Holy Week 2022 - Tuesday - Song of Suffering and Glory

In the days of Holy Week, the Church presents select passages from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. These particular passages are known as the “Servant Songs”, and in these passages the prophet Isaiah depicts the Messiah as God’s faithful Servant through whom God would deliver the world from the prison of sin. There are four of these servant songs.

Yesterday, we heard from the first of the servant songs from Isaiah chapter 42: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased… I formed you, and set you… To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” God’s servant has a mission, and that first servant song foretells how that mission will be successful. 

Today we read a selection of the second servant song from isaiah chapter 49. Isaiah foretells how, God's servant will be successful and victorious in carrying out his mission, but he will also experience some difficulty, even feelings of failure. “I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength.” There were points in his ministry, where the Lord’s miracles and preaching were met, not with conversion and belief, but with hardness of heart and attempts to silence him. And then it appears that the servant feels defeated in the midst of this overwhelming task assigned to him by God. And yet, his discouragement is quickly transformed into confidence as he acknowledges that all he is doing and will do is for God’s sake and mission. Despite initial difficulties, the servant proclaims, “I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord, and my God is now my strength!”

Now notice in the Gospel today, at the last supper, St. John tells us, Jesus was deeply troubled, he had intuited that one of his closest friends was going to betray him, and that the head of the apostles, Peter was going to deny him. After all this time, after all the miracles they had witnessed, how could these closest ones not get it. The words of the servant song, perhaps piercing his heart, “I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength.”

But just like the servant song, after speaking of discouragement, the Lord speaks of glory. “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” Even if his own friends betray him and abandon him, he will glorify God, God’s merciful love will be made known in Jesus’ Passion of Death, the mission will be victorious. 

It is good for us to ponder what was going on in the heart of the Lord during Holy Week, at the last supper, during his Passion. He, like us, knows what it means to overwhelmed, and troubled, and discouraged. But like Him, it is important to remember that when we are faithful, if we do the work, God will be glorified. In those low moments, like the suffering servant, we are to renew our confidence in God, that our reward is not an earthly one, but a heavenly one; that through our trials, God is our strength; and in our sufferings, we will be glorified with Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

Holy Week 2021 - Wednesday - "I have set my face like flint"

In the middle of Holy Week, we hear from prophet Isaiah. 800 years before the Lord’s birth, Isaiah prophecies about the Messiah. He starts with a number of characteristics of the Messiah: he will have a well-trained tongue, he will speak to the weary, he will not turn his back on God or rebel from the will of God, as difficult as it might be.

Isaiah then foreshadows the sufferings the Lord will endure in his passion as he makes his journey to the cross: his back will be beaten, his beard will be plucked, he will be mocked, his face will be beaten and spit upon. On Good Friday, we will hear again how the Lord is beaten and mocked as he carries his cross through the streets of Jerusalem.

But, Isaiah also gives us a glimpse into the heart of our Lord as he carries his cross. He is not filled with resentment or despair. Rather, he sets his “face like flint”—a phrase to describe Jesus’ unwavering determination to persevere in the excruciating task set before him. His inner strength, to bear the cross, to bear the weight of the sins of the world, my sins and your sins—his strength and fortitude is beyond measure.

And yet, his strength and his firm and unflinching commitment to fulfill his mission derives from his absolute trust in his Father—as Isaiah says, “He is near who upholds my right…the Lord God is my help”

Staying on track in the Christian life requires setting our faces like flint. Difficult tasks and heavy burdens in the Christian life—fulfilling the responsibilities of one’s vocation, witnessing to the Gospel in a culture who mocks Christianity at every turn—requires fortitude. But that inner strength will quickly evaporate for us mere humans, like Peter’s courage at the sight of the cross evaporates, if we are not rooted in absolute trust, surrender, and love of God.

St. Paul explains the source of his fortitude in his evangelizing mission through storms, tortures, imprisonment and impending martyrdom, when he writes, “there but for the grace of God go I”. With abandonment to the grace and will of God comes the strength to remain faithful to God’s holy will despite the cost.

Contemplating our Lord’s own sufferings in the upcoming days, may we love God and trust God with ever-increasing abandonment to His divine will, that our faces may be set as flint against the buffeting winds of our culture, the temptations of the flesh, and fear of suffering for the Gospel, that we may be faithful to the holy work and heavy crosses of our time for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For increased faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

July 22 2020 - St. Mary Magdalene - Ardent love for Christ

It can be argued, that Mary Magdalene is the second-most important woman in the New Testament. Throughout the four Gospels, she is named 14 times, more than most of the apostles.  Yet, there is a lot of confusion about some of Mary Magdalene’s biographical information.

There is no scriptural evidence that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.  Nor is she the woman to have washed the feet of Jesus, that was Mary of Bethany in John’s Gospel; St. Mark and Luke do tell us that the Lord had cast out of her “seven demons”.

Movies like The Last Temptation of Christ and Jesus Christ Superstar portray Mary of Magdala as young, beautiful and as having…romantic interest…in Jesus, and we won’t even go into what Dan Brown, author of The Davinci Code has to say about her.

Mary Magdalene was a woman of deep faith and ardent love for the Lord. Everything we know about her speaks of her love for Jesus. St. Luke tells us that she helped provide for the needs of Jesus and His apostles out of her resources (Lk 8:3).

She, unlike many of the apostles, followed the Lord all the way to Calvary, and stood at the foot of the cross with Jesus (Jn 19:25). On Easter Sunday, she went to the tomb, found it empty and began to weep, believing the Lord's body to have been stolen.  But the Lord had risen, as he said he would, and spoke her name, "Mary".  Faith and Love then impelled her to bring the news of the resurrection to the apostles.

That is the last we read of her in the Scriptures.

Though we can’t take everything in pious legend as historical fact, there is something of her spirituality that we do well to consider. There is a legend that Mary Magdalene who was present at the crucifixion meditated on the Lord’s sufferings every day for the rest of her life. Faith and love for her meant contemplating the depths of the Lord’s sufferings, his wounds, his “stripes by which we are healed” as Isaiah says.

Why did she do this? So that she might not take his suffering for granted. To love a person is to value what they suffer, especially what they suffer on our behalf. This is one of the most important lessons in all of Christianity. We cannot overvalue the sufferings of Our Lord—what he suffered for us poor sinners who did not deserve salvation. Love itself suffered immeasurably for the unlovable.

By coming to deeper appreciation for what he suffered, we seek to conform our lives to his, that our lives may reflect the gratitude his sufferings deserve for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may seek to imitate the examples of the saints and grow in the virtues of faith, hope, and love.

For the demon-possessed and those hardened in sin, that they, through the intercession of St. Mary Magdalene, may know true deliverance and that young people  may be preserved from evil, and discover the great joy of loving and being loved by Christ.

That Christians may imitate the generosity of Mary Magdalene in providing for the needs of the mission of the Church.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of human trafficking, natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for the unborn, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

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

Hear Our Prayers, O Lord, and through the intercession of St. Mary Magdalene, free us from all that keeps us from the love of Christ. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

Holy Week 2019 - Tuesday - The Confidence of the Suffering Servant

In the days of Holy Week, the Church presents select passages from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. These particular passages are known as the “Servant Songs”, and in these passages the prophet Isaiah foresees the service, suffering, and exaltation of the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah. The four Servant songs of Isaiah depict the Messiah as God’s faithful, meek and gentle Servant. He is a royal figure, representing Israel in its ideal, most faithful form; He is the high priest, atoning for the sins of the world. Isaiah predicts that this Servant of God would deliver the world from the prison of sin.

Today’s passage is from the second of the four Servant Songs. Where in the first song, we are introduced to God’s servant as the restorer of Israel and a light to the nations, in this second song, there is a discordant note. Though he labors faithfully for the Lord, it appears at times, that his labors are in vain, his work is obstructed. He laments, “I have labored in vain; / I have spent my strength for nothing at all” He feels useless in the midst of this overwhelming task assigned to him by God. And yet, his discouragement is quickly transformed into confidence as he acknowledges that all he is doing and will do is for God’s sake and mission.

This servant song gives us a glimpse into the heart of Jesus the Messiah, who faces opposition from the powers of darkness, even from within his own band of friends, as we hear in the Gospel today. From his closest companions he will experience betrayal and denial. And the cross will appear to many as failure. But we know, that the cross does not end in defeat. And that those who believe in him, “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Being a Christian, following Christ often feels like an overwhelming task. How can I possibly love my neighbor as he loves? How can I possibly overcome my tremendous temptations? How can I possibly fulfill the demands my vocation makes on me? Or how often does it feel like defeat when family members continue to live outside of the Church after all of our prayers and efforts.

And yet, in those low moments, like the suffering servant, we are to renew our confidence in God, that our reward is not an earthly one, but a heavenly one, that through our sufferings we are “made glorious”, and that in our trials, “God is now my strength.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For increased faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For the conversion of our persecutors, for the grace to forgive our enemies, and forbearance in our trials.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

25th Sunday in OT 2018 - Me-Monsters vs. Humble Servants

“Beware of the Me-Monster”. This is advice from one of my favorite comedians, Brian Regan, in one of his classic stand-up comedy acts. “Beware the Me-Monster.” In this act, Regan tells a story of his experience at a dinner party where one of the guests dominated the entire meal talking about himself. When Brian Regan began to tell a story about a time when he had two wisdom teeth pulled at the dentist, this Me-Monster was quick to tell everyone, “yeah, well I had four wisdom teeth pulled, and they were impacted.” The "Me-Monster" always has to assert his or her supposed superiority.

The “Me-Monster” can be found everywhere, attempting to prove that they are better, smarter, richer, superior than everyone else. You’ll often see young kids exhibiting this behavior on the play ground, “well, my dad makes more money than your dad”, “my dad is stronger than your dad”. Adults maintain this juvenile behavior by showing off their wealth, insisting on buying the nicer car, the bigger tv. The internet has become a platform for “Me-Monsters” to grasp at superiority by signaling to others that they are smarter, more politically insightful, more compassionate toward victims of natural disasters, more protective of the environment.

In the Gospel today, the disciples were acting like a bunch of “Me-Monsters”. While returning from Caeserea Philipi, the disciples begin arguing about who is the greatest. Imagine, Andrew, perhaps saying, “Yeah, well, I’m the greatest because I saw Jesus first.” Peter saying, “Yeah, well, I’m the greatest, because I figured out that he is the Messiah.” James and John saying, “Yeah, well, we’re the greatest, because we gave up a lucrative fishing business to follow him.” Or Matthew saying, “Yeah, well I gave up more wealth than that, I was a tax collector.” Judas, butting in, putting Matthew down for obtaining his wealth by extorting his fellow Jews, while at the same time stealing money from the money purse. “I’m the greatest, I’m the holiest, the Lord likes me best.”  What a bunch of “Me-Monsters”.

“Me-monsters” can be found in virtually every corner of society, and sadly, in the Church as well. History is filled with tyrants who brought ruin to their nations because of their ambition, friendships and families destroyed out of jealousy, men and women who would lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead or for fifteen minutes of fame. This behavior is truly monstrous for it wrecks lives and wrecks the peace and unity in which we were made to live.

St. James, writing as bishop of Jerusalem after the Lord’s ascension, warned his flock about the dangers of ambition and jealousy. “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.” James knew what he was talking about, after all, he was there when the Lord corrected the apostles, as we heard in the Gospel today.

The Lord corrected the ambitious apostles by teaching them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” In the world, greatness is determined by wealth, fame, power, athletic prowess, physical beauty. But in the eyes of God, greatness is determined through service, self-sacrificial service. One way of “bewaring of becoming Me-monsters” is to making frequent examinations of conscience, and frequent confessions, examining if and how jealousy, ambition, and pride affect our choices, behaviors and attitudes. Do I insist on control my spouse? Do I insist on dominating conversations. Is proving I am right more important than patience? Do I insist on being served rather than serving others.

I don’t think that it is a coincidence that St. Mark places this little exchange immediately after the Lord’s second passion prediction. Because it will be in His Passion, while hanging on the cross, that Jesus teaches the ultimate lesson in greatness, it is on the cross that He shows Himself to be the greatest, because there he performs the greatest act of self-sacrificial service that there ever was and will ever be. Jesus, the suffering servant of the Father, accomplishes our redemption, by being wounded for our transgressions. In the eyes of the world he is despised and rejected, he is obnoxious the world, as we heard in our first reading today. But, through embrace of the cross, he is the true victor, his be the glory and honor and power forever and ever. 

This lesson, that true worth is found in the embrace of the cross, was not immediately grasped by the apostles. After all, when it came time to follow the master to the cross, they abandoned Him, they ran away, they denied Him.

We must beware of
becoming the me-monster, of seeking to become great in the eyes of the world. But we must also be patient and set good example for the me-monsters around us. For, each one of the apostles, save Judas, who ran away from the cross the first time, each one of them, eventually faced their fear, faced their crosses. Each one went on to suffer greatly for the Gospel. Peter and Andrew were crucified, Matthew was impaled with spears and beheaded, Bartholomew was flayed alive, and so on. And they did so, that the Lord’s Gospel might be known, that the invitation to eternal life through belief and imitation of the Lord Jesus may be offered to all. If they can have a change of heart, so can we, and so can the me-monsters around us.

This week, may we have the grace to really examine our lives, and to root out with God’s help all of those attitudes and ideas in our lives that are not in conformity with the Gospel: the constant desire to be praised, to be chosen, to be preferred by others, the fear of being ridiculed for the sake of the truth. And may we have the grace to pour ourselves out in self-sacrificial service in imitation of Our Lord for the glory of God and salvation of souls.