10th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024 - Fellowship, unity, and guarding against division

I’d like to first begin by repeating the sentiments I’ve expressed in the bulletin this weekend. Thank  you to all who took part in the parish picnic last week: members of parish council and volunteers who helped with the planning and set-up, all who brought food, and those who simply attended adding to the fellowship we were able to enjoy. 

Fellowship is a vital dimension of the Christian life. One might call it one of the pillars of our faith. Nowhere in Scripture do we get the impression that the mission of the Church relies solely on a single person. God Himself is not a single person. So Christians are not meant to be lone rangers.

Yes, each of us are to cultivate a personal relationship with God—learning to listen to him, to talk to him, to recognize him in the details of your life—cultivating a deep personal love for Him in your heart. And that’s something that I can’t do for you. The personal relationship with God requires individual effort. 

While we are all to personally nurture that personal relationship with God, we are also part of a community of believers. Jesus founded a church, called groups of people together to work together and worship together. 

A parish, like St. Ignatius of Antioch parish, is not simply a building or set of buildings in which individuals gather for simply my personal moment with Jesus and then i go home. A parish is a sort of headquarters, in which we plan and engage in the mission of the Church given to us by Christ together. A parish is a unique Christian community with unique gifts and challenges.

Throughout his new testament letters, St. Paul is uniqueness of the various Christian communities he visited: the Philippians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Thessalonians, the Corinthians. Like our own, each of those communities had its unique gifts and unique challenges.

Paul praised the Philippians for instance, for their generous support of the Church. And for their strong sense of partnership—they grasped the notion of cooperation in the spread of the Gospel. Yet they were not without challenges. Paul had to address disunity and rivalry among the Philippians. 

The Galatians too had their gifts—Paul describes how they experienced a tremendous outpouring of the holy Spirit and miracles, even, were evident. Yet Paul had to address how members of the Galatian church were being swayed by a "different gospel," as he called it—some members were insisting that gentiles had to be circumcised if they were to be saved. And where does Jesus teach that? So Paul had to correct their sacramental theology—that baptism alone is needed for salvation. 

So, too, the Ephesians. Paul praised their strong faith in Christ,  and their love for the saints. He thanked God for their profound spiritual blessings that were evident among them. Yet, the Ephesians had challenges. Paul challenged them to grow in unity and maturity, to put off their old way of life and put on the new one. He detected some willful ignorance in them, hardness of heart, callousness, licentiousness and impurity.

And then there were the Corinthians! The Corinthians, Paul wrote were enriched in speech and knowledge, and they had a variety of spiritual gifts. But just because they knew the faith and were eloquent in explaining it, didn’t mean they were living it. There were divisions and quarrels among them. They tolerated sexual immorality among them. They had disagreements about marriage and food offered to idols. They also had arguments about theology.  They had issues with disorder in worship. Their culture divisions, political divisions, theological divisions, and spiritual divisions were threatening their mission and their souls.

So, to address their many divisions, Paul gave them theological guidance and practical advice. He stressed the importance of right teaching, but also the need to act in accordance with that teaching. He reminded them that their primary identity was in Christ, not in any human leader. He urged them to build their lives not on the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of God—that true wisdom is found in the message of the cross, not in human eloquence or philosophy. Since division is often a rotten fruit of pride and selfishness, Paul called the Corinthians to practice Christlike humility and love. He gave them practical instructions on how to handle their disputes and disagreements, and instruction on how to conduct orderly liturgies. 

Above all, Paul emphasized that love should be the guiding principle in all things. He presented love as the antidote to the rivalry and pride that were causing divisions—"love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous: it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Paul, the keen pastor, addressed the divisions in those early communities, like Corinth, because, like our Master in the Gospel, Paul knew that a house divided against itself will not be able to stand. Christian friendship, fellowship, faith, communal worship, unity of belief strengthen the church, where selfishness, isolation, ignorance, liturgical impiety, and attachment to the values of the world cause disunity, division, and a weakening of a community.

