4th Sunday after the Easter Octave (EF) 2023 - Coronations and Noble Speech

Yesterday, in London, a new monarch of Britain was crowned: King Charles III. You may have watched his coronation ceremony. 

I read that breaking a bit with tradition, the King offered a prayer, out loud, as part of the ceremony: 

Listen to the words of the King’s prayer. They are really quite nice. Charles prayed: “God of compassion and mercy whose Son was sent not to be served but to serve, give grace that I may find in thy service perfect freedom and in that freedom knowledge of thy truth. Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

I share with you this prayer of the king of Britain because this month we think about another coronation, not of an earthly king, but our heavenly queen. 

King Charles prayed to be filled with grace, well Our Queen has been filled with grace by God from the moment of her conception. King Charles prayed to be able to serve God. Our Queen is the handmaid of the Lord. King Charles prayed for profound knowledge of God’s Truth; Our Queen possessed this knowledge, after all, she carried him in her womb and nursed Him at her breast. King Charles prayed to be blessing to all people; Our Queen is Most Blessed among women, mother of the Church, model of gentleness.

And she is the queen mother of a nation of royal priests, not a geographical nation, but a spiritual one, the Church. She is the queen mother of that “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own” for He is called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. Christians are royalty in the kingdom of heaven. 

Our Queen Mother is the noble example the Church and the world most desperately needs. She is the model of gentleness, purity, self-control, and selflessness. She shows us what life looks like what we allow ourselves to be animated by Christ, when we cooperate with the Holy Will of God.

St. James in our epistle today says that Christians need to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Certainly, our queen models those characteristics. Like her, we are to be “quick to hear” both God’s word as well as the cries of our neighbor. 

She was quick to hear the message of the archangel, and quick to hear the needs of her cousin elizabeth, who conceived in her old age.

We live in an age where we are tempted to do just the opposite, don’t we. It’s almost a national vice to be quick to anger. The internet certainly doesn’t help. Anger, outrage, rash judgment, bombastic attention seeking, gossip, and shaming. We need to be very careful when using social media, to be slow to speak, slow to wrath, responsible in what we share, especially in public forums. Our speech needs to remain noble--whatever the forum. Lest we cause division or scandal.

On this fourth Sunday after Easter, the Gospel is taken from a portion of the Lord’s Last Supper farewell discourse. The Lord’s announces that he will return to the Father in order that the Holy Spirit may descend upon the Church.

Our Lady was present at Pentecost, she prayed with the Church, with the apostles, that they would be filled with the Spirit of Truth in their mission. During this month leading up to our celebration of Pentecost, we do well to invoke our Lady, to honor her as Our Queen, our model, our mediatrix, that we may be open to the manifold gifts of Pentecost the Lord wishes to bestow upon our church.

To our Queen, we recommend ourselves and the entire Body of Christ. May she guide and assist our Holy Father and our Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work. May she  Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! May she remember us in all of our trials, and help us to overcome the malice of evil which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today. May she help deliver us from disdain and negligence of the commandments of God, and make us aware of the needs of the poor in our midst. May she help nurture in us the fruits of the spirit, and make us faithful in our Gospel mission, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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 A reading from the epistle of St. James

Dearly beloved, all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.

A continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. John

Jesus said to his disciples, But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

December 7 2021 - St. Ambrose - Honey-tongued Orator and Courageous Bishop

Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Ambrose was of the Roman nobility, trained in the classics, a poet, and a noted orator and governor of Milan, Italy.  In the year 370, while Ambrose was the Roman governor of Milan, the bishop died, and a heated argument erupted over who would be the next bishop.  Ambrose tried to resolve this dispute, and his communication skills were so excellent that someone shouted out, “Ambrose for bishop”.  The orator was speechless, for he had no intention of being a priest or bishop. He wasn’t even baptized, for he was still a catechumen preparing for baptism. 

 He resisted, claiming that he was unworthy, but the people continued to acclaim, “Ambrose for bishop”.  The people prevailed, mostly because Ambrose wanted to preserve peace.  So on December 7 of that year, he was baptized, and was consecrated a bishop, a week later.  He immediately divested himself of his earthly possessions, giving away his wealth to the Church.

 He is known as the “honey-tongued doctor” of the Church, his iconography often having bees and beehives, symbolizing his sweet and smooth oratory and his wisdom. He therefore Patron Saint of Bees and Beekeepers, if you were wondering. Put a drop of honey in your tea in honor of St. Ambrose!

