rosary for the victory of the Christian fleet. When the smoke cleared that day, the majority of the Turkish fleet was decimated, while the Holy League lost very few ships. Over 10,000 Christian slaves who were serving as oarsmen on the Turkish galleys were freed.

The Western Mediterranean and Western Europe were liberated from the Turkish threat and the victory was attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A feast was instituted (the Feast of Our Lady of Victory) which was later renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Today, it is clear that the powers of the world are reorganizing to confront Holy Church. There is external persecution in many places: Christians who are courageous enough to live their faith in the open do so at the threat of loss of employment, mockery from their families, disqualification from political office. Christians in some countries are enslaved and killed. And In many places, Holy Church is attacked from within, doctrine is criticized, Sacred Tradition and Scripture are disregarded, right faith is undermined.

May we entrust ourselves again to Our Lady and her Rosary. It is the weapon the Holy Trinity wishes to reform the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That, during this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, many Christians will discover new and deep devotion to Our Lady’s powerful intercession and maternal care for the Church.

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 health and sanctification of the members of our parish Altar and Rosary Society and Legion of Mary and for increased membership for these groups.

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

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.

October 22 2018 - St. John Paul II - Totus Tuus

In 1929, just 17 days short of his 9th birthday, the young Karol Wojtyla — the future Blessed Pope John Paul II — entered his house during the afternoon. His parents were very pious, and young Karol was accustomed to see his father — a strong soldier in the Polish army — praying on his knees on their parlor’s hardwood floor. That day, when the young Karol saw his father praying, he saw his dad’s knees bathing in a pool of tears.

“What’s wrong, Papa” the young future Pope asked his father. “Karol, your mother has died!” was his father’s answer. His mother had Emilia died in childbirth.

The eight year old ran out of his home to the local parish Church, which was actually right across the street from the Wojtyla apartment home. He entered the Church and ran up the aisle of the Church to a kneeler in front of a statue of Mary.  Tearfully, he said to her: “Blessed Lady, I don’t know why God took my mother home at the time he did. But I do know one thing: YOU are my mother now!”

Blessed Pope John Paul’s devotion to the Blessed Mother deeply impacted his life, his priesthood, and his papacy.  When he was made bishop of Krakow, he took as his episcopal motto the words: Totus Tuus ego sum, which is latin for “I am completely yours.”  The motto “Totus tuus” was taken from a prayer by Saint Louis Marie de Montfordt: "Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria." "I am completely yours, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart"

Jesus, from the cross, told us to Behold his mother. We seek to “do whatever he tells us” and so this is why we turn to Mary’s guidance and holy example, that our hearts may become more like hers in her love of Jesus and faithfulness to God’s Divine Will.

[Maggie’s Place Mass:] In this place dedicated to motherhood, all mothers and all those who assist them in the care of their children do well to place themselves under the guidance and protection of the Mother of Jesus. Mary is the mother who has endured the greatest of sufferings, and she will always help mothers who turn to Her to endure their own sufferings in union with Jesus. She will always help mothers who turn to her to raise their children to know Jesus and to follow his teachings.

[Nursing Home Mass:] Mary stood at the cross as her son suffered and died for our salvation. She was the instrument through which God brought Christ Our Salvation into the world. So any grace, any healing we need, we do well to turn to Mary. She will always help us to experience the healing of God in our illnesses, and the peace of God in our suffering.

During this month of October especially, we do well to take up her Holy Rosary, as Saint John Paul II did so many times in his life, to pray the rosary for peace, for healing, for the conversion so many souls are desperately in need of.

Through the intercession of Saint John Paul who entrusted himself, his priesthood, his papacy and the Church to Mary, may we place that same trust in her, who bore the Christ child, who nurtured Him through childhood, who at the Wedding at Cana told the servants to “do whatever he tells you.” Mary, Mother of the Church, Mother of all Christians, pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the teaching, preaching, and pastoral care of the Church all Christians will grow in their devotion to and imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We pray to the Lord.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.  We pray to the Lord.

For those trapped in the downward spiral of sin, that the hope offered through the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin will bring them new life in the Spirit.  We pray to the Lord.

That Mary’s maternal care and heavenly intercession will raise us to the moral greatness befitting true children of God.  We pray to the Lord.

For blessings on all expectant mothers, newborn infants, and young families.  We pray to the Lord.

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws that permit the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.  We pray to the Lord.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

October 13 2017 - The Day of the Lord is Coming (Miracle of the Sun at Fatima - 100th Anniversary)

100 Years ago, today, somewhere between thirty-thousand and one hundred thousand people witnessed the great miracle of the sun in Fatima, Portugal.  Thousands of witnesses saw the sun leave its place in the sky, begin to spin like a top, “spinning like a ring of fireworks”, one account said and come barreling toward the earth. And then, just as quickly as it came toward the earth, it returned to its spot in the sky and stopped spinning.