I focus on this issue of unity this weekend, again, because it has been so good to see the parish come together in a number of ways the past few weeks. The Light for love event was such a beautiful example of different members of the parish with different spiritual gifts working together in an evangelical effort. And also, the parish picnic. And the garden club and SVDP. The more we can work together, the better.

I also focus on this issue we are head toward a season wrought with challenge. Election season is just around the corner. And I know this parish has a wide spectrum of political views. But in the Spirit of St. Paul I urge you, please do not allow political differences, and emotions surrounding political opinions keep you from working together, loving one another patiently, praying with each other and for each other. 

There are people who have walked away from the Church and the sacraments because their political views were irreconcilable with church teaching. Don’t make that mistake. Don’t let politics divide you from Christ—and cause division in this parish.

As things get heated up in the world these next few months, we’ll need to fortify ourselves. Fast for peace, make frequent sacramental confessions, and visits to the blessed sacrament, pray for the holy spirit to guard us against division and show us ways to work together, pray together, and love one another. 

Remember, the words of Paul: “what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” Our task, isn’t to fix the world, it’s unfixable, but to draw souls to Christ, to unity with Him and His Body the Church, to the kingdom that is eternal, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

3rd Sunday of Lent 2024 - Cleansing of the Temple and SIOA Capital Campaign Volunteer appeal.

 The Jerusalem Temple held immense significance for the Jewish people.

The Temple was central to Jewish religious practice. God himself called for the building of the Temple and it was to serve as the dwelling place of God’s presence on Earth, particularly that inner most chamber of the Temple known in Hebrew as the “Kodesh HaKodashim”—the Holy of Holies. And of course, at the Temple sacrifices prescribed by God would be offered by the priests on behalf of the people.

The Temple was also a place of holy and religious pilgrimage—particularly for the major Jewish feast of Passover. We know the Holy Family made this pilgrimage, and Jesus in the Gospel this weekend is at the Temple during the Feast of Jerusalem. 

Beyond its religious role, the Temple held immense cultural and national significance for Jews. Especially during times of foreign rule, such as Roman occupation during Jesus' lifetime, the Temple served as a symbol of Jewish sovereignty.  

Jews also believed that the Temple was central to mission of the Messiah—that when the Messiah brought about the ultimate redemption of Israel and the establishment of God’s kingdom on Earth—the Temple would be the central focus of that kingdom. 

Imagine the widespread shock, surprise, confusion, and anger when Jesus, believed by many to be the Messiah, enters the Temple. Instead of initiating the full realization of God's kingdom there, he uses a whip of cords to drive out the merchants, signaling not renewal but destruction of the Temple.

This event encourages us to reflect on how the temples of our bodies, minds, and souls need cleansing — be it from greed, anger, pride, or any form of sin. It invites a evaluation of priorities, urging us to seek a cleansing of worldliness so we can experience the spiritual growth God wants for us. 

Just as Jesus cleansed the Temple of commercial activities and distractions, Lent is a time for Christians to examine and cleanse their own lives of anything that hinders their relationship with God. It’s a period for introspection, repentance, and conversion, mirroring Jesus' desire to restore the Temple as a place of pure worship.

Jesus' actions also call us to be mindful of our Temple, our parish Church. Downstairs here at St. Ignatius there is a Latin inscription written on the church’s cornerstone laid by bishop Schrembs in 1925. Templi in honorem sancti ignatii episcopi et martyris lapis sacer auspicalis iactus fuit"  "The sacred foundation stone of the Temple was laid in honor of Saint Ignatius, bishop and martyr." Our parish Church is a Temple where the people of God gather and sacred worship is offered. 

Jesus cleansing the Temple of causes us to consider how we use and care for our Temples--the temples of our body, mind, and soul and this Temple, our parish church —how we are to be responsible stewards of this place. We are to support the works of our parish, its outreach to the poor, and contribute to the upkeep of our church buildings, recognizing them as vital to our spiritual growth and nourishment, and the mission of the Church entrusted to us by Christ. 

With that idea in mind, I’d like to announce officially the start of our Restoration Campaign—what we are calling “Our Spiritual Home – Our Legacy” campaign.

Our decision to move forward with addressing some of our capital needs was made after careful prayer, planning, and conducting a feasibility study. We have worked together with engineers, contractors, and the Diocese of Cleveland to assess the condition of our church and the Boulevard Building. Given that these buildings have been in daily use for almost 100 years, they occasionally require repairs and updates to continue serving as the heart of our Catholic community.

15 years ago, a campaign was held to stabilize parish finances when the parish was slated to close and make partial repairs to the roof. However, following discussions with Pastoral and Finance Councils and the Capital Project Committee, we have concluded that a capital campaign is necessary to undertake our new high priority projects.

These improvements will provide a strong and viable future for St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish and would allow us to address the following:

Repair and replace roof tiles as necessary; Fix and substitute damaged stone panels; Clean the stone panels and apply a water-repellent coating; Demolish and reconstruct the retaining walls; Restore stairs and staircases; Reseal all joints across the entire exterior; Mend and paint wooden window and door frames; Install a new roof and carry out masonry repairs on the Boulevard Building.

In response to the challenge before us we are embarking on a Capital Campaign to raise at least $600,000 to $1 million. The more we raise the more we can do.

Through this campaign, our goal is to ensure that both our church and the wider parish campus remain functional and welcoming for both the current and future generations. This initiative will be dedicated to funding the necessary improvements specifically at St. Ignatius, with all the collected funds staying within our parish. Our main focus will be on the Church, as it requires the most significant repairs. However, we also aim to address issues within the Boulevard Building if funds allow.

We acknowledge that fundraising is a challenging task, but I am optimistic about our success for several key reasons: FIRST, the vibrant spirit and enthusiasm of our parish family here at St. Ignatius of Antioch. The feasibility study showed significant support among parishioners for this campaign.  SECOND, the well-known and longstanding generosity of our parish community. THIRD, the clear and evident need for these repairs. 

For these reasons, and my trust in the Parish Council, Finance Council, and everyone involved with our project, I am confident that we will successfully raise the necessary funds to address our parish's immediate needs.

Today, I am here to seek your help and to encourage every adult man and woman here to contribute their time to our campaign. Our strategy includes personal outreach by fellow parishioners to explain our program to every member of St. Ignatius, particularly to those who cannot attend our planned in-person events.

To make this happen, we need your help as volunteers. We're requesting a small amount of your time—just a few hours across two weeks in March and April. The campaign is designed to be time-efficient, requiring only about a couple of hours from you each week during this period.

I will now ask the ushers to come forward to the first pew in each section and pass out the volunteer cards. When you receive a card, please take a minute to fill it out.  There are also pencils for your use in the pews. Please print your name, address, email, and phone number. 

No special qualifications are necessary, except your willingness to sacrifice a small amount of your leisure time—you should absolutely consider this as a component to your Lenten almsgiving—the giving of your time. We need volunteers who can assist with a variety of tasks including mailings and making phone calls to fellow parishioners. In addition, volunteers can assist in other ways throughout the campaign, such as in helping with our inperson events, writing postcards and other campaign outreach projects, like contacting our alumni. 

So please, take a minute to fill out the volunteer cards. And please place the cards in the collection basket during the offertory, and we’ll get these sorted, and contact you soon.

As I mentioned last week, every family in the parish should have received an invitation to attend one of our in person events. We held one last night at the 6pm. The next one is scheduled this Tuesday, march 5 at 3:30pm, and there will be one after the 11am mass next Sunday. We’ve staggered the times for everyone’s convenience. So please, attend one of these inperson events, to lighten the load on our volunteers. 

In closing, I wish to thank you for your cooperation and look forward to your attendance at one of our parish receptions.  

PLEASE REMEMBER - - that the success of our campaign depends on all our parishioners working together.  This is our sacred home—one that we inherited from generations of Catholics before us, and a legacy we leave to the future. We need your help and prayers to make our campaign the success we are all praying for, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.