“Care must be taken that our speech proceed not from evil passions,” writes Ambrose. “For in guarding his mouth, and restraining his tongue, and in not speaking before examining, pondering, and weighing his words… he certainly is practicing modesty, gentleness, patience. So he will not burst out into speech through displeasure or anger, nor give sign of any passion in his words, nor proclaim that the flames of lust are burning in his language, or that the incentives of wrath are present in what he says.”

 Ambrose, echoes the epistle of St. James, in the need to bridle our tongue, to control our words. James writes, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.” To bridle our tongue is to practice self-control, examining, pondering, weighing our words…thinking before we speak.

 

 Ambrose’s bridled and honey-tongued speech won over the young St. Augustine to the Christian faith, inspiring Augustine to renounce his heresies and wild living and embrace Christ.

Ambrose was certainly given the grace to preach, as St. Paul says in the epistle today, and also a boldness of speech and confidence. In 390, a riot erupted in Thessalonica and a Roman Governor was killed. In retaliation, the Roman Emperor Theodosius brutally massacred 7000 Thessalonians. For this heinous act, Bishop Ambrose excommunicated the emperor, who claimed to be a Catholic. Theodosius, before he could be readmitted to the Sacraments was to do public penance for condoning the murderous act.

 To justify the use of this spiritual authority over the emperor, Ambrose explained, “the emperor is in the church not over it.”  That’s a good reminder to all of us today—that bishops have an important role to play in the lives of the faithful, even those who are political leaders.

 One of his biographers wrote that, “At the last judgment people would still be divided between those who admired Ambrose, and those who thoroughly disliked him.”  Better disliked and in heaven, then admired and in hell.

 So let’s pray today for our bishops, and for all Christians that they may have the gifts of preaching and courage had by Saint Ambrose, bishop, and doctor of the Church.

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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That the teaching and preaching of the Pope and all bishops and clergy will be founded firmly upon the full truth of the Word of God.

That all those who wander in error, far from the Gospel of Christ, may be led through the preaching and example of the Christian people to the fullness of faith.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life. 

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

5th Week in OT 2019 - Friday - Open our hearts to listen

The first chapters of the book of Genesis reveal God’s magnificent plan for creation. In the first chapter, the days of creation follow the divine logic: the light, the earth, the heavens, dry land, sea, vegetation, stars, the fish, the birds, the animals, and finally mankind.

In chapter two, we read of God’s plan for humanity. Humanity is to tend to creation and to marry.

Sadly, in chapter 3, we read of Adam and Eve stepping out of God’s plan, man’s rebellion. Instead of surrendering to the plan, trusting in God, obeying God’s commands, man and women choose to believe in a lie: that they can grasp at a future divorced from God and still live, that they can do anything they want without consequence, they can have their sin and their souls will remain intact, they can close their ears to the Word of God and still be able to hear correctly.

In the Gospel, the effects of Adam and Eve’s Original Sin are on display: a man deaf with a speech impediment. He cannot hear the words of his loved ones, he cannot communicate rightly as man was created to do, as we are created in the image of one who Speaks—who speaks creation into being, who created through the Word, who communicates his love between the three divine persons, who made us to be communicators of His own truth, goodness, and beauty.

But, in the Gospel, God’s plan of salvation is also on display. Through Jesus Christ the impediments to wholeness are healed, right relationship with God and neighbor is restored.

Jesus looking up into heaven and groaning before this particular healing reminds us that the ultimate healing took place when he looked up to heaven and groaned his last upon the cross.

Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we have inherited a world polluted with sin and death, our own human nature is marred so we do not hear God as we should, we do not see as we should, we do not speak as we should. But in Jesus, spiritual sight, hearing, and speech are restored, communion and communication are restored, and we renter God’s plan for our souls.

We face many times a day the same choice the Adam and Eve will face in the garden, will we listen to God or listen to the serpent. One choice will bring us life, the other will take it from us. As we just sang in the Gospel acclamation: “Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the Holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her and care for her.

For the peoples of all the world, that the Lord may graciously preserve harmony among them.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief.

For ourselves and our parish, that the Lord may graciously receive us as a sacrifice acceptable to himself.

For the dead, for all of the souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Holy mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to those who call on you in supplication.