11th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2024 - Parables of Growth

 One of the hallmarks of the Lord’s preaching and teaching is his use of parables. Through parables, the Lord drew upon images, ideas, and customs from the everyday life of 1st century Israel—like farming and family. 

Farming images--Seeds, plants, and trees feature significantly in our scripture readings this weekend—fittingly—as Ordinary Time is aimed at being a season of growth for us. The color green worn by the priest during Ordinary Time reminds us of the spiritual growth that each of us has the responsibility of cultivating within ourselves during this liturgical season. 

In the first reading, Ezekiel’s prophecy contains a very surprising image of growth—a majestic sprawling tree. And I say it was a surprising image because Ezekiel was prophesying during the time in the history of Israel when the tree of King David’s royal dynasty appeared to be dying. Half the tree, half the kingdom, had already been decimated—Northern Israel had been conquered by Assyria, and the southern region was also in serious trouble, Babylon had exiled many and demolished the royal city of Jerusalem.

The tree of David looked like it had just about had it. But in the midst of this quite depressing time, Ezekiel is tasked by God to gives a prophecy of new life: God will preserve the dynasty of David and it will grow once more. 

Now many must have scoffed at Ezekiel’s prophecy. For the ancient Near East had seen many nations annihilated and many royal dynasties exterminated and forgotten by history. And never had it been known for a royal house to be dethroned, exiled—and then established, let alone flourish to become tree that would encompass all the nations of the world. So, Ezekiel’s prophecy was a promise that was going to do something amazing.

And we know, that  prophecy has been fulfilled in Christ Son of David. And the new Israel, the Church. is that tree that encompasses and embraces the nations of the world. And yet, Ezekiel’s promise is new life is also relevant to our individual spiritual life.

We are never too old, or too sinful, that God cannot bring about new growth in us—new life in us. There is no one out there that is so lost, so severed from God, that they cannot repent and come to life.

The communion of saints is full of men and women whose early lives were so full of sin that you never would have expected their conversion. But through the prayers of the Church, the wisdom and holy example of Christians, and the grace of God, they came to faith and the flourishing of great sanctity.

If you simply looked to the early life of St. Augustine, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Francis of Assisi—if you met them as teenagers, you’d think, these people are doomed. St. Olga of Kiev was a cruel, ruthless, murderous ruler before her conversion. Blessed Bartolo Longo was an ordained “satanic priest” before returning to the Catholic Faith and eventually becoming a third order Dominican. They are living without God. And they aren’t just not going to church on the weekends. In the Communion of Saints there are former murderers, thieves, and literal devil worshippers.

Just as God brought new life to the seemingly dying dynasty of David, he offers life to all people, including those people whose lives look like a rotting tree. He converts atheists all the time, and so he can certainly bring about new life in our neighborhood and in our souls.

In the Gospel, Jesus uses the image of the growth of a seed to explain what he calls “the kingdom of God” –--God’s reign as king both in our individual souls and in the Church. And he explains that at times the growth of that seed is imperceptible, it seems like it is dormant, and nothing is happening. And then sometimes that small seed flourishes to an amazing degree. 

God is at work in the heart of every person on this planet to bring them to faith. It may look like the seed is dormant, that God isn’t evident in their lives. He is working in their relationships, and every time they glimpse up at the tower of St. Ignatius, and see our garden club hard at work or our parishioners feeding the hungry at the food pantry. 

Truly, when non-believers can see the difference our faith makes, they are being drawn to Christ. When they see patience, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness and self-control in us, they are being drawn to life.

Now the second reading didn’t explicitly use the image of a plant or tree, but St. Paul makes clear that the point of this earthly life is to grow into the people God made us to be so that we can enjoy eternal life in heaven. We have a longing for heaven, and to get there, we must cultivate faith, hope, and love. God is the farmer, and we are seeds, planted in the earth that we may grow to heavenly life until the time of the harvesting. God is planter and harvester. As the Lord says in the Gospel,  “And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” 

Each of us will face the sickle, the end of our earthly life. As St. Paul teaches, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil” so we should get busy cultivating the life of holiness taught and modeled by Christ.

Notice, too, the warning implicit in Paul’s words, “we walk by faith, not by sight”. In this earthly life, there are plenty of people who look to be happy, who seem to prosper. But Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes end up in the gutter all the time. Wealth, status, prestige, and privilege do not bring authentic fulfillment. The rich and powerful often lead empty, corrupt, perverted lives because they are not rooted in Christ. The scientific wonders of our technological age can never replace the need for God, the need to pursue heaven by cultivating divine life through prayer, right belief, the sacraments of the Church, and the acts of charity. 

As we make our way through this liturgical season of Ordinary Time, a season full of opportunities for spiritual and moral growth, may each of us consider: “where is the Lord calling me to grow this season”, “what spiritual fruits are absent in my life”, “what saint should I seek to emulate this summer”, “how is the Lord challenging me to grow in my prayer life, my moral life, my engagement in the works of charity, in working together with fellow Christians”, “who are the souls whom I should pray for more intentionally for their spiritual well-being or their return to the sacraments”?

May we be courageous in pursuing the life of the soul God wants to grow in us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

September 13 2019 - St. John Chrysostom - Preach in and out of season

St. John Chrysostom was born in Antioch, about 250 years after our parish patron, the bishop St. Ignatius of Antioch went to his martyrdom. Perhaps the seed of our patron’s martyrdom yielded the fruit of St. John’s great faith.

The Gospel reading for his feast day is the parable of the sower of the seeds, for St. John sewed the seeds of the Gospel through his eloquent preaching and teaching. His name “Chrysostom” means golden tongued, about 600 hundred of his sermons and commentaries on scripture have been preserved, as well as many treatises on the moral and spiritual life, and a very famous book on the priesthood.

He explains that priests, as preachers must never simply preach what people want to hear, but preach the fullness of the Word of God. “A preacher must have a noble disposition to be able to check the inordinate and useless passion of the people, and to direct their attention to what is more profitable, and so to lead and direct them without being himself the slave of their fancies.”

Our Lord, we know from the Gospels, faced much hostility for the content of his preaching. He did not compromise the truth in order to appease the fancies of his audience.

In an age of moral relativism, when even many Christians turn away from authentic doctrine and sound moral teaching, each of us has the duty to remaining faithful to the truth of Christ despite pressures from the world and the worldly. Priests and bishops are under great pressure to compromise, to deviate from the truth, to preach to appease those "itching ears that turn away from sound doctrine" as Paul say, just as faithful Christians are labeled as “intolerant” by those who reject Church teaching, even by members of our family.

Rather, we seek to develop our skill in preaching, in sharing the truth of the Gospel clearly and eloquently, like St. John the Golden-Tongued, “to preach the word; in season and out of season; to reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction” as St. Paul writes to Timothy; for we were not made Christian to win the adulation of men, but for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the bishops and priests may be men of sound doctrine, and courageously preach the Gospel in its fullness. We pray to the Lord.
That government leaders around the world may carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for freedom and the dignity of human life.  We pray to the Lord.
For the grace to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbors and enemies and those who persecute us, and to share the truth of the Gospel with all.  We pray to the Lord.
For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way, especially those effected by hurricanes and storms.  We pray to the Lord.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray to the Lord.
O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

July 26 2019 - Sts. Joachim & Anne - Feast of the Grandparents

A few years ago, on the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, Pope Francis said, “How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society!” Elsewhere he said, “Grandparents are the living memory of family. They pass on the faith, they transmit the faith, to us.”

I was blessed to grow up very close to my maternal grandparents. Maybe more than any of my cousins, I got to hear the stories of our family, and really come to discover what my grandparents valued most in life: faith, family, hard work, wine & food.

Some children are blessed to grow up near their grandparents, while others because of distance only get to spend time with their grandparents a few times a year.  Given the culture of the Holy Land, it’s likely that Jesus spent considerable time with His grandparents, even if they didn’t live in the same town.  They undoubtedly were a source of great human affection and examples of Jewish piety and devotion

For many years on Sunday, when my parents worked late the night before, my grandparents would drive miles out of their way to pick me up for Sunday Mass. I may have mentioned before, that I don’t know if I would have discovered my priestly vocation, without my grandparents.

The role of grandparents today is paramount in an age where there is a growing laxity in the practice of the faith: great effort is made for vacation, sports & leisure, but little effort is expended to pursue holiness. Grandparents can help to ensure that the Tradition and Faith is passed on to the younger generations, and help to guide their own children in responsible Christian parenting.

Grandparents, when you know there is something lacking in your children’s and grandchildren’s religious practice, don’t be afraid to remind your families of the importance of faith and prayer by your words and example.  When the grandkids come over, pray a rosary before the television goes on in the evening, make sure that prayers are said before family meals, teach the traditions, share the family stories, model the values, instill the faith.

In the Gospel, Our Lord explains the parable of the Sower to his disciples. Grandparents are in a very privileged position to plant and cultivate the most important seeds in a children’s lives, which is why Pope Francis speaks of the importance of grandparents for family life.

Through the prayers of Saints Joachim and Anne may we all come to a deeper knowledge of the role we have in spreading the Faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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In gratitude for the example of faith and the role of grandparents in the Church, we pray to the Lord.

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

That our young people on summer vacation may be protected from all physical and spiritual harm, shielded from the errors and perversions of the world, and kept in closeness to God through prayer and virtue.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, for all those recovering from or undergoing surgery today, and for the consolation of the dying.

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

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

3rd Week in OT 2019 - Friday - God causes the growth

On Wednesday we heard from Mark’s Gospel the great parable of the sower: a parable to explain Jesus’ earthly ministry and the different responses he encountered. Through his preaching of the Gospel, the Lord was scattering seed, preaching to all who would hear him. Some would ignore his teaching, some would initially accept it, even enthusiastically, but would abandon it because of their rocky hearts; some would accept it, but the thorns of their worldly and sinful attachments would cause the gospel message to be choked in their hearts. Some would rightly cultivate their minds and hearts, to make their souls rich soil for the reception of the Gospel, and these ones would bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Today’s reading contains two parables. The first speaks not so much about our individual responsibility in cultivating the soil of our souls, not so much the work that we must do, and the efforts that we must make. Today’s first parable deals with God’s work, what God does in the soul. In this parable of the seed sprout and growing in a way that is mysterious even to the farmer, Our Lord teaches us that our growth in holiness and the growth of the Church is ultimately God’s work.

St. Paul alluded to this parable when he said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes growth.” Christian humility acknowledges that God is the one who brings about growth and blessings and holiness.

But this parable also serves as an encouragement for those who think their efforts are fruitless. When we don’t see a parish growing as we would like, when we don’t see a lapsed catholics return to the church as we’d like, when we don’t see ourselves excelling in a particular virtue as we’d like, we are encouraged by this parable to keep the faith, and allow God to work according to God’s timeline.

We must do our part: preaching, teaching, engaging in works of charity, examining our consciences and repenting of our sins. And we must not allow our egos or personal preferences to get in the way of the work God wants to do. For true renewal, true spiritual growth involves allowing God to be God, to lead us out of our selfishness, to surprise us in our preconceptions, to bring us out of comfort zones, to transform us into saintly witnesses of his goodness, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That every member of the Church may cultivate minds, hearts, and souls to receive the Word of God more deeply and fruitfully.

That leaders of nations may find guidance in the Word of God for proper governance and the pursuit of justice for all.

That Christian families may be places where the Word of God is studied, understood, obeyed, and cherished.

During this Catholic Schools Week, for the students, teachers, staff, and alumni of St. Ignatius School and all of our Catholic Schools.

That the word of God may bring consolation to all those who suffer: for the sick, those affected by inclement weather or political turmoil, the indigent, those who will die today, and those who grieve.

For the deceased members of our families and parishes, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain.