6th Sunday of Easter 2025 - Truth and Peace

 Last Saturday, Bishop Malesic ordained 8 new priests for the Diocese of Cleveland. It was a beautiful liturgy. The Cathedral was absolutely packed with family members, friends, fellow parishioners of the new priests. A group of Catholics from El Salvador, where two of the men had served in the course of their seminary formation—had made their way to Cleveland to support them. There was a huge showing of the priests of the Diocese to welcome our new brothers into the presbyterate. 

It’s always deeply moving to attend those ordinations for me-- a reminder of my own ordination day, when we laid down on the marble, and knelt before the bishop, placing our hands in his, promising respect and obedience to him and his successors. A reminder of having all those priests lay hands on my head--that ancient gestures of imparting authority and blessing before being sent out into the world.

The recent ordination got me thinking about a quote from Pope Benedict XVI which I reflected upon prior to my ordination. He said, “On the eve of my priestly ordination, fifty-eight years ago, I opened the Sacred Scripture, because I wanted to receive once more a word from the Lord for that day and for my future journey as a priest. My gaze fell on this passage: 'Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth'. Then I realized: the Lord is speaking about me, and he is speaking to me. This very same thing will be accomplished tomorrow in me. When all is said and done, we are not consecrated by rites, even though rites are necessary. The bath in which the Lord immerses us is himself – the Truth in person. Priestly ordination means being immersed in him, immersed in the Truth. I belong in a new way to him and thus to others, 'that his Kingdom may come'.”

The Holy Father’s words resonated with me deeply as I prepared for my priestly ordination, and again during this ordination season. Priesthood means being immersed in the Truth of the Gospel. The Truth is to resound in my teaching, and preaching, and manner of life, so that those I serve as a priest, may too, be immersed in the Truth that sets us free.

That’s what the Lord is talking about in the Gospel today. “The Holy Spirit...will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” 

God wants us to be immersed in Truth. And so the Father has sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to help us and teach us and be reminded of everything Jesus taught, so that we can live in the truth. 

Why is the Truth important? Without it, we are wandering in darkness, wandering in error, just following our impulses. And because of our fallen nature, our impulses don’t always point toward heaven.  We want too much of what we don’t need, and too little of what we do need. We impulsively eat too much, drink too much, doom scroll too much, hoard belongings too much. And we fast too little, pray too little, give to those in need too little. 

Following our impulses is not the way of discipleship. If our impulses led to heaven, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to teach anything. Rather, How do I know that I am walking faithfully as a disciple of Jesus? If my choices reflect the Truth of the Gospel taught by the Catholic Church. And that’s why Truth is a gift—the most valuable of gifts because it leads to Heaven.

Immediately after promising that the Holy Spirit will teach us, Jesus promises his peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

Truth and peace are linked by Jesus. Do you want peace? Peace of mind know that you are walking toward heaven? Ensure that moral, spiritual, and religious truths, taught by the Church are in place in your life. Ensure that you are adhering to truth as best as you can.

When Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (John 14:27), He is drawing a sharp contrast between the divine peace He offers and the superficial peace the world promises. 

The world offers peace through military power, gated communities, savings accounts, and insurance policies. It’s a peace that depends on having control over one’s environment and minimizing threats. But this peace is always vulnerable—wars break out, markets crash, disasters come. Christian peace is deeper than mere security.

The world promises peace through money and possessions. But peace through materialism is an insatiable quest. Those who make money their ultimate quest seem to “never have enough”. But the peace of Christ can be experienced in this life, when we stop seeking our peace and happiness in things, but in Him.

The world often equates peace with numbing distractions: drugs and alcohol, endless media and video games, offer temporary escape from our problems.  But these things leave us more fatigued and unsatisfied—hungover, overstimulated, unable to get a good night’s rest, and mentally exhausted, and often, enslaved to addiction. 

The peace of “worldly distraction” does not satisfy the soul; it leaves us empty after the thrill fades. Rather, the peace of Christ does bring emptiness, but fulfillment in not being lulled to sleep, but being alive in God—a living relationship with God where we understand we are loved, forgiven, and held in God's providence, even in suffering. 

Another false promise of peace is that we can create peace ourselves through political action and activism, as if a certain policy or government will “fix everything” and turn society into a utopia. While justice and the common good matter deeply, peace that depends on politics alone quickly mutates into tyranny and corruption. 

Rather, Divine Truth, is the only real basis for peace. Truth that is not determined by a majority vote, mob rule, or a tyrant’s will. Truth is a person—unchanging yet fully attentive to the needs of the individual; Truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” 

And you can’t find that peace outside of the Church because only from within do we have access to His teachings, His sacraments, His Saints, the moral guidance needed for the complexities of life, and the prayer that keeps us and strengthens us in our union with Him. 

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit help us to be immersed in the Truth of Jesus Christ, and put the truths of our faith into action—in our love for God and neighbor. May the Holy Spirit continue to instruct us in the ways of holiness, and remind us of the Lord’s teachings and presence in our trials and joys, that we may know the gift of peace, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

5th Week of Easter 2025 - Monday - Being taught by the Holy Spirit

 Already we draw near to the end of the Easter Season and the great feast of Pentecost. Our Scripture readings have even begun to signal the coming feast of the Holy Spirit. 

In the Gospel today, the Lord announces, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I told you.”

The Holy Spirit helps each Christian to be open to being taught continually by God and following in the footsteps of Jesus—of truly being his disciple.

The Holy Spirit helps us to remain humble enough to recognize that we do not have all the answers ourselves. He helps us to remain open to being corrected, instructed, guided in the ways of life, in the teachings of Jesus.

A Christian who has shut himself off from learning is no doubt obstructing--is no doubt hindering--the work of the Holy Spirit in his life. 

Rather, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the need to engage personally with Scripture, and  setting aside time for prayer and reflection, deliberately creating space in our lives for the Holy Spirit to speak to us and remind us of Christ’s words.

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit helps us to put the truths of our faith into action. It is not enough merely to know the teachings of Jesus intellectually—we must strive to embody them in our daily lives. When Jesus commands us to love our neighbors, to forgive others, and to serve those in need, the Holy Spirit empowers us to fulfill these commands concretely and generously.

The Holy Spirit, helps us to remember the teachings of Jesus especially when we need them most. When we are facing a difficulty, temptation, or trial, when we are confused about how we are to act as a Christian, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the Gospel: the demands of discipleship, the closeness of God, the perfection for which we are to strive. 

The Holy Spirit also helps us remember Jesus’ teaching when others need us to respond to their sufferings. He reminds us “that which you did for the least of my brothers, you did for” Jesus. 

As we prepare to celebrate Pentecost, let us consciously renew our openness to the Holy Spirit. May we humbly commit ourselves more deeply to the life-long process of being taught, reminded, and transformed by the Holy Spirit, so that our lives may continually reflect the teachings of Jesus, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, let us open our hearts to God’s grace and ask for the Spirit’s guidance in our lives.

For all Christians, that we may remain humble and open to the Spirit’s instruction, constantly growing in our understanding and practice of the faith, let us pray to the Lord.

For all who are struggling with confusion, doubt, or temptation, that the Holy Spirit may remind them of Christ’s nearness and strengthen them in holiness and hope, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who teach the faith—parents, catechists, clergy, and educators, that the Holy Spirit may guide their words and example, helping others to encounter Christ through them, let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the dying, and those in need of comfort, that the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, may fill them with peace and strength, let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead, that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead may bring them into eternal life, let us pray to the Lord.

Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts to teach us, remind us, and transform us in the image of your Son. Hear the prayers we offer today and grant us the grace to live as faithful disciples of Jesus. Through the same Christ our Lord.

6th Sunday of Easter 2022 - Prepare for Pentecost

 

It’s just two weeks until the conclusion of the Easter season and the celebration of the great feast of Pentecost, and our Gospel on this sixth Sunday after Easter contains the Lord’s announcement about the Holy Spirit, that the Son must return to the Father in order for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the Church. The Lord prepares his apostles for the reception of the Holy Spirit, and so we do well, prior to Pentecost to prepare and reflect upon our openness to the Spirit.

But first: Who is the Holy Spirit?

Each week in the creed we profess our belief in the Holy Spirit: “I believe in the Holy Spirit” Who is He? The Holy Spirit one of three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity. He is truly God—consubstantial with both the Father and the Son.  “Holy Spirit" is the proper name if the Third Divine Person. And we call him the Holy Spirit because Jesus himself called him the Holy Spirit, as we heard in today’s Gospel. 

In the Gospel today, the Jesus himself referred to the Holy Spirit as a Teacher. Docébit vos omnem veritátem—he will teach you all truth. The Holy Spirit desires to teach us always what is good, true, and necessary for the Christian life. If we wish to understand the faith, if we wish to live it, if we wish to pass it on, we must allow ourselves to be taught and led by the Holy Spirit. 

We heard in the first reading how St. Paul, Barnabas, and the Apostles were gathered by the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem to discuss some matters challenging the early church: did Christians need to be circumcised, could we eat food offered to idols, could we enter into unlawful marriages. And thanks be to God, the early church was open to the guidance of God on these matters, just as the Church of every age always needs to be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance regarding how to live out the Gospel of Christ in the complexities of our current age.

