May 13 2026 - Our Lady of Fatima (school mass) - Become like shepherd children

 

Today, May 13 is the anniversary of Mary, the Mother of Jesus appearing to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima in Portugal in 1917.  Mary appeared six times to Lucia, age 9, and her cousins Francisco, age 8, and his sister Jacinta, age 6, between May 13, 1917 and October 13, 1917.

Why was it, that out of all the people in the world, Mary appeared to three young children the ages of many of you here? She didn’t appear to the Pope. She didn’t appear to a journalist or a historian who could write a thorough and detailed account of her visit. She didn’t appear to a news anchor who could interview her on live television. Why three young shepherd children?

Part of that answer is mysterious—God works in mysterious ways. God wanted Mary to appear to those three children in Portugal because that’s what God wanted, He has his reasons, and those reasons are not always immediately known to us—we’ll find out in heaven.

Likely though, Mary appearing to three, poor shepherd children has something to do with Jesus telling us that unless you become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

This message was especially true in 1917. For in 1917, the world was on the verge of tremendous technological advancement: a lot of our own country still didn’t have electricity, but in just a few yers the world would change—automobiles, airplanes, nuclear power, soon computers, wireless communication, space rockets, internet, now artificial intelligence.

In 1917, the world would soon be getting more powerful and more complex, and Mary, appears from heaven to three simple, weak, poor children, and tells them to pray, to be dependent on God, and to not let material things become the center of your lives.

If Mary had appeared to adults, to their parents even, would they have believed her, that God wanted us to pray the rosary, to go to confession, to believe in Jesus. Many adults think of themselves as too sophisticated to pray the rosary, too proud to go to confession, too learned to believe in hell and the devil, too cultivated to practice fasting. This is why they are often so unhappy, because they have stopped believing in God in their deepest hearts. But, as we heard in the Gospel, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Dear ones, please head our Lady’s message. Don’t grow up to think that you don’t need God. Don’t grow up to think that the point of this life is just to become rich or that the right amount of material things will make you happy. Don’t grow up to think that it’s okay to sin. If you do, you’ve grown up wrong.

God gave Mary a special job to appear to these three young children, he trusted them with this simple yet profound message: that if we want to be happy in this life and be with God in eternity, we need to turn way from sin, practice prayer, believe in Jesus and his teachings, and do what we can to help others turn to God.

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Inspired by Mary’s call to prayer and to trust in God, we offer now our prayers of petition:

For the holy Church of God, that she may always heed Our Lady’s message of Fatima by proclaiming and living out the call to prayer, penance, and conversion with faith, hope, and love.

For peace in our world, that through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, hatred may give way to reconciliation, violence to justice, and war to enduring peace,

For the conversion of sinners and the renewal of faith, especially in places darkened by unbelief and indifference to Christ.

That during this month of May, all people may turn their hearts to the Blessed Virgin Mary, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, imitating her example of Faith, Hope, and Love..

For those who suffer, especially the poor, the persecuted, and the forgotten, that they may know the comfort of Mary’s immaculate heart and the strength of her Son’s redeeming love,

For the dead, that they may be received into the glory of heaven where Mary, reigns as Queen.

O God, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring your Son into the world, hear our prayers and strengthen us in faith, hope, and charity, that we may one day share in the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. Through Christ our Lord.

 

June 01 2022 - St. Justin Martyr - Seeking Truth and Holiness

 

The story of St. Justin’s conversion is well known.  

Justin was born around the year 100 in the Holy Land, and was the son of pagan nobles, so he was not raised in the faith.  But he was very well educated, studying poetry, history and science, and he was deeply schooled in the ancient Greek philosophers, but the Truth of God eluded him. 

One day, Justin was walking by the sea near Caesarea and there he met an old man.  And they began to walk and talk together about philosophy and truth. When the man revealed himself to be a Christian, Justin argued vehemently against Christianity. But finally the old man curtly cut him off, saying "You are a mere dealer in words, but no lover of action and truth; your aim is not to be a practiser of good, but a clever arguer, a cunning sophist." And when finally Justin put the question to the old man: "Where then is truth?" the old man replied, "Search the Scriptures and pray that the gates of light may be opened to you, for none can perceive and comprehend these things except God and His Christ grant them understanding."

Justin writes about what happened when he took up thr old man’s challenge: “A fire was suddenly kindled in my soul.  I fell in love with the prophets and those who loved Christ.  I reflected on all their words and found this philosophy alone was true and profitable.”

The old man, a simple Christian, was able to point this young person, Justin, with his superior education, to the Truth---to not love just words, words, words, but action, truth, goodness, and beauty.

Saints are not just born saints. They encounter Truth and goodness and beauty in the witness of the Church first. You don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to win converts, you just have to practice the good and tell the truth when it is your turn to tell it.

That old man set Justin on the path of holiness. And yes, Justin would certainly go on to use his tremendous intellectual gifts in service of the Church. Justin was one of the greatest apologists of his time: defending the faith against its enemies and explaining the faith for believers. 

In Rome, he was arrested for practicing Christianity.  Before the judge, Justin was asked, "Do you think that by dying you will enter heaven and be rewarded?" "I don't just think so," the saint answered. "I am sure of it!"  He was given the opportunity to renounce the faith and save his life; instead he defended the faith and clearly explained it, with his dying breaths.  He was put to death as a martyr by beheading along with six of his students, five men and one woman, in the year 166.

There are times when each of us will be called upon by God to defend our faith and clearly explain the faith.  In the early days of the Church, God chose Justin to spread the truth of the faith. He fearlessly defended the gospel of Christ before the powers and principalities and rulers of the day.  Through his prayers may we be bearers and defenders of the Christian faith to all we meet, witnessing to the saving power of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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For openness to the Holy Spirits gifts, that we may be always bold and clear in spreading and defending the Gospel.

That the faith of the martyrs may give us courage in times of persecution.

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept close to the truth and heart of Jesus.

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, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, 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.

34th Week in OT 2018 - Monday - Follow him wherever he may go

During the final days of the liturgical year, our readings are taken from the Book of Revelation, which is surely the strangest and hardest to interpret of all the books of the Bible.  Its style is neither the simple, sober eyewitness descriptions of Jesus’ miracles and accounts of his teaching, like the story of the Widow in the Gospel this morning, nor the straightforward principles and advice we find in the Epistles.

Rather, Revelation is a highly poetical, even mystical book filled with strange and symbolic numbers and characters.  The word Revelation literally means, unveiling, and in this final book of the Bible, heaven is unveiled.

In the reading today we get a glimpse at this group of 144,000, with the name of the Lamb and His Father on their foreheads, and they are singing.  They are the ones “who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” They are saints! Their very souls have been marked by their willingness in life to become completely obedient to the will of God.

What does this mystical vision have to do with the poor widow in the Gospel and the end of the liturgical year?  I think, that as the Church year comes to a close, we are given these two readings to remind us to have simple faith.

Who are the ones in heaven who surround the lamb?  Simply the ones that “follow Him wherever he goes”.  Why does Jesus extol the virtue of the widow?  Because she simply gives God everything.  Her whole livelihood was given over to God. 

Why is this simple message such a hard teaching? Likely because of the size of our egos and our attachment to sin. So often we fail to follow the Lamb as we should because our idea of how our life should go differs from God’s idea. We fail to follow the Lamb in times of temptation because we have not severed our attachments to sin, and conditioned our wills to turn away from sin completely.

But the 144,000 remind us that when we give everything, like the widow, and follow the Lord everywhere in his way of complete charity and generosity toward God’s will, and then you will come to that place in heaven where the new song is sung with joy.

Our modern minds say it can’t be that easy?  Give the Lord everything?  Obey the Church and all Her teachings?  Turn away from all sin? Allow the virtue of charity to direct every action, every decision, every attitude? Our hearts know it to be true:  be "pure and follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” for his glory and the salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis, Bishop Perez, and all ordained ministers, that their ministry may be effective in leading the Church in Christian faith, hope, and charity.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

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.