The miracle occurred eight months after Our Lady began appearing to the three shepherd children. She introduced herself as “the Lady of the Rosary” and stressed the importance of praying the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for the conversion of Russia, and to pray especially for sinners in danger of hell.

The miracle of the sun was a sign from heaven, a stamp of confirmation on the message of Our Lady: there is a great need of repentance and a need to have faith is Jesus Christ.

I saw an article this morning that claimed the Miracle of the Sun was a turning point in Portugal’s history. Anti-Catholicism and Atheism, which proliferated in the 18^th century, leading to the seizing of many catholic churches and schools by the government, maltreatment of clergy, the outlawing of church bells, the banning of religious festivals. Between 1911 & 1916, nearly 2000 priests, monks and nuns were killed by anti-Christian groups. But the “day the sun danced” was a turning point. The Atheist regime was soon replaced, and a flourishing of faith ensued.

The message of Fatima is as relevant today as ever: the need for repentance and conversion and prayer is a perpetual necessity; and that there can be no real lasting peace in the world, unless the peace of Jesus Christ fills our hearts.

The readings today are all ominous, but in their own way they each resonate with the Fatima message. The power of Christ can cast out demons from a soul and from a nation, and repentance and observance of God’s commands are perpetually needed for the day of judgment is coming, “the day of the Lord is coming” the prophet Joel says; “The Lord will judge the world with justice” we proclaimed in the Psalm.

“Say the Rosary every day… People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins.” May we heed Our Lady’s message, praying for ourselves and for those who do not yet know the importance of prayer. Confident and trusting in the Lord and His Mother amidst all the chaos of our lives, may we be found faithful today in his service for the Glory of God and salvation of souls. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

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That our Church Leaders may always help us prepare rightly for the day of Judgment.

For those who have fallen into error, for Catholics who have grown lukewarm in their faith, for those who have left the Church, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For an increase in devotion to Our Lady’s Holy Rosary, and that we may all come to more fully imitate Our Lady’s faith and purity.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased 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.

August 6, 2017 - Feast of the Transfiguration - Mystery of Light Par Excellence

Every year during Lent, the Church reads the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. And every few years, the actual liturgical Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, falls on a Sunday. So we get to proclaim and reflect upon this wonderful reading, this event in the Life of Christ, twice. And, if you are devotee of the rosary, which every Catholic really should be, we reflect on this great event even more often, as the 4th Luminous Mystery.

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.  For nearly 800 years, the rosary had been comprised of the 15 joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries. With the Luminous mysteries, we would now meditate upon Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan, his presence at the wedding at Cana, his preaching of the Kingdom and calling sinners to repentance, his Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and the institution of the Sacrament of Eucharist at the Last Supper.

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.” In each of those events, the baptism of Jesus, the wedding at Cana, his preaching and miracle working throughout the Holy Land, his transfiguration, and the Eucharist, the veil that separates earth and heaven is drawn back, we in this earthly life catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven, the reality of God. In these events we see God at work, ushering in something new in human history: the revelation that God is Three-in-One, the revelation that he has come to destroy the works of the devil, the inauguration of a ministry of mercy.

And Pope St. John Paul called the Transfiguration “the mystery of light par excellence.” Listen to his words: “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.”

So what does the Transfiguration reveal about God? It reveals that the light of Christ will guide us through trials of life, IF, we listen to Him. And IF, we are faithful during the sufferings and trials of life, IF we listen to Him, our earthly journey will lead to everlasting life with God, where we will gaze upon the face of Christ in the eternal kingdom.

In the document in which St. John Paul instituted the Luminous mysteries, he used the phrase “the face of Christ” nine times. Praying the rosary is so powerful because it helps us contemplate the face of Christ: the face of Christ which radiated the light of God on the Mount of Transfiguration. 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. His luminous and glorious face would support them as they were arrested, tortured, and faced their own crosses.

The Pope said, “To look upon the face of Christ, 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" What is our task? To look upon the face of Christ and recognize it in the events of our own life.

Do you believe that God wants to show you the face of Christ in your daily life? In your marriage? In your financial struggles? In the joys of parenthood? In times of doubt and sadness?

IF we are to recognize his face in the daily events of life, we must grow more familiar with his face through prayer. The Pope wrote this document on the Rosary, because the rosary helps us to do just that. At the heart of the rosary, is not simply the repetition of all those rote prayers, but quieting down the mind and heart so that we can gaze upon the face of Christ. We meditate on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, so that we can discover Jesus with us through our earthly journey.

When we contemplate the face of Christ 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.  We receive a guiding light for this earthly pilgrimage through our own dark valleys. Many people complain that God remains hidden to them, but they never engage in the sort of prayer life that exposes them to His light. But again, in order to receive this light, you must climb Mt. Tabor yourself. No one can make that journey for you. I can tell about the face of Jesus. I can celebrate a reverent liturgy. But each of us must make that effort ourselves, to seek out the face of Christ through daily prayer, reflection upon the sacred scriptures, and the Holy Rosary.

Padre Pio said, “The Rosary is the weapon for these times.” Concerned about the darkness in the world, in your life, in the lives of your family and friends? Pray the rosary. Expose the darkness to the light.

St. John Paul quoted in his document on the rosary, Blessed Bartolomeo Longo, a great and saintly devotee of the rosary. He wrote, “Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”

Pray the rosary. Seek the face of Christ. Conform yourself to Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

5th Sunday of Easter 2017 - Mother's Day and Fatima 100th Anniversary

Happy Mother’s Day.

We celebrate a very special Mother’s Day this weekend. 100 years ago, on May 13, 1917, Our Blessed Mother began appearing to 3 little shepherd children near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal. In honor of the centennial anniversary this weekend, Pope Francis has traveled to Fatima to celebrate the canonization of two of those children, Francisco and Jacinta, who after their encounter with the Blessed Mother lived lives of great sanctity. An encounter with the Blessed Mother always changes you, and when you entrust yourself to her, she will help you to be as holy as God made you to be.

At Fatima, Mary tasked the children and all of us to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for the conversion of Russia, and to pray especially for sinners in danger of hell. She urged the children also to offer their lives in reparation for the sins and to make mortifications throughout the day for the conversion sinners.

You may have also heard of the three secrets of Fatima; the Blessed Mother delivered three secret messages to the children, two of which they were allowed to reveal soon after the apparitions.  The first secret was actually a terrifying vision: Mary showed the children a vision of a multitude of souls languishing in hell. They saw blackened souls, surrounded by torturing demons, lakes of fire with souls screaming in torment.

Mothers seek to protect their children from harm. And Our Blessed Mother is concerned not only with the well-being of our bodies, but our souls. And this first vision is a warning, of what happens when souls separate themselves from God through serious sin, when they live godless lives, and persevere in error.

The second secret was a prophecy.  The Blessed Mother told the children that World War One was about to end, but unless Russia converted to Catholicism and was consecrated to her Immaculate Heart, the godless errors of atheistic communism would spread throughout the world and another great war would follow the first; great destruction would be wrought upon earth the human evil and the Church would be persecuted.  But in the end, her immaculate heart would triumph.

The first war did end, shortly after the apparition. And though Russia was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart by Pius XII, Russia did not embrace the Faith and a second war did follow, World War II. Atheism and communism have spread. The 20th century contained more death, destruction, and martyrdom than all of the previous centuries combined.  The Church suffered terribly in the 20th century: 8000 priests in Spain alone were killed in the 1930s; 3000 priests in Mexico, 6000 priests were sent to the concentration camps of the Nazis. Countless souls turned away from the saving faith in the 20th century to the errors of atheism and the grave sins of the sexual revolution.

Our Mother’s promise will come to fulfillment at the end of time: her Immaculate Heart will triumph, when the love of God brings about the ultimate end of evil.

The third secret was made known to the world during the reign of Pope St. John Paul II. The children were shown a a vision of an angel with a flaming sword, who cried out “Penance, Penance, Penance” Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious climbed up a steep mountain and at the top of the mountain, an immense Cross. There they beheld a Bishop, dressed in white, shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him. Two angels then gathered the blood of the martyrs in holy water buckets and sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God. A very strange vision.
Pope Benedict believed this vision of the Bishop dressed in white to refer to the Popes of the 20th century collectively, who shared in the suffering of the Church, and how the Church is strengthened by their Holy Witness. The Popes of the 20th Century were very holy men compared to some of the Popes of centuries past.

Pius X, John XXIII, John Paul II have been canonized. Paul VI has been beatified, and Pius XII is on his way to canonization. These holy men gave incredible witness and clarity of teaching, during one of the bloodiest and secular ages the Church has faced. And although the 21st century has seen the incredible leadership of Pope Benedict, who in my opinion is a living saint, and Pope Francis who has so impressively called us to embody the mercy of God, the errors of the 20th century continue to lead souls away from God and put them in danger of hell.

Yet, Our Lady promised, in the end, “Her Immaculate Heart would triumph.” Pope Benedict interpreted these words as well. He said, “The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, because it brought the Saviour into the world—because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world and remains so for all time. The Evil One has power in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word.”

Mother’s day! How can we honor our mother’s this day? We honor our mother’s with cards and candy and flowers, taking them to their favorite places, or perhaps visiting the grave of the mother’s who have died. But I think the greatest honor we can show our mothers is by becoming the people God made us to be, people of faith and love, the people our mothers hoped we would be. That goes for our earthly mothers and also our Blessed Mother.

We show great honor to our Mother by taking up the rosary as she taught us, by turning to her example of love, and emulating the resounding Yes she made to God. Take seriously your Mother’s wishes, that her children pray the rosary, do penance for sinners, seek the purification of our own hearts from all resistance to God. Allow her immaculate heart to triumph over the evils that still linger in our world and hearts.

Make your mother smile today. Your earthly mother and the Blessed Mother. And may each of us entrust our fates, our souls to mother Mary, that we, with her “may further more effectively each day the reign of Christ” in the world and in our hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.