The Holy Spirit is a teacher and guide to the Church as a whole, but also to us individually. St. Paul says in Romans that “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Do you love of God and know that God loves you? If so, it’s because the Holy Spirit opened your heart to that possibility. Have you ever repented of sin? If so, it’s because the Holy Spirit has moved you to repentance. Have you experienced love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. If so, it’s because the Holy Spirit has produced those fruits within you. Do you have a passion for prayer, a love for the Eucharist, a desire to serve the needy, share the Gospel with those who do not know Jesus? It’s because the Holy Spirit has moved you, is moving you to these very very good things.

At World Youth Day in Australia in 2008, Pope Benedict said, “The Holy Spirit has been in some ways the neglected person of the Blessed Trinity,” and confessed that it was only as a young priest teaching theology that he began to recognize the importance of coming to know the Holy Spirit more intimately. He said to all of those young people gathered at World Youth Day that, “It is not enough to know that there is a Holy Spirit; we must welcome Him as the guide of our souls, as the ‘Teacher of the interior life’ who introduces us to the Mystery of the Trinity, because He alone can open us up to faith and allow us to live it each day to the full.” 

Pope Benedict calls the Holy Spirit the Teacher of the interior life. For God, the Holy Spirit, is given to us from the Father to be our constant guide and teacher in the spiritual life. St. Paul tells us, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” I don’t know about you, but the most moving moments of prayer in my life, have been those times when my prayer seemed to bubble up as if from someone other than myself. That was the Holy Spirit leading my soul, guiding my soul in prayer. 

The Holy Spirit also helps us identify those attitudes and behaviors and choices which hinder our spiritual growth. He illuminates vices which we’ve turned a blind eye to, he pricks our consciences to get to confession. He inspires us to put our faith into practice. 

As we prepare for Pentecost we do well to dispose ourselves to be taught by the Spirit, and I recommend three ways.

First, prayer. Prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to Help you to be open to the Truth God wants you to know. “Holy Spirit, help me to love you, to be open to your gifts, to be taught to pray. Teach me how to love, teach me the faith. Teach me to forgive. Teach me all things I need to know for my vocation, for the Christian life, for my struggle to overcome sin and develop the virtues and gifts you want for me.” Pray. Allow him to teach you what you need how to grow and make use of his seven-fold gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, courage, piety, and holy reverence.

Secondly, study the faith. The Holy Spirit is the teacher, and he’s been teaching the Church for 2000 years now. But teachers expect their students to study. Do you study your faith. The Holy Spirit has spoken through the scriptures, he has spoken in the saints. Have you ever read the Church Fathers? Augustine, Athanasius, Aquinas, Cyril of Alexandria, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenenus? The Holy Spirit moved these men, taught the Church through these men. He continues to teach the Church through these men. Read Thomas Aquinas. Read the Church Fathers. Read Pope Benedict. Pope Benedict was one of the clearest teachers of the faith we’ve had in 100 years. And when you’ve done that. When you’ve read these guys. Start over. 

Catholics get into big trouble when we think we know it all, we know enough. We are disciples. And disciple means student. We are semper discipulus—always a student.

Thirdly, make devout use of the sacramentals. The sacramentals, holy water, blessed medals, statues, sacred images, crucifixes in our homes. The sacramentals open us, dispose us to the grace of the Holy Spirit. Feel free to fill up a little vial of holy water when you come to church on the weekends. Keep it on your bedstand. Bless yourself when you wake up in the morning as a reminder of your baptism. And teach others about the sacramentals. They can be used by non-Catholics. They are a great introduction to the Catholic faith for some non-believers.

St. Paul in his first letter to Thessalonians said, “Do not put out the fire of the Spirit!,” because in some sense they obviously were limiting his work in them. To the Ephesians he said something even more powerful, imploring them, “Do not grieve the Spirit of God.”  How often, we believers,  grieve the Holy Spirit by ignoring his inspirations. He inspires to repent, and we put it off. He inspires us to feed the hungry, and we put it off. He inspires us to pray, and we put it off. He inspires us to invite fallen away Catholics back to the Sacraments, and we put it off. How much richer our lives would be, how much effective we would be in our mission, how much stronger our parish would be, if we followed the guidance and inspirations of the Holy Spirit, cultivated daily our love of the Holy Spirit, openness to the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

21st Sunday in OT 2019 - Strive to enter through the narrow gate

In the course of his public ministry, Jesus is asked a lot of questions. After all, he is a teacher; he has disciples who call him “rabbi”. Sometimes people ask questions about his motives, he is asked, “why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?”; sometimes he is asked about his identity, “who are you? Are you the one who the scriptures foretold? Are you the messiah?”, other times Our Lord is asked to give commentary on the moral law, or the law of moses, “is it lawful to divorce and remarry?”

And quite typically, one of the hallmarks of Jesus’ teaching is that he often does not answer questions directly. He often redirects the question to consider matters of greater importance.

When asked in today’s Gospel, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?", the Lord doesn’t answer with a yes or no, as the question would dictate. Rather, he seems to indicate that the question “how many people will be saved” isn’t nearly as important as the question “HOW will we be saved?” The number of the saved isn’t nearly as important as the manner by which we are saved. The Lord leads the questioner to consider what is of greater importance.

In a similar incident, when asked when the world was going to end, he didn’t answer the question directly, there either; rather he urged the questioners to “prepare themselves.” For knowing the day or the hour isn’t as important as the need to prepare your soul through repentance.

Again, the Lord reorients the questioner to consider what is of greater importance. That shifting, that reorienting is at the essence of the Christian life, isn’t it? Christianity reorients us, from focusing on what is of lesser importance to what is of greater importance. What is of greater importance, the earthly or the heavenly? What is of greater importance, the size of your house, the neighborhood in which you live, or if you make your home a Christian home where the love of God is practiced? What is of greater importance, seeking wealth, fame, and power, or holiness, humility, and service?

Now the worldly soul might say, well does it matter? What does it matter if my life is focused on the worldly? What does it matter if my life is focused on non-essentials? Why do we need to be reoriented?

Part of it has to do with joy. In the end the earthly does not give us true joy. And the Lord say, “I have come that you might have joy, and your joy might be complete.” You might think that the biggest house on the block will bring you joy, but what actually gives joy is that the house is filled with people who you love and who love God, that your home is filled with the peace that the world cannot give. You might think that wealth, fame, and power bring your joy, but we know that pursuing these things alone leads to exhaustion. You might think that the million-and-one non-essentials will bring you joy, but our hearts are restless until they rest in God.

And the deeper reason we need conversion, the heart of the matter, isn’t just that these million-and-one non-essentials leave us exhausted and joyless in this life, but rather, that there are eternal consequences at stake. What we do in this life echoes into eternity. And in the end there are only two possibilities for our eternal souls, which the Lord describes in today’s Gospel, one way that leads to the “wailing and grinding of teeth” and the other “to reclining at table” at the eternal banquet in the kingdom of God. As the ancient Christians put it: there is one way that leads to life, and another that leads to death, and there is a great chasm between the two.

So, how can we be saved? What is the way that leads to everlasting life, “how can we come to that place at God’s eternal table?

““Strive to enter through the narrow gate”. Heaven cannot be taken for granted. We must strive for it, we must make every effort to reach it. The Greek word, translated as strive, in the Gospel today, is the word “agonizomai” from which we derive the word Agony. Agonize, make the supreme effort. The greeks used this word to describe the effort of the Athlete who seeks to win the Olympic games and to survive hand-to-hand combat with your mortal enemy. Do you want to be saved? Are you doing everything you can to be saved?

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus’ passion begins with the “agony” in the garden, where he agonizes over abandoning his will to the will of the father. He sweats blood over it?
Notice Jesus doesn’t say today, stand at the gate and complain about how narrow it looks.  Some Christians look at the commandments of God and teachings of the Church and reject them, claiming that they are too narrow, too rigid, outdated.  They seek to refashion the gate, and make it wider.  But that’s not what Jesus commands here.

Rather, Entering the narrow gate requires us to change.  It requires that we conform ourselves to its narrowness, to deflate our egos if our egos are too big, to let go of the attitudes which are not of christ, to drop the selfish clinging to worldly pleasures, grudges, and fears if they are keeping us from following Jesus in the way of love and self-sacrifice.

This all seems very hard, very difficult, and perhaps unpleasant. But, that’s where our Second Reading reassures us, that to those who allow themselves to be disciplined by God, for those who strengthen their drooping hands and weak knees, for those who allow themselves to be corrected and converted, they will know peace, they will know the peaceful fruits of righteousness, they will know themselves as children of a good God who seeks what is best for them, who desires that we become our best selves, who we seeks our salvation from all those self-destructive vices and attitudes.

It is a tough gospel, a tough lesson. But in the end it’s the message of the cross, it’s the essence of Christianity: let those who wish to follow me, deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me,” says the Lord. And we know that the cross, and the cross alone is the royal road to heaven, it’s the secret to true joy, and eternal life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.