5th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Wednesday - Achieving inner integrity

 There appears to be a bit of a contradiction in our readings today. In the first reading, for eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God say, the consequence is death: “the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die”.

On the other hand, the Lord Jesus, speaking to a crowd says that “nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person”. Nothing you eat can corrupt your soul.

How do we reconcile what God says in the first reading and what he says in the Gospel? Well, in the first reading, it was not the fruit itself that was somehow spiritually poisonous. It was not as if this was some mystical fruit that had the power to corrupt man’s nature. What was spiritually deadly, wasn’t the fruit, rather, what was spiritually deadly was the decision to disobey God. And that decision is made in the soul, from within.

As the Lord explains in the Gospel, “from within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

Our decisions--—our deliberate actions—matter. Our use of our free will has spiritual consequences. When we use our free will to act in accordance with the divine will of God, we grow in virtue—we habituate ourselves to what is good—to goodness itself.  The Catechism says, “The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God…The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good. The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.(CCC 1803-1804)”

On the other hand, when we misuse our freewill to act in discord with the divine will, contrary to the purpose for which we were made, our souls are corrupted—we are habituated toward what is harmful to our minds, bodies, heart and soul. Choosing evil allows the powers of death to continue to pervert our natures meant for divine life. 

Even with the help of grace, the example of the saints, the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, our life is a constant battle. One of the great lines out of Vatican II reminds us, “Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.”

But inner integrity and sanctity can be achieved through effort, through faithfulness, through love. May we allow the victory of Christ to achieve victory in us today, in our decisions, our deliberate actions, in our struggle to do what is right, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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With confidence in God’s grace and a desire to grow in virtue, we bring our prayers before the Lord.

For the Church: That she may faithfully teach and inspire all people to choose good over evil, and to live in accord with God’s divine will.

For those in positions of leadership—civil, religious, and community leaders:

That they may govern and guide with integrity, promoting what is just and right, and resisting the corruption of selfish or sinful motives.

For all who struggle with temptation or with persistent sins: That they may be strengthened by God’s grace and the support of the Christian community, and find the courage to choose the path of virtue.

For those who have been hurt by their own or others’ misuse of free will: That God’s healing mercy will restore them, renew their hope, and guide them toward forgiveness and reconciliation.

For those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit: That the Lord will bring them comfort, and that our loving actions may be a sign of God’s care and compassion in their lives.

For our beloved dead: That they may be granted eternal rest and behold the face of God in the heavenly kingdom.

Merciful Father, you have given us the freedom to choose good and the grace to follow your will. Hear the prayers we offer you this day and help us to grow in holiness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

34th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - The war between Lamb and Beast

Throughout the visions contained in the book of Revelation, it becomes clear that history involves a battle: a war of good versus evil. In chapter 12 of Revelation, we hear of the dragon—"the dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.” And the dragon wages war against the women and her offspring. Think of Mary and her children, the Church. 

In chapter 13, Revelation introduces two beasts, demonic lieutenants of Satan. And the beasts worship the dragon because it gives them power. And the beasts blaspheme against God. And they too, wage war against the holy ones of God. 

But then in Chapter 14, we meet not a hellish dragon, or a demonic beast, but the innocent Lamb and the holy ones who follow Him wherever he goes. 

Today’s passage describes a vision of the Lamb who has waged war and is victorious over the beast and its followers. And surrounding the Lamb are, the Lambs followers, who share in his victory. These are the martyrs and the holy people who remained faithful to the Lamb unto death throughout the great battle—the great struggle—the great war that is this earthly life. 

And the followers of the Lamb sing a victory song to celebrate God’s triumph over his adversaries that is about to unfold as God brings history to an end. 

The battle is real. Our sinful condition means that our earthly life involves choosing sides—will we give in to sin, to the influence of the dragon whose evil permeates the whole world—will we join the beasts of hell in their vicious attacks on goodness, truth, and beauty? Or will we join the Lamb who delivers us from sin, who clothes his followers in righteousness?

The Catechism speaks of this battle saying the dramatic situation of “the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one” makes man’s life a battle: The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.”

The battle is real, my friends. And the battle to do right—the battle for holiness—the battle to win souls—costs us something, as it cost the Lamb—we will be hated by all—handed over by parents and friends, as the Lord tells us in the Gospel today. But sacrifice for God—for the Lamb—is rewarded with an eternal share in his victory. 

Revelation says, “The devil is in a great fury, for he knows his time on earth is short”. And evil in the world is not a sign that evil wins, but that it is making it’s last, furious grasp for souls. May we work and pray assiduously for the deliverance of those who remain in Satan’s grasp through error and sin, pleading for their deliverance through the blood of the Lamb—Christ the Lord—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Lord, sanctify your bishops and priests, and grant them courage to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

Make the lives of parents examples of faith to inspire their children to seek first your heavenly kingdom. 

Bring all those who have fallen away back to the sacraments, help them to repent of their sins and desire the life that can only come from you.

That the Wisdom of Christ may preside over our thanksgiving gatherings tomorrow, for safety for all travelers, and protection from food-born illnesses. 

Bring comfort to the sick and suffering, charity and care to the destitute and down-trodden, be present through your church to the miserable. 

Welcome into your kingdom all the faithful departed, those whose names are written in our parish necrology, all clergy and religious, and X for whom this mass is offered.

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.

Legion of Mary - Acies 2019 - Aligned in Battle Array

The Acies is the great central annual function of the Legion, according to the handbook it is to be held around the 25th of March, the feast of the Annunciation, which commemorates the Incarnation, when God became man and totally dependent on our Blessed Mother. In a sense, what God did at the Annunciation, we do at the Acies. He entrusted himself to Mary for nine months in her womb, he consecrated himself to her care. And this is primary purpose of the Acies, isn’t it. To renew our consecration to Mother Mary, to allow ourselves to be nurtured by her and to be protected by her.

The word, Acies, as I’m sure many of you know, is a Latin word. Like many of the latin terms used by the Legion of Mary, it has militaristic origins. The Acies was the term to describe the army when it was set in battle array. In contrast to praesidium, which is a small military outpost or garrison, at the Acies all the local Legion “outposts” gather as an army set in battle array under the patronage and banner of the Virgin Mary, to renew their love and devotion to her for another year. And just as the handbook says that the grace is given to perform the assignment each week at the praesidium meeting, so the grace for the legionary’s upcoming year’s battle against evil is given at his attendance at the Acies. The importance of this is emphasized in that section of the handbook which states that if any legionaries could attend the Acies but do not, they have little or none of the spirit of the Legion in them, and are no asset to the Legion! Hence we can see why the Legion considers this to be the most important event of the entire Legion year. 

The Roman Legion was a disciplined army clad in military array. Mary’s legionaries put on the armour of God and promise to do battle with the forces of evil. Mary was central to God’s plan of salvation, and Her role is ongoing in the church. So legionaries act in close union with her in a wide variety of activities: in prayer, in your acts of devotion, in your charitable works such as visiting the sick and comforting the grieving, in your evangelization efforts, spreading our wonderful Catholic faith.

Just last night, I was talking to my Aunt who told me that the night before my grandmother died, this last August, the Legion of Mary came to visit my grandmother. You prayed with her and sang "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman" with her, and truly lifted her spirits and brought her much consolation and peace in her final hours. For this I will always be grateful to you.

By your prayers, by your works of charity, by your evangelizing efforts, the Legion drives back the enemy who seeks the corruption of souls. To perhaps even regain territory that has been lost. I’ve only been pastor here at St. Ignatius of Antioch for three months, and every week, I am deeply impressed to here the reports of the good holy works accomplished by the Legionaries here. And no doubt, all of you, in your own parishes are such a force for good, that I hope you continue to let your light shine, and continue to draw new members, for this good and holy work.

In the book of Genesis, we hear how God set an enmity between the woman and the serpent, hinting at Our Lady’s role in bringing about an end of the reign of Satan in this world. And today, at this holy gathering, you have recommitted to being her instruments, her servants, her slaves, as St. Louis Marie de Montford would say, in this battle.

The section of the handbook concerning the Acies concludes with a quote from St. Alphonsus Ligouri, who writes “Mary is an object of terror to the powers of hell. She is ‘terrible as an army set in battle array’ (Song 6:10), for, like a wise Commander, she well knows how to dispose her power, her mercy, and her prayers for the confusion of the enemy and for the benefit of her servants.”

The language of armies and battle arrays and the portrayal of Mary as Army Commander might seem a little…intense, but these ideas remind us of the great spiritual war in which the Church is engaged, and the discipline needed, and the grace needed, to be effective in this war of wars. Your holiness is needed. Your holy works are needed. And your devotion to Our Lady and your obedience to her command is needed.

As Mary gave her Fiat to God at the Annunciation, as we will celebrate tomorrow, may you be blessed and full of grace as you give your fiat to God in your consecration to Mary today. Your efforts are vitally important in the Church’s mission, and I pray that through Our Lady, God will bless you all with new vigor, holy inspiration, and divine protection in your fidelity to the Mission of the Legion for the glory of God and salvation of